CELEBS FACTORY

Director turned Actor S.J Suryah who has hit films like Vaali and Kushi is working on his next film titled Isai. The director has been on the lookout for a suitable leading lady for this film and has auditioned more than a 100 wannabe actresses.

Finally, the film maker is reported to have zeroed in on a Mumbai-based model.

Now that the heroine for Isai has been finalized, the shooting should start rolling anytime soon.

It may be mentioned here that S.J Suryah’s last directorial venture in Tamil film was Anbe Aaruyire in 2005 and he was last seen in the recently-released Nanban in a cameo.

Director A.R Murugadoss recently shot for a famous washing soap brand with actor Ganesh Venkatraman as the brand ambassador.

Sources say that the director who was pleased with the actor’s performances in his earlier films ‘Unnai Pol Oruvan’ and ‘Abhiyum Naanum’ personally chose Ganesh to play the role of a young district collector in the ad film which revolves around the relationship between a son and a father. In the ad, Ganesh plays the son of a humble potter, who goes on to become a collector and makes his father proud.

Ganesh was jubilant about working with Murugadoss and says, “It was a wonderful experience working with Murugadoss sir. He is extremely down to earth and chilled out. We chatted up on a lot of things during shooting”.

Apparently Murgadoss had seen the trailer of Ganesh’s upcoming film Pani Thuli and he complimented about it. Ganesh goes on to add that Murugadoss liked his action stunts in Pani Thuli and wanted to know how he had performed them.

Ganesh is happy that 2012 has started on such a good note and is waiting for the release of Pani Thuli.

Veena Malik, the Pakistani babe who has been getting attention from fans all over the world is excited on the way the song is appreciated and is very happy with the response.

The song has Veena as the face of a political party. And during the election time, she has to perform and gather more votes for her political party.

Besides wearing a hot costume for the sequence, Malik will also seen sporting a Nathani, which was added to her look ,“Nathani is a very important ornament in Pakistan and it gives a very beautiful look. So on my request we added and it is looking very stunning” says Veena.

When contacted Nitin Manmohan, he said, “Veena fits best for the item number and I’m sure she’ll do justice to the song. It is shaping up very well and Veena so far has given a brilliant performance.”

The item song of hot Veena Malik Channo is choreographed by Ahmed Khan and sung by Mamta Sharma, Anu Malik has given the music.

Dismissing any similarities with fictional spy agent James Bond, Bollywood actor-producer Saif Ali Khan says his character in Agent Vinod is totally desi.

The much-awaited action-spy film, with Saif and his real life lady love Kareena Kapoor, is ready for release. And comparisons with the James Bond series are inevitable, says Saif.

"Any audience who comes to see the film will think that we have done an Indian James Bond. This is a very stupid thing to do because firstly, James Bond is a completely English character," he told reporters on the sidelines of the launch of the first poster of the movie.

"From the first scene of the film, you will realise that this is an Indian hero who is very different to the Bond character because we didn't want to make a copy of the Bond film," added Saif.

However, if Agent Vinod turns out to be a box office success, Saif might consider making sequels to it, a la the James Bond series, of which 22 films have been made so far and Skyfall, the 23rd is in the process of being made.

"If the film does well, it depends on the audience. If the picture becomes popular, then of course we will look forward to making a series," said Saif.

Directed by Sriram Raghavan, the action-loaded film is slated to release on March 23.

It has made it to the headlines already that Jiiva and Trisha will pair up for a film to be directed by Ahamed.

The latest addition to this untitled film is actress Tamannah Bhatia.

The actress decided to concentrate in Tamil films after ruling the roost last year in Tollywood. She was looking for some good roles and decided to take up this project that was offered to her with a good scope of performance.

With two leading ladies to pair up with, Jiiva must be looking forward for this project to begin.

Reports say that Nayantara is looking for meaty roles and that she is ready to shed her inhibitions all over again in front of the camera.

Nayantara is looking for good roles for a come back to the film industry in pursuit of her acting career and to retain her fans and the number one spot that she left behind to settle for marital bliss with Prabhu Deva, said the source.

The actress is said to have signed up a film with Nagarjuna in the lead and has raised speculations if she is accepting new offers and looking for more.

