Galatta Cinema January 2009

The Complete South Indian Movie Magazine

TM

S$4.00 Rs.40

January 2009 vOL 2 iSSUE 10 Monthly

Wishing On A Star

Vishal’s New Look!

2008 A Look At The Year Gone By

2009

What’s On In The New Year?

Brazen

Beauties BOLD ACTRESSES WHO STOOD APART

SEN suality Aayirathil Thy name is EXCLUSIVE!

Selvaraghavan ON What’s Happening To

REEMA

Oruvan?

01 09

co nt en ts

p.40

p.76

regulars 08. acknowledgmentS 32. subscription

68. what’s on G.com?

09. readers’ voices

35. contest

74. fast track

10. kickstart

36. galatta talkies

108. rising star Sunaina, Nakul

12. Galatta grapevine

56. in the groove

Dileep

Keerthi Chawla

22. peekaboo

110. bringing

hollywood home 58. top 10 music charts 112. Beyond south

26. cool stuff

60. stargazing

28. scene ABOUT TOWN

66. first cut

114. wrap up

p.52

p.62

Features

specialS

FREEBIES

40. cover feature

52. AAyiRATHIL ORUVAN

DOWNLOAD

48. BEHIND THE SCENES

76. LOOK BOOK

Vishal

62. star of the month Mammootty

84. 2008’s Things that

made you go mmm....

94. brazen beauties

Reema Sen

Selvaraghavan

70. nostalgia

T.S. Balaiah

98. 2009 - peek ahead 104. january box office bonanza

SMASH HIT MUSIC OF VILLU

FREE! DOWNLOAD CODE INSIDE!

Editor’s Note

remembering the old, ringing in the new On the cover: Reema Sen Pictures courtesy: Reema Sen EDITOR Shakthi Girish

MD & CEO, GALATTA.COM C.R. Venkatesh

EDITING CONSULTANT Ashok L. Rajani

PRESIDENT, GALATTA.COM Girish Ramdas

WRITERS Padma Iyer, Kaanchan B., Vijayalakshmi S., Esther D., Prasanna Singh, Smitha M., Baiju N.

Senior VICE PRESIDENT – Ad Sales & MARKETING Balasubramanian S.

CREATIVE HEAD Sharon Suares Chief Designer Logesh M. DESIGNERS Sankaran N., Punitha Vijaykrishnan Shailesh Kumaran Seran

MANAGER – AD SALES Sunil Krishnamurthy MANAGER (PROMOTIONS) Muthu Rathina Sakthivel S.P. ASSOCIATE MANAGER (PROMOTIONS) Kavitha S. MANAGER - NEW MEDIA Shailesh Kumaran Seran

PRINTING PRESS Rathna Offset Printers

Manager - CIRCULATION Mohan H.

SPECIAL THANKS TO Mr. C. N. Ramdas IAS (R), Chairman, GNG Group of Companies

Mrs. Kamalam Rajendran, MD, Bojaraj Textiles

Mr. C. R. Rajendran, Chairman, Bojaraj Textiles

Mrs. Nirmala Ramdas, Director, GNG Group of Companies

We also thank those who have helped us put the December 2008 issue together: Mr. Kiran Reddy & Mr. Swaroop Reddy of Sathyam Cinemas, Mr. Vijayakumar Radhakrishnan – CTO, Dot Com Infoway Ltd., Mr. Chitra Swaminathan – Photographer, Mr. Manohar, Mr. Siddharth – Videographers.

We thank the ENTIRE FILM industry – actors, producers, technicians, stars, support-personnel like managers and PROs, behind-the-scenes staff like assistants, designers, secretarial staff and others who have supported us from the start.

Our heartfelt thanks to: Mr. Randor Guy – He is the man who spearheads the Nostalgia section of our magazine.

His fantastic memory and inimitable writing style have instantly brought an eclectic feel and old-world charm to Galatta Cinema – there is none better qualified for Nostalgia!

To advertise on Galatta Cinema, contact: Balasubramanian S. at +91-98409 11777 Sunil Krishnamurthy at +91-96000 84464 Or email us at: ads@galattacinema.com For more info, log onto: www.galattacinema.com Contact us at: Galatta Cinema, Post Box 7166, Chennai – 600 102 Tell us what you like or don’t like about Galatta Cinema Email: editor@galattacinema.com Snail Mail: Galatta Cinema, Post Box No. 7166, Chennai 600 102, Tamilnadu, India

8 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

I

have to tell you, I barely have time to breathe right now! I don’t know whether I love or despise December-Jan with its party-frenzy, fanfare and holidays galore; all to be juggled with the same old deadlines, rush-rush, work-work and, did I mention, breathing? Nevertheless, the anticipation of one year’s hullabaloo reaches its peak about now, so THAT excitement definitely gets me where it wants me! Anyway, here we are, gladly in January, waiting for an entire year of life-changing events to happen to us and all around us.

December was as packed as any other time of the year for tinseltown too. Movie releases, hurried efforts to sign, announce, launch or screen movies across the region, planning celebrity dos, wrapping up a year that flew by... even the industry now needs a vacation from December! But, apart from all the work mixing with pleasure, it was also the time we remembered the people who had touched us, movies that drew us to the cinema halls (all you illegal-DVD watchers can rot in hell, we legit types are having more fun!), celebrities that broke our hearts, made us smile, made us love and laugh; and all those real-life incidents that affected reel-life.

Starting with a boom and bang, we have two very hot, very driven and very sexy people featured large-as-life in GC this Jan. Reema Sen, who is sensual, sane, sensible and simply sensational. OK, I wasn’t just alliterating, it’s true! She shows us the tough stuff she’s made of, even as she prettily razes the industry with her talent and grit.

The other is drop-dead, all-male Vishal in an all-new avataar. He decided to bring us to our knees with his midnight-blue mystery and the surfer-boy buff physique, as he waxed eloquent about love, life and work.

‘One in a million’. Selvaraghavan’s magnum opus Aayirathil Oruvan seems to be as close to that as it sounds. Read into Selva’s mind (at least a little) in our Special Feature on the director and the movie that, after 2 years, is still underway...

Brazen Beauties is about the numero uno actresses who boldly went where no woman dared to before... and still kept their respect and star status intact.

Things that made us go MMM... Yes, 2008 was full of them, whether it was excitement at Galatta.com, the movies that made it or lost it, stalwarts we lost, stars who made their mark on all of that brouhaha that makes this such an enigmatic industry.

Peek into 2009: Who doesn’t want to know what we can expect in 2009! From movies in the making to those finally seeing the curtains go up; from people who’ve risen to the top to stars in the making. It’s impossible to cram it in a tiny space, which is why you get just a teeny peek...

Box office offerings for January. Here’s where you read up on what movies to book your theatre tickets for ASAP, before the counters announce HOUSE FULL! Not bad for a team with no time, what say? Enjoy the good stuff! Well, we’re off on a spate of parties and bonhomie and while we sing and cheer, here’s wishing you all a fantastic, ‘Galatta’ New Year in 2009!

Shakthi Girish

Readers’ Voices GC simply superb!

Yo GC Guys! You absolutely rock! I so did not think you’d put an item gal on the cover.

But Rahasya was a revelation [no pun intended!] I loved the pics and enjoyed the Cover Story. I think she’s hot and her straightforward replies make her hotter. She reveals she says a big no to the Casting Couch, while S.P. Charan insists he knows of ‘no’ such thing! Hmmm… interesting!

The articles, the glamour and the colours make GC simply superb! Give me more!

- Tanvi Shah, Bangalore

looking at the good lookers

You guys seem to be making a conscious effort to have a section that showcases tinsel town’s hottest hotties.

December GC’s Deadly Sins was – delicious. I was looking at the good-lookers and then it struck me that Suriya is probably the sexiest guy in your LookBook. I’m sure there must be a few others. How about one more Macho Man to adorn the pages of Look Book? Ajith or Vikram for instance?

- Sarah Mario, Chennai Dear Sarah, Oops! I thought the editor’s gleeful joy in putting hot men regularly in the magazine wouldn’t show through, but you got me, wink wink!

Incidentally, we DID have Vikram in our LookBook many issues ago. Time to bring him back again, I think?

Editor

temperature several degrees higher!

And I thought S.P. Charan was a snob! The interview with the fast-progressing producer revealed a lot. On the outside we tend to think being the kid of a cine big-wig means pre-

ordained success. But it looks like Charan, and possibly his pal Venkat Prabhu, have made it the hard way. How about a chat with the young director who is on a hit parade? Oh, and let me tell you, I thought Shriya in her golden 2-piece scorched the GC cover a couple of months ago. But Rahasya took the temperature several degrees higher!

- Shankar Ram, Karur

fun pocket book

Life’s Little Passions, though not exactly the promised pocket book, was quite an interesting read. The article

“ “

My body, mind and spirit are strengthened only by my complete devotion, discipline and love of my craft. It is Bharatanatyam and God that has made me what I am.

We want to hear from you! stripped the stars of the spotlight and showed us a very human side, that as fans we forget exists! I just wish the stars featured were more in number. Maybe you could keep this as a regular and add on some more dazzlers periodically, so eventually it will make for a fun pocket book. What say you?

- Navin Alphonse, Ooty

Wrote Rupa Srikanth for The Hindu: If Dr. Vyjayantimala Bali is able to maintain a busy schedule and perform with boundless energy, it is owing to an indomitable spirit and discipline that have seen her through the roles of dancer, actress, politician and back to dancer with her enthusiasm intact.

We don’t like to ask her her last name, we’d much rather say, Va-Va-Vooom, as soon as someone says, Nikitha!

Remember the in-yourface bumping and grinding in the super-hit song ‘Soodaana Soodu’ from Venket Prabhu’s Saroja?

And now, remember the bird of paradise-like nubile young woman in that song, moll to the big, bad villain, but holding her own in that gang of violent men? That’s Nikitha and she is here to continue sashaying her way deep into the audiences hearts and minds. Yes, she DOES have some killer curves, but that’s not all she’s going to use to carve her success out in this job, she says. She’s looking at a whole lot of varied projects that are as enviable and juicy as her... well, you know what we mean. Atta girl, Nikitha, we’re with you all the way!

This man should not be allowed to walk the streets alone - he is in danger of being mobbed by delirious women and envious men! Vishal is the yummiest example of Tall, Dark and Handsome and to add to all this chocolate heaven that is his physical self, he’s also an absolute charmer and all-round Mr. Nice Guy. Yes, ladies, he’s a rare specimen indeed! Vishal, who is currently all set with his new project Thoranai, definitely leads the new breed of actors, with his passion for cinema, his unstoppable enthusiasm, global perspective and immense talent. Touted to be the next superstar, Vishal is 7 movies old... and we feel, he’s by himself, every single one of our delicious sins featured here!

How true. To the Galatta family, she is not just a divine dancer and yesteryear superstar, she is the embodiment of all that is spiritual and saintly. As she herself admits, her dancing and indeed, even her lifestyle and outlook in life, goes beyond just art and existence to something closer to godliness.

The complete absence of “self ” and purity of spirit is perhaps what sets this stalwart apart from every other artist of her craft.

Any performance of hers - and there have been hundreds - even today, one can see her absolute one-ness with Bharatnatyam and the higher being, in her erect posture and her confident and steady `natyarambam’ arm. Just the other day, during a memorial performance at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Chennai, it was mind-boggling to see this 70+ beauty superbly finish off an entire hour of solo numbers. Impossible, we exclaimed! Are her knees made of titanium? Is her will made of reinforced steel? The second statement definitely hold true and Vyjayantimala Bali, probably the first one to dance as Andal more than 50 years ago, hasn’t stopped giving her all to every single performance she undertakes.

As always, this December too, she graces the

GALATTA CINEMA | DECEMBER 2008 79

84 GALATTA CINEMA |DECEMBER 2008

GALATTA CINEMA | DECEMBER 2008 85

Stars...

It’s the end of the year and of course, for time immemorial, this has been the time to reminisce on the year gone

this holiday season?

by and make plans for the coming New Year. Our silver screen celebrities are no different and religion no bar, they too join in the festivities at year-end celebrations - parties, dinners, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and finally... The New Year! Let’s take a look at what they did and what they plan to do...

Kadhalil Vizhunthen heroine

(Moscovin Kadhali)

Armed with the slim, supple body of the fitnessand-figure-conscious North Indian tinseldom aspirant, Arthi Chabria is no stranger to the spotlight or the limelight. This former top model has shaken her booty with the likes of Akshay Kumar and the warm Southern suns beckon her to charm us here too. Does this mean that Arthi is gonna go the Southie way and pad her person with ample adipose, as Southerners seem to like it so much? No way, says this eloquent and smart girl. Times are changing, she says, “And I don’t wanna be stuck having to work out double time just because I’ve put on weight.

I’d like to keep my Size Envy figure and perfect muscle tone, thank you very much!”

Write in to us with your comments, critique, wish lists on who you want to see featured, what you like, what you hate and pretty much... your inner thoughts! The fastest way, of course is, email feedback@galattacinema.com

When asked to pick a colour that matches his personality, Prithviraj chooses purple. The colour of drama, intensity and passion. Apt, we would say, as it suits his personality. Don’t be fooled by his quiet demeanour.

Look into his mesmerising gaze and you will see an all-male, in-control guy. As is evident from his absolutely confident standing in life and his profession. By his own admission, he doesn’t need the money from being a star - he has enough of his own... he’s in the movies for the passion and love of it. In Malllu-wood, he’s akin to a young superstar already. In Tamil cinema, he’s an artiste to reckon with. On a global scale, he’s about to break all his previous records with Mani Ratnam’s Asokavanam.

This smouldering actor is no muscled jock, but he’s definitely super hot and muchos macho!

karthi The writeup about me in Galatta Cinema last month was very flattering indeed!

I was trying to make sure whether the guy you had written about was really ME! Wow. Thanks a lot for making me feel so special!

86 GALATTA CINEMA |DECEMBER 2008

nostalgiC thanks

Snail

mail is good too Post Box No. 7166, Chennai 600 102.

We look forward to filling this page with YOUR words!

I feared that GC would discontinue the Nostalgia section since it is not as glamorous as the rest of the magazine, but I am happy that you have not done so - thanks for bringing those golden times back to us. I appreciate the effort put in to come up with interesting subjects each time. The tribute to Nambiar in the December issue was very insightful. I also enjoyed the Saroja Devi and Jai Shankar write ups that featured a few issues ago.

- L.K. Narayanan, Chennai Dear Narayanan, Those were golden times and we don’t ignore old gold. We will keep their legacy going.

Editor

rahasya You guys did a ‘crack-alacking’ job with my cover feature! Thank you for bringing my words out to everyone - I want people to know the REAL me! Love you guys!

Galatta Cinema | january 2009 9

Anushka, who has so far oscillated between the girl-next-door and a glamdoll image, will be seen in an entirely new light in Arundhati. With her hair tied back in a big bun and a huge red ‘bottu’ on her forehead, Anushka is the very image of Indian womanhood that we have come to recognize from portraits of the Raj era.

Though Khushbu is seen more on TV than cinema these days, she is always in the limelight. This bubbly actress is back on the big screen - she has been chosen by Prabhu Deva for a cameo in Villu. Soon, we will see the beautiful actress dancing with Vijay to the tunes of Devi Sri Prasad!

12 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

When Ileana was hurt during the shooting of Local, filming stopped for a while as the doctors advised 10 days’ bed-rest for Ileana and so the svelte actress went home to Goa. Naturally, the only exercises were fiddling with the remote control and gorging on her fave snacks so now, she’s upset that she must have put on oodles of weight! No worries, Ileana, here down South, men just seem to like their starlets a little... ‘healthy’!

Her Hindi debut Hijack may not have done well at the box-office, but Kaveri Jha gave Telugu audiences sleepless nights with her performance in Nagaram. Keen on returning to Hindi, she has signed some big banner projects. So will her Hijack-ed Hindi career come back on track?

Sonia Agarwal makes her comeback to acting, but on the small screen. She plays the central character in a TV series produced by Khushbu. Looking confident and ravishing, Sonia is all geared up to set the acting arena on fire again.

14 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

Fans have myriad ways of expressing their adoration for their stars – some extreme. A few years ago, when the “Khushbu craze” was at its peak, some fans built her a temple and recently, some fans built TWO temples for Namitha. Now, it is the turn of Nayantara. A bunch of her ardent fans from Aravakurichi, Karur have planned to build a temple for her! Jeez, how ‘goddesses’ have changed over the millenia!

The Gautham Menon-Harris Jayaraj duo has given us amazing hits and their relationship is more of brothers-in-arms than professional friendship. So imagine our shock when the two ‘broke up’, in quite an acrid and public manner, soon after Vaaranam Aayiram’s release! So... no more magical music?!

