A R Rahman Foundation releases a special Year 2010 Calendar

A R Rahman Foundation has released a special calendar for year 2010 in association with Worldlight, a subsidiary of Audio Media Education, in aid of the A R Rahman Foundation.

The scintilating calender features images of the maestreo and with his quotes on universal themes such as Music, Language & Love.

A R Rahman Foundation strives towards making poverty a history. As a first step towards achieving this vision, the foundation will set up educational institutions and provide world class, state-of-the-art infrastructure and education to underprivileged children who do not have the means to access & fund their education. This will equip them with knowledge and skill sets to pursue specialized higher studies that will provide them career opportunities to build a secure future for themselves and their families.

The A R Rahman Foundation is presently offering free music education to 30 students from the corporation schools in Chennai. These students are being trained at the K M Music Conservatory by a world class faculty.

The Foundation aims to increase the intake of such students in the coming years so that the foundation reaches to as many deserving students as possible..

The Mozart of Madras said “At the Foundation, we know that there is no better investment than that in the education of children.”

Ace photographer Selva Kumar and the CEO of Audio Media, has captured brilliant images of AR Rahman for the special calendar.

"A moment of giving is much greater than a moment of receiving. I am honoured to be associated with the A R Rahman Foundation. I believe each one of us should come forward and support this initiative.” says Selva Kumar Photographer & CEO, Audio Media Education India Pvt. Ltd.

The calendar can be purchased at http://worldlight.in/



Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Rahman: The Entertainer of the Year

The music magician has added yet another coveted accolade to his already rich portfolio.

A.R. Rahman has bagged the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year award 2009 in the entertainment category.

Among the category’s nominees list were Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor, Prince Group of Orissa and Colors Entertainment Channel.

The music maestro is said to be felicitated with the award on 21st December at Hotel Taj Palace, Delhi. The event will be graced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Said Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-In-Chief of IBN Network 18, “Rahman has redefined contemporary Indian music and is the pride of the entire nation. He is also an idol to millions for making a mark on the global music arena.”

The Oscar winning composer is indeed going great places! Recently on 16th Dec, Rahman had been in UK, where he was made a fellow of Trinity College of Music at a function there.

Keep going Rahman!

Courtesy: indaglitz.com

VINNAITHAANDI VARUVAAYA - Track Listing

VINNAITHAANDI VARUVAAYA
TRACK LISTING OMANA PENNE SINGERS : BENNY DAYAL, KALYANI MENON MALAYALAM LYRICS : KALYANI MENON ANBIL AVAN SINGERS : DEVAN EKAMBARAM, CHINMAYI VINNAITHAANDI VARUVAAYAA SINGERS : KARTHIK ADDITIONAL VOX : VIVEK AGARWAL HOSANNA SINGERS : VIJAY PRAKASH, SUZANNE, BLAAZE ENGLISH RAP LYRICS : BLAAZE KANNUKKUL KANNAI SINGERS : NARESH IYER MANNIPAAYA SINGERS : A.R.RAHMAN, SHREYA GHOSHAL AAOROMALE SINGERS : ALPHONSE MALAYALAM LYRICS : KAITHAPRAM		ALBUM CREDITS MUSIC: A.R.RAHMAN STUDIO: ESCAPE ARTISTS MOTION PICTURES AND RS ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCERS: MADAN, GANESH, ELRED, JAYARAMAN DIRECTOR: GAUTAM VASUDEV MENON STARS: TRISHA KRISHNAN, SILAMBARASAN LYRICS: THAMARAI LABEL: SONY MUSIC BACKING VOCALS: HOSANNA : BLAAZE, SUZANNE, VIVEK AGARWAL, DR. NARAYANAN, V.V. PRASSANNA, HARICHARAN SESH HOSANNA : CHOIR BY KM MUSIC CONSERVATORY NADASWARAM ON OMANA PENNE : NATARAJAN GUITAR : JOHNY, GEORGE, SANJEEV THOMAS SOLO VIOLIN : GANESH RAJAGOPALAN BASS GUITAR : KEITH PETERS FLUTE : NAVEEN, KIRAN CELLO : ELITH MARTYN CHENNAI STRINGS CONDUCTOR: V.J. SRINIVASAMURTHY ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING: T.R. KRISHNA CHETAN, DEEPAK P.A., HENTRY KURUVILLA, VIVIANNE CHAIX ADDITIONAL VOCAL SUPERVISOR : SRINIVAS SOUND ENGINEERS: SIVAKUMAR S., DEEPAK P.A., T.R. KRISHNA CHETAN, VIVIANNE CHAIX, SURESH PERUMAL, KANNAN GANPAT RECORDED AND MIXED AT PANCHATHAN RECORD-INN AND AM STUDIOS CHENNAI MIXED BY K.J. SINGH AND DEEPAK P.A. MASTERED BY SIVAKUMAR S. MASTERED AT AM STUDIOS, CHENNAI MUSIC CO-ORDINATION: NOEL JAMES, FAIZUDDIN T.M. MUSICIANS' FIXER: SAMIDURAI

