ASIN AS CARNATIC MUSIC SINGER IN LONDON DREAMS

BY N.THYAGARAJAN

Actress Asin is acting as a Carnatic musician and dancer of the South India in the film London Dreams. Asin who has really did Arangetram on Bharatha Natyam now has the chance to act as dancer in this film. Like Shobana who did her dance performances in many of her films, Asin now has taken over. She is acting in the film with Ajay Devgan and Salman Khan. The film is to be released on Oct.30, the sources said.

JAGADGURU SHRI SHIRDI SAI BABA FILM RELEASE IN SEPTEMBER

Shooting, post-production and censor formalities are complete for Jagadguru Sri Shirdi Saibaba directed by G Ramakrishna and produced by BV Reddy under the banner of SRR Creations. The producer himself plays the title role in this movie and the film is slated for release in the second week of September.

Speaking on the occasion, the producer and artiste BV Reddy said, “There are seven songs in the movie and all of them are situational.
We are sure that all the songs would attract the audiences. Mohanbabu, who watched the movie, complimented that the film has been brought out well. Senior director B Gopal too expressed his happiness after watching the movie.”
Director Ramakrishna said, “We have portrayed some new elements in Baba’s life which have never been described on the silver screen earlier.”

Source - http://entertainment.oneindia.in/telugu/top-stories/2009/jagadguru-shri-shirdi-saibaba-200809.html

VAMANAN FILM REVIEW

BY KARPAGAM THYAGARAJAN

Film: “Vamanan”; Director: I. Ahmed; Cast: Jai, Santhanam, Priya, Lakshmi Rai, Sampath, Rahman and Urvashi; Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja; Rating: **
Seemingly inspired by the great mythological character of “Vamanan”, debutant director Ahmed has dished out a movie that is about an ordinary young man who gets into a tangle and emerges successfully against all odds.
After making a mark for himself by doing a couple of experimental movies, Jai is finally seen in a full-length commercial film that has loads of romance, action and humour.
Right from frame one, Jai makes his intentions very clear, delivering a performance that has influence of mass heroes like Vijay and Silambarasan complimented by his body language and dialogue delivery.
The story of the film is as old as a hill. A prominent minister (Delhi Ganesh) is killed by his colleague and a video tape that captures the crime goes missing. The murderer, who is an influential man in society, searches for the tape in connivance with some policemen.
As it happens, it eventually reaches the hero and what follows is the crux of the story.
Anand (Jai) wants to make a career in acting. He sets out of his village and comes to Chennai. He takes refuge in his friend’s (Santhanam) house, who works as a cameraman with a satellite TV channel.
Anand tries his best to find a chance to enter the tinsel town. One day he comes across John (Rahman), whose antics and valour impress him. And they soon become good friends.
Anand, in the meantime, meets Divya (Priya) at a railway station and romance blossoms between them. He also comes across Pooja (Lakshmi Rai), a model, and befriends her. The twist in the tale is that the much sought-after video tape that captured the minister’s murder by his colleague Anbu Chezhiyan (Sampath) lies with her.
Coming to know of it, the cops and Anbu Chezhian’s henchmen are behind her. One day she gets killed and the blame falls on Anand. He manages to escape from the police and meets John. Only through John, he comes to know about the tape.
Anand manages to get the tape from Pooja’s house after much search. It’s now the cat and mouse game between him and Anbu Chezhiyan before he gets a surprise in the form of John.
Jai manages to leave a mark playing an aspiring actor. In the company of Santhanam, he does evoke good humour. Newcomer Priya plays a typical heroine. She loves Anand, shakes a leg to a couple of songs and disappears suddenly.
Lakshmi Rai plays a role that she has been doing for sometime now. As a model, she wears stylish costumes and even does a pole dance. Sampath, as a menacing villain, is good.
Santhanam walks away with honours. His hour does evoke laughter.
The scene-stealer is cinematographer Arvind Krishna. His lens captures the wild chase well, besides picturising dry Chennai in a fresh tone. Yuvanshankar Raja’s music is a letdown. The songs are average and give a ‘heard before’ feeling.
The major flaw is that one gets a feeling of dejà vu as scenes unfold, especially in the second half. Also, the lengthy second-half badly needs trimming.
“Vamanan” had promised big, but falls short.

