Month: September 2017

‘Theeran Adhigaram Ondru’ To Release This November

BY Silverscreen India Staff On

Karthi Sivakumar’s Theeran Adhigaram Ondru will release in November this year. The action entertainer is directed by Sathuranga Vettai fame H Vinoth and has Rakul Preet Singh as the female lead.

The teaser of the film will be unveiled on September 27 , while the trailer will be released on October 17. SR Prabhu and SR Prakash Babu produce the film through their Dream Warrior Pictures. Karthi’s last release was Mani Ratnam’s Kaatru Veliyidai. The film opened to mixed reviews.

‘Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna’ Producer Arrested For Fraud

BY Silverscreen India Staff On

Anand Appugol, who produced Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna with Darshan in the lead role, has been arrested in Mumbai by the Belagavi Police. According to a Deccan Chronicle report, the producer went into hiding after allegedly duping customers of his Sangolli Rayanna Credit Co-operative Society of their hard earned money. When they demanded that their money be returned, Rayanna went into hiding. After intense protests across Belagavi, the police got involved. 

Appugol was produced before the JMFC-3 court on September 18. The court remanded him to four days police custody, according to a report in The Belagavi News. 

In the past month alone, Appugol’s lawyers have filed bail applications with several courts across Belagavi. The applications have all been rejected, on the advice of the Belagavi police. 

Appugol established the Sangolli Rayanna society decades ago. Said to be a thriving business, it has over fifty branches in Karnataka. This is the first case of fraud to be brought against Appugol, who has a presence in the film industry as well as politics.

Pic: Belagavi News 

Farah Khan May Make A Web-Series On Girl Power

BY IANS On

Filmmaker-choreographer Farah Khan says that she may turn the film she was planning to make on girl power into a web-series. Farah, 52, in an interview to IANS previously had said she is planning to make a movie on “girl power”, which would be more “real” than her past films.

Asked for details, Farah said: “No. May turn that into a web-series. I don’t know but I’ll start writing a script now as soon as Lip Sing Battle shoot is done.”

The Happy New Year director is currently hosting Lip Sing Battle, an Indian adaptation of the successful international show Lip Sync Battle and will feature a string of A-listers not only from Bollywood but also television actors and sports personalities. 

Jiah Khan’s Mother Writes Open Letter To PM Modi

BY Silverscreen India Staff On

Rabya Khan, mother of late actress Jiah Khan, wrote to the Indian Prime Minister about the incompetence of the CBI in handling the investigation of her daughter’s death. In her letter, she highlighted that the CBI had shown some reluctance towards taking up the case, and consequently, failed to conduct a proper investigation. The CBI’s independent forensic expert opinion, too, is inconclusive, she said.

“I am a British citizen, the mother of Jiah Khan, who was murdered in India – Mumbai on June 3, 2013. It has been four years now that I have been persistently fighting for justice. All the forensic evidence that I have obtained from experts in India and England is pointing towards homicide.” Rabya further said that anyone looking at the actual facts in the case can realise that the case has been heavily “managed”.

She further threw light on Sooraj Pancholi, her daughter’s alleged boyfriend then, who may have used his father, Aditya Pancholi’s influence to shift the focus from the case. “I approached the Hon’ble High Court earlier this year with all the relevant grievances and expert reports requesting re-investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The CBI opposed, but the Hon’ble High Court noted in its order that all the points raised in my petition can be submitted to the trial court,” she wrote.

The entire open letter was published by Times Now.

Jiah Khan was a Bollywood actress known for her roles in Hindi movies Ghajini and Housefull. On 3 June, 2013, she was found dead in her apartment in Mumbai. Since then, her death case has undergone many developments.

Initially suspected to be a suicide, further investigations pointed towards the involvement of Bollywood actor Sooraj Panchali, who was then dating the actress. On June 7, the police recovered a note written by the actress talking about her troubled relationship with the actor. Following further investigations, Sooraj Pancholi was arrested on charges of abetting her suicide on June 10, 2013, – a week after her death.

