quotable -connery

"That's a Smith&Wesson. And you've had your six."

Asin’s real life stunt

Asin, the Malabar girl who has made it big in Kollywood and on the way to making it bigger in Bollywood did a stunt of a sort in Mumbai in the busy Andheri area. While she was on her way to her shoot in her car, she suddenly came across a small boy in the middle of the road in the heavy traffic area trying to cross but totally clueless as to how to go about doing it.



The Good Samaritan that she is, Asin jumped out of her car, went to the little boy and took him aside. In this process she just got tripped and fell down with a couple of bruises. When contacted for her comments on this issue, the beautiful girl brushed it aside and said that she was completely acting in a normal fashion and there is nothing to comment on it.

Vettaikaran

The casting and finalizing of crew members for Vijay’s Vettaikaran has officially commenced recently. Earlier, Ravi Varman was said to have been roped in for the cinematography, however, recent reports aver that he has been replaced by Gopinath -without any apparent reason being quoted for the replacement. Although speculations are abuzz about the cause behind the change, Ravi Varman’s current commitment with Moscovin Kauvery is widely believed to be the main reason. More updates are awaited.

AADHAVAN

After 'Kuruvi', Udhayanidhi Stalin, grandson of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, will produce a movie starring Suriya titled 'Aadhavan' meaning 'Sun' in Tamil.

The film will be directed by K. S. Ravikumar. Nayantara, whose red card was revoked by Tamil Film Producers Council recently, will be the heroine. Suriya's 'Ayan' would hit the screens soon, while director K. S. Ravikumar has completed directing 'Jaggubhai' starring Sarathkumar and Shriya.

Meanwhile buzz is that he will play a macho man in UTV Productions' 'Mugamoodi', which will be directed by Mysskin. On his part, Udhayanidhi Stalin expressed confidence that the Suriya - Ravikumar combo will taste success. Harris Jayaraj will be scoring music.

The other credits include Ramesh Khanna (story), Ra. Ganesh (cinematography), Rajeevan (art), Don Max (editing) and Kanal Kannan (stunts). The screenplay, dialogues and direction are by K S Ravikumar.

Sangeetha keen to act post-marriage

Sangeetha, who married playback singer Krish last week, has said she would continue to act without taking any break.

'It may be true that actresses are known to quit their acting careers after marriage. I purely see acting as a job and I don't see any reason to sacrifice my career because I am a married woman now. Acting in films is like going to office' she said.

The newly married couple was seen enjoying Bala's 'Naan Kadavul' on Saturday night at Sathyam Cinemas where a premiere show was screened.

‘No more remix songs’ says Devi Sri Prasad

Young music composer Devi Sri Prasad says that from now on he will be concentrating on creating original scores than tuning remix songs.
‘I will do any remix songs only on director’s demand. Many people criticize that we are copying old songs. But American Band named Black eyed peas remixed Ilayaraj’s ‘Unakkum Enakkum Anandham’ out of inspiration not because they wanted to copy or didn’t have any other tunes. Most of the young generation musicians are inspired by old songs so I think there is no harm in remixing the song. It is also a portal of cultural sharing between the generation and the newer generations gets a chance to listen to old songs in their favorite tune’ says ‘Dheemthanakka’ singer and composer Devi Sri Prasad.
The musician has also acted in the lead along with Charmi in a Telugu flick. The Music director-Singer has a dozen of movies in his hands he is booked for this year throughout.

Susi Ganesan digs out the talents of Vikram

Director Susi Ganesan is very much impressed with Vikram’s performance in ‘Kandasamy’. V Creations, Kalaipuli S Dhanu produces Kandasamy in lavish manner. Hero Vikram is not only skillful actor but also a passionate singer. Director Susi Ganesan had a chance to listen to some songs where he felt that a particular vocalist voice soothing. When he enquired it was Vikram who had sung around ten group songs. So the director asked him why he has not sung in any movies and the actor replied that no one approached him. The first thing the director did on landing in Chennai was to make the Hero to sing in his movie. Interestingly music director of Kandasamy Devi Sri Prasad was overwhelmed with his singing skills gave four songs in a row to be performed by the actor itself. Now the Actor- Singer Vikram will be busy renting his vocals further depending on the kind of offers.
Vikram fans are waiting so long for Kandasamy release, hope this news would make them happier!

The end of shooting for Sarvvam

There is no more location hunting or filming for Vishnu Vardan’s ‘Sarvvam’ from today. The team is wrapping up today after five days schedule of filming a romantic number between the lead pairs Aarya and Trisha. With a gripping story in breathtaking backdrops, the director is now ready forgiving his final touch with latest technology available.
Postproduction work will happen in full swing from now on.

Hang around for the biggest surprise this Valentine’s Day from ‘Sarvvam’ team and make this wonderful day memorable forever.

‘Peraanmai’ resumes shooting

Director S.P Jhananathan was busy in editing the filmed parts of his beautiful story based ‘Peraanmai’ for about two months. Latest news is that team ‘Peraanmai’ left to resume shooting at the woody backdrop of ‘Thalakonam’ area near Thirupathi. The movie is about a forest officer’s struggle to protect his motherland against alien evils who exploits the wealth from his land. Along with other five national cadet cops he must fight against those powerful antagonists.
The movie has no romantic songs or dazzling item numbers but power packed with adrenalin pumping action sequence.

WHERE IS MADDY?

We didn’t see sweet smiling Maddy for quite a long time. His ‘Guru En Aalu’ release has not yet been finalized. So what’s happening with Madhavan? The actor has few Hindi projects in his hands adding to some in Tamil. He will be doing a movie titled ‘Yaavarum Nalam’ along with Neetu Chandra directed by Vikram K Kumar. The movie is about ghosts where the lead couple’s stays in an apartment numbered 13B. so why the name ‘Yaavarum Nalam’ (meaning everyone is fine) , the actor grins saying that’s the specialty of this movie. Just watch the trailer and you will learn something about the movie.
Cinematography is done by P.C Shriram

Simbhu Speaks For Slumdog

Produced by K Natarajan of Falcon Films, Nanum Kodeeswaran has actor Silambarasan dubbing for the hero Dev Patel, while playback singer S P Balasubramanian has given voice for Anil Kapoor and Radha Ravi for Irfan Khan. The film will be released on 14 February.

