Kerala State Youth Commission announce Youth Icon awards; Prithviraj among the winners

The Kerala State Youth Commission annually present awards to youngsters based on their achievements in various fields including sports, art/culture, literature, agriculture, industrial entrepreneurship and social work. The award winners, apart from their remarkable contributions to their respective fields should also inspire others positively.

Prithviraj Sukumaran, one of the most sought after actors in Malayalam cinema, has been selected for the award in the field of art/culture. Apart from the variety of characters that he has portrayed, the jury has also taken into consideration the courageous stand he took following a gruesome assault to one of his female colleagues.

Prithviraj had publicly apologized for mouthing misogynistic dialouges in his movies and assured that he will never do that again in the future. He was aware that as an actor he might have to play grey shaded roles that demand such traits, but Prithviraj assured that he will make sure those characters do not get glorified. His bold stand in such a sensitive issue won him a lot of appreciation from within the industry as well as the audience.

Apart from Prithviraj, other winners of the Kerala State Youth Icon award are footballer CK Vineeth (sports), noted writer PV Shaji Kumar (literature), Rajesh Krishnan (Agriculture) and Varun Chandran (Industrial Entrepreneurship). Ashla Rani, a physically disabled youngster who has committed herself as a social volunteer, is the Youth Icon in the sphere of social work.

The awards will be presented by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, at a function to be held in Trivandrum on August 1.

Rana Daggubati wishes Dulquer Salmaan on his birthday; Welcomes DQ to Telugu cinema!

Malayalam cinema’s young sensation Dulquer Salmaan is celebrating his 31st birthday today. This year is more special to the actor as this is his first birthday after turning a dad. Wishes have been pouring in for the actor from his colleagues, fans and well wishers across the world.

Baahuabli star Rana Daggubati, who is also one of Dulquer’s closest friends, wished his buddy through his Twitter page. Rana also welcomed Dulquer to Telugu cinema by re-tweeting the newly released poster of Mahanati, DQ’s debut Telugu film.

Earlier in the day, as a surpirse birthday gift for Dulquer, the makers of Mahanati had released his character poster. The movie, directed by Nag Ashwin is the biopic on yesteryear actress Savithri. Keerthy Suresh is playing the role of Savitri in her biopic.

Dulquer Salmaan is playing the role of legendary actor Gemini Ganesan in the movie. The late actor was briefly married to Savithri. Mahanati is his first straight Telugu movie, although his romantic entertainer 100 Days of Love was dubbed and released last year. Samantha Ruth Prabhu is also playing a prominent role of a journalist in Mahanati.

Rana Daggubati and Dulquer Salmaan have been friends even before they entered cinema. When Dulquer and his wife Amaal Sufiya were blessed with a baby girl, Rana was one of the first to wish the couple. He even said that he would be flying down to Chennai to meet Dulquer’s new born angel. Cheers to the DQ-RD friendship!

Mohanlal to shed 15 kilos for Odiyan!

Mohanlal’s Odiyan is arguably one of the most interesting upcoming projects in South Indian cinema. The movie has an unique plot and theme, which has rarely been tried in Indian cinema. It is a fantasy film that will have a mix of action, romance and magical realism.

Odiyan marks the debut directorial of renowned ad filmmaker VA Shrikumar Menon and is written by National award winner Harikrishnan. The movie is primarily about Odividya, a black magic technique, and people who practice it, called Odiyan. There are a lot of stories and myths about Odiyans and their life in Kerala’s folklore.

In a recent interview, director VA Shrikuamr Menon revealed that Mohanlal will be shedding 15 kilos for playing his character in the movie. Mohanlal will be essaying the role of Odiyan Manikyan and he will be seen from the age of 30 to 65 in multiple looks.

Odiyan Manikyan is a terrific athlete who is mastered in Odividya. He can run on four legs and jump higher than normal people. Recently, the makers had released a casting call for boys who can play the younger part of Mohanlal in the movie. They had particularly mentioned that the aspirants should have good flexibility and be well trained in Kalaripayattu, gymnastics and martial arts.

An odiyan is someone who can take any shape, he can crawl and also run at high speed. So, Mohanlal needs to be in great shape to perform such stunts. Peter Hein, who choreographed the amazing stunts in Pulimurugan, has been roped in to train Mohanlal for playing the charcater of Odiyan Manikyan.

