Anjaneya - Preview In the recent times all cops stories like Saamy, Kakkha Kakkha was hits. Ajith is also trying his hand with a cop story this time in Anjaneya. He plays the role of Pramaguru IPS, a straightforward cop in the film. Meera Jasmine mistakes him for a conman and she comes to know of him only at the end. It is action packed speed film with seven fights, three of them are the highlights, says Maharajan, who earlier directed the Vijakanth blockbuster Vallarasu. Peter Heyns is the action choreographer. Ramesh Khanna provides comedy. Music is by Mani Sharma. Nic Arts produces the film. There is lot of expectations for Anjaneya from Ajith’s fans since it is coming after a long gap of one year, the last one being Villain.
Aswini Dutt Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Tell us about the progress of Pawan Kalyan's latest film on Vyjayanthi banner? The story is finalized. We are in the process of completing the dialogue version of the film. It might take a month. We might be going for regular shooting from September 2003 onwards. It's a prestigious product. It would contain all ingredients one expects from Vyjayanthi banner and will live up to the expectations of Pawan Kalyan's fans from his film. This film would be an eye-feast for Telugu movie lovers. Shriya and Meera Jasmin are paired up with Pawan Kalyan in this film. Telugu film industry is now going through bad times. But your last three films Indra, Pellam Voorelithe and Gangotri are blockbusters in the recent times. What is the secret of your success? Indra: I wanted to do a film with Chiranjeevi with a role that Chiranjeevi has not done before. It's the role of a factionist. That became the trump card. We wanted to choose a backdrop that was never attempted before. Hence we went to Kaasi. If we have 20% of the substance in the script, Chiranjeevi adds remaining 80% with his histrionics and screen presence. The credit for the success of this film should go to Chiranjeevi. Gangotri: Hats off to K Raghavendra Rao garu! When we decided to produce the 100th directorial venture of K Raghavendra Rao, we firmly decided to go to sets with a perfect script. We knew that 100th ventures of all big people turned out to be duds in the history of Telugu cinema. We wanted to break that sentiment. Chinni Krishna came up with a different love story. Keeravani, who gave musical superhits with Raghavendra Rao like Allari Priyudu, Pelli Sandadi and Annamayya, came up with brilliant tunes. This combination has helped Gangotri become a musical entertainer. Pellam Voorelithe: Allu Arvind liked the Tamil original 'Charlie Chaplin' a lot. We wanted to produce this film on Siri Media banner and chose SV Krishna Reddy as the director. I was pretty busy with Indra's function and script work of Gangotri. Allu Arvind took all the pains of getting involved with the script work of 'Pellam Voorelithe'. Srikanth and Venu got lots of appreciation through this film. SV Krishna Reddy is back with a bang with this film. I am really happy with these three successes, as these films not only entertained the crowds but also gave maximum satisfaction and recognition for the cast and crewmembers of these films. These three hits came in the time of Industry's crisis. Incidentally, this year happens to be 25th year of Vyjayanthi banner and it brought huge success to me and my banner. In the recently announced 50th National Film Awards none of the Telugu films were qualified even for the best regional film award. Prakash Jha has spoken some unceremonious words about the deteriorating standards of Telugu films. What's your opinion about it? The jury that reviewed the films does not have any judgment about the standards of Telugu cinema. If you see the Telugu films exhibited in USA, we get lot of critical appreciation about the films. We have high standards of filmmaking and we maintain superior quality. This is what happens if they keep physically unfit people as committee members. It's our mistake to send our entries to these so-called National Awards. This is my personal opinion. We have either super hits or utter flops in the industry. We have very few minimum guarantee films releasing these days. Do you think Telugu film industry is in a slump? It depends on how we look at it. It is the need of the hour to get new writers and directors to Telugu film industry. In the last couple of years, we saw new breed of directors producing fruitful results. In the recent times, a director made a producer spend 3.5 crores for making a film with 180 working days and exposing 120 rolls. That film turned out to be a dud. Telugu film industry witnessed these kind of films released in the recent past. As a producer I would not call it as a slump situation. But it's purely the producer's inability to have control over the script and the escalating budget. Instead of blindly spending money over a film, a producer must involve himself more into filmmaking. The awareness about video piracy was created by the film industry for the past one year. Did you see any fruitful results? No. The situation has become worse now. If we take more precautions, the pirates are inventing new methods of spreading piracy at a rapid rate. We want to react very strongly by closing the entire film industry down if piracy continues to affect the film industry. However, CM has given an assurance that he would cooperate with film industry by including video piracy in Organized Crime Act. He asked us to sit with lawyers and come out with recommendation about how piracy could be curbed legally. We have very good support from the higher cadre (higher police officials and government). But the MLAs (belonging to both ruling party and opposition) are protecting the culprits to the core. The best example for this is Simhadri and Vasantham. There is so much of piracy happening on the two hit films in spite of the vigilance by the producers Dora Swamy Raju and Prasad. Earlier, we used to think that pirated videocassettes are available only in video shops. But now, they have become such a common commodity that they are available even in grocery stores. We can see the 'records' mania gripping up the publicity of hit films in the last one year. Producers are giving ads to film magazines saying that their respective films broke all records. How does a common man know which record is genuine and which one is bogus? Because of these records, the animosity among the fans of various stars is growing. Can't the film producers' counsel have a check on these ads and testify them? We have discussed about this issue lot of times. Nobody really bothers when a successful film is promoted aggressively. But what creates confusion is the trend of arranging felicitation for flop films and terming them as hit films. We can't go and stop those producers, as they try every possible method to recover their money. But, records' publishing is restricted to film magazines and they are targeted at fans. These records would not affect the decision-making process of a common man who makes the film a real hit. The real trouble starts for any producer when their movie crosses 50 days. Unless, repeated viewers come to theater any film would not reach the 100-day mark. You have been very successful as a filmmaker. Do you have any future plans of constructing studios, labs or multiplexes? I have some plans in the future. We need to update ourselves with changing trends and new technologies. But, we need to wait for some more time before venturing into any project. Lets take the example of digital cinema system. Right now we have 7-8 brands of digital cinema systems with each one having its own merits and demerits. And we need to adapt a universally accepted digital cinema system. In addition to this, lots of cinema halls are closing down. It costs around 25 lakhs for each center to digitalize the theater. I guess we need to play the 'wait and watch' game now. But by introducing new technologies, we can definitely restrict the video piracy. At the same time, we need to compromise on certain issues. Do you think releasing films with maximum number of prints helps big producers to recover money fast and there by not letting pirates exploit the market? Yes. The best example is the recently released Simhadri. It was released with maximum number of prints and that strategy worked. For example, I released Indra with 7 prints and they released Simhadri with 14 prints. But this 'maximum number of prints' strategy work only for mass films with big heroes. Do you think, its time to bid adieu to the culture of 50 days centers and 100 days centers when one releases the film with maximum number of prints? Is it possible to release original video/DVD of films after a few weeks of the release of the film so that piracy could be curbed? Producer alone cannot take a decision on this matter. We need to involve the exhibitors and distributors too. Lets take the example of Bollywood. In Telugu film industry, we are giving satellite rights after five years to TV channels. In Bollywood, they are giving satellite rights after 3 months and 6 months. Some people say that giving satellite rights after 3 months and 6 months has pushed Bollywood into slump. Some other people argue that it has brought down the piracy. We need to involve each and everybody in the film industry and organize a seminar for a week to brainstorm and come up with the best possible solution. Do you think returning money to the buyers when a film flops is a good practice? If buyers get used to this system, they would demand reimbursement from producers for all disasters? You have the answer in your question itself. It's the distributors who hike the price by going for competition. The prime sufferers in the entire process are exhibitors. These distributors take money from exhibitors by promising that they would buy big heroes films at any cost. If we have an industry hit that broke all the records, then the buyers are buying similar films at the same price, which could only be given for an industry hit. The probability of all big films becoming industry hits is very less. Based on the buyer's offering rate, the producer hikes the remuneration of the heroes. In