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Vijay Antony 's next with Infiniti Film Ventures

by Rinku Gupta BOFTA Media Works and Diya Movies are all set to join up again after Kolaigaran's success. This time, they will collaborate with leading financier Kamal Bohra under the name of production house Infiniti Film Ventures. Vijay Antony will play the lead in their maiden joint venture directed by popular director and cameraman Vijay Milton. Currently, talks are going on with  leading  artistes and technicians to be a part of this film. The producers have affirmed that the film will go on floors from October 2019 and will be shot in a single stretch across the exquisite locales of  Goa, Diu and Daman. Lalitha Dhananjayan, S. Vikram Kumar, B. Pradeep Kumar and Kamal Bohra are producing this film for Infiniti Film Ventures.

Quick Review: ThcSecret Life Of Pets 2

By Rinku Gupta The Secret Life Of Pets 2 has Max the dog overcoming several issues. When his owner gets married and has a baby, Max gets over protective. When the family visits a farm, Max learns to overcome his fears for the baby thanks to Rooster the big farm dog. In the meanwhile at home Snowball has got himself into an adventure thanks to Daisy who leads him to a circus to rescue a tiger from Sergei. The favorites from the first part but there are no really big adventures or dangerous moments. The cute, fluffy, feel -good moments make it a good watch for younger kids.

Quick Review: NNOR

By Rinku Gupta Nenjamundu Nermaiyundu Odu Raja is the debut direction of Karthik Venugopalan, with a team of popular You Tube stars starring in it. The film is produced by Sivakarthikeyan Productions. Two youngsters ( Rio Raj and RJ Vigneshkath) are unemployed but have dreams of making it big in life via thier You Tube videos. A chance meeting with a rich man (Radha Ravi) gives them a unique opportunity to earn crores if they fulfil 3 strange conitions he has. Do they manage to fulfil the conditions? At what cost? The laughs come in spurts here and there. The lead actors manage to pull off thier roles albeit a bit weakly in the emotional scenes which dont strike a chord. Plenty of messages are thrown in via dialogues and situations. A good effort by the director to bring in current socio- political references and especialy the ailment of society's apathy in general which affects the common man. Shirin Kachwala debuts as a reporter and does her bit sincerely though there ...

Quick Review : Men In Black International

by Rinku Gupta In Men In Black International directed nt F Gary Gray, thre action  moves to international waters, namely to London.  Molly ( Tessa Thompson in an engaging performance) joins as a probationary officer working with the flamboyant agent H ( Chris Hemsworth). A brush with an alien leads them to a secret weapon that several people are after including a suspected mole in the agency. The London head High T ( Liam Neeson) gets involved and the action heats up in a chase to find the truth and save the world. The war of words  and  suggestion of a chemistry and oodles of magnetism between M and H keeps up the interest levels in the film making for an interesting watch.. There are more aliens of all sizes which add to the novelty factor, like  Bassam and thevsiper cute Pawny ( voice by Kumail Nanjiani ) By way of action and adventure dont expect too much but the scenic shots of Naples island fort are breathtaking  where Rebecca Ferguson as the evil...

Vijay Devarakonda shoots at Lille Airport in France,invites French Ambassador for film screening in Hyderabad

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By Rinku Gupta Tollywood hearththrob Vijay Devarakonda is currently shooting for  his next Telugu project in the scenic locales of France. The  unit has been shooting in the north of the country, at  Lille,  the capital city of the beautiful region of Hauts De France. The shoot has  been going on inside  the Lille  airport. The airport authorities have tweeted  thier delight at having the Indian actor in thier midst for a film shoot. The airport authorities have put out photos of the shooting on social media. Devarakonda has also been spending time with his family when not shooting. Photos of him vacationing with his parents and brother in the seaside resort town of Arcachon in the south west of France, have been viral on social media. France seems to have extended a warm welcome to the actor and the Indian unit.  None other than the Ambassador of France to India, Mr Alexandre Ziegler,  posted a tweet appreciating ...

Quick review : Sutta Pidikka Utharavu

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by Rinku Gupta Kalpataru Films' Sutta Pidikka Utharavu is directed by Ramprakash Rayappa and stars Mysskin , Suseenthiran, Vikranth and Athulya.  It begins with a bank heist in a mall by Ashok ( Vikranth), Selva ( Suseenthiran) and 2 more friends. Ashok needs the money for his child's operation. But in the bid to out run the cops, 3 of them land up in a slum tenement of RS Puram. Here the cops led by Commissioner Ibrahim ( Mysskin) manages to keep them contained in the area leaving no scope for escape and gives the order to shoot at sight.  As time for the child's  operation nears, tension mounts as the docs will not operate without the fees. What happens to the robbers?  Who wins this  cat-  and -mouse game and how? Without giving away any spoilers lets just say there are unexpected twists most cleverly woven into the superb  story and  screenplay by Rayappa. Mysskin is terrific  and most aptly cast as the tough no- nonsense ...