Courtesy: arrahman.com

VTV - Poster image

Courtesy: facebook.com

Rahman wins entertainer of the year award

Oscar winning music maestro A R Rahman has won the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year award 2009 in the entertainment category.

"Rahman has redefined contemporary Indian music and is the pride of the entire nation. He is also an idol to millions for making a mark on the global music arena," Rajdeep Sardesai, editor-in-chief, IBN Network 18, said Thursday.
The other nominees in the category included megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor, Prince Group of Orissa and Colors Entertainment Channel.
Rahman will be given the award December 21 at Hotel Taj Palace in the capital. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be the chief guest at the occasion.


Courtesy:sify.com

IndiaGlitz - ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’ to fly London - Tamil Movie News

Coming Saturday will be a memorable one in the pages of Tamil cinema. The music of Goutham Menon’s ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’ will be launched amidst London Tamils.

Yeah, the audio launch will be held in London this Dec 19th and the entire team of ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’ will be flying there for the event tonight.

Touted as the “dream audio launch” by the film’s team, the event will be first-of-its-kind for a Tamil film; a music launch outside the country.

Besides the cast and crew, the launch is even said to be graced by music maestro A R Rahman, the music director of this musical entertainer. Among the team are the film’s singers including Karthik, Chinmayi, Srinivasan and others who will also board the flight tonight.

Trisha will be accompanied by her mum dearest and the actress who is an ardent fan of Rahman, is really looking forward to meet him for the first time. Trisha had been in Hyderabad till now shooting for a Telugu project and she will be returning to Chennai today evening.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Rahman nominated for 'Person of the Year' award

Leading business magazine Forbes India will announce its ‘Person of the Year’ honor for the year 2009 in its upcoming edition. This edition will hit the newsstands on Friday, December 18th. Madras maestro and Oscar winner Rahman is among the frontrunners for the honor and the nominee list includes other heavyweights like Nandan Nilekani, Chetan Bhagat, Facebook, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rahul Gandhi.

The award is decided through public voting and readers can vote for their choice by logging on to www.forbesindiamagazine.com/personoftheyear. The voting will be open until 11.00 p.m. on Thursday, December 17th. Twenty five readers, who will be picked by a lucky draw, will be conferred with a special prize by the editorial team at Forbes.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Is it Gautham Menon, Ajith and Sameera?

With his 49th flick Asal being wrapped up at supersonic’s pace for an early 2010 release, theories about Ajith’s 50th film are abound but with no official confirmation in sight as yet. While some insiders suggested that Suresh Balaji will produce a film with Ajith in the lead, which will be distributed by Sun pictures, there is no clarity as to whether it will be his 50th film. This will be a coming together of Billa team including Yuvan Shankar Raja but with Venkat Prabhu calling the shots.

Latest news implies that Durai Dayanidhi, Cloud 9 pictures, has expressed interest to produce Ajith’s 50th film. Talks are on for this venture, which is likely to be directed by Gautam Vasudev Menon. Although no confirmation is available from Rahman, he’s being considered to score for this film.

