Thug Life reviews hit at Mani Ratnam Direction - As Producers Duo are SAFE

 

Even Influencers who were celeberated as Thugfluencers  by Kamal- Mani combo ,seem to have washed their hands after seeing Thug Life. The box office collection from theatres goes direct into the pockets of Mani Ratnam and Kamal , as the entire cost of Rs 200 crores has been got from non theatrical rights. In short, Madras Talkies and RajKamal will have nothing to worry. The opening day gross is Rs 8 crores from Tamil Nadu. In all other areas the film has been given on a distribution basis – an amount has been collected as advance and if the distributor share falls below it , shortfall will be returned. The only loss is Mani’s reputation as a Director while Kamal the Actor esteem is untouched. Biggest beneficiary is STR as his acting skills have been showcased.

As a critic based in Chennai for decades , I have never seen Mani being so brutally attacked by reviewers online . When Indian 2 was heavily trolled, I saw it as a disappointment as it was a poor sequel to a iconic film. Shankar too was hit badly. Mani ,ost films that were not blockbusters and just about average was not subjected to such harsh criticism. The general consensus in reviews is that Mani has lot the plot and that it is too outdated and very confusing. From not fleshing out characters and extending out scenes, all that a Director should not do has been attributed to him.

In contrast Bollywood sites have been generous with their praise of the film and talking about goosebump moments.  The Chennai based The Hindu wrote : Despite an excellent Kamal Haasan, a restrained Silambarasan TR, great production design and superb cinematography, Mani Ratnam’s film is a generic gangster drama that makes you grope in the dark for its beating heart

Thug Life is a gangster crime drama with stretches so generic and cold that you might wonder if it was really the filmmaker at the helm.

Most happiest person is Khushbu Sundar. Her daughter Ananditha name figured in list of Mani;s Assistants in the film credits. It seems Khushbu’s daughter worked for a few days and left as she sprained her ankle. Ananditha was photographed with Kamal and Mani at film pooja and it was speculated that she was appearing on screen but now it seems that it was AD to Mani.

 

Shah Rukh Khan abused Ajith and later apoligized - Flashback from Asoka Days

 This is an old story that is doing the rounds. The only thing I cannot figure out is that there was one Vishwa who was Ajith's Manager. As Ajith and I had a direct link and PRO's were not the only route, I cannot having any Vishwa around. Any read on what it is worth it.

THALA AJITH is a legend today. He is easily among the biggest South Indian Stars and can easily dominate a 150–200 Crore Worldwide Share on his own.

Yet Ajith himself was once a huge fan of Shah Rukh Khan and loved the Actors movies especially DDLJ and KKHH released in the 1990s. He badly wanted to act in a remake of two SRK films- Dil To Pagal Hai and Baadshah but sadly things did not pan out.

IT was A.R Rahman who was responsible for Ajith acting in the movie Asoka. Rahman had composed music for Mani Ratnams Dil Se where Santosh Sivan was a Cinematographer. During the Song Chaiyya Chaiyya, Sivan and SRK talked to each other and Sivan pitched the idea of making a film about Ashoka. Rahman was there. In the end Rahman did not have the dates for Sivan and Sivan would go with Anu Malik but during the shoot of Kandukondein Kandukondein- Rahman who was supervising some things got talking with Ajith and mentioned the possible film about Ashoka.

Ajith was keen to act with SRK and asked his then Manager - Viswa to make it happen. Originally Suniel Shetty was being considered to play the role of Sushima but his dates were not very flexible. Sivan was delighted to rope in Ajith - a budding star of South Indian Cinema especially because Ajith did not quote a fee

SRK nodded when Sivan told him about Ajith. To SRK it was not a big role and he did not think twice about it.

SHOOTING

It was at Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh that the Shooting was scheduled for 8 days and was a scene for the Palace Intrigues.

Unlike these days - there was no Hotel and few Caravans (It was 2000). The Actors stayed in Indore and drove to Maheshwar for the shooting and returned back in the evening.

Ajith had arrived at the Shooting spot at 7:00 AM when he saw a few locals riding a modified bike. Ajith was having a 2–3 day stubble and was wearing ordinary clothes. He did not have a platoon of bodyguards. In fact very few people on the set knew him as anything but some person from the film team (The main team would arrive at 8:00 AM).

Ajith loved Bikes and he observed that these people were trying the wheelie and failing. He got irritated and proceeded to go to them and show them how it was done. These Locals had no clue who Ajith was and thought he was a set boy or spot boy and allowed him to ride the bike. Ajith soon showed them how to do a wheelie and they were impressed.

One of the youngsters - a Young man named Pratap Shingwekar who was from the Stuntmans association even told the Actor - that he could become a very important stuntman if he could do certain stunts with the bikes in some films. Ajith was amused.

At 8:30 AM - it was announced that the shooting was cancelled due to technical issues and would commence the following day. However SRK had already driven down to the shooting spot and when he saw Ajith riding with the locals - although he vaguely recognized Ajith - he did not think a budding south indian actor would be roughly dressed and play around with spot boys and locals and did not give a second look. The only person who knew who Ajith was was Ajiths driver (The Rental Car driver). When SRK asked one of the Managers - he said in Hindi “Koi Madraas se Shooting ke liya aaya hain” (Some guy has come for the shoot from Madras) and SRK assumed he was some kind of Asst Director or Technician to Sivan.

Once Ajith heard that the shoot was cancelled - he had to go back and he asked Pratap if he could drive the bike back to Indore to get the feel for it. Had Pratap known who he was he would have handed the bike in a second but Pratap had no clue who Ajith was except maybe a spot boy or some technician and hesitated . Ajith offered him a Cheque and Pratap who distrusted cheques finally shrugged and agreed.

