Wednesday 30 December 2009

I hate size zero, says Asin

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At a time when size zero is becoming a craze among Bollywood heroines, Asin's answer to a question on slimming down is a big no. I believe in performance, not size zero, said the Ghajini girl in an interview.


I am comfortable with my looks and I want audience to think me as a girl-next-door. Size zero is an unhealthy trend. I don't want to pain myself to reduce weight, the south Indian siren who is making waves in Hindi cinema said.


Claiming that actresses from the south are getting a very good reception in Mumbai, Asin said the reason was their commitment, dedication and honesty. The respect for south Indians increased especially after the winning of the Oscars by Rahman, she said.


Extending her wishes to Trisha, who too had stepped into Hindi film industry, Asin, when asked about her advice to her colleague, said, I am not experienced enough to advice someone. But my wishes are always there for Trisha.


Denying reports that she had been approached for a Vijay film, she said, No such offer came in my way. But I am always ready to share the screen space with my Pokkiri pair. Because, Vijay is a nice person to work with.

Saturday 5 December 2009

Rajini is upset

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Tamil Superstar Rajinikanth has mourned the sudden demise of his Kannada counterpart and good friend Vishnuvaradhan on Wednesday.


In his condolence message, Rajini said, I just could not believe that Vishnuvaradhan is no more. I spoke with him only a couple of days ago. I have lost one of my best friends. He is a great actor and a great man.


Rajini said: The moments I had spent with him is still green in my memory. My deepest condolences to the family members of Vishnuvaradhan. May his soul rest in peace.


Though I am unable to attend the great actor's funeral due to security reasons, I will go to Bangalore soon and meet his family members, he added. It is to be noted that Rajini and Vishnuvaradhan had acted together in films like Sri Raghavendrar and Viduthalai.

The Tamil Superstar's 2005 blockbuster Chandramukhi was a remake of Vishnuvaradhan's Apthamithra.

Thursday 12 November 2009

I am a talented actress: Mumait Khan



"Pournami Naagam is an opportunity for me to prove that I am not just a good dancer, but also a talented actress. Doing dual roles is no easy task. I will try to excel in both the roles," says Mumait Khan.

"Featuring me in a dual role for the first time in my career, the film revolves around two Naga Devatas (female snakes), who want to perform a ritualistic dance before Lord Shiva in a bid to save the world from the fast approaching collapse and annihilation," Mumait says.

"Such a role has been performed by actresses like Sridevi and Sri Priya earlier. I wish I can match their performance in Pournami Naagam," says the actress with all hopes.

Known for his science fiction and horror thrillers, 'Yaar' Kannan has directed the movie. Heaping laurels on the filmmaker, she says, "I have seen 'Yaar' by Kannan. I marvelled at his skill to narrate a super-natural thriller in a convincing manner. I had no hesitation when he approached me for this movie."

'Pournami Naagam' has 'Billa'-fame Adhitya and Karunas playing the lead roles. S A Rajkumar has scored the music.

Sunday 8 November 2009

The First Talkie "BALAN"

 The First Talkie "BALAN"
Indian cinema had already entered the talkie age even before Marthandavarma was released. Balan, the first Malayalam cinema with a sound track was released in 1938. Produced by Tamilian, T R Sunderam at the Modern Theatres, Balan was directed by Notani. A melodramatic film, with more Tamil influence than Malayalam, Balan featured the struggle of two orphaned children, Balan and his younger sister, oppressed and exploited by their evil stepmother until they are rescued by a kindly lawyer. Even though this film could be considered irrelevant in artistic sense, its economic success created a base to the Malayalam film industry. Followed by the success of Balan, Jnambika was released in 1940. After Prahlada (1941), Kerala had to wait till 1948 for the next film. Nirmala (1948) directed by P J Cheriyan explored the possibility of music and songs in Malayalam cinema. Legendary Malayalam poet, G Shankara Kurup penned the lyrics for this film. Thus song-dance sequences be came an essential ingredient for commercial success in Malayalam cinema.

Inspired from an imported film - Life of Christ - Phalke started mentally visualising the images of Indian gods and goddesses. What really obsessed him was the desire to see Indian images on the screen in a purely Swadeshi venture. He fixed up a studio in Dadar Main Road, wrote the scenario, erected the set and started shooting for his first venture Raja Harishchandra in 1912. The first full-length story film of Phalke was completed in 1912 and released at the Coronation cinema on April 21, 1913, for special invitees and members of the Press. The film was widely acclaimed by one and all and proved to be a great success.

It is notable that none of the Malayalam films that came before the independence of India reflected the mood of the struggle for independence and also the film that came after independence and the early 1950s reflected that torrid period of Kerala, where the Communist upspring was taking place changing the entire social climate of the State. Cinema continued to be dramas happening in a totally artificial and alien world.

The Silent Era
The first Malayalam cinema was produced and directed by, J C Daniel, a dentistby profession who didn't had any prior experience with cinema. His film Vigathakumaran was released in 1928, but failed economically. But it is notable that while mythological films ruled all over the Indian cinema arena, J C Daniel had the courage to produce the first ever Malayalam film with a social theme. The economic failure of Vigathakumaran discouraged him from producing further films.

The ill luck of Malayalam cinema continued. The second film Marthandavarma based on a novel of the same name by C V Raman Pillai, was produced by Sunderraj in 1933. But due to a legal confrontation regarding the rights of the film, the producer had to withdraw the film from cinema halls after few exhibitions. Had it not been for the legal embargo, the film would have had a great impact on the cinema of South India. By Marthandavarma the history of silent Malayalam cinema too came to an end.