Meanwhile, in an interview to a tabloid, Sameera Reddy revealed that she’s accepted an offer from Gautam Menon for his next film. We have no clue whether this would be with Ajith, but we are still digging out more info in this regard. So stay tuned!

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

AR Rahman’s Store

TopNews reports that Indian Oscar award winner and musician AR Rahman has launched an online music store too on his website. The store appears to be targeted at global fans - currencies enabled for buying songs are - Canadian Dollars, Euros, British Pounds and US Dollars, making it obvious that Rahman’s new store is not for his domestic fanbase.

The store is currently limited to 2 categories of content - soundtracks & scores and albums & compilations. There are only 4 soundtracks and 3 albums on sale. However, the site informs that it will add inventory in a few months’ time - exclusive pre-sale tickets, merchandise and DVDs will be available for purchase on the store. Payment methods include VISA, Maestro and MasterCard credit cards and Solo, prices are between $12.49 to $22.99.

This concept of creating his own store as part of his website can be viewed as more of a promotion of his CDs than a calculated effort at using the online medium.

Courtesy:medianama.com

Shankar in his Endhiran!

What more? The director of extravaganza will be peeping in front of the camera for a few scenes in his upcoming project, ‘Endhiran’. We must have not forgotten the song “Balley Lakka” in ‘Sivaji’ that too has Shankar appearing on screen! Looks like the director has asked his assistants to arrange the costume needed for him. And when our Superstar learnt about it, he had called the director and encouraged him to act in a prominent character. But, surprisingly Shankar has kept his role as suspense, even Rajini don’t have a hint about the role of Shankar. We also heard that Shankar’s portion will be shot inside a set that reassembles a lab. It’s noteworthy that Shankar has appeared on screen in small character roles in most of his movies.

In fact an interesting flashback of this director is that he entered the tinsel town with a thirst for acting and slowly evolved as a director.

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

Aussies consider A.R. Rahman’s upcoming gig “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”

Preparations are on for Oscar winner musician A. R. Rahman’s two-and-a-half hours free concert in Australia on January 16.
Authorities have closed the venue Parramatta Park to cars on that day for the smooth running of the event and are advising patrons to leave the car at home and take public transport for this “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.
They have launched a transportation survey asking patrons how they plan to reach the venue. Although the event will start at 07-30 pm, but the gates to the Park will open as early as 12 pm.
Rahman will reportedly entertain with an entourage of over 40 musicians and Bollywood dancers, presenting various rhythms and melodies of contemporary India.
Acclaimed Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, applauded Rahman for offering this free concert. Leading Australian musicians should reciprocate this gesture by offering free concerts in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai in India, Zed, who is chairperson of Indo-American Leadership Confederation, added.
The organizer, “Sydney Festival 2010″, describes this outdoor concert as “a night like no other” and adds: Rahman is the undisputed king of contemporary Indian music. His songs embrace Indian, Western and Asian influences, connecting with hearts and minds all over the world. Sydney Festival is proud to celebrate this inspiring and multidimensional artist - truly one of India’s international superstars. Oscar nominated Australian film director-screenwriter-producer Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!) has stated: “Whatever the style, A.R. Rahman’s music always possesses a profound sense of humanity and spirit.”
Historic Parramatta Park spread over 85 hectares and listed on National Heritage List, which celebrated its 150 years in 2008, is one of Australia’s most important cultural landscapes and receives over 1.5 million visitors annually. It is located in Parramatta, a suburb about 14 miles west of central Sydney in New South Wales (Australia). (ANI)




Courtesy:thaindian.com

First Look: Ada

The much delayed film Ada… A way of life is finally releasing on December 18, 2009. 

The film stars Nauheed Cyrusi and newcomer Ayaan Ahmad - son of director Tanvir Ahmad, who is the director of the film. What’s great about the film is the music by AR Rahman.

Ada is the tale of Ayaan, son of a noble human being Anil Anand, and a spiritual mother, Aamina. Ayaan’s gentle world is turned upside down when Anil starts receiving death threats if he goes ahead with his testimony against some criminals.