Ajith drove on his bike racing on the highway passing SRKs car and racing ahead. SRK was affronted and ordered his driver to pass Ajith. SRK honked his horn a few times until Ajith stopped. SRK without getting out drove past Ajith and began to yell at him from the Window basically saying “How dare you pass me by? Suppose my driver had swerved and hit someone or we had been in an accident? You know who i am? I will make sure you are tossed out from the set” (Assumed Conversation. Basically SRK was ranting and raving)

SRK however cooled down a minute later and apologized. It was the delay of the shoot that had caused him to get annoyed. He was due to leave for London in a few days. All the while Ajith had not spoken a word. SRK offered Ajith a drink of Mineral Water and Ajith shook his head. All the while the two had communicated with gestures and SRK even left after telling Ajith in english “I showered a lot of choice hindi words. Luckily i dont think you understand Hindi…or even English”

However the minute SRK left - Ajith was fuming with Anger. He had been minding his own business when the Star had come in his way and had basically yelled at him for nothing. Ajith decided at that very minute to leave for home and cancel the shooting no matter what happened.

Santosh Sivan Pacifies the Crew

It was when SRK returned to the hotel, had cooled down and was replete with Cigarettes (It is rumoured he had forgotten his smokes which was why he was so upset earlier) when he found out that the person he had yelled at had Indeed been Actor Ajith.

He also found out that Ajith could speak flawless English and very good Hindi which means he must have understood every word that SRK had thrown at him.

He related everything to Sivan and Sivan decided to Pacify Ajith but this was where SRK proved he was a Gentleman.

SRK apologizes Openly

Even as Ajith was deciding to pack his bags, SRK knocked on his door and came along with Sivan and four others. He openly apologized without any ryders. He revealed why he had been so angry and Ajith whose initial reaction was to rebut any show of friendliness thawed. Its impossible to be angry with a big actor who humbles himself by apologizing directly.

Ajith and SRK had dinner together and it was believed to be SRK who advised him not to act in Bollywood movies but to Focus on Tamil Cinema. While they would not be great friends - they would always maintain and keep in touch. SRK would invite Ajith to his Box during IPL matches in Chennai (Which Ajith often turned down due to Crowd issues) and Ajith would act in a remake of Main Hoon Naa called Aegan. During the shooting of Vivegam - SRK congratulated Ajith on his muscles.

What Happened next?

Ajith became a huge star in Tamil nadu and became an A+ Lister by 2013

Asoka ended up becoming a huge flop and SRK incurred Rs. 5.70 Crores worth of Losses.

Ajith was paid Rs. 20 Lakhs for Asoka even though he had initially agreed not to take a fee because the Producer insisted.

Pratap Shingwekar sold his Bike to Ajith because the Actor loved the Bike. He rode the Bike from Indore to Chennai. Shingwekar later became a Stuntman and settled down in Dubai. He was one of the stuntmen for the movie Deewane Hua Pagal (Or something like that) in 2005.

Due Credits- https://balusboxoffice.quora.com/When-SRK-met-Ajith-Kumar

Aamir Khan with RS Prasanna - Nagarjuna with Ra Karthik / Thug Life Hindi song no response

  Surprise element in the A R Rahman The Wonderment Tour show in Mumbai was the unannounced entry of Dhanush who sang on stage the number from Asuran and it was a big hit , even though the 50000 plus audience had not heard it. He and A R Rahman then sang ‘Adangaatha Asuran’ from Raayan. It was the only non-Hindi track sung by the artists at the concert and it got a fine response. On the work front, Rahman is set to compose music for Dhanush and Kriti Sanon's Tere Ishk Mein, which is a spiritual sequel to the blockbuster film Raanjhanaa.

In contrast, Rahman and Sukhwinder Singh performed the song Jinguchaa’ from Mani Ratnam’s upcoming film Thug Life.  The crowd response was poor as they could not identify the track and speaks volumes about the song being a hit in Hindi. Sukhiwinder’s Chaiya Chaiya from Dil Se was the crowd favourite.

Zanai Bhosle came on stage and an audio of her legendary grandmother Asha Bhosle was played. In the voice note, Asha Bhosle requested fans to give the same amount of love to her granddaughter that has been showered on her. She performed on ‘Rangeela Re’ (Rangeela; 1995) and got a lot of appreciation. The Oscar-winning music maestro ended the show on a patriotic note by singing ‘Vande Mataram’. It was truly a goosebumps experience for every spectator present in the stadium.

Two Tamil film Directors are headed to direct two iconic actors of Indian cinema. R S Prasanna is all set to release the trailor of Sitaree Zameen Par and starring Aamir Khan. Who is also the producer. Next big announcement awaited is that Karthik of Nithanam oru vanam that had Ashok Selvan and Ritu Varma is to direct Nagarjuna’s 100^th film. We know that ARM directed Aamir in Ghajini.

Prasanna He made his debut in 2013 with the Tamil film Kalyana Samayal Saadham, which gained significant attention for its fresh approach to a sensitive topic. The film explored erectile dysfunction in a comic context, making it unique and well-received. His Tamil film, Kalyana Samayal Saadham, remake was Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017): was produced by Aanand L. Rai. The film was a blockbuster, Cast : Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, Seema Bhargava, Brijendra Kala
Music : Tanishk-Vayu
Screenplay : Hitesh Kewalya
Direction-Story : R.S. Prasanna.

• On A Quest (2015):

Prasanna directed a biopic on Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati, a spiritual leader who inspired the Chinmaya Mission. The film was released on Swami Chinmayananda's 100th birth anniversary. 