On dubbing for the movie, Silambarasan says, ‘I saw the film three times last week. I am so proud to be a part of such a landmark film which dominated the prestigious Golden Globe awards and is ready to pick several Oscar awards’.

Kanthaswamy in Spanish, English, Italian

At a recent press meet, Kanthaswamy’s producer Kalaipuli S. Dhanu announced that his film will be dubbed in Spanish, English and Italian! He also announced that three songs from Kanthaswamy will be in Italian for Italian audiences!

It looks like music director Devi Sri Prasad will work with a group of musicians from Italy in this regard. (As Dhanu made this announcement, Vikram – who has sung four songs in the film – quipped he cannot sing in Italian, eliciting roars of laughter from the crew and media personnel.)

It is a very good idea to dub this film in foreign languages, especially Spanish, a language widely used in Latin America. Remember, how many Mexicans mistook Vikram for a Mexican actor when the crew held their shoot in Mexico?! With looks that could pass as Latin American, handsome and sturdily-built Vikram is an actor that any Latin American could relate to. It will not be a wonder if Kanthaswamy does good business in Latin America!

Besides, the film bears a Spanish and Italian look, especially with Vikram and Shriya donning Spanish and Italian costumes in so many scenes and songs. One particular song in which Vikram appears as a matador has caught the attention of the Italians and Spaniards, who love bullfighting. This film presents a chance to them to view their culture from a foreigner’s perspective, a unique blend of local flavour and exotic. All these add up in Kanthaswamy’s favour.

As the producer said, Kanthaswamy will be a distributors’ and exhibitors’ delight! Come summer, when Kanthaswamy releases, it is going to pour moolah for all its distributors and exhibitors.

Sarvam audio launch on Feb 14

February indeed happens to be a fantastic month for Aarya as he has lots of celebrations in film industry. With his magnum opus ‘Naan Kadavul’ hitting worldwide screens today, ‘Sarvam’ will have its audio launched on February 14. None needs a better illustration for the best comb of Vishnuvardhan-Aarya-Yuvan Shankar Raja spelling magical treats with ‘Arindhum Ariyamalum’ and ‘Pattiyal’. However, sources have revealed that it’s a remake of Hindi film and the story is all about vengeance. If what they say is true, then the story goes this way….

Aarya and Trisha are in love…. Aarya’s happy life is shattered when Trisha is murdered by J.D. Chakravarthy. Trisha’s eyes are now placed for a small kid. Well, this is something we heard.

Stay with TamilThunder.com for the audio..

Ambani gets Kites for 110 Crores

Foraying into another area of the film industry in a big way, Anil Ambani has launched Big Boom to distribute and market movies. The first purchase of this new undertaking has made waves in the industry as does every move that the Ambanis make. The rights for the Hrithik Roshan starrer Kites which is currently being shot has been bought for a whopping 110 crores by Big Boom.



This is a huge sum going by any standards and is by far the highest price that an Indian film has fetched for its rights beating even the recent blockbuster Ghajini. It is estimated that the rights worth Rs. 110 crores and distribution of other profit shares would come close to Rs. 150 crore. This proves the huge confidence of the Ambanis in Hrithik Roshan's star value and the quality of the Rakesh Roshan production house inspiring them to invest such a huge amount in a film that is still very much in the making. Kites stars Hrithik Roshan and Kangana ranaut.

This is not the first venture of Anil Ambani in the film industry. Adlabs, the production house and processing facility is already a prominent presence in Bollywood and Kollywood. Though their success rate in production has not been too good, let's hope that their new endeavour takes off well.

Trisha to pair Dhanush

Charming Trisha will pair with Dhanush for the very first time in the second venture of 'Polladhavan' director Vetri Maaran. The yet-to-be-named film will start shooting from the 22nd of this month in Madurai.



Interestingly, Trisha would be playing a role which would be completely new to her. She plays a Madurai based Anglo Indian girl who eventually falls in love with a street smart 'loafer' Dhanush. A lot of effort is being made to bring out the authenticity of the characters. Apart from Trisha having to train as a pucca Madurai Anglo Indian, Dhanush too will appear in a never-seen-before appearance. The actor is currently preparing to be armed with the Madurai diction along with the necessary body language needed for the character.

Though not much is known about the film, there are a few who say that the story is based on a real life incident that happened in Madurai decades ago. Vetri Maaran is known for his neat screenplay ability that brings about a stunning effect on audiences. If 'Polladhavan' stunned audiences narrating the story of a boy who finds his motorbike stolen, this new film is expected to have many twists and turns that have the potential to enthrall audiences.

Not divulging much about the project, director Vetri Maaran said, 'Dhanush is a much bigger star now than he was when we worked for Polladhavan'.

Would that also mean this new film would be much bigger than 'Polladhavan' Vetri Maaran?

Jai’s Liplock with Vijayalakshmi in Adhe Neram Adhe Nimidam

Actor Jai and Vijayalakshmi turned to be so close right from ‘Chennai 600028′. Now teaming up together for another film titled ‘Adhe Neram Adhe Nimidam’ has indeed got them so closer and they have been maintaining a good relationship.



There is a particular sequence in the film where they had to go through Liplock. Yeah! The scene actually has Vijayalakshmi having hiccups and to stop that we our hero with this action. The film directed by M. Prabhu happens to be a musical-suspense-thriller.

Venkat Prabhu’s brother Premgi Amaran has scored music for the film. The background score has been so fantastically spelled.

SNEHA'S CHILDHOOD PHOTOS

ASIN'S CHILDHOOD PHOTO

ENTHIRAN HIGH QUALITY PICTURES

Sibiraj banks on Nanayam

"Nanayam" has its crux based entirely on a bank robbery. It is hard to recollect any Tamil movie that has had its entire screenplay woven around a bank robbery, but there are many Hollywood movies that thrived on such themes. Sibiraj adorns the role of a villain. His character is so powerful that it almost is said to stride on par with Nanayam's hero Prasanna's role. Sibiraj's fans wait eagerly to see their star in a never before seen role. A set resembling a bank is being set up at a whopping cost of Rs 60 Lakhs. Will Sibiraj too prove as good a villain as his father Sathyaraj? Sources say that this role is sure to fetch Sibi better fame and name than the roles he donned as the hero so far.

