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CONTENTS EXCLUSIVE
Directors Choice
32
Tollywood actor
44
Rajadhi Raja
46
Profile
48
Back Stage
58
Krishna Vamsi
Ram’s on a rampage
Life & times of Natashekhara Krishna
Vijay’s victorious reign
Devi Sri Prasad ‘s musical odyssey
PANORAMA OF
36 First Take
58
In focus
58
Shooting star
58
Watch out
58
Director’s Choice
58
Make up moments
58
Murali Nair’s foray into films
PG Vinda’s Lotus Pond
Ramya rules Kannada screen
Kaniha’s Malayalam matinee
Krishna Vamsi turns Gandhian
Pattanam Rasheed
69
FEATURES Corporatisation of the Telugu film industry
ON THE COVER: NAYANTHARA PHOTOGRAPHER: G VENKET RAM MAKEUP: BANU HAIR: SHANKAR STYLIST: UPASANA ASRANI COORDINATED BY: SRIDEVI SREEDHAR
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It promises to be what no other south Indian magazine has ever been. Hats off! Keep rocking! - VIKRAM
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Star Host
A walk through Art Director Sabu Cyril’s tasteful home
Tiny stars in the film sky
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Around the world in 130 24 frames
45 AN ACTOR FOR ALL SEASONS SUPERSTAR KRISHNA
48
What makes VIJAY super cool? RANA GETS INTO THE GROOVE Corporatisation of the TELUGU FILM INDUSTRY
96
42
Toofan Mail 130
IN BED WITH SHOW STOPPER VIMALA RAMAN
36
62
Readers write
Junk Mail 130
Trivia on films, stars etc
SOUTH CINEMA
55
Telugu Tinsel, Jolly Kolly, 130 Kannada Capers, Simbly Malayalee Who’s doing what, where?
Loading… Please wait 130 Films in the making
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Launch pad for aspiring actors
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Violence in Kannada cinema 102
Screen Test
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130 130
South cinema’s brand ambassador 130
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VOL 01 ISSUE 02 NOVEMBER 2009
CENTRE STAGE Nayanthara
Every man’s fantasy figure
GALLERIA Vimala Raman revs up her oomph quotient
42
Ganesh Venkatraman’s photoplay
42
Seiya Gowtham’s sweet delight
42
Rana rakes it up
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CONTENTS FUNDA Bioscope
42
Kaleidoscope
42
Film reviews
Events
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Mumbai Matinee & Wild West
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Body Double
42
Spin a yarn
42
Really Sidey
42
Sing Along
42
Star Affair
42
Screen writing contest
Corny dialogues from films
Karaoke
Horoscope
Flashback
Timeless magic of Satya Harischandra & Shankarabharanam
42
THIS MONTH ON SOUTHSCOPE.IN
Bollywood Brouhaha & Hollywood Hullabaloo
Look alike contest for readers with prizes
42
It promises to be what no other south Indian magazine has ever been. Hats off! Keep rocking! - VIKRAM
PA N O R A M A O F S O U T H C I N E M A
VOL 1 ISSUE 2 NOVEMBER 2009
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01 02 WWW.SOUTHSCOPE.IN
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E-MAGAZINE NOV ‘09 VIEW READ DOWNLOAD
STAR
SPEAK I read the magazine. Loved the concept and feel of it. Need little more of Malayalam though. Looking forward to the next issue.
Priyadarshan, Director Really loved it. Classy
Southscope spells Style with a capital `S’! It’s a wonderful read. The interviews laced with just the right sprinkle of glitz and spice. The layouts and spreads just beg to be gawked at and drooled over.
Shriya Saran, Actor Being a movie buff and being part of the industry, it’s such a great relief to see a magazine in English dedicated totally to south cinema. The Eye catching layout and stunning first look has got me excited to pick this magazine. Hoping that the coming issues will keep this excitement going.
Having had a first hand experience for my interview and photoshoot, I know for sure, that this magazine with its penchant for leaving no stone unturned, is going to be the one that delivers every time. Southscope is on par with the best of national magazine`n magazine has ever been. Hats off!! Keep rocking!!! Love, Chiyaan
Vikram, Actor
Bindu Madhavi, Actor Fabulous magazine.
Madhavan, Actor
Mickey J Meyer Music Director
I have distributed Southscope to everybody in my neighbourhood. All are maha impressed:) Verdict : One of the best in the country
Arya, Actor Super Super Beautiful magazine capturing south cinema. Layouts are fab, but the point size could be increased.
Satish Kasetty, Director
14 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
Brilliant layout, content is very good. It surely is better than all other film glossy in the country. Expectations are high now.
Trisha, Actor
The thought of the having a total south Indian film magazine itself is great. The coverage for budding actor to a super star is on par and that makes all the difference. I’m sure the whole film fraternity is happy to see so much mileage and push for south cinema.
Krishnudu, Actor
READER
SPEAK Kudos to the entire team and wishing you all the very best. Looking for more spicy and informatve items in the next edition too. Look is simply killer.
Koteswara Rao Devarasetty Kudos to the team for bringing out such a classy magazine!
Viswaprasad Raju First reaction...very different, refreshing, has an international look. Great job, all those who are part of this initiative.
Bharat K V
Got to know a lot about south cinema. Being a Malayali I dint know much about the Malayalam industry. I guess you have done it for people like us.
Monisha Alfred
This magazine is a ripper. I’m sure all others mags are feeling the threat of your entry. Designing is on international standards. Congrats to the editorial team who are part of it.
Adrian Samuel WOW! is the first word I uttered when I looked at the cover. Brilliant read with great pictures to go with it. All the best team Southscope.
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Your take: We would love to hear from you! Write back to us with your suggestions, feedback, flowers and flak at: editor@southscope.in
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 15
TELUGU
7
RIDE ON THE SIDE
10 : 09
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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!
Veteran director Sattiraju Lakshmi Narayana, or Bapu as he is popularly known, is a man who likes to wear many shoes. A law graduate from Madras University, Bapu tried his hand as a cartoonist, graphic artist, art director and painter before taking a headlong plunge into film direction. However, not many know that he worked as the Asthana Chitrakar (resident painter) at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) and illustrated many works of Saint Annamacharya. Bapu even designed and produced the TTD video on the Brahmotsavam Festival of Lord Venkateswara of the Seven Hills in 1992 and again in 2001.
Though the late item girl Silk Smitha was known best for her titillating performances on screen, with passing time she went on to become the ultimate symbol of sensuality across south India. People however, seem to remember her for all the not-so-right reasons, associating her with a handful of iconic yet risqué films that verged on the pornographic. But the streak of rebellion was an indelible part of her personality. Born into a poor family in Eluru, Silk Smitha dropped out of school in class four, moving on to Chennai to pursue her dream of becoming an actor. The rest was a silky smooth ride, much to the viewers’ delight!
KANNADA
The late producer B Nagi Reddy is best remembered for his productions like Pathaala Bhairavi, Maya Bazaar and Missamma. With over 50 films to his credit in the four south Indian languages as well as Hindi, Nagi Reddy was easily one of the most influential producers of his time. He did not stop at that but also ventured beyond film production. In 1972, he founded a medical and educational trust, which runs a hospital, health center and heart foundation. The enterprising producer also brought out the popular monthly illustrated magazine Chandamama, as well as the Telugu news paper Andhra Jyothi.
Did you know that Girish Karnad is much more than a writer? He has been a mathematician, a Rhodes scholar, a great performer on stage and screen, a TV compere, a filmmaker and a cultural administrator who headed prestigious institutions such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi in Delhi and the FTII at Pune. Deeply involved in culture and the arts, Karnad’s exhaustive knowledge of the media at home and abroad lend to his views a touch of authority, without a doubt.
16 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
With a hefty portfolio of 198 films to her credit, Jamuna was one of the best actors of south India, although her entry into cinema was quite literally touched by destiny. As the story goes, director Dr Rajarao first spotted her at a stage show titled Maa Bhoomi. Impressed with the performance of the young lady, he offered to cast Jamuna in Puttillu in 1952 and thereafter she never looked back.
Ruling the Kannada film industry for well over 50 years, Dr Rajkumar was quite the subject of study among his fans, with over a dozen books written on him. The earliest writings on Dr Rajkumar is said to be Ondu Kathanayakana Kathe, penned as a narration by the actor, as told to Chi Sadashivaiah. The piece appeared in a serialised form in Vijayachitra, a monthly film magazine from the publishers of the popular Chandamama. But the series never got completed due to the sudden demise of Sadashivaiah, and the story reached an abrupt end.
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RIDE ON THE SIDE
TAMIL
FUNDA
7
The director of the hit film, Deiva Piravi, Krishnan Panchu was fairly notorious for being a perfectionist. Funny thing is, the cast decided to follow suit during the shoot. During the emotionally charged climax scene in which Padmini was supposed to beat SSR in a confrontation, the committed actress took her role a tad too seriously. As the shoot was underway, she actually thrashed SSR proper with an umbrella! Lucky for us though, the scene proved a real tear-jerker. An amused SSR later admitted laughingly, “the pain was worth it.” Film veteran MGR became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu even as he was in the midst of his acting career. Passion evidently ruled over politics when the actor decided to postpone his swearing-in ceremony in favour of shooting his directorial venture Maduraiyai Meetta Sundara Pandiyan. Despite the clash in schedules, MGR completed shooting and then took his oath as Chief Minister.
Malayalam cinema in the 1960s saw actor Sathyan at the top of his form, though little did we know that he indeed wore a bunch of hats before taking a plunge into films. Starting out as a former Malayalam teacher, Sathyan joined the army in 1941 and became a commissioned officer of the Viceroy of India. He was posted in Imphal in Manipur as well as Burma and former Indochina (Malaysia) where he saw action against the Japanese. After the war years, he worked as a clerk at the Trivandrum secretariat, following which he served as a sub-inspector of Police in Kerala. His career path then took an unexpected turn when Sathyan started acting with Merryland Studios, a decision that saw him gradually emerge as the first indomitable superstar of Malayalam cinema. Quite a ride!
You may not know this, but superstar Mohanlal had quite an early start in his acting career. Known as Lalu in his school years, he bagged the Best Actor Award early in the sixth standard. Later on, while completing bachelors in commerce from M G College in Thiruvananthapuram, Mohanlal founded a company called Bharath Cine Group along with his friends Suresh Kumar, Unni, Priyadarsan, S Kumar and Ashok Kumar. Bound by a common passion for cinema, the motley bunch started shooting for a film titled Thiranottam in 1978. Directed by Ashok Kumar, the film failed to release due to conflicts with the censor board. In time though, the actor came to the notice of director Fazil, who was looking for a youngster to play a negative role in his film. He breezed through the screen test and did Manjil Virinja Pookal, which went on to become a runaway success.
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 17
MALAYALAM
Everyone’s favourite comedian of yesteryears, Chandra Babu was dead serious when it came to acting. He had to enact a scene in which he swallowed an egg and opened his mouth to release a chick. To make it more authentic, the committed comedian decided to pop in a real chick for the three-minute shot in Nadodi Mannan Though the shot was superb, it was later found out that the chick had scratched and mauled his tongue, which caused some bleeding while the actor seemed unmoved. To this day, the scene remains a showstealer. Good that the director did not ask for a re-take!
TELUGU TINSEL
18 10 : 09
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PRICE OF SUCCESS The new brigade of Telugu actors – read Varun Sandesh, Nikhil, Tanish, Nani, Swati, Shamili and Aksha – are fast creating a distinct place for themselves. Coming quick with good projects is also good money. Varun Sandesh seems to be heading the game for the time being, along with Swati. We hear these young stars are taking home anything between Rs 30 to 45 lakhs per film. The whole bunch seems to be on a new high these days and, get this, also getting picky about their films. Early success can sure be one heady thing…
THESE DAYS, SHWETA PLAYS MUM The Makadi girl who turned actress overnight following the super success of Kotha Bangaru Lokam is evidently riding high these days. While the upper echelons in the film business prefer to wear the ‘unreachable’ tag, this one-filmold babe has decided to follow suit. Her mom who doubles up as her agent, receptionist and pretty much everything else, says that Shweta is too busy for the glossies these days. While the gal herself is perpetually unavailable for comment, it is mommy dearest who assumes charge whenever journos congregate. Pooah baby, guess the film producers should skip the daughter and give her mother that much awaited big break instead, eh?
Kamal turns
click happy
18 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
Guess what’s keeping Kamal Kamaraju busy these days? Not so much his acting but hours and hours of photography! Making the most of his free time, Kamal freaks out on his hobby, taking off on a drive and capturing just about anything that catches his fancy. Turns out the guy is pretty darn good behind the camera, and has been receiving compliments galore from many directors in the industry, who feel that he could make a career out of photography instead of acting. Before the camera or behind, Kamal always manages to find his focus!
TELUGU TINSEL
FUNDA
63 10 : 09
Mahesh’s musk, er, fragrance Vedika
set to groove with her moves Vedika of Baanam dances like a dream and that many feel (including herself) is a valuable asset to land good projects in Telugu. We hear the bubbly actor is confident that her fantastic dance moves can get her to the top of the business. Though we have moved on from the whole running-around-the-trees bit, we can’t really tire of dance, can we?
andalwood
Sanjana Looks like actors who have tried a film or two in Telugu also make a beeline to try their luck in the Kannada film industry. When we last saw Sanjana, she somehow failed to sustain the success of Bujjigadu, and now she’s headed to the Kannada industry where she is raking in the moolah. Juggling three projects in Kannada has been keeping her quite busy these days. But let’s hope she makes a comeback to Telugu soon. Yep, we’re waiting!
We sniffed up a hint that Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu loves perfumes and has a peculiar lure for fragrances. Big deal, you may say, but we promise there’s a quirky twist to the tale. Mahesh, it seems sprays only one perfume at a time when he’s shooting for a particular film and for every new film the fragrance is changed. As the story goes, the perfectionist actor handpicks a particular perfume before shooting for a film. Mahesh, then religiously wears the same fragrance throughout the filming process. Eventually, for him, the film becomes synonymous with the perfume brand. Presently, filming for his home production, Mahesh is very particular about the way he wears his perfume. What’s more, the good people at the costumes department inform us that he usually applies the perfume and allows it to dry before slipping into his costume. Apparently, he is convinced that subtlety is the name of the game and that perfume should not be overused. Quite a dapper bloke, no?
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 19
JOLLY KOLLY
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NAMITHA TOO BUSY SHEDDING KILOS, NOT CLOTHES! Everyone’s wondering why Namitha is getting so choosy about her roles. We aren’t seeing her sizzling on the screen like in every second Tamil film these days. But the sex bomb has decided to pick her projects carefully. Tall talk aside, while she has her hands full with the Telugu flick Desadrohi and Malayalam production Black Stallion. But here’s the clinch, guys. She’s working real hard at her new pad in Mumbai these days to get into shape. Thanks to nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar who helped Kareena Kapoor get that enviable size zero figure, Namitha’s already managed to cut a full eight kilos. What seemed like a slim chance is no longer a fat hope, eh?
SIMBU PACKS A SIXER A birdie tells us that the little superstar of Tamil cinema has gifted himself a spanking new BMW X-6. As he drove the pearly white luxury sports activity coupe, Silambarasan aka Simbu looked every bit the happiest guy in town. He had to wait for almost a year for his dream car after the vehicle was unveiled at Detroit Auto Show in 2008. And guess what, Simbu is the first one to own the fancy X-6 in Tamil Nadu. Here’s a juicy bit: Nayanthara and Dhanush own BMW X-5 cars. So it sure is a case of neighbour’s envy owner’s pride. Sure enough, his new ride is turning heads whenever it’s parked outside studios or upmarket night clubs. What’s more, since it’s X6, it’s got Simbu’s lucky number six. Flaunting your luck in style or what?
20 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
JOLLY KOLLY
FUNDA
9 10 : 09
A PINCH OF ATTENTION FOR
SNEHA
There are headline grabbers in the Tamil industry, and then there are people like Sneha, who take the game to a whole new league. Sample this: At a jewellery launch in Tiruchi the actress suddenly screamed that someone had pinched her on the butt, even as the launch was underway. Squarely blaming the matter on ‘some guy in a blue shirt,’ Sneha got the security to nab a random blue shirted bloke, who was soon handed over to the police. The story however, took an interesting turn, when the man’s wife stated that her husband never even went near the actor. Now threatened by a defamation suit from the enraged woman, Sneha was reportedly told that she had no business to drag the poor fellow into the whole drama. The episode, which comes fresh after she allegedly hurt Hindu sentiments by undertaking girivalam at a temple wearing chappals is sure to extend her 15 minutes of limelight. It remains to be seen for how long Sneha can pull off such antics. That is the butt, err, fact of the matter, hmm.
SHRUTHI
GETS A NOSE JOB! Actresses getting nose jobs done is nothing new to Tamail films, and by the looks of it, the latest to jump the bandwagon is our own pretty Shruti Haasan. We sniffed up this juicy bit that the petite lass is now looking even more pretty post surgery; though she is quick to explain that going under the knife was not without a reason. “I have done a corrective surgery on my nose because of my breathing problem. It was done in US for a deviated septum and has nothing to do with any cosmetic beauty demands.” The pretty young girl feels that life has become far easier after the surgery. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Shruti has become the darling of the media and fashion forecasters of south. And as far as fashion goes, she is in tune with the latest and makes sure that she is the cynosure of all eyes at any event. Never mind if it’s a press meet, audio launch or the recent function where her dad was honoured, the lissome beauty makes sure to dress up in style. So far, Shruti has been incredibly lucky and managed to create an impact, grabbing attention by the eyeballs without having acted in a single Kannada film. The latest buzz indicated that the pretty young thing has signed opposite Siddharth in a Telugu film to be directed by Prakash Rao, who happens to be acclaimed director K Raghavendra Rao’s son. She always had a good nose for these things, what say, Ms Haasan?
ASIN NOSEDIVES INTO WORK
After what seems like so many weeks, Asin is finally back in action. She had to go through a surgery to have her sinuses cleared after a bout of acute infection. The tough little thing that she is, Asin hardly complained about her sickness. In fact, she loved her stay at the hospital, since most of the medical staff was from her homeland and pampered her to bits. The couple of weeks that she took off after she was discharged from hospital was a much needed break since she caught up on reading, old friends and watching films. But she’s back in the grind now with promotions, endorsements and an hour of script reading everyday. In the meanwhile, we also hear rumours about Asin likely to be paired with King Khan in Farah’s next film, Happy New Year. No, don’t even think of offering a tissue anymore! Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 21
KANNADA CAPERS
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CANNED IN 18 HOURS Eighteen hours, 10 directors and a hat trick hero, that’s the math behind Malayalam director Prashanth’s ambitious new project, Sugreeva. Featuring Shivaraj Kumar in the lead, the flick is set to be canned in a single stretch of 18 gruelling hours! And just how does Prashanth intend to narrow down the time to 18 hours? We hear, the film would be shot in various sets that will be put up in a single location with a bunch of ten cameramen working simultaneously with the director. While the shooting sounds a bit like rocket science, leading stars Yagna Shetty and Shivraj Kumar are surely going to be super exhausted after the performance! Interestingly, Prasanth had managed to wrap up the shoot of the Mohanlal-starrer Bhagawan in 19 hours flat, and by the looks of it, an hour lesser doesn’t sound like too much of a big deal, does it?
RAAJ – THE SHOWMAN
TOUCHES 50 DAYS A 50 kilo behemoth of a cake marked the 50 day run of the Puneeth Rajkumar starrer Raj – The Showman, which opened to packed theatres in the first week, despite mixed reactions. The monster cake was cut on the occasion, while director Prem claimed that the movie, made with a budget of Rs 10 Crores had in fact recovered costs right in the first week. While the run slowed down a bit the week after, the gross collection of about Rs 30 Crores has left Prem basking in the glory of the initial success, which ran across more than 50 theatres across the state especially in north Karnataka. Show us the money man, did we hear someone say!
22 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
KANNADA CAPERS
FUNDA
9 10 : 09
JMM GOES AHEAD, SANS
RAMYA
Looks like Ramya got left behind from the final leg of the shooting of Just Maat Maathalli (JMM). As the word goes, a recent series of tiffs with choreographer Harsha and director Sudeep during the shoot has ‘compelled’ Ramya to opt out of the movie. Apparently, things turned so sour that despite apologies from the actor for her rude behaviour towards the film crew and the dancers’ association, she has still been kept out of the loop. Cut to Sudeep, and we see the man completing the final schedule of JMM in Singapore, minus Ramya. However, Ramya explained her exit, stating that she opted out, as she was not ‘comfortable’ doing the movie after the heated episode. Meanwhile, she has another release with Sudeep, titled Kicha Hucha on the cards. Let’s see what happens here.
MASTER KISHEN TO DIRECT A COMMERCIAL MOVIE The Kannada industry’s youngest director Master Kishan, who also happens to be a Guinness record holder is dreaming bilingual these days. All set to make a commercial film in Kannada and Tamil, the untitled project would commence shooting under the banner of Kiran Movie Makers. The company, owned by papa Srikanth would set the 13- year-old’s career on an upswing. Master Kishen’s first directorial venture Care of Foot Path was a commercial success, being screened at many international film festivals. The small wonder is surely dreaming big these days!
