Southscope January 2013 main issue

JANUARY 2013

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VOL 04 | ISSUE 04

PART 1 OF 2

WHen

victorY

speaKs:

Daggubati Venkatesh opens up in this Southscope exclusive

upping the awesomeness

Catching up with Kannada superstar Upendra

“i KnoW HoW to Win a game!”

Handsome Arya on link-ups, relationships and his ideal woman

amY JacKson Sexy

on flops, Prateik and betting big on Shankar’s film

from the editor...

A brand new year is here. And with it comes the excitement of new ventures, possibilities and opportunities. What better way to start 2013 than with the candid insights of a down-to-earth superstar who surprised us with his beautiful and uncomplicated perspectives of life in this exclusive interview!

We are very proud to present the very first issue of Southscope 2013 featuring Victory Venkatesh as our Star of the Month. Southscope January 2013 is power-packed alright, with another cover featuring the charming Karthi Sivakumar and an in-depth feature on his Alex Pandian (Bad Boy in Telugu). Add to this awesome mix, a special new feature, a different twist to our superhit Cameo section and sizzling hot interviews, and you’ve got yourself a classic Southscope edition which is simply unputdownable.

Here’s wishing you a great read and a ‘Victorious’ New Year!

Aruna R Krishnan

Managing Editor

Managing Editor

PREVIEW

Aruna R Krishnan

Founder & Advisor Allu Sirish

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PUBLISHED FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2013 RNI NO.: APENG/2009/29389

Victory Venkatesh on movies, life, spirituality and much more!

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Here’s what caught our Roving Eye all through December!

Audio launches, movie launches, previews – get your monthly fix of film events!

12 ~ 19

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Malayalam Care for some Red Wine?

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Kannada Bachchan is making waves, and we show you why

Telugu Flip a coin with Paisa!

Jayasurya Versatility to the fore

Mickey Meyer Making music and musing about

Upendra Upping the awesomeness

Amy Jackson “Shankar’s film is my No.1 priority”

Arya “I know how to win a game!”

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34 38 42 46 52

Malayalam David and Goliath are recreated in this interesting flick by the same name

Kannada Auto Raja takes you on a fun ride

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Telugu

SPECIAL FEATURE

Walk down the path of nostalgia with Ramkumar Ganesan of Sivaji Productions, and stroll through the sands of time in Tamil cinema

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Baadshah wears its crown with pride, and here’s why

Tamil 60

Samar makes splashes in Winter

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GET YOUR MONTHLY FIX OF GOSSIP FROM ALL THE FOUR FILM INDUSTRIES!

S ECRETLY TIED THE KNOT ?

O R N OT ?

Remember all that tedious gossip a few years ago about Lakshmi Rai and cricketer MS Dhoni being an item? People even said that they had bought a flat together in one of Chennai’s upmarket residential areas. But then MSD got married, and Lakshmi said she was happy, so that was that. Now, though, rumours are rife that Lakshmi has secretly married an industrialist and settled down. When asked, Lakshmi reportedly clarified, “Someone is spreading malicious rumours about me. I have neither married anyone secretly nor am I in love with anyone. I am very busy acting in Tamil and Telugu films.

I haven’t given marriage a thought. My sister’s marriage is set to take place soon, so I am busy distributing the invites. Maybe that’s what has prompted someone to spread a story like this.” Ah well.

W HEN

T HE TRUE S UPERSTAR

After creating waves with his ciggie-gimmicks, Rajinikanth has come clean to his fans about the downside of wielding the cancer stick, as cigarettes are notoriously dubbed. Meeting his fans on the occasion of his 62nd birthday, the superstar requested them to quit smoking immediately. He explained to them that smoking was dangerously addictive and destructive to one’s health. Blunt about his own indulgences, the star frankly added that he had been drinking and chain-smoking since his early days as a bus conductor. Attributing his health problems to the tobacco indulgence, he spoke to his fans about how he recovered after quitting smoking and drinking. Fans have actually listened to him.

Now that’s a campaign that makes sense!

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DOYENS COME TOGETHER ...

If the rumour mills are to be believed, there’s some tremendously overwhelming news for the movie buffs around here: Rajinikanth and Mani Ratnam are said to be coming together for a new project. The grapevine has it that the two legends of Tamil cinema are all set to work together for a movie after a long gap of two decades. You may recall that the last time the duo came together, Thalapathi happened, sending the masses into a tizzy!

Sources insist that the Superstar has apparently begun talks with Mani Ratnam for this film and that if all goes well, post Mani Ratnam’s Kadal, the two will begin working together. We’re sure excited!

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P AWAN K ALYAN ’ S SHOW Much had been written about the alleged rift in Telugu mega star Chiranjeevi’s family when Pawan Kalyan did not turn up at the audio launch of Ram Charan Teja’s Rachcha last year. The Power Star put an end to all such speculations by not only appearing for the audio launch of Ram Charan’s next project Naayak, but also addressing his fans. Ram Charan provided the icing on the cake by declaring that such speculations hardly matter to him or his family members. All in all, it was a great show by Pawan Kalyan and Ram Charan at the audio launch, which was given a miss by Chiranjeevi because of political compulsions. It is needless to say that Pawan Kalyan unveiled the audio album of Naayak.

P OOJA G ANDHI ’ S IN EYE OF STORM

The unexpected has happened with leading Kannada actor Pooja Gandhi. The star performer, who was engaged in November, had to call off the relationship because of compatibility issues.

Though Pooja and her fiancé traded charges against each other, it failed to remain in the limelight for various reasons. But what gained more attention was her decision to join the Karnataka Janata Paksha, led by former chief minister, BS Yeddyurappa. We hope the reigning star performs well at the ballot box too.

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Southscope and RITZ at the Chennai Book Fair 2013!

We are at STALL NO. 158 Don’t miss this opportunity to grab previous editions that you missed and avail cool subscription offers The Chennai Book fair is from January 11th to 23rd at YMCA Grounds, Nandanam Do Drop By!

A NOTHER ITEM DANCER

Another leading Kannada actor has turned to item dancing! Rekha, who has been part of several blockbusters, recently performed an item number for her next movie Loosegalu. The actor also plays the female lead role in the movie, but according to the filmmakers, the item dance is the highlight.

Pooja Gandhi, Aindrita Ray, Ragini Dwivedi and Suman Ranganath have all appeared in item songs in Kannada movies in recent times. It is to be seen whether Rekha enjoys success in her latest venture.

W HEN THE P RINCE IS ANGRY ...

The reigning Prince Charming of the Telugu film industry, Mahesh Babu reportedly lost his temper recently. Yes, you read it right – the soft-spoken and reticent actor is said to have actually lost his cool! His latest movie, Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu sees him sharing screen space with Venkatesh and is a project that has audiences tingling with anticipation. But the Prince was reportedly unhappy with the way a couple of scenes had turned out. If these reports are to be believed, Mahesh is supposed to have expressed his disappointment with the scenes during the dubbing at the Shabdhalya studios in Hyderabad and apparently lost his temper. Considering that the multi-starrer film is one of the biggest of its kind in Telugu cinema, and that the Prince and the legendary Venkatesh will be coming together for first time, we can completely understand how Mahesh felt. We certainly hope that when the film hits the theatres this Sankranti, it won’t disappoint the masses!

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D IVYA S PANDANA ’ S SECRET CELEBRATION Divya Spandana certainly knows how to celebrate her birthday!

The star actor went missing from Bengaluru and enquiries revealed that she was busy celebrating her birthday in a different continent!

Nevertheless, her fans had organised her birthday celebrations on a massive scale despite her absence. Fruits were distributed to the poor and economically weaker sections in her name by her fans.

As an actor aspiring for a full-time career in politics, the scale in which her birthday was celebrated by her fans is a step in the right direction indeed!

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A LLU A RJUN ’ S LEGION That Stylish Star and dancing sensation Allu Arjun has a huge fan following across South India is not new. The actor, now has the distinction of nearly 500,000 fans from all over the world following him on a Facebook page created and maintained by his fans! This is no mean achievement, indeed! In a further sign of Bunny’s massive popularity there is a strong demand for his movies in other states too, including Kerala. At this pace, the 1 million-mark will be nothing short of a cakewalk for Allu Arjun.

I’ M COMING BACK , TOO !

Remember Arvind Swamy, the soft-spoken reticent star with a voice to kill for? Well, he’s making a comeback on the big screen with Mani Ratnam’s Kadal. The film, which marks the debut of Gautham Karthik and Thulasi Nair, also stars Arvind Swamy in what is said to be a promising role. How much of a lasting impression can his role leave? Well, we’re waiting to see, too!

I DENTITY CRISIS ?

Is actor Radhika Pandit facing an identity crisis? Of late, the actor has been signing multi-starrers and films opposite smaller and unknown stars. She shot into the limelight by winning awards thrice in a row, but they do not seem to have taken her anywhere. Fortunately, for her, Radhika’s moves have paid off. In 2011, she was seen in a film – Addhoori – opposite debutant Dhruva Sarja and the movie clicked. Subsequently, she acted opposite an upcoming actor in well-known director Yogaraj Bhat’s movie Drama, which is again doing well. Now, she has signed another project opposite a new face, the son of a well-known producer. Will that project be successful as well? Let us wait and watch.

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CHEERS TO A NEW BEGINNING! As the New Year unfolds, many projects are up and about, launching themselves into action. Here’s what happened all this while!

CELEBRATING SUCCESS Talented Rana has struck gold with Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum, directed by Krish. He was caught beaming with joy at the success meet of the film at FNCC, Hyderabad. His co-star Nayantara who is keen on making a successful comeback into films does have a lot to thank Rana and Krish for.

THEATRE HOPPERS GET A NEW HOTSPOT A slew of celebrities descended at the launch of the Maheshwari Parameshwari Inox Theatres at Kachiguda, Hyderabad.

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM!

Actor Vikram Prabhu, starlet Lakshmi Menon, director Prabhu Solomon, and producer-director Lingusamy were spotted at the Gajaraju (Kumki in Tamil) press meet held at the Daspalla Hotel in Hyderabad. The film’s success has definitely brought cheer to the entire team.

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AND THE ELEPHANT TRAVELS BACK HOME! The press meet of Kumki in Chennai saw the homecoming of the cast and crew as the movie has been given by a rousing welcome by the audiences.

WE LIKE THIS ROOPAM

Making a huge splash among music fans, is the audio of Vishwaroopam, which was launched at YMCA in Royapettah.

SAMAR IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER:

A press meet in connection with the VishalTrisha starrer Samar was held on 4th December at the Prasad Film Lab.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

At the audio launch of the film Yaaruda Mahesh in Chennai

A NEW BEGINNING

‘Prince’ Mahesh Babu, ‘Victory’ Venkatesh, Prakash Raj, Anjali and Samantha came together for the music launch of the hugely-anticipated biggie Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu at Ramanaidu Studios in Hyderabad.

