Wednesday, June 30, 2010

About Chikku Bukku Story



Why did director Manigandan choose the title Chikku Bukku for the Arya-Shriya starrer? Replying to this, the director has said that the lead pair meets on the train, fall in love on the train and split on the train. With the train being an integral part of the movie, he decided to name it Chikku Bukku.

The film begins in London and moves on to Karaikudi. Though it is a love story, neither the hero nor the heroine faces any resistance from their families to enter wedlock, Manigandan declares. He says that Arya and Shriya find fault with each other and make matters worse. This is the crux of Chikku Bukku, he is reported to have said. The film’s audio is expected to be launched during the second week of July.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Trisha Pretty good At Hindi



Trisha Krishnan, the south Indian babe, whose first entry in Bollywood is with Akshay Kumar starrer 'Khatta Meetha', is fluent in Hindi. Trisha's voice is being dubbed by a professional in the movie directed by Priyadarshan.

She actually did want anybody else to dub for her lines in 'Khatta Meetha as she can read and write Hindi very well.  She is good in spoken Hindi too.

Still since the actress is playing collector role, it requires a perfect diction, perfect Hindi without any slang being used.  Hence she was not allowed to dub her lines in the movie in her own voice.

Lets hope if not in her first debut in Hindi, she might get a chance to dub her lines in the movie in her own voice in future.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Sameera's Best Varnam Aayiram



Ask Sameera Reddy what her best role till date is and the actress replies that it is in Vaaranam Aayiram, where she is paired opposite Suriya. Though, Sameera dies midway through the film, her performance in it was so strong. Sameera says that the role in VA is something she could connect to and it was so real. In Hindi she likes her role in Yeh Hausla.

Sameera is currently busy with a Gautham Menon project and the Hindi flick Red Alert: The War Within, in which she plays a naxalite.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Selva Regrets Divorce


Director Selvaraghavan seems to have second thoughts about his divorce. He had very recently tweeted: “I wish I could have saved my wedding!!!” It is worth mentioning here that the Selvaraghavan and actress Sonia Agarwal divorced following differences of opinion.

The director is currently working on a film with Vikram playing the lead and yet another movie that will have Telugu star Rana Daggubati.

Meanwhile, there are reports that Sonia Agarwal has been offered an important role in a film by Kasthuriraja, father of Selvaraghavan.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Aishwarya Rai's Scanned Passport on net



Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has filed a complaint at the Cyber Crime Cell in Mumbai. The actress was shocked to find a scanned copy of her passport leaked in the World Wide Web. Following this, she lodged a complaint. In her complaint, the actress had stated that all the details of her travels to foreign countries and her birth date have been leaked.


The actress has said that she had never given her passport to a third person barring the production houses to make arrangements for film shootings held abroad. The police are investigating the issue and are said to suspect that one of the production house could have leaked the info.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Anushka Backing Sentiment




How can we forget the most fearful voice of Ravishankar in ‘Arundhathi’ saying ‘Amma Bommali’ for Sonu Sood which connected well with audience and ‘Bommali’ has become a buzz word for Telugu people. Taking the ‘Bommali’ sentiment forward, director Meher Ramesh has used this word in the lyric of a song in ‘Billa’ which was again super hit by the composition of Mani Sharma.

Anushka has thought of keeping the ‘Bommali’ sentiment alive even for ‘Panchakshari’ from her close friend and producer Bommadevara Ramchandra Rao. During all the pressmeets and promotional programs for ‘Panchakshari,’ Anushka was seen calling Bommadevara as Bommi. This time sentiment turned into ointment as Bommi’s ‘Panchakshari’ bombed at BO but still Bommi came out with colors as he gained a table profit of nearly Rs. 3 crores. Hope Singanamala, Mahesh Babu and Trivikram are reading this.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Rain Spoiled Katrina's Trip


Katrina Kaif was supposed to fly down to Mumbai for a day to attend the Raajneeti success party Wednesday from Spain, where she is shooting for Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara, but the actress had to drop her plans because of the inclement weather there.

The Raajneeti team has a lot to celebrate about, but director Prakash Jha wanted no celebration until his lucky mascot Katrina was available.

