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LAKME FASHION WEEK

BY LAKME

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ontents Vol 02 Issue 01

COPE

REGULARS

FEATURES

12 News + Updates

52 A sneak peek into the Fanatic experience of Endhiran

Shikkar

Pranchiyettan and the Saint Puli

Gaayam-2

2.8 Prev.iews

32 Events & Happenings

55 Four Friends i.s a tribute to Sholay!

18 Box Office 20 Countdown Top 5Albums

22 Reviews

Boss Engira Baskaran Pancharangi

HJ Hf.o.O QUA!T£RS

AI5<) ""ail""I'" <\1: JOHN MII.LEFJ EXC'I.USIVEOSTOFlt=: Obercn Mall, C""hln. Tel: OMl4~~23943G, KaI"!lhoda, FQ~, Mu",bill, Tel: Q22-32096~4. Foa"., Mall, 0,,111,)111, Tel, Q4gS-;}262otOQ, CherQo\y fI".d, Call,c~t, T~I; IN~5·3104"l5. Jayanagar, '6allyalo'~, Tel. GllO·412193J9 ~ndHr:AD QUARTE:RS at; 6<i[l<lW Road, 6~llga~QJQ, Tel: 4«0883&1, Mall! Sqoa,,, Mal, Kolkara, Tel, ,~OOI),n67, A,nb\e<>ce Mall', GIJIgaon. Tel: 321'32~9 Amravau Roael, Nagp~r, Tel: 66109'~2. Oonnaugh( Place, New Delhi.Tel: 475:35"0'79.

1 SOU 1 __ COPE

56 Puneet Rajkumaris back as Jackie

59 The multiplex era in Tamil cinema

62 Rakta Charitra ~ Ihe Bloody Tale of Violence

65 Flying around the world for a picture perfect location

71 South cinema sweeps National Awards

Contents

Vol 02 Issue 01

GALLERY

46 Southscope Cine Awards 74 Onam releases fail to impress : 2010

Malayalam movie buffs

78 How the fan culture has changed ln the dot com era

80 The undying spirit of K Balachander, Bal.u Mahendra & B hara ti raaja

CENTRE STAGE

39 At the doorstep of NTR's Brindavanam - An exclusive behind-the-scenes story

68 Tete-a-tete with Sonal Chauhan

76 Ragini Dwivedi's big style statement in Kannada cinema

36 The Rise of Karthi Sivakumar -Js he the next big star?

STYLE

IT Star of the monthTamannaah Bhatia

ONE YEAR OF SOUTHSCOPE, REACHING NEWER AUDIENCES

Dear Reader,

September 2010 has been the most hectic month for us since Southscope's inception. On one side, we were putting together the issue - ideating on articles, writing, rewriting them and organizing a huge Award function on the other. Coordinating nearly 300 people from the four south Indian film industries was one big effort, but we somehow pulled it off. The event was a huge success. The credit for this goes to the stars who graced the occasion.

It was pure serendipity that we'd contacted Dr. DRama Naidu on the 6th of September to confer on him the 'Legend of Indian Cinema from South Award' at our Event. Three days later on the 9th, the Govt of India awarded him the Dadasaheb Phalke Award! Despite his busy schedule, Naidu garu made time and attended our event. I would like to personally thank Dr D Ramanaidu garu, Sreedevi, Boney Kapoor, Megastar Chiranjeevi, Puneet Rajkumar and an the other guests who were present. Their presence means a lot to us.

This month, we've introduced one more new feature in our magazine. Something we've always feared. Movie reviews. Its one of the trickier parts, as filmmakers in the south don't take to criticism too kindly. Yet, we thought our readers would want to know how movies from all over the south are faring and what's our take on them. The editorial policy of our reviews is to appreciate the good, analyze the film, be critical about them, yet in a reasonable way.

The last two issues of Southscope have been a sell-out. This has prompted us to increase our print run so that we can widen our reach and capture newer audiences. After much deliberation, we have revised the price of Southscope to Rs 35. Everything else about your reading experience remains the same.

Now we are ready to up quantity too, with quality!

-r lL A. S.·. i.f1ts~ UV~

Cheers! ABu Sirish

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OCTOBER'10

Dr Dag'gubati Ramainadu conferred with Dada Saheb Phalke Award

Twenty years after ANR was conferred with the Dada Saheb Phalke award, Or Daggubati Ramanaidu, veteran producer and filmmaker is the latest recipient of the prestigious award for the year 2009. He jo ins the I eag ue of AN R, Devika .Ran i, B Narasi mha Reddy, L V Prasa o, 8 Nag i Reddy who were

the recipients of the prestigious award from Andhra Pradesh. Over the past forty seven years, he has produced over 135 films which led to his entry In the Guinness Book of Records. Apart from Telugu films, he has produced films In Hindi, Bengali, Oriya, Tamil, Assamese, Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati,Marathi and Bhojpuri. In 1999, Asukh, a Bengali film which he had produced won the National Award for Best film. Southscope salutes the living legend. of India cinema!

Karthlls the face of Airtel inTN Delivering four back to back hits, Karthi's career hit a new high~ , note when he was signed up : as the brand ambassador . for Airtel in Tamil Nadu.ln May, Airtel signed up Ram Charan as its brand ambassador for Andhra Pradesh. Both the deals were coordinated by the agency

- Artists Alliance.

Levi's signs Ileana as its new face Actress Ileana D'Cruz has been signed as I the face

of Levi's.

Paired along with her in the j campaign are Jacqueline Fernandes and Chitrangada Singh. The campaign for a

new women'sjeans "Curve 10" was launched at a press event In M.umbai recently. This is her second endorsement besides AP based mobile retailer Levi's. The deal

RGV turns singer for Rakta Charithra

RGVhas sung a song for the Telugu version of his upcoming film

Rskts. Chsritbre. He

rendered a song titled Kathulatho saa.vaasam .. tiethutitho samaapram, Though the film was shot as a trilingual (Hindi, Telugu, Tamil), it marks Ramu's comeback into Telugu cinema. After this he directs another straight film in

was closed by Brand Box, a Chennalbased agency.

Tamannaah is Parachute's new brand ambassador Marico, the makers of Parachute

have signed up Tamannaah to be the face

of its avurvedlc all brand. Tamnanna unveiled the new product at the press conference in Chennai on the 22nd September. The deal was closed by Artists Alliance, south India's leading

Telugu starring comedian Sunil.

Siddharth and Oil Raju

team up

again

Bommarillu is the biggest

hit of Siddharth's career. The film was produced

by Dil Raju and directed by a debutant Bhaskar. The produceractor duo team up yet again for

a film, introducing another new director Venu Sreeram, The

film is expected to go on floors

in December 2010 once Sid completes his present films -

celebrity endmsement and artist management agency.

Chandrlka Soap extends contract with Mamta Mohandas

. Two years ago, Wipro signed J MamtaMoh.andas as the brand ambassador for its soap brand - Chandrika The campaign was used extensively in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Happy with the association the brand has extended

the contract by another

two years. This deal too was was coordinated by Artists Alliance.

Baava and K Prakash Rao's fantasy film.

Puri Jagannadh signs Rana and .Ileana

Puri Jagannadh had announced that he was going to make a film with Balakrishna in the lead. For reasons unknown, the project did not materialize. Puri is going ahead and another film with Leader fame Rana Daggubati and Ileana D'Cruz in the lead. The film

which has already gone to floors without much bungama is being produced by Nallamalupu Bujji.

Its Khaaleja, not Khaleja

The last edition of Souths cope, spelt Mahesh's upcoming movie as Khaaleja. Many thought it was a typo. B"ut that's the movie's official spelling. The producer renamed

it like that as per a numerologist's advice.

Trisha replaces Ileana in Pawan Kalyan's film

In many events, Trisha expressed her interest to work opposite Pawan Kalyan. She played a

small cameo in one of his film's Bengerem. Her dream was finally realized as she replaced Ileana

as the main lead in Kalyan's upcoming film. The movie directed by Jayant C Paranji is a remake

of Love Aa.j Kal. The film has

been tentatively titled Khusbigaa.. After Nama Venkatesa in which Trisha played the lead role along with Venkatesh, this is her first big-ticket Telugu film in almost a year.

Director Srinu Vaitla turns actor

Ace director Srinu Vaitla will be seen on the big screen in one of Balakrishna's upcoming films.

He has no acting ambitions, but will be playing himself in the film. Like Puri

Jagannadh in Yem Maaya Chesave. The film is veteran director Dasari Narayana Rao's 150th film. The movie was launched with much fanfare and was titled Parazna Veera Cbskre. But the Indian Army objected to the title. The producers are yet to fix on a new title. The insider buzz is that Balakrishna is playing a dual role in the film, one of them being that of a film star. The film has Amisha Patel, Neha Dhupia and Sheela cast opposite Balakrishna,

Sekhar Kammula launches

a star hunt for Life Is Beautiful

Sekhar Kammula has launched a star hunt for his upcoming film titled Life is Beautiful. He's looking for three boys and three girls who will play the lead roles. Few years ago, he launched a similar talent hunt

for Happy Days which went on to become a huge hit. Following the : success of Happy Days and Leader ! which was for Rana Daggubati's debut, Sekhar Kammula has once again decided to cast newcomers.

Is it his secret of success? Or just plain lucky charm?

Charmee's item number in Nagarjuna's film

Charmee's once again in the limelight f01" doing an item

number in Nagarjuna's upcoming film co-starring Anushka and Priyamani. Directed by Veeru

ews &Updates

Potla, the film is a complete action entertainer which is all set to release in December this year.

Endhiran, Brindavanam, Khaalejaclash at box office

October will witness fire crackers at the Andhra Pradesh box office. Three big budget films \ .. rill release in the first 10 days of the month. The combined value of these

three films is about Rs 100 crores, considering Endhiran's Telugu version alone. Robot(Endbiran's Telugu version) will release on

the 1st October 2010. The Tamil version too releases on the same day. Mahesh's Khaaleja and NTR's Brindevesuun would release on

7th and 8th of October 2010. The distributors of these three films are a worried lot as they feel each film win eat into the other's revenues. The impact of these films wouldn't be limited to AP alone. Karnataka is a huge market for Tamil movies, but Telugu films are a bigger

draw in the state, especially outside Bangalore. Endbiran was recovered for a record R.s 7 crores. The Rajinikanth starrer now

has to compete with the two big Telugu releases.

...• .'. i r-c-r . - had mentioned' that Nagarjuna is on a signing spree. But Nagarj~na has clarifiedlo.

ERRATA, In o~~ prevlojus ~ssue, W:nkat Prabhu's Mankatha.My upcoming film with Sreenivas Reddy IS not a c?me.dy. I~ IS a

~~gU~~~~::d !~~i~~~a~~~s~egl~ with heavy CGI .. I a~ playing th~ lead role in VUayendra Prasad's Rajanna which IS being produced by my home banner, Annapurna Studios. We apologise for the error.

ews Updates

Kannada cinema continues to remake films

makers have once again run out of original ideas.

Consequently, it is raining remakes in Kannada films. Happy Husbands (Ravichandran and Ramesh Aravind) is a remake of Tamil

movie Charlie Chaplin; Dandam Desbeguaem (Ramya and Chiranjeevi Sarja) is remake of Khaaka Khaaka; Eno Onethara (Ganesh & Priyamani) is a remake of Khushi; Kichcha Huchcha (Sudeep and Ramya) is a remake

of Cbithirsm Pesuthadi ... The

list does not end there. Puneet Rajkumar will be seen in the remake of Naadodigal; Sudeep

is busy scripting the remake of Singam and Darshan is eagerly looking forward to the shooting

of the remake of Darling! It looks like eVeL1'0ne'S inspired with

the success of Puneets Raam, a remake ofTelugu movie Ready.

Director's Special relaunched

Director Guruprasad shot to

fame through Matha and Eddelu Manjunatha. His third film Director's Special got halted when the lead actor of the film, renowned comedian Komal pulled out of the film owing to its controversial storyline (chronicles the travails of a struggling

Kannada film director). The movie . indirectly makes a mockery of the Kannada film industry, especially top actors, who are known to

alter storylines and charge hefty remuneration apart from changing ,

the entire technical crew. Little

did Guru realize that what was a part of his script, would happen

to him in real life. Incidentally,

Ram Gopal Varma is making

a similar film in Telugu titled

Katha Screenplay Darsakathvam

- Appalraju starring popular comedian Sunil who just delivered : a blockbuster, Marayada ' Ram ann a.

Big FM made to apologize to KFCC

Anil Ambani owned Big 92.7FM got itself into big trouble, when

it took a potshot at Kannada producers by calling them chathris : (unreliable) on-air in one of its programs. This resulted in the

92· 7- F·M' ...

-- . .._.

the poor and downtrodden. Indeed a noble cause.

lIIeana in item number in Huduga Hudugi

Filmmaker Indrajeeth !_:mkesh has pulled off a coup

by casting the gorgeous Ileana to' be the item girl in his upcoming' movie Huduge Hudugi starring Sameer Dattani, Lekha Washinton and Sada. He wanted to shoot with aut much publicity, trying to keep her presence in the film a secret. But, the media gat to' know of it,

Upendra one-up on Endhiran

Rajinikanth's Endhiran may be making news now. But not many know that Upendra

had a sci-fi film m

Kannada way back in 2002. The movie was titled Hollywood and was directed by Dinesh Baboa. The storyline of Hollywood is really similar to that of Endhiran. The film features Uppi in a triple role, one of which was a robot.

He takes the help of an identical looking android to' impress a US national (played by Australian actress Felicity Masan). But all hell breaks laose mid way. The movie fared moderately.

Priya Hassan's Guinness record attempt

Maverick movie-maker Priya Hassan is known for executing daring stunts scenes without using dupes. Now, she is attempting

station across the state being shut down for a day and issuing a public apology to the !{FCC (Karnataka Film Chamber

of Commerce) in all leading newspapers.

Reality bites stars

Looks like Kannada film stars are happy pramoting reality shows an TV. After Sudeep successfully hosted the show Pyate Hudgeer Halli Lifu, reigning star Radhika Pandit has been appainted the ambassador of another reality shaw Hslli Haida Pyatege

Beside. Radhika has indeed

sent the show's TRPs shoating. Shivarajkumar, currently busy with his roorh film, too is not

far behind. He will host a show titled Naanimvude Nimagaagi,

a popular track from his father Rajkumar's hit film Mayura. Shivanna will fulfill the wishes of

something bigger - To produce, direct and release the film in a span of 150 hours! According to her, there is no such record of making a film and releasing it to theatres within six days. "I have informed the Guinness Record authorities, and they have agreed to validate my record;' says the multi-talented lady who wrote the story, screenplay, dialogues for her directorial debut movie Jambada Hudugi. Her next directorial Bindaas Hudugi is ready for release. Even ifPriya completes her film in six days, we will have to wait and watch if the Censor Board accommodates and gives it clearance in time.

Murali passes away

Tamil film industry lost one of its most prolific actors, Murali on September

8, .2010 due to a

heart attack. He was only 46 years old and is survived by his wife and two sons. One of his sons, Atharva had recently made his debut in a Tamil film Baana Kathadi.

