Southscope August 2010 Issue Side - B by Sirish Allu

RNI NO.: APENG/2009/29389 Regd. No.: L II/RNP/HD/1118/2010-12 VOL

ISSUE

01 11 AUG‘10

INDIA: Rs 50 UAE: AED 10

Does INDEPENDENCE really exist? Padmapriya

“I AM NOT A

LESBIAN!“

GENIE’s

on a high,

literally

SANTOSH SIVAN’s

onscreen nightmares and offscreen love Sreekar Prasad’s

SCISSOR HANDS

VOL01/ISSUE11

CONTENTS/08/10 26

CENTRE STAGE/PAGE Oh buoy! Here comes Genelia…

Photographer: G Venket Ram Stylist: Vira Shah Hair: Rachel Make up: Vikram Mittal Sets & Props: Purshotham

34 18

VOL01/ISSUE11

CONTENTS/08/10 FEATURES

Does independence really exisit?

The new breed of Tamil singers is on a song!

46 48

Exceptionally Inception Around the world in 24 frames Taste of Cherry

18 EXCLUSIVES 18

Padmapriyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dare bare moments

The on screen magic of Santosh Sivan

22 38 40

Sreekar Prasad unedited!

Direction sky: Vineet Srinivasan Yours prettily: Meera Nandan

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36 36 18 18

College 20 Kms from Secunderabad

I C S

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VOL

ISSUE

01 11 AUG‘10

INDIA: Rs 50 UAE: AED 10

PAWAN KALYAN’S “I am embarrassed of

being called Powerstar”

Bindu Madhavi

- SUCKER FOR ROMANCE

KOMARAM PULI All set to break the records.

VOL01/ISSUE11

Yet Pawan Kalyan doesn’t give a damn!

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK - CLASS OF 2009 - 2010

MARYADA RAMANNA -

Why S S Rajamouli is jealous of his wife!

CONTENTS/08/10 FUNDA 11

Junk mail

Gold Class

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Bioscope

Mumbai Matinee

Wild West

Kaleidoscope

Sing along

Flash Back

Screen test

Trivia on cinema

Jolly Kolly / Simbly Malayalee

Films in the making

Movie reviews

Bollywood brouhaha

57 42

Hollywood hullabaloo

What happened when and where

Karaoke

Rewind to Oppol

Launch pad for aspiring actors

MUMBAI EXPRESS 42 58

Leaves out of my book

Suhasini Maniratnam’s take

Funny side up: Sonam Kapoor

junk mail

TAM

This young man had been produced in court, on charges of having tried to commit suicide in front of a movie company. The judge was appropriately stern to Mahimai Doss, from Thoothukudi, who had arrived in Chennai like many others, dreaming of stardom. What was this young man’s problem that he had opted for suicide? Mahimai Doss produced a matchbox and proceeded to light it, much to everyone’s stupefaction. Then, he touched the lit match to his finger. Commotion arose in the court. “You saw me touch a lit matchstick to my hand. All you have is a dim idea of the pain I might have undergone. But only I know the real horrors of my suffering,” he declared. That dramatic young man later went on to become one of Tamil cinema’s iconic comedians – Chandrababu.

Remixes were just beginning to become the rage, and this particular music director, with a long string of hits was actually among the first to kick start the trend. The song he chose was an instant classic, and it was in effect, a sort of homage, as he’d actually played in the older musician’s orchestra at certain times. And the older music composer was far from being miffed with the remix. Rather, he actually heard the remixed version and was all praises. The song was Thottal Poo Malarum from Padagotti. The original composer, Mellisai Mannar M S Viswanathan and the one to have remixed it was Academy Award winner A R Rahman.

When debutant director Gopinathan wrote the role of upright police officer Devarajan for the super hit film Chakara, he had already visualised which actor he wanted for the role. He thought that only Sukumaran (young actor Pritviraj’s father), who was a superstar then, was apt for the role. But the actor who had long hair, refused to get it cropped short for the role and Gopinathan was adamant. Sukumaran, well known for his hot temper was sure that he would not cut his hair and things went to such an extent that he decided to back out of the project. But it was cinematographer Ramachandra Menon who mediated and persuaded Sukumaran to ‘trim’ his hair and solved the issue. And for the first time in Malayalam cinema, actors in this film were selected based on a poll from public. The winner of the contest was given the privilege of selecting the actors. A student of Maharaja College won the contest and 70 per cent of the cast for the film was selected based on her suggestions.

MAL

Sankaran Nair and Subbaiah (RMS) were at loggerheads about some issues regarding the film Madanotsavam. One day, Sankaran Nair received a lawyer’s notice from Chidambaram (yes, our Home Minister!) stating that the story of Thampuratti was based on a Tamil novel and it had been used for a film without the approval of the novelist. P Chidambaram was then Subbiah’s advocate. In the court, Chidambaram argued that Sankaran Nair had obtained the story thread through one of his associates and then he made it into a novel. He argued that Thampuratti was based on the stolen story. However, Chidambaram could not prove his point. Sankaran Nair had all evidences to prove that Thoppil Bhasi, the writer of Thampuratti, had already written the story and Sankaran Nair had entered into an agreement with Bhasi to make it into a film AUG’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 11

GOLDCLASS

jolly kolly

BHAVNA’S GOING PLACES It looks like Bhavana just cannot have enough of it! But don’t start imagining, we are talking about her wanderlust. She returned from the US after a month-long break and seems to have had a whale of a time with her gal pals Kavya, Rimi Tomy and others. And now she’s taken off all over again and this time to Europe. Of course it’s for shooting a song with co-star Puneeth for their film Jackie but what the heck! What’s more, Bhavana plans to see the world in the next two years, and she’s just about getting started. So that’s what it is folks…

AJITH IS BACK Ajith’s 50th Golden Jubilee film titled Mangatha will be directed by Venkat Prabhu which will be produced by Dhyanidhi Alagiri. The film will start rolling in September with Neetu Chandra and Lakshmi Rai paired with him. It will be a bi-lingual in Tamil and Telugu with Telugu actors Nagarjuna and Manoj Manchu in the cast. Though there were rumours that the film will be like the action packed con movie Swordﬁsh, sources say it will be more on the lines of Steven Soderbergh’s classic crime thriller Ocean’s Eleven.

THE NEW GIRL IN NAMITHA’S LIFE

Namitha seems to have become quite adept at parenting. Yes, folks. You heard that right! She is a doting foi (aunt in Gujarati) to niece Yashvi who is a spitting image of her. She spoils Yashvi rotten with gifts whenever she is back from shoots abroad and even takes the responsibility of baby sitting her often. She has been taking her all around town, buying her all the toys she asks for and having parties for her. Nami also calls her the most beautiful girl in the world.

12 SOUTHSCOPE AUG’ 10

GOLDCLASS

jolly kolly

HOOK YA CROOK? Remember those rumours about something brewing between Karthi and Tamannaah during the release of Paiyaa ? We’ve figured out the real culprits. It was director Lingusamy and the stars’ PR managers who were responsible for spreading this rumour. However, the strategy worked out big time and the film turned out to be a hit. But the latest buzz doing the rounds is that that there’s something certainly brewing between Karthi and Kajal Aggarwal just before the release of their new film, Naan Mahaan Alla. At the press meet of the film Karthi was asked - “Which of the two, Tammu or Kajal - is more beautiful?” Karthi did not duck the question. Instead went on the back foot and hooked it beautifully without blinking an eyelid – “Kajal is much taller and Tammu has large beautiful eyes.” It left the media stumped. So what is really going on here, considering, ahem, Kajal’s ‘other’ interests in Hyderabad?

THE EVER GENEROUS ASIN Asin is known for her generosity and love to help people in distress anytime, anywhere. It so happened that during the shoot of her film with Salman Khan in Sri Lanka, she took time off to visit the war ravaged Vavuniya along with the first lady Shiranthi Wickramasinghe Rajapaksa, to hold an eye camp where 300 cataract operations were performed on elderly Tamilian patients in three days. She also gifted toys and sweets to kids at an orphanage and spent loads of time with them. Sweet, nah?

ARYA’S ALTERNATE PROFESSION Guess what, Arya has found a new profession. After seeing the rushes of his forthcoming film, Boss Engira Baskaran, he was so kicked that he decided to buy the project from the original producer. He has taken keen interest in the marketing and promotion of the film which is touted to be Nayanthara’s last release in Tamil. He bought all the rights of the film and he is singlehandedly worked out a promotional strategy. Way to go dude! AUG’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 13

GOLDCLASS

simbly malayalee

WHO DOESN’T LIKE GENELIA? After working in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada, Genelia is now doing a Malayalam film. She has been handpicked by ace cameraman Santosh Sivan who is all set to do a tri-lingual in Malayalam, Tamil and English titled Urumi. It is a casting coup for Santosh as he has brought together India’s most valued brand Genelia and the fastest rising star Prithviraj together. It is a period film set in 15th century about a group of men who wanted to assassinate Vasco Da Gama, the Portuguese explorer, who set foot in Kappad in Calicut in 1498. Genelia will play a Portuguese princess while Prithviraj will be the leader of the gang that wants to kill Vasco De Gama. The English title of the film is, Who Killed Vasco De Gama?

WHERE’S ANJALI GOING? While so many Malayalee girls are making a beeline for Tamil, Anjali of Angadi Theru is doing the reverse. She will soon be seen paired with Jayasurya in the film, Payyans directed Leotha Devoos. Lal and Rohini will play the roles of Jayasurya’s parents. The film’s pooja was recently held at Cochin. Oscar winner Resul Pookutty lit the lamp.

KHUSHBOO’S NEW FILM Khushboo is back in action and once again for her good friend, director Ranjith in his new film titled Pranchiyettan and the Saint. Priyamani plays the female lead and the film is a black comedy based on a rich Syrian Christian rice merchant in Trichur played by Mammootty. Khush is playing a society lady in this new film. 14 SOUTHSCOPE AUG’ 10

MALE BONDING LOOK WHO’S TWEETING NOW

By the way, we hear Pritviraj is bonding big time with his Raavanan costar Vikram. They seem to have come close during the shoot and promotion of Raavanan. Both the actors aggressively promoted the film in Kerala. And now they’ve become great friends too. Who says nothing comes off a colossal ﬂop?

GOLDCLASS

simbly malayalee

Mohanlal is now on Twitter. And on the insistence of none other than Big B himself! He had tweeted that after requesting Aamir Khan to join Twitter, he would persuade Mohanlal too. Bachchan also tweeted that Lal has joined and he is also impressed with the Malayalam superstar’s blog too. Wow!

WOMAN ON TOP

WHEN BIG B WAS IN KANDAHAR Amitabh Bachchan ﬂew down from Mumbai to Coimbatore and drove down to Ooty for the five day shoot schedule of his first Malayalam film, Kandahar that he’s doing with Mohanlal. It is directed by Major Ravi, which has Sumalatha playing his wife and Ganesh Venkatraman their son. Big B wooed everyone on the sets with his simplicity and down-to-earth ways. He obliged every artiste and technician by posing for photographs and talking to them.

Vani Viswanath, who did several man like roles as a cop mainly, is worried that the audience might not accept her in other roles. Though she featured as a glam girl in Telugu, she became famous for her strong cop roles in her Malayalam action films. But she’s happy that she’s been able to make a lasting impression with her signature style. And guess what, she stated she would love to do a role like that of Rajinikanth in his super hit film Basha. Way to go, Vani! AUG’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 15

TAMIL LOADING...PLEASE WAIT

Cast- Karthi, Kajal Agarwal, Jayaprakash Director- Suseenthiran Music- Yuvan Shankar Raja Producer- Gnanavel Raja Banner- Studio Green Naan Mahan Alla is about the relationship of a father and son and how a happy youngster has to go through a difficult situation. Karthi plays a middleclass boy looking out for a job who due to circumstances gets involved in avenging the baddies instead. Jayaprakash plays the role of Karthi’s father.

