southscope January 2013 additional issue by Southscope and Ritz Magazine

JANUARY 2013

VOL 04 | ISSUE 04

NOT TO BE SOLD INDIVIDUALLY PART 2 OF 2

HERE COMES THE

BAD BOY!

Exclusive insights into Karthi Sivakumar’s Alex Pandian A-LIST STARS SHARE THEIR CHILDHOOD PHOTOGRAPHS AND MEMORIES

from the editor... Welcome to Southscope January 2013 Part 2. We’ve got a very special feature on the dashing Karthi Sivakumar’s Alex Pandian lined up for you. Don’t miss our exciting Cameo section where leading stars share their childhood memories with us – some of their reminiscences will have you laughing and some could actually provide food for thought. We promise to delight you each month with interesting articles with quirky twists. Enjoy the New Year and this super cool edition of Southscope! Aruna R Krishnan Managing Editor

PREVIEW Alex Pandian Bad Boy Karthi Sivakumar is back with Anushka Shetty and Santhanam in this hugely-anticipated Sankranti release

6 ~ 19 CAMEO

FASHION

BRIGADE Find out which stars had everyone’s jaws dropping – and for what reasons, too

A-list stars share their favourite childhood pictures and memories

ALEX PANDIAN IS THE BAD BOY Alex Pandian is undoubtedly high on action, comedy, romance and entertainment. The producers Studio Green have left no stone unturned in ensuring that there is a tremendous buzz surrounding the film. We tell you more

Karthi’s career graph in Tamil is amazing. He is one of the few actors to have displayed a vast range and depth in his portrayals right from his first film. The star has a knack for choosing the right themes, and with his excellent histrionic skills, is said to be an absolute delight to direct. Anushka Shetty sizzles in Alex Pandian as Karthi’s lady love, and the bombshell has her own stunts and action sequences to excel in. Santhanam provides complete comic relief with a tinge of grey, as a refreshing change. The baddies who take on the ultimate Bad Boy are also an awe-inspiring lot. The music by Devi Sri Prasad is already a big hit and has created enough of a buzz to draw the audiences to the theatres in droves. It must be said that Alex Pandian has benefitted enormously from the generous budget allotted by producers Studio Green for the film. Indeed, no expense has been spared to ensure the highest production values to delight viewers this Pongal. In the next several pages, Southscope gives you interesting insights into this thrilling entertainer.

GNASHING HIS TEETH WITH ALEX PANDIAN Pavithra Srinivasan takes a walk down memory lane with Karthi, on his role in Studio Green’s Alex Pandian

Karthi has always been pretty much the livewire of the Tamil film industry, throwing himself wholeheartedly into his films, as he does. His much-anticipated Alex Pandian is no different; Karthi is a bundle of excitement, tempered by doses of realism – especially as he’s revved up with another great adventure: becoming a dad for the first time. The whole family is preparing for the new arrival, he says, beaming. “We’re shopping like mad,” he announces with justifiable pride. Away from real-life babies and to his reel one: Alex Pandian: what’s it all about? “Typical commercial mass masala,” comes the reply straightaway, in clarion tones. “It’s much better to say so clearly, right away,” he grins infectiously. “It’s a mixture of entertainment, comedy and action.” What of working with director Suraj? How did that go about? “Obviously, comedy is his forte. He was a very jolly person and he has a real flair for this kind of thing. I mean, what would take two and a half hours to show on the big screen with all the artistes and sets, he does with his own dialogues! He’s the kind of director who can find humour in everything,” Karthi pauses to word himself carefully. “He’s the kind of director who can actually translate his humour onscreen successfully.” Elaborating on his own performance in the film, he says, “I have spoken slower than I usually do. I think I’m inclined to speak fast and this time, I have tried to follow the unique 8

