Showbitz

Actor Lakshmi Rai

The greasepaint, again!

Happy news for Rajinikanth fans — the shooting for “Rana” is likely to resume in October! The film's director K.S. Ravikumar recently said: “Rajinikanth is bubbling with energy, and as always, ready to work. He's looking forward to the shoot, and wants it to begin at the earliest. We are waiting for a green signal from other sources too to start work.”

Hitting the bull's eye

Cinematographer Vetri started his innings in Tamil films with “Thenavettu”. Today, he has seven films to his credit, including “Masilamani”, “Souryam” (in Telugu), “Venghai” and the recent “Kanchana – Muni 2”. His upcoming projects include “Vellore Mavattam” and a Telugu film, directed by his friend Siva (of “Siruthai” fame) who studied with him at the Adayar Film Institute. “‘Venghai' had a multi-star cast, and almost every shot had at least half-a-dozen characters. However, ‘Kanchana' was totally different — each frame had just two or three characters, and much depended on the lighting. I enjoyed both the experiences. I'm looking for projects to showcase my potential,” says Vetri.

Lucky number

Actor Lakshmi Rai has shifted base from Mumbai to Chennai — to a house in Saligramam — thanks to offers she has been receiving after her recent release “Kanchana”. Interestingly, she listens to scripts and has discussions not at the house, but at a hotel where she used to stay earlier. And, in room no. 203, to be precise. Old habits die hard, apparently!