Aayirathil Oruvan – reason behind the delay

Selvaraghavan’s Aayirathil Oruvan was wrapped up after the patchwork shooting that was held for 20 days got over recently. It could be recollected that Reema Sen extended her dates for the movie and dedicated an additional 15 days for the shoots.
With the shoots having been officially wrapped up, it’s time for the post production team to get started. And sources close to the unit aver that the post production works, including dubbing, background score et al could go well into another 4 months. Which precisely means that it’ll take a minimum of 3 to 4 months for Aayirathil Oruvan to actually hit the screens. For now, we’ll hope that the movie is worth the wait.

pete seeger

M gave me a 3 disc Johnny Cash Show chock full of great performances, a huge range of guests, including some nice back and forth with Pete Seeger here. Was reminded today that Seeger was also part of the worldwide transferal of the song We Shall Overcome... great documentary on its transformation from spiritual to civil liberties rallying-call here.

Been on a bit of a Seeger kick the last year. Play. Was perfect timing for the inauguration...

SUPERSTAR RAJINIKANTH

Rajinikanth (Tamil: ரஜினிகாந்த்) (born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad on December 12, 1950 in Banglore, Karnataka, India) is an Indian film actor and one of the most influential and bankable movie stars in Indian cinema. Rajinikanth's mass popularity and appeal is largely drawn from his mannerisms and stylized delivery of dialogue. He received India's third highest honour, the Padma Bhushan, for his contribution to Indian cinema. Apart from his film career, he is a well known philanthropist and also serves as a notable political influence. Other than acting, Rajinikanth worked as a screenwriter, film producer and also a playback singer.
Popularly referred to and credited in films as Superstar and fondly called as thalaivar (meaning leader in Tamil), Rajinikanth debuted as an actor in 1975 under the direction of K. Balachander in supporting roles. He was later favored in portraying antagonistic characters and gradually rose to acting in lead roles. Being a well known film artist to several regional film industries of India, he also appeared in the cinemas of other nations, including Hollywood. He was reportedly paid Rs. 26 crore (about $5.3 million USD as of January 2009) for his latest blockbuster Sivaji: The Boss, making him the highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan.

Early life

Rajinikanth was born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad in a Maratha family in Bangalore, India. His ancestors are from the village of Nachikuppam in Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu. He was the fourth child of his parents, Jijabai and Ramojirao Gaekwad, a police constable. He lost his mother at the age of eight. He attended elementary school at the Acharya Paathshala in Basavanagudi, Bangalore and then at the Vivekananda Balaka Sangha. Rajinikanth struggled a lot during his early age because of his family's low income. Although his mother-tongue is Marathi, he has not yet acted in any Marathi films.
He worked with various jobs in Bangalore and also attended a theatre for stage plays. Before starting his career in the film industry, he used to practice stunts at the Rama Hanuman Temple at a hill near his house. He then primarily worked as a bus conductor for the Bangalore Transport Service in Bangalore. His charisma and style were noted by the passengers who travelled with him and gave him suggestions in becoming an actor. It was during this time that he nurtured his acting interests by performing in various stage plays.

Career

Rajinikanth joined the Madras Film Institute in 1973 along with a fellow bus driver and completed a basic course in acting. Among others in the Institute include the famous Malayalam actor and acclaimed Satirical Screenwriter Sreenivasan. In the film institute he was helped by his Vice Principal, A. Prabhakaran.
Rajinikanth has acted in over 150 films, which includes Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, English and Bengali films. Rajinikanth made a foray into Bollywood with Andha Kanoon but did not make as much of an impact as he had in the south. He still appeared in several Hindi films, such as Chaalbaaz, Uttar Dakshan, Geraftaar and Hum. He made his debut in an American film, in a supporting role, with the movie Bloodstone in 1988 with much fanfare in India at the time of its release. However, the movie was unsuccessful in the United States. He also made brief stints in German- and Japanese film industries. His film Muthu was dubbed into Japanese and later turned out to become a major hit in the country, ultimately creating a huge Japanese fan-following for him. In 2005, his film Chandramukhi was dubbed in German and released in all German-speaking nations.


Debut and rise: 1975-1979

Rajinikanth's first film was in Tamil cinema, where he was initially casted in supporting roles, debuting as a cancer patient in Apoorva Raagangal in 1975. The film was directed by K. Balachander, who is constantly referred to by Rajinikanth as his own "guru" or mentor. The following year, Rajinikanth acted in his first Kannada film, Katha Sangama, directed by Puttanna Kanagal. Though Rajinikanth refers to director K. Balachander as his mentor, it was director S. P. Muthuraman who actually revamped Rajinikanth’s image entirely. Muthuraman first experimented with him in a positive role in Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri (1977), as a villain in the first half of the film and a protagonist in the second. Around this time Mullum Malarum (1978), directed by J. Mahendran, established Rajinikanth in the Tamil film arena as a film hero. The success of Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri prompted Muthuraman to make a mushy melodrama with Rajinikanth as a hero sacrificing everything for his siblings in Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai (1979). These films were the turning points in Rajinikanth’s career; he changed from an actor who merely enthralled the audiences to one who could also evoke emotions. The acceptance of Rajinikanth sans his stylized mannerisms proved he had at last become a "star" from a "common actor." His film roles were mainly as a villain during the period 1975 to 1977, co-starring frequently with Kamal Haasan as the protagonist, in movies like 16 Vayadhinilae, Moondru Mudichu and Avargal.

