characters

What kind of characters you want to play in your career?
That we can’t decide. God only knows, we should do what comes to us, but we should not keep a rule that we should live in the way how we like. Once I used to films with mass image continuously and met with injuries. At that time, I said that I would do a film like ‘Suhdarakanda’, but many suggested not to come out of my image. But I stood by my word and did that film. After that I changed the entire style of my films. After that I did many good movies and played good characters. Films like ‘Pavitra Bandham, Pelli Chesundam Raa…, Nuvvu Naaku Nachav, Preminchukundam Raaa.. Premante Ideraa… Aadavari Maatalaku Ardhale Verule, Raja’ earned me a very good name and made me a family hero.
What all films you listed above were done by keeping your stardom aside? Isn’t it?
This is what I don’t like at all. It is not the stardom which is important. We should do different characters and prove ourselves as an artiste. It is the God who is there to decide what should be done and what should not. I am now ready to work in telefilms as well. I am going to play a role in a telefilm called ‘Vivekananda’, but my brother Suresh is not accepting to sign the dotted line. I don’t want any stardom at all.
There is a sentiment in the Telugu film industry. If you cry in a film that movie would be a definite hit. Did you cry in this film too by any chance?
Yes. There is a small flashback behind this sentiment. When I attended a function in Tirupati, some of the fans commented that the heroes in the film cry without facing the camera and we really don’t know whether they are really crying or laughing. This had prompted me to face the camera by crying in ‘Prema’. I became very popular with my crying scene in ‘Dharmachakram’. Even my children used to say, ‘Dad, you are crying well on the screen.’
Tell us about Chintakayala Ravi in a simple wording…
It is a romantic love story with entertainment with a small touch of mother sentiment.

Chintakayala Ravi’

Tell us about the music in ‘Chintakayala Ravi’
Music would remain a big asset for the movie. When the story is light, music should remain a highlight and this would pave the way for making the movie a big hit. Take ‘Raja’. If you delete music and watch the movie, you will be in an embarrassing situation. When we listened to the story, we thought of doing music by some freshers. After listening to the songs in ‘Om Shanti Om’, we decided to introduce Vishal-Shekhar to the Telugu industry and they only can give some freshness in songs. Moreover, the Andhra audiences also enjoyed ‘Om Shanti Om’ songs very much. They too had an eye towards the south music and were big fans of Telugu music like ‘Pokiri, Aparichitudu and Desamuduru’. They gave lilting tunes and the album would remain one of the best audio in my career.
Like your earlier films, in this film also there would be satires on the hero?
Satires are not much and almost nil in this movie. But most part of the entertainment was concentrated on my role. The characterisation of Ali and Sunil has also come out well. The film runs with good entertainment and at the same time there is mother sentiment that runs as an undercurrent.
We believe ‘Chintakayala Ravi’ is the title suggested by you. Is it true?
Yes. While telling the story, they brought some other title. While narrating the storyline, I heard the sound Chintakayala Ravi and it appeared funny to listen and I suggested and got it confirmed as the title. Earlier, some of the unit members feared that the title is sounding odd. But I stood by my word and ensured it as the title. When it went to the audiences, there is a very good response to the title. Especially, such title suits very apt for my films.
There is a talk that your films will never face budget problems?
Yes, it is almost true, because I always suggest to my producers to do a film within my limits. I also get the schedule planned in such a way. Basically, I am also the son and brother of a producer. I know the pros and cons about the film production. However, our expectations would go wrong at times. My film ‘Gharshana’ is the best example for that. None of my films never faced any problems regarding budget.
How far you involve in film-making?
Yes. I too involve in film-making to certain extent. Especially regarding story, I will involve very much. At times I also involve in music sittings to certain extent. But, I don’t involve much in other issues.
If someone brings to you a story saying such subject would be apt for Venkatesh. Will you disappoint them with your interference?
That is wrong. If the story is really good, I will never suggest any changes. Even if I suggest changes, if the other party was able to convince me that it would be like that only, I will definitely accept to stick to their subject. I started listening stories and music right from the days I am studying Class VII. So, I have sound knowledge about them.
What kind of characters you want to play in your career?

What about director Yogesh?

You termed life is a drama. Can you reveal its meaning?
Yes. Really it is a drama. It starts with the sun rise… i.e., in the morning and the drama ends for that day by night. In the morning, when I get up from my bed, I get a call that today this would be the shot. From then onwards I start my work, which include shouts, anger, uneasiness, happy moments, cracking of jokes what not. We don’t know when we get anger and when we feel happy. One more thing. We propose to do something. It may happen or may not happen. But what should have to be done would be done and what should not be would not happen. If we think something that it should happen, it is totally wrong. Who are you to think? You should complete the work for which you came to this world. We will quit this life even without our knowledge. So, don’t you think that it is a big drama?
Tell us about the heroines in this movie?
For me both the heroines are in new combination. Both their characters in the film are also very good. One of them would be in India and another in the US. Both the characters run along with my role. Both of them gave a nice performance all through the movie.
What about director Yogesh?
In fact, I was supposed to do a film with director Yogi some four years ago. But we could not do that project due to some unavoidable reasons. However, he continued to remain in touch with me. Our combination, somehow set for this movie.
Tell us about Bujji and your combination with him?
If I have to tell about Bujji, it would be a very big story. He came up in his life from a very low stage and reached the present stage with sheer hard work. He made a film with me called ‘Lakshmi’ and it was blockbuster. Later, he made another movie in association with Suresh Productions. He would continue to do so further. If he finds talent anywhere, he immediately bring it to light. He won’t remain idle even a single day. He keeps on bringing a new story everyday. He worked very hard for this film production. I wish that this movie would also give him a big hit on the lines of our earlier combination ‘Lakshmi’.

am completely

You are saying ‘if the film to be a hit’. Does it mean that you are doubtful about it?
I am not exactly doubtful and at the same time I am completely not very confident. We are just nominal. Hits and flops are not in our hands. What we should do is that we should do our duty and leave the result to the fate and destiny. Life itself is advocating the same principle because the entire universe is a big drama. Where there is a drama, there will be failures as well as successes. Just because we got a hit, we just can’t boast that we did something great or anything like that. We got birth and is running it as it comes. We have to play our role in this stage called universe and nothing is in our hands.
It appears you are talking like a great philosopher?
What appears? It is what the entire media is gossiping about me. Didn’t you read? What all we can say is what we know. What we don’t know, we should try to learn. When we thought of thinking to learn something, they name it as madness.
Then why don’t you react to such comments in the media?
You see. It is his problem. When that reporter is feeling happy to comment on me, why should I disturb his happiness. He could write about it once, twice and after that he himself would remain silent. Nothing would happen after that. Earlier, I thought that I am alone like this, but now I was able to see such comments on several artistes.

Interview - Venkatesh

Victory Venkatesh expressed his opinions boldly about his forthcoming film ‘Chintakayala Ravi’ directed by Yogesh and produced by Nallamalupu Srinivas (Bujji), with Anushka and Mamata Mohandas in the female lead. Here are the excerpts of an interview with Venkatesh to Non Stop Cinema…
How your flick Chintakayala Ravi off to a start?
After ‘Tulasi’, which is an action packed subject, I thought of doing an entertainer with a touch of emotions. Exactly at that time, my brother Suresh and Bujji brought this story to me and I liked it very much and gave my nod.
In what aspect you okayed this movie?
You see, when I am thinking of doing a different subject which has some freshness in it and this story which was narrated to me has all those qualities. In order to maintain the freshness, we planned the shooting of most part of the film in the US. Though the storyline is quite simple, it has a very good narration.
You are saying that the storyline is simple, that means does it have no gripping story?
Yeah.. You are right to some extent. It is not a very big story, with lengthy and heavy dialogues and action scenes. It is very simple and we tried it to narrate in a simple way. If the film to be a hit, it would definitely create a trend of its own.

Amrita wants to be a bold babe

It seems Amrita Rao is desperate to change her onscreen image. Apparently after films like Vivaah and Welcome To Sajjanpur , Amrita’s getting more roles of that of a simple small town girl. Interestingly she was offered a role of a simpleton in Jagmohan Mundra’s forthcoming film Roommates . However Amrita preferred to excuse herself from the project. “Yeah I approached Amrita for the role of a small town girl but she was a little apprehensive as it has a negative shade too. She was not sure that she wants to do it at this point in her career.” says the director Jagmohan Mundra. According to an industry insider after the success of Welcome to Sajjanpur Amrita is getting a lot of similar offers to play the same character, but Amrita who doesn’t want to get typecast in one type of role has refused to be part of Mundra’s urban thriller Roommates. However Amrita wasn’t available for any comments. It can be recalled that earlier she was offered Jagmohan Mundra’s Naughty@ 40 , opposite Govinda. Interestingly Amria has attempted to be a glam doll in her previous film. She has done a glamorous role in My Name Anthony Gonsalves which failed to impress her audience. Hope Amrita learns from her past experiences!