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G Venket Ram Stylist: Chaitanya Rao Location: Aluminium Industries Ltd, Lingampally Coordinated by: Vrinda Prasad

when ViCtory speaks 24

Serene, spiritual, sincere are some of the words that could be used to describe Daggubati Venkatesh, popularly known as Victory Venkatesh. Over the years, interactions with Venkatesh have always been not just delightful but also insightful, with something profound to take back home every time, says Radhika Rajamani. Despite his hectic shoot schedules, she has lengthy and aboslutely engrosssing conversations with him over two days at his office, for this very special Southscope feature. Read on as we catch Venky unplugged on films, spirituality, personal pastimes and more

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He has soared to great heights, achieved fame and success; awards and acclaim have come his way in large measure in the last twenty six years of his stint in filmdom. Yet his feet are firmly rooted in terra firma, he is unfazed by his superstardom and his triumphs at the box office. Completing twenty six years in tinsel town is no ordinary feat. I ask Venkatesh how he feels about crossing the silver jubilee landmark, and he pauses to modestly reply, “When you have not planned anything in life and have gone into something which you never thought you would be in, and you have somehow managed to do well, when people have accepted you, appreciated you over the years in every way and you have earned the goodwill – I look at it as a blessing, every single step of the way. I was the kind of guy who never had any plans in life. I was always living in the moment. I have wonderful parents who took care of me and gave me good education. I was just drifting. I had an opportunity to act because of my family background. I was open to healthy advice from anyyone, and the people of Andhra Pradesh received me so well that I continued doing various kinds of films! I have spent more than 25 years of my life, just going out there and doing what I meant to do at that point of time,” he laughs.`

Films happened by chance for this welleducated son of eminent producer D Ramanaidu. “My family has been in films for a long time. So a lot of people were telling me while I was studying that I should enter films too. I had movie offers before going to the USA where I pursued MBA from the Institute of International Studies, Monterey, California, and even there my friends would tell me I looked like an actor! It was all very encouraging. It was around the time that I had completed my degree; I was in the intial stages of planning an international business partnership venture and it required me to travel abroad very often. But then suddenly film offers came my way, and I decided to give it a shot. Acting came very naturally to me, without a lot of training. I realised I could grasp any expression very fast.”

His illustrious film background helped Venkatesh get that vital kick-start in filmdom. “There was access to everything in filmmaking. My father was already an established name, my brother was also making hit films by then, and I think I entered at the right time. But then, your background and everything else can only help you get your first film. After that you are on your own. I had a string of flops – the next four films were not good. Back then, I was not comfortable with the style of acting because I was exposed to a more natural school, having just come back from America. My real body language is very natural but in the movies at that time there was loud acting with the whole style being very different. Even though I couldn’t really identify with that, I just followed whatever was going on. Every actor goes through that phase. You have to listen to what’s happening at the relevant time. I did and luckily in some films, the directors drew

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out some natural performances from me – Vishwanath, Kodi Ramakrishna and Suresh Krissna, to name a few. Slowly I felt comfortable.”

Even though the going may not have been great in the early stages, Venkatesh says, “I never felt the struggle because I never dreamed of anything. I think struggle happens, when you want to achieve something. I was never the kind who wanted to achieve anything. I was happy doing the films I was doing. Everything was comfortable. If there were flops, I said let’s try some other movie. But I remember a lot of people saying that maybe I should not have entered films. Of course, it didn’t matter.”

An actor’s perceived success is so fickle, it changes every Friday. Venkatesh seems to have taken this in his stride as he says, “I think over the years you learn that these are all natural happenings, that after you do the film, the results are not in your hands. Some movies do very well and some fail. Luckily for me, nearly 70 percent of my films range from being above average to becoming hits – so the success rate has been pretty good.”

Venkatesh is utterly committed and dedicated to his work and has never looked at himself as the huge star that he is. As he says, “Deep down you have to be honest with yourself. If you are not comfortable or your judgement told you that a particular film would not work and it eventually does not, you have to accept the result because you knew all along that something was wrong. I would always listen to the script from the beginning and then make a kind of judgment, about whether it would be okay or not. Right from the beginning, I have been honest with the

movies I worked in. I never thought like a star or got carried away hoping a film will run on its image – of course, there are stars whose average films become blockbusters because of the image and I respect that. But I have never thought that way about my films, because I’m not made like that. That way, I get to accept the result faster and move on.”

Tiding over low and difficult phases is tough for anyone. Venkatesh has passed through these phases gracefully. “I remember my father’s positive approach. He used to make so many films and he always accepted the results very fast. The access to right reports is amazing in Suresh Productions. We have always had honest reports and real figures.

Everything is transparent. We get to know exactly what is happening and where. So we are not living with false reports. My father has been very honest, and it is the same with my brother. It has helped us a lot to be grounded and never get carried away. Even when our movies are doing well, the reaction is to move on. My family keeps me grounded.

They don’t under or overreact. That’s where the balance comes from, it is a very moderate approach. That has rubbed off onto all aspects of my life.”

Despite his superstardom, Venkatesh is completely unpretentious. He says with honesty, “You just live the moment and move on. Everything is impermanent and realising that made me undertake the search for my spiritual self. I understood that life was fleeting, it was all about moving on. Nothing seemed to be real at all. That impermanency drew me to spirituality.”

His films have spanned all genres but the predisposition seems to be towards family entertainers. Venkatesh’s films have attracted women audiences by the droves. “When I was doing a lot of action films, injuries happened. I cleverly looked at all the remakes from Tamil, and did some of the softer stories.

See, I feel if you keep doing your stuff, you sometimes get good movies. There is some extraordinary power, some incomprehensible energy that makes certain things happen. For instance, there could an excellent script that might have been gathering dust for a long time with somebody – and on the day you want to listen to some scripts, you just get to hear it! Or maybe all of a sudden a star is free for a whole year and a remake goes to him or her. Or a director who has given a superduper hit may be waiting for stars and then he gets busy. He’s at his peak and he says, ‘I’ll

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“Acting came very naturally to me, without a lot of training.

I realised I could grasp any expression very fast”

get the person who’s approachable’ and that guy gets the break. You’ll find a combination like this for all actors. That’s why we are nobodies. We are just instruments doing our job. That’s why I tell everyone, once you are accepted as a star, just be sincere to your work. Don’t worry about your career, it’ll go on. You’ll have a nice 20-25 years that are successful.”

But monotony and boredom can easily set in, right? “Well, that’s what acting is. Sometimes you are doing the same expression. It comes easily, automatically. Monotony will set 28

“I’m more like an observer now. I’m a witness to my own life”

in, and a star has to accept it. Sometimes it might be a boring scene which deep down he knows is not working. But he has to do his job and when he doesn’t do his job, it’s clearly visible onscreen. The actor must do a sincere job even though the movie may be a flop – sometimes he may not connect with the film. But the sincerity must always be there.”

Every actor wants to do something different and challenging, but such opportunities don’t come by easily. “The need, the urge and the interest is always present. But again what we want and what we get in life is not

in our hands. I’ve got other responsibilities and priorities too in my life. I want to travel, indulge in some hobbies… Life is not just about work, even though sometimes I feel I have many ideas I’m capable of doing. I balance it out.”

Venkatesh is happy that certain directors he has worked with over the years have managed to get the best out of him in their films. “I felt some of them have tapped into my natural flair for comedy. Take films like Nuvvu Naaku Naachav for example. They have portrayed me in a differnet angle or in

an emotionally-supercharged theme, in films like Dharma Chakram and Ganesh. Those sequences earned me a lot of appreciation.

When it comes to comedy, emotion and high-voltage action, I remember Bobbili Raja.

On another level, I feel that it is all about how you are presented and how your films are treated. Now it is up to the director and technicians to make me look and act different.

I feel I’ve got the energy to give much more.”

A few films which have challenged him as an actor and showcased his acting prowess are Swarnakamalam, Prema, Ganesh and

Dharma Chakram. He went against the grain and did Chanti when most people dissuaded him from doing such a role! He’s also done roles where the subjects were different and he was not sure of their viability in terms of box office run like Pellichesukundam and Pavithra Bandham. “I did enjoy other films like Kshana Kshanam – it gave me scope to portray subtle expressions.”

At this point in his career Venkatesh is looking to chart another path. “I want to accept mature hero roles, take on character roles with young heroes and also do films in

other languages. Every time I go to Chennai, everyone is keen that I do Tamil films as I speak the language fluently. I can manage Hindi too but you have to put in that extra energy and make an effort. I would love to do good character roles – like what I’m doing in Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (SVSC) and the Bol Bachchan remake.”

Venkatesh doesn’t have a dream role as such but does have some reference points. “I keep thinking that if I want to do action-oriented movies, I should do the Die-Hard series.

The way Bruce Willis took the cop character 29

“Every time I go to Chennai, everyone is keen that I do Tamil films as I speak the language fluently”

gracefully to another genre is admirable.

It’s got its own timing. It’s a mature thing.

Then there are comedy films which are good options too. But I don’t think we have the writers. There are very few directors and there’s a flood of new heroes and the directors are busy with the younger lot.”

Right now Venkatesh is doing the multistarrer Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (SVSC) with Mahesh Babu and Shadow back-to-back. Will SVSC open the doors to more multi-starrers in Telugu cinema?

“We want it to do that. The idea was to do a multi-starrer with high-voltage action, but the format is different – it is a little more real, very contemporary. It is the story of two brothers, the simple emotions they go through, their struggles, happy times, their lives, how others surrounding them react – it’s something everybody can relate to.” The release of the family entertainer, is being keenly expected during the Sankranti festival.

Venkatesh is also doing the action film Shadow. “When I used to go to functions and parties with my beard, youngsters would tell me, ‘You are looking macho. You have to do an action film.’ Then Meher Ramesh came up with this revenge drama which had scope for not routine but stylised action. There were different get-ups in the film. It was the triedand-tested formula of revenge cleverly mixed

with entertainment and action. I thought it would be good for a change.” Venkatesh has even performed all the stunts himself.

The superstar is now set to do the remake of Bol Bachchan with young hero Ram. “I also wanted to tell the industry I’m ready to do character roles, fun roles. It doesn’t have to be only a solo hero. Somewhere you have to make a statement. I see Ajay Devgn reinvented himself by doing all the Golmaal series. He’s got a huge market.”

Movies for Venkatesh, “Are business; we have a minimum guarantee. It should please everybody. There are no high budgets or crazy budgets. As a producer, I always think of doing a safe film. Even now I think that.” Now that his nephew Rana Daggubati has turned actor, Venkatesh is interested in sharing more screen space with him. “I’m glad Rana’s maturing as an actor. He’s going slow and steady. His dialogue delivery is unique.”

What attracts him to films even now? “For me now, it’s not a major attraction. I should be honest. That’s the job I have to go and do sincerely. That’s what I know to do (laughs).

What attracts me is when someone gives me an exciting role. It will come. Why am I still going on? It’s difficult to say.”

“It’s because I have never had any expectations that everything seems nicer, the smallest joys seem like a huge bonus” 30

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“Actors are just instruments doing our job”

Pursuing personal pastimes Cricket is a favourite pursuit for the ace actor.

“Right from childhood I have enjoyed the game.

I have gone to some of the best of games – the World cups and other matches. I’ve enjoyed that. The CCL is bringing actors together. It’s a fun thing.” Venkatesh also loves to don the apron and whip up a grand feast. “I used to cook Indian food and do barbecues when I was in the U.S. In my new house, I’m not cooking that much. Now there are a lot of cookery shows on television which are very tempting to watch.

Who knows, I may take off to do a course in cookery too!”