NAAN MAHAN ALLA

Cast- Aadhi, Meera Nandan, Santhanam Director- Rajamithran Music- Thaman Producer- PL Thenappan Banner- Sri Rajalakshmi Films Ayyanar is directed by debutant Rajamithran, an Adyar film institute graduate. Santhanam is doing a hilarious comedy track and taking a dig at Osama Bin Laden in this one. The film is seeped in ‘Amma Pasam’ (motherly sentiments) and is set in a village and some parts of the city. Ayyanar is touted to be a mass entertainer with lots of dramatic sentiments and good music.

AYYANAR

16 SOUTHSCOPE AUG’ 10

LOADING...PLEASE WAIT

MALAYALAM

Cast- Mohanlal, Sneha, Mailthili, Ananya, Jagathy, Samuthirakani Director- M Padmakumar Producer- Rajagopal Banner- Sriraj Productions

SHIKAR

Mohanlal has completed the shoot of Shikar, a different and daring film directed by M Padmakumar. It is a deadly revenge story with Mohanlal playing a lorry driver. Sneha is being paired with Mohanlal for the first time and she plays Kaveri, his wife in ďŹ&#x201A;ashback scenes. Tamil director Samuthirakani plays villain along with Jagathy and Suraj Venjaranmoodu in comic roles. The film was shot by ace cameraman Manoj Pillai in the hilly regions of Adimali, Idukki, coastal Thuthukudi and Hyderabad.

Cast- Kailash, Asif, Reema Kallingal, Archana Kavi, Urvashi Director- M A Nishad Music- Dr Palash Sen and his band Euphoria Banner- A & M Entertainments The shooting for Best of Luck is almost complete and the film has a young team - Kailash, Asif, Reema and Archana Kavi - in the lead. Mammootty will also make a cameo appearance as a superstar in the film. Tamil actor Prabhu has an important role in the film, which also has Urvasi, Jagathy and Sooraj Venjaranmoodu in the cast.

BEST OF LUCK

AUGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 10 SOUTHSCOPE 17

QUOTE UNQUOTE:

“I’m not a LESBIAN”

I don’t feel attracted to men below 35 anymore. It’s only men above 35 who are passionate.

At 21, she made her debut in Malayalam cinema as a 35-yearold mother of two, hankering for a third child orphaned in the Gujarat earthquake. The film Kazhcha went on to win many Kerala state and Filmfare awards and much acclaim for her meaningful debut. Three years later, she played a mad, beggar woman in the gritty family drama about a poor Tamilian migrant in Karutha Pakshikal. If this does not drive home her image as an actor of mettle, she makes her entry in Tamil cinema in Cheran’s ode to a father, Thavamai Thavamirundhu, in which she was appreciated for her remarkable character. Last year, even as she carried off her fiery role as an adivasi warrior in the period epic Pazhassi Raja with aplomb, along came her blink-and-she’s-gone role in the Tamil cowboy film, Irumbu Kottai Murattu Singam. So, who is Padmapriya? The Nandita Das of southern cinema, many call her. Or is she simply arm candy material? “Yes, strangely I’m an established actor but I’m still not one. I’ve done amazing films and acted with different actors but I’m still not exploited much. Though, I’ve done 32 films, I’m still not there. I have it all and at the same time, I don’t have any of it.” Maybe, this former risk consultant, who never set out to be an actor follows her heart over her head. Padmapriya reasons, “It is foolhardy to play a 35-year-old in my first role. My experimenting might have established my identity but it also took its toll on my career.” But, again, this is where it gets complicated; Padmapriya does not regret any of her roles. Largely because of her chameleon characters on celluloid, it took 10 Malayalam films before people recognised her in public, she admits. 18 SOUTHSCOPE AUG’ 10

She’s beautiful and she’s a natural before the camera. Even aﬅer being clearly recognised as an actor of substance in Malayalam cinema, Padmapriya hasn’t found her place in the top league. Kavita Shanmugham attempts to ﬁnd out why.

The former Miss Andhra Pradesh cannot seem to fit into a single mould making it tough for filmmakers to slot her. “I’ve broken so many images, people don’t know where the hell to fit me. They are confused – what kind of role should we sign her up for? In one movie, I play an intensely homely woman who cries after pre-marital sex, in another I’m an export factory worker who seduces a guy in Pattiyal, then I play a woman tortured by her ex-husband in Satham Podathey and in Mirugam, I’m an Aids patient. I play a sweet dainty Muslim girl in Pokkisham and in Irumbukkotai, I barely have anything to do except look dolled up. Filmmakers say I am confused about what I want. But, I’m telling them now, in fact, beseeching my directors to cast me in any role, I will give you what you want.” So, Padmapriya like many hugely talented actors before her (remember the great Smita Patil caved in to do Namak Halal) states: “I completely love masala films.” She goes on to defend her crossover statement too though, “I don’t have to dab loads of glycerine and black make-up and cry to be a performer. I can wear a bikini and still have substance but at the same time, neither do I have to show my belly button to look glam.” She understands the layering of characters which is probably her biggest strength as an actor. It’s not tough to understand why director Hariharan using her fighting sequences in Pazhassi Raja as the standard so much so every one else on the set including Sarath Kumar was told to follow her moves. A thinking actor, Padmapriya gets all wound up when people question her on why she looks sort of plain in her most recent Telugu comedy. “I’m tired of telling people the character is a simple girl. I’m confused here. Do I work on my character or

on how I should look? If I play myself, why the hell am I an actor?” After all acclaimed director Adoor Gopalakrishnan did not baulk at casting her in the role of a sex worker in a film set in the pre-independent era, without testing her in that look. “So, why cannot the other directors?” You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to answer that. It is a bitter pill to swallow for this classical dancer to boot, whose films have bagged rave reviews, to admit she probably lacks ‘commercial viability.’ This is why this daughter of a brigadier from a multi-cultural background was hesitant to enter films in the first place. ”I was working in GE Capital in Bengaluru even while I was doing films since I was unsure about the industry”, she shares. And later she gave it up for her full time career as an actor.

cannot have an affair with every hot guy in town. We are very similar as individuals, we are simple and frank and we both never planned to get into films. The rumour about our affair died as soon as it started because we just turned around and asked the media, so when are we getting married?”

Yet, Padmapriya consoles herself that there are no heroines today who can run a film on their own steam. “No female actor is commercially viable today. The last successful heroine probably was Kajal. Then why is my market potential questioned?” Adopting a Martina Navravtilova-ish stand she demands equal rights and pay for women actors and they shouldn’t be cast aside once married or over 40. “Why are actors like Sarika not used? Why female actors are not paid enough, why can’t we act until we are 60? And, why nobody talks about a male oriented film?” she questions. In her earlier days, shuttling between her shooting in Kerala and her job in Bengaluru, she might not have been as committed to her work. She recalls, “I was more concerned about catching my evening flight and submitting my project at work the next morning. There was this one kingpin poignant scene in Kazhcha, in which my character was being separated from her child. I was facing Mammootty but my mind was on the flight. Imagine, Mammootty, then softly reminding her, ‘if you don’t mind, can you cry please?’ “Oh god, that’s when I realised I had to cry. Ironically, it’s this scene that was played in every award ceremony and I always would look at Mammooka, laughing to myself,” she narrates. She gives her co-stars the due for her fame as a performer. It’s actors like Nedumedu Venu, Murali, Mohanlal, Jagdish, and Cheran she thanks among others who played a role in bringing out the best from her. “There is this one scene in Pazhassi Raja where I break down when my partner Manoj dies and the king played by Mammooty places his hand on my shoulder. Though, the director approved the take, Mammootty asked for another one and this time, the way he placed his hand on my shoulder, I started to cry.”

Craziest thing you have done? Walked 20 kms in the midnight with a couple of friends in Bengaluru An A-ha moment? Every time I’m in front of the camera Lust or love? Lusty love (why the hell do we have to choose in life) Mammooty or Mohanlal? M is my fave letter of the alphabet these days Surya or Arya? RYA... I like that bit Mani Ratnam or Gautam Menon? Damn!

Padmapriya’s got a bunch of projects in Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. After Striker in Hindi, she’s also trying to foray into Bollywood. But, the Mumbai market which seems to be always on the move fazes her. Moreover, she is busy in southern cinema which is more ‘focussed on work.’ Has the casting couch got anything to do with this? “I‘ve not experienced the casting couch nor had sexual overtures made to me by my co-stars. Does it make life easier if you sleep around? I don’t know. People have been sleeping around in Mumbai for so long but it hasn’t got them anywhere. People who don’t sleep around have also got somewhere. I don’t think sleeping around is a pre-requisite for success. It’s tough to make it in the film industry, period.” When asked about her personal life, she says candidly, “I’m not in a relationship right now. I don’t have a boyfriend. I’m not a lesbian, I would love to settle down and get married. But I prefer to be single than be in a wrong marriage. I’m very much single and very much available.” On her alleged affair with Arya, Padmapriya says, “Arya is a hot guy but I

We would love to read more articles on classics from the 60s and 70s. It would be great for people like me who are new to the world of South Indian Cinema

– Heather Wilson, Melbourne, Australia AUG’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 19

MALAYALM // EXCLUSIVE

When Santosh Sivan is behind the camera, a film is bound to be a visual treat, regardless of everything else! Sridevi Sreedhar gets a perfect shot.

SILHOUETTE OF DESIRE... “Photography is a journey that begins when a person is exposed to a camera for the first time. Make time to experiment with it. Initially, discover its beauty in your own way, at your own pace instead of learning it the professional way.” Santosh Sivan did not study cinematography, but was fascinated with visuals from an early age and believes that still photography is the best way to begin learning cinematography. His father instilled in him the passion for looking at the world though the lens. Sivans Studio in the heart of the city, where the doyens of early Malayalam cinema like Sathyan, Prem Nazir, Madhu, filmmakers Ramu Kariyat, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and others would meet, was his second home. Later, Sivan joined the Poona Film Institute and it took him 11 years to make the journey from Thiruvanathapuram to Hollywood, via Chennai and Mumbai. He has been featured in most American media and happens to be the first Indian cinematographer to be featured in the prestigious American Cinematographer magazine. In fact, his film The Terrorist has been described as one of the 100 best films in the world by Pulitzer-prize winning movie expert Roger Ebert.

