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by Rinku Gupta The Corona Lockdown has led to a crisis in the film industry with theatres being shut and releases held up indefinitely. In such a scenario, the recent decision of Suriya's 2D Entertainment to release the Jyotika starrer Ponmagal Vandhal on OTT directly during the lockdown,  stirred up a hornets nest with Exhibitors protesting against the move, which they feel could set a new trend, leading to losses for them in future. There was talk  of issuing a red card to Suriya's films ( including the upcoming biggie Soorarai Pottru) and also those from his production house.  Ponmaghal Vandhal which was set to release im April, will now release on Amazon Prime directly in May. It may be recalled that when the Kathir starrer Sigai couldn't get a proper theatrical release, it was Zee 5 which came to the rescue and  streamed it directly on OTT.  In Bollywood, there are unconfirmed rumors on social media that the Akshay Kumar starrer Laxmmi Bomb may releas...

By Rinku Gupta Tollywood heartthrob Vijay Deverakonda took the ongoing # BeARealMan Challenge on social media and posted a video of himself at home during the lockdown. Shot by his brother, the video shows The World Famous Lover  waking up around noon and making his bed, before proceeding to do a few light chores like filling water bottles, changing garbage bin bags and then making mango ice cream before playing games in the company of his dad. The actor finally shares the icecream with his family who are playing a board game. The video ends with Vijay  acknowledging the importance of being able to share the lockdown being amongst loved ones and prays for those who are separatedfrotheir families at this crucial time. He also posts,  'Be a good son Be a good husband Be a good father' #BeARealMan Vijay tweeted,"Bits of my day in lockdown :) Documented by @anandIdeverkonda #BeARealMan challenged by @sivakoratala sir. I would like to extend it to Kunjikk...

By Rinku Gupta Hero Sivakarthikeyan has made an appeal to people to stay home and stay safe during the corona pandemic lockdown, via a video. The main reason for his video is to show support to the medical fraternity, especially in the light of recent  violence against the burial of a leading doctor in Chennai.  Sivakarthikeyan stresses the importance of  respecting and recognising the service of the medical fraternity who are risking their lives to save others from the corona pandemic. " #WeLoveDoctors " is the hastag he has used in order to show his strong support and recognise their incredible work during  the lockdown. ( click here to view his full video). Incidentally, the actor's next film is titled Doctor. The video is indeed a touching gesture in support of the medical task force doing yeoman service.

By Rinku Gupta Kollywood actor Aari Arjuna has put out a video ( click here to view  full video ) requesting people to avoid rumors and respect doctors and the service of medical professionals who are risking their lives during the corona pandemic and lockdown. In the light of the recent violence around the burial of a leading philanthrophic  neurosurgeon in Chennai, Aari Arjuna made this fervent appeal. In the video, he has also tried to explain how proper procedures are being followed so as to not risk peoples lives,  during last rites of corona positive deceased.  He has also appealed for state honors to be given to corona task force workers who give up their lives while treating public in the face of the deadly virus. A laudable effort by the actor indeed. 

By Rinku Gupta Many film personalities have been expressing solidarity with the Kollywood film industry by making donations to the various film bodies during the Corona lockdown. Now, Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut who has stepped into Kollywood, playing the lead role in director Vijay's Thalaivi ( Tamil) has made  a donation to Fefsi during the corona lockdown. The actor donated a sum of Rs 5 lakhs to the Film Employees Federation of South India ( FEFSI) COVID 19 Relief Fund. In addition, Kangana has also donated Rs. 5 Lakhs for the daily wage workers of her Tamil film Thalaivi in which she is playing the lead role of   Tamil Nadu's former Chief Minister Amma Dr. J. Jayalalitha. A laudable gesture indeed.

