Chennai Box-Office & Cine Express: 2009

July11 -- Surya's ayan hits 100days

A film With Kamal - Murugadoss

Ace director Murugadoss has been keeping a low profile after the stupendous success of his Aamir Khan-Asin starrer Ghajini. For the last one year, the director has been trying to work with SRK, but it seems to be getting delayed as doctors have advised the star not to do action movies. Now, it looks like Murgadoss will have to wait for two years if he has to do a film with King Khan as the actor has to complete Farah Khan’s Happy New Yearand Anubhav Sinha’s sci-fi film Ra 1. So Murugadoss is now looking to direct a big-budget Tamil film with his original Ghajinihero, Suriya for producer Udayanidhi Stalin, which may roll only in 2010 after the actor completes Hari’s Singam. Meanwhile, the buzz is that Murugadoss may start his next film with Kamal Haasan, after the director publicly stated at an award function that his dream is to work with the Ulaganayagan!

Second time lucky - Actress Sunaina

There is a certain aura that surrounds Sunaina. She is refreshing, excited as a kid and can give you a run for money when it comes to girlie banter. With her latest film Maasilamani, opposite her Kadhalil Vizhunthaen pair Nakul, raking in the moolah at the box-office, the new pin-up girl in town has all the reasons to be happy.“I consider myself lucky,” starts off the chirpy actress with a big smile, “I’m glad that I made the right choice. I was confident that these films would become hits.”But if you believe that this pretty lass will settle for a candyfloss role, then you are mistaken. She says that she is doubly careful when it comes to work. “I’ve been a stage performer and I like to act, emote and express. I don’t want to just run around trees. I want to do justice to my passion to act and that’s the reason I’m here,” she explains.Quiz her if she is willing to take the glam route and she immediately shoots back, “The audience has always perceived me as a cute girl and like me in deglam mode. I don’t want to upset them. But if there is a real need for glamour in the script, then I don’t mind doing it.”Revealing details about her upcoming flick Yathumaagi, Sunaina says, “I play a village belle called Annam who loves to live in a dream world. How she falls in love with a city-bred guy (played by debutant Sachin) forms the crux the story. It is a heart-warming tale of opposites, and for the first time, you can see me in paavadai dhaavani on-screen,” she giggles.“I have also completed 60 per cent of Kathirvel with Ajmal. It is a nice film which has given me adequate scope for expression and dialogues. It’s a story about a small town guy who travels to the city and falls in love with a girl. The challenges that he faces is all the story is about.”Coming from a non-filmi background, is handling stardom a challenge for the 20-year-old? “Right from my first film, I’ve constantly been in the news for some reason or the other. For instance, I opted out of Jai Akash’s film long time ago, but rumours are still doing the rounds that I’m acting in it. Then, there are reports linking me with Akash and Sachin. Let me make it clear that my relationship with my co-stars is strictly professional. I’ve struggled to reach this position, and I just want to concentrate on my work and studies.” The actress also rubbishes rumours that cupid has struck with her two-time on-screen pair Nakul. “All those who were associated with my first film are special to me. I’ve worked with Nakul in Kadhalil Vizhunthaen and Maasilamani and he is a good friend. We share a certain comfort level as we have worked together twice. We faced hardships together and shared the fruit of success. There’s nothing more than that.”Despite having two hits and two more geared for release, the petite actress has her feet firmly on the ground. “Expectations are high. But I never think about hits or flops. I just want to enjoy what I’m doing and want people to recognise me as an actress of substance.” (S U N A I N A S P E A K) Sunaina may not have done many films in Tamil, but the actress has a great liking for the city. “ I find Chennai the best place to live in. Chennai is like my home now. People here are warm and loving. In fact, these days I prefer to be in Chennai than in Hyderabad.” Guess what Sunaina’s fitness mantra is? “I don’t believe much in hitting the treadmill. I jog everyday and that keeps me full of beans the entire day. When I am upset or stressed, I meditate.This keeps me going.”

Kamal and not Nayanthara

The latest addition to Kamal Haasan’s Unnai Pol Oruvan is Anuja Iyer. The actress played the lead roles in M3V and Sivi. In a recent interview to a Tamil magazine, Anuja said that she was selected to play an important role in Unnai Pol Oruvan by Kamal Haasan after seeing her performance in her earlier ventures. The actress also states that Kamal was impressed with her proficiency in Tamil language and thought she would do justice to the role. Anuja clarifies that being a native of Thanjavur she can speak the language well.For what we hear from Anuja, it is clear that she will be playing a reporter in Unnai Pol Oruvan. It is worth mentioning here that this character was prominent in the original version 'A Wednesday'. When asked if she would prefer to reach the top spot like Nayanthara or Trisha, the actress said that she aimed as high as Kamal!

Thala Ajith's Asal Gets Rolling !

It has begun, at last! The shoot of Ultimate Star Ajith’s much-expected Asal, directed by Saran, has started in Malaysia. During this schedule, which will last for month, scenes involving Ajith, Sameera Reddy, Bhavana and Prabhu will be shot. As per the script written by Yugi Sethu and Saran, a major portion of the film is set in Malaysia. According to our sources, the film is about a guy from the slums of Chennai who becomes a don and manages his empire from a foreign land. His enemies find it difficult to annihilate him as he is continuously on the run, hopping across continents. Ninety-five per cent of the story happens overseas and Asal’s next schedule is likely to be shot in Europe. Interestingly, this film is touted to be thala’s costliest film till date.

Has Trisha opted out of Aadukalam ?