the whole process, even if the film becomes a disaster, the producer and distributors are safe. But it's the exhibitor who loses everything. Do you think Recoverable Advances system is a good one for buyers? Recently we had a meeting with distributors where they proposed that all the movies need to be sold either on Recoverable advances model or on minimum guarantee basis. We agreed upon it. But the moment we came out of the room, producers were surrounded by distributors who promise to they buy the producer's next film at any cost on NRA basis. There is no unity among the distributors. Each and every distributor cares for his selfish purpose than for the system. In this scenario, we are helpless. Most of the films produced by newcomers are becoming disasters. Is there are way to prevent rich and inexperienced guys entering the film industry? If we try to stop them, they would ask us with what experience we came to the industry 25 years back. Lot of the people come to industry because of glamour. I told you this incident in my earlier interview also. I was traveling with a rich businessman who owns a corporate empire worth 500 crores. He told me that though he is rich and successful businessman, he is not known to the common man where as I am known to almost all the Telugu people as I am a big producer. He said that he wouldn't mind losing 10-15 crores, but he wanted to become a producer. Cinema field has such kind of alluring glamour. When such producers entering the film industry, they tend to hike the remuneration of hero by 2-3 times in order to get the dates of that star. Industry always needs new breed of producers. But these producers should have minimum knowledge on moviemaking. Elections are fast approaching. Where are you planning to contest for the next year's parliament elections? There is still some time. I would let you know the details once it's finalized. Tell us about your future projects S. No Hero Director 1 Pawan Kalyan, Shriya, Meera Jasmin Karunakaran 2 Venkatesh Chinni Krishna 3 NTR K Raghavendra Rao 4 Chiranjeevi Vijaya Bhaskar Completing all these projects would take 2 to 2 and a half years. You were there at the inauguration of Prasad's IMAX multiplex on 23rd of July. What do you think about the culture of multiplex theaters and how is it going to change the viewing habits of Telugu film lovers? When IMAX was opened, the other cinema halls in the city did not have more than 35-40% collections. The newly coming multiplexes have great sound and visual systems. They also incorporate shopping malls and food courts. With the advent of multiplexes, the movie lovers are coming back to the theaters. There are many more multiplexes coming up in Hyderabad now. There is one multiplex coming up near Taj Krishna with the collaboration of the Spencers & Oberoi. Two multiplexes are being planned in Jubilee Hills area. K Ragahvendra Rao is planning one. One more multiplex is coming up in Secunderabad. One more would be built in Kompally. This multiplex culture is giving new hope for box office. People who lost interest in watching films in theaters are coming back to multiplexes to enjoy the experience of viewing films in a new way. It is also revealed that wherever there are multiplexes in North India, Hindi movies fared well. A study reveals that 1500 multiplexes would be coming up in the next two years in North India alone. But in Prasad's they have a flat rate system of Rs 60/- per head. They should have left 2-3 rows in front for masses for Rs 10/- so that they could also enjoy the shows. They can balance it by pricing the regular tickets little higher. Do you have any plans of encouraging your daughters to take care of Vyjayanthi banner in the future? My elder daughter is studying in USA. She has lot of ideas related to cinema field. She is also interested in learning a course related to movies in New York for four months next year. I encourage them to excel in whatever fields they choose. I would be happier if my daughters take over Vyjayanthi banner. Do you think the business potential of Pawan Kalyan has gone down because Johnny was a disaster? Pawan Kalyan is a fantastic performer who always strives to have different elements in his films. Pawan Kalyan possesses the same craze and stamina even after the release of Johnny. Whenever I make a film, I do not think about the business potential of that film. But I have such a confidence in my projects that I could create high business demand for any of my films. With that confidence, I spend a lot of money in my projects to get a quality rich film both in terms of content and extravagance. 90% of the areas for my films are retained by me. So I don't have to bother about distributors buying my films. The script of Pawan Kalyan's film is such an entertaining one that I am eagerly waiting for the day when this film goes to floors. You worked with Chiranjeevi earlier and you are currently working with Pawan Kalyan. Do you notice any similarities/differences in their working style? Both of them are very good hard workers. They involve themselves in the nitty-gritty of filmmaking for a better product. Both of them have infinite zeal to deliver a hit film. The only difference I see is that Chiranjeevi gives more preferences to masses in his films. Pawan Kalyan tries to give preferences to youth and class also along with the masses because of his age factor. Pawan Kalyan keeps a low profile about his films. You give your films maximum boost in terms of publicity and press relations. Which method would be followed for your film with Pawan Kalyan? Its always good to keep a low profile for films. We need to hide things. If something is leaked, other filmmakers may copy it. When Pawan Kalyan and Vyjayanthi banner is involved in a film, there is going to be enormous hype in the market. I would like to have a low profile for this film. At that same time, I make sure that I keep the press happy and content. Do you have any plans for the USA distributors to curb piracy? When I went to USA, I suggested distributors in USA something. Most of the Telugu film distributors in USA are working people. I don't want them losing money by investing their hard-earned money into Telugu film distribution. If the distributors in USA get united, we can propose releasing all popular Telugu films in USA through them on commission basis so that they don't have to put a penny from their pocket. They should also ensure that video piracy does not get spread in USA. But at the same time, there should be unity in our producers as well. Nobody should say that they want to sell right to USA because somebody offered them 1 lakh dollars. The USA distributors should also be sincere and honest. To serve the NRIs in a better way, we don't mind adding more spools of 100 days functions of Indra, cultural programs, Godavari Pushkaralu to the feature films we send to USA so that Telugu NRI's feel at home by watching them.
Mallika Sherawat Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
You suddenly seem to be all over the place. Featured on magazine covers (Showtime, Cosmopolitan), to getting a mention in most national news magazines and papers. You seem to be on a roll. How are you taking to this media interest? Well, I'm riding on the wave of interest that Khwahish has generated. I think it's a brilliant film in the mould of Monsoon Wedding or Dil Chahata Hai, and the director and Uday Devare, the cinematographer who used to be Santosh Sivan's assistant has shot me beautifully. I have to be grateful for my role in the movie, which is a rare female-oriented script. It is all quite overwhelming at the moment, but I'm doing everything that I can to promote Khwahish even though I really hate doing interviews because Perry Pictures and the team of Khwahish are family to me and I'll do whatever it takes to promote this film as I believe in the team, the director and the story. Your director Govind Menon has said you blew competition by miles during the screen tests, which is supposed to be the best he has seen. That's a flattering compliment for a newcomer. What were the scenes you had to emote? I am really lucky that my director has so much faith in me. I had to perform two delightful scenes in the screen test -- one, a comic nightmare about how I try to cook live crabs - I didn't have much of a problem as at the end of the scene I slip and fall and a live crab lands on my breast and I scream my lungs out. The other one was the much talked about condom scene, where for the first time on Indian screen a couple talk about contraception on their honeymoon night. I was again called back after a few days and asked to do the scenes with my co-star Himanshu Malik, after which I prayed day and night and when I was told I was cast in the film I was over the moon, as I had heard the entire script before the second screen test and I knew it was a dream role for any actress at any point in her career. The industry and public are used to the actresses who have done steamy scenes giving clichéd answers and regretting doing the scenes later? Compared to this, your statements in the media about the film have made people sit up. Were you being frank and natural or doing it for effect? I can't speak for other actresses, but as far as I am concerned I'm an actress and it is my job to do whatever's required of me as per the demands of the script. I don't believe in putting on an act in my interviews - I am who I am, and I think our society is very biased when it comes to women. Whatever I did, the hero did it too with me, so why single me out -there's a line in Khwahish - If a guy does it then he's a stud, but if a girl even wants to kiss, then she's a slut. As a 21st century Indian woman, I believe in fighting for my rights to be treated equally. I think as a country we still have a long way to go. After a forgettable stint in Vashu Bhagnani's 'Jeena Sirrf Mere Liye' last year, you seem to have re-positioned yourself in a new avatar, with a name change. How did this come about? Jeena Sirf's a bad nightmare. It was supposed to release after Khwahish and I had signed that because of the banner before I signed on for Khwahish. The film was hurriedly