Courtesy: behindwoods.com
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
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
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Soundarya Rajnikanth’s new addition
Ochre Studios run by Soundarya Rajinikanth has added one more feather to its cap when it selected HP storage works technology to store Animated Digital Content. This is said to enhance production processes of animated films and minimize service interruption. Industry sources aver that animation industry in India is sure to grow in leaps and bounds in the coming years and to combat this growth, it is mandatory to have state-of-art technological devices in hand.
While discussing on this, Soundarya had this to say, “Our team is determined to create the next generation of digital animated films and for this we needed a storage solution that would grow as our requirements changed.” She further added, “We are delighted to work with HP. Their unparalleled technology experience and resources will help us to achieve our business goals. The HP MSA2000fc array has made storing and retrieving data effortless by streamlining the post-production process so we can meet the creative needs of filmmakers as well as today’s competitive image quality demands.”
Courtesy: behindwoods.com
Santosh Sivan’s plans post Raavan
Santosh Sivan is planning to make a film on the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils. The cinematographer-director said that he has named the film Ceylon. Elaborating further on the subject, Sivan said that his film will not deal with Prabhakaran or the Sri Lankan government angle but will concentrate on the Sri Lankan Tamils living as refugees in their own homeland.
Santosh said that he intends to rope in new faces who can speak the Sri Lankan dialect to star in the film. The director added that Ceylon would commence soon after her completes Mani Rathnam’s Raavan, for which he wielding the camera.
Courtesy: behindwoods.com
Friday, July 10, 2009
Vikram to team up with Ameer
With more than 70 percent of his portions for ‘Raavana’ being completed, Vikram has finally started looking up at his other projects. It is now confirmed that the actor will next take on a project with director Vikram K Kumar, following which he will do a movie for Ameer.
Vikram K Kumar was the director who struck gold with his recent flick, ‘Yaavarum Nalam’. The film is a supernatural thriller and was a hit both in Hindi and Tamil. The director is now said to be working on his next script, for which Vikram plays the protagonist. This film is said to be produced by Mohan Natrajan.
Apart from this, the actor has revealed that he will be doing a project with Ameer as well. With director Ameer having almost completed his ‘Yogi’, it is expected for him to take up this film next. Meanwhile, there is also a project with Selva Raghavan lined up, but this project is expected to begin later next year, after Vikram has a couple of quick releases.
Courtesy: indiaglitz.com
Kamal and Murugadoss together!
This sounds like one combination that can’t fail. Arguably India’s finest actor is ready to join hands with the most promising of young directors, AR Murugadoss.
This doesn’t seem to be the dream of the film buffs alone. Director Murugadoss, who is yet to begin his next project after ‘Ghajini’, also shares this dream to work with the Universal Hero.
He announced this at an event held recently which was attended by Kamal Haasan himself. The director went on to publicly state that he was a big fan of Kamal, who’s experimentation with roles has fascinated him a lot. He also went on to state that he would like to do a project with Kamal as the hero.
AR Murugadoss has earlier directed ‘Dheena’, ‘Ramana’ and the Suriya-starrer ‘Ghajini’ that went on to be made in Bollywood with Aamir Khan reprising Suriya’s role. Murugadoss has been holding talks with Shah Rukh for his next film, even while he will be teaming up with Suriya for another film soon.
Courtesy: indiaglitz.com
Vikram, not only an actor…
Vikram is really excited for his two mega projects, ‘Kanthaswamy’ and ‘Raavana’, both being bi-lingual movies took a good amount of time to finish. ‘Kanthaswamy’ is big time project from Susi Ganesan while ‘Raavana’ is equally a magnum opus of Mani Ratnam with striking cast.
Vikram’s film portfolio reflects movies that have created impact among the audience. Each of his movie essays character that would be quite different from his previous one. But few knew that he only entered the film world with a dream to buy a sports car! But do you know that he expressed his desire to become a top hero some day, to his wife when they first met? He not only has a penchant for acting but also has good taste of fashion. It was him who designed the entire cast’s wardrobe in the super hit movie ‘Majaa’. And not only that, as we all know he is a good singer and loves to sing!
Well, our Chiyaan surely has hidden talents!
