Friday, February 29, 2008

Nayan rates went p after billa

After the success of ‘Billa,’ Nayantara’s fee has gone up. Not only in politics, but in cinema too,
one can see overnight transformations. Now Nayantara is being flooded with film offers and high fees.
After breaking up with Simbu, Nayantara concentrated on her career. She became a super hit in telugu films, much to the apprehension of the Telugu heroines. Her Telugu film ‘Lakshmi’ was such a hit that it is being re-made in Tamil.

After her ultra glam role in ‘Billa,’ demand for Nayantara has rocketed and directors are waiting in line to sign up this beauty whose rate has been 25 to 30 lakhs.

One has to make hay when the sun shines, so Nayan is said to have doubled her fees. She is ready to give her call sheet to producers who can cough up 60 to 70 lakhs per film for her.

The old rate holds good only for Dhanush’s ‘Yaardai Nee Mohini’ and Vishal’s ‘Sathyam.’
The fee Nayantara is sdemanding after ‘Billa’ is equal to what it costs to make a low budget film!

Tamil cinema 75th Anniversary


These were the first ever words spoken in a movie, by actor Al Jolson in Warner Brothers' ‘The Jazz Singer’. Four years later, the Tamil film industry carved out a niche for itself, creating a record when a Tamil film broke the silence. The first ‘talkie’ film was H M Reddy's ‘Kalidas’.

From the ancient techniques of shadow play and story telling to speechless black and white films, the Tamil film industry had gone a very long way. But today, sitting comfortably in a cushioned chair watching those big screens at the multiplexes come alive with myriad colours and voices booming out of colossal speakers with DTS effect, the past achievements seem small. Fortunately or unfortunately, the past is very much a part and parcel of the present as is the future. We would not have probably reached this stage had the development and improvisations in the industry not been initiated such a long time ago. The Tamil film industry celebrates this year – 2007- 75 years of its impressive existence.

Speaking of the history of the Tamil film industry, the first movie in Tamil was made by Nataraja R. Mudaliar. He learned the tricks of cinematography at Pune and became the official cinematographer of Lord Curzon’s 1903 durbar. He set up a studio on Miller's Road, Keelpakam with a second hand camera and financial help from S M Dharmalingam. He made ‘Keechaka Vadham’ inter-titled in Tamil, Hindi and English. He made ‘Draupadi Vastrapaharanam’ featuring an Anglo-Indian actress, Marian Hill, as Draupadi. In 1923, his studio was burnt down and his son died, prompting him to retire.

Then came Raja P. K. Sandow (1894-1942). A passionate gymnast, he started his career as a stunt actor in S W Patankara's National Film. He went to Bombay and made silent movies. He became famous by the movie ‘Veer Bhemsean’. Returning to Tamil Nadu, he made many movies based on social reforms. Directing his first film, ‘Anaadhai Penn’, with R Padmanabhan, he embarked on a series of reformist social movies. He made ‘Nandhanar’, the story of an untouchable Hindu Saint. He was the first one to put actors’ names in the movie title. The Tamil Nadu government gives the 'Raja Sandow Award' for best movies, in memory of him.

T P Rajalakshmi was an actress, producer and the first Tamil woman director.

She learnt dance and music and made her stage debut under the tutelage of Sankaradas Swamigal, considered the father of modern Tamil theatre.

In 1936, she directed the movie ‘Miss Kamala’ (based on her first novel) and earned recognition as the first woman director of the Tamil film industry. She also acted in Sandow's ‘Usha Sundari’ and ‘Rajeswari’.

T R Sundaram worked at Angel Films, then took it over and started the Modern Theaters Studio (1937) in Salem. He produced 98 films, including work by Duncan, C V Raman and T R Raghunath. He approached film making with a business-like attitude, importing foreign technicians for his debut ‘Sati Ahalya’ and also produced the first Malayalam sound film, ‘Balan’ (1938). He revolutionised the film industry by producing the first colour film in Tamil, ‘Alibabavum Narpathu Thirudargalum’, starring one of Tamil cinema’s most charismatic actors, M G Ramachandran, and in Malayalam, ‘Kandam Bacha Coat’. In memory of him, the South Indian Chambers Complex is called 'Sundaram Avenue'.

Many a Tamil movie has set the cash counters ringing. Many have churned out ‘masala’ stuff and many others titillated an insatiable audience. But a few movies set the trend for many to follow, the impact on movie makers and the public being equally great. These trendsetters were a result of a good story line combined with brilliant direction and acting. Many such trendsetters were created not by veterans but by greenhorns, graduating from film institutes and farms! When the masses stopped flocking to the theatres, these movies pulled them in by the droves.

