Archives for January 2018

One of the biggest hits of 2017 down south was undoubtedly Arjun Reddy. Starring Vijay Devarakonda and Shalini Pandey, the film received critical acclaim for its unusual, bold plot, and Vijay Devarakonda was hugely praised for his unbridled, rebellious act. The film was about a medical student who faced trouble owing to his anger management issues. The film also explored the “complex love issue” amongst the youth, thus becoming quite the relatable movie amongst the youngsters. Arjun Reddy went on to fare phenomenally at the Box – Office turnstiles thereby earning Rs 51 crores. It’s no wonder the film is being remade in other languages too. In Tamil, the film is being called Varma and will star Chiyaan Vikram’s son, Dhruv. The movie also happens to mark his debut in cinema. Apart from Tamil, talks of a Hindi remake have been doing the rounds for quite some time. The makers have reportedly finalized on Arjun Kapoor but no official announcement has been made regarding the same. Besides Arjun Kapoor the other Bollywoodian actors like Shaheed Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Varun Dhawan, are also in the contender’s race who could possibly be cast as Arjun Reddy.

Sidhu R Pillai Found Dead In Goa

Well – known Malayalam actor Sidhu R Pillai, who shot to fame with his debut film Second Show was found dead at a beach in Goa on Mon 15th Jan, 2017. Although there’s no official confirmation on this story but according to a report in southern website manoramaonline, the 27 year old actor drowned to death and his body was found much later in the day. It was his mother who eventually identified his body. Sidhu’s last rites took place at their residence in Thrissur. Sidhu had made his debut opposite Dulquer Salman in Second Show; following which he went on to do several short films. He’s the son of prominent Malayalam cinema producer PKR Pillai, who at least has about 16 films to his credit, and had produced some of the biggest hits of Malayalam film including the Mohanlal starrers Chithram, Vandanam & Amrutham Gamaya. Sidhu was believed to have reached Goa on 12th Jan, 2018.

Us Actress Valerie Enters Sandalwood

Director Janardhan has recently roped in Valerie, a US citizen, for his latest film on Indians abroad. A new film titled Nee Illada Mele has cast a foreign actress in a lead role. Valerie, a US citizen, will now try her luck in Sandalwood and establish her acting career. The film which is directed by Janardhan and has created huge expectations amongst the audiences is now ready to hit the celluloid silver screen. Valerie avers, “I have done a couple of short movies in the United States but I haven’t done a feature films. So, Nee Illada Mele will be the first ever feature film in my career and I am happy to be in the industry. I was only aware of Bollywood industry but once I got a chance to work with the team, I started learning more about this country and its culture.” Besides directing the film, Janardhan also plays a lead role in it. The team claims that this will be the best musical hit for Sandalwood.

Chamak To Show Its Magic In Telugu

The last Kannada release of 2017, Chamak, is turning out to be a big winner in the New Year too. The Ganesh and Rashmika Mandanna starrer is all set to be remade in Telugu with Nani in the lead. Rashmika Mandana will reprise her role in the Telugu version also. The film was written and directed by Suni. The success of the film in Kannada prompted producer TR Chandrashekar to remake it in Telugu. “It has a universal story and appeals to everyone. It is the youthful nature of the film that is the reason for its success. There were feelers about the film from other languages. I thought it fit to remake the film myself. Nani was the perfect choice in Telugu,” Chandrashekar averred. Meanwhile, the film was released in US & Canada this weekend at multiple centers. At the home market in Karnataka, the film is considered a hit having increased its presence in single – screen theaters.

Parvathy Files A Complaint

A man was recently arrested following a police complaint by award winning actor Parvathy, who alleged that she was abused and viciously trolled on social media platform for terming as “misogynistic” some dialogues in a film starring top actor Mammootty. The man identified as Printo from Vadakkancherry was arrested and charged under non – bailable sections of the Information Technology Act, police stated. He would be produced before the court here later, they said, adding that more arrests would be made in the case. The Qarib Qarib Singlle actor Parvathy was trolled and abused on varied online platforms after she claimed that the dialogues in the film were “misogynistic”. She had also submitted the screenshots of the trolling along with the complaint she had lodged. At an open forum organized on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) recently, she voiced her opinion against glorifying misogyny on screen and expressed concern about the absence of women’s perspective in cinema.

Ashika Ranganath Finds It Difficult To Manage Films And Studies

Kannada film industry has witnessed many local actresses achieve great success. A new name that can be added to list is Ashika Ranganath. Ashika made her debut with Crazy Boy and is now waiting for the release of her new film Raju Kannada Medium starring Gurunandan in the lead role. This will be Ashika’s third film after Crazy Boy & Mugulu Nage. “Raju Kannada Medium was signed before Mugulu Nage but, for some reason, it got delayed. The film is releasing after a gap of two years since its completion. Ashika says she is excited to see herself play a Class 9 school girl from a small village in Malnad. This character is really opposite to who I am in my real life. I am very talkative and not so traditional. The character’s name Vidya and she is totally filled with tradition. She is silent and she will not mingle with anyone,” Asika told.

The Milk Abhisheka Craze

There was a case in a Bengaluru court against Tamil actor Rajinikanth for allowing his fans to wash his cutouts with milk. Local Kannada stars are also not immune to the “milk abhisheka” of their cutouts by fans. The issue generates heated debates whenever the film of a big star is released. Director R Chandru is taking this fan craze to the next level. He has promised a tanker load of milk for the Late star Rajkumar’s cutout later this month. R Chandru’s Kanaka is releasing on 26th Jan, 2018, to coincide with the martyrdom of Sangolli Rayanna. Lead actor Duniya Vijay’s character in the film is a fan of the Late icon Rajkumar. Theatres screening the film will therefore have cutouts of Rajkumar as well. R Chandru avers that he will come up with “the tallest ever” cutout of Rajkumar on Kempegowda Road. “Befittingly” he is hiring a milk tanker to celebrate it with. The event is scheduled for 23rd Jan, 2018, two days before the film’s release when the cutout will be put up. “It will be a befitting celebration of Rajkumar. It is our way of showing love for Rajkumar,” he averred. Fans at the event will be served biryani, Chandru adds. Chandru says that the film is inspired from an auto driver who in real life was a fan of Rajkumar and tried to live by his ideals. After listening to his story on an auto ride, Chandru wrote the story of the film based on it.

