Rajini's Yantram to start in Peru!

The showman of south Indian cinema Shankar always starts a new film with a song picturisation, preferably in a foreign locale.

Once again he has kept to his rule book, by starting the magnum opus Yantram with superstar Rajinikanth and Ulaga Azhagi Aishwarya Rai in Peru.





Shankar and the unit of Ayngaran International's Yantram left for US enroute to Peru, where the first of the two songs would start rolling.
Why Peru? Simple, the director wants to shoot the song in a never-seen-before location in Indian cinema. The Kollywood grapevine has it that it will be the most expensive song shoot ever.
He is likely to shoot at Macchu Picchu in Peru, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World often called the eighth wonder in the world. Machu Picchu (Old Mountain) is a pre-Columbian Inca site and situated on a mountain ridge, an important tourist attraction that became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
According to a Bollywood agent who arranges foreign shoots -"Few countries offer such wide array of options ideal for Indian film song and dance scenes as Peru. Within its territory, you can find deserts, mountains and tropical forests".
The buzz is that Shankar will also shoot at the spectacular Iguaco falls in neighboring Brazil. It is a place where some of the most daring action scenes in Steven Spielberg's recent Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull were shot.
Meanwhile it will be a one-month long shooting schedule in which two songs tuned by A.R Rahman will be shot in exotic locations across the continents.
Top choreographer Raju Sundaram, who is directing Ajit's Aegan, on the request of the superstar will be choreographing this song.


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Venkat Prabhu’s next with Soundarya Rajinikanth

With Venkat Prabhu’s 'Saroja' being wrapped up and ready for an August release, the director seems to have his next direcotrial plans chalked out.

It now sems confirmed that Venkat Prabhu, who has earlier directed 'Chennai 600028', will be directing his next movie which will be produced by Soundarya’s Rajinikanth’s Ocher Studios.

The project is expected to begin in October and the cast is yet ot be finalised. Venkat Prabhu’s name among the list of probables for an Ocher Studios production has been in the news ever since 'Billa II' was announced but it is learnt that this project has nothing to do with the sequel to Rajinikanth or Ajith’s 'Billa'.

Meanwhile, Ocher Studios is working on its first movie 'Sultan The Warrior', which is said to be an April 2009 release.

Courtesy: newindpress.com

Age in action

Hollywood has finally acknowledged that action heroes who sell are like good wine, they get better with age.

That ageing action heroes still rule the roost has been proved by the critical acclaim Harrison Ford and his Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull received at Cannes, where it premiered last Sunday, and is expected to be this year's biggest summer blockbuster.

The film - which sees the 65-year-old Harrison Ford return to the role of Indiana Jones after a 19-year gap was praised by the world media, reportedly garnering a three-and-a-half minute standing ovation by the select few who were invited to watch it, according to a Hollywood trade publication.

Before the screening, huge crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of the movie's super hero Harrison Ford, who is quoted as saying, “I expect to have the whip turned on me. I'm not really worried about it. I work for the people who pay to get in. They are my customers and my focus is on providing the best experience I can for those people.” According to Hollywood websites, the film and its hero have received a resounding thumbs-up from critics known to pan popular entertainers. Noted critic Derek Malcom in his review has surprisingly given three out of five for this film. The film's director, the legendary Steven Spielberg (62) has hinted that he and producer, the iconic George Lucas (63) may take a fifth installment of the world's most popular action adventure Indiana Jones with Harrison Ford!

All this is great news for Kollywood's ageing action heroes who are still in their mid 50s - the likes of Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Sarath Kumar and Arjun (44). These heroes have been around for more than 20 years, and are still the best in business. It reiterates the fact that like Hollywood's dad army - Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone (62) and Bruce Willis (53), our ageing stars have audiences' faith in them. “The Tamil audiences have grown up on Rajini sir and Kamal sir and they are still the poster boys for today's youth in the 16 to 25 age group as they have reached iconic status,” says director K S Ravikumar, who has worked with both the stars.

Just as older action heroes in Hollywood are facing stiff competition from younger and fit action heroes like Tom Cruise, Orlando Bloom and Jason Statham, in Kollywood too, stars like Vijay, Ajit and Surya in their mid 30s are giving the bigger superstars a run for their money. However, the bottom line is that younger action heroes worldwide are not in the same league or as charismatic and hot as the older guys who are all mega-brands with audiences of all ages.