The first of these was, of course, ‘Haridas’ which ran for a record 768 days! Following closely was ‘Thyagabhoomi’ of 1939. Directed by K Subrahmanyan, this film was a watershed in the sense that it spoke eloquently about the prevailing social and patriotic scenario. ‘Nam Iruvar’ was screened in 1947. Even today some of the songs of in this film are standard fare on television and radio during occasions of national importance. This film comes down heavily on the evils of black marketeering and lust for money.

Krishnan-Panju-directed ‘Parasakthi’ of 1952 was a controversial and dialogue-laden film that spoke of rationalism. The film showed the hero as a rationalist, having great affection for his sister, almost murdering a priest who tries to molest her inside the precincts of a temple. Like ‘Nam Iruvar’, this film too depicts the rampant black marketeering of the time. M Karunanidhi, the present Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, penned the dialogues for this film, which were later released as an audio record. This film stressed the importance of dialogues for a film, and their delivery in an impassioned manner, epitomised by Sivaji Ganesan. It is to be noted that this was Sivaji’s first film, after several encore performances in stage dramas.

Devdas’ in 1953 introduced the concept of tragedy in movies, with the movie doing well in Hindi and Telugu which were filmed after the success of the Tamil version. In 1959, the Kollywood-produced film ‘Veerapandiya Kattabomman’ won the "Best Movie" award at that year's Afro-Asian Festival.

‘Kalyana Parisu’ (1959), director C V Sridhar's debut, introduced a parallel comedy track that sent the audience guffawing. It set a trend by its brand of humour. Shobha’s stellar performance in the Durai directed film ‘Pasi’ (1979) won her a national award for Best Actress. She plays Kuppamma, a rag-picker, mouthing an almost separate dialect of Tamil, contemptuously called 'Madras Tamil'.

Mani Ratnam's ‘Nayagan’ (1987) tells the tale of an underworld don in Mumbai. This film is noteworthy for the way it was crafted Cinematographer P C Sriram and Art director Thotta Tharani added a new dimension to their respective fields. Kamal Haasan’s screen portrayal of the ruthless don won him the country's best actor award and P C Sriram won the national award for cinematography and Thotta Tharani, for art direction.

In the technological aspect, the first film to have used the Dolby system was Kamal Haasan's ‘Kurudhipunal’. Similarly, the first Indian film to have adopted DTS system was Abavanan's ‘Karuppu Roja’. These are just two examples to show the advancements and accomplishments of Tamil films in Indian cinema.

The invention of L D Forrest, Movie tone helped record the sound on the edge of the film. In the recently introduced Super 35 mm technology, sound will be recorded on the image itself. This way, not only will the image have superior clarity, but the sound too would be crystal clear. Selvaraghavan's ‘Pudupettai’ and Kamal's ‘Vettaiyadu Vilayadu’ adopted this Super 35 mm technology.

The laurels the industry has won is too many to list.

‘Malli’, released in 1998, won the Golden Pyramid Best Film award at that year's Cairo International Film Festival, and ‘The Terrorist’ won the same award in 1999. In 2004, ‘Virumandi’ won the Best Asian Movie award.

The 2005 release ‘Raam’ won both Best Musical Score and Best Actor awards at the 2006 Cyprus International Film Festival, and another 2005 release, ‘Navarasa’, won the Angel Independent Spirit Award and Best Supporting Actor awards at the Monaco International Film Festival. Now we have ‘Sivaji’ rocking theatres around the world!

Other memorable movies that made a mark were Rajnikant-starrer ‘Padaiyappa’ which ran for 200 days, grossing Rs 40 crore.

Ramana’, slated to be Vijaykanth’s best performed movie.



Mani Ratnam’s ‘Kannathil Muthamittal’, ‘Ghajini’ starring Suriya, Rajnikant’s ‘Chandramukhi’, Vikram’s ‘Anniyan,’ Kamal’s ‘Vettaiyadu Vilayadu’, K S Ravikumar’s directorial venture and Ajith-starrer ‘Varalaru’, ‘Guru’ by Mani Ratnam and now ‘Sivaji’, starring Rajnikant were all big budget movies that kept the audience glued to the screens.

The average annual film output in the Tamil film industry has risen steadily in the 20th century. The Tamil film industry accounts for approximately 1 per cent of the gross domestic product of Tamil Nadu. Interestingly, the Tamil Nadu government has made provision for entertainment tax exemption for Tamil movies having pure Tamil word(s) in the title.


This is in accordance with Government Order 72 passed on July 22, 2006. The first film to be released after the new order was ‘Unnakkum Ennakum’. The original title had been ‘Something, Something Unakkum, Ennakkum’, a half-English and a-half-Tamil title.