The world of moral certainties crumbles in the face of contemporary disarray, as the murder of his father sets Ayaan on a course of revenge and killing against the criminals of Mumbai, and he becomes a contract killer. The conflicted character of Ayaan Anand is a modern tragedy, as he becomes part of the criminal stream, even as he searches for truth and happiness.

Ada is a film of the moment, as it compels one to re-examine the youth-crime phenomenon in a very poignant and freshly told story.

Director Tanvir Ahmad describes his film, "Ada is not a typical Bollywood film. It should be a triumph of style and content over so-called meaningless candy floss Bollywood films," Tanvir, who has been in the industry for the past 30 years adds, "I made two films in the past, Aag Aur Toofan in 1975 and Aakarshan in 1988."

About Ada, actor Ayaan who was an ad-filmmaker before making his acting debut, says, "This is also a dialogue-based drama. Dialogues play a very important role in the film. We have even experimented with the songs. Every turning point of the film has been explained through a song.'

Ada has six songs. Oscar winning composer AR Rahman has scored the music for it, and Ayaan says it will be the highlight of his debut vehicle.

"This is my first film, and I don't know how people will accept me. The main attraction of the film would be Rahman's music, as he has given the film outstanding music. We hope to build on the music as the main lead to our story. It is also music that befits the theme of the film, and Rahman has given us fresh tunes for the young generation without making it look loud and pop. There is depth in the music.' concludes Ayaan.

Courtesy:starboxoffice.com

Reliance BIG Pictures co-producing 'Raavan', says CEO

Reliance BIG Pictures had been associated with the Abhishek Bachchan-Aishwarya Rai starrer "Raavana" from day one, the company's CEO


Sanjeev Lamba said, denying reports that it had backed off from the Mani Ratnam directed project.


"We are co-producing the film with Madras Talkies (Ratnam's production house). We are associated with the film from day one. The reports that we backed off are not true," Lamba told IANS over the phone from Mumbai.


A media report had said that Reliance BIG Pictures was supposed to produce "Raavana" but later withdrew for unknown reasons.


"The film is now in the post production stage. We hope to release it globally in March-April. We are proud to be associated with Mani Ratnam, one of the finest directors in the country. Our association with Mani Ratnam goes back to 'Guru'," said Lamba.


Ratnam shot the film in the jungles of Kochi and later in Jhansi. The film, which also stars Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kissan, is said to be a modern interpretation of the Hindu mythological epic "Ramayana". It is being made in Hindi, Tamil and will be dubbed in Telugu.


Asked about the budget, Lamba said: "We dont talk about the budget of the film. I can tell you that it is one of the biggest films being made in the country."


Courtesy:indiatimes.com

Ranbir leaves Mani Ratnam disappointed!

Bollywood top actors feel luckiest if director like Mani Ratnam approaches them offering a role in his movie. But for young actor Ranbir Kapoor the story is different.

The actor is giving emphasis on the movie script than the director.

Mani Ratna was very much convinced about the acting skills of Ranbir who has given two hits back to back. So, the director approached the actor offering him to play the lead hero for his new flick ‘Azaan’. But to his surprise, Ranbir turned down his offer.

When Mani narrated Ranbir the script, the actor politely refused saying that the script didn’t impress him.

Mani Ratnam would not have thought in his rarest dreams that a newcomer would refuse him. A source says, “Mani obviously was left disappointed as he wanted a young hero for the film. He has very few choices at his disposal. He feels that the only actors who can play the character are Ranbir, Shahid or Imran. With Ranbir refusing, he will now turn to Shahid or Imran.”

Earlier, Ranbir had also refused the role offered by Zoya Akhtar.

Folks, do you think Ranbir did the right thing?


Courtesy:indiainfo.com

A R RAHMAN'S 'YEH ISHQ HAI' FROM ADA

For the film Ada, A R Rahman worked on the music for over 10 years and it is truly a musical journey. We have for you a glimpse into the film accompanied by another great track off the soundtrack 'Yehi Ishq Hai'. Ada starring Ayaan Ahmad and Nauheed Cyrusi opens on December 18th so be sure to check it out.


Courtesy:bollyspice.com

A.R. Rahman in front of camera in Hollywood film

Oscar winner A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) is in front of the camera in upcoming film “Son of a Preacher Man” about the life and times of Grammy winning singer-songwriter-producer PJ Morton.

