February 2010 Issue by Sirish Allu

I N D I a’ s F I r s T s o u T H F I l M M a G a Z I N e

Vol 1 Issue 5 February ‘10 rs.50 WWW.SOUTHSCOPE.IN

Valentine’s Special

STARS SHARE THEIR LOVE SECRETS

RE C JU D A U N HA G N HT D E TA D

Pa N o r a M a o F s o u T H C I N e M a

>TRISHA’S DREAM DATE COMES TRUE FINALLY! >Priyamani - Jagapathi Babu back together >A tribute to VISHNUVARDHANA >TAMIL HEROINES ON A STRIP TRIP STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART PUNEET RAJKUMAR + PURI JAGANNATH + ASHOK

AMRITRAJ + BRAHMANANDAM + SELVARAGHAVAN + MADHAVAN + KARAN JOHAR

Publisher & Managing Director Chief Executive Officer Executive Director Editor-in-Chief Assistant Editor Features Editor Senior Copy Editor Features Writer Editorial Coordinators Tamil Nadu & Kerala Karnataka Mumbai Creative Director Art Director Senior Graphic Designers Graphic Designers Stylist Photographer Production Head Creative Consultant Public Relations Branding & Marketing Director Marketing Managers Circulation National Manager Deputy Manager Regional Manager (Chennai) Consultant - Distribution Publication Consultant Board of Advisors Enquiries:

Moorthy Sreenivasulu Allu Sirish Ramakanth T Vanaja Banagiri Mona Ramavat Karthik Pasupulate Rahul Ganguly Vrinda Prasad Sridevi Sreedhar Aravind G Shivkamal Anil Merani Raj Shekar Badireddi Jaya Prakash Karanam Patur Suresh CH, P Suresh Vamshi Vulavapati, Naresh P Maya Raj Manisha Panchawati Krishna P Priya Gazdar Southspin Talent Management Ayyar S, ayyar@southscope.in Saroj Kumar Biswal, saroj@southscope.in Vishnu K, vishnu@southscope.in Raghu Kumar Gorthy, gorthy@southscope.in Sanjay Kumar Sangu, sanjay@southscope.in Mohan Manoharan, manoharan@southscope.in Ravanam Swaminaidu Raghurama Raju Kalidindi Vishnuvardhan Induri Radhakrishna G info@southscope.in www.southscope.in

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Southscope takes no responsibility for unsolicited photographs or material. ALL PHOTOGRAPHS, UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED, ARE USED FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY. Registered Office: #202, Shiva Sai Sannidhi, Dwarakapuri Colony, Punjagutta, Hyderabad 500 034. All rights reserved. Reproducing in any manner without permission prohibited. PUBLISHED FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2010 RNI NO.: APENG/2009/29389

Edited, Printed, Published and Owned by Moorthy Sreenivasulu Printed at Kalajyothi Process Pvt. Ltd, 1-1-60/5, RTC X Roads, Hyderabad – 500 020. Published from 202, Shiva Sai Sannidhi, Dwarakapuri Colony, Panjagutta, Hyderabad 500034, A.P. Tel.: +91 40 3060 2323 / 2424 Editor: Moorthy Sreenivasulu

Contents

Readers’ speak

Caught in the web!

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Vol 1 Issue 5 February 2010

Valentine’s Special

Exclusives Galleria

Decoding entertainment machine,

Comedy star Brahmanandam

Selvaraghavan on being his own man

Puneet Rajkumar:

What’s all about the spring in Bhavna’s step…

Woman on top in Kannada cinema – Radhika Pandit

Sharwanand on the loose. Watch out!

filmmaker Puri Jagannath

humours us with his life philosophy

Superstardom runs in the family!

Ashok Amritraj: 120

Finding a high note with Hemachandra

South spread

In the lighter vein with the highly hilarious Shiva

Anita is back in action

Oodles of Madhavan

A special love Q&A included

116

Our man in Hollywood

Mumbai Express

The mush loved Karan Johar, just for you!

124

Centre Stage

You can never hide love for long, they say. So here we are, out in the open, with matters of the heart from on and off the screen…

Features 62

Even love could do with some help. All about love catalysts in Tamil cinema. Editor’s reco!

Kannada cinema and the new government police. Sigh!

100

Mammotty and Mohanlal lose steam in Malayalam

102

Tamil heroines sexing up the screen

126

Around the world in 24 frames

32 Profile 40

When star Vishnuvardhan left us too soon…

A tribute to music maker C Ashwat

Style Sutra

NEW

108

Southscope Style meter

109

Jr NTR’s style evolution. Evolution indeed!

110

Dress like a star and feel like one!

111

The Southscope ‘It’ star of the month

Anuradha Mathew: I must say the magazine is damn good! Hemanth: The Jan issue with Shriya and Charan on the covers is a real winner! This edition definitely will find its way into my book/mag collection. Awesome job! Nishanth Thumma: The website and the magazine are both fantabulous. The pictures are cutting edge! Veereswara Raju: Superb job by the team. I’m a fan of Southscope magazine. Laila Kumari Selvam: The January issue just stood out among all other magazines on the stands. All the stories were a great read and the design team simply rocks! Keep it up! Rajani Krishna Parimi: The Southscope Calendar 2010 is amazing...really mind-blowing. C V Aravind: I happened to pick up a copy of Southscope recently and I must compliment the editor, Vanaja Banagiri for coming out with a film journal that covers the whole gamut of cinema exhaustively. The production values are truly exceptional.

Rajagopal: At the outset, let me congratulate Southscope for rolling out the Jan 2010 issue successfully, with 160 pages of gloss, glamour, divergent and informative content pertaining to the film industry. I have been an avid reader of your magazine since its launch and all the issues of Southscope have truly been a ‘Panorama of South Cinema.’ The magazine is well divided into different sections (Funda, Features, exclusive, Galleria, Mumbai express), but definitely Karaoke is a trend setter. Southscope, true to its name, has successfully converged all the four states of south India and has delivered absolute delight to its readers. I appreciate Allu Sirish in being frank and honest in his opinion on marketing campaigns and I hope his point of view is pursued by the TFPC. Vanaja Banagiri’s article on Ram Charan brings out the raw and abundant energy of the young actor and neatly rolls out his ambition to try and succeed in different spheres of acting. I am glad Vanaja could reignite her passion of being a reporter with her interview with Ram charan. I wish the entire team of Southscope all success. Kudos to the team!

dream girl COnteSt Namo Venkatesa in association with Southscope is thrilled to announce the first-of-its-kind Be Positive ‘DReAM GIRL’ contest. If you have a burning desire to become a film star, this is the contest for you. DON’T MISS out on the opportunity. Go ahead and send your pictures and contact details to: vrinda@southscope.in

Cover Stars: Tamannaah and Allu Arjun with Publisher, Moorthy Sreenivasulu 12 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

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RIDE ON THE SIDE

You’ve seen them, you love them, you can’t imagine growing up without them… Now here’s what you didn’t know about them!

His classic good looks earned Sobhan Babu the title of being the Andhra Andagadu (handsome man) and was a big hit with the ladies. Here is a little story about the effect he had on the female audiences. His film Manushulu Maaraali (1969) was a huge hit. It was the first film to have had a 100 day run in Sheeshmahal theatre, Vijayawada. With women thronging to the theatre like never before, the distributors decided to reserve one theatre exclusively for ladies. Hmmm! Guess we can understand why most of his films had two leading ladies. Saritha was discovered by the famous director K Balachander who cast her as heroine for the Telugu film, Maro Charithra (1979) with Kamal Haasan, which became a hit. It was later remade in Hindi as Ek Duje Ke Liye, which also proved to be a huge hit. K Balachander had auditioned 161 actresses before zeroing in on Saritha who was still a teenager at that time. But not everybody was convinced about her acting prowess. Moreover, when Saritha struggled to get it right on the first day of the shoot, people were even thinking about a replacement. But K Balachander insisted that it has to be her or no one else, and proved everyone wrong. Saritha went to act in more than 141 films in all south Indian languages through her career. Chanti is one of Venky’s biggest hits. It perhaps changed his career forever, but if it was up to his father, Ramanaidu, Venkatesh would not have taken up the project at all. Ramanaidu’s reservations were justified as the film required Venkatesh to play a slightly dim witted villager. It was quite a departure from the urban, action hero image that Venkatesh held. Venky though had conviction in this Raviraja Pinnisetty directed film, which went on to become the biggest hit of the year. It was remade in Hindi as Anari, which also proved to be a huge draw at the BO.

KAN

Film stars entering politics has been quite common for long now. But there is a reverse trend in the Kannada film industry these days. Politicians from Karnataka have started acting in Kannada films! B Shankaranand, a long time Member of Parliament started the trend, casting himself in negative roles. Former chief minister, Ramakrishna Hegde played an important role in Marana Mrudanga, while former deputy chief minister, M P Prakash faced the camera in Maataadu Maataadu Mallige and Avasthe. Of course, there are regulars like former minister, Ramesh Kumar, who continues to act in TV serials. The latest to join in is Information and Publicity Minister, Katta Subrahmanya Naidu. The buzz in the industry suggests that the minister will soon be seen in an untitled film. The contributions of matinee idol Rajkumar, to Kannada cinema are invaluable. During the 60s, not many producers were willing to make movies based on historical themes. Rajkumar was keen on acting in a film based on the legendary ruler, Ranadheera Kanteerava. Since no producer came forward to take on the project, Rajkumar constituted the Kannada Cine Artistes’ Association. Prominent members of the association included acclaimed filmmaker, G V Iyer, senior actor Balakrishna, comedian Narasimharaju and others. The association toured Karnataka, staging plays to raise funds for Ranadheera Kanteerava. It became a super hit and ran for more than 100 days in several theatres in Karnataka. Ranadheera Kanteerava happened to be the first ever film to be produced by an association in Karnataka!

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tam Kannadasan and Vaali are two poets that any Tamil music fan would swear by. Their inimitable style, powerful lyrics and poetry are unparalleled. Vaali’s entry into Tamil cinema is an interesting tale. Introduced to Director T R Pappa by roommate Nagesh, Vaali was asked to pen the lyrics for a love duet featuring Rajasulochana and MGR, for the film, Nallavan Vaazhvan. The pond set used for the song broke down, and on another occasion, singer P Susheela developed a sore throat. Somehow, everything started going wrong and the makers brought in lyricist Marudhakasi – who, on listening to the song, said that it was complete by itself. Nothing needed to be added. Vaali has often mentioned that he’s eternally grateful for the senior poet’s understanding. The duet, Sirikindral Indru Sirikindral went on to become a hit, and cemented his position firmly in Tamil cinema. Fondly known in Tamil cinema as Female Sivaji Ganesan and ‘Aachi,’ comedian Manorama has the unique distinction of having acted with four Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu – and a staying power that outlasted any of their careers. She was and still is a trend-setter: when she lisped endearingly in movies like Saraswathiyin Sabadham, stammering came in vogue in Tamil cinema. When she played the austere, yet loving widow in Chinna Thambi and sported horribly set teeth in Chinna Gounder, Tamil cinema saw innumerable white-clad widows, all trying desperately to ape her screen-presence. No one, however, has been able to match her superb performance in Thillana Mohanambal as a street-theatre artist. The only one to follow through was Superstar Rajinikanth himself – when he imitated the act, as a tribute, in the blockbuster, Raja Chinna Roja. Villain extraordinaire, M N Nambiar, known for his larger than life roles with many greats of Tamil cinema, notably MGR, was responsible for inspiring terror in an entire generation with his accent, hand gestures and towering personality. In reality, the man was cultured and religious. His devotion to Lord Ayyappan is commonly known. He was also quite gentle as a person. During the 100th day celebrations of the film, Jallikkattu, as MGR gave away tokens to the cast and crew, he felicitated Sivaji Ganesan with a peck on the cheek. Not to be outdone, Nambiar, who’d already received his shield, promptly came forward and demanded a kiss as well! In the end, despite MGR’s mischievous protests about his beard being an obstruction, Nambiar retreated only after he’d received his due.

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His on screen persona is that of a much dreaded ruthless man. We are talking about T G Ravi, one the most menacing villains of Malayalam cinema. There’s an interesting incident about Ravi. Once when he was getting into an elevator during his heydays, women inside fled out of fear! For the engineer turned actor, the mean image was strictly reserved for the screen but in real life, he was always known as a nice human being. Outside the world of cinema, his varied interests included a business enterprise as well. He has been active of late, both as an actor and as the President of Cochin Devaswom, which has more than 400 temples under its wing. His wife is a doctor and one of his sons, Sreejith Ravi, is now an actor and does negative roles!

His talents are multi-faceted. He has a diploma in acting (Rajinikant was his senior at the institute) and besides being an actor, he has also been a brilliant scriptwriter, director and producer. But by his own admission, Sreenivasan’s career as a scenarist began mostly by chance. He was playing a role in director Priyadarshan’s Odaruthammava Aalariyaam. The shooting had just begun, but the script was not yet ready! On Priyadarshan’s insistence, he started writing the script. Sreenivasan’s amazing journey as a script writer began then, totally by chance!

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 15

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When Lakshmi arrived at Ileana’s parents’ home Mu Mu Mu Muddante Chedaa a super hit number from superstar of yesteryears, Akkineni Nageshwar Rao’s film Adrushtavanthudu is being remixed in his son, Nagarjuna’s next, Kedi. Bollywood babe Mahek and southern sizzler Anushka will feature along with Nag in this song, which everyone is looking forward to seeing. Kedi will have Mamta Mohandas as lead. But back to the song – the buzz around is already upping its popularity, even before the music is out! Cool or what?

Did you know that the day Ileana was born, happened to be Deepavali? Her parents were rejoiced at her birth and her mother, Samira D’Cruz, instinctively knew that she would grow up to be special. Now, it’s not everyday that fireworks and celebrations are in the air. Although they are Christians, Deepavali and Lakshmi puja remain special to them since they always thought that Ileana’s birth was a divine blessing. Mother’s intuition, did you say? We agree…

Ask why. Well, because after a six month long break, he’s signed three films! Just when we were wondering how long before we could see this hunk with spunk again, we hear that he’s gone ahead and got himself not one but three films. Guess the new year is turning out to quite a lucky one for him. Watch this space for more on his new films! 16 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

Chemistry on or off?

Priyamani and the macho Jagapathi Babu shared some awesome chemistry in their third successive film, Pravarakhyudu. Though no big deal is being made out of this, a little birdie tells us that Jagapathi Babu sure seems to have a soft corner for Priyamani and that’s why she is roped in for successive projects. So what’s going on here, folks? Does this mean that more and more films will feature them together? Or something else? Your guess is as good as ours…

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After the phenomenal success of Magadheera everyone is looking at Ram Charan Tej with new eyes. Many say he’s so much like his father, megastar Chiranjeevi, in so many ways. He’s got the makings of a superstar. But Charan insists that he’s more like his mother. Whenever someone remarks that he looks like his mother and he’s got her features, Charan is mighty pleased. He takes it as a huge compliment. But when they say he looks like his dad, Charan makes it a point to correct them! Mum’s the word, eh?

Swati and Vikram? What’s that now? Swati is one helluva happy girl these days. She was off to Ladakh for the first shoot schedule of Selvaraghavan’s yet untitled Tamil film. Now here’s the juicy bit. Ever since she’s come back, Swati can’t stop gushing about her costar and just how much she’s in awe of him. And since the dude in question happens to be Chiyaan Vikram, we are not surprised with Swati having a crush! All she talks about these days is how Vikram can so effortlessly spread so much positive energy around him and it was his never-say-die spirit that kept the shooting on even when there was heavy snowfall. No prizes for guessing who Swati’s fave costar is! Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 17

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TRISHA ON A DATe WITH RAHMAN! All this while, Trisha has been raving about her admiration for AR Rahman and her dream of meeting him one day. Well, it all came true at the audio launch of her Gautham Menon-starrer Vinnaithaadi Varuvaaya in London. Trisha not only got to sit next to the music maestro on the dais, she also had a good chat with him. Word goes that she managed to snap up a bunch of pictures with the musician for her private album. We hear she was bowled over by Rahman’s simplicity and down-to-earth nature, as he had her in splits with his inimitable sense of humour. An excited Trisha later revealed that it was one of the biggest moments of her life. A high note, eh Trish?

It’s raining kids in the Tamil film industry, as Dhanush and his wife Aishwarya get ready to welcome a second baby! Aishu is now in her second trimester. It seems superstar Rajinikanth was also very excited about the news as the family came together on his birthday. The happy couple apparently realised that their daughter, Yatra is growing up and would need company. There is good news from the Suriya household as well, as Jyothika is also expecting her second baby after their first child, Diya has started going to school. The stork’s sure been busy!

NAYAN’S BRAND NeW PAIRING Look who’s pairing up these days! Nayanthara, after sharing screen time with all the top heroes in Tamil is now shooting with Arya. The film, Boss Engira Baskaran is directed by Rajesh, who gave us last year’s sleeper hit Siva Manasula Sakthi. The film is set to be a romantic comedy with the usual mass elements thrown in. Recently Nayan’s presence in the small town, where the shoot was underway created traffic jams, while the cops had a tough time controlling the crowds. Rajesh is confident that this is a casting coup of sorts, as Arya suited the role perfectly. Nayan, of course has always been a screen favourite. Insiders note that the chemistry between them is crackling. Add that to Santhanam’s comic timing and Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music and we could look at a potential super hit. Good things always come in pairs, nah? 18 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

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Shankar is down with blog virus First it was a handful of actors. Now Tamil director Shankar, dubbed the Steven Spielberg of India, has been bitten by the blog bug. He has started his own blog on his website, which would also promote his new film Enthiren (Robot), with Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead. Spelling great news for millions of Rajinikanth and Shankar fans, the blog will now let fans get all the latest stuff on the making of Enthiren. His first post on New Year’s day invited fans to interact with him online. The blog also said that action sequences in Pune and Lonavala have been wrapped up, and that the film is almost complete. Bet, you are waiting for more!

Harris’ hectic holiday

Harris Jeyraj celebrated Christmas for the first time outside his home town, in Sydney, with his family. It was work slash holiday for the top music composer since he was with Prabhu Deva. There he composed four songs for Prabhu’s forthcoming romantic musical in Tamil. Harris claims that the idea came up after the duo had a sudden brainwave of doing the situational song on location. From Sydney, Harris flew to Macau for New Year’s eve to compose songs for the upcoming film, Koo. Apparently, time off serves to help him bond with his directors and understand the script better. Some creative sojourns, these!

Jaggubhai

caught in the piracy web Piracy has raised its ugly head in the south film industry with the Tamil film Jaggubhai directed by KS Ravikumar. In the first week of January pirated VCDs were seized and a web site owner in Coimbatore was arrested for uploading it illegally on his site! The pirated version has no background music, so obviously it was taken before the re-recording and final mixing. The footage available on the internet runs for two hours and is incomplete. The Chennai cyber crime cell arrested Shankar Ganesh owner of an Internet site which uploaded the film. It was Radhika Sarath Kumar, the film’s producer who first complained personally to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi about this illegal upload on the web. On the Chief Minister’s directive, the Cyber Crime cell registered a case. Acting on a tip off that fake CDs of the film were being sold in Chennai, the police raided different localities. Radhika thanked the Chief Minister and the police for acting swiftly, which led to the huge haul of pirated video CDs of the film. Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Suriya expressed solidarity to fight against this serious problem along with film stars Sarath Kumar, Shriya Saran, Kiran Rathod, Srisha, Goundamani and Senthil. Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 19

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Aindritha gets slapped! What a smack down! Upcoming actor Aindritha Ray got a tight slap from director Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar on the sets of Nooru Janmakoo in Macau. What for? “Indiscipline!” In turn, Aindritha accused the director of “misbehaving” with her! In no time, the guys from the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) swung into action to restore peace. But by then the damage was already done. It seems the KFCC has asked her to lie low for a while. Aindritha has kept mum on the affair and the director maintains that he never apologised. A case of hit and spurn?

Sudeep’s

new loyalties

Diganth let off for drunken driving This is not the last time we heard about Diganth’s troubles. After his recent film, Malebille turned super hit, he is in great demand these days. No wonder Bengaulru City cops let him off easy after being caught for driving under the influence. He was apparently returning from Ooty to Bengaluru from a party in the wee hours. When the police stopped his vehicle, he was found in a drunken stupor. Turns out, he was let off with just a warning. Tsk, tsk…

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Wonder where Sudeep is these days? Try Mumbai! The actor-turned-director is not to be seen in Bengaluru. After bagging a series of projects under filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, Sudeep is now increasingly spotted in Mumbai. Following his debut in Hindi with Varma’s Phoonk, Sudeep landed important roles in Rann (with Amitabh Bachchan), Rakta Charitra and Phoonk 2. What’s more, Sudeep is apparently busy convincing Ramu to direct a movie in Kannada. Cross connection, eh?

WHosE story is it fiNAlly? Former Karnataka chief minister-turned film producer, H D Kumaraswamy is a worried man these days. According to the latest buzz, Tamil screen writer Kanmani Raja Mohammad is seeking compensation from Kumaraswamy on grounds of copyright infringement! The writer alleged that Chandra Chakori, a successful film produced by Kumaraswamy several years ago, is based on a story scripted by him. Mohammad filed a complaint with the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce accusing S Narayan, the director of Chandra Chakori of stealing his story. After waiting for four years in vain, he approached Kumaraswamy, seeking compensation. Given the ex-politician’s declining popularity, looks like Kumaraswami has to come up with an original plan to wriggle out of it. uh oh, what a mess!

GOlDCLASS

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aCtOrS’ aSSOCiatiOn ‘beheaded’ Kannada film stars never seem to learn a lesson from past mistakes. After accusing the senior artistes of neglecting their interests, a bunch of young stars took over the Kannada Cine Artistes’ Association. They elected Rebel Star Ambareesh as the president of the association. Hardly a year has passed since the revamp that Ambareesh resigned from the coveted post. He apparently is not getting cooperation and support from the same people who elected him in the first place. Wonder who’s next.

WHO IS STALKING AMOOLYA?

JOTHeGARA OuT OF LOAN MeSS The IDBI-funded Jothegara, featuring Prem and Ramya has finally broken free of a long running legal standoff. The film, which was supposed to be released in June last year will hit the screens shortly. Producer Ashwini Ramprasad raised a loan for the film, but failed to repay it in time. Soon enough, the bank stalled the release. Meanwhile, Ashwin’s brother took over as producer and cleared all dues. Sporting a fresh ‘no objection certificate’ courtesy IDBI, the film will release soon. Thankfully!

Guess what’s bothering Amoolya these days. After being harassed by an obsessed fan over the phone, now she has been reportedly stalked by another unidentified fan. Recently, when she returned home from a trip, she was shocked to find that the house walls were vandalized with graffiti. ‘I love you’ was written all over the walls in different colours. Amoolya lodged a police complaint seeking to rein in the stalker. The police are also considering providing protection to Amoolya. Sounds so reel! Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 21

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Kavya and Dileep are together! Finally! We are talking about Kavya Madhavan getting back under the arc lights after her disastrous marriage. Kavya, who had been living with her parents in Kochi after four months of being married, is joining back the unit of Papi Appacha in Thodupuzha. Kavya is playing the lead with her all time favourite hero, Dileep once again in this film, which is a laugh riot. The film, we mean! The film is set in a Christian milieu and features Innocent as Dileep’s father. The others in the cast are Suresh Krishna, Rajeev and a new comedian Dharmarajan (Bluff Master) is being introduced. The buzz is that the old Adoor Bhasi song in a toddy shop, Pappi Appacha… from which the film gets its title will be remixed by music director Vidyasagar, who has already recorded four songs for the film. Papi Appacha is going to be Dileep’s big Vishu release for April. Yes, we are waiting.

Shakeela is getting married! Arya says a big No to Malayalam films Siddharth, son of noted Malayalam director, the late Bharathan and veteran actor KPAC Lalitha, is directing his first film, Mitram. The film is being presented by David Kachapally, a senior producer who had collaborated in many Bharathan classics. In fact, it was David who discovered Siddharth and made him an actor in the hit campus entertainer, Nammal. But after a few films, it turns out that Siddharth lost interest in acting and he had his sights set on direction, like his dad. Siddharth then became an assistant to Priyadarshan, working wtih him for six films. Mithram is a romantic thriller and features newcomers Asif, Sruthi and Kalabhavan Mani in the lead. Good luck, Siddharth! 22 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

Yes, you heard that absolutely right! The one time sex goddess of Malayalam, who ushered in the soft porn era, has now been living almost a retired life. And so she decides to get married! The groom is a businessman, PG Satish from Avadi, a suburb of Chennai. Shakeela who set the screen on fire with the likes of Kinnara Thumbikal, Driving School, Kathara and numerous other soft porn Malayalam films between 2000 and 2003 confessed that she was in love with Sathish for the last one year. The wedding date is sometime in June and Shakeela has decided to take up only character roles these days and has kept a low profile especially after her mother’s death. At a press meet she denied the rumours making the rounds that she was driven out of Malayalam cinema by the powerful superstar duo - Mammootty and Mohanlal. Shakeela says: “My time was up with the decline of those kind of films and it had nothing to do with anybody.” Sorry, still can’t take in Shakeela’s getting married!

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Mamta is the chosen one! Mamta Mohandas has managed to pull off a coup, after she was selected to be the heroine in veteran director, Sathyan Anthikad’s next film with Jayaram as the hero. The shoot of the film is in progress and Mamta has gone out of her way to give priority dates to Sathyan. She had pipped a handful of other Sathyan favourites to bag this role, we hear. The veteran director always has powerful women characters in his films, who drive his family theme stories and have all been money spinners at the Kerala box-office so far. Remember Sathyan heroines like Asin, Nayanthara, Meera Jasmine and more recently Kaniha have become very popular after doing his films. So Mamta has struck gold on her return to Malayalam films, we’re sure!

Raj era begins In any other industry, Pritviraj would have become a youth icon or superstar by now. With his debonair looks and acting prowess, he is still struggling to make it big in Kerala. However Pritvi is a fighter as he is doing films with debutant directors who are writing their own scripts. The actor is upbeat about his future projects and is happy that his Puthiyamugham in which he is the solo hero is one of the biggest hits of 2009. After completing Mani Ratnam’s Raavan, he headed straight to Leh in Ladakh for his new film Veettilekkulla Vazhi directed by Dr Biju. He plays the role of a doctor in a jail hospital, who sets out in search of the lost father of a five year old boy. He is also teaming up with director Amal Neerad for a film titled Anwar. It clearly looks like the beginning of another superstar’s reign.

Bad marketing cripples biggies! The recent crop of biggies in the Malayalam industry like the Ranjith directed Kerala Cafe and Paleri Manickam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Kadha, Roshan Andrews’ Ividam Swargamanu are all being raved about. But at a time when even the most brilliant films need some kind of marketing to get the word around, producers and distributors are unfortunately not bothering enough to give these films the sort of publicity they deserve. But these days, thanks to the recession and rise in prices, entertainment is pretty low on people’s priority list. Who will buy tickets for Rs 35 or 50 when pulses and veggies have become precious commodities for the common man? Though the producers have tried to salvage the situation by increasing the number of screenings in the second week and boosting the publicity, but it’s too late and the damage is already done. The bottom line is that even superstar driven films need marketing and no film today can become a hit without a good opening. Point taken? Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 23

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telUGU

Saadhyam bears the tag of yet-anothernovel-story. This will be the third time that Jagapathi and Priyamani will be seen together (on screen that is!). Apparently, producers are pumping cash into the project, all set to make this one a huge budget film in Jagapathiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career. Keerthi Chawla, who debuted as the female lead with Aadi is said to be playing a meaty role in the film. The lead pair is playing pretty different kind of characters, we hear.