Courtesy: indiaglitz.com
Rahman's new doctorate
| AR Rahman was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the Middlesex University in London on July 8th. Rahman, the founder principal of the KM Music Conservatory in Chennai was honored at a function that was held in Middlesex University. The Midddlesex University and KM Music Conservatory will jointly work on developing the syllabus for Bachelor of Arts Honours Programmed for Music Composition and Music Performance. The joint venture is exploring the possibilty of offering the program to students who will take up the course in KM Music Conservatory during the first two years and the final year in Middlesex University. |
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Courtesy: behindwoods.com
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Endhiran’s new gadget
| Here’s latest from the Endhiran sets. Shankar has hired a modified Maruti Gypsy for his fantasy-thriller Endhiran. The Maruti Gypsy, reportedly altered by a noted mechanic in Pudupet, Chennai, cost around Rs. 3 lakhs for the modification. The same vehicle, according to the mechanic, was also used for election campaigning and Shankar got bowled over by its design and hired it for the flick. The Gypsy, as huge as a bus, has 20-inch wheels fixed to it with significant modifications also done to the engine. |
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Courtesy: behindwoods.com
Murugadoss inks a deal with Star Fox
| Murugadoss shot to limelight with the Suriya starrer Ghajini in Tamil and went on to prove his mettle in Bollywood where he again wielded the megaphone to direct Aamir Khan for the Hindi version of the same film. Ever since then, there has been no looking back for the director. The latest buzz is that AR Murugadoss Productions have entered into an agreement with the Hollywood production house major, Star Fox to produce films in Tamil. Speaking about this latest development, Murugadoss said that though his production house would be producing the films, he would not don the director’s cap for all of it. Murugadoss plans to offer an opportunity to deserving directors, technicians and actors and actress in the new ventures. |
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Courtesy: behindwoods.com
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Indian cinema & 60, 000 km railway network
AR Rahman’s iconic Jai Ho symbolises the symbiotic relationship of Indian cinema with the 60,000-km railway network, which binds the country
together.
It could be a choreographer’s nightmare or a challenge—but India’s ubiquitous sawari continues to chug in and chug out of the Bollywood factory with aplomb and chutzpah.
From the 1954 release Jagriti’s ‘Aao bachchon tumhe dikhayen’ written by Bharat Ratna awardee Pradeep, to Anand Bakshi’s philosophical lyrics in ‘Gadi bula rahi hai’ in the 1974 film, Dost, to the unforgettable ‘Mere sapnon ki rani’ from Aradhana to the more recent AR Rahman’s Oscar crescendo, ‘Jai ho’ from Slumdog Millionaire, trains and Hindi music have been inseparable.
“Bakshiji’s lyrics have a fantastic connection with life. It’s really about leaving people behind and meeting new people. At the end of it, the journey just continues,” says an emotional Dharmendra when queried about the song from Dost. It was shot in Simla over three days. “The song gave me a chance to reflect on the past. A lot of events close to my heart came to the fore,” adds the actor.
The juice of creativity
The allegory of a journey — life, a blooming romance or just the wheels of history (as in Jagriti) — is irresistible for a lyricist. Some, like Shailendra, effortlessly combined a situation with humour, which lyrically found its way into the 1960 Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman starrer, Kala Bazaar. The song was ‘Apni toh har aah hi ek toofan hai, uparwala jaan kar anjaan hae’, which scriptwriter and lyricist Jaideep Sahni of Chak De fame recalls rather fondly.
“These were lyricists who knew what they were doing,” says Sahni. Take a look at this. “The obvious meaning is Dev Anand singing to the gods but the twist in the line, ‘Uparwala jaan ke anjaan hae’, brings a smile to the viewer when he sees Waheeda Rehman being aware of the actor’s message to her. After all, she is on the upper berth of the train,” he says with a laugh. Other songs that he recalls are the poignant ‘Wardhi hai Bhagwan, fauji mera naam’ from Fauji and the qawaali from Ravi Chopra’s The Burning Train. Gulzar’s lines for ‘Dhadak, dhadak’ from Bunty aur Babli is about a train though the word is never mentioned, says Sahni with admiration. The song and beyond..
Many songs with trains as the backdrop or focus have done remarkably well. Interestingly, the success of the music was not exactly planned in advance. Slumdog Millionaire, the film that put India on the Oscar map, is one such instance.
T-Series president (marketing) Vinod Bhanushali has acquired films with AR Rahman’s music over the past two years and Slumdog Millionaire was a given. Trade reports were pretty lukewarm on ‘Jai ho’ though Bhanushali knew he had a winner on his hands when he heard the number. “There is an Indianess to ‘Jai ho’. It is a term which most Indians greet each other with. It was catchy, what followed was history,” says Bhanushali who is said to have bought the music rights to the film for less than Rs 1 crore.
For choreographer Longinus Fernandez, who recently won the Astaire award for ‘Jai ho’, shooting the song at Mumbai’s iconic CST station was a dream come true. “Platforms 3 and 4 were the location and three days were all we had. Shooting was allowed only between midnight and half past four in the morning, the period between Mumbai’s last local train out and the first in the morning. The cooperation from the railways was hugely helpful. I had a tight brief from Danny Boyle who said this was the film’s climax. I had around 3,000 people who had to look like daily commuters, and the dance had to be combined with the celebration of the hero having won the contest and found his love. For their part, the railways had everything in place — security, restrooms apart from the train drivers being there well after their working hours,” says Fernandez.
Like Fernandez, Farah Khan has a close relationship with Dil Se’s chart-buster ‘Chaiyya chaiyya’. She underplays her contribution saying the choreography looks more difficult in retrospect. “We did shoot the song over four days on a moving train, but with Mani Ratnam, Malaika and Shah Rukh things were only easier. Speaking for SRK, he wanted to jump all over the train and even climb up the funnel,” says Khan with a laugh, who took a break from attending to her triplets. The song was shot on the Nilgiri Mountain Railroad in Tamil Nadu.
