16 years ago
Debutant director, Chaitanya Dantuluri’s “Banam” being produced by Seshu Priyanka Chalasani, Ashwini Dutt’s daughter has completed all the statutory obligations and is ready for release. According to our sources, some critics were invited for the premiere and the buzz is that the movie is being highly appreciated by all of them. This is the debut film for Nara Rohit, the nephew of Nara Chandrababu Naidu, who’s said to have done an extraordinary job. Chaitanya Dantuluri’s direction is also said to be top notch and some say that he could be in the race for a national award. A commercial producer like Ashwini Dutt is hoping it would do as good at box office as it is a film after a long gap for his banner.
“The effect trailer of Mahatma produced will be carried out in the entire 2 and half hours runtime of Mahatma.” - Krishna Vamsi
Mahatma to Srikanth is like Alluri Seetarama Raju for Krishna - Paruchuri Venkateswara Rao
Mahatma will be a feather in Srikanth's cap - Paruchuri Gopala Krishna
I may not be proud that I finished 100 movies, but I am definitely proud that I acted in Mahatma movie. - Hero Srikanth
MAHATMA will be released in the last week of September. Yuvamedia would like to thank hero Srikanth and director Krishnavamsi for giving this opportunity.
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Namo Venkatesha is being produced by Aachanta Gopinath, Anil Sunkara and Aachanta Ram and is presented by Suresh Productions under 14 reels banner. Sreenu Vytla is directing the film.
Like father – like son, seems to be the way in which Naga Chaitanya is going. Like Nagarjuna, Chaitanya too is showing an increasing tendency to experiment. While Josh, for a first film, was way too mature in terms of message his second film with Gautam Menon is termed as a “sensitive love story”. If any of you here think the music score by A R Rehman is a commercial plus, please think again. Rehman sure composes great music, but his tastes tilt more towards the artistic side and, it is difficult if not impossible to ask Rehman to compose a mass item number. Chaitanya can ask his mama Venkatesh on that score or look into why Suresh Productions and Rehman have never worked together after Super Police. And just too prove a point; the very same Gautam Menon is directing an out and out action flick with Mahesh Babu, for a film produced by Manjula! Chaitanya would do well to reassure his distributors, who by the way have surely taken a hit, that he will keep their commercials in mind before he finalizes script and casting for his films. 
She’s making a guest appearance in a film being directed by Nandini, a protégé of ace director, Krishna Vamsi. The failure of “Boni” at the box office seems to have made her stronger and more confident of her efforts to succeed. 123telugu.com wishes her all the best.
Elsewhere, Vanamari Kishtapuram,a small village in Mundigonda mandal (Khammam District) is in the limelight. The villagers have built a temple for YSR at a cost of Rs.2 lakhs. Mallu Nandini, wife of chief whip, Mr Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka unveiled the statue of YSR. Sensing the delay to arrive at a final decision from party high command in New Delhi, Congress supporters and activists across the state are making all possible efforts to make their voices heard.
The original version, “A Wednesday” has some great background score which elevated the tension in this action thriller. Let’s hope Eenadu’s music is as good as “A Wednesday”. The film is releasing this Friday, 18th September.
For New Delhi, the pressure to decide who is A.P’s CM came from an unexpected quarter; the TDP! The leading opposition party in the state, yesterday, wondered aloud as to who actually was the CM of the state. Janardhan Redy of TDP asked if Rosaiah was the CM why he was not operating from the “C” block. The TDP expressed concern that there wasn’t even a semblance of normalcy in the state when it came to the matters of administration. Delhi meanwhile downplayed the issue and said deciding on the CM was a matter of timing and there is a fully functional administration in lace at Hyderabad and there was no cause for worry. K V P Ramachander Rao also said despite his meetings with Pranab there was nothing new to add on the Jagan as CM front.
Well, when Rajinikanth says something it is like saying it hundred times -- like the actor's famous one-liner in Baasha.
It remains to be seen if Ilayathalapathy Vijay takes up Rahul Gandhi's offer or follows the Superstar's steps in this regard.
The Telugu Desam party, is keenly watching the developments in the ruling Congress party in the State, following the demise of former Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy .
The statement made by Mr Revanth Reddy, TDP legislator a few days back that there is every possibility of mid-term elections in the State, and the senior TDP leader, Mr Yerrabelli Dayakar Rao's observation on Saturday that groupism would come to the surface in the Congress now and it would be beneficial to the TDP, are clear indications of the thinking in a section of the TDP leaders on the issue.
Mr Dayakar Rao stated that the demise of Dr Reddy was a great loss to the State and the next Chief Minister, whoever it might be, would not be able to carryon the functions of the government and the party as efficiently as Dr Reddy did. He also stated that either Mr Rosaiah, the present Chief Minister, or Mr Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, in favour of whom a vast majority of the legislators were pitching now, would not be able to prevent groupism within the ruling party, and it would benefit the TDP. Mr Rao added that groupism is very common in the Congress party and the party is sure to face groupism and in-fighting now.
It is clear from these statements that some of the TDP leaders feel that there would be crisis in the Congress party and that would lead to mid-term elections. These leaders might be feeling that mid-term elections would benefit the TDP. Observers, however, feel that the thinking of the TDP leaders is totally devoid of reason, and there was no possibility of mid-term polls and even if mid-term polls become inevitable, the TDP would not benefit at all. On the other hand, the TDP would stand to lose further, as the good work done by Dr Rajasekhara Reddy, coupled with the sympathy factor, would work wonders in favour of the Congress party and it would definitely improve its strength.
The high command is The Senior leaders of the party are fully aware that once a wrong step is taken, it would be difficult to retrace, and the party might face difficult times. The High Command is keen that the good work done by late YSR and the unity forged by him in the party were not undone in any manner. would have to pay a heavy price.
All said and done, political analysts feel that the wishes of the TDP would not materialise and the Congress party would be able to complete the full term of five years.
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti president, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, is planning to start a “Telangana TV” channel to highlight problems of Telangana and focus on its culture.