Yesteryear Bollywood favourite Zarina Wahab is making her re-entry to Mollywood in the Prithviraj-starrer Calendar, directed by debutant Mahesh.

Her role is shot at the same location of Mar Baselious college, Kottayam, where her lecturer’s role in Chamaram was also shot 25 years ago.

16 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

The Malayalam rights of Vikram’s much-anticipated super hero Tamil film Kanthaswamy have been reportedly sold for Rs. 2 crores and its satellite broadcast rights have been secured for a stunning amount of Rs. 4.5 crores.

Produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu and directed

by Susi Ganesan, Kanthaswamy will have its global release in the summer of 2009.

She has appeared in several TV serials as a child artiste. But her claim to fame was her performance in the Hindi films Makdee and Iqbal. From a young actor to a leading lady, Shweta Prasad has indeed come a long way. With her Telugu debut Kotha Bangaru Lokam becoming a hit, Shweta has arrived and is here to stay!

Actor Sangitha and singer Krish are all set to tie the knot on February 1, 2009.

The duo has been the talk of the town for some time now with the rumours of their marriage in the air. Both denied the news, but not their relationship. With the official date out now, the gossipmongers will now be silenced, we guess?

18 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

Shahrukh Khan did it and now Nagarjuna has done it! No we are not talking about 6-pack abs. In his recent release King, Nag appears with a bevy of beauties for a song. Besides his leading lady Trisha, the song features Mamata Mohandas, Priyamani, Anushka, Charmi, Genelia, Kamna and Sneha Ullal! The only top heroine missing from this lineup was Ileana!

Shriya is one of the first female stars who crossed the magic amount of one crore per film. Now, she is extremely hurt by gossip that she has slashed her fee drastically, gossip that is creating confusion on her career front. She has denied this vehemently, saying that she has no clue where this originated from.

Don’t worry Shriya, you will always be our One Crore Girl!

Post-marriage (and still gorgeous!), Amala quit films. She set up the Blue Cross of Hyderabad and is tirelessly involved in animal welfare. Though rumours of her directing a movie on wildlife have been doing the rounds, she has denied them.

We think, though, that this is a good way to bring the past and present together!

Another shocking break-up was that of Selvaraghavan and Yuvanshankar Raja’s.

They, who were the closest back-slapping buddies, have now acrimoniously split up and even Aayirathil Oruvan is going to be finished by someone other than Yuvan.

It’s sad to see that such talented hotshots unable to amicably deal with their issues!

20 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

i His music is unbelievable wizardry and now, India’s finest young musical genius A.R. Rahman has been nominated for the Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Score, for his music in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire. The Globes are considered as indicators for the Oscars.

So will Rahman be in the running for the Academy awards? He definitely deserves every iota of credit and we’re definitely gonna root for him!

Upendra is the first hero in Sandalwood to do item song in a film, in Mast Majaa Madi. He has no regrets doing the cameo, though. He feels if SRK and Hrithik can do it, so can he! For no fee at all, Upendra danced with 12 heroines in the song!

For the first time in Indian history, an actor will be conferred the honorary title of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army (TA), a citizen’s force of the Indian army. It’s is none other than Malayalam superstar Mohanlal. The only other celebrity to get this prestigious title is former skipper Kapil Dev.

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 21

PEEKA

Boo

GET A sneak peek iNto THE LATEST ATTRACTIONS COMING

Aarumugam

-Tamil

Bharath, Priyamani a Suresh Krishna film

WATCH OUT FOR Blazing action and melting sentiment

RELEASING February 2009 The trailblazer in the combination of director mass Suresh Krishna, actor Bharath and Priyamani is in the making. It is a comeback for the director who has been busy till now donning different villainous roles in different languages. For Priyamani too, the role is said to be similar to her role in the successful Paruthiveeran. Arumugam is filmed in original Suresh Krishna style; the crew recreated Mumbai’s Crawford market at the Ramoji film city and shot a song as well as a stunt sequence there.

thee -Tamil Sundar C., Namitha, Rohini a KICHA film

WATCH OUT FOR Action and emotion

RELEASING February 2009 Thee is the next action-packed entertainer starring our director-turned-hero Sundar C. Though the title resembles an action old Rajni hit, the similarity ends just there. Thee-new will be typically in Sundar C.’s style with action being the main flavour.

He plays a cop and a politician in the film. Music director Deva too is playing role in the film. It is said that it was the script that inspired him to take up the opportunity. The movie is a remake of the Telugu hit Operation Duryodhana starring Srikanth. So looks like there is some interesting stuff out there. Wait and watch!

22 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

SOON TO THEATRES NEAR YOU...

Arundhati -Telugu Anushka a Kodi ramakrishna film

WATCH OUT FOR Old-world charm and serenity

RELEASING January 2009 Made with a 15-crore budget, Arundhati deals with the story of a glorious princess and one of the provincial rulers of the South. Glam doll Anushka has gone through a thorough makeover for this heroine-centric role. In fact, Anushka will be handling two drastically different roles for the script. Next to Anushka, special effects and graphics are the additional attractions of Arundhati. Every bit of finery, including costumes, jewellery and the style of dressing, will be meticulously in line with the fashion and fads of yore.

period film

Housefull

-Telugu

Nainee Dikshit, Ali an Ajay Bhuyan film

WATCH OUT FOR Comedy, edge-of-the-seat thrills

RELEASING January 2009 Though the title suggests a possible movie connection, Housefull is a romantic comedy Romantic that deals with a string of incidents that comedy happen in one night. No single person responsible for those incidents; yet they go on like a chain reaction and the individuals who step into the jolly maze are forced to assume certain roles in it. Romance will be the basis of Housefull and comedy will be the connecting block that will be prodding the sequences ahead.

Maska -Telugu Ram, Hansika a B. GOPAL film

WATCH OUT FOR Ram and Hansika’s n screen chemistry

RELEASING January 2009 Ram and Hansika come together for the first time for this film. The movie also stars romance Sheela as the second heroine. Supposed to be a romantic action film, it is expected to be a huge hit. So impressive is the film, that the producer M.S. Raju has decided to distribute the film as well, in Andhra Pradesh. Music for the film has been composed by Chakri.

After the success of Ready, Ram is confident that Maska will also be appreciated by the audience.

PEEKA

Boo

GET A sneak peek INTO THE LATEST ATTRACTIONS

Circus -Kannada Ganesh, Archana Gupta a Dayal film

WATCH OUT FOR Sequences shot in the bullet train

RELEASING January 2009

Makante Achan -Malayalam Sreenivasan, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Suhasini a V.M. Vinun film

WATCH OUT FOR Sreenivasan’s comedy, Nadiya’s return to Malayalam

RELEASING January 2009 Makante Achan revolves around a nuclear family consisting of a Village Officer family Viswanathan (Sreenivasan), wife Hema drama (Suhasini) and their only son Manu (Vineeth Sreenivasan). While Viswanathan has high ambitions for Manu, the carefree youngster pays no attention to them. The story revolves around the father-son relationship and how they come to terms with each other. Nadiya, in an interesting role, returns to Malayalam cinema through this film.

Parayan Maranathu -Malayalam

Biju Menon,Laxmi Sharma a arun bhaskar film

WATCH OUT FOR: Heart-warming scenes and characters

RELEASING: February 2009 Parayan Maranathu showcases the life of a village tailor Chandran (Biju Menon). His family neighbour Madhavi, who launders clothes drama for her living; has a very unpleasant past.

Deserted by her husband, she focuses on her teenage daughter Gauri. Manikantan a young villager tries to take advantage of Gauri and exploit her poverty and loneliness.

How she deasl with the situation and what role does Chandran have to play in all this, forms rest of the story.

24 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

The entire story of Circus is based on the incidents that happen in a train. Recently, the crew flew to Austria to shoot the scenes in romance the bullet train. Heroine Archana Gupta an upcoming heroine in Tollywood is already said to be booked in a Tamil film opposite Dhanush. Golden Star Ganesh’s Mungaru Male success and popularity is building up lot of expectations for this film too. The film has also attracted a lot of public and media attention because of the story ownership scam.

However, though director Dayal has paid the court-imposed penalty, he still claims Circus as his own creative production.

Villu music launch

Aaranya Kaandam movie launch

2008 comes to a close. The last month of the year saw a deluge of movie launches, music releases, red carpet premieres, award ceremonies, press meets, birthdays, success meets... an endless list. Catch the razzledazzle of the movie world right here, in full colour and glossy detail. Read on...

SCENE about town Margazhi Varnangal Art Show

Sivakumar and sons at Counselling Centre Opening

28 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

Suriya at Radio Mirchi singing contest

Asin in Chennai

Naanayam movie launch

Many movies slated for release for Deepavali, finaly hit the screens in December. Abhiyum Naanum and Silmabattam had grand premieres. Both movies are being well received at the box office. Bharathi raja’s thriller Bommalattam finally saw the light of day and is doing extremely well. The month also saw the music release of two completely different movies; one is Vijay’s Pongal fiesta Villu and the other the young and hip Kulir 100 degrees. The music albums of Abirami Ramanathan’s Panachamirtham and TN 07 AL 4777 were also released. In Telugu, the music of Nagarujuna’s King was launched with lot of fan fare.

Another launch for Nag was that of his son’s debut movie. Celebrations were also on in Malayalam cinema with the presentation of the AMMA awards.

Lekha, Bhagyaraj, Shanthnoo at Puthiya Vaarpugal post-production

AMMA awards 2008

Kulir 1000 music launch

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 29

Many new movies were launched, but the most prominent was S.P. Charan Aaranya Kaandam. The movie marks the debut of Jackie Shroff in Kollywood.

Another Charan movie, the Prasanna-Sibiraj starrer Naanayam was also launched. Sibi steps into his father’s shoes and plays villain for the very first time.

Post Vaaranam Aayiram, Suriya continued to be in the limelight. He, along with dad Sivakumar and brother Karthi, opened a counselling centre. He was also part of a Radio Mirchi singing contest. Talking about singing, Golden star Ganesh is hoping that his fans can forget his last two releases and sing the tunes of Circus. The music of this film was released in December. The month also saw the release of some multi-starrers like Navagraha and Mast Maja Madi.

Ajith, Vijay at Silmabattam special shows

TN 07 AL 4777 music launch

Panchamirtham music launch

30 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

Bommalattam Press Meet

Circus audio launch

Trisha at the Abhiyum Naanum premiere

PRO Union Golden Jubilee Celebrations

Chennai also saw the return of one of its most loved leading ladies. Asin, soon to make her debut in Bollywood, was in the city to promote Ghajini. She was very happy to be back here.

While speaking to Galatta.com, she talked about her Ghajini experience and her future Bollywood projects. Another celebrity who made a flying visit was fashion designer Manish Malhotra. He was in the city to talk about his new venture Influence, a restaurant for which he is the stylist. He also spoke to Galatta about working with Rajinikanth, both in Sivaji and Enthiran. For many more such coverage of the latest happenings in Southern cinema, onlocation videos and interviews with celebrities, log on to Galatta.com.

Directors’ Council Election

Manish Malhotra in Chennai for the Influence press meet

35 out of 100 audio launch

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 31

+ =

just a couple of ingredients that make for a

buttery smooth MOVIE EXPERIENCE your monthly dose of celebrity thrills, spills and of course, stories with substance (a Galatta USP!) is just a few clicks away: log onto www.galattacinema.com

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B I R SC

SUB

W O N

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s e i k l a T Galatta

BOX OFFICE HITS OR ABYSMAL DISASTERS ?

Bommalattam - Tamil Bommalattam’s soul is Rana (Nana Patekar), a talented director and a strict disciplinarian. He dismisses a heroine from his crew and replaces her with a newcomer Trishna (Rukmini Vijayakumar), who he is fiercely protective of. Those who get near her get brutally murdered. Vivek (Arjun), a CBI official, investigates the case. Only a few like his girlfriend and screen poet Anitha (Kajal Aggarwal) deny Rana’s involvement in the murder. How and what comes out of the investigation leads us to the film’s climax.

Cast: Arjun, Nana Patekar, Kajal Aggarwal Story and directtion: Bharathi Raja Cinematography: B. Kannan Music: Himmesh Reshamiya Genre: Thriller Rating: +Point: Authentic characters Letdown: Dramatic twists

Thiruvannamalai

Abhiyum Naanum - Tamil

- Tamil Easwar (Arjun) is a cable TV operator in a small town. The actions of a sinister MLA Poongundran (Saikumar) infuriate Easwar. Planning to replace the MLA, Easwar makes his friend Durai (Karunas) contest against him in the elections.

But the corrupt MLA wins. Angered by this, Easwar ends up fighting with the MLA. His mother, wanting to tone down the anger of her son, takes him to Thiruvannamalai. What happens next is an interesting story.

In Abhiyum Naanum, director Radha Mohan talks about the relationship between an affectionate Raghuram (Prakashraj) and his daughter Abhi (Trisha).

When Abhi falls in love with a boy (Ganesh Venkatraman) from a different community, her new-found relationship creates some problems between the father and daughter. How does Abhi reason out with her father? Does the love distance them both? Abhiyum Naanum explores the reasons and outcomes!

Cast: Arjun, Pooja Gandhi, Karunas, Saikumar

Cast: Prakashraj, Trisha, Ganesh Venkatraman

Story and direction: Perarasu

Story and direction: Radha Mohan

Cinematography: Padmesh

Cinematography: Preetha Harini

Music: Srikanth Deva

Music: Vidyasagar

Genre: Action

Genre: Drama

Rating:

Rating:

+Point: Arjun’s perfomance

+Point: Emotional performances

Letdown: Usual formula fare

Letdown: Slow second half, music

36 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

HITS OR MISSES? GET THE INFO ON WHICH RELEASES PEOPLE LOVED, LIKED OR SIMPLY HATED.

HIGH fives

Silambattam presents Simbu in an action-oriented dual role. As the demure Iyer priest Vichu and a rebellious activist Tamizh, Simbu has offered a commendable performance in both roles. The story revolves around the clash between two prominent families headed

by Muthuvel (Prabhu) and Veeraiyan (Ponvannan) respectively. Veeraiyan’s last son Duraisingham (Kishore), who survives the massacre stumbles upon Vichu. How and whether Vichu extracts vengeance on Duraisingham forms the crux of Silambattam. Sanaa Khan and Sneha are Simbu’s leading ladies.

Cast: Simbu, Sanaa Khan, Sneha Story and direction: Saravanan Cinematography: Mathi Music: Yuvanshankar Raja Genre: Action

TAMIL

Silambattam -Tamil Top 5

BLOCKBUSTERS

silambattam Director: Saravanan Cast: Simbu, Sanaa, Sneha Music: Yuvanshankar Raja

bommalattam Director: Bharathiraja Cast: Nana Patekar, Arjun Music: Himesh Reshammiya abhiyum naanum Director: Radha Mohan Cast: Prakashraj, Trisha Music: Vidyasagar

thiruvannamalai Director: Perarasu Cast: Arjun, Pooja Gandhi Music: Srikanth Deva

Rating: +Point: Simbu’s stunts, dance, music Letdown: Outdated storyline, overdose of comedy bordering on obscenity

Irritated by his guardian’s asking about his future plans, Veerababu (Nikhil) runs off to the city to stay with his software engineer friend, Ajay (Subash). He makes a few close friends; through them, he meets Baby (Aksha) and they fall in love. Babu gets in a fight with some rowdies and one of his friends gets seriously injured.

This one incident changes the lives of this gang of buddies. The ups and downs they undergo and how they come out of the problems forms the rest of the story.

Cast: Nikhil, Aksha, Subhash Story and direction: Parasuram Cinematography: Jaswanta Music: Manisharma Genre: Action Rating: +Point: Manisharma’s music Letdown: Dull screenplay

Vinayakadu Director: Saikiran Advai Cast: Krishnudu, Sonia Music: Shyam Prasanna

TELUGU

Yuvatha -Telugu

dindigul sarathy Director: Sivashanmugan Cast: Karunas, Karthika Music: Dhina

Ekaloveyudu Director: K. Ramakrishna Cast: Uday Kiran, Kriti Ahuja Music: Anil Krishna Blade Babji Director: Devi Prasad Cast: Allari Naresh, Sayali Bhagat Music: Koti Kotha Bangaru Lokam Director: Srikanth Addala Cast: Varun Sandesh, Swetha Music: Mickey J. Meyer yuvatha Director: Parasuram (Bujji) Cast: Nikhil, Aksha Music: Manisharma

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 37

s e i k l a T Galatta

BOX OFFICE HITS OR ABYSMAL DISASTERS ?

Bullet -malayalam Music composers YamunaprasadGangaprasad will do anything for professional success. While on the panel of judges in a TV reality show, they misbehave with the female participants Gayathri and Gauri and demand sexual favours for ensuring their victory in the competition. Parasurama Bhattathiri (Suresh Gopi), a sanyasi, tries to tackle the duo, but things go haywire when Yamunaprasad goes missing. Circle Inspector Haji (Kalabhavan Mani) investigates the case amd exposes the crooks.

