FROM ANDREA IN 'ANNAYUM RASOOLUM' TO AMALA PAUL IN 'MILI', HERE ARE OUR PICKS FROM MALAYALAM FILMS WHERE THE HEROINE BARELY HAS ANY MAKE-UP ON. In comparison to other southern industries, heroines in Malayalam cinema have usually worn muted make-up. In contemporary cinema, while the leading ladies of other industries usually sport straightened hair and are almost never seen on screen with skin imperfections or dark circles under their eyes (with a few exceptions like Subramaniyapuram, Kaaka Muttai etc), Malayalam films have frequently shown women protagonists as they are, preferring a natural look that suits the character they are playing. On the other hand, bold make-up in Malayalam cinema has been subjected to a fair amount of moral judgment on screen. It is the women who play "loud" characters or arrogant ones who have appeared with bold make-up on their face (the "feminist", ironically, has appeared with lots of make-up in Malayalam films - remember Kaliveedu and the women's group that "wrongly" advises Manju's character?). Their "glamour" marks them out as being fake and of poor character. However, with changing times and more films being made that are set in the urban milieu, it has become more acceptable to see women on screen with some make-up on their face. Even as that may be the case, there are many contemporary Malayalam films where the heroine has worn little to no make-up. Here are our picks: Nimisha Sayajan in Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum With bushy eyebrows, untamed wavy hair, and no make-up at all save for a bit of kajal, Nimisha looked absolutely natural on screen. The actor charmed the audience with her portrayal of Sreeja, a woman who elopes to get married but has her thaali swallowed by a thief on a bus. Andrea in Annayum Rasoolum Andrea usually plays the urban, sophisticated woman. In this Malayalam film about interfaith love, however, she barely had any make-up on. From pimples to shadows below her eyes, the actor was willing to appear on screen as she was and the audience only loved her all the more for it. Sai Pallavi in Premam The film had three heroines but it was Sai Pallavi as Malar teacher who was the unanimous favourite with the audience. The actor has spoken in several interviews about her apprehensions about appearing on screen with skin imperfections but the director, Alphonse Puthren, convinced her to go through with it. Shaun Romy in Kammattipaadam The glamorous Shaun Romy is near unrecognisable in this film, playing a young woman from a slum. This is also one of the few films where a fair-skinned hero (Dulquer Salmaan) has been paired with a dark-skinned woman. Amala Paul in Mili Playing an introverted, depressed young woman, Amala Paul barely had any make-up on in this film. She also wore a pair of unflattering glasses. Parvathy in Take Off For her highly acclaimed film Take Off, Parvathy put on weight and wore no make-up to suit the look of Sameera, a nurse. Parvathy manages to look different in every film she acts in but the Take Off look still came as a surprise. Nazriya in Om Shanti Oshana As a schoolgirl who is obsessed with her crush (Nivin Pauly), the young Puja Mathew played by Nazriya looks like the actor just washed her face and turned up for the shoot. Although she wears light make-up when she dresses up or becomes older, the schoolgirl Nazriya is fresh-faced and very believable. Anna Rajan in Angamaly Diaries The role of Lichy in Angamaly Diaries, her debut film, won Anna so much love that many still call her by the name. The actor wore very little make-up in the film and looked completely natural on screen.
In the FIR, Rajasekaran said that the movie was allegedly sold in DVDs and in the website which came as a big hit to the producers of the movie. Chennai: The Crime Branch-CID of Tamil Nadu police has registered an FIR against piracy websites Tamilrockers and Tamildbox based on a complaint by an office bearer of the Tamil Film Producers council.
According to sources, the makers of the movie, 'Ippadai Vellum'starring Udhayanidhi Stalin approached the police after the movie was released online. Rajasekaran N from the Tamil film producers council lodged a complaint against the website almost a month later the movie ‘Ippadai Vellum’ was released. In the FIR, Rajasekaran said that the movie was allegedly sold in DVDs and in the website which came as a big hit to the producers of the movie. APPARENTLY, NAYANTHARA IS BEING CONSIDERED BECAUSE OF HER STAR POWER AND HER SUCCESS IN AUTHOR-BACKED ROLE Last year's critically-acclaimed Kannada indie hit U-Turn, which featured Shraddha Srinath in the titular role, is all set to be remade in Tamil and the project might feature Samantha Akkineni or Nayanthara in the lead. While it was long announced that Samantha will play the leading lady in the film's Tamil and Telugu remakes, latest reports hint that she has been replaced by Nayanthara. The reason for Samantha's exit from the project is yet unknown but the makers are yet to make an official announcement.
