Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Comedy ensures big returns on investment in Mollywood

It maybe the age of new generation movies in Mollywood; where experimentation is the key word. However, cash registers seem to tell a different story. When it comes to box office collections, Mollywood seems to stick to tradition — if the top grossers in the recent past are any indication.

Dileep-starrers My Boss and Sound Thoma, and Kuchacko Boban-Biju Menon-starrers Romans, which were box office hits, fall under the comedy genre. While films like Da Thadiya, Immanuel and Bavuttiyude Namathil just managed to break it even, Rajeev Ravi's Annayum Rasoolum and the award-winning Celluloid do not feature in the top grossing list, though they did not run on losses. The only exception is Lijo Jose Pellissery's Amen, which fetched record collections. However, Amen could not be slotted as a typical new-gen film, say experts, and it had its share of comedy as well.

"The reality is that the majority of new gen films is running at huge losses. Nearly 50 such films are on hold because there are no takers for their satellite rights. You can't blame the channels because these films were box office duds. The channel authorities reason that people stop watching them after breaks and they lose TRPs," says Sabu Cherian, producer. He further adds that, too many movies are getting released now and it is also adversely affecting box office collections.

Sleeba, an ad film maker, says comedy has always been an integral part of the Malayali psyche. "It is films like In Harihar Nagar which we watch over and over again on TV. Earlier, serious films too used to be a hit with the audience along with comedy but now people prefer entertainment over everything else," says Sleeba.

However, according to an industry insider, who doesn't wish to be named, the real reason is that people don't have much choice now. "Humour in most of these films is not classy or really entertaining. But people still love them!" According to him, a major chunk of movie goers, who used to enjoy watching emotional dramas of Mohanlal and Mammmotty in the past, now don't have a substitute for these films. "This is one of the main reasons why Mayamohini was the highest grosser last year," he says.

"It could also have to do with the fact that nobody wants to see a disturbing film with violence, bloodshed and stunts these days," says Prashanth R, a movie buff. "If I want to watch action, I'll watch Iron Man3 or some other Hollywood film. And if I want to see a rom-com, I prefer a Bollywood film with pretty actresses. But when it comes to comedy, nothing can beat Malayalam," he points out. So does that mean that the new wave of experimentation and going against the formula are just a hype?

"People today prefer pure entertainment, and it doesn't have to be a good film per se; as long as it is entertaining they will watch it. That doesn't mean that all the so called new generation films are of a lesser quality," adds Sleeba.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Old and new favourites delight music fans at Bollywood concert


BOLLYWOOD playback singers Dipalee Somalya and Samir Date claimed the hearts of thousands of mothers at Saturday night’s annual Mother’s Day spectacular.

The duo performed a range of selections from popular Bollywood movies. The event was held at the Centre of Excellence in Macoya and featured a concert performance by local entertainer Indar Kanhai and his band Active Trishul Orchestra.

The concert was dedicated to the late legendary Indian singer Mohammed Rafi. Somalya and Date performed singles and duets including “Naina Barse”, “Jhumkaa Gira Re”, “Suhani Raat”, “Ye Mera Prem Patra”, “Jo Wada Kiya”, “Jhil Mil Sitaroka”, “Dewanna Hua Bada”, “Sau Sail Pehele” and “Lak Kaa Gales”.

Date, who got his first break singing for the film Maine Pyar Kiya—the English version titled When Love Calls—delighted the packed audience.

Canadian Shweta Subram had mothers dancing as she performed her spicy hits, including “Fevicol” from the Bollywood movie Dabangg, Sheila Ki Jawani and Chikni. A favourite was “Heer” from the recent movie  Jab Tak Hain Jaan.

But the night belonged to Indar Kanhai and his band. Dressed in a dark-coloured suit and pink shirt, Kanhai performed songs from the old and new Bollywood movies.

He was accompanied by his sister, Nandini Kanhai, Nelisha Ali and Sunita Singh. Kanhai’s two young sons joined him on stage as they danced to their father’s upbeat selections. Kanhai, who has shared the stage with India’s Kumar Sanu, performed hits including “Piya Oh Re Piya” among others songs.