Photo: Twitter

Taylor Swift Faces Copyright Lawsuit For ‘Shake It Off’

BY IANS On

Singer Taylor Swift is refuting a new lawsuit claiming that her lyrics for the 2014 single ‘Shake It Off’ are unoriginal.

“This is a ridiculous claim and nothing more than a money grab. The law is simple and clear. They do not have a case,” Swift’s representative tells People.com in a response against songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler.

Hall and Butler reportedly sued Swift for copying their 2001 song ‘Playas Gon’ Play’ which was recorded by American girl group 3LW, reports Tmz.com. The lyrics to their song include: “Playas, they gonna play and haters, they gonna hate.”

‘Shake It Off’ , written by Swift, Max Martin and Shellback, include lyrics such as: “Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play/ And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.”

In November 2015, a California judge dismissed a lawsuit against the singer that stated she stole the lyrics “haters gonna hate” from R&B singer Jesse Graham, who filed a $42 million lawsuit against Swift. US Magistrate Judge J Standish provided a written dismissal to the copyright suit, even quoting Swift’s lyrics.

 

Feature Image: Refinery 29

‘Mr Perfect’ Plagiarism Row: Director Threatens To Sue Novelist

BY Sanjana Chakraborty On

Director Dasaradh, who made the Telugu film Mr Perfect six years ago, has now issued a statement threatening to take legal action against writer Shyamala Rani, who has accused him of plagiarism.

In his statement, he draws light on the timeline of his film and when the novel was published. “Mrs Shyamala Rani’s novel Naa Manasu Korindi Ninne was released in August 2010. She has alleged that we have copied her novel and made Mr Perfect. But 18 months before the novel’s release, the story of Mr Perfect was registered as Navuthu with the Telugu Cine Writers’ Union (TCWU) on 19 February, 2009,” he says.

He also adds that the story was narrated to Prabhas on the sets of Billa, two years before her novel was published. “TCWU president Gopalakrishna explained this matter to Shyamala Rani six months ago. But it is unfortunate that she still seems to be unconvinced. I hope that she will understand the fact of the matter at least now.”

Novelist Shyamal Rani filed a copyright case on Saturday against producer, Dil Raju, who bankrolled the 2011 film starring Prabhas, Kajal Aggarwal and Taapsee Pannu. She alleged that the central theme of Mr Perfect had been taken from her novel, Na Manasu Korindi Ninne.

Mr Perfect was written by KS Ravindra, who has directed Jr NTR starrer Jai Lava Kusa, which is scheduled to hit the screens this month-end.

 

 

Feature Image: Funrahi

One Too Many: Why Kollywood’s Fascination With Sequels Doesn’t Bode Well For The Audience

BY Janani Karthik On

2017 seems to be big on sequels – not only are sequels to two superstar movies releasing this year, but the industry seems to have discovered a new promotional strategy in them. Indeed, at the success meet of Thupparivalan held last Thursday, director Mysskin confirmed the sequel to the film. “We’d always wanted to make a sequel,” he said, “and now that the public loves Kaniyan Poongundran, we are more enthusiastic about making the second part.”

Kamal Haasan starrer Vishwaroopam 2, Rajinikanth’s Enthiran 2.0, Saamy 2, Sandakozhi 2, Sathuranga Vettai 2, Rajathanthiram 2, Maari 2, Kanchana 3 are other officially announced films, which are currently under production. While some of these are prompted by the success of the previous films, and the others merely cash in on the popularity of the title, Vishwaroopam 2 is perhaps the only film which was planned in two parts right at the inception.

Sequel-worthy?

Not all films warrant a sequel, of course. Maari, the Balaji Mohan directorial, was panned across the media, and the sequels to Saamy and Sandakozhi will hit the screens more than a decade after their first parts.

The VIP franchise is perhaps a telling example. The second movie, released last month, did not go down well with the critics. Silverscreen wrote:

“This film is also an example that a female director alone cannot ensure that a film treats its women with respect. Soundarya Rajinikanth is at the helm of things here, and yet, she allowed her male lead to spout misogyny and mansplain stuff. There’s little of her directorial capabilities visible in the film. If at all, this film seems to follow the same trajectory that VIP did.”

