May 17 Movement, one of the Tamil activists groups in Chennai protested outside Kamal Haasan’s office in Alwarpet, on Sunday (May 23) morning.

They were demanding that the actor should resign from the post of president (south) of the entertainment wing of Federation of Indian Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and also give back his Padma Shri award to the Union government.

Those protesting say that FICCI is one of the sponsors of IIFA awards in Colombo in Sri Lanka in the first week of June first week.

After few minutes, Kamal cameout from his office and received a pretition from the activists and assured to fulfill their demands.

Soon, Kamal released a statement in which he cleared, “office bearers of FICCI will not participate in IIFA awards in Colombo and nothing would be achieved by surrendering the Padma award…”

Meanwhile all Tamil actors and directors have distanced themselves from the IIFA awards in Colombo.

Recently Swami Nithyananda was in hot news due to his sex video scandal with leading actress Ranjitha. The video was disclosed by Sun news channel and a vernacular investigative magazine.

Now it seems again, he is emerging as a hero in another sex video, supposedly against actress Yuvarani.

Yuvarani is also one of the popular actresses in Tamil films as well as serials. Sources say that the sex video of Yuvarani with Nithyananda is released in a website which has the host server in Brazil.

Remember, few days back Yuvarani admitted her close relationship with Nithyananda as a devotee. She said that she got Nithyananda’s link through another actress Raga Suda.

Vijay’s 50th film Sura is all set to release in the summer in big way.

Remember the film is a Sun Pictures release and to be hit the screens in the last week of April. The audio will be released on March 26 in Satyam Cinemas.

The film, directed by SP Rajakumar, has Tamannaah as the leading lady. It has music by Mani Sharma and Ekambaram as cameraman. The shoot of the film, produced by Sangli Murugan, is almost complete with just one song remaining.

The film promises to be a complete family entertainer with all mass elements associated with a typical Vijay film.

Asal is out and out a commercial Masala with an half century old, cliched story line. But director Saran once again impressed the film buffs with his stylish making.

The story goes like this…

Ajith (Senior) is a big shot in illegal weapon trading. He has 3 sons (Sampath, Rajiv Krishna and Ajith) and among them Ajith (Junior) is born for his illegal wife. In an in-fight for capturing Senior Ajith’s assets and business empire, Sampath and Rajiv Krishna kills their own father. But in sudden developments, they caught in villain’s den in Mumbai. As usually Ajith Jr flies there for their rescue unwarrantably. After safely escaped from villan’s hand with the help of Ajith, Sampath and Rajiv Krishna tries to kill him in the same spot to get the properties fully.

How Ajith escapes from their target and closed their chapter is the remaining portion of the story. Meanwhile, Bhavana and Sameera Reddy have trying to attract Ajith but finally Ajith accepts Bhavana.

Bhavana, Sameera, Prabhu and Yuhi Sethu’s part are adding pep to the main story.

Ajith done his role with perfectly and his looks are more stylish than in Billa. Senior Ajith is really done well and his mannerisms are real treat to Thala fans.

Among the heroines, Bavana is having more scope and done her job well. Sameera is not impressive both in appearance as well as performance.

Sampath, Rajive Krishna and Suresh (another typical Tamil baddie who turned as a good man in the last reel!!) are the three main villains and done their part well and professional manner.

Prabhu is just appearing in a guest role which hasn’t any impact in the story.

The camera work is good, but Baradwaj’s music is not impressive, except the ‘Tottodaing…’ song.

Saran’s picturisation is excellent but the main drawback is lack of a solid story. It seems that in most of the scenes the director just leaves Ajith to walk here and there in the name of style. But we have experienced this kind of scenes in Billa itself!

Verdict: Mass Masala!

Cast: Ajith, Bavana, Sameera Reddy, Sampath, Prabhu

Music: Baradwaj

Direction: Saran

Producer: Sivaji Films

PRO: Diamond Babu

-BOS

One more member from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s family is entering Kollywood and this time it is Karunanidhi’s grand son MKT Arulnidhi who is debuting as hero.

Arulnidhi is MK Tamilarasu’s (Karunanidhi’s younger son) son doing his first film directed by Pandiraj, one of the promising directors in Kollywood of Pasanga fame.

