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Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Suriya: Hindi Ghajini will be much better

Actor Suriya is very happy with his performance in Gautham Menon’s Vaaranam Aayiram (Surya s/o Krishnan in Telugu) which is receiving rave reviews. Another movie that Suriya acted in was Ghajini with Asin as his ladylove. Ghajini shot to the top of the charts in 2005. And now it is being remade in Hindi with the same title with Aamir Khan as hero. It is being directed by Murugadoss and produced by Allu Arvind. The Hindi version has been two years in the making; Asin was signed up for the Hindi version to play the same role (Kalpana) she enacteed in the Tamil version.

When he met a few members of the press recently, Suriya confided that the Hindi version is going to be 200 times better than the Tamil version. Suriya said that director Murugadoss is very talented and he also makes use of the latest technology that is currently available on the market.

Surya and Asin proud owners of Audi Q7 !

Hot actress Asin purchased an Audi Q7 car, a luxurious sport vehicle for her use. Another actor who has bought the same brand is Surya.

He has purchased an Audi Q7 to celebrate the success of his recently released Vaaranam Aayiram.

The Q7 brand car was introduced in the market a couple of years ago in Germany.

The luxurious car costs approximately Rs.70 lakhs inclusive all the taxes, according to the Indian standards.

The buzz is that Surya has purchased the Audi Q7 upon recommendation by Gautham Menon, who has been one of the first persons to have experienced an Audi make.

Surya meets fans in Bay Area, US

Actor Suriya, who is in USA to participate in the filming of Ayan, managed to find some time from his busy schedule and spent it with his fans in Bay Area. Bharat Creations, the distributor of Vaaranam Aayiram in US, made arrangements for his visit to the theatres of Bay Area where his film is running house full for the second week.

As soon as the actor entered the theatre, he was mobbed by his frenzied fans. Everyone wanted to take a picture with him and get his autograph. And the compassionate actor obliged every single fan! With a very pleasing smile, he posed for pictures and signed autographs. Then he even had a small chat session with all his fans and enthralled them. After having some splendid time with his fans, Suriya bid them good bye to get ready for the shooting of Ayan next day!

Even though we have seen in the past how skilful Suriya is in time management and how compassionate he is, the actor never fails to surprise us!

Fight For No-1 Position

Surya seems to be obsessed with one number and that is 1. Earlier he was obsessed with another number 6. The obsession with six started when he tried hard to get his six packs in shape. The obsession with 1 seems to be originating in his desire to gain the number one position in the Tamil film industry.

Surya almost did a Kamal Hassan in Surya S/O Krishnan. He essayed characters of a whole generation in this film. He looked slim and naïve with his portrayal of a teenager, then he looked robust and matures in his portrayal as a young adult and he looked weak and gullible in his portrayal as a paralyzed old man. Despite this Herculean effort one cannot say with confidence that he is the number one hero in the Tamil films. He sure has proved himself to be a very capable actor.

Vikram with his roles in the Tamil versions of Aparichitudu and Siva Putrudu sure has proved that he is more capable of giving a hit with an out of the box film. Surya lacks in this direction. Had Surya S/O Krishnan been a hit he sure could have laid his hands on the number one position. The struggle for Surya continues till he manages to give a south Indian hit with an out of the box film. However. Film Fare is expected for Suriya for 'Surya S/o Krishnan'.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Vaaranam Aayiram wows audiences Almost every single person said they either absolutely loved the movie or liked it immensely.

After a touching premiere for the movie by Tanker Foundation and Reach India, who held a special screening of Vaaranam Aayiram yesterday in Chennai, audiences walked out of theatres moved nearly to tears by the impact of the movie. Almost every person said they either absolutely loved the movie or liked it immensely.

For a project that seemed to have been jinxed from the start, Vaaranam Aayiram has perhaps found a new lease of life in a quality that should be and essential part of any movie - a beautiful story and a beautiful narration.

When asked what they liked best about the movie, the audiences of the charity show last night responded with a slew of replies, from "fabulous music and visuals to match" to "a most touching father-son relationship" to "beautifully portrayed love stories" to "an amazing perspective of a modern-minded middle-class Indian family".

All in all, it seems that Vaaranam Aayiram could well prove to be the huge strength of director Gautham Menon at the box-office as well as in critics' circles.
It is heartwarming to see the dedication of Suriya, who was filming near Mumbai for Ayan, arrived at the premiere promptly. Divya Spandana and Sameera Reddy looked amazing at the premiere.

Surya shines as father and son in ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ (Tamil Film Review)

Film: “Vaaranam Aayiram”; Director: Gowtham Menon; Cast: Surya, Simran, Divya Spandana, Sameera Reddy; Music: Harris Jayaraj; Rating: *** “Vaaranam Aayiram”, which means ‘a thousand elephants’ in Tamil, is a Surya film all the way. The actor strides through it with his double role, giving a scintillating performance.

The tale is about a goody-goody relationship between father and son. Surya plays a wizened old man, Krishnan, in the autumn of his life and a strapping army major with aplomb..

The 33-year-old Surya even sends the audience into complete disbelief looking every inch a 17-year-old for a brief while in the film.

The story recalls the touching moments in a family that has only love for each of its members - comprising father, mother (played by Simran) son and his girlfriends (Sameera Reddy and Divya Spandana) spread between India and the US.

While it first describes the love between the father and his wife in the 1970s, it also beautifully portrays the son’s love life many years later.

After a love affair in Chennai, the protagonist head to the US, where he sweeps the fashionable and chic Sameera Reddy off her feet.

Playing men of different ages and times, Surya makes subtle changes in his gait, body language and dialogue delivery, thereby creating different shades to his two roles.

The time difference between father and son is also shown with painstaking digital detail.

The cinematography by Rathnavel is excellent as he matches the digitally superimposed visuals with live images.

Hit music in all the seven songs by Harris Jayaraj provides the icing to the cake.

Director Gautham Menon has exceeded himself in creativity, extracting great work from his cast.

The over-sweet nature of the story and its lagging length in the second half are its minus points that pale into insignificance due to Surya’s brilliant essay of the two roles and a moving climax.

Gautham trims Vaaranam Aayiram

When Gautham Menon showed his magnum opus Vaaranam Aayiram to the censors, the running time was 3 hours and 5 minutes. A day before the release on producer V.Ravichandran's request, he trimmed 10 minutes of the film.

But after the opening day noon show, theatres in Tamilnadu complained - Padam rombam slow, interval thandi oru documentary mathiri irruku ( The film is very slow, especially after interval it looks like a documentary).

By night show, Gautham instructed theatres to trim 12 minutes of the film, mainly the Delhi kidnapping episode scene. But most theatres outside Chennai city did their own editing of the film!

Now in some places after Surya's gets cured of drug addiction due to his fathers love and care, he is shown joining the army. The entire Surya's travel to Kashmir and Delhi including the kidnap episode has been chopped.

And some theatres have also trimmed Harris Jayaraj's favourite song in the film - the soft melody Anal Mele.., the last song in the film picturised on Surya and Divya!

Now in Chennai city, the running time of the film is 2 hrs and 41 minutes while beyond Chrompet in most places it is around 2 hrs 30 minutes!

It's Surya all the way

If Kamal Haasan [Images] had his Dasavatharam with oodles of make-up and a blast of Chaos Theory, then this can easily be called Surya's Dasavatharam -- minus a couple of incarnations, of course. Rarely do actors -- even the good ones -- get such scope and screen-space to play out every intricate detail.

Aascar Ravichandran's Tamil movie, Vaaranam Aayiram (A thousand Elephants), directed by Gautam Vasudev Menon is almost a love-story with Surya, and no one but Surya at it's epicentre.

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Also Read: Showcasing Vaaranam Aayiram

The beginning shots of a doddering Krishnan (Surya) at the fag end of life, still eager to live his life, come with an expectant twist. Even as you appreciate the make-up and the body language that brings an old man to life, there's a trim and fit Major Surya (Surya) in the Indian Army [Images], who is part of a rescue mission.

