IBLOG SPACE

Director K V Anand is working on his 'Ko' film under full secrecy hitherto heard only for Mani Ratnam and Shankar films. The artistes like Jeeva and Karthika and other technicians have been clearly instructed not to reveal anything about the film to outsiders. K V Anand is compensating for time and money lost due to Jeeva's China visa problems by shooting on war footing at the AVM Studios. Senior artistes like Jeeva know the reasons to maintain the secrecy before the release of the film but a newcomer like Radha's daughter Karthika? So the director has told her mother Radha also to reiterate to her daughter the need for maintaining a low profile until the right time comes.

Sada’s first Hindi film ‘Click’ directed by Sangeeth Sivan released last week and the audience up north have recognised Sada and her abilities. One review said “Sada gets her first good scope in Hindi films to present her acting talent. She not only looks alluring but displays good acting skills”. The film is a thriller and Shreyas Talpade is the hero. It also stars Aishwarya Rai look alike Sneha Ullal. Sada started her Tamil career with ‘Jayam’ in 2003. Most of her films in Tamil – Jayam, Ethiri, Anniyan, Priyasaki - got her appreciation instantly. But in spite of giving hits regularly she could not attain the stardom she deserves in Tamil. Sada was last seen in Tamil in ‘Unnale Unnale’ in 2007.

Prithviraj has the unique distinction of working under a director who has directed his father Sukumaran also 25 years ago. And if the director is someone like Mani Ratnam, Prithviraj can feel proud of his profession all his life. Prithviraj’s father Sukumaran was a famous actor in Malayalam for three decades from the seventies. With films like ‘Vilkkanundu Swapnangal’ Sukumaran was in the big league when Mani Ratnam started his career as a director in the eighties. Mani Ratnam’s second film of his career was ‘Unaru’ in Malayalam. The film was about the labour trade union parties and their problems in Kerala. Sukumaran played an important role in the film. Now after 25 years Mani Ratnam is directing Prithviraj in ‘Raavan’. What a journey it had been.

As ‘Vinnathandi Varuvaya’ is running to packed houses, all the people associated with the film are greatly relieved now. The film which released on February 26 is hailed a trend setter and will redefine the rules of the game of love. Happy director Goutham Menon today thanked the media for its honesty in taking his product to the people. Here it is. Dear friends from the media, It gives me immense pleasure to take a moment to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. The extraordinary support let to me by you, including the amazing and honest reviews of my direction, and of ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’ as a whole. It warms my heart to even acknowledge the generous accolades you have given me at this point of my career. It has been only your praiseworthy and generous support that has kept my dreams alive and even today instills in me the confidence for my further endeavours. I am now further fuelled to better myself and my films, to keep improving, and I need your continual e

Shriya who has a foot in all the south languages has replaced Trisha in a film. The fairy who was out of Tollywood for some time is returning with a bang. Her comeback film in Telugu opposite Ravi Teja is ‘Don Seenu’, which was originally offered to Trisha. But Trisha who is still busy shooting for her first Hindi film ‘Khatta Meeta’ with Akshay Kumar will not be able to get ready for ‘Don Seenu’ in time. More over Trisha also has another big film in Tamil ‘Yavarum Kelir, directed by K S Ravikumar, which requires bulk dates from her. As she will be seen with Kamal Haasan- Madhavan in ‘Yavarum Kelir’ she can’t afford to mess up. Smart Trisha so opted out of the Telugu film. Meanwhile Shriya‘s first Malayalam film ‘Pokkiri Raja’ with Mammootty and Prithviraj is ready and she is waiting for her moment in Kollywood. Shriya is returning to Tollywood after almost five years. She will also be seen doing an item number for S J Suryah directed ‘Puli’ with Pawan Kalyan.

Theatres screening 'Irumbu Kottai Murattu Singam' could be a better choice to spend a day this summer. A cowboy movie for the whole family, the film is produced by Kalpathi S Agoram and directed by Simbu Devan of 'Imsai Arasan 23am Pulikesi' fame. "The comic flick would treat the audience with loads of fun and action and hence we are releasing it this summer vacation", says an optimistic Simbu Devan. "I am a great fan of cowboy movies. It is a genre that Tamil filmmakers have left untouched. That is the reason I took up the challenge of making one. I penned a script for a cowboy story which has an unmistakable Indianness to it," he claims. Thanking Kalpathi S Agoram for producing the movie, Simbu Devan says, "He heard the story for just 15 minutes and agreed to produce it. All the lead actors- Larencce Raghavendra, Lakshmi Rai, Padmapriya, and Sandhya- have given their best." "There is more to cowboys than their hats, sh

P Vasu is all thrilled as his Kannada movie 'Aaptha Rakshaka' is breaking all previous box office records in the neighbouring Karnataka. "Vishnuvaradhan's fans have made it a big film. They come in droves to watch the movie. All the artistes including Sandhya and Vimala Raman have come in for a lot of appreciation for their performances." he says. In the meantime, the filmmaker is gearing up to direct RK in his next Tamil venture titled 'Puli Vesham'. Speaking about the film, Vasu says, "It is a story based both in a city and a village. It is a string of events that happens in the life of an innocent young man. The movie has two heroines and Srikanth Deva is scoring the music." He adds: "I wanted an actor like RK to play the lead role in the film. Because he doesn’t have any particular image and can fit easily to any character. I am hopeful that we can together give a hit." Ask him whether 'Aptha Rakshaka' will be