'I can look glamorous'

Although you have seen her on the small screen and on the silver screen, what strikes one most about Shama Sikander is the freshness on her face. She was the girl-next -door in the show Yeh Meri Life Hai , a seductress in the film Chand Bujh Gaya and a confused con-girl in Dhoom Dhadaka . This goes to show how versatile this pretty actor is. Shama is one of the few actresses who have made a transition from films to television and she’s back to TV after doing a few films. Clearing the confusion, she says, “My life has been rather adventurous. I started my career with films, then I did modelling, went on to do TV, then theatre and now back to television. But it’s been fun. I’m like that. I do things at the spur of the moment.” One of Shama’s passions is dance and that’s what made her come back to TV with a dance reality show. “It was a dance show and that too with cricketers. That made it too much of an irresistible offer to say no to,” she says. And it’s not only TV, Shama also sizzled on screen in Ram Gopal Varma’s Contract in an item number. “I am very friendly with choreographer Pony Verma. And she referred my name to Ram Gopal Varma who just took one look at me and chose me to do that song,” says Shama with a smile. Like every sensible actor, Shama too is well aware of the demands of the industry of wearing sexy outfits and doing intimate scenes. “I have always said that I’ll do only what I am comfortable doing and wear what I feel comfortable in. There’s a very thin line between looking vulgar and sensuous. I’d like to look sensuous and not vulgar." Shama has danced wearing a red sari in the rain in Chand Bujh Gaya with co-actor Faisal Khan. Mention it and she lets out a groan, “I don’t know why people have made such a big hulla about that song. It’s like any other song with me wearing a sari and getting wet in the rain. Every actor has been doing it. Maybe people thought that I could only be like Pooja of my serial, but in a way it’s good. They have seen that I can look sensuous too. People couldn’t believe that I could look so glamourous also. But I can!” The fact that her serial Yeh Meri Life Hai made her so famous that Shama says nothing really excited her enough to come back to serials. “Nothing ever came up to that level and I’ve become very choosy about my roles after that show,” Shama says. Shama is currently working in two films with director Kamlesh Kunti and one is titled Coffee at Mocha, which is a love story. Apart from acting, Shama is passionate about working out and is an expert at kick boxing. “I haven’t got a chance to practice my kick boxing in real life. But I’d love to portray a character like Lara Croft on screen,” says she. Shama also loves to play the violin as she feels it’s very sexy for a girl to be able to play the violin. And that’s not all, she is also proficient in six languages and has done a Telugu film and a Tamil film with actor Prakash Raj.

Souryam’: mix of violence, valour and vengeance (Telugu Film Review)

Film: ‘Souryam’; Cast: Gopichand, Anushka, Poonam Kaur, Manoj K. Jayan, M.S. Narayana, Krishna Bhagwan, Ali; Director: J. Siva; Music Director: Mani Sharma; Rating: * 1/2
‘Souryam’ (valour) is a generous mix of commercial condiments - romance, puppy love, foreign locales, college shenanigans, brotherly affection and vendetta-generated brute strength with

a fair sprinkling of comedy.
In other words, it is yet another Gopichand movie.
The storyline is simple.
Gopichand plays an angry cop Vijay who decimates the evil empire of an underworld don (Manoj K. Jayan), romances with a ragging, college lass (Anushka) and sweats to locate and save a long-lost sibling portrayed by Poonam Kaur from the climactic, cinematic dangers in Kolkata.
Gopichand’s muscular frame renders the make-believe action, necessitated by Manoj’s convincing villainy, passably watchable.
In between come the punctuations of Anushka’s well-put-together vital-statistics.
Other additional welcome distractions from Ali, M.S. Narayana and Krishna Bhagwan reduce the tension induced by action-scenes’ galore.
Director J. Siva has packed all the elements common to Gopichand-starrers.
Jayan, the surprise package from Kerala, emotes better than the rest.
The climax is along the expected lines.
Thanks to over exposure in Indian cinema Switzerland has become a suburb next door. Yet, its beauty forms a good backdrop for two hummable songs before the intermission.
Music director Mani Sharma blots his copybook through the other four numbers, which are only extra opportunities to augment cinema refreshment stalls’ business.

Karunanidhi launches Ganesh to Tamil cinema

TAMIL NADU chief minister Karunanidhi launched the audio cd of the film Abhiyumnaanum at his party head office on Saturday (September 27) in Chennai, which saw majority of the Tamil film industry in attendance. A lot of prominent political figures were also seen. As he generally doesn't attend film functions, this was a rare sight.He also launched a Mumbai's very own Ganesh Venkataraman, as the new face of Tamil cinema. He spoke highly of his performance in the film. He also said that after 'Sivaji' Ganeshan, it is the next Ganesh - Ganesh Venkataraman and that he will surely go a long way in the Tamil film industry. Ganesh touched Karunanidhi's feet to seek his blessings for his film. Ganesh is paired opposite Trisha, who is currently the ruling number one actress of Tamil and Telugu cinemaGanesh spoke about his experience of the film and wished best of luck to everyone involved with the film.

He spoke about his transition from modelling to televsion and then from television to films and also added that language shouldn't be a boundary for any artist. Ultimately, it is the story and emotions that win the hearts of audiences. Ganesh was last seen in the serial Antariksh on Star plus and also, in many TV commercials. Last year, he won the 'Seoul Drama Awards' in Korea for his 3D TV series 'Mayavi' defeatig 32 countries worldwide. Mayavi was produced by Mani Ratnam's brother GV RatnamWhat was unique was that Karunanidhi and his daughter, member of Parliment Kanmozhi released the audio of the film together as the underlying theme of the film is a father- daughter relationship. The film's producer Prakash Raj who plays Trisha's father in the film and acclaimed director Radha Mohan were also present and lauded Ganesh's performance. The film will be released on Diwali simultaneously in Tamil and Telugu. The music of the film given by Vidyasagar was played, which received applause from the audience.

Chakravarthy looks up to RGV

Ask him about it and he says with a smile, “Even I got to know about my role in the movie from others. I was surprised when my friends called up and congratulated me. But that isn’t the case. There is no truth in these rumours.” Chakravarthy, whose performance in Ram Gopal Varma’s Sathya earned him accolades, is currently busy with Vishnuvardhan’s Sarvam. The actor, who remains tight-lipped about his role in the film, is all praise for the director. “After Sathya, Sarvam impressed me a lot. It’s a fantastic film. If all directors know what to do, Vishnuvardhan knows what not to do,” says Chakravarthy. Prod him a little more for information about his role in the film and he finally relents by saying, “Arya and I are both well represented in the film. My character is that of a suppressed and angry man.” So, how did his tryst with movies begin? “When I turned 14, I decided to enter . I knew that I had to struggle as I was not a chikna and had no six-pack. My sister encouraged me saying that I was a born actor. I had a friend who worked in Annapoorna Studio owned by Telugu star Nagarjuna. To try my luck, I went to the studio and a young man in his 20s walked up to me and asked if I was interested in acting. I swear, no one else could have given a screen test worse than mine. I was very nervous when I realised that I was standing in front of the person who was going to decide the future course of my life. To my surprise, when I went to the studio the next day, I was told that I was selected. So, that’s how Shiva happened.” From the beginning, Ram Gopal Varma and Chakravarthy have shared an excellent rapport. So, how does he explain the chemistry that brought about this lasting bond between the two? “If I were a woman, people would have decided that we were having an affair. Ram Gopal Varma is my inspiration. Every time I lose hope, Ramu recharges me. He is my godfather,” he says. The actor has also starred in Mani Ratnam’s award-winning masterpiece Kannathil Muthamittal. What does the actor have to say about the acclaimed director? “If you compare Ramu and Mani, they are two opposite poles. If Ramu deals with physics, Mani deals with chemistry. Ramu is a bundle of surprises but Mani hates them. Both are experts in their own way of says. Chakravarthy was also supposed to do Mani Ratnam’s flick Thiruda Thiruda which later went to Anand. The actor’s latest Telugu film Homam has brought him laurels and projects have been flowing his way. Chakravarthy, who is recovering from an accident that he suffered on the sets of Sarvam in which he broke his collar bone and fractured two ribs, is getting into the thick of the action once again. On his upcoming projects, he says, “I am now making a sequel to Homam called Maran Homam. I’m also doing a Telugu film that talks about the integrity of the police system. Ramu has approved the Telugu version but I am planning to make it in Tamil too. I am also producing two films.” An actor, director, music director and now producer...with varied avatars, is Chakravarthy planning another Dasavatharam? “Before I reach Dasavatharam, Kamal would have reached a hundred avatharams. He is a genius. I am a great fan of Kamal and Rajinikanth,” he signs off.
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Nithin with looks that can kill

The young leading man Nithin appeared in a highly stylized get up for the film 'Sye' directed by S.S.Rajamouli. He will be again seen in a much better glamorous look in the forthcoming film titled as 'Hero'.
He was appreciated by the whole of the film industry as well as the members of the audience for his great dressing in the film.
G.V. Sudhakar Naidu who has a vast experience in acting having acted in over 150 films in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada is debuting as a director with 'Hero' which will be releasing on Dussera eve.
Recently the trailers of the film were showcased to the people who had come for the audio launch.