The yet-untitled project is expected to roll from early next year. U-Turn, directed by Lucia fame Pawan Kumar, revolves around the mystery behind the death of motorists who die tragic deaths after breaking traffic rules on a particular flyover in Bengaluru. In January last year, Samantha watched the film in a special screening in Bengaluru and immediately gave her nod. It was believed that she was willing to produce the remake. However, ever since the announcement, there's been no development with regards to the project. A few months later, rumours made the rounds that Nithya Menen was brought on board in place of Samantha and the project was supposed to go on the floors last year. The latest update is that Nayanthara might come on board to play the lead role after Samantha reportedly chose to exit the film for reasons yet unknown. Apparently, Nayanthara is being considered because of her star power and her success in author-backed roles and woman-centric projects. Over the weekend, reports emerged that the remake will officially go on the floors from January 2018. Speaking to New Indian Express, director Pawan Kumar, who will helm the remake as well, shed more light on the development: "The film is in the pre-production stage and shooting will commence from January. We’re trying to make it a bigger film now that we have Samantha in the lead," he said. It'll be a busy 2018 for Samantha whose first major release will be Vishal's Irumbu Thirai. She also has the Savitri biopic, Mahanati, apart from Vijay Sethupathi's Super Deluxe and Sivakarthikeyan's yet-untitled Tamil project with Ponram. ADDRESSING THE MEDIA AFTER THE MEETING, VISHAL DENIED CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS AND CLAIMED THAT DURING THE MEETING, SOME PEOPLE TRIED TO HIT HIM. There was more trouble in store for actor-producer Vishal who seems to be having a long and horrible week. After his nomination papers for the RK Nagar bye-poll were rejected earlier this week, the president of the TN Producers’ Council faced allegations of corruption on Sunday by several members of the council.
Actor and AIADMK member JK Rithesh said, “Radhakrishnan, who earlier held working posts in the producer’s council, told us that when he was part of the team, the council had Rs 7 crore. Now, the council only has Rs 2 crore – so where is the rest of the money?” “It has been eight months since Vishal promised that he will give the details in the next general body meeting,” Rithesh added. Addressing the media after the meeting, Vishal denied corruption allegations and claimed that during the meeting, some people tried to hit him. “Some people are stopping good things from happening. They came and tried to take away the mike and hit us. This is unnecessary. Everyone has the right to ask questions but the way they did it was wrong. I would like to thank the police for helping us, the judge came and observed everything, we also have footage for everything,” said Vishal. Speaking about the corruption allegations, he said, “If we swindled Rs 7 crore, we cannot carry out such an annual general meeting. Every week they tell the press that there has been corruption. Instead, they should come to the office and speak to us. They need to have proof, only then will we respond to them,” he said. The meeting also saw producers opposing Vishal’s move to stand for the RK Nagar election. “According to the bye-laws, anyone who holds an office cannot stand for the elections without resigning their post. He did, so we objected to it and questioned him. But he refused to give a reply, and that’s why this problem started,” Rithesh said. “There was a strong objection to Vishal’s actions, but his team cleverly started singing ‘Jana Gana Mana’ when people started speaking up, in order to finish the meeting,” said actor and BJP politician S Ve Shekar. Actors Surya has wrapped up Vignesh Shivan’s Thaanaa Serndha Koottam and the film will release for Pongal. The actor’s next project – his 36th film, is with Selvaraghavan and will go to floors in January. The film is touted to be a Diwali release. Speculations are now on about his 37th film. It was expected that after the success of Karthi’s Theeram Adheegaram Ondru, Suriya may do a film with the film’s director H.Vinoth. However news is that he will join hands with Maanagaram maker Logesh Kanagaraj.
The film is said to be a supernatural thriller and is apparently titled Irumbu Kai Maayavi. The title is inspired from a British comic from the 60s and 70s called The Steel Claw which was translated in Tamil. The film will be a big budget venture and shoot will last 8 months. Official announcement awaited. Vijay Antony’s life as a music director and actor has been that of perseverance and paradox. He admits that he isn’t a good actor, yet he has been acting consistently since 2012 during which he has also produced five out of the six films that he has been part of. “I cannot act, I’m a good technician. I just choose good stories and act in my own way. There’s no confusion or discontinuity in my performance because I’m being myself. Not just acting and music composing, I also edit and produce my films these days. It keeps me so busy that I don’t have time to compose music for other films. I want to be sincere with each task I take up and if I can’t dedicate enough time to compose music for other heroes, then I would rather not do it at all,” he says. Thankfully, the directors he works with play along because he clarifies to each one of them about things that can and can’t do. “I’m terrible at dancing and there’s only so much romance I can pull off. The directors are well-aware about all this and my acting capabilities. If I work with other producers then they might not quite understand what I’m trying to communicate with them. Now you know why I produce all my films (smiles).”
