75 years of Tamil Cinema Festival kicked off in a grandiloquent
manner on August 6th, 2007 in Singapore. President of South Indian Artists
Association, actor Sarath Kumar inaugurated the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of
Tamil Cinema at the Golden Village Theater in the presence of actors, actresses,
media and well-wishers of the industry.
The inauguration of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Tamil Cinema on August 6th,
2007 was a colorful and flamboyant affair. The Golden Village Theater was decked
with backdrops of the most famous names in Tamil Cinema history. The achievement of
Tamil Cinema - right from the days of ‘Kalidas’ in 1931 to ‘Sivaji’ in 2007 – was
displayed at the premises. In short, the stage was set for the grand event.
Super Hero Sarath Kumar, President of South Indian Artistes Association, inaugurated
the week long celebrations and delivered the key-note address. Veteran director Mr.
S.A. Chandrasekar, President - Directors Union (TANTIS), Producer Mr. K.S.
Srinivasan, Secretary - Producers Council, Actress Ms. Sripriya, Committee Member -
South Indian Artistes Association, Mrs. Radikaa Sarath Kumar, Chairperson - Radaan
Mediaworks, Mr. C.R. Venkatesh, Director - Galatta Global Events, Mr. Girish Ramdas,
Director - Galatta Global Events and Mr. K. Ramesh, President - Galatta Global
Events were the other delegates who graced the occasion. The representatives and
heads of council and unions Mr. Sarath Kumar, on behalf of the Nadigar Sangam, Mr.
S.A. Chandrasekar, on behalf of the Director’s Union and Mr. Srinivasan, on behalf
of the Producers Council and President Mr. Rama Narayanan assured that the Kollywood
community would actively participate in the grand fete. The impressive inauguration
was followed by the screening of the evergreen classic movie of MGR ‘Nadodi Mannan’.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Cameraman and Director Jeeva dead
Ace cameraman and director Jeeva passed away in St.Petersberg, Russia, following cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning at 7.30 a.m. (Indian Standard Time). He was 44.
Director Jeeva was shooting for a Tamil film “Dham Dhoom” with ‘Jayem’ Ravi as the hero, Kangana Ranaut, Laxmi Rai and other artists. His body is expected to be flown to the city on Thursday.
An acclaimed cinematographer-turned-director, Jeeva had worked in over 40 films starting with Malayalam films. He was the cameraman for director Shankar’s “Gentleman”, “Kadhalan” and “Indian.”
Jeeva ventured into Bollywood and cranked the camera for several blockbusters, including films directed by Priyadarshan. Some of his Hindi movies include “Hulchul,” “Yeh Tera Ghar Yeh Mera Ghar,” “Run,” “Kushi,” “Hera Pheri” among others. A native of Thiruthooraipoondi, Jeeva ventured into direction with “12B” in which he introduced Sham as the hero. The film featured Jyothika and Simran. Jeeva’s next film was “Ullam Ketkumae” with a cast of now-popular stars like Arya, Asin and Pooja. Jeeva followed it up with “Unnale Unnale,” where he introduced a Bangalore model Vinay in the lead role. “Unnale Unnale” was a run away hit and is still running in theatres. Jeeva was currently engaged in directing “Dhaam Dhoom.”
He is survived by his wife Annesha, the costume designer of Jeeva’s films, and two children.
Director Jeeva was shooting for a Tamil film “Dham Dhoom” with ‘Jayem’ Ravi as the hero, Kangana Ranaut, Laxmi Rai and other artists. His body is expected to be flown to the city on Thursday.
An acclaimed cinematographer-turned-director, Jeeva had worked in over 40 films starting with Malayalam films. He was the cameraman for director Shankar’s “Gentleman”, “Kadhalan” and “Indian.”
Jeeva ventured into Bollywood and cranked the camera for several blockbusters, including films directed by Priyadarshan. Some of his Hindi movies include “Hulchul,” “Yeh Tera Ghar Yeh Mera Ghar,” “Run,” “Kushi,” “Hera Pheri” among others. A native of Thiruthooraipoondi, Jeeva ventured into direction with “12B” in which he introduced Sham as the hero. The film featured Jyothika and Simran. Jeeva’s next film was “Ullam Ketkumae” with a cast of now-popular stars like Arya, Asin and Pooja. Jeeva followed it up with “Unnale Unnale,” where he introduced a Bangalore model Vinay in the lead role. “Unnale Unnale” was a run away hit and is still running in theatres. Jeeva was currently engaged in directing “Dhaam Dhoom.”
He is survived by his wife Annesha, the costume designer of Jeeva’s films, and two children.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Recreating Marina for Dasavatharam
Close on the heels of Sivaji, film-buffs eagerly await the release of Kamal Haasan's Dasavatharam. One of the costliest ventures in Tamil cinema, the movie is being produced by Oscar Ravichandran.
Featuring Kamal Haasan in ten different roes, the movie is nearing completion. The latest buzz is that the makers of Dasavatharam are keen on completing the movie by July and plans for a release this Deepavali.
Plans are on to come up with a huge set replicating the shores of Marina near Royapuram.