completed and dumped into the theaters, but luckily for me only my family and Tusshar and Kareena's families saw the film and it bombed miserably. My screen name was Mallika in that too, but this is my first starring role and for all practical purposes, my launch film as well. You have shot ads with Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. How was the experience shooting with the big stars? Can you recount any interesting experiences when you shot with them? Ads just happened as I was struggling to be cast in films. I was completely in awe of Amitabh Bachchan -- Jack Nicholson and Bachchan are the sexiest men alive, and it's my dream to do a feature film with both. I had just moved to Mumbai when this ad happened and I was nervous as hell. In the Shahrukh ad, I didn't have too much to do, but he was sweet and unassuming and I look forward to working with him in the future as well. Your co-star Himanshu was quoted saying his family and extended family is amused by the promos. How is your family reacting to this movie and all the attention you are getting? I come from a family of highly conservative and orthodox Haryani Zamindars and no woman from my family has ever done something like this, in fact no woman from my family has ever held a job, so needless to say they are in shock therapy at the moment. Recently they watched a trial of my film and surprisingly they all loved the movie except for the hot scenes. You are lip-synching to six Asha Bhonsle songs in the movie. Any interesting experiences during the shooting or recording? It's a dream come true for me - I am Ashaji's biggest fan and to have her sing all 6 songs for me after 16 years (The last time was for Gulzar's Ijaazat) is unbelievable. I attended every single one of her recordings and hit it off wonderfully with her - I just adore her. I had to perform a classical song and she took the time to coach me on how to perform a Hindustani classical number on stage. I will forever be grateful to her for her tremendous support and encouragement. I couldn't stop smiling when she complimented me on my performance after seeing the movie. Tell us about the character `Lekha'. How close or far-removed are you from her in real life? I think there are a lot of similarities between Lekha and I. The director has had the guts to portray an Indian woman as she is and not as she's supposed to be - so the character has flaws and irritating qualities as well as some extremely frank and honest opinions about what women `really' think. I feel really close to Lekha and a lot of what she is me. What next after Khwahish? Any offers on hand? Offers are pouring in, but I want to make sure I don't make any mistakes and so I'm being very careful in selecting scripts. I'd rather do one or two films a year that I believe in than 10 big starcast proposals in which I play a wallflower. For now I'm over the moon as I've signed on for Govind Menon's next film which is also produced by Vivek Nayak, the producer of Khwahish. It's a fabulous script and speaking selfishly its completely female-oriented and I play the central character. Besides that there's an Indo-French project directed by a French director which I have said yes to. Have you seen any south-based movies.. Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam? I've seen most of Manirathnam's films, Priyadarshan's Kalapani, Rajeev Menon's films, Kamalhassan's Pushpak and Appu Raja and a couple of Shankar's films. These have all been dubbed, but otherwise it's difficult for me as I do not understand the language. Govind's told me a lot about Malayalam cinema and has promised to get me some sub-titled copies. I am yet to see a Telugu film. A lot of Bollywood actresses have gone down south and done well for themselves. Simran, Raveena Tandon, Nagma, Jyothika, Priya Gill, Pooja Batra, etc. Are you open to film offers from the South? What's your opinion? Good for them. For now I'm comfortable in Hindi and English - I have turned down three Telugu and four Tamil films so far as I have no clue about the languages. So for now I want to first make a mark in Hindi cinema and in International crossover films - I loved Bend it like Beckham, Monsoon Wedding and Bandit Queen and that's the kind of cinema that I'd like to do in the future. Any fears that you may now be typecast as a sex-bimbo, with all the hype the movie is getting from the steamy promos? Well its better to get some attention than no attention, isn't it? I work out for two hours every day and I'm proud of having a good body, and if that attracts audiences to the theater, its fine with me. But remember I have the central role in Khwahish, which examines a five-year relationship from courtship to marriage to post-marital issues and the end of the relationship. I believe that after seeing the film I'll be vindicated. Besides I am doing Govind Menon's next film in which I have a role, which is completely different from the one in Khwahish. Now that the release date is nearing, what are your emotions? Butterflies in the tummy? I'm a little nervous about all this fame - not being able to go shopping and roam around as I like, but I'm supremely confident as far as the movie is concerned. Khwahish is releasing worldwide on the 6th of June. And do check out the website www.khwahishthefilm.com. And I hope idlebrain.com readers will watch Khwahish on the 6th with their friends and family.
Teja Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
What is the story of Nijam? All the stories of my films (Chitram, Nuvvu Nenu, Jayam and Nijam) are old stories. I am just trying to present in a different way. I am trying to present the old wine in a new bottle. Audiences will have to say if I am successful or not after watching the film. It's a normal story made by a normal director called Teja. Why there is so much hype for this film? I never tried creating hype for Nijam. I held back all the stills and I did not give many interviews. But some how, this hype was created in the market. After the release of the film, I try to talk in promos to sustain the collections of the film. But I never speak high about my films. I never praise myself. I never praise my films. In all the films you made so far, you have a low profile casting. But for 'Nijam' you have taken popular faces like Mahesh Babu, Raasi, Jaya Prakash Reddy, Prakash Raj, Brahmaji etc. Do you think big names make the movie run? No! What makes any movie run is the story and perfect casting. 'Nijam' story needed this sort of casting. Hence I selected these actors. You would understand it once you see 'Nijam'. I don't believe in stars or stardom. I believe in good story shot with perfect casting. This film would not run on the name of either Teja or Mahesh Babu. It would run if the film were good. Nobody watched any film just because Teja made that film. That's the reason why I have not kept my name in the even in the titles of the Nijam film. 'Teja' name would come during interval point in 'Nijam'. Is 'Nijam' a Mahesh Babu's film or Teja's film? Mahesh Babu has lots of fans. After 'Okkadu', the fan base of Mahesh increased a lot. I don't know if I have fans or not. But, I would like to say that whoever watched 'Jayam' and 'Nuvvu Nenu' would definitely watch this film. The songs of 'Nijam' have the flavor of Teja. The songs remind us the style of 'Nuvvu Nenu' and 'Jayam'. The songs do not sound like that of Mahesh Babu. The audio of the film turned out to be a typical Teja's product. What about the film? For the public, Nijam story is directed by Teja and enacted by Mahesh Babu. It's neither Mahesh Babu's film nor Teja's film. I made a film for the public of Andhra Pradesh. If you look at the posters, the caption of 'it's a lie' used to come at the bottom of the logo 'Nijam' before the start of the film. But now the 'it's a lie' tagline comes in a prominent place above the logo. Does it have any significance? Its purely poster designer's (Krishna Digitals) decision! I don't have any hidden truth or heavy thought for it. In an interview given to 'Number One' film magazine, you told that 'Rathaalu Rathaalu' song is not going to be there in the theatrical version of the film. Is it true? I had two minds about the song earlier. By giving that statement, I sent feelers to the audiences. I got a feedback from audiences that the song should be there. Hence I decided to keep that song in the final version. There is so much of negative publicity and comments about Nijam that the film has not come out well. Did you hear these kind of comments? There is bound to be negative industry talk for all the films that generated hype before the release. The latest examples are Gangotri and Dil. Both these films turned out to be hits after release. In this film industry, if 4 people work the remaining 400 people gossip about the things. We are around 30 people who were working for Nijam. And around 400 people talk about 'Nijam' without knowing what's going on inside. Nobody has seen the final cut of the film including myself. How can anybody tell if my film is good or bad before the release? The people who talk much about the other's films are the people who do not have much work. They have cerebral lethargy. What went wrong with the actor Murali Mohan? Can we have your version about that controversy? It has become quite a big controversy. I don't want to rake it in again by opening my mouth. To keep the respect of the elders in the industry in tact, I have decided not to talk about it. How is the performance of Prakash Raj (who replaced Murali Mohan) in this film? Excellent! What is your experience in working with Mahesh Babu? He is a very good actor and he is totally professional! I heard you have given 25 lakhs as remuneration for Prakash Raj's small role? I do not want to reveal the figure of remuneration. But I paid him very high amount because, He helped me by gave dates immediately when I wanted him. What is the new sound system that is being introduced through 'Nijam' film in Telugu? Dolby Digital Surround EX How much would it cost for the theater owners to equip their cinema halls with this new sound system? Most of the theaters have got either DTS or Dolby SR. To upgrade those