Son of a famous Kannada film director, Siddalingaia, Murali made his debut in a Tamil film in 1984 in Ameerjhan's PooviJangu. A prolific actor who has more

than 100 films to his credit,

Murali essayed several memorable roles in films like Idbayam,

Pudu Vasantham, Porkalam and Sundara Travels. His film Idhayam was later dubbed in Telugu as Hridbsytux: which made him

a household name in Andhra Pradesh as well.

Swarnalatha is no more

Popular south Indian singer, Swarnalatha passed awaym Chennai on September 11 following a lung

infection. She was 37. In the last 20 years, she had sung in several languages including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi. Having worked with the likes

of Ilayaraja and A R Rahman, Swarnalatha also won a National Award for the song, Porele Ponnuthayi, which was composed by A.R. Rahman for the film Ksruththsmme in 1995.

ews &Updates

booking and 180 shows were sold out when the counter booking started. The film is set to break every record that ever existed!

Simbu signs Vetta; Mannan

After Vaanam and Poda Podi, Simbu will start his next film tentatively titled Vettai ManDan. The film will be directed by debutant Nelson, who also wrote the script. Yuvan Shankar Raja will compose the music and the film will reportedly be shot in US, Mexico and India. A Hollywood actress is likely to be a part of this film.

Tabu, Vidya Balan in Santosh Sivan's Urumi

After pulling off a casting coup by signing Prithviraj and Genelia

, ,

two more actresses joined the team ofSantosh Sivan's Urumi. Vidya Balan and Tabu will be seen in cameo roles in a film which

also stars Nithya Menon, Prabhu Deva in important roles. The film is being shot in Malshej Ghat in Maharashtra. National Award winning cinematographer Anjuli Shukla handles the camera for this film.

Rajini Mania takes Chennai by storm

Rajinikanth's Endhiran is perhaps the first film to have a separate event for the trailer launch! A week before the release of the film AGS Multiplex, Chennai held a weeklong Rajinikanth film festival as a part of the film's promotion. Officials from the Mayajaal multiplex reported that over 30 shows were sold out in the first 15 minutes after opening the internet

Ich becomes Engeyum Kadhal The title of Prabhu Devas lei: has been changed to Engeyum KadhaI.

The film which was extensively shot in Paris has Hansika and Jayam Ravi in lead roles. Harris Jayraj has composed the music and the audio will be released in the market by Sony Music.

Vishal follows Bala,'s advice for Avan Ivan

Avan Ivan is Bala's latest film and it has raised quite a few eyebrows already regarding its cast. Arya and Vishal play the lead roles. Buzz is that Bala has asked Vishal to completely immerse himself into the character and has advised him to cut down on his socializing and partying. And Vishal has taken his director's word quite seriously which explains his absence from film related events.

OCT'10 SOUTHSCOPEI5

Raavanan screened at Venice Film Festival

Mani Rathnam's Raavanan was screened at the 67th Venice Film Festival where both the director and the film received a standing ovation. He was also conferred 'with the prestigious Jaeger-Le Coultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award and he's the first Indian filmmaker to win this award.

Arya in Ungusamy's Vettai

After the success of his recent film, Boss Engira Baskaran, Arya has signed Lingusamys Vettai. The film will be produced by Dayanidhi Alagiri on Cloud Nine Movies banner. The actor had two back to back successes

- Madrasapattinam and Boss. He would take up this film after completing Cbikku Bukku and Avan Ivan.

Fox Star Studios ties up with A R Murugadoss

A R Murugadoss has become the first Tamil film director to have

a tie up with Fox Star Studios.

But he would be a producer here. Saravanan, a long time associate of A R Murugadoss is expected

to direct the film under this joint venture. Jai and Virna} will play the lead roles in this film. Fox Star is collaborating with 20th Century Fox and Star TV; both owned by media moghul Rupert Murdoch. This is the first time a Hollywood studio is producing local content in south India.

usual Suresh Gopi film

, ... rith loud dialogues. Suresh Gopi's

characterisation will be shrewd and

Biju Viswanath goes international

Biju Viswanath, the director of acclaimed films like Deja vu and Mabotsav is flying high in the international circuit. He was the cinematographer for Manunootty's Pbantom and K Balachanders

Poi. He later directed Marathon, based on life of a poet William Me.redieth. The film was based

on the book written by Richard Harteis, Before that he had made an Irish film named Lotg. After Marathon, he's all set to direct Viola, a romantic thriller. Julie Kilzer plays the key role in this film as a German girl working

in New York whose life changes when she gets a phone call from Marlene Dietrich, the late actress and singer. Biju Vishwanath

is currently

in India to shoot an international project. Great going Biju!

Mammoottyas Nadia Moithu's twin brother

Mammootty is all set to play twin brother to actress Nadia Moithu

in Sohan SeenulaI's Doubles. Sohan Seenulal, an associate of ace director Shafi is making his debut with this film, which also marks the Malayalam debut ofTelugu actress Taapsee. James Vasanthan composes the music for this film,

scripted by Sachi and Sethu, •

subtle.

Gowtham Menon launches his own DreamWorks

DreamWorks is the newest Hollywood studio launched

in 1994. It's the brainchild of directorturned-moghul Steven Speilberg. Much like his Dream Works, acclaimed filmmaker launched

his own studio Photon Kathaas. The company would produce

films in all the four south Indian languages, the first being Menon directed Nadunisi Naadigal - a thriller starring Sameera Reddy.

Photon Kathaas is the first southern studio to be listed on London's Alternative Investment Market. Other Indian companies include Eros, Studio 18 and DQ Entertainment. Gautham Menon holds 29 per cent stake and

his friend and music director,

A R Rahman, holds 3 per cent

in Photon Kathaas. Other shareholders include Venky Somasundaram (29 per cent), Reshma Ghatala (29 per cent),

Ravi Venkatraman (5.5 per cent) and Madan Pandy (4.5 per cent).

Dr. Janardhanan pins hopes on Sahasram

Dr.Janardhanan, a well known . director of several television serials: couldn't hit the bull's-eye with ' his maiden film Mahasamudram starring Mohanlal and Laila. i However, he's in no mood to relent i and has pinned high hopes on ' his next film, Sshesrem. Suresh Gopi plays the lead role in this thriller. Dr Janardhanan has remarked that Sebesrein isn't the

I I

TElUGU

September hasn't been a good month for the Andhra Pradesh box office. Pawan Kalyan's much awaited film PUIi was released amidst much fanfare and high expectations. The opening week garnered an earth-shatteringRs 23 crores making it amongst the top five openers of all-

time. The drop in the second week was steep with the

talk not being too favourable .. Hence it is unlikely to recover the cost due to the high price tag of Rs 40 crore, All these factors have turned Pul; into one of the major disappointments of the year. Another film, Gaayam-2, which is a sequel of the cult hit Gaayam, garnered good openings in cities and A centres, although it ended up as an average grosser at box office. The film's director Pravin Sri was commended for the effort and we are eager to seetus work in future.

Vamsi's Sarodaga Koosepu couldn't repeat the magic of

his earlier film Gop; Gopiko Godavari despite the presence

of comedy powerhouse Allarl Naresh. Thakita Thakita

was released amidst a lot of hype thanks to Bhumlka, Bharat Thakur's Downtown Films banner. The film was made on a grand budget of

Rs 6 crores, an expensive proposition considering none of the film's eight leads were stars. The openings were weak surprisingly, despite good publicity. Rav! Teja's Don Seenu completes its run at the box office this month. The film is a commercial success and yet another success for Raviteja.

TOP 5 FILMS

1. Komaram Puli

2. Gaayam 2

3. Saradaga Kasepu

4. Thakita Thakita

5. Don Seenu

Karthi and Kajal in Naan Mahan Alia

Tamil film industry's tryst with September has been harri.fic with only two films, Boss Engira Baskaran and Naan Mahon

Alia raking in moolah. Arya, Nayanthara starrer Boss Engira Baskaran took a huge opening and is likely to collect Rs 18- 20 crares from theatr.ical revenues alone, as per the trade buzz. Made on a modest budget of Rs 6.5 crores, the film

is turning out to be one of the biggest successes of 2010. The film was acquired from the producer forRs 11 crores

by the actor Arya. Hence, it's presented on his "The Show People" banner. The film was released through Udayanidhi Stal i n'sRed Giant M'ovies allover TN. Wi th n a new releases in the last week of September, this film has one more week to reign at box office before Endhiran's release.

Karthi,. Kajal's Noon Mohon Alia couldn't get the openings like Karthi's earlier film Pelyaa, but has sloWly turned out to be a hit. Apart from these two films, Drohi and Vande Maatharam released with low expectations and

both the films ended up with a lukewarm response at box offtce:

All eyes are set on Rajinikanth's Endhiron which releases on October 1 across the world.

lUI" 4 tlLMS 1. Boss Engira Bhaskaran

2. Naan Mahaan Alia 3.Drohi

4. Vande Maatharam

MAlAYAlAM

re fro Kari Cyhe The August-September period has not thrown up any major surprises. Ace director Yogaraj Shat has produced another winner through Pancharangl. Even in the third week of its release. all the leading multiplexes reported houseful. a rarity for Kannada movies, Made on a modest budget of Rs 3 crore. Yogaraj Bhat who also produced the film is going to end up being richer. Maadesh has maintained his winning streak through Karl Chlrathewhich has been declared as a hit. The film has propelled the film's hero, Duniya VUay into the league of actor who charge north of Rs 1 crore per film. Jothegaara, which was caught in the IDBIIoan mess, was finally released. Allhough the film received positive reviews for its refreshing storyline, the producers are unlikely to recover the Rs 4 crores investment as they took the task of distribution upon themselves.

Appu Pappu, a Kannada version of Dunston Checks Inis strictly for the children and B, C centres. The producer Soundarya Jagadeesh, a realtor, has put hls son - Master Snehith - in the lead role with Jennifer Kothwal and Rekha lending glamour. The movie, which cost the producer Rs 5 crore, is loaded with comedy and bound to make an impact with the audiences. Success continued to elude Darshan whose recent film Shourya

couldn't get positive reviews. Shouryo, directed by Sadhu Kokila, is the remake of the Telugu movie Shouryam hardlv made abuzz and made an exit within two weeks of its release. Puneet Rajkumar's home production Jackie, set for release in October, could pose

a serious threat to most of the reigning films at Kannada Box Office.

Despite mixed reviews, September has been a good

month. at the ticket counters for Malayalam cinema. Ramzan releases like Shlkkaf, Pranchlyettan and the Saint, Vandematharam and Elsamma EnnaAankuttywere high

on star-power and they garnered decent returns despite mixed reviews. Mohanlal's Shikkarwhich released in 102 theatres got a good opening, grossing Rs 505 crore in the first week. Samuthirakani's role as a naxalite leader was highly praised. Lal Jose's Elsamma Enna Aankuttywhich had newcomer Anne in lead role got a mixed response

but that hasn't affected the box-office collections so far. The film grossed Rs 1.6 crores in its first week of release. Mamm 00 tty's Pranchiyettan and the SaInt di rec ted by Ranjith has been hailed as one of the best films in recent times. The film got a mixed response in Southern districts of Kerala, while it's going strong in Thrissur which resulted in the film opening gross collection of Rs 1.5 crores. Vandematharam, starring Mammootty and Arjun has

been in the making for too long and it ended up costing Rs 14 crores to the producer. Though the lnltial buzz was good, it's unlikely to recover the cost. Yakshiyum Njaanum, a horror

film directed by Vinayanis struggling to attract viewers.

TOP 5 FILMS

1. Shikkar

2. Eisamma Enna Aankutty

3. Pranjiyettan and the Saint

4. Vandematharam

5. Yakshiyum Njaanum

TOP 5 FILMS

1. Pancharangi

2. Kari Chirathe

3. Jothegaara

4. Appu Pappu

5. Shourya

OCT' 10 SOUTHSCOPE 19

KHAAlEJA

a Mani Sharma is

. . back with a bang

with Mahesh Babu's Khaaleja. One

of the tracks Sada Siva was officially released by Sony Music on Facebook, days before the audio launch and it garnered outstanding response. Khaaleja's music certainly raises hopes on the film"

BRINDAVANAM

II Thoman's peppy tracks in Vamshi Paidipally's latest film Brindavanam have become instant chartbusters, Though initially his music was similar to his mentor Mani Sharma, over the last few albums he's made a distinct style of his own, using a lot of electronic sounds.

ROBOT

A R ,Rahman's magic continues with almost

: all, the songs from

: Robot fueling public's · curlosl tv about th is

: Rajinikanth, Aishwarya ~ starrer. Kilimanjaro,

: /numulo 0 Hridayam still , rule the charts in AP.

PUll

A R Rahman's soulful rendition, Maara/ante Lokam

and Mahamaye have been chartbusters for qulte sometime now. However, post the film's release the inte rest

in the film's muslc

has also gone down considerably.

THAKITA THAKITA

! ',II', The ,film may not have made a

! mark, but Bobo

I Shashi's trendy music for Thakite Thekita has ensured that the songs are still tal ked about.

ENDHIRAN

a The buzz surrounding everything related to Endhiran continues to be deafening and its music is no exception. A R Rahman's music continues to exude never seen before frenzy and the album is bound to top the charts for a long time.

OCT' 10

NAAN MAHANALlA

PAIYAA

The rnsqlc of Yuvan Shankar Raj a's tunes still

continues in Paiyaa, which is one of the

· biggest musical hlts of

· 2010,

BOSS ENGIRA BASKARAN

VA QUARTER CUTTING

II G V Prakash Kumar's composition for this film compliments its theme and thanks to the local flavour. it's slowly catching up with the

m ustclovers,

B Yuvan Shankar Raja's another offering Naan Mahan Alia scoresb ig when it comes to the background score, The tracks Iraga! Pole. Va Va Nilava Pudichi have left everyone singing to the tunes of Yuvan!

Yuvan Shankar Raja's music played a major

role apart from the comedy in Boss Engira Baskaran's su ccess.

One track, Yaar Intha Penthaan has been top- , ping the charts.

SHIKKAR

a The songs, _ .. penned by the late Gireesh Puthencherry and set to tune by

M Jayachandran top the charts. Enthedi Enthediis the hit number from the album.

ElSAMMA ENNA AANKU1TY

PRANC H IYET1AN AND THE SAINT

YAKSHIYUM NJAANUM

PATTINTE PAlAZHI

The film, a musical love story, directed

by Rajeev Anchal and with M.eera Jasmine in the lead has some good songs. Aro Aro is the best among the film's songs.

The songs for the Lal Jose

I film, composed

; by Rajamani, are

really nice. The song

A modhama Vi. is a hummable track. In the

I film it was matched with great visuals, which

I helped the album bag

I the second spot on the countdown.

III· Ouseppachchan's _. music is brought

to life by Shibu Chakravarthy's lyrics. Again,. the good visuals only add to the album being memorable for long. The song Kinavile janaa/akais the hit number from the album. It was picturized mostly

I on Priyamani.

The songs Thenundo and Vrindavanam that

feature in this horror flick are romantic numbers and are among the cha rtbusters.

JACKIE

a Jackie climbs

. back to the

top spot this month. Penned by Yogaraj Bhat and composed

by V Herlkrlshna, the songs Shiva Antha Hoguthide, fkka Raja Rani and fradu Jade are the chart toppers amongst the lot which are ruling the airwaves in Karnataka.