SINGER HEMANTH FACES ARREST! Kannada playback singer Hemanth, recently faced arrest after being charged for, get this – dowry harassment! The cops, it seems, came calling on the singer following a complaint filed by his wife of 18 months, Priyadarshini. She says he started troubling her for dowry right from the day after their marriage. The estranged wife, we hear, has gone back to her parents, while the hubby is being dealt with by the law. Looks like the song is over for now at least. Ouch! Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 23
SIMBLY MALAYALEE
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Dileep, the lady…no lad luck! Dileep is doing it again. We mean he’s getting paired with the saucy Charmi in the Kamal directed Aagathan. The sexy lass of Telugu had made her screen debut in Malayalam with Vinayan. But back to Dileep now. He is becoming quite the ladies’ man, having paired with a lot of new girls like Manju Warriar (in Sallapam, who later became his wife), Meera Jasmine (Suthradharan), Navya Nair (Ishtam) and Kavya Madhavan (Chandranuddikunna Dikku) who eventually went on to became successful heroines. Looks like he proved lucky for Charmi too since for Aagathan, Mamta Mohandas was reportedly the first choice. But then she called in sick and Charmi was chosen instead to add all the glam. Good for the ladies, we say. Even better for Dileep…
Saji Surendran’s triple tickle Saji Surendran, the director of the super hit Ivar Vivahithirayal has started his new family entertainer, titled Happy Husbands, with Jayasurya, Jayaram and Idrajith playing the three jolly husbands and their effervescent wives are being played by Bhavana, Vandana, and Samvrutha respectively. Everything’s going on cool with them until the hot hot Reema Kalingal walks into their lives. Nothing thereafter remains the way it was. This is one laugh riot worth waiting for.
Noted director Fazil’s son, Fahadh Faasil, is all set to come back with director Udayan Ananthan’s film Mrityunjayam featuring Thilakan and Rima Kallingal. Known earlier by his pet name Shanu, Fahadh now plans to only use his original name. For folks who don’t know, Shanu debuted a few years back in his father’s film, Kaiethum Doorathu with Nikhita, which bombed miserably. He then took a break and went back to the US to complete his studies. Back now, with a fresher perspective we guess, Fahadh is giving acting another go. He has also signed Kukku Surendren’s Mirror, a horror thriller with a multi star cast. We really hope it turns out to be a case of second time lucky!
24 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
Fahadh is back
SIMBLY MALAYALEE
FUNDA
11 10 : 09
Make way for Lakshmi Rai! Looks like Lakshmi Rai is turning out to be the next hot sensation of Malayalam cinema. At least everyone’s talking about it, since many Malayalee heroines are happily trading the arc lights for happy matrimony. In the meanwhile, our LR (it’s what they call her) climbed to the numero uno status after the 2009 summer blockbuster 2 Harihar Nagar. But all doesn’t seem hunky dory here since she’s a tad upset about getting projects only in Malayalam. No breakthrough in Tamil yet or Bollywood, especially after commenting on her romantic linkup with Dhoni. Last heard, she was busy linking up with Mammooty! But rest easy guys, it’s their forthcoming film, Chattambinadu, we are talking about. What’s more, they are pairing up for the third time with this one and it’s gonna be one helluva Christmas release. That’s what we call ‘Rai’ding on a wave!
Meet Nayanthara’s bodyguard Dileep is Nayanthara’s new bodyguard! Nope, we are not out of our minds or anything of that sort, we’re talking of the film, Bodyguard that Siddique is directing. The Tamil hottie makes a comeback into Malayalam with this comedy thriller. This one’s also touted to be an out and out family entertainer like many of his earlier films. It’s also got Tamil actor Thyagarajan playing a crucial role as the father of Nayan’s character. What’s more, the music is also something that’s being talked about since five songs are being tuned by National award winning music director Ousepachan. We sure are waiting for this one!
Thilakan to play Mohanlal’s dad once again Veteran actor Thilakan has been pretty well known for playing papa to superstar Mohanlal in we can’t even remember how many Malayalam films in the past. Remember the classics, Kireedam, Spadikkam and Narasimham? The onscreen father-son pair returns after nearly a decade, in Rosshan Andrew’s new untitled film. As the buzz goes, since the last few years, both actors fell out over petty issues regarding the artists’ association AMMA. In fact, Thilakan in a rather nasty interview with a leading Malayalam daily actually blasted the superstars Mammootty and Mohanlal for all his problems. But it looks like they’re back and making a new beginning. All’s well that end’s well folks! Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 25
TELUGU
FUNDA
Billed as a romantic entertainer, Pravarakhyudu has Jagapathi Babu, Priyamani and Hamsanandini in the lead. Are you thinking love triangle? Well, the cast certainly has all the makings of one. What’s even more interesting is that Jagapathi Babu is playing a Professor in a women’s college in the film. Hmm! Looks like an interesting college romance in the making!
Cast
Jagapathi Babu, Priyamani, Hamsanandini, Brahmanandam, Sunil
Director
Madan
Music
PRAVARAKHYUDU
MM Keeravani
26 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
TELUGU
FUNDA
Combine the age old tale of The Philosophers Stone with angry young men fighting injustice and you get the upcoming film Putrudu. Touted as a suspense thriller, the graphics-rich film is said to include two shades to the hero’s character. While the filmmakers are claiming the characterisation would be dealt with in a fresh manner, it waits to be seen if the film strikes gold a la all the Parusavedi it features so prominently.
Cast
Director
Music
Indrasena, Tanisha Sravankumar Bapatla Satya Y
PUTRUDU
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 27
TAMIL
FUNDA
YOGI
Cast Ameer, Madhumita
Director Subramaniam Shiva
Music Yuvan Shankar Raja
A quirky practice that had quickly turned commonplace, an increasing number of script writers and directors are seemingly donning the hero’s cap in Tamil cinema. With just three films in seven years as writer and director under his belt, Ameer Sultan from Madurai is the latest to join the bandwagon in his new film Yogi. Directed by Subramaniam Shiva, the film would be Ameer’s first after being in the production of Mounam Pesiyadhe, Raam and Paruthiveeran. There is a lot of buzz around Yogi, as Ameer is being considered by many as the poster boy of the new wave of Tamil Cinema. The director-turned debut actor has also been godfather to young directors like Sasikumar, Vetrimaran and others, while his own brand of cinema have a signature spark of violence, beset in a stark backdrop of realistic filming. Ameer’s debut would see the man play a gangster roughing it out in the mean streets of North Madras. With Madhumita plying a slum girl in the film, a lot seems to be riding on Yogi for Ameer. 28 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
TAMIL
FUNDA
AAYIRATHIL ORUVAN
Cast
Reema Sen, Karthi,
Parthipan, Andrea
Director
Selvaraghavan
Music
GV Prakash Kumar
Selvaraghavan, considered as a path breaking director of sorts is known to have created a new trend in Tamil cinema. His new film Aayirathil Oruvan, set for release soon is being touted as Tamil cinema’s first adventure fantasy. Shot in the forests of Chakudy in Kerala and deserts of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, the film features Reema Sen as a young scientist who is on a mission. The film also has hip and happening sensations Karthi, Parthipan and Andrea in pivotal roles. The music, penned by GV Prakash is already a rage among the youth. What’s more, Dhanush and his wife Aishwarya are said to have lent their vocal talent for a song in the album. The big budget spectacle features camera work by Ramji and is produced by Raveendran. Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 29
KANNADA
FUNDA
DEVARU KOTTA THANGI
Cast
Shiva Rajkumar, Meera jasmine, Monica
Director
Om Saiprakash
Music
Hamsalekha
Director Om Saiprakash is at home, quite literally as Devaru Kotta Thangi, banking on family sentiments gets readied for a wrap. While the movie team comprises of big names from the Kannada industry, Saiprakash would launch the film under his home banner, Sri Sridevi pictures. Delving into the plot, the film centers around the Nagara Panchami festival of celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters. Meanwhile, the Ugadi festivities return as a backdrop for a song sequence after a long time in the Kannada film industry. The filmmakers are all praises for the climax, which they promise would be “dramatic.� Shot in Shimsha, the climax of the film would see a natural disaster, replete with thunder and atmospheric special effects using contemporary graphics technology. The film is said to be inspired partly by the Hindi production Satyam Shivam Sundram and the Kannada classic, Bhuthaiaya Na Magga Aiayu.
30 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
KANNADA
FUNDA
Cast
Director
Music
Yogish, Sanchita Padukone Yogish Hunsur G Abhiman Roy
RAVAN
The lanky lad of the Kannada industry, Yogesh is set to play the title character of Ravan in the upcoming film of the same name. The six-film old actor, who has had a fairly good run till now is slated to star opposite Mangalore beauty Sanchita Padukone. Making a dramatic comeback after a six-year long hiatus with the film, director Yogish Hunsur promises that Ravan would offer a fresh perspective on the time tested boy-meets-girl storyline. From the buzz in the business, we could garner that Ravan would feature some interesting stunts for the leading lady. Meanwhile, Santosh has been roped in to play the second male lead, while Srinivasamurthy, Dwarakish, Ninasam Ashwath, among others complete the cast. Based on the Tamil flick Kadhal Kondein, the film is being produced by Uday K Mehta and Mohan G Nayak and is said to iinclude location shoots in New Zealand.
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 31
MALAYALAM
FUNDA
Cast
Archana, Kailash, Samvritha Sunil, Reema, Sreedevi Unni
Director
Lal Jose
Music
Vidyasagar Director Lal Jose is back with Neela Thamara, a remake of the 1979 eponymous hit that was scripted by M T Vasudevan Nair and directed by Yusaf Ali Kechery. The film has newcomers Archana and Kailash playing the roles, made memorable by Ambika and Ravikumar in the original version. The script has supposedly been tweaked by Nair, who included a few changes to inject a more contemporary flavour to the tale. With Vidya Sagar taking up music direction, the lyrics are by Vayalar Sarat Chandra Varma. The film is produced by G Suresh Kumar under the Revathy Kalamandhir banner, while old hand Vijay Ulakanath is the cinematographer in the remake of the classic hit.
NEELA THAMARA
32 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
MALAYALAM
FUNDA
BODYGUARD
Cast
Dileep, Nayanthara, Thyagarajan, Pakru, Janardhanan
Director
Siddique
Music
Ouseppachan
Known to churn out hits with an enviable track record as far as Malayalam blockbusters go, Siddique is back in business after a long hiatus. Teaming up with Dileep for the first time in Bodyguard, the showman has also roped in Nayanthara to play the female lead. As far as the script goes, the film charts the story of Jayakrishnan, a young guy who starts admiring rich and influential liquor baron Ashokan, played by veteran actor Thyagarajan. While the young man expresses his wish to be his bodyguard, Jayakrishnan, played by Dileep ends up being appointed as the business magnate’s daughter, Ammu, played to the hilt by Nayan. As the story goes, Jayakrishnan approaches Ashokan with recommendations from someone he cannot refuse. What follows then, forms the rest of the plot.
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 33
SCREEN TEST
Southscope invites aspiring actors to send in their portfolio pictures to vrinda@southscope.in
KIRITI RAMBATLA
34 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
Kiriti Rambhatla has always kept his doors wide open to anything and that’s how he discovered his passion for performance. An electrical engineering graduate he has a good grounding in theatre from Canada, trained in salsa, he’s also a VJ and model of course. When he’s not brushing up his acting, he’s usually playing fuss ball or basket ball. Interestingly, Kiriti can speak French and Swahili too apart from English, Hindi and Telugu. He aspires to do some real challenging roles as an actor. Watch this space.
Vrinda Prasad
Khanduri
Vrinda Prasad
Shweta Khanduri is not exactly new to the camera. Apart from being a model, she has also had a two year stint with television as an anchor with the National Network. She’s a trained Kathak dancer, which has made her quite expressive. What she just can’t get enough of though is the play ground. Shweta is passionate about basket ball and cricket. She loves action on screen but is open to playing any kind of role, unless it’s not vulgar, that is. She believes in taking life the way it comes and doesn’t even bother finding a substitute for hard work.
Southscope invites aspiring actors to send in their portfolio pictures to vrinda@southscope.in
SCREEN TEST
Shweta
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 35
EXCLUSIVE
mahatma vsgandhi
At a time when Telugu moviemaking is either about mass appeal or more mass appeal, director Krishna Vamsi braves the box office with a serious film on Gandhi. Karthik Pasupulate gets him talking. The idea of a mainstream Telugu film about‘Gandhism’ usually evokes more skepticism than hope for understandable reasons. Doesn’t the five songs, six fights formula that pretty much makes up commercial Telugu cinema, ensure that! Perhaps that is why Krishna Vamsi is known to be a director with an unmistakable maverick streak. Not many filmmakers would have the gumption or conviction (or both) to attempt a film like Mahatma, in the wake of brickbats regardless of BO results.
Mahatma – the idea Though the idea had been brewing in his mind for quite sometime, it was a Vox pop on a national TV channel that set the ball rolling. “When kids were randomly being asked, who is Mahatma Gandhi most of them did not seem to know. For many, he was the father of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi,” he recollects.“Mahatma Gandhi is the man who united 30 crore Indians to take on the might of the British empire. Ironically, 62 years after independence, people seem to have all but forgotten about the one man who made it all happen. It was this irony that interested me immensely.”
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EXCLUSIVE
No more, no less Well those are noble intentions indeed but we wonder if all that justification is necessary at all. After all, Mahatma is a film, and like any other is essentially meant for amusement and anything else is a bonus. We wonder if this kind of rectitude is now a rarity at best with filmmakers. “Well I am no saint. I am not even a Gandhian in the perfect sense. I am a non-vegetarian by choice and also lie sometimes. But as a filmmaker, I am in a position to provoke thoughts in people. So I am just doing what I can within the purview of my films,” he contends. “It is true that 90 percent of our films only sell fluff and redundant ideas so for the sake of our conscience, we try to make films that are more meaningful and will force people to think about issues at large,” he adds and we decide to leave it at that.
Down memory lane It’s been 14 years since Krishna Vamsi made his directorial debut with Gulabi in 1995. It was an unconventional film with no big stars but it set a trend of sorts. Since then he has carved a niche for himself winning both critical acclaim and popularity with films like Ninne Pelladatha, Sindhuram, Anthapuram, Murari, Khadgam, Sri Anjaneyam and more recently Chandamama. However, Krishna Vamsi is not the sort to look back that often.“What’s happened has happened. I have done what I could with my films and there is nothing more to it,” he shrugs off when asked about his thoughts on the journey so far.
Quite a climb up But we persist. Not many people start off as a light boy and go on to become an ace director. There is obviously something about him that makes him stand out from the rest. “I joined as a light boy, did not start as one. There is a big difference,” he points out. “Though I was a post graduate in Agricultural Economics, I knew nothing about films. I was interested in films and realised the best way to know more about cinema was to work in films in whatever capacity I could. I worked as a camera assistant, assistant to the editor and assistant director before Ram GopalVarma pushed me into direction,” he confesses.
The last word However Krishna Vamsi does not think there is anything special about him.“Anybody who works, thinks and travels like me can be like me if not better than me. You do not need to be special,” he states. Any regrets? “The biggest regret about being a filmmaker today is that we are not able to make films that we can be really proud of, something like a Mayabazaar,” he laments.
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 37
SOUTHSPREAD
Shopoholic, loves swimming, plays basketball like a pro, enjoys traveling, longs to go riding on an elephant in a safari,
38 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
V ibrant, ivacious, ociferous imala‌
Photographer G Venket Ram
loves the rains, would love playing bold roles‌ Vrinda Prasad gets a glimpse of the lesser known aspects of Vimala Raman Clothes Casablanca Stylist Vira Shah Make up Noor Hair Ambika Coordinated by Sridevi Sreedhar Location courtesy The Raintree Hotel
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 39
SOUTHSPREAD
L I G H T S She was a performer even before she turned an actor. Vimala Raman, born and raised in Sydney is very much the south Indian. She trained in Bharatnatyam for four years, has performed over 150 times and was also a part of the dance performance representing India at the Sydney Olympics games (2000). After she was crowned the Miss India-Australia title and Miss India-Australia cyber queen title in 2004, she was noticed for the first time and her film career started. She debuted with the Tamil Poi (2006) with the veteran filmmaker, K Balachander. Over the next three years that followed, she’s worked with top notch actors like Mammootty, Mohanlal, Dileep in Malayalam and played some good roles in Tamil Romeo, Calcutta News, Raman Thediya Seethai. More recently her Telugu debut with Evaraina Epudaina got her noticed in Andhra as well. Though her career graph has seen several ups and downs, she has absolutely no complaints. Talk of competition and this is what she feels. “Whether it is today, yesterday or earlier - competition was always tough. If it isn’t tough, you may become complacent. So even if it’s not tough, you need to imagine that the competition is cut throat.”
40 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
C A M E R A She has somehow mostly done understated roles and that’s how people know her broadly speaking. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not open to doing bold roles,” she shares. She’s with older men in most of her Malayalam films and that was sort of why she had to look older than her years. “Somehow, I was always given mature roles to play thereafter. I’m waiting for someone to bring out the glamorous side of me.” She also would love to experiment with action roles like in Tomb Raider or Entrapment. “It would be fun to learn stunts and do my own.” From stunts to fitness to her figure. Here’s what she has to say about it. “Down south everyone prefers someone voluptuous rather than someone slimmer. And size doesn’t matter if you’re a good actor.” That we agree too.
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 41
SOUTHSPREAD
A C T I O N Now for some fun and a dose of spice and she immediately brightens up. A naughty grin follows this: “When I was 15, I would go checking out good looking guys at the temple or the coffee shop.” And she loves coffee by the way and that reminds her of another little story. “I loved coffee, especially at this joint next to my school back in Sydney. I used to be in awe of this white boy working at a coffee shop. He had spiky hair, body pierced all over and I would convince my friends to go there everyday, just to see him smile at me. That place served the worst coffee, yet I would bribe my friends to go there with me!” she laughs recollecting. She also loves shopping immensely and confesses that she would lie to her mom and sneak out for shopping. “I would wear a new t-shirt and mum would wonder when I got it. I always ended up telling I had worn it six months ago and bully her (Sigh). Guess what, I do that now as well.” What she said next was a little unimaginable and heavily entertaining. She actually wants to go riding on a cow sometime! Apart from an elephant ride also, that is. Holy cow?
42 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
P A C K U P We talk about life, guys, marriage too. “Are you talking about guys in my life? I’m very much single and eager to mingle too. But marriage…well what’s that?” she giggles. Her dream man however, has to propose at the Eiffel Tower. Nothing less would be acceptable. “I respect intelligence and pray desperately he has expressive eyes,” and listen up folks, “he also needs to smell good!” A case of too many men ‘sweating’ it out for her, huh?
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 43
FEATURES
CORPORATISATION OF THE TELUGU FILM INDUSTRY Allu Sirish picks up the pen and analyses the need to adapt Hollywood’s studio system as a standard in the backdrop of the local film industry A lot of people keep insisting that the Telugu film industry has to take a cue from the Hindi film industry, perhaps Tamil to an extent and ‘corporatise’ itself. Now let me spell this out first hand: There is a lot of buzz and misconception around this word and I can tell you this with a fair understanding of what it’s all about, having worked in all the three industries. Now, straight to the point; the Indian film industry is expected to emulate the‘studio system’present in Hollywood and Asia on its home turf. But before we move on, let’s get a hang of how it’s done here. The way it works in India, a few companies control most of the production and distribution resources of filmmaking. Typically, a studio, as it’s understood in the west is a company that has a production house, theatrical distribution arm, music division, home video label and television sales department all rolled into one unit. The ‘Big Five’ of Hollywood -Warner, Fox, Universal, Paramount and Disney - account for 95% of the box office rakings in the US. The success of the studio model in fact has been replicated with considerable success, especially in the Asian countries, where each country – has a separate language, filmmaking culture and industry of its own. Let us take a look at the scenario prevalent in the rest of the world today. Japan: Toho, Japan’s largest studio and producers of the world-famous Godzilla movies have nearly 30% of the market share. The top 3 distributors of Japan – Toho, Shochiku and Toei combined have about 50% of the market share in Japan. Making their mark in the western market, Toho collaborated with Hollywood studios to produce and distribute the Godzilla movies globally. Brazil: TV Globo, the South American nation’s largest TV network got into the film business with Globo Films. As a result, Globo Films now controls over 60% of the market share locally at any point of time. The company co-produced and successfully marketed worldwide City of God, one of the most popular non-English language films worldwide.