But Zoya's crew has been facing rough weather ever since they arrived in Spain. Apparently six days of shooting had to be cancelled because of heavy rains. And now they need to quickly make up for lost time since their work permits and visas would expire.

Jha admits that Katrina would be unable to make it to the party.

"They've lost a lot of time because of the rain in Spain. I couldn't dream of having a Raajneeti bash without Katrina. And I had postponed it until her availability. But now it's impossible for Katrina to fly down," Jha said.

Katrina even requested the film's producers and the director to accommodate her absence for less than a day.

Says a source close to Katrina: "Since Prakash Jha was very, very keen to have her down to Mumbai for the bash, and had even made all the arrangements for her flight, Katrina was not willing to give up the idea of attending the function. She offered to be back in less than 24 hours. Katrina was willing to fly to Mumbai, attend the Raajneeti bash on Wednesday and fly out the same night to re-join the ...Dobara team the next morning. But this has not been allowed."

Jha will now record a video message from Katrina and play it at the party. "So she will be with us in spirit if not in person," he said.

Katrina, on the other hand, tried to sound diplomatic and not disappointed. "It is a big day. And the success of Raajneeti is very precious to me. But I can't leave the crew in Spain."

She admits there're lots of unscheduled breaks. Katrina has got one of her sisters, Melissa, to join her in Spain to give her company at break time.

"London is just two hours, so Melissa could join me. Mumbai is in another hemisphere. Flying down is impossible. Please tell Prakashji, mera party baqi raha," she said.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Neetu Chandra : Confident About Her Dancing Skills



After attempting a mujra a la ageless beauty Rekha in Sadiyaan, actress Neetu Chandra is yearning to set the dance floor on fire like international divas Jennifer Lopez and Shakira and prove that she can dance better than most other actresses in Bollywood.

"I am sure I can dance better than most other actresses in the film industry. But it's just that they get the chance to show their moves," Neetu told IANS on phone from her hometown Patna.

"Unfortunately, my choice of films has been such that they hardly have any scope for dancing numbers. But I have a long way to go and I am just waiting to get a spicy song.

"I would love to do a commercial dance number and move like Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. Their style is lovely. And any such change would be great fun for me," she added.

The actress, who received rave reviews for her performances in National Award winning films like Traffic Signal and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, learnt Kathak in school and is currently taking lessons in western dancing.

Neetu is a huge Madhuri Dixit fan and says she would love to dance on songs like "Choli ke peechhe".

"She was a class apart. The kind of music came in her days is no longer composed in the industry. Songs like Choli ke peechhe' and Dhak dhak karne lagaa were amazing. I would have loved to perform on those numbers. I know I can never be Madhuri Dixit, but even if people say I'm 10 percent of her, I would feel my efforts have paid off," she said.

Among the latest numbers, the 33-year-old says she she could have done a good job in songs like Chhaliya Chhaliya and Happening, originally performed by Kareena Kapoor and Preity Zinta respectively.

Nevertheless, she says both of them did a fabulous job.

Don't you fear being tagged as an item girl after featuring in an item song?

"I can never be tagged as an item girl because I have lost that opportunity. I never got a chance to dance. I hope filmmakers cast me for a dance number soon. All seven films that I have done have been performance based. There was no space for me to do any dance in them," she said.

But Neetu will do an item nunber only if the script will demand so.

"All actresses - Aishwarya, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji - have all done item numbers. They can dance, but they did it only when the script required it. So I would love to do it when a script requires me to do it. I am not afraid of being put into an image of an item girl - because I keep breaking my own image with every film."

Her forthcoming projects are Khusar Parsad Ke Bhoot, Anees Bazmee's No Problem and Barnali Shukla's Kuch Love Jaisa. She also has a Tamil project in her kitty.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Bips : Only healthy Products i will promote



As a power couple, John Abraham and Bipasha Basu draw the line at health and fitness products and services endorsements. Proof of that recently came when they turned down an offer to promote an Indian herbal aphrodisiac despite being offered crores.

A source confirms, "They were approached to endorse the product but refused. Though the concoction consists high quality extracts from some of the world's most exotic herbs, it's a potent and effective natural sex enhancer."

No viagra, please!

The buzz is that the aphrodisiac contains viagra. The source adds, "John's manager was approached for a couple endorsement but she said that they don't back products that have viagra and said no. The jodi is committed to health and fitness and Bipasha has promised to endorse only health products."