theaters to this new sound system, it would cost anywhere between 2 lakhs to 5 lakhs. For a theater owner who does not have any of the earlier formats, it would cost 15 lakhs for installation. It would not workout for theater owners to upgrade their sound system to a new format, unless many more movies are made in that format in future? The film industry runs on sentiment. if one film becomes a hit in Dolby digital, all the makers would follow it. How many prints are getting ready for Nijam's release? As of today, it crossed 180. How many theaters? Number of Theater and prints are counted by the people whose ego banks on it. I don't have any ego problem. I don't mind releasing 100 prints in 120 theaters. It's not prints, theaters, 1st week share records that are important for me. The film has to become a hit and people should like it. That's what matters to me. I don't make my films run by tearing tickets or paying the theater rent in reverse. I don't claim that my film would run for 100 days in so many centers. I would never fall in to that trap. I am here to entertain the people. I would do my best to entertain them. I heard that you are taking help of Mahesh Babu's fans to prevent the piracy of 'Nijam'? Yes. 3 people would be there in each and every theater that is playing Nijam. One guy would be there in projection room, one guy would be there in theater and another guy would be there in lobby. The guy in projection room make sure that nothing goes wrong from the operator. The guy in lobby checks the belongings of audiences to see if there is any camera. The guy in theater makes sure that nobody is shooting the film secretly. I also have codes on prints. Before handing over the prints, I am signing a document by the theater owner that I would claim a damage of 50 lakhs if it were found that a pirated print is shot in that theater. These people would also take care that toilets are clean and women are well taken care of in the theaters. This is just the beginning. For the next film, I would make sure that everything is streamlined. Don't you think it's the responsibility of the film chamber and exhibitors association to take care of such things? They would also do it. But it's my responsibility now as the film that is releasing is mine. I want to give the audiences the best possible comfort, as audiences are important to me. I heard you are following 'recoverable advances' method for selling Nijam to buyers. What exactly does it mean? Let me explain the system of 'NRA' (Non-recoverable advances). If a distributor buys a film for Vizag territory for 25 lakhs and if he made losses, he can't claim any thing from producer. If he makes any profits, those profits are shared between distributor and producer (normally 80:20 percentage). In MG (Minimum Guarantee) basis, if buyer buys the film for 25 lakhs and if he makes any profit, it would be shared between distributor and producer in 50:50 ratio. I am selling Nijam on recoverable advances basis. Every paise would be returned if my movie does not work. I am not here to make money. I am here to make a hit film and entertain the people. Money would automatically follow. I need money to make films. I don't make films for money. If you follow recoverable advances model, how do the distributors ensure transparency? Most of the first week collections include money earned through black tickets and flat rates. I will have my people stationed at theaters to check these things. 20 minutes after starting of every show, I would be getting complete reports for each and every theater. I am trying these new things. Lets see how it works out. I am not a person who does not try anything. I heard that buyers went back from the commitments for Nijam after seeing the fate of Johnny, which made you change the business proposition from NRA to Recoverable advances. Is it true? Nijam theaters and Johnny theaters are different. The distributors for these two films are different. Johnny is done on NRA basis. I sold that Nijam to distributors on recoverable advances basis before the muhurat of Nijam. There is another rumor that you signed Raasi by saying that she is paired up Mahesh Babu and later on you revealed that she is playing female companion to the villain Gopichand. Is it true? I do not have intentions of cheating anybody. I am not in such a position. I never cheat. I am a straight-forward person. I narrated entire story to her and explained her role. She signed on the dotted line only after listening to her role. I never try playing games with people, that's too in my profession! Tell us about your next film? I would decide about my next film, if Nijam runs well and makes money. When would Sambaram (made by Chitram Movies and directed by Dasarath) would release? It will release after 100 days run of Nitin's latest film 'Dil'. It is also rumored that you are playing the role of Godfather to Nitin in film industry? Yes. Its 100% true! There is another rumor that you made the producers of 'Dil' to pay 1 crore as remuneration to Nitin for 'Dil'? I do not interfere in money matters. Nitin or his father Sudhakar Reddy would deal remuneration matters. It's their personal thing. I guide Nitin in terms of selecting good scripts and good producers. How much share did 'Jayam' collect? I don't want to reveal it. People with ego would like to boast about the shares. Do you have any new publicity plans for Nijam? If the movie is good, it would become a hit. The best publicity for any film is the mouth publicity by a satisfied audience. A film would not become a hit because of publicity. If that were so, all the films made by owners of TV channels would have become hits. What went wrong between you and Tussar Kapoor during the making of 'Yeh Dil'? Most of my films are shot in single schedule with the bulk dates given by the hero. But Tussar Kapoor failed on his promise to honor the bulk dates, hence the delay in release of 'yeh dil'! You films are becoming big hits. But the critics and intelligentsia downplay your movies. What is the reason? I have not made great films. My films are liked by the masses more than the smart people. I am a cheap filmmaker who got a cheap taste. I can never make great films like K Viswanath, K Raghavendra Rao, Ram Gopal Varma, Krishna Vamsi, Poori Jagan or Vinayak. I am from the streets. I used to live on the streets. I used to watch films by sitting on the floor (nela class). My taste would be that only. I don't make films with aesthetic sense. I am a cheap stuff who makes cheap films for the people like me. When is Nijam releasing? The censoring board is going to watch Nijam from 2 pm onwards today. If there were no major cuts, I would be releasing it on 23rd May 2003.
Preminchukunnam Pelliki Randi Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Preminchukunnam Pelliki Randi directed by Relangi Narasimha Rao and produced by K Yadagiri Reddy on the banner of Nitya Movies has Aditya Om, Rekha, Vijay Sai and Revati in the lead. Director Relangi Narasimha Rao says, 'Earlier, I gave hits with subjects on comedy featuring conflicts between wife and husband. This time, I am doing it on the young couples. This is my 73rd film. My son Kirankumar provided story for this film. The film would be completed in a single schedule, says Relangi. Aditya Om said I am very happy to work with a senior director like Relangi Narasimha Rao.' Writer Sankaramanchi Parthasarathy says, ' with a good story, there will be good scope to write excellent dialogues. Kirankumar gave a fantastic subject. I have tried my best to give good dialogues.' Producer Yadagiri Reddy says, 'the subject is quite youthful and keeps the present trend in view. It has several elements that could attract the youth.'
Naani Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Naani will be the next release for Mahesh, after the super hit of Okkadu. The film is produced by Manjula, his sister, under Indira Productions Pvt Ltd banner and is presented by Superstar Krishna. This film has so many talents working together including A.R.Rahman composing the music and Khushi fame S.J.Surya directing the film. As per Manjula, producer of the film, Mahesh’s character will be smooth, romantic, and also heroic. Out of seven songs in the film, one special song features three popular heroines. This song is supposed to be the introductory song for Mahesh in the film. The names of the heroines are kept a secret. Ramyakrishna will appear in a special character in the film and Devayani is portraying a key role in the film. Amisha Patel is the heroine. Main cast comprise of Mahesh Babu, Amisha Patel, Ramyakrishna, Devayani, Raghuvaran, Sunil, Ali, Brahmanandam, Nazar, Sunitha, Ashok, Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam, Ravibabu, Kota Srinivasa Rao, and Sudhakar. Guhan does the camera work. Peter and Vijayan are stunt masters. Sobhan writes the dialogues. Raju Sundaram, Brunda, and Ganesh Hegde are the choreographers. Story, screenplay and direction are by S.J.Suryah.
Nee Manasu Naaku Telusu Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
The shooting of Nee Manasu Naaku Telusu produced by AM Ratnam on the banner of Sri Surya Movies is the launch pad of the producer’s son Jothikrishna as director. It has Tarun, Shriya and Trisha in the lead. Director Jothikrishna says, The film is being simultaneously made in Tamil and Telugu languages. 45 minutes of graphic work is taking time but the irony is that only 15-minute graphic work will be visible to the viewers. One song was shot in 95 locations in Hyderabad and Madras. AR Rahman scores the music for the film.' Though we took two years to finish the film, the days of shooting were only 165 days. This is mainly due to the dual version. Shooting with busy heroines like Trisha in Tamil and Shriya in Andhra along with Tarun the teen sensation hero for both languages took time. Apart from this, I wanted to make my first film a class stand apart from others. For songs, we have gone to Italy, Rome, Venice and Swiss. In Venice due to the tourist flow we could shoot only two hours in the early morning Cinematography by R Ganesh, art direction by Thota Tharani and produced by Sri Surya movies are the other credits.