20 SOUTHSCOPE AUG’ 10

Still photography, cinematography or film direction - which do you prefer the most and why? I used to sketch and paint when I was a child and I still have some of those. I used to call them the originals but later when I started to learn photography, I realised these ‘originals’ were actually negatives! And with digital it’s always a copy, so I guess changes are inevitable always. I enjoy directing, mostly if it has a personal connect. Halo, the kids’ film took birth from my personal experiences in Bombay, while I was filming for my first film Raakh. Cinematography is a very Zen feeling, and I just do one film at a time and so I don’t do too much of it. And if someone comes to me with something challenging, I’m always game. What is Urumi, your newly announced Tamil film all about? Are you going the tried and tested commercial way after the offbeat, low budget types you’ve done so far? I love the idea of doing all kinds of films. I am open to filming songs, fights and other elements associated with commercial films. I also like the freedom to do entirely different things, when it comes to filmmaking. So when I made The Terrorist and it was presented by John Malkovich, it got me a lot of awards and international recognition. The film was the first to be picked up by the American cinematographer for its visual content, at the Sundance festival. I think that all this happens when you do something with your own visual culture and not try to imitate the West. Before the Rains was a Merchant Ivory presentation and was released all over the world, so naturally the film was not the hardcore commercial kind. I think when one goes low budget, it simply means you are experimenting and the film is for a niche audience. Urumi of course treads a commercial path and is a musical set in 15th century. Your inspiration behind The story of Tiblu, the short film that fetched you the National Award in 1988? I had gone to film a documentary for Vivekananda Kendra, that used to have schools in the remote mountains of Arunachal in the Himalayas. I have always had a penchant for travelling and ended up teaching photography to kids and for them it was like magic. It was there that I wrote a script based on a girl called Tiblu. Her father brought her from a distant village after almost a four day trek. “The green bananas would become yellow,” was how she described the journey. I later returned

with a script and made the film, with the villagers who had never seen a film in their life and it was quite interesting. They wanted to keep seeing it again and again. The makeshift screen was put up outdoors and the images and their faces would keep changing with the wind on the screen, so each time they would see themselves differently! You always say that your father Sivan is your inspiration. Tell us more… Well, my dad was extremely patient and was always there to answer my questions, sometimes silly ones too. I used to accompany him to all kinds of exotic places like Wynad and would ask him who built these crazy curvy roads? He would say it was the British and narrate an interesting tale about it. I used to imagine people building these roads and later it turned it into the premise for my film Before the Rains. My dad is my director, mentor and inspiration. How much of your personal experiences influence your cinema? (Smiles) Most of it. Do awards still give you a high? I have won 13 National Awards, numerous Filmfare awards and 21 international awards. My first National Award gave me the biggest high. How was the experience of playing Raja Ravi Varma in your acting debut? Did your cinematography and direction experience help you in facing the camera? Acting is a nightmare for someone who is always so busy behind the camera. As an actor, you have loads of free time, and those intense times before action and cut. In the beginning, when Lenin Rajendran, the director yelled ‘action,’ I would shut one eye just to make everything lighter. Among all the films you have directed, which one is closest to your heart? I like Malli because I learnt the story in school. Your brothers are also film directors. Do you often exchange creative ideas? Of course we chat a lot, but we maintain a professional distance. The entire nation is raving about the camerawork of Raavan. How was it working on this project and with Mani Ratnam? Mani Ratnam is the most passionate director I have worked with. Any cameraman can hone his skills working with him. Mani is someone whose films are difficult to film, since most of them are in the outdoors. The locales and weather are challenging to shoot in and there’s often no studio support. Something about your family? My wife Deepa is an engineer and holds a Masters in planning. Sarvajit my only son is my life.

My idea of true love- something that grows My favourite actors - SRK, Kajol My favourite film- Iruvar Favourite Hollywood film- Amadeus Favourite locationKashmir Favourite holiday destinations-Venice, Amazon, London. Favourite brand- Giordano Favourite cuisine- Kerala cuisine

Dalapathy, Roja, Dil Se, Fiza, Vanaprastham, Iruvar, Kalapani, and now Raavan are some of his most remarkable works as a cinematographer. However it is Gurindar Chadha’s Bride and Prejudice which made him an international cameraman of repute. His four one-minute films for The Kerala Tourism board got Kerala to feature in National Geographic’s 50 most sought after destinations. Santosh tuned to direction with The Terrorist followed by, Malli, Halo, Asoka and Navarasa, Ananthabhadram, Before the rains and Tahaan.

AUG’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 21

MALAYALM // EXCLUSIVE

DISSOLVE TO SREEKAR PRASAD We were looking for one man who understood not only the art but also the science of editing. Sreekar Prasad, who most recently edited Raavan lingers somewhere at the top of that list finds Chitra Mahesh. One day a young man who wanted to become a journalist, walked into a studio where his father was editing a film. It was perhaps the most leisurely time of his life since he was still in college and his vacations had just begun. Never after this was Sreekar Prasad going to have so much time on hand, to wonder what he wanted to do in life! He instantly fell in love with the process of film editing and knew he found his life’s calling. In 1995 Sreekar Prasad started his own non-linear edit suite at Chennai called Sreekars Visions (P) LTD. It is one of the first non-linear edit suites in Chennai. From then till now and seven National Awards in between, Sreekar is also ready to direct his own films and edit them as well. We can imagine them as thorough works of art! Sreekar simply smiles at this and we get down to talking about his challenging, exciting and fulfilling journey so far.

22 SOUTHSCOPE AUG’10

On a huge filmography Well, there have been three hundred films so far. My first stint with editing was a Hindi film called Bekarar. A song was being done. I had just graduated and was on my way to becoming a journalist when I decided that this is what I wanted to do. I learnt then that it is not easy to edit a song. It is important to make it look seamless, despite the hundred shots that must have been taken to make it. On Raavan and the criticism We were looking at defining the character of Raavan by showing different sides to him – a poet, a warrior etc - which was experimented with during the shoot. But in the process of editing, we realised that this would not have added any value and could actually be a distraction. It was a collective decision. All Amitabh Bachchan did was to wonder why it was not used. And since he used the word editing, his comments were twisted and blown out

of proportion in the press. I also feel that some people from the audience may not have understood the finer nuances and there was also too much hype. It’s natural for people to compare the work of a big director with his previous films when he tries something new - especially when things are not told in a conventional and linear way. On making a difference to a film Once I get into a project, I try to see how best the editing can help the script. Once the shoot is done, I see what kind of energy I can bring to the story in terms of its visual strength, without other factor like say special effects. Also, important things to look into are the best performances and moments. There are stages of working on the edit table and I start work even as the rushes come in to get the best out of each scene. Finally, everything is put together to see if this is what the script was originally thought of as. And not always does it translate on the screen the way it was initially envisaged. Finally, the director assesses the final product to work on what his vision is for a film. On the relevance of editing The scope of editing is almost like writing the script again at the post production level. We have lots of material and it is up to the editor to decide what to keep because every shot has many takes. Sometimes we have a ratio of 1: 15 to work with. And we have to look into all the things and get the best possible shot. Not only should it be aesthetically appealing but also be in

Shaji Karun for the depth and layers, Vishal Bharadwaj, for the way he makes every scene and Santosh Sivan for his shot composition. Another of my all time favourites is Mani Ratnam. Right from Alaipayuthe. I like working with him because he constantly keeps surprising you with his treatment. There’s a lot to learn from him and he also gives you a lot of freedom plus he raises the bar very high. On forthcoming projects I have Vishal’s Saath Khoon Maaf and I have just completed an animation film, Arjuna, The Warrior Prince, directed by Arnab for UTV. It’s in the post production stage. On language matters Language does matter. For instance, it is very different in Hindi as against a Tamil or even Assamese film. In Hindi, things are slower while Tamil is a little more erratic, louder and quicker, and Assamese is gentler. To set the pace, understanding the language is important. It helps to get the nuances right. And it also keeps you from being bored. On other things I watch a lot of movies. I follow and enjoy all good cinema Traffic, Babel... I like to read a lot of books, mostly fiction. Besides that, I watch a lot of sports - cricket and football mostly. I would like to travel to various places though I don’t get much time for it other than work related trips.

alignment with the story. We have to take a call somewhere. For instance, in Kaminey, an excellent opening sequence was shot. But when we saw it, there seemed to be a disconnect between the actual script and the opening sequence. After much debate, we decided to do away with it and that actually worked better. On learning and creativity I did not formally study editing. All my knowledge came from observation and experience. I used to go to the studio everyday and slowly I learnt stuff bit by bit. Raakh was the first Hindi film I did, with Aamir Khan, which also got me my first National Award. On awards and accolades I have been fortunate enough to win National Awards for Rag Birag (Assamese), a non feature film, Nauka Chatritram, The Terrorist , Vanaprastham , Kannathil Muttamittal and Firaaq. On favourite films Some of my favourite films include The Terrorist by Santosh Sivan, which was a wholly visual film made at the editing table. It didn’t have a rigid script which was a challenge. Vanaprastham is another, because it had a lot of subtexts, as there were performances by the actors as well with Kathakali as the background. To be able to intersperse the Kathakali element with the narrative and make it flow seamlessly was again a challenge. Nandita Das’s, Firaaq is yet another that was exciting to work on. The film has a number of stories which are not really connected, but they had to be woven as a whole. To achieve the delicate balance of how much of a story to show is again a challenge but it was enjoyable. I liked working with

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– Radhakrishna, Wayne, NJ AUG’10 SOUTHSCOPE 23

Matters behind magic

We grew up listening to the popular story of a tortoise and a hare. Though everyone might be tempted to bet on the racy hare, eventually the tortoise would win. This scene has been effectively recreated today in Kollywood thanks to the stupendous success of Kalavani says Bharat Kumar.

24 SOUTHSCOPE AUGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 10

MALAYALM // EXCLUSIVE

Beautifully conceived, tastefully shot and interestingly packaged, the film struck a right chord, despite the fact that it had neither big stars nor noted technicians. All that it had was a one-film old hero and music director (Vimal and S S Kumaran respectively), debutant director (Sargunam) and new producer (Naseer). Amidst big films in the race, Kalavani, with a lesser known star cast and no big publicity won positive reviews and walked away with all accolades. If sources are to be believed, the film made at a cost of little more than Rs two crore, has so far collected around 150 per cent of its budget. “What is striking is that the movie’s success convinced everyone that the essence of a film’s success lies in its story and screenplay. Planning, promotion, release strategies can bite the dust if the movie lacks coherent script”, says a prominent film distributor. “Kalavani is a canvas of delightful rural romance. The story is simple and artistes are natural. All characters are well etched out and the humour is not silly as it is in most other Tamil movies. Amidst commercial cliches, audience wanted something strikingly different. When Kalavani came, it obviously conquered the hearts of many,” says a theatre-owner.

The film is a collection of events and mischiefs that I did when I was a youngster in my village. Also, few events that I had come across had been incorporated. But I didn’t want to narrate them as it is, as that would give the film a documentary feel. So, I included elements that would make every scene interesting, This obviously touched the hearts of people,” he adds.

Interestingly, or inspiringly, this film has let loose a wave of confidence among small producers.

Thanking his artistes Vimal, Oviya, Ilavarasan, Ganja Karupu, Saranya and of course the producer Naseer, Sargunam says, “hard work, sincere approach and passion to do things differently helped us.” Echoing the same is the film’s music composer S S Kumaran. He says, “the movie was a challenge. It has only one full-length song and the rest were brief numbers. We came up with different tunes which clicked well.” Interestingly, or inspiringly, this film has let loose a wave of confidence among small producers. A welcome change in the industry which is otherwise plagued by loud noise, aggressive promotion and non-stop repeat of so-called commercial elements on screen.

Over to the man, who is basking in the glory. Sargunam, who wielded the megaphone for the movie, says, “At a time when everyone goes behind Madurai, I chose to go to Thanjavur. Born and brought up there, I knew everything about the place. It helped me to shape a script that reflected life and culture of the locality.”

AUG’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 25

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s raining

GEN. hallelujah!