Cast director music

Jagapathi Babu, Priyamani Karthikeya Gopalakrishna Chinni Charan

SaaDhyaM

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Cast director music

Tarun, Vimala Raman Kanmani Sundar C Babu

CHUKKALANTI AMMAYI CHAKKANAINA ABBAYI This tentatively titled film is an equally unusual love story. Chukkalanti Ammayi Chakkanaina Abbayi set in a backdrop of the IT industry, explores the titillating idea of office romance. The film is being produced by Rajkumar Hirwani and Gogineni Srinivas.

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 25

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tAmil

VINNAITHANDI VARUVAAYA Cast director music

silambarasan, trisha gautham Vasudev Menon Ar rahman

This highly anticipated romantic musical directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon is getting ready for a Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day release. The story is about Karthik (Silambarasan) an aspiring filmmaker who falls in love with Jessie (Trisha) his neighbour, a Christian Malayalee girl working in a software company. The film was shot by cameraman Manoj Paramahamsa across various locales including Alleppy, Malta, Chennai and New York and promises to be a breezy love story with no villains or action. Watch out for AR Rahmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s five songs which have already become chartbusters. Also remember, this is his first film album after winning the Oscar!

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Cast

Arya, Amy Jackson, Nasser, VMC Haneefa Ms basker

director

Vijay

music

gV Prakash Kumar

MADRASAPATTINAM Madrasapattinam directed by Kireedam Vijay and produced by Kalpathi S Agoharam is a period drama set in 1945 to August 15, 1947. It is a love story set in the then Madras state under the British raj. Arya, the protagonist is a dhobiwala and wrestler who falls in love with the British Governor Generalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter (Amy Jackson). The film chronicles the happenings in Chennai on the midnight of August 14, 1947, when India was declared independent.

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KANNADA

Golden Star Ganesh, fresh from the success of his maiden home production – Maleyali Jotheyali – has not hesitated to act in this remake version of Tamil blockbuster Khushi. Ganesh’s career is a mix of remake and original films. Whether this film succeeds in Kannada depends solely on Ganesh and Priyamani, a powerful combination.

ENO ONTHARA

For Priyamani, this is her second Kannada film. Her debut film in Kannada with Puneet Rajkumar – Raam – is running to packed houses. Will she create the same magic with Ganesh? The movie is directed by Mahesh, who has delivered two successful films – Mussanje Mathu and Iniya. Music is by Harikrishna. The film promises to be a wholesome entertainer. Not many changes have been made to the storyline.

Cast director music

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ganesh, Priyamani Mahesh V Harikrishna

This movie, featuring a galaxy of stars, has already created a lot of curiosity for its innovative and original storyline. Debutante director Raghu Jaya, who worked under ‘Crazy Star’ Ravichandran as an assistant director for 18 films, has written the script with “bad parenting and its impact on society” as the theme. The film is about five youths who take the wrong route for personal gains. The star attraction of the movie is Prakash Raj (known by his original name Prakash Rai in Karnataka) who plays the role of a cop. After a long time, he is acting in a character role in Kannada films. For two-film-old

Chetan Chandra, this is a major project as his character is closely associated with that played by Prakash Raj. Yash, who is steadily climbing the success ladder, is seen for the first time in a powerful role. Satya and Sandeep come from theatre background whereas Ravi Teja is a popular star on the small screen. Arjun’s music complements the storyline. The movie is extensively shot in Bangalore and Mysore with song sequences in Bangkok.

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KANNADA

RAJADHANI Cast director music

Prakash raj, Chetan Chandra yash, satya, sandeep, ravi teja raghu Jaya Arjun

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 29

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mAlAYAlAm The four funny men Mahadevan (Mukesh), Govindankutty (Siddique), Thomaskutty (Asokan) and Appukkuttan (Jagadheesh) are back in Lalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s In Ghost House Inn. This is the third part of the blockbuster, In Harihar Nagar and its sequel 2 Harihar Nagar (2009) and is planned as a big summer release. This time, the story is set in a huge bungalow owned by Thomaskutty with the money that he got at the end of the second part, to start a resort. The bungalow is at a hill station, in a rather isolated area. His friends join him and discover that it is a haunted house. Following this, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re many twists and turns of course, and laughter guaranteed!

IN GHOST HOUSE INN Cast director music

30 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

Mukesh, siddique, Asokan, Jagadeesh lal Alex Paul

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DRONA 2010

After nearly a decade, Mammootty and ace action director, Shaji Kailas are coming together in Drona 2010, their last film being Valiyettan. Mammootty is playing Pattazhi Madhavan Namboodiri, a Vedic scholar who is forced to take up arms. Kaniha plays Thulasimani, a bubbly girl and Navya Nair plays Mitra, a college lecturer as the female lead. Thilakan and Manoj Jayan too have important roles in the film. Written by A K Sajan, this film has been shot entirely in Palakkad and Ottappalam and produced by Aroma Kumar under the banner of Aroma Movies International.

Cast

Mammootty, Kaniha Navya Nair

director

shaji Kailas

music

Deepak Dev

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 31

Photographer: Manisha Panchawati Styling, Make-up and Hair: Maya Raj Location: f Café & Lounge Coordinated by: Vrinda Prasad

Breaking loose

Love, fun, sex…Vrinda Prasad has it all uncovered while you say hello to Sharwanand

Tee, jacket and shoes: JOURNEY

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As he walks into F Café, in Hyderabad, he’s not exactly mobbed by fans. There are some who come up and shake hands and a few others continue having their coffee. But that doesn’t bother Sharwanand at all. Or is he a darn good actor? No, guess we’ll stick to it-doesn’t-bother-him. And also he’s a darn good actor, in the making. His first few movies like Vennela, Amma Cheppindi, Classmates weren’t exactly great hits. His career almost nosedived but then he let bygones remain bygones and gave us Gamyam. That film was the real jumpstart for him as an actor and he would love to do another such, if there will be another such sometime. He confesses to being scared and not so confident about every film of his turning into a roaring success. But currently Sharwanand’s got his fingers crossed for Prasthanam, his next release that everyone’s having sky high expectations on. His easy style and all that enthusiasm translates into this frame by frame indulgence. Take it or leave it. We’d say, take it.

Southscope does not endorse smoking.

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 33

Scarf, chain, shoes and belt: Earth Quake Jacket: REFLECT – colors U wear

Friendship:

Life:

Money:

A friend is not born into the family and yet becomes a part of your family life. After a point in life, friends become the biggest support system. The best part of our life could only be with friends…the fun, the fights, the compromises, the works.

To introspect, to ask myself questions about things I’ve done and those that need to be done, to wonder about a thousand things. That’s life for me. Today will never come back. So enjoy every moment to the fullest.

There was a point in my life when my dad sat me down and explained the value of money. Until I started earning I never knew its worth.

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Sex: It’s a part of nature. But yeah, it’s not the be all and end all of life.

Love Byte “Love can only be divine. I’m still waiting for my love. I want a girl who is good at heart and understands me. Crushes keep happening. The first one was when I was in class nine.”

Jacket, kurta and dhoti pants: SAGAR TENALI Scarf: SEQUEL

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 35

Cap, chains and shoes: Earth Quake Tee: JOURNEY Jacket: REFLECT – colors U wear

CINEMA:

FuN:

Glasses, shirt, tie, pants and jacket: JOURNEY

I’m looking forward to all those exciting films I’m doing this year. We are going the Hollywood way. As long as we remain fit we can continue acting... actually as long as we look like heroes, guess age never matters! Films have become an essential part of my life. I am truly hoping for another Gamyam and another Krish to do it for me.”

Fun always reminds me of this incident when I put this TV journalist through an embarrassing situation. She asked me a question about the funniest thing I would ever do if I had a girlfriend. I just shot it back at her asking what she would do with her guy. It caught her totally off guard and it was a live show! When she finally recovered, she couldn’t do much except laugh it off. Apart from that, every time I get together with friends, it turns out to be some fun. My school days were a lot of fun. We had this teacher who would stuff chalk pieces in his trouser pockets and it seemed like he would wear the same trousers repeatedly. The result was chalk dust brushed on his trousers all the time. one day one of my friends wrote ‘MAD’ using a chalk piece on his chair. The teacher sat down unsuspecting. When he got up and turned around to write on the board, his backside read, MAD! That was some fun!

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Photographer: Sairam Maganti

Calling the shots

His opening sequences sizzle with danceable energy, we’ve spilled popcorn when his hero is caught in a moment of unbearable tension and we never fail to marvel at his box office records. Filmmaker Puri Jagannath decides to shed some of that famous reticence with Karthik Pasapulate to show just how different the man is from his blockbusters. “I’ve been around for a decade, guess it means I am doing alright,” he says, lighting up his cigarette, grinning cockily. Well, Puri Jagannath has done a lot more than being around since he made his debut with Badri. Pokiri, Desamuduru, Itlu Sravani Subramanyam, Idiot, Amma Nanna O Tamil Ammayi, Sivamani…Puri can easily be counted among the most influential filmmakers of the decade. Guess it’s understandable why Superstar Rajinikanth said, “If I had a son, I would leave him in Puri’s hands.” The grin turns into somewhat of an impatient shrug. Puri simply hates talking about himself, and prefers to let his films do the talking. So here’s a little something before we get really started. Puri wrote his fist story while in class six. It was a pretty complex love story. A tale of love between a painter and the widowed third wife of a wealthy business man, whose portrait the painter is commissioned to paint.

38 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

but it was his father, who saw the potential in him. one day, he gave Puri twenty thousand bucks and told him to go pursue his career in the film industry. It sounded like a good idea and the only important question was choosing between Chennai and Hyderabad. but he stuck around in Hyderabad. out of sheer practicality or on a whim, is not clearly known. Nor does it matter. What does is the immense value he began to add to Telugu cinema.

but for equations like these to change, guess stars themselves also must consciously play a significant role. Most times, it seems it is our tradition of fan following and stardom that comes in the way of evolving cinema. Puri agrees. “For instance, we just cannot have two big stars in the same film. It restricts the range of films we can do. If only the stars can see themselves as actors first, we can make much better films,” he suggests.

Surely he must be proud of what he’s achieved. After all he is one of the most sought after filmmakers of Telugu cinema. “Well it depends on how you look at it,” is his humble answer to that. “We have stalwarts like K Raghavendra Rao, Dasari Narayana Rao, bapu and K balachander who have been making movies for years and years. In comparison I have a long way to go,” he points out.

Puri is one among the few directors who likes to write his own scripts and dialogues. oh, did we forget production? Yes, he produces films as well. He has recently launched his own music label, Puri Sangeet. Now that is quite a plateful. “Yes it’s been getting pretty crazy of late. I have almost no personal time. I was much happier in my days as a struggling filmmaker. I sometimes wonder if I am running after good money and not good cinema. but now, I am planning to focus more on direction,” he says.

“on the flip side, I am a bad father, a bad husband, my job is such that I am never home. I smoke, drink sometimes. It’s been five years since I went home to see my parents. So cinema apart, on other counts I don’t think I deserve all those wonderful words,” he adds with a wry smile. Like he says, it all depends on a point of view. And we will stick to ‘cinemascope’ for the moment. Puri has been currently shooting for his upcoming film, Golimaar, touted to be a police drama based on the life of the encounter specialist, Dayanayak. but it is his next film with big b that has everyone talking. For Puri, it was a dream come true. “Meeting Amitabh bachchan for the first time was a big kick. I am a big fan of big b. I had a life size poster of big b in my room when I was in class five. Narrating the story to him was one of the proudest moments of my life. He heard it for an hour and agreed to work with me. It’s quite incredible,” he says excitedly. As we probe him further, “The movie is titled Budda. I am afraid I cannot tell you anything more,” he says. In the pause that follows, we wonder if he is headed the Ram Gopal Varma way into bollywood? After all, not many filmmakers get to work with the big daddy of Indian cinema. It surely would open up many more doors. “I am not happy with the work I am doing here. I have some great stories but I am unable to do them here because they will not appeal to the b and C centers. Hyderabad, Vishakapatnam and Vijayawada are the only three up market movie viewing centers in AP. We are forever making compromises trying to cater to the b and C centers. I seriously want to branch out and do something different. Why should every film end with an action sequence? Why can’t a film end with just a conversation? I did that in my first film, but have now fallen back into the formula,” he shares. We wonder if that has something to do with the culture of adulation we have in our state. Every star has an image to live up to and cannot experiment with too much. “Sometimes I feel fans spoil stars. All big stars ask for a great introductory scene. You cannot have a hero standing in a queue holding a file. They are more concerned about intros, interval bangs and climax clinchers than the story per se. Guess they are also under tremendous pressure with each film, to please their fans,” he offers.

one closer look at the office and it’s obvious, he spends huge amounts of time here. There’s a desk with a PC and just a little away is a no nonsense looking bed. out of the second door is the gym and he’s got about ten dogs for company. And in the middle of all this is his most treasured possession – a bundle of old, much handled copies of the film magazine, Vijayachitra. “It was my favourite magazine as a kid. I still can’t help but flip through it when I have a spare five minutes. This magazine played a big role in getting me interested in cinema,” he shows us some. His son Akash however, does not have to look around too much for inspiration. He already made his debut as the young Ram Charan Tej in Chirutha. He is also playing the lead in an experimental film, The Lotus Pond. “Yes, my son is quite kicked about cinema. He is always asking me to write a character for him. He is just 12 years old but what I like about him is the curiosity and respect he has for cinema,” he beams with just a hint of pride.

LOVE BYTE “Well… I first fell in love when I was in class 5,” he evades. but we insist it had to be an adult romance. “Well that has to be my wife. I first saw her when shooting for a serial for Doordarshan. She was just one of the onlookers. It was quite a courtship that followed,” him….

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 39

The year was 1972. Acclaimed director, Kanagal Puttanna was on the look out for a fresh face to star as Ramachari, the protagonist for his upcoming film, Nagarahaavu. Even though the Kannada film industry had churned out many promising young actors by then, for Puttanna, none of these matched the one he was looking out for. Puttanna finally short listed 23-year-old Sampath Kumar for Ramachari’s role. Sampath had already made his acting debut with a small role in the National Award winning, Vamshavruksha, directed by Girish Karnad. The film had released earlier in the same year. Puttanna rechristened Sampath as Vishnuvardhana after the 12th century Hoysala ruler. Vishnuvardhan was thus born. However, through his career, the legendary actor’s name was pronounced and spelt as Vishnuvardhan instead of Vishnuvardhana, something the actor himself had great objections to.

Vishnuvardhana’s final pack up Vishnuvardhana’s death stilled the Kannada film industry for a week. The loss matches the legendary proportions of the Sahasa Simha – or valorous lion – of Kannada cinema, writes Aravind G Shivkamal.

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Nagarahaavu was based on a novel by noted writer Ta Ra Su. It was a story set against the backdrop of the ruins of the historic Chitradurga and revolved around the character of a youth named Ramachari. The film shot Vishnuvardhana to enviable success, overnight. The protagonist, Ramachari’s character in Nagarahaavu was that of a rebellious brahmin youth with a rather haughty and wayward leaning. Vishnuvardhan’s acting encompassed all these qualities bundled in a single role. His performance far exceeded Puttanna’s expectations, and as a result, the film is talked about even today. Youngsters in Chitradurga still emulate Vishnuvardhana’s style mannerisms from this film. Vishnuvardhana later earned the title of Sahasa Simha (valorous lion) following a movie of the same name. From hero centric stories to family entertainers, Vishnu’s acting prowess earned much acclaim and fan following. The seven state awards and seven Filmfare awards are a testimony to his versatile acting legend and a career spanning well over three decades. While still at the peak of his career, Vishnuvardhana married actor bharathi, who was a bigger star at that time. She had made a name for herself in southern cinema as well as bollywood. Their marriage was happy and lasting, celebrated and much respected in the industry. As the star couple was childless, they had adopted two girls who are now married and settled. Vishnuvardhana rarely spoke about his personal life in public. In the last few years, had had become a disciple of bannanje Govindacharya and also took up vows of silence every once in a while. He became religious and was known to lead an increasingly disciplined life. From then on, Vishnuvardhana was mostly seen in white clothes and colourful turbans, which became his trademark style. Following the success of Nagarahaavu in 1972, Vishnuvardhana was seen in more than five films a year. Revered as one of the most stylish actors in the Kannada film industry, he was a sought after hero and almost all heroines in the industry have been paired with him. After Dr Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhana was the only actor who has enjoyed such great fanfare and popularity in Kannada cinema. An actor of high calibre, he featured in close to 200 films. He is still revered for his excellent performances in Nagarahaavu, Hombisilu, Kiladi Jodi, Sahasa Simha, Nagarahole, Bandhana, Jimmi Gallu,

Jeevana Chakra, Suprabhata, Muthina Haara, Nishkarsha, Yajamana, Simhadriya Simha, Aapthamithra, among a whole lot of others.

with him, Vishnuvardhan’s career was devoid of any controversies, which his fans (and the industry) are proud of.

With many hits to his credit, the scripts seemed to be written around his onscreen persona. His dialogues were quite a rage. Vishnuvardhana’s roles in family entertainers earned him the adulation of thousands of women movie viewers. They also adored him for his image of a macho, romantic hero and the ideal lover. What’s more, Vishnuvardhan also essayed a couple of dual and triple roles in Kannada movies with much élan.

Vishnuvardhan, who was not in very good health of late, breathed his last on December 30 at the age of 59, following a cardiac arrest. but what he’s left behind is a legacy of memorable performances.

Vishnuvardhana was a Kannada star, but has also acted in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. Though he forayed into other languages, he was most successful with Kannada films. He has acted with super stars like Rajinikanth in Tamil, Mammooty in Malayalam and Akshay Kumar in Hindi. Vishnuvardhan was always seen wearing a silver bracelet or a kadha around his left wrist given to him at a gurudwara in bidar. Adjusting his kadha in the midst of an action scene was meant to be a gesture for intimidation and became one among his many signature mannerisms. After the release of his latest movie bellary Naga, the much awaited and controversial Aapta Rakshaka is ready for release.

As soon as the news of his death spread, cell phones beeped with messages stating, “Aapthamithra took away Soundarya. Aaptharakshaka has taken away Vishnuvardhan.” Sounds irrational. but in a strange turn of events, noted actor Soundarya met a tragic death just before the release of the supernatural thriller, Aapthamithra. Vishnuvardhan passed away before the release of its sequel Aaptharakshaka.

besides acting, Vishnuvardhana was also a gifted singer. Though not a professional singer, he has sung for many of his films, starting with Nagarahole. More recently, Vishnuvardhana had started singing devotional songs for albums. The first devotional album for which he sung was on Lord Ayyappa, titled Jyothiroopa Ayappa, which was a big hit. His other albums were Thayi Banashankari and Vishwapremi Ayyappa. Quite the ladies’ man, popular actors like Suhasini, Jayaprada, Hema Malini, Sangeetha bijlani, Roopa Ganguly, Moon Moon Sen, Revathi, Roopini, Kim and Sonu Walia have all acted with him. but his fans loved seeing him sizzle on screen alongside Suhasini. From romantic movies to family entertainers, the hit pair delivered quite a few mega hits. Their first, Bandhana was a huge success, which was followed by Suprabhatha, Muthina Haara and Hendthige Helthini. They also acted together in Himapatha and Mathad Mathad Mallige. The Vishnu-Suhasini pair will be seen, probably for the last time in the yet to be released, School Master, in which Vishnu will be seen in the role of a ‘high-tech’ school teacher. Despite many leading ladies being paired Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 41

One would believe musician Ashwath had the classic Midas touch. In his career spanning five decades, Ashwath created landmarks in Kannada music. Although he scored music for just 20 films, they have been much appreciated for their music. Quite aptly he was called the Johnny Cash of the Kannada film industry. His music concerts drew audiences in lakhs, even in the rock crazy Bangalore. With his demise, an era of soulful music in Kannada cinema has come to an abrupt end. Ashwath was one of those rare talents who shone for his versatility. The singer and music composer switched effortlessly between country, folk and light music genres. The songs from his films like Kaakana Kote, Mysoora Mallige, Santha Shishunala Shariefa, Chinnari Muttha and Nagamandala are popular even today. In fact, it is said that he pioneered the use of Sugama Sangeetha, light music in mainstream Kannada films.

A tribute to Ashwath Singer-musician C Ashwath’s sudden demise marks the end of an era in Kannada film music. Aravind G Shivkamal recalls glorious moments from the ace musician’s life…

42 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

More than anything else, the 71-year-old stalwart was known for his commitment to music. A while back, he created quite a stir, when he refused to vacate the stage for the chief minister at an event. Ashwath defended himself on the grounds that his concert should not have been disturbed. Ashwath preferred to stay away from mainstream commercial film music, choosing to infuse a traditional sensibility in the audience with some of the most popular tracks in Kannada cinema. He also sang most of his compositions in films. Though he was not critical of other forms of music, he was appalled by urban listeners being more drawn to western music. He took it as a challenge to revive Kannada folk and country music, with considerable success. In fact, a recent concert of his was attended by more than two lakh people! “With such a rich talent of music, he could have led a wealthy life. but he preferred to serve music as a worshipper. He was highly selective with his work,” says A N Prahlad Rao, a film critic and close friend of the musician. In his lifetime, Ashwath became a household name in Karnataka, having cut well over 150 music albums. He also helped launch the career of dozens of singers, including Manjula Gururaj and b R Chaaya. He held concerts all over the world, entertaining Kannada music lovers, in association with singers like Kikkeri Krishnamurthy, Ratnamala Prakash and M D Pallavi. Ashwath’s voice forged an instant connection with the audience, and he could literally make them dance to his tunes. In his illustrious career, Ashwath sang the compositions of top Kannada poets like K V Puttappa, K S Narasimhaswamy, saint reformer Santa Shishunala Shariefa (Sufi music), D R bendre, Lakshminarayana bhatta and many more. He incorporated most of them into film compositions too. His work as a film composer will continue to remain among the all time greats in the Kannada film industry. Tracks from his first film, Kaakana Kote were an instant hit as they were based on the traditional Karnataka folk form. Mysoora Mallige, based on the classic work of K S Narasimhaswamy was a rage, with the music creating a new audio sales record in the 90s. “Ashwath’s music had a distinct flavour. Anybody listening to it could easily see how distinctly rich it was,” Prahlad Rao points out. Ashwath received several state and national awards. In recognition to his contribution to folk and country music, Ashwath was given the honour of recording the State Farmers’ Anthem, a poem written by K V Puttappa acknowledging the hard work of the farming community Ashwath is considered a doyen for his efforts to enrich the Kannada musical landscape. What will remain permanently etched in Kannada music lovers’ memory is the way he held on to the values he held so close to his heart unwaveringly.

A SIMPLE MAN

South Indian cinema has lost one of its most beloved stars when Ashwath breathed his last. Ashwath entered Kannada films as a hero in Streerathna (1954), but could not continue as hero for long. He opted for strong supporting roles instead and created a niche for himself, expanding the horizon of the supporting actor. Several of his films became big hits. He won three national awards and several awards for being the best supporting actor. Among his best roles are Nagarahavu, Nandadeepa, Gejjepuje, Sharapanjara, Jenugudu, Nyayave Devaru and Belli Moda. He stopped acting a few years ago, after acting in over 300 films, apparently unhappy with the way Kannada industry was functioning. It was due to the insistence of his dear friend and fellow actor, Rajkumar that he changed his decision. The soft spoken Ashwath kept a low profile always. In him, we have not only lost a great actor but it also marks the end of an era.

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 43

That’s the question a toddler-in-awe asked his father when he saw the ace comedian in action. And that, according to Brahmanandam, is the best compliment he has ever received in his life. Vanaja Banagiri swings between admiration and laughter while attempting to capture the many faces of the comedian-par-excellence who has completed 25 years in Telugu cinema. with inputs from Vrinda Prasad

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Photographer: Manisha Panchawati Stylist: Maya Raj Accessories: Earth Quake Make-up and Hair: Shiva Location: SPOIL, SIAA and UBERDECK Coordinated by: Vrinda Prasad

“WHO INVENTED BRAHMANANDAM?”

Brahmanandam is busy. The trailblazing comedian’s call sheets are over loaded. His manager is probably the most sought after man about T-town as far as filmmakers are concerned. What else did we expect? Doesn’t matter who the leading man in the film is, it is Brahmanandam who hogs more screen space than all of them put together, at times stealing the thunder from right under their stylish noses. Audiences throng the theatres just for him. Of course, he has got to be busy. Yet, he has invited Southscope to his home in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. We love our job. Earlier, when we ask him for directions to his house, he says in a humble voice, “Come to Journalist colony and ask anybody, they will guide you.” Sure enough, we land at his door step with absolute precision. What else did we expect? Telugu movie lovers don’t care who else is in the film as long as there is Brahmanandam. Just looking at him is paisa vasool for his legion of fans which includes us. Obviously, his house is a landmark his extended neighbourhood is proud of. As we wait for him eagerly in his spartan living room - much like the man himself - we have the opportunity to look at some momentous moments from his life time from the photographs that hang proudly on the wall. Brahmanandam receiving the Padmashri from Pratibha Patil, President of India, him receiving the Nandi award… While we are engrossed in our observation, he walks in quietly and says a warm `good morning.’ We jump out of our skins at that instant and out of our heads in the few hours that follow. While his humour keeps us in splits, his philosophy enriches us a great deal. It’s not just fun and games when he’s around, it’s an inspirational journey into life and its offerings. He looks at our photographer clicking his award winning pictures, and guides us to the top floor of his house. “You may find something of interest there,” he tells us. OF INTEREST! The entire floor is chok-o-blok with trophies, awards, life size statues, sculptures of him, photographs of him receiving awards from every conceivable famous personality and what have you… We mass jaw drop as we move around in his awards gallery. What it must be to receive such recognition and adulation and yet be so down-to-earth, so humble? When we say we are mind boggled, we request you to take it literally. Quite! Reeling in the after effects, we walk down absolutely speechless. Once again we are face-to-face with the funny man and he starts narrating one gag after another. Most effortlessly. He can mimic anybody under the sun but he remains inimitable. When we share the concept of our photo shoot with him, his excitement is quite obvious. He comes up with a few more suggestions, going that extra mile to make it even more interesting. He wants to do a Sathya Sai

Baba and Abdul Kalam as well. Oh yes, he also has Sachin Tendulkar on mind but he doesn’t like the wig, so he drops it, giving us a glimpse of his penchant for perfection. During the photo shoot we see in action what we always saw on screen - Brahmanandam is a consummate expressionist and he is beyond comparison at his craft. Comedy, like nature, has no room for vacuum. Here’s presenting one of India’s finest actorcomedians, without whom Telugu cinema would have experienced serious vacuum. Fortunately for us, even after 25 years and 850 films, as many or more characters, a zillion awards, a Padmashri, a record in the Guinness book, an honorary doctorate, Brahmanandam mania doesn’t show any signs of abating for a long time to come. “My parents probably had an idea of what destiny had in store for me. That’s why they named me Brahmanandam which means the creator of happiness. It also means the ultimate bliss,” says the former Telugu professor who was born in Sattenapalli, a village in Andhra Pradesh, devoid of modern trappings, “I always loved observing people, their dialects, mannerisms and expressions. I believe that observation is the key to a good performance.” Is he a funny person by nature? “You can’t be funny all the time. I am a son, a father, a husband… I feel emotions – serious and trivial – like others. Having said that, I must also say that you need to have a sense of humour in order to portray it on screen,” he explains, “The ability to laugh is unique to human beings. That’s the reason we love to be in the company of people who keep us in good humour. When you observe a bunch of friends, you’ll see that the most sought after person in the group is always the one who is funny by nature. All of us love a good laugh.” Just as we are agreeing with the truth in his words, he throws a paradox and says, “Comedy comes from the zenith of tragedy. If you don’t understand tragedy, you will not relate to comedy either. One has to treat comedy and tragedy in life with equanimity.” His filmography reads like an encyclopedia but the journey began when he was still in college. He won the best supporting actor award in inter college competitions way back in 1968. “I was very comfortable playing somebody else with my own interpretation of the character right from the beginning. That’s where the power of my observation comes in handy,” he says and demonstrates myriad expressions of a smile, creating a laughter riot in the room, once again. “People smile differently on different occasions. There’s a forced smile, a spontaneous smile, a fake smile, a child’s smile. You can capture it in your memory and recall it when you play a certain character,” says the actor whose expressions evoke laughter even before he

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His Holiness

BRAHMANANDAM BABA

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says his lines. “oh, that has happened over the years. Initially, a viewer didn’t know what to expect from me. Every character, every film has played a significant role in defining the audiences’ expectations from me. Now, of course, it’s a different story. They don’t even have to see me on screen. Even if I am passing by on the road, there is a spontaneous smile on people’s lips when they see me. This happens so often at traffic junctions when my car stops at a signal. It’s a wonderful feeling.” Is there a flip side? “Comedians are like monkeys. Even if we behave like tigers, people find it funny.” Does he feel stressed out having to be funny all the time? “Not really. I don’t have to do much. People break into a smile or laugh whenever I speak,” he grins that funny grin and we do the same and he says, “See, I told you. I don’t have to do much. I consider it a blessing that God has given me the ability to make people smile and laugh. A smile makes anybody look beautiful while even most attractive people can look ugly when they frown.” Demo follows and so does our laughter. Can comedy be learnt? “Impossible,” is the take of the comedian who considers director Jandhyala as his mentor, “Either an actor has it in him or doesn’t. It’s all about perfect timing, the dialogue delivery, the facial expressions etc. Every comedian has something that sets him or her apart from the rest.” So, what are his challenges? “First and foremost, a film is primarily about selling a story. Every element is important to make a film a hit. For me, the challenge is in retaining the freshness and originality in my portrayals. I try to reinvent myself as far as I can.” And the rewards? “When the audiences say that they watch films for me or that a film is a hit if I am in it, I feel good about it. The best reward is to see people go berserk with uncontrollable laughter when they see me in action.” Did he always know that films were his calling? “I didn’t plan my entry into films. I was a mimicry artist and did several plays in college. Humour is in my blood. When you’re destined for something, things just fall in place.” Any secrets of success? “Hard work, discipline and dedication. There are no other routes to success.” Does he remember all his roles, films and dialogues? “Not really. but yes, I enjoyed all of them equally. And yes, there are some memorable roles like in Amma, Babai Hotel, Anna (Nandi award winner)… The climax scene in Intlo Illalu, Vantintlo Priyuralu with ooha is one of my favourites…” As a much successful, much celebrated comedian, compliments must be a way of life for him. Does he get carried away ever? “Not so far. I don’t take myself too seriously. That helps, I guess.” Does he remember any special compliments? “A journalist who had come to interview me shared with me what a big fan his 7year- old son was of mine. Apparently, one day he was curious to know, “who invented brahmanandam?” That bowled me over. Just imagine. That little kid thinks I am an invention! What can be a bigger compliment than that? That too coming from an innocent child…”

And here’s the tailpiece – Nagalinga chary and Narsamma Devi invented this phenomenon called brahmanandam on February 1, 1956. HAPPY bIRTHDAY! Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 49

WHEN THE GOING GOT TOUGH Director Selvaraghavan gets talking on all the madness that went into making Aayirathil Oruvan and how his work has made him the person he is. Karuna Amarnath discovers it’s the other way round too.