It seems ‘Asal’ is going to be the lone release of Ajith for 2010. For sources close to him reveal the actor-sportsman is gearing up for the F2 European Challenge, a prestigious motor event which will go on till October. “Ajith is currently spending his time in a gym as he wants to shed close to 20 kgs to actively participate in the race which starts later this month. Since he bid bye to motorsport six years ago, he is on a rigorous workout regime now to make himself fit for the game,” they say. Saying Goutham Menon, the director of Ajith’s next film, will be ready with the script, locations and other preproduction works by that time, sources reveal the actor’s 50th movie, tentatively titled ‘Thuppariyum Anand’, will go on floors in either October or November. “Only on Sunday Ajith, Goutham and producer Dhayanidhi Alagiri met and discussed the project, which will be on international standards. The film is going to be on-of-its-kind in Indian cinema and will take Tamil

Oscar winning sound engineer Resul Pookutty will soon be awarded an honorary doctorate by Sanskrit university in Kerala. "It's a big honour that Sankaracharya Sanskrit University is offering me a doctorate. I feel very honoured, especially because it is coming from a Sanskrit university," he said. The award function is on March 16. Pookutty revealed that he has been offered two Hollywood projects but is reluctant to disclose details. Shooting for one film would start early March, while the other would begin in July, he added however.

While acclaimed director Priyanandan's new movie ‘Sufi Paranja Katha’ is running successfully in the Kerala theatres, the young director is getting ready to shoot his next. Tentatively titled as ‘Sambho Mahadeva’. The movie will be quite different from his regular movies. The director will be for the first time attempting a satirical humour on the godmen and the associated culture that has come into the state. The movie will be based on a story by director Renjith, which will be scripted to suit the screen by debutante Manoj. As per the present plans, the movie will start its shoot by the month of June. Let's wait and see what all success will this art house movie maker attain, when attempting on a different genre.

Suhasini Mani Ratnam has completed six days schedule for ‘Deadly-2’ a sequel to ‘Deadly Soma’. KK films producer GN Murthy arranged for a special court set in Kanteerava studios to shoot the climax featuring Suhasini who plays the mother of Soma character in the film, Devaraj and Ravi Kaale. Meanwhile Aditya is recuperating from the fall during the shooting of this film. Remaining portions of Deadly-2 featuring Aditya will be shot after some time says story, screenplay, dialogues writers and director Ravi Srivatsa. KD Venkatesh is the stunt director and Johny Harsha scores the music.

The Kannada Film Producers Association has sent a lorry load of 2500 kilograms of rice to the needy and poor people of Uttar Kannada region. The people of northern Karnataka are reeling under floods in the last year and struggling to get a square of meal. This is a small gesture from the Kannada Film Producers Association. The lorry load containing quintals of rice was flagged off on Monday by the Kannada Film Producers Association office bearers. The lorry left to Bijapur and other areas for distribution of rice.

The comedy film of CMR Productions maiden venture by Shankar Reddy ‘Lift Kodla’ used the services of a helicopter to trace the gang in the bus that has left from Bangalore. The inmates of the bus are having one reason or the other to end their life and the newly appointed special officer used the helicopter for tracing the bus in the dense forest area. This helicopter shots were shot recently near Chickmagalur hill and its surroundings by cameraman cum director Ashok Kashyap. Shashikumar, the former MP from Chitradurga, the famous Kannada actor is returning to acting doing the role of a special officer in this film. Jaggesh plays the main lead with Archana Gupta, Komalkumar, Sudardhan, Raju Thalikote, Sadhu Kokila, Kishore, Bank Janardhan, Killer Venkatesh, Shobaraj, Manohar and others in the cast.

Deadly 2, a sequel to Deadly Soma (2005) featuring Adithya and Rakshita, has begun its shooting schedule already. All the artists and technicians will be the same except heroine Rakshita, who quit films after marriage. Deadly Soma is the story of a young man Soma who becomes a criminal. A bright student, Soma is unnecessarily provoked during a kabaddi match and he takes revenge by beating his rivals. After that, Soma's life changes and he gets involved in many crimes. The film, criticized for its violent scenes, went on to become a success. The latest to join the sets of Deadly 2 is Suhasini Mani Ratnam, who plays the mother of Soma. Meanwhile hero Adithya is recovering from the from his fall while shooting for this film. Ravi Srivatsa, who directed the earlier version, will wield the megaphone for Deadly 2 also.