Anthony Batson, junior chutney singer, performed Sundar Popo’s classic “Mother’s Love”. He received a thunderous applause.

The San Juan Young Stars tassa group and comedian Kenneth Supersad added to the entertainment.
Supersad’s daughter, Peggy, was a member of the tassa group.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Mollywood stars at a mega event


A two-day mega event held recently in the Mumbai was a starry affair. Celebs from all fields attended the do and some even performed at the function.

Bollywood star Mithun Chakraborty, who was to inaugurate the event, could not make it; instead actor Dileep did the honours. Innocent, Hibi Eden, Manjari and Mayor Tony Chammany were spotted at the inaugural function, which saw filmmaker B Unnikrishnan co-ordinating the event. Dance and music shows followed; Shobhana's dance on the second day being the highlight at the do.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Indian Film Industry becomes 100 years old in Juky

Indian cinema is celebrating its 100 years of existence  The film Industry in Mumbai celebrates the 100th birthday while South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) plans a three-day event to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema, starting July 12, according to report in News track India


Prominent personalities were also honoured as ‘People of the Year 2013’ at an event held recently at the FICCI auditorium in the New Delhi. Veteran actress Shabana Azmi, cinematographer Santosh Sivan, actor-director-choreographer Prabhu Deva, Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua, wildlife photographer and documentary filmmaker Mike Pandey and film editor Sreekar Prasad were among those awarded. Minister of Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari, the chief guest for the event, gave away the honours.

Shabana, azmi said, “I have often thought of what my life would be if I wasn’t doing cinema. Indian cinema completing a 100 years is a landmark and I am but a small part of it."

Sreekar Prasad, who has edited over 500 films in more than 15 languages, dedicated the honour to all the editors of Indian film industry. Filmmaker Jahnu Barua, who is currently working on Har Pal, said that filmmaking needs to be looked at not just as a business, but a mission to safeguard the cause of humanity. “Filmmaking is like a nuclear power. If used properly, it can immensely help mankind. And if misused, it can destroy many minds,” said Barua. Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor was thrilled to share this honour with some of the greatest names from the industry. He shared, “These celebrations commemorate the remarkable journey of Indian cinema from the first film created in 1913. My great grandfather, Prithviraj Kapoor, was part of these pioneering years of cinema and I am honoured to follow in his footsteps.” Another luminary of Indian cinema actress Tabu said, “According to me, the real box office king or queen is a good film and a good script. I am glad to have been chosen for this recognition out of so many talented artists over so many years of Indian cinema.”

Members of the film chamber of the four south Indian states, along with hundreds of film personalities from other industries, will join hands in the celebration. "We are planning to make this an august event. It's a proud moment for Indian cinema and we should all be fortunate to be present to celebrate this moment. 100 artists from four south Indian film industries will be honoured during the course of the event,"  said C. Kalyan, President, SIFCC told IANS. "The artists will be handpicked by a jury comprising members from the respective state's film chamber.

Filmmaker K. Balachander will preside over the jury committee to select artists from Tamil film industry," he added. The chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are likely attend the inauguration. "We will felicitate all those who have made a difference in the Indian film industry. We are also planning to hold workshops on filmmaking along with so many other activities across all three days.

We will also invite our honourable President Pranab Mukherjee along with the chief ministers of all the four states," he added. The shooting of all Tamil films will be suspended to facilitate smooth organization of the events.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Direction is Shakeela’s new role