Selvaraghavan, or Selva as he is known is a man of few words. Yet, he makes you listen intently. No, there is no larger than life demeanour, nor are you forced to pay attention because of his overpowering persona. You listen, quite simply because, behind that detached, calm exterior is a man whose experiences as a filmmaker are simply phenomenal. He isn’t pretentious about his strained upbringing, doesn’t make excuses for the mistakes he’s made as a director. Nor does he feel the need to cover-up for the struggles in his personal life. Selvaraghavan is the man you see, not the image or hype he creates. When he’s at ease, which he is usually, you can’t help but wonder if this is the same man who directed hundreds of people on the sets of the mammoth, Aayirathil Oruvan (Ao) – a mega budget action adventure thriller with an investment of Rs 30 crore. The behemoth project kept them motivated for over two years, and ensured everything functioned with clockwork efficiency. “It has been anything but easy,” he grimaces, his eyes shift in thought, “I must have given up at least ten times during the 50 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

process. It’s not easy to stare at the blue screen, while imagining the graphics in the backdrop. It’s…challenging. Sometimes, we took four full days to take a single shot.” Easing the tension a little, he smiles and adds, “Imagine asking Sachin (Tendulkar) to play for three or four days at a stretch without a break!” Recalling the madness of the filming process, Selva shares, “Shooting in Jaisalmer is more difficult than filming in Switzerland. There are no direct flights. We had to shift the sets and people by trucks! And, it’s not easy when you have some 500-odd people in your crew!” but that wasn’t the toughest part of making Ao work for him. “For me, convincing people that the film is ‘real’ has been the most daunting, tiring task. I believe graphics are successful if people don’t notice them. If I was told that the graphics in the film are superb, I’d consider it a failure,” he confesses. Many a critic concluded that he’s another of those ‘clichéd’ directors, making movies for the masses, while raking in the collections. With Ao, Selva has managed to not just silence them, but ensured they don’t surface ever again. “I won’t compare Ao to

Selva could never be ‘ordinary’ in the true sense of the term. He’s carried this strong philosophy into his profession. “As a filmmaker, you have two options,” he explains, “either make the same kind of film or do something different without worrying about the consequences. Disappear after the experiment, but at least make an effort.” He admits feeling wrung out after he got done with his Telugu hit, Aadavari Mataluku Ardhale Verule and the dubbed version, Yaaradi Nee Mohini. Selvaraghavan admits that he wasn’t too happy with the turn his career was taking. “I think that’s when I decided that I either do something different or quit.” Is this when he met producers with sketches of his next venture? “There is no arrogance in me saying this – I have never approached producers. They have always come to me. I think producers have faith in my work because they have never lost any money when they have been associated with me. For instance, Pudhupettai may not have made as much (profit) as it should have, but there have been no losses,” he smiles.

On Tamil cinema: The time has come to move forward, to go global. We need to break barriers and go beyond an industry that comes from Kodambakkam…! Directorial Dream: I’d like to find the perfect cast, at least once. I want people to just come in and take over the set, while I watch them in awe… Dream Actor: I would love to direct Matt Damon! I am very impressed by his acting skills and he has a special face.

Yes, nothing affects Selva, thanks to the lessons taught to him very early in life. From having to deal with Retinoblastoma (cancer of the eye) and living on barely-enough-money to go to a regular school, to becoming a much-sought-after brand, Selva has indeed come a long way. All the while making peace with his not so rosy past.

Biased Brother? I introduced Dhanush, he’s a good actor and I like working with people who I am comfortable with. I am not biased; if he fits the role, I will cast him.

And AO is indeed a first in many respects. No one has made an adventure film of this scale in Indian cinema. Secondly, the film has 3000-4000 graphic shots, arguably one of the highest ever! It’s a shame that the paparazzi has been buzzing about Selva’s failed marriage, his link-ups with cast members, without really paying attention to his creative prowess. “I think there were no scandals left in Tamil cinema,” he laughs. Then, regaining a solemn note, he adds: “Whether what’s been written about my link-up with Andrea (Jeremiah) is true or not, I am not bothered. It didn’t affect my work then, it won’t now. I don’t let anyone, family or friends, inﬂuence me or get in my way of doing things.” Unfazed, Selvaraghavan sticks to the basics: “But I guess once it’s all over and done with, there’s nothing left to talk about. Sonia (his wife with whom he’s in the process of getting a divorce) is a wonderful person and I wish there weren’t so many differences between us. I wish I didn’t make such a big mistake in my personal life. But, that’s how it is; you have to take life as it comes.”

Family Time: We’re a very closeknit bunch of siblings; we meet once every three days!

a Hollywood film because they haven’t produced a good movie in years, even though they have the best equipment in the business – it’s all just hyped up. I am sure we are capable of producing amazing work if we have a Rs 300 to 400 crore budget, and of course, the kind of equipment they have,” he says vehemently.

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So, even as he cast the one-film-old Karthi Sivakumar and Andrea Jeremiah with another almost newbie, Reema Sen, the producers’ confidence remained intact. “My producers have always trusted me. There were speculations that once we brought in producer, R Ravindran, we kept hiking the budget. The truth is, I didn’t know what kind of a film I wanted to make. I go with how I feel in that moment, what kind of a story I feel like telling. I initially started off with a romantic-comedy, but there was no love left inside me, no emotion. So, when I started work on the script of AO, I didn’t know how much a film like this would cost. When we overshot the estimate, we had a meeting and explained why it happened the way it did. I don’t know if it was the producer’s love for films or me that gave him the confidence to go ahead,” he says.

wanted to do. I loved music so I tried to learn to play the guitar and saxophone. I was no good. The only thing I consistently did was writing. And, that’s how I began… drawing from experiences from my own life. Thanks to my father (director Kasthuri Raja), we kept shifting houses. That ensured I had a good variety of experience to draw from.” So where does Selva find himself as a director right now? “Even after making a film of this magnitude, I feel so small,” he confides, “That’s because there’s no end to learning; the enormity of the filmmaking process is great. There’s a certain beauty, a kind of magic in cinema that engulfs you. I have a long way to go…”

Though he has played it risky, if the film bombs at the box-office, he will be shattered. “All of us have worked very hard on this project, spending sleepless nights for two years. If it fails, I will take the blame for it. I have invested close to Rs 8 crore of my own money to finish the film,” he shares. But Selva has gambled all his life, and this time it’s no different. At a point when his family was in dire straits, when a film had to be made and had no choice but to be a hit, Selva’s resolve came to the rescue. And boy, did he deliver in style! “I dreamt of doing my MS in automobile engineering in the US,” he recalls his accidental entry into the film world, “But, when I was in the third or fourth year of college, I realised this wasn’t what I

LOVE REELS

GEMINI GANESAN

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He was affectionately called Kadhal Mannan (translates literally into king of love) of Tamil cinema for the romantic roles he played in movies. He was one of the Big Three of Tamil Cinema of yesteryear, along with MG Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan. A BSc graduate, he worked as Demonstrator before the turning point came. He joined Gemini Studios in the mid-1940s. With his handsome looks and inherent charm it was not surprising that he had nursed an ambition for a career in movies. His family links with the Gemini Studios’ boss, S. S. Vasan did not make things any easier for him. Ramachandra Iyer, Vasan’s father-in law was his granduncle. He entered the world of the studios easily but to face a movie camera was entirely different. K. Ramnoth, who was then at Gemini Studios as Controller of Productions, did a camera test of Ganesan which revealed the spark in the handsome young man. Ramnoth was most impressed but others did not share his enthusiasm. He was appointed as casting assistant and given a room and an office boy! He played minor roles and even played the villain without much luck. However, it all changed when he was cast in a dual role in Manampol Mangalyam. The movie was a huge hit and Gemini Ganesan was on his way to becoming one of the superstars of his era.

Love Byte

Photographer: Manu

â&#x20AC;&#x153;My wife, Ashwini and I met in 1997 through a common friend. We dated for two years before we got married. I proposed to her. Fortunately, both families consented and we continue to remain the best of buddies. It is nice being that way. Ever since we got close, all those years ago, I kept telling her that I want to cook her favorite dish. Maybe, I will do that one of these days!â&#x20AC;?

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rise of the showman Getting a couple of hours with the highest paid, most sought after star of Kannada cinema sure sounds like a distant possibility. Starry no nos included. But Puneet Rajkumar plays the perfect host to Aravind G Shivkamal, while they have one helluva chat on life, memories and what it is like to be the superstar son of a superstar. “He’s a promising kid.” That was what a couple of filmmakers remarked when they saw the 11-year-old. He was receiving the National Film Award for Best Child Artiste for his performance in Bettada Hoovu. That too from the President of the country! The year was 1986. Sure enough, he went on to become one of the biggest stars in the Kannada film industry. Today, he commands a fan following that can match that of his father, matinee idol Dr Rajkumar. Of the 12 films that Puneet Rajkumar has featured in as hero, since 2002, seven ran for more than 100 days. In the process, he became one of the highest paid stars and clearly the most sought after, which earned him the title of ‘Power Star.’ That was the story so far. Cut to the present. Puneet’s pad in Bangalore. The plush drawing room. An air of excitement mingling with nostalgia as Puneet relives the euphoria of receiving the National Award, as a child “The award did not mean much to me, then. I was far too eager to visit New Delhi since I was told that I will be staying in a star hotel that had a big swimming pool.” Puneet’s face lights up as he remembers his first sampling of Punjabi food. “At the awards ceremony itself, there was a whole galaxy of stars. Those pictures are etched so vividly in my mind. Only when I turned 15 did I realise what an honour it was to receive the award,” he reminisces. Not many National Award winning child artistes have grown up to become stars in the big league. But for Puneet, acting came naturally. Likewise, opportunities literally fell at his feet. At least, initially. As a child artiste, Puneet acted in 10 films between 1976 and 1989, nine of them with his father as his favorite son, even on screen.

Eradu Nakshatragalu (Two Stars), directed by Singeetam Sreenivasa Rao, required a child artiste and the role seemed tailor-made for Puneet. This was probably the first and the only Kannada film in which a child artiste played a dual role. The high point of Puneet’s career as a young star in the making was Bettada Hoovu (Mountain Flower) for which he won the National Award. Ironically enough, this was the only film in which Rajkumar did not figure! Parashurama, released in 1989, was the last film in Puneet’s career as a child artiste. By then, the skinny lad was in his early teens and packing in the pounds with gusto. Around the same time, Puneet’s elder brothers Shivarajkumar (Shivanna) and Raghavendra Rajkumar (Raghanna) made a grand entry on the Kannada film screen as lead artistes. Puneet grew up watching Shivanna’s roaring success. “Though I enjoyed my life as a child artiste, I never imagined that I would make a career out of acting. There came a point when it had to happen, and I decided to take the plunge. Raghanna is responsible for shaping up my career. Even today, he takes all the important decisions for me after listening to the script,” shares Puneet. In 2002, Puneet made a sensational debut as lead actor with the Puri Jagannath directed Appu (incidentally, also his nick name, as called by his father.) It ran for more than 175 days across many theatres in Karnataka. The music was also a big hit. Even today, radio stations in Bangalore continue playing tracks from Appu. A lot of work went behind Puneet’s big entry as a star. He shed oodles of weight, learnt stunts and dance. Then again, consider his biggest advantage – he was the pampered son of Rajkumar, who enjoyed demigod status among his fans. To cut the story short, he could not have asked for a better debut.

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The actor today still remains firmly attached to his roots. “Whenever I try to gauge the popularity that my father enjoyed in Kannada cinema, I become overwhelmed. Even now, in every nook and corner people adore him, worship him. It gives me immense satisfaction when people recognise me as his son. He will remain a legend forever.” We hear that Dr Rajkumar was apparently very keen on having Puneet try his luck as an actor. “I wish my father was with us to see my success. I am sure he would have been overjoyed. I miss him very much,” Puneet shares. Indeed. And is he following his father’s footsteps? “Well, irrespective of the story-line or character, I do not want my fans to be disappointed when they walk out of the theatre. I want them to enjoy my films.” Something that Dr Rajkumar ensured so effortlessly. In terms of breaking moulds, Puneet is hungry for variety. “But it has to do justice to the script,” he reasons. As far as variety goes, he played the role of a college kid, an angry young man and romantic hero with considerable success. Check out the recent Raaj – The Showman. The film completed 50 days of screening, while his latest film Raam with Priyamani also rocked the box office. Till his demise, Rajkumar termed his fans as gods. The son seems to be following his footsteps on this count. Small wonder that Puneet’s fan following is the largest in Karnataka these days. He has a difficult time shooting in public places and gets mobbed easily. “I feel blessed whenever fans meet me. The affection that they have showered on me and my family is invaluable,” comes an easy admission from him. But the superstar believes his best is yet to come: “It has been a fantastic journey so far. But there is a lot more to come. I have a long way to go…” Apart from his father, Puneet admires later Kannada actor Shankar Nag, Rajnikanth and Big B, among others. “They are unparalleled and unique. Also, given a chance, I would love to work with all the young crop of directors” Female actors yearn to star alongside Puneet, since success is instant and guaranteed! So far, Ramya has managed to act in three films with Puneet. Priyamani chose to act with him for her Kannada debut. Priyanka Kothari was especially selected for Raaj – The Showman. Others include Pooja Gandhi, Meera Jasmine, Parvathi Menon, Hansika Motwani and Gauri Munjal. Filmmakers now look out for the magic combination of music, fights and dance in Puneet’s films. Unsurprisingly, Puneet excels in all three. His stunts are natural and mesmerizing while he dances like no one can in the Kannada industry. But Puneet refuses to agree with that: “It cannot be. Shivanna is the best dancer. He is well over 40. Yet he dances like a youngster. He is still the best. I have to learn a lot.” He always believes in trying something new. These days, he is even learning Parkour, an urban physical discipline of French origin.

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For sure, the star has picked many natural traits from his father. Like Rajkumar, Puneet did not have any formal training in music, but his tracks easily turn into chartbusters. “Believe me, I get scared whenever I face the microphone. But some directors insist that I have to lend my voice to a track. Fortunately, it has worked so far.” Interestingly, acclaimed directors Upendra and Yograj Bhat have written the lyrics for Puneet’s tracks.

LOVE REELS 16 VAYATHINILE It is one of the most inﬂuential love stories in Tamil cinema. Director Bharathi Raja’s first film turned out to be a landmark film. Starring Sridevi, Kamal Hassan and Rajinikanth in the lead it changed the face of Tamil Cinema for ever.

It is not easy being a busy star. Whenever he finds time, Puneet makes sure that he is with his family, especially his two daughters. “I miss my father a lot. One of my daughters was born just 18 days after my father’s death.” His voice gives away just the hint of an emotional quiver. “I see him in my daughter.” Puneet would some day also like to foray into direction. Though that is still a far off thought. “I have not set any deadlines yet. But whenever I direct a movie, Shivanna will play the lead,” he’s sure. He has quite a bit on his plate at the moment. 2010 will be an extremely busy year. Presently, he is shooting for Prithvi, directed by Jacob Verghese, with the Duniya Soori-directed Jackie trailing a close second. That apart, Puneet also has the remake of the Tamil Naadodigal in the pipeline. He is also keen on reviving a project with director Yograj Bhat. A year ago, there was buzz in the industry that Bhat would direct Puneet’s movie, Lagori. But it did not take off. “I am hopeful that this time it will,” says Puneet. From films to openings, did we tell you what a day is like in the Kannada industry when Puneet’s film is releasing? No filmmaker dare release their film on the same day! The risk involved is simply too high. While makers of a Puneet starring film also make sure that his movies do not disturb the equations of successfully running films. It is an informal and unsaid, but highly effective arrangement. Power Star? Hell yes, we say!

Shot completely out of the confines of the studios, which was a norm in Tamil cinema, the film struck a chord with the rural audiences living away from the cities. The film is remembered for Kamal Hassan performance as a mentally retarded lover. The scene in which he comes out wearing just a loin cloth is perhaps the most enduring memory of the film. For hero’s always wore fashionable clothes in films then. One of the highlights of the film by the way is the lovely drawl in which Chapani takes Mayil’s name: mentally retarded, yes, but his intonation of Mayil’s name has that special quality; which is how probably you get the measure of Kamal Haasan. It was meant to be an art film funded by the National Film Development Corporation. The film turned out to be huge commercial hit going on to make $1 million and the producer of the film went into hiding to avoid income tax raids!

GEETANJALI It is one of best Telugu films directed by Mani Ratnam. The Nagarjuna starrer proved to be a huge hit. But it was debutant actress Girija who made a huge impression. The story about how Mani Ratnam spotted her is even more interesting. Girija was accompanying cricketer Srikkanth’s sister at Maniratnam’s wedding to Suhasini. She’s basically from London, born to a Kannada doctor mother and a British businessman father. He saw her at the marriage and chose her as the heroine. Gadiraju Keshava Rao, a senior associate director, trained her for two months before the shooting. She used to practice dialogues with him, writing them down in English. Talk about destiny.

NANDANAM It is rare to find an all out romantic themes in Malayalam cinema for they are always set in the backdrop of a social drama or a heavy dose of comedy. Director Ranjit’s Nandanam is more of an exception than the rule for the film for a change is all bout love. What makes Nandanam special is it’s simplicity. Ranjit did it by bringing back memories of the golden age of Malayalam cinema through Nandanam, which proved to be trendsetter. The movie takes you through an emotional terrain, dealing with touching tale of love between a teenage maidservant and her young master. Nandanam is fraught with hurt, rejection and fragile egos. Ranjit unravels this beautiful love story and makes us believe that miracles do happen at times! Navya Nair’s chemistry with Prithviraj is the highlight of the film. The movie ends with the note that if you believe strongly in any higher-power, it will make your ardent wishes come true. Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 57

I have adored Johnny Depp all my life and have pictures of him in my room. But I would be lying if I say I don’t know what it is to be in love. There’s someone who has been special to me for some time now. It doesn’t mean we are on the phone all the time, meet, exchange gifts or stuff like that. And well, no, that person is not aware about my feelings for him!

Love Byte

Days before the release of her much awaited films - Asal in Tamil - and the laugh riot Happy Husbands in Malayalam is out, Bhavana is on a new high. Vijay G samples the euphoria. She makes heads turn. And she knows! With a few highprofile projects in her kitty, Bhavana is walking tall. Sometime ago, when this beautiful girl wasn’t too happy with the way her career was going in Malayalam, she shifted her attention to Tamil and Telugu. Things have been going hunky dory ever since. Tell us more about how much Asal means to your career at this point? Of course, Asal is a big project and produced by Sivaji Productions a big banner and it’s definitely an important one for me. It’s also the first project that I am doing almost nine months after Jayam Kondaan in Tamil. I have been paired with Ajit for the first time as well. I won’t say that it is a role I haven’t done so far. It’s a cute character I’m playing. Sulabha is a modern girl who is grounded in traditional values. I quite liked this character. Are you satisfied with the way things are going for you in Malayalam? Yes, I am happy about the roles I am getting and the scale of my projects. Earlier, I was always cast as the second lead and I wasn’t sort of happy with the way my career was shaping up in Malayalam. I have done several films, more out of obligations and commitments, than any real interest. Thankfully, it didn’t affect me beyond a point and I should thank God for that. After I returned to doing Malayalam films post some very good Tamil and Telugu projects, things began to change and now I am getting bigger projects and better roles. So how do you choose a film? As an actor, I believe there are several factors that matter. The banner, my co-stars and the director, of course. These are important because a film’s success doesn’t solely depend on my character alone. From experience I can say that even if I am doing a great character in a low key project, it may not add phenomenally to my career. At the same time, if it is a big project and my character is relatively minor, it might still work in my favour (smiles).

A Walk in the Clouds Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 59

What about your films in Telugu? I had agreed to do Ontari since I really liked the script. The heroine gets raped, falls from a building and dies. I had believed that a realistic plot like that would work for me. But the issue was that perhaps it was too realistic! I’m saying this because it had everyone wondering how the heroine can be killed in a film, that too with the hero around. Hero was a full-ﬂedged commercial film. I had received several offers with Nithin, in the past but could never take them up since I was invariably busy with other things. When Hero came my way, I agreed to do it. I ended up in Mahatma pretty much by chance. Director Krishna Vamsi wanted to cast me earlier for some project but again, I had prior commitments. When I met Ramya Krishna at a function, she asked me why I was never ready to do her husband’s projects. By the way, I didn’t know that she was Krishna Vamsi’s wife! He had liked my performance in Veyil. When the offer for Mahatma came, I accepted it. How comfortable are you doing films with more than one heroine? I make it a point to know about the value and importance of my character in such films. Obviously, I can’t insist that there be only one female lead in a film. I have no issues with doing films that have more than one heroine as long as I am confident about my role. Besides commercial cinema, you have done offbeat ones and in fact won the state award for the second best actor for your performance in Daivanamathil. Why don’t you accept such serious roles more often? I played a remarkable character in Daivanamathil and to me, it was also a great chance to work with director Jayaraj and Prithviraj. Since then, I never had the opportunity to play as good a role in any offbeat movie. Also, it is a fact that people watch more commercial cinema than art house stuff. It’s great to be appreciated for your performance in an offbeat movie but it is even more exciting for me to be cheered by the masses for a commercial hit. People start calling you by the name of your characters and that’s a great feeling. Pick three characters you’ve played, that are closest to your heart. Let me pick five, instead. Parimalam in Nammal, Susi in Deepavali, Chinthamani in Chintamani Kolacase, Leela in Naran and Charu in Chithiram Pesuthadi. You have been known to talk with a peculiar Thrissur accent. Will that be a strength or weakness? It has worked to my advantage at certain times, like for my film, Nammal. It went with the character I was playing. But when I played a girl born and brought up in Pondicherry in Swapna koodu, later on, it didn’t work well. But I think now my accent is corrected quite a bit. Are you headed to Bollywood, eventually? In fact, I had an offer to do the Hindi version of a film originally made in Malayalam, but I decided not to accept it. I don’t plan things in my life and there have been no real targets or goals planned out. It all depends on the kind of roles that are being offered to me. Right now I am waiting for Asal and Happy Husbands to release. And have my fingers firmly crossed. 60 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

When I met Ramya Krishna at a function, she asked me why I was never ready to do her husband’s projects.

Love in Kodambakkam

Pavithra Srinivasan scales the adorable, funny and sometimes bizarre catalysts of love on screen in this romantic recall with some rather dramatic moments stolen away from Tamil cinema! â&#x20AC;&#x153;You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put a price tag on love, but you can on all its accessories.â&#x20AC;? - Melanie Clark

Marriages might be made in heaven, but all accompanying arrangements - falling in love included - happen on earth in real life. Or perhaps in a slightly exaggerated fashion, reel love too happens between a man and a woman already inclined towards romance. They might be college-mates running into each other and having fisticuffs, or lovers falling off a precipice only to be reincarnated 400 years later. They can even die cruel deaths and live on for eternity, or they might just ride into the sunset on a pink Scooty. Either way, true love always triumphs, trampling over parental objections, financial difficulties, religions, caste and sub-caste

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issues, quarrels, disputes, separation and every other natural disaster possible, even those as big as 2012. And yet, eternal happiness never comes easy. Romance might conquer all, but even such heady emotions need some conspiring from the universe. This is where the accessories that film critic Melanie Clark mentions, come in: the plot-devices - accidental accoutrements that bring lovers together in Tamil cinema. Even the best of films have them. After all, our ancient epics had lovelorn damsels sending clouds, palm-leaves and what-have-you to their beloveds. Surely our directors are justified in using updated technology to further the cause of romance!

Told in a more prosaic fashion, is the love story in a bus. Here, the lovers literally fall in love and get married within the space of a single bus journey. See for yourself in Madurai to Theni Via Andippatti.