Kannada superstar Vishnuvardhan's 200th and last film Aptha Rakshaka is storming the box office ever since its release on February 19 in nearly 120 screens across Karnataka. It is expected to gross more than Rs. 40 crores in 100 days. If the run continues, Aptha Rakshaka will overtake Mungaru Male, which is the highest grosser in Sandalwood so far. Aptha Rakshaka, the sequel of Apthamitra (which was remade in Tamil as Chandramukhi with superstar Rajinikanth in the lead), is directed by P. Vasu and Gurukiran has scored the music. The film stars Dr. Vishnuvardhan, Vimala Raman, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Bhavana, Sandhya, Komal Kumar, Srinivasamurthy, Avinash and others. The producer is Krishna Prajwal. Meanwhile, the director has started to work on his next project titled Puli Vesham with R.K. in the lead role. The film is expected to narrate the journey of an innocent youth from village to city. There are two leading ladies in the film and Srikanth Deva will create the music. There are w

Ace comedian-turned-director A.V.S. Subramanyam's forthcoming directorial venture Kothi Mooka, starring Krishnudu and Shrada Arya in the lead, is progressing at a brisk pace in Hyderabad. The regular shooting began on February 24 and will continue till April 20. The makers are making efforts to release the movie in the last week of April. Produced by Venkat Jagdeesh under the banner of Tulasi Pujitha Films, Kothi Mooka has music by Mani Sharma. This complete comedy entertainer is based on a story written by Janardhana Maharshi. Srinivasa Reddy handles the camera. Others in cast are comedians Brahmanandam, Jayaprakash Reddy, Ali, Venu Madhav, Gundu Hanumantha Rao, L.B. Sriram, Kovai Sarala, Hema, Jhansi, Kondavalasa and Harshavardhan.

Ace director Mani Ratnam is currently busy wrapping up his much awaited Tamil-Hindi bilingual Raavana/ Raavan. Meanwhile, there are many speculations about his next film which is also expected to be a bilingual. The latest buzz is that the intense director has reportedly approached popular lyricist Thamarai to write dialouges for his next film after Raavana. Thamarai, who is known for her aesthetic writing, is already a sensation in Kollywood. There are also rumours that the director met the lyricist with a caveat that he will use the dialogues only if he is thoroughly convinced. There are also rumours that his next project is tentatively titled Rukmani.

Nagarjuna is all set to begin the shooting of his next film to be directed by popular Tamil-Telugu filmmaker Radha Mohan. A bilingual, this action entertainer is titled Payanam in Tamil and Wanted in Telugu. Produced by Dil Raju (Telugu version) and Prakashraj (Tamil version), this film, based on the Kandahar hijack episode, will be an action thriller. The director is keen on introducing a new pair in both languages. The movie is planned for release in April 2010. Incidentally, Major Ravi's upcoming Tamil-Telugu bilingual Kandahar staring Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Tamil actor Suriya and Malayalam superstar Mohanlal will also revolve around a plane hijacking.

The crew members of Allu Arjun's forthcoming action movie Varudu will shoot the last song between March 5 and 10 in two specially-erected sets in Annapurna and Rama Naidu Studios under the supervision of director Gunasekhar. The makers are making efforts to release the film on March 26. According to the director, Allu Arjun will be seen in a role that he has never played before. Renowned director Singeetham Sreenivas Rao appears in a special role. Tamil hero Arya plays the villain. The heroine is a new face, but her name is yet to be revealed. Others in the cast are Suhasini, Naresh, Ashish Vidyarthi, Sayaji Shinde, Ahuthi Prasad, Brahmanandam, Brahmaji and Vinaya Prasad. Music is by Mani Sharma. Lyrics are penned by Veturi and editing is by Srikar Prasad. R.D. Rajasekhar is handling the camera.

While his latest offering Vinnathandi Varuvaaya (Yemaya Chesave in Telugu) is running to packed houses all around the world, sources close to master filmmaker Gautham Menon say he is now busy completing the script for his next film tentatively titled Thuppariyum Anand (Detective Anand), which will in all probability will begin in November 2010. Starring Ultimate star Ajith in the lead role as a detective officer who unravels the mystery behind a series of murders in London, this film will be produced by Dayanidhi Azhagiri under the banner of Cloud Nine Productions, which earlier acquired Vaaranam Aayiram. The latest news is that Vaaranam Aayiram music director Harris Jayaraj, who declared that he would not work with Gautham in the near future, would be the music director in Thuppariyum Anand. Official confirmation is awaited on this matter.

Popular Tamil director Selvaraghavan of latest super hit Karthi starrer Aayirathil Oruvan, who is now busy shooting for his next untitled film starring Vikram, has denied recent reports that he would join hands with noted music composer Yuvanshankar Raja in his upcoming films. I have no idea of working with Yuvanshankar Raja in my future projects. I am immensely impressed by G.V. Prakash's musical score in Aayirathil Oruvan and he will tune melodies for Vikram's film too, the director was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, talking about his long-awaited Dhanush starrer Idhu Maalai Nerathu Mayakkam, Selvaraghavan confirmed that the project has been dropped due to some unavoidable issues.