Venkatesh says that each of us is born for a certain purpose. “My purpose has been to find my true self which is not connected with the outside. I have to lead a middle path. I find an inner strength which is indestructible. I feel the expansive vastness within me.

Embarking on a Spiritual journey Movies are not Venkatesh’s all-consuming passion. His family and his spiritual life are clearly very high priority for him. “There was a time when I was having many hits, one after another. But I wasn’t enjoying the success as a normal actor should. People around me were wondering why I was not behaving like a successful star. Then I felt there’s something wrong with me, I wondered why, despite being an actor for so many years I was not able to enjoy my success completely. I was trying to get answers in vain. Then I travelled to the Himalayas, read books of other masters, understood how they lived their lives and when I did all that, I realised that it looked like they all had a struggle too. I got to a stage when I asked myself, ‘Who am I? If I’m not enjoying my life as Venkatesh, as a hero, then who am I? Is there something else?’”

So his quest began, one that even took him to the Himalayas. Venkatesh found his answer in Ramana Maharishi. “He was very direct. His teachings made sense to me. He said false human identity is the root cause.

How very true!” Venkatesh has been making regular trips to Tiruvannamalai, where the Ramanashram is located. “Earlier I used 32

to go quite often, now it’s once or twice a year.” Venkatesh also read I Am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj and other thoughtprovoking literature including some Sufi writings.

As he says, “I was ready for that kind of knowledge – I was looking for it and surrendered to it without questioning too much. It reached my heart.” Venkatesh visits samadhis of great masters all over the world, irrespective of religion. “Everyone has said the same thing and we should make the most of their knowledge. We have been so attached to rituals and traditions for a very long time and are stuck in the Dvaita stage. We need to merge with God or however we choose to call this extraordinary force, we need to feel the consciousness that everything is one and understand that when we have originated from it, and thus we are also a part of it.

Why do we separate ourselves? Why are we not utilising the knowledge of the Advaitic masters? We sit and listen to all our lecturers in the top schools in the physical world and we follow everything in the outer world, but why are we not following what the great masters have taught us in the spiritual science, the inner world?”

Venkatesh also practices a higher level of meditation. He says, “I’m more like an observer now. I’m a witness to my own life. I’m just watching everything. We have to move on, observe and accept whatever comes. If we do that, then there is no more confusion in life. Take life seriously – be there and yet not – attach-detach kind of a thing. I’m not saying it’s easy. No matter who you are, what you are, there’s is going to be suffering and happiness. It’s the same for the richest fellow and the poorest fellow.

You accept that and go on. When you have this knowledge and can apply this knowledge to your own life, you will find that you are able to accept the suffering and react to it in a different way.”

On the necessity of having a guru/master, Venkatesh replies “It’s an easier way. One should have faith in someone who has been there. It’s essential to find a genuine person.” Venkatesh is also making a film on Vivekananda. “Plans are afoot. To get the right team and set up the whole thing is taking time. It will happen when it has to happen.”

Ask him about his thoughts on religion, karma etc., and he quickly says “I think you have to respect everybody because everyone has to move from Dvaita to Vishishtadvaita to Advaita. We cannot comment on anyone as each of us comes with a previous baggage, each one has to go through their own experiences and then discover the truth for themselves. Nobody can undertake your spiritual journey on your behalf. You are on your own. You have to be ready for it, you have to feel for it. It may come in another life.

There’s no need to get worked up. There’ll be so many other things to finish.” Regarding past life regression which seems to be a fad today, Venkatesh feels “One must be strong enough to know of their past and be ready for it. Also, it has to be done carefully. There’s already enough to handle in this life.”

Venkatesh has always been a person who has gone with the flow of life. “I feel that is why my life has been wonderful. It’s because I have never had any expectations that everything seems nicer, the smallest joys seem like a huge bonus,” he says, winding up this conversation on the philosophical note.

Family: The home, where the heart is Venkatesh is happy talking about his family. “I enjoy their company, I see their innocence, I have grown with them – it’s simply beautiful. I’ve been fortunate to I have such a wonderful family – Aashrita, Havya Vahini, Bhavana and Arjun are my children and Neeru (Neeraja), my wife. This year I worked on two films, otherwise I would have been able to spend more time with them. After pack up I’m at home, I don’t socialise that much. I have enough entertainment at home and we all have a blast. We take off in summer. We go to the USA a lot. I don’t go to the shooting locations with my family as it is work. But I even looked at the injuries I sustained while shooting, as a blessing because I was able to spend more time with the family and could also change the kind of films I was doing earlier.”

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Versatility to the fore Jayasurya is now one of the top stars in Malayalam and has, over the course of the last few years, evolved into one of the most versatile actors in Mollywood. Unni Nair finds out what makes the actor tick

Being a mimicry artist, it was but natural for Jayasurya to begin with roles with a comic edge to them. Though he began with a small, insignificant role in Dosth, he got noticed playing a speech-impaired lover in Vinayan’s Oomapenninu Uriyaadapayyan. Though he did light, humour-oriented roles in films like Swapnakoodu, Pulivaal Kalyanam, Chathikkatha Chanthu and Classmates, he managed to break free of that mould with his villainous turn in Kangaroo. That was a turning point, and then came different kinds of roles.

Jayasurya says that Kangaroo worked out very well for him. “The stagnation that happened after Oomapenninu

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Uriyadappayyan was my own fault. I should have paid attention to the roles I was playing.

Kangaroo was planned with me as the hero and the director was looking for someone to play the villain. I offered to play the villain and that worked out. It in fact paved the way for my roles in Vairam, Positive, Gulumaal, Cocktail etc.” His performances in recent films like Beautiful, Trivandrum Lodge and 4 Friends have been widely appreciated.

His latest release 101 Weddings, in which he plays a girlish dance master Jyothish Kumar, sees him at his comic best and once again proves his mettle. But don’t think Jayasurya forgets where he came from or that success has gone to his head. Says he, “I will always be indebted to Vinayan sir, who

introduced me as the hero in Oomapenninu Uriyadappayyan. But for him, I wouldn’t have been what I am. I am also thankful to my family for the support they have given me, at all times”.

Jayasurya also gets to experiment a lot these days. His portrayal of the sex-starved, sex-obsessed Abdu in Trivandrum Lodge is something that most actors would like to avoid. The actor’s assessment of himself and his acting capabilities is very realistic: “I am an actor who loves what he is doing. From a comedy actor I made the transition into someone who’d do any kind of role. I now get to play a character with negative shades immediately after a comedy-oriented one.

I know I am improving with each film and I now work hard to keep it all going. I am now real careful; I take care not to repeat the mistakes that happened in the early stages of my career. “For the initial three or four years of my career, I was seen as a comedy star. But then things changed and I got to do all kinds of roles. Now I see myself as a far better actor.”

First a mimicry artist, then a comedy actor in films and now an actor who takes on truly diverse roles. What next? Jayasurya has a reply: “Honestly, I don’t know. I finish what I do and move on, eager to take on and accomplish new things. So at a certain stage I may turn to something other than acting. If

you ask me what that would be, I can’t say.

But it could be screen-writing. I write stories and some have been published too”.

Ask him to name his favourite films, among the ones he has done so far and he has a frank reply, “Starting with Oomapenninu Uriyadappayyan, there are many: Swapnakoodu, Chathikkaatha Chanthu, Kangaroo, Positive, Gulumaal, Cocktail, 4 Friends, Vairam, Arabikatha, Classmates, Paththam Nilayile Theevandi, Beautiful, Trivandrum Lodge and the like.”

What about the future? “Well, I guess I’ll always be a student of cinema and acting.

I will strive for perfection, always. But

having said that, I also feel that an actor who achieves the mark called perfection would have to stop acting. As for me, I will continue to learn, as always, from my mistakes and my past experiences and will mature into a better actor, over time.”

Jayasurya, who also acted in Tamil in a handful of films including Vasool Raja MBBS, continues to do interesting films and challenging roles. Films in the offing for the enterprising actor include Pigman, Poppins, D Company, David and Goliath, English and much more. Each of these films, we are sure, will bring a new Jayasurya to the fore.

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A former engineer with the Kerala State Electricity Board, Vinayan groomed himself in theatre and never stopped to work with anyone as an associate or an assistant. He made his entry into films producing Aalila Kuruvikal, in 1988 and later made his debut as a director in 1990 with Super Star. Vinayan has not only been a prolific director, he is someone who doesn’t go with a set pattern or formula. Courtesy of the wide gamut of films he has made and by courting controversies, making news, introducing artistes and with the rift that had happened between him and most others in mainstream Malayalam cinema, Vinayan continues unabated as the most ‘happening’ person in Malayalam filmdom. He is now getting ready with Dracula 2012, his adaptation, in 3D, of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Unni R Nair talks to Vinayan for more

“the all-powerfUl stars JoineD hanDs anD opposeD me” With hits like Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum, Sipayi Lahala, Akasha Ganga, Karumadikkuttan, Dadasaheb, Athbutha Dweepu, Kalyana Sougandhikam, Oomapenninu Uriyadappayyan, Rakshasa Rajavu and Athisayan to his credit, director Vinayan’s career is going great guns in Malayalam cinema. Unni Nair finds out why he is always hot news

People know of your conflicts with most of the prominent names in the Malayalam film industry and the trade bodies. But where did it all begin?

A still from Vinayan’s forthcoming film Dracula 2012

Let’s begin with Dracula 2012. Tell us about the film.

Dracula 2012, as you know is the adaptation of the Bram Stoker classic. It marks the coming together of the best of technicians from Hollywood and Bollywood. Vanessa Taylor, who had worked for Harry Potter and Avatar, is the stereographer while Babith George, who has been working with AR Rahman, scores the music. The film has been shot extensively in Romania. A major portion of it has been shot at the Bran Castle (also known as Dracula’s castle) in Transylvania, Romania. It’s a multi-lingual, with versions in Tamil, Telugu and English too.

Well, what is it that makes you different?

What is that particular quality that makes you such a sought-after director?

I don’t know whether I am different or not, but I can tell you what I am. I have been fortunate enough to have introduced some new faces to Malayalam and Tamil cinema. If you ask me what I have achieved or where I have reached in my career, I’d say that I am yet to make many films that are perfect. Still, I am happy that I could make successful films that broke away from the conventional grammar or formulae of filmmaking. Beginning with Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum, I could make some films that still stand out as good ones.

I’d also call it an achievement that I could make films which came to be called as Vinayan films irrespective of whether they 36

had popular stars in them or not. I have made many successful films with newcomers.

I had introduced Jayasurya as a hero in Oomapenninu Uriyaadaapayan, I had made Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum and Karumadikkuttan with Kalabhavan Mani, I had given Dileep a popular hit with Kalyana Sougandhikam, at a time when he was not very popular, one of my recent films Yakshiyum Njaanum gave Malayalam cinema a new hero and a new heroine too.

The heroine Meghna Raj is now a busy star in Malayalam. I was the one who introduced Anoop Menon, who was then just a television star. I introduced Manikuttan.

When I introduced Suresh Krishna in Karumadikkuttan, as the villain, people mocked me, but it worked out well. When I did Athbutha Dweepu, there were people who asked me mockingly if I was making a documentary with all these dwarfish actors.

