Vijay Exclusive Interview About Ponniyan Selvan and Politics

Suddenly, everything is shining bright for Vijay, after having had a rough patch in the last few years. After delivering a super-hit in Kaavalan, he has moved onto ace director Shankar’s project Nanban, the remake of Bollywood blockbuster Three Idiots. Then, the actor will join Mani Ratnam’s project, a periodic film.

On the political front, too, Vijay is making canny moves. Ilaya Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, a people's movement (as he prefers to call it), launched by the actor, has decided to back the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)-led front in the coming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Film director and father of Vijay SA Chandrasekar called on Jayalalithaa and conveyed the decision last week. Over to Vijay.

How do you look at the success of Kaavalan? It must have been a huge relief.

Even before Bodyguard (the original) in Malayalam, Siddique wanted to start the project in Tamil with me in the lead, but we could not get going due to many factors, including my commitments to other projects. But it was taken up at an appropriate time which eventually proved a turning point in my career graph. The film projected me in a very different shade, and the audience lapped it up. Besides, the film has been appreciated critically.

The stunt sequences of your forthcoming film Velayudham are being talked about highly. What’s so special about them?

Tom Delmar, Hollywood’s top action and stunt choreographer, has been roped in to direct some breath-taking stunt sequences, like atop a speeding train at Vizag. It will certainly be one of its kind, with a cutting-edge effect. The scene will feature Abhimanyu Singh and I.

We hear that Hansika Motwani, your co-star in the film, has tweeted that you are her sweetest friend ever. Comment.

Being a good friend of your co-star is quite natural, especially in our profession. What else can I say?

After Shankar’s Namban, you will move onto Mani Ratnam’s project, we hear.

Yes, I will. It’s a privilege to have been offered opportunities to work in a film made by Shankar and by Mani Rathnam on a row. Trust me, it is a dream come true for me to associate myself with these two legendary directors.

Tell us about Mani’s project.

Ponniyan Selvan, as the film is tentatively titled, will be made simultaneously in Tamil and Telugu, on a budget of Rs 100 crore. The pre-production work is on and the film is expected to roll in September/October. I will be playing a character called Arulmozhi Varman, who later becomes Raja Raja Chola. The film is based on one of the most popular novels in Tamil, written by Kalki Krishnamurthi, the celebrated writer. It’s a classic.

Arya and Mahesh Babu are said to be playing other roles. I can’t comment on the cats and the crew. It ‘s the director’s prerogative. Your first political meeting at Nagapattinam turned out to be a filmy affair.

The fact remains that I continue to be an actor and hence such a flavor is required. People think you have opted to collaborate with Jaya mainly because you were allegedly harassed endlessly by the ruling DMK.

It is up to people to interpret the way they want. As far as my political decisions are concerned, I make my moves in accordance with my own ideologies and perceptions, taking into account the prevailing trends. Do you think I would act and react to the whims and fancies of others around? More so, I am not the kind of person who gets intimidated by anyone – if they are in power or not. My association with the AIADMK chief is purely personal. Let me tell you I have never intended to acquire mileage out of that relationship.

Mankatha Shooting Spot Stills

Vikram play 18-year-old boy in Deiva Thirumagan

Vikram, who plays the lead star in Deiva Thirumagan, will appear as an 18-year-old boy. The actor has undergone rigorous exercise to tone down his body so that he could fit in the role. Sources in Kollywood say that the scene in which he appears as young lad has come out well and his efforts have not gone waste.

It may be mentioned here that Suriya has appeared as a school-going kid in Aadhavan and this created a lot of hype for that film prior to its release.

Deiva Thirumagan is directed by Madarasapattinam fame Vijay and has Anushka and Amala Paul playing the female leads.

"Mappillai and KO" Release Date Confirmed!

It is official now! The Dhanush starrer Mappillai will hit the silver screens on April 8th. The film was recently awarded with a U certificate. Sun Pictures is distributing this film and therefore the expectations are high. Further, Mappillai is the remake of the yesteryear smash hit of the same name in which Rajinikanth had starred. The film is directed by Suraj and stars Hansika Motwani as Dhanush’s lead pair. Bollywood star Manisha Koirala plays a very powerful role in this film.

