What Happened To Ponniyin Selvan?

Rumormongers in Kollywood say that Ponniyin Selvan may be dropped. Though the reason for this is not out, the rumors are getting strong day by day. At a stage when all the actors and actresses were said to be finalized, this comes as surprise to many. Also director Mani Ratnam went on a tour recently to scout for locations to shoot this trilingual.

Vijay and Mahesh Babu were roped in to play the male leads while Anushka and Priyanka Chopra were touted to be their onscreen pairs, it may be recalled.

Sources close to the director say that Ponniyin Selvan may be postponed and that the director has already conveyed this message to Mahesh Babu. Let’s wait for an official announcement on this project.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Rajini Is Perfectly Ok

Soon after the news of Rajinikanth being admitted in hospital hit the media, fans were praying for their Superstar's well being and demanded for more news on his health. Rajinikanth's near and dear ones were bombarded with questions about the actor's health and finally his son-in-law Dhanush has given the good news that everyone has been waiting for. Dhanush addressed all the Rajini fans and said, "He is perfectly ok. Just dehydration. Nothing to worry at all. He will be home tonight itself!"

We can definitely take the son-in-law's word for this and looks like the Superstar will be back on his feet in no time. With this, we hope the schedule for Rana will go without any delay. It is known that the muhurat and pooja of Rana took place today at the AVM Studios and the shooting was off to a flying start with director K.Balachandar filming the first shot.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Rajini Admitted To Hospital

Rajinikanth has been admitted to St Isabel's Hospital in Chennai after he reported some uneasiness in the sets of Rana. The Superstar was immediately rushed to the hospital where the diagnosis revealed food poisoning.

The star was at the AVM Studios this morning where the pooja and first shot of Rana took place. He reportedly ate his lunch after which he complained of uneasiness. The doctors attending to Rajinikanth have advised him to take a few days rest. Looks like Rana shooting will be postponed until Rajini gains his health back.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Rana: The Journey Begins

The shooting of Superstar Rajinikanth’s Rana, directed by KS Ravikumar and produced by Eros International, began today. Producer, Panchu Arunachalam sounded the clap board, RM Veerapan switched on the camera, and K Balachander directed the first shot in an auspicious ritual that was held at the Pillaiyar Temple in AVM studios today at 9.45 am.

The Superstar was looking dashing, dapper, and about half his actual age in a warrior’s costume. Leading Lady, Deepika Padukone looked lovely in a gorgeous blue sari with a maroon and gold border. Latha Rajinikath and daughters Aishwariya and Soundarya were also present.

The VIPs present at the momentous occasion included Muktha Srinivasan, SP Muthuraman, RC Sakthi, R Thiagarajan, Kavignar Vaali, Mahendran, AVM Saravanan, Sivaji Ramkumar, Prabhu, RB Choudhary, SA Chandrasekar, P Vasu, Suresh Krishna, Dhanu, Vairamuthu, CV Rajendran, A Jaganathan, and Cho Ramasamy.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

All About Rana Is Here!

Want to know all about Rana? Here is the news that you’ve been looking for! The film will go on floors tomorrow, 29^th April, 2011. Rana, which is being directed by KS Ravi Kumar, will begin after the customary pooja.

The film will have Rajinikanth playing the hero while Deepika Padukone and Ileana D’Cruz are his onscreen pairs and Sonu Sood is the baddie who will fight Rajini in Rana. Speaking about this film, KS Ravi Kumar has said, “Rana has a strong story, a very interesting ensemble cast of actors coupled with super star Rajinikanth in a triple role and promises to have some stunning visual effects that will surely take Indian cinema to the next level.”

The press note from the producers states, “Eros International along with NextGen Films, will produce the film through Rana Production Ltd., UK.”

