kkmoidusharjah: Festival Attractions

kkmoidusharjah: Festival Attractions

Fans go ga ga over Rajnikanth’s 100th Tamil film

Fans go ga ga over Rajnikanth’s 100th Tamil film


BY KK MOIDU
SIVAJI The Boss, the 100th Tamil film of legendary actor Rajnikanth, which was released in UAE last week is creating history.
The most expensive Indian film ever made, with a budget of around Indian Rupees one billion is also the most awaited film in the Tamil film industry.
Being screened in the UAE from the first day, hundreds of cinegoers crowded theatres to have a glimpse of their favourite star in hislatest mega movie Sivaji, which is expected to break box office records.
Sivaji was released in Sharjah Concorde cinema on June 14. Eldorado Cinema in Abu Dhabi, Grand Galleria in Dubai and Club Cinema in Al Ain was released on June 15.
Eldorado Cinema I and II in Abu Dhabi has been screening 10 shows daily to packed houses from the day of release.
The sources said the shows are packed for the coming days as well. No Indian films have received this kind of response so far.
Club Cinema in Al Ain is screening the film four times daily. A staff in the theatre said all the shows are running to full houses for the last two days and it has created a Rajni wave. The theatre would screen the movie for at least two more weeks.
There are chances of the shows being scaled down since the theatres have to screen other films scheduled for the coming weeks.
In Grand Galleria, Dubai, the film is running four daily shows to full houses with the entire week fully booked by cinegoers. The sources said the film will run for a minimum of one month.
In Sharjah Concorde Cinema, the film that was released at 7:45pm show on Thursday, a day earlier than its scheduled global launch, now runs five times a day to packed houses.
The tickets for the next few days are fully booked for the night shows. The response for daytime shows on weekdays is less compared to night shows. But many are returning without tickets for the 7:45pm and 11pm shows.
Theatre staff and the viewers said they are highly satisfied with the new film from Thalaivar, the title accorded to the star.
Paneer Selvam, a fan of Rajnikanth, who was fortunate enough to get a ticket to watch his favourite actor's film on the first day, said he is happy about the film, the performance of Rajni, technical perfection of the film, direction of Shankar, AR Rehman's music and especially the theme.
A staff member of the theatre most of the viewers are Indians from the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
Mohammed Shabeer from Ponnani, Kerala who watched the film from Grand Galleria, Dubai said he had booked the ticket in advance. A fan of Rajni films like Basha, Padayappa, Arunachalam etc. he said he enjoyed Sivaji.
Rajni's last release Chandramukhi was in 2005. His fans were eagerly waiting for the superstar's film. Sivaji does not disappoint. The movie is set to make history by smashing all his previous records.
The film is also expected to re-write the collection record since the past records of Rajni films have been broken only his own new releases.
The film's story is very simple about a man who fights against evil machines and cleans the system. With Rajni's style, veteran craftsman Shankar's master touch and AR Rahman's music, the movie has all the ingredients of a mass entertainer like punch dialogues, romance, comedy, big sets, breathtaking action scenes and the good beats the evil plot.

LIGHTING UP THE FESTIVE SEASON

Lighting up the festive season

Half-a-dozen Tamil films featuring popular heroes will be released for Deepawali, writes KK Moidu

