Super surprise in ‘Sultan’

‘Sultan The Warrior’ is not going to be an out and out animated film as claimed earlier. Apparently to give a ‘complete Rajini film feel to the die-hard fans of the Superstar, director of the movie Soundarya Rajinikanth has planned some special scenes, in which the top actor would appear like how we saw him in all his earlier flicks.

Circles close to the Superstar’s daughter told IndiaGlitz that Rajini appears in more than one role in ‘Sultan The Warrior’ and one of them would be a non-animated character, with his typical mannerism and styles.

“Though this has been tried in Hollywood earlier, Soundarya is doing this for the first time in Tamil cinema. The character would surely thrill the audience. About 75 per cent of the shoot is complete and plans are on to release the film by the end of 2010. Soundarya has left no stone unturned in terms of making the movie, a landmark in the Superstar’s career,” they say.

On the film’s music, sources say, “A R Rahman has come out with an excellent work and Soundarya is stunned by it. Only the final mixing of songs is to be done. She feels Sultan the Warrior is going to be one of the best films of the Academy and Grammy winner.”

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

‘Raavan’- Audio in April. Movie in June

Mani Ratnam has officially announced that the music of his buzzing film 'Raavan' will be launched in April. The film is also almost complete and will release in June according to the direct sources.

Sources also say the songs have come out great under A R Rahman and they will be in perfect harmony with A R Rahman's international success. And A R Rahman has never failed in a Mani film.

‘Raavan’ will be released in June simultaneously all over India in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi versions. Sources also said Mani Ratnam has retained the title 'Raavan' for all the version and Tamil version will not have the striking 'Ashokavanam' as heard before.

With enviable star cast of Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Vikram, Prithviraj and others ‘Raavan’ is one of the biggest and most expected movies of the year.

The music launch is expected to have on dais not only Aishwarya Rai but also Abhishek Bachchan in Chennai.

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

Simbu ropes in P C Sriram

"Top cinematographer P C Sriram will weild the camera for Silambarasan’s ‘Vaaliban’, say sources in the know. The ace technician agreed to work for the film impressed by the storyline and Silambarasan’s approach, it is said.

A longtime project of the ‘Young Superstar’, ‘Vaaliban’ was getting delayed due to various reasons. “However, the success of ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’ has made Silambarasan, the actor-director of the movie, to revive it,” sources add.

Produced by S S Chakravarthy of NIC Arts, the film is a youthful story with a patriotic theme, we learn. “It is about a youngster going the whole hog to save the unity and integrity of the country. The film will be racy from the word go,” sources say.

Music for ‘Vaaliban’ will be scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja. Silambarasan had earlier directed ‘Vallavan’ and assisted in the making of ‘Manmadhan’. He also helped Gautham Vasudev Menon on the sets of ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’."



Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

Rajini’s ‘political punches’ in ‘Endhiran’

"Superstar Rajinikanth is the big daddy of punch dialogues as far as Tamil cinema is concerned. It would be no exaggeration if we say many young heroes are now traveling on the road laid by the top actor years ago.

And his forthcoming ‘Endhiran’ too has in store many punch dialogues, we learn. If reports are to be believed, some of them are loaded with political meanings, thereby conveying a message to the public and politicians.

‘Vazhkkai Koduppavan Vakkaalan, Vaaikkarisi Poduravan Vetpaalan’, ‘Arthasasthram Unga Vazhi, Dharmasasthram En Vazhi’, ‘Arasiyalil Endrumey Naan Nirayuthapani’, were some of the punches mouthed by the Superstar for ‘Endhiran’, it is said.

At the same time, it is also said none of the above dialogues would look odd and they would fit well to the script. “Director Shankar and his team are carefully carving ‘Endhiran’ so that the film would creation sensation, not controversy,” sources say."



Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

All for Rahman

When it comes to hero worship, people would go to the extreme for their dream idol.

Music maestro A R Rahman is gearing up for the ‘Jai Ho - The Journey Home’ concert in April. And our ‘Veer’ producer Vijay Galani has done the much-needed preparations well ahead for it. Guess what? He said to have bought the rights for three shows of the concert in UK (Manchester, Birmingham and London) for a whopping Rs 10 crore!

The reason Galani chose UK is that being a cosmopolitan market, the shows are likely to draw the Asian population especially Indians, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis besides Europeans and Americans. While all the shows have already been sold out to promoters, the ticket sales will begin in the first week of April.

Due to the failure of ‘Veer’, Galani had incurred a huge loss. But with this concert, seems like the producer is back for the game.

Sources revealed the deal which was finalized some days ago, includes the travel and stay expenses of the 85-artistes band.

While Galani’s close source revealed, “Though in practice, the deal has been struck for Rs 10 crore, Rahman will bear the cost of lights, sound effects, editing and the maintenance of his big team throughout the shows.”

However, Galani keeps mum over the actually deal price and he just remarks, “Rahman simply rocks!”

True indeed….

