Southscope September 2010 Issue

VOL

ISSUE

01 12 SEPT‘10

INDIA: Rs 50

On THe SeTS OF

khAAleJA maHeSH’S leSSeR KnOWn SPiRiTual Side

TRiViKRam & namRaTa On maHeSH

SuriYA

SOUTH CINEMA’S BIGGEST BRAND AMBASSADOR SHIVARAJKUMAR nOminaTiOnS inSide

ON HIS 100TH FILM

THE MAKING OF

ENDHIRAN

Publisher & Managing Director Moorthy Sreenivasulu Chief Executive Officer Allu Sirish Executive Director Ramakanth T

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Published for the month of September 2010 RNI NO.: APENG/2009/29389

Contents Vol 01 Issue12

RegulaRS

57 Sci-Fi and its tryst with Indian Cinema

12 News + Updates

60 How small budget films are making big news in Tamil Nadu 62 The curious case of love

20 Box Office 23 Reviews 26 Countdown Top 5 Albums

34 Events & Happenings 96 Trivia 98 Suhasini Manirathnam’s

diary

FeaTuReS 36 What worked for Maryada Ramanna?

41 The crumbling walls of

Cinema Paradiso

29 Previews

and its absence in Tamil cinema

64 Sameera Reddy itches for more meaningful cinema 66 What makes Suriya the darling of Brand Endorsements?

Contents Vol 01 Issue12

80 Different Danny fights for survival!

CenTRe STage 44 Gut Above the Rest – Unseen, unheard, untold Mahesh Babu’s persona revealed 52 Exclusive

- Endhiran unveiled

70 Makaramanju

- Karthika’s second debut!

90 Style Evolution – Hansika Motwani’s journey 91 IT Star of the Month – Taapsee

galleRy

72 The New Breed of Malayalam Film Directors

74 Shivrajkumar – Hat Trick Hero

38 Nikesha Patel’s dream debut

FlaSHBaCK

87 Tête-à-tête with

94 Krishna’s

Biaencaa Desai

76 Uncovering Rajdhani

Gudachari 116

95 Rajinikanth’s

STyle 88 How to Look like Siddharth Narayan & Mamta Mohandas

Naan Mahaan Alla

a Better reading experience Dear Reader,

As you may have noticed, we have changed the format of our magazine. Most screenplays follow the popular 3-Act structure. Act – 1 introduces the movie’s story and characters.

The first section is the magazine’s regulars which you’d see every month. News+Updates is news & gossip on movies from the four states. Boxoffice, the newly introduced section talks of top 5 movies of the month. Countdown, will tell take you through the new albums to download on your iPod. Preview, is a brief curtain raiser to the upcoming movies.

Events & Happenings is a snapshot of all the major happenings last month.

A movie’s story changes gear in Act-2. The middle section is packed with features, tons of reading – everything a movie buff needs to know. This month we tell you why Suriya is the biggest brand ambassador of the South, the making of Endhiran with never seen before stills. Then we go to the sets of Mahesh Babu’s Khaaleja, get upclose with Kannada superstar Shivrajkumar, Sameera Reddy and Karthika. Explore the new breed of directors in Malayalam cinema. And lots more.

Act – 3 is the resolution. We sign off with interesting movie trivia, followed by Flashback which revisits the classics. Also, notes from Suhasini Maniratnam’s diary. And newer columnists is the coming months.

The whole idea is to give the magazine a narrative flow, like a story. Instead of dividing the magazine by languages, we thought of separating it by sections. We loved our old format of back to back issue with two coverpages, but we’ll have to lose it for better navigation. All this was done with an intention of giving you a better reader experience.

So, I’d love to hear from you. Please write back or email.

Best,

Allu Sirish

10 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Telugu

news updates SEPTEMBER’10

Gift on wheels

It’s raining cars in the streets of Hyderabad, with Ram Charan Tej gifting his father mega star Chiranjeevi Rolls Royce Phanthom. Also Mahesh Babu was in for a big surprise when his wife, Namrata decided to gift him a range rover vogue SUV. Looks like gifting hot wheels is the flavour of the season.

Rana might bring Entourage to Telugu Rana

Daggubati is slowly but surely carving his niche as an actor, producer. Recently, he evinced interest in producing a popular TV series Entourage in Telugu and wants to call it Babu. We know that Entourage is about a rising movie star and his experiences in Hollywood. If the same format is adapted in Telugu, it might very well turn out to be inspired by Rana and his friends. Your guess is as good as ours if Rana is really serious about producing this TV show.

12 SOUTHSCOPE SEP’ 10

Siddharth loses his cool The entire team of Oy!

has been celebrating after getting the jury award for Best Music at the Filmfare Awards. Everyone from music director Yuvan Shanker Raja, director Anand Ranga to other unit members have been raving about it except Siddharth. A little birdie tells us Siddharth apparently was miffed with the jury for not having nominated Oy! in the main category.

Puri Jagannath’s disappearing act!

Puri has suddenly but surely closed all his Facebook and Twitter accounts and dropped off the social networking radar altogether. We wonder why though. Is he all set for a resurgence with style when we least expect?

Telugu

News &Updates

Nagarjuna on a signing spree! Nagarjuna has been signing films like never

before. The first among them to hit the screens is Gaganam (Payanam in Tamil) which has been directed by Radha Mohan. He’s simultaneously shooting for Veeru Potla’s untitled film.

Soon, he will be seen in Ajith’s 50th film Mankatha, which will be directed by Venkat Prabhu.

Apart from these, Nagarjuna will do a comedy film to be directed by Sreenivas Reddy and produced by Venkat on R R Movies banner. He will also be seen in a cameo role in Vijayendra Prasad’s periodic film set in Telangana.

Kajal signs Lingusamy film

Having signed films with NTR, Naga Chaitanya, Ram Charan Tej and Prabhas in Telugu, Kajal Aggarwal has now managed to sign a film paired with Simbu. Following the success of Paiyaa, Lingusamy was searching for a female lead for his next and he surprised everyone at the audio launch of Naan Mahan Alla. He was extremely impressed with Kajal and decided to sign her up within a week!

Mahesh Babu in Shankar’s 3 Idiots? Shankar is all set to direct

the Telugu and Tamil remake of 3 Idiots after the release of Endhiran. There’s buzz already that Vijay might star in the Tamil version and Mahesh in the Telugu version, both of which are likely be shot parellely. Neither star has announced their confirmation yet though.

Magadheera sweeps Filmfare Awards

The biggest blockbuster ever in Telugu cinema, Magadheera was also a smash hit at the Filmfare Awards ceremony. The film bagged six awards including Best Film, Best Director (S S Rajamouli), Best Actor (Ram Charan), Best Cinematography (Senthil), Best Music Director (M M Keeravani) and Best Singer (Anuj Gurwara).

SEP’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 13

Tamil

News &Updates

Vikram signs Malayalam film for free After hearing Malayalam director, Roshan Andrews’ story narration Vikram agreed to do the film immediately.

And what’s more, he even decided to charge no money for this project as he wants to “give back something to the Malayalam audience.”

Venkat Prabhu changes name of film based on numerology Venkat Prabhu is all set

to direct an action adventure film, Mankatha. It was earlier titled Mangaatha. However, after consulting a numerologist, Venkat Prabhu has named his film Mankatha which features Ajith, Nagarjuna, Manoj Manchu, Ganesh Venkatraman and Premgi. It’s also Ajith’s 50th film and believed to be treated on the lines of Bourne Ultimatum. Venkat even convinced Manoj to undergo a mandatory surgery of the shoulder after the completion of this film’s shooting.

14 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Will Trisha sign a Salman Khan film? The lukewarm response to her first Hindi release Khatta Meetha, has not dampened Trisha’s spirits. In fact she thinks it was a good learning experience and she is even more determined to make it big in Bollywood. At the moment she’s got two films on the floor, KS Ravikumar directed Manmadhan Ambu with Kamal Haasan and Gautham Menon’s remake of Vinaythandi Varuvaya with Pratiek Babbar. Meanwhile Bollywood sources say that she has been penciled for a Salman Khan film, where she will play a south Indian character. We also hear from Trisha’s close friends that if she signs the film, a rival south Indian actress who is considered close to Salman is sure to see red!

Tamil

News &Updates

Murugadoss’s Ezham Arivu is not a remake of Nolan’s Inception! A R

Murugadoss’s latest Tamil film Ezham Arivu starring Suriya and Shruti Haasan in lead roles has begun shooting. His previous Tamil film, Ghajini was loosely inspired from Christopher Nolan’s Memento. In a recent interview, A R Murugadoss was asked if Ezham Arivu too was inspired from a Nolan film. Inception was right around the corner and Murugadoss rubbished the rumour saying that he wrote his script even before the release of Inception. Buzz is that Suriya plays the role of a trapeze artist in this one.

Rajinikanth plans to go to Kailash Mansarover The fact that

Prakash Raj weds Pony

At last, Prakash Raj finally married choreographer and his lady love Pony Verma at a private function in Mumbai.

The couple hosted a reception for their close friends at Sahara Star hotel. The wedding ceremony was held as per Hindu tradition in Punjabi style.

Superstar Rajinikanth believes in spirituality is well known. For the past several years, he has made it a point to go to Babaji Ashram in Himalayas after every release.

He even made a film Baba which was an ode to his spiritual journey. However, this time the buzz is that Rajinikanth would head to Kailash Mansarover after the release of Endhiran and spend sometime there.

His journey to Kailash is likely to happen after his younger daughter, Soundarya Rajinikanth’s marriage.

Simbu and Bharath turn bum chums

Silambarasan and Bharath were seen lounging by themselves. The two have struck up a friendship of late. It all started after Bharath agreed to do the Tamil remake of Vedam. Both the actors loved the original, are gung ho about the project and looking forward to doing more films together.

SEP’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 15

malayalam

News &Updates

Kamal Haasan does a cameo for Malayalam film Kamal Haasan is doing a cameo appearance in a Malayalam film after 23 years! It is for Saji Surendran’s latest film, Four Friends and Kamal is doing this without charging a rupee.

All scenes featuring him were shot in Chennai.

His character appears at a pivotal point and is crucial to the story.

Prithviraj endorses 108 Ambulance service Prithviraj

Pakistani cricketer to play hero in Malayalam film The veteran lyricist and music

director Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri is making his directorial debut with Mazhavillinattamvare. He has chosen controversial Pakistani fast bowler, Mohammed Asif to play a cricket coach who comes to train a few boys in a cricket camp set in Kannur. The coach has a personal agenda, which will be revealed in a stunning climax. Initially, Kaithapram had Wasim Akram in mind but had to choose another Pakistani cricketer because of Wasim’s ill health. His son Deepankuran, who was studying music in Leeds, met Asif who liked script and agreed to do it, after he completes Pakistan’s tour of England on September 20.

16 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Meera Jasmine plans to turn producer?

Meera Jasmine seems to be slowly following the footsteps of her co-stars like Prithviraj who recently started his own production house along with Santosh Sivan. Buzz is that Meera Jasmine has already begun discussing her plans with her peers. If all goes well, she will turn producer and announce the details of her first film shortly.

is the brand ambassador of National Rural Health Mission’s newly launched ambulance service. He is going to promote ‘108 Ambulance Service’, a pilot project undertaken by Kerala Emergency Medical Services. A massive campaign is being planned to spread awareness about this newly launched service in Kerala.

malayalam

News &Updates

Another comedy biggie Prithviraj’s Thriller sets a new record Prithviraj’s upcoming film Thriller has set

a new record in the actor’s career even before its release. Directed by B Unnikrishnan, the film is an action entertainer and Prithviraj plays a cop in it. The satellite rights of this film have been sold for a whopping sum of Rs 1.45 crores, the highest in Prithviraj’s career.

Earlier, most of his films were bought by television channels for Rs 75-80 lakhs, but his newfound star status has put him on par with M & M in Kerala!

Suresh Kumar is remaking Rathinirvedam

Yeh Dosti remix for Four Friends

Director Saji Surendran is having the cult song Yeh Dosti from the Hindi blockbuster Sholay for Four Friends. Music director M Jayachandhran, not new to remixes, has taken up this challenge. Jayaram, Kunchacko Boban, Jayasurya and Meera Jasmine will appear in the song.

Veteran producer Suresh Kumar is remaking the 1978 Malayalam classic, Rathinirvedam with director TK Rajeev Kumar.

Suresh and Revathy Kalamandir had tasted success last year when they remade yesteryears’ classic Neelathamara.

Mohanlal, Jayaram and Dileep are coming together again (after Twenty:20) in Rafi Mecartin’s China Town – touted to be a hilarious comedy.

The story is about three friends from Kerala who go to Goa and have a blast at the china town there. But they also get into trouble with the local mafia, drug dealers and gun runners. The film will be shot in Goa and Pondichery and will be Mohanlal’s Vishu release in 2011. sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 17

Kannada

News &Updates

Ramya finds a new home

Ramya moved into a permanent new house on the up market Lavelle Road in Bangalore if the buzz doing the rounds is anything to go by.

For the last one decade, she had been entertaining film industry personalities and friends at her father’s permanent suite at the Taj West End hotel. But now it looks like Ramya is bored of all the luxury! So will the new home really make her feel at home, hmm?

Ganesh turns director Ganesh’s second home venture Kool is turning out to be too hot to handle for his producer-wife Shilpa. After replacing Kool’s female lead, the Hindi TV actress Aamna Sharief, with Sana Khan, the director Mussanje Mahesh was shown the door. Apparently, the director had some creative disagreements with ace cinematographer Rathnavelu. Now Ganesh has been asked to turn director with this film. Let’s see how he calls the shots.

18 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Pooja’s secret is out!

Pooja Gandhi’s next film, Naa Rani, Nee Maharani was under wraps for several months. The reason: she didn’t want her fans to know that she’ll be featured in a dual role. But that project is no more a secret now. It’s after a long time that an actress is actually doing a dual role in a Kannada film.

kannada

News &Updates

Chetan is sporting another new look

The hunk with spunk, Chetan has undergone a complete image makeover for his next big film Mareyalaare (can never forget). In his debut film, Aa Dinagalu, he sported long hair and in his second film Birugaali, he was seen in a ponytail. In the third, Suryakanthi, Chetan appeared as a hotshot killer with dark sunglasses. In Mareyalaare, he sports longish side locks with a stylishly sharp moustache.

Sharmila is looking beyond Kannada films Looks like Sharmila Mandre is already tired

of the Kannada film industry. And now she has decided to test her luck in a Tamil film that will be produced by her home banner, Mandre Pictures.

Telugu

The July-August months were rather good for the Andhra Pradesh box office.

The hit streak in the industry continued with Maryada Ramanna and Don Seenu taking very good openings. Jhummandi Nadam and Yamudu which opened in July complete their run at the box office successfully.

There are huge expectations on Pawan Kalyan’s Komaram Puli. The movie has the potential to displace Magadheera at the top spot for the highest opening week. But, there’s no official confirmation from the producer on the movie’s release date. The other one Bheemili Kabaddi Jattu was a no-show despite being a hit in Tamil. K Vishwanath’s Subhapradam was a disaster despite having a bankable star like Allari Naresh. *As of 25th August 2010 20 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Maryada Ramanna

Despite the director SS Rajamouli playing it down, the expectations were huge. Yet, magically the director managed to pull off another super hit. The opening week collection of Rs 14 crores shocked the trade. Though the critical verdict was it’s a ‘decent film’ the collections say otherwise. The collections sustained through the second and third week. The movie is expected to gross around Rs 25-28 crores in its full run making it a profitable venture for all the parties involved.

Don Seenu

The movie was low on publicity and hype. It’s the usual Ravi Teja fare with a good dose of comedy, eye candy (Shriya Saran and Anjana Sukhani) and racy music (Mani Sharma). Made on a rather expensive budget of over Rs 22 crores, it grossed Rs 12 crores in the opening week, which is not modest by any standard.

Yamudu

The movie was a massive hit in Tamil Nadu. It repeated its success story with its dubbed version in AP, though not on the same scale. This Suriya starrer cop story opened to a healthy Rs 5 crores in the opening week and went on to gross Rs 10 crores in the full run, making it a profitable venture for its producer K Gnanavel Raja, Suriya’s cousin.

Jhummandi Nadam

The film’s strong opening consolidates Manoj’s position as a saleable actor at the box office. The movie is the usual K Raghavendara Rao fare of old wine in a new bottle. The collections dipped towards the following weeks, yet considering its modest investment, the movie should be termed a hit.

Bheemili Kabaddi Jattu

The movie was made on a shoe string budget, yet as it failed to take a good opening, it can be declared a flop. A remake of a hit Tamil film Vennela Kabaddi Kuzhu it didn’t fare well at the box office that is usually cold towards movies with a sports backdrop, unless it has a bankable stars.

tamil

Box Office August has not been a very good season for Tamil cinema. Karthi’s Naan Mahaan Alla has taken a good opening as well as critical acclaim and is poised to be a good hit for Karthi, Kajal and Suseenthiran.

Vamsam, the launch pad of chief minister’s grandson Arulnidhi is basically a village film and has fared well at the B and C centres.

Another film, Inidhu Inidhu which was produced by Prakash Raj released along with Naan Mahaan Alla. Kadha Solla Vandhen and Baana Kathadi released sans any hype and they are struggling at the box office.

Here’s a run down of how the films did at the box-office. *As of 25th August 2010

Naan Mahaan Alla

Suseenthiran’s second film after his runaway hit, Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu had released with high expectations. Cloud Nine Movies distributed the film across Tamil Nadu. Ever since its release, the film is getting a lot of critical acclaim and is doing well in cities. As the film released on a holiday and it was raining heavily throughout the state, the openings were lesser than Karthi’s Paiyya, but the movie stabilized and is declared a hit at the boxoffice. It establishes Karthi as the next big thing. Also, a big break for Kajal in Tamil cinema.

Vamsam

Since it was the launch pad of Arulnidhi, grandson of Chief Minister Karunanidhi it was promoted aggressively. Pandiraj, who had made his directorial debut with Pasanga, directed this film which narrates the story of clash of clans set in a village. The film took a good opening but later fizzled out. The film was later trimmed and is not doing better especially in B and C centres.

Inidhu Inidhu

A remake of Telugu film, Happy Days, the film introduced eight newcomers in lead roles and is produced by Prakash Raj. Kalpathi S Agoram’s AGS Enterprises acquired the distribution rights of the film. The film was aggressively promoted prior to its release ensuring decent openings. As of now, the movie looks unlikely to repeat the magic which it did in AP. The coming days will decide the fate of the movie.

Kadhal Solla Vandhen

Boopathy Pandian’s latest film Kadhal Solla Vandhen, a love story set in Trichy follows his earlier films like Thiruvilaiyadal Arambam and Malaikkottai. Balaji, Sabesh Karthik and Meghana Raj do justice to their roles; however the film couldn’t set itself apart from the league of Kadhal Konden, 7G Rainbow Colony. Despite the glitches in narration, Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music and Raana’s cinematography made quite an impression.

The film has managed to do decent business so far at the box office. With hardly any movies in the past few weeks, Kadhal Solla Vandhen is reaping the benefits.

Baana Kathadi

Badri Venkatesh’s Baana Kathadi has an impressive star cast including Atharva, Samantha and Prasanna who try their best to live up to the expectations. Armed with a good storyline set in the locales of Royapuram in Chennai, the film almost falls into a predictable path of an action love story. Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music and Richard M Nathan’s cinematography add the much needed charm in this film. The film had a good opening but later fizzled out at the box-office. sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 21

malayalam

Box Office The Malayalam box-office has been at an all time low during July and August, due to rains and lack of good movies. Added to that the Ramzan fasting season has affected the collections especially in Malabar area of the state which accounts for 40 per cent of the total box-office collections. The biggest shock was Mohanlal’s eagerly awaited Oru Naal Varum bombing badly. The only silver lining was the success of singer turned actor and now director Vineeth Sreenivasan’s Malarvadi Arts Club with newcomers that turned out to be a hit.

All small releases like Meera Jasmine’s Paatinte Palazhi, Vinayan directed Yakshiyum Njanum set aside for Onam have also turned out to be disappointing so far. Now all eyes are on the Ramzan releases in September, which may revive the industry.