Tuesday 13 October 2009

The Indian film industry

The Indian film industry is the oldest and the largest in the world with over 1200 movies released annually. The majority of films are made in the South Indian languages mostly Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam, but Hindi films take the largest box office share. Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Bangalore and Hyderabad are the main film production centers. With more than 12000 cinema halls, the Indian film industry turn out more than 1000 films a year to hugely appreciative audiences around the world. Movie tickets in India are among the cheapest in the world. India accounts for 73% of movie admissions in the Asia-Pacific region, and earnings are currently estimated at US$2.9 billion. The industry is mainly supported by the vast cinema-going Indian public. The Central Board of Film Certification of India cites on its website that every three months an audience as large as India's billion-strong population visits cinema halls. Indian films are popular in various parts of the world, esp ecially in countries with significant Indian communities.
Cinema was introduced to India on July 7, 1896. It began with the Lumire Brothers' Cinematography, unveiling six silent short films at the Watson Hotel in Bombay, namely Entry of Cinematographe, The Sea Bath, Arrival of a Train, A Demolition, Ladies & Soldiers on Wheels and Leaving the Factory. The Times of India carried details of the "Living Photographic Pictures in Life-Size Reproductions by Mssrs. Lumire Brothers". In the same year, the Madras Photographic Store advertised "animated photographs". Daily screenings of films commenced in Bombay in 1897 by Clifton and Co.'s Meadows Street Photography Studio. In 1898, Hiralal Sen started filming scenes of theatre productions at the Classic Theatre in Calcutta, inspired by Professor Stevenson (who had brought to India the country's first bioscope)'s, film presentation alongside the stage production of The Flower Of Persia; his debut was a contribution to this presentation. He continued making similar films to complement theatrical productions, which were shown as added attractions during intermission, in private screenings for high society households or taken to distant venues where the stage performers could not reach. The possibility of reaching a large audience through recorded images which could be projected several times through mechanical gadgets caught the fancy of people in the performing arts and the stage and entertainment business. The first decade of the 20th century saw live and recorded performances being clubbed together in the same programme.

The strong influence of its traditional arts, music, dance and popular theatre on the cinema movement in India in its early days is probably responsible for its characteristic enthusiasm for inserting song and dance sequences in Indian cinema, even till today. Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (1870 - 1944) affectionately called Dadasaheb Phalke is considered as the 'father of Indian Cinema'. Central in Phalke's career as a filmmaker was his fervent belief in the nationalistic philosophy of swadeshi, which advocated that Indians should take charge of their own economy in the perspective of future Independence. Phalke, with his imported camera, exposed single frames of a seed sprouting to a growing plant, shot once a day, over a month-thus inadvertently introducing the concept of 'time-lapse photography', which resulted in the first indigenous 'instructional film'- The Birth of a Pea Plant (1912) - a capsule history of the growth of a pea into a pea-laden plant. This film came very handy in getting financial backing for his first film venture. Inspired from an imported film - Life of Christ - Phalke started mentally visualising the images of Indian gods and goddesses. What really obsessed him was the desire to see Indian images on the screen in a purely Swadeshi ven ture. He fixed up a studio in Dadar Main Road, wrote the scenario, erected the set and started shooting for his first venture Raja Harishchandra in 1912. The first full-length story film of Phalke was completed in 1912 and released at the Coronation cinema on April 21, 1913, for special invitees and members of the Press. The film was widely acclaimed by one and all and proved to be a great success.

In the early thirties, the silent Indian cinema began to talk, sing and dance. Alam Ara produced by Ardeshir Irani (Imperial Film Company), released on March 14, 1931 was the first Indian cinema with a sound track. Mumbai became the hub of the Indian film industry having a number of self-contained production units. The thirties saw hits like Madhuri (1932), Indira M.A (1934), Anarkali (1935), Miss Frontier Mail (1936) and Punjab Mail (1939). India is a large country where many languages are spoken. Indian film producers have made films in thirty of the largest languages. However, only the very largest language groups support major regional industries. These are Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, Odiya, Malayalam. Official statistics categorize Indian films according to the languages in which they are distributed

Saturday 10 October 2009

Balu Mahendra's son to assist him

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After directing Adhu Oru Kanaa Kaalam with Dhanush and Priyamani in the lead, legendary director Balu Mahendra was on a long rest due to his ill health. Our Camera Kavingar is known for his love towards film industry and his thirst to learn more and more till the end. Ask him anything on the subject of the industry and he will have the answer; one can call him the Mobile Film School.


Now that the director has regained his heath, he is ready to make his next project. The director is keen to do this project with fresh faces in the lead. The film will be producer by an NRI and we hear that the shoot will start by 2010 January.


The director who adapts himself to the latest techniques so easily has decided to make use of a hottest digital camera called ARRIFLEX D-21 for this untitled flick, say the sources. It's worthy to mention that ARRIFLEX D-21 is the only digital camera that looks, feels, and runs like a 35mm film camera.


Moreover, Balu Mahendra's son Sangi Mahendra will be assisting his dad for the first time ever. Sources further add that the ace director has decided to pick 5 students from his film school as his assistant directors of this project.

We are waiting for you Balu Sir, Welcome back!

Saturday 26 September 2009

Shriya got the dress code from Sarath!

