Yeh Hai Right Choice - Shekhar Kapur to head FTII

 

I know by now many write-ups would have gone to Editors about the reasons why the saffron brigade appointed Shekar Kapur as FTII President (it still remains to many of us as Pune Film Institute). As a guy who is cynical about such appointments  and always think that many such guys in right places have turned up to be damp squib, the announcement made by Kapur as Chairman of National Film Awards Jury made me give hope. He impressed me. It is something  he said that even the guys from the South who have been on these juries have not dared to.  Quoting a press report - While announcing the National Film Awards , Kapur said he was moved by the regional cinema, particularly Malayalam, and films such as Bhayanakam, Take Off, and Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum. “Unfortunately, mainstream media and Bollywood enjoy a highly incestuous relationship. So the brilliance of the new regional cinema remains hidden from audiences. It’s time for that to change,” he tweeted.

At the awards, the Bandit Queen Director also praised Village Rockstars, the best feature film winner, saying he did not know films from Assam also went to Cannes Film Festival. He has acted with Kamal Haasan in Viswaroopam. I had met him at the Chennai Airport and got introduced to him by our Screen Editor Taraji. I was awestruck to see the man who regaled me with Mr India and had me rushing to see Bandit Queen at the Film Festival (as the talk was that it was an uncensored version).

Now I am sure by now  Shekar Kapur has been saffronised by the anti- Kangana lobby for this FTII posting. In TamilNadu, Periyar Statues get doused in saffron paint and likewise the mainstream media and the Bollywood press would have draped Shekar Kapur in saffron and made him to be another Yogi Adityanath.

Why so?  Plenty. He put out a tweet on suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput - “I knew the pain you were going through. I knew the story of the people that let you down so bad that you would weep on my shoulder. I wish I was around the last 6 months. I wish you had reached out to me. What happened to you was their Karma. Not yours. #SushantSinghRajput,” He told Rahman that the fault in not getting big Bollywood films was because he got the Oscars. He praised Kangana for her acting talent. He pointed out to director R Balki ,who felt that Alia Bhatt and Ranvir Kapoor were the best actors, that “Best actors today are coming from theatre. There’s new found respect for them. And confidence. I’ve worked with Naseer, Shabana,Satish Kaushik, Seema Biswas and entire cast of Bandit Queen, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Heath Ledger Daniel Craig Eddy Redmayne. All are from theatre,”. Kapur was to direct Paani with Sushant and produced by Aditya Chopra and the project fell through as Chopra told the NCB that it was creative differences.

The difference was about Sushant playing the lead. About the casting decision of a Director he  tweeted. "Elizabeth was my first Hollywood film. I had noticed an unknown girl called Cate Blanchett who I wanted to play Elizabeth. My agent said Studio wanted a star and if I kept insisting on an unknown actor, they will replace me. I said i had to go with my heart. The rest is history,"  Blanchett got global fame for portraying Elizabeth I in the  Hollywood drama, for which she won the BAFTA Award as Best Actress and earned her first Oscar nomination in the Best Actress category.

Now the opinion unbecoming of a Bollywood Director - Shekhar declared on Twitter, “Theatres are not going to open for atleast a year. So all hype around first weeks business of 100+ crores is dead. So the theatrical Star System is dead.” He added, “Stars will have to go to existing OTT platform or stream films themselves through their own apps. Technology is quite simple.” As the controversy was raging he had deposed before the NCB , He wrote on Twitter, “Dear Sushant, there was so much more you had to offer. Perhaps the world was not up to your beliefs.. you should not have gone like this ...but then you were an old wise soul in a restless young body. Often the heavens cannot handle that ..”

 Shobaa De in The Week wrote as the Sushant Singh suicide saga was unfolding – “Regardless of how this saga pans out, it is great to know that the 74-year-old Kapur continues to be combative—as he can well afford to be. With a net worth estimated at $25 million, he is in an enviable position to say and do as he please. He is also one of the few people in Bollywood to take a stand when required, as he famously did when a “trilogy” of his superhit directorial venture, Mr India, was grandly announced without informing him. He asked an important and very valid question: “Where is the director’s ownership on material he has created?” This did not go down well with the community, with people like Javed Akhtar questioning his stand”. 

We will have wait and see how he survives the spears that would be send hurling towards him . Till then- Mugambo Khush hua.

SPB Charan peeved with Thala Ajith

 

Chennai, September 29:  Looks like SPB Charan is quite peeved with the fact that Thala Ajith did not convey his condolence or attend the funeral of his father. The issue gained traction on the social media after Thalapathi Vijay fans went berserk as their idol turned up at the farm house on the city outskirts to pay his last respects. This was used as an example of how sensitive their idol is to happening around him. A photo and a video went viral which showed Vijay picking up a slipper of a fan lying on the ground and handing it over to him. There was a melee as Vijay was leaving the funeral venue.

SPB Charan at the press meet to clear the air on the story doing the social media rounds that it was not the SPB fans in Andhra or Tamil Nadu and those abroad that paid for the final pending dues at the hospital but it was Vice President Venkiah Naidu who settled it. The details are given in another report filed in this blog. read ;https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2020/09/after-state-honours-venkiah-naidu.html

Did Thala Ajith phone SPB Charan ?