Gaining popularity: 1980-1988

During this phase of his career, when he was reaching dazzling heights, Rajinikanth abruptly chose to quit acting, but was coaxed back. He continued acting with the blockbuster Tamil film Billa, which was a remake of the blockbuster bollywood movie Don. With its phenomenal success he was accepted as a full-fledged hero. Billa was followed by a row of hits, namely Murattu Kaalai, Pokkiri Raja, Thanikattu Raja, Naan Mahaan Alla, Pudukavithai and Moondru Mugam. K. Balachander’s first home production, Netrikan proved to be yet another milestone in Rajni’s career. He acted in his first cameo role alongside Meena Durairaj, who was a child actor then, in the movie Anbulla Rajinikanth (1984). More box-office hits dominated the 80's with Padikkathavan, Thee, Velaikaran, Dharmathin Thalaivan, Mr. Bharath, and Maaveeran. In his 100th movie, Sri Raghavendra, he played the Hindu saint Raghavendra Swami.

The superstar decade: 1989-1999

The vast majority of his movies released during the nineties were extremely successful, notably Thalapathy, Mannan, Annamalai, Uzhaippali, Veera, Baasha, Muthu,Arunachalam and Padayappa. Rajinikanth wrote his first screenplay and acted as a special appearance in the film Valli (1993) which however failed to make an impact at the box office. His cult classic Baasha, released in 1995, went on to become a massive blockbuster and is routinely touted by his fans and critics alike as the movie which elevated him from being just another very popular actor with loads of charisma to an almost demigod status in the eyes of the masses. His film Muthu was the first Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese as Muthu: The Dancing Maharajah and became very popular in Japan. Throughout this decade, Rajinikanth established himself as a box office phenomenon; all of the films mentioned in this era were all formulaic mass entertainers which routinely succeed in box office. It can be argued that it was also during this time that Rajinikanth started to converge with politics, whether that confluence was voluntary or not is debatable, but the objective fact cannot be disputed that as his films began to take on a whole new dimension in terms of expectations, hype and revenue, his political clout also steadily rose with the cinematic tide as well. This trend began with the release of Annamalai in 1992 and arguably climaxed during the time of Padayappa's release in 1999. Being his 150th film, Padayappa, directed by K. S. Ravikumar, undoubtedly turned out to be the largest blockbuster in his career.

Indulging in politics: 2002

The new millennium began very well for Rajinikanth; Padayappa had rewritten previous box office records. Finally, after more than a three year sabbatical from cinema, at 52 years of age, he starred in his home production, Baba which released on August 15, 2002 amidst much fanfare and extreme hype. The film was a poor grosser box-office as it had failed miserably to meet the expectations due to a very weak screenplay, which Rajinikanth himself had written, his second stint at screenplay writing after Valli. The thin screenplay revolved around the story about a gangster who later engages in spirituality and when compared to his previous film, Padayappa, it was a colossal disappointment. Although the film grossed enough to cover its budget, it was viewed as a tremendous loss when compared to his previous box office successes throughout his career. It fell short of market expectations and the high bids reportedly translated to heavy losses for the distributors. Rajinikanth himself repaid the losses incurred by the distributors. Rajinikanth reported that he was going to retire from acting, hence he later took part in other political activities.

Making milestones: 2005-Present

After the Baba debacle, Rajinikanth mulled over numerous scripts with many directors, including K. S. Ravikumar, and finally chose to act in director P. Vasu's Tamil remake of Manichithrathazhu, Chandramukhi. Many people within the industry had written Rajinikanth off after the Baba fiasco, essentially saying "the bloom was off the rose" and that "the gold does not glitter anymore". In essence, many viewed Chandramukhi as Rajinikanth's comeback film, his make or break movie and in the end, when it was released on April 14, 2005, it went on to create new box office records and smashed his own previous records and once and for all removed any doubt within the industry with regards to Rajinikanth's box office clout and incomparable appeal to the masses. Chandramukhi broke the record of being the longest running Tamil film, as of 2007. Just after Chandramukhi release, it was reported that AVM Productions were to produce a film directed by S. Shankar starring Rajinikanth, the largest collaboration yet for a Tamil film. The film was titled Sivaji: The Boss and released on June 15, 2007 after two years of filming and meticulous production. With massive international anticipation, it subsequently went on to become a major blockbuster, being ranked among other major Bollywood and Hollywood releases of the year. Sivaji became the first Tamil movie to be charted as one of the top-ten best films of United Kingdom and South Africa box-offices upon release.
Following Sivaji, Rajinikanth worked with P. Vasu again for Kuselan, a remake of the Malayalam film Kadha Parayumbol, in which Rajinikanth was given only a cameo role. He acted as himself, a superstar in the Indian film industry, and as a best friend to the main character, played by Pasupathy. Kuselan's release was large like all other films of his, including sales of promotional items such as M&M's Kuselan chocolates in the United States and Kuselan trading cards provided in Sunfeast Biscuit packages in India. Despite the mass hype prior to release, the film opened to below average reviews. P. Vasu was also condemned for mentioning Rajinikanth as the hero of the film when he was seen in only a few scenes of the film as a cameo. Critics claimed that Kuselan was a film that taught everyone a lesson of filmmaking. Some distributors incurred major losses due to the film, creating Kuselan's box office results similar to Baba, for which Rajinikanth voluntarily settled with his own budget.

Future projects

During the course of the production for Sivaji, Ocher Studios, the animation company of Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth, in association with Adlabs announced their intention of producing a CGI animation film starring an animated version of Rajinikanth. He will be lending his voice to the lead character (based on his likeness) and the project is titled Sultan: The Warrior; it will be directed by his daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth with music provided by A. R. Rahman. The movie is scheduled for a release in 2009. Rajinikanth has also been signed to work with the Sivaji team of S. Shankar and A. R. Rahman once again for another movie, an supposed science fiction thriller tentatively entitled Endhiran. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will play opposite Rajinikanth as heroine for the first time. The film is touted to be the biggest and costliest film venture yet in India. It is being produced and distributed by Sun Pictures and slated for theatrical release in early 2010.
A. R. Murugadoss had previously shown interest in directing Rajinikanth in his next feature film after Ghajini. It is also said that Rajinikanth had voluntarily wanted to be cast in Pyramid Saimira's next production, in order to compensate for the colossal flop of Kuselan.