And somewhere on top of the list is the two-wheeler. Consider this: a rich man’s daughter suddenly and inexplicably falls in love with a grimy mechanic. Of course, she has absolutely no idea about how to get through to him. She then hits upon the only thing that might engage his attention - a Scooty! Sandhya badgers the spanking new ride from her father and crashes it in broad daylight. Thus begins the complicated pursuit of Bharath, eventually ending with them eloping in Kadhal. Even more romantic is the beautifully bound book of the romantic blockbuster, Kadhalikku Mariyadhai. In this gently woven love story, the protagonists only exchange glances. But confrontation is inevitable. Tada! Enter the plot device in the form of a book, aptly titled Love and Love Only. They both happen to spot the book at precisely the same moment, in a bookstore. Both reach for it, hanging back as they sense each other’s interest. In the end, Shalini gets the book, and the scene is set for matters of the heart. Of course, it’s another story that screaming fans of the movie actually started hunting for the book – only to find that it never existed in the first place! Director Fazil had cleverly created the prop for his masterpiece. You might think books and bikes are pretty jaded examples for furthering love. But in love stories these days, anything and everything goes. And the list includes buses and sometimes trains as well. Consider the case of Kizhakke Pogum Rayil (The East bound train). Radhika and Sudhakar are happy-go-lucky love birds in a small village. They face pretty much no strong obstacles in their budding romance. He’s a wannabe poet, she’s an enthusiastic young girl. All is fun and laughter for them, until Sudhakar is forced to leave town. The distraught lovers promise to correspond, but not through letters (which might prove gossip fodder for everyone, as the postman might spill the beans). They decide to leave scribbles on the train. That’s how Radhika learns, for example, that Sudhakar has actually tasted success.

Ditching modern means of transportation, some diehard romantics still resort to time-tested plot devices. In Kadhal Kottai, Devayani and Ajith fall back on letters, resolving never to know what the other looked like. In a land swamped with lust-crazed love, this came as a welcome respite. So much so, that Cheran used the same plot-device in Pokkisham. Letters were exchanged between him and Padmapriya, quoting every classic in the world and often reaching essay proportions! But such die-hards are few and far in between. Murali and Kausalya whisper sweet-nothings over the phone as they slowly (but surely) fall in love in Kalamellam Kadhal Vaazhka. But that was the pre cell-phone era. This was where Kadhalar Dhinam made a leap in technology, bringing together Sonali Bendre and Kunal via email. Better yet was another technique. The makers got the audience hooked to the true value of love. Just how did they do it? By thrusting a 100 rupee note in the mix and watching to see if it really reaches the beloved. And that’s how Nisha Kothari and Madhavan declared their love for each other in JJ. But then you have directors like Sasi, who’d rather not have plot devices coming in the way of every frame. He simply chose to cut off his hero’s tongue, turning it into a catalyst in the love of Livingstone and Kausalya. That was Sollamale for you! Tamil cinema has produced thousands of films revolving around love in one way or another. In an industry swamped by the desperate need for ideas, techniques like these are what make the clichéd idea of falling in love, so much more interesting. After all, the road to true love is paved with memorable plot devices! A little drama simply comes with the bargain, doesn’t it?

After this point, trains became sort of redundant in bringing lovers together. The idea of the train as a love catalyst was brought back in vogue by Mani Ratnam. He gave terrorist attacks and communal riots a break and went in for a remarkably sensuous love story. In the process, the filmmaker got Shalini and Madhavan to fall in love atop an electric train. A hundred reasons are mentioned for Alaipayuthe’s success – but we all know that those moments spent hanging precariously off the train, swearing eternal love were the real clinchers.

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Stylist: Nischay Polavarapu Allu Arjun’s Make-up and Hair: Ashwin Grey t shirt by Nischay Polavarapu and Jeans from CELIO Tamannaah’s Make-up: Chakravarthy Hair: Shabnam Pink short dress from DERHY Shoes from TRESMODE

Love actually If you are in love, you’ll love this. If you aren’t, you would have watched enough number of love stories to relate to this, if you’re cynical, you’ll want to read it anyway… There’s no reason or season when it comes to love, and just one day set aside in a year is anything but enough for love. But we join in as the world celebrates love this Valentine’s Day, with all the, real and reel drama and mush of the eternal romance immortalised in southern cinema. Text: Mona Ramavat Photographer: Avinash Gowariker Being in love: A state wherein phenyl ethylamine is released in the brain with increased blood flow in areas of the brain with high concentrations of receptors for dopamine, and inducing lowered levels of serotonin. A condition that might result in increased perspiration, heightened energy, lowered appetite… Or in other words, the heart races, you breathe in short bursts, the knees shake and the voice quivers and yes, all reason goes flying out of the window. The first rushes are like gusts of wind that shake in their wake anything and everything. Or like a spell, is all engulfing. No mercy. Or as the river flows, you are carried away. Simply go with the flow. Where your feelings take you, on some euphoric ride, in joyful abandon with just one thing in your heart, (or mind if you go by new research) – love.

We don’t know what came first – the expression of love or the realisation of love. But we sure know what followed. The obsession for love. From cave paintings through graphic novels and much of art in between couldn’t remain untouched by love. The songs, the poetry, the complicated opera made simple with love. The tales of great passions that jongleurs passed over generations, the masterpieces painted or sculpted, inspired by love. Not too long after the production of the motion pictures, did we have love showing up on screen. And there has been no stopping since then. How we have imagined being

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All the world loves a lover. Make that two. And a swing and some rain. Fairy lands like sets with the beautiful Savitri or Vanisri running down a delicately curved set of steps, with the sari trailing prettily in a romantic song. The sort in which only the eyes do the talking, she’s worshipped from a distance by an NTR or a Gemini Ganesan. Flower stalks were brought together to depict the first kiss or the bee buzzing about another flower, a metaphor for making love. And mind you, this was strictly reserved for the wedding night. A passionate ANR romances a coy Jamuna across a room full of relatives, after they are married and it still set hearts racing prompting involuntary smiles. Many sighs too when Rajkumar or MGR left home passionately to woo back their love or prove their love to a Jayalalita or Kalpana.

in love seeing thousands of romances on celluloid. How we sometimes sit up in anticipation with the background score rising as the larger than life pair of lovers approach each other or weep unabashedly seeing them separate, never to meet again. We use film songs to confess love and dialogues for making things more special or simply when we are short on words. We live those romantic fantasies in our minds while we see them being enacted on screen, to stay with us for a long long time. What the society has done in keeping the free unrestrained expression of love under wraps, cinema has most definitely undone. In suggestion first and close enough to our free unrestrained imaginations gradually. It’s been love across courtyards in the same neighbourhood when the attachment of childhood turns sweetly into the romance of youth. Or love that happens after marriage. Love that’s sparked on campus, love that couldn’t be resisted during something as serious as war. Love that went beyond religion, nationality or economic and social extremes. Love that really makes the world go round. Love never dies. Love conquers ‘em all – the heroine’s indifference in the beginning or her father’s hardened heart, the society that ridicules the hero or goons sent in to settle scores with him. Love always wins in the end. Even in the face of the ultimate end. Death. Death cannot do us part. After all, we were together since time immemorial and will be, for eternity. What’s four hundred years between lifetimes, when love is powerful enough? Go, watch Magadheera to find your answer. Or peep into the hearts of Balu and Sapna from Maro Charitra. They die in the end, but their love wins. Much in the same way as that of Romeo and Juliet. Just that we can’t see is the mingling of spirits leaving the body. Or some such thing. But we can certainly feel it as the credits role.

Some years passed. Pecks on cheeks or extended hug sessions followed some dancing around bushes. The park or garden became a hub of all romantic activity, not confined to the home and queerly out in the public. Except of course, there’s no public that came in the way when Chiranjeevi or Rajinikanth went after Sridevi With skirts getting shorter, love became bolder. First hints of a smooch came in when Nag and Amala romanced in Shiva or Venkatesh with Sridevi had sparks flying between them. From coy to not so coy and outright brash, the heroine in southern cinema evolved over the years and so did her idea of romance. Nagma actually falls in love with Chiru in Gharana Mogudu after he slaps her tight across the face, provoked by her arrogance and insensitivity. She thought him macho and nosedived deep into love. Fresh young still in college romances of course took it all a notch higher and girls wooed guys or said yes readily or matched wits before saying yes readily. Shriya and Vikram in Kanthasamy? But let’s show you one romance that captures all those moments and shades of love in southern cinema across the years. That’s at once classic and youthful, spirited and eternal, clichéd yet fresh. He’s easy and flamboyant, while she’s sweet and childlike. He charms her. She captures his heart. The sizzling chemistry between Allu Arjun and Tamannaah that showed up before Avinash Gowariker’s camera had all the makings of the endorphins and stuff in action! They show us what being in love is… And we put them through the test. Here’s what we found.

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Do you believe in love at first sight? No First love and first kiss are said to be most unforgettable.Your experience… Not fallen in love as yet Your first crush and the last one In school in the 5th grade What’s the ultimate expression of love between romantic partners? Patience, care, affection Is it possible to be in love with more than one person at a time romantically? If so, it cannot be love What would you do if you find your partner two timing you? Dump him! Would you tell a few white lies to impress a guy? Maybe

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What’s the meanest thing you would do to get the person you love? Nothing What’s the most romantic thing you would do for your partner? Write a poem Does Ajun have any qualities you look for in your man? I hardly know him What kind of sacrifices would you make to make your relationship work? Almost anything Your all time favourite love story. DDLJ Would you date / marry a shorter man? Yes if he is like Aamir Khan

Do you believe in love at first sight? It happened only the first time. Never happened later. Never happens later! First love and first kiss are said to be most unforgettable. Your experience… I don’t know about first love. Can’t remember the first kiss. Your first crush and the last one The first crush happened when I was in the first grade. Her name was Sunita. She was pretty chubby and cute. We were never bench mates and I always yearned to sit next to her. My last crush…well, I won’t tell you her name. But I call her Apple. She’s now the apple of my eye! I love her complexion. I also call her Snow White. Yep, you can call me racist! What’s the ultimate expression of love between romantic partners? Touch. Is it possible to be in love with more than one person at a time romantically? Oh yeah. Happens all the time, doesn’t it? Kidding! It’s not possible to be in love with two girls at the same time. What would you do if you find your partner two timing you? Aw, I would fall down crying if I found, both my girlfriends are cheating on me! Would you tell a few white lies to impress a girl? I don’t think that would be required. Every girl is unique and I can genuinely compliment any girl. I’m gifted, you see.

Allu Arjun: Grey jumper and black jacket from SISLEY, Jeans from CELIO Tamannaah: Red trench coat from MUAH

What’s the meanest thing you would do to get the person you love? Ask her to dump her boyfriend! What’s the most romantic thing you would do for your partner? Take her on a vacation and plan a series of surprises for her. Does Tamannaah have any qualities you look for in your girl? Of course. She’s fair as hell! What kind of sacrifices would you make to make your relationship work? Anything, except work. Your all time favourite love story. This movie called Crazy and Beautiful. Would you date / marry a taller woman? Taller woman, never! Biggest turn off. Older woman. Anytime. Biggest turn on!

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Arrange the following in your order of preference?

LOOKS

FIDELITY

ROMANCE

7 3

SEX

2 5 6

INTELLIGENCE

6 1

SUCCESS

HONESTY

Inputs from Sridevi Sreedhar Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 71

TELUGU

Text: Karthik Pasupulate

NTR and Lakshmi Parvathi This is the most iconic love story to have happened in real. It played out in the highest echelons of power with a theatrical grandeur that’s been unmatched. NTR was the biggest super star in Telugu cinema. He was also a former Chief Minister and the leader of the opposition TDP. Lakshmi Parvathi was working on his biography and that is how she met him. The biography made way for the most fascinating of love stories. NTR fell in love with the young biographer who was by his side and took care of him when he had his first paralytic stroke. NTR’s 12 adult children were opposed to the romance. Their mother had died a few years ealier. NTR had everything to lose. He had an election campaign to run and the stories of his romance with a woman young enough to be his daughter were already damaging his reputation. But then NTR was his own man and he did the unthinkable. He married Lakshmi Parvathi and went on to win the elections with a thumping majority! It seemed like they would live on happily ever after. But it was not to be. Unable to put up with the growing influence of Lakshmi Parvathi, and her interference in the government, NTR faced a revolt from his party led by his son-in-law, Chandrababu Naidu, who ousted an ailing NTR and became CM. NTR died soon after and his love for Lakshmi Parvathi remains immortalised…

Telugu stars picture courtesy: M N Bhushan

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Valentine’s Special

Krishnaveni and Maharaja of Mirzapuram This romance bloomed at a time when ‘love’ was not so fashionable and the film industry was considered to be the place for the promiscuous. But the protagonists in this story –actor Krishnaveni and Meka Rangaiah - trace their roots to royalty and it is only imaginable how the affair would have raised a zillion eye brows! Krishnaveni an actor came from the Yartramsetti family and Meka Rangaiah was the Maharaja of Mirzapuram was also a film producer. That’s how they first met. Not much is known about the details of their love story, but it only adds to the mystique! That it ended in marriage at a time when love stories were not even a popular genre of films in Telugu cinema, makes this one of the most interesting romances of all time.

Bhanumathi and Ramakrishna This love story has all the trappings of a blockbuster. Bhanumathi was this vivacious young actor while Ramakrishna was just an unassuming assistant director. It was love at first sight for Bhanumathi who literally ran into Ramakrishna on the sets of a film. Bhanumathi was just 17 then and her father was looking to get her married to some rich, handsome man. However, Bhanumathi was not going to have any of it. She’d irrevocably fallen for the affable, mild mannered assistant director. Bhanumathi got her sister to convey her wishes to her father. When her father summoned Ramakrishna to talk about the matter, Ramakrishna was giddy with shock. He had no clue that the leading lady had a thing for him. He bluntly refused the proposal, saying he was not comfortable with the idea of marrying an actor. since he was a poor man and he wanted a wife who could stay with him in a hut or even under a tree if it comes to that, and walked away. But then Bhanumathi was not going to take no for an answer. To cut a long story short, the one-sided love affair ended happily when the lady who had adopted Ramakrishna decided to perform the marriage without her father’s consent. None from her family attended the wedding. She had to stay in a shed (which was a shade better than a hut) but then Bhanumathi was only too happy.

In their heyday, Krishna and Vijaya Nirmala made a super hit combination on screen. They first met on the sets of director Bapu’s Sakshi. Their acquaintance grew into friendship gradually. Krishna and Vijay Nirmala were slated to tie the knot at a temple in Pullidhindhi for the climax of the film. Raja Babu, the comedian remarked that anyone who marries here will have a long lasting relationship. It was only meant to be a joke as Krishna was then married to actor Indira. The industry was in for a huge shock when the shy onscreen couple married, away from the public gaze, in Tirupati. The wedding evoked much gossip writing since they were both still married to their respective spouses and also had children. They have been one big happy family ever since.

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TELUGU Jayasudha and Nitin Kapoor Jayasudha has been a versatile actor and Nitin Kapoor was a young producer when they first met. She had just separated from her first husband, but it proved second time lucky for her. Nitin happens to be a cousin of the Bollywood star, Jitendra who had made a career out of remaking southern films into Hindi. Jayasudha was featured in a lot of those movies. As more of these films were being dubbed in Hindi, they happened to run into each other. They both loved cricket and their acquaintance gradually grew deeper, over much cricket bonding. They would exchange books and chatter endlessly about, well, cricket and a bunch of other things. The friendship turned into love and culminated in marriage. They have two sons and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s truly a case of living happily-ever-after.

Nagarjuna and Amala Theirs was a relationship made in celluloid heaven. Nag was the youth sensation then and Amala was a beautiful dancer. Sparks flew when they first met on the sets of the student drama, Shiva in 1989. The film was a landmark for them both, professionally and for their relationship. Their lives were never going to be the same again. They made a great star pair and starred together in several films. Their onscreen chemistry spilled on to real life as well. The only problem was that Nag was already married to Lakshmi Ramanaidu. He separated from his first wife and after three years of dating, Nag and Amala married in 1992. Since then, they have been one of the hottest couples in T town. Amala though quit acting after marriage and is today among the most active animal rights activists in the country.

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Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Special

Their relationship has no parallels in tinselville. They got married in January 2009 after a rather acrimonial divorce between Pawan and his first wife, Nandini in 2008. Pawan first met Renu while they were shooting for Badri, way back in 2000. They say, the usually reclusive Pawan got on with the debutant Renu surprisingly well. Before long, they were known to be seeing each other. Renu desai is a designer and had been living with Pawan Kalyan for a long time. But their relationship came under public scrutiny after big brother Chiranjeevi launched his political party, Prajarajyam. Nandini sprang a surprise by leveling a bigamy and dowry harassment charge against her estranged husband. She even charged him with marrying Renu Desai, without obtaining divorce from her. But then the matter was resolved legally and Pawan Kalyan and Renu Desai tied the knot last year. Allâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been well since then.

Pawan Kalyan and Renu Desai

Krishna Vamsi and Ramya Krishna Krishna Vamsi was one of the hottest young directors in the business when he first met Ramya Krishna, who was a reigning diva of southern cinema. Ramya was the lead actress in Chandralekha, directed by Krishna Vamsi. It was as though he was struck by a bolt of lightning. He had never seen a woman like her before (to put it in his own words). That she was beautiful was obvious. But her frankness, vivacity and distinct personality left him much love struck. Ramya was floored by the maverick streak in the director and the fact that he treated her like a princess. The courtship that began on the sets of Chandralekha ended at Skandagiri Temple when they married in 2005. Of course, the love affair still continues. Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 75

Telugu

Valentine’s Special

Srikanth and Ooha did not hit it off instantly. They sort of grew on each other. Srikanth was an established name in the industry when he was first paired with Ooha, in a woman centric film, Aame. He was expecting a big name to be paired with him as it was a heroine oriented subject. He had his initial misgivings and wasn’t sure she would be able to carry the film on her own. She was also slightly on the rounder side, which only added to his apprehensions. But then, cupid is known to strike unsuspecting, seemingly unaware people thrown together. Soon enough it was ‘love all!’ The only thing left was to break the news to their folks. Well, it was another happy ending when they tied the knot in 2003.

Srikanth and Ooha

Mahesh Babu and Namrata Shirodkar His fans fondly call him the prince and Namrata is a former Miss India. Surely this was a jodi made up there. They first met on the sets of the film, Vamsi. It was far from being a filmy style case of hero looking at heroine (or vice versa) and suddenly the world looks nicer and brighter, the flowers smell sweeter… It wasn’t until a year later that the two were seeing each other. But their love story was one of the best kept secrets in southern cinema. They never admitted it publicly though they had been dating for five long years. Perhaps they were waiting for approval from Mahesh Babu’s parents. Mahesh’s parents finally gave their consent and the wedding took place in Feb 2005. On Valentine’s Day? Maybe, maybe not.

Bharat Thakur and Bhumika Chawla It was love at first sight for Bharat Thakur when he first saw Roja Kootam, a Tamil film starring Bhumika Chawla. He even told a friend he wanted to marry her. Bharat was then an ordinary yoga teacher who made enough to ride around on a scooter! Later when he moved to Mumbai, he even got her number through a friend who had worked with her. Call it coincidence or what you might, Bhumika was also looking to learn yoga. Bollywood director Satish Kaushik introduced Bhumika to Bharath Thakur. Well Bhumika sure learnt yoga but she learnt more about love. After a few years of dating, they married in May 2007.

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tAMIL Text: Sridevi Sreedhar, Pavithra Srinivasan

Gemini Ganesan and Savitri One love that exemplified classic romance was that of Gemini Ganesan and Savithri: theirs was a relationship that was truly the stuff of legends. Both were incredibly charismatic actors and soft-hearted human beings, and set the screen ablaze in movies they co-starred in. Off screen, there couldn’t have been a more ideal romance!

Radhika and Sarathkumar Success has always come easily to this famous couple. The daughter of the king of acting, M R Radha has carved a name for herself in the industry, while Sharathkumar is an iconic figure for his attractive physique and charisma. Both Radhika and Sarathkumar threw everyone for a loop when they announced their marriage – both had been married before, and found common interests which eventually led to romance. Before you knew it, they were married and life has been full, for them. She’s the multi-faceted woman behind Radaan Media – while Sarathkumar’s life has mushroomed into both acting and politics.

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Valentine’s Special

Bhagyaraj and Poornima He had achieved cult status among the masses; she was the pretty young thing on screen. They hit it off right away. For a change, it was love at first sight! Their romance has been going strong over the years – and by all counts, they’re still very much in love.

T Rajendar and Usha Director/actor T Rajendar met and fell in love with actor Usha. What’s more, he even launched a magazine in her name as the ultimate gift of his love for her!

He’s a director with a flair for commercial entertainers. He directed Rajnikanth’s Arunachalam. She’s a talented actor who was once – and still is – the woman who almost single-handedly redefined the definition of Tamil heroine. When they met, romance was not even a far flung thought in their minds. Slowly, speculations on whether they were a couple or not started to surface, only to be shot down. Eventually, though, all doubt was erased and Khushboo became the much loved marumagal (daughter-in-law) of Kovai, as she’s sometimes affectionately called. Ever since, their stars have been on the rise: she’s a permanent fixture of Tamil TV, while Sundar C has been a part of quite a few successful movies. And when they appear together, they look like they’ve just about fallen in love!

Khushboo and Sundar C

Ajit Kumar and Shalini Jaws dropped collectively at Kodambakkam when the news of their getting together first broke out. He was already an icon for moviestar good looks, and had begun to climb the rungs of fame; she was an established star, a child artist, darling of the masses – and the two had just finished their movie together, Amarkkalam. Post the movie came the exclusive story about their romance, on the front covers of a weekly, and fans went into a frenzy. Their marriage was low-profile, more or less immediate affair – and despite their huge popularity, both have managed to keep their private life off the media circus so far.

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tAMIL

Valentine’s Special

Suriya and Jyothika They are easily the most talked about couple in Tamil cinema. The thought never entered the heads of anyone when they first paired up in director Vasanth’s romantic comedy, Poovellaam Kettuppaar, despite the lead pair being easy on the eyes, and sparking a certain chemistry. Director Vasanth later admitted that he suspected something going on between them. But it took innumerable individual films for both Suriya and Jyothika, each building a unique star status gradually, until Gautam Menon’s trend-setting cop-story, Kaakka Kaakka, came slambang into their lives. Reportedly, it was Jyothika who got Suriya the role, impressed by his earlier work. The two got back again for Perazhagan – and Sillendru Oru Kadhal. By then, it was obvious that they were onto something special. Many advised them not to get married since such film romances never last long. But they chose to listen to only their hearts and after a longish courtship, tied the knot amidst family, friends and battalions of delighted fans.

Dhanush and Aishwarya At 22, Dhanush sent shock waves in the Tamil film industry when he announced at a press meet that he was getting married to Aishwarya, superstar Rajinikant’s daughter who was two years older to him. Dhanush had at that time denied that it was a love marriage and said that Aishu was his sister’s close friend and when the media started writing about their alleged affair, the two families got together and decided to go ahead with the marriage. Aishwarya who has studied corporate law is a trained dancer and singer, and she was the assistant director of her father’s film Baba and also the recent Aayirathil Oruvan. Interestingly, after Dhanush’s Kutty released, they had a phone in programme and one of the callers was, ahem, Rajinikant! Dhanush was convinced that it’s a prank someone was playing on him, but when he realised it was the superstar himself, he was overjoyed. He is known to be his father-in-law’s pet!

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KANNADA

Text: Aravind G Shivkamal

Vishnuvardhan and Bharathi They were the first star couple of the Kannada film industry. Vishnu stole many a heart with all those lover boy antics while Bharathi was a much loved, sought after heroine in all of southern cinema and Bollywood too. She was more popular than Vishnu. But love is supposed to be blind, right? Right. Together they were often spotted at star hotels in Bangalore. But even before gossip writers swung into action, they went ahead and got married. The year was 1975. They didn’t feature together in too many films, so their marriage was a real surprise. Bharathi and Vishnuvardhan’s unconventional marriage was inspiration for many. All those years ago, marrying a woman who was taller was unconventional for a star, wasn’t it?

Rakshita and Prem She led a high-profile party life moving among Bangalore’s elite, buried under international brands. He came from a village and even dressed rustically. How, when or why Rakshita and Prem fell in love was a complete mystery. They were branded a misfit couple, who wouldn’t make it for long. But this was truly a match made in heaven. What else can explain a romance between such extreme opposites? Rakshitha was often seen hanging around on the sets of Prem’s films. She was at the peak of her career but he was still upcoming. Talk of their affair started doing the rounds. But soon they announced that they’re officially a couple. They were married in 2007 at a public venue thronged with thousands of fans and live coverage on TV!

Avinash and Malavika For actors Malavika and Avinash, it wasn’t love at first sight. They were just friends, you know. Malavika is a well known name on the small screen and teacher-turned-actor, Avinash is quite a name in the Kannada film industry. They played husband and wife in a Kannada tele-serial Mayamriga. That’s when they slowly but surely fell in love. Though the couple is not seen together in movies or small screen, they are busy doing their own thing these days or bonding over their twoyear old son. 82 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

Valentine’s Special

Ambareesh and Sumalatha Ambareesh and Sumalatha still remain among the most sought after star couples in Bangalore’s party circuit, while being together for almost 20 years. They came together for the Kannada film, New Delhi and fell in love before the film was completed. The gorgeous Sumalatha, is a regular on the Bangalore social scene and rebel star Ambareesh, as he is fondly called, however, juggles between politics, films and other industry related activities. Though this star couple is still much adored, their appearance in movies has become rare. They had featured together in a couple of mythological films. Kallarali Hoovagi in which Ambareesh was Madakari Nayaka, the ruler or Chitradurga, and Sumalatha played his wife, was a huge hit. Known as the rugged and rebellious star of Kannada cinema, Ambareesh attributes his success to Sumalatha, while she fell in love with his simplicity and straightforward ways.

Ramesh Aravind and Archana Ramesh has been a popular Kannada actor while his wife Archana had no film connection whatsoever till she married Ramesh. When they first met as students in the same college, she had no clue he’d turn into a movie star. Archana used to meet Ramesh through mutual friends at inter-collegiate competitions. As they met regularly, they became good friends and finally cupid struck. And struck hard! After dating for four years, Ramesh and Archana got married in 1991. For Archana, it was easy to accept Ramesh’s entry and growth in films since she knew all about his love for acting and theatre. “There are no speed breakers in our relationship,” Ramesh says, still very much in love with Archana even after so many years and two children together. “Any relationship needs constant nurturing. At the end of it, marriage has more pluses than minuses when lived meaningfully,” Ramesh sums up for them both.

Upendra and Priyanka Upendra’s marriage with Bengali actor Priyanka not only took the Kannada film world by surprise, but also caused somewhat of a minor earthquake among his female fans. It happened overnight, quite literally. Uppi simply picked up the phone and let all his close friends know that he was getting married. Just like that. The next morning he flew to Kolkata for his wedding, which was a rather quiet one with no friends or fans around. It was sudden and quick much like the drama in his films. Uppi managed to keep his relationship away from the media for a long time. They were known to meet at secret locations. And nobody even so much as caught a whiff till they were actually married. Their love blossomed on the sets of the controversial Kannada film H2O. Upendra and dancing sensation Prabhudeva played the lead role and Priyanka was the female lead. H2O was the only film in which Uppi was featured with his future wife. After the wedding, Priyanka took a break from cinema while they had two children - Priyadarshan and Drishti. Now, Priyanka is coming back as lead with her husband in Srimati, which is set to release shortly. For Uppi and Priyanka, it’s like life coming back a full circle. Cute, na?

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MALAYALAM

Text: Sridevi Sreedhar, Vijay G

Priyadarshan and Lizy The hotshot director has gone on record saying that his wife, Lizy, has been a lazy actor but a brilliant wife! The director, known for his comic films, had been in love with Lizy for sometime before they decided to get married. Lizy too quit films after marriage and Priyadarshan remains one of the most successful directors in the country today. The couple is fun to hang out with and friends canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get enough of them!

Jayaram and Parvathy Parvathy was already a known star, when Jayaram was a struggling actor. A few films later, the two fell in love and decided to get married. Though Parvathy gave up her career as an actor, Jayaram continues to remain a popular star. Their son, Kalidas, has won the National award for his performance in Ente Veeduâ&#x20AC;Ś Appoontem.

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Valentine’s Special

Shaji Kailas and Annie Another heroine falls for a director. The very successful Shaji Kailas and Annie, fell in love during the shooting of films they worked together in and got married soon after. Shaji continues to make brilliant films while Annie is off cinema for the moment.