Chiru likely to hit the roads next week

HYDERABAD: The D-Day seems to have arrived.
Praja Rajyam Party chief Chiranjeevi is going to hit the roads. In all likelihood, the film actor will begin his mass contact programme any day between Oct 1 and 3.
Chiranjeevi’s tour raises the curtain on his headlong jump into the midst of the people. Till now, he has been making attempts to gauge the response of the people by making short and quick forays into their midst after announcing the formation of his party in Tirupati last month.
Though a novice to politics, the film actor is trying to identify with people - he made a surprise visit to Sircilla in Karimnagar and Polepally in Mahaboobnagar where he commiserated with farmers whose lands had been acquired by the Government for a song.
Though every one expected that Chiranjeevi would announce his yatra across the State soon after formation of his party, he reportedly kept postponing it due to logistic problem like those relating to the security concerns, crowd control, vehicles and so on.
At a meeting with his confidants, Chiranjeevi today gave the go head signal for his organisers to fix the itinerary.
He is likely to start his yatra from Srikakulam.
The actor is likely to ummask his tour programme tomorrow with details of where he would begin it and how he wants to go about interacting with the people. The actor will also spell out the details of tour plan which districts he preferred visiting first.
The actor’s proposed tour has already generated considerable interest not only in the political circles but also among the people of the State, since it would clear doubts about the Praja Rajyam Party’s strengths and weaknesses.
Chiranjeevi’s tour will be the fourth such mega exercise undertaken by politicians since 1983. Former chief minister and founder of the Telugu Desam Party NT Rama Rao set the trend by taking up a tour across the length and breadth of the State in his Praja Ratham to mobilise support from the people for the party he had just founded.
In 2003 YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who was then leader of the Congress Legislature Party, went on padayatra and was successful in turning the tables against the then Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in 2004 elections.
Recently Telugu Desam president Chandrababu Naidu toured the State which he named ‘Meekosam’ for 117 days as a warm up exercise to the next general elections.

Suresh Gopi signs a Telugu film

Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi is equally popular in Andhra Pradesh. His dubbed movies like Police Commissioner set the cash registers ringing.
The top actor of Malayalam film industry has signed a straight Telugu movie for a new production company. This company which is already a well-known name in the field of movie distribution is making its foray into film production and has roped in Suresh Gopi for a main role in their maiden production.
Although Suresh Gopi is not the lead hero, he has crucial role to play and a top actress in Telugu films is playing the lead role. A new director who assisted directors like Chandrasekhar Yeleti is turning director.
Since Suresh Gopi is doing the role, it would definitely make the film hot among the trade circles as it is his straight Telugu movie. This is his second or third straight Telugu film. Earlier he was seen in Krishnam Raju starrer Antima Teerpu.

Lawrence turns full-time actor

Raghava Lawrence, widely believed by many as India's best and next only to the inimitable Prabhudeva, has turned full-time actor again, after dabbling briefly in film direction in Telugu and a solitary film in Tamil ('Muni'). He has become so much involved with his 'acting' that he has even stopped choreographing for other. Lawrence's days are spent in listening to stories narrated to him by many known and budding directors and in deciding as to which one to go for and which one to reject. In his upcoming film 'Rajadhi Raja' directed by Shakti Chidambaram, he has five heroines - Snidgha, , Mumtaz, Sameeksha and Kamna Jethmalani. In another film 'Vettu', Lawrence has been paired opposite three heroines. Sure, this guy has a lot going for him.
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In real life, Lawrence has a compact family comprising his wife Latha and daughter Raghavi. His mother Kanmani is managing the Home Lawrence is running for the sake of the needy and the poor. Lawrence says he has a long way to go and has bigger targets in mind; not to reach a higher status in films, but to do as much service as possible to the lesser children of the God.

How intimate are Meher Ramesh and Hansika?

All those who watched ‘Desamuduru’ just could not ignore the 16-year-old beauty which was like a cute doll. No one can just forget the bubbly face of the heroine Hansika Motwani. However, there was a comment in the film industry that this cute girl embarrasses the film-makers while adjusting her dates at times. However, ‘Kantri’ director ‘trapped’ her perfectly. In fact, it was Meher Ramesh, who succeeded in recommending her to ‘Desamuduru’ and introduced her to the Telugu film industry. Later, he convinced her to play heroine in ‘Kantri’, the debutant film for Meher Ramesh as director. Again, the same director got the dates of Hansika for his next movie with Prabhas as hero, the remake of successful Tamil film ‘Billa’. Though Hansika is known for troubling the producers in adjusting dates, how Meher Ramesh is able to gain an upper hand has become a million dollar question. Some people in the industry started investigation into the intimacy between the heroine and the director.

These heroines attack hero Chiru

Hyderabad, Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi and his newly-launched political party Praja Rajyam has come under attack by none other than two of his erstwhile leading ladies

Actress Vijayashanti, who heads a party that espouses the cause of a separate Telengana state, said Chiranjeevi's political moves were just 'pretensions', local media reported Wednesday.
'Chiranjeevi's political achievements are cardboard cutouts when compared to those of mine. Even in cinema, it was I who established new trends. While I am the real champion of the Telengana cause, Chiranjeevi is merely pretending to shed crocodile tears in our name,' Vijayashanti said in a statement.
In her acting career, Vijayashanti has played Chiranjeevi's leading lady on 18 occasions - the highest for any actress. She now heads a party called Talli (mother) Telengana.
Another yesteryears' heroine, Roja Selvamani, also came out against the popular star at a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) youth rally here.
'Gullible crowds are being taken in by Chiranjeevi, who claims credit for health centres built on lands and doles donated by my leader (Chandra Babu) Naidu and claims blood contributed by the poor as his own,' Roja alleged.
The former multilingual actress, who has done many Tamil films also, has starred opposite Chiranjeevi in two Telugu films.
Workers of Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam, miffed at their leader coming under attack, carried out mock 'exorcising rituals' against the two actresses in Medak district, offering sliced lemons, vermillion and broken pumpkins to their photographs.
'The actresses have lost their wits due to the influence of devils that are egging them on against the future of Telugu pride. The powers of angels and spirits invoked by us will cure them through their pictures,' said Peddaramaiah, a die-hard Chiranjeevi fan.
Chiranjeevi, who has acted in around 150 movies in his three-decade-long career, entered politics last month by launching Praja Rajyam. The 55-year-old is yet to react to the allegations of his former co-stars.

Tribute to dads

After Mani Ratnam, Gautham Vasudeva Menon is one director who has made significant changes to Tamil commercial cinema. In a career spanning just seven years, Menon has pushed the cinematic envelope and brought in a savvy freshness to the form, hitherto unexplored. He has made four films in Tamil and two remakes of his own Tamil films in Hindi and Telugu and ushered in a new way of story telling. He has created unforgettable characters who are realistic and lifelike. The Anbu Selvan and Pandiya of Kaakha Kaakha, Ragavan of Vettayadu Vilayadu and Reena Joseph of Minnale are flesh and blood characters that audiences could relate to. His biggest strength is a strong script, and the way he is able to throw light on a star burdened by his image. Nobody in tinsel town can package a film with haunting music and stunning visuals better than the soft-spoken director whose pairing with Harris Jayaraj has always produced foot-tapping numbers. The buzz surrounding Vaaranam Aayiram is growing louder. How has the movie shaped up? Many people have told me that Vaaranam Aayiram (1000 Elephants) is a unique title. The story is about a man’s life. It could be anybody’s story. The guy is not a superhero. The film deals with his life from the time he is born till the time his career ends. The ups and downs of his life are chronicled — his falling in love, marriage to the girl of his dreams, his mother’s aspirations for him and above all, the deep love and special bonding that he shared with his father, who was his role model. I have given special emphasis to the father-son relationship. It sounds autobiographical. Does it have anything to do with your father’s demise last year? Yes, to a certain extent it is autobiographical but cinematic licences have been taken to make it an entertainer. The germ of the story actually originated after my dad’s death, when I got down to writing the script for the film. For every man, his father or appa is his biggest hero and an inspiration at every point in his life, even when it comes to falling in love. When I narrated the story to Surya, he said he had similar feelings about his dad. So, in a way, it is a tribute to all the fathers in the world. It is mostly from my life and the lives of some people I know. You were known as Gautham in your first film, now it has become Gautham Vasudeva Menon. Was this decision influenced by numerology? No, not at all! My first producer told me to drop my Malayalee surname. After my father’s death, I prefer to be known as Gautham Vasudeva Menon, the name that my father gave me. There are rumours that the film is ‘inspired’ from Tom Hank’s 1994 Oscar-winning classic Forrest Gump. I may have been influenced by Forrest Gump. But there’s nothing more to it. My film is autobiographical. It is a biopic of sorts and most of it is taken from incidents in my life. The rest is pure fantasy. When Surya sees Sameera Reddy on a train for the first time, he falls in love with her. Being a guy who has never looked at a girl lustfully, he pulls out his guitar and sings En iniya pon nilaave. How do you manage to churn out hit songs with Harris Jayaraj in all your films? Your combo is now being compared to the hit combinations of Mani Ratnam-AR Rahman and Shankar-AR Rahman? I have a terrific rapport with my team — Harris, lyricist Thamarai, editor Antony and art director Rajeevan. They are my core team and at the time of script writing itself, I visualise the songs, taking inputs from them. All these guys are my good friends, and we vibe well. In Vaaranam Aayiram (VM), for the first time, a film of mine will have seven songs. Every song takes the screenplay forward and does not bog down the story. The Adiye Kolluthu song shows 90 days in the life of my hero, a period in which he falls in love. You have a terrific rapport with Surya. We are very good friends, and understand each other. He respects my work. I would say Surya is the most versatile actor in Tamil cinema today. In VA, he is simply terrific in a double role. We needed Surya to go through physical changes in the film. He transformed himself to look like a 17-year-old by going on a crash diet of vegetables and chicken without any salt or garnishing. It's incredible he achieved the look without any make-up. Tell us about your VA heroines. Divya Spandana — She knew exactly what was demanded of her in the script. As Priya, the girl-next-door type character, her performance is brilliant. The kind of help she rendered during the shoot was simply amazing. We were the first film unit to shoot at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun only because of her contacts. Sameera Reddy — I wanted a character who looks imposing and intimidating, for whom my hero flips his lid. She is heavy built and was apt for the role of Megha. Simran — The hero’s first love Malini. She has a touch of grace and aristocracy, exactly the character I have in mind. Simran is very good in the film and has also dubbed in her own voice. In real life, are you a romantic person. You have been linked to all your heroines, right from Reema Sen, to many others including Abhirami, for whom the grapevine has it that you built a house in Hyderabad. (Laughs) My policy is that I don’t mix my personal life with my work. I’m happily married to Preety, my wife. Ours was a love marriage. A Hindu boy marrying a Christian girl, something similar to my Minnale.Reema is a good friend even today, and as far as Abhirami is concerned, I liked her tall dusky looks and cast her as the heroine in my Chennail Oru Mazhaikalam, opposite Surya but somehow, the project did not take off. It is true that I have brought a house in Hyderabad, not for Abhirami but for my family to stay when we shoot in Hyderabad. As far as women are concerned, I like to talk to them and spend time with them but it does not go beyond that. I occasionally party and I don’t see anything wrong in it. What’s next on your agenda? A film for Sivaji Productions with Ajit as hero. The shoot will start from November 1. And next April, I will be doing a film with Mahesh Babu in Telugu.
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Nithin's 'Hero' launches Audio