Meanwhile, Krishnan's wife Malini (Simran [Images]) and daughter Shreya make him lie down as he goes into the throes of sickness -- and even as he breathes his last, his son remembers all the things that made his father he Who had the Strength of a Thousand Elephants -- and his own journey towards becoming one.

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Exclusive! Suriya on Vaaranam Aayiram, Ghajnini

Gautham Menon has crafted a moving story, calculated to describe in the minutest details the story of an ideal father: Krishnan is a merry, strong individual who sweeps Malini off her feet (the Mundhinam Parthene song sequence is a rollicking riot from the 70s, with even the old Spencer's Plaza painstakingly re-created digitally). The moment they set eyes on each other, they know that their fate is bound sealed. Years roll, and there appears Surya, their son -- who moves through life, experiencing the same kind of love with Meghna (Sameera Reddy [Images]) -- and Priya (Divya Spandana).

Surya has obviously been on a roll. For those who thought a thirty-something could never go back to being a 17-year old, here's a newsflash: with his paltry moustache and perky enthusiasm, Surya's perfect.

As a love-struck young man who falls flat on his face for Sameera Reddy, he's adorable. As a drug addict faced with life's greatest trials, he's marvellous. But when he appears on screen as six-pack moulded Major, the whistles hit the roof.

In every instance, he's subtly altered his body language, the expression in his eyes, the indefinable something that marks the difference between a father and son -- and even in the various stages of a son's life, he's managed to alter himself. This one is clearly is magnum opus among the films he's done so far.

Sameera Reddy is buxom, full of life and creates a pang in your heart. Divya Spandana earns your respect with her sober demeanour. And Simran, as Malini, fits her role to the hilt. Sometimes you wonder if this was once the heart-throb that acted in skimpy outfits with Surya himself -- and you have to laud her for how well she's done her job.

Harris Jeyaraj's songs have already become chart-busters; his background score gels well with the movie.

Rathnavelu's camera is smooth at certain times; gives a jerky feel at others, creating the impression that you're watching an intimate scene within a family -- and both work.

So, aren't there any pitfalls? Is this Gautam Menon's beautiful, perfect classic? Hardly. Yes, it's a very moving tribute to a perfect father and loving son; the screenplay does move swiftly in the first half -- but at times, the father grows too perfect; the son too loving. Krishnan is so completely the ideal of a father-figure that you wonder if such men actually exist in real life.

More than half the conversation is in English too, and it's generally up-market -- a non-urban audience might not relate too easily to this film.

At three hours, this one is too long -- a healthy snip would have made for much better viewing. Towards the end, you wonder if so much detail really is necessary.

But if you ignore the lagging last hour, some dialogues and too-ideal situations, the movie is clearly a movingly visualised tribute to fathers and sons by Gautam, and beautifully portrayed by Surya, a brilliant actor.

It might be just a feather in Gautam's hat. As for Surya, it's an ostrich plume, a justified triumph.

A starry screening

Imagine watching a special screening of the latest movie
to hit screens with the star sitting in your midst! It was a dream come true for a select few of Radio Mirchi listeners when they came face-to-face with Kollywood’s dream hero Surya at a special screening of his latest Vaaranam Aayiram.

The highlight of the evening was an engaging Q &A session with the hero, heroine Divya Spandana and director Gautham Menon. “Tell us something about your awesome six-packs,” shouted a fan to which Surya quipped, “Watch the film carefully. If you blink your eyes a bit fast during that sequence, you might actually miss it!”

When an elderly fan reminded the actor about his sizzling chemistry with wife Jothika, it was his turn to blush and smile. “I might do a lot of great movies, but Kaakha Kaakha will always remain special,” he gushed, even as director Gautham Menon nodded, probably in approval.

Divya Spandana, dressed in black, stole the show with the men drooling over her. “We — just the both of us — actually drove a plane during the shoot.... I don’t know how they let us,” smiles Surya. Director Gautham Menon was his usual subdued self, especially when asked about his on-going tussle with composer Harris Jayaraj. “You’ll have to ask him about it,” he replied, when a concerned fan told him that he would miss the combo’s magic.

Watch Vaaranam Aayiram with Surya!

Yes it is true! You can watch Vaaranam Aayiram with Surya, but only in the US.

The actor is now camping in Bay Area, San Francisco and enjoying his vacation with wife Jyothika and daughter Diya. His recently released Vaaranam Aayiram has been running in US for the second week and the distributors of the film now want to use his vacation for the business promotion of the film.

Now Bharath Creations, the distributor of Vaaranam Aayiram is making arrangements for the Surya - Fans meeting in Bay Area. There will also be an interactive session with the audience at the theaters, as announced by the distributors.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Now Pritviraj has a six-pack abs!

Prithviraj who is playing an important role in Mani Ratnam's bilingual has worked out at a gym with a personal trainer for the last three months to get a six-pack abs for the film tentatively titled Asokavanam!

Prithvi joins Tamil hero's like Surya and Vishal to spot a six- pack. He started working on his six-pack while he was shooting for his Malayalam film Lollipop with Bhavana.

Mani Ratnam had insisted that Prithvi has a six-pack in the film, where he is supposed to play Aishwarya Rai's husband who really does not love her as he is a self obsessed man. He had Thiruvananthapuram's best known trainer to chart out his workout.

The actor now looks fit as a fiddle and is said to have lost 10 kilos during the last three months .He is very secretive about his new look, and has refused to show off his six pack, as "Mani sir does not like the look to go public."

Friday, October 31, 2008

Suriya launches Capsule Endoscopy technology

Suriya launched the latest version of Capsule Endoscopy technology for Liberty High Scans (Chennai) and VGM Endoscopy Centre (Coimbatore). Dr. Mohan Prasad is the pioneer who introduced this technology to India within six months of its introduction in the US.

Photos of Suriya launching Capsule Endoscopy technology

It is heart-warming to see a young and successful actor, who is busy with films and his philanthropic activities, finding time for such elite inaugural functions. And it was amazing to see Suriya’s medical knowledge too; so it appears he agreed to be a part of this inauguration out of genuine interest.

Capsule endoscopy eradicates all the discomfort associated with normal endoscopy or colonoscopy such as pain, necessity for anaesthesia, inconvenience, etc. In capsule endoscopy, the patient swallows a multivitamin tablet-sized camera which, while travelling through the GI tract, takes numerous pictures during its journey. The patient needs no anaesthesia, nor does he feel any pain or discomfort. The patient will be required to wear a special sensor belt, which collects the pictures transmitted from the pill-cam moving down the GI tract. This belt has to be returned to the doctor, who will use the data captured by it for examination. And the pill-cam, which is disposable, is excreted from the body naturally. With the latest version introduced by VGM and Liberty, the "pill camera" is enabled to capture more than 144,000 images over a 10-hour period.

Also, with this pill-cam technology added to their hi-tech equipment, the physicians will have no trouble convincing their patients to include study of the GI tract in their regular master health checkups, which are usually shunned by patients fearing the pain and inconvenience of endoscopy or colonoscopy.

Vaaranam Aayiram: Chartbuster audio

Vaaranam Aayiram’s audio is the REAL chartbuster on Galatta.com. Thousands log in every day on music.galatta.com to listen to songs and download them, and it looks like they are all headed in one direction – Vaaranam Aayiram’s song index.

At the moment, you can see that the our Top 10 list on music.galatta.com comprises all the songs from Vaaranam Aayiram and five of them are holding the top five positions, which is incredible! Also, Aegan, which only entered the race on October 10th, has already made it to the Top 10 list. Its ‘Heyy Baby’ and ‘Hey Salaa’ are at 6th and 9th positions respectively and are rocking!

