Shah Rukh to introduce the Lion of Kerala

King Khan will introduce Pazhassi Raja to the North Indian audience. No, the actor will not portray the role but has dubbed the prologue gratis for the movie that will bring the Lion of Kerala alive on screen.
Almost 60 years before the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, Pazhassi Raja was the first Indian warrior to raise the flag of rebellion against the British East India Company. The Malayalam historical is one of the most lavish productions of recent times and the title role will be essayed by South superstar Mammootty.

Originally being made in Malayalam, the film will be released in three other languages -- Telegu, Hindi and Tamil. In the Malayalam version, Pazhassi Raja will be introduced by Mohanlal, in Tamil by Kamal Hassan and in Hindi, by SRK.

The film's director T Hariharan went to meet SRK at Filmcity during a shoot and requested him to do the prologue and Shah Rukh was happy to oblige as a friendly gesture and refused to take any money for it. Says producer Praveen VC, "Shah Rukh has done the prologue of the movie for the Hindi version. SRK said he's from a family of freedom fighters and was happy to be associated with a project like this."

Julia Roberts in INDIA

US actress Julia Roberts arrives on set for her new film in the village of Mirzapur, some 60 km from New Delhi.. Roberts arrived in India September 18, where she is shooting scenes for her forthcoming film 'Eat, Pray, Love'.

 

Rani Mukherjee

Bollywood actress Rani Mukherjee gestures during her visit to a pandal (site of a religious ceremony) of Hindu Goddess Durga during the Durga Puja festival, a popular religious event for Hindu Bengalis, in Mumbai . In Hindu mythology, Durga symbolises power and the triumph of good over evil.

'Being Human'

Indian actor Salman Khan (R) poses with Managing Director of The Gitanjali Group Mehul Choksi in Mumbai late September 15, 2009, at a launch ceremony for Khan's foundation 'Being Human'.

Kanthaswamy sets record in Kerala

After Anniyan, Tamil super star Vikram has once again repeated the magic of enthusiastic box-office response from his huge fan base in Kerala to his latest flick Kanthaswamy (Mallanna in Telugu), earning Rs. 37 crore at the box office in its opening week.

"It’s a record. Kanthaswamy has earned Rs. 37 crore at the box office in its opening week. The move is a huge hit. This is my Onam gift to the people in Kerala," actor Vikram said on Monday during his visit in Kochi. The actor was in town to promote his movie and to wish all Keralites a happy Onam.

Stating that he had spent nearly two and a half years in the making of Kanthaswamy, directed by Susi Ganeshan and produced by Kalaipuli S. Dhanu with a whopping budget of 70 crores, Vikram said that he had faced a lot of physical stress while shooting for the film. "For example, the first fight in the movie was shot in 45 days. The stress was there. Kanthaswamy was shot in different locations," he said.

Vikram’s musical numbers including ‘Excuse Me, Mr. Kanthaswamy’ have topped the music charts in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the actor terms his singing assignment as a ‘challenging role’. "I had sung the numbers in different levels. My music director Devi Sri Prasad was very impressed by my voice," he said.

the presence of Kerala in the World of Hindi cinema

The world of Hindi cinema is indeed a polyglot where the people from all the parts of India try to carve out a niche for themselves. The latest onslaught on the world of cinema has been more from Kerala and it is coming in from both the ends, i.e. from the performance side that is manifest from the fabulous debut that Asin made with GHAJINI as also Resul Pookutty, the sound master who won the Oscars for his eponymous effort in capturing the sound of diverse manifestations emerging from the ground through SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.

As a matter of fact Kerala has also contributed in a big way in defining the landscape of the cinema of the Hindi films through evocative shots of Kerala captured in score of films, more so during the times of rain. But one feature that draws the tourists from all over the world, the annual Nehru Cup Boat race has not yet made it to any of the Hindi films in a big way and it is one feature that has lot of excitement built into it and could be used as a backdrop for building a climax scene of a film.

One of the most successful faces from Kerala, who now epitomizes the world of laughter in Hindi films, is Priyadarshan. Through his series of laugh riot films that he has created, including BHOOL BHULAIYA, HERA PHERI, etc. He made his mark with the first film that he directed in the world of Hindi cinema, GARDISH. The transformation that he executed in his oeuvre has made him one of the biggest humour specialist filmmakers in the Hindi cinema.

From the world of acting if one were to take a Malyali who has made his definite mark, the name of Mohan Lal would be at the top. The impressive performance that he delivered in Ram Gopal Verma's COMPANY made him one of the most successful character performers in Hindi films. It is altogether a different matter that he has started focusing more on Malyali films than making his transition into the Hindi films. Mamooty, another superstar from the Malyali cinema had a short stint in Hindi films and then he also returned back to his bastion of Malyali films.

Cinema has a profound influence in the Malyali world, and a fact that needs underlining is that though they make less number of films, there films cater to diverse subjects, and the Hindi filmmakers adopt, no wonder, most of the films. On the eve of Onam let's hope that somebody would give a thought to turning the focus towards the diversified landscape that Kerala provides. After all, it is Gods' own country, and the feeling about the same needs to be transmitted all over the country for the citizens to savour why it is called Gods' own country. World of Hindi cinema is in an envious position to broadband this offer all over the country.

