Forest troubles Ravana again!

Like how Lord Rama underwent troubles in forest, the cast and crew of ‘Ravana’, a film apparently inspired by Ramayana, too is undergoing trouble after trouble in forest areas.

A few weeks after a rouge elephant killed a man during the film’s shoot in Kerala following which the Animal Welfare Board of India sent a notice to Mani Ratnam- the director of the movie. Shooting of the flick once again ran into trouble, this time in a village near Pune, as the forest department has registered complaint against the villagers for illegally erecting two sheds, and dumping materials used for erecting sets on forest land without obtaining permission.

However, reports have it that Mani has not been booked in the case as he cannot be held liable for the acts done by the villagers as the local coordinator of the film did not obtain permission on time to use the forest land for shooting.

"The forest department had handed over some parts of the land to the irrigation department in 1992. As per the law, the land remains a reserved forest. The dam water is used for irrigation. Besides this, no other activity is allowed unless permission is obtained from the competent authority," Forest Officer Sadashiv Raut was quoted as saying.

He added: "Mani Ratnam had visited the village sometime back and had decided to shoot a part of the film here as the location had resemblance with the ancient setting he had in mind for the film."

This ambitious project of Mani, Ravan has Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vikram and Priyamani in lead roles. Musical score is by A R Rahman.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

The Endhiran truth!

Looks like the buzz about Endiran releasing for this Diwali are nothing but rumors. A source close to the Endhiran stable revealed that although 85% of the movie is wrapped up except for a few scenes, the major chunk of the task, the post-production work is expected to extend for a year.

Made at a whopping budget, Endhiran’s graphics and visual effects are the highlights and will go on for about a year before the movie is ready to embellish the movie screens.


Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Rajini hails Vairamuthu

Kaviyarasu Vairamuthu is truly a magician of lyrics. His abundant literary works and countless musical compositions are priceless treasures of Tamil cinema.

Recently the great poet and lyricist had impressed our Superstar Rajinikanth. Vairamuthu has penned the lyrics for few songs in Rajni’s ‘Endhiran’. Endhiran, meaning Robot, tells the story of a man who invents a robot. To suit the situation, Vairamuthu had written that as the robot is invented by a man, it has ‘father tongue’ and not ‘mother tongue’. Rajnikanth was bowled over this and wondered at Vairamuthu’s intelligence. A humble Vairamuthu said that even the director Shankar and Superstar were to share the appreciation for this line.

Well, we all are highly impressed with you sir, for all the memorable songs you have given so far.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Hariharan lends his voice to Endhiran

The project Endhiran is moving fast with amazing scenes and sets at different locales around the globe giving a rewarding shape to Shankar's dream with Super Star in cast. With the music for the film being composed by the Oscar winner A R Rahman and some new technologies being used in the composition, there is definitely no doubt about the songs dominating the musical charts.
The title song in Rajini's movies generally are rendered by the music legend SPB. This time sources say that the title song of Endhiran has been delivered by Hariharan. Rajini plays the roles of both a robot and a scientist.


Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Ravan – first images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Vikram – Ravan look – images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Mani gifts Govinda a song in Raavana

For over two decades now, Govinda had made for himself quiet a bad reputation in industry circles of being a late latif. He was known to always come late on his film sets citing the silliest of excuses. He had changed this habit while shooting for David Dhawan’s Partner but apparently, post the film’s success he came back to his old whimsical ways. But now it is learnt that for the shooting of his Mani Ratnam directed Raavana, Govinda has been not only coming to the film’s sets on time but is also being the first artist to reach the location.

A source reveals, “During the recently concluded schedule in Ooty (which didn’t have Abhishek Bachchan n Aish) Govinda used to be ready to go to the location as early as half past five in the morning. Apparently, Govinda’s such professionalism left Mani Ratnam so much impressed that he has now decided to add a special song which will be shot on him alone. Mani had earlier been cautioned by many industry insiders about Govinda’s fussy habits during shoots and that it would be a hara-kiri taking him on. But Govinda not only was always on time but also showed lot of willingness and gave suitable inputs to make his character in the film better.