Is Trisha slowly losing interest in Kollywood? Ever since she signed up Priyadarsan’s Khatta Meeta with Akshay Kumar, the buzz is she is putting Tamil films on the backburner. As of now, she has two live projects in Tamil — Aadukalam with Dhanush, directed by Vetrimaran and Gautham Menon’s Vinnaithandi Varuvaya, in which she is paired with Silambarassan. Her Gautham Menon project with newcomers, Chennayil Oru Mazhaikalam, has been shelved for all practical purposes. Now, the latest in the grapevine is that the makers of Aadukalam and Trisha are trying to work out a settlement, by which she will be free to walk out of the film. Recently, the makers of the film did not use her call sheet and the actress was forced to cool her heels at a Madurai hotel doing nothing for four days, while other scenes were canned! This upset her as she thought they were trying to be one up on her.However, sources close to the unit claim that Trisha has become “too big for her boots ever since she signed up the Akshay Kumar project.” She was not too keen to do a “realistic film in the heat and dust of Madurai”, and the film may take a long time to be completed, which will upset her carefully laid out Bollywood plans.The actress is currently shooting in Sydney with Gopichand for a Telugu film and from there, she will head to New York to complete the last schedule of Gautham Menon’s Vinnaithandi Varuvaya with her “good friend” Simbu. After she finishes her New York assignment, the pretty actress is to fly to Europe for a monthlong schedule of Namo Venkatesa opposite her lucky Aadavari Mataluku Ardhale Verule hero Venkatesh in Telugu. She is reported to have been paid a bomb for the film, which in all probability will be her last Telugu release.From October, Trisha is likely to relocate herself to Mumbai as she has given bulk dates to Priyadarsan. The buzz is that the actress is going for a total make over to join the Bollywood race and will be appointing a leading marketing agency to look after her career in films and endorsements. — where she was shooting a song with Suriya for his KS Ravikumar directed Aadhavan — to the hot and sultry Dubai. Nayan had a prior commitment as she had a dinner appointment at her brother’s place, where Prabhu Dheva was being introduced to the family. The next day, newspapers in Dubai flashed the picture and story of the couple visiting upmarket restaurants and shopping at designer stores at malls. They were mobbed there and people were seen clicking photographs on their mobile phones. We hear that the duo had to leave as the crowd became uncontrollable. Meanwhile, it was Nayan (who was hooked on to the Internet) who first told Prabhu that MJ had passed away!

Nayanthara flew from Iceland

Last week, Nayanthara flew from Iceland — where she was shooting a song with Suriya for his KS Ravikumar directed Aadhavan — to the hot and sultry Dubai. Nayan had a prior commitment as she had a dinner appointment at her brother’s place, where Prabhu Dheva was being introduced to the family. The next day, newspapers in Dubai flashed the picture and story of the couple visiting upmarket restaurants and shopping at designer stores at malls. They were mobbed there and people were seen clicking photographs on their mobile phones. We hear that the duo had to leave as the crowd became uncontrollable. Meanwhile, it was Nayan (who was hooked on to the Internet) who first told Prabhu that MJ had passed away!

JUNE26 :: Nadodigal Film has taken a Lukewarm opening

Soundarya Rajinikanth, busy with Sultan – The Warrior

She might have grown up watching Rajini films just like any other normal Tamil cinema fan, but when an opportunity came knocking to actually make a movie with him in the lead role, she immediately chose animation! “Pictures and images have always attracted me,” says Soundarya Rajinikanth, who is giving the final touches to her Sultan – The Warrior, “That’s why animation was the first choice when my dad gave me a go-ahead sign.”When she was asked to speak on her favourite topic at the Times Avenues, she was more than ready for it. “There’s a huge future for animation in India,” she says, “Apart from the creative line, there’s almost 10 times more opportunities on the technical side.”
Keeping that in mind, this pretty filmmaker is planning to launch a new initiative — she calls it the School of Thoughts. “It will create a platform to people who have ideas,” she states. Prod her on this and she’s not willing to reveal more. “There’ll be an official announcement soon,” is all she’ll say.Though her film is quite big on the technical front, Sultan will have all the essential ingredients of a typical Rajinikanth film. So, there’s style too? “Of course,” she laughs, “There’s action, drama, revenge and love… it’s a commercial film. I’m a commercial person.”That’s one quality driving her to market the film aggressively. But, despite a lot of marketing, animation movies made in India haven’t really raked in a lot of moolah. How does she think will Sultan fare in that context? “Quality is the key in animation movies,” she says, “If there’s no finesse, you’ve lost your audience.”Audience is surely an important factor that Soundarya will be considering, as it’s the fans of the superstar who shape the success of the film. “I’m sure Sultan will be path-breaking and we’re working towards it,” she says, “I love to take up challenges and triumph.”So, what’s Rajinikanth as a dad? What are their dinner table conversations like? “Ah, we discuss everything under the sun. From politics to general gossip, we chat about everything!” Does he ever talk about Sultan competing with his upcoming Endhiran? “No way,” she states, “They are both different films. He thinks of them as two prestigious projects. The work to be put in them is the same.”Soundarya is very interested in the stories and anecdotes that her father narrates to explain human nature. “Appa is hugely into story-telling,” she says, “You know, he has this manner of narrating a lot of little stories. I love listening to them.”

Namitha has gone to extent of E-mailing her fans

This must be innovative promotion at its peak! For her next film Indira Vizha (IV), Namitha has gone to the extent of e-mailing her fans! Yes, the IV team has adopted a new technique to promote their film that is scheduled to release on July 10.We understand that the actress sent 20 lakh mailers, which contained stills and interesting tidbits about the film. IV has Srikanth playing the lead role. According to a press release, Namitha has addressed her fans in her unique ‘tanglish’ style. Apparently, the sultry siren is also responding to some of the mail. So, if you get an e- mail from Namitha soon, don’t be surprised!

Shilpa Shetty’s retail therapy

Shilpa Shetty may be busy doing a million things, but the actress always manages to find time for doing loads of shopping for her new home. In fact, we got to know that when the actress was taking a break in London recently, she spent a lot of time shopping. And, giving her company was mom Sunanda. A friend says, “Shilpa loves to shop. She also likes to explore stores that sell unique things. Her mother has great taste in artifacts and antiques. She helped Shilpa pick up things for her new house.” Now we don’t know if they ran a huge bill, but then retail therapy is a great stress buster, isn’t it?

