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

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

Raavan’s jinx continues with a tragedy

Raavan, the much-hyped film directed by Mani Ratnam, is now being shot in the forest area in Chalakudy in Kerala. The entire team, including Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, have been camping there for a couple of weeks. The film has already been delayed over a couple of months due to several unfortunate incidences.

The latest is a tragedy that struck the unit when a wild elephant entered the shooting spot and trampled a team member. However, details about the unit member who succumbed to the attack were not available immediately. Incidentally, the Raavan unit also had a trained elephant at the shooting spot.


Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Raavan, a new chapter in Nikhil's career!

Like the typical Bollywood flick, everybody loves the outsider who makes it big. You know, the quintessential rags-to-riches hero sans a celebrated last name, who gets the hits.

Nikhil Dwivedi’s is turning out to be the classic case of the proverbial outsider storming Bolllywood without any star system to support him. He was noticed for his earnest debut performance in My Name is Anthony Gonsalves, and no less than the genius director Mani Ratnam impressed by his talent, signed Nikhil in his next cinematic vision Raavan, which turned out to be the best New Year gift any actor could get.

To Nikhil’s credit, the directors rave about his talent and his attitude, which they are sure will prove his altitude in the bollywood.

And sure enough Nikhil is not disappointing, as he has already signed on with 4 accomplished directors in their future projects. He has already built on the momentum that will pitchfork him as the star to look out for in the near future.

As Nikhil strongly believes that all of us are are in a common time zone, in the end, the hardworking people with talent, who are backed by their destinies will stay.

Well sure looks like Mani Ratnam’s Raavan can turn a new chapter, that one ‘ Zanjeer’ like moment, that will pitchfork Nikhil as the best young ‘Outside’ talent to become deeply rooted in the masses’ psyche like his illustrious predecessors!!

Courtesy: dayafterindia.com

Priyamani to debut in Bollywood with 'Ravan'

After Asin, Shriya Saran and Trisha, Priyamani enters Bollywood with a meaningful role in the Hindi version of Mani Ratnam's 'Ravan'.

She says she took up the offer because it was from Mani Ratnam and not because it was a ticket for Bollywood.

The National Award-winning Malayali actress is one of the busiest actresses in south India and has proved her mettle with an array of quality performances. In Telugu, she has been the female lead in Balakrishna's 'Putrudu' and Nitin's 'Drona'.

In Malayalam, her performance in Rajnith's 'Thirakkatha' was widely acclaimed and is now acting in Prithviraj's 'Puthiya Mugham'. In Tamil, her next release will be 'Ninaithaale Inikkum', directed by GNR Kumaravel.

Courtesy: msn.com

Mani to start climax shoot of Raavan!

Mani Ratnam is planning to shoot the climax of his magnum opus Raavan in his favourite Chalakudy forest locations from July 16.

The buzz is that the artists who are doing this tri-lingual in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu mainly Abhishek Bachchan, Vikram and Aishwarya Rai have told the director that they have already given him over 100 days, and they cannot spare any further dates.
Mani and his buddy cameraman Santosh Sivan is planning to shoot the climax for the next 45 days in Chalakudy and Mysore forest areas. They have to shoot deep inside forest areas, for which permissions have to be granted by the respective state governments.
Added to that a few helicopter scenes inside forest areas have to be shot, for which special permission have to be obtained. Let us hope that Mani is successful in his mission to complete Raavan, this time.

Courtesy: sify.com

Will Mani make money now?

The maverick movie maker Mani Ratnam is back in action and currently he is busy wrapping up his forthcoming venture ‘Ravana’ which is being made in Hindi and Tamil.

The expectations are high on this one given the fact that Mani is leading from the front and the cast is exceptional in the form of Vikram, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya, Priyamani and others.

Now, the industry pundits are waiting to see whether Mani can spin his magic once again at the box office. The film will be dubbed into Telugu as well and the release would be happening simultaneously across all regions.

Mani has recently recovered from a stroke and he has already embarked onto other projects.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Is Raavan getting delayed?

According to sources Southside, things are apparently not going as planned on Mani Ratnam's Raavan.

Apparently, the legendary director wants to re-shoot some parts of his film.

These sources claim Mani doesn't like Abhishek Bachchan's [ Images ] work in certain scenes, where the actor -- who plays the title character of Raavan -- has been overshadowed by Madhavan, who plays Ram.

Madhavan has apparently done such a fine job that Mani wants to re-shoot some scenes so that his hero can hold his own.

The film, which also stars Aishwarya Rai [ Images ] Bachchan, will also have a song choreographed, we hear, by the renowned dancer, Astad Deboo.

Courtesy: rediff.com

Ravan – first images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Vikram – Ravan look – images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Jinxed ‘Raavan’ in trouble again as director Mani Ratnam falls ill

Mani Ratnam’s ‘Raavan’ appears to be jinxed right from the start. The film, which stars the Bachchan couple Abhishek and Aishwarya, seems to fall in trouble every now and then. Recently, when all was going well with the film, director Mani Ratnam fell ill severely. This scared the cast and crew of the film and they decided to invoke the gods to ward off evil eye.

A source said to a news daily, "Raavan has faced problems from the very first day of shooting. However, people started getting worried when they continued. It didn`t seem like a coincidence. Everyone was convinced that someone or something was jinxing this project and they needed divine intervention.
"It was after Mani`s health scare that someone from the crew suggested that they have a puja. This has been the most difficult film Mani has made in his career. Apart from shooting the Hindi and Tamil versions simultaneously, Mani also had to deal with several bureaucratic issues ranging from getting permission to shoot in places to making way for logistical support in the jungles," added the source.
"Mani was not present when it happened; but he was aware of it. Although he is not very religious, at this stage he wants to make sure the film isn`t delayed anymore and he agreed, for the sake of others. One of the unit members even suggested Mani to change the title of the film as it has mythological significance," the source further stated.
Well, apart from the pre-release problems, there may be post-release issues also as the film’s title and concept seems controversial. More troubles ahead for Mani!

