Southscope May 2010 Issue Side - B by Sirish Allu

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NAMITHA’S DREAMY DRAPES SPOOFING IN TAMIL CINEMA IS COMING OF AGE

From Suhasini Maniratnam’s personal diary

SOUTHSCOPE STYLE AWARDS ARE BACK! Nominate your favourite stars and win exciting prizes!

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CENTRE STAGE/PAGE Silambarasan and Samantha framed!

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SOUTH SPREAD/PAGE Namitha dares to unbare!

EXCLUSIVES

Samantha

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Sunny times ahead for Shaam

MAY ‘10

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01 08 PANORAMA OF SOUTH CINEMA

24 Lingusami’s latest offering 26 Chinmayee is doing it for

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NAMITHA’S DREAMY DRAPES

SPOOFING IN TAMIL CINEMA IS COMING OF AGE

N G Roshan’s makeup story

Suchitra Karthik’s song book

From Suhasini Maniratnam’s personal diaryy p

Anthony Gonsalvez makes a cut SOUTHSCOPE STYLE AWARDS ARE BACK! ACK! rizes! Nominate your favourite stars and win exciting prizes!

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On the cover: Silambarasan and Samantha Photographer: G Venket Ram Styling & Clothes: Chaitanya Rao Hair: Pinky Make up (Simbu): Nagaraj Make up (Samantha): Noor Mohammed Coordinated by: Sridevi Sreedhar

26 40 Spoof of life – Tamil movies retold

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FEATURES

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Ram Gopal Varma’s bloody history TURN WRITER WITH SOUTH BLOGBUSTERS!

XCLUSIVE

PULI’S READY TO ROAR

42 The sequel sutra of Malayalam cinema

SIDDHARTH’S CONQUESTS CENTRESTAGE

58 Around the world in 24 frames - In the Mood for Love

Stars’ Style Sutra Diganth & Nidhi have it off

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SOUTHSCOPE STYLE AWARDS ARE BACK! Nominate your favourite stars and win exciting prizes!

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SOUTH SPREAD/PAGE Sadha reinvents herself

FUNDA 10 Junk mail

66 Wild West

12 Gold Class

68 Flash Back

Trivia on cinema Telugu Tinsel / Kannada Capers

16 Loading...Please Wait Films in the making

Hollywood hullabaloo Rewind to Enga Veetu Pillai’s lasting impact

70 Final Cut

Letter from the editor

57 Kaleidoscope

What happened when and where

60 Bioscope

MUMBAI EXPRESS

Movie reviews

63 Sing along

Lara Dutta on the most profound to the most mundane

Boman Irani laughs out loud

Karaoke

64 Mumbai Matinee Bollywood brouhaha

69 Leaves out of my book

Suhasini Maniratnam’s take

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!

TAM

junk mail Thespian Sivaji Ganesan’s dedication and commitment to his craft was phenomenal. As a child, he joined the drama company of experts like M R Radha and would often spend evenings watching them perform. So impressed was young Ganesan that he would act out these parts later to his friends, sometimes even earning M R Radha’s approval. He never knew exactly how much of an impact he had made. But later his company disbanded and he left, distraught, determined to earn a living as a car mechanic. It was possible to be happy in any profession as long as you did your duty well. But soon M R Radha formed a company again and promptly gathered the young Ganesan back – and a legend was born.

Post the tremendous success of Kadhalikka Neramillai, veteran director Sridhar planned his ambitious next project with a battalion of new faces. His loyal team of writers and assistants were not very much in favour of this, but Sridhar went ahead anyway. He scouted around for a new face and heard of a young actor called Raja, who was apparently scorching the theatre world with his fiery performances. Watching one of his shows as part of the audience, Sridhar decided on Raja as his hero. Unfortunately, Raja worked at the American Consulate as well, and getting him to star in a movie project was no mean task. Getting numerous permissions from the Consulate and balancing his time with his theatre commitments, required weeks of effort. Sridhar, though always made sure he had what he wanted and after a Herculean effort, got Raja to star in his film. Raja later went on to become one of Tamil cinema’s best character actors, renamed as Shrikanth. His debut film, Vennira Aadai popular even today, attained cult status.

MAL

Srividya’s role of Kamalakshi in the film Venalil Oru Mazhayil has an interesting story to it. While the talks for the film Chattambikalyani were going on, it was decided to cast Srividya in the lead role and she agreed to go ahead. The film was being directed by Sasikumar, while Sree Kumaran Tampi singed up as the lyricist. However, at that point, the romance between Srividya and George was at its peak. This sparked off a rumour that Srividya would stop acting soon after the wedding. So it was decided that Lakshmi will replace Srividya for this role. Srividya was pretty upset about it, while Sree Kumaran Tampi too felt bad and regretted his decision. But the way things turned out, Srividya did eventually get married and bid adieu to acting, but not before the release of Sree Kumaran Tampi’s Mohiniyattam. After a while, Srividya made a comeback with the K P Kumaran-directed Then Thulli. Tampi was hopeful that she would definitely act in the film Venalil Oru Mazhayil and asked the director K P Kumaran to consider her for the film. The director agreed and Tampi met Srividya. During the conversation, Srividya brought up the issue of her expulsion from Chattambikalyani. Tampi replied that he had wanted to cast her in Chattambikalyani, but couldn’t succeed and that was why he was particular that she does Venalil Oru Mazhayil. Satisfied with the explanation, she readily agreed to portray the role of Kamalakshi in the film.

It was a Russian story that proved to be an inspiration for the film Kanmadam. A wounded soldier reaches a village and meets an aged couple who take care of the soldier and after some time the couple becomes so attached him that they see their beloved son in him. After his recovery, the soldier plans to return to battle. The couple feel miserable and on the eve of his return the old woman asks the soldier to assure them that he would come back to them once his job was done. Her words touch the soldier’s heart and after assuring them that he will be back, he leaves. This relationship of a mother and son, the simplicity and the depth of their affection and the pain of separation, made an imprint in the mind of director Lohithadas and Kanmadam was born. 10 SOUTHSCOPE MAY’10

jolly kolly

GOLDCLASS

PICK AND CHOOSE FOR REEMMA Talent. That’s probably the only reason why Reemma Sen has managed to survive as one of the top five heroines in the industry for the last few years. Not once was she insecure when there were just a few films in her kitty. Reemma’s always preferred to wait till something nice and exciting came her way. Now she is shooting for a new Hindi film with National Award winner director Rahul Dholakia, known for his critically acclaimed Parzania. The yet untitled comic caper is produced by Smitha Thackerey. Now that she’s bagged the offer, will she become a rarity in Tamil cinema? Apparently, Reemma’s flooded with offers every week, though there’s nothing exciting in her way just yet. What matters to her are the script and the banner. Guess she can afford to be picky now, can’t she?

NAYAN’S LEAVING TOWN! Move over Chennai and Hyderabad, Nayan has fallen in love with Bengaluru. The actor is busy shooting for her first Kannada film there and was giddy with excitement at being in Bengaluru. This would be her first film with Upendra. Turns out, she’s already made a few friends in the city, including Uppie’s wife Priyanka. What’s more, she meets up with her newfound gal pals and often goes shopping with them. Is someone missing her sorely in Chennai?

KARTHI’S KARMIC CONNECTION Looks like Karthi’s got a major case of karmic connection with co star Tamannaah! The sizzling chemistry they shared in Paiyaa was evident off screen as well. The duo has been seen together, chatting and giggling during functions and on the sets of their new film. The grapevine is abuzz with rumours about their recent camaraderie in public. Predictably, both have dismissed it as bakwaas. They insist that they are complete professionals and all this came about because they are both single. But surely, there’s something to this newfound friendship, something karmic perhaps?

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GOLDCLASS

jolly kolly

HOW MADHAVAN GOT ILL, GOT A BREAK AND GOT HIS SMILE BACK!

BIRTHDAY BUMPS FOR PRABHU DEVA

One person who’s not exactly complaining about Kangna Ranaut’s injury on the sets of Tanu Weds Manu is her costar Madhavan. The actor was suffering from malaria. Now he’s all smiles as he got the much needed break to recuperate at home and spend time with family. He also took time off to visit his parents in Chennai and take his family to Tirupati. You might say he’s got a feverish obsession with work!

A little birdie tells us that Prabhu Deva recently spent his birthday with his lady love in Bengaluru. Apparently, Prabhu’s love interest arranged a small private bash with a close set of friends at a five star resort near the city. Prabhu’s been going places, now that the Jayam Ravi-Hansika Motwani starrer, Itch is almost ready to roll. He completed the composition with music director Harris Jayaraj in Australia and then in Pondicherry. Last month, he also flew to Paris fixing up locations for the film. Despite his high flying life, Prabhu still seems to have found some time for his birthday. How sweet!

ASIN’S BACK FOR MORE! THE SAGA OF SILK SMITHA Remember Silk Smitha? Yup, she was the original sexy siren of southern cinema for many years. Now producer Ekta Kapoor wants to make a biopic on her life. The film titled The Dirty Picture tracks the life of the iconic screen temptress, who tantalised many, yet led a lonely and tragic life. Ekta has almost finalised the script, which took two years to make. Milan Luthra has been roped in to direct, while sources say that Vidya Balan may play the role of Silk Smitha, who hasn’t yet confirmed. An enticing role, we’d say!

After a brief stint in Bollywood, it’s business as usual for Asin in Tamil cinema. She’s been busy shooting alongside Vijay for a new film, Kavalkaran. This one is a remake of the Siddique-directed Malayalam hit, Bodyguard. In the Tamil version, Asin will do the role played by Nayanthara. Famous for her politically correct statements, Asin claimed that she signed the dotted line, as the film has a strong author backed role. For the shoot, she has been seen going back to small towns in Tamil Nadu, like Karaikudi, Kumbakonam and Pollachi, where quite a few of her earlier films in Tamil were shot too. Looks like this girl has set out conquering ‘em all! MAY’10 SOUTHSCOPE 13

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GOLDCLASS

MAMTA, NOW A MOM! Guess what! Mamta will soon be seen playing single mom to a five year old girl in the recently announced Katha Thudarum. Directed by Sathyan, the film is about ordinary people caught in unusual circumstances. Sathyan continues his practice of naming his film right when the posters are to be printed. Jayaram features in the film, playing it up as an upright auto driver who comes to the rescue of the single mother in distress. The film is like any of Sathyan’s works, laced with occasional humour and sentimentality, while dealing with women’s issues. And of course, there’s Mamta as a young mom too!

4 IDIOTS IN KERALA!

If Bollywood can come out with 3 Idiots, can the Malayalam industry be left behind? Soon, there’s a film coming up in Malayalam titled 4 Idiots! These will be played by Mukesh, Jagathy, Siddique and Suraj Venjaranmoodu. The film is being directed by first timer Pratheesh. The shoot will be a quickie and will be over in a month. Last heard, the director was scouting for four girls to be paired with the 4 Idiots. The question on every one’s mind now is; who’s going to be seen with whom?

NO MORE AMMA FOR THILAKAN! And by that, we mean the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), which has permanently revoked Thilakan’s membership. News of his expulsion came after he appeared before its executive committee in Kochi. This decision was taken as the veteran actor refused to apologise for the comments and criticism that he made about AMMA and its members earlier. After a brief showdown, the organisation was forced to expel him. The actor complained that he was denied justice at the meeting. He also said that he was insulted after being invited to present his case and the decision to expel him was predetermined. What do we say to that now, hmmm… 14 SOUTHSCOPE MAY’10

GOLDCLASS

simbly malayalee

MAMMOOTTY TRIPPING AWAY After the news of his winning the state award, Mammootty has taken off to the US. Accompanying him on the month-long vacation was wife Sulfath. He completed the schedule for Pokkiri Raja, due on April 30 and has been working round the clock for the last one year. For now, he’s simply chilling out for a while before his return to familiar terrain in the first week of May. After that he’s planning to start off with Sohan Seenulal’s Doubles and actor Jagadeesh’s directorial debut Amar, Akbar, Antony. Quite a schedule there, Mammooka!

RAJAT KAPOOR TO REPLACE THILAKAN! The Bollywood actor with the thinking cap, Rajat Kapoor is set to make a splash in Kerala cinema. It seems that he’s replacing veteran actor Thilakan in Dam 999. The English film, directed by NRI Sohan Roy has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. After Thilakan was removed from the film, a compensation of Rs seven lakhs had to be paid to him. Another addition to the film is Thampi Antony, whose performance in Sufi Paranja Katha has earned critical acclaim. Let’s see how the film turns out!

