Posts tagged tamil cinema

Mani gave Unit a ‘Devil’ of a time!

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3 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

Experts who worked on South filmmaker’s new release starring Ash and Abhishek speak

MEENA IYER Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; June 9, 2010)

Okay, it can be shared with you, there was sneak preview held of Mani Ratnam’s Raavan… and those privileged to catch it are of the opinion that the master filmmaker from the South has a soul-stirring and dramatic film on hand with the perfect ingredients of a box-office winner. Mani, of course, is a reverred name in showbiz. He made the crossover from Tamil cinema to Bollywood with the dexterity of a mountaineer — to scale dizzy heights with Roja, his very first Hindi release two decades ago, and continue rising with Bombay, Saathiya, Yuva, and Guru after that. And now there’s Raavan, slated for release on June 18.

The film has a superlative starcast headed by Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan and Vikram, music by Oscar winner A R Rahman, lyrics by the Oscar winner Gulzar, and is produced by Madras Talkies in association with Reliance BIG Pictures. Action director Shyam Kaushal explains Mani’s mantra: the harder you strive, the better you deliver. Says Shyam, “The shooting for Raavan began last year January in Kolkata, then Ooty, and the climax was shot on Malsej Ghat where there’s a scene on bridges 2,000 feet above mountains. Mani loves challenges and likes challenging his actors and technicians too. His quest for perfection puts them through a gruelling routine.”

Production designer More >

I’ve to see how my Hindi goes-Suriya

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3 years ago
by Fenil Seta in
Suriya Sivakumar is excited about Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakta Charitra but Tamil cinema remains a priority till he finds a firm footing in Bollywood By Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 04, 2010)

// // // Tamil superstar Suriya Sivakumar arrived quietly in Mumbai this week to shoot for his Hindi debut in Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakta Charitra. He is excited about this venture and is quite fond of the city life and its food.

He’s staying at his wife Jyothika’s residence in Mumbai and trying hard to pick up the rudiments of the Hindi language from a coach he has brought along. Says Suriya, “Jo (Jyothika) has an apartment in Bandra. So I’ve been coming to Mumbai 4-5 times a month. I enjoy the city, its people and food and then I go back to Chennai. I don’t think this pattern will change.”

Suriya admits his Hindi isn’t quite what Bollywood requires. “I’ve an assistant with me to help me with my Hindi dialogue. Ramu sir has assured me I don’t need to worry about my dialogue. I like to say my own lines on screen without prompting or someone else dubbing for me. I’ve to see how my Hindi goes. I did have a teacher in Chennai but that bookish Hindi won’t work in Hindi films.”

Soft-spoken and very focused on his career Suriya doesn’t see Rakta Charitra as a new beginning. “I took up this offer because I respect Ramu sir and the way he attempts new kind of cinema each time regardless of failure or success. He’s got plenty of innovative ideas. I love More >

Priyan to launch Trisha in Bollywood

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3 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

Trisha, who is being launched in Priyadarshan’s Khatta Meetha with Akshay Kumar, will play two characters

By Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 29, 2009)

Southern star Trisha is being launched in Bollywood with a lot more footage and hoopla than most heroines in Priyadarshan’s films. She plays two characters in the forthcoming Khatta Meetha, starring Akshay Kumar.

Priyadarshan says, “I launched her in Tamil cinema ten years ago in Leysa Leysa. Now I’m launching her in Hindi in Khatta Meetha and that too with my sure bet, Akshay. It’s responsibility. Trisha has two different avatars in the script. But it’s not a double role. Trisha would have to go into two different time zones.”

This is a far cry from Priyadarshan-Akshay films in the past where heroines were mere props. No wonder Asin refused Priyadarshan’s De Dana Dan with Akshay Kumar as she did not want to have limited space. Katrina Kaif finally stepped in because of her warm rapport with the hero.

The director admits that there’s more to Trisha in Khatta Meetha than meets the eye. “Unlike my other films with Akshay, Khatta Meetha is not a comedy. It’s a family film on the lines of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee films, with lots of scope for Trisha,” adds Priyadarshan.

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