Hotel Fortune Kathriya, Hyderabad served the host for the audio release function of Nitin's style demeanor 'Hero'. The movie is being directed by erstwhile villain Sudhakar Naidu widely known as GV and Bhavana plays to render the love quotient for 'Hero'. Manyam Suryanarayana presents the movie, produced by Manyam Ramesh on Mayam Entertainments banner. The audio launch was held on 24th September.
The audio is being marketed through Aditya Music. The music CD is unveiled by hero Srikanth and the first one was presented to hero Tarun. C.Kalyan released the music cassette and presented the first one to Karunakaran.
"I haven't come across such perfectionism in a director till now" Hero Nithin
Speaking on this occasion hero of the film Nithin said, "This is my second stylish film that I am doing after 'Sye' in my career. Even before the commencement of shooting, director GV has envisaged my role, the design of sets, the costumes I wear and almost every aspect. He has studied meticulously and designed every element aptly. I haven't come across such perfectionism in a director till now. And in context with the planning Manyam banner is the best I have ever worked with in a movie. This is a full-length action entertainer blended with a tad amount of suspense in to it."
"GV has churned out this movie as an out & out entertainer" Producer Manyam Ramesh
Producer Manyam Ramesh said,"GV has created this film as an out & out entertainer with the experience of acting in more than 150 movies. As this being a debut film for GV as a director we preferred to have ace technicians for this film. I wish the best of success for hero Nithin and GV to heap accolades in this film."
"I feel fortunate to be addressed as a close associate to the industry" director GV
Director GV said, "I have acted in 150 films, in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. I feel extremely fortunate to be addressed as a close associate of the industry. I convey my thankfulness to the hero Nithin and producer Manyam Ramesh who paved the way for me to do this project with utmost faith in my skills."
Srikanth, Tarun, Rajeev Kanakala, Sudhakar Reddy, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Ramprasad, Noble, Bhaskar Bhatla Ravi kumar and others participated in the event.

Venkatesh for Marmayogi

Kamal Haasan’s dream project Marmayogi would be produced in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. It would go on floors today in Tamil Nadu. According to reliable sources, the Marmayogi unit approached Telugu actor Venkatesh, as his market rate is high in Andhra Pradesh. Earlier Venkatesh hesitated to accept the offer, and it is now reliably learnt that the star has agreed to play a role in it.
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Chiranjeevi fans miffed at being 'sidelined'

Desaraju Surya Hyderabad, Sept 26 (PTI) Barely a month into its existence, Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi's party Praja Rajyam seems to be bogged down by internal strife with fans alleging of "getting" a raw deal.It seems fans of the star are miffed at being "sidelined" by the politicians who are apparently trying to hog the limelight in the company of Chiranjeevi."We are getting a raw deal in the party," president of a district Chiranjeevi fans association lamented at the Praja Rajyam party office here today.Ironically, senior political leaders who jumped into the actor's support leaving their parent parties too aren't exactly happy with the state of affairs in Praja Rajyam.The coterie around Chiranjeevi is reportedly trying to "dictate terms" even to seasoned politicians, who earlier held important positions in their parties as well as the government. Now, some of such leaders are apparently regretting their decision to join hands with Chiranjeevi."It's a different kind of mess out here," one former minister told PTI. "People here seem to have lot of air about themselves. You don't find such a situation in any political party," he pointed out.Also enthusiastic people, who are thronging the Praja Rajyam office in Jubilee Hills here to catch a glimpse of Chiranjeevi are literally being necked out by over-zealous security personnel.This has become a "routine" affair at the party office, the people complain. PTI

Dil Raju unites with NTR and Prabhas?

A fairly young man, Raju (whose first hit Dil made him famous as Dil Raju in Tollywood) has the pulse of the Telugu audiences. Not one of his films can be termed as a flop or even average.
Having produced movies like Paragu and Bommirallu, any movie that he decides to produce is surely hit material. And now he has decided to do projects with Junior NTR and Prabhas, who are known for their mass action hero images.
He announced recently that story discussions are on for the movies but “their treatment and further development is still on the anvil”. He also revealed that he has four more stories on hand that he has taken up after examining them thoroughly.
A popular website quoted him as saying, “With piling up of good stories, I feel my growing responsibility as producer on my nerves. I feel the pressure.”
Kotha Bangaru Lokam, his latest, will release on October 2, Gandhi Jayanthi, to cash in on the ending of Ramzan and the Dassera holiday crowds which will flock theatres. Naga Chaitanya’s debut, which Dil Raju has the honour of producing, will start regular shooting schedules in October. It was already officially launched on September 22nd, on his grandfather Akkineni Nageswarao’s birthday.

Venky speaks

This week three good films namely Ashta Chemma, Saroja & Ankit Pallavi and Friends made in a relatively smaller budget have made a mark in the box office. Your comments
It's a good change that is taking place in the recent times. Even in Bollywood films like 'Rock on', 'Wednesday' and 'Mumbai Meri Jaan' is generating rave reviews. Usually exotic locations are selected to feature songs in your movies. How about this film? For this line the backdrop itself is a foreign locale, and most of the sequences are done in the parts of U.S. Even then we wanted to go for a song in an outstanding location, but could not make it as we were out of energy after working in hectic schedules.
Tell us about your next ventures.
The next is with 'Gamyam' Krish, the script will be ready in a week's time. The film is titled as 'Krishnam Vande Jagathgurum', and Trisha is selected to play the heroine. Then another with Seenu Vytla together produced by Suresh Productions. We are expecting this to be a highly slick commercial film.
Krish's 'Gamyam' has been selected as one amongst the entries to Oscar. Your message for him. I am happy for him, on 'Gamyam' being considered as one of the prospects for Oscar entry. It is a simple and serene film in which he has got the emotions rightly churned out. Especially, the characterization is slick. Hope he makes good films in the future.
Which is your favourite song in this film?
All the melodies are soothing to the ears, like 'Bagunde.. Bagunde' and the first introduction song 'Enduk thondarenduko' with a classical touch, is a good number that stays in your lips. I think 'Hallagolla dhoom dhumare' will be adored by the youth, especially to be played in pubs & discos. It will sure be popular like the erstwhile 'Cheliya Cheliya' that got recognized. In fact this is shot in a club environs. And also the teasing song 'Naichodunga naichodunga' is composed aptly.
Family audience has special expectations on Venkatesh's movies. What is in store for them in this film?
The relationship between a son and his mother is featured packing emotion and love; this will be an appealing factor to the family audience. Also the character of Chintakayala Ravi, the way he behaves with people will be close to their expectations.
Even earlier you have done these type of roles. What is fresh about CR?
Any film will carry the same emotions like comedy, action or sentiment and they stir interest according to how well they were presented. A new look is attained only by changing the backdrop. The premise itself will change the whole thing about it. A completely new look is rendered to this movie as it possess an American backdrop. I think this itself will provide the necessary things to distinguish this flick.
'Gharshana' and 'Subhash Chandrabose' are some of the acclaimed movies, in which you invested meticulous efforts. However, they did not reach up to the expected level. How do you take it and move on?
That depends upon the attitude you have towards life or work. I am sincere in my work, I render my 100 percent to it while I am working on it, but I am not serious on the results. There are only two things that could happen in life which is failure or success. Both the things will happen to us and to every one around us. Once you start taking it seriously then anybody is in for a disappointment. However if you are positive you will move on unaffected by it.
What is your favorite kind of emotion or what kind of movies do you like to watch?
I watch all kinds of emotions, there is nothing like a favourite emotion. Because they prevail among everyone, no one is devoid of them. In context to the movies, it is how we present the emotions or feature them, which makes the difference. So, I enjoy watching 'God Father', 'Indiana Jones', 'Enter the Dragon' with the same fervor even on the present day. In recent Indian films 'Rangde Basanti', 'Lagaan' are some classics that are irreplaceable. I also enjoyed 'Gundamma Kadha' , 'Pathala Bhairavi' and so on.