Cast: Suresh Gopi, Kalabhavan Mani Story and direction: Nizzar Hassan Cinematography: Akhil Gopinath Music: Kaithapram Viswanath, Shabeer, Sibi Mulakkan, Alex Paul Genre: Thriller Rating: +Point: Credible story Letdown: Lack of tempo in the sequences

Vinayakadu -Telugu

THREE -telugu

Karthik (Krishnudu) and Kalpana (Sonia) are colleagues in an advertising agency and neighbours living in the same apartment block. Though both are attracted to each other, they refrain from expressing it, especially after their common friends Sandhya (Poonam Kaur) and Altaf (Suryatej) romance breaks up. But eventually Kalpana, who is engaged to Rajiv (Samrat), finds that she doesn’t really like her fiancé.

So does all that follow work well for Karthik and Kalpana’s romance?

One night Sriram (Rishi) is awoken by loud bangs on his door. He finds his neighbour Nisha (Urvashi Sharma) at his doorstep, completely shaken. She claims that she hears a voice that threatens to kill her. Sriram gets a psychoanalyst professor (Ranganath) to talk to her. He declares she is perfectly fine but could be possessed by an evil spirit. This leads them to an island where Nisha had met the sinister Shanker (Rajiv Kanakala).

From there on, it’s a scary ride through the dark world.

Cast: Krishnudu, Sonia

Cast: Rishi, Urvashi Sharma

Story and direction: Saikiran Advai

Story & Direction: Sekhar Suri

Cinematography: P.G. Vinda Music: Shyam Prasanna

Cinematography: K.K. Senthil Kumar & Bhaskar Shyamala

Genre: Romance

Music: Vijay Kurakula

Rating:

Genre: Thriller

+Point: A different kind of romantic story

Rating:

Letdown: Some clichéd sequences

Letdown: The presentation lacks lustre

38 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

+Point: The freshness in the theme

HITS OR MISSES? GET THE INFO ON WHICH RELEASES PEOPLE LOVED, LIKED OR SIMPLY HATED.

- Malayalam

Adi (Anoop Menon), only son of the late Siddharthan (Mohanlal), a popular writer, decides to write his father’s biography.

When he meets retired police officer Thilakan (who had investigated the mysterious death of Siddharthan), he begins to wonder if his father had been murdered. The more Adi probes into the issue, the more shocking truths does he unearth. His last resort to get to the bottom of the truth is Dr. Vaidyanathan (Suresh Gopi), a medium. What does he find out?

Cast: Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Anoop Menon Story & Direction: Rajeev Nath Cinematography: Ramachandrababu Music: Shemas Aman

MALAYALAM

HIGH fives Pakal BLOCKBUSTERS Nakshatrangal Top 5 Twenty:20 Director: Joshy Cast: Top actors of Malayalam Cinema Music: Berny Ignatius

Bullet Director: Nizzar Hassan Cast: Suresh Gopi , Kalabhavan Mani Music: Akhil Gopinath Pakal Nakshatrangal Director: Rajeev Nath Cast: Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi Music: Shemas Aman

Veruthe Oru Bharya Director: Akku Akbar Cast: Jayaram, Gopika Music: Shyam Dharman

Genre: Entertainer Rating: +Point: Mohanlal’s performance Letdown: The narration is not chronologically arranged.

This is an adaptation of the English film Psycho. A young boy (Dhanush) psychologically affected by his father’s tortures and his mother’s death, is driven into isolation. He falls in love with Pavani (Anitha) and though they communicate over the phone, Pavani is unaware of his whereabouts. When Pavani’s dad is hospitalized, she seeks the help of this anonymous guy, but when she finds out about him she is terrified. But what about his love?

Cast: Mammootty, Mohanlal, Kavya Madhavan, Jayaram Story & Direction: Devadutt Cinematography: Sabhakumar Music: Raghu Dixit

Navagraha Director: Dinakar Cast: Darshan, Vinod Prabhakar, Nagendra Urs Music: V. Harikrishna Mast Majaa Madi Director: Anantha Raju Cast: Sudeep, Jennifer Music: Balaji

KANNADA

Psycho -kannada

Thirakatha Director: Ranjith Cast: Prithviraj, Priyamani Music: Sharath

Sangama Director: Ravi Verma Cast: Ganesh, Vedhika Music: Devi Sri Prasad

Payana Director: Kiran Govi Cast: Ravishanker, Ramanitho Chaudhary Music: V. Harikrishna

Genre: Thriller Rating: +Point: Raghu Dixit’s music, Dhanush’s performance Letdown: Pace of the screenplay

Psycho Director: Devadutt Cast: Dhanush, Anitha Music: Raghu Dixit

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 39

“ I AM FOCUSSED. I AM

CHILLED-OUT. I AM WHAT I AM. I TAKE CREDIT DUE

REEMA

TO ME, BUT I DON’T

MAKE EXCUSES FOR MY

SENSATIONAL

ACTIONS. WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET.

THE NEVER-SAY-DIE GIRL OPENS UP She’s definitely different from the rest. She seems snooty, arrogant and stubborn, but twenty minutes into our heart-to-heart, we figured out she is none of the above... at least not anymore than any of us. She simply knows her mind and sticks to her guns. This is an industry which is a melting pot of contradictions: flesh-filled skin shows vs. with outcries of morality; creative excellence vs. reluctance to break cinema norms and barriers; amazing talent vs. being slotted into stereotypes... to name just a few. In this environment this slim Bengali-born, Mumbai-bred girl has managed to stand on her own two feet and live life on her own terms. Despite good and bad decisions with movie projects, co-stars and her own in-your-face attitude, she remains a lead star and a force to reckon with.

“I have made a thousand mistakes... and I have no regrets.”

That was how our 3-hour long chat started and as you keep reading on, you will see what makes Reema Sen the firebrand she is and why she has been chosen for Aayirathil Oruvan, among all of today’s super starlets.

After the music video Chaandni Raatein, years ago, you’ve come a long way. Let’s talk about that journey Oh God, that WAS a long time ago, wasn’t it! Well, it HAS been quite a journey, like you say, but what a fantastic learning curve it’s been. When I was modelling and when I did that video, I just summa did it all. I didn’t take classes; I didn’t have the ambition of becoming an actress. One project after another happened, just like that and here I am now!

It has been a good journey, better still, considering that they were choices I made myself, for better or worse.

And here you are now, still a star, juggling glam roles and performance-oriented subjects with panache. How? You know, when I look back, there are some roles and projects I wouldn’t choose today. They were just bad decisions.

I like doing different things and yet, there are some projects like masala pot-boilers that an actor DOES have to do and why should anyone make excuses for that! Audiences want to be entertained, so let’s not get too philosophical about that? Meanwhile, there are projects like Chitram, Minnale and Chellamey that portray me differently, with substance... and there have been movies where the roles have been super glamorous. Never mind, choices are choices, I stick by mine and I have no regrets. I guess this gung-ho attitude keeps me grounded and keeps me going. As for handling these different roles with panache, I guess it’s just a matter of doing your job well, no matter what the job is!

Do you ever plan or wish for a “dream project” or some big goal for yourself ?

Oh, most of the time I never plan! I just take things as they come and I make decisions on my movie projects as and when they come. I love doing only one movie at a time and running away to be with my family after every project. So no, no big fat plans right now.

who told me they loved the song Vaseegara and the way I looked in it! Wow. So how come we don’t see you in any more of Gautham’s movies?

(Grins mischievously) You have to ask Gautham that!

You have done a lot of two-heroine films. How do you manage to get your own individuality on-screen?

Apart from my own movies, a LOT of movies in the industry are two-heroine projects and some of them have done pretty well! I guess I am the type who has never looked what’s on the other person’s plate. I know what’s on mine and I want to do MY job well. So, like I said before, there are several projects I consciously walked into, knowing my role. But there were a few which translated on screen differently from what I envisioned when I signed up and so, I know I wouldn’t pick those, given a choice today. But what the hell, I moved on and did pretty well, don’t you think?

For example, Vallavan was not the most pleasant experience for me, but despite all that, I was happy I chose a negative role few lead actresses would have, in this industry at least.

You’ve acted with the likes of Madhavan and Vijay and now you’re heroine to even young turks like Vishal and Karthi, breaking another tradition. How does that make you feel?

Am I breaking traditions? What’s the big deal? But yes, I agree that stereotypes are more here than in, say, Bollywood, where people have begun experimenting and moving away from barriers more. Things will change here too soon.

Meanwhile, I guess it’s my verve, God’s grace and good luck that have brought me the projects that I have.

Speaking of which, how do you choose your projects and your team?

You know, I am not the kind of person who will work with Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Bengali... different movies, culany team, any crew just for the sake of the movie itself. tures, languages. Did you have problems juggling these?

I HAVE to be comfortable with the team I am working Not really. The key was not the language of the movie, but the crew I worked with. Even today, I don’t know Tamil and with and that’s something I can figure within minutes of a conversation with, say, a director explaining a script to me.

Telugu well, would you believe it!

Even with Selva, you know what a reticent person he is and the reputation he has of being a tyrant on the sets. Initially, You seem to have an affinity for Tamil cinema, though. it took me a long time to get comfortable and open up to all Why is that?

Tamil cinema is balanced. There are completely commercial of them, but now, we’re the closest buddies! So more than the script or the ‘largeness’ of a movie, it’s good chemistry movies which I love because, at the end of the day, people with my production team that I am most specific about. go to the movies for a good time; and then there are slickly made classy movies also. Which is why I like it here. I can Moving onto the 2 words on everyone’s lips these days... do a Dhool and a Rendu in the same way I can do a Chellamey or an Aayirathil Oruvan. Of course, Minnale was my Aayirathil Oruvan. Did you ever expect it to be so huge when you signed up for it? first big break, so that just adds to all the special feeling!

Yes and no. Selva called me out of the blue one day and asked me what I was doing. I said, my Hindi movie; and Minnale! What an experience that must have been. immediately he asked me if I’d like to do a movie with him.

In all honesty, Minnale was more of Gautham and HarHe asked me to choose between two scripts - one his assisris than anybody else. It was their sound and visuals that tant was directing (Yaaradi Nee Mohini) and one he wanted captured everyone. An admirable job, you have to say, considering that it was Gautham and Harris’ debut project. to start. I simply told him, Selva, I want to hear the script YOU are directing. That’s when he narrated the story of Of course, I’d like to think I contributed to the magic of Aayirathil Oruvan... and I was absolutely bowled over by it. the movie too... (smiles). Hey, do you know that the music Of course, he told me he wanted “just 75 days”, but I know of Minnale is still so prolifically listened to? I have just returned from Kolkata and I actually met someone THERE that he takes more than 100 days to finish even a normal

REEMA:

GETTING SNAPPY

What are you like when you’re not working?

Lazy, a complete couch potato and absolutely loving the time I spend in my Mumbai home with my family!

A star like you, being asked to clean up your room?

No way! I am the cleanliness freak, in fact and my mum really gets annoyed when I get so obsessive!

Women you hang out with, sisters-in-arms?

Of course! My old school and college friends who know me in and out!

Homebody or party animal?

A bit of both. I cannot tell you how I enjoy wrapping up shoots and hitting my bed in our Mumbai home; or wallowing in inactivity. At the same time, I love to dress up and party hard with my friends!

Fetishes?

Ok. I am a complete shopaholic. I can shop in whatever mood I am in.

But if you ask me for one fetish, it’s gotta be BAGS! Dressing skimpy, where do you draw the line?

Where my body says, Stop! Beyond this, you ain’t lookin’ good! So, in a bikini or evening gown, it’s all about aesthetics!

REEMA:

GETTING SNAPPY

A self-confident, self-assured and a self-made man is so, so HOT! Oh, as is a courteous man who treats a lady like a lady... even if he is FAKING it!

Well, I’ve only ever been as naughty as any regular, spunky firebrand (grin)... besides I am safe, I never go overboard and I never get caught!

You know, a person who lies incessantly; a person who has no ethics... really gets me furious, gets my goat, I say!

If you ask me what can melt my heart, I’d say... nothing!

I take a long time to reach staunch decisions, but when I make one, you can be sure nothing can change my mind!

Cinema used to be just a job, but after all these years and especially after Aayirathil Oruvan... it’s a job with passion!

44 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

film! So my “yes” comes from knowing that it would take at least 175 days... what I DIDN’T expect was over 250 days of shooting and still some more to go and the emotional and physical toil it has taken on all of us, including Selva himself. But the movie is to be seen to be believed. In fact, today I ask him, Selva, how DID you have the vision to think up such a huge story, such a vast canvas!

What has been the most challenging aspect of this movie for you?

Everything. The time we have spent together (almost in each other’s shoes!), the physical toil of the difficult locations we have shot in, the way every actor and technician in the movie has to be nothing short of perfect for every shot...

non-stop, except for one long break and at that time, I wondered how people didn’t crave every moment of family time! That break time was the only time I absolutely enjoyed chilling and lazing around at home in Mumbai with my family, driving around in my car...

Aayirathil Oruvan is a difficult movie to execute so there was no way Selva could shoot different bits of the movie and piece them all together. One of the unique things about this movie is that it has been shot from start to finish in sequence. Thankfully, none of us has any drastic changes in look, so it was fairly smooth sailing.

Come on, after all this build-up, you can give us just a teeny peek into some part of the movie?

No way! We’re all superstitious about blowing our own trumpets about this movie or giving anything away! Besides, Locations. Some exotic ones, wouldn’t you say? none of us will open up without Selva approving it. Here’s a Oh God! Each one as tedious as it was gorgeous. Chalakudy, for example, was lovely, with so much lush greenery minute peek though - I am dressed up in the most gorgeous and opulent fashion, a divine beauty in the second half and sparkling cascades... but a real nightmare with the that’s Selva’s quote for you, by the way! dense forest cover and leeches on us everyday! Jaisalmer Selva spared no expense for the sets, costumes or jeweland its freezing cold. Pondicherry. We went all over the place. And at each place, the shots were so tough, the sets so lery)... and Karthi and I fight nearly to the death. Ha-ha, that should get you curious! huge, the action so intense.

Everyone is so secretive about the movie. Why? What’s special about this movie?

Clichéd as it may sound... you have to see it to believe it. You may love it, you may hate it, but you can never ignore it and forget it. And you know my favourite part? Despite its masculine title, the women’s roles are so substantial and strong!

SELVA’S FOCUS AND CLARITY OF VISION IS MIND-BOGGLING. TWO YEARS LATER, I HAVE SUCH FAITH AND BELIEF IN HIM, IF HE ASKS ME TO JUMP OFF A CLIFF, I’D

We keep saying this: shooting for 250 days, DO IT KNOWING HE HAS A “PLAN”! almost at a stretch, is like those reality shows when even the sanest people end up clawing their eyes out! How was it for you guys?

Amazing and awful! That’s what buddies are Oh it does! But now, even before this one’s completion, like, right? I was pampered on the sets. If I wanted it, it there are rumours of Aayirathil Oruvan Two - are you would be given. That’s an amazing thing about Selva. He ready for such a magnum opus again! never cuts corners or let his cast and crew get affected by any financial or adverse situation. All of us got the comfort I am running away from this planet! Yes, perhaps I could and care where we needed it; our production costs were cor- do a totally new version of Aayirathil Oruvan, but if you’re asking me if I can do this same movie again, no... not a rect and never sloppy... it was brilliant. But being cloistered chance. It’s too taxing. in such an intense environment was indeed tough. There were quarrels, there were moody moments, shots gone wrong... but none of it veered Selva away even an inch from You said you don’t plan your career. But surely you too must have a five-year plan, marriage, all that. his absolute belief in his baby, this movie; and his absolute belief in us being able to deliver. Which is why I always say, Maddy (Madhavan, my buddy) always jokes with me that even when we all move onto other projects, this relationship for all my brashness, I am going to meet a man who will sweep me off my feet and suddenly, I will just toss up we all have will always remain special. everything I have and meekly go behind him. Probably true too! So why plan too much! I enjoy being where I am - my What’s remaining for the movie? home, my 15-year-old sister, my car, my life, my movies one Oh, about 20-25 days of a song and some stuff and after after the other. I do stuff as I feel like and I take life as it that, Selva and the producers are looking at a May 2009 comes. release. That’s it, then! We’re done with the biggest movie all of us have ever been involved in! (Grins) A firebrand, indeed, and a smart woman who knows her mind and is honest and ethical enough to own up to her own choices.

Did it bother you that you couldn’t accept any projects Catch the complete audio interview of Reema Sen on while such a long movie was on?