Music for Rana will be scored by Oscar award winner AR Rahman. Rathnavelu will wield the camera and editing by Anthony. The technical director is Soundarya Rajnikanth, of Ocher Visual Effects UK, a subsidiary of Ocher Studios Pvt Limited. Emmy award winner Charles Darby of Eyeqube Studios, will be the creative and special effects director on the film.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Rajini Decides On Rana Comedian

Rajinikanth has opted for Ganja Karuppu to be his comedian in Rana. There were widespread speculations about who would be his comedian. This speculation has now come to an end with Ganja Karuppu finding a place onboard.

Sources in Kollywood say that Rajini is upset with Vadivelu’s election campaign that he did not want him to be a part of Rana. He has conveyed this to Rana’s director KS Ravi Kumar and he recommended Ganja Karuppu which Rajini immediately agreed to.

It may be recalled that Vadivelu played an important part in Chnadramukhi and Kuselan but did not find a place in Endhiran.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Rajnikanth prays for Rana

Rajnikanth was spotted in the Kaligambal temple in Parrys, offering prayers for his upcoming project 'Rana'.Â

'Rana' under K.S Ravikumar's direction is a period film, a joint venture produced by Eros International and Ocher Pictures. The movie features Rajnikanth in three avatars, with Deepika Padukone being one of the leading lady.

A.R.Rahman is scoring music for this mega budget movie being produced at a whopping budget of 100 crores. 'Rana' is a film very close to Rajini's heart being Soundarya's joint production and it is a movie with more of visual treat to be done at her studios.Â

Rajnikanth has his sentiment of visiting Kaligambal temple for the success of his films. And its wise for the Superstar to have visited for 'Rana' which is scheduled to go on floors shortly.

Courtesy:indiatimes.com

Hrithik Roshan has no time for Shekhar Kapur's Paani

Shekhar Kapur who had approached Hrithik Roshan to play the lead in his film titled Paani, hasn't got back to the star yet.

Hrithik had expressed to the Elizabeth director that he was interested in the project, but with Shekhar not getting back with the script, the actor seems to have moved ahead with the projects on hand.

Now he is busy with Agneepath, then he has Krrish sequel and won't be able to make time for two years. Meanwhile it is learnt that the acclaimed director just completed scripting and is ready to proceed. Let's see how the director manages to squeeze time out of Duggu.

Courtesy:indiatimes.com

Ram In Gautham Menon's Next, Bellamkonda Suresh To Produce

Bellamkonda Suresh, who is currently producing Kandireega starring Ram and directed by Santosh Srinivas, is planning another film with Ram this year. Presented by Sravanthi Ravi Kishore, the film in question will be directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and will star Samantha as the female lead. AR Rahman will compose the music for the movie.

Bellamkonda Suresh says, "Gautham Menon has come up with a wonderful concept. It is both interesting and thrilling. After Ram heard the script he immediately gave his nod. AR Rahman's music score will be an asset to the film. We have already recorded two songs. However, the regular shooting of the film will begin only in June. This will be a prestigious project for our banner [Sri Sai Ganesh Productions Pvt. Ltd.]."

Courtesy:cinegoer.com

Ranbir Kapoor rushes to Chennai for the recording of climax song of Rockstar

Like Dad Rishi Kapoor's imperishable climactic number Ek haseena thi ek deewana tha in Subhash Ghai's Karz which was shot in front of a live audience ....That's the specification in Ranbir's mind for the stadium-rock track that Rahman is composing for the climax of Rockstar.

We've had many stars in the past who have been so avidly involved with the recording of their songs that they've spent time personally in recording studios. But the much-delayed climactic song for Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar has got Ranbir Kapoor in a different far more heightened state of anxiety.

The climactic song in Rockstar has raised Ranbir's anxiety level to such an extent that he rushed last week to Chennai to be with A R Rahman for a week. So concerned is he about the way the number sounds before it is filmed next month that Ranbir wanted to be physically present for the recording with Rahman.

