Jayaram: Real hero of 2008

It’s time for retrospection for all moviemakers in Malayalam. Around 55 films were made in Malayalam in 2008, but unfortunately, only four films have clicked at the box-office. The lucky ones are Mammootty’s Annan Thampi, Mohanlal’s Madambi, Jayaram’s Veruthe Oru Bharya and Dileep’s Twenty:20. Though Malayalam superstars Mammootty and Mohanlal have earned several achievements in this year, when it comes to real hero of 2008, it is none other than actor Jayaram, who broke all expectations and emerged the winner with Veruthe Oru Bharya directed by Akku Akbar.

After nearly five years of continuous struggle to keep his position in Malayalam films, Jayaram finally found a much-needed victory with Veruthe Oru Bharya, which is still running with good responses from audiences.

It should be noted that when Veruthe Oru Bharya came up for release, the exhibitors had even refused to screen a Jayaram movie. Distributors refused to fund the actor’s movies saying his career was over. But the plot changed after the release, thanks to the excellent script by K. Gireeshkumar that paved the way for a roaring return of the actor. Actress Gopika, who quit the industry after this movie, also came up with an outstanding performance in a role that was rejected by many prominent heroines.

Jayaram, after a long gap, is presented in a solid workable character in Veruthe Oru Bharya which is about a couple Sugunan (Jayaram), his wife Bindu (Gopika) and their daughter Anju (Nivedita). Sugunan is a typical egoistic person, the ever-complaining husband who considers Bindu as just a person who is obliged to meet all the pressures in managing home affairs.

Coming to Tamil, Jayaram was very successful in Kollywood as well. He has appeared in two super hit movies in 2008: Saroja and Dhaam Dhoom. With a bumper opening, Venkat Prabhu's second venture Saroja was widely appreciated by filmgoers and critics alike. It completed a successful screening of 100 days recently. Opened to worldwide audiences in August alongside Jayamkondaan, Dhaam Dhoomhas become Jayam Ravi's largest release till date with over 200 prints being published worldwide.

An interesting news item about Jayaram today is that after the super success ofVeruthe Oru Bharya, script writer K. Gireeshkumar once again teams up with Jayaram in Samasthakerlam P.O. directed by Bibin Prabhakar. Produced by Howley Pottoore under the banner of Dream Team Productions, this film is expected to reach theatres in January 2009. Let's hope Jayaram will be a happy man in 2009 as well.

Sagar alias Jackie on March 26

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal’s Sagar alias Jackie, made with a budget of five crores, directed by Malayalam's most stylish director Amal Neerad of Big B fame, has been finally scheduled for release on 26th March, 2009. This racy action thriller will be one of the costliest Malayalam film ever shot. Mohanlal is currently busy shooting for the second schedule of Sagar alias Jackie in Dubai and other locations in UAE.

Planned as a sequel to Mohanlal's 1987 blockbuster Irupatham Noottandu directed by K. Madhu, Sagar alias Jackie is produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner of Ashirvad films. Scripted by S.N. Swamy, who also did the scripts for the original, Sagar alias Jackie is cinematographed by the director himself.

Heroine Bhavana appears as a CNN reporter named Namitha Menon; National award winning actress Shobhana and famous South Indian actress Meena also appear in important roles and Jyothirmayi plays a cameo role. Other cast members include Jagathy Sreekumar, Nedumudi Venu, Suman, Manoj K. Jayan, Ganesh, Vinayakan, Baiju, Sumeeth, Sreeraman and others. Lyrics are handled by Rio Joy. Gopi Sunder has scored the music.

Ghajini opens big

Following the trends of every other parts of the country, Aamir Khan starrer 'Ghajini' opened with thundering responses from all over the state.The movie made to 25 screens on the Christmas day.

With great pre publicity, and the lack of more Malayalam films has helped this Bollywood movie to earn the best of the initials for a Hindi film from Kerala. The other factors which came as a bonus to the films were the Asin factor, the first Mollywood heroine to make it big in Hindi.

The movie's total collections from all over the country on  the first week end is a record with 42 crores net , coming in from the run of just four days. The movies gross collections is 70 crores which is also the biggest ever registered for a Bollywood film.

Related Posts:

 Ghajini ban lifted: Christmas release confirmed

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Abhay Deol defends Anurag Kashyap

Abhay Deol seems to be much peeved as certain media channels projecting his yet-to-release DEV D with negative shades. Obviously, it's due to Anurag Kashyap's previous film 'No Smoking' witnessing disastrous results amongst critics and box offices. Anurag Kashyap has been the versatile auteur focusing on bold and rigid themes of conniving malevolent acts of terrorisms and mafias. The best illustration would be his 'Black Friday' that had some of the real facts behind Mumbai terror attacks.

Abhay is so distressed why no one wants to speak the best works of a person and always get stuck with unfortunate projects. 'As an actor, I was quite fascinated watching 'No Smoking' for its fixed motif and making style. Merely, I couldn't pick out any blunders from Anurag's directorial' says Abhay Deol who won accolades for his recent release 'Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye'.

DEV D is a finely polished version of classic tale of 'Devdas' that would be hitting screens worldwide on February 6. 

