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Tollywood actor-director Sukumar had a plan earlier to direct Happy Days pair Varun Sandesh and Tamannaah in his next film, a light romantic thriller, to be produced by Allu Arvind under the banner of Geeta Arts. According to latest reports, the renowned director has changed his mind and roped in Telugu superstar Nagarjuna's son Naga Chaitanya to play the lead role in this romantic thriller instead of Varun Sandesh. The film is expected to be launched soon. More details are awaited. Meanwhile, Naga Chaitanya's much awaited Yemaya Chesave, directed by Gautham Menon as the Telugu version of his Silambarasan-Trisha starrer Vinnaithandi Varuvaya (Tamil), is getting ready to hit screens on February 26. Notably, the Tamil version will also hit screens on the same day.

A section of the media earlier speculated that director Murugadoss of Ghajini fame will team up with Salman and Deepika Padukone for the Hindi remake of Telugu film Kick. However the actress has denied the reports calling it 'Plain reports'. Meanwhile, the director also clarified that he is not interested in doing any remakes and would rather concentrate in original script. After Ghajini with Aamir Khan, director Murugadoss is expected to start his next Bollywood venture soon which will be followed by a Tamil flick with ace actor

A film producer and his associate were detained by the Madhapur police of Cyberabad on Sunday for questioning in connection with a drugs racket being operated from Hyderabad. The names of the detained filmmakers are yet to be revealed. Police sources said 20 kilos of Ephedrine, a chemical used in manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, was seized from them. This chemical is used as a major component in preparing banned drugs like Ecstasy and Ice that are consumed in rave parties worldwide. Ephedrine is not classified as a dangerous drug in India but its production and sales are restricted by government agencies. The chemical was seized from a four-wheeler hired by the film producer, who was looking out for customers to purchase it for a higher rate. The duo is being interrogated to find out from where it procured the chemical. The regulated price of Ephedrine in the country is around Rs. 1,200 a kilo, but it can fetch lakhs in international market.

After the much hyped Aayirathil Oruvan, director Selvaraghavan is back with his next venture with Vikram and Swathi in the lead roles. If sources are to be believed, the film is tentatively titled Sindubad. Recently, the crew picturised a song sequence in Ladakh and the latest buzz is that the team will travel to US for its next schedule in the first week of March.

Ekambaram of Kanthaswamy fame. Meanwhile, there is a buzz in the industry about Vijay's 51st film. Though there are speculations that Jayam Raja will wield the megaphone, it now looks like Ilayathalapathi has given the green signal for the remake of Malayalam hit Bodyguard starring Dileep and Nayantara. Siddique, who directed the original, will direct the Tamil version also. Bodyguard is based on a plot with plenty of comedy and action.

The more stunt master Jaguar Thangam lashes out at actor Ajith and superstar Rajinikanth, the more does our respect for both stars increase, given the dignified composure they continue to maintain in spite of his provocative statements. A few days ago, an attack was made on Jaguar Thangam's residence while he was away shooting for a film at Madurai. Even before the police were informed, Jaguar Thangam was called and without any proper evidence, the stunt master kicked up quite a row, alleging that the attack had been made on him by fans of Ajith. He was demanding Ajith's arrest which did not happen. Angered that his demands had not been heeded, he threatened to bring in members of his caste to attack Ajith's residence. Security was tightened around Thala's residence immediately. Jaguar Thangam then made a statement that he had lodged a complaint against Ajith with the Nadigar Sangam and was sure they would take some action. Meeting, he told presspersons ye

At a recent movie audio launch, FEFSI chief V.C. Guhanathan made some rather harsh comments against certain actors, which has not gone down well with the Nadigar Sangam [Actors' Association]. Sarathkumar, President of the Nadigar Sangam and Radharavi, Secretary of the Nadigar Sangam, have given a statement condemning V.C. Guhanathan's words against the actors, as well as his mafia-don-like attitude in dealing with members of the film fraternity. The various sections of the film community have been functioning in harmony until recently. However of late FEFSI president V.C. Guhanathan has been handling affairs in a rather unsavory manner. He is using his power and position in the FEFSI to pressurise actors, and to make matter worse, he said some harsh things against actors in his recent statement. We request the Producers' Council to take action and put an end to this, says the statement.

Chozha Creations' Yathumaagi has been ready for release for quite a while now, but the producers were waiting for just the right moment to let it hit the theatre circuit. Looks like they have just hit up a date to finally release their movie: March 5th! The movie is directed by debut director Balakumaran, who was an associate of reputed director Bhagyaraj. Playing the lead are Sunaina and debutant Sachin. Music is by James vasanthan, and he has done a fabulous job; every song is a treat to the ear. Those who have taken a peek of the movie add that the videos of the song have come out quite well. I am thorougly excited that the movie is releasing, but I am also quite scared at how people are going to respond to it, says Sunaina, who is currently busy shooting in Pudhukottai for her upcoming movie with Arulnithi, Kalaignar Karunanidhi's third grandson. The movie is directed by Pandiraj of Pasanga fame. As for the title, that's something they will think of probab

Jiiva, who basked in the success of Siva Manasula Sakthi last year, has hardly any time to breathe this year! The actor has so many movies in hand, it's gonna be hard to keep count. First, there's Kacheri Aarambam with Poonam Bajwa, which is all complete and waiting for the right moment to hit the screens. Then there is Singam Puli, where he plays a double role for the first time. Playing one of the character's love interests is the sassy Divya Spandana, who we clearly don't get enough of! Two other movies that he signed on a while ago and is ready to begin are Routhiram and Kudumi. While Kudumi we hear is a tribal story, Routhiram is a proper commerical action flick. The latest we hear is that Routhiram will take some time to start because Jiiva has become busy with K.V. Anand's Ko, in which he will be romancing Piya. But that does not stop the makers of Routhiram from doing basic groundwork for the movie. Hence it has been decided that the super sexy

