Baahubali Not Done Making Headlines Yet. Watch Facebook's Review of 2015

Tamannaah Bhatia in a still from Baahubali

Baahubali was the biggest showbiz headline of 2015 in India and Facebook agrees. The social network giant has released a video of the year in review and makes space for Baahubali albeit briefly, just a glimpse of Tamannaah Bhatia posing against a CGI-generated waterfall in a white and gold costume

It's safe to say that Baahubali, SS Rajamouli's ambitious two-part epic, is the film of the year - and what a year it's been, with Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo bottomlines adding upto over Rs 500 crores in India. Despite the Salman factor, Akshay Kumar's series of films and Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming Dilwale, 2015 belonged heart and soul to Baahubali, released in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi and starring Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah Bhatia.
The absence of a superstar in the cast would otherwise have made Baahubali the little film that could, had it also not been made at an astronomical budget - at over Rs 250 crores, it is India's most expensive film till date, packed with Hollywood-quality special effects so cutting edge that it has been compared to American blockbuster 300.

India's most expensive film is also its biggest hit, making over Rs 500 crores in India alone (take that, Salman) - and this was just part one, part two is expected late next year.

All things considered, Baahubali was the biggest showbiz headline of 2015 in India - and Facebook agrees. The social network giant has released a video of the year in review and makes space for Baahubali - albeit briefly, just a glimpse of Tamannaah Bhatia posing against a CGI-generated waterfall in a white and gold costume.

The other headlines that Facebook includes in its review range from the attacks on Paris and the refugee crisis to the death of Game Of Thrones' Jon Snow and Bruce Jenner's transgender debut as Caitlyn.

Dileep to Play Superhero in ‘The Legend’

For Long Dileep has portrayed larger than life role on the screen. In his next film with director Jomon, the actor will be seen playing a superhero. The film, which is said to be on the lines of Samrajyam and Jackpot, is titled ‘The Legend’.
Talking of the film, the director told TOI, “Dileep will play a government pleader by profession, a strong and memorable character. It will be a never-before role for him and will showcase him as a heroic character, with his characteristic humour as well. The film will have action, songs and will be a complete entertainer with social elements”.
Rajeev Govinda Pillai will play a police officer in this film. Kannada actress Arun Dev is also a part of the project. Reportedly, the film will have three heroines.  The casting for these actresses is yet-to-be done. The script of the film has been penned by Baijuraj and the music is given by Gopi Sunder.  ‘The Legend’ is expected to go on floors by the end of October in Kochi and Mumbai.

Preetika Rao Quits South Indian Films

Preetika Rao, who was last seen in much delayed Kannada film Rebel, recently revealed that she is bidding adieu to south Indian Cinema. The journalist turned actress told TOI, “My Kannada movie was the first movie I had signed while I was modelling, but it got delayed majorly and released in May. It became my last South Indian movie-release, because unfortunately, I had to quit the South industry for good, as acting in a language alien to me and living away from home for months was not really my cup of tea”.
“I already had a ready platform in Mumbai, since my sister Amrita was an established actress there. I'm glad I managed to debut in three South Indian industries”, she added. The younger sister of Amrita Rao will perhaps continue her career in singing.
Revealing about her interest in singing, the actress said, “It was a dream-come-true when I debuted as a singer. I have always been interested in singing and I have had formal training in Hindustani classical since my sixth grade. I also took lessons in ghazals from Nasir Quaudriji. During Beintehaa, I would keep humming on the set and my co-actors always said I must sing professionally, so I made-up my mind to regain formal training”.

Baahubali (Hindi) to Become First Dubbed Movie to Join 100 Crore Club

The Hindi version of 'Baahubali - the Beginning' rocked the Indian box office. Keeping aside all the other versions, the movie has done remarkably well with its Hindi version. It is all set to surpass the Rs 100 crore mark in the domestic market. 

It is a beautifully executed plot of a superbly written script. The film has managed to win hearts and has been able to do beyond expectations, becoming the first dubbed movie to fare such a big amount. The second part of the film is all set to go on floors soon. 

The shooting of its sequel is expected to be resumed from September 15 this year. Around 40 percent shooting of the movie has already been done. According to the sources, the production team of the movie has decided to include Bollywood actors in the sequel so as to increase the expectations of the audiences.