Kannada It was a bag of mixed luck for the Kannada film industry in JulyAugust with three of the 10 films released in the last 30 days, still running successfully in theatres.

It appears that August has been the month for action films with the much-expected Deadly 2 hitting the screens during the first week of August.

The movie is still running to packed houses. During the third week, Darshan’s Shourya, remake of Telugu film Shouryam, was released. It failed to make an impact at the box office. Lift Kodla?, a comedy film featuring Jaggesh in the lead has been the surprise winner.

Made on a modest budget it completed more than four weeks in theatres.

22 SOUTHSCOPE SEP’ 10

Malarvadi Arts Club The Rock On like musical,

which is attracting the youngsters by the droves, is getting the best screens and a long run. It has also started a trend in Kerala where a lot of films with newcomers are on the anvil. The film made at a cost of Rs 2.25 crores is likely to get a distributors’ share of approximately Rs 3.5 crores and its television and home video rights have gone for a record Rs 1.50 crores, making it a profitable venture for actor-producer Dileep.

Saa Kudumbum Shyamala Made on a budget of approximately Rs 2 crores, it may cover its cost, as its satellite rights have gone for Rs 1 crore, and the rest may be covered from theatre rights.

Pokkiri Raja The coming together of Mammootty and Prithviraj gave this

film an extraordinary opening and celebrated a 100 days run in August.

It was made at a cost of Rs 5.5 crore, and is expected to take a share of Rs 8 crores from Kerala theatre releases.

Apoorva Ragam Veteran director Sibi Malayil’s comeback vehicle with

newcomers failed to impress, as it was released along with Malarvadi Arts Club and suffered. It is not a bad film, but release and promotional strategy backfired and it is turning into a losing proposition.

oru Naal Varum The film cost approximately Rs 4 crores and could hardly collect Rs 1.5 crores from theatres. *As of 25th August 2010

Deadly 2 A high-voltage action film, Deadly 2 is the sequel to Deadly Soma released four years ago. The movie directed

by Ravi Srivatsa, has managed to stay in the theatres for the second consecutive week. The producers are yet to reveal the revenue figures. If it continues to maintain momentum, the producers are sure to recover the investment of Rs 5 crores.

Cheluveye Ninna Nodalu The 98th film of Shivarajkumar directed by debutante Raghuram has managed to attract dedicated fans. One of the costliest movies ever made by N M Suresh, approximately costing Rs 11 crore, the producer is unlikely to make serious returns. It has to complete a month in more than 35 centres for any returns.

Gandede Looks like big budget film producer Ramu might recover his investment on Gandede, which was made with a budget of Rs 5.5 crore. It is attracting large crowds though it has a new star cast in Chiranjeevi Sarja and Raagini Dwivedi. The movie opened to mixed responses but picked pace later.

Lift Kodla? This comedy film made on a low budget of Rs 3.5 crores has already recovered the cost and producer Shankar Reddy is claiming to be making profit.

Matthe Mungaru There were very high expectations from this movie produced by E Krishnappa. Matthe Mungaru, based on the real-life-incident of an Indian fisherman, who languished in Pakistani jails for several years, has not connected with the viewers, despite the director issuing an appeal in the newspapers urging audiences to watch the movie. The producer is unlikely to recover Rs 5 crore from the film.

Telugu

A snapshot of what critics from all the four states have to say about this month’s latest releases.

Don Seenu

critics consensus: Don Seenu is a racy commercial entertainer with an ample dose of comedy, glamour and action. Despite the share of loopholes in the film, it’s a Ravi Teja show all the way.

“Ravi Teja brings fabulous energy and entertainment with his interpretation of character. And we never get tired of his kind of comedy.” – Jeevi, idlebrain.com

“Despite coming up with many tricks and variations, the film keeps you amused only in parts. Don Seenu needs a lot of clipping to be tolerated.” – Sunitha, cinegoer.com

”The movie has all the energy of a typical Ravi Teja flick, but it keeps needing to survive on certain modes of resuscitation, that include air-headed leading ladies, below-the-belt jokes, and frequent Mani Sarma hand-me-downs.”

– Fullhyderabad.com

“ Debutant director Gopichand Malineni seems to be fully aware of Ravi Teja’s image and has written a perfect script for the actor with Don Seenu. And Ravi Teja just flourishes again in Don Seenu giving the masses paisa vasool with a mundane and mindless storyline. “ – rediff.com

“Don Seenu is predictable but the package of glamour, comedy and action makes it a reasonable watch. “ – telugucinema.com

Maryada ramanna critics consensus: S S Rajamouli gripping screenplay makes this simple story a fast-paced entertainer.

It’s the biggest small film ever.

“It’s flattering when a “minimum guarantee” director actually trusts audiences with a film that turns formula on its head.”

- deepa garimella, FullHyd.com

“This movie is not without it’s share of flaws, but they fade away because of the treatment given by Rajamouli.”

- Jeevi, idlebrain

“It’s a wonderful surprise to be kept entertained throughout without having to see blood & gore set amidst bombs and sickles.”

- 123telugu.com

“Filled with fun and suspense, the film is thoroughly enjoyable even though it is predictable at times.”

- radhika rajamani, rediff

“The dichotomy of a factionist family who believed in the adage of athidi devo bava but kill the guest once he steps of their threshold, lacks conviction.”

- BVS prakash, times of india

“Maryada Ramanna is fast-paced drama with tense moments. Sunil’s performance, superb music and Rajamouli’s perfect narrative skills are plus points of the movie.”

Jp, telugu cinema SEP’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 23

Tamil

naan Mahaan Alla critics consensus: Naan Mahaan Alla is a Karthi film all the way. He’s perfect in his role and has a great screen presence. Although the film runs on predictable lines towards the end, Suseendiran has done a commendable job in portraying the life of a middle class family in Chennai. A well-made commercial entertainer.

“Suseendiran should be appreciated for coalescing the energy and entertainment of a mainstream film with a sensitivity of a realistic one.

Naan Mahan Alla is a hard hitting realistic take!”

– Behindwoods.com

“Naan Mahaan Alla is almost perfect. You’ve got Karthi and Co wreaking hilarious havoc, Kajal for romantic interludes and Chennai’s life in complete detail.

Just have a blast” – rediff.com

“A live wire on screen, Karthi is splendid, bringing out both the carefree spirit of Jeeva, and his angst and fury when a dear one is hurt. Naan Mahaan Alla clearly belongs to Karthi.”

– new indian express

“Director Suseendiran has proved Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu is not a stroke of luck. With his latest film, Naan Mahan Alla, he has yet again proved he is a master story teller.” – indiaglitz.com

thillalangadi critics consensus: Thillalangadi,, a remake of Telugu film Kick Kick, falls short of narrating a convincing story. A purely escapist fare with some laugh out loud moments!

“At nearly 3 hours of runtime, Thillalangadi is a boring film, more so because the narrative lacks the power to keep you hooked to the proceedings.” – Sify

’s biggest “Thillalangadi’s drawback is its ridiculous plot, and equally silly dialogues. Don’t go expecting logic or rationale; these concepts are alien in the movie.”

– rediff

“An elaborate whacky take on what constitutes true happiness, Thillalangadi is a purely escapist entertainer, breezy and cheerful.”

– new indian express 24 SOUTHSCOPE SEP’ 10

“There are many logical loopholes, which can be conveniently forgiven, as this film is not about any serious stuff. Thillalangadi is an enjoyable entertainer.”

– Behindwoods.com

“Thillalangadi is a raw ‘Andhra Masala’ presented in a Tamil palate. Interesting in parts, the movie would have ended up more shining and bright, had few loose ends been stitched together. “ - indiaglitz.com

Kannada

Deadly 2

critics consensus: Deadly 2 is a high-voltage action film loaded with powerful dialogues but several loose ends.

While the first half is brilliant with an excellent script and lively narration, the second half is badly done with poor narration and an overdose of sentimental sequences, especially the court sequence – the times of india

Deadly 2 does not just bank on the nostalgia of its prequel, but turns out to be a well-crafted and unique movie – chitraloka. com

This sequel to Deadly Soma is bloodier, louder and brash. It may not appeal to mild hearts but is a treat for those who enjoy their action colored red – Bangalore Mirror

Deadly 2 is for those who are up for seeing non-stop glorification of violence – rediff.com

The super fast style of narration that is loaded with action and reaction from the artistes is emotionally touching – indiaglitz.com

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Komaram Puli

It’s the first time that Rahman has composed tunes for a Pawan Kalyan film. Maaralante Lokam, Amma Thalle and Mahamaye have been topping the charts but it is Powerstar Powerstar…which has made all the noise. Director S J Suryah requested Rahman to compose this song as a gift for the Powerstar’s fans.

Sony Music which released the album in the market has stated that Komaram Puli has set an all time record in audio sales in AP.

Robot Rajinikanth, Aishwarya starrer Robot is yet another musical extravaganza by A R Rahman. Directed by Shankar, everything about the film is big. Boom Boom da and Arima Arima are already chartbusters and the album is slowly working its magic on music lovers. The Tamil version of Robot titled Endhiran has set a new record as the fastest selling album and Think Music, the company which bought the audio rights couldn’t have asked for more.

26 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Thakita Thakita The audio of the film was launched in the second week of August and ever since the album has been getting rave reviews.

Bobo Shashi’s music has been described as peppy and trendy. Chinmayi, Prasanna, Shreya Goshal, Sathyam, Sam and Suvi Suresh have sung for this one.

Don Seenu Mani Sharma’s music adds a whole lot of zing to this film. Ramajogayya Sastry, Bhaskar Batla and Vennelakanti have written the lyrics and Baba Sehgal, Hemachandra, Geetha Madhuri and Malavika have sung the songs. The title track Aidhella Vayasuki has become highly popular.

Maryada Ramanna M M Keeravani’s tryst with classical music doesn’t seem to end anytime soon!

In Maryada Ramanna, he hits the bull’s eye with songs like Telugu Ammayi and Kitiki Pakkana Ammayi.

TAMIL

Countdown

Endhiran

With its songs topping the iTunes charts worldwide, Endhiran broke many existing records and created new ones. It’s Rahman’s magic all the way. The album has fans gritting their teeth, waiting for the tsunami-like response the film is likely to release.

Naan Mahaan Alla Yuvan Shankar Raja’s latest offering is a set of very hummable tracks and the latest anthem of love on everyone’s lips.

Paiyya Paiyya’s biggest attraction is Yuvan Shankar Raja’s peppy tunes that became instant chartbusters.

Paiyya became one of the biggest hits of the year with audiences cheering and whistling to every song.

Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya This one was Rahman’s first musical score in Tamil after his big win in the Kodak theatre, and the songs rose right to the number one position almost instantly.

Rahman’s mellifluous tunes are still quite high up on the charts.

Madharasapattinam G V Prakash Kumar’s soulful blend of ethnic and western music has still been rocking the charts.

sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 27

malayalam

Kadha Thudarunnu

Music maestro Illaiyaraja’s enchanting tunes in Sathyan’s latest film, Kadha Thudarunnu have been topping the charts for the past few weeks and there has been no big competition as yet.

2 Mummy & Me

3 Malarvadi Arts Club

Music director Sejo John’s tunes set the right mood for this film. The romantic angle involving Archana and Kunchacko Boban has also been shown in the film, using the tunes in a nice way.

Singer and actor Vineeth Sreenivasan’s debut as a director, Malarvadi Arts Club, quite predictably had music as the backdrop. Shaan Rahman’s compositions have been appreciated and the songs have become popular.

4 Pokkiri Raja

5 Apoorvaragam

Jassie Gift’s music added that extra zing to this masala entertainer. The songs have become chart toppers.

Vidyasagar’s peppy tunes for the film are popular even after weeks of the film’s release.

Kannada

Pancharangi

There are seven tracks in Pancharangi, the highest number of songs in recent times. Udisuve Belikina Seereyena sung by Sonu Nigam has already become a chart-buster. The director of the film, Yogaraj Bhat has also sung two songs.

Ananda Audio, which has bagged the audio rights, has reported brisk sales.

2 Jackie

3 Sanchaari

4 Gaana Bajaana

5 Naanu, Nanna Kanasu

One track from the movie was leaked on the internet prompting Harikrishna to recompose the song. Yogaraj Bhat has penned lyrics for five songs in this one.

Kailash Kher’s Yakka Raja Rani has become a huge hit. Puneet and Sonu Niigaam have also lent their voice to the songs.

As the title suggests, Gaana Bajaana is a musical film whose songs have become extremely popular. The title track Gaana Bajaana, a disco number, has become one of the most highly watched videos on Youtube. Joshua Sridhar has composed the music and sung the title track.

28 SOUTHSCOPE SEP’ 10

One track Gaaliye Nodu Baa from this film remained number one for three weeks before being replaced during mid August by Pancharangi. Another track Bhoomi Sutthodu sung by Sonu Niigaam is among the top 10.

This Prakash Rai directorial film has melodious music by the veteran Hamsalekha. One track – Ondu Maamara – sung by Kailash Kher has become an all-time hit. Interestingly, Prakash Rai has penned the lyrics for a few songs.

Telugu

Brindavanam Brindavanam is a family drama, touted to be a mĂŠlange of love, action, sentiment and comedy. After Adhurs, NTR has undergone a complete image makeover and he will be portraying a softer role in this film unlike most of his previous roles. While the story has been kept under wraps, the film has a huge cast ensemble which is certainly working to up the curiosity surrounding this film.

Cast NTR, Kajal, Samantha Director Vamshi Paidipally Producer Dil Raju Music Director S Thaman Banner Sri Venkateswara Creations

sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 29

Telugu

Previews

Bava Siddharth’s latest film Bava is a love story set in a village.

Rajendra Prasad plays the role of Siddharth’s father while Praneetha is Siddharth’s love interest. Debutant director Rambabu has also written the story and screenplay. The film narrates the romance between a village lad and his sister-in-law.

Most of the film has been shot in Palakollu and the surrounding region. The film unit is all praises for Aravind Krishna’s cinematography for capturing the vibrant colours of the Godavari region in AP.

30 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Cast Siddharth, Rajendra Prasad, Praneetha Director Rambabu Producer M L Padma Kumar Chowdary Music Director Chakri Banner Sri Keerthi Combines

Telugu tamil

Previews

Uthamaputhiran Dhanush seems to be the busiest actor in town with three films on floors. His Aadukalam is complete but it looks like his Uthamaputhiran will make it to theatres first. This remake of Ready from Telugu has Genelia who did the original, paired with him for the first time. It is a family entertainer with comedy, drama and romance. A few changes have been made to make it suitable for the Tamil audience.

Cast : Dhanush, Genelia D’Souza,

K.Bhagyaraj, Vivek, Karunas Director : Mitran R Jawahar Producer : Ramesh Tandra, Sharda Tilok Music Director : Vijay Antony Banner : Balaji Studios

Boss Engira Bhaskaran Boss Engira Bhaskaran is a light hearted romantic comedy and is the story of a middle class family that faces everyday issues of life.

Arya plays Bhaskaran a happy-golucky guy who does not do anything serious in life but helps others.

Nayan plays Chandrika, a practical young college student who slowly but surely falls in love with him.

How Chandrika brings a change in Bhaskaran’s life is narrated in a rather hilarious way. Santhanam is said to be doing a great comedy track in the film.

Cast

Arya, Nayanthara, Santhanam, Lakshmi Ramakrishnan Director

Rajesh Producer

KS Srinivasan Music Director

Yuvan Shankar Raja Banner

Vasan Visual Ventures

sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 31

Malayalam

Previews

Pranchiyettan and the Saint Cast

Mammootty, Priyamani, Khushboo, Innocent, Jagathy Director

Ranjith Music Director

Ouseppachan Banner

Capitol Films

Anwar The film explores why an educated youngster turns to violence. The story is about Anwar a well-educated Muslim youth from Kochi who gets entangled in certain issues and his life changes completely.

Prakash Raj plays Stalin Manimaran, a powerful officer in the anti-terrorism squad and Mamta Mohandas plays Aisha, a chemical engineer who unwittingly gets caught in certain issues. It is probably the most experimental and issue-based commercial film of these times, replete with adrenaline-pumping action scenes.

32 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Cast

Pritviraj, Prakash Raj, Mamta Mohandas, Lal, Salim Kumar Director

Amal Neerad Producer

Raj Zacharias Music Director

Gopi Sundar Banner

Celebs and Red Carpet

Mammootty’s Ranjith directed Pranchiyettan and the Saint is a black comedy. Mammootty plays CE Francis a.k.a. Pranchiyettan who hails from a rich family in Trissur that is traditionally into the rice trade. But he has an inferiority complex thanks to being illiterate. And so, he is always in search of some easy way to lap up whatever respect he can get from society with the help of friends. Priyamani plays a Mumbai-based interior decorator and Khushboo plays Dr Omana a socialite.

Jagathy Sreekumar dons the role of Deenadayal. Ganapathy plays Poly who makes a change in Pranchiyettan life.

Kannada

Previews

Gaana Bajaana Cast

Radhika Pandit, Tarun, Dileep Raj, Sharan

This is a musical entertainer, the title of which has been lifted from the Puneet Rajkumar-Priyamani hit song Hosa Gaana Bajaana from the movie Raam. The tracks of Gaana Bajaana have already climbed the top 10. For the first time, Radhika will be seen in a glamorous role. It promises to be a fun film for youngsters.

Director

Prashanth Raj Music Director

Joshua Shridhar Producer

Naveen Banner

Nimma Cinema

Appu Pappu This is a fun movie that features a galaxy of stars.

The special attraction of this film is an orangutan.

It remains to be confirmed if the movie is shot on the lines of Dunston Checks In, but we know it is a spy thriller. The producer’s son, Master Snehith is doing a cameo role in this one. The movie was shot extensively in Cambodia and various parts of Karnataka.

Cast

Komal, Jennifer Kothwal, Rekha, Abbas, Master Snehith Director

R Anantharaju Music Director

Hamsalekha Producer

Soundarya Jagadish Banner

Soundarya Naman Creations

sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 33

HYDERABAD

Events & Happenings

varun Sandesh and Sharanya Mohan promoted their film, Happy Happyga at the gift2nri.com portal launch.

Pic: M N Bushan

Pic: M N Bushan

Actress Jayasudha promoted Gogreen programme by Alekya Homes along with Selave Club. She went to every houses in Madhapur, Hyderabad and got fans for the plant tree march.

Adhe Nuvve movies audio launch was a lively affair.

Aksha and Krishna Chaitanya the lead stars welcomed everyone.

BENGALURU

Pic: M N Bushan

Model-turned-actors Rekha and Jackie Shetty walk the ramp for designer Ramesh Dembla at the annual Bangalore Fashion Week.

Pic: Manu

Pic: M N Bushan

Music Director Chakri’s tollywood Hungama night press meet was attended by Archana veda and Madhurima.

Pic: V Rajesh

Pic: V Rajesh

the audio launch of Rajinikanth’s Shankar directed Endhiran at the Putrajaya Stadium, Kaulalumpur was a grand affair. Sun network’s Kalanithi Maran, never seen before at any of the company’s film events, was himself present on the occasion alongside Superstar Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, AR Rahman and Shankar along with the technicians.

the 13th Gollapudi Srinivas national Award was presented to young director Amit Rai for Road to Sangam. Anil Kapoor, vidyaBalan, Amjad Ali Khan, Madhur Bhandarkar and Girish Karnad were among the guests.

Ex- indian stylish opener Sadagopan Ramesh’s debut film as hero titled Patta Patti 50-50, had its trailer launch at Four Frames Preview theatre in Chennai. Former indian captain Krishnamachari Srikanth launched the trailer.

Pic: V Rajesh

Pic: Manu

BENGALURU Producer t P Siddaraju flanked by Yogi and Mahesh at the audio launch of Yaksha.

Pic: V Rajesh

CHENNAI

Entrepreneurs Kiruthiga udhayanidhi and Jyoti Agarwal played perfect hosts at a star-studded second anniversary bash of their lifestyle magazine inbox 1305. Director Gautham Menon and classical singer Aruna Sairam were the chief guests and trisha, Arya, Shiva, Deepika Pallikal walked the ramp.