Not just that, when the Rahman had to fly out of Chennai for a concert in Dubai, Ranbir stayed on to complete the song with Rahman's assistants in his studio in Chennai.

Says a friend of Ranbir, "Enough delay has already happened. Now when the climax song which will be shot on May 15 in a stadium with Ranbir performing live on stage, any further delay would be lethal. Ranbir flew to Chennai for the whole week. He said he wanted to be near the song, to feel it imbibe and absorb it so that when he finally performs it on May 15, the song would be an extension of his personality."

Apparently, Ranbir who has a fabulous music sense has actively contributed to the final shape of the rock number that will reverberate across the stadium when Ranbir takes to the stage for the grand finale next month.

Says Ranbir's friend, "Rahman even suggested that Ranbir sing the number himself. But Ranbir knows he doesn't have a singing voice. He was just content watching this very important song come to life during his week-long stay in Chennai in Rahman's studio."

Apparently, Ranbir only went to his hotel in Chennai to freshen up.

Says Ranbir's friend, "All his time was spent at Rahman's studio. Ranbir wanted to make sure the song took a final shape before Rahman left for Dubai. And since Rahman works only during the night, Ranbir stayed up nights caught up with a subtle snooze in the morning and joined Rahman's assistants for more music sessions during the day."

Ranbir confirms, "Yes, I was in Chennai. Just returned. I had gone for the recording of the climax song. Watching Rahman at work is such an exhilarating experience."

Courtesy:bollywoodhungama.com

RGV to make Rangeela sequel with Rahman | MAARS News

In this Bollywood’s era of remakes and sequels there is one more film that will add to the list soon. Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma is very keen on recreating the Rangeela magic on-screen with music composer AR Rahman.

photo: hotklix.com

After 16 years of success of the chart-buster film Rangeela, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma is planning ti work on the sequel of the film with Rahman. This idea struck RGV during the launch of Rahman’s biography. At the launch, the Mozart of Madras thanked filmmakers like Mani Ratnam, Subhash Ghai, Ashutosh Gowariker, and Ram Gopal Varma, for their individual contributions to his successful career.

He even mentioned the name of only one film Rangeela which was a turning point in his career. RGV told to Mid Day, “When Rahman mentionedRangeela, I was deeply moved. The fact that he feels it was a significant film in his career is something I agree with. I was flooded with memories of the music of Rangeela.”

He went on to add, “I was terrified of the music Rahman had created for Rangeela. The songs were so awesome, I felt I wouldn’t be able to do visual justice. If we work together again, it has to be on something that would do justice to Rahman’s music. Of course I want to work with him again, but I have to come up with a script that won’t let him down.”

Ram Gopal Varma recalled the old memories of the days when Rahman was working on the musical scores of the film. He said that Rahman has no arrogance and his music always comes from his heart. Reportedly, Varma has already started working on the script for the sequel of Rangeela, however he restricted from revealing anything further.

Courtesy:news.maars.net

Subash Ghai & Rahman Team Up Again? - Subhash Ghai - Ar Rahman - Tamil Movie News - Behindwoods.com

Most of the Subash Ghai’s films have been musical hits and his combination with A.R. Rahman in ‘Taal’ was a tremendous success while ‘Yuvvraj’ was lauded for its musical grandness. It looks like the duo will come together again, this time for a musical animation film. Recently Subash Ghai collaborated with Ketan Mehta’s Maya Digital to make 3D and animation flicks.

With Subash Ghai close on the heels of completing the script work and other preproduction works, the filmmaker is keen about signing A.R. Rahman as music plays a vital role in the film.

Right now Subash Ghai and Ketan Mehta are planning to recreate Sholay in 3D and have already completed the test shoot.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

7aam Arivu might break records set by Endhiran

Young super star Suriya and musician turned actress Shruti Haasan starrer upcoming movie 7aam Arivu is in the verge of completion stage. Veteran director AR Murugadoss is wrapping it up at fast phase. Like block buster movie Endhiran, this movie also demands special effects and the director feels that it will be the most important element in 7aam Arivu.