Murugadoss's (Universal) dreams

Guess who Murugadoss is dreaming about these days? If you think it’s hot and sizzling babes, you’re completely off track! It’s none other than Ulaga Nayagan, Kamal Haasan. The director disclosed this at a recent awards show where he had the honour of presenting an award to the actor of his dreams. “In fact, I’ve had dreams of telling Kamal sir that I always wanted to talk to him,” revealed the director, much to the amusement of the audience. And Kamal, the gentleman he is, on receiving the award, told the director that he can very well meet him in person, if he ever felt the need to talk to him. So, do we see the Ghajini director working with him in a film soon? Will it be a tussle between SRK and KH to star in his film?! Ah, that’s something we would love to wait and watch..!

Happy birthday Illayathalapathy Dr.Vijay

Today, Ilayathalapathy Vijay celebrates his 35th birthday. The star, who has been in the industry for the last 17 years, has come up the hard way by doing mass films which have put him on the same pedestal as veteran superstars of the industry. Vijay’s films have an impressive reach across the globe as they target the man on the streets. And though critics lambast his films calling them “mindless formulaic potboilers”, Vijay is nonchalant as he feels the working class and the youth comprise a major chunk of his audience. So, when Gautham Menon wanted to do “a different kind of Vijay film”, the actor refused to experiment. Like Superstar Rajinikanth, he too believes that it is not worth tinkering with his mass hero image which has worked wonders for him. Of the 48 films Vijay has done, five have been blockbusters, seven have been super hits and 14 have proved to be safe for producers and distributors. Some of his recent films may not have been commercially as successful as his earlier films because they were sold at a price higher than what the market could take. It is the bane of all big stars that with each hit, the price tag of their films go up in the trade and that has a cascading effect.The grapevine was abuzz that like all mass heroes in Tamil cinema, Vijay too was toying with the idea of entering state politics. When the star held discussions with his fans’ associations, news spread that he would start his political party on his birthday, before the next assembly elections. However, the actor, in an interview, said, “Yes, I was serious about plunging into politics. I have about 35,000 fan clubs spread across Tamil Nadu who are doing social work and I thought by joining politics I could do more for the common man. But now, I’m putting such plans on the hold and concentrating more on my films.”In his birthday message to fans this year, the star has announced that he will be inaugurating two computer centres that will offer computer education for free. He has also urged his fans to follow in his footsteps.The star, who is a big fan of MGR, is also trying to complete his 49th film, Vettaikaran,a typical Vijay action entertainer in which Anushka plays his lady love. Stills from the film, with Vijay dressed in cowboy attire and riding a white horse, were given to his fans to enable them to make posters for his birthday celebrations.The title was used by MGR for one of his films in which he wore a similar cowboy attire and was on a white horse. And the big buzz is that Vijay’s prestigious 50th film will be Urimai Kural,another title inspired by an old MGR film!

JUNE19 -- Muthirai has taken a decent opening

Thala Ajith off to Malaysia

Looks like the shooting for Ajith’s ‘Asal’ has finally begun. The movie is being directed by Saran, and the crew has already headed to Malaysia for the first schedule.The film has the Ultimate Star in the lead, and he will be paired with Sameera Reddy and Bhavana. The three lead actors left for Malaysia last night, and shoot for the first schedule is expected to go on for a good two months.It may be recalled that Ajith had earlier gone to Malaysia for his ‘Billa’, which went on to become a blockbuster. Following this, the actor, it is said, had expressed his desire to work there. A few songs, apart from action and sentiment sequences will be canned in Malaysia. Plans are also on to have a special schedule in Turkey, where a song in ‘Chandramukhi’ was shot. It may be recalled that ‘Asal’ is the next production venture of Sivaji Films after ‘Chandramukhi’.Bharadwaj scores the music for this film, which is the Ultimate Star’s 49th film.

Sreedevi Vijayakumar ties the knot

In one of the grandest wedding receptions held in film fraternity in recent times, a horde of actors and actresses were spotted. And the bride and groom, actress Sreedevi Vijayakumar and Rahul were all smiles as their wedding and reception was attended by the who’s who of the industry.Those who were present at the glittering event include Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vikram, Sathyaraj, Sarath Kumar, Sundar C, Sneha, Meena, Trisha, Maheshwari, Rambha, Sangavi, Kushboo, Bollywood actress Sreedevi and many more to convey their wishes to the daughter of one of the most known film families in Kollywood.Newly wedded Jayam Ravi was spotted with wife Aarthi, like actress Sangeetha, who was seen along with her singer hubby Krish. Welcoming guests and taking them to the couple was actor Arun Kumar, playing responsible brother, apart from sisters Preetha, Vanitha and brother in law director Hari.

Serious business this !

Kamal Haasan’s gift for comedy is quite wellknown among film lovers. No one can forget his hilarious acts in Michael Madana Kama Rajan, Sathi Leelavathy, Tenali and Pancha Thanthiram. If these sound old, how about Balram Naidu, the bumbling cop that he plays in Dasavatharam? The actor, who was awarded the Best Comedian award at a recent awards show, was effusive in praise of late comedian Nagesh, whom he considers his guru in comedy. “It was by comparing me with Nagesh that K Balachander made me hone my acting,” he said while receiving the award. “Comedy is serious business and we’re serious people,” he added and went on to praise presentday comedians like Vivekh and MS Bhaskar for doing a good job

Kanthasamy Release on July Middle

The Vikram - Shriya starrer Kanthasamy produced by Kalaipuli.S. Dhanu and directed by Susi should hit the screens before the inauspicious Adi Masam starts on July 17 and ends on Aug 16.Says producer Kalaipuli S.Dhanu: “The post production work due to graphics and special effects is taking time. If all goes well, we are targeting for Friday, Jul10 release, and if it is delayed at the most it will surely come out by Jul16. I do not want to delay it as Ramzan fast is starting on Aug 21 or 22, and collections will be affected in Andhra’s Nizam area (film is dubbed into Telugu as Mallana) and Kerala, Vikram’s traditional strongholds.”Dhanu says the film will release worldwide in 900 screens in both Tamil and Telugu versions. In Chennai city alone, the distributor Ramanathan has booked 21 screens, making it the widest ever release in the city.