We may recall the incident when Shriya turned-up for a public function in a skimpy attire and stirred the air. It's notable that our CM Kalaignar M Karunanidhi and other bigwigs of the state were present for the occasion.
Now it's said that our CM will grace the audio launch function of Sarath Kumar's most awaited film Jaggubhai. The film is directed by K S Ravikumar in which Shriya plays Sarath's daughter and debutante Sreesha plays his wife.
The audio and trailer launch of the film is scheduled to happen on September 27 (Tomorrow) in Anna Arivalayam.
It seems that Sarath Kumar wanted to avoid any trouble during the function and advised Shriya to dress in a sari or any respectable clothing. Recently when Shriya attended a public event with politician MK. Stalin, the government had sent her a notice regarding the dress code, time in advance.
Jaggubhai is about a gangster turning into a good-hearted man. This mass entertainer is said to have highlighted more on father-daughter relationship.
Surely a fatherly advice to the actress

Tuesday 8 September 2009

Priyanka Chopra is my competitor: Namitha



Guess what could be the reason behind Namitha entering filmdom and making it to the top? The reason was her defeat at a qualifying round for Miss World that held years ago.

When I went to the qualifying round of Miss World, I was not selected by the juries just because I didn't know English. Finally, Priyanka Chopra emerged the winner and became Miss World, the actress says.

She adds: I vowed on that day to master English and to make it big in filmdom. Now, I know the language very well and I am there in the hearts of millions of fans. This is all thanks to the challenge I took on that day.

Saying that she has shed six kilos following advice from her friends and well-wishers, Namitha adds, at present I am acting in a Telugu film opposite Balakrishna. Talks are on to sign on the dotted lines for a Kannada movie. I would like to make it big in Sandalwood too.

Thursday 13 August 2009

Jeevithanouka

Jeevithanouka - 1951
Jeevithanouka was a turning point for Malayalam cinema. This highly dramatic musical film, which narrated the story of ego clashes in a joint family, was mainly directed towards the women audience. Jeevithanouka was a huge success, and can be considered as the first 'super hit' of Malayalam cinema. Thikkurishi Sukumaran Nair, an actor from the stage, became the first 'superstar' of Malayalam cinema after the success of the film. But this success had also an adverse effect on Malayalam cinema. Films that were produced after Jeevithanouka were made according to this success formula, and nothing creative was seen for a long time. Superstars took over the driver's seat and directors were forced to the background.
  • Ramu Karyat
  • Acclaimed as an innovator of Malayalam cinema of the 1950s to the 1970s, Ramu Karyat (1927-79), is one of the protagonists of Kerals People's Art Club in the domain of the communist IPTA. After Neelakuyi in 1954, he shot Minnaminungu (The Firefly) in 1957, a path breaking film of Malayalam cinema. Thoppil Bhasi's famous play Mudiyanaya Puthran (The Prodigal Son) was filmed by Ramu Karyat in 1961. This film featured Satyan, a specialist in 'macho' roles, which is a convincing melodrama about the irresponsibility of a self-centered young man who deliberately sinks into anti-social behaviour before being reconciled with life by the love of a young 'untouchable' girl and by the warmth of a group of workers. After Moodupadam (1963), a social film about the relationship between three major religious faiths of the State, Hindu, Christian and Muslims, Ramu Karyat made Chemmeen a definite turning point in Malayalam cinema.
  • P Bhaskaran
  • P Bhaskaran started as a lyricist for the film Chandrika and made his directorial debut with Ramu Karyat as a co-director and an actor in Neelakuyil. He attempted hard-hitting realism in his earlier films but later works were mainly love stories and melodramas with social concerns. Some of his memorable films are Rarichan Enna Pauran (1956), set in the neo-realistic vein of Newspaper Boy, Anveshichu Kandethiyilla (1967) and Irutinte Atmavu (1967).
  • A Vincent

Monday 10 August 2009

Actress with a difference: Vedhika



Here is an actress who is not uncomfortable in the homely tag. Vedhika, the new cute heroine on the block, prefers to be a girl-next-door image; rather than being bold and beautiful. The charming actress had last appeared opposite to debut Shanthanu in Sakkarakatti. Now with her 5th movie Malai Malai, Vedhika will grace the screen again opposite Arun Vijay.

The actress is really much obliged with the audience's immense support and encouragement all these years. And with Malai Malai she is hoping that she lives up to their expectations. In this she plays the role of Anjali, a very bubbly, cute character. Anjali is a radio jockey and Vedhika is very glad to receive this role as she feels it is one-of-its-kind character.

The Muni heroine is willing to do more films in Tamil and other south Indian languages. Unlike other actresses she is not comfortable to shed her clothes and do sensual roles. She said, I am married to my career. I will not wear a bikini as I want to be an actress with a homely image. I like the professionalism of south Indian film industry and want to do more film with all top actors.

Hmm, now lets see if this pretty lass sticks to her words. For, there are many who have initially stepped into the homely attire and gradually shed the innocent tag.

Monday 13 July 2009

Film Society Movement in Kerala

 
The Film Society Movement, which started in 1960s and gained momentum during the 1970s, brought in a new consciousness about cinema as an art form and stood for a different kind of cinema, which was termed as 'parallel', 'newwave' or 'art' cinema. Contrary to other parts of India, this movement was never an urban phenomenon, but something that cut across all terrains and sections of society. At a point of time, the great classics of World Cinema reached even the rural Kerala and discussions on them were held at the layman's level.