Besides Rahman, other cast includes American Gospel musician Kirk Franklin (Norbit), Grammy nominated American Idol Winner Ruben Studdard (Life on a Stick), and producer Warryn Campbell (Stomp the Yard). Shot in Atlanta and New Orleans in USA and London in United Kingdom, it will be released in 2010. Michael Akwesi Djaba (Reasonable Excuse) is the director.

Rahman and Morton collaborated on Sajna song in recent Hollywood comedy “Couples Retreat”.

Acclaimed Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, commended multi-talented and innovative Rahman for bringing East and West closer through music and for making the world look at Indian film music more seriously. Diversity of his styles and themes was appealing to different sections of the society, Zed, who is chairperson of Indo-American Leadership Confederation, added.

Rahman, who has reportedly recorded sales of over 300 million, was called “Mozart of Madras'' by Time magazine. Rahman sees music “as a way to connect to spirituality and embrace it” and for “creating harmony in troubled times”.

Courtesy:webnewswire.com

Rahman in White House

A R Rahman has done it again! After spelling a magic at the Academy Awards this year winning two Oscars, A R Rahman was the star attraction at the White House in Washington.

Rahman was among the select few Indians who were specially invited by President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle. Oscar winner Rahman also provided part of the entertainment that also included Jennifer Hudson.

The Mozart of Madras as usual stunned the gathering with a musical performance which included a special song “Jai Ho” from ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ that fetched him an Oscar.

The dinner was hosted to coincide with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's visit to the country. The guests were chosen by a special team appointed by Obama. On the occasion, Rahman was felicitated by Obama and Manmohan Singh.

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

Amritraj And Rahman to Team Up For ‘Street Dancing’

Former tennis player turned Hollywood producer Ashok Amritraj is set to team up with Oscar -winning composer A R Rahman for his upcoming pop cross-cultural project ‘Street Dancing’.

The film focuses on mixing dance styles and cultures in the world for a cutting-edge dance competition in Singapore and New York.

It will be directed by Bille Woodruff, from a script by David B Harris with music by music producer Dave Stewart Stewart and Rahman, Variety magazine reported.

This will be Rahman’s third outing in Hollywood after Vince Vaughn starrer ‘Couple’s Retreat’ and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ for which the Indian composer grabbed an Academy award.

“This fresh and exciting pop cross-cultural project is an organic match for continuing our partnerships between Hollywood, the Middle East and Asia,” Amritraj said.

The plot of the film  revolves around a girl played by debutante Cindy Gomez who makes a longshot bid to win dance contest and is pitted against global competitors.


Courtesy:indiajournal.com

Naga Chaitanya to perform an extra ordinary role

Gautam Vasudeva Menon of Gharshana-fame is wielding the megaphone for a film being presented by Krishna and produced by Sanjay Swaroop on the banner of Indira Productions, with Naga Chaitanya as hero and the movie is almost nearing completion. The stills in the film were released to the press on the occasion of Naga Chaitanya’s birthday on November 23. A major part of the film was shot in New York, while some more part was shot in Kerala.
The speciality of the film is that AR Rahman, the Oscar awardee, is scoring music for the flick. Director Gautam Menon says, “It is a beautiful love story. Naga Chaitanya is performing in an extra-ordinary manner. I am confident he would be a very big hero in future. Rahman’s music is another highlight of the flick. As I announced earlier, it is a love story that was projected in a novel angle.” Producer Sanjay Swaroop says, “We are making efforts to release the film in January. We are very happy to bring out a film with Naga Chaitanya as hero on our banner. We are yet to announce a title for the flick.”



Samanta is playing the heroine, while Krishnudu, Devan, Surekhavani, Lakshmi, Sudhir, Trisha Alex, and others are in the cast. Lyrics are by Anant Sriram, dialogues are by Umerjee Anuradha, camera is by Manoj Paramahamsa, art is by Rajeevan, action is by Selva, costumes are by Nalini Sriram, choreography is by Flexi (London), Cart Lantium (US), stills are by Maneck Shaw, while story, screenplay and direction are by Gautham Menon.