The film is supposedly a modern day take of Ramayana with Abhishek playing the title role. Govinda’s role in the film is the character based on Hanuman in the sense that he aids Vikram (who plays Aishwarya’s hubby in the film) to reach Abhishek.

Rajini on TV next?

If reports are to be believed, you could soon catch on screen, a face that has mesmerized millions of Tamilians with a voice and style that still remains inimitable. Yes, the Superstar could soon be on TV asking you, his fans, to catch him soon in Sun Pictures’ Endhiran The Robot'.

The Superstar, who is currently working in Shankar’s ‘Endhiran The Robot’ is said to have agreed to this unique means of promoting his film. He pairs with Aishwarya Rai for the first time in this film, which is being filmed at an estimated cost of Rs 180 crore.

With more than 60 percent of the shooting for the film being completed, the production house is said to be adopting never-heard-of methods to publicise the mega starrer, which also has Academy Award winning music composer AR Rahman working on the movie’s music.

Reports say the production house plans to do this personal invite from Rajinikanth and already has the Superstar’s nod to the project. And given Sun Pictures aggressive promotion campaigns for all their films, it is no surprise that they have come up with such a grand plan to promote their first direct production.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

When Rahman rubbed shoulders with Michelle Obama

Being voted one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine has seen his popularity soar. Oscar-winning Indian composer A.R. Rahman not only got an opportunity to share the same platform with US First Lady Michelle Obama, he also had the whole audience in New York chanting “Jai ho”.

“At the function I was on the same table as Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and the CEO of Time magazine. When I went up to the stage, a chant of ‘Jai ho’ (the Oscar-winning song from ‘Slumdog Millionaire’) went up in the house.”

The music maestro, who won two golden statuettes for his compositions in British filmmaker Danny Boyle’s underdog drama, says the awards have had a huge impact on his life.

“The impact of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has been tremendous. The western perception of Third World countries has changed. Earlier when some of the most talented musicians of Asia would approach western companies, they’d encounter stumbling blocks. Today that has changed. The west is ready to listen to us,” Rahman told IANS in an interview.

Rahman admits that dealing with the huge amount of attention after the Oscars has been unnerving.

“Yes, the Oscar changed my life. I can’t even attend places of prayer without being recognised. Even when I’m at malls in the US, kids freeze in recognition when they see me. I need to concentrate on my music. I’m not the kind of guy who can pull himself away from my music, attend functions, give interviews and get back to what I’m supposed to do. It’s like entering and leaving new cities,” he said.

Ever since the Oscar happened, the music maestro has been doing extensive travelling.

“It’s been a full roller-coaster ride for me in the past week… from New York to Dubai to Calicut, Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai… every day I’ve been in two cities. Can’t be helped. Everywhere they want to felicitate me and I can’t say no. How can I? Everyone was excited about my Oscar and wanted to share their excitement with me,” said Rahman, who will be conferred an honorary doctorate by the Aligarh Muslim University June 7.

He admits he is not able to spend time with his children.

“Luckily all three of my children are into music. So my kids and I are on the same wave-length. My wife dreamt of walking the red carpet with me to the Oscars. She can now dream of walking to the Oscars with our children,” said the 43-year-old.

“I’m slowly getting back to normal now,” said Rahman, now blocking away the Oscar euphoria to focus on his current work.

His forthcoming films are “Blue”, “London Dreams” and S. Shankar’s Tamil film “Endhiran”, which has Aishwarya Rai and Rajnikant in lead roles.

AR Rahman backs out of Abhi-Ash starrer

Months after Dhoon was announced, we heard that AR Rahman would not be composing the music for it any more. Dhoon is cinematographer Rajiv Menon’s Hindi directorial debut vehicle.