When contacted Bipasha says, "I strongly believe in credible products and these are in sync with my passion for fitness and health. I am very happy to be associated with products that encourage people to switch to a healthier lifestyle. But I have never been approached for the other thing (the herbal aphrodisiac)."

However she stresses she would endorse products not connected to health and fitness but are "In sync with my personality. It could be cosmetics, automobiles, luxury products, fashion goods, home appliances etc." Bips endorses a brand of honey only because the brand is committed to health and fitness. Says the actress, "I strongly believe in credible products and this one is in sync with my passion for health.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Sex and The City 2 Film Review


Sex and the City 2 comes to Indian theatres after having earned the dubious distinction of being the worst reviewed film in recent history. Critics across the US and the UK have lambasted it for being tone-deaf, vacuous and ridiculously-over-the-top.

I walked into the theater with the kind of perverse fascination that you reserve for a train-wreck, thinking: how bad can this be. Well, the reviews weren’t exaggerated. This film is just plain awful.

Or to paraphrase a line from American critic Roger Ebert: This movie isn’t the bottom of the barrel. This movie doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with barrels.

Sex and the City 2 reprises the adventures of the four New York fashionistas who have beguiled the world since the television series started in 1998. Only now they are battling mid-life problems.

So Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker who has also co-produced the film, is trying to put sparkle into her two-year-old marriage. She’s afraid that she and her husband will grow into a boring, old married couple - the type who watch television in bed.

Miranda, played by Cynthia Nixon, is struggling with a nasty boss. Samantha, played by Kim Cattrall, is desperately fighting menopause with tablets and creams. And Charlotte, played by Kristin Davis, is trying to cope with the traumas of motherhood.

So when Samantha gets an all-expenses paid trip to Abu Dhabi, all four jump at it. What follows is a spectacularly aimless and obscenely extravagant adventure that helps the women come to terms with their various issues.

At its best, Sex and the City was a superbly entertaining female fantasy. The four friends never worked too hard but were always immaculately dressed. Yet their fierce bonding rooted the fairy tale in heart-felt emotion.

Sadly, that’s almost completely missing here. Except for one scene that rings perfectly true: Miranda and Charlotte discuss how hard being a mother is and Charlotte admits that when she thought her husband might have an affair with their young nanny, her first thought was: I can’t lose the nanny.

But the rest of this two and a half hour saga lurches from one random scene to the next without even attempting coherence.

Samantha gets arrested on the beach for having sex; Carrie runs into an old boyfriend and kisses him; Charlotte falls off a camel. And they do all this while changing a ridiculous number of outfits and wearing high heels on sand.

This film reportedly had a 10 million dollar costume budget. Of course the Abu Dhabi adventure brims over with cultural stereotypes but this entire film is so infantile that you can’t even seriously take offense.

Director Michael Patrick King who wrote the screenplay, attempts to make some statement about female solidarity and freedom but the writing is feeble and foolish.

Sex and the City 2 is unforgivably boring but what’s sadder is, that King has made these women, who were once so enjoyable, into caricatures of themselves. They all seem desperate, empty and in places, downright ugly. At one point, Carrie asks her husband: Am I just a bitch wife who nags you? You almost want to scream out aloud: Yes.

Sex and the City 2 is excruciating cinema. I recommend that you steer clear.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Raajneeti Film Review



Raajneeti, writer-director Prakash Jha’s sprawling portrait of a political family, is a mixed bag. The film has moments of ferocious power and just as many flaws.

The narrative has a propulsive movement in the first half but becomes dramatically inert in the second. Jha, who has fought elections in Bihar himself, creates a real sense of the machinations and sordid deals that fuel politics but then hobbles it with outlandish twists and some decidedly ‘filmy’ moments – like a ridiculous love-making scene that is triggered because the characters get wet in the rain.

Apparently getting soaked in Bollywood still equals sex. And, as almost all the female characters in this film find out, having sex even one time, still equals babies.

The performances are strong—especially Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Nana Patekar—but the characters are largely one-note.

There has been much hype about Katrina Kaif learning lengthy Hindi dialogue for the film. She’s clearly worked hard but her luminous looks rather than acting are still her trump card.