Mr Rao visited some studios in Hyderabad and Mumbai to scout for a suitable low cost channel, TRS sources said.
The TRS chief has been toying with the idea of starting a TV channel for quite some time now. He was encouraged after the launch of a newspaper and TV channel by ruling party members in Hyderabad.
The TRS leader and former MP, Mr G. Vinod Kumar, who had accompanied the TRS chief in the search for a suitable TV channel, said that the channel would be based in the city. It will devote time for socio-economic problems of Telangana and hold discussions on a several topics pertaining to the area besides focusing on its art and culture, he explained.
“We have undertaken a preliminary exercise and visited some channels including some religious ones which are functioning on moderate budgets to ascertain the cost and other details. A decision will be taken soon,” he said.
While Mr Chandrasekhar Rao is in active politics, his daughter Ms Kavita is promoting Telangana culture and cuisine through her “Telangana Jagruti” organisation. Ms Kavita is presently organising Telangana sambaralu in New Delhi. She will also have a role in the TV programmes.
According to Mr Vinod, Telangana culture has been gradually eroding and the channel would give a fillip to protect the same and also bring to light the great history of the region, its monuments, personalities and cuisine among others.
Mr Rao visited some studios in Hyderabad and Mumbai to scout for a suitable low cost channel, TRS sources said.
The TRS chief has been toying with the idea of starting a TV channel for quite some time now. He was encouraged after the launch of a newspaper and TV channel by ruling party members in Hyderabad.
The TRS leader and former MP, Mr G. Vinod Kumar, who had accompanied the TRS chief in the search for a suitable TV channel, said that the channel would be based in the city. It will devote time for socio-economic problems of Telangana and hold discussions on a several topics pertaining to the area besides focusing on its art and culture, he explained.
“We have undertaken a preliminary exercise and visited some channels including some religious ones which are functioning on moderate budgets to ascertain the cost and other details. A decision will be taken soon,” he said.
While Mr Chandrasekhar Rao is in active politics, his daughter Ms Kavita is promoting Telangana culture and cuisine through her “Telangana Jagruti” organisation. Ms Kavita is presently organising Telangana sambaralu in New Delhi. She will also have a role in the TV programmes.
According to Mr Vinod, Telangana culture has been gradually eroding and the channel would give a fillip to protect the same and also bring to light the great history of the region, its monuments, personalities and cuisine among others.
--DC
Vijayashanti was accused of indulging in swindling of more than Rs 2 crore deposited by employees of ordinance factory at Eddumailaram near Sangareddy in Medak district, in collusion with Sangareddy Congress MLA T Jayaprakash Reddy. There are enough evidences to prove that the money got transferred into the account of Srinivasa Prasad, husband of Vijayashanti.
The media report came in handy for the Telangana Rashtra Samithi leadership, which has given a call to the people of Medak district to question Vijayashanti and chase her away. Since then, she has gone into hiding.
1. Magadheera – Mega powerstar Ramcharan has been ruling the roost since a long time and he along with Kajal Agarwal have been giving the Telugu audience a treat.
2. Sankham – Aggressive star Gopichand has arrived with petite beauty Trisha, the opening talk has been mixed, next week will give clear picture.
3. Josh – The debut of Naga Chaitanya, son of Nagarjuna was not up to the mark and even Karthika, daughter of Radha has not been able to impress in looks. Good thoughtful message but not much entertainment so let us see what happens.
4. Mallanna – This was yet another hyped and long awaited movie but then the Vikram- Shriya starrer could not impress the Telugu audience much. The Tamil version is a hit though.
5. Anjaneyulu – Crazy mass hero Ravi Teja paired up with his favorite Nayantara but then the film could not get the kind of response which was expected. Better luck next time Ravi!!!
Trisha will soon be seen opposite Akshay Kumar in the Priyadarshan directed Khatta Meeta. The beauty standards are very different in Bollywood. Voluptuous figures like those seen on Namitha are strictly forbidden. And while Trisha was already fairly slim, she has been trimming down her figure even further and getting into bikini-ready shape with regular visits to the gym.
Although the talented Trisha has risen to the top of both the Tamil and Telugu film industries, she has not done her own dubbing. Presumably, as she was born in Kerala, Malayalam is her native tongue, but she has been working hard on her Hindi lines so she can debut her own voice with the Bollywood audiences!
The new wave of directors has been sweeping the Tollywood circuit and while few of them have been reaching great heights, there are those who are biting the mud. It now looks like the new man Vasu Varma belongs to the latter category.
Apparently, Varma tried to match himself with none other than Ram Gopal Varma and made ‘Josh’ with traces of ‘Shiva’. However, it lacked the punch and the flavor that was required. On the other hand, many say that producer Dil Raju is known for his colorful films and also fingering into the film. So with all this happening, the industry has been buzzing with the phrase “Vasu Varma! Idemi Kharma?”. Sources close to the film also say that the prodding from Dil Raju has been another reason for the movie to be shaped like this. Better luck next time Vasu Varma!!!
After sons of stars, producers and directors it’s the turn of a political heavyweight to make a T-town splash. Rohit Narra, nephew of former Chief Minister Chandra-babu Naidu makes his debut in the youth-centric film Baanam.
Even before we can ask him why films, Rohit confesses that, “politics” was never a career option for him.Surprisingly, even acting wasn’t there in his scheme of things. A bio-technology grad, Rohit probably would have gone on to do a master’s degree, but fate had other plans. He rewinds: “I had rejected a couple of offers in Chennai but thought of trying my hand at acting.” That took him to a six-month crash course in filmmaking and acting at the New York Film Academy. “I just wanted to master the basics. Of course, if you train as an actor that comes handy, but one needs to have talent to make it big,” he affirms.