Toplining Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, the film, produced by Eros Entertainment, is a musical based on a couple whose professional lives affect their personal relationship.. and how they eventually sort out their differences.

According to an industry source, the work on the music was scheduled to start by now. Rahman had agreed to score the music for Menon’s film before Slumdog Millionnaire and his Oscar Awards.

“But after the Oscar nominations, Rahman had to commit to a couple of projects, which were priority over his films. But he hasn’t yet started composing for them,” our source informed.

The same source added, “After that, Mani Ratnam developed a heart problem and had to be hospitalised for a few days. Consequently, Ratnam’s Raavan with Abhishek and Aishwarya was delayed and Rahman had to reschedule a couple of his other assignments.”

In the interim, Menon was working on the final draft of his film and was scheduled to commence work on the music a little later. Now with Rahman’s dates being rescheduled, Menon is worried that the project will get delayed indefinitely.

So, he is considering other composers who will step into the Oscar winner’s shoes.

“Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Vishal-Shekhar are some of the names under consideration although Menon still hasn’t had a formal discussion with them,” our source added.

Menon refused to comment on his change of plans. All he said was, “It’s too early to say anything definite. Perhaps, in a month or so, I will be able to divulge some details.”

'Endhiran' – from Kollywood to Hollywood

Sun Pictures is all set to make director Shankar's dream of making it to Hollywood come true. It's on the verge of a tie-up with HBO which will see' Endhiran' being released in the West simultaneously.

'Endhiran' will be subtitled in English and released in Hollywood simultaneously, making it the biggest opening for the film industry. Rajinikanth's 'Sivaji' had raked in good money overseas and has made things easier for Shankar.

With promotion in full swing, the film is progressing well after having suffered due to the recent cyclone in Chennai. The crew is about to finish the shoot at VIT University College in Vellore. The next stop is Top Slip and Valparai and the crew will then move to Kulu Manali next year.

Meanwhile there are reports that say that a Benz car has been purchased for the film at a whopping cost of 90 lakhs. According to reports an important scene feautring Rajnikanth and Aishwarya Rai will be shot in a brand new high-end Benz car.

Superstar Rajinikanth is also said to be working out with a rigorous schedule, to fit the role of a scientist and a robot (the actor plays two roles in the film), and also to look slim fit enough to romance Aishwarya Rai.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Shankar's dream to come true

Director Shankar’s dream of making it to Hollywood might well come true, thanks to the efforts of Sun Pictures, who has taken over the production rights of the director’s mega Project Endhiran: The Robot. The production house is on the verge of a tie-up with HBO which will see Enthiran being released in the West simultaneously.

Sun Pictures has been striding in where others fear to tread. It is releasing small-budget films that would have otherwise floundered in today’s market, and turning them into box-office hits with aggressive marketing and shrewd campaign. The success of Kaadhalil Vilzunden, Thenavettu and last week’s release Dindugal Sarathi might not have been possible without Sun Pictures’ effort.
The timing of Sun Pictures’ entry is more significant. It has entered the field with vigor, when many corporate filmmakers are struggling to stay in the field in this grim economic scenario.
When Ayangaran and Eros started to back off from Shankar’s mega-budget Enthiran, Sun Pictures came to the rescue, taking over the film and getting Shankar and Rajini to announce it on TV. Enthiran’s budget has now crossed Rs. 150 crores, according to the sources.
Sun Picturs has plans to market Enthiran abroad with English subtitles. It will be released in Hollywood simultaneously, making it the biggest opening for the Tamil film industry. It might just be a wise move given the popularity of Shankar, rajinikanth, and of cource, Aishwarya Rai in US. It may be recalled that Rajini - Shankar’s Shivaji had raked in good money overseas.


Courtesy: chennaionline.com

Robotic reproduction in Endhiran

A key scene of Endhiran was shot recently at the Vellore Institute of Technology. In the scene, a large number of people along with Rajini were seen standing expectantly in front of a giant screen and then suddenly erupting into applause. The scene was reminiscent to the expression of joy that was seen in the

ISRO offices after the successful launch of Chandrayan.

