All set to perform at IPL
With the next season of the Indian Premier League all set to begin in a fortnight, cricket fever seems to have gripped everybody, including film stars. Actor-turned-director Prabhu Deva, in particular, is excited as he is to perform at the IPL's opening ceremony in Chennai on April 3. Says the dance choreographer-cum-director: “I will be performing a seven-minute long dance sequence at the inaugural function.” He goes on to add that he will be cheering for the Chennai Super Kings this time.
According to sources, Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan will host the inaugural function. Actors Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra are also likely to perform at the event. Moreover, unlike other seasons, the organisers are planning to have the inaugural function at another venue instead of the stadium.
Prabhu Deva, who is at the moment working on Rowdy Rathod , is eager to perform with his Bollywood counterparts.
Vetri's first
The first story written by director Vetrimaran, whose “Aadukalam” and “Polladhavan” were critically acclaimed, is now being made into a film. Titled “Desiya Nedunchalai”, it is to be directed by his assistant and close friend Mani. Says director Mani: “This is Vetrimaran's first story. For some reason, he couldn't make it into a film. So, he made ‘Polladhavan' and then the National Award-winning film ‘Aadukalam'. Now, he has decided to produce ‘Desiya Nedunchalai' himself. He has penned the story and the screenplay, and I'm directing it. Siddharth plays the hero, while newcomer Arshita, the heroine. We plan to begin shoot in the first week of April.”
Velraj, the cameraman of “Polladhavan,” will crank the camera for the film, which has music by G. V. Prakash.
Going the extra mile
There's a little known fact about actor Shikha, whose performance in the Kannada film “Galipatta” got her noticed. The actor, better known as Bhavana Rao in Kannada films, learnt Tamil through a workshop before acting in her first Tamil film, “Kola Kolaiya Mundhirika.”
Shikha, whose “Vinmeengal” hit the screens recently, has two Tamil films — “Vanayudham” and “Padam Parthu Kadhai Sol” — in her kitty. The actor says, “I did not know Tamil when I was signed up for my first film. I wanted to do a proper job of it. So, I enrolled myself in a 20-day workshop. Now, I have gained enough confidence to dub for my role in the film and that's what I have done too.”