Ajay Devagan and Rohit Shetty together again

Results weren't so elating for Ajay Devgan's first production 'U Me Aur Hum' under the banner of Devgan Entertainment. Centered on a serious issue, the flick failed in savoring to the tastes of universal audiences. But Ajay is sure that scenarios wouldn't be the same this time for he's there joining hands with Rohit Shetty. The 'Golmaal' duo is known for churning comedy entertainers in town and that's more illustrious with their 'Golmaal' and its sequel 'Golmaal Returns', 'Sunday'…

Though plans are to make 'Golmaal-3' in the coming year, Rohit Shetty would direct a comedy entertainer for Ajay Devgan's production. The film will start rolling from March 2009 with Ajay Devgan and Sanjay Dutt in lead roles.

Getting on with Rohit Shetty, Ajay Devgan says, "Why it should be always Golmaal?  Rohit and I have been sharing good rapport for past 17 years. Rohit Shetty worked as an assistant right from my first film 'Phool Aur Kante'…

Well, Rohit Shetty says, 'This flick would be more off slapstick comedies blended with action-packed sequences'. Apart from Ajay and Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan dons the other lead role…

So, get ready for the laugh riot of buffoonery humorous ride….

Ananthabhadram becomes Sivapuram in Tamil

Cinematographer-turned-director Santosh Sivan's directorial venture Ananthabhadram is the first Malayalam feature film screened using a satellite feed instead of conventional prints. It stars Prithviraj, Kavya Madhavan, Manoj K. Jayan, Riya Sen, Kalabhavan Mani, Biju Menon, Revathi and Cochin Haneefa.

 

Now, this film is to be dubbed and released in Tamil as Sivapuram. The Tamil version will be produced by Sathish Kumar. Marutha Bharani has penned the dialogues and lyrics are by Piraisoodan. The movie is expected to grace theatres in Tamil Nadu soon.

 

Based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Sunil Parameswaran, Ananthabhadram won five awards in the Kerala State Film Awards 2005 and was a commercial success as well. In a year when most Malayalam films failed to recover costs, Ananthabhadram was one of the few commercial successes, along with Rajamanickam, Chanthupottu, Naran, Thommanum Makkalum and Udayananu Tharam.

 

Its song 'Pinakkamano' became the top hit among Malayalam film songs in 2005. The director used three paintings of Raja Ravi Varma as an inspiration to picturize this song, rendered by M.G. Sreekumar and Manjari.

 

Produced by actor Manian Pillai Raju, Ajaya Chandran Nair and Reghu Chandran Nair under the banner of Sri Bhadra Pictures, Ananthabhadram is set in the backdrop of black magic and martial arts. The story is about Ananthan (Prithviraj) who returns to his ancestral village of Sivapuram from the US to light the lamps at Shivakavu, a dark and mysterious temple of Shiva, to fulfil the long-standing wish of his dead mother.

Sona's fashion boutique Uniq

The item girl who raised men's pulses in Mirugam, Pathu pathu, Sivapathigaram and Kuselan is now all set to take the Chennai fashion world by storm. In an exclusive scoop, Galatta.com takes great pleasure in announcing that Sona is venturing into the nascent fashion industry in Chennai by opening a boutique called Uniq.

 

Uniq, as the name suggests, will truly be one-of-its-kind. Sona plans to showcase fashion accessories like  designer jewellery, belts, bracelets, shoes and watches from Singapore and the European Union as well some unique pieces that have been designed by local talent. Sona reveals that these delectable fashion accessories will priced between Rs. 1000 and Rs. 1,00,000.

 

Declaring that she wants to change the fashion hub of India from Mumbai to Chennai, Sona says that Uniq is a step in that ambitious direction. This B.A. (Pyschology) from Pune fully understands the tastes of her select clientele. Her ability to delve into the psyche of people has given her an edge in knowing what people prefer and how to cater to their tastes. With a range that will touch every style and taste, Sona terms her intended collections as 'eclectic' and says that her boutique will cater to those with modern/ bohemian tastes as well those who have more conservative/ traditional tastes.

 

With plans to open branches in Mumbai and Bangalore, Sona brushes off questions about how she will manage her business spread out in three metros. A person who likes to be busy all the time, Sona says lack of work makes her depressed! And with modern technology, she can keep in touch with her branches and manage her work right on her laptop.

 

Uniq will be inaugurated on January 9 by Shilpa Shetty. The Chennai branch is opening at Teynampet.

 

Prithviraj as director again

Malayalam actor Prithviraj was recently seen in the role of a young film director in Viji's Tamil film Vellithirai (remake of Malayalam film Udhayanaanu Thaaram) and Renjith's Malayalam film Thirakkatha. Vellithirai was a decent success in Kollywood, while Thirakkatha has become a blockbuster in Kerala. Now, it seems that Prithviraj will reprise a similar role in yet another forthcoming Malayalam movie titled The Reel.

 

After Katha, which was sadly never released, Prithviraj is all set to team up with director Sundardas in The Reel, scripted by Reji Nair of Pattalam and Oruvan. Reports insist is bilingual will have only seven characters, featuring stars from Mollywood and Kollywood. Prithviraj will appear as a film director named Renjith. Prithviraj, who had earlier expressed his ambition of becoming a film director in future, should be overjoyed to don a director's role for the third time. The other cast and crew are yet to be finalized.

 

Prithviraj, who always has a busy schedule, is currently shooting for ace director Mani Ratnam’s Ravana and director Mahesh’s Calendar. Shortly, he will join the sets of Punyaham at Ottappalam, directed by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai's grandson Raj Nair. After Punyaham, he will report on the sets of Puthiya Mukham, directed by Deepan.

 

‘Crazy Gopalan’ with impressive collections

The first weekend saw impressive collections for 'Crazy Gopalan' the new movie from Dileep and crew.

