After spending many months on pre-production work, Ravi Teja has now walked out of the Telugu remake of Bogan – the shooting for which wassupposed to start this month.
“After working on the pre-production work for nearly eight months, Ravi Teja now wants to shelve the project. It is really upsetting,” director Lakshman told Silverscreen.
Lakshman directed Bogan starring Jayam Ravi and Arvind Swamy, after the Tamil film’s success, he decided to make a Telugu remake of it.
SJ Suryah was brought on board to play Arvind Swamy’s role and Catherine Tresa was signed to play the female lead. “I had rework the script for the Telugu audience. Also, Ravi Teja had done a certain type of films, to suit his style I tweaked my script. Now, when he says he cannot do the film, it is very upsetting. I need time to think about what to do next – to go with another actor or start working on a Tamil film,” says Lakshman.
About the reason behind Ravi Teja opting out of the film, Lakshman says, “His last film, Raja The Great was a super hit. He wanted to work on a new script and shelve this project for six months, but I don’t want to wait.”
Reportedly, Ravi Teja will be teaming up with Bobby, director of Jai Lava Kusa fame.
The trailer of Ippadai Vellum was released by Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar last evening. Starring Udhayanidhi Stalin, Manjima Mohan, Soori and others, the film, it would seem, has romance, action, comedy all rolled into one, with Vijay Sethupathi’s voice-over for good measure. There are songs in exotic locales, flying cars, ambulances, cops, and a shot of a very intense-looking Udhay Stalin doing some thinking. He also sports geeky glasses for added drama.
Bankrolled by Lyca and directed by Gaurav Narayanan, Ippadai Vellum is scheduled to hit the screens on November 9.
In the 1980s, Hollywood witnessed a growth in a genre of films that is somewhere between horror and science fiction, films that went on to become cult hits. Back in the day, a film that included a demonic possession or eerie presence of the dead were mostly classified under the horror genre. Psychological thrillers categorised under horror happened much later, minus a few exceptions like Vertigo or Psycho. But 1984 saw movies such as Friday The 13th, Children of the Corn, Firestarter, The Terminator, A Nightmare in Elm Street, Body Double, Gremlins, and Ghostbusters and the genre became a favourite among those who craved a mix of everything and more. Directors like James Cameron, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, David Lynch, and Steven Spielberg made use of the changing times, where teen romances with horror made a good watch.
Bearing this in mind, Stranger Things season two pretty much continues with their tribute to the 80s. To the fans of the show, the wait has been long but duly paid off. Albeit just nine episodes, the makers of the show released it on a Friday just so fans could binge-watch it during the weekend.
The setting, the clothes, the hair (because the 80s really were obsessed with bouffant hairstyles, mullets and lots and lots of hairspray), the language, and the heart all set in the right place, the show’s first episode of the second season opened quite… strangely. *Spoilers ahead.
A bunch of deviants in outlandish clothes and funky hairdos are trying to escape from the police. A car chase begins with the police bringing in more back-up to catch their trailer. Meanwhile, inside the trailer, Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) is the ring leader who instructs the driver when to take the turns. There comes a moment when the trailer goes into a tunnel with police almost catching up with them.
“Boom,” she whispers, and the tunnel starts to collapse behind them. The police car crashes with one officer screaming at the other who stopped the car. “What is wrong with you?” he yells, pointing at the same spot that collapsed just seconds ago. No destruction, not even a crack.
Cut to Kali inside the trailer, she wipes the blood off her nose. Something Eleven used to do after using her powers.
Kali Credits: Netflix screen grab
Apart from the bizarre intro, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), the titular character, survives, we learn. Being secretly fostered by Chief Jim Hopper, she everyday tries to communicate with the ‘party’ comprising Mike, Dustin, and Lucas. Particularly Mike, considering the two were very close and even had a budding romance set in the last season.
The new season is admittedly darker, heavier on the emotional side with the introduction of characters from Eleven’s past. There’s also a new girl in town, ‘Mad’ Max who eventually joins the ‘party’.
‘Mad’ Max aka Maxine Credits: Netflix screen grab
With Eleven being the crowd favourite, watching Max furiously being in and out of the party leaves you almost apprehensive. Feisty and a wild child, who silently suffers taunts from her abusive step brother, Max is just as badass as her other female counterpart. She does have her emotional side but she stores that for later, eventually fitting in the group as though she were a part of it for years. If anything, one grows to love her character, just like how the group did apart from Lucas of course.
And other characters like the investigative journalist who wants to expose what’s happening at Hawkins and Joyce Byer’s new nerdy boyfriend Bob are brilliant additions to the show, equally important for carrying much of the story forward.
Season 1’s ending showcased that Will Byers wasn’t exactly quite free from the Upside Down. Just when audience thought the world was destroyed with Eleven disappearing, things would be alright. However, Will still suffers from shocks and PTSD from what he endured in the dark, dark world. The scientist running Hawkins’ lab is more sympathetic and tries to get to the bottom of this, unlike his predecessor Dr Brenner.