PANCHARANGI

II Yog~raj Bhat and mUSIC composer Manomurthy repeat their success with this album. The tltte track Pancharangi Pom Pom has become

a mega hit among

Lord Ganesh festival' revelers. Udisuve Be/akina Kiranaa is another addltlon to the list of Sonu Niigam's Kannada hits.

GAANA BAJANAA

KRISHNAN lOVE STORY

; II This Radhika

: Pandi t starrsr

completed more than 50 days making it one of the successful films of 2010. The music

; contributed immensely to the film's success. The track Santheyalli Nintharoonu has become one of the biggest hits of the year.

KARl CHIRATHE

II The multitalented Sadhu Kokila always springs up surprises. Originally, an expert in background score, Sadhu displayed his talent in Upendre's H20 eight years ago.

The Ouniya Vijay and Sharmila Mandra starrer Kari Chirathe has become a musical hit. Gum Gum Gumtaane and My name is Kari Chirathe have become extremely popular.

II. Music director Joshua Sridhar continues to hold sway through disco numbers in Gaana Bajaana. He teamed

up with director Prashsnthre] and Radhi.ka Pandith last year for Love Guru,

a. musical hit. Gaana Bajaana belongs to the same genre.

BOSS ENGIRA BHASKARAN

Tales of a happy-go-lucky guy who loves the whole world and i.s loved, in turn, by a beautirul, smart, accomplished girl aren't new, Boss (AJ Baskaran fo.I.lows pretty much. the same formula, Except that it has a liberal sprinkling of selfmockery by Arya and comedy powerhouse Santhanam's gigs which save the day,

The movie's director Rajesh M (of Siva Manasula Sakthi fame) shifts the scene from Chennai to Kumbakonam and strai.ghtaway, you're introduced to the show's principal players: Arrear specialist Boss (a) Baskaran (Arya), who swears by his exam "bits", for which he even has a masterlist; his diehard and long suffering friend Nallathambi (Santhanam), much-married and running a saloon, and thus always in a position to help Boss out: Boss's longtime bachelor brother Saravanan (Subbu Panchu): his perma nentlydevaut mo ther (Lakhsmi Ra ma krishna): last

but certainly not the least, his tove-interest Professor Chandrika (Nayan tara).

You don't expect a man who hasn't passed his a.corn

exam in yea rs to ac tually hold a respons i ble j ob: Boss doesn't, either - and swears against it. Instead, he wears hi p-hugg ing jeans, funky caps, rocks cool ha if-styles and shades - and sings Yuvan Shankar Raja's catchy melodies, In the midst of all this, he manages to stumble across Ch.andrika who, unfortunately, sees him at his worst: hoarding "bits" at his exam,

What does save Boss from being typecast asjust another fllrnl hero is Arya's obvious chemi.stry with. Santhanam; the uproarious one-liners: light-hearted situations that don't require the thinking-cap, the mild rags-to-riches story and even the hilarious villains,

Boss (AJ Basakaran doesn't take himself seriously, Fortunately, he doesn't expect you to, either.

- Pavithra Srinivasan

*****

22 SOUTHSCOPE OCT· 10

PANCHARANG

Movies where the story unfolds in a span of 24-48 hours are not uncommon. Yogaraj Bhat's Pancharangi is another such film. Bharath (Diganth) meets Ambika (Nidhi Subbaiah) when his elder brother's marriage is being fixed with her sister in ,Mangalore. Falling in love during a wedding in the family is passe. It was also seen

in his own Mungaru Ma/e. However. Bhat, who intricately weaves the story around issues like education, profession, love, marriage and family, tackles the theme in a fun and non-preachy way.

Diganth has an interesting character in this film - a literature student who is passionate about his language and moth.erland. He is a complete contrast to his NRI brother, who is a well-settled software engineer. Sporting a carefree attitude, he often mocks the casual and mundane life of other people. He isn't too productive himself. but that's hardly a concern for Ambika, who is in love with him.

The film is essentially about how despite a cynical view on love and life, 8harath reciprocates to Ambika's feelings. It's got all the necessary ingredients for success. Diganth's carefree approach, Nidhi Subba.iah's maturity and Ananth Nag's overbearing presence makes Pancharangi a perfect entertainer. The movie has a lot of battering in three dialects of Kannada, keeping the audience amused.

Bhat makes use of his trademark catchy dialogues that are youthful, punchy, witty and sarcastic, showcasing hls brilliance. Manomurthy's music is breezy and soft, but no match for his previous work in Manasaare and Galipata. The film is a reflection of the director's philosophy on love, marriage and life as shown in his previous films - Mungaru Male, Gaalipata and Manasaare. Bhat pu lis off ye t another fam i Iy entertai ner and a box office succ ess.

- Arvind G S'hivakamal

*****

OCT' 10 sou T usc OPE 23

SHIKKAR

surrounding Chittazha .. Things get all mixed up and we realize that Balaraman has a past that won't let him go.

Shikkar, though moves on predictable lines, is definitely worth a watch, Mohanlal delivers a good performance, Kailash, Ananya and others too are convincing. Tamil actordirector Samuthirakani does a good job of his role, as a naxellte leader. snehe. Suraaj Venjaramoodu,. Laloo Aalex don't have much to do in the film, Songs penned by Gireesh Puthencherry and set to tune by M Jayachandran are good, It's Manoj Pillai's cinematography which gives the film a distinct style.

Shikkar may not be great stuff. But it definitely won't disappoint you.

Mohanlal teaming up with directorM Padmakumar

(the maker of Vargam, Vasthavam etc) had led to high expectations: and the expectations seem to be justified. Padmakumar, teaming up with Mohanlal and scenarist

S Suresh Babu, delivers in Shikkar, a film that's definitely worth a watch.

The story of Shikkar is set in Chittazha,a small place among the mountains replete with bamboo groves. Balaraman (Mohanlal), a lorry driver, comes to stay here and transports bamboo in his lorry. His daughter Ganga (Ananya), who's away studying, comes home to spend the vacation with her father, Manu (Kailash), a photographer, who's madly in love with Ganga follows her. Rowther (Thalaivasal VUay) pays a visit to Balaraman, who's wary of the former's presence. Soon, some militants from Andhra

- Unn! R Nair

** **

PRANC IYETTAN AND

HE SAINT

RanJith has done it again. The scenarist-turned directoractor-producer has proved. that he belongs to a rare genre who come up with films that stand out, in many ways.

RanJith's Pranchiyettan and the Saint,. with Mammootty in the lead, is a film that stands out as a perfect mix of reality, fantasy, satire, humour and intelligence. Francis (Mammootty), known to all as Pranchi and more popular as 'Ari' Pranchi since he is a dealer of rice, hasjust one sorrow - that though rich he doesn't get the name and fame that he should rightly get. His friend, advisor and companion .Menon (Innocent) advises him to try get a Padma award, preferably the Padma Shree. They try to make it possible by dint of money, but fail miserably. It's then that a young girl named Padmashri (Priyamani) comes in, seeking PranchL All this and much more is narrated to St.Francis, whom Pranchi happens to meet inside the church.

Mammootty simply excels as Pranchi. He plays it to perfection and his improvisation is noteworthy .. Priyamani too puts in a great performance, though she comes in only about half way through. All the others impress in their respective roles.

The music, the technical aspects alljeU with the theme, the mood and the over-all tempo. Anyway it's the script, penned by Ranjith himself that deserves a special mention. The way he has interwoven things and added layers to story-telling is highly appreciable. The intelligent use of humour and; satire makes the film stands out in the film.

Pranchiyettan and the Saint is a must see!

- Unni R Nair

*** *

OCT'10 SOUTHS COPE 25

Pawan Kelyan, Nikesha Patel starrer Puli was one of the most eagerly awaited movies of the year. The film's trailer

had set the tone for what promised to

be a full length action entertainer. Like most cop movies, it's about an honest & upright ponce officer who puts his duty above all else. He comes in the way of a mafia don AI~Salim (Manoj Bajpai) who cannot tolerate anyone challenging his supremacy, The duo locks horns which leads to several twists and turns before a melodramatic finale.

Pawan Kalyan's sincerity in getting under the skin of the character is dwarfed

by the lengthy monologues. His forte

has been in p'laying happy-go-lucky characters in films llke Khushi, Ja/sa. We wish he did more of such stuff. Although the film's dialogues hit the bull's eye quite a few times, the tempo is lost due to a shoddy script. Nikesha Patel ends

up being a glam doll and doesn't impress much. Manoj Bajpai's characterization

is poorly conceived and as the film progresses he's reduced to a caricature, while Saranya as Kalyan's mother does a fantastic job. It's a pity that A R Rahman's

catchy songs suffer from abrupt placement in the film. His background score themed on Maara/anteis an asset to the film.

Two of the biggest drawbacks of the film are the shoddy ed.iting by Prabhakaran & inept action episodes conceived by Vijayan and Tinu Verma. The poorly executed action scenes are in complete contrast with Pawan Kelvan's usual fare of slick action episodes in his career so far. The bad qrephics added to the long list of drawbacks. With Naani and Pulito his credit, S J Suryah needs to do more homework in trying to understand the Telugu audience. Puli had the potential to be a

racy entertainer, but falters due to its faulty execution .. Even Kalyan's hardcore fans don't seem to be too h.appy with the way the film has turned out. On the whole, Puli falls short of expectations.

- Hemanth Kumar

** **

GAAYAM2

Jagapathi sabu's career took off when RGV chose him to play the role of Durga in Gaayam. That was back in 1993, Now,. seventeen years later, Pravin Sri directed the sequel of Gaayam with Jagapathi Babu, Vimala Raman and Kota Srinivasa Rao in lead roles, Durga has gone into an exile and leads a peaceful life in Thailand along with his family, When an incident makes him an overnight sensation in Thailand, his polltlcet rivals back in India get. wary of his existence. Eventually, Durga is forced, to return to Hyderabad and the rest of the story is about how Durga eliminates all his rivals.

Sequels are almost non-existent in Telugu cinema. Gaayam 2 is a noteworthy attempt which takes off from where the o(i:ginal ends. The tension is built over a period of time where Jagapathi sabu refuses to relent and reveal his true identity. Interestingly, the original footage from Gaayam was used to narrate a nasnosck sequence. The film has a heavy political subtext and it's not hard to guess whet or rather whom certain characters in the film are inspired from. Among the actors, Kota Srinivasa Rao dazzles in his role as a greedy politician who's hell bent on salvaging his political career and. also .killing Durga. Tanikella Bh.arani, Vimala Raman and. Kota Prasad also deliver credible performances. Jagapathi Babu might have aged a lot since Gaayam, but he still packs a punch.

The film is, however, not without its share of faults. Pravin Sri takes too much time in setting up the story in the first half and it's only towards the second half that the film gathers some pace. It's never explained why Kota doesn't use his political power to subdue Durga. Besides, the entire second .half ends up being rather predictable with Durga eliminating his rivals one after another, Ilayaraja's music and background score add a 'lot of character to the film and it's one of the biggest strength to this film. The film may lack the punch of its original, but it's a worthy sequel.

- Hemanth Kumar

*****

Brindavanam

8rindavanam could be one of the unexpected hits of the year. In terms of hype and profile, its lesser than competitors Khaaleja and Endhiran,butit has many strengths, Needless to say is NTR's crowd pulling capacity, Teen heartthrobs Samantha and Kajal Aggarwal play the mai n leads. S Thsman's music is slowly but stead ily climbing the charts. The movie is produced by ace producer Dil Raju and directed by Vamshi Pa.idi,pally, who made Munna in the past,

Khaaleja

With the film approa.ching its release, producers of Mahesh's Khaaleja have released more stills from the movie to the press, Also, the star Mahesh Babu who is mediashy is doing a lot of appearances

to promote the movie. S Ramesh who earlier made Pull, is the film's

, producer, Trivikram Srinivas directs this highly awaited film in which Anushka is cast opposite Mahesh.

Previews

Khusigaa

Soon after wrapping up the post-production work of Puli, Pawan Kelyan started the shooting of his next film Khushigaa. The movie, a remake of Saif

Ali Khan's Love Aa) Kaf is bei n 9 di rected by Jayanth C Parsnlee, The film's script was adapted to suit Teluqu nativity and Pawan Kalyan's ima.ge, Ace writer-turned-director Trivikram pens the dialouges for this film. He also worked on the movie's script, The movie is being produced. by actor Ganesh

& Kalyan's associate Bade Ravi on Parameswara

Arts banner. Trlsns and Kriti Kharbanda are cast opposite Pawan Kelyan in this film. Unlike the original, the Teluqu version will not have the liplock scene between the lead pair,

Previews

Endhiran

The makers of Endhiran who have kept information about the film under the wraps for long are going all-out in promoting the film. In Tamil Nadu. the movi e had the launch of the trailer amidst fanfare. Sun Pictures, the producers of the fil'm have not released much marketing material have finally opened the flood gates as the film's release date is confirmed the on the October 1st 2010 .. Here are some more stills from the film. Robot is the Telugu version of the film. Thota Kanna Rao acquired the film's Telugu r.ights ..

JE OCl 1

Raktha Charitra.

The makers of Raktha Charitra unveiled the latest poster of the Telugu version of the film, Surprisingly, Vivek Oberoi who plavs the factionist Pari tala Ravi Is more prominent in the posters of the film as the film is based on his story. The sequel is based on Tamil superstar Suriya. who plays Maddelacheruvu Suri. The movie is slated for release in the second half of October 2010, The movie is a trilingual and will be released in Teluqu, Hindi and Tamil, The suprising part is that only the Telugu version of the film has two versions. The other two languages have only one part.

Engeyum Kaadhal

Jeyam Ravi and HansikaMotwani starrer /ch is renamed to Engeyum Kaadha/, The movie is being helmed by Prabbudeva, The movie's story takes places between an Indian couple based in Paris. Sony Music bagged the ri.ghts for this film, for which Harri'S Jeyraj has composed the music. The film has been produced by Kalpathi S Agoram on AGS Entertainment banner. The producer released the first-look of the film to the media. The movie is slated for release soon.

Soundarya Rajinikanth weds Aswhin Kumar

Superstar Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya entered wedlock 'with Ashwin Kumar at

Rani Meyammai Hall in Chennai on the 3rd September 2010. Many noted celebrities and

top political leaders attended the marriage and blessed the couple. Groom, Ashwin Ramkumar has completed his master's degree from the Stanford University in USA. He is the son of real estate tycoon Rarnkumar. Now, Ashwin is looking after his father's business. On the other hand, Soundarya has completed her animation degree and she has directed an animation movie Sultan - The Warrior, for which Rajini has lent his voice.

32 SOUTHSCOPE OCT' 10

-

'lD.J..-., .-- -.... __ --____.._----.....----------,--

vents Happenings

Mahesh goes all-out pr'omoting Khaaleja

27th September was a busy day for Mahesh Babu. He attended two back to back promotional events for his forthcoming film Khaaleja. First was a promotional event

at Radio Mirchi 98.3FM's Hyderabad station. He was accompanied by co-star Anushka Shetty, music director Mani Sharma and director Trivikram Srinivas, The superstar was accompanied by wife Namrata and son Gowtham, who was cynosure of all attention. He headed next to Univercell showroom, a mobile retail chain for which he is the brand ambassador. A special promotional scheme around the movie was launched there. Needless to say, he created a road block when he arrived at the store. The media shy Trivikram Srinivas too made an appearance at both the events.