THE VETERAN’S BACK There is a bunch of new faces in filmmaker Sibi Malayil’s life. He is known for making memorable movies, which often became classics in Malayalam cinema. For his latest film Apoorvaragam, Sibi will be seen teaming up with newcomers Nishan and Asif Ali. The duo shot to fame playing protagonists in Shyamaprasad’s Rithu. Now they will be cast with Nithya Menon and a few other youngsters for Apoorvaragam. With a fresh love angle to his story and a young star cast to boot, there’s quite some hype surrounding Sibi’s next project. And yes, we are waiting! MAY’10 SOUTHSCOPE 15

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TAMIL

Ace cinematographer Ravi Varman debuts as director with Moscowin Kaveri, said to be a subtle and heartwarming love story. Rahul Ravindran and Samantha mark their debut as the lead pair, along with fresh face Yashoda and Y G Mahendran’s son Harshavardhan. The calm river Moscow, flowing through the capital of Russia forms the metaphoric backdrop in the film. It sharply contrasts with the river Cauvery, which has become the cause of perennial conflict between Karnataka and downstream Tamil Nadu. The lives of the lead pair are like these rivers, as their love is affected by undercurrents that eventually sweep them away. Water is the underlying motif in the film.

Cast Director Music

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Rahul Ravindran, Samantha Ravivarman SS Thaman Oscar Ravichandran Oscar films

MOSCOWIN KAVERI

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TAMIL

THILLALANGADI

Cast

Jayam Ravi, Tamannaah, Shaam, Vadivelu

Director M

Raja

Yuvan Shankar Raja

Music

Producer

Editor Mohan

Banner

Jayam Company

Jayam Ravi teams up with brother and director M Raja for this film. Known for his remade films, Raja this time is doing the remake of Ravi Tejaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s action packed Telugu film Kick, which will become Thilalangadi in Tamil. Jayam Ravi with Tamannaah will be paired for the first time. Shaam has been roped in to play a gritty cop with negative shades. The film has used Nero motion control cameras, mounted on a specially erected 360 degree set created by art director Milan.

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POKKIRI RAJA Cast

Mammootty, Prithiraj, Shriya Saran, Nedumudi Venu. Suraj Venjarammood

Director

Vysakh

Jassie Gift

Music

Producer

Tomichan Mulakupadam

Banner

Mulakupadam films

This commercial entertainer directed by debutante Vysakh also marks the debut of Shriya Saran in Malayalam films. Raja (Mammootty) and Surya (Prithviraj) are the sons of an idealistic school teacher, Madhavan (Nedumudi Venu). However, both are troublemakers and Raja, who runs away from home to Madurai after a scuffle becomes a gang leader. Madhavanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only hope is Surya but he turns into a bigger troublemaker. Surya is sent off to his brother-in-law, Sugunan (Suraj Venjarammood), who is a cop. Things take an intriguing turn from here on. Shriya plays Aswathy, the daughter of the city police commissioner. This film is slated to have a Vishu release.

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Cast

Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, Sameera Reddy, Devayani, Suraj Venjarmoodu, Jagadish, and Nedumudi Venu.

Director

T K Rajeevkumar

Music

M G Sreekumar

Producer

Maniyan Pillai Raju

Banner

Maniyan Pillai Raju productions

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Mohanlal and Sreenivasan are back again together in Oru Naal Varum. Sameera Reddy is making her debut in Malayalam and shedding her glam girl image for this one. The film is about the obstacles coming in the way of Kulappuli Sukumaran (Mohanlal), who deals with corruption at every stage to have his house built. Meera (Sameera), his wife is a software professional who helps him out. Gopikrishnan (Sreenivasan) plays the assistant town planner, an epitome of corruption. Nothing moves in his office without kickbacks. The film tackles a serious theme but is peppered with regular dollops of humour as well.

ORU NAAL VARUM

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NAMITHA

NAMITHA // GALLERIA

20 SOUTHSCOPE MAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;10

Photographer: G Venket Ram

Styling: Sydney Sladen Hair: Pinky Make up: Noor Mohammed Coordinated by: Sridevi Sreedhar

Buckle up... your seat belt, we mean!!

I’d want to fall in love with a girl like you... wouldn’t you?

NAMITHA // GALLERIA

MAY’10 SOUTHSCOPE 21

Redefine your geometry with these curves!

NAMITHA // GALLERIA

22 SOUTHSCOPE MAY’10

Bootylicious: Wonder what Beyonce would have to say to this!

NAMITHA // GALLERIA

MAY’10 SOUTHSCOPE 23

TAMIL // EXCLUSIVE

OF ANOTHER HIT AND AT LEAST TWO PRETTY MISSES! If you want to see a film with one line for a story plus glued-to-the-seat entertainment, go see an N Lingusamy film! Pavithra Srinivasan chats up the Tamil filmmaker who seems to have excelled at the action love story genre. The atmosphere is pleasantly quiet. The only sounds are a distant hum of machinery and voices. We’re at the Real Image Mixing Theatre, Chennai where the post-production work of most Tamil films is carried out. The scene is far removed from the fanfare and chaos of filming. Here, the work happens in silence. Just when we are getting used to the quiet, in walks N Lingusamy. The industry knows him as the man who holds the magic formula for success. Paiyya, his latest project has created a minor stir among youngsters for its sheer entertainment. While three quarters of the industry generally makes statements about producing commercial entertainers, few films actually do entertain. At least, that’s what the box office reports. Lingusamy however, is known to produce blockbusters that appeal to a mass audience. How does he come up with them? “My story usually evolves as a single point,” he explains seriously. “I develop a script from that point. Eventually, it becomes a fullfledged story. Like in Paiyya, this young happy-go-lucky guy does what he wants, living life his own way. In fact, Paiyya is a word used to refer to a youthful person. He sees the girl, almost as if in

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a vision and she disappears. He thinks he’s never going to see her again. And then, he suddenly finds he can accompany that girl on a trip!” It’s almost as though Lingusamy actually sees the event happen, which he probably did during the shoot. This is apparently also a road movie and in that sense unconventional. “I don’t think anything of this kind has been attempted before. Paiyya goes from Bengaluru to Mumbai in a car, and that’s where most of the action happens. The story is not set in Chennai. In fact, the only reference to the city is that the hero, Shiva, his friends and the girl are from Chennai.” So why the Bengaluru-Mumbai road? “I’ve travelled the scenic route time and again. So I thought, why not make it a part of the movie? The road is as much a part of the film as the cast,” he says. Making a movie on the road might sound interesting, but it was not the easiest thing to pull off. Most commercial entertainers usually work with pre-designed sets. A road isn’t likely to provide readymade sets, does it now? “Oh, we did encounter some setbacks,” Lingusamy makes a possible pun, “but we actually found beautiful locations on the road itself. That worked in favour of the script.” What about additional touches required on location? “When we wanted something specific, we came up with beautiful CGI-aided locations, with art director Rajeevan.” Lingusamy later revealed that the visuals for the song Suthude Suthude were actually a concoction of sets and CGI to create the atmosphere of a moon-lit night. Just how did he end up choosing Karthi, usually known for his serious roles as the hero of Paiyya, we wonder. “He was perfect for the role,” Lingusamy offers. “He’s very clear about what he wants to do. And he knows a lot about cinema. I talk about Tamil and Indian films; he talks about world cinema,” he laughs. On a more serious note, “He’s got a strong drive. A keen desire to achieve things. He reads. He watches and understands so many things about cinema. He’ll go a very long way.” The choice of hero aside, Paiyya’s search for a heroine attracted much media frenzy. Back when the project was announced, Nayanthara was cast for a pricey sum of Rs one crore. The offer was eventually withdrawn, leading to a media ruckus. Tamannaah was later chosen for the same role, reportedly to the makers’ relief. Lingusamy simply smiles. “I still respect Nayanthara,” he confides. “But Tamannaah has been exceptional in her performance. She’s played Charulatha, the demure good girl anyone would fall for, with perfection. It was great working with her.” Turns out, the shoot was more fun than work. Lingusamy describes a bus ride from Mysore to Kerala for a song sequence. “We shot in the Sivasamudram and Chalakkudi Falls, and we travelled all night. The whole unit was having loads of fun. It didn’t even feel like a shoot; it was a vacation.” This sort of exceptional felicity was also one of the reasons for the director’s first runaway success, Anandham. Lingusamy smiles in reminiscence. It was a tale of four brothers in a family, headed by strong and dependable Annan Thiruppathy played by Mammootty. The family’s experiences simply told, arrived in Tamil cinema in the midst of superheroes and action drama. Needless to say the film was an instant success.

“Anandham is essentially my own story,” he also shares. “We’re a family of four brothers from a village in Ramanathapuram and have our own family business. Many scenes in the film are straight out of real life.” So, which among the four brothers is Lingusamy in real life? “The third,” he grins. Incidentally, the third brother in the movie gets the best of everything: love, a career and his family’s respect. His brothers, he says, still run the business back home. And yes, they give him complete freedom to pursue his own career. “Cinema was always my passion,” he admits. “I’d spend hours watching movies in my childhood, wondering when I’d be a part of this world. When the right time came, I told my family that this was what I wanted to do. They didn’t object. In fact, they gave me a lot of encouragement.” In a way, brotherly devotion is what prompted the production of his latest film as well. “It’s been a long-cherished dream to script a story, and get my brothers to produce it. That dream has been fulfilled with Paiyya.” The journey towards fulfilling his dream has been a long one dotted with many smaller successes. There was the romantic action film Run, for instance – the tale of a young man who falls in love with a dada’s sister, and fights a battalion of strangers to get her. “The character of Shiva, an angry young man with fire in his heart struck a chord with everyone. That was completely new to Tamil cinema.” In Run again, he went with an unusual cast – his hero was Madhavan, the popular chocolate boy of those times. “I caught a hint of who he could be in Gautam Menon’s Minnale. When I explained the scenes to him, he caught on like a spark set to camphor. Mark my words,” he tells us. “What he’s done so far is very little. He will go very far.” Such respect for an actor is quite heartening. National Award winner Meera Jasmine who delivered an equally satisfying performance, prompted Lingusamy to cast her again in the blockbuster Sandaikkozhi. Yet another story of the angry young man, only this time it was played bye action hero Vishal. Among such successes are the occasional lapses as well. Why, for example, did his much-anticipated Ajith-starrer Ji fail at the box office? Likewise, Bheema, with National Award winner Vikram didn’t fare well either. “Yes, they performed lower than expected,” Lingusamy acknowledges humbly. “When the shoot is happening, I usually figure out if the movie will work or not. It’s like everyone coming together and raising a huge load – ailesa! And it’s up,” he illustrates with southern candour. “But once you break that momentum, for whatever reason, the mood is lost. You never can get back the same spirit,” he rues. “That’s what happened with these movies.” And what about Trisha? Having cast her twice in his movies, had he watched Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaayaa? “I did. And I was dismayed that I never got Trisha to play the kind of role she did in that film,” he smiles. So who’s he planning to cast in his next project? “Simbhu,” he says with finality. “He’s got the fire I want. Watch out – we’ll be back soon!”

MAY’10 SOUTHSCOPE 25

TAMIL // EXCLUSIVE

HUSKY ENOUGH TO KILL!

Singer, dancer, dubbing artiste, linguist, entrepreneur, RJ, healer, blogger, Chinmayi Sripada is all of that, and maybe some more. Karthik Pasupulate is clearly floored!

hi u r blessed with a very very beautiful voice. Your voice is as beautiful as Samantha...even more... :) I can say only one line....Ye Maaya Chesaave. . . Messages such as this, signed by a certain gentleman named Saikumar Reddy, have become a regular fixture in Chinmayi’s daily routine. Yet another fan going by the name JK was admittedly so smitten by her voice that he saw Ye Maaya Chesave fourteen times! The voice of Samantha’s character in the film is reeling in the reverie. “On an average, everyday I get two or three mails from people saying how they loved my voice in Ye Maya Chesave. I am overwhelmed by the fan mail I have received, especially from Andhra. I have never been appreciated so much for a dubbing job. “I mean who’d watch a movie fourteen times for whatever reason? No wonder they love their cinema,” Chinmayi wonders. However, the biggest compliment according to her came from the Tamil side of things. “A lot of people thought Trisha dubbed

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herself. I’d say that was the best,” admits Chinmayi. Come to think of it, we like our leading ladies sounding (sometimes even behaving) like thirteen – fourteen year olds. In the mix, a husky female voice is more of an exception. Small wonder Chinmayi had her apprehensions when she was first asked to dub. The call came from Rahman’s studio, and they were looking for a new voice for Bhumika in Sillunu Oru Kadhal.

In came 2002 and it seemed she’d come a long way from her TV debut as a singer in Saptaswarangal. Chinmayi has dabbled in TV, radio and web and films, and in multiple languages at that. Her ascent though has not been easy to say the least. “A lot of times, it has been very difficult. The competition is so cut-throat, you better be prepared for it. There’s a lot of bull s*** that goes on,” Chinmayi lashes out.

“I do not have that typical ting-a-lingshining-bell-voice that is associated with our leading ladies and was surprised when I was asked to audition,” she shares. She’s dubbed for 17 films in all since then. Her vocation of choice though is singing. It was A R Rahman again who spotted the spark in her. She made her debut singing the title song in Kannathil Muthamittal, and clearly took the industry by storm. A brilliant composition, she couldn’t have asked for a better debut.

But surely it must have helped to have a mentor like AR Rahman? Speaking of mentors, they can also be detrimental to a singer’s career. Chinmayi, however begs to differ. “A R Rahman has played a primordial part in my success. But ultimately it is all about what the artiste brings to the table. It doesn’t matter even if you are mentored by Celine Dion or Mariah Carrey.” Does that mean that at the end of the day, whatever the artiste is worth is all his/her making? “At any point of the day!” she exclaims.