Director Lokesh Kanagaraj has clarified that Nag's role, like that of other well-known actors in the movie Coolie, is a solid one. So, the 'Bangarraju' and 'Naa Saami Ranga' actor is going to be seen in a plot-driven character, not in a glamorous, pointless cameo.

• Currently Ra Karthik is giving finishing touches to a Netflix web series featuring Priyanka Mohan. Read our earlier report; Priyanka Mohan is currently in Korea, shooting for an exclusive film with Netflix with her in the lead role. The director of this film is Nitham Oru Vaanam fame RaKarthik. Read link ; https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2025/05/sk-vs-arm-pa-ranjith-film-title-lokesh.html

 

 

Rahman had an angio and I am not his ex Wife: Saira / Ravi Mohan -Basil in Sri Lanka for SK film

As we heave a sigh of relief that A R Rahman has returned home after a brief morning stint at Apollo, Chenna,i Mozart’s wife Saira Banu put out a post in which she gave clarity of her husband’s health and also her martial status. Music composer A R Rahman, who was admitted to a corporate hospital here following dehydration, had undergone an angiography and was on IV. After this he has returned home and is doing fine now, his family s first reaction from the music director's sister, AR Reihana refuted reports that Rahman was hospitalised after he complained of chest pain. His manager Senthil Velan confirmed hospitalisation. So also his other sister Fatima Shekar. It was clarified by Saira banu wife of ARR who is separated but not divorced. Read her her post which is a transcript of her vvoice post – As reported by ETimes, AR Rahman's wife Saira Banu shared a voice note on Sunday (March 16). She began her message with a heartfelt "Salam" as she acknowledged the ongoing Holy month of Ramadan. She shared an update on Rahman’s health, saying, "Assalamualaikum. I wish him a speedy recovery, and I got the news that he had chest pain and had angiography. By the grace of Allah, he is fine now; he has nothing serious." She further clarified that Rahman was initially diagnosed with dehydration after returning from London, where he had been feeling unwell, which led him to seek medical attention. Saira Banu requests not to address her as AR Rahman's ex-wife Saira also stated that she and Rahman are still legally married despite their separation. "We are not officially divorced," she clarified. "We are still husband and wife, and it’s just that we have been living separately for the past two years because I was unwell. I didn’t want to add any stress to him, but please, I request that you do not refer to me as his ‘ex-wife’."

Basil Joseph from Malayalam industry is said to be latest addition to ongoing Tamil film Parasakthi directed by Sudha Kongara. It has Sivakarthikeyan and Ravi Mohan as the hero and baddie respectively. Basil’s PonMan released on OTT is trending. With a string of hits, Basil is currently flavour of the Malayalam industry as his moderate budget films with content that more realistic are favourite of family audiences. Sources also say that the unit of Parasakthi has erected a set resembling the Madurai railway station in Sri Lanka.

Salman Khan and Chiyaan Vikram threat to Mohanlal / Anirudh is South highest paid composer

Empuran run at North India and Tamil Nadu will not be smooth as the two regions are seeing the release of two biggies- Salman Khan- ARM Sikandar in Hindi and Chiyaan Vikram Veera Dheera Sooran. At first Sikandar was to release on March 30th and thereby giving Empuran a three day run in North but the new date has put te brakes on that. Vikarm film is coming on March27. This date has come after OTT platform has scheduled it. Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2 will hit the big screens on March 27, 2025. Initially, it was supposed to be released in January, but plans shifted due to scheduling clashes with OTT platforms. Given the budget, Empyran needs a free run outside Kerala to recover it. In GCC countries, Empuran will be hit as Salman Khan release for Eid has always been a celebration.

While there’s no official confirmation about the same will be coming, a few weeks back, the industry buzz was that that Anirudh has become highest paid music composer of the South and he received an unbelievable hike for Jailer 2. For those who aren’t not in the know, the and it was told publicly by Rajinikanth himself , Anirudh the music composer was paid a sum of 10 crores for Jailer. As Ani’s music played a crucial role in Jailer’s blockbuster success, he has been given an 80% hike. It is said that Jailer 2 producers are giving Anirudh a staggering 18 crores for the sequel.If a comparison is made, he is aheam charan- Buji film signed by AR Rahman by a margin of 10 crores. If calculated ahead, Ani’s remuneration is 125% higher than that of ARR’s paycheck for RC 16 which is Rs 8 crores. Chaavaa BGM is said to be poor and though the film is a blockbuster, it has made Ram Charan film makers jittery.

Thalapathy son Jason film hero is Sundeep : Singer who `disturbed' A R Rahman wife

 Thalaoathy Vijay's son Jason has narrowed down his selection of the leading man for his first directorial. From what we hear is that it is Sundeep Kishn ( new spelling as per numerology). In Tamil, we have seen him in Dhanush film Captain Miller and Rayaan. He is related to cinematographer Chota K Naidu. Coming from a well to do family, he has produced two films in Telugu. He was part of Lokesh 's debut film Maanagaram. In Hindi he played Major Vikram in TV series The Family Man. Last month there was a news that fans have given him the title People's Star. Though unconfirmed, we hear that ARR son A R Ameen is scoring the music.Lyca is bankrolling the film.

As we took Rahman's name, we would give you a news not related to divorce. A R Rahman sent an invitation to Ram Charan to attend the annual Mushaira Ghazal event at Kadapa Dargah, and Ram Charan fulfilled his commitment. Despite observing Ayyappa Swamy Deeksha, Ram Charan presented prayers, a ‘chadar’, and flowers at the historic Dargah,  As per 41 day Ayyappa penance, one should not visit the graveyard or attend a funeral wearing the holy mala ( necklace). Dargah is considered a graveyard of the Saint. If one is forced to attend a funeral, then the mala is kept aside and 41 day penance broken.