The fabulous onscreen chemistry that Dileep and Manju shared in films like Sallapam and Ee Puzhayum Kadannu, translated into real love quite easily and they eventually got married. “I think Friendship Day should suit Manju and me more than Valentine’s Day, as we continue to be best friends even after we married. We do have our own fights like any other couple, but all it takes is a look to get back to being in love again!” Dileep shares. Although they were very much in love, but marriage was a well thought out decision. “You present the best to impress your partner while you are dating but things get real only after you start living together. Naturally, it’s better to share your strengths and weaknesses right at the beginning if you are serious about the relationship. It’s only then that your romance will continue even after the marriage,” finds Dileep. Manju gave up her acting career after marriage, but the romance still very much lingers on…

Dileep and Manju Warrier

Biju Menon and Samyuktha Varma This popular actor and his beautiful heroine fell in love after a few films together. He has continued to play meaningful roles in Malayalam and Tamil, while Samyuktha is happy doing wife and mother roles.

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Photographer: Manu

Radhika Pandit had a huge crush on cricketer Ajay Jadeja when she was in school. “Many of my friends had fallen for him too. I was watching cricket only because of him” until Hrithik Roshan came along, “He has all the qualities that a girl wants – great looks, personality and a rippling body. He dances well and has a fantastic reputation.”

Love Byte

 Radhika Pandit is the surprise package of 2009 for Kannada cinema. Aravind G Shivkamal discovers why her debut is any actor’s dream come true. It’s not every day that you see an actor win the best performer award for her debut film. Usually, an envious debut like this one floods the actor with offers and they end up signing as many projects as they can. Radhika Pandit, however, is not on a filmsigning spree. She won the Filmfare Best Actor award in 2009 for her role in Moggina Manassu and believes that being a part of good movies matters more than signing every project that comes her way. However, that has not stopped Kannada film producers from flocking to her door step. That per se came as quite a surprise, considering their usual preference for Tamil stars. For a long time the Kannada film industry saw an onslaught of female stars from neighboring states. With her explosive foray in Kannada cinema, Radhika seems to be reversing the trend. Looks like, she is on the right track. “Trust me. My aim is not to sign a billion movies but to do quality cinema. I choose my movies carefully. Whether a film wins or fails is not in my hands. But at least, I can try and do my best in whatever project I am doing,” she shrugs those petite shoulders. So far, she’s done four films, two of which have seen huge rakings at the box office. Does success follow Radhika? “I am lucky to have worked with talented and versatile directors. I got amazing scripts and good teams. With three hits and a Filmfare award, my journey so far couldn’t have been better,” smiles Radhika. Her films, Moggina Manassu and Love Guru were big hits. Love Guru is also being dubbed into Tamil and Malayalam. Buoyed by the back-to-back success, there are even talks of an early unfinished film being resurrected from the cans. 18th Cross, produced a few years ago was suspended for several reasons. The producers decided to ride piggyback on Radhika’s success. Now, it so happens that the film has been rejuvenated solely because of where Radhika stands in the industry today.

college, that’s when i got into acting; I realised that I enjoyed what I was doing.” Her first venture was for the small screen, a sitcom named Nandagokula. Pretty soon, she became a household name. Though she was not keen on acting in films then, opportunity came knocking her doors. E Krishnappa, producer of blockbuster, Mungaru Male was looking for fresh faces for his multi-starrer Moggina Manassu. Director Shashank was convinced that Radhika would fit the bill. “And that’s how it all happened. Acting in Moggina Manassu was a wonderful experience. It was quite enriching,” she points out, “to portray characters that add value to the story. Aren’t there enough arm candies already?” An admirer of Aamir Khan and Julia Roberts, does Radhika have a dream character? “Hmmm, I am not sure about that. But I certainly find playing the role of a college girl a challenge. I certainly do not have any dream roles yet but my constant eﬀort is to deliver a convincing performance, whatever the role might be,” she shares. When she is not doing films, Radhika prefers to stay home with her family. She enjoys dancing, reading fiction and painting occasionally. “I love listening to music. I am a moody person. I can listen to rock music as well as ghazals. Whenever I find time, I work out or watch movies with friends,” she says. Wondering if Radhika would want to do Telugu and Tamil or stick with Kannada? After she received the Filmfare award in Hyderabad, Radhika was apparently approached by several Telugu producers. “I hardly knew the Telugu film industry. I remember saying no to at least three projects. I am not sure if I missed a good film though!” As of now, she is keen on continuing with Kannada films. “I just want to work with any talented director. That will remain my first priority.”

These days, she is busy with Krishnan Love Story. After that, she will be shooting for Superman with upcoming actor, Prajwal Devaraj. “I am working in another untitled film. I will be playing a character that is completely diﬀerent from what I have done so far. Life has been exciting,” she agrees. No small wonder that, if you consider that she does not come from a film background and has no godfather. An alumnus of the prestigious Mount Carmel College in Bangalore, Radhika’s entry into the entertainment industry was accidental. “I had never planned to become an actor. Way back in school and college, my aims and ambitions were diﬀerent. Somehow, destiny took a turn when I was in my final year of

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Songster unlimited Singer-turned-music director Hemachandra finds solace only in music. Isn’t that obvious, you’re saying? Read on what Rahul Ganguly gathered. There’s music in every line. Well, almost!

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What was meant to be a brief chat easily turns into a longish conversation with Hemachandra. His young age still belies his achievements. He is at once aﬀable, unassuming and very much aware of where he’s heading these days. The Sa Re Ga Ma Pa boy is riding high, and no, he will not give in to distractions even now. “Television proved to be a turning point for me. From the moment Sa Re Ga Ma Pa happened, my life was turned on its head,” he lets us know, settling down. The big shift from playback singing to music direction has recently proved to be another milestone in Hemachandra’s work path. Then again, drawing lines such as work and life does not work for him. “Life keeps me busy these days as I shuttle between Hyderabad and Mumbai. Between shoots, music direction and singing, my daily routine has taken a back ﬂip from what it was in my younger days,” admits Hemachandra or Chandu as friends call him. With a considerable fan base in Andhra Pradesh that keeps increasing, life for the Hyderabad-born and bred singermusician is admittedly tough. So how does he handle the pressure of being a celebrity? “What can I say? The fans have put me where I am today, and I remain grateful for their continued support.” And the online bug has finally bitten him too. “I try to keep in touch with some of my fans through Facebook, though I know I should probably be more active online,” is his sheepish confession.

The rest of the time, it’s just music, music, and some more music for this busy bee musician. “Even while hanging out with my buddies, we end up talking music, and well, most of them are into music anyway” he grins. “So there we are, coﬀee cups in hand at a bistro and soon after we are done ordering, start throwing around ideas for some new project!” And sometimes, these creative exchanges end up in totally unexpected, yet pleasantly surprising outcomes. “It was the other day that we came up with this idea of making an entire song only using vocals. If it works out, we might be looking at a brand new way of composing.” Getting curious, we prod him a bit. “As of now, we are trying out a combination of percussion sounds, choral sounds and bass lines done entirely by voice, and the progress so far has been pretty exciting.” Does this mean we can expect some ‘vocal’ action on his future projects? “Who knows, you may find this technique in an upcoming film score,” he winks. Apart from mentoring new talent on television, Hemachandra is busy anchoring for television shows. Add that to his studio routine and already heavy music direction plate, and it spells out a hectic schedule indeed. Sure must be a lot to handle for a 22-year-old, we think aloud. To this he retorts, “A lot of people sat up and took notice of the young guy in the business when I got into music professionally. Of course, moving up in life had its own share of tradeoﬀs. Expectations and pressures kept building up and I had to learn to deal with it in time.” Even today, he admits that there are many who are watching

Love Byte

Ask him about his decision to get into music and Hemachandra doesn’t ponder even for a second. “When I was a child, my mother insisted that I keep singing. Though getting into music was never a conscious choice when I was very young.” The story changed after his Class X exams. “I knew that I had to be somebody by the time I turned 18. I was doing riyaz for over 8 hours a day. Somehow, I always wished that something like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa would happen, and then it did.” His singer mom, V Sasikala Swamy was never short of encouragement when it came to music. “I also bounced oﬀ ideas to cousins, uncles and aunts,” he adds. Digging through childhood memories, Hemachandra recalls being quite a handful as a child. “I’m still a prankster, mind you. Even today, my day starts with my mom scolding and dragging me out of my bed because I am too lazy to wake up!” Once the laughter dies down, Hemachandra regains his usual composure. “I’m quite the night owl and start the day pretty late. A usual day would be spent at the studio with playback singing taking up the bulk of my time. By the time I return home, I’m back to composing in my home studio, which stretches on till around 6 in the morning on some days.”

his every move. “There is a lot of pressure to constantly keep coming up with something different, as far as making music goes. But yeah, life has been good to me and I’m loving it so far,” he smiles. Everything else apart, the studio remains his first love. “While television shows and live concerts ensure a different high, I always find myself coming back to the studio to do most of my work.” And though he loves the rush of live concerts, the ever-energetic Hemachandra inevitably finds himself back at his studio pad at the end of the day. “While singing live in concerts, my friends tell me that I turn into a different animal altogether, but, it’s back to the studio after the concert is over!” The rest of any leisure time that he can squeeze in goes to the family. “Mostly, you’ll find me playing with my adorable nephews and nieces. If not, I’m probably plugged in to my Playstation playing Need for Speed!”

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The art of commerce Aravind G Shivkamal gets us the latest on the issues surrounding the Kannada film industry and the new film policy suggested by the Karnataka government, which is another attempt at redeeming Kannada cinema. It has been slim pickings for Kannada cinema in the last three years. In a desperate bid for survival, the industry has roped in the Karnataka government to provide a much required boost to the industry. For the first time in the history of the Kannada film industry, the government has evolved a film policy exclusively aimed at promoting films and improving their success rate. The film industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apex body, the Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce (KFCC) had been spearheading the campaign for a firm film policy. Besides, the Karnataka High Court too had recommended the formulation of a film policy encompassing every aspect of filmmaking to put an end to unnecessary issues that usually crop up. Recently, the Karnataka government announced the draft version of the film policy, which has been welcomed by every section of the film industry. The policy, formed by the Department of Kannada & Culture and Department of Information, promises to bring in revolutionary steps to improve the quality of Kannada films. Once the draft version of the policy is approved by the State Cabinet of Ministers, it is likely to be notified later this year. In 2009, as many as 112 Kannada films were made. But barely six out of these fared well at the box office, while five others did moderately. A mere 5 per cent success rate in a film industry that coughs up crores of rupees to the top stars as remuneration has been a cause for concern among many. A year-long comprehensive study conducted by the state government revealed startling facts about the future of Kannada cinema. However, the policy does not address the issue of increasing or expanding the markets for Kannada films. Instead, it focuses more on providing incentives and support for filmmakers. There are also demands from sections of the film industry to address issues relating to limited market.

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When compared to the other three southern film industries, Kannada films are the smallest players in terms of market size. Forget markets outside Karnataka, Kannada films face real tough competition from Tamil and Telugu films within the state. With Kannadigas constituting just 26 per cent of Bangaloreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population, filmmakers have to rely on other towns and cities. Success of Kannada films in Bangalore is limited, with the city being home to a cosmopolitan population. Besides, Bangalore-based Kannadigas do not seem to patronise films in Kannada either. The issue takes on another perspective in the regional centers. Kannada films have no takers in many districts bordering neighboring states. They are popular only in more than half a dozen districts in south Karnataka and a few in other parts. Among these, Bangalore rural, Mandya, Haasan, Mysore, Kolar, Tumkur, Hubli, Ramanagara and Shimoga figure with some prominence. Very few filmmakers risk releasing movies in international markets. Only one or two Kannada films are released in the international market, especially the US in limited number of theatres, each year. So far, the returns from international markets have not been on the expected lines, forcing the distributors to drop plans for any future international release. Though these issues cannot be resolved by the government at the micro level, there are some positive aspects in the film policy. Any film that is completely shot within Karnataka showcasing the history, culture and tradition will receive special incentives from the government. All Kannada films shot in Karnataka and elsewhere are exempted from paying entertainment tax to the state government. This advantage has been extended even to remade films though the decision has come in for strong criticism on the grounds that remakes may dilute original story ideas. Special incentives will be given to films based on original Kannada literary works.

Special screening committee will be set up to provide subsidy for 50 select Kannada films each year. Movies that win the appreciation of the committee will be eligible for big bucks as incentives. Get this: Rs 15 lakhs for films selected by the committee, while the rest will be eligible for Rs 10 lakhs. Also, four movies based on pre-independence history will be given Rs 25 lakhs each as promotional fee. Two of the best children’s films will be awarded Rs 25 lakhs each. Five movies that meet the quality standards of the screening committee will receive Rs 15 lakhs each as monetary benefit. Apart from the money factor, the policy also suggests setting up an expert committee to select recipients of film awards each year. Normally, the film awards have not remained free from controversies. Therefore, there are suggestions to include film personalities from all over the country in the expert committee. The draft film policy is currently under the scrutiny of the government, KFCC, Karnataka Film Producers’ Association and Karnataka Film Directors’ Association. Once implemented, the policy will be applicable to other languages in the state like Tulu and Kodava. But experts argue that such measures may not help improve the overall quality of films. “The government should have a long-term vision for the development of Kannada cinema. For instance, the Film City project is pending for the last two decades. It will be great if the project is completed so that filmmaking can find a hub,” points out prominent producer, Ha Cha Sathyan.

A major grouse of the filmmakers against the state government is that it is not too keen on holding film festivals or sponsoring films for festivals elsewhere. It seems as if the state government has not addressed all the issues of the film industry at a micro level. Will it ever improve the quality of films and woo movie goers back to their seats? Let’s wait and find out.

KANNADA FILM POLICY HIGHLIGHTS •

First Film Policy ever

• Policy to be in force for 3 years • Subsidy for 50 ﬁlms each • Subsidy amount to range between Rs 10 lakhs and Rs 25 lakh • 100 per cent tax exemption for all movies • Incentives for special movies and children’s films • Committee to select ﬁlms for subsidy, awards and recognition

Another aspect is the movie ticket fare. Fares vary on days and the state government can regulate them. Besides, theater halls reel under abysmal conditions across the state. Many theater owners are not keen on upgrading the facilities as they are not sure of the returns. “The government can help with renovation of theatres. But that is not happening,” notes another producer, Siddaraju.

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Anita tells Mona Ramavat how she learnt to swim, what she did with snakes and all about her mole. And oh, wait a minute. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stuďŹ&#x20AC; about Nagarjuna too!

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Look, who’s back in T-town?

LIGHTS She can’t imagine not working in Telugu films. Not even after a longish break from southern cinema, when she did a bunch of Hindi films and a good number of television serials, especially with Ekta Kapoor. But mostly not after she had the sort of stunning debut in Telugu cinema, many would only hope for. And Nuvvu Nenu (2001) – a much talked about trend setting love story - was not just her first Telugu film, but her first film ever! Following this, she did a few more films in Telugu, but none of these quite matched the popularity of her first one. Tamil and Kannada happened too, but she’s not found the same magic anywhere, so much so that, “I’m yearning to come back and do some fabulous Telugu films,” Anita shares. “I find the industry here quite professional. It’s worth returning to the south and Telugu in particular for the good quality of cinema the southern industry brings out.” And she keeps going back to Nuvvu Nenu and recalls with excitement the day the film released. “It was the most special moment of my life. The roaring applause of the audience still rings in my ears.”

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CAMERA

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So, more Telugu films? “Hopefully! Let’s see. I’m hoping to get some good scripts.” But currently she’s a doing a Hindi film, Benny Aur Babloo with K K Menon, which is releasing later this year. “I’m playing a bar dancer in this one and my character is very diﬀerent from the demure, girl-next-door kind I’ve played so far,” Anita lets us know. So a sexy bar dancer, obviously? “The role is bold but trust me, no bar dancer is ever too glam!” There’s another film, Life Gale Laga Le that Raja Mukherjee (Rani’s brother) is directing. And she’s also doing a cameo in a Telugu film with Nikhil. Back to Telugu cinema, Anita says she’d love to work with Nagarjuna. “I’ve worked with him before and I would definitely like to do it again. He is easily my favourite southern star.” And who’s next? “Tarak. He’s a fantabulous dancer,” she gushes. But Nag is the best? “You said it!”

ACTION So how close does Nag come to her dream man? “Very!” After some thought, “maybe Hrithik too. They are both good looking, charming and down to earth.” So working with Nag was one life changing experience and here’s another: “I was part of the reality show, Khatron Ke Khiladi, Season one and everything I did on that show was for me life changing,” she shares. This, by the way includes, sleeping amidst snakes in a snake pit, having insects crawl over her face, and jump from a chopper in the water. “That one was the creepies of them all, because I was scared of water and didn’t know to swim. There was a life jacket of course, but I was convinced I was dying! I made it a point to come back and learn swimming.” In her mid-twenties. Must have been the cutest adult learner, around, eh? We are told her latest yearning for learning is photography. “I carry my little camera around wherever I go and take pictures of friends, mostly. I frame some of these and gift them too. It’s a wonderful experience.”

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PACK UP No man in her life? “None right now.” Happily single? “Totally.” So what draws her to a man? “Complete honesty, one. But if you are asking what turns me on then it would intense eyes, a sense of humour and a sexy voice.” And so then what’s her sex appeal? “Hmm, I guess my mole, above my upper lip. I’m told that it’s driven some people crazy.” Some ‘mole’station, that, eh? So let’s pack up with the cheesiest pick up line she’s been subjected to? “Oh, apart from the usual have-we-met-before, I seriously find this one pretty cheesy: ‘Your legs must be awfully tired. You’ve been hanging around in my thoughts for so long!’”

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Love Byte “I was 17 or 18 when I went on my first date. The guy was also as young. We went for a movie and that’s about it. It ended with a hug! It was too innocent and cute. We didn’t even realise it was a date!”

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JUST FOR GAGS!

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He is not particularly attractive but he makes up for it with his incredibly funny ways. Shiva has a line for everything and wears his sense of humor on his sleeve. No wonder he leaves Sridevi Sreedhar in splits! “First oﬀ, I need to prepare you for explosive news,” he begins even before we could start. “I promise – this’ll knock your socks oﬀ. Who do you think saw the trailer of my up-coming movie?”

“That,” he says dismissively, “is something you’ll have to watch the movie to understand. I appear in so many get-ups, you know, so people in the theatre won’t get up! I even do Bharathanatyam.”

We blink in puzzlement and tingling anticipation.

Whoa! He is rather humble about his dancing skills.

“James Cameron,” he says solemnly. “Yes, the legend. Forget Avatar and all that masala. He saw the trailer of Thamizh Padam and he called me straight away. And he said, I’ve never seen a movie like this, and I never will. Of course, he also wants me to do his next film. I had to tell him my conditions: I need a punch dialogue within the first five minutes. How about that? ” And then he guﬀaws.

“Yes. The first day, when the choreographer came to train me, he watched me dance the only two steps I knew and declared that there was nothing I needed to learn from him. I was a master – I even knew all the steps that dancers usually have to research from temples and old books!”

We join in the merriment – because it’s spontaneous. Also when you’re talking to one of the most talented comedy stars in Tamil cinema, you expect to be amused and Shiva does not disappoint in the least. As an RJ, he regularly left his listeners with tears of laughter; in Chennai 28, he managed to combine comedy with cricket action – but it was with Saroja, in which he played a clueless television actor, that he became a household name. And we understand why, exactly – as he pulls out ever amusing lines about his upcoming venture. Cloud Nine Productions’ Thamizh Padam, directed by C S Amudhan, is a sarcastic take on current Tamil cinema. “I really don’t want to give away too much about my character, but I can say this: my character doesn’t stand for injustice,” he announces emphatically. “Whenever, wherever something bad happens – there I am. It’s imprinted on to my very being. Isn’t that what heroes do?” Wow! There are some serious issues Tamizh Padam is addressing. “Global warming,” he says mock-seriously. “Saving trees, war on terrorism, you name it. Everything under the sun is addressed here.” And how exactly does he do that, dressed simultaneously as a nadaswaram exponent, a milkman and a wannabe singer?

More laughter and this time, finally, he sobers up. “The movie’s shaped up really well – I was told that it was written for me. They wanted me to play the character so – here I am. My friends in the movie are Manobala, M S Bhaskar and Venniradai Murthy: they play Bharath, Siddharth and Nakul. They’re college guys, basically and we go to pubs, and they’re really worried about me being the only under-aged guy – so you see, we tackle serious themes too.” Well Shiva is never going to sober up, after all. We ask him about the music of the film, which is already a laugh riot. “You’ve heard it?” he asks eagerly. “These tunes are seriously romantic. If Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal were alive today, these would be their caller-tunes.” Incidentally, Oh Maha Zeeya, which thoroughly mocks all the current chartbusters, is his caller-tune as well. There goes another. This guy is seriously funny. Amidst all the hustle and bustle of the movie business, we wonder if there is any time for romance in his real life. For the first time, he cuts down on the amusement. “Um, I really don’t want to say anything,” he drawls, a note of shyness creeping into his voice. “Right now, I’m up shooting from 6 am to 6 pm – so that’s all there is time for. And of course, for the people who watch my stuﬀ and then call up to – er – congratulate me.” And we leave him there, making plans both for movies, and dare we say it? Romance.

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 99

100 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

fi m t I zz a h s gi e l ou in c t? g

Mamootty and Mohanlal have been the face of Malayalam cinema for over two decades. Sridevi Sreedhar wonders if their box office spell is on the wane, from last year’s unimpressive fare that the superstars milled out… Is the popularity and box-office clout of M&M (Mammootty and Mohanlal) who held sway over the Malayalam film world for over two decades, slowly but surely going down? The answer is a disturbing yes, if you go by the box-office stats of Malayalam cinema in 2009. Between them, M & M featured in 13 films out of the 78 Malayalam releases last year, and only Mammootty’s Pazhassi Raja and Chattambinadu found their way to the top ten hits of the year based on theatre collections. Mammootty managed to survive better than Mohanlal though. Out of his seven releases in 2009, Pazhassi Raja, is the highest grosser of the year. The year end Christmas release, Chattambinadu took a good opening and it is speculated that it will turn out to be a hit. But the five flops - Love in Singapore, Ee Patanathil Bhootham, Daddy Cool, Loud Speaker and Paleri Manikkam – he churned out during the last year were certainly disappointing. Besides, Mammootty alone cannot take the credit for the success of Pazhassi Raja. It was also MT Vasudevan Nair’s script and veteran Hariharan’s presentation, Oscar winner Resul Pookutty’s sound, and Ramanath Shetty’s camerawork that went in equal measure to make the period epic a cult classic. Mohanlal however, had a nightmarish year, as all his six releasesRed Chillies, Sagar alias Jacky, Bhagavan, Brahmaram, Angel John, Ividum Swargamanu – drew a lukewarm response at the box-office. He seems to have lost his famous opening, as most of his films have started to limp their way through the week right from the first day. Says industry trade analyst, John Mathew: “It was Mohanlal’s worst ever year. The man seems to be losing his Midas touch. Sagar alias Jacky and Ividum Swargamanu though, may recover the investment put in into them through sale of other rights like television, overseas and home video.” The possible reasons for the decline in M & M’s box-office success may be attributed to the budgets of their films which are going haywire and crossing the danger mark of Rs 5 crore and upwards at the time of release including prints and publicity cost, which the Malayalam film industry cannot afford. Due to the prohibitive cost and star salaries, the Kerala Film Producers Association has put forth a resolution that cost of production of any film in Malayalam should not be more than Rs 3.50 crore. This has clipped the wings of the superstars, and Mohanlal’s big budget multi-starrer Casanova had to be dropped, while Mammootty has smartly cut down on the budget of his forthcoming film, Pokkiri Raja. However, noted critic, Beena Renjani points out: “Mammootty and Mohanlal are the icons of Malayalam cinema. They are the

shining jewels of our industry. The trouble is not with the stars but their choice of films. Some of them are rehashed from their earlier films. They should look for innovative new subjects and themes within the commercial format.” For the first time in his career, Mohanlal, a super cool guy otherwise, blamed other language movies for the woes of the Malayalam film industry. Speaking at the promotional tour of his Ividum Swargamanu, Mohanlal said: “Some kind of regulation has to be put on other language films in Kerala. Otherwise our industry will crash. At least during the holiday season like Christmas, priority should be given to Malayalam releases. The other states are protecting their film industries, but in Kerala today we have to compete with Avatar, 3 Idiots and a Vettaikaran. Meanwhile, the popularity of other language films is rising in Kerala. James Cameron’s Avatar 3D version at Sridhar Ernakulam has done better business than M & M’s Christmas releases! And 3 Idiots will gross more than Mohanlal’s Ividum Swargam Aanu in the same city. This has created shockwaves in the trade, which speculates a domination of Hollywood, Bollywood and Tamil films in Kerala. Says a leading producer: “All these years M & M safeguarded our cinema, but now with Ernakulam falling, the floodgates will open up for smaller players to cave in.” Allu Arjun’s rising popularity among the youth with the Malayalam dubs of his Telugu films has eaten into the market of traditional Malayalam youth heroes like Prithviraj and Jayasurya. Says Alex George of Central Pictures, a leading distributor: “The distribution rights of other language films in Kerala has gone through the roof, but still there are buyers who find that they are more financially viable than distributing Malayalam films and recovery on these films is faster. Today, in Malayalam only films with good content run irrespective of whether or not the superstars are featured in it.” Now Malayalam film producers themselves are buying and selling other language films. It has created a boom as Allu Arjun’s new Telugu film, Arya 2 dubbed into Malayalam releasing on Valentine’s day, has gone for a record Rs 1.10 Crore! Concludes Suresh Shenoy of Shenoy Theatres in Ernakulam: “Television is bombarding the viewer with the latest promos of English, Hindi and Tamil releases, and the youth in Kerala are more than eager to lap these up. It creates a market and an opening for these films. But the appeal of these language films cannot be replicated by our Malayalam films due to budget constraints.”