With Nayantara having returned to wear the grease paint again, one would wonder if her wedding is on cards anywhere in the near future.

There was rumor doing the rounds that Richa would be doing an item number in Prabhu Deva's Hindi remake of Siruthai titled 'Rowdy Rathore' with Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha in the lead.

Richa was quick to deny the rumor and used the opportunity to stress that she is in the industry to do meaningful roles and item numbers are out of the question for her.

Richa added that she has no idea where the gossip came from as she does not know anyone associated with the film and is currently busy with her Telugu film with Prabhas and her Bengali debut with Prosenjit which coincidentally is also a remake of Siruthai.

Trisha seems to be adopting the slow and steady approach in accepting projects.

After Samaran, for which she is currently shooting with Vishal in Bangkok, Trisha has signed up for a new project with Jiiva in the lead, to be directed by director Ahmed, whose earlier credentials include Vaamanan.

"I'm cast opposite Jiiva for the first time so that should be fun," said Trisha about the new movie adding that she was impressed with the script and the scope the role provides for her performance.

What more could an actor expect than getting a pat on the back from none other than the legendary Kamal Hassan?

Ulaga Nayagan who was at the Four Frame Preview theatre to watch the film Nanban on Saturday was all praises for Vijay.

Vijay accompanied Kamal for the screening of Nanban.

The film is one of the best things that has happened to Vijay in terms of collection and appreciation, it is stated by industry pundits.

Divya Spandana we hear is the number one contender for a coveted role in Vada Chennai to be directed by Vetri Maaran and starring STR.

Divya Spandana who made her debut in Tamil opposite STR in Kuthu is also known as Ramya and has worked with Vetri Maaran in his first film Polladavan.

When the role was narrated to Divya, she was very excited as she loves the national award winning director's style of film making.

The actress is the reigning Queen of the Kannada film industry and she has made an impact in Tamil with her outings in films like Vaaranam Aayiram and Singam Puli.

Divya is trying to find the dates for Vada Chennai and if all works out an offical announcement will be made soon.

Andrea and Rana Daggubati have already been finalized for key roles in this film.

Elred Kumar's Muppozhudum Un Karpanaigal starring Atharva and Amala Paul will be released on February 17th.

The audio release was held on December 18th and the music by GV Prakash has been well received.

The Oru Murai track rendered by GV Prakash, Blaaze and Andrea and the Sokkupodi number by Baba Sehgal and Shruti Haasan are becoming quite popular.

Zaved seen in Hollywood movies like HAngover 2 will be playing the villain.

With major chunks of the movie been shot in the USA and other exotic locales, Atharva and Amala Paul are very excited about the film. The entire crew has pinned their hopes with the film and have put their hearts into their respective roles.

With her Poda Podi taking forever for completion, Varalakshmi Sarathkumar seems to have realised that it's not prudent to pin her hopes on that movie if she wants to make a career in films.

If speculations are to be believed, Varalakshmi has recently completed a photo shoot with Naga Chaitanya for a Telugu movie titled Gauravam.

Gauravam is a bilingual and will be directed by Radha Mohan of Abhiyum Naanum fame.

The movie will be produced by Chaitanya’s dad Nagarjuna for their home production Annapoorna Studios banner.

Director Siva of Siruthai fame is on cloud nine about his next project with Ajith and is gearing up for the ground work of the movie.

Siva has recently narrated the story to Ajith and has expressed his consent to work on the project giving rather more reason for Siva to be kicked about his upcoming venture.

So what is the story?

Although Siva is tight-lipped about it at the moment, he insisted that the movie will be stylish like Hollywood movies.

"Ajith can carry off a stylish role and he has proved his calibre in that category. My movie will also feature him in a stylish avatar," said director Siva having earned the ultimate trust.

Maatraan’s release date has been put off to June.

K.V Anand's 'Maatraan' starring Suriya and Kajal Aggarwal is a highly expected octane thriller that was touted to be a Tamil New Year’s release but the release date is now reported to have been pushed to June with the delay in the commencement of the film's post-production work.

