Madharasapattinam going to be a big hit

The latest tamil movies 'Madharasapattinam' is running in full house in theatres. The movie hasn't released in Kerala yet. But the reviews in Tamil Nadu is very good.

There is a variety in the story and the script writer shows his talent. The story goes before the the independence era. The climax of the movie is so fantastic.

Not only the directors skill, we can see the the total team work in this movie. At last all came success when the movie is released. thanks for the whole cast and crew members of Madharasapattinam for giving such a wonderful film to us. Don't miss it, you should go and watch in theaters itself.

Language:Tamil
Director: Vijay A L
Producer: Kalpathi S Aghoram
Music Director: G V Prakash Kumar
Staring: Arya, Amy Jackson, Nassar

Movie Rating: 4.5/5

Endhiran songs scores only average

Endhiran (ROBOT) is a Tamil Science fiction film Directed by S. Shankar. The film stars Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles. The film is made on the highest ever film budget in Indian Cinema. The music of Endhiran has been released all over the world last day in Malaysia and A.R. Rahman has come up with some of the best music with unusual style but it cannot create an in impact in Endhiran fans.

Music Review: Endhiran
Banner: Sun Pictures
Direction: Shankar
Production: Kalanidhi Maaran
Stars: Rajnikanth, Aishwarya Rai Bacchan, Danny Denzongpa and others
Music: A.R. Rahman

Puthiya Manitha
Singers: Singers: S. P. Balasubramaniam, A. R. Rahman, Khatija Rahman
Lyrics: Vairamuthu

Kadal Anukkal
Singers: Vijay Prakash & Shreya Ghosal
Lyrics: Vairamuthu

Irumbile Oru Idhayam
Vocals: A.R. Rahman & Kash ‘n’ Krissy
Lyrics: Madhan Karky
English lyrics: Kash’n’Krissy

Chitti Dance Showcase
Vocal: Pradeep Vijay, Praveen Mani and Yogi B
Additional Arrangements and Programming: Praveen Mani

Arima Arima
Singers: Hariharan & Sadhna Sargam
Lyrics: Vairamuthu
Additional Singers: Benny Dayal, Naresh Iyer

Kilimanjaro
Singers: Javed Ali and Chinmayee
Lyrics: Vairamuthu
Additional Vocal Arrangements: Clinton Cerejo

Boom Boom Robo Da
Singers: Yogi B, Keerthi Sagathia, Swetha Mohan, Tanvi Shah
Lyrics: Madhan Karky

Endhiran - visual treat for Aish fans

Endhiran is no doubt a visual treat for Aish fans. Aishwarya says that she had a variety role in this movie. She took different look in this film. Aishwarya said that she was very happy to act with Rajinikanth.

The audio release of Endhiran was held in Malaysia and meanwhile it was heard that the Endhiran bosses demand 30 cr for Telugu version. All the film lovers and Rajini's and Aish fans are waiting for the movie.

Pappy Appacha Review

The fervor anticipated in theatres when Dileep and Innocent arrives as Pappy and Appachan have not worked out very well.

Innocent and his son (Dileep) are living in Ithirikandam village just like friends. People considered them immensely rich even while they are going through tough times. They were looked upon with envy by Sasankan (beautifully played by Asokan) and many others. The story then goes into a Panchayath election and all that fuss which was not at all needed for the film. How ever that sequence brought some comedies. Later Pappy and Appachan breaks. How they unite forms the crux of the story.

The titling of the film was extremely promising. There are good comedies. But the film dawdles after the first half hour or so. The actor who played the character Kuttappy has done extremely well. Kavya Madhavan marks her return as Dileep's heroine through this film.

The camera is disappointing with a brownish tone which doesn't match with the story's humor feel. Editing could have been made better. The fights are over inflated. The final portion of the film is handled in a naive manner. The climax showcases poor creativity and unfolds in the usual way. The final explanation of mysteries in the movie is drawn out.

Pappy Appacha couldn't guarantee what CID Moosa has done for Johny Antony. A sleeper hit.

The posters of the movie promised to be a light hearted tale on the friendship between an illiterate father son duo. But sadly the movie ends up as a B Grade flick with cheap/stale jokes( that seldom rises above the standard of silly ‘tintumon’ kind of sms jokes), loud action scenes, fake melodrama and a predictable climactic twist(which is a routine these days, thanks to Lal) that might have worked in the techni colour era.The audio CD of this movie had a couple of melodious numbers tuned by Vidyasaagar like ‘Manjin Velli’ and ‘Thammil Thammil’. For some strange reasons the makers haven’t included these two songs in the movie and there are two other noisy ones instead which can potentially gift you a migraine.

