Vikram in 19th Step?

A few days back, it was speculated that Vikram might be roped in for 19th Step, directed by Bharat Bala. Now, unconfirmed reports indicate that a meeting did take place between the star and the director, so this rumour could well come true. Vikram is truly excited that his Kanthaswamy will be released soon. He is also working on Raavan with ace director Mani Ratnam.
There have been no press meets or major announcements regarding this, but it is believed that director Bharat Bala is doing deep research on the topic and does not want any controversies, especially with a period film. He is consulting with writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair and wants to make it as authentic as he can!
Bharat Bala is credited with the success of Vande Mataram music videos which he filmed during India's 50th year of Independence. 19th Step will have A.R. Rahman teaming up with Bharat Bala once again after several years!
19th Step is produced by Walt Disney Productions, and has Asin and Tadanobu Asano in lead roles. Kamal Haasan is also said to be in the cast, but there has been no confirmation yet. Has Kamal opted out of the project? Is he teaming up with Murugadoss for a Bollywood flick? These are some questions that keep lingering!


Courtesy: galatta.com

'The 19th Step' shelved?

The grapevine is abuzz that The 19th Step featuring Japanese superstar Tadanobu Asano, Kamal Haasan and Asin, directed by Bharat Bala and 

Asin

produced in association with Walt Disney productions has been tentatively put on the backburner.

There is nothing official about it as the producers, the director and the stars have never held a press conference or made an announcement officially in the media about this project. 

Yet, The 19th Step was all over the media — about Asin learning Kalaripayattu, the martial art of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram, Tadanobu Asano spending time in Chennai going through the costumes made for the film and a photo shoot with the lead actors which never took place. However, director Bharat Bala, who was doing intense research on the subject along with the film’s writer M T Vasudevan Nair, kept a studied silence on the matter. 
Now, our sources in the industry have confirmed that the film has been put on hold. A source close to the development told CT, “Yes, the film has been tentatively put on hold, due to creative differences over the script between the director and one of the actors. There will not be any media briefing as the producer and the director have never officially announced the project.” 

The rumour mill has it that Kamal Haasan has declined the project due to various reasons. To be fair to Kamal, the actor has never said that he is a part of this project, as his forthcoming Unnaipol Oruvan was always the focus of his interest. 
Meanwhile, the latest we hear is that Vikram has been approached for the film by the director. A few days back, a meeting did take place between Vikram and Bharat Bala, where they discussed the issue of the star stepping in for the project and giving priority ‘tatkal dates’ as the shooting of the film was to start in the middle of August in Mongolia. 

Vikram had heard the script from M T Vasudevan Nair a few years back, and was initially very keen to do the role of the ‘Asan’ or guru, who teaches Asin, a princess, the art of Kalaripayattu. The star was offered a price that was almost twice what he gets for doing a Tamil film. The film would have been his big ticket to international cinema as Walt Disney were the co-producers. 

As per our sources, Vikram is walking a tightrope over his earlier commitments. Mani Ratnam’s Raavan has been delayed, and it looks like a good chunk of the film is being re-shot after Santosh Sivan replaced Manikandan as the cameraman. Vikram has to immediately start work on producer Mohan Natarajan’s film with KS Ravikumar as the director, a project he had signed more than two years back. He also has another long-pending commitment with director Selva Raghavan and producer Ramesh to do a film. Till he completes these films, it looks like Hollywood has to wait!
Courtesy: timesofindia.com

Asin injured while practicing Kalari

Actress Asin Thottumkal got injured during a 'Kalari' fight practice session for her yet to be launched 19 Steps in which Kamal Hassan plays a crucial role. Directed by Bharat Bala and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the film will be launched soon in Chennai. Japanese actor Tadano Asano is playing the male lead role. In 19th Step, Asin plays the role of a princess who is expert in Kalaripayattu, the Kerala form of Martial Arts.

Now the actress is busy practicing the arts in proper manner. An expert from Kerala is teaching the art to the actress in Chennai. During one of her recent practice sessions, she accidentally slipped and fell while trying to jump from a certain height injuring her leg in the process. But she hopes to be back in action soon and resume practice. According to the sources, the shooting of the movie will be begins at the second week of July in Chennai.

Courtesy: oneindia.in

Rahman Got A Japanese Tie-Up

The ace Indian Music composer AR Rahman will join hands with the Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi for the music of film which is an Indo-Japanese venture. The film stars Indian actors like Kamal Haasan and Asin as well as Japanese actor Tadanobo Asano. The film shows that martial arts are originated from India and not from Japan, as the myth around the world is.

One source revealed, “Rahman, Bharat Bala (director) and some people from Disney (producer of the film) met Joe Hisaishi in Tokyo on April 6 to discuss the film.”

“Kamal was very keen to work with a Japanese actor after he met Jackie Chan during the music release of Dasavtaram. This is a $50 million project by Bharat Bala who will also be directing the film. Research work on the martial art form is currently on,” added the source.