The first look poster of the movie had Mohanlal in a clean shaven look with a lot trimmer physique than how he is presently. It is learnt that the veteran star will be training hard to achieve a similar look. Scores of fans are already excited to see how Mohanlal plays Odiyan Manikyan, which is said to be one of the most challenging roles in his three decade long career.

Odiyan also stars Manju Warrier and Prakash Raj in prominent roles.
Pre-production works for the movie is currently progressing in full swing. Sabu Cyril is in charge of Odiyan’s production design. Mohanlal’s own banner Aashirvad Cinemas is funding this big budget movie. Palakkad, Pollachi, Hyderabad and Varanasi have been finalized as the major locations.

Birthday gift for Dulquer Salmaan from the makers of Mahanati, his debut Telugu film!

As Dulquer Salmaan turns 31 today, wishes have been pouring in from all parts of the world from his fans and well wishers. As announced earlier, the first look poster of his upcoming movie Solo was unveiled right on the stroke of 12 AM. Wait, there’s more!

As a surpirse gift for Dulquer, the makers of his upcoming Tamil-Telugu bilingual movie Mahanati have released his character poster. Mahanati, directed by Nag Ashwin is the biopic on yesteryear actress Savithri. Keerthy Suresh is playing the role of Savitri in her biopic.

Dulquer Salmaan is playing the role of her legendary actor Gemini Ganesan in the movie. The late actor was briefly married to Savithri. Dulquer will be playing the different phases of the legendary actor, popularly known as Kadhal Mannan, for which he will be sporting multiple looks.

Mahanati is Dulquer’s first straight Telugu movie, although his romantic entertainer 100 Days of Love was dubbed and released last year. Samantha Ruth Prabhu is also playing a prominent role of a journalist in Mahanati. The movie which revolves around Savithri’s personal life and her acting career will also capture the tragic episodes in her life.

Here’s the first look poster of Dulquer Salmaan’s Solo!

Mollywood’s young sensation Dulquer Salmaan is celebrating his 31st birthday today and wishes are pouring in from all corners for the star. As a birthday treat for his fans, the first look poster of Dulquer’s upcoming movie Solo has been released. The poster has a collage of images featuring Dulquer in multiple looks.

Solo, directed by Bollywood filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar is being made as a bilingual in Tamil and Telugu. The movie has a plethora of actors from industries across the country. Veteran actors Nasser and Suhasini are playing Dulquer’s parents in the movie.

Bollywood actor Dino Morea, Ann Augustine, Arti Venkatesh, Kabali fame Sai Dhansika, Deepti Sati, Marathi actress Sai Tamhankar, Sruthi Hariharan, Manoj K Jayan, Prakash Belawadi, Bengali filmmaker Quashiq Mukherjee, Sathish, Soubin Shahir, John Vijay and many others are part of the cast.

Reportedly, Solo is about the four elements – Earth, Fire, Water and Wind. The director, who has scripted the movie, has woven these elements into four stories with love and revenge as the premise. It is a mix-genre attempt and according to the makers, the treatment style will be completely unique.

Music for the movie is composed by 12 different musicians which includes several leading bands also. Girish Gangadharan, Sejal Shah and Madhu Neelakandan have wielded the camera for the movie.

Abraham Mathew has produced the Malayalam version under the banner of Abaam Movies. Tamil version is jointly funded by Anil Jain and Bejoy Nambiar. The movie is slated to hit screens in September this year.

Pranav Mohanlal-Jeethu Joseph movie Aadhi to go on floors on August 1

The highly anticipated Pranav Mohanlal starrer Aadhi is all set to start rolling from August 1. The movie, written and directed by Jeethu Joseph is touted to be an action-thriller. The movie, produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner of Aashirvad Cinemas was officially launched last month. An official first look motion poster of the movie was also released by the makers.

According to director Jeethu Joseph, Aadhi will be an action thriller on the lines of his own superhit film Memories. Pranav had been undergoing training in Parkour, a form of physical training, as the movie involves a lot of action sequences. Parkour is a kind of acrobatic training that involves crossing obstacles by running, climbing, jumping, rolling and swinging.

The movie will be shot extensively in Kochi, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Satheesh Kurup will be cranking the camera. Jeethu Joseph’s regular Anil Johnson is composing the music and Ayoob Khan will handle the edits. More details regarding other cast members is expected to be announced in the coming days.

Aadhi is perhaps the most awaited film of a newcomer. Scores of Mohanlal fans have been eagerly waiting for Pranav’s entry to the industry. Let’s just hope Pranav can live up to the sky-high expectations.