However, according to Dhanush, the franchise would continue with VIP 3 and 4 as well – something that was announced at the press meet of VIP 2. “I’m almost done writing VIP 3‘s script. Kajol is likely to be a part of VIP 3. Once the script is complete, I will decide on the cast and crew,” Dhanush had said.

*

The sequel to Enthiran (2010) – primarily a star vehicle which featured Rajinikanth and Aiswhwarya Rai Bachchan, did not take off as planned. Shankar moved on to I and Nanban, and then returned to 2.0 – which is being made on a budget of Rs 350 crore. The film, which began production in 2015, is scheduled to release next year.

*

Vishwaroopam, the biggest hit of 2013, reportedly collected Rs 200 crore at the box office. Kamal Haasan released the Vishwaroopam 2 poster in May. He tweeted:

With love my country and it’s people pic.twitter.com/3zdir7u1Gh
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) May 2, 2017

*

Singam is yet another franchise that launched in 2010. Singam 2 came out in 2013 and Singam 3 in 2017. While Singam only featured Anushka, Singam 2 had Hansika, and Singam 3 featured Shruti Haasan alongside Anushka.
Talking about the impact of the Singam films on his career, Suriya said at the audio launch of Singam 3, “I have done so many films in my career, but only certain films created an identity for me. Singam films have given me an unique identity. These are important films in my career. Whenever Hari and I come together for a film, it is expected to do good business at the box office.”

*****

Not all sequels are a continuation of the previous films, however. Lingusamy said that he has only retained the Vishal and Rajkiran portions from Sandakozhi in Sandakozhi 2, and rest will be completely different from the first part. Also, Santhuranga Vettai 2 is not directed by the filmmaker who made the first part. While Vinoth directed Sathuranga Vettai, Nirmal Kumar is directing the sequel.

“The sequel to Sathuranga Vettai will be about hi-tech swindling done using advanced technology,” Nirmal Kumar told Silverscreen. The sequel, which is extensively shot in Malaysia, has higher expectations due to its star cast – Arvind Swamy and Trisha. Also, the sequel to the heist thriller Rajathanthiram (directed by Amid) is being directed by Senthil, who had produced the first part.

In the same way, Muni franchise’s next film, Kanchana 3, was recently announced by Lawrence. Though all three parts are in no way related, Lawrence called the films ‘sequels’ and retained the names Muni and Kanchana. “Since the name ‘Kanchana’ has been our lucky charm, we are retaining the name alongside ‘Muni’,” Lawrence said.

*****

The only film that perhaps deserves a sequel is last month’s release Vikram Vedha, which was critically acclaimed and topped the box office charts. “We didn’t think of a sequel while we were making the film,” director Gayathri told Silverscreen, “There was a demand for a sequel after the film released, probably because of the cliffhanger ending.”

*****

Karthi’s Next Gets A Release Date; Mother! Gets Rare ‘F’ Rating

BY Vandhana On

A quick look at everything making news in the world of cinema today!

Sign on

Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan are in talks to star together in an upcoming film

Tabu and Ajay Devgn might team up for a romantic comedy

Newsworthy

Karthi’s Dheeran Adhigaaram Ondru will release in November this year.

Ram Gopal Varma plans to make a film on NTR’s life, from the point of view of his second wife, Lakshmi Parvathi.

Vishal Bharadwaj says that Rajinikanth is his first choice as male lead if he ever decides to adapt Shakespeare’s King Lear for the silver screen.

Jennifer Lawrence’s mother! Has received a rare ‘F’ rating

Spotlight

Jiah Khan’s mother Rabiya has written an open letter to PM Modi. 

In the letter, Rabiya Khan has decried the slackness shown by the CBI in conducting the investigation in her daughter’s death that she claims was not suicide at all, but a murder. She said that the injuries on Jiah Khan’s body show that it was a murder made to look like a suicide. “…that the injuries on my daughter’s body are inconsistent with the alleged suicidal hanging and all forensic evidence strongly suggest that she was murdered and then hanged to make it look like a suicide,” an except from the open letter read.