Team Kolaigaran holds Thank You meet

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By Rinku Gupta The success meet of director Andrew Louis' Vijay Antony and Arjun starrer Kolaigaran was held today. ' Its very nice to be a part of a success meet. My first thanks is to Ramnarayan sir my mentor. I am also grateful to the press and media for their good wishes for this film.   The way the story had been presented was something everyone praised. The screenplay too was the highlight. Only if there is content can the actors execute it so all credit goes to the director. Its also to the credit of our hero Vijay Antony for identifying such a story and director and also the music director Simon King. He's a wonderful person, ' said Action King Arjun praising the technicians and the heroine Ashima Narwal calling her ' a very involved actress.' The actor lauded the efforts of G Dhananjayan of Bofta Media for presenting and releasing the film in the best manner. Hero Vijay Antony praised producer Pradeep of Diya Movies for trusting him w...

Sindhubad, an action film with emotional connect

by Rinku Gupta  After Pannaiyaarum Padminiyum and Sethupathi, Vijay Sethupathi teams up  with directpr SU Arunkumar again with Sindhubad. About the director Vijay Sethupathi said at the grand audio launch, ' Our friendship started with films and has continued to grow stronger with time.  Thats why he has been  able to bring my son to actvin this film.'  The story is about a man who cant hear too well and his wife ( Anjali ) talks loudly. 'The story revolves around someone kidnapping the hero's wife overseas and how the hero  saves her. Anjali was most apt for the role. said Sethupathi. Lingaa and Vivek Prasanna are also part of the cast and came in for a lot of praise from Sethupathi. He also lauded Yuvan as a person and for his music. The movie is produced by Vanson Movies. ' Though its an action film there's a strong emotional connect. This album is  very close to me.  In the second half Sethupathi keeps running all over the place. I...

Quick Review: Game Over

By Rinku Gupta YNOT studios' home invasion thriller Game Over   is directed by Ashwin Saravanan of Maya ( starring Nayanthara) fame, with Taapsee Pannu making a return to Tamil after a few years. The film revolves around a video games creator Sapna( Taapsee ) who suffers from phobia of the dark, apart from being affected by trauma symptoms when the anniversary of a past tragedy triggers subconscious memories. She even contemplates suicide. She lives alone with her maid Kala ( Vinodhini Vaidhyanathan) who helps her through this tough time. As if this was not enough, another series of events await her which pushes her nearer to the edge. Does she keel over? Or does she fight her demons and rise like a phoenix? Ashwin and co- writer Kaavya deserve credit for the tight screenplay, research and unusual choice of story. The thrills and jumps will keep viewers glued and also guessing. The first half builds up the tension and the puts the pieces of the puzzle in place, though a ...

Suttu Pidikku Utharavu, a cat n mouse heist film sans songs

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by Rinku Gupta Suttu Pidikka Utharavu directed by Ramprakash Rayappa and produced by Kalpataru Pictures is releasing on June 14th. This is the director's  second film. The film marks the debut of director Suseendiran as an actor.  Apart from him, director  Mysskin and Vikrant  are also part of the cast. The heroine is Athulya while baby Manasvi plays a speech and hearing impaired child. The child actor won hearts with her cinfident and cute speech. She debuted with Imaikka Nodigal as Nayanthara's daughter. At the press meet today, speaking about how Suseendhiran came on board, Rayappa said, 'I wanted Suseendhiran to act in my film but was hesitant whether he would accept. But Mysskin assured me he would accept and so with Vikrant's help we approached him. Immediately he accepted. On the same day Mysskin ,Vikrant and Suseendhiran accepted my film, I was ecstatic." He also praised Athulya for being a Tamil-speaking heroine who could do full justice to ...