Galatta.com’s rating system is completely automated; an efficient software rates the songs based on the number of users listening to them.

At present, Vaaranam Aayiram’s 'Anul Maelae' rules the Top 10 and seems to be the flavour of the season.

Vaaranam Aayiram postponed? No way!

Vaaranam Aayiram, which was two years in the making, has been acknowledged by Gautham Menon to be dedicated to his father, Vasudev Menon’s memory (he passed away last year.). The title, a phrase from Andal's ‘Thiruppavai’, literally means the strength of a thousand elephants.

The movie has a lot of expectations riding on it as Suriya and Gautham Menon have come together after the defining cop-movie Kaakha Kaakha (2003). To top it all, Harris Jayaraj has composed seven brilliant songs, which have already zoomed to the top of the charts.

Recently, Gautham Menon bought back the rights of the movie from Gemini Picture Circuit (GPC) recently. There had been speculation that this would further delay the release of the film, but all these are just runours. The movie is all set to release for Deepavali release and just like its music rocking the charts, the movie is expected to rock the box-office.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

A grand set for 'Ayan'

A grand set has been constructed for the Suriya starrer 'Ayyan' at Binny mills in Chennai for the making of a fight sequence. Directed by K.V. Anand, the movie is being produced by AVM productions, a production company that holds the accolade for making movies since a few decades from the past.

Suriya is pitted against Tamanna, the actress who gave a graceful performance in 'Kalloori'. The cargo landing bay in an airport has been envisaged by art director Rajeevan in which a stunt scene was shot for four continuous days. Kanal Kannan choreographed the action in which Suriya enacted a cooked up fight against the henchmen of the Villain, played by Bollywood actor Akashdeep Saigal.

Consequently, the end sequence for 'Ayyan' is planned to be shot in South Africa by November. It is proposed to be made in a canyon near to Cape Town. Industry talks say that about one fifth of the estimated budget for this movie is to be spent on filming this grand finale.

Ghajini – First Look on sensational promos

Christopher Nolan's Mementoes fetched the best credits for its fascinating theme of 'Short Term Memory Loss'. Of course, remaking it in Tamil as 'Ghajini' with Surya in lead role, the actor fleeted to the peaks of glory in his career. Here comes the turn of Bollywood Superstar Aamir Khan, an embodiment of extraordinary perfection. "Best than the Best" is the mantra that he follows and his Hindi remake of Ghajini seems to have been spelled on those lines. 60-Secs teaser showcases Aamir Khan in different make-over as an innocent charming lad and a ferocious youngster smashing down baddies.

So, what makes the film getting titled 'Ghajini'? Ask Murugadoss and he says, "GHAJINI is derived from the name of King Mohammad Ghajini. His unique attributes is all about committing a great crime in front of others and making them believe he never did it. So does our protagonist carrying the same quotients".

Directed by A.R. Murugadoss, Asin stars opposite Aamir in female lead along with Jiah Khan and A.R. Rahman scores music.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Madhvavan and Surya Pepsi Commercial

Audio of Surya s/o Krishnan released


Surya starrer Vaaranam Aayiram is being dubbed in Telugu as Surya s/o Krishnan by Sobharani, C.J. Ramana and P Vijayakumar under S.V.R. Media banner. Surya plays both father and son in the movie, Sameera Reddy and Divya Spandana are his lady loves and Simran plays the senior Surya"s wife.

The audio of Surya s/o Krishnan was released recently to very good reviews and great response from audiences. Dil Raju, known as a man with the golden touch in Tollywood, distributed the film all over Nizam area.

Speaking on the occasion, Dil Raju stated, "Whatever Ravichandran does, he does it creatively. We are confident that the film will become a big hit and be a gift for this Diwali, both to SVR Media and our distribution firm."
The producer of the Telugu version, Sobharani commented, "We released Dasavathaaram under our banner in June this year and it was a big hit. Now, we've got the opportunity to release Surya s/o Krishnan in Telugu and this film too will repeat the magic. We are planning to release the film very soon as a Diwali gift."

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Balaji Telefilms has posted a net profit of Rs 181.25 million in the FY'09 second quarter fiscal, down by 31.02 per cent from Rs 262.76 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal.

Income from operations has dropped 32.56 per cent to stand at Rs 1.03 billion for the quarter under review.

Revenue contribution from commissioned programming stood at Rs 969.47 million, while sponsored programming fetched Rs 63.81 million. During the quarter, the share of commissioned programming in the revenues was 93.82 per cent while that of sponsored programming 6.18 per cent.

Balaji earned Rs 969.47 million from Star, Sony, Zee and 9X. In the Southern market, revenue from Sun TV stood at Rs 22.42 million, Gemini Rs 24.89 million, Udaya Rs 15.11 million and Surya Rs 1.39 million.

Realisation per hour from commissioned programming increased to Rs 3.23 million. Realisation per hour from sponsored programming has touched Rs 0.60 million.

During the quarter, the company’s expenditure jumped 78.89 per cent to Rs 803.26 million from Rs 449.02 million in the year ago period. Balaji Telefilms launched four shows in the quarter.

The company has invested Rs. 2.2 billion including Rs 300 million in the wholly owned subsidiary.

Balaji Telefilms FZE, wholly owned subsidiary of the company incorporated in Sharjah, has been liquidated since 23 September.

Diwali dampeners

For the first time in the history of Tamil films, only two commercial star-studded films are opening worldwide for Diwali — Ajith’s Aegan
and Bharath’s Seval. Apart from these two, a little known film titled Megham, with newcomers in the cast, will have a limited release.

Normally, anywhere between four and six films get released during this festival. However, this time, even three days before Tamil Nadu’s second biggest festival, the usual buzz generated by big-ticket Diwali releases is conspicuously missing.

One of the leading exhibitors in the state Abirami Ramanathan says, “Most Tamilians, after having their traditional oil bath and performing pooja on the festival day, make it a point to watch at least one new Tamil release without which their Diwali is not complete. It is a part of our custom which ensures that a festival release gets a decent opening. Some of the biggest hits of stars like MGR, Sivaji Ganesan and Rajinikanth have been their Diwali releases.”

Diwali has become a metaphor for big movies. The hype and hoopla surrounding it has to be seen to be believed. Whether it is the star cast, music or just the filmmakers, there is a tremendous buzz about Diwali releases. The fans and trade, to a certain extent, believe that a release during the festival of lights will determine the star power of a hero when he is pitted against other stars.

However, sadly this year, Gautham Menon’s magnum opus with Surya — Vaaranam Aayiram, Madhavan’s comedy Guru En Aalu, Prakash Raj’s Abhiyum Naanum and Silambarasan’s Silambattam have been postponed at the last minute due to various reasons. Says trade analyst G Sekharan, “You cannot say Ajith’s Aegan versus Bharath’s Seval is a clash compared to last year’s battle royale fought at the box-office between big-budget Vijay’s Azhagiya Tamizh Magan (ATM), Surya’s Vel and Dhanush’s Polladhavan.”
The competitive spirit is missing. Trade circles also admit that since “it is like India playing Bangladesh in a one-dayer, the fans will lose interest and this might impact box-office fortunes.”

What’s worse is that this year, so far, star-studded big movies have really failed to brighten the box-office.
Small movies like Subramaniapuram, Kathalil Vizhundein, Anjatheey and Santosh Subramaniam have raked in the moolah at the box-office.

A film like Dasavatharam, due to its big budget, just covered its cost and made a very small profit, while films like Kuselan and Sathyam did not bring any cheer to the trade which bet big on them.

To a certain extent, Diwali has lost its lustre due to the invasion of satellite channels. This Diwali, Tamil television channels are beaming super hit films. The market leader, Sun TV, is premiering Rajinikanth’s all time big 2005 blockbuster Chandramukhi while arch-rival Kalaignar TV is going to telecast Ajith’s all time big super hit Billa, released last December!