Two things have come out of the A R Rahman - Saira divorce. Rahman only wanted a good looking educated girl to take care of his mother and his children and home after marriage. He had spoken about it in his interview. Secondly Saira is a Kutchi Muslim and her marriage was conducted without any Meher being agreed upon if the marriage ends in a divorce. In such circumstance the courts will give 50 % of the hubby's assets to wife as settlement. The lawyer put it at Rs 1000 crores for Saira. Going through the interview, it remains a mystery as what could go wrong as Rahman had made it clear that he wanted was a person to be a housewife and not demanding any time from him. “I want a simple wife — someone who wouldn’t give me much trouble so I could carry on doing my music.” He chuckled as Simi reminded him of his other specifications: “Some education, some beauty, and loads of humility.”m this is all he wanted.

Rahman bought a house in UK to st up home but Saira came back to Chennai as she felt lonely. Three children have rallied behind Saira, is evident from the public talks that have come up. Though speculative in nature, insiders point out to involvement with  a singer who has roots abroad. Her involvement with the composer was extra more than usual as per those in the know.

Rahman was part of the Maajja's ambitious goal of promoting Tamil music on a global scale. When the music composer Santosh and his daughter- singer Dhee and rapper Arivu blamed the organisation for not paying any money for song Enjaami that minted money, ARR issued a clarification that he was not in the organisation for getting money.

Mammootty film not an entry for Award - Why ? Chiyaan fans in loincloth in theatres - Kerala snub for Rahman

Chiyaan Vikram fans answer to critics The opening day of Thangalaan in Chennai was a shocking surprise to some. At the theatre was a huge bunch of fans clad in loin cloth, long unkempt hair. They were dressed like Vikram was in the film. Not only that, they screamed and behaved like they were from the Stone age. This frightened some kids at the theatre but all the same was a big hit. Some say that Chiyaan was pissed off when a reporter at the Madurai function of the film promo was asked why he had less fans than Vijay and Ajith. This loin cloth guys were to show that he had as crazy as can be fans too. Though his answer to the reporter was not an exact answer but a below the belt reply and uncalled for., Opening Day India net stands ar Rs 18 crores.

Mammootty ‘s Film Kampany the Producers of Nanpakal nerathu mayakkam never submitted the film for National awards. A R Rahman score in Aadujeevitham the Malayalam film went unnoticed by Kerala State Government Film jury. When Nanpakal was submitted for FilmFare awards South and it got Mammootty the best actor, why was it not send to National awards ?. First reason could be that the actor is a CPM supporter and so he knew that there was no point in entering it. Does that not deny other technicians and actors who worked in the film from competing for National awards ?. Anyway Mamootty fans can stop crying foul . Coming to Kerala Film awards which was announced o same day. Legendary AR Rahman who scored music for Aadujeevitham was bypassed and instead Best background score went to Mathew Pulikal for Kathal The Core and Best song Director to Justin for Chaver. Blessy Director of Aadujeevitham which won 7 State awards voiced his disapproval and also pointed out that one song from the film had been a hit across many languages. “The song Periyone was a hit and was accepted and appreciated globally. I saw videos of children in relief camps after the Wayanad landslides singing the song, and even sent them to him. We expected him to win a state award today for the film. The jury failed to recognise the legend,” he said.

A R Rahman - Micheal Jackson song for 2.0 - Sorpy upset with Guruvayoor Ambalandayil- Aditi Shankar new film

Music Director A R Rahman recalls how he missed doing a single with Michal Jackson for the film 2.0. Composer Sirpy is peeved that makers of Prithviraj’s Malayalam film Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil did not acknowledge him in the film credits as they used his song from Ullathe Allitha . ARR said that he had a meeting with Micheal Jackson and both got very friendly. Director Shankar who was working on Rajinikanth film 2.0 told ARR that he should get Jackson to sing a song under his composition and money was not a problem. Jackson agreed and asked ARR to fix a date to sing. While the song was under composition, Jackson died. This is how Indian filmdom missed a chance to get Jackson to work in an Indian film. Late Producer GV ( brother of Mani Ratnam) had got Jackson to do a show in Mumbai but it got cancelled at last minute.

Music Director Sirpy’s song Azhagiya Laila in Ullathe Alitha and filmed on Rambha, who did a Marlyn Monroe with air gushing from below and her skirt flying high. It was a hit. The song now has been featured in Malayalam film Guruvatoor ambalaNadayil and used in background as when heroine Nikhila Vimal comes on screen. Sirpy unlike Illaiyaraaja who sued producer for using a song from Manjumel Boys for using his song from Guna , has only asked that his name be used in credits. Meanwhile, Hemdev who has the rights of Guna got a court stay restraining Pyramid Films from releasing It in theatres.

Arjun Das, a highly esteemed actor known for his content-driven performances in the Tamil film industry, has commenced shooting for his new project, tentatively titled 'Production No.4', with a traditional pooja ceremony in Chennai. The movie, currently known as 'Production No.4', is directed by debut filmmaker Vignesh Srikanth and stars Arjun Das and Aditi Shankar in the lead roles. Aravind Viswanathan is in charge of cinematography, while Nash handles editing. Nava Rajkumar is the costume designer, and Raj Kamal oversees art direction. This film, an all-out entertainer, is produced by Yuvaraj Ganesan of Million Dollar Studios and co-produced by VR Vamsi of FYNTEMAX. The producers, known for delivering commendable feel-good entertainers, along with the talented Arjun Das and Aditi Shankar teaming up for the first time, have heightened the curiosity and expectations surrounding this project.

Rajini's Pro Muslim Lal Salaam gets North release - Will it break Sanghi image ?