Aadhavan - Off to Iceland

Here’s the latest on Aadhavan! The cast and crew will soon be off to Iceland to shoot a song (Eno Eno Panithuli…).
We understand that this is the first Tamil film to be shot in the region where popular James Bond films have been shot earlier. Eno Eno… will be choreographed by Dinesh and canned for ten days.
Suriya and Nayanthara play lead roles in the film, which is being directed by K S Ravikumar. Earlier, songs for this film have been shot at exotic locations in Kodaikanal and Darjeeling. It looks like the Aadhavan team is all set to go places. Literally, we mean!
Movie Will Release On Coming Diwali Treat ... Lets Rock..!

Aayirathil Oruvan Audio launch !

The audio launch of Aayirathil Oruvan took place on June 14th at the Centenary Hall in the University of Madras. The event was a grand affair which started with the traditional lighting of the Kuthuvilakku. Latha Rajinikanth, Lakshmi Sivakumar, Vijayalakshmi Kasturiraja, Sonia Selvaraghavan and Jyothi Ravindran lighted the lamp for an auspicious beginning.The audio was brought to the venue in a palanquin, which was borne by men about seven feet tall. Noted actor-director K Bagyaraj released the audio and it was received by director Shankar.As if to dispel reports floated by the media that Yuvan Shankar Raja and Selvaraghavan are not in good terms, the former made it to the audio launch.There was literally no dearth for entertainment with Dhanush, Aiswarya Dhanush and Andrea crooning to the music scored by GV Prakash. Later, GV Prakash teamed up with Andrea to sing a song. This is Prakash’s first live show, it is said. Ace playback singer PB Srinivas was also on stage to render a number.Singari Aatam and Kalari fights enthralled the audience. The Makabo dance, performed by a troupe from Nigeria had the audience spell bound. In all, the audio release has raised the expectations of the movie buffs. Let’s wait for AO to hit the marquee!

JUNE15 -- Maasilamani gets big opening !

No time to clarify - Nayanthara

Aleading Tamil magazine had morphed a picture of Prabhu Deva and Nayanthara on its cover in its latest issue. Following that, there were reports that the actress was planning to file a complaint with the Chennai police commissioner. However, when we contacted the lass, this is what she had to say. “I don’t know how a reputed magazine can do something like that,” she says, “Anyway, I’m not going to run after it and waste my time.” Nayanthara also made it clear that she does not want to clear the air about her rumoured marriage to Prabhu Deva. Says Nayan, “My hands are full and I have no time to go around clarifying these issues. Right now, my work comes first and nothing else matters.”

JUNE06 --- I don’t need to marry secretly - Nayanthara

The rumour mill is working overtime that Prabhu Deva has married Nayanthara at a hush hush ceremony in Hyderabad on Friday, June 5. A local television channel is playing it up as ‘Breaking News’!Prabhu and Nayanthara have been rumoured to be in love ever since they worked together in Villu. Now the grapevine has it that she is extremely close to him.The rumours about their affair, led credence when the actress tattooed Prabhu’s name (P in English and the rest in Tamil), a little above her wrist at Hakim’s Alim newly launched tattoo lounge in Hyderabad. This proves that the actress loves Prabhu and wanted to announce it to the world too. Speaking about the matter Nayantara said: “Even I heard about my marriage. Isn’t that funny? I’m not even in Hyderabad right now. Everyone knows that I am a very open person and when I decide to get married, I will officially announce it to the media. I believe in the institution of marriage and when it happens, it will be with the blessing of my parents. I don’t need to do it secretly.”

JUNE06 --- Shanthnoo Crossing boundaries

Shanthnoo Bhagyaraj, who debuted in Tamil with Sakkarakatti, is packing his bags to go to Thiruvananthapuram — to do a Malayalam film titled Angel John! We hear that Mohanlal will do a cameo in the film, which will be directed by Jayasurya. The film is about a disturbed young man, who is at loggerheads with his parents and friends and thus decides to commit suicide! However, a stranger comes to his rescue as he is about to jump into the sea and his life changes forever. It’s interesting to note that Shanthnoo’s mom Poornima made her debut as the heroine of Fazil’s first film Manjil Virinja Pookkal in which Mohanlal debuted as villain. Also, the young lad’s sister Sharanya did a brief role in Mohanlal’s Photographer a few years ago!

JUNE06 --- The audio launch of Arumugam

It was time for some candid talk at the audio launch of Suresh Krissna’s Arumugam. The usually reticent director, who has worked with stalwarts like Kamal Haasan in Aalavandhan and Rajinikanth in Baasha and Baba, surprised the audience with some open talk.“It has been a long journey for me in the tinsel town and I am enjoying it,” he said and added, “Music is the window of any film and it plays a pivotal role in the movie’s success. No wonder the audio releases these days are organised in a grand manner. I have worked with Thenisai Thendral Deva in around 18 films and we share a wonderful chemistry. I’m glad to have him compose music for Arumugam as well.”Deva, for his part, also had good words for his friend Suresh Krissna. “There was a time when I used to work on 36 projects in a year. But in the last two years (2007 and 2008), there was a lull; I didn’t do even a single film. That was when Suresh Krissna, the director with whom I worked in hits like Baasha, stepped in and offered Arumugam,” he said

JUNE05 --- Chennai Box-Office - Ayan steady !