Arulnidhi has made a smart move in making his debut with a Pandiraj film, atleast he will be noticed.

The unit of this untitled film led by Pandiraj called on the Chief Minister to seek his blessings. Also present were the film’s other debutants music director Taj Noor, cinematographer Magesh Muthusamy and others.

As they rightly told Tamil Padam is the first full fledged spoof movie of Tamil cinema. Though Venkat Prabhu did the same treatment to all his scripts, CS Amuthan, the debutant, overtakes him and make comedy as a serious business and tastes his maiden hit.

Making a spoof on Tamil films, particularly the icons of Kollywood is not an easy thing. But Amuthan’s careful treatment and the background of the producer (Dayanidhi Azhagiri is the producer who is son of Union Minister M K Azhagiri and grand son of Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi!!) make it possible.

The film works to a large extent because Tamil cinema has more clichés than any other cinema in the world. The director hits out at our larger than life heroes who specialize in mass masala and their cardboard heroism.

‘Mirchi’ Shiva is suits to the role very aptly and carries the film to the victory with help of witty dialogues written by the director in excellent manner.

Hero Shiva (Mirchi Shiva) is born on a rainy day in a village and the new born speaks to his grandmother (Parvai Muniamma) that his dream is to go to Chennai to become a man for all seasons like a typical Tamil film hero. In Chennai, the boy pedals on a cycle and as years pass become a larger than life hero who takes on the evil things in the earth and became the savor of the world.

Like all Tamil heroes he goes to college and hangs around with his friends Nakul (MS Bhaskar), Siddharth (Manobala) and Bharath (Venniradai Moorthy) a dig at Tamil cinemas ageing comedians who pretend to be students.

Shiva falls in love with a classmate (Disha Pandey) and singing duet like an usual Tamil hero does to win the heroine in films like Kadhalukku Mariyathai, Mouna Ragam etc. When the heroine’s father says he will not allow his daughter to marry a poor man with no job, Shiva did some odd jobs like newspaper hawker, fruit seller and becomes a tycoon overnight just like what Rajinikanth did in Annamalai, Padyappa etc, etc.

Meanwhile it is revealed that he is an undercover cop who wants to exterminate the criminals in the city.

Shiva’s method of eliminating the criminals are far better than what Vijay did in Tirupachi and Pokkiri, Suriya in Ghajini and Khakka Khakka, Vikram in Anniyan and Kamal Hassan in Apoorva Sahodrakal. Even more hilarious is how Shiva goes back to his village in search of his father who abandoned him many years back. And the climax is when he discovers who runs the ‘D’ company is hilarious.

Some of the most enjoyable moments are Shiva’s classical dance piece to impress his girl friend and the happenings in Cinemakkaranpatti (the birth place of Shiva!) and the family song that helps to our hero to reunite with his parents.

When a newborn baby utters actor Vijay’s ‘punch-dialogues’, the audience appreciates the idea behind it.

When a 10-year old asks his grandmother when would he be old enough to fight injustice, she tells him to get on the top of a cycle. As the wheels roll on, the the 10-year-old turns into grown up guy within seconds.

Apart from Shiva, Venniradai Moorthy, Manobala, MS Baskar, Shanmugasundaram and Paravai Muniamma done their part excellently. As usually there is no scope for heroine in this ‘Tamil Padam’ too!

Nirav Shah’s camera and Kannan’s music add more strength to the film. Particularly the song O Maha Zeeya.. (Particularly when Shiva’s lip movement and body language when he pronounce Lalakku Dol Dappima!) makes our time most hilarious.

But the film is very enjoyable for those experienced with Tamil films in the past 3 decades!

Verdict: An enjoyable spoof!

Cast: Shiva, Disha Pandey, Venniradi Moorthy, Manobala, MS Baskar, Paravai Muniamma, Shanmugasundaram

Music: Kannan

Cinematography: Nirav Shah

Director: CS Amuthan

Producer: Dayanidhi Azhagiri

PRO: Nikil Murugan

First we must thank Venkat Prabhu for clearing a thing… This is not a movie, only his personal holiday experiences. He simply shot his personal diary notes (that too copying from others like American Pie and Dostana), instead of a solid story (whether it is strong or wafer thin!).

