After Pokkiri, Prabhu Deva and Vijay are back with 'Villu' a 'Power pack Pongal' for Vijay Fans. Vijay Fans in USA are thrilled to taste the feast two days prior to release in India. After two not so good movies such as ATM and Kuruvi, Vijay is back in form. As a rigid formula everyone in the theatre expect only a Mass entertainer from 'Pugazh'-Vijay, and Prabhu Deva has done his best to maintain all the elements needed to give a complete Vijay movie - with super hero intro, romance ,comedy, several fights, item songs and finally hero wins over the baddies.

Story:

Hero Pugazh (Vijay) is introduced as a local area super hero who is the savior of poor and the needy. He acts as a Villu (arrow) of a senior Police officer Manoj K Jain and follows his instructions secretly. In his mission he targets international Dadas and as a part of the mission he makes love to Jhanvi (Nayantara), who as expected is the Main Dada Prakash Raj's daughter. Who is Pughazh and why is he back of these dadas is revealed slowly following a flash back in the second half. Director has succeeded in keeping the suspense till the end. Though there are logical flaws here and there, story falls in place.

First half rocks the theater and major credit goes to Vaigai puyal Vadivelu. He tickles us every time he appears on the screen and especially his Nakka Mukka dance in front of Swiss Police is highly comical. Only Kids can enjoy his fight with the graphic cow. Nayanthara chills the screen now and then, its high time she start doing something than a regular heroine shouting at the hero and showing recession in costumes. She is the same in all her recent movies. Mam try to act for a change!

Devi Sri Prasad rocks the floor in 'Jalsa' and 'Nee Kova Pattal' is nice to hear and to see. He could have worked more on BGM as they don't sync with the movie, rather sounds too bold at unwanted places. 'Vaada Maapla' and item song 'Daddy Mummy' is gonna be sizzling in channels for the following days for sure. 'Dheem Thanana Thillana' is a good dance number and 'Rama Rama' is a typical Vijay intro song meant to bring out josh in his fans, Prabhu Deva shows his mark in all songs and Vijay has proved that he is no less a dancer than the director. Kudos to the Choreographers! Kushboo and Prabhu Deva's special appearance in the song adds spice. Villian Prakash Raj fails to impress and has been wasted.

Ravi Varman's Camera has beautifully captured Zurich in songs and fight sequences are amazing. Prabhu Deva has brilliantly capitalized the talents of Ravi. Only one or two dialogues like 'Enakku pottukudukka theriyadhu, Poda thaan theriyum' pin the mind while others fly no where.

அனலிசிஸ்:

Villu has an entertaining first half, flash back in the second half is totally hindi 'Soldier' with added Tamil senti facts. Major Vijay, logic less Blue Ray Disc sequences, Drunk Nayanthara and no different villain Prakash Raj make the movie lag. Vijay imitates Superstar in some scenes which look very obvious and repetitive. Hero Vijay, song sequences, Cinematography and Vadivelu make 'Villu' a pretty good entertainer.

Vettrimaran's Pollaadhavan starring Dhanush and Divya Spandana was a film that mixed commercial elements with realism very successfully. Based on Bicycle Thief, Pollaadhavan showed Dhanush at his very best, as an average boy with extraordinary dreams and the guts to achieve them.

Now, Varun Sandesh is all set to emulate Dhanush's act in a Telugu remake of Pollaadhavan. Neha Sharma, who had a sizzling debut opposite Ram Charan Teja in Chiruta, has signed up for her second film with this remake.

Gemini Kiran will be the producer and Sandeep Reddy is all set to wield the megaphone. According to insiders, Varun Sandesh might even develop a 6 pack for this film to convincingly present the image of a street-smart, lower-middle class unemployed youth.

Varun-Neha in Pollaadhavan remake Vettrimaran's Pollaadhavan starring Dhanush and Divya Spandana was a film that mixed commercial elements with realism very successfully. Based on Bicycle Thief, Pollaadhavan showed Dhanush at his very best, as an average boy with extraordinary dreams and the guts to achieve them. Now, Varun Sandesh is all set to emulate Dhanush's act in a Telugu remake of Pollaadhavan. Neha Sharma, who had a sizzling debut opposite Ram Charan Teja in Chiruta, has signed up for her second film with this remake. Gemini Kiran will be the producer and Sandeep Reddy is all set to wield the megaphone. According to insiders, Varun Sandesh might even develop a 6 pack for this film to convincingly present the image of a street-smart, lower-middle class unemployed youth.