At the time of writing, we hear that Lal Salaam of Rajinikanth will get released in North India. The buzz was that the film was heavily pro Muslim in content and so the Hindi print is not to come in North India where after Ayodhya there is a Ram wave. The film is not the RSS cup of tea. Friends who are abroad and got to see say that with Lal Salaam ,Rajinikanth wipes out his pro Hinduvata tag given to him by his detractors. In Lal Salaam Rajin’s; s role is of a 100% secular Muslim and with a runtime of 60 minutes. The role sort of exposes the Right-wing elements who spark communal flame and the minority community being the target. This screen image will convey the message that Rajinikanth as a person cannot be put in a straitjacket of a Hinduvata. His going to Ayodhya to the pranamam at feet of Yogi will in all likely hood the Sanghi brand be wiped out.name. On watching the film, my friends say that at no point it shows Muslims as communalists. Cinematographer Vishnu who has taken the subject from a real-life incident in his hometown when a Hindu Temple chariot was burned in a clash is said to have done a good job. The rawness of lyricist Mashooka Rahman in the song Jallalali is excellent. A R Rahman score has before the release did not create any buzz but the song rendered by Deva and released yesterday has done wonders in terms of views. We are told that Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth who are real life cricketeers has done an excellent job. Theatre list in overseas is excellent says trade. What the overseas friends fear is that out of 2 hours 31 minutes, Rajini comes 90 minutes in second half only. Will this be a damper for Rajini fans in India ? Lyca has not sold it like a Rajini film and so there is no reason for trade to worry. How well will the Moideen Bhai preaching communal harmony get accepted by an audience that by and large sees him as a pro Modi man ? It can also be taken as Actor Rajini as Moideen in Lal Salaam and mothing more and if the communal harmony scenes are preachy or filmy, it could be a good subject for memes and trolls. Lets wait.

A R Rahman confirmed for Ram Charan film - Tollywood Shocked

Tollywood is wondering how A R Rahman has agreed to score music for Ram Charan film directed by Buchi Babu. Rahman during his early days did compose music for Telugu films and even Producer Subbrami Reddy offered him a house in midst of Hyderabad to stay and compose music. Two things kept Rahman away from Hyderabad. One was his comfort zone in Chennai and that his wife too did not like him to be away from Chennai. In fact they had bought houses in USA and UK , but finally settled down in Chennai. The second reason was that Rahman experienced difficulty in getting the right lyricists and that his Tamil films dubbed into Telugu was criticized for the poor lyrics. Along with this was a resistance from Telugu music composers to the entry of Rahman. A story that did the rounds was that Chiranjeevi was keen to act in a Rahman musical. He asked the director to get Rahman. After some weeks the Director played out some songs that were composed by Rahman. Chiranjeevi was all praise. The director burst the bubble. All of them were composed by Raj Koti. Incidentally Raj Koti never misses an opportunity to say that ARR was his disciple at one time. Businesswise ARR amount for one film is four times the amount that the likes of Thaman or DSP charges for a Telugu film. ARR Telugu dubbed films were mostly by Mani Ratnam who has a fan following in Telugu States. If one were to take RC 16 , Buchi Babu is unknown to Tamil viewers and post RRR, Ram Charan has a visibility in Tamil Nadu. Those in the know says that like Mani Ratnam, only S S Rajamouli can carry Rahman music across language barriers. It was said that Shankar whose combo with Rahman worked many times had sounded ARR for Game Changer but dropped it as Dil Raju felt that the music tracks would not come on time and that it would push up the budget and audio companies would not pay big as they see it as a Ram Charan’s Telugu outing with Shankar. Venkata Satish Kilaru is producing the film, which will be presented by the famous production house Mythri Movie Makers. The film is co-produced by Vriddhi Cinemas and Sukumar Writings banners. What made ARR commit RC 16 ? Did Producers agree to pay his fees that he demands or was the subject so interesting that he took a cut ? Was it that Thaman has come to Tamil with Varisu ? With more Tamil actors like Vijay- Rajinikanth- Sivakarthikeyan – Suriya getting into Tamil- Telugu bilingual, and that Anirudh entering Telugu with Leo’s dubbed version and Jailor being a big hit in Telugu States, it is a wise move from ARR.

Jailer creates TV history and Thalapathy Vijay - A R Rahman, Rashmika and Anu Emmanuel in news

 

Jailer became the first film to get aired simultaneously in three South languages and Hindi. Yesterday at 6.30 PM, it was aired on Sun , Udaya ( Kannada) , Gemini (Telugu) and Star Gold ( Hindi). However Sun network Surya did not air Malayalam dubbed version. Jailer’s Tamil version was screened in Kerala and created a record at box office. Jailer’s was released in Andhra and TS with dubbed print and it beat Chiranjeevi film at box office. Simalrly Jailer was dubbed in Kannada with Shivaraj Kumar dubbing for his role and in Hindi too it was dubbed.

A R Rahman after two decades is scoring for a Telugu film and that is Ram Charan film directed by Buchi Babu of Uppena fame, Babu revealed this at the Bigg Boss Telugu episode yesterday. He said all pre-production work was over and the announcement will be made after Game Changer release. Rahman scored for Rajasekar starrer GangMaster directed by B Gopal. The reason was that the film Producer T Subbarami Reddy the industrialist was a friend. The film was dubbed into Tamil and it too ran. Next was remake of Kizhaku Cheemayile titled Palnati Pourusham in Telugu. Rahman Tamil track was used with Telugu lyrics. Both was in 1994. Most of Shankar, Mani Ratnam and Gautham Menon films that got dubbed into Telugu used Rahman tracks.