traits of my character. And my chemistry with Santhanam is also new – usually, we’re friends. This time we’re opposites,” he chuckles. “See, he has three sisters and they all love me! He even has punch dialogues about how difficult it is to guard them against me. He says, ‘He actually looks good; how am I going to keep them safe!’ That’s the plot for the comedy.” Fair enough: now, what about his character? “He’s Alex Pandian, known as Alex, of course. He’s a rather selfish guy – doesn’t care about anyone. His only aim in life is money. We may as well call him a villain than a hero,” he laughs. “It was actually easy, playing him. But this one is not completely negative – just with negative shades. He changes himself according to the situation. And yes, I think it will work.” It certainly sounds like the perfect masala film, I remark. So it must have its fair share of punches, no? “Ha!” he grins. “This film is full of punches – so much of them. It hasn’t happened like this before, you know, action laced with so much humour. I mean, I don’t slap my thigh and scream at the top of my voice or anything – it’s more of an actioncomedy. It’s a festival outing. Watch the film, you’ll enjoy the songs, there’s lots of fights and comedy, and it is all interestingly packaged. Oh, and no sorrow either. After all, you don’t want to feel sad on a festival day,” he points out, reasonably.

Talks move on to the actual shoot. “I think this is my most expensive film to date,” he shares, thoughtfully. “The fight on the moving train, for example. Oh, those were really risky shots,” his voice shows the effect of the shoot. “And there was no support. Usually they shoot such sequences on a cargo train, where you have something to grip. But on a passenger train there’s no such thing. In fact, this one time Anushka and I almost fell off; that’s how risky it was. Once it was done, I wondered why we’d even done it, though I never thought of it during the fight,” he smiles reminiscently. “The stunt-master has really worked hard for it.” Knowing him, it must have been a blast with his co-stars. “Oh, it always is. I’ve known Anushka for a long time. We’ve found it easy to work with each other. Also, in this film,

the hero-heroine graph is not the same. It’s something different; something that hasn’t been done in recent times, anyway.” Fair enough. What of the villains? “Suman and Milind Soman, of course. I’ve worked with Milind already, in Paiyya. I’ve always joked to him that he looks better than me,” he laughs. “He should be the hero, actually – he’s such a famous model. And Suman sir is so experienced. Did you know that he has a black belt in karate? He gave me lots of tips as well. It was good fun.” Aside from the memorable fight sequence atop the train, there were others too. “I loved the car-chases, the forest fights,” he grins. “Yes, I’ve done them before in Paiyya, but in this film, somehow, we’re always on the run. That’s why the production values

are so high, I think. Also, cinematographer Saravanan wanted to try something new. He took such pains over the visuals too, wanting to make sure that the songs were extremely beautiful. All of them are happy numbers, because wherever the hero goes, it’s always high on energy,” he laughs. “Music director DSP, of course, is always super-charged and energetic, it’s like he’s powered by 5 or 6 Duracell batteries all the time! And I couldn’t escape the dancing,” he confides charmingly. “The Bad Boy title song was awesome. And another number, Kaattu Raja, was the most expensive – we shot it for 7 to 8 days with different looks and sets. It’s a pretty haunting song too. Like I said, this is on a different graph from the usual films I’ve done– but it still is a masala film. There’s no pretension about it.”

It seems like the forest connection at least, is something that has stayed with him. “We shot for 18 days in the Chalakudy forest – I think I have some deep connection to it, because I shot there for Aayirathil Oruvan and now I was back there again. You know, the night shoot was pretty scary for everyone. We had to erect a set on the banks of a river in the jungle. And there was one scene where I had to walk carrying Anushka, for almost half a kilometer. Anushka said she wouldn’t, and I had to convince her that I could do it,” he chuckles. Considering how high Santhanam’s graph is these days, how did he feel about letting the comedian take over the limelight, in the ﬁlm? “Where he has to take over, I have to let him,” Karthi explains. “If that’s how the script is, that’s how it should be.” 9

AND... ACTION! Alex Pandian is making waves, undoubtedly. Malini Shankaran chats with director Suraj for his take on the movie