Coming to the performances, Dileep repeats his usual antics and one liners for the nth time with limited success. Innocent is wasted and he has had a better role in Satyan Anthikkad’s Manasinakkare with Jayaram. K.P.A.C. Lalitha yells at the top of her voice whenever dileep feels sad and so does the girl who plays Dileep’s sister. Kavya Madhavan looks plumb and totally unfit for the role. Cinematography was adequate which Sanjeev Shanker aptly did vizualising the beauty of Melukavu-Thodupuzha on screen. Had the editor been sincere to his work ,the movie wouldn’t have been this much painfully long and for the same reason I dare to accuse the editor for complacency. One of the plus points of the movie(and may be the only one) was the genuinely funny title cards.

You leave theatre with lot of unanswered questions like, why Innocent tells others that his son is responsible for sword cutting him and how does he realizes the truth in the end. Who was trying to hurt Kavya in front of church?

Length of the movie is 2 hours 45 minutes which surpasses all standards. If the script was modified enough to bring out the movie at 2 hours it would have worked. The film had the potential to become a hit. The story, script, dialogue and direction were all done by Mammas. When the same person is doing all this no one could guide and he won't know where the script is overwritten until the film's release. With more maturity the director can bring enjoyable films. Heavy reliability on commercial elements wonâ??t make a film good or successful. Lately Dileep's selection of movies are not working.

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Language: Malayalam
Duration: 2.3 Hours
Director: Mamas Chandran
Distributor: Grand Release
Staring: Dileep , Kavya Madhavan

Movie Rating: 2.5/5

My Name is Khan's collections drop drastically

Shahrukh Khan's My Name is Khan witnessed a wonderful opening, thanks to the publicity given by the Shiv Sena. It earned Rs.90.2 crore in the opening week but its collections have dropped drastically this week.

Amit Awasthi, Manager of Spice Cinemas, said that the ticket sales of My Name is Khan has fallen from 30 percent on Wednesday to 20 percent on Thursday. He added that lack of entertainment elements must be the cause of the fall in its demand.


A source from PVR cinemas said that the occupancy has fallen from 90 percent to 50 percent on Monday. Delhi-based distributor Joginder Mahajan also said that there has been a drastic fall in the ticket sales of MNIK after Monday due to lack of entertainment elements and mass appeal, which today's youngsters want. He added that it is a repeat of Kurbaan.

However, Yogesh Raizada, corporate head of Wave Cinemas, thinks that the film is doing decent business and would pick up again in the weekend.

My Name is Khan got rave reviews from the critics. It is a love story set against the backdrop of racial discrimination post 9/11. Karan Johar brings the incredible reel coup.

The story of Bodyguard

The movie Bodyguard, directed by Siddique is an entertaining one. The movie had a good start and hopes a good move. This is the ninth flick by director Siddique and is a good one with a humorous background.

Dileep( Jayakrishnan) is very much fond of goondas right from his childhood. He loved to take risks and to be brave always. After college days he starts learning to become a brave goonda by becoming a bodyguard for famous anti socials. Sometime later, he decides to become the bodyguard of a wealthy and powerful man named Ashokan (Thyagarajan). He achieves his luck after saving Ashokan from a danger.

Jayakrishnan thus becomes the bodyguard of Ashokan's only daughter Ammu(Nayantara). Jayakrishnan follows Ammu to her college asd her Bodyguard. Ammu and her friend Sethulakshmi (Mithra Kurien) gets irritated with him following them all day.

The two girls started making fake calls to Jayakrishnan;s number, trying to get rid off him. Ammu is the girl who calls him telling she is very much in love with him and all those stuffs. At first things goes smooth but later on it gets into serious issues. What happens next deals with the climax.

‘Avatar’ has a racist message?

Near the end of the film Avatar, the villain snarls at the hero, “How does it feel to betray your own race?” Both men are white — although the hero is portrayed as a blue-skinned, 9-foot tall, long-tailed alien.

Strange as it may seem for a film that pits greedy, immoral humans against noble denizens of a faraway moon, Avatar is being criticised by a small but vocal group of people who allege it contains racist themes — of a white hero once again saving primitive natives.

Since the film opened to widespread critical acclaim three weeks ago, hundreds of blog posts, newspaper articles, tweets and YouTube videos have made claims such as that the film is “a fantasy about race told from the point of view of white people” and reinforces “the white Messiah fable.”

The film’s writer and director, James Cameron, says the real theme is about respecting others’ differences.

In the film (Warning: spoilers ahead) a white, paralysed Marine, Jake Sully, is mentally linked to an alien’s body and set loose on the planet Pandora. His mission: persuade the mystic, nature-loving Na’vis to make way for humans to mine their land for unobtanium — a mineral worth $20 million per kilo back home.