 

Directed by youngster Deepu Karunakaran, the movie made more than 1.2 crores from its first four days, which is relatively high than the recent Dileep starrers .With some more days left in the Christmas holidays and also with a new year approaching, the movie is expected to safely end up as a hit.

 

The ''Gopala'' song continuously aired in TV channels is also attracting the children folks, who are the greatest fans of the star.

 

The makers are expecting that if the children turn up in large numbers, it will ensure the great success of the movie like what happened with, Ee Parakkum Thalika, CID Moosa and Meesa Madhavan

Prithviraj is on ‘Reel’

Prithviraj will soon join the film directed by Sundar Das, titled as 'The Reel'. The movie which will feature only seven characters will be scripted by Reji Nair who earlier scripted movies like ‘Pattalam’ and ‘Oruvan’.

 

Prithviraj will appear as a film director with the name Renjith. He was recently in a similar role in Renjith’s Thirakkatha, which had him as a successful young director Akbar Ahamed.

 

The other cast and crew of the movie reel'' are yet to be finalised.

 

The last time Prithviraj acted for Sundar Das was for the film 'Katha' which sadly never got released in theatres. The movie got into some financial troubles and was later released on television for an Onam.

 

'Naan Kadavul' to be censored on 30 Dec

Director Bala's Arya starrer 'Naan Kadavul' is expected to be released this Pongal.

 

The movie is slated to be censored on the 30th of December, 2008.  Industry sources are of the opinion that 'Naan Kadavul' has come out very well and has the potential to sweep the National Awards.

 

The movie is devoid of a facet that is a norm with feature films – Digital Intermediary (DI). Films that have not gone through the DI phase are not considered for the National Award. This could prove to be a set back for the think-tank behind 'Naan Kadavul'.

 

According to reports, Ilayaraja was mighty impressed after seeing the film. The maestro was joined by Uttam Singh for the re-recording.

 

The movie was shot in Varanasi, Kasi, Kanchipuram and Periyakulam.

 

Mohanlal again in a Blessy film

Mohanlal is once again set to do the lead role in a film directed by Blessy. They had earlier teamed up in Thanmathra, which had done well at the box office and gained much acclaim too. 

The film, to be produced by Raju Mallyathu, will be Blessy's fourth film after Kazhcha, Thanmathra and Calcutta News. 

Though earlier it was announced that Jayaram too would be playing a key role in the film, the latest buzz is that Jayaram has backed out of the venture due to date problems. The dates of the Blessy movie would clash with Jayaram's Satyan Anthicaud-directed movie and it was reportedly due to that that Jayaram had to back out. Blessy, who has also written the script for the film, will in all likelihood commence shooting this month itself. 

'Big B' becomes 'Maanik Basha' in Tamil

The Mammootty-starrer Big B is to find its way to Tamil Nadu, in a Tamil-dubbed version, which will be released with a new name - Maanik Basha. Big B was the debut directorial venture of Amal Neerad, who had earlier cranked the camera for Bollywood films like James and Darna Zaroori Hai and also for the Malayalam movie Black. 

Amal is now on to his second directorial venture, Sagar Alias Jackie, shoot for which is in progress. It seems that the decision to release the Tamil version has come up as Mammootty films have a safe market in Tamil Nadu. 

Besides Mammootty the film has Nafisa Ali, Manoj K. Jayan, Bala, Pasupathy, Vijayaraghavan, Mamta Mohandas, Manasa, Sherveer Vakil etc. in key roles.

Jayaraj with a Mammootty flick

For quite some years, director Jayaraj has been trying to work out a project with Mega star Mammootty. The director has even confirmed stories about such a project years ago, which never materialized. But now, the ace director who is facing a big slump in his career with continuous flops is into the last lap of doing a Mammootty project. His new flick with Mammootty will be scripted by director Renjith. The other details of the movie will be announced after confirming the actual call sheets of Mammootty.

 

Jayaraj's first film with Mammootty was 'Johny Walker' which came out fifteen years ago. This movie released in 1993 was also scripted by Renjith, who was then a struggling scriptwriter. 'Johny Walker' after an impressive opening, failed to become a big hit, but was noted for its technical finesse and stylistic workouts.

Jessica Alba in a Tamil film?

The latest buzz doing the rounds is that Jessica Alba has been approached by the makers of the film 'Goa'. The film is to be directed by Venkat Prabhu and will be produced by Soundarya Rajinikanth's Ocher Studios in association with Warner Bros.

 

The film is said to be inspired by the murder of British teenager Scarlet Keeling in Goa. Since the producers need a foreigner to play the role, Jessica Alba has been approached.

 

Jessica Alba is a dusky damsel known to exert tremendous charm on screen. She was voted the sexiest woman in the world by the popular magazine FHM (For Him Magazine) for the year 2006.

 

If the 'Goa' team is successful in roping in the actress who sizzled the screen in movies such as 'Fantastic Four' and 'Good Luck Chuck' they can look forward to heads turning in their direction from all over India.

"Suniel Shetty in Keerthichakra's Remake

Suniel Shetty will reportedly be playing the lead role in the Hindi re-make of Keerthichakra, directed by Major Ravi. It should be remembered that Major Ravi, who made his directorial debut with Punarjani, shot to the limelight with his next film Keerthichakra, which had Mohanlal donning the lead role, that of Major Mahadevan, a brave army officer. It would be this role that Suniel Shetty is to play, if the reports are to be believed. 