Tollywood sensation Ram Charan Reja's third film (tentatively titled Orange) directed by Bhaskar with five heroines including Genelia, is all set to start regular shooting. Sources say the makers will leave for Australia for a 30 day schedule to shoot crucial sequences including songs. Produced by Nagababu under the banner of Anjana Productions, the film has music by Harris Jayaraj. Touted to be a fun-filled romantic entertainer, the film will have Ram Charan Teja playing the role of a chocolate boy. Notably, Ram Charan played an action hero in Chiruta and Magadheera. Editing is by Marthand K. Venkatesh, action by Peter Hynes and camera by Kiran Reddy.

Noted choreographer-actor-turned-director Lawrence Raghavendra's forthcoming bilingual Irumbu Kottai Murattu Singam (Super Cowboy in Telugu) is being directed by Simbudevan and produced by Kalpathi S. Agoram under the banner of SGS Entertainments with a massive budget of Rs. 20 crores. According to latest reports, the film has almost completed its post production works and is all set to grace screens across Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in March itself. The exact date is yet to be announced. Irumbu Kottai Murattu Singam is an 18th century subject with enough comedy and adventure. Padmapriya and Lakshmi Rai are the heroines. Also in the cast are Saikumar, Sandhya, Nasser, Manorama, Senthil, Mouli, Delhi Ganesh and Ramesh Khanna. Dialogues are by Sriramakrishna, lyrics by Vanamali, music by G.V. Prakash and choreography by Lawrence himself.

Pooja Gandhi of Mungaru Male will be seen in a bob cut avatar for an upcoming film opposite Raghu Mukerji. The yet-to-be-titled film will be directed by Shivaganapathy. Meanwhile, the pretty actress also plays an important role with negative shades in her sister Radhika Gandhi's upcoming film Sri Harikathe directed by Dayal.

The dubbed Telugu version of Kollywood superstar Vijay's Kuruvi has completed censor formalities and is all set to hit screen by the first half of March. Titled Dopidi, the Telugu version is released by Abhi Pictures. Popular distributor B. Satyanarayana holds the Telugu rights. Directed by Dharani with Trisha as heroine, Kuruvi was made with a whopping budget of Rs. 25 crores and ran 150 days in Tamil Nadu. Suman is the villain. It revolves around Vetrivel, a fun-loving young man who takes care of his family in his father's absence. His carefree life is disturbed when his landlord asks Vetrivel's family to vacate the house since their rent is overdue. On enquiry, Vetri learns that rent payments have been irregular since some months. Vetri then investigates why his father could not pay the rent and unearths the devilish dealings of a don Koccha (Suman) and the functioning of his entire network. What happens next forms the rest of the story.

After a long gap, the hit jodi of the 80s Prabhu and Urvashi are coming together for an upcoming Malayalam film. After doing some memorable character roles, Prabhu will come as a full fledged hero with Best of Luck directed by M.A. Nishad, which is expected to go on floors in March. Let's hope that the magic of Aduthathu Albert, Ezhuthatha Sattangal, Naam Iruvar are

Gautham Menon's latest release Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa is the latest buzz in town. The movie brings back to theatres the genre of love stories, something we have not seen on screens for quite some time. The film is a bilingual, starring Simbu-Trisha in Tamil and Naga Chaitanya-Samantha in Telugu. VTV is indeed a memorable experience for its beautiful camera work by Manoj Paramahamsa and soul-stirring music by A.R. Rahman. A Red Giant Movies presentation, the movie is produced by Escape Artistes Motions Pictures and R.S. Infotainment. VTV, which released on Friday, has different climaxes in Tamil and Telugu. The Telugu version, titled Ye Maya Chesave, ends on a happy note while the Tamil version has a surprise ending with some twist and turns. When asked about the different climaxes, the stylish director said he had the guts to shoot a surprise climax in Tamil but not in Telugu.

After winning the hearts of millions in Kerala by his powerful portrayal of Edachena Kukkan in superstar Mammootty's recent magnum opus historical film Pazhassi Raja, for which he won the special jury award at the Ujala-Asianet Film Awards 2009, Tamil action hero Sarathkumar is getting ready for his second Malayalam film. The actor will reportedly be seen in Oridathoru Postman to be directed by Shaji Azeez. Sarathkumar will play the role of Yasin Mubarak, a wildlife photographer. The film will also have Kunchakko Boban in a major role. The leading ladies are Archana Kavi and Meera Nandan. The movie will go on floors in the first week of March.

After a gap of 10 years, Kannada superstar Upendra is currently shooting his eighth directorial venture tentatively titled Symbol, which was launched in Bangalore last month. Starring reigning queen Nayantara in the lead role, the film is touted to be a visual treat for all Upendra fans in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. I am introducing 20 new artists in the film. The audition itself was most exciting. Some of them will be seen in all the three languages. If I can prove to all of you that I have made efforts to present a different film, it would be a great victory for me, he said. We will be shooting for more than 100 days. Some portions will be re-shot for the Telugu and Tamil versions with a particular set of artists belonging to the Telugu and Tamil film industries, he added. The director has not yet finalised the music director but said he plans to select one who would be acceptable to audiences in all the three languages. The film is made by Rockline Venkatesh under the ban

