Endhiran’s new gadget

Here’s latest from the Endhiran sets. Shankar has hired a modified Maruti Gypsy for his fantasy-thriller Endhiran. The Maruti Gypsy, reportedly altered by a noted mechanic in Pudupet, Chennai, cost around Rs. 3 lakhs for the modification. The same vehicle, according to the mechanic, was also used for election campaigning and Shankar got bowled over by its design and hired it for the flick. The Gypsy, as huge as a bus, has 20-inch wheels fixed to it with significant modifications also done to the engine.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Ash gets deglammed by Mani Ratnam

Aishwarya may be denying all the time that she really isn’t playing Sita in Mani Ratnam’s 'Raavana', but her look in the film definitely suggests that. The director reportedly has insisted that the actress act without makeup in the film. He is trying to make Aishwarya look sad and sullen, say sources close to the crew.

In fact, the actress had also corroborated this, by stating there were scenes in which she was asked to remove all makeup. She even stated that in a few scenes she tried dabbling makeup without his knowledge, which he detected very easily and made her remove on the sets.

So this will be a treat for Ash fans across the world to see, with the actress looking her natural best. The green-eyed beauty, will finally look her age in the film, which is slated for a 2010 release. Unofficial reports say this will be among her last few films, apart from 'Endhiran', after which she and hubby Abbi are planning on having a baby.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Superstar’s new project with SUN TV

Shankar is leaving no stones unturned to wrap up Endhiran in style. According to the latest available reports, there are signs that the mammoth venture’s production budget might well exceed the set limits of 150 crores. That’s not to say that SUN TV is curbing the expenses. On the other hand, the excessive production budget is also being met with, according to sources by the production giant.

Latest in the series is that Rajini has agreed for another movie after Endhiran for SUN pictures. A local tabloid has carried news to this effect adding that Rajini has nodded his consent for the project. Only an official announcement can clear the air, however.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Mani commands… Ash disobeys…

Mani Ratnam is known as a director who is set on being a perfectionist. He shot to limelight for his perfectionism and professionalism. It is well known that the director is working on the bilingual Ravan, which stars Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Priya Mani, Abishek Bachchan among others.  Reportedly, the director wanted Ash to wear no make up for the second half of the film. Sources have it that Mani wanted that makeup-less look to bring out the

emotions and sufferings of a wife separated from her husband. But Ash is in no mood to listen and was seen sneaking out when time permitted to get a basic make up done. However, the director who spotted the slightestchange in her looks promptly sent her back to have it removed.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Ravana Story line out in the open

The much-guarded story line of Mani Ratnam’s Ravana has been leaked to the press. Its plot has been doing the rounds already.

 

The story goes thus. The sister of Abhishek Bachchan gets humiliated publicly by character played by South Star Vikram.

As revenge, Abhshek kidnaps Aishwarya Rai, the wife of Vikram. Chased by the police, they hide in the jungle. And Mamma mia- the duo falls in Love!

What follows next makes up the rest of the film.

Ravana is supposed to be modern take on Ramayana with Abhishek in the role of Ravana. The Ash- Abhi romance is the twist in the tale.

Other characters include Suhasini , the wife of director Mani Ratnam who makes her Bolllywood debut. Also Govinda plays a modern version of Hanuman who takes Vikram to the place of Abhishek.

Ravi Kissen plays Abhishek’s trusted aide while Nikhil Dwivedi plays a cop. The film in its Tamil version will be called Ashokavanam with Prithviraj Sukumar playing Abhishek’s role.

Actress-dancer Shobana has done the choreography.

Courtesy: newsline365.com

Abhishek-Aishwarya’s love-making session dropped from ‘Raavan’

It would have made nation wide headlines and guaranteed Mani Ratnam’s flick ‘Raavan’ immediate success, but the talented director has decided to drop the sizzling, hot, love-making scene between real life couple Abhishek and Aishwarya. Call it wisdom or playing safe, but Mani Ratnam is doing away with the couple’s first ever intimate scene in a bid to appease religious groups.


Ever since the film ‘Raavan’ got on floors, it has been causing curiosity over its plot line. The film that is a contemporary take on Ramayan is touted to present Raavan in a likeable avatar.

Buzz has it that Aishwarya plays the role of a married woman, who is kidnapped by Abhishek. Deriving the story line from Ramayan; the film takes a different route as it goes on to show a romantic relationship between Ash and Abhi, who in the modern day adaptation plays Raavan.

As their relationship progress, Ash gets carried away by her kidnapper and submits for some smoldering intimate session with him. And that’s where Ratnam decides to play safe and edit the scenes.

Confirming the news an insider said, “There was also a love-making scene between Ash and Abhishek in the script but Mani decided to do away with it after realising the sensitivity of the subject. Even though he may deny it, the fact remains that the film is a modern day adaptation of the epic, with the focus being on the Ravana-Sita chapter."

Looks like Ratnam just averted a crisis but not the danger that looms ahead.