The movies in the race are the Vikram starrer Bheema, Vijay's Azhakiya Tamizh Makan, Ajith Kumar's Billa, Surya's Vel, Polladhavan starring Dhanush and Jeevan's Machakkaaran. Although these films are different, they also have some similarities.
Bheema has already got attention for the reunion of Vikram and Trisha after Samy. Bheema and Billa tells the story of the underworld. Prakash Raj is appearing in important roles in Bheema and Billa.
Vijay is, for the first time, paired with Shriya Saran in Azhakiya Tamizh Makan. Vijay, Surya and Ajith are playing dual roles in their films. Namitha is one of the heroines in Billa and Azhakiya Tamizh Makan. Vel is Surya's second film with director Hari. It is Asin's second film with Surya, their earlier film Ghajini was a superhit. The titles of Billa and Polladhavan are inspired from earlier Rajnikanth films.
Yuvan Shankar Raja, who steals the heart of music lovers with his impressive tunes, has composed the music for Billa, Vel and Machakkaaran. Vel and Bheema will be simultaneously released in Tamil and Telugu.
The song sequences of Bheema and Machakkaaran are picturised in New Zealand.
Bheema
Vikram, who skyrocketed to cult status after the success of superhit Anniyan will return to the silverscreen in the much-awaited Bheema. The actor is doing a hefty role in the film; he put on weight and also attended a special bodybuilding course to match his role. Vikram appears in very fashionable clothes and worked hard to do full justice to the role.
Sparkling Trisha plays the female lead opposite Vikram in Bheema. Prakash Raj also plays an important role in the film. Bheema, directed by Linguswamy is produced by AM Rathnam under the banner of Sri Surya Movies. Lyrics of veteran poet Vairamuthu is tuned by Harris Jayaraj. The song sequences in the film are shot in Switzerland, New Zealand and Madurai.
An action-packed entertainer, Bheema not only tells the story about the tough life of the mafia world, but also has other ingredients like romance and sentiments to magnetise all Vikram fans.
The release of Bheema was delayed for a long time for various reasons. However, Bheema overcame all obstacles and the final court case has been cleared. According to reports, a Travel Agency (Travel Markets), filed a case against the producer for cheques that bounced. Travel Markets demanded an arrangement for the outstanding payment and a stay order for releasing Bheema. The court agreed on the first demand, to pay the Travel Market dues, but declined to stay the release of the film.
Bheema's Telugu version will release on the same day as the Tamil film. Vikram's previous hit Anniyan was released in Telugu as Aparichithudu and ran for more than 100 days in Andhra Pradesh. Pawan Kalyan released the Telugu audio of Bheema in a function attended by Vikram and Linguswamy.
Azhakiya Tamizh Makan (ATM)
Azhakiya Tamizh Makan directed by Bharathan is Vijay's 45th film. Vijay plays a dual role in the film and the two heroines are Shriya Saran and Namitha. Vijay fans are thrilled to see their favourite star's dual appearance and he is for the first time acting with Shriya. After her pairing with Rajnikanth in Sivaji The Boss, the actress reached a new milestone in her career.
Music of ATM is scored by AR Rehman and the big budget film is produced by Swargachithra Appachan.
Vijay, who is delighted with his massive hit Pokiri, hopes that he can repeat his success in ATM and satisfy his huge fan following. Director Bharathan, who proved his aptness as a dialogue writer in Dharani films, has also worked with Vijay in the earlier superhit Ghilli as an assistant director and dialogue writer.
Billa
Another crowd pulling star, Ajith, plays the title role in the lavish and spectacular entertainer Billa. The movie is a remake of the 80s Rajnikanth-Sripriya blockbuster of the same title and that itself was the remake of the Bollywood hit Don, starring Amitabh Bachchan. The latest Billa is made with the essential modifications and the film fully exploits modern technology with special effects. William Ang, who has directed stunts for Jackie Chan films, was roped in for some exclusive fight scenes.
Tamil leading ladies Nayanthara and Namitha play the heroine roles of the film and that has created lot of hype and expectations among cinegoers. Nayan and Nami are the girl friends of the world famous notorious don Billa. Nayanthara is playing Sripriya's role in the Rajnikanth starrer Billa. The film features Nayanthara in a two-piece bikini suit and that already has made headlines. The other heroine Namitha, plays a meaty role. Both the heroines fight scenes are also included in the film.