Srimanthudu Will Impress Every Section of Audience: Koratala Siva

Recently, director Koratala Siva disclosed that he is not worried regarding the sentiments like 'Dviteeya Vignam’ in Telugu industry. The director looks quite confident about his next movie and believes that the solid content of the film will manage to impress all type of audience. Siva is extremely happy with final output of the movie.

Siva, who is best known for directing ‘Mirchi’, said during a TV interview on July 29, "Yes I know that lot of directors have scored utter flops with their second film and they call that a curse in film industry. But I don't believe in such stuff and happy with the final output of Srimanthudu. Mahesh fans will have a feast and they will wonder how come a message oriented movie is narrated quite commercially this way. No single commercial element is missed in this movie and at the same time the message hits right on the heart".

According to Siva, the trend has totally changed now. Meaningful contents are liked by the audience, while unnecessary commercial masala is not entertaining the audience anymore. The director hopes that ‘Srimanthudu’ starring Mahesh Babu and Shruti Haasan will do remarkably well.

Puli Audio CD Becomes Bestseller on Amazon.in

Fans of Ilayathalapathy Vijay have proved their love for the star once again. Puli’s audio CD has become numero uno on the bestseller list under the music category on Amazon.in. The audio CD is available for advance booking at Rs. 125. The music launch of the Chimbu Deven directorial is slated for August 2.

A grand event will be held for the music launch and superstar Mahesh Babu will mark his presence along with other people from the Tamil film industry. Rumour mills are churning that mega star Chiranjeevi is going to grace the occasion.  Composer Devi Sri Prasad has given life to the music album of the Vijay starrer. The teaser of ‘Yendi Yendi’, sung by Vijay and Shruti Haasan, has received lots of appreciation and has also notched up the excitement level. 

The theatrical trailer of Puli will not be released along with the audio, which is a normal trend in Tamil cinema. Shibu from SKT studios told Sify.com, “We are planning to release the trailer by mid-August and the exact date will be revealed soon”. It is said that the filmmakers will announce the release date soon and its significance will be explained in the movie.

Tamil Film Producers’ Council Suspends Strike

Shooting of various Tamil movies can now continue as the strike initiated by the Tamil Film Producers’ Council has been called off. Kamal Haasan, Vijay, Ajith and Suriya can now restart filming their respective projects. The Rajini-Ranjith film also does not have anything to worry about.   

The strike was called because of the discrepancy in daily wages charged by the workers affiliated to the Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI). The Producers’ Council and FEFSI have reached an agreement by holding talks with almost all the associations except those of stunt directors and artists. They will be addressed in the coming days.
  
The discussed daily wages have not been declared yet. Also, filmmakers have been asked to send the related details to the council. The Tamil film industry will not work today in order to pay homage to former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Film shoots will resume on July 31.

Pandiraj’s Haiku to Treat Children Soon

Pandiraj has completed the shooting of his upcoming film Haiku. Major segments of the movie were shot in Chennai while some parts were filmed in Karaikudi. The award winning director has wrapped up the shooting in just 65 days. Haiku is currently in the post production stage.

The movie focuses on three children - Kavin, Nayana and Abhiman. Suriya and Amala Paul will also be present in the movie in cameo roles. Suriya’s character will be named Tamizhnadan and Amala Paul will play Venbaa. The movie will be produced by Suriya under his 2D Entertainments banner.

The cast also includes Karthik Kumar, Bindu Madhavi, Vidya Pradeep, Ramdoss and Master Nishesh. Haiku will be Pandiraj’s third film dedicated to children after Pasanga and Marina. Suriya has shot a song with 60 to 70 kids in Chennai. According to a source, the song will be a western number. Amala Paul will also have a song with Suriya.

STR Thanks Vijay for Supporting Vaalu

The bond between Silambarasan and Illayathalapathy Vijay is known to everyone. Today, STR took to Twitter to express his gratitude towards the Thuppakki star and called him “A true brother from another mother”. Vijay had helped STR in the release of his upcoming flick Vaalu. The S.S. Chakravarthy production faced a lot of troubles throughout its course and Vijay was kind enough to lend a helping hand by talking to some of his known distributors.



Vaalu is an action comedy starring STR and Hansika Motwani in lead roles. It was initially decided that the movie will hit the theatres on July 17 but due to legal issues, the release had to be postponed. Vijay proved his friendship by talking to Siva who is a leading distributor of Cosmo Village and asking him to support the release of Vaalu in Coimbatore and Trichy.