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France: Luc Besson, producer of Hollywood hits such as Revolver, The Fifth Element, District B-13 and the Transporter franchisee started his own studio called Europa Corp back in France. The studio successfully replicated the Hollywood model in Europe.The company produced nearly 85 French movies till date, since its inception in 2000. Korea: CJ Entertainment is a Korean company that started off in 1995, which replicated the studio model effectively at a local scale. Today, they control over 30% of the market share; having released over a hundred films while expanding into the exhibition business. CJGCV, their exhibition arm controls nearly 400 of Korea’s 1500 screens. CJ now has a presence in television, internet and movies making it another good example of a ‘movie studio’. Cinema Service is another Korea studio, which started in 1993. It produced over 30 movies by itself, and distributed nearly 100-odd films to its credit. Cinema Service and CJ Entertainment are the two major studios of Korea. They own and control most of the country’s movie resources between themselves. Hong Kong and China: Golden Harvest was Asia’s leading studios at one point and had a considerableglobalpresence,havingproduced over 200 films over the years. They have also diversified into exhibition and have theatres in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. While successfully adapting the studio-model to Chinese languages films, Harvest produced many of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan’s hits. Some of the films produced by Harvest include hits like Police Story, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Fists of Fury, Rumble in the Bronx and Game of Death. The company has stopped producing films by themselves in 2003, and is concentrating on film funding, distribution and the exhibition business. The scene in India: All the above mentioned studios typically have their own production, distribution arms and home video labels to monetise their content. In a country like India, which has seen considerable corporate
FEATURES presence of late, most of these companies fail to offer little beyond well designed visiting cards, nice offices, good- looking executives and a track record of hosting glitzy press conferences. They just buy completed films from individual producers and re-sell them to sub-distributors, while failing to corporatise the industry in the true sense of the term. Companies likeYash Raj Films and UTV however, are the exceptions to the norm. They have their own active production, distribution arms, home video and music labels and truly synergise their resources. Big Pictures (formerly Adlabs), Studio 18, Eros have largely remained distributors and don’t have strong film production arms. At best, they are still evolving and in the process of getting there. But the one thing all the corporate presence in Mumbai has consistently bought into the industry is well-sourced money. These companies don’t rely on private financiers and have raised money for operations from legitimate sources such as banks and financial markets. With these huge monies already in their banks, they’re not forced to pre-sell their movie’s rights to distributors, unlike individual producers. Also note that in the process, the corporates have bought in a scientific approach to the obscure function of movie marketing, taking promotion to a new scale all together. But mind you, what really makes a company a studio and not a production house is the library and the slate. These two words are really important and define the functioning of a studio. The Library: Library refers to huge catalog of movies previously produced by the company or the rights of which it acquired. For instance, Warner Bros owns the rights of 7500 movies and 38,000 television titles. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has a library of 1200 movies. The company licenses the movie to anybody who wishes to release the movie in any format (DVDs, online download or television) for any geographical territory. Channels like Sony Pix, HBO pay huge fees to Hollywood studios to buy those movies to be aired on TV. Likewise, home video labels in India pay royalty fees to the studios in LA to release the Hollywood titles in India. The library constantly generates huge revenues in cash, year after year for each studio. The rise of the newer mediums like the Blu-ray disc and online downloads, therefore translate to more revenue for the studios. They re-sell the same content (the film) all over again to another set of content aggregators like portals and Blu-ray disc marketers. To produce newer films each year, these studios need not raise money from outside, but from their own reserves.
annually. A studio doesn’t typically produce all the movies that it releases. It collaborates with individual producers by co-producing those films. To illustrate the point: EON Productions are the producers of the James Bond franchisee but Sony Pictures is the studio that marketed it worldwide. Legendary Pictures are the producers of 300 along with Warner Bros. For the year 2009, Warner Bros’ slate weighs in at 22 films, including big titles like Terminator Salvation and Watchmen. This page on variety.com shows which studio has a pact with which production house or producer. Any studio at any point of time has 12-15 producers consistently working to churn out films for them : http://www.variety.com/index asp?layout=chart_pass&charttype=chart factspacts2005winter&dept=Film Working within the slate format, the studio gains the upper hand, since it does not have to bet all its money on a single film. The slate has de-risked its portfolio by having different movies of different genres on its list. Even if the odd summer blockbuster fails, the company on the whole will be in profits if its other smaller productions do well. By having so many films in hand, the studio will bring economies of scale into effect. It can buy advertising space in bulk, get better deals from theatre owners as they’re constantlypumpingthemwithmoviesandhave lesser overhead costs per movie. A huge library of movies and a consistent stream of movies (the slate) are the defining functions of a studio. It makes sense for the studios to have their own theatrical distribution network and home video labels to release the films, turning these films into revenues.
The Slate: The slate refers the list of upcoming movies, which are under production, all distributed/produced by a single company. Unlike an individual producer, a studio does not release 1-2 films a year but 12-20 films Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 45
EXCLUSIVE
Vrinda Prasad gets familiar with Ram, the man of the moment who juggles life, work and industry expectations with ease.
With a boyish charm that’s practically designed to melt hearts like only perhaps chocolate can, Ram is now officially the newest heartthrob of Telugu cinema. His latest film, Ganesh, we can safely add, has only firmed up that position. But what is this we hear: after this one, Ram is working on his image so that he does not just confine himself to chocolate boy roles! “Ganesh is a family entertainer that was loved by kids and I’m more than happy to be a part of it. But I want to be a household name, act in films which appeal to a larger audience and do roles that go beyond the mush.”
That he has big ambition is clear. But he had some real big ones even when he was small! We mean young. His film career was kick started (by destiny, he insists) when he was 12. “I did a short film at age 12 called ID (Identity), a story about a teenager on what he wants to do in life. The film was sent to the Europe Film Festival that was being held in Switzerland, and I won the award for best actor. At that point, the actor in me was born,”
RAM ON A RAMPAGE 46 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
EXCLUSIVE It so happened that Telugu director YVS Chowdary noticed Ram in this film and three years later, decided to rope him in for Devadasu (2006), the stunning debut in commercial cinema that shot Ram to instant success. And success without a godfather these days is somewhat hard to come by, but Ram never shared with anyone that the ace film producer Sravanthi Ravi Kishore happens to be his uncle, till the opening day of his film. “I just didn’t want to start off because of some connection. Having a godfather helps but only if the actor has enough potential to hold his own thereafter,” he lets us know. A case of: the harder I work the luckier I get? Well, completely. Following Devadasu Ram once again set the screen ablaze by raking in histrionics with Jagadam. Despite the lukewarm response to Ready, which hit the screens the year after, he went on to deliver a commendable show with Maska. With Ganesh, the number of films he’s done is five but he’s still just all of 21. And now is usually the age and stage for actors to start feeling the first pangs of competition and the insecurity resulting from it. But Ram has another take on the matter. “It’s healthy really. Much like playing a sport. You either make it or you don’t,” he smiles. He learns and yearns like he was completely new, which also keeps him focused on his work rather than think about things like competition. “I still get nervous before the release of my films, as if it’s my first time all over again,” he admits with just the hint of a sheepish smile. We drift from movies to his women on screen so far and he changes from sheepish to, umm, impish. “Ileana is a good friend, Genelia is the queen of chemistry, Hansika is a kid, while Kajal is rooted,” comes the reply with machine-gun efficiency. And what if he had to pick one to go out on a date with? “None!” So from on-screen romance its off-screen we are talking about. Ram, we hear is the complete antithesis of a casanova. “I’m not a get-in-and-get-out-of-a-fling sort of a guy, I believe in dedicated relationships. Oka sari fix aithe, ante! (Once I’m into it, that’s it!)” Steering clear of clichés, Ram volunteers that he likes his girls confident and replete with a healthy dose of self-respect. But talking of girls and romance in one breath gets him gushing about Cindy Crawford. “I wanted to date Cindy when I was a third her age! As our coffees turn cold and the laughter dies down, we turn to Ram’s future projects and why he’s chosen to remain in Telugu while he has a Chennai upbringing. “Before entering the Telugu film industry, my first priority was Tamil. Now that I have come here, I want to do more Telugu films, before taking up Tamil projects.” In the pipeline is Rama Rama Krishna Krishna, in which Ram plays a character that has more than one shade. About the future, Ram still has not figured how things will shape up. “But I want to do some great cinema and play challenging roles,” he says, before signing off with the confessional: “It’s sheer appreciation that has kept me going thus far, I just hope to keep it up!”
“I still get nervous before the release of my films, as if it’s my first time all over again.”
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EXCLUSIVE
THE ORIGINAL ROCK STAR Superstar Krishna Thanks to Quick Gun Murugan, the character type of the south Indian cowboy has become an international icon. The ‘dosa-sambar western’ has had reviewers go gaga over Rajendra Prasad, earning him the sobriquet of being the first south Indian Cowboy. Although there happens to be one man who did it much earlier with absolute aplomb and consummate ease. His name is Krishna. Superstar Krishna! The Krishna connection Where Telugu cinema is concerned, Mosagallaku Mosagadu still remains the most definitive cowboy flick ever made in these parts of the south. It was Krishna who brought the cowboy image in vogue with his home production, Mosagallaku Mosagadu way back in 1971. No Telugu actor ever looked like what Krishna did, in a red sombrero, with a scarf and jeans to match! Riding through the rough country in his shining leather shoes flaunting a pistol, Krishna epitomised the word ‘cool’ about four decades ago. Sure enough, Mosagallaku Mosagadu sparked off a slew of native westerns that were to be called cowboy films. Krishna though was much more than a range rider. From featuring as double-agent James Bond to playing Alluri Seetaramaraju to the hilt, Krishna has pretty much done it all. First among equals A trend setter in the real sense, the list of firsts associated with Krishna falls nothing short of astounding. Starred in the first crime thriller as a detective in Gudachari 116, Krishna went on to become a homebrew version of James Bond in Agent Gopi. Constantly pushing the creative envelope further, he starred in the eponymous role in Alluri Sitarama Raju, considered to be a mile stone in Telugu cinema, shot entirely in color scope film. Moving on, Simhasanam, produced and directed by Krishna was the first 70 mm film in Telugu cinema. Bravado and a path breaking spirit might as well have been his second names. From the look of his latest film Mallanna / Kanthasamy in which he plays a CBI director, doesn’t seem like Krishna is in a hurry to hang up his boots as yet. 48 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
In a career spanning over 350 films and stretching across four decades, Krishna’s on screen persona was nothing short of rock stardom. Not a day goes by when his movie is not running on one of the Telugu channels on TV, yet he’s among the least awarded stars of Telugu cinema. Karthik Pasupulate tries figuring what it takes to be Natasekhara Krishna. Everybody loves Krishna However, he never let success go to his head. Even at the peak of his career he did not shy away from doing budget films, counted among the few actors who chose not to hike his remuneration even after he became a superstar. A consummate professional, the producers simply loved working with him. In a league of his own For all his contributions, one would imagine he would have a room full of awards and accolades. Strangely, Krishna happens to be one of the least celebrated actors of all times. Unbelievable as it may seem, for all his success on screen, Krishna never won a single best actor award in 30 years! Shockingly enough, the NTR national award he received in 2003 was the first such to level an honourable mention. Perhaps that has something to say about the culture of appreciation (or lack of it) that we have managed to evolve. The veteran actor however was never bothered about token gestures, and kept doing what he did best. The man was in fact so tied up with acting, producing and directing that he never had the time to ponder over such things. Thankfully, the Padma Bhushan conferred on him this year should make up for it. Ask his fans though, and they will tell you that it never mattered in the first place nor does it now.
EXCLUSIVE
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EXCLUSIVE
MAKING OF AN ILAYA THALAPATHY Pavithra Srinivasan is besotted with Vijay’s flamboyant screen persona and attempts to get under his skin. Though he might look every bit the average Joe, Tamil screen favourite, Vijay is quite the Ilaya Thalapathy of the Tamil boxoffice. The title which means commander in chief is special not just for that reason, but more so because it was given to him by Superstar Rajnikanth himself! The signature glint in his eyes with a confident swagger never fails to translate into magic on the silver-screen. At ease in the skin of the screen hero, Vijay ensures to mark his entry with a bang. When he arrives – usually in a welter of confetti, an explosion of flowers or some such equally flamboyant manner – the hoots and hollers from the crowds underscore Vijay’s irresistible screen presence. Call it over the top, but the audience can’t seem to get enough of Vijay’s explosive presence in his films. Delve deeper and you’ll discover Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar as a man who is completely in sync with the workings of the mainstream film business. As an extension of his star persona, Vijay is well aware that cerebral movies are not really what his fans like or can take. So he ensures that his formula-based films are replete with all the bells and whistles that make up a commercial blockbuster, keeping those fans amused and every bit entertained long after they’ve walked out of the movie theatre.
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EXCLUSIVE
Where stars generally appear in twos – one inherits the star tag, and the other, the acting mantle – he’s popularly considered by trade pundits as the successor to Box-Office baron Rajinikanth. Predicted to be the next big thing on Tamil cine screens, Vijay also happens to be a calculated performer, never failing to give his audience exactly what they want. Perchance you are still unconvinced of his onscreen prowess, the numbers are likely set the record straight. The industry is abuzz with the idea that sooner or later, he’ll earn his Superstar badge à la Rajinikanth. Likewise, Vijay too can boast of a huge following both among the masses and the classes in our time. Do the math and the numbers amount to around 37,000 socially active fan clubs across the state. As of now, he’s making the next predictable move, following in the footsteps of his star predecessor by contemplating his foray in the political arena. Sure enough, last year, Vijay floated his own flag, voiced support for Sri Lankan Tamils and was said to be seriously considering a share in politics. Mind though, that Vijay’s clean-cut public image and no linkups (alleged or otherwise) have made him a possible dark horse in this regard, whose next move is being closely watched. For the time being though, Vijay seems to be weighing out his options before his Byzantine entrance. Though he created quite a stir in the ranks of the Youth Congress when Vijay met Rahul Gandhi for talks, it hasn’t translated into a political entry, yet. Think about it and you’ll see that this puts him in a rather coveted position, illustrating his perseverance since he began his career back in 1992. Starting out under the aegis of his ambitious father S A Chandrasekaran with Naalaya Theerpu, Vijay made appearances in several low-budget sleaze flicks with slim pickings at the b-o. Some semblance of notice came to him when he did Sendoorapandi with Vijayakanth – the latter considered to be a lucky mascot of sorts for young actors. The clincher for Vijay however, came in the form Vikraman’s romantic Poove Unakkaaga, followed by Fazil’s syrupy love story Kaathalukku Mariyaadai. The series culminated with the rich and gritty narrative of Thullaatha Manamum Thullum, which went down favourably with the family audience, while casting Vijay in the mould of the romantic hero. Life would have been rather bland if this was the end of the story for Vijay, but the best, it seemed, was yet to come. Though Vijay’s career path was strewn with timid romcoms with just a peek of action until now, Ghilli changed all that. A remake of the Telugu blockbuster Okkadu, Vijay’s intense portrayal of a determined kabaddi player shot up his star status overnight. Exuding machismo with élan, Vijay became the good guy everyone was waiting to see on screen. Predictably enough, the success was replicated in Thirupachi, Sivakasi and Pokkiri, a train of hits from the not-so-logical, masala-cocktail entertainer stable. The upshot of the string of films, coupled with his popularity among overseas Tamil audiences made him the screen phenomenon that he is today. The actor’s resume, for now, is filled with a glittering array of beautiful faces he has romanced on the screen, the Bollywood hottie Priyanka Chopra included. But the southern beauty, Meena is apparently a particular favourite, though he’s worked well with Trisha (more than once) as well as Asin. Among directors, he goes for those who have a knack of presenting commercial entertainers that aren’t tightly packed intellectual bombs. Despite Villu, the chemistry between him and Prabhu Deva is well-appreciated, notably for their ankle-wrenching dance sequences. In the humour department, he’s known to prefer Vadivelu among the comedian brigade. For a brief period, he and co-star Ajith were considered rivals, leading to fisticuffs among the fan brigades. Thankfully though, the hatchet was soon buried and both stars have since then taken great pains to showcase their friendship in public. His determination to churn out mass-oriented masala flicks has seemed to strengthen over time. The strategy possibly needs a fresh direction though. He is still one of the most bankable heroes in the scene today, but as of now, he needs a hit – and a big one at that. After the dismal fate of his last three films Azhagiya Tamil Magan, Kuruvi and Villu, none of which could quite set the cash registers ringing, Vijay has his fingers crossed for the upcoming Vettaikkaaran, in which he’s paired with Anushka. And we are waiting too, yes, with bated breath.
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FEATURES
spell Monopoly The letter M translates to surefire success as far as Malayalam cinema is concerned. Gauging from the double-barreled attack from industry stalwarts Mohanlal and Mammootty, there seems to be little room for anyone else in the business these days. Continuing their on screen romp for more than two decades, it looks like there are no stop signs to diminish the magnetic appeal of the two megastars. Which leads us to the inevitable question: Is Malayalam cinema then, fated to be a two-man industry? What’s curious though is that unlike the other film industries, perpetually replete with at least half a dozen saleable superstars, in Malayalam only ‘M and M’ sets the box office buzzing. As a result, a steady influx of Tamil and Telugu films being dubbed in Malayalam have found a whole new generation of takers in Kerala. The big question that trade pundits have been asking for long now, quite obviously concerns why fresh talent is not able to make a mark in Malayalam cinema. A closer look shows that the Malayalam industry presently has a handful of actors like Suresh Gopi, Dileep, Prithviraj, Jayaram, Jayasurya, Mukesh, Kalabhavan Mani among others. However, no single actor has been able to really break into the superstar category, which continues to remain a clique overshadowed by the two M men. Sure, they have their own set of fans, but none of the ‘lesser’ stars in the constellation have that kind of following. The story gets interesting as these actors have been observed to have a poorer run at solo hits, while the television rights of their films command only half the price of the films of the superstar duo. Says Suresh Shenoy of Shenoy Entertainments in Kochi, who has been around in the business long enough to observe this, “Producers prefer M and M because they have tremendous brand equity and opening. The younger stars have not been able to penetrate the market, unless the films they feature in have a strong content to bank on. Otherwise M and M still rule the box-office.”soon. Treading into the economics of the business, in an industry which roughly has 60 to 65 releases a year, the two M’s manage to churn out 12 to 14 of them, with an incredulous success ratio of 70 percent. Do the math and you’ll see why the industry can afford to do without new names on the credit lines, at least for the time being. As long as the two Ms are around in Malayalam cinema, the advent of a fresh young star on the scene would be an agonising, if not an impossible, uphill climb. 52 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
FEATURES
Sridevi Sreedhar goes back and forth over the last two decades to explore the ubiquitous M phenomenon - read Mammootty and Mohanlal – in the Malayalam film industry
in Malayalam What may come as a strange revelation to many is that the audience in Kerala today comprises largely of youth in the 15 to 25 age band, who are more attracted to Vijay and Suriya starrers in Tamil or Allu Arjun’s Telugu dubbed films in Malayalam. Added to that, perhaps unsurprisingly, Hindi films too are fast catching up with the younger lot, who are influenced by the large number of music and film-based channels in other languages. Since the newer actors in Malayalam can’t make it big or haven’t been able to so far, young moviegoers are more taken in by heroes from other language industries, who also happen to be much younger than both veteran actors. Industry insiders also suspect that someone like a Prithviraj or Jayasurya could have clinched the superstar status years back, had they been working in other languages. For the time being though, the behemoth duo shows no signs of budging from their pedestals. For a new male lead to burst into the industry, he should ideally have the backing of writers and directors with a new story and fresh ideas. The current breed of stars, like Prithviraj and Jayasurya do not have that kind of tailor made support. The writers and producers of the 80’s and 90’s like Bharathan, Padmarajan and Lohitadas had created unforgettable characters for M and M. While this gives us an insight into the stellar success of the M clique, here’s a bit on the Malayalee audience for a better understanding. Looking back at the culture of cinema in Kerala, the state never had any kind of fan club frenzy till the late 90’s. Things changed when both Mohanlal and Mammootty borrowed a leaf off the Tamil film culture, encouraging their fans to set up fan clubs. Mohanlal’s driver-turned personal assistant Antony Perumbavoor, who later became a successful film producer, has been credited with creating much of the cult like status around the star. In fact, the opening day of a Mohanlal film became an event in itself, with scores of fans filling up theatres in Kerala for the first three days, thereby ensuring a grand opening for the star. Not too far behind was Mammootty who has a systematic fan base, running a popular film magazine, Mammootty Times. The trend soon caught on, with Mohanlal fans starting Mohanlal Times. What’s interesting though is that both the magazines are selling in excess of one lakh copies, even as you read this. The secret to their success however boils down to sheer screen presence and connecting with the masses. In that department, M and M, while being popular mass stars are also fantastic actors. While cracking the code to the duo’s phenomenal success was no cakewalk for us, looks like the double M game is unlikely to run out of steam anytime soon. Treading into the economics of the business, in an industry which roughly has 60 to 65 releases a year, the two M’s manage to churn out 12 to 14 of them, with an incredulous success ratio of 70 percent. Do the math and you’ll see why the industry can afford to do without new names on the credit lines, at least for the time being. As long as the two Ms are around in Malayalam cinema, the advent of a fresh young star on the scene would be an agonising, if not an impossible, uphill climb.
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FUNDA
hi5
with Bindu Madhavi
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Quite the stunner with oodles of style, newcomer Bindu Madhavi first grabbed eyeballs with her performance in Avakai Biryani, effortlessly slipping into the role of a sari-clad pickle seller. And off screen, she can carry off just about anything with much élan. When she speaks, you’re likely to be smitten by her earnestness to talk. But her answers, often laced with the inevitable ‘I don’t know’ can be a bit disappointing. In a while though, the cloud passes and you never fail to notice the transformation of the starlet from an ad-girl to screen diva. From her days of brand advertisements to featuring in a full length film, Bindu Madhavi has made the transition rather effortlessly. Though her producers may not like it, the lass claims, perhaps unsurprisingly that the box office verdict of the film doesn’t matter to her. In the loop with upcoming projects Bumper Offer, Om Shanti and Rama Rama Krishna Krishna, Bindu Madhavi hops on the hot seat with Vrinda Prasad for a quick chat.
01
Considering that you come from a non-film background, did you face resistance from your folks regarding your decision to enter films? Totally! My day would start and end with fights, trying to convince my dad about me wanting to become a model. A few tiffs later, I was walking the ramp and doing a few ads. But when Avakai Biryani came by, papa dearest agreed instantly knowing the clean image that director Shekhar Kammula has. After that, I had to give in to his deal that if films don’t work out I would do what he asked me to do.
03
02
What has been your biggest motivation to pursue a career in movies? Well, I never thought I would do movies. I used to watch fashion shows and wanted to become a model and pose for the shutterbugs. Acting happened eventually and cinema turned out to be more appealing than everything else I was doing. Now I would never want to go back!
What do you think a new entrant in the business should do to get the right break? Getting a superb portfolio done should assume top priority, though self confidence is equally important for facing the camera. Working with a big banner and an established director comes a close third, while a great deal of dedication is a must have.
04
Your take on size zero, skin shows and what men want to see in south Indian actresses… I’m aware that neither do I have Shilpa Shetty’s figure nor do I have to advocate size zero. I like voluptuousness in women, and they need not be skinny in order to look gorgeous. There is a thin line between vulgarity and glamour, and staying in the profession, I’ll not do anything that will give me a bad image. As for the men, curves still come before acting skills (chuckles).
Your ultimate dream in showbiz? That I would be counted in the league of acclaimed actors, while inspiring people to take up cinema as their calling (fingers crossed, eh?).
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FEATURES
This antique globe is from Burma, a rare collector’s item and when you open it, it turns out to be a bar.
