Bigg Boss Ultimate to take Vannathappole - Aanandham route : - Will it click ?

Big Boss Ultimate Tamil will follow a course of fun and not any serious confrontation as it was in Bigg Boss shows on TV. This is the new game plan charted out by the Disney Hotstar bosses. The new host STR who hosted the first show yesterday made it clear in his one to one interaction with the housemates. Vanitha Vijaykumar who quit soon after Kamal Haasan left the show was told after exiting from BB that STR was the next host and asked  whether she was willing to come in as wild card entry. Sources said that Vanitha told Endemol company officials that  if she was given a hint that a big STAR was to be host, she would have stayed back. The officials then told her that she would have to change her game plan and not be the aggressive player, is he came back. In words of the official, "Vanitha said that playing Angel was not her cup of tea".

BB 5 Tamil was more of fun and camaraderie and very less intense fights like in earlier season like Season 3. To channel surprise, BB5 notched TRP more than all other seasons. This send the message that Tamil audience preferred a good family drama devoid of any high voltage  scenes bordering on physical violence. 

BB Ultimate concept was to pit the most vocal of previous seasons against each other. With close to a month of BB Ultimate days , the TRP of the show on Disney Hotsar is not showing any great improvement after the first two weeks. Hence the decision to convert the entire BB Ultimate house into a Vikraman  's films concept of joint family, said the concept team source.. In short a formula that is popular in Tamil TV soaps. For this reason the elimination of Snekhan and Thaadi Balaji was put up as the show needed elders.

Keeping this in mind, Suresh came back as wild card entry with  Satish of Kalakku poovathu yaru fame. Suresh will now play the all embracing grandpa who will stomach anything to keep the house happy and Satish as the loving sacrificial brother.   As Vannathapole drama will unfold with help from two new entrants, it would have been apt that Sarathkumar who is King of such family dramas be the host. " It would be a give away" sad the official. As first step, Suresh started telling positive news ( most of it his imagination) to make housemates happy.

Feedback on STR as host is that he has over done the bit of being nervous in doing the show and the scriptwriters stuck to one way to surprise housemates as they enter the room to see STR.  The reaction too from housemates are overboard and looked like what in cinema parlance- for one salary he acted for two characters/.  How did the housemates zero in on STR in their talk  before the Day ?. BB House walls also speak.

Bheemla Nayak : Fair Telugu remake of Ayyappanum Koshiyum

Bheemala Nayak is not what I feared would have happened to Telugu remake of an iconic Malayalam film Ayyappanum Koshy. To give due credit, Pawan Kalyan has towards the climax given more than expected footage to Rana's Liquor Daniel  (who plays Prithviraj's role) sort of made a balance equal. Though the original did  end with nobody declared a winner,  Pawan being POWER STAR, it has to be an exception.

Going by earlier remakes, the film has not been butchered badly as it was in Pink remake. If Pink was about whether consent is needed from a woman for sex was the issue, the Telugu remake was all about Pawan's love and caring to women folk . An exercise in brand building of Pawan the politician.

Here it does take place and an overdo of  it but the story line changes . Here  cop Ayyappan ( Pawan) gets suspended for arresting Koshy (Rana) who is not an ex-serviceman but a son of a liquor Mafia Don.  In final battle, Pawan losing the first round ( he was back stabbed by Liquor Danniel's goons) is itself a sacrilege to fans. If Ayyapan's trump card was his locking grip across the waist of opponent, here Bheema pulls out the hand of his rival from the shoulder as if it was a tuff of hair. What a deadly change in character !!!  

Nithya Menon ( wife of Bheema) is probably most pretty tribal woman seen on screen in recent times. Samyuktha Menon as Daniel wife springs to life in the climax. Samudrakanni role was a casualty as how can we forget  director Ranjith as estate landlord. As it is season of Lal baiting, I was wondering if the original film was in Telugu and remade in Malayalam  with Mohanlal in  Ayyappan role . 

Valimai beats Vijay's Sarkar record betters Ajith's previous hit

 Opening day figures that have come in show Valimai having Rs 25.50 net collection and beating Vijay's Sarkar record of Rs 23.50 crores in Tamil Nadu. In terms of gross collection, Sarkar record of Rs 30.19 crores remains unbeaten with Valimai figures being at Rs 29.60 crores.

Karnataka region Tamil prints posted Rs 3.60 crore gross, AP/ TS ( Telugu Dubbed) with Rs 1.65 crores and Kerala with Rs 1.10 crores. In Kerala, Master held the record of having Rs 60 Lakhs  Hindi was a washout with  Rs 1. 15 crores.  Valimai  opening is the highest for Ajith film and beats his all time hit Viswasam opening day collections.

If one factors in the ticket  prices in 2018  for Sarkar and Viswasam in 2019 and that no other film is playing in any theaters of Tamil Nadu as well as official sanction to run morning shows from 4 AM, the margins blur and records might be more on paper .

Meanwhile Tamil TV actors are celebrating that one among them figured in Valimai with Ajith. Chaitra Reddy , popular actress who started in Zee Tamil and now in No 1 TRP rated serial Kayal on Sun TV plays a part of  the cyber squad that helps the hero track the villain. Though the role is confined to a room , Chaithra has many close up scenes and comes quite often in the film. Congratulatory messages from co- actors are pouring in.

STR is Bigg Boss Host - follow up to STR aka Simbhu - Sarathkumar- Aravind Swamy probable's to host Bigg Boss

 

Latest promo confirms that STR is the host that will step in to the shoes of Kamal Haasan in Bigg Boss Ultimate Tamil. Literally as it goes, STR ties the shoe lace and wears the blazer to turn to the camera and say Did not expect it ? Me Too Lets us meet.