At the press conference, SPB Charan was asked several questions about Ajith’s silence. Charan had this to say – “Let Ajith mourn from his house. So what?  There is no need for him to come and give his last respects? He is a friend of mine and so also of my Dad. Let him pay his condolences from anywhere. Is it a big issue? Why should Ajith phone me and convey his wishes? Please do not spread rumors. What if he felt sad while at home and phoned me? To me and my family, SPB is no more. It is a great loss for us. We need some time to be alone,”. At the end of the press meet, a visibly drained Charan said that his outbursts were not meant against anyone but generally an expression of grief.

SPB praised Ajith for his reclusive behavior

At a reality show in Star Vijay, SPB as judge said “"One quality that I like about Ajith is that he never gives interview for magazines or TV, He does not post comments on social media and create unnecessary controversy”. SPB who introduced Ajith in a Telugu film produced by him also spoke about the actor and his son Charan being friends “ Charan  and Ajith were class mates. They did their matriculation in Andhra. In his initial days, Ajith used to wear Charan's shirts and shoes for ad shoots over sentimental reasons," he revealed.

For and against Ajith’s behavior

Sports Commentator, quiz show host and participant in TV debates, Sumanth C Raman had without mentioning names tweeted -  "When those who benefited a lot more from #SPB songs than @actorvijay chose to stay away this was a heartwarming gesture by Vijay. Respect indeed. ??". The tweet saw director Venkat Prabhu (who had directed Ajith and close friend of SPB Charan) offering his pranam. Ajith fans had raised their voice against this tweet. To this Raman tweeted – “There is no disrespect meant to anyone. It is their choice to go or not especially with Covid around. I am just pointing out a fact. But why are only fans of one particular star getting agitated and abusive?? So many didn't go."

Ajith has no social media handles and only lately he announced that his manager Suresh Chandra is his official spokesperson. Nayanthara , like Ajith keeps away from film promotions and the media. However she has a SM handle and all her outings with her BF Vignesh Shivn gets covered in full detail with photos (posted by the couple or the paparazzi). She too posted a condolence message. Kamal Haasan made it to the hospital on the evening before the death of SPB. All others issued condolences. Bharathiraaja ,the veteran director on the funeral day and previous night was present with singer Mano.Chennai, September 29:  Looks like SPB Charan is quite peeved with the fact that Thala Ajith did not convey his condolence or attend the funeral of his father. The issue gained traction on the social media after Thalapathi Vijay fans went berserk as their idol turned up at the farm house on the city outskirts to pay his last respects. This was used as an example of how sensitive their idol is to happening around him. A photo and a video went viral which showed Vijay picking up a slipper of a fan lying on the ground and handing it over to him. There was a melee as Vijay was leaving the funeral venue.

Did Thala Ajith phone SPB Charan ?

At the press conference, SPB Charan was asked several questions about Ajith’s silence. Charan had this to say – “Let Ajith mourn from his house. So what?  There is no need for him to come and give his last respects? He is a friend of mine and so also of my Dad. Let him pay his condolences from anywhere. Is it a big issue? Why should Ajith phone me and convey his wishes? Please do not spread rumors. What if he felt sad while at home and phoned me? To me and my family, SPB is no more. It is a great loss for us. We need some time to be alone,”. At the end of the press meet, a visibly drained Charan said that his outbursts were not meant against anyone but generally an expression of grief.

SPB praised Ajith for his reclusive behavior

At a reality show in Star Vijay, SPB as judge said “"One quality that I like about Ajith is that he never gives interview for magazines or TV, He does not post comments on social media and create unnecessary controversy”. SPB who introduced Ajith in a Telugu film produced by him also spoke about the actor and his son Charan being friends “ Charan  and Ajith were class mates. They did their matriculation in Andhra. In his initial days, Ajith used to wear Charan's shirts and shoes for ad shoots over sentimental reasons," he revealed.

Chennai, September 29:  Looks like SPB Charan is quite peeved with the fact that Thala Ajith did not convey his condolence or attend the funeral of his father. The issue gained traction on the social media after Thalapathi Vijay fans went berserk as their idol turned up at the farm house on the city outskirts to pay his last respects. This was used as an example of how sensitive their idol is to happening around him. A photo and a video went viral which showed Vijay picking up a slipper of a fan lying on the ground and handing it over to him. There was a melee as Vijay was leaving the funeral venue.

SPB Charan at the press meet to clear the air on the story doing the social media rounds that it was not the SPB fans in Andhra or Tamil Nadu and those abroad that paid for the final pending dues at the hospital but it was Vice President Venkiah Naidu who settled it. The details are given in another report filed in this blog.

Did Thala Ajith phone SPB Charan ?

At the press conference, SPB Charan was asked several questions about Ajith’s silence. Charan had this to say – “Let Ajith mourn from his house. So what?  There is no need for him to come and give his last respects? He is a friend of mine and so also of my Dad. Let him pay his condolences from anywhere. Is it a big issue? Why should Ajith phone me and convey his wishes? Please do not spread rumors. What if he felt sad while at home and phoned me? To me and my family, SPB is no more. It is a great loss for us. We need some time to be alone,”. At the end of the press meet, a visibly drained Charan said that his outbursts were not meant against anyone but generally an expression of grief.