Unlike his reclusive earlier self, Mahesh seems to be going all-out in promoting his upcoming films. The brands he endorses, ThumsUp and Univercell seem to be riding on the bandwagon by creating promotional campaigns around

....--...1.-_ the film. The movie is slated for release in the first week of

HYDERABAD

Events& Happenings

'amannaah launched Parachute's ayurvedic oil

Tamannaah

After signing up Telugu superstar Nagarjuna to be the face for its oil brand - Parachute, Marice has signed up the multi-lingual actress Tammannaah as the face for its new Parachute Advansed Ayurvedic Hair Oil. Tamnannaah unveiled the new product at the press conference in Chennai on September 22nd. The deal was closed by Artists Alliance, South India's leading celebrity endorsement and artist management agency.

Brindavanam Audio Launched

The audio release function ofNTR's Brindsvsnsm was held at the Shilpakala Vedika auditorium, Hyderabad on the 12th of September 2010. Veteran director

K Raghavendara Rao unveiled the audio. The other guests include actor Prabhas, Siddharth, director S S

, Rajamouli, Mehar Ramesh. The Brindavanam unit were present in full attendance which includes NTR, Kajal, Samantha, director Vamshi, music

director

S Thaman, action choreographers Ram- Lakshman, cinematographer Chota K Naidu, producer Dil Raju and co-producers Shirish and Lakshman.

-

Ileana launches Levi's new denim line

Actress Ileana D'Cruz has been signed as the face of Levi's. Paired along with her in the campaign are Jacqueline Fernandes and Chitrangada Singh. The campaign for a new women's jeans "Curve ID" was launched at a press event in Mumbai recently. The actress is currently acting opposite NTR in Sbekti. This is her second endorsement besides

AP based mobile retailer Levi's. The deal was closed by Brand Box, an entertainment marketing agency based in Chennai,

Shruti Haasan walks LIFWrunway

Shruti Haasan walked the ramp at the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week for designer Puneet Nanda in an outfit from his tarot collection, When asked how comfortable she was sporting a sari, Shruti said: "It's one of those things you have to get used to and this sari is very comfortable. So it was quite easy walking the ramp in this."

OCT' 10 I SOUTHS COPE 35

KARTHI CALLING

fficentlY, the top distributors and exhibitors

f Tamil Nadu had a closed door meeting to etermine the box office value of stop stars. Interestingly, sons of Sivakumar (Suriya and Karthi) occupied two ofthe top five slots. Nothing everyday about this, is it? Unlike his father and brother, Karthi's ascent to top has been way faster. Four films and four hits later, he's already earned himself the star tag.

"Actually, it has been a long journey for me from being an assistant director (to Mani Ratnam) to an actor. So it is unfair to say 1 have become a star overnight;' he clears the air. Also, he doesn't seem to be taking this new found stardom seriously. "Though appa and anna are actors, I never imagined to be one too. Having become one, now 1 am just trying to do my best."

So has he ever felt any pressure about being compared to big bro Suriya? "Actually after my studies, I joined Mani Ratnam as an assistant director and worked with him on Ayudha Ezhutbu. Cinema has always been in my family but acting was new to me till 1 debuted with Parutbiveeran. I knew people would compare me with my brother when I started my acting career. However, I choose to go by the scripts and give what the story demands. Besides, in our busy schedules, rarely do we get a chance to sit down and discuss our films. I am inspired in many ways by Suriyas films, though,"

But directors don't see it as that simple. Suseendran who directed him in Naan Mallan Alla says, "Karthi is a man of dedication. His hard work is the only reason for his success." The director of Psiyye; Linguswamy says on a similar note, "His charisma and hard work did it for the film. He was right there to deliver whatever I demanded from him." Supposedly, while canning the climax portions of Naan Mallan AlIa, the actor was down with fever and back ache. But that didn't hold him back from flexing his muscles in the

action scenes. It doesn't even show on screen that he was unwell while shooting those scenes.

His first two films Paruthiveeran and Aayil'athiI Oruvan were mainly targeted at the masses. But just before he got slotted as a mass hero, Karthi changed gears and did the urban actioner Paiyya- one of the highest grossing films this year. He then backed it up with another family entertainer laced with action - Naan Mahan AlIa. With this, he's a proven crowd pulJer who appeals to the masses, youth and family audiences alike.

So did he get too much too soon? "Not too soon.

I have done only four films in a span of six years. That's because I am choosy about my films. It should excite me as a viewer and actor. 1 am willing to wait for the right script to come my way." No wonder, he is a hit-machine with a 100 per cent strike rate, so far.

Soon, we're going to see Karthi in new avatars as well. He's been signed as the face of Airtel in Tamil

N adu. More brands are likely to follow. He can fall back on his brother for advice yet again, for his role as a brand ambassador, something Suriya excels at, already.

But ask him where he sees himself three or four years from now and he's modesty itself. "1 want to be a director's actor and push my acting prowess with varied genres. Thankfully, after playing a rustic youth in Psruthiveeren, I got to do a fantasy adventure film like Aayirathil Oruvan. Again my roles in Paiyaaand Naan Mahan Alia were different too. 1 would like to keep experimenting."

IAir-

A ·ka

8J -

~plan

h -9 &1.

NTR is known to be a chip off the old block. He's among the rare few of this generation, who have a larger-than-life image, something only the superstars of the yesteryears had. He has carefully built that image over the last decade with films like Adi, Simbadri and Yamadonga. But of late, he seems to be moving away from that image; or appealing more to the other audiences, shall we say. He upped his style quotient in Kantri and maintained the same with Adhurs, With Brindavanam, he seems to have gone one step further, The film is a complete family entertainer, Also, he slipped into yuppie Abercrombie & Fitch clothing for this role - something he's not done before,

Why is he changing his image with Brindsvenam, after all the demigod aura that's worked for him over the last few years? The reason could be director Vamshi Paidipally. It's not surprising that he had this effect on NTR. In Munna, Vamshi presented a massy looking Prabhas as a sophisticated city-bred boy. Being one himself, he seemed to have the knack for it. Also, NTR wouldn't simply alter his image. Of course, he's a man with a plan, Let's see what it is.

Apparently, it's after watching NTR's films that Vamshi decided

to get into cinema, On completing his B,Com and MCA at Hyderabads

Badruka College, Vamshi took up a software job,

It didn't add much to

his life, since all he was interested was cinema, He recollects, "Aadi was the film that changed

my life. I was awestruck when I saw the film. I still remember the date

- March 28th 2002, I decided to quit my job

of six months and give cinema a try." So, what's so life-turning about Aadi, we wonder, "I loved commercial films from my childhood, When Aadi released, it was the biggest hit of the time. It made NTR a superstar overnight. It surprised me how one film could change the fortune of a newcomer,"

He met filmmaker Jayant Paranjee through

his friend Marthand K Shankar and in June, 2002 they started shooting for Eesbwarwhich was Prabhas' debut film. "It was the first film for both Prabhas and me, Call it luck or divine providence; he played the lead role in my directorial debut, Manne" The turning point came when he joined producer Dil Raju's Sri Venkateshwara Films to work on Bbadra as an associate director. Raju is known for launching new directors. Sukumar with Arya, Bhaskar with BommerilIll, Boyapati Srinu with Bhedre; Addala Srikanth with Kottha Bangaru Lokam were some ofthe directors who made their debuts under Raju's banner. With just two films as an associate director, Vamshi got the break as

SOUTHSC 0 P E OCT' 10

director with Munna - something that doesn't happen too often,

Although the film was appreciated for its technical brilliance, it wasn't a money spinner at the box office .. What went wrong? "Munna ended up as a confined drama about the relationship between a father and his son. But then it was marketed as a stylish, commercial film and

it did well in few areas." Soon after the release of the film, Vamshi went off the radar and didn't even know ifhe would direct his second film. "I grabbed the opportunity of a lifetime but couldn't surpass any expectations. It was really depressing." He claims, if not for the help of his associate directors Surya, Ashwin and dialogue writer Siva - all close friends - he wouldn't have been able to pull himself together and go on to make his second

film. For months together, Vamshi watched films trying to understand what it is that the audience want from a film and what can make them come back again and again. From this thought, the idea of Brindavanam was born.

Mat's Bl'iudavallam all about? Brindsviuxssa is a love triangle between Bhoomi (Kajal), Krish (NTR) and Indu (Samantha), set in a village. It's a complete fam-

ily entertainer with huge doses

of comedy, drama, romance and action. The film is titled after the house, where the story is set. It

has an ensemble cast of 36 actors including Prakash Raj, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Srihari, Brahmanandam, Ahuti Prasad among others.

The movies first poster showcased NTR wearing a crown and holding a flute. It literally sent a shiver down director S S Rajamouli's spine. It was his dream to portray NTR as Lord Krishna in a film. With a title like Brindavanam, it's easy for the film to be confused for a soeio-fantasy, But turns out, it isn't so. The Lord Krishna getup is just a metaphor to show how the hero is tom between two (incred-

ibly hot) women.

A giant set was erected by artdirector Anand Sai in Miyapur, Hyderabad where over 70 per

cent of the film was shot. As it

was made on a Iakebed, the set got submerged twice in rains yet the unit managed to complete the shoot. The remaining portions were shot in Badami (Karnataka), Pollachi (Tamil Nadu), Turkey and the Swiss Alps. Lensman Chota K Naidus cinematography will add the visual slickness required for the film. Mani Sharma's protege Sai Thaman, who made his debut with Kick is the film's music composer. NTR, Vamshi and Dil Raju knew about him and zeroed in on him as the composer much before he made his debut.

NTR's image shift

Producer Dil Raju and NTR have been wanting to make a film together for a long time. Raju

had made a name for himselfby producing films like Dil, Azya and Bommsrillu - stories with fresh treatment, yet highly successful at the box office. NTR apparently told Raju that if they're making a film together, it shouldn't be the usual fare; it has to be something different. NTR too was keen on working with Vamshi, from the time he saw the slick promos of Munna. 50 Brindavanam, is the amalgamation of three creative minds who've been wanting to work together and do something new.

S 5 Rajamouli and V V Vinayak, with whom NTR began his career, gave him a mass image, 'with the blockbusters they made between them. So, to appeal to the family audiences, NTR turned to Vamshi. Isn't it risky considering NTR built this image over the years with such roles? "Yes, it's true that he's experimenting with Brindavanam because he has never done a role like this. But then, even NTR did that at the peak of his career with films like Missmma, Gundamma Ksibs. Balakrishna too acted

in films like Mangamma Gtui Manavudu, Naari Nssri Naduma Muitui and Aditya 369 which are milestones in his career. In that sense, Brindavanam would be a good experiment."

Speaking about the film, NfR says, "S S Rajamouli has always wanted me to do a family entertainer, but we couldn't pull it off even though we tried to achieve it to some extent in Yamadonga. I can honestly say that Btindevunam will be one of the best films in my career."

"I advised Vamshi not to be too passlonate about films, as there's no guarantee here, You might end up being hurt, But he cannot

think beyond films,"

- NTR on VAMSHI

No class hero cando a mass film like NTR can. If he decides to do more fi.lms aimed at the class and family audience, then we all might end up taking a VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme) from acting!

- Siddharth on NTR

OCT'10 SOUTHSCOPE 41

Kajal broke into the big league, with her role as a village belle in Lsksbmi Kalyanam. After Arya

2 and Magadheera, she was the obvious choice to play Bhoomi in this film. But what about, Samantha who shot to fame with

her sari-clad role as Jessie, in the new age of mini skirts? "1 signed Samantha in November, 2009, even before Yem Maaya Chesave (YMC) released. She is playing an extremely bubbly girl named Indu. Remember she's not Jessie from Yl\1C anymore. Wheres the versatility if she plays the same roles all through her career?" He jokes that he wouldn't have signed her had he seen Yem Maye Chesave first. Unlike most mass films, the heroines do have a role to play in this one, Vamshi insists. He adds, "Kajal, Samantha and NTR are the pillars of Brindavallam and all of them are equally important for the film. That's the reason you see aU three of them in the posters every-

"Brindavanam is going to be one of the three best fi'lms of the year"

- DII ;RaJu on Brindavanam

Dil Raju, the producer of the film has reiterated that Brindavan am would remain one of the top three films of 2010. Vamshi shares the same confidence in the film as his producer.

'We have shown the film to almost 30 people and they all concurred that Brindavanam has the perfect blend of a family entertainer and what fans ofNTRexpect from him," Vamshi concludes. The film has all the elements needed for a blockbuster - a saleable theme of a

love triangle, two pretty actresses, a battery of supporting cast, racy music, top technicians and a director who is hungry to prove his mettle. "When it hits the screens in October, the movie could just be

that - a blockbuster. -

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Southscope Cine Awards 2010

WINNER'S LIST

alaxy of stars from all four

uth Indian film industries aced the Lux Sandal Southscope Cine Awards 2010, at Hyderabad on September 192010. Some of the finest actors, actresses and technicians from the south were awarded for excellence in cinema

for the year 2009. Shriya Saran and Vishal Malhotra hosted the event which was peppered with entertaining performances from Ragini, Sreeram Chandra, Mumaith Khan, Mamta Mohandas, Bindu Madhavi among others.

The event was also a platform for the felicitation of Dr D Ramanaidu for

his lifetime contribution to cinema.

He was recently conferred with the Dada Saheb Phalke Award. Among

the guests, Sridevi, Boney Kapoor, Chiranjeevi, Prakash Raj, Pony Verma, Prabhu Deva, Nayanthara and Puneet Rajkumar were the cynosure of all eyes. The young brigade of the south led

by, Ram Charan Tej, Rana Daggubati, Naga Chaitanya, Arya, Tamannaah, Yash, Ragini Dwivedi, Aindrita Ray, Diganth, Rima Kallingal, Nidhi Suhhaiah, Ahhinaya and Padmapriya were among many others who graced the event.

Talking of the awards, Magadheera, Manasaare, Pas<lnga, and Pezhsssi Raja walked away with top honours.

In Telugu, Magadheera was judged

the Best Film and Ram Charan, S S Rajamouli won the Best Actor and

Best Director Awards for the same

film. Anushka Shetty won the Best Actress award for her performance in Arundhati. In Kannada, Manasaare, won the Best Film award and

Yogaraj Bhat walked away with the Best Director award, Aindrita Ray

was judged the Best Actress for the same film. Puneet Rajkumar won

the Best Actor award for Raa}, The Showman. Pazilassi Raja won the Best Film, Best Actor (Mammootty), Best Cinematographer and Best Supporting Actor awards. Shweta Menon won

the Best actress award for her role in Paled Manikyam. Blessy won the Best director award for the film Bhrsmsrem. In Tamil, Pessnge was judged the Best film while Samuthirakani won the Best Director award for the film N adodigal. Prakash Raj and Tamannaah won the Best Actor and Best Actress award for their performances in Kancbivaram and Kandein Kadhalai respectively.

