Ramya in or out ??

Priya

Priya......

Even after acted in many movies, still Priyamani is whole heartedly praising Ameer who gave her the oppurtunity and made her to do the dubbing in her own voice. In fact there is no honey or sweetness either in her voice. She can give dubbing for a Tamil cinema villain supposing if she speaks from her bottom throat. Priyamani is praising Ameer whenever she sees him for giving an identity for her voice.

So far it is O.K for her who dubbed in her own voice, but at present she has got passion towards singing too. Priyamani says that she will surely accept the chance if anyone gives her the oppurtunity to sing. For this matter, she is also learning music from her aunty and as well as the famous singer Malgudi Suba.

After the wedding with Vandana, Srikanth is now ready to concentrate in his career.

Navya who is very choosy in selecting her roles has been booked for a new Tamil film Ettappan now. Srikanth plays the lead role in the Ettappan movie.

Maheshwar is directing this film. Navya is acting opposite Srikanth for the first time. She has also received a huge amount for this Ettappan film. The shooting is expected to commence next month.

After completing the venture, Srikanth will act in IM, directed by Sasi.

Bhavna is acting with Madhavan in this film. Song composition for this film was made in a small island near Maldives. The shooting for this film which has been taken without much fanfare is in the completion stage.

‘Vaazhthukal’ is the second movie of the pair who was cast together in the earlier movie ‘Arya’. Director Seeman who earlier directed the movie ‘Thambi’ starring Madhavan is going to direct this flick.

Director Seeman met Chief Minister Karunanidhi recently and informed the Chief Minister about his upcoming movie. The Chief Minister had made a small correction in the title and said that the title should be Vaazhthukal and not Vazhthukkal. The Chief Minister was of the opinion that if we add the “IK” it will give different meaning. Taking in the suggestion, Seeman has immediately removed the word “ik” in the title.

Soundarya

Soundarya

Maestro Illayaraja is composing music for a mega serial which is telecasted in Kalaiyngar T.V. He who first showed little ignorance in composing the music for the televisions accepted when the Chief Minister itself contacted him directly through phone and made him to accept for the same. After which he was invited to Chief Minister's residence. Illayaraja, who went directly to see him, hugged the Chief Minister once he saw him. They discussed about Raja's memories and also gave suggestion to make that into a mega serial during that meeting. Keeping this is at one side,

They have also invited Rajini's daughter Soundharya to do some programmes and events in behalf of Kalaiyngar T.V. They have somehow made Rajini and his daughter Soundharya to accept for the same who had a fear whether the politics will be played over them.

There is no information which is released yet in the media about the programme which is going to be organized by Soundharya who is appearing in television. At the same time, the channel's side is saying that this programme will be respected by all and will surely be a useful and an entertaining programme.

Thankar Bachan and Cheran are good friends. They both have made this sentence into a past tense. The clash between both of them has proved that friendship and all is just the fourth preference in this fast food world. Cheran did not respond and answer when we called him many times to act in the movie 'Pallikoodam'. He also ignored me to tell at least a 'HELLO' when ever I reached him through phone. It was me who made him as a hero. When Thankar told that Cheran has forgotten the gratitude and thanks, in return Cheran told that he will give a proper explanation and tore (Drrr...) the image of Thankar.

I really accept that He is the one who made me as a hero in the movie 'Solla Marandha Kadhai'. But at the same time, He who offered me 5 lakhs as my salary has written and made a false calculation that he has given me 25 lakhs as my salary. When Cheran broke this truth, both their image as gone passed the clouds. If he would have spent the whole money which the producer has given him, the movie Pallikoodam could have come even better. Like this Cheran who told an additional matter about this issue has even alarmed and alerted the future producers for Thankar bachan.

Cheran has also made an account of the help which he has done for Thankar in the Kusbhu's issue. Thankar is ready to give the revenging interview in return to this interview at any time. To keep a full stop to these two people's clash, few common persons are going as an informer. After this has all happened, the heavy rain has stopped between them and only slight rain is showering at present.

The common people who are watching the clash between the two directors who has to be respected by Tamil Nadu, Is asking just one question... 'Speaking about the respect and pride of friendship, is it only in Cinemas?'

