Archive for October, 2006
Noteworthy Nasser
I watched Nasser as he had his coffee at the Green Park. He didn’t come on time but kept me informed about his whereabouts, “I’m here, I’ll reach the place in 15 mts,” he said. An accomplished actor Nasser has something to say. “People without any qualification in acting or any other department in film [...]
Raja casts a maya
Lot of things can happen over a cup of coffee. A compulsive coffee addict, Raja reels off his story while he helps himself with another cuppa. He lost his parents when he was young and all he has is some hazy but fantastic memories. His sisters fed and bathed him, sent him to school and [...]
Poojita has a point
Poojita has more to her than being Renuka Chowdary’s daughter. She is strong willed, worked hard and made a place of her own in the world of meaningful films. She is currently in focus for making a film Gender Bender for the BBC on women breaking barriers in male bastions that will be screened in [...]
Rock royalty
He worked up his way from a brick business to become a force to reckon with. Producer Ramanaidu has seen ups and downs but what held him to become a numero uno producer is his ambition, steely determination and a relentless pursuit to make quality movies. I’ve heard that once when he had taken Venkatesh [...]
Tour-de-romance
Hoo, boy, this has got to be the rockingest snap of the month. This is from Poramboku. Navdeep as a ‘useless’ character does nothing but dreams of making it big. So here he’s lying there on the hammock waiting for Ektha Khosla to turn up. The film is turning out to be an unexpectedly enjoyable [...]
Pyaar se bolo…
If you are angry with someone, if you hate someone, mend those fences right now. Or take a leaf out of this. A former mayor in the city of Pune was so deeply inspired by the film Lage Raho Munnabhai that he started a Gandhigiri Club which boasts of 300 members. On October 2nd, on [...]
Dabbu jabbu
Nothing can really be done to sustain it or avoid it, if you take a corrupt person in power and replace a fair and just person. Sooner or later they also become corrupt. You just have to assume and hope the replacement will be a fair person. That’s about leaders. What about aam junta? You’ll [...]
An absolute foodie
Malayalam megastar Mohanlal after launching masalas and pickles under the name Mohanlal’s Tastebuds is penning a book called my Culinary Journey. Mohanlal has written about his enduring love for Malayali food and the happiness it brings. About the book on which he is starting work in October he says, “It will be an experience of the [...]
Sparkling Sam
Controversy seems to be constant with her. She is doing well for herself in Hindi films but unfortunately nothing clicked for her here. There are no bouquets without brickbats, so while one half condemned her for her alleged involvement with a star, the other end she has not been offered any telugu film so far. [...]
Poonam loses her pounds
Poonam has not had a smashing hit for a long time. But that doesn’t stop her from being bracketed amongst the few talented actresses any given year. Right now Poonam is at her home in Pune spending time with her sister while her parents are away in Canada. She has lost a lot of weight [...]
Celluloid Plausibility
Do you remember that film in which Mithun Chakraborty is in a jail cell and he looks at the wall and then drills a hole in it with his finger and takes out his pen and sticks it into the hole? No? Do you know what he does next? He hangs his cap on the [...]
Manchi attha ee sari
Having already cut her teeth on the near clinical, irascible icy mother-in-law character in Anand, Chandana Chakrabarti moves into more meaningful roles and this time in Manasu Palike Mounaragam she essays a strong, compassionate and a non-weepy character that is going to make film-goers sit up and take notice. ”I’m going to be more choosy, will [...]
Chand nikal aaja…
There is confusion this time too. Is Id-Ul-Fitr being celebrated today or tomorrow? While the moon was seen in Karnataka and other northern states, it wasn’t in Hyderabad. Shafi is in his home town Chandragiri when I called to wish him. He says, “Irrespective of the place, if the moon is seen anywhere in the [...]
A Ronaldo fan
I had seen Esha Deol in hyderabad during Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche. After many years I spotted her recently at Life Style. No not shopping. She was standing near the counter, while no one recognised her, looking elsewhere probably waiting for someone. Very short but, round eyed innocence, trendy salwar kameez, she reminded me [...]
Kandala Rayudu
Single men may be shy and elusive, troubled by past experiences of unrequited love. Gyms might be the refuge for masculine identity in crisis. Recently my friend who works out like mad has been feeling that he was denied his fair share of air at the local gym. He has been waiting longer for his [...]
Shriya changed the mood
Vishal speaks chaste telugu and takes pride in it. He’s very glad with the kind of response that his film Pogaru is drawing in the State. He says, “I never expected that people’s response would be so overwhelming. I knew the film had substance right from the word go. What is important and becomes a [...]
Vanisri loves DD
Veteran actress Vanisri lauded Doordarshan for promoting programmes that are rich in Telugu and Telugu culture. She flayed the seventy odd channels for concentrating on films and film based programmes. She says, “I’m not able to watch the kind of movies being made today, the current day movies lack good language and it could put [...]
Roopa Kalpana
The lights shine bright and the screen gods descend for their work before they stoop to conquer. While they go on to create history, the men behind their on-screen looks remain in the background. It is the make-up man who changes the persona of an artiste and makes him look younger, older or wicked to [...]
Battle lines are drawn
Ashwini Dutt is excited. The audio is doing great all over the world. He gives the credit to his daughter who conceptualised the entire release. He tells me, “It was her idea. Thanks to our telugu boys, for the past three years they are now all over and the overseas market for Mahesh Babu is [...]
Sandy sees Vallavan
Sandhya has just returned after watching Vallavan from a late night show. Ask her how the film is and she says, “the response is tremendous, it’s a big hit but I have nothing much to do in it.” Then why did she choose to work in it? “Because of my friend Simbhu. He requested me [...]
I can’t stand Allu Arjun (his acting and his look), RCT’s looks...