After Keerthichakra, Major Ravi went on and made Mission 90 Days a film based on Rajiv Gandhi's assassination with Mammootty in the lead and then the recent Kurukshetra with Mohanlal again. 

Keerthichakra, which was released in Tamil as Aran and which had Tamil actor Jeeva in a key role, zoomed in on the fight against Kashmir militancy. Though it's heard that Major Ravi has begun the preliminary preparations for re-making Keerthichakra in Hindi, more details are yet to be known. Let's hope things get clear in the coming days and the film gets started soon. 

Kamalhasan teams up with Mammootty ?

Kamal Haasan, highly impressed with UTV's A Wednesday made with legendary Bollywood actors Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher, is considering remaking it in Tamil and Malayalam. The excitement does not stop there the thespian also plans to reprise the part played by Naseeruddin and make Malayalam superstar Mammootty play Anupam Kher's part!

UTV's A Wednesday, which summarizes a series of sensational events taking place on a Wednesday in the life of a police commissioner (Anupam Kher) and an anonymous caller (Naseeruddin Shah) demanding the release of four heinous terrorists. Thus, Mammootty will be in the role of Police Commisioner. Let's wait for another Police roll from Mammootty.

Rumors are that Mammootty has already expressed his consent to enact the role, which will be of great interest for the fans of these great actors. Let's wait for another Police roll from Mammootty.

Happy Birthday Salman Khan

Known as the man with a golden heart, yet with a hint of bad anger, he has wooed Bollywood for over two decades he has today turned 43.

With his latest interest in the expressive art form of painting he has quite literally managed to paint not just the town but entire Bollywood red. Today's birthday boy is none other than Salman Khan.

Though Salman began his career with Biwi Ho To Aisi in 1988 but it was the character of Prem in Sooraj Barjatya's Maine Pyar Kiya that made him a household name. 

With his youthful looks and well toned body he had directors lining up his doors. Not long after he was at pinnacle of Bollywood and touted as the best, most watched loved and adored celebrity.

Sallu as he is fondly known is even today is regarded as one bright star shining forth for friends and foe alike, keeping differences apart and helping when most needed. Though he has been embroiled with a multitude of controversies the golden heart boy has managed to surmount them with ease and emerge victorious.

Paiya: Shooting in progress

The shooting of Thirupathi Brothers’ Paiya (also referred to as Paiyya) started on December 15th and is progressing steadily. Any news about Paiya has been eagerly followed by the fans, as it is directed by Linguswamy and stars Karthi (of Paruthiveeran fame) and Tamannaaah. Initially, Nayantara was the designated female lead but she decided to walk out of the project.

Linguswamy achieved stupendous success as a director through Madhavan starrerRun and he repeated that success through Sanda Kozhi and Bheema, securing his place among the top directors of Kollywood. Today, the name “Linguswamy” inspires awe of Tamil cinema fans, which is a very rare distinction for any artist who stays behind the screens.

Speaking on his new project, Linguswamy said that he had two to four stories in mind while he was still doing post-production work of Bheema. When he discussed them with Karthi, he was very much interested in Paiya and immediately expressed his desire to do it.

Linguswamy said that Paiya will be the beautiful love story of a young couple. Unlike the stereotypical love stories – where a boy meets a girl and after a few squabbles they fall in love and either get married or commit suicide when someone opposes their love – Paiya closely follows the life of the lead pair living in the busy city of Bangalore, and showcases the changes that love brings in their lives. It will be a beautiful story that will become a milestone of Tamil Cinema.

Linguswamy said that he is not directing this film just because it is produced by his brother (Subash Chandrabose); he directs a film only if its story appeals to him. So, there is no doubt Paiya will have a beautiful story to narrate. Rising star Tamannaah’s acceptance of this film speaks volumes about its worth because she has been selective in choosing wonderful subjects (like Aananda Thaandavam) that would help her climb the ladder of success.

The film also stars famous Bollywood actor Milind Soman and Telugu actress Deepthi (of Happy Days fame) in prominent roles. Music is by Yuvanshankar Raja and lyrics are by Na. Muthukumar and Yugabharathi. Madhi is the cinematographer.

Meera Jasmine pairs up with Prashanth

Finally actor Prashanth seems to have overcome all issues. He is all set to resume his career which was left hanging for awhile. He would be playing the lead role in a Tamil movie again.

Prashanth will be playing the lead role in the remake of his father Thyagarajan's mega hit 'Mammattiyan'. The remake version will feature Meera Jasmine playing his ladylove. She will don the role enacted by Saritha in the original.

Prakash Raj, Vadivelu among others will be in the cast. To be produced and directed by Thiyagarajan himself, the movie would go to the sets very soon

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'Goonda' starts at Kochi

he new movie directed by Salim Baba titled Goonda starts it’s shooting at Kochi. The movie which has Kalabhavan Mani in the title role will also feature Jagathy Sreekumar, Jagadheesh, Anoop Chandran, Bijukuttan, Idavela Babu, Bheeman Reghu and Mamukoya in important roles.

‘Goonda’ produced by Cinema movies, will be scripted by Salim Ketchery. Shyam Dharman who found a big hit with 'Veruthe Oru Bharya' will tune the songs for the movie.

'Goonda' will also be shot at Palani, Kalady and Aluva, before getting completed.

Siddhique with a love story

For all the films that he had done in the past, super hit maker Siddhique had tried to create hilariously narrated stories, which were heavy success in the box office.