Telugu

Feature

what worked for Maryada ramanna?

Hemanth Kumar dissects Maryada ramanna,, the latest hit from the S S Rajamouli pack

I

f cinema is a game of probability, then S S Rajamouli has found a magic trick to decode the enigma! In his case, the result is clear even before the game begins. And he has proved it again with his latest film, Maryada Ramanna, which has been termed as one of the biggest small films till date and it’s not without a reason. Sunil had only one film as a hero to his credit, Saloni had acted in a few and Nagineedu was a new face on screen. Yet, the film makes a big splash at the box office. Here are some factors which worked in favour of Maryada Ramanna.

36 SOUTHSCOPE SEP’ 10

giving the plot away

Rajamouli’s remark that Maryada Ramanna was unlike any film he has made till date had set the ball rolling. In a way, his revelation of the basic premise much before the film’s release gave the audience a gist of what to expect from the film.

audio Launch

A huge façade of a house in the backdrop instead of the usual posters is a rarity at audio launches. Further, Sunil’s antics caught everyone’s attention. Like we

first two weeks of its release, the film went on to gross more than $400,000. Apart from the US, the film has been doing quite well in UK, Australia, Dubai and Singapore. Interestingly, Maryada Ramanna is one of the biggest hits in the US apart from Vedam and Leader, despite several other big budget releases this year. Traditionally, the US market depends on critics’ ratings. Although the critics gave the film a thumbs up, it was branded as an above average film. However, the ratings didn’t deter the overseas audience from watching the film in such large numbers. said, it was a calculated move to lure the audience to watch the film with the right expectations.

a simple story

There were hardly any mind-numbing twists or big surprises in the plot. The simplicity did away with all the sub-plots and flashback sequences associated with this genre. The entire film was interlaced with subtle comedy peppered with thrills.

rajamouli’s screenplay and direction

A fast-paced drama with an interesting narrative, Maryada Ramanna is an S S Rajamouli film all the way. Be it setting up the plot or raising the stakes from time to time, it had his signature style in almost every scene. After all, there must be something in a film with a simple storyline which was already revealed, to keep you hooked on for almost two hours.

characterization

Unlike most other films of this genre, Maryada Ramanna was essentially a family drama with a twist.

Sunil moved away from his usual slapstick comedy and the real clincher was his depiction of innocence and fear. Saloni, Nagineedu and supporting actors Supreet and Venugopal infused the film with energy.

The muffled anger with a strong undercurrent of revenge is a far cry from the hysteria and violence which are usually associated with the factionism genre.

Back in the state, the film has grossed close to Rs 24 crores so far and is poised to touch the Rs 30 crores mark along with all the ancillary rights such as satellite, home video etc. The buzz in the trade circles is that Rajamouli has a stake in the profits apart from his usual remuneration. If that’s true, then he would be laughing all the way to the bank!

post-release promotion

The promotion tours across the state immediately after the film’s release played a big role. In general, success tours are held two or three weeks after a film’s release. “We wanted to meet people and share the joy right in the first week. The success tour was not a tactic to boost box-office collections,” says Shobu Yarlagadda, one of the producers, adding, “The response was overwhelming across the state and we are all surprised to see thousands of people thronging to meet Sunil, Saloni, Rajamouli and others.”

The film’s promotion on the web created quite a buzz too. Apart from a dedicated film site, the marketing team promoted the film on Orkut, Facebook and Twitter. For the first time ever, a Telugu film’s audio launch was webcast live and it clicked well with the netizens.

By the way, the cycle which Sunil uses in the film was finally auctioned for Rs 1.51 lakhs and after adding other contributions, the team raised a total of Rs 5.49 lakhs which was donated to Devnar School for the blind.

pre-release publicity

The buzz surrounding the film was quite high even before the release. The number of prints was increased from 250 to 325 thanks to a huge demand from distributors across the state. The distribution rights were sold at record high prices across the state and not surprisingly almost all of them have made a killing at the box office. The overseas collections especially the US got the largest pie. The gross collections on the first weekend had crossed $200,000 and within the SEP’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 37

What a debut!

Nikesha Patel talks to Vrinda Prasad about her dream debut with Komaram Puli, her shoe fetish and wanting to be a single mom!

Lights She made her entry into tinsel town with the Power Star Pawan Kalyan. Can’t get better than this, can it? “I never dreamt of breaking into south cinema. And I feel blessed!” She was born and raised in Cardiff, but moved to Mumbai a few years ago. Just like that, almost on a whim, she auditioned for Komaram Puli and made it.

38 SOUTHSCOPE SEP’ 10

Camera A dream debut is what every actor aspires for. Nikesha never expected something as big as Komaram Puli to happen to her. In fact, she was practically unaware of the Telugu film industry till she read about it online.

On facing the camera for the first time, Nikesha says, “I was very nervous and my first shot was with Pawan sir. But he was very understanding.” One thing she can’t forget is what Pawan Kalyan told her on the last day of shoot: “You are a great co-star to work with.

Hope we work together again.” She gushes as she says this “But now I have to choose my projects very wisely,” she shares.

Action She loves action. In fact, she has a five minute action sequence in the beginning of the film where she plays a cop. “I simply love fighting, kicking, punching and all of it. I want to act in an action film.” She also lets us know that she used to try her stunts on her brother’s car tyres when she would be mad at him. This also spilled over to some karate moves on the brother himself! Unladylike you say?

Well, unlike most girls she is also not fond of shopping. “But I can’t resist shoes,” she grins. For the record, she owns 259 pairs and also remembers each one of them! Her other penchant is watching cartoons. She just can’t get enough of Flintstones and Tom and Jerry.

sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 39

Pack-up So talking of other things, which does she prefer marriage/ live-in/ fling? And we get a spontaneous “Livein!” Also she doesn’t want to get married. “I would love to be a single mother.” But if she does think of tying the knot, it’ll have to be someone who can see the more childlike side to her and preferably in Disney Land. Till she can find someone like that, she’s happily single!

40 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Telugu

Feature

Over the last decade, 1100 theatres have shut down in Tamil Nadu. In Andhra Pradesh, close to 639 theatres were shut down in the last two years alone. Single screen theatres are slowly but surely giving way to shopping malls and function halls. Hemanth Kumar goes trend spotting.

L

ong time ago, cinema halls across Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu used to turn into places of worship every Friday. In a region where cinema is nothing short of religion, lakhs of moviegoers thronged movie halls to watch their favourite demi-gods on screen. People would hoot, cry and whistle along with hundreds of others under one roof – cinema was more than just entertainment, it was a way of life. Theatres were packed and as long as the movie was good, everyone was happy. This, however, remains an image from the

past. The present scenario has a different story to tell. In the last 10 years, close to 1100 theatres have been shut down in Tamil Nadu and a similar trend has been prevailing in Andhra Pradesh.

More than 630 cinema halls have been shut down in the past two years alone. Many of these cinema halls have been turned into function halls or shopping malls in prime locations. While both the film industries accept that there’s a problem, there are quite a few hurdles which have spawned into bigger issues than anticipated. sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 41

Before the golden era of films came into being, theatre and circus were big. They were the

only means of entertainment till cinema filled the void left behind by a slow decline in theatre. The touring talkies, where films were screened in makeshift tent houses, paved way for constructing cinema halls across Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Since cinema was one of the primary sources of entertainment, bigger cinema halls with more than 1000 seating capacity were constructed and the trend prevailed for more than three decades. The beginning of the new millennium changed the entire scenario, though.

While several cinema halls had begun losing sheen, the advent of cable television into our homes brought about a paradigm shift. The explosion in media sector in the past five years, succeeded in capturing the attention of both women and the Y2K generation.

Some theatres in Andhra Pradesh even witnessed a drop of 40-60 per cent in occupancy due to the huge popularity of content on television. The situation is so alarming that people have stopped going to movies unless there’s good word of mouth about a particular film. If the advent of TV took the audience away, the cinema halls also suffered another big blow due to video piracy. An owner of a theatre in a Chennai suburb says, “People get pirated DVDs within a week of release and prefer to watch them at home. Also, their mindset has changed as they know for sure that the movie would anyway be premiered on satellite channels within a couple of months of its release.”

Despite several efforts to curb video piracy, it shows no signs of going off the radar anytime soon.

Nobody wants to make losses. For many, it’s a serious business where the stakes are too high. R Ramanujam, a member of the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association says, “Distribution prices for big-banner films are fixed based on occupancy in every theatre.

But on an average, the theatres only have 35 per cent occupancy. It is high only during weekends. Every single theatre suffers huge losses because of this. Many don’t even recover maintenance cost.” In Andhra Pradesh, the situation is no different. Maintenance costs of single screen cinema halls go up to Rs 1-1.5 lakh per month in smaller cities and towns. However, the theatre revenue for 70-80 per cent of the films isn’t even enough to recover the maintenance costs.

To compensate for these losses, several theatre owners break government norms which state that a cinema hall should have at least 14 employees.

Poor maintenance of theatres is another reason for lower occupancy.

Many theatre owners also pay advances to producers before the release of a much anticipated film, which adds the pressure on them to recover their investment.

“People get pirated DVDs within a week of its release and prefer to watch them at home.”

The genesis of the entire problem lies in fluctuating occupancy in cinema halls. While actors with bigger fan bases get tremendous opening, the content determines the rest of the theatre collections.

42 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Ironically, despite the fall in a number of cinema halls, the market size and revenue

generated of both film industries has grown to a large extent. This trend finds its roots in a systematic implementation of higher ticket prices across the region. Fifteen years ago, the admission rate for balcony was priced at Rs 8 and the lowest entry fee was Re 1 in Andhra Pradesh. Moreover, there were more number of seats in the Re 1 class and only a handful in the balcony section. However, in the past few years, this trend has changed. There are more seats in balcony which has an admission rate of Rs 50. In smaller towns, it is priced at Rs 25. M Vijandar Reddy, President of the Telangana Film Chamber of Commerce says, “The entire layout of cinema halls

has changed. Higher ticket pricing resulted in better collections.”

While cinema halls in villages and smaller towns grapple with maintenance issues, those in cities face the heat from other means of entertainment. The only solace has been the emergence of multiplexes which have managed to pull the crowds despite the higher pricing. The Tamil Nadu government has granted permission for opening 95 new screens in Chennai by 2011. At a time when theatres and cinema halls in suburban areas and moffussil centers are closing down, the sudden spurt in multiplexes and multiscreens has posed a direct threat to the existence of single screen theatres. The brand positioning of multiplexes as entertainment zones has indeed helped them to withstand the competition. Dinakaran, a trade analyst opines, “Multiplexes make profits by their value-added services such as food courts and gaming zones. Even drinking water is sold at a premium rate.

It’s a bid to earn some profit.” Converting single screen cinema halls to multiplexes comes with a baggage of huge investment which may not be a viable option to every theatre owner. In Andhra Pradesh, the government has set 14 norms as a pre-condition to grant permission for multiplexes, which includes presence of at least three screens, online booking facility, air-conditioning, auto flush in washrooms, no objection certificate from fire department and so on.

If these norms are adhered to, then the multiplexes are given permission to sell the tickets at Rs 100 and above.

The impact of low turn out of the audience

in cinema halls has forced several cinema halls owners to look at alternate revenue sources. At times, the theatre owners get lucrative offers depending on the location of the cinema halls. Vijander Reddy shares, “It’s tempting when you get an offer of Rs 2 crores to sell the land at a time when recovering maintenance costs is a huge problem. Even if we lease the land to someone, we will make more money than theatre collections.” In Chennai, three popular theatres including Ram, Nagesh and Anand complex

have been converted into shopping complexes and wedding halls. In Hyderabad, two popular theatres where English movies used to be screened, Skyline and Sterling, have been closed. A residential complex is being built in the same location.

Recently, in a bid to prevent the closing down of theatres, the theatre owners in Tamil Nadu have urged that the salary of lead actors and directors be fixed as a percentage of the profit from the film (and not as salary) as this would facilitate their complete involvement in the film. The Theatre Owners Association is also contemplating approaching the government to urge the film industry to bring down the production cost. “By cutting down the production expenses, the rate of films would come down. A few lakh rupees less spent on each film could save our livelihood,” says an office bearer of the association.

Even the film industry in Andhra Pradesh is doing its bit in addressing the problem. It’s slowly moving towards digital projection of cinema which will cut down production costs to a great extent.

The film industry has urged the government to consider tax exemption for films

with Telugu titles and also for those films which release with less than 35 prints. Currently, if a film releases with less than 35 prints, an entertainment tax of Rs 14,000 is levied on it and beyond 35 prints, the tax goes up to Rs 27,000. The film industry also wants a change in the government’s approach which considers any film with more 35 prints as a big budget film. “If the government accepts these requests, then it would give the single theatre owners a breathing space of four-five years,” says Vijander Reddy.

Five years from now, it is expected that a lot of single screen cinema halls including those in rural areas will adapt to the latest state-of-the-art technology, but the era of huge cinema halls may never come back again.

In future, most multi-screens will thrive on reduction in seating capacity along with increase in ticket prices.

The concept of ‘single screen’ theatres is dying a slow death.

sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 43

Five years after the smash hit Athadu, the Trivikram-Mahesh Babu combination returns with Khaaleja that promises to turn blockbuster too!

Vanaja Banagiri meets Mahesh Babu on the sets and realises that the iconic actor quotes Thoreau with as much panache and conviction as he shatters box office records.

On Krishna, his father I completely idolise my father.

I try to emulate his attitude, simplicity and humility. I am blessed to be born to him.

On Namrata, his wife

W

hat do I say about perceptions?

Many people including some of my media colleagues had led me to believe that Mahesh Babu, the award winning superstar, ambassador for 5 leading brands, may be ruling the roost, but getting him to talk is a project in itself.

Obviously, I was blown out of my head when he turned out to be articulate, philosophical and humorous, breaking my perceptions to smithereens.

Hear it first hand from the hit man of Telugu cinema as he holds forth on his life so far, brand endorsements, Khaaleja and his dreams…

“The years that I didn’t act are the ones that helped me grow as an actor. I took a break for three years. I can feel the evolution in me. Trivikram’s been echoing my sentiments ever since we began shooting for Khaaleja,” says Mahesh Babu. All eyes are on his forthcoming film Khaaleja, which is indubitably one of the most awaited films of the season. Everybody is waiting with bated breath to see what the king of understatement, master of subdued acting, is unleashing this time around.

We are in Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad, where Mahesh’s entry song is being shot. He is grooving away in a rust and white checks shirt and 46 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

We were on an outdoor location for 40 days. On the last day of shooting, we realised the intensity that was building up between us. I can’t pinpoint the moment we fell in love. It just happened. I love her simplicity. She’s so real. I never proposed marriage to her formally. When I told my father about us, he enquired about our marriage plans. We got married in February, 2005. I’m lucky to have found her. We dated for five years and have been married for five years.

Our relationship has gone from strength to strength.

a pair of blue jeans. He’s sweating buckets no thanks to the humid day and the dusty location is not much help either. Trivikram, his only friend and favourite director is watching intently. Cinematographer, Yash Bhatt is shooting his first south Indian film with gusto.

In the background you can see vegetable and fruit bandis and a typical Irani chai place with an interesting name `Try Luck Café.’ On his right at the far end is a store, Anu Sarees. In the same row at the other end is a Univercell banner, the brand he endorses. People have gathered around the scene to get a dekko of their favourite hero. He gets his moves right and the choreographer is happy. He says something and everybody is in splits. You can sense the easy camaraderie amongst the team. He walks towards the computer, checks out the scene on the monitor carefully and says ‘looks fine.’ He walks towards me and says, “Too much noise here. Let’s go.” And leads me to the vanity van. Once inside, I tell him how we’ve been on a chase to get him on our cover since our launch issue.

He says earnestly, “Sorry, I am not a phone person at all,” pointing to the cell phone that’s lying in a corner, “I carry it to stay accessible to Namrata.” I explain, we’d actually been speaking to his wife Namrata who kept us updated from time to time, methodically and promptly. “She’s just unbelievably amazing,” he gushes belying his shy nature, “She’s made my life so much easier. Besides being a great wife and mother, she also handles all aspects of my work. I only look at the creatives.

She’s also influenced my dressing.

Earlier, I would be comfortable only in checks shirts and jeans but she introduced me to T shirts. Now, I quite enjoy experimenting with my look.” Quite right. His wardrobe has undergone a make- over since Athadu.

Was it a conscious decision? Did Namrata play a role in that department as well? “Times are changing. You don’t need me to tell you that. Everything today is about clothes, hair, looks and appearances. For Khaaleja, Mamta Anand has designed my clothes.

Namrata brought her on board and she has done a fabulous job.”

On the personal front, everybody is commenting on how he looks more at ease with himself after marriage unlike his earlier reclusive self. “Contrary to perceptions, I am not a recluse. You could call me a private guy. You could even call me shy. Even when Pokiri became this huge massive hit, I felt shy and nervous with all the attention I was getting. But calling me a recluse is a bit far-fetched, you know. The fact is I like my space. I still get uncomfortable with attention though I’m getting better with handling it thanks to Namrata. I’m not a guy who’s ever been into socialising or hanging out at night clubs. That’s not my scene. I love being at home with my family. Namrata has definitely brought out the best in me.

My son has totally transformed my life. When I hear my four year old son talk, it’s like a miracle. It’s difficult to put it into words,” says the actor who’s known to be a man of few words. “I’ve been talking ad nauseum to you. I take a little longer than most people to open up. I also don’t believe in using words when silence serves a better SEP’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 47

purpose. But when words are required for communication, I can speak at length. Like I’m doing at the moment,” he flashes a smile that reaches his eyes.

Who are his friends? “Trivikram from the industry.” And outside? “None,” he says. What?

How’s that possible? “Yes, it’s true. I have no friends. I studied in Chennai till my B.Com. When I moved to Hyderabad, I lost touch with my friends. Not that I had many of them.

Honestly, I don’t miss having friends. I am quite happy with my own company and my family’s. Either I’m working or I’m at home.

Life’s blissful this way.” He may not be into socialising but he’s been easily the most active south star on Twitter. “Namrata and Blah, the celeb management company that handles my endorsements were instrumental in getting me on Twitter. They made me realise that this is the only platform where I could have a direct connection with people. Now, I really enjoy tweeting.” Some people are downright rude to stars on networking sites. How does he deal with them? “I haven’t encountered such people, luckily, so far. But if I do, I will ignore them.”

So what’s he doing in Khaaleja? “Ask what Khaaleja is doing in me,” he guffaws. “Jokes apart, you will see a brand new side of Mahesh Babu that’s never been seen before on screen.

So far, I’ve played subdued, understated yet powerful roles. This is the first time my character is loud, brash, funny as hell and yet very realistic. Very natural, very convincing. I can never do anything that I’m not convinced about.” How convincing can a professional killer be like he was in Athadu? “Actually, I had trouble initially convincing myself that I can pull it off. But once the director explained the circumstances and situations, I managed to get into the skin of the character. And I think I did a fairly decent job.” Decent? That was by 48 SOUTHSCOPE SEP’ 10

far one of his best on screen performances. “My personal favourite is Okkadu though,” he says.

So how does he go about signing a script other than the fact that it should excite him? “I look mainly at the characterisation of my role in the context of the story. If that interests me, if it captures my imagination, I take it on.” So what goes wrong when a film doesn’t work like Sainikudu, for instance? “That was a bad film.

The director is undoubtedly one of the best in the industry. Half way through the shooting of Sainikudu, I knew it wasn’t going to work. But then, you can’t abandon a project just because you stop believing in it, right? That has happened with many of my films that flopped.”

So does he change his approach when a film doesn’t deliver? “No, I don’t.” Do flops affect him? “Of course, they do. I get depressed, dejected, I go through a huge turmoil. But I have become better at handling it now. Three years of break helped me immensely.” What did he do during the break? “I saw my son grow up. I also went through deep pain. I lost my grandmother, who I was closest to and also lost my in laws. I spent loads of time with my family. I also discovered my inner strength through spiritual reading. Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now and New Earth have influenced me a great deal. I have, however, always been a very balanced person from day one, largely because of my father. He was a huge star with an unbelievable fan following when I was growing up. But at home, he was just my father. No star treatment, no starry airs. I think the best gift parents can give their children is grounding.