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 101

l a v i v e r h Su of t st e i x e s

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is ya s h d n rk , Sa e wo re h g u sh su tho d, as . And lam y t n r g nes he wi facto the gon. o h d t h e ll wa h In a g wit oomp s join band ha lin er sai at h , she d h har noug e

102 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

too -it- nly e r a o g , n-b I-ca glam Stayin t a h an on ! t n nema uch irt. be k i m e o s c s t re so ad’s il wi ea out other Tam ere’s e g le l e alik glam h n n a t i i n the rls d em t typ of tur s gi , an e f a it’s with ted’ ryday of th en th rving ) n eve e r se k s e ow on ers c i h la ere e n or ff , orm de. f r Oh nome ance ked o th (or ed th hopp pe riga ’s w phe form ts tic leng e stay bing lain am b ily, it p r e e l b d e h h g ad me le ‘p er g on t nd t , gra cal the his re he sa hty g t h pow ends ants a heat n t , wit ts aug in bei ult dep entr p the ind pete scrip a res it of n hem w gu m t e s N pt n’t .A le b com ep t. nin did t to o acc ustry a litt ll kee tur rnigh o i t h d a n lot e w e he ager the in d eve that w er ys ove s g o h n e t h a n nne ing n t ng you alw e ces ls i Eve uppi er fa or gir ve shu anyth the t: not shon l, o t ho ha are h new ime f ld ha e for sul rk t u wo he re tors w t, Kad But g Wit e up o wo gam T n . u c i k w ge eb in ra ier. los wa ch wh is no of d sex unge her d r ima seen nt n r g o u o a n e s e n y b ssi o c c fe er a he . sin xt-d off, a e re ay t nd ld dre news e a o bo ong . Ever irl-ne hrug nd th und s ll r e u a g . Am ya s g os a aro th h yil res em t . In e he r p de th rpris Sand ith t rate jal Ve folks roles s she e e e u P ma t s m is ed w esp Man But inda d, a has has easan rst fil rand e is d alar, x up. oor k e win , she job, l b h a p heir fi een ng sh tum P to se ext-d ith th noug nose gin b thi t ard n t e w a be l s w n e i ha me ya M d h gir iling sur ne u’ll she is so aran trie g the is sa And r her ps yo . n e s ya. thi esh S a. Sh playi dhya actor nside perha pri ai h am f o nd a n ff a C a h o m S mp on. M pol ta vam ter h, i Pad is in Tha n of a Od ’s bet houg er oo dwag shoo t t h a o n e i th ot ife st o ead ba sh esty rd at ke n’s w ugge nt ah he m xy ph n i a l a o l h s h e ra se ts ng eg rks thi g Che htes ven w a film now e wo ed th st and r g om layin e sli he e d fo But She join styli us. . e g s h e oin stry p ven t tle. S roach less too. e a d new eliev s u r b bri app thing oute mad ch n, e ind cto to r a d the ck the e her was e. No lam r she laun ly, e h t k io g a he re nt en ol Ano ente hai. B ld ma at if s nt’ r e the s wh e aud rece dio e h t e e h u n i k t c t r a h o a a t e o he u m. S vam ‘d to t m f k a a e w ord .M Tha styl n rec nly a ided ayala y froc i Raja at t Sing ver d o l o bol said cept s dec e Ma y-bits zhass aptive rattu whoe d in u s and ld ac iya ha rvativ an it al, Pa ers c tai M ge (to behin c u r i t k e n a s o i r s p o w ma con nce isto nloo buk ess she’ Pad cked peara ped h and o Irum ut a m way o o sho lic ap ch-hy en film ding re’s n m t u b s s e n u m len late e p th er ly s at of h held f her clear g) th n she ch o iya is atchi n lau mapr or w g Pad earin race. is h glam the

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 103

il Tam re n i e ry ch w lfi ent e et s wh n a s hu i u e q m l e at r a fi b t s a o ade th tw 28, it’ in K m wi , he nai ned ing i. S a stir Chen retur m bor oint h d e s e r t n . i k h e a a u s aw e p le ath yal dq hey en es a r ill th peop s, Vija reate Anjat d wh mi w s T r a c ost e n ksh h s. ces ure ,a sid but p a ally d role de s e suc onal u Con ma, . But nation Vijayl s ati s u ma ffic e ipi ou cin er hit hiber new wh rr, ins . She box o the N Telug e i a p n h d s e e s su ose , th Ma ng ti ith .S wa ya doing , tha ng w cludi ini in many s in i r imp avu, it d P as o in bik to he nal s, e’s nne . Al w lot e Kal her and as ca otice award for th ocker ier) c Natio ted t n n x h k w r i ri The n loo eran took ful of e sar e a s ch se othe e spi reer i n t pla uthive and hand ed th s qui d mu tai. A e som r ca ere p d h e Par ed u ed a e tra me a r (an liakot s don d h mil w tres k e e h a loo bagg on s ich c short e Ma ho ha hang nd Ta thea ines o , lik e w as c ugu a o the heml nya she rd. S a, wh ting h t a ron n Tamil smin el u g ra w a A D n fl n ra Ja alam ly in T come goin a, Sa glam i m s e n p e alay cial e e film r fil d u e s h ore t M oo an p s e wa next nner, in M y esp ney nd u ya, P p on any m o i a l n m her rd w nces erab ay m ines Ana to ju are m e a l d Aw forma consi ple p neck Now ctors ere s th . h wa girls a per tegy s peo down oilers of a ou, t er d a y k ir m str thin lled potb bree tell cam n gla t the y n u ial e s n e o o p ’ w h e s see let nk! ns e n flau se th erc e n l itio sam to e b to omm re th . And u thi i c inh the ated ing ,a top n yo in ing And hesit meth han the r tha d o d . e so r o ste M d e t , sh lente neve it’s o g rid ing fa a a st and t now ng s add o lo the le high . Bu o t e d t No ue of r hea ttitud i virt the mn a ! d a hel e-a-d d how car nt, an flau

104 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

106 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

Allu Sirish and Madhushalini

Deeksha Seth

Shriya Saran

Archana

Reema Sen

Vanaja Banagiri, Shriya Saran, Ramakanth, Priya

Archana, Deeksha Seth, Seiya Gautam and Kriti

Seiya Gautam

Moorthy Sreenivasulu

Mumaith Khan

Shriya Saran and Reema Sen

Nischay

Ramakanth

Madhushalini

Venketram

Kriti Kharbanda, Seiya Gautam, Madhushalini, Archana

Venketram, Vanaja Banagiri, Allu Sirish, Rajsekhar, Shriya Saran, Moorthy Sreenivasulu, Ramakanth, Nischay

Kriti Kharbanda

Bindu Madhavi

Temperatures soared even as the winter peaked, with the super sexy south stars hotting up the Southscope Calendar Girls 2010 launch at Syn Asian Grill and Bar, Taj Deccan, Hyderabad. What’s more! It’s never too late to lay your hands on Southscope Calendar Girls 2010. For details, sms ‘SCOPE’ to 56263.

gIRLS ‘10

cALENDaR

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 107

Swati, Manoj and Vrinda

Deeksha Seth and Seiya Gautam

Sumanth and Rana

Navdeep, Allu Sirish and Rana

Navdeep

Allu Arjun

Reema Sen

Mumaith and Zabyn

Tanish and Varun Sandesh

Archana

Krish and Manchu Manoj

Varun Sandesh

Moorthy Sreenivasulu

Manchu Manoj and Mumaith

Allu Arjun and Vijender

Shriya, Rana, Sumanth and Vanaja

Ramakanth

Shriya Saran and Allu Sirish

Shankar Krishnamurthy

Reema Sen, Moorthy Sreenivasulu and Anila

Asmita Marwa and Mona

Kriti Kharbanda and Sumanth

Vijay Adiraj

9/10

7/10

Love Archana’s hair but maybe she should lose the stockings

Seiya Gautham

The dress is nearly perfect for a cocktail. How bout ditto sans the jewels?

Archana Veda

7/10

Shriya’s stilettos steal the show but is it just us or did we see this dress before?

10 7.5/

Tights and gladiators – very IN Seiya

Southscope Calendar 2010 launch

EM STYL

ETER

The Southscope Calendar 2010 girls turned out to heat up the official launch sending our stylist, Maya Raj, into a tizzy as she went around on a swift style check. Here’s the verdict.

Madhushalini

Shriya Saran

8.5/

Mumaith Khan

Mumaith makes anything look hot and the yellow clutch definitely does its job

Deeksha does it right with this little black dress

8/10

10/1

7/10

Deeksha Seth

We have one word for Bindu: DIVINE!

Bindu Madhavi

108 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

Reemma Sen

Ah, Greek goddess!

Kriti Kharbanda

10 9.5/

Kriti looks oh-so-cute in this pink and silver ensemble

sty esutra Made in, made out 2001

2002

2003 2006 2005

2004 2007 2009

2008

2009

2009 One look at Jr NTR in the early 2000s and we know why you so eagerly wanted to write him off in the style department. His 2001 debut with Ninnuchudalani, Subbu and Student Number 1 got him started in Telugu cinema with somewhat of a big noise but earned him practically no style points. In the next four years, Jr NTR grew as an actor but was still miles away from being a style icon. It was not until Yamadonga in 2007 that we could see the beginnings of a new image settling in, what with the lost kilos and a more stylish wardrobe. A year later in 2008, the transformation was nearly complete with Kantri. And one year after that, check out Jr NTR in Adhurs and here we have the final assault! - Maya Raj Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 109

sty e sutra get this look

Didn’t Shraddha Das look stunning at the Southscope Style Awards? Did you know that she did her own makeup in under 15 minutes – not hard when you already look so good! For the rest of us, here’s how to get this look without shopping like a star!

Rs.120 REFLECT – colors U wear

Rs.150

Rs.225

FELIZ

1, Lower Ground Floor, GS Mall, Somajiguda, Hyderabad

Rs.995 JOURNEY

Rs.100 REFLECT – colors U wear Rs.4295 JOURNEY

Rs.1295 JOURNEY Rs.1995 JOURNEY

Rs.1295

Rs.500 From: REFLECT – colors U wear

JOURNEY

19, My Home Tycoon, Begumpet, Hyderabad

1-8-215/7/B, Sindhi Colony, PG Road, Secunderabad

Shraddha’s stylist: Ashwin Mawle

110 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

Rs.4495

Rs.3895

JOURNEY

by - Maya Raj

Genelia looks very slick at the Ceres store launch.

Wondering why Genelia is Southscope’s IT STAR this issue? Check her out working the ramp in true star style.

We haven’t seen purple stilettos quite so hot until now.

Black and black again but she still pulls it off in style.

This golden and white tube anarkali is heavenly.

Who ever thought black on black could look good. Genelia at the UTV Bindass Big Switch.

Genelia does it differently with these sneakers at the Katha press meet. Orange polo, denim jeans and still looking this good - Genelia’s charm is effortless!

it Star of the month

sty esutra

GENELIA D’Souza

Who’s this super cute thing at the 3 idiots premiere in this pink, grey and black outfit. We know. It’s Genelia. But look how she looks so out of this world!

Pic: M N Bushan

KALEIDOSCOPE

Pic:Manu

Pic: M N Bushan

‘Always be positive’ goes the tag line of the film and that was the theme of the music success meet of Namo Venkatesa. It as one hell of a party literally! Music director Devi Sri Prasad got the whole crew and cast of the film dancing to his tunes . . . no puns intended! But it was the movie mogul Rama Naidu who stole the show with his moves.

Golden Star Ganesh was seen walking in with his wife-turned-producer at a film event recently. The star seems happy as he gears up to announce the launch of his film Maleyali Jotheyali in the overseas market.

It was a music launch and music director Sundar C Babu was the star of the evening. Gopichand was a special guest but it was Ravi Teja who drew the biggest cheers from the crowd. The foot tapping music also had the crowd swaying.

Pic:Manu

The Kannada film industry pays tribute to superstar Vishnuvardhan, who passed away recently.

Directors Nagabharana, Girish Kasaravalli and Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce President Jayamala were seen in attendance at the release of Dr Puttaswamy’s latest book on films. 112 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

KALEIDOSCOPE

Pic: V Rajesh

Kamal Haasan was recently seen at the launch of Om Puriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biography. The book, Om Puri: An Unlikely Hero has been penned by his wife Nandita C Puri and attracted controversy before its launch. The buzz is all about the references in the book to his relationship with various women. Om Puri candidly noted that he was proud of his story and that it was a tribute to friends, colleagues, mentors and the women in his life.

Pic: V Rajesh

Former Indian cricket captain, Anil Kumble and actor Dhanush inaugurated a fitness studio in Chennai. The trainer of the National Cricket Academy, Shankar Basu is the brains behind the project. At the event, Dhanush shared that all the credit for those fabulous six packs heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sporting these days goes to Basu.

Pic: V Rajesh

Ilayathalapathy Vijay lapped up all the attention at a performance by his mother, noted Carnatic singer Sobha Chandrasekhar at the Chennaiyil Thiruvaiyar. Vijay walked in with his wife, Sangeetha and dad S A Chandrasekhar, much to the delight of music connoisseurs at Kamaraj Arangam on Christmas day.

Naseeruddin Shah was in Chennai with his theatre group recently. Accompanied by his son, Imaad Khan, the team staged an amalgamation of narratives, called Katha Collage. Picture courtesy : Sanjay Kishore & B A Raju

The five day long Chennai International Fashion Week (CIFW) had Tamil film personalities walk the ramp to showcase some of the best in contemporary designer wear. The designers featured included Satya Paul, Nishka Lulla, Neeta Lulla as well as Rehane and Sidney Sladen. Tamannaah walked the ramp for Nishka Lulla, while Shriya Saran and Neetu Chandra featured Neeta Lulla creations. Genelia showcased Ishita Singh, Koena Mitra for Pria Kataaria Puri, and Namitha and Neil Nitin Mukesh walked for Sidney Sladen. Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 113

Ace film producer Allu Arvind celebrated his birthday amidst family, friends and well wishers. 114 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

Glimpses of the party...

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 115

All izz indeed well with Madhavan 116 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

“There was a time when I could easily have pani puri without being mobbed by fans anywhere outside the south, but all that has changed now,” admits R Madhavan. What Rang De Basanti did for sometime, 3 Idiots has done for ever to Madhavan! He’s now up there. Not that we loved him any lesser. But now he’s one of the idiots and idiot these days has become a cool thing to be!

sufficient for them. Also, students should not be forced to choose fused streams. Someone studying to be a doctor doesn’t have to study computers to treat patients, now. There should also be a no hold back policy at least till class eight as my school in Jamshedpur follows,” he suggests. He pauses for breath. Whew! Here we have a real passionate advocate for an education revolution.

After the stupendous success of 3 Idiots, everyone’s wondering what will happen to Shahrukh Khan’s My Name is Khan and Salman’s Khan’s Veer. Karan Johar, the coproducer of the My Name is Khan has even thrown in the towel before its release, this month, saying “3 Idiots has reached a level that nobody can challenge.” Shahid Kapoor whose Chance Pe Dance released and is on its way out, has also admitted that Aamir is par excellence, “ We just hope that he sits at home for six months and lets us remain in the race!” And here’s what Maddy’s got to say: “We are just dumb struck by our success. Most people who I know have watched this film twice in the theaters, a remarkable feat in today’s time. It has gone from happiness to pure happiness, to just plain numb. We are well on the way to being the most popular Hindi film, breaking even the records of Ghajini and Sholay. I hardly know anybody who has not seen the film. The box office returns in the US have been more in the 3rd week than in the first. Youngsters have been telling me that they now have the courage to speak to their parents about their choice of careers. What more can I ask for?”

Maddy admits that his parents were not very happy about his decision to opt for an MA in advertising. “But I don’t blame the parents for they don’t want their children committing suicide due to failure.” When asked to define an idiot, he says, “An idiot is someone like us who always wants to do his own things. It was what we had always heard from our parents right from childhood and now Raju Hirani has given it a new meaning.”

And what was it like to work for the film? “It was quite challenging to not only play one of the main leads, but also that of the narrator. I took the maximum time for dubbing since I had to sound different, else the joke would have fallen apart,” he says. And while he’s at it, he can’t help but switch to Aamir Khan, who he looks up to. “It takes guts for a protagonist to agree to a film in which he’s on screen for only 60 per cent of the time. All said and done, he would not call 3 Idiots, his best, since he thinks that anybody could have pulled it off as long as they looked like a student. Ensemble films only work when there is no insecurity among the principle cast. The chemistry between the three of us was quite visible,” he shares. Didn’t it remind him of his days in college? “Yes it did. Except that we were even naughtier. Once we attached a fart machine to the PA system!” This B.Sc electronics graduate, like Aamir Khan’s character, Rancho in the film, also has strong views about the country’s education system, “We need a radical shift. The over emphasis on Math and Science has to end. Students till class six or seven should be taught just two or three languages and basic Math which will be

Besides Rang De… and now 3 Idiots, Maddy is loved for his role in Rehna Hai Tere Dil Main and the horror thriller, 13B. “I was quite surprised when during the promotion of 3 Idiots, people in Indore kept calling me by my screen name in Rehna Hai…” Another Hindi film which Maddy really liked doing was Ramji Londonwallah. But it unfortunately wasn’t promoted properly “And I had to pay the price,” he rues.

R Madhavan leaves Anil Merani gawking in wonder while he admits to enjoying public attention, talks of his days in college and of course all about 3 Idiots

Maddy has been known in the south for doing some serious cinema. In Bollywood, he now wants to do both commercial and offbeat films. He has no regrets that Abhishek did the lead role in Guru (Maddy had done the same role in Mani Ratnam’s Tamil version) “Each film has certain commercial aspects to consider.” He also doesn’t regret not having done too many main leads down south. “But then God has compensated me with 3 Idiots, right?” He is among those few south male stars who have made a place in Bollwood. “I don’t think there is any conspiracy to keep south Indians out. One of the main reasons why we don’t see too many southern stars in Hindi could be because hardly anyone knows the language. But now things are changing with Surya and Charan also entering Hindi films.” Asked to describe the key to his success in Bollywood, and Maddy says, “Hard work, dedication and of course a little bit of luck for being at the right place at the right time. There are good and bad directors everywhere. But yes I feel that Mumbai is much more organised than the Tamil film industry.” After 3 Idiots, he has Teen Patti with Amitabh Bachchan, coming up. “It is an out and out commercial film about betting and living in the fast lane. The film has international star, Ben Kingsley in a guest appearance. It’s amazing how both of them exude such a sense of warmth and enthusiasm on the sets,” Maddy shares. Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 117

So are the offers flowing thick and fast post 3 Idiots? “Well, they always did, but of late with the success of films like Mumbai Mere Jaan (in which he featured) and A Wednesday, I am beginning to get interesting kind of roles which are not contingent on my dancing skills.” Unlike many other stars, he is not ashamed to admit that he likes public attention. “I have seen stars who will wear thick glasses to avoid being seen, yet get disturbed when nobody notices them.” He also has his share of crazy fans, “Some girls want to get married to me while a few others have offered to be my mistress!” he smiles bemusedly. So how does his wife Sarita deal with it all? “Well she is an equally big fan of Shahrukh Khan, so I guess it evens out,” he winks.

This 40-year-old actor who began his acting career with the Hindi television programmes, Banegi Apni Baat and Sea Hawks, says, “Although TV has arrived in a big way thanks to the media hype and reality shows, the aura and charisma of a film star is still huge.” He does not want to do any more television at the moment since he has his hands full with Hindi and Tamil films. “A TV actor gets a lot of exposure. But I would feel stressed out working for TV,” he feels. He quite candidly admits that his interest in acting only arose after the press wrote good reviews about his TV shows “Till then I was just mouthing the lines and going home.” Maddy also does not want to go down the 6 pack abs route “I am a family pack man! Down south, we have a saying which goes: what really matters is what is below the packs.”

Did you know this about Maddy? His son, Vedant is quite intelligent and sometimes even stumps Maddy with his knowledge. Maddy once left his son with his parents in the hope that the kid will learn Tamil, but instead, he ended up teaching them Marathi! His former air hostess wife hails from Kolhapur in Maharasthra. Maddy was attracted to his hit TV show, Banegi Apni Baat with its bold approach years back “It was fun seeing youngsters kissing then. I though it was a good thing to try it out.” One major grouse that Maddy has with Mumbai is its traffic. “It takes hours to get from one place to another. And my driver is a great character. He always claims to know where he is going and yet we lose our way!” Maddy has received many messages from the industry (both Bollywood and the south) saying that 3 Idiots has encouraged them to follow their heart.

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And here’s all about Madhavan and his wife, Sarita’s stuff on love, togetherness and well more love… What according to each of you keeps your marriage in such good shape? M & S - We are more like friends. What makes each of you proud/embarrassed about the other? M- She is an amazing wife. Being the wife of an actor is no joke. It has been tough for her and I am proud about the fact that she has been able to look after me and my life so well all these years. I am embarrassed at times with her frankness. S - I am proud of his hard work and the way he has grown as an actor on his own. I am embarrassed about his eating habits. What is the most special moment each of you remembers from your dating days? M - There are too many special moments for me. S - He saved up from his pocket money and took me out to Pearl, an up market restaurant, while we were dating

Inputs from Sridevi Sreedhar

How did you meet? M - We met in Kolhapur where I was teaching. She came there with her cousin who was studying there and joined my class. Later, she became an airhostess and came back to thank me and took me out for dinner and ever since, she has been feeding me! Who proposed first? M – It’s strange and embarrassing, since I never proposed to her. S - We were in love for nine years and our parents knew about it and got us married. Neither of us proposed to the other.

Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Which was the best Valentine’s you have celebrated so far and how? S. Yes we do, every year. Our best Valentine’s Day was in our friend’s farm house in a place called Kagil in Kolhapur. It had these open green fields covered with mist and we lit up candles and it turned out be such a romantic night. What is the best compliment you have got from each other? M - She loves my smile. S - He is forever complimenting me for something or the other.

Was it love at first sight? What did you like about each other? M - I guess it was. I liked her fingers S - It was love at first sight. I was smitten by his smile and flirty ways.

When did you have your first fight? Do you remember what it was about? Who usually makes up after a fight? M – It was a couple of months after our marriage over some silly matter. I usually take the initiative to make up. S - I can’t remember why we had that fight either. But ever since the first fight, it is Maddy who takes the initiative to make up.

What is the first gift you gave each other? M - It was a mauve coloured T-shirt. S - He always liked my hands so I gave him a silver key chain which was in the shape of a hand.

How do you share parental responsibility? S- Maddy teaches Vedant to be obedient and plays with him a lot. I take care of him, make sure he is disciplined and eats on time.

What is the best thing you liked about each other when you first started dating? M - She is frank and genuine. S – He is very good a heart.

What does love mean to you? M - Being together and sharing everything good or bad. S - Being there for each other even during a crisis.

How long have you been married? M -10 years Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 119

After three decades of living the Hollywood dream, Ashok Amritraj sure shows just how impossible is nothing. Karthik Pasupulate is totally flabbergasted.

Catcher in the eye

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We all dream big. No make that huge, as kids. I wanted to win a Nobel Prize (can’t remember for what) before finishing school! That’s not all...I also wanted to be a rocket scientist and fancied my chances of walking out to open with Sachin Tendulkar in the 2003 World Cup. We dream and we dream more and we dream differently as time goes by. Guess filmmaker Ashok Amritraj was like any other kid when he dreamt about playing tennis and making Hollywood movies. It’s just that his dreams did not change. They came true, and how! It has been an incredible journey that started in the by-lanes of Chennai. Ashok Amritraj represented India in tennis at the international level and played in all the major Grand slams. And then he quit one day. Like this was done and it was now time to do the other. Pursue his Hollywood dream that is. Thirty years later, Ashok is one of the most influential independent producers in the industry. He has produced over 100 films which have grossed well over a billion dollars. An astonishing feat when you consider that he was “the only brown skin in a sea of white,” that Hollywood was thirty years ago. He lives the high life, lunches with Hollywood honchos, signs multimillion dollar deals worldwide and is on first name terms with the biggest stars. Yet, you cannot trace even the slightest hint of an acquired accent and he seems to exude a certain warmth that can cut across a telephone line.

LOve BYTe My family has been my pillar of strength. My wife, Chitra is terrific. Though I have frenetic schedules, I do find time for the family. It’s a fine balancing act. But I have never slipped. I owe so much to Chitra.

Beyond dreams “Growing up in Chennai, was all about playing tennis and watching movies. I remember going to theatres like Sapphire and Anand all the time. Watching films like Ben Hur and Sound of Music was like a phenomenon in itself. When I went to LA and saw the studios, I knew this is where I wanted to be,” shares Ashok, looking back. Ashok did a lot more than live his dreams. He went beyond them. “I got into the business, joined the Academy (of Motion Pictures), and even served on its board. That is where I met Robert Wise (director of Sound of Music), who was one of the board of directors. I had watched Sound of Music 30 times and told Rob how much I felt about the film. I worked with icons like Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Bruce Willis, Angelina Jolie, Cate Blanchett, Martin Sheen and Sylvester Stallone. And those are just a few. It’s been a fascinating ride so far, with many circles closed. I guess the story goes on,” he smiles. By now, Ashok has me nicely in raptures and I’ve got so many questions, I don’t know where to begin. But I do know how he would have felt when he first met Robert Wise. This is where Ashok made things easier for me and began with his Hyde Park Entertainment. Ashok set up Hyde Park Entertainment in 1999. It is one of the leading entertainment companies in Hollywood today. The company is now evolved into a cutting-edge alternate to the traditional Hollywood studio system for filmmakers, by turning into one of the few progressive independent firms that encompasses most elements of a full-fledged studio.

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Street Dancing

Passion and perseverance

There is quite a buzz surrounding his next movie, Street Dancing. The film focuses on mixing dance styles and cultures in the world and AR Rahman is composing the music. Most importantly it has an Indian angle to it.

Well he sure did more than figure things out, delivering hits consistently for the last two decades adapting to a dynamically changing market. “The secret lies in knowing yourself,” he says.

“Street Dancing is the first cross-cultural project of Hyde Park in partnership with Imagenation Abu Dhabi and Media Development Authority, Singapore. It is a story that revolves around an Indian boy and a Canadian girl and blends dance styles and cultures while traveling from Singapore to New York. A portion will be shot in Mumbai too. It is a young love story and it has a lot of songs in it. AR Rahman is composing music for the film along with Dave Stewart,” he shares.

“It is a business that consumes your soul more than any other business. You need to have incredible passion but it helps to have people skills as you are working with so many talented actors, writers, directors, music directors all the time and it is important to build relationships.”

Hyde Park Imagenation Hyde Park Imagenation is a joint venture between Hyde Park Entertainment and Imagenation Abu Dhabi, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media Company. “The idea is to help build a bridge between the West, the Middle East and Asia through cinema. We want to accomplish that by creating global cinema that appeals to all by combining talents,” Ashok says sharing his vision. There is a string of big ticket projects in the pipeline. There is Dead of Night starring Brandon Routh, set for a Spring 2010 release. Hyde Park partners with Hisako Matsui of Essen Communications, Japan, to produce Leonie, based on the life story of Leonie Gilmour, mother of the famed AmericanJapanese sculptor, Isamu Noguchi. We also have Machete, directed by Robert Rodriguez. Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba and Lindsay Lohan will feature in the film.

joined the Academy, joined the board and even joined the British Academy. There have been a lot of firsts since. First producer of Indian origin to make over a hundred movies, my films have grossed over one billion dollars in revenues and many have been on the top five in the list of BO charts.” Nothing like tennis Breaking into an industry with an aesthetic sense that is unlike anything we can call ‘Indian’ was not easy. Hollywood was nothing like professional tennis. “In tennis, everything is cut and dry. If you play well you win - if your opponent plays better, you lose. In the movie business, there are many gray areas. I had seen movies and knew some people. Besides that, I knew very little about the business of making movies. I am dependant on the director, the personalities of the actors, the marketing of the film, and the response of the audience, which comes about one year after I have decided to make a film. It is more of a collaborative process.”

The black and white of it That’s a lot to look forward to. The legend of Ashok Amritraj is certain to get bigger. He is still just 53! But things did not look so promising when it all started. The colour of his skin and his ethnicity made it all the more difficult to break in. “Oh it was excruciatingly difficult. When I started there was no Indian in any noteworthy position in the business. The first seven or eight years were incredibly tough. Nobody took me seriously. The business was controlled by the whites and they did not have a reason to allow anybody else into the inner circle. It took a great deal of determination and perseverance to break into the industry.”

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Destiny definitely! We Indians are great believers of fate, and Ashok agrees luck has had a role to play in his success. “When I look back at my life, there is definitely an imprint of destiny all over it. For a Chennai born young man to go on to play at Wimbledon and make it big in Hollywood, there is definitely some destiny involved.” Ashok has been India’s ambassador to Hollywood. Yet, in over 100 films that make up his famous filmography, there is only one Indian film (Jeans). Isn’t that too little? “Very early on, I did Bloodstone with Rajinikanth way back in 1988. Rajini was not such a big star then,” he corrects us. “A movie takes up about eighteen months to finish. We make four or five films every year and it becomes difficult to spend that kind of time on Indian films. Guess it comes down to the choices we make in the end. I have always tried to build bridges between the two industries, both culturally and cinematically. Be it introducing Indian friends to the right people in Hollywood and vice versa. I continue to do what I can to bring the two industries together,” he explains. The conversation moved on to the India and Ashok is as earnest as ever. Many believe Slumdog Millionaire can propel Indian filmmaking into the global arena. Similar things were said during Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi and when Brazil gave City of God, Mexico gave Y Tu Mama Tambien. But we didn’t see any ‘wave’ of films from those countries or India. Do you think Slumdog can do to India, what the Shaw Brothers’ movies did to Hongkong?