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FEATURES
AT HOME WITH SABU CYRIL
Sabu is passionate about collecting a lot of things and he has a huge collection of books on Indian architecture. Quiz him about his prized item, and he says-it is a book, Physics for Entertainment and the 1969 encyclopaedia which his dad gifted him. Photographer: Rohit Nair
If where you live is who you are then Sabu Cyril’s home in the bustling area of Kodambakkam in Chennai is stamped with his personality. The famous National Award winning art director who has worked with many noted filmmakers invites Sridevi Sreedhar to his uniquely done up home. At one glance, it can be passed off as just another middle class apartment complex. But as you reach the second floor of this 1700 square feet apartment you are transported to another world. A fusion of old and new makes the home truly eclectic.
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FEATURES
There is a small terrace that looks like a Zen-style garden with rare volcanic stones and white pebbles collected from Kanyakumari, Jaisalmer, Pune and Mauritius to name a few. The theme is grey and white with wrought iron chairs and Sabu loves to relax here in the evenings.
Sabu with wife Snehalatha and daughters Shwetha and Soumya
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FEATURES
The roll top desk and grandfather clock are rare antique pieces that Sabu picked up from Ooty. The German piano was picked up from Hyderabad and it was a gift to his little daughter.
There is small inbuilt fish tank inside the bathroom with goldfish.
Sabu has a huge collection of liquor bottles from all over the world- His favourite is the Ouzo bottle that he picked up from Greece.
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XCLUSIVE
“If I cannot dance, it’s not music for me.
A music maker A music maker wanders in words
Think Devi Sri Prasad and the three words that come to mind are Unique Mystique Musique... Karthik Pasupulate goes for a song under his spell
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For many (the writer included) finding life’s calling is like looking for a ‘black hole’ in a pile of charcoal. A few though, just have it all so figured out that it seems like their calling finds them! Take for instance, music director Devi Sri Prasad. All he ever wanted was to be a music director. He began working on his first music album in class seven! By the time he was 17, he had composed music for his first film. Today, he is on top of his game, as one of the most sought after songsters of south India. For those who joined in late, here’s tuning you into what Devi (that’s what they all call him) has been doing these days. Besides composing music for NTR’s next film being directed by VV Vinayak, he’s also working on Arya-2 and Namo Venkatesha in Telugu and Kutti apart from the Surya starrer Singam in Tamil. Over the last five years, Devi has composed music for at least four films every year. With records like Kanthasamy, Jalsa, Santosh Subramaniam, Current, Ready, Bommarillu, Arya, Rakhi, Shankar Dada MBBS, Mass, Sachien, Maayavi, Aaru, Mazhai, Varsham, Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana…he took prolificacy to well, another level. And it’s not just mere numbers we are talking of. To make loads of music is one thing and to make loads of music that’s refreshing each time, that’s kept a whole generation of youngsters dancing is well another. In 2005 alone, he had 11 music releases to his credit. He’s got his own way of doing things and makes it seem quite simple. “I spend a lot of time talking about the song or scene with the director and the lyricist. I
go over the lyrics a number of times and try arriving at a concept. Once the idea is finalised, the tunes just flow. Thankfully, most of my compositions are okayed right in the first go. So, I guess that helps too,” he shares.
has the music. I think our music loses out because of the language and poor marketing. Personally, I believe all music directors are doing their best and we are as good as anybody,” he contends. And we agree completely.
When we said music maker, we meant every note of it. He not only composes but also writes lyrics, sings and guess what, dance too. In fact, his shows are so popular that producers insist that he performs at the music launch of films! For Devi, however, dance and music are not different entities. “If I cannot dance, it’s not music for me. It’s hard to explain this in words. There have been days when I went for a performance with fever and fatigue. Yet, once I get on the stage, I just cannot help myself. The crowds, the music and the lights just feed me with all the energy I need,” he explains.
He has managed to cement his place as a hotshot music director in southern cinema in a relatively short span of time. It might seem natural to sort of spread his sights a little… may be Bollywood? “I have been getting some offers from Bollywood, but I am waiting for something special to come. I also want to work on my pop music album. I’ve been putting it off for long now…” And we say, a pop album from Devi is well, certainly worth the wait.
The same seems to apply for his writing as well. “My dad is amazed at how I write, and rightly so. I do not read much and have never written anything other than my songs. I guess I’ve got it from my father,” Devi contemplates. His father, Sathya Murthy is a noted script writer, composer and singer from the older generation. Talking of which, puritans don’t tire of crying hoarse over the degeneration of contemporary music. Influenced by the West? More cheap imitations in the name of inspiration? Come to think of it, we do not use adjectives like classic or timeless to describe our music anymore. Do we? “Now what do you say to that? It’s a jungle out here too. You just cannot survive if your music is not good enough. Perhaps tastes have changed and so
But that’s not all. We hear he’s got acting plans too. “Yes I have been discussing my plans with some big banners, but it is a little too early to talk about it. If all goes well, something might just work out in the near future,” he lets us know. Now that will be something. Watch this space for more. Going back to the man behind the synthesizer, Devi obviously hasn’t had a typical childhood. At an age when most kids are just happy imitating Sachin Tendulkar or SRK, he busied himself playing with tunes on his keyboard. We wonder if he ever missed out on a more unhurried childhood. “Yes I never had time to hang out with my friends as my life revolved around studies and music. But I was having so much fun doing it that I never missed anything.” We told you, he’s one hulluva sorted guy, didn’t we? But what of the women? He’s not an actor and yet he’s probably had more link-ups
wanders in words than the superstars so far. We won’t name the ladies but we can say they are all quite hot! “Well the only thing such link ups set on fire is the friendship with the lady involved,” he quips with more than a naughty smile. “But these things do not amuse me anymore.” That was some nifty side stepping, but we pester. He could not be getting all his kicks from music, ahem? Give us some dirt man. “God should not have given man the mind of a monkey with so many beautiful women around! So technically I am having trouble deciding,” he winks. Pure jest? You decide…
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PHOTOGRAPHER: G VENKET RAM MAKEUP: BANU HAIR: SHANKAR CLOTHES: STUDIO SAKS
STYLIST: UPASANA ASRANI COORDINATED BY: SRIDEVI SREEDHAR
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weapon of Her hit films make news, her controversies, bigger news. When she love goddess of the south is given to moods of her own, but the aftereffects…
mass seduction! sizzles, she simply scorches, branding her charisma on screen and hearts alike. The most wanted outcome only makes Nayanthara a tantalizer with no tranquilizer. Sridevi Sreedhar reels in the
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About the ride up, not only was it hard but an emotionally wrenching one too. “Getting to the top is easier than staying there,” Nayan shares, adding, “Imagine the pressures of being scrutinized constantly. I know what’s best for me now, but while I was still getting there, my confidence was being pulled down all the time. The idea of being unsure about who can and cannot be trusted has been pretty fatiguing,” she lets us know. And all of this without any support from a godfather in the industry or her parents even. What she’s learnt though is to never underestimate the strength of self conviction and sheer hard work. Add to it a good measure of glamour and the equation can get somewhat shaky. While many love her for what she can do on screen, an equal number (many critics included) do not tire of calling her “over glamorous,” which means she can only grab eyeballs and not do much else. Her films, Yogi, Sathyan, Dubai Seenu, Aegan had her play the clichéd glam doll that can only make the frame prettier whenever she’s in it. But to this she retorts rather strongly, “According to me, I had alright roles in these films. I put in what I thought was required of me into these projects. Isn’t it up to the director of any film to bring out the best from any artiste?”
She’s taken up an “interesting” project in Malayalam though, with director Shyamprasad, in which her role is rather serious and different from all the others she’s done so far. It seems like quite some contrast from the high chutzpah image that’s been hers always. “I do not believe that you have to take off your make-up and look simple to prove you’re an actress,” she says. “I quite like the script which is why I’ll do it.” It was rumoured that she wouldn’t charge a rupee for the project since she likes it so much. But sample this on the other end of the spectrum. She was in the news for allegedly demanding Rs 40 lakhs for being the Chennai Super Kings ambassador at the IPL. And she refused to go for all the matches over some issue. Not too long before this it was rumoured that she is the only heroine of the south to be offered a whopping salary of over one crore to do a film. Also in news was her controversial walkout from director Lingusamy’s film, Paiya over the issue of money again. Paradoxes and then some more. So don’t all these controversies bother her? “If I go by how people react, I’ll never act,” is her spontaneous response to that and an unwavering one.
“
Let’s begin with all about being lonely, save for a very special someone (that we will talk more of a li’l later). She’s numero uno after all and there on the top can be just one, right? She’s really come a long way from her debut Manassinakkare (2003) in Malayalam followed by some really unforgettable films in Tamil and Telugu.
That also explains why she doesn’t do any endorsements despite being the most sought after actress of the south. “I think people should come and watch me where I belong – in films. And not in commercials. Also, I’m not really interested in being a model and endorsing products, like my contemporaries, most of who were modeling before they got into acting. After Billa came, I was offered a very lucrative endorsement from a liquor brand, but I didn’t take it up because I was just not convinced,” she asserts.
I won’t deny my relationship, but I won’t talk about it either.”
If there’s a wall of glass in front of the audience in a movie theatre that’s playing Nayanthara’s film, it would be permanently fogged. Plain beautiful is okay to deal with but simply stunning does make for mass sighing, wotsay? When she makes out with her eyes, a whole generation of youngish something men would rather close theirs in a fantasy lock, while never before have somebody’s vital stats left countless south Indian women this frustrated. Deconstructing a dream can take away from its charms, but unraveling Nayanthara, we discovered, only makes her more interesting.
Right, so now we have conviction and glamour, so let’s also talk about Billa (2007), the Tamil film that was revolutionary in the sense that the heroine appeared in a bikini, still somewhat of a rare occurrence in southern cinema. But three years back when Nayan was seen in a stylish black bikini, many more heroines followed suit. Swim suit, eh! Excuse the wordplay. But listen to this, she refused to do the Telugu version of Billa, precisely because she didn’t want to repeat the bikini act. “It’s never the same the second time around. You can never recreate the magic of the original.” This is also why she created quite a foofaraw on the sets of the Telugu film, Adurs. “I was asked to wear a bikini since the script demanded it, but I refused since I didn’t want to. That’s all.” And the scene was changed since, she can’t do anything “that’s not convincing from within.”
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“I do not believe that you have to take off your makeup and look simple to prove you’re an actor”
She seems to be in a mood in which we could attempt discussing her famous friendship with actor Trisha, which went pretty awry. So here’s what she says. “It involves too many people and is too complicated, so I don’t want to get into it. We don’t meet socially or talk to each other. She is neither my friend nor enemy. We hang around with friends to relax, unwind and have fun right? But when the same set of so-called friends start bitching about you, it’s painful. In fact, we both tried to sort things out but it just didn’t work and the cold war continued.” She believes in doing only what she believes in. We told you earlier. And perhaps this is the only thing that has kept her going always, even through the much talked about split with her ex who she starred with in Vallavan (2006). While it was on, the affair was in the news constantly and the break up was as popular. While people were still recovering from that, there were tiny rumours doing the rounds that Nayan was getting friendly with filmmaker-choreographer Prabhudeva. A few months later, there was written proof! On her hand that is, just above the wrist, the tattooed P followed by two letters in Tamil that completed his name. Speak of him and she breaks into a happy grin. “He is such a gentleman and a wonderful artiste. A perfectionist though, but that is what I admire so much in him. He’s an unusual filmmaker and extremely innovative,” she says it all in one breath. But coax her further and she refuses to add anything else. “I don’t want to discuss my relationship with the entire country. I won’t deny it, but I won’t talk about it either,” she smiles. So she’s not giving and we decide to change track. We ask her what it is that she likes the most in a man. “He needs to inspire me, be mature, trustworthy, somebody I can look up to. I don’t think I can be happy with someone I don’t respect.” So is Prabhu like that? “Don’t try. You won’t get it out from me,” she smiles but doesn’t budge! Google bunnies will also know about the rumour that Nayan and Prabhu got married secretly. A report or two also insist that his wife has come out stating passionately that she will not let anybody take her husband away from her and she will go to any extent to make sure Nayan doesn’t marry him. But of course, rumours are rumours… Talking of which though, we also hear that after being in the news so much over the whole Prabhudeva episode, she is under constant parental surveillance. Apparently, her parents go with her wherever she’s shooting these days. But she’s not so perturbed by all such tabloid talk these days. She’s decided to avoid the media, party circuits and friends even, for a while and focus only on work. “I am the happiest when I’m working and nothing upsets me right now. What else, it’s been a very strange year both professionally and personally…” she just trails off.
ou keve
I’m superstitious about A lot of things I get turned on by Good perfume.
My sex appeal My smile My strength Faith in God, my confidence My big fear Nothing so far
My biggest asset My family What I hate most Liars What touches me most Honesty
CENTRE STAGE
“
If I go by how people react, I’ll never act…”
Southscope presents the newest actor in the making as he does what he loves most...
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PHOTOGRAPHER G VENKET RAM
STYLIST PRIYANKA
ganesh venkatraman gets gung-ho
Take a look at me NOW...
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Ready for the flight...to stardom
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If looks could kill...
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It's all about finding the right balance
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The r cas e are a ea lot f wo ma ter a h of eye nw s a ho rd da on he is v y PH O ery ’s sho r, but a STY TOG R JEW LIST: APH m E uch oting s tend MA ELLE SHRA R: RA KE V R N A Y G erfo UP N at e of V & H COUR KUM ANAT e a ot a AIR TES AR H d s Y : VI ew a JAY : MBS ith m, Ra ctres JEW ELL s wh ER ere hul G Seiya S a she G is, a nguly auta nd ms wh come ere s ac huts h er m she r ’s h oss a ead you akeup n ed the g se d ays
“Growing up, I was the fat kid with a waistline tipping the scales at 38 inches, believe it or not,� is the deadpan confession from the pretty young actress as we settle down for a chat. Across the table is Seiya Gautam, sitting taut in a pair of fitted denims and a sexy black tee as we get the babe talking of her decision to enter films and what happened thereafter.
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Moving on to her first film experience, the actress confesses of admiring co-star Ravi Teja’s presence, both on screen and off it: “Working with Ravi Teja in Neninthe was an absolute delight. It never failed to amaze the team as he often burst into the sets, yelling at anyone who was slacking off. His energy levels were nothing short of infectious.” Looking every inch the lean and confident young woman she is, the pretty lass, busy these days shooting for Vedam is all excitement as she heaps praises for the film industry down south. Deftly sidestepping the inevitable casting couch question, Seiya claims that“the best thing about working in the Telugu film industry is the respect it has for women.”
Now that she is shooting for Vedam, Seiya says that it has been a great learning experience even if a little draining for the newcomer. “I am not supposed to open my mouth about the film you know, although I can tell you this, that I have put my heart and soul into it.” Seiya continues, saying that the ensemble cast is something that “is going to be anything unlike what has been seen on Telugu cinema screens, I promise you that.”
With an unmistakable glint in her eyes, Seiya gushes while talking about her parents who, she claims were tremendously supportive of her choice to make a foray in films. “My mom and dad were both heavily into theatre before they got married, so I guess I got some of that knack for acting from them,” she smiles. Born of a papa from Jammu (and not Kashmir, mind you, they are two different places, as she points out) and a “pukka Delhiite mom”, the Neninthe babe claims that her career priorities initially lay elsewhere.
But we decide push further and pry her for a bit more juice on the multistarrer film. “I must admit that acting with established names psyched me out a bit initially, and I kept thinking to myself, ‘you just have to match them,’ and I think I did manage to pull it off in the end!” For a relative newcomer, Seiya claims that “it’s not like the team had to be particularly nice to the new girl, but once you are on the sets, you realise just how grounded and friendly the actors are in person.”
Armed with a degree in Psychology from Mithibai College of Arts in Mumbai, Seiya reveals her long cherished dream of playing counselor to kids. “I have always wanted to get into child psychology, though my work prevented me from pursuing my Masters after I graduated.” Toeing the line between regular college, along with ad shoots and modeling was becoming increasingly difficult for the youngster. Though once she was in front of the camera, there has been no looking back. “The film industry was never alien to me. Ever since I was a kid, I used to hang around the sets since my folks were linked to the film business.”
So is Bollywood the next logical step for her, we pondered. “Not necessarily,” she hits back, adding:“What matters to me are the script and the comfort level I share with the story - never mind the language.” Then, as if in an afterthought, the svelte starlet adds: “That however, does not discount the fact that I am flexible about the roles I play, and so far, life has been good.” Until Vedam hits the screens though, we’ll keep our verdicts closely guarded.
Modelling apparently came as a surprise to Seiya, when she started spending time with her brother, who was an aspiring model at that time. “Mind you, walking the ramp or acting was never a planned move,” Seiya says, adding: “since I had all the extra kilos to worry about!” A dose or two of yoga “combined with a sensible diet plan”however helped her get into the ripping bod the gal sports these days. The actress, who till then had a handful of ad-films and modeling assignments, then got a call from director Puri Jagannath. “Films pretty much happened soon after,” she adds curtly.
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Body Double
Hear, Hear. Body double contest is here. Who do you resemble? Bunny, Charan, Siddharth or Tarun? Sunil, Brahmanandam or Ali? Ileana, Anushka or Asin? Doesn’t matter who you look like. What matters is if you do. Southscope invites all the lookalikes to send in their pictures with a mention of the star they think they look like. We can’t wait for the excitement to begin. What are you waiting for? Send in your entries to vrinda@southscope.in
Spin a Yarn. Win a chance! Southscope invites contributions from aspiring writers to send in their entries. Shortlisted stories will be published in our forthcoming issues. Winners will also receive valuable gifts. Word limit- 500 - 1500. Send in your entries to vrinda@southscope.in SILVER SCOPE
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FEATURES
They were seen and appreciated, most stirred emotions, some were instantly forgotten but many grew up into remarkable superstars.
Children’s Day, Mona Ramavat
This
revisits the child artistes of southern cinema over the years.
FEATURES
Small wonder - Innocent, every bit childlike and mostly adorable, either touchingly malnourished or cutely rounded with squeaky voices sometimes or likeable lisps that grow on you. Little girls posing as boys and vice versa, with ease till it is revealed in the credit lines later. Big impact! – Gasps that went out to performances that truly touched the heart and soul too sometimes, made you want to reach out to them (mother like often, even if you were a man), or unabashedly cry or laugh aloud with the urge to cuddle those small wonders on screen… Child artistes in Indian cinema have always held a special place through the black and white era to the slick and suave stuff of today. Language didn’t matter then and it doesn’t even now. And more so now. Child actors were freely exchanged between Bollywood and south cinema as were concepts and ideas. Besides, little did these little performers know that sometimes they carried the film they worked in. Or if that sounds like too much of a statement, at least contributed to making the film the classic it’s now counted as. Take Baby Rani for instance, who created quite a stir with her performance in the Tamil Kuzhanthaikaka or Daisy Irani for that matter who did quite a few Hindi and southern films as a girl and a boy and was clearly among the child actors with the greatest demand. She was earlier chosen to play a boy in Kalathur Kannamma (1960), but was replaced eventually by Kamal Haasan who was all of five when he won over countless hearts with his realistic performance as an orphaned child. Both films – almost a decade apart – won national awards for the best child artists. In the few years to follow, Kamal was featured in more than five films as a child artist. After a hiatus of a few years he came back an awkward adult. The years, nobody thought, would lay the foundation for a superstar who would rise up to become internationally acclaimed. One of his most popular co-star started her career as a child artist too, and like Kamal’s debut it was a Sivaji GanesanSavitri starrer Tamil hit – Kandan Karunai (1967). A mythological film, it had Sridevi play the child version of the popular male deity, Muruga which earned her many praises and several projects as a child artist. The one that stood out the most in the bunch was Nam Naadu (1969) starring MGR and Jayalalita. In the meanwhile, Tamil cinema in those days had another child actor who in the sixties started her career at age three with the film Ambala Anjulam. But the real clincher was Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum in which Kutti Padmini played dual roles as a child – one among the very few child actors to have done that.
In the 70s two Kannada actors who later grew up to be big stars (not in the league of Kamal Haasan and Sridevi of course) were G S Natraj and Ajith Kumar. Both won national awards for their performances as child artists in the Girish Karnad directed Kaadu (1973) and Ghatashraddha (1977) respectively. Ajith Kumar’s rendering of a young Brahmin boy who comes to care for a young pregnant widow - an outcast from the community in an orthodox society was a much talked about performance. During the same decade, another actor who began his career in films was the veteran NTR’s son, Balakrishna whose fan following today is phenomenal to say the least. He starred as a child in many of his father’s productions including Thathamma Kala (1974) his famous debut in which he also shared screen space with his father. A few years later, another star kid who was readying to start a film career that turned out to be nothing short of spectacular when he grew up was Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu who did a brief appearance in Needa which was followed by Poraatam. Many who saw this film predicted that Mahesh will one day grow up to be a big star. Not many years later, the predictions turned out to be more than true. The eighties saw a bunch of Malayalam child artists who won many accolades with some of these marking their presence as reasonably big stars later. Names include Aravind, Vimal, Suresh, Mukesh and Sonia. Legendary actor Dr Rajkumar’s son Puneet Rajkumar entered the Kannada film industry as a child actor too and for his film Bettada Hoovu, won the national award for best child artist in 1986. Somewhere here add Tamil stars Vijay and Simbu too. Back to Malayalam, a few years later, the popular Tamil star Shalini started her career in Malayalam with Ente Mamattikkuttiyammakku with Mohanlal at age three. For this film she won the Kerala State Award for Best Child Artist. She went on to feature in more than 80 Malayalam films and marked her presence in Tamil too. Her younger sister Shyamli was fabulous in her national award winning film, Anjali (made first in Tamil and then Telugu) that came in the early nineties. In the role of an autistic child, Shyamli became the poster girl of child artists in the south during that time, what with her signature piggy tails in the film copied by many a little girl then. In the same film another present day Telugu star, Tarun, featured alongside Shyamli who played her elder brother. Both kids were adored by the masses and the film turned out to be one of the most popular of Telugu cinema. Coming in later was another bunch who are now debuting as grown up actors. Popular names include Shweta Prasad, Hansika Motwani, P Shweta among others. Superstar Nagarjuna’s son Akhil, ace director Puri Jagannth’s son, Akash, Pavan Sriram, the Phoonk child Ahsaas Channa are the ones among the current lot of child actors to look out for. Who knows which one might turn out to be the next superstar!