For someone who has no qualms admitting that he has a long way to go before he can ‘act’ like some of his peers or maybe even ‘dance’ like others, Vijay Antony has had a handful of hits to his credit. His debut film Naan (dubbed in Telugu as Nakili), Salim, and then Picchaikaaran were both critical and commercial hits. In fact, when Picchaikaaran was dubbed in Telugu as Bicchagadu, the film’s remarkable run at the box-office, against all odds, was one of the biggest success stories of 2016. Later, Vijay Antony’s subsequent films like Shaitan and his recent film Indrasena opened to bigger numbers than he had expected. “I thought, perhaps, in 10 years, people in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will recognise me as the actor who was in Bicchagadu or Nakili. But the recognition came much earlier than I had expected to be. I’ll always be grateful to the audiences for that,” Vijay Antony said at a recent event. The thing is, Vijay Antony is a restless man. He admits to getting fidgety when the work is incomplete and that makes him work even harder to meet the deadlines. And this trait has spilled onto his personal life. For instance, more than a decade ago, when he first Fathima, who used to work with SUN TV, he knew that he had fallen in love with her instantly. A day later, he told her, “If your parents are looking for prospective bridegrooms for you, please also consider my name.” The next day, Fathima said ‘yes’. And by fourth day, after he first met her, he introduced her as his wife to everyone around him. Recalling the incident, Vijay Antony laughs, “We didn’t get married on the fifth day (laughs). It took us three months. On a serious note, Fathima has been my biggest strength all these years. We love each other a lot and she knows how hard I work for all my films, and ever since I turned actor, she has been taking care of production and publicity. I call her pattu (silk) and she calls me Mama. We are still old-fashioned, in that sense (laughs).” That’s not it. He is clear about what he wants, despite his limitations as an actor, and right from checking the font size on an Excel sheet to splitting his time evenly between his mother and his wife, Vijay Antony’s life has been all about striking the right balance. “When I edit my films, if the cut isn’t smooth, it hits my eyes. I’m also very particular about my office structure and how my staff is positioned. Sometimes, when I have to walk four steps on black and white tiles, I walk the first two steps on white and then on the next two on black tiles. I do this all the time. If I talk to my mother, I have to talk to my wife too. Sometimes, I fail, but I make up for it. This is saving me. This policy has led me to produce films because I’m that particular about balancing everything,” he laughs. Is it some form of OCD? “I don’t know. Maybe it’s a disorder. Now that you have said it aloud, maybe it is OCD (smiles)," he says. In his latest film Annadurai (dubbed in Telugu as Indrasena), he played dual roles and the story revolves around what the elder brother does for his family. “It’s a very positive film and I was really attracted to the characterisation of Indrasena,” Vijay Antony says, adding, “There’s an Indrasena in all our families. Your father is an Indrasena. He sacrifices a lot of things for your well-being, but you won’t understand any of it until you are mature enough. It was the same case with my previous film Bicchagadu too. The film spoke a lot about human values and sacrifices we make for our family members.” Few weeks ago, the film was in news when the censor board in Tamil Nadu objected to the usage of the word ‘GST’ in a song. While Vijay Antony clarifies that the usage of the word was in reference to something which has come into the character’s life all of a sudden, the censor board was adamant that the word be replaced with something else because of the GST controversy that spiralled out of control post Vijay-Atlee’s Mersal’s release. Adding his perspective on the GST issue, Vijay Antony says, “Running a country is very difficult. Even running a family is hard. Within your own house, your kid might not listen to you, your wife and your mother might have different opinions. Now imagine how tough it is to run a nation. The government has just introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST), and I believe that we might see its positive or negative results only after 7-10 years. You cannot immediately compare our situation with that Singapore. I just used the word GST, as a metaphor for something which has come all of a sudden. But the censor board raised an objection because it was used in a very different context in another film. I felt their concerns were justified.” The word was eventually replaced with EMI. Given the political controversies that keep popping up every now and then in Tamil film industry and the state of Tamil Nadu itself, one might conclude that there’s a internal turmoil that’s constantly brewing in the state. However, Vijay Antony begs to differ. “You cannot generalise it. I think you should segregate what’s happening in film industry and in the political sphere, and look at it separately. If you ask me if there’s a turmoil in state politics, it’s not something which has happened all of a sudden. Politicians have been fighting with each other for a long time now, but when you look at the general public, everyone is living their own life and comfortable in their space. The law and order situation is in place. Things are fine,” he adds. Incidentally, his previous film Yaman (Shaitan in Telugu) didn’t quite hit the bull’s eye at the box-office, although he still avers that it was a good film. “On the second day after the film released, the then CM Jayalalitha passed away. There was nothing much we could do about it. I still think I have done a good film, maybe I should have tweaked the first half and introduced few characters there.” Ask him if he has any goals as an actor or a producer, given his penchant to find good stories, and pat comes the reply, “If you are going to live your life for someone else, then you won’t really enjoy life at all. I don’t have any big expectations or goals. I just want to do my job very sincerely. Fortunately or unfortunately, we are going to live on this planet for 20-25 years, during which we will strive to live in peace and help others, if possible. Our journey is going to continue no matter what. If I give you $1 million and ask you to stay inside a room and do nothing at all, you will go mad after a point. You’ll want to follow your passion sooner or later. I’m not running behind money or power. In your childhood, you play with toys but that changes when you grow. Right now, my toys are filmmaking, editing, music and VFX. I’m really enjoying my life and trying to be genuine with what I’m doing. You can’t face anyone if you aren’t genuine. I’m happy with my life. The moment you have big expectations, it becomes a big burden. The moment you clear your mind and know that you should answer your heart, you don’t have to worry about anything.”
THE POSTER SHOWS ACTOR SHIVA DOING A REMARKABLE IMITATION OF OPS’S MEDITATION AT THE JAYALALITHAA MEMORIAL IN JANUARY.
Movie promotion is as much of an art as making the movie itself. And it seems the makers of Tamizh Padam 2.0 are ticking all the right boxes.
If you thought their dig at the infamous movie pirates Tamil Rockers in their first poster was hilarious, the team have just raised the bar with their second look poster. Taking its trademark parody culture to a new level, the poster features actor Shiva, the star of the comedy franchise, pulling an O Panneerselvam. Dressed in a crisp white shirt and veshti, Shiva sits meditating in front of a memorial, while a host of photographers click pictures of him in the background. The resemblance is unmistakable. Shiva looks exactly like Deputy Chief Minister OPS did, when he meditated at the Jayalalithaa memorial just before setting off an unprecedented rebellion in the ruling AIADMK, the dust of which is still to settle.
The second look poster has got people all over social media ROFLing, with the tweet by makers Y Not Studios getting over 500 retweets and over 1,500 likes within the first four hours.
And considering how much fun trolls and meme-makers had with the original OPS rebellion, it was inevitable that this poster would draw them all out again.
For the uninitiated, Tamizh Padam 2.0 is a sequel to the 2010 parody film starring Shiva and Disha Pandey, helmed by director CS Amudhan, who’s taking the reins this time around too.