I hope I can demonstrate to my son what my father did for me. I can’t thank him enough.

You know, my being here today, in films is entirely due to him. Every year, we would go to Ooty for summer vacations. Every summer, he would get me to do a film. Before I realised what was going on, I had become a child star with a fan following and popularity! It is easy to get carried away and lose your head. But I

On Gautam, his son At four, he shows all the signs of becoming an actor. His birth has made me value my life even more. He’s precious. He’s my life. You’re not a complete man until you become a father.

On holidays I love holidays. My current favourite destination is Malaysia. My all time favourite is New Zealand. We love Goa too.

On people I hate liars. I disconnect instantly with people who mess with me. I look for commitment and excellence in the people I work with.

On his dream I would love to win a National Award. I have no idea if I ever will. But what’s the harm in dreaming?

have been lucky to have had a normal upbringing.”

What does he like about being a star and why does he think he has the maximum number of endorsements compared to his contemporaries? “I love the recognition, money, fame, love, success but what I love most is the creative aspect of this profession.

No two days are the same. There is no scope for monotony or boredom. Yes, I love the endorsements that come my way too. At the end of the day, endorsements are based on an actor’s popularity. I hope that answers your question. Having said that, I must tell you that I accept only the products I believe in. My criteria for accepting Univercell, for instance, was based on the founder’s humble beginnings and his conviction that helped his company succeed in a big way. Thums up, the other brand I have been endorsing for some time now, is a household name and so is Amrutanjan, the newest brand in my wagon. The Provogue campaign should be out soon,” he explains grinning from ear to ear.

Would he ever do a multistarrer? “Why not? I’m open. Though I have my doubts if anybody can come up with a befitting story.” Who would be his dream co star? “Pawan Kalyan. Now, that would be interesting.” Would he ever venture into other areas of filmmaking? “Nah. Once an actor, always an actor. I’m passionate only about acting. I haven’t done anything else in my life, you see. From age 4 to now. I can’t think beyond acting.” That, we’re sure, is music to the ears of his legion of fans. sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 49

On food I love south Indian food. My wife’s cooking prowess encompasses making a cup of tea. The way to a man’s heart is definitely not through his stomach, in my case. I prefer going to Novotel, Ista or Westin because they ensure privacy.

Namrata and I love the cuisine at Fusion 9 too.

On Khaaleja I have never done a role like this one. I am a loud, funny taxi driver. It’s an out and out commercial film.

There are no messages, no fight for fight’s sake. You can’t categorise it. There is action but it’s very real.

Very credible. It has all the elements that people would want in a good film.

On his next film It’s tentatively titled Dookudu. My co-star is Samantha. Sreenu Vytla is the director.

We start shooting on 14th September in Vadodara, Gujarat.

Starring: Mahesh Babu as Seeta Rama Raju Anushka Shetty as Subhashini Prakash Raj, Sunil, Brahmanandam

Music by: Mani Sharma

Directed by: Trivikram Srinivas

Cinematography: Yash Bhatt, Sunil Patel

Produced by: Singanamala Ramesh, C Kalyan

Editing by: A Sreekar Prasad

Khaaleja Highlights Unusual camera work – lengthy shots, zoom on steady cam Petrol bunk fight scene directed by Ram-Laxman Comedy track between Mahesh Babu, Brahmanandam & Sunil 50 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Written by: Trivikram Srinivas

Distributed by: Geetha Arts

Namrata Ghattamaneni on Mahesh Babu

As an actor I think he is by far one of the best actors we have in our country. I say country because that’s how I feel truly. He is a consummate actor and gives his all to the character he portrays each time. He is totally committed to his craft.

As a husband, he’s incredibly loving and truly understanding. We are the best of friends. Meeting and marrying him have been the best things that have happened to me. I am going through the happiest phase of my life. Do I have to say more?

As a father, he’s the best dad in the whole world. At least that’s what Gautam and I think. He’s Gautam’s idol and nothing matters more to him than waking up in the morning and see Gautam smile.

On Khaaleja

Trivikram Srinivas, Director

Life is an ensemble of incidents. Man becoming God is purely incidental.

According to scriptures, there is God in every human being. Daivam Manushya Rupena is the theme of the film. Mahesh Babu is a regular taxi driver, an ordinary human being who transforms into a divine incarnation when he comes face to face with an unjust incident. Honestly speaking, we started out to make a regular commercial Mahesh Babu film but it assumed a life of its own. Watch out for an entire new Mahesh Babu. He has pushed his boundaries and tackled comedy phenomenally well. He is the comedian, character artiste, item guy, action hero, lover boy all rolled into one. It has all the elements of a commercial film and yet very out of the box. Anushka brings bad luck to him throughout the film. That leads to hilarious situations. Mahesh has attempted humour for the first time. I won’t say it’s an experimental film but the treatment is definitely very unusual.

There is nothing run-of-the-mill about it. Let me give you some inside news.

Mahesh Babu worked with me on the script completely and closely. You can call him associate script writer.

We have also tried a new camera technique. There are lengthy shorts

without frequent cuts. We haven’t done anything for cinematic or dramatic convenience. Yash Bhatt, the cinematographer has done an outstanding job of using zoom in a very different way.

On Mahesh Babu

Lot of people talk about passion.

Mahesh Babu lives it. I remember an incident during the shooting of Athadu.

At 2 midnight, after Mahesh had left the set, I wanted him to come back for a retake. He had almost reached home but came back. And then he went about his work with a smile, effortlessly.

There is no pressure of working with a star when you work with him. He doesn’t take his star status seriously at all. That’s his best quality as an actor.

As a person, he has undergone a 180 degree transformation. Marriage has done wonders to him. He used to be extremely shy with romance before.

Now he’s opened up much more. If he can speak truth he does, otherwise he doesn’t bother. The birth of his son has matured him a great deal. It has actually helped him as an actor.

He’s so sure of himself now that he’s confident of his first take. His technical knowledge is superb. I think five years from now, he may be ruling Bollywood.

He is a reservoir of acting stamina.

sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 51

Rajini’s dedication amazed me. His makeup time used to be almost six hours at a time. But he was there every day waiting patiently. I salute his commitment and determination. And what do I say about Ash? She is lady Rajinikanth! Her dedication and sincerity deserve acclaims. – Shankar

Endhiran will create history not just because it is Shankar’s film and Aishwarya and I share the screen. It is because never before a movie of such a magnitude has been made in Indian cinema.

Kamal Haasan had heaped laurels on Shankar and told me he is an intelligent filmmaker who extracts work from everybody.

It was there to be seen and felt it when I worked with him. It is a matter of pride for me to have been teamed with him in back to back films (Sivaji and Endhiran). In Endhiran, I have just followed Shankar’s instructions.

– Rajinikanth

With less than a month before its release, here’s a look at some of the lesser known facets of Endhiran, touted to be the biggest film of Indian cinema. A Southscope report.

I

magine a film made on a budget of over Rs 120 crores, shot across the globe, has the best of the bests of Indian cinema and made in three languages. Plus it has superstar Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead! That’s Endhiran in one line.

But can a science fiction be made into a mass film? “Yes indeed,” states the director of the film, Shankar who directed Rajinikanth in the super hit Sivaji as well. “With Rajinikanth around, nothing is impossible!”

Claimed as the costliest film ever to be made in India, Endhiran, from the hut of Sun Pictures, is creating a lot of buzz.

So what really makes this film so special?

The journey of Endhiran began in the late 1990s, when Shankar was ready with a storyline and wanted to make a film out of it with Kamal Haasan in the lead. However, the project could not take off. More recently, after completing Sivaji, Shankar hopped to Bollywood with a vision to do the film in Hindi with Shah Rukh Khan. However, due to some glitches, the project had to be shelved again and Shah Rukh Khan decided to go in for another sci-fi, Ra.One. He is reported to have said, “I liked the theme of Robot very much. When director Shankar narrated the story in one line to me, I expected that the outcome will be like a Hollywood movie. But now there are some changes in the script. I fear that these changes would be affect the out come of the film. That is the only reason why I quit the project.”

Enter Rajini and Shankar’s dream project took off. But things were not that rosy until Sun Pictures stepped in and took over the film from Ayngaran International, thus making it the first production venture of the media empire built by Kalanithi Maran.

Shankar brought the best out of me. He was patient and helped me come up with tunes that would create an impact in the film. Endhiran will find a place for Tamil cinema in the global entertainment map.

– A R Rahman 54 SOUTHSCOPE SEP’ 10

Says Shankar, “It is a science fiction and so demanded state-ofthe-art technology in filmmaking. We have used 3D animation and doom light (never heard of in Indian cinema) exclusively to shoot Rajini’s portions. Besides, the use of motion control and motion picture technology helped us come out with 1,500 CG shots. It took a year for this animation work to be completed and I am extremely happy with the output,” says Shankar.

Rajinikanth plays a scientist - Dr Vaseegaran - in the movie, who creates a robot, which is a look alike of him and names it Chitty Dhanapal. The robot dances, fights and romances too.

What happens when evil elements try to take over the machineman is the crux of the story.

The first schedule of the film commenced in late 2008 at Peru, where a song sequence featuring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai was shot at the historic site of the Machu Picchu. Other

Endhiran is truly special for me. We shot for over two years with great difficulties, but with great confidence. Endhiran will become the identity of Indian cinema. And Rajini sir, the icon of Indian cinema, is a delight to work with.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

scenes for the song were completed in the United States and then Brazil. The shooting for the second schedule continued in Goa. The third schedule included shooting in Himachal Pradesh for a song, which was then followed by scenes canned in and around Chennai. Scenes featuring a robotics conference were carried out at a couple of engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu. The much talked about dance choreography in the film is rendered by Raju Sundaram and Claudia Bruckmann.

Thrilled also with A R Rahman’s half-a-dozen tunes for the film, Shankar says, “Listening to his songs in Endhiran, one would feel that he was right in snatching a double Oscar and Grammy.” Endhiran’s audio sold out within hours of its launch. Its songs occupied the sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 55

numero uno slot in the Top Charts list of Apple itunes Store. Another highlight of the album is that Rahman and his 11-year-old daughter Katheeja have sung the song Pudhiya Manidha with S P Balasubramanyam.

Also, Shankar was extremely pleased with the work of Rathnavelu behind the lens and Sabu Cyril’s art direction. In terms of the visual effects, Shankar and his team has worked overtime in to ensure that it is of Hollywood standards.

The spectacular effects are made real by the superior combination lighting cinematography of Rathnavelu and Anthony’s editing.

- Industrial Light & Magic that handled the special effects for films like Avatar, Star Wars, and Titanic worked on the visual and special effects for Endhiran. Buzz is that close to 40 per cent of the budget was spent on the special effects.

- Stan Winston Studios which handled visual effects for iconic films like Aliens, Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park undertook the animatronics in Endhiran. It is the animatronics technology, seen in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park trilogy that is used for Endhiran, according to reliable sources.

- For the first time ever, the music album of a Tamil film was launched in Malaysia. The cast and crew of Endhiran released the audio of with much dance and music.

Interestingly, it was the first function of Sun Pictures to be attended by its chief Kalanithi Maran. Mostly because of Rajinikanth.

- Ace lyricist Vairamuthu’s son Karki has penned a couple of songs in Endhiran, that are about robots and technology.

No one can equal Rajinikanth. If there is a superstar in Indian cinema, that is Rajini alone. Shankar always combines mass and class elements and did doubly so in Endhiran. With Rajini, he has created magic which will bring laurels to Indian cinema in general and Tamil cinema in particular. Rajini is a legend and he has honestly worked for two years to ensure all went well with Endhiran - Kalanithi Maran, chairman, Sun TV Network 56 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Among all the genres that Indian cinema has explored, sci-fi still remains an alien theme.

Hemanth Kumar probes deeper.

Sci-Fi and Indian Cinema.

A Marriage that Quite Didn’t work.

Historically, we have been infatuated with fantasy and mythology to expand our realm of imagination. It’s escapism at its best. While we are not sure if all of that was true or figments of one’s imagination, the truth is contemporary sci-fi literature has been inspired from the West. If fantasy was our route to escapism, science fiction was its equivalent in the West. The only difference is that, sci-fi seems plausible.

Hollywood has been quick to adapt to this genre but the Indian film industry has not been too keen on riding high on sci-fi wave. Despite a handful of hits like Mr India, Koi Mil Gayaa, Krissh in Hindi and Aditya 369 in Telugu, sci-fi is not a hot favourite among filmmakers.

The last attempt at an Indian scifi film resulted in Vivek Oberoi’s Prince. In 2009, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Bipasha Basu starrer Aa

Dekhe Zara was released and it was panned by both the audience and critics. Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra starrer Love Story 2050 was marketed as the first futuristic film made in India.

It turned out to be a major disaster at the box office in 2008. It’s still a million dollar question why scifi has been relatively untouched

by Indian filmmakers. However, all is not over yet and there’s still a ray of hope for this genre to find more takers. The key might lie in the hands of director Shankar whose latest film Endhiran deals with artificial intelligence (AI) with a dash of action, comedy and romance.

The tryst with sci-fi in Indian cinema dates back to 1952 when an Indo-US production titled The Jungle was dubbed in Tamil as Kaadu. The story was set in a forest

where mammoths wreak havoc and it was more of an action adventure than a sci-fi. Eight years later, MGR and Bhanumati starrer Kalai Arasi dealt with aliens kidnapping a girl from earth. It was the first Indian film which unveiled a whole new fantasy world of aliens to the audience. In the late 60s, Satyajit Ray was in talks with Columbia Pictures to make a film called The Alien. It was loosely based on a scifi story, Bankubabur Bandhu which Satyajit Ray had written in 1962.

However, the film was shelved.

Later, Universal Pictures hit the jackpot when it released Steven Spielberg’s cult film E.T in 1982.

This film had a close resemblance to the script written by Satyajit Ray. Meanwhile, the Hindi film industry wasn’t far behind. In 1967, Nisar Ahmad Ansari’s Wahan Ke Log was among the first Hindi films to explore the concept of sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 57

UFOs and aliens. In the same year, another Malayalam film Karutha Rathrikal starring Madhu and Gemini Ganesan brought forth a totally different concept in sci-fi.

Although it didn’t have any aliens, the film was about a doctor who invents a new medicine which results in split personality. Twenty years later, sci-fi made a big splash in India, thanks to Shekar Kapur’s highly entertaining film Mr. India starring Anil Kapoor, Sridevi and Amrish Puri. The film’s sci-fi part was a wristband which turns the wearer invisible and it looked as if this genre had arrived in India.

In 1991, the Telugu film industry attempted a sci-fi film titled Aditya 369 starring Balakrishna and Mohini. It was inspired from Robert Lee Zemeckis’ cult classic Back to the Future. Directed

by Singeethem Srinivasas Rao, Aditya 369 dealt with time travel which takes the characters back to Sri Krishnadevaraya’s period and also to the future ravaged by the Third World War. It was a huge hit; however that was only the beginning and the genre has been ignored since then. Only S V Krishna Reddy attempted to infuse some elements of sci-fi in his part fantasy, part sci-fi film Ghatotkachudu in 1995. The film was an average fare, although it was probably the first time someone had used a robot in a Telugu film.

Koi Mil Gayaa resurrected the genre in 2003 and the film turned out to be a blockbuster in Hrithik Roshan’s career. It also spawned a sequel, Krrish in 2006. The Bengali Film industry also produced couple of sci-fi films - Pathaalghar and Rajdrohi - in the past ten years.

Besides Endhiran, all eyes are set on the Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor starrer Ra.One which is touted to be one of the biggest sci-fi films of Indian cinema. Shahrukh Khan plays a superhero in this film.

Ra.One means Random Access 58 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Version One and the plot of the film is anybody’s guess. Shekhar Kapur’s forthcoming film Paani which has Hrithik Roshan in the lead has already created quite some buzz. Paani is set in the future where a war breaks out between two sections of people over the control of fresh water.

Challenges:

One of the key challenges where sci-fi in Indian cinema is concerned is the filmmaker’s approach. Most of the sci-fi films made till date, have been love stories with minor emphasis on sci-fi elements. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the heroics and the drama take the focus away from the science fiction like time travel, foreseeing future etc. The catch also lies in trying to assess how far a majority of audience will be able to grasp such themes which deal with science and technology. Moreover, the influx of scores of sci-fi films made in Hollywood has set the standard so high that the Indian sci-fi films rank nowhere close to them.

Visual effects and CGI are some of the most important aspects which can make a huge difference in such films. Ten years ago, there were hardly any Indian VFX studios capable of handling elaborate scifi projects. Even the investment is just a fraction of what Hollywood studios pump in to make sci-fi films. Rudraksh, directed by Mani Shankar is one such film. Made with a budget of Rs 20 crores,

the film sank without a trace owing to poor content and not so impressive visual effects. Another sci-fi film Alag, about a boy with supernatural powers including themes like conducting electricity and the healing touch, was made with a budget of Rs 4 crores. It went from the cinema halls within days of its release.

The road ahead:

Several aspects related to sci-fi films are poised to change in the future. According to a Nasscom report, the computer animation and visual effects industry in India is set to grow to a US $1.6 billion industry by 2012. After years of lull, sci-fi is going to be in limelight for the next couple of years. Endhiran, Ra.One and Paani will be the next big thing. The success of any of these films will encourage more filmmakers to take a leap of faith.

Only time will tell. Or perhaps a time machine!

Recurring themes in Sci-fi: Aliens: ET, Independence Day, District 9, Predator, Aliens Galactic battles: Star Wars, Star Trek Time-Travel: Back to the Future, Terminator, The Time Machine Teleporting: Jumper, The Matrix Artificial Intelligence: AI, Endhiran, I, Robot, Minority Report

tamil

Feature

David versus

Goliath

Yet another year in Tamil cinema, the small budget wonders outshine their bigger counterparts at the boxoffice battle. Recent hits include Kalavani, Tamil Padam, Pasanga amongst others.

Vimal and Vega in Pasanga

Vishnu and Kishore in Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu

Vimal and Oviya in Kalavani

F

or many generations, Tamil cinema’s 3Gs had been grandeur, glitz and glamour. But that has not been the story anymore at least in the last couple of years. While glitz and glamour have stayed, the other big G is replaced by good stories made on small budgets. Films made on a grand scale with elaborate star casts and shot at foreign locales have done badly at the box-office, while some small and medium budget films have earned decent returns.

Content seems to have overtaken currency, so to say. Trade analysts feel that the lifelines of the Tamil film industry are these small budget films which are a safer bet for all parties involved - producers, distributors and theatre owners. A close look at the recent trend reveals many interesting facts. Though 60 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

not all the movies made on low budgets strike a chord with the masses, most films that did wonders at the box office are from this category, feel analysts.

Says K Balakumar, a film expert, “In trade terms, films are described as small (made at Rs 2 to 2.5 crore), medium (Rs 4 to 10 crore) and big (above Rs 10 crore).

They respectively constitute 40-50 per cent, 30 per cent and 10 per cent of the films released in a year.

However, today with the beating that the big films took at the box office, it is safe not to call any film big or grand until it hits the screens and wins over the audience,” he says, adding, “A handful of small budget films are making big bucks at the box office have now brought a sea change and broken many a myth in the industry.”

globally and it will happen in Tamil Nadu also.”

Shedding more light on the success of small films, Though director Shankar has made a name for himself he feels, “Subramaniapuram and Nadodigal seem to have started a trend in Tamil cinema. They are wielding the megaphone for big and elaborate films, proof that all hopes are not lost for producers and in his other role as producer, he has always opted for if a movie has the right content and appropriate good content rather than huge budget. Right from his star cast, it can still woo in the first production venture Kaadhal masses.”

Subramaniapuram, (2004) to the recently released directed by Sasikumar with “Only half a dozen movies Ananthapurathu Veedu, all his lesser known actors playing out of the 131 managed films by S Pictures are rich in pivotal roles was reportedly a 100-day run, while the content and moderate in budget. made at a cost of approximately Rs 2.5 crore. However, it earned rest vanished without a Tracing the trend, Kalaipuli G a return of almost 300 per cent trace. It is time for some Sekaran, president, Tamil Film the investment. So was the case Distributors Association, says, with Nadodigal, which was made introspection.”