Courtesy:oneindia.in

Climax scenes give sleepless nights to Mani Ratnam

 Ratnam says he still struggles to work on his movies' climax scenes.

"In any film, ending is artificial and not a reality and hence I have to catch the minds of the audience," Ratnam said at the National Film Development Corporation's (NFDC) Film Bazaar held on the sidelines of IFFI-2009 here.

"Even after two-and-a-half decades of writing and directing films, I still struggle on the last scenes. I spend sleepless nights thinking about these scenes," he said.

The 53-year-old director, who dubbed his south Indian hit movies ? 'Roja' and 'Bombay' ? in Hindi said success of one led him to decide for the other.

"Frankly speaking, I had no plans of dubbing the films in Hindi.


Courtesy:ptinews.com

Raavan gets Big

Reliance Big Pictures refutes all rumors that it has backed out of producing the Mani Ratnam directed Raavan. According to Sanjeev Lamba, the CEO of Reliance Big Pictures, the production house has been associated with the film right from the beginning. He clarified that Raavan is being jointly produced by Mani’s Madras Talkies and Reliance Big Pictures.

The film’s shooting has been wrapped up and the post production work is on. It is said that Raavan could hit the screens sometime in March or April.

Raavan is a big budget multilingual film that stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vikram, Priya Mani and a host of others.



Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Release 'Endhiran' soon, Kamal tells Rajini

"There is no jealous between me and Rajinikanth. I request him on behalf of his fans to release 'Endhiran' soon," Kamal Haasan said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the State Film Awards ceremony in Chennai Tuesday, he said, "Today is a historic day. Because we have presented an award to Kalaignar. We would tell this with all proud even to our grandchildren."

Expressing regret that he had not acted in a script penned by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi so far, Kamal said: "But I had mouthed Kalaignar's dialogues in front of Sivaji many a time."

Hailing the Chief Minister for attending the function and presenting the awards despite his health condition, the actor said he was overwhelmed by this gesture of the octogenarian.

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

Mani Ratnam to launch Karthik’s son!

Everyone present at the press meet of Arun Vijay’s ‘Maanja Velu’ was at shock. The reason is yesteryear heartthrob Karthik’s dynamic attendance. The actor shocked the press by giving out his number and answered all the questions with that old zing (still young).

“If I get good roles like how I got to work in ‘Maanja Velu’, I will definitely act hence forth,” said the actor to everyone’s delight. One more delightful news from the actor’s mouth was that his son Goutham will be launched by director Mani Ratnam soon.

We got to hear that Mani Ratnam who will be working in a Hindi project right after his ‘Raavan’, will do a Tamil project with Karthik’s son simultaneously. Industry is abuzz that Goutham will be taking a role played by Bollywood’s Ranbir Kapoor in a Hindi film, which will be directed by Mani Ratnam.

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

Yuvan Shankar Raja joins AR Rahman

It is well known that AR Rahman has a longstanding business deals with Sony BMG and the rights of all his south Indian scores are with this music major. Expanding its business further, Sony has acquired the rights of Theeradha Vilayattu Pillai, which has Vishal playing the lead role. Yuvan Shankar Raja has also entered into a contract with Sony BMG recently. Other biggies that this music company has lapped up are Soundarya Rajinikanth’s Goa and Selvaraghavan’s Aayirathil Oruvan.

Two more films that have joined the long list of audio rights acquisition are the Tamil and Telugu version of Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya and SJ Suryah’s Puli.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Rajini- Humble at heights!

We must have heard a lot of stories about the good hearted and down to earth nature of our Superstar. Now another new update about his patience and humble heart...

We all know that Shankar's ‘Endhiran’ shoot was going on in Chennai at many places, once it happened even on the famous Kathipara Bridge. The director wrapped-up the shots that are supposed to be taken with Rajini earlier but requested the actor to stay for some more time to take few close-up shots of his hands.

Sources said that the director finished off other close-up shots of shoulders and hip with dupes. He requested the Superstar to wait until he finishes other shots. Whatta patient and simple man is our Superstar! He has stayed on and completed the shots and gave full cooperation to the team, they say.

