Right on track!
Making Siva Manasula Sakthi with Jiiva and Boss Engira Bhaskaran with Arya has given director M. Rajesh the confidence to launch producer Udhayanidhi Stalin in his third film, Oru Kal Oru Kannadi . So, how does Rajesh rate Udhayanidhi as an actor? “We mutually agreed to do a 20-day workshop-cum-rehearsal where Udhayanidhi was put through the paces as an actor. He really put in a lot of hard work to get his act together. It was only after he was convinced about his performance that we went for the first schedule,” says Rajesh. Hansika Motwani is paired with Udhayanidhi in this flick. And, music director Harris Jayaraj has already composed two of the five songs for the film, says Rajesh.
Learning curve
Her roles in the recent Muthukku Muthaga and Nanjupuram have got Monika the right kind of attention from many filmmakers. After almost 20 films as a child artiste, Monika graduated to mature roles, starting with Azhagi . This was followed by Bhagavathi, Sandakozhi and other films. With Agaradhi and Varnam scheduled for release soon, Monika is as busy as ever. “I have Naran in Tamil and Happy Husbands (remake of the Hindi No Entry , where she essays Esha Deol's role) in Kannada, while shooting is on for Kannigapuram Sandippil ,” says Monika, who considers herself lucky to have played a variety of roles.
Action-filled debut
Popular stunt master ‘Fefsi' Vijayan's maiden directorial venture in Tamil, Markandeyan , follows his earlier efforts in four Kannada and two Telugu films. In this film, Vijayan introduces his son Sabarish as hero. He has undergone a year's training in Thai boxing in Thailand, and also learnt dancing and acting to prepare for the role. Vijayan also introduces popular Thai model Pinky from Bangkok, along with Telugu girl Nivedita in this film. In keeping with the background of the director, the screenplay has a lot of action, besides romance. Sundar C Babu has composed the music.
Crossover appeal
When most Tamil films seem to have an audience in Andhra, can the reverse be far off? The Telugu blockbuster Magadheera is being made into Tamil, ostensibly with a view to gauging the acceptance of Chiranjeevi's son Ram Charan Teja among Tamil film audiences. Producer Allu Aravind's last outing in Tamil was Mappillai with Rajinikanth and Amala, almost 21 years ago. Chiranjeevi has chosen to make a few changes in the film, titled Maaveeran , to suit Tamil audiences. Scenes involving the lead pair were recently shot in Chennai, Pollachi, Visakhapatnam and adjoining areas. A song featuring Ram Charan, Chiranjeevi and Mumaith Khan was shot at Chennai Harbour with over 500 dancers. The song has been penned by Vaali and rendered by Ranjith and Janaki.
Mollywood calling
Very rarely do established Tamil producers venture into Malayalam films, as compared to making Telugu or Kannada films. Now, Aascar Films' V. Ravichandran, whose recent successes include Dasavatharam and Vaaranam Aayiram , has ventured into Mollywood with director Sunil's 15th film, Lucky Jokers . It is reportedly a full-length comedy with a whole host of Malayalam actors. Ajmal, familiar to Tamil audiences, plays an important role. However, the producers are not dubbing the film in Tamil, as they feel the nuances will be lost. They are doing a Hindi version, though!