Bollywood giant Yash Chopra named top Asian filmmaker

Influential Bollywood director and producer Yash Chopra will be honoured as filmmaker of the year at one of Asia's biggest film events, South Korea's Pusan International Film Festival, organisers said on Thursday.

Chopra will receive the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award, considered one of the top cinema honours in Asia, during the festival that runs from October 8 to 16 in the South Korean southern port city.

"As the most influential producer and director in India over decades, Chopra has made remarkable contributions to establish Bollywood cinema on the global stage," the organisers said in a statement.

The festival will screen several films he directed or produced, including the 1991 movie "Lamhe", also known as "Moments."

Chopra is the founder of Yash Raj Films, described by festival organisers as India's largest film production company.

Previous winners are the award have included Hong Kong actor and producer Andy Lau and the late Taiwanese director Edward Yang.

source :reuters

Amrita Rao and playback singer Shreya Ghoshal

Amrita Rao and playback singer Shreya Ghoshal

Ash inspires Vikram

Aishwarya Rai, who is a super-craze in the South (almost every second film mentions her in some dialogue or song), should be flattered. Tamil superstar Vikram has paid a tribute to her in his latest film Kanthaswamy by crossdressing as Ash and performing to her numbers from Taal and Devdas. One hears the audience in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh is so tickled by this particular sequence that there are seetis and claps galore. Incidentally, Vikram is also acting with Aishwarya in the Tamil version of Mani Ratnam’s Raavan. And it is said that Southern superstar is a huge fan of Ms Rai’s. But then who isn’t?

Genelia is yummy: Chetan Bhagat

Life Partner may have made news at the box-office for all the wrong reasons, but Genelia

sure has scored a hit! And, she has none other than bestselling author Chetan Bhagat as a

fan.

The Five-Point Someone author says, “How can god make someone as amazing as Genelia? She

makes the rest of humanity look ugly.”

He posted online, “Saw LP (Life Partner), cute fun film. And Genelia, oh well, merely

looking at her creates the same feelings as eating the world's best chocolate.”

We’re sure the Jaane Tu ... actress must be on cloud nine!

Life Partner starred Genelia D’Souza, Fardeen Khan, Tusshar Kapoor and Prachi Desai.

Bhagat’s book One Night @ the Call Center was made into the film Hello by director Atul

Agnihotri, and now his first five Point Someone, based on life at the IIMs, is being filmed

as 3 Idiots, starring Aamir Khan and directed by Rajkumar Hirani

Shah Rukh Khan says does not want apology

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, at the centre of a row over his detention and questioning at a U.S. airport, said on Tuesday he wasn't looking for any apology.

Khan, 43, one of India's best known actors, was en route to Chicago for a parade to mark the Indian Independence Day when he was pulled aside and questioned at Newark airport on Friday.

"I respect that my name pops up on the computer and I also agree that I don’t need to be treated specially, I am nobody," Khan told a news conference at his residence a few hours after returning to Mumbai.

"They asked me some questions which I thought was a little embarrassing. But if a procedure has to be followed, it should be done properly," he said.

Khan's detention caused uproar among fans in India. Newspapers and TV channels termed it an instance of racial profiling and the controversy sparked debate in the media.

"I was really hassled, perhaps because of my name being Khan. These guys just wouldn't let me through," the actor had said in a text message to reporters on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Khan sought to play down the controversy and said he wanted to "move on".

When asked if he would go back to the United States, the actor said he would cut back on trips to the country.

"When work calls me I will go again, I will stand in line again, and I hope that the system which made my name pop up on the computer is not there," Khan said.

Kiran and I Lost Our Baby, Says Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan's wife Kiran Rao has suffered a miscarriage, the Bollywood superstar disclosed Tuesday.

"I have bad news folks. Kiran and I lost our baby. Despite our best efforts we were unable to avert a miscarriage. The last two months have been a struggle for us and that is one of the reasons I was absent from the blog in more ways than one. I need time to heal. I will be away for a while," Aamir posted on his blog aamirkhan.com.

The news of Kiran's pregnancy surfaced when she was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in South Mumbai for fever in June. According to reports, she was three months pregnant at the time.

Kiran's directorial debut "Dhobi Ghaat", which has Aamir in the lead role, is getting ready for release.

Source :wsj

Magadheera -Rs 22 Crores in its first week....

South Indian cinema’s biggest box-office hit of 2009 Chiranjeevi’s son Ram Charan Teja’s big budget extravaganza Magadheera in Telugu is creating waves.

The film has broken all records in Telugu film industry by collecting a mind-boggling Rs 22 Crores in its first week, a fete which has not been achieved by any other Telugu hero including his dad, the megastar!

On Sunday (Aug 9) Chiranjeevi arranged a special show of Magadheera for Superstar Rajinikanth at Chennai’s Four Frames preview theatre. Next day ace director Shankar saw a special screening of the film at AVM preview theatre. After the show Rajinikanth called up Ram Charan Teja and congratulated him on his terrific performance in the film.

