Ponnar Shankar, an upcoming Indian epic film adapted from a novel of the same name by M. Karunanidhi, a fictionalized retelling of the Ponnar Shankar epic. The film is directed by Thiagarajan and features his son Prashanth in lead dual roles as warrior princes Ponnar and Shankar with Pooja Chopra and Divya Parameshwaran making their film debuts as princesses. The film is based on true story about KONGU NADU.The film also features an extensive cast of supporting actors with Rajkiron, Napoleon, Prakash Raj, Jayaram, Sneha and Kushboo amongst others.
'Prashanth had entered into films very early and since then I've always wanted to do something big for him. The story of Ponnar - Shankar had immense scope for exhibiting not just his acting skills but also his expertise in the Martial Arts. I approached Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, with the project and he immediately gave me the go ahead, 'says Thiagarajan.
'The star cast comprises some of the biggest stars in the industry and to assemble them all on the sets was quite a challenge. If I got the call sheets of one actor, another would be busy shooting somewhere else. Another challenge was shifting the war battalions from one location to another. Moreover, to give an authentic touch, I have avoided graphics as much as possible.
So, in one scene, if you see a clash of 10,000 horses, in another, you will see 2000 dancers in action. The war and dance sequences will surely be talked about,' claims the directorm being very happy about the way his project had shaped up.
Discussions for the production of Ponnar Shankar had been ongoing since 2007 and filming started in August 2009. The film has progressed slowly due to the difficulty of fixing schedules to feature all the supporting cast together, and is expected to release in April 2011.
The latest buzz in tinsel town is that Karan Johar, the self-avowed non-believer in the institution of marriage, has decided to tie the knot.
The source of the buzz lies in a Dubai-based Bollywood glossy which claims that the master of mush is finally going to settle down.
The 38-year-old filmmaker will reportedly get married to a family friend from New York. The girls name is Vandana Melwani.
K-Jo is one of the most eligible bachelors in Bollywood, apart from, of course, Salman Khan. There have in the past been rumours about Johar tying the knot, but he has managed to keep single till now. Though, he’s often heard grumbling about his age and the increasing white streaks in his hair, he’s shown no real excitement in getting hitched.
So the question on everybody’s lips is - is Karan tying the knot at last?
One of the films that has been the talk of B-town ever since it was first announced has been Shah Rukh Khan's ambitious Ra.One directed by Anubhav Sinha . The film which also stars Arjun Rampal and Kareena Kapoor is a good vs. evil, superhero highly FX laden action adventure, plus of course it being Bollywood, has some romance sprinkled in the mix, as well. With the release of the teaser trailer the buzz and excitement about the film is already huge and we still have seven months to go before the release.
The story is about a superhero, which was inspired by Marvel comics and the Hollywood films X-Men. Khan says, "I just thought that we don't have any background of a superhero in terms of comics like 'Spiderman'. We have superheroes like 'Krrish' and 'Drona' but they are film superheroes."
Describing Ra.One's superhero, SRK says, "I tell people this is the one who's gonna do... he is going to fly, he has these powers and once this becomes known, then people would like to come and see the film."
Co-star Arjun Rampal had nothing but praise for SRK and the film when he spoke to PTI, "This is something that I can confidently state that Ra.One is the most ambitious film and expensive film that is being made out of India. The film is about superheroes and when you explore such a genre, you have to go all out to make it something special." Adding, "Shah Rukh is leaving no stone unturned for Ra.One. I have worked with Shah Rukh before and seen his commitment and passion. However, the kind that I am seeing in Ra.One is unparalleled. The way he is going all out to make this film extra special is commendable. His passion is just so contagious."
You can see that because Shah Rukh Khan is very enthusiastic about this project, which he says because of the high caliber of special effects will change the way films are made in India, "It's an indigenously made film and it's made in VFX studios in India and is trying to create something which will change the genre of films. If Indian filmmakers would like to make something alike, they have the access to the technology."
The superstar turned superhero says he made Ra.One for his fans, "I have made one promise to every one in India. I have been working for 20 years and I have been given too much; much more than I deserve as an actor, as a star, and I think it's time to give back some."
But not only for his fans, Ra.One was also made for his two children, "Ra.One is a very special film I made for my kids. I hope I can make my children proud and this country proud."