Like Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves and Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai or as far back as Jimmy Stewart in the 1950 Western Broken Arrow, the hero (Sully) switches sides. He falls in love with the Na’vi princess and leads the bird-riding, bow-and-arrow-shooting aliens to victory over the white men’s spaceships and mega-robots.

Adding to the racial dynamic is that the main Na’vi characters are played by actors of color, led by a Dominican, Zoe Saldana, as the princess. The film also is an obvious metaphor for how European settlers in America wiped out the Indians.

Robinne Lee, an actress in such recent films as Seven Pounds and Hotel for Dogs, said that Avatar was “beautiful” and that she understood the economic logic of casting a white lead if most of the audience is white.

But she said the film, which remained No. 1 at the box office domestically for the fourth straight weekend with $48.5 million and is second among all-time top-grossing films worldwide, still reminded her of Hollywood’s “Pocahontas” story — “the Indian woman leads the white man into the wilderness, and he learns the way of the people and becomes the savior.”

“It’s really upsetting in many ways,” said Lee, who is black with Jamaican and Chinese ancestry. “It would be nice if we could save ourselves.”

Annalee Newitz, editor-in-chief of the sci-fi Website io9.com, likened Avatar to the recent film District 9, in which a white man accidentally becomes an alien and then helps save the aliens, and Dune (1984) in which a white man becomes an alien Messiah.

“Main white characters realise that they are complicit in a system which is destroying aliens, aka people of color ... (then) go beyond assimilation and become leaders of the people they once oppressed,” wrote Newitz, who is white. “When will whites stop making these movies and start thinking about race in a new way?”

Black film professor and author Donald Bogle said he can understand why people would be troubled by Avatar although he praised it as a “stunning” work.

“A segment of the audience is carrying in the back of its head some sense of movie history,” said Bogle, author of Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films.

Bogle stopped short, however, of calling the movie racist.

‘We should respect other races — humans or otherwise’

Writer/director Cameron, who is white, said in an email to The Associated Press that his film “asks us to open our eyes and truly see others, respecting them even though they are different, in the hope that we may find a way to prevent conflict and live more harmoniously on this world. I hardly think that is a racist message.”

There are many ways to interpret the art that is Avatar.

What does it mean that in the final, sequel-begging scene, Sully abandons his human body and transforms into one of the Na’vi? Is Saldana’s Na’vi character the real heroine because she, not Sully, kills the arch-villain? Does it matter that many conservatives are riled by what they call liberal, environmental and antimilitary messages?

Is Cameron actually exposing the historical evils of white colonisers? Does the existence of an alien species expose the reality that all humans are actually one race?

Although the Avatar debate springs from Hollywood’s historical difficulties with race, Will Smith recently saved the planet in I Am Legend and Denzel Washington appears ready to do the same in the forthcoming Book of Eli.

Bogle, the film historian, said that he was glad Cameron made the film and that it made people think about race.

“Maybe there is something he does want to say and put across” about race, Bogle said. “Maybe if he had a black hero in there, that point would have been even stronger.”

Salman and I had differences over 'Veer': Director

Director Anil Sharma admits he had creative differences with Salman Khan over the making of “Veer”, penned by the actor himself, but everything was finally sorted out.

Anil Sharma, who earlier made “Gadar : Ek Prem Katha”, told IANS: “Salman was not just the main actor in ‘Veer’, he was also the writer. We had a lot of differences of opinion. The way he narrated the story and the way I perceived it as a director were different.

“Moreover I brought in other writers Shailesh Verma, Shaktimaan (who wrote my ‘Gadar’) and Krishna Raghav. Raghav did all the research. So Salman’s story has been interpreted in the way I thought right.”

He said Salman insisted that Anil watch his source of inspiration, the Yul Brynner-Tony Curtis 1962 film “Taras Bulba”. “But we couldn’t get a single print of the film. So I had to make do with the images that I had in my mind from childhood.

“They made the film in Russia last year. I saw that version. ‘Taras Bulba’ was the story of the father Yul Brynner, played by Mithun Chakraborty in my film. ‘Veer’ is not the father’s story. It’s the son Salman’s story. And we had to relocate the entire story from 16th century Russia to colonial India,” Anil said.

While Salman Khan has become the face of “Veer”, the director has taken a backseat so far.

Speaking up finally he says, “For three years now all kinds of things have been said and written about ‘Veer’ and my relationship with the project and actors. The truth is we were making a very difficult film. And there were bound to be creative differences. But we sorted them out.”