Recently a leading journalist wrote that we can’t make a perfectly good 3D film and was sort of criticising my move to make Dracula 2012. I have kept that paper cutting with me.

When Dracula is released, I will ask him to go and watch it. It’s a full-fledged 3D film.

And it looks like you are once again moulding the career of a few actors…

I am sure Sudheer who plays the key role in the film, will go places. Similarly Aryan, who is a film institute graduate, also plays a key role and will have a great career.

How would you rate Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum among your films?

It was with Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum that I started seeing films with a different and more serious approach. The film was satisfying – it had all the commercial aspects intact and was a hit; it had artistic value too.

Your Athbhutha Dweepu proved to be something unique indeed. Hundreds of dwarfs brought together in a film with some of them even playing key roles – that was a daring attempt indeed. What made you think of such a film?

Those who are marginalised in society, like the visually challenged, the mentally retarded, the hearing impaired and the speech impaired have always found a place in my films as the protagonists. It was in fact actor Guinness Pakru or Undapakru who once mentioned that though I was making films on people with all kinds of handicaps, I hadn’t focussed on dwarfs. I responded that being a dwarf was not a handicap in my view. Anyway Pakru lamented that he couldn’t play a king or a prince and couldn’t fight and dance in a film like a hero and also that he would love to act in a film in which he wouldn’t have to “look up” and could look straight and talk. It was then that the idea struck me. I subsequently developed the story and Athbhutha Dweepu came to happen.

I have been directing films from 1990. It was in 2006 that we formed the MACTA Federation, to support and promote the interests of technicians and also people who worked as drivers etc. who were, sort of in the lower rungs of filmdom.

Well, look at it this way. Of the 150 plus people on the sets of a movie, almost 125, barring the actors, director, cinematographer etc., are technicians, including drivers, light boys and the like. These 125 people were leading a miserable life. There was no trade body to look into their interests.

Even when films were making huge losses, the directors, stars and others were getting their remunerations increased. But these technicians and others were being paid a meagre 150 rupees per day, and I mean one whole day, i.e., 24 hours. MACTA Federation initiated a 4-day long strike at the end of which the battle was won. The wages were increased from 150 rupees to 300 rupees a day. But this seems to have irked some big names in Malayalam cinema. Rather than discussing their issue, many of them started questioning my actions. They were commenting that instead of going after ‘creative pursuits’ I was playing the game of trade unionism.

Yet another issue came up that highlighted the need for professional ethics. Actor Dileep took an advance of 40 lakhs from director Thulasidas for doing a movie, but then Dileep made the producer change the director. This was against all ethics and I protested. But then, the all-powerful stars joined hands and opposed me. Some directors and technicians, who couldn’t survive except in the shadow of these stars, lined up to lend them support.

“They were commenting that instead of going after ‘creative pursuits’ I was playing the game of trade unionism” Opposition against me was strong. But since I was sure that I was right, I stood my ground and fought it out. At that time, a statement that I made addressing director Siddique, who was planning a Dileep film, caused unnecessary issues too. Stars and big directors who felt that I was a threat to their ‘supremacy’ lined up against me and formed an association called FEFKA. They declared that I was out of Malayalam cinema. But see what the state is today. The very same technicians for whom I spoke and fought are once again dependent on stars and big directors. There is lots of indiscipline in the film industry today.

Anyway, those who lined up against me declared that I won’t make any film in Malayalam. This proved a turning point for me. See, once I feel people are trying to impose things on me, I am the kind of a guy who will just do what I want to do. So I decided that I’d show them what I could do. I am now making a film that’s much bigger in scale that any of my earlier films.

Dracula 2012 is an international venture and is an answer to those who spared no effort to thwart my moves to make films and get them released.

See the other side of it. Jayasurya, Indrajith, Anoop Menon, Suresh Krishna, Anil Murali, Manikuttan and more than 10 heroines who I introduced are all an integral part of mainstream Malayalam cinema today. That’s my achievement and these guys, who have now lined up against me as a person and not

against what I did, have even started telling people who I introduced not to work with me!

After all these movies and having introduced so many stars, how do you feel now?

Elated. I feel I have been instrumental in proving that making films with newcomers is a rather riskless affair. I enjoyed the thrill of making small films like Oomapenninu Uriyadappayyan much more than I enjoyed making the Mammootty starrers Dadasaheb and Rakshasa Eajavu. Not that I am speaking lightly of Mammookka and his tremendous acting calibre. He is no doubt a fantastic actor who has proved himself and Dadasaheb was just one more movie for him. But for those who acted in Yakshiyum Njaanum for examples, it’s not so. And for me too, it’s a different experience as I get the chance to mould fresh talent.

Coming back to Dracula 2012, what genre would it represent?

It’s an out and out horror film, with entertainment being given prominence.

Audiences are going to be very impressed with the film.

“The very same technicians for whom I spoke and fought are once again dependent on stars and big directors” 37

The songster’s song Music is a talent, a gift, a special endowment for a select few. And yet, fewer among that fold adopt music as their life, honing their craft and evolving through the journey. Among that few is Mickey Meyer. And as Radhika Rajamani chats with the musician, he enthrals her with his spirit and talent

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Terms such as symphonic, sonorous and sweet are synonymous with his music. He has learnt Western Classical on the piano and has a graduate degree from Trinity College to his credit. He has composed music for Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films. He is deeply steeped in music yet selective about the film projects he takes up. Mickey J Meyer has more than a dozen films under his belt and has carved a niche for himself in the film music firmament, particularly in Telugu. His orchestration is different as his music has strains of Western influences, yet is melodious to hear. As for now, Mickey has wound up work on the plum project Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (SVSC) starring the two superstars Venkatesh and Mahesh Babu and Routine Love Story.

SVSC is a obvoiusly a huge film and a much-awaited project especially because it is a multi-starrer – Venkatesh and Mahesh Babu come together in this film along with Anjali, Samantha besides Prakash Raj. “I wanted to wait till I got the right film. SVSC was truly worth the wait. Unlike my other albums, it is completely commercial and the music is a

combination of spice and sweetness. I wanted to show everyone that I can make commercial music too.”

Mickey is happy to have done this film. “I felt proud of myself. Since it’s a multi-starrer, I felt I should take it to the next level. I stuck to my melodies within the commercial format.”

Doing this film was a good experience. “I feel more confident and it is a huge relief as I have always wanted to do a big film.”

The other film for which Mickey composed music is Routine Love Story which released in November. “I liked the director and had seen his earlier film LBW. So when he asked me I said, ‘Sure we’ll work together’.

I had not done a rom-com earlier. It was an entertaining film and a good change after Life is Beautiful. The songs were lighter too.”

Mickey shares a rather special rapport with director Sekhar Kammula and producer Dil Raju as he has worked on quite a few films with them. Mickey has scored music for Sekhar’s Happy Days, Leader and Life is Beautiful. “Around the time that Sekhar

made Dollar Dreams I met him. He said we would work together in future. I got a call when he was planning Happy Days. It’s been good working with him. When I compose for him I get a bound script. Sekhar also gives a narration. Invariably, he has liked whatever I’ve composed.”

Mickey has composed for Kotha Bangaru Lokam, Maro Charithra and is now scoring for SVSC – all Dil Raju productions. “I met Dil Raju before I did Pothe Poni. After Happy Days he called me to composing music for Kotha Bangaru Lokam. I enjoy working with him. He’s multi-talented and has given me crucial suggestions which have all worked. I take him very seriously.”

Talking about his childhood, Mickey says, “I used to play old Hindi songs especially those of Talat Mahmood on the piano as my dad would ask me to. I know all of Talat Mahmood’s songs. I began when I was six or seven years old. It was quite tough to learn, sing and play on the keyboard. Then my dad decided I should learn ghazals. So I began learning ghazals under Aziz.” Later Mickey

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Favourite composers

Where Quality speaks for itself

ADVT Think jewellery in Hyderabad, and one of the first names to come up is the renowned Manepally Jewellers, which has prided itself in a stellar lineage, stupendous quality and a wonderful range of jewellery for years together

AR Rahman Ennio Morricone Hans Zimmer John Williams Michael Jackson

Favourite songs Nenani Neevani (Shwetha Prasad) Yellow (Cold Play) Tu Hi Re (A.R. Rahman) Gangnam (Psy) I’m like a bird (Nelly Furtado)

enrolled at the Trinity College. Music became a part of his life. He even tried learning Carnatic violin for a month. His dad was an avid watcher of English movies. “I was inspired by the Hollywood scores.” It was also the era of Michael Jackson and Mickey was hooked on to watching video cassettes of the singer-dancer. “Michael Jackson was my first inspiration.”

In the nineties, AR Rahman’s arrival on the musical scene ushered in a new atmosphere.

He brought in new tunes and radical changes, thereby inducting new listeners and inspiring many to turn to music as a career. “Listening to Rahman gave me a kick. I felt I should also create something like this but not imitate him.

I wanted to do something out of the box. That inspired me to compose music for movies.”

Mickey was not from a Telugu-speaking family though Hyderabad was home. People advised him to try Hindi but “that would have meant living in Mumbai and I couldn’t do that. I thought, let me try here. I gave up my studies to concentrate fully on music. I met many directors and landed my first two films Notebook and Pothe Poni.” Then Happy Days happened and Mickey’s life changed as he later worked on the remakes of this film in Tamil and Kannada.

While composing Mickey says, “I try to follow international trends.” Mickey’s exposure to international albums and learning

Western classical has helped him. “As a composer it is important to follow your heart.” The musicians who have inspired him include Ennio Morricone, Yanni, AR Rahman, Michael Jackson, Mozart, Bach and Handel.

Mickey is unfazed by the intense competition in the field. “No, I am not bothered about competition. After Leader there was a twoyear gap – I was on a vacation of my own.

Some people have to have back-to-back projects but I am not bothered if I am jobless.

I’m lucky directors keep coming back to me.

I make sure there’s no vulgarity in the script or double entendres when I take up a project.”

His future plans include “...doing gospel music, writing and composing songs for an international audience. I’m a follower of Jesus Christ and it gives me peace to make those songs as one is not bound by any director or producer. In the long run, I do want to make it to Hollywood. I don’t know when I’ll get there, but I may even move to the US sometime down the years.”

Incidentally Mickey is married to an American, Sharon Keppinger and has a 10-month old daughter, Willow. He unwinds by spending time with the family and loves to watch movies. Mickey is passionate about music. “Music is my work. It’s also a medium where I can express myself. It keeps me calm and grounded.”

Started way back in 1890, Manepally Jewellers just completed their 132nd year in the jewellery business. The store has remained in General Bazaar right from its inception – building a towering presence in the process. Now being run by Murali Krishna and his brother, Gopi Krishna, with the sound advice of their parents, the establishment has a customer base that has spanned generations. “We have been providing quality services in the gold and diamond business to a loyal customer base for four generations. This is our fifth generation in the business. For us, customer satisfaction is the main priority – and we believe in ensuring that our customers are entirely satisfied with our products, services, quality and ambience,” explains Murali Krishna.