SPB praised Ajith for his reclusive behavior

At a reality show in Star Vijay, SPB as judge said “"One quality that I like about Ajith is that he never gives interview for magazines or TV, He does not post comments on social media and create unnecessary controversy”. SPB who introduced Ajith in a Telugu film produced by him also spoke about the actor and his son Charan being friends “ Charan  and Ajith were class mates. They did their matriculation in Andhra. In his initial days, Ajith used to wear Charan's shirts and shoes for ad shoots over sentimental reasons," he revealed.

For and against Ajith’s behavior

Sports Commentator, quiz show host and participant in TV debates, Sumanth C Raman had without mentioning names tweeted -  "When those who benefited a lot more from #SPB songs than @actorvijay chose to stay away this was a heartwarming gesture by Vijay. Respect indeed. ??". The tweet saw director Venkat Prabhu (who had directed Ajith and close friend of SPB Charan) offering his pranam. Ajith fans had raised their voice against this tweet. To this Raman tweeted – “There is no disrespect meant to anyone. It is their choice to go or not especially with Covid around. I am just pointing out a fact. But why are only fans of one particular star getting agitated and abusive?? So many didn't go."

Ajith has no social media handles and only lately he announced that his manager Suresh Chandra is his official spokesperson. Nayanthara , like Ajith keeps away from film promotions and the media. However she has a SM handle and all her outings with her BF Vignesh Shivn gets covered in full detail with photos (posted by the couple or the paparazzi). She too posted a condolence message. Kamal Haasan made it to the hospital on the evening before the death of SPB. All others issued condolences. Bharathiraaja ,the veteran director on the funeral day and previous night was present with singer Mano.

Update on After State honours , Venkiah Naidu daughter paid SPB hospital bills -SPB Charan denies

 

On the issue regarding VP Venkaiah daughter clearing SPB hospital dues, Charan said that it was true that he had asked the State Health secretary to help him financially to clear the bills. It was 15 days before the death of his father's death ,he added.  He had come with the money to clear the final bill but the hospital told him to not pay anything else further . The hospital gave a NOC to conduct the funeral after they declared SPB Covid free. He denied that the hospital had asked him to pay the money to take the body of  his father. MGM hospital doctors took only medical related questions at  the media meet and left questions as to why a corporate hospital would forego a huge amount ?. When grilled further about billing details , Charan said that it was issue involving financial dealings and it needed to be kept confidential. Later he lost his cool and  asked why the reporter was keeping on asking details about the billing and nothing else. He  did not  give answer on whether it was over billed or not and vaguely replied that the cost depended on the treatment methods. Charan said that as his father showed signs of recovery, he felt that a continued stay would help. At the last moment however the lungs ollapsed, according to the hospital. He said that he had with held the news that his father was given a tracheotomy to enable him to eat as it would bring panic to his fans as they would fear that he might not sing. 

Coming close on the story that it was the nudge from Venkiah Naidu that the State Government accorded him a State funeral with 21 gun salute, a WhatsApp message got circulated saying that State Government and many Telugu organisations in India and abroad looked the other way when the MGM Health Care wanted SPB family to clear the Rs 1.38 cr pending bill before taking the body.  It was Deepa Venkat, daughter of VP on request from Charan ,who cleared the bills. The rumour about the bill was in circulation in the morning of  SPB death. Many claimed that the singer was dead but the hospital was delaying the official news as `some formality' had to be cleared. The tweet - 

Santishree

@Santishreed11

·

13h

Who helped the family of SPB to get the mortal remains, nobody from the Tamil Or Telugu film industry or the state governments but VP Venkiah Naidu, whose daughter went and paid the bill. Salute you Sir. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

 Dismissing rumors that Vice President Venkaiah Naidu had paid the hospital bills of late singer S P Balasubrahmanyam during his last days, the artiste’s family Sunday said such claims were “offensive” and hurtful. . Deepa Venkat termed it as factually incorrect. Charan  hinted that the person behind the rumour was known to him and added that "SPB was a person who would have forgiven this person who spread this rumour,” A senior doctor in MGM Healthcare said several individuals and groups had volunteered to pay the singer’s bills — including his fans and Tamil groups in Tokyo, London and Paris. “There were many more individuals from Tamil Nadu who volunteered to do the same as the hospital stay was long. But some doctors who treated him had decided to not charge any fee for the legendary musician’s treatment. The management also had taken a similar decision in my knowledge,” the doctor said. Sources said that MGM had even outsourced some equipment from Apollo Hospital.

Sources said the family had paid a certain sum after the first 15 days of Balasubrahmanyam’s treatment and the remaining amount wasn’t accepted by the hospital out of respect for the late singer.A member of MGM Healthcare’s Board refused to comment on the management’s decision to not accept pending bills.“Patient confidentiality is very important. Only thing I want to clarify is we were accountable to his family alone — his son and daughter. Nobody else,” he added. “But let me tell you, whatever (rumours) people are putting out are unfortunate and distasteful. This was not the time for that. We are Tamil people, we are much bigger fans of SPB (as the singer was known fondly among fans) than anyone else. We don’t need a single rupee from them,” the Board member further said.