Anil admits he never wanted Salman’s favourite composers Sajid-Wajid to do the music of “Veer”. “I had heard their tunes in his earlier films and I was sure Sajid-Wajid weren’t the right ones for a period drama like ‘Veer’ I met them reluctantly and was surprised by their understanding of Hindustani music. We worked really well together. And the fact that I could convince Gulzar saab to work with Sajid-Wajid was a stroke of luck.”

He also brushes off talk of “Veer” being an epic like “Gadar”.

“Please don’t expect ‘Gadar’ in ‘Veer’ ‘Gadar’ was far more dramatic and emotional. ‘Veer’ is targeted more at today’s younger audiences,” he said.

Talk is that Salman Khan had apparently first gone to his friend Sanjay Leela Bhansali to direct “Veer”. When Bhansali declined, Salman vowed to make the same story with another director. Anil Sharma was chosen because of “Gadar”.

Avatar highest grossing film

James Cameron’s 3D epic Avatar has become the second highest grossing film of all time by raking in USD 1.14 billion at the global box office.

Cameron’s next challenge is to beat the records set by his previous film, 1997 disaster romance ‘Titanic’, which continues to rule the No 1 spot with USD 1.8 billion.

Avatar’s domestic earning was USD 374.4 million through Wednesday and the foreign haul collected USD 760.9 million to beat the USD 1.1 billion scored by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the Variety reported online.

The film, which released worldwide on December 18, is expected to continue to make money as it enters into the fourth week.

‘Kutty Srank' sails through

It has been smooth sailing for Shaji N. Karun's ‘Kutty Srank' (Sailor of Hearts), right from its world premiere in Montreal and its Pusan outing. The only Malayalam feature film that was selected for the ongoing Indian Panorama at the International Film Festival of India at Goa, ‘ Kutty Srank' will have its Indian premiere today (November 27) and then go to the Dubai Film Festival.

Ace cinematographer-turned-director Shaji says ‘Kutty Srank,' enacted by Mammootty, is the story of a traveler who was at home in the waters of Kerala. Set in the mid-Fifties, the film unfolds through the eyes of three women – Revamma, Pemenna and Kali – whose memories resurrect the life and times of this man.

Superb portrayal

“Mammootty has come up with a superb portrayal of this enigmatic, multifaceted man who seems to go beyond religion and region. He even speaks in the three distinct dialects of Onatakkara, Kochi and Northern Kerala. Even his name ( ‘Kutty') does not give us a clue to his religion. ‘Srank' goes back to the days when Arabian traders visited the shores of Kerala for black gold – pepper; the ‘Sranks' used to pilot the ships into the ports,” explains Shaji.

As the three women's memories weave a picture of the man, the film also touches upon the trade links of the emerald State and its ties with countries and people, far and near. Colonial and post-colonial repercussions, its impact on society, economy, faith and culture are reflected in the film. It touches upon the ripple effect of Ambedkar's decision to embrace Buddhism.

“It was a period of great idealism. Revamma, played by Padmapriya, is one such youngster from North Kerala, who becomes a Buddhist nun to atone for, what she perceives, her father's sins. While Revamma meets him in Northern Kerala, Pemenna, enacted by Kamalini Mukherjee, meets him in Kochi where he is a member of a Chavittunatakam troupe and Kali, essayed by Sri Lankan actor Meena Kumari, encounters him in Travancore. The film progresses through the narratives of the three women, blurring fact and imagination,” says Shaji.

He points out that he was keen on having Anjuli Shukla as the cinematographer as he wanted a woman's perspective to bring alive the women's memories of Kutty Srank. P.F. Mathews and Harikishan have written the script of the story conceptualised by the director himself.

Shaji's directorial ventures include ‘Piravi,' ‘Swaham,' ‘Shyam's Vision,' ‘ Vanasprastham' and ‘AKG.' After his stint as jury chief for the international short film competition in Goa, Shaji plans to begin work on his next film, ‘Gadha,' starring Mohanlal in the lead.

“It is about a playback singer and her possessive husband who fails to understand his wife. Eventually, her dairy helps him understand her better,” narrates Shaji. He plans to make it as a musical, a first for the director.

Admitting that his work with Aravindan played a great role in shaping his outlook towards cinema and filmmaking, he rues that those halcyon days of Malayalam cinema seems to be taking a beating because of hackneyed and thoughtless attempts to imitate films from other languages.

“Fortunately for us, all our top actors have always supported good cinema but we need bold directors and script writers who will experiment and go beyond the beaten track. Most importantly, we need bold producers who will back those directors. In the Seventies, we had a producer like Ravindran Nair who had the courage of conviction to back directors like P. Bhaskaran, Adoor and Aravindan,” explains Shaji. A little wistfully he points out: “Till now, I regret, none of my films were produced by someone from Kerala. I had to find others to bankroll my projects. My next film will also receive some funding from French agencies.”