JUNE05 --- A wise Call - Kamalhaasan

Actor Kamal Haasan was at his scintillating best at a recently concluded screenwriting workshop in the city. He shared his opinions about films and filmmaking with other dignitaries from the film industry for the benefit of students attending the workshop.“The length of films is bound to change as attention spans are getting shorter,” the star said in reply to a question that was posed to him during the discussion that was held in the presence of mediapersons. “Platforms are going to vary and we’ll have to be ready for changes,” he added.The actor also clarified his stance on the issue of songs and dance. “There have been reports that I am against the song-and-dance routine. I am not. What I am against is monoculture. Why should all films have songs is what I ask,” he said.Kamal Haasan also clarified why there were anti-Hindi agitations in TN during the 60s. “This is a land where we protested against Hindi. This must have given the impression that we hated the language. But, we didn’t. We were only protestingan attempt by the Central government to give government jobs to only those who knew Hindi,” the star explained.

JUNE04 --- Asin knows Tamil

Asin, on a visit to the city recently, took everyone by surprise when she announced that she can read Tamil! “N e e n g a A z h a g a Irukeenge... that’s very sweet,” she said, reading out a message written to her. The endearing lass continued to warm up to the audience and refused to be drawn into controversy when asked to compare Suriya and Aamir Khan, her co-stars in the Tamil and Hindi version of Ghajini. Coming up with a polished and diplomatic reply, she said, “They have more similarities than differences. Their obsession with work is great. Both of them want to make sure that things come out perfect on-screen.” Looks like working with these two talented stars has had an effect on the actress too! We’re sure she’s ready to take the next big step (The 19th Step at that!) in cinema.

JUNE03 --- Thala Ajith's Asal Special Article

The latest about Ajith’s Asal is that it has been delayed due to various technical reasons. The makers of the film wanted to shoot it in never-seen-before locations, like Scotland, Italy and Turkey. However, the update is that the tried-and-trusted locations of Malaysia will be most likely chosen for the film. The villain, who plays a pivotal role, has also been firmed up! It’s going to be Rajiv Krishna, the man who made a mark in S J Suryah’s Newtonin Moondram Vidhi. Meanwhile, Mamta Mohandas — who was being considered to play heroine — has walked out of the project after coming to know that she has to play second fiddle to Sameera Reddy. Nothing really to worry about for the filmmakers, as there are many girls willing to act in a Ajith film, even as a second heroine! And, the best news coming the way of Ajith and director Saran is that the actor — who plays a character with slightly negative shades — has the freedom to “light up” on screen. In the film’s promotional stills, Ajith is shown with a Cuban ciga,which he can now light up due to the directives of the new health minister!

JUNE03 --- As stars turn singers in Kollywood

The new craze in Kollywood is stars turning to crooning and making a song and dance about it! Vikram is the sole male voice in Kanthaswamy, and the album has sold over one lakh copies in a week’s time! Simbu has a career option in his hands. After delivering a few hit numbers in recent films, the actor is much in demand among music directors, who are queuing up to get him to sing in their albums. They say he has a different voice which is a hit among the youth. The best example is the song, Where is the party… from Silambattam which became a chartbuster. Recently, Simbu crooned six songs for various music directors like Yuvan Shankar Raja, Dhina, Srikanth Deva, Dharan and Sabesh Murali. The buzz is that Simbu may also croon for Ajit’s new film Asal under Bhardwaj’s baton.There is nothing new in actors turning to singers as it has been happening for a very long time, and Kamal Haasan and Vijay, among the current crop, have been doing it on a regular basis. What’s new is that, stars are now singing for other heroes as well. Dhanush and his wife Aishwarya have sung a song for Selvaraghavan’s Aayirathil Oruvan, which has been

picturised on Karthi and Reema Sen. Last week, Vivekh lent his voice for a song in his film Ithanai Naalai Enge Irunthal. Says Vivekh, “It is a nice peppy number that I’ve sung with Rita, and it is sure to become popular.” A very pleased Vikram says, “Initially, I was very reluctant to sing for Kanthaswamy, but director Susi Ganeshan and music director Devi Sri Prasad convinced me to have a go at it. I sang not only for the Tamil version of the film but also for its Telugu version, Mallanna. The songs from the film have already become chartbusters, and after the film’s release, we expect them to do even better, thanks to the catchy picturisation.” Meanwhile, established singers are feeling the heat, as stars turning singers is bad news for them and eats into their business. Says an established singer, “It may sound like a case of sour grapes, but I’m yet to come across a singerturned-star, who understands the nuances of singing. It is alright at the moment as cacophony rules Tamil film music. I would say it is only a passing trend good music has to have a trained voice to back it up.” Now, the latest we hear is that Devi Sri Prasad, the music director of Singam, is trying to persuade Suriya to sing the introductory song in the film!

JUNE01 --- Dhanush A Rewind

Dhanush son of a noted director kasthuri raja had one of the best ever debuts in tamil cine industry as his first 3 movies were huge hits. His second movie Kadhal Kondean Directed by Selvaraghavan where he played the role of a poor college boy turning into a mentally disturbed person in the end impressed everyone. The name Vinodh deserves no better explanation as Dhanush lived as the character Vinodh throughout the movie. After Kadhal Kondean dhanush then stepped into full fledged commercial cinema. Thiruda Thirudi his 3rd movie having the title track "Manmatha Rasa" which made the entire south dance to his tune. Then he had quite a dissapointing show in the box office with movies not doing well as one would expect to do so as they lacked the content,screenplay etc.Dhanush out of no where delivered a Masterpiece by the name Pudhupetai directed by Selvaraghavan.Though the movie dint have a decent run at the box office , it entirely changed dhanush's image. Before pudhupetai one never would have dreamt that dhanush would perform such a kind of role of a Gangster with ease. Dhanush showed that He wasnt going anywhere and is sure to Stay in Tamil Cinema for a long time to come.Followed by the Masterpiece it was then the MasterStroke , The Word Success became a part of Dhanush's Name . Be it Thiruvilayadal Arambam, Pollathavan, Yaradi nee mohini , Padikathavanthe movie name's mite differ but each of the movie ended up in success. Though he was criticised for repeating the same roles of young ignorant boy , Dhanush knew that he was doing the role which suited the best and which would impress the audience easily.He married Aishwarya Daughter of Super Star Rajinikanth and has a son by the name Yatra.He had his own style and charisma and never followed the footsteps of any senior actors and that made him a highly successful man as far as the Cine Industry is Concerned.