Venky speaks out

'Chintakayala Ravi' is a forthcoming Telugu movie starring Venkatesh as hero, Anushka & Mamta Mohandas as the heroines. Yogi is directing the project and Nallamalapu Srinivas (Bujji) is producing it on Lakshmi Narasimha Productions banner. The music composed by director-duo Vishal-Shekhar who made their debut to Tollywood in this film. The album was recently released and has made it to the charts as a sensational hit.
Tell us about 'Chintakayala Ravi'
After 'Tulasi' I wanted to do something light, and was on look for a film with lot of entertainment that people would like to see again and again. 'Chintakayala Ravi' is a romantic entertainer. Basically it carries its own feel of goodness. It includes all the commercial values, but there is no high dosage of elements like drama, emotions and sentiment. It is a light film with lot of entertainment, has good music and visuals, especially the line is fresh with a new backdrop that takes place in the United States. When the audience come out of the theatre, they will feel thoroughly entertained.
The character of Chintakayala Ravi will have the shades of innocence, a little wacky like what you call as thikkathanam. He has his own way of handling situations and also pulling himself out of critical situations. In short, a lovable character that people would like to associate with and feel him in close quarters.
This is not a totally new character for you. How do you relate it to your past films?
I cannot say this is completely new, but this role is little fresh in the style of handling along with the comic sequences. Especially the remise of America which gives a fresh backdrop influenced me to take up this film. The music is quite mellifluous and has been made well. It has already become a hit. Vishal – Shekhar has composed very good tunes after their Hindi flick. As the commercial elements like action, sentiment etc, are not highlighted in this movie, we insisted to make add some pep in the music to bolster the movie. The opera adds glamour and gives a colourful and sheen look for me.
Including this how many films have you done till date?
I am not sure about the number, may be 60 and above.
It's been a long time back since you got acquainted with the director, why did it take so much time to start?
Actually there is nothing like a gap. Two years back we were trying to work on a line, but for some reasons we decided to wait over the project. Later, we came across this cute phrase and my brother was eager to work on something, and finally we came together with this endeavor. Yogi has worked alongside ace technicians and has attained experience in this field. We felt that this crux of the story is simple and appealing with which the director and I can get along well.
Who suggested the title 'Chintakayala Ravi'?
The suggestion was made by me. Initially they gave a title, while narrating the story, but I was not happy. Later, 'Chintakayala Ravi' came across which I liked instantly as it sounded fascinating. For awhile they were hesitant, saying it would not be apt for the film with a star hero, but later got convinced. People also gave a positive response to the title.
In 'Vasu' you came posing a new look, now again you are sporting a fresh trendy look. Do you find any difference?
At the time of 'Vasu' people looked at me surprisingly, may be at that time the term fashion was not popular. Now the times has changed, every year a modern boy displays a colour streak in hair or something, as it has become common. People has now entered the line of fashion and appreciate the new look. For this I have changed a little, because I was getting in to the role, and felt it is required for the character.
Everyone knows that Venkatesh is the only star hero, capable of doing characters that target satires on himself & enthrall the audience immensely. How's he in this film?
This film also features a few sequences on the same line. People might sometimes be offended thinking that he has gone a bit crazy, and feel that why he does things in such scenes which any other hero will rebuff. Every thing is a part of the entertainment.
We have good music directors in Tollywood. State the main reason for choosing the duo Vishal – Shekhar?
I have worked with all the music directors in tinsel ville. For this film our prior prominence lied on managing some fresh music. At that point they sounded fresh, and are also simple, friendly and flexible. So we thought to try their music. It's been long since we had compositions from Hindi songsters, so we also wanted to do the music with them. As expected they gave a mellisonant and lively tunes, especially with the catch words 'nai chodunga', 'valla valla' that we credit to them. I have a special liking for all the numbers.
Have you ever thought about a role that has been your dream for long?
Never really gave a thought about such a role. I firmly believe that some thing good always prevail in the store. Usually, I accept what ever comes at the particular point of time and work on it with utmost sincerity. Both from inside and outside, in my heart and mind, I am enjoying this kind of pace that holds secrets to be unfolded in the future.
Did you ever think of making a film based on Cricket?
We had an idea to do such a film, but could not prepare a complete script. In fact this idea struck us way before 'Chak de India' was made, but unfortunately we were unable to carry out the project.
Are there any plans to make a movie like an adaptation of 'Chak de India'?
We actually wanted to make such a kind of a movie, without adopting others. Even now we are keen to such a movie. Unfortunately, we lack talent in the writing department. Relatively less content (stories) is being generated compared to the number of heroes and productions. We require a lot of talented story writers to envisage plots. I hope my brother's school will cater to this need, and future generations will attain fresh talent, say in 4-5 years.

"Some people laughed when we said 'Raksha' will be a super hit" – Jagapatibabu

The anticipated movie 'Raksha' directed by Vamsi Krishna Akella, who erstwhile was a pupil of Ram Gopal Varma has hits screens recently and is running successfully. The movie produced by 'One More Thought Entertainments Pvt Ltd.,' and Zed3 Pictures stars Jagapati Babu and Kalyani in the lead cast along with whom Baby Neha plays the title role. Ram Gopal Varma presents this movie and a press meet was organized by on this occasion with the members of the unit in their office on 24th September.
"People laughed when said the movie will be a hit" Jagapati Babu
Speaking to the press, hero Jagapatibabu said the movie is generating a graceful lucre. Surprisingly, it has evoked a good response from family audience. In the beginning, we thought as it was a complete horror film blended with sentiment, it has lured and attained rave reviews amongst the family audience too. When I first watched the movie I said that it will be a sure hit, but now it has been made into a super hit. As a matter of fact, some people laughed when said that 'Raksha' will be a super hit. Vamshi has made it false and won with flying colors."
"Jagapati Babu was unsure of doing such a script" Vamsikrishna Akella
Floating on the victory cloud director Vamsikrishna Akella said, "I approached RGV through Subbaraju to do the script work. After the script work for 'Phoonk' is completed, I was asked to direct the same subject in Telugu. Hero Jagapatibabu was impressed with the story when I narrated it to him. But he was unsure of committing himself in such a not so usual subject. Later, he accepted to work for the film on the pretext that, the two sequences which are supposed to create uneasiness to the child should be eliminated. Thus, the story hit the floors. I convey my sincere thanks to all the audience who made it a success."
Kalyani, Baby Neha, Executive producer Subbahraju, Rajeev Kanakala, Chandrasekhar, Master Atulith and others were present on the occasion.

The supernatural thriller 'Raksha' starring Jagapathi Babu and Kalyani in the lead alongside Baby Neha in the title role is now running successfully in theatres. On this occasion, the makers of the film arranged a press meet to felicitate the success reaped. Directed by Vamsikrishna Akella and produced by One More Thought Entertainments Pvt Ltd.,' and Zed 3 pictures, 'Raksha' is a supernatural thriller that is set to enthrall the audience with this taut storyline. The movie has lured a host of family audience and also the youngth alike. Being on the cloud nine, the makers along with the cast spoke to the press about their endeavor.

Meera out of Ananthapurathu Veedu?

It seems that Meera’s bad luck is spreading to Tamil also. The beautiful and talented actress is facing an unofficial ban from acting in Malayalam films. Now, super hit director Shankar has reportedly shown Meera the way out from his Ananthapurathu Veedu.
Meera is performing well in Kannada and Telugu with good offers in hand, but the ban in Malayalam came at a time when she was getting exciting offers and the industry sees it as a setback to her career. Sources say that Meera has no one but herself to blame for all the things that went wrong. She was blacklisted from Malayalam for refusing to do AMMA’s Twenty:20 even when AMMA made it clear that all actors should compulsorily participate in it.
While it is not clear what went wrong between Shankar and Meera, some suggest that Meera failed to report for shooting on the dates she had given for the film. The crew looked for other options after waiting for a few days, which included replacing Meera with a suitable actress. But sources close to Meera say that the actress withdrew from the film due to some creative differences between her and the film’s young hero Nanda.
Although Meera still has some projects in Tamil like Aadi Narayana and Mariyadhai, it needs to be seen what all these black marks can do to her career in the South.