Shaji believes Malayalam cinema has to find its mooring to go places in world cinema.

Shaji N. Karun is jury chief for the international short film competition in Goa. He was one of the members of the five-member international jury of the 11th Mumbai International Festival, which included the likes of Paul Schrader, Jafar Panahi and Philippine filmmaker Brillante Mendoza. Shaji had honoured Theo Angelopoulos, renowned Greek filmmaker, for lifetime achievement in cinema, at a function in Mumbai. According to Shaji, festivals inspire him to aspire to make world-class films in Malayalam. “It shows me how far I have to travel,” he says modestly.

Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ wins best drama honour at Globes

The science-fiction blockbuster “Avatar” won best drama at the Golden Globes and picked up the directing honor for James Cameron on Sunday, raising the “Titanic” filmmaker’s prospects for another Academy Awards triumph.

It was a repeat of Cameron’s Globes night 12 years ago, when “Titanic” won best drama and the directing prize on its way to dominating the Oscars.

This time, though, instead of being “king of the world”, as Cameron declared at the Oscars, he has become king of an alien landscape, elevating space fantasy to enormous critical acclaim.

“’Avatar’ asks us to see that everything is connected, all human beings to each other, and us to the Earth. And if you have to go four and a half light years to another, made-up planet to appreciate this miracle of the world that we have right here, well, you know what, that’s the wonder of cinema right there, that’s the magic,” Cameron said.

Winning the dramatic-acting honors were Sandra Bullock for the football tale “The Blind Side” and Jeff Brides for the country-music story “Crazy Heart.” The crowd gave a standing ovation to Bridges, a beloved veteran generally overlooked for key Hollywood honors.

The acting prizes for musical and comedy went to Meryl Streep for the Julia Child story “Julie & Julia” and Robert Downey Jr. for the crime romp “Sherlock Holmes.” The supporting-performance Globes were won by Mo’Nique as an abusive welfare mother in “Precious” and Christoph Waltz as a gleefully bloodthirsty Nazi in “Inglourious Basterds.”

The Vegas bachelor bash “The Hangover” won for best musical or comedy, bringing uncharacteristic awards attention for broad comedy, a genre that often gets overlooked at Hollywood honors.

“I just want to thank my mom, who supported my decision to become a director when she realized I wasn’t as smart as my two sisters,” said “Hangover” director Todd Phillips.

As he accepted the directing Globe, Cameron had kind words for ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow, nominated as best director for “The Hurt Locker”.

“Frankly, I thought Kathryn was going to get this. She richly deserves it,” said Cameron, whose “Titanic” earned the directing and best-drama Globes 12 years ago on its way to Academy Awards triumph.

The blockbuster “Up” came away with the award for animated film.

While Streep is a perennial at awards shows, the prize marked a dramatic turning point for Mo’Nique, who was mainly known for lowbrow comedy but startled audiences with her ferocious performance in “Precious: Based on the Novel `Push’ By Sapphire.”

“First let me say, thank you, God, for this amazing ride that you’re allowing me to go on,” the tearful Mo’Nique told the crowd.

She went on with gushing praise for “Precious” director Lee Daniels and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, a best dramatic actress nominee at the Globes with her first film role, playing Mo’Nique’s abused, illiterate daughter.

“Lee Daniels, the world gets a chance to see how brilliant you are. You are a brilliant, fearless, amazing director who would not waver, and thank you for trusting me,” Mo’Nique said. “To Gabby, sister, I am in awe of you. Thank you for letting me play with you.”

Streep’s competition for best actress in a musical or comedy included herself. She also was nominated for the romance “It’s Complicated.”

“I just want to say that in my long career, I’ve played so many extraordinary woman that I’m getting mistaken for one,” Streep said. “I’m very clear that I’m the vessel for other people’s stories and other people’s lives.”

Waltz, a veteran Austrian actor who is a relative newcomer in Hollywood, won the supporting—actor Globe as a gleefully bloodthirsty Nazi in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds.”

“A year and a half ago I was exposed to the gravitational forces of Quentin Tarantino,” Waltz said. “He took my modest little world, my globe, and with the power of his talent and his words and his vision, he flung it into its orbit, a dizzying experience.”

Though one of Hollywood’s biggest parties, the Globes bore somber reminders of tragedy in the real world, many stars wearing ribbons in support of earthquake victims in Haiti.

Films from Pixar Animation, the Disney outfit that made “Up,” have won all four prizes for animated movies since the Globes introduced the category in 2006. Past Pixar winners are “WALL-E,” “Ratatouille” and “Cars.”