Hollywood's ageing super heroes have the best of make-up men, stunts and fitness personnel monitoring round the clock their sagging skin, creaking bones, thinning hair, paunches, and back problems. The grapevine says that Ford was given air-brushing, his looks were digitally enhanced. This is afterall the world of make believe and our ageing stars too have been given digital make-overs for that youthful, debonair look and make their death-defying action scenes look natural and real on screen. The Kollywood buzz is that Shankar is going to give a totally new look to Rajinikanth in his forthcoming Robot. The director has already teamed with hair designer Bhanu and bought the latest expensive wigs from US for the star. Unlike in earlier days, technology can help a star hide his age and look smarter and more dashing on screen.

Though Rajinikanth's public appearances show his age, it never shows on screen. The trade attributes the success of Sivaji to Rajinikanth's young and charming looks in the film.

Shankar has spent a lot of time and energy to see that he could play the character he plays in the film. The buzz is that the actor keeps to a strict diet, consisting mainly of vegetarian food. Kamal, on the other hand, regularly works out and is very particular on how he looks on screen. Sarath Kumar also works out daily and is an actor who performs action scenes with a lot of conviction. So, while it might seem that size does matter, age definitely doesn't!

Courtesy: timesofindia.com

Soundarya Rajini confirms Billa-2

Soundarya Rajinikanth, the director of Rajini's forthcoming animated magnum opus, Sultan - The Warrior officially confirmed the idea of making Billa 2 with actor Ajith. She said that she will start working on the film after June 2009, by which time Ajith will be free from Aegan and she will be free from Sultan: the warrior.

She revealed this with media persons a couple of days ago and said, "I decided this project only after consulted with my father and now a team has seriously in the discussions for Billa-2. Apart from this, I'm making all arrangements to take the entire Billa team into the sequel. When I told this idea to my father, he was very happy and also told that he is also very eager to watch the sequel of his classic action film with some other actor."


When a reporter asked about his father's role in Billa-2, Soundarya categorically dismissed that there was no such idea. Soundarya is going to produce this sequel in association with Warner Bros. Pictures India.

Courtesy: oneindia.in

Sultan The Warrior with Rs.700 Million budget

Finally, Tamil Cinema goes to the world market with highest budget ever had. Thanks to the Superstar, who has opened a big market and a new trend in marketing the films worldwide. Rajini's Blockbuster Muthu is the first ever Tamil Cinema, which ran more than 400 days in Japan with a record collection.

After this, all his films got a simultaneous release worldwide and never makes mistake in world market. His recently released Shivaji (with a whopping Rs.800 Million budget) has created a new record in worldwide collections and caused for a boom to Tamil film business. Now his forthcoming Tamil- Telugu bilingual Kuselan's domestic rights procured by Pyramid Saimira for Rs.64 crores and overseas distribution for Rs.40 crores by Ayangaran. Film fans and distributors in the overseas have eagerly awaiting for this movie now.


Here is good news for Indian Film Industry, of course for Rajini fans. The cost of Ocher Studios-Adlabs-Warner Bros joint venture Sultan The Warrior featuring an animated Rajinikanth in a full length 3D movie touched Rs.700 million, said sources from its financier Exim Bank on Saturday.

According to the source, Sultan The Warrior will be the first ever costliest animated feature film in India and the business is expected to generate at least Rs.2.50 billion. The producers announced that the film would hit more than 1700 screens worldwide simultaneously.

"It began as a small Rs.70 million venture, but the unprecedented success of Shivaji last year saw it zoom past Rs.250 million and has now touched ten times its original cost," another believable source revealed.

While Ocher Studios is owned by Soundarya, daughter of Superstar Rajinikanth, Adlabs is owned by Anil Ambani. It is remembered that actor Ajith Kumar has been signed to play a key role in Ocher Studios' untitled solo maiden venture in feature film segment, Soundarya told reporters on Saturday. Work on the Ocher-Warner Bros joint venture, a sequel to Rajinikanth's earlier Blockbuster Billa (recently remade for Ajith) will begin in April next year
Courtesy: oneindia.in

The cinematographer for 'Robot'

Director Shankar’s 'Robot', starring superstar Rajinikanth, will have a new cinematographer. Shankar has to look beyond his trusted ally K.V. Anand due to some unavoidable reasons.

The ace cinematographer, who has been an integral part of Shankar’s films right from 'Mudhalvan', has now committed for AVM’s new film starring Suriya and Tamanna. Shankar feels that it won’t be nice to call him at this juncture.


Then the leading director, who was impressed by Nirav Shaw’s work in 'Billa', has approached the cinematographer for 'Robot'. Unfortunately Shaw could not oblige, as he is already committed to ‘Sarvam’, directed by Vishnuvardhan.

Left with very little choice, Shankar has now opted for Thiru, who impressed everyone with his fine work in Ajith – Trisha starrer ‘Kireedom’.

Keep watching IndiaGlitz for the latest on 'Robot'.
Courtesy: Indiaglitz.com