No Mandodari in Raavan

Bipasha Basu was touted to play the role of Mandodari in Raavan. Earlier, the film’s director Mani Ratnam had plans to sign up Nayanthara, which did not materialize due to date issues.

However, the recent buzz is that the director has decided to do away with the role entirely. Apparently, Mani Ratnam felt that he could not do enough justice to the role and there were chances that it could be reduced to a mere item number. Considering all this, Mani decided to chop off the role. This puts an end to the rumors that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was insecure of her role should the Mandodari character be given prominence.


Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Mani wants Vikram… says so to Selvaraghavan

The last leg of the Mani Ratnam-directed Raavan was being shot at the Malshej Ghats. Unfortunately, the heavy rains that have been lashing in those parts have made it difficult for the unit to film the scenes and as a result the stars and technicians are forced to stay indoors. The worst affected are the busy stars Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Vikram. The trio is involved in several projects and have their diaries of schedule jam-packed already. This sudden delay is said to make things difficult for these stars.

A source says that Vikram needs to be in Ladakh later this month to take part in the Selvaraghavan directed flick and is really concerned about the delay. Sensing this, Mani has requested Selvaraghavan to spare a few days so that he could complete the shooting with Vikram.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

No leak from Raavan: Rahman

The latest wave in the Internet is a supposed ‘leaked’ song from Mani Ratnam’s upcoming film titled Raavan. 


The film, which stars Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai in lead roles in the Hindi version and Vikram and Aishwarya in the Tamil version, has music by Oscar winner A R Rahman. According to a post in the internet recently, a song — titled Kaadale... in the Tamil version — has been sung by the lead actress Aishwarya herself!

However, music composer Rahman has denied that any such song features in the film. “Someone’s pulling a fast one,” is all he said. All eyes are on Raavan’s music as it will be the first album with the Mani Ratnam-Rahman combination that will be out after the composer’s double delight at the Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire. Besides Raavan, A R Rahman’s current projects include Rajinikanth’s Endhiran and Sultan, Couples Retreat and Vinaithaandi Varuvaaya. 


Courtesy:indiatimes.com

Aishwarya Rai completes filming Mani Ratnam's 'Ravan'

Aishwarya Rai has completed filming for Mani Ratnam's 'Ravan' with co-star and husband Abhishek Bachchan and is currently taking a break with her family.
October 04, 2009, (Sawf News) - Aishwarya Rai has completed filming for Mani Ratnam's 'Ravan' with co-star and husband Abhishek Bachchan and is currently taking a break with her family.


Aishwarya has been slogging it out, working on four films at a time - Mani Ratnam's Ravan and Raavana (Tamil), Vipul Shah's Action Replay and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Guzaarish with co-star Hrithik Roshan.


Aishwarya is playing the same role in both the Hindi and Tamil versions of Ravan. She speaks her own dialogs for the Tamil version as she is fluent in the language.


Aishwarya and Abhishek have lately become inseparable. Late last month the couple signed their first ever commercial together for a soap manufacturer. There are reports that the couple shopped for some time to get the best deal. The ad will fetch them a whopping Rs25 crore.


The couple recently gave their first ever TV interview together when they appeared on U.S. chat show queen Oprah Winfrey's show on Monday, September 28.


Courtesy:sawfnews.com

Bipasha Basu out of Raavan

Bipasha Basu is quite upset these days as she is no longer a part of Mani Ratnam’s Raavan anymore. The actress had allotted 20 days for the shooting and had done the dress rehearsals too. However, Mani decided that Bipasha’s role, which also included an item number, would make the film too lengthy and hence chose not to use her. Sources say that it is still not clear if the actress would be replaced or the role is being chopped off entirely.

Mani is said to have made amends with the dejected actress by promising her a plum role in his future project.


Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Aishwarya to get 6 crore for Robot

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (35) is the highest paid Indian film heroine. Still, for her to land an eye-watering Rs 6 crore for a single film — Shankar’s The Robot — is something. Bonus: she serenades Tamil superstar Rajnikanth. Shankar last directed Rajni in Sivaji.

The Robot is India’s most expensive film to date. It was reportedly budgeted at Rs 128.70 crore but after one schedule in Brazil, the budget was expanded to Rs 150 crore.