Yes, we just heard it from the horse's mouth! Director KV Anand has announced that the release date of his much awaited Ko is set for the 15th of April. This is one movie that has been garnering the attention of the media and the audience ever since its launch. Jeeva, Ajmal and Piaa Bajpai play important roles in this film which will apparently be two times better than Ayan.

The movie is rumored to be about a photo journalist (Jiiva) who helps his friend (Ajmal) to enter politics by offering him the several political contacts he knows. Ajmal wins an election and what happens after that forms the rest of the story. Songs have been tuned by Harris Jayaraj and is topping the charts. Everyone is eagerly awaiting for the movie and we hope Ko will be a bigger hit than Ayan was!

Vivek Completes 25 years in Cinema

Ace comedian Vivek has completed 25 golden years in Kollywood (1986-2011). The actor confirmed the news at the audio launch of Mappillai. Vivek made his debut through Manadhil Urudhi Vendum directed by K. Balachander. The actor played only small roles in the beginning, but his hard work brought him to the limelight and he then played a separate comedy track in many films. The star comedian usually appeared as a close buddy of the hero or heroine. Most of the references in Vivek's dialogues pertain to everyday situations and happenings. Vivek's rapport with actor Dhanush was quite evident in Padikadavan and now the duo is back with Mappillai, which is expected to grace theatres on April 8, 2011.

Arya Against Indian Team!

"INDIA'S CHANGES: I don't think india will be able to win this time. Pakistan, in my opinion, is a fas better team and their run in this World Cup has been fantastic.

GAME CHANGES: Shahid Afridi will win the game for Pakistan. For India, Gautam Gambhir will be the key player PLANS FOR THE BIG DAY: I'm currently shooting with director Lingusamy for his film, vettai, in karaikudi. I'll be watching the match here with the rest of the crew"

HOW CAN YOU SAY THIS?

Not many people know that Aarya is also a Muslim. Being an Indian, staying in India and making his livelihood in India, how could have he said like this on such a crucial day about a crucial match. Is this the feeling and concern, he has towards India and Indians. Give your feedback ....

Costliest Song in Vijay's Velayudham ?

Tamil Cinema costliest song so far has been shot, for Vijay's Velayudham the sequence was filmed at Thirumalaigiri near Pollachi. Vijay's introudcution song is always the most looked forward to in all his films. In velayudham, the actor performed to a perfect kuthu number with more than a thousand dancers. This song was reportedly shot at a cost of more than 25 lakh. Even jeyam raja, the director of the film, admits, "This introduction song is the costliest ever shot so far in Tamil films, We deliberately shot itin a grand manner to do something sensational. "He adds, "It was amazing working with vijay. "Asked if VIjay is playing a super hero, but he's not playing a super character like spiderman or superman!"

Vikram Next Film "Karikalan" with Katrina Kaif ?

Vikram is wrapping up work on Deiva Thirumagan and is all set to begin work on a brand new exciting project. The film is to be called Karikalan and it will be directed by Kannan who has been responsible for the graphics in director Shankar’s movies. Karikalan is expected to be a mega budget entertainer with impressive special effects.

It is to be produced by Silver Line Film Factory, the makers of the recent Singam Puli. The buzz is that Katrina Kaif will be the heroine as she is said to be perfect for the part and the entire team is keen that she be a part of this project. Harris Jayaraj will do the music.

Selvaraghavan Complete Erandam Ulagam ?

Selvaraghavan as per his commitment to UTV has to complete his Dhanush-Andrea starrer Erandam Ulagam, before he can start shoot with Kamal for Viswaroopam.

Selva, the professional that he is will start the last and final schedule of the film from April 11 in Chennai. During this 40 day shoot, he has to do the remaining four songs and talkie portion of the film.

Yuvan Shankar Raja is to provide music for the film, which is yet to be recorded. Ramji is the cinematographer. If Selva completes the shoot and finishes post production work of 'this intense love story'

UTV will release Erandam Ulagam by June end.

Vijay’s Makkal Iyakkam Support AIADMK ?

Vijay’s dad and director, SA Chandrasekar, met the AIADMK Supremo J Jayalalitha at the Sangam Hotel in Trichy to offer his support during the upcoming election.