After the Ravi Teja starrer Bhageeratha (2005), reigning Shriya Saran did not act in even a single Telugu film as heroine in spite of her numerous comeo appearances and item numbers, starting from Bommalata (2005) to Komaram Puli (2010). After a gap of five years, this Kollywood miss is reportedly the heroine in a Telugu film Don Seenu opposite Ravi Teja once again. Trisha was the first choice for this film, being directed by debutant director Malineni Gopichand, but she opted out due to unavailability of dates. Don Seenu is currently progressing in Rama Naidu Cine Village at Nanakramguda. After the next schedule in Hyderabad ending on March 20, the crew will leave for Switzerland and then Spain. Meanwhile, Shriya is also doing her debut Malayalam film Pokkiri Raja opposite superstar Mammootty. The film is directed by Vysakh, a television anchor and associate of directors Johnny Antony and Joshy.

After seeing ultimate star Ajith at the Aasal audio launch, speculations are spreading like wildfire about his next movie with ace director Gautham Menon. The star's stylish crew cut gave rise to speculation if it would be a police story. With Gautham directing, this could be a good guess. Remember, Gautham's police stories Kaakka Kaakka with Suriya and Vettayaadu Vilayaadu with Kamal Haasan were huge box office hits. Now, Ajith's 50th film with Gautham Menon produced by Dhayanidhi Alagiri is believed to be a police story too. Ajith has played a cop in Anjaneya, but the film was not too successful, so we hope it's time Ajith tastes succes in a thrilling cop story. The latest buzz in the industry is that Ajith will play the role of an Intelligence agent in the film. The film is reportedly titled Thuppariyum Anand; the title Ulavali is also under consideration.

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal has accepted Industries Minister Elamaram Karim's request to become the goodwill ambassador of khadi and handloom clothes in the State. Notably, Mohanlal is also the goodwill ambassador of the Kerala AIDS Control Society headed by State Health Minister P.K. Sreemathi. The Minister said in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday that the actor would discharge the responsibility gratis. The clothes woven by these sectors wove many lives as well. Support for them would not only boost their production but also strengthen the culture and heritage of the state. The crisis in the sectors hindered the development of the state at large, he added.

Simbu, Trisha. Guatham Menon and the rest of the crew of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa including the producers Ganesh, Kumar and Madan, cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa, art director Rajeevan, editor Anthony and costume desginer Nalini Sriram, launched the March 2010 issue of Galatta Cinema at Landmark, Citi Center, Chennai on Match 1, 2010. The launch saw a huge crowd of fans who were thrilled to see their favourite stars. Also present on the occasion were photographers par excellence G. Venket Ram and Sundar Ramu. Though Udhayanidhi Stalin of Red Giant Movies' could not make it to the event, his wife Kiruthiga graced the occasion with her presence. The evening was hosted by Shri Shakthi Girish, Editor, Galatta Cinema.

The shooting of director Boyapati Srinu's forthcoming Balakrishna starrer Simha, featuring Nayantara, Namitha and Sneha Ullal in the lead, was interrupted by Telangana activists in Keesara Mandal on Monday. While the shooting was in progress, a group of activists reached the spot hearing that Simha was filming there, and tried to protest against the star and his unit. The police reached the spot immediately and removed the agitators. Produced by Paruchuri Kireeti under the banner of United Movies, Simha will be released on April 9. Music is by Chakri and cinematography is by Arther A. Willson.

Debutant director Ashok's multi-starrer Aakasha Ramanna, starring comedy king Allari Naresh, Shivaji, Rajiv Kanakala, Meera Jasmine and Gowri Pandit in the lead roles, will be released on March 12, the makers announced. The film is produced by Manyam Ramesh. Aakasa Ramanna is the story of a youth who writes anonymous letters and creates trouble for people. In one such incident, he too faces major troubles. How he manages to get out of his predicament forms the crux of the plot.

Kannada superstar Shivarajkumar will be seen in 11 roles onscreen in a song from his forthcoming film Cheluvueye Ninne Nodalu, being directed by Raghuram. The song will be a remix of his father and legendary actor Raj Kumar's hugely popular number Huttidhare Kannada' from Akasmika. The photo shoot with the 11 roles was held recently in his residence. This is certainly a great moment in my film career. Every actor in Kannada would love to be seen in the get-ups of my father. But it is nice that there was some space in the film where I could appear in his roles in films that have created big records. And it was also a big challenge for me because I had to work out on many details, Shivarajkumar said. The actor will be seen essaying characters played by his father in hit mythological films like Sreenivasa Kalyana, Bhaktha Kumbara and Bhaktha Prahlada. He will also dress up in parts essayed by the iconic star in Veera Kesari and social films like Hosa Belaku, Chalisuva

Legendary actor Kamal Haasan's 1985 super hit Kakki Sattai (also spelt Kakki Chattai) will be remade in Malayalam by director Pramod Pappan and producer Jagadeesh Chandran under the banner of Kichu Films. South India's chocolate hero Prithviraj will step into the shoes of Kamal Haasan as the lead actor in the remake. Kamal Haasan played the role of an undercover cop in the original, which was produced by Sathya Movies and directed by the renowned Rajashekhar. According to sources, though the plot is similar to the original, Rajesh Jayaram is working on the script to make it relevant to present times. It is noteworthy that Kakki Sattai was partially remade in Telugu by Puri Jaganath as Pokiri, which was remade in Tamil as Pokkiri and then in Hindi as Wanted starring Salman Khan.