Initially looking wide-eyed and freezing in front of what appears to be a vision of the Demagorgon, Will’s condition worsens. He begins to convulse in fear and eventually becomes a “spy” between the real world and the Upside Down. The possession of his body starts appearing more like a nightmare coming true, eerily reminiscent of the exorcism scene in The Exorcist. The sweetest boy from the group, usually the physically weak one, who endured a whole other level of trauma in the first season doesn’t seem to get a break in this season either.
Will Byers Credits: Netlfix screen grab
To Will, although he and his friends dress up as the Ghostbusters (a popular film back then), everyday is Halloween for him with people referring him as the ‘Zombie Boy’, the boy who came back from the dead. His true story is something even Max doesn’t believe until she meets the demodogs herself.
The season this time were underwhelming in parts, particularly when they chose to devote enough time to focus on Eleven and her reunion with her mother and discovering her sister Eight aka Kali. But brief introductions later, the makers chose not to dwell on how their background. Kali is ring leader of a group of outcasts but we never learn how she met the other outcasts and formed a gang of her own. We never learn if she genuinely liked Eleven or just wanted to use her for her gains.
But while the characterisation on Eleven’s story faltered, the other characters grew better and better.
Joyce Byers Credits: Netflix screen grab
Joyce, who perpetually sports the worried look since last season, decided she has had enough. Even if it causes Will a bit of pain, she does not stop at trying to get him back to normal. She’s done crying and there’s a tinge of anger we see in her. An anger that it isn’t fair that Will is never cut some slack. But also perseverance, replacing the desperation from last season. Even her son, Jonathan, is unable to watch his younger brother tortured, but not Joyce.
Another character who gets better and more profound would have to be Steve. After getting his heartbroken when Nancy drunkenly tells him that their relationship is bullsh*t, Steve instead of brooding or trying to teach her a lesson, something typical of men on-screen, he gives her enough space. Upon meeting her later, he admits that he understands and doesn’t make things ugly. And while he’s nursing a break-up, he becomes an unofficial member of the party when he helps the boys (and girl) in their task to take the demodogs down. The coolest boy in school gets along better with the nerds. Who would have thunk?
Steve Credits: Netflix screen grab
***
The show releasing days before the Halloween weekend couldn’t be more timely, with everything in store for the festival enthusiasts. The timeline in the show, too, begins with pre-Halloween and ends with Christmas, just like the last season. Several scenes were an ode to the 80s, too. Like when Eleven, bored with being on house arrest, dresses up as a ghost by putting on a bed sheet so that no one would know it was her, just like what Eliot does to ET in E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. Or when Eleven, at the end, closes the gate using all her powers, almost mirroring a scene from the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Firestarter. And be sure to think of Indiana Jones whenever the characters dug deep inside the Upside Down.
Oh also, Barb is still dead and the fact that she’s never coming back is a Halloween nightmare in itself.
Earlier in the year, Upendra had announced his entry into politics. He recently revealed the name of his political party – Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Paksha. We revisit an interview that Silverscreen did with the actor on his political ambitions.
Upendra, one of the biggest stars in the Kannada film industry, has spent a considerable amount of time ranting at politicians, corporate honchos and even his own fraternity people. These days, however, there’s a new intensity about him. One thing that has remained unchanged though is his trademark flyaway hair.
“I’ve mellowed a bit actually. Earlier, I had this fervour to do things immediately. I truly believed that people would change if they watched my films. A few of them did. But to teach all the wrongdoers a lesson, I need to take the plunge into politics,” he told Silverscreen, not deviating from his on-screen persona.
The actor made news earlier this week by announcing his decision to enter politics. The announcement has been expected for a while as Upendra has never been shy about his political ambitions.
“The timing had to be right. For me, always, I will be patient till the right time comes to me. Else, it’s a disaster.”
Over the years, Upendra’s political message and fervour has attracted a legion of fans, enamoured with his star appeal and can-do on-screen image. It is this fan base that Upendra hopes to make use of to make his political debut.
“My fans are well-informed and socially aware that is lacking in other youths. As I embark on this journey, there is no doubt that they’ll accompany me. I hope to fill most of the positions with people of my wavelength. Can I find someone better than an Upendra fan to understand me?”
The actor has some novel ideas about eliminating corruption from the system. “But to do so, I must arm myself first. Politics is a muddy business. It has become dirty because of people and politicians who circumvent the system. To clean it, I must wear protection. So, in an effort to avoid all this nonsense, I have decided to make my political party a completely self-reliant one. We won’t ask anybody for money. That way we won’t have to please anybody else. We will stay true to our image.”
Upendra hopes to make extensive use of social media and other such tools to connect with people. “Bengaluru is the city of innovation. If a party started here cannot make use of technology then what is the use of calling ourselves Kannadigas?”
A name for his political party is yet to be decided, though that is the one question that he is being asked. “Name recognition is everything. They want to associate me with something. I was an actor then. I always had the film I was working on tagged to my name. Uppi 2 Upendra, Mukunda Murari Upendra. Now, I have nothing in front. So the people want to know my new name.”
Left to him, the party’s name might just have a quirky feel to it. “But I have been strongly cautioned. This is serious business, after all.”
The actor’s social media account is full of supportive messages from his fans. There are also a few cautioning him about the nature of politics and by extension, politicians. “Such love my fans have for me. They look after me like my parents do. I know that I have a huge responsibility riding on my shoulders, and it is only making me more determined. I have promised my people that I will do good for them. I cannot let them down, like the others before me have.”