Tamil cinema’s glorious 75 years of existence is being celebrated in a gala manner all over the world with star nights and award functions in Singapore, Malaysia, the UK, US, Japan and many more countries all through this year. The fĂȘte kick started on August 6, 2007, in the hometown of the Tamil film industry, Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. With cultural events, competitions, celebrity performances, debates and discussions, star nights and award ceremonies, it would be a year to remember


Kuruvi on location


Vijay and Trisha commenced shooting for Kuruvi in Malaysia lastweek for the shooting of an important song. Almost the entire team that made Ghilli is working on Kuruvi including music director Vidayasagar who has given rocking numbers for Dharani’s films.

Vikram in Amir's direction

It is now certain that Vikram will act in a film directed by Amir.

Vikram is doing 'Kandasamy' directed by Susi Ganesan. After that he may act in a film by K.S.Ravikumar discussions for which are already on. If it becomes certain, Mohan Natarajan's Sri Rajakaliamman Super Films will produce it.

After that Amir will direct a film with Vikram. Amir has already narrated the story to Vikram and obtained his agreement.

Once 'Yogi' is completed, he will direct 'Kannapiran' with Jeyam Ravi. After that will start the film with Amir-Vikram combination.Amir has planned to produce the entire film in Bangkok. Vikram has never acted in a film that was entirely produced abroad. Amir believes that his film will make good that shortcoming.

UTV, the production house that produced Jodha Akbar is believed to produce this film

Kamal's daughter watches 'Dasavataram'

Kamal's daughter Sruthi was thrilled at seeing Kamal in ten roles.Kamal is screening 'Dasavataram' to many in instalments even before completion of the film. Rajnikanth watched some of them too. Kamal has screened it to Chief Minister Karunanidhi also.

The lucky among the lot who has seen the complete film is Devisri Prasad, who is involved in background music.By screening 'Dasavataram' to many, the anticipation level for the film is raising. The last to watch the film was Kamal's daughter Sruthi.

Having seen her father's acting in ten roles, she was thoroughly moved and full of appreciation. But the music album release is getting delayed and Kamal's fans are worried that the release of the film may also get delayed.

Kamna paired with Sibi

Stopping short of asking who Sibi was, people may have even forgotten Sibi's face. It is more than a year that his last film 'Lee' was released. Sibi has no other film on hand. The reasons are many: own production 'Lee' lost heavily; distributors have to be refunded; producers hesitate to feature Sibi in high budget films and so on.

Now that trend has come to an end. Sibi is about star in a film by Viswas Sunder productions. Tomorrow is the film's photo session.

Rajesh, an associate of Suresh Krishna, will direct the film. 'Machakaran' fame Kamna is being paired with Sibi in this film.There is a whisper in Kodambakkam that Rajesh who came to meet Sathyaraj to narrate his story was intercepted and made him do his film with Sibi.

Is it true, Sibi?

Rajini Ajith now Vijay too

Good times have once again commenced for Nayanthara who is in an upbeat mood ever since Billa was declared a hit. Her next project with Dhanush, Yaaradi Nee Mohini is set to hit the screens soon and the lady has been swamped with plum assignments. Earlier she had missed the opportunity to be paired with Ilaya Thalapathy in Kuruvi by a whisker to Trisha. But now she is making up for all the lost offers. She has signed on the dotted line in an unnamed film to be produced by Ayngaran international and directed by Prabhu Deva where Vijay will be the hero. Though she has danced in an item number in Sivakasi, this is the first time that the duo will be coming together as hero and heroine. Meanwhile Nayan’s kitty is full with prestigious offers in the form of Kuselan with super star, Aegan with Ajith and now with Vijay too. The lady’s career is certainly on an enviable path. Good luck Nayan.

Eminent Tamil Writer Sujatha Passes away

Eminent Tamil Writer Sujatha passed away on Feb 27th at the Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. He is said to have suffered a heart attack.

He was 72. He is survived by his wife and two sons.Sujatha, was born in Triplicane, Chennai on 3rd May 1935. After a Bachelors Degree in Physics at St Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli, he completed his engineering in electronics at the Madras Institute of Technology.

It is worth knowing that Sujatha, who's real name is Rangarajan was a classmate of President Abdul Kalam at St Joseph's College. After 14 year stint with Central Government at Delhi, he joined Bharat Electronics at Bangalore.

Sujatha's forte was science fiction writing. He had also written many film scripts and was a regular dialogue writer for directors Shankar and Mani Ratnam.

Shankar's Robot was the next major project on which Sujatha was actively involved.

He is the writer of over 100 novels, close to 200 short stories and many stage plays.
Sujatha's death would be great loss for Tamil literature and Cinema.

Rajini’s movie releases tomorrow!