Rashmika Mandanna spend her Diwali with Vijay Devarakonda ‘s parents. This conclusion comes after Vijay posted a Diwal celebration with parents minus Rashmika and Rashmika posted a sold photo wishing Diwali. Netizens say that the background of Rashmika photo is same of Vijay’s house. Recently both were spotted at the airport on the way to Maldives.

The lukewarm reception to Japan has been a setback to Anu Emmanuel in Kollywood. Her two earlier outings with Sivakarthikeyan in Namma Veetu Pillai and Vishals Thupparivalan were hits. Though she acted opposite big names in Tollywood, her ratio of hits are few.. Last two years she has not figured in any hit Telugu films. She started her career in Malayalam and her debut film with Nivin Pauly in Action Hero Baiju was a hit , she shifted to Telugu and did Majnu with Nani. After that she been concentrating in Tollywood and her comeback to Kollywood has not done any good.

Thalapathy Vijay returned back to Chennai after taking part in chase sequence in Thailand for the upcoming film directed by Venkat Prabhu. It was in Mankatha starring Ajith that Venkat shot a chase scene, Cinematography by Siddharth and action choreography by Dilip Subbaraayan. This film is 25^th film of AGS.

Is BJP behind A R Rahman concert chaos ?

AR Rahman concert turning chaotic is the handiwork of State BJP and conspirators to this was music director Dheena and Vijay Antony is the allegation by YouTuber Mars Ravichandran. Vijay Antony denied this and has in a statement said that he would file for defamation and spend the money got from the damages caused to him for musicians’ welfare. The allegation goes like this – BJP President Annamalai asked Dheena who is heading BJP cultural wing to get Rahman to make an election campaign song. Rahman said that he does do any work that is politically linked. Dheena composed the song and later Vijay Antony composed the song. As the Chennai concert was first cancelled, the tickets issued then were duplicated by a BJP functionary who owns a printing press. These tickets were primarily sold in Bengaluru as Karnataka registration number plates were found in plenty at the rescheduled concert venue. The channel claimed that Vijay Antony audio clip gloating over fixing ARR concert. The fake tickets were in the sponsored category and this added to over crowding is the charge. The channel points out that ARR concert in Pune was stopped arbitrarily and chaos prevailed in Coimbatore as both are linked to BJP strongholds. ARR apologized to fans and event organizers agreed to refund those who did not get entry. Dheena alleged that ARR made Rs 20 crores from the concert and ARR daughter pointed out that this money goes towards charirty. ARR had once taken part in a function organised by Jayalalithaa and had to face ED investigation as part of cases against Jayalalithaa.

Vijay Leo audio in trouble - Rajini to make suprise announcement and Rahman on Chennai home

There is buzz that a surprise awaits Thalaivar fans as soon he arrives from his Badrinath trip. Is he going to revive the political plan ? or is he to announce his next film after Gananvel film ? If so then is he again opting for a Thalapathy film director and that could be Lokesh ? . This could be happening as Vijay Sethupathi has asked Lokesh to somehow create a role for him in Rajini film as he acted with Kamal in Vikram, his next aim is with Superstar. Is daughter Aishwarya getting hitched again ?. Questions are many. Meanwhile Kamal saw Jailer in US and phone buddy Rajini and applauded him. Rajini will be back only be after the special screening of Jailer Hindi version to his friends that include his co- stars Big and Shatrugun Sinha.

Vijay’s Leo has benefited largely from Jailer’s US success as it has become the most anticipated film. Now the news is that Leo’s audio launch was planned for September 23 at a biggest stadium in Malaysia. Now that venue is booked for a Government function. Now the option is change the date or come back to Chennai.

A R Rahman says that his search for a home away from Chennai ended as he found no country suitable. Elsborating on his search, he said that a Bollywood Producer asked him to make Mumbai his base and to learn Hindi. He did not learn Hindi and did not make Mumbai his home as he was told about the Mafia links with filmdom. A Telugu film Producer offered him a house in Banjara Hills of Hyderabad but he found that the situation in Tollywood was not so good, He stayed in London for several years and there too he felt not at home and his wife moved back after three months. He said that he bought a house in USA and he never made it his house, He confirms that Chennai will be home always. Talking about Kamal Haasan, e said the actor should produce a Hollywood film and felt that he should done it 20 years back. Probably he was referring to Marudhanayagam. Though Kamal Haasan is in USA and Shankar is busy with Ram Charan Game Changer , Shankar’s one time assistant Chimbu Devan is shooting with Siddharth and Samudrakanni. Arivuazhagan and Vasanthabalan had worked for Indian 2.

Two Kerala Stories moving to Rs 100 crore club - Vadivelu croons for Rahman

Ace comedian Vadivelu has sung a song composed by A R Rahman. The duo recently recorded the track for the upcoming film "Maamannan", which is said to be the last film of Udhaynidhi Stalin before he became a minister in his father's State cabinet. The movie features Vadivelu in the title role and a poster release showing him with a gun and Stalin with a sword has caught the public's attention. The director, Mari Selvraaj, who is collaborating with ARR for the first time, has been described as different from others by the renowned composer. The film also stars Faahadh Faasil and Keerthy Suresh in pivotal roles. The streaming rights have been acquired by Netflix. ========= The Kerala Story on Zee5 According to reports, Zee5 has acquired the streaming rights of "The Kerala Story," and the anticipated release date is July 9th. The film has already proven to be a massive success in Northern cities, surpassing "Kashmir Files." However, in the South, the film has faced challenges in obtaining a proper release due to exhibitors' concerns about potential protests. Despite being released in PVR theaters in the South, the film was taken off screens on Sunday after Tamil Nadu police received intelligence reports warning of potential attacks by Muslim groups on theaters. On the opening day, the movie earned a nett of Rs 8.03 crore in India, but it is estimated to have earned a nett of Rs 16.50 crore on Sunday, May 7th, more than twice the collection on Day 1. The total collection of "The Kerala Story" in India now stands at Rs 35.75 crore. -------