The sequel, which was officially launched on Thursday, also reportedly stars Aishwarya Menon, Disha Pandey, Sathish, Santhana Bharathi, Manobala, R Sundarrajan, Nizhalgal Ravi and Chethan. The team’s first look poster set Twitter aflutter when it announced that Tamizh Padam 2.0 will release on May 25, 2018, and that there will be a ‘Tamil Rockers release’ the very next day. Poking fun at the heartburn the online pirates cause the industry by releasing all latest movies within days of their theatrical release, the first look poster called Tamil Rockers the film’s “official piracy partner”. FROM DIRECTOR ANJALI MENON TO ACTORS MANJU WARRIER AND PARVATHY, SEVERAL WOMEN FROM THE WCC SPEAK ON WHAT THE COLLECTIVE STANDS FOR. The Women in Cinema Collective, which was established soon after a prominent woman actor from the Malayalam film industry was abducted and assaulted earlier this year, has come up with a video that speaks about what the group stands for. The Collective has staunchly stood by the survivor, even as other film organisations like AMMA scrambled to defend actor Dileep, who is accused of being the mastermind behind the conspiracy which led to the attack. However, the WCC has also met with criticism for "not doing anything". Some women from the industry have also said that they don't see the need for such an organisation since they've never faced any such harassment. The video titled 'WCC Introduction' starts with director Anjali Menon speaking about the need to create an environment in cinema where men and women can work together happily and can expect safety, security and opportunity equally. Director Geethu Mohandas, addressing the question why others were not "invited" to be part of the WCC says, "The truth of the matter is, we invited ourselves. Women from the creative fields, from different walks of life, we empowered each other. This is our strength." Geethu goes on to add that change is required and that the change must happen now. Actor and director Revathy, screenwriter Deedi Damodaran, actor and director Sajitha Madathil, speak about how it's necessary for women to take charge and work towards equality in every sphere, including cinema. Actor Rima Kallingal says a section of women have recognised that it's time they started thinking and acting for themselves rather than someone else telling them how to go about it. Editor and director Bina Paul says that the Collective will give a sense of unity to not just women in the Malayalam industry but all over the country. Screenwriters Vidhu Vincent and Dr Asha Anchy Joseph point out that the Collective is also about recognising gender inequality and stereotypes that are propagated in the name of cinema. Vidhu adds that it's unnecessary for men to be "afraid" of the WCC and that they are working with the support of male allies within the industry. Screenwriter and director Sreebala K Menon says it's time that the role of women in 90 years of Malayalam cinema came to be known to the world. Actor Padmapriya says that it will take a long time for organisations like the WCC to change rigid social ideas about women. Screenwriter Indhu Nampoothiri notes that WCC is interested in seeing how they can contribute towards making this social change. Actors Ramya Nambessan and Parvathy, and music director and singer Sayanora Philip refer to the survivor's courage and her will to not give up and say that the WCC was formed to ensure no other woman undergoes what she had to. Cinematographer Fowzia Fathima and director Soumya Sadanand say that the WCC was established to change the cinema industry to a space where a woman can work with dignity and that the gender sensitivity we expect to see on screen should also be reflected in how cinema is made. Speaking at the end of the video, actors Manju Warrier and Rima Kallingal say any woman in cinema who believes in the ideas that the WCC stands for is welcome to join them and that they look forward to the support of allies. Watch the kickass video here:
Prabhas, who has been shooting extensively in Mumbai for Saaho, has a secret crush on a popular ’90s Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon.
Prabhas achieved worldwide recognition, thanks to SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali franchise. The shy Telugu superstar suddenly was first catapulted into national spotlight and later internationally, with global publications like the BBC covering the phenomenal appeal and success of the film. Such was the adulation that the actor took a break and went away to the US, soon after Baahubali 2: The Conclusion released in April 2017.
On his return in June, Prabhas got busy with his new film, Saaho, which is being directed by Sujeeth Reddy. It has now come to light that Prabhas, who has been shooting extensively in Mumbai, has a secret crush on a popular ’90s Bollywood actor. And the lady in question is Raveena Tandon.
“I am a big a fan of Raveena! Every time I saw the song from Andaz Apna Apna – Elo ji sanam, I was like wow!” The IB Times quoted him as saying.
Incidentally, Raveena’s husband Anil Thadani had distributed Baahubali series. A source told IB Times, “In fact, the actors and makers of Bahubali are close friends and part of a group in Hyderabad and whenever they are in Mumbai they visit Anil and Raveena.”
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“When the producer and Rana Daggubati first met Anil, they told him about Prabhas being a mad fan of Raveena. When Prabhas visited Anil and Raveena for dinner last time, he clicked selfies with the gorgeous actress,” the source adds.
The Sujeeth directorial will be released simultaneously in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam.
Govt. fixes ₹20 and ₹10 for parking in movie theatres
In an official notification by Governor of Tamil Nadu, the price of parking a car/three-wheeler and two wheeler in a theatre situated in municipal corporations and municipalities special grade has been fixed at ₹20 and ₹10 respectively.
In town panchayats and villages, car/three-wheeler and two wheeler parking charges have been fixed at ₹ 5 and ₹3 respectively. In municipalities other than special grade municipalities, the rates have been fixed at ₹15 and ₹7 for car/three-wheeler and bike parking respectively. It is unclear whether parking ticket pricing will include theatres in shopping malls. The Tamil Nadu Cinemas (Regulation) rules, 1957, was amended to incorporate these changes. Vishal also confirmed this in his recent tweet.
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