Awards and honours

Rajinikanth was named as one of the influential persons in South Asia by Asiaweek. He has won a Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award for the film Nallavanuku Nallavan in 1984. Rajinikanth, despite these awards, has not yet received a National Film Award.
Between 1977 and 2005, Rajinikanth received several awards from Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, Filmfare Awards, Cinema Express and Filmfans Association for his on-screen performances and off-screen contributions in writing and producing. He has received awards in the Best Actor category for his performance in the films Sivaji, Chandramukhi, Padayappa, Peddarayudu, Baasha, Muthu, Annamalai, Thalapathy, Velaikaran, Sri Raghavendra, Nallavanuku Nallavan, Moondru Mugam, Enkeyo Ketta Kural, Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai, Mullum Malarum and 16 Vayathinile. He received an award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri. He has also received awards in Best Story Writer and Best Producer categories for Valli.
He has also received other honours such as the Raj Kapoor Award in 2007 from the Government of Maharashtra. He was named and honoured with the Padma Bhushan award, India's third highest civilian honour, in 2000 from the Government of India. In September 2007, Rajinikanth won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for his role in the film Chandramukhi. Recently, he was selected as the Indian Entertainer of the Year for 2007 by NDTV, competing against the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Shilpa Shetty.

Notable filmography

Personal life

He married Latha Parthasarathy, sister of actor Y. G. Mahendran's wife, on February 26, 1981, at the age of 31 in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh and they have two daughters named Aishwarya Rajinikanth and Soundarya Rajinikanth. Latha currently runs a school named The Ashram. His elder daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth married actor Dhanush on November 18, 2004 and they have one son named Yathra. His second daughter, Soundarya Rajinikanth, works in the film industry as a director, producer and graphic designer.
Apart from being a well known actor, he shows a keen interest and devotion to religious activities and spiritualism. He often takes periodic trips to the Himalayas where, according to the actor, it is a place that provides peace. He also often visits Tirupati.

Politics

In 1995 Rajinikanth announced that he is willing to support the Congress party after meeting Prime Minister Narasimha Rao. An opinion poll conducted by Kumudam magazine predicted that Congress with Rajinikanth support may win up to 130 seats in Tamil Nadu Assembly. In 1996, when the Congress Party decided to align with AIADMK, Rajinikanth supported DMK-TMC alliance. The TMC used a bicycle as their election symbol and used an image of Rajinikanth riding a bicycle from the film Annamalai in their posters. Rajinikanth said, "Even God cannot save Tamil Nadu if AIADMK returns to power." Rajinikanth wholeheartedly supported the DMK and TMC alliance and asked the people of Tamil Nadu and his fans to vote for that alliance. This alliance had a complete victory in 1996
In 1996 Rajinikanth supported the DMK-TMC alliance in parliamentary elections. The television channel Sun TV broadcasted Rajini's speech throughout the day of the election in 1998 in which he spoke about the allaince of DMK and TMC in 1996. AIADMK-BJP alliance won around 30 out of 39 seats riding on sympathy wave generated by Coimbatore bomb blasts.
In 2004 Rajinikanth supported the BJP-AIADMK alliance in Parliamentary elections and quoted PMK's violence and BJP's support to interlinking of Indian rivers as reason for his support. The support was said to be half-hearted and the alliance failed to win any seats.

Fans' agitation

Several local fan associations of Rajinikanth in Tamil Nadu have continuously wanted him to take active participation in politics. In this regard, a few fans in Coimbatore started their own political party in the name of Rajinikanth and introduced their own flags and symbols for the party in mid-2008. When the actor heard about this, he wrote an open letter to the press and declared that he had no connection with these events and has strictly warned fans not to indulge in such activities, and failing to adhere would cause him to take up legal action against them. He also mentioned that he was not interested in politics and thus, was only committed to the production of his film Endhiran. He also added that nobody can force him to enter politics, as clear as the fact that none can stop him from entering it at the right time too.

Cauvery river strikes

In 2002 Rajinikanth undertook a day-long fast to protest Karnataka's decision to not to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. and announced that he would contribute Rs.10 million towards interlinking of Indian rivers scheme. He met Prime Minister Vajpayee and many experts to canvass support for interlinking Indian rivers scheme. During the 2008 Hunger Strike organized by the South Indian Film Artistes' Association in support of the Hogenakkal drinking water project, he reprimanded Karnataka politicians. "I unequivocally condemn Karnataka for this reprehensible act of denying us what is rightfully ours." "Those who are raising the issue are doing it for the elections." "A national political party I respect is forcing me to wonder by its despicable acts whether there is (rule of law) in this country (guaranteed by) the Supreme Court and who they will listen to." He said "It was a cheap act by a leader of a big national party and an election gimmick. I do not approve it. The party’s (BJP) Tamil Nadu unit is keeping quiet," he added.[citation needed] Further, he appealed to the leaders M. Karunanidhi, H. D. Deve Gowda, H. D. Kumaraswamy, Yeddyurappa and Siddaramaiah not to flame up this issue for political gains. He requested the Tamil Nadu leaders including M. Karunanidhi that, this issue should be resolved soon. He urged the Karnataka politicians "to speak the truth." "People are equal to God. They cannot be fooled and will not remain silent if you continue to act in such manner," he stated. Leader of the Pro-Kannada group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Vatal Nagaraj demanded an apology from Rajinikanth and threatened that he will not be allowed in the state of Karnataka and all his films will be boycotted for Rajinikanth's speech against Kannada politicians.