Missamma Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Director Neelakantan who bagged the national award for best screenplay for his experimental 'two-character' film Show is now busy wrapping up his commercial film Missamma starring Shivaji, Laaya and Bhoomika in the lead. How a lady boss (Bhoomika) disturbs the happy life of a lovable couple forms the crux of the storyline. Bhoomika plays the title role. "It will be quite different from the regular commercial format" claims the director who says he has given a gripping narrative to keep the audience glued. He profusely thanked the producer Satyam for instantly understanding the 'uniqueness' in the concept and added I had full freedom to select the artistes of my choice . "It will question human beings tendency to drift away from noble thoughts" reveals the maker as the added dimension to his oft-repeated couples story. B.Satyanarayana produces the film under the banner Satyam Entertainments It is slated for release after Diwali.
Inspector Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Inspector Cast Brahmaji, Sindhu Menon, Bhanu Chandar, Ananda Raj, Jenny, Duvvasi Mohan, Kondavalasa Lakshmana Rao Banner/Producer Mahendra / AA Arts Music Vandemataram Srinivas Screenplay,Direction KS Nageswara Rao Review We have seen the films like 'Inspector' before and hence its nothing that offers fresh excitement. Brahmaji gives a lacklustre performance. Mercifully the film is only 1.45 hrs duration Given the storyline and its way its shot the film will appeal to B and C centres. Azad Chandra Sekhar (Brahmaji) is a honest cop. Pandey (Ananda Raj) is a mafia guy. Sivani (Sindhu) is a lawyer. Azad wants to nail Pandey’. Pandey rapes Sivani. Azad instead of sticking to investigating the rape case marries Sivani in order to give a respectable social status to her. The rest of the story is all about how Azad and Pandey’s fight. Brahmaji who has played the cop in Johnny and Nijam turns hero. With a catch word `tolu teesta’ Brahmaji’s dialogue delivery is good. Sindhu Menon, Ananda Raj , Bhanu Chandar (hero's brother) all ham their way through. Vandemataram takes old stuff and gives it you again.
Okariki Okaru Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Okariki Okaru(2003) Cast Sriram, Arti Chabria, Vijay, Radha Kumari, Balayya, Ahuti Prasad, Ravikanth, Devan, Tanikella Bharani, Sana, Jahnavi, Gowtam Raju, Duvvasi Mohan, Jr. Relangi, Dharmavarapu Subramanyam Banner/Producer Anandi Arts/ Kiran Music MM Keeravani Screenplay,Direction Rasool Cinematography Sunil & Raja Review Kameswara Rao (Sriram) accompanies grandmother (Radha Kumari) to Kaasi. Swapna Rao (Arti Chabria) from USA along with her grandfather (Balayya) travels in another train on a vacation. Due to bad weather the trains stop at a place. With all connections to outside world being cut the two youngsters get acquainted and soon fall in love with each other. By the time they want to express their love its time to say goodbye. Swapna Rao leaves for USA. Kameswara Rao’s company sends him to USA. The second half revolves around how they find each other. Keeravani songs are extremely good and it has been picturised well. Sunil and Raja‘s cinematography is brilliant in catching the breathtaking locales. The moot point in this film is that the film is a clean entertainer. Rasool’s direction, extraordinary music and cinematography are the plus points while a very slow narration is the minus point of the film.
Toli Choopulone Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Cast Kalyan Ram Nandamuri, Akanksha, Sarada, Sudeepa, Kalpana, Charan Raj, Suman, Sunil, Surya, MS Narayana, Brahmanandam, LB Sreeram, Venu Madhav, Ironleg Sastry, Bhagawan, Master Anand Vardhan, Ahuti Prasad, Raghu Babu, Ravi Babu Banner/Producer Usha Kiran Movies/ Ramoji Rao Music Chakri Story,Screenplay&Direction Kasi Viswanath Cinematography Sekhar V Joseph Punchline: Love at first sight Genre: Love Can kids watch this film? Yes (no vulgarity and no violence) Banner: Usha Kiron Movies Cast: Kalyan Ram Nandamuri, Akanksha, Sarada, Sudeepa, Kalpana, Charan Raj, Suman, Sunil, Surya, MS Narayana, Brahmanandam, LB Sreeram, Venu Madhav, Ironleg Sastry, Bhagawan, Master Anand Vardhan, Ahuti Prasad, Raghu Babu, Ravi Babu Dialogues: Paruchuri Brothers Music: Chakri Art: Narayana Reddy Lyrics: Bandaru Danayya, Chinni Charan, Bhuvana Chandra, Kandikonda, Suryakumari, Bhaskarabhatla Cinematography: Sekhar V Joseph Choreography: Lawrence, Raju Sundaram, Suchitra Chandrabose & Ashok Raj Editing: Marthand K Venkatesh Producer: Ramoji Rao Story - Screenplay - Direction: Kasi Viswanath Release date: 9th October 2003 Story Raju (Kalyan Ram Nandamuri) is a lovable boy-next-door in holy town Simhachalam. He falls in love with a girl Bhanu (Akanksha) - who comes to visit Simhachalam Temple - at first sight. After a few misunderstandings, Bhanu realizes the great qualities in Raju. Then there is a catch. Srikar Prasad (Suman) - the father of Bhanu - has already given a word to his friend that he would get his daughter married to the son of his friend. The rest of the story is all about how Raju convinces Srikar Prasad to agree to their marriage. Artists Performance Kalyan Ram Nandamuri: Kalyan Ram looks good with his typical boy-next-door looks. For a debutant, his performance is impressive. He has got flexibility in his body and histrionics. He can dance well and perform risky stunts. He would establish as a good hero if he can choose apt scripts for his future projects. Others: The heroine Akanksha looks OK. But her histrionics are good. She emoted well in emotional scenes. Urvasi Sarada acted in a film after a gap of few years. She played the role of supporting grandmother to heroine. Suman did the role of heroine's father. Suman dubbed his voice for the first time in a Telugu film. It was a good effort. But, he need to modulate his voice better and should utter the dialogues more proficiently. Sunil's comedy is good. Brahmananam and MS Narayana are OK. Charan Raj is seen on Telugu screen after a long time. He did well as the villain. Sudeepa is good as hero's sister. Technical Departments: Screenplay - direction: Story by Kasi Viswanath has the ingradients of typical love story of a young couple that seeks the permission of parents before getting married. Kasi Viswanath strength is comedy and he made sure that the timing is good whenever comedy scenes were there in the film. His direction of the film is OK. The screenplay is average. Music: Music by Chakri is impressive. The first and last songs (both are mass songs) got good response from the front benchers. Other songs are pleasant melodies. Other departments: Dialogues of Paruchuri have wide ranged flavor in them. There are mass dialogues as well as some sensible comedy ones. Photography by Sekhar V Joseph is good. There are few jumps in the editing of the film in a couple of scenes. Analysis: First half of the film is average and second half is better. The strengths of the film are music and comedy. Usha Kiron Movies has launched Kalyan Ram Nandamuri as hero with this film and he proves himself as a promising artist. Now its up to Kalyan Ram to take his career forward with right kind of subjects. You may watch this film at your leisure. Review Raju (Kalyan Ram Nandamuri) living in Simhachalam falls in love with Bhanu (Akanksha) on a visit to the holy town. Though initially Bhanu rejects Raju’s overtures she later on accepts him. Srikar Prasad (Suman) the father of Bhanu has already committed that his daughter would marry his friends son. How Raju wins over the girl forms the climax. Kaasi Viswanath has put in all the ingredients needed for a love story the director’s strength has always been comedy and he made sure that the timing is good in the comedy scenes in the film. Kalyan Ram from the Nandamuri clan as a debutant gives and impressive performance. He dances well and is good in action scenes. Heroine Akanksha too gives a good performance along with Urvasi Sarada who played the role of supporting grandmother to heroine. Suman as heroine’s father and speaking in his own voice for the first time in a Telugu film has done a good job .Yet another surprise is Charan Raj who was not seen for sometime appears as the villain. Music by Chakri is for the frontbenchers. Usha Kiran Movies deserves all credit for launching Kalyan Ram Nandamuri as hero with this film.