Let them eat cake!

Actors Kavya Madhavan, Khushboo Sundar, Vennela Kishore, singer Lucky Ali will all turn a year older today!

Rolling Stone To Roll No More? Iconic Magazine Up For Sale

Rolling Stone, the US pop culture and music review magazine, founded by Jann Wenner, and music critic Ralph Gleason, is up for sale. 

One of the few independent print publications, and rarer still, one of the few print magazines still published by the original founder, Rolling Stone has defined and critiqued pop culture in the US for over 50 years. Described as a counter-culture bible, Rolling Stone created stars on its covers, and critiqued every genre, and generation, of music. The magazine was also known for its highly charged political stories, which critiqued big organisations, conservative politicians, and put Bill Clinton and Barack Obama on its cover. The magazine was also the first “home” for legendary photographer Anne Leibovitz, whose portraits of stars such as John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Madonna, Meryl Streep, and other stars of music and cinema adorned the magazine’s cover. 

Jann Wenner spoke to The New York Times about the magazine, and why they’re now selling it. “Rolling Stone has played such a role in the history of our times, socially and politically and culturally. We want to retain that position. I love my job, I enjoy it, I’ve enjoyed it for a long time,” Jann said.

But letting go was “just the smart thing to do.” Financial pressures, and changing advertising and subscription models are forcing the founder and editor, to sell the magazine he has nurtured for 50 years. Last year, they had already divested a 49 per cent stake in the magazine to Singapore’s BandLand Technologies. 

Gus Wenner, Jann’s son, and president and COO of Wenner Media which publishes Rolling Stone, said, “Publishing is a completely different industry than what it was. The trends go in one direction, and we are very aware of that.” Wenner Media also published two other magazines — US Weekly, and Men’s Journal. But both magazines were sold off last year. 

Jann Wenner hoped for a “buyer with lots of money” to take over the magazine. Both Jann and Gus would like to stay on with the magazine, but they said the final decision will be the new buyer’s.

Anthony DeCurtis, a music critic and Rolling Stone contributing editor, said, “That sense of the magazine editor’s hands on the magazine — that’s what’s going to get lost here. I don’t know who’s going to be able to step in and do that anymore.”

 

Feature Image: Variety.com

‘SPYder’ Will Release On September 27

BY IANS On

Mahesh Babu’s Spyder has been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with a U/A certificate and without cuts. The film is slated for worldwide release on September 27.

On the film’s official Twitter handle, it was posted on Monday that the film has been certified U/A.

” ‘Spyder’ censor complete. Certified U/A. Also has unique distinction of no disclaimers and statutory warnings throughout the movie,” read the tweet.

The film, according to a source from the film’s unit, has no drinking or smoking scenes.

Directed by A.R Murugadoss, the film has been simultaneously made in Tamil as well. The Tamil version is yet to be certified.

In the film, Mahesh Babu plays an Intelligence Bureau officer.

Said to be made on a lavish budget of approximately Rs. 120 crore, the film is based on bio-terrorism and features actor-filmmaker SJ Suryah as the antagonist.

Rakul Preet Singh plays the leading lady.

Tisca Chopra: If A Woman Can Make A Baby, She Can Surely Make A Film

BY IANS On

A lot has changed for women in Bollywood, but Tisca Chopra feels there are still miles to go. The actress says women need to take things in their hands and start “writing, producing and directing” to script a positive change in the industry.

“Things are changing, but much more needs to change. Not enough change has happened and the pace of the change has to be faster, and for that women need to start writing, producing and directing,” Tisca told IANS over phone from Mumbai. “A female perspective is a female’s perspective. If a woman can make a baby, she can surely make a film,” she added. 

The actress is doing her bit. 

“I have made a short film Chutney. My next short film is ready and we are working on the third one. The working title of the third one is Delhi Wale Bhatia. We are very excited to bring that to people,” the actress said. 