From the list of shortlisted celebrity list that Disney Hotstar has put up, STR aka Simbhu might sign on the dotted line and

start promo shoot for coming weekend of Bigg Boss Ultimate Tamil, says sources. STR is said to have a very close relationship with Star Vijay, the arm of Star Network that works in tandem with Disney Hotstar.  However, Dhanush who is said to have a cold war with STR is among the actors who has bagged the most number of Star Vijay awards ( 7 awards). The position of host held by Kamal Haasan being inherited by STR and the participation money ( Rs 50 lakhs for a single appearance  was given to Kamal) could be a factor for STR to take it up says sources. For the channel, STR who is riding the wave of popularity after Maanaadu success  would be able to bring in the youth and the fan base to the show. STR is away shooting for last leg of Gautham Menon directed film.

Sarathkumar had come in Bigg Boss 5 as a guest for a episode and interacted with the contestants. He left a brief case of Rs 15 lakh as a bait for a contestant to take it and quit the contest. He might be called in to do the main host . In the last poll, his party was aligned with Kamal's political outfit and both drew a blank.

Aravind  Swamy name is mentioned as he had hosted a show Season 3 of Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi ( Tamil KBC) on same channel . In fact before Kamal Haasan became host it was Swamy whose name was said in TV circles as the host.

Prakash Raj who has also hosted  KBC  Tamil show  and Kamal along with his live in partner Gauthami had taken part and the episode sent TRP soaring. Ramya Krishnan had  stood in for Kamal in previous BB season after the actor was taken sick due to COVID infection. She had judged the BB Jodi show on Vijay and had a spat with Vanitha Vijayakumar ( one of house mates of that season and now a contestant in Ultimate ). Promos will start soon.

Valimai : Like in Vivegam - this too banks on Ajith star power

Valimai has all the stuff that die hard fans of Ajith want and that too packed in first half. Second half, director tries to bring in mushy mushy stuff to make the ` family' crowds link to a subject that is as alien as a sci-fi film. Here this attempt to cater to the family crowd creates so many cringe scenes and looks like the director just poured all those dramatic scenes on you . For all those who cheered the biker Ajith and his punch lines and decibels kept going up with each time the accelerator starts spinning, the second half is like putting them to sleep. So to wake them up, you get the action chase scenes pop up.

A dialogue in the film - "Nobody's gonna ask how we earned...Nobody's gonna research how we succeeded.. We must succeed, we must earn money". The film was made to suit Boney Kapoor's arrogance that if you have a STAR, everything goes. No other actors or their characterizations matter. Despite all this, Huma Qureshi does excel. For all the pre- release hype by Karthikeya , he turns out be yet another dummy piece. Now this music part is as we know a dud but the BGM is so messy that Ghibran ( he gets a thank you card ??) and Yuvan just tore it apart. Nirav Shah - stunt master Dilip  and Ajith are three guys who have made what little you can sit through the 3 hr movie . Nearly close to half of the movie is  unbearable..

Coming to Ajith, in some places he looks very lean and fresh, in others he is puffed up. Probably it was the 3 year time that an actor has to wait it out for shoots. If you liked Vivegam - then Valimai is blockbuster for you. If you did not- then it is ten times worse .

Mohanlal agrees with our view : Mohanlal's Aaraattu will break Akhanda box office record in Andhra / TS

Mohanlal has told Manorama News that critics or those in Telangana / Andhra do not criticize a film like it is done in Kerala. This he learnt during his stay in Hyderabad for Bro Dadddy shooting. The public are supportive of films and do not run them down. The reason being that they are supportive of film industry that employs thousands. This VIEW shows that our inference that Aaraattu will be a blockbuster in Andhra - Telangana is right on the mark. 

Yet another point he raised was very valid - those who say editing is not good should know about editing . To best of my knowledge, unless the order of film scenes  are jerky, I do not write about editing . Even though I have had a hands on experience of editing a film as assistant to a editor who was using movieola, I am not sure about the craft. Music is something that affects my ears and sensibilities and so without knowing about music direction, I take the liberty to comment on it as also with cinematography as it deals with visuals and my eyes. Down is the original story:

B Unnikrishnaan as a director has kept to his word - he has given a film that has no logic. In that genre, this film's 

Telugu dubbed version will break the existing record set by Balakrishna with Akhanda. Now has the film brought back the  vintage Mohanlal back to us ( Lalettan fans and every Malayali movie goer universally) ?, YES. First half is full of references to all the punch dialogues and scenes from Lal ettan's hit films. It is so enjoyable that we forget the entire plot told in first few minutes. So at interval, twitter critics said that it was MASS. YouTubers showed boys and girls saying in interval that it was Lal magic at work. Euphoria breaks out globally ( read GCC ).

Second half is Lalism at play. Doing away with caste tags, need for women education and  on. The social obligation that an actor has to do to society is at play in second half. In short, a films that is music to Lal ettan fans. Add to it being political correct ( it angered political activists but they are not the core audience)

As a trade analyst, I feel that Aarattu dubbed version in Andhra - Telangana will be a money spinner and like Pushpa Hindi shocked Bollywood , Aaraattu Telugu will storm Tollywood.  Sleepless nights ahead for Balakrishna.

Now this breed got degrading guys - they say that any film of Lal after Marakkar would be welcomed as the previous was a benchmark for lowest performance of Lal. I disagree. Marakkar is on par with Vanaprasatham etc . The problem is if Lal goes Mass roles, you say he is commercial. Bring back the vintage Lal. When Unnikrishnan did that through past refrences you say that we want the Complete Actor. Makeup your mind . You can no more expect both in one film.

Unnikrishnan said that this film was only a trailor of a bigger fil with bigger illogical happenings. As this will enter the Rs 100 cr club in Kerala alone, the next Unnikrishnan- Lal outing will be looking at Superhero Marvel box office record. As  past refrences to Lal films, have we not seen so many TV shows and star nites that have video clips before prsenting Legend of World Cinema to Lal ?

