Lissy stresses the importance of teaching Kalari in schools!

Actress Lissy Lakshmi is known for acting in several hit Malayalam films in the 80s. The veteran has stayed away from movies ever since her marriage to director Priyadarshan in 1990. Over the last few years, Lissy has been into learning Kalaripayattu, Kerala’s traditional martial arts form. Last day, she took to her social media handle to pen a brief note about her experience learning Kalari and why she believes it should be taught to children from school days itself.

Lissy’s Facebook post reads,

Kalari is a great art to learn. As you can see from the picture, Age is not a barrier. Even if you learn very little like me, it is still an amazing fitness technique to have for both mind and body. Kalari techniques are a combination of steps (Chuvadu) and postures (Vadivu). Above photo is with Kalai Rani and Laxman Guruji. My regret is that I should have learned Kalari may be when I was a child or teenager. In my opinion our children should be taught the basics of Kalari in school for it’s obvious health benefits and self discipline and it may also help our daughters in self-defence.

https://www.facebook.com/Lissy.actress/photos/a.522901944416279/3573214579384985/

Mammootty to team up with Murali Gopy-Prithviraj combo?

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Vignesh Madhu

October 6, 2020

Mammootty to team up with Murali Gopy-Prithviraj combo?

With the record-breaking success of ‘Lucifer’, Murali.Gopy and Prithviraj have become one of the most wanted writer-director combos in Malayalam. The duo is currently working on the pre-production of ‘Empuraan’, the second part of ‘Lucifer’. Talks within the industry suggest that they are also planning to make a movie with the other big M, Mammootty.

Last day, Murali Gopy had shared a photo taken with Mammootty in his social media handle. He also mentioned about he had a quality 3-hour long conversation with the legend. This has triggered speculations that the two were discussing about a new project. Recently, in an Instagram chat with Murali Gopy, Prithviraj had also hinted about collaborating with Mammootty. An official announcement is eagerly awaited by the fans and ardent cinephiles.

Mammootty already has multiple projects lined up and is also in talks for a few others. Before the lockdown, he had finished shooting his portions in ‘The Priest’, a mystery thriller directed by debutant Jofin T Chacko. Two more days of shoot is still left for the political film ‘One’. The much hyped ‘Bilal’ was supposed to begin in March but has been postponed.

Gautham Vasudev Menon part of multiple anthologies

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Vignesh Madhu

October 6, 2020

Gautham Vasudev Menon part of multiple anthologies

It’s raining anthologies in Tamil cinema. As many as 5 different anthology films are being made by popular Tamil filmmakers and the common link in all of them is Gautham Vasudev Menon. The director, who is known for dabbling in multiple projects at a time, has been working on back to back films during the pandemic period.

Amazon Prime’s original ‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai’, which will be the first to release on October 16, is a compilation of five films. Along with GVM, directors Sudha Kongara, Rajiv Menon, Karthik Subbaraj and Suhasini Mani Ratnam are helming a segemnt each. All the stories are set and shot during the COVID-19 lockdown time.

Gautham Menon’s film in the anthology has an interesting title — ‘Avarum Naanum/Avalum Naanum’. Veteran MS Baskar and Ritu Varma star in it. Sudha Kongara’s segment titled ‘Ilamai Idho Idho’ has Kalidas Jayaram, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Urvashi and Jayaram in the lead roles. Karthik Subbaraj’s film titled ‘Miracle’ stars Bobby Simha and ‘Petta’ fame Muthu Kumar. Suhasini Mani Ratnam’s film is titled as ‘Coffee, Anyone?’. Suhasaini herself is playing one of the leads alongside her cousins Anu Haasan and Shruti Haasan. Rajiv Menon’s segment titled ‘Reunion’ is headlined by Andrea Jeremiah, ‘OK Kanmani’ fame Leela Samson and Sikkhil Gurucharan.