Where was the time or the energy! We were shooting nearly www.galatta.com - you’ll be bowled over too! G C

REEMA ON THE MAN-FACTORS IN CINEMA AJITH

Oh, Ajith is super-hot. He is perhaps the hottest guy in Tamil cinema! And not because he looks so good (which he does!), but because he carries himself so well! He is suave, well-dressed, charming, courteous and treats everyone around him with respect. And that, my dear friends, is real hottie in my book!

SURIYA

I cannot get over how his whole look has changed, how he has turned around! Wow, this man is a sizzler. I just saw some pictures of his from his movie Ayan and I must say, I don’t whether his whole personality is charismatic or just his eyes, so intense and captivating.

Another hot guy, for sure.

VIJAY

You know, despite the fact that he’s not a conventionally good-looking guy, there is something about him.

Some charm, a quirk of personality, some humour in those restrained smiles... I mean, look at the millions of fans he has! Also, I gotta tell you, he is a true friend to his friends and a really genuine guy. What you see is what you get, which is why his friends adore him. I have known him for years and one of the most endearing things about him is his guileless quality which says he is as he is and makes no excuses for it.

And his tongue-in-cheek humour!

VISHAL

Oh, this guy is a real treat! But seriously, he is a very hard-working guy and really puts his heart and soul MADHAVAN into his work. Look at him. He may He’s an awful fellow. not be a Hollywood or BollywoodShocked? Hehe, what I meant was, type looker, but he is tall, dark, he is such a buddy and believe me, smashing physique, absolutely he is as much of a prankster as he all-male and a really nice guy. One looks! He treats me like one of the of the things that amazed me about guys and yet manages to make me him when I worked with him on feel good. You know what I adore Chellamey was the way he put his him for? He’s such a tech-savvy guy effort into dancing for the songs! and so intelligent, while I used to See, for a guy as tall as him, danchave no clue how to use my laptop ing like that is no easy task and he and all that. And he used to help for himself says that he can’t dance for hours with all of this stuff. A great nuts. I disagree; he does a great job with his moves! guy, for sure.

KARTHI

How can a man be a combination of a complete sweetheart and still a very naughty fellow! Karthi, mark my words, is going to be big in the years to come; he is as charismatic and powerful on-screen as his super older brother... with his own individuality! And off the sets, he is one of those few respectful and courteous gentlemen, even as he pulls my leg and laughs and jokes with me! Wow, shooting with him for Aayirathil Oruvan has been such an experience!

NAGARJUNA

Need I even say anything about this man’s hotness factor! Nagarjuna is your original charmer, a ladykiller and a gentleman at the same time!

He is well-spoken, has a great sense of humour and can completely make you feel like a queen.

MAHESH BABU

Here is someone else who has a special something, a zing in his personality! I think he is just so HOT! Yes, for Telugu movies, this man definitely can get the ladies and is a pretty macho guy with the men too!

Definitel

SIMBU

No comments!

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 47

Behind the scenes

Aayirathil

oru

director - Selvaraghavan

w

hat is it that separates the best from the good? The dream of greatness. You can make a hundred movies rehashing the same masala mix, and get fame. Or you can think on a different plane and make movies that are out of this world, and make a name. That’s what Selvaraghavan has done. In an industry that’s all risk, where every move is a gamble, he makes the biggest bets and highest bids, and still wins every time. But he still does not call himself successful! He’s not being modest, he’s being real, he insists. He does not need the tag, but successful he is!

n

never have i felt the intensity or feeling for a project like i feel for aayirathil oruvan. it has taken its toil on me and yet, i cannot love it any less, or make any shortcuts with it. watch it to believe me.

GC: Why cinema?

Selva: It’s the only thing I ever related to. And now it’s the only thing I know to do! Yeah, yeah. I did do a Bachelor’s in Engineering, but it’s been over a decade since I saw the certificate! I know I got one, but I don’t know where it lies now! Cinema is the alpha and omega of my existence!

GC: Is there such a thing as a workless day in your life?

Selva: Not really! It’s been more than eight years since that now. Working is what satisfies me. It’s the fun part of my life. Actually, I’ve been working so much that I have not had the time to worry about what to do on a workless day!

If that day should come, I guess I’d watch movies or think about what movie to do next! There pretty much isn’t anything else that I know to do!

GC: With one movie over and done with, how does the next idea happen?

Selva: It just comes to you. I don’t have to sit and think what to do next. Most often, the spark comes way before you get the time to work on it! Like midway through another project. I have to wait to finish what’s at hand and then build on the new idea. Like now I’m working on Aayirathil Oruvan, but I’ve already started working on the script for my next movie Idhu Maalai Nerathu Mayakam.

GC: Why did you opt for a dark script for your first movie Kadhal Kondein?

Selva: I’ve come here to make good films. And just because I use a story that has been tested does not mean that the movie will be a big success. Every movie is a gamble. Not just for me, but for everyone in the industry. So I’d rather do something that I love than just for the heck of it.

Working is what satisfies me. It’s the fun part of my life. There pretty much isn’t anything else that I know to do!

GC: Why Ravi Krishna to do 7G Rainbow Colony, rather than Dhanush or some other well-established actor?

Selva: With Dhanush, I had already done two movies.

The reason I did not choose an established star? Because I wanted people to see my protagonist for the character he was. A known face would come with celebrity baggage. I wanted a hero who would fit the boy-next-door look. And Ravi fit the bill. I think the fact that I went in for a new face is what added to the success of the movie.

GC: In Kadhal Kondein you dealt with child labour and child abuse. In 7G you have the one-night-stand idea. These are subjects people don’t exactly like to confront.

Selva: How long can we lock ourselves in our homes and refuse to believe what’s really happening in the world? We all know that child labour exists, but we treat it like an alien issue. We don’t see the pain and the struggle. But when you see it on the big screen, there’s no escape. Like I said before, everything about cinema is a gamble. So I’d rather take the better bet!

GC: How big a gamble was Pudhupettai?

Selva: A big one I guess! A gangster movie that would have been quite a unique theme, had I released it a little earlier, I guess. Around the time of its release, a bunch of gangster based stories had already hit the screens, so I guess that’s where the movie lost out.

GC: It’s been nearly two years since you started Aayirathil Oruvan. Why the delay?

Selva: People will realize why it’s taken so long only after they watch it. It’s no joke to make a period film. Everything’s got to be just perfect and perfection is a coy com-

We don’t see the pain and the struggle. But when you see it on the big screen, there’s no escape.

casting itself was such an important thing. then the music - which has had its own run of bitter speebreakers. but you should listen to g.v. prakash’s tunes for aayirathil oruvan. simply mind-blowing. truly a protege! i am glad he is with us!

modity! The sets, the costumes, the music, everything had to be right! It takes time to work all these things out. I’m not complaining. Ever since we got started, I’ve been enjoying making the movie. That’s where the fun lies for me-in the making.

GC: Again no Dhanush on board…

Selva: That’s because I’m doing Idhu Maalai Nerathu Mayakam with him. It’s a softer movie – sort of a break for me after Aayirathil Oruvan that has very nearly sapped me!

GC: What broke the Selva-Yuvan combo?

Selva: Time. As in not bad time, but lack of time. For me, music is of supreme importance to my movies. I’m not the kind of director who explains the music requirements to the composer and leaves the rest to him. I will be present every step of the way. And that takes time. And I am willing to spend as much time as it takes. Honestly speaking, I could cut my making time by six months at least, if I did not get involved with the music part of the movie. But that is impossible. And when my music director was not able to give me as much time as I required, I had to find someone who was ready to work my way.

GC: So is G.V. Prakash your new music maker?

Selva: I don’t know that yet. But for my next movie with Dhanush, he’s the one composing. I also have an action packed movie with Vishal. Shooting starts in March. I’m not sure who will do the music for that venture. Let’s see.

GC: Do you have a lot of friends in the industry?

Selva: I’ve been here for over eight years now, so I guess I know everybody. Everyone says ‘Hi! How are you?’ but

When my music director was not able to give me as much time as I required, I had to find someone who was ready to work my way.

that’s all. It’s hard to maintain close friends, because everyone has their own thing to do. There’s just not enough time.

GC: How do you measure the success of a movie?

Selva: Like everyone else – based on the money the movie makes! But personally, it does not matter to me how well it does. I make a movie out of a story that has touched me. I will keep on making it till I am satisfied with the end product. I agree, I do make it in the hope that the audiences will love it the way I do. But if they don’t, I know I have failed them, but I have not failed myself. I continue to love my movie. G C

t

The magnum opus movie called Aayirathil Oruvan readying for a mid-2009 release, Selvaraghavan has a long way to go before he finds out just how much his pains to make this period film pays off. But from the scarce hints we’ve got about the movie and the sneak peek we’ve had into it via some interesting stills, it sure does seem like one breathtaking adventure that nobody will want to miss!

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 51

1

0

REASONS

TO WATCH

AAYIRATHIL

00 ORUVAN

One can see the fatigue on Selvaraghavan’s face, hear the exhaustion in his voice when you speak to him about captain-ing his mega-ship Aayirathil Oruvan. It has taken over 250 days of shoot, with a few more still to go, to make this movie and while the entire cast and crew just wants to wrap it up, they also feel the unshakeable intent in Selva’s mind to never make the movie any less than it is, no matter how long it takes. It has been a journey for them all, a journey that everyone hopes audiences recognise the world over. Despite naysayers and delays, the movie is still an exotic secret people want revealed...

and more...

Every year there’s that one movie you just can’t wait to watch, and for 2009, it’s got to be Selvaraghavan’s Aayirathil Oruvan.

The movie has been in the making for close to two years, and yet we don’t tire of digging for what ever titbits we can get about the movie!

Yes, that there are thousand reasons to catch the movie is no understatement! Selvaraghavan himself makes up for the first three hundred! Then there’s Karthi who gives us another two hundred reasons, closely followed by another two hundred from G.V. Prakash. Then Andrea Jeremiah and Reema Sen add another hundred reasons each, while Ramji and his camera promise a hundred more bringing the grand total of a thousand enticing reasons to throng the theatres when the movie releases in May 2009.

Shooting for the movie started early last year and the entire crew has travelled all across India shooting for the movie. And what are the interesting things that happened? “Everywhere we went, everything went wrong at first!” laughs the young director! They faced everything from bad weather, to elephant herds and venomous snakes while trying to film this extremely exciting movie! “We were on a real-time action adventure while

54 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

shooting for Aayirathil Oruvan which happens to be an action adventure by itself!” Now that’s how you get into character, we suppose!

When the trend of South Indian cinema is romance and mass movies, once again Selvaraghavan dares to explore another path. “You got to try something new. Trends don’t just happen. Mani Ratnam changed the way movies were made. You watch movies like Indiana Jones and wonder when we’ll have one like that in Tamil. So I decided to make one,” he asserts.

But filming alone is not the reason the movie has taken all the while. For the first time since his debut, Selvaraghavan has indulged in computer graphics. “There’s a whole lot of CG work pending. It’s going to take a long while. And if I ever opt for a CG again, it will be only for Aayirathil Oruvan part two,” he says with a glint in his eyes. So do we have a sequel? “If Part One gets a good response, I’ll get started on Part Two in 2010!”

Karthi was signed on even before Paruthiveeran happened, which means Selvaraghavan saw a spark in him. Without giving away zilch about Karthi’s role in the movie, the director informs us that Karthi fit the role like a glove! But what has Selvaraghavan all impressed is the utmost sincerity with which Karthi works. “He’s very committed. Does not complain. And takes his work seriously. I really like that about him,” he says.

Then there’s Andrea, the pretty Anglo babe who swept us off our feet in Pachaikili Muthucharam. There’s something secretive about her that is absolutely alluring, but to Selvaraghavan she looked every bit an archaeologist! “She’s fair and tall and a little broad, and somehow to me she made the perfect archaeologist!” A hint at last! So we have a lovely lady archaeologist caught up in a period film that

Reema and Karthi: Getting Cosy

fills up the action adventure genre. But then there is one more hot chica in the movie-Reema Sen. Where does she fit in? “It’s too early for me to drop a line about her role and it’s too vast a character to summarize in a few words! But I assure you that it’s a great part and Reema has done it very well,” says the secretive director. Another actor on board is Parthiban, who’s making a cameo appearance but is quite vital to the plot. “I, more than anyone else, knows how long it has taken to make the movie, and it’s yet incomplete. So I am very thankful to the actors, Parthiban included, for hanging on patiently,” he says.

The music for this movie is by GV Prakash. “The album for this movie is the best I’ve ever had for any of my movies.

GV Prakash has a lot of talent. He is able to understand what I need and no matter how long it takes, he is willing to work till we get it right,” says the idealistic director.

Incidentally, we heard there’s a song in the album that has been sung by Dhanush and his wife Aishwarya. Then there also is the remix of T.M. Soundarajan’s Adho Andha Paravai from the original Aayirathil Oruvan. Music for the movie will hit the stands in a month’s time.

“It always pays off to have a team that is as passionate about the project as I am. I am touched by the fact that most of my crew has turned down other movie offers to be on Aayirathil Oruvan. In the time it’s taken to make this one movie they each could have done four, but they stuck with me and I am very grateful for that. I am also very thankful to my cinematographer Ramji for staying by my side and working on the same script untiringly for so long. He has made my every visualization a real classic picture,” nods the director in approval.

There was no other title that fit the script more aptly, insists Selvaraghavan, and we are sure that the movie is going to be quite as unique as the name suggests!

Andrea: Bit an archaeologist

Karthi, Andrea: It’s over!

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 55

OVE

in the

GR

ON THE RACKS albums that are currently out in stores

IN YOUR CART

LANGUAGE: Malayalam BANNNER: Gauri Creations

albums well worth buying

MUSIC

e BY jassi

Movie: PATTALAM Banner: THIRUPATHI BROTHERS Language: TAMIL Jassie Gift’s music reflects the energy and ebullience of youth, the theme of Pattalam.

‘Disayettum’ in Jassie Gift and Najeem’s voices is a typical dance number. ‘Ennil nooru Maatram’

by Shalini Singh and Renjith is melodious and full of life. ‘Panivizhum Kalama’ in Sayandra, Hesham and William Issac’s voices is fresh and fun. ‘Engo piranthom’ by Arungopan, Shanmon and Tushar is based on a classical tune. The same trio join to sing ‘Oru Naal’ again. ‘Isakabarara’ in Jassie Gift, Diya Rohan’s combination is novel in its tune and presentation.

PRODUCER: Nithin DIRECTOR: Nithin CAST: Sanjeev, Helen MUSIC DIRECTOR: Vidhyadharan Apoorva

LANGUAGE: Malayalam BANNNER: Abhirama Krishna Movie Makers

GC’s Verdict:

BY Vij ay

DIRECTOR: Sreeprasad

Sultan

CAST: Vinu Mohan, Varada MUSIC DIRECTOR: M. Jayachandran VERDICT: Lovely riffs!

MUSIC

‘Athichudi’ by Vijay Antony and Dinesh Kanakaratnam has a mild ‘Nakka Mukka’ influence. Ranjith’s versatility and Sangeetha Rajeshwaran’s tonal capability is revealed in the melodious ‘I Phone’. ‘Kannerai Pole’ is a soul-touching song by Prassanna. The theme song ‘Maya’ is filled with lively beats.’Sorgam Madhuvile’, the remix by Rahul Nambiar and Sakthishree, has a predominant rock feel in the new version.

PRODUCER: Gopi Manasserry

antony

Movie: TN 07 AL 4777 Banner: AYNGARAN INTERNATIONAL Language: Tamil

VERDICT: Melodic and mind-blowing!

GC’s Verdict:

BANNNER: Pai Group

Movie: KING BAnner: Kamakshi kala movies Language: TELUGU ‘King’, the title-number in Leslie Lewis and Mamta Mohandas’ voices at the outset of the album, is a super treat. Naveen Madhav and Priya Hemesh sing another western number ‘A to Z’. Sagar and Divya’s ‘Oh Manmadhuda’ has enjoyable rhythm.

‘Yenthapani Chesthiviro’ by Vadepalli Srinivas and Priya carries Devi Sri Prasad’s imprint. ‘Ghanana Ghanana’ has two versions, sung by Ujjaiyenee and Mamta. Both ‘Nenu Nee Raja’ and ‘Nuvvu Ready’attract listeners through their fast-paced rhythm. King songs will have mass appeal.

sdf BY sdf MUSIC

sfh

LANGUAGE: Kannada PRODUCER: Ajay Pai DIRECTOR: Amarnath CAST: Sri Murali, Sharmila Mandre MUSIC DIRECTOR: Vidhyadharan Shivamani

LANGUAGE: Kannada

GC’s Verdict:

BANNNER: Gauri Creations

C BY thama n.s

Movie: MALLI MALLI Banner: SRI SAHASYA ENTERTAINMENT PRIVATE LIMITED Language: TELUGU

MUSI

‘Nuvvena’ by Rahul Nambiar and Vardhani Thaman is a sweet melody. ‘Maggada Maggada’ is Chithra’s solo. The song has a contemporary touch to its tune.

