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Kuselan team returns; will Rajini participate?

Shooting of Kuselan was progressing at Hyderabad and the unit would be in Chennai tomorrow along with all the leading cast. The film industry will be observing a day long fast on the 4th of April protesting against the attack on theatres screening Tamil films in Karnataka and has passed a resolution indicating the participation of everyone in the fast. Generally there are a few stars in the industry who keep away from such activities.

Even during the Cauvery crisis, when the entire Kollywood marched to Neyveli, super star Rajinikanth kept away from this event but at a later date fasted to express his concern. When Sarathkumar was questioned on super star’s participation, he said that everyone is expected to cooperate with the union’s decision and for those who did not, severe action would be taken. Now all attention has shifted to the Boss and his reaction on this issue. Whether he would also join the fast or has he any other idea on this. We will keep you posted...

Tamil Mommy Divas We Miss

“Baby Shalini” now Shalini Kumar started her career as child artist at three. She won a state award for her first Malayalam movie Ente Mamati Kuttiammakku. She then went on to star in many successful Tamil and Malayalam films. Shalini took a break when she was still in her early teens. She was seen after many years in Kaathalukku Mariyathai opposite Vijay which was the remake of the blockbuster Malayalam film, Anniyathi Praavu, where she played the lead female role as well. She came across as the naive, simple girl next door with a very endearing personality. She first starred with her husband Ajith in Amarkalam and the couple fell head over heels in love and were eventually married. They were recently blessed with their first child, a cute baby girl. She soared to success after Alaipayuthey opposite Madhavan directed by none other than Mani Rathnam in 2000, where she played the role of a young woman caught up in the turmoil of marriage. Not many people know that she is a very good singer who has sung in films! Though she bid farewell to acting after marriage, she redirected her talent and passion to sports, which is such uncharted territory for an actresses. She excelled in badminton and won a few state level tournaments in 2006. This is one actress who will be definitely missed.

Ramya Krishnan now Vamsi is one actress who has essayed dramatically diverse roles in the span of her career. From a devilish vamp, a mom, a caring wife, a college girl, a goddess, a village lass to an item girl she has performed them all. Acting from the tender age of 16, she has over 200 movies to her credit in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. Her last hit Tamil movie was “Panchatanthiram” where she had a small role opposite Kamal Haasan. She was also seen in a raunchy item song more recently in Kaakha Kaakha. She married in 2003 to producer Krishna Vamsi and delivered a baby boy in 2005. She is now seen in TV game shows and also owns a production company. Will she foray once more into movies anytime soon? Coming full circle might just be the next logical thing for her to do.




Laila Mehdin, the pretty, dimpled Goan beauty from Mumbai, began her career as a model. She is also a ballerina trained formally at the Royal Academy of Dancing in London. And, she plays the violin. Her first Tamil movie Kallalagar failed to create any magic at the box office. But the talented actress was noticed by film-makers and was cast in commercially and critically acclaimed films such as Dhill, Nanda, Unnai Ninaithu, and Pithamagan, to name only a few. She even won the Filmfare Best Actress award for her performance in Pithamagan. In a short span of time she had created a niche for herself in the industry as the simple girl-next-door, sans any glamour or vulgarity. Her colleagues fondly remark that she could never ever stop laughing or giggling and was always seen with a smile on her face. That was the kind of person she was and this is reflected in all her roles. After Pithamagan, she took a break and was seen in Ullam Ketkume and Kanda Naal Mudhal (2005) where she finally broke the giggly-girl mould and turned in intense, classy performances. In 2006 she married an Iranian businessman and retired from the silver screen for a life of domestic bliss. She was recently blessed with a baby boy and is now enjoying every moment of being a mom. For the moment, though, she has not expressed any desire to return to acting.

Simran Bagga, now Naval, was a glam queen, girl next door and a diva all rolled into one. She fit the bill no matter what character she played, be it the tormented wife in Vaali, the widow in 12B, the loving mom in Kannathil Muthamittal or the die- hard spinster in Pammal .K.Sambandham. She came to Kollywood from Bombay as a small time actress, and in a few years catapulted to fame with her hard work and intuitive acting gifts. At the peak of her career, she bid adieu to acting when she married Deepak Naval in 2003, and in 2005 had her first child. She did make a comeback of sorts in the Malayalam film, Heartbeats, where she was portrayed as an AIDS patient, but the film sunk without a trace at the box-office. She is currently working in a couple of Telugu movies and can also be seen in several ads. Marriage and motherhood seems to have done her a world of good: she looks more gorgeous than ever and absolutely stunning. She has all the talent and looks to take her even higher. All she needs now is the right launching pad for her second innings in the industry. She still has an amazing fan base in the South, and they cannot wait to catch a glimpse of their favorite actress once again. Will she be part of Rajinikanth’s next – Kuselan - is the million dollar question.