Shakeela got a chance to play a role in the soft-porn film, Playgirls, in 1994 in which reigning sex queen Silk Smitha was the heroine. In one scene, Shakeela had to only wear a towel and do a love-making scene. Then Smitha would enter the room, catch Shakeela in the act, and give her a slap. Before the scene could be shot, an anxious Shakeela kept asking Smitha about the slap. Smitha repeatedly said, “Don’t worry, I will only pretend that I am slapping you.”
However, when the shooting took place, Smitha gave an actual slap. A shocked Shakeela burst into tears and ran away from the set at AVM studios in Chennai. For three days she stayed away. Then the producer went to her home and told the youngster that Smitha wanted to say sorry. When Shakeela reached the set, Smitha gave a box of chocolates, and hugged her.
“Smitha told me that since I was new to acting, I probably would not know how to cry,” says Shakeela. “And since I was skimpily dressed, I would feel uncomfortable in front of the crew. So, in order to finish the shoot in one take, she slapped me. But till today, my heart is not convinced by her answer. I have been puzzled by her behaviour.” Could she have been jealous at the rise of a new competitor? “I don’t know,” says Shakeela.
Incidentally, Smitha committed suicide on September 23, 1996.
It is 2013. Shakeela, who has lost more than 20 kg, is relaxing in her hotel room at Kochi, after a day’s shooting for her latest Malayalam film, Neelakurinji Poothu, in which she is acting as well as being the director. The story is about a single mother bringing up a girl. The producer is Jaffer Kanjirapally, who has done 19 films with her. “I made a lot of money, thanks to Shakeela,” he says. “Now I am trying my luck again.”
As for Shakeela, she wanted to do something different. “To try new things like direction will help me grow as an actor,” she says. But it has been an up and down career.
For a time, from the nineties to 2000, Shakeela’s soft-porn Malayalam films were a rage in Kerala. Her film, Kinnarathumbikal, became a huge hit. She shakes her head and says, “How did this film do well? It had one of the worst background music I have heard: some scratchy remixes of Michael Jackson songs. I was wearing a blouse and a lungi. There were only two hot scenes. In one I am having a bath in a stream and, in another I make love to an older man.”
Nevertheless, the public were enamoured. Later, the films were dubbed into many other Indian languages and could also be seen in places like Nepal and Bangladesh. But once the Censor Board clamped down on the films, Shakeela’s career came to a sudden halt.
“I had been working for two years without a gap,” she says. “And when I got a break, I was so happy. For a month I was eating and relaxing. Then it became very boring. I learned cooking and passed the time by playing games on Play Station. For two years, I did not get any roles.”
Her break came when she got a comic role in Telugu director Theja’s Jeyam in 2002. Thereafter, she did similar roles in Tamil and Kannada films. However, the old request to wear revealing clothes kept cropping up. “Immediately I will say, ‘Is this a Malayalam film?’, and shut them up,” says Shakeela, with a smile.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Priyadarshan to make his acting debut in Malayalam film

Mumbai,Mar 16:Director Priyadarshan will be making his acting debut in an upcoming Malayalam film.

Priyadarshan, who has directed almost 87 films in several Indian languages including Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, will try his hands on acting now after being a director, producer and screenwriter.



"I am acting in a Malayalam film. It is an arty film and not a commercial one," Priyadarshan told PTI. The national award winning director will be seen in Malayalam director Blessy's next film, which reportedly is titled Kalimannu. "I am playing a director's role. It is a cameo," he said. Priyadarshan began his film career with Malayalam cinema and later ventured into other languages.

He is best known for his comedy flicks, but has also tried his hand at action and thriller films. When asked if it is easy being in front of the camera, Priyadarshan said, "In front of the camera I find it difficult. As far as the actors are concerned, it is easy for them to do it but not for me." Presently, the 56-year-old is looking forward to the release of his next Hindi directorial venture Rangrezz, a remake of Tamil hit Naadodigal. Releasing on March 21, Rangrezz stars Jackky Bhagnani and Southern actress Priya Anand in the lead.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Kollywood takes a special liking for Malayalam cinema

Call it the new generation wave crossing borders, Malayalam films are increasingly being remade into Tamil. TOI probes...

Malayalam cinema has always enjoyed a place of prominence, with filmmakers and artistes from other industries speaking high of its rich content and rooted-to-reality subjects. Interestingly, at a time when the new-generation wave is sweeping across filmdom, there has been an influx in the number of Malayalam films being remade into Tamil, like never before. TOI probes Kollywood's rising interest in Malayalam cinema.