He is very passionate about Ra.One and has worked hard to make it a great film, "You make a film with passion and love. You want to make it right and want the world to watch it. I am trying my best to make it a very good film."
In case you missed it feast your eyes on the cool, the exciting and the totally rockin’ first look at Ra.One.
The much-awaited film from KV Anand starring Jiiva, Ajmal and Piaa Bajpai has yesteryear leading actress Radha's daughter Karthika playing the leading lady. The director who is very happy about his third film says “KO is Double Ayan”! referring the Surya starrer that propelled KV Anand and Ko to be twice as good!
With Harris Jayaraj’s music topping the charts, it is hoped, to repeat the success of Ayan which had some timeless numbers. Producer, RB Chowdhary of Super Good films will be releasing this movie simultaneously in Telugu as Rangam. This is a first for the production house and reflects the confidence the makers have in their film. Lets see what awaits this coming new year.
The most downloaded hot model on internet, Poonam Pandey has hit headlines with her sensational statement that she would go n*** if team India wins the world cup. Poonam is a die hard cricket fan and she has done a special photoshoot with cricket theme recently.
Now, as India is two steps closer to the world cup, Poonam Pandey has found her own hot way to motivate the team. She said that she would bare all in Mumbai stadium if India wins the cup.
Poonam Pandey takes a leaf out of lingerie models Larissa Requelme and Luciana Sarazar who stated that they would go n*** if their football teams win FIFA world cup.
Watch out for Poonam Pandey's hot pics and spicy photos before you could imagine her going n***in front of a jam packed stadium. Now India has one hot reason to win this cup, isn’t it?
Tamanna who made her debut in Tollywood has always a special place in her heart for Telugu cinema. Despite being worshipped and made a star by Tamil audience, she has always preferred to be in Telugu cinema industry.
However, it took a while for her Happy Days to start in Tollywood. Now, Tamanna’s time has come and she is right now ringing with plum offers. Tamanna’s 100% Love and Badrinath are gearing up for summer release.
She is also playing the heroine roles in NTR’s Rachcha and Ram’s Mana Love Story movies. Recently, she was roped into play Ram Charan’s love interest in Sampath Nandi’s film. With Tollywood dreams finally coming true, Tamanna has deliberately put Kollywood aside. She has just one Tamil film, Venghai on her hands at the moment.
The Duo starting from Roja (1992) till Raavanan (2010) has always resulted in producing exceptional music thats magic to the listeners and the upcoming extravagant epic venture Ponniyin Selvan will be magic again only to be in its best form.
Ponniyin Selvan with a cast that is yet to be finalized has A.R. Rahman determined to do his best again for Mani and has already completed five songs. The tunes are said to be outstanding and Mani was moved by his gesture. He seems to have approved the songs and is keen to begin shooting for them as he wants to make them memorable.
As per the news circles, The film would have Vijay, Mahesh Babu, Arya, and Sathyaraj portraying keyroles with Anushka playing Vijay's love interest. Mani Ratnam is in plans for casting a top heroine from Bollywood opposite Mahesh in this movie. Stay tuned for more scoop.
The latest passenger from Kollywood to get a ticket to Bollywood is Sneha. The smiling beauty of Tamil cinema has been roped in for an upcoming Hindi movie, to be directed by Revathy Varma.
Sneha will play Naseeruddin Shah’s wife in the film titled ‘Mad Dad’. Popular Bollywood actress Ayesha Takia will play her daughter. “It is a challenging role and I love being part of the film,” she says.
According to Revathy Varma, Sneha’s looks in the film will be in 1980s style. “Sneha is a talented actor. She can perform any role with ease. This is the reason behind selecting her for the role,” the director says.
Sneha, who was last seen in ‘Bhavani’, is currently acting in ‘Vidiyal’, ‘Ponnar Sankar’ and ‘Murattu Kaalai’ in Tamil. Sources close to the actress say that “She has given bulk dates to Mad Dad and is eager to shoot for her maiden Hindi film.” Guess we're all eyes to see Sneha speaking Hindi, shouldn't hurt much as watching Daniel Craig speaking our national language.
Suriya has now set all his focus on ‘Ezham Arivu’ and considers it as his magnum opus… The actor has been taking scrutinizing efforts to make it the best of his career. Now we hear it from the closer sources that he plays the role of a circus clown and another one as a Chinese martial arts expert before 2000 years in China.