Photographer: T Selvakumar © Worldlight

Chinmayi says that her mother has undoubtedly been the biggest influence in her life. “My mother has been my friend, philosopher and guide. My guru! I owe everything to her,” she implores. Coming from a musically inclined family, her formal training started when she was three and a half years old. “In families with a legacy of music, kids start training from the time they can speak,” she explains. She has trained in carnatic and Hindustani music. Chinmayi also happens to be a trained Odissi dancer. “It all boils down to having the right parent,” contends Chinmayi. Parent? “I really do not like to talk much about my father,” she says candidly. We learn later that her father left the family when she was a little over a year and since then her mother was the anchor in her life. The 25-year-old is also the head of a translation company, Blue Elephant, something that she started in the second year of college. “It was established as a via-media between the translation and corporate worlds. We have been doing quite

HUSKY ENOUGH TO KILL! well and plan to open branches in Bengaluru and Hyderabad soon,” she explains. And her talents don’t stop just there. Chinmayi is also an accomplished linguist. She can speak Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, German and French, besides English. “I am familiar with Hindi as well, having been born and grown up in Mumbai for eight years,” she supplies. And the list does not end here either. She’s also doing a certificate course in alternate healing therapies, past life regression in particular. “Considering the state of the world we live in, I think we need all the healing we can get,” she quips. With so much to do, does that leave her with anytime to smell the flowers? “It looks a lot more exhaustive than it actually is. I do get my free time. I watch a lot of movies and read as well. The Himalayas have been romanticised a lot, what with white water rafting and the likes. I’m planning to make a trip there sometime this year,” she shares. Doesn’t a man feature in that long list of things she’d love to, well, do? It comes as no surprise when she says, “I have never been romantically involved in my life.” She does have plans though. “I do intend to fall in love and have children like any other girl. Life’s treated me well with whatever I have pursued so far. I’m hoping god would have planned something on that front as well.” That heady voice of hers still rings, long after the sentence has finished.

MAY’10 SOUTHSCOPE 27

TAMIL // EXCLUSIVE

It takes ups and downs for a rollercoaster ride and Tamil actor Shaam has seen them both in good measure. Karuna Amarnath though, catches him riding on a high wave before the release of Tillalangadi.

love of acting… Shaam is very confident about 2010. In fact, his spirits are so high, he’s going to make sure nothing comes in the way or goes wrong this year. “I am feeling how I did in 1999 – confident and charged up,” he smiles. If you’re wondering what’s going on, here it is: Shaam’s upcoming release Tillalangadi. Set as a remake of Kalyan Krishna’s blockbuster Telugu film, Kick, Tillalangadi is riding on high expectations. What’s more, Shaam also turns producer this year with Agam Puram, directed by Thirumalai. That makes it two action films on the trot to stray away from the ‘regular’ fare that he’s been dishing out up till now. “I needed to break away from the strong ‘lover boy’ image that Jeeva had created, and Kick did that for me,” explains Shaam, adding that Agam Puram will be his first hardcore action film – his favourite genre. “The producer wasn’t comfortable with the revised budget, so I decided to chip in and finish the film; I thought it was the right time to invest in this industry,” he tells us. Success seems to be by the actor’s side, but things weren’t always as rosy. Especially since a fresher in the industry cannot get his way around easily. 28 SOUTHSCOPE MAY’10

SIMPLY SHAAM My life mantra: I give my hundred per cent to anything I believe in. At the moment it’s football and cinema. Also, I am a big believer in destiny.

After graduation, Shaam took up modelling. He worked with some of the best names in the industry, like Prasad Bidappa, Hemant Trivedi and Marc Robinson. “The good thing about being a model for a year-and-a-half was that I got rid of all my reservations – of working with big names, handling crowds and being in front of the camera,” he reminisces. But acting has always been his calling, and that’s what brought him to Chennai. He was knocking at every top director’s door, meeting a few and chatting with some more. Things looked quite down and out for Shaam. And then an ad-film coordinator put him onto a cinematographer - the late Jeeva. “I think he was tossing a coin in the air at that time – heads to go with a new face, tails to go with a known one. And, that’s when I walked in. It took him four minutes to decide to work with me,” Shaam beams. Though the Vijay-starrer Khushi released before, 12B was the kind of debut actors spend sleepless nights dreaming of. He bagged a double role. But the story got better for Shaam. Also, he was cast with two of Tamil cinema’s leading ladies at that time, Simran and Jyotika! “It took me a full two weeks to get over the initial shock. In fact, my mother asked my friends to check if I was alright and not imagining things! The film got me everything I ever wanted – fans, popularity, recognition, good money for my next film… I couldn’t have asked for more!” Shaam’s enthusiasm is palpable. 12B was also a trendsetter of sorts, be it for its music, dance or cast. Shaam had struck gold with his debut, and that was 2001.

healthy competition and audiences don’t mind seeing a couple of good actors in one film.” Shaam believes that getting more actors to contribute in a film is not an issue. “I don’t worry about insecurities or ego clashes; I want to enjoy my work and not worry about the numbers. If you look at Subramaniapuram and other box-office hits in the last couple of years, they all had two, sometimes three actors. But the director had to choose newcomers because the existing ‘heroes’ can’t work together,” he adds. The actor is convinced that directors in Tamil cinema need to seriously rethink their style of functioning. Just like Jeeva, who launched the careers of one actor after another, Shaam feels that directors need to work with more conviction. “I will hold Jeeva in very high regard because of the confidence with which he worked. It showed not just in his direction, but also his scripts. He took risks and we need more directors like him,” he feels. By jumping into a full-time production house, he feels he will be able to do what he has always wanted to. “If you have family backing in the industry, scripts are written for you. And that’s the case with 13 of 15 heroes back here,” he says. And just how would he change that? “In my case, there’s X, Y, Z and Shaam for a particular script. I couldn’t go to anyone and say, ‘I want to play a cop, so write a script for me.’ By turning producer, I hope to be able to change that,” he says with an air of conviction. “I am destiny’s child and I know this year is going to be great for me.”

Following his high flying debut, you’d expect his career to have reached stellar proportions. But, things didn’t work out so easily. “I signed many films and learnt a lot from all the directors I worked with, but it didn’t give me the success I thought I’d get,” he grimaces. “Things are very difficult with you if you don’t have mentors in the industry. I had to learn everything as I went along.” After Iyarkai in 2003, which won the National Award for Best Tamil Film, Jeeva’s Ullam Ketkumae earned Shaam some recognition. After that came a lull. Shaam was staring at 12 flops in his career. Luck turned in his favour with Kick, a superhit. The film was an unusual success, after all having two actors in a film was not a common sight in Tamil cinema. “Why not?” he asks. “Why do you think the only hit so far this year is the spoof, Tamil Padam?” Shaam offers. “The reason films are bombing in the industry is the same old plots and stories that are being repeated with solo heroes. To change that, we need two or even more actors working together. We need

Time Off: I am a fitness freak so I am mostly in the gym.

The Real Shaam: …is the guy in Bengaluru. I love being there because of friends and family who have known me as ‘amju’ before I became an actor. I also try and spend as much time as I can with my wife, Kashish.

Gossip and controversies: I am very lucky because my wife is Punjabi and doesn’t know Tamil! Jokes aside, I don’t care much for any of it.

Word of Advice: For someone who doesn’t have a father, brother or uncle in the industry, it is next to impossible to make it! But keep at it, don’t lose heart, and you’ll definitely make it.

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TAMIL //

CENTRE STAGE

We now pronounce you

silambarasan

& samantha!

Text: Vrinda Prasad and Sridevi Sreedhar

Styling & Clothes: Chaitanya Rao Hair: Pinky Make up (Simbu): Nagaraj Make up (Samantha): Noor Mohammed Coordinated by: Sridevi Sreedhar

Photographer: G Venket Ram

Only in this case the ceremony is reversed and all the kissing got done long before! And boy, did the people cheer! We wondered what it would be like to get Karthik of Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya and Jessie of Ye Maya Chesave in the same frame. And they got us weaving a fantasy… She is the angel. He is the playboy. When she speaks, you want to wrap yourself in her voice. When he decides to charm, he’s pretty straight about it. She is a damsel, but not in distress. He is a knight with an unmistakable chink or two in his shining armour. Together Samantha and Silambarasan romanced the cover of Southscope this issue – very much the fantasy pair we had in mind. Classic but not clichéd. Contemporary yet timeless… Samantha was initially a little shy. Understandably. She’s just one film old. Simbu though was unsurprisingly cool with some role play. He has, after all, been doing it for so long now. A debut at nine months is early enough even for child artistes. So you get the drift. This photo shoot was every bit the hasty affair with Simbu getting into the act from the word go and Samantha following suit a little later. Somehow, the final effect on Venketram’s viewfinder was more than desirable. After Ye Maya Chesave in Telugu and Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya in Tamil became the hits they became, these two are enveloped in some new found stardom. It was his best performance to date and her debut. “I am reveling in all the love and respect I’m being showered with, especially by my female fans,” Simbu shares between clicks, adding just how wonderful he feels when “even elderly people come up to shake hands and congratulate.” And that of course makes him feel more responsible. More motivated to better his best performance. “I no longer want to be the next Rajinikanth or Kamal Hassan but my dream is that a newcomer should think of being the next Silambarasan!” Samantha couldn’t have asked for a more promising debut. With absolutely no film connections, she breezed into southern cinema with the effort of a butterfly. All the hard work followed once Gautam Menon offered her the role after auditioning 200 other girls. “Yes, I was the 201st one,” she smiles like she still can’t believe her luck. “Gautam happened to see me on the sets of a Tamil film I was working on, which hasn’t released yet. He called

TAMIL //

me twice but I didn’t go for the auditions. I wasn’t sure I would be selected. When he called me a third time, I decided to give it a try. And it clicked,” she can’t stop gushing. Samantha always dreamed of becoming an actor and though she got an enviable break with her first film, it wasn’t as easy on the home front. Like her character Jessie, Samantha comes from a fairly conventional Malyalalee Christian family. “My two elder brothers are like Jessie’s brother in the film,” she smiles again. We can imagine then just how tough it must have been for her. But once the film was done, the response it generated had her folks warm up to the whole idea of Samantha wanting to be an actor. Simbu though had no such issues with a filmmaker for a father. He grew up playing with film stock and rehearsing lines. “As a kid, I was always different from the rest. From a very young age I was a sort of hero to my friends. They were in awe of me and I loved entertaining them and was more interested in dance and mimicry than books. My mom was always concerned about my other interests coming in the way of my studies. But dad always came to the rescue and asked her to let me do what I wanted.” And how glad we are he did! Simbu attributes all his talent for acting, script writing and singing to his father but admits in the same breath that he’s closer to his mother. “I confide in her,” he shares. Samantha is also as close to her family, but unlike Simbu, was a brilliant student. She’s a self confessed nerd while he never so much as did his homework! After Vinnaithandi Varuvayya he is looking for only very good roles, ideally a fine balance between mass and romance. She’s got some superb projects already lined up, yet Samantha is hardly the kind to take for granted that her acting career will last forever. “We all need to have career options. I’ve studied business management so that’s something I can fall back on. And then you can always study further.” That sounds like Jessie – intelligent and bright. “Yeah, but I’m not as calm and reserved as her.” Also let us tell you, although she was the first bencher – since she was the brightest and shortest in class – Samantha didn’t miss out on the fun back then in school and especially college. “My mum was called to college several times since I would bunk classes,” she recalls slipping into nostalgia. Our man too got into a tussle or two with his teachers but he was also an affectionate kid. So they did give him preferential treatment sometimes. “But I don’t know if that was because of my father being a popular name in Tamil cinema. I’d like to believe that they were nice to me because I was a talented child.” And as a talented child, Simbu was bitterly disappointed when he wasn’t chosen for the lead role in Mani Ratnam’s Anjali. “When I heard that he was making a film with children, I hoped and prayed that I would be given the lead role. But it was done by Tarun. I was upset for a real long time. Even today I sometimes

wonder why Mani Sir didn’t call me to do the role,” since Simbu was an established child artiste in the south by then. Samantha has no such stories to share yet, but it might just be a question of time before she too can talk about various roles and experiences in the film world. For now though, she talks about the much talked about kissing shots in Ye Maya Chesave. “I know where you are going with this,” she giggles. “But honestly it was so aesthetically shot that I didn’t feel awkward at all. Also, Gautam really made me feel comfortable. He approved of the shot immediately. We didn’t have to do any retakes.” Was this a sigh of relief or regret? “Now, now you go there again,” Samantha feels ragged by us for some reason. Simbu by now is all set to defend the damsel in distress and we can see a spark or two flying between these two. So what is the kind of girl he likes? “I’m not hung up on looks. Love curly hair though. She doesn’t have to have chiseled features as much as a good attitude,” he lets us in. Which reminds us, he’s had a string of relationships that didn’t go as well as he would have liked them to. “I have been a very misunderstood man as far as relationships go. I loved them unconditionally and even today, I respect them.” Ever the gentleman, huh? Talking of which – not him being a gentleman, but him being single – everyone seems to be wondering for how long will he remain single. “I don’t see myself getting hitched anytime soon,” he interjects. “Being with Simbu is not an easy proposition,” he adds. Why so? “I seriously feel that for someone to be my girlfriend will be a tough job since I’m unique in many ways. I don’t wish to sound immodest, but that’s how I feel.” That’s honest. “It is. And also let me tell you, I believe that I will meet the one I’m supposed to end up with, sometime. Maybe that’s why all my previous relationships withered away since I’m meant for someone else,” he offers. Any takers yet? Samantha doesn’t seem like one. On screen yes, but otherwise, doesn’t look like. Right now, at least. Wink, wink! Samantha looks ragged again. So we talk of marriage and her views on inter-community marriages since her Malyalalee Christian character in the film falls in love with a Hindu. “It’s no big deal these days. I personally have no such misgivings.” Before we exit the subject though, let us tell you about Simbu’s first crush. “It was a friend’s sister in class six.” Simbu, by the way, had a huge crush on actor Khushboo too when he was a kid. “Later it was Jyothika and now I am crazy about Anushka. I saw Arundhati and let me tell you, I was awe struck by her screen presence and charisma. She was able to hold on her own for three hours. I have never met her or talked to her, but I am her biggest fan,” he beams for the first time during this photo shoot. While on a confession spree, Simbu also tells us that he is quite religious. “There is some power that controls everything. In my words, we are actors and he is the director.” Back to matters on earth and the actors and directors here, Simbu says “I am confident that with more multiplexes coming up in Chennai, young actors