The meeting lasted for 20 minutes with SAC reiterating that Vijay’s Makkal Iyakkam will support the party to ensure its win. However, SAC pointed out that he is not a member of any political party till now.

The director has said that he will campaign in support of the AIADMK but did not disclose if Vijay will also follow suit. SAC added that neither he nor Vijay are in a hurry to enter politics but will certainly do so in the future.

Dhanush Mapillai Trailer

Shiva next is "Sivapoojayil Karadi" ?

After the romantic Pathinaru, ‘Mirchi’ Shiva of Chennai 600028 and Saroja fame, is back with his next project titled Sivapoojayil Karadi, to be directed by veteran film maker Ramanarayanan. Reportedly the film is an out-and-out comedy venture and the pre production works have already begun.

Shiva, who used to be an RJ, has built an enormous fan base in a short time with his high energy level, enthusiasm and acting skills.

Hansika Motwani Hot Stills

Venkat Prabhu also Play in ‘Mankaatha’?

The star cast of ‘Mankaatha’ seems to get bigger and bigger. The latest addition to the cast has been Andrea. We have very reliable sources close to the director of ‘Mankaatha’ revealing that the team will be leaving to Mumbai on Sunday for the next schedule of shooting. Venkat Prabhu will be shooting portions involving the hero of the film Ajith and lead lady Trisha. Arjun and Andrea too will be a part of the team leaving to Mumbai.

When Venkat Prabhu decided to direct ‘Mankaatha’ and managed to get the call sheets of all the artists involved, he did not know that he would face a time crunch in releasing the movie. Since a host of busy stars are involved bringing them together for a shoot was a big challenge due to their dates clashing. This issue seems to have been sorted out with the main cast and the crew heading to Mumbai now.

Yuvan has composed music for this Venkat Prabhu creation too and the album will be released May 1, on Ajith’s birthday! The director is confident that the music of ‘Mankaatha’ will set the music charts of the state on fire. There are rumors running rife that Venkat Prabhu might play a role in front of the camera too. We do not have any reports confirming this but we will let you know the moment it is confirmed.

IT Raid on Tollywood Celebrities!

The Income Tax Department, which raided the residences and offices of Anushka, Nagarjuna, Ravi Teja, and producer Shiv Prasad, has summoned them to explain how they acquired 40-crore worth property.

The raids took place after the IT Department came to know about huge property acquisitions by these stars in Vishakapatnam. Further, the IT sleuths have also found some incriminating property documents and have summoned the actors to explain the source of income for acquiring the property, which is said to be worth about 40-crores.

Richa to romance Mahesh Babu in Ponniyin Selvan ?

If reports are to be believed, Richa Gangopadhyaya will be Mahesh Babu's heroine in ace Mani Ratnam's next Tamil-Telugu bilingual, based on the popular Tamil novel 'Ponniyin Selvan' written by Kalki Krishna Murthy. If this happens, it would be Richa's first Tamil film.

The Tamil version has been titled Ponniyin Selvan, while Telugu version is yet to be titled. They star Tamil heroes Vijay and Arya besides Mahesh Babu.

According to reports, Anushka plays Mahesh Babu’s younger sister as well as Vijay’s love interest in this film. Vijay  will play the courageous warrior Vallavarayan Vandiyatheyan and Mahesh Babu will play King Aditha Karikalan. The role of Arulmozhi Varman (who later becomes Raja Raja Chozha), will be played by Arya.

Cinematographer Rathnavelu Confirms Enthiran-2!

Good news awaits Rajini fans even before the start of their Thalaivar’s next venture ‘Rana’. Yes, the Superstar is preparing himself for a sequel to ‘Enthiran’, his biggest blockbuster till date.

This has been revealed by none other than cinematographer Rathnavelu, who picturised ‘Enthiran’ and now getting ready to wield the camera for ‘Rana’ too. “Talks are currently on,” he says.

Shedding more light, he says, “Rajini sir, Sun Pictures, Shankar, Rahman and myself will come together for Enthiran-2  too. Most members of Enthiran team will be retained. Shankar is currently making the script ready.” Saying that the movie would go on floors once Rajini completes ‘Rana’ and Shankar completes ‘Nanban’, a remake of  ‘Three Idiots’, Randy says he would soon leave for Scotland to zero in on locations for ‘Rana’.