Sivaji - The Boss didn’t even need subtitles to pull people to the theatres in Mumbai. The magic of Rajinikanth was so empowering. Now the Superstar is set to weave his magic one more time on the people of cosmopolitan, but with his previous movie. Yes, that’s right, now Chandramukhi will be released in Mumbai, in Hindi and the best part is that Rajinikanth himself will be rendering voice. The movie will be released by Dilip Dhanwani of the Royal Film Company with 150 prints. This is a new record for a dubbed movie.

Chandramukhi though based on the Malayalam original, Manichitrathazhu starring Mohanlal, did exceptional business in Kerala. It also broke couple of records in Andhra. The movie ran for close to 900 days at Shanthi theatre in Chennai. Now it is all set to woo the Mumbai cinema fans. In-spite of Bhool Bhulaiyaa, the Akshay starrer, which was again based on Manichitrathazhu running well in the city, distributor Dilip Dhanwani is very confident of the movie’s prospects. Talking to Behindwoods he said, “Rajinikanth is a big brand here. Though the actor has stopped doing Bollywood movies, people remember him for his unique style. I am sure they will come to just see him.”


Surya pairs up with Simran

Simran who was the first heroine of Surya in Nerukku Ner will once again be paired with him in the upcoming Gautham Menon’s Vaaranam Aayiram. This film will feature Surya in four getups and major part of the shooting has been completed. After wrapping up shooting in America and Afghanistan, the crew is in Chennai now. As per the script, Gautham required a former heroine for Surya who will be donning the role of an older getup. Director had approached Simran who was in the midst of her Jaya TV shooting. It is said that Simran was happy with the script and has immediately agreed. Portions of Simran with Surya have been canned swiftly and insiders revealed that the sequences have shaped up well.

Asin's Ghajini Dreams


With over 50 per cent of the film having been completed and three songs shot, the director can’t seem to hide his excitement about the manner in which the film is taking shape.The director has, in a fairly short span, worked with top heroes in Tamil and Telugu such as Vijayakanth, Suriya, Chiranjeevi and now in Hindi with Aamir Khan. He is easily among the more accessible directors in the industry.

Music director A. R. Rahman’s music for the Hindi version of ‘Gajini’ has come out really well, he says.

“I am truly amazed at Aamir Khan’s dedication. His passion comes across evidently. You know he’s thoroughly enjoying himself while at work,” the director says.

Another news which is going around is that Aamir Khan may not be the only top star wooing the audience during the bountiful weekend. News is that Akshay ‘Khiladi’ Kumar, whose movies have become a constant feature during the ‘Eid’ period, is likely to give him company. The series of Akki films that released during the ‘Eid’ period goes something like this- AITRAAZ (2004), GARAM MASALA (2005), JAAN-E-MANN (2006) and BHOOL BHULAIYAA (2007). The current year is likely to see Akshay’s action extravaganza CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA (with hot new sensation Deepika Padukone), release during the festive occasion.

The film has already raised expectations of movie buffs due to several reasons. For Aamir Khan, this film follows his mega hit — the critically-acclaimed ‘Taare Zameen Par.’ Fans would also be more than eager to listen to Rahman’s music after listening to his compositions for ‘Jodhaa Akbar.’ For Murugadoss, too, this project follows Telugu film ‘Stalin’ starring Chiranjeevi.Some scenes are said to have been modified and visually enhanced in the remake, which is expected to hit the cinemas in October.

Quantum of Solace


The name for the newest James Bond film has been announced today. The 22nd film, previously known only as "Bond 22", will be called "Quantum of Solace". EON Productions who are producing the film made the announcement today at Pinewood Studios, where production for the film has been under way since last year.

The name of the film was inspired by a short story (of the same name) from For Your Eyes Only by Bond creator, Ian Fleming.

Next Femole Role in James Bond Film


According to trade paper Variety, Ukranian actress Olga Kurylenko has been cast as the female lead girl in the newest James Bond film, the still untitled Bond 22. According to the official press release, Kurylenko will be playing the role of Camille, who ‘challenges Bond and helps him come to terms with the emotional consequences of Vesper’s betrayal.’

Kurylenko, born in 1979 in Berdyansk, former USSR, recently co-starred in Hitman and with Elijah Wood in a segment for Paris, je t’aime. She began her film career in France in 2005. She received the certificate of excellence award at the 2006 Brooklyn International Film Festival for her performance in L’Annulaire.

So far, it has been reported that Eon Productions was looking for a Latino-style Bond girl. It is not known whether these plans were rejected or whether Kurylenko is going to play a South American character.

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest news and details on Bond 22.

The film will be the second for star Daniel Craig, who first starred in Casino Royale in 2006, taking over from Pierce Brosnan. Producer Michael G. Wilson has previously said that the film will continue "literally an hour after" Casino Royale's conclusion.