Next on the line is ‘Paava Kadhaigal’, a Netflix anthology of four films helmed by Gautham Menon, Vetrimaaran, Vignesh Shivan and Sudha Kongara. Unlike the usual anthologies that are mostly love story based or feel-good ones, this will be a very intense film that reportedly has honour killing as the common theme. Gautham Menon himself is playing the lead role in his film along with Simran. The segment is titled as ‘Vaanmagal’. Vignesh Shivan’s film titled as ‘Love Panna Uttranum’ stars Anjali and Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin. Sudha Kongara’s film ‘Thangam’ has Kalidas Jayaram, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj and GV Prakash’s younger sister Bhavani Sre as the leads. In Vetrimaaran’s film, ‘Or Iravu’, Sai Pallavi and Prakash Raj will be seen as the leads.

‘Kutti Love Story’ is another anthology in the making. Besides Gautham Menon, it also has films helmed by Venkat Prabhu, AL Vijay and Nalan Kumarasamy. The project’s formal announcement was made recently with a interesting promo video in which the four directors narrate a particular romantic scene from their respective films. Buzz is that Amala Paul would be playing the lead in Gautham Menon’s segment. Nalan Kumarasamy’s film will star Vijay Sethupathi. Complete details including the cast, crew and the OTT platform in which the film will be released is expected to be out soon.

Disney + Hotstar, the 3rd biggest OTT player in India after Netflix and Amazon Prime, is also coming up with an anthology film. Gautham Menon, Pa Ranjith and Venkat Prabhu will be directing the films. The project is still in the initial stages and an official word has not yet been made.

Apart from ‘Paava Kadhaigal’, Netflix is backing another highly ambitious project that will bring together 9 leading filmmakers from Tamil cinema. Mani Ratnam is headlining the project, which is said to be planned as a web series based on the 9 human emotions — Navarasas. Gautham Menon is already confirmed to be part of the project. Other names doing the rounds are Bejoy Nambiar, Karthick Naren, Arvind Swamy, Siddharth, Jayendra Panchapakesan and KV Anand. The makers are currently holding talks with top actors from Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu industries to star in it. A huge announcement is likely to be made shortly.

Besides these OTT projects, Gautham Menon also has a couple of other feature films planned for theatrical release. The long delayed Vikram starrer ‘Dhruva Natchathiram’ is said to be in the final stages of production. ‘Joshua Imai Pol Kaakha’ starring Varun got stalled at the halfway stage due to the virus outbreak. Shoot is expected to be begin soon after the situation better and the restricions are lifted.

Watch: Halal Love Story first teaser out

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Vignesh Madhu

October 6, 2020

Watch: Halal Love Story first teaser out

As ‘Halal Love Story’ gears up for release on Amazon Prime Video, the makers have share the first teaser online. Indrajith Sukumaran, Joju George, Grace Antony, Soubin Shahir and Sharafudheen play the lead roles in the film. Parvathy is also part of the cast in a cameo role. All the aforementioned actors feature in the teaser, which gives vibes of a feel good film set in the Malabar region.

‘Halal Love Story’ is the sophomore film of director Zakariya, who made his debut with the National award winning ‘Sudani From Nigeria’. He has also co-scripted the film along with Muhsin Parari. As per the makers, it is a humourous journey of love with some subtle political commentary in it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CF_0A_WAF4E/

The film’s technical crew comprises of DOP Ajay Menon, editor Saiju Sreedharan and costume designer Mashar Hamsa. Bijibal, Shahabaz Aman and Rex Vijayan are jointly handling the music department. Director Aashiq Abu is producing the film along with Jesna Ashim and Harshad Ali.

‘Halal Love Story’ is scheduled to premier on October 15.

South Indian actress Kajal Aggarwal announces her wedding

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Vignesh Madhu

October 6, 2020

South Indian actress Kajal Aggarwal announces her wedding

Popular South Indian actress Kajal Aggarwal has officially announced her marriage. She is set to tie the knot with Gautam Kichulu, an entrepreneur, on October 30 in Mumbai.