Kamal Hassan's next is Vishwaroobham?

Is Selvaraghavan's Kamal Haasan- Sonakshi Sinha film titled Viswaroobham?

Kollywood circles are abuzz that it is the title of this psychological thriller, with a great twist in the climax. Sonakshi Sinha, the heroine of the film in an interview to a newspaper has said:"The entire package was very appealing. When I heard the story from Selva, I was thrilled because this, just like my Bollywood debut had a great script and a big star."

Sonakshi will be flying down to Chennai in the first week of April to meet Kamal Haasan and hold final discussions with Selvaraghavan on her look and costumes.

The film is being made in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. Meanwhile Kamal and Selva has finalised the shooting script of the film.

Though Selva says the film has nothing to do with Hannibal, the grapevine believes that it is an Indian version of the Hollywood film. The shoot of Viswaroobham will start in mid-April in Hyderabad and Chennai, followed by a schedule in London. The idea is to complete the film in less than 100 days in one single schedule, as Sonakshi has other Hindi commitments.

Amitabh Bachchan Joins Rajinikanth in ‘Raana’ ?

Finally the titans of the cinema will come together on screens after many years…

The two superstars Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan will soon share the work space in K S Ravikumar's mega project ‘Raana’. The news is making rounds that that Bachchan will feature in a special role in the action epic. While it’s said that he will appear in the second half of the film, other details of Amitabh’s character is not yet known.

As all know, Rajini and Amitabh are thickest of friends and both of them have been opened about their special bonding in various events. The two will be seen together in ‘Raana’ nearly after 20 years – their last film together was ‘Hum’ in 1991. Besides they have worked before in Hindi movies like ‘Andha Kanoon’ and ‘Giraftar’. Moreover, in his early career Rajini had mostly done remakes of Amitabh’s movies.

P.C. Sreeram roped in for ‘Ponniyin Selvan’

Guess who is the latest to join the Ponniyin Selvan crew? Ace camera man P.C. Sreeram! While director Mani Ratnam approached Sreeram for wielding the camera the director was struck by the in-depth knowledge the lens man had about the epic novel Ponniyin Selvan. Sreeram, who has read through the novel more than five or six times started categorizing each shot on how it can be filmed and which shots can be chromakeyed and so on.

Now Mani is really impressed with his team because he already has director Vasanth who has a good knowledge of the novel co-ordinating with him in the entire process of filming. Now with lens man P.C. Sreeram the team will only get better. Incidentally it was P.C. Sreeram’s mom, who is a great fan of the novel Ponniyin Selvan, who gifted the book to Sreeram.

There are also talks going on in some circles that since the novel is too huge to be completed as a single film, so the makers might be planning at least a couple of sequels with different heroes in each sequel, but the fact remains to be seen regarding this. Whatever might be the case ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ which will start the filming session soon will have Vijay as the hero. There are also talks that Sathyaraj might get to play the role of Buddha Bikku in the film.

But nothing has been confirmed regarding this. The director is taking much care in picking up artists for each character in the film. We will bring you more updates  regarding the progress of ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ as and when it happens!

Maapillai Heroine Hansika Motwani stills

Vijay's Nanban Diwali Release ?

Shankar is on schedule. He is making brisk progress on his 3 Idiots remakeNanban. The second schedule of the film is over in Dehradun.

Nanban has Vijay, Ileana, Jiiva , Srikanth, Sathyaraj, Sathyan and SJ Surayah , nearly 35 per cent of the film is complete with this schedule. Harris Jayaraj has already completed three out of the six songs in the album. Manoj Paramahams is the cinematographer.

Shankar wrote on his online site: "We have finished all the college exterior scenes in our 2nd schedule in Dehradun.

It's a visually wonderful campus. It is very interesting & new experience for me to work with Vijay, Sathyaraj, Ileana and almost every actor for the first time. Vijay-Sathyaraj combo is fresh and fantastic. As friends, Vijay, Jeeva and Srikanth's 'Physics' & 'Chemistry' is working very well, behind the camera too. all of them have started living in their roles. I'm enjoying working in Nanban which is completely contrast from Endhiran in all aspects

In the next three months Shankar will be completing the shoot and all songs for Nanban. The film produced by Gemini Film Circuit will be a Diwali 2011 release.