“Up” features the voice of Ed Asner in a tale of a lonely, bitter widower who renews his zest for adventure by flying his house off under helium balloons to South America, where he encounters his childhood hero and a hilarious gang of talking canines.

“When it came to finding the heart of the film, we didn’t have to look very hard,” said “Up” director Pete Docter, whose film also won for musical score. “Our inspiration was all around us. Our grandparents, our parents, our wives, our kids. Our talking dogs.”

Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner won the screenplay honor for “Up in the Air,” which Reitman also directed. The foreign-language honor went to “The White Ribbon,” a stark drama of guilt and suspicion set in a German town on the eve of World War I.

“Mad Men” won for best TV drama, while Michael C. Hall won for best actor in a TV drama for “Dexter,” in which he plays a serial killer with a code of ethics, killing only other murderers. Hall’s publicists revealed this past week that Hall is being treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma and that the cancer is in remission.

“It’s really a hell of a thing to go to work in a place where everybody gives a damn. That’s really the case with `Dexter,”’ Hall said. “It’s a dream job. I’m so grateful.”

“Dexter” also won the supporting-actor TV honor for John Lithgow. Other TV winners included Juliana Margulies as best actress in a drama for “The Good Wife” and Toni Collette as best comedy actress for “The United States of Tara.”

Sunday’s winners could get a last-minute boost for the Oscars, whose nominations balloting closes Saturday. Last year’s big Globe winner, “Slumdog Millionaire,” went on to dominate the Oscars.

The Globes are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of about 90 reporters covering show business for overseas outlets. The show airs live on NBC.

Shah Rukh Khan dubs Hindi version prologue of ‘Pazhassi Raja’

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has dubbed the prologue of the Hindi version of multi-lingual film ‘Pazhassi Raja’, a film based on the revolutionary hero from Kerala.

Khan has dubbed the prologue for the Hindi version of the Mammootty-starrer movie, which is releasing simultaneously in five languages including Hindi and English on Friday.

When the film’s director T Hariharan approached Shah Rukh for the movie, the actor readily agreed to do the prologue without even charging a penny.

Praveen VC, Executive Producer of the movie says, “Shah Rukh comes from the family of freedom fighters and feels happy to be associated with such project.”

The Tamil prologue of the movie was also given its due worth when superstar Kamal Haasan dubbed the prologue. The Malayalam original has Mohanlal introducing ‘Pazhassi Raja’ to the audiences through a 45-second prologue, Praveen said.

Priyanka to play Mohanlal's wife in 'Seven Husbands'

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra is now set to play Malayalam superstar Mohanlal’s wife in Vishal Bharadwaj’s next movie Seven Husbands.

“Mohanlal will be playing one of Priyanka’s husbands in Seven Husbands. The names of other actors are being kept under wraps as of now,” a source close to the actress told IANS.

This will be for the second time that Priyanka will play multiple characters in a single film. She had essayed 12 roles in Ashutosh Gowariker’s What’s Your Rashee?, but the film failed to pull in audiences.

Seven Husbands” is Bharadwaj’s next venture after his acclaimed movie Kaminey, which also starred Priyanka. The movie is said to be co-written by Bharadwaj and author Ruskin Bond.

'Chemmeen' writer's grandson set for film debut

Doctor-turned filmmaker Raj Nair, who is legendary Malayalam writer Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai’s grandson, says he is looking forward to the release of “Punyam Aham”, his first full-length feature film.

Dr. Nair, who works as a professor in Oral Medicine in Australia, says he is racing against time to tie the last loose ends of his film, which releases Friday.

“All my leave is over and I am on loss of pay because I was here for the shooting of my film and for the post-production five times last year. I am leaving Sunday and before that my film would be released,” Dr. Nair said.

His first love has always been films and if not for his grandfather, the writer of the award winning “Chemmeen”, he would have headed straight to the film institute in Pune to do a course in cinematography after he graduated in dentistry from Manipal in Karnataka.

Thakazhi was a Jnanpith awardee and the film adaptation of his “Chemmeen” won the National Award for the best film in 1964.

In 2004, Dr. Nair made a feature length docu-drama about his grandmother called “Kazhchavasthukkal” (The Exhibits). It had garnered critical acclaim and was shown at several places outside the country.

“Punyam Aham” is about a son’s journey to learn more about his father and popular actor Prithviraj plays the lead role along with Samvrutha Sunil.

The films also stars veterans like Nedumudi Venu, K.P.A.C. Lalitha and M.R. Gopakumar, among others.

“Punyam Aham” is produced under the banner of Mirabilia Films and the film’s music has been composed by Isaac Thomas Kottukappilly.

