Southscope December 2012 Additional issue

DECEMBER 2012

VOL 04 | ISSUE 03

NOT TO BE SOLD INDIVIDUALLY PART 2 OF 2

GUPSHUP ROUNDUP the JuicieSt goSSip of 2012

MOONDRU PER MOONDRU KAADHAL eager anticipation surrounds director vasanth’s forthcoming film

“i don’t Want to be compared to Sonu Sood” - viKram Singh

Preview

Here’s what caught our Roving Eye all through November! Don’t miss our special roundup of the juiciest gosip of 2012

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FASHION

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

KVJ Here’s the scoop on the Rana DaggubatiNayantara starrer, Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum

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A lil’bit of everything!

Prince Mahesh Babu has undergone a complete image makeover. Yes, the charming Prince is being presented in a new avatar by director Sukumar for his next untitled project, which is currently under production. The Prince has been given a new hairstyle and a wardrobe makeover. Incidentally, Sukumar is known for engineering different looks for the lead actors of his movies; be it dancing sensation Allu Arjun in Arya or Naga Chaitanya in 100% Love, they’ve all looked different in Sukumar’s films. In fact, many feel their new avatars even contributed to the success of the movies.

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Samantha ruth Prabhu’s poor run in tollywood continues. After being dropped from two important tamil projects, the actor was shown the door from Ram Charan’s next big film Yevadu.

Apparently, the producer Dil raju had zeroed in on Samantha, who is also acting in his long-pending project Seethamma vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (SvSC). Unfortunately, shooting for SvSC had to be delayed after Samantha fell sick and stayed away from the tinsel town for almost two months. that decision of hers is having a domino effect on other projects. her schedule has reportedly gone haywire because of which she is being forced to pull out of promising movies. Shruthi haasan has been selected as Samantha’s replacement. will Samantha be able to bounce back?

After returning to the top with two blockbusters this year, Pooja Gandhi shocked her fans and followers by getting engaged to a realtor and film distributor without any prior announcement! the actor’s decision to exchange rings with Anand gowda surprised many industry insiders as well. not many expected her to announce the news so early. but Pooja has a straight answer: “i am not getting younger as the years pass by.” well said, Pooja! the question on most people’s minds though is whether she will quit acting after her wedding.

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ragini Dwivedi and yogi were in for a shock recently when a section of the media reported that the two actors were dating each other! So, what led to such a speculation? Ragini was seen flaunting an expensive ring at the audio launch of her next movie bangaari (which has yogi playing the male lead role). both the actors have been seen together at various film events post the shooting of Bangaari. further, they appeared together at other actors’ parties. this led to rumors that ragini and yogi were going steady. ragini termed the developments as a “cruel joke”. what we’d really like to see is whether she has taken off the ring that led to all the confusion.

he is familiar with on-stage performances and music concerts. now, there are indications that he may be seen on the big screen shortly! yes, tollywood’s ace music composer Devi Sri Prasad (DSP) may soon make his debut as a full-time actor in telugu movies. incidentally, he has had offers in the past to act in Allu Arjun’s movies. however, he refused to bite the bait. but now the acting bug seems to have bitten DSP. Apparently, talks are on to present him in a musician’s role in a movie. the music director, it seems, has already spoken to his close friend Shriya Saran, to play the female lead role in the movie…

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Shruti haasan’s untitled telugu movie with actor ram has been resurrected by producer bellamkonda Suresh! in fact, the movie had almost been shelved after Suresh and the director Santosh Srinivas (of Kandireega fame) developed differences over the script and put the project on the backburner. with Shruti haasan’s movie gabbar Singh (remake of hindi movie Dabangg) becoming the biggest blockbuster of telugu cinema, the actor has shot to the top in tollywood. She is now busy shooting for ace choreographer-director Prabhu Deva’s third directorial in Hindi. She is also acting in another Hindi film with Arjun rampal titled D-Day.

nandamuri balakrishna, son of the legendary superstar ntr, is in a hurry to complete a century – 100 films – in Telugu. For, the actor is keen on taking a plunge into active politics soon. with the political situation becoming volatile in Andhra Pradesh, balakrishna is worried, as he feels the need to prepare himself at the earliest. only a few actors have managed to complete 100 films in the Telugu film industry. Balakrishna, who is 52 years old now, wants to reach that landmark figure, before contesting the polls. The actor has completed 96 films so far. He has reportedly sent word to top producers that he is “available” to act in movies that make an impact on society.