So Murugadoss has roped in Stan Winston Studios for doing special effects in this movie. Notably this is the company which has done the special effects for Endhiran movie too. Sources close to the unit confirms that the director planned to work with the technicians of the Stan Winston Studios closely for about two months. This show that the audiences are again going to have another visual treat after the mega movie Endhiran. Its also considered to be a mega budget movie .

Like Endhiran, 7aam Arivu is also a mega budget movie produced by Udayanidhi Stalin’s Red Giant Movies. Lets wait and watch how this movie is going to break the exiting records in Indian film industry.

Courtesy:sulekha.com

Ra. One - A 150 crores affair? The real picture

Ever since Ra.One was announced, there have been speculations galore around its scale and budget. Though the makers never went on the records when it came to the budget spent on the film, insiders from trade did peg this Shah Rukh Khan starrer to be costliest ever with the making costs comfortably crossing the 100 crores mark. Now that the First Look of the film is out, all doubts around the film being the most expensive ever have been quashed.

"The film hasn't become costly during the process of its making; it was always supposed to be expensive right from the time film's script was being written. Later when the process of storyboarding started, Shah Rukh and Anubhav realised that Ra. One would require much more than just 100 crores. As things stand today, the making itself has cost over 125 crores. This doesn't include Shah Rukh's remuneration as he is the film's producer as well and hence is a partner in all profits that come along", confirms an industry source on condition of anonymity.

Given the fact that even on a conservative side Shah Rukh's fees wouldn't be less than 25 crores, the cost of making Ra.Oneelevates to a good 150 crores. This would be notches above Rajnikanth's Endhiran/Robot (132 crores) which is the costliest India film ever made and Bollywood's Blue which was pegged at 100 crores. Going by the super-success of Endhiran which was a regional film and had a limited market in Hindi speaking circuits, the makers of Ra.One are confident though that they would not just recover the amount but also make neat profits, courtesy the huge market that Shah Rukh commands.

"Not to forget the scale at which the film has been made", says Anubhav Sinha who has invested half a decade into the making of this film, "The kind of VFX that would have seen in the film belong to never seen before variety. Also, when we claim that the film is big, it is big in all regards. It was all planned though."

Continuing in the same vein, he adds, "We invested as many as two years into the pre-production of the film, the actual filming was spread through one full year and then the post-production has been a year long process as well. Don't forget thatRa.One is not one of those films where only the shooting days consume money."

When asked to quote the exact money that has gone into making the film, Anubhav just smiled it all away. "Please ask Shah Rukh about it. All I can say is that the amount of money Shah Rukh has pumped into the film is unimaginable. Trust me, it will all show on screen. I can see how passionate Shah Rukh is about this film and he has taken it upon himself to makeRa.One the biggest of them all."

We hope the claims are indeed worth it Anubhav.

Courtesy:bollywoodhungama.com

Rana Did Not Take-off

Rajinikanth’s Rana was scheduled to take off today, April 20^th. 2011 but this did not happen. The pooja of this movie was supposed to take place at the AVM Studios. Enquiries reveal that a huge set is being erected at the AVM Studios and since this work is still in progress the pooja had to be postponed.

Earlier, it was announced that Rana would begin with a pooja at the AVM Studios and then the team will leave for a foreign location to shoot the songs. But it looks like there is a slight change in the plans. Rana is to be directed by KS Ravi Kumar and will have Deepika Padukone playing the female lead.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Rajini’s ‘Raana’ to be kick-started

On April 20, Rajinikanth along with Team ‘Raana’ will perform a puja for the Ganesh statue in AVM Studios. The place is considered to be lucky for the superstar.