But why isn’t Dr. Nair staying on to see the audience’s reaction to his film?

“I am of course happy with my film and now it is for others to judge. It is immaterial that I am not here when the film is being released. If it brings in the audience I will be able to know when I check my bank account,” Dr. Nair said.

The director added that the film would also be released with English sub-titles and would be screened in Australia as well.

‘Aayirathil Oruvan’ was a brave effort by Selvaraghavan, says Karthi

Young hero Karthi Sivakumar is certain that three years of hard work is bound to result in the success of Pongal-release ‘Aayirathil Oruvan’.

"The feedback about the movie from the fans and those in the industry has been very positive. The film’s distributors are also very happy with the performance of the movie at the box-office," Karthi says sporting an air of confidence.

Karthi feels ‘Aayirathil Oruvan’ was a brave effort by the director Selvaraghavan. "I am proud to be part of this magnum opus. It was a wonderful experience working with Selvaraghavan."

Karthi asserts that the movie was rather in the category of fantasy adventure. "I did a lot of homework for the film. I had learnt ‘silambam’ for my earlier flick ‘Paruthi Veeran’ and it was handy. I had seen the amount of hard work my brother Surya puts in for each film and it certainly inspired me," he says.

Karthi’s next release will be ‘Paiyya,’ directed by Lingusamy. The actor plays the role of a city youth. "It is a youthful subject and it should hit the screens in a month’s time," he informs.

Karthi visited the city theatres on Wednesday where his latest flick is being screened, much to the delight of the audience.

Veer Salman meets real-life heroes

Unlike his contemporaries in Bollywood who popularise their films under the subterfuge of supporting a social cause, actor Salman Khan on Tuesday openly admitted that he was taking the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front chairman M. S. Bitta’s help to promote his blockbuster “Veer” that releases in theatres on January 22.

Salman, who was presented “Pride of Nation Award” at the function for spreading patriotism through ‘Veer,’ himself honoured several awardees. He presented swords to parents of Delhi police officer late M.C. Sharma; Rukhsana Kauser; Kuldeep Singh; Anuradha Gautam; wife of ANI cameraman Vikram Bisht; wife of late Sanjiv Suri and wife of Hindustan Times photographer Pradeep Bhatia.

“To be a brave heart you don’t have to ride a horse and brandish a gleaming sword to frighten the adversary. Some might think it is masochistic to indulge in fisticuffs. All this is nonsense; Generation X must maintain their cool even against greatest provocation. But when it comes to saving an innocent person you shouldn’t think twice before endangering your life,” said Salman, after presenting “Anti Terrorist Front Veer Bravery Awards” at a packed FICCI Auditorium here.

Cautioning the voters

Salman had a word of caution for prospective voters. “As students, you don’t say what political parties and leaders are doing for you? But as voters it becomes your duty to vote for the right candidate and the right dispensation. These days peace can be brokered by signing deals on the negotiating table.”

Taking a dig at media’s constant attention to his marital status Salman said, “Not just wars, even marriages are solemnised on the table. But I am still looking for the table on which my marriage can be registered.”

Referring to incidents of suicide by children under pressure of studies Salman said, “Even if they flunk in exams of Classes XII, IX or VIII they shouldn’t commit suicide by jumping on rail tracks. I know students who very rarely open their textbooks, but they don’t take their lives; it is only the studious lot who due to some compulsion take such unfortunate decisions. Repeating another year in a class shouldn’t become an embarrassment.”

Sharing details of the film, Salman said, “I wrote the script of ‘Veer’ 20 years ago when the trend was of hero-worship. We need to have heroes who we can look up to. Let us the see the fate of my film, if it succeeds then it is everyone’s film and if it flops then I will say the film is mine,’’ he declared.

Singing hosannas of the actor, Bitta said: “I will like to address him as Veer Salman Khan. He can be Salman Khan, Salman Singh, Salman Kumar and Salman Isai. He is a symbol of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian unity. Media has portrayed him as a hero or associated him with some controversy but they should show his secular side. In his house, every religion is practised. I could have invited some big neta but I know Salman loves children.”

‘Avatar’ bags 8 BAFTA nominations

Sci-fi extravaganza ‘Avatar,’ Iraq drama “The Hurt Locker” and coming-of-age story “An Education” earned eight nominations apiece Thursday in the race for the British Academy Film Awards, Britain’s equivalent of the Oscars.

The three films are up for best picture alongside “Up in the Air” and “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.”

The British awards, known as BAFTAs, are handed out two weeks before the Academy Awards in Hollywood and considered an important indicator of likely Oscar success.

South African alien thriller “District 9” received seven BAFTA nominations, while Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” and Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air” got six each.