If you remember, Endhiran has Rajinikanth playing a scientist. In a scene that followed, Rajini was seen briefing the press and telling them that this was the first time that a robot had produced an offspring and this was most certainly one of the landmarks of science.

Robotic reproduction is something that has not been imagined even in Hollywood which churns out futuristic sci-fis every year. All credit to Shankar and the late Sujatha for this out of the world idea.

After completing the schedule at Vellore, the Endhiran unit is set to move to Kulu Manali for the next schedule.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

'Endhiran' goes to Vellore

After shooting a song sequence in the parts of North Chennai, the cast and crew of Rajinikanth starrer 'Endhiran' including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and director Shankar is now in Vellore to shoot some important sequences for the movie.

Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai and Shankar reached Vellore by road and they were taken to Vellore Institute of Technology where shooting was done amidst tight security. The details about Rajinikanth's visit to Vellore had been kept secret and security was tight in the vicinity.

A few scenes involving Rajinikanth and Aishwarya were canned by Rathanvelu with Shankar giving instructions to his crew. Produced by Sun Pictures, 'Endhiran' has musical score by A R Rahman.

Courtesy: indaglitz.com

Asin in 'Endhiran' Remake?

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s movie with Rajnikanth, Endhiran, hasn’t even finished filming and yet it’s already producing imitators. And why not? Who wouldn’t want to imitate a movie that features llamas dancing with showgirls ,a crazy robot, action scenes choreographed by the Matrix’s Yuen Wo-Ping and of course the stunning good looks of Aishwarya, herself, dressed in a gorgeous Inca costume and filmed amongst the classic ruins of Macchu Picchu? Aishwarya is currently in Chennai filming the final portion of the movie.

So in response to the long post-production period expected for Endhiran with state-of-the-art CGI graphics to be produced, it is rumoured that Asin will star in Hindi version of the film that will also star Ranbir Kapoor. The film will be made by the ambitious GV Films who have recently completed a remake of the John Abraham starrer Taxi No. 9211 and is said to resemble the plot of the Rajnikanth/Aishwarya movie. It’s conceivable that the movie could be shot and released before Endhiran. GV Films are also planning to move into animated movies next year. Asin of course is currently waiting on tenterhooks to see the critical and commercial response to her role in Aamir Khan’s Ghajini, which also stars Jiah Khan.

Courtesy: bollyspice.com

Shankar’s proactiveness

None could have handled the massive project Endhiran (also referred to as Enthiran and The Robot) better than Shankar. The difficulty in handling it is not just because it is a big project and public expectations are high about its grandeur, but also because of the complexity of the plot and the simultaneous participation of Aishwarya Rai in Mani Rathnam’s bilingual.

Director Shankar had started planning for Endhiran almost a year before he began filming. He held several brainstorming sessions with the film’s technicians, including cameraman Rathnakumar. He created several alternate schedules to be followed when Aishwarya Rai would be busy with Mani Rathnam’s film.

Since the film is science fiction, a genre still in its nascent state in Kollywood, Shankar wants to leave an everlasting impression through Endhiran. To make it the forerunner of science fiction movies of Kollywood, he worked meticulously on the screenplay and the scenes.

In a recent interview, Rathnakumar revealed that he and Shankar planned the scenes, the lighting and props needed, shooting spots, etc., about 9 months before starting the film.

Shankar also got in touch with designer Manish Malhotra and others for the costumes well ahead of the Machu Picchu shoot, since the song shot there would be an important highlight of the film.

Shankar had another problem – keeping his project secret. The ace director was totally disappointed when photographs of the Machu Picchu shoot leaked on the internet. He wanted to keep it a secret until the last possible moment, but some insider played spoilsport. But after that leak, he tightened the security by employing 40 specialized security personnel who now allow crew members only after frisking them thoroughly to ensure they did not carry a camera; even mobile phones are not allowed on the shoot.