Ela Cheppanu Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Cast Shriya, Tarun, Abhi, Siva Balaji, Sunil, Brahmanandam, Vijaya Chandar, Tanikella Banner/Producer Sravanthi Movies/ Sravanthi Ravi Kishore Music Koti Screenplay,Direction BV Ramana Cinematography Hari Anumolu Review The remake of Hindi film Tum Bin has a slow-paced narrative. Good performances by Tarun and Shreya and two hummable numbers from the baton of Koti are what the film offers. Tarun and Sunil meet a business magnate from Germany, Balaji at a party and they strike a rapport instantly. To avoid running over a kid Tarun runs over Balaji and kills him. Sunil covers up the accident but the incident haunts Tarun. He decides to go to Germany with Sunil and there he meets the family of Balaji and comes to know that their business is in dire straits. Shreya, fiancee of Balaji is at the helm of company affairs. Tharun joins her and revives the business. He falls in love with her but he does not go ahead because he fears that the secret will hurt her. Shreya too does express her love to Tharun. Meanwhile a business tycoon falls in love with Shreya and she agrees to marry the tycoon since Tarun shows no interest. Finally Tarun reveals the secret and Shreya accepts the truth and unites with him. Tarun gives a wonderful performance but its Shreya who gives her career best as the girl who lost her fiance and then falling in love again. Though she has excessive weeping scenes in plenty she handles it well. Needless to say Sunil’s comedy is good and Balaji plays the role to perfection. The director could have included some elements for the masses and made the second half more faster. Cinematographer captures the visual beauty of Germany well.
Chiru goes underground Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
After the recent public appearance in Rajahmundry and Tirupathi Chiru’s the experience has made him wiser. Each time he came in public the crowds went berserk and the situation got out of control with fans and police clashing. The death of his fans in Rajahmundry for Tagore tickets due to a stampede and alleged suicide attempts by the fans who could not procure tickets had made the megastar go underground for some time and like Tamil superstar Rajnikant he has decided to be away from State or not let the media know of his activities.
Naresh to do Kaadal Kondain remake Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Allari Naresh will do the role of hanush in Telugu remake of Tamil blockbuster Kaadal Kondain. Initially heroes like Prabhas and Uday Kiran were considered for this but Mullapudi Brahmanandam who bought the rights felt that Allari Naresh is the apt choice for hero role. E Sathi Babu would be directing this film. Vidya Sagar provides music. Marudhuri Raja provides dialogues. Shooting of this film would start 1st November and would be completed in a single schedule of 80 days duration.
RB Chowdary's son Ramesh to debut Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
RB Chowdary the top producer of South Indian film industry is introducing his elder son Ramesh as hero in a Telugu film titled Vidyardhi Directed by a Telugu debutant director Bali, who worked as an associate director Shankar. Mamata Zhaveri from Bollywood is making her debut as the heroine of this film. ‘Tax to live’ is the catch phrase of Vidyardhi. Mani Sharma scores music. Ramji is the cameraman. Ramesh would dub in his own voice for Vidyardhi. Chowdary is also setting up an audio recording theatre in jubilee hills in Hyderabad.
Nagarjuna follows Kamalhassan Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Nagarjuna is no more taking money as payment and instead takes Nizam territory rights as remuneration for his films. Kamalhassan was the first in South India to take certain areas like outside Tamilnadu, other language remake rights and overseas areas as payment. Bhagawan and Danayya presented Shivamani which Puri Jagan himself produced it. Bhagawan and Danayya got 33% while 66% went to Puri Jagan. The Nizam area is Rs 3 crores for Shivamani is slated for Diwali 2003 release.
Evaru Nenu Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Bheemeswara Rao is producing super star Krishna starrer Evaru Nenu under the banner B.R. Mass Media. Radha plays opposite to Krishna in this film. Ramya Sri who acted in vamp roles (‘Gajuwaka Pilla’ fame in 'Nuvvu Nenu' film) is now second heroine. She claimed that she is also acting in another Telugu film as heroine apart from a Tamil film opposite Vijayakanth as heroine as well. M.S. Narayana, Gundu Hanumantha Rao and Chitti Babu are the supporting artistes. M.S. Anurag scores music for this film.
Tagore mania overseas Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Tagore was released in USA (5 prints), UK (2 prints) and Singapore (1 print). It was released in Dubai and Kuwait with 2 prints yesterday and getting released in Canada on 1st November. The KAD distributors - who own overseas rights of Tagore - are also planning to release in countries like Mauritius, Cyprus and Fizi as well as have shows in Germany (2 shows) and Paris (one show). In Singapore the huge crowds that thronged the theatre broke glass panes due to which the cops were called in.
NTR's secret of dancing Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
In one of the interviews given to a local television channel NTR Jr revealed the secret behind his dancing abilities he said My mother is a conservative Kannadiga and to inculcate our cultural values in me she put me in Kutchipudi classes. Earlier I was reluctant to go as my master used to beat me up. Later the classes were interesting and I learnt it till I was 15 years old. That’s what helps me in dances so much. Its said that it was his mother who lobbied to get NTR into the film field.
Jothika teams up once again with Chiru Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Jothika teams up once again with Chiru Jothika's is going to act as heroine in another film of Chiranjeevi in the direction of KS Ravi Kumar.Anjana Productions would produce this film, which would start in the month of November.
Madurai Meenakshi in Hyderabad Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Hyderabad city has an exact replica of the Madurai Meenakshi temple, thanks to the producers of Arjun starring Mahesh Babu, Shriya and Keerthi Reddy and is directed by Guna Sekhar. Built at a cost of Rs 4 crores the temple structure has a main dome measuring 135-foot height, a temple tank and the sanctum sanctorum where the main deity Meenakshi is kept. Priests from the real Madurai Meenakshi temple came to install the diety. Daily prayers are conducted by the priests and only vegetarian food is served to 1000 junior artistes. The entire temple, which is located at Gandipet took six months to build and had 500 labourers working on it every day. Since forty percent of the film is happening in this temple we felt that the set was necessary says Guna Sekhar who made the recent blockbuster Okkadu.Lots of Telugu people in and around Madurai including the a Royal Telugu family donated money in the construction of Madurai Meenakshi temple in Madurai between 13th century to 18th century. Prakash Raj is playing the role of Bala Nayakar, the last heir of that dynasty. Sarita is playing his wife. Sarita who acted in Kokilamma film 16 years back is making her come back as a character artiste in this film. She is playing the role of Andalu, the wife of Prakash Raj.
Sonali Bendre is Venky’s heroine Friday, October 17, 2003 | Editor
Sonali Bendre is Venky’s heroine The Kakkha Kakkha team of Gautham Harris Jayraj will work for Venky’s untitled film on Geetha Chitra International banner. This project is a remake of Tamil superhit Kakkha Kakkha with Surya and Jyothika in the lead. The film will go to floors in about October. Sonali Bendre is most likely to be the heroine for this project. The Tamil version had a hot song between the lead pair.Will Sonali do it after marriage?
Aarthi Agarwal-The Gujarati Beauty Friday, October 3, 2003 | Editor
Aarthi Agarwal, the USA based Gujarati girl is considered the lucky mascot in Telugu. Though she was born and brought up in New Jersey, USA, her family held on to Indian culture and spoke Gujarati at home and celebrated all Indian festivals. Her father is a businessman who runs a hotel in USA while her mom is a housewife. Her entry into films happened accidentally when she attended a stage show in Philadelphia, where some of the big artistes of Bollywood like Sunil Shetty, Amitabh Bachchan and Urmila were present. When Sunil Shetty invited girls to come upon the stage and do dance numbers with him, Arthi went up and did a confident stage show with him and everybody took notice of this beautiful girl. This inspired Aarthi and she came down to Mymbai to try her luck in the film industry at the age of fifteen. She took up acting classes in Mumbai and went back to US where John Augustine gave her a role in the film Paagalpan. But soon she started getting good offers in Telugu and thus she signed her first film Nuvvu Naaku Nachchavu which became a huge success. Aarthi was noticed by leading producers and directors for her looks and performance in the film. She then went on to do films opposite all top stars like Chiranjeevi, Balayya, Mahesh Babu, Uday Kiran, Junior NTR, Venkatesh and Tarun in films like Nuvvu Naaku Nachchaavu, Allari Ramudu, Nuvvu Laeka Naenu Laenu, Nee Sneham, Bobby, Palnaati Brahmanaidu and Vasantham . The young actress is very hardworking and punctual. She is hassle-free and does the best she can do for the betterment of the film. Recently her younger sister Adithi has also joined in films. Her debutant film K. Raghavendra Rao’s 100th venture Gangothri has released recently, in which she was paired with the famous producer Allu Aravind’s son Allu Arjun.