Ramana to be remade in Hindi? Following the success of Ghajini, which trounced many Bollywood trendsetters in box office collections, including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, director Murugadoss is in great demand in Bollywood. His popularity grew even when Ghajini was in the making. With newspapers publishing Aamir Khan's views about the director every day and the film's burgeoning craze, Murugadoss's popularity kept soaring. Popular Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and even King Khan (Shahrukh Khan) expressed their desire for doing a film with Murugadoss. Now it is widely rumoured that King Khan is highly impressed with Murugadoss's Ramana (Vijaykanth) and deems it would make a perfect Bollywood blockbuster if remade in Bollywood style. The film did astounding business in Tamil Nadu and helped Vijaykanth reinvent his acting style and popularity. Avid cinemagoers of Tamil Nadu can recall that Ramana had caught the attention of Bollywood even before Murugadoss made Ghajini. Earlier, Sunny Deol who has a penchant of acting in remakes of Tamil films, was very eager to remake Ramana, but gave up the idea later. Though Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is doing well at the box office, it did not bring in the accolades usual for a Shahrukh film. This might have prompted King Khan to think of remaking Ramana, a probable blockbuster. Still, it will not be long before Shahrukh asserts that he is still the king of box office, because Billu Barber and My Name is Khan, two of his most raved about films, are releasing soon. Anyway, it would be interesting to watch King Khan don the role of a professor who takes the law in his own hands to fight the morally corrupt. Check out: Ghajini (Hindi) photo gallery Download Tamil Movie Wallpapers Listen to and download the latest Tamil Movie Songs

Director Kannan to marry Kannan, the brilliant Kollywood director who directed Jayam Kondaan, is getting married to Madhana (of Chennai) on January 23rd at Green Park Hotel, Vadapalani. Speaking about his marriage, Kannan said 'This marriage has been arranged by my parents and I am absolutely happy about it.' This erstwhile student of Mani Ratnam will soon direct Raja Rani, the remake of Hindi blockbuster Jab We Met, a fun movie about how a vivacious girl running away from her home to meet her boyfriend teaches a young despondent man valuable lessons about life. The second half comes with a twist and the film has a happy ending. This love story is packed with so much energy and feel-good factors that it requires the director to be overly enthusiastic! The bliss of marriage is sure to charge up an already successful Kannan and set the perfect mood to make this love story. We are sure he will repeat the magic of Jab We Met in Tamil too. We congratulate Kannan and wish him a happy married life. Check Jayam Kondaan photo gallery.

Direction is my first love: Sasikumar In a recent interview, director Sasikumar revealed that is quite funny and easy compared to film direction, but his first priority is always film direction. The director who acted in his very first directorial venture Subramaniapuram and is acting in Nadodigal said that he does not have any ambition of becoming an actor. He said that his acting in Nadodigal can be construed as a mutual deal Samudrakani, who directs Nadodigal, had acted in Subramaniapuram at Sasikumar's request and now Sasikumar is reciprocating. He further added that though he treats acting seriously, for him it is only a way to 'let off steam'. Soon we shall see him directing a film, promised Sasikumar. Terming his experience of acting in Samudrakani's Nadodigal as fulfilling and exciting, he points out that his character in the film is in contrast with what he did in Subramaniapuram; in Nadodigal he plays a jaunty man and has even danced to the tunes of a few songs, whereas in Subramaniapuram he played a reticent man. As reported earlier, Sasikumar is also producing Pasanga and will begin directing a film in April. Check out Subramaniapuram photo gallery Download Tamil Movie Wallpapers. Listen to and download the latest Tamil