His eight previous hits from Ramji Rao Speaking to the 'Chronic Bachelor’, had plenty of slapstick that will make you giggle, all the way. But for the new flick titled 'Bodyguard' Siddhique seems to be in the mood for telling a love story.

The movie which will have Dileep as the hero, will present him as a thug named Jayakrishnan, who have a golden heart.

‘Body Guard’ will show case a love story where Jayakrishnan falls for Ammu, a college student, for whom he is working as a bodyguard. Know who is playing the role of Ammu? It is none other than Nayantara, the south Indian super heroine, who is on a comeback to where she belongs.

The movie produced by Johny Sagarika is planned to reach the theatres by the 26th of March.

Is Anushka Vijay's next heroine?

The latest buzz doing rounds in the industry is that Anushka has been confirmed as Vijay's heroine for the actor's 49th movie 'Vettaikkaran' to be directed by Babu Sivan and produced by AVM Balasubramaniam.
Anushka is one of the popular actresses in Telugu now and she would be acting opposite Karthi for the movie 'Siruthai' also.
Anushka sizzled the screen playing Madhavan's ladylove in 'Rendu'. She is a hot property in Tollywood who's been signed up for a slew of movies. 'Vettaikkaran' will start rolling from February, 2009 after 'Villu' hits the screens on Pongal.

A festival without super stars

This Christmas season will be very special one for Mollywood, with no superstar movies around the corner. In fact this is the first Christmas season after a decade, without a super star movie. Mohanlal's Shaji Kailas movie ‘Red Chillies’ expected for this Christmas, couldn't reach the theatres because of the delay in the completion of Digital intermediate works while Mammootty's bilingual ‘Vande Matharam’ earlier charted for the season still has got some parts to get canned . Sureshgopi's ‘Boss' was the other movie that was expected for the season, but failed to make a release due to distribution problems.
The movies that are left in the final contest for emerging the winner of the season are Shafi's ‘Lolipop’ and Dileep's ‘Crazy Gopalan'. ‘Lolipop’ which was released couple of days ago, already has got mixed reports from the initial viewers.
News is that Director Shafi has already edited out the new presentation styles that he has attempted for the story telling of ‘Lolipop’. And now you will never find the movie as one that is told by the ghost of the Character played by Jayasuriya. The drastic cut that the crew has made after the release of the movie has also left the movie with much inconsistencies and scene jumps.
‘Crazy Gopalan’, the Dileep starrer that is getting released today carry good preview reports and chances are that the movie may become the biggest earner of the season, ending his long drought of hits.
Any how, AMMA's multi starrer ‘Twenty:20’ which is still continuing in more than 50 centres all over Kerala will get the maximum benefits of this situations and the movie will garner in even more revenues in the next couple of weeks

Ghajini ban lifted: Christmas release confirmed

Here is some good news: The Madras High Court lifted its ban on Aamir Khan and Asin starrer Ghajini. Now, the film will release internationally on December 25th as planned earlier. It looks like the plaintiff, Mr. Chandrasekaran (producer of Tamil version), the respondents of the lawsuit and the Ghajini think-tank reached an agreement. So, Ghajini is releasing all over the world on Christmas day without any hiccups. All the trouble started when Mr. Chandrasekaran, producer of the Tamil Ghajini leveled up charges of copyright infringement on A.R. Murugadoss, Ad Labs, Geetha Arts Division of Allu Entertainment (the director and producers of Hindi Ghajini). He stated that since he had sold only the rights for Telugu remake, satellite broadcast, dubbing, and exhibition and distribution in Chennai city, the film cannot be remade in any other language. He appealed to Madras High Court, which then issued an injunction against the international and national release of the film on 23rd December. So, finally fans can breathe easy and look forward to witnessing one of the finest Indian films – Ghajini!

Secrets behind Aamir’s muscles and 25 pull-ups

We thought this is the right time to reveal the secrets behind Aamir Khan’s rock-hard muscles and the two great scenes that will cause a testosterone high in action movie buffs! One was already revealed in the promos, in which Aamir bashes a goon with a right hand jab and then stomps his feet on the ground just a few inches away from his face! The other scene has not yet been revealed: It is the scene where he does 25 pull-ups facing the wall which has the words “REVENGE” and “KILL” written on it! Imagine 25 pull-ups! Just for this adrenaline-pumping scene, Ghajini is a must-watch for action movie buffs!
When Murugadoss, the director of Ghajini, narrated the script to Aamir Khan, he requested the actor to prepare for a physique that looks intimidating, as the protagonist personifies revenge in the latter half. Though he wanted Aamir to turn into a “muscular powerhouse”, he preferred he stayed lean too! Soon, Aamir Khan's personal trainer, Mr. Satya, was hired and given instructions about what was expected from him.
Aamir Khan began training from December 27, 2007, hardly a few days after the release of his masterpiece Taare Zameen Par. Initially, he began to prepare his physique for the vigorous workouts ahead. After the initial preparatory phase, which lasted for about 2 weeks, Aamir slowly began weight training. He began with weights that he could handle and focused on this form of exercise.
At this stage, he was barely able to manage a single pull-up or a complete set of pushups. But with a good coach, he was encouraged to do whatever he could. He adopted “single rep sets”, in which one performs only one repetition of an exercise, say pull-up, rests for a while, returns to perform another and repeats this until one hits a decent double digit number. Soon, Aamir began improving and was ready for more hardcore training, which consisted of 15 minutes of stretching, 1 hour of weight training, 1 hour of abdominal exercises and 1 hour of cardio. Aamir would start his exercise routine – in a home gym that he revamped for this purpose – at 7:45 a.m. every day and would finish at 11:00 a.m.
Coach Satya paid great attention to Aamir’s arms, deltoids, chest, especially abdomen – that explains the one-hour abdominal exercise session! More emphasis was placed on weight gaining exercises like deadlift (with a safety belt under the watchful eyes of a coach), benchpress, and Military press in the beginning. Surprisingly, the squat, king of exercise, was left out to avoid injuries. Aamir chiefly relied on dumbbell lateral raise and flies for defining his deltoid and chest muscles.
After almost a year of dedication, Aamir finally acquired the muscular physique that has shocked you! Compare the “before” and “after” measurements to know what he has achieved. Before the start of training: biceps – 12 inches; chest – 38 inches. Now, his biceps measure 16 inches he has a 44-inch broad chest! He can run 1 km nonstop! And his nemesis, the pull-ups: he is able to do 20+ now. He is able to benchpress 80 kg for 12 reps and row 80 kg on a seated-rowing machine!
Aamir did not eat extra proteins or reduced his carbohydrate intake. Only a week before the photo shoot, he followed the strict “no carb, no salt, no water” diet! The actor warns that such a diet is highly detrimental to one's health!
Warning: The diet and routine has been prepared for Aamir by a special trainer. Aamir trained under his supervision to avoid injures. Do not attempt to copy his routine or diet. You have to consult your physician or physical trainer before you start any exercise regimen. What suits one may not suit another, especially deadlifts.