The moolah for good music always exists and songs like ‘Chaiyya chaiyya’ and ‘Jai ho’ merely confirm that. For Bhanushali, ‘Jai ho’ was hit and the Congress party acquired the rights to the song for reportedly Rs 80-90 lakh for one year for their election campaign, which saw the Congress forming the government. An additional Rs 40 lakh came in through offerings such as ringtones while CD sales were reportedly between 60,000-70,000 units.
For Bollywood, the song with the train has been historical. While ‘Mere sapnon ki rani’ gave the country its first superstar, ‘Jai ho’ brought India international recognition. Through the years, the inextricable link between great music and trains has made for some great moments. That story is unlikely to end in a hurry.
Courtesy: economictimes.com
Rahman, Danny Boyle invited to become Oscar voters
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited India's music maestro A.R. Rahman and four other Oscar winners associated with the Academy award sweeper "Slumdog Millionaire" to join its roster of voting members.
Rahman has been invited for his music in "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age", while the film's British Director Danny Boyle is also cited for "Sunshine".
Besides "Slumdog Millionaire", producer Christian Colson has been cited for "The Descent", cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle for "The Last King of Scotland" and film editor Chris Dickens chosen for "Shaun of the Dead".
They are among 134 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2009 to the Academy's roster of voting members.
"These filmmakers have, over the course of their careers, captured the imagination of audiences around the world," said Academy President Sid Ganis in an announcement from Beverly Hills, California.
"It's this kind of talent and creativity that make up the Academy, and I welcome each of them to our ranks."
The Academy's membership would have allowed a maximum of 166 new members in 2009, but as in the previous years, the several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them.
Voting membership in the organisation has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception at the Academy's Fairbanks Centre for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills in September.
Courtesy: hindu.com
Friday, July 03, 2009
Gautham eases pace: bearded Silambarasan uneasy
Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya, which started with a bang and was reportedly going on at a great pace, has seen a sudden slackening in proceedings. The reason reportedly is that director Gautham Menon doesn’t seem too keen on getting on with it at the same pace as the initial stages.
Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya is not being made in Tamil alone, it is also being reportedly planned in Telugu with Mahesh Babu in the lead. However, Mahesh Babu’s dates are not available for at least a couple of months and there is no way that the Telugu version can begin until his dates are confirmed.
With the same story, Gautham wants the two films to be completed and released simultaneously. He seems to think that any one of them releasing earlier would affect the chances of the latter, especially if the box office results were not favorable. Added to this is the fact that he also plans to use Rahman’s tunes for the Telugu version too. With the kind of reach that Rahman’s music has, any one album releasing ahead of the other will rob all the novelty off the one following it. So, weighing his options, Gautham seems to have decided that Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya need not sprint to completion as earlier planned.
This seems fine with everyone except Silambarasan. He has acted in two get ups in VTV, one of which has a full grown beard. With film’s shooting not moving as expected, he has been left with his beard in place, unable to take part in any other shooting.
Courtesy: behindwoods.com
Ash gets deglammed by Mani Ratnam
Aishwarya may be denying all the time that she really isn’t playing Sita in Mani Ratnam’s 'Raavana', but her look in the film definitely suggests that. The director reportedly has insisted that the actress act without makeup in the film. He is trying to make Aishwarya look sad and sullen, say sources close to the crew.
In fact, the actress had also corroborated this, by stating there were scenes in which she was asked to remove all makeup. She even stated that in a few scenes she tried dabbling makeup without his knowledge, which he detected very easily and made her remove on the sets.
So this will be a treat for Ash fans across the world to see, with the actress looking her natural best. The green-eyed beauty, will finally look her age in the film, which is slated for a 2010 release. Unofficial reports say this will be among her last few films, apart from 'Endhiran', after which she and hubby Abbi are planning on having a baby.
Courtesy: indiaglitz.com
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Rahman uses novel concept for Endhiran
If you have listened to Rehna Tu in Delhi 6, you cannot miss the final piece in the song, a peculiar type of instrumentation. Are you still wondering about the instrument that was used? It is in fact the Continuum fingerboard. This is a touch screen keyboard and is being used only by the rarest of rare music composers.
AR Rahman has tried the usage of this novel instrument in Delhi 6 and happy with the results he is now using this Continuum fingerboard for Endhiran. But the news here is that it not for a single song but for the whole movie.
With this novel concept there is no doubt the songs will top the charts.
Courtesy: behindwoods.com
"I knew the story of Endhiran 10 years ago”
Art director Sabu Cyril, in a recent interview to a magazine, said that director Shankar narrated the story of Endhiran to him 10 years ago. He recalled the photo shoot that took place with Kamal Haasan but the project did not materialize any further. Similarly, Shah Rukh Khan also opted out of Endhiran and finally Rajinikanth lapped it up. Sabu said that Rajini is the most apt hero to play the role.
The proud art director said that he was signed up for the venture 10 years ago. Sabu said that he had used Aluminum Composite Panels to create sets for Endhiran. These are not only cost effective but can be reused and environmentally safe. The art director added that Aluminum Composite Panels have been used in the Indian cinema before.
Courtesy: behindwoods.com
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