Criticism

In 2002, during Rajinikanth's own hunger strike for agitating the state of Karnataka to release Cauvery river water into Tamil Nadu, another hunger strike was organized by the Tamil film directors' association. Rajinikanth had yet continued with his own strike. leading to several criticism of Rajinikanth. Director Bharathi Raja, who also condemned other actors and politicians of Tamil Nadu, had stated that Rajinikanth was on the verge of dividing the film industry.
Also in 2002, Pattali Makkal Katchi leader S. Ramadoss condemned him for smoking and posing with beedi's in his film Baba. He was criticised for spoiling Tamil youth by glorifying smoking and drinking. PMK volunteers attacked theatres which screened the movie Baba and usurped film rolls and burnt it. Famous film producers like M. Saravanan accused Ramadoss saying that cigarette smoking and drinking are shown in all movies and that Baba was just being "picked on" by the PMK leader because of his popularity in Vanniar areas which is considered PMK bastion. To stop controversies, Rajinikanth reported that he was not going to act in any roles that require him to drink or smoke. In keeping his words, the roles he appeared in thereafter did not show the actor drinking or smoking.
Following the release of Kuselan in Karnataka on August 1, 2008, Rajinikanth thanked the Kannada film industry for allowing the release of his latest film and lifting the ban. He gave an open statement clarifying his stand to the people of Karnataka state and regretted for not being clear in his speech during the Hogenakkal Water Project hunger strike.

Philanthropy

Rajinikanth is also widely known for his philanthropic activities. He converted one of his banquet halls, the Raghavendra Marriage Hall, to a charitable trust to help the needy. He is planning to construct a new hospital and a new school on a piece of land near Chennai. He has distributed Rs 12 Lakhs as relief to the family members of the bereaved in the bomb blast in Coimbatore[citation needed]. He also donated 1 crore rupees to the 2004 Tsunami Relief Fund by the state of Tamil Nadu, in January 2005 to the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J. Jayalalitha, in person. Dance choreographer-turned-actor and director Lawrence Raghavendra, who is also a philanthropist in Chennai, has reportedly merged with Rajinikanth, who agreed to pay the food expenses of Lawrence's disability home.
On October 31, 2008, Rajinikanth donated 10 lakh (1 million) rupees to the Sri Lankan Tamil humanitarian aid during the protest and hunger strike, organized by the South Indian Film Artistes' Association, in support of the Sri Lankan Tamils struggling in the on going civil war on the island. It was the highest amount given, in a draw with Lawrence Raghavendra who set up his own campaign to raise money.

ULLAGA NAYAGAN KAMAL HASSAN'S PROFILE

Kamal Haasan (born November 7, 1954 in Paramakudi, Madras State, India) is an Indian film actor, script writer, and film director, considered one of the leading method actors of Indian cinema. Hassan is known for winning several Indian film awards, including National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards, and has the distinction of being the actor with the most number of films submitted by India in contest for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In addition to acting and directing, he is a screenwriter, lyricist, playback singer and choreographer. His film production company, Rajkamal International, has produced several of his films.
Kamal Haasan's breakthrough into lead acting came with his role in the 1975 drama, Apoorva Raagangal, in which he played a rebellious youth in love with an older woman. He secured his first Indian National Film Award for his portrayal of a guileless school teacher who tends a child-like amnesiac in 1982's Moondram Pirai. He was particularly noted for his performance in Mani Ratnam's Godfatheresque Nayagan (1987), which was ranked by Time magazine as one of the 100 best films of all-time.

Biography

Early career: 1960s – early 1970s

Kamal Haasan made his film debut as a 6-year-old child artiste, in the 1960 film, Kalathur Kannamma, directed by A. Bhimsingh. He was cast along with the veteran Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan in the film, which won him the National Film Award for Best Child Artist. He acted as a child actor in five other Tamil films in the subsequent few years co-starring with popular actors at the era, including Sivaji Ganesan and M. G. Ramachandran.Kamal also sings such in the movie Dasavathaaram
Following a nine year hiatus from films, to concentrate on his education, Haasan returned with a series of low budget films in 1972, in all of which he played supporting roles to more established actors. These films included roles in Arangetram and Sollathaan Ninaikkiren, both co-starring Sivakumar. His final supporting role before establishing himself as a lead actor was in Naan Avanillai, which became a trendsetter for some of Haasan's later ventures.

Classic period: 1970s – 1980s

Kamal Haasan first received a regional Filmfare Award for acting for his role in the Malayalam film Kanyakumari (1974). In the next four years, he won six regional Best Actor Filmfare Awards, including four consecutive Best Tamil Actor Awards. After a series of less-successful films, his acted in director K. Balachander's Apoorva Raagangal, an exploration of age-gap relationships; the film is also known for introducing another prominent Tamil actor, Rajinikanth. The 1970s, especially between the mid- and late 1970s, was a period that saw Kamal Haasan's frequent collaboration with K. Balachander, who also cast him in many of his socially-themed films such as Avargal (1977). The film won Haasan his first Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award. In 1976, Haasan appeared in the drama Moondru Mudichu with Rajinikanth and Sridevi, another K. Balachander film, Manmadha Leelai, and Oru Oodhappu Kan Simittugiradhu, which won him his second consecutive Best Actor Award. 16 Vayathinile won him his third consecutive award, where he appeared as an mentally ill villager, once again alongside Rajinikanth and Sridevi. The fourth consecutive award came with Sigappu Rojakal in which he appeared as an anti-hero who is a psychopathic sexual killer. Furthermore in the late seventies, Haasan appeared in successful films such as the comedy, Ninaithale Inikkum and the horror film, Neeya.
Following his increased prominence in the latter half of the 1970s, Haasan was considered a major Tamil film star at the turn of the decade. His popular pairing with the actress Sridevi continued with Guru and Varumayin Niram Sigappu in 1980. Both films were blockbuster successes for these actors. Kamal Haasan also made guest/cameo appearances, such as in the Rajinikanth film Thillu Mullu; Rajinikanth had previously appeared in some of Kamal Haasans previous films. Haasan's 100th career film appearance was in 1981's Raja Paarvai, which also marked his debut in film production. Despite this film's relatively poor reception at the cinemas, his portrayal of a blind session violinist earned him a Filmfare Award. His next acting role, in Ek Duuje Ke Liye, became his first Hindi-language film. It was the remake of his previous Telugu-language film, Maro Charithra by K. Balachandar. Following a year of starring in commercially-oriented films, Haasan won his first of three National Awards for Best Actor with his portrayal of a school teacher who looks after a mentally retarded girl in Balu Mahendra's Moondram Pirai. Till 1985, Haasan began to appear in more Hindi language films, which went relatively unnoticed but his performance in Saagar, won him both the Filmfare Best Actor Award as well as the Best Supporting Actor Award, making him the first actor to win both awards for a single film in the award's history. Saagar portayed him alongisde Rishi Kapoor both of whom were pinning for a woman, but Haasan ultimately loses out. Haasan also appeared in Geraftaar, a film which failed to make an impact upon release, but today is known for featuring three prominent actors in Indian cinema: Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth and Haasan. He featured in Tamil cinema's first sequel Japanil Kalyanaraman, which followed up his previous, Kalyanaraman as well as acting in Uruvangal Maralam co-starring Sivaji Ganesan and Rajinikanth.
In the mid-1980's, Haasan appeared in two legendary Telugu language films, Sagara Sangamam and Swathi Muthyam with director, Kasinadhuni Viswanath. The latter film was India's representative for the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film in 1986. Whilst, the former film portrayed Haasan as a drunkard classical dancer, Swathi Muthyam portrays him as an autistic person attempting to change society. Following more successful film such as Punnagai Mannan, in which he portrays dual roles including a satire of Charlie Chaplin and Vetri Vizha as an amnesiac, Haasan's most worldwide recognized role came in Mani Rathnam's 1987, trendsetter, Nayagan. Nayagan, commonly referred to "The Godfather" of Tamil cinema, portrays the life of an underworld don in Bombay. The story revolves around the life of a real-life underworld don called Varadarajan Mudaliar, whilst sympathetically depicting the struggle of South Indians living in Mumbai. The film helped Kamal Haasan secure a Indian National Award for his performance and Nayagan was nominated by India as its entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1987 as well as being included in the Time top 100 movies list. In 1988, Haasan appeared in his only silent film to date; appearing in the black comedy, Pushpak, which was dubbed as a "speechless classic" with reviewers stating that "Haasan surpasses himself", delivering an all time best performance. Apoorva Sagodharargal became Haasan's first attempt at playing a triple role. The commercial film portrayed him in a role as a dwarf, making it the first time that an actor had attempted to play such a role. He then attempted dual roles in Indrudu Chandrudu and its Tamil remake, winning the regional Best Actor Award for his performance.