TELUGU:

Best Film Best Director Best Actor Best Actress

Best Supporting Actor Best Supporting Actress

Best Comedian

Best Music Director

Best Male Playback Singer Best Female Playback Singer

Best Lyricist

Best Cinematography

- Magodheera

- S SRajamouli - Mogodheero

- Ram Gharan - Mogadheera

- Anushka Shetty - Arundhotj

- Sonu Sood - Arundhati

- Ramya Krishnan -

Konchem /shtamKonchem Koshtom - Brahmanandam-

Konchom /shtam Konchom Koshtam - Devi Sri' Prasad - Aryo 2

- Anuj GUfwara - Ponchadora Bomma - Mogadheera

- Geeta Madhuri -

Gundel/o guitar /mohommari - Ek Niranjon

- Chandrabose - Ponchadara Bomma - Magadheera

- K K Senthil Kumar - Magodheera

TAMIL:

Best Film - Posango

Best Director - Samuthirakanl- Noodadigal

Best Actor - Prakash Raj - Konchivaram

Best Actress - Taman naah Bhatia - Kandetn .KadhaJai

Best Supporting Actor - Prabhu - Avan

Best Supporting Actress - Abhinaya - NoododigoJ

Best Comedian - Vivek - Padikothovon

Best Music Director -HarrisJayaraj - Avon & Aod.havon

Best Playback Singer (Male) - Karthik - Hasili Fisi/i - Aodhovon

Best Playback Singer (Female) - Chinmayi - VoafQVo -Aadhavan

Best lyricist - Na., M.uthukumar - Vizhi Moodi - Avon

Best Cinematography -Manoj Paramahamsa - Eeram

KANNADA:

Best Film - Manasaare

Best Director - Yogaraj Bhat - Monasaare

Best Actor - PuneetRajkumar- Rooj, The Showman

Best Actress - Aindrita Ray - Manasaare

Best Supporting Actor - Dilip Raj - Love Guru

Best Supporting Actress - Anja.na Sukhani- MaJevoli Jothevoli

Best Comedian - Sadhu Kokila - Roam

Best Playback Singer (Male) - Ghetan - Yaare Nee Devathevaa - Ambaari

Best Playback Singer (Female) - Dr Shamitha Malnad-

Madhuraa Pisu Moathige· Birugooli - Arjun - Birugaali

- Jayant Kaikini - Manosoare

- S Krishna - Raaj, The Showman

Best Music Director Best Lyricist

Best Cinematographer

MALAYALAM:

Best Film Best Director Best Actor Best Actress

Best Supporting Actor Best Supporting Actress Best Comedian

Best Music Director

Best Male Playback Singer Best Female Playback Singer Best Lyricist

Best Cinematography

- Pazhassi Raja

- Blessy - Bhramarom

- Mammootty - Paleri Manikyam & Pazhossi Rojo

- SwethaMenon - Paler; Manikvam

- Manoj K Javan - Pazhassi Raja

- Suhasini - Makante Achan & Vilapangalkkapuram

- Sali:m Kumar - Chattambinadu

- Vidyasagar - Neelathaamara

- V Sreekumar - Anuraga ViJocha - Neelathaamara

- ShwetaMohan - Privanu Mothrom - Robinhood

- Sarathchandra Varma - Azhithira - Bhagvadevatha

- Ramnath Shetty - Pazhassi Raja

"

Yesterday, I was a

coolie. Today, I'm an actor. Tomorrow?

Everyone has his own theory about my future.

But only God knows what I will become!" - Rajinikanth, Uzhappaali,1993

By Pavithra Srinivasan

The countdown to the year's biggest movie began on July 31, 2010; since then, the

. _ numbers are ticking down so fast they're just

a blur. And yet, for a large section of Tamil movielovers, October 1, D-Day as they've all marked in their calendars, is a day they can barely wait to greet.

They're the fans of Theleiver, the man who symbolizes Tamil cinema. He's the icon among icons; the one who gave a special status to the word, Hero. His biggest movie is on the cusp of release, and

his followers are fran tic with joy. After all, it really doesn't get bigger than Superstar Rajinikanth and his blockbuster-in-the- making, Endhiran.

If the excitement is rising steadily among the moviegoers, you can imagine the electric buzz among the superstar's legions of followers. They might range from a municipality worker to a software techie; from a housewife to a company's MD, but a Rajini film unites them all. It wasn't all fun and games in the beginning though; for such a mega project, Endhiran too went through its own share of travails. But all that was forgotten as Sun Pictures acquired the film and from then on, it was plain-sailing. News was scarce, of course, during the filming process - but fans waited, patiently. They were used to their deity's selective projects; they knew that once the movie was ready for release it would be time for celebration.

And what a celebration it has turned out to be. The moment the audio release dates were announced by Sun Pictures, excited fans began preparations: all over the state posters began appearing, heralding

the arrival of the star. "As God wills, Thalaivars rule has begun!" crowed Rajini fans in Thiruchi, long

held to be a bastion of his followers in the state. It was a slight disappointment that the audio release happened in Malaysia - but no fan allowed this to mar their happiness; Sun Pictures, after all, more than took care of things by broadcasting the event in delightful detail.

Fans lapped up audio sales figures, as wholesalers and retailers poured in their appreciation for public frenzy. Crackers were blasted as fan associations and heads released CDs in their areas. Many fans toured the wholesale stores, especially Chennai's famed Ritchie Street, devouring the huge Endhiran posters and the CDs. Shop-owners turned fans themselves, rejoicing in the festival atmosphere and hot sales.

As the songs ratcheted to the top of the charts,

fans got themselves into true Endbirsn mode. Milk abllisllekams and flexi-banners were in order on

the day of the audio release, for their lord was back after a sabbatical. "It was a very happy day for us;' exults V Rajni Bhoominathan, Head of the Rsjini Rssigsr Mendrsm for the areas of Anna Nagar and Arumbakkam, Chennai. Some 50 fan associations operate under this 46-year old Chennai Corporation employee, who's been a Rajni devotee ever since he was 17. "Even a child knows the Superstar. Who can resist his acting? For us, he is the ultimate. We don't even need him to become a politician. All we want is for him to go on acting;' he gushes.

It wasn't just fans in the state who rejoiced; fans abroad joined in the festivities, despite, or perhaps because they were so far from home. "As a child, I liked Rajini because of his style, fights and comedy. When I went to college at Annamalai University,

I found more friends who liked Rajini as well," enthuses Raja, ofUSArajinifans.com. "Luckily, most of us came t.o USA, for higher education or employment, and we often get together here for his movie releases."

Raja (34) and his friends, Mani Rajan (31), Mani Mohan (32), Swami Subramanian (34) and T Durai (33) found themselves so enthusiastic about Rajini that they often flew in together for Rajini movie releases. It didn't matter that they and their friends lived in far-flung places like Chicago, Arizona, Texas, Washington DC, Atlanta, Peoria and Decatur - they

OCT'1 SOUTHSCOP6 51

watched Cbsndrsmukbi together anyway. For Sivaji, the clan moved in from Florida, Virginia, New York, Iowa, Indiana, St Louis, Peoria, Bloomington and Detroit, and uploaded videos of their celebration on You tube. "We're keeping the fun and tradition alive in USA," says Raja.

Even as they spend every spare hour listening to Endhiran's audio tracks, the group has decided to go to the next level for the film in the USA: 'We've bought the screening rights of Endbiran for Tampa and Orlando, Florida. We don't have to buy tickets for a Rajini movie for the first time in our lives!" says Raja, with glee.

If the audio release was a cause of joy, the release of the trailer was even more so. With the mediajoining the fray with almost daily updates, Sun Pictures upped the ante: they released the trailer in

theatres, and even ticketed the process! Fans thronged the Kasi and Sathyam theatres among others, clutching tickets and waiting for a glimpse of the Superstar. In outlying areas, fans were not to be outdone: in Pondicherry, for example, the local Rajini fan association set up an energetic band for ethnic folk dances, burst crackers and

cut a huge festive cake with Rajini's face on it. Every fan association followed suit in their own style with members of political parties joining in.

And now they await the release of their beloved superstar's movie itself. Tweets, blogs and SMSs abound about how the story might go, what might be Rajini's punch-lines and where the songs might be placed. But the question they don't need to ask at all is

how many times they'll each watch Endbiran. The answer?

Countless. •

Sujatha & Shankar, the blockbuster collaboration.

Suthajais the nom de plume of popular Tamil writer SRangarajan, who produced more than 100 novels,

250 short-stories,

ten sclsnce-flction works, plays, even a volume of poems and numerous essays in popular magazines. Many o:fhis works were adapted to film. He even collaborated with filmmakers like Mani Ratnam in scripting. Post Gentleman and Kadhalan, Shankar decided to return to his vigilante roots with Indian, the first man he thought of to write his screenplay was writer Sujatha.

Shankar says of him, "His dialogues are

all very short: no unnecessary rambling., He had the g.ift of making a point in the feW'est possible words." The Shankar~Sujatha

pa rtnersh ip went on

to create history with Endhiran as well. "I have many fond memories

of working with Sujatha on En dh iran, right from the time we started

on the screenplay," Shankar said, Sujatha supposedly, gave the director plenty of suggestions; if for some reason, the screenplay got stuck, the writer would advise Shankar

to drop everything for the moment. The next morning, he would ernve with books on screen play-writi ng,

say, :by Robert McKee

or Syd Field and show him relevant passages, or even remind Shankar

52 SOUTHSCOPE OCT' 10

about previous glitches in the screenplays of Mudhalvan or indian, and how they were solved.

Never open the camera without a full script.

or write a scene for more than one page, were some of Sujatha's suggestions to Shankar, In Endhiran, Shankar said, no dialogue was more than two lines. The mentoring didn't stop there. "He was more thanjust a writer ~ he was a very good friend, He always counseled

me to make time for my family and children," Shankar recalled,

"Many times I called him becauselwasserious~ stressed out. He'd always arrive at the root of my problems. The next morning I'd feel lighter. When 1 called

to thank him he'd say, you're l'ike a son to me,"

Shankar and Karky, lyricist Vairamuthu's son completed Endhiran's script when he passed away in 2008. Despite the director's own acknowledgement of the writer's inputs, very little has been said of Sujatha's role, so far, amidst the movie's pubJicity blitzkrieg. Loyal fans of the writer will still see their idol's work in Endhlran.

as a major highlight of the movie. Kamal is featuring in a Malayalam film after a long time, though it's only a cameo. The last Malayalam film he'd done was Chanakyan, more than two decades ago. Saji Surendran says about Kamal, "Though it's a cameo, Kamal's role is relevant. Ameer, played by Jayasurya, is a crazy fan of his and it's in that connection that Kamal comes in." Kamal's portion has already been filmed, with a single dais shoot and now the Four Friends crew has flown abroad, for the rest of the shoot. •

A (VIa ayalam tribute to Sholay!

The season offriendship returns this October with Four' Friends, iorites Unni.

F~~jl~ ~~:~~!n~:~~~~;

outing on the big screen after he tasted success with his debut venture

Ivar Vivahitharaayaal and repeated the same magic albeit in a grander way with Happy Husbands. So it might just be a hat trick with Four Friends.

The film stars Jayaram, Kunchacko Boban, Jayasurya and Meera Jasmine who

are the four friends. It's the story of these friends and of friendship.

Jayaram plays Roy, a very rich businessman, Jayasurya is Ameer, a street rowdy sort of a guy whose biggest dream in life is to meet Kamal Haasan whom he simply adores. Kunchacko Boban is Surya, a college student and Meera Jasmine who plays Gauri is a college student too.

Roy, Ameer, Surya and

Gauri meet at a resort, the most unlikely of places. It

all begins with dashes and fights but things take an interesting turn and they strike up a friendship and become the best of friends. This is when the plot starts to build up. It takes a new direction when they start

on a tour, beginning with Malaysia.

Ask Saji Surendran about the theme of the movie and he says, "Four Friends is

also 'for friends.' It's in all respects an ode to friendship,

that's sincere, selfless and everlasting." That sure sounds passionate! "Oh yes, I am passionate about the film and also passionate about friendship. And I am sure this passion will show up

in the film," says the young director.

A little different from his earlier films, Saji shares, "Four Frielldswill have all the ingredients of a colourful entertainer - songs, dance, humour etc. But all the same, it would be a serious and touching film too. It will touch you somewhere and ll1ake you love your friends all the more".

Tomichan Mulagupaadam ofMulagupaadam Films is producing the film. Krishna Poojapura is scripting it and the cast is real impressive, with many popular faces. The film's releasing on October 24th.

A tribute to SlwluU

Four Friends pays rich tribute to the Bollywood blockbuster Sholay and the friendship of Jai and Veeru. It also has a remixed version of the hit number Yeh Dosii Hum Nahi Cbodenge ... which is sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Udit Narayan and is a highpoint of the movie.

Kamal kaKamaal

Kamal Haasan's presence

in Foul' Friends is being reported allover the media

P uneet Rajkumar's Jackie has all the trappings of a blockbuster. Its an amalgamation of power and creativity. Power of course is Powerstar Puneet Rajkumar and his crowd pulling capacity at the box office. A rank outsider, when he made Duniya with Vijay, today Soori is known to be one of the most creative minds in the Kannada industry. His team of : technicians handpicked by him is equally impressive. i This includes cinematographer Sathya Hedge, music - director V Harikrishna, lyricist Yogaraj Bhat, art director Shashidhar _ Adapa, stunt choreographer Different Danny and song choreographer Imran Sardhariya. These technicians have most of the recent Kannada hits between them on their CVs.

Soori is known for a realistic portrayal of life in his movies, highly influenced by his lower middle class upbringing in Bangalore. Actors who essayed memorable characters in his films are still recognized by their screen names like Loose Maada from Duniya. Even some of the scenes in his movies, he claims are f~om what he witnessed in re!-llife. What an interesting Iife he seems to have had! From the time he entered the industry, it was Saari's ambition to make a movie ' with his matinee idol Puneet Rajkumar. With Jackie, he realizes that dream.

He first narrated the story to Puneet's brother ~aghavendra Rajkumar, the producer of the film, who instantly okayed it. The next five months were spent on scripting the movie, with creative inputs from the producer and lead actor. "I had no one else in mind when I wrote the story for this movie. It was meant for Puneet and to showcase him and his talents. What

1 have done is completely different. I am portraying Puneet in an never before seen image, something that has not been attempted so far;' Soori points out. Jackie is about a village-bred boy, who sets out on a journey without any destination or aim. The plot is spread across 10 days during which the protagonist encounters various challenges, interesting people and also his love interest. Incidentally, Jackie is the nickname of the protagonist whose actual name is Janakirarna, The nickname assumed the title of the movie, another ploy employed bv Saari to enhance the curiosity factor among Puneets

fans. -

"I have worked really hard for this film. There's no way that it is going to fail. Watch out; it will set box office records;' says Soori exuding confidence. The movie is also touted to be packaged with fast pace entertainment and lifting music shot on beautiful location. Just as he had only Puneet in mind for the film, he felt only Bhavana could play the role '"", .~"'" of the female lead. Upon agreeing, she makes '...:::.,.,._

her Kannada debut with the biggest name. And she's already signed her second Kannada film with more offers coming her way. "I play the role of a positive, cute and realistic person in the film. I really have high hopes on this one," she adds.