Climbing up the ladder It took him five years to make his first film, Flesh Burn in 1985. But things changed after Double Impact in 1991. Since then he has produced many blockbusters like Bringing Down the House, Antitrust, Original Sin, Get Carter, Premonition, Moonlight Mile, to name a few. Ashok has accomplished a lot more than what he dreamt of. “I remember going to Hollywood wanting to make one film there. That I thought would be wonderful, a dream come true. But reality has far surpassed my dreams. We made a lot of successful films. I

“The two most important things you need to be successful in Hollywood are passion and perseverance. It took me five years to make my first movie. Tennis of course played a big role, as it brought me to Hollywood. You become successful in Hollywood not because you are somebody’s son or daughter, but because you persevere. That’s what I tell all the youngsters who come into my office,” Ashok explains.

“I had to learn everything from scratch. Understanding scripts, picking the right stories and figuring out how best to tell them. I have grown with each film - from the really small films to the big ones,” he says humbly.

Look, Gandhi and Slumdog Millionaire are both great films and featured some terrific actors from India. But they are essentially British films. Films are judged by great writing and great direction. Slumdog Milllionaire has been made very much from a western point of view even though it’s set in India. I think these kind of movies can certainly work internationally.

But you need an Indian movie made by an Indian director to break out and stand on its own. So far, no Indian film has really ‘broken out,’, and generated big money at the box office in the US. The question is - can an Indian writer write with the international audience in mind. If one wants to break into the international market, one has to learn to do it from the writer’s point of view. Certainly, there is no dearth of talent in India and I am pretty confident it will happen sometime soon. will we ever get to see a south Asian male actor playing a lead role in a mainstream Hollywood film? Asian stars like Chan, Li, Chow-yun Fat and now Rain have made careers out of martial arts. what could be our uSP? Why not? I think it is just a matter of time. The success of films like X- Men, GI Joe and Slumdog Millionaire has shown that skin colour does not matter if you have a good product. The likes of Karl Penn, Dev Patel, Frieda Pinto and filmmakers like Night Shyamalin and Shekhar Kapoor have been successful in the last decade.

in India? what must the Indian film frat do to get more competitive in the world market? Things work a lot differently here. I do not think the Indian industry needs to emulate the studio system of Hollywood. The filmmakers just need to figure out how to expand their market. It will help to have a lot more stars. There are many fantastic stars in India but you need more. Also, a lot more importance must be given to the writers and the directors. Efforts must be made to encourage original writing, which is essential for great films. what happened to the film Bijoy Nambiar, the winner of the Sony Pix Gateway, was supposed to direct for you? Bijoy decided he wanted to make the film in Hindi. When he came up with the screenplay, he felt it would be better if the film was made in Hindi. your company had a co-production deal with Reliance entertainment last year. Do

the story goes on. Tell us something about the role your upbringing has played in your success. My upbringing in Chennai has played a big role in my success. I fly around in private jets and everything is available at my beck. There are so many temptations around you that you could lose yourself just as easily. The principles I have imbued from my folks and my strong family ties help me stay grounded. I wouldn’t trade my upbringing in Chennai for anything else. Like any other immigrant parent, did you have a cultural conﬂict with your children when trying to infuse ‘Indian values’ into them? My children Priya, 15 and Milan, 11 come and live in Chennai for at least three months every year. We make it a point to have dinner together. They understand words like tradition and respect and spend a lot of time with their grandparents. My daughters love chudidars just as much as their jeans. They are a fair blend of both the cultures. Also, India is a lot

It is a lot easier to break into Hollywood now. Thirty years ago I had to explain studio executives that Singapore was not part of India. India is poised to become an economic superpower in the next 10 years. That’s why there is a window of opportunity created by the success of Slumdog Millionaire, which now has to be capitalised by someone to make a movie that is acceptable to a large variety of audiences. The doors have opened. We have to push them wider. Many Asian filmmakers use Hollywood talent for their films. why is it that Hollywood doesn’t use any Indian or for that matter Asian filmmakers in turn? I do not know why Asian filmmakers use Hollywood directors. I think Indian or Asian stars carry their films on their own and the same is true with Hollywood as well. I know of at least a dozen second or third generation Asian immigrants - both actors and directors who are in the 25-32 age group and are doing quite well. In the last decade or so, the second generation of Indian filmmakers has come on really well. warner made Chandni Chowk to China, Disney made Roadside Romeo, Sony made Saawariya. And they all have been colossal ﬂops. why did Hollywood get it so wrong in India, while they were able to crack Russia and some Asian markets? I think it is just a matter of understanding showbiz in India. Just as it is difficult for somebody from India to break into Hollywood, it can be quite a challenge for somebody from Hollywood to understand what kind of stories work here and all about the big players and the stars here, plus how the distribution works. Eventually, they will get a hang of it. Since you have an understanding of how the Indian film industry works, do you see the Hollywood style studio system fitting

you have any plans of focusing on Indian films? Not really. We do not have any plans to focus on Indian films specifically. Reliance was looking for investing and I was looking to blend the world. So it made a lot of sense. Like I said earlier, I am looking to build global cultural bridges across Asia, India, the Middle East and America. The Other End of the Line starring Jesse Metcalfe and Shriya Saran was the first film Hyde-Park co-produced with Reliance Entertainment.

more westernised today than it was in the past. It’s like any other city so it’s not such a big adjustment to make. My children love Indian food and love coming back to their grandparents.

Have you ever considered moving back to India once you’ve retired from work? I don’t know. This is my life’s work and I have not thought about retirement yet. But I do come back all the time. I am very closely attached to my church, Vailangani Church, and we do some charity work in India and I guess Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 123

mumbai express

“There is no pure romance left …” Says the god of candy floss, Karan Johar, charting unfamiliar territory with his latest Valentine’s offering, My Name is Khan. Anil Merani discovers KJ is looking to move on but will always only work with Shahrukh!

Love him, love him more, balk at his mushy tales of perfect love, but you just cannot ignore him or his cinema for that matter. Karan Johar is at it again and he’s got SRK and Kajol - arguably the most loved onscreen couple - for company. It’s the first time in seven years that SRK and Kajol are acting together! Surely Karan knows a thing or two about working up some hype. He is taking it one step further with My Name Is Khan. For once it is no sucrose coated tale of love set in world of the insanely rich and the maddeningly beautiful. My Name is Khan is the love story of a man suffering from Asperger’s Disorder (more commonly known as obsessive compulsive disorder). “The story begins in Kandhivilli and ends in America. SRK plays the protagonist, Rizwan Khan. He hates the colour yellow and takes everything quite literally. His girlfriend leaves him and he goes after her,” shares Karan. “The protagonist could not be normal, for no sane person would embark on such a journey just for love,” he adds breaking into a guffaw. Talking about long journeys, it’s been one very long one for Karan as a filmmaker from his assistant director days in DDLJ to now. “Filmmaking is a part of life’s processes. First you deal with personal issues and then as you mature, you start looking at the outside world. I began with Kuch 124 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

Kuch Hota Hai, a no holds barred romance. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham was all about loving your parents. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna dealt with meeting and separations. In a way all these films can be considered part of the same bouquet. Well dressed people facing emotional distress in fairy tale surroundings. But My Name is Khan is none of this,” explains Karan. He also – once and for all, mind you - denies that the film is based on terrorism. “9/11 is just one small aspect of the film. That incident affected the entire world and we have been dealing with terror from even before. But having said that, the protagonist does tackle the issue of racial profiling in his own little way, but that’s not what the film is about,” he clears the air. Well he certainly seems to have got the title right. “We could not have a better title. The central character, Rizwan is very particular about details. If you ask him who he is, he will answer with his full address up to the last digit of the pin code.” And Shah Rukh we are sure, must have done his usual best to play the character to perfection. “He’s worked really hard on developing quirky mannerisms for the role. He wears a plain straight look not even blinking throughout the film. It might have caused him some neurological damage!” he smiles amusedly.

We will stick to Karan’s films for the moment though. He admits candidly that he can’t watch any of his films to the last frame. “There are always parts where I walk out. I can’t understand how directors keep looking at their films over and over again. Even now when I watch my older films, I find flaws.” Perhaps his cribbing is somewhat justified because he produces all his films. He however has a simple piece of advice for aspiring directors. “Think with your heart but also keep budgets in mind,” he reasons. As a producer, he knows exactly how it works. 2009 was a bit of a mixed bag for his production house, Dharma Productions. The coming of age, Wake up Sid with Ranbir found its audience, but Kurban did not. He has a simple business philosophy. “I subscribe to the old industry dictum that a hit has no reason but a flop will have dozens. Hence rather than breaking my head over meaningless postmortem, I just accept the junta’s verdict and move on,” he shares nonchalantly. But all said and done, the industry is not exactly in great shape and the truth is, not enough films are raking in the moolah. “We are recovering from the mistakes we made in the last 2 years. Costs had gone over the top. Also an entire class of audience has disappeared from the theaters. They find watching movies in single screen theatres rather lowly and cost of multiplex viewing is too high. So they end up watching very few films in the theater.” Having had a lot of Karan the filmmaker, we probe deeper into the man behind the craftsman. The 38 –year-old single and successful side of things. He doesn’t even get linked with any of the hordes of pretty ladies he works with. His mom must surely be anxious to see her boy get hitched. “No, she’s not ready to share her jewelry yet,” he says with a poker face. The laughter that follows is surely from the heart. “She is always hyper about my projects, asking why there are no love songs between Shahrukh and Kajol in My Name is Khan. Why I chose the title! These days, she’s asking me why can’t I make a big hit like 3 Idiots.” So has she seen the rushes yet? What does she think of My Name is Khan? “No she is just praying for its success.”

Well neurological damage or not, Karan would still have his best buddy, SRK plays the lead, no matter what. And in all the films he directs. “I regard having him on my set as a given. Even when I am shooting with other actors, I still miss him,” he admits as a matter of fact. Don’t you read too much into those lines? Do you? Definitely just for gags! This is certainly not the first innuendo! But well, as they say why change a winning combination. My name is Khan, though, is not just about SRK and KJ. If anything, it’s more about revisiting the famous onscreen romance of Kajol and SRK. “The chemistry between SRK and Kajol is magical. You don’t need to waste much time on establishing their romance, it just happens. Off screen, they are real buddies so perhaps the comfort level they share translates into love onscreen,” says Karan. “Oh and I have to add, whenever there’s SRK and Kajol together in a film, she invariably falls down during the shoot. We normally wait for her to fall. It’s a good omen! For this one, she finally fell on the last day. Else we would have tripped her!” But he has a word of advice for fans. “Do not go to the film expecting a Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, because you will be disappointed. It’s unlike anything they have done before.” So does that mean Karan’s finally growing out of full bloomed romance? “There is no pure romance left,” he says grinning widely. “Look at all the most recent hits - Ghajini, 3 Idiots etc have all been based on different themes. Only Imtiaz Ali still deals in stuff like Jab We Met. And personally, I want to move on as well.” But there also lurks a catch 22 situation here. “If I can make the same stuff, people cry out, can’t Karan think out of the box? And when I do, some say why try? The only way out is to follow Raj Kapoor’s diktat Suno sab ki, par karo apni. (Listen to all the advice, decide for yourself.)” He does concede it’s a risk going down a different road, but is confident there is an audience which accepts good cinema. “Take Chak De or Tare Zameen Par for instance. People know when they see sincere efforts.” But don’t you still get to see oh-so-many no-brainer hits? “I know, some times such films also work for the audience. But if I ever tried such a thing I will be lynched.”

Next, Karan is working on, I hate love stories, which is an adaptation of Step Mother. He is also planning a sequel to Dostana. He has one dream project though. “I want to remake my dad’s (Yash Johar) movie Agnipath.” Although Karan does not like to compare his films with each other, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai remains most special. “It gave me a career and set my dad’s production company on a new journey,” he feels. But there is one genre he well never try - science fiction! Karan is looking to foray into television production next year and he is clear about what he wants to do. “I will not make any major deviation and make stuff that sells. If 10 years ago saas bahu saga clicked, today the more you go into villages and torture children, the higher your TRPs!” His mother seems to be his business advisor. “My mother has been my window to the idiot box. “I can’t understand how an educated and well travelled woman can get hooked to such stories. But her usual At-leastI-am-not-interfering-with-your-life, shuts me up.” Looks like there is some acting on the anvil as well. He made his acting debut with Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and is now planning to return in front of the camera. “I plan to return with a bang with Rock Off!”

LOve BYTe “Love is universal. And soul mates are not just about man finding a woman and falling in love and being in love eternally. My mother is my soul mate, since I love her the most…”

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 125

Around the world in 24 frames

// German //

Descent unto Death German actor Bruno Ganz created history as Adolf Hitler in the 2004 war drama The Downfall. Rahul Ganguly checks out the reel Hitler of this Academy Award nominated film that turned into a much debated classic.

dER uNTERGANG (The Downfall)

Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel Writer: Joachim Fest, Traudl Junge Awards: British Independent Film Award: Best Foreign Film (2005), London Critics Circle Film Awards: Foreign Language Film of the Year (2006) 126 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

At the outset, let’s make something very clear. Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Der Untergang (The Downfall) is a difficult film. Based loosely on the last ten days in Hitler’s life, The Downfall stars German actor Bruno Ganz playing the dictator, awaiting impending doom. Soon after the opening frame, what strikes you is the intensity with which Ganz pulls off an Adolf Hitler. The peculiar walk; check. The raspy voice that sends a chill down your spine; check. A bone-chilling descent to insanity...When Ganz appears on screen, you know that this is indeed the Nazi Führer – cold, calculated, and oh so, hauntingly familiar. But we digress. The film is indeed difficult. What sets The Downfall apart from the gamut of World War II films is the way Ganz chose to play the Nazi leader. Being a German actor with Swiss roots himself, Ganz created a minor cinematic furore of sorts when he inked the deal to play Hitler. While films earlier, usually resorted to archival footage to portray the dictator, Ganz’s effortless slither into the unfeeling dictator’s skin shocked some, and amazed many more. The Downfall remains understated even in its most poignant moments. The colour palette on the frame is cold, muted. Even death is subtly underplayed, sharing equal screen space with mundane activities like a cigarette being stubbed out. Death and destruction were a part of life during the close of the World War. In fact, it was the only reality for the players on the war stage. Death was incidental in war, and director Oliver Hirschbiegel drives home the point powerfully. But let’s cut back to Ganz. For a man who wowed the audience in his role in The Reader (2008), it was no surprise that here was an actor who took his roles very, very seriously. For his role, Ganz prepped himself with four months’ worth intense research. He studied a recording of a private conversation between Hitler and Field Marshal Mannerheim, picking up Hitler’s pronounced Austrian accent. Powerful enough to shock you into submission, Ganz nailed Hitler’s timbre to the last dialogue. That’s where things became difficult, at least from where the audience is sitting. Ganz, as Hitler was at once a commanding presence and a ruthless megalomaniac tottering on the brink of imminent collapse. Yet Ganz’s interpretation of the Nazi warlord also showed him as a

sensitive, everyday man. So powerful was his character as Hitler that German tabloid Bild asked, “Are we allowed to show the monster as a human being?” Through Ganz, you see the Nazi villain as a man who enjoys his dinner, while children sing songs by the table. A few shots later he is a broken man, desperate to keep the enemy at bay. Collateral damage was redefined in the last days of Berlin at the close of the war. Hitler ordered a complete cutoff of all supplies within Berlin, as part of his ‘scorched earth’ policy. Nazi troops fired indiscriminately at unsuspecting Berliners, justifying it as a twisted act of bravado. Seeing Ganz dismiss even German lives with a casual wave of his hand, surfaces the monster within, time and again. Where he earns his kudos is how Ganz melds the father, the leader and the warmonger into one incredulously believable package. Ganz’s Hitler becoming an everyday man through the course of the narrative is noteworthy. In The Downfall, Hitler is a man driven to insanity as his plans of domination crumble in the course of ten days. Faced with the inevitability of death, Hitler dishes out implausible orders, all the while aware of the doom that awaits the German soldiers. By the end of the film, you might be convinced that behind the mask of the cold blooded Führer lay an ordinary man, driven to madness by ambition. Like the noted German director Werner Herzog, Hirschbiegel is able to create a character that is at once villainous, yet oddly admirable for his determination. Romanian German actor Alexandra Maria Lara’s portrayal of Hitler’s secretary, Traudl is touched with a note of understated intensity through the film. Her character is commendable for providing the point of view of an innocent bystander on the Nazi war machine. Maria Lara’s on screen drama, interspersed with real footage of the actual Traudl Junge before her death, lend a stunning sense of reality. Through Traudl’s character, you see a naïve young woman getting increasingly entangled in the horror of death and violence. Though The Downfall is a stylised recalling of the last ten days of the Second World War, it is perhaps the most remarkable for providing a radically different take on the Nazi leader’s life. By turning Adolf Hitler into a credible, everyday man, Hirschbiegel makes a strong statement. In his retelling of the World War, The Downfall reveals itself as a warning that even ordinary human beings are capable of turning the monster in them. While some critics disapproved of it for ‘sympathising’ with the Nazi warmongers; the film remains a harrowing reminder of our innate urge for destruction. In this war, Hitler was both orchestrator and victim of his own twisted ideology of violence. By the time the credits roll down, The Downfall raises more questions than it answers.

Caught in the web: The Downfall spawned off an unusual trend on the Internet around a year ago, which had the effect of a peculiar resurgence in audience interest. This happened five years after the film’s release. Sections from the film overlaid with intentionally humourous subtitles caught on big time. Ergo, The Downfall viral video was born. Spanning everything from recent controversies to political jibes, the video was ‘remixed’ over time by a number of Internet users. The Downfall was again in the media spotlight, even if for the wrong reasons!

“I’ve got the feeling that I should be angry with this child, this young and oblivious girl. Or that I’m not allowed to forgive her for not seeing the nature of that monster. That she didn’t realise what she was doing. And mostly because I’ve gone so obliviously, because I wasn’t a fanatic Nazi. I could have stayed in Berlin. But I didn’t do that. I was too curious. I didn’t realise that fate would lead me somewhere I didn’t want to be. But still, I find it hard to forgive myself.” - Traudl Junge, Adolf Hitler’s secretary, shortly before her death in 2002.

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TELUGU Good It’s the first NTR film in well over a year. His last release, Kantri was way back in May 2008. Considering all the political drama surrounding the release of the film, perhaps the biggest achievement is that the film was finally released. It surely calls for a toast.

It’s an NTR show all the way. In a dual role for the first time, NTR has done a commendable job especially as Chari, the devout brahmin. He flaunts his gift for jest with impeccable dialogue delivery mocking the chaste brahminical Telugu diction. The other character, Narasimha seems more like an extension of his character in Kantri, but NTR carried it off with his trademark energy.

NTR’s dancing as usual was worth those hundred bucks.

Brahmanadam lived up to his name playing the priest who has a thing for the much younger Nayanthara, whose family he supports. He simply leaves you in splits. In fact it’s the comic sequences between NTR and Brahmanadam that can easily be called the best part of the film.

Could have been better... The story of identical twins leading diametrically opposite lives and uniting in the end is something we are all too familiar with. Perhaps that is why you can’t help but feel a constant sense of déjà vu throughout the film. Except for some funny moments between NTR and Brahmanandam the movie has nothing new to offer.

Adhurs Cast: NTR, Nayanthara, Sheela, Brahmanandam, Ashish Vidyarthi, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sayaji Shinde, Tanikella Bharani, Raghu Babu, Raghu Karumanchi, Rama Prabha, Kondavalasa, Rajyalakshmi and others Director: VV Vinayak Music: Devi Sri Prasad

Devi Sri Prasad’s music fails to make a big impression. Coupled with some creative choreography, the songs are just about okay.

The over the top visual effects in the action episodes seem a little too tacky, leaving you disappointed. Also too much masala can give you a stomach ache!

- Karthik Pasupulate 128 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

Good There is conventional romance, an entertaining comedy track, hummable music, a pretty actress, a feel good message, a bit of divinity and some high voltage action sequences as well, all served in just the right proportions, much like the perfect Andhra thali! Oops no political innuendos intended or otherwise! Namovenkatesa, though falls just short of being a wholesome entertainer but gets most things right.

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TELUGU

What do you say about Brahmanadam. He just needs to turn up and that’s good enough in itself. Brahmanadam is in his element playing Paris Prasad, the ever so cunning uncle of the dream girl, Trisha. He unwittingly ends up playing the cupid too. There are plenty of hilarious moments in the film and comic timing is not a problem as Venky and Trisha also turn it on when it matters.

Though very formulaic, Sreenu Vytla serves up enough festivity in the film. The music is pleasant, though lacking in memorable tunes. Slick picturization and good performances plus some pretty locales leave you feeling good.

Namovenkatesa Cast: Venkatesh, Trisha, Brahmanandam, Akash, Jaya Prakash Reddy, Mukesh Rishi, Dharmavarapu Subramanyam, Kasi Viswanath, Subbba Raju, Master Bharat, Akash, Ali, Siva Reddy, Surya, Prithvi, Raghu Babu, Jenny, Srinivasa Reddy, Surekha Vani, Telangana Sakunthala

Could have been better... One just gets the feeling the leading lady was forgotten in all the merriment. She looks ravishing, period. The absence of any real romance in the film is the most disappointing. Trisha is just feeling pity for the guileless Venkatramana throughout, except in the end. Sreenu Vytla perhaps missed a trick or two here.

It’s got too much of the familiar. It’s a little like going out to your favourite amusement park. You like it but you have just been there too many times.

- Karthik Pasupulate

Direction: Sreenu Vytla Music: Devi Sri Prasad Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 129

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TELUGU Good This is another offering from the new age Telugu cinema, though a remake of the blockbuster Tamil film, Nadodigal. Set in Rajamundry, the film starts off on a promising note thanks to great acting by Ravi Teja, Allari Naresh and Siva Balaji. Their comic timing is sidesplitting! This is perhaps their most understated performance yet, tickles you all through the first half. In fact the first half is so good, it could have been a movie by itself.

Priyamani and new comer Abhinaya manage to make their presence felt in the little time they have.

Could have been better... The movie crumbles into a rather painful monologue in the second half. This is when the ‘message’ takes over. This time it goes out for all those ‘good samaritan friends’ who put their bright future at stake, trying to help their love struck friends elope. Well the message comes across loud and clear! (Never mind the pain). All you friends of lovers out there, get your priorities right...And pick the films you watch with care (if we may add).

Well, by the time the movie is over, you are just glad it is over! It’s amazing what a message can do to a film. But this? - Karthik Pasupulate

Shambho Siva Shambho The title track is quite sensational. Though the Tamil influence is perceivable, it leaves quite an impact. The background score is catchy. Music director Surender Babu has done a ‘sound’ job.

The movie has its share of moments, though too far and few in between. But the one in which Allari Naresh gets whacked on the ear while fleeing with the minister’s daughter is brilliantly captured. In fact that whole chase sequence is best part of the film. Dialogue writer Surya was at his quirky best especially in the sequences with the three leads. He packs some dry sarcasm in his lines.

The cinematography is quite remarkable and the landscapes of Rajamundry and Kurnool are used very well to support the narrative. The camera work is eye catching!

130 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

Cast: Ravi Teja, Allari Naresh, Shiva Balaji, Priyamani, Abhinaya, Roja, Thanikella Bharani, Chandramohan, Ahuti Prasad, Sudha, Sunil and others Direction: Samuthirakani Music: Sunder C Babu

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TELUGU Good To start with, it seems like an original idea, and for once you don’t feel like you’ve seen this over and over again. Five different stories are woven in the narrative, which is a pretty creative script. However, the same can’t be said of the treatment too.

With so many characters in the fray, it is not easy to get the best out of each one of them but the director has done a decent job of establishing each character and their conflicts. It takes up too much time perhaps but is okay. Navdeep, Kajal, Bindhi, Aditi and Nikhil – all fit into their roles admirably. Murali Mohan in a cameo is good as well.

Could have been better... Then again, great script but shoddy execution. Mind you, the film is set against the back drop of a terror plot but the multiple threads are stitched together too simplistically without any imagination. The narrative is too jerky and the continuity goes for a complete toss.

The music is quite disappointing. This must be one of the most forgettable works of the maestro, Ilayaraja. It seems like it suffered from lack of conviction.

The director tried to connect the different story lines in one sweeping 10-minute-go in the climax when the terror plot unfolds rather unsurprisingly. It sort of leaves a weird feeling which again stems from no conviction.

- Karthik Pasupulate

Om Shanthi Cast: Navdeep, Nikhil, Kajal Agarwal, Bindu Madhavi, Aditi Sharma, Murali Mohan, Tanikella Bharani, Kishore, Ravi Kale, Rohit Patak, Raghu Babu, Sunil, Suman Shetty, Ranadheer, Shiva Reddy and others Director: Prakash Dantuluri Music: Ilayaraja

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 131

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TAMIL Good

Breaking away from stereotypes, the director transports us to a whole new world.

The film has a terrific first half with a basic thread, comedy, action, stunning song sequences, amazing visuals and grandeur.

Technically, the movie is a visual treat. Top class camera work by Ramji and GV Prakash’s songs and the background score are winners.

Reema is a revelation. Her comeback after a four-year break with this film is a welcome. She looks mesmerising in the second half as a princess and the director has also extracted a fine performance off her.

Karthi is simply a joy to watch. He brings the house down with his oneliners.

The costumes, jewellery and sets used for depicting the 12th century, look authentic and a lot of research as gone into the making of these properties.

Could have been better... The film starts with a bang, is interesting in the first half but doesn’t unfold with good pace.

The second half is sketchy in the narrative and a bit confusing and tedious.

Aayirathil Oruvan

The Tamil spoken in the second half is difficult for the common man to fathom.

Cast: Karthi, Reema, Andrea, Parthepan Direction: Selvaraghavan Music: GV Prakash Kumar

Some of the scenes are inspired from McKenna’s Gold, Narnia, Lord of the Rings and Gladiator. It’s obvious.

Andrea is wasted and she has nothing much to do except for just being there.

132 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

-Sridevi Sreedhar

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MALAyALAM

HAPPy HUSbANdS Cast: Jayaram, Jayasurya, Indrajith, Bhavana, Samvritha, Vandana, Rima Director: Saji Surendran

Good n

Music: M Jayachandran n

Leave your brains behind and enjoy the comic ride. Jayasurya is a scream and all the other actors too, do justice to their respective roles. The comedy by Suraj Venjarammoodu, Salim Kumar and Maniyanpillai Raju is a winner. Indrajith is the surprise package among the male actors. With his bleached hair and waxed chest, he looks cutely metrosexual.

Could have been better... n

-Sridevi Sreedhar

The film is heavily inspired by the Bollywood blockbuster, No Entry and has no original bone in it. It has a weak script and a narrative style thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rather illogical. The songs are not so great and the absence of a good background score is a major disappointment. Though there are five heroines, none of them have anything much to do except look good. Bhavana clearly stands out among them while Rima Kallingal looks lost. This comedy entertainer lacks style and a slick presentation.

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 133

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KANNADA Good Suryakanthi is a story revolving around a contract killer Rohith (Chetan) who sets out from Uzbekistan on a mission to kill someone in Bangalore. The twist in the tale shows Rohith becoming the CEO of a large company and gets engaged to Kanti (Regina), the daughter of the head of the company. He is eternally torn between his new life and the mission he was sent on. The conflict is crafted rather nicely.

The attractive Regina is more impressive than Chetan. Her bubbly ways suit her character quite well.

The picturesque locales of Uzbekistan are a pleasure to watch.

Ilayarajaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music is remarkable.

Could have been better... Though Chetan has good screen presence, he could have been more expressive and his body language does not suit the character he plays, very well.