By Rinku Gupta Director, actor M Sasikumar has used his time during the Lockdown, to create awareness on the need to  Stay Home during the corona pandemic. The actor has collaborated with the Madurai police and standing shoulder to shoulder with them on the busy junctions on the city roads, has been addressing the public and requesting them not to step out unnecessarily,  unless its for important essentials. He is also part of an awareness video by the cops, where he speaks about the difficulties faced by cops and refers to the women police as well, who are braving odds, and risking their own health during the corona scare, to ensure people stay indoors in the face of the pandemic. A laudable effort indeed.

By Rinku Gupta While each celeb has been undertaking various activities during the lockdown due to corona, heroine Sayyeshaa has been busy honing her baking skills. From mango cheesecake to chocolate eclairs, the actor and accomplished dancer has been making  it all and posting pics on social media. The latest addition is a pic of  her batch of colorful cupcakes with an endearing pic of hubby dearest Arya, appreciating his wife's efforts with a peck on the cheek. Looks like the fitness freak Arya has been making special concessions for his wife, by gorging on the soecial dishes she's been whipping up in the kitchen during the lockdown. The adorable pic drew some reactions from his mom-in-law Shaheen who wrote addressing the duo, on Twitter, ' You're sweeter than the cupcakes". Son-in- law Arya replied, " I had them all, Cheat Day. Thank you wifey". This is one bond growing sweeter during lockdown!

By Rinku Gupta Actor and philanthropist Raghava Lawrence has pledged to make a generous donation of 3 crores in the light of the corona pandemic affecting society. Says Lawrence, " I want to share a happy news with you all. One of my next projects is my Thailavar’s movie Chandramuki 2.  I’m so lucky to act in this project with Thalaivar’s permission and blessings, which is directed by P. Vasu sir and produced by my lucky producer Sun Pictures' Kalanithi Maran sir. With the advance I get from it, I humbly pledge to contribute 3 crores for Coronavirus relief fund. 50 lakhs to the PM - CARES fund, 50 Lakhs to CM relief Fund (Tamil Nadu) , 50 lakhs for Fefsi union.  I want to extend my special contribution of 50 lakhs for my dancer’s union and 25 lakhs for my physically disabled boys and 75 lakhs for daily labour’s and for people from my birth place Royapuram, desiyanagar. All food essentials will be delivered with the help of the police with proper safety. Service ...

By Rinku Gupta During the lockdown period because of the Covid 19 virus , actor Ganesh Venkatram is at home with his wife Nisha and baby girl Samaira. While everyone has been using their time at home in different ways,  Ganesh has used it to pen his thoughts after watching the revived Ramayana TV show and drawn life lessons from it, especially keeping the current situation off the corona pandemic and subsequent lockdown in mind. Ganesh has written, "Thought of sharing some insightful lessons from Ramayana that we can reflect & apply during this Covid19 crisis-  WHEN Ram was suddenly subjected to Vanavas for 14 years - The first thing he did was realising that the occurrence of this situation was beyond his control & accepted it GRACEFULLY. We have only been given some days of Grihavaas, we can accept that cheerfully. After deep thinking about the current situation, he along with Sita & Laxman decided that they must dedicate these 14 years to develop t...

By Rinku Gupta Setting an example in these tough times of the Corona Pandemic, is the ace director Mani Ratnam's family. Khushbu Sundar tweeted a short video recording wherein Suhasini is seen talking to her son Nandan Mani Ratnam, who is behind a glass door. The conversation reveals that Nandan who returned from London last week, has self- quarantined himself at home. He stays inside 2 rooms and has no contact with anyone except for recieving food.  The video details the process and care taken to see that even though he has no symptoms, he remains cut off from others as a safety measure. Click here to view  the tweet/ video Recently  actor Prabhas, who returned from a Europe shoot, has also self- quarantined himself due to the Corona Virus scare , as a precautionary measure. The video by Suhasini is an added impetus that is both commendable and inspirational,  getting the message of the seriousness of the situation across,  even more effectively...