TAMIL //

like me will have more scope to experiment and do films like Ranbir and Shahid are doing in Hindi.” Samantha too is poised for what looks like a big innings in Telugu cinema. “After Ye Maya Chesave, there are a lot of expectations riding on me and I need to choose my roles with care. But there cannot be another Jessie!” Let us tell you, she’s got some dream projects lined up, in which she will be paired with Mahesh Babu, Prabhas and Jr NTR. Simbu’s upcoming projects also include some very good roles. He will be featured with Samantha too in a couple of these. They’ll look wonderful together. They already do. If breaking news had a making twos kind of equivalent, we’d say, we paired them first!

38 SOUTHSCOPE MAY’10

MALAYALAM // EXCLUSIVE

ALL MADE UP! You can count the number of acclaimed makeup artists in Indian cinema today on one hand. N G Roshan is slowly but surely figuring in that list, finds Mona Ramavat There is nothing dramatic about N G Roshan, although for some reason we imagine a makeup artist to look made up! But yeah, he’s got the customary beard that usually goes with anybody you might think of as backstage. Plus he is a Malyalee. That of course doesn’t have anything to do with the beard. But somehow, when you think makeup artist from Kerala who’s been into theatre and offbeat cinema, one look at Roshan simply makes you say; yes, that’s our man. While he started his career with theatre and meanders between the stage and screen, Pazhassi Raja certainly has pushed his film career several notches up. The grand epic Malayalam film which was the highest grosser last year in Kerala was a makeup man’s challenge. What with having to grease paint at least 50 actors a day! “Since it was a period film and involved several actors and extras, we had to ensure that kind of efficiency every single day of the shoot,” recalls Roshan, who along with 15 assistants managed to make up 700 artistes and extras per day. This is incidentally the first mainstream film he’s done so far. “It was definitely a challenge and not just with the sheer numbers. With period films, you need to put in a lot of detail – be it the hair styles of those times or the skin tone even. Besides the lead actors, even a junior actor had to be given that kind of attention to detail,” he shares. Must have been one maddening project, this one. “Oh yes. But one of the most interesting ones too.” Before Pazhassi Raja, Roshan was involved with parallel cinema films like The Virgin Goat by Murali Nair, K M Madhusudan’s film on the magic lantern, Paan Nalin and Richie Mehta’s films among others. Roshan is your quintessential man of few words. So he doesn’t volunteer information pretty often. But ask him about his passion for makeup as an art and science and he seems unstoppable. “The biggest challenge of a makeup artist is to bring out the finer nuances of a character on screen. When you understand the script and what the director wants of an actor, the makeup needs to add value to the characterisation. It’s quite fascinating when you delve into the details and begin to understand how a particular tone of colour on skin looks this way or that on screen. Or on the stage for that matter.”

somehow developed an interest in theatre. More than acting, I’ve been interested with things like set design, costumes, lighting. That’s how I developed an inclination towards trying to understand the role of makeup in a performance.” But let us tell you, Roshan has had an acting stint too. Not on screen but on stage. In a stage show in Delhi titled, The Makeup, Roshan played a makeup artist. “I had to transform this actor into various challenging looks. And it involved prosthetic makeup as well. It all had to be done in real time on stage. I didn’t have a chair to sit down too, since my character as this makeup artist didn’t sit. It was pretty challenging and definitely interesting.” Prosthetic makeup is the sort that Kamal Haasan sported in Chachi 420 or Amitabh Bachchan in Paa. Roshan has been involved with several stage shows in India and abroad apart from the various festival circuit films he’s worked for. He holds a diploma in film and TV makeup and has also studied at the Grease Paint School of Film Makeup at London. That sounds like a focused pursuit of his passion. “It was and still is,” he says as we wonder why such specialised institutes are a rarity in India. “In India, you can actually count acclaimed makeup artists on one hand. It is certainly not a dearth of talent. I think it’s more a case of not exploring the full potential of an art,” offers Roshan. “When you think makeup, you think saloon! I think that’s where the issue is. But things are gradually looking up. Institutions like Films and Television Institute of Pune and National School of Drama are offering good specialised courses these days,” he says. Roshan also happens to be a visiting faculty at the National School of Drama, apart from The University of Hyderabad and others. He also has a few Malayalam film projects in hand. So is it only non-mainstream kind of films he’s interested in? “Not necessarily. Any project, be it a mainstream film or an offbeat film or a stage show could be interesting as long as it’s challenging enough,” he signs off.

So has he always wanted to be a makeup artist? “I never imagined I would be one someday! In fact, I was always fond of sketching. That

MAY’10 SOUTHSCOPE 39

TAMIL // FEATURES

SPOOF! HERE’S THE PROOF! Pavithra Srinivasan has a good laugh tracing the history of spoofing in Tamil cinema Hollywood has never made any bones of the fact that everything can be laughed at. Check out their talk shows, comedy segments and full length feature films that take snide digs at everything from the Presidential elections to World War II. The south Indian movie industry, though, works along different lines with laughter being confined to separate comedy tracks that are at best subplots. Comedians like Vivek and Vadivel, kings of their own genre in the Tamil industry did make a name for themselves spoofing society, politics, politicians and actors whenever they could. Their comic timing and sharp digs found their marks – but their scope was, nevertheless, restricted. This was when television came to the rescue, somewhat. Spoof shows like Lollu Sabha, teased anything that was unfortunate enough to come their way and earned a dedicated audience. Comedy shows like Asatha Povathu Yaaru and Kalakka Povathu Yaaru came up with specials where everything became the butt of a joke. Some actors like Sathyaraj chose to spoof movies as well. His Maha Nadigan was not much of an exposé on Tamil films, rather an attempt at ripping apart very well known actors and directors. Sathyaraj did it with inimitable style; not many could carry it off as well as he did.

40 SOUTHSCOPE MAY’10

Despite these attempts, spoofs were still beyond most artistes. In a land where heroes are considered demi-gods and temples built for heroines, spoofing wasn’t going to gain points. Besides, spoof is something of a fine art. It isn’t all about making fun. Handled well, spoofing is pure satirical indulgence. Bit by bit, it seemed that some directors, had a good understanding of the subject. A movie called Vedigundu Murugesan, starring Pasupathi took a good many potshots at Tamil cinema’s typical song-fight format. Soon, it sank without so much as a ripple. Then came Venkat Prabhu, a scion of the Ilaiyaraja-Gangai Amaren musical clan. Under his able direction, Tamil movies took subtle shots at reigning superstars in a way that didn’t offend anyone. The film delivered digs at camera angles, editing styles and special effects, though these were more of an aside. His main story was a different deal altogether. It took first-time director, C S Amudhan, producer Dhayanidhi Lagiri and an intrepid hero, Shiva to deliver Thamizh Padam (literally Tamil movie). That was the birth of the first of its kind, full-length spoof on Tamil cinema. Right from the first paper ad, Thamizh Padam was based on a firm dig at the corner-stones of Tamil cinema. Here are a few of their dicta, a rule-book that every ‘hero’ follows:

Nick Rivers: Listen to me Hillary. I'm not the first guy who fell in love with a woman that he met at a restaurant who turned out to be the daughter of a kidnapped scientist only to lose her to her childhood lover who she last saw on a deserted island who then turned out fifteen years later to be the leader of the French underground. Hillary Flammond: I know. It all sounds like some bad movie. [Long pause. Both look at camera.] ~(From the Hollywood spoof blockbuster, Top Secret)

The Thaali is the most holy thing in a woman’s life. Thou shall worship thy mother over all gods. Thou shall not let thy sister’s feet touch the ground. Thou shall fall in love and marry a rich girl irrespective of how poor you are. Thou shall sing and dance with her in exotic foreign locations. Thou shall fight against corrupt politicians and gangsters even if they are your girlfriend’s daddy. Thou shall educate women on Tamil culture. Thou shall always give your life for your friend. Thou shall treat your friend’s sister as your own. Unless she’s hot. Thou shall single-handedly take on and eradicate all evil in the world. Thou shall have a six pack. Thou cannot be over 35 years old. True to form, every single frame of Thamizh Padam was a potshot at tried and tested conventions: Shiva, the hero beats up hundreds of goons, stops bullets with his bare hand, smiles as his loyal fans put up cut-outs. Of course, romancing heroines by learning Bharathanatyam in one night and turning out to be a police officer in disguise came easy to him as well. Camera angles aped those used in top heroes’ movies, editing and special effects followed suit. And everyone loved it. Applause raised the roof whenever a popular hero’s typical style was ridiculed; countless movies, directors and actors were spoofed; audiences pointed out each movie, scene and song with glee. True, some fans were incensed, as were a few directors and actors, but most chose to take it in the right sense. As director Gautam Menon put it, “They spoof us only because they love our work.”

MAY’10 SOUTHSCOPE 41

MALAYALAM // FEATURES

SEQUEL

OPPORTUNITIES! Sridevi Sreedhar goes chasing sequels in Malayalam cinema, a trend that was spurned a while ago but seems to be here to stay! Make no mistake. Sequels are set to rock Malayalam cinema. Look around for reasons and all fingers point to actor, producer, director and distributor Lal. His summer release, In Ghost House Inn has become the first big hit of 2010, leading to predictions of a sequel craze that will sweep over the Kerala film industry this year. To set the record straight, In Ghost House Inn has collected a distributor’s share of Rs 2.47 crore in two weeks. Those are the numbers from 80 odd screens in Kerala alone. In Ghost House Inn is the third film in the popular franchise, which started off with In Harihar Nagar in 1991. The sequel and part two in the series, 2 Harihar Nagar released last April after a gap of 18 years. The film went on to bag the top spot as the biggest box-office blockbuster in Malayalam in 2009. Producer and Distributor George Thomas says that the sequels have worked favourably for the franchise. “Lal’s gamble paid off in filming the third part of Harihar Nagar, a year after the release of part two. Now everybody wants to do sequels of recent hits,” he says. Sure enough, producers and stars alike are trying to woo old time writers and directors to rework and dish out sequels to their earlier hits in a contemporary package. Sequels have become the in thing in Malayalam cinema, with filmmakers trying to cash in on the brand image created by the hit originals. The faith in the sequels is not unjustified though. Most sequels have managed to work magic at the box office. The rush for sequels is not new in these parts though. Malayalam cinema has been doing sequels of popular movies, right from the days of Mammootty’s CBI Diary Kurupu. The 1988 film, directed by K Madhu featured the superstar as an investigative Sherlock Holmes-esque cop. The character, Sethurama Iyer became a rage with fans, spawning off three sequels in the process.