Subhavaartha TELEVISION LAUNCHES DIPLOMO COURSES

In collaboration with Bharatidasan University, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, popular Telugu channel Subhavaartha Television will launch Subhvaartha Television Technology Training Institute on September, offering three diploma courses in Television Program & Direction, Television Camera Technology and Television Editing.
Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, Subhavaartha TV chairman Nehru Dhyriam and managing director N. Ashvin Dhyriam said that the minimum qualification required is 10+2 pass and admission is open to men and women with age no bar. The course fee is Rs 50,000 and can be paid in two instalments.
The media of instruction will be English and Telugu. The course content is modelled on Geoffrey R. Conway School of Broadcasting, a famous media institute in Canada.

AADHAVAN AUDIO LAUNCH

Some of the big guns of Tamil film industry including director Shankar and actor Vijay took part at the audio and trailer launch of ‘Aadhavan’ in Chennai Wednesday night. The film, with Suriya and Nayantara in the lead, is directed by K S Ravikumar and produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin.
In his address, Shankar hailed Ravikumar as a director of the producers. “The visuals of ‘Aadhavan’ are very good. Kudos to Ravikumar, Suriya and the entire team of Aadhavan,” he said.
Vijay, who received the first copy of the trailer from producer R B Chowdry, said, “Suriya is a man of hard work and commitment. I always admire him a lot. He has proved himself once again in Aadhavan.”
Thanking all the guests for attending the function, Udhayanidhi Stalin hoped that the box-office collections by ‘Aadhavan’ would surpass the revenue made by ‘Ayan’. “Ravikumar is not just the director of the film. He has taken complete care of the project. He is almost like a producer,” Udhayanidhi said.
Music composer of the movie Harris Jayaraj said the producer was planning to start a new movie soon with Suriya in the lead. “A R Murugadoss would direct it and I would take care of the music,” he said.
Tamil Film Producers Council president Rama Narayanan, Amirtham of Kalaignar TV, Vivek, Dharani, Sasikumar and others attended the function.

RAMBHAS SWAYAMVARAM ON THE CARDS

BY KARPAGAM THYAGARAJAN

It is reported that the Vijayawada-born actress has joined hands with a Tamil TV channel for the 'marriage reality show'.In this endeavour, Rambha has the full support of her parents, who have been trying to find a bridegroom for their daughter for the last few years. When Rambha came up with this idea, they gave their consent immediately, our sources say.
It is learnt that her parents would get half of the profits from the show and a deal has been agreed upon to this effect.
'Rakhi Ka Swayamvar', aired on NDTV Imagine had been a huge a success. Canada-based businessman Elesh Parujanwala won the tough competition to win Rakhi's hand.

KALAIGNAR TV TO LAUNCH KIDS CHANNEL

MUMBAI: Kalaignar Television Network that runs channels in the GEC, comedy, music and news category is now foraying into the kids' entertainment space with Chithram. The network has already acquired the licence for the kids' channel that will compete with Sun Network's Chutti TV in Tamil.
The network currently operates GEC channel Kalaignar TV, music channel Isai Aruvi, news channel Seithigal and comedy channel Sirippoli.
Says Kalaignar Television Network VP operations Humayen Ali Ahmed, "We are currently working on the programming mix of the channel and we plan to launch it in the next 90 days."

Meanwhile, the network is also gearing up to launch Kalaignar TV as Kalaignar Asia in Singapore and Malaysia to tap the Tamil audiences in the region.
"We have already got the government clearance for Kalaignar Asia and will launch it prior to the launch of the kids' channel," states Ahmed.
Earlier Indiantelevision.com had reported that I&B Minister Ambika Soni had decided to give composite clearance to all proposals which were found fulfilling the requisite conditions. The list included Kalaignar Asia.