By Rinku Gupta Very few actors are endowed with the unique gift of stealing the show in any roles they play. Be it an innocent chap or silent killer as an antagonist, Nandaa has never missed scoring brownie points by giving absolute life to the roles. Following a dual role in Mani Ratnam’s Vaanam Kottattum, the actor was now offered to play a negative role in Atharvaa Murali’s untitled next, which is a cop thriller. Director Ravindra Madhava says, “I had mentioned the antagonist’s role at the time of the movie launch itself, because it demands someone, who can bring more life to it.  The pursuit of finding an actor for this role has been a long phase and finally, we have got the talented Nandha onboard. He owns a charismatic appeal, which can work out well in any avatars. Moreover, the antagonist of this film isn’t someone, who banks his strength on muscle power, but brainy factors as well. Actor Nandha, who has already proved his proficiency getting ticked in both ...

By Rinku Gupta Proving his proficiency in diversified roles with  outstanding performances, actor Ajmal has always managed to the steal the spotlight.  From playing an aggressive youngster in Anjathey to a smart antagonist in Iravukku Aayiram Kangal, he keeps doing diverse roles. Now, the actor has been signed on  to play an important role in Nayanthara’s upcoming film ‘Netrikann’. The film laced with lots of suspense, mystery, thrills and twists will have him essaying a pivotal role. As of now, the crew has completed 80% of shooting and is now on a temporary break due to the corona virus issue. Produced by Vignesh Shivan for Rowdy Pictures, the film is directed by Milind Rau. Girishh is composing music and RD Rajasekar is handling cinematography. The others in the technical crew includes S Kamalanathan (Art), Dhilip Subbarayan (Stunts), Lawrence Kishore (Editor), Vijay Rathinam (Sound Designer), Chaitanya Rao and Dinesh Manoharan (Costumes), Naveen Sun...

By Rinku Gupta God’s own country – Kerala has been relentlessly generating commendable content-driven films, which has started witnessing a huge response beyond linguistic barriers. Among the recent ones to be talked about  was Prithviraj-Biju Menon starrer “Ayappanum Koshiyum”. The film starring Prithviraj and Biju Menon became an overnight cynosure of all eyes including  critics and general audiences.  Now,  5 Star Kathiresan, a leading producer from the Tamil  industry has acquired the Tamil remake rights of this film. Sharing the news, 5 Star Kathiresan says, “Just like any other audience, I was completely spellbound watching the film. Only a few films possess the traits, where every element contributed to keeping us engaged from beginning to end. The script, the backdrops where the premise is set, the narrative part, beautiful visuals and more than all, the astounding performances of every character compelled me  to watch it over and a...

By Rinku Gupta Sibiraj starrer Walter, directed by Anbu, is about a cop in Kumbakonam, who unearths a sinister plot when babies go missing and are later found dead. A local politcian ( Bava Chelladurai) and his family ( Rythvika, Abhishek) in the meanwhile, are bent on protecting their nefarious interests. Babu ( Samudrakani ) is another politico killed in an encounter which leads to the rise of his friend ( Natty) now gunning for Walter. How are all these activities linked? How does Walter solve the mystery? Sibiraj's height and body build makes him ideal for the role of a cop and he does full justice to it. Shirin Kanchwala looks cute but doesn't have much of a role. But a meandering script that seems to move between medical thriller and crime story seems to let him down. The action scenes lack punch and are hardly gripping. Situations seem contrived many a time as do the dialogues. The heroine is just dropped off from the story at one point. The romance itself ...

By Rinku Gupta Its no easy task to remake Vicky Donor, (a Hindi film based on sperm donation), in Tamil, fitting it in with local sensibilities. But debut director Krishna Marimuthu manages to pull it off very successfully,  aided by a superbly handpicked cast, loads of dignity and oodles of understated class. Fertility expert Dr Kannadasan ( Vivekh in a brilliant performance) is ecstatic when he runs into the perfect potential but reluctant sperm donor , Prabhu ( Harish Kalyan in a career best act). When every effort to convince him fails, things look up when a personal issue helps Prabhu take up Kannadasan's suggestion and he agrees to be the donor who would help couples fulfil their  dream of becoming parents. But when he decides to marry and his wife ( Tanya Hope in a controlled, poised and dignified performance) learns of this,  along with his mom ( Anupama perfectly cast)  and grandmother ( Sachu in a delightful act), his life begins to go haywire. What...