Courtesy: spicezee.com

The signature Shankar song!

Shankar has a story board for his songs and normally sits with his music director, lyric writer, cameraman and art director discussing the song in detail.

This includes details like camera angle and colour of the costumes worn by the lead artistes to match the background! In every Shankar film, there is a signature number which is a dream song showcasing a lot of splendor, glamour and glitz. The director has had classic hit numbers like Maya... in Indian, Randakka... in Anniyan or Vaaji Vaaji... in Sivaji. Something similar in style, with much more richness and grandeur, is being planned by the ace director for Endhiran where the lead pair (Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai) will be accompanied by nearly 1000 junior artistes, all of them wearing silvercoloured ‘Robo’ costumes with thongs.
The song, which was recorded recently by AR Rahman, was sung by Madhushree who also sang the popular Vaaji song in Sivaji. The song will soon be shot on a set created by art director Sabu Cyril in a Hyderabad studio.


Courtesy: indiatimes.com

What does Prabhu Deva have for Rajini?

It is a well known fact that Raju Sundaram has choreographed the Machu Pichu song which is salsa based and Lawrence, the robotic style song for Endhiran. Now it is the turn of Prabhu Deva who is working at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. The USP of this song is that Rajinikanth and his double will be shaking legs for the choreographer’s moves. Prabhu Deva known for his dancing style is the right choice to choreograph our very own style icon,

Rajinikanth. It will definitely be a treat to watch two superstars dancing on screen.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Dasavatharam inspires Endhiran

What if Shankar has tightened the security measures making Pentagon to look like an easy place to duck out secrets, news about his forthcoming sci-fi magnum opus Endhiran are dime a dozen. While recent news suggested that the famous Danny Denzongpa will play villain in Endhiran, there is also news that a fight sequence will be the highlight of the film. Not one of those scenes with Danny and Rajini, but with two Rajinis.

As is known, Rajini plays dual role in the movie of that of a scientist and a Robot, developed by the scientist. The action hair-strand-raising sequences were filmed recently with stunt director Peter Hein choreographing the scenes. The fight is said to happen inside an enclosed glass cabinet. Not long ago, if you might remember, one such two-some fight sequence of Kamal (Christian Fletcher) and Kamal (Shingenn Narahashi) for Dasavatharam evoked a stupendous response.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Abhishek amazed by Vikram

Mani Ratnam is a busy man these days sweating it out in Kolkata, directing a host of well established actors and talents in the Indian film industry. The scenes that are being shot now are those of Vikram and Abishek Bachchan. Sources close to the film crew say that the two actors have bonded well during the shoots. Bachchan Jr., reportedly saw a few of the Kanthaswamy stills of Vikram and was amazed by the

two get-ups he had donned for the movie – a woman and old man. It is said that Abishek showered his praises on Vikram for the perfect look that he was able to bring out in the stills.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Why Rajini went to a hair dresser?

Robot, Shankar’s project with Rajinikanth is progressing at a steady pace. Media has been speculating about the story of the film in various formats. The recent one to do the round is that scientist Rajini has created the robot Rajini for good purposes. However the Robot Rajini has fallen head over heels in love with Aishwarya Rai who does not reciprocate his feelings. To impress her, Robot Rajini goes to the best saloons in town and gets his hair done. Later on the Robot even visits City Centre to buy

good dresses. Though he tries various means, he is not successful but earns the wrath of the beauty queen. That’s how the story goes. Let us wait and watch for some more time to see if this theory on Endhiran story becomes true.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Madhushree croons for Enthiran

Enthiran is reportedly progressing at a very rapid pace. Song recordings are completed, and the crew is working overtime to complete the movie on schedule. The latest news? Popular singer Madhushree has crooned a song for the movie. This famous singer, who is a hot favourite with music maestro A.R. Rahman, was recently at A.M. Studios in Chennai for recording a song for the movie.
Check out: Madhushree with Rajinikanth
The singer was at her cheerful best at the studio, posing for photos with the Superstar and director Shankar. Superstar Rajinikanth is also reported to have had a casual chat with the singer. The ace actor was hep and happening with a nice wig and a cool, clean-shaved look.
It was Madhushree who sang the chartbuster 'Vaaji Vaaji' in Rajinikanth's blockbuster Sivaji. Hailing from Bengal, Madhushree learned Tamil to get a better grasp on its diction.


Courtesy: galatta.com

'Endhiran' releasing only in 2011?

The much-awaited Rajnikanth film, 'Endhiran, the Robot', will be releasing only in 2011, it is rumoured. The film, directed by Shankar, also starsAishwarya Rai Bachchan.

The film, touted to be the costliest Indian fim ever made, with a budget exceeding Rs. 150 crore, is currently being produced by Sun Pictures. The original producers,Ayngaran International, backed out of the project citing recession and the high costs involved.

Oscar winner AR Rahman scores music for the film. The film reportedly has the superstar in a double role: As a scientist and as a robot created by him. The film has some of the best technicians in the industry working in it.