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EXCLUSIVE
OF VIRGINS, GOATS AND FILMMAKING… 90 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
EXCLUSIVE HE’S AN ALTERNATIVE FILMMAKER WITH A DIFFERENCE AND HE’S BACK IN THE NEWS WITH A QUIRKY FILM THAT’S COMING UP SOON. GAURAV RAJKHOWA CATCHES UP WITH THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED MURALI NAIR WHO’S MAKING WAVES WITH HIS HONEST TALES FROM THE VILLAGES OF INDIA. Call him his own man and that description will probably make him the happiest. And why not, he went ahead and created a stir with his films even at a time when issuebased cinema didn’t find as much audience as is the case today. After a few early ventures in the 90s, the Keralaborn Murali Nair was noticed for his short film Tragedy of an Indian farmer that won the National award in 1993. Since then, he’s been on the festival circuit abroad and more recently, with a string of films that have been applauded quite a bit. Though he started his career as a geologist in his hometown of Anandpuram, Nair’s stint at the Xavier de Communication in Mumbai was the turning point of his career. Soon enough, he went on to hone his skills as an assistant director in the Mumbai film industry. With his first full-length feature film Maranasimhasanam winning the prestigious Camera d’Or at the Cannes International Film Festival in 1999, Nair’s position at the international film circuit assumed somewhat of a permanent stature. Presently based in London, a handful of production jobs for British television keeps the director busy these days. And of course the post-production work on The Virgin Goat, the quirky new film we spoke about. He’s not talking much yet, except “It’s about the relationship between a farmer and his beloved goat, narrated as a road movie.” While it is being filmed in Hindi and slated for release early next year, the director admits to expecting a broader release, compared to his earlier projects in Malayalam. Quite naturally, we got curious and asked why Nair chose to make a Hindi film this time. Bollywood, he says, “is the only growing market in India, which absorbs new films.” Nair’s disillusionment with his Malayalam projects is evident when he says, “I made four films in Malayalam and I feel that there is no market anymore. Regrettably though, the government is also not doing anything to distribute this kind of films. Besides, I started my career in Mumbai and I felt that I belong there. Why then, should I not make a film there?” Talking of Bollywood then, Nair’s casting the comic veteran, Paresh Rawal in The Virgin Goat. For a man known to use first time actors in his earlier ventures, choosing Paresh Rawal might seem like an unusual move. The director however notes that using first timers gives him greater flexibility in his craft. “Every film has its own way with actors,” he says, adding that he is rather “comfortable with training and working with newer talent. The ability to live through the character is limited to very few actors in our industry.” Though he confesses not being in the loop of contemporary commercial films like the newer Dev D or Kaminey variety of ‘brave new cinema’ in the country, Murali Nair hints at getting ready for a commercial foray. “Basically I don’t feel that I am an art house filmmaker,” he quips, adding on a serious note, “Eventually cinema is a commercial art and it has to make returns. A known
face on screen helps do that. However, I feel the gap within the industry has narrowed quite a bit. If the story is good, I believe the film can be turned around into a commercial success.” While a number of his films delve into politics, globalisation and caste issues, he claims that it is in fact, “a sin to be away from politics.” Ask him if his films are a practice of political commitment and the goatee-bearing forty-something man smiles. “Whether you like it or not, politics is every where. For me, I cannot think of doing anything intentionally cut off from the politics that is around me,” he says. For a filmmaker who prefers to take on problems head first, Nair claims that “difficulties are things to remember when old age sets in. What’s lying in front of us is more challenging!” he smiles. So where is Nair’s audience located, we wondered aloud, save for the festival pockets of Europe? Post the advent of the urban multiplex moviegoer, he sees new possibilities in showcasing films that are off the mainstream cinema tag. “There is a very good possibility as the educated multiplex audience can understand different types of films. They need a change and are ready for it,” says the filmmaker, exuding confidence. These days, Nair prefers to spend most of his time with upcoming projects at his London-based production company, Elephant Films. The company, along with the subsidiary Maya Films in Hyderabad presently is also planning a few programmes aimed at kids. For a filmmaker swimming against the mainstream current, Nair claims that life itself keeps him going. “The people around me, the films I watch and pretty much everything in between influences my work, still…” he pauses for breath and the rest remains unfinished. But we know, there’s more to come from Murali Nair, and this time around, perhaps there’s a wider audience waiting to hear his stories.
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EXCLUSIVE There are stories and there are stories you long to tell for years. And what you can’t wait to tell for years consumes your soul so strongly that you make it the purpose of your life and end up planning a career around that one story. The Lotus Pond, for filmmaker P G Vinda has been one such tale that he’s longed to tell since the time he was as old (or as young) as the two 10-year-old boys playing the lead pair in the film. “The Lotus Pond is more of an experience than a story,” Vinda shares. Set in the interiors of the Himalayas, it’s about two school boys who want to explore the mountains in search of a supposed lotus pond. The entire film revolves around their little expedition. “At another level, it is a spiritual quest for the ultimate,” Vinda explains, letting us know that he spent his childhood at a gurukul school somewhere in Andhra, along the banks of the Krishna river. “The school was known
for its strict discipline and as kids we couldn’t even think of stepping out of the campus on our own. But we craved to swim in the river and explore the fields and streams around the school. We would manage to sneak out once in a while, and those moments were truly indescribable. Simple things that somehow had a profound bearing on our minds and souls as children.” So in that sense the film has many autobiographical shades, but Vinda says it’s something that anybody would be able to relate to. “It’s based on the Sanskrit concept of paradise or maanasarovar, maanas meaning heart or soul and sarovar translating to pond. The Lotus Pond then is about finding your personal paradise. Each one has his or her own.” The film was shot in exactly a month in the ancient village of Sancher, which is in the Kulu district and said to be the second oldest village in the Himalayan terrain after Malana. At 14,000 feet above sea level,
the biggest challenge was to transport shooting equipment and deal with the altitude sickness besides the danger of wild animals. “But the children were always full of energy and their enthusiasm would drive us,” Vinda recalls. The protagonist, Akash is by the way, acclaimed Telugu director, Puri Jagannath’s son. He has featured in a couple of films as a child artiste and his parents jumped at the idea of this film when Vinda narrated the script to them. “Puri garu was quite excited about it and said that the story could have been picked from his own childhood,” Vinda says. The film took only a month to shoot but the research work lasted for a good four years. “The most important thing for this project was to get the help and support of the locals. We spent a lot of time with them over many trips to Sancher. The villagers got so close to us that they would pray to the local goddess, Sarkundi devi (possibly, named after the Sarkundi lake, or vice versa) for the film to do well.” It will be released in English, Hindi and possibly Telugu too, liberally peppered with the Kulu dialect.
FINDING NEVERLAND Telugu cinematographer, P G Vinda’s directorial debut is a film clearly for the global audience, with a story every Indian would relate to, gathers Mona Ramavat
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Thirty-year-old Vinda forayed into Telugu cinema as cinematographer with the national award winning film, Grahanam (2004). With this came not only popularity for him but also critical acclaim. A couple of big hits followed this one, including Ashta Chemma. A graduate of fine arts, Vinda found his creative calling through the lens and has been striving to excel in the techniques of the camera ever since. Something that happens quite a bit in the West but in Indian cinema, “technology is not fully exploited,” he says. The Lotus Pond was on his mind long before he took up any of his cinematography projects though, and a huge motivation for him was to present an Indian film on a global platform. “The mass entertainment genre is something we are overwhelmed with and not many filmmakers look beyond. It’s sad that we don’t go back to our own rich cultural traditions of art, that can inspire innumerable stories - Indian in spirit but universal in essence.” So does that mean he will only make such films later? “Not
necessarily. I quite like masala movies too, but will make them with a difference.” His farmer parents (who are currently quite busy bride searching) are big movie buffs, we are told. “But they like only action, drama, dance and superstars. They would never watch something like The Lotus Pond, unless perhaps if their son has made it,” he smiles. So where to from here? “I’m working on a couple of other ideas.” In Telugu? “Well, language really doesn’t matter.” So, is Hollywood on the cards too? “No such plans. I’d rather focus on investing my creativity for Indian cinema that will have a global appeal.”
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XCLUSIVE
RACY RAMYA’S RAZZMATAZZ
* Globetrotter, party freak, fiercely on her own, she’s somebody not everybody can be… Aravind G plays the smitten scribe in this exclusive tête-à-tête with Kannada screen sensation, Ramya. Many love her, some wonder why the others love her and some more jostle in between depending on the reasons why she’s making news, which she does constantly. Either for fending off controversies or brushing aside the ‘brash’ label but mostly it’s about having her feet planted firmly in an industry dominated by non-local heroines. The upward climb though has not been easy but she has managed to hold her own in Kannada cinema for eight years now. The only Kannada actor who can boast of having acted alongside Amitabh Bachchan in a Kannada film, Ramya continues to set the box office registers ringing with clockwork efficiency. While juggling the enviable label of being one of the most sought after movie stars in Kannada, Ramya, who started life as Divya Spandana changed her name somewhere along the way in the hope of a more successful film career. She insists however, that her entry in cinema was never a calculated career decision. With no film connections in her family, it was a tough task to break through. She had a few friends in the industry though. Her success without a godfather has been the cause for heartburn for many, we’re sure, but the Ramya takes a surprisingly mellow turn “I don’t even remember how I managed to come this far. But I am content with whatever I am doing.”
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RACY RAMYA’S RAZZMATAZZ
While still a struggling actor, the story goes that when thespian Rajkumar wanted to introduce his youngest son Puneet Rajkumar as a hero, the family initially zeroed in on Ramya. But eventually, Rakshita was selected for that role. Not one to back off easily, Ramya went on to become the lead actress for Puneet’s second movie Abhi, which turned out to be a runaway success in 2003. From then on, things started showing up and in quick succession, she delivered Kanti, Aakash, Gowramma, Amrutha Dhaare, Arasu and Mussanje Maathu, which became landmarks in her career. Ramya recalls, “When I entered the film industry, there was hardly anybody to guide me and I fumbled at every step in my career. Now that I know the industry like the back of my hand, I try to do all I can to ease new entrants into the industry,” she smiles. Somehow Ramya also happens to be one actor this side of the south who inevitably courted controversy even as she gained recognition and that too, several times through her career. The latest being the allegation leveled by choreographer Harsha that Ramya behaved in a ‘rude’ manner with him during the shoot of Kannada film Just Maath Maathalli, being canned by director Sudeep. In case you thought she would take it lying down, Ramya spat back, alleging that Harsha “had little regard or respect for women.” The drama continued with Ramya walking out of the film sets, while choreographers threatened to boycott all her future projects. While we are left to wonder what she did to tick them off, last heard, peace was restored with the intervention of some top producers and directors. But before you exhale in relief, let us tell you that this was not the first time Ramya locked horns with the industry. In a similar incident with actor Sudeep during the shoot of Ranga SSLC in 2004, the two apparently refused to work together for quite some time. But they finally buried the hatchet and
teamed up for the hit Mussanje Maathu, which sorted the cold war between them at last. All this has somehow made her seem rather brazen. “I realised that being honest and openminded may not always work in your favour.” We see that the ride to the top has sort of left Ramya a stronger woman with a greater sense of conviction. She chooses carefully now and every project that’s coming her way, only seems to make her body of experience more enriched. She recently got selected by Prakash Raj for his debut directorial venture in Kannada, titled Naanu Nanna Kanasu, a remake of his Tamil hit Abhiyum Naanum.
There’s the Sudeep-starrer, called Kicchha Hucchha, and another Kannada film, Sanjoo Weds Geetha. Tamil films, Kaadal to Kalyanam and Singam Puli are also likely to keep her busy. So let’s wait and watch, when she makes news again!
She’s done some 28-odd films in Kannada, along with half a dozen in Tamil, and says that she likes working with Puneet Rajkumar back home. Having acted in three films with him, she claims that “my friends always tell me we make a great pair on screen. I am keen on acting in any movie with Puneet!” Ask her if the chemistry extends off the sets and Ramya sets the records straight: “We basically chill out discussing mutual interests and watching movies. It’s a great deal of fun, and that’s all there is to it.” Admittedly more of a ‘girl’s night out’ person, Ramya is quite the host among friends and colleagues in the scene. From friends to fans, we hear she gets mobbed each time she steps out, which is understandably inevitable. Ramya possesses a rather interesting collection of portraits and paintings sent to her by fans. Curiously though, some of them are still wrapped and unseen. She shares with a shy smile that probably someday she would use these to decorate her dream house. Talking of which, we decided to crash the party, popping in the marriage question. She looks surprised but recovers quickly. “Why is everybody concerned about my marriage? I will get married the day I decide to get married.” For now though, she is keen on completing her projects and her hands are more than full at the moment. Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 97
SOUTHSPREAD
son rise!
Photographer: Ramakanth T Stylist: Kaashif Bilal, Production coordinator: Divya Uday
A splendid
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KARTHIK PASUPULATE chats up with RANA, the newest star kid on the block. The debonair six-footer is all set to take his first step on the road to stardom and doesn’t look like he’s the faltering kind
Some actors turn directors or producers eventually, but rarely do aspiring actors start off producing films. But here we are talking Rana Daggubati, who comes from a family of film producers par excellence. His father, Suresh Babu is a leading producer and their production house, Suresh Productions has made some of the finest films in Telugu and Tamil. Add to this a grandfather like D Ramanaidu who holds a Guinness record for having produced films in most languages. What’s more, the Telugu superstar, Venkatesh happens to be his uncle. So, we can safely say that it’s a case of nature furthering nurture, or the other way round, take your pick.
Some actors turn directors or producers eventually, but rarely do aspiring actors start off producing films. But here we are talking of Rana Daggubati,
Rana was first noticed a couple of years ago when he produced his first film, the critically acclaimed, Bommalata. At 23, he was counted amongst the youngest producers of southern cinema to debut with a national award winning film. Set for another debut – this time as an actor – Rana has quite an image to live up to. The Sekhar Kammula directed Leader, which has Rana in the lead, is expected to hit screens by the end of the year. Rana is not yet the sort whose film will be waited for with bated breath, but it may just be a matter of time before that happens too.
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SOUTHSPREAD
On his choice of profession People ask me what I would have done, had I not been an actor. I really do not know. From the time I can remember, entertainment is all I’ve known. My grandfather and father have been renowned filmmakers and my mother looks after the lab. Our family lives, eats and breathes cinema. One of my earliest memories of childhood is playing with discarded film negatives. It was only about a year and an half ago that I decided to take up acting. I studied theatre at the Barry Jones acting school to understand the finer nuances of acting. On being an entrepreneur first It was a conscious decision to move away from the servicing business. We provided scanning services to assist in post production. It included scene-based color grading, creation of various effects etc. In four years, we worked on visual effects for 80 films. But the servicing business is a sweatshop and has nothing much to do with creativity. The problem with technology is that it keeps changing rapidly and the equipment is very expensive. I figured owning a product is better than servicing it. It was a conscious move to get into the Intellectual Property domain and films were the most natural choice. On Leader It was in December last year that I first came across the script of the film. I was leaving for Goa for New Year’s Eve and decided to come back and take a decision. AVM productions were doing the project. I was bowled over by the honesty of the script. It is an exciting film in the classical drama genre set against a political backdrop. I play a character that is very close to the guy I am, so the transition from real to reel was rather seamless. On the makeover My friends from the industry don’t recognise me now. I was quite a fat guy until almost two years ago. Once I decided to get into acting, I worked out a meticulous programme (I am an excel sheet in myself!) to get into shape. I started off by shocking my body with stuff like gymnastics and other rigorous workouts. There are no diet secrets. Finish your carbs early in the day and move to protein rich food in the second half. The mantra is simple. Just keep at it!
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On creating an image I am just about one film old! It is too early to be talking about my image. It works in different ways. Some actors deliberately ‘choose’ a certain image and work towards doing roles to suit that image. There are others who try to constantly reinvent themselves by breaking away from the patterns. Can’t say which is better. Each to his own, I guess. As for me, I want to work on projects that stimulate me. I would hate to confine my films to the high voltage family drama genre. These days, audiences are exposed to different kinds of cinema. I want to work with honest scripts, be it action, drama, thrillers, mythology or folk. On living in a joint family Living in a joint family with four sisters and three brothers is a lot of fun. Being the eldest one in the family has its perks but I was not exactly the pampered kid. If anything, my brother Abhiram was more pampered than I. But now Arjun, Venky’s youngest son is the darling of the family. My mother was more particular about my studies (which I was never good at) but we always had the liberty to make our choices. On other interests I am a big movie buff. Tamil, Telugu, Hindi or world cinema doesn’t matter. I watch anything. Sundays are all about movies when I am not working. As a kid I loved my superhero comics. Batman, Phantom, X- Men, the works… Unfortunately they all turned out to be bad films. Star Wars was a big influence growing up. I still have a light sabre in my bedroom. I am a big foodie too. I am absolutely crazy about haleem and zabaan. Of late, I have developed a liking for martial arts since I’ve been training.
QUICK BYTES
My idol
George Lucas
My fave-on -screen men
Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt and Kamal Haasan
My first date
Can’t remember!
My first kiss
Very early!
My first salary
1.2 lac. For shooting ads for a tooth powder
AR Rahman, Hans Zimmerman
My fave music makers
First on my fast dial
Dad
I can’t do without
My glasses I can’t see without them
My brands
Diesel, Zara
My all time fave holiday getaway
New York
My New Year eve party Goa
Me
Organised, passionate
On beauty
Nice to have in a woman
My turn on
Witticism
My turn off
Arrogance, bad communication skills
Love marriage or arranged
Options open I am single!
My dream date
Oh, so many of them!
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 101
FEATURES
Graffiti of
Desire
Pavithra Srinivasan goes tattoo spotting in the most dramatic of places. Before you get scandalized, we mean in Chennai and we are talking Tamil stars.
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FEATURES “Chennai has a long way to go before we get completely adventurous about tattoos – but the change is happening,” assures Naveen Kumar, who’s been a tattoo artist with Chennai’s foremost tattoo studio, Irezumi for three years. Incidentally, Trisha got hers done here and Surya got a piercing here too. “I hope my clients would want more from us than just butterflies or names. Stars are the latest trend these days, but I wish they’d go for something bigger. Dragons maybe,” he smiles. Doesn’t seem that far fetched. In the meanwhile, we always have our little love notes and personality screaming stuff, both on and off screen.
For a while forget you’re reading this and picture instead a typical lover’s tiff scene from a Tamil movie. You are likely to have seen something we are about to describe umpteen times precisely because it never fails to work. So here’s how it goes: The hero and heroine have had a massive fight, replete with accusations galore. She’s sobbing, he’s breathing fast. He attempts explaining himself, she’s in no mood to listen. He uses much lung power to convince her he loves her. She asks him to prove it. And there in lies the clinch. The cue is given and he wrenches his shirt open, and hey presto! There she finds her name tattooed on his belly/ shoulder/chest, often close to the heart. And that’s it. All is well again. Cut back to the real and the story is not too different either. Not as melodramatic though but the love part of the deal remains. Whether it’s the love of their lives, their own identity or simply the love of tattooing. Angelina Jolie got her slim back peppered with her children’s names, Victoria Beckham’s practically traded love engravings with husband David and closer home, Saif and Kareena have etched their love for each other permanently on their respective bodies. Tamil stars have been doing it too and much before tattooing became a cool thing, at least in India. Example? Paruthiveeran’s etching of his beloved Muthazhagu on his chest – crude, yet with an affecting simplicity that’s an indication of uncomplicated life. The others given in to the tattoo needle are Khushboo, Lissy Priyadarshan and Aishwarya. More recently of course, body art is more prolific and arty too. Tattoos aren’t just names; they’re stylized protestations of love where calligraphic letters transform from mere words to poetry. And ink that otherwise is simply graffiti becomes etched romance. The sylph-like Trisha who is all set to make her debut in Bollywood has a Nemo fish tattooed on her bosom. It makes tantalizing appearances whenever she wears those stylish off-shoulder numbers – which is often. Apparently, it took the tattoo artist three hours to get it right. She’s got a little one on her left wrist too and she wants another, except she thinks her mom will finally disown her! Not too far behind, in fact, much talked about is another tattoo. The elegant P followed by two Tamil letters on bikini babe, Nayanthara’s arm. We hear she considers it a part of her body, and has no issues about showing it off.
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FEATURES
DISH DISH OOM OOM da nna the a K s t, pas weigh t n ce dG e re ravin ain. h t e in ence. A and ag c fi f l ox o ing vio g time b e y at th glorif urfacin g n o i mb rted t keeps s o b s so t orie ave re nd tha t s love cers h the tre h t i W produ s of n film and co s pro
When push comes to shove, film makers will resort to any formula to get their movies to perform at the box office. Who can blame them when millions of bucks ride on a single film? That, in a nut shell, seems to be the story of Kannada film producers at the moment. With expensive romantic movies shot in exotic foreign locations bombing miserably, producers eager to make up for their losses are making movies based on violence. This isn’t a new phenomenon, though. Several hits in the past like Om, Jogi and Duniya, revolved around themes based on brutality. Each movie was a trendsetter and changed the fortunes of actor, director and the producer. No wonder they seem to be inspiring many others in the industry.