Sathyaraj Kushboo

With the large number of interesting personalities in our history, its surprising that more biographies aren't made in Tamil cinema. Gnana Rajasekaran, who previously made Bhaarathi, now captures on celluloid, the life of Ramaswamy Naicker a.k.a Periyaar, the social reformer and founder of the Dravida Kazhagam. A bit too one-sided to seem completely honest, it is still a solid film on an interesting personality whose impact on Tamil politics and history can even be felt today. The film starts off with Ramaswamy Naicker(Satyaraj) as a young man who responds to injustices happening around him in his own way - sometimes mischievously and sometimes seriously. When one of his acts results in his father, a Municipal Councilor, being insulted, Ramaswamy is kicked out of the house. He goes on a pilgrimage to Kasi but is further disillusioned by what goes on under the name of religion and after returning home, takes over the family business and eventually goes on to become the Municipal Chairman of Erode. He is convinced to join the Congress party by Acharya Vinoba Bhave and Rajaji, who believe that his presence will help dispel the party's image of being only for the upper castes. But when he realizes that his priorities are different from the party's, he quits and becomes a social reformer who wants everybody to develop self-respect. The film succeeds in portraying Periyaar as someone who believed strongly in himself and wasn't ready to give up on his beliefs or ideals for anything or anybody. While individual sequences focus on many of his qualities, what we get out of all them is his stubbornness when it came to something he believed in. Most of the significant events in his life - his quitting the Congress party and Annadurai splitting from him, to name a couple - happened because of this one characteristic and that is what makes the film interesting too. It is easy to admire him when he gets a widow remarried or fights for the rights of the lower castes but it is when he is stubborn in going against popular opinion(like when he proposes new ways of printing Tamil letters to save money) that the movie is most interesting. The movie has an episodic feel initially and feels jerky. In the attempt to showcase everything that Satyaraj tries to set right, the film jumps from one episode to another rather abruptly and feels like a collection of vignettes from his life without a connecting thread. But as Satyaraj gains focus in life, the movie does too and begins to feel more like a biography should. From around the time he returns from Kasi, there is a logical progression in the turns his life takes and so the movie too begins to flow more smoothly. We understand why he joins the Congress, why he spends most of his time on the road, why he quits the party, etc. and this understanding leads to admiration. Biographies, by definition, focus on their subject but good biographies also let other characters flower. They play off of the protagonist of the biography but atleast some of them have their individualities and make an impression. That doesn't happen in Periyaar. Everybody other than Satyaraj has little screen time and they barely make an impression. They stay in the picture only as long as they revolve around Satyaraj. Also, Satyaraj is never shown in a bad light while everybody in the non-Periyaar camp is made a caricature. Even his mother isn't spared as her religious nature is portrayed in an over-the-top way and the only Brahmins we see are those who are corrected or helped by Satyaraj and end up changing their initial impressions about him. So the movie seems too one-sided and makes us question how much of Periyaar's life was not shown. Just when we have resigned ourselves to the fact that we will only see Satyaraj in ridiculous spoofs and movies designed to boost his son Sibi, he shows us in Periyaar what a fine actor he can be. We initially see the actor rather than the character as he plays tricks on his mom or questions social practices with his trademark nakkal. But he grows into the character as it matures and makes us forget who we are watching. By the time he is hidden under the white wig and beard, the transformation is complete and his body language and quivering voice create a very believable old man who is still young at heart. Kushboo is dignified in a short role while Jyothirmayi earns some sympathy as a wife unable to understand her husband but still supportive of him. A host of other actors(Ilavarasu, Y.G.Mahendran, 'Nizhalgal' Ravi, etc.) have small parts. The actors playing Annadurai and Rajaji resemble their real-life counterparts very well.

SJ Vybari

SJ Vybari

After making a grown-up man and a young boy switch bodies and giving form to a person's thoughts, S.J.Suryah breaks down another science fiction barrier in Tamil cinema by tackling the issue of cloning. Badly done as they are, the sci-fi aspects are the least of the film's problems. Suryah's irritating performance combined with lack of logic, abundant sleaze and artificial, misplaced sentiments make Vyaabaari a truly dreadful motion picture. Several people are opposed to cloning and this movie has made me their ally since without cloning, Vyaabaari wouldn't have been made!

Suryaprakash(S.J.Suryah), a businessman owning more than 350 businesses, neglects even his family as he singlemindedly pursues his goals of becoming the most successful businessman in India and earning 1 Rupee more than Bill Gates' wealth. Savitri(Tamanna), a college girl, loves him because of his dedication and work ethic and wants to marry him. Surya does marry her but with different ideas - she is a great cook and he launches a restaurant line with her as the head chef. As it becomes impossible to juggle family and business life, Surya clones himself with the help of a scientist. So he is now free to pursue his business while his clone takes care of his family but the clone has different ideas.

The movie actually sets up an understandable situation for Suryah to resort to cloning. It gives us a businessman for whom work takes preference over family (though, as usual, it exaggerates his work ethic) and it gives him a family that misses him. The others in his family are given short shrift but if we manage to put aside Suryah's overacting and irritating style, Tamanna's situation manages to raise our sympathy. She is quite dumb too(after all, she declares that she is in love with Suryah after just reading about him and agrees to wed him even after seeing how money-minded he is) but she manages to make us feel for her as she yearns for her husband's love and affection.