Kasada Tabara is not an anthology -Chimbu Devan

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 By Rinku Gupta Chimbu Devan’s multi-starrer Kasada Tabara has been getting a lot of attention on social media. The director says, “It was entirely a different and phenomenal experience to work with such a bunch of talented actors and technicians. Name anyone in this league - Harish Kalyan, Sundeep Kishen, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Venkat Prabhu, Premgi Amaran, Vijayalakshmi or Priya Bhavani Shankar, everyone is known for their unique performance. In addition, they are actors who haven’t been part of a rat race, but always been   searching for the right projects." About the technical team he adds, "From the well celebrated iconic Yuvan Shankar Raja, to Santhosh Narayanan and the current sensations like Ghibran and Sam CS, it’s unimaginably a huge boon to Kasada Tabara. I am thankful to producers V. Rajalakshmi and Trident Arts R Ravindran for trusting this concept and helping to materialize it. Now to see the response for the first look and motion poster gives ...

Pooja Bedi to join peaceful demonstration in Mumbai for gender equality laws

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by Rinku Gupta Bollywood actor and columnist Pooja Bedi who is part of  the support group for actor Karan Oberoi and and has been heralding  the #MenToo movement, is going to be part of a peaceful demonstration in Mumbai on June 15th at the Azad Maidan. The movement aims to  push for gender equality in laws in the country. Says Pooja who is a good friend of actor Karan Oberoi, " The #MenToo movement  has become a united front for several men's rights groups such as those headed  by Amit deshpande, Barkha Trahan, Deepika Bharadwaj and others. It's a unifying  force and our collective energy is garnering  huge attention.  And now we hope to push further for  change." The group aims to take concrete steps in that direction. Pooja elaborates, " We will be taking the #MenToo agenda to parliament and pushing for change in legislation. An entire strategy is being worked on so it doesnt just become another agenda buried under heaps of...

Quick Review : 7 The Movie

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by Rinku Gupta 7 The Movie is a thriller which starts off with an interesting  concept. An IT professional Karthik ( Havish) goes missing one fine day. Ramya ( Nandita Sweta) reports the matter to a cop ( Rahman). But things get further out of hand when a similar complaint about the same person is filed by Jenny ( Anitha Ambrose)  and another girl ( Tridha Choudhary) as well. An old man from a home for the mentally ill reveals that the missing person is not Karthik but Krishnamurthy, his childhood friend! The cops are puzzled as the mystery deepens leading them to the 80s when a real Krishnamurthy of the same face, existed. A rich Jamindar's daughter Saraswati ( Regina Cassandra) set her sights on him and forced him into marriage. But things did not go as planned and tragedy struck. How is that story related to the missing Karthik? Why are multiple wimen staking claim to him?  How does it all end? Nizar Shafi, debuting as director has used his actors well, casting ea...

New team headed by K Bhagyaraj, Isari K Ganesh to contest in Nadigar Sangam elections

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The forthcoming election of Nadigar Sangam (South Indian Artiste Association) is all set to happen on June 23. At this juncture,  It is now confirmed that a new team formed under K. Bhagyaraj and Dr. Isari K Ganesh will be contesting. Veteran actor K Bhagyaraj will be contesting for the position of President and Dr. Isari K Ganesh for General Secretary. Kutti Padmini and Udhaya AL will be contesting for Vice-Presidents. The executive committee members of this team comprises of Mrs. Poornima Bhagyaraj, Mrs. Sangeetha, Mrs. Arthi Ganesh, Mrs. Gayathri Raghuram, Mrs. Ranjani, Mrs. Sivagami, Mr. K Rajan, Mr. Pandiarajan, Mr. Chinni Jeyanth, Mr. Ramesh Kanna, Mr. Shyam, Mr. Bharat, Mr. Srikanth, Mr. Vimal, Mr. Nithin Sathya, Mr. Ayup Khan and Mr.Maruthupandian. In addition, few more drama artistes will be a part of this team. The official announcement regarding the name of this new team will be made shortly in time.

Sarath Kumar joins Sasikumar Film

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by Rinku Gupta Producer P.K. Ram Mohan of Kalpataru Pictures is pretty exhilarated with the way his upcoming film tentatively titled “Production No.3” is shaping up. The film featuring Sasikumar in the lead role is helmed by NV Nirmal Kumar, whose maiden direction ‘Salim’ had him made him a bankable filmmaker.  Touted to be an action-adventure entertainer,  the next schedule is kick-starting in Mumbai, with now  Sarath Kumar joining the team. Producer P.K. Ram Mohan says, “Everything we planned is proceeding at a brisk and steady pace. If not for the perfect planning and execution of Nirmal Kumar, this would have not been possible. To handle a project with prominent actors and that too completing the schedules on time without any delay is bliss for any producer. In this aspect, I am feeling so  satisfied with the way how our film is shaping up. We are now delighted to have the versatile actor Sarathkumar sir onboard. What keeps us excited is not just for having ...