The ever-expanding list Incidentally, Malayalam films released over the past few years have caught the fancy of Tamil filmmakers, to be remade in K'wood. While the 2011 superhit Traffic will hit the Tamil screens as Chennail Oru Naal in some time, Ordinary goes to Kollywood as Jannal Oram. Reportedly, the Fahadh Faasil-Vineeth Sreenivasan starrer, Chappa Kurishu, is the latest entrant from Mollywood to hit the Tamil screens, with actress Radhika Sharathkumar said to helm the project. Prakash Raj takes Aashiq Abu's Salt 'N Pepper to Kollywood as Uluvacharu Biriyani, with him stepping into Lal's shoes and Tabu essaying the role of the middle-aged woman Shwetha Menon played in the original. Buzz is that Anoop Menon's Beautiful will also go on floors in a Tamil avatar soon, besides his Cocktail, with the Tamil version apparently starring Bollywood actress Radhika Apte and Telugu actor Randhir Reddy.

Why Mollywood?

It's the season of remakes in tinselville; however, Malayalam has not entirely fallen into the remake wave sweeping across most film industries, and mostly sticks to home-grown subjects. This might be a major reason why Tamil filmmakers are choosing Malayalam films over other languages, experts point out. "Kollywood filmmakers mostly prefer remakes of Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam films. While the first two industries cater mostly to commercial entertainers, it's Malayalam films that they look up to for convincing storylines. Further, the Malayali and Tamil audience share a number of similarities, just as the two languages do. So it takes just a minimal tweaking of the script to suit the sensibilities of the Tamil audience," a prominent Malayalam filmmaker says.



Interestingly, directors Siddhique and Faasil have helmed most of the Tamil remakes of their Malayalam films. Siddhique's Dileep-Nayanthara starrer Bodyguard was a sleeper hit in M-Town, while its Tamil remake, Kaavalan, with Vijay and Asin in the lead, was a blockbuster. Similarly, Faasil's hit film, Aniyathipraavu, also enjoyed a good run at the Kollywood BO as Kadhalukku Mariyadhai.

Malayali stars in Tamil remakes

Interestingly, two of the recent Tamil remakes from Malayalam stars Mollywood actresses who have had a successful innings in K-Town. Malayali actress Ineya, who stars in Chennail Oru Naal, the Tamil remake of the Malayalam superhit, Traffic, says, "Malayalam films are known for their substance. Traffic is one of the most-discussed films in recent times and Tamil is just one of the languages that the film is being remade into. There has not been any major change in the script as such. I play the role essayed by Remya Nambeesan in the original."

While Remya's negative role in the film opened a new path in her career, with Chennail Oru Naal, Ineya is looking forward to breaking free from the village belle roles she's mostly been seen in, in Tamil cinema. Shamna Kasim aka Poorna stars in Jannal Oram, the Tamil remake of Ordinary. "I come in Ann Augustine's role in the remake. The film's location plays a major part in taking the story forward; so the makers have stuck to the same premises for the Tamil version as well," she states.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

How to Get Rich in your own way


Getting Rich Your Own Way

Brain Tracy is a famous writer who is a life coach. His books are read world wide. Check this book out. It will defiantly change you way of thinking about geting rich and it can help you achieve the status of being rich.

Excerpt from this book



The major difference between those who succeed and those who fail is simple. Successful people in every field  are action-oriented, while failures are talk-oriented. People who achieve greatly are those who ìjust do it!î while those who accomplish little spend  their lives hoping, wishing, dreaming and making excuses. By opening this  book, you have stepped forward into the ranks of those few who make things
happen, rather than the majority who continue to wait for things to happen to  them.  This book could be called Getting Rich In Canada or Australia or  New Zealand or England or any other country with a market-based  economy. It is called Getting Rich In America because the United States has  the freest economic system and the greatest number of opportunities to become wealthy of any country in the world. In 2004, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, fully 15% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 were planning to start a new business- the highest percentage in the world. As a result of this entrepreneurial climate, there are more self-made millionaires and billionaires per capita in the U.S. than in any other country. So we'll start here.