Karthi’s ‘Kagidha Kappal’ ?

After biggest success siruthai, Karthi Sivakumar and director Rajesh are planning to do a movie together. If sources are to be believed, their film has been titled ‘Kagidha Kappal’ and would be called ‘KK’ for practical purposes.

It is said that the movie would go on floors once Rajesh and Karthi come out of their present commitments, that is, by the third quarter of 2011. “A top heroine will be roped in for the project,” say sources.

“While Karthi is known for playing a fun-loving youth (‘Paruthiveeran’, ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ and ‘Siruthai’), Rajesh is a name to reckon with in for penning such scripts. So their combo has created expectations,” they add. The ‘Siva Manasula Sakthi’ and ‘Boss Engira Baskaran’ director is currently busy with ‘Oru Kal Oru Kannadi’, which is the debut acting venture of young producer Udhayanidhi Stalin.

Jr. NTR to Rock the Tamil film industry

Jr. NTR one of the hot and happening stars of the Telugu film industry is releasing his much-awaited film with Ileana in Tamil as Om Shakthi. The star has been looking to expand his fan base in these parts and he feels that his mega-budget film will be the ideal launch pad.

The audio launch of Om Shakthi took place at a swanky hotel in Chennai. It was attended by heavyweights like KS Ravikumar, P Vasu and Prabhu who also has an important role in the film. The director, Meher Ramesh, says that the film has universal appeal and has a little something for everybody. It is a complete entertainer and has been shot in some fabulous locations like Cairo and Prague.

Other Telugu stars like Allu Arjun, Ram Charan Teja, Rana Daggubati, are also going to follow Jr. NTR’s footsteps and  make their entries in the Tamil film industry. Looks like there is going to be some healthy competition!

Tamil Movie Super Hits! - Formula ?

இதோ ஹாலிவுட் கதை + தமிழ் மசாலா + இளமையான ஹிரோயின் + 6 பாட்டு 3 சண்டை 4 காமெடி =சூப்பர் ஹிட் தமிழ் படம்.....!!!!!!

விஜயை வித்தியாசமாக பார்க்கலாம் - ஷங்கர்

டேராடூனில் நண்பன் படத்தின் இரண்டாம் கட்ட படப்பிடிப்பை முடித்து திரும்பியிருக்கும் இயக்குனர் ஷங்கர்,

முதல் முறையாக விஜய் உடனான காம்பினேஷனை புகழ்ந்து தள்ளியிருக்கிறார். விஜய்-ஜீவா- ஸ்ரீகாந்த் நண்பர்களின் கெமிஸ்ட்ரி திரையில் மட்டுமல்ல,

திரைக்கு வெளியேயும் அற்புதமாக ஒர்க் அவுட் ஆகியிருக்கிறது என்று சொல்லியிருக்கிறார். எந்திரனில் இருந்து முற்றிலும் வேறுப்பட்ட கதையில் இத்தனை பெரிய நட்சத்திரங்களுடன் பணிபுரிவது எனக்கே மாறுப்பட்ட அனுபவமாக இருக்கிறது என்கிறார் ஷங்கர்.

இது ஒருபுறம் இருக்க நண்பன் படத்தில் தனது ஹேர் ஸ்டைலை மாற்ற விஜய் சம்மதிக்கவில்லை என்று முதலில் வெளியான தகவல்கள் வதந்தி என்பது இப்போது தெரியவந்திருக்கிறது. நண்பன் படத்தில் பிளாஷ்பேக்கில் வரும் தனது கேரக்டருக்காக விஜயை வித்தியாசமாக பார்க்கலாம் என்கிறது நண்பன் பட குழு .இதை ஷங்கர் அலுவலக வட்டாரங்கள் உறுதி செய்கின்றன என்று கேட்கும்போதே எதிர்பார்ப்பு எகிறுதே!

Vaanam Trailer

Mappillai to Clash With Vaanam!

It looks like it will be a direct clash between Dhanush and Silambarasan at the summer box-office. Sun Pictures the market leader is likely to release their Maapillai which has Dhanush and Hansika in the lead on April 8.