Kajal shared a note in her social media handle, which reads,

“It gives me immense joy to share that I am getting married to Gautam Kitchlu, on October 30, 2020 in Mumbai, in a small, private ceremony surrounded by our immediate families. This pandemic has certainly shed a sobering light on our joy, but we are thrilled to start our lives together and know that all of you will be cheering us on in spirit. I thank you for all the love you have showered upon me over the years and we seek your blessings as we embark upon this incredible new journey. I will still continue doing what I cherish the most – entertaining my audience – now, with a whole new purpose and meaning. Thank you for your unending support.”

Kajal Aggarwal has been one of the leading heroines in South cinema for the last few years. She has worked with almost the big stars including Vijay, Ajith, Jr NTR, Ram Charan and Mahesh Babu. Her fiancé Gautam Kitchlu runs Discern Living, an e-commerce venture specialising in interior designing and home decor solutions.

Photo Credits: Instagram

Official: Halal Love Story to premiere on Amazon Prime on October 15

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Vignesh Madhu

October 6, 2020

Official: Halal Love Story to premiere on Amazon Prime on October 15

As reported by us earlier, ‘Halal Love Story’ is all set to release on Amazon Prime Video. The makers have confirmed that the film will be premiering on October 15. It is the sophomore film of Zakariya, who made his debut with the National award winning ‘Sudani From Nigeria’. He is also co-scripting ‘Halal Love Story’ along with Muhsin Parari.

Indrajith Sukumaran, Joju George, Grace Antony, Soubin Shahir and Sharafudheen play the lead roles in the film. Parvathy is also part of the cast in a cameo role. This is probably the first time she is doing a guest appearance in a Malayalam film.

As per the makers, ‘Halal Love Story’ is a humourous journey of love. It is said to be a feel-good comedy flick with some subtle political commentary in it. The film’s technical crew comprises of DOP Ajay Menon, editor Saiju Sreedharan and costume designer Mashar Hamsa. Bijibal, Shahabaz Aman and Rex Vijayan are jointly handling the music department.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CF9PpHOgf6k/

Aashiq Abu is producing the film along with Jesna Ashim and Harshad Ali.

Team RRR resume shooting after a 6 month long break

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Vignesh Madhu

October 6, 2020

Team RRR resume shooting after a 6 month long break

6 months after the country was brought to a standstill by the pandemic, film industries have gradually started functioning. Shoot for several big films that had to be stopped halfway are now being resumed. Director SS Rajamaouli has already started works on his mega budget project ‘RRR’. He informed the same by sharing a brief making video that captures glimpses of all the hardwork that’s going on behind the film.

‘RRR’ is about two freedom fighters, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Jr NTR) who fought against the British Raj and the Nizam of Hyderabad, respectively. Ram Charan and Jr NTR play the lead roles. The makers will be releasing a special video of Jr NTR’s character Bheem on October 22. Earlier, they had released similar video for Ram Charan on his birthday.

SS Rajamouli’s father KV Vijayendra Prasad has written the story of ‘RRR’. Rajamouli has penned the screenplay and dialogues are by Sai Madhav Burra and Madhan Karky. Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Olivia Morris, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, Samuthirakani and many others are part of the cast.

The film which is being made in various languages on a huge budget of over Rs 400 crores was originally scheduled to hit screens on January 8, 2021. But due to the pandemic that disrupted shoot, release is expected to be delayed by atleast 6 months.

Fahadh Faasil and Mahesh Narayanan donate Rs 10 lakhs from C U Soon profit to FEFKA

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Vignesh Madhu

October 5, 2020

Fahadh Faasil and Mahesh Narayanan donate Rs 10 lakhs from C U Soon profit to FEFKA

Fahadh Faasil and Mahesh Narayanan, the chief architects behind the success of ‘C U Soon’, have contributed Rs 10 lakhs to the the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) union from the film’s profit. They handed over the cheque to the union’s general secretary B Unnikrishnan, who shared it in his social media handle. He also thanked them for their large-heartedness in support the industry workers who have been severely hit by the pandemic.