“We began shooting for Alex Pandian on November 11, 2011 and on December 12, 2012, the audio launch took place. We shot for a span of 120 days, and I have given this film my all. I have taken risks and I can assure audiences that the film is a fantastic commercial and mass entertainer,” says director Suraj. So, who is Alex Pandian? What is the significance of the title? Obviously, the title of the film and the name of the character have an interesting connection with that of the Rajinikanth-starrer Moondru Mugam, because one of the characters played by the Superstar in the film had this name. Suraj chips in, “For a long time, the film was untitled – and a time came when we faced a lot of pressure from the media and our wellwishers who insisted on knowing what the title of the film was. Karthi plays Alex and Pandian in the film – now it is not a double role, nor is it a split personality, but it’s just that he has two names. I didn’t really have to think hard about the title, so I decided to go ahead with Alex Pandian. Moreover, it is the powerful name of the powerful character portrayed by Superstar Rajinikanth in Moondru Mugam. So, no second thoughts at all!” With the title bearing a connection with Rajinikanth and the audio launch of the film coinciding with the Superstar’s birthday, has there been any message from him? “No, we just did it because we wanted to

do it this way; otherwise there is no link or communication with the Superstar,” says the director. Suraj began talking to me by saying he had taken risks with the film. So I ask him for an instance. He says, “There is a train sequence in the film where Karthi had to run a continuous stretch on top of a moving train. For this shot, there had to be absolutely no power lines along that stretch, which made our searching for a suitable train and route very difficult. After a long hunt, I located a train in Mysore, which had a coal engine and I was told that for over a 40-km stretch there were no power lines at all. What was truly touching was that Karthi took the risk of running along that stretch without support. Believe me, it was extremely risky. He told me that when he had taken the pains of locating the train and the route, it was his duty to make the shot happen to the best of his abilities. It was indeed sweet of him,” he says. Ask him about the genre of Alex Pandian and Suraj says, “It is fifty percent comedy and fifty percent action – a typical mass masala, which will have baddies and dacoits, a hero and heroine. But Anushka won’t be the hapless heroine; she has lots of action to do. She is an action heroine.” He adds that even Santhanam would be seen in a different light in the film. And how? Suraj says, “Unlike most films where Santhanam is seen as the hero’s friend, in Alex Pandian, he will be seen as the villain, against the hero.” Exciting!

SHOOTING THE BEST OF ALEX PANDIAN Pavithra Srinivasan talks to cinematographer Saravanan, the maverick wielding the camera for the film

Cinematographer Saravanan, who has worked on Alex Pandian, is an old and deft hand at blockbusters as he’s quick to tell you, when asked about how he came to work in the movie.

Usually, a lot of things get disrupted while we’re shooting and very often, due to budget constraints, we tend to deviate from the script. This time, we had the freedom and access to the best.”

“I’ve already worked on mass entertainers like Vallarasu, Thiruppachi and others,” he says casually, taking some time off in the middle of a busy shoot. “But after Silambattam, which I directed, I didn’t really do cinematography for ﬁlms. I had to take a break. And then, suddenly, Karthi called up one day – he was very keen on my doing this ﬁlm. So I met director Suraj and asked for the script. I loved it. It belonged perfectly to the genre of a mass entertainer.”

I am intrigued, and so I ask him what is topmost on my mind: the seasoned cinematographer that he is, how did he find it, interacting with the stars? “Karthi was always very keen on my doing this film and it worked out very well. He and Anushka are both complete professionals, right to the core. There was this one sequence where we had to shoot on top of a train without support; it was very risky, but they both pulled it off, because of their involvement and commitment. Karthi, you know, is so involved with films – he once spoke for 3 whole days about films. He loves them!” he appreciates. “Since this is something he loves, he always asked after each shoot, ‘Can we do this better, bro?’ He’s passionate about the work, so it was very interesting working with him.

Considering that he has worked on a huge repertoire, how would this be different from the dozens of films already out, though? “Well, there are lots of action sequences,” he grins. “And they needed someone who has already worked on these sorts of films before. I came in because they understood that I could handle this well. Both Karthi and director Suraj felt so.” He pauses, and then elaborates. “See, normally, Suraj’s films have a huge humour quotient. This is definitely in the same league. It’s got a lot of new locations as well. Also, what I really appreciate is that each action block has a proper reason, and is not there just for the sake of it. One other thing: the budget. After a long time, the budget has allowed us to provide an extravaganza. We were given the liberty of executing everything the script demanded.