Suriya’s Thaanaa Serndha Koottam Beats Vikram’s Sketch

The Chennai Box – Office results for the Pongal week are finally out! Suriya’s film, Thaanaa Serndha Koottam has taken on the numero uno position! It has managed to even beat Chiyaan Vikram’s Sketch that took the number 2 spot in the Top 5. The other 3 spots were taken over by Gulaebhagavali, Pawan Kalyan’s Agnyaathavaasi and Nandamuri Balakrishna’s Jai Simha. Interestingly the last two in the top five were Telugu films. Suriya’s film based on Akshay Kumar’s special 26 more or less opened to positive reviews on the day of its release, Except for a few hiccups here and there, the movie won over the audiences. This movie brought together Vignesh Shivn, Suriya and Keerthy Suresh for the first time. It also marked Suriya and Keerthy Suresh’s debut as a pair. Even before the film’s release, the movie had managed to create a huge buzz online. Each of its posters went viral. and the music composed by Anirudh Ravichander ruled the charts.

Rajinikanth Impressed By The Trailer

After Suriya launched the trailer of pilot film Chennai Engira Madras Pilot, Rajinikanth has also appreciated the makers. Suriya had congratulated the team and praised the efforts undertook by the team and supported it by releasing the trailer on his Twitter page. Rajinikanth watched the trailer at his home and praised the concept and the making style of the pilot film. He was surprised to know that this is not a real feature film trailer. It’s a trial attempt to make it big as a feature film by pitching the idea to renowned good stars & big production house. He appreciated the hard work of the entire team and spoke with them for quite some time to understand their work. In fact Rajinikanth wished that this story should soon turn in to a big film with big stars in it and he was totally impressed with the idea of the undercover investigative journalist stating it as new and a fresh subject. Rajinikanth also congratulated director – cinematographer Aravind Kumar and also wished him to direct his full – fledged feature film soon. Veteran producer Kalaippuli S Thanu and lyricist Madhan Karky also appreciated the idea of making a sample film as an excellent move to pitch stories for production houses & stars. Chennai Engira Madras has been shot extensively in unseen live locales of North Chennai. The pilot film is inspired by actual events about underworld crimes & journalism.

Mahesh Babu And Ranveer Singh Shot For An Ad

The bygone year has been the year of interesting collabs, Karan Johar and Baahubali, Rohit Shetty and Ranveer Singh and Tamannaah Bhatia, Karan Johar and Rohit Shetty and so many more! Now there is another collab between two unlikely yet promising stars, One is a Superstar in Tollywood namely Mahesh Babu, he’s called the prince and has delivered some of the biggest hits and the other is a Bollywood star namely Ranveer Singh who has never ceased to surprise everyone, whether it is his talent or his fashion sense. Mahesh Babu’s wife Namrata has recently shared a pic on the social media platform of the two actors dressed in racing outfits with a brand name printed on it. From the looks of it, they have collaborated for an ad. Both the stars have recently shot for a commercial for a soft drink which was previously endorsed by Salman Khan. Mahesh Babu’s charming smile and Ranveer Singh’s infectious energy combined sure makes one lethal combination.

South Indian Actors’ Class Of 80’s Had A Two – Day Reunion

One annual event that has most film buffs from South India waiting eagerly is the Class of 80’s reunion. The group pictures of the actors from that generation have always caught the fancy of people. Last year, they had kept it mellow and not released pictures of their get – together after J Jayalalitha’s demise. But this year, the group enjoyed a two – day break. “Usually, we plan much in advance, but this time, we were all caught up with work and it was a last – minute rushed thing, with no time for rehearsals. Malyalam actor Rajkumar helped out in organizing the theme this year. We connected over video calls and emails, and ensured that we didn’t miss out on our two – day friendship fest,” averred Suhasini Manirathnam. This time, Sumalatha Ambareesh was the sole representative from Karnataka at the event. “It was a fun gathering. We got to chill for two days. I love singing retro songs and Bhanuchander and I perform every year. We sang “Bhool Gaya Sab Kuch” from Julie. Since Mohanlal could not make it, his magic show was missed. There is also an energetic dance performance every year from Lissy, Khushbu, Suhasini and team, which we look forward to. Revathy’s performance to “Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh” was also memorable,” said Sumalatha Ambareesh.

Vada Chennai Is Not Just A Gangster Film

Maverick director Vetrimaaran who is known for his immense research for script is currently busy with the shoot of Vada Chennai with his Aadukalam and Polladhavan hero Dhanush. In a recent event, the National Award winning director said that Vada Chennai is not just a gangster film. Vetrimaaran said that Vada Chennai is a societal film deals with thirty five years of village and its people. The major portions of the film were shot in a large prison set and recently the team canned Dhanush’s teenage sequences. Vada Chennai boasts a long list of actors including Samuthirakani, Daniel Balaji, Kishore, Andrea, Aishwarya Rajesh, Karunas, Subramaniam Siva, Cheenu Mohan and Daniel Annie Pope. Vetrimaaran also added that he is planning the film as trilogy but the 2nd & 3rd part will be based on the reception of the 1st part.