Dhanam Photo Gallery

Dhanam Photo Gallery

Surya at Chennai Marathon 2008 (Photo Gallery)

Surya at Chennai Marathon 2008 (Photo Gallery)

Will Rajini fans allow him to be the talented Rajini he is?

I’ll tell you what will save Kuselan – what’ll save Kuselan is not Rajini compensating the distributors or Rajini making a guest appearance in Murgadoss’s next but the Tamil audience learning to put away preconceived notions of what a Rajini movie should be and go see (or even re-see) Kuselan. And appreciate it for the wonderful movie it is. Kuselan for me is the most recent instance of something that has always been there about cinema –be it Hollywood or Kollywood: that the box office performance of a movie is not always an indicator of how good or bad a movie is. Another vivid example is Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar whose middling performance at the box office crushed Mani Ratnam’s belief in the movie going public (he felt Iruvar was his best) to the extent that he compensated distributors. Now, after several decades, here is Kuselan, another good movie (definitely not a masterpiece like Iruvar) having to contend with failure, and financial re-compensation.
So many of Kamal’s movies have been brilliant to wonderful (Hey Ram and Anbe Sivam come to mind) but have to face poor box office reception. Does that make them mediocre or
bad movies? No! So how does box office justify anything? I thought that Chandramukhi, Sivaji: the Boss and Dasavatharam were mediocre movies, but look at the box office phenomenon they became. Does their success and ability to please crowds make them good movies? No! In retrospect, Tamil audience now admit that Iruvar is a great film, and that Hey Ram is finely executed, while Anbe Sivam has become a favorite movie to watch again and again on cable recasts and DVD. I’m betting that a year from now, the same movie-goers who are dismissing Kuselan or are staying away from it, will be praising it and enjoy seeing it again and again on DVD. I wish that a year from now, after all the fuss about Rajini’s Hogenakkal apology, the distributors agitation, and the poor word of mouth has all died down, Kuselan is re-released – unedited and unexpurgated. And I also wish for other brilliant movies that the Tamil movie-going public dismissed or missed (Chitiram Pesuthadi was saved by Vallameenu, otherwise that too would have to have been rediscovered on DVD) such as Ayutha Eluthu, Mayakannadi, Akku, Kattradu Tamil, Arai En 305il Kadavul get theatrical re-releases. The Tamil audience is not always wrong, of course. They were bang on in dismissing Bheema – no amount of reevaluation is going to make this movie any better. It is simply a failure of the script, not execution or acting. (You’ll notice all the underrated or overlooked movies I’ve mentioned above have excellent scripts). And they were bang on in recognizing that Kadhal, Paruthiveeran, Subramanipuram, Anjathe and Polladavan were different but still worthy of box office patronage. (Again, superb scripts). So, they do know a good movie when they see one –except sometimes bad press, the wrong word of mouth or a movie that is simply ahead of its time (think Iruvar) distracts them from recognizing good cinema. Kuselan had too many detractors (several of them, factors external to the movie) for the public to simply enjoy the movie for what it is: an intelligent ensemble comedy and a moving drama about friendship. And what a rich script. (I mean, how could any script by Sreenivasan misfire?) It is not Rajini I worry for here - the Superstar will move on to Robot and give people what they want – but for director Vasu, who so skillfully adapted it from the Malayalam original (unlike Viji who bungled Velli Thirai) and refashioned it as an entertaining but sensitive Tamil masala movie. I’m sad that Pasupathy’s beautifully controlled and understated performance here has been obscured by all the bad press Kuselan has been getting. Apart from Pasupathy, all the little comic actors perform so well. There is even subtlety to the comedy. And Vadivellu certainly does not disappoint.
Kuselan works precisely because it is not a typical Rajini film. And yet the climax of the movie is so moving and powerful because it is Rajini, a true to life superstar who has touched –and continues to touch – the lives of so many people on screen and off screen. Before this moment of reunion between these childhood friends, the movie’s entire plot shows the town clamoring to get close to the Superstar, and – once again – their antics are convincing because this is the real Rajini. Imagine Prakash Raj instead in the role: he would have played a superstar in his inimitable grandiose style, but the audience will still know that this is an intelligent actor playing a part. With Rajini you know it is the real thing. The grandeur is not faked. That is why, though Kuselan is not a Rajini film, it is still very much his film because it is charged with his presence.
However, it is really high time Tamil cinema fans, especially Rajini fans, allowed the star to explore playing different parts – if not lead roles – in movies where he does not always have to play the same myth-making, larger than life character. It is painfully obvious that after seeing the success of offbeat movies like Paruthiveeran and Subramaniapuram, Rajini is crying out to do something different himself. To send a message that he not only blesses all the change in Tamil cinema but wants to be a part of the change – not just be godfather to it.
In Baba he explored the unworldly, spiritual side in him; in Kuselan he risked demystifying the grand Rajini myth. Saying simply, ‘I’m only the actor who said all those dialogues written for me by good scriptwriters. And you have taken it too seriously. Don’t confuse me with my characters.” Of course, the audience didn’t buy it. It took Sean Connery decades to get an audience to accept him playing characters other than James Bond. When he was still Bond, Pierce Brosnan risked playing a villain (The Tailor of Panama); ditto for Daniel Craig.
Rajinikanth should be allowed to play the roles he wants – not those we would like him to. Come on people, how many times has he told us “En vazhi – thani vazhi.” If you don’t respect and acknowledge that then it is you, the Rajini fan that is not taking him seriously. And if he has told us this once, is not like he has told us this a hundred times?! But we aren’t listening.
Will Rajini fans allow him to be the talented Rajini he is? From here on, this is the deal Rajini should make with his audience: ‘for every two superstar movies, I will make one character-based movie’.Idhu eppadi irukku?