Jyothika Sadanah now Saravanan or Jo to her family and friends is another diva who came from the North and took the entire southern industry by storm. She is the younger sister of yesteryear actress Nagma. She made her debut in a Hindi film, Doli Sajaa Ke Rakhna, where she was paired opposite Akshay Khanna. Unfortunately the film flopped. In Tamil she was first seen in a small guest role in Vaali opposite Ajith. Her first full-fledged role as a heroine was opposite hubby Surya in Poovellam Kettupar. Her cute, bubbly innocence became her USP, and from there on she never had to look back. She has been one of the few privileged actresses who has worked with all the top heroes of her time, including Superstar Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. It is noteworthy that the role of “Chandramukhi” was initially offered to Simran (who was unable to do the film), but one that Jyothika went on to make her own. She has worked under all the prestigious banners and directors, never having to compromise in any way or succumb to any kind of pressure to show skin or appear vulgar through the span of her career. This gifted, hard-working and dedicated actress relied only on immense faith and confidence in herself to reach stardom. Her recent films such as Chandramukhi, Mozhi and Pachaikili Muthucharam, won her several accolades, proving she was capable of rendering heavy-duty performances when the script demanded it. Her fans were very upset when she decided to bid farewell to films after her marriage to Surya. She is now a proud mom of a baby girl who is the apple of her eye. Like Simran she might make a comeback - such talent cannot be buried

Kollywood diary of first Quarter 2008

Looks like the year 2008 hasn’t been a good start for the movies. A close look at the statistics reveal mixed reaction from the movie-going public. While big ventures failed to evoke the expected response at the ticket counters, the box office buzzed with activity - courtesy the shoestring budgeted movies.

An analysis of the state of affairs at the box office during the first quarter.

As many as 26 movies hit the theatres during the four months of the year 2008, both, big and small in size. Pongal witnessed half a dozen releases and sadly none of them received patronage from the public. Bheema and Pazhani joined the average league while the others sank without a trace.

1. Kattuviriyan
2. Tharagu
3. Inba
4. Vedha
5. Sandai
6. Singakutty
7. Kannum Kannum
8. Vaitheeswaran
9. Vellithirai
10. Thotta
11. Vambuchanda
12. Akku
13. Sila Nerangalil
14. Thoondil
15. Anjathe
16. Nenjathai Killadhe
17. Sadhu Miranda
18. Vazhthukal
19. Pirivom Santhippom
20. Indiralogathil
21. Kanna
22. Kaalai
23. Thangam
24. Pazhani
25. Bheema
26. Pidichirukku

Pick of the quarter

Anjaathey, Pirivom Sandipom, and Kannum Kannum are the only movies that have made it critically and commercially.

Anjaathe

A fascinating tale of friendship going awry when fate crosses its path between two friends, Anjaathey is steadily gaining momentum at the box office. Narain’s role and performance as a waywardly youngster becoming a dutiful police officer caught between his duty and the skewed friendship is winning accolades. Same with debutant Ajmal and Prasanna’s powerhouse performances. Anjaathey proved that small films could make big if the plot and script are rock solid.

Privom Santhippom

Pirivom stayed in multiplexes for quite sometime- the longevity of which could be attributed to Karu Pazhaniappan’s adorable story telling and Cheran – Sneha’s inescapable chemistry. The family drama has proved that decent family entertainers still hold value among the audiences.

Kannum Kannum

While breezy love stories becoming a thing of the past replaced by stylishly crafted big budget action adventures, Kannum Kannum proved a refresher of sorts. The Prasanna – Udayathara starrer is being noticed and is catching up among the multiplex movie buffs.

Of the 26 official releases, as much as 15 proved to be downers failing to make impact and business at the box office. Most of them were average grosser. Sandai is doing well in B and C centers, while Kattuviritan is doing well in C centers, so it’s a little early to say if they will be hits.

1. Sandai
2. Sadhu Miranda
3. Thotta
4. Pazhani
5. Pidichirukku
6. Kattuviriyan –C center is doing well, A B not

Bheema

Bheema released amidst soaring expectations breaking an almost two-year sabbatical of Vikram. The movie had an impressive opening but could not sustain itself at the box office and finally settled for an average mark. Collections were not as impressive as the budget.