Versatile Prakash Raj will play the role of Major Sundar Rajan and Prabhu is playing an influential role in the film.
The movie was extensively filmed in Malaysia including the Petronas Tower, Langkawi Island and the 'Little India' of Kuala Lumpur (Jalan Masjid India area).
Billa is directed by Vishnuvardhan for which he did the script, screenplay and dialogue.
Yuvan Shankar Raja tunes the music for the film. According to reports, the song My Name is Billa is remixed and an item number done by Mumaith Khan Vethalayai Potendi is retuned. Both the songs are shot in Kuala Lumpur with choreographer Raju Sundaram.
The makers of the film hope that it will become not only a hit in Tamil Nadu but also in neighbouring Kerala like the original Billa.
Vel
Surya plays a double role after Perazhagan in the big budget film Vel, directed by Hari. He appears in one role as a masculine, angry young villager and settles disputes in his own style. His second role is a secret and the maker's only know that he is a hero or a villain. His undisclosed second character is the most important link in the story which makes it more interesting.
This is Surya's second film with director Hari. Their earlier film was Aaru. Asin is doing a fun-loving girl role in the movie and her character name is Miranda Meenakshi, a TV anchor. She appears with a new look by wearing traditional costumes and eyeglasses. Music for the film is scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja. The song of the film Kobakkara Kiliye is pictured in Munnar and has become a hit.
Vel, produced by M Chinthamani under the banner of Raja Kaliamman Media works, will be noticed for its good crafted script. The film has all the essentials of a superhit. Other artistes are Vadivelu, Nasser, Kalabhavan Mani and Charan Raj.
Surya's last film was Sillunu Oru Kadhal released last year. After completing Vel, the actor will start working in the forthcoming film Varanam Aayiram which will be released in 2008.
According to reports, S Panduranga Rao and KVV Sathyanarayanan are dubbing Vel in Telugu as Deva under the banner of Aishwarya Cine Creations. Bellamonda Suresh presents the film in Telugu for the Deepawali release.
Polladhavan
Young and thin hero Dhanush, the son- in-law of Rajnikanth, is paired with Ramya in Polladhavan. Dhanush created hysteria among the youth with his films, especially the song Manmada Rasa. His latest Polladhavan is a romantic entertainer and the story appeals to people of all ages.
Dhanush plays a young boy's role in the film with dreams to come up in life. The setbacks faced by him in reaching his mission is told in a romantic way. The film also give importance to action and humour and it is edited by VT Vijayan.
Polladhavan is the maiden directorial venture of Vettrimaran, who was an associate cinematographer of director Balu Mahendra. GV Prakash Kumar has been roped in to score the music and has come up with half-a-dozen peppy songs for the film produced by Kathiresan.
The cinematographer of the film is Velraj and it was mainly filmed in Chennai.
Although the title of the film is inspired from the yesteryears Rajnikanth superhit, it will not influence Rajnikanth's Polladhavan.
Machakkaaran
Although Jeevan signed Machakkaaran much before Naan Avanillai, the latter was released first. Jeevan made his debut in University, the film bombed at the box office and his efforts went unnoticed. He achieved success in Kaaka Kaaka but vanished for three years. Jeevan surprised everybody with superhits Thiruttu Payale and Naan Avanillai. His previous hits encouraged him to compete with biggies on the occasion of Deepawali.
Jeevan, who always played heroic roles with a negative touch, has succeeded in winning audience sympathy in the climax. In the lively entertainer Machakkaaran, his love interest is Kamna Jethmalani. She is the grand-daughter of veteran lawyer and politician Ram Jethmalani. Kamna made her Tamil debut in Idhayathirudan directed by Saran.
She is playing a charming role in the film and Malavika appears in a song scene.
Machakkaaran is directed by Tamilvannan and the music is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja. A song shot in New Zealand under the choreography of Raju Sundaram is the major highlight of the film. Cinematography is by Venkatesh and production is by Madras Entertainment.
All these films, featuring favourite heroes, will compete with each other to attract movie buffs during the festive season.