After sharing screen space with Bollywood's gorgeous Deepika Padukone for a cola commercial, Tollywood sensation Ram Charan Tej is now back with a brand new ad campaign for Coca Cola alongside Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The three-day cola commercial was shot in Mumbai under the direction of Telugu filmmaker Trivikram Srinivas. Both of them had a good time together and seemed to have a lot of common interests. Cherry (Ram Charan's pet name) used to be a cricketing buff once and had stopped watching the game until Mahi's captaincy revived his interest in the game, a close friend of the actor said. We had a wonderful time working together. It was great interacting with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Charan said.

On Sunday, veteran actor Thilakan described actor Mammootty's statement (that talks would be initiated to solve the 'Thilakan issue') as eyewash. Even a day after Mammootty made the statement, there has been no initiative to solve the issue. No one has invited me for consensus talks, he said. He said he would not face the disciplinary committee of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) which had called him for a meeting. Moves to deny me opportunities continue. I hear there are moves to remove me from an Indo-American co-production in which I am supposed to act. Asked to comment on reports that Mohanlal was planning to file a defamation suit against writer Sukumar Azhikode, Thilakan said the writer's remarks should be seen in the background of the labour issue. Mohanlal has every right as an Indian citizen to file a defamation suit against Prof. Azhikode.

If there is heaven on earth it is here, it is here, it is here. And if at all, there is any heavenly body, it is her, it is her, it is her! We are indeed talking about the 'beauty-licious' Lara Dutta, who is simply giving the models and actress and everyone alike, a mega marathon run for their money. And it is this very same chic who is all set to set the book stores afire as she is the cover girl for Vogue magazine for this month. Lara can be accused of giving everyone (esp. men) a stiff neck as they just cannot help turning their heads, only to have a mere glance of this angelic beauty. Such is the impact of this actress, who, in this issue, talks about her obsession with shoes, her most defining fashion moment, shopping list for the season, her shopping secrets (yes...she has revealed them!), her definition of glamour, her style statement, her take on shopping therapy ...to name a few...phew! Full marks to the fotog for presenting Lara like never before. Look

Beatle legend Sir Paul McCartney is set to embark on a solo British stadium tour. McCartney has announced details of five shows to take place this summer around the time of his 68th birthday in June including headline appearances at noted festivals like the Isle of Wight and Hard Rock Calling, reports contactmusic.com. 'It is really amazing for a man of his age to embark on such a gruelling, massive tour. Put simply, these will be his biggest ever shows in Britain. So really, it just shows what great shape he is in,' said an industry source. The singer hasn't fully toured Britain since 2003, when he performed in a string of arenas. Since then, he has only performed sporadic shows, such as a December 2009 date at London's O2 Arena. The new dates on his 'Up and Coming' tour will see him play in Dublin, Glasgow and Cardiff, while it is also rumoured that he will announce a date at London's Wembley Stadium in the coming weeks. 'It's always brilliant to p

Model Katie Price has reportedly stopped husband Alex Reid from posing naked for a gay magazine. The cage-fighter, who married the model last month in a Las Vegas ceremony, had agreed a deal with Attitude magazine to show off his physique in the publication's pages with an accompanying interview. However, Price wanted to see the interview before it ran so she could approve Reid's answers leading to the tension in the deal, reports thesun.co.uk. 'Alex and his manager, Chris Herbert, had worked out the deal and were ready to go ahead. It was going to be Alex's bravest shoot ever, because he was going to be naked. But Katie insisted on having final approval on the interview before it ran. She sent Chris like 150 texts in three days, so in the end the shoot got cancelled,' said a source.

Acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron and actress Sigourney Weaver staged a special screening of thier 3D sci-fi epic hit 'Avatar' for the US military in Bahrain. The director, along with the movie's stars Weaver, Stephen Lang and Michelle Rodriguez, flew to Bahrain in January to showcase their award-winning film at a military base and aboard two battleships, reports imdb.com. Cameron's ex-marine brother, John D. Cameron, was thrilled with his sibling's morale-boosting visit. 'Showing 'Avatar' to the troops was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. To do something for the men and women who serve our country was a great privilege,' said John D. Cameron

Blackjack, roulette, gambling gizmos… the cast and crew of 'Anjaana Anjaani' had a whale, sorry, gamble of a time at Las Vegas. Hah, quite literally. Producer Sajid Nadiadwala had booked an entire plush casino for the filming of his flick. The'Anjaana.. unit canned sequences in it during the day, but, come night, the gambling den was abuzz with the 'Anjaana.. members wooing Lady Luck! A unit insider reveals, "Ranbir had terrific luck at his gambling and Priyanka too won a lot. Thankfully… we were just playing for fun, had we put in real money, we would have been reduced to beggars, surely."