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where’s actor Pranitha Subhash these days? the cutie is going through a rough phase as none of her films in Kannada or Tamil have clicked in recent times. Her next film is with Ganesh in Kannada. Incidentally, he too is badly in need of a hit. It is to be seen if their next project brings them back to the limelight. last heard about Pranitha was that the actor was in the US for a monthlong holiday! hope she returns to india fully rejuvenated for potential future projects!

it’s time to talk about lal ii. lal can very well be called the man with the proverbial Midas touch. He earned success first as a mimicry artist, then struck gold when he started directing films along with his best pal Siddique and then went on to become a successful actor. he has also been a successful producer and distributor of films.

Success to this extent won’t be complete without someone from the next generation to keep it going …and here comes the real inheritor of lal’s successes and success stories – Jean Paul lal, his son, is now all set to foray into cinema, through honey bee, the movie for which he assumes the twin responsibilities of director and scenarist. Set to commence in february next, honey bee in lead roles fahadh faasil, Asif Ali and bhavana in the lead roles. lal senior who is not producing the film, is playing a key role in the film, along with actors like baburaj, laloo Aalex, Bhagath Manuel, Salim Kumar, Praveena, lena and others. So here starts the wait, for lal ii. All the best, Jean!

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Round up In a year choc-a-bloc with events and buzzing with activity, there was of course, no dearth of gossip.

We smiled, we laughed, we cried, we sat in anticipation, we fought, we supported, we agreed and we disagreed: Here is a round-up of a few things that became the hot topic of tinselville this year

never mind his past or his much-publicised alleged deeds, the Karnataka government has selected actor Darshan as its brand ambassador for the all healthrelated initiatives! the actor is in great demand following the success of his movies, Saarathi and the historical epic Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna. Darshan will be seen shortly on the small screen, appealing to the public to take advantage of the government’s health initiatives. it looks like the government has forgotten the actor’s troubled marriage life, which had even earned him a stint in the jail.

A viral Youtube video sent the country and many parts of the world, into raving mad whirlpools of fanfare. Kolaveri Di was a new anthem for the country’s youth, as people couldn’t stop humming the addictive number. But that’s not all that the song or the film 3 did. While Dhanush was busy crooning about a white-skinned girl with a black heart capturing his heart, reports did the rounds that all was not well between him and his wife Aishwarya. Dhanush went on to trash the news as a mere rumour and said that the portrayed intensity of the love story in 3 was what had set tongues wagging. And here at Southscope, we know for a fact that the calm, composed and exquistely-behaved Aishwarya is very much in love with Dhanush and the couple in turn absolutely dote on their two children.

Ann Augustine becomes an Asian games medal winner, on screen that is. rebecca, that’s the name of the athlete that Ann Augustine plays in Rebecca Uthup Kizhakemala, directed by Sunderdass. As the maker of films like Sallappam, Kuberan, Pouran and the like, Sunderdass is making a comeback after a 5-year gap. His last film was Aakaasham, released in 2007.

In Rebecca Uthup Kizhakemala, he tells the story of Rebecca, who wins a medal in the Asian games and makes her country proud. her ambition now is to make it to the olympics. for Ann Augustine, who made an impressive debut with Elsamma Enna Aankutty and then acted in films like Three Kings, Arjunan Sakshi, and Ordinary, this is likely to be a notable character.

Siddharth Bharathan and Jishnu play key roles in the film. Saikumar plays Rebecca’s father while the cast also includes Shari, Kalabhavan Mani, Suraaj Venjaramoodu, Kalabhavan Shajon, P Sreekumar and the like. The script is by V.C. Ashok and the film will be produced by Upadhyaya Movie Craft.

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the enormously talented Str and the fascinating hansika have had everyone wondering for a while. the rumour-mill is working overtime with news of the duo apparently being an item. both stars are hot property in the film inudstry right now. Despite the tepid response to Poda Podi, Str continues to be one of the most sought-after actors, while hansika has wowed South india with her bubbly charm. Since they are also acting a film together, rumours such as these are bound to be circulated, we guess...

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through the year, there was a buzz doing the rounds that Manju warrier would make a comeback with a lal Jose movie. in fact the news was that both Manju warrier and Samyuktha varma would make their comeback through this film. But nothing of that sort happened. recently, in october, Manju warrier, who had quit acting after getting married to Dileep, had given a Kuchipudi performance in guruvayoor and soon after this came reports about Manju making a comeback. Subsequent reports said that it would be with a remake of the Hindi film Kahaani, starring Vidya Balan, that Manju would return to acting. the reports also claimed that Dileep would be producing the film, which would have Manju reprising Vidya’s role. Anyhow, the whole enthusiasm surrounding her comeback has now fizzled out.