Rahman and Bharat Bala are currently in Tokyo.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Kamal to teach Asin Martial arts

In what can be considered as a big step towards international recognition for Indian film artistes and technicians, Walt Disney will be producing The 19th Step, which will consist of many Indians behind and on the screen. Indian cinema’s fastest rising star Asin will be paired with Japanese superstar Tadanobu Asanno, an internationally acclaimed actor. She will be playing a princess in the movie. What makes the cast even more exciting is the presence of Kamal Haasan. He will be seen as Asin’s martial arts mentor in a high impact cameo.

What more! The film will be directed by Bharathbala known for his stirring picturization of song videos, especially Rahman’s Vande Mataram. Speaking of Rahman, he has been given the responsibility of scoring the music for the movie. And, India’s other Oscar winner Resul Pookutty will be present in the sound engineering department. So, it is one heavily loaded Indian line up that will be making its presence felt in an international project. We saw what appropriate international exposure can get us when Slumdog Millionaire brought home two Oscars. This time round, we have the legendary Kamal as Indian cinema’s ambassador. Wishing all success to the team of The 19th Step. Neil Armstrong once said ‘a small step for a man, but a giant leap for mankind’. Let’s hope that the following thought turns out true, ‘The 19th Step for Walt Disney, a giant leap for Indian cinema’.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Asin not in 'Marma Yogi'

Denying all the speculations which were saying that Asin would once again share the screen with Kamal Haasan for a cameo role in 'Marma Yogi', the actress has now confirmed that there is no fact in it. The talented actress who has reached incredible heights in her career co-stars with Salman khan and Ajay Devgan in 'London Dreams' and she has been back to Mumbai recently after completing the shoot for the film for 45 days in London and Paris. Asin's next venture includes 'The 19th step', produced by Walt Disney, which would have Kamal Haasan and acclaimed Japanese actor Tadanobu. This multi-lingual film which is to be made in Tamil, English and Japanese will be directed by Bharat Bala who has made hundreds of classic commercials and also has directed acclaimed music videos including 'Vande Mataram' and 'Pray for me brother' of Maestro A.R.Rahman. 'The 19th step' will be the first Indian film on martial arts; it speaks about 'Kalaripayattu', which is claimed to be the source of all Oriental martial art forms. And what is foremost interesting is Asin plays the role of a Japanese princess that can even turn other actresses green with envy. Asin is sure going places!

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Disney foray into film production in India

The Walt Disney Company (India) on Tuesday announced its plans to independently produce four live action films. These will include The 19th Step with Kamal Haasan and Asin, to be directed by Bharat Bala, andZokkomon with the Taare Zameen Par whiz-kid Darsheel Safari, to be directed by Satyajit Bhatkal.

It was Bhatkal who wrote The Spirit of Lagaan and directed Chale Chalo, the documentary on the making of Lagaan.

Mahesh Samat, managing director of the company, told The Hindu that this was in addition to its co-production arrangement with Yash Raj Films.

On the eve of the audio launch of the Disney-Yash Raj Films maiden co-production Roadside Romeo, the animation feature directed by Jugal Hansraj with voice by Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, Mr. Samat said the company was collaborating with Yash Raj Films for one more animation film.

On Zokkomon, he said: “It’s a family film driven by a great story. We should be starting work on it by the end of this year.”

The 19th Step will be a lavish production with an Indo-Japanese cast. “This is an interesting film because it’s a multilingual which will primarily be in Tamil and it is one of those unique films that will potentially be a global film. It’s got some elements of martial arts. We are proud to be associated with Kamal Haasan and A.R. Rahman.”

Disney’s foray into film production in India has been triggered by the size of the market. Mr. Samat said: “With 3.6 billion movie admissions a year, it’s a remarkable figure. With the value of movie admissions going up from Rs.25 to Rs.80 in five years, we are talking about a $7 billion box office. Disney has a huge amount of expertise in telling stories and building a franchise around the characters.”

“We are about creating products that take the story beyond the story,” said Roshni Bakshi, regional director, Disney Consumer Products. A whole range of products that will take the Roadside Romeo franchise to the consumer will reach the retail market by mid-October, two weeks before the film’s Deepavali release.

Courtesy: hindu.com

'Marma Yogi' - a historical extravaganza starts 26th

Kamal Haasan's Multi-lingual Multi-Million dollar Magnum opus 'Marma Yogi' would go on floors on September 26th in Tamilnadu.

Scripted and Directed by the Universal Star himself, Marmayogi will have its musical score by none other than A.R.Rahman.

Rahman said that he would do an extensive research for this period film. Rumors are going around that Kamal wants to complete this mega-project at a rapid pace to ensure it to be a Tamil New year release on April 14, 2009.

Co-produced by Pyramid Saimira and Rajkamal International, Managing Director of the former commented on Marmayogi as,"The project will be a landmark project in the technical as well as cinematic qualities and will try to project Indian cinema in the best possible manner internationally."

After Marmayogi, the leading method actor would feature in '19 steps'. Produced in English, the film will have its versions in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Japanese and the production would start in April 2009.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com