Prithviraj to complete Ravan soon

Prithviraj has been experimenting with roles ever since began acting. He has done many regional films with distinct subjects. At the moment, he is busy shooting for Ravandirected by Mani Ratnam and according to sources, will complete his part in the film very soon.

He has also signed up for Raghupathi Raghav Rajaramdirected by Shaji Kailash, in which he plays three roles. It is believed the director is searching for three new heroines.

Since he is planning to assist the director during the shoot, we may soon see Prithviraj emerging as a director.

Raghupathi, Raghav and Rajaram are the names of Prithviraj's three characters. The shoot is expected to begin in July.

Courtesy: galatta.com

Priyamani on her Ravan experience!

Priyamani got rave reviews and accolades for her performance in Paruthiveeran. She has also acted in several Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films and is fluent in all the four South Indian languages.

After several films in other languages, she was called by ace director Mani Ratnam for Ravan, which also stars Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. Speaking about her experience, she said that she plays a powerful and tough character in Ravan, and accepted the offer without any hesitation. According to Priyamani, there are few directors who give artistic freedom, and Mani Ratnam belongs to that group.

Her first film was Kangalal Kaidhu Sei directed by Bharathi Raja, followed by Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam directed by the legendary Balu Mahendra, because of which she got noticed for her ability to essay strong character roles.

The actress has two other films in her kitty: Ninaithaale Inikkum and Aarumugam. Both will be released soon and Priyamani is hoping for the best! This National Award Winner has recently signed up for the comedy Raam. She also won the Mathrubhumi Best Actress Award for Thirakkatha in Malayalam.

Courtesy: galatta.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

Aishwarya’s denial about Ravan

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is currently camping in Kolkata where Mani Ratnam’s forthcoming film Ravan is being shot. Ash disclosed that though her role is similar to the epic character Sita, the name in which she is called in the film is different. However, the actress refused to divulge any further details about Ravan although she added that Ravan is an intense film. While Ash joined the Ravan team

the Ravan team on February 17th, Abhishek Bachchan is expected to join her sometime soon. Sources close to the Ravan unit say that the shooting will go on till the end of March Ravan also has Vikram and Priyamani in important roles. The film is directed by ace director Mani Ratnam.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

The Surpanaga of Mani’s Ashokavanam

Ace director Mani Ratnam takes his inspiration from many sources but sticks mostly to our Indian stories and epics. If it was Mahabharatha in Thalapathy, then it is going to be Ramayana for Ashoka Vanam. It is well known that Mani and his crew are currently stationed near Jhansi in Madhyapradesh and are shooting

sequences involving Priya Mani, Prithviraj, Vikram and others. Kollywood sources also whisper that Prabhu’s role is akin to that of Vibhishana and Karthik that of Lord Hanumar. By far Priya Mani is said to be doing the interesting role of Surpanaga in the film. She is said to have been shot at on the day of her wedding by Prithiviraj who in all likelihood plays the role of Lakshmana. Priya Mani’s death will be avenged by her brother Ravana played by our very own Cheeyan. Interesting characterization indeed

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Priya Mani’s thrilling wedding

Ashoka Vanam being directed by Mani Ratnam is proceeding as per schedule. The unit has moved north from Chalakudy in Kerala to the dense jungles of Madhya Pradesh. Recently a few sequences involving Priya Mani, Vikram and Prithviraj were shot near Jhansi. The shot that was canned was that of Priya Mani’s wedding. Vikram who plays Priya

Mani’s brother in the film hands over the mangalsutra to the bride groom- a new face- who ties it around Priya’s neck. Following this, Prithiviraj shoots Priya Mani ensuing in a fiery action sequences between Vikram and Prithviraj. Vaiyapuri, the comedian plays a transgender in the film and his character is reported to be very crucial to the film. Ashoka Vanam is said to be inspired from the Hindu holy epic Ramayana. Suhasini Mani Ratnam is penning the dialogues for the Tamil version.

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

Mani Ratnam shifts base to MP

Director Mani Ratnam’s forthcoming venture, which has Vikram, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles, is currently being filmed in the dense forests in Kerala. The film is titled as Ravan in Hindi and Ashogavanam in Tamil. A couple of months ago problem arose between the forest officials and the film crew over the abuse of the forest area by

the latter. This issue was solved between the parties and the shooting resumed after a few days halt. Sources close to the film unit now disclose, that Mani intends to shift base to the forests in Madhya Pradesh. According to cameraman Manikandan, shooting in these areas will go on for two months.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Vikram, Ash, and Prabhu do their bit for Mani

Mani's Ravan is up and running and looks like the actors are going through makeovers of sorts to fit into the roles Mani crafted for them. Vikram attended the one-day fast organized by Nadigar Sangam recently in his skull cap suggesting that his hairstyle has undergone a drastic change and that he is keeping it away from the prying eyes

of the media. Our guess is that Vikram is going in for the close-cut look, while enacting the legendary evil man Ravan. Prabhu, on the other hand, is seen with thick beard in the same event. It could be remembered that Mani has roped in Prabhu for Ravana after their association in Agni Natchatrham. We also hear Ash is playing an accomplished Karnatic singer and is stretching her vocal chords in the name of practice.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com