By Rinku Gupta JSB Studios' Asura Guru stars Vikram Prabhu as Shakti, a tech savvy thief who has a problem. Whenever he sees oe hears about large amounts of money, he has to fight an urge to somehow steal the money. But he doesnt spend any of, instead he stacks it in a secret room in his studio apartment. Only his friend ( played by Jagan) knows the childhood trauma that causes this kleptomania. Diya( Mahima Nambiar) is a hired , smart detective who is the only one who manages to get to this thief. The cops are hot on his trail, as are dons from whom he has stolen. What is the reason behind Shakti's behaviour? Will he get away from those on his trail? Director Rajdheep has got a goos star cast in place who do their bit earnestly. Mahima does a good job as the feisty, intelligent detective ( Rajdheep deserves credit for giving the heroine a real and unconventional job and a major contributor to the story). Vikram Prabhu does well in the emotional, and action scenes. Jagan...

By Rinku Gupta Libra Productions' Ravindar Chandrasekar after successful ventures like 'Natpunna Ennannu Theriyumaa', now  joins hands with Firstman Film Works' Sivasubramanian, Saravanapriyan to produce a romantic comedy. The film  stars father -son duo K Bhagyaraj and   Shanthnu, while Athulya is the female lead. The film is being  directed by Srijar and is touted to  be made on a grand scale. Shanthnu has been busy shooting for Vijay's Master Director Srijar armed with the requisite exposure and experience of working with television serials of all South Indian languages and working in movies like 'Lavender' in Malayalam and ' Jambhavan' in Tamil is directing this movie. After having seen many movies narrating romantic comedies during the wedding, this movie talks about the first night, the significance of rituals and the proceedings. K Bhagyaraj, Shantanu, Athulya, Manobala, Anandhraj,  Mayilsamy and Motta Rajendran star in t...

By Rinku Gupta  Jio Studios announced its entry into Kollywood with its first Tamil film, titled Hey Sinamika at a puja in Chennai today. The film boasts of talented actors  Dulquer Salman (who is riding high on the success of his recent super hit  Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithal) Kajal Aggarwal and Aditi Rao Hydari. The director is none other than leading Southern choreographer Brinda, who  makes her directorial debut with the film.  The shoot commenced in Chennai today. Ace filmmaker K.Bhagyaraj and  Maniratnam directed the first shot while  actors ,Suhasini and Khushbu gave the first clap.

By Rinku Gupta Actor and producer Vishal has now turned director with Thupparivaalan2 after a fall out with director Mysskin, midway into the shoot of the  sequel. Today, releasing the first look of the film,  an emotional Vishal has written about the whole issue in a letter, and   posted it on social media, giving an insight into the reason for turning director. He wrote:  "What are the reasons for a Director to opt out of a film midway?  AS a Producer I still wonder why does a Director, who specifically wanted to write the script in Canada and UK and spent the Producers money to the tune of  close to 35 Lakhs for the above expenses including travel, accommadation,  after having started shoot without proper planning of location hunting, after having spent close to 13 Crores of INR. Why would a Director opt out of a Movie. midway ? As a Producer. I wonder. Is it because I didn't have the money to complete the film, No. Is it...

By Rinku Gupta The hard working duo Arun Vijay and Regina Cassandra have been shooting non - stop for #AV31 directed by Arivazhagan,  in Agra. The unit is stationed at a star hotel near the iconic Taj Mahal, a view which can be seen from their rooms everyday ! Letting their hair down on the festival of Holi being celebrated with tradional fervour in UP, the team took time off to celebrate as well. Here are some photos from the festivities. Arun Vijay however assured concerned fans that they took the necessary precautions for the corona virus scare, while celebrating.