Courtesy: msn.com

Raavan’s new star addition

Mani Ratnam’s and Shankar’s films have never failed to evoke curiosity, interest and speculations while in the making stage. Raavan cannot be an exception. Most of the front runners of the industry are associated with the film like Vikram, Prithviraj, Priyamani, Karthik and Prabhu. There is one more addition to this list though the name was kept under wraps. Silandhi fame Munna is

said to be doing an important role in the Tamil edition of Raavan. Whether his role has shades of grey or not will have to be waited and watched.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Rajini - Ash’s Endhiran coziness

With Endhiran progressing day in and day out, there is no dearth of availability of news about the movie. The team was spotted in several parts of the Chennai city and its suburbs in the recent past. The lead pair, Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had been the cynosure of all eyes, especially the media, who were keen to know every little bit of detail involving them. Meanwhile, we heard wind of the fact that for one of

the intimate shoots involving Rajini and Aishwarya Rai, the crew members, except those of the bare minimum staff, were evacuated from the sets. These scenes were shot by Shankar at the AVM Studio recently. It is also learnt that these scenes are part of a song.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Mani Ratnam’s resource management skills

Ashokavanam is progressing in Mani Ratnam’s routine style. He is known to take his time in getting the script ready and finishing off all other preparations. But once he gets down to the actual shooting business, Mani Ratnam is very fast who puts everything else behind to finish the project soon. That is what he is following for Ashokavanam too.

While the shooting has been progressing smoothly at a healthy pace at different locations throughout India ranging from Kerala to Madhya Pradesh, the director has been careful not to overwork his crew. He has announced Sundays as holidays for the entire team. Not only that, keeping in mind the scenic nature of the locations that he is shooting in, he has also organized sight seeing trips for the team on a regular basis. That is very efficient and popular man management by the ace director.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Mani seeks Ashokavanam from Kasthuriraja

While the works of Mani Ratnam’s Raavan / Ashokavanam are progressing quite well, it has come to light that Ashokavanam has not yet been finalized as the title of the Tamil version. However, Raavan faces no problem in Hindi. Ashokavanam was chosen because of the story’s source of inspiration, the epic Ramayana. But, another title ‘Ashokavanam 1 KM’

has already been registered under Kasthuriraja’s name though we are not sure about whether he is currently working on any project with this name. Now, the Ashokavanam team plans to approach Kasthuriraja for permission to use the title. If Kasthuriraja feels that the title is not imperative to his plans for the future then Mani Ratnam’s film can be continued to be called Ashokavanam. Else, a change of title for the Tamil version will be required.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Producer chops "Endhiran; Shankar drops Producer!!

It was not global meltdown that caused the break up between Shankar, the director of ‘Endhiran’ and its producers Ayngaran International, if the reports from Kollywood insiders can be believed.


It seems that one of the key players in the film company, Arun Pandian, had the temerity to ask Shankar for the completed portions of the -Rajnikanth-Aishwarya Rai starrer and watch them. He even went to the extent of editing a song made by Shankar without his permission, it is rumoured.


Rumourmills in Kollywood say this was why Shankar found a new producer and not because Ayngaran International asked him to slash his budget. Now, the film is being produced by Sun Pictures, who has assured the director that as far as the budget of the film is concerned, sky is the limit.


But, Arun has not learnt his lessons from the ‘Endhiran’ episode, it seems. There are reports that he had interfered with the editing of Ajit’s ‘Aegan’ and now is repeating the same folly in Prabhudeva’s ‘Villu’.


Courtesy: msn.com

Paparazzi doesn't let Rajini & Ash alone!

The Rajinikanth starrer Endhiran is progressing very well amidst mounting expectations. Ever since the film commenced, the entire Indian film industry is keen watching the developments. To make matters even interesting, Endhiran has Aishwarya Rai Bachchan starring opposite the Superstar.

Only recently, the production rights of this film were purchased by Sun Pictures from the original producers Eros International and Ayngaran. Being a mega budget film, the producers and director Shankar wanted every bit of privacy during the film shoot and they also took extra care to ensure the photos from the shooting are not leaked out. But with the latest technology rearing its ugly head we saw a few of the photos shot during the Endhiran shooting in Peru and Goa find its way to the internet. To top all this, the local paparazzi in Vellore have shot a few stills while the film unit was busy shooting at the Vellore Institute of Technology. Shankar naturally is fuming over this and is now said to working out a new strategy to prevent such things in future.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Vikram's jungle wedding

First leg of star director Mani Ratam's Raavan shoots are wrapped up in the Chalakkudi and Cunoor area. Mani also seems to have found his location for the next schedule of shoots, the dense jungles of Orsa in Madhya Pradesh. To join the cast and crew Vikram left to Delhi recently.

Further, to reach Orsa, a train journey from Delhi followed by subsequent road journey is required. Mani has finalized the Orsa jungles for the wedding scenes of Raavan, the movie heavily inspired by the mythological epic Ramayana.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com