Coming to his dream project, he agreed to do the film because the script was “novel”. “It’s a wonderful script,” says the actor, who preferred a ‘plot-driven’ film over a “star-centric” movie as his launch pad. “It's always better that way since the script should justify the protagonist’s character in the film,” he avers. Does he play the role of a brooding youngster in the film? “I’d say I am playing an intense role which is quite different from what you have seen before. There’s a romantic angle blended into the script,” he elaborates.
Like other trained actors, does he believe in method acting? “On the contrary, I rely on spontaneity since the ‘first’ shot is always the best,” he says. Rohit would like to experiment with all kinds of films. “I am game for varied roles. I’d even like to do dance sequences in future films. In this film there was scope only for action,” he points out.
Off the camera, Rohit isn’t a party animal and prefers to attend only select bashes. But he religiously watches ‘one’ movie a day, listens to music and uses “laptops if necessary,” he says. For now he’s also “looking out for meaningful scripts among a couple of offers,” he says.
Actor Kamal Haasan and his family were the cynosure of all eyes. Proud dad Kamal was all praise for Shruti’s compositions. “She did her work independently and it was a pleasant surprise. We shot a promotional video and it has nothing to do with the film. It’s something like the song Madonna did to promote Quantum of Solace. Director Chakri has made a good commercial film and my co-star Venkatesh worked like a friend throughout the film,” said the thespian. Venkatesh gushed, “it was wonderful working with an ace actor like Kamal” and said that Shruti’s score for the film was “amazing”.The audience was spellbound by Shruti’s music video choreographed by her sister Akshara that also showcased Gouthami’s daughter Subbalakshmi’s singing talent. Shruti,of course, was the showstealer with everyone walking up to congratulate her work. The event was attended by bigwigs like K Raghavendra Rao, Paruchuri Gopala Krishna, Chakri and Atchi Reddy.
This slender beauty has been making her presence felt in the silver screen as well and now many say that she is the most sought after person after the seniors. Apparently, Saira has got that energetic presence and at the same time she is also bubbly and beautiful that makes her even more appealing. Saira from her end has already mentioned that she would not let go of the small screen circuit since that’s where she started her career.
The unit of NTR’s latest flick in VV Vinayak’s direction had recently been abroad to shoot a couple of songs. At present some prominent scenes are being canned at Kumbakonam. The next schedule is planned in Kolkata where few more scenes along with fights will be shot.
NTR is playing a dual role sharing screen with Nayantara and Sheela. Mahesh Manjrekar is playing the villain. This mass cum action entertainer is most likely to release in first week of December.
Apart from NTR’s performance, fights and dances, Chota K Naidu’s colourful camera and Devisri Prasad’s earful music will be the main attractions. Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan is producing the film under Vaishnavi Arts banner. Kodali Nani is presenting it.
NTR is playing a dual role sharing screen with Nayantara and Sheela. Mahesh Manjrekar is playing the villain. This mass cum action entertainer is most likely to release in first week of December.
Apart from NTR’s performance, fights and dances, Chota K Naidu’s colourful camera and Devisri Prasad’s earful music will be the main attractions. Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan is producing the film under Vaishnavi Arts banner. Kodali Nani is presenting it.
Director Arjun's film 'Samardhudu' is releasing on the 18th of this month. Raja is one among the five contract killers in the film. The film passes a message that as citizens we too have a duty to protect our leaders. "We have based our story on the life of P. Janardhan Reddy, the man of the masses," says the director.He adds, "Unable to see his popularity some people want to kill him, they hire five contract killers for this purpose. Dandapani plays the CM, and Krishnam Raju is the man of the masses. These 5 guys stay in Sanjana's house as tenants."
The director has taken special care to see that the soft and lover boy image of Raja doesn't come in the way of the film. He elaborates, "There are two versions in his hair style. The body language is different. Even my guru EVV garu said Raja looks so different. We have tried our best to make the film look stylish and trendy. The second half of the film explains why Raja turns as a hired killer, does he kill, does he change his heart after seeing the leader from proximity.
But for Chiranjeevi Sarja, his debut, Vaayuputra, was a long time coming. However, he says he wasn’t disillusioned by the delay in the film’s release, and takes comfort in the fact that it hits screens this week. “If something big has to come, it takes a long time. And I knew what was happening behind the scenes. I’m sure the wait will be worth it. The film is full-on entertainment,” he maintains.
All Chiranjeevi ever wanted to do was be an actor. And his uncle, Arjun Sarja, whom he fondly calls ‘mama’, helped him fulfil his dreams. “I wanted to be an actor when I was studying in class 6. That’s when mama told me, ‘I’ll make you an actor’. The idea just stayed with me,” recalls Chiranjeevi.
So, the young actor underwent training at Kishore Namit Kapoor’s acting school after he graduated from college. But he always turns to his uncle when he needs advice. “My mama told me that if I wanted to be an actor, I’d have to know something about films. So, I worked with him on Madrasi as an assistant director,” says Chiranjeevi. And Arjun was by his side throughout the making of Vaayuputra, which was also something of a family affair, given that Arjun produced the film and his other uncle, the late Kishore Sarja, directed it. “He looked after me right from the beginning until we broke the kumblukayi,” says Chiranjeevi.
His uncle started out in Sandalwood, and has since then established himself in the south, especially Kollywood. But Chiranjeevi wouldn’t consider moving to other languages any time soon. “This is my home and I’m comfortable with Kannada. It would be difficult to get my expressions right if I were to act in other languages. Moreover, our roots are deep down here,” he says, “But given the opportunity, I’d give it a shot. I’d like to get the exposure to different audiences. But I won’t forget where I come from,” he asserts.
The newbie is, however, jittery about his debut. “I’ve given this film my 100 per cent, so I hope that people like it. The first person who commented on my performance was my uncle, who said I’ve done a good job. That made me quite happy,” says Chiranjeevi.
Is there any way in which he’d like to emulate his uncle? “Everyone knows how he keeps himself fit. So, I’ve worked out and got myself a six-pack. But I haven’t got the chance to show it off on-screen, though,” says the actor.