His upcoming movies are Aadukalam With Vetrimaran who teamed with him for pollathavan , Idhu malai nerathu mayakkam where he does a cameo and Kutty remake of telugu super hit arya along with Shriya Saran..

As a fan i wish Dhanush the Very best in his upcoming movies.

JUNE01 --- Jayam's Ravi's Wedding

Jayam Ravi is all set to enter wedlock on June 4th. The wedding will take place in Chennai and a reception for the newlyweds will be held at the Mayor Ramanathan Chettiar Hall in Chennai.

Jayam Ravi said that though it was love marriage, both the parents have given their consent wholeheartedly. The actor said that reports that his parents were against his love was baseless.

According to the actor, Jayam, his debut venture proved to be a turning point in his life. Likewise, he expects his wedding to his love Aarthi to turn out to be another turning point.

JUNE1 --- Chennai Box-Office - Thoranai opens at No.1

1.Thoranai [தோரணை] -- 52shows | 13screens | Opening Week | Average

2.Angels and Demons [English] -- 18shows | 5screens | Opening Week | Hit

JUNE1 --- ANGELS AND DEMONS REVIEW

CAST:Tom hanks,Ewan McGregor,Ayelet Zurer,
Stellan Skarsgard,Pierfrancesco Favino,Nikolaj Lie Kaas
GENRE:DRAMA|ADVENTURE|THRILLER|MYSTERY
DIRECTOR:RON HOWARD

STORY:Tom hanks(Robert Langdon) ,the symboligist who proved the entire Vatican that Jesus christ had a wife In his earlier Da vinci code is now called by the Vatican to solve a mystery named the "ILLUMINATI". Illuminati refers to the group of people of the 16 th and 17 th century who had enough knowledge on Science and were considered aethists as they had no faith in God. The Vatican were against this.So in the 17 th century almost all the Illuminati's were killed by the vatican(Incident named Legorah).The story begins with the death of Pope and an antimatter being stolen from the particle collidor laboratory in Geneva ( Switzerland).The death of the pope calls for an immediate election to deceide who the next Pope will be . The cardinals and Saints from various countries assemble in Rome.Unfortunately the 4 candidates who were to stand in election are kidnapped by the group Illuminati and they also have the anti matter with them. The illuminati then issue a warning saying that at the end of every one hour a candidate for the Pope election dies and at the end the anti matter will be blown thereby destroying the entire Vatican.The vatican police and the church calls up on Robert langdon(tom hanks) to solve this mystery.Hes accompanied with Scientist Vittoria Vetra(Ayelet Zurer) who works in the particle collidor laboratory in switzerland from where the anti matter was stolen.

THE MYSTERY: Illuminati's try to kill each and every pope(ie. 4 candidates) by placing a mark on their heart with an illuminati symbol. There are 4 symbols Each one referring to One Illuminati Church and the 4 signs are as follows Wind water Earth Fire. Each of the pope of the 4 will be kept in each of the illuminati churches plus there is an additional 5 th sign and a 5 th church where the anti matter is placed. Its upto Robert Langdon and his team to find out the 5 churches around the city of rome and save the pope as well as find out the anti matter before it blows offThe Screenplay is absolutely Fantastic with each scene remaining a mystery to be solved thereby leading to the illuminati churches .The background score is a huge plus for the movie .An additional Info the entire vatican city rome you come to see in the movie is actually an animated one which has been made to look real .Tom Hanks does a fantastic job as the symbolist who solves the mystery while Ayelet Zurer assists him. Hes also accompanied by the Vatican City comissioner and Other city police officials who help him tracing down the illuminati churches. The young cardinal Ewan McGregor who himself has a desire of becoming the next pope although hes not taking part in the elections has done a good job. Lookout for his twist in the endThe movie ends with one of the most unpredictable climaxes and a pope being elected to become the leader of christianity .

RATING:3.5/5
VERDICT:GO FOR IT
AT THE CBO: WITH TAMIL MOVIES FAILING TO HIT THE BULL'S EYE THESE DAYS ,THIS MOVIE WILL HAVE A DECENT RUN IN THE CITY

JUNE01 --- Sameera Special Interview

After the success of Vaaranam Aayiram, Sameera Reddy’s on a high. The actress has already signed up two Tamil films with leading directors and she’s looking forward to more offers. “Vaaranam Aayiram gave me my first break in Kollywood and I’m very happy with the feedback I have received. People recognise me more as Meghna than Sameera in this city. I had positive vibes about the movie when I heard the script itself and I was proved right,” says an excited Sameera. Her hard work and commendable performance in the movie has landed her the lead in Gautham Menon’s next project — a psychological thriller, about which he’s tight lipped, even to his star. “Gautham didn’t say much about this thriller. But, I accepted the role because it’s his movie and he can never go wrong with his gut feeling,” she says. “I won’t say that this movie is completely different from other movies in the genre. But, I will definitely vouch for the fact that this movie will be out of the ordinary.” Apart from Gautham’s flick, Sameera is also a part of Ajith’s much-hyped Asal with director Saran. “I start shooting for Asal this month in Malaysia,” she says. Prod her more about the movie and she says, “From what I’m told, Asal has two heroines and I’m playing one of them — a smart, intelligent, and focussed girl with a completely modern outlook.” And on cue, she adds, “Oh yeah, she also dresses to match her flamboyant personality.” Interestingly, Sam hasn’t met Ajith after she signed the movie. “I met him in Chennai when I first came here. He’s cool and fun to be with. And, do you know what the best thing about him is? He’s very fluent in Hindi and that will save me from half the trouble while shooting for Asal,” she giggles.However, she assures us that she’s in the process of learning Tamil and insists, “I’ll soon be able to speak the language without any problem.” She’s currently working in Priyadarsan’s De Dhana Dhan and Nagesh Kukunoor’s Yeh Hausla. “I play a tribal girl from Rajasthan in Yeh Hausla. Priyan’s movie will most probably release by August and I also have Red Alert with Suneil Shetty. I’m also playing a role in the sequel to Race. Yes, my hands are full with Bollywood movies, but, I’m open to offers from the south,” she states. Sam will be coming to the city this week and she’s more than looking forward to it. “I have a lot of friends here and I know my way around here. I feel at home. I usually hang out in Nungambakkam and catch up with my friends over a cuppa. The last time I was here, I called up Suriya to wish him on his success of Ayan. It’s nice to know that your costar is doing really well,” she says, ready to sign off. But, we nudge her in a last attempt to know more about her two Kollywood projects. And, sexy Sam says, “I can only tell you is that Gautham’s project will be a psychological thriller and Asal will be an action thriller. And, I’m here to thrill you with my performance!”