Puneet is known for performing his stunts on his own despite risks, yet give the most challenging shots in a single take! In J nckie, Puneet can be seen playing with fire, in a highly risky scene. The stunt sequence was directed by Different Danny. "I used coconut fronds, which is highly inflammable, for the fights. The flames were very dose to the body. Puneet's costumes could have been easily set on fire. But he did not think twice before attempting it. I was extremely nervous, but Puneet was successful," says Danny.

V Harikrishna's music is already being played repeatedly in all local radio stations in Karnataka with the title track Jackie Jackie topping the charts. Soori's mentor, Yogaraj Bhat penned the lyrics. The fact that they use everyday lingo in the lyrics makes the lyrics catchier. Bhat and Puneet have even lent their voices for the songs. The other singers include Sonu Nigam, Shreya Goshal, Kailash Kher and Priya Himesh.

The movie isn't free of controversies either. One of the tracks of the film was leaked on the net. But it was not included in the final CD that hit the market. The promos of the movie being aired on TV have heightened the curiosity amongst Puneet's fans and movie goers alike. If everything goes as planned; the movie should be a grand success when it hits the screens this October..

H RA N

Recent films like Pasanga, Siva Manasula Sakthi, Va Quarter Cutting have marked the beginning of the multiplex era in Tamil cinema, PAVITHRA SRINIVASAN digs deeper into this trend.

Welcome to the postmodern, nee-real, whatchamacallit 'ism' less world of Tamil movie-doni. It's unapologetic, entertaining, quite sure of its place, leaves conservative film-goers clueless, but those who look for variety, with a very _ satisfied feeling. It's also sometimes confusing, but that only adds to the appeal. And most of the time, it lacks a concrete message. No, that's not really true .. The outward lack of a message simply means that - today's makers have learnt the clever art of concealing it in modern phrasing.

Gone are the days when the film needed villains clothed in uniforms, beaded by a bald oldie performing : innumerable acts of cruelty and a hero who bashed - them all. The hero's later, slightly stylish avatar, dripping with modern technology had its time, and left too. There are movies made for mass consumption, - thus requiring a certain formulaic presentation. _ With the arrival of multiplexes and a considerably discerning audience, that need has faded, somewhat, in cities.

Witness the impending arrival of Va Quarter Cutting at multiplexes. The brain-child of the director duo, Pushkar and Gayathri, whose earlier venture, Omm Po was itself a zany;

quirky production, this one comes under the aegis of YNOT Studios and Cloud Nine Movies. "It might seem like a comedy movie, but it actually has its serious moments. Believe it or not, some of it was inspired by Ayn Rand," chuckles Sashikanth of YNOT Studios, when quizzed about the trailer that set tongues wagging.

Their earlier venture, Tamizh Padam, was the first spoof in Tamil cinema, and set records of its own.

And what a trailer Va Quarter Cutting has. Zipping off from 6.30 pm stalking the 'hero' Sundarrajan alias Sura, it follows several characters allover the city, trailing their various adventures in mad-hatter fashion, culminating at 6 am - to which end, one can only guess. Parts of it are incomprehensible, but much of the dialogue, in contemporary Madras lingo, with plenty of references to 'Quarter', is vastly satisfying to

multiplex audiences.

Indeed, the trend today is not to shy away from such things and introduce them boldly into movies. Quarters today are commonplace, as is the fact that heroes and heroines don't always have to spout messages to justify their celluloid existence. Su b r am aniya pur am's Paramu and Azhagar

took up arms quite by chance, but when they had a choice, they still took up arms. The 'message', when it came, of betrayal and its cruel consequences, was so subtle that critics and movie-watchers sat up in astonished delight. Pesenge, a truly path-breaking movie which recently won a handful of National Awards, must have seemed a wildly improbable shot in the dark to some - but struck the right note with its non-preachiness.

Coming back to city dimes again: you've got Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, which didn't attempt to send across any message, except to discourse long on love, with several beautiful songs. VTv, as it's fondly called, simply started at point A and cruised to point B alluding beautifully to several crucial situations along the way. Mentions about drink, smoke and bad language were all part of the game. "\iVhat didn't really work in the time of Shankar's Boys - writer Sujatha was heavily criticized for capturing youth lingo - is suddenly the norm of the day.

Case in point: 2009'S Siva Manasula Sekihi, the debut of director M Rajesh. Sometimes inspired from the Korean hit My Sassy Girl, the movie was all about the rocky path of love, except that its hero was a courier boy with a marked propensity for booze, while its heroine was an opinionated RJ. They even sleep together before marriage, at one point. SMS was among those films that had no marked message, was completely unapologetic about showing current cityculture where a drink isn't an unmentionable subject - and became a hit.

"Lets not discuss right or wrong," says Ranjith, a 30-something software techie who watches movies at Sathyam Cinemas, Chennai, with a gang of friends, regularly. "What's important is that more movies are

showing youth in their element, these days. The lingo is righ t, the body language is correct. It's not cinematic and unrealistic. It makes me feel like I can identify with the characters on-screen."

He's just out from watching Naan Mabaan Alla, a movie that celebrates youth, its impetuousness and romance - and yes, Quarters - without actually compromising on values. NMA, many feel, may have been about youngsters and Madras lingo on the outside, but its chief merit lay with the fact that it didn't thrust its message into anyone's face.

Perhaps that's the equation which solves the current trend: its not Quarters or messages that make up a multiplex film - but a director's ability to make it seem like there's plenty of the first and none of the second, while in reality, it's just the opposite. The era of canny directors has begun. •

58 SOUTHSCOPE OCT' 10

c o

'" ::I

"'C C ~

Ralcta Charitra is unlilce i any film ever made on ~

jactionism .. Hemanth i Kumar trails the blood- : strewn path to get a , glimpse of what makes it :

so special e posters of Rakta Cbsritre unleashed a flurry of emotions of what has

been one of the most talked about films of the year. Ram Gopal Varma has shaken the hornet's nest of an entire generation

of moviegoers who can't stop discussing what impact this film is going to have. RGV who wrapped up the shooting of the film in early August is playing his cards close to the chest. After all, there are some side effects of making

a fictional film based on real

.. ,. I •

:./'. ~ - .....

. ."_

/ .... incidents. "This story is inspired from the life of politician Paritala Ravi from south India who was assassinated in January, 2005," quotes RGV on his blog, adding, "stories like Rskie Charitra come once in a lifetime." The quantum of truth in that statement is quite subjective, but the extraordinary visuals in the trailers definitely raise expectations.

/

In September, 2008 RGV announced that he would be working on a new film titled Rakta Charitra. However, the principal shooting of the film took a backseat for almost a

year during which he went on to direct films like Agyaat, Rann and produced Phoonk-2. By then, he had already started working on the script and casting for Rskts:

Cheriire. Even before the film went on floors, RGV decided to release it in two parts - the first part about Ravi's rise to power and the second part on the

circumstances which resulted

in his fall. According to him,

the sheer drama and content of the story cannot be justified in

a film which is less than four or five hours. For the first time ever

,

such an experiment was being attempted and there would be a three-week gap between the release of these two films.

Vivek Oberoi, who had earlier acted in RGV's Company, was chosen to essay the lead role inspired from Paritala Ravi.

"He has remarkable intensity

in his eyes which I noticed in

the making of Company, a voice which commands attention, an arrogance in his demeanour, an enormous power in his stance, and also a certain vulnerability which makes one instantly warm up to him, which is what is needed to fit in a role of Paritala Ravi's profile," said RGV talking about his decision to cast Vivek Oberoi.

60 SOUTHSCDPE OCT' 10

The film has been made in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. It wasn't until Suriya walked into the project that both the Telugu and Tamil film industries and the media took more interest in the film. Suriya 'Will be seen in a role inspired from Maddelacheruvu Suri, an arch rival of Paritala Ravi. Apparently, RGV was more than impressed with Suriyas intense performance

in Kaakha Kaakha and the two have been planning

to work t.ogether for a while now. And then, Rakta Cbaritra happened. Meanwhile, Radhika Apte, Priyamani, Shatrughan Sinha, Kota Srinivasa Rao and Abhimanyu Singh were chosen to play important roles in the film. It went on floors towards the end

•

_ of 2009 and the entire film was shot in Ramoji Film City and Mumbai within a span of eight months.

There's something special about RGV's films which attracts attention from media and the audience,

even before his films release. Rakta Charitra is no exception. Right from accusations of glorifying violence to expressing fear that his film might - instigate a fresh wave of violence in Anantapur district, Rakta Cheriir« has been riddled with controversies since its inception. Some people even approached the Human Rights Commission (HRC) to stop the film's release on these grounds. However, it hasn't perturbed RGV. He clarifies, "Rskt» Charitm is not really about a realistic portrayal of the faction violence of Anantapur, It's more about a realistic understanding of the extremely turbulent emotional mindsets of certain individuals trapped in certain

situations." However, the question whether the film will mirror the absolute truth of the sequence of events as they occurred, still remains.

Call it clarity of thought or what you will; RGV seems to have an answer for everything. Perhaps, we lesser mortals still struggle to understand his thought process as he gives a new twist to this whole debate on 'absolute truth.' It's like a maze which reinvents itself to challenge the entrapped. He cleverly pitches in a different perspective on the whole issue and says that he cannot depict the absolute truth since he

OCT 1 SOUTHSCOPE 61

wasn't physically present at the time and scene of the incident. Further, to condense a story which occurred over a span of 20-25 years into a four hour film meant that a lot of fiction had to be infused for a seamless flow of emotions. Whatever maybe the case, we can be assured that Rakta Cha.r.itra is going to be a melange of different points of view of people involved and the reasons behind their intense emotions.

Umpteen number of movies have been made in Telugu on the factionism theme but none have drawn as much attention as Rakta C1Jaritra. One of the several reasons is the source of inspiration for the

film - the rivalry between Paritala Ravi and Suri.

The major bone of contention has been whether

RGV would pitch his film as a good Vs evil story.

But the characters in this particular film are so grey that we can only empathise with them for what the circumstances have done to ordinary people. While RGV assures that there are no heroes or villains in

the film, it still remains to be seen if the majority

of the audience will align their point of view with RGV's while watching this film. A minor difference

in perspective can change the whole experience of watching a film. But there's a always a danger of skeletons coming out of the closet, untold secrets being revealed and myth changing to reality while exploring the dark side of human nature. Perhaps that's why RGV has been emphasising that Rakta.

Charitra is a fictional story based on real incidents. RGV has claimed that Rakta Cha.r.itra will be the most violent film ever in Indian cinema. But he also adds that every violent act in the film comes from

a very deeply and intensely felt emotion. During a press conference held in Mumbai, RGV, in his usual tongue-in-cheek style, remarked "This is a movie for men! The women and children can stay home." He thought about his statement for a while and added, "But I honestly feel that women love violence more

, than men." When asked about the possibility of him being dragged to court, Ramu shot back a quirky reply, 'With the kind of people we are dealing with, there'll be no court. They'll just gather in hundreds with sickles and axes in their hands!" No pun intended. If sources are to be believed, the emotional journey of making this film seems to have had a distinct impact on his personality. We guess even he concurs as he blogs: "I truly believe that both I and my films will never be the same again after Rakta. Cberitre" There are some people who say that the Telugu film industry can be divided into pre-RGV and post-RGV phases. But we wonder ifRGV's career will be divided into pre-Rakta Cha.r.i"tra. and postRakta Cbsritre.

Factfile:

Paritala Ravi's father, Sriramulu and brother Paritala Hari were brutally murdered by their family rivals. This forced Paritala Ravi to go into hiding and in 1986 he got married to his cousin, Paritala Sunitha. In 1991, Ravi formed a Re-organising Committee (ROC) to avenge his father and brother's deaths.

The ROC started killing Ravi's political and family rivals one after another. During these attacks, a bomb was planted in Maddelacheruvu Suri's house. He managed to escapes but his family members were killed. Soon, Paritala Ravi was invited to join Telugu Desam Party by NT Rama Rao, the then Chief Minister. Later, in 1996 Obul Reddy; another rival

of Ravi was hacked to death in Hyderabad. A year later, Suri planted another bomb in a car near Ravi's house in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. Ravi escaped

the attack, but several people were killed. Sud was caught by police and convicted. He encouraged his

.. vife Gangula Bhanumathi to compete against Ravi

in local elections and also put together a team to kill Ravi. In 2004, TDP lost power but Ravi won the local election. Several TDP activists and associates ofRavi were killed in the following months which ended with Ravi's murder in January, 2005. Suri is the prime accused in the case. He was released from prison in January 2010 and is believed to have plotted Ravi's murder while still in jail. Rakta. Ciuuitr« is based on this very dramatic and much talked about episode .•

F y·ng xtra M·les For Piet . re Per eet eeatl ons

From A men' ca Ammain back in the 70s to Brindaoanam, shooting abroad for new and picturesque backdrops has always captured thefancy of Telugufilmmakers. liVhat's more, it's the less explored locales that aTC a bigger hit than the cliched Switzerland and New Zealand Hemanth Kumar transP01ts you to these.

The Indian film ~ndustry .~nd. perhaps European tounsm too will be eternally thankful to the likes of Raj Kapoor and Yash Chopra. The reason: They took escapism to simply another level. Delicate chiffons swaying

in the winds of the Alps and love struck heroes, singing dreamily along Austrian lakes, sure makes for pretty pictures, now.

Interestingly, the Telugu film industry wasn't far behind when it came to filling frames with locales abroad. Even before Dilwale Dnliuuiiy« Le Jayenge, Telugu filmmakers had already begun to explore newer locales in Europe and USA. Singeetam Srinivasa Raos America Amruayi was among the

first few Telugu films to have been shot in USA back in the 70s. In 1980, Ranganath, Chiranjeevi starrer Love in Singapore was shot in Singapore and a year later, K Balachander chose to shoot a major part of his film, 47 R~juJu in France. Another classic film from the 80s, Padamati Sandhya Raagam directed by Jandhayala explored the lives ofTelugu people settled in the US. Interestingly, most of the films shot abroad till the late 80s concentrated more on the story

rather than exploring eye-candy landscapes which slowly but surely became a norm in the 90s.

In 1991, the Telugu audience had the first glimpse

of Keukenh of Tulip Gardens, Netherlands .

in K Raghavendra Rao's Coolie No 1 starring Venkatesh and Tabu. Isn't there something special about a couple romancing amidst vast stretches of Tulip fields under azure skies, now? In the late 90s, snow capped mountains were the big rage. Kashmir, Ooty and Kodaikanal

had by then become passe only to be replaced by Switzerland and more such. Bavagaaru Begunnera and Seutosbsm, were shot in New Zealand. Pawan Kalyans Khnsbi popularised Lake Tekapo in Canterbury, New Zealand and the song' Cbeliya Cbeliya was shot on its shores. Elsewhere, in Tasmania, Shankar shot the song, Ale Ale from Boys in the Bridestowe Estate of Lavender Farm. The Australian continent seems to remain a favourite with filmmakers.

Venkateshs Jayam Mandhera and Nagatjuna's Manmadhudu were shot across France, Gennanyand UK. Thailand and Malaysia were picked for Telugu films too. Puri Jagannadh's infatuation with Thailand let us see Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. In fact, at least one song or scene from his films, Pokiri, Chinn» and Ek Niranjan have been shot in Thailand. Films like Billa, Kick, Prayanam and GolimMl' were shot in

A stJll from Ganes/) starring Ram. Kaj'al snet In SwltzerlanC!