All Chiranjeevi ever wanted to do was be an actor. And his uncle, Arjun Sarja, whom he fondly calls ‘mama’, helped him fulfil his dreams. “I wanted to be an actor when I was studying in class 6. That’s when mama told me, ‘I’ll make you an actor’. The idea just stayed with me,” recalls Chiranjeevi.
So, the young actor underwent training at Kishore Namit Kapoor’s acting school after he graduated from college. But he always turns to his uncle when he needs advice. “My mama told me that if I wanted to be an actor, I’d have to know something about films. So, I worked with him on Madrasi as an assistant director,” says Chiranjeevi. And Arjun was by his side throughout the making of Vaayuputra, which was also something of a family affair, given that Arjun produced the film and his other uncle, the late Kishore Sarja, directed it. “He looked after me right from the beginning until we broke the kumblukayi,” says Chiranjeevi.
His uncle started out in Sandalwood, and has since then established himself in the south, especially Kollywood. But Chiranjeevi wouldn’t consider moving to other languages any time soon. “This is my home and I’m comfortable with Kannada. It would be difficult to get my expressions right if I were to act in other languages. Moreover, our roots are deep down here,” he says, “But given the opportunity, I’d give it a shot. I’d like to get the exposure to different audiences. But I won’t forget where I come from,” he asserts.
The newbie is, however, jittery about his debut. “I’ve given this film my 100 per cent, so I hope that people like it. The first person who commented on my performance was my uncle, who said I’ve done a good job. That made me quite happy,” says Chiranjeevi.
Is there any way in which he’d like to emulate his uncle? “Everyone knows how he keeps himself fit. So, I’ve worked out and got myself a six-pack. But I haven’t got the chance to show it off on-screen, though,” says the actor.
---TOI
Ramcharan's next film with director Bommarillu Bhaskar is to be titled as 'Orange' and the tag line would be 'Fall in Love'.
The film will be launched on 20th of September in grand scale in Hyderabad. The regular shoot schedule will go on from the first week of October in USA. Genelia is the heroine of the film. Nagababu is making the film on Anjana productions banner.
Suave and sharply dressed, villains who play smooth criminals steal the show in Tollywood. And Mumabi model-turned-actor Shawar Ali is all set to jump the bandwagon with his upcoming film Rechipo.
After a successful stint in the modelling world for eight years, Shavar turned to Bollywood to satisfy his urge to do something “creative and meaningful”. A couple of duds later, the actor is back to try his luck again, wiser and more experienced this time.
Not a quitter, he says, “I made mistakes. everyone does, but at least I can look back and claim that I did it all on my own, without any help. As long as I don’t repeat them, it is okay.”
Rechipo, starring Nitin and Illeana, has Shawar playing his “dream role.” He says, “My role is that of a rich, suave, powerful and intriguing don from Dubai. I even get to drive around in a hummer. What more can I ask for? It is my dream role. And if you want to build a great fan base, Tollywood is the place to be.”
While he is already flooded with offers from T’wood, Shawar admits he’s pretty picky now. “From here on I want it to be an upward curve, so I will be very careful of what projects I take on in Tollywood.” While his current focus is on T’wood, he has kept his option open. “I have just finished a film called Shock and I’m currently doing Sunny Deol’s The Man. I am reading a lot of scripts for future projects too.” Meanwhile, he’s enjoying his stay in the city. “I love Hyderabad. It reminds me of my hometown Bhopal because of the meheman nawazi that Hyderabadis are famous for.”
After a successful stint in the modelling world for eight years, Shavar turned to Bollywood to satisfy his urge to do something “creative and meaningful”. A couple of duds later, the actor is back to try his luck again, wiser and more experienced this time.
Not a quitter, he says, “I made mistakes. everyone does, but at least I can look back and claim that I did it all on my own, without any help. As long as I don’t repeat them, it is okay.”
Rechipo, starring Nitin and Illeana, has Shawar playing his “dream role.” He says, “My role is that of a rich, suave, powerful and intriguing don from Dubai. I even get to drive around in a hummer. What more can I ask for? It is my dream role. And if you want to build a great fan base, Tollywood is the place to be.”
While he is already flooded with offers from T’wood, Shawar admits he’s pretty picky now. “From here on I want it to be an upward curve, so I will be very careful of what projects I take on in Tollywood.” While his current focus is on T’wood, he has kept his option open. “I have just finished a film called Shock and I’m currently doing Sunny Deol’s The Man. I am reading a lot of scripts for future projects too.” Meanwhile, he’s enjoying his stay in the city. “I love Hyderabad. It reminds me of my hometown Bhopal because of the meheman nawazi that Hyderabadis are famous for.”
--DC
HYDERABAD: He debuted in Tamil, crossed over to Hindi with a nationally acclaimed performance and landed with a winner in the Telugu film industry. After seven years of acting, and dabbling in direction, screenplay and playback singing, Siddharth Narayan finally agreed to endorse a brand.
“I avoided the role of brand ambassador so far but when I decided to do it, I chose one of the best,” he declared to the media after launching Idea’s ‘Walking Raagas’ as part of the ‘Walk When You Talk’ campaign.
The easy extempore is hardly a new development. “Even when I was public speaker in school I hated podiums,” he says. And that explains the confidence behind the mike.
“I always wished there was a way to talk and walk.” The next thing you know he is strolling up and down the stage with a cordless mike.
It was his first promotion and he had no trouble leaving a lingering smile in an audience full of media people.
Needless to say, it is not the easiest gathering to impress. In a touching show of respect, he even expressed his condolences to the people over the death of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
A product of many cities, he shifted effortlessly between Telugu and English leaving no confusion about where he belongs when he referred to the Telugu film industry as “our industry.” The charming demeanour and the friendly tone do not go with the supposed ‘low profile’ he maintains. “Well it’s the first time I am doing this,” he says. “But once I am gone you won’t see me till my next movie release,” he quickly adds with a smile.
As for upcoming films, “There is Striker, where I play a solo lead. It’s a biopic of a man in Bombay.” Anticipating the oft asked question about his image he says, “It’s my first action film. I enjoyed working on it more than any other film.”