Manepally is one of the first jewellers to have gone in for BIS Hallmarking. When the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) launched the Hallmarking initiative in India in collaboration with the World Gold Council in April 2000, Manepally immediately adopted the methodology to reinstate the Manepally tradition and commitment to provide the best quality of gold. “We aim to give our customers the best. We are also the pioneers of the diamond business in India. Apart from gold and diamond jewellery, we also deal in gemstones. Manepally deals only in genuine and authenticated stones that are certified by renowned gem testing labs,” explains Murali.

The brothers have integrated themselves into the business from a very young age, having worked with customers from when they were children, while accompanying their grandfather and father, to work. Besides, they have also equipped themselves with sound knowledge in business administration, jewellery design and gem testing mechanisms. “Our knowledge of gems and the fact that we have nurtured relationships over generations, gives our customers a lot of comfort. We want our customers to go back with a smile on their faces. We welcome them to share their dreams with us, and for our part, we try to make it a reality for them.”

With a customer base that includes NRIs, several generations of Hyderabadis and people from all over India, Manepally is also home to visitors from all over the world. “We want nothing less than 100% satisfaction for our customers. Whether it is a small nose pin or a kamar-patti (waist band) that they come to buy, we need them to go back with happiness about their acquisition.” The store has one floor exclusively for earrings and rings, one for diamond jewellery of all kinds, one for chains and bangles, and another exclusively for their bridal collection, which is perhaps one of the most unique selling points of Manepally. “We offer very special wedding packages for bridal needs. The least is the 200 grams of gold package with 11 items specific to a wedding’s needs, all for just 6 lakhs. At the other end of the spectrum is the 3 kilogram package, costing 1 crore.”

With something for everyone and happiness abounding at Manepally, it is definitely the right place for your quality jewellery needs.

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Upping the Awesomeness!

Aravind G Shivkamal catches up with Kannada superstar Upendra and finds him with more grease to the elbow this time around!

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Upendra is all set to wield the megaphone once again. This time, it will be for none other than his wife Priyanka, who is producing the as-yet-untitled film under her own banner!

Needless to say, he will play the lead role in the movie.

In fact, Upendra released the print advertisement of his directorial venture some time back, as a collage of Kannada and English letters, without any title. It is Upendra’s unique style to raise the curiosity levels among his legionnaire of fans. Ask him about the title of his project and his reply is, “Let’s look at all the possible titles my fans come up with. Then, I shall freeze on one.”

His thought processes may have changed in the last two decades but definitely not his witty answers. Upendra’s previous directorial venture went untitled (whereas fans termed it Super) with just the fingers folded in the form of the Hastamudra. So, will this be a movie without a title this time too? All that Upendra does in response to this query is laugh!

His close friends claim that the movie could be titled Upendra 2 (the movie titled Upendra was a runaway hit, a decade ago). But a few others contend that the actor wouldn’t risk his name as a brand at this juncture.

The maverick actor-director does not want to reveal much about the project. All the movies that he directs have aroused a sense of curiosity and elements of surprise till the day of their release. He does not even invite the media to the sets! That’s the kind of secrecy Upendra maintains while filming a project. According to him, filmmakers should 44

“create the product and then market it.” Well said indeed.

Though Upendra wanted his home banner to be known as Priyanka Productions, his wife, who gave up acting to take care of the family, cleverly registered it as Upendra Productions on his birthday, as a surprise. That’s not all, she even gifted him a stunning Jaguar sedan.

At present, Upendra is in the process of scripting the project and is yet to fine-tune it.

But Priyanka too has written a story, which has to be developed further by Upendra. The star will select either of the projects, and is slated to start the venture only after March.

Priyanka though, will not be seen onscreen in her own production.

Upendra is affectionately called the ‘Real Star’ in Sandalwood, an epithet he has earned for portraying contemporary subjects in a very powerful and effective manner. He is known for his inimitable dialogue delivery on the big screen. His fans can certainly look forward to a “verbal treat” in his next film.

The superstar recently wrapped up shooting for his most ambitious project to-date, Topiwala. The movie is directed by RJ Srini and will hit the screens in January. Upendra has very high expectations from this film, which has him starring opposite Bhavana for the first time.

According to Upendra, the movie is based on a contemporary subject. “There is politics, romance and humour in the movie. Topiwala has been shot very well. I am sure people

“There is politics, romance and humour in the movie” will like the way I have been presented in the movie by the director,” Upendra contends.

The actor has received tremendous response for his look in the movie and even shows off his toned, washboard abs in Topiwala.

After this film, Upendra will be seen in the Kannada remake of the Telugu blockbuster Kick. The movie is being directed by multilingual actor-director Ramesh Aravind and produced by K Manju, who has delivered several box office hits in Kannada.

Upendra does not plan for the long term in films. For, he believes that films evolve constantly through creative minds!

“Shankar’s film is my

No.1

priority”

It is not often that a foreigner lands lead roles in mainstream South Indian films. But if you are as bewitchingly beautiful as Amy Jackson, the impossible does happen. The confident beauty queen has handled her recent bad run in the box office quite well, and is looking forward to getting back in the reckoning. Shankaran Malini finds out more

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Beginning

Big

Fresh off her victory at the Miss Teen World, the first time Amy Jackson landed in Chennai was to do a photoshoot in connection with Madarasapattinam. It was January, not too hot for us but warm enough to leave the English rose wilting. “I remember the heat, the extraordinary weather, lots of people and a very crazy setting. But I loved it! I was eager to see how my role would be received by the audiences here, and when the movie did well, I was thrilled.” After the commercial success of Madarasapattinam, Amy signed on for the Hindi film Ekk Deewana Tha opposite Prateik, directed by Gautham Menon.

Bollywood took an instant fascination to her and Amy appeared on the covers of several leading magazines. Unfortunately, the movie bombed at the box office. Her next film Thaandavam also opened to a lukewarm response. One marvels at Amy’s take on her continued journey in the Hindi film industry even after the dismal performance of Ekk Deewana Tha. We ask her if she is worried that the failure of the film may spoil her future in Bollywood, as she seems to have no Hindi films in her kitty right now. But she surprises us with her reply. “I am not worried, not even the slightest bit. I know that my career will completely take off. At the moment I can’t sign any other film as I have signed Shankar’s next movie. As regards Hindi I do have

48

offers, but there are none that I would love to be part of. Shankar’s movie is my number one priority.

I couldn’t have asked for any better – he is one of the biggest directors in the country.”

Speaking of Telugu cinema, Amy landed her first project in the industry, Yevadu, when Vamsi, the director met her. “I had received a couple of offers in Telugu before this, but obviously the opportunity to work with Charan is huge. He has great calibre, he is a brilliant actor and a fabulous dancer. The storyline of Yevadu was fantastic, with lots of action and romance too.”

In an interview in 2012, Gautham Menon had told us that Ekk Deewana Tha flopped because the lead actors weren’t established stars and couldn’t carry the film on their shoulders. What does Amy have to say about that? Amy is stunned. “I don’t really know what to say! I had complete faith in Gautham and I thought he had complete faith in me. He has been in the industry a lot longer than I have. So obviously he knew that I could

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not carry a film on my shoulders. Even Fox Star knew that I could not carry a film on my shoulders. But I worked extremely hard for this movie. I was in India for six months, I was very dedicated to him, very dedicated to this production house. So I am a little taken aback that he would say something like that.”

The Indian film industry is now a veritable hotspot of talent and exotic beauty, as more and more heroines join the bandwagon, alighting from all over the world to be a part of the glamorous shebang. Amy is a firm believer in the fact that her USP lies in how she approaches her work. “I don’t know how the others approach their work. But I know that I am very dedicated. I love being in India. This country is my second home, it is very special to me. I have not just been working here. I actually have friends in India.

I consider myself a part of the family now!”

Amy is currently working on ‘I’, directed

by Shankar, which also marks her second

film with actor Vikram. Working with the talented star seems to have been a wonderful experience for Amy. “Thaandavam was my second film in Tamil and Vikram guided me all the way. He is great fun to be with – a lovely person, alongside being a fantastic actor. You could say he is the whole package.

Working with him for I is very special.”

Amy spares no opportunity to gush about being part of Shankar’s film. “When I got the phone call, I was like “Whoa!” I was completely stunned when I learnt that I was to meet Shankar. He is so humble, despite being such a huge name in the Indian film industry.

It is an honour to be a part of his film.”

To Amy, just being in the film industry is the equivalent of being at the cusp of a world of opportunities. “Lead role or not, I want to take up something that is performanceoriented,” she says.

And then

Life Happens Considering the eager attention she has been receiving from the print media, we ask Amy why she is seen more frequently in newsprint rather than on 70mm. She disagrees politely.

“Not really. My first movie released in 2010 and in 2012, I had two releases. That’s three films in two years. I have been shooting back to back for Shankar and Ram Charan’s films, so I don’t see how…”

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We ask her about Prateik Babbar and her famous Prateik tattoo. Amy divulges very little. “Prateik is a fabulous actor and a very good friend. The tattoo has a dove on it, it is a symbol of love!” We are confused. So we egg on. Weren’t the two of them supposed to have visited Amy’s parents in the UK, a move that has been seen as taking their relationship to the next level. Again Amy hems and haws.

“Prateik and I are very good friends. At the moment we are entirely focused on our careers. Being close friends, my mom and dad welcomed us back home in the UK.” Just as film stars don’t tire of doling out the tried-and-tested ‘We are Friends’ routine, us journalists don’t tire of hearing them too!

Prateik had reportedly said in an interview a while ago that he was Amy’s tour guide. So

I ask Amy tongue-in-cheek if the tour still continues. At first she doesn’t get it. “I think I have toured most of India, by now. I think the one place I would really like to visit is the Himalayas, it is in fact the one thing that is on the cards.” So is Prateik still her tour guide, we press on. “On no! I mean ….” Amy breaks into an infectious bout of giggles.

“India is obviously my home now and I am

quite capable of travelling on my own. I love travelling.”

Amy is currently on a high because the manufactures of Barbie are set to make a series of dolls inspired by her. Says Amy excitedly, “The doll will probably be launched at the Miss Teen World 2013 competition. It was an incredible experience for me, when the Barbie Doll offer was made

to me. I used to play with Barbie dolls a lot as a young girl. My grandmother would buy me Barbie dolls too. Who would have thought I’d one day be made into a Barbie doll!”

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“If I knew what kind of expectations I had from my ideal girl, I would have been married by now”

“i know how to

win a

game!”

The light-eyed star is a man of his own styling. Shankaran Malini takes you through her chat with Arya

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I have had several interactions with Arya ever since he entered the film industry more than 7 years ago. I’ve spoken to him at length in person and over the phone and feel that he hasn’t changed even a trifle. His carefree nature and casual approach might project him as a playboy most times, but he is as much a true friend as he is a sincere actor. So when I dropped in on the sets of his forthcoming film Settai, I was looking forward to another fun-filled chatfest. I sure wasn’t disappointed!

The team was busy with a road-shot near the VIT Park, in Chennai, on the VandalurKelambakkam Road. Arya was in a tearing hurry to finish off the shoot and get to the airport on time to board a flight to Hyderabad and join the Irandam Ulagam crew there. So he made up for all the lost time on the sets, with a longish chat while on his way to the airport, during which he opened up on his career, women, link-ups and more.