FEFSI has reportedly passed a resolution at their General Council Meeting demanding an apology from actor Ajith for his statement and also condemned Super Star Rajinikanth for his support of the said statement. To refresh memories, what statement and how did all this begin? Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Kalaignar Karunanidhi allotted land in Kancheepuram for deserving members of the cine industry and FEFSI organised a felicitation ceremony to show their gratitude to the CM. At the function, Ajith, well-known for his quick, diplomatic messages, made a very sincere request that cinema and politics should not be forcibly co-mingled. The actor also requested the CM to make a public statement that members of the cine industry should not be forced to participate in demonstrations based on political or social issues. While the entire audience appeared in shock, not knowing how to respond to Ajith's sincere request, Super Star Rajinikanth, who was seated beside the CM, stood up an

Following an apprehension that his house would be attacked, police personnel were deployed outside Thala Ajith's residence in Thiruvanmiyur today. Reportedly, the move came after some persons, claiming to be fans of Ajith, attacked film stunt director Jaguar Thangam's home earlier. Earlier, the stunt director, in an interview to a Tamil magazine, criticized a remark Ajith had made at a function organized by FEFSI to felicitate Chief Minister Kalaignar Karunanithi. (In the function Ajith, who is known for his quick, diplomatic messages, made a very sincere request that cinema and politics should not be forcibly co-mingled. The actor also requested the CM to make a public statement that members of the cine industry must not be forced to participate in demonstrations based on political or social issues. While the whole of the industry sat shocked, not knowing how to respond to Ajith's honest words, it was Super Star Rajinikanth, who was seated beside the CM, who s

It came as a shock when Silambarasan walked out of K.V. Anand's upcoming Ko recently. Later, Jiiva was chosen as the hero. Now the latest rumour is that Piya of Aegan and Goa fame will play a prominent role in the film. S. Kumar and R. Jayaraman of RS Infotainment, who produced Gautham Menon's Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, are producing Ko. Karthika, daughter of yesteryear beauty Radha, will be the heroine. Ajmal Ameer of Anjathey will also play an important role in the film. The movie is expected be a commercial entertainer on the lines of K.V. Anand's earlier venture Ayan. Sources close to the producer reveal the title Ko means 'king' in Tamil. Anand will again team up with the writer-duo Subha and Harris Jayaraj for Ko.

After the success of Siva Manasula Sakthi, popular Tamil actor Jiiva is currently busy with his next venture Kacheri Arambam, produced by his father R.B. Choudary of Super Good Films and directed by Thiraivannan. According to latest reports from the unit, the film, which was earlier titled Kacheri, was later renamed Kacheri Arambam for some reasons. It is all set to grace screens on March 6. Speaking about the film, the director said: The film revolves around Jiiva's charector who comes to Chennai from a village because of some problems. He walks through the road with a confused mind, not noticing a water tanker. Just before the tanker hits him, a hand pulls him. That is Poonam Bajwa. Then Jiiva faints. When he opens his eyes, he sees the beautiful, smiling face of Poonam Bajwa. He immediately falls in love with her, but she does not accept his love!

Ileana was the first South Indian actress to hit the one crore fee per film, but she has also been the only starlet from Tollywood absolutely reluctant to set foot in Kollywood! After that a single movie Kedi with Ravi Krishna and Tamannaah way back, Ileana has been blatantly rejecting offers in Tamil. While some say she was unimpressed by the offers, others insist it was a bad experience in Kedi that kept the lady away. But sources within the industry state that the main reason was that the pay offered in Kollywood was nowhere near what she was making in Telugu, so she felt least inspired to make the move. But now, we hear that she will play the lead in Vikram's next Tamil movie. What lured her this time? She says it's the story, but insiders insist it's the HUGE pay that was irresistable! She sure knows what it means to make hay while the sun shines!

EXPECTATIONS To begin with, there are no expectations from the music of Na Ghar Ke Na Ghat Ke . The film has arrived out of nowhere, has a newcomer (Rahul Aggarwal) who is doubling up as a director as well as the lead protagonist and doesn't quite sound like a musical that one could actually look forward. And then you see the people in charge of the music department and there is some level of resurrection. Composer Lalit Pandit, lyricist Mudassar Aziz and singers like Remo Fernandes, Shreya Ghoshal, Neeraj Sridhar, Sunidhi Chauhan and Sukhwinder Singh make one heave a sigh of relief that there would at least be a song or two that would turn out to be a good hear. MUSIC Ever selective Remo Fernandes is back rendering a mainstream number in the form of title song Na Ghar Ke Na Ghaat Ke . A song that establishes the character of a central protagonist who arrives from a small town to the city of Mumbai, Na Ghar Ke Na Ghaat Ke tries to be all fun and lively but doesn'

It was 11.30am. London's Somerset House was burning. I mean, summer time in London is like sitting on a red hot coal. I was drinking my favourite beer along with fellow journalists who were there to attend a press conference of SRK for his film Chak De India which had its premiere at the same venue later in the evening. The lady sitting in front of me passed a comment, "You sound so much like Farhan Akhtar . Talking to you is like talking to him." It was Nasreen Munni Kabir (author, documentary film maker and producer on British television) who briefed me about Farhan for the first time. Then the rest followed. Adah Sharma, Minissha Lamba, Rahul Dev, Amrita Rao, etc. Farhan's latest release, Karthik Calling Karthik is spooky in a way. Why? Because he receives a phone call from himself. Now read this - I was supposed to call Farhan for an interview last week. The rest I'm sure you'd have got it, right? UK's Harrow Observer columnist and Bollyw