Director Stanley in Ravan Mani Ratnam is taking all the possible efforts to make his Ravan/ Ashokavanam be remembered forever. Not only he has taken the best actors for his film, but he has also employed the best technicians in the industry too. Even the team of his assistant and associate directors is vastly experienced and includes big names like director S.S. Stanley! Yes, director Stanley, who directed April Mathathil (Srikanth), Mercury Pookkal and Pudhukkottaiyilirundhu Saravanan (Dhanush), is Mani Ratnam's associate in the bilingual Ravan/ Ashokavanam. Director Stanley is quite excited to be a part of this magnificent project. Says Stanley, 'It gives me immense pleasure to be an associate of Mani Sir. It is quite a learning experience for me. And given the magnanimity of this project, there is so much knowledge that I can gain from it.' There is no doubt this bilingual which stars Abishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Vikram will go on to make history. Check out: Aishwarya Rai photo gallery Vikram photo gallery

Shilpa Shetty inaugurates Sona's Uniq fashion store Shilpa Shetty who rose to fame in the early nineties had a revival of fortunes due to her appearance in the U.K. reality show, 'Big Brother'. Thereafter, Shilpa has been very selective in her appearances on screen, not succumbing to the lure of money. So when Shilpa Shetty came to inaugurate Sona's Uniq fashion store, Chennaiites were abuzz with excitement. The item girl who raised men's pulses in Mirugam, Pathu pathu, Sivapathigaram and Kuselan, Sona is venturing into the nascent fashion industry in Chennai by opening a boutique called Uniq. The inauguration event was held at the Taj Connemara and Shilpa said during the inaugural speech that it was her friendship with Sona that brought her to Chennai. Uniq, as the name suggests, will truly be one-of-its-kind. Sona plans to showcase fashion accessories like designer jewellery, belts, bracelets, shoes and watches from Singapore and the European Union as well some unique pieces that have been designed by local talent. Sona reveals that these delectable fashion accessories will be priced between Rs. 1000 and Rs. 1,00,000. Declaring that she wants to change the fashion hub of India from Mumbai to Chennai, Sona says that Uniq is a step in that ambitious direction. True to the name, the store will not carry more than one or two pieces of a particular design or fashion accessory to maintain the exclusivity and uniqueness. Uniq, the lifestyle fashion store is located opposite the SIET college on Mount Road, Chennai. Click here to check out images of Shilpa Shetty inaugurating Sona's Uniq fashion store Sona photo gallery

Dhanush seems to be bent on doing films with titles borrowed from hit-films of his father-in-law and superstar Rajnikanth. Pollathavan and Padikkathavan are examples. The next film that Dhanush would be doing, borrowing the title from a Rajni film, will be Pokkiri Raja.

The film of course will have nothing to do with the Rajni-starrer released in 1982. Cinematographer R.D. Rajashekhar will make his debut as a director with Pokkiri Raja, which will be produced by Raj TV, one of the leading Tamil television channels. More details are awaited.

Debutant director Jayaraj Vijay's Sudharil Sudhan, with noted Malayalam comedy actor Indrans in the lead (for the first time in his career of over 20 years), has started rolling at the locations of Kuttikaanam, Idukki. Produced by Joy Jacob under the banner of Laseega Media Lab, Sudharil Sudhan includes a bit of seriousness and comedy.

Indrans portrays the role of an ardent Marxist named Ramankutty, who works in an estate in the high range for daily wages. Despite the constant financial crisis in his family consisting of his wife Janaky (Lakshmi Sharma) and three children (Ganapathy, Kannan and Drishya), Ramankutty has a great concern for his political party and its activities. When the party announces a strike against Ramankutty's estate management, Ramankutty is forced to lead the fight against the management. The strike continues for days, leaving his family in misery and starvation. The film then revolves around Ramankutty's struggles in the party as well as his family.

Apart from Indrans, the movie has Mukesh, Kalabhavan Mani, Lalu Alex, Jagathi Sreekumar, Innocent, Sai Kumar, Anoop Chandran, Mamukoya and Bindu Panikar in major roles. Mukesh dons the role of a member in the Human Rights Commission. Jaison J. Nair scores music for lyrics written by Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma. K.P. Nambiathiri wields the camera.

Poo (directed by Sasi and produced by Moser Baer) is one of the most beautiful films released in recent times. The film was released less than two weeks ago and it has already been selected for a screening at Chennai International Film Festival which starts on December 17th. Not just the Chennai International Film Festival but Poo has been getting invites from various international film festivals as well!