The 'Chitralekha Film Society' formed under the leadership of Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Kulathoor Bhaskaran Nair in 1965 at Trivandrum, was the first Film Society in Kerala, though even before this there was an attempt at Trissur to form a Film Club, namely the Trissur Film Club in 1955. 'Chitralekha' also did work towards formation of Film Societies in Schools and Colleges and also succeed in setting up a film studio of its own. Soon Film Societies were formed at other parts of Kerala.

The Naxalbari agitations, student revolt in Paris, Vietnam war and the hippie movement formed the general ambience of the 1970s. This agitated environment combined with Malayalam literary scene, which was already vibrant with the new 'modernist' ideas became the foundation for the spread of Film Societies all over Kerala during the 1970s. More that a hundred Film Societies sprouted all over Kerala, of which some of them have completed more than 25 year now. Even today, Kerala has the largest number of Film Societies in India and still trying to create awareness about cinema as a serious art form.

Among the Film Societies of Kerala, the 'Odessa' experiment, started by John Abraham, stands apart from all the experiments in various ways. It never had a formal legal structure or any political backing. Its attempt was to attack the problem comprehensively at all levels - exhibition, distribution and production, by ensuring people's participation in all its activities. But with the untimely demise of John Abraham, 'Odessa' movement started waning.

Saturday 4 July 2009

Kamal Haasan and politics...

It's almost an unwritten norm in South India, for its popular film actors to make the plunge in politics. Using cinema as a mass medium, most actors later use it as a medium of propaganda for their inherent political ambitions. Several of today's politicians, from Sarathkumar to Napolean, JK Ritheesh and Vijayakanth, hail from tinsel town. Rajini and Vijay are clearly in the foray but it is not known as to when they will turn politicians.

But unlike them, Kamal Haasan has clearly steered away from politics. The closest he ever got to a political issue, if you may call it, was when he complained about his inability to vote as his name didn't feature in the voting list. Despite being the first actor to change to his huge fan following into a social organization, Kamal has never had political ambitions.

When asked about it, Kamal Haasan openly stated that every job had certain qualifications and he didn't have what it takes to be a politician. The actor, in fact, has even kept his political views under wraps, as he says his political leanings will never be revealed to the people.

Tuesday 2 June 2009

ARR: One man, 4 cities, innumerable fans!

This best sums up the music legend of India Allah Rakha Rahman. People all over the globe have started looking at India, especially in the music and sound perspective. The music wiz who has been busy ever since he scored the music for his first film Roja has become busier now.
Post the twin Oscars, Rahman has been getting quite a lot of offers from Hollywood. So it has become official now that the Mozart of Madras will now set a firm base in Los Angeles that is supposed to be the main base for Hollywood.
The musician, confirming his stay in Los Angeles, said he has been looking for a place of stay and now he will have four teams in four cities namely Chennai, Los Angeles, Mumbai and London.
Thanks to the demand post the Oscars the composer has been literally living out of his suitcases. Apart from the busy schedule of making music in India as well as abroad he also has his KM Conservatory, his music school to take care of.
We have seen a steady decline in the number of films ARR is doing in India now apart from the Kamal Hassan project Marmayogi and Mani Rathnams Raavan. Reports indicate that Vince Vaughan has approached Rahman to do music for his Hollywood film.
Great going ARR sir! Despite the number of Hollywood flicks lining at your doors we hope you lend you musical quotient to India as well!