I from Ayansllot In Dead Vlel. ill6mltlla

various locations across Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Langkawi in Malaysia. The Singapore government

on the other hand, had set up a $10 million fund to encourage Indian filmmakers to shoot in Singapore. Hrithik Roshan's Krishh was one such film to enter into a strategic tie-up with Singapore Tourism board.

For the deserts and barren landscapes, Dubai,

Oman, Jordan and Turkey have clearly become the new Rajasthan. Over the past few years, Turkey has been seriously competing with the rest of Europe

to capture the market share. Pounuiu, Guru, Brindavanam and Chandramuk11i were shot in places like Pamukkale, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Istanbul.

The African continent isn't far behind either. Egypt and South Africa are popular when it comes to tourism and films. A song in NTR's Kantri was shot

in Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town, South Africa.

But it is K V Anand who walked away with all the laurels for exploring the African continent like

never before. His film Ayan, which was dubbed in Telugu as Veedakkade was shot in stunning' locales like the Skeleton Coast and Dead VIei in Namibia, Zanzibar and Botswana. K S Ravikumar became the

first Indian filmmaker to shoot a song sequence in J okulsarlon Glacial Lakes, Iceland for his film Aadbavan which was dubbed in Telugu as Gbatikudu. Among the Telugu filmmakers, Srinu Vaitla became the first director to shoot in Iceland for his film Namo Venkatesa.

Recently, the Ravi Teja, Shriya starrer Don Seenu was shot in Barcelona, Spain, with the Sagrada Familia in

the backdrop. Another upcoming film which is being directed by Ajay Bhuyan and starring Naga Chaitanya and Kajal has been shot in Philippines. Shankar who has the credit of having shot in various wonders of the world for his film Jeans, has shot a song in Macchu Picchu, Peru and Brazil for his film, Endhiran.

When N agarj un a's Kedi was being shot in Greece, it created quite some buzz as he was honoured by the Greek government for choosing their country to shoot a song. Not too long ago, the Ram Charan, Genelia starrer Orange was in news while it was being shot in Melbourne, Australia. At a time

when racial attacks on Indians were on the rise, the Australian government extended full support to the entire team of Orange. No wonder, Ram Charan

and Genelia were bowled over by the hospitality of both the government and the locals.

Shooting abroad has its share of advantages.

First, it's a lot cheaper to shoot in a foreign country than in India. The crew size is cut by almost 50

per cent. Everyone including the cast and crew

members, multi-task to finish the shooting schedule on time. Director Anand Ranga says, "We shot Jayam Meiuuiber« back in 2000 which cost us close to Rs 85lakhs including the travel and other costs. Had we shot the same footage here in India, it would have been three or four times more expensive .. " Apart from this, the local government extends a lot of subsidies and support in hiring local actors and appropriate locations.

The easy access and permissions to shoot in different locations are also why filmmakers choose to shoot abroad. Apart from this, the weather is perfect to shoot at any time of the day which means longer working hours. "There's no top light in Europe most of the time, which makes it perfect for extended shooting. Otherwise, in India, we would end up shooting only in the mornings and evenings when there's appropriate sunlight," finds Anand Ranga.

Thanks to the current trend of exploring new eyecandy locales across the world, our list of places to visit before we die never seems to end!

Coming Soon to t e iPad.

Visit http://www.southscope.in/ipad for more details

661 SOUHtSCOPE OCT' 10

film was shot in several countries like Jordan, France, UAE and Italy.

Did the box o.ffice performance of these films disappoint you?

I already had the super hit,

J annat to my credit before I made my debut in Telugu and Tamil. As an actress, it's my responsibility to deliver my best. Yes, it is disappointing when your films don't do well, but I don't want to be bogged down by failures.

lJlhat kind cf'rolee do you W(tnt to play?

(Laughs). Let me grow as an actress first before I turn choosy about the kind of roles I want

to do. On a serious note, I think a real actor is one who can do anything with conviction. Don't you agree?

Yes, we do! So, whnt have you been up to lctte~1J?

I am doing a Hindi film directed by M F Hussain's son and

it's set to release in January,

2011. During my recent visit

to Hyderabad, I met quite a

few filmmakers; can't tell you anything more than that! (smiles)

Tells us what you like about the

films and filmmakers here in the south ...

I love the fact that a lot of films in the south are larger than life. There are plenty of talented actors, actresses and technicians too. As an actress, I learnt a lot while working with V N Aditya and Raghu Ram, the director of Cbeluveye Ninne Nodalu.

Is there anyone you'd like to w01'kwith?

Ah! The list is endless! Venkatesh, Chiranjeevi, Rajinikanth, Mahesh Babu are some of my favourite actors. Plus Naga Chaitanya, Rana, Ram Charan, Allu Arjun from the younger lot. •

681 SDUTHseOD DeT'lD

SOUTH CINEMA SWEEPS NATIOALAWAR S, VET AGAIN

Filmsfroni the south. have dominated the Notional.Aioards this year too. Heres a rundoten. of the awards and toinnersfrom. all thefour industries, TRJho brought horne the honours.

Moments aft, er t,he, 57th National Awards were announced, it was clear

i that the south Indian film industry , , has many reasons to celebrate

i this year. A total of 19 National Awards went to the south Indian film fraternity 'with Malayalam

: bagging the maximum of 10

, awards. Kannada bagged four

~ awards; Tamil took home three, : while Telugu bagged two. This

year, there were a few changes , in the award categories. New

: categories were introduced which : include National Awards for Best

, Location, Sound Recordist, Sound _ i Designer, Background Score,

: Adapted Screenplay, Original

; Screenplay and Dialogues. Here's ! what the award winners had to 'say ...

; Malayalam:

i Kutty Srank, directed by Shaji N ~ Karun, won five National Awards ~ including Best Feature Film.

: The story is narrated from the

[ perspective of three women about : the truth ofthe man in their lives.

! Interestingly, the three women

are from different religions and each of these three stories is set in different seasons. Kutty Smnk also bagged the awards for the Best Cinematographer, Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design and Special Jury Award, which went to Sreekar Prasad for editing.

Shaji N Karun is elated that though his film didn't get noticed at the Kerala State Awards,

it more than made up at the National Awards. He says, "I am very happy that Kutty Srank got the accolades it deserved. I am a bit disappointed that Mammootty, who had played the title role to perfection, couldn't bag the award for best actor."

Best Cinematographer: Anjuli Shukla

An alumnus of FTII, Pune, Anjuli Shukla, became the first woman to win the Best Cinematographer for her work in Kutty Srank. Having assisted Santosh Sivan in Ananthabhadram, it was also her debut film as a cinematographer

and currently shes cranking the camera for Sivans period film, U111mi. In fact, it was Shaji who insisted the cinematographer should be a woman as the film is narrated from a woman's perspective.

SpecialMention: Padmapriya Padmapriya is on cIoud nine post the announcement of the awards

and why not! Both her films, Kutty Srallk and Kerala Verma Pazhassi Raja brought home

, the laurels and she also got a special mention from the jury for her performance. She says, "It was sheer pleasure for me, as a performer, to do these

, two characters. 'While Neeli,

, my character, in Pazhassi Raja : was heroic, loud and dramatic,

Revamma in Kutty Srsnk. was subtler. The two roles proved to be challenging for me and it's a privilege to have got the special jury mention."

OCT' 10 ISOUTHSCOPE 69

Best Background Score:

Ilayaraja (Pashassi Raja)

Pazbassi Raja stood out by bagging ; the award for the Best Sound Recording (ResuI Pookutty), Best Background Score (Ilayaraja),

Best Regional Film in Malayalam and Sreekar Prasad shared the special jury award for Best Editing along with Kutty Srank and Kaminey.

IICfyaraja "I never work for awards. It was not very difficult working for Pezaesei Raja. When I did the background score for Pezhessi Raja, I envisioned each shot and how it was going to be executed on screen and imagined the kind of music for every situation. I composed the score in 15 days and sent it to Budapest. We recorded it 'with a symphony orchestra," Ilayaraja shares.

Apart from these, Keshu shared the award for Best Children's Film with a Kannada Film Puttani Parly. C S Venkiteswaran was judged the Best Film Critic ofthe year 2009. Malayalam cinema this year suffered a jolt as Mammootty lost out to Amitabh Bachchan

in the final race for the National Award for the Best Actor.

Telugu:

Magadbeera ~ Best Special Effects (Kamal Kannan), Best Choreography (Siva Shankar)

The Telugu film industry which has a minimal presence at the National Awards most often

had something to cheer for this time. Magadheera lapped up two awards. However, none of the Telugu films were conferred with

Regional Film Award and its the only southern film industry to have missed this bandwagon.

S S Rajamouli's blockbuster Magadheera was appreciated

for the extensive use of CG (computer graphics) and SFX (special effects). The jury has echoed the view of the audience and conferred the honour to

the SFX Supervisor of the film, Kamalakannan. He thanked S

S Rajamouli and producer Allu Aravind for their support and encouragement. Kamalakannan says, "The National Award is a big boost to my confidence and I will strive to make my work better and better." He is presently working

on another mega budget film, . Badhrinadh starring Allu Arjun, which has extensive use of CG.

Siva Shankar, one of the choreographers of Magadheera bagged the National Award for his work for the song Dheera Dheera, the grandly ptcturized title song of the film. It was shot extensively for 10 days with over 300 dancers. Siva Shankar thanked the producer, director and composer M M Kee ravan i .. He added, "I am extremely happy for receiving

the National Award for my work, which was overlooked by the state government."

: Kannada:

Kanasemba Kudureyaneri - Best regional film award, Best Adapted Screenplay

The legendry

Girish Kasaravalli, director of Ka.nnada film Kanasemba.

· Kudureyaneri (Riding a Dream) proves he is rightfully Kannada cinema's crown jewel. Based on Amaresh Nugadoni's short story, Kanesemba Kudureyaneri deals with the predicament of a middle

· class family caught between

· modern and traditional values.

The story revolves around Irya (Biradar), grave digger of a village, who can foresee incidents in his

· dreams even before they happen.

· Kasaravalli says, "The award is for : a different kind of effort and our

experimenting with this film. In my earlier movies, I used to focus on themes involving the individual versus society. This one is more interactive ."

: PutaaniParty: Best Children's · Film

Putssni Party is a children's film that talks of children's rights. Made on a shoestring budget,

the movie is written and directed by Mumbai based filmmaker P

N Rarnachandra, Putaani Party, meaning kiddie gang, is set in a village backdrop, highlighting

the need for children's rights with a focus on the Panchayat Raj system as well. "This award was completely unexpected. It has inspired me to focus more on such

At a time when children of their : age are spotted playing on the streets, Sreeram and Kishore are : usually hopping from one studio to another shooting for films, docu-dramas and commercials.

, Sreerams father, Sivaraman

, was an associate director to Malayalam filmmaker I V Sasi

. . ......__.._ and had directed several hundred

~ . commercials. He says ''\iVhat my , father could not do, though he

, has been in the industry for over a ; decade, I am happy to do," Sriram , recalls that shooting for PilSanga

: was educative and entertaining.

issues," Ramachandra says. Cinema Yaana - National award for best book on cinema

Cinema Yaana (The Journey of Cinema), written by Dr K

Puttaswamy, has won the National Award for the best book on cinema. It is a flashback into the 75 years of Kannada cinema. "It is the first time a Kannada book on movies has won a National Award. I am happy that my book got the award," Puttaswamy says.

ArundathiNag - Best supporting actress (Paa)

Though not for a Kannada film, the industry had more reasons

to cheer as popular actress Arundathi Nag won the award for the Best Supporting Role for her performance in Pes. She had won the Karnataka Government's Best Supporting Actress award back in 2005 for her role in Jogi.

Tamil:

Pssengs, directed by Pandiraj grabbed three awards including Best Regional film in Tamil, Best

Dialogues (Pandiraj) and Best Child Artist (Kishore, Sreeram),

Director Pandiraj (Pasanga) Pandiraj, who has penned the story, screenplay and dialogues of Pasanga besides directing it, says, "I expected an award for the movie even while we were shooting it. Winning the coveted National Award for Best Dialogue Writer is an honour for the writer in me. I put in a lot of hard work into it." Admitting that he really had to struggle with finding a producer, Pandiraj says, "I am indebted to Sasikumar, who readily agreed

· to produce the movie and gave

· me the encouragement I badly

· needed."

· Sasileumar, producer (Pasanga) Sasikurnar says, 'We have been receiving awards and acclaims

for the movie ever since it hit the

· screens. The film was screened

· at various film festivals and was : honoured at the International

· Children's Film Festival too. I thank Pandiraj, his technicians and the fans for making this possible," He added, "The National

· Award is a dream for the people in : the industry. Winning it makes us feel all the more responsible about , the kind of work we do."

· Sreeram, Kishore (Pasanga)

Kishore was spotted by Pandiraj in a dance class. Convinced with

his acting credentials, he was selected to play the lead role

in the film. "Until I got used to the camera, the director shot all scenes like funning and fighting with my friends first. After I gained confidence, he canned the emotional scenes."

With interesting films being made this year, film buffs expect the southern industry to perform well at the National Awards in the coming years too. Amen, to that. _

MALAYALAM

Best Feature Film: Kutty Srank

• Best Cinematographer: Anjuli Shukla (Kutty Srank)

Best Original Screenplay: PF Matthew & Harlkrlshna (Kutty Srank)

• Best Costume Design :Jayakumar (Kutty Srank)

• Special Jury Award: Sreekar Prasad (Editing)

• Special Jury Award :Padmapriya (Pazhassi Raja)

Best Audiography : Resul Pookutty (Pazhassi Raja) .

• Best MalayalBiT1 Film: Pazhassi Raja Best Children's Film: Keshu

• Best Film Critic: CS Venkiteswaran

KANNADA

Best Kannada Film: Kanasemba Kudureyaneri

• Best Children's Film: Putaani Party Best Adapted Screenplay:

Kanasemba Kudureyaneri

• Best Book on Cinema: Cinema Yaana (Dr K Puttaswamy)

TAMIL

Best Tamil Film :. Pasanga

• Best Gh ild' Artist: Kishore, Sreeram (Pasanga)

Best Dialogues: Pandiraj (Pasanga)

TElUGU

• Best Special Effects: R Kamal Kannan (Magadheera)

• Best Choreography: K Siva Shan kar (Magadheera)

OCT' 1 SOUTHSCOPB 71

re

Yet another Onani season has come and gone with barelu anufilms performing at the Malaqalam. box office, reports Unni Krishna

The Onam releases came and went with hardly a noise. A strange thing indeed for the Malayalam film industry, because Onam is one of those major seasons at the box office when a whole lot of big releases are planned.

But for the last couple of years, there's been a rather disheartening trend. Onam releases happen to be only a handful in number and the prominent stars, especially the superstars didn't have their films at this time. Onam falling in the month of Ramzan is said to have affected box office performance. But this is not the only reason. Onam fell during Ramzan even earlier and there have been hits too. So is it this feeling of insecurity that even superstars' movies don't guarantee success that has crept in into the Malayalam film industry? Well, the fact remains that Onam is no longer the same as it used to be for Malayalam cinema.