The title number is a male chorus in Navin, Rahul and Ranjith’s voices. ‘Magic Magic’ is a romantic duet by Karthik and Swetha. Ranjith’s ‘Sodhara’ is gentle. Thaman’s debut shows a lot of promise.

GC’s Verdict:

VERDICT: Youthful music!

PRODUCER: Suryakanth DIRECTOR: R.Madhav CAST: Prashanth, Rashmi Venki

MUSIC DIRECTOR: A.M. Neel VERDICT: Enthralling concoction!

CHART BUSTERS!

Albums rocking the countdown

Villu

rasa sri p vi e d BY: MUSIC

d

Lyrics of ‘Hey Rama’ have Vijay’s usual comedic punch. Sung

by Amal Raj and Kovai Sarala providing the extra effects, it is also the title number. ‘Jalsa Jalsa’ is similar to Devi Sri’s Prasad earlier work, but Baba Sehgal’s voice and Vijay’s dance should make this song different and novel. ‘Are You Crazy’ is a short and sweet number by Divya. ‘Daddy Mummy’ is in Mamta Mohandas and Naveen Madhav’s voices. Naveen too contributes to the number. ‘Dheemthanakka Thillana’, typical Vijay song, focuses entirely on rhythm. ‘Nee Kobapattal’ is the only slowpaced song. Sagar adds maximum effect with his mellifluous voice. The folksy ‘Vaada Mapillai’ makes a quick impression.

Tippu and Vadivelu have sung this song.

BANNER: Ayngaran International MUSIC LABEL: Ayngaran/Think music DIRECTOR: Prabhu Deva CAST: Vijay, Nayantara MUSIC DIRECTOR: Devi Sri Prasad

Kulir 1000

BANNER: N-Viz Entertainment MUSIC LABEL: Sony BMG DIRECTOR: Anitha Udeep CAST: Sanjeev, Riya MUSIC DIRECTOR: BoBo Shashi

MUSI

C BY :

bobo

shas

hi

Music director BoBo Sashi, son of the famous Sabesh-Murali duo, has composed its music. ‘Boom’ by Benny Dayal, BoBo Shashi and Abishek, is a typical fast number in the hiphop style. Saritha, Rekha, Geeta sing ‘Sirugendri Parakalam’, maintaining the feel of Boom. ‘Un uyir Nanban’ rendered by Krish is a melodious, romantic number. ‘Nallavan Kettavan’ in the voices of Coco Nanda, M.C. Bullet is an interesting composition. ‘Manasellam’ is a beautiful song about forgotten friendships, sung by Ranjith. It has a sad feel to it and Ranjith’s voice echoes the sentiment. ‘Hip Hop Hurray’ by Coco Nanda and M.C. Bullet is a fusion of rap, classical and western music. The song’s English lyrics and its rhythm attract youngsters, making them groove to its progression. Another version of ‘Manasellam’ sung by Simbu, is the unplugged version. There is an interesting interlude of rap in the song.

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 57

Top

Music charts

Tamil

telugu

malayalam

kannada

Vaaranam Aayiram

King

Twenty: 20

Navagraha

Song: Mundhinam Music: Harris Jayaraj Singers: Naresh Iyer, Prashanthini

Song: King Music: Devi Sri Prasad Singer: Leslie Lewis, Mamata Mohandas

Song: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Music: Berny, Suresh Singers: K J Yesudas & others

Song: Yaami Yaami Music: V Harikrishna Singer: Kunal Ganjawala

villu

Kotha Bangaru Lokam

Kurukshetra

Rajakumari

Song: Jalsa Jalsa Music: Devi Sri Prasad Singer: Baba Sehgal

Song: Nijamgaa Nenena Music: Mickey J Meyer Singers: Karthik

Song: Chalo Chalo Jawan Music: Siddarth Vipin Singer: Kailash Kher

Song: Yaar Yaarami Music: V Harikrishna Singer: Srinivas

silambattam

Malli Malli

Thirakkatha

Sangama

Song: Where Is The Party Music: Yuvanshankar Raja Singers: Mukesh, Priyadharshini

Song: Magic Magic Music: Thaman S Singer: Karthik, Swetha

Song: Oduviloru Sona Music: Sharath Singer: K.S. Chithra

Song: Muddu Muddu Music: Devi Sri Prasad Singers: Ranjith, Sri Vidya

poo

Vinayakudu

Sultan

Shivamani

Song: Aavaram Poo Music: S.S. Kumaran Singer: Chinmaye

Song: Nalovedaney Music: Sam Prasan Singer: Kunal Ganjavala

Song: Ma Mazha Mazha Music: M Jayachandran Singer: Vijay Yesudas, Swetha

Song: Moda Modala Music: Veer Samarth Singers: Karthik Sagar, Shreya Ghosal

TN 07 AL 4777

Andhamaina Abadham

Apoorva

Venki

Song: Sorgam Madhuvilae Music: Vijay Anthony Singers: Rahul Nambiar, Sakthisree

Song: Kotta Kottaga Music: Srilekha Singer: Karthik, Srilekha

Song: En Jeevane Music: Vidhyadharan Singer: Madhu Balakrishanan

Song: Helo Geleya Music: AM Neel Singers: Karthik Sagar, Shreya Ghosal

Pattalam

Avakai Biryani

Gopalapuranam

MOggina Manasu

Song: Engo Pironthom Music: Jassie Gift Singers: Arungopan, Shanmon, Thushar

Song: Nadiche Yedu Adugullo Music: Manikanth Kadri Singers: Chitra, Naresh Iyer

Song: Nee Nilavo Music: Younusseo Singers: Vineeth Sreenivasan

Song: I Love You Music: Mano Murthy Singer: Sonu Nigam

Kulir 100 Degrees

Blade Babjee

Kabadi Kabadi

Buddhivanta

Song: Manasellam (unplugged) Music: BoBo Shashi Singers: Simbu

Song: Rajamundry Music: Koti Singer: Karunya

Song: Porattam Therottam Music: Nadirsha Singers: Pradeep

Song: Ravivarmanaa Music: Ajay Anthony Singers: Hariharan, Koushik, Vinaya

sakkarakatti

Chedugudu

Veruthe Oru Bharya

Payana

Song: Chinnamma Music: A.R. Rahman Singers: Chinmayi, Benny Dayal

Song: Nacchave Sonia Music: Chakri Singers: Suchitra, Rahul Nambiar

Song: Om Karam Shangil Music: Shyam Dharman Singer: Unni Menon

Song: Manasa Gange Music: V Harikrishna Singers: Sonu Nigam

Abhiyum Naanum

Indumathi

Thalappavu

aramane

Song: Pachai Kaatre Music: Vidyasagar Singer: Sadhana Sargam

Song: Kanne Pilla Music: Anand Singer: Noel

Song: Kanninu Kuliram Music: Alex Paul Singer: K. S. Chithra

Song: Nanagu Music: Gurukiran Singer: Kunal Ganjawala

Aegan

Junction

Mayabazar

Haage Summane

Song: Hey Baby Music: Yuvanshankar Raja Singer: Shankar Mahadevan

Song: Nacchavu Nacchavura Music: John Solman Singer: Sonu Kakkar

Song: Jil Jil Nee Song: Haage Summane Music: Rahulraj Music: Mano Murthy Singers: Swetha, Vineeth Singer: Sonu Niigam Sreenivasan This analysis is based on the number of times a song is streamed or downloaded from the #1, 100% legal music portal: http://music.galatta.com Log on to browse, stream and download your favourite music from thousands of numbers, from movie and non-movie albums!

58 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

3

Star of the month

time Best Actor

National Award winner

Mam

mootty

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 63

Mammootty – an actor who can make blockbusters in an extensive era from 1982 to 2008; who holds three prestigious National Awards; the only actor who won an exceptional National Award for a non-Malayalam film; who has most successful movies in Malayalam; the only actor who won the State Award for the best actor for a negative role (Adiyozhukkukal); the only superstar who made super hits in other languages (Anantham, Marumalarchi, Dhalapathi, Kandukondain Kandukondain); who appeared in cop’s roles 25 times; an actor of dynamism and excellence… How long can we go on adding numerous attributes to Mammootty’s histrionic talents? Can we ever measure his fabulous emoting calibre with a common yardstick?

From his very first screen appearance in 1971 (Anubhavangal Palichakal) to his recent Twenty:20, Mammootty embodies a spirit of true professionalism, originality and commitment. He has, until today, acted in over 300 films in over two decades. He had five releases in 2008; Roudram, Annan Thampi, Paranthu, Maya Bazaar and Twenty:20. Two of them (Paranthu and Maya Bazaar) did not do well at the box office, nor did he win any awards.

But the superstar is unperturbed, as the success of the other three films helped him to remain on top seat. According to Mammootty, his biggest achievements are two upcoming films: Pazhazzi Raja and Kuttishranku, slated for 2009.

s

uccess and Failure According to Mammootty, film or acting is like firing a bullet from a gun!

It should be calculated and pointed.

Once the bullet leaves the gun, you have no control over it. A product can turn bad, not the production.

Sometimes, film fails somewhere. It could be bad luck; perhaps it could be because of your miscalculations or unskillful approach to the theme.

Anyway, you can’t blame anyone for that. You can blame only your own intelligence, Mammootty says. The success of the film is a collection of several factors. Luck is a prime factor in making a film click.

Realism vs. Commercialism If there is an option to choose between realistic films and commercial films, Mammootty would surely go for realistic ones as acting in them is rather easy. Although commercial films are unavoidable for a superstar like him, Mammootty reveals that it’s very difficult to act in a commercial setup. In realistic films, you only have to attempt the role realistically.

In commercial films, you have to work really hard to give it a realistic touch. Interestingly, Mammootty says that he adopts the same acting style in both setups. In both cases, he never exaggerates nor makes acting more dramatic. He acts as naturally as he can.

Mammootty’s Dreams Mammootty has already crossed all boundaries of world cinema. Apart from Malayalam, he acted in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and English films. In 1989, he made his Tamil debut in Maunam Sammatham. He acted in Tamil with frontline directors like K. Balachander (Azhagan) and Mani Ratnam (Thalapathy). In 1995, Mammootty had a surprise blockbuster Makkal Aatchi, one of the biggest hits of the

64 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

year. Mammootty’s Tamil film Aanandam was the biggest hit of 2001. Later, he did Kandukondain, Kandukondain which gained him widespread popularity throughout the nation including North India. He made his foray into Hindi films through Thriyathri in 1989 followed by Dhartiputra and Dr. Ambedkar, which was widely acclaimed in several leading international film festivals. Now, if you ask Mammootty about his aspirations in his life or profession, surprisingly the answer will be a pleasant “None.” The fact is that he has almost become a living legend, beyond dreams, success or failures.

A writer in Mammootty How many of you know that Mammootty is a good writer? Mammootty has turned writer with his first book ‘Kazhchapadu’ (translated as Perspective), a collection of short essays he penned for a column in the largest circulated Malayalam newspaper Malayala Manorama over the years. The book was published in 2007 by the famous Current Books, Trichur.

O

n Social Commitments ll human beings are subjected to several social commitments.

Mammootty too is not an exception to this social decree.

As a responsible citizen, Mammootty is involved in more than half a dozen philanthropic projects aimed at helping needy people. He is the patron of the Pain and Palliative care Society, a charitable organization in Kerala, and the ambassador of ‘Jeevan Jothi’, a social work project aimed at providing aid to people who are seeking treatment for any ophthalmic, cardiac, orthopedic and liver diseases. He is also the ambassador of a charity project aiming at the eradication of child abuse and child labour.

‘Kazhcha’, another venture to extend free eye care and treatment, is also maintained by Mammootty Fans’ Welfare Association.

Future projects Mammootty’s much-anticipated projects in 2009 are Pazhassi Raja, Kuttyshranku and Yugapurushan.

In Pazhassi Raja, Mammootty plays the title role as Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja, popularly known as the Lion of Kerala, a king in the 18th century from the Kottayam royal family. His Kuttyshranku is the first-ever Malayalam production by prestigious Reliance Entertainment, owned by Anil Ambani.

In Yugapurushan, a period film based on the life and times of Sree Narayana Guru (1856-1928), Mammootty will play the role of a revolutionary who lived and supported the guru’s teachings in the same period.

For interviews with such talents who have made cinematic history with their body of work, simply log on to www.galatta.com. G C

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 65

WHAT’S ON Galatta.com

in-house snippets December specials In December, Galatta.com kickstarted 3 news sections- Birthday of the Month (Rajinikanth), Hunk of the Month (Arya) and Diva of the Month (Namitha). A monthly affair on the site, we will feature some interesting titbits about the stars, along with their latest wallpapers, posters and sometimes even a special contest!

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68 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

Galatta.com has always ventured to give its users something unique. And continuing in the same direction we will be launching a new section Cinema Cinema. You have been seeing the Top 10 videos and other specials on our site, but come January, you will see a whole new set of programming, created and developed specially for netizens. This will include our usual countdown shows and premiere event coverages, but in a completely new package. We will also have exclusive interviews, movie reviews and a whole new gamut of interesting programmes. A new group of young and hip net jockeys join us for this online extravaganza. Galatta.com is sure that this will be a never before seen cinematic experience on the Net!

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january UPDATE

The month of January is a musical month.

Veteran singer K.J. Yesudas, musical genius A.R. Rahman and popular composer Harris Jayaraj, all celebrate their birthdays in January. Wow!! What a way to start 2009. And we at Galatta.com plan to make this a very special online musical celebration!! So keep logging on.

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from the digital desk

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN

WHAT A

GALATTA MONTH

JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

prasanna - Video Editor Galatta means a lot to me. When my spirits were bogged down by so many problems, two of my friends working for Galatta.com referred me to their boss for the post of video editor. I was selected as he liked my video editing style.

In no time, Galatta became my solace, a warm sunshine! Earlier, there was not a single Sunday when I felt “oh…Monday mornings, I hate them”. Now, it is “Yahoo! Monday Mornings!!!”

Though work and deadlines dangle like a

meenakshi - GALATTA.COM DIVA OF THE MONTH

PC WALLPAPERS

sword overhead, one never feels the pressure in the cheerful company of teammates, the ever-smiling and empathic TL, and encouraging bosses. We are just like a big family.

Video editing needs a lot of creativity; in creating an atmosphere conducive for creativity to giving the respect an employee deserves, no one can beat Galatta. This is how every month goes by in Galatta – my dreamland!

TS Balaiah

70 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

The sadly undervalued multi-talented brilliant character actor and Tamil film star T.S. Balaiah remains virtually unknown on the other side of the Vindhyas because it was his destiny to act mainly in Tamil cinema with a few in Malayalam and other languages. With a distinctive and impressive on-screen presence and remarkably individualistic style of dialogue delivery, he remains unparalleled to this day, long after his demise. There have been many imitators, but none has equalled him so far.

Unforgettable Balannan

Balaiah created indelibly immortal roles in many classics and hits of Tamil cinema, including Velaikkari (1949), Uthamaputhiran (1940), Aryamala (1941), Manonmani (1942), Meera (1945), Valmiki (1946; his catch line ‘Veerasimma, padaraadhey, padaraadhey!’ became very famous and was spoken by many on the streets during those days), Mohini (1948; MGR and V.N. Janaki were in the cast, the main roles were performed by T.S. Balaiah and Madhuri Devi).

Velaikkari (1949; a Jupiter Pictures production written by C.N. Annadurai and directed by writer-director A.S.A. Sami) had K.R. Ramasami and V.N. Janaki in the lead roles.

T.S. Balaiah scaled the skies with his brilliant performance as the smart aleck friend of the hero who helps him extract his revenge for his father’s death at the hands of a local Shylock (D. Balasubramaniam). TSB virtually carried the film on his shoulders with his role, named ‘Mani’. Its political

Unable to afford a regular education, he left school to join to became an actor, perhaps the wisest decision he ever took in his life. undertones and scintillating dialogue by Anna paved the way for this film to not only become a hit, but also become a watershed in the history of Tamil Cinema and Tamil Nadu politics.

His other famous films include Ezhai Padum Paadu (1950) a brilliant adaptation by K. Ramnoth of Victor Hugo’s celebrated French classic ‘Les Miserables’. Nagaiah in the lead role was outstanding with Balaiah playing the villain in his usual characteristic style. Ore Iravu (1951) was an A.V. Meyyappan production directed

by Pa. Neelakantan and written by C.N. Annadurai (who wrote it earlier as a play) in which the action takes place during a single night, hence the title. The movie, of course, was expanded with more elements added. It had, besides Balaiah as the blackmailing villain, K.R. Ramasami, Telugu superstar A. Nageswara Rao, Lalitha, B.S. Saroja, T.P. Muthulakshmi and T.K. Shanmugam, the iconic Tamil stage star.