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The 1986 I V Sasi-directed Avanazhi featured Mammootty playing a Dirty Harry-like tough policeman. This was followed by Inspector Balaram in 1991. The actor-filmmaker duo reunited after a gap of 15 years again in 2006. This time, the character of the cop, Balaram was pitted against Tharadas, a smuggler. Tharadas was played by Mammootty in the 1984 Athirathram. The film, Balram versus Tharadas showcased Mammootty in a dual role of thug and cop. Unsurprisingly, it caught on with the audience like wildfire. Mohanlal has also done many sequels of his popular films, like his comic caper with Sreenivasan, the 1987 Nadodikattu. Its sequel, Pattana Pravesam in 1989 was a box office success. But it was third time unlucky for the franchise. Number three in the series under Priyadarshan’s direction, Akkare Akkare did not exactly set the registers ringing. The I V Sasi-directed Devasuram (1993) and its sequels featured Mohanlal and had a successful run across packed theatre halls. The character of the feudal landlord, Mangalassery Neelakandan became the stuff of legends and was etched in the viewers’ mind for a long time. Later, the writer for the first two films, Ranjith turned director. He tasted commercial success only when he completed the sequel, titled Ravana Prabhu (2001) which had Mohanlal doing a dual role as father and son. Mohanlal’s action film, the 1987 Irupatham Nootandu had a sequel 22 years later as Sagar alias Jacky - Reloaded in 2009. The film had an average run at the theatres. Close on the trail was Suresh Gopi, playing the tough talking cop, Bharathchandran in Commissioner. The 1995 film was a mega hit. A decade years later, the director Shaji Kailas came out with a sequel, Bharathchandran IPS, though the film could not match up to the success of the original. Malayalam film writer and historian Beena Renjani says, “All sequels need not do well. You have to pick up the right film for a sequel which will strike a chord with today’s viewers.” Renjani notes that behind the success of the Harihar Nagar franchise films lay the comic finesse of the lead characters. “All the four actors - Mukesh, Siddique, Jagadish and Asokan - excel in comedy roles and the slapstick comedy revolves around them,” she says. The late Lohitadas, considered as one of the best script writers in Malayalam cinema remarked in an interview, before his untimely death last year, “Everybody is coming to me with a request to write sequels of my earlier hits. I once made the mistake of making a sequel of my all time favourite Mohanlal classic, Kireedam (1989). The successor, Chenkol (1993) was no patch on the original. Due to a dearth of good subjects, stars and some directors want to go on making sequels.” Lohitadas was not far from the truth. Today, producers, directors and especially the superstars tend to prefer commercially viable projects that work at the box-office. A leading Malayalam director, who is critical of the trend says, “The superstars want to recycle their old hits and the best way out is to make sequels. It is an easy way out, as no new story is required. All you need is to give them

the latest gizmos, a new stylish wardrobe and the brand (the earlier film) brought to the audiences. Sequels will ultimately destroy Malayalam cinema, which requires new stories, ideas and younger stars.” Yet the craze to belt out sequels is not ebbing away. Mammootty along with director Anwar Rasheed is planning to make a sequel to his 2006 mega blockbuster, Raja Manikyam. The film is scheduled as a Ramzan 2010 release. There are rumours that Mammootty’s 1990 film Samrajayam, in which he played a slick underworld don is going to have a sequel too. The film would be called Son of Alexander. The scramble for sequels continues as Alleppy Ashraf gets set to direct a follow up to his 1986 Ninnishtam Ennishtam. It would be written by Priyadarshan. The original featured Mohanlal and Priya in the lead and was based on Charile Chaplin’s City Lights. All this while, talks are going on for a sequel to Mohanlal’s 1986 action thriller Rajavinte Magan, the fourth instalment to Mohanlal-Sreenivasan’s Nadodikattu. Mohanlal will once again play Major Mahadevan (the character he played in Keerthichakra and Kurukshetra). This time, the daring army commando, created by director Major Ravi would be seen in the all new adventure titled Kandahar. The story is based on the hijack of an Indian Airlines flight. Amitabh Bachchan would play a cameo in the film. In the mix are Dileep and his favourite director Johnny Antony too, who will start off a sequel to their popular comedy super hit, CID Moosa (2003). The film is set for release later this year. Sathyan Anthikadu has also announced a sequel to his 1991 political satire Sandesham. Scripted by Sreenivasan, the original film featured Jayaram and Sreenivasan as brothers on opposite sides of the fence. Blame it on lack of original scripts or the desire to cash in on earlier hits. Either way, it’s sequel time all over again in Kerala!

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Sadha is a homebody, loves her family and has not been on a date, yet amidst all the sweetness lies some spice that Rahul Ganguly manages to scoop.

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LIGHTS SADHA // SOUTHSPREAD

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Anniyan, Shankar Dada Zindabad, Monalisa, Novel. Four languages and a bunch of films; Sadha seems very much at ease across industries. While her career graph may not be stellar, it does have its peaks of quiet achievements. Now the Jayam girl will be seen in the Kannada film, Mailari. “I’ve never been bothered about competition in the industry.” Did we hear that right? “Yup,” Sadha exclaims, “look around you, there’s competition everywhere. It’s a part of life. Why single out films?” But we are in a pesky mood. Coming from a non-film background, surely it’s been no cakewalk to make it without godfathers? Sadha does not bite the bait. “See,” she explains calmly, “if I did have a godfather or a family to back me up, I’d have to share my success with them. Though not knowing the industry from the inside was tough in the beginning years.” With those lovely, deep eyes, Sadha can make a man go wobbly at the knees. “But in life, I’m a straightforward homebody,” she says. Born and grown up in Ratnagiri in Maharastra, life, for Sadha is an uncomplicated affair. “I’ve been a good kid. I love my parents and I’ve never been on a date,” she reveals in one breath. Never been on a date? “Yes,” she exclaims, “And I’m in no hurry to go running after the guy of my dreams either!”

Sadha credits her family as being her rock. “I’ve got all the love and support when I needed it.” And boy, does she love home cooked goodies. “I can finish off an entire plate of my mom’s chicken curry in one go!” she giggles. When she’s home, she unwinds with a bunch of films and music on her iPod. “Every night, I fall off to sleep listening to music,” she says. Speaking of sleep, does she dream of going off somewhere, apart from home? “Amsterdam,” Sadha smiles, “I’ve been there once for a shoot, and I want to tour the city sometime.” Her idea of adventure is a past life regression session. “I believe in rebirth, and someday, I’m going to get a past life regression session done, just not yet.” She loves being in her comfort zone at the moment, though. “I haven’t gone skydiving or bungee jumping. I’d rather be home with friends,” she says. We don’t buy it. Surely there’s a naughty spark somewhere? “Well I dived into a pool once,” Sadha says. And here’s the funky part: “I didn’t know swimming.” What fun!

SADHA // SOUTHSPREAD

CAMERA

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simplysadha ACTION SADHA // SOUTHSPREAD

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Moving on to her wardrobe, Sadha shares that she loves casual dressing. “I’m not much into brands. I pick up whatever catches my eye.” Bit of a shopaholic, there, are we? “Maybe a little bit,” she smiles. Sadha is also a diehard romantic, who believes in steady relationships over casual flings. “I love romantic movies, love stories, all of that.” All love and no sex? “Sexy is being who you are, being comfortable in your skin,” Sadha claims. Alright then, who’s sexy in her eyes? “Oh that’s easy, Tom Cruise! I’ve always had the biggest crush on him!” That’s when we push in the man question. Sadha claims that it would take a simple straightforward man to whisk her off her feet. “But he should be well groomed,” she warns. “I’m not hung up on big brands, like I said, but dirty nails and smelly feet will not work with me!” For now, she’s perfectly happy living life just the way she does. “It’s peaceful. I don’t want to change a single thing. Except wish for a bit more money, that’s all!” She winks.

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The actor does not believe in the size zero hype. “It’s a fad, and like all fads will fade away in time. An actor’s build should only depend on their character and the role they’ll play.” No fitness mantra for her, eh? “Nope, none,” she smiles, “I’ve always been very skinny. In fact, when I auditioned for Jayam, I was actually asked to pack in some pounds, and so I did!” The success of Jayam left her unfazed. “It all boils down to some luck, a bit of hard work and talent.” Her dream role? “Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich. She was such a strong character. I’d love to do something like that.” Then she lets us in on a secret. Sadha actually loved the first time she was mobbed by fans. “This is what we work for, and then finally you have all these excited fans all around, cheering you. It was such a high!” she exclaims. And don’t expect her to be bothered about trivialities, like the shelf life of actors either, for she’ll dispense Zen: “You have to live and let live. Just do what you’re supposed to and get on with life.”

PACKUP SADHA // SOUTHSPREAD

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TAMIL // EXCLUSIVE

SONGSTRESS DIARIES

Chennai wakes up to her livewire voice on Hello FM. She’s made playback singing a religion and dabbled in acting and TV anchoring too. But Suchitra Karthik Kumar loves being actor Kartihik’s wife the best, finds Vrinda Prasad.

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Taanam (The rhythm)

Raagam (The tune) Many say multitasking and Suchitra are synonymous, and we definitely agree! RJing, singing, acting…she does it all with élan. Let’s take it one at a time. Life sort of steered Suchi towards singing. And mind you, she never took any formal training. “It was my school teacher Renuka Girirajan who felt I could sing and thanks to her I won several competitions,” she says. Before she turned full time singer Suchi was quite happy with a lucrative IT job until singer Timothy Madhukar introduced her to Harris Jayaraj as she was singing jingles for him. But then music director Yuvan and Bharadwaj got her into mainstream playback singing. Since then there has been no looking back. Interestingly, the music director who eventually groomed her into what she is today was the same person who shut doors for her saying she couldn’t sing. She recollects, “My first recording for Mani Sharma was a disaster. It was a subtle love song and I had no idea how to handle it. But Mani Sir saw some potential in me I guess, and started calling me back for assignments. This gradually was helpful in moulding my voice, expressions and tone. So when Dole Dole and Ippatikinka happened, nobody could fault me. If I ever had a guru, it was Mani Sir.” But it was hardly a smooth ride before Suchi turned into something of a sought after singer. “It was a real struggle with the long period of lull that followed in my career after May Maasam 98’il, the song I sang in the film Jay Jay. A lot of people in the industry – friends, colleagues everyone – had written me off as a one-hit-wonder. That’s when Simbu happened to me. I still don’t know how he picked me out, but starting from En Aasai Mythiliye in Manmadhan, to Vechikava in Silambattam, all my duets with him for his films have worked fabulously well for me.”

We asked Suchi to respond to these names most spontaneously and this is what we got

Next we moved to her acting stint and Suchi finds this pretty amusing. “It was just for fun! I wanted to be in a Maniratnam film because he’d make me look pretty on screen, that’s all. And that’s how Aayutha Ezhuthu happened with Mani Sir. And Jay Jay was just a cameo. But radio and music are both very fulfilling careers right now.” And yet again she says life led her to be an RJ, “An old colleague, Sharath Chandra, persuaded me to join Radio Mirchi. My show on Hello FM today is an extension of who I am. It really is a reflection of my personality more than just being another way to use my voice. Every single day of being a radio jockey is exciting!” Ask her which of her songs does she like the best and she smiles. “All of them! And none of them. I am as detached as I’m greedy.” But three songs that she sang which remain her most liked renditions would be Tharai Irangiya from Eeram, Kutti Pisase from Kaalai and Dole Dole from Pokiri (Telugu). On her favourite co-singer: “The question of enjoying singing with co-singers comes only on stage concerts. Two singers I seem to have an awesome chemistry with are Ranjith and Krish. I would love to perform with Shankar Mahadevan and Rahman some day. They take concerts to another level. I’d love to be a concert pianist someday.” On to music directors she’s loved working with the most: “I am torn between Ilayaraja and A R Rahman. But now there’s a new name in this list – Vishal Bharadwaj. He’s a brilliant musician. His music touches me somewhere deep within.” And now on the idea of romance and romantic songs for hubby Karthik: “Romance is in our lives all the time. It does not have to happen on a birthday, anniversary or Valentine’s Day. Karthik and I have a bunch of silly, cute songs we’ve sort of ‘composed’ for each other. I made up a typical Nadeem-Shravan style song for him once, and music director Thaman loved it so much; he’s been asking me for the rights to use it in one of his films!” she fills us in.

Rahman – Harris Jayaraj – Yuvan Shanker Raja – Mani Sharma – Devi Sri Prasad – G V Prakash –

Pallavi (The melody) We wonder if a good voice is a gift from god or results from sheer hard work. “A basic good singing voice, you have to be born with it. But honing and grooming it definitely needs consistent hard work,” she explains. And on her style of singing, Suchi shares, “I think I have a very flexible tone. I can sound sweet, sexy, bold or sensual. My tone is different in each scale and music directors who know this know what scale to fix a song on, to get the desired tone. This is my biggest advantage as a playback singer.” So what is it that makes her the happiest? Being an RJ, singer or actor. “Being Karthik Kumar’s wife! Marriage has brought more happiness in my life than I ever thought possible,” she gushes.

Destiny’s favourite, most brilliant child. Everything he touches turns to gold. A hungry musician. There’s a wonderfully raw, soulful texture to his music. Technically, one of the best. The depth of his knowledge, the range of music he can create is incomparable. You have to listen to Morning Raga to know that. He does a tough job with such ease. Creating incredibly catchy tunes, movie after movie is no joke. His music has the most complex layers, but when you hear the final song, you are blown by its simplicity. Takes a rare talent to do that.