Raajneeti is a film with ambition and scale but it works in fits and spurts. Jha’s political epic is too busy and bumpy and never quite fulfils the potential inherent in the story.

Raajneeti sources as much from The Godfather as it does from the Mahabharata. So we have sets of cousins whose rivalry spills into the open as soon as the head of the family suffers a stroke.

The film begins with a back-story of Sooraj Kumar, the Karna-like figure played by Ajay Devgn. Abandoned at birth, Sooraj is adopted by a Dalit family.

In quick succession, so many characters are introduced that Jha uses a voice-over to explain who is connected to whom and what the political affiliations are. It takes a good 15 minutes to take in the details and place the characters but the story-telling is engaging and soon you’re caught up with this Machiavellian family in which the plotting begins even as the father is still being treated by doctors. As the stakes get higher, the moves get bloodier.

Eventually, Samar Pratap, the Michael Corleone figure played by Ranbir Kapoor, the young brother who is working on a PhD on Victorian poetry, gets sucked into the murderous struggle for power.

Until here, Jha and his co-writer Anjum Rajabali tell the story with assurance and flair. But then the momentum dips and the intrigues become less and less interesting. Critically, Samar’s conversion to a ruthless murderer isn’t convincing. One minute he’s the student and the next, he, like everyone else is trigger-happy with bombs and guns.

Jha even borrows The Godfather’s famous severed horse-head scene.

Only here, a politician wakes up to find his male lover’s throat slit. Sadly, the gut-wrenching twist, when Kunti reveals to Karna that he is her son and therefore warring with his own brothers, is not done very effectively.

For the true power and emotion of that moment, watch Shyam Benegal’s Kalyug, in which the Mahabharata is transported to a business milieu. Shashi Kapoor who plays the Karna figure crumples slowly as he becomes aware of his own tragedy.

In its second hour, Raajneeti lets go of logic. We know that politics is an amoral, brutal cesspool but even so, leading politicians themselves murdering their rivals on a street in broad daylight is a bit of a stretch.

In a climactic shoot-out, we even have a perverted version of the Gita sermon in which the Krishna figure, played by Nana Patekar, insists on cold-blooded murder. Come on, finish them, he says.

Of course there is no one to root for in this gallery of rogues but more troublesome is the specious morality of the film. After a few feeble apologies, Samar Pratap finds a semblance of redemption.

Eventually then, Raajneeti is as exhausting as it is compelling.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Raavan Film Review


The low-caste Beera rules the forest in Raavan, Mani Ratnam’s richly atmospheric adaptation of the Indian epic The Ramayana.

Though the film takes place in the present, Mr Ratnam’s forest remains an appropriately primeval place for mythic doings, full of fog and mists and rain and Beera’s mud-painted followers (shades of “Apocalypse Now”).

Raavan (Ravana in Sanskrit), as every Indian knows, is the demon in The Ramayana who kidnaps Sita, the wife of Rama: king, deity and model husband (as Sita is the model wife).

Early on in Ratnam’s film the question is asked: Is Beera (a gleefully hammy Abhishek Bachchan) Robin Hood or Raavan? He’s both — and more a hero in this telling, set on his turf, than is the Rama character, a cop called Dev (Vikram), who matches Beera in brutality and cunning, but not in heart.

Raavan has Bollywood glamour aplenty, with the lovely if occasionally dramatically challenged Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek’s wife, playing the Sita stand-in.

The real star, though, is Ratnam, a talented visual storyteller who directs action crisply and fills the screen with striking images. (One, of Bachchan’s falling body landing gracefully on a tree branch, is so good he uses it three times.)

Artful but not arty, Ratnam, whose films include Dil Se and Guru delivers the goods: There are songs and dances (A R Rahman of Slumdog Millionaire fame did the excellent score), and an eye-popping climactic battle, between the bad-good Beera and the good-bad Dev, on a teetering suspension bridge. And that, folks, is entertainment.

This film has been designated as a Critics' Pick.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Raavanan Film Review


Let’s get this straight. Raavanan is not Mani Ratnam’s attempt to venerate the epic villain whose name the movie is titled after. It’s not also a study on complex human relationships weighed down by trust, conviction or quandary. It’s a pure cinematic retreat spanning across the dense jungles of Southern and Central India with exceptional cinematography (Santosh Sivan and
 
Manikandan), by-now cult songs (A R Rahman) and interesting performances by its lead actors. And the significance of the movie appears in the same order mentioned above.