Chutney was the first film of her production banner The Eastern Way. 

Tisca entered Bollywood with Platform in 1993, and has made a name for herself with power-packed performances in projects like Taare Zameen Par, Firaaq, Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, TV show 24 and Ghayal Once Again. 

Her film The Hungry premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2017. As part of ‘The Selection’ series, some of the popular films screened previously at TIFF will be aired on Star Movies Select HD till September 17. 

After working in the Indian film industry for long, Tisca hopes more importance is given to stronger content other than just “repeating brainless stuff”. 

“The change that I would like see (in Bollywood) very much is a stronger focus on content rather than just keep on making brainless stuff which is repeated again and again. I would be very happy if they (the industry) spend more time and money on writers and content because eventually that would help you. I am not saying that other films won’t work, but that content-driven films are working, and that area of ours is very weak… That needs to change.” 

The Hungry, which also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Neeraj Kabi, Arjun Gupta, Sayani Gupta, Antonio Aakeel and Suraj Sharma, is based on William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus.

Following the life of Tulsi Joshi (Tisca), a widow and bride-to-be who arrives at her own wedding seeking revenge for the brutal murder of her first-born son, the movie explores the violence that exists between power and love. 

Tisca is proud that her film got a chance to go to TIFF, which doesn’t emphasise on fashion and make-up, but cinema. “The festival is not about clothes or make-up. It has cinema at its heart… It is a great market and a great place to network,” she said.

Talking about The Hungry, Tisca said: “One can’t really imagine a better scenario than doing Shakespeare with Naseeruddin sir. It doesn’t get better than that. 

“Having said that, as an actor, the role that was one of the most challenging that I have ever done… I normally work very hard but this time I had to work a little extra hard. It was a completely new experience for me to stretch myself as an actor.”

‘Ayyo Adi Aathey’ From The Film ‘Kodi Veeran’ To Be Released Today

BY Janani Karthik On

A single track — ‘Ayyo Adi Aathey,’ from Kodi Veeran — starring Sasikumar will be released at 6 pm on Monday. This romantic song, composed by Raghunanthan has been penned by Mohan Rajan, sung by Vandhana Srinivasan and Jagdish.

Talking about the song, Raghunanthan told Silverscreen, “Ayyo Adi Aathey featuring Sasikumar is a love song. There is a situation in the film where Sasikumar expresses his love to the girl and the song starts when she accepts his proposal. Most of the songs in the music album are situational numbers. There is a folk song and also a thaalattu song.”

Kodi Veeran, which is being directed by Muthiah, has Sanusha, Bala Saravanan, Vidharth and Poorna in pivotal roles.

Producer Aishwarya Jyothi Krishna Makes Singing Debut

BY IANS On

Aishwarya Jyothi Krishna, who co-produced Yennai Arindhaal, has made her singing debut with Oxygen. The film has Gopichand, Anu Emmanuel in lead roles.

Jyothi Krishna was instrumental in orchestrating her singing debut. He told IANS:
“I have heard her sing and she has a good voice. In fact, a few filmmakers had even approached her with offers to sing in their films. But she was never interested. When I tested her voice, I really liked what I heard and I thought I should make her sing.” 

Aishwarya has lent her vocals for two songs in the film.

“One song is a duet and the other one is a family number. Both the songs have come out very well,” he said.

Oxygen is a high-octane action film, Jyothi Krishna said. 

“We have about 90 minutes of visual effects, and it took us about four months to complete it. The breathtaking action sequences will be another major attraction. These are the biggest highlights of our film,” he said.

Produced by A.M. Rathnam, the film has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja.

Nayanthara In Talks For Arivazhagan’s Film

BY Janani Karthik On

Nayanthara has been approached to play the lead role in director Arivazhagan’s upcoming film. But the actress, who has a couple of films in the pipeline this year, is yet to give her nod for the project.

A source told Silverscreen,”Arivazhagan had discussed a script with Nayanthara. Apparently, she liked it but she hasn’t agreed to it and allotted dates as she has many prior commitments.”