Dhool, Deena, Shivakashi, Porki, Punda, Devanahalli, Boss, Devanahalli, Putta, Raktaaksha, Parole, Idre Gopi Bidre Paapi, IPC Section and AK 97 are some of the movies that will hit the screens over the next three months. With this, the total number of films based on violence will cross 25 this year alone. The first half of 2009 also saw the release of several films based on violence. But none of them fared well. But that has not deterred the producers from making new films based on the same theme. In the last five years, the Kannada film industry has been banking on violence for success. However, Mungaru Male proved them wrong in 2006. As a consequence, producers started introducing fresh faces with romantic stories. But none could replicate the success of Mungaru Male. The year 2007 saw the release of Duniya, a mega hit in which actor Vijay brandished swords and machete with ease. The film was adjudged as the second best movie and Vijay went on to win the best actor award that year from the Karnataka government. Violence was back as the central theme of Kannada films with the “official approval.” A report by the Bangalore regional office of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) shows that movies glorifying violence are on the rise in the Kannada film industry when compared to other south Indian languages.
The outgoing regional officer of CBFC, A Chandrashekar, was vocal in his criticism but had to face strong opposition from producers. The CBFC recommended several cuts before awarding certificates to movies that had violence as the central theme. This even led to a deadlock between the CBFC and the producers on several occasions. Out of 127 Kannada movies released in 2007, 24 per cent of them were based on violence. The percentage of movies based on violence in Telugu and Tamil was 3.5 per cent and 4 per cent respectively in the same year. Similarly, the Hindi film industry, which produced the highest number of movies based on violence, was moving away from the subject. During 2007, the percentage of Hindi movies that had violence as the central theme was just 1.6 per cent. The worrying factor is that the percentage graph is increasing in the Kannada film industry. In 2004, the percentage of movies with violence as the central theme was 15.3. In 2005, it rose to 19.4 percent. In 2006, it went up to 20.6 percent. It reached an alltime high of 24 percent in 2007. The year 2008 saw a gradual decline in such movies, though filmmakers churned out movies like Gooli, Sathya in Love, Madesha, Dheemaku, Patre Loves Padma, Slum Bala, Vamshi and Bidda. The only exception was Darshan’s Gaja, a Telugu remake. Meanwhile films like Psycho and Nanda Loves Nanditha, with violence as the central theme enjoyed moderate success. Come 2009, the trend seems to continue unabated, despite a weakened response from the audiences’ side. Movies like Shivamani, Birugaali, Swatantrapalya, Baaji, Taakath, Macchha, Hodi Maga, Seena and Yodha bit the dust. Vijay’s movie Junglee fared better among the lot. Film critics contend that the producers have not learnt from their past mistakes and continue to rely on violence for success. Actors like Darshan even justify such movies on the grounds that “audience patronises” them. Such films are on the rise also because of the fact that new movie-makers are entering the film industry. “The best way to convince a producer is prepare a script laced with violence, and cite examples of past successes. I have been trying to make a good movie. But all the scripts that I have reviewed so far are based on violence,” points out first time producer Ha Cha Sathya. For the time being, it looks like Kannada films will continue blazing their guns, never mind the hit factor involved.
THE QUEEN OF HEARTS
EXCLUSIVE
Kaniha’s entry in filmdom may have happened by chance but where she’s filmmaking. Vijay G finds out more.
Kaniha breezed into Malayalam cinema but looks like she’s here to stay for longer than her swift entry. It was the success of Bhagyadevatha first and then the phenomenal Pazhassi Raja – in which she plays the powerful queen Kaitheri Makkam – in Malayalam that has her feeling more than elated these days. An engineering graduate, Kaniha made her debut as an actor with Mani Ratnam’s Five Star. After films like Autograph, Aethiree, Varalaru and Dancer in Tamil she got a second lease of life with her Malayalam films and is raring to go! Here’s more… Tell us about your experience of playing Kaitheri Makkam, the queen of Pazhassi Raja? Pazhassi Raja is one film that I will always be proud of. When I went for the screen test, I had no clue how important this film actually was. I was absolutely thrilled to play a historical character and to work with legends like M T Vasudevan Nair who scripted the film, director Hariharan and Mammootty of course. Before the shoot started, I spent a lot of time researching on Pazhassi Raja and his family. Kaitheri Makkam is this extremely gutsy woman who had the courage to see her husband off to war. I had to tone down my body language 106 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
EXCLUSIVE quite a bit and it was a challenge to play a character from the 18th century, without any makeup whatsoever. For this one, I didn’t even go to a beauty salon! After the success of Bhagyadevatha, are you signing more films in Malayalam? Yes, I will certainly accept projects that will offer me good roles. Malayalam cinema gives me a lot of scope to balance my personal and professional lives, as most Malayalam films have relatively shorter shooting schedules. I have just completed My Big Father with Jayaram. And I’m looking forward to doing more Malayalam films. When did you realise that you wanted to be an actor? The truth is that I never wanted to be an actor (Smiles). And I sure never imagined that I’d be one someday! I wanted to be an engineer instead and was studying at BITS, Pilani.
reached now with only two films in Malayalam is all about sheer hard work meeting great I happened to win the Miss Chennai pageant and it was after this that my pictures were published in magazines and I was noticed by filmmakers. But you know what, it all happened purely by chance. One participant in the pageant dropped out and I replaced her, while I was only supposed to have been singing at the event. After I became an actor I realised that I quite like being one. I never aspired and struggled to become an actor. It just happened… How did you manage films and studies? Well, I happen to be a great multi-tasker. Even when I was at school, I would juggle studies, sports and other activities rather efficiently. I started getting film offers during the third year of my engineering. I didn’t want my studies to be affected, so I decided to pursue films during vacation time. I am so glad that I did not give up education then, because having an engineering degree today gives me a sense of accomplishment besides making me confident. My college alumni association honoured me as a young achiever. That was something, really. You have also done some playback singing for Five Star. Ever thought about a singing career? I learnt Carnatic music for six years and music classes formed a part of my daily routine until I went to college. A good voice is a gift and I regret not taking my singing talent more seriously. But when I did Five Star, the music composers, Anuradha Sriram and her husband quite liked my voice and made me sing the title song. It was a great feeling and it has motivated me to consider taking up singing more seriously. Being in the film industry also makes it a tad easier. So, why not?
Do you feel at times that you could have done better if you were more focused on your acting career, during your early days in the industry? Absolutely. I am sure that I would have done a hundred times better if only I did all the films that came to me! But I have no regrets at all because it was for my education that I let those films go. What was it like to dub for Genelia in Sachein, Sada in Anniyan and Shriya in Sivaji? I would say it was a different kind of experience. Enriching too. I have dubbed for quite a few other actors. But people discouraged me since it wouldn’t have reflected so well on my career graph. Nevertheless, I have always liked to do different things. Marriage seems to have brought you more luck in your acting career… I keep telling my husband Shayam that he’s actually my Bhagyadevatha (lady luck). He supports me in my decisions and I feel that you get more respect in the industry after marriage. I am happy that my career seems to be on a high after I got married and I hope it just continues that way.
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FEATURES
FANTASY LAND Film star fan clubs in Tamil Nadu can safely be called the most frenzied of the lot. Pavithra Srinivasan samples the madness. Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Tom Cruise and David Beckham have intensely fanatic fans. Robert Pattinson has paparazzi lurking at every corner. There are men and women who’d kill simply for one glimpse of Will Smith. But how many of these crazy fans would actually string up mounds of garlands over hundreds of feet high cut outs of their idols? Or burst fireworks at two in the morning just because their star’s movie is releasing the next day? Or build temples dedicated to them replete with milk abhishekam ceremonies, an offering reserved exclusively for the gods? Ever since the days of the hoary M K Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, when fans went crazy if the star so much as appeared in a train or on the street, anywhere actually, the tradition of singing in the praise of movie stars has taken firm root in Tamil Nadu. Enthusiastic fans of MGR and Shivaji took up the mantle from Bhagavathar, watching the star’s movies several times, ensuring that they run for hundreds of days and devouring any news anywhere about them was the extent to which they could show their devotion, aside from supporting them whole-heartedly when they entered politics. 108 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
FEATURES
Then came the first generation of fans that frenzied over Superstar Rajnikanth and the Universal hero Kamal Haasan. A little later fan clubs started for Ilaya Thalapathi Vijay, Ultimate Star Ajith and more recently, Suriya too, who till now has somehow managed to escape having titles bestowed on him. “The day my thalaivar’s (guru or leader or the revered one) movie releases, it is a festival for me,” enthuses Sivakumar, 22, an auto rickshaw driver and a long time fan of Rajnikanth. Sivakumar has industriously watched every one of the superstar’s movies, a la the motley gang in Subramaniapuram. To him, Rajnikanth is nothing short of god and he loves him to the point of devotion. “Thalaivar always gives a message of some kind to everyone in his movies,” he says on a serious note. And although he admits that he hasn’t come close to performing milk abhishekams - his friends did that – he did participate in an elaborate pooja meant for the success of his film, and dutifully threw confetti in front of the movie screen. Ask him about the star’s incursions into politics, and he shrugs. “It is thalaivar’s decision. Whatever it is, we will stand by him.” Likewise, he’s enthusiastic about Soundarya Rajnikanth’s ventures as well. To him, it’s the perpetuation of a dynasty! There are fan sites galore on the net too, which have become thriving hubs of fandom. “So often, people dismiss us as just another fan club,” rues J Ramki, 31, who created one of the most popular Rajini fan sites. A software engineer, he changed his name to Rajini Ramki. With more than 12,000 members, his website is a focal point for likeminded fans abroad, and he’s even written a book on the star himself. “Superstar is the thread that connects us,” he beams. The Kamal Haasan fan following is a different story. He’s got endless communities in social networking groups that elaborately discuss every little detail of the Ulaganayagan’s latest release, Unnai Pol Oruvan. Since Haasan doesn’t quite like any overt display of affection, his fans prefer running blood-donation camps and conduct social service activities in his
name. Something that Rajinikanth fans do with equal aplomb. In fact, every star prefers such socially relevant work, rather than milkabhishekams and aarathis. They’d rather focus on free distribution of utilities like sewing machines among the poor and organ donation efforts. This gives them the added satisfaction of helping the not so privileged.
Why some are revered might differ from why others aren’t. The reasons might be many or sometimes none. After everyone needs a star. Period.
“Ajith Sir has been saying that we need to plant more trees,” shares Praveen, 25, a long-term thala (fan) and a journalist in the entertainment industry. “It’s sad however that not many people follow this kind of lead. Some do, but that’s it.” The lack of enthusiasm, he feels, might have something to do with both Vijay and Ajith churning out consecutive flops. Add to that limited fan-interaction, especially with Ajith. He very rarely gives interviews, or is accessible to fans. “But even then, there’s a solid fan base,” assures Praveen, who also feels that the cutout phase belongs only to a certain age. “People still do those things, but only at the time of a movie release.” Actor Suriya’s fan base is optimistic about his star rating, and overwhelmingly proud of his acting skills. “His hard work and dedication were the main reasons for us to become his fans,” reveals Jayakrishnan, 25, who’s running a Suriya fan website. “His performance in Varanam Ayiram was simply superb, and he is the only one in Tamil cinema who can come close to Kamal Haasan to experiment with his roles and take risks,” he finds. “We also admire his simplicity and his contribution towards education.” As for the actresses, this is the land that built temples for Khushboo and Namitha, after all. There are fans that are fiercely loyal to Asin, Shriya, Sneha among others. But Trisha Krishnan seems to rank high on the list. The Trisha Foundation and Fan Club that organises cancer-awareness events, blood camps, and aid for orphaned children is proof enough. The star’s bright smile, child-like allure and a heart of gold that often reaches out to the needy has earned her this kind of following, according to her fans.
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EXCLUSIVE
THE SHAKE UP
MAKEUPMAN National award winning Malayalam make-up artist, Pattanam Rasheed shares with Vijay G the challenges and exhilarations of his profession
P
attanam Rasheed was always interested in music and years ago went to Chennai as a struggling youngster, hoping to make a career out of it. But things didn’t turn out that way precisely because all his creative energies gradually turned to what seemed like a minor second interest back then. He began assisting a few make-up artists in the film industry initially. As he got better and better with his craft, make-up became the only true calling of his life. When he recently won the National award for the best make-up artist for Paradeshi, Rasheed would surely have thought about those days gone by. And the decision to take up make-up couldn’t have felt more right now than ever before!
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EXCLUSIVE
“I have always been fascinated by this art and started as an amateur, doing make-up for stage plays and youth festivals. Later, working with several big make-up artists in Chennai gave me immense confidence. While working for a documentary with director George Kithu, I got my first offer to become an independent make-up artist. Onnu Muthal Poojyam Vare happened first and soon after it was Moonnu Masangalkku Munpu,” he recollects. With films like Ponthanmada, Danny, Kunjikkoonan, Guru, Udayon, Padom Onnu oru vilapam, Aadum Koothu, Kancheevaram and Paradeshi among several others, Pattanam Rasheed has become one of most sought after names in the business. He feels that working with renowned makeup artist Barry Cooper in Kamal Haasan’s Chachi 420 gave him the much required exposure to international standards.
Talking of challenges that make-up artists face in the Indian film industry, Rasheed agrees that budget constraints can be a limiting factor in Malayalam cinema, especially compared to other regional cinema and Bollywood. “But I must add that things are more encouraging in Malayalam because in several other industries, it is the personal make-up staff of the stars who work on their looks. Of course, the stars here too have their own personal make-up personnel but the film’s chief make-up artist usually has the final word,” he continues, “things have perhaps become easier now, with the best of material being available to us. But the ultimate creative challenge remains since the make-up needs to look convincingly natural on screen. Every minute detail gets highlighted with the advanced cameras and technology that is used in films now. We have to keep in mind that when the actor slips into the skin of the character, it should look real on screen and make-up plays an important role in the process.”
“It was a period saga and even the skin tone of the villagers had to match with that of the actors, which was a challenge,” he shares. He is now looking forward to the release of films like R Sukumaran’s Yugapurushan, based on the life of Sree Narayana Guru and Shaji N Karun’s Kutty Sranku, in which Mammootty is sporting a completely different look. In Tamil, he has done two films recently - Madrasi Pattanam and Irumbu Kottai Murattu Singham. Apart from this, Pattanam Rasheed now keeps himself busy with his new store that sells make-up equipment in Kochi and has plans to start an academy to train aspiring make-up artists, besides writing a book on make-up. These days, life is an extension of his craft for Pattanam Rasheed, even after the make-up case is shut.
The conversation naturally drifted to his national award winning film, Paradeshi. Rasheed shares that he realised the immense scope for make-up in Paradeshi when the project was still in the initial stages. “Director P T Kunhimohammed spoke to me about the nature of the character in detail and we made a graph to work on. It proved quite effective and the appreciation that I received has been heartening.” A sequence of the film was being shot at a village near Jodhpur and the locals were rather surprised to see an 80-year-old man sporting a thick white beard playing the lead role. “By their reactions, we knew that we did a convincing job of the make-up with Mohanlal who plays the aged Valiyakathu Moosa,” Rasheed smiles. He is also happy about the response he’s been getting for his work in Priyadarshan’s Kancheevaram, which incidentally also fetched Prakash Raj the national award for the best actor.
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EXCLUSIVE
CHRONICLES OF ANANDAN Pavithra Srinivasan strolls down memory lane with Film News Anandan, the man who can safely be called the definitive encyclopedia of Tamil cinema
Spend a few moments at his house and it’s clear why his name is Film News Anandan. Reams of movie memorabilia are stacked in the old-fashioned home on Peters Road, Royappettah in Chennai. We’re told, he’s got more than 14,000 stills from every Tamil movie in the house. The 175th day celebration cards of Vijay’s Pokkiri jostle for space with posters of some obscure movie released last week; bottles of medicine, a random cell phone and bedspreads huddle over movie-posters; award certificates nestle with booklets on Tamil cinema: Film Information Centre’s Compendium of Movies. Each pamphlet
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contains an exhaustive list of films released during the year, release dates, trivia, details of the production crew – everything, actually that has to do with the industry. And such details exist from Kalidas, released way back in 1931. While we were still more than absorbed in the treasure trove of information on Tamil cinema, the octagenerian slowly makes his way in the room dressed in a casual veshti. So who is he really? Film historian, chronicler, journalist, photographer, take your pick. He also has the glittering honour of being Tamil cinema’s first Public
Relations Officer, when he managed press relations for M G Ramachandran’s film, Nadodi Mannan. And right until now, even as his hands shake with exertion, his passion for the industry shows. Eyes shining and with great care, he pulls out each pamphlet of his exhaustive compendium. “I keep telling everyone that my compiling days are over. This will be my last,” he smiles his toothy smile. “But I’ve still gathered all the film related news of 2009. I’ll probably go on.” So far he hasn’t used computers and compiles every detail manually.
EXCLUSIVE And that, in many ways, encompasses the inimitable spirit that is Film News Anandan. “Even the way I entered the industry is an interesting story,” he reminisces. Much of what the industry considers as legend now is, understandably, “a little story” for Anandan. Considering that he helped record a good deal of film history, it stands as a vivid testament to the man’s celluloid romance. “I must have been 14, and I told my father that I wanted to be a cameraman. Around that time, Gemini Films issued a newspaper ad about needing a cinematographer. I just walked into their studios and there was K J Mahadevan, interviewing the candidates. He asked if I knew what a camera was, and if I could draw one. Then he asked me to lift the camera and put it down in the opposite end of the room,” Anandan smiles. “I needed to have the strength to actually hold a camera, handling would come much later.”
Anandan, however, was good with photography, which in turn led to better things. “I began to take trick shots with my box-camera, and the owner of the studio where I’d take the prints for developing happened to be a friend of cameraman C J Mohan. He’d never believe that anyone could accomplish this with just a boxcamera. He wanted to see proof!” Anandan laughs. “He was my first teacher, really.” That was back in 1954 and Anandan soon graduated to a Rolleiflex camera, which was considerably more expensive, at Rs 3000! “My father didn’t bat an eyelid,” Anandan recollects fondly. He just asked for the amount, and gave me the money.” Mastering the Rolleiflex was a bit more complicated – but it gave Anandan the opportunity to photograph the reigning stars then: Shivaji Ganesan (who spoke perfect English), the Lalitha-PadminiRagini sisters apart from directors, technicians and others who were not so popular at that time, but went on to become legends later.
One such was director Sridhar, then a writer with dreams of making it big. “I was the only one to whom he revealed the climax of Kalyana Parisu,” Anandan shares. “His producers didn’t have much faith in his skills as a director. But the film turned out to be a blockbuster.” It also explains why Anandan still favours the round-necked shirt designed for that film, which went on and turned into a style statement those days. Anandan still wears it, along with his trademark pottu and red scarf. “Sridhar is my favourite director from that era,” he recalls. “There was no one like him.” But long before his association with Sridhar came his role as a PR for the industry, at largely his own initiative. “Somehow, the Film Chamber nosed out my affair with photography, and asked me to compile details of every movie under production, those days,” Anandan says. “So I had easy access to stills from pictures in production and artists who were willing
to be photographed. This gave me the idea to compile all these details for everyone’s use.”
among others. His most stupendous achievement to date, though, is the Encyclopedia of Tamil Cinema, a massive tome that runs to 738 pages and is the most exhaustive record of every single detail of Tamil cinema, from the early years of its inception. Released by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha, the work took years to complete, and is every bit a collector’s item. By the 70s and 80s, even though Tamil cinema turned to younger, more energetic PROs, Anandan’s energy never flagged. “I still don’t know why they started dropping me,” he says ruefully. “I certainly never stopped working.” He has been conferred with awards and honours including the prestigious Kalaimamani but what Anandan cherishes the most is to just lose himself in the world of cinema. “I have great hopes for Tamil cinema. Today, the market is bigger, the
audience is keener,” he smiles adding, “care for cinema as though it were a child. Nourish it, and it will nourish you.”
From here started Anandan’s journey as a chronicler and he began the series of yearly compendiums. The success of this assured him a prime role in publicising MGR’s Nadodi Mannan. “Every single magazine had stills of the movie, because I would personally deliver them at the magazine offices,” Anandan says. By the 60s, Anandan was known for his encyclopedic knowledge of movies and his large repository of memorabilia. He then ushered in the trend of public relations in films – the bridges that connect stars to the media. With the vast material at his disposal, Anandan could now pursue another exercise – that of creating souvenir books for stars at landmark periods of their career. “Whenever a star approached their 98th or 99th film, I’d approach them about a souvenir of their achievements,” says Anandan. Famous stars that he’s done souvenirs on include SSR, K R Vijaya, Chevalier Shivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan,
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 113
TELUGU
114
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MAHATMA Good Performance: Mahatma makes it a century of films for actor Srikanth. Such milestones can backfire as the actor in question usually tries too hard to get that performance of a lifetime. But to his credit, Srikanth did a good job as the roadside goon who takes to Gandhism. He managed to carry off his role with conviction.
Cast: Srikanth, Bhavana, Jayaprakash Reddy, Uttej, Ram Jagan, Pellam Voorelithe Jyothy, Paruchuri Gopala Krishna, Charmme (SA), Duvvasi Mohan, Brahmanandam
n
Quite a character: Ram Jagan’s performance as the compulsive street theatre artist who is obsessed with living the roles of great freedom fighters of yesteryears is quite interesting. Though one gets a feeling that the director could have extracted a lot more from a character like that.