The disdain with which the movie treats the topic of cloning is almost unbelievable. Sure, this is a masala entertainer and not a serious film about the repercussions of cloning but is it wrong to expect just a little bit of logic, coherence and general adherence to the principles of science even in an entertainer? The clone for some reason walks like a robot(he even does a slo-mo walk - in a urinal, of all places - after delivering a punchline, making it the funniest slo-mo scene I've seen in awhile in Tamil cinema) but seems capable of doing everything else. He seems to hang around in the same vicinity as his original, with no one noticing them(or getting confused if they do notice them). Compared to Vyaabaari, New and even A Aa seem like airtight science fiction classics!

With S.J.Suryah as hero, the abundance of sleaze doesn't come as a surprise (though the extent of sleaze in some scenes is still a surprise). Malavika's inclusion in a throwaway role is obvious as a tactic to increase the glamor quotient and Namitha keeps her reputation intact after her arrival. But its in the attempts to wed sleaze and sentiments that the movie fails miserably. Atleast in New, the 'mother sentiment' didn't rear its head noticeably until the end. But here it coexists with the vulgarity and that makes the movie seem curiously distasteful. As the clone talks tearfully about family after a raunchy sequence with Namitha, the whole thing becomes surreal and disorienting.

Abandoning all the possibilities that could be explored in a movie about cloning, the movie resorts to the old 'mistaken identity' ruse to get laughs but goes about it so clumsily that it elicits groans instead of laughs. Each sequence where the original and the clone switch places(unintentionally or voluntarily) is poorly thought out and executed in even worse fashion. The director's failure in comedy is evident from the fact that he is unable to get laughs from Vadivelu being in a Spider-man costume - a gag that should have made us laugh the moment we laid eyes on it.

This might be the first movie where the same actor could be accused of both overacting and underperforming! S.J.Suryah is his usual self - overacting, overexpressive, loud and irritating as the businessman. He utters every line like it was a punchline(which takes on a new meaning since everytime he utters a line, we want to punch him!). The clone role really exposes his acting limitations. Supposed to be a character who is innocent and gradually learns about everything, Suryah plays him like a mentally retarded person given to wild mood swings! Tamanna looks good and also makes an impression inspite of the chaos around her. Malavika and Namitha do what they were brought on for - lessen the costume budget and make suggestive overtures at Suryah as they flirt with him.

Suryah's personal motto - and punchline - in the film is 100% Vyaabaari. The film itself is 100% torture!

MuthuCharan News

MuthuCharan News

When looking for a film to remake from, Tamil cinema directors usually look for films whose underlying story blends well into the Tamil milieu. So Gautham deserves credit for picking a film/book whose themes are not all that common in Tamil cinema. But in trying to mould the story to fit the image of the movie's lead actor, he turns the uncommon story into a rather common movie. Pachaikkili Muthucharam starts off strong, rooted in human emotions and relationships, but when it turns into a thriller, it derails(pun unintended)!

The film's background actually has a lot in common with Balu Mahendra's Julie Ganapathy. While both films appear to be remakes of English films, Gautham and Balu Mahendra have both said that their films were made from the original books (Derailed and Misery respectively) and not from the movies that were made based on those books. Both films are thrillers that present themes and stories that are rare in Tamil cinema. And both films contain commercial elements introduced in an obvious attempt to make them more palatable to Tamil viewers. But maybe because Gautham had less leeway with his lead actor, his films ends up being the more cinematic one among the two.

Venkatesh(Sarathkumar), a medical representative, leads a happy, contended life with his wife Kalyani(Andrea) and son Nandha. The couple's life is turned upside down when Nandha is diagnosed with diabetes. Kalyani takes the news a lot worse than Venkatesh and her life begins to revolve around Nandha. Venkatesh begins to feel neglected and at the same time, strikes a friendship with Geetha(Jyothika), a woman he meets during his daily commute to and from work by train. A mom herself, Geetha has her own share of problems, one of which is a jealous husband. Venkatesh and Geetha go as far as renting a room at a beach resort but a rowdy(Milind Soman) who breaks into the room, complicates matters.

Gautham handles the relationships in the film with such an assured hand that it is almost a disappointment when the film shows signs of turning into a thriller. Sarath's family life is good and the wonderfully picturized Un Sirippinil... portrays the fun and happiness that is necessary to serve as a contrast to the hard turn his life takes later. The difficulty of having a sick child and the pressures it imposes on the parents are conveyed well inspite of being shown with restraint. Same goes for Sarath's relationship with Jyothika. The initial coming together of two people whose life has made them yearn for companionship and the tentativeness(more from one than the other) as it transforms into something more serious than a friendship, are captured wonderfully.