Arivazhagan’s next is a women-oriented film with Malayalam actress Manju Warrier. After completing this film, he may team up with Nayanthara.

Nayanthara is currently in New York, to celebrate director Vignesh Shivan’s birthday. Once she is back, she will wrap up the shoot of Imaikkaa Nodigal and Kolaiyudhir Kalam.

Song Of The Day: ‘Mayanginen Solla Thayanginen’, From ‘Naane Raja Naane Manthiri’

Singer: P. Susheela, Jayachandran

Composer: Ilayaraaja

Lyricist: Vaali

Film: Naane Raja Naane Manthiri

Actors: Radhikaa Sarathkumar, Vijaykanth, Jeevitha

Naane Raja Naane Manthiri was one of those films from the 1980s which are remembered now for the simple reason that Ilayaraaja, who was perhaps at his peak and could do nothing wrong, decided to compose for the film. Vijayakanth plays a sort of anti-hero, perhaps, who wants to use his employee Radhikaa, to get at the girl he really wants, Jeevitha. However, Radhikaa herself is in love with this village idiot Vijaykanth. The music, and the lyrics for this particular song, written by Vaali, are perhaps the only redeeming bits of the film. 

Bollywood Celebrities Wish Actor Shabana Azmi As She Turns 67

BY IANS On

Veteran actress Shabana Azmi turned 67 on Monday. Bollywood celebrities took to social media to wish the actor.

Shabana, daughter of poet Kaifi Azmi and stage actress Shaukat Azmi, made her film debut in 1974 with Ankur and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema. She has won five National Film Awards for Best Actress and several international honours. She was also lauded with a Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour of the country.

Some of her known works include Arth, Khandhar, Paar, Mandi, Fire, Nishant, Masoom, Junoon, Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai, Amar Akbar Anthony, Neerja and Chalk and Duster.

Here’s what the celebs have tweeted:

Shekhar Kapur: Happy Birthday to one of the best actors I have had the joy of working with, Shabana Azmi. ‘Masoom’.

Anil Kapoor: Friendship of over 30 years! How time flies! Shabana Azmi happy birthday! May you always keep me on my toes! 

Hrithik Roshan: Dear Shabana aunty, a very happy birthday to you. I wish you so much love. Have a wonderful year. Shabana Azmi.

Sonam Kapoor: Wishing you the most amazing year ahead Aunty! Lots and lots of love Shabana Azmi.

Huma Qureshi: Lots of love hugs and pyaar (love) always. Shabana Azmi, you are an inspiration.

Divya Dutta: And some people hold a very special place in your heart… you’ve always been truly special Shabana Azmi! Happy birthday. Lots of love.

Dulquer Salmaan: “I’ve Always Wanted To Be A Part Of A Period Drama”

BY IANS On

Dulquer Salmaan, who plays veteran star Gemini Ganesan in upcoming Telugu-Tamil bilingual biopic Mahanati, on the legendary southern actress Savitri, says it has been his desire for long to be part of a period film.

“Amazing period is being captured in films and even in TV series in the West. For long, I have desired to be part of a period drama. Unfortunately, in the Malayalam film industry, we don’t have huge budgets to make such films. Mahanati is being made on a massive scale and I’m lucky to be part of this project,” Dulquer told IANS.

Talking about the project, being directed by Nag Ashwin, Dulquer said he is thrilled to be working with a young team.

“Both the director and the producer are younger than me. It’s a young team with so much of energy. I have always been against the idea of bilinguals but it made a lot of sense to make this film in two languages,” he said.

On playing Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan in the film, Dulquer said: “I’m not going to look like him. I can’t, honestly, and I don’t want to wear prosthetic. My approach is simple. I would like to be me in the 1950s if I was a big movie star. I don’t think I should attempt to play Gemini Ganesan. You don’t really have any off-screen footage of him. You don’t know what kind of person he was off-screen. We only know his persona on screen and I can’t use that to play him off-screen,” he added.