Upendra has also decided to quit films, to focus on his party. “I have one film that I’m yet to complete. After this is done, I will devote my time, my energy, and my life to my people.”
The concept of social work is a flawed one, Upendra claims. “Nobody does anything worthwhile for free. Would you write for free? Even if forced to, will you do a good job? Anything that comes with a free tag isn’t going to be genuine. It is going to be forced. A politician, who has to transform the lives of people cannot afford to do this. I won’t work for free. But, I will work hard, and take a nominal amount for my efforts.”
The actor has dismissed suggestions that he could use his films as a sort of publicity tool for his political party. “That would be wrong. We must not set bad precedents for the youth,” Upendra says.
The actor has given out three different email addresses so that his fans could write in with suggestions and advice for his political party. At the last count, the addresses have received over 150,000 messages. A group of volunteers is going through them meticulously, Upendra assures us.
With the elections scheduled for May 2018, everybody is a little apprehensive about Upendra’s claims. “It is not impossible to start a party and contest in the elections in a couple of months. We’ve seen it in films. Now, watch as I do it in real life.”
The interview was originally published on August 15.
A 19-year-old fan of Vijay, Thirumurugan, was arrested yesterday in Srivilliputhur for his abusive comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Facebook, according to a report in Deccan Chronicle.
The student had allegedly made an inappropriate comment about the prime minister on Facebook messenger during a chat with a BJP functionary. Thirumurugan was arrested based on a complaint by Marimuthu, Virudhunagar BJP secretary. According to the report, Thirumurugan reacted in an abusive manner to a meme on the controversial GST dialogue in Mersal, sent by Marimuthu. Later, Marimuthu lodged a police complaint against Thirumurugan.
Police booked Thirumurugan under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (Punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) and remanded him to judicial custody after producing him in the magistrate court in Srivilliputhur.
Still basking in the success of Arjun Reddy, Shalini Pandey is ready to shoot for 100% Kadhal along with GV Prakash. The film is a remake of Telugu project 100% Love.
An arrest warrant has been issued against Hollywood actress Rose McGowan in relation to a drug charge. According to The Hollywood Reporter, McGowan has been accused of possession of a controlled substance. The felony charges are based on the police’s investigation of personal belongings left behind on a United flight arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport on January 20 this year.
Speaking to Deadline, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department said that her personal belongings left behind from the flight tested positive for narcotics and that they have attempted to contact her in order for her to appear at a Loudoun County Virginia court.
McGowan tweeted about the incident:
Are they trying to silence me? There is a warrant out for my arrest in Virginia. What a load of HORSESHIT.
McGowan is one of the many women rallying against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of sexual harassment by many women (including top actresses) in the industry. McGowan claims that Weinstein even raped her back in 1997 and was offered $1 million to not speak about him.
Netflix has announced that they would be cancelling their hit show House of Cards starring Kevin Spacey after news of the actor’s sexual misconduct surfaced. Netflix Inc also admitted that they were “deeply troubled” when they found out that Spacey molested actor Anthony Rapp in 1986, when the former was 26 and the latter was 14 years old.
“Media Rights Capital and Netflix are deeply troubled by last night’s news concerning Kevin Spacey. In response to last night’s revelations, executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported. As previously scheduled, Kevin Spacey is not working on set at this time,” the companies said in a joint statement.
Deadline also reported that Netflix’s film with Spacey titled Gore, about the acerbic author Gore Vidal, may also get cancelled now.
Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp recently went on record to recount the time actor Kevin Spacey made sexual advances towards him. The incident took place at an after party at Spacey’s apartment, when the latter put Rapp on bed and climbed on top of him. Rapp, now 46, told Buzzfeed News in an exclusive interview about how he felt anger and frustration towards Spacey especially since he flourished in his career with Tony and Oscar awards to his credit.
Spacey responded to Rapp’s allegation with an apology. While he said that he didn’t remember the incident, he claimed to use this revelation as an encouragement to change things about himself. He also openly declared himself as a gay man and vowed to examine his behaviour.
His apology, however, did not go down too well as many accused him of using the opportunity to divert the attention from the molestation to his coming-out.
The Chennai police have stated that there has been no case made against actor Kamal Haasan with respect to his tweets on nilavembu kashayam (that is being distributed by the government as a preventive measure for dengue). According to The Hindu, the cyber crime cell of the city police decided not to initiate action against Haasan after analysing the tweets in question.
“No cognisable case was made out. Hence, we have not registered a case. We made it clear that there was no element of criminal offence in the tweet and we closed the complaint,” a senior police official told The Hindu.
The petitioner, an advocate clerk named Devarajan, had accused Haasan of defamatory comments when the actor tweeted that the herbal tonic may have side-effects.
Devarajan has since approached the Madras High Court, seeking a direction to the city police to register a case against the actor.
Nazriya Nazim will be a part of Anjali Menon’s next. The actor had taken a break from her film career post her marriage to Malayalam actor Fahaadh Faasil. Rumours that she was planning to make her comeback have been in circulation ever since.