Kamal Haasan exit from Bigg Boss exposes reach of OTT

 Exit of Kamal Haasan, host of Bigg Boss Ultimate reality show is the reach of OTT in Tamil Nadu ( outside Chennai) and also has brought back the comparison between the  5 serials TRP in both the channels. One major reason being said for Kamal's exit is that the OTT platform Disney Hotstar does not have the reach to take the show across Tamil Nadu and it was mutually beneficial for OTT platform and host to part ways. For Disney, the amount paid to Kamal was burning a big hole in the pocket and for the actor, his proposed visit to Paris Fashion week to promote his brand of Khaddhar clothes and  post production work that needs to be done abroad for his own film Vikram would have been affected if he were to be in  Chennai every weekend for next four weeks. Kamal has used the latest BOLT camera to film the climax and is leaving no stone unturned to make it a technical treat.

( courtesy: tamiltvexpress )

One of the contestants Thamarai in Ultimate show itself kept grumbling that her house in a village does have internet broadband to get a OTT APP and nobody had a Smart TV. Though Kamal read out figures of BB Ultimate voting to be double of BB on Star VIjay, advertisements and the in house brands that featured were nothing `national' about it.

By bringing in a lesser paid host for a weekend appearance and as the viewership on the days would continue like before, Disney would save the show from being a white elephant. As trade experts pointed out that with Mumbai- Delhi- Kolkata Metros as a strong market for BB, the OTT Hindi version was hosted by Karan Johar and not Salman Khan.

Secondly< STAR VIJAY, urban- rural combine TRP ratings has plunged and as per BARC rating even their flagship serial Raja Rani slipped gradually from No 1 to No 5.and shares spot with Sun TV's Roja. A One time No 1 Bharathi Kannamma of Star Vijay slipped to No 6th. Sun TV's Kayal is No 1.

Star Vijay, only channel to put up a fight in Tamil segment and be sixth on the All India list of viewed channels, has however a consolation that all the four top slots in BARC Urban belongs to their stable. Among the reality shows, BB is only one that has accepted by viewers and mainly because of the host reach outside the Chenaai Metro. Zee Tamil Survivor hosted by Actor Arjun and Sun TV's Master Chef by Actor Vijay Sethupathi failed to create any ripples.

           

Valimai distributors want Ajith special promo video after preview ?

 As Valimai release date nears ( Feb 25th), distributors and theater owners have asked Madurai Anbu to get a special promo video featuring Ajith speaking directly to audience. This comes after a few leading film distributors saw Valimai at a special screening in Chennai.

One reason cited is that the marketing of  Vijay's Beast Arabic Kuthu song by Sun TV and director Nelson. The first video as teaser with Vijay's voice and later  the song- dance itself has created a hype that has gone beyond the expected reach. A video with  Ajith himself speaking directly to the camera with a behind the scenes shots should do the trick feel the Valimai buyers. Also no song ( at least one) by now has gone viral.

As expected Ajith has said a NO. His argument is that a film will run on merit and not on fan hysteria and he has never catered to fan clubs or that culture. The insecurity or fear that  gripped theater owners after Vijay Beast kuthu song is misplaced says trade analysts. The high stakes running is one reason for the fear ast hey cannot afford any little drop in collections .

There is a talk that  it has only bike stunts- guns , the film has nothing much to offer to an audience that looks beyond Star Ajith or  Thala Ajith. Boney Kapoor sold AP/ TS for Rs4 crores but now he has to settle for half the price - Pawan Kalyan - Rana 's Bheema Nayakalu is coming on same day. In Hindi, he knows that Valimai would get little as hyped up Gangubhai would be first choice.

A few making of Valimai scenes are being put together to increase the hype of the film and keep the tempo for next four days. Boney got daughter Jhanvi to promote on social media and hopes to get more like Ajay Devgn - Udhaynidhi  Stalin to join.as they have done films for him. Any way trade is not worried as there is a safety net - Boney - Ajith's third venture that starts on March 9th at Hyderabad. Boney tells Pinkvilla that there would be a fourth too.

Master- Pushpa - success link : Preetisheel Singh D’souza

Vijay's  Master  and Allu Arjun's Pushpa have a woman behind their record breaking success - Preetisheel Singh D’souza, the National Award-winning make-up, hair and prosthetic designer.  

When Master became the only Indian film to set a box office record post Covid 1 within the country and in overseas markets, Preetisheel was quoted as been nervous since her upcoming film from the South was Pushpa 1 starring Allu Arjun which.was as big as Baahubali.

In Pushpa, unlike in earlier South outings, she had to do extensive hair and prosthetic makeover for the hero.in  getting the eyebrows - curly hair and the skin tone that went with the role of Pushpa Raj. She and Arjun had to spend close to two hours every day. The film grossing Rs 100 crores in the Hindi version alone has put the focus once again on the makeup designer.

She had   worked with Vijay in Bigil too. Her forthcoming  film is Sanjay Leela Bhansali - Alia Bhatt 's Gangubhai Kathiawadi releasing this month and pitted against Ajith's Valimai in Hindi belt.

Her forthcoming film in South is Vikram's Cobra ( Tamil). Her first sojourn in Kollywood was Suriya's  24. She recently worked for Boomerang starring Atharva Murali.