Following this, Superstar along with his lead-lady of the movie, Deepika Padukone will leave abroad for the shooting of a duet song, with which, the shooting of this much-awaited movie will be kick-started! Early this year, it was reported that Deepika was in a dilemma to sign the movie due to an issue with dates; however, the actress has chosen this big-flick to make her grand entry into Kollywood. Sources say that the actress expressed a great deal of enthusiasm about the project and claimed that her long-term dream of acting with the Superstar has finally coming true…

The music will be scored by AR Rahman and Ratnavelu will handle the cinematography. The film will be produced by Eros International and Ocher Studios, the latter is owned by Soundarya Rajnikanth.

The movie will be directed by KS Ravikumar, who had previously delivered two super hits with the superstar, ‘Muthu’ and ‘Padayappa’. ‘Raana’ will be a period film, and will have Rajinikanth sporting a whole new look! Rajinikanth will play a triple role and the movie will be a tri-lingual, in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. The movie is scheduled for release on early 2012. Now we all know what to look forward to in 2012, don’t we?

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

AR Rahman turns producer

AR Rahman is taking his love for cinema and music to another level. The Oscar winning music director is now turning producer with a musical. He has even launched a production company called YM Movies.

A source informed Mumbai Mirror, “Rahman wanted to start producing films for a long time but his busy schedule has always prevented him from doing so. He has now finally decided to take the plunge. His banner is called Y M Movies."

It appears, his first film would be made for the South.

"He plans to make films for the South to kick start his career as producer.”

Well we hope Rahman makes films for Bollywood as well!

Courtesy:hindustantimes.com

Priyanka Chopra to star in Mani Ratnam’s 'Ponniyin Selvan

Buzz is that B-town’s diva Priyanka Chopra is being considered for the genius Indian helmer Mani Ratnam’s 200 crore budget mega blockbuster ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, starring Vijay, Mahesh Babu, Aarya, along with Anushka Shetty.

The beauty is said to be leaving to south to meet the master director Mani to hear the script very soon. The movie is in pre production stage and it’s a period saga set in 1500 BC. Stars like Suriya and Vikram are also considered for important roles for the film.

If all goes well Priyanka will be paired opposite Mahesh Babu in the film.

Priyanka is very much excited to be working under India’s highly acclaimed director Mani Ratnam, however, for now the actress is tight lipped. But we tell you that she is visiting Mani Ratnam to hear the script in totality in a few days from now.

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

Rahman's biography launched

The story of music maestro A R Rahman's life the official version was out this week, released at one of those functions where celebrities cluster like moths about a particularly bright lamp.

It was Mani Ratnam, director and long-time friend of Rahman, who officially launched the book, A R Rahman The Spirit of Music, a the Novotel Hotel in Juhu, Mumbai. The book was the result of a series of conversations with documentary filmmaker and writer Nasreen Munni Kabir.

Before getting around to actually launching the book, Ratnam recalled on how they first met at Rahman's tiny studio. It was about one-fourth the size Ratnam was used to but the melodies he heard were simply beautiful.

But Ratnam says there is more to Rahman than mere music.

'As much a fan I am of his music I am a larger admirer of him as a human being,' Ratnam said of his friend.

The book took four years to come together, during which Nasreen spoke to Rahman some times in person, at others via a video conferencing facility.
Image: Nasreen Munni Kabir, A R Rahman and Mani Ratnam

Courtesy:rediff.com

Anushka To Romance The Superstar

Anushka is on cloud nine these days. After loads of speculation, it has been confirmed that she will be doing an important role in Rana, with Rajinikanth. Leading ladies like Vidya Balan and Ileana were considered for the role but it fell right into Anushka’s lap.

The beautiful lady who made it to the big league with Arundhati is happy that she will be working with the Superstar. Currently, only Deepika Padukone and Anushka have been finalized for this project so far, though the buzz is there are still more female characters that are just waiting to be snapped up. After all, everyone wants to be a part of a Superstar film. Watch this space for more.

Courtesy:behindwoods.com