Music stars David Bowie and Mark Ronson have reacted angrily to the BBC's decision to close its 6 Music station, seen as a key platform for alternative and lesser-known rock and pop acts. BBC Radio 6 describes itself as a station that "brings together the cutting edge of today and the iconic and groundbreaking music of the past 40 years," and has a weekly audience of about 700,000 listeners. It was one of the first BBC digital stations and went on air in 2002. The decision to shutter the station is part of a strategy to redirect about 600 million pounds ($890 million) into higher quality content such as its journalism, UK drama and comedy. Commercial rivals such as ITV and Channel 4 could then be left to bid for sports or U.S. drama. When details of the plans to take 6 Music off the air first surfaced last week, Bowie issued a statement on his website. "6 Music keeps the spirit of broadcasters like John Peel alive and for new artists to lose this station would be a g

Goa had a starry dose. Of Shahid Kapoor, no less. Reportedly, the star showed up in his capacity as the brand ambassador of a topline denim brand. The brand brigade called up some of their contest winners on stage, to click those keepsake snaps with Kapoor. Within minutes, almost the entire audience clamoured to step onstage. And within the next few seconds, the stage collapsed under the collective weight!! The security merely gaped as the star struck crowd practically pounced on a shocked Shasha! Well, timely help arrived… as some of the brand boys managed to finally escort Kapoor to safety. Guess, Shahid's merely throwing his weight around, eh? :))))))))))))))))))))))))

Actress Sonali Kulkarni Tuesday released a compilation of her articles published in a newspaper in a book format as she felt there was a 'huge demand' and that people had 'reacted' to her articles. 'I just want to write and keep on writing. I don't know if someday I would write a novel or not,' Sonali said before the launch of the book titled 'So Kul', a compilation of her articles published in Lokasatta newspaper's weekly supplement Viva. Actor Nana Patekar, who launched the book, said: 'I know Sonali from her childhood and I am very happy to see her articles coming out in the form of a book. The way Sonali has written the articles, it seems that she is talking to me through her articles. I feel that I have witnessed the incident she is talking about in her articles.' The 102 articles in the book are in Marathi and Sonali will soon translate the book into Hindi and English as well. 'I have already got...shouldn't say offers but i

Film critic Roger Ebert, rendered mute by several cancer surgeries, delivered his Oscar picks on Oprah Winfrey's television chat show on Tuesday using his newly synthesized voice fashioned from old audio clips. "I can't remember a year when it was easier to pick the Oscars. Those may be famous last words," the now cancer-free Ebert, 67, said in a recorded segment on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." "The only dicey category is Best Picture," said Ebert, who copyrighted his famous "thumbs-up" or "thumbs-down" ratings created for his pioneering televised review show with Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel, who died of cancer in 1999. Ebert predicted Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" would win the Oscar for best picture, and Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock would win for best actor and actress, respectively. Ebert won a Pulitzer Prize in 1975, the first film critic to do so. Since being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2002

Bollywood star Ajay Devgn might not have featured in any full-fledged action film off late, but the actor says he still loves his action hero image he was known for. 'I'm doing every kind of film and there has not been any effort for an image change. In fact, I still love my action hero image. But at the same time, I'm lucky that I got the opportunity to do films of different genres and people liked me in them,' Ajay told reporters here. Ajay has been part of action flicks like 'Phool Aur Kante', 'Vijaypath', 'Haqeeqat' and 'Diljale' among others. The actor was in the capital for the promotion of his upcoming venture 'Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?', slated to release Friday. The comedy revolves around the story of Puneet (Ajay Devgn) and Munmun (Konkona Sen Sharma), a happily married couple living in Mumbai. Their life takes a turn when a distant relative Chachaji (Paresh Rawal) turns up unannounced at their doorstep from a far-off villag

Saudi novelist Abdo Khal won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction on Tuesday for "Spewing Sparks as Big as Castles", about the seductive yet destructive allure of the world of the palace. The award, worth $10,000 to each of the six nominees and another $50,000 to the winner, honours works of prose fiction in Arabic, and the exposure it brings can mean publishing deals in English and other languages. "The winning novel is a brilliant exploration of the relationship between the individual and the state," said Kuwaiti writer Taleb Alrefai who chaired the judging panel. "Through the eyes of its two-dimensional protagonist, the book gives the reader a taste of the horrifying reality of the excessive world of the palace." The other shortlisted writers were Rabai Al-Madhoun ("The Lady from Tel Aviv", Mansoura Ez Eldin ("Beyond Paradise"), Rabee Jaber ("America"), Mohamed Mansi Qandil ("A Cloudy Day on the West Side")

Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'My Name Is Khan' (MNIK) has become the highest Bollywood earner in the Middle East with $3.3. million collections. 'In other Islamic markets too, it continues to grow and has crossed over to non-diaspora audiences. In Indonesia, for example, the film has grown from six to 14 screens and has seen a jump of 300 percent in week three,' Vijay Singh, CEO of Fox Star Studios India, said in a statement. The film is to open in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria March 10. So far, 'MNIK' worldwide earning is about Rs.174.6 crore ($37.5 million) with India contributing Rs.102.2 crore and international markets recording around Rs.72.4 crore. Directed by Karan Johar, 'My Name Is Khan' explores lives in the post-9/11 period in the US. The movie has Shah Rukh playing a man with Asperger's Syndrome and Kajol plays his love interest. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 'MNIK' is now tracking to become the number four movie of all time, competing