Mani’s conviction of illustrating an unachievable love story between the two leads (Aishwarya Rai and Vikram) is palpable from the very start of the movie. However, the blossoming of love doesn’t quite form the back bone of Raavanan so much. The movie digresses into other aspects - a man hunt, flash backs, revenge drama and so on and so forth. The man hunts lack dexterity, the revenge drama that is triggered by the death of Vikram’s sister seems engineered and Prithviraj often comes across as stiff – showing unnecessary tautness in the character that is probably designed to defy emotions (may be because he is in his Khakis?).

But all that is absolved, as the movie stunningly unfolds often drenching itself in the monsoonal deluge making you feel rain-soaked. If you have any doubt about Mani’s eternal love affair with rain, Raavanan stands as a remarkable testimony. It rains in the song sequences, in encounters and in emotional scenes. And at other instances, the sky is constantly downcast as if threatening to pour down. And the cinematography captures it all in delightful exuberance.

For the most part, Vikram owns the movie seizing it magnificently even from Mani’s own hands. His love blooms out of astonishment at the outwardly courage displayed by Aishwarya Rai and he makes those scenes persuasive for the viewer. He infuses life into the character and shows no jaggedness, falling for a married woman thus replicating, probably the characters of Raavanan. Suhasini’s profound dialogues come in handy in many places and the viewer is made to read between lines quite often.

Aishwarya Rai’s semblance of the late Padmini is unmistakable, it could be her dialogues or the way she manages her composure attentively even in the hardest of terrains the character puts her through. The lady sure has attempted to reach on par with Vikram in performance in many sequences. Kudos to Mani for a dignified portrayal of his lead woman. There is a refreshing strength in Ragini’s character brought out well by Aishwarya.

Prithvi plays a toughie police officer and somehow his character portrayal leaves a few questions unanswered: for instance, his love for Aishwarya Rai is weighed down by his commitment and that singular fact does not come across convincingly.

Priyamani plays the ill-fated Vennila and leaves a lump in your throat. Karthik in his second innings steals the show. Prabhu and Munna play support roles that ebb and flow with the movie.

Cinematography by Santosh Sivan is brilliant and has rendered the perfect support for Mani. His probing lens takes the audience through the thick jungles, the mighty waterfalls and the rough terrains of India. Music and art direction play equally momentous role in Raavanan as its lead actors. If not for Rahman’s songs and background score, Vikram’s unrequited love wouldn’t have been so painful for us. The songs have already been much debated about and leave no scope for further discussion. One word though: it’s not for nothing “Usure Pogude…” has achieved a cult status. You tend to try hard not to fall in love but fail with the song as Vikram heaves a sigh of relief, having seen Aishwarya Rai breathing and alive after a steep fall.

Sameer Chanda’s art direction complements the ruggedness and splendid beauty of the nature in the jungles so well you refuse to believe anything is man-made.

A major drawback is the lack of ‘Tamil’ feel in the film and its music; it more appears for the audience north of Vindhyas in many places. What Mani loses out is the pace over the later part of the first half; he gains it back with a major twist in the climax. Although you have a few questions about the incidents leading to the finale, those are done away with - thanks to the elegiac climax.

Verdict: Watch Raavanan, it’s visually poetic!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Hansika moment of misery


Actresses losing flights have become common issues these days and media channels have been publishing so many useless facts of that sort. Here comes news on that dimension and this time, it’s about actress Hansika Motwani.

The South India’s hottie makes her debut in Jeyam Ravi’s ‘ITCH’ starring Jeyam Ravi in lead roles. The film started rolling in Paris and she had plans about flying down to London in the interim. Meanwhile, as she was about to depart from her motel, the actress was taken into an extreme of missing her passport. Soon the hotel management started up for a big search and finally found that the passport was placed in her other bag.

It was a moment to cherish back and the actress took deep breath of happiness nearly after 4 hours.

A beautiful careless girl, isn’t?