Pattanathil Bhootham begins

Malayalam superstar Mammootty, who has recently completed the shooting of Love In Singapore, will start his next project Pattanathil Bhootham next week. The film's photo shoot by Jayaprakash Paiyanoor took place recently in Kochi. The film is directed by Johnny Antony of CID Moosa, Kochi Raajaavu and Thuruppugulaan fame.
As the name suggests, Pattanathil Bhootham will be a fantasy-filled adventure, aiming at kids who love Superman and Spiderman type fantasy comedy heroes. Mammootty plays the role of Jimmy, an adventurous bike rider who gets supernatural powers and uses them to fight injustice in society. Reports say that Mammootty will attempt some daredevil bike racing acts in this film.
Kavya Madhavan has appeared in six films with Mammootty, but never as his heroine. For the first time in her career, she is Mammootty's heroine in Pattanathil Bhootham, which will most probably will be her last film (since she is likely to marry in March 2009 and quit acting).
Also in the cast are Jagathy Sreekumar, Innocent, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Salim Kumar and others. Scripted by Sibi K. Thomas and Udayakrishnan, the film is produced by Benjamin under the banner of High Bright Movie Makers. Cinematography is by Sanjeev Shankar and art by Saloo K. George.
The film has plenty of graphics and special effects. In fact, its start in July was postponed to December because it needed a lot of set works and pre-production activities to be finished for its special effects. Pattanathil Bhootham is expected to hit theatres during Vishu in 2009.
After Pattanathil Bhootham, Johny Antony will team up with scriptwriter James Albert for another movie with 12 newcomers in lead roles. Planned for a Ramzan 2009 release, this movie is currently in the initial discussion stage.

An idea that can change Mollywood

The Film Producers' Association, which has recently decided to produce six low-budget films, each costing 1.50 crores in 2009 and 2010, has come forward with a new idea to identify novel themes and young talent for their proposed low-budget films. The Association has formed a panel of experts to pick up vivacious stories by young writers. Nearly 1,300 young writers have already come forward with their ideas and almost 500 persons have narrated their themes to this panel.
“This is the only option left before the industry to tide over the problems thrown up by economic slowdown and the poor turnout in cinema houses. Audience are demanding films with novel themes. The only relief for the industry reeling under a crisis is the slight increase in the returns by selling satellite rights. The steep rise in the remuneration of artistes and technicians and production costs are driving the industry to a precipice. Any delay in making a creative intervention would bring the industry to a halt and it was felt that young talent alone can liven up the industry,” G. Suresh Kumar, president of the Producers' Association, said to a national newspaper.
The sittings of the panel in the capital and Kochi have proved to be fruitful and now sessions are being held in Kozhikode as well. Generally, writers are wary of narrating their story ideas to producers for the fear of being plagiarised. However, the writers are ensured that their stories would not be divulged or used by anyone in the fraternity. This system has given them the confidence to narrate the stories, director Suresh Kumar said.
Among the six films, one film will be directed and produced by Lal Jose and Suresh Kumar. Director Kamal will direct the second project while director Shaji Kailas will handle the third venture. Scriptwriter-director Renjith will be the director of the fourth movie while the fifth one will be directed by Rafi-Mecartin for MHM Productions. Producer Sabu Cherian and director B. Unnikrishnan will unite for the final project of the series.

Lollipop: Climax changed

The climax of Prithviraj's latest starrer Lollipop directed by Shafi has been changed just one day after its release on Sunday (December 21). According to reports, the decision came after Mulagupadam Films, the distributers, urged the producer to change the climax since the initial collections and audience reaction were discouraging.
In the original version, Lollipop begins withe scenes of a jetty where a novelist (Jagathy Sreekumar) is stranded after missing the previous night’s last boat. In a bid to pass time, he strikes up a conversation with the only other person there Francis (Jayasuriya), who starts episode and Jayasurya is no longer a ghost! The conversation between Jagathy Sreekumar and Jayasuriya has also been deleted.
Lollipop is about Franco (Prithviraj), his sister Jenny (Roma), Franco's friend Eby (Kunchacko Boban), Jenny's collegemate Rose (Bhavana) and Paachi (Jayasuriya). Prithviraj appears as the owner of an automobile workshop. Kunchako Boban plays a junior doctor, while Jayasuriya plays a pickpocket. Lollipop has been scripted by Benny P. Nayarambalam and music is by Alex Paul.