Nazriya will share screenspace with her Bangalore Days co-star Parvathy Menon, and Prithviraj Sukumaran for the project. Filming will begin soon.
Nazriya made her Tamil debut with Alphonse Puthren’s Neram. She followed it up with roles in films such as Om Shanthi Oshanna, Raja Rani and Thirumanam Enum Nikkah.
Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui on Monday apologised and announced that he is withdrawing his book An Ordinary Life after a complaint was reportedly filed against him for outraging the modesty of his Miss Lovely co-star Niharika Singh.
I m apologising 2 every1 who’s sentiments r hurt bcz of d chaos around my memoir #AnOrdinaryLife
I hereby regret & decide 2 withdraw my book
According to reports, the complaint was filed by Delhi advocate Gautam Gulati at the National Commission for Women (NCW).
Last week, Niharika slammed Nawazuddin for not taking her consent before sharing their personal equation with the world in his memoir. She said the way he has “painted” her image, it appears he doesn’t mind disrespecting a woman to boost the sales of his book.
“Nawaz and I had a brief relationship in 2009 during the making of Miss Lovely that lasted less than a few months. So today, when he paints me as a woman in fur enticing him into her bedroom with candles, or desperately calling him and mailing other women on his behalf, I can only laugh. He obviously wants to sell his book and it would appear that he is willing to exploit and disrespect a woman just to do so,” Niharika said.
Excerpts from An Ordinary Life (Penguin Random House/pp 240/Rs 389), a memoir that Nawazuddin has come out with Rituparna Chatterjee, reveal that the National Award winning actor has spoken extensively on his personal life and relationships.
A quick look at everything making news in the world of cinema today!
Sign On
Nazriya Nazim will make her comeback with Anjali Menon’s next
Newsworthy
TN Police have arrested a Vijay fan for attacking PM Modi on social media
Kamal Haasan might not face legal trouble after all.
Spotlight
Harvey Weinstein accuser Rose McGowan is facing arrest after airport police found traces of narcotics in belongings she left behind at Washington Dulles International Airport after she arrived on a flight from Los Angeles earlier this year. McGowan has accused Weinstein of raping her in 1997, and claims that one of the disgraced producer’s close associates offered her $1 million to remain silent about the assault.
“Are they trying to silence me?” McGowan tweeted earlier today about the warrant for her arrest. “What a load of horseshit.”
“Her personal belongings that were left behind from a flight arriving on Jan. 20 tested positive for narcotics,” said Rob Yingling, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department.
Let them eat cake!
Film critic Anupama Chopra, Actors Arjun Bijlani, Samvrutha Sunil will all turn a year older today!
Till perhaps recently, Twinkle Khanna was celebrated as a feminist writer and a genuinely funny person.
Today, that image – perhaps carefully built and protected – has taken a very hard beating. She has been described as an embarassed wife and faux feminist. Ever since Akshay Kumar’s crass joke on The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, ‘Mallika (Mallika Dua) ji aap bell bajao main aap ko bajata hun (You ring the bell, I will bang you),’ the Mrs. Funnybones Twitter account has slowly unravelled.
The actress tweeted what she termed lame jokes after defending her husband.
The jokes seem to play light on the whole ‘bell bajao’ incident and, it would seem, make us think Twinkle has a sense of humour and can take a joke.
However, that would apply if Akshay’s original comments were directed at her, not at Mallika. Twinkle’s making light of the comment seems to reiterate the comment.
A truly feminist woman ought to have publicly called out Akshay and should have assured Mallika and the other women that she’ll never stand for such comments. If she really had a sense of humour, she’d have said, at least, that she’d pull up Akshay, and made some comment about bajoing him on his head. But no.
Once again, it seems that feminism will only go as far as the front gate of the house. Close friends, family are never accountable. And once again, sexist, sexual comments are brushed under the carpet.
Mallika Dua on her part responded to Twinkle Khanna’s tweet with a big sarcastic laugh. And a No.
Even Mallika’s father, Vinod Dua stated on Facebook, “Ms.Twinkle Khanna responds to the laughter challenge controversy. It is a prosaic excuse from an embarrassed wife.”
Mallika, a former judge of the Star Plus show, and her father Vinod Dua – a journalist – raised concern regarding Akshay Kumar’s remark earlier this week by sharing a video over social media which was reportedly a leaked portion of an episode shoot held around a month ago, and it was never aired by the channel.
This was Mallika’s response after she got trolled on social media for calling out Akshay Kumar:
This is all I have to say. Enjoy fighting among yourselves and sensationalising it. I’m off to live and Work. Bye. https://t.co/mVxHhnftts
Kalathur Gramam is a film whose story we’ve seen and heard in other Tamil films. A small, impoverished village that’s at conflict with the powerful state and its police. One man of the village will rise up to protect the village, and in the process run afoul of the state. There will be betrayal, deceit, jealousy, anger, revenge, violence, death.
The film is a bit of a throwback to the 80s and 90s idea of filmmaking. Pitting an individual against the state, where the police are categorically evil, and the individual – the Robin Hood – will ultimately save the day. However, the cultural narratives of the people, the region, filmmaking styles and technology, and many things have changed. Films like Kaakka Kaakka, etc., have given the police a makeover in Tamil cinema, where they’re no longer agents of the state, no longer are the oppressors. We’ve moved on to fighting global terrorism, individual apathy, corruption, and the like.