She designed the old look for Nagarjuna in Bigg Boss Telugu show, She also worked with Nagarjuna in Wild Dog. A popular makeup artist in Bollywood, she has designed character of Thackeray, designed dual young and old looks for Madhuri Dixit as well as Ranbir Kapoor for advertisements which garnered a lot of traction. More recently, she has curated three avatars of Akshay Kumar for the Kurkure ad, where he has played the roles of son, father and grandfather. Her work in Padmavat and Bajjirao Nastani were  well received.      . The national award was for the pre-Mughal historical epic Nanak Shah Fakir based on the life of Guru Nanak, wherein she designed the looks for all the characters in the movie        

AleXa (알렉사) – 'TATTOO' (타투) Cover ft. AleXa | Ashwin Bhaskar

Ajith shoot in Mount Road Chennai from March 9th - Arjun Kapoor in Comali remake

 

Ajith's next shoot will begin on March  9th in Mount Road Chennai set erected in Ramoji Rao film city Hyderabad. Valimai Hindi ( same name) will have 1000 screens in North India, biggest for a Ajith Kumar film. Producer is not bothered about how the distributor is going to get screens but  Valimai will release on scheduled date Feb 25 even if Gangubhai of Alia Bhatt is coming on the same date as Boney Kapoor says both are different genres.  Arjun Kapoor is going to act in  Jeyam Ravi's Tamil film `Comali' remake and F2 (  Varun Tej's Telugu). R J Balaji's Veetiliya Visheshangal ( remake of Badhai Ho ) and Udhyanidhi Stalin Nenjuku Neethi  (Article 15) will release in first half of summer.

A confident Boney in an interview said that with little promotion, he is sure  that he will do good biz with Valimai. He says that he is not expecting Rs 100 cr biz in North but only a decent output. Even before Pushpa, Boney sold Hindi theatrical rights. His daughter Jhanvi's next release is Mili , remake of Malayalam film Helen..

His son Arjun Kapoor will reprise Jeyam Ravi's role in Comali remake and Varun Tej's  F2 in Hindi. Anees Bazme will be directing F2 remake and there is talk that Bazmee will being doing No Entry sequel with Salman Khan. Boney said he is keeping his fingers crossed. Luv Ranjan will direct Comali remake.

Boney's upcoming Maaidan with Ajay Devgn will clash with Prithviraj in June. Maaidan is coming on June 3 and following week is Prithviraj ( AkshayKumar). Here too he rules out any change  in  dates.  Valimai OTT release dates yet to be set says Boney. Zee5 is the OTT rights holder. PEN who is distributor of Valimai was also for Ravi Teja's Khiladi Hindi. On first day, there wasno  morning shows and till date there is no box office figures.

Anjali Menon to direct Modern Love hit series Indian adaptation

 Director Anjali Menon ( Bangalore Days) along with five Indian directors have directed the Indian adaptation of hit series Modern Love produced by Amazon Prime. actors Fatima Sana Shaikh, Wamiqa Gabbi and Pratik Gandhi have come onboard and already shot for their sections. All these actors have acted in TV series like Scam 1992- Harshad Mehta ,Grahan, Ajeeb Daastans. Work began in 2021 and by end of this year it will start steaming. Amazon official announcement came without any names - " Love comes home this year with Modern Love: Mumbai (Hindi), Modern Love: Chennai (Tamil) and Modern Love: Hyderabad (Telugu), the localized Indian version of Modern Love, based on the famous New York Times column and international series .  Slated to launch in 2022 across 240+ countries and territories, the series will feature diverse stories of the universal emotion of love in its many forms" James Farell head local originals was quoted.

“India is the land of love – and with our Indian adaptions we are aiming at taking stories of love that are rooted in Indian soil to audiences across India and the world,” said Aparna Purohit, head of India Originals, Amazon Prime Video. “The series which will be made across multiple languages, will explore the countless shades of love. While these heartwarming stories are adapted from the famous New York Times column, they’re quintessentially Indian at heart, with the metropolitan cities of Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad serving as the perfect canvas. We’re truly excited to bring these incredible stories to our customers across India and the world.”

 Apart from Anjali Menon, directors such as Vishal Bhardwaj, Hansal Mehta, Alankrita Shrivastava,  Shonali Bose and Dhruv Sehgal have reportedly been signed. Fatima is acting in Hindi remake of Aruvi, Wamiqua Gabbi has acted in Tamil film Maalai Nerathu Mayakkam directed by Gitanjali Selvaraghavan and in Malayalam film Godha with Tovino Thomas.

Sunny Leone debut film had Malayali hero like Aishwarya Rai and Priyanka Chopra grandmom is Keralite Christian

 Priyanka Chopra's grand mother is a Malayali Christian. Aishwarya Rai's first hero was Mohanlal . Sunny Leone's first hero in debut film  was Nishant Sagar, a Malayali actor.. Samantha first film was directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and she played a Malayali in the film.

Priyanka Chopra's maternal grandmother is Mary John from `Kavalappara' family belonging to Syrian Jacobite Church in Kumarakom ,  famous for the backwaters and near Kottayam located in Central Kerala. She married a Bihar politician Dr M K Akhouri and changed her name to Madhu Jyotsna Akhouri. Her daughter is Dr Madhu Chopra. Priyanka's grandmother said in an interview that her relatives who visited her used to speak in Malayalam to Priyanka and she had picked up a few words. Priyanka and her brother Siddharth along with her mother were at the funeral held in a church in Poonkunam at  Kottayam. It was her grandmother's last wish to be cremated at the church ground of her birth place.

Aishwarya Rai\s first film she signed was Mani Rathnam!s Iruvar and the hero was Mohanlal, Later she signed a Hindi film with  Bobby Deol as hero. Both the films were box office failures. Actress Rohini dubbed for Aishwarya Rai in Iruvar. She played the dual role of  Pushpavalli and Kalpana ( Jayalalithaa).