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TAMIL // EXCLUSIVE

MY NAME IS

ANTHONY GONSALVEZ… His interests in life are shots and shots. The first he works with and is currently one of the most sought after film editors in southern cinema. The second come in handy on the dance floor! Karuna Amarnath gets a first cut. A guy like Anthony can be unreal at times. It’s hard to believe how busy he is through the day. Bump into him while he’s working and you’ll probably find Anthony editing up to four films simultaneously. And the films need not even be in the same language! For someone who’s studied English literature because he ‘had no other major interests,’ with no family support in the industry, film editor Lewellyn Anthony Gonsalvez has an enviable success story. Who is Lewellyn? Anthony laughs, “That’s my first name! When I started working in the

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industry, everyone found it hard to pronounce. A director even came up to me and said, ‘what is that, lew… lee… drop it and just call yourself Anthony’. And, that’s how I decided to go with my middle name!” Middle name aside, success has become Anthony’s second name. But if it weren’t for a computer course in his third year of college, he’s is not sure what he’d be doing these days. “I’ve always had an interest in drawing and painting, but the course really sparked off my interest in animation as well,” he tells us. Thanks to a prodding friend, who was

working as editor in National Geographic, Anthony decided to give editing a shot. “It took me a couple of days to decide that editing was what I wanted to do,” he smiles. Anthony’s career graph has been as nonchalant as the man himself. If you want to catch him in a serious mood, you need to meet him on his way to work because after the first session of editing, he’s usually busy pulling pranks on his assistants, or hanging out in some café or simply letting lose on the dance floor. But we digress. Getting back to the story of his life, we find out that Anthony was off on a running start after a stint in Prasad Studio. He started working with some of the biggest names in the ad industry - the likes of Rajiv Menon and G V Vijay. Among corporate films, ad films, trailers and commercials galore, it was the music videos that really interested him. He also made the trailers for many of the top Tamil films like VIP and Minsara Kanavu. “I remember sitting one night in the studio and editing a whole song by myself. As it happened, the director came up to me and was totally amazed with my work,” he shares. It was the same enthusiasm for editing songs that bagged him the editor’s cap for Kaaka Kaaka. “Gautam (Vasudev Menon) and I have been good friends, and I remember he came to me in a panic the night before the audio release with a jeep song. I edited it overnight and everyone was impressed with my work. Gautam came back afterwards and handed me the whole film,” he grins. And edit he did! Stamping his mark in the industry, Anthony got recognition from all quarters for his work. But he’s humble as ever. “Some people say I created a trend or something, I don’t believe it; I don’t know what they are talking about! All I know is we had a lot of fun doing the film.” Since then, he has been working with Gautam on all his films, including the latest, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. Speaking of the director, he says, “We are good friends first. I normally do 80-90 percent of the edit myself and after I put it together I call him in. Usually, he goes with my judgment. And after working on the 2007 smash-hit Shivaji: The Boss, Anthony has found another loyalist in director S Shankar, who has come back to him with the muchanticipated Endhiran. “He might look like a strict principal, but actually he’s very jovial and fun-loving.

What I really like about working with him is that he’s very punctual. He’s also not the stuck-up kind. I can tell him, ‘Sir, indha shot kevalama irukku (this shot is below average) and he’s cool to take it in the right spirit,” he says. Only, Anthony is also quick to add that it is something that’s lacking in the industry. Listening to Anthony talk about some of these problems makes you realise that being an editor isn’t an easy thing after all. “These days, most directors plan their editing pattern on the script, so half our job is done. But, more often than not, I am saying ‘this shot is not nice’ because I am thinking from an audience’s perspective. But, sometimes the director cannot reshoot the scene and we just have to use it. If the film is a hit, we get recognition, but if it’s a flop, the tables are turned on us. We are told that the editing is not ‘racy’, there is a ‘lag.’All this is not true because at the end of the day, we are not the people who decide the final product; it’s the director,” he tells us. Anthony has also made waves in the Telugu industry, with a few top films in his kitty, including the recent Varudu. “I have many offers from there,” he tells us, “but if I go there, I’ll be only editing one film at a time. So I plan to do whatever I can from Chennai.” But none of these things have fazed the editor and his work. From involving himself in dubbing, mixing and even effect checks, Anthony has delved deep into the core of filmmaking – attention to detail being his forte. With the release of Varudu and Paiyaa, Anthony has already completed 32 films in a span of just seven years, and has the much-awaited Madrasapattinam and Endhiran lined up. And we are not even talking of a host of other films including 2010, Quarter Cutting, Vaa and the upcoming Gautham-Ajit starrer that await his editing table. A feat worthy of recognition. But talk about awards and recognition for his work and he brushes it off. “I have no expectations. I love being an editor and am happy with the way things are going. I do not work for awards or to be recognised.” We ask what the editor in him would like to be remembered for. Anthony is nonchalant as ever. “My work of course,” he says, before breaking into a grin, “But to be honest, it won’t affect me even if I am not! It’s all part of life – things that are here and now and you have to accept it for what it is.”

Quick fire Dream director: Of course the doyen of the industry, Mani Ratnam. I hope to work with him someday, but not at the risk of getting into the bad books of my colleague Sreekar Prasad.

Ambitions: I am happy to be an editor and that’s it. Major aspirations or ambitions complicate your life (laughs.)

Movie-watching experience: I am quite critical while watching films. I feel the editing should be seamless and should not interfere with the story, so I get very agitated if editors put in effects like an upside-down frame or other gimmicks just for the sake of it.

Hobbies: I love to dance (the Anglo-Indian connection you see!) I don’t need a partner or anything. Just a couple of shots and I am fine.

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MUMBAI EXPRESS // EXCLUSIVE

INTO LARA’S LAIR! If you thought you knew all about Lara Dutta, think again. Anil Merani gets you stuff you couldn’t have imagined!

Courtesy: Sanskirit media

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Who says beauty queens don’t need to worry their pretty heads about mundane stuff? Lara Dutta is discussing the importance of hiring educated domestic help over the phone with a friend. She looks at us, hangs up the phone and complains how difficult it is to find dependable maids. Before we get carried away with the yummy snacks she serves us and forget our primary purpose, we turn our attention to work. After her recent release, Said Khan’s Houseful, Lara accepts that comedy is her forte. “Some of my biggest hits No Entry, Masti and Partner have all been laughter capers. I guess, I am quite goofy in real life which makes it easier for me.” On her pairing with Akshay Kumar and Ritesh Deshmukh she says “Akki and I go a long way. I had debuted with him in Andaaz, if you remember,” she grins. Despite having acted in many films with Akshay, she does not find their on screen chemistry all that rocking. “I really enjoyed my chemistry with Salman Khan in Partner. I would love to do more films with him in the future,” she adds. However, Lara feels that laughter is no cake walk. “It’s quite tough to hone your comic timing. Also, you have to be different in each role.” Being a director’s actor, Lara likes to be pushed hard. “When I began, I never thought I will be able to work with biggies like David Dhavan (Partner) and Priyadarshan (Bhagam Bhag),” she shares. “Sajid really got the goods out of me in Houseful. At the end of the shoot, he also complimented me saying that if there is somebody in the industry who can do comedy on screen after Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit, it is me,” she says obviously delighted. Apart from comedy, Lara did two other genre films recently. “I really enjoyed my simple character in Blue. Agreed Blue did not do well, but at least somebody attempted to be different. Maybe debutant director Tony D’Souza focused too much on the underwater sequences and did not do full justice to the story. But I guess he will learn with subsequent films.” Unlike other actors, all the leading ladies - Lara, Deepika Padukone and Jiah Khan - of Houseful got along very well. There were no personality clashes. “All our characters were so well defined, that there was no insecurity.” Insiders say that Deepika and Lara have become quite close and would go out shopping and the odd girl’s night out. “Since we both hail from Bengaluru and were into modelling, we share a certain comfort level,” she confides. When reminded about her last comic film, Do knot disturb, which recently flopped at the box office, she says “It came and went.” Lara admits that she did a number of inconsequential roles when she started out. “But I have no regrets for I did them either for experimenting with different genres or wanting to work with different set ups. I did not have any godfather, so I have had my fair share of struggles in my seven year long journey. But things are now looking much better.” What about the stress which comes with such high stakes? “I don’t think there is any profession which does not have pressures. We have just one life, so let’s live it king size.”

such stories. Had I done that, I would have gone crazy by now. I am satisfied with myself so I am not really bothering about such speculation.” Lara, Miss Universe - 2000, is not too upset that Indian girls are not ruling the international beauty pageant scene anymore. “The emphasis these days is more on getting into Bollywood, rather than competing at the international level. Though things may change now, with Sushmita Sen taking over the reins of the Miss Universe contest.” Apart from just looking good on screen, Lara also wants to do performance oriented roles. “My characters should be layered. I guess I have managed to achieve that with my comic avatar.” She would also love to work with directors like Sudhir Mishra and Shyam Benegal, “but then I will not go deglam, for I don’t belong to that school, which says that you have to wear a plain sari for a hard hitting role.” What’s with the new short hair cut, we wonder aloud. “We have to keep reinventing ourselves. There was a time when all actors in the film promos looked the same; today there is lot more emphasis on individuality. We really work hard on our looks as the competition is very severe at the top. Having said that, I will never ever do a crash diet, just to get a particular look. I know that I will have to pay the price for it, health wise in the coming months. I believe in being happy. If I feel the need to have that occasional piece of pie, I will indulge myself, but yes the next day, I will not have paratha or extra pieces of toast.” She further adds that every actor is genetically different so not everybody will have an hour glass figure, “but we need to make the best of what we have.” Her love for fitness may see her thinking along the lines of starting a fitness spa, sometime in the future. With the IPL fever raging all over, we asked if she would want to join her industry mates like Shahrukh Khan and Shilpa Shetty and own a team. “Nah, I don’t have the time to even watch a single cricket match, forget buying a big ticket franchise. I have my hands full with work.” Her next film, Ravi Chopra’s Banda Ye Bindass Hai is keeping her pretty caught up these days. Besides acting, Lara wants to do other things associated with the film industry as well. “I’m toying with the idea of producing and directing. The best thing about acting is the period between action and cut. If there is something I could avoid, that would be dubbing,” she confides. Just before we decide to call it a day, Lara says that her dream role would be to feature in a techno/ gizmo, action flick, something along the lines of Angelina Jolie’ Tomb Raider. I would have no problems with the hero joining in the fight, but the main stuff should be done by me.” Period.

Ask her about Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, the other self confessed memorable film of her life and she says, “Although it did not do great, I got lots of critical acclaim from within the industry. All my films have given me something positive to take home, like I overcame my hydrophobia with Blue, now I am a certified diver. Houseful has also taught me how to speak Gujarati,” says this Bengaluru chiquita. Lara, who has had her fair share of relationships prefers to keep her private life out of media glare. “I don’t really lose sleep over

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OF MEAN DEANS, MEANER LAND GRABBERS AND SEVEN AND A HALF MINUTE POWER NAPS!

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MUMBAI EXPRESS // EXCLUSIVE

OF MEAN DEANS, MEANER LAND GRABBERS AND SEVEN AND A HALF MINUTE POWER NAPS!

Boman Irani shares with Anil Mernai what it is being Boman Irani! What comes to mind when you hear the word Parsi? Traditional black Parsi cap, speaking Hindi with a funny accent thanks to the caricaturish portrayal in Hindi films. But Boman Irani is everything but that off screen. On screen, he has broken that mould very effectively; he not only speaks fluent Hindi but also converses in other dialects like the Punjabi Hindi in Khosla Ka Ghosla and Lage Raho Munna Bhai and the more recent Dakhni accent in Shyam Benegal’s Hyderabad based film, Well Done Abba. Boman has been into English theatre since 1981; he has over 40 plays to his credit, 15 of which have been leads. “Initially, I was hesitant to do mainstream cinema because of fear of failure but I guess it’s all in the mind,” the 52 year old born and bred Mumbaikar laughs it off.

Boman’s first brush with celluloid came in 2001 with the critically acclaimed Everybody says I am fine. However, Boman arrived with Munna Bhai MBBS in 2003 and how! “Personally, I feel that I have done better work than Dr Asthana, but the public really showered with me love for that effort. Also the fact that it was my debut helped. Had I done the same character after a few films, I could have been criticised for hamming and over the top laughter.“ Among his other notable films would be the quirky character in No Smoking and Being Cyrus. “I was also appreciated for my negative avatar in the remake of Don.” After graduating from a well known suburban college, Boman worked for a year at his family chip shop, and later shifted to his passion, professional photography, which he did till cinema beckoned.

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I COULD HAVE BEEN CRITICISED FOR HAMMING AND OVER THE TOP LAUGHTER.