Since his last Telugu film ‘Oye’ only released in July, he is yet to start working on his next project. “It is an untitled movie. It’s by Prakash Rao, son of director Raghavendra Rao.”
He is not too disappointed by a Telugu movie not making it to the national awards again.
“The way I see it Prakash Raj is a Telugu actor and he won,” he says, never at a loss for answers.
“I avoided the role of brand ambassador so far but when I decided to do it, I chose one of the best,” he declared to the media after launching Idea’s ‘Walking Raagas’ as part of the ‘Walk When You Talk’ campaign.
The easy extempore is hardly a new development. “Even when I was public speaker in school I hated podiums,” he says. And that explains the confidence behind the mike.
“I always wished there was a way to talk and walk.” The next thing you know he is strolling up and down the stage with a cordless mike.
It was his first promotion and he had no trouble leaving a lingering smile in an audience full of media people.
Needless to say, it is not the easiest gathering to impress. In a touching show of respect, he even expressed his condolences to the people over the death of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
A product of many cities, he shifted effortlessly between Telugu and English leaving no confusion about where he belongs when he referred to the Telugu film industry as “our industry.” The charming demeanour and the friendly tone do not go with the supposed ‘low profile’ he maintains. “Well it’s the first time I am doing this,” he says. “But once I am gone you won’t see me till my next movie release,” he quickly adds with a smile.
As for upcoming films, “There is Striker, where I play a solo lead. It’s a biopic of a man in Bombay.” Anticipating the oft asked question about his image he says, “It’s my first action film. I enjoyed working on it more than any other film.”
Since his last Telugu film ‘Oye’ only released in July, he is yet to start working on his next project. “It is an untitled movie. It’s by Prakash Rao, son of director Raghavendra Rao.”
He is not too disappointed by a Telugu movie not making it to the national awards again.
“The way I see it Prakash Raj is a Telugu actor and he won,” he says, never at a loss for answers.
---The Hindu
Puri Jagannadh's home-production movie "Bumper Offer" audio release function took place on Friday night in Prasad Labs. Along with the audio, Puri's music company 'Puri Sangeeth' was also launched formally. Puri's kid brother Sairamram Shankar is playing the hero's role in "Bumper Offer". Famous heroes Prabhas, Raviteja, Gopichand, Rajasekhar and others participated in the function. Speaking on the occasion Puri Jagannadh said " in the past I have made a movie "143" with my brother as hero.
It earned the name as a good flick but I didn't get money in return." Rajsekhar asked the reason for it and Puri replied " it's all fate1 though my friend the director Jayaravindra has done a good job, but somehow it didn't click."
The case filed by Sushil Gupta against Sri Devi’s production houses - Sri Devi Productions, Narasimha Enterprises and SK Films - was taken up for hearing yesterday. Earlier, Gupta had filed a petition for staying the release of the production houses’ Wanted, which has Salman Khan and Ayesha Takia in the lead and directed by Prabhu Deva.
According to the petitioner, the production houses owed him Rs. 7.93 crores and they should be allowed to release the film only after all his dues are settled. On an appeal, the defendants (Sri Devi, Boney Kapoor and Surendra Kapoor) stated that the entire transaction took place in Mumbai and hence the Madras High Court did not have the jurisdiction.
However, on the orders of the court, the actress said that she would pay or submit a guarantee of Rs. 3.60 crores on or before September 16th.
Rana’s debut film ‘AVM vari Leader’ being produced by AVM and directed by Sekhar Kammula was initially slated to release on October 2nd Gandhi Jayanti has been postponed to Sankranthi. The reason is said to be that the film shoot has been stretching beyond the planned period and that there is still many more days left before it can get into post production. Suresh, Rana’s father who is closely monitoring it wants it come at a time when the market is relatively free and not crowded. He believes January is the time. Let us hope he is right.
Bhumika, the seductive aunty of tollywood is married to yoga Guru Bharath Thakur. Almost 10 months back, she started a cinema magazine titled as “Mayanagar” which was hyped as a south Indian top cinema magazine.
But a month ago, Bhumika has closed the magazine due to lack of funds and is said to be in deep financial crisis. For this reason, she is opting for some spicy photo shoot and is earning almost Rs 50,000 per shoot. Already one of her spicy stills is being circulated in the World Wide Web which is revealing her whole cleavage and a black dot is also revealed of her right asset. Many gossips are being circulated about Bhumika and the latest one suggests that the actress daring and baring acts have disturbed her marriage life.
Meanwhile, the latest gossip about her is said to be her deep financial crisis which is said to be a big headache to her. Her Yoga Husband is not earning well and so Bhumika is said to have taken the initiative to earn and lift her family life according to her surrounding high-fi society.
123Telugu.blog Rating: 3 / 5
| Director : J.Siva Kumar | |
| Music Director : S.Taman | |
| Producers : J Bhagawan, J Pulla Rao | |
| Starring : Gopichand, Trisha, Sathya Raj, Chandramohan, Swathi, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Ali, Venumadhav, Krishna Bhagawan, MS Narayana, LB Sriram and others ... |
The Gopichand-Trisha starrer “Shankam” had a low-key release this week to average expectations. The low-key release publicity, in contrast to the highly hyped Mallanna and Josh, seems to have worked in its favor in keeping expectations in control. This will definitely shine at the box-office as there are no other releases this week giving Gopichand his second consecutive hit after “Shouryam”.