The trade is worried as they feel the real Diwali battle is on television and not in theatres. Rains all over Tamil Nadu and particularly in Chennai and surrounding areas ahead of the festival are also a worrying factor.

Among this year’s Diwali releases, Ajith’s Aegan is virtually getting a solo release as it is opening in over 400 screens tomorrow. The film is expected to take the biggest ever opening of the year as Ajith and Nayanthara, after Billa, are considered a red-hot pair, and the Ultimate Star, according to Kollywood trade pundits, has the second biggest opening after the Superstar.

Says Raju Sundaram, the film’s director, “The film is an unpretentious mass entertainer, which offers sufficient value for the price of a ticket. Enjoy!”

The trade feels mass director Hari’s family, action formula film Seval with Bharath turning into an action hero may emerge as the dark horse when it releases on the festival day (Oct 27).

They point out how Hari’s last Diwali release with Surya — Vel, after a slow start went on to become the Diwali hit of 2007. If the rains do not dampen the Diwali spirit, expect some fireworks at the box-office, though there is hardly much choice for the viewers.
Remember, the 2005 Diwali box-office was washed away by the rains?

The big picture

HERE are some of the big-screen releases in local cinemas in conjunction with the Festival of Lights:

Bharath (left) and Poonam Bajwa in Seval.

Seval (Tamil) - Director Hari, famed for his masala fare with rural backdrops, has roped in Simran Bagga for his new film Seval (Rooster). A young man roams aimlessly (like a rooster), getting into fights and feuds wherever he goes. He decides to turn over a new leaf after falling for a beautiful girl. Also star Bharath, Poonam Bajwa and Vadivelu. (Opens today)

Fashion (Hindi) - Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and Mugdha Godse play glamour girls in Madhur Bhandarkar’s movie about a small-town girl Meghna Mathur’s (Priyanka) ambitions to become India’s No.1 supermodel. Amidst the glittering but ruthless world of haute couture, Meghna learns there’s a high price to pay for her journey to the top. The leading man is Arjan Bajwa. (Opens Friday)

The glamourpusses of Fashion: fomer Miss World Priyanka Chopra flanked by her sexy co-stars Mugdha Godse (left) and Kangana Ranaut.

EMI (Hindi) - A Bollywood tale about the financial quagmires involving bank loans and credit cards. Starring Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Rampal (see lead story). (Opens Nov 7)

Vaaranam Aayiram (Tamil) - Gautham Menon’s poignant tale about a father-and-son relationship. The movie, which reflects Gautham’s own feelings when he lost his father, revolves around

Surya Sivakumar and Sameera Reddy star in Vaaranam Aayiram.

Surya who leads a quiet life with his parents Krishnan and Malini. He experiences life through various happenings - being bullied by his roguish school seniors, battling an intense infatuation and embarking on adventurous outings with his friends. Through all this, he learns life’s worthy lessons and to appreciate his parents’ love and care. Surya Sivakumar, in dual lead role, stars opposite Sameera Reddy and Simran Bagga. (Opens mid-November) - Compiled by S.C.

Surya Nepal wins Soaltee Super Sixes

Surya Nepal Private Limited has won the Soaltee Crowne Plaza Super Sixes cricket tournament on Saturday.

Surya Nepal defeated Standard Chartered Bank by 8 runs. Surya Nepal made 72 runs losing 3 wickets in 5 overs. In reply, Standard Chartered was all out in 64 runs.

Siddhartha Sharma of The Himalayan Bank won the Man of the Series trophy.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Vaaranam Aayiram postponed to November?

Vaaranam Aayiram (VA), which was two years in the making, has been acknowledged by Gautham Menon to be dedicated to his father, Vasudev Menon’s memory (he passed away last year.). The title, a phrase from Andal's ‘Thiruppavai’, literally means the strength of a thousand elephants.

The movie has a lot of expectations riding on it as Suriya and Gautham Menon have come together after the defining cop-movie Kaakha Kaakha (2003). To top it all, Harris Jayaraj has composed seven brilliant songs, which have already zoomed to the top of the charts.

Recently, Gautham Menon bought back the rights of the movie from Gemini Picture Circuit (GPC) at a whopping Rs. 21 crores, which means that GPC made a profit of Rs. 7 crores as they’d bought it over a year ago at only Rs. 14 crores. Now, the distributors are sceptical about the pricing of the film and that has further delayed the release of the film.

Vaaranam Aayiram, which was initially supposed to be released on October 23rd, a day before Aegan, is now expected to release some time in November.

Gautham gets going!

Gautham Vasudeva Menon is determined to release his magnum opus Vaaranam Aayiram, on Diwali day (Oct 27).

His distribution concern Falcon Tradings has issued ads in Saturday (Oct 18) newspapers, announcing a Diwali release. The ad also carries a listing of nine Chennai city theatres and Mayajaal on ECR.

Speaking on the sidelines of Subramaniapuram- 100 days function at Sathyam Cinemas on Friday evening, Gautham said: "I have a few dedicated booking agents and others in the distribution trade working for me. The film will be censored by Monday (Oct 20) and it will be ready for release on Oct 27"

Gautham says he will be releasing in about 200 plus screens in Tamilnadu. The response has been positive from the trade, and the film carries very good pre-release reports. The music of the film is topping all FM Radio Station charts and is also this year's highest selling audio.

Gautham signs off by saying: "We will be holding the world premiere of Vaaranam Aayiram on Sunday, October 26 at Sathyam in Chennai."

'Varanam Aayiram' release postpones

The release of ‘Varanam Aayiram’ would not be for this Deepavali as expected ardently and probably the movie would hit the screens on the first week of November. In this film, Suriya plays dual roles and his characters will be known as Krishna and Suriya. Simran, Sameera Reddy, Divya Spandana play the heroines.

The film announced with a budget of 14 crores has drawn inspirations from the Hollywood movie ‘Forrest Gump’ starring Tom Hanks and has been made in a way to suit the Indian audience.

Gautham Vasudev Menon regarding the title once stated that they did not deliberately attempt to name the movie with a Tamil title. The title, which is a phrase from Andal's ‘Thiruppavai', was found to be synonymous with the storyline of the movie and thereby it was picked. ‘Varanam Aayiram’ literally means the strength of thousand elephants.

The film has seven songs composed by Harris Jayaraj. The songs from the albums were released to four leading FM stations in Chennai, with one song per station, in attempt to popularize it five days before the official launch.

With the Suriya-Gautham duo coming back after the blockbuster Kaakha Kaakha(2003), and with Harris Jayaraj’s music, Suriya appearing in different get ups with three glamorous ladies, 'Varanam Aayiram' is much worth waiting til

Surya and Jyothika - Made by Request

Diya daughter of Surya - Jyothika diya First Birthday

Friday, October 17, 2008

‘Dil’ Raju distributes 'Surya S/o Krishna' in Naizam

IndiaGlitz [Friday, October 17, 2008]
Surya does a dual role opposite Sameera Reddy and Ramya as heroines, in the direction of Goutham Menon, Aascar RaviChandran is producing 'Suray S/o Krishna' on Aascar Films Pvt Ltd banner. The film is being presented to Telugu viewers by Shobha Rani and Ramana on SVR Media Pvt Ltd banner.

The shooting of this film is completed and is going to be released on the eve of Deepavali. The head of Sri Venkateshwara Creations, 'Dil' Raju will be distributing the film in Naizam area. We are aware that 'Happy Days', 'Homam' and 'Salute' distributed by Dil Raju were a great success earlier. So, the expectations on 'Surya S/o Krishna' has increased to a great extent, as Dil Raju has taken up the distribution rights.

Diwali Dhamaka


Diwali’s round the corner and with it comes the big movies. CT tells you what Kollywood has to offer for this year’s festival
SREEDHAR PILLAI

The countdown has begun for Diwali, Kollywood’s second biggest festival season after Pongal. Traditionally from the days of MGR and Sivaji Ganesan to Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, a Diwali film is a prestige release.