That’s when the original producers— Ayngaran and Eros — upped and left, leaving the film to the loving care of the Brothers Maran (Sun TV) who were delighted to take over.

Reports have it that with a 27 per cent hike in crew remuneration (most of the technicians are American and have to be paid in dollars), the cost of The Robot or Endhiran, as it is called in Tamil, is set to skyrocket to Rs 165 crore. A new high for Indian cinema.

Courtesy:indiatimes.com

Endhiran’s blazing climax

The shooting of Shankar’s ‘Endhiran’ is fast approaching its climax! Currently the team is busy in putting its heart and sweat into the making of the movie’s climax.

Being the significant part of the movie, the scene features a fire bursting out of a scientist’s laboratory. This is said to be only a 4-min scene, however an elaborate set has been erected in the city’s Prasad Studios.

The production team has specially flown down few Hollywood visual effects companies to supervise this fire scene. This expertise will decide as to how and where special effects would be applicable while editing later.

Now, did you know that this is something new and done for the first time in our Indian cinema? Well, this method was earlier followed by a famous American filmmaker George Lucas in several Hollywood flicks of his times. Shankar had recently highlighted the importance of special effects and graphics in movies.

A dedicated man he is, our Superstar has insisted on staying on the sets, to see the shooting; although he has no role to play in it.

Hmm, now if such interesting things are happening on the sets, one would be really thrilled to experience the happenings live! Right?

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Rahman’s new find

The Chennai Mozart and now the double Oscar winner A R Rahman made a humble start in the music industry in Indian cinema. Now he has attained so much popularity in the global industry which others dream of.

He is always known for being genius and creating something all the time.

Now sources indicate that he something new for the flick “Yanthram”. The buzz is that Rahman is using a new instrument called Continuum fingerboard. This is supposedly a virtual touch screen keyboard and has been used by very few musicians.

Many are waiting to hear the new instrument from the Mozart and are excited about this new find of his.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Shankar’s version of Maruthi Gypsy

Noted as the showman of the south, Shankar is one of the most sought after directors in the south. He is known to make his movies on a grand scale. Even though his budgets for movies are sky high, the producers have lot of faith in him.

He is currently busy with the shooting of “Yanthram” which stars Superstar Rajinikanth and the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai in the lead.

Sources indicate that Shankar has used a Maruti Gypsy for the shooting. However this vehicle has twenty wheels instead of the regular four wheels.

The car apparently costs Rs 3 lakhs for the making and currently, the shooting has been happening in Chennai at a brisk pace.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

‘Endhiran’ confirmed for summer 2010

For sure, Shankar’s “Endhiran’ is worthy to be tagged as “ever longest project in the history of Kollywood’. The film started rolling, say, before 15 months and still the filming schedules haven’t been completed.
Earlier, during the occasion of “Eeram’ audio launch Rajnikanth had stated that his “Endhiran’ would hit the screens somewhere in December. But closer sources have now brought out the fact saying, “Although shooting would be wrapped-up within next month, it will take 4-5 months to complete the post production works.”
The sources further added that since director Shankar has used the latest techniques in computer graphics like “Animatronics’, it would take a long time to windup. “Animatronics’ is the most commonly used technique in Hollywood films where gigantic figures as Dinosaurs, King Kong and Anaconda were presented with realistic appeal. This is the first time that such a technique is being utilized in the history of Indian cinema.
Despites getting dashed down with their hopes, ardent followers of Rajnikanth have said, “Though it takes a very long time, it’s worth waiting for as our “Thalaivar’ offers something extraordinary in his each film.”

Courtesy: thaindian.com

Shankar speaks on Endhiran!

Shankar has given an interview to a Tamil daily where he has said: “ Endhiran is beyond imagination, with much grandeur and richness.

You can see the effort which is to be taken for 10 films in this one film. Rajni is such an amazing hero. Just words can’t describe his efforts.”

On Rajini’s look in the film, Shankar says “Sivaji was just a sample of how young the star can look. In Endhiran he will look even younger. For his make up things, we went to America and searched in many places but nothing came right. Then we tried in India and it worked out perfectly for the character he plays. Normally make-up, Kamal will only take efforts for make up is the public opinion. But in this film Rajni has taken amazing efforts as he waited patiently for two three hours to put up the make-up.”