JUNE01 --- Padmapriya’s loss, Nikita’s gain

Padmapriya has suddenly become hot property in Tamil and Malayalam. The actress was to do a special appearance in Mammootty’s Malayalam film titled Daddy Cool, but the dates clashed with the climax shoot of Cheran’s Pokkisham. Finally, Mammootty had to call Nikita who has earlier done films like Kaiyethum Doorathu, Bus Conductor and Moonam Khandam in Malayalam.
The lass is in demand now post her hot number in Venkat Prabhu’s Saroja. We hear that she will be doing a song and few scenes with Mammootty and Daniel Balaji at Kochi, after which the film will be complete.

JUNE01 --- Sneha's right choices

Sneha is perhaps the smartest among the new generation actresses. The lass seems to know how to make hay while the sun shines! Keeping this in mind, the actress is doing all genres of movies. Just take a look at the mix of movies she is doing — an experimental Achchamundu Achchamundu and a mass masala Murattu Kaalai. She’s also doing Nootrukku Nooru. Also on the cards is a glam role in Goa and an action-packed character in Bhavani (where she plays a cop). The latest we hear about Bhavani is that she has done her action scenes without using a dupe! The film, which is directed by G Kicha, is a remake of Vijayshanthi’s yesteryear superhit Vyjayanthi IPS. We hear that the highlight of the film will be the punch dialogues of Sneha, apart from her deadly action scenes! To top it, the actress is doing a cameo as herself in Angadi Theru. Way to go, girl!

May30 --- Karthi in next venture titled Siruthai

Karthi Sivakumar rose to fame in Kollywood with his very first film Paruthiveeran, and went on to win the Filmfare Best Tamil Male Debut Award and the Filmfare Best Actor Award. His brother Suriya watched the movie and congratulated Karthi, saying that his brother achieved a certain status with just one film, a status that would take several years if it had been anyone else! Karthi has just completed shooting for Aayirathil Oruvan and has started working on Paiyya. In the meantime, sources close to the actor say that he is currently in talks with director Bhoopathy Pandian for his next venture titled Siruthai. Director Bhoopathy Pandian is known for his earlier flicks like Thiruvilayadal Aarambam and Malaikottai.Expectations have risen and this could be Karthi's first comedy flick. Comedian Vadivelu is expected to play a major role in the film.Karthi completed his undergraduation in Chennai and went on to pursue his Master's in Industrial Engineering in USA. He also completed a short course in film-making, and returned to India to work under director Mani Ratnam for Ayutha Ezhuthu.

MAY30 --- Anushka in Asal ?

Anushka is the name of new cyclone that has invaded Kodambakkam. Followed by Kollywood’s craze on Trisha and Nayanthara, new entry from Tollywood Anushka of ‘Arundhathi’ has captured many hearts. Beginning from producers to fans she is on demand to be seen on silver screen. Though she already did ‘Rendu’ in Tamil with Madhavan, her comeback was through the supernatural thriller ‘Arundhathi’ and then Telugu Billa. Anushka is the lead lady in ‘Vettaikkaran’, Vijay’s 49th flick. The lady will pair with Surya in Singam, Karthik in an untitled flick and even Simbu has got her committed by paying the advance amount for his next film. Latest rumor about this blazing dusky beauty might be casted along with Ajith in ‘Asal’.

MAY30 --- NAN AVAN ELAI SEQUEL

Jeevan in the lead with five lovely ladies ‘Naan Avan Illai’ was a box office hit. Director Selva banking his belief on the story has already the sequel ‘Naan Avan Illai 2’. Jeeva as usual does a play boy in this too. Sangeetha, Laksmi Rai, Swetha Menon, Ratchana Maurya and Hemamalini shares screen space in lead with lucky hero Jeevan.
Produced by Nemikchand Jhabak the movie is extensively being filmed in foreign locations like Switzerland, Dubai, Geneva, Greece and Honk Kong. According to direcror Selva, the climax part has something new to go for. Beginning of the third part will be showcased at the end of second part. Actress Vijayalakshmi will be the one conclude the 2nd part. And once again it will be a new beginning with more beautiful sizzlingladies!

MAY30 --- Neetu Chandra in Vishal's Next Flick ?

Vishal will be immediately kicking off with his next flick ‘Theeradha Vilayaatu Pillai’. The actor plays the lead which cast him as play boy.

‘For the first time I am doing play boy role, a lovable play boy’ says Vishal.
As the story demands three heroines, Shriya Saran and Reema Sen who are good friends with Vishal have taken up the role. Third heroine character hails from Mumbai, so Bipasha and Tanushree Dutta were initially approached. As their remuneration was high Yaavarum Nalam fame Neetu Chandra is considered for this role. Discussions are going on to rope in this scorching beauty Neetu.