How well does he think Alex Pandian will appeal to the people, given its theme? “Ha, we want all our films to work,” he laughs. “As a cinematographer, I’m a part of the project for a certain period of time, but the director and assistants are there for two years or more. We all want the film to work with the audience, of course. On our part, we have put in our best effort. I have certainly enjoyed myself working on this film. So I’m 100% sure that people will enjoy watching it too.”

LADY LONG LEGS Lissome, long-legged and lovely, Anushka Shetty is the Bad Boy’s love interest. The stylish hottie with a killer figure is certainly a big attraction in the film. Kirthi Jayakumar tells you more

A Tamil film website recently rated Anushka Shetty as the most sought after heroine in Kollywood. A feather in the cap indeed for the gorgeous lady. Anushka brings in the right dose of glamour and substance to the roles she plays. Our Southscope correspondent once asked Suriya which actress he thought looked beautiful without makeup on. “I don’t want to bring Jyotika into this, but apart from that I feel Anushka looks beautiful sans makeup,” said Suriya. Very interestingly his brother Karthi who we had contacted with the same question had a similar answer about her! Adored by her co-stars for her dedication and professionalism, it is easy to see why Anushka has soared to the top in both Tamil and Telugu films. Anushka Shetty’s role in Alex Pandian (Bad Boy in Telugu) is not that of your typical heroine who bawls for the hero to come and rescue her. She is the perfect embodiment of the desi diva, who even has her own fight scenes! Director Suraj explains, “In Alex Pandian, Anushka is just not the usual run-of-the-mill hapless heroine. She has a lot of action to do in the film, and you can safely say that she is an action heroine!” Boy, we sure wouldn’t want to miss that! Think Naalu Pakkam Kaadu Irukku and the first thing that comes to mind is the leggy lass in fantastic shades of red, dancing with Karthi to tribal beats. The crew shot the song at Chalakudy, aboard a huge ship set up in Puducherry and at sets in Hyderabad that brought back memories of the British Empire. Easily among the most expensive songs to be filmed, director Suraj explains that it required a budget of over a crore of rupees. With the lyrics demanding a variety of locales, it was but necessary to dress Anushka in different attires, as well. Suraj says, “Anushka looks stunning in all the costumes. She was most beautiful in the queen’s outfit. Karthi and Anushka worked very hard for the song.” No doubt, it certainly shows. The song also has a segment where the lead pair act as tribal folk, and Anushka certainly scorches the screen. With her style and acting skills, Anushka can easily enthral audiences. Add an element of action to that mix and we’re totally excited about seeing Anushka in the film!

WHY SO SERIOUS? Santhanam is right on top when it comes to comedy in Tamil cinema today. But Alex Pandian redefines his presence on the big screen. Kirthi Jayakumar tells you why

The Joker, from the Batman Series, is one hell of a dark villain attempting to be funny. And in the process, he sends shivers up your spine, when he hauntingly asks, ‘Why so serious?’ But what if the converse were true? Imagine the reigning king of comedy redefining his screen space with a show of enmity. Intrigued, aren’t you? So are we. Get ready to watch Santhanam in this delightful new avatar, in Alex Pandian. But before you are led to believe that Santhanam is the all too serious villain, toting a gun and delivering killer punches and kicks, hold your horses. Santhanam does not play the villain – that is of course, Milind Soman’s and Suman’s domain. With a smidgeon of villainy, Santhanam plays Karthi’s arch enemy in Alex Pandian. Director Suraj says, “Unlike most films where you have Santhanam in the role of the hero’s friend, Alex Pandian is different. He will be seen as something of a villain – he is certainly slotted against the hero.” After a string of scintillating appearances as the best of friends in Siruthai and Saguni so far, Alex Pandian offers a diabolical change in the presentation of the on-screen relationship of Karthi and Santhanam. With an air of dislike and a sense of enmity, the duo will be seen sharing vibes of disgruntlement with each other. Santhanam is a rather reckless, living-on-the-edge kind of a person, in the film. In the hero Karthi’s words, “Santhanam has three sisters and all of them love me!” So he thinks up several ploys to keep them safe from Karthi. While the plots he hatches can make you pick your fingernails in nervousness for poor Karthi, these very pranks wind up favouring the hero each time. Needless to say, the failure of his plots winds up putting poor Santhanam under immense pressure to get rid of Karthi at any cost. Between this cat and mouse game, is a beautiful story in itself. Santhanam’s new avatar is definitely something the audiences will enjoy!