“2009 was the worst year for at Rs 3 crore, and earned over Rs the Tamil film industry. Only 10 crore, according to reports. Says Sasikumar, who half a dozen films out of the 131 released managed essayed a similar success story with his production a 100-day run, while the rest vanished without a venture, Pasanga, “I am here to present good trace. It is time for some serious introspection.” scripts to the audience. I consider every film to be “Not just the producers, but also the distributors my first and strive to excel in whatever I take up. and theatre owners suffered huge losses,” Sekaran My priority is good scripts against huge budgets.” says adding, “Big budget films starring popular artistes need not always translate into success. Even Queried whether the success of his movies is a nail small films made with conviction can do wonders.” in the coffin for commercial clichés woven around stars, Sasikumar says, “All that I can say is the Addressing the flipside of the story, a theatre owner audiences are now ready for good cinema. One has lamented, “The recent success of Kalavani, a film to keep reinventing to sustain oneself in the race.” by a debutant producer and new director with a Success of small budgets has impressed big stars too. lesser known star cast, has no doubt encouraged A classic example is veteran Kamal Haasan, who many small producers. But this has led to the chose to tread the path with Unnaipol Oruvan (2009), launch of several such films in a very short span of a remake of the Hindi hit A Wednesday. Unnaipol time, inspired by Kalavani’s success. One has to Oruvan was made at an optimum budget (considering wait and see how this trend will affect the quality of films.”

Kamal’s movies are known for their grandeur.)

“Small budget films like Achamundu Achamundu, “It’s now time for Tamil cinema to introspect. If we Pasanga and Yavarum Nalam were screened at various decide to march ahead with technology and render international film festivals. New themes, effective quality films, then success is here to stay,” Kamal had use of technology and appropriate cast are still the remarked. Interestingly, Unnaipol Oruvan did well in deciding factors for success in Tamil cinema. We hope that the coming times would be more positive and all centres and made the producers - Raj Kamal Films bring in more success,” concludes Rama Narayanan, International - distributors and exhibitors happy. president, Tamil Film Producers Council.

And Kamal, who has always been an advocate of good scripts, even conducted a screenwriting workshop recently where he stressed the need for good content.

“The length of films will change. Our films will get shorter because attention spans will get shorter. Film personalities should tap every available platform to reach out to the masses,” Kamal had said. On the future trends in films, he added, “Cinema going digital (which is cost-effective) is the biggest technical change today. It would mean more creative attempts would be made and more content would be available for the masses. We have to accept that as it is happening

Recent Small budget hits: Recent films that witnessed a good run made on small budgets: Kalavani, Tamil Padam, Renigunta, Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu, Siva Manasula Sakthi, Pasanga, Achamundu Achamundu, Yavarum Nalam, Naadodigal, ubramaniapuram sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 61

tamil

Feature

Silambarasan, Trisha in Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya

where has all the love gone?

R

omance has always been a big deal in Indian films right from the earliest days.

Every filmmaker had his/her own way of telling a tale of love and the audience lapped it all up enthusiastically. It was a similar case with Tamil cinema too, until more recently when pure romances are hard to find.

From M K Thyagaraja Bhagavathar till Silambarasan, actors always had a passion in them to do romantic 62 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Love stories, one of the most popular genre in Tamil Cinema has taken a backseat of late, overpowered by their action counterparts. What triggered this trend? Will love ever make a comeback?

Southscope digs deeper into the trend.

entertainers and those who sizzled on the screen were affectionately referred to with special titles.

Gemini Ganesan was called Kadhal Mannan while Kamal Haasan was admired as Kadhal Ilavarasan.

A closer look at today’s Tamil cinema reveals that romance has slowly lost its place with so called mass films in which heroes mouth punch lines and flex muscles and the film focuses mainly on him. The romance element is relegated as a subplot at best.

Says Murali, a trade analyst, “There are not many out-

and-out romantic films these days. Commercialisation has taken a toll on it. Also the audience too wants a quick byte kind of films, where romance is just part of a masala script. In today’s hero-driven industry, lead actors want films that centre around them.

That has resulted in a dearth for love stories. Rarely can we see movies like Kadhal or Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya, where the director holds the card.”

However action packed or riveting his cop thrillers might have been, they have always had a very beautiful, poetic and endearing love story at the fulcrum. Gautham had never denied this. According to him, “movies should reflect all sentiments. One should not use any emotion as an additive. They should form part of the script. Love is universal and now my Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya will speak in Hindi too,” he adds.

Those filmmakers who opt for mass masala themes say, romance does not offer many opportunities for variation. Boy and girl meet each other, fall in love, the romance faces some roadblocks, they surmount it or commit suicide. So any movie that offers something new within those boundaries only catches the attention of the masses.” Interestingly, Kamal Haasan, who has been the poster boy of Tamil love stories since the 80s and rendered many a romantic entertainer including Vazhvae Maayam and

Punnagai Mannan among several others, is back with a romantic venture, Manmadha Ambu.

Says K S Ravikumar, who is directing the film, “Tamil cinema has known Kamal Haasan as a romantic hero. Unfortunately, after doing such films for some time, he forayed into other genres. However, in Manmadha Ambu, he will be back to do what he did in the 1980s. He will be fitter, younger and smarter and of course as romantic as he was then.”

Gautham Vasudev Menon is one rare exception to the trend. Though it may look outwardly that his movies are action-based (Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya not included), yet there is romance packed deep in every movie of him. He does take regular detours to explore the more sensitive emotions in life.

Mani Ratnam etched out romantic classics like Alaipayuthae, Roja and Bombay (romance against a turbulent background) and so did filmmaker Selvaraghavan (Thulluvadho Ilamai, Kadhal Konden, 7G Rainbow Colony). While the former has started exploring reality themes of late, the latter is going in for fantasy themes that are bigger and grander.

Popular romantic flicks: Devadas, Thillana Mohanambal, Vasantha Maaligai, Then Nilavu, Vaazhve Maayam, Punnagai Mannan, Pudhukavidhai, Thambikku Endha Ooru, Mouna Ragam, Varusham 16, Kadhal Kottai, Kadhalukku Mariyadhai, Alaipayudhey, Kaadhal Konden, 7 G Rainbow Colony, Kadhal, Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya.

Says Raveendran, an avid film-buff, “gone are those days when we saw pure, unadulterated love on screen.

Now it has been taken over by action. The likes of K Balachander, Bharathiraja and T Rajendar, who made many romantic classics, are not regularly making movies these days. So are many others.”

In such a scenario, all hopes seem to be not lost in Tamil cinema where pure romance is concerned save for attempts like Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya. How long before filmmakers fall in love again? We wonder...

Best onscreen pairs: Sivaji Ganesan - Padmini MGR - Saroja Devi Gemini Ganesan - Savithri Kamal Hassan - Sri Devi Karthik - Revathi Suriya - Jyothika sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 63

tamil

Feature

“I can relate more to my serious roles in the south” Sameera Reddy is not yet ready to give up her glam image but certainly itches for more meaningful cinema, especially in the south, finds Kavita Shanmugam Sameera Reddy is currently doing at least three films with substantial roles and enjoying every bit of it. While she equally loves the temperature raising seductress kind of roles in Bollywood – remember Musafir?

– Sam sure is looking forward to more meaningful cinema.

“I can relate more to my role in Vaaranam Aayiram and the girl I play in Gautam Menon’s next, Nadunisi Naaygal. I loved playing the level-headed Meghana who is so much like me in real life. If a guy came and told me he’s fallen in love with me, I will tell him to go dunk his head in cold water. The film was indeed a turning point in my career. I’ve started moving towards films in which I portray real characters,” she shares.

In step with her changing image, in Nagesh Kukunoor’s Yeh Hausla that’s coming up, she plays a feisty Rajasthani woman, Rani. “I’ve given my blood and sweat for this film and expect it to be my best role to date. Nagesh has pushed me to the extent that my body language also looks different.” In the recent 64 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

her role is infused with character, she points out. “My character is this girl who rides a big bike. I don’t want to do roles without meaning anymore.”

Mohanlal starrer Oru Naal Vaarum, she played this ambitious middle-class wife who fights to get possession of her daughter.

Though she will be seen in a notso-romantic, completely different avatar in Gautam Menon’s Nadunisi Naaygal, the character is one of a simple girl. In Anant Mahadevan’s movie on the Maoist struggle, Red Alert, she’s again completely deglamourised. “It might not be a wow role but people recognised my efforts,” she says. Her next Bollywood film, Priyadarshan’s untitled might be “glam action with hot songs,” but

It’s not as if she has suddenly begun to detest her sex siren image. “Not at all,” she states. “My sexy image is not bad, the world knows me by it and I’m absolutely fine with it.

Being an actress, one has to get into the skin of any character be it a daughter-in-law or a whore,” she adds without rancour. She plays a wife and appears as a sex-worker in a brothel briefly in Buddhadeb Das Gupta’s Kalpurush.

Her sex siren image has also kept her on the marquee longer than most actresses and keeps the offers in the different language films coming. “I don’t get pressurised about competition; I don’t give a shit about all that. I just do what makes me happy. I have a life outside films too - I scuba-dive, I learn to play golf, I read and write,” she says.

Some years ago, on a trip to the Toronto film festival along with

her Kalpurush director, Buddhadeb Das Gupta, Sameera did turn heads with her hot Latino looks. And, after bagging a role in Mira Nair’s short film on AIDS, she had agents badgering her with possible Hollywood leads. She explains, “You need to work real hard to make it in Hollywood.

You have to start all over again; nobody gives a hoot if you are an actress in India or not. I don’t have that kind of time. I have a great life here in Mumbai. Why should I give up everything and park myself in Los Angeles?”

Why has the south taken such a shine? “I think it is because I place Bollywood and south cinema on an equal plane. Who is to say Bollywood is the only representative of Indian cinema?” says Sameera, who dropped out of Malayalam film, Casanova due to date problems. Coming back to Nadunisi Naaygal, she says “It’s a seriously experimental film. People are going to come expecting a romantic film like Vaaranam and get whacked. But I believe that Tamil film goers are a different breed. They always want something different and this film is very different.”

Sameera steers clear of the sleeping around route to fame. “It’s a route which is available if you want to take it but I want to be able to face myself in the mirror the next morning.”

Sameera is also totally against marrying anyone from the industry. “I’ll be completely honest; if my daughter wanted to get into films, I would probably shoot her! (With a gun, not camera).

This is not the easiest place; you have to be really very strong.”

So outside the industry? “I’ve had guys who have liked me but I have to stay in one place for me to follow up.

But where is that kind of time?” she rues, what with another Hindi and Tamil film coming up on the heels of the other projects she’s winding up.

66 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Rinku Gupta asks ad men why Suriya is the darling of brand endorsements in Tamil Nadu When it comes to brand endorsements, there’s nothing like star power, is there now? From Amithabh Bachchan to Akshay Kumar to King Khan, the list goes on and hasn’t stopped growing at last count. But surprisingly enough, in the south, more so in Tamil cinema – considering how we think of our stars as demigods - not many male stars have been roped in as brand ambassadors. But from the few that have reached the top league, one name that stands out from the rest is Suriya. In a little over a decade, he has managed to consistently rise in stature as the man of the masses, classes and corporates.

So what makes Suriya so hot in the endorsement trade? Says Suresh Krishnan, associate director Chennai of IPAN Hill & Knowlton, a leading national PR agency, “Suriya is a popular actor with a sound family background, with a legacy handed down by his father, veteran actor Sivakumar. His films have been doing consistently well at the box office and in the last few years he has been steadily climbing the charts with hits like Khaaka Khaaka, Ghajini, Ayan, Aadhavan, Vaaranam Aayiram and Singam. He is not only an award winning actor but appeals to the mass audience as well. All this makes him a sound proposition for ad makers and they want their products to be associated with him.”

And all this about Suriya sure goes in line with the very fundamental principle of star backed endorsements – the better liked a star is, the better will be the sales of the product he endorses or at least creates greater brand recall. Vani Aiyer, vice president & CSD, JWT Chennai, couldn’t agree more. She analyses further, “Suriya’s positive real and reel life is what makes him a strong brand entity. He is replete with the two most crucial factors that go with choosing a brand ambassador – credibility and honesty or realness.”

When deciding on the right choice to endorse a product, a company looks for qualities in the brand ambassador, that are similar to the values promoted by the company and its products. So does that mean that Suriya’s on screen image of giving value for money performances translate to the same paisa vasool feeling when it comes to a brand he endorses? Says Vani, “Yes. Suriya’s basic appeal is rooted in being a ‘head on shoulders’ actor. He’s someone who has made careful choices in the industry, taken the plunge into marriage

at the right time, supported his wife and family and comes across as an inclusive hero who is looking at simple objectives which include living a complete life and making great films (no politics or ‘I will change the world dramatics’).” In this regard, Suriya’s strong ‘family man’ image seems to have greatly helped him to reach a wider audience base. Says Suresh, “His marriage also earned him endorsements for ads meant for largely family audiences. The Aircel mobile ad in which he is paired with Jyothika is an example” He is also endorsing Bharti Cements and Saravana Stores, which further slots him firmly in the minds of the family audiences.

But his appeal is equally strong with the youngsters as well so its no wonder that he has scored with endorsements for TVS Star motorbikes, Emami Fair and Handsome, ITC Sunfeast biscuits, Pepsi and Himani Navratna Oil. With Suriya’s Agaram Foundation helping first generation literates in rural Tamil Nadu, a legacy of charity that he inherited from his father, its no wonder that the Save the Tiger Aircel campaign, the anti TB Dots campaign and the Tanker Foundation along with the Rotary Road Safety awareness campaign and the Apollo Children’s Hospital Billion Hearts Beating campaign have all roped him in. Says Kandasamy Bharatan of Kavithalaya Films who made the Road Safety films for the Rotary Club Madras East, recently, “Despite being extremely busy with the shooting of Singam, he agreed to do it and, co–operated with us fully and charged no money!”

So what does the man himself have to say about it all? “I believe in the product I choose. It has to be of use to society in some way. For instance, when I did Bharati Cement I know that their quality is really good. Aircel has a wonderful network. Navrathna Oil has been used by many in my family over the years. I use the fairness cream I endorse below my foundation during shoots to protect my skin. It has qualities that can be a confidence booster for people who feel they need it.” For a star who is already so successful, have the endorsements helped boost his career? “Yes sure,” says Suriya, explaining: “The Bharati Cement campaign penetrated both Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The Aircel campaign was huge all over TN and helped reach every corner of the state. For an actor, it’s important to increase market base and I am sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 67

always striving to do that. For many people, Singam may be the first film they may have seen me in! So endorsements like these really help me cut across segments and reach larger audiences. Take the Aircel Save the Tiger campaign thanks to which people recognise me all the way in Bhubaneshwar! One person who didn’t know who Suriya was before, came to me there and said, ‘Hey I have seen you with the moustache in the Tiger campaign!’ So endorsements certainly bring me greater visibility and makes me a recognisable face which is good for me.”

So what about the other stars with a mass following?

While Kamal Haasan, Rajnikanth and Ajith haven’t been known to endorse any products, Vijay has been associated with Coca Cola and Vikram has Manappuram General Finance and Leasing to his credit. Why hasn’t their on screen popularity translated into brand endorsements? Vani analyses, “The top few actors are very easily classified in terms of their reel and real life. Vikram is successful, he is a very avant garde actor, who appeals more to a

“I realized how intelligent most people are with their tweets. They should really use this intelligence in their everyday life” – Nagarjuna

68 SOUTHSCOPE SEP’ 10

“One should be careful not to hang around with Aamir Khan because if he accidentally touches you, you might turn into Gold!”

– RGV (about PEEPLI (Live))

niche and not mass audiences as far as advertisers are concerned. Vijay, while being a mass hero, hasn’t done well in his last few films and it has cost him dearly in terms of endorsements. In addition, he has declared his political ambitions very clearly. Suriya strikes a good balance between doing laudable and commercial cinema, and most importantly, his films are successful!” Suresh adds, “Vijay and Vikram have images of action and character- oriented artistes whereas Suriya has a mass affect and is multi faceted.

He appeals to a majority of the product segments.

Advertisers are willing to bet on Suriya thanks to his increasing popularity and his strong association which strengthens the image of the brand.”

Another strong contender however is Madhavan who has been doing ads like Maruti Wagon R, Univercell, Joy Alukkas, Spark and the Orgadom real estate project among others. Vani attributes Madhavan’s success as a favourite brand ambassador to the fact that he is equally popular in the south and the north. “Also, like Suriya his boy next door looks and a fundamentally positive personality come across as rather likeable.”

The tie breaker perhaps comes with Suresh’s comment, “Madhavan started his career in Television in the North and later entered Tamil cinema after which he is now doing Hindi films. His appeal is more pan Indian than relegated to the south alone. In that sense, he can hardly be compared to Suriya who has a stronger base in the south and is associated with the region, making him the first name admen would think of for total recall.”

“Saw Leader on DVD... hmmmm....I think Sekhar Kammula is capable of much more...”

– Mahesh Babu

“Love is like playing the piano. First you must learn to play by the rules, and then you must forget the rules and play from your heart.”

– Shruti Haasan

“Two writers from different parts of the country narrated the same story to me!! Is it coincidence or an international film I haven’t seen?”

– Rana Daggubati

“Papa makes the YUMMIEST prawn curry! Just cannot get enough of it and I’m not satisfied till I lick off every drop on my plate ;) Awesome!!!!”

– Ileana D’Cruz

“Done with kick boxing (practice). Every drop of sweat at young age will reduce my ten drops of tears in old age” – Taapsee

“You guys were right.

Amazing dancing (by Sunil) I say.... How does everyone in this industry dance so well?... Sigh!”

– Samantha (after watching Maryada Ramanna)

“Had to flip a phone in true Rajni sir’s style.

Dropped it like 100times.

Poor Jiva has patience. hehe…no one can do what Rajni sir can”

“Buying the Prasthanam DVD was the best investment I made in recent times. How does one go to sleep after watching such a movie?”

– Shriya

– Priya Anand

“Foreign shoots are the worst way to enjoy a country. You wake before the city and sleep after it. A great meal is the only silver lining :-)”

- Siddharth

“That’s Southscope’s cover for you tweeps, the leading south mag and a super one. And great team, must say that Vanaja Banagiri is the sweetest editor and she’s also a fab writer” – Genelia D’Souza

“At last I act with Mammukka (Mammootty). He turns out to be such a warm and fun person.

Now Lallettan (Mohanlal), Kamal, Rajni, Amitabh and soon.. ha ha :) “ “– Rima Kallingal

“I’ve never been crazy about an actor as much as I am about Leonardo Dicaprio. The man is on fire.

Shutter Island and then Inception. I’m in love!”

– Jennifer Kotwal

“There’s a great joy in playing an actor while developing a story, it gets even more tormenting to ‘unplay’ when forced to, like peeling your skin off!”

– Deva Katta

“Known fact - Celebs can connect more to wireless people more than people in their real life because its so tough to find real people in the showbiz world! Agree?”

– Sanjjanaa

SEP’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 69

malayalam

Feature

Karthika is all set to prove her acting potential with the forthcoming Makaramanju in Malayalam and Ko in Tamil, finds namitha pravin

MAkArAMAnJu iS kArthikA’S SeconD DeBut! Who says star kids always have it easy? Karthika, who is the daughter of actress Radha, is working very hard to make a mark in the industry, while not being disheartened by her debut which sank without a trace. The Telugu film, Josh in which she was cast alongside another star kid, Naga Chaitanya wasn’t a great debut for either. But the art house film Makaramanju in Malayalam and a Tamil film directed by K V Anand that Karthika is doing, are touted to launch her all over again.

Makaramanju is a festival circuit film based on the great painter Raja Ravi Varma, in which Karthika has been cast with Santosh Sivan, one of the country’s ace cinematographers who Photographer: Govardhan

70 SOUTHSCOPE SEP’ 10

is making his acting debut with this one. It is slated to release later this year. So what prompted her to take up this project? “It is a dream project for a newcomer like me,” Karthika shares. “It’s more than what I could’ve asked for.” After all it is directed by veteran director Lenin Rajendran and Madhu Ambat is the cinematographer.