So what role and what hope does Kalathur Gramam have? Going against modern films such as say, Mersal?
Especially when Kalathur Gramam does not have any big stars in the cast, and no big names involved in the production – except perhaps Ilaiyaraaja.
***
Kalathur Gramam is produced by Avudathai Ramamoorthy, and directed by Saran K Advaithan. The film stars Kishore, Yagna Shetty, Tharun Shatriya, Ajay Rathnam, and others. Music is by Ilaiyaraaja
***
The most striking thing for me, watching Kalathur Gramam was how well the production pays attention to detail. The people, their costumes, the houses, the village, the period, all feel authentic. For instance, the number plates of the police jeeps – both the Andhra police and the Tamil Nadu police – are genuinely what the respective states would have had back in the 80s. We don’t even see a single mobile phone broadcast tower anywhere in the landscape. This is no simple achievement, given today’s Tamil Nadu.
Books on the European mafia talk about the landscape and the milieu that gave rise to these Robin Hood protectors of the village. Corsica and Sicily, and the like, are described as wild lands, dense moor-like forests that is easy to escape into, and only the natives know how to navigate it. Kalathur Gramam sort of conjured up that image. Arid, dusty lands, thorn tree forests, rocky hills with small caves and ravines – if this landscape doesn’t give the feel of Tamil Nadu’s version of the Unione Corse, nothing else will.
***
The film begins with a brutal killing, by the police, of five people from the Kalathur village. The villagers are angry and demand justice. A one-man fact-finding commission is set up with a retired judge – played by a beefed up, salt-and-pepper Ajay Rathnam. And so begins the retelling of the story, and we go back in time.
Kidathirukkan (played by Kishore) is the protector of the village. He steals from the rich, with the help of his friend Veeranna (Tarun Shatriya). And he gives to the poor. The village has actively guarded itself from the civilising gaze of the state, and has depended on Kidathirukkan and Veeranna to protect them.
In the village next door, which is across the border in Andhra, a rich landlord has a young woman, Selvamba (Yagna Shetty) in custody, promising to raise her, but really only wanting to sell her into bonded slavery. And so Kidathirukkan must save her. And in the process, falls in love with her and they marry.
Veeranna has a reputation as a philanderer, and has already caused friction between the village priest and his wife. So Kidathirukkan’s guarantee and presence is a necessary condition for the villagers to consider marrying Veeranna to their daughters. But in saving Selvamba, Kidathirukkan has slighted Veeranna, has caused the promised engagement to fall.
Veeranna feels betrayed and his anger is further heightened when he realises his friend has himself gotten married. But the cops intervene at this point, and Kidathirukkan entrusts Selvamba to Veeranna’s care, and gives himself up. And so the first betrayal. Veeranna convinces the entire village that Selvamba is married to him, both for him to regain the village’s respect after his humiliation, and as a way to get back at Kidathirukkan.
Shortly, Kidathirukkan is released from jail, even as Selvamba becomes pregnant. Kidathirukkan comes to take Selvamba back, Veeranna causes a scene, the priest, who knows the truth of the matter, lies to side with Veeranna to get back at Kidathirukkan. In an ensuing fight, Veeranna is killed and the police arrest Kida and Selvamba.
Soon a son is born to Selvamba in jail. But they hand the baby over to Veeranna’s parents to raise. They however raise the son – Kitna, to hate Kidathirukkan and seek revenge for “his real father, Veeranna”. Kitna too begins to hate Kidathirukkan.
And so the story plays out over two generations, with a son wanting to kill a father, and another son wanting just desserts for his father’s death.
Things come to a head, the police go to overdrive, and the judge and the commission discover the real truth.
***
There are no big stars in the film. The only known name is Kishore. Which perhaps has helped the writer and director of the film. It’s allowed them to write a script and make a film that doesn’t depend on the hero’s antics to form a major part of the plot.
There was a bit of issue with the sound sync, which could entirely be a problem with the projection. The music and the background score was apparently by Ilaiyaraaja but we have no way of knowing this without being told. AR Rahman at least had an excuse for Mersal. There was Vijay on screen. What’s Ilaiyaraaja’s excuse for turning out another completely uninspired score?
***
The Kalathur Gramamreview is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the movie. Silverscreen.in and its writers do not have any commercial relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.
Vikram’s daughter Akshita and Manu Ranjith, son of C.K. Ranganathan, founder of Cavinkare, and the great grandson of DMK supremo M Karunanidhi, tied the knot at Kalaignar’s Gopalpuram residence today.
Akshita and Manu Ranjith with Kalaignar
Vikram’s spokesperson told Silverscreen, “The wedding took place at around 10 to 10.30 am with Kalaignar attending it. It was a family affair and only the bride and the groom’s family members were present at the wedding. The reception will take place on October 31 at Mayor Ramanatha Chettiar hall in MRC Nagar.”
Vikram’s son, who will be seen in the Tamil remake of Arjun Reddy, came from the US to attend his sister’s wedding.