Dileep has made it clear that he has no plans to remake Kahaani and also that Manju has no plans for a comeback right now. let’s hope, for versatility’s sake, that Manju does come back, maybe with some other film…

When Rana Daggubati and Trisha Krishnan shot together for the August issue of Southscope, it sent their fans and the film industry into a tizzy.

Copies of the magazine literally flew off the shelves and people could not stop admiring how good they looked together. Despite persistent rumours about their romantic involvment with each other, rana and trisha have both steadfastly denied the news and have declared that they are merely great friends. they did admit in their exclusive interview to Southscope that they each had a special someone in their lives. rana impressed many recently when he stood by trisha during the time of her dad’s untimely demise. let’s hope that their beautiful friendship lives on…

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Sprawled all over cyberspace were pictures of Andrea Jeremiah wound in a steamy lip-lock with a much younger Anirudh Ravichander of Kolaveri fame. But here’s what got our attention in all of this: the two musical mavericks simply dusted their pants and moved on. while Anirudh took on a very disheartened tone in his response to the media, rightly explaining that he had a personal life but didn’t want it to become the subject of anyone else’s attention, controversy magnet Andrea took on a more “bite me” stand. She went on to tell the media that the pictures were 18 months old as on date of their leak, and that she was not ashamed of it, as the duo shared a good relationship. we say that’s some fabulous spirit they showed – for that which is admitted isn’t juicy because there’s nothing to be concocted.

for three years this tumultuous relationship took the world of South indian cinema by storm – as Prabhu Deva and nayantara were supposed to be head over heels in love with each other. but earlier this year, the couple are said to have called it quits just a couple of months shy of their proposed wedding. while a greater part of the shebang remains under wraps, we do know that Prabhu Deva who now occupies the top slot in bollywood, chose to keep mum while only affirming that he had moved on. There was some speculation about nayantara trying to get rid of the tattoo, and that she’d made trips abroad for it, but so far, nothing’s been done. So that’s what it stands at: the couple’s parted ways, but the tattoo stays.

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Nikita Thukral went through a rather difficult phase in Sandalwood last year for her alleged affair with actor Darshan. but dishing out dirt to all the wagging tongues, nikita was recently seen in bengaluru sharing the dais with the star himself. nikita seemed oblivious to last year’s incident at the shindig, and went on to happily declare Darshan to be a friend and that all was well between them. the duo’s epic movie, Sangolli rayanna, which has been in the making for the last two years, has been declared a big success at the box office. The two actors released the audio CDs of the movie in the presence of some of the stalwarts of the Kannada film industry. Darshan’s wife, last year, accused nikita of causing trouble in the star’s married life, but that side is on a radio-silence.

Peacemaking, much?

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the recent debate that ensued between Muktha Srinivasan, the producer of tamil cinema’s magnum opus, Nayagan, and Kamal Haasan has been the subject of much attention in the film fraternity and among fans. Muktha Srinivasan was said to be upset with the actor over his comments in an article he wrote for the 25th year of nayagan. the article was titled of Course velu nayagan Does not Dance, and proceeds to chronicle Kamal Haasan’s side of the making of nayagan. Muktha Srinivasan in retaliatory response penned an article putting down his version of the story. for our part, we’re just super happy that it’s been 25 years since the unforgettble nayagan, from the inimitable Kamal Haasan, and the charm of the film has only multiplied manifold!

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FASHION

BRIGADE Who wore what, and who dressed how! Here’s the lowdown on who was hot, and who was not!

Sneha and Prasanna: in love!

Samantha: Saree soiree

Lakshmi Manchu and Charmee: Urban chic

Kamal Hassan: we like this roopam!

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Nagarjuna: Classic style, always

Amala Paul: Loving the iPhone 5, eh?

Regina: Simple and chic!

Siddharth: we aren’t exactly ga-ga about the shoes, Sid...

Jiiva: An Apple a day...

Nikesha Patel: the dress is pretty, but it’s not quite your size, dear

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Nikhil: Casual air!

CAUG

HT!

Gorgeous Kamna Jethmalani was spotted at the launch of blue Mobiles and later at naturals Salon, wearing the same pair of pants and shoes. wearing them over and over again is not making a statement, Kamna, but traumatising the pants!

Navdeep: A little sleepy, are we?

Kajal Aggarwal: Kitsch cuteness!