Ela Cheppanu Friday, October 3, 2003 | Editor
Director Ramana Producer Sravanthi Arts Music Koti Cast Tarun, Shriya, Abhi, Siva Balaji Tarun’s latest film is Sravanthi Arts Ela Cheppanu. The audio of the film was released recently and the cast and crew of the film including Tarun, Shriya, Abhi, Siva Balaji, Sunil, Ramana, Koti and Suchitra Chandrabose were present for the grand function. The story of film revolves around Shriya and the three men in her life. She loves Abhi and they are engaged but he dies in a road accident. It is Tarun’s car that hits Shriya’s lover and due to guilt he goes off to Canada. There he meets Shriya without knowing that she is Abhi’s lover and starts admiring her. But when he comes to know the truth he is torn between his love and guilt of killing her fiancée. The music director of the film, Koti said that the producer Ravi Kishore helped him a lot in providing some foot tapping music for the album. There are eight songs in the film, which are superbly choreographed by Raju Sundaram and Suchitra Chandrabose. Two songs are shot in Germany and Austria. Tarun says that the film has a wonderful script and he hopes to recreate the magic after two films with the same producer (Nuvve Kavali and Nuvve Nuvve). He also added that it was his third film with lucky heroine Shriya. Ela Cheppanu is directed by Ramana and is supposed to give Tarun a new lease of life.
Chiru conquers Chennai! Friday, October 3, 2003 | Editor
Chiranjeevi’s Tagore has created a new record for a Telugu film in Chennai. At the Satyam Cineplex the film has grossed an amazing Rs 12,62,336 in 28 shows in the first week. No Telugu film has taken such a good opening in Chennai! The first week collections of Tagore from a single theatre is better than what Ramana, the Tamil original had collected at its main theatre in the first week. Chiranjeevi has a fantastic fan following among Telugu youth studying at the various technical and professional colleges in Chennai. But in Andhra the collections of Tagore are dropping in the second week. The trade reports say that it may not do the kind of business that Indra did last year.
Gowtham Menon debuts in Telugu Friday, October 3, 2003 | Editor
The success of KAKKA KAKKA put director Gowtham Menon in envious position. He has not only been flooded with offers from our Tamil film industry, but Telugu and Hindi fields too. He is re-making his KAKKA..KAKKA in Telugu with Venkatesh in the lead. Will he be successful there too? Harris Jairaj scores music for this Telugu version too.
The cop mania in Andhra Friday, October 3, 2003 | Editor
Pawan Kalyan is the latest to join the cop bandwagon with the launch of Anjana Productions new venture, which began without any fanfare. Press and media were kept away from the shooting. The first day shooting took place in a small house. Pawan plays the role of a cop, and Venu Madhav, Ali play the role of his comic assistants. Chota. K Naidu handles the camera and Mani Sharma scores the music for this film. Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Balayya, Prabhas are acting as police officers in their forthcoming movies. Will so many cop movies not bore the audience is to be seen.
Vishnu Friday, October 3, 2003 | Editor
The objective of this film is to launch Vishnu and they succeeded in it. The film has all elements to showcase the heros talents and he does a fairly good job at it. Vishnu (Manchu Vishnu Vardhan Babu) and Vaishnavi (Vedika) are childhood pals. They get separated at a young age. After a gap of 15 years, Vishnu finds Vaishnavi. He does not disclose his identity and instead to win her love on his own merits. Vaishnavi learns of this and a misunderstandings crop up. Vaishnavi is the daughter of Erra Naidu, a dreaded factionist from Rayalaseema area. Erra Naidu fixes up the marriage of Vaishnavi with some other guy. . The rest of the film is all about how the lovers unite. Manchu Vishnu Vardhan Babu is a very spontaneous actor. His dialogue delivery is very good and looks wise also appealing. Shilpa Shivanand is not looking glamorous and her acting talents are nil. Shaji Kailas introduction of Vishnu is innovative and established his character. A weak script however mars the film and apart from Vishnu the other roles are not well defined. Neetu Chandra, Murali Mohan, Giri Babu, Brahmanandam, Dharmavarapu Subramanyam, Raghubabu, Navabharat Balaji, Rajeev Kanakala, O Kalyan, Chitram Seenu, Dileep, Jilani, Gopinath, Pranathi, Jaya Sudha, Siva Parvathy, Sakuntala, Ashalatha, Kalyani and Rathna sagar complete the cast. Ismail Durbars music sounds very much like Hindi. The Vandanam song shot in Tirupati is the highlight. Parchuri brothers dialogues are hero oriented but their frequent quoting of Hindu religious books becomes a bore. Camera work by Saravanan DF Tech is good and action director Kanal Kannan has strained to give a few good action scenes. Producer Mohan Babu has given the best possible launch pad for his son. Watchable for the debutant heros performance
NTR Jr fights back Chiru Friday, October 3, 2003 | Editor
With the release of Tagore, the collections of Simhadri the NTR Jr film has dropped. To fight it back, the producer and hero has decided to include a special item song in the film. The song between NTR and Asha Saini was shot earlier for a film on the VMC banner directed by Uday Shankar. The film got shelved and now that song finds its way to Simhadri. Earlier in the past for Chiranjeevis Chudalani Vundi a song between Chiru, Urmila and Tabu was shot for Ashwini Dutts project when Ram Gopal Verma used it. Also clips from the 100 days function of Simhadri,/i> to be held at Kurnool on the 19th of October will be added to the film to be shown at the interval. Lets hope this tricks will revive the film at box office.
Chiru to donate six lakhs Friday, October 3, 2003 | Editor
Numero uno actor Chiranjeevi gave away rupees six lakhs to three families who lost their siblings in the stampede on the first day of his new release Tagore in Rajahmundry region. "I am disturbed with this incident, revealed the actor who sent his wife Surekha and son Teja to condole the deaths and hand over the money to the families. He will be giving another two lakhs to the family of another fan who lost his life in Mangalagiri in Guntur district once the family whereabouts are known. This mishap once again underscores the fact that it is imperative that the police take some responsibility in streamlining the crowds, as the frenzied mood of the fans on the day of releases is well known.
Junior NTR and No 9 Friday, October 3, 2003 | Editor
Telugu film folk cling on to sentiments. Mercedes Benz and Monday releases are considered bad omens. In the case of Junior NTR its 9. He believes in numerology, and 9 is considered his lucky number. The release date of his movies, should have nine number in one form or the other. Student No.1 (27-9-2001), Allari Ramudu (18-7-02, 18/2 = 9). His present blockbuster - Simhadri also released on (9-7-2003). His movies release on the 9th or have a total of 9, or multiples of this number. For that matter - Junior NTR's latest film Andhrawala also is releasing on 9th January 2004. He also wanted his mentor - Kodali Naani only to make his 9th film Sambha which comes after Andhrawala. Hope this lucky element of 9 doesn't leave him. His blockbuster Adi released on 28-3-2003. The movie release date totals upto 18, a divisible of 9 (2+8+3+2+3).
Sonali Bendre is Venky’s heroine Friday, October 3, 2003 | Editor
The Kakkha Kakkha team of Gautham- Harris Jeyaraj will work for Venkys untitled film on Geetha Chitra International banner. This project is a remake of Tamil superhit Kakkha Kakkha with Surya and Jyothika in the lead. The film will go to floors in about in October. Sonali Bendre is most likely to be the heroine for this project. The Tamil version had a hot song between the lead pair. Will Sonali do it after marriage?