Dell has some of the most popular notebooks around. Typically, when we hear of new Dell machines it’s in the form of a press release or official announcement. A pair of new Dell Studio notebooks that are touch enabled have surfaced in a Dell online digital catalog. The new machines are the Studio 1558 Touch and the Studio 1749 Touch. As you can gather from the product names, both notebooks are touch enabled. Both of the machines feature Intel Core i5 processor options as well. The 1558 Touch is being offered at $999 after a $314 discount and the 1749 Touch is $1049 after a $384 discount. It’s hard to make out the hardware, but the 1558 Touch appears to have a Core i5-520M CPU, Windows 7 Home Premium, 3GB of RAM, and 320GB HDD. The 1749 Touch has the same processor, 3GB of RAM, and 320GB HDD. Presumably, the 1558 is a 15-inch machine and the 1749 is a 17-inch notebook.

The one thing that every storage drive has in common is that at some point they all run out of storage space. It doesn’t matter if the drive has 1MB of storage or 1TB, eventually you run out. A new prototype drive has been unveiled from Infinitec called the Infinite USB Memory Drive or IUM that promises to never run out of storage. The IUM is a USB dongle that is compatible with just about everything that has a USB port including computers, TVs, PS3, Xbox, and Wii consoles. The device can even be plugged into a digital photo frame to stream images from a computer. As long as the computer paired with the IUM has storage space the IUM can write to it. The little gizmo lets a user share any attached HDD on a notebook or desktop via the dongle. Data can be written to and from the IUM just as if it was a normal flash drive. The most interesting thing is the media streaming capability. You can use it to shoot video at up to 1080p resolution to the USB device the IUM is plugged into. The IUM

For a “hobby” project, we certainly seem to be talking about Apple TV a lot lately. Even before the new Boxee Beta landed on the set-top box, Apple were decrying plans to integrate the Apple TV into a full HDTV; instead, reckons at least one analyst, they’re intending to develop it into a “serious gaming” platform. According to Michael Patcher, at Webush Morgan Securities, the obvious path for Apple to take is into gaming hardware, albeit relying on third-party developers for actual titles. “I think Apple’s going to be a serious gaming company, the difference between Apple and Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft is, Apple is not known for internal software development. So I don’t think you’re going to get an Apple Games Group like you have Microsoft Games Studios making games you’re certainly never going to approach the quality of games you get out of Nintendo. So Apple’s going to be solely dependent on third parties to support their console in the future” Michael Patcher, analyst, Webush Morg

There are plenty of strangely shaped speakers on the market for the home theater and music fan who doesn’t mind spending some big bucks. Some of the really high-end home theater speakers are designed to be more like sculpture than a box just for sound. The latest strange home theater speakers to crop up are the Growin’ Up speakers that are inspired by trees, yet appear to be made from plastic. The speakers are modular and have woofer, mid, and tweeter modules that you can stack to get the speaker you desire. The modular design of the speaker lets you turn each component in whatever direction you want for a different look. They remind me of a section of an octopus tentacle more than a tree. The design is more concept than a real product right now. When/if these things ever make it to market, you can bet they won’t be cheap.

It’s tough going being a standalone PND manufacturer these days: you can either refine your GPS devices to suit extreme niches or try to incorporate some extra functionality and jump on board the MID bandwagon. Mio have obviously decided to take the latter route with the Moov V780, a 7-inch WVGA touchscreen slate which goes so far outside of the company’s PND realm that the GPS chipset is actually optional. That’s because Mio are definitely looking at MID functionality to save them; the Moov V780 has a capacitive touchscreen, WiFi WiFi b/g and optional 3.5G and WiMAX connectivity, together with a mini USB 2.0 port and MicroSD reader. It also has an external TV antenna input, for use with the optional DVB-T, TDMB or 1-Seg tuner. Onboard storage is between 4Gb and 8GB, and there’s a 600MHz processor (type unknown) and 512MB of RAM; apparently that’s good enough for outputting HD video. Mio will also offer you a snap-on QWERTY keyboard accessory, along with the usual in-car mounts, and

When one thinks of a PSP Phone, they usually imagine a handset with a number of cool, gamer-centric features, such as some sort of integration with the PlayStation network or -- imagine! -- the ability to actually play PSP games. What they don't imagine -- correct us if we're wrong -- is some sort of KIRFy cellphone shoved inside what is essentially the shell of a PSP. That said, we do have to give our friends in Shenzhen some props: not only have they beat Sony with this knock-off, but with the way things are going, they might have the PSP Phone market all to themselves in perpetuity. No specifics on this one yet -- price, stats, or street date -- but you probably weren't going to buy one anyways. Get a closer look after the break.