Wednesday 13 May 2009

History of Malayalam Cinema

Even much before the arrival of cinema, the people of Kerala were familiar with moving images on the screen through the traditional art form ‘tholpavakkuthu’ (Puppet Dance). Usually exhibited at festivals of village temples, ‘tholpavakkuthu’ uses puppets made of leather with flexible joints. These joints are moved using sticks and the shadow of these moving puppets are captured on a screen using a light source from behind, creating dramatic moving images on the screen. Stories from the mythology were told so, with accompanying dialogues and songs with traditional percussions like the Chenda. ‘Tholpavakkuthu’ uses some of the techniques widely used in cinema like the close-ups and long-shots.
Apart from the art of ‘tholpavakkuthu’, which exhibits the nature of cinema, many of the folk arts and classical dance forms like ‘Kuthu’, ‘Koodiyattam’ and ‘Kathakali’ exhibits very high visual qualities in their form. My be this legacy of Kerala’s visual culture lead the filmmakers of Kerala to take up cinema in a different way, rather than mere plain story telling, than anywhere else in India, and the people of Kerala to appreciate them.
The Silent Era
The first Malayalam cinema was produced and directed by, J C Daniel, a dentistby profession who didn't had any prior experience with cinema. His film Vigathakumaran was released in 1928, but failed economically. But it is notable that while mythological films ruled all over the Indian cinema arena, J C Daniel had the courage to produce the first ever Malayalam film with a social theme. The economic failure of Vigathakumaran discouraged him from producing further films.
The ill luck of Malayalam cinema continued. The second film Marthandavarma based on a novel of the same name by C V Raman Pillai, was produced by Sunderraj in 1933. But due to a legal confrontation regarding the rights of the film, the producer had to withdraw the film from cinema halls after few exhibitions. Had it not been for the legal embargo, the film would have had a great impact on the cinema of South India. By Marthandavarma the history of silent Malayalam cinema too came to an end.
Balan: The First Talkie
Indian cinema had already entered the talkie age even before Marthandavarma was released. Balan, the first Malayalam cinema with a sound track was released in 1938. Produced by Tamilian, T R Sunderam at the Modern Theatres, Balan was directed by Notani. A melodramatic film, with more Tamil influence than Malayalam, Balan featured the struggle of two orphaned children, Balan and his younger sister, oppressed and exploited by their evil stepmother until they are rescued by a kindly lawyer. Even though this film could be considered irrelevant in artistic sense, its economic success created a base to the Malayalam film industry. Followed by the success of Balan, Jnambika was released in 1940. After Prahlada (1941), Kerala had to wait till 1948 for the next film. Nirmala (1948) directed by P J Cheriyan explored the possibility of music and songs in Malayalam cinema. Legendary Malayalam poet, G Shankara Kurup penned the lyrics for this film. Thus song-dance sequences became an essential ingredient for commercial success in Malayalam cinema.
Inspired from an imported film - Life of Christ - Phalke started mentally visualising the images of Indian gods and goddesses. What really obsessed him was the desire to see Indian images on the screen in a purely Swadeshi venture. He fixed up a studio in Dadar Main Road, wrote the scenario, erected the set and started shooting for his first venture Raja Harishchandra in 1912. The first full-length story film of Phalke was completed in 1912 and released at the Coronation cinema on April 21, 1913, for special invitees and members of the Press. The film was widely acclaimed by one and all and proved to be a great success.
It is notable that none of the Malayalam films that came before the independence of India reflected the mood of the struggle for independence and also the film that came after independence and the early 1950s reflected that torrid period of Kerala, where the Communist upspring was taking place changing the entire social climate of the State. Cinema continued to be dramas happening in a totally artificial and alien world.
Jeevithanouka - 1951
(The boat of life)
Jeevithanouka was a turning point for Malayalam cinema. This highly dramatic musical film, which narrated the story of ego clashes in a joint family, was mainly directed towards the women audience. Jeevithanouka was a huge success, and can be considered as the first 'super hit' of Malayalam cinema. Thikkurishi Sukumaran Nair, an actor from the stage, became the first 'superstar' of Malayalam cinema after the success of the film. But this success had also an adverse effect on Malayalam cinema. Films that were produced after Jeevithanouka were made according to this success formula, and nothing creative was seen for a long time. Superstars took over the driver's seat and directors were forced to the background.
Ramu Karyat
Acclaimed as an innovator of Malayalam cinema of the 1950s to the 1970s, Ramu Karyat (1927-79), is one of the protagonists of Kerals People's Art Club in the domain of the communist IPTA. After Neelakuyil in 1954, he shot Minnaminungu (The Firefly) in 1957, a path breaking film of Malayalam cinema. Thoppil Bhasi's famous play Mudiyanaya Puthran (The Prodigal Son) was filmed by Ramu Karyat in 1961. This film featured Satyan, a specialist in 'macho' roles, which is a convincing melodrama about the irresponsibility of a self-centered young man who deliberately sinks into anti-social behaviour before being reconciled with life by the love of a young 'untouchable' girl and by the warmth of a group of workers. After Moodupadam (1963), a social film about the relationship between three major religious faiths of the State, Hindu, Christian and Muslims, Ramu Karyat made Chemmeen a definite turning point in Malayalam cinema.
P Bhaskaran
P Bhaskaran started as a lyricist for the film Chandrika and made his directorial debut with Ramu Karyat as a co-director and an actor in Neelakuyil. He attempted hard-hitting realism in his earlier films but later works were mainly love stories and melodramas with social concerns. Some of his memorable films are Rarichan Enna Pauran (1956), set in the neo-realistic vein of Newspaper Boy, Anveshichu Kandethiyilla (1967) and Irutinte Atmavu (1967).



A Vincent
A Vincent joined Gemeni Studio, Chennai as an assistant cameraman in 1947. He handled camera for the path-breaking film Neelakuyil. He made his directorial debut with Bhargavinilayam (1964), based on story by renowned Malayalam writer Vikom Muhammad Basheer. Nadi (1969) won him the State award and Thulabharam (1968) the National award for second best film.