Even as questions are raised about the fate of this film - what with Ketan Mehta’s Rang Rasiya - Karthika reveals, “This film deals with just the segment of Raja Ravi Varma’s life when he painted his famous UrvashiPururavasu.

Interestingly, Karthika’s challenge will lie in portraying two diametrically opposite characters in the film. She reveals, “I essay two characters - the artist’s muse,

Anjalibhai and Urvashi. Anjalibhai is a simple, innocent girl, while Urvashi is extremely bold and somewhat eccentric. It’s only when I worked on these two different roles, I started picking up the subtle nuances of acting.”

As for her celebrated co-star, Santosh, she says, “I met him for the first time during the Makaramanju photo shoot in Trivandrum. Despite his vast experience as a cinematographer, he was tensed about facing the camera for the first time, but slipped into the character in a few days.” We hear he kept joking on the sets that it’s easier to direct a French film than learning these ancient Malayalam dialogues!

On the buzz around her Tamil film Ko, Karthika turns out to be defensive.

Quizzed on whether sharing space with another heroine in the film will work against her, she replies, “Let me make this very clear. I’m the heroine in Ko. It is true Piaa is also doing a good character in the film, but KV Anand sir assured me that I am the “second hero” of this film in which I play a journalist. I don’t have any problem doing a film with another heroine, as long as my character is strong.”

Karthika, who claims to be crazy about acting, would like to be known as an actress capable of playing meaningful characters, although she doesn’t mind glamorous roles too. Interestingly, her mother Radha had to struggle hard before she was actually recognised for her acting talent in Tamil cinema.

Ask her why she’s straddling three languages already and the 17-year-

old responds, “I got a good offer from Telugu first, so I took it up. Malayalam is my mother tongue, while I am doing Tamil films because my mother was famous in the Tamil industry and it gives you wider acceptance. I don’t think this is a big issue. I have grown up watching films in all languages. I am more concerned about the quality of a film than the language,” she states.

We hear that Radha makes all the decisions for Karthika to which she asks, rather assertively, “What’s wrong with that? I’m still a teenager. I don’t know anything about cinema except what I see on screen in theatres. My mom was a successful actress and she had more than two hundred films to her credit. I don’t understand what’s wrong if I rely on her experience.”

For a long time, Karthika did not realise her mother was an actress! She picked up on her mother’s career only when she was in the eighth standard.

“After that I started eagerly watching all her movies. While I like them all, Muthal Mariyadai is my favourite.

There is a scene in which mom eats fish. She does it so naturally that whenever I watch it, my taste buds start to tingle!” says Karthika, who’s a major foodie with a serious sweet tooth.

“IT IS A DREAM PROJECT FOR A NEWCOMER LIKE ME,” KARTHIKA SHARES. “IT’S MORE THAN WHAT I COULD’VE ASKED FOR.”

But Radha gave up acting after a while. Soon after that, she had a prophetic dream, which she shared with her husband Rajasekharan. The dream was that she would give birth to a girl child who would later on become a major film star. Seems like Karthika is on her way to proving that right!

SEP’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 71

malayalam

Feature

I

t is perhaps quite like everyone in a sports team dreaming of becoming the captain some day.

But considering the number of new entrants in the list, it is not that difficult to become a director in Malayalam cinema these days. From rank new comers to more experienced cinematographers, art directors, producers and even production managers are all hatching plans to direct their maiden films. In the Malayalam industry where about 60 films get made annually, at least 15-20 new directors make their debuts every year while aspiring to make it big someday.

The new breed of Malayalam film directors The Malayalam industry is seeing an influx of new directors like never before, finds Vijay G

During the first half of this year, among the 25 odd films that had hit the screens, more than ten were made by first time directors. Those who managed to get their films to the cinema halls are among the lucky few but in the existing scheme of things, the greatest challenge for the rest is to complete their projects and find theatres to get them released in.

and experiments happen,” says Rajesh R Pillai, who made his directorial debut Hridayathil Sookshikkaan five years ago and is now all set to begin shooting for his second film, Traffic, one of the most talked about projects in the pipeline.

This year too, among the debutant directors, Vysakh’s Pokkiri Raja and Mamas’ Pappi Appacha “If the established directors are not “If the established were among directors are not ready to change with the changing the handful ready to change of films that times and make trendier movies, they with the changing set the cash times and make will have to give way for newer ideas.” registers trendier movies, ringing in a they will have to biggish way. give way for newer Vineeth Sreenivasan’s Malarvadi Arts Club is also an ideas,” says Rajesh. “Of course, there may be a few addition. The rest didn’t create wonders exactly but among the newcomers who are there just to ride on Mohan Raghavan, who directed T D Dasan Std VI B the new wave in this business, but then it is the way and Lijo Jose Pellissery of Nayakan, made quite an the system works everywhere.” impression with their debut movies.

“There is space for more directors in the industry and it is when fresh faces emerge that new ideas, styles 72 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Vysakh, who came up with a casting coup of sorts having Mammootty and Prithviraj to team up for his

debut film Pokkiri Raja, believes that right now it is the best time to be a first time director in Malayalam.

“There is a time when changes happen and that is when new prodigies make their mark. Those who can prove their stuff at this point can emerge as winners,” says he.

Aashiq Abu, who had quite an exciting start to his career with directing Mammootty in Daddy Cool last year and who is currently busy with his next project, believes that this is a transition period and genuine talent certainly has a chance. “It is not just the directors who should have a vision while making their debut, the entire machinery should be receptive to newer ideas,” he explains.

awards including a special mention at the National Awards.

With the rather limited commercial prospects that evidently make the total budget of films smaller compared to other languages, even in south India, Malayalam has always stood out from the rest with the brilliance in its themes. For the commercial entertainers, the budget constraints obviously mean that it is the initial collections and the hefty satellite rights that decide the fate of many films. No wonder filmmakers are eager to play it safe by adding saleable stars in the cast. Vysakh feels that “when you are doing a Rs. 5 crore film, more than one’s own likes or passion, the priority while making such big budget films is the viewers’ tastes.”

“Malayalam cinema was enriched with directors breaking into the mould with newer and experimental ideas in the past. But debutants these days are taking the easy way out by following existing trends and they mostly never dare to go for real challenges,” feels Pradeep Nair, whose maiden film Oridam won several

Finds Aashiq: “It’s really difficult for a new director to launch a film with rank newcomers in the current scheme of things. Naturally, they go for big stars.

Likewise, it is easier for an established director to launch new faces.” But all established directors were once upcoming directors too… sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 73

Kannada

Feature

hero

He is 49 and on the verge of his 100th film, but can give any youngster a run for his money be it for looks, dancing or acting. aravind G Shivkamal meets the charmer Shivrajkumar who continues to cast a spell on girls and men alike.

It is secondary that he is the eldest son of Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar. For, Shivarajkumar emerged from the shadow of his legendary father long ago to establish an independent identity for himself in the Kannada film industry.

Be it his first three films that ran for 100 days in several theatres across the state earning him the tag of ‘hattrick hero’ or his forthcoming movies Mailari and Jogayya, Shivarajkumar, who is fondly called Shivanna, has appeared in a variety of roles that have made him a household name in Karnataka like his father who enjoyed a god like status.

Though he acted under the home banner for a few movies initially, the popularity he enjoyed forced him to take up projects from other banners, a carefully thought decision that has brought him this far.

Shivanna made his debut on the big screen 25 years ago. Now he is eagerly looking forward to his 100th film Jogayya, the sequel to the blockbuster Jogi released five years ago. Kids still recall him by the name Jogi, which changed the Kannada film industry trend. Jogi surpassed everyone’s expectations and helped several technicians and actors entrench themselves in the film industry.

After five years, Jogayya is in the making by director Prem, who had directed the prequel. The expectations from Jogayya are so high that the buzz in the film industry is that distribution rights have already been sold even before a single sequence is shot! That’s the clout that Shivanna enjoys thanks to his path-breaking films.

74 SOUTHSCOPE SEP’ 10

Sanjjanaa, Shivrajkumar in Mailari

The Jogayya launch saw high-voltage action for which Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi clapped the board. Tamil stars Suriya and Vijay were there to extend their wishes to Shivanna. The posters of Jogayya in which Shivanna appeared in the Aghora getup were a complete sell-out inspiring black market trade!

“When I started 25 years ago, I did not have any inkling that I would come this far. I gave myself a dozen films… but never a century. I owe it all to my directors who crafted me through my career with such fantastic films,” Shivanna admits candidly.

Some of the best directors – Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, Nagabharana, Sunil Kumar Desai, M R Ramesh, Upendra, Baragur Ramachandrappa and Prem – are integral to Shivanna’s success. “Every time there’s a new film, I feel excited. In fact, it adds more pressure particularly when a renowned filmmaker is involved.”

Currently, Shivanna is in the same phase as shooting for Jogayya starts soon. Shivanna and Prem are holding cards close to their chests not willing to reveal much.

“That’s Prem’s style of working. He has a surprise element in every movie. I am sure it will be another trendsetter,” he points out.

If Jogi saw Shivanna wielding a sword as a forcibly converted don, Jogayya will be an extension of Jogi’s character that makes him the legend of the underworld.

“In Jogayya, Jogi will be seen as a mature person.

Contrary to popular perceptions, Jogayya will not showcase rowdyism or violence. It will highlight the character of Jogi as a legend,” Shivanna shares.

Photographer: Mahen Simmha

hAt trick

The cast and crew of Jogayya have not been announced but Prem is keen on casting a leading Hindi actress.

Konkona Sen, Amritha Rao, Kangana Ranaut, Prachi Desai, and Amisha Patel are in the running.

True to his legendary persona, Shivanna has already signed his 101st, 102nd, 103rd and 104th films! There is more to him than his most popular character Jogi. In his 102nd film, Bhakta Kumbara, he will be seen in a mythological role. A movie of the same title featuring Rajkumar was a smash hit in the 70s. In his 103rd film titled Dr Muthuraj, he will be seen as a doctor.

Rajkumar’s original name is Muthuraj! His 104th film, yet to be titled, is based on Bond style!

Shivanna has excelled in every role so far delivering hits and BO successes. A romantic hero (Anand, Ratha Sapthami, Nammoora Mandara Hoove, Hrudaya Hrudaya, Preethse, Modada Mareyalli); action hero (AK 47, Ranaranga, Asura, Simhada Mari); sentimental man (Bhagyada Balegaara, Devara Maga, Janumadaatha, Midida Shruthi); sacrificial hero (Gandana Mane, Thaayiya Madilu, Sugreeva); loving brother (Tavarige Baa Thangi, Anna Thangi, Tavarina Siri) or a menacing don (Jogi, Om, Don), rustic village character (Janumada Jodi, Kurubana Rani) and experimental roles (Chigurida Kanasu, Hagalu Vesha), Shivanna has excelled in almost every role.

Is there any genre in which he has not been successful at? “Yes, there is one, historical films.” Shivanna had high expectations from the historical movie Gandugali Kumara Rama. Though it was directed by acclaimed filmmaker Bhargava, the film failed to click for reasons unknown. “I am not sure why the film failed to make an impact. It had the best narration, lavish sets and melodious music. One of the factors could be that historical films are no more in vogue…But I will not stop. I will try more historical films,” he lets us know.

Like his two younger brothers, Shivanna too is an accomplished singer having lent his voice to various film-tracks. “I sing whenever the character or music director demands. I have sung for my latest film Cheluveye Ninna Nodalu. I enjoy singing for my movies.

But I never wanted to pursue a career as a singer.”

He has acted with top female stars of south India, but Sudha Rani with whom he debuted remains his favourite. “We were very young when we debuted. I acted with her in many films. Whenever we meet, we recall our old movies. It is fun discussing them.” Even as Shivanna continues to set the big screen on fire, Sudha Rani has moved on to perform character roles and act in TV serials.

Is he inspired by any actor other than his father? “Of course, there are many. I grew up watching Tamil films as I was brought up in Madras. Kamal Haasan is one of

my favourites,” he reveals.

But Shivanna contends that he maintains his own style and profile regardless of the inspiration he draws from various actors.

Going further, Shivanna plans to produce films under his own banner – Sri Mutthu.

It could be his film or featuring some other star. His only regret in his life is that he could not direct a movie for his father. “That wish will never be fulfilled. I feel very sad whenever I think about it. He is the biggest loss to me personally. He would have been the happiest person today to see our success,” says an emotional Shivanna.

The loss of Rajkumar has brought the legendary actor’s family even closer.

Though Shivanna lives in a separate house, he is always seen with his brothers Raghavendra Rajkumar and Puneet Rajkumar. Shivanna is happy that Raghavendra manages the family’s home productions and distribution activities.

But he is elated by the fact that h i s youngest brother Puneet today is the top actor in Kannada cinema. “I have been seeing him since childhood. He is daring and raring to go. I had confidence that he would make it big someday. I am amazed by the adulation he receives across the state,” Shivanna says.

Does he mentor and guide Puneet? “Well, initially yes but not anymore. In fact, today he is in a position to teach and guide me. I know he harbours a dream of directing my film!”

Not many know that Shivanna, who romances young girls on the big screen, has grown-up daughters. His eldest daughter is 24-years-old and a physician in the making while his youngest daughter is 17 years old.

Shivanna maintains that he is a family oriented person.

“My wife takes care of my career and finances. So I have to devote time to her! Every day, without fail, I take her out for a drive in the evening. We do not fight or engage in serious discussion in front of our children. They happen during the drives!”

SEP’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 75

kannada

Feature

Uncovering Rajdhani Rajdhani has turned out to be the most talked about forthcoming film in the Kannada industry this season. Aravind G Shivkamal finds out why.

76 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Eight months ago, N R Sowmya Sathyan, a film producer and mother of two, had come up with a powerful story that mirrored the life of wayward students in the IT capital of the nation. Her ambition was to direct the film and approached filmmaker KV Raju to pen dialogues for it. Raju was so impressed with the story and screenplay that he decided to include some of the most powerful dialogues from his personal repository.

This unique joint venture turned into Rajadhani, a multi-starrer big budget movie that is already creating a lot of buzz in the Kannada film industry for its narration style, the cinematography, powerful dialogues and lilting music. It is in news not because Sowmya is directing it, but because KV Raju has turned ‘chief mentor’ for the project, a development that has taken the Kannada film industry by surprise. That is because Raju has not only rejected dozens of projects in the last ten years for top actors, but also stayed away from filmmaking considering the decline of the industry.

“So far, there was no such role as chief mentor for a project in the Kannada film industry. Raju’s not only guiding Sowmya in directing the film, but also directing critical sequences. Working with him was a fantastic experience. The entire team is in high spirits,” shares Eshwar, a key member of Raju’s team.

The movie is about five youngsters who tread the wrong path for easy money. It also highlights the corruption in the government machinery and judiciary.

“I wanted to talk about what is happening in Bangalore these days. For the rest of the world, Bangalore is synonymous with IT and software development. But under the belly lie a lot of untold and dark stories. I am showcasing the darkside of Bangalore,” contends director Sowmya.

Photographer: Mallesh

With such complex themes, the star cast had to be unique. Actor Yash, who has done

several interesting projects, was chosen for the lead role among the five young guys.

Industry buzz has it that the movie has the potential to provide the biggest break to Yash in Kannada films. He is playing an angry young man turned underworld don.

He is suitably complemented by Chetan Chandra as one of the other five youngsters.

Prakash Raj is playing a cop who keeps a tab on the five vagabonds. The supporting cast includes Raju Talikote, Arun Sagar, Ramesh Bhat, Sharath Lohitashwa, Tulasi, Sunethra Pandit and others. Umashree, Biradar and Michael Madhu have been roped in for the comedy track. sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 77

“Taking up Rajadhani was my personal decision. It has been a long time since somebody came to me with such a storyline. Let people see the film and decide how they like it rather than me talking about it.” – KV Raju The highly experienced cinematographer H C Venugopal – who is known for capturing the best action sequences on camera for films like Upendra’s A and Aa Dinagalu – was roped in for Rajadhani.

As a consequence of the Sowmya-Raju partnership, never-seen-before locations were selected to shoot Rajadhani. “Each of the five lead characters has his individual style. They come from a lower middle class background and are school drop-outs. We needed locations that was neither high class nor slum. We ended up shooting in some of the oldest areas of Bangalore like Vayalikaval, Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple, Gavipuram Guttahalli and Basavanagudi,” says Sharan Gadwal, associate director.

Nearly 30 per cent of the film has dark shades resembling the backstreets of Mumbai. “Filmmakers believe that there’s perhaps only one way of showing underworld elements - in plush nightclubs and enjoying star category comfort. But that is not true.

In Bangalore, the so called dons live in unimaginable locations,” Raju explains.

As a result, the Rajadhani team selected dilapidated and half constructed buildings. Venu’s camera tricks have further enhanced the visual appeal of these on the big screen. He has also done away with artificial lighting and worked with natural light as much as possible.

Sowmya didn’t want to go in for very elaborately choreographed fight sequences and preferred natural fights. Stunt director Different Danny who has choreographed the fights for Rajadhani has integrated street fights really well.

Item girl Mumaith Khan is supposed to be a surprise element. Posters of Rajadhani with Mumaith flanked by the five lead male artistes all around town have really upped the

curiosity factor. We hear she’s done a raunchy item number in the film. A set was specially erected inside the Minerva Mills in Bangalore for the track choreographed by Harsha.

The music for the film has been composed by Arjun, one of the hottest composers in the circuit. He admits that he enjoyed complete freedom in this project. The background score is touted to be quite captivating.

There are five tracks in the movie which includes a verse from renowned Kannada writer D V Gundappa’s major literary work Manku Thimmana Kagga for a song. One track, which is a hip-hop disco number, needed a specialist choreographer. Sowmya, known for choosing the best, turned to Gayathri Raghuram, the Chennai-based actress-turned-choreographer.

The song titled I wanna do it was shot on the Goan beaches and the choreography is different. The song resembles a gangster music video.

For the female lead, the makers were on the lookout for a new face with innocent looks. Many upcoming Kannada actresses rejected the offer and eventually chose Mumbai based actress Sheena Shahabadi was chosen, who was seen in the Telugu movie Bindaas.

“It is a pity that none of the local Kannada actresses were interested in that role. The heroine’s role seems insignificant initially but turns crucial later, especially closer to the climax. Besides, she is doing a duet number with the hero that has been choreographed by K V Raju himself, which is a rarity,” says film publicist Baragur Manjunath.

This duet for which acclaimed writer Jayanth Kaikini has penned the lyrics is the highlight of the movie.

The music is not released yet, but audio recording companies are competing hard with each other.

The fact that K V Raju is involved in the making of Rajadhani from end-to-end has created a lot of buzz among the local distributors as his films are always considered ‘money-back guarantee.’ “There are very few films of Raju that have not done well.

Considering the current trend in Kannada films, we expect Rajadhani to do well,” a leading distributor speculates.

Kannada

Feature

Fighting For

SurvivAl!

Much in demand stunt director of Kannada films, Different Danny talks to Aravind G Shivkamal about his natural fight techniques and the death defying stunts he’s survived

Danny with Puneet Rajkumar on the sets of Jackie

A

t 37, with twenty fractured bones, medical stitches all over his body and a broken back that permanently changed his gait…it wasn’t just like that that Different Danny became the most happening stunt director of Kannada films.

There’s also a reason why Danny is called Different Danny. He truly thinks out of the box when it comes to designing fight sequences and is known for his ‘natural fights’ which involve props and tools that are 80 SOUTHSCOPE SEP’ 10

everyday rather than swords and guns and knives.

In fact, he’s the one who introduced the concept of natural fights to Kannada cinema.

