Itsy-Bitsy

May 21, 2011 07:30 pm | Updated 07:30 pm IST

Vikram

Vikram

Thriller on the cards

Ganesh Venkatraman is as busy as ever with a Hindi film and a bi-lingual (Tamil and Hindi). He plays the central character in a Mahesh Bhatt production, Kuch Log, directed by Suja Ali, based on the 26/11 attacks. He romances Urvashi Sharma in the film. Even more exciting is Pani Thuli, directed by Natty Kumar and Jai Kumar. “This is a romantic thriller spread across two countries — India and the U.S.,” says Ganesh who is currently in Chennai to shoot three song sequences with his co-stars, Kalpana and Shobana. Pani Thuli is the story of an Indian boy who takes up a job in the U.S., but wishes to marry his girlfriend before embarking on his trip. The girl's father advises him to wait for a year and then marry her if he is still genuine about his affection. As circumstances would have it, he gets drawn towards another girl. “This is when he lands in difficult situations. Will he be able to come out of this mess? Or, is there something more dangerous lurking? These form the thrilling part of Pani Thuli ,” says Ganesh.

Family fare

In most films, the daughter-in-law is either shown to be disrupting the harmony in the family or working towards strengthening the relationship among the family members. Director Ali Khan (earlier co-director with Mahendran and Cheyyar Ravi) in his forthcoming film, Vazhi Vidu Kanne Vazhi Vidu, underlines the role of a daughter-in-law in a family. “Tamizh (second hero in Baana Kaathadi ) and new face Madhushree play the lead with Sujatha ( Paruthiveeran ) essaying the mother's role. The mother-son relationship forms the crucial part of Vazhi Vidu Kanne…. The film has story, screenplay and dialogue by M. Gourishankar who has also produced it,” says Ali Khan. Does he succeed in dispelling the myth of the disruptive daughter-in-law? Is there a lesson to be learnt on building relationships, based on trust and understanding? Vazhi Vidu Kanne… seeks to answer these questions, according to Ali Khan.

History revisited

Suddenly it seems to be the age of period and historical films. And, every actor worth his salt wants to be part of a costume drama, brandish swords, ride horses and rescue damsels in distress. Not to be outdone, Vikram has signed up with director L. I. Kannan for a magnum opus titled Karikalan . Inspired by the historical character of Karikalan from his school days, Kannan has embarked on a journey to transfer an episode from 320 BC to celluloid. Vikram portrays the warrior prince from the Chola Dynasty, while Zarine Khan ( Veer ) plays a princess from a foreign country. “We have done extensive research to authenticate almost every aspect of the characters and happenings of that period. Of course, it will be difficult to get locations and backgrounds absolutely right, so we shall employ computer graphics in a large way,” says Kannan who has earned his credentials from Hollywood Camera Works and has hands-on experience as project manager with the Enthiran unit. Kannan has already shot a few portions in Thalakonam forests.

Action unlimited

He has a film and a TV show to his credit, and Ethiri En 3 will launch director Ramkumar into the big league. With Srikanth and Poonam Bajwa in the cast, Ramkumar has conceptualised Ethiri En 3 as a movie with a difference. “It is an action-oriented script about a crime that inadvertently involves an innocent citizen who happens to be at the scene. Srikanth, who plays a software professional, becomes an accused in the case. Poonam Bajwa plays an investigative crime reporter. How Srikanth manages to extricate himself from this mess with the help of Poonam forms the plot,” says Ramkumar. Prabhu plays an important but negative character in the film.

Crime file

While Aanmai Thavarael is a love story, it's also about a crime, says its director Kulandai Velappan. “It's the second biggest crime in the world and flourishes with a worldwide network. The reason for this crime is the absence of self-discipline and integrity,” says Velappan. A qualified visual communications professional, Velappan has to his credit a short film which was awarded the best film by the Melbourne Tamil Academy. He makes his entry into feature films with Aanmai Thavarael , a crime thriller which takes place on the road from Chennai to Goa. Dhruva and Shruthi play the lead. “Since the film is getting ready for release next week, I would like to keep the crime factor suspense,” says Velappan.

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