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

Kamal and Asin in Walt Disney film!

Bharath Bala and his Bharath Bala Productions (BBP) who makes television commercials, documentaries and music videos have now tied up with Walt Disney to produce a feature film in English. The martial arts film titled 19 Steps, will feature Kamal Hassan, Japanese superstar Tadanobu Asano, and Asin in the lead roles. It will be directed by Bharath Bala and will have music by A.R Rahman.

Remember Bala and Rahman combo have produced the unforgettable music video documentaries like Jana Gana Mana and Vande Mataram.

Bala's film is based on a script written by the best known writer in Malayalam M.T Vasudevan Nair or MT as he is popularly known, a Jnanpith award winner who has won five National awards for screenplay writing.

This period film deals with Kalaripayattu the martial arts form from Kerala and will trace its roots to the ninth century.

MT, the 75 year old literary giant has written on Kerala folklores and warlords in films like Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha and is now the script writer of Hariharan directed Pazhassi Raja, the costliest Malayalam film ever, a historical featuring Mammootty and Sarath Kumar.

MT's script is now being re-written by Hollywood script doctors to give 19 Steps an international look and suitable for an overseas audience.

In the film Kamal plays a character role of a veteran Kalaripayattu guru who trains Tadanobu Asano in his fight against his enemies. Asin will play a local princess and a martial arts expert who falls in love with Asano.

The shooting of the $ 50 million film is likely to start in the summer of 2009, and Walt Disney wants a fusion of Japanese and Indian martial arts in the film.

It will have versions in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Japanese. Recently Bharat Bala told a tabloid "It's too early to disclose anything. Currently we are in the midst of negotiations."

Courtesy: sify.com

Kamal with Tadanobu Asano

Kamal Haasan, one of the most talented actors and filmmakers in the world, is all set to share screen space with Japanese superstar Tadanobu Asano in an Indo-Japanese film, slated to be made on a 50-million dollar budget. Tadanobu Asano, one of the superstars in Japan right now, has acted in over 50 films, including the recent Mongol which broke all box-office records.


Produced and directed by Bharatbala, the film will trace the origins of the martial art form of Kerala, Kalarippayattu. It is heard that the movie will be evolved in the backdrop of the ninth century.

Currently, research is underway to fine-tune the factual elements of Kalarippayattu which is as old as the great Indian philosophy and the Vedas. It is rooted deep in the Vedic culture of India. It is considered by many as the most comprehensive of all the martial traditions.

According to sources, Kamal Haasan is very excited about this film with Bharatbala. However, Kamal's participatin of the film is not confirmed yet as he is abroad. Although the lead lady of the film is yet to be finalized, it is heard that the film makers are looking for a heroine with an athletic build.

The film, which is expected to go on floors some time next year, will be made in Hindi, Tamil and Japanese. Music director A.R. Rahman has been finalized for the music score. The film will be produced and directed by Bharatbala and co-produced by Walt Disney.

Courtesy: galatta.com

Rahman attends premiere

A R Rahman rarely steps out of his studio in Chennai. But on Thursday evening he made an exception to attend the Chennai premiere of the critically acclaimed German film The Lives of Others at Sathyam Cinemas.

The film is being screened at Sathyam as part of their "pure cinema" and the Oscar Winner (Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, 2007) is the right choice.


The film is being distributed in India by Rahman's good friend Bharath Bala, who made all the arrangements at the venue. Among the guests at the premiere there was poet Vairamuthu, who said it was one of the most moving films in his life. Rahman sat through the 2 hours 20 minute film which had English subtitles, and at the end, gave a standing ovation.

Courtesy: timesofIndia.com

Kamal’s next beautiful villain

Dasavatharam, Kamal’s magnum opus is ready for release and the hardcore workaholic that he is, he is already into his next project tentatively tiled Marma Yogi. This film will be co-produced by Bharath Bala in association with Walt Disney pictures. There are already many speculations about the story line and the cast of the film.