When SPB was in hospital, his publicist said that COVID 19 test was negative but his son Charan denied it. Charan in defense says that the Hospital told him that if the news came out and SPB did not return home, they might face a lawsuit. However on Sept 25th, PRO Nikil Murugan put out a MGM official note that the singer was tested negative before death. If this note had not come the funeral would have been a closed door affair. Charan says that the health and police officials gave him permission to keep the body overnight at the house. As crowds grew, the neighbours faced trouble from visitors who jumped over their compund walls and damaged the property. The police then asked Charan to take the body to the farm house.

SPB the singer who drank-smoked- thrived on ice water and knew no Carnatic music

 

SPB broke all my notions  of a singer and that too of an accomplished one. It was an audio release at a Star hotel and after the function there was a cocktail party. SPB was in the hall where drinks were served. As he was a singer, I expected him to push off after exchanging pleasantries as alchol damaged their voice and the smoke from cigarettes in the hall was more harmful. Myself. Filmnews Anandan, Cinema Express Ramamurthy and Cinenews Selvam as usual settled in a corner table with our glasses..SPB walked to our table and greeted the others at the table. I was a newcomer and so got introduced. He then signaled for a drink and pulled up a chair. He pulled out a pack and lit a cigarette. Next shock was he told the bearer to put a few ice cubes with cold soda. This left me dumbfounded and speechless/ As the session progressed, SPB asked my friends - Your friend speaks very little?. I just managed to smile.

As a rule, I always avoided singers- music directors since  my knowledge of music was nil. All I could do was enjoying music that suited my taste. As in most cases of film music, the picturization elevated the popularity of the song and of course the actors who acted on screen. I usually assigned the interviews in that category to those who had a backdrop of music. As Screen was not a publication that was interested in the eating habits, dress sense and favorites, I felt someone who could ask about music was apt. I had M L Narasimhan who wrote on Telugu films for us to interview him. He was also personally close to the singer.

At another party hosted by my friends who were owners - Chiefs of music companies that bought the films audio rights, SPB and I met. He said that we kept meeting at such parties but have not met personally so far. I told him that I wanted to interview him but as my technical knowledge of music was zero, I kept away. He laughed and said that he too had no idea about Carnatic music or the so called raga- pallavi . He said that when he heard a fresh tune, he just asked the director what it was and made effort to study them. He said that he ran away when people came to book him for a kutcheri. I was stunned. Fresh out of college and working as a trainee, I had seen Sankarabharanam and went gaga over the songs and the film. I had this image of SPB of being like the Somayajulu in the film. I heard about SPB being chosen over Yesudas.

He never believed in putting his foot down on any issue or any job too low. I remember a singer making a snide remark when told that SPB was inside dubbing. " Dubbing ? that too he will not leave to others ?. Anyway what he sings is like dubbing only “he remarked. Music directors say that he always was open to corrections. He had a Malayalam connect apart from regarding Yesudas as his role model. Director- lyricist- music director Sreekumaran Thampi and he did Engineering together in College and their children too studied in the same school. He used to tell me that among all languages it was Malayalam that was difficult to pronounce. Even when a copyright issue cropped up between him and friend Illaiyaraja, SPB took the way of non confrontation.

Veteran journalist Girija Jinnaa who interviewed SPB when he got his national award and was a contributor to Screen magazine put out a FB post that I think was something which sums his outlook to life and also on how our STARS react.  The photograph is from FB page of Durai Selvaraj , son  of Cinenews Selvam. It was taken in London. Posted on Aug 20 wishing SPB a speedy recovery.

SPB infection -a warning ignored by TV sector

 The contracting of the virus by SPB at a TV show in Hyderabad should have send shock signals and started corrective measures. The whole thing was swept under the carpet as it did not suit the TV channel bosses. When the KBC promo shoot was on, we got visuals posted by Big B of men in PPE suits working . It send out a message that it is a matter of concern. Today by a rough count TV actors totaling around 40 and still counting are under treatment across South TV channels, The list of technicians who got it as usual is not available as they do not make news. Even the question raised in SPB issue was whether he got it from a singer from the show, but not towards the laxity of the channel.

 A shoot of a TV reality show in Hyderabad was the place from where SPB got the virus and many musicians who took part in the shoot had tested positive is a testimony to the flaws in the permissions granted. The plight of an ordinary actor who gets tested positive receives no support from the production company or team is evident from the plight of veteran actress Siva Parvathy. The shooting permission rules only specifies about the number of technicians on the sets and other standard procedures. It does not ask for a test report for COVID from those taking part in the shoot. The testing of singer Malavika and her declared positive has only brought this anomaly to light. Malavika says that her entire family stayed at home for past 5 months and that she was tested positive on August 8^th, Staying at home does not guarantee  immunity from the virus and if she had not taken the test, she would continue to be COVID free even now.  Her  defense that  she was not COVID 19 positive when she took part in the reality show shoot on July31st at Hyderabad with SPB does not hold water. She says that only after August 5^th (day SPB was tested positive) that she, her father-mother and husband- daughter took the test. On 8^th , she ,her parents and daughter  were tested positive and on 19^th, her father was admitted to the hospital. She says that many on the sets had tested positive. She said SPB messaged her -‘I was very tired; I have been shooting for 4 days continuously and don’t forget my age.’