Ever since Akshay Kumar announced that his film, Padman, directed by R Balki, will release on January 26, there were rumours that the release of Shankar’s 2.0, starring Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar, will probably get postponed to April.
A source from Lyca Production, however, told Silverscreen that the film’s release will not be postponed and will hit the screens during the Republic Day weekend. There has been no official announcement yet.
The filming of 2.0 is over and the post-production work that involves a lot of CG work is currently going on in 11 countries.
The audio launch was held in Dubai and the teaser of the film will be out this month and an event is underway for the teaser launch in Hyderabad and the trailer will come out in December.
In September creative head of Lyca, Rahu Mahalingam tweeted about the schedule of audio launch, teaser and trailer and however, there was no mention about the release date.
“Festivities to Begin” Come Oct -Audio Release in Dubai!!! Nov-Teaser in Hyderabad and Dec-Trailer in Namma Singara Chennai!!! 2.0 Loading!!
In March this year, director Shankar hinted at completion of major portions of the film and said that only patch work and a song is left to be shot.
Shankar tweeted:
With my team after finishing a major scene of #2.0 . One song and some patch works are only the balance pic.twitter.com/SG6o1nLUW4
— Shankar Shanmugham (@shankarshanmugh) March 9, 2017
Meanwhile, Rajinikanth’s Kaala is scheduled to hit the screens in April. If rumours of 2.0 getting postponed are to be believed, then Kaala’s release will also have to be rescheduled as two Rajini films cannot clash on the same day. A source from Kaala’s production house told Silverscreen, “Our film’s shoot is going on in Mumbai. We are yet to wrap up the shoot and begin the post-production work. We are working towards April release and we are sure that we will be releasing Kaala only after 2.0’s release.”
Padman is a biopic on Arunachalam Muruganandham, an entrepreneur who discovered low cost sanitary pad-making machine. Even if both Padman and 2.0 release during the same weekend it won’t affect the box office performances as the two films are of completely different genres.
Not all superheroes come with capes! Bringing you the true story of a real superhero, #Padman this Republic Day – 26th January, 2018! pic.twitter.com/hcEcJPO6Up
Actress Rose McGowan says she was offered $1 million to keep her mouth shut about Harvey Weinstein after she alleged that the Hollywood producer had raped her.
McGowan says she was offered the amount by someone close to Weinstein and while she initially bargained it to $6 million as a counter offer, she decided to retract that offer afterwards, reports nytimes.com.
“I had all these people I’m paying telling me to take it so that I could fund my art. I figured I could probably have got him up to three. But I was like — ew, gross, you’re disgusting, I don’t want your money, that would make me feel disgusting,” McGowan said.
This comes after McGowan said she found it difficult to watch news coverage of the Weinstein scandal as she finds it very “triggering”.
“The triggering has been insane. The monster’s face has been everywhere, my nightmare… I have been silenced for 20 years. I have been slut-shamed. I have been harassed. I have been maligned and you know what? I’m just like you. What happened to me behind the scenes happens to all of us in society and it cannot stand and it will not stand… No more will we be hurt. It’s time to rise. It’s time to be brave. No more. Name it. Shame it. Call it out. It’s time to clean house! It’s time to be brave. In the face of unspeakable actions, from one monster we look away to another. The head monster of all right now. And they are the same. And they must die,” she added.
Actor Adam Sandler has come under fire for repeatedly touching actress Claire Foy during a chat on TV show “The Graham Norton Show”, appearing to leave her uncomfortable and embarrassed.
In the Friday night episode of the show, Sandler can be seen resting his hand on Foy’s knee. Her efforts to remove his hand went unnoticed. He placed it multiple times on her knee leaving her feel awkward, reports dailymail.co.uk.
Actress Emma Thompson, who was a guest on the show, was amazed by Sandler throughout the awkward encounter.
To make matters worse, Sandler also touched the leg of Thompson. He was later slammed over social media by many viewers.
One viewer tweeted: “Adam Sandler touching Claire Foy’s knee for no reason, she put his hand back, he then does it again, she looked rightly p***** off.”
Another wrote: “Felt very uncomfortable watching Adam repeatedly put his unwanted hand on the knee of Claire Foy.”
Viewers slammed Adam Sandler on Twitter:
Claire Foy replacing Adam Sandler’s hand onto his own knee rather than hers, was the perfect “haha dont touch me again” move #GrahamNorton
Raya Sarkar’s list of ‘sexual predators’ in the world of academia – shared on Facebook – has started a raging debate, but not quite in the direction that would encourage a course correction. Inspired by C Christine Fair’s account of facing sexual harassment by noted academician and historian Dipesh Chakrabarty, 24-year-old law student Raya Sarkar shared the names of sexual predators that were mostly crowd-sourced. The anonymous nature of the list which has only names of the professors and the institutes they are associated with ruffled quite a few feathers.
A group of feminists immediately released a statement against the ‘name and shame’ campaign saying: “We appeal to those who are behind this initiative to withdraw it, and if they wish to pursue complaints, to follow due process, and to be assured that they will be supported by the [larger feminist community in their fight for justice.” In response, Raya told Buzzfeed, “The list was not prepared with institutional action in mind, but as a cautionary list for students. The victims themselves must consent to approaching the courts or any ministry.”