Written and Directed by Vijayachander, Vaalu will be released on August 14 this year.  Santhanam, VTV Ganesh, Aditya and Brahmanandam will also be present in the movie. Vallu’s music has been composed by Thaman.

C.V. Kumar Might Produce Bilingual Film Starring Nivin Pauly

Nivin Pauly, who is currently basking success for Premam, might feature in Tamil-Malayalam bilingual once again. Reportedly, the film will be produced by C.V. Kumar under the banner of Thirukumaran Entertainment. If the rumours are true, this will be Nivin’s second Tamil film after Premam, which was produced by Anwar Rasheed.
As per the reports, the film will go on floors in October. The director for the film hasn’t been decided as of now. But rumour mills are churning that Gautham Menon is one of the names under consideration.
Currently, C.V. Kumar is busy with films such as Iraivi, Irudhi Suttru, 144 and a yet-to-be titled film helmed by Nalan Kumarasamy starring Vijay Sethupathi. Besides this Tamil-Malayalam bilingual flick, Thirukumaran entertainment has two other projects lined up; a Tamil horror film and a Tamil-Telugu bilingual project starring Sundeep Kishan. Both these projects are also expected to start in October.

Nithya Menen Roped in for Sudeep’s Next

The heroin for K.S. Ravikumar’s upcoming project has been decided. If the rumours are to be trusted the commercially acclaimed director has roped in Nithya Menen to play the lead role opposite Sudeep. However, the official announcement is awaiting regarding the same.
Nithya has been decided after a long hunt. The director earlier told New India Express, “I have lost count of the number of faces I have screened for this particular project. It is getting difficult to find a heroine who matches Sudeep’s calibre and so the search is still going on. Also this film being made in two languages, so we need a good performer”.
The yet-to-be titled film will be made in Tamil as well as Kannada. The flick is produced by Surappa Babu. While the producer is eagerly waiting for Sudeep to join the sets of the film, the actor has requested some time before he starts the shoot.

Naga Babu Impressed with Visuals from Kanche

Naga Babu got surprised after watching few sequences from Kanche, which features Varun Tej. The actor-producer is extremely impressed with the performance of his son. He further said that he well-liked the way Krish Jagarlamudi has given direction to the flick.

The film has been knit with Second World War in the backdrop. Also, Varun’s look from the film was leaked few months back in which he looked like a soldier. This film will hit the theatres on October 2.

The shooting of the movie has been completed and it is in the post production stage. Seems like, the director has mounted the movie on a very big scale. The film is expected to come as a surprise to the audience. 

‘Bhale Bhale Magadivoy’ Wraps up Shooting

The shooting of 'Bhale Bhale Magadivoy' has been completed at Saradhi Studios in Ameerpet, Hyderabad. Recently, the film unit shot the final two songs of the flick in Goa and Hyderabad. The Maruthi directorial has been produced under the banners of Geetha Arts and UV Creations.

The movie will now enter the extensive post production phase. The filmmakers are planning to release the melodies of the film in August first week. A Malayalam musician has been appointed for designing the tunes for the film. Bollywood actor Murali Sharma is playing a crucial role in the movie.

The director, whose movies are known to have double meaning dialogues, has paired up Lavanya Tripati opposite Nani. This time, Maruthi has tried to do something new by picking up romantic genre. Nizar Shafi is responsible for cinematography.

 

Rajinikanth addresses APJ Abdul Kalam as ‘Mahatma’

Rajinikanth is not only admired as an actor but the megastar is considered to be one of the most respectable citizens of the country. Thalaivar has always let his actions speak louder than his words but for ex-President APJ Abdul Kalam, he paid his condolences through a series of tweets. In one of his tweets, he addressed the Missile Man as ‘Mahatma’.
Rajinikanth, who has fans all over the country, said that he admired the People’s President. He tweeted, “Indeed a dark day as a leader I admired has passed on. I feel your sorrow S'pore. A true loss of a path breaking politician”. He also wrote, “I did not have the privilege of seeing our mahatma Gandhiji, Kamaraj or Barathiyaar but was blessed enough to live admist mahatma Kalamji”.
In other tweets, he wrote, “From humble beginnings Abdul Kalam ji rose to great heights but continued to live humble and simple. He lived to inspire millions of people. He endeared himself to student community motivating them at all levels. God has embraced him silently with love. May his soul rest in peace”.