Compared to the last couple of years, this year

was relatively better in terms of numbers though. Onam was in the third week of August and as many as 16 films released in the month before Onam. Interestingly, most of these were directed by debutant directors.

In the last week of July; five films hit the screens

- Penpattanam, Avan, Tbaskara Labala, Advocate

Leksbinenesx Ladies Only and Ram aravan an. The first week of August saw the release of Ammanilaavu. Of these, only Penpettiuuun, directed by V M Vinu had a somewhat good opening. But it didn't last long at the box

office. The others just came and went, without much impact. Penpattanam too was soon history, though it appealed to sensible film lovers. Ramaravanan, which was inspired by Msnomi, a novel written by Madhavikutty (Kamala Suraiyya) and directed by Biju Vattapara, toojust came and went.

Next in Iine were Peihthsm Adbyayam and Plus Two, both directed by debutants, Of these, Plus Two, though didn't offer anything new or extraordinary, did average business and ran even during the Onam season at some centres. Patbtbam Adhyayam was rather disappointing.

Of the nine films released in the next 3 weeks, only two were directed by established directors - Yaksbiyum Njaanum, directed by Vinayan and

Mammootty In PranchiyeUan and the saint

Pattinte Palazhi, directed by Rajeev Anchal (of the Guru, Butterflies, Risbivamsham and Ksshmeersm fame .. ) Yakshiyum Njaanum, a horror flick, is running at many centres, doing average business. Paattinte Pal.azhi, which had Meera Jasmine in the lead, managed to attract family audiences initially, but fizzled out later. The others - Neelambari and Atbmakatha that "vas released on Aug 19th along with Yakshiyum Njaanum and Pattinte Palazhi, 3 Char Sau Bees, Fiddle and Niraldmzhcha, that was released on August 26 and 24 hours and Inganaeyum oral that was released on September 3rd - vanished without a trace. It was sad to see that Athmakatha, one of the best films in recent times, didn't get the minimum audience needed to run the shows at many centres even on the first couple of days.

Steering back to the reasons for this less than expected box office performance, there could be a number of factors like poor scripting and direction, audience sensibility showing a downward trend etc. But probe deeper and you'd feel that these films could have done better, at least somewhat better,

if the publicity was handled more deftly. Well, how many of these films had at least minimum publicity, considering people didn't even know of some of these films?

The Ramzan films - Mohanlal's Shikkar, Mammootty's, Pranchiyettan and the Saint and the Lal Jose directed Elsamma Enna Aanlmtty, managed to create some stir at the box office. The Mammootty-Arjun starrer Vande Matharam got a good opening.

One film that truly stood out from the rest among the chaos was the Mammootty-Prithviraj-Shriya Saran starter Pokkiri Raja. Interestingly, this one's the biggest hit of the year so far, and had released much before Onam, Pokkiri Raja is directed by Vaishakh, a debutant, It not only got a great opening, but is still running at some centres. During the

Onam season, many exhibitors preferred screening it once again and that worked for them. People preferred the more jubilant Pokkiri Raja. over most of the Onam

•

fANNADA

nterview

"

lamKa os fash t

RaginiDwivedi

The, ,Bengaluru, born pun,jab,. i girl,' Ragini Dwivedi was the Femina

Miss India South 2009. She was a regular on the fashion circuit before stepping into movies. Industry biggies who saw her perform at the Southscope Cine Awards 2010 fell in love with her. It's no surprise she's been getting offers from Tamil and Malayalam cinema

as well. Having acted opposite some

of the biggest names in Kannada, Ragini makes her Malayalam debut with KandalJ8.l", the high-profile film which has Amitabh Bachchan playing a prominent role. She was spotted at the age of 20 by fashion guru Prasad Bidappa who trained her for the world of glamour. Beware boys! Ragini's dad is a former Army general. Arvind G Shivakamalhas a tete-a-tete with the leading lady of Kannada cinema.

From an Armu background to show business

Might sound cliched but I never knew that I'd turn an actress one day. When

I was in my 12th standard, some one suggested that I take up modeling as a career option. I had the right height, was an athlete in school and had the personality. It so happened that Prasad Bidappa recognized my face and introduced me as one of the promising models in 2008. It was a modest beginning compared to the position I am in now. But I am happy with my progress. Today, I juggle between movies and modeling. I am comfortable doing good movies. Back home in Punjab,

my relatives are surprised 'with my career move. But they are proud of my achievements.

da clnen , a a cinemas

)nable actress

Slw1·in,e; SC1"Ce'II space reith Sudeep

lowe it all to my co-star Sudeep. After that, there was no turning back. After making a name for myself as a model, many film offers came my way. But., I didn't t.ake any oft.hem seriously till Sudeep called me to star opposite him in a film. It was a remake

of the Telugu hit Vikramarkudu. I was very thrilled. Fortunately, the Kannada version Veera Madakari, did extremely well, and I found a permanent place

in the Kannada film industry. More than anything,

I shared screen space with Sudeep, something unimaginable for a newcomer.

!Ie1· off-beat debut Ii!_lith Iloli

It is true that the first t.ime I ever faced the camera was for Holi. That movie was meant to be an educational documentary and not for commercial release. I play the role of a Devadasi, an evil

practice in North Karnataka, It was a great learning experience. The movie released after Veera Madakari became a hit. But everybody thinks that Veera Madakari was my first film.

Make hay sohile the sun shines

No, I accepted movies that offered me a good role .. Following the success of Veera Madakari, I was signed up for Duniya Vijay's Shankar IPS, an action film, which also turned out to be a hit. Then came Gandede opposite Chiranjeevi Sarja, I have several films lined up for release ~ Naayaka, Happy Husbands amongst others. Kempe Gowda is my second film opposite Sudeep, for which I am shooting right now .. Its a remake of Singam and is being directed by Sudeep himself. I am also debuting in Malayalam through Major Ravi's Ksndsiuu:

On Kandahar E:J co-starAmitabh Bachchan

No, the director Major Ravi happens to be a good friend of my father. On knowing I turned an actress, he approached me for this role. He felt that I suited

it well, hence I took it up. I feel it will give me a major break in Malayalam. Besides, Big B is acting in the movie. Sharing screen space with him was an amazing experience. He is so simple and down to earth. You'd never feel you're working with a superstar. I learnt many things from him.

oday:'

Godfathcre in the industn) f:!j her USP

The going gets tough for outsiders like me, who don't have godfathers. But I have been lucky to get roles in good films. I don't mind being glamorous in a film, but my role has to be of some prominence. I need not ad for money's sake. I think I am t.he most stylish and fashionable actress in Kannada cinema right now.

I think that sets me apart as an actress. •

HE OWORSH

in e ot com era

Thefan culture in Atulhra Pradesh has slowly drifted infaoour of a virtual world. Over the past ten years. Hemanth. Kumar probes into the changes tha.t have occurred and the future ahead.

Love it or hate it, film stars and their fans are an inseparable duo. And if you love films, you ought to do this! Stand by your favourite film personality in his or her good and bad times.

This is perhaps the only binding formula between the celeb stars and the motley fan groups that has kept the faith in each other for times immemorial.

Circa 1970, when film magazines were a. rare commodity, newspapers denied special pages for

film news and internet was never heard of, still film admirers managed to get their daily dose of what's happening' with the film industry and lives of their matinee idols.

"Lack of resources for film related news was no deterrent," says P Murali Krishna a die-hard admirer of old Telugu films. "I would have collected hundreds of black and white photos of NTR and ANR and they are still my prized possession. The fan clubs of all these great actors were quite active those days too. We used to stand in the queue by 3 am for tickets to catch the first day, first show."

Thanks to brilliant mythological based films, while NTR attained a cult status, ANR wooed the women of all ages alike. "Ask anyone how would Lord Krishna

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look in real? Pat comes the reply, like NTR. The

kind of impression they left on the audience would remain forever," says Sirisha, a software engineer, who wonders at her grandmother praying to the picture of NTR, in Lord Krishna's attire from the film Mayabazaar.

I And if you thought, the days of Eastman colour films were not interesting, think again. The tea shops,

hot samosa centers were the meeting joints for the fan groups for hour-long discussions on everything ranging from funky costumes to extravagant

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hairstyles. Thin, cheap, paper posters made a way to huge cut-outs, banners.

Even while massive pictures of heroes, heroines adorning the nook and cranny of the state, the world of cinema had undergone a sea change in the 80s .. Actors like Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Balakrislma not only commanded respect at the box office but also brought in great changes from dances, dialogue delivery and of course in the mindset of their fans.

The hit films like Jagadeka Veerudu Atiloka Sundsri, Bhsirevsdweepem, Stuuruvii, Hello Brother were not just visual treats for the audience of 90s but served the ingredients like melodious music, punchy dialogues, grandeur of the sets, rib-tickling comedy - all in right amounts ..

"During 80s and 90s, Telugu cinema had become more and more experimental and so did the fans.

The top-notch stars like Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Balakrishna and Venkatesh got their dedicated bunch of admirers who would take the hit or flop of a film, very personally. Unfortunately, there was a little

bit of caste factor too. That was the kind of strong admiration the fans still offer them;' analyses a trade pundit.

Thanks to the dotcom boom and discussion boards leaping allover World Wide Web, expressing opinions ~ about films and favourite actors is a just a click away. :

For instance, princemahesh.com, a website star-ted in 2002 has so far received more than 2.5 million posts on its discussion boards. Kanak, the one who manages the website feels it is a cool platform to know about their star. "Even from the very beginning Mahesh has been very co-operative with us. After his marriage with Namrata, she supervises the content. The site regularly updates the authentic information about Mahesh Babu and his films."

Ravi Kiran, a die har-d fan and a PhD student based in Canada did something innovative. He launched nandamurifans.com that has comprehensive

information about the Nandarnuri family including the pictures oflate NTR, Balakrishna and NTR Jr. But how much does an actor care for his fans and their efforts. "They do care for us. The Nandamuri family is also aware of fund collection for social causes and they also lend a helping hand. Whenever

Pra'leen with Nagarjuna

there is a film due for release, the website receives an over-whelming response and the noise is defeaning"

Agrees Praveen of nagfans.com. "Whenever we meet Nagarjuna or Naga Chaitanya they express concern over our career and education. Nagarjuna has been like an elder brother for us these years." Venkatesh has a website 'with regular updates on his movies and

events.

The admiration for Chiranjeevi has earned him countless number of fan associations across the state. Even after joining politics, the legacy continued thanks to his son Ram Charan Tej. The fans of

. Chiranjeevi do enormous amounts of social service

i through blood donation, helping the poor and needy.

While Pawan Kalyan's fan community on Orkut holds the record of being most active celeb community in India, Allu Arjuns fan base found a strong foothold not only in Andhra Pradesh but also in Kerala.

Actors like Prabhas, Ravi Teja, Siddharth too enjoy a

substantial group of admirers.

The advent of social networking websites came in at the right time and it helps the fans to stay tuned into

the film industry constantly. 'There was a time when we used to spend three days decorating the cinema halls before a major film's release and ensure that everything bents smoothly," says Praveen, adding, "but the younger generation of fans is managing both their passion for cinema and their career well. No wonder, most of us end up spending a lot of time on discussion boards and other online communities to

I stay connected with fellow fans."

After all, who doesn't like worshipping heroes? •

ocr 1 SOUTHSCOPE 77

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-HE -RIO OF

~M CINEMA

e Tamil directors K

Balachander, Bharatiraaja nd Balli Mahendra might have been in the same business of filmmaking for decades but what makes them directors par excellence is their unique style

of narrating a story, willing to experiment with the screenplays and etching out characters out of real life.

The life stories of K Balachander, Bharatiraaja and Balu Mahendra are equally gratifying as their reel life works. Had K Balachander , remained a school teacher in Tamil i Nadu we would have surely missed; watching his masterpieces. A - visionary filmmaker Balachander believed in breaking the rules, introduced stars - Rajinikanth, Prakash Raj, comedian Vivek and of course Kamal Haasan to the industry.

"K Balachander is a taskmaster

and has always believed in his conscience while making a film.

He predicted Rajinikanth would take up the film industry by storm and he has so far breathed life

in to more 44 artistes. He might have stopped taking active part

in filmmaking but he is back to

his first love - theatre art. You will be surprised to know that he is directing a few plays," says a source' close to him.

To put it in K Balachander's own words: "Cinema has always been my passion while drama my

dream. I am happy that I am there - in both the fields." Happy about having introduced many a talent

to the industry, a modest person,

he says, "I might have launched them, but it was their talent and hardwork which placed them in a high."

On par with emotionally charged films of K Balachander were Bharatiraaja's films based on village themes. The rustic films

K Balchanda; Bharatiraja C3 Bahi Mahendra ruled the scene in the 80s 'With their path breakingfilms. TIwy also introduced many of today's superstars and technicians. Southscope digs in 'What they've been 'Up to lately.

with the characters delivering dialogues in rural Tamil slang, dusky village belles with no or minimal make-up came as a whiff of fresh air to the Tamil audience. Bharatiraaja emerged out of gaudy sets in the four walls of the studio, set the village backgrounds as his . themes and the journey that began with 16 Vayathinilae has offered many more hits with realistic

and senstive portrayal of real life , stories. He proved a story narrated : well is enough to scintillate the i audience.

After a sabbatical for many

years and occasional speeches at the film functions and fiercely involved with the safety that concerns Tamils across the globe, Bharatiraaja is all set to explore new vistas of the film industry.

Tentatively titled Kuttre Paramba.rai, he is all set to direct a period film that demands exhaustive physical work and huge money. Having penned

the script, buzz is that he is busy doing pre-production work. Also his home production is involved in producing a tele-serial on a satellite channel.

He says, "Today's cinema has changed a lot. New talents are coming everyday. So it is the

duty of everyone here t.o equip themselves as per the new trend." On Kuttrs Parambami, he says, "I am hopeful that I would be able to make the movie soon."

Take the case of cinematographer t.urned director Balu Mahendra who brought in reality to Tamil cinema. Known for his gripping emotional narration, Balu is multitalented. "He used to write his script, shoot, direct and also edit. Even before the movie goes on to the sets, Balu knows how the end product would look like," says one of his close associates. The serious filmmaker let his movies talk for

him as he churned out a series

of hits like Azhiyadha KolangaJ, Moodu Psui, MOOlll'am Pirsi till Adhu Om KaanaKalam, etc. The women in all his films are always shown emotionally strong.

Though not directly involved with filmmaking his close associates vouch for the fact that Balu is taking immense care in shaping the careers of the students of his institution. "He has always been affectionate to those associated with him. Infact, Bala calls him appa;' they say.

Old age is no detterent for this trio, passionate about films and we would hope their legacy would continue forever with their art of filmmaking.

"I never wanted to make films with big, established, stars. I knew that the subjects that

interested me ~

wouldn't interest any other hero. I took it up as a challenge," says K Balchander.

Balu Mahendra's legacy is carried forward .by his erstwhile associates including Bala, Ameer, Vettrimaran and Seeman. Bala has always referred to

Balu Mahendra as his dad.

Besides Kutraparambarai, his dream project, Bharathiraja has plans of making short films with varyi;ng themes to attract the international

audience.

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