While some called the list vigilantism, the others pointed out that institutional sexism and a biased redressal system stop women from coming forward and lodging a complaint – be it in the case of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein or someone widely respected and accomplished like RK Pachauri. Outrage on the opposing sides remained largely restricted to debating the merits of the anonymous list, but what about the #HowTo of it? Opening up about sexual harassment is not easy in any field. Nobody can disagree that in the hallowed corridors of Indian institutes, any effort to lodge a complaint against someone within is looked upon as a conspiracy to tarnish their image. This fact has been acknowledged by the feminists group in their statement.
Why is it so difficult for victims of sexual abuse to open up despite mechanisms in place? Instead of debating the nature and the contents of the list, shouldn’t the discourse be on how to create a system where women (men too) find it easier to take action against the perpetrators of sexual violence? Shouldn’t there be an effort to understand why victims of sexual harassment find it difficult to talk about it and what must be done to ease their pain? How to create a concerted fight for justice, an unbiased redressal mechanism and a streamlined rehabilitation programme? Why aren’t these enlightened sexists or the brocialists made accountable? How to make this narrative mainstream?
In pop culture, three television shows come to mind for their visceral and honest portrayal of sexual violence, and the stages that the victims go through. These shows explore the stark brutality of sexual violence, the psychology of the perpetrators and the impact it has on the victims. Labeling these shows under women-oriented content limits their scope – they are as much for the perpetrators as they are for victims.
‘Top Of The Lake’
Written by Academy Award winner Jane Campion and Gerard Lee, season one of the show starts with a crime mystery, albeit a brutal one. It opens with 12-year-old pregnant Tui Mitcham walking into the biting cold waters of a pristine lake, probably to end her life. Enters detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss) who is back in her hometown to take care of her ailing mother. In the picturesque, brooding town of Laketop, New Zealand, there is something sinister lurking. As the story unfolds, you realise that the statutory rape case is only the tip of the iceberg. Tui deals with her pregnancy while trying to escape her thuggish, primal father, who is also the local drug lord. Robin, on the other hand, has to face her painful history. Gang-raped at the age of 16, in a particular cathartic scene, Robin finds herself sitting next to one of her rapists in a bar. It is evident that he has no inkling of who she is and what he did to her years back. While she was forced to erase the past and start afresh, this brute of a man was allowed to get on with his life by the town’s kangaroo court. He even managed to forget the horrifying crimes he took part in. In a town that has fermented rape culture and given a safe haven to pedophiles, homophobes and addicts, where justice and reparations are rare, Tui and Robin’s stories are not an aberration. It showed that a misogynist comes in all forms. Justice denied, these women find solace in GJ’s (Holly Hunter) cryptic worldview, someone who has harboured a group of troubled women. This motley women’s group and their ‘spiritual guru’ GJ could have been caricatured into a Kumbaya moment, but it is their unconditional support and female bonding that help these damaged women to heal.
Screen grab of a scene from Top of The Lake from YouTube
‘Big Little Lies’
HBO’s Big Little Lies, an Emmy favourite, perhaps best portrays how difficult it is for a sexual abuse victim to acknowledge and talk about the abuse, of how abuse percolates through the social classes and how it is not just the legal framework but the way sons are brought up that perpetuates this vicious cycle of violence. In the rich town of Monterey, everyone leads a perfect life, near perfect. Inside the designer clothes and fancy houses, everyone wants to hide their demons. As the story revolves around Madeline Martha Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon), Celeste Wright (Nicole Kidman), Jane Chapman (Shailene Woodley) and Renata Klein (Laura Dern) and their children, it is Celeste’s story that hits hard. Why does a smart, successful lawyer stay quiet about her violently abusive husband? To the world, they are the perfect couple, but inside their house, it is up to Celeste to gather the shards of her broken marriage and put up a picture-perfect front. It is the story of many women when Celeste acknowledges to her therapist that she is ashamed to admit that she is an abuse victim. Every victim is made to feel that it is their fault, Celeste is no different. When Jane tells Celeste that it is her kid son who has been hitting another child in his class, there is no righteous denial on her part. Celeste realises that her son is slowly beginning to mirror his father’s behaviour which has been normalised in their household. It was time to take corrective measures. Big Little Lies narrates an uplifting story of female friendship, united in their fight and resolve.
Mindhunter
David Fincher’s Netflix series Mindhunter is broadly based on John E Douglas and Mark Olshaker’s book ‘Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit’. Set in the 70s US, when criminal psychology was a relatively novel concept, the series documents the quest of two FBI agents of the Behavioral Science Unit to understand the psychology, profiles and motives of the killers or what they initially term as ‘sequence killers’. Charles Manson, notorious cult leader and mass murderer, almost gets a fan-boy treatment. As they begin to interview serial killers – a common thread emerges – the killers are mostly men, they have troubled childhood, their fractured relationship with their mothers, an innate and constant need to subjugate women stemming from their deep hatred for women. In most cases, it inevitably trickled down to the mothers, the many romantic rejections and their inability to fit into the societal structure of normality.