The 1990s

1991's Michael Madhana Kamarajan, saw Haasan go one step further, acting in four different roles as quadruplets, the film started an ongoing collabaration for comedy films between Haasan and Crazy Mohan, a dialogue writer. Haasan won successive best actor awards for his portrayal of the protoganist in Guna and in Thevar Magan, where he played the son of noted actor, Sivaji Ganesan. The 1990s saw Kamal breaking out of the romantic hero mould to explore some more gritty, unconventional roles. Following a series of unsuccessful projects in the mid-1990s, with experimentals such as Singaravelan, Maharasan and Kalaignan; Haasan began to appear in comedies such as Sathi Leelavathi, based on the English film, She-Devil as well as renewing his collobaration with Kasinadhuni Viswanath in his last Telugu language film till date, Subha Sankalpam. In 1996, Haasan starred in the police cop story, Kuruthipunal, which met with a strong critical reception is recognised by some to have set high benchmarks for other action films in that period. His success in Kuruthipunal, was followed by his third National Film Award for Best Actor in Indian. Playing dual roles of a freedom fighter and his untrustful son, the film also won Haasan regional awards and plaudits for his portrayal in the blockbuster. Haasan's performance was described as "superb" by critics, who also dubbed the "The biggest film ever made on the Indian Screen".
Haasan appeared as a woman in Avvai Shanmughi, which was inspired by the comedy flick, Mrs. Doubtfire, bringing him praise for his portrayal. In 1997, Haasan began his maiden directorial venture, the biopic of Mohammed Yusuf Khan, Marudhanayagam. However the film, which was started by Queen Elizabeth II, failed to complete its schedules with only half an hour and a trailer being recorded during its shoot. The film's ambitious budget forced Haasan to abandon the project at the time; if made, the film would have been been the costliest film ever made in Asia. Haasan soon made his debut as director with a remake of Avvai Shanmughi in Hindi titled Chachi 420, which became a success upon release. Kamal Haasan's direction was praised as "fantastic" and that he "handles every scene with precision" with "the fine tuning it takes to become a wonderful director", whilst his performance was applauded as "nothing less than brilliance".

2000s: Hey Ram and onwards

Following a two year hiatus in Indian cinema, Haasan opted against reviving his magnum opus, Marudhanayagam and filmed his second directorial venture, Hey Ram, a period drama told in flashback with a semi-fictional plot centering around India's Partition and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Haasan also donned technical roles as the writer, the lyricist and the choreogrpaher as well as producing the film under his home banner. The bilingual venture, starring himself in the lead role alongside Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukerji failed to become successful commercially but became critically acclaimed. Haasan was praised for his "technical wizardry" and acting, but critics called the film "hard to categorize" and "too controversial". His following film, the much-hyped Aalavandhan, where he portrayed two distinct roles; of one, he had his head tonsured and gained ten kilograms for also failed to live up to expectations at the box office.
Following a series of successful comedies in Thenali, Panchathantiram and Pammal K. Sambandam and a couple of guest appearances, Haasan directed his third feature film in Virumaandi. Virumaandi, became the first Tamil film to feature different sides of the story, surrounding the controversy of the death penalty. Haasan's directorial work earned reviews that claimed it was "technical excellence in every sphere", however the film only broke even at the box-office, failing to capitalize on its publicity. Haasan also appeared in Anbe Sivam alongside close friend, Madhavan, directed by Sundar C furthermore the film also preached views of atheism, which Haasan is renowned for following. Anbe Sivam told the story of Nallasivam, enacted by Haasan as an idealist, social activist and communist, whose past is poignant and present moving. Kamal Haasan's performance was highly lauded by critics with The Hindu stating that Haasan "has once again done Tamil cinema proud", however in contrast, the film failed to become a success, with Haasan later lashing out at award judges, claiming he deserved credit for his script writing and acting.
Haasan appeared in the remake film, Vasool Raja alongside Sneha, which triumphed at the box-office, whilst his following film, Mumbai Express, which he had written for flopped at the box-office, as it opened with the record-breaking Rajinikanth starrer, Chandramukhi. In 2006, Haasan's long delayed project, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu became a blockbuster at the box office. Gautham Menon's Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu was Haasan's first cop film in a decade since Kuruthipunal, earning his portrayal as the New York detective rave reviews. His latest release, Dasavathaaram is the longest film taken for Kamal Haasan to complete. Pairing opposite Asin Thottumkal, Haasan reprises ten roles in the film, a couple of which are claimed to have taken nearly four hours to apply the correct make-up on. The film, which Haasan had to go to court to sort out story legalities, was released in June 13, 2008 and became the most expensive Indian film to date, passing the mark of Sivaji: The Boss, which Dasavathaaram was initially to release against simultaneously. The film, upon release became one of the most successful Tamil films ever.
Following the completion of Dasavathaaram, Haasan was set to direct his fourth directorial venture under the combined production of Pyramid Saimira and Raaj Kamal Productions. The film titled Marmayogi, is believed to be set in the 7th century and feature several leading stars in the lead roles alongside Haasan. The film was announced with a higher budget than Dasavathaaram and the upcoming science-fiction Rajinikanth starrer, Endhiran, which Marmayogi has been dubbed to compete against but ultimately, the movie was dropped. Haasan has still expressed desire in completing his magnum opus, Marudhanayagam if producers will to help him out, however the film if released will be spanned at a duration of over nearly fifteen years, failing to maintain consistency in technology.