The leading exhibitor in the state Abhirami Ramanathan says, “From early days to the late 90s, Diwali has been associated with big budget, star-studded extravaganzas. Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan used to release their films during this season lighting up the box-office. Normally, there will always be a 10 percent increase in box-office collections during this season, which has seen some of the biggest hits of the stars.”

This year, the Diwali weekend (October 24 to October 27) is going to be a real cracker. The Diwali line-up is interesting and includes the Ajit-Nayanthara action-comedy entertainer Aegan, directed by Raju Sundaram.

The musical love story, Vaaranam Aayiram (VA), directed by Gautham Menon and starring Surya, Sameera, Divya, and Simran is also scheduled to be released for Diwali as is the action-family drama Seval from director Hari. Seval will have Bharath and Poonam Baweja in the lead. The Prakash Raj- Trisha off-beat Abhiyum Naanum, directed by Radha Mohan and director Selva’s Madhavan, Mamta Mohandas romantic comedy Guru En Aalu too will hit the screens during this period.

At the time of writing only two of these films — Aegan and Seval — have confirmed theatre bookings across the world. The rest of the films are either trying to get distributors or good screens.

The Kollywood honchos are keeping a close eye on Diwali releases. The superstars of the industry have to get their act together, as this year, so far, the star movies were pretty lukewarm at the box-office. Tamil film industry is superstar driven, and it is always the mass masala movies which bring in the mega bucks. This Diwali is a face-off between Ajit’s Aegan and Surya’s Vaaranam Aayiram. Both the actors are superstars and command huge openings. Ajit’s films are targeted at the youth audiences. And his pairing once again after Billa with Nayanthara will ensure a bumper opening for the film which has peppy music by Yuvan Shankar Raja. However, as Meenakshi Sundaram, Manager of Mayajaal Multiplex, puts it, “The big question is whether star-studded films will hold on and become super hits as today, stars alone cannot ensure a hit as proved by some of the big films released this year. For a star film to sustain and get repeat audiences, content and packaging along with peppy music is a must.” If this theory holds good, Gautham Vasudeva Menon’s Vaaranam Aayiram is sure to be a super hit. The film’s music by Harris Jayaraj has already become this year’s largest selling audio. The promos of the film first premiered on the internet have been getting rave reviews. According to the trade buzz, the film’s theatrical rights for the state of Tamil Nadu has been purchased by Gemini Picture Circuit for a record Rs 14 crore, the highest ever paid for a Surya film. Says Gautham Menon, “VA is straight from the heart. Surya is extraordinary and I’m sure the film will take him to bigger heights.” Meanwhile, the trade is betting big on director Hari’s mass masala entertainer Seval, in which Bharath turns into an action hero. As Sekhar, a booking agent said, “Theatres in B and C circuits are clamouring to screen Seval as it has action, dapan-kuthu mass songs, and women-centric sentimental scenes likely to work big time in smaller stations.” The Madhavan-Mamta Mohandas-Vivek romantic comedy Guru En Aalu, directed by Selva is said to be a laugh riot, with Vivek doing an Avvai Shanmughi type role. The buzz is that Prakash Raj may postpone his Abhiyum Naanum, as simply there are not enough screens to release all the five proposed Diwali releases. Any which way you look at it, it is going to be a cracker of a Diwali, a Saravedi as Kollywood fans will say!

Surya

Surya is a famous south Indian actor. He was born in Chennai on July 23, 1975. he is the son of former Tamil actor Siva Kumar. His wife name is Jothika. She is also an actor. His real name was Saravanan Siva Kumar. His first film was Naeruku Naer. This film was average hit. The film Nanda, directed by Bala gave him the turning point in his life. He received Tamil Nadu State Award for that film. Also his films Kaakha Kaakha, Ghajini and Perazhagan gave him huge success and is now top rated actor in Tamil film industry. He is currently acting in Ayan and his film Vaaranam Aayiram is to be released for diwali.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Suriya and Ajith storms in October


Quaintly titled movie 'Varanam Aayiram' starring Suriya, Sameera Reddy and Divya Spandana is tentatively said to be released on October 28th to enthrall the eager fans. The movie directed by Gautam Menon is being anticipated of a well acquainted fact.

Suriya – Gautam Menon – Harris Jeyaraj, the same men behind the box office blockbuster 'Khaaka Khaaka' which portrayed an entirely different catch at the usual cop stories. . Years rolled by for this successful trio to come back together and they are sure to strike with their slick skill.

The exhibitionism of sizzling Sameera Reddy and six pack Suriya has bolstered the already high anticipation for this flick.

Ajith's much awaited 'Aegan' is also set to be tentatively released in the month of October on 24th. The latter is not even a tad less in being anticipated compared to Suriya's next. The yesteryear remake of the Rajinikanth starrer 'Billa' was remade with Ajith and Nayantara donning the lead roles.

Named the most sophisticated movie in Tamil cinema, 'Billa' got rave reviews for its slick coup. This movie with its stunning style and splendor and a marvelous opera composed by Yuvan would give any Hollywood flick a tough time. Ajith – Nayantara – Yuvan Shankar Raja, the people behind 'Billa' is expected to conjure the magic once again in 'Aegan'.

Lackluster Diwali for Kollywood

This Diwali, the Kollywood would not be able to keep their word of offering the die-hard fans with much of the awaited films.
Vijay’s, Prabhudeva-directed ‘Villu’ may not see the light of the day and might just not release on Diwali this year. Simbu’s ‘Silambattam’, which was another big release expected for Diwali, may also not be releasing, allegedly due to Simbu’s interference with the shooting proceedings.

Dhanush’s ‘Padikkadhavan’, in which the gorgeous Tamanna is paired opposite him, is not yet complete and will only be releasing in mid-November. Vikram’s ‘Kandhasami’ directed by Susi Ganesan, is also getting delayed due to post-production work and many other issues.

Surya’s Gautam Menon-directed ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ happens to be the only major release and a consoling factor. The film promises to be a ripper with the dashing Sameera Reddy and Divya Bandana to star against Surya.

'Varanam Aayiram' release postpones

The release of ‘Varanam Aayiram’ would not be for this Deepavali as expected ardently and probably the movie would hit the screens on the first week of November. In this film, Suriya plays dual roles and his characters will be known as Krishna and Suriya. Simran, Sameera Reddy, Divya Spandana play the heroines.

The film announced with a budget of 14 crores has drawn inspirations from the Hollywood movie ‘Forrest Gump’ starring Tom Hanks and has been made in a way to suit the Indian audience.

Gautham Vasudev Menon regarding the title once stated that they did not deliberately attempt to name the movie with a Tamil title. The title, which is a phrase from Andal's ‘Thiruppavai', was found to be synonymous with the storyline of the movie and thereby it was picked. ‘Varanam Aayiram’ literally means the strength of thousand elephants.

The film has seven songs composed by Harris Jayaraj. The songs from the albums were released to four leading FM stations in Chennai, with one song per station, in attempt to popularize it five days before the official launch.

With the Suriya-Gautham duo coming back after the blockbuster Kaakha Kaakha(2003), and with Harris Jayaraj’s music, Suriya appearing in different get ups with three glamorous ladies, 'Varanam Aayiram' is much worth waiting till this november and it would sure become the hottest film in Kollywood trade circuit.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Delighted Divya Spandana


Divya Spandana is in an upbeat mood now. The actress from Karnataka is eagerly awaiting the release of 'Varanam Aayiram' in which she plays opposite Suriya.

Buzz is that the actress has been roped in to act opposite Jeeva for a movie titled 'Drogi'. A two-hero subject, the movie has Srikanth sharing screen space with Jeeva. Poorna, who acted in the Bharath starrer 'Muniyandi Vilangiyal Moonram Aandu', plays Srikanth's ladylove in the movie.