The nominations boost the Oscar hopes of James Cameron’s “Avatar,” an astronomically expensive eco-adventure that has already taken more than $1.6 billion (euro1.13 billion) at the global box office. “Avatar” - Cameron’s first narrative feature since the Oscar-sweeping “Titanic” in 1997 - has already won Golden Globes for best drama and director.

It faces strong competition from two much smaller films: “The Hurt Locker,” a claustrophobic study of a bomb-disposal team in Iraq, and “An Education,” the piquant tale of a teenager’s sentimental education in 1960s London.

Cameron is competing for best director against his ex-wife, “The Hurt Locker” director Kathryn Bigelow. The other director nominees are Neill Blomkamp for “District 9,” Lone Scherfig for “An Education” and Quentin Tarantino for “Inglourious Basterds.”

The best actor race pits George Clooney, for “Up in the Air,” against “The Hurt Locker” star Jeremy Renner, Jeff Bridges for “Crazy Heart,” Colin Firth for “A Single Man” and Andy Serkis for his portrayal of musician Ian Dury in “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.”

Meryl Streep received her 13th BAFTA nomination for “Julie & Julia.” The other best-actress nominees are Carey Mulligan for “An Education,” Audrey Tautou for “Coco Before Chanel,” Irish actress Saoirse Ronan for “The Lovely Bones” and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe for “Precious.”

Nominees for outstanding British film are “An Education”; “Fish Tank”; “In the Loop”; “Moon” and “Nowhere Boy.”

Five films are competing for best foreign-language film - fashion biopic “Coco Before Chanel,” Pedro Almodovar’s lush “Broken Embraces,” Swedish vampire story “Let the Right One In,” Jacques Audiard’s prison drama “A Prophet” and Michael Haneke’s chilling “The White Ribbon.”

The British prizes - officially the Orange British Academy Film Awards - will be awarded during a ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House on Feb. 21.

Last year, Danny Boyle’s underdog picture “Slumdog Millionaire” won seven BAFTAs, including best film; it went on to win eight Oscars.

New malayalam film Aagathan shifted to Feb 11

Aagathan is the new malayalam movie featuring Dileep in the lead role. The movie is directed by Kamal and the movie also features Sathyaraj and charmy. The latest news about the movie is that the movie will be released by Feb 11th. Earlier the movie was planned to release on Jan 22 along with Dileep-Siddeque movie Body Guard.

Sources report that the movie is shifted after making an agreement with the producers of the movie. The three week difference between these two films will help both of them to manage to acceptable levels of box office success. Avoiding a box office clash will also help them to manage good initial collections. However the songs of the movie Aagathan'' was released yesterday. The movie features four songs by this year's national award winner Ouseppachan.

Meanwhile the movie BodyGuard will make its release by Jan 21st.

Kavya to be in Ente Amma

After a long waiting Kavya Madhavan is back to industry. She will make her come back through the movie Ente Amma. Debutant director Anil Kunjappan, also a relative of Kavya will direct the film. The movie tells the story of intense relationship between a mother and her only son.

Kavya is to play a key role in the movie. Biju Menon, Sona Nair, Jagathy Sreekumar, Bindhu Panicker and others are in the cast.

Mammootty- Amal Neerad again with Son Of Alexander!

After the success of their last movie Big B, Mammootty and Amal Neerad pair up again in the upcoming movie titled Son of Alexander. Son Of Alexander movie is the sequel of the movie Samrajyam in 1990. Mammootty is to have a similar appearance to that in Big B. It is a much expected movie by the mammootty fans. Big b was a movie that gave a new face to Mammootty in his acting career. He played the role of Bilal John Kurisingal in the movie. He kept a single emoted face throughout the film. What is seen in Son Of Alexander??? Wait and see!! Amal Neerad, one of the most stylish directors in Malayalam movie world and Mammootty, one of the most stylish actors in Malayalam are again teaming up for their next blockbuster called SON OF ALEXANDER. Like Sagar Elias Jackie being the sequel of “Irupatham Nootandu”, this movie will also be a sequel of the movie “SAMRAJYAM“. Samrajyam was one of the biggest hit of the late 80’s and had run in theatres for more than eight months and that too in many languages. In the movie Mammootty played the role of an underworld don called Alexander. As the movie name implies, the second sequel will have Mammootty to play the “son of Alexander”. After the major break in Big-B, this is the second time that Mammootty is pairing up with Amal Neerad. Amal Neerad is now considered to be a money back guaranteed director as both his movies in Malayalam turned out to be massive hits. Without any doubt, the movie is going to be more stylish than his former one’s.

Director: Amal Neerad
Cast: Mammootty
Producer: Marikar Films