72 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

T.S. Balaiah

Another brilliant portrayal of Balaiah was as a lust-crazed music teacher in N.S. Krishnan’s Manamagal which was based on a famous Malayalam play by Munshi Paramau Pillai. Even though Sahasranamam was the hero opposite Padmini, Balaiah stole the show with his excellent performance as music teacher who has his way with women. Lalitha, T.A. Mathuram, N.S. Krishnan and others were also in the cast. (Balaiah told this writer that he portrayed this character based on a real-life musician of Thanjavur whom he refused to name!) His effusive emoting as ‘Paattu vaathiyar’, singing in the famous duet ‘Chinnanchiru kiliye.’ (voice V.N. Sundaram-MLV, music C.R. Subbaraman, lyrics Bharathiar) exuded syrupy silky seductive tones!)

While he portrayed villainous shades in many movies, his role in the classic Thiruvilayaadal (1968) as an egoistic musician was superb; the song picturised on him, (rendered off screen

by M. Balamuralikrishna, ‘Oru naal podhuma..’) is one of the eternal melodies of Tamil cinema. Other films of his later years which deserve praise include Madurai Veeran (1956), Baagaprivinai (1959), Kaadhalika Neramilai (1964), Bhama Vijayam (1967). The hit song ‘Varavu

T.S. Balaiah, Sivaji Ganesan

M.G. Ramachandran. Soon Pathi Bhakthi took a new avatar with some changes and became Sati Leelavathi (1936) a historic movie directed by debutant Ellis R. Dungan. This film also introduced Radha, Balaiah, and MGR to cinema.

Balaiah, then pencil-thin, was the villain; his performance impressed Dungan and also Tamil moviegoers of the day. Balaiah was a close friend of Ellis R. Dungan and was keen on producing a film under the American Tamil filmmaker’s direction. However, Dungan discouraged his attempts for he was anxious to get back to his home in the US. When Dungan returned to India in 1994 on a nostalgic trip, Balaiah was no longer around.

Not many are aware that Balaiah was also a knowledgeable musician and could play the Sivaji Ganesan, T.S. Balaiah mridangam and thavil competently. He also composed a few songs, but sadly, that aspect of ettana, selavu patthanaa’ picturised on him and the kids is one of the his talent did not receive much attention. With his flair for immortal melodies of Tamil Cinema. Balaiah, born on August 22, humour, he was also good at pleasing people while speaking 1914, belonged to Tirunelveli with poverty as his constant companion. Unable to afford a regular education, he left school to join a Boys’ Company to became an actor, perhaps the wisest decision he ever took in his life even as a mere kid. At first, life was a relentless struggle with hardly any good roles coming his way, but he never gave up hope. Then came a break to enact an important role in ‘Cymbeline’ (a lesserknown play of William Shakespeare adapted by Sankaradas Swamigal) followed by Pathi Bhakthi, a hit play written by A. Krishnaswami Pavalar. This play was taken up for production as a movie, but soon problems arose; the writer-director M. Kandaswamy Mudaliar walked out of the project with his son M.K. Radha, Balaiah, and a struggling boy named

With his flair for humour, he was also good at pleasing people while speaking the truth, both simultaneously!

the truth, both simultaneously! After the preview of a movie in which he had a good role, he came out of the auditorium to speak his friends while the cast and crew of the film waited at some distance to speak to him. Noticing them hanging around, he shook his head vigorously as if in appreciation of the film and whispered to his friends ‘padam romba mosam’! The waiting crowd thought he had praised the movie and began to pat themselves on their backs! That was Balaiah.

Balannan, as he was affectionately known in the Tamil cinema world, was a person with a bubbling sense of humour, ever ready with a wisecrack; he had no starry airs or ego normally associated with movie stars. His memory is warmly kept alive today by his films screened on TV channels and with most of them being available as video and digital discs. Many character actors have since appeared over the horizon, but none has been able to even touch Balaiah. Such was his class!

T.S. Balaiah

For more such interesting stories about cinema of the bygone days, simply log onto Randor Guy’s official blog on Galatta.com- http://blogs.galatta.com

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 73

chawla Who is your inspiration?

The one and only Sridevi Who is the hottest Indian hero?

Aamir Khan... and you HAVE to agree with me on this!

Your favourite food…

Pongal (Yummmm!)

What makes you smile?

A good joke is all I need to break in to a smile. Seems like an easy way to please me, doesn’t it! (smiles) What brings a tear?

If someone scolds me or shouts at me, it really hurts me. Yep, I am quite non-aggro, so don’t go raising tha voice on me!

What makes you angry?

I CANNOT stand it when women are insulted. It makes my blood boil!

Your dream role…

I don’t have one dream role. I want to try my hand at a wide variety of roles. You know what they say about the ‘V’ word being the spice of life!

A director you wish to work with…

It has to be Mani Ratnam Sir! An actor you have to act with in your career…

I can’t think beyond Kamal sir. He is definitely one of the finest actors India has produced.

The first time you faced the camera…

It was for the Telugu movie Aadi opposite NTR Junior. In Tamil my first movie was Aanai with Arjun.

Your favourite actor/actress…

First and foremost, my inspiration, Sridevi. Among actors, my favourite is Ajith.

Your all time favourite movie…

Love Story! I am definitely a

romantic at heart!

A book that you loved…

Positive Thinking. I believe in the power of positive thinking. One can achieve everything that one aspires for, with a optimistic mind.

The first thing you do in the morning?

I pray to God. Don’t you think that is the best way to start your day??

Your favourite colours…

Well, I like most colours, but my all time fave is Pink!

Your closest friend…

My family! All of them are my best and closest friends!

Your pastime…

I love to do the usual things. Read books, watch television... I also try my hand at drawing. but no, I am no aspiring artist!

Your most memorable moment…

It has to be the first day of my shooting. It was exciting to face the camera for the first time.

The best comment you have got…

That I am very good girl By the way, I AM a good girl!

Family member you are closest to…

My brother. I can share with him whatever I want.

What is the one thing you always carry with you?

A picture of Mata Rani (Goddess Durga). It is her blessings that have got me this far.

Message to Galatta fans…

Take care and wish you all the best in whatever you do.

Love the stars talking snappy?

Watch them get on candid camera for hours... online. Simply log onto www.galatta.com and check out the video interviews section.

M

IDNIGHT

AGIC MOONBEAMS, STARRY NIGHTS, DREAMY AIRS, streaking

lightning... VISHAL TAKES YOU on a sky-high JOURNEY OF flowing dreams and aspirations...

THE INDUSTRY FAVOuRS THE ONES ALREADY AT THEIR PEAK. WHAT ABOUT THE ASPIRING NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK? I WOULD LIKE TO BE AN INSPIRATION TO THOSE WITH STARRY DREAMS AND WOULD EVENTUALLY LIKE TO START AN ACTING SCHOOL TO HONE THE POOL OF TALENT WE HAVE IN THE SOUTH. BUT FOR NOW I AM CONCENTRATING ON THE TWO MOVIES I HAVE AT HAND. I THINK THEY WILL BE WELLRECEIVED BY MY FANS AS THE CHARACTERS HAVE DEPTH... AND ARE IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT GENRE FROM THE ROLES I HAVE PLAYED IN THE PAST. I AM OPTIMISTIC.

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 79

survival of the fittest. but also of the strongest believers and the go-getters. i am one of those. i will live my dream, i will love my people, i will weave my magic... and they will love to love me back. with every project, i will go one step further in making a difference, small or big. feel my energy, come with me, flow with my verve.

80 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 81

ambition is not all about stress and frenzy. being at peace, being confident, finding that sweet spot in life... these make even a dwarf larger than life. it is gk films corporation, it is my family, it is thoranai, it is many more such projects, it is my dreams of direction, it is that bright light in the distance that i live for, it is my work and my life. no one can take these away from me and in the end, you will love me for it... if you don’t already!

82 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

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DASAVATHAARAM

VAARANAM AAYIRAM Vaaranam Aayiram is more like a slice of life - yours, Suriya’s and everybody else’s - than just a movie. The Harris-Gautham combo has delivered, yet again, as has the Suriya-Gautham combo. Suriya has raised the bar when it comes to looks as well as acting skills.

The guy is just top class! Sameera, with her subdued beauty, makes a huge impact. A debut to die for. For a movie that took nearly two years to release, Gautham’s tribute to his dad has officially become a hit.

Trust Kamal Haasan to come out with something as gigantic as Dasavathaaram!

Under the captainship of director K.S. Ravikumar, the ace performer has given Indian cinema audiences an entertainer that is quite awesome in magnitude. The look and characterization of each avatar of Kamal is done in keeping with international standards, and the end product is truly a global affair! It’s no wonder that Asian super star Jackie Chan made a special presence at the audio release of the movie.

! Vaaranam viemaking with a big bang mo ed ter en ve ha irs he of the ar Kalaign Sun Pictures, an extention ile wh , The Maran Brothers and the on cti du pro o int i hen. of Dayanidhi Azhagir al thriller Kadhalil Vizhund gic Aayiram marked the entry olo ych ps the th wi st try gan their cine Sun Television Network be

SATYAM It was Vishal’s turn to get the short haircut and the hot ab cuts!

But it was Upendra’s role as the anti-hero in the flick that was the big surprise. Nayantara upped the heat with her curves while Harris Jayaraj raised the tempo with his funky beats. Despite this, the movie was an average grosser. The wordy monologues could have been the culprit!

SANTOSH SUBRAMANIUM

Sathosh Subramanium was one of those fun flicks with some super catchy tunes.

Jayam Ravi as the devoted son, Prakashraj as the demanding dad and Genelia as the bubbly ladylove did their parts with finesse. The icing on the cake however, was Devi Sri Prasad’s peppy music.

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 85

Tamil kuselan

In the remake tradition that has caught on in Kollywood, Kuselan was touted to be one of the biggies. But sadly the movie fell flat. Not even Rajinikanth’s charisma could lure audiences and producers found themselves in way more trouble than they had anticipated. Pasupathy’s acting and Rajni’s touching speech in the climax were the only saving graces. Vadivelu, leading the comedy brigade went a tad over the top with the sexual overtones. And G.V. Prakash’s music hardly made a mark. Though a remake of the Malayalam hit Katha Parayumbol, the movie turned out to be a good story, gone bad.

ANJAATHE With a name like Mysskin, you are bound to raise an eyebrow, but his movies seem to have that lucky charm that evokes resounding audience applause. Anjathey is one such movie. Narain and Ajmal, in the lead roles, made their director proud.

Prasanna as the cruel abductor and Pandiarajan as his accomplice make quite an interesting villain duo. What had everyone clapping in appreciation was the cinematography and Sundar C. Babu’s earthy beats.

His song ‘Vazhameen’ from Chithiram Pesudhadi was a roaring success and Kathale Kannale in Anjaathe was an equally infectious tune. The thriller value, the interesting casting and the slick entertainer that it was, made it a hit.

DHAAM DHOOM Bollywood beauty Kangna Ranaut made her Kollywood debut with Dhaam Dhoom, alongside Jayam Ravi who’s finally in an action entertainer after a long time. When the late director Jeeva set out to make Dhaam Dhoom, he had us all excitedly awaiting another colourful cine experience. With Dhaam Dhoom, Jeeva tried his hand at an action thriller. The result, probably quite different from his vision, was a fast-paced movie with a few logical snags.

But Harris Jayaraj’s mesmerising melodies made up for all that.

SAROJA If you thought Chennai 28 was a chance hit for Venkat Prabhu, think again. Saroja, in the style of a Guy Ritchie comedy action flick, is brimming with energy from start to end. Vaibhav, Shiva, Premji and S.P. Charan make one hilarious troupe of heroes who unwittingly get mixed up in a kidnapping case.

Yuvanshankar Raja’s soft corner for Venkat Prabhu is quite obvious, with his unbeatable beats, dont you agree?!

SUBRAMANIYAPURAM 2008’s biggest Tamil surprise hit, Subramaniyapuram, is the story of four blameless guys who are forced into crime.

James Vasanthan’s debut soundtrack album soared the hit charts, especially with Kangal Irandal; director Sasi’s hard-hitting (and a tad gory) screenplay and direction made their mark and the movie was a super-duper hit across centres!

Telugu Paragu

Raksha genre made a

Allu Arjun and Sheela came together for Paragu. Considered one of the most talented actors of the new generation after the success of Bommarillu, Bhaskar returned as the director of this film. Sheela, who has had a decent run in Tamil, was the heroine in this film. The music did very well and the movie itself was a decent performer at the box office. The Malayalam dubbed version was also a runaway hit.

Allu Arjun will return in 2009 with the sequel of his 2004 super hit Arya.

or gapathi The horr h this Ja the it w k c a comeb movie, rrer. The pal Babu sta ion of Rama Go nd u rs e v , oonk fo Telugu di hit Ph -office. in H ’s a x Varm e bo kers at th many ta also marked the ie fter The mov Telugu a f RGV to gapathy Babu return o . Ja 008 me time quite so ood innings in 2 g . a h d Raks a has had tham an a ve g a a h w t S o with may n but ayakadu Kanthan at the box-office as w t a th re n g a e don Rajinik pposite o le ro is h ted. apprecia

Paragu

Ready

JALSA Jalsa, one of the biggest hits of 2008, saw Pawan Kalyan at his best.

With not one but three heroines, Jalsa proved to be one of the high points of 2008. Devi Sri Prasad’s music topped the charts as one of the top albums of the year. In fact, Devi has used 2 of the numbers in Tamil film Villu!

She might not be the highest paid actress in South India, but Genelia is today one of the most successful. Her innocence and cuteness on screen has translated into box-office success not only in Telugu but also in Tamil and Hindi. 2008 has been an amazing year for her with three hits, Ready in Telugu, Santosh Subramanium in Tamil and Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na in Hindi. Her on-screen chemistry with Ram in Ready won the hearts of the young cinema audiences. Sreenu Vaitla once again proved that he is king of the box-office. He closed 2008 with another big film, the Nagarjuna-Trisha starrer King. An amazing year indeed for the director!

Gamyam Simple stories, told with honesty and style, were some of the success stories of 2008. Astha Chemma, Gamyam and Kotha Bangaru Lokam belong to this genre. Gamyam deserves a special mention as the theme of the movie and innovative story telling made it one of the biggest hits of 2008. The movie will be soon seen in Tamil as Kadhalna Summa Illai with Sharwanand and Kamalinee in the leads roles

Bujjigadu Trisha proved that she is the numero uno of Tollywood with this flick. Paired opposite Prab has, she was at her glamorous bes t.

Set in Chennai, the movie was the talk of the town even before its release. The hero is shown to be a huge fan of Rajinikanth and the Superstar released the music of this film. Rajni’s Kathanayakadu may not have been a box offic e hit, but his mention in Ready proved to be a huge contributo r for this Puri Jagannath film.

Gorintaku Based on the ‘brother-sister sentiment’, Gorintaku was well recieved by female audiences. Dr. Rajasekhar and Meera Jasmine starred in this tearjerker, one of the surprise hits of 2008.

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 87

Kannada Acrossstrunclum languages, the movies a success hadsero nothing withDumus the stars in them.

Evit. Mules pliurnin vivideo,that Patusfound hossenius?

Gultum miureito fitdo vivatis. cierdien vis. The movies that workeddem wereomandum. those that had good storylines, great performances and melodious music. Some small budget Mor aderum Udenatio, corwent ut L. Ividium o vit, conblockbusters incus prartemwhile manum noctus mus.

Valiustatis movies on to become bigpubliem moviespatus withconcerbituus a huge star vendam casts bitocaesit, the dust.

2008 proved oractumus; hocterfere det; nius, catu ilibus tam omnes? Popublina, P. Cendum que actus virma, nonsu sulisquod inare that size did not vagilin matter!

Ee Bandhana

Very similar to the Hindi hit Baghban which starred Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini, Ee Bandhana brought Jaya Pradha to Kannada. Starring opposite Vishnuvardhan, Jaya showed her mettle as a topclass actress. The family sentiment in the movie was widely accepted and appreciated. Ee Bandhana crossed the ‘hit’ mark at the box office.

Budhivantha Remake of the Tamil movie Naan Avan Illai, Upendra rocked in the movie. Playing the anti-hero, he proved time and again in every frame why he one of the top actors of Kannada cinema. Not only in this film, in 2008, his role in the Tamil film Satyam also won rave reviews. Though the film may not have been a success at the box-office, Upendra’s work was appreciated.

Vamshi The Rajkumar sons have continued their father’s legacy with lot of style and success. Focussing on a mother-son relationship, the film starred Puneeth Rajkumar as the son and veteran Lakshmi as the mother. The film was an average performer at the box office. Though Puneeth’s previous release Milana was a huge success and his work in this movie was appreciated, it was apparently not enough to make the coffers overflow.