Starting With Nothing When I was growing up, my family had very little money. My father
was not always employed and my motherís work as a nurse was often the
only thing that put food on the table for myself and my three brothers. We
were raised on macaroni and cheese, and wore clothes from the Goodwill
and the Salvation Army. From the age of ten, I made my own money and
paid my own bills working at gardening and odd jobs around the
neighborhood. When I was fifteen, I began searching for the so-called secrets of
financial success. Like many young people, my goal was to be a millionaire
by the time I was thirty. However, when I turned thirty, I was just as broke
as when I was twenty. I had not even graduated from high school, and aside
from being able to sell, I had no real skills at all. It was about that time that I started to worry about my situation, and how little progress I had made in the last ten years. Many of my friends were
already doing quite well, married with children, living in nice homes, and
making good money. But I was going nowhere financially.


Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Malayalam movies go online

T.K. Devasia / 5 March 2013 TRIVANDRUM - Film buffs can now watch Malayalam movies online without fear of being caught by the law enforcement agencies.

Three companies engaged in the marketing DVDs of films have decided to stream films online at the same price the DVDs are sold. The three firms, Movie Channel, Cyna and Star Vision, will be uploading the films on the Internet as soon as they get the DVD rights. They will be streaming the films through http://www.myindiashopping.com, a Trivandrum-based online films library.

The charge for the new films will be between Rs90 and Rs125. The viewers will also be free to download the film. The three companies have come forward to take the films online following failure by the authorities to check the rise in the film piracy. Though the police have stepped up action against piracy, the menace continued to thrive due to difficulties in initiating criminal action against all those who have viewed films illegally.

 As the films go viral after it is uploaded on the Internet, the police will be faced with the gigantic task of taking action against thousands of people, which is not practical. According to film industry sources, more than three million people illegally viewed the film Ordinary on the net. Another film Grand Master was seen by 1.2 million people. In the first major case initiated by the police, it could register cases against only 1,010 out of more than 30,000 people, who illegally downloaded or viewed Bachelor Party within 10 days of its release. This was the biggest crackdown on Internet piracy of an Indian film. Investigations were conducted with the technical support of a Cochin-based firm, which specialises in cyber patrolling. The culprits were spread across the country and outside like the US, the UK, South Africa, China and Uganda.

 The Malayalam film industry has been complaining that Internet and video piracy is a grievous problem faced by it. The illegal uploading and downloading have been causing severe financial crisis to the industry as a whole. The CD companies have also been suffering huge loss due to piracy. The three firms have come forward to take films online hoping that a large majority of the people who view the films illegally will be encouraged to do it legally by paying a fee.

Industry sources say that the biggest chunk of people viewing the films illegally on the net are non-resident Indians, who usually do not get immediate access to the CDs of the films soon after they are released. The sources believe that the current price fixed by the online portal will be affordable to the NRIs and if a majority of them see the films through legal channels, it will give a big boost to the industry as a whole.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

'Motorcycle Diaries' is Malayalam director Rajesh Pillai's next MALAYALAM NEWS, Posted on Mar 01, 2013 at 05:18pm IST

After the super hit Malayalam film 'Traffic', its director Rajesh Pillai is coming up with a new movie tiled 'Motorcycle Diaries'. Among the film's many highlights one striking highlight will be will be that the lead artist Kunchako Boban will be seen in a very different avatar. The movie penned by the debutante filmmaker Deepu Mathew, will have a surprisingly different narration.

The movie narrated through the eyes of the central character, will also feature actor Nivin Pauly in a very prominent role. However reports suggests that the film will be shot in Leh, Ladakh, Kolkata, Pondicherry,


Goa and Fort Kochi Also the Malayalam film 'Motorcycle Diaries' has background score by Prashant Pillai in it.