FIRE AT AVM STUDIO

CHENNAI: Fire broke out in the famous AVM studios in Vadapalani early on Friday morning, destroying the sets of under-production Tamil film

Vettaikaran' starring Vijay and Anushka. The fire, which broke shortly before three in the morning, gutted floor numbers 6 and 7 of the studios. The sets for the film was erected on floor 7. The damage, according to studio sources, is estimated to be Rs 8 crore. Inquiries reveal that the fire was caused by an electrical short-circuit in floor 6 and spread to floor 7. The two floors are part of one large building, partitioned by a wall, facing the lawns of the studios. Floors are separate structures in a studio where several films can be shot simultaneously. Around 2.50 am on Friday, a security guard noticed smoke emanating from floor 7. He immediately alerted the studio incharge and fire personnel. "Fire kept leaping out of floor 6. Within an hour, the entire floor was gutted. Vijay TV had erected its sets there," a fire personnel said. A fire personnel at the spot complained that the studios did not comply with fire safety norms and did not have even the basic infrastructure to cope with a fire accident. KK Nagar police have registered a case and further investigations are on. As soon as the news spread, units hands of Vettaikaran' rushed to the sets and managed to retrieve some expensive cameras, lighting units and audio devices. "We had just completed 106 days of shooting in Andhra Pradesh. Here we were shooting a fight scene between Vijay and Telugu actor. The first day's shoot finished at 6 pm (on Thursday) after which we packed the equipment and left them behind. We were hoping to finish the shooting for the film in another 35 days. We managed to save the two caravans, one for Vijay and another for Anushka, and also equipment worth lakhs of rupees," a production executive of Vettaikaran movie told The Times Of India. The AVM studios started functioning at its present location in Chennai in 1949 (after having started off as Pragati Studios at Santhome in 1945, but due to acute power shortage during World War Two, its owner A V Meiyappan shifted for a while to Karaikudi). Hindi cinema, right from the time of Raj Kapoor, has enjoyed a strong bond with AVM studios. The building comprising the two floors that were gutted on Friday looked old-fashioned from the outside, but inside it was well-equipped to create a make-believe world. The studio was designed with foam, thermocol and coir, which only fuelled the fire and gave a tough time to the fire personnel. "We received the fire call at 2.58 am. At least 11 fire tenders and 10 water tankers were pressed into service. By the time we came, fire had already engulfed floor 6, so we concentrated on floor 7 to prevent the fire from spreading to adjoining sets. We brought the fire under control at 5.15 am. By 9 am, it was put out," divisional fire officer (south) Priya N Ravichandran said. R Gowri Kumar, manager for M Balasubramanian, the producer of Vettaikaran', said, "I got the information at 3 am and I rushed here after informing my boss. We are yet to come to a conclusion about the cause of the fire. We are assessing the damage to file for insurance claim.

NAYANTHARA IS STRONG IN LOVE WITH PRABHU DEVA

BY KARPAGAM THYAGARAJAN

After breaking up with Simbhu, the new man in gorgeous Nayanthara’s life is non-other-than dancing king Prabhu Deva. Though married, Prabhu Deva is said to be in a serious relationship with the actress.
The two came close to each other while shooting for Villu in foreign locations when Nayanthara’s parents were not there to keep an eye on her. This has upset Nayanthara’s father Kurien Kodiyatahm and mother Omana a lot as they were seriously looking for a suitable alliance for their daughter with the help of the brokers.
They have warned Nayanthara to stay away from Prabhu since he is already married. But Naynathara is said to be so deeply involved in the relationship that she is paying no attention towards her parents warning.

NAYANTHARA IS STRONG IN LOVE WITH PRABHU DEVA

BY KARPAGAM THYAGARAJAN

After breaking up with Simbhu, the new man in gorgeous Nayanthara’s life is non-other-than dancing king Prabhu Deva. Though married, Prabhu Deva is said to be in a serious relationship with the actress.
The two came close to each other while shooting for Villu in foreign locations when Nayanthara’s parents were not there to keep an eye on her. This has upset Nayanthara’s father Kurien Kodiyatahm and mother Omana a lot as they were seriously looking for a suitable alliance for their daughter with the help of the brokers.
They have warned Nayanthara to stay away from Prabhu since he is already married. But Naynathara is said to be so deeply involved in the relationship that she is paying no attention towards her parents warning.