MAKING FOOTTAPPING RHYTHMS Much of what a movie is, in Indian cinema, has a lot to do with its sound score. For Studio Green’s Alex Pandian, Devi Sri Prasad has composed some fantastic music, says Kirthi Jayakumar

THE BAD BOY IS COMING! The Bad Boy is at a theatre next to you. Kirthi Jayakumar takes you on a tour behind the scenes

Karthi is one of the few Tamil heroes with a viable and significant market in Telugu as well. Studio Green, the producers of Bad Boy (Alex Pandian in Tamil) have made a smart move by roping in Anushka Shetty and Devi Sri Prasad for the movie in anticipation of its Telugu release. Both are household names in Andhra as well and enjoy huge popularity in the state. Directed by Suraj, featuring Karthi and Anushka Shetty in the lead roles, and Santhanam in a pivotal supporting role, the film certainly is a star-studded entertainer. With interesting turns played by Akanksha Puri and Sanusha, and Santhanam playing the girls’ brother, Milind Soman and Suman are cast in negative roles. Prathap Pothen also has an meaty part in Bad Boy. The film has the magical, musical touch of Devi Sri Prasad. The title aptly suits the character that Karthi will be portraying, especially considering that 3 women are said to be in love with him in this film!

Working for the first time with Karthi and Suraj, Devi Sri Prasad has collaborated to draw up a fabulous sound score for Alex Pandian. The audio rights for the film have been bagged by Gemini. The title of the film, as everyone knows, is the name of one of the characters played by Superstar Rajinikanth in the film Moondru Mugam. Suraj’s film has been named after Rajnikanth’s moniker, with Karthi playing both Alex and Pandian.

Much of the shooting has taken place in Chalakudy, in Kerala. Some of the other locations include Meenambakkam and other areas in Chennai as also Mysore. Anushka’s turn as an ‘action heroine’ and Santhanam’s character being laced with shades of grey are both highly enjoyable. Get set for the Bad Boy!

The soundtrack for Alex Pandian contains five songs. We feel the crowning glory of the album is Naalu Pakkam Kaadu Irukku, sung by Viveka, Devi Sri Prasad himself, and Anitha. The filming of the song ran into quite a budget, as director Suraj filmed it in different locations with different outfits to suit the lyrics. A dream sequence with pirates and forests, the lyrics themselves build the scene to a crescendo of colour and action. The earthy tones of Thakka Thaiyaa, sung by Karthik to Viveka’s lyrics, have a rather clever blend of funny dialogues in between, interspersed with energetic beats, a rather melodious tune, some sentimental words and overall, fantastic vocals. The lyrics are also peppered with some very spunky dialogues by Santhanam and Karthi, delivered as one-liners with such a casual flair in their characteristic voices. The rather quirky Rayya Rayya written by Pa Vijay and sung by Javed Ali and Ranina Reddy, makes for a fantastic rhythm. An out and out folk number of sorts, Rayya Rayya has within it, a rather strong blend of lyrics in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu. Onnam Class, sung by Mukesh and Priyadarshini, has Vaali’s entertaining lyrics and is a clear entertainer. Here’s a little scoop: when Devi Sri Prasad composes a tune with fast beats in the kuthu style, it is extremely special. Several huge stars have benefitted from DSP’s hugely addictive music and Karthi is the latest to join the list. Baba Sehgal and Priya Himesh croon together for Bad Boy, the lyrics for which are written by Karunakaran. Aimed at showing all of Karthi’s bad boy avatars, the song has a contagious tune and Baba Sehgal has done a fantastic job. With his legendary organisational and marketing skills, producer KE Gnanavel Raja organised a musical night under his banner Studio Green, to showcase the film’s soundtrack. The star-studded event was a huge hit and the audiences went ballistic having a gala time.