Rajini is still ruling the hearts of millions, mainly for his simplicity and sweetness to everyone alike!

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

A R Rahman opens up a shop

Oscar winner musician A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) has opened up a shop.

Called “A.R. Rahman Store” on his official website, this online shop presently sells only seven items but promises to expand the inventory to “include exclusive presale tickets, merch, DVDs and more”. But currently one can only shop with Canadian Dollars, Euros, British Pounds, and US Dollars.

Under “Soundtracks & Scores”, it is offering ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ (2008), ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’ (2007), ‘Bombay Dreams’ (2002), and ‘Original London Production: The Lord Of The Rings’ (2008); while offerings in “Albums & Compilations” include ‘Vande Mataram’ (1997), ‘Between Heaven And Earth’ (2004), and ‘The Best of A.R. Rahman: Music and Magic From the Composer of Slumdog Millionaire’ (2009).

Tracks listed under his latest “The Best…” compilation include Rand De Basanti, Khoon Chala, Barso Re, Tere Bina, Mayya, Ghanan Ghanan, Radha Kaise Na Jale, Dheeme Dheeme, So Gaye Hain, Gurus of Peace, Yeh Rishta, Ae Nazneen Suno Na, Shakalaka Bady, Warriors in Peace (Hindi version).

Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, commended multi-talented and innovative Rahman for bringing East and West closer through music and for making the world look at Indian film music more seriously. Diversity of his styles and themes was appealing to different sections of the society, Zed, who is chairperson of Indo-American Leadership Confederation, added.

Courtesy:indianexpress.com

After Oscar, Grammy chases Rahman

The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees List has brought cheers to the Indian subcontinent. Madras Maestro, Rahman, is nominated for the global smash hit Jai Ho (From Slumdog Millionaire) in the best song written for Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Media category. Along with Rahman, Gulzar and Tanvi Shah’s names are also featured in the nomination.


With Oscar in his hand already, Grammy would be a piece of cake for Rahman, movie analysts suggest. Behindwoods congratulates Rahman on the nomination.


Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Endhiran attracts Public Interest Litigation

Shoots of Endiran that were held at the Kathipara flyover, Guindy, Chennai recently seemed to have ruffled a few feathers. Traffic Ramasamy, a senior citizen who is known for his public interest litigation petitions has sent telegrams to the Tamil Nadu government and police officials seeking a ban on such shootings in public places during rush hours.


According to Ramasamy, shoots of Endiran inconvenienced the general public who were passing through the bridge to get to the city during rush office hours. Ramasamy also has plans to approach the court if the government did not reply favorably to his petition.


Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Rahman’s tribute to TN Police

The latest from the camp of our Mozart of Madras is that he is composing music for a documentary of Tamil Nadu Police.

The Tamil Nadu police officials have made a special documentary as a tribute to the police department that has completed 150 dutiful years. This documentary film will be featuring every single development and building blocks of the department. The film will have the old style uniforms that the police wore during their early days to the recent technological growth and advanced equipments they have.

Sources say that the police department had requested A R Rahman to score music for their documentary even before the musician won the Academy Award and Golden Globe award. But unfortunately as Rahman became too busy he was not able to compose for the whole film. Anyways the music genius is composing for one song that sings the praise of the State’s Police.

Rahman who is in London will work on this after he comes back. Moreover the documentary will be released by the State’s CM M.Karunanidhi, they say.

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

Tirumala Tirupati to call Rahman

Possibly it must be the first time ever, if this happens. Of course music can cross borders and this initiative shows that in front of the supreme power all are equal and there are no differences like cast, religion, race and language.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the trust that administers the temple on the Tirumala Hills, has planned to rope in A R Rahman. You might wonder as why will the Devasthanam should call Rahman? The answer is simple - They would like the Oscar winner to compose Keertans for the traditional religious hymns.

Sources say that Rahman will be approached by the Devasthanam board members to compose music for the songs penned by Telugu cum Sanskrit poet Tallapaka Annamacharya, who belong to the 14th century, praising Lord Venkateswara. “Hope Rahman would be lending his services for the Devasthanam,” said an official. It’s worthy to mention that the musician was once a typical Hindu.