The actor had to look fatigue and tired without food and continuous as a clown for a particular sequence in the movie. Merely for this scene, he remained without food and water and started looking pale. Even his father Siva Kumar started yelling at him in his house.
‘Ezham Arivu’ with Shruti Hassan playing the lead opposite Surya will have the audio launched in May while the movie release is scheduled to be sometime in June.
Asin is busy in the Hindi film Ready which has Salman Khan in the lead role. She has also been signed for the Hindi film House Full 2 which has Akshay Kumar in the lead role. There is news that Asin has agreed to act with two piece swim suit. When asked Asin about this, she said,” People who know me well will not believe this news. What is the necessity for me to act in two piece swim suit? Everybody knows very well that whatever big is the film, I will not commit unless the story is good. When things are like this, there is no truth in the news that I am acting in two piece suit. Maybe the people who spread this rumor might have the intention that I may act in two pieces because the Part 1 of this film had such scenes.
After the release of the film, people will come to know that whether I had acted with two piece or not. Apart from this the shooting of the Ready has to be completed and the shooting of House Full Part 2 will be commencing during September. I don’t know how such news is being spread so fast.”
Bollywood beauty queen Aishwarya Rai looked stunning at the 83rd Academy Awards in a shimmery outfit. She donned a Giorgio Armani Prive gown.
Aish was looking eye-catching with her shining outfit and she adorned it with a Jimmy Choo clutch. Her makeup and hairdo for the event was also apt and in total she looked amazing. Her husband Abhishek Bachchan wore a black tuxedo.Well enjoy Aishwarya Rai's Stunning Hot New York City Photoshoot 2011.
Bollywood beauty Vidya Balan considers Santosh Sivan's much awaited Urumi as the most special film in her career. Reason? She has dubbed for herself in Malayalam for the first time in her career. Vidya Balan has a special song in the movie that she dedicates to her parents. She says she did the movie because her parents always wanted her to do a Malayalam movie.
The award winning actress will reportedly enact the role of a traditional Mohiniyattam dancer in a very sensuous manner and her dance will be a fusion of various classical and contemporary dance forms.
Mr and Mrs Bachchan will soon be back together in reel life with Rajkumar Santoshi’s romantic comedy, Ladies & Gentlemen, which flags off in July. Aishwarya says, “I met Rajji a week ago and he told me that before I start giving my dates to other producers, he wanted to lock a chunk for his film. Abhishek and I are his dream pair, he’s always wanted us for this film.”
She admits to having immensely liked this script, which she had heard years ago. Ladies & Gentlemen will be the star couple’s ninth film together. Their last film together was Mani Ratnam’s Raavan, which didn’t quite set the cash registers ringing.
So, why did she back out of it before, prompting her husband to suggest that they were not a “couple package” but “two independent actors who didn’t play any role in getting each other cast”? She reasons that she didn’t have the dates earlier since Guzaarish demanded two-three months of single-minded focus. “But the movie got delayed and with Abhishek and Rajji on board, I’m happy to be back,” she says. “As far as this script is concerned, it was always a yes.”
Since their marriage, the duo has been wary of over- exposing brand Bachchan, insisting that they’d work together only when a film would offer them something new and exciting. Earlier, Aishwarya had opted out of Dostana, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se and Game. More recently, she reportedly refused a Vipul Shah film opposite her husband, suggesting he cast Katrina Kaif instead.
She says that the last three years have been hectic. In 2008, she had Jodhaa Akbar and Sarkar Raj. In 2009, she was juggling between the English film, The Pink Panther 2, Raavan and the Tamil film, Raavanan. Last year there was Robot, Action Replayy and Guzaarish.
“I took a small break after The Pink Pather 2 but then the last couple of years have been really busy. We actors enjoy our work so much that there are times when we commit to projects without realising that we’ve locked away a lot of ‘own’ time,” she says. “I’ve tried to approach work differently but haven’t always succeeded. This break was necessary.”
She spent time with Abhishek in New Zealand where he was filming Players and then flew off to Los Angeles for a much-needed vacation that turned out to be eventful when they were invited to the Oscars. Now she’s raring to return to the sets. Ladies & Gentlemen will be shot across Mumbai, Rome, New York and Malaysia. “It’s wonderful to be doing another movie with Abhishek. We had a great time during Raavan even though I had to work really hard on both Raavan and Raavanan, which were critically acclaimed.”