A day later on April 9, Silambarasan's multi-starrer Vaanam distributed by Cloud Nine is scheduled to release. As per trade sources Sun Pictures has blocked April 8 for Mapillai and May 6 for Engeyum Kathal, clearly giving both  the films a decent gap of four weeks. Sun Network will aggressively promote both the films, which carry good reports.

Meanwhile producer Madan has said that his Vaanam, post-production work is going on in full swing, and the first copy should be ready by April first week. Says Madan: "We are on schedule and should release

Vaanam on April 9, a very good date if all goes well."

Sandakozhi Part - 2 ?

The ‘Sandakozhi’ alliance is back. Actor Vishal, director Lingusamy and music composer Yuvan Shankar Raja are all set to join hands once again for a yet-to-be-titled movie.

According to sources, shooting of the film will start once Vishal completes his forthcoming venture directed by Prabhu Deva and Lingusamy completes ‘Vettai’ starring Arya and Madhavan.

“Vishal and Lingusamy shared a great rapport during ‘Sandakozhi’ and their chemistry resulted in making the movie a blockbuster. All the songs in the film composed by Yuvan were hits,” sources recall.

Allu Arjun Debut In Tamil Movie Industry ?

With a look that could kill and talent that gives his peers a run for their money Allu Arjun has everything for him going great.

Looks like the actor is not satisfied with his conquest of Telungana alone. There are reports doing the rounds in Kollywood that the Tamil audience might soon get to see a full length Tamil film with Allu Arjun playing the lead. Arjun who is quite familiar with Chennai and its surrounding has quite a lot of friends in the Tamil film industry which includes Simbu.

Sources close to the Telugu star suggest that Gemini Labs might soon rope him in a project that will see him as hero in Tamil. The film might be directed by Suseendran, say reports. Many Allu Arjun films in Telugu have been successful remakes in Tamil.

Now the man himself will soon be seen delivering dialogues in Tamil, tackling villains and dancing in theatres across Tamil Nadu. Many of his films have been dubbed in Malayalam and he has a strong fan base in Kerala, many of who are women. We hope this young hero conquers the hearts of chicks in the Tamil land too!

Vaanam Press Meet

Young Superstar STR's next release, after almost a year Vaanam gets ready for an April 9 release.

All eyes are on this remake of Vedam from Telugu. The entire team of STR, Yuvan Shankar Raja, director Krish (who did the original), producer VTV Ganesh, Actors Bharath, Anushka, Sonia and Saranya met the media on Monday evening.

There was so much of positive vibes, laughter and mutual admiration between the stars which was visible at the press meet, which slowly turned out to be an entertaining evening. And at the helm of it all was VTV Ganesh, the producer who charmed the media with his astute sense of humour, which had the media contingent in splits.

Yuvan Shankar Raja, normally a very reticent man was also in his elements as he confessed about his friendship with STR and remembered their journey together as a pleasant one. He said: "I have done all the songs in Vaanam with a lot of love and passion, the one thing that my dad always inculcated in me since I became a music director". STR with his unshaven look looked a happy man. He said: "I am so proud about Vaanam which has shaped out well and all the songs are outstanding. Krish has made Vaanam better than Vedam by correcting all the flaws in the original. We have perfect understanding and being a multistarrer, all the actors gave their 100 percent to the project".  He did not forget to thank the media for all the support. Anushka, Soniya and Saranya also spoke about the film. A slick 3 minute teaser trailer was screened at the function.

Vijay and Shankar in Naban Movie Stills

Director Shankar update to his own site:

We have finished all the college exterior scenes in our 2nd schedule in Dehradun… It’s a visually wonderful campus… It is very interesting & new experience for me to work with Vijay, Sathyaraj, Ileana and almost every actor for the first time… Vijay-Sathyaraj combo is fresh and fantastic… As friends Vijay, Jeeva and Srikan...this ‘Physics’ & ‘Chemistry’ is working very well, behind the camera too… To say in a cliché, all of them have started living in their roles… I’m enjoying working in ‘Nanban’ which is completely contrast from ‘Endhiran’ in all aspects…

Thanks to Director Shankar