What is it about : Picturesque Sydney is the first-half setting where the happy-go-lucky Chandu (Gopichand) bumps into the tomboyish Mahalaxmi (Trisha) and promptly falls in love with her at the first look. The rest of the first half has Chandu trying his best to woo her using the help of “Saif Ali Khan” (Ali) leading to many comical episodes. In the background, we are also introduced to the famed age-old Rayalaseema rivalry between the good Sivaih (Satyaraj) and the villainous Pashupathi (Kota Srinivas Rao). In the midst of this, Mahalaxmi is forcibly taken back to Rayalaseema with Chandu landing up there on a rescue mission. Soon we discover that Chandu’s father is Sivaih while Mahalaxmi is Pashupathi’s daughter. So now, the second half is about the warring families and how Chandu tries unsuccessfully to make peace with Pashupathi leading to Sivaih’s death. So like in all such movies, we move on to a predictable climax where all the bad guys die violently for their sins and the love-birds live happily ever-after. | ||
What is bad: The second half drags a bit trying while trying to build up the father-son relationship and this makes it a bit serious and sentimental. Some of the action sequences seem to be forced into the script only to show-off Gopichand’s action skills.
Me Thinks: Shankam can be watched once as it does meet the minimum audience expectation of watching a timepass movie.
Tailpiece: Satyaraj, the popular Tamil hero in the nineties, makes a comeback to Tollywood after a long time and he does bring in a quiet dignity to Sivaih’s character without going over the top.
123-TeluguBlog Rating 2.25/5
Punchline: lacks Josh
Genre: Action
Type: Straight
Banner: Sri Venkateswara Creations
Naga Chaitanya: It's a big challenge to do a character that is underplayed for a debutant like Naga Chaitanya. And Naga Chaitanya passes it with flying colors. He is extremely good in emotional scenes. And he is a very good actor when it comes to scenes that require histrionics. However, he looked little shy in romantic scenes with heroine. He needs to be more casual in general scenes. His voice is good. With better modulation he can deliver any kind of Telugu dialogues efficiently. And he has got the same charming eyes and screen presence like Nagarjuna. If he gets the right scripts with apt commercial elements, he will become a huge star in the days to come. ANR and Nagarjuna are known for having tremendous female following and Naga Chaitanya inherits that legacy now right with his first movie.He must Improve Dancing and Dailogue Delivery and Expressions
Others: Karthika is adequate in the acting department. However, she didn't suit the character. This type character is tailor-made for actresses like Genelia/Asin who have tremendous mischievous screen presence. Dubbing done by Savita Reddy suited the character, but didn't match with the actress (Karthika). Prakash Raj has a relatively small role, but has a vital part to play in the film and he is extremely effective as the principal who brings change in hero's outlook. It's a sleep walk for JD Chakri to play this role and he is extremely casual. Brahmanandam entertains in a limited role. The guy who did the role of a student leader Guna is talented. Sreya D suited the role well. Two cute kids who follow the heroine have performed well. Sunil provides some comic relief. Surya, Hema and Sitara are adequate. All the new cast in the movie could able to bring freshness.
Other departments: Songs scored by Sandeep Chowta are neat. Title song makes an impact in the theater. Background music and mixing dominates the scenes at times. Cinematography by Sameer Reddy is nice. Dialogues written by Vasu Varma deserves applause (naa mundu nee paina jarchaku (hero to JD) and school paaTalu cheppi pariksha pedutundi, jeevitam pariksha petti paataalu nerputundi. etc). The location of college shot in Amritsir is aesthetic. Fights are good and bike races are shot slickly. Editing should have been crisper as there quite a few unnecessary scenes in the movie.
Analysis: First half of the movie is inadequate. Second half is better. This movie can be made in two ways. One way is to insert commercial elements and make it a masala movie. The other way is to stick to story and stay away from commercial gimmicks. Producer Dil Raju should be commended for sticking to the basics though it is a risky proposition. But films like these need a tight screenplay and gripping narration. The narration and screenplay given by Vasu Varma diluted the main point. Naga Chaitanya proves to be a prospective super star with his debut. All he needs to do is to select right scripts. The fans of Dil Raju will be disappointed with this movie. On a whole Josh movie lacks the much needed Josh. We have to wait and see how people receive it.
Punchline: lacks Josh
Genre: Action
Type: Straight
Banner: Sri Venkateswara Creations
Cast: Naga Chaitanya, Karthika, Prakash Raj, JD Chakri, Sunil, Surya, Brahmanandam, Hema Sreya & Sitara
Music: Sandeep Chowta
Cinematography: Sameer Reddy
Stunts: Vijay
Editing: Marthand K Venkatesh
Story – screenplay - dialogues – direction: Vasu Varma
Producer: Dil Raju
Release date: 5 September 2009
Cinematography: Sameer Reddy
Stunts: Vijay
Editing: Marthand K Venkatesh
Story – screenplay - dialogues – direction: Vasu Varma
Producer: Dil Raju
Release date: 5 September 2009
Story
Satya (Naga Chaitanya) is a student who discontinues his college in Vizag and comes to Hyderabad to stay with his uncle (Sunil). He observes that a small time politician called JD (JD Chakri) manipulates two student gangs in a college to serve his interests. Satya joins the same college and tries to unite students and reform them. The rest of the story is all about why he discontinued his studies in Vizag and joined college in Hyderabad.