Personal life

Relationships

Despite his much praised and applauded film career, his personal life had some setbacks which have been exploited by the media. His marital strifes always used to be in the limelight. He has married actresses: Vani Ganapathi first and later Sarika which bore two children: Akshara Haasan and Shruthi Haasan. He divorced her and is currently in living with Gouthami Tadimalla, another former Indian film actress.

Awards and honours

National Film Awards

1960 — Best Child Artist for Kalathur Kannamma
1982 — Best Actor Award for Moondram Pirai
1987 — Best Actor Award for Nayagan
1996 — Best Actor Award for Indian

Filmfare Awards

Hindi

1985 — Best Actor Award for Saagar
1985 — Best Supporting Actor Award for Saagar
1998 — Best Actor Award for Chachi 420
2008 — Best Actor Award for Raja

Kannada

1988 — Best Actor Award for Pushpak

Malayalam

1974 — Best Actor Award for Kanyakumari
1978 — Best Actor Award for Yaetta

Tamil

1975 — Best Actor Award for Apoorva Raagangal
1976 — Best Actor Award for Oru Oodhappu Kan Simittugiradhu
1977 — Best Actor Award for 16 Vayadhinile
1978 — Best Actor Award for Sigappu Rojakal
1981 — Best Actor Award for Raja Paarvai
1991 — Best Actor Award for Guna
1992 — Best Actor Award for Thevar Magan
1995 — Best Actor Award for Kuruthipunal
1996 — Best Actor Award for Indian
2000 — Best Actor Award for Hey Ram

Telugu

1981 — Best Actor Award for Aakali Rajyam
1983 — Best Actor Award for Sagara Sangamam
1989 — Best Actor Award for Indrudu Chandrudu

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards

1996 — Best Actor Award for Indian
2006 — Best Actor Award for Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu

Nandi Awards

1983 — Best Actor Award for Saagara Sangamam
1986 — Best Actor Award for Swathi Muthyam
1989 — Best Actor Award for Indrudu Chandrudu

Special honours

1990 — Padma Shri
2005 — Honorary Doctorate
2007 — Living Legend by FICCI

Notable filmography

THALA'S NEW LOOK

steven berkoff

Huge fans of Steven Berkoff. Have seen him in Kvetch (1986), Acapulco (1990), Brighton Beach Scumbags (1991) and Massage (2000 maybe?, he directed and was not in the cast, but illness took out the lead and he stepped in on the day i went; fan-fn-tastic) And love his turns chewing up the scenery in Under the Cherry Moon (Let the dogs loose, they look hungry) and The Krays (Bang bang, end of story, end of agro)... aaaaaaahhhh could go on. [sidenote: Ron Kray's funeral procession went right past our window when we lived in the East End. Quite the scene] He is a bit of a punch line for some, the slow motion, the mime techniques, the threats to kill critics... Great scene in The Tall Guy riffing on him, sort of lovingly I think.

His production of On the Waterfront finally coming to London's West End (has had many years of fits and starts). Read. He will play Johnny Friendly.

Great stuff below, SB performing his Shakespeare's Villians. If we can all be so vibrant and energetic (and articulate) at 70-odd.

bookshelf -choo choo

"Whenever I can, I substitute picture for word." -VLB

Written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton, Choo Choo was her first published children's book (an earlier work, Jonnifer Lint, did not get accepted). Quite an amazing lady actually. A Massachusetts native, father was first dean of MIT, on the bleeding edge of children's book illustrating. Read more here. The premise for this story came from watching the trains at Rockport (MA) station with her son, Aris. Our wee boy is mad on trains and loves this, especially as the train runs away and goes too fast in his estimation...




Her better known works may be The Little House or Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, but the dark graphics of Choo Choo definitely give an illicit thrill to the sub5 set...

Susi, Vikram to team up again

Director Susi Ganesan and Vikram, who teamed up for 'Kanthaswamy', are rumored to come together again next year.

Happy at the way 'Kanthaswamy' has shaped up for release, Susi Ganesan said, 'It isn't just another fantasy or a Robinhood styled adventure film. It's based on fantasy with logic.'

According to him, it carries a social message about caring for our society which will be the underlying theme. 'Kanthaswamy' is a new venture for me. It has expanded my creative horizons, declares a confident Ganesan. Both Vikram and Shriya have contributed their best. We toiled a lot shooting in various locales abroad, he says and adds, 'one of the grand movies to have hit the screen ever in Tamil cinema, will be 'Kantaswamy' which would surely draw audience from all walks of life'.

CHILDHOOD PHOTOS OF ACTOR SURYA