MAY30 --- Swathi and Jai Pair again

Subramaniyapuram marked Swathi’s debut to Kollywood. Apart from the screenplay, Swathi and Jai combination casted magic on screen. Their magical combination strikes once again alive on screen very soon for an untitled movie produced by Amma Creations Shiva. Direction is by Sripathi. The actress refused many offers based on character and was busy doing Telugu movies has now accepted to do this film in Tamil.
Jai, being one of the busiest heroes in Kollywood, will join the shoot after the completion of his current commitments.
After considering many heroines for this role, director Sripathi chose Swathi as she suits the role

MAY30 --- Vishnu relishes well earned success

Vishnu, who played the naïve villager in Vennila kabadi Kuzhu, is definitely going places. And this, the actor cherishes as the fruits of a five-year-long quest. Soon after completing my MBA, I decided I wanted to be in cinema. I tried for five long years but I never got a break. So I was disillusioned and wanted to take up a regular nine-to-five job. And just when I was about to forsake my dream, I received the opportunity to act in VKK. It looks like a dream. I could not believe my luck when I received the role, but it was only when I began acting that I realised we had a winner on our hands, says the actor, who has quickly moved on to his next project, Bale Pandiya.The film is being directed by Sidharth Chandrasekar and is produced by Kalpathi S Aghoram. It is not a run-of-the-mill flick, and he is paired with Piyaa After this, the actor who seems in no hurry to sign films, has also committed to do a double hero subject, Droha with Srikanth.

MAY30 --- Devi Sri Prasad for Bollywood

Devi Sri Prasad is one of the most renowned and outstanding music composers of south Indian movies. He has created sensation with his songs despite the industry having the noted composers like Harris Jayaraj and Mani Sharma. Now the latest news is that Devi Sri Prasad has got some Bollywood offers and he seems to be trying his luck in Bollywood too. If everything goes well, we can enjoy the scores of DSP in Bollywood as well. For now, Devi Sri is rocking with his tunes for the film ‘Kanthaswamy’ and sources close to him reveal that he would come up with a formal announcement if he does take up a Bollywood assignment. Waiting to hear that Devi Sri!!!

MAY30 --- Kamal’s IIT dream

Kamal Haasan’s Rajkamal International and the Indian Institute of Technology have jointly organized a conference on screen play writing. This conference will begin on May 29th (Friday) and end on June 3rd. The inaugural ceremony of this conference was attended by Kamal Haasan, Balu Mahendara, Santhana Barathy, Perarasu, Dharani, Vasanth, Ameer, Priya, Mysskin, Sasi, Crazy Mohan among others.

Speaking to the media persons, Kamal said that he is happy that his long time dream of holding conference on screen play has come true at last. The actor said that he is still a student as far as the film industry is concerned and is looking to learn more. Kamal disclosed that he cut short his studies due to his penchant for acting or else he would have joined the IIT for higher studies, the actor said.

MAY30 --- Dhanush's Competition Heats Up

Arya, the Telugu flick with Allu Arjun, Siva and Anuradha Mehta was much appreciated for its content and performance. Now this film is being remade in Tamil as Kutty with Dhanush and Shriya in lead roles. For Siva’s role, a Mumbai import Sameer Dattani is firmed up but he is being introduced as Dhiyan in Kollywood.

Dhiyan’s credentials are impressive. He has acted in Kannada, Telugu and Hindi films and was introduced in the music album ‘Valentine’s day’. In Kutty he will be competing with Dhanush in wooing Shriya. Looks like Dhiyan will be here to make his mark as he is currently busy in learning Tamil. Good luck Dhiyan!

MAY30 --- THORANAI Review

CAST:Vishal, Shriya, Prakash Raj, Kishore,Santhanam,Shayaji shindey,Geetha,Lal
DIRECTION:Saba Ayyappan
MUSIC:Mani Sharma
PRODUCTION:GK Films

STORY :

Vishal begins from where he left in malaikotai. Thoranai is an action packed entertainer that doesnt keep you
entertained due to various flaws in the screenplay.The story however is not new to tamil cinema . Murugan(Vishal) son of geetha comes to chennai in search of his elder brother ( Guru). The story begins with as usual an intro song in a village . The scene where guru enters chennai he is shocked and surprised to see a murder happening in front of him . Then he runs intro trouble with the local dons Prakashraj and Kishore. Vishal then meets Shriya and falls in love with her.The entire first half is quite humourous with santhanam,mayilsamy,aarthy providing the audience some comedies which doesnt make you laugh at places .At the end of the First half is the twist where Vishal finds that one of the don is his elder brother .Whether Vishal brings his elder brother to His Village Forms the rest of the plot . Second half has some extra characters like Shivaji Shindey who is a minister and who uses prakash raj for comitting his political crimes. Lal an encounter specialist who flows in from mumbai and is forced to do an encounter by the minister and thereby
eliminating all the local goons from the city. The movie is full of one liners with almost each character saying a one liner while Vishal leads them saying most of the punches to Prakash Raj. Having seen Prakash Raj in these roles before it is nothing new and his character doesnt entertain the audience as expected. Guru ( Kishore ) has amazed the audience with his way of speaking Tamil in a style which is something special.Shriya provides the necessary glamour quotient and keeps the youth satisfied throughout the movie.Finally Coming to Vishal after a mediocre Malaikotai and a LackLustre Sathyam Vishal still hasnt learnt his lesson as he tries to imitate Senior Actors like Rajini and Vijay through out the movie. Vishal needs to understand that he must follow his own style to achieve stardom and shouldnt follow other actors.The movie ends with an encounter in which almost the entire baddies of chennai are killed in the harbour .The music of mani sharma is okay. Pelican Paravagal ,Va chellam are quite good . Rest of the songs make the audience move out of the theatre during the songs. The background score is appealing for the massesThe stunts are good as they have tried to make most of the stunts realistic as possible. But the stunts are spoiled by the one liners that vishal speaks before/after each and every fight sequence

RATING: 1.5/5
VERDICT: THORANAI HAS THE MASS BUT MISSES TO SATISFY THE AUDIENCE
AT THE CBO: AS THERE ARE NO BIG RELEASES FOR A FEW DAYS AND AFTER SARWAM'S DISSAPOINTING SHOW THE MOVIE WILL HAVE GOOD COLLECTIONS THROUGHOUT THE OPENING WEEK . THE FATE OF THE MOVIE THEN RESTS WITH THE AUDIENCE.

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