Director K S Ravikumar is planning to shoot the tsunami, which struck the coast of Tamilnadu, a couple of years ago. Art director Thotta Tharani is entrusted with the job. A fishing hamlet and an artificial beach are coming up near Royapuram for the purpose.
A few days ago, a major sequence of the movie was shot in a church at Royapuram. Getting grand day after day is Dasavatharam.
Featuring Kamal Haasan in ten different roes, the movie is nearing completion. The latest buzz is that the makers of Dasavatharam are keen on completing the movie by July and plans for a release this Deepavali.
Plans are on to come up with a huge set replicating the shores of Marina near Royapuram.
Director K S Ravikumar is planning to shoot the tsunami, which struck the coast of Tamilnadu, a couple of years ago. Art director Thotta Tharani is entrusted with the job. A fishing hamlet and an artificial beach are coming up near Royapuram for the purpose.
A few days ago, a major sequence of the movie was shot in a church at Royapuram. Getting grand day after day is Dasavatharam.
Sivaji to be released on June 15th
June 15th – that’s the day Rajnikanth will be meeting his fans on the big screen with his latest film Sivaji.
With a first time combination of superstar Rajnikanth, hit filmmaker Shankar and music maestro AR Rahman - Sivaji the Boss is undoubtedly the hottest ticket down south this summer.
It's a film that's been kept under wraps since it went on the floors, with this first look being released only two weeks before Sivaji hits screens. And the man behind the movie has a reason for that.
Sivaji director Shankar says, "I want to retain the freshness and thrill of seeing everything for the first time."
With reports of a budget of over Rs 80 crore Sivaji-the Boss may well be India's costliest film ever. But that’s something the director Shankar is not willing to comment on.
"I don't know anything about the budget. The producers handle that," Shankar says.
The first look promises Sivaji to be an all out entertainer, showing Rajnikanth as multi-tasking as a lover, a comedian, an action hero and a reformer - just the way his fans like him.
With a first time combination of superstar Rajnikanth, hit filmmaker Shankar and music maestro AR Rahman - Sivaji the Boss is undoubtedly the hottest ticket down south this summer.
It's a film that's been kept under wraps since it went on the floors, with this first look being released only two weeks before Sivaji hits screens. And the man behind the movie has a reason for that.
Sivaji director Shankar says, "I want to retain the freshness and thrill of seeing everything for the first time."
With reports of a budget of over Rs 80 crore Sivaji-the Boss may well be India's costliest film ever. But that’s something the director Shankar is not willing to comment on.
"I don't know anything about the budget. The producers handle that," Shankar says.
The first look promises Sivaji to be an all out entertainer, showing Rajnikanth as multi-tasking as a lover, a comedian, an action hero and a reformer - just the way his fans like him.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
MGR back to kollywood
Tamil cinema's new stories and themes are winning worldwide attention, what with two films - Mani Ratnam's 'Guru' and 'Indian' fame Shankar's 'Veyil' - screened in the prestigious Cannes film festival earlier this month.
Amidst this jubilant scenario, although silver and golden jubilees for a film are a rarity, Kollywood fans seem to be remembering their yesteryear screen legends, especially the tallest among them, M G Ramachandran or MGR, as he was known.
MGR's hits of the 60s and early 70s are still welcomed on the small screen, according to a recent survey. They are also proving to be a huge draw when re-released in theatres. Recently, one such hit 'Nadodi Mannan', a political action film, turned out to be a hit of sorts when released in a couple of theatres. Interestingly, a few of the heroines of yesteryear Tamil cinema like B Saroja Devi, M N Rajam and Rajasree, who had acted in a number of films alongside MGR, watched the film and relived those days of glory again.
Today, another of MGR's runway box office hits 'Ayirathil Oruvan', made in 1965 and ranking among the biggest hits of his career, is being released again in three theatres. The film is also immensely popular for the melodious musical score with every song, penned meaningfully, turning out to be a hit. The musical score of the film was by two other legends of Tamil cinema, Viswanathan and Ramamurthy.
MGR's fans too are lapping up the films of their icon, who lives in their heart forever.
Amidst this jubilant scenario, although silver and golden jubilees for a film are a rarity, Kollywood fans seem to be remembering their yesteryear screen legends, especially the tallest among them, M G Ramachandran or MGR, as he was known.
MGR's hits of the 60s and early 70s are still welcomed on the small screen, according to a recent survey. They are also proving to be a huge draw when re-released in theatres. Recently, one such hit 'Nadodi Mannan', a political action film, turned out to be a hit of sorts when released in a couple of theatres. Interestingly, a few of the heroines of yesteryear Tamil cinema like B Saroja Devi, M N Rajam and Rajasree, who had acted in a number of films alongside MGR, watched the film and relived those days of glory again.
Today, another of MGR's runway box office hits 'Ayirathil Oruvan', made in 1965 and ranking among the biggest hits of his career, is being released again in three theatres. The film is also immensely popular for the melodious musical score with every song, penned meaningfully, turning out to be a hit. The musical score of the film was by two other legends of Tamil cinema, Viswanathan and Ramamurthy.
MGR's fans too are lapping up the films of their icon, who lives in their heart forever.
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