Mersal (#Thalapathy 61) Official First Look |Vijay 61 Title Mersal | Movie Information

 Mersal (#Thalapathy 61) Official First Look |Vijay 61 Title Mersal | Movie Information

Shruti Haasan approached for Sivakarthikeyan’s next

After the success of Srimanthudu, Shruti Haasan has been receiving many offers from south filmmakers. News is that the actress has also been approached to play the female lead in Sivakarthikeyan's next film to be directed by Bhagyaraj Kannan. Earlier, it was reported that Shamlee and Samantha had been approached to play the female lead, so this news comes as a surprising twist.

A source says, "Shruti has been approached, but she is yet to OK the project, as she will have to do a lot of date juggling. She will let the makers know whether she can be part of the project or not, in a couple of days."

The film has PC Sreeram as the cinematographer, with Anirudh composing music.

Suriya and Samantha head to Poland

Suriya and Samantha are off to Poland to shoot a melody composed for Vikram Kumar's action adventure film, '24'. The film's team has been camping in Mumbai for a long time and now move to Poland. Vikram Kumar has zeroed in a few exotic locations in Poland for the shoot. He will be canning a few scenes and a duet song with Suriya and Samantha in Poland. An excited Samantha tweeted, "Enroute Poland !! #24 #Rahmanmagic #workbliss".

The film also has Nithya Menen playing an important role along with potential star cast including Saranya Ponvannan, Girish Karnad, Mohan Raman and others. Suriya and Samantha have already shared the screen space in N Lingusamy directed Anjaan, which did not receive the desired box office report. It is to be seen if the duo acquire a hit at least this time.

The film is being produced by Suriya's own production house, 2D Entertainments and the musis for the film is be AR Rahman.

Trailer released Kamal Haasan's Thoongavanam

The much-awaited trailer of Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan's Thoongavanam is finally out. The trailer of the film starring Kamal Haasan and Trisha in the lead was released today at 4.21 p.m, since 4:21 is the code in medical terms for Insomnia. The film has Trisha playing the female lead and has Prakash Raj and Uma Riaz Khan in crucial roles. The film is directed by Rajesh M Selva with Ghibran scoring the music.

Tamannaah dance a special song in 'Bruce Lee' movie

Southern actress Tamannaah Bhatia has reportedly bagged an opportunity to groove to a special song in actor Ram Charan's upcoming Telugu actioner "Bruce Lee", which also features Chiranjeevi in a cameo. "Tamannaah has been offered the song that was originally planned with Ileana (D'Cruz). While Tamannaah is yet to sign the dotted line, it is learnt that she has given her nod," said a source from the film's unit.

Reportedly, Chiranjeevi will also shake a leg in this song along with his son. The makers plan to shoot the song next week in Hyderabad. Directed by Srinu Vaitla, 'Bruce Lee' also features Rakul Preet Singh, Kriti Kharbanda, Brahmanandam, Nadiya, Tisca Chopra and Arun Vijay in important roles.

In the film, Chiranjeevi will also share the screen space with his son in a fight sequence. Produced by DVV Danayya, the film is slated to hit the screens on October 16.

Rajinikanth shoots for Kabali first look poster

The first look of Superstar Rajinikant's upcoming film Kabali, directed by Pa Ranjith has been released. The first look poster has the superstar sitting on a sofa draped in a grey suit sporting a salt and pepper look with a blue shades. The superstar has one on the arm rest and the other over his head on the head rest. The Petronas twin towers can been seen in the background through the glass behind.

Today, Rajinikanth will start shooting for Pa Ranjith's Kabali, on ECR. The Superstar, according to sources, will be shooting for 50 days at a stretch (barring travel time to Malaysia, of course), so as to speed up the canning of the film, which is produced by S Thanu. This schedule, on ECR, is for 20 days, post which, the team will head to Malaysia. "The subsequent schedules of the film, according to sources, are in Bangkok and Japan," adds the source.

Rana can't take his eyes off Trisha

Rana Daggubati had eyes only for Trisha during the SIIMA (South Indian International Movie Awards), irrespective of whether he was onstage, off it, or even at the after-party. There has always been a buzz that Kollywood actress Trisha and Tollywood star Rana seem to be dating.