TIME TO GET GENIE OUT OF THE BOTTLE... Text: Mona Ramavat

Photographer: G Venket Ram Stylist: Vira Shah Hair: Rachel Make up: Vikram Mittal Sets & Props: Purshotham

God must have created Genelia D’Souza in one of His effervescent moods. Or soon after a power workout! But we do know, He created her on August 5th.. We aren’t mentioning the year, not because we don’t know but because it really doesn’t matter. She looked 17 when she first breezed in with the Hindi Tujhe Meri Kasam and Boys in Tamil. And seven years later, she looks a sexy 20 somewhat, going on 23 at the most. We’ll let you in on her secret to always looking young too. Everybody who’s seen her on screen says she has replaced Preity Zinta. To this of course, Genelia blushes, gushes and rushes to clarify (in that order) “Nobody can replace anybody. I have always admired Preity when I was growing up and it’s a huge compliment to be even compared to her. A lot of people keep telling me this, but I personally think I have not replaced anybody.” Oh but you have, haven’t you? And nobody lesser than SRK. Shahrukh freaking Khan, folks! After she was selected as the Brand Ambassador of the Year by the CNBC Awaaz Consumer Awards, brand Genelia replaced brand SRK in the ad circuits! So now we know, it’s not all ‘talk, talk, talk.’ Here’s proof too. So if the next question on your minds is the same as that was on ours, yes Gen uses all the products she endorses. Without exception? “Yes. I wouldn’t endorse something if I am not convinced about it myself. It’s a question of credibility after all and I am very careful about what products I am endorsing. I put myself in the viewer’s and consumer’s shoes. Besides, I stand by the products I endorse. I will never go with a competing brand.” So does she pick products that go with her personality? “Yes, you could certainly say that. I wear Fastrack glares and I drink Fanta and eat Perk and use Garnier,” she offers in one go. By now we know, she doesn’t need to get excited for dancing eyes; it happens anyway, say every three minutes or so. Reminds us of Hasini from Bommarillu the Telugu film in which Gen was featured alongside Siddharth. Hasini, her character grew bigger than the film, went beyond the Telugu industry and became synonymous with her. This sure widens the grin. “Hasini was this adorable character I totally fell in love with even before I did the film. Bhasker who directed Bommarillu sat me down and told me all about this girl who is very straight hearted and stands up for herself. That’s where her high energy comes from. You know, from her very core. Very few directors actually describe a character beyond its scope in a film but Bhasker would talk of Hasini like she was a real person. What happened to this girl before the story actually began, where she came from, what she believes in and stuff like that. If I can be even 50 per cent of Hasini, I think I’d be extremely happy. I look up to this character, really and for a long time after Bommarillu, I was still living it. I’ve learnt a lot from her. When people would come to me saying they’ve named their daughters Hasini in the hope that she’ll turn out as bubbly and high energy, it was hugely overwhelming and flattering. Someone once approached me when I was waiting at the airport and told me she replaced her wedding sari in the last minute with the kind my character Sasirekha wears in Sasirekha Parinayam. Was I touched or was I touched! Now you know why I choose brands carefully. It’s also a huge responsibility.” The sort that is tiring? Fan mobs and frenzied crowds and stuff like that? “No. Being a celebrity has never been tiring or stressful for me. Knowing that I am a household name in India today gives me a huge high. Honestly, it gets painful only if you behave like a painful celebrity. Only when you walk around

like a star. After I’m done with my shoot, I am like any other girl who loves to shop and have a nice time. I go to a mall or a movie like anybody else. Of course, people recognise me on the airport and stuff, but that’s ok. Fan crowds have never intimidated me. Yes, it’s foolhardy to deliberately go to a place where you know you will be mobbed but otherwise, I am just my natural self in public. I pose for pictures with people and give autographs without making a fuss, when I’m not pressed for time.” Real stars don’t throw tantrums, eh? “Real people don’t throw tantrums,” says the goddess of spontaneity. “Acting is like any other profession, is it not? If you are focused on your work and totally enjoy yourself, then where is the question of tantrums?” And that in turn also eliminates a lot of stress. “Absolutely! I hardly take any stress.” That’s how she exudes positive energy all the time and also explains why she looks young and fresh and bubbly always. The way she lights up, maybe she can endorse a toothpaste brand too. “Well, I am filled with a wonderful positive energy most of the time, but I am human after all. I have my share of lows too, but I spring back rather easily.” Where does all this grounding come from, we wonder. “One, I’m quite a spiritual person. My faith in God gives me a high. And two, from my family. My parents, by the way, are quite disciplined and expect the same kind of discipline from me. Once I am home, I am not this star who is expected to be constantly pampered and indulged. I am very much the daughter who needs to inform and go wherever I am going. I can’t just take off in the evening with my folks not knowing where I am. Yes, you heard that right!” Not many know that Genelia has a quiet and lonely side too that very few have seen and known. “That is something the media will not have access to,” she warns. Talking of which, we couldn’t help but bring up the whole Ritesh Deshmukh episode, although it has already been talked about so much. “So what is the point of talking more about it?” But we want to know how she handled her media created hype around her ‘engagement’ with Ritesh. “It was media created.” That’s all we get. But smoke without fire? “You have yourself said there’s so much already talked about it, so why talk some more?” So celebs give the media reason to talk of linkups and breakups, don’t they? “Not always. And let’s just leave it at that, please?” Ok, so who is her favourite star couple? “Oh quite a few. SRK and Gowri, Surya and Jyotika, Mahesh Babu and Namrata. Love them all.” So, man in life? “You aren’t looking for clichéd responses, I know, but can’t help it if there’s none at the moment. Let’s see what life has in store.” No time for love? Guess so, what with so much on her plate already. She’s got Orange in Telugu with Ram Charan Tej, Hook Ya Crook in Hindi with John Abraham, It’s My Life in Hindi again and two Tamil projects - Uthama Puthiran and Velayudham. She’s got totally different roles in all of them. In Orange, she plays a vulnerable young girl who doesn’t know where her career is going, an absolute college kid in It’s My Life and a grown up mature lawyer in one of her Tamil films. She is doing another interesting film by Santosh Sivan called Urumi alongside Prithviraj, which will be a trilingual most probably in Tamil, English and Malayalam. It is set in the 15th century and the story is all about a group of men who wanted to assassinate Vasco De Gama, the Portuguese explorer who had set foot in Calicut. Genelia might just play a Portuguese princess in this one. So which of these excites her the most? “All of them. I love all the characters I’ve played so far and find all the new ones pretty exciting. Can’t really pick one over the other. But yes, Hasini will always remain special.” So what next? Ever thought of film direction? “No. Not really. I may, sometime in the future produce a film, perhaps. Maybe a sensible film or maybe a

romcom or a love story.” And who is her dream co-star? “Amitabh Bachchan!” Unpremeditated response again. “By the way, I still have the autograph I took from him during the Parker pen ad shoot. “ Cute, what? That was man of dreams. Woman of substance? “Mother Teresa. I really look up to her. And my mom, of course. She has been my strength my biggest motivator. Plus also someone who ensures I’m grounded always. Is she also looking forward to motherhood? “Oh yes. Most certainly.” What’s her take on an increasing number of women coming out in the open and admitting they don’t want children? “Well each to her own. But I wouldn’t want to miss out on the experience.” What else does she not want to miss out on? “Oh well, nothing. Life is beautiful! I believe in enjoying it to its fullest. There will always be peaks and valleys but that’s the most beautiful thing about life, right? I can’t stand people who crib and whine all the time.” One thing we don’t know about her: “I talk to God. The best thing is that He talks back…”

Now watch your most loved stars exclusive photo shoot galleries only on www.southscope.in/gallery

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I want to break free… Independence, freedom, liberty…what do these words really mean? This Independence Day, Hemanth Kumar decided to ask around tinsel town, what the fuss is all about. Once upon a time, during the age of kings, people led a normal life. They would adhere to the decrees of their kings and life was indeed a bizarre mix of harmony and unpredictability. It all changed in 1947, when a new India was born. Our forefathers were proud of the fact that we were finally independent and sovereign. In the past 63 years, a lot of things have changed and life seems to have completed a full circle. Although we live in a democratic country, it doesn’t seem like one. The citizens of this country are entitled to several fundamental rights, yet they are subjected to change. Are we really independent? Does the current generation value its freedom and know what independence really means? Are we a confused nation where people are struggling to find their own identity? Questions like these plague us. They will probably continue to do so for eternity. Of late, the boundaries of states divided by language and cultural barriers seem to be fading away. The explosion of media, internet and telecommunications has led to a paradigm shift of an entire generation. There are plenty of kids from the internet generation who believe Vande Mataram was written by A R Rahman! We find it hard to recollect our own past, leave alone what India was back in the British era. 34 SOUTHSCOPE AUG’ 10

The latter aspect is preserved in our books and films which at times struggle to see the light of day. Since it would be ludicrous to accept this change in our lives, we go through a drill year after year. No wonder, the country celebrates its Independence Day with great fervour on August 15th. The day long celebration comes to an end and we move on with our lives. The struggle to make a living continues. It’s a freaky chakra, an unwritten, unspoken rule of life. They say, “Home is where your heart is.” In an era of globalization, we are even more confused about where our heart lies. Is this what independence is all about - the freedom to make your choices and live a responsible life? To get a sense of what independence means to us, we asked our stars. This is what they had to say…

DHANUSH Independence literally and obviously means not depending on anything or anybody. It also means to follow your heart. If you can do that without any regrets or guilt, then that’s your independence. It also means earning your own identity.

SILAMBARASAN For me, independence is not having to depend on anyone or anything else. It also means to be strong and be able to survive alone. The word is very beautiful if used in a good way. We all say that we are independent, but are we really?

TAMANNAAH Independence means freedom of thought expression and action.

ABBAS

Independence to me is a fellow Indian standing up for another Indian without worrying about his religion, where there is equal justice for all.

TRISHA

Independence for me is when a person has the right to live their life according to their terms - to be able to follow any religion, express thoughts and views freely, walk freely without any fear and know that independence doesn’t cost a thing!

REEMMA SEN

Independence to me is being financially stable. I believe that money plays an important part in any individual being independent and not depending on anyone for your existence. Money gives you the courage to face the world.

PADMAPRIYA BHAVANA

When we do exactly what’s on our mind and what our heart says without hurting anyone, that’s independence.

There is nothing called complete freedom or independence. Nobody is completely independent as our existence depends on so many people around us and no one can live in isolation.

PIAA

Independence means a lot to me. But even after 63 years, we somehow fight for independence in our own homes. In politics too, nobody is bothered about the country and everyone is after power. We should learn what the real meaning of independence is!

AUG’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 35

RANA

My independence day would be the day I can do what’s right and what works for me.

BRAHMANANDAM

Does independence really exist? I think it’s an overrate concept. Like Bernard Shaw said, “Independence? That's middle class blasphemy. We are all dependent on one another, every soul on earth.”

NAGA CHAITANYA

Independence is freedom of expression. What every Indian did after India got independence is what has contributed to making our country what it is today.

SHARWANAND

Living a life the way you want to live.

VARUN SANDESH

I stand for freedom of expression, doing what you believe in, and going after your dreams. True independence and freedom can only exist in doing what’s right.

SUMANTH

Independence for me means responsibility more than anything else.

AKSHA

I think people have changed a lot over the years. Earlier, especially for women, independence meant being able to go out by themselves but today the meaning has changed. Women today want to stand on their own feet and make a career at an early age so that they are not dependent on their parents, which is a fabulous thing. I started my film career at 16. I’m 19 today, and four films old. So can I call myself independent?

SUSHANTH

I love having my space and doing what I feel like without interference. But then yes, also having someone to depend on when need be. So independence is a blend of dependence and interdependence for me.