Maatraan been shot extensively in the Balkan regions in countries like Russia, Croatia, Serbia, Albania and Macedonia is said to have some great visuals. The film woluld have Suriya portraying five different roles with Kajal Aggarwal playing the female lead and Sachin Khedekar as the villain. Maatraan featuring music scored by Harris Jayaraj is announced to be Suriya's biggest release till date.

Ajith Kumar's Billa II is now considered one of the biggest films of the year and this was proved when the overseas rights of the film was purchased for a million dollars by GK Media, a Tamil film distribution company that operates out of the United States of America.

With this staggering feat, Ajith joins the likes of Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijay and Suriya whose films have hitherto been sold overseas for the same amount.

Trisha is flying down to Bangkok to join the Samaran unit of Actor Vishal and director Thiru along with other cast and crew of the film.

The crew has been camping in Bangkok for the past one month shooting some important scenes and now Trisha will be joining them. The actress is thrilled to share the screen space with Vishal for the first time and her role in Samaran is said to be very meaty.

Samaran is an upcoming action film directed by Thiru, with whom Vishal had collaborated in Theeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai before. This time Vishal would join hands with Trisha Krishnan as the lead with Sunaina, Prakash Raj and Milind Soman playing pivotal roles in the film.

Actor Vinu Chakravarthy, who had said that Vidya Balan’s 'The Dirty Picture' was a distorted version of Silk Smitha’s life and announced of his plans to make a film on Silk Smitha as a bio-pic to let the world know about the late sexy siren.

Vinu Chakravarthy is reported to have said that several real facts have been twisted to commercialize the film and the true essence of Silk Smitha’s life and what she underwent really was not shown in the film.

Die hard fans of the late siren Silk Smitha can now expect another film on her very soon as the work towards beginning this project has started rolling already.

“Hosanna is a prayer in the Bible and used by both Jews and Christians, referring to God or Jesus Christ, with strong reverential and religious connotations. So to make a song and dance out of it where a guy is professing his love to the girl by using this term is utterly unacceptable,” said Joseph Dias, General Secretary of the Christian Secular Forum.

Gautham Menon’s Hindi version of Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaya, Ek Deewana Tha features a song that begins with the lyrics Hosanna. This has created a huge controversy as the CSF has said that the term is used only in hymns and its usage in films is objectionable.

Interestingly, the Tamil version also began with the lyrics Hosanna but no objection was raised at that time.

Director Shankar, After having wrapped up Nanban in a record time is heartened with the positive reviews that the film has been getting.

Shankar is already looking forward to his next project for which the script has been readied.

We hear that Shankar's next is to be produced by AGS Entertainment.

Shankar is to consider having Vikram as the lead for his next film as the character of the script suits Chiyaan Vikram.

Vikram and Shankar has teamed up before for Anniyan, that created box office history. They are now, again believed to be a hot combo.

So far Shankar has neither confirmed nor denied the reports but it is expected that he will release official details about his next film soon.

Gowtham Menon's Vettaiyadu Vilayadu that starred Kamal Haasan and Jyothika in the lead is being remade in Hindi. The director is considering either Shahrukh or Salman Khan to play the lead in the remake.

Gautham is currently busy directing Nee Thaane En Pon Vasantham with Jiiva and Samantha in the lead and has Yohan – Adhyayam Ondru with Vijay in his kitty.

The director is also on the verge of releasing Ek Deewana Tha, the Hindi version of Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaya very soon. In all probability, the Vettaiyadu Vilayadu remake is expected to take off once Yohan – Adhyayam Ondru is completed.

At the Vettai press meet, director Lingusamy said that he is satisfied with the way the film has shaped up and is waiting for the audiences’ reaction.

When asked Lingusamy, if he was planning to remake the film in Hindi, Lingusamy said that he intends to remake 'Vettai' with Salman Khan reprising Madhavan’s role and Ranbir Kapoor in Arya’s character.

Vettai has Arya, Madhavan, Sameera Reddy, Amala Paul and others in the star cast. Yuvan Shankar Raja scored the music for this film.

Hansika has amassed a huge fan following in Tamil Nadu following her successful foray into the industry with films like Maapillai, Engeyum Kadhal and Velayudham.