Will Rajini fans allow him to be the talented Rajini he is?

I’ll tell you what will save Kuselan – what’ll save Kuselan is not Rajini compensating the distributors or Rajini making a guest appearance in Murgadoss’s next but the Tamil audience learning to put away preconceived notions of what a Rajini movie should be and go see (or even re-see) Kuselan. And appreciate it for the wonderful movie it is. Kuselan for me is the most recent instance of something that has always been there about cinema –be it Hollywood or Kollywood: that the box office performance of a movie is not always an indicator of how good or bad a movie is. Another vivid example is Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar whose middling performance at the box office crushed Mani Ratnam’s belief in the movie going public (he felt Iruvar was his best) to the extent that he compensated distributors. Now, after several decades, here is Kuselan, another good movie (definitely not a masterpiece like Iruvar) having to contend with failure, and financial re-compensation.
So many of Kamal’s movies have been brilliant to wonderful (Hey Ram and Anbe Sivam come to mind) but have to face poor box office reception. Does that make them mediocre or
bad movies? No! So how does box office justify anything? I thought that Chandramukhi, Sivaji: the Boss and Dasavatharam were mediocre movies, but look at the box office phenomenon they became. Does their success and ability to please crowds make them good movies? No! In retrospect, Tamil audience now admit that Iruvar is a great film, and that Hey Ram is finely executed, while Anbe Sivam has become a favorite movie to watch again and again on cable recasts and DVD. I’m betting that a year from now, the same movie-goers who are dismissing Kuselan or are staying away from it, will be praising it and enjoy seeing it again and again on DVD. I wish that a year from now, after all the fuss about Rajini’s Hogenakkal apology, the distributors agitation, and the poor word of mouth has all died down, Kuselan is re-released – unedited and unexpurgated. And I also wish for other brilliant movies that the Tamil movie-going public dismissed or missed (Chitiram Pesuthadi was saved by Vallameenu, otherwise that too would have to have been rediscovered on DVD) such as Ayutha Eluthu, Mayakannadi, Akku, Kattradu Tamil, Arai En 305il Kadavul get theatrical re-releases. The Tamil audience is not always wrong, of course. They were bang on in dismissing Bheema – no amount of reevaluation is going to make this movie any better. It is simply a failure of the script, not execution or acting. (You’ll notice all the underrated or overlooked movies I’ve mentioned above have excellent scripts). And they were bang on in recognizing that Kadhal, Paruthiveeran, Subramanipuram, Anjathe and Polladavan were different but still worthy of box office patronage. (Again, superb scripts). So, they do know a good movie when they see one –except sometimes bad press, the wrong word of mouth or a movie that is simply ahead of its time (think Iruvar) distracts them from recognizing good cinema. Kuselan had too many detractors (several of them, factors external to the movie) for the public to simply enjoy the movie for what it is: an intelligent ensemble comedy and a moving drama about friendship. And what a rich script. (I mean, how could any script by Sreenivasan misfire?) It is not Rajini I worry for here - the Superstar will move on to Robot and give people what they want – but for director Vasu, who so skillfully adapted it from the Malayalam original (unlike Viji who bungled Velli Thirai) and refashioned it as an entertaining but sensitive Tamil masala movie. I’m sad that Pasupathy’s beautifully controlled and understated performance here has been obscured by all the bad press Kuselan has been getting. Apart from Pasupathy, all the little comic actors perform so well. There is even subtlety to the comedy. And Vadivellu certainly does not disappoint.