2018 film moves towards Rs 100 crore club On Friday, the Malayalam film " 2018 -Everyone Is A Hero," directed by Jude Anthany Joseph and based on the 2018 Kerala floods, was released in theatres. The movie's opening day collection was Rs 1.85 crore, which increased significantly on the second day. Trade analysts and industry trackers reported that the film collected Rs 3.22 crore on Saturday, bringing the two-day total collection to Rs 5.07 crore. The movie received positive reviews, and the word-of-mouth publicity resulted in more screens being added in theatres in Kerala and Bengaluru.

Ponniyin selvan 2 Anthem launch event details and pixs

While the songs from the album composed by the academy award winner AR Rahman is garnering fabulous response from the music lovers, the entire team of Ponniyin Selvan was present to launch the PS2 Anthem at Anna University amidst 6000 students.

Actor Vikram said.., "I never knew that there is such a huge crowd here. I am so happy to be a part of this event here. I thank Anna University for giving permission to host this event here. I am so thankful to you all for accepting my performance and appreciating it in the first part. I have spoken a lot about this movie during the first half events and I am here to enjoy this event just like the audience here."

Music Director AR Rahman said.., "I have never been to college and I am in awe of the crowd here who are going to be future of India. Initially, there wasn't any intention behind creating this anthem and Mani Rathnam wanted a driving song for this album and that's when this happened."

Actress Aishwarya Lekshmi said.., " I am happy to get a song like Alai Kadal song in the first part. I am glad that the lyricist of this song and this PS anthem are Siva Ananth sir."

Actor Karthi said.., "I have very good memories of this ground in Anna University as I used to run more rounds for Aayirathil Oruvan film. I am so glad to be here for this occasion. The crowd is so amazing and thanks for giving same vibes as in CSK match. Myself and Jayam Ravi are close friends and he is someone with whom I can share all things. Vikram sir keeps the sets always active and he is such a hard working person at the shooting spot. Actress Trisha said.., " I owe a lot to you all for showing so much love and support for my role in Ponniyin Selvan 1. I am sure that the second part will be a delightful experience for everyone. Everyone has spoke about my chemistry with Karthi. This film will have more enthralling moments with lots of raciness and action sequences. It's just two more weeks for the theatrical release. I am confident that you all will like it.' Actor Jayaram said.., "It's a great honour to be sharing this evening with eminent icons like AR Rahman, great artistes like Karthi, Vikram, Actress Trisha and all the dignitaries of Madras Talkies. Last year during the launch of PS 1 event, I was asked by Mani Ratnam sir to share some incidents from the shooting. That's when the entire hilarious drama happened. When this project started, I was asked by Mani sir to learn horse riding like all the other actors, who are undergoing training at MRC Nagar. However when we decided to shoot the scenes in Thailand, the horses were new and all the actors had lots of hardships. That's when I asked all of them to get advise from Prabhu sir as he is an expert. There were lots of funny experience that happened during this phase of shooting. I am so happy to be a part of this film. The film is getting released worldwide on April 28 and I request you all to watch the movie and enjoy it." Ponniyin selvan - 2 Anthem Launch Event full video link https://we.tl/t-OyBAQfYtN7

Ponniyin Selvan Anthem - Khushbu - Ravichandran to team up - Joju not in Leo- Answara Rajan in Kannada - Miraa Menon in Rajini film

With the release of Ponniyin Selvan II approaching on April 28, the movie's promoters have ramped up their marketing efforts. Recently, the film's makers announced that the Ponniyin Selvan anthem, composed by music director AR Rahman, will be unveiled at Anna University on April 15. Directed by Mani Ratnam and based on Kalki's novel of the same name, the first part of the movie was released in September of last year. An array of popular actors, including Jayam Ravi, Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha, Prakash Raj, Rahman, Jayaram, and Karthi, are featured in the film. The screenplay, authored by Mani Ratnam in collaboration with Jeyamohan and Kumaravel, is produced by Lyca Productions and Madras Talkies. Ravi Varman serves as the cinematographer, Sreekar Prasad handles the editing, and Thotta Tharani is responsible for the art design.

Crazy Star Ravichandran and Khushbu to team up Director Gururaj Kulkarni is set to helm a legal thriller for Crazy Star Ravichandran, with the official launch taking place on April 21. The production team has approached noted actor Khushbu to play the lead role alongside Ravichandran. This duo has previously worked together on films such as Ranadheera, Anjada Gandu, Yuga Purusha, and Shanti Kranti. The Kannada industry is eager to see this successful pairing on the big screen once again, and the opportunity has arisen with this new project. Gururaj confirms that initial discussions with Khushbu have taken place, and they are currently working on scheduling. An official announcement will be made once the actor commits to the project. Khushbu was last seen in the Kannada film Naanalla in 2011.

Answara Rajan in Jio Studios Kannada film with Dhananjay Parameshwar Gundkal, a well-known name in the television industry, and known for his work on various seasons of Bigg Boss Kannada, television serials, and several reality shows. He has worked with ETV Kannada , Zee and Colors is now joined Jio Studio , where he plans to produce several movies ranging from small to big-budget. Additionally, he will also be directing his debut film, which is a commercial entertainer starring Dhananjay in the lead role. The movie is set to start filming in May and is rumored to mark the Kannada debut of popular Malayalam actress Anaswara Rajan. More information about the cast and crew is expected to be announced soon. Dhananjay, on the other hand, is currently occupied with a Kannada-Telugu bilingual project directed by Eashvar Karthic and has Uttarakaanda in the works.