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

Rahman's book - Tamil Movie News - AR Rahman | Roja | Raavan | Mani Ratnam | Selva Kumar - Behindwoods.com

Oscar winning music director AR Rahman is writing his coffee table book that will talk about his experiences from Roja to Raavan. The musician began his career with Roja, which earned him the fame and fortune. Since then, there is no looking back for this ace music director.

Rahman’s book will comprise details of all the films that he has worked thus far and this also includes the yet-to-be released Mani Ratnam directed Raavan. It is worth mentioning here that Mani introduced Rahman to filmdom with Roja.

The book will contain photos of about 300 singers with comments from the Mozart of Madras. The photos are by Selva Kumar.


Courtesy:behindwoods.com

SULTAN IS HERE FINALLY

As it seems, there’s light at the end of the tunnel for Sultan the warrior. The animated feature, produced jointly by Soundarya Rajinikanth’s Ochre Studios and Reliance Media works, ran into trouble when the production budget exceeded the limitations. Following which, Reliance decided to quit the project.

However, there seems to be some activity on both sides with authorities from Ochre and Reliance deciding to hold discussions for the benefit of the movie’s completion. The discussion panel includes expert lawyers from both sides and a decision about the movie’s recommencement is expected to be arrived at soon.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Gautham on VTV Hindi remake

With Vinnaithanndi Varuvaayaa turning out to be a huge hit, Gautham already has offers to make the film in Hindi. However, the director is cautious as his first Bollywood flick Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein did not turn out to be a box office success. The director also revealed that if at all he plans to make VTV in Hindi, he would produce under his home production. 

On VTV’s success formula, the director was quoted by a national daily as saying, “I am a romantic at heart. I like to show love in a way that will bring a smile or a tear to viewers.”

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

VTV pirated

Entire film fraternity went in for a massive shock when Sarathkumar’s Jaggubhai was available on the net even before its release. The government has been very strict trying to bring this menace under control and has enforced strict rules to curb this hazard. However despite various stringent measures piracy does not seem to loosen its dirty clasp around the industry. 

The film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa directed by Gautham Menon has garnered widespread acclaim all over. Recently pirated versions of CDs/DVDs of the film were doing its free rounds in Trichy which was brought to the notice of the police. The authorities on hearing this had seized the DVDs/CDs and brought the offenders to book.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

News about Endhiran from Shankar

Director Shankar has penned in his blog that all the talkie portions of Endhiran have been completed. On the audio and film release, he had said that one song is yet to be recorded after which it has to go for mastering and then it has to be shot. The audio launch can be finalized only after this work is completed, Shankar had said.

The computer graphics work of Endhiran is almost complete; however, a few complicated CG work needs to be done; it has been said in the blog. Apart from this, the final editing, sound mixing and dubbing has to be completed.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Gautham to sign up Silambarasan again

Gautham Menon seems to have struck a chord with Silambarasan during the making of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. With the film turning out to be a grand success, the director is already contemplating his next film.

When asked by the reporters if there is a possibility to work with Silambarasan in future, the director’s reply was affirmative. He hinted that talks are already on with Silambarasan for their next film together. Gautham said an announcement would be made once things fall in place.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Mani’s ‘Raavan’ to have international premiere

Mani Ratnam’s eagerly awaited film ‘Raavan’ may be first seen at the IIFA Awards at an international venue. Reports circulating in Bollywood suggest that the film might premiere at the International Indian Film Awards (IIFA) later this year. The tri lingual ‘Raavan’ is nearing completion and is set to release on 18th of June. This mega budget multi starrer will hit the bull’s eye in getting the international audience if premiered at an international venue. The venue for this year’s IIFA is still not decided but Seoul, the capital of South Korea seems to be the first preference. It may be remembered that Mani Ratnam’s ‘Yuva’, the Hindi version of Tamil ‘Aayutha Ezhuthu’ was premiered at the IIFA ceremony in Singapore. With truly pan Indian stars like Abishek Bachan, Aishwarya Rai and Vikram the movie has huge expectations.

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

Thamarai meets Mani Ratnam

The only successful female lyricist in Tamil film industry, Thamarai is extending her frontiers. The aesthetic lyricist who shot to instant fame with ‘Veseegara’ song from film ‘Minnale’ by Goutham Menon continued to create sensational songs for Goutham’s films and others.

One of the most sought after lyricist of today, Thamarai has been approached by none other than Mani Ratnam, but for writing the dialogues for his next film after ‘Raavan’. Mani Ratnam has already completed his first discussion on his next film which will also be a bilingual in Tamil and Hindi. For Hindi version he has in mind, the nephew of actor Aamir Khan, ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’ star Imran Khan and for Tamil it will be Silambarasan.

As the story of the film is about the second love of a woman, Mani Ratnam felt it would be better if a female writer writes the dialogues. Mani has met Thamarai with the offer but with a string. He will use it only if he is thoroughly convinced. Mani’s films are turning more poetic day by day.

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

Prithviraj – Mani Ratnam unique feature

Prithviraj has the unique distinction of working under a director who has directed his father Sukumaran also 25 years ago. And if the director is someone like Mani Ratnam, Prithviraj can feel proud of his profession all his life.