Satya (Naga Chaitanya) is a student who discontinues his college in Vizag and comes to Hyderabad to stay with his uncle (Sunil). He observes that a small time politician called JD (JD Chakri) manipulates two student gangs in a college to serve his interests. Satya joins the same college and tries to unite students and reform them. The rest of the story is all about why he discontinued his studies in Vizag and joined college in Hyderabad.Artists Performance
Naga Chaitanya: It's a big challenge to do a character that is underplayed for a debutant like Naga Chaitanya. And Naga Chaitanya passes it with flying colors. He is extremely good in emotional scenes. And he is a very good actor when it comes to scenes that require histrionics. However, he looked little shy in romantic scenes with heroine. He needs to be more casual in general scenes. His voice is good. With better modulation he can deliver any kind of Telugu dialogues efficiently. And he has got the same charming eyes and screen presence like Nagarjuna. If he gets the right scripts with apt commercial elements, he will become a huge star in the days to come. ANR and Nagarjuna are known for having tremendous female following and Naga Chaitanya inherits that legacy now right with his first movie.He must Improve Dancing and Dailogue Delivery and ExpressionsOthers: Karthika is adequate in the acting department. However, she didn't suit the character. This type character is tailor-made for actresses like Genelia/Asin who have tremendous mischievous screen presence. Dubbing done by Savita Reddy suited the character, but didn't match with the actress (Karthika). Prakash Raj has a relatively small role, but has a vital part to play in the film and he is extremely effective as the principal who brings change in hero's outlook. It's a sleep walk for JD Chakri to play this role and he is extremely casual. Brahmanandam entertains in a limited role. The guy who did the role of a student leader Guna is talented. Sreya D suited the role well. Two cute kids who follow the heroine have performed well. Sunil provides some comic relief. Surya, Hema and Sitara are adequate. All the new cast in the movie could able to bring freshness.Technical departments
Story - screenplay - directon: The basic story of the movie is about a student's redemption. He does a mistake and he want to redeem himself of that sin by achieving a goal. It looks quite different and noble when we read it on paper. However, the director Vasu Varma failed to come up with right screenplay and interesting subplots. There are certain vital scenes that demand a commendable job. Direction is good in parts. But he fails when it come to connecting the entire story and narrating it convincingly.
The following scenes are good
1. Hero going to the brink of fighting goons, but withdrawing at the last moment (tea stall where he hands over money to the canteen owner instead of fighting goons)
2. Police station incident (realistic with dramatic impact)
3. Speech of hero on the dais in flashback episode
The screenplay glitches
1. Motive: The entire film is based on a 20 minute flashback episode. The flashback should be very powerful enough to give good motivation for hero to do something. Though the flashback episode is alright, it doesn't give enough motivation to hero to rectify the attitude of fellow students. The flashback episode indicates that hero has made a terrible mistake and he needs to rectify it. Treatment for redemption oriented movie story should be different from what director has done in Josh movie.2. Conflict point: Audiences will follow the story more intently if there is a proper conflict in the movie throughout. Conflict point is missing in this movie because hero and villain have no direct conflict between then. Hero, heroine or hero's friend doesn't get affected by villain in the film. Hence, the required emotion goes missing when hero confronts villain in the final parts of the movie.3. Scenic order: It would have been more efficient if the film is narrated in a linear format instead of flashback format.4. Unnecessary scenes: A tight screenplay doesn't allow any scenes that wouldn't make any difference to the movie if they were edited from the movie. For example, there is an eve teasing scene by rowdy students gang which lasts for 2-3 minutes. This scene would have been useful for the movie, if there is another eve teasing scene at a later point of time during which hero shows a remedy. There are a few scenes like these which added to the runtime of the movie.
Other departments: Songs scored by Sandeep Chowta are neat. Title song makes an impact in the theater. Background music and mixing dominates the scenes at times. Cinematography by Sameer Reddy is nice. Dialogues written by Vasu Varma deserves applause (naa mundu nee paina jarchaku (hero to JD) and school paaTalu cheppi pariksha pedutundi, jeevitam pariksha petti paataalu nerputundi. etc). The location of college shot in Amritsir is aesthetic. Fights are good and bike races are shot slickly. Editing should have been crisper as there quite a few unnecessary scenes in the movie.Analysis: First half of the movie is inadequate. Second half is better. This movie can be made in two ways. One way is to insert commercial elements and make it a masala movie. The other way is to stick to story and stay away from commercial gimmicks. Producer Dil Raju should be commended for sticking to the basics though it is a risky proposition. But films like these need a tight screenplay and gripping narration. The narration and screenplay given by Vasu Varma diluted the main point. Naga Chaitanya proves to be a prospective super star with his debut. All he needs to do is to select right scripts. The fans of Dil Raju will be disappointed with this movie. On a whole Josh movie lacks the much needed Josh. We have to wait and see how people receive it.
Mallanna finally released post many months of a huge publicity blitz which resulted in sky-high expectations from this mega-budget bi-lingual Vikram starrer. Unfortunately, while the makers spent many crores on making it on a grand scale, they probably didn’t pay enough attention to developing a strong storyline that should have kept the audiences engrossed. This could be the reason why Mallanna might not set the box-office on fire and justify its pre-release hype! | |||||||||||
 What is it about : Mallanna (Vikram) is a senior CBI officer who wants to flush out the black money floating around to help the poor. To do this, he adopts an alter-ego of secret masked crusader called Mallanna who answers all the requests that devotees leave outside the famous Mallanna temple. This masked Mallanna has a loyal crack team who help him in these Robinhood adventures. The movie starts off with him raiding the powerful PPP (Ashish Vidyarthi) who decides to get even with him by using his daughter Subbalakshmi (Shriya). Soon, Mallanna and Shriya are singing songs while another DIG Prabhu is trying to unravel Mallanna’s secret identity. The second half is about how Mallanna joins PPP to unravel a money-laundering ring that operates out of Mexico while being chased by Prabhu. By the end of the movie, he has exposed all the corrupt elements alongwith his identity as the masked Mallanna. All through the film, Mallanna keeps talking about how black money can help out in the nation’s progress. | |||||||||||