Cops hunt for Telugu actor’s kin in Rs.5 mn land scam

Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh), Sep 23 (IANS) A hunt is on for two people who defrauded Telugu actor Sarath Babu in a Rs.5 million property deal, police said Tuesday.
According to police officials, warrants have been issued against the alleged fraudsters.
Babu’s distant relative Chinna alias Suresh, 39, allegedly forged the property papers of the actor’s sprawling unfinished bungalow in a forest area and sold it to Nagarjuna Reddy, a developer based in Andhra Pradesh capital Hyderabad, some 500 km northeast of here, with the connivance of a local official, police said.
The actor came to know of the alleged fraud during his visit Monday and lodged a complaint a day later, which led to the discovery of the complicity of Ram Singh, a registrar, who is in jail charged with other frauds, police added.
Known as the eternal supporting star, the multilingual Sarath Babu has featured in over 150 Tamil, Telugu and Kannada movies.

Charmi retuns to jolt audiences

Actress Charmi, introduced by director Vijaya T Rajendher in Tamil cinema with Kadhal Azhivathillai, is back again after rocking Telugu audiences and a brief hiatus. She now plays the female lead in a horror flick titled 'Manthra'.
Directed by Tulasiram, 'Manthra' has musical score by Anand. The movie features popular Telugu actor Sivaji opposite Charmi. 'Manthra' is about an aspiring pop singer, who goes into revenge mode in order to kill all those behind her friends' murders.
Charmi says, 'I enjoyed working in the movie for it has tremendous scope for glamour and action. At a time when hero-dominated films are the norm, an actress rarely gets an opportunity to work in such movies. I am confident 'Manthra' will help re-establish myself in the industry.'

'Aakhari Yuddham' in October

The Telugu version of Hollywood flick ‘Final Contract’ is going to be released in October. M Sridhar, who holds the South Indian rights of the film has dubbed the film into Telugu under Vijay Cine Enterprises banner.
"We have released the film in Tamil last month. As it was successful there we are releasing it in Telugu," said its producer Sridhar.
Directed by Axel Sand, the film features Drew Fuller and Tanja Wenzel and Allison King in prominent roles.
It’s about David played by Drew Fuller who works in a courier company and gets in touch with attractive assassin Alison King accidentally and soon finds himself chased by the Police.
It’s the turn of the hero to catch the assassin, who is on a mission to kill the last eye-witness of a murder. Dubbing and mixing of the film has been completed. After the clearance from Sensor Board, the film is ready with its first copy.

Baby Shamili is a pretty teenager now

After thumbing down few Tamil offers, cute Shamili, who is now a pretty teenager, is all set to debut in Tollywood opposite handsome actor Siddharth. The popular child artiste of 90's delivered a knockout performance as an autistic kid in Anjali and also won appreciation for her charming performance in the Telugu film Jagadeka Veerudu Aathilokasundari. "She has been signed to play the female lead and all the formalities are almost over," reveals a source. Debutant director Anand will be directing the younger sister of talented actress Shalini (who is now wife of Tamil star Ajith) and hope the rookie has etched a multi-layered role to tap her immense talent. However, it would be an interesting jodi to look forward too.
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Maheswari

actress Maheswari, cousin of noted actress Sridevi, was married to Jayakrishna, a software professional from Hyderabad, in a traditional ceremony at Sankara Mutt on Thursday morning.Actress Sridevi, her husband (noted Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor), popular heroines Meena, Sangeetha, actor-couple Manjula and Vijay Kumar were among the celebrities who attended the undreds of close relatives and film personalities also attended the function and blessed the couple.After the the newly-wed couple had darshan of the Lord at Sri Venkateswara Temple. Earlier in the morning, the film personalities also
Maheshwari had a great opening in . After making her debut in Tamil film industry with Ullasam, she had the luck to pair up with great stars like d Ajith in many movies. Later, she part of Bharathi Raja's Karuthamma; Maheswari didn't seem to have a great time over here.Taking a flight to Telugu film industry, Maheswari acted in successful Telugu like Gulabi, Ammayi Kapuram, Mrugam and Nee Kosam. At present, she is acting in Telugu and Tamil TV serials.

Anoushka returns to Kollywood

Remember the gorgeous actress Anoushka, who romanced with Madhavan on the beaches for the film 'Rendu', which incidentally was her debut film in Tamil? After that, she moved to Telugu films and reportedly developed 'close' association with a leading hero in Tollywood. Anoushka, who is among the top heroines in Telugu, is not willing to give up her stakes in. She has now been signed for a new Tamil film opposite none other than Karthi of 'Paruthiveeran' fame. The film will also star Priyamani, who was Karthi's Muthazhagu in the award-winning film 'Paruthiveeran'. The hit pair comes together for the second in this film with Anoushka as the third angle.
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Unconfirmed reports also said that the reason for Anoushka's sudden fascination for Tamil films is that the actor, under whose patronage she was for the past year or so, had reportedly shunned her. It is said that to relieve her mind of this disappointment and as a means of sustenance, Anoushka has landed in Kollyood.

Sneha is getting ready for ‘exposing’

Sneha entered the film industry with small films and gradually went up the ladder to do films with big heroes. People of the Telugu film industry opined that she would fill the gap left behind by Soundarya. Now, Sneha reportedly changed her trend. She appeared very slim in a recent Tamil release and attracted many an audience. She really surprised the people, how she changed her entire body to such a slim look. Nobody could believe whether it is really the same Sneha who played in ‘Sriramadasu’. It is also learnt that there was a lot of change in her behaviour as well. She is now giving more preference to money and is ready to do anything for it. She reportedly told an interviewer of a Tamil magazine that exposing is not improper in films. A gossip is doing rounds that this statement had made several producers to queue up before her house. Once again it was proved that anyone would resort to do anything if they do not get as many opportunities in films.Yuvatha for release on Oct 16
The audiences could not forget ‘Rajesh’ character in ‘Happy Days’. Nikhil did a very good job in the film and left an indelible impression in the hearts of audiences. Now, Hari and Uma Prakash are jointly producing a film called ‘Yuvatha’ with Nikhil as hero, introducing Aksha as heroine and Parasuram, a protégé of Puri Jagannath, as director. Manisharma gave lilting tunes to all the songs and the audio was launched recently. The audio was a big hit and remained in the fifth place in the audio chartbusters. The producers earlier planed to release the film either on October 9 or 16. There are some technical problems and hence the film is most likely to be released on October 16 instead of October 9. The director says, ‘We are sure that the film had a very good message for the youth and would definitely attract the young audiences.’‘Jaganmohini’ shoots at Talakona
Shooting of ‘Jaganmohini’ with Namita playing the title role and Raja and Meera Chopra playing the hero and heroine, is presently shooting at Talakona. Some key scenes are being shot there now. It is worth mentioning here that the film is the remake of a blockbuster movie of yesteryears ‘Jaganmohini’. The director is making all out efforts to make the film on par with the blockbuster by making use of the latest technology and graphics. NK Viswanath is directing the film while H Murali is producing the film simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages. The producer is making efforts to release the film in December.

Uday Kiran’s shocking demand!

Uday Kiran, one of the few heroes in Tollywood with no big filmi connections is making it big as the hero. He is one of the few Telugu heroes to have three consecutive hits. But his dream run suffered a setback due to personal reasons and since then, he has been going though a lean patch which has lasted quite a while now.
His latest release Gunde Jhallumandi has come as a relief to his sagging career. Starring Aditi Sharma and directed by Madan, Gunde Jhallumandi is a decent entertainer that caters to family and college audiences. Ekalavyudu, another of his projects, is nearing completion.
Producer Lokesh Dutt, whose film Call Centre was recently released, has approached Uday Kiran for the lead role in his next project. But he came away reeling, as the not-so-hot Uday Kiran demanded Rs. 60 lakhs as his fee.
It remains to be seen whether Uday Kiran is able to command this price with an average hit like Gunde Jhallumandi to back him up.

Shun politicians who seek to divide: Aamir Khan

Actor Aamir Khan on Sunday plunged unexpectedly into the Marathi manoos controversy, dismissing it as a non-issue and advising fans to shut out those seeking to 'divide us on the basis of language or culture'.
The actor-turned-director made his political stand known at a press conference meant to celebrate the selection of Taare Zameen Par (TZP) as India’s official entry for the Academy Awards.
Without taking names, he said: “We should be wary of any politician who wants to divide us on the basis of language or culture. If a politician does that, then he’s not for the country but for himself. We should support leaders who are positive thinkers, who can bring people together, promote peace and brotherhood.”
He called himself a Marathi but struck a nationalistic chord: “Any film, be it Hindi, Tamil or Telugu, has a right to be released anywhere in the country, even in Maharashtra. It’s one country and this is a non-issue. We should respect all the languages and cultures.”