Check out these examples. Chiranjeevi Sarja uses a bike helmet and coconuts to fight the baddies in Gandede. In Excuse Me, his first movie as a stunt director, Danny made the lead character – Sunil Raoh – fight with his college mates using a fountain pen. The fight sequence became an instant hit. Sunil uses the ink to blind one guy, and the nib to tear into the flesh of another. In Rajadhani, he has directed a chasing scene in which the male leads use bricks,

Photographer: Manu

It sounds unbelievable, but Danny is living on the edge almost on a daily basis performing innumerable death defying stunts. His dare-devilry has made him the favourite of all action heroes in Kannada. He has choreographed thrilling stunt scenes in many forthcoming big budget movies including Jackie (Puneet Rajkumar), Rajadhani (Prakash Rai), Veera Parampare (Sudeep and Ambarish).

wooden logs, stones and water containers to fight their enemies. In another movie, the lead character uses the instruments of a geometry box; in yet another, the hero who is left to die on a parched stretch of land uses a bull horn to attack his enemies. “Natural fights are easily appreciated by the film audiences. I do not believe in blowing up jeeps and cars unnecessarily. I try to be as realistic as possible,” Danny says.

Danny has directed stunt sequences for more than 165 films in the last eight years; worked as a fighter in 326 films before that. “I hold the record for breaking glass the highest number of times – more than 150 – successfully,” he claims. There’s proof right upfront on his forehead.

Among his forthcoming films, Danny has high expectations from Puneet Rajkumar’s Jackie. “I have directed a sequence involving hand-held fire.

I used highly combustible material for it. Puneet’s performance is outstanding,” he shares.

By the way, Danny is not his real name. It’s actually Lakshmana.

His twin brother Rama who is called Johnny is also a stunt director, but not as busy as Danny. “I don’t know why. But I have been occupied with this work as I am passionate about it,” Danny says.

Danny and Johnny, who come from the southern district of Chamarajanagara, bunked classes for sport activities, especially adventure sports.

“When our family moved to Mysore, we started practicing under Mysore Rajju (popular film stunt director). It was he who named us Danny and Johnny,” he points out.

Danny used to frequent the Premier Studios in Mysore to see the shooting of Kannada films. Then, his ultimate wish was to become a stuntman.

“Once, Kumar Bangarappa was shooting for his film Angayyalli Apsare at the Premier Studios in 1991. I was standing on top of a 40 ft high building. I don’t know what inspired me to perform a somersault jump from the top of the building without any protection. I was 17

years old then. Immediately, Kumar Bangarappa summoned me and warned against performing such dangerous stunts,” Danny narrates. But that stunt prompted Kumar Bangarappa to introduce Danny to top film directors, who employed him as a fighter and body double for top heroes.

His most dangerous stunt so far was the jump from a hill top into a river flowing 175 feet below for the film Hima Paatha. “I was the body double for superstar Vishnuvardhana. The location was Meke Daatu where the Cauvery river flows. Local villagers warned me against it. As many as 113 people had lost their lives at that particular point as whirlpools were common.”

In fact, it’s a popular suicide point! Danny, who is an excellent underwater swimmer did not surface for nearly 30 minutes after he plunged into the water.

Later, he was found a kilometer downstream gasping for air. “The underwater current was too strong. I was lucky to have survived the stunt,” he points out.

Danny almost met his gory death during the shoot of Lockup Death, which claimed the lives of two other stuntmen. The incident left Danny with a broken backbone and he was bed ridden for nearly one-and-ahalf-years. “It was as bad as being dead. I thought my life ended,” he recalls. But Danny mustered strength to return to tinsel town. That’s when he turned a full time stunt director.

Then, Danny became the favourite of director Prem.

His next blockbuster Jogi featuring Shivarajkumar propelled Danny into the top league. He even appeared in a prominent role in Jogi. Soon, he completed many films winning appreciation from filmmakers.

According to him, gone are the days when the audience can be impressed with ‘crash boom bang’ techniques.

“Audiences have become intelligent as they are exposed to daring stunts on TV and Hollywood movies. So we have to be different and try to portray reality. That is what I am doing.”

He is well-known among the producers for not wasting a single shot. “I don’t believe in lavish spending for stunt sequences. Most of the sequences I shoot do not even need editing,” he says.

Danny enjoys every moment of his job, but is dissatisfied by the fact that people of his ilk are hardly recognised. “We are not eligible for insurance cover; we are not entitled to any kinds of benefits in case of accidents during shooting. But these have not deterred me from experimenting with new daring stunts.”

SEP’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 81

South is one

South Indian cinema, especially, is a hotbed of action. The ever-renewing effervescence, the passion for the fantastic and the spunk to depict the real, new talents, the deepening harmony between creation and industry, a centre for diverse cultures and all hopes‌there’s so much to celebrate in South cinema.

Southscope Cinema Awards, presented in association with Sun Network, salutes the prowess of all those who make cinema gripping, gritty and grand. It envisages to honour the originality and excellence of filmmakers, actors, technicians, artistes. Of people who dared to dream a different dream and were adventuresome enough to translate it on to celluloid. It is a showcase of talents with respect to all tastes.

Conceived to recognize and felicitate the finest independent cinema South India has to offer, Southscope Cinema Awards aspires to be a breeding ground for cinematic talent. While enabling advancement in the careers of promising filmmakers, it attempts to encourage budding talent too.

Magadheera and Arundhati captured the imagination of an entire state in 2009. People couldn’t stop raving about these films, thanks to some stellar performances, direction and never before seen visual effects. Apart from these two films, Kick, Koncham Ishtam Koncham Kashtam, Arya 2 and Billa brought forth hitherto unseen facets of the respective lead actors. This year, Ram Charan’s performance as a warrior in Magadheera, faces the heat from Ravi Teja’s energetic role in Kick, Allu Arjun’s impulsive behaviour in Arya 2 and Prabhas’ stylish avatar in Billa. Anushka (Arundhati), Kajal (Magadheera), Ileana (Kick) and Tamannaah (Koncham Ishtam Koncham Kashtam) lock horns in the Best Actress category. Devi Sri Prasad (Arya 2), Keeravani (Magadheera) compete for the Best Music Award along with Chakri (Gopi Gopika Godavari) and Yuvan Shankar Raja (Oy!). S S Rajamouli, Kodi Ramakrishna, Surendar Reddy and Sukumar lead the race among the Best Directors of the year category.

Best Film

Magadheera Arundhati Kick Arya 2

Best Director

S. S. Rajamouli – Magadheera Kodi Ramakrishna – Arundhati Sukumar - Arya 2 Surender Reddy - Kick

Best Actor

Ram Charan – Magadheera Allu Arjun - Arya 2 Prabhas - Billa Ravi Teja – Kick

Best Actress

Anushka Shetty – Arundhati Kajal Aggarwal – Magadheera Ileana D’Cruz – Kick Tamannaah Bhatia - Koncham Ishtam Koncham Kashtam

Best Supporting Actor

Sonu Sood – Arundhati Prakash Raj – Aakasamantha Sayaji Shinde – Arundhati Srihari - Magadheera

Best Supporting Actress

Ramya Krishnan - Koncham Ishtam Koncham Kashtam Manorama – Arundhati Namitha – Billa Sheela – Maska

Best Comedian

Brahmanandam – Koncham Ishtam Koncham Kashtam Kovai Sarala – Bumper Offer Sunil – Maska Ali – Billa

Best Music Director

Best Male Playback Singer

Anuj Gurwara - Panchadara Bomma - Magadheera Baba Sehgal - Mr. Perfect - Arya 2 Kailash Kher - Kammukunna Cheekatlona - Arundhati S. P. Balasubramaniam - Indiramma – Mahatma

Best Female Playback Singer

Priya Hemesh - Ringa Ringa - Arya 2 Nikita Nigam - Dheera Dheera – Magadheera Geeta Madhuri - Gundello Guitar / Mahammari - Ek Niranjan Sunitha - Neela Neela Mabbulu – Pravarakhyudu

Best Lyricist

Sirivennela Sitaramasastri - Indiramma – Mahatma Chandrabose - Panchadara Bomma – Magadheera C. Narayana Reddy - Kammukunna Cheektlona – Arundhati Vanamali - Karigeloga Jeevitam - Arya 2

Best Cinematography

M. M. Keeravani – Magadheera Chakri - Gopi Gopika Godavari Devi Sri Prasad - Arya 2 Yuvan Shankar Raja - Oy!

K.K. Senthil Kumar - Magadheera K.K. Senthil Kumar - Arundhati R.D. Rajasekhar - Arya 2 Rasool Ellore – Kick

FullName:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone:____________________________________________________ Email: _______________________________________________________

Tamil Cinema broke new ground in the year 2009 with films like Naan Kadavul, Kanchivaram and Naadodigal. Arya’s gut-wrenching role in Naan Kadavul was one of the most talked about performances of the year; on the other hand Prakash Raj came up with yet another incredible performance in Kanchivaram. Suriya’s power-packed performance in Ayan and Jayam Ravi’s role in Peranmai also stood out. 2009 was also a good year for directors like Samuthirakani (Naadodigal) and Pandiraj (Pasanga) who hit the bull’s eye both critically as well as commercially. Among the actresses, Pooja Umashanker, Padmapriya, Madhumita, Tamannaah, Sujatha and Abhinaya were the newsmakers of the year. Kandein Kadhalai, Kanthaswamy and Ayan also garnered attention for their music and songs from Vettaikaran and Aadhavan continued to rule the roost for quite sometime.

Best Film

Naadodigal Kanchivaram Naan Kadavul Pasanga

Best Director

Priyadarshan – Kanchivaram Bala - Naan Kadavul Pandiraj – Pasanga Samuthirakani – Naadodigal

Best Actor

Prakash Raj – Kanchivaram Arya - Naan Kadavul Jayam Ravi – Peranmai Surya Sivakumar - Ayan

Best Actress

Pooja Umashanker - Naan Kadavul Padmapriya Janakiraman – Pokkisham Madhumita - Yogi Tamannaah Bhatia - Kandein Kadhalai

Best Supporting Actor

Jayaprakash – Pasanga Rajendran - Naan Kadavul Prabhu - Ayan Manivannan - Mayandi Kudumbathar

Best Supporting Actress

Shammu – Kanchivaram Abhinaya – Naadodigal Saranya Mohan - Vennila Kabadi Sujatha - Pasanga

Best Comedian

Vivek – Padikathavan Jagan – Ayan Vadivelu - Aadhavan Santhanam - Kandein Kadhalai

Best Music Director

Best Male Playback Singer

Karthik - Hasili Fisili – Aadhavan Harish Raghavendra - Nenje Nenje – Ayan Krish - Chinna Thamarai – Vettaikaaran Naresh Iyer - Oru Vetkam - Pasanga

Best Female Playback Singer

Best Lyricist

Na. Muthukumar - Vizhi Moodi – Ayan Ilaiyaraaja - Piychai Paathiram - Naan Kadavul Kabilan - Karikaalan – Vettaikaaran Thamarai - Oru Vetkam - Pasanga

Best Cinematography

Harris Jayaraj – Ayan & Aadhavan Devi Sri Prasad – Villu & Kanthaswamy Vidyasagar - Kandein Kadhalai Yuvan Shankar Raja - Siva Manasula Sakthi & Sarvam

Chinmayi - Vaarayo – Aadhavan Harini - Hasili Fisili – Aadhavan Rita - Allegra – Kanthaswamy Suchitra - Chinna Thamarai Vettaikaaran

Kanchivaram - Thiru Ayan - MS Prabhu Eeram - Manoj Paramahamsa Naan Kadavul - Arthur Wilson

FullName:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone:____________________________________________________ Email: _______________________________________________________

Pazhassi Raja created history as it turned out to be the biggest blockbuster ever in Malayalam cinema. Hariharan’s direction was complimented by the technical brilliance and fiery performances from the cast. It leads the list this year with the maximum nominations for a single film in Malayalam. Mammootty, Mohanlal, Jayaram and Prithviraj have incredible films like Paleri Manikyam, Bhagyadevatha, Evidam Swargamanu and Puthiya Mukham. Swetha Menon, Kaniha, Mamta Mohandas and Priyanka compete in the Best Actress category. Blessy (Bhramaram), Renjith (Paleri Manikyam) and Ranjith Shankar (Passenger) are also in contention for the Best Director category along with Hariharan (Pazhassi Raja). Vidyasagar’s music for Neelathaamara is pitted against Ilaiyaraaja’s rendition for Bhagyadevatha. Among other films, Puthiya Mukham, Vilapangalkkapuram and Neelathaamara also make it in this year’s nominations list.

Best Film

Pazhassi Raja Bhramaram Evidam Swargamanu Paleri Manikyam

Best Director

Hariharan - Pazhassi Raja Blessy – Bhramaram Renjith - Paleri Manikyam Ranjith Sankar - Passenger

Best Actor

Mammootty - Paleri Manikyam & Pazhassi Raja Jayaram - Bhagyadevatha Mohanlal - Bhramaram & Evidam Swargamanu Prithviraj Sukumaran - Puthiya Mukham

Best Actress

Swetha Menon - Paleri Manikyam Kaniha - Bhagyadevatha Mamta Mohandas - Passenger Priyanka - Vilapangalkkapuram

Best Supporting Actor

Manoj K. Jayan - Pazhassi Raja Sarathkumar - Pazhassi Raja Nedumudi Venu - Bhagyadevatha Pasupathy - Vairam

Best Supporting Actress

Padmapriya - Pazhassi Raja KPAC Lalitha - Bhagyadevatha Suhasini - Makante Achan & Vilapangalkkapuram Nitya Menon - Kerala Cafe

Best Comedian

Jagadheesh - 2 Harihar Nagar Salim Kumar - Chattambinadu Suraj Venjaranmood - Ivar Vivahitharayal Jagathy Sreekumar - Crazy Gopalan

Best Music Director

Best Male Playback Singer

K. J. Yesudas - Adhi Usha Sandhya - Pazhassi Raja Shankar Mahadevan - Pichavacha - Puthiya Mukham V. Sreekumar - Anuraga Vilocha - Neelathaamara Venugopal - Kuzaloothi - Bhramaram

Best Female Playback Singer

K. S. Chithra - Kunnathe Konna - Pazhassi Raja Shreya Ghoshal - Chanthu Thottille - Banaras Shweta Mohan - Priyanu Mathram - Robinhood Sujatha Mohan - Muthe Muthe - Kanakanmani

Best Lyricist

O. N. V. Kurup - Kunnathe Konna - Pazhassi Raja Anil Panachuran – Kuzhaloothum - Bhramaram Kaithapram – Pichavacha - Puthiya Mukham Sarathchandra Varma – Azhithira – Bhagyadevatha

Best Cinematography

Vidyasagar - Neelathaamara Deepak Dev - Puthiya Mukham Ilaiyaraaja - Bhagyadevatha Mohan Sitara - Bhramaram & Soofi Paranja Katha

Venu - Bhagyadevatha P. Sukumar - Passenger Ajayan Vincent - Bhramaram Ramnath Shetty - Pazhassi Raja

FullName:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone:____________________________________________________ Email: _______________________________________________________

The year 2009 was packed with Raam, Maleyali Jotheyali, Manasaare, Junglee, Savaari, Raaj, The Showman, Jossh and Eddelu Manjunatha.

The surprise of the year was Eddelu Manjunatha. A low-budget film directed by Guruprasad, Eddelu Manjunatha was the highest revenue grosser of 2009. Acclaimed directors Yogaraj Bhat, Duniya Soori, Prem and Shivamani maintained their winning streak. Upcoming filmmaker Preetham Gubbi made a strong impact with Maleyali Jotheyali. Directors Jacob Verghese and Maadesh successfully remade films from other languages. Among actors, Puneet Rajkumar was the most successful with two blockbusters. Diganth and Duniya Vijay had a successful outing. The new crop of actors, Yogi, Tarun, Chetan and Chiranjeevi Sarja had a successful 2009. Among actresses, Aindritha Ray topped the list in 2009 with two hits – Junglee and Manasaare. Pooja Gandhi continued to remain in demand. Radhika Pandit, who is making successful moves this year, impressed with Love Guru last year. V Harikrishna emerged as the most successful music director of 2009. Manikanth Kadri (Savaari), Arjun (Birugaali) Vardhan (Jossh) and Jessi Gift (Parichaya) and J Sridhar (Love Guru) created a new wave of music in 2009 with chartbusters.

Best Film

Maleyali Jotheyali Manasaare Savaari Eddelu Manjunatha

Best Music Director

Best Director

Guruprasad - Eddelu Manjunatha Jacob Verghese - Savaari Shivamani - Josh Yograj Bhat - Manasaare

Best Actor

Ganesh - Maleyali Jotheyali Jaggesh - Eddelu Manjunatha Puneet Rajkumar - Raaj The Showman Raghu Mukerji - Savaari

Best Male Playback

Chetan - Yaare Nidavatheya - Ambari Karthik - Yaaru Kooda Ninna Haage - Love Guru Shaan - Shuruvagide Sundara Kanasu - Maleyali Jotheyali Tippu - Hey Paro - Raaj The Showman

Best Actress

Radhika Pandit - Love Guru Aindrita Ray - Manasaare Priyamani - Raam Rekha - Parichaya

Best Female Playback

Shamitha Malnad - Madhura Pisu Maathige - Birugali Nanditha – Neenendare - Raam Sadhana Sargam - Marali Mareyagi - Savaari Shreya Ghoshal - Yenu Helabeku - Maleyali Jotheyali

Best Supporting Actor

Achuth Kumar - Josh Dilip Raj - Love Guru Rangayana Raghu - Raam Tabala Naani - Eddelu Manjunatha

Best Supporting Actress

Tulasi Shivamani - Josh Anjana Sukhani - Maleyali Jotheyali Neetu - Manasaare Yagna Shetty - Love Guru

Best Lyricist

Jayanth Kaikini - Yello Maleyaagide - Manasaare Kaviraj - Shuruvagide Sundara Kanasu - Maleyali Jotheyali Sudeer Attavar - Marali Mareyaagi - Savaari Yograj Bhat - Naa Naguva Modalene - Manasaare

Best Comedian

Komal - Chamkaayisi Chindi Udaayisi Sadhu Kokila - Raam Tennis Krishna - Ee Shatamaanada Veera Madakari Ms Umashree - Venkata in Sankata

Best Cinematography

V. Harikrishna - Raaj The Showman Jassie Gift - Parichaya Joshua Sridhar - Love Guru Arjun - Birugaali

Sathya Hegde - Manasaare Velraj - Savaari S Krishna - Raaj, The Showman H C Venu - Birugaali

FullName:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone:____________________________________________________ Email: _______________________________________________________

HI-5 This girl from Mumbai has made Bangalore home, with six films in three years of which two are hits. She has already done two Telugu movies besides Kannada and now foraying into Hindi and Tamil as well. After a song picturised on her from her latest Kannada film, Sanchaari reached the top of the music charts, Biaencaa Desai became a household name in Karnataka. Aravind G Shivkamal figures out the rest.

From fashion design to modelling to acting. How did it all happen?

Since I was always inclined towards the entertainment industry, it was natural to choose fashion designing.

Besides, my mother was also a designer. Gradually, I shifted focus to ramp modeling and choreography. By then, I had become a popular model.

Enquiries started pouring in from several casting directors. I decided to give acting a try although I didn’t have any formal training.

You went unnoticed in your debut Telugu film, but found firm footing in Kannada. Any regrets?

No, my debut Telugu film, was a fantastic learning experience. I played one of the three heroines.

But my Kannada debut, Rocky was immensely satisfying as I was the sole female lead. It did well and opened floodgates for me in the Kannada industry. I can proudly say I have come the hard way up.

Photographer: Mahen Simmha

You are not from the south, so was language ever a barrier?

Initially yes, but not anymore. I take it as a challenge to learn new languages.

Back home, I have a close Kannadiga friend from Mangalore. I shocked her one day when I started conversing in Kannada. It was just three days into my first Kannada film. I have already picked up Telugu and Tamil. I would love to be called a multi-lingual actress. When I was shooting for a Kannada film, a dancer made a snide remark about my figure not knowing that I understood Kannada. I made him kneel down and apologise!

Did you have to go through the casting couch since you don’t have a godfather?