'Drogi' will go to floors very soon. Says the delighted Divya,"Varanam Aayiram has been drawn very well. All credit should go to director Gautham Menon. Sharing the screen with Suriya was a big delight."

Surya in double roles as Father and Son


While the world awaits the release of Vaaranam Aayiram with bated breath, its makers have decided to dub the film in Telugu. Vaaranam Aayiram, starring Surya, of Ghajini fame with a galaxy of heroines (Simran, Sameera Reddy, Divya Spandana and Trisha), is directed by Gautham Menon and produced by Aascar Ravichandran under his ubiquitous Aascar Films.

In Telugu, this 2-year long project will be titled as Surya s/o Krishnan. Though rumoured to be Gautham Menon"s life story, the makers have said that this is a work of pure fiction. Gautham Menon, who directed Kaaka Kaaka, which was dubbed in Telugu as Gharshana, is expected to give another winner. Surya has a dream role where he plays both father and son. One part of the movie is Kirshnan"s (the father) flashback and how he meets his wife, Malini (Simran). The other part of course, follows Surya junior"s life as he meets the women in Composed by Harris Jayaraj, the Telugu audio will be released on Vijaydasmi eve by SVR Media in a glittering ceremony and all the Telugu film industry
royalty have been invited to this much vaunted event. The Tamil audio released last month has already been declared a hit and is a mix of genres from classical to modern compositions.

Harris Jayaraj to set tunes for Ram Charan


Surya s/o Krishnan, starring Tamil film star Surya, which was dubbed into Telugu from the Tamil Vaaranam Aayiram, recently saw the release of its audio. On this occasion, Ram Charan Teja announced that Surya s/o Krishnan's music composer, Harris Jayaraj would be composing some super hit music for Ram Charan"s upcoming movie.

Ram Charan Teja, who released the album of Surya s/o Krishnan, said that he admired Harris Jayaraj"s work. Though he was not recognized in the Telugu industry, Harris' songs have made a mark on the Telugu film music charts. “Director Bhaskar, who"s directing my next venture, approached Harris Jayaraj to do a tune; I too wanted him to do a song for the movie. Harris Jayaraj has made us very happy by accepting to do this film for us."

Sporting a smart ponytail for his next movie, Ram Charan Teja looked every inch the romantic and tough hero. S.S. Rajamouli will be producing the Chiranjeevi scion's next flick.

Venkatesh-starrer Gharshana, directed by Gautham Menon, had some great music composed by the talented Harris Jayaraj.

VA ready for release

Now it is almost sure that Gautham Menon’s magnum opus Vaaranam Aayiram, produced by Aascar Films, featuring Surya in dual role with Sameera Red

dy, Divya Spandana and Simran will release for the Diwali weekend.

All matters relating to its Tamil Nadu theatrical rights have been settled, with Gemini Picture Circuit releasing it exclusively in the state. The awesome music of the film by Harris Jayaraj is topping the charts. Added to that, it is being dubbed into Telugu as Surya s/o Krishnan and the audio was released last week at Prasad Multiplex, Hyderabad. Remember Surya has a market in Andhra, as his Ghajani, the dubbed Telugu version was a super hit.

Venkatesh, Ramcharan Teja, Priyamani, film director Gowtham Vasudev Menon, music director Harris Jayaraj, hero Surya, heroine Sameera Reddy, Sashank Vennelakanti (dialogue writer for the film), Telugu producer of the film Sobharani were present at the audio launch. At the function Surya said, “The audience in Andhra Pradesh gave me a lot of support. I am sure that this film is going to make my career.”

Venky& Ramcharan released Surya s/o Krishnan audio


Gautham Menon’s Tamil film Vaaranam Aayiram made by Aascar Films Private Limited is being dubbed into Telugu as Surya s/o Krishnan. The Telugu version audio was released at Prasad Multiplex, Hyderabad.

Venkatesh, Ramcharan Tej, Priyamani, film director Gowtham Vasudev Menon, music director Harris Jayaraj, hero Surya, heroine Sameera Reddy, Sashank Vennelakanti (dialogue writer for the film), Telugu producer of the film Sobharani were present. Venkatesh unveiled the audio album and presented the first number to Ramcharan Tej.

Surya said: "The audience in Andhra Pradesh did give me a lot of support. They patronized all my films that got dubbed into Telugu. I hold superb relationship with Venkatesh and Chiranjeevi's family. Coming to Hyderabad is always special to me. I am sure that this film is going to be a different entertainer in my career. I hope that the audience will also like this film very much."

Harris Jayaraj said: "I am happy to be part of this colourful function. I thank the people of Andhra Pradesh for enjoying my music." Sameera Reddy said: "It is like my dream coming true working with Gowtham Menon. I am big fan of his Kaakha Kaakha. I hope this film is going to be a big beginning for me in Kollywood."

Telugu prouder Sobharani said: "We took lot of pains to make this film a grand entertainer. Last week, we released the logo of this film. I am sure this film will be another blockbuster in Telugu on the lines of our previous films Dasavataram and Aparichitudu." Priyamani said: "I heard the songs in Tamil. They are extremely well. I am in doubt to say that the Telugu songs will also become chartbusters."

Venkatesh said: "I congratulate the entire team of Surya s/o Krishnan. I wish that the audio and the film would become hits in Telugu."

Ramcharan said: "I am confident that this film will be a huge hit in Telugu. When the director asked me to do this film in Telugu, I said I couldn't do justice to a dynamic and challenging script like that. But, I am going to do a film with Gowtham next year. Harris Jayaraj is my music director for the film which I am doing with Bhaskar."

Mun Paniya Mudhal Malaiya

Pithamagan - Palaiya padal puthiya attam

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Anishka as Sarvam's heroine

The hunt for heroine has ended for Vishnuvardhan. The crew has finalized tall and cute Anishka. Anishka is not new to Kollywood. She has performed as a child artist and was awarded the National Award for the Best Child Artiste. Sarvam is expected to be an entertainer.

Varanam Aayiram shooting commences

The shooting of Varanam Aayiram has commenced. Director Gowtham Menon is known for keeping details about his films very close to his heart. The director, who has recently renamed himself Gowtham Vasudeva Menon, has finally commenced shooting for Varanam Aayiram. There was a search for a heroine besides 'Kuthu' Ramya. Sources close to the director say that Genelia aka Harini has been shortlisted by Gowtham. Being a big-budget movie, Varanam Aayiram will be shot abroad. The movie is expected to be shot in Afghanistan, Russia, USA and Malaysia. With Varanam Aayiram, Suriya and Gowtham Vasudeva Menon are coming together after Khaakha Khaakha.

Suriya celebrates birthday

Suriya celebrated his birthday on 23-07-2007. With a successful career and a number of projects keeping him busy, Suriya seemed extremely happy on the day. Blessed with a happy married life and good family, Suriya celebrated his birthday in the presence of family members. His fans' association had organized mega blood donation camps on the occasion. He also anounced welfare measures and made donations to the needy.

Vel shooting at Tirunelveli

Vel is Suriya's upcoming film directed by Hari. Currently, Suriya and Hari are busy shooting of the film at Alangulam, Tirunelveli district. While discussing the film, Hari said that Vel is a beautiful story that will highlight the value of a joint family which is almost getting outdated in today's society. He says that it has completed 24 days shooting at Alangulam and the people there are very cooperative despite the fact that a film is being shot there for the first time. He also said that there was always a crowd even during the nights, but they were very cooperative and supportive without creating any problems. Hari said he prefers to shoot outdoors rather than within a set because this gives him an opportunity to interact with people and understand them better. Forty more days of shooting would complete the shooting of Vel. The movie is expected for release this Diwali.