Kuselan works precisely because it is not a typical Rajini film. And yet the climax of the movie is so moving and powerful because it is Rajini, a true to life superstar who has touched –and continues to touch – the lives of so many people on screen and off screen. Before this moment of reunion between these childhood friends, the movie’s entire plot shows the town clamoring to get close to the Superstar, and – once again – their antics are convincing because this is the real Rajini. Imagine Prakash Raj instead in the role: he would have played a superstar in his inimitable grandiose style, but the audience will still know that this is an intelligent actor playing a part. With Rajini you know it is the real thing. The grandeur is not faked. That is why, though Kuselan is not a Rajini film, it is still very much his film because it is charged with his presence.
However, it is really high time Tamil cinema fans, especially Rajini fans, allowed the star to explore playing different parts – if not lead roles – in movies where he does not always have to play the same myth-making, larger than life character. It is painfully obvious that after seeing the success of offbeat movies like Paruthiveeran and Subramaniapuram, Rajini is crying out to do something different himself. To send a message that he not only blesses all the change in Tamil cinema but wants to be a part of the change – not just be godfather to it.
In Baba he explored the unworldly, spiritual side in him; in Kuselan he risked demystifying the grand Rajini myth. Saying simply, ‘I’m only the actor who said all those dialogues written for me by good scriptwriters. And you have taken it too seriously. Don’t confuse me with my characters.” Of course, the audience didn’t buy it. It took Sean Connery decades to get an audience to accept him playing characters other than James Bond. When he was still Bond, Pierce Brosnan risked playing a villain (The Tailor of Panama); ditto for Daniel Craig.
Rajinikanth should be allowed to play the roles he wants – not those we would like him to. Come on people, how many times has he told us “En vazhi – thani vazhi.” If you don’t respect and acknowledge that then it is you, the Rajini fan that is not taking him seriously. And if he has told us this once, is not like he has told us this a hundred times?! But we aren’t listening.
Will Rajini fans allow him to be the talented Rajini he is? From here on, this is the deal Rajini should make with his audience: ‘for every two superstar movies, I will make one character-based movie’.Idhu eppadi irukku?

Action King Arjun becomes a Bollywood director

The great Action King Arjun is most likely to go into direction. The surprising matter is that he will become a director for Bollywood. Currently, he is shooting for his film Bommalattam which is made in Hindi and Tamil. The Hindi titled is Cinema.

Now since this is just a buzz but a strong talk among the Kollywood we wish Arjun all the best on his new venture. He will most likely go into it after his current projects gets completed.

Action King Arjun becomes a Bollywood director

The great Action King Arjun is most likely to go into direction. The surprising matter is that he will become a director for Bollywood. Currently, he is shooting for his film Bommalattam which is made in Hindi and Tamil. The Hindi titled is Cinema.

Now since this is just a buzz but a strong talk among the Kollywood we wish Arjun all the best on his new venture. He will most likely go into it after his current projects gets completed.

Hairstylists Association protest against Kuselan

After Karnataka, after the theatre owners and distributors now the hairstylists!!. The Hairstylists Association launched a protest against the movie Kuselan to Rajini and director P. Vasu.

Almost 250 people protest for the Hairstylist Association against P. Vasu in front of his house on Friday, who got arrested by the police.
Kuselan has insulted our profession through unfair comedy says the protesters. One after another lest see how Rajini solves this problem.