Quick Review: Kolaigaran

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By Rinku Gupta Produced by Diya Movies and released by G Dhananjayan’s Bofta Mediaworks, Kolaigaran is the second film of director  AndrewLouis and stars Arjun  Sarja and Vijay Antony in the lead roles along with newbie Ashima Narwal and veteran actor Seetha, playing her mother. Nasser and Bagavathy Perumal play cops. A psychological crime thriller, Andrew has borrowed the basic knot from The Devotion of Suspect X and has skillfully added elements to suit local sensibilities. The story revolves around a murder which grabs cop Karthikeyan's( Arjun) attention. He zeroes in on suspects Dharini ( Ashima Narwal) and her mother (Seetha) and his investigations lead him to their neighbour Prabhakaran ( Vijay Antony). He feels that somehow the three are linked with the murder but is unable to pin the crime on them with certainty. Just as he is discussing the case with his to senior ( Nasser), clues falls into place and twists emerge that take the case forward to u...

Taapsee back in Tamil in a home invasion thriller

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By Rinku Gupta After gaining pan -Indian recognition with films like Baby, Pink, Mulk, Manmarziyan and Badla, the multi-tasking Aadukalam heroine, (and now also a Badminton team owner), Taapsee Pannu, is all set to make a splash in a tri- lingual produced by Ynot Studios and directed by Maya fame Ashwin Saravana. Game Over is a heroine-centric film which will be Taapsee Pannu's next Tamil release produced by YNot Studios Sashikant and Reliance Entertainment, which has been shot in Tamil and Telugu and dubbed in Hindi, keeping in mind Taapsee's large fan following in Bollywood. Promotions have been going on full swing in Mumbai. At the press meet in Chennai today, producer Sashikant revealed," We had focus group screenings organized and everyone said the film had something new. We had a great working relationship with Ashwin Saravanan. While casting we wanted someone looking vulnerable but strong within. Taapsee was the perfect choice. We sent her an email a...

Ganesh hosts baby shower for mom-to-be Nisha

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by Rinku Gupta Its a happy time in celeb couple Ganesh Venkatram and Nisha's life as the duo await impending parenthood. Ganesh is busy with anchoring his new adventure reality show on Jaya TV on the professional front. But on the personal front preparing for the arrival of the little one is keeping them on thier toes. Last month the family celebrated the traditional Seemantham ceremony for the mother-to-be in the presence of close family members. Now, a few days ago, Ganesh held a grand  baby shower for his wife with close friends and family members, to celebrate the joyous milestone in thier lives. ( click here for full photo gallery ) Amongst the invitees were Suhasini Maniratnam, Arav, Suja Varunee and Shivakumar. We wish the happy couple and parents-to-be, all  the best!

There are shades to my character in 7 - Regina Cassandra

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by Rinku  Gupta After Silukuvarpatti Singam opposite Vishnu Vishal, this pretty heroine is back this week with her next Tamil release, 7.  Regina Cassandra plays the role of an 80's girl who is bold and daring and will  go to any lengths to get  what she wants. Speaking about her  role which is multi-layered, Regina says, " I thoroughly enjoyed it beacause I love essaying different characters. However, there are shades of my character Saraswathi that I as a person would never be able to relate to but as an actor, I only hope I've done justice to it." The thriller stars Havish as her co- star. Playing a rural girl of the Eighties, and daughter of a rich man in the village, the glam actor worked particularly hard on her look to get it right. 'For 7, my stylist Jayalakshmi had sourced some lovely traditional jewelry and fabrics particularly for this character." Meanwhile the actor who is well established in the Telugu film industry is looking for...

Jeevan returns with Sci -fi thriller Asariri

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After a gap, hero Jeevan returns with  debut filmmaker GK 's sci fi thriller  Asariri , produced by IB Karthikeyan of Big Print Pictures. Speaking about the project producer IB Karthikeyan says, “Personally, I have been someone, who loves  such topics so filmmaker GK got me interested the minute he started  narrating this sci- fi script. But usually  the one question that  comes to mind while listening to such  scripts is how far the filmmaker would be successful in translating it into celluloid. In this  case, GK is an exception as he had already proved his  skills through the short film with same title. It’s not merely  the technical bonanza, but also  the emotional ingredients the script promises, which make for an engrossing entertainer.” Filmmaker GK says, “Asariri is a sci-fi thriller which gives you the feel of reading  a  novel. It will have the references of our epic mythological tales, which are  inhe...