Suriya in short film

Suriya's current big projects are Vel and Vaaranam Aayiram. He has almost completed shooting for Vel, directed by Hari where Suriya pairs up with Asin once again after Ghajini. Suriya, a brand ambassador of Tanker Foundation, is now acting in a short movie on AIDS awareness, in which Nasser is also playing a prominent role. The production of the film is by Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society. It would be released in many theatres which have DTS facilities. Suriya describes his acting in the short film on AIDS awareness as his effort towards creating awareness on the HIV virus. He says that this film would reach the masses and would serve its purpose.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Petition filed against Suriya, Sivakumar and Karthi

There are some misunderstandings between Sivakumar's family and producer Ameer, who has filed a petition in the High Court against Sivakumar and his family members, seeking payment of the amount he spent for the film Paruthiveeran. The petition include the names of Sivakumar, Suriya, Karthi, producer Gnanavel, the Producers' Council and Prasad Lab. Judge Prabha Sridevan has ordered all the persons named in the petition to reply by August 22nd.

Suriya - a proud father

The most sensational couple of Tamil film industry Suriya and Jyothika had exciting news yesterday night (10, August 2007). Actress Jothika, wife of actor Suriya gave birth to a beautiful girl baby on August 10th at 9.22 P.M. On hearing the news Suriya was delighted and he will really be a proud father as Jo has gifted him the sweet lolly as a symbol of their love life. The couple had decided to name their lovely beauty as Diya which means 'Light'. The name will be a perfect match to that of the couple's as their names even are related to the meaning of Light.

Will Sameera join the crew of Vaaranam Aayiram?

Director of the movie Vaaranam Aayiram is in great hunt to find a girl to play the coveted heroine’s role. The director approached Trisha to work, but due to her busy work schedule she has denied the offer. Finally, Gowtham flied to Mumbai and had talk with hot Bollywood stars.

The recent hot news is, the sizzling and hot sexy babe Sameera Reddy has come down to Chennai and had a discussion with the director. Gowtham is almost satisfied on fixing Sameera. Now it is in hands of Surya to set an approval by saying “yes” or “no” to Sameera.

Surya promise to act in P.A. Art production

Surya has agreed to act in the next movie to be produced by P.A. Art production. This year, Panchu Arunachalam’s P.A. Art production is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Surya, who has done Vel with Asin, is currently working in the movie Vaaranam Ayiram with Divya and Sameera reddy. He is also to act with Trisha in Selvaraghavan direction for Kanakaratna movies. After all his commitments, Surya has agreed to act in the movie to be produced by Panchu Arunachalam of P.A.Arts.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Vaaranam Aayiram group is very happy

Suriya feels very happy about the movie. He says that, he feels the experience of the movie Kaakka Kaakka and Ghajini after he finished acting in his latest movie Vaaranam Aayiram. The movie is produced by Oscar Ravichandran. Divya Spandana and Sameera Reddy are the lead roles in the movie. The team is in need of one more heroine for the movie. The movie is shaping up well to hit the screens.

No theaters free to screen Vel in Tollywood

The movie Vel is going well across all places and his Vaaranam Aayiram is going on in a full phase. The movie Vel is planned to be dubbed in Telugu. The problem is that, all the theaters in Andhra are full with Telugu releases and they are not in a position to accommodate Vel. But the sources say that, the theatres have planned to release it as soon as possible.

Surya in another AVM production

After the success of the movie ‘Vel’, Surya is to act again in an AVM production. When deciding about the hero, AVM and KV Anand have selected Surya, who has already in their production ‘Perazhagan’. The heroine is not confirmed, it may be Trisha or Shriya. The music is scored by Harris Jayaraj and editing by Antony. The shooting of the movie will be launched on Tamil New Year. The release date is mentioned well in advance as Oct 27, 2008.

It is really difficult to have my daughter, says Surya!

The promising hero Surya is not just an actor, but also a father to a cute little bubbly kid! When buzzed, Surya said it is really very difficult to have my daughter just an hour. It is really not very simple, he said. Hats off to all the parents, said Surya! It is my turn to take care of Diya for Half day, while Jo does the work and the next half Jo will take care of our bubbly. We both never want to have a maid to look after our dear one and we are having a great time with our little one, says Surya.

'Surya s/o Krishna' logo out




Starring 'Gajini' fame Surya in a dual role, Sameera Reddy & Ramya as heroines, 'Gharshana' fame Gautham Vasudev Menon is directing the movie 'Surya S/o Krishna'. Ascar RaviChandran is producing the film 'Surya S/o Krishna' in Telugu and Vaaranam Aayiram in Tamil on Aaskar Films banner. Shobha Rani and Ramana are presenting the Telugu version on SVR Media banner. The title logo of the film is released on 6th October at the Film Chamber Office, Hyderabad.

The title logo 'Surya S/o Krishnan' is released jointly by Dr D Ramanaidu and D Sureshbabu.

Speaking on this occasion Dr D Ramanaidu said, “I have watched 'Ghajini', Surya performed very well in his role. His father Sivakumar has earlier acted in some films made on our banner. The director of this film Gautham Menon did 'Gharshana' with my son Venkatesh which was very new in the technical aspects.”

He added that the industry has very few lady producers, and wished that the film should become a popular hit attaining recognition for the producers.

Producer Shobha Rani said, “The Tamil version of this film is made on the prestigious Aascar Films banner. Actor Surya has arduously worked with a lot of care for his role. He has dedicated himself to the extent of skipping meals for about six months to appear like a 17 year old boy. The Telugu version of 'Dasavatharam' was distributed by us, and we are hopeful that this film will also bring us success. The audio of the Tamil version has been released recently. We have planned to release the audio of the Telugu make on the 10th of October at IMAX theatre.”

Ramana and B Srinivas were also present on this occasion.

Surya returns with a dual role

Surya who impressed in Ghajini, returns to enthrall Telugu viewers with a bilingual film Surya s/o Krishnan.


"He plays both father and son," informs producer Sobha Rani, who claims that the talented actor shed kilos to fit into the younger role. Director Gautam Menon will be helming this action-based love story.

Aptly, she had father-son Rama naidu and Suresh Babu as guests for the media briefing. Bigwig Rama Naidu after watching Ghajini, informed veteran actor Sivakumar that his son Surya is more talented.

Pretty actresses Sameera Reddy and Ramya play the female lead in this production of Aaskar Films whose recent hit was Dasavatharam. Can the actor-director surpass their previous hit Khaka Khaka, remains to be seen.

Suriya & Jyotika Marriage

Assistant director? who, me?

If you thought that you would soon see Simran’s name in the list of assistant directors for Mani Ratnam’s forthcoming flick, you are wrong.
Simran

Despite numerous reports and buzz in the industry, the actress denies all rumours that she will be the ace director’s assistant.

“Mani Ratnam gave a face to Kollywood and I would love to assist him in direction,” says the Kovilpatti Veeralakshmi actress, “But my schedules are so haywire these days that I certainly will have no time in the near future for any such plans.” She suspects an inside hand in the spreading of such rumours which she describes as baseless.

But does she have a clue who it might be? “I did call Mani sir a month ago but that was just a courtesy call and there’s nothing more to it,” she says. The actress has finished work on Vaaranam Aayiram, Sevval and is working on Ayntham Padai and TN 07 AL 4777 besides her television serial. She is all praise for the legendary director with whom she has worked in Kannathil Muthamittal. Some of the things that she has learnt from the director are the way he narrates a scene and the discipline he brings into filmmaking. “He is like a principal; working with him is like entering a film school,” she states.

Is filmmaking on her mind in the distant future at least? “It’s on my mind every day these days,” she says, “I write a lot of stuff. However, I need to get more polished before I take the final plunge.”

Meanwhile, quiz her about things on the work front and she immediately smiles. Her role in Vaaranam Aayiram will soon be seen on screen, something that she eagerly awaits. “The storyline was superb and I immediately knew that my character had immense scope,” she adds. According to her, the Mundinam Parthene which has been featured on her will go on to become the most memorable song of the year. The 60s feel has been stunningly brought out in the visuals of this song, if the buzz around is to be believed.