Hairstylists Association protest against Kuselan

After Karnataka, after the theatre owners and distributors now the hairstylists!!. The Hairstylists Association launched a protest against the movie Kuselan to Rajini and director P. Vasu.

Almost 250 people protest for the Hairstylist Association against P. Vasu in front of his house on Friday, who got arrested by the police.
Kuselan has insulted our profession through unfair comedy says the protesters. One after another lest see how Rajini solves this problem.

Anushka Photo Gallery

Anushka Photo Gallery

Why Sunder C prefers new faces

Sunder C has almost finished the movie Thee which is produced by G. Kitcha. It is a remake of a Telugu movie Action Duryodhana. He is doing a police officer role and actress Namitha is acting as a politician. Actress Ragini is doing the leading role.

He says the reason why he doesn’t work with famous heroines is because they ask for more money as well as they pose more problems. He says even as a director he prefers new faces.

Why Sunder C prefers new faces

Sunder C has almost finished the movie Thee which is produced by G. Kitcha. It is a remake of a Telugu movie Action Duryodhana. He is doing a police officer role and actress Namitha is acting as a politician. Actress Ragini is doing the leading role.

He says the reason why he doesn’t work with famous heroines is because they ask for more money as well as they pose more problems. He says even as a director he prefers new faces.

Malayalam film to be shot in 5 hours

Perhaps, film industries are now turning out into a record breaking field by individuals. Few people want to set Guinness records by making films within short period of time, but not sure about the quality. First, came a NRI who planned to complete a film within 12 days and here comes the other one. Prasanth Vasudevan of Trichur in Kerala is a well experienced personality in terms of making ad films and Tele-films.
He has planned to complete shooting a full length feature of 2.15hrs within 5 hours of time. The film titled ‘One Day’ has the budget of Rs.30Lakhs and is produced by an Kerala based industrialist Nelson Jab. Actors in this film have been going through rehearsals for past two weeks. 4 cameras will be used for shooting this film while post productions works will completed later.

Malayalam film to be shot in 5 hours

Perhaps, film industries are now turning out into a record breaking field by individuals. Few people want to set Guinness records by making films within short period of time, but not sure about the quality. First, came a NRI who planned to complete a film within 12 days and here comes the other one. Prasanth Vasudevan of Trichur in Kerala is a well experienced personality in terms of making ad films and Tele-films.
He has planned to complete shooting a full length feature of 2.15hrs within 5 hours of time. The film titled ‘One Day’ has the budget of Rs.30Lakhs and is produced by an Kerala based industrialist Nelson Jab. Actors in this film have been going through rehearsals for past two weeks. 4 cameras will be used for shooting this film while post productions works will completed later.

Dhaam Dhoom shows suspended?

Confusion prevailed over the screening of Dhaam Dhoom last evening with the Indian Bank Asset Recovery Management issuing a notice to refrain the screening since one of the executive producers of the movie owes the bank Rs. 24 crores. However, the producers held talks with the theatre owners and seemed to have ironed out the differences
paving way to the uninterrupted screening.
In an informal emergency meeting convened to discuss on the issue, the producers and theatre owners arrived at a consensus. Media One, producers of Dhaam Dhoom, promised that they will take the issue with the court on Monday and requested the theatre owners to continue with the screening.
The movie was released yesterday after numerous hurdles, and enjoyed tremendous response at the box office with advance booking. Trade Analysts predict that this sudden turn of events could be a blow for the movie's collections if not sorted out immediately.

Dhaam Dhoom shows suspended?

Confusion prevailed over the screening of Dhaam Dhoom last evening with the Indian Bank Asset Recovery Management issuing a notice to refrain the screening since one of the executive producers of the movie owes the bank Rs. 24 crores. However, the producers held talks with the theatre owners and seemed to have ironed out the differences
paving way to the uninterrupted screening.
In an informal emergency meeting convened to discuss on the issue, the producers and theatre owners arrived at a consensus. Media One, producers of Dhaam Dhoom, promised that they will take the issue with the court on Monday and requested the theatre owners to continue with the screening.
The movie was released yesterday after numerous hurdles, and enjoyed tremendous response at the box office with advance booking. Trade Analysts predict that this sudden turn of events could be a blow for the movie's collections if not sorted out immediately.