Nayantara’s Yogi (Telugu) to be dubbed in Tamil

Realizing that even dubbed films of Nayantara do wonderful business in Kollywood, filmmakers have started dubbing all her famous Telugu movies! No wonder Nayantara is referred to as the “numero uno” actress! Only a while ago, it was decided that Dubai Seenu – starring Ravi Teja and Nayantara in the lead which did great business in Tollywood – would be dubbed in Tamil as Dubai Rani. And the news made Nayantara’s fans in Tamil Nadu go crazy with joy. The frenzy doubled with the producers’ claim that Nayantara takes glamour to new heights in this film!
Now, Supriya Combines will soon dub Nayantara's Yogi (which did very well in Andhra Pradesh) in Tamil as Murattu Thambi. Prabhas, a famous actor in Tollywood, is the hero. A remake of Kannada super-hit Jogi, the film is about how a common villager turns into a saviour for the downtrodden when he arrives in a big city for a livelihood; mentally upset by a humiliating incident, he kills a local don and eventually becomes a protector of the weak and innocent from the local mafia. Nayantara, playing a journalist in this film, personifies glamour.
Highlights of the film: In addition to the foremost highlight – Nayantara – the film has a neat screenplay and beautiful songs shot in Egypt, Canada and Malaysia, which made its Malayalam dubbed version also a huge hit.
The film also stars Kota Srinivasa Rao, Ali, Sharada Urvashi, Pradeep Rawat, and many others. Music is by Ramana Gogula. V.V. Vinayak is the director.
Supriya Combines aims to release Murattu Thambi in January 2009.

I have nerves made of steel

Celina Jaitley boosted up her confidence, experienced a rare feel of blood rushing like never before and also surprised the crew of Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd.'s forthcoming film 'Run Bhola Run' and the onlookers who had assembled to see the shoot.

All she had to do was to jump from a 10 storied building and as usual there was a body double to get the deed done if the Bollywood babe gets scary and all the required apparatus which makes the stunts safe.

Celina did not give away the thrill to be experienced to the substitute. She went for the challenge and finished it in the most satisfying manner.

The brave actress says "My life that day totally depended on the entire action team as they were operating the cables from a crane on top of the building. Even though I have been used to such rigorous training from my NCC days I was still a bit nervous because this I was jumping in a mini skirt and not military fatigues. The worst part was leaning towards the ground from the ledge of the building before the fall. The action director and his team were extremely motivating. I got major kicks out of it as extreme sports have always excited me".

Abbas Ali Mugal, the action director of the movie says "she did an excellent job. These stunts can be very dangerous and it takes guts to perform them. I think she is the first female artist to do such a dangerous stunt. The whole unit praised her after the shot was over".

Nayantara and Lingusamy lock horns

Director Lingusamy has approached the Tamil Film Producers Council to get back his advance amount from Nayantara.
Few months ago, Lingusamy had signed Nayantara for a whooping salary of more of than Rs one crore for 'Paiya'. With economic recession and slew of flops for the actress, the director decided to cut down her remuneration. But Nayan refused to reduce her salary and returned the advance amount. Since the actress had given dates from last September, she claimed that the amount compensated for her loss due to the director's unwanted delay.
Meanwhile, this issue has taken a new turn with Nayantara knocking the doors of Nadigar Sangam. In 'Paiya', Tamannah has been signed to act opposite Karthi.

Ragini is Prasanna's new heroine

Actress Ragini, who made her debut in 'Sandai' with Sundar C is eagerly awaiting the release of her next 'Thee' opposite Sundar C again. After Sundar C, she is now paired with Prasana for her next.
In 'Naanayam', Ragini plays Prasanna's ladylove. Initially, a Mumbai model was touted to play the female lead. However, she has been replaced by Ragini now.
Perhaps taking a cue from his father Sathyaraj, Sibiraj is playing a baddie in 'Naanayam'. The film is being produced by SPB Charan. Sibiraj is also going to utter the famous 'Thagadu Thagadu' dialogue of his father in 'Naanayam'

A Joshy - Sibi Udayan - Mohanlal movie

After creating such super hits like 'Runway' and 'Lion' with Dileep, ace scriptwriter duo Sibi K Thomas - Udhay Krissna and veteran director Joshy is having plans to come together again, for a Mohanlal movie.
The trio will join together for a Mohanlal movie, for Antony Perumbavoor who will produce the movie under the banner of Aashirwad Films. After the initial discussions, the project now stands confirmed to start by the end of next July.
Before this movie, Mohanlal will work with Joshy for the Sasi Ayyanchira film which will be scripted by A K Sajan.
Sibi K Thomas - Udhay Krissna combo has become the numero uno scriptwriters, particularly after their recent super hit 'Twenty: 20’, which featured almost every artist of Mollywood.

Navya back with a bang

After going through torrid times in her career for a year, actress Navya Nair seems to be back with a bang.
She has suddenly become busy with a number of films under her sleeve. She is the heroine of the Suresh Gopi movie 'Violet' which has completed the shoot for its first schedule. Navya is presently in the sets of 'Calender' the debut movie of actor Mahesh as a director Prithviraj is the hero of Navya in this movie.
Navya has also bagged a meaty role as the heroine of Sarathkumar in the new untitled Tamil movie directed by Sanjay Ram. This movie will also feature Mammootty in a prominent role.