The film stars Keerthy Suresh as Savitri, apart from Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Prakash Raj, Mohan Babu and Vijay Devarakonda.

Vijay Sethupathi Is Off To Los Angeles To Finalise His Looks for ‘Seethakathi’

BY Janani Karthik On

Vijay Sethupathi is off to the US to meet with a makeup artist for his upcoming film, Seethakathi, directed by Balaji Tharaneetharan.

A source told Silverscreen, “Vijay Sethupathi and Balaji left for Los Angeles yesterday and they will return on September 24. They have gone there to meet makeup artist Greg Cannon. Vijay Sethupathi will be discussing his three different looks that he will be sporting for Seethakathi. As he plays a 75-year-old in the film, he has to get into the skin of the character with the help of prosthetics.”

Based on the 17th Century saint Seethakathi, Balaji’s ambitious project is touted to be socially relevant as well.

Once Sethupathi is back from the US, he has to complete Oru Nalla Naal Paarthu Solla Poren and Seethakathi. He also has Mani Ratnam’s film in the pipeline for which he will start shooting from January next year.

Malayalam Actress Abduction Case: Dileep’s Bail Plea Rejected Fourth Time

BY Silverscreen India Staff On

Actor Dileep’s bail plea was rejected by Angamaly judicial magistrate court earlier today. This is the fourth time that his plea has been rejected. The actor was arrested on July 9 for his alleged involvement in the abduction and assault of a popular Malayalam actress.

Earlier, his bail requests had been rejected by the Keral High Court twice and by the Angamaly court once.

While rejecting his plea, the court said that Dileep was in a position to influence the proceedings and that he will be held at the Aluva sub-jail until further notice.

Dileep’s wife, actor Kavya Madhavan, has also filed an anticipatory bail plea with the Kerala High Court. In her petition, the actor alleged that the officers investigating her role in the case were biased and had threatened her.

 

Copyright Case Against ‘Mr Perfect’ Producer Dil Raju

BY Janani Karthik On

Novelist Shyamal Rani has filed a copyright case on Saturday against producer, Dil Raju, who bankrolled the 2011 film Mr Perfect starring Prabhas.

According to a report in Deccan Chronicle, Shymala Rani has alleged that the central theme of Mr Perfect had been taken from her novel, Na Manasu Korindi Ninne.

A complaint has been lodged against Dil Raju under sections 120A, 415, 420 of the Copyright Act 63 of the Indian Penal Code. However, his close aides claim that they haven’t received any such legal notice and they would react only when they receive it.

Meanwhile, a press statement released by the Telugu Cine Writers’ Association stated that director Dasaradh a story titled ‘Navvuthu’ much before the novel was published.

Mr Perfect, which was released in 2011, had Prabhas and Kajal Aggarwal in the lead roles and directed by Dasaradh. The film was written by KS Ravindra, who has directed Jr NTR starrer Jai Lava Kusa, which is scheduled to hit the screens this month-end.

Apurva Asrani’s Original Script For ‘Simran’ Will Be Out Soon

BY Sanjana Chakraborty On

Writer Apurva Asrani has announced that his version of the script for Simran, i.e before it was allegedly tweaked by Kangana Ranaut, will be released by the producers soon. The writer has asked the audience who have watched the film to compare and comment, in a bid to substantiate his argument that had been making the news in the past few months.

Simran, which released on September 15, has faced a wave of criticism for its screenplay and plot, even though Kangana was lauded for her acting skills.

On the day of the release, Apurva took to social media to celebrate the film’s release despite the many fights that ensued early this year.

Recently a source told The Quint on how the film, which earlier had clarifications for many scenes, were filled with loopholes and quirks after Kangana included her inputs. 

“The biggest difference in the film and the original script is that the film focuses entirely on Simran/Kangana, while the earlier script balances other elements like the making of a robber, the migrant’s  story and a message of unconditional love. Also Apurva Asrani didn’t write it as a farce. It was written with humour, but he always maintained a realistic approach,” the source said.