Neelakuyil - 1954
(The Blue Cuckoo)
Through Neelakuyil Malayalam cinema for the first time had an authentic Malayalam story. The story for Neelakuyil was penned by renowned Malayalam writer Uroob and directed by the duo of P Bhaskaran and Ramu Karyat. This melodramatic film dealt with the issue of untouchability in the society. Satyan and Miss Kumari were elevated to stardom after the huge success of this film. Malayalam film music till then were cheap imitations of Hindi and Tamil film music, also came up with original Malayalam tunes through this film. The lyrics written by P Bhaskaran were arranged by K Rghavan, influenced by Malayalam folk music, which became popular among the masses. This was also the first Malayalam film to be shot outdoors. Neelakuyil announced the presence of Malayalam cinema in Indian film arena.
Newspaper Boy - 1955
Newspaper Boy (1955) was the reflection of neo-realism in cinema, which became popular all over the world. This film was a result of extreme hard work by a group of college students. Newspaper Boy was directed by P Ramadas, who was totally new to cinema and almost all technical works were handled by amateur students. This film was distributed some months before Satyajith Ray's Pather Panchali came out. This film narrated the sad story of a printing press employee and his family reeling through poverty. He dies of extreme poverty and illness, which forces his children to stop their education. His elder son Appu leaves to Madras in search of a job. Failing to secure a job there, he returns and decides to take up the job of a newspaper boy.
Towards New Sensibilities
Even though Malayalam cinema right from the first talkie, Balan ventured into social themes instead of cosmetic dramas from Hindu Mythology, like anywhere else in India, they stood far away from social realities. While cinema elsewhere in the world, except India, took big leap forward in devising new cinematic forms making cinema an art form by itself, the Indian filmmakers right from the beginning considered cinema as a platform for combining all the art forms available in India. This was the concept about cinema even among the leading film critics then. Malayalam cinema was no exception in this regard. The first International Film Festival of India held in 1952 opened up the window to a new world of cinema to the Indian filmmakers. For the first time they understood that cinema has advanced much further than the make-belief Hollywood films, which were the only source of foreign films then. Films like Bicycle Thief, which was shown for the first time in India compelled a new generation of filmmakers to take a new path of filmmaking. Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali triggered the movement, which was taken up by other new generation filmmakers in Northern India.
Malayalam cinema too took a new path during the mid 1950s towards more down-to-earth social realities, rather than cosmetic social dramas. But this change in sensibility was not due to the effect of world cinema on them, as the Malayalee filmmakers were virtually absent at the film festival. Hence, even though Malayalam cinema became more sensible during the mid 1950s, it had to wait till the mid 1970s, till the new breed of FTII trained filmmakers started filmmaking, for Malayalam cinema to become ‘real cinema’.
In fact, it was the powerful movement that happened in Malayalam literature spearheaded by literary giants like Thakazhi Shivashankara Pillai, Viakom Muhammad Basheer and M T Vasudevan Nair and the ‘Library Movement’ which coincided with it became the real factor for this changes in Malayalam cinema. Also the strong presence of playwrights like N Krishna Pillai, C J Thomas, C N Shreekhantan Nair, G Shankara Pillai and K T Muhammad opened up new vistas in the field of stage plays. Dramas of Thoppil Bhasi like Ningalanne Communist Aakki, Survey Kallu and Mudiayanaya Puthran created ripples in the society. Malayalam cinema, which followed these footsteps but couldn’t create its own cinematic form and remained as novels and dramas.
The Growth: 1960s
After the success of Neelakuyil, films with authentic Malayalam stories set in the backdrops of Kerala villages started arriving. Minnaminingu directed by Ramu Karyat and Rarichhan enna Pouran by P Bhaskaran were noted films produced during the late 1950s. Takazhi Shivashankara Pillai's famous novel Randidangazhi was also seen on the silver screen.
In 1961 Kandam Bacha Coat, the first full-length colour film in Malayalam was released. This was an adoption of a famous social drama. Bhargavi Nilayam (1964) directed by A Vincent is a notable film of this period. This was a cinematic adoption of renowned Malayalam writer Vykom Muhammad Basheer's novel. Vincent also directed some of the best films of early ages like Murapennu, Nagarame Nandi, Asuravithu and Thulabharam. Irutinte Athmavu directed by P Bhaskaran, based on M T Vasudevan Nair's story, gave a new face to superstar Prem Nazir, who till then was seen only in romantic hero's role.
Chemmeen - 1965 (Prawn)
Chemmeen (1965) directed by Ramu Karyat was the first South Indian film to bag the President's Golden Lotus Award for the best film. Based on a famous novel of the same name by renowned Malayalam writer Takazhi Shivashanakara Pillai, Chemmeen pioneered the growth of Malayalam cinema in technical and artistic aspects. It brought together some of the best technical talents then available in India, Salil Chowdhari (music), Markes Burtly (cinematography) and Hrishikesh Mukhargee (editing). It also had a huge star cast.
Post-Chemmeen Era
The post-Chemmeen Malayalam cinema arena saw an upsurge in quality films, mainly based on literary works of some of the best writers of Kerala. After Chemmeen, Ramu Karyat directed Ezhu Rathrikal which narrated the story of the down trodden. The renowned Malayalam writer M T Vasudevan Nair made his film debut by writing screenplay for Murapennu. Directed by A Vincent, Murapennu was a landmark film. Oolavum Theeravum by P N Menon announced the revolutionary changes Malayalam cinema was about to witness in the early 1970s. A new generation of filmmakers who realized the uniqueness of the language of this medium, ventured into a different kind of cinema. This film could be considered as the bridge between the two eras of Malayalam cinema.
Here onwards Malayalam cinema got split into two distinct streams, one that considered cinema’s artistic qualities as its primary objective, which kept away all the formulas of popularity and the other the crass commercials, which took into consideration only the possibilities to entertain the mass and spin money.
The Malayalam New Wave
The growth of film society movement and the screenings of world classics forced a drastic change in Malayalee film sensitivity during the early 1970s. A new movement often termed as the 'New Wave Malayalam Cinema' or the 'Malayalam Parallel Cinema' emerged. Adoor Gopalakrishnan made his first film Swayamvaram in 1972, which made Malayalam cinema noticed at International film arena. G Aravindan through his Uttarayanam in 1974 accelerated this radical change in Malayalam cinema.
Another major stream of Malayalam cinema that appeared during the 1970s, which was a synthesis of the highly commercial popular cinema and the parallel cinema from which the masses always stayed away, was the 'middle-stream cinema'. These films, mainly from directors like K G George, Padmarajan and Bharathan, had meaningful themes but had popular forms of presentation and had influenced a generation of film viewers.
Film Society Movement in Kerala
The Film Society Movement, which started in 1960s and gained momentum during the 1970s, brought in a new consciousness about cinema as an art form and stood for a different kind of cinema, which was termed as 'parallel', 'newwave' or 'art' cinema. Contrary to other parts of India, this movement was never an urban phenomenon, but something that cut across all terrains and sections of society. At a point of time, the great classics of World Cinema reached even the rural Kerala and discussions on them were held at the layman's level.