The lax conditions in which the show shoot was conducted should have made the State Government to seal the studio and declare it as containment zone. Nothing of this happened. A shop or market which has been the place from where the virus was contracted is shut down. A house from where a person tests positive is pasted with a warning notice. No shooting houses or locations have ever been subjected to this. We saw the news clip of a family being shut inside a house with tin sheets barricaded against their doors and windows , as one of the family was tested positive. Markets are shut down when a positive case is reported. Why the double standards for the TV sector?

The scenario in Kerala is grave with almost every day, the channels showing that an actor has been replaced due to being afflicted by Covid 19. We saw the making of the promos of Bigg Boss Tamil with Kamal Haasan. Did they show the technicians working on the shoot and behind the camera showing the SOP being followed? Contestants are quarantined at a city hotel and the whole exercise has boiled down to catch visuals to reveal who these people are as the Channel has kept it a secret.

If the State Government does not take tough steps in monitoring the TV sector which uses shooting bungalows, channel’s studios and public places, the outcome could be very disastrous.  Media is eager to show leaked visuals from the start of a shoot of a Ajith film after post lockdown and in the same breath shows common men walking on the street without mask and blaming the police for not enforcing the law. Time to wake up.

We reported this on August 21 in our blog.

Thala Ajith - Vijay Devarakonda public warnings and Managers

 

As Bollywood is rocked by activities of Star Managers, Kollywood saw for the first time a top notch Star Ajith in a legal notice stating the name of his manager as  the only official link to him. In Tollywood, youth icon Vijay Devarakonda like a corporate entity had to issue a statement that only his official social media handles is taken as confirmation of his projects. In the South, previously it was the family members that took care of the talks with producers - directors. It later shifted to a manager after the advent of Mumbai based heroines into the South. They had no idea of the industry or the language. A Hindi speaking guy with film background based in Chennai would serve as the manager. Later as these Mumbai gals started getting offers from Telugu films, they appointed a manager in Hyderabad too.  Still the heroes l had no such categories. They had only a guy to collect the cheque and take care of schedules with production houses. This was because the heroes were all Tamil speaking guys. All they had  was a PRO.

Taking a cue from casting agencies that linked models with advertising agencies, the start of a casting manager started.  These guys acted as a link between the models and the filmdom. They tied up with Mumbai agencies to arrange for a dekho and audition of aspirants for directors coming to the metro.  Kamal  Haasan had a manager DNS who did what was told by his boss. Rajinikanth had no such person fixed . Nor did he have any steady PRO . Sathyaraj and Karthik had managers. Prabhu’s brother took care of his dates. Kushboo had a manager but the final call was hers. The scene changed when non Tamil speaking Abbas made it big in Tamil. He put a manager and the rest is history, Vikram had  Giri as his manager. Ajith at that stage did all the dealings himself and Suresh Chandra did the legwork. Prashanth’s Star Dad Thiagarajan did all the talking.  

Things changed when the dividing line between PRO and Manager became thin. Some like Nayanthara, Suriya, Dhanush had a combo of a manager and a PRO to handle their affairs. Now there is a lot of ambiguity regarding with whom to initiate talks about a project that involves a Star.  Many novices turn to Film Directory filled with outdated numbers of managers.

In Bollywood, this problem is solved to a great extent as there is a system called Casting managers. The plus is that they get  you appointments. On the downside, these guys can be also be playing favourites and mostly their ranking is linked to the banners- directors and Stars that they are close to. For a newcomer or an over the hill actor, these managers are GOD. Down South, no banner- director has entrusted anybody to do this job. Even the job of a PRO in Tamil is linked to the hero. The banner usually   gives the PRO job to the guy who works for the hero. In the South, for the first time a professionally run Talent management agency called KWAN was setup in Hyderabad. It was owned by Rana Daggubatti of the Rama Naidu clan. It has reportedly Trisha, Nayanthara and many others in the South and from Mumbai as clients. Salman Khan’s lawyer has refuted the news that his client has a majority stake in KWAN. An employee, Jaya of KWAN, phone conversations with actorsabout drug deals is with NCB.

In the case of Ajith, the rounds doing is that an ex-producer was going around saying that he was given an offer to do a film as a gesture to bail him out. The Film Financiers – Theater – distributor – Digital providers have formed a Federation by which no such deal can come through. Yet another story is that a fixer  is going around claiming that he was the go between the actor and the  director to arrange a story sitting and is the new link to the Star. Ajith has now set the record straight – If it is from Suresh Chandra then everything about me is OFFICIAL.  

Next in the rankings is Thalapathy Vijay. He had a magazine publisher- small time producer P T Selvakumar as his manager. He was working from the days when Vijay’s father SAC used to direct him. After almost a decade, Selvakumar was made a producer of a film titled Puli in which Vijay acted and had Sreedevi in a pivotal role. Whether PTS gained financial stability with this movie is doubtful, a new guy Jagadish became his manager. This guy was very active and also worked for Keerthy Suresh. He is the executive producer of Vijay’s upcoming film – Master. Now Jagadish is working for actor Jeyam Ravi. Though the buzz is that he had a fallout with Vijay, those in the know say that Editor Mohan who is family friend of SAC and Vijay would not appoint someone who has bad blood with Vijay for his son Ravi.