Mussanje Maathu Mussanje Maathu Divya Spandana proved once again that she is the queen of Sandalwood. Sudeep has done a wonderful job, just the way he did in the Ram Gopal Varma hit Phoonk.

Though the movie did not have much of a story, the performances of all the lead actors and the music score made the film a success in a year filled with lukewarm movies across the South. Notably, Ramya’s run in Tamil seems to have opened up again, with Vaaranam Aayiram.

88 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

Navagraha The biggest USP of the film was that it starred 7 heroes and all of them are sons of yesteryear villains. The film attracted a lot of attention and had a great opening at the box-office, all set to be one of 2008’s top grossers. Darshan, one of the 7 heroes, has had a good run at the box-office.

His other 2008 releases Gaja and Ee Bandhana, in which he played a cameo, were also winners at the box office.

Malayalam Thirakkatha

Twenty: 20 What happens when all the stars of Malayalam Cinema come together? We have a magnum opus like Twenty:20. Starring the biggest actors, male and female, of Malayalam cinema, this is one of the biggest productions in the history of Indian Cinema. The father of all multi-starrer flicks, the movie starred Mammooty, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Jayaram, Dileep, Bhavana, Nayantara, Prithviraj... you name them and they were in the movie. Though marred by several delays, controversies, ego clashes, et al, the movie hit the screens. The controversies, especially among rival fan groups, continued, but the movie too continues its hit run at the box office. To get together an essentially image- and ego-conscious culture was in itself a huge feat!

Veruthe Oru Bharya Prithviraj is slowly becoming a star to reckon within Malayalam. He had some amazing releases in 2007 and the trend continued in 2008 with Thirakatha and Thallapavu. Starring Priyamani, Thirakatha was one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year. His work has been appreciated in Tamil as well. His 2008 release Vellitherai has won him rave reviews. He continues to juggle with interesting projects in Tamil as well as Malayalam, working with some of the biggest names in cinema. He has closed 2008 with a bang with Lollipop. He has lost a lot of weight and looks super HOT!

Madambi

Jayaram had a spate of flops in Malayalam, but Veruthe Oru Bharya turned the tide in favour of this actor. The movie was a surprise hit and Jayaram’s rise began again. He had a good run even in Tamil, with hits like Dhaam Dhoom, Pirivoam Sandhippoam and of course the biggest of them all, Saroja. Looks like negative roles suit this cherubic actor just fine!

Mohanlal, Kavya Madhavan, Ajmal Amir and Mallika Kapoor came together for this family drama.

Mohanlal, who had a mixed 2008, gave his first big hit with Madambi. He had as many as eight releases this year. Worth mentioning is Aakshagopuram, inspired

by Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen’s play The Master Builder. Mohanlal is also part of the Japanese film Nair San, starring Jackie Chan, releasing in 2009.

Cycle

A group of young stars, a simple story, a good music score, amazing performances - these made Cycle one of the biggest blockbusters of 2008. The movie marked the debut of Vineeth Srinivasan, singer and son of actor Sreenivasan. The movie also starred Kadhal Sandya.

Annan Thambi

This is perhaps Mammootty’s biggest hit in 2008. Playing a double role, the actor had fans dancing on his fingertips in this completely commercial film. Lakshmi Rai, who sizzled in Dhaam Dhoom as well as on the Galatta Cinema cover, was the heroine.

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 89

Sada

Daniel Balaji

Lakshmi Rai

Photoshoots One of the things we loved doing with Galatta Cinema was shooting our stars. With a camera, of course.

We loved the way Lakshmi Rai, Sada, Gautham Menon and Daniel Balaji and others posed for us - and we became back-slapping chums in the process! Want to see more? Simple, catch it on www.galatta.com! You will know what makes Galatta.com so special!

Gautham Menon

(English)y o t n e m Me 00, Memento was directeecd tob r of

20 s dir Released in now famou pher Nolan, the ht. Christo ig Kn k ar Christopher D e Th d ry an o s in ort st Batman Beg nathan’s sh wanted Brad brother, Jo olan N e. vi o adapted his m and e ate issues, Mori for th ut due to d Memento b , to le t ro en w ad e le part Pitt to do th ord a bigger star, the nes aff in B/W (sce es t o sh as not able to w n e vi ce o (s m r u e lo . Th co Guy Pearce nological order) and e movie Th ). ro er ch rd o in appear vie nological verse chro l. In the mo d film festiva appear in re au e fr ic ce en n V ra e at th rmer insu premiered Shelby, a fo ves d ie ar el n b o e h Le ts Guy plays for the man lary. He ge r searching uring a burg suffering d investigato e if w is h killed ends up raped and rglary and ts ring the bu is, the even at th , ia injured du ade amnes tely erased gr le p ro m te co an e from jury ar with his after the in helps him that occur Ann Moss e ri e box ar th C . at d l in successfu from his m e film was for Original Th s . ar n o sc ti O ga e investi ed for th as nominat office. It w g. n iti Ed d an Screenplay

GHAJINI THEN NOW

HUN

T

GHAJINI

(Tamil)

Released in 2005, G hajini dire Murugad cted by A oss .R. actor in a , starring Suriya, p ort never befo re seen m rayed the played his anner. Asi lo n killed and ve interest Kalpan a, who is Suriya aka Sanjay Ra up with a mnesia, in masamy end w nothing a fter a spa hich he can remem s n of 15 m ber movie, th inu ough sim ilar to Me tes. The the basic m ento in premise a nd look (t polaroids attoo an to treatm d all), differed whe s, ent. Unlike n it came the origin past is re vealed w a hen the co l, Sanjay’s and docto p (Riyaz K r (Nayanta han) ra musical sc ore by Ha ) read his diary. Th rris Jayara e of the hig j hlights. T he movie was one become a went on to very big h it and wo of appreci n Suriya a ation. lot

and GHAJINI (Hindi)

Released in 20 08, Ghajini dire cted by A.R. Murugados s (again!), starri ng Aamir Khan, the Hind i version of the film, stayed true to the Tam il original in man y ways, so much so that Asin reprised he r role in this version as well. Jiah Khan stepped into Nayantara’s shoes and A.R. Rahman took over from Harris. Anothe r change made in the Hi ndi version wa s that instead of two villains, there was only one. No double role for the bad guy in the Hindi version! And re peating the su ccess of its predecessors, this version is als o on the verge of becom ing a huge bloc kbuster, having collected Rs. 32 crores on its day of release.

m I H l

Releases

FIN

The year ended with Aamir Khan’s Ghajini, but the movie is sure to continue to rock 2009 as well. Suriya will be back with Ayan and long-awaited releases like Aayirathil Oruvan and Kanthaswamy are expected to hit the screens. 2009 is indeed a big year with some very big and extravagant releases.

How many hit the bull’s eye, we will have to wait and watch. But for the cinema-goer, this year too promises to be a treat with a wide array of films with their favourite stars.

D

H

People & Events 2008 had a gamut of events - movie launches, debuts, premieres, music launches; these formed the usual fare. Stay besides these there were some events that have stayed in our minds as the year comes to a close. Several celebrities (international as well) came down South, Jackie Chan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Hema Malini, Mallika Sherawat and many more. All the latest events coverage of cinema is just a click away. Log on to www. galatta.com and be informed!

Sun Pictures joins hands with the Enthiran team

Chiranjeevi enters politics with Praja Rajyam

Jackie Chan in Chennai for Dasavathaaram music launch

Kollywood unites for Sri Lankan Tamils

Stars come together for Herova Zerova, an Agaram Foundation Initiative

Aamir Khan in Chennai for Srinivas Gollupadi Memorial Award

92 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

Obits With good news comes bad news. 2008 had its share of sad memories as well. Cinema lost some of its favourite children to the cruel hands of death. These stalwarts of cinema will certainly be missed. The veteran of Tamil Cinema M.N. Nambiar passed away in November. Remembered as one of the stylish villains of his time, the actor excelled in comedy as well as character roles. Director L. Sridhar passed away in October. His movies span an entire generation of cinema lovers and are still considered as some of the finest works in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi cinema. Writer Sujatha, the man behind hits like Sivaji, passed away suddenly, while working with Shankar on Enthiran. Of course the passing away of the inimitable Raghuvaran was a big blow too, as was the demise of one of Indian cinema’s most brilliant sound engineers, H. Sridhar; whose last work was Margazhi Raagam, a unique experiment in cinema and classical music.

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 93

b eauties They are not your average, demure leading ladies with a predictable future in movies. They’re Amazons of starpresence and beauty and bare or dare, they have swept aside all frenzied negative tittering and become the boldest, most ambitious and hottest actresses in Southern cinema...

b

200

razen

Shriya No releases down South, but Shriya managed to capture the fancy of rest of India with Mission Istaanbul and rest of the world with The Other End of the Line. We will see her in Kanthaswany in 2009.

East or West, Namitha is the best! She knows how to exploit the glam quotient.

And in 2009 we will see a lot of her. Thee, Indira Vizha, Jagan Mohini, the Telugu version of Billa, Namitha will scroch the screens in each of these films.

Namitha

96 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

Anushka Hot and sassy, Anushka dazzled in Swagatham and Sowryam. In 2009 she drops her glam image for a traditional look in Arundhati.

What can we say about this National Award winning actress?

She brought Tamil Cinema in the forefront with Paruthiveeran.

And with movies like Thirakatha, she is bound to scale new heights.

Ileana

Priyamani

What can we say about this hottie!

She has always managed to stay in the news, be it for refusing Sultan opposite the Superstar or for her little accidents on the sets (She recently hurt her ankle while shooting for Local). 2009 promises to be an interesting year for this petite beauty,

Nayantara

She became the highest paid actress in South India. Success may have eluded her films, but Nayantara was on top all the way, every time and in every film.

She returns to Malayalam in 2009 with Bodyguard.

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 97

2

PEEK

AHEAD

9

A sneak peek at movies that will be hitting the screens in the coming year. But before that we look at a select pick of stars who we think will rock in 2009. Watch out!

Ayan:

Suriya and Tamannaah

Watch out for

SNEHA From gir l next do or to gla a lean an m to now d mean police offi Bhavani! cer in

MANOJ

With a cin ematic lin eage to liv Manoj will e up to, make his debut in Ta nai Theriy mil. Yenuma will fi nally relea se in 2009 .

SNIG

DH

A One it em so ng cat and n apulte ow th e ‘K dh Nanda lala, h athala Kan er to fame , er deb nala’ g ut as KARTHI heroin irl awaits e. didn’t see him at After Paruthiveeran, we , him of re mo see all! But in 2009 we will Paiya. in Aayirathil Oruvan and

gat Sayali Bha

wood. d now Kolly Tollywood an oods’! ‘w e th l Bollywood, al e set to captur raam Vidhi.

Sayali is all tonin Moond ew N in r he Watch

Filmm a kotha ker and V i, wh aana o m organ ising is also an Vasapadu a bril rural arden m-fam liant and u 1-we t social ac e Poong rban distre e tiv k ali s refug s... AND c ke, that b programm ist, is ees in reativ rings e for e wea strife the into f India . o , lt 18th, Don’t mis who are b h of Sri L cus the s anka u 2 n and s 009. Log it - it is fr t victims om Ja o chedu o n 10t f political le. At nto www. h to J galat ta gir ta.co l, Poo m for an ! detail s

And ta Nag C lking a haita bo should nya ers is th ut lineages, the bu e most. the suc rden o cess of Will Na n his g Chait his gra n watc ndfath h! er and anya repeat father?

Wait

Want the A to Z on what’s happening in tinseltown in 2009? News on upcoming movies, debuts, starry events, celeb talk and all things cinematic, just log on to www. galatta.com.

tamil Ayan

We look at some of the Kollywood films that will hit the screens in 2009.

The movies are as diverse as the the cast and this is sure to make the New Year an exciting one for the cinema fans. The best in the industry will showcase their work in 2009. We can’t wait!

After Sivaji, AVM returns in 2009 with Ayan. The movie brings on screen for the first time Suriya and Tamannaah together. Directed

by K.V. Anand, Harris Jayaraj has composed the music. Having won rave reviews for their performances in Vaaranam Aayiram and Kalloori respectively, both actors are sure to create magic on screen in Ayan. Tamannaah is the touted ot be the next big thing in Kollywood. She will join Suriya’s younger brother Karthi in Paiya.

Naan kadavul Bala’s labour of love will finally hit the screens in 2009. After several changes in the cast, the movie has Arya in a never before seen role and Pooja as the heroine.

kanthaswamy

A superhero flick in the making for a long time. Vikram and Shriya are sure to sizzle together.

sultan

Animated Rajinikanth will descend on the silver screen. The first of its kind movie for this part of the country, the Superstar as the Superhero!

Indira vizha

Namitha plays Demi Moore/Priyanka Chopra in this Disclosure/ Aitraaz inspiration. Need we ask for more?!

aayirathil oruvan

Will it, won’t it....may be it will.

Selvaraghavan’s magnum opus may finally hit the screens in 2009 (we think!).

villu

Vijay fans will celebrate Pongal with their fave star. Prabhu Deva is sure to give a hit movie following the success of Pokkiri.

Krishnam Vande Jagathguru

Venaktesh will have another release in 2009 and hopefully will improve upon the BO results of Chintakayla Ravi.

Koncham Ishtamga Koncham Kashtamga

After Happy Days, Tamannaah will want to have another hit with KIKK. She pairs with Sid for the first time.

With hits like Gamyam and Kotha Bangaru Lokam, Tollywood has realised that big films with big names always does not spell success. Of course 2009 will have the larger than life movies, but there will also be small budget movies with interesting stories.

sarkar

Touted as Ramya Krishnan’s return to Telugu, the movie is said to be inspired by The Sixth Sense.

varudhu

A Mahesh Babu release after more than a year! The movie is expected to bring the actor in the forefront once again.

target

Rumoured to be a remake of Basic Instinct, Mumaith Khan plays Sharon Stones role in this thriller.

arundhati

Anushka breaks the glam mould to play an ancient Indian princess (and a double role as well) in this movie.

Nenu Tanu Aame

Madhavan’s Telugu debut, the movie has been in the cans for some time. Sada and Shamitha Shetty add to the glam factor.

drona

Action is the flavour of this movie, inspired from the terror attacks that rocked India in 2008.

telugu

malayalam 2008 belonged to Mammootty and Mohanlal, with intermittent hits from Dileep, Suresh Gopi, Jayaram and Prithviraj.

2009 still belongs to the top stars with some of the biggest releases coming from the ‘M’ duo. Varied subjects and even more varied genres will make 2009 memorable.

Pattanathil Bootham

Looks like Mammooty is all set to try his hand at comedy. Pairing opposite Kavya Madhavan for the first time, this Bootham will not scare anyone, but welcome audiences to theatres.

Sagar alias Jackie

Touted to be the sequel to Mohanlal’s 1987 hit Irupatham Noottandu, the movie will have Mohanlal (again) and Meena in lead roles.

Pazhassi Raja

This historical film, in the making for a long time, will recreate the magic of Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha.

bodyguard Red Chillies

9 radio jockeys and one don, Red Chillies is a fast paced thriller flick directed by Shaji Kailash.

Nayantara returns to Malayalam after two years in this movie opposite Dileep. She signed this film immediately after opting out of the Tamil film Paiya.

circus

Golden star Ganesh had a great debut in Kannada, but his last two releases did not fare well. In 2009 he hopes to change all that with Circus. He also turns producer in 2009.

Holidayz

Ten lead roles, twelve songs, fifteen lyricists and twenty four playback singers, Holidayz is indeed a record breaking attempt. This youthful film sure has raised the curiosity level, but will all these record breaking numbers translate into box-office records, We will have to wait for the movie.

Raj: The Showman

Nisha Kothari debuts in Kannada with Raj. Puneeth has changed his entire look for the movie.

Cheluveye Ninna Nodalu

The movie, featuring the 7 wonders of the world, has Shivarajkumar playing a tourist guide; he has also sung a song in the film.

2008 had its share of hits and flops and 2009 will be no different. But one thing is certain; movies will always remain the staple entertainment diet for all of us!

kannada

BOX january Feature

january

OFFICE

BO NANZA

Banner: Ayngaran International Cast: Vijay, Nayantara Director: Prabhu Deva Releasing: January 2009

Storyline Several rumours about the story of Villu have been doing the rounds.

But the most popular is that it is the remake of the Hindi film Soldier. starring Bobby Deol and Preity Zinta.Made almost a decade ago, this revenge saga, with ample doses of action, patriotism and romance, Soldier was a box-office success.

Though the stills (whatever little that have been released) show not much similarity to the Hindi film, Vijay’s fans are eagerly waiting for their Pongal bonanza from their Ilayathalapathy.