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Shreya's Secret to Success


Don’t expect this to be an article pertaining to her sexiest gestures over the post cards. Sorry, this is all about her good behavioral gesture that has been missing amongst many actresses at this point of time.

Sources in the film units have confessed that the actress doesn’t make herself more expensive to her producers. She doesn’t ask her production team for comfortability at the shooting spots. Reported by the production crew, Shriya affords to spend for her own wants and doesn’t depend on anyone else when it comes for a rise during shooting schedule.

On the button, this is the secret of Shriya’s success in spite of so many of her films not doing well at box office.

Success doesn’t come by hits, but by winning the hearts of people with one’s good deeds and Shriya you’re a winner now

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Anushka and Genelia Warned



Nadigar Sangam has issued a warning to Genelia, Anushka, Sameera Reddy, Kajal Agarwal, Hansika Motwani and a host of other actresses who did not register at the Sangam till date. In a letter to these actresses, the President of the Sangam, Sarath Kumar and General Secretary Radha Ravi stated that they should become a member soon or face a ban in Kollywood.

It has been reported that some members of the Nadigar Sangam visited the Uttama Puthiran shooting spot where scenes involving Genelia were being shot and demanded that she register as a member to continue acting in Tamil films. The actress is reported to have acceded to this demand. It needs to be seen what the other leading ladies will do.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Ajith's 50th film Heroine


With so much being talked about the proposed Ajith - Gautham Menon flick, the movie is also showing signs of going on the floors. Last heard on the script front, the movie will have Ajith playing double roles - one that of a cop and the other a villain. The movie is already speculated to be a cop movie and with this added piece of information, looks like it will be an action movie as well.

Earlier it was said Sameera Reddy will play the female lead but now we hear that Samantha, who played Trisha's role in the Telugu version of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa will be signed up. More details awaited.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Trisha's Request



Trisha, the brand ambassador for Love Indian Dogs, participated in the photo shoot for the ad that will be circulated by the PETA, an animal welfare organization. The lady’s black costume for this particular photo shoot was designed by noted designer Chaitanya Rao. Ace photographer G. Venkatram shot the ad at The Park Hotel.
Trisha has an adopted dog Cadbury, which she had found on the streets. She appealed to one and all to adopt an Indian dog from a shelter or from the streets

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Madrasapatinam U certified



The Vijay directed Madarasapattinam passed the censor test today with no cuts and a U Certificate. The movie, scrutinized by the officials, emerged largely unscathed. Madarasapattinam is a period drama, set in the colonial era that stars Arya, Amy Jackson, Alexx O'Nell, Nassar , Cochin Hanifa and Bala Singh.
The movie, produced by Kalpathi S. Agoram, is scored by G V Prakash Kumar. Director Vijay’s earlier credits include Kireedom and Poi Solla Porom.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Trisha and Kamal Leave India


Manmadhan Ambu has officially kick started and according to highly placed sources from the production house, the crew is travelling abroad in batches starting from June 9 to 15. A total of 90 crew members are expected to travel with Kamal and Trisha already proceeding to France. First leg of the shoots will be held in France and Kamal, Trisha, Madhavan and Sangeetha are expected to take part in it.

The movie will be shot extensively abroad and the crew has plans to shoot in Rome, Venice and Malaysia as well. It’s also learnt that major part of the movie will be shot in a luxury cruise liner and that the producers are holding discussions to hire a huge ship for the purpose.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Surya Makes up like Simran



Suriya, who plays a cameo in Bala's upcoming Avan Ivan, will appear as himself. He is said to perform a dance number on stage for the movie. Looking back, Simran did the same thing, an item number of sorts, in the Bala directed Pithamagan. She was seen shaking a leg for a medley of old hits with Suriya in Pithamagan.

Avan Ivan is a light hearted comedy being directed by Bala, and has Vishal, Arya, Janani Iyer and Niveditha in lead roles. Produced by Kalpathi Agoram and scored by Yuvan, the movie is expected to hit the screens during late 2010.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Genelia In Velayudham PhotoShoot



The photo shoot of the Vijay starrer Velayudham took place recently in which Vijay, Genelia and Hansika Motwani, the lead stars in the movie, participated. Sources say that the initial photo shoot did not require Genelia. However, the actress made it to the session after reports floated in that she took part in the IIFA in Sri Lanka, which the Tamil fraternity boycotted.