The 'Chitralekha Film Society' formed under the leadership of Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Kulathoor Bhaskaran Nair in 1965 at Trivandrum, was the first Film Society in Kerala, though even before this there was an attempt at Trissur to form a Film Club, namely the Trissur Film Club in 1955. 'Chitralekha' also did work towards formation of Film Societies in Schools and Colleges and also succeed in setting up a film studio of its own. Soon Film Societies were formed at other parts of Kerala.
The Naxalbari agitations, student revolt in Paris, Vietnam war and the hippie movement formed the general ambience of the 1970s. This agitated environment combined with Malayalam literary scene, which was already vibrant with the new 'modernist' ideas became the foundation for the spread of Film Societies all over Kerala during the 1970s. More that a hundred Film Societies sprouted all over Kerala, of which some of them have completed more than 25 year now. Even today, Kerala has the largest number of Film Societies in India and still trying to create awareness about cinema as a serious art form.
Among the Film Societies of Kerala, the 'Odessa' experiment, started by John Abraham, stands apart from all the experiments in various ways. It never had a formal / legal structure or any political backing. Its attempt was to attack the problem comprehensively at all levels - exhibition, distribution and production, by ensuring people's participation in all its activities. But with the untimely demise of John Abraham, 'Odessa' movement started waning.
International Film Festival of Kerala
Started a decade ago, the International Film Festival of Kerala, now held permanently at Trivandrum, has grown into one of the best in India and a notable one in the international circuit. Apart from showcasing the latest and classics of world cinema, IFFK also becomes the forum for open discussions on cinema. IFFK also has a competition section for Asian, African and Latin American films. IFFK is conducted during the month of December every year by the State run Kerala Chalichatra Academy.
Malayalam Mainstream Cinema
Popular cinema of Malayalam rarely tried to adopt the language of cinema till the 1980s. Delivering highly dramatic dialogues and singing and dancing in a set that resembled a stage were the widely accepted format of Malayalam commercial cinema.
Joshi, whose earlier films like Moorkhan (1980), Raktham (1981) and Sambhavam (1981) were all made in the same old format pioneered this change of form of Malayalam commercial cinema with his later films like New Delhi (1987), Nair Saab (1989) and Pathram (1999). With Joshi, Malayalam cinema too entered into an era of technically superior films.
Priyadarshan who started with slapstick comedies like Poochakkoru Mookkuthi (1982) slowly transformed his form to a more serious one. Sentimental stories with a coating of humour became his trademark. His collaboration with Mohanlal created some of the all time hits of Kerala like Thalavattam (1986), Chitram (1988), Kilukkam (1991) and Kaalapani (1995).
Fazil created a narrative style of his own, and created super hits without the help of superstars. He introduced many newcomers to Malayalam cinema, most of them later became stars. His first film Manjil Virinja Pookkal (1980) itself established him as one of the most noted director of commercial Malayalam Cinema. This film also saw the birth of a greater and later superstar, Mohanlal. Films like Ente Mammattikkuttyammkku (1983), Nookketha Doorathu Kannum Nattu (1983), Ente Sooryaputhrikku (1991) and Manichitrathazhu (1993) were all trend-setting films.
I V Sasi started with Ultsavam (1975), a small-budget film with no big stars. Since his film form has undergone several transformations and succeeded in almost all of them. His Avalude Raavukal (1979) was a milestone in the history of popular cinema in Kerala. But when many soft-porn movies started arriving on this format, I V Sasi started with star-studded films like Angadi (1980). A series of big-budget films came from him after the huge success of Angadi. While his films like Trishna (1981), Raagam, Anubandham and Aalkkuttathil Thiniye (1984) with screenplay of M T Vasudevan Nair where artistically superior, films like Ee Nadu (1982), Vartha and Aavanazhi (1986) with screenplays of T.Damodaran were made with a political flavour. I V Sasi's film 1921 (1988), a historical, stands apart.
Balachandra Menon is a cinema-journalist turned director, who has made several popularly acclaimed films like Ishtamanu Pakshe.. (1980), Karyam Nisaram (1983), Prashnam Gurutharam (1983) and April 18 (1984). These films are mostly humorous films with down to earth characters. With Achuvettante Veedu (1987) he tried to take a new path and Samantharangal (1997) was critically acclaimed and won him the Nation award for best actor.
Films of Satyan Antikadu have won popular acclaim even while making socially relevant films. Whenever Satyan Antikadu paired up with Sreenivasan as the scriptwriter, Malayalam cinema received films with social relevance and down to earth characters like T P Balagopalan M A, Gandhinagar Second Street, Sanmanasullavarkku Samadhanam and Naadoodikkattu.
Kamal started with Mizhineerppookkal (1986) and is one of the biggest presence in Malayalam popular cinema with almost all his films becoming commercial successes.
Some of the other directors who have guaranteed commercial success are Rajasenan, Vinayan, Bhadran, Anil Babu, Thambi Kannanthanam and T S Suresh Babu.
With Prem Nazir leaving the limelight of Malayalam cinema, the concept of superstar-centred cinema also disappeared for a short while. But 1980s saw birth of new superstars, and the entire film industry revolved around these stars. Ignoring the films with more than life characters, which made them the superstars they are today, Mammootty and Mohanlal are two great actors, who have proven their ability whenever they have got chance. Mammootty excelled in his verity roles of Yavanika, Yathra", Thaniyavarthanam, Vidheyan, Mathilukal and Oru Vadakkan Veeragaatha. Mohanlal with his natural and original style excelled in films like Kireedam, Vaastuhara, Vaanaprastham, Kalapaani and Bharatham. The new superstar of Malayalam, Dileep specialises is comedy films. Malayalam cinema has also received some of the best actors of Indian cinema like Gopi, Nadumudi Venu, Thilakan and Murali.
Producer Appachan of 'Navodaya Productions' is distinguished as a pioneer of technical experiments in Malayalam cinema. He is the producer of the first cinemascope film of Malayalam cinema Thacholi Ambu (1978), first 70 mm film Padayottam (1982) and India's first 3-D film My Dear Kuttychathan (1984).
The first Indian film shot and exhibited in digital format, Moonnamathoral gets released in 2006.
Malayalam Today
Even though the new millennium started with Malayalam cinema facing threats never seen before, it seems to have over come them within few years. When, the emergence of cable television along with other factors threatened the very existence of commercial cinema, soft-porno films, often termed 'Shakeela films'- Shakeela being the name of the actress who filled the silver screen during those period- filled up the cinema halls and became commercial successes. Malayalam cinema managed a comeback with several meaningful commercials and the 'Shakeela films' slowly disappeared.
Apart from Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Nizhalkkuthu (2003) it was T V Chandran with his various films who filled up the Parallel Cinema arena. Films of newcomers and non-resident filmmakers like Murali Nair, Satish Menon, Liji Pullapilly etc. were also shown and widely discussed. Other new directors who emerged during the last few years was Rajiv Vijayaraghavan and Sharath.
Commercial success of film like Kamal's Perumazhakalam and Blessy's Kazhcha has given a new birth to the middle-path stream of Malayalam cinema. New directors like Pradip Nair (Oridam), M D Sukumaran (Ullam) and Albert (Kanne Madanguga) emerged with their socially relevant films.