News had come out that Vijay Devarakonda signed a Tamil film.  The actor's team had to ask the producers to deny the news, as it became sensational. Actually, producers from Dusky Entertainments approached Vijay Devarakonda and the actor turned down their offer. Producers clarified that they did not sign the actor and expressed interest to work with him in future. They have lodged a complaint on those people who spread false news. “Any project Vijay Deverakonda is associated with shall be formally announced by him and his producers. Official confirmation can also be verified on VDs official SM handles. While we take action against these perpetrators, We request all to be alert and double check any information in their personal best interests." posted Team Vijay Devarakonda.

 

 

Tenet the first Hollywood film post lockdown gets ready to talk Tamil- Telugu- Hindi

 

Warner Bros India office is getting to release the posters of Tenet in Tamil, Telegu and Hindi with a change in release date. The first phase of theater opening is expected from October 1 and Tenet will be the first to hit the screens. The Hindi trailor is already out. The Indian connect to this sci-fi thriller is that it has Dimple Kapadia in the cast.

The fact that there would be no regional films that will compete with Tenet in India and that the film attracted maximum audience in IMAX theatres abroad due to the grand visuals, the exhibitors are hoping that cinema addicts would turn up in large numbers. Exhibitors feel that the young are longing to come out for a community viewing and the multiplexes will benefit. The Reading Cinema of US has started screening Tenet in 70 MM screen as they feel it will bring in the addicts of big screen. Reading Cinema’s director of projection said "We're one of the very few theaters in the United States that actually is showing it in 70mm film," Sittig proudly boasted. "That is Christopher Nolan's favorite process. He makes his movies using film. He edits them using film and we have one of the few 70mm prints in the country."  A 70 MM print is 16,000 feet or roughly three miles of film.

The absence of regional films competition in India is a big relief . In South Korea, Tenet did dismally as it faced competition from two Korean films that were released simultaneously. However, the reemergence of Covid, the Government imposed further restrictions to limiting only 100 per screen. The film was pulled out. As Bolan’s earlier films received good response in China, a separate trailor in Mandarin with intro by Bolan was put out.

Warner Bros says that it is unreasonable to expect pre-pandemic kind of box office results. The next film The New Mutants  released  on August 28, 2020. The film released in more than 500 theatres at 2, 331 different locations. The film initially opened with a gross collection of $450k while followed by $467k on Tuesday and it dropped by $394k approx on Wednesday. The film, which is a spin-off of X-Men, gathered $8.75 million in the US in the first week. As per the reports, The New Mutants has done a total business of $12.45 million by September 7 in the US. After adding $9.04 million from international markets, the worldwide total of the film is $21.49 million so far.

Rotten Tomatoes puts critics consensus as - A visually dazzling puzzle for film lovers to unlock, Tenet serves up all the cerebral spectacle audiences expect from a Christopher Nolan production. Audience have given a 76% score. NY Post writes - The months-long shroud of secrecy around the film’s plot was not for fear of spoilers, but rather because Warner Bros. couldn’t find a smart enough marketer to summarize this science blither-blather. Trying to understand the story can make you feel like you’re sitting on a stool in a dunce cap.

Our desi Times of India gives 4 stars and concludes The secret to enjoy Tenet lies in what the scientist explaining inversion tells ` The Protagonist’, don’t try to understand, just feel it. This review by Andrew Todd — a writer, filmmaker, and theatre practitioner — has been written after a press screening in New Zealand.) and published in FirstPost says Tenet represents a dangerous gambit in the age of COVID-19: a blockbuster so must-see the studio hopes audiences will risk infection and death just to catch a glimpse of its brilliance. But in the end, Tenet is just a movie, as it was always going to be.’

 

 

Suriya's pro Dalit stance to promote Soorarai Pottru or his political stance ?

 

The posturing of actor Suriya as a pro-Dalit in a film based on a Brahmin entrepreneur, the statement on NEET issued by him smacks of an anti Brahmanical views -  is this  a move to signal his  political posture in coming times or is it as BJP thinks a ploy to give a boost to an upcoming film ?. One will have to wait and watch.

Two things that took place seem to have a pattern. The song Mannurunda Mela that was released some time ago and from upcoming film Soorarai Pottru in which Suriya plays the central character based loosely on Air Deccan founder Capt. G R Gopinath has been ordered by the Court to be removed from the film and take action on the creators as it was found to be instigating enmity between caste groups. The song though in circulation for some time was  not  a chart buster and no castes went  to war. Nor did any of the vocal Hinduvata  groups raise a storm over it at the time of release.

Lyricist K Ekadesi lines in Tamil translated asks - “Is the blood of a lower caste person a filth in gutter ?

Show me if the upper caste person has got horns!”.   A close look at the song promo of  the film shows Suriya marrying Aparna Balamurali with photos of Dr. Ambedkar and Periyar in the backdrop. In my search of info on Captain Gorur Ramaswamy Gopinath,I did not find any such happenings and also that his children too were married as per Brahmin rituals.