Does he still have time for photography? “Well, I do take my camera along for outdoors but somehow don’t get enough time to really work on it.” Well done Abba is the first title role in Boman’s career and therefore a milestone. “It was all the tougher as there were no major stars in the project. But I do my best and leave the rest to fate,” Boman says, ”It’s not just about the Hyderabadi accent, which could have been dubbed; it’s more about the finer nuances of enacting an honest man.” Rewinding a bit to his recent super hit, 3 Idiots, Boman says, ”I would not call Virus my dream role. I want to get better with every outing, if I say I have reached the pinnacle then where do I go from here? Honestly when I was narrated this character, I did not think that he would become so popular, but now wherever I go people scream Virus. What hurts, though, is when people say that the roles in Munna Bhai and 3 Idiots are similar. Except the fact that they are both principals of a college, they are as different as chalk and cheese. I almost refused 3 Idiots, till I was convinced that there was no comparison with Munna Bhai. I have tried to be different in each role. Looks, mannerisms and quirks. But it’s not easy as you can’t do much with the same face.” As far as the public adulation goes, Boman’s vote goes to Khosla Ka Ghosla followed by Darna Mana Hai and Eklavya. Although comedy seems to be Boman’s forté, he does not believe in genres “I just like to entertain my audiences; if you look at my characters, they are not funny. In Khosla Ka Ghosla, I am taking away a poor man’s abode. Similarly, Virus was a dark character yet people were laughing away. Films are no longer hero centric.” 56 SOUTHSCOPE MAY’10

Pic: V Rajesh

The Ritz Chennai Icon Awards 2010, hosted by the magazine were given to producer Dhayanidhi Azhagiri, director Selvaraghavan, singer Tanvi Shah and music director GV Prakash Kumar, among others.

Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan, project ambassador of Hridayaragam 2010, announced the details of a fund raiser to set up an orphanage for HIV Aids affected children.

Pic: V Rajesh

The audio launch of Madhrasapattinam, featuring Arya and Amy Jackson was held at the Chennai Trade Centre on April 4. The venue was decked in a retro look that evoked the Madras of the 1940â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

Pic: V Rajesh

Aishwarya Rai, who was shooting in the city, stole the limelight at the audio launch of Rettaisuzhi in Chennai. Also present were veterans K Balachandar, Bharathiraaja, and director Mahendran, among others.

Actor Sonia Agarwal celebrated her birthday at an upmarket hotel with close friends. Looking pretty in a pink dress, Sonia played the perfect host at the party

Pic: V Rajesh

KALEIDOSCOPE

TAMIL

Rambha, along with NRI hubby Indiran had a royal reception at the Rani Meyyammai Hall in Chennai on April 11. Prominent stars from Tamil and Telugu industries attended the reception. MAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;10 SOUTHSCOPE 57

AROUND THE WORLD IN 24 FRAMES //

IN LOVE WITH LOVE! Sit back, relax and enjoy this smouldering tale of love, loss and longing with Rahul Ganguly

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000) (Colour) Runtime

: 98 MIN

Country

: HONG KONG / FRANCE

Language

: CANTONESE / CHINESE / FRENCH

Filming Locations : CAMBODIA Company

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: BLOCK 2 PICTURES

Summers - the blazing heat aside, this is the season when passions ignite. Sparks fly helter-skelter, while smouldering romance fills the big screen. And no, we are not talking summer blockbusters here. Big budget extravaganza apart, summers often result in films that stick in your head for entirely different reasons. Reeling in passion, yet subtly underplayed Wong Kar-Wai’s In the mood for Love is exactly what we mean when we talk summer romance.

This leads to one of the most memorable sequences in the film. The two lovers share fleeting glimpses across a rain drenched street. The camera follows Chan and Chow through half light. The scene culminates with them walking together, while sharing an umbrella under the pouring rain. This is easily the most iconic shot in the film, at once capturing the longing for love, tenderness and yearning to be in that fleeting moment.

Besides being a remarkable film of love and unfulfilled desire, In the mood for Love is celebrated as one of the best films from Hong Kong in recent years. Not without reason, though. Coming from a region usually known for its high-pitched action flicks, a director like Kar-Wai stands out for venturing in different territory.

What’s different about the film is the way it does not demand that you root for the couple who are beset in circumstances they cannot control, in a love they cannot express. There is a deep sense of loneliness and yearning that recurs in all of Kar-Wai’s works. In the mood for Love amplifies the theme and intersperses it with questions of identity, loss and acceptance in the conservative Asian society of the 1960s.

He’s the sort of filmmaker who takes his time with the camera, patiently infusing the frame with a signature visual style. Kar-Wai treats his films like neon display, awash with swaths of colour. Combined with a liberal use of slow motion sequences, the Hong Kong-based Chinese filmmaker brings in a delicate, dreamlike quality in his films. In the mood for Love is an outstanding example of that. But let’s get back to the issue of simmering summer passion. Unlike most films that deal with forbidden romance, In the mood for Love is one of those cinematic oddities that you can actually watch with the family. There is no skin show, no violence. Rather, the film treats the forbidden passion between the protagonists much like a meditation on life per se. Kar-Wai repeatedly teases the viewer with sheer sexual tension, yet the characters retain an air of fragility in their guilty pleasure of a moment’s stolen glance. Coming to the story, Mrs Chan (Maggie Cheung) and Mr Chow (Tony Leung) move in as neighbours in an apartment. The setting is a suburban settlement of Chinese refugees in the Hong Kong of 1960s. In time, they discover that their respective spouses are having an affair with each other. Over brief staircase encounters and unspoken words, the two develop a kinship bred out of their respective failing marriages. Sooner than you know it, the association blossoms into a tender romance as the estranged characters indulge in a play act fantasy of their respective spouses’ love life. Slowly yet surely, they are inextricably drawn to each other. They meet occasionally at a neighbourhood food stall, though few words are exchanged.

Their love remains unspoken and over time, situations are such that Chan and Chow drift apart in different towns. The camera fades into a scene where in a mundane moment of loneliness, Chow relates an old story about how one can share a secret by whispering it in the hollow of a tree trunk and covering it with mud. Three years pass, and though the couple come back to the same city eventually, they never meet again. As the film ends, Chow is seen visiting the ruins of a monastery in Cambodia. He whispers his secret into a hollow of a decrepit wall, before sealing the hole with mud. Jazz singer Nat King Cole’s melancholic songs sustain the tender note of longing in the narrative, though one of the stronger points of the film remains its colour palette. Warm colours dominate the frame, diffused with liberal splashes of amber, red and orange. In the process, the visual metaphor of life provides the perfect foil to the narrative of a life that could not be lived. Both Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung’s performances are characterised by great restraint, adding to the subtle power of the film. Their conversational style and intense yet understated chemistry smoulders the screen. At its core, In the mood for Love remains a simple everyday story of love and loss. It’s the sort you know and have grown up with, be it in real life or on screen. Yet the restraint with which KarWai handles the subject transforms the narrative. The result is a gentle, yet passionate tale of tenderness, hope and warmth, stolen from fleeting moments in time. Without a doubt, this is a modern classic.

UNSCRIPTED LOVE THE ENTIRE FILMING OF IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE WAS COMPLETED WITHOUT A FORMAL SCRIPT. KAR-WAI IMPROVISED VARIOUS SCENES ALONG WITH THE ACTORS, WHILE EVOLVING THE STORY AND MOOD OF THE FILM AS HE WENT ALONG. THOUGH IT WAS INITIALLY MEANT AS AN OBVIOUS ROMANCE-THEMED FILM, THE CAST AND CREW DECIDED TO UNDERPLAY THE LOVE ELEMENT, RESULTING IN THE HUGE HIT IT TURNED OUT FINALLY.

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bioscope

TAMIL

PAIYAA Cast

: Karthi, Tamannaah, Milind Soman

Director : Lingusamy Music

: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Good Watch the movie exclusively for Yuvan’s songs and the fresh pairing of Karthi and Tamannaah.

The film starts on a promising note and is an engaging ride till the first half.

Technically, it is Lingusamy’s best work enriched by Mathi’s eye-catching camera work, Rajeevan’s exotic set designs and Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music.

Karthi looks good and has done his best to rise above a flawed script. He manages to carry off the stunts and dance decently.

Kerala locales for the song Adada Mazhaida are fantasticwhile the artwork in the number Suthude Bhoomi stands out.

Could have been better... The biggest minus is Lingusamy’s script. It starts out well, only to fizzle out in the second half.

The film moves at a leisurely pace and the plot line is riddled with holes.

In the second half, especially when the couple reaches Mumbai, the story plods along leading to a predictable climax.

Milind Soman, with his great screen presence, has been absolutely wasted. He is reduced to a caricature as he does not have a single scene that stands out and ends up getting beaten up by Karthi.

Karthi as an action hero beating up dozens of goons without any logic is unbelievable and tedious.

Tamannaah looks pale and disinterested and there is no chemistry between the lead pair.

Jagan’s comedy is a big letdown.

- S D Vinayak

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bioscope

MALAYALAM

Good n

The premise of a hapless father avenging the brutal rape and murder of his teenage daughter developed by veteran writer S N Swamy may not be original but is touching nevertheless.

The initial intrigue and vigour of the screenplay make the story interesting.

Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi and Jyothirmayi do full justice to the characters they play.

It is a pleasant surprise to see Harisree Asokan not in a separate comic track.

Jyothirmayi in the meaty role of Dr Rani Mathew is outstanding.

M Jayachandran’s music is good.

Mohanlal in a cameo steals the show. He says his lines with style and his immense screen presence really draws you.

JANAKAN Cast

: Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Jyothirmayi

Director : N R Sanjeev Music

: M Jayachandran

Could have been better... Director Sanjeev and writer S N Swamy have used conventional ways to narrate the story.

The focus of the real issues in the story is lost amidst an overdose of clichéd dialogues and glorification of the heroes.

Vairam that came last year had a similar storyline. Janakan is not a step ahead in terms of presentation.

The strong bond between Suresh Gopi, his wife played by Kaveri and their daughter is ineffective on screen.

There are many scenes modeled on the formulaic films of this genre.

- Sridevi Sreedhar

MAY’10 SOUTHSCOPE 61

bioscope

BOLLYWOOD

PHOONK 2 Cast

: Sudeep, Amruta Khanvilkar, Ahsaas Channa, Jeeva, Rishabh Jain

Director : Milind Gadagkar Music

: Rahul Pandirkar

Good Phoonk was all about exorcism and black magic, but the sequel wastes no time on such wizardry. It comes straight to the point as Madhu (the witch from the first part) returns from the dead screaming revenge! In a sense, it goes beyond the archetypal exorcist fare.

Disjointed limbs, head chops, minced ligaments and ruptured tissue served with generous helpings of blood…to describe it in edible terms, it’d be a cannibal’s delight! Scary…ahem, gory definitely!

The false alarms also deserve a special mention. They’re both spooky and entertaining. Rahul Pandirkar has packed a few chills as well. The camera work was pretty deft and eerie. You also notice the RGV touch (spirit perhaps would be a better word) and nicely so, we’d add.

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Could have been better... It all comes to a stop rather bizarrely. Considering the ghost came back from dead, she just goes down with what would probably qualify as rugby tackle! Then sadness elopes!

The sound though satisfactory, is overbearing a lot of times and also compromises the eeriness of the camerawork. Guess when in doubt our filmmakers tend to operate on a louder the better principle.

The weird ‘doll’ sequences also don’t exactly stand out. Well what can you say about the choice of a prop…it doesn’t exactly make you (or anything) pop out of your seat!

The lovemaking scene in the jungle also left a lot to be desired!

- Karthik Pasupulate

karaoke // malayalam

Harimuraleeravam… Harithavrindavanam… Pranayasudhamaya mohana gaanam… (Harimurali) Madhumozhi Radhe… Ninne thedi… Madhumozhi Radhe ninne thedi Alayukayanoru Madhava janmam

ARAM THAMPURAN

Ariyukayayi… Avanee hrudayam Arunasindooramayi uthirum maunam Ninswaramandapa nadayilunarnnoru Ponthiriyayavaneriyukayallo Nin priya narthanavaniyilunarnnoru

Film : Aram Thampuran Singers : Dr K J Yesudas Music : Raveendran

Man thariyayi swayamurukukayallo… (Harimurali) Kalayamune nee… kavilil charthum Kalabhanilaappoo pozhiyuvathenthe? Thalirviral meettum varavallakiyil Tharalavishadam padaruvathenthe… Padinadannu maranjoru vazhikalileerananinja karanjaliyayi nin Paduka mudrakal thedi nadappoo Gopavadhoojanavallabhaninnum… (Harimurali)

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bollywood brouhaha

SHAHID’S STUBBLE TROUBLE Shahid Kapoor really loves his dad. No wonder he’s game for a radically different look in Pankaj Kapur’s debut directorial venture, Mausam. The grapevine goes that he’ll be sporting a bearded look in the film. That of course also means that he might not be able to shoot for any other project till this one’s complete. Shahid had probably thought of this, as he indicated at the launch of the recent tanker, Chance Pe Dance. He revealed that he wants to complete all pending assignments before starting off with Mausam. With his mixed bag of hits and misses so far, Shahid always seems to require very good filmmakers to get the best out of him.

MY DADDY STRONGEST! After Shatrughan Sinha’s son Luv faced the arclights, it looks like there’s another star kid in the making. We are talking about Suniel Shetty’s daughter Athiya. The doting dad of the 18 year old feels that his talented 5’10’’ daughter has what it takes to click in the glamour world. For the time being though, Suniel wants her to finish her studies. Suniel wants his daughter to do her own thing while also making no bones about his faith in the industry as a safe haven for young talent. Like who’d want to mess with Suniel Shetty’s daughter, anyway?