PRIYA ANAND

Independence to me is to make my own choices and live life on my terms.

SAMANTHA

It’s not about depending on someone or someone’s ideologies but following what you believe in. 36 SOUTHSCOPE AUG’ 10

CHETAN CHANDRA:

A noun that has to be carefully used in practical sense, which unfortunately is being misused. Liberty does not mean a careless attitude, but a space for free expression.

RAMESH ARAVIND

NIDHI SUBBAIAH:

Independence is an opportunity to do what you want to do, however you want to do it without obstructing the rights of others or their welfare.

Liberty means responsibility! Every action has to be thought of.

SANJJANAA ARCHANA

It means everything to me...freedom to do whatever I want independently but responsibly.

CHETAN:

The ability to vocalize, mobilize, realize, eatsleep-enjoy...And most importantly, imagine... all without unlawful deprivation.

Inputs by Vrinda Prasad, Hemanth Kumar, Aravind Gowda and Sridevi Sreedhar

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TAMIL // EXCLUSIVE

all things bright and beautiful… The son of scenarist and actor Sreenivasan, shot to fame as a singer and turned sensation. He donned the greasepaint for Cycle and Makante Achan. He called the shots and turned filmmaker and scenarist with Malarvady Arts Club. It’s not easy to be Vineeth Sreenivasan discovers Vijay G.

You have been a singer, actor and now filmmaker. What next? (Smiles) I don’t know. I have always wanted to be a filmmaker. I decided to turn writer too and write my own script since I felt that the film could be approached on a more personal level. Writing is the toughest thing to do and filmmaking, the most enjoyable. Of course, singing needs practice and focus. Acting will be at the bottom of my priority list. Do you feel you have a lot of expectations to live up to? Yes, I am aware of the expectations but it didn’t bother me much till I completed the shooting. But during postproduction and while we began thinking about marketing the film, I started feeling some pressure. How did the idea of Malarvady Arts Club come to you? Actually, it was the desire to have a young team that I had in my mind at first. I am a great fan of Friends. I started thinking, what if such a group comes together in a rural village in Kannur in Kerala? What will be the characters like and where will they meet? What will be their concerns and attitudes? All these questions came first and then I started finding the answers. By then, the story of Malarvady Arts Club was more or less firm in my mind. How familiar were you with such an environment? I have studied in a small village near Thalassery and I am quite familiar with the places and surroundings in which the story is set. But then friendship is universal and anyone can relate to this basic emotion in the film. What did you have in mind while selecting the five new faces? I wanted them to be natural on screen. Talking about their characters, I feel that the kids who live in rural areas these days are also well exposed like those in the cities. But still, they are perhaps quite different in many other ways. Their friendships, relationships and the approach to life are more genuine and rooted and I have tried to inculcate those aspects into the characters. The five new faces of your film are still known by the names of their characters. Was it a carefully planned marketing strategy? We used to call them all by the names of their characters and they even used their screen names while interacting among themselves. Yes, it has perhaps worked in our favour as everyone knows the members of Malarvady Arts Club by those names and it has helped us establish their characters and the club even before the film hit the screens. What was the biggest challenge while making the film? For me, shooting for the songs was quite a task. It may surprise many as the music albums that I have made earlier were really popular and it should have been the easiest thing to do but somehow I found that part quite challenging.

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What is it to have one of the finest scriptwriters in the business (his father, scenarist and filmmaker Sreenivasan) back home to guide you? I feel incredibly lucky. My father read the script at various stages and has given me valuable suggestions. He made me aware of the flaws that usually creep in. He is so particular about the right dialogues and all that has helped me in a great way. Sreenivasan generally prefers genuine and serious themes in a highly entertaining way. What do you think about his style of writing? I really like his kind of movies and also his style of writing. Most of his characters come from a middle class background and there is some healthy humour associated with their lives. Still, I would like to experiment with various themes that the youth of my generation would like to see on screen. How similar is your idea of cinema, when compared to that of your father’s? Of course, he has been a great inspiration all along. He insists on having a certain depth in the screenplay, which is relatable. I am also of the view that the screenplay is not just about narrating a story, but doing it effectively, touching hearts along the way. His films have a feel-good mood which is true for Malarvady Arts Club as well. Which of your father’s films are your favourites? Sandesham (scripted by Sreenivasan and directed by Sathyan Anthikkad) is one of my favourite films. I think Udayananu Tharam has a fabulous script. Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala is really good too and Vadakkunokkiyanthram continues to surprise me with its brilliance. What other films have had an impact on you as a filmmaker? There have been a few films which I grew up on while dreaming to be a filmmaker some day. Dil Chahta Hai is one besides classics like Cinema Paradiso, The Good The Bad & The Ugly and Run Lola Run among others. Your song Aval appadi ondrum… from the Tamil movie Angadi Theru has become quite a rage… The song was recorded more than a year ago. Music director Vijay Antony wanted me to render it in a simple way, as it portrayed the dreams of those striving hard for a livelihood. It is absolutely uncomplicated and enjoyable. Perhaps that has made it so popular. Do you consider yourself lucky to have found success at a young age? (Smiles) Yeah, I have felt that I’ve always been blessed. I have always had people to help and guide me. Of course, my father has always been a great support. Dileepettan (Actor Dileep, who is the producer of Malarvady Arts Club) and the crew members have always been there for me. What’s it like to be one of the most eligible bachelors in southern showbiz? (Laughs) Don’t really think about it.

shooting for the songs was quite a task. It may surprise many as the music albums that I have made earlier were really popular and it should have been the easiest thing to do but somehow I found that part quite challenging.

It’s good to see a magazine which writes about all four South Indian languages. The magazine is superb but a little expensive

– Tripura

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ON A ROLE! Vijay G finds Meera Nandan in a euphoric mood, what with so many films coming her way! Photographer: Raghu Reddy

It all happened as if in a dream. Her brush with fame began with a stint as a TV anchor and then, she made her debut on the big screen as Dileep’s heroine in Mulla, directed by Lal Jose. With the kind of acceptance she got in Malayalam and Tamil from then on, Meera Nandan has every reason to smile, rather wide.

as well, we are wondering now. “I guess I’m not very good at that in real life. It may be an easy thing to do in films but not otherwise. I have found myself to be at complete loss for words when someone cries or shares their troubles. I feel sad listening to them but can’t talk and make them better,” she shrugs almost helplessly.

“Things fell in place for me just by chance. I never expected to be offered a project like Mulla. It had some of the biggest names in the business and it was so exciting,” she gushes.

She was cast alongside Prithviraj in Puthiya Mugham which was a huge success and catapulted the status of the hero to a higher league. “I think, even more than the film, it was the song Picha vecha naal muthal… that did wonders for me. It became a sensation and even now people can’t stop talking about it.”

But the film didn’t make ripples at the box office in a big way. Did that affect her at all? “Obviously, it did affect me to a certain extent and more importantly, everyone started asking me this question from then on,” she says. Her entry into Tamil too happened soon after, with Valmiki. “I loved my character Vandana who runs a crèche in Valmiki. It is her character that brings in some change in the hero, who is actually a wayward pickpocket.” But back to Mulla, the hero was a don who gets reformed under her influence. Can she have a positive influence on people in real life

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She has also done Currency, with Jayasurya and was seen in Pulliman, with Kalabhavan Mani, but the film failed to make an impression. “I had signed the film soon after Mulla but the shooting started much later. Of course, it was great working with a senior actor like Kalabhavan Mani. But I had certain issues with the film. It sounded like a great role when the script was narrated to me and that was why I even accepted it. Even I was shocked to see the way it was presented on screen, later on. Though I was supposed to dub for the film, I was never given a chance to do that either,” explains Meera.

Now she is playing Kunchacko Boban’s heroine in Oridathoru Postman, directed by Shaji Aziz. “My character in it is that of a nice girl, studying at this PSC coaching centre. She is in love with Kunchacko Boban’s character, who is a teacher there,” she shares. Meera also has a bunch of Tamil projects on hand including Kadhulukku Maranamillai, Ayyanar and Suriya Nagaram. Meera says she barely knew Tamil when she started shooting for Valmiki but can now handle the language pretty well. From what we hear, it looks like Meera’s village belle roles have earned her more cheers than the other characters she’s played. “But what I look forward to are films in which my character has some importance in the story. That is mostly my criteria while selecting a project,” says she. The character in Mulla remains her favourite though, “as I think it was quite a powerful role”. It was her stint in a music show that brought her so much fame and paved the way to bigger things. Now Meera is serious about singing career more than ever before. Such looks and a great voice are sure a heady cocktail, what say?

A new high note! Playback singing in Tamil cinema is getting younger and spunkier by the day. But that is in no way upsetting veteran singers! Karuna Amarnath does a voice check… What’s interesting is that thanks to this change, the sound and quality of music that’s being rendered has also changed tremendously over the years. Oscar award-winner, Tanvi Shah analyses, “Playback singing has changed because directors are open to different tones and voices. The singer who comes in doesn’t only have the usual ‘husky’ or ‘high-pitched’ tone. There is also more scope for world music, and that’s because the public wants that kind of thing.” Sujatha goes on to add, laughing, “Can you imagine me singing Kodaana Kodi (from Saroja)? It won’t sound good at all! I was offered Kaatrin Mozhi’ (from Mozhi) because that song needed a more mature voice. It’s nothing to feel bad about. Everyone needs to move ahead graciously.” Could this change be because younger music directors feel insecure about working with experienced singers? Twenty two year old music director, GV Prakash denies it instantly, “In fact, it makes our job much easier to have experienced singers. It’s just that most films today require more ‘attitude’ and a ‘freestyle’ kind of singing. here’s nothing wrong with change… if it And the younger singers are willing to play around and is in the right direction,” said Winston experiment. For us, it is about the voice matching the Churchill, and we can’t agree more. But song and not the person.” even if change is inevitable, it isn’t always sweet. Especially when it is forced and not by choice; However, Suchitra Karthik, who was one of the first when you have to make way for a younger lot to take few to make an entry with an unconventional voice over the mantle… is realistic. “There’s no competition when it comes to experience!” she smiles, “Let’s just say that the music Of late, we’ve seen this kind of change take over the trend right now is leaning more towards young and playback singing industry in Tamil cinema. A host of spirited voices because the films demand that. When it regular, notable voices are now being replaced by changes back to mature and ‘real,’ everything is going younger, spunkier and more enthusiastic singers - a to go back to the way it was.” trend that has introduced the industry to a whole new genre of music and a generation of newer talent. While competition between the younger and older breed of musicians still remains stiff, singing sensation, Benny In fact, most among the renowned singers have been Dayal feels that replacing more experienced singers is relegated to judging TV reality and talent hunt shows very optimistic. It in no way means we are losing respect and making appearances as celebrity guests on talk for anyone. “We won’t be here if we didn’t grow up shows, while the youngsters are crooning their way to listening to their songs or singing them at competitions! success. At the end of the day, we are all making music, not But award-winning singer Sujatha Menon is not war. We don’t have ego clashes because everyone perturbed. “I think change is always good. In fact, I feel is happy for each other. I hope it remains that way.” that bringing in new talented singers is great because Great camaraderie, oodles of respect for each other’s they have the energy and enthusiasm to get the best out space and encouragement means there’s no room for of a song. I’ll be happy if my daughter (Swetha Menon) insecurity. And, that’s what makes the playback singing replaces me for a song. As far as judging goes, only if industry soar ahead – young and experienced working you bring an experienced singer will the competition together like clockwork… hold any value, right?”