Trouble brewed between Kangana and Apurva in April this year after the actress claimed that she turned the script from a crime thriller to a “slice of life” comedy. Soon enough, Asrani wrote a Facebook post in which he attacked director Hansal Mehta and Kangana, taking offence to the fact that she was offered additional writing credit in the film. 

Apurva blamed Kangana for the rift between him and his Aligarh director, and even wished Mehta showed some spine. In retaliation, Kangana went on record to claim that he didn’t want her to get any writing credits in the first place.

Read Silverscreen‘s review of Simran: Engaging Yet Inconsistent Film, Shouldered By An Excellent Kangana Ranaut 

Feature Image: Huffington Post India

Bigg Boss Tamil: Vaiyapuri Evicted; Snehan Makes It To The Finale

BY Janani Karthik On

Snehan, one of the popular contestants of Bigg Boss, received the golden ticket to the finale on Sunday from Kamal Haasan. He scored the maximum points in the tasks that were conducted in the house last week. Snehan cannot be nominated for eviction anymore.

Yesterday, Kamal Haasan visited the Bigg Boss house and interacted with the contestants. He said, “Everybody makes mistakes but nobody realises it. Our mistakes are like our nose, where everybody can see it but we cannot see it. So, learn from the mistakes and don’t brood over it.”

Haasan announced the points that the contestants had earned for their tasks. While Snehan topped the chart, Aarav bagged the second place. 

Vaiyapuri was evicted from the show, much to the disappointment of the housemates. “This show has changed my perception about life and I’m a new Vaiyapuri now,” he told Haasan. 

Rana Daggubati To Play A Scientist In ‘Vijli’

BY Sanjana Chakraborty On

Rana Daggubati will reportedly play a scientist in his Hollywood film Vijli: Mystery of the Phantom Ship. 

According to The Times of India, the film is based on a true story of how a giant ship named ‘Vijli’ disappeared with more than 700 passengers on-board off the coast of Saurashtra, Central India, on November 8, 1888, in a cyclonic storm. 

Rana will be playing a scientist who tries to figure out how the ship went missing.

The executive producers of this film are Malcolm Winter, Bharathi Kommana, Monika Gergelova. Produced by Mafalda Sa and written by Yogesh Joshi, the film will be directed by Dhwanil Mehta. Shooting will start from October 2018.

Rana is currently promoting his web-series Social and he has also started work on his next Tamil- Telugu bilingual, 1945/Madai Thiranthu, which reportedly is about a soldier, and the film is directed by Sathya Sivan.

‘Thupparivalan’ Earns Rs 10 Crore In Opening Weekend

BY IANS On

Vishals Tamil investigative drama Thupparivaalan, in which he plays a Sherlock Holmes-kind of detective, has grossed over Rs. 10 crore in its opening weekend in Tamil Nadu, according to trade pundits.

“In the first four days, the film grossed over Rs. 10 crore in Tamil Nadu. Despite releasing on a Thursday, the film has struck gold at the box-office. The numbers steadily increased day-on-day and the overall talk has been highly positive,” trade analyst Trinath told IANS.

According to the makers, the film grossed around Rs. 10.6 crore in the opening weekend.

Directed by Mysskin, the film also stars Prasanna, Anu Emmanuel, Vinay Rai, Andrea Jeremiah and Bhagyaraj.

Mysskin is thrilled with the response. He has confirmed that a sequel is in the offing.

“I’m told the numbers are good and the film is already a hit. We are really happy with the response,” Mysskin, known for films such as Yuddham Sei and Pisasu, told IANS.

Commenting on the plans for turning Thupparivaalan into a franchise, he said, “Vishal and I knew we could make a franchise out of this film. This was our plan from the very beginning.”

“The genre of the film makes it more suitable for a franchise. A lot of people told me that there should be a sequel to ‘Pisasu’, but I seriously don’t know how to take the story forward. In the case of ‘Thupparivaalan’, I know I can write another story and continue the franchise,” he added.

Thupparivaalan has appealed to audiences and critics alike.