'I've spent too much time making money'

Actress Sangeetha is considered by the film industry to be every man’s fantasy. “It’s not like I’m new to this industry. I’ve been here for more than a decade and I’ve been successful in all four languages,” she says. Clad in jeans and T-shirt for the interview, she looks relaxed. And she seems in no hurry to sign more films.
“Where are the interesting scripts for a heroine here? I’d rather do one good film a year than a dozen that have no meaning,” she says.
Her role in Uyir (2006), earned critical acclaim, but it spurred controversy in the film fraternity. “I played a character who kills her husband so that she could marry his brother. People should understand that my body language and expression has to reflect what the character feels. Similar roles were done by Prakash Raj in Aasai (1995) and Ajith in Vaali (1999). Everybody praised them. So why single me out?” she asks.
The commercial success and the eventual moolah that comes with a hit imply an actor is bankable. But Evano Oruvan, in which she plays a middle class homemaker and mother of a school going daughter, failed to set the box-office jingling to the sweet sound of money. “I agree that money is important but I make enough in Telugu films. Everyone appreciated my role in this film. Filmmakers are confident that I can do any character.” In her latest film, Dhanam, Sangeetha plays a sex-worker. Scenes from the film show her at her glamorous best, though some say it is vulgar. “Somehow I cannot associate the word ‘glamour’ with my role. Honestly, do you find classy-looking sex-workers on the streets? Dhanam is a prostitute for whom clothes are a hindrance.
She wears a saree in a provocative way. She wears heavy make-up.
That’s what prostitutes do. They want to attract attention. And I’ve tried to do the same in Dhanam. You can be sensual without being vulgar with just your body language.” Sangeetha started in the Tamil film industry doing run-of-the-mill roles. “I was never interested in acting initially. I was so blasé about everything.” She says she was not even c o n - cerned that most of her Tamil films bombed at the box-office. “Meeting director Krishna Vamsi (Khadgam, a Telugu film released in 2002) changed me. He taught me to perceive, think and analyse the character I’d be playing in a film. I became focused and began taking my profession seriously.” In Khadgam, she plays a village belle who comes to Hyderabad in search of stardom. “Khadgam literally fell into my lap. I didn’t do any extra homework for my role. I just did what my director asked me to do,” she recalls.
Lately, Sangeetha has been on TV more than on the silver screen, as a judge for the dance show Jodi No 1.
“Dancing is my passion. In a TV show, I get to meet amateur dancers.
They take our suggestions seriously.
By the end of the season, they turn out to be phenomenal dancers. It’s a very gratifying experience.” Her mother’s surgery last year and her subsequent recovery has brought a new sense of priorities. “I think I’ve spent too much time making money. I don’t do too many outdoor shoots because I want to spend more time with my mum,” she explains.
Does her future include marriage? “I don’t have a plan. I’ve never had one. I’m very content with what I have. I have no big ambition. I would like to act even after I marry but then it wouldn’t be my decision alone.”

Rajinikanth's recent

The massive flop of Rajinikanth's recent film Kuselan all around has sent shock waves in the Tamil film industry and also for the distributors of the film in Karnataka. The Andhra Pradesh film distributors who had taken rights of the film's Telugu version Kathanayakudu have also been put to huge losses. Though many people say that the total business loss of the two versions of the film is put at around Rs.40 crores, an authentic estimation of the loss of theatres alone will be more than twenty crores.The film has been uniformly declared as a washout considering the huge non returnable advance paid by the theatre owners and distributors who obtained the releasing rights of the film. Now the distributors and exhibitors are demanding their pound of flesh and want to be compensated. Most of them have paid money to Pyramid Saimira, the World right distribution holders of the film. The overseas distributors and Karnataka based distributors have purchased the outright rights from Pyramid Saimira Distribution Company. Now, the exhibitors and distributors have also made Super Star Rajinikanth, K.Balachandar of Kavithalaya productions, the producer of the film and Vijaya Kumar of Seven Arts, Co-producer as parties, to arrive at a compensation settlement formula to save them.Some of the distributors representatives have been able to contact Super Star Rajinikanth and the actor seems have to agreed to pay around Rs.7 crores from his remuneration. It is believed that the actor has obtained Rs.26 crores as remuneration for acting in two versions of the film. And he is prepared to compensate Rs.7 crores. But Kavithalaya productions are not prepared to shell out money as compensation to the losses suffered by the distributors.The Pyramid Saimira which obtained around Rs.63 crores for the world distribution rights of the Tamil film will also suffer huge losses, but the company is not yet revealing their plans. According to sources from Pyramid Saimira the film has been able to recover around Rs.25 cores from Tamil Nadu theatres in the last few weeks.However it is difficult that Pyramid Saimira, a corporate firm will compensate the losses of exhibitors as it has entered into an agreement of Non returnable advance from them.Sources close to the Bangalore based distributor of the film said that they have already communicated to Pyramid Saimira that Kuselan is a big flop in Karnataka and they have suffered major losses on account of its miserable box office performance. "We have written two letters to Pyramid Saimira and we are waiting for their call. We are also trying to attend the meeting of the exhibitors and distributors which has been planned on August 23 at Chennai to discuss the future plans for recovery."Rajinikanth had compensated the losses of theatre owners and distributors when his previous film Baba failed at the Box office. He had sent a Demand Draft of Rs.60 lakhs to H.D.Gangaraj, the Bangalore based distributor of the film. And accordingly he had also compensated other distributors and theatre owners. But Rajinikanth was the producer of Baba and in the case of Kuselan, he is just an actor.The theatre owners from Tamil Nadu have been arguing that K.Balachandar, producer of the film and P. Vasu, the director of the film had made them to believe that Rajinikanth had a full length role in the film, while in reality he was hardly seen in thirty minutes of the film. "P.Vasu had claimed in the audio release function of the film that Rajini had a bigger role. But Rajini should have countered Vasu's claims in the function," say the distributors.However, to be fair to Rajinikanth, he had clearly said that Kuselan is a film that should belong to Pasupati during the launch of the film. "I have a role which will be twenty five percent of the whole film, while Pasupati will have a role which will come in more than fifty percent of the film," he had said. And he wanted his producers to release the film