“T

AUG’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 41

MUMBAI EXPRESS // EXCLUSIVE

SUAVE, SEXY, SPUNKY

SONAM! I Hate Luv Stories? But we all love Sonam Kapoor! Anil Merani meets the hottest match maker in town…

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How do you feel after I Hate Luv Stories? Superb! The collections are going through the roof. I wanted to watch it in the theater my only day off also happened to be the Bharat Bandh. My friend suggested I just pick up a DVD, but I will not do that since we have to strive to fight against piracy in the film industry. So what’s your next film Aisha all about? It is based on the classic novel, Emma. Aisha is a fluffy Delhi socialite who loves her father and wants to match make all the time. But she often makes mistakes and the film is all about these comedy of errors. I fully identify with the character since it’s also so Indian to match make! You see a girl who is 27 something and if she’s still single, you start talking. I am quite confident about this film. People want to see happy, interesting, intelligent things. They are actually starving for such content. After Imran Khan, it’s now Abhay Deol. Tell us about your on screen and off screen equations with him. Imran is a hottie, Abhay is a sweetheart. His dimples make him look so cute. He is not the arty farty type that he claims to be, he is just a typical Juhu scheme 6feet 3inch tall Punju who loves his food. He is otherwise full of traditional values and he is pretty over protective about me. He often tells me not to repeat his mistakes, but I shout back that I want to learn it the hard way. We hear you and Abhay had creative differences on the sets of Aisha? Nahi. We were the only two people on set not fighting with each other. When others would quarrel, we would quietly retire to our respective rooms, saying we are actors and it’s not our job to interfere. He is such an integral part of the film and one actor so confident about himself. Our acting styles are similar and we get along very well. We will soon work on one more project together. How was the experience of working with new director Rajshree Ojha? She is a very considerate director who allowed me to work with her on the script. Normally, directors don’t do this. Her take is that since you are going to mouth those lines, you better be comfortable with them. Coming from an American school of thought, she does not understand song and dance, so Rajshree took Karan Gulani’s help in making Aisha. But yes the final call was always hers. Were you treated like a queen given the fact that it was a home production? On the contrary, I was treated the worst! (smiles) I was given the smallest room and the earliest call item. They would tell me “come on Sonam adjust.” I could not even complain since Rhea is my younger sister. Is it true that you have a quirky western habit of collecting old clothes? Yes when people can collect stamps and wines, why can’t I choose clothes? I dig antique outfits. Dad always wonders why I fill up the house with old clothes. Whenever I got to any new place, I check out vintage shops for good deals. I recently picked a jacket for just 30 pounds which otherwise would have cost much more. If you have the eye for the right stuff and sense of style, you can rock. I have worn one such green Chanel dress in Aisha as well. But I was very careful while wearing it. There is a method to preserving such clothes. It’s like collecting art. AUG’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 43

bioscope

TAMIL

MADRASAPATTINAM Cast

: Arya, Amy Jackson, Nasser, VMC Haneefa, Bala Singh, M. S. Bhaskar

Director : Vijay Music

: GV Prakash Kumar

Good

GV Prakash’s songs are good especially the romantic Pookal Pookkum and Vaama Duraiyamma…, beautifully picturised against Madras landmarks of that era.

Lavishly mounted and recreating the era with precision, this period film gets you transported to the last days of the British rule in India.

Full marks again to the SFX team. The de-saturated look given by Nirav Shah and costumes are major plus points of this period film.

It is something different from the normal run-ofthe- mill Tamil movies. Director Vijay and his team of art director V Selva Kumar, cinematographer Nirav Shah and music director GV Prakash have done a brilliant job of recreating the Madras of the 1940s

Could have been better...

Arya as the brave heart Parithi, looks good and is convincing.

It is an out and out Amy Jackson show. She is simply amazing and to deliver lines in Tamil with the right lip sync is not easy, and is one good reason to see the film.

Full marks to the supporting cast. A special word, about the late Cochin Haneefa who as the British stooge and translator brings the house down. We will definitely miss a very fine actor.

The film’s heavy mood and length at 165 minutes, especially the first half (95 minutes) is bit of a dampener.

Arya is stone-faced in romantic scenes. The entire feel of the film and its narration basically the romantic thread could well be Tamil cinema’s answer to James Cameron’s classic epic Titanic.

The heroism and the crucial crux of the film where the white man (villain) challenges the local (hero) into a wrestling bout with the prize being the land where the locals work, seems to be inspired from Ashutosh Gowarikar’s all time great Lagaan.

- Sridevi Sreedhar 44 SOUTHSCOPE AUG’ 10

bioscope

BOLLYWOOD

MALARVADY ARTS CLUB Cast

: Prakashan, Santhosh, Purushu, Praveen and Kuttu, Nedumudi Venu, Jagathy Sreekumar, Suraj Venjarammood, Salim Kumar and Kottayam Nazeer

Director : Vineeth Sreenivasan Music

: Shaan Rahman

Good The film has its moments and the honesty with which the debutant director has made it is evident in some scenes.

The visuals by cinematographer P Sukumar are very impressive.

The five debutant heroes, who were selected from talent hunts and rehearsal camps, have given decent performances. Among them the guy who plays Purushu is the best. Girls have nothing much to do but they are promising.

Could have been better... With the kind of hype that the film created, this one disappoints big time!

It is a simple story that unveils at a leisurely pace and often, in a predictable way.

The main problem is that though the music plays an important part in the story, it turns out to be the weakest link as well.

The script never really takes the viewer along its flow and looks fractured with cooked up situations, boring comedy and dramatic dialogues.

Certain scenes and the climax have evidently been inspired from the 2008 Bollywood hit, Rock On!

At two hours and fifteen minutes, the film seems a tad too long.Â

- Vijay G AUGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 10 SOUTHSCOPE 45

FOLLOWING THE DARK KNIGHT

Christopher Nolan’s astronomical rise in Hollywood is nothing short of a fairytale with no signs of ending anytime soon. Hemanth Kumar is awestruck as he traces Nolan’s non-linear filmography.

Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Ingmar Bergman, Fredrico Felini, Andrei Tarkovsky, Akira Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray…the list is endless if you start counting filmmakers who gave a new dimension to the definition of cinema. Their films became a part of our culture and the filmmakers are still revered as legends by millions of movie aficionados. Hollywood, the cradle of some of the finest filmmakers we have ever seen, has been instrumental in producing big bang entertainers. Once in a blue moon, a new bloke lands in Hollywood and the rest becomes history. Christopher Nolan is one such director who has caught the whole world’s fantasy and not without a reason. His latest sci-fi thriller, Inception is enough to reiterate Nolan’s Midas touch. Just seven films old, Christopher Nolan has already created a cult following across the world. From his first feature film Following to his latest Inception, his career has been nothing short of a fairytale which doesn’t seem to end. However, his life as a kid was filled with mixed emotions. Born in 1970, he grew up in London. His father

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was from UK who worked for an advertising agency while mother, an American was an air stewardess. This mixed heritage led to a fractured childhood due to moving back and forth from London to Chicago. At the age of seven, he started making short films with his father’s Super 8 camera using his toy action figures. Later, he went to Hailey bury College in UK and studied English Literature in University College, London. As a student, he continued making short films Tarantella, Larceny and Doodlebug. His first feature film, Following which he wrote, produced and directed, was about a writer who is obsessed with following random people in the streets. Made on a budget of close to $6000 the film was shot for over 14 months because Nolan chose to shoot it only on Saturdays. The film had a non linear narrative which became his signature in most of his future films like Memento and Prestige. His first breakthrough film was Memento which shot his fame to greater heights. The film’s narrative technique has become a

moral conflict within ordinary people when they are placed in extraordinary situations, like the ferry scene in the film. Joker’s careful infusion of chaos which disrupts the moral fabric of the Gotham City renders Batman in a helpless state. Batman almost breaks down while fighting his own dark side and saving Gotham City from his arc nemesis. The superhero is almost brought to his knees. A masterstroke, indeed! The catchphrase ‘Why so serious?’ has attained cult status now and the lip smacking Joker gained a place among the Greatest villains of all time. Critical acclaim aside, Dark Knight grossed more than $1 billion dollars at box office, which is the third highest grossing movie in history (not adjusted to inflation) after Titanic and Avatar.

legend now and till date it’s quite a challenge for a novice to understand. The events in the film were partially narrated in a reverse chronological order and then in chronological order. If we elucidate this phenomenon a little more, it may create more confusion. The film had two linear timelines – the primary one running backwards and another timeline running forwards- which are cut together and meet in the end. The transition from one timeline to another is signified by a change in colour, black and white to colour and vice versa. Sounds like cinematic mumbo-jumbo? We will leave you to figure it out for yourself. Several film critics and websites like imdb.com, rottentomatoes.com and metacritic.com rated Memento as one of the best films of 2000. The immense popularity of this film got him noticed and Warner Bros offered him a $46 million project, Insomnia. From directing a film which cost him $6000 to clinching a $46 million dollar project which had Al Pacino, Robin Williams in lead roles, Nolan had arrived. But that’s not all. The ace director was poised for bigger things.

His latest film Inception is an out-of-the-world experience. The film starring Leonardo Di Caprio is a sci-fi action film set within the architecture of mind. Leonardo is a spy who specializes in stealing secrets from the subconscious during the dream state. The highly complex and textured characterization are bound to stand out, despite the mind bending visual effects. If films like Dark Knight, Memento are any indication of what Christopher Nolan is capable of, the world would be waiting with bated breath to see what he has up his sleeve in the future. His upcoming projects include a film on Superman and a sequel to Dark Knight. For now, all eyes are on Inception. Are you thinking twice before going to sleep, after watching Inception?

In 2005, Nolan struck again with Batman Begins which resurrected the iconic superhero, Batman series. After Tim Burton’s 1989 film Batman, none of the films in the Batman series tasted success. Christopher Nolan broke this jinx and how! Christian Bale donned the Bat suit for the first time and the film was unlike any Batman film ever made. Nolan’s obsession with portraying the dark side of the characters made the superhero, Batman more vulnerable which grounded him to reality. The new generation of movie goers loved the dark undertones, the theme - revenge vs. justice and the results were quite obvious. The film shattered box office records and grossed more than $370 million dollars. Soon after the film, Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and Nolan teamed up for Prestige, which was a tale of jealousy, obsession and rivalry between two magicians. The film had a characteristic nonlinear narrative which heightened the tension and aggravated the dark tone of the premise. By the time, Prestige had hit the screens, Warner Bros and Christopher Nolan had already decided to come up with a sequel to Batman Begins. The result was Dark Knight and it turned into a box office monster in 2008. There’s nothing much left to write about Dark Knight than what has already been discussed since the film’s release. Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker, which won him an Oscar, along with the Batman’s inner conflict and dilemma set the screen ablaze. The film’s bigger strength lied in exploring the

AUG’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 47

AROUND THE WORLD IN 24 FRAMES

Ta’m e guilass (Taste of Cherry) (1997) (Colour) RUNTIME : 95 MINUTES Country : Iran / France Language : Persian Company: Abbas Kiarostami Productions

Taste of Cherry

Rahul Ganguly contemplates life while savouring the Taste of Cherry

Breaking conventions. Moulding a generation of moviegoers. Making magic all the way. The new wave filmmakers in Iran did all this and some more and continue to make inroads in world cinema today. They made political and philosophical films using the language of poetic simplicity. Drawing from a repository of traditional stories with hints of Italian Neorealism, filmmakers like Abbas Kiarostami opened up a treasure trove of heart rending beautiful stories coming out of a troubled land.