Suriya promotes Derby


There was not a single person left out to be amazed by the guy’s dedication. Attaining the washboard abs followed by loosing a couple of kilos to show off as a teenager is not an easy task but it was for the star of ‘Varanam Aayiram’ Suriya.

The actor displayed his efficiency and awed the spectators even before the movie came out. Directed by Gautam Vasudev Menon, the movie chronicles the life of a man from his early teens to his late seventies for which the above said feat was done by Surya.

Varanam Aayiram’s audio was launched recently composed by Harris Jeyaraj and evoked rave reviews from the masses. It has been planned to launch the movie this Diwali which will be a perfect present for the occasion.

Recently, the star Suriya along with his director Gautam Menon was spotted in the newly opened outlets of Derby. The brand has opened showrooms in Adyar, Kilpakkam and Old Mahabalipuram road for which the duo were present to felicitate the event.

Surya in double roles as Father and Son


While the world awaits the release of Vaaranam Aayiram with bated breath, its makers have decided to dub the film in Telugu. Vaaranam Aayiram, starring Surya, of Ghajini fame with a galaxy of heroines (Simran, Sameera Reddy, Divya Spandana and Trisha), is directed by Gautham Menon and produced by Aascar Ravichandran under his ubiquitous Aascar Films.

In Telugu, this 2-year long project will be titled as Surya s/o Krishnan. Though rumoured to be Gautham Menon"s life story, the makers have said that this is a work of pure fiction. Gautham Menon, who directed Kaaka Kaaka, which was dubbed in Telugu as Gharshana, is expected to give another winner. Surya has a dream role where he plays both father and son. One part of the movie is Kirshnan"s (the father) flashback and how he meets his wife, Malini (Simran). The other part of course, follows Surya junior"s life as he meets the women in his life and learns some love lessons.
Composed by Harris Jayaraj, the Telugu audio will be released on Vijaydasmi eve by SVR Media in a glittering ceremony and all the Telugu film industry royalty have been invited to this much vaunted event. The Tamil audio released last month has already been declared a hit and is a mix of genres from classical to modern compositions.

'Varanam Aayiram' Movie Launch

Director Gowtham's Varanam Aayiram, to be directed by Gowtham on the first-copy basis for Oscar Ravichandran, went to floors at Dublin dance floor, at a posh hotel in Chennai.

The crew came together to shake their legs at Dublin on Friday night. On opting for a launch at a disco floor, the director,says, 'We are excited about the film and we know it is going to be a lot of hardwork. So we thought we would let ourselves loose on the dance floor first. It was a sort of unwind before the gruelling work'. Among those who took part in the inauguration included Dhanush and his wife Aishwarya, actors Vijay, Jeeva, Jeevan, Sarath Kumar and actress Asin. Actor Suriya welcomed the gathering. On the occasion, the trailer of Gowtham's Pachaikili Muthusaram was screened.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Vaaranam Ayiram Audio Launch

Part 1
Vaaranam aayiram song Adiyae Kolluthae

Surya in Aids awareness film


There are only some actors who do not think of only themselves when it comes to social issues. One such is Surya. He has acted in a few awareness films and he's now to act in an Aids awareness film.

If the mother has Aids, it will affect the baby in the womb. Now with modern medicine, it is possible to treat the mother so the disease will not affect the unborn child. Surya is acting in a film that conveys this message. Produced by the Tamilnadu Aids Control Dept, this film will be screened before the main film in theatres.

Unfortunately, this can be seen only in Chennai. Only those theatres that have digital facility can project this film. Aids has affected people in towns and villages near Salem and Namakkal.

If the film cannot be screened in such places, what use is it?

Chennai: At a recent event Tamil star Surya wasn't really playing the actor. He turned more of a friend and role model for schoolchildren while giving them lessons on ecological awareness.

“School days I think I've to go back to my kindergarten days but my family backdrop, my roots, we're basically farmers. My grandfather, grandmother, we've cultivation as our background. I do have a lot of exposure to that. My native placer is Coimbatore and we've done something there and I wish we could do the same in the city as well,” he said.

Apart from a friend and role model in public, the actor became a new father in his personal life recently.

"It's not an easy job at all to have my daughter for one hour. It's not easy at all, a big salute to all mothers,” he said.

"Half day it's my turn. Whenever Jo (Jyothika) is working out or doing her small small things, half day I take care and the next half of the day she takes take. We really don't want to give our daughter to maid or something like that so we're enjoying the time with her,” he said.

And to add to the smiles, the actor's recent Diwali release Vel continues to do good business at the box office.

But the actor's already onto his next project with filmmaker Gautam Menon who he shares a special bond with since their earlier superhit Kaaka Kaaka.

“Lot’s of looks are there in the film. So each and every time I've to do a lot of homework of course with Gautam's help. I don't want to talk much about the film. It should be an April release,” Surya said.

So that’s something for all you Surya fans to look out for!

Trisha and the Boys!!!


Trisha's popularity is so immense that when established heroes are hesitating to work with her due to her fan club clashes, filmmakers are more than ready to make films with new heroes in order to work with her.

We were exaggerating there.

Director Goutham Menon is waiting for the callsheets of his new film's hero Surya. The hero is caught in another film that he had accepted before the Goutham Menon film happened. So, in order to keep himself busy until then, the director decided to make a film real fast.

He had roped in Trisha to play an important female role. It is not clear yet if this is the role of the heroine. But, it is now confirmed that the director has picked up four young men to play the roles of heroes!!!

Since the film is a heroine-oriented one, the director must have felt it was better to get newcomers for the hero roles.

A day to remember for Surya and Jyothika


A string of celebrations seem to be rocking the Sivakumar household. It all started with the much talked about wedding, that took place on this day, exactly a year before, of his famous actor son Surya with the leading actress Jyothika.

The entire film industry turned up for the wedding. The couple was blessed with a baby girl, Diya just a few days ago.

It is also interesting to note that both Surya and Jyothika will be honoured with a state government award this year.

We wish them many more happy returns of the day.

Monday, October 6, 2008

ITC signs on Tamil film actor Surya to endorse Sunfeast biscuits

Our Bureau


MR DEVARAJAN IYER, Brand Manager-ITC Foods Business, with Tamil film actor and Sunfeast brand ambassador, Surya, at a press conference in Coimbatore on Friday. — K. Ananthan

ITC has signed up Tamil film actor Surya as brand ambassador to endorse its biscuit brand Sunfeast.

Speaking at a news conference in Coimbatore on Friday, Mr Devarajan Iyer, Brand Manager, ITC Ltd-Foods Business, said Tamil Nadu was one of the largest markets for biscuits in the country and the value of biscuit market in the State was around Rs 550 crore. The entire Southern market was worth about Rs 2,000 crore.

Close to top

He said while Britannia and Parle were market leaders in this segment as they have been present for decades, Sunfeast that entered this segment just about 18 months ago has captured a market share of 9-10 per cent in the State. In some of the sub-segments such as glucose biscuits, marie or cream biscuits, it was either at the top or close to being No 1. The company is planning to launch new varieties such as cookies, sweet and salt crackers and more differentiated products. It plans to capture a market share of 20-22 per cent in the State in a year's time.

Own facilities

When asked as to whether the company has plans to establish its own manufacturing facilities rather than using franchisee manufacturing route for producing biscuits, Mr Devarajan said the biscuit unit at Bangalore was under construction and he expected the work to be completed in about 5-6 months.

This involved an investment upwards of Rs 20 crore and this would help serve the Southern markets.

Another biscuit factory would come up in Uttaranchal at an investment upwards of Rs 15-16 crore.

On the reasons for selecting actor Surya to endorse Sunfeast, he said the actor and Sunfeast shared certain core values and he was confident that Surya's mass appeal would help the brand become a market leader quickly.