‘C U Soon’ directed by Mahesh Narayanan and starring Fahadh Faasil, Darshana Rajendran and Roshan Mathew was the first mainstream Malayalam film to be made for an OTT platform. The film was shot completely during the lockdown days with limited resources. Fahadh Faasil produced it under his banner.

It must be remembered that when ‘C U Soon’ was first announced, there was a huge uproar from several film bodies against the makers. According to them, new films should be commenced only after the completion of those that are in the halfway stage. However, with the backing of FEFKA, the team continued shoot and managed to wrap up in quick time.

Upon its release in Amazon Prime, the response was largely positive with several non-Malayalis lapping it up. It is a basically a ‘screen film’, where much of the action happens through screens of computers and phones. Though it is a thriller on a surface level, the film is also emotionally charged and speaks about a socially-relevant issue that needs to be addressed.

With critics and common audience praising the film alike, ‘C U Soon’ was declared as a blockbuster OTT release.

Akshay Kumar looks dapper in this stylishly cut teaser of Bell Bottom

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Vignesh Madhu

October 5, 2020

Akshay Kumar looks dapper in this stylishly cut teaser of Bell Bottom

After the completion of shoot, the makers of Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Bell Bottom’ have released the teaser online. Akshay Kumar looks dapper in this stylishly cut teaser with an apt background score by Tanishk Bagchi. Directed by Ranjit M Tewari, the film is an espionage thriller that has been shot completely abroad.

‘Bell Bottom’ is actually the official remake of the Kannada film of the same name. Akshay Kumar plays a RAW agent, who is on trail of a mystery. The storyline is set in the 80s and it has Huma Quereshi, Lara Dutta and Vaani Kapoor as the three female leads. Malayali cinematographer Rajeev Ravi has cranked the camera. The makers claim it to be the first mainstream film in the world to start and finish during the pandemic.

‘Bell Bottom’ is jointly produced by Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani, Deepshikha Deshmukh, Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani and Nikkhil Advani. It has been announced that the film will be hitting screens on April 2, 2021.

Watch: Putham Pudhu Kaalai trailer looks great!

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Vignesh Madhu

October 5, 2020

Watch: Putham Pudhu Kaalai trailer looks great!

The trailer of Amazon Prime’s upcoming film ‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai’ has just dropped in on YouTube. It is an anthology of 5 short films directed by Sudha Kongara, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Rajiv Menon, Karthik Subbaraj and Suhasini Mani Ratnam are directing the films. It features stories of love, new beginnings, second chances, and a glimmer of hope all set during the 21-day lockdown period.

With a stellar star cast and rich production values, ‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai’ trailer looks amazing. Sudha Kongara’s film titled ‘Ilamai Idho Idho’ is likely to be about two couples – one played by Kalidas Jayaram and Kalyani Priyadarshan, and the other by veterans Urvashi and Jayaram. This segment is scripted by Malayali actress Shruthi Ramachandran (Pretham, Sunday Holiday) and her husband Francis Thomas. It has cinematography by Niketh Bommireddy and music by GV Prakash.

Gautham Menon’s film has an interesting title — ‘Avarum Naanum/Avalum Naanum’. MS Bhaskar and Ritu Varma star in it as a grand father-grand daugther duo. ’96’ fame Govind Vasantha is composing the music for this segment. Karthik Subbaraj’s segment is titled as ‘Miracle’. It has Bobby Simha and ‘Petta’ fame Muthu Kumar in the lead roles.

Suhasini Mani Ratnam’s film is titled as ‘Coffee, Anyone?’. Suhasaini herself is playing one of the leads alongside her cousins Anu Haasan and Shruti Haasan. Rajiv Menon’s segment titled ‘Reunion’ stars Andrea Jeremiah, ‘OK Kanmani’ fame Leela Samson and Sikkhil Gurucharan.

‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai’ is all set to premiere on October 16.