Joju George not in Vijay's Leo There were rumors circulating that Joju George, the Malayalam actor, would be part of Vijay's upcoming film Leo, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. However, a close source to Joju has denied the rumors. It's worth noting that Joju recently made his Tamil debut in Jagame Thandhiram, starring Dhanush. The team behind Leo has just finished filming their long schedule in Kashmir. This film is the second collaboration between Vijay and Lokesh, following their previous project Master. The next schedule is at Prasad Studios Chennai. The movie features an ensemble of stars, including Trisha, Priya Anand, Mysskin, Arjun, Sanjay Dutt, and Mansoor Ali Khan, among others. The film is set to release worldwide on October 19 and has music by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography by Manoj Paramahamsa, stunt choreography by Anbariv, and editing by Philomin Raj. Joju, who was recently seen in Thuramukham, has several projects in the works, including his Telugu debut in the tentatively titled film PVT 4, starring Panja Vaisshnav Tej, and Pulimada.

Mirnaa Menon in Rajinikanth Jailer Actress Mirnaa Menon, who gained recognition for her role in Sarjun KM's 'Burqa', has landed a significant role in Superstar Rajinikanth's latest action flick 'Jailer' directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. The up-and-coming actress has revealed that she will be playing an important character in the movie and will be seen traveling with Rajinikanth's character. She has already filmed for 45 days for the project. Menon made her debut in Tamil cinema with 'Santha Devan' opposite Arya, directed by Ameer, which unfortunately was shelved. However, she gained her big break with a role alongside Mohanlal in 'Big Brother' and went on to appear in Telugu films with Adi Saikumar and Allari Naresh. Her Tamil movie 'Burqua' with Kalaiyarasan is currently available on the Aha OTT platform and has garnered positive critical reviews. Other notable actors in 'Jailer' include Mohanlal and Vinayakan from the Malayalam film industry.

Ponniyin Selvan PS 1 wins big at Asian Awards = Sam CS gets IIFA award

 

Background score for Vikram Vedha starring Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan has won the IIFA technical awards. Sam's score for the original Tamil version had won Provok Award, Hello FM Award, Vikadan Award, Vijay Awards.International Indian Film Awards known as IIFA is one of the international awards given to Indian film industry artists. Internationally acclaimed Hindi films are honored annually with the IIFA Awards. Accordingly, the award committee has released the list of artistes who will be awarded in the category of best technical artistes for the year 2023. the gala awards ceremony on May 26 and 27 at Yes Island in Dubai. SS is awarded the IIFA Award for Best Background Music. Vikram Vedha is directed by Pushka- Gayathri duo.

GKM Tamil Kumaran and Executive Producer of Lyca Productions, Siva Anand on behalf of Madras Talkies Director Mani Ratnam. Srikar Prasad ( editor), Mr. Ravi Varman ( cameraman) and Smt. Eka Lakhani ( costume designer) left for HongKong to receive the 16th Asian Film Awards for Ponnyin Selvan 1. Other award winners of this film are A R Rahman, Thoya Tharani (art)

A R Rahman - Anirudh team up for Indian 2 - Mohanlal - Prithviraj latest news

Fans are eagerly anticipating the collaboration between AR Rahman and Anirudh Ravichander in 'Indian 2'. Anirudh had previously incorporated Ilaiyaraaja's music in 'Vikram', which has further piqued the audience's interest in how the two composers' music will blend together in this film.

Reports indicate that music composer Anirudh Ravichander has started working on the background music for the upcoming film 'Indian 2', which is currently being filmed. It is said that Anirudh will be creating new music for the movie, while also incorporating some parts from the original film's soundtrack. Director Shankar reportedly requested permission from AR Rahman to use the music from the first 'Indian' film, to which the Oscar-winning composer agreed.Directed by Shankar, 'Indian 2' features an ensemble cast including Kamal Haasan, Kajal Aggarwal, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Rakul Preet Singh, Siddharth, Bobby Simha, and Guru Somasundaram. The movie is a sequel to the original 'Indian' film that was released in 1996. Indian batsman, Yuvraj Singh's father Yograj Singh shared a snap of himself from the makeup room as he geared up for the shooting. 

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Mohanlal, , is preparing to make his directorial debut with the movie 'Barroz', and as a result, fans are eagerly anticipating any news about the project. The latest updates suggest that the filmmakers are aiming to release the film on Onam this year. ‘Barroz’s story revolves around a 400-year-old spirit who is assigned the duty of protecting D’Gama’s treasure that should be handed over to the only true descendent of D’Gama. The script of the movie is penned by the director Jijo Punnoose who delivered India’s first 3D film ‘My Dear Kuttichathan’ and for the same reason, the expectation levels are quite high among the audiences. Mohanlal plays the central character Barroz in the movie and the rest of the cast majorly includes foreign actors. ‘Minnal Murali’ fame Guru Somasundaram will be playing a significant role in Mohanlal’s debut directorial venture ‘Barroz’.

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 Kaaliyan is a film packed with action, featuring Prithviraj in the role of Kunjirakottu Kaali, a forgotten hero and fierce warrior from the Venad kingdom. The music for the film will be composed by Ravi Basrur, known for his work in the popular film KGF. The remaining details about the cast and crew have yet to be officially announced. The film is being directed by S Mahesh, a former journalist and martial arts expert, and is being produced by Magic Mountain Cinemas, headed by Rajeev Govindan. According to the producer's recent interview, the production is scheduled to start by the end of June, following the construction of large sets in Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, and Palakkad by the team.