The debut  feature film that Sunny Leone acted was a Indo American film  Pirates Blood . That film was directed by Mark Rating from hollywood, and Gulab Prem was its producer. Cinematography was done by Ramachandra Babu. That film was shot mainly in America and India. Nishanth Sagar who debuted in a film Jokker with Deliep was the hero. After this Hollywood film, Sunny signed the Hindi film Jism 2. The film was shot in 2006- 2007 and post production was done in Chennai. Pattanam Rasheed was the makeup man. The film is gearing for a theater release in India. Sunny is acting in a Malayalam film Shero directed by Kuttanadan Marappa fame director Sreejith Vijayan.

Samantha made her debut as leading lady in a Telugu film Ye Maaye Cheesave directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. It was a remake of his hit Tamil film Vinnai thandi Varuvaaya and Samantha played Jessie a Malayali Christian girl. She won the Andhra Nandi award for her debut film.

Katrina Kaif had played the lead opposite Mammooty in Balram v/s Tharadas,a Malayalam film directed by I V Sasi.

Nivin Pauly - Asif Ali - Abrid Shine 's Maha Veeryar first look out

 

After 1983 and Action Hero Biju, director Abrid Shine is teaming up again with Nivin Pauly for his new film Mahaveeryar. After a decade,Asif Ali joins Nivin in the film, which also marks Kannada actor Shanvi Srivastava's Malayalam debut.

Scripted by M Mukundan, Mahaveeryar stars Siddique and Lal as well. 

Nivin's production house Pauly Jr Pictures is bankrolling the film jointly with Indian Movie Makers. The film, which went on floors today in Rajasthan, sees Asif and Nivin reuniting after a decade. They last starred together in Rajesh Pillai's Traffic and Joshiy's Sevenes.. Abrid's last directorial was the action film, Kung Fu Master. 

he author, M Mukundan, released the first poster from the movie at a function held in Cochin. Screenwriter and director Abrid Shine, actors Asif Ali, Shanvi Srivastava, and the co-producer P S  Shamnas were also present. Mahaveeryar is the third collaboration between Nivin Pauly and Abrid Shine after the commercially and critically acclaimed movies 1983  and Action Hero Biju. This movie also marks the coming together of Nivin Pauly and Asif Ali after almost a decade. This big-budget movie was shot in extensive schedules in Rajasthan and Kerala amidst the challenges thrown up by the prevailing pandemic. The film is a fantasy- time trav and about law books.

Revathy begins shoot of Hindi film with Kajol

 

After a gap of 11 years, Revathy comes back to direction. Kajol announced the start of the shoot on her twitter handle.- Toda we begin the journey of a story that needed to be told, a path that had to be taken and a life that had to be celebrated. We can’t wait to share this unbelievably true story of #SalaamVenky with you 

The film was the titled The Last Hurrah and now it is Sa Venky.

We had reported this on October 08, 2021. https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2021/10/revathi-to-direct-kajol.html

Maahan ; Dhruv Vikram has arrived

 

Maahan is out and out a film that can be said to be a Dhruv Vikram vehicle to stardom. Karthik Subburaj has given enough meat to Dhruv to chew on and he does it with great relish,  One also need to acknowledge that Vikram does not have  much scenes that brings him out his best. The film's strength is that the three pivotal characters - Vikram- Dhruv and Bobby Simha have been well etched . 

The conflicts scene between father - son is just superb. Dhruv lives the role of a cop with a revenge . His body language , dialogue delivery are just a treat. For Vikram fans they can see Dhruv washing his face his face with soda ( instead of beer like in Swamy) or the dialogue Athuku melay ( I). Good to see the Simha  all wanted to see. Simran role  is not effective.

There is lot of drama that does not connect. This leads  a lack of strong emotions in play. At places where you expect drama, it does not happen. Father- son first time meeting  while the one at Vikram- Simran meeting after two decades is just flat. Cinematography is top class like stunt choreography. Music is  ok. Finally, Dhruv Vikram proves he has with  him the goods to deliver.

Rajinikanth next- Nelson direction- Anirudh music- Sun TV producer

Putting to rest all speculation, Sun Pictures officially announced that Rajinikanth 169 will be directed by Nelson and Anirudh scores. the music. Nelson is directing Thalapathy Vijay in Beast for same production company.  Sun Pictures gave an announcement alert saying that it coming at 6 PM on twitter. Since yesterday, fans were waiting for the announcement. It was confirmed that Sun Pictures was to produce it. Rajinikanth had taken for a photo shoot for advt announcement just before his public appearance at opening of a hotel in Chennai.

Sun tweeted - “#Thalaivar169BySunPictures: https://youtu.be/EtXQqufHoAk Presenting Superstar @rajinikanth’s #Thalaivar169 directed by @Nelsondilpkumar and music by @anirudhofficial (sic).”

elson, sharing the same on Twitter, wrote, “Feeling elated to announce my next film with the legendary SUPERSTAR @rajinikanth sir , happy to have associated with @sunpictures and my dearest friend @anirudhofficial once again! #respect #humbled #thalaivar169 (sic).”

The announcement comes at a time when Nelson is going through a busy phase on the work front. The director's new movie Beast, starring Vijay and Pooja Hegde, is slated to hit the screens this April. It will be his first big outing after Doctor, which...is releasing on April.

Tamil TV Bites:- Bigg Boss Ultimate Thamarai exposes Priyanka - Rahman follows Sundari serial actress

Bigg Boss Ultimate contestant Thamarai revealed true face of BB5 Tamil runner-up Priyanka . A R Rahman follows Gabriella who plays title role in TV soap Sundari.Master Chef the global cookery show s Indian franchise has not paid the contestants even the travelling  and other expenses.  

Gabriella Sellus , the actress who plays the central role in Sundari , TV soap on Sun TV has A R Rahman as her follower on Instagram. Rahman follows only 64 people and one of them is her. Gabrella has close to 3 million followers and was very famous ugh her Tik Tok videos.  Sundari, No 2 n TRP is about a dark skinned girl fighting against all odds  pass the civil services exam.