Rab Ne Bana Di Record Break

'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' – it's been the talk of town till far-flung corners of globe and now again, there's a reason to speak about this film. Hitting screens on December 12th 2008, the film has grossed Rs. 90Crores worldwide in its opening week. Yash Raj Films are so excited about the fact that the collections have overbeaten till-to-date blockbusters Om Shanthi Om, Singh is Kingh and all-time YRJ's magnum opus Dhoom-2.
The total collections for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in India are around Rs. 42 crores net (i.e. gross collections of Rs. 70 crores). The total gross collections for all overseas markets are over $4 Million (i.e. around Rs. 20 crores).
In the Middle East, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has broken all previous records for first week collections, grossing just under $1.3 million. The previous highest grossing film in the Middle East was Dhoom:2, which grossed approximately $1.86 million across its entire run. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is on course to break this all-time record going into its second week.
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has received a tremendous response from all audiences, witnessing mixed reviews and yet the film is set to continue achieving great numbers as it moves into its second week and beyond, and indeed has the potential to finish as one of the biggest blockbusters of all-time.

Suriya happy with Varanam Aayiram's good run

Dashing actor Suriya was part of an event that facilitated the winners of the 'Varanam Aayiram' audio contest. Speaking to IndiaGlitz after giving away the prizes, Suriya seemed mighty happy at the good run that 'Varanam Aayiram' is having.
'The reviews that came out once the film was released were not what we expected but then audiences have kept faith in us and the movie is having a good run', said Suriya. 'All credit should go to Gautham Menon for the success'.
On going through phenomenal physical changes for the film Suriya said, 'Gautham simply told me that I'll have to appear in school uniform, play a military officer etc. I had to do just to these scenes. Tamil audiences have encouraged me a lot and I am very keen to choose the right kind of scripts and entertain them'.
'I have been receiving many SMSs that are heartening and I am very happy about it'.
The actor also added that many people have been asking as to how they can 'love' as well as Suriya did in the film. 'I have been telling them to ask Gautham. I'll ask Gautham to start a school for it', he said with a laugh.
Suriya was also exuberant with the fact that a song from 'Varanam Aayiram' was aired on Channel V….probably the first time for a Tamil film.
Suriya sure seems to have his priorities right in order to entertain the masses in spectacular fashion.

Shankar’s proactiveness

None could have handled the massive project Endhiran (also referred to as Enthiran and The Robot) better than Shankar. The difficulty in handling it is not just because it is a big project and public expectations are high about its grandeur, but also because of the complexity of the plot and the simultaneous participation of Aishwarya Rai in Mani Rathnam’s bilingual.
Director Shankar had started planning for Endhiran almost a year before he began filming. He held several brainstorming sessions with the film’s technicians, including cameraman Rathnakumar. He created several alternate schedules to be followed when Aishwarya Rai would be busy with Mani Rathnam’s film.
Since the film is science fiction, a genre still in its nascent state in Kollywood, Shankar wants to leave an everlasting impression through Endhiran. To make it the forerunner of science fiction movies of Kollywood, he worked meticulously on the screenplay and the scenes.
In a recent interview, Rathnakumar revealed that he and Shankar planned the scenes, the lighting and props needed, shooting spots, etc., about 9 months before starting the film.
Shankar also got in touch with designer Manish Malhotra and others for the costumes well ahead of the Machu Picchu shoot, since the song shot there would be an important highlight of the film.
Shankar had another problem – keeping his project secret. The ace director was totally disappointed when photographs of the Machu Picchu shoot leaked on the internet. He wanted to keep it a secret until the last possible moment, but some insider played spoilsport. But after that leak, he tightened the security by employing 40 specialized security personnel who now allow crew members only after frisking them thoroughly to ensure they did not carry a camera; even mobile phones are not allowed on the shoot.
With these stringent measures and his improvisation skills, Shankar successfully held shoots in Chennai secretively. Insiders say the vehicles carrying the shooting paraphernalia would be hidden or parked well away from the shooting spot, so that no one would even get an inkling about the shooting.
With all this detailed planning and improvisation plus the involvement of Hollywood bigwigs such as Stan Winston Studios (for animatronics), it looks like the final product will be one great masterpiece and as Shankar hopes, Enthiran will be the forerunner for science fiction movies in Kollywood.

‘Crazy Gopalan’ confirmed for Dec 24

The latest news for this Christmas is that Dileep’s ‘Crazy Gopalan’ has been confirmed for 24th of this December. The movie which was earlier planned to make a release on the last 19th was shifted due to non completion of its DI works. The movie which fall under the heist genre will be a hilarious comedy thriller’, according to Deepu Karunakaran, the debutante director of the movie.
Crazy Gopalan has almost all comedy stars of Malayalam. Dileep appears in seven different get ups in this movie, donning the character of a hi tech thief. New comer Radha Varma is the heroine of the movie whose funny and different posters has already started a talk in the town.
Ullattil Sasidharan is producing the film under the banner of Bhavana Media. Script is by the director himself. D. Kannan is the man behind the camera. Music is by Rahul Raj and lyrics by Giresh Puthencheri and Anil Panachooran. Other cast members include Biju Menon, Jagathy, Hari Sree Asokan, Salim Kumar, Janardhanan, Kochu Preman and others.