Trade

Verdict Just going by the track record of Prabhu Deva and Vijay, Villu is a sure shot hit. 2007 Pongal was a adhiradi Pongal with Pokkiri and looks like history will repeat itself in 2009. Nayantara and Vijay come together for the first time as the lead pair, And this should definitely attract the crowds. Devi Sri Prasad’s music has already proven to be a hit. Looks like the arrow from this villu will hit the bulls eye!

Box Office

Bonanza Producer: Gokulam Gopalan Cast: Mammootty, Kanihaa, Sarathkumar, Director: Hariharan

PAZHASSI RAJA - malayalam

The team behind the historic Oru Vadakkan Veerakatha returns with Pazhassi Raja. Writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair, director Hariharan and Mammootty join together again for this historical costume drama. Though in the making for more than a year, the movie promises to be a visual extravaganza. The movie is also the Malayalam debut of Tamil action star Sarathkumar. Kanihaa and Suman play important roles in the film. After a farely successful 2008, Pazhassi Raja will definitely be an interesting start for Mammootty, the actor, who has proved time and again that he is still the Superstar of Malayalam cinema. Will he be able to wield tha magic of Oru Vadakkan Veerakatha all over again? We will have to wait and see!

Banner: Dayal Productions Cast: Ganesh, Archana Gupta Director: Dayal Padmanabhan

circus - kannada

Though the titled Circus, most of the movie is shot in a train.

Hoping to redeem himself from two back-to-back average flicks, Golden star Ganesh has worked very hard for this film. He has even changed his look for the film. The movie is also the debut production of writer-director Dayal Padmanabhan’s banner Dayal Productions. Mumbai girl Archana Gupta debuts as heroine.

The film begins at Mysore Railway station and ends at Bangalore Railway station. The romantic comedy, will also have action and suspense.

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 107

RISING ST

RS

sunaina Her parents thought her eyes spoke volumes so they named her Sunaina, which means ‘beautiful eyes’. Born and educated in Nagpur, the long-haired beauty moved to Hyderabad in pursuit of her filmi dreams. She did many advertisements, one of which caught the eye of Chandu, director of the Telugu film 10th class, which is how her Telugu debut 10th class happened.

The KV experience

It was great fun to shoot the songs, though she feels that her best acting was when she ‘played dead’! Having to hold her breathe for 2-3 minutes at a time, while the cameras were rolling, wasn’t easy. When Sunaina saw herself on screen, she couldn’t believe her own performance as it looked so real. Since Sunaina isn’t familiar with Tamil, the director made sure she felt at home giving her time to learn her dialogues. Nakul, her co-star, was just as supportive and since he knew Marathi and Hindi, languages that she knows, she did not feel left out in the mostly Tamil speaking cast and crew.

the competition

Competition is always welcome and Sunaina has a win-win attitude about it. She feels that competition in the film field is healthy, that she can always learn from her colleagues’ work and is quick to appreciate them. A bubbly and lovable girl, Sunaina aims to be just as active as her idols Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth, whose films she watches to learn all the nuances of cinema. Sunaina is also a fan of Asin, liking Asin for her beauty and dedication.

the future

Sunaina’s doing her B. Com through distance education but laughingly confesses she isn’t studious. Her message to other youngsters like herself: Study well and concentrate on studies. Right now, she’s been paired with Nakul in her second Tamil movie with Sun Pictures; Masilamani, as the production house felt the pair had great onscreen chemistry.

Sunaina plans for a great 2009, working hard and says that she’s been getting plenty of offers, though many are of the ‘cute and adorable’ variety.

108 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

NAKUL

RISING ST

RS

Shankar’s Boys introduced Nakul as a chubby, jolly fellow who was there for his friends through thick and thin. He feels lucky to have got his first break with a director like Shankar, though it was tough to work with someone of Shankar’s and A.M. Rathnam’s calibre. But then, he had to wait quite a while after Boys since Nakul wanted to do something different, not the usual run-of-the-mill stuff

How KV happened

Though impressed by his work, many film makers didn’t know what role to give a ‘bablimaas’. While waiting to hit big time, Nakul indulged his passion and sang in the chorus for ‘Rambok Remo’ in Anniyan.

Determined to make it big in Tamil, he kept working on his acting. It was his mentor Shankar who convinced the Kadhilil Vizhunthen producers to cast Nakul in spite of him being chubby. Of course, Nakul lost 10 kgs to become the very image of the young tragic lover. From carefree youth to tragic young lover- the transformation that Nakul effects is amazing and is a testimonial to his budding talent.

As a person

A very private person who believes in spending time with family and friends.

His wild party-days are long gone and he’s content to spend time with those who know him best. He’s someone who believes in delivering the whole package and not bits and pieces so he didn’t breathe a word about Kadhalil Vizhunthen to his family as he wanted to floor them with his performance. So the only thing they knew was that he was acting in a movie and nothing about his role or even the story. Their reaction to the movie and his performance was the best encouragement that he could have got.

For the future

Nakul wants to remain the same person even when he’s famous and doesn’t want to change a thing. He prefers to work with directors who can bring his talents out and wishes to work with all the directors.

Someone who gets into the skin of the character without going overboard, Nakul feels that every director has something new to teach him.

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 109

Bringing

Hollywood Home slumdog millionaire A rag-to-riches fairy tale, minus all the magic!

Genre: Drama Cast: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan Director: Danny Boyle Writer: Simon Beaufoy/Vikas Swarup Company: Celador Films/Film 4 Releasing in: January 2009 Slumdog Millionaire is an extraordinary story – arising from an ordinary situation – of a simple boy. The film is based on Vikas Swarup’s novel “Q and A”. This British film, shot by Danny Boyle, in India with Indian actors, is about Jamal, a slum dweller who tries his hand at Kaun Banega Crorepathi and eventually wins it too. But the abjectness of his lifestyle belittles Jamal’s victory and even raises doubts about his honesty at the game.

But when he begins to explain how he deduced the answer of every question based on his real life experiences, a dramatic tale unfolds. Everyone begins to understand that his life is not as simple as it looks.

must

h watc the day the earth stood still

out009 ’2 Jan

Genre: Sci-Fi/Drama/Thriller/Remake Cast: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly Director: Scott Derrickson Company: 3 Arts Entertainment In this remake of the 1951 classic of the same name, an alien and his mammoth robot visit earth. Their mission: to maintain peace in the galaxy. And they would go to any extent to achieve that.

The House Bunny

out009 ’2 Jan

Genre: Comedy Cast: Anna Faris, Hugh M. Heffner, Emma Stone Director: Fred Wolf Company: Happy Maddison Productions Relieved abruptly of her Playboy Bunny role, an insecure Shelley meets a group of girls in a sorority on her way to “nowhere” and soon both parties find that they have valuable lessons to teach each other!

110 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

defiance It’s time to stand up and march ahead.

Genre: Drama/War/Period Film/Action Cast: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Director: Edward Zwick Writer: Clayton Frohman, Edward Zwick Company: The Bedford Falls Company/Pistachio Pictures Releasing in: January 2009 Defiance – an indispensable part of human nature and thus, also history and a root cause for many historic events. Based on a true story, this film is about four Jewish brothers and how their defiance made history.

Unable to bear the atrocities heaped by the intolerant Nazis, they decide to fight back. Escaping from their WHICH NATION? which is under Nazi control, they join Russian guerilla warfare experts and plan to rescue 1200 Jews trapped in their battered homeland.

An intense war movie from notable director Edward Zwick who gave films like The Last Samurai, Defiance brings out the best in Daniel Craig.

Hollywood movies in India bride wars A race down the aisle!

Genre: Comedy/Romance Cast: Anne Hathway, Kate Hudson Director: Gary Winick Writer: Greg DePaul, Casey Wilson Company: Firm Films Releasing in: January/February 2009

mutscth

wa australia

World War, action, adventure! Phew! Feeling some stress hormones build up?! Well, try this – Bride Wars, a comedy about two brides at war with each other.

Emma and Liv’s friendship was the envy of many. So happily and meticulously they were planning their respective marriages, looking forward to being each other’s maid of honour and the bliss of friendship in the years to come. But all that changed the moment they learnt that their wedding planner has mistakenly booked their wedding dates on the same day, same venue and same time, and thus one of them needs to change the venue or date! But they have their own reasons for not wanting to change their wedding dates! So, now they are each other’s worst enemies, who will go to any extent to stop the other’s wedding!

With his Australian roots, Baz Luhrmann is the best to tell you this tale!

Genre: Drama/War/Adventure Cast: Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman Writer, Director: Baz Luhrmann Company: Bazmark Films/20th Century Fox Releasing in: January 2009 From the director of Moulin Rouge comes an action adventure set in the period of World War II with a touching theme which says humanity is above all – colour, race or creed.

Newly widowed Sarah, a kind-hearted English lady, inherits her husband’s property, a sprawling ranch in Australia. Feeling like a fish out of water in this new land, she decides to sell the ranch, but changes her mind when she finds that her dead husband’s aide will occupy the ranch and would turn the life of Aborigines into hell on earth. Determined to help the Aborigines, she stays on and soon finds help and also love in Drover, a local herdsmen.

Action, Drama, Romance, Horror, Comedy, Thriller, Musical, Animation...

Flavour of the season

out2009 ’ Jan

Max Payne

Mirrors

Twilight

Transporter 3

Genre: Action/ Revenge/Thriller Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Chris O Donnell Director: John Moore Company: Abandon Entertainment

Genre: Horror/ Mystery/Thriller Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton Director: Alexandre Aja Company: Castel Film Romania

Genre: Romance/ Drama/Fantasy Cast: Kirsten Stewart, Robert Pattison Director: Catherine Hardwicke Company: Goldcrest Pictures

Genre: Action Cast: Jason Statham, Natalya Rudakova Director: Oliver Megaton Company: Europa Corp

A DEA agent and an assassin collaborate to avenge the deaths of their loved ones in this adrenaline-pumping action adventure.

t ou 2009 ’ Jan

A creepy and gripping tale of “the other world” behind the mirrors.

We bet you will be afraid of mirrors for the rest of your life, at least in the dark!

t ou 2009 ’ Jan

Isabella Swan has a love story that is anything but ordinary, for she is in love with a vampire with a golden heart! A touching romantic film.

t ou 2009 ’ Jan

Daredevil Frank Martin is back!

This time he has to deliver the kidnapped daughter of a Ukrainian official. With plenty of dangerous criminals en route, of course.

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 111

Carla sues clothing company French first lady Carla Bruni has been in the limelight since her marriage to French President Nicolas Sarkozy earlier this year. The latest embarrassment for her is her naked picture on the bags of clothing company Pardon. The picture taken in 1993, during the peak of her modelling career has her staring at the camera with her hands crossed over her torso. Carla claims that she owns the exclusive rights to the picture and is seeking $163,500 in damages from the company, for using the picture without her consent. A similar nude picture of the former model and singer was auctioned earlier this year where it fetched a surprising $91,000! Looks like controversy is Carla’s middle name!

Italy’s PM eyeing Victoria?

Marlon Brando, the prankster!

Can you imagine Don Corleone ripping of his pants to let a bunch of co-stars get a full view of his behind? James Caan, who plays Marlon Brando’s onscreen son in The Godfather, writes about the incident in his picture book called The Godfather Family. “They’re standing at the wedding ceremony when they posed for a picture, and there are 500 extras on the set.

Bobby Duvall and Brando had a race to drop their pants and Brando beat him.

He bent over and mooned everybody,” he remembers. Adding, “We had this belt made; Moon Champion, hand-tooled leather. Brando got it!”

112 Galatta Cinema |January 2009

Friends of the Beckhams fear that Victoria Beckham is in danger of being wooed by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi who has a reputation for his wild ways with pretty women.

Apparently Berlusconi, who owns the football club AC Milan, is trying to convince Victoria’s husband David to stay on the team longer owing to the team’s midfield hero Gennaro Gattuso’s injury. A source says, “Silvio is a huge fan of Victoria’s. He is also very lecherous and can’t keep his hands off a pretty girl in a skirt.

Gennaro’s injury comes as the perfect excuse!” Beware pretty lady!

Celebrity on top: Danny Boyle Danny Boyle and his Slumdog Millionaire are making heads turn all over the globe. The movie has won three of the most coveted awards at the British Independent Film Awards – Best Film, Best Director [Danny Boyle] and Most Promising Newcomer[Dev Patel]. The movie also won the Best Film award from America’s National Board of Review.

At the LA Film Critics Association Danny won the Best Director. The movie has picked up Golden Globe nominations and the buzz is that an Oscar or two is on the way!

Kylie sings for A.R. Rahman Pop sensation Kylie Minogue has signed on a song composed by India’s music maestro A.R. Rahman for the Bollywood flick Blue. The rumour doing the rounds however is that Kylie was not choice number one, but choice number three! The lady A.R. Rahman wanted first was Madonna who could not make it because of the troubles she’s facing in her personal life and her ongoing tour. A.R. Rahman’s second choice was Rihanna, but she was a tad too costly for the producers Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision.

The composer had to finally settle for Kylie, who has charged just one million US dollars! But this is not the first time that we have a celebrity singer in a Bollywood film. The recent Akshay Kumar starrer Singh is Kinng featured rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. Earlier the bikes and babes flick Dhoom also had a number by Thai-American singer Tata Young, which was a huge hit.

UK gets the Bollywood groove!

If you’re not familiar with the Bollywood beat, it’s bound to be hard to groove to it. The lovely Miss Universe-UK, Lisa Lazarus, while shooting for the movie Veer with Salman Khan found that Bollywood dance style was not her cup of tea. Though not a bad dancer, she stumbled and fell during the shoot. It was the chivalrous Khan who came to her rescue and taught her the steps, with infinite patience. Salman even helped his Marigold co-star Ali Larter dance to a Bollywood tune but the film did badly. Let’s hope Veer has a happier ending!

Bipasha turns songbird Neil Nitin Mukesh may hail from a singing family, but his interest lay in acting. And he has proved that he is a good actor with his debut film Johnny Gaddar. However, he decided to give the family business a try in his next movie Aa Dekhen Zara. The song he is to sing is the remixed version of Kishore Kumar’s song Aa Dekhen Zara from the SUnjay Dutt- Tina Munim starrer Rocky. Once he got a feel of composer Gaurav Dasgupta’s remixed version, he decided he wanted a lady to join the singing. And the lady he chose is Bollywood hotty Bipasha Basu! Bips couldn’t say no because Neil and her man John Abraham have become thick pals since the shooting of New York.

Aamir Drummer Khan Did you know that Aamir Khan has a musical vein that goes beyond lip syncing? On a recent television programme the actor surprised and charmed the audience when he wielded the drum sticks for the song Papa Kehte Hain from his debut film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak on the request of music composer Aadesh Shrivastava. It is said that Aamir learnt to play the drums almost 15 years ago for a movie, but never let go of it ever since. Aamir was soon joined on stage by Pritam on the guitar, while Aadesh and Shankar Mahadevan did the singing.

Galatta Cinema | January 2009 113

Wrap up Just-in info, noteworthy moments, saluting the month’s bests... Let’s Wrap Up in style! awesome 2-some

Aamir Khan and Asin in the just released Ghajini look absolutely delicious on screen! The chemistry between the two is wonderful. The sweetness and passion of the relationship has been brought out by the two beautifully. Aamir Khan is top notch, both as the vibrant lover and the revengetaking action machine.

Though Asin plays Kalpana all over again (she did the Tamil original opposite Suriya, if you had forgotten!!), the portayal is fresh and full of life. The duo looks awesome in the songs ‘Guzarish’ and ‘Behka’.

SIMBU’s AATTAM

Simbu is back, and how! His latest release Silambattam is rocking at the box-office, much to the delight of his fans. Be it action, comedy, dance... Simbu is getting a roaring applause. And the punch dialogues in English....WOW! With Sneha and Sana by his side, the party has just about begun for the Little Superstar!

The Flavour of the season

Margazhi Raagam, an unique and divine cinematic experience hit the screens a couple of weeks ago. A commendable attempt, it a Carnatic concert made exclusively for the big screen. Featuring calssical exponents Bombay Jaishri and T.M. Krishna, the movie has won rave reviews, both from the rasikas and traditionalists.

mesmerising meenakshi

Wondering who this hot babe is? Well, this is Meenakshi from Karuppusamy Kuthagaitharar. Shocked?! Like many newbie heroines, this talented actress has also undergone a complete makeover from the girl-next-door to this glam bombshell.

She will be sizzling in TN 07 AL 4777 opposite Ajmal Amir.

Published by T.S.P. Shanmuga Raja on behalf of Dot Com Infoway Limited from “GNG House”, K-48, Anna Nagar East, Chennai – 600 102 and printed by B. Ashok Kumar at Rathna Offset Printers, 40, Peters Road, Royapettah, Chennai – 600 014. Editor – Shakthi Girish RNI No.TNENG/200721243, Postal Registration No. TN/CCN/310/07-09