Taste of Cherry happens to be one such film, which in essence, is simplicity itself. With no introduction, the opening shot shows a middle aged man driving through the craggy landscape near Tehran. The man, referred to as Mr Badii is looking for someone to do a job for him, and he offers a large amount of money in return. He gives little explanation apart from revealing that he has already dug his grave and plans to commit suicide. As it turns out, the purpose of his journey through the desolate road is to find somebody who would cover up his corpse if he succeeds, or rescue him if he fails. Through the course of the film, Badii meets a number of people. Each offers a comment on the nature of life and suicide. On the way, he meets a poor young soldier from Kurdistan. The soldier disagrees with Badii once he makes his intentions clear and runs away in fear. The camera slowly follows Badii’s car, as he drives around the rocky terrain. For much of its running time, the visual focus of Taste of Cherry lies in its intriguingly long shots of Iranian topography, specifically the dry expanses rushing past Badii’s car window. The colour palette is a perpetual shade of sandy brown. The consistent close up of Badii’s world-weary face in Taste of Cherry is juxtaposed with a panoramic overhead view of his car moving through the craggy terrain. Like its thematic concerns, Taste of Cherry rolls along in a leisurely pace. For most part, the frame is minimalist, shot in long takes and interspersed with long periods of silence. 48 SOUTHSCOPE AUG’ 10

The character of Mr Badii is rarely shown in the same shot as the person he is talking to. This was because during the filming, director Kiarostami chose to be present on location at all times and was sitting in the car’s passenger seat.

The camera slowly tracks Badii’s car, as it winds down barren hilly tracts. Their conversation is heard as a voice over. The meeting with the old man who turns out to be a taxidermist - is the longest encounter in the film. Badii speaks little, while the elderly man rambles on about life. The taxidermist confesses that he too grew weary and attempted suicide a few years back. Before he was planning to kill himself, he stopped at a nearby garden and ate a few berries. In a poignant dialogue, the old man explains how the simple taste of sweet, ripe berries made him want to experience life again. While Badii listens intently to the man, he seems undeterred and coaxes the elderly man to carry out the ‘assignment.’ We are told that the old man has a sick child to take care of, for which he would need the money. He reluctantly agrees to do the deed the morning after. Not once are we told why the protagonist driving the car is planning to end his life. As the film progresses, it becomes clear that the story is concerned less with the protagonist’s motives and more with the meaning of life itself. As the car approaches town, the scenery becomes less barren and more welcoming. We see a series of shots from Badii’s point of view. Kids are seen playing in the backdrop of a colourful setting sun. The filmmaker retains ambiguity with his shot composition and the audience is forever left wondering if the protagonist will spare his own life.

INDIA’S LEADING SOUTH FILM MAGAZINE

IF IT’S SOUTH CINEMA, IT’S GOT TO BE

We now see Badii, as he meets a young Afghan seminarian. They drive through the desert and the young man tries to dissuade Badii from committing suicide. He insists that killing oneself is a sin and forbidden by religious law. Despite the gentle warning from the young man, Badii drops him to his destination and drives off. Eventually, he meets an elderly man on the road and offers him a ride.

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Kiarostami’s slow pace requires a certain degree of patience. While Taste of Cherry is not a complex piece of storytelling, its deliberation with the philosophy of life will require you to open your eyes and take in the film in all its splendour. Iranian cinema is known for its poetic manner in dealing with honest, everyday stories. This one, likewise succeeds in creating beautiful images that have the power to move you with their lyrical simplicity.

In one long take, we see the day turning to night. This leads to what is perhaps the most intriguing sequence in the film. He leaves his apartment alone and hauls a taxi that would take him to his grave. The headlights of the taxi, seen in a distant long shot make an unforgettably eerie image. The idea of suicide as taboo becomes the central concern of the film, saying only that “the movie is about the possibility of living, and how we have the choice to live.” The film expands Badii’s journey into a contemplation of life. Kiarostami chose to remain elusive in his interviews and lectures about the end. As Badii lies in the grave, we hear the crack of thunder in the distance. There is a chance of rain in the arid wasteland. As he lies on the ground, a storm breaks out. In brief flashes of lightning, we see Badii’s tortured face in a close up shot. And before you know it, the screen slowly fades to back. While the protagonist wastes few words about his motivations, his conversation with the people he meets become a meditation on what it is to be alive. Moments later, Kiarostami breaks the fourth wall with the audience and we see actor Homayoun Ershadi, who played the part of Badii in the film emerge from the sets. In the sequence that can only be explained as a sort of epilogue to the narrative, the actor is seen brushing off dust from his jacket. He offers a cigarette to Kiarostami, who walks into the frame, along with members of the film crew. The camera then pans across the location, which reveals itself in lush green splendour. Army personnel are seen practicing their drill in the distance, and the film comes to an end. In a sense, the point of Taste of Cherry is contained not in the final act, but in the brief glimpses of beauty and conversations that lead up to it - much like life. AUG’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 49

bollywood brouhaha

SONU’S ACTING WOES Sonu Niigam, we know has always been wanting to act. He even did a number of forgettable films the last being, Love in Nepal. However, he has no regrets. He remarked that actors after all are only a part of the project. “Even Mr Bachchan recently did Paa and Rann. One worked, the other did not.” He enjoys acting and he’s sure the industry appreciates his work. Sonu further tells us that he won’t take up any role just for the heck of it. Ah…

ABOVE THE BELT, EH? Guess what, Abhay Deol’s got a paunch these days but he seems pretty chilled about it. He was even heard calling it his 16 pack, more than once! He loves his beer, you see. We guess he does not really want to compete with the fit actors of the industry. He is content doing off beat stuff. But dude, for how long will this go on? Your cousins Sunny and Bobby are also nowhere to be seen. What will happen to the great Deol legacy… post Aisha that is?

HAPPY AND NOT…GAY! Dino Morea seems to love to be out of work, no wonder he has apparently turned down an offer to play a gay character in Karan Johar’s Dostana 2. Dino’s career which never went places has flattened down further after Acid Factory. And to add to it, he now wants to impose terms and conditions. A fly on the wall quipped that maybe he was scared to try the gay role since it might have exposed his lack of acting talent, as one needs to be quite powerful with such characters. But it was not Dino alone who said no playing a gay. It’s the same with Sharman Joshi. We guess he thinks he has arrived post 3 Idiots; but whatever happened to Baat Hamari Pakki Hai?

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bollywood brouhaha

PRACHI’S ADVENTURES WITH THE SKIRT Has the cute Prachi Desai finally grown up to the ways of industry? After having a touch me not attitude, with her first two films (Rock On and Life Partner) Prachi has done a steamy sequence in Once Upon A Time In Mumbai. This film is about the rise of the Mumbai underworld in the seventies. Her character is somewhat like Dimple Kapadia’s 1971 epic Bobby avatar – yep replete with short skirts and much leg showing. She insists she did it only because the role demanded it. Oh now come on! That is turning out to be as clichéd as the we-are-just-goodfriends number! We wonder what else she would do in the future if her role demands it. And how come there’s no kissing in this movie when the serial kisser Emraan Hashmi is cast with her?

HRITHIK IS AMITABH BACHCHAN’S… Hrithik Roshan seems to like playing with fire. After Kites bombed so badly, instead of doing a safe movie, he may now play the role of Amitabh Bachchan in Karan Johar’s new age remake of Agneepath. The original 1992 film had totally tanked at the box oﬃce. Big B had first dubbed in a hoarse voice which had generated a lot of ﬂak, so he then redubbed in his original voice, but by then the damage was done. To be fair to Hrithik, although the film had tanked, it had still got Bachchan the National Award for best actor that year. Let’s see what happens with the remake.

TCH TCH HARMAN Harry Baweja is turning TV producer, we hear. He will soon launch a show with some new actor. The grape vine is abuzz that maybe he should have taken his son Harman for this. The dude’s clearly in need of a hit. Both his films, Love Story 2050 and What’s Your Raashee didn’t do that well. And TV also does not require much acting, quipped somebody. Harman is now awaiting the release of Aneez Bazmi’s Its My Life, which is the remake of the super hit Telugu film, Bommarillu. Let’s see how this one fares.

AUG’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 51

hollywood hullabaloo

ZOE SALDANA FALLS FOR MEN WITH SMOOTH PALMS!

What is this we hear? Avatar star Zoe Saldana looks for sex appeal in her men on their hands! She says she has a thing for men’s hands. And not just nice, manicured hands, but smooth palms. Yes, she actually feels them! Zoe says a man’s hands say a lot about him and his mind. Plus she finds sensitive men very attractive. Not the crying at the drop of a hat variety but “I think that can be very sexy,” she finds. Tall, dark and ‘hand’some, hmm?

HELEN MIRREN HATES ROMANCE!

NOW WHO IS JESSICA DATING? The filmy kind at least, we hear. What’s more, she calls herself “a man in disguise.” The Oscarwinning British actor says she doesn’t like typically girlie movies because she hates to discuss her feelings. Her film Love Ranch, in which she plays a brothel boss, is “about as romantic as I can handle,” she insists, adding she can’t even handle to see people kiss on screen. So what do we call this? Romancophobia?

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Jessica Simpson and boyfriend Eric Johnson are quite an item. The only trouble in paradise is that Eric is still legally married! It’s a diﬀerent thing he’s no longer with the wife, but he’s not technically single. They started dating only weeks ago when they met at Jessica’s Beverly Hills’ home at a party. And these days they are seen a lot together. An insider shares they were seen exiting a restaurant with, “her hand on his butt, and they walked slowly just to enjoy the moment. They looked cute!” Where’s the wife though?

hollywood hullabaloo

SHAKIRA TO RETURN TO LATIN ROOTS Pop singer Shakira is returning to her Latino roots and her next album is a mix of Spanish and English. So why this sudden change, you wonder? Well, we hear she is looking forward to “reconnecting” with herself. She is very excited about the new album because it reminds her of diﬀerent landmarks of her career. It’s time for South America!

WHAT MADE CHERYL COLE SWOON? Singer Cheryl Cole recently collapsed at a photo shoot thanks to severe exhaustion. She has been advised to take at least seven days oﬀ from her oh so tight schedule! She was already unwell and yet she insisted she was fine and went ahead for the photo shoot. The pop star is said to have dedicated herself to her career in the wake of her split with boyfriend Ashley. And that is certainly taking a toll on her health. Get well soon, Cheryl!

MATT DAMON ALL PRAISES FOR WIFE Now here’s one happy husband. Matt Damon admits his pregnant wife Luciana strikes the perfect balance between his work and family commitments. He can’t get over talking about her organizational skills these days, to whoever’s listening. He also revealed the couple and their three children - stepdaughter Alexia, 11, Isabella, four, and 22-month-old Gia, are all thrilled for the new arrival in their family. Quite some family man, eh?

AUG’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 53

Pic: V Rajesh

KALEIDOSCOPE

TAMIL / MALAYALAM

The 5-day fashion extravaganza Gitanjali Lifestyle Chennai International Fashion Week Season 2 (CIFW) witnessed a glittering grand finale at Chennai.

Pic: V Rajesh

Ilayathalapathy Vijay’s Jayam Raja directed Aascar Ravichandran produced Velayudham, was launched at the Madras University Hall in Chennai. Nearly 60,000 die-hard fans of Vijay turned up at the venue. Hansika Motwani and Genelia along with Vijay were the cynosure of all eyes.