Though the two have been repeatedly denying the rumours, adding fuel to the alleged relationship, the duo travelled to Malaysia together to attend the SIIMA 2014. When host Shiva candidly asked Rana how familiar he was with Chennai, the Telugu actor sportingly replied that the only place he was familiar with in Chennai was Trisha's house.

Earleir, the duo posted a selfie of them on board the Malaysia bound flight online and murmurs about their romance and impending marriage cropped up.

Swetha Basu sex racket: Businessman's identity to be revealed today!

Last week, 23-year old Shweta Basu was caught in the act in a posh hotel in Banjara Hills in Hyderabad, and this let to a sex racket expose. While the National Award winning actress' photo and identity was quickly revealed by the police, the public was angry, and many retaliated, saying that the names of the men involved should also then be revealed by the cops and not withheld.

The public may have its wish granted, after all, for, the latest buzz is that the court wants the businessman's identity disclosed. The police have been keeping secret details of the man who was involved with Swetha when she was arrested. Now, as per the court's order, it's likely that the businessman's identity will be disclosed at the hearing of the case today. Shwetha is currently lodged in a rehabilitation home for women. The actress, after her arrest, claimed that many more heroines are into prostitution and it is very common among the actresses.

Shweta Basu has acted in a few other Telugu and Tamil movies too, including 'Chandamama' with Karunas.

Simbu puts himself in Dhanush's shoes

Just when everyone was saying that the professional rivalry between Simbu and Dhanush is growing, the two became very close in real life and became good friends. While the duo has often been spotted spending time with each other lately, Dhanush couldn't make it to the SIIMA Awards function in Malaysia. However, Simbu, who was at the awards function, seems to have stepped in for Dhanush.

Since Dhanush couldn't be on the stage to c ollect yet another 'Best Actor' award for his performance in 'Maryan' at the event, Simbu walked up, and collected the award on his friend's behalf. Dhanush, who is currently busy shooting for his second Bollywood film 'Shamitabh', tweeted, "Thank u siima 4 givin me best actor 4 MARIYAAN.thanks 2 everyone who voted 4 me and thanks Simbu 4 collecting it."

 

Dhanush goes crazy and gets high on sets!

 Actor Dhanush, who made his debut in Bollywood with 'Raanjhana' is currently working on his second Bollywood flick 'Shamitabh' starring himself, Akshara Haasan and Amitabh Bachchan in lead. The star actor seems described shooting for a particular scene as the craziest shot ever in his life.

Dhanush tweeted, "Did d most craziest shot ever n my life 4 shamitabh. it was a different high. @pcsreeram at his genius best."

While the film is set to hit the screens on early next year on Feb 6th, the shooting of the film directed by R. Balki known for his films like directed Cheeni Kum and Paa has been progressing at brisk pace.

Arnold missed veshti; liked idli, dosai and pongal

 Arnold Schwarzenegger who was in the city for the audio launch of Shankar's I -which has Vikram, Amy Jackson in the lead and songs composed by AR Rahman -ensured that he didn't miss out on the taste of Chennai too. We hear that during his stay at a star hotel here, the Hollywood superstar had idli, dosai and pongal for breakfast -after which he worked out for six hours at the gym! He was also so fascinated by the south Indian culture that he wanted to wear a veshti during his meeting with the Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Sources say that arrangements were also made according to Arnold's wish. However, since he had to rush to make it in time for the appointment to meet the CM, he gave wearing the veshti a miss.

When we contacted the producer of I, Aascar Ravichandran, he confirmed the news saying, "Yes, Arnold liked idli, dosai and pongal a lot. When continental cuisines were provided to him, he insisted on having only our traditional breakfast. He also wanted to meet CM in veshti, but due to time constraints, he couldn't wear it."

Ask him about Arnold's epic six hour workout schedule and Aascar says, "He landed at 3.30 am, had breakfast at 5.30 am and then he headed to gym for the workout. He worked out for six hours. Our team was actually stunned by his dedication to his fitness regime."