Well, getting selected for an international film festival is in itself an achievement, but getting selected within days of its release is quite a feat, a feat that speaks volumes about its content and quality. Poo, which brought to the silver screens the beautiful tale of a simple village girl, has been running successfully to packed houses, proving that formula films are not the only road to success. This will encourage its producer Moser Baer to make more beautiful films like Poo.

This is only a beginning and no one shall be surprised if Poo lands at the Oscars and brings home an Oscar, such is its appeal and content.

The same old story of revenge, love, family sentiment returns in the name of Thenavattu produced by Sun Pictures. For Jeeva who generally chooses varied and challenging characters, this film will be just one more addition to his kitty and nothing more. Poonam Bajwa the heroine who has nothing to offer.

Jeeva comes to Chennai from Madurai in search of employment. He mistakes his boss Ravi Kale to be a good timber depot industrialist and makes for him sickle, saw and other tools for cutting. However Ravi Kale is a local dada whose job is to kill people.

Jeeva meets Poonam Bajwa in a temple and as can be predicted by a toddler, they fall in love. Meanwhile Ravi Kale's son Sabi who happens to a womanizer eyes Poonam Bajwa who somehow escapes his clutches. Rajan P Dev who is a minister with the ruling party abets the carnages of Kale et al and the desperadoes always go scot-free. There is also an assistant commissioner Sai Kumar whose sister was wronged and killed by the villain clan and he is raging in anger to settle scores with them. The rest of the film deals with how the enemy camp gets decimated by the hero gang and about the revenge saga.

Debutant director V V Kathir who is in charge of story, screen play and direction should have taken extra care especially when this happens to be his first film. When many new directors with innovative ideas enter the fray everyday, Kathir's work does not speak much.

Music by Srikanth Deva does not impress. Cinematography is just ordinary. Stunt scenes by Sumo Arasu do not try anything new.

Thenavattu is for people who just adore illogical masala flicks.

It is difficult to reveal any aspect of the plot of the movie because that might amount to disservice to a carefully crafted work of art. This is not to say that Poo is art-house cinema, it instead treats cinema at a different level where there is neither an antagonist nor a protagonist and only the inscrutable ways of destiny determine the fate of characters who remain so true to the story without even an element of cinematic liberty being thrown in. It seems to be a true interpretation of what Shakespeare so famously said, “All the world’s a stage and all men and women are the players.” Poo is set in the rustic surroundings of Rajapalayam where life is simple and slow and ambitions are limited. It tells the story of two young children, a boy and a girl, their families and their dreams in life. What happens when dreams clash? Someone has to let go of their dream for the others to realize theirs’. It is one person’s love and affection for the other that makes them sacrifice hoping sincerely that the object of their love will have a better life sharing someone else’s dream. It is also “love” that makes people give up their own dreams and believe in someone

else, trusting them with their life. But when sacrifices go in vain and life of the loved one looks far from the bed of roses that had been envisaged, then it is a kind of helplessness that engulfs the mind and one is left to live only in sorrow, grieving the dream that was never to be.

Poo is a movie that has given some budding actors a wonderful opportunity to set foot in the industry and they have done it with élan. Parvathy, the debut heroine has done a marvelous job, not at all showing any signs of inexperience. She excels in all kinds of expressions and an interesting thing is that at times one can detect traces of Padmapriya. Parvathy will definitely be a strong contender for the best debut award this year. Srikanth is on screen after a long time and appears in a role that is not the regular hero type. First, congrats to him for making the choice. He is adequate without being excellent, fitting neatly into the character. But the one who steals the show is the actor who plays Srikanth’s father, he is splendid and one to look out for in similar roles in future. The Rajapalayam accent has been adapted to near perfection throughout the movie. Poo is devoid of any commercial element. There are a few scenes here and there with situational humor that do not fail to amuse. The emotional scenes are the best. Made to near perfection, they will move even the most passive viewer close to tears, especially the climatic scenes. The movie has content that is enough just for a short story and has been narrated fluently on screen.