Rajinikanth said: “I had watched a special preview of Ram’s debut film Chiruta when it was released and I had predicted that he had the potential in him to become a big star. I am happy that my words has come true, with the awesome records being created by Magadheera”.Shankar added: “ The grandeur and entertainment extravaganza seen in the film is fantastic. Ram Charan Teja has a bright future.”


The film directed by the mass masala specialist SS Rajamouli is based on reincarnation and revenge theme and has Ram Charan Teja and Kajal Aggarwal in the lead along with Srihari and Sunil with outstanding music by Keeravani.

The highlight of the film is its music, action, graphics, screen presence of Ram Charan Teja and the total packaging of the film by Rajamouli.


Title : Magadeera

*ing : Ram Charan Teja , Kaazal, Srihari, Sharath Babu

Music : M M Keeravani

Producer : Geetha Arts

Director : S S Rajamouli Koduri

SURYA celebrated his birthday

One of the most conscientious and quality conscious actor in the industry, it is his choices that have set him apart from others. Not afraid to go down the rarely trodden path, does not have a set image, amazingly flexible and very committed are attributes that constitute Suriya. Has worked with almost all leading directors, tried out almost all genres and is getting better with every movie. Great going.

Anil Ambani makes Hollywood debut

In one of the largest deals in global cinema in recent years, Anil Ambani's Reliance Big Entertainment and Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg on Wednesday announced $825-million(s 4,000 crore) funding for their Los Angeles-based production house Dreamworks Studios to make six films a year for global audiences.

Ambani and Spielberg, in a joint global conference call from New York, said the movies produced by Dreamworks will be distributed by Walt Disney globally, while the exclusive rights for India will be with Reliance Big Entertainment.

"Clearly, the outlay of $825 million is what we are aiming at in the next three years - $325 million will be in the form of equity, $150 million will come from Disney, while the rest will come from banks and others," Ambani said.

"There is no scaling up or scaling down of investment. We will begin with $825 million and this is the largest in recent times," said the Mumbai-based industrialist, whose aides had earlier indicated an investment outlay of as much as $1.5 billion for Dreamworks.

Spielberg said he was looking forward to films produced by Dreamworks as also to visit India soon to meet with filmmakers, scriptwriters and actors to see how they can all collaborate.

"We have a golden opportunity to have a better control over our product," he said, alluding to the strained relationship Dreamworks faced after it was sold to Viacom's Paramount in 2006 for $1.6 billion.

"I am very excited that we are in business again and we are independent of any motion picture studio. Now, we feel we have the independence in our partnership with Reliance," Spielberg said.

Some of the films that will be produced first include 39 Clues, Cowboys and Aliens, Dinner For Schmucks, Motorcade and Hereafter in a mix of genres including thrillers, action, comedy and family drama.

Ambani also announced that his associate Amitabh Jhunjhunwala and Spielberg's partner for decades Stacey Snider, who has been associated with projects like Eric Brockovich, The Mummy and American Pie, would also serve on the Dreamworks board.
The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group ranks among India's top three industrial houses with interests in areas including telecommunications, energy, finance, entertainment and infrastructure development.

The group's entertainment business owns 428 cinema screens across India, the US, Malaysia and Mauritius, contributing 11 percent to the domesticindustry's box office collections and 35 percent from the Hindi movies screened in the US.

Its entertainment business has its presence across several platforms, including FM radio, music, sports, gaming, animation, Internet and mobile portals, direct-to-home TV, Internet TV and mobile TV.

Shah Rukh honoured to be Dr Khan

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan can now call himself "doctor" after being honoured in the United Kingdom for his contribution to arts and culture.

Bedfordshire University conferred the doctorate upon him at a ceremony in London on Friday night.

Khan said he aimed to use the award to help educate underprivileged children.

The actor, who has starred in dozens of films, already has his own waxwork at Madame Tussaud's and has previously been honoured in France and Malaysia.

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal joined Territorial Army

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal on Thursday was formally inducted into the Territorial Army and granted the rank of Honorary Lieutenant Colonel. Chief of the Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor formally piped Mr. Mohanlal at a function at the Army headquarters.

Lt. Col. (Hony) Mohanlal, who has been in the film industry for over three decades, has won many accolades, including four national awards. He has also been awarded Padma Shri.

He will be affiliated with the Kerala based 122 Infantry battalion (Territorial Army) Madras (Kannur Terriers). He is the second recent high-profile personality after Kapil Dev to don the Territorial Army uniform, a Defence Ministry release said.

Lt. Col. Mohanlal said: “it is truly a proud moment for me to have been granted an honorary rank during the Diamond Jubilee year of the Territorial Army. I will try to serve the Territorial Army to the best of my ability in my newly assigned role. Like others in our country, I pride the armed forces and it is dream come true that I can now serve shoulder to shoulder with our Officers/ JCOs (Junior Commissioned Officers) and men.”

The actor said he looked forward to witness the Prime Minister’s Territorial Army Day Parade to be held here in October.