Goof-ups at 'I' audio launch

While the audio launch of director Shankar's magnum opus 'I' was a grand event, there were quite a few goof-ups during the show. First, the launch was scheduled to start at 6 pm, but the stars turned up late pushing the kick off to close to 8 pm. While the guest and audience were in the arena by 5.30, the crowd were getting a bit restless. But they were all on their toes once the launch started and were stunned by every aspect of the film.

The show hosts singer Chinmayi and actor Bobby Simha couldn't keep the crowd engaged either. Though both are stars in their own profession, their hosting talent was in question. While Chinmayi welcomed Telugu star Rana Daggubati, who wasn't present at the event, Bobby's was left speechless on quite a few occasions.

Actor Rana Daggubati had earlier in the day said on his social networking page that he wouldn't be able to attend the grand audio launch of filmmaker Shankar's Tamil magnum opus I. "Won't be able to make it to the 'I' audio launch this evening because of shoot. Will be missing a huge event. Missing a chance to see the legends on stage @Schwarzenegger and @superstarrajini," Rana posted on Twitter Monday.

Actor Vikram too thanked Rana Daggubati for coming to the audio launch even though he didn't. A mistake on Vikram's part is understandable, considering the fact that he isn't on social networking site and also because he was putting on his make-up for the beast character he was performing at the audio launch. But Chinmayi, who is active on social network sites, should have known or at least should have kept to welcoming the stars by actually spotting them.

Chinmayi's co host Bobby Simha was take aback when a person from the audience said on mic that he wanted to take a picture with Arnold when asked to sing in a high pitch.

Kamal Haasan admitted in hospital

Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan has been admitted in Apollo Hospital at Greams Road in Chennai due to food poisoning. The star actor is currently working on Papanasam, the remake of Malayalam blockbuster Drishyam. Kamal is said to be recovering well and is expected to be discharged today evening or tomorrow morning.

The remake is also being directed by Jeethu Joseph, who made the original in Malayalam with Mohanlal. Gauthami is playing an important role in the film with Kamal Haasan. Music for the film is by Ghibran, who is also scoring the music for Viswaroopam 2 and Uthama Villain. Once he is discharged from the hospital, he will be joining the sets of Papanasam.

Anushka getting married after Mahaabali

 We have it on good authority that recently a debutant director met Anushka at the shooting spot of Lingaa and narrated to her a script. The script was a heroine-centric one, and Anushka loved it. And yet, she did not accept the offer. The reason she gave the director was not the usual one actors dish out of not having dates. In this case, the actress reportedly refused the offer as she's getting married after the shoot of Mahaabali and has no plans to work on any film after marriage.

A source in the know says, "It was only because of her marriage plans that she politely declined to work in this film, though she liked the director's script very much. Anushka will be settling down after her shoot for Rajamouli's film is over."

Anushka's husband-to-be, apparently, is not from the film industry, but a businessman. The actress is currently working on Lingaa with Rajinikanth, Mahaabali and Rudhramadevi. Sources say that she will finish shooting her portions in Lingaa this month.

Suriya challenges Aamir Khan, Mahesh Babu and Sudeep

Looks like our Kollywood actors are taking up the My Tree Challenge seriously. It was Mammootty who nominated Vijay, Suriya and Shah Rukh Khan for the challenge. We had reported that Vijay has accepted the challenge and is set to plant around 25,000 saplings over a period of time. After Vijay, now, Suriya has taken up this challenge and planted a coconut tree a couple of days ago.

A source close to the actor, reveals, "He said that planting trees is close to his heart as afforestation is essential for a clean and green world." Though Vijay didn't nominate any celebrity for the challenge, Suriya has nominated three biggies for taking this challenge forward.

"He has nominated Aamir Khan, Mahesh Babu and Sudeep," reveals our source. That's not all. Suriya has also asked their fans and his fans to take up the tree challenge and spread the noble cause. It is interesting to note that Suriya has nominated one celebrity from the Bollywood, Tollywood and Sandalwood film industries.