VADIVELU DECIDES NOT TO ACT AS HERO

BY KARPAGAM THYAGARAJAN

Even after acting in more than 400 films, Vadivelu feels that he isn’t getting the kind of respect he deserves.
Recently, while speaking to media he stated that he wouldn’t be doing any lead roles in the future, “I have decided not to act in hero roles because I am being blamed if the film fails.”
He added, “so far I have acted in 490 films. My 490th film is Adhavan. Since I am bulky I am not able to dance. So I have reduced my weight by 5 kgs by doing rigorous exercises and diet. I have decided not to do hero roles in future. If a film flops, they are blaming me. If I say there can be little more salt in the food, they say that I am interfering in the production.”
“During the dubbing if I say that the lines can be changed they immediately comment that I am interfering with the editing,” rues Vadivelu.
He further adds, “If I say that the shirt button is not proper they quip that I am interfering with the costumes. The hero has no right over anything. If at all I act as a hero bearing all these inflictions, the producer with come with his family and axe the scenes. If I act as a hero all the responsibilities fall on my head. So I am fed up with doing hero roles. Instead of acting as hero in one film I can act in 10 films in comedy roles.” - SAMPURN

NARAIN BECOMES FATHER

BY KARPAGAM THYAGARAJAN

Glad tidings to all! Actor Narain– The Charming guy of South Indian Film Industry has become a father now. His wife Manju gave birth to a girl baby on july 22nd afternoon at 1.30 p.m. in Baby Memorial Hospital, Calicut.
Actor Narain entered into nuptials with TV Anchor Manju Haridas on August 26, 2007. It’s noteworthy that both of them fell in love while encountering each other on a TV interview for a Satellite Channel.
In his early days, actor Narain was a cinematographer and graduated from Adyar Film Institute. He assisted Rajiv Menon in various projects including Morning Raga. He made his debut as an actor with Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s ‘Nizhalkuthu’ and shot to fame with ‘4 The People’.
He made his debut in Kollywood with Mysskin’s directorial ‘Chittiram Pesuthadi’
We convey our heartiest congratulations to Narain and Manju and wish them success in future.

KAVYA MADHAVAN RULES THE DAY

BY KARPAGAM THYAGARAJAN


Yesterday was a very intriguing day for film lovers in Malayalam Film Industry with news about their popular star Kavya, planning to call it a day from her married life with Nishaal. Kavya Madhavan has also tried her hand in Tamil with a couple of films like ‘En Mana Vaanile’. The news spread like fire after it appeared as a cover story in the midday newspaper, which also stated that after having problems with her husband Nishaal, the actress is back to Kochi with her parents. The actress who got married five months ago, even while she was in the peak of her career was said to be regularly mentally tortured for the rumours about her relation with a top artist of Mollywood.
The TV channels all over the state then tried far and wide to get backing sources for the story and the people from every corners of life in the state were discussing about the chances about this developments in the life of their favorite actor. By the evening, many of the channels flashed that Kavya is heading for a divorce and she with her parents have approached a leading lawyer and filed a divorce petition. But today the popular dailies carried a different piece of news from her parents who states that there is no such issue between Kavya and her husband, and their marriage is not on the rocks. They assure that they have no problems to hide, in Kavya's life and every thing will be back to normal in a couple of days. Any how, the hungry news mongers are getting another confused story that may remain the lead for some days.

AVAZH ORU MINSARAM IN KALAIGNAR CHANNEL

BY KARPAGAM THYAGARAJAN

From 27th July monday to friday at 9.30 pm AVM's new soap 'avazh oru minsaram'.It is going to be a different story says the story writer Devi Bala. Produced by M. Saravanan M.S. Guhan, ArunaGuhan and AparnaGuhan.