For those who booked the ticket earlier for this film have no other option and must be enjoyed your punishment, but for those who haven’t, there’s a big chance to escape from this annoying Venkat Prabhu ‘holiday’!

And we have a doubt also… whether Soundarya Rajini, the pride owner of Ocher Studio has heard the story properly? If not, definitely she is not suitable for film production, that too in Kodambakkam!

Swamikannu (Premji Amaran), Ramarajan (Jai) and Vinayagam (Vaibhav) are always mischeivious cum troublemakers in their village Pannaipuram. When they’re unable to bear the controlled traditions curbing down their freedom, they loot the local temple of its jewellery and set off initially to Madurai where they encounter a long lost friend who got married to a foreigner he met in Goa and is leaving for London!

And these guys are extremely surprised to see his below-average looking guy marrying a stunningly beautiful London girl. Now, they came to a decision, fly down to Goa, marry a foreign girl and get settled in a different country to enjoy lavish lifestyle.

But as they land in Goa, it’s a different situation for these boys as they encounter unexpected things after falling in love with girls.

the first 30 minutes scenes are really fantastic and shot in very relaxed style. But after that the film enters in to a ugly den and threw the mud in the faces of all the viewrs!

It is sure that Goa is nowhere near Venkat’s earlier films like the smartly packaged Chennai 28 and intersting thriller Saroja which relied on a sharp script to deliver.

The film rightly deserves an A certificate as it unwantedly enters to the gay’s world.

Among the three lead characters, the director has given the maximum screen space to his brother Premji, who has fully utilized it though some of his actions and punchlines are being repeated again. Jai pretends to be the savviest guy and speaks in a strange cocktail of Tamil and English and delivers a few genuinely gut busters.

Vaibhav is just ok. Among the three heroines, only Sneha is looking good. Yuvan’s music cannot save the film, though a couple of his tunes sounds catchy.

The director again using a popular number ‘Kangal Irandal…’ repeatedly to show the love at first sight. But it never workingout well!

We dont know how a guy who comes as a Goa police officer at interval point suddenly appears as a customs officer in the climax!

Goa – A Venkat Prabhu’s bitter holiday!

Cast: Premji Amaran, Jai, Vaibav, Sampath, Arvind Akash, Sneha, piyaa

Camera: Shakthi Saravanan

Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Director: Venkat Prabhu

Producer: Soundarya Rajinikanth

Sun Pictures today officially declared that it had acquired the release rights of Vijay starrer ‘Sura’. The film production and distribution arm of the Sun Television Network has also said it would release the film in April.

Directed by S P Rajakumar, Sura is the 50th film of Vijay and it is being made on a never before budget when compared to other movies of the actor. The shooting is currently on in and around the coastal villages near Puducherry, as Vijay is playing a fisherman.

After completing the current schedule in the Union Territory, the cast and crew of the movie would move to Tuticorin, where a stunt sequence had been planned near the harbour. The next destination would be foreign locales, where songs would be canned on the lead pair- Vijay and Tamannah.

Produced by Sangili Murugan, Sura has musical score by Mani Sharma. Cinematography is by Ekambaram.

The recent buzz in Kollywood is about Nayanthara’s temporary retirement from acting!

Yes… According to the sources, the actress has now decided to take away from film career for a year.

Nayanthara, the onetime top actress in South, had a very bad time for past couple of years as none of her films did well at box office and indeed fetched horrible critics for her bad show.

Naturally, it’s both in films and real life as well. Now it has become so constant that unnecessary rumors are raised on her though they’re factual ones.

The actress’ recent Telugu release –ADURS with NTR Jr has flunked terribly at box office and her Malayalam film ‘Body Guard’ has hit screens yesterday. But now with no big offers in Tamil, except ‘Boss Engira Bhaskaran’ and thusly has decided to fly back to her hometown for auyurvedic treatment.

Special arrangements have been made to facilitate Kalaignar, who remains seated in his ’specially made’ wheel chair nowadays, to get into the lift with in the sitting position.

After watched the film, Karunanithi spoke to director Jhananathan who was waiting at the venue eagerly to know the reactions of Karunanithi. The thespian leader uttered a few words to the director on the topic of ‘reservation’.

He also praised the performance of Jayam Ravi, the hero of Peranmai.