Tamannaah was the centre of attraction at the Filmfare press meet to announce the nominees of the 57th Filmfare Awards (South) in Chennai. She sashayed in with her million dollar smile in a sea green gown designed by Nishka Lulla. Jitesh Pillai, the editor of Filmfare told the media that the Filmfare Awards will be conducted on August 7 at the Nehru Indoor stadium in Chennai.

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Pic: V Rajesh

It was a fantastic win for Ramanarayanan and his team in elections for the all-powerful Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC), third time in a row. The team gets to govern TFPC for another two years, 2010 to 2012. Ramanarayanan who has done a lot for the industry in the last two years won the President’s post with 428 votes, a clear lead of 281 votes over his rival

Kamal Haasan who was shooting with Madhavan and Trisha for KS Ravikumar’s Manmadhan Ambu in Italy, ﬂew down to New Delhi to attend the ‘Retrospective of Kamal Haasan Film’ held by Directorate of Film Festivals at Siri Fort Auditorium. Union Minister Ambika Soni was present too.

karaoke // tamil

BAANA KATHADI Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja Singers: : Sadhana Sargam

En nenjil oru poo poothathu, adhan peyar ennavena keten! En kannil oru thee vandhadhu, adhan peyar ennavena keten! Enna adhu imaigal ketathu Enna adhu idhayam ketathu Kaadhal enna uyirum sonnadhu anbe! Kaadhal enna uyirum sonnadhu anbe! En peyaril oru peyar saernthathu , andha peyar ennavena keten! En theevil oru kaal vanthathu, antha aal engu enna keten! Kandupidi ullam sonathu Unnidathil urugi nindrathu Kaadhal idhu uyirum sonnadhu anbe! Kaadhal idhu uyirum sonnadhu anbe! Sila nerathil nam paarvaigal thavaraagave edai podume Mazhai nerathil vizhi orathil, irulaagave oli thondrume Edhayum edai podave, idhayam thadaiya illai Purinthathum varudhinaen unnidam! Ennai nee maatrinaai, engum niram kootinaai En manam illaiye ennidam! En nenjil oru poo poothathu, adhan peyar ennavena ketaen! En kannil oru thee vandhadhu, adhan peyar ennavena ketaen! Unnai paarthathum annaalilae, kaadhal nenjil varave illai Ethirkaatrilae kudai polava, saaindhaen indru ezhave illai Iravil urakam illai, pagalil velicham illai Kaadhalil karaivathum oru sugam Etharku paarthenendru indru purinthenada Ennai nee etrukol muluvadhum! En nenjil oru poo poothathu, adhan peyar ennavena ketaen! En kannil oru thee vandhadhu, adhan peyar ennavena ketaen! Enna adhu imaigal ketathu Enna adhu idhayam ketathu Kaadhal enna uyirum sonnadhu anbae! Kaadhal enna uyirum sonnadhu anbae! AUGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 10 SOUTHSCOPE 55

LOOKING BACK // MALAYALAM Cast:Balan K Nair, Menaka, Cast: NTR, SV Ranga Rao, CSR, Relangi, Master Aravind, Sankaradi, Padmanabham and Malathi Aranmula Ponnamma Director KS Sethumadhavan

Music: MB Srinivasan

Film: Oppol

Producer: M D George

Year of release: 1980

V Sree Chitra revels in the child like innocence of Oppol, the much talked about Malayalam classic of the eighties In the year 1980, a wall poster grabbed a lot of eyeballs in Kerala. It had three letters ‘Oppol’, which appeared as if a small boy had scribbled those using charcoal. Director K S Sethumadhavan’s acclaimed work, Oppol (elder sister) was based on M T Vasudevan Nair’s story. When the film was released, people initially thought that it would be a children’s film. But within a week, it won critical acclaim and went on to be one of the biggest hits of Malayalam cinema.

Malu: “I loved some one and I’m carrying its burden now.”

Thazathel tharavadu (ancestral family home), once a famous name to reckon with - for its money and muscle power - was reeling under diﬃcult conditions. And what came as a final blow was the birth of an illegitimate child. Malu, the unmarried daughter of Narayani Amma, delivered a boy, Appu. Even as a six year old, Appu was taught to call Malu oppol. Narayani Amma hated even the sight of the child. All she wanted was to get her daughter Malu married so that she could live the rest of her life in peace. The only solace to the family was their former help, Kunhan Nair. Though the tharavadu had lost its glory and prestige, Kunhan Nair often visited the old Narayani Amma. And with his eﬀorts he brought some proposals for Malu.

Govindankutty turns shell-shocked. The little Appu cannot make out anything of the conversation and he looks at his oppol’s face. Taking Appu’s hands in hers, Malu walks away.

Finally there came a proposal from an ex-army man, Govindankutty. He had about 10 acres of land in Wayanad and was doing well. Govindankutty had lost his mother at a very young age and his step-mother was very cruel and made his life miserable. Due to such experiences, he had toughened up. After coming back from the army, he feels lonely and yearns for aﬀection. When he sees Malu, he starts thinking of a new life with her. When Malu marries Govindankutty, Appu gets extremely jealous of him. On the day of the wedding, Kunhan Nair introduces Appu to Govindankutty saying that he is Malu’s elder sister’s son. However, Appu accompanies Malu to Wayanad and cannot tolerate Govindankutty in his oppol’s life. He even physically attacks Govindankutty on their honeymoon. Appu finally gets fed up and runs away from there in the night. The next day, Malu goes searching for the boy and finds him lying in the rocks with high fever. But Govindankutty does not allow Malu to tend to the boy. Malu sits by Appu the whole night and looks after him. She finally decides to reveal the truth to her husband. She is determined to go back to her home for ever. In the morning, holding Appu tightly to herself, Malu confesses to her husband that she wanted to tell him everything and didn’t want to cheat anyone. Malu: “I did not do anything wrong. I could not even curse the one who cheated me.” Govindankutty: “I didn’t trick you or bring you here by force.”

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Govindankutty: “Such things would’ve happened when people were young. I didn’t want to know anything about it.” Malu: “That’s my sorrow. I begged everyone not to get me married. I couldn’t even ask for forgiveness. No one would forgive me.” Govindankutty: “You are crazy. Everything will fall in place if you leave Appu in your mother’s house. ” Malu: “Things will never become normal. I will never come back to you since I cannot live without him. He is my son.”

Govindankutty’s shock slowly turns to anger and then anguish. Slowly, the innocent and naïve man in him resurfaces. He recalls the torture he suﬀered at the hands of his step-mother. He then starts running through the forest, dreaming of a new life with Malu and Appu. Finally, he finds them holding each other and crying uncontrollably. The lead characters in the film were the boy Appu and Malu. When the search for the child artiste was on, the director’s wife’s nephew suggested his classmate Aravind’s name for the role. The crew went and met Aravind, an advocate’s son, and they liked him instantly. Initially, it was planned to cast Zareena Wahab for the role of Malu. Zareena had acted in Pranamam which was later remade into Tamil as Savithri. Menaka has also acted in it. When Sethumadhavan saw the rushes of Savithri, he decided to cast Menaka as Malu. It was Balan K Nair who acted as Govindankutty. M T Vasudevan Nair had sent across the script in an audio tape and Sethumadhavan and others listened to the script on a small tape recorder. Listening to all the descriptions of the characters in MT’s own voice was a unique experience for them. When the shooting was on, the title Kurukkante Kalyanam attracted quite a lot of criticism and it was decided to revert to Oppol as the title. Kitho did the publicity and he beautifully crafted the title as per the director’s suggestion. The movie had three songs penned by P Bhaskaran, composed by M B Sreenivas. The song Pottikkan chennappol…was sung by Yesudas. Lathadevi and S Janaki sang the song Chattalmazhayum… However, the song that clicked was, Eattumanoorambalathil by S Janaki, which clinched her the National Award for Best Playback Singer. The film bagged three National Awards - Second Best Film, Best Actor (Balan K Nair) and Best Playback Singer (S Janaki). The film also received the State awards for the Best Film and the Best Child Artiste. Aravind won the Best Child Artiste award.

screentest

PALAK NEVATIA Palak Nevatia’s childhood dream has been to become a star. With no godfathers to launch her in films, she decided to take the fashion route and did a three year diploma in Fashion Technology after which she joined designer Manish Malhotra’s costume design department and assisted him for Fana and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. She later modelled for print ads for Dainik Bhaskar, Cipla and Kalaniketan. Besides this, she is also a trained Hindustani singer and dancer. Palak has also taken acting classes at Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares School, with Barry John, Vidhur Chaturvedi and Mohit Tugnait.

Southscope invites aspiring actors to send in their portfolio pictures to vrinda@southscope.in AUG’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 57

LEAVES OUT OF MY BOOK >> Suhasini Maniratnam

Actor extraordinaire Suhasini Maniratnam turns columnist to share her personal diary exclusively with Southscope readers.

HOLLYWOOD, MGR AND CHOOCHOO We might be in the movie making business today but the sheer magic of watching movies is still a high for a lot of us in the film industry. Unless one has been a passionate movie fan, no way can you be involved in filmmaking. I watched my first Hollywood movie when I must have been nine years old. I have to confess that I barely followed American English. It was more like a silent but noisy movie. It was called Danger Diabolic. Our regional films were mostly about family, love and feudal clashes, but this film was about a bunch of people who wanted to rob tonnes of gold from a bank. It was very intriguing for a nine year old who lived life by small town values and morals taught in our local municipality school. Here was a group of greedy people who chased money, come what may. But finally in the climax, the molten hot gold pours over the hero making him a rock of gold. I felt it served the greedy man right! But when the heroine comes near him and starts crying, he suddenly winks from behind his helmet. Then we realise that he was wearing a heat resistant suit in the last scene. I almost got up and clapped at the wicked hero in the gold mask. I was introduced to materialism and meanness very easily through one foreign language film. This is what films can do to human beings. Later on, we saw a Russian film called Circus and four of us skinny village children tied a few ropes in our front yard and pretended to be trapeze artistes till our mothers threatened to break our bones if we did not get oﬀ the ropes. I even got my pet name from watching a film. I have always hated my pet name. It was a weird Choochoo. But I liked the anecdote that came with my pet name. I must have been five years old when an MGR, Saroja Devi film called Periya Idathu Pen released. I was a tharai ticket, literally sitting on the river sand on our servant’s lap very close to the screen. In the climax scene, there was a fierce fight between MGR and Nambiyar. Being an ardent MGR fan, I wanted him to win the fight. To add to my woes, there was also a snake behind MGR as he was defending himself and Saroja Devi’s honour. MGR had no clue about the snake but all of us in the cinema hall started screaming. When others did not know how to warn their favourite hero, I, the five year old action queen got up from my domestic help Kumaraayi’s lap, quickly ran to the screen and started shooing the snake saying choochoo. The entire audience burst out laughing looking at me trying to drive the screen snake away.

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That is how at the tender age of five, I changed the screenplay of a climax scene into a comical one! Little did I know at that point that I would later on go to film school and study techniques of screenplay writing and cinematography. In my film school curriculum, we had a subject called history of cinema. We learnt about the French Lumiere brothers who made the world’s first movies… how the silent movies’ back ground music was created by musicians playing live music in the movie halls. I learnt the story of the first accidental comedy scene in a movie in the same class… The short film was called Watering the gardener. It was a serious attempt of filming a man watering a plant, but as the water stops, he looks at the hose to see what happened and suddenly water sprinkles all over his face making it the first unintended comedy scene in the movies. I was always reminded of my choochoo snake story when I read about Watering the gardener. Meet you soon with more interesting, funny stories about filmmaking and film watching…