AIMING HIGH-Bala Chandra Menon

CINEMA

AIMING HIGH

BEST ACTOR NATIONAL AWARD WINNER
PADMABHUSHAN BALA CHANDRA MENON IS BACK TO DIRECTING FILMS WITH DHE INGOTTU NOKKIYE, AFTER AN INTERVAL OF FIVE YEARS. KK MOIDU WRITES

Bala Chandra Menon is one of the most
renowned names for direction in Malayalam
cinema in the past. According to reports, his comeback vehicle, Dhe Ingottu Nokkiye,
includes Bhavana in the cast and sends a message against suicides.
The film, produced by AVA Anoop, will be distributed by Vaisakha movies who have been riding high on the success of Hallo and Chocolates. Bichu Thirumala and M Jayachandran score the music.
Menon, ‘the one man entertainment team’ in Malayalam cinema, is planning to present some new faces in his latest venture. He is an
expert in introducing new artistes.
He has contributed many newcomers
to the Malayalam film industry like Shobana in April 18, Parvathi in Vivahithare Ithile, Maniyan Pilla Raju in Maniyan Pilla Athava
Maniyan Pilla, Karthika in Manicheppu Thurannappol, Annie in Ammayane Sathyam and Nandini aka Kausalya in April 19.
As a director, Menon’s last film was Krishna Gopalakrishna, but he couldn’t repeat his earlier success in the film. He played the title role in the film and also produced it. He
wrote the story, did the editing and
sung a song in it as well. No other film personality has served the industry like Bala Chandra Menon by handling almost all the departments, especially in a film he has
produced.
After the flop of Krishna Gopalakrishna, he didn’t direct films but he wrote the script for
Varum Varunnu Vannu directed by Ramadas. Menon also played the lead role in the film but the film bombed at the box office.
Menon, who excels as an actor and director, was not directing films for the last couple of years. He is energetic, but the fifty-plus actor
has not tried to play heroic roles.
Instead, he concentrated on acting
in mature roles as well as act and direct TV serials.
He featured in a mature role playing a 75-year-old barrister Sankaran Nambiar in Saphalam. He played the college professor role in Malayalam cinema’s biggest box
office hit Classmates, a campus love story directed by Lal Jose. He also acted in a prominent role in the Mammootty-starrer Rappakal directed by Kamal. He continued
his presence in Malayalam films by acting in the recently released Pranayakalam.
Menon will appear on the silver screen with superstar Mohanlal after a sabbatical of about a decade in the forthcoming campus film College Kumaran directed by
Thulasidas. According to reports, the film will have six heroines in prominent roles.
The ace actor-director Bala Chandra Menon has completed more than three decades in filmdom. He was born in 1954, the son
of Sivasankaran Pilla and Lalitha Devi. Menon’s wife is Varadha and he has two sons Akhil and Vinayak and a daughter Bhavana.
Bala Chandra Menon’s father was a railway station master and retired as commercial controller. His father wished his only son
would be a doctor or join the Indian
Administrative Service. But Menon
always dreamed about acting and he proved his talent as a speaker, actor and singer in his college days in Kollam Fatima Matha College.
In order to fulfill his dream to become a film personality, Menon didn’t miss films that came to his town and even skipped classes to
watch matinee shows. He continued
his acting interest in University college,
Thiruvanathapuram, but forayed
into politics and was the university
union chairman of the college.
After completing his graduation
in BSc (Geology) and earning a degree in journalism, Menon started his career as a reporter in the popular Malayalam film magazine Nana.
Menon learnt his first lesson in film making from Madras. Being a reporter, he got freedom to move freely on the filmsets. He closely watched the happenings in the
industry and learned the techniques
and tricks of the business. He polished
his writing skills and talked with actors and technicians.
Menon entered in the film industry
after he failed to obtain an admission to the Madras Film Institute. He has begun his career as an actor in film but he also wrote
and directed many films. He acted
in a succession of comedy-laced
family dramas, and created in the process a style of his own. His films stories were based on his experiences in society and personal life.
Bala Chandra Menon made his directorial debut in Uthradarathri in 1978 and he won the Kerala State Award for best story writer.
Menon presented different styles of films and that turned out to be the biggest hits. His typical style of acting also captured the interest of the audience. He selects compelling themes and catchy titles for his
films like Ente Ammu Ninte Thulasi Avarude Chakki, Ithiri Neram Othiri Karyam etc.
Menon has directed more than three dozen films but his masterpiece is Samantharangal. He shared the best actor National Award with
Suresh Gopi (Kaliyattam) for his
acclaimed performance as a railway
station master.
Although Menon’s first love is direction, he worked hard as a filmmaker. He was compelled to do the station master role in
Samantharangal. Veteran actor Thilakan, who had agreed to do the role, was busy with his schedule.
Menon, who wanted to make a film
based on the railways for nearly a decade, decided to go ahead with the project.
The producer was doubtful about Menon’s ability to perform as an old Muslim man in the film, so he backed out. Menon himself produced the film, his advantage was
his intimate knowledge of the railway
station, being the son of a railway
station master. He played the lead role in Samantharangal and succeeded in his mission. He shared the Best Actor National Award of the year, but the award kept away
the audience, like other art movies,
and the film lost the identity of a Bala Chandra Menon film.
Samantharangal was entirely different from Menon’s other films. In his earlier films, he played the younger hero roles but after
Samantharangal he started appearing
in serious roles in films and serials.
Bala Chandra Menon, with his different style and presentation and signature head-scarf, created strings of hits in the 80s and early 90s. His movies were based on the unusual
relationships of the ordinary community.
Menon was a favourite for the family audience and his style of acting captured the interest of women audience. He created comedy hits like Chiriyo Chiri and Karyam Nisaram. His other biggest hits are Prashnam Gurutharam, Oru Painkilikatha, April 18,
Ammayane Sathyam etc.
Critics and audience unanimously
consider the period between 1986-90 as the golden age of Malayalam cinema. Bala
Chandra Menon’s films were running
in packed theatres by competing
with many talented director’s
films. The speciality of Malayalam
films at the time were detailed screenplays dealing with day-today life of the people with a touch of humour. The films were also
supported by brilliant cinematography.
Most of the films like Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha released during this period slendered the gap between art and commercial cinema. Other prominent directors like Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Sibi
Malayil, Bharathan, Kamal and
Hariharan also directed commercial
films without loosing its artistic
value.
Ace director’s like Priyadarshan, Sathyan Anthikkad, Siddique-Lal also created movies
with good humour during this period.
Although Bala Chandra Menon has not been directing films for the last five years, he is aware of the pulse of the Malayalam film industry.
Everybody hopes that his new film Dhe Ingottu Nokkiye will pull back his family audience and Menon will repeat his directorial success.