As the film was completed much before the NEET issue and suicides, these pro Dalit images and undercurrents were already in the film. Now the suicide issue crops up. The basic feel among everybody is that the kids whose parents who do not have the money to pay for donation to get a MBBS seat feel pressured  to get into the rank list and  the fear of the consequences if they failed  led them to take the extreme step. Till NEET is done away the parental pressure has to be stopped  till admission to medicine be on marks in the school be restored is the only way out.

Suriya has however brought in Dhrona, Ekalavya and Chanakya into his statement. This is a language that is used by the anti- caste or pro-Dalit groups and a far deviation from the statement he issued as head of Agaaram Foundation . This body helps underprivileged children’s education and Suriya had then talked only about the economic status that puts these kids at a disadvantage.

The TN State Assembly has now brought in a 7.5% quota for students of Government schools in the State quota held under NEET.  Suriya has welcomed this move.

 

The fact that Suriya being a Gounder, considered an upper land owning class has taken up for Dalit’s is definitely a bold move. His generalized statement like the High Court  barring personal hearings but allowing personal appearance for students to write exams,  the comments made in TV debates  which mocked at badly written suicide notes were uncalled for.

In Kabali too there were pro Dalit images and lines that supported them. It was understood as the director Pa Ranjith is a professed anti-caste activist and the central character is one from the lower rungs who rose to be a Don. In a film about a character who is a Brahmin and the actor who has so far not broached the topic and doing so at a time when his film is readying for an OTT release, makes it suspect. How many of the underprivileged have access to Smart TV and preloaded OTT apps in a State where suicides take place due to non availability of smart phones to study online lessons?

Update ; Star Vijay Bhaarathi Kannamma overtakes Roja -Bhagyalakshmi at 3rd place

 

42nd week show an upswing for Star Vijay as Bharathi Kannamma overtook Sun's Roja serial to be No 1. The third spot held by Vijay's Pandiyan Stores has gone to same channel's Bhagyalakshmi which was at 5th place last week. Pandiyan Stores moved to 5th is Kaalyana Veedu along with Poove Unnakakhe in 5th place.

The dramatic upswing of Bhagyalakshmi is said to be the change in timing to 8.30 PM which offers no competition from Sun. However, Sun still retains its TRP rating in rural areas and combined together can claim that Roja is still the top. The special episode of Bigg Boss 4 on Puja day might have dampened the launch of a new serial on the same day by Sun. On Sunday ( Nov 1) Vijay has from 3 -8 PM the finale to singing reality show Champion of Champions with A R Rahman as an invitee . Apart from the musical delight there is going to be a stunning dance performance by Pandian Stores fame Kathir and his wife Suhasini on the grand finale.On the same night also comes Kamal Haasan on Bigg Boss show for the eviction round.

The 41th  week TRP showed drastic changes. Star Vijay's Bhagyalakshmi  climbed to the 5th place .  Bigg Boss 4  weekly episode maintained a steady 9.5 TRP Star Vijay's Bharathi Kannamma held  2nd and Pandian Stores in 3rd with Roja= Poove Unkahe Mahasangamam  of Sun TV at first place.   Adi Parasakthi too is coming to an end and is in the 8th place. Chembaruthi which shares 4th place with Kalyana Veedu is likely to wind up and replaced by new serial.

Star Vijay  brought  in  part two of Raja Rani in the evening slot of 6.30 pm. It has Praveena along with Alya Manasa and Sidhu Sid . It has yet to pick steam. Kalyana Veedu remains steady at 4th . Even some expected serials like Nayagi of Sun TV slipped to low spots and is at 9th place . Chitthi 2 shows a revival with gaining the 8th spot.

Sun TV had brought back the successful serial  Nayagi back after it was discontinued post lockdown. It is now in the 9th place .The new avatar has TV host Nakshathra Nagesh who made her TV debut in Lakshmi Stores produced by Kushboo for Sun and a cameo in Minnale playing the lead with Krishnan ( Deivamaghal). Produced by Vikatan Televistas, the lead actress put out a video of her at the sets. She also acted in films including Vaya Moodi Pesuvom opposite Dulquar Salman.

Latest update is that in Pandian Stores serial , Satya Sai Krishna will play the role of Meena ( actress Hema in real life was pregnant and delivered a baby). Satya has acted in Zee Tamil's  Azhagiya Tamil Maghal and Roja Maghal. Real life couple Yogeswaran and Myna Nandini will also be added to the cast. Star Vijay serial Bharathi Kannamma and Pandian Stores has got into first and second place as per ranking. The expectation was that Pandian Stores had the chance to push out Sun TV's Roja from first place but Bharathi Kannamma has upset this calculation. The Bharathi Kannamma  team cut a cake and celebrated the occasion, Directed by Praveen Benett, the  series premiered 25 February 2019 on Vijay TV. The show is the Tamil-language remake of Malayalam television series, Karuthamuthu, Roopa Sri along with Tanusree and Manimekalai are the heroines. The serial is aired everyday from After the lockdown period, the serial came back with on July 27th with a 8.30 Pm -9.30 PM slot.

 First time Star Vijay Tamil serials become leader in their slots. Pandian Stores and Bharathi Kannamma had become No 1 in their time slot. Till now the reality show Bigg Boss from this channel, a seasonal show at weekends was the only one that could withstand the Sun TV onslaught. A new trend shows that if serial get premiered a day before telecast affects the TRP ratings. Zee5 is a spoiler for Zee Tamizh ratings. Web series Queen about Jayalalithaa is at the lowest 25th spot.