| What is Good: This is a Vikram show all the way and he lives up it despite the masked Mallanna’s character having shades of his previous film “Aparichitudu”. He shines as the honest CBI officer as well as the masked Mallanna who models his character’s look and movements on a rooster. Apart from his act, Shriya provides the glamour in the meaty role she gets. Ashish Vidyarthi also stands out as the bad guy in his limited role. The other strong points are the production values that include exotic locations and neat cinematography. One of the songs “Excuse Me Mr. Mallanna” stays with you thanks to its catchy lyrics. | |||||||||||
| What is bad: The weakest link in the movie is the flimsy storyline and the pace at which it unfolds. The first half just moves without anything consequential happening. The surprise element is lacking since you know about Mallanna’s double identity in the first frame. Apart from Vikram, there are far too many people who walk in and out of the frames without taking the story forward thanks to their sketchy characters. An example being Prabhu’s character who almost disappears in the second half without convincing the audience on how he unraveled Mallanna’s secret identity. The songs only add to the slow pace of the movie with Mumaith Khan’s forgettable item number coming in at the worst possible time. Brahmanandam’s name was mentioned in the initial credits but he was nowhere in the film!!! Me Thinks: Thanks to the hyped-up publicity, I expected something on the scale of Maghadheera or Aparichitudu but unfortunately it did not live up to those expectations. This theme of a modern-day Robinhood that so successfully worked with Gentleman, Sivaji, Bharatiyudu and Aparichitudu seems to have failed here thanks to a weak storyline. Tailpiece: The most irritating technical aspect was the jumpy thanks to over-usage of the white-outs between almost every cut in the film. It probably has set a record in the usage of this technique!!! | |||||||||||
123Telugu.Blog Rating: 2 / 5
| Director : Ramgopal Varma | |
| Music Directors : Bapi-Tutul, Imran | |
| Producers : Ronnie Screwala and Ram Gopal Varma | |
| Starring : Nithin, Priyanka Kothari, Goutham Rude, Ishrat Ali... |
| Ramgopal Varma has directed Adavi (or rather Agyaat in Hindi) and this will be the only reason why 99.99% of the audience would be present in the theatre to watch this badly dubbed version. The same 99.99% would expect that this path-breaking director with masterpieces in Telugu would come up with an edge-of-the seat thriller… but sadly that is not to be and so Adavi leaves 100% of the audience disappointed!!! | ||
What is it about : Adavi is loosely inspired by the Hollywood flick “Predator” which had an alien killing commandos in a forest until it is finished off by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Here Varma throws in a film unit that lands up in an exotic forest for a shoot. This team comprises of Sujal (Nitin) the assistant director who fancies the sexy heroine Asha (Priyanka) while the egoistic superstar, the eccentric director, the hot-headed action director, the spineless producer, etc fill the backdrop. An overnight camping trip in the middle of the forest goes horribly wrong when their guide is found brutally killed. Left without a guide, this group of nine find themselves being hunted and mercilessly killed by a faceless entity. The rest of the movie is about them running around in circles from this entity in an unknown forest with their petty ego issues intact. Only Nitin and Priyanka survive this chase by chance until till the tame climax makes no difference to the bored audience. | ||
| What is Good: The best part about the Adavi is the Cinematography (Surjadeep Ghosh) and the Sound (Dwarak Warrier). The forest is the integral character in the movie and it comes alive with its sights and sounds thanks to these two guys. Apart from this, there is nothing in the movie that stays on apart from some decent performance by Priyanka, Nitin and Gautam who plays the narcissist star. Despite the unlimited skin show right from the first frame, Priyanka surprisingly manages to hold her own with a decent performance. | ||
| What is bad: Despite a running time of less than two hours, Adavi falters and becomes predictable which leaves the audience restless. The biggest culprit for this was the lack of thrills and chills which was supposed to be the USP of Adavi. Almost 80% of the movie is dedicated to showing the people on the run from this creature and they keep running and shouting without scaring anyone. Unlike Predator, where the humans smartly fight back, the Adavi characters show the no such thinking which leaves them very disconnected with the audience. | ||
123Telugu.blog Rating: 4/5
| Director : SS Rajamouli | |||||||
| Music Director : MM Keeravani | |||||||
| Producer : Geeta Arts | |||||||
| Starring : Ram Charan Teja, Kajal Agarwal, Srihari, Sunil, Brahmanandam, Mumaith Khan, Kim Sharma, Saloni & Hema... |
Maghadheera is a movie that you walk in to watch with loads of expectations given the mega-budget, a hi-profile star-son, a super-hit director, a hit production house and a huge publicity blitz. Thankfully, all these elements come together to deliver the promised visual treat thanks to an interesting storyline and stylized execution!
What is it about : The story starts off in the present with an aspiring biker Ram Charan landing up in Hyderabad and bumping into Kajal with whom he feels an intense mysterious connection alongwith the love-at-first-sight syndrome. At the same time, Kajal’s murdering cousin Pratap, who suffers from a lust-at-first-sight syndrome on seeing her, takes her away to the distant Udaygarh while making her believe that Charan has killed her father. A flashback to the 16th century shows Charan as Kala Bhairava who is the brave warrior in the kingdom of Udaygarh. His love-story with the princess (Kajol again) ends tragically for both while saving Udaygarh from the traitorous Pratap. Cut back to the present where Charan not only has to prove his innocence and win back his love, but also finish off the 400 year old battle from the past with Pratap
What is Good: The best elements of the movie are the Script, Direction, Visual Effects and importantly Charan. Although the re-incarnation story has been told many times before, Rajamouli should be credited for keeping the interest alive. He lets the story unfold at an even pace and makes it believable while making sure the special effects don’t dominate the characters. The visual effects are awesome and probably the best ever in Tollywood till date. The city of Udaygarh and the Kala Bhairava hill are well done. The action scenes are well choreographed esp. in the horse-riding and battle scenes. Charan has put in a lot of effort and it shows in his strong performance as Kala Bhairava. He dances extremely well with the highlight being the Bangaru Kodipeta song. The songs are melodious and come in at the right points. The choreography by Bhaskar for the Panchadhaara song was well conceptualized and shot. What is bad: The first half, which is predominantly set in the present, could have edited out some scenes to help reduce the movie length which is more than 2.5 hrs. Charan needs to improve on his dialogue delivery which at times seems forced in the intense scenes. Kajal was adequate as the city girl but could make too much of an impression as the fiery Princess. The comic track with Sunil and Brahmanadam seemed redundant at times.
Me Thinks: Maghadheera is a total family entertainer and it does entertain you in style. It can definitely be watched for the story and the stylized execution. Definitely value for money!
Tailpiece: Chiranjeevi does make an appearance in the Bangaru Kodipeta song which had audience applauding wildly. Though he did not match steps with Charan as anticipated, he still seems have his megastar charisma intact!!!