Hansika was recently petitioned by fans on starting fan clubs across the length and breadth of the state. She has requested some time to think about it before letting her decision be known.

Hansika though flattered with this, feels that it is a big responsibility. She is talking things over with her family and close friends before deciding.

In the meantime, fans are waiting.

Asin is making heads turn wherever she goes these days.

The Diva looks chic after shedding some weight and sports some of the best outfits designed by the leading designers in the country. Asin is in for the all-new look and her makeover is the talk of the tinsel town, these days.

The pretty actress has two Bollywood films on hands - Bol Bachchan and Housefull 2 – which are to release later this year and with her new look she is likely to bag many more coveted projects.

Pooja Gandhi's bare back scene in the upcoming Kannada movie 'Dandupalya' has become a talk of the town. Not only in the Sandalwood, her bold act has drawn attention from other film industries too. However, the actress is not worried about criticism and claims that she feels no harm in going nude.

“I have done a bareback scene in Dandupalya. Haven’t Rekha, Shabana Azmi, Smitha Patil and Vidya Balan done this before? Then, why people are making a big issue out of my bold scene,” quipped Pooja Gandhi adding “I don't regret this or feel awkward about the sequence.”

Pooja also slammed people who play a discrimination game as she said "People have no problem if the nude act has been done by a Bollywood actress but if an actress from Sandalwood does nude acts she has been criticized."

The forthcoming Kannada movie 'Dandupalya' is based on the real life incidents of the notorious gang named Dandupalya – a name of a village situated on the Bangalore-Chennai National Highway four. The story revolves around the gang and its leader Lakshmi spreading terror in and around Bangalore by robbing people slitting the throats of women & the aged.

The scene in question is a recreation of an interrogation that Lakshmi, who was a member of the dreaded Dandupalya gang, was subjected to. "Srinivas showed me the footage of the actual interrogation of Lakshmi when she was questioned by the police, along with other men from the gang. Even the male stars in the film had to shed their clothes for this scene," explained Pooja.

Every actor craves for good scripts and roles and 'Band Baaja Baaraat' sensation Anushka Sharma has no qualms in accepting her craving for it. But seems like her deeply-rooted faith revolves around Yashraj banner only.

Getting used to big hits and big roles at an initial stage of her career, Anushka gets miffed for being labelled for her association with Yashraj Banner.

"I don't work for production houses. I only work for good scripts and roles. If you follow my career graph you will find that I have not given a single flop yet in my career. I am proud of it. I am doing films from this banner because of the fact that I am getting good scripts from them. I will keep doing that till they offer me good roles and films as they have the maximum understanding and respect for my talent. You can not streamline yourself to such a narrow-way by sticking to just one production house or even one film director," said the favourite actor of Yashraj camp adding "I am doing Vishal Bharadwaj's 'Matru ki Biwi Ka Mann Dola' which is from a different banner."

It is indeed a surprise, when one can wonder how Anushka Sharma got one film that comes from a different banner.

Talking about her smashing chemistry with Ranveer Anushka says, "People do talk about our chemistry and I just need to say that we are not calculating our relationship. The kind of similarity we shared in the film 'Band Baaja Baaraat' is sort of similar but not entirely similar in real life as well. There was definitely no overt description of love in the film and similarly in the real life. Ours is a very strange relationship. There are times when we can't stand each other; at times we are on back slapping terms. Its very informal relationship and bit complicated as well."

Dhanush and director Selvaraghavan are basking in glory over the success of Mayakkam Enna and its successful run at the theatres for 50 days and still counting.

Busy with 3, directed by his wife Aishwarya, at the moment, the national award winner says that he will be doing one more film with his brother and director Selvaraghavan this year.

Dhanush also promised a super-duper script from his brother. Selva and Dhanush have churned out several hits in the past and we can expect one more from them.

Actress Sanjana of ‘Bujjigadu’ fame is the busiest heroine in the South. She is currently doing 5 films – ‘Ko Ko’ releasing on January 13th, ‘Narasimha’, in which she is paired with the top hero Ravichandran is all set to release on February 3rd, ‘Ondu Kshanadalli’ opposite Tarun Chandra is also getting ready for release in February and the other two ‘Sagar’ and ‘Rebel’ are in shooting stages.