CAMEO

AJITH

CAMEO

’ l O d o Go Times

Thala Ajith Kumar wows us with his simple but profound words about his childhood and the support of his parents.

“We are nothing without our mothers. Of course, fathers as well. But mothers are special. We are what we are not because of what we learnt in school but what we were exposed to at home. I am blessed to have parents who have stood by me through everything, right from my childhood.”

, these stars

ppiness and pain , with memories of ha ne la ic lg sta no e th A walk down climes! , from past years and es tim l ia ec sp eir th e shar

CAMEO

TAAPSEE PANNU

LAKSHMI MANCHU

What did you love the most about your childhood?

The fact that I was an outdoorsy kid! I cherish that a lot. I grew up in Delhi and lived in a joint family comprising my parents, sister, grandmother, my father’s brother, his wife and their children.

We are three siblings and it was so much fun growing up together; If I fought with one, I would be friendly with the other; childhood is always fun. I grew up in Chennai; ours was a semi-joint family, as we had plenty of visitors from Chittoor and Nellore (in AP) on a routine basis. We were not assigned independent rooms till we reached the high school stage. There were lots of relatives and friends coming into our home and staying with us.

Share some memories of your school days with us. I went to Mata Jai Kaur Public School. I love my school the most. There are a lot of wonderful memories. I cherish the fact that I was Head Girl and Student of the Year in school.

Share some memories of your school days with us.

How did you spend your holidays?

I went to school at Church Park in Chennai. As it was a Catholic institution, every student had to collect money for charity. I was very prompt in this. I would go to my father’s shooting location and meet my target for that day in no time at all!

When I was in class II, our family went on a pilgrimage to Hemkunt, because there’s a gurudwara there. We had to cross glaciers while walking. I actually saw a person slip and fall down. I can never forget that sight. I don’t remember what happened to him, though.

What about holidays?

You must have been a mischievous kid…

What do you miss the most about your childhood? Playing outdoors. We used to go home only to eat and sleep and would play outside the rest of the day. Having grown up, I miss the fact that I can’t run around and play like I did as a child!

Photographer: Kunal Daswani Styling: Vira Shah Wardrobe RITU KUMAR Earrings FOREVER NEW Bracelet AYESHA in CASABLANCA Ring and Shoes ALDO Location: The Hyatt Regency, Chennai

Oh, of course. I must have been around four years of age when I went to the market along with my mother and I got lost there. I am very curious by nature, so I walked away from my mother as she was shopping. When my mother realised I was missing, she panicked and started frantically looking around. A person caught hold of me as he noticed I was alone. Later, he saw my mother and realised that I must have been the child she was looking for and I went back to her.

Dad used to ensure that shooting took place in cooler locations during our holidays. Therefore, we frequented foreign destinations a lot. But my favourite holiday as a child was in Ooty, where I learnt horse-riding.

Tell us one mischievous thing you did when you were a child. Oh! I was supposed to be the perfect child at home. I was not involved in any mischief; of course, it was the mandate of my brother Manoj to do all those pranks for which even I took the blame.

What do you miss the most about your childhood? My Ammamma’s home in Naidupet. Otherwise, I was a child that was eager to grow up. I was tired of going to school; I hated school so much that I felt I would die before completing 12th standard. Now is when I am in love with my life the most!

CAMEO

KARTHI SIVAKUMAR

HANSIKA MOTWANI

What did you love the most about your childhood?

Playing about in the neighbourhood streets, buying Pepsi-cola and Rasna in the local shops and going to school on a bicycle. No one could have possibly had such a normal childhood, considering who I was – but that’s exactly what I had. We grew up in T Nagar, Chennai. My neighbours, a huge gang of them, were all my friends. In those days, each family had three kids – you could put together a cricket team from three families. Even now, we’re all close.

My fame! I was very famous as a child actress. We lived in Mumbai where I grew up with my family – my brother and mother were the most important people in my life.

Share some memories of your school days with us. I began in PSBB and then continued at St Bede’s. The one thing I remember about my school days was learning to catch rats! We spent our holidays in my mother’s place in Coimbatore. Rats usually have four holes, like a plus sign. No matter where you try to catch it, it will escape through one of them. So we would stop up two holes, and set ﬁre in another, and when it ran out, we would catch it. I can’t imagine actually learning anything like that, these days. It was so much fun.