Winnie, Devaki, Nithya, Krithika het four finalists in Master Chef show hosted by actor Vijay Sethupathi has posted on social media that they were promised travel expenses  and many other monetary benefits but nothing has come so far.  Devaki won the title . Prize money is Rs 25 Lakhs. The show franchise was bought by a Bengaluru company and Sun TV was the channel that telecast it. The show failed to create any ripples.

Star Vijay started OTT version of Tamil Bigg Boss reality show. Streamed on Hotstar, the show is slowly picking up TRP as 7-9 PM is prime time for TV serials and nobody is shifting from TV channel to OTT app, as per TRP figures . The contestants who did not make it to winning post in earlier seasons of Bigg Boss Tamil are in this OTT version titled Bigg Boss Ultimate. It is hosted by Kamal Haasan ( also host of BB past seasons).

Thamarai , a drama actress with no formal education and a village bumpkin had won the hearts of many who saw BB 5. Many also felt that it was a play acting by the lady. Priyanka, star host of Star Vijay  was one of the contestant. She appeared to be a Godmother of Thamarai and groomed her. In return, Thamarai was literally her cook- aide in the show. Now Thamarai who is in Ultimate show told contestant Anitha about Priyanka. " Inside the house, Priyanka promised me many things and told me that she would take me to meet many people. If Priyanka said she was hungry, I could not bear it. I would cook for her. Such was our bond. Once outside the House, she did not speak to me properly. Even at the finale, she just ignored me and did not respond to me. She did not make a call to me. Many others rang up. She being a celebrity, I could not get her personal number, " she revealed.

Further she said that Akshara, another contestant send her many clothes and kept in touch. " I realized that all that love and affection to me was for Priyanka  just a part of the game. To me, all the housemates were dear to me. I realised that everything in this house is fake and I too have changed and going to play to win, she told Anitha.  Even the male housemates were protective of Thamarai and shielded her in many ways to see that she reaches the finale. It was between Raju and Priyanka at the BB5 finale. The former walked away with the trophy.

Actor Karthik's son Gautham Karthik- Manjima Mohan to tie the knot

 

Seasoned actor Karthik's son  Gautham Karthik and actress Manjima Mohan ( daughter of ace cinematographer Vipin Mohan - Kalamandalam Girija ) are to tie the knot in April. Manjima\s upcoming film FIR is releasing this Friday. Gautham and Manjima had worked together in Devarattam (019) and had started living together in Chennai. Now they have decided to tie the knot, said sources close to the couple.

Manjima did her schooling in Trivandrum ( home town)  and did her college in Stella Maris Chennai. Her first film was Oru Vadakkan Selfie ( Malayalam) and her second film Acham Yenbadhu madamaiyada directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and STR as hero. She won the Filmfare award. She acted in many Tamil films and also in Malayalam film Mikheal ( Nivin Pauly). Gautham's upcoming m is Pathu Thala with STR as co- hero.

Thalapathy Vijay to play dual role in Vamsi film

Thalapathy Vijay will play a dual role in the film directed by Vamsi Padipelly now called Thalapathy 66. Sources say that the actor will play a guy affected by erotomania as one of dual characters and it is a story between a son - father relationship. Every time a Vijay movie was signed, the news that Vijay wil be doing a dual role surfaces. The actor has done three films in which he played a dual role. All of them were hits.

Erotomania is a mental disease. Erotomania is a rare mental health condition that happens when someone is fixated on the idea that another person is intensely in love with them. The other person may be a celebrity, wealthy, or of a high social position. The condition is also known as De Clérambault's syndrome. The disease   is  rarely seen in male and mostly in females. The most celebrated case of this disease was the assassination attempt on the US President Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley Jr.. He has been reported to have been driven by an erotomanic fixation on  Actress Jodie Foster ( Taxi Driver), whom Hinckley was attempting to impress. A few Hollywood movies have come and quite recent one is Nothing Without You (2014).

Sources say that after Azhagy Thamizh Magan, this upcoming film will see Vijay play the antagonist too..  A part of the disease trait is that the person stalks the victim. Azhagiya Thamizh Magan, Kathithi and Master are films in which Vijay played a dual role. Dil Raju is the producer.

All corrupt are lying in Marina samadhi : Kamal Haasan poll bugle

 Kamal Haasan kick started his election campaign for urban civic polls by introducing the candidates of Makkal Neethi Maiyam (MNM) . He made it amply clear that he was opposed to the two Dravidian majors and the national parties. Media reports say that Kamal was denied use of vanity van for campaigning by the poll officials. TV clips showed enthusiastic crowds welcoming him.

Replying to volley of questions, Kamal replying to corruption charges  on AIADMK , he said that it was not any one party's monopoly and quipped that all those who committed corruption are lying in the Marina ( beach) samadhi. This comment could irk the DMK as well since Karunanidhi's samadhi ( memorial ) is also in Marina along with Anna and Jayalalithaa.

On  Rahul Gandhi's speech in Parliament that BJP can  never at any time dream of ruling Tamil Nadu, Kamal said that his party view was that no fascist power can ever rule over the State and on the use of Union Government term to address the Central Government, he said that from freeing from the East India company  to land in North India company has taken place. On the Hijab controversy, he said that it was like beards were generalized and one need not think that white hair beard was  different.

Asked if the split between BJP and AIADMK would help MNM, he said that his candidates were contesting in places where they would win and the alliance break up would not have any impact. He felt it was futile for Assembly to once again pass a resolution asking for scrapping NEET, since the Governor can only do what his Masters say.