Arnold was an inspiration for Vikram's character

At the glitzy audio launch of I, which had Arnold Schwarzenegger as the special guest, director Shankar finally opened up a bit about the film. Talking about the film, Shankar said, "This film is not like the Wolfman or Hulk. It is not about the Olympics or on sports as some people have written. It is not a sci-fi or a film with a social message or a fun film. It is an entirely a new genre for me — romantic thriller. The character that Vikram plays in the film is called Lingeswaran. Since Vikram is playing a bodybuilder, Arnold was an inspiration. We have even given the character a curl like the one that Arnold had during his bodybuilder days."

Almost 25 per cent of the film has been shot in China, he revealed. "The conditions there were extreme but we managed to shoot a song and some stunt sequences there. Action choreographer Peter Ming got actual cycling champions in China for a cycle fight scene that we shot there."

Vikram, who had to lose over 25kg to play the hunchback character in the film, remarked that fasting for a role is not a bother, if the role is interesting enough. The actor added that everyone around him started feeling a little awkward when he was losing weight. "They started asking me why I was even trying out such drastic things. So, I avoided going out to any event. I did not even meet my fans during this time and I thank them for standing by me," he said.

Eros Music to release 'Kaththi' audio

Eros has announced its music label, Eros Music's foray into Tamil music with the release its first Tamil album, Vijay starrer Kaththi, directed by AR Murugadoss with music by Anirudh Ravichander. Eros Music will release the sound track of this upcoming action thriller, one of the most anticipated Tamil films of 2014 on 18th September.

The soundtrack of Kaththi consists of an eclectic mix of singers and six tracks - soulful melodies to folk songs with Vijay himself lending his voice to one of the tracks - 'Selfie pulla'.

Speaking on the announcement, Soundarya A Rajinikanth, Director - Creative & Head Eros Digital for south India said, "We are very excited to associate with the Kaththi team to release the music of this much awaited film. This move marks Eros' debut in the Tamil music market and what can be more auspicious than joining hands with the stalwarts of Tamil cinema - Murugadoss, Vijay sir and youth icon Anirudh. With this move, we are looking forward to leveraging our strength in exclusively exploiting Tamil music content across all formats".

Atlee engaged to actress Priya; Wedding in November this year

Director Atlee of Raja Rani fame is now engaged to Priya. The director got hitched yesterday at a ceremony held at a five-star hotel in the city. Priya, a popular television personality, is also an actress, who is known for her role in Singam. We hear it is a love marriage, which has now been arranged by both the families.

Confirming the news, Atlee says, "Yes, I have found my real rani, Priya. We are friends, but of late, we fell in love and now, here we are, engaged. I've known her for the last eight years. We got engaged with the wishes and blessings of our close friends and family members. Our wedding will take place in November this year."

Udhayanidhi demands his 40 lakhs from Kajal

Producer-turned-actor Udhayanidhi Stalin has filed a complaint at the Tamil Film Producers' Council (TFPC) against Kajal Agarwal for refusing to return back the 40 lakhs he had paid her as advance amount for starring in 'Nanbenda'. 

While Kajal was initially signed to act opposite Udhayanidhi in 'Nanbenda', the pretty actress was by Nayanthara who had earlier worked with Udhayanidhi 'Ithu Kathirvelan Kadhal'.

Udhayanidhi's production house, Red Giant Movies, had requested Kajal to return back Rs. 40 lakhs, which was paid to her as advance. The Tamil Film Producers' Council is investigating into this issue.

Bharat Bala, Simhaa to team up for a dark thriller

Actor Simhaa has caught the attention of Kollywood after his performance as a gangster in Jigarthanda. While he is turning hero with Urumeen, the latest is that Maryan director Bharat Bala is planning to cast the actor as the lead in his next project.

Confirming the news, Simhaa says that the director had expressed interest in working with him even before the release of Jigarthanda. "He called me after the teaser of Jigarthanda was released and told me that he had seen Soodhu Kavvum and Neram, and told me that my performance in those films had impressed him. He started talking about working together and now, things have fallen into place."

The film, Simhaa reveals, will be a dark thriller. He says that while he is yet to sign on the dotted line, his involvement is very much finalized. Also, Bharat Bala had recently tweeted that he is giving the finishing touches to his script and had uploaded a picture with Simhaa on his micro-blogging page.