Then there are stars behind the camera. Cinematographer P.G. Muthiah has done a wonderful job, translating all the rural charm onto screen. Veerasamar has matched the camera with his art. One is left wondering whether the huts are sets or real ones. Debutant composer S.S. Kumaran deserves accolades for his score and re-recording. Three songs, Maman, Aavaram Poo and Choo Choo Maari stand out as excellent compositions. But the one man who deserves an ovation here is director Sasi. This must be his best work to date. Handling the story, screenplay, dialogue and direction, he has given a product that will please all true lovers of cinema. He must also be credited with extracting moving performances from the cast.

Overall, Poo is like a beautiful poem. Poetry is not everyone’s cup of tea and one is not sure how many will be able to appreciate this subtly narrated story of dreams and sacrifices. It is a sincere wish that Poo does well, Tamil cinema will be better off with the success of a movie like Poo. But one finds it hard to see how the movie will achieve commercial success, given its simple yet beautiful narration.

Nayanthara is out of Lingusamy’s Paiyya produced by his brother Bose under their home banner Thirupathi Pictures and directed by him in which Karthi was supposed to be her co-star.

Remember that Lingusamy had signed Nayanthara for a whopping salary of more of than Rs1 Crore for this project. Everybody was shocked by the figure, as no female lead has ever been paid so much in Kollywood. No other star in Tamil has commanded and got such price which clearly indicated that she adds value and opening to a film.

Said a peeved Nayanthara: “I have a valid contract with the producer on my salary and now with no substantial reason, he wants me to bring it down. Why should I? I had given dates for this film from September and for the last three months he was unable to start the shoot due to various reasons. I understood his situation and waited patiently without signing any new film. In the meantime, I came to know that Lingusamy was contacting other actresses and spreading false rumours about me which I ignored, giving him due respect as a film maker.”http://sify.com/movies/fullstory.php?id=14812052

This morning (December 2), several stars and actors from the Nadigar Sangam met to offer condolences and prayers to those affected by the Mumbai tragedy. Present were Dhanush, Karthi, Bharath, Sathyaraj, Sibiraj, Radha Ravi, Sandhya, Keerthi chawla and many from the industry. On a large table strewn with rose flowers, the actors planted candles to
Nadigar Sangam
commemorate each life that was lost. They observed silence for a while and then began to deliberate on what had happened and how they could be involved in the future to offer support to victims. The resolution passed and the oaths taken were clear: the Nadigar Sangam will come out strongly against any terrorist activity.

At Sathyam, Chennai, the audio release of Pattalam took place today. There are many things different about this movie, and even the audio release was one of a kind. First the film: it features 7 new, young heroes and one new heroine – a total of 8 new faces in Tami cinema in just one movie! Nadiya plays a school teacher who mentors them. What was
Pattalam
different about this audio release is that each new hero was introduced by 7 young Tamil heroes – Bharath, Jayam Ravi, Prasanna, Srikanth, Jai and Shakthi. The heroine of the film was introduced by Vijaylakshmi.

Venkat Prabhu introduced the director, while Nadia released the audio. The audio was released by all the young heroes. Linguswamy, the producer of Pattalam, said that these young new heroes will do as well as the heroes of Boys. Bharath said that Rajini had introduced them in Boys, and he was proud to introduce these new heroes today. Prasanna said that when Five Star was released, Mani Ratnam introduced him and the new cast. One of the songs in the film has been written by Nellai Bharathi, a writer with the magazine Vanathirai. Apparently this is a song that Nadiya loves, and even took the trouble of learning the lyrics and what it meant. Even Vairamuthu has praised the lyrics of the song as rare in Tamil films. It is Linguswamy, who had worked previously in a magazine, who gave Nellai a chance.

Jai thanks Ajith

December 04, 2008

Jai, who began his career in a small cameo in Bhagavathy, made a mark for himself in Chennai - 28. Later on he proved that his success was not a flash in the pan in Subramaniapuram. Now this talented upcoming actor is on a roll and his kitty is full of plum assignments like Aval Peyar Thamizharasi, Arjunan Kaadali, to name a few.

Recently to a poser on who his favorite actor in Kollywood is, Jai came with a prompt reply that it is none other than the Ultimate Star Ajith Kumar. He further went on a laudatory spree, singing Hosannas on the handsome star. Jai says that Ajith does not miss an opportunity to appreciate good work and the Billa star is like an elder brother to him. He also seeks advice from him on his films and Ajith is always ready to help him out.