A back story to Lata's Valaiosai song in Tamil

As every FM and Channel is putting out Valaiosai song  from Kamal film Sathya as part of tribute to  Lataji's , I recollect an interesting backstory that was told to me by lyricist Vaali  during an interview for SCREEN weekly. Illaiyaraaja had asked Vaali to give a peppy song for his album How to Name it.  After some time passed , Raaja told him to simplify the lyrics and it was to suit Lataji who was to sing it for film Sathya. Raaja said that Kamal who heard the song wanted it for the film. To maintain a fast tempo, Vaali had used repetitive words and stacked one upon another. Vaali felt that instead of diluting the lyrics, it is better to write a new song. Kamal was adamant that the song tempo be kept as such and Vaali told Raaja that he had no great substitute lyrics. Finally, Lataji sang the song with SPB. The picturization and music clicked

.Vaali looking back at the song said that Lataji's pronunciation of  Tamil letters la, lla and zha were like other North Indian singers , her weak points. Vaali remarked in a jocular way that Lataji never forgot the difficult lyrics of Valaiosai as she said it was not Tamil that was the problem but matching to Raaja's standards since he does not okay till he gets a near perfect pronunciation. Vaali was referring to Lata's  speech at the felicitation held for Raaja getting PadmaShri

Lataji often figured in my meetings with Sivaji Ganesan ( who was fondly called Anna by her). In Sivaji's words - " As I was producing Anand, I wanted Lata to sing in my film. Raaja was the music director. She agreed and it was a lullaby ( Aararo). She had difficulty in pronouncing but voice covered it up. Her sister did a portrait of me as they think that I look just like their father Dinanath. Our family ties are vey strong." , The lyrics was written by Raaja's brother Gangai Amaran.
After this she sang for R Sundarajan film En Jeevan Paduthu the song Engirintho Azhaikkum Un Geetham , Here Illaiyaraaja himself took the job of writing the lyrics. The song was sung solo and as a duet with Mano. Raaja himself also sang this  as a solo number..

Yet another interesting info I recalled now is that   the popular song Jiya Jale in Dil Se.was sung in Tamil by S Janaki. while Lata sang it in Hindi. Janaki was very thrilled that at her age (  70's) she was given the song sung by Lata who too in the same age group and that it was shot on a teenage Preeti Zinta. Janaki always took pride that she was referred as Nightingale of South- a Lata of South film playback. In fact many was amazed at A R Rahman decision to get these singers on board for Preeti Zinta.

Old timers in music world have told me that songs sung in Tamil by Lata for dubbed version  of  Mehboob Khan's Aan was scrapped as her pronunciation was bad and M S Rajeswari sang three songs in the Tamil version.Here again lyricist was Kannadasan .Veteran Dhakshinamoorthy remembered that he got a call in 2002 from the organisers  of a concert in Hyderabad that Lataji 'song in Telugu film Santanam in 1955. was bound to be the highlight and she wanted the lyric She was holding a concert to raise funds for a hospital named after her father. Dhakshinamoorthy could not help. He recalled that Lata came in the morning flight to   record the song  and left  in the evening.

The first Telugu film's hero was ANR and 30 years later, Lata sang a song in ANR's son Nagarjuna's film Aakhari Porattam ( 1988) which had Sridevi and Suhasini in the lead. In Malayalam her first film was Nellu with music by Salil Chowdury but Chemeen was to be her first but she could not take up the assignment.

Ajith's Valimai release date on AMMA B'Day - Vijay Makkal Iyyakam says back DMK

 Ajith's Valimai is releasing on Feb 24th and AIADMK cadres are already celebrating it as they see it as a message from the actor to his fans that he is an AMMA supporter. Reason being that the release date is AMMA Birthday. As also on Feb 19th, urban bodies go to polls. The  Tamil Nadu South regional head based in Thoothukudi ( Tuticorin )  of Vijay Makkal Iyyakam (VMI) told  reporters that they have decided to back DMK in places where they have not put up candidates. He claimed that it was decided at emergency meeting of State leaders.

AIADMK candidates flex boards have sprung up showing Ajith with folded hands asking for votes. According to the talk circulated by party cadres, Ajith was asked to select three dates for release. Ajith ticked Feb 24th as it was AMMA's birthday, goes the folklore.

From the trade viewpoint, theaters had promised to block three weeks to give Valimai a grand release. The film had been in the cans waiting for theater release and shunned the OTT release. Exactly one month after comes RRR in theaters. Secondly, Ajith is said to have a Thursday fixation and launches his film and has all auspicious functions on that day .Feb 24 is a Thursday..  Photos of AMMA at Ajith- Shalini wedding are doing the rounds. The fact that Karunanidhi turned up to greet the couple is buried

Two days back, Pondy CM NR turned up at Vijay's Pannaiyur house in ECR and had a `courtesy call' that lasted 1 hour. We have reported the reason for this  courtesy'. Now the South District secretary spilling inner details of deciding  to support DMK by VMI has added to arsenal of the party. 

Related; https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2022/02/n-r-congress-seeks-vijay-makkal-iyakkam.html

Ajith officially disbanded all fan clubs. Vijay has not openly  come out in support of VMI but has kept silent on use of his name - photo in campaigns. VMI staked claim for autorickshaw symbol as it would please Rajni fans as their idol's Baasha film , a evergreen hit had him as an auto driver. Elecn Commission said no to VMI.

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We proved right again : Bigg Boss 5 Tamil Akshara involved in Kerala Gold smuggling case

 

On October 18 (2021), we reported that Bigg Boss 5 Tamil contestant  Akshara is none other the lady who is named in the Customs case on Kerala Gold smuggling  that rocked Kerala politics. It was then termed a rumour. On Feb 4th (2022)Akshara turned up at Kozhikode Customs Office to give her statement.  https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2021/10/bigg-boss-5-tamil-akshara-involved-in.html

Read report we published on Oct 8th ; Akshara called Vellai Papa ( white doll) by folk singer Thamarai in Bigg Boss 5 Tamil season is Shravaya Sudhakar. a suspect in the Kerala Gold smuggling case investigated by CBI . She was linked to Kingpin Faiz.  She had won the Miss South India title in 2013 and not ahs stated by her. Her old photos that appeared in the media during the case is doing the rounds. She is not a 1994 born girl, says twitteratti.