Pandian Stores  tells a story of a joint family in a rural household. The integration of the lockdown situation which results in the family, forced to be quarantined at home added to the plot and attracted the viewers. The actress who plays one of the daughter – in- law in the soap was in real life pregnant and her departure after the rituals to her mother’s house and delivery of a baby was fit into the story and the true life happenings combined created additional buzz. The lockdown was also used by the script writers in the serial Eeramana Rojavey to add spice to the love drama.

Bharathi Kannamma is another slot leader for Star Vijay. It is about the entry of a colleague Venbha into the life of Bharathi, when his wife Kanamma is pregnant. Vijay TV ‘s Mouna Ragam is ending but the serial Ayutha Ezhuthu had an abrupt end. Actress Sharanya who played a pivotal role posted that she had no idea why the sap was pulled out. Sometime back, it had pulled out Sivamanaskulla Sakthi abruptly.

On the other hand, Radhikaa’s Raadan’s sequel to all time hit serial Chitthi in Sun TV ran into trouble post lockdown. Actors Ponvannan, Nikhila and Shilpa from the show have been replaced by Nizhalgal Ravi, Gayathri and Jayalakshmi. Ponvannan had lung infection, Nikila is in Bangalore and 7 months pregnant while Shilpa had a leg injury. Producer had to replace older actors with new ones. The gap of four months has unsettled Sun. It had to put back the old hit  Metti Oii on the air and is 15th while Thirumagal premiered is at 14th.

One hour episodes are now brought in to see that viewers don’t switch channels. Apart from this the IPL season that starts on September 19^th in UAE and has night timing telecast, a Tamil Bigg Boss 4 getting ready to come by October end on Star Vijay are on the new worries. If State Government grants permission to screen IPL in theaters scheduled for an October reopening, the worry would only compound.

The fact that Zee Tamizh and Star Vijay serials are inching closer and figuring in top 10 top slots and pushing down Sun TV shows that a drastic overhaul is needed to fight back.  

Thalapathy Vijay Master promo begins- A Game Show to Select the WORLD’S BIGGEST FAN OF THALAPATHY VIJAY

Seven Screen Studio, Lalit Kumar, Producer of mega budget films like ‘Master’, ‘Cobra’, ‘Thuklak Darbar’ and Cinema Central YouTube Channel today announced the launch of a big Online Game Show to select the WORLD’S BIGGEST FAN OF THALAPATHY VIJAY, commencing from September 19, 2020 through Live Stream at 6 p.m. The game show is on Thalapathy Vijay’s films, his likes, views and speeches. The game show is primarily targeted at millions of Vijay’s fans, who love him and make social media trending out of every news on Vijay.

The game show is conceived and executed by CEAD Film Consultancy Team headed by Dr.G. Dhananjayan for Seven Screen Studio-Lalit Kumar and Cinema Central YouTube channel. The idea of the game show is to engage, entertain and connect with millions of fans of Vijay through this program and select the World’s Biggest Fan of Vijay, who knows everything about Thalapathy Vijay.

The game show will be streamed live every weekend (Saturday and Sunday) at 6 p.m from 19^th September for 10 weeks (total 20 episodes) followed by quarter final, semi-final and final round to select the winners.

This Game show will be streamed live in the popular YouTube Channels Valai Pechu and Cinema Central, in addition to Twitter IDs of Dhananjayang and CinemaCentralYT (Periscope) at the same time (6 p.m) for everyone to participate from wherever they are. The game show is for millions of fans of Vijay across the world and not restricted to only Tamil Nadu and everyone can participate in the game show.

Each episode will have 10 questions from the anchor and the participants need to answer them at the end of the program by messaging to a WhatsApp Chatbot Number displayed, at the end of each episode. The participants are given 5 minutes to answer the 10 questions at the end of the program and after that no entry shall be accepted by the system.

There will be winners in each Episode, followed by quarter, semi and final rounds. The following are the Prize details, worth total of Rs.10 Lakhs.

There is no entry fee or condition attached to participate in this Game Show. Anyone, who love Thalapathy Vijay can participate in the Game show and the winners will be chosen based on their entry. One person can send only one entry. Multiple entries by the same person shall not be considered and all will be rejected. All that you need to do is watch the Live Streamed episode of the Game Show and answer the 10 questions at the end of the episode by sending your entry to the WhatsApp Chatbot Number displayed. 

Winners of Each of the 20 Episodes:

Top 3 Winners – 1 Gram gold coin + 5 tickets each for the film ‘Master’

Next 7 winners – 5 Tickets each for the film ‘Master’

Final Round Winners:

First Prize – Bajaj Pulsar 150 Bike + World’s Biggest Fan of Thalapathy Vijay trophy

Second Prize – 8 Gram Gold Coin + 5 Tickets for the film ‘Master’

Third Prize – 4 Gram Gold Coin + 5 Tickets each for the film ‘Master’

An introductory program on the game show will be on Live stream on 16^th September (Wednesday) at 6 pm in both the YouTube channels (Valai Pechu and Cinema Central) and Twitter Handles, for the benefit of everyone to understand more details about the game show.