Vishwaroopam 2 for Diwali ?

Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan is busy shooting a sequel to Vishwaroopam with his two heroines, Andrea and Pooja Kumar, in Thailand presently . One may recall that when Vishwaroopam ended, Kamal indicated that there would be a sequel to it. The actor/director has shot most of the portions for Vishwaroopam 2, while he was canning the first part. Now, sources from Aascar Film, which produces it, inform KT that some of the high octane action sequences and song numbers are being shot in Thailand with foreign technicians in picturesque locales. The unit is expected to move to Bangkok next. With the final schedule in Delhi, the film is expected to complete shooting soon and Aascar Ravichandran is planning to release the movie during Diwali.

I am not a 1 crore heroine – Priya Anand

After the release of her latest Tamil film Ethir Neechal, opposite Sivakarthikeyan, rumour mills went into overdrive that Priya Anand has hiked her remuneration to an ‘unimaginable’ amount. And that’s not all. Apparently the actress also charges a bomb to attend events, much to the chagrin of event organizers.

Ask the Vaamanan actress about it and she is quick to respond, “It is natural for any actress to increase her remuneration as she progresses in the industry. I am working with some of the biggest names in the film industry and producers give me what I deserve. The reports have exaggerated the entire thing and I am not going to be bothered about it. I would call it ‘unreasonable’ if I charged 1 crore, but I am not a 1-crore heroine yet.

Ramya Nambeesan not up for Kannada yet?

Ramya Nambeesan of Pizza fame, may be popular in Tamil and Malayalam films, and has also been part of Telugu films, but it looks like her Kannada debut continues to be elusive. The actress was approached for a lead role in the recently launched Komal-starrer Pungidas. While the film team went on to announce Remya being a part of the film, the actress herself confirms this will not mark her foray into Sandalwood.

“Yes, I have been approached for this particular film, but I will not be able to take up the role. There have been no commitments from either side, so I am not sure why my name is already floating around,” says Ramya, who is currently busy shooting for Tamil and Malayalam films. “I would love to take up a Kannada film as I am yet to make a debut there. But I don’t think I will be able to do so with this film as my schedule is packed till much later this year,”

TVSK A Mass Entertainer – Hansika

Hansika is excited about her next release, UTV Motion Pictures’ Theeya Velai Seiyanum Kumaru, produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapoor.
About her character in the film, she says, “I play a girl called Sanjana in the film. I essay a typical modern girl, who works in an IT firm. I have worked on my costumes and make-up to keep it simple and elegant. At the same time I have a glamorous look for the songs. Director Sundar C took a lot of interest in my look for the film. Sanjana will be one of the best characters I have played so far. TVSK is a complete entertainment package.” She adds, “I had a good time shooting for the film as well and I thoroughly enjoyed the shoot in Japan.”
It looks like Hansika and Santhanam’s combo has also worked well for the film. She says, “We have teamed up in our earlier films and the combo was appreciated. In this film too, there are a lot of scenes involving me and Santhanam, which are great. It was comfortable working with Siddharth as well. I am really looking forward to this pucca entertainer.”

Shruthihassan and Raina Secret Dinner Party

மும்பை இசைக் கலைஞர், நடிகர் சித்தார்த், பின்னர் நடிகர் தனுஷ் என பலருடன் நெருக்கமாக இணைத்துப் பேசப்பட்ட ஸ்ருதிஹாசன், இப்போது கிரிக்கெட் வீரர் சுரேஷ் ரெய்னாவுடன் நெருக்கமாக உள்ளதாக செய்திகள் வெளியாகியுள்ளது. சென்னை அணி ஆடும் ஆட்டங்களின் போது பார்வையாளராக தவறாமல் பங்கேற்று கைத்தட்டி, ரசிகர்களைப் பார்த்து விசில் போடு என்றெல்லாம் உற்சாகப்படுத்தி வருகிறார் ஸ்ருதிஹாசன். இந்த ஆண்டு விளையாட்டைப் பார்க்க வந்த ஸ்ருதியும் ரெய்னாவும் நண்பர்களாகப் பழக ஆரம்பித்துள்ளனர். சமீபத்தில் ஐதராபாத் அணிக்கு எதிராக நடந்த போட்டியில் சுரேஷ் ரெய்னா 52 பந்தில் 99 ரன்கள் விளாசினார். இந்த போட்டியைப் பார்க்க வந்த ஸ்ருதிஹாசன், பின்னர் இரவில் ரெய்னாவுடன் விருந்து சாப்பிட்டுள்ளார்.

I dont want to take the blame for the delay of my films – Simbhu

Simbu announced on his micro-blogging page that he has dropped both his upcoming films Vaalu and Vettai Mannan, which have been in the making for a long time. KT spoke to the actor on the issue, and he said, “There is a general opinion that I’m always responsible for any delay in my projects. But, this time, I didn’t want to take the blame because it was the producer, who was responsible for the delay. Both the films are being produced by the same person (S S Chakravarthy) and he was busy with other commitments. I didn’t get any update from his production house about resuming the shoots of these projects for a very long time. So, I had to announce that I’m putting these films on hold, though I was very much keen on completing them.”
Following Simbu’s tweet, we hear that the producer had contacted him and the two have sorted out the issue. “I will be shooting for Vaalu shortly. We have just nine days of shoot left. Shooting for Vettai Mannan, which is 50 per cent complete, will commence soon after that,” Simbu added.

Maasani Movie Review

Cast : Ramki , Akhil , Iniya . Sreeja Rose

Direction : Padmaraja

Music : Fazil

Producer : Sri Green Productions

amil cinema has continuously churned out religious supernatural films to cater to the sentiments of a large section of the masses, predominately the womenfolk. Sri Green Productions’ Masani provides yet another offering for that specific market.

During an early part of the film, the young hero Akhil schools a bratty young girl, played by Sija Rose, about the simplicity and intelligence of the village-folk, clearly spelling out the film’s target audience. Masani’s story is centered around an unfinished idol of a deity that continues to haunt the town of Kalvadagam. While the idea attracts interest the nature in which it is exposed is rather taxing for the viewer.

A fair bit of the first half is spent detailing petty one-upmanship between a young pair, lengthy comedy sequences which are simply below par and a couple of songs that do nothing to compliment the narrative. Masani’s saving grace is definitely its established star cast that features the likes of Sarath Babu, Roja, Aadukalam Naren, Uma Padmanabhan, Mano Bala, Y.Gee.Mahendran and several other familiar faces. While they might not have been challenged by the characters that they portray they can do no wrong with their performances. In addition, their involvement does add more credibility to the project.

Masani also boasts of the re-entry of Ramky, and one must say it is nice to see him back! His role has scope for comedy, romance and action and he gives the impression that he’s picked up exactly from where he left off. The central character of the film is undoubtedly Iniya. Apart from possessing enchanting looks, the young lady continues to show that there’s no shortage of talent within her. But sadly for her this film may just slip under the radar despite delivering yet another strong performance. The other pair in the film, Akhil and Sija Rose, is just about adequate.

The production value of the film is quite decent with good camera work and follows all the usual cues required to creep out the audience from time to time. One feels that the scope of VFX in this film has been wasted with below par graphics when compared to the standards the audiences have been exposed to. Clocking at nearly 2 and half hours, the film certainly overstays its welcome and the engaging factor takes a beating. Composer Fazil has definitely put some effort into the songs and the BGM and it shows, even if it’s occasionally loud.

With no 3D factor to add value, Masani turns out to be a normal fare. The film could find acceptance with the B & C centre audience.

Verdict: Old styled temple tale.