Story - Screenplay - Direction: Krishna Vamsi Music: Vijay Anthony
Could have been better...
n
Intention: The intention of making a commercial film about Gandhism with a tagline that reads “Mahatma for the masses” - sure calls for some bravado. With some cheeky satires about the film industry in general and on politics thrown in for good measure, the film has its moments, though too far and few in between.
n
114 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
Too Loud: Subtle is not the adjective for this film. Be it acting, direction or screenplay, it is all over the top. The music too was disappointingly loud and garish. The approach used for the film screamed just one idea: leave nothing to imagination.
n
Dumb and dumber: If there’s one thing that Mahatma suffers from, it’s the over simplification of the idea of Gandhism, save the title song perhaps. Both in terms of narrative and content, Mahatma is more emotional than profound. If you were looking for an introspective kind of film about Gandhism, you might just be disappointed.
n
The climax: Agreed that it is not too often we have a Telugu film climax without the hero killing the villain. It’s not even like Gandhism helps the hero win over the villain. The villain dies as a result of an accident which kind of sticks out. This one certainly could have been better.
n
- Karthik Pasupulate
BIOSCOPE
11 : 09
Good The dancing: Nitin’s dancing is the one thing that truly stands out in Rechchipo. Although stuck in a hopeless character, he made his dancing count. The credit must go to the choreographer too. Wish we could say the film was as good as his dancing!
n
Ileana: What do you say about her! She is such an eye-candy. Though not at her svelte best, Ileana was the most heart warming part of the film. She was just flawless…performance wise too.
n
Sunil: He is one of those actors who can make you smile by just turning up. Playing a wannabe director in search of a story, Sunil was in his element.
n
RECHCHIPO Cast: Nitin, Ileana, Bhanuchander, Ahuti Prasad, Venumadhav, Sunil, Rama Prabha, M S Narayana Story, Screenplay and Direction: Parachuri Murali Music: Manisharma
Could have been better... The idea: They say there is nothing like an original idea! The more Telugu films we see, the more convinced we get. You can’t blame the director for doing what almost every other director does but he certainly could have salvaged a better film with some more thought on details, than an aspiring cop determined to take on the corrupt home minister and falling in love with his daughter in the process. Oh come on, how many times have we seen precisely that, now?
n
Run of the mill: Be it packaging, screenplay, music, editing...just about everything is only average at best. That’s it!
n
- Karthik Pasupulate
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 115
TELUGU
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115
TAMIL
114
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Good The film’s only bright spark, is Bharath’s feisty performance, but sadly in a film that does absolutely no justice to his talent.
n
Could have been better... Lots actually! But let’s just get started somewhere.
To begin with, this mass masala entertainer is shamelessly ripped off from Annamalai (Rajnikanth’s blockbuster from the same director). It is an unimaginative and thoroughly boring film, and oh-soout-of-sync with today’s audiences.
n
The lead actor, Bharath, does not have the charisma and box-office pull of the mighty Rajinikanth. Annamalai was an all time favourite and the director should understand that the success formula could not have been tinkered with, with any other star.
n
Every scene is predictable and there are no surprise twists or turns.
n
Deva’s music is borrowed, rehashed and boring.
n
The Ramya Krishna Neelambari act of Padayappa fails to impress and Priya Mani is completely wasted
n
- Sridevi Sreedhar
ARUMUGHAM Cast: Bharath, Ramya Krishna, Priya Mani Direction: Suresh Krishna Music: Deva
116 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
BIOSCOPE
11 : 09
Good
The music is hummable enough. Not as great a fare as his earlier films but pretty fine nevertheless.
n
Abhay is yet another addition to Darshan’s stereotypical movies with a mix of romance, fights, drama and action, that’s perfectly made to woo his fans. Total masala here boss! Though Abhay has nothing new to offer, the script is ok with a lively narration. The combination of comedy and action is what keeps the film going till the end.
n
Darshan’s style of course is easily consumable. His clean shaven look and long hair, that we get to see on and off suit his personality quite well and also go with his character in the movie.
n
Could have been better... Arathi Thakur is great to watch, but would be nice to see her acting skills more honed.
n
Writer Janardhana Maharshi has done it again by remixing several Telugu scripts. The same old good guy falling in love with good girl and rescuing her from bad guy who she happens to be engaged to. A little more originality could have added a slightly different dimension to the story.
n
- Usha Prasad
ABHAY Cast: Darshan, Arathi Thakur, Pradeep Rawat, Omprakash Rao Direction: Mahesh Babu Music: V Harikrishna
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 117
KANNADA
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MALAYALAM
114
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11 : 09
Good The plot about the hero stealing money from ATM machines by using fake ATM cards is innovative.
n
Narain as Felix who has tried out comedy for the first time is a revelation. It works to a large extent.
n
Script writers Sachi-Sethu handle humour quite well.
n
Prithviraj looks great.
n
Cinematography is excellent.
n
ROBINHOOD Cast: Prithviraj, Narain, Jayasurya, Bhavana, Samvrutha Sunil Direction: Joshi Music: M Jayachandran
Could have been better... The technicalities about the heist are contrived and the suspension of disbelief doesn’t last too long.
n
• There isn’t enough adrenaline rush to make the narration thrilling. • There are plenty of loose ends and the climax is sudden. • The screenplay is rather flat with the entire film piggy back riding on Prithviraj’s shoulders. - Sridevi Sreedhar 118 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
KALEIDOSCOPE
Pic: Bhushan
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Pic: Sanjeev
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Century for Srikanth!
Bring out the smiles
It’s not often that we see Tushar Gandhi, who happens to be the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi at a film do and that too one from the Tollywood stable! The music launch of Krishna Vamsi’s Mahatma, quite literally was a star studded affair. With Mahatma being the hundredth film for Srikanth, the whole film fraternity turned up to wish him good luck.
Tripping on style Signature brought together the debonair cast of Sanjay Gupta’s Acid Factory, who was also present at the show. The stylish Fardeen Khan, Dino Morea and the ravishing Dia Mirza set the ramp on fire for designer Archana Kochar at Novotel, Hyderabad.
Pic: Bhushan
Bommali…Bomma Ivvali, a toy donation camp for underprivileged children was attended by Director Bhaskar of Bommarillu fame and actress Bindhu Madhavi at Prasads Imax. The gesture brought smiles on the children’s faces.
Fashionably festive The Mebaz festive collection was displayed in style by Bollywood actor Eijaz Khan and Madhurima Banerjee in Hyderabad.
All for a cause Bhoomika Chawla and Diana Hayden supported the Pink Walk to raise awareness on early detection of breast cancer at KBR Park, Hyderabad.
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 119
62
KALEIDOSCOPE
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Pic: V Rajesh
Pic: Srivatsa
10 : 09
KUDOS TO AUDIO SMILES PINKI The premiere of Oscar winning, 39 minutes documentary Smile Pinki was held at Inox in Chennai. Megan Mylan the director of the film and Dr Subodh Kumar who had conducted the surgery on Pinki turned out heroes of the evening.
Pic: V Rajesh
Audio of Kannada film, Ravan was launched by the cast Yogesh, Sanchita and Producer Uday K Mehta. It was released by well known Producer KCN Kumar.
BASHED… Ravi, the popular Tamil hero, celebrated his birthday with parents and wife Aarthi by cutting a cake at Little Flower Convent, which was followed by a quiet get-together with close friends and relatives.
Pic: Srivatsa
STAR AFFAIR
HELPING HAND
Pic: V Rajesh
Karnataka Film Chambers meeting was held to collect funds for providing monetary support to the flood hit districts in Karnataka.
120 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
Director Priyadarshan’s wife, Lissy and Suhasini Mani Ratnam held an exclusive alumnus of hero’s and heroines of 1980’s who worked together. This 80’s theme party was held at Lissy’s bungalow and the guest list was pruned down to only heroes and heroines who had acted together and they had to come without their spouses. The theme of the party was black and white and most of the people followed the dress code. The 12 male stars from four southern languages were there at the party - Rajinikanth, Mohan, Karthik, Ambarish, Bhanuchandar, Naresh, Prabhu, Suresh, Suman, Pratap Pothen, Mukesh and Vishnuvardhan along with 9 heroines who had acted with them Suhasini, Lissy, Shobhana, Radhika, Revathy, Poornima, Sumalatha, Radha and Nadiya. The tag line of the party was- “I know what we did in the 80’s.
Erum Ali, top Chennai designer launched EA, the first Bridal Lounge in the city, at the up market Khader Nawaz Khan Road. Shalini and Jyothika, wives of the two superstars Ajit and Suriya, Trisha with her friends Priya Manikandan and Sydney SS, Gowthami, designers Chaitanya Rao, Tina Vincent and actor Karthi, attended the event.
KALEIDOSCOPE
10 : 09
Pic: Viral Bhayani
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Pic: Viral Bhayani
A Tinge of Hrithik The dashing Hrithik Roshan looks dapper as he sets the ramp on fire at the the HDIL fashion week
Pic: Viral Bhayani
Pic: Viral Bhayani
Attention not wanted Wanted star Salman Khan looks like he’s not interested in giving media bytes after voting in the recent Maharashtra assembly elections.
The ‘mane’ affair Neil Nitin Mukesh and Mugdha Godse are spotted promoting their upcoming Madhur Bhandarkar film Jail at Shiva’s new salon at Juhu. We sure didn’t know that Indian prisons had room for frills!
Say cheese! Deepika Padukone at a dental check up event organised by Wrigley’s, and boy, does she look dentally healthy!
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 121
w
Allu Arjun presents Southscope to the guests
Venkatesh
Simbu
(L to R) Mohanlal, Rajinikanth, Allu Sirish, Kamal Haasan, Mammootty, Venkatesh, Sharath Kumar and Allu Arjun
The stars devour Southscope!
A second helping of Southscope
Lata Rajinikanth, Akshara, Gautami and Shruti take a peek into Southscope
(L to R) Shalini Ajith with Sridevi Sreedhar
Sandhya with another star
(L to R) Abbas, Arjun
Nisha Kothari
Prakash Raj Brothers in arms!: Allu Arjun and Allu Sirish
122 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
Moorthy Sreenivasulu Publisher, Southscope
(L to R) K Vishwanath and Allu Arjun
Stars descended to cheer the Universal hero, Kamal Haasan at his 50 years in cinema celebrations organised by Star Vijay in Chennai at the Nehru Auditorium. Southscope was launched by Superstars, Rajnikanth, Mammootty, Mohanlal, Vekatesh and Sharath Kumar. With the who’s who of south cinema doing the honours, Southscope couldn’t have asked for a better launch!
Prabhu with Ganesh Venkatraman
Kamal Haasan addresses the gathering
Team Southscope
Kamal’s leading ladies: Meena, Lizzy, Urvashi, Nirosha, Revathy, Radhika, Kamal, Jayachitra, Shobhana, Rohini, Saranya, Tabu and Gauthami
Mammootty can’t seem to get enough of Southscope
Venkatesh
(L to R) Rajinikanth, Mammootty, Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal, Sharath Kumar, Venkatesh
On the pedestal!: Gautami, Subbalakshmi, Akshara, Shruti, Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Mammootty, Venkatesh, Sharath Kumar, Mohanlal
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 123
LAUNCHED! Southscope, India’s first south film magazine, was launched in Hyderabad at the Film Nagar Club in Jubilee Hills
Allu Sirish and Moorthy Srinivasulu
Vanaja Banagiri - Editor Southscope
Allu Sirish
Team Southscope
(L to R) Ramakanth T, Moorthy Sreenivasulu, Vanaja Banagiri, Ileana D’Cruz, Sukesh Gupta - MBS Jewellers, Allu Sirish
124 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
Allu Sirish holds forth
The Southscope Style Awards logo
The enchantress from Goa looks on
And the award goes to...
Ileana charms the media
Super stylish Ileana D’Cruz unveiled the Southscope Style Awards (held on the 25th of October 2009 at HICC, Novotel, Hyderabad) logo and the trophy at SVM Mall in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad Ileana D’Cruz releases the magazine
The Southscope Style Awards trophy
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 125
BOLLYWOOD
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FUNDA
Rani lashes back The small screen just got bigger with a bunch of Bollywood biggies appearing on reality shows. After Amitabh Bachchan hosting Big Boss 3, it’s Rani Mukherjee now who is set to judge the new dance reality show Dance Premiere League, along with dance guru Shiamak Davar. There is however, a twist to the tale. Industry buzzword indicates that Rani was in fact not the first choice. Madhuri Dixit Nene and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were approached earlier. But here’s the juicy bit: Rani might have even been forced to slash her price, for her value might have dipped post the drubbing of Dil Bole Hadippa. This anger and frustration was clearly visible when she addressed the media at the launch of the television show in question. On being asked whether she will dance at the event apart from judging, Rani quipped “I don’t think Sony can afford me.” She further added that she will use the proceeds of her television income to buy an IPL team. But we wonder if her pay cheque from this one can “afford” it.
CELINA’S NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE Bizzare as it sounds, Celina Jaitley is thanking her lucky stars, she’s still alive. She was recently shooting in Maldives for her south film Sreemati with superstar Upendra, when she had a major mishap. During the shoot, the camera buggy was supposed to go past her while she was standing near an outcrop. But it swung out of control and she toppled! Lucky for her though, camera assistant Ram Gopal Mishra broke the actor’s fall, and she fell into shallow water. It obviously took her a long time to recover from the shock and fear of the experience and now believes that all her blessings came in handy. Else, the gorgeous beauty would have turned drop dead gorgeous, eh?
Zayed is Bollywood’s new biking boy We know John Abraham and Uday Chopra are passionate bikers but never thought Zayed Khan was one too. In his latest film, Blue, he finally had the chance to live out his fantasies of adventurous biking on screen. We are told, he’s done all his stunts by himself including jumping off the second floor of a building on top of a waiting taxi below, not once but twice! And for all those biking stunts, designer Surily Goel put together quite a variety of leathers. Ultimate arm, a special equipment was also brought in from the US especially for Zayed’s character. It was used for high speed chase sequences, something used only in Hollywood films so far. Cool or what, folks! 126 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
BOLLYWOOD
FUNDA
53 10 : 09
RITESH’S BODY BINGE Little did we know, Ritesh Deshmukh has turned out to be quite the fitness freak. Hitting the gym five days a week, armed with a killer diet plan, we hear Ritesh is inspired by Akshay Kumar big time these days. He’s amazed at how Akshay manages to climb stairs at five star hotels and runs for hours on the streets, when he’s on a tight schedule. When asked about his six-pack, Ritesh casually rolled up his shirtsleeves, showing his growing biceps to the delight of the women around. The actor claims that he is in fact seriously thinking about building his body. On the question of stripping his shirt, Ritesh, we hear said this at a recent press con: “If I have the right physique, I would be ready to strip down my pants as well!”
Butt of course, we’re talking of
Shenaz
Shenaz Treasurywala, the cute Parsee girl who impressed everyone with her acting debut in Ishq Vishk is now back on the scene, and with a number of films. Sadly though, her last big attempt Age Se Right disappeared without a sight. Word goes that Shenaz is pinning her hopes on Radio, starring notso-nasal-anymore-boy Himesh Reshammiya and Delhi Belly alongside Imran Khan. We hear, she did not let criticism about her weight in her debut throw her off. And she’s also working out like crazy these days. She’s apparently become two sizes smaller too! But then, we heard her say this a few days back: “Men like girls with curves,” with a quirky afterthought, “and I like my big butt.” Guess that’s the ‘bottom’ line from Shenaz, folks.
What’s making Udita happy these days? Udita Goswami, we hear, has become real good friends with small screen star Anuj Saxena, who’s also producing the suspense thriller, Chase. Looks like they had quite a blast during the shooting schedule at Kashmir. What’ more, at the recently held completion party of Chase that Anuj hosted, he was seen escorting Udita to the dance floor the moment she made her big entry. But wait a moment, this might just spell b-a-d news for a certain Mohit Suri who is not comfortable with the close equation between Udita and Anuj. Think there’s something brewing between the two? Dunno, but keep guessing! Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 127
HOLLYWOOD
10 10 : 09
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A MILLION DOLLAR
WARDROBE FOR CRUISE KID
JENNIFER ANISTON’S Suri, the three year-old daughter of Hollywood star Tom Cruise is one lucky kid. Thanks to the very doting Cruise and his wife Katie Holmes, the toddler now boasts of a swank wardrobe of designer clothes worth a cool three million greenbacks. We hear the Cruise couple has roped in some of the biggest names in the global fashion circuit to design their daughter’s wardrobe. What’s more, family friend Victoria Beckham has also asked designer Roberto Cavalli to make a dress for young Suri! Tom and Katie are busy splurging on designer labels, while Suri on her part is rarely seen wearing anything twice. No kidding!
AEROBATICS
Did you know this about Jennifer Aniston? Whenever she has to take a flight, Jennifer makes sure to enter with her right foot first. But wait, there’s more. She also makes it a point to tap the outside of the aircraft before entering the cabin. Although she does not remember the specifics of why and when she developed these peculiar habits, Jennifer claims that her airplane ritual has always been for good luck. Perhaps a flying start to her career is what she needs for now, wotsay?
GOOD ‘OL
LINDSAY LOHAN Quite literally! Looks like the rock ‘n roll life is finally taking a toll on party animal Lindsay Lohan, who’s looking somewhat older than her age these days. Cosmetic surgeons have said that years of smoking and heavy drinking is affecting her health. Too much sun damage has also aged Lohan’s naturally pale skin, making her look a full decade older. While she does have a chance to put those wrinkles at bay but it would mean giving up partying and heavy duty boozing, among other things, that is. Will she? Won’t she? Let’s see…
128 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
HOLLYWOOD
11
FUNDA
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RUPERT GRINT’S POT OF GOLD The 21-year old star who plays Ronald Weasley in the Harry Potter series now owns an 18th-century Hertfordshire manor worth 9.2 million pounds! It’s got five reception rooms, six bedroom suites and two cottages. Rupert was earlier staying with his family in their country house, but has recently bought this whopping 22-acre estate that he is the sole owner of. And since then, he may as well have been named Rupert Grin!
KIM’S bikini
moments American reality television star Kim Kardashian has been away from the spotlight for a while now. Mostly because there’s quite a bit happening in her life. Her sister, Khole Kardashian’s recent wedding kept the tabloids buzzing. The third Kardashian sibling, Kourtney got pregnant and understandably was the toast of the family. But if you are thinking nothing much is happening with Kim you know nothing yet. She has reunited with her ex-boyfriend, Reggie Bush. That’s not all. She is back doing her thing in the bikini. Her latest shoot for a South African magazine has raised the bar for the bikini shot a few notches. If only there was a Nobel Prize for a bikini shoot, Kim would win it hands down!
Anna Friel’s PEEK-A-BOOB! Television actor Anna Friel, who bagged a Golden Globe last year for her performance in Pushing Daisies, recently ahem, went full-frontal before a star-studded audience. At the adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Friel’s character, Holly Golightly reclines lazily under a sun lamp, which is when the audience got more than a sneak-peak of, well, you know what we are talking about!
COURTNEY LOVE’S COMPLETELY BROKE
Courtney Love declared recently that she’s completely broke and down to her last few dollars. What’s more, she doesn’t even have money to feed her 17-year-old daughter. In a text message to a friend, Love said: “I’m f****d now dude. I have 120 bucks, my kid hasn’t had a decent meal and I’m getting evicted.” Love was banned from accessing the trust fund that was left for her daughter when her husband, Kurt Cobain killed himself a few years ago. Love can’t stand without money, did we hear someone say?
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 129
AROUND THE WORLD IN 24FRAMES
HUMAN GREED
THERE WILL BE BLOOD -2007 RAMAKANTH T
130 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
“Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that’s a straw, you see? You watching? And my straw reaches acroooooss the room, and starts to drink your milkshake... I... drink ...your milkshake!” growls Daniel Plainview, the protagonist in the film. Daniel Day-Lewis, plays the role of Daniel Plainview, a single minded, ambitious businessman, an oil man, who is engulfed by his own greed. Monstrously hard working, ruthless in his pursuits, he realizes his dream to strike oil and strike it rich in the first three decades of twentieth century somewhere in southern California. He has no family, no friends, no place for human sentiments that can, even fleetingly, soften his coarse approach towards his fellowmen. But he doesn’t balk from wearing the mask of a family man when business demands that he do so. How does he travel? And how does his journey end? Why is the audience stunned into silence by his sign off line, ‘I am finished?’ The film is handled so craftily, few can match its class in modern cinema, especially in the handling of a subject as brutal as human greed. What hits us overall about the treatment of the film is its harshness. And then there is the typical dark underside of American success. Driven by blinding greed, the lead manipulates and pillages in the name of progress and winds up estranged from anything that is humane. Director Paul Thomas Anderson (Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love) tackles the subject dispassionately. His Daniel is consistently malicious. Can never evoke any kind of sympathy since he is simply detestable! We watch him humiliate, abuse, yield to pressures, lie, threaten, con, put on a sheen of elegance...simply to achieve his business objectives. Otherwise, he only sees the worst in people. His only aim is to make enough money so that he can get away from everyone. He succeeds in making both God and man his enemies.
Daniel’s journey begins when Paul Sunday (Paul Dano) makes a cheap deal to sell information about his family ranch that sits on an oil base. Accompanied by HW (played by Dillon Freasier), the child who enters his life in 1902 after he makes his first strike - who seems to have burbled from the ground like the liquid itself. It is again an extremely hollow, a need-based bond between him and this unfortunate, but watchful child, who stands next to him in a clean jacket with neatly combed hair whenever he makes his business deals. He is Daniel’s son and a ‘partner’ in his company. In truth, this adorable kid is there merely to serve a purpose - to convey a strong emotional visual that helps soften the resistance of the gullible peasants, and tricks them into falling for his hollow promises, to sell their lands to him. When HW is rendered deaf because of an unfortunate accident, Plainview ships him off to school only to bide for yet another opportunity to exploit him. Even as we hope against hope that Plainview would show some compassion for Henry (Kevin J O’Connor) who is caught lying that he is his half brother, he mercilessly kills him. He could not care less. After all, this self-proclaimed half brother is of no use to him. Just another liability. He is dispensable. His con game works wonderfully on poor, isolated, thirsting for water and dazed locals till he meets his match. Another salesman, Eli Sunday, a bogus evangelist and a faith healer who nurtures the ambition of building a new church. He soon becomes a spoke in the wheel of Plainview’s grand plans. His is the only character that can get under Plainview’s skin. As a matter of fact, both are mirror images of each other...their greed the prime cause of their conflict. After a series of outhumiliating one another episodes, they confront each other for the last time in the film’s harrowing climax. The Director hasn’t so much adapted Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel “Oil!,” as cherry -picked it for a structure. A superbly drafted script was executed to near perfection. Some may find it a little dragging, but such is the complexity of the subject. The technicians have raised the bar by putting technique at the service of character. The guitarist and composer Jonny Greenwoood presents the disturbing deaf world of HW with utter sensitivity. The visual narration is champagne-smooth with slick editing by Dylan Tichenor. “There Will Be Blood” was shot in Marfa, Texas, where films like Giant and No Country for Old Men were filmed. Lovely cinematography by Robert Elswit who can create painting like imagery out of bellowing black smokes and oil wells consumed by murderous flames. Art Direction is by David Crank. This film has won Oscars for Best Achievement in Cinematography (Robert Elswit) and for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Daniel Day-Lewis). Also nominated for direction, art direction, set decoration, editing, sound editing, best motion picture of the year, writing and screenplay based on material previously produced or published.
