Posts tagged chennai

After Hindi, it’s a Tamil song for Akon

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3 weeks ago
by Fenil Seta in

V Lakshmi and Srinivasa Ramanujam (BOMBAY TIMES; May 4, 2013)

 

After crooning for Shah Rukh Khan in Ra.One (2011), R&B artiste Akon will be in India once again. This time around, he’s teaming up with Tamil actor-singer Simbu to record his single Love Anthem. The singer will be in Chennai in early May.

Says a source, “Simbu is all set to record another version of his Love Anthem and is collaborating with Akon for it. This number will talk about the oppression South Indians face in other countries. It will focus mainly on spreading love and the feeling of oneness. Earlier in India, Akon had just lent his voice. But this time, he will be contributing to the lyrics and also feature in its video.”

Excited about the collaboration, Simbu says, “I’m very happy that Akon is coming down to Chennai. He will be in the city for three days to record for the song, which talks about unity and has words in about 96 languages. We were scheduled to shoot in the US when I toured there, but couldn’t work out the dates at that time and now, it’s finally happening.”

I’ve never seen an actress as dedicated as Sunny Leone-Tusshar Kapoor

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1 month ago
by Fenil Seta in

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; April 24, 2013)

 

Tusshar, 36, dropped Kapoor and added an ‘s’ in his name at the age of 23, when he joined films due to his mother’s faith in numerology. While he loves kids and will probably tolerate marriage for that, he has so far not found a person he could marry. He has made mistakes with his friends in the past that has made him cautious today and which makes him take time to trust. Ahead of his upcoming film Shootout At Wadala, he talks to Bombay Times about his kind father Jeetendra, his strict mother Shobha Kapoor and his emotional sister, Ekta. Excerpts:

Let’s talk about your childhood? I was born and brought up in Mumbai and studied at Bombay Scottish. Other than kids looking at you if films would be discussed, it was a normal childhood. We were at that time living in a bungalow just behind Gautam Apartments at Pali Hill and used to come back and play with the building kids. Until the age of 14, when we shifted to Juhu, Ekta and I shared a room and fought like cats and dogs over the most inane things, ranging from which audio cassette would play in the car to who would sit in the front. I would beat her black and blue. Once, she was running after me and got stuck in the door as I pushed the door and she broke her nose. My dad had to run down many times as she would scream or he would be passing our room and see both of us on top of each other fighting and had to stop us. Though we care a lot for each other and are possessive about More >

Vyjanthimala and Hema Malini come together

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1 month ago
by Fenil Seta in

DNA (April 21, 2013)

 

For Bollywood aficionados, it can’t get any better. Two of Indian cinema’s greatest screen queens Vyjanthimala and Hema Malini, both Tamil Brahmins and no. 1 dancer-actress of their times, would be dancing together in what is being described in cultural circles as a historic union.

Vyjanthimala, 76, considered a trailblazer in her times, is still active on stage as one of India’s foremost Bharat Natyam exponent. Hema Malini, 60, is not only one of India’s most prominent Bharat Natyam danseuse but also a self-proclaimed unabashed fan of Vyjanthimala. Hema has nursed a secret dream of dancing with her idol for many years.

Gushes the Dream Girl, “I’ve only one idol. And that’s Vyjanthimala. I’ve modelled my entire career and lifestyle on her. When I was a young girl I used to fantasise that I had an elder sister and that sister was Vyjanthimala. Later in life when I met her I couldn’t believe my luck that I was actually face to face with her. We became close friends. And now when she tells people that Hema is her younger sister I feel my dream has come true. Do you know, Vyjanthiji hardly goes anywhere. But she flew into Mumbai from Chennai for Esha’s wedding.”

About the concert Hema reluctantly reveals, “Yes, we are planning to come together on stage just once very shortly. I don’t want to say anything right now. Kisiki nazar lag jayegi.”

While the details of this epoch-making dance recital to be held in Chennai are being worked out one thing is for More >

South fighters walk out of Salman Khan’s Mental

1
1 month ago
by Fenil Seta in

Bring shooting to a halt over inadequate representation vis-a-vis their Bollywood counterparts

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 17, 2013)

 

There is no end in sight to the impasse between action artistes from Mumbai and those from Chennai and Hyderabad over what the southern fighters perceive as inadequate representation and pay visà-vis their Bollywood counterparts.