Well, it is tough to talk to Arya and not broach the subject of women. The supremely eligible bachelor is a big hit with the fairer sex and is the reigning pin-up hunk of Kollywood, despite having performed some of the most intense roles in recent times. So unable to resist my curiosity, I ask him about his muchhyped lip-lock scene with Anjali in Settai and the ‘fuss’ associated with it. He responds with uncontrolled laughter and says, “Generally when it comes to doing lip-lock scenes, it is usually the girls who start the fuss. I wanted this case to be different and told myself that I was going to start it all! So, I did exactly the same in a roundabout way, saying, ‘What would my girlfriend feel if she came to know that I was doing a lip-lock scene?’”

Girlfriend? Now does that hint at something?

I am momentarily dumbfounded. But Arya chuckles again and says with a flourish, “Frankly speaking, it was because of the liplock that I accepted the film.” Well played!

The actor is busy with Settai, which is the Tamil remake of Delhi Belly; an untitled Vishnuvardhan film that also stars Ajith; Selvaraghavan’s bilingual Irandam Ulagam with Anushka Shetty, and Raja Rani with Nayantara. Arya has definitely come quite a long way from his Arindhum Ariyamalum, days. “Projects simply happen to me. In fact, things just keep happening to me, I don’t sketch a plan to say that this is how my career should be, or this should be my next step. I don’t think too much about my acting. I really can’t have a tag to my name that proclaims that I would only do certain kinds of films or roles. It doesn’t work like that anymore,” he says. Walking down memory lane with a bit of a flashback about his foray into acting from the software engineer that he was,

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Arya continues, “Nothing was planned. I had no connection with the movies – neither me personally nor my family. My friend, director Jeeva was the one who introduced me to films. We lived close to each other and would bump into one another quite often.

That’s how our acquaintance grew and I got introduced into films.”

At the cusp of his career, he has been touted as the pin-up boy of Tamil cinema. So, where is he on that epithet? Deserving, or exceeded? “I don’t think it is “exceeded”. But then you can’t just stick to one thing. One needs to keep changing. Now, every actor who is in the field is working because of his own identity. He cannot replace himself. But surely he can better himself, right?” Agreed and this point of view could also explain his diverse choice of roles. Like Naan Kadavul, for instance. There is something about wellmade dark cinema that helps an actor catapult himself to success. I wonder if Naan Kadavul did that for him? The fact is that although actors like Suriya and Vikram owe their initial foothold and success to Bala, Arya’s films with the director have not been phenomenally successful. “I have been very lucky to be at the right place at the right time and happened to choose the right project. That way I have been very blessed. Naan Kadavul was not something that I took up. In fact it was the project that chose me. It wasn’t as though I approached the director and asked him for such a role. Bala felt that I could play it and that’s how it came to me. And whatever role I got, I have made sure that I gave it my best.

Many people have asked me what made me play an Aghori in the film. Irrespective of the role, you need a good director to make sure your performance stands out. We see a lot of usual, ‘everyday’ characters onscreen. Even if it is about common people and the audiences are used to seeing them, the role needs to be directed with finesse. Mine was an unusual role but the director was brilliant.”

“Frankly speaking, it was because of the liplock that I accepted the film”

Still, does he regret not having won an award for a film like Avan Ivan, again directed by Bala? “I don’t like awards, and I never expect it for myself, personally. But again when I do expect, it is for the people who put in their money and effort into the project.” Smart reply that was!

Ask him about working with director like AL Vijay, in Madrasapattinam, and he shares honestly, “Doing a 15-16 crore project with my kind of market back then was, I don’t know what to say, quite a challenge for me and I had to be responsible. But working with AL Vijay was an experience in itself.

He is one of the few people in the industry

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who has abundant passion for his craft and is very dedicated. He is very clear about what he wants from his films.” Boss Engira Baskaran was Arya’s first blockbuster. So, was that home ground advantage at work?

He bursts out laughing and quips, “I did a cameo in director Rajesh’s first film, Siva Manasula Sakthi. After that, he came to me with this script. I decided to do it because the director is also very close to me. We had a rapport and I knew that it was going to click.

And it did!” So, what are his plans for his production company – The Show People?

Wasn’t he supposed to be starting a project with good friend actor Jiiva? “Yes, we should do a project together. Maybe next year, who knows!” he says. Since we are on the subject of his own enterprise with his production company, a quirky question crosses my mind.

I decide to pose a challenge: If you had only 500 rupees with you and had to grow it into 10,000 rupees in 2 months, what would you do?” I ask him. Pat comes the confident reply, “I think I’ll take a chance and gamble. I love gambling. And I know how to win a game!”

Focus then shifts to the actor’s bachelorhood, his link-ups and alleged affairs. He is said to have proposed to Anushka on the sets of Irandam Ulagam. He protests, “But it was part of a scene from the movie...”

Well then, his co-star Nayantara who is in comeback mode, has also been rumoured to be extremely close to him. She is even said to have appeared on a TV show at his insistence. The couple hit headlines a while ago because she came to the house warming ceremony of his new flat! What about that?

He clarifies patiently, “First of all the housewarming ceremony was more like a party.

And the get-together was for all my friends.

So many people, actors and actresses came too. Also, Nayantara was partying after a long time, post her break up.” Arya has been linked to almost every co-star including Amy Jackson. So how much longer is his stint as a bachelor? When will nuptials beckon, Arya?

“Guess what, I keep asking myself the same question and now you are asking me too.

See, I am just waiting. It is not that I am not looking for love. It’s just that so far nothing has happened. Who knows, I might even get married next month, or may be after three years. I am a very impulsive guy. If I knew what kind of expectations I had from my ideal girl, I would have been married by now,” he signs off.

What car do you drive now?

– Hyundai i10 Tell us about something you bought for any of your female co-stars?

– Chocolates, anything from a panju mittai (cotton candy) to 5 Star or Éclairs The movie that is closest to your heart?

– Madrasapattinam, Boss Engira Baskaran The role you would kill for?

– None

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ABSORBING The view from behind the lens...

Moondru Per Moondru Kaadal is an upcoming Tamil romance film written and directed by Vasanth. Starring Arjun, Cheran, Vimal, Muktha Bhanu and newcomers Surveen Chawla and Lasini, the film looks to be quite the entertainer. Shankaran Malini finds out more…

“Moondru Per Moondru Kaadal is a clean entertainer. It is a simple love story that centres around three locations and landscapes.

To elaborate, it spans across the plains, the seaside and the mountains, narrating an absorbing tale. The film is realistic in the sense that this is how love stories in reality are, these days, where problems between people in love arise not out of external reasons but due to individual interests and restrictions or specifications!” explains Vasanth, when I quiz the ace director about the storyline of the film. He adds that he is confident of a clean U certificate for the film and says, “We are looking at a February release for Moondru Per Moondru Kaadal.”

Notes from the leading man’s book...

When you are told that Action King Arjun will be seen in an all-new avatar that involves no action – an avatar that will make you do a double take, you simply can’t help recollecting his previous films like Rhythm and Vedam. A subtle but powerful performer, Arjun is now all set to charm audiences in Moondru Per Moondru Kaadal. Ask him what prompted him to sign the dotted line for the film and the actor says emphatically, “I have worked with Vasanth earlier for Rhythm in 2000. I can assure you one thing about my role in the film: I have never ever done a role like this before. The character has immense strength, and the role is soft and romantic.

There is no action at all in the film.” The Action King in a film without any action?

This should definitely be interesting. I am intrigued. What are his expectations from the film? “A film is memorable only if the audiences like it,” he says, wisely.

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As soon as he mentions February, the thought of Valentine’s Day springs to mind. Added to this is the fact that the film is a clean romance… an exciting coincidence, for sure! The director smiles indulgently and continues, “Yes, we can hope for that as well.

The fact is that the re-recording and postproduction work is still to be done. Only after that, comes the certification process.”

Vasanth and Arjun are working together after a span of nearly 12 years, after Rhythm in 2000. “We were waiting for a storyline that would suit Arjun. Once we found the perfect storyline to cast him in, things just fell into place yet again!” Vasanth says. He gives me a very small glimpse into the movie. “The film has three lead characters played by Arjun, Cheran and Vimal. You will find that Cheran, unlike most of his films, smiles a lot in this film. And I was totally impressed with Vimal’s sense of humour. Muktha Bhanu is one of the heroines; she has matured a lot with respect to her acting skills, since her film Thamirabharani. I have introduced two girls – Surveen and Lasini, in the film.” MPMK has been canned predominantly in South India, in places like Tiruchendur, Trivandrum, Thoothukudi, Ooty and Chennai. A few portions were shot in Ranchi and Singapore as well. “Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music is a major highlight in the film!” the director adds.

And the leading ladies talk....

Muktha Bhanu is thrilled to be part of Moondru Per Moondru Kaadal. “When I got the call for the film, I had a gut instinct that this could bring me back to Kollywood, after Thamirabharani with Vishal. This is a dream project for the director as well,” exclaims a rather excited Bhanu. Ask her about her preparations for the role and she says, “There were two things that I learnt while shooting for this film – to ride a TVS 50 and to speak Tamil fluently in the Nagercoil slang. See, I had to speak the language with the right

accent from the beginning and also had to ride a TVS 50 from the opening scene of the film!”

The film marks Surveen Chawla’s entry into the Tamil film industry. Working on the film has undoubtedly been a learning experience for the newcomer. “I have worked very hard on my Tamil for this film. Post pack-up every day I would memorise my dialogues and train myself to deliver the lines well. Vasanth was very particular that we understood what our dialogues meant and then delivered them,” says Surveen. On working with Arjun, she says, “I have watched his film Rhythm and liked it a lot. It was quite easy to communicate with him in Hindi as well.”

Moondru Per Moondru Kaadal is very special to newcomer Lasini, as it marks her debut not only in the Tamil film industry, but in the institution of cinema itself. “I have been modelling for a while and have also done a few commercials, but facing the camera for a film was definitely a first for me. And since I was the youngest in the team (or so I think!), everyone showered me with care and affection during the course of the filming.

I was well and truly pampered!” chirps Lasini. Her mother tongue being Tamil, Lasini did not have problems understanding the language or delivering the dialogues, although the Chennai slang proved a challenge. “They were always pulling my leg about the way I spoke!” she says. However, she agrees that she had a great time with all her co-stars while on the sets. “I have always admired Arjun sir. Having seen him in movies like Rhythm and Mudhalvan, it was great working with him. Cheran, as a director and an actor was also good to work with. Vimal is a great prankster. Shooting was fun and a major learning experience,” she concludes.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

“THE BUSINESS OF FILMS WAS EASIER THOSE DAYS”

- PRODUCER RAMKUMAR GANESAN OF SIVAJI PRODUCTIONS WALKS DOWN MEMORY LANE Producers are the very backbone of the film industry. Doubtless, the individual roles of the actors, the director, scriptwriter, choreographer, music composer and others are indispensable. But wouldn’t they all be rendered irrelevant without the producer? From picking the right story and the perfect cast, to arranging the finances and tackling issues, producers live by the mantra: no pain, no gain. In this unique series, Southscope attempts to spotlight the efforts and achievements of leading producers and renowned production houses across South India.