Apart from these Kannada movies, Sanjana is working on 2 massive projects in Malayalam. One is ‘Casanova’ with Mohan Lal and the other is ‘The King And Commissioner’ with Mamooty and Suresh Gopi.

According to Sanjana, 2011 was a very good year for her career and she is expecting 2012 to be bigger and better with larger than life film releases. Celebs Factory wishes the sexy lass all the very best for the success of her films in 2012.

Amala Paul is very excited these days awaiting her big releases and there are reports about the actress foraying into Bollywood.

While reports about the actor's Bollywood debut is a buzz in the industry, Amala Paul is awaiting the release of three biggies that includes Vettai, Muppozhuthum Un Karpanaigal and Kadhalil Sodhapuvadhu Yeppadi.

"Bollywood dreams? Who wouldn’t love to act with Hrithik and Aamir? But, I don’t look at Bollywood as a career progression. The script will decide if I want to make a move northwards. It has to please the actor in me," said Amala Paul adding about her high expectation on her big films that are awaiting release.

Reports earlier mentioned of the Hindi remake of Lingusamy's Vettai that would possibly have Amala Paul reprising her role. Buzz now is that Amala has been approached by a big production company from Mumbai to act in a Hindi movie.

Looks like Amala Paul would foray into Bollywood one way or another..

National-award winning director Vettrimaran has big plans up his sleeves.

The director is now joining the list of filmmakers venturing into production with his maiden production venture to be directed by one of his associates.

"Siddharth is playing the lead role in this film. Durai Senthil Kumar is directing the movie. He was working as an assistant director to Balu Mahendra sir and has worked with me in both my films. It’s the kind of story that I wanted to produce for a long time," said Vettrimaran.

Meanwhile Vettrimaran’s directorial venture Vada Chennai too is ready to go to floors. The movie has STR, Andrea and Telugu actor Rana Daggubati playing crucial roles. Vetrimaran will be conducting a workshop before beginning work on it.

It may come as a good news for all Rajnikanth fans that the actor had declared himself to be fit, fine and ready being all set to start his shot for Kochadaiyaan later next month.

The Superstar along with his spouse had recently attended a stage play by Y Gee Mahendra in Chennai. Rajinikanth had thoroughly enjoyed the show and heaped laurels on actor Y Gee Mahendra. After the play, Rajinikanth said "Thanks to the prayers of all my fans and well-wishers. I am back. Fully fit and I will resume shooting for Kochadaiyaan in a month."

Kochadaiyaan is an upcoming 3D Tamil film to be shot with the kind of performance capturing technology used in films such as Avatar (2009) and The Adventures of Tintin (2011). Directed by Soundarya Rajinikanth and written by K.S Ravikumar, the film will feature Rajinikanth in the lead role whilst background score and soundtrack will be composed by A.R Rahman.

Initially, Anushka Shetty was approached to play the female lead role for Kochadaiyaan. However, it was later officially announced that Anushka Shetty was not part of the film. It was then rumoured that Asin and Vidya Balan were being considered for the female lead role, since producers preferred a Bollywood actress.

Soundarya Rajinikanth disclaimed all rumours that Aishwarya Rai was chosen to do a guest appearance in the film. In January 2012, Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif was approached for the lead role along with Rajinikanth, with Soundarya confirming the same.

Reacting to rumors about Dhanush and Shruti Haasan dating, Aishwarya Dhanush has said in a social networking site that it is just baseless rumor.

The director of 3 and daughter of Rajinikanth, says that she and Dhanush are perfectly fine as a couple and Shruti Haasan is a good friend. Aishwarya wondered where such news surfaced from and puts them down as ridiculous rumors.

3’s dubbing process has been completed and its music director Anirudh is now working on the background score. The film is expected to release next month.

Podaa Podi is an upcoming Tamil romantic-comedy film written and directed by debutant Vignesh Shivan, featuring Silambarasan, Shobana and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar in the lead roles.

Podaa Podi is touted to be the first of its kind in Tamil Cinema based on a realtiy dance show and word is out that the Podaa Podi team is now looking out for International celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Megan Fox and Shakira to appear for cameo roles.