This is a clear indication that Genelia did not participate in the IIFA and is not facing the wrath of the Tamil film industry people. Velayudham will be directed by Jayam Raja and produced by Aascar Ravichandran.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Nayanthara Apt Choice



Director Kannan, who marked his entry to the tinsel town with Jayamkondan and went on cement his place with Kandein Kadhalai, is directing his next flick Vandhan Vendraan. The film stars Jiiva in the lead role. Vandhan Vendran is a bi-lingual and will be made in Telugu too. However, the director has plans to rope in a popular actor from Tollywood for the Telugu version.
The heroine search for both the versions has been going on for quite some time and finally Kannan has decided upon Nayanthara. With the lady being popular in both the Tamil as well as Telugu film industries, Kannan’s choice seems to be apt.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Happy BirthDay Shilpa Shetty



It’s Shilpa Shetty’s birthday today! Born on June 8th 1975, she made her acting debut in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Baazigar in 1993. Since then Shilpa has seen several highs in her career. The lady married London-based businessman Raj Kundra last November and has been shuttling between India and England to balance her marital and professional life.

Though Shilpa was hugely popular in India as an actress, she became a celebrity worldwide when she participated in the Big Brother 2007.

Behindwoods.com and its readers wish the actress a very happy birthday!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Manmadha Ambu Kissing Scene




Now that we all know that the Manmadhan Ambu is a romantic flick, the big question that all Kamal Haasan’s fans have is whether there would be a kissing scene, which his films are well-known for. This question was brought up during the press meet of Manmadhan Ambu, which took place recently.
To this, director KS Ravikumar said that such a scene would be in the film if the storyline so demands. However, it would not be incorporated so as to make it look out of place.

Manmadhan Ambu, which also stars Madhavan, and Trisha, will be shot extensively in Europe.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Shriya Confident Over Rahman's Song


Shriya Saran is currently busy with Chikku Bukku, which has Arya playing the male protagonist. The lady also has Rowthiram in Tamil and a Telugu film titled Don Seenu. So, what made her accept an item number in the SJ Suryah-directed Komaram Puli? The actress says that it is only for A R Rahman’s music. She is so confident that this song will turn out to be a huge hit like all other ARR songs.

Shriya is back in the South Indian film circuit after a short stint in Bollywood and Hollywood. She had acted in Deepa Mehta’s Hollywood flick, What’s Cooking Stella?

Friday, June 4, 2010

Nadhiya Alset to Carry on JackPot



Nadhiya’s costume sense was the talk of the town when the actress began her career in the late 1980s. She carved a niche for herself in the tinsel town with her clothes and matching accessories.

Now that Nadhiya has been signed up for the Jackpot Season 2, a show which was hosted by actress Kushboo, and also popular for her designer blouses, there seems to be a big question on what Nadhiya intends to do to keep the audience attracted to the show. A source reports that the actress intends to stick to her own style and is working with her costume designer to bring out the best.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Singam Film Review


Singam - Saamy's alter ego

Everyone in the tinsel world seems to know the sacred mantra - "Discover your winning formula and use it endlessly till you tire your audience out". When stars can follow this animatedly why not directors!! Director Hari has intently executed his working principle and fairly succeeded in his attempt sided with the marketing stalwart Sun Pictures who can package even the worst nightmare to look and feel like your most enticing dream.

Hari can duly be nominated for the best copier award who has managed a flawless remake of his own Blockbuster Saamy with different lead artists and a very few tweaks mostly insignificant to the actual plot and audience. There are too many familiar takes from the real McCoy that it gets very difficult not to see Saamy in every frame when you have actually spent $16 for Singam!!!

Surya, as always looks handsome. There is nothing much to look forward with his acting as he is played his part just fine. With the exception of a few places, when tackling the bad elements where he literally roars in an undesirable high pitch breaking with a croaky effect, he is passable.

The star's forte is his charisma in romantic clippings or at least that was how he came across to a few fans of his like me until he tied the sacred knot. He used to be an on-screen romantic delight with a spectacular co-star chemistry leaving a deeper impact than the movie itself. Of late the star's dancing skills are much better than his romance in the movie.