Prithviraj’s father Sukumaran was a famous actor in Malayalam for three decades from the seventies. With films like ‘Vilkkanundu Swapnangal’ Sukumaran was in the big league when Mani Ratnam started his career as a director in the eighties.

Mani Ratnam’s second film of his career was ‘Unaru’ in Malayalam. The film was about the labour trade union parties and their problems in Kerala. Sukumaran played an important role in the film. Now after 25 years Mani Ratnam is directing Prithviraj in ‘Raavan’. What a journey it had been.

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

The Gautham-Ajith flick A Round up - Behindwoods.com

The ground has been cleared

There had been a shadow of doubt cast over the project after the huge uproar that was created with what Ajith said in the function held to thank the CM. But, now with matters looking settled, especially on the side of FEFSI, there seems to be nothing in the way of this project happening. The ‘Madurai Sambavam’ With Dayanidhi Azhagiri producing the film and especially with the huge expectations that this combination will generate, a grand launch, befitting the scale and reach of the project is being planned. And, where else would it be held other than the Azhagiri fortress – Madurai. James ‘Thala’ Bond The wind is that Gautham has designed a stylish and gripping plain clothes detective character for Ajith. Knowing Gautham’s expertise with cop characters and films, one can expect a role that is truly worth Ajith’s screen presence, a la James Bond, if you like the way it sounds. No ladies This will indeed be a unique film if what we hear is right; that Ajith will not have any heroine in the film. Must be a first of sorts in his career and the first in Tamil cinema in quite a long time. It will also be the first for Gautham who is know for his adeptness at handling romance. But, this time, it looks as if crime, clues and cops will be the only thing that the film will focus on. The music With no heroines and presumably no romance, there will be no lilting tunes that we associate with Gautham’s film. But, there will be a place of prominence for music. Especially the background score, which is of critical importance in detective/action flicks. And, guess who will be scoring – it is Rahman. That completes a great team, doesn’t it? The team Gautham is expected to retain most of the technical crew that Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa had. With the response that VTV’s visuals are getting, Manoj Paramahamsa’s camera work will be one of the most watched elements in the Gautham-Ajith flick. Thuppariyum Anand or Ulavali There has been a lot of excitement after a certain rumor started spreading that Gautham had already titled the project as 'Thuppariyum Anand'. Meanwhile, another title that was doing the rounds was 'Ulavali'. But, Gautham himself has dispelled all these myths and said that the film is yet untitled. When the time is right and ripe, there will be an announcement. Till then at least, let us refer to this high profile project as 'Thuppariyum Anand'.

Courtesy:Behindwoods.com

Trisha's argument with Gautham

Trisha, when asked why she agreed in a role that showed her older than Silambarasan in Vinnaithaandi Varuvayaa, said that she indeed had an argument with the film’s director over this issue. Trisha said that when Gautham approached her with the script of VTV she was skeptical of the role. However, the director convinced her to don the greasepaint. And the lady has no regrets now as the film has turned out to be a hit.
Reacting to a question about actresses trusting Godmen, Trisha said that she believed in the lord and not in Swamijis. She also appealed to all her co-stars to be careful in future.
Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Rajini amazed by VTV

A special show of Vinnaithaandi Varuvayaa was arranged for Rajinikanth in Chennai. The actor, as like all others who have seen the movie, was full of praises. In fact, the superstar was so engrossed in the film that he thought the character, played by Ganesh as Kakka Kakka’s film cameraman was the real man that wielded the camera for that film. 

Rajini expressed his desire to congratulate the cameraman when, to his amazement, Gautham Menon revealed that the real director of camera for Kakka Kakka was RD Rajasekar. Gautham is in cloud nine over the shower of accolades on his film.


Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Udayanidhi looking for a script

Producer Udayanidhi Stalin is the man with a golden touch. All the films that have been produced by him have turned out to be a grand success. And now, he has ventured as a distributor for Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, which also happens to be a runaway success. Riding high on the success, Udayanidhi also has a film that will have Kamal Haasan, Madhavan and Trisha, which will be directed by KS Ravikumar and another film with Suriya for which Murugadoss will wield the director’s cap. In an interview to a popular Tamil daily, Udayanidhi has confirmed that he is looking for a suitable script to don the greasepaint.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

What Silambarasan has to say about Valiban

Silambarasan has already moved on to his next project – Valiban. Apart from playing the lead role, he will also direct the film. Valiban is touted to be a love story with a patriotic message. The heroine for this film is yet to be finalized. Yuvan Shankar Raja will compose music for this film. 

Valiban will start rolling from March 25th, sources say. The actor said that since he was busy with VTV, he was not able to begin Valiban on the time he had planned earlier.


Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Ranjitha untraceable… Mani Ratnam worried

One director that will be affected with the Ranjitha-Nithyananda blue film leakage is Mani Ratnam. The actress plays an important role in the Mani Ratnam directed Ravan. Ever since the video made its way to the television channels and news papers, the actress has been absconding. 
The Ravan unit, which is gearing up to release the film during the summer holidays, is now in a fix. Apparently, a few scenes involving the actress need to be shot, and this issue has the team in jitters, as Ranjitha remains untraceable.


Courtesy:behindwoods.com