Changing ways
Director M. (Jayam) Raja's much-talked about Velayudham is set for a June release. This is Raja's first film outside his home banner and with an actor other than his brother ‘Jayam' Ravi. The film has Vijay and Genelia D'Souza in the lead. Hansika Motwani and Saranya Mohan also play important roles. Talking about the experience of working with Vijay, Raja says, “He is a thorough professional when it comes to punctuality, teamwork and keeping to the script. The entire unit is at ease when Vijay is around. For me, this is a huge commercial venture that is sure to create a buzz at the box-office. The film, a romantic triangle, has been extensively shot in exotic locations in India and abroad. Making Velayudham has been a great learning experience.”
A new angle
What's special about Maithaanam ? This M.S. Sakthivel film has for protagonists four assistant directors — Jyotiraj (Bharatiraja's assistant), Suresh Guru (Agathyan's assistant), Kennedy (K.S. Ravikumar) and Shiva (Ramanarayan). “Agathyan, incidentally, will appear in a guest role in the film which is about four friends and their life in Kongunadu. Says Sakthivel, “There are many myths about the place that we have busted in the film. Maithaanam does have an element of romance with Swasika as the heroine. A Bharathiyar song composed by Mahesh and sung by Prasanna will be a highlight while other songs tuned by Sabesh-Murali.
Striking a chord
Fen Viallee is perhaps the youngest music director in the film industry today. At 21, this alumnus of Trinity College (Grade 8), London has composed five songs for director M. Sellamuthu's Suryanagaram . “There are five songs and two instrumental tracks. Of these, three are melodies, one a folk song and another an item number. S. P. Balasubramaniam, Chitra, Karthik, Chinmayee and Sujatha have lent their vocals,” says the music director. Fen's eight-year education in music was largely in western style and in symphonies. How did that help him compose music for a Tamil film? “I took this as a challenge. I have blended my orientation in Western music with Indian influences and have employed a lot of orchestration to get the right feel for the songs,” he adds.
Advantage Amala
V ikathakavi was supposed to be Amala Paul's (of Mynaa fame) debut movie. But inordinate delay and long breaks in shooting made her take on other assignments such as Veerasekaran and Mynaa . Meanwhile, the producers of Vikatakavi decided to complete the film. “I am happy that Vikatakavi is finally getting released. It is an interesting film with a unique story,” says Amala, who is on to bigger projects such as Deivathiirumagan with Vikram and Anushka. Director G. Krishnan's Vikatakavi busts the myth that those born during Aadi bring ill-luck to their family. Amala's presence will up the stakes for the film as she is a popular star post- Mynaa .