In Singam, the director has avoided chummy scenes with forethought honoring the obvious height difference which would most likely bring on criticism rather than appreciation. Thus, Anushka's presence is felt only in the few songs where she single handedly entertains the audience with her ample anatomy coupled with sensuous movements.

Comedy has taken a new definition with the so-called comedian Vivek. The scenes where this clown appears evokes every feeling but laughter with annoyance topping the list. All his scenes are a deliberate inclusion on a confirmed drooping mission. The movie would have been better off if VT Vijayan had considered using his "Cut" tool seriously on this buffoon's scenes.

With such a pathetic delivery, the Chinna Kalaivanar was bragging his soul out on the Cassette release function telecasted on Sun Channel a few days ago. His speech was so reassuring that I had my hopes very high only for an awful disappointment. He is the proverbial empty Vessel!

Surya's dance needs a special mention. It is not easy to have forgotten the Aval varuvala stunts by Surya which was called dance in those days. The star has scaled up enormously that he can very well be added to the league of dancer-actors in the industry - my personal favorites being "She stole my heart" and "Kadhal Vandhaale". Music was neither great nor boring..but DSP could have avoided singing in every song. He didnt spare the BGM either!!

I have a great regard for Prakash Raj who has played the anti role. In my opinion, he is one of the few versatile stars this industry has been gifted with. There are movies that I have watched including one starring Sibi Raj in the lead role, only because Prakash Raj was one of the casts. But for Prakash Raj, I wouldn't have cared to watch it even on Sun TV!! But neither was he convincing nor justified in the movie. The Prakash Raj air was completely missing. Looks like he had played the role just to add on to his bank balance!!

If you haven't watched Saamy, which I would think is inconceivable, then you might find Singam terrific. For those of you who are obsessed with Saamy (like me), Singam is yet another movie

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Kangana Finds Herself Back



Actress Kangana Ranaut will be seen in a new "bold" avatar in Once Upon a time in Mumbaai where she plays the love interest of an underworld kingpin played by Ajay Devgn.

Director Milan Luthra who describes his leading lady as an "enigmatic and powerhouse performer" said that the actress was his first choice to play the free-spirited heroine in the drama set in the 70's.

"The film set in the 70's is a rewind to the era of romance, smuggling, cabaret and the mafia. A time when women had a liberated air to them, were fearless and bold. If anyone could carry the part of Ajay Devgn's love interest in the film, Rehana, it was Kangana Ranaut," he said.

According to him, Kangana fitted the role perfectly because she has a great body and her face is "chameleon-like", she can change into different looks everyday.

Kangana, who worked hard on her look in the film, studied the fads and trends of the 70's not just in Bollywood but even in the West, he said.

Once upon a time in Mumbaai starring Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi and Kangana Ranaut is all set to release worldwide on July 30.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Bipasha Next to join the Twitter



Twitter is brimming with her namesakes, but the social networking website popular among Bollywood stars will soon get the real McCoy as Bipasha Basu plans to start tweeting soon.

The Bong bombshell is excited about launching her own Twitter page as many of her friends are already members of the website.

"I am not on Twitter right now, but it is exciting and I am going to join very soon," said Bipasha who was in town to launch a new line of mobile phones.

The 31-year-old actress is meanwhile gearing up for the International Indian Film Academy Awards that will be held in Colombo.

"I will be performing during the awards night and I am leaving for Colombo tomorrow for the IIFA weekend. It's going to be an amazing show and I am really excited about it," said the actress.

The dusky beauty is enjoying a career high and her personal life is also going great guns as is evident from the Filmfare cover she shot with boyfriend John Abraham where the scorching couple is shown lounging together on a bed.

One of the shared passions of the couple is football and Bipasha plans to catch some of the action happening on the pitch during the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
"I love football and I will fly to South Africa for one of the semi-finals or the final. I am not supporting any particular team though, I will just cheer for the side that is playing well," said the actress.

Bipasha has just finished the dubbing of 'Lamhaa', the Rahul Dholakia film which revolves around the militancy issue in Kashmir.

"The film is going to release on July 16 and I am looking forward to the audience response," said Bipasha.

The actress will be seen playing a Kashmiri girl in the film and the role required her to learn Urdu and go for a de-glammed look.