Kick-starting this initiative, Southscope’s Shankaran Malini speaks to producer Ramkumar Ganesan of Sivaji Films, started by none other than the incomparable legend Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan and his brother VC Shanmugam

I am seated in the lounge at Sivaji Productions. On the dot of noon, I am ushered in to meet Ramkumar Ganesan for this exclusive and elaborate interview. Talking about the achievements of his father’s venture Sivaji Productions, and his own experiences as a producer at the helm of affairs in the company, he candidly explores the trajectory so far.

Sivaji Films and Sivaji Productions were started in early 1954 and 1955 respectively, with the Films banner coming in first, and the Productions banner following next. It merely started off as a company that distributed Sivaji Ganesan’s movies, focusing mainly on what was then known as Madras. Things remained that way for many years before the company ventured into film production. Ramkumar explains, “Not many know this, but the first few movies that we produced were in Hindi and not Tamil. We produced Amardeep and Rakhi in partnership with others. Only in 1962 and 1963, did we produce Pudhiya Paravai, our very first Tamil film.”

Pudhiya Paravai, as Ramkumar reminisces, was a classy and costly production. “We made big money on that film. I think the business of films was easier those days. The figures seldom used to be as humongous as they are now! Even if one film did not do well, you could even things out with your next film. The style of working was very different back then.

If a producer did very badly with a movie, then the actor would try to compensate him by doing another movie with him to recover the losses. By and large, I don’t think that style of working exists today, although there are a few artistes who go the extra mile and compensate or adjust as the case may be. Very often, back then, movies were made to help friends out.” Ask him to draw a comparison between the business of production in the past and the way it functions now, and Ramkumar explains that making films was an entirely different business method back in the day. “All areas had distributors, but now there are only a few regulars. Many quit the industry these days. Today, you have so many distributors, but if you lose a movie, you lose the distributor.”

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Elaborating further, Ramkumar explains, “Production houses back then stayed in business for 20 or 30 years! The business of movies today is heavily reliant on the budget.

If one film flops, they walk right out. You shouldn’t lose heart; you should try and try again.”

Walking down memory lane, Ramkumar explains that in 1974, they did Thanga Padakkam, which was the number one Tamil film of its time. They then went on to do Tirusoolam, which came at a time when the then Chief Minister MGR changed the entertainment tax rules of the state to benefit the cinema industry. “All the collections were recorded in the Tamil Nadu assembly. Being an industry veteran, MGR understood the significance of giving cinema the attention and benefits it deserved.”

To Ramkumar, cinema evolves quite like mankind does. “Right now I know Pasamalar is going to be one of the films going through this evolutionary change, Sivaji has been released in 3D, we might do some other films such as Thillana Mohanambal.” Looking back, Ramkumar takes me through his personal trajectory in the production business.

“I joined the company in 1977. Annan Oru Kovil was the first movie I worked with as a production executive. The movie released in Diwali in 1977 and ran for 100 days! The second movie was Tirusoolam, and that movie was a runaway hit. Prabhu was also part of the production. Then came Sandippu, a Sridevi starrer, which became a silver jubilee hit. We continued making movies.

Unfortunately, in 1986, Shanmugham who was the boss then, passed on. I took over the reins of the firm from him, and have been at the helm of affairs ever since.”

When Ramkumar took over, the company signed on Kamal Haasan for a film. “We were planning a movie with Kamal in a dual role, but he said he had announced that he was already doing a film with a dual rule. At that time, Prabhu had also become an actor and every movie of his was a hit, and so I got Prabhu to be a part of it. I wanted it to be a Kamal film then. That’s the story of how we released Vetri Vizha in 1989 for Diwali. It

was a major hit!” Another huge opportunity for the firm came up soon enough. “One or two years later, Rajinikanth called me up and said he wanted to do a film with us. That was when we did Mannan, which was a silver jubilee hit. It was an all-class entertainer, a truly great film. I remember we went to Shanthi theatre, as I used to go to theatres late in the night to understand how the movie did.

It was the second or third week after release and there were still a hundred cars outside!

I feel Rajni successful managed to break through the glass ceiling and appealed to audiences of all classes.”

Amidst all the heady success, Sivaji Ganesan suddenly fell ill and his health became the most important and overriding concern for the family. “We decided to stop production for some time, and concentrate on ourselves.

After 1995, for about five-six years, we didn’t make many movies, we just went onto doing some co-productions with cousins from America on English movies and children’s movies – in one of these films, Amjad Khan played a role, and I remember it was one of his last movies too. We did a small Hindi and English movie called White Rainbow about the widows in Vrindavan and a couple of TV serials too.”

The production house resumed business after Sivaji Ganesan passed on. “At that time, director P Vasu was producing a movie in Kannada and told me the story. I was interested in producing it, so I wanted to buy the movie and make it with Prabhu and someone else. It became a super hit in Kannada. I hadn’t seen the movie, but Rajni said it was a damn good film. I told him I wanted to take it up – we bought the rights, reworked the screenplay and gave it to Rajinikanth. I still remember the way many people reacted to our venture even before it was released. They would offer some random suggestions – some people said we needed a fight or two to run the show in the film, while there were several more doomsday prophets for our productions. Anyway, these people have been around for eternity. Coming back to Rajinikanth – he knows the pulse of the audience and knew that it would be a super hit in Tamil also. He came to me and said,

‘Let me also be in a good movie – every movie of mine might not always be good.’

His previous film had gone wrong with the audience so he came out of that experience, made the movie with us, and what a success it was! That film was Chandramukhi, which literally showed everyone how much money a Tamil film can make.”

But the going hasn’t always been easy for Sivaji Productions. “We did Aasal with Ajith but it didn’t do well. Somewhere we missed the pulse of the audience. We still haven’t hit upon a proper script.” Ramkumar explains that he didn’t interact with Ajith as closely as he would have liked to – it was only his son who got to do that. “Much of the shooting was in Malaysia and France – I went only when the shoots were in Chennai. We didn’t interact much, but I saw that Ajith is a very disciplined person.”

Incidentally, the actors from the family were not introduced through Sivaji Productions.

Even Prabhu and his son Vikram started their acting careers on their own, and not under the aegis of the home production banner. “They believe in coming up by themselves – it lends more strength. I think Prabhu wanted to mould himself in acting, and after working in a couple of films, he worked with the home production.”

Ramkumar explains that every movie earns something for the industry. “There is a lot of talk about diversification and that we should also do other businesses. It helps to diversify,

so you have something to fall back on. But, we don’t know any other professions. We are a peculiar type of joint family, with the second and third generations coming together.

The support system in my family is very strong – my brother, and my uncle and dad when they were with us – the whole support system has been alive for very, very long.

That makes us tick. Even when we have our lows, we get a lot of emotional support.”

Ramkumar believes that for the success of a movie, a perfect plan should be in place, poised and ready for execution. “That is your minimum guarantee.” He tells me wisely, “Many big budget movies can do badly if they lack that. Risks are always involved – a minimum guarantee is that you gain about 40% of your film, and you can lose about 20-30% of your film. That’s a bearable loss – you can make it up in your next film. And on the other hand – you can actually wind up making 10 times the amount you invested!”

He believes that innovation is also important for the success of a movie. “We understand the need for innovation, and we try to incorporate it. There is nothing we haven’t done. Take Vasantha Maaligai for example.

Mr D Ramanaidu tied up with us. And after that, every petrol bunk had Sivaji’s cut out, and sold tickets! What a promotion that was!”

Right now, the production house is working on finalising scripts, and has approached a couple of stars to get some movies into production.

Expressing his priorities for the industry’s furtherance, Ramkumar says, “I am happy when films do well, not just my movie – because the money indirectly comes back into the industry. It feeds you. I am very, very happy that people with tons of money put their resources in, work hard, reap profits, and reinvest that money into the industry!

It makes the whole film industry grow.” He continues, “Sivaji Productions is over 55 years now. I don’t know about the future – we might do something different. I hope we keep making movies, and produce hit movies occasionally.”

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malayalam

reD wine Cast: Mohanlal, Fahadh Faasil, Asif Ali, Meghna Raj, Saiju Kurup, Suraj Venjaramoodu and others Direction: Shashank Production: Gowri Meenakshi Movies

•

•

•

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Associate director to Lal Jose, Salam, flies coop with his own venture, Red Wine. His independent streak begins with the likes of Mohanlal and Meghna Raj forming an integral part of the film.

Produced by Gowri Meenakshi Movies, shooting for the film began at Kozhikode, bringing together Fahadh Faasil and Asif Ali playing the two pivotal points in the story. With Manoj Pillai going behind the lens, debutant Mammen K Rajan scripting the film, and Biji Bal composing the music, the film does look promising.

The story traces the trajectory of two men – Anoop played by Fahadh Faasil, and Rajesh, by Asif Ali. The former belongs to Wayanad, and is quite the socially-conscious man. He fights for his people, involving himself in a lot of social causes as a committed person. With time, he gains a respectable position in society as a person with a sense of great responsibility. Ramesh, on the other hand, comes from Kozhikode. A sales executive in

a company, he is quite the selfish man, being least bothered about others.

•

The two seem to come from very different walks of life, living in two different places with different backgrounds and lifestyles. Unbeknownst to each other, though, there prevails something of a connection between the two of them.

•

In the midst of all this comes Ratheesh, played

by Mohanlal. who investigates the connection.

His prying and probing takes him through many startling revelations. Red Wine infuses a clever zing of suspense. A sudden turn of events requires both of them to come together for a common purpose.

Facilitating the encounter, Ratheesh is instrumental in making their meeting happen. Bridling their differences and yet coming together, life takes a sudden twist. What happens thereafter forms the rest of the story.

- Kirthi Jayakumar

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kannaDa

BaChChan Cast: Sudeep, Bhavana, Parul Yadav, Jagapathi Babu, Tulip Joshi Direction: Shashank Production: Uday Mehta Music: V Harikrishna

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A big budget film, Bachchan features the who’s who of the Kannada film industry and has already given rise to very high expectations. This is a highly ambitious project for Sudeep, as he has not signed any other film for now. Bachchan is a very stylish film with lavish sets and is being directed by wellknown filmmaker Shashank. This movie has one of the longest schedules for all the actors involved.

•

The film was not bereft of its share of controversies.

Deepa Sannidhi, who made a grand debut a while ago, was initially signed on for Bachchan.

But owing to creative differences and personal reasons, Deepa was shown the door by the makers.

Bachchan could have easily been the biggest break of her career, but unfortunately she seems to have got it all wrong from the beginning.

•

In this fast-paced movie, which has suspense and romance woven into the plot, Sudeep plays the role of an angry young man, while Parul Yadav, his love interest, tames him. Bhavana Menon and Tulip Joshi form the love triangle and not much is revealed about their roles. Parul Yadav is said to appear in three different avatars. Confusing, eh?

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There were speculations about how director Shashank would handle three different glamour dolls, considering the infamous catfights that are said to break out between heroines. To top it, there is an item dance by Mumbai-based Daisy Shah in the movie. But the girls, especially Bhavana and Parul, were so engrossed in discussions on the sets that the spot boys had to remind them several times about their shoot!

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The movie has been shot extensively in Karnataka and in locations abroad. Harikrishna has composed several melodious and foot-tapping tracks and the canning of the songs is currently on. Hindi film actors Aashish Vidyarthi and Pradeep Rawat make up the powerful star cast while Telugu star Jagapathi Babu is making his Kannada debut through this film.