In search of a role where glamour isn’t important Friday, October 3, 2003 | Editor
In search of a role where glamour isn’t important HYDERABAD: In her suburban Mumbai home, she is the same pig-headed girl. In the vicinity, she is the same spoilt brat, who goes to the wayside vendor and relishes that savoury Mumbai cutlet and plenty of panipuri. She can hang around anywhere without being spotted. (Or is it that she is mistaken for one among those innumerable Mumbai lasses who love to party around, flock the parks and flirt with the punks and junkies?) Wondering whom I’m talking about? None other than Neha, the girl who attained stardom with just two films out and one in the making. ‘‘I wonder what is happening to the Hyderabad stringers. I had a bad migraine some time back and somehow I tripped and fell. And it was news. It is damn embarrassing to be in news for no reason..,’’ Neha whispers while attending a call to cancel an earlier appointment with somebody for this already late reporter. (Good, it means that you are not against us, the hacks who poke our noses into anything and everything!) Dil was average, Dost was OK, and she hopes Athade Oka Sainyam (currently on the sets) would be a blockbuster. After the shoot was over for the day, Neha had some other plan for the evening. With the wild satisfaction of spoiling her dusk, this reporter sat, hoping to get some juicy news. She looked gorgeous in slacks, without a speck of cosmetic on her charming face. ‘‘I have no background in films. My dad is an industrialist. And you won’t believe me, my father didn’t know that I was doing a Telugu movie until I completed the first schedule..’’ What makes you take up roles without getting the proper consent of your parents? ‘‘I want to be my own. I want to be self-dependent. I know acting. It is my hobby and I want to live my life using my hobbies. What do you say..?’’ That’s Neha, just in her sweet sixteen and doing first year of graduation in Commerce. No plaints about directors’ misbehaviour? No, never. Everything depends upon the way you behave. ‘Give respect and take respect’ is my policy. And I do enjoy a lot of respects in the sets. Once, one of those assistant directors insisted that my time was bought by them. I told him plainly that my price was so high that the whole world couldn’t buy it,’’ says an intrepid Neha. What about the evenings? ‘‘I like to chill out somewhere, and yeah, I love to attend parties on Saturday evenings.’’ Your dream role? ‘‘It is of a rough village girl, where my looks and glamour don’t matter and where I can give the best of my performance..’’ So this girl doesn’t look at the glamour part of the whole thing...(Wow! unbelievable) And there’s sure more. Let’s wait and see.
It’s easy to make hit films in Telugu, says A M Ratnam Friday, October 3, 2003 | Editor
Hyderabad: ‘Boys has a good response,’’ says A M Ratnam, emerging from his office, apologising for making us wait. ‘‘We were discussing the lyrics and dialogues of my youngest son Ravikrishna’s screen debut, 7G, Rainbow Colony by Kathalkonden director Selvaraghavan. This ‘youth plus family drama’ on problems at home, is based on a real life story.’’ Do you produce movies only for proven directors? I produce quality films on a big budget. For that, I have to know whether the director is eligible enough for me to bank on; I should know his strengths and weaknesses. If it is a small budgeter, yes, a new director can be blooded. Nee Manasu Naaku Telusu, the movie where my son Jyothikrishna debuts into direction, will reach the theatres by November - December. Since this is his first film, we’re not experimenting. Nee... is a ‘love plus family drama’, with good music and humour. Shouldn’t producers’ incompetence be blamed for Tollywood’s dismal performance at the national awards? If they don’t keep insisting for ‘all commercial elements’... Big money is sunk into a movie. And the producer has to get his money back. Since there is no guarantee in film making, I don’t see anything wrong in a producer trying to save his skin. If a movie bombs, a producer loses big time, wiping away everything his last three movies earned. And as far as I understand, the awards committee follow some guideline which says that commercial films can’t be awarded. It is rare for a movie to be commercially and artistically applauded. And the demographic percentage of the audience has changed significantly, of late. It is the youth, followed by the mass, that come to the theatres now. The womenfolk - for whom family movies were made - are more than happy with their daily dose of TV soaps. They will come to the theatres only if the movie is a super duper hit. So, cinema has to grow beyond the daily small screen offerings to attract families to the theatres. Cinema’s USP continues to be DTS and the big screen. My Bharateeyadu was the first Indian movie on DTS. Last year was grieved as one of Indian cinema’s worst years. But Tollywood had a bigger percentage of success in the last two years, in comparison to other Indian languages. In Andhra Pradesh, people are very keen to watch movies in theatres, mainly due to the lack of other modes of entertainment. Remembering my childhood days, I used to listen to the rural folk discuss movies on their way to work, while working and during lunch. I remember them working overtime, to get enough money for a movie ticket. Movies with good songs will succeed here, but the tastes in Tamil Nadu are much more complex. It is easier to make a film ‘hit’ in Telugu than in Tamil. Big budgeters can’t get back their money from a single language, which is why most of my films are dubbed into different languages. For comparatively low budgeters like Kushi, I can afford to make them differently for different languages. The main NRI market for Telugu films is the US. Tamil films reach out to Canada, Malaysia and Singapore too. But these markets are now shrinking due to piracy. And Sun TV has come up in Singapore... For me, every movie is like a firstborn, tensing me up. I can’t rest on my laurels and pipedream that I’ve achieved all I need. A producer is always tensed, about the budgets, the settlements - not just at the release.
Tagore Wednesday, October 1, 2003 | Editor
Action,Musical Tagore, a film of Megastar Chiranjeevi after his super hit film "Indra", is now in theatres all over Andhra Pradesh. This is a story of a professor (Chiranjeevi) who revolts against corruption in the society and checks it through old students of his college. V.V.Vinayak, director of the film, dealt the subject to meet the standards of a Megastar film. The film has been released in 340+ theatres all over the world. The film is released simultaneously in other countries including U.S., U.K., Dubai, Malaysia, Kuwait, Singapore and Australia and also in Northern India in around 70 theatres. Release Date: September 24th, 2003 Wednesday Cast and Credits Starring: Chiranjeevi, Jyothika, Shriya, Prakashraj, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Sunil, M.S. Narayana, Jeeva, Punith Issar, Sivaji Shinde, Ramaprabha, Master Teja, Baby Kavya, and K.Viswanath (As chief minister) Directed by: V.V.Vinayak Produced by: B.Madhu Story: Murugadas Screenplay: V.V.Vinayak Camera: Chota K Naidu Action: Vijayan Music: Mani Sharma Other Crew: Editing: Goutham Raju Executive Producer: Gummalla Ganesh Art: Anandsai Lyrics: Veturi, Chandrabose, Suddala Ashokteja Dialogues: Paruchuri Brothers
"This is the gift given by my fans" - Chiranjeevi Wednesday, October 1, 2003 | Editor
"This is the gift given by my fans" - Chiranjeevi about Tagore Megastar's Tagore was released on the 24th of this month throughout the world. In A.P there were huge crowds at all the theatres as expected and the heavy rush lead to couple of tragic accidents. Two fans died in Rajahmundry due to stampede and in Mangalagiri one person died. One fan died due to electric shock while decorating a cutout at Rajahmundry. ChitraSeema.com passes its deepest condolences to the families of these four. Coming to the film, there is a super hit talk everywhere as per the first day reports go. All most all the dailies covered the news of hit talk of the film and also the incidents occurred during release. All most all the theatres used police force to control the crowd. At Rajahmundry, Rambha theatre, management started issuing tickets at 6 am for all the shows. Fans came to the theatre at 2am itself, and when the counter opened at 6:45 within half an hour all tickets were sold out. Then the stampede started and two persons died... and the incident repeated in Mangalagiri, which led to the death of one more fan. Another person died in Rajahmundry, due to electric shock, while decorating a banner for the film. While giving interview to a local Telugu newspaper Chiranjeevi, expressed his happiness about the hit talk of the film and stated "We tried to give another hit film after Indra's success and now as per the talk we have succeeded and for this I thank all my fans. I am proud that everybody is greeting me and telling me this is my career's best film. THIS IS THE GIFT GIVEN BY MY FANS. CINEMA is a powerful media and if we can convey the good message through this media that will really have a powerful impact on the people. All this success credit goes to my audience and my fans."