Chaitanya, who had earlier directed Aa Dinagalu with Chetan and Archana in the lead roles, has offered a simple and soft story this time around with Suryakanthi, which is rather leisurely paced.

The movie does not have a very powerful impact on the audience. The story is rather too far removed from reality. It is a complete commercial movie without any fresh elements.

- Aravind G Shivkamal

134 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

Suryakanthi Cast: Chetan, Regina, Nasser, Kishori Ballal, Ganesh Yadav Direction: K M Chaitanya Music: Ilayaraja

Good The casting is perfect and Shahid really dances well. He’s gone beyond conventional Bollywood styles and has performed beautifully on American choreographer, Marty Kudelka’s choreography.

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Bollywood

The human element of tough life (living off a car, working as a courier delivery boy), that strugglers face in Bollywood is quite well presented.

The chemistry between Shahid and Genelia is lovely. The scene where Genelia does not ride her scooty over 30 km/ hour is really cute. Shahid wearing a lungi and sporting a mustache for a vest commercial is simply hilarious.

Could have been better... The rags to riches theme that the film is based on, is done to death.

Shahid’s landlord who scratches himself all over need not have been made to look so vulgar.

The background setting of most dance sequences is rather loud.

Chance Pe Dance

The climax is not all that gripping. The final dance competition could have had more drama.

None of the songs inspire any foot tapping, leave alone a get-off-your-seat-and-dance frenzy. The introduction song has no meaning in the overall structure.

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Genelia D’Souza Direction: Ken Ghosh Music: Pritam Chakraborty

- Anil Merani Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 135

bollywood brouhaha

Looks like Hrithik Roshan is going through some pressures these days. His first international home production, Kites is getting delayed. He is also apparently torn between his wife, Suzanne and Kites co-star, Barbara Mori. Obviously Papa Roshan would not want him to leave his wife and child. Hrithik has apparently started drinking his way out of this situation. His new love for the bottle has not yet affected his work, but friends and well wishers are worried that he may get addicted. What’s more? One of these days Duggu was heard rehearsing his lines rather loudly for his upcoming film, Guzarish with Aishwarya Rai, late at night causing quite a riot in the neighbourhood. All work and more play is making Hrithik a stressed boy?

Neha Dhupia, small or big?

Neha Dhupia candidly admits that even after six years in the industry, she’s still quite underrated. The up side to this is that even when she dishes out a mediocre performance, people don’t make a hue and cry. But it is difficult to gather acclaim even when she gets it right! Neha first landed on the scene in 2003 with a sex bomb image, thanks to Julie and Sheesha, but she has since then deliberately attempted to go down a different path. But looks like this change cost her big time since she didn’t sign a single film in 2004, but then things started to change when she got Chup Chup Ke (in a salwar kameez clad role), Shoot Out At Lokhandwala, Ek Chalis Ki Last Local etc. She also had no problems doing small films like Mithya and Dasvidaniya. Her latest release Raat Gayi Baat Gayi is also on the same lines, we hear. These days content is more important. And Neha realises that. But that doesn’t mean she’s doing only small budget films. She’s done biggies like De Dana Dan and Singh is Kinng. And we’ll soon see her in the Rs 50 crore project, Action Replay with Aishwarya Rai and Akshay Kumar. So small is big and big, even better?

136 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

bollywood brouhaha

Tanushree’s got nerve

Salman’s eating vada pav for publicity? Salman Khan has gone ahead and eaten the 7th crore piece of vada pav sold by a Mumbai food chain. Now which big star would actually take the time and endorse a not so big brand like this food chain? But Sallu has never followed conventional wisdom, has he? He is also smart enough to understand that a very large section of his dedicated fan base comes from the lower middle class as well and what better way to get them to check out his period drama, Veer? The success of Veer is terribly important for him since he’s also written the story himself. Smart thinking, that!

The sexy Tanushree Dutta, who had disappeared from the scene is back. It apparently took a lot for her to get over the entire fracas with Nana Patekar. This was why she has been keeping a low profile. She had accused Patekar of misbehaving with her during the shooting of an item number of the film, Horn Ok Please. She was subsequently attacked by a crowd of his fans and the MNS also jumped into the fray calling her an outsider in Mumbai. (She is from Jharkand) She was almost written off, but then she persevered and is now back with, what we’re sure is renewed confidence. Welcome back, we’d say.

* Kajol’s

`Cold’ behaviour Kajol is one helluva professional actor. Now this happened when she was shooting with Shahrukh Khan for My Name is Khan at some place in the US, where the temperature was 18 degrees below zero. We hear the entire unit was shooting in the open and although Kajol was fully clad in thick woollies, she was still freezing. But she carried on that way all through the day knowing well that any breaks would cost the production house dearly. Finally when pack up was called, she simply collapsed due to over exposure. But after a few cups of hot coffee and a warm massage, she was fine, thankfully! During the shoot of her comeback film, Fanaa, Kajol went through something similar. It was so cold, she almost froze to death!

Priyanka and Harman to work together again? It was quite surprising to hear Harman Baweja claiming that Priyanka Chopra will continue to work with him despite their super flops like Love Story 2050 and the more recent, What’s your Rashee. Since they aren’t in a relationship anymore, guess this whole casting thing with Harman should be a strict no no, at least from Priyanka’s point of view. We hear that Priyanka is quite clinical in her choice of co-stars and does not like to repeat failures. Despite knowing this, if Harman is still making such tall claims, then either he is not yet disillusioned or there is something more than what meets the eye! Used to be that Piggy Chops was crazy about Harman when they were together. Embers from the old fire are not yet cold or what? Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 137

hollywood hullabaloo

Vanessa Hudgens to sue over nude pictures She’s hot, she’s haughty and she’s mighty upset! She sparked controversy last year when a whole lot of her, ahem, naughty pictures appeared online. Hudgens’ lawyers fought to have them removed and now she’s taking legal action against one website which has allegedly refused to take the pictures off. She has filed suit against the website with charges of posting “self portrait hotographs” which stayed on the site even after her lawyers stated copyright violation and ordered the pictures to be removed. Apparently, the pictures were posted by some unknown person without Hudgens’ knowledge. The website claims that Hudgens’ team has registered the nude photos with the US Copyright Office. Now, she’s seeking damages and an injunction to order the site to remove the pictures. This is the second time Hudgens has been in the midst of a nude picture controversy. In 2007, her provocative pictures – both in the nude and sexy lingerie - appeared online. That of course forced her to issue a public apology. But this new scandal is different, is it? What’s the naked truth here?

What’s not cooking with Keira Knightley!

Guess what, Keira Knightley confessed that she can’t cook to save her life! She’d rather die than step in and step out of the kitchen smiling. She’s always burning the food or clumsily drops dishes every time she decides to cook, which in itself is a rare phenomenon. She’s hoping someone will gift her an easy to use cookery book this year, so she’s not as hopeless as she’s been. Let’s tell you about her latest disaster: a friend showed her how to do an eggplant bake. She followed every instruction and when she brought the bowl out of the oven, it simply slipped and smashed on the kitchen floor, with a crestfallen Keira instantly bursting into tears. Now, now, it’s time someone really got a kitchen help manual for her. And pretty soon! 138 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

hollywood hullabaloo

Kidman irks neighbours by planting trees

Guess what Nicole Kidman is up to these days? Looks like she has upset neighbours around her Australian country home when she planted 150 leylandii trees to screen her house from onlookers. Kidman’s five-bedroom home is in a village called Sutton Forest, 70 miles from Sydney and the whole tree planting project came in to boost security for her sister, Antonia’s wedding. Along with the trees, she has also had a real nasty looking green nylon fence put up at the entrance to shield the property from the main road. But what people don’t like are the leylandii trees, which look nice and pretty as bushes but grow up like real tall and wide, which can mess with the scenic views of the picturesque neighbourhood! Talk of ‘tree’son…

Beyonce, Jay-Z to swap surnames!

Sam Worthington’s new Avatar! Avatar actor Sam Worthington finds that his life has been permanently changed after director James Cameron offered him a role. Avatar, turned out to be a huge hit and made a star out of Worthington overnight. An overwhelmed Worthington says that he was living in his car before he signed up for Avatar. These days, we’re sure, he’s on top of the world. This world?

Timberlake brings the golf course home It’s finally decided that the couple married in April 2008 - will take on both of their surnames. Jay-Z’s real name is Shawn Carter and will be called Shawn Knowles-Carter, while Beyonce will retain her maiden name too and will become Beyonce Knowles-Carter. They are doing this so that Beyonce’s parental line is kept up since she has no brothers to carry on the family name. No kidding here!

Pop star Justin Timberlake is going all out with his golfing passion. Last heard, he had a putting green installed in his house. He’s been an avid golfer for years and got his own golf course near Memphis in Tennessee. And guess what, he’s spent as much as 800,000 Dollars on converting the room in his mansion into an indoor golf course, for him to perfect his strokes. Now that’s what we call a real swinger! And we strictly mean golf here! Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 139

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140 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

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te rn 27 ty e of in this ni b da ) e bo or tu ill pl th ng e on th or w ou w ri pl th o u p u c 8 rn 25 a gr s d eo 1 ng op yo di n or (P th, bo or . et or es n ar es io t g s f in t a rk 9 le h g . t c s e t h ge wo d s, re rty ur ca ig iti bu op 6 s 1 d r to cy rs. fin kill ty pe so m tun or Vo Pe , y te ili r, d an o s n ( ve re u l r h n o o ab pr ge ns an ial Yo po job ke lta ni da gs r o ur 7t ti i l r s ) a ob le fo yo ds an sio lin su se op ur th. es ge on rd oc are on by pr ab o n ib ed f ien our en o y v s s V o r c sin na u rn 23 d r f h ng o nd m set pa ure Fr n y tic t bu ma fo o Yo do ure ro m nds wit . bo or ta d o s re it s se o o st im As ur r e . p d t d e n e u s u n d f v an eck me di e en ri io ee yo yo cy pl th te et s a o un ca fa r a n B F f y i 4 a s h p n e i s l l . u do . p c x i nd to m eo 1 th e As ere nsio nd op fore re d ge s b . yo m a ise e u es wi ly (P th, tion xpa nks iplo a d ate in an re rs at h. of Fa eep rw ar Th pa ly e a d 5 ey re e so a oo ic ic rk rr tu ta e rt e fl l i u e o d n c a d n K ill th d ex fs bi nc al er th ar th ht in w ur p r b in c t o ve t o Vo u w ss an am re is r . o th al o h e h ig ild jo e e b F e e e t g e s t e n s s i l l h l h h th s i ou en ar h ff a d l n m e a c Yo cc nc i y o wi y th wit ab in b m ea ac rs Di ien h en im s of h th ng . on w i su tie s t e m h y el d t l g e h H t e m r l m t f e a wi ot e g et l b ts lac en ity to rd ne ur ea et ac pa m re go ha h n i e l l m n i s t o s i ur p H ke ise f t ys iso el ht e p. r h r g om wi e s p Fr bi m sa g s. ps As e i i t s n m v o d jo be s u u g c t u t u i e a u a d ba tr tr e rn a ill Ta xer el yo yo e s Yo ves icio an pro on th ch en e Tr u m spo re dl u e av on t w ut of th id jo u ur in p o y es be r tm s r u i a f o s g l r n Y e o m u t o as go ha T m g au mi is ab tio nin ea . e y o s. yo ple anc ht e t p. no y e s r pl ds at i Th lent ner ce life ht e to com Fa er h ou ica ce a rt ien m ig ous tr ve th r g l t u n o p i r r Th alt uti ind on u lo ts ast ia Ro ou m sp ure c sh f e pa ma yo it m er d oc r as ur en l H ca ht s n nd Y u o g a o ile th, rtn d s yo m he t R t Be sli lem i yo ple h o ily y w on pa e an is rob el jo m om a tg m m ur yl en om fr v p gh fa i c a r d o yo fest Tr u m you e e t nd ar li a w s Yo ith anc tinu ps for e n hi at w d m o d s e to lls. ) Ro ou c tion arri on h ty ki Y la c . ni l s n 6t s ) re re h tu na or or 2 r e r te st b e e nt o b. io w o 1 l s o jo of da 3 gu dd pp ess le h m te a o i g se r f t ur ty p 7t in au lle m on o da ) ge yo bili eo 1 on t an pro . ak bec ing co the i ht in a rn nd e r (P h, ns on h m y c t u t e g t o s ig n ob a n y i a t o h l 4 f n n t bo 2 2 8 a t b m tio pr oc wil e y ou io of di g d n e , or 2 i u o n V a t , n e d b ab ulat ity pl 3th or yo m is ni lv co th ge ou ra ns s l e r i o o i Y c h l g s e u y e r e s a eo 1 t r s s on ht er p up set tio spe bab ge ss of nc re (P h , op 5 lg n tim d he ea e t u o 1 nd m ig ev he a e t o n i s c n e ria 4t As ca cial pro ie he m ow f t ti his a o, (P th, on pi er nc ar et on lem ld g Fr of t ace d h rt o ca g t i o n t o m tg ap b na . 6 Be an is ily ti u l d e s h fi a h d e u Vo rin nit ess e. em th ca rob wo th. fin ere es. g ea an dl ic p o r p g t gs m an ig bi on Vo y p er on th ss Du co sin com n m ly id st h w te h ns ds ge e. n m rin or ur l i t o n i m n a e n a o r c n t i m l y b l o l re u in t i n ds b e l t e n o a t A e h m i r . e y l g r m h r o e i a s n y g n w r t i In od s e t e f th ien ula se m also pa f th ts Fa y th do d w ht i Fr uc hild el s di fo nc m lif ge r d r e go set igh t o Fr tic the o B av u on he ill te ig se ill nd , e f c ga od ci lth ess tr it i t t w yo ffec et r . As u m par nd par nd As u w y a ent s o re . go effi ea rel of a os ou ce a s on s l e a s k i o p s i h Yo er u in n y n r m r ie si e th rh a Y l t e c y t s i m u b ss h ry ug te te th o on la mi ear ldre in fe lit yo of a Fa plo d i . ta ro pe ur at m alt on d w n ta o bi r e r n Fa s y chi ly. m o m te d e a yo p ne th m ey m c e d e i e i a e b t a o a y H s in rn is th el olv ed u nc ur pl hy c Th m m ro sin u nl ha h t r a l g o u l m t s p o t ou T th l ca yo a ne yo d j e l fr e f r s e s h ble ea in e . e e r er e . g u r a l u b h k m n ay of l an a ea cu on th alt ura u h ork av yo yo H ay a ted so ni m h fo ati on or e Tr ere r. rt o H vo yo r w e er e er ot ica o w t c to ci g s l e o ve t ac nc ur Th y ai anc rtn d b act Fa ep ou . nt ss . di se to o aff ve l f o g o c l a a b i a ke nd y ove n m pa an pr ld cl ly h y Tr u w eys e r w nd t lo a pr l ke it ou ry Ro r ort be e u i a c e im ave e l d w Yo urn anc rth ps las Yo pp to . fe v r e u d le o u i d j s Tr u a ect e al li ople e m l f sh n ne exib Ro ou’l tion st a nc oci pe Yo nn fl Y a o co ma y s m l s o re e m Ro bu y fr th A wa a

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 141

It’s the season of the young in the southern industry and refreshing Kannada cinema these days is the vibrant Chetan Chandra. Despite holding a degree in engineering he chose acting over a safer career in IT. His first film PUC, was a moderate hit, but his entry into Kannada films was firmly set. His next, Premism directed by Ratnaraj is a big one and is sure to add a rung or two to his climb up. Looking to feature in films of different genres, Chetan will soon be shooting for Rajdhani in which he’s sharing screen space with National Award winner, Prakash Raj. He will grow big, we are sure. He is big at the moment too, let’s tell you! A fitness freak, his body is his obsession. The hunk with spunk also holds a black belt and a gold medal at the national level for karate. Vrinda Prasad chats him up for more.

HI-5 with

chetan chandra

142 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

Love Byte “I believe in love at first sight. I am single at the moment and looking forward to meeting someone special. I’d like that special friend to be beautiful both in how she looks and from within.”

01 02 03 04 05

You are a new entrant in the industry. What do you think is the best thing about acting as a profession? I would say, people’s recognition, the flexibility to experiment with your creativity and immense job satisfaction. On the flipside, there’s always the risk of landing bad films and disappointing fans. Then again, an actor cannot always take for granted his personal space and freedom.

Smaller the star, bigger the tantrums, don’t you think? True. This has become common in any film industry. Smaller stars tend to throw bigger starry tantrums than established stars, mainly to invite publicity. Sadly, don’t we all know that any kind of publicity brings a star in the public eye? You wasted an engineering seat for acting? A career as an engineer can wait but a star in the making cannot wait! If you ever decide to give up acting, what would you rather do? I will definitely not be an engineer. How do you like a merchant who trades exotic stuff from around the world? What’s your idea of stardom and how far are you from it? Stardom to me is being the people’s man. Like Dr Rajkumar. And of course, luxuries and a high end lifestyle. I don’t know how far I am from stardom. It is for the people and my films to decide.

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 143

suma Bhattacharya

144 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

SCREENTEST

She can’t do without dancing, enjoys reading, loves theatre and has always been a great performer. Trained in Kathak Suma has performed on many stages. She won an award after performing at the Royal Albert Hall, London, and was also crowned Miss India UK, 2008. Suma was earlier seen in two ads – TV commercial for Parachute hair oil and Real detergent with Salman Khan, a print ad. This gal’s surely worth looking out for!

SCREENTEST

Photographer: Jayanth Janagan

Ashok

Selvan

Southscope invites aspiring actors to send in their portfolio pictures to vrinda@southscope.in

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 145

SCREENTEST

Ashok Selvan, a student of visual communication got bitten by the acting bug when he enrolled himself in a street theatre group in college. Since then, he just canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to get enough of acting! With every performance on stage, Ashok has grown more inclined to perform for the camera. Talking of which, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also made two short films. Trained in Salsa and a rock music enthusiast, Ashok looks up to Kamal Haasan and aspires to scale similar heights some day!

final countdown TeLuGu

TAMIL

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NAMO VENKATESA ADHURS AARYA-2 SHAMBHO SHIVA SHAMBHO LEADER OM SHANTHI SEETHARAMULA KALYANAM LANKALO 08 MAHATMA 09 PRASTHANAM 10 VILLAGE LO VINAYAKUDU

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MALAyALAM

KANNADA

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BODYGUARD CHATTAMBINADU HAPPY HUSBANDS GULUMAAL PAZHASSI RAJA SUFI PARANJA KATHA MY BIG FATHER ROBINHOOD IVAR VIVAAHITHARAAYAL PUTHIYA MUGHAM

07 08 09 10

VINNAITHAANDI VARUVAAYA AAYIRATHIL ORUVAN PAAIYA GOA VETTAIKARAN THEERATHA VILAYATTU PILLAI AADHAVAN NANAYAM KANDHA KOTTAI SIDDU +2 FIRST ATTEMPT

SURYAKANTHI JUST MAATH MAATHALLI RAM MALEYALI JOTHEYALI MINUGU PARICHAYA GOKULA MANASAARE PREM KAHANI SCHOOL MASTER

BoLLywooD

INTeRNATIoNAL

01 3 IDIOTS 02 MY NAME IS KHAN 03 AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI 04 CHANCE PE DANCE 05 VEER 06 PYAR IMPOSSIBLE 07 KURBAAN 08 ISHQIYA 09 TUM MILE 10 PAA

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A R RAHMAN’S LATEST INTERNATIONAL MICHAEL JACKSON - KING OF POP - CD -1 1 HITS IN THE CLUB 2009 ENRIQUE IGLESIAS -GREATEST HITS AKON - FREEDOM BRITNEY-THE SINGLES COLLECTION 50 CENT- BEFORE I SELF DESTRUCT ARMIN VAN BUURE - A STATE OF TRANCE MICHAEL JACKSON - WE ARE THE WORLD

Film Singer & Music Annarakkanna vaa, poovala changatham koodan vaa Moovandan maavel vaa va Oru punnara then kani tha tha Nangeli pashuvinte paalu vellappinjanathil ninakkekam Orukkam njaan ponnonam changathiâ&#x20AC;Ś Annarakkanna vaa poovala changatham koodan vaa Muttolamethunna pavadayuduthoru thottavadippenne Mukkutti chanthinte kuriyum varachu nee Oru naal arukil varamo? Ponnathira then chandrikayil neeyum njaanum neeradi Chittolangal neyyum puzhayil Kacholathin manamozhuki Hrudayam kavarnnu nin nanam.. . Annarakkanna vaa poovala changatham koodan vaa Ennalum kaanumbol onnai paduvanundallo oru pattu Ennatha swapnangal kunnolam koodumbol Kananulloru koottu Enno kalam maychu kazhinju sneham thonnum chithrangal Engo dooram poyi maranju megham pole mohangal Ennalum ennalum vannu ormakalâ&#x20AC;Ś Annarakkanna vaa poovala changatham koodan vaa Moovandan maavel vaa va Oru punnara then kani tha tha Nangeli pashuvinte paalu vellappinjanathil ninakkekam Orukkam njaan ponnonam changathiâ&#x20AC;Ś

Film : Bhramaram Singer : Mohanlal Music : Mohan Sithara

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 147

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Looking

BAC K Ramu Kariatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adaptation of Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chemmeen that featured some of the best names in Indian cinema, is clearly a cinematic feat, unmatched in many ways. Vijay G revisits the classic.

Movie: Chemmeen Director: ramu kariat Produced: babu Sait Music: Salil Chowdhury Camera: marcus bartley Dialogues: S l Puram Sadanandan

150 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

Cast: Madhu, Sathyan, Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair, S P Pillai, Adoor Bhavani

This is no overstatement. It was indeed, history in the making. It was the mid-1960s. Less than a decade after legendary writer, Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai wrote the novel, Chemmeen (Prawns), the film arrived. Four decades later, it has attained the status of a classic. Fans and critics alike agree that Chemmeen remains one of the finest films ever made in the history of Malayalam cinema. Chemmeen is set on a shore in Kerala, home of the beautiful fisherwoman Karuthamma. Her father, Chembankunju, played by Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair is an ambitious man. Chembankunju has big dreams about life and borrows money from a Muslim youth, Pareekutty (Madhu), to buy a boat and fishing net. Incidentally, Karuthamma and Pareekutty are in love. After a while, Chembankunju meets Palani (Sathyan), a smart and young fisherman during a chakara or the harvest season in the sea. Karuthamma is forced to marry Palani, leaving Pareekutty distraught. The film ends on a tragic note with the bodies of Karuthamma and Pareekutty washed up on the sea shore. Chemmeen was noted not just for its literary value, but also for the technical brilliance that set this film apart. It was directed by Ramu Kariat, who has also made films like Neelakkuyil (1954), Minnaminungu (1957), Mudiyanaya Puthran (1961) and Moodupadam (1963) among others.

Marcus Bartley, one of the most wellknown cinematographers of those times, wielded the camera. Noted playwright S L Puram Sadanandan wrote the dialogues and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of Indian cinema, edited the film! The music too was quite a sensation. The songs, Kadalinakkare ponore…, Manasamaine varu…, Pennale… and Puthan purakkare…, rendered by such talents as Manna Dey, Dr K J Yesudas and P Leela are still popular and have been across generations. The shooting of the film was originally planned on the shores of Purakkad. The location was shifted to Nattika and Azheekode later on. Fourteen prints were released initially and the film completed 100 days in each centre. The profits were estimated to be in the region of Rs 40 lakhs, which was undoubtedly, a huge amount in those days. Chemmeen gained acceptance as a cinematic phenomenon and has been screened at several International film festivals. The commercial success of Chemmeen considerably boosted the Malayalam film industry. Chemmeen won the President’s Gold Medal selection for the Best Film in 1965. The film remains an uncontested classic, and an oft-revisited cinematic experience, even today.

Chemmeen was originally planned as a low budget black and white film. But Babu Sait, who became the producer, foresaw its tremendous potential. Soon, he decided to make it on a larger scale. Some of the finest technicians in Indian cinema worked together in the making of the film

Feb 2010 SOUTHSCOPE 151

152 SOUTHSCOPE Feb 2010

t an w r ’t on e he d e s . I ve to r e s nt s de wa I ou e t t ’ c a n va wh I do ur c n a a . th man or f s s hy wo ds le . W n s t e r y o l fri atu r Saa t I g s ug s s i a de h i et s h an ig g . th p h h ! y . c a to um em ce ala ng ve fa B o d n en a i h w a s h and K m go y es nt en m I’ a gu o p .! ir) ck y e ec S A i a e ( t b i r it od ch e leg wh wh a Saa it. T or bab e d f d v n a i n a i an va ad ey g u w hite a rt o y r i i h n Sa t y is w sh Mu e t us VM te s h J A i o t u t h ca ld te? e of A w wou hi ead l be s w h u e a r ar jai els bec ge we o n ) t y r lo pl ht (Si o im n s ig a I b r jo s st ay o d .! g I se ost e c , i f Th an eo y e r r bi sf ece i p

’ s ’ k e s v e i V gu o l a Di

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Valentine’s Special

We have just about begun getting used to changing the year to 2010 in the dateline and here we are – at the beginning of February. The second month of the year, already! What’s going on? How are days, months and years whizzing past in a blur? Is it because we are so caught up with our lives that we don’t realise the passing of time? Or are we in a mad rush to get our work done because we have no clue when the next crisis will hit the nation? The last few months of last year weren’t so pleasant for us in the capital city of Andhra Pradesh due to the T-issue. Unfortunately, the Telugu film industry got caught in the cross fire and had to bear the brunt, willy nilly. What are we thinking? Or are we thinking at all? Since when did any art form acquire regional flavour? No, I am not about to make a political statement in a film magazine. All I am attempting to do is to echo the voices of hundreds of our readers who have expressed their view that films must be left out of what-belongs-to-whom-and-why. Films are a staple diet for most of us irrespective of where we come from. The primary endeavour of Southscope has been to present the united picture of south cinema. To bring all the four film industries – Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam – on a common platform. Understandably, our readers are making an effort to reach out to everybody through us to let cinema stay untouched so that it can serve its basic purpose – that of entertaining cross sections of audiences. The legendary Ingmar Bergman had said, “No form of art goes beyond ordinary consciousness as film does, straight to our emotions, deep into the twilight room of the soul. Cinema like music has no language.” Let’s then put our hands and hearts together to enjoy cinema in its purest form without any distractions. That’s what we have done with this Valentine’s special issue this month. Our cover couple, Allu Arjun and Tamannaah have attempted to whet the ubiquitous appetite for romantic passion and set the mood for the month of love that Saint Valentine has immortalised across the globe. While romance lingers in every interview and every section, we have tried to present a mix of other elements too. For action lovers we have Puri Jagannath, the very talented Telugu director, Puneet Rajkumar, mass and class Kannada hero, the up and coming Telugu hero, Sharwanand. For feminine charms we have presented the pretty Bhavna from Tamil and Malayalam, sexy Anita who is all set for a comeback, alluring Radhika Pandit, super comedian Brahmanandam, for a liberal dose of comedy while Hemachandra provides music to your ears besides the regular masala from all four languages. And oh, how about sampling the most enduring love stories of south cinema, for that perfect happily-ever-after climax! On that sweet note, let me sign off but not before wishing all of you a very Happy Valentine’s day… Let the love linger for a while more if not forever…

Vanaja Banagiri Editor-in-Chief

PS: Our New Year issue was a sell out across the country. A zillion thanks to all of you.

RNI NO.: APENG/2009/29389

PA N O R A M A O F S O U T H C I N E M A

STRAIGHT FRoM THE HEART TAMANNAAH + BHAVNA + RADHIKA PANDIT + ANITA

+ SHRADDHA DAS + MAMTA MoHANDAS + SHAKEELA + SANDHyA + PADMAPRIyA