Indiralogathil Na Azhagappan

Vadivelu’s blooper Indiralogathi Na Azhagappan fell flat on its nose in less than a week of its release. Unimaginative script and predictable direction made the public give thumbs down to the movie.

Nenjathai Killadhe

Kadhal Kottai Agathiyan’s love story could have made an impact if Kadhal Kottai was not made earlier. The movie was just reduced to a passable attempt owing to the storyline that proved a tad repetitive.

Vellithirai

Vellithirai had all it takes to be a successful venture. The humor is not funny, it is rather wry with cynical undertones. There needs to be a special talent to laugh at oneself. Prakashraj has done it in style although the script and plot are borrowed from the neighborhood. But who cares, as long as the movie is agreeably entertaining and thought-provoking. Although with all these plus points, Vellithirai still failed to create a buzz and the mystery remains unsolved.

Kaalai

Silambarasan has such a solid fan base. And his fans had been waiting eagerly for his next. After Valluvan, there was a lull from the little superstar. Kaalai proved heavily disappointing, crashing their hopes.

With a handful of debutants – with an exception of Anu Haasan and Riyaz Khan – Akku is a commendable attempt without any songs and the inevitable interval. The movie was a thriller and ran for 90 minutes. Sadly, without enough publicity and promotion it was not noticed by the general public and sank without a trace for the same reason.

Bollywood Kisses

Mallika Sherawat and Himanshu Malik: Miss Sherawat hogged all the headlines when this movie was released as she locks lips with her co star Himanshu 17 times in the movie, and thus kissed success too.

Rakhi Sawant and Mika: If Rakhi was just an item girl, this kiss definitely helped her hog headlines. She filed a police case against singer Mika for kissing her forcibly in a party.

Raja Hindustani: A very hot kiss featured in rain depicted the passion of two lovers, played by Aamir Khan and Karishma Kapoor.

Mallika Sherawat and Emraan Hashmi in 'Murder': Mallika kissed Hashmi and Ashmit Patel in 'Murder', which went on to become a huge hit, and was in controversy for its bold scenes.

Dimple Kapadia and Anil Kapoor in 'Jaanbaaz'- This steamy lip lock featuring Anil Kapoor and sensual Dimple Kapadia made headlines in 1986.

Rani Mukherji and Saif Ali in Hum Tum: Miss Mukherji locked lips once again with Chhote Nawab in 'Hum Tum' which is loosely based on 'When Harry Met Sally'.

Emraan Hashmi and Udita Goswami in 'Zeher': Populary known as serial kisser, Hashmi has lip-locked with his co-stars in almost all his movies.

Rani Mukherji and Kamal Hasaan in Hey Ram: This movie had Rani kissing on screen for the first time. Later she locked lips again with Bachchan Sr. and Bachchan Jr. in Black and Yuva respectively.

John Abraham and Bipasha Basu in 'Jism': This real life couple shared a steamy reel life kiss in John's debut movie where he plays the other man in Bips' life.

Dimple Kapadia and Rishi Kapoor in 'Bobby': Dimple splashed a lot of headlines as she smooched Rishi Kapoor in her debut movie 'Bobby'.

Shilpa Shetty and Richard Gere: A kiss by this American actor shocked Indian and an Indian court also issued arrest warrants against the duo for their public kiss, which had evoked strong protests in some cities.

Kate and Prince

Kate Middleton, the girlfriend of Prince William, is planning to redecorate the prince’s London residence.The 25-year-old brunette, who has been staying at Clarence House for the past few months, reportedly wants to make her mark on the property by updating the “old fashioned” paint work and furnishings in her dressing room.

A source revealed, “Kate doesn’t want to step on anyone’s toes. She just wants to change the dressing room, which is quite dated, with a lick of paint.”

However, some royal staff have been unimpressed with Kate’s plans, complaining she has been throwing her weight around the palace.

The source added, “Kate is walking around with all the confidence of a princess-in-waiting. Some of the staff has called her the Lady of the House. She is making everyone aware of who wears the trousers in her relationship.”

Meanwhile, Kate Middleton has decided to jet home early from her sunshine break in Barbados to celebrate part of Christmas with Prince William.

The couple had decided to spend the festive season with their respective families, with Kate enjoying a Caribbean getaway with her family, and Prince William sticking with royal protocol and staying at his grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s Norfolk residence.