With these stringent measures and his improvisation skills, Shankar successfully held shoots in Chennai secretively. Insiders say the vehicles carrying the shooting paraphernalia would be hidden or parked well away from the shooting spot, so that no one would even get an inkling about the shooting.

With all this detailed planning and improvisation plus the involvement of Hollywood bigwigs such as Stan Winston Studios (for animatronics), it looks like the final product will be one great masterpiece and as Shankar hopes, Enthiran will be the forerunner for science fiction movies in Kollywood.

Courtesy: galatta.com

Why did Enthiran shift to Sun Pictures?

Touted to be India’s costliest movie, with superstar Rajinikanth and the ‘Bachchan bahu’ in the lead, director Shankar’s ‘Enthiran’ - The Robot has passed hands from Eros International and Ayngaran International to Sun Pictures. The movie, said to cost Rs 150 crore, has completed three schedules so far, including those in Peru, Goa, and Chennai.

While Eros International had backed out of the project owing to a financial crisis more than a week ago, Ayngaran’s sudden withdrawal from the project has given rise to speculation. While the production house remains tightlipped on the issue, industry sources claim that the movie, for which two songs have been completed, had already exceeded a production cost of Rs 30 crore, and Ayngaran had wanted to tighten its purse strings.

But director Shankar, known for his grand ways, it is learnt, had been insistent on having the movie shot with the original budget that it was planned for. But Ayngaran, which had entered production through ‘Aegan’, was not ready to shell out so much money at a time when the biggest stars in Kollywood have not been able to give hits this year.

While Ayngaran still has many movies in hand, including ‘Peraanmai’ with Jayam Ravi, ‘Villu’ with Vijay, ‘Angadi Theru’, ‘Sarvam’, it has opted out of the Rajini-starrer, which it originally had announced would be a Rs 100-crore film. ‘Enthiran’ has the biggest names in the business, including Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, A R Rahman and Shankar. It will be released simultaneously in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu by 2009-end.

For Sun Pictures, which has now officially announced that it will produce the movie, this is the first direct production venture. It has acquired the movies of other production houses like ‘Kadhalil Vizhundhen’, ‘Siva Manasula Sakthi’ and ‘Thenavattu.’

While the Rajini starrer has shifted hands, Kamal Haasan’s ‘Marmayogi’ has also been shelved due to financial constraints. And big corporates in the State, including Pyramid Saimira, are said to be facing financial constraints, thus delaying the shoot of many movies.


Courtesy: expressbuzz.com

Ash in Chennai for Endhiran

With Sun Pictures taking up Endhiran under its wings, the film unit is gearing up for the next schedule of shooting. Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are expected to participate in the shooting starting from December 19th. Aishwarya has flown down to Chennai from Kerala, where she had been camping for Mani Ratnam’s Ravan. It may be

recalled that director Shankar had already filmed a few songs and important sequences of Endhiran in Peru, Goa and Chennai.

Ash is expected to participate in Endhiran’s shooting till February. Endhiran, in all probability, is expected to hit the screens at the end of 2009.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Endhiran - intial looks

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Deepika Padukone on missing out Endhiran!

Deepika Padukone, the Om Shanti Om girl, has several offers in her kitty. This lady seems to have the Midas touch, as every film that she is associated with turns out to be super duper hits. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Deepika answered a volley of questions patiently. When asked why she refused a role in the Shankar directed Endhiran, the lady said that

they were just baseless rumors as no one has approached her for the role. Deepika said that she would not have missed a chance to act with Rajnikanth. The actress is currently busy with Chandini Chowk to China Gate starring opposite Akshaye Kumar. Speaking about this film, Deepika disclosed that she dons a dual role – a family girl and a tom boy. When questioned if she would act in regional language movies, Deepika was quick to respond that she made her debut in a Kannada film. The actress added that she would also like to act in a sports based film if an offer came by her way.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com