As one of the serial killers, Ed Kemper, shares: “If there’s one thing I know, it’s this: A mother should not scorn her own son. If a woman humiliates her little boy, he will become hostile, and violent, and debased. Period.” While there is an attempt to humanise these psychopaths, the obvious question arises: Why always the mother? With the two agents juggling the blurring lines between their professional and personal life, it is the women who knowingly or unknowingly give direction to their work, projecting a better understanding of why these brutal crimes happen and why are the victims women in most cases.
A scene from the Mindhunter. Screen grab from YouTube
*****
Movies, television shows need not be all about escapism. It has to mirror society. If pop-culture doesn’t reflect the realities of crimes against women, it will be difficult to fight institutionalised patriarchy and we will be left with just a list of names.
Suriya’s next film will go on floors in January 2018. Directed by Selvaraghavan, the film will be produced by SR Prabhu and SR Prakash Babu of Dream Warrior Pictures. It is Suriya’s 36th film as lead actor.
Selvaraghavan’s spokesperson told Silverscreen that the film will be completely different from the director’s previous works. “Scripting is going on, following which casting sessions will begin. We hope to announce and introduce the cast and crew soon,” he said.
At present, the actor is hard at work on Vignesh Shivan’s Thaana Serndha Koottam. Keerthy Suresh is the female lead in this film.
According to sources, Rakul Preet Singh is the frontrunner to play the female lead. She played the lead role in Karthi’s Theeran Adhigaram Ondru, also produced by Dream Warrior.
Selvaraghavan is working on Mannavan Vanthanadi, a romantic comedy featuring Santhanam in the lead role. His Nenjam Marappathillai feat SJ Suryah, Nandita Swetha and Regina Cassandra has been waiting for a release date for the better part of a year.
Selva’s last release was the 2013 film Irandaam Ulagam. The project was a critical as well as commercial failure.
A few days ago, Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp went on record to recount the time actor Kevin Spacey made sexual advances towards him in 1986 when the two were working together on the Broadway play, Precious Sons. Spacey was 26 and Rapp was 14 years old at the time.
Earlier today, Spacey addressed the accusations with a note, admitting that he didn’t remember but sent out his “sincerest apology” to the now 46-year-old actor. While he did admit that he would now examine his actions, he used the apology as a way of coming out of the closet, admitting that has now chosen to live life as a gay man and that he wants to deal with it “honestly and openly”.
People on Twitter, however, are not happy with Spacey making his note sound less like an apology and more like his coming-out story. Many have even slammed the House of Cards actor, for using the opportunity more about himself and less about the story of how he allegedly molested a child. Here are some of the reactions:
Kevin Spacey has just invented something that has never existed before: a bad time to come out.
Blaming being a predator on alcohol. Turning a molestation accusation into a coming out story. Nope. #KevinSpacey is cancelled. pic.twitter.com/U4wp5n9bqq
2.0’s music is a predictable mix of electronic and techno that a script of this size and scope demands. Though one does hope that AR Rahman will mix it a bit and not stick to the party line so much.
Sid Sriram – Shashaa Tirupati’s Endhira Logathu Sundariye is catchy and easy on the ears – qualities that could very well make it the song of the year. Rahman is at the stage in his career when everything he does seems reminiscent of his earlier works. This song is no exception.
It’s a little entertaining to think of Rajinikanth dancing to this wholly upbeat theme. Till the film releases next year, it’s an image that will surely keep everyone amused.
Rajaali, on the other hand, is not very impressive as a stand-alone track. It could work like Arima Arima from Enthiran – a song made better by impressive visuals. With Shankar at the helm, it’s entirely possible. Arjun Chandy of Azhagiye fame (Kaatru Veliyidai) teams up with Rahman regular Blaaze for this track. It takes some time getting used to, and is a little disappointing, actually.
Nothing about this album suggests a typical Rajini film. And, perhaps, that’s a good thing. A far cry from the massy, preachy numbers the star used to be a part of, the album is disappointingly short and certainly, a different effort from the composer.
As with all Rahman songs, these two tracks will get better with time. The question remains: Does one really want Rajaali as an earworm?
Actress Amala Paul, who bought a Mercedes S class worth more than Rs 1 crore, has a Puducherry registration. The actress allegedly evaded the registration tax for Kerala and saved Rs 20 lakhs, reported The Times of India.
According to the report, the car was also registered in the name of an engineering student who has no clue about the registration. The rules specify that the registration should be under the name of a native of Puducherry. A vehicle whose ownership has not been transferred to the rightful owner is not allowed on the streets and the owner is liable to be punished.
Amala Paul has wrapped up the shoot of Thiruttu Payale 2 and she is currently filming for Cinderella and Kayamkulam Kochunni.
Vishal has donated Rs 10 lakhs to Harvard University for creating a Sangam Tamil Chair. He toldDeccan Chronicle:
“When the Ukrainian language spoken by three crore people, and the Celtic language spoken by one-and-a-half crore people have Chairs at the prestigious Harvard University, (which has been functioning for more than 380 years) — Tamil, one of the classical languages of the world which has ancient literature dating back to 300 BC, and spoken by eight crore people — should have one too! Other languages like Sanskrit, Hebrew also have Harvard Chair”
The actor also asked people to donate generously to the cause, as a sum of Rs 40 crores is needed to establish the Chair.