On Aiswarya Rai- Rajinikanth screen combination, Shankar says: “There was terrific chemistry between them, as she plays a medical student. Shankar added that the film has “never before seen special effects and graphics.” They have used a technique called “Animatronics” the use of electronics and robotics in mechanised puppets (Robos) to make them appear to be alive.

Courtesy: sify.com

Kalabhavan Mani in Endhiran

South India's comedian-turned-hero and noted villain Kalabhavan Mani, known for his National award winning performance as a blind man in Vasantiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njanum (1999), will be seen in a meaty role in director S. Shankar's forthcoming Tamil science fiction film Endhiran, rumoured to be the last film by super star Rajinikanth before he enters politics.

The shooting of the climax scenes of Endhiran has begun recently. Sources say that 95% of the shooting has already been completed and the remaining portion, including a six minute climax fight scene, is being shot in Prasad Studios.

The first part of the climax was shot last week at the Siruseri IT Expressway. Some scenes were shot at the SIPCOT industrial estate in Sirucheri, where a Volvo bus has been used as a satellite remote sensing lab. Once the shooting is complete, Shankar will need another six to seven months to complete post production works, it is reported.

Courtesy: galatta.com

Soundarya as a specialist in ‘Endhiran’

Preparing for the final leg of the shoot director Shankar said that two songs are left to be canned abroad. “The first science-fiction film in Tamil will deal with the good and bad effects of robots in the backdrop of Indian culture”, said the director. Our superstar also confirmed it saying that more than 80%of the film’s shoot is over, during the ‘Eeram’ audio launch.

Sources close to the production house says that Sun TV is planning to release the film by April 2010. The reason behind the delay is the usage of EFX, CG and 3D animation techniques unlike another Tamil movie. They have used nearly two lakhs and fifty thousand frames for these special effects!

As all these works can’t be finished in Chennai alone, few important scenes have been handed over to a company in Canada. It’s heard that this particular firm has handled several Hollywood movies.

The focal information is that our hero Superstar’s daughter Soundarya is an important member in the team of Endhiran’s Digital experts’ team. The girl is always very much involved in boosting up her dad’s image… Great!

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Shankar commends Rajni’s patience

Produced by Sun Pictures, shooting for Shankar’s Enthiran starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is proceeding in full swing. Quite understandably, the director is unwilling to part with details of the script besides the fact that it’s a futuristic subject which requires a great detail of computer graphics work.

“I have always been fond of using graphics in my movies in songs sequences or at places where the script has demanded it. But with Enthiran, we’ve taken CG to the next level. However, I can vouch for the fact that audiences would hardly realize that graphics have been used,” informs Shankar.

Coming to Rajinikanth’s look in the movie, he says, “Well, yes, he looks much younger in this movie than in Sivaji. People said he looked very young in Sivaji, but when they see him in action in Enthiran, they’ll be quite stunned at how much more naturally youthful he looks,” says Shankar. Adding, “Spending longs hours on the make up chair is generally something one associates with Kamal Haasan, who has done it for scores of his movies. Well, for the first time Rajini has spent close to three hours almost every day getting his new look on! I really do appreciate his patience!” 

Courtesy: galatta.com

Could ‘Endhiran’ be Rajnikanth’s last film?

The entire Kollywood is brimmed with this surprising buzz rounding up in town. According to some of the inner sources, it has been divulged that “Endhiran’ would be Rajnikanth’s last film as the actor has planned to make it big in political arena.
Recently, when filmmaker P. Vasu approached Rajnikanth about working together for the sequel to “Chandiramukhi’, the actor didn’t show his concern over it as he said; “We’ll look into it later after the release of “Endhiran’.”
Nonetheless, superstar’s elder brother Sathya Narayana Rao had openly stated that the actor would probably make his entry into politics after “Endhiran’.
This has gradually turned the entire state much invigorated as Rajnikanth’s fans have been requesting him to get into politics for the past 12 years.

Courtesy: thaindian.com

The secret of metallic look of Enthiran

Superstar has not not strained so much in his career for makeup like the one he goes through in Enthiran. Now let’s have a look what Times of India says about the metallic look that the star sports in the film.

The metallic look!