"The film’s climax is the finale of a dance reality show with International Celebrity Judges announcing their verdic. We're in a huge dilemma and are yet to consider Jlo, Angelina Jolie or Shakira for this cameo role," said Vignesh Shivan adding that he could think of none other than the best International entertainers to pose in the couch.

Podaa Podi is now progressing in a fast pace with music composed by Dharan, while cinematography and editing are handled by Nirav Shah and Anthony Gonsalves respectively. The film, is currently in its production stage and is expected to release on February 14, 2012 on Valentine's Day.

We will get to see pretty actress Padma Priya back in a Tamil film soon.

Yes, the buzz is that the actress has been roped in by Ram, who directed Kattradhu Tamizh with Jiiva in the lead, for his upcoming project Thangameengal to be produced by Gautham Vasudev Menon.

The actress who is now busy with Malayalam films has agreed to be cast in this film for an important role. The movie has Ram playing the protagonist.

Mahesh Babu’s The Businessman is all set for Pongal release and the distribution and remake rights have been bought by Gnanavel Raja of Studio Green.

The film is directed by Puri Jagannath and it has Kajal Agarwal playing the lead lady.

It may be noted that Studio Green is the production house owned by a close relative of actors Suriya and Karthi and with the remake rights in place we can see either of them to star in remake of The Businessman.

Asin has decided to give television a try, say sources. The actress will reportedly appear in a television show titled Superstar Santa. The program is to be telecast on UTV. The actress has a couple of Hindi projects on hands for now and hopes television will open new avenues for her.

Asin, however, has made it clear that she is not hosting the show as stated by the media. The actress pointed out that she will be appearing in one of the episodes.

Asin entered the Tamil film industry with M Kumaran S/o Mahalakshmi and reached the top slot with several smash hits. She shifted base in Bollywood after director AR Murugadoss offered her the role in the Hindi version of Ghajini.

Her decision to enter the small screen has surprised many of her fans but Asin says that it will help her widen her fan base.

Having no formal training in acting is an advantage, says Amy Jackson.

Amy Jackson, the UK-based actress who made her debut in AL Vijay’s Madarasapattinam is one of most sought after stars in the Indian cinema today.

Amy's first Bollywood film, Ek Deewana Tha, directed by Gautham Menon is all set for a release soon and she now has the Vikram starrer Thandavam in her kitty.

Amy Jackson says that she wants her performance to be natural and attributes it to the lack of formal training in acting.

In an exciting development, Soundarya Ashwin has said that they have offered Katrina Kaif the female lead in Kochadaiyaan.

Katrina is one of the reigning Queens in Bollywood and she is also considered a lucky mascot. Her sizzling performances in Sheila Ki Jawani and the recent Chikni Chameli from Agneepath have cemented her reputation for pure star power.

Katrina is thrilled with the opportunity to work with Rajnikanth. However, she is very busy and has already committed to many Hindi films.

Katrina is now acting very swift and is doing everything possible to somehow accomodate Kochadaiyaan reports sources from Bollywood.

Namitha had a meaty role in the Ajith starrer Billa, though Nayanthara was the main female lead.

Wishing Billa II team all success, Namitha said that she wanted to be a part of the film but unfortunately it did not happen.

Billa II was initially to be directed by Vishnuvardhan but the project fell on the hands of Chakri Toleti who is now directing the film with Parvathy Omanakuttan and Bruna Abdullah playing Ajith’s lead pairs in this film.

Billa II had music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja.

Nanban is all set to be released on January 12th, and there has been a sudden outbreak of news alleging that Sun Pictures have snatched up the rights to Nanban. However, there has been debate about whether Sun Pictures has bagged the distribution and theatrical rights or merely the satellite rights if any.

What makes it interesting is that prior tussles have been reported between Vijay and the family that controls Sun Pictures owing to different political allegiances and other issues. Insiders are waiting for official confirmation.

Nanban, an upcoming Tamil comedy drama film directed by S. Shankar features an ensemble cast that includes Vijay, Jeeva, Srikanth, Ileana D'Cruz, Sathyan and Sathyaraj with music scored by Harris Jeyaraj.