Watching Pachaikkili Muthucharam, we get the feeling that Gautham films some sequences the way he wants, is plagued by insecurity as to whether it is acceptable to viewers and then introduces something that abides by the conventions of usual Tamil cinema. But in a film offering something different, that sequence is more damaging that it would be if placed in a regular, commercial film. This happens a lot more as the movie moves towards the climax but the Unakkul Naane... song sequence in the first half is the first hint of things to come. After being realistic and gripping until then(in a scuffle with a couple of auto drivers, Sarath throws punches but then holds his hand in pain, bleeds and runs away! Has any other Tamil hero done that?!), the song sequence, with its awkward lead-in line, bright dresses and weirdly-costumed extras, stands out awkwardly and is a big dent in the sober tone generated until then.

The film turns into a thriller once Milind Soman makes his appearance but the big surprise that the film, which managed to be gripping when it was a family drama, starts slowing down after it ups the action. There are one too many twists and some of them aren't even explained clearly. Not surprisingly, it is the quiet scenes, like the one where Sarath confesses to Andrea, that stand out even amidst the action-packed second half. But the Kaadhal Konjam... song, inspite of being a superb number, feels unnecessary.

In the battle between Gautham's storytelling and Sarath's image, the latter comes out on top towards the end and a lot of the goodwill earned thus far in the movie is lost. Some of Sarath's actions and even fights are understandable. After all, he is a man who has been taken for a ride and is determined to save his family. Its easy to believe that he gets some extra-strength when pushed into a corner. But the film crosses the line from that to him being a regular Tamil cinema hero. As he bashes up rowdies single-handedly, its almost as if Gautham handed the camera over to the director of one of Sarath's commercial movies like Arasu or Aei. And having seen him run away after a fight and get tied up and beaten, the contrast is jarring.

After a long line of masala films that ranged from the bad to the not-so-bad, it is initially difficult to accept Sarathkumar in the down-to-earth role. But he overcomes it with an underplayed performance. The performance itself is nothing special but coming from him, it is a pleasant surprise. Jyothika seems determined to make us miss her once her last film comes out. She looks great inspite of being decked up to look like a gypsy and gets to display the entire spectrum of emotions in the role. Andrea is a perfect find. A nice mix of modern and homely, her performance strikes all the right notes. Milind Soman is the usual Gautham film villain - crass, crude and heartless.

Harris Jayaraj comes up with a superb soundtrack for Gautham all the songs sound great. Taken along with the movie, the aforementioned Un Sirippinil... and Karu Karu Vizhigalaal... take the top spot. The latter plays in the background and makes us wish Unakkul Naane... had been employed the same way too. Kaadhal Konjam... is picturized well but just comes at an inopportune moment.

Twenty 20

TwenTy 20 Information

If you were choosing a Twenty20 XI, whose name would you scribble first on the team sheet? Someone who averages in the early twenties and strikes at 180 per 100 balls? How about one of a rare species - a bowler who concedes less than six an over? This week's column looks at the best Twenty20 players - calculated by multiplying the average with the strike-rate for batsmen, and economy-rate with the strike-rate for bowlers. We have included both international and domestic matches in our calculations.

When Pakistan picked Misbah-ul-Haq in their Twenty20 squad, the decision was criticised by many. Mohammad Yousuf had been Pakistan's premier batsman and all Misbah had going for him was a prolific domestic Twenty20 season during which he scored 345 runs in ten innings. He has surpassed expectations with two thrilling fifties in the ICC World Twenty20 plus a forty in the final, and his average of 49.66 combined with a strike-rate of 130.70 makes him fifth in our table of most valuable batsmen.

Matthew Hayden hasn't played any domestic Twenty20s and only seven international matches, which is why he doesn't appear in the table below (our cut-off is ten innings). He has been phenomenal at the top in the ODI format in 2007 and has carried on in the same vein during the World Twenty20, averaging a whopping 88.33 with a strike-rate of 144.80 and four unbeaten half-centuries in the tournament.

Daniel Vettori and Stuart Clark are the hottest properties on the bowling circuit. Vettori had not played any Twenty20 internationals before the tournament, but ended with eleven wickets at an average of 11.63 and an incredible economy-rate of 5.33. And while Clark might never fill Glenn McGrath's boots completely, even McGrath might not have matched Clark's 12 wickets at 12.00 apiece and economy-rate of 6.00. The most miserly bowler in Twenty20 internationals, however, is Pakistan's Umar Gul, who has conceded only 5.28 an over in eight matches.

Dinuka Hettiarachchi, a Sri Lankan left-arm spinner who played a solitary Test against England in 2001, has the best combination of average and strike-rate among all Twenty20 bowlers, international and domestic. He has bowled 221 balls on the Sri Lankan circuit and conceded just 186 runs at an economy-rate of just over five an over. Chris Schofield also ranks highly on our table for he has impressed on the county circuit, though he has struggled to translate that form into success at the World Twenty20, taking just four wickets in as many games and conceding 7.16 an over.