- Aravind G Shivkamal

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telUgU

paisa Cast: Naani, Catherine Tresa, Lucky Sharma Direction: Krishnavamsi Production: Ramesh Puppala Music: Sai Karthik

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After the stupendous success of Eega, actor Naani’s stakes have risen in Tollywood. Consequently, projects featuring the actor are receiving a lot of attention. Paisa went on the floors last year before Eega released and now distributors are keen on acquiring the rights of the movie considering the fact that Naani’s popularity has reached an all-time high.

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Paisa is the dream project of veteran director Krishnavamsi, who had been planning this film for some time now. It is a touted to be a thoroughly entertaining rom-com.

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The movie is supposed to be the debut film of actress Catherine Tresa in Telugu. Even before this movie could hit the theatres, the actress has bagged two important projects, including one opposite none other than Stylish Star Allu Arjun!

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Shooting for the movie has been taking place without much fanfare. It will be interesting to watch how Vamsi treats this tale, considering that the director is known for portraying women beautifully to complement the storyline.

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There were several interesting episodes on the sets of the movie. Naani is known to pull a prank or two and apparently the actor’s target happened to Catherine, who was very prompt at reporting on the sets and was quite disciplined. Well, we certainly did not hear about the two fighting but Naani did indeed share a few interesting tips on Tollywood with the actress.

- Aravind G Shivkamal

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malayalam

DaViD anD goliath Cast: Jayasurya, Anoop Menon, Soumya, Anu Mol, P Balachandran, Lena Abhilash, Sukumari, Master Dhananjay and Baby Minsara Direction: Rajeev Nath Production: Sudeep Karat under Salroza Motion Pictures, Line of Colours and Chaya Films Music: Ratheesh Vegha

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The Biblical story of David and Goliath narrates the inspiring tale of how the meek and innocent David kills the Philistine giant Goliath by using a slingshot in the battle of Philistine and Israel. This movie, aptly titled David and Goliath, is a modern interpretation of the story.

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Jayasurya plays David while Anoop Menon appears in the role of Goliath. This movie officially marks the fourth project starring the duo. Soumya plays the heroine.

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The story idea for the film, it appears, came from a synergistic thought process from both the friends, Jayasurya and Anoop.

The subliminal text of the film is that success and failure are significant. The film deals with the concept of the strong and the weak, and evaluates how the concepts of success and failure underline the continued occurrence of war in the world today.

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Buzz has it that Anoop wrote the script with himself and Jayasurya in mind, for the two key roles. While initially Nazriya Nazim was chosen to play the heroine, the role didn’t work out, leading to Soumya debuting as leading lady in this film. Up until now, Soumya has had an impressive record of acting in and directing several short films.

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Much of the film’s shooting is underway, with the first part beginning on September 23, 2012. Jithu Damodar is the director of photography in the film. The main location for the shooting is the picturesque Vagamon.

- Kirthi Jayakumar

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kannaDa

aUto raJa Cast: Ganesh, Bhama, Deepika Kamaiah Direction: Udaya Prakash Production: Vishwa & Girish Music: Arjun Janya

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Auto Raja is inspired by the 80’s blockbuster of the same name, which featured the multi-talented actor Shankar Nag and Gayathri. Though this film was announced a year ago, it soon ran into a title row. Finally, director Udaya Prakash has been able to put the project together, with Ganesh playing the lead role as an auto rickshaw driver while actresses Bhama and Deepika Kamaiah play his love interest.

Shooting for the movie has been completed and the release is scheduled for February. Interestingly, there are 2 heroines in the original Auto Raja too, but the director does not want to reveal the other changes in the plot. Nevertheless, it is an interesting script, according to him.

While Bhama plays the role of a village belle, Deepika Kamaiah plays the glam doll. Last year, Ganesh and Bhama delivered a hit with Shyloo.

The director is hoping to recreate the same success

by pairing the two actors together. Ganesh, in particular, is in desperate need of a blockbuster, as his last two movies flopped. Bhama seems to be on a roll, bagging important projects in Sandalwood.

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Deepika Kamaiah, who had a sensational debut last year, is the other heroine in the movie. She plays the role of a strong woman, who owns a business and is dedicated to her work. This film should also work wonders for the Coorgi actress, who has several important projects lined up.

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The movie has a very strong technical crew. The makers have roped in well-known cinematographer Manjunath Nayak for the project. The music for the film has been composed by Arjun Janya, who is racing to the top in Sandalwood. The filming of the songs is said to form the highlight of the movie.

- Aravind G Shivkamal

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telUgU

BaaDshah Cast: Junior NTR, Kajal Aggarwal, Prakash Raj, Navdeep, Brahmanandam Direction: Srinu Vaitla Production: Bandla Ganesh Music: S Thaman

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Baadshah is by far the most significant movie for Junior NTR in the last two years. Scripted and directed by hit filmmaker Srinu Vaitla, Junior NTR is confident of hitting the jackpot with Baadshah. Although the last 3 releases of the hot Telugu star have not fared too well, he enjoys tremendous goodwill among his fans and their support for him is as strong as ever.

Consequently, there is a fond expectation among his fans that their favourite star will return to the top with this film.

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A major portion of the film’s shooting is complete and it is set for release in more than 1000 screens worldwide. Srinu Vaitla roped in Kajal Aggarwal as the female lead of the movie, ostensibly because she had paired up with Jr. NTR earlier to deliver the hit movie Brindavanam.

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A significant portion of Baadshah was to be shot in South Korea, but the makers had to opt for Europe instead. The songs were shot in Italy and Switzerland while indoor shooting took place in various studios in Hyderabad.

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Incidentally, Vaitla has retained the same team that was responsible for the massively successful Dookudu. Meenakshi Dixit, who set the screens on fire by gyrating to the title track of Dookudu, has also appeared in a special song in Baadshah.

Apparently, Thaman composed this special number taking into consideration Meenakshi Dixit’s dance skills.

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It is being widely touted that the handsome Junior NTR has gone in for a complete image makeover and looks more like a typical American teenager in this movie. The rushes of Baadshah do indicate that he looks different from the characters that he has played in his previous movies. Good luck, Tarak!

- Aravind G Shivkamal

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tamil

samar Cast: Vishal, Trisha Krishnan, Sunaina, Manoj Bajpai, Jayaprakash, JD Chakravarthy Direction: Thiru Production: T Ramesh Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

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The trailer of Samar opens with a line by the protagonist: “While for many, life is a blessing, for some life is a curse, for me, it is a war.” The release date of Samar is a bit unclear. As of the day we went into print, the production was contemplating a Pongal release or even later. The Vishal-starrer directed by Thiru is of the action-thriller genre that promises to give audiences a different experience of cinema.

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Teaming up with Thiru for a second time after Theeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai, Vishal has paired up with Trisha for the first time, after trying to rope her in for nearly four or five of his projects earlier.

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Sunaina plays a pivotal role in the film. Manoj Bajpai will be seen for the first time ever in Tamil cinema. Says Manoj, “Mine is a guest appearance in the film, but I play a character.

Director Thiru convinced me to do this role saying he could not think of anyone else in the role besides me. He is the reason I accepted.”

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Vishal’s dream of working with Trisha has materialised with this film. He says, “Trisha is one of my favourite actresses and one of my favorite persons in the industry. We come across several people in our lives but only certain people become special to us. And for me, Trisha is one of those people. Our chemistry is superb in this film.”

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Speaking about his role in the film, Vishal says, “I play a forest trekker in Samar. It’s something I have not done before. My character has a sophisticated side, a forest-trekking side, and a lot of mystery surrounding him. The plot starts in the forest and travels to Bangkok and that’s where the whole story unfolds.

I have gone trekking in the Himalayas, so there was not much that I had to learn to prepare for my role in this movie.”

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Yuvan Shankar Raja has scored the music for the film. With Samar, Yuvan has teamed up with Thiru for the second time and with Vishal for the sixth time. The music was released in December 2012.

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At the audio launch of the film, Vishal had a confession, “When director Thiru was narrating the script to me, he mentioned that it was actually written for Arya. I had a gutfeeling that I could do that role and I called up Arya. I told him that I would like to do this film, although it was written for him. He graciously agreed. From that moment onwards I was completely determined to live up to the expectations of the director and others.”

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Samar has gone through a lot of challenges; the first was the legal trouble with the title. Initially titled as Samaran, a producer named Vijay sought an interim injunction over the usage of the title claiming that he had already registered the same title for his upcoming film. With the release date being postponed time and again, the latest issue has been the filing of a case by Anand Cine Services claiming that there has been a due of 1.2 crores payable to them. Just before this a Malaysiabased producer-distributor had filed a case against the makers of the film for not paying him the promised commission for selling their overseas rights.

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Written and directed by Thiru, the dialogues of the film have been penned by S Ramakrishnan. While cinematography has been handled by Richard M Nathan, editing has been handled Antony L Ruben. The film has been shot in Chalakudy, Kerala, Ooty, China, Thailand and Europe.

- Shankaran Malini

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DECEMBER 2012

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VOL 04 | ISSUE 03

PART 1 OF 2

Kannada Superstar

PUNEETH RAJKUMAR “History knows what my heroes and heroines were before and after my films”

DIRECTOR AMEER

on his forthcoming films, the TV show and managing a quick getaway in between…

“I am not dying to be friends with anyone”

AMALA PAUL

Heralding new beginnings and fresh opportunities, the New Year is here! What does this month portend for our favourite celebrities?

Ambitions, aspirations and hopes are high.

January will not disappoint the Aries star like Vikram, as it will be full of promise for a bright year!

For stars like Ajith Kumar, the spell of better luck is definitely here to stay.

With the last month giving you the best opportunities, take the bull by the horns this month and get down to action!

Reviving old commitments that you thought wouldn’t work so far is what January has in store. For stars like Kajal Aggarwal, this is a good month as old efforts bear fruit.

on relationships, puppy love episodes, that ‘special’ gift and of course, her movies

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Reaping the fruits of hard labour from the past year, this year looks like another feather in the cap for stars like Vijay.

Watch out for new and out-of-the-box ideas this January.

Celebrities like Taapsee are looking for speedy activity, because things look like they’re stuck in a sort of rut. But hang in there, for things will begin to look up around and after Sankranti.

For the Virgo star like Mammootty, the month will be successful. But stars in the sunsign need to downplay their aggressive approach that might land them in trouble.

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Libran stars like Prithviraj have an exciting time ahead, with tremendous opportunities that involve treading the uncharted path!

Stars like Asin have a great time in store, as plenty of accolades will accrue from unlikely quarters. Caution is necessary, though, in matters of building new alliances.

January has a few difficult barriers to cross especially for stars like Venkatesh. A lot of effort needs to go into rebuilding broken ties. But with your famous optimism, success is a foregone conclusion.

Cancerian stars like Tamannaah and Digant Manchale, are in the spotlight this month. Quite the social month, friendships and fruitful acquaintances will be forged aplenty.

For Aquarians like Pooja Kumar, January brings in an ocean of promise. Get creative within your work spectrum so you get to reap the benefits of your intelligence!

For superstars like Puneet Rajkumar, January offers opportunities for introspection. Dispel doubts about yourself, but spend time to take yourself towards self-actualization.

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