Who says the casting couch is restricted to the entertainment industry alone? It’s everywhere; even in the corporate world. But it is for an actress to decide which way she wants to go. Many aspiring

actresses enter films with the wrong impressions and aspirations. Even men have wrong assumptions about girls entering films. But so far none have shown the guts to so much as even suggest it to me. I know how to handle such people…

Do you think getting linked up with male stars will help aspiring actresses improve their prospects?

Phew, if you think it works, please feel free to link me with a top star! This is another misconception among aspiring actresses.

They keep dropping names of male stars. But I guess that is only for cheap publicity. I don’t belong to that class of actresses!

sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 87

GEt tHiS How to look like looK Siddharth, the uber cute male lead of huge hits like Boys, Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana and Bommarillu ups our glam quotient in the Style Sutra section and how! Although he started as an assistant director, it didn’t take long for him to get to be known as an actor. No prizes for wanting to look like this guy but we will tell you how!

SiDDhArth nArAYAn

Rs.2195

ENVY

Rs.1995

WILD WEST Plot No. 1, Journalist Colony, Road No. 3, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

- MAYA RAJ

>

Rs.1495

JOURNEY

Rs.6500

JOURNEY

Rs.1090

Rs.2395

REFLECT

ENVY

Road No.10, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

Rs.695

JOURNEY

Rs. 395

REFLECT 1-8-215/7/B, Sindhi Colony, P.G. Road, Secunderabad

Rs.2299

Earth Quake

1-8-91/19/1, Sindhi Colony, PG Road, Secunderabad.

Rs.3600

JOURNEY

Rs.1995

WILD WEST

Rs.2295

FASHION X’PRESS

Shop No. 6-3-348, Road No.1, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

MAMtA MohAnDAS This September we bring you not just the places where you can head straight after reading this, but also some very personal advice from the star herself – Mamta Mohandas.

The first thing Mamta tells us is that the word fashion is overrated and we can’t help but love her for her honesty. True to her statement, she believes that a sense of style differs from individual to individual.

She does not let the current trends in the market bully her into buying all the latest fads. Instead, Mamta likes to dress according to her present state of body, mind and most importantly mood. She advises us to dress in clothes that we like and are comfortable in. That does not mean you have to prance around in your jammies all day though.

She tells us that there are many ways to accentuate your best qualities and hide your worst, and that is what you should be after. Say, if you are having a bloated day, you might want to opt for a loose top that falls off your shoulder rather than a body hugging one that will highlight all the wrong areas. Or maybe you like plunging necklines but you would be better off emphasising your hips. Keep in mind that drawing attention to your best qualities always does the trick. All up, start feeling good about what you wear and maybe you too will start to ooze the confidence and glam Mamta is known for.

Rs.499

Rs.2800

GLOBUS

KURTI INDIA # 5-9-29, Hyderabad Nursing Home Lane, Basheer Bagh, Hyderabad.

Rs.3500

PREETI & VAISHALI Plot No.1315, Rd No. 66, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.

Rs.1500

Jini’s Complete Designer Store H. No. 8-2-598, Road No.10,

Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

> Rs.12500 Rs.1495

Rs.5000

FASHION X’PRESS

JOURNEY

Jini’s Complete Designer Store

19, My Home Tycoon, Begumpet, Hyderabad.

Rs.299

GLOBUS

www.globus.in

Rs.1295

FASHION X’PRESS Shop No. 6-3-348, Road No.1, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

Rs.8000

PREETI & VAISHALI

Evolution

Hansika Motwani

Hansika may be young but she is as experienced as the next female lead. Seven years ago she started her career as a child artist in Escape from Taliban and featured in six movies in just two years. Noticed the cute kid next to Hrithik Roshan in Koi Mil Gaya? Who knew that she would turn out to be Allu Arjun’s female lead in Desamuduru in just four years! The transformation was unbelievable but what she did since reentering the industry as a grownup is more interesting. She goes from girl-next-door to sex siren to desi goddess across all her movies. Guess we can only wait and watch what Hansika will morph into next.

Stylist & Fashion Writer : Maya Raj

‘IT’ STAR OF THE MONTH

taapsee Is this the same curly haired babe?

Taapsee gives us a straight hair shock!

Mebaz has got to be delighted apsi gives usstarlet a with this straight hair shock! showing off their outfit.

Mebaz has got to be delighted with this starlet showing off their outfit

Those heels are to die for, right?

Red pumps – we love!

Neeru isn’t left out of the loop either. Looks like our IT Star loves desi designers.

Taapsee gives us a Red pumps – we love! new avatar at every event!

Taapsee lights up the Maayas furnishing store!

Stylist & Fashion Writer : Maya Raj

SCREEN TEST

A B.Tech final year student, Sunjit is a self confessed movie buff who watches every movie first day first show! He went to Film and Television Institute of Andhra Pradesh and got trained with Devadas Kanakala.

Sunjit also thinks he is gifted with a good voice and he sings like a natural.

92 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

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

Sunjit

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

SCREEN TEST

Mahsa Pour Half British and half Iranian Mahsa Pour is a known face in the modelling circuit. She’s 5’8” and has an athletic build. She’s also done ramp and commercial assignments in the UK. She’s doing a small role opposite Akshay Kumar in his forthcoming film Patiala House. Recently, she also modelled paired with Telugu actor Varun Sandesh in the campaign of a leading saree chain in AP. Mahsa is keen on working in the south Indian film industry. For more details, email supriya@artistsalliance.in

sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 93

Flashback

Telugu

Film: Gudachari 116 Year of release: 1966 Cast: Krishna, Jayalalitha, Rajanala, Mukkamala, Jayalalitha J, Relangi Venkatramaiah, Ramana Reddy, Sobhan Babu, Gitanjali, Rajababu, Padmanabham Director: Mallikarjuna Rao Music Director: Chalapathi Rao Producer: Doondi

Karthik Pasupulate gets stirred not shaken with the first Bond film of Telugu cinema!

“I’m looking for Commander James Bond, not an overgrown stunt man,” Ian Fleming (the author who created James Bond, just in case you were wondering) said about Sean Connery when he first saw the prospective James Bond. He felt the young scout was a little too muscular and unrefined.

Thankfully, his girlfriend thought Sean Connery had the requisite “sexual charisma” and the rest is part of Hollywood history. Wonder what Fleming might have had to say about a certain Ghattamaneni Sivarama Krishna. It wouldn’t matter though, for as far as Telugu cinema lovers are concerned, there can be only one stylish Andhra James Bond!

Gudachari 116 was the first Bond style movie in Telugu. It’s been over four decades since it released, yet it still remains the quintessential secret agent flick of Telugu cinema. The stupendous success of the film spawned a whole new genre of such Bond thrillers, not just in south cinema but also in Hindi. So in that sense, superstar 94 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

Krishna set the benchmark for the likes of Dharmendra, Jitendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Dev Kumar, Mahendra Sandhu etc who went on to play the fabled special agent in similar films that followed in the next couple of decades.

Gudachari 116 was more than just a smart adaptation; it was a style statement. Yes, the black suits, the cars, the exaggerated villains, breathtaking stunts, gadgets and the familiar Bond signature tune lingered in the background but special agent 116 was his own man. A patriot to the T, he broke into a dance and song at regular intervals even as he busts the bad guys’ evil plans to blow up a dam and a water reservoir. His dancing in particular was a huge attraction.

Jayalalitha played the hard to get Bond girl so to speak of, albeit “south-Indianised” in her ways.

She definitely looked the part with as much panache as anybody since. The chemistry between the lead pair was quite something.

Director Mallikarjuna Rao made sure the plot was peppered with just the right amounts of action, intrigue, drama, comedy, romance and dancing around the trees to suit our taste palette. Music by Chalapathi Rao deserves a special mention. His tunes went on to be a huge hit and added on to the whole experience. The best though was reserved for the last. In a breathtaking closing sequence, agent 116 gets off the wheel just before his jeep rams head on into an aircraft carrying the fleeing villain. Thus began the legend of the desi James Bond!

Tamil Year of release: 1984 Cast: Rajinikanth, Radha, Bhaskaran, Cho, Kannan, Leo Prabhu, M N Nambiar, Murugan, Sathyaraj, Senthamarai, V K Ramasami, Uma, Vijayakumari Director: S P Muthuraman

Pavithra Srinivasan revisits Rajinikanth’s eternal classic, Naan Mahaan Alla While other films usually built on a fancy opening, Naan Mahaan Alla practically explodes with suspense.

On a sunny morning outside the sessions court in Chennai, a crowd chants a name loud enough to rock the heavens: Viswanath. A courtroom is introduced; a case is going on. Lawyer Easwaran (Senthamarai) is furiously defending Jagan (Sathyaraj), the son of industrialist extraordinaire GNK (M N Nambiar) and Co. The man in the dock has been accused of raping and murdering a young woman, Kalpana, and his father is certain that he will be released soon – there is no evidence, after all.

Enter lawyer Viswanath. In swift speech he rips apart Easwaran’s carefully constructed case, using their own evidence: a videotaped dinner party. Turns out that Jagan uses a silver toothpick` and his shirts are equipped to hold it.

The collar found as evidence by Kalpana’s body contains a provision for it as well, and Easwaran’s defense comes apart. Jagan is convicted; Viswanath exits the court-room to the exulting cheers of the public. Just as he braves through the surging crowds, a nattily dressed young woman runs up to congratulate him, and gets shot at.

Turns out, she’s Geetha, a clubdancer – incidentally, employed by GNK. Viswanath finds that he is not nauseated by her occupation; rather, he says he feels the same kind of sympathy one would feel for someone forced to beg for livelihood.

Music Director: Ilaiyaraja Producer: Kavithalaya’s K Balachander Playback Singers: S P Balasubrmaniam, Malaysia Vasudevan, Saibaba

We’re now introduced to Viswanath’s family: his widowed mother Meenakshi (Vijayakumari) and his crippled sister Shanthi (Uma). Meenakshi is happy that her son is a powerhouse of talent, but she’s also worried about the enemies he might make. Shanti’s another source of worry as well.

Who will marry a cripple, after all?

Viswanath assures her that all will be well, but trouble has only just begun.

What follows is a cat-and-mouse story as GNK uses all his wealth and influence to jeopardise Viswanath’s career and life, but the difference is, like in real life, he actually does succeed to a certain extent. You are flabbergasted to find that Viswanath’s assistant Gopi is an alcohol addict and prone to accepting bribes - a crime that sends Viswanath to prison and destroys his career in one stroke.

This is where Reddy (Cho) comes in. A man known for his sharp wit, and satire, Reddy tears apart the political situation and beats up a few baddies, ending up in the same prison as Viswanath, spewing Telugu dialogues by the way. He’s aghast to find righteous Viswanath imprisoned. Viswanath, when asked by the police if he knows Reddy, replies, “he’s the only one who knows me.”

Matters take an even dire turn from here on. Viswanath’s mother is killed and the accusation falls on the lawyer himself, sending him even deeper into trouble. Geetha resigns her job and is a staunch supporter,

not to mention Reddy himself, who’s determined to unearth the truth one way or the other.

Among many song and dance routines that appeared with unfailing regularity, Naan Mahaan Alla was a genuine departure from the norm. It showed its hero as extremely intelligent, smart and sensitive; but not someone who unrealistically wins all his battles.

Lawyer Viswanath is humane, smartly wins over seemingly impossible situations and also has a romantic side to him. He sang and danced on Maalai Soodum Velai with the ethereally beautiful Radha, which went on to become a chartbuster.

Naan Mahaan Alla was originally called Naan Gandhi Alla. The name was later dropped due to copyright issues. Rajinikanth in the eighties was fast becoming a star with his signature styles. His talented costars, well-versed in their requisite styles, added considerable colour to the proceedings - be it Sathyaraj with his trademark drawl, Nambiar with his characteristic brogue or Cho with his laugh-aloud, quick-fire moments. Babu’s cinematography added a touch of realism while Ilaiyaraja’s background score was truly outstanding.

It was later made in Hindi as Viswanath, starring Shatrughan Sinha and Lawyer Viswanath in Telugu, starring N T Ramarao.

sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 95

Trivia

Telugu/tamil/malayalam/kannada

Telugu

Samarla Venkata Ranga Rao (or S V Ranga Rao) was among the finest actors Indian cinema has ever seen. But not many know that he once worked in the fire service as an officer before his passion for films changed his destiny. He had an offer from B V Ramanadham to play the role of Pravarakhya in the movie Varudhini. However, the film didn’t change his fortune as an actor. He later got a call from B A Subba Rao in 1950 to play the villain in Palletoori Pilla which had NTR, ANR and Anjali Devi in lead roles. Unfortunately, his father passed away when he was about to leave for Chennai.

He finally reached Chennai after performing the final rites.

But the villain’s role was given to A V Subba Rao. In 1951 his career as an actor hit a new high following his portrayal of Nepali Mantrikudu in Pathala Bhairavi.

Over the next 23 years, he acted in several films including cult hits like Maya Bazaar and Narthanasala. Not surprisingly, he’s also the first Indian actor to win an international award - at the Afro-Asian film festival in Djakarta, Indonesia for his role as Keechaka in Narthanasala.

96 SOUTHSCOPE sep’ 10

tamil She was born as Saraswati Devi in Tenali, AP; however she changed her name to Sharada when she entered films. When she was six, she began to learn to dance on the request of her mother and soon she was sent to live with her grandmother in Chennai.

So strict was her grandmother that after she became an actor, Sharada’s grandmother wouldn’t let the heroes touch her (Sharada) and allowed rehearsals only on Sundays. Having made her debut in the Telugu film, Kanya Sulkam, her first big break came with ANR’s Iddaru Mithrulu. In 1965, she began acting in more Malayalam films than Telugu and Tamil.

Shakuntala, Murappennu, Kattu Thulasi, Inapravukal, Iruttinte Athamavu and Thulabharam were some of the popular films which she had acted in during this time. She was conferred the Urvashi Award in 1966 and she was the first south Indian actress to win the National Award in 1969 for Thulabharam.

Known for her fiery roles in films like Sharada, Manushulu Marali, she set a benchmark for the younger lot to follow suit. Incidentally, she started a chocolate factory named Lotus Chocolates which is the maker of brands like Chuckles, On & On and Tango, in 1992.

A lanky young man in the 80s was beginning to weave stories that focused almost overwhelmingly on romance.

Multi-faceted, he took on several responsibilities himself: screen-play writing, music, lyrics etc and pitched in with the making of the movie as much as he could. One movie was particularly close to his heart: the take of a young man whose unrequited love for his beloved leads him into chronic depression and makes him suicidal. Sounds like Devadas?

This 80s take on the eternal love-story found few takers in the beginning – but wordof-mouth reports spread so fast that people, especially college students flocked to see the movie. Oru Thalai Raagam eventually became a blockbuster and set its maker in the top league for the next few years. The man - T Rajendar.

She fit Tamil cinema’s requirements of a glamorous heroine when Gautami debuted as a young petite girl in one of Tamil cinema’s biggest romances. What many however didn’t quite anticipate was her acting prowess. That was proven

Amarashipli Janakanachari, Bhale Basava, Mr Rajkumar, and Sidilu Mari. The only other colour film was B R Pantalu’s Shri Krishna Deva Raya.

when she acted with Kamal Haasan in the path-breaking Devar Magan. Revathy too played a powerful role, but Gautami’s superb performance when she learns that her lover has betrayed her, was more than impressive.

It was spontaneous, sharp and completely unexpected. That day, makers and viewers alike realised that here was a woman who epitomised beauty and talent!

malayalam Malayalam’s celebrated star, Manju Warrier never liked films or anything even related to films.

As a child she would scream in the movie theatre and her family had made it a point not to take her for watching movies. The three things that scared Manju as a child, the most were injections, fire-crackers and cameras.

However, her uncle (father’s elder brother) used to tell her that she would one day become an actress.

Though initially Manju chose to remain a dancer (she is an accomplished dancer), she later turned into a rage as an actress in Malayalam films. It is an irony that her uncle passed away on the first day of Manju’s shoot, for the film Sakshyam.

Veteran actor Nedumudi Venu missed the National Award for best actor in 1987 by a whisker. His performance in the film Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam received wide appreciation. Kamal Haasan (for the film Nayagan), and Nedumudi scored the same votes and in the jury’s final casting vote, Kamal won the award.

However, Nedumudi can be proud of the fact that the school teacher’s character, he did in the film Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam, has created an ever lasting impression in the minds of Malayalam film lovers.

kannada The first filmmaker to have introduced colour to Kannada cinema was B S Ranga. He intended to portray the life of sculptor Jakanachari who is credited with building the beautiful Beluru Chennakesava Temple.

So Amarashilpi Jakanachari turned out to be the first Kannada film that was shot completely in colour.

Incidentally, actor Jayalalitha faced the camera for the first time for a song sequence in this film. It was released in 1964. Out of the first five colour films of Kannada, four were made by B S Ranga –

It is a generally known fact that Rajkumar turned a full time singer for his films since the trendsetter Sampathigge Savaal that was released in 1974. Till then, P B Srinivas sang for the thespian. But not many know that Rajkumar lent his voice for a track in his film Ohileshwara way back in 1956. Then, he rendered Tumbitu Manava Tanditu Sukhava, the iconic song from the film Mahishasura Mardhini with S Janaki in 1959. This was the first ever epic song sung by Rajkumar and was written by Chi Sadashivaiyya. The music was composed by G K Venkatesh.

Though he was never trained in classical music, his theatre background helped him scale heights in singing. The actor went on to win the national award for best singer for the track Naadamaya from his film Jeevana Chaitra, making him one of the rarest actors of Indian cinema to have won an award for singing.

sep’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 97

leaves out of my book - Suhasini Maniratnam

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

the actor factor Films and actors are synonymous.

A lot of us might not remember the story or the name of a very interesting film we have seen 15 years ago, but we never forget the actors. A famous Hindi film about two sons fighting, claiming the love and affection of their mother is always remembered as an Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Nirupa Roy film. Not always as Deewar!

All James Bond films are remembered as a Sean Connery film or a Roger Moore film.

This is despite the fact that the actor puts in only a fifth of the work compared to the director or the producer or the camera man.

Who remembers the director or producer of Benhur? The only name that rings a bell is Charleton Heston or may be the chariot!

What makes the actors so special?

I have always asked this question myself and I have heard several explanations, but nothing justifies the larger than life image and popularity of the actors. I started my career as a film technician.

I always thought that actors were mere props or puppets in the hands of the director. But gradually, I bitterly realised that they determine mostly everything that makes the film successful. A Kamal Haasan or Rajinikanth or Amitabh Bachchan might not 98 SOUTHSCOPE SEP’ 10

actually write a particular scene or execute it but they are the face of the scene. The soul of the scene is contributed by the writer, director but the actor is the stage or platform; he communicates the thought of the filmmaker to the audience.

So what does it take to be an actor?

A three-year-old that makes faces at the mirror while brushing his teeth is a potential actor.

The fact that one enjoys seeing one’s face in the mirror is an indication that he or she will perform on stage or in front of the camera.

If you want to be an actor, don’t watch Shah Rukh Khan or Ajith on screen and try to imitate them.

Instead, buy a full sized mirror, walk in front of it, talk, laugh, cry and dance before it for 10 days. By the end of this, look at the mirror; decide if you still like what you see. If you find the mirror image disgusting and hopeless, drop your acting aspirations and go back to college or office. If the image on the mirror is still interesting, exciting; enrol in an acting class, dance class or diction class and try to learn acting.

An actor should keep talking to himself to get over his inhibitions.

If you can listen to yourself and continue, you will definitely be

able to take directions from the filmmaker. Before all this, one has to groom himself. However much we say looks are not so important, when it comes to the camera, the way you look matters the most.

The actor does not have to be the most handsome man or Miss Universe, but has to have that extra special charm that makes him unique. Take any successful actor - he does have that extra spark.

Great directors and great actors have always made great films together, but they have also had greater fights. I remember how the actor’s guild reacted very badly to the press statement made by famous filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. He said that actors should be treated like cattle. The actors were furious and demanded an apology from him. He gave a statement the next day saying, “I apologise for having said that actors should be treated like cattle.

I was wrong and I would like to correct my statement: Actors are cattle!” But for the audience, an actor is the king…

RNI NO.: APENG/2009/29389

Regd. No.: L II/RNP/HD/1118/2010-12