During the audio launch of Dasavatharam, Kamal had mentioned that his next project is going to have Bollywood actress Hema Malini in a pivotal role. The rumors that are going round the industry is that seasoned actress will be playing the role of a villain. If that is the case Tamil cine goers are going to have beautiful experience of watching a villain.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Awesome foursome for Kamal

Kamal Haasan's forthcoming film 'Marmayogi', to be produced jointly by Walt Disney and Bharat Bala, will go to floors very soon.

Buzz is that Kamal Haasan is planning to do the movie in four different languages - Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi.


Sources say the movie pertains to incident that occurs in seventh century.

Meanwhile, Kamal Haasan's 'Dasavadharam' will be released this May. Featuring him in 10 different roles, the movie produced by Oscar Ravichandran has musical score by Himesh-Reshammiya.

Courtesy: Indiaglitz.com

Kamal's 'Marmayogi'

Well, he just cant rest. Can he? Even before his magnum opus 'Dasavadharam' is released Kamalhaasan is said to have started pre-production activities for his next 'Marmayogi'. The Film being made in a budget of 120 cr is a multi-lingual releasing in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. Asin is roped in as the heroine of the film. The film is said to be based on a 7th century incident . film.

This is not the first time Kamal is using M G R's film title. Marma Yogi is also an old MGR flick, known as the first Tamil movie to receive an 'A' certificate in 1951. Kamal has earlier used M G R film's title 'Sathi Leelavathi'.

Walt Disney Pictures and Baratbala Productions jointly produce this mega venture. A R Rahman scores the music.

Courtesy: chennaionline.com

Daddy’s girl out to prove herself

EVEN as he is busy with the release of his Tamil film Dasavatharam, Kamal Haasan has started work on his next project Marmayogi that is set in the seventh century.

To be made in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam, his fourth directorial film is being produced by Walt Disney Productions in collaboration with Bharatbala Productions and Adlabs. Also starring Hema Malini, it has music by AR Rahman.

Meanwhile, the numero uno actor will be seen in 10 diverse roles in Dasavatharam that is set for release in April. Asin and Mallika Sherawat are the female leads, with music by Himesh Reshammiya.


What was amazing to see was that despite being tied up with work, the superstar made a fleeting visit to Mumbai recently to be with his elder daughter.

Shruti Haasan performed at Mumbai’s Hard Rock Cafe during the launch of Rolling Stone magazine, where she belted out her own compositions.

She is also making her acting debut in a Tamil film, being directed by Nishikant Kamat and starring Madhavan. That's one proud father all out to support his daughter in her attempt to prove her talent.

Courtesy: newindpress.com

Disney to produce “Marmayogi”

It looks like Kamal Haasan has finally zeroed in on a producer for his next project “Marmayogi.” The big budget venture is to be coproduced by Hollywood’s Walt Disney Productions and India’s Bharat Bala Productions. The film will be simultaneously produced in Tamil, Hindi and English.

“Marmayogi,” a historical story set in the seventh century, is to be directed by the versatile actor himself with music by maestro A.R. Rahman. The rest of the cast and crew have yet to be finalized. However, yesteryear-Bollywood actress Hemamalini is playing an important role in this film. Sources say that Asin, who is currently paired with Kamal in his movie Dashaavtaram, will also play the leading lady in this film as well.

To kick start the project, Kamal Haasan plans to go to the U.S. in a few days to discuss production details. He is planning to shoot a major part of the film in the exotic locations of Thailand. The film is to be announced by February and will start shooting very soon.

Reportedly, the film is a remake of the 1951 MGR-Anjali Devi flick of the same name. It is based on the novel “Vendetta: The Story of One Forgotten,” written by Marie Corelli in 1886.

The film is said to be budgeted at 120 crores, making it the most expensive Indian film ever made. However, it might face stiff competition since the title from the recently announced Rajinikanth movie “Robot” is also said to cost 120 crores.