Music ByRamani Bharathvaj and directed By R.K.

Watch this soap from Monday at 9.30P.M.

ACTRESS MEENA AT HER MARRIAGE RECEPTION

KAMALHASSAN WITH NEWLY MARRIED MEENA AT A RECEPTION ACCORDED AT CHENNAI.

MEGA TV AMUDHA GHANAM COMPLETED 600 EPISODES

BY KARPAGAM RAJAN

Aadavan the host of Amuda Ganam on Mega TV is keen to make his show more interesting in the coming episodes.
The show has Tamil old melodies along with interesting information about them. The show has compleated 600 episodes and is being watched by people of all age groups.
The theme based songs are a great hit among the viewers. A lot of interesting things are on the anvil in the near future says the director of the show. Watch Amuda Ganam Daily at 8 to 9 am and 9.30pm to 10.30 pm on Mega TV. - Sampurn Media

RAJASHRI MEDIA'S WEB SITES IN THREE LANGUAGES

Soon Rajshri Media will be launching Rajshritamil.com in four 4 regional content video websites like Bengali, Tamil, Telgu, and Marathi. This they had analysed before they foray into regional/vernacular video content. They have also launched a youtube channel each for these regional sites.

On the youtube front Rajshri became the number one most viewed YouTube channel in India with more than 100 million viewers. Rajshri Media part of 60 year old Rajshri group which is one of the oldest and largest entertainment group has leveraged its offline content repository and even made tie ups to scale its online presence.

Rajshri Media has a huge collection of movies,archived TV content,original content on its website Rajshri.com. It also hosts content of various other languages like Bengali, Tamil, Telgu, Marathi which makes it N0 1 media channel with a huge audience base.

What makes them hit in India is their content repository which includes all time hit epics like Ramayan, Shaktimaan, Mahabharat etc which make them unique and front-runner in providing the content which may have lost with time...

.Rajshri has been able to draw lot of eyeballs for the Web Video content but we feel what is even more promising is the upcoming domains i.e mobile which will gain more traction with the introduction services like 3G etc. We had reported that rajshri is soon to launch Rajshrimobile.com which would be a mobile vas download site. Rajshri can very well encash its early mover advantage in the web video domain and use the same for mobile video once the technology (3G) is in place. As it has all the content and has the capability technologically as well (given their tryst with mobisodes)

MEERA NANDAN EXPECTS HIGH FROM VALMIKI

“I will not do glamour roles. That means I will not wear revealing clothes in films. I know that taking the glamour route is the easiest way to stardom, but you will not last long. I do not want to mention names, but where are the stars who wore revealing costumes? What are they doing today? The life of a glam girl is very short in cinema, while actresses of substance have a longer run, depending on the performance of their films at the box-office,” says Valmiki Telugu film Meera Nandan.

The actress has decided to act in the film in de-glam roles.

While talking about her role in Valmiki she said that her character was very strong in the film and the film's director Anantha Narayanan had brought best things from her. She hoped that audience would appreciate her role in films. Ilayaraja has done quite a fab job with the music; let's hope the story and screenplay is as great as the music.

CHETAN BECOMES DIRECTOR

Small screen actor Chetan has become director for a Tamil movie to be produced by Sathya Jothi Thyagarajan. " Earlier I was working as assistant director for some films and I was waiting for an opportunity to be come a fullfledged director for a film. But my schedules with acting for small screen serials did not give me enough time. I told my own story to the director, who promised me to go ahead with the production of the film. Now I am writing the script and will soon start writing of dialogues of the film" said the small-screen actor Chetan.

TAMIZH PADAM TITLE OF A TAMIL FILM

By N.Thyagarajan

This is the title of a Tamil film to be produced by Daya Nidhi son of Minister M.K.Azhagiri. It is the story of making fun on the films produced in Tamil for commercial purposes. Mirchi Siva has taken a vow to find out various idiotic that are going on among the producers to make their films successful. Wait for the day when this film will be released, if it is released then it will be a veritable tamasha among the people of Tamil Nadu.