knife's stuck in his back

A lean, mean cop brandishes his vicious fists. A knife's stuck in his back, another on his thigh. Still, he manages to bash up 50 goons -- yes, 50 -- single-handedly, while a wounded witness stands nearby, screaming for help. Lightning crashes framing our hero while rain pours down in buckets but the hero keeps bashing and the goons keep coming. The movie goes on and on and on. Also Read: Of six pack abs and a sexy number!And that, ladies and gentlemen, is almost 99 per cent of the story of Sathyam, as it were. Things don't seem quite this bad in the first 45 minutes of GK Film Corporation's Satyam [Get Quote], directed by debutant director A Rajasekar and starring the Tamil hero who's made it very quickly into the inner biggie-ring of heroes, Vishal. In yet another home production, he stars as K Satyam, Assistant Commissioner of Police, c/o Madurai [Images] (they all seem to be from Madurai, these days) who saves a potential encounter victim from the guns of his own colleagues. Explanation? He's the police, not a porukki (rogue) -- a direct hit at Saami's Vikram, who famously mouthed that he was a rogue, not a policeman. This cop doesn't believe in sacrificing villains, however guilty they may be, in the name of encounters. They've got to be handed over to god and the law -- because neither is wrong. And then begins the hero-entry song, Aaradi kathe, which showcases Vishal lovingly, a la a true mass hero, complete with shades, trim physique, bulging biceps, throbbing veins and engaging in various police duties.In typical filmi fashion enters Deiva (Nayanthara), togged up in combat boots and chic black clothing and jewellery, and with a camera as well (with which she promises to bring criminals to light). Her aide (Prem G Amaren, absolutely wasted) helps in bringing the apartment's little brat-pack's crimes to their parents, for which they, in tandem with Satyam, of course, trounce her with a home-manufactured set of disasters. Flour-cans fall, tins roll, rugs slip and forks pin Deiva in quick succession -- the whole sequence inspired very badly from Quentin Tarantino's [Images] Kill Bill [Images] and Deiva pouts and yells her way through it all. Soon enough, seeing Satyam take care of his invalid mother (Sudha Chandran, wasted again), she falls head over heels in love with him. But romance plays a very teeny-weeny part in this movie, which zooms back to Kondaldasan (Kotta Srinivasa Rao), an immensely corrupt minister with eyes on the CM's chair. Armed with his aides, Dilli and Acharya, he rules the underworld roost, and makes plans to demolish three other ministers, all competition to his ambitions. Accordingly, plans are set to find the perfect assassin (Upendra), who picks off people like a pigeon homing in on an insect. The police department goes into a tizzy, and ACP Satyam begins hunting clues, holds off crime scene areas, whizzes around in his jeep and shouts at villains in a very competitive fashion. His investigation techniques are even worse than Vijaykanth's in Arasangam; at least the "Captain" didn't make it such a point to explain each and every step as if to a four-year old. He finds convenient train tickets, injections and vials dropped by the assassin, and intercepts him after his latest assassination, running alone across the airport, tackles him single-handedly, and sustains a great shock -- the assassin is his childhood mentor. An ex-policeman himself. So far, so good. There's a semblance of a story, action, and enough punch-dialogues to keep the front-benchers whistling. Come the intermission, and you're thrown into a terrible 70s story, complete with shrieking villains, thumping policemen, laughing goondas and a heroine who jumps into a song every ten minutes. After bashing up enough ruffians to beat the tally of every superhero of Tamil cinema, Satyam loses his mother, is slapped with assassination charges and jailed by the very law which he swore would work. Finally -- a turning-point. Then comes the climax -- a laugh riot, which shatters your ear-drums. Vishal has lost oodles of weight and looks great, which is a pity as he obviously needs a screenplay which ought to have held out better. As it is, he displays his toned body, looks impressive in his uniform, modulates well and with Nayanthara, exudes confidence and chemistry. If only he didn't scream so much, or mouth inane dialogues in an obvious effort to claim the masses. His efforts at becoming a Minimum�Guarantee hero reduce you to irritation. Speaking of the heroine: poor Nayan. Her histrionic talents are wasted. To play the na�ve, giggly 21-year old, she resorts to acting like a ten-year old instead. She's supposed to work in television, wears ravishing, sexy outfits (backless salwars!), totes a camera -- but nowhere, except in the climax, is she actually seen working. As the sultry siren in the songs, especially Chellame, with her slightly cynical smile, glittering eyes and svelte body, she wins. A good thing too, as there's nothing else for her to do. Kotta Srinivasa Rao, another excellent screen-villain has been reduced to shrieking inanities. Kannada actor Upendra makes an entrance here, as the unknown assassin Manickavel, and you wish he didn't yell so much, since his dialogues are actually worth listening to. The movie is to be released in Telugu as well, titled Salute. So, half the characters speak in Telugu, their voice dubbed in Tamil and you get the feeling you're watching a mish-mash of a Tamil/Telugu movie.A Rajasekar's screenplay isn't filled with plot-holes; they're huge craters. Harris Jeyaraj, perhaps realising the futility of the project, has done his reasonable best. Stunt Siva, whose capabilities have been utilised fully, does a magnificent job. S Gunasekar's dialogues are cringe-worthy most times, laudable once or twice. The movie is technically and visually well polished -- and that, in itself is a pity, as, without a good screenplay and execution, it falls flat. Satyam is for those who are satisfied with dreamy songs, excellent stunts and shrieking characters -- and not much else. Yes, it'll probably get its money's worth, pushed along by the actor's loyal fans -- but would it rank as a good movie? Hardly.

‘Chiyaan’

Vikram: Villain in Hindi, hero in Tamil! ‘Chiyaan’ Vikram will make his debut in Bollywood as villain in the Maniratnam film, ‘Ramayan’, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan in the lead roles. The film, it is said, is a modern version of the Indian epic.But in the Tamil version of the movie, ‘Ramayanam’, he will be seen romancing Aishwarya, as the hero! This is testimony to the acting prowess of Vikram, who has bagged a National Award for Best Actor for his stunning performance in 'Pitamagan' by Bala. Abhishek Bachchan has something to worry for, it seems. For, Vikram is sure to make a point in his avtaar as hero in the Tamil version!Source: Filmy South

chiru comming

HYDERABAD: A day after the monsoon session of Assembly ended, the TDP embarked on a serious exercise to gear up the party for the general elections, and has started working out strategies to counter the changing political scenario. It has decided to draft actors Harikrishna, Balakrishna, Jr NTR and Kalyanram into its poll campaign to counter the impact of actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi. TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday hosted lunch for these actors and their families at his Jubilee Hills residence. Though on record it was claimed that it was a family gathering, the fact remains that a serious discussion took place on the modalities of the campaign to be taken up soon. The NTR family scions reiterated their full support to Naidu. Naidu took care to see that none of the senior party members was present at the meeting. Senior TDP leaders say that this meeting would send a message across the rank and file that the NTR family was strongly behind Naidu. Now that it is more or less certain that the TDP and the Left would go together in the polls, support from the NTR family would help prevent any exodus from the cadre even if some more leaders decide to jump over to Prajarajyam, it is felt. According to sources, the tentative decision was that Balakrishna would make his political entry with a public meeting at Mahbubnagar later this month after unveiling a statue of NTR. He will also participate in the Yuva Garjana to be held in Guntur next month. Harikrishna and Jr NTR are likely to address meetings in the Rayalaseema region in the first phase where they have considerable fan following. Kalyanram will address meetings in the coastal belt. Harikrishna will go round the Telangana districts and enthuse the cadre. However, it is not yet clear if Balakrishna, whose daughter is married to Naidu's son, will only be a star campaigner or will HYDERABAD: A day after the monsoon session of Assembly ended, the TDP embarked on a serious exercise to gear up the party for the general elections, and has started working out strategies to counter the changing political scenario. It has decided to draft actors Harikrishna, Balakrishna, Jr NTR and Kalyanram into its poll campaign to counter the impact of actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi. TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday hosted lunch for these actors and their families at his Jubilee Hills residence. Though on record it was claimed that it was a family gathering, the fact remains that a serious discussion took place on the modalities of the campaign to be taken up soon. The NTR family scions reiterated their full support to Naidu. Naidu took care to see that none of the senior party members was present at the meeting. Senior TDP leaders say that this meeting would send a message across the rank and file that the NTR family was strongly behind Naidu. Now that it is more or less certain that the TDP and the Left would go together in the polls, support from the NTR family would help prevent any exodus from the cadre even if some more leaders decide to jump over to Prajarajyam, it is felt. According to sources, the tentative decision was that Balakrishna would make his political entry with a public meeting at Mahbubnagar later this month after unveiling a statue of NTR. He will also participate in the Yuva Garjana to be held in Guntur next month. Harikrishna and Jr NTR are likely to address meetings in the Rayalaseema region in the first phase where they have considerable fan following. Kalyanram will address meetings in the coastal belt. Harikrishna will go round the Telangana districts and enthuse the cadre. However, it is not yet clear if Balakrishna, whose daughter is married to Naidu's son, will only be a star campaigner or will be asked to contest polls. Party insiders say that as of now he will only campaign and will not contest. Balakrishna is said to have made vain efforts to rope in his sister and Union minister of state D Purandreeswari and her husband D Venkateswara Rao on the Rakhi day. be asked to contest polls. Party insiders say that as of now he will only campaign and will not contest. Balakrishna is said to have made vain efforts to rope in his sister and Union minister of state D Purandreeswari and her husband D Venkateswara Rao on the Rakhi day.

Chiranjeevi forays into politics

HYDERABAD: Standing under pictures of Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, B R Ambedkar and Jyotibha Phule whose teachings he said had transformed him, Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi on Sunday announced his entry into politics and said his main opponent was neither the Congress nor TDP, but poverty. ( Watch ) "I am neither a leftist nor a rightist, I am a humanist," the actor said bidding adieu to his "30-year-long pleasure trip in the movie world". Chiranjeevi promised to unveil his political agenda, policies and programme on August 26 at a public meeting at Tirupati. The actor, who turns 53 on Friday, said he would work for a "cheerful" Andhra Pradesh. Conducting the press conference all by himself, unassisted by aides, the megastar avoided giving direct answers to the volley of questions directed at him by a huge assembly of mediapersons who had descended on his office to attend his maiden news conference. On several issues like the precise reasons for kickstarting a political party, his views on a separate Telangana state, the issue of Naxalism, on the relevance of Congress and TDP, Chiranjeevi parried replies saying they were "sensitive issues" and he would react at an "appropriate time". Asked how many seats he expected to win in the next elections, Chiranjeevi said: "I'm not entering politics for power or for office but for social service. Social justice and welfare for poor would be high on my agenda." Pressed on how he would react to difficult issues, Chiranjeevi said his sensitivity would be his strength. "Being sensitive, I can understand the pain of the people better than the present day politicians." Though indicating that his would be a party inclined to social welfare, Chiranjeevi made no reference to inflation or other serious issues of confronting the state like mindless destruction of the environment, uprooting of people by big projects and problems faced by the rural poor. Chiranjeevi, in true filmy style, referred to two suicide notes — one by a home guard and another by an IT couple who lamented that they were embracing death without having got a chance to vote for him. He also referred to the call given by former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam to professionals to enter politics said that this had influenced him. He also bowed his head before intellectuals, artists, women and students, who had urged him to join politics and declared that it would be a blunder not to respond to their invitation. Interestingly, Chiranjeevi paid rich tributes to NT Rama Rao,the founder of Telugu Desam Party, for having inspired him in more than one way. True to his non controversial nature, on the two major parties Congress and TDP he said, "Everybody is doing work in their own way. But, we want take that further to the grassroot level, and do things in a