Though the musician had done a lot of special albums, this one must be something very special, we say!

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaya audio launch

Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaya, which has Silambarasan and Trisha in the lead, has created a lot of expectation among the movie buffs. Yet another reason is that the film is directed by Goutham Menon. Here’s good news for all those expecting info about this film.

The audio launch of Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaya is scheduled to be held on December 18th in London. There are reports flowing in that several film personalities, including AR Rahman, who has scored music for the film, will participate in the audio launch function.


Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Rajini stalls traffic

Director Shankar is busy calling the shots for Endhiran and the team has been spotted in several locations in Chennai and its suburbs. The latest is that the Endhiran unit was spotted at the Kathipara flyover in Chennai.

Several supporting actors were spotted wearing police uniforms, and there was a strong indication that it was fight or chase sequence. Rajinikanth arrived at the spot at 8 am and the shooting progressed till 12 noon. The traffic at the Kathipara flyover came to a standstill for a couple of hours owing to the shooting.

Endhiran also stars Aishwarya Rai, Danny Denzongpa, Karunas and Santhanam. The film is produced by Sun Pictures.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Although most of Endhiran’s lyrics are penned by the Shankar regular Vairamuthu, one song is being entrusted with the poet’s son. Now it looks like lyricist Na. Muthukumar will also be on the list as a last minute addition. If sources are to be believed, Muthukumar will write lyrical verses for Endhiran. These short verses will be used in the movie reportedly for the Robot character, also played by Rajini.
Endhiran’s post production works are already underway and it is also learnt that Rajini is up and about with the dubbing works. Although no release date has been announced yet officially, it’s widely believed that the mammoth venture will hit the screens later next year.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Mani Ratnam moves to his next project

Ace director Mani Ratnam is already working on his next project, say sources in Kollywood. The director, though busy with Raavan, is also making plans for his next film, which we hear is titled Azan.

This again is a Bollywood flick and Mani intends to rope in Ranbir Kapoor to play the lead role.

Azan is said to be a film that focuses on the life of Muslims. The sources also report that this film could go on floors in March 2010. However, we are yet to get confirmation on this.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

AR Rahman's Couples Retreat crosses $100m mark

Couples Retreat, Oscar winner musician A.R. Rahman's first venture into mainstream Hollywood, has reportedly crossed the $100 million mark at North American box office.

The 113 minutes comedy, which was released worldwide starting October 8 in Australia and New Zealand and October nine in USA, has reportedly grossed over $102 million domestically besides over 20 million dollars overseas.

Shot in Tahiti (French Polynesia) and USA, it revolves around four couples who go to a tropical-island resort for vacationing.It is yet to be released in many countries.

Acclaimed Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that it proved that Hollywood-Bollywood marriage could bring desired results at box office also.

Zed, who is chairperson of Indo-American Leadership Confederation, hoped that more creative-technical-financial alliances would be formed between Hollywood and Bollywood in the coming future.

Rahman provided original music for Couples Retreat, besides writing and performing two songs: 'Na Na' and 'Sajna'. Rahman's son AR Ameen also sang in 'Na Na'.

Directed by Emmy nominated Peter Billingsley (Dinner for Five), it stars MTV winner Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers), Golden Globe winner Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Golden Globe nominated Kristin Davis (Sex and the City), etc. Producers were Vince Vaughn and Scott Stuber (Role Models).

Courtesy:dnaindia.com

Rajini to celebrate birthday in Pune

Rajinikanth’s birthday is less than a month away (December 12th) and the fans are already gearing up to celebrate it in a big way. With the Endhiran shooting progressing in Chennai for the last few days, it was expected that Rajini would be stationed in Chennai. However, the latest news from the Super Star’s camp is that the Endhiran team is moving to Pune to shoot a few scenes and Rajini would be celebrating his birthday on the sets.

Though this news had dampened the spirits of the Rajini fans, they nevertheless plan a huge birthday celebration for their star.


Courtesy:behindwoods.com