Trouble had erupted between the two sides over the weekend when the 30-strong south-based group discovered there were only three southern fighters for every seven from Mumbai, not to mention they were being paid 50 per cent less than their local peers. The disgruntled artistes had dug in their heels and brought the Lavasa shoot of Salman Khan’s Mental to a grinding halt. Two senior officials of FEFSI (Film Employees’ Federation of South India), Shiva and Vijayan, had been flown into Mumbai to help resolve the dispute.

However, talks between the FEFSI officials and FWICE (Federation of Western India Cine Employees), the organisation representing the Mumbai fighters, have come to nought. Despite intervention by Salman and Sohail Khan to try and make Shiva and Vijayan (President of FEFSI) understand their point of view, the duo have returned to Chennai in a huff, taking back with them the entire south group of action artistes. Salman and Sohail have been left high and dry, with less than the required number of fighters to shoot the action sequence.

A source from the film unit said: “The entire action More >

Prabhu Dheva turns 40 today; has no time to celebrate

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1 month ago
by Fenil Seta in

Shakti Shetty (MID-DAY; April 3, 2013)

 

Birthdays are generally touted to be grand affairs in B-Town and late night parties have become a norm. However, Prabhu Dheva, who turns 40 today, is planning to keep himself busy with work.

Interestingly, Prabhu celebrated his 39th birthday last year by performing at IPL’s opening ceremony in Chennai.

Following which, he organised a private party for friends from the Tamil film industry. This time around, the choreographer- turned- director already has prior commitments.

“The edit of his forthcoming film Ramaiya Vastavaiya starring Girish Kumar and Shruti Haasan has already been locked. Though he shot the film in a relatively short period of time, he’s also keen on other aspects of production as well as his next,” says a source.

In fact, the two-time National Award winner will reach Mumbai from Chennai so as to board a flight for Vancouver tonight in order to attend an award function there.

“He has several projects lined up and this particular visit is more professional than leisure. He usually prefers to be in the country on his birthdays but this year, he’s looking forward to be in Canada for a week,” adds the source.

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Subhash K Jha (DNA; April 3, 2013)

 

As Bollywood’s dancing icon Prabhu Dheva turns 40 today, he says he has no time to brood over his loneliness. “Of course I’d like someone in my life. And of course when I go home in the evening I wish there was someone waiting for me, but very honestly, I don’t have the More >

Siddharth busy with Tamil film; unable to promote Chashme Baddoor

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1 month ago
by Fenil Seta in

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; March 28, 2013)

 

Siddharth, who is shooting for a Tamil film Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru, has been unable to be present for promotional events of his third B- Town outing, Chashme Baddoor. After the acclaimed Rang De Basanti and the dud Striker, the actor is testing B- Town waters yet again.

With his Chashme Baddoor co- star Ali Zafar too unavailable to promote the film as reported ‘Missing in action’ (Hitlist, March 21), Dhawan has to rely on Divyendu Sharma and South actress Taapsee who feature in the film. At a Holi event for the promotion of the film, Siddharth was conspicuous by his absence.

Says a source, “Siddharth has been only giving media interviews from Chennai. There are some more promotional activities lined up next week so it remains to be seen if he will take out time for it.” Adds the source, “As the film revolves around three pals played by Ali Zafar, Siddharth and Divyendu, the promotions have been focussing on all of them. With Ali shooting for a film in London and Siddharth in Chennai, David is finding himself in a fix.” Interestingly, David and Siddharth have known each other for the last eight years. Whenever the actor is in Mumbai, he is always parked at the filmmaker’s Juhu home.

After Rang De Basanti released in 2006, the director was keen to cast him in one of his projects. It has taken him all these years but finally he kept his promise and cast him in the remake of the yesteryear flick.

Even during the shoot of the More >

Oops moment as Prithviraj screams at Chennai Traffic Commissioner

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3 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Jigar Shah (MID-DAY; February 20, 2013)

 

Call it an occupational hazard. After donning the khakhi uniform in 11 films, looks like Prithviraj is in cop mode in real- life too. Prithvi also essays a policeman in Aditya Chopra’s Aurangzeb. The actor recently committed quite a gaffe when he screamed at a cop in Chennai.