Superstar Rajinikanth is popular for undergoing a tremendous metamorphosis in terms of dressing and style for his films. For his forthcoming film Enthiran (Robot) Rajini will sport a ‘futuristic’ look! The look has been kept under wraps but an onlooker revealed, “Rajini sir sports a bizarre look in the film” We got in touch with hair-stylist Aalim who has styled Rajini. He said, “Rajinikanth’s outfits have been designed by Manish Malhotra.

A lot of copper is being used in it. The hairdo that I’ve created compliments the outfits. I’ve given him a very cutting edge look comprising stylish side locks and metallic hair extensions.” Aalim further added, “Rajini sir is very cool and despite being worshipped, he is extremely down-to-earth and humble. If I were to rate the most stylish men in films, Rajini sir would top the list and Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan would come next.”

Courtesy: enthiran.net

Robot Rajini in Chennai now

The Sirucheri SIPCOT industrial estate is the area in which our robot Rajini is right now! The team of Shankar’s ‘Endhiran’ is working busily in the location to complete an important scene of the film out there.

We hear that Shankar has brought in an extremely strange Volvo bus in to the sets. Birdies say that the director has transformed a normal Volvo bus into a satellite remote sensing lab. This makeover process of the bus has cost a whooping 50 lakhs!

A scene in which a morph gang attacks the robot Rajini, who is inside this satellite remote sensing lab, is being filmed. The blow of the news is that our superstar is not in the shooting spot at all. It’s a stunt artist who is masked as the robot Rajini.

Using a dupe is not a big deal as our Superstar is a real-time hero. What say people?

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Rajini against Rajinis

“Endhiran” has been making headlines ever since it’s shooting commenced. Some of the big names of Indian cine industry including gorgeous Aishwarya Rai are coming together for this one.

Recently the shooting for a fight scene of the film was taking place in Chennai in the set that was erected by one of India’s popular art directors Sabu Cyril. According to the sources, the stunt was between superstar Rajinikanth and 100 other robots that look like him. Fight master Peter Heinz composed this stunt sequence along with few foreign fight masters.

Now another interesting tittle-tattle is that many Hollywood companies are roped in for the visual effects (VFX) of the film. Hollywood companies like ILM, Tippet, Cafe EFX; and Hong Kong companies like Centro and Menfond are involved in this mega-budget project.

We say- Cooooool...

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Bipasha now in Ravana!

Here is a latest entrant to the much-hyped movie of the year, ‘Ravana’. The Mani Ratnam’s movie has always maintained a hush-hush atmosphere within itself. And the director had roped in this dusky beauty a month ago, on a condition to keep up the secrecy about her involvement in the project.

Now, when the news is out, Bipasha Basu will be playing the character of Mandodhari, wife of Ravana. In the movie, Abhishek Bachchan will be playing Ravana, Priyamani as Ravan’s sister Surpanaka, Aishwarya Rai as Sita, Vikram as Ram and finally Govinda as Hanuman. The movie will only carry the nuances of the epic Ramayana.

Initially, Sushmita Sen was rumoured to be approached for Mandodhari’s role. But as the diva refused, the offer fell into Bips’s lap, who readily accepted it.

Here our modern-day Mandodhari will be doing a sizzling item number. But no, the lady will be doing more than that! Bips will have a full-fledge role of 40 mins sources say. Our sexy lady is now packing up her bags for a 20-day shoot scheduled in coming days this month. “Bipasha’s costumes are ready. She is very happy with her look in the film. She is looking forward to joining the unit of Ravana,” added the sources. Wow, now that’s someone to add-on for the movie. Looks like the movie is getting spicier and hotter by the days…

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Mani Ratnam promotes Vikram for Hindi

Media hype is now and before the most vital thing in promoting a film or a star. Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ravana’ is one such film that has been on the headlines for quite some time now for both lucky and unlucky reasons unintentionally.

But now the director has worked on a perfect plan to launch his hero Vikram the right way in Bollywood.  Vikram plays an important role in both Tamil and Hindi versions of the film. 

According to the sources, Mani Ratnam has worked to highlight only Vikram’s character for the first trailer. It looks like the trailer is perfectly dyed-in-the-wool to show who Vikram is for the Bolly-world.

The filmmaker is known to create the best hype for almost all his heroes, for all good reasons. Let’s wait to see what lies beneath this publicity now!

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com