Photography: Munna S, Outﬁt & Styling: Nischay Niyogi, Make up & Hair: Hriya Marfatia

What do you miss the most about your childhood?

We actually had all that we wanted – but sometimes, I wish I’d had some clarity about what I wanted to do with life, sooner. Kids these days have such a clear vision of what they want to be, in future. I don’t think I had that. I wanted to learn more languages, play at least one musical instrument, take up one sports activity, so it would have given me that core-strength for muscles, later on in life. Those are what I miss; they are the things I wish I had done, in my childhood.

Share some memories of your school days with us. I studied at the Podar International School, where they used to print my photograph in the school diary. I was in 7th or 8th standard and I saw it, and it was such a memorable incident for me. Even today, when I look at it, I can’t help but remember those days. My mother was most particular about my looks, and once she even went to the principal and said, “Hansika won’t go out in the sun because she will get dark.” So people would keep sending me to the A/C room in school, and all the other kids used to be so jealous! The Principal was the biggest fan of mine and loved me. Imagine for a moment how you would react if Sachin Tendulkar walked into your room. That’s how it used to be with me, and everyone would go, “Hansika’s in the room!” And I used to be the chief guest of the functions at school!

What do you miss the most about your childhood? I miss being a normal child. My mother kept me centred, but I still missed the small pleasures that other children enjoyed, like buying guava and tamarind from the vendors under the trees. I wish I could have also done those things. Sometimes, I do that with my friends now – I can afford it! But I wish I could have done it then.

DAGGUBATI VENKATESH

SHRUTI HAASAN

What did you love the most about your childhood?

Being free! You don’t have any identity. I grew up in Chennai with my parents, brother and sister. It was a lot of fun.

My school, Abacus, and all my friends. I grew up in Chennai. I was surrounded by my mum, dad, sister and our three doggies!

Share some memories of your school days with us.

I studied at Don Bosco School. I was a very, very mischievous child!

I went to a lovely school called Abacus, in Chennai. I have so many wonderful memories of school. It was fun and openminded, and a great atmosphere for me. But if I had to pick one special memory, it would have to be our annual Holi party at school!

And what did you do on holidays? I have fond memories of going to our native village Karamchedu (Prakasam district), where I used to spend time with my grandfather, visit all the relatives and enjoy all the food.

What do you miss the most about your childhood? The whole atmosphere at school and all of my friends! Going to school in buses, walking on the streets, going to the exhibitions and participating in interschool sports competitions – I miss all of it. School and college life was the best. You have a blast, because you have no other responsibilities.

Holidays must have been fun… Yes, I enjoyed visiting Kodaikanal with my family. We went trekking and sat back, enjoying nature!

Tell us one mischievous thing you did as a child. Oh, I was always up to some mischief, I was a very naughty kid!

What do you miss the most about your childhood? Playing outside.

Photographer - G Venket Ram Stylist Chaitanya Rao Location - Aluminium Industries Ltd, Lingampally

Photographer: Munna S Styling: Nischay Niyogi Make up and hair: Venus Brown Shirt and shorts: Mango Jewellery: Curio Cottage Shoes : Zara

FASHION

BRIGADE Who wore what, and who dressed how! Here’s the lowdown on who was hot, who was not, and all that’s in vogue now…

Naani: “Now that I’m married.....”

Ram Charan: Handsome, as usual

Asin: Can’t slip up just because it is the South…

Chiranjeevi: Mega charming

Allu Arjun: Bringing style back!

Feel the Natural Beauty of Comfort & Luxury

BAB Leather Lounge, Old No.43 (No.34), Vaidyanathan Street , Nungambakkam, Chennai - 600 034, Tel: +91 44 2825 0274 Mob: +91 94441 02108, +91 89390 88438, E-mail: info@bableather.in, Web: www.bableather.in

SINCE 1945

Samantha: Gloriously chic

RNI No: APENG/2009/29389 |

Regd.No. L II RNP/HD/1118/2013-15 | January 2013