SOME SPUNK FOR THIS HUNK? John Abraham must be thanking his lucky stars, now that his dry spell is set to end. It all started when he was offered a major role in the Hindi remake of Tamil film Khaka Khaka. Business has been slow for John after his last film Ashiyan failed to release. And by the looks of it, his next Hook Ya Crook may go the same way. Little birdies in the biz tell us that John is all gung ho about this possible Ghajani-inspired role and has hit the gym with gusto. Though we wonder what more he’ll reveal! ‘Butt’ of course, he’s John!

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bollywood brouhaha

DAD’S THE BEST: MINISSHA Minissha Lamba whose last film, Well done Abba is based on a father-daughter relationship is quite the homebody. She revealed recently that things are great between her and her dad. They discuss everything except guys! She even shared her dad is her sounding board and often saved her from her mom’s wrath on coming home late from college. Minissha however steers clear of her parents whenever they are having an argument. Smart girl!

BABA JIMMY’S TICKLISH RAM GOPAL MOMENTS Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma is all set to make a film about the recent Swami Nithyananda’s godman fracas, with Vivek Oberoi in the lead. The film has got the skeptic out of Ramu. He was left wondering how the so-called godmen do not come to know that they are being filmed on the sly, given their supernatural abilities. Apparently, the filmmaker is curious to know why perfectly reasonable people fall for such charades. Ramu is evidently on a spiritual quest of his own!

It is quite funny that while directors always prefer to choose Jimmy Shergil for serious roles, he likes the lighter side of life. Apparently, it gets too draining for Jimmy, as he himself confesses. He’s got a genuine issue. He can’t stop laughing once he gets into a funny mood. This also came in the way during the shoot for a film when Jimmy overheard some comic comments made by the director. It made him laugh so much that he could not concentrate on the scene. It took him a good 20 minutes to get things back on track. Now directors know they have to keep their jokes away from Jimmy!

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hollywood hullabaloo

CHARLIE SHEEN WANTS A BAILOUT After an infamous drunken melee last Christmas, actor Charlie Sheen is planning to plead guilty. The prosecution is reportedly not looking for jail time, but wants Sheen to stand trial for the attack. The Two and a Half Men star is more than willing to plead guilty, so long as he is not behind bars. So what’s the hang up here? The attorneys pressing charges feel that given Charlie’s history, a felony is appropriate. Things look pretty muddy still, while Sheen is admittedly looking for a closure. Let’s wait and watch.

MILEY CYRUS IS OFFLINE Looks like singer turned actor, Miley Cyrus has suddenly switched off from the online world. Miley was heard urging kids to stay off the internet and get a life! Miley also said that social networking was a waste of time and that people should hang out with real friends. Sure, we can dig that. But what about her online fan base of hysterical teenagers then?

NO LOVE FOR JENNIFER? So now Jennifer Love Hewitt is single again. Weird as it sounds, the break-up happened at the same time her book on love and relationships went on sale. Talk about a bad timing! Trying to stay upbeat, Jen however claimed that she’ll be back on the dating scene soon. With a list of ex boyfriends including John Mayer, Carson Daly, Ross McCall and now Kennedy, Jen seems to have a lot of steam left in her yet. But where is the love?

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hollywood hullabaloo

SANDRA’S WEDDED WOES Right after her Oscar win, came the news of Sandra Bullock’s cheating husband, and it looks like he had more than just one mistress! Apparently, Sandra’s absence at home for her work got hubby Jesse James snooping around for love! His mistress Michelle McGee, looks like was just one of the many women Jesse had bedded. Last heard, the couple is definitely working on the divorce. James sure can’t keep his pants on, eh?

AMY’S HOUSEFUL OF WINE Dig this: Amy Winehouse has decided to kick rehab, ironic as it may seem considering that her last name is Winehouse! One time successful musician, Amy’s been hitting the bottle hard. A source noted that the rock ’n roll lifestyle has taken its toll on her. Apparently, things came to such that she swapped hard drugs for alcohol, terming it as ‘rehab.’ What do you say to that now?

LINDSAY NEVER TO COME TO INDIA?

Guess we’ll never see Lindsay Lohan in India again! A British newspaper reports that government officials in India are considering imposing a ban on Lohan permanently, following her December visit. The hoopla occurred when Lohan came to India for the filming of a BBC documentary about child labour and human trafficking. She made tall claims of saving kids from sweatshops, which were revealed to be a bunch of lies. Moreover, Lohan failed to apply for a work visa and illegally filmed a documentary as a tourist. Lindsay sure never ceases to amuse us. The show must go on, what? MAY’10 SOUTHSCOPE 67

Looking

BAC K Pavithra Srinivasan travels back in time to rediscover the magic of Enga Veetu Pillai, an undisputable Tamil classic even today.

Film: Enga Veetu Pillai

Producer: Vijaya Combines Productions

Music: Viswanathan – Ramamurthy

Dialogues: Sakthi Krishnasami

Direction: Chanakya

Songs: Vaali, Alangudi Somu

Cinematography: Vincent Sundaram

Story: D V Narasa Raju

Singers: T M Soundar Rajan, P Susheela, L R Easwari

Cast: MGR, B Saroja Devi, S V Ranga Rao, M N Nambiar, K A Thangavelu, Nagesh, Rathna, Pandari Bai, Baby Shakeela

“A hero has faced it all: he need not be undefeated, but he must be undaunted.” ~ Andrew Bernstein

This is the essential cult film of Tamil cinema. No exaggerations there. Not if you factor in the immense popularity that Enga Veetu Pillai (loosely translated as Our Own Boy) still holds today. The film almost single-handedly rewrote box-office records in 1965, and has been living on in public memory ever since. The reason: Its hero. With the film, M G Ramachandran aka MGR’s position as Tamil Nadu’s golden boy was etched in stone for posterity.

producer, who really did beat up extras when he was asked to audition for a role in a Hindi film). He’s a trial to his mother; his greatest friend is Nagesh and together the two have a rip-roaring time. That is, until destiny brings them both in contact with Ilango’s alterego.

Storywise, Enga Veetu Pillai was simplicity itself. The film opens introducing a timid, softhearted MGR (Ramu), living with his sister, her husband and daughter. He’s the heir to millions, but the pity is, he’s been ruled by the rod and would sooner burst into tears than lift a finger against anything. Beaten into submission since childhood and bullied beyond belief by his uncle (Nambiar), Ramu finally decides to end his life.

The clash of identities happens entirely by chance – with a dash of healthy humour. With his suicide attempt foiled, Ramu runs away from home, having endured a rather painful bridegroom-viewing ceremony, courtesy Leela (Saroja Devi) and her father (S V Ranga Rao). Ilango, on the other hand is always on the lookout for the next adventure. He is spotted by Leela and promptly taken home. She mistakes him for her intended groom. When an irate Nambiar storms Leela’s home, Ilango is dragged kicking and screaming to Ramu’s palatial home, and the switch finally happens.

On the other end of the spectrum is another MGR (Ilango), a happy-go-lucky guy who fires up at the very breath of injustice, and, when asked to join a film shooting and act like he’s a hero, really does bash up the extras! (This particular segment was an ode to the inimitable Raja Sandow, actor, director and

This sets off an entertaining trail of mistaken identities, a pair of twins and a mad dash for revenge. MGR gladdened the heart of every movie-goer with the popular song Naan Aanaiyittal … which became a sort of anthem for him, as he stood atop a staircase, waving a whip in a menacing fashion and taught a

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lesson to evildoers. The lyrics of Vaali and Alangudi Somu also weaved magic blending soulfully with Viswanathan-Ramamurthi’s music. Adding a good dose of spice to the story was Nagesh’s comic capers. He mispronounced every word in the book, even while helping Ilango right wrongs and carrying on a lovetrack all by himself. Till this day, his hilarious attempts at saying ‘damager’ instead of ‘manager’ are popular, and have even became part of popular usage. B Saroja Devi toed the line with her inimitable performance, playing for one moment the spoilt princess of an indulgent father and the next, a maiden in love. Her duets with MGR, despite the other heroine, Rathna, were a major draw. Forty five years and still going strong for it’s narrative, music and the inimitable hero; Enga Vettu Pillai continues to renew its magic with every viewing even today.

LEAVES OUT OF MY BOOK >> Suhasini Maniratnam

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

DREAM MERCHANTS We all go to the theatres to watch movies. Some we like, some we don’t. When we don’t, we don’t waste much time mulling over the story. But if we do like the film and story, we start analysing and understanding where it came from.

So we were like a normal engaged couple; spoke only about the sun and the moon and the weather for six months. And probably three months after we were married (!) we decided to discuss cinema as we didn’t want to be hypocrites anymore.

So where do stories come from? You get story ideas in your sleep or in a dream. The best of filmmakers have a scribble pad and a pen next to their beds. As soon as they wake up, they write it down on a piece of paper when they realise that they have got a plot for their next film in their sleep or in their dream.

What we discovered that evening was magic. We discussed the best movies, best scenes and the best actors and shared our joys of cinema and the happiness that films brought in to our lives and that is when we realised that marriage has some advantages.

As an actor, even today I listen to several stories. I am always apprehensive about people who take an hour to narrate the story. Most of the time I have said yes to scripts which were only two lines. It’s the ability of a director to impress you with those two lines. A very popular Tamil magazine used to be very famous for their film reviews. Once they left the whole page empty and the last line simply said …VETKAKEDU which means shameful! I still remember that frank review. But the very same critic was wary of films where the plot can be described in just two lines. The critic used to write that the line is so thin that the story of the film can be written at the back of a bus ticket. But we who are into films tend to disagree with him. If only a film script can be summarised at the back of a tiny bus ticket, wow! I would say he is one of the best script writers.

From then on, whenever I make anything occasionally or before Mani makes his movies, we discuss the stories and brainstorm over several dinners and finally arrive at what ever you see on screen. It has been the best part of our marriage, other than our son Nandan. It’s time for Nandan to go to university next year. But before every new film of Mani’s, we both still feel like LKG students waiting for UKG admission. All I can say is that filmmaking is ongoing education. There might be Masters but no one has actually graduated yet.

I remember listening to the story of Sindhubhairavi from K Balachander’s writer Ananthu Sir. He took just five minutes to narrate the story. I agreed knowing I was to play the unsympathetic other woman. But Balachander Sir went out of the way to make the other woman in a triangle simply lovable and very honest. When I met Mani, which was just three months before our arranged marriage, we both decided not to discuss cinema at all as we were scared we would disagree on our likes and dislikes and favourite filmmakers and even break the engagement because of that.

MAY’10 SOUTHSCOPE 69

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

It’s that time of the year again. Not exactly! Because we are hosting Southscope Style Awards earlier this time around. Last year, we had just about launched the magazine and therefore your involvement in the process of nominations was quite peripheral no thanks to the time constraints. But this year, the event will be on a much larger scale, with much larger star power and more importantly with all of you being the destiny deciders of the nominees. Please do check out the list of nominations for various categories in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada films and take your pick. Every single vote makes a difference. And in case you get lucky, you may just win free passes for the Southscope Style Awards star studded night. We hope that’s enough incentive for you to pick up your pens and tick your favourite stars. Over the last few months, we have been receiving mails from readers across the world to let us know how Southscope has become their fave filmi read for some time now. While on one hand, it’s music to our ears, on the other, it becomes more and more daunting to live up to the expectations of our loyal readers especially where the cover and exclusives are concerned. For this issue, we thought we should have on offer stars with a fresh appeal. Several votes went to Silambarasan for his understated act in Vinnaithaandi Varuvaya and Samantha for her dewy fresh appeal in its Telugu version Ye Maya Chesave and of course, her superb acting skills for a debutante. So we decided to get them together for the cover. And oh man, we didn’t know what we were in for, until we saw the results of the shoot. They sizzled together and individually, as you can see. Ideally, we should have heaved a sigh of relief for having pulled off the cover, but then we are not the kind that believe in uncomplicated lives. As usual, we have taken on the double cover onus. Luckily the super talented Siddharth made it easier for us to choose the other cover star, with a line up of releases in Telugu and Tamil in the near future. We have heard people talking about his attitude but we think he is adorably cool. We also got lucky with ace directors Ram Gopal Varma and Lingusamy. The former gave us an insight into his mind while the latter shared the Paiyya experience and much more. Namitha showed us her better side, Allari Naresh his grit, Diganth and Nidhi their passion, Boman Irani his seriousness for cinema, Sadha her true blue nature. That’s not all though. Starting this issue, we have a page or two set aside for your views and writings on south cinema. We are calling it Southscope blogbusters. So go ahead and send us your scribbles on anything you always wanted to share about south films – insights, experiences, impressions… As usual there’s also stuff on the who what when where trivia, flashback into the bygone era, predictions and every other element you’re used to seeing in Southscope. And yeah, the heat is getting unbearable in Hyderabad. And I hear in Chennai too. Much as I love the season, I think global warming is casting its shadow. How else would you explain the temperature surpassing the previous year’s record every year? Whatever it is, wherever you live, try to stay cool even in the heat of the moment. Adios for now,

Vanaja Banagiri Editor-in-Chief

70 SOUTHSCOPE MAY’10