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Of myth and reality Science and technology revolutionise our lives, but memory, tradition and myth frame our response

- Arthur M. Schlesinger It is not often that myth and reality, fact and fiction combine in cinema. A film drawing on the arts – rather from theatre is even harder to find. Radhakrishna Jagarlamudi (Krish as he is popularly known) has attempted this synthesis in his Telugu film. He has also brought on celluloid the more than century old Surabhi theatre with its folk tradition, and combined it with a contemporary issue to unfold the tale of Krishnam Vande

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Jagadgurum. On one level, the film revolves around the protagonist who is educated yet playing a theatre artiste as he’s brought up in that mythological tradition. He is sucked into the vortex of a major issue of land mining and decides to rise up and tackle the injustice. On another level, this is a beautiful love story given the presence of the heroine – a documentary filmmaker

“Krish came up with the idea of this reluctant theatre actor performing a play titled Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum in Bellary.

It’s a journey from animal to man, and the audience ends up experiencing it as well.

Initially, we didn’t know how it would develop. But later mining, adventure and forestry were added. We were clear that we wanted an action adventure. There’s also a documentary filmmaker Devika who is trying to voice out what the people want.

Then there was intertwining of other ideas.

I have always been fond of the characters of Abhimanyu and Ghatotkacha. Then a folklore tale of Patala Bhairavi, a well-known film was developed into a play. And Krish wanted to show the Narasimha avatar from the Dashavatar,” says Rana, who was the director’s first and only choice for the lead.

Krish says, “If I just talk about mining and theatre, it would be a regular film.

Analogy is important in storytelling. Artiste Bellary Raghava who acted in Telugu and

Photographer: Dilip Murthy

who is espousing a cause. Yet Krish’s films always have something to take home – an underlying philosophical thread. In a sense, Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum (KVJ) seamlessly combines mythology, philosophy and present day problems plaguing society, given the skilful raconteur Krish behind it.

KVJ stars Rana Daggubati and Nayantara in the lead roles while Milind Gunaji plays the antagonist.

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English plays, had a fan following ranging from George Bernard Shaw to Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi. Nobody remembers him in Bellary but there is a statue of his in the town.

I thought of combining the idea of a reluctant theatre artiste who goes to the terrain of the landmining mafia and how he becomes a complete man. A story usually has different threads. Surabhi is a fast dying art form. I have shown this in analogy with iron ore which is also fast depleting.”

The sheer size and scale of KVJ made Krish ask his father and Rajeev who produced his first film Gamyam to produce it. “We can’t restrict budgets. The story demands a 26

different terrain, different sets, different action sequences. By producing it on our own, we can fulfil what we want,” says Krish.

Proper casting as we all know is crucial to any film. For Krish, Rana suited the role of B.Tech Babu (as the character is called) perfectly. “Rana looks perfect as the reluctant young actor. Great diction is important for a theatre artiste and Rana has that ability.

He has the macho look which is useful for action-adventure themes. Since I have known him for a long time, I know how he responds in general.” Krish was insistent on having Nayantara play the documentary filmmaker.

“We checked with Nayan’s manager and were

told she’s not doing any films. We started shooting the scenes with Rana. We took some auditions too. After three months, I spoke to Nayan again as I felt she would suit the character. Back then, she was still making the decision of whether to act or not and said she would act.”

Shooting a film with few or negligible reference points is not just exacting but challenging too. “Every day we would find something new. It was so much fun. Every day was a new experience. It has been a roller-coaster ride. It’s been my fastest written script. And we shot it in 75 days. It was exciting to see the scenes which I had

As the year draws closer to its end, December is an exciting month for your favourite celebrities and stars!

visualised come alive onscreen. the Censor board members appreciated it and said it was an amazing and unforgettable experience. All those who saw the film as the first audience too were very excited,” says Krish. Rana too chips in, “you go to the set and discover new ways of doing things. the discovery was fun.

So I forgot the process of it.” KVJ was shot in hyderabad (on a huge exhibition set in nanakramguda), Palghat and Pollachi.

One of the important sequences in KVJ is the narasimha avatar which is part of the Dashavatar and forms the climax of the film. rana explains “Sv ranga rao had worn a full mask for the portrayal, so i only had Amar Chitra Katha as reference. An artist on the set also did a drawing. we were also inspired by narnia and wolverine. we were shooting at night. i was living in a world of my own – i slept during the day. At night the music would be playing. it gave me a sense of great power. i would be breaking out from a pillar. it’s cruelty and divinity in one. i trained heavily. i am physically blessed but i had to look even bigger! i would be on stage for three-four hours.” All this eventually helped rana in playing the half-man-half-lion incarnation of vishnu without wearing any mask or prosthetics.