A source says, “Prithviraj often jokes that he has a cop’s DNA in his system. While shooting for his film, Prithvi walked up to a man who he thought was also playing a cop in the film. He asked him to pull his act together.”

As luck would have it, the man turned out to be the Chennai Traffic Commissioner of Police. Prithvi says, “I thought he wasn’t looking like a cop. Later I learnt his real identity and that he was on a lunch break from his rounds when I spotted him.”

Teen performing C-section incident inspired Jolly LLB maker

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3 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Kunal M Shah (MID-DAY; February 9, 2013)

 

They say cinema mirrors reality. A look at the rushes of Subhash Kapoor’s Jolly LLB reminds us of a real-life incident from not so long ago. The director found the episode funny and decided to get inspired.

The trailer of Jolly LLB shows Arshad Warsi defending a 14-year-old boy caught in a major controversy, similar to the one that rocked the country in 2004.

A source says, “An incident that took place in Chennai where a doctor couple let their teenaged son perform a C-section surgery on a pregnant woman crossed Kapoor’s mind. The father then called a press conference and introduced his son to the media in the hope that he would make it to The Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest guy to perform a C- section.” Kapoor says, “Yes, it is true that I was inspired. I found it extremely funny when I came across the news report.  In the opening sequence of our film, we introduce Arshad (as Jolly), a lawyer defending a boy in the court of law. It is part of a fun sequence.”

I will never work for an outside producer-Bejoy Nambiar

0
3 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

Bejoy Nambiar spills the beans on how he has made it so far without any compromise

Jayoti Soor (DNA; January 29, 2013)

 

Bejoy Nambiar has a knack of making unconventional choices. Being a Mumbai boy, he went ahead and shifted base to Chennai when he got the chance to work with Mani Ratnam. While his directorial debut Shaitan made a mark despite having rank-newcomers, his film David has been in news due to the song controversy and for its unusual storyline.

“While Shaitan differed due to its treatment, David has a fascinating story,” says Nambiar. The bilingual film that will release both in Tamil and Hindi tells the story of three distinct individuals across three time zones sharing the same name. When quizzed about how will the ends meet, he laughs and confesses that even when he was pitching the story to producers, he would keep them guessing unless they decided to collaborate with him.

On whether his business degree has helped him negotiate his own terms in the industry, he shares, “I ideate, produce and direct my own movies. That way I shoulder full responsibility about how my product has shaped. I will never work for an outside producer. I come with a baggage, if someone is willing to accept that, then I am willing to collaborate with them.” With no formal training in film-making or having a film lineage, when asked where he gets this conviction from, “As a child I was a movie buff and had exposure to good-quality regional cinema. Winning the reality show and then More >

Rajinikanth shows Sanjay Dutt some Chennai charm

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4 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

The veteran actor floored Dutt with his hospitality when he invited him home, greeted him with flowers and packed a gift for his kids

Mehul S Thakkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 22, 2013)

 

Sanjay Dutt was in for a pleasant surprise while shooting Policegiri in Chennai last week. The actor got a call from Rajinikanth who invited him home.

A source told Mumbai Mirror: “Sanjay’s father, late Sunil Dutt, had a great rapport with the southern star and knows Sanjay since his early days. When Sanjay was in Chennai, Rajinikanth learnt about the shooting and invited the actor home. Sanjay didn’t waste any time and went to his residence right after the pack up.” Sanjay was accompanied by the director of the film K S Ravikumar, and its executive producer Rahul Aggarwal.

“Sanju, K Ravi and I went over to Rajini sir’s house. He was waiting to receive him with flowers. They spoke for almost an hour discussing politics, Bollywood and the good old days when the industry was not so competitive. As we were leaving, Rajini sir’s family clicked pictures with Sanju and Rajini sir’s wife gave presents for his kids,” said Rahul Aggarwal, executive producer of Policegiri, which is a remake of a southern superhit.

Another source added: “As soon as Sanjay reached the house Rajinikanth hugged him and played a perfect host. He enquired Sanjay about the shoot. Rajini sir also told Sanjay that if he needs anything in Chennai, he is just a call away. The meeting lasted for more than four hours.”

— Inputs More >

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