It should be noted that both Rajni and Kamal respectively started their movies “Sivaji” and “Dasavatharam” almost at the same time with the same claim. While “Sivaji,” which was released last June, went on to become a record-breaking blockbuster, “Dashaavtaram” is still under production and is expected to hit the screens in time for Tamil New Year.

Courtesy: Indianewengland.com

Kamal & Rajini – A new battle of grandeur

With Dasavatharam all set to hit the marquee in the month of April 2008, announcement on Kamal’s next project has snuck its way to the media. Going by the details of it, looks like Kamal is all set for another mammoth venture right after his ten-role act in Dasavatharam.

Titled Marmayogi, the movie is said to be produced by renowned Hollywood production house Walt Disney pictures for a whopping budget of Rs. 100 crores – not quite known to Tamil cinema yet. Walt Disney has roped in Bharath Bala of Vande Matharam fame for the production management of Marmayogi.

It’s a clash which has been going on for decades, but now it seems like the battle of grandeur and production scale between two superstars of Tamil film industry – Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, is getting to its peak. When Rajinikanth signed up a 60 crore project Sivaji, Kamal finalized the even bigger Dasavatharam. Now with the former again coming up with the announcement of Robot, touted to be financially the biggest project to be conceived in Indian film industry, jointly produced by Eros International and Ayangaran, the latter takes his dream to the next level. Perhaps the celluloid greats are really thinking bigger and higher.

Coming back to Marmayogi, the movie will be produced in four Indian languages - Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Telugu - simultaneously. Although the rest of the cast are being finalized, credible sources strongly suggest that Asin stands a bright chance to bag the role of Kamal’s lead lady. Hemamalini, who was last seen in Kamal’s Hey Ram, is also rumored to be a part of the venture.

Earlier, Kamal tantalized his fans with only a teaser trailer of his dream venture Marudanayagam, an epic tale of one of the lesser known freedom fighters. Kamal even screened the trailer to the Queen of England during her Indian visit. However, for reasons ranging from budget to time consuming research, Marudanayagam could not take off and was eventually shelved. Now, Marmayogi, as the names suggests, is expected to have a historical backdrop and has hence raised the bar among his fans.

Dasavatharam is in its final stage of production and Kamal will participate in the initial discussions of Marmayogi after Dasavatharam is wrapped up completely.

So will Marmayogi serve enough Marudanayagam-fodder to eager Kamal fans? Watch this space for more updates.

Courtesy: Behindwoods.com

Walt Disney collaborates with Kamal

Kamal Hassan will start his next historical action thriller Marmayogi with the collaboration of Walt Disney by the third week of February. Bharath Bala is the co producer for this mega venture. At present, the actor is busy in the post production cum CG work of his much expected Dasavatharam directed by KS Ravikumar.

All work is expected to complete by the end of March and the audio launch of the film also will be held in the same month. Meanwhile, sources close to Kamal say that the actor wanted to start the work of his next movie Marmayogi, before the audio launch of Dasavatharam.


Directed by Kamal himself, the film was initially planned for Bharath Bala's banner. But later Walt Disney, the legendary Hollywood film production house, which is already stepped in to India (collaborating with Yash Raj Films on Roadside Romeo) has shown interest in a joint venture with Kamal Hassan.

Very recently Kamal made a trip to Thailand to find out suitable locations for Marmayogi. The shooting for the film begins by the third week of February. Following that, he has gone to the US for more pre-production work. He is also going to talk Walt Disney.

There are three heroines in the script and the actor already has signed with Hema Malini and Asin. He is searching a suitable face for the third lead. AR Rehman scores the music for Marmayogi. Apart from this Kamal requested the maestro to do the background music for Dasavatharam and the same has also beem accepted by Rehman.

Regarding this project, Kamal said: "I am immersed in my next film, Marmayogi, a bilingual period film in Hindi and Tamil, set in the seventh century. It will be the biggest film made in Tamil and it is being scripted and directed by me"

Courtesy: OneIndia.in