Shravya had told CBI that it was actress Mythili who introduced her to Faiz. She also name dropped actress Chippy' and the latter denied having known this girl. The information coming out is that Shravya claim that she is 1994 born is false  since she won the Miss South India title in 2013 only. ( she would be 12 yrs old then).

Yet another revelations is that she had taken part in the Star Vijay Villa to village, reality show in 2018 and not a fresh face to such shows as claimed by her. This fraud is obviously done with  the knowledge of the channel. Netizens claim that she underwent a plastic surgery and took a new avatar.

Shravya confessed to knowing  Faiz for the last seven months and also admitted to making foreign trips together for at least five times. She, however, denied having any links with the gold smuggling racket run by Faiz, saying that the fact was not known to her till his arrest. .

Shravya told mediapersons that she had met many of Faiz’s friends at different locations but had no idea about their official status. Further, she explained that she had been accompanied by her family all the time she travelled abroad and also spoke of one Muthu Chippi, a Chennai-based model, who was common friend of both Faiz and Mythili. On questioning she said Chippi was an actress and this led to wrong person.

Legally, there is no case against her related to the gold smuggling case that rocked the Kerala political circles and links to CM office. Shravya turned Akshra in her narration of her past life spoke about her father a manufacturer of bullet proof glass dying when she was young and her protective mother and brother who took care of her. She appeared as a demure Touch me Not sensitive girl sobbing behind walls and curyains at the slightest remark that she felt was directed against her.

As a girl born with golden spoon , this news of her as one who was subjected to CBI grilling and also a one reality show old veteran comes as a shocker. She is likely to be put on the elimination list by contestants this week  and the news circulated around would pave way for eviction by viewers.

She is Chennai born girl and did her Masters in Psychology from University of TIBILISI (GEORGIA) . She has received the title Miss Tremendous Globe World 2019 a world magnificence pageant  where she represented India. According to fashion biz, Shravya is her nickname and her real name is Akshara Sudhakar Reddy. Her keeping her past hidden during the narration about herself was the reason for viewers to think that she had hidden her past from the channel. Her name Akshara Reddy being on the list was mistaken by media to be of Apsara Reddy ( transgender). Sources say that Akshara was promised a lead role in Malayalam film Sinagravelan opposite Dileep. Faiz luxury car was used for shooting by the producers. She was sidelined and role went to Vedhika.

N R Congress seeks Vijay Makkal Iyakkam support as BJP to dump them

 N Rangasamy meeting with Actor Vijay was to seek the latter's support through Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (VMI) as  BJP would quit the alliance and takeover the CM post, said a source. The meeting was arranged by Bussy Anand , ex MLA of NR Congress and head of VMI. NR got wind of the move as soon BJP  cut ties with AIADMK in Tamil Nadu urban polls. NR knew that next would be his CM chair and if he refused, he and is party would be shown the door.

As AIADMK might go with BJP in Pondy, NR is not sure whether DMK - Cong would back him. BJP would also take away NR MLA\s too in a defection. In this scenario, a midterm poll will happen/ The backing of VMI will be the boost that NR can get. Many MLA\s might think twice if VMI is backing NR. Reasons to bank on VMI is  based on recent events.

During the shooting of `Master', fans turned up from areas in Pondy- Cuddalore - Karaikal for the shoot in Neyveli. It was around that time the Income Tax people came to the spot and asked Vijay to come with them for questioning. Fans saw it as a BJP move and turned violent. Entire stretch from Pondy  to Neyveli was packed with VMI workers in lorries. Police had to lathi charge the crowd. Fans were injured and Vijay at the audio function in filmy style said with a pointed finger that he would not sit quiet if his fans were hurt.

Till date in Puducherry, no event has got the crowds or witnessed the hysteria like when Vijay and his wife came for Anand's daughter wedding. VMI won 100 councilors in the local body polls and has put around 200 candidates for upcoming poll in Tamil Nadu. 
VMI victory was a surprise for  decade old Seeman's political outfit MTK and Kamal's new outfit , both which drew a blank.

Rajinikanth - Vetrimaaran combo gets activated - Thanu - Ilaiyaraaja co- producers

 Rajinikanth next Thalaivar 169 will see director Vetrimaaran helming the project. Illaiyaraaja who is composing music for the first time for a Vetrimaaran film with Soori as hero has said that he is willing to be the producer of the film.  However, Kalaipuli  Thanu who produced Asuran directed by Vetrimaran is to produce the film and  might join as co- producer, said a source. The subject is to do with politics and Vetrimaaran had revealed this in an interview. As then Rajini was making moves to enter politics, he might have decided to not do a political film then, said a source. 

During the making of Kaala, Vetrimaran had narrated a script to Rajini. As both got involved in many projects.it was undecided. Vetrimaaran and Suriya locked a script and Vaadi Vaasal based on Jallikattu was to start in coming August. Here too Suriya's busy schedule and Vetrimaran going to Soori film and a web-series for Netflix has delayed the project. It was a Rs 200 crore film funded by Thanu. Meanwhile Vetrimaran was also in talks with Dhanush for a film starring the actor and his father in law Rajinikanth. Add to this Thalapathy Vijay had also okayed a subject told by Vetrimaaran.

Now Vijay has moved to Vamsi directed Telugu- Tamil film, Suriya's other projects are delaying the start of Vaadivasal. Thanu who  was to fund Dhanush- Rajinikanth film and Suriya film will now instead undertake Vetrimaaran- Rajini film instead. Illaiyaraaja had expressed his interest to revive his production company.