Apart from the novelty of playing narasimha, KVJ also gave Rana an opportunity to showcase his versatility as an actor playing different roles ranging from Abhimanyu, ghatotkacha, thota ramudu (Patala bhairavi) and the present day b.tech babu. rana had to mouth tongue-twisting dialogues in the film too, particularly for his theatre 28

pieces and he has done them with aplomb. it just sounded as though words smoothly flowed from his mouth. “I enjoyed the dialogues. it was stressful and challenging to dub them,” says rana. the actor also shot this action adventure in different terrains and had his share of injuries. “we shot in temperatures of 44 to 46 degrees Celsius. in Palghat, we shot in a forest and for the climax we used fire quite extensively. I bore the brunt of injuries too.” rana’s hand was hurt in a dynamite explosion as they were shooting in a quarry. “i still regret that incident despite all the precautions. rana had to have minor surgery and he was back to shoot within two days with a cast! the story was amended a bit whereby this incident was made part of the story and the tribals are also shown giving him some treatment,” shares Krish.

Milind gunaji will be seen in telugu cinema after almost a decade as the antagonist. “the character has many shades and is the kind of person who has the money power to buy anything on the earth,” says Milind, who adds that he enjoyed working with Rana and Krish.

Dilip Murthy, a professional banker and photography enthusiast, who is also rana’s senior in school, has also captured ‘behind the scenes’ moments of KVJ. “The film gives you an entire spectrum – live plays, costumes, action, song, romance... everything. no movie today gives you an opportunity like this. i shot the narasimha avatar from scratch to the transformation,” says Dilip. A look at the pictures will give you the kaleidoscope of emotions the actors and others went through.

Some of them offer glimpses of interesting

facets, while other freeze unusual moments.

“This film will be a visual treat – Dilip’s pictures show the journey the film has taken,” points out rana. “Dilip would come in to the sets like he was going to a corporate office.

I first thought he was a hindrance. He was observing things keenly. i later realised that what he has captured was beautiful vignettes of our life during those days! we used some of Dilip’s stills for the publicity campaigns,” conveys Krish. He has also included two item numbers in KVJ – one performed by Sameera reddy – a rustic number in which venkatesh (in a guest appearance) and rana shake a leg along with Sameera and the other by Hazel Keech.

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

for Ariean stars like ram Charan, health could pose a challenge. Morale could be a bit low, but towards the end of the month, things are bound to take a turn for the better.

for the taurean star, this month will see an abundance of creative work as well as better luck! Position and career would be on the upswing after December 15, 2012.

for gemini stars, an ascent in status and position is a definite achievement this month. it is, socially speaking, a good period as friendships would be revived and new friendships made possible.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

the month is set to begin positively and promises financial gains and progress for actors like Shivarajkumar!

for celebrities like Suriya, the month is bound to start slow with low energy levels and opportunity. things will turn around mid month and you will see a revival in energy levels.

for virgo stars, the month will be successful, with them being in control of things, although they might be more aggressive than usual.

Doing a film like KVJ can mean a lot for an actor. “i have grown as a person,” rana admits. “Such roles come rarely to an actor. i don’t think i could get something so diverse again. it’s developed from an idea and designed so close to me. It’s a milestone film for me. Such roles are tough to come by these days. i’m glad the story chose me,” he adds.

“KVJ is a six fights-six songs film with a pinch of Krish. This is a commercial potboiler,” says Krish. And it comes with not just the title borrowed from the bhagavata Purana but laced with the philosophy of life from the bhagavata Purana and the bhagavad gita without being didactic, yet with a modern touch. indeed, a seamless blend of mythology and philosophy in this pucca action adventure!

- Radhika Rajamani

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LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

libran stars like Prithviraj have a positive month ahead, although brickbats for some earlier mistakes are likely to accrue!

this is a promising time for Scorpio stars like Kamal Haasan, with a possibility for new avenues opening up. Praise and appreciation for your work and talents will pile up aplenty!

December is the month of abundance for the Sagittarian star, with a lot of goodness coming in through unexpected ways.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Positive developments related to children are a possibility this month, while new investments are on the anvil, and old investments could bring in gains for the Capricornian star!

December will see a high on the workfront with the support of superiors and people in government or in other authoritative positions, for actors like Shruti haasan.

for Pisceans, this month has some amazing gains in the form of new work, and lots of money. Avoid revisiting old wounds, though!

RNI No: APENG/2009/29389 |

Regd No: L II/RNP/HD/1118/2010-12 | December 2012.