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 131
(People born on dates 1st, 10th, 19th or 28th) Vocation The end of the month might bring a situation of uncertainty and change. Assets Your additional business will remain profitable. Family and Friends Problems concerning your siblings or children will get sorted out on their own. Health This month you are likely to have a problem concerning your limbs and stomach. Travel There will be instability in your professional life, which will finally get settled gradually in your favour. Romance There is a change of focus from pleasure seeking to fulfilling demands.
02
(People born on dates 1st, 10th, 19th or 28th) Vocation You might get a proposal of change in your area of work. Assets Your hobbies are going to yield plenty of gains for you. Family and Friends Children of marriageable age will get married this month. Health Be alert about your health especially in the first half of the month. Travel You might get an opportunity to take leave and go on a journey sometime in middle of the month. Romance An appealing romantic encounter is on the cards.
132 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
november predictions
01
03 05
(People born on dates 1st, 10th, 19th or 28th) Vocation Uncertain and unresolved business issues will get successfully resolved by the end of the month. Assets Your inherited assets need revitalization, so go ahead as this is the right time. Family and Friends Your family members are going to progress by leaps and bounds this month. Health Be cautious regarding injury and infection concerning the ear, nose or throat. Travel There will be a change of place depending on the nature of job or profession you are into. But don’t worry, that will be entirely in your favour and for your benefit. Romance You’re appreciated for who you are and what you stand for.
04
(People born on dates 1st, 10th, 19th or 28th)
Vocation This month you will take some new initiative which will be associated with the beginning of a new business. Assets Limited resources might keep you held back but a little effort will see you through the temporary crunch. Family and Friends Prosperity will be your family’s middle name this month! Health You may be prone to allergy from various sources. Travel Your transfer orders may get cancelled thanks to the approach of some influential person. Romance You’ll be confident, determined and comfortable in dealing with new people as well as getting rid of old meaningless relationships.
(People born on dates 1st, 10th, 19th or 28th) Vocation It will be like a long held dream coming true. Assets The middle of the month will bring you some tension related to your financial accountability. Family and Friends Your parental property will get divided among you and your siblings. Health Throughout the month your health will remain generally good and you won’t be prone to any diseases. Travel Be cautious about loss and trouble during travel. Romance As you are reviewing relationships, you may tend to become less approachable.
07
09
(People born on dates 1st, 10th, 19th or 28th)
(People born on dates 1st, 10th, 19th or 28th) Vocation You may get benefited from the services of some influential person or a politician to upgrade your business. Assets You will spend some considerable amount on the repair of home or home appliances. Family and Friends Some of your friends or relatives may relocate to another city. Health Health will improve and you will feel wonderfully agile and active this month. Travel You might go on a journey for higher education or you will be travelling as a member of some official entrustment. Romance Pressure of responsibilities/duties may mount up and friendships/ relationships may be strained.
08
Vocation There will be more expenditure due to the commencement of your new business ventures. Assets This month is auspicious for augmenting your immovable property. Family and Friends There will lots of auspicious ceremonies and functions happening at your home. Health In case of any health problem there will be quick relief as well. Travel There are strong chances and immense probability of going abroad for pursuing higher studies. Romance Nothing major to gain and nothing much to lose. disappear!
(People born on dates 1st, 10th, 19th or 28th)
Vocation You will feel more confident, secure and stable. Assets Your expenses on the tutoring of some family member might get increased. Family and Friends Marriage of children will definitely get finalized this month. Health You won’t be prone to any major disease. Travel Any travel during the initial days of the month will be less profitable and less certain. Romance This month will be quite ordinary, as far as love relationships are concerned.
Astro Numerologist: Bhavikk Sangghvi E-mail: bhavikksangghvi@gmail.com Website: www.bhavikksangghvi.com
06
Vocation You will become a good planner and your planning will show all desired results. Assets You are all set to purchase a property soon. Family and Friends Problems, if any, concerning your family members will get resolved very soon. Health Your work efficiency will remain stable throughout the month. Travel In the first half of the month, you can expect to get yourself transferred to a place of your choice. Romance Be practical and agile in your approach.
(People born on dates 1st, 10th, 19th or 28th)
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 133
T E LU GU
TAMIL 09 BHAGYADEVATHA 10 BHRAMARAM/KANCHIPURAT
07 PATTANATHIL BHOOTHAM 08 ROBINHOOD
05 BANARAS 06 VIVAAHITHARAAYAL
03 RITU 04 KANAA KANMANI
01 PUTHIYA MUGHAM 02 BHRAMARAM
09 VAARANAM AAYIRAM 10 AYAN
07 NINAITHALE INIKKUM 08 KANTHASWAMY
05 THIRU THIRU THURU THURU 06 VETTAIKARAN
03 NINAITHALE INIKKUM 04 AAYIRATHIL ORUVAN
01 AADHAVAN 02 EERAM
09 JOSH 10 BAANAM
07 BUMPER OFFER 08 KURRADU
05 MAGADHEERA 06 MAHATMA
03 GANESH..JUST GANESH 04 GHATIKUDU
01 EK NIRANJAN 02 VILLAGE LO VINAYAKUDU
COURTESY:
MALAYA LA M
KA N NADA
BOLLYWOOD
INTERNAT I O I N A L
01 BLUE 02 WAKE UP SID
07 MOS-CLUBBERS GUIDE 2009 08 THE FAST AND THE GORGEOUS 09 DAVID GUETTA ONE LOVE 10 ALL TIME GREATEST PARTY ANTHEMS
05 THE # 1 COLLECTION-BACKSTREET BOYS 06 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
03 AKON 04 ENRIQUE IGLESIAS
01 MICHAEL JACKSON 02 THE # 1 COLLECTION-MICHAEL JACKSON
09 RADIO 10 ACID FACTORY
07 LOVE AAJ KAL 08 MAIN AUR MRS KHANNA
05 KAMINEY 06 LONDON DREAMS
03 TUM MILE 04 WHAT’S YOUR RAASHEE
09 JUNGLI 10 JOSH
05 SAVARI 06 AMBARI 07 LOVE GURU 08 VEERA MADAKARI
03 ABHAY 04 PARICHAYA
01 MANASAARE 02 RAJ - THE SHOWMAN
FUNDA Lambodhara ambasura vignesa.. Adankulu alanthaku thosa.. Na korika ni kaanuka chesesa.. Ni dhaya choopara ganesha.. Lambodhara ambasura vignesa.. Adankulu alanthaku thosa.. Na korika ni kaanuka chesesa.. Ni dhaya choopara ganesha.. Raja gana raja Janamandari vaadivi nuvvu anta.. Raja maha raja Neela nenu undali anukunta.. Dheerulu veerulu chutoone nenu unta.. Premathone jeevtham chivarana nadavaali anta.. Raja gana raja Janamandari vaadivi nuvvu anta.. Raja maha raja Neela nenu undali anukunta.. Lambodhara ambasura vignesa.. Adankulu alanthaku thosa.. Na korika ni kaanuka chesesa.. Ni dhaya choopara ganesha.. Poni manasuluni dhooram chese dhooram yeto poni.. Poni lokam chinnadi kaavale.. Rani kalathalu geeratese ullasame raani Rojju oka pandaga cheyale.. Chettu putta raayee rappa navve veelu unda.. Chita pata chirru burru manatho putindha.. Hey chettu putta raayee rappa navve veelu unda.. Pedhaviki navvu okati isthe chi chi pomantunda.. Chita pata chirru burru manatho putindha.. Chitiki vesthe gala gala sandhadi dhigi raadha..
Film Singers Music
: Ganesh : Karthik : Mickey J Meyer
Raja gana raja Janamandari vaadivi nuvvu anta.. Raja maha raja Neela nenu undali anukunta.. Manatho naluguru thodu needai unnaru ane maate Manishiki chaala balam le.. Emo yevarini maatadisthe emautundo ante yevariki vaarai untam le.. Chuttu paka vaalu veelu antha manolle.. Ve chetta pattalu vesam ante antha chutaale.. Chuttu paka vaalu veelu antha manolle.. Oke haaram loni yedho rakam poole.. Ye chetta pattalu vesam ante antha chutaale.. Oke ningiki nelaki chendina vaare le.. Raja gana raja Janamandari vaadivi nuvvu anta.. Raja maha raja Neela nenu undali anukunta.. Dheerulu veerulu chutoone nenu unta.. Premathone jeevtham chivarana nadavaali anta.. Raja gana raja Janamandari vaadivi nuvvu anta.. Raja maha raja Neela nenu undali anukunta..
136 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
FUNDA Enakkum unakkuma idaiveli Nee iravilum iravilum imaivasi En pagalilum pagalilum nadunisi, pudhu rusi Anbey unnal manam freezing Adada kadhal endrum amazing Excuse me let me tell you something Nee sirithaal i-phone tring tring Hasili Fisiliye Anbe unnal manam freezing Adada kadhal enrum amazing Excuse me let me tell you something Nee Sirithal i-phone tring-tring Veesum ambu enmel paaya Kadhal vandhu ennai aala Varuvaayo enai kaappaatra Vandhal madi sayven vaazha Hasili Fisiliye rasamani Un sirippilum sirippilum kathakali En ilamayum ilamayum panithuli, kuthugali Enakkum unakkuma idaiveli En iravilum iravilum imaivasi En pagalilum pagalilum nadunisi, pudhu rusi Anjanaa Anjanaa … Konjinaaal thaen thaana …. Yen kana, yen kanaa … Endrume neethaanaa … Hasili fisiliye rasamani Un sirippilum sirippilum kathakali Yen ilamayyum ilamayyum panithithuli kudhugali Yennakum unnakuma idaiveli Nee iravinil iravinil imai vasi Een pagalilum pagalilum nadunisi, pudhu rusi … Get on me gonna get on me gonna, honna honey Get on me gonna get on me gonna, honna honey
Veesum ambu en mel paaya Kadhal vandhu ennai aala Varuvayo enai kaappatra Vandhal madi saaiven vaazha Vaazha vaazha naan vaazha vaazha, come home Uyirodu uyirodu enai kolla nerungugiraye Viralodu viral serthu idhazukkul irangugiraye Yaar idazhil yaar idazho Verthu vidum veing-kuzhalo Uchi mudhal paadham varai Ethanaiyo vithaigalo Nee aadai paadhiya aal paadhiya Nee puliyum maanum konda jaathiya Un azhagin meedhi thaan bhoomiyaa Nee mutha peya? Methai theeya? Hasili fisiliye rasamani Un sirippilum sirippilum kathagali En ilamayum ilamayum panithuli, kuthugali Enakkum unakkuma idaiveli Nee iravilum iravilum imaivasi En pagalilum pagalilum nadunisi, pudhu rusi Anjana, Anjana … Konjinaal then thaana … En kanaa, oh enkanaa … Endrumey nee thaana!
I wanna pretty maka wanna taka, hit me buddy U wanna take me ready gonna shaka, You are the mesmerizer Wanna be kinda gotta be righta I’m cruising in the coast of Porto Rico, Bit me running in the sand of hot Jamaica, Double up life better be there for the taking a little, Till I met you happy sleeping really tighter, And I ain’t gonna away reach out to me, Get on me gonna get on me gonna, honna honey Get on me gonna get on me gonna, honna honey Urasaamal alasaamal uyirodu oorudhu aasai Adhungamal idhungamal irundhal thaan, Ointhidum oosai Iruvizhiye evuganai UnekkEddhu thaan eedu inai Un idaiyo oosi munai Udainthidumo seru enai Yen ennai theendinaai veppama Naan unakku pookalin uppuma Viralil ulladhey nutpama Nee konjam thindraai Konji kondraai! Hasili fisiliye rasamani Un sirippilum sirippilum kathagali En ilamayum ilamayum panithuli, kuthugali
Film Singers Music
: Aadhavan : Karthik, Harini : Harris Jeyraj
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 137
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RAJNIKANTH’S SUPAAAR DIALOGUES! ENJOY DA! Nobody knows when I am going to turn up or how I will do it, but I will sure as hell show up when I ought to. God proposes - Arunachalam disposes. I usually end up doing what I say; but sometimes, I make an exception. Kanna, pigs may come in a herd, but the lion always arrives alone! There are two sorts of people who are unhappy through history: men who want more than what they get and women who easily lose their cool. The paths I cross are not treaded by others, usually. Yesterday I was a coolie, today I’m an actor. As for tomorrow, let people think what they want to, but only the guy above knows where I’ll land up.
138 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
IF I SAY IT ONCE, I’VE SAID IT A HUNDRED TIMES.
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BAC K Praised by movie lovers and critics alike, calling Sankarabharanam one of the most influential Telugu films ever would be no understatement, discovers Karthik Pasupulate.
Movie: Sankarabharanam Director: K Vishwanath Produced by: Edida Nageswara Rao Music: KV Mahadevan
Cast: JV Somayajulu, Manju Bhargavi, Allu Rama Lingaiah, Pushpa Kumari, Tulasi Ram, Chandra Mohan, Ranga Rao, Baby Vara Lakshmi, Rajya Lakshmi and Jhansi
Dialogues: Jandhyala
Camera: Balu Mahendra
C
ounted among the most influential of Telugu films, Shankarabharanam also triggered a veritable revival of classical Carnatic music in southern cinema. Directed by the veteran, K Vishwanath, Sankarabharanam, caught the imagination of its time like few films have in the past, and continues to be a powerfully crafted exercise in ĂŠclat filmmaking.
Director: K Vishwanath 140 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
FUNDA
Widely considered to have prompted nothing short of a resurgence of classical music in mainstream cinema, Sankarabharanam set the benchmark for a slew of classics that were to follow suit. Stressing on the importance of traditional Indian music and dance, the film went on to win four National Awards – including best popular film, best music direction, best male and female playback singers - while quietly raking in box office collections as theatres ran the film to packed houses. The throwback to tradition, since then caught on with contemporary filmmakers, resulting in the emergence of the sub genre of the traditional musical in Telugu cinema. The influence of the phenomenal success of Sankarabharanam was found in classics like Thyagayya (1981), Dasari Narayana Rao’s Megha Sandesam (1982), Singeetam Srinivasa Rao’s Sangeeta Samrat (1984), Vamsi’s Sitara (1984) and Viswanath’s own sequels, Sagara Sangamam (1983), Swathi Muthyam (1985) and Swarna Kamalam (1992). As far as the narrative is concerned, the film explores the subtle, yet many layered relationship between renowned Carnatic singer Sankara Shasrty and Tulasi, the daughter of a sex worker. While Somayajulu’s performance as the pious Carnatic expert, who mastered the Sankarabharanam raga has been considered par excellence, Manju more than held her own as the helpless sex worker. How their lives get entwined together in the backdrop of their love for music forms the rest of the story, which takes a turn into becoming a meditation of the artist and his art. For a film that was based on music, K V Mahadevan’s soulful compositions set the benchmark for many such musicals that were to follow in the next decade and a half. S P Balasubramaniam’s renditions as the playback singer also deserves a special mention. K Vishwanath’s timeless classic remains, to this day, a delightfully stirring experience that begs to be relived time and again.
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 141
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Looking
BAC K Epic narrative and spectacular performances make Sathya Harishchandra one of those indelible films in the Kannada film industry. Aravind G revisits the timeless classic.
Movie: Sathya Harishchandra Year: 1965
1957
Director: Hunsur Krishnamurthy
Cast: Dr Rajkumar, Pandari Bai, Udaykumar, Narasimharaju, K S Ashwath, MP Shankar, Baby Padmini, Relangi.
Producer: K V Reddy Music: Pendyala Nageshwara Rao
Distributors: KCN Productions
T
here are some films that inadvertently leave a mark, extending way beyond their times. Hunsur Krishnamurthy’s Sathya Harishchandra is one such masterpiece that has been hailed as an instant classic, creating history each time it hit the proverbial silver screen.
Producer Kadri Venkata Reddy
142 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09
Released in 1965, Sathya Harishchandra set new standards in the Kannada film industry. The film boasted of a star cast that raised the bar for contemporary cinema in the times, featuring Dr Rajkumar as Raja Harishchandra, Uday Kumar as Mahrishi Vishwamitra, Narasimharaju as Nakshatrika, while the unforgettable M P Shankar played Veerabaahu and Pandari Bai, Taramathi.
FUNDA
Based on poet Ragahavanka’s Harishchandra Kavya, the epic film is about Raja Harishchandra, renowned for upholding the truth under any circumstance. Legendary actor Dr Rajkumar, who is known for essaying mythological roles with effortless élan, brought the character of Sathya Harishchandra alive on the screen with his unsurpassable acting prowess. The other aspect of the film, which contributed in part to its success, was the evergreen song Kuladalli keelyaavudo huchchappa, Matadalli Melyaavudo. The lyrics uphold the spirit of humanity, equality and oneness among all beings. Even to this day, the poignant song, sung
by M P Shankar never fails to strike a chord. The popularity of the song bears testament to the fact that no Kannada orchestra dare end its performance without a rendition, especially during festivals! The film had such mass appeal that theatrical re-runs inevitably crossed the 100-day mark all through Karnataka. During the film’s re-release in 1992-93, Sathya Harishchandra completed more than 25 weeks in five screens across the state. A veritable path breaker? We sure would like to think so! Interestingly, there is also an earlier version of the film, directed by Nagendra Rao with Subbaiah Naidu playing the
titular character. However, it is the version starring Rajkumar that has showed considerable staying power to this day. Hunsoor Krishnamurthy’s directorial skills coupled with Madhav Bulbule’s excellent cinematography made the film stand apart from the epic movie brigade in Karnataka. With an artful blend of mythology, music that elevated the film to cult status and socially relevant thematic concerns, Sathya Harishchandra is revered among the best of regional cinema made in the country. Even forty five years since the film hit the screens for the first time, Sathya Harishchandra continues to wield its magic. It was also the first regional language movie in the Indian cinema industry to be colourised after MughalE-Azam and Naya Daur. The colour version of the movie was released on 24 April, 2008 on the occasion of the birth anniversary of thespian Rajkumar.
Nov 09 SOUTHSCOPE 143
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Oh, what a show! October was a mixed bag of madness and euphoria for all of us at Southscope. Our double cover maiden issue stole everybody’s heart away. Our cover personalities Ileana and Vikram’s phones continue ringing till date with congratulatory calls and messages. Everybody who is somebody in Southscope was inundated with compliments. Great! Fantabulous! Music to our ears! But even before we could start revelling in the pleasure, pressure started building up not only because we had to, now, live up to the expectations of our readers with our second issue but also get ready for the Southscope Style awards. In addition to being the first ever in the history of south cinema, the awards programme in itself was a mega star studded event that needed some pulling off business. To begin with, we had to finalise the nominations according to popular films that were released in 2007 – 2008 (Tough). And then pick the award winners with the help of the jury and film fraternity votes. So far so good. The actual trial by fire was conceptualising the event and then executing it to the T (Tougher). Another bamboozling task was coordinating the dates of the winners and the star guests (Toughest). Phew! Whoever said `when the going gets tough, the tough get going’- wouldn’t have thought of a showbiz event. Allu Sirish steered it with his ‘God is in the details’ philosophy. It is easier to scale Mount Everest than match Sirish’s standards (Exaggeration is my virtue, remember?). But nobody complained, one because he’s the boss, secondly because he takes it up on himself to complete the task he takes up with great perfection. His determination to make the magazine and the event `happening’ is truly `awesome’(his favourite word). Much as we love events, our adrenaline fix comes from the making of our magazine. We have put our eyes and minds to endless hours of work to present to you an issue that hopefully will satiate your senses. For starters, we have the irresistible Nayanthara on the cover looking like a fantasy thanks to Venket Ram, our star photographer. Interviewing Nayan, by the way, is a remote dream for a film journalist but Sridevi Sreedhar succeeded in drawing the diva out of her shell in a never before rendezvous. We have featured the reigning Tamil star Vijay, sultry Vimala Raman (encore Venket Ram), a walk through of art director, Sabu cyril’s tasteful home, tattoo fixated stars, their fan clubs that have become a part of film fabric, Telugu superstar Krishna’s evergreen charisma, the maverick director Krishna Vamsi, promising actor Ram, sweet Seiya Gautam, Kannada Ramya’s racy tale, Malayalam actors Mammootty and Mohanlal’s phenomenal rule, National award winner, the make up wonder, Pattanam Rasheed, classy Kaniha besides the regular snippets, films in the making, reviews of all four south industries and lots more. Once we justified our existences, we plunged headlong into the freaky world of stars and their style celebrations all over again. With all of us being pulled in a hundred different directions, it’s no small wonder that we emerged in one fulfilled piece. Amidst all the confusion and chaos, one man who stood taller than his 6 ft stature was Sreenivasulu Moorthy, publisher of Southscope, with his unflinching demeanour reminding us of the proverbial rock of Gibraltar. At the time of going to print, the clock and our hearts were hyperactively ticking away with hundred jolts every minute and each minute bringing us closer to the event. We will see you soon with all the hoopla, brouhaha and hullabaloo that went with our awards event. Until then tata, bye bye…
Vanaja Banagiri Editor-in-Chief
144 SOUTHSCOPE Nov 09