Tuesday 5 May 2009

Aishwarya is the woman on top

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Aishwarya

There have never been any doubts about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's star power, and proving it is a survey conducted by a research agency called Hansa Research. In an extensive study conducted by the company to measure celebrity power in India, it was found that Ash is one of the most persuasive and liked celebs in the country.
She even garnered a 98.8% recognition rating, which puts her on par with legends like father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan and cricket sensation Sachin Tendulkar.
According to the list, the beauty queen is placed well above newcomers like Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, and even veteran actress Madhuri Dixit.
The study made an effort to measure the power of star qualities like popularity, media presence, power of persuasion and image aspects. And in an interesting twist, Ash is the only woman on the top ten list of recognized celebs from different walks of life. It's no surprise given that the lady is extremely popular among the classes and masses!

Monday 13 April 2009

Malayalam Cinema --History


Beginning
The first Malayalam movie was released in 1928. It was a silent film titled Vigathakumaran, produced and directed by a businessman, J. C. Daniel who had no prior film experience. However this film was a commercial failure. The second film Marthanda Varma, produced in 1933 was based on a novel by C. V. Raman Pillai. But it was never released due to some legal issues.
Balan released in 1938 was the first talkie in Malayalam. It was produced at Chennai (then Madras) in the neighboring state of Tamilnadu. Malayalam movies continued to be made almost exclusively by Tamil producers till 1947 when the first major film Studio, Udaya was established in Kerala. With this more Keralites entered this field of films.In 1954; Neelakkuyil captured national interest by winning the President's Silver Medal. Scripted by the well-known Malayalam novelist Uroob and directed by P. Bhaskaran, it is often considered the first authentic Malayalam film. Another notable production was Newspaper Boy (1955) which had elements of Italian neorealist. Chemmeen (1965), directed by Ramu Kariat and based on a story by Thakazhi Shivashankara Pillai went on to become immensely popular and won the National Award. It had music by Salil Chowdhury, songs by Manna Dey and editing by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
Malayalam Parallel films of the 1970s
The 1970s saw the emergence of a new wave of cinema in Malayalam. The growth of film society movement in Kerala introduced the works of the French and Italian New Wave Directors to the discerning Malayalam film enthusiasts. Adoor Gopalakrishnan's first film Swayamvaram (1972) brought Malayalam cinema to the International film arena. In 1973 M. T. Vasudevan Nair who was by then recognized as an important author in Malayalam, directed his first film Nirmalyam, which won the President's Gold Medal for the best film. G. Aravindan followed Adoor's lead with his Utharayanam in 1974. John Abraham, K. R. Mohanan, K. G. George, and G. S. Panikkar were products of the Pune Film Institute who made significant contributions.
Aravindan was famous in Kerala as a Cartoonist before he started making films. He is considered one of the best Indian Film Directors. His important movies include Kanchana Seeta (1977), Thampu (1978), Kummatty (1979), Chidambaram (1985), Oridathu (1986), and Vasthuhara (1990).
Malayalam Art Cinema of the early 1980s
Adoor Gopalakrishnan made Elipathayam in 1981. This movie was widely acclaimed and won the British Film Institute award. His other movies include Mukhamukham (1984), Anantharam (1987) Mathilukal (1989), Vidheyan (1994), Kathapurushan (1995), and Nizhalkkuthu (2003). Padmarajan made his early works in this period including the movie Koodevide? (1983)
P. A. Backer and Bharathan are other names worth mentioning.
Golden Age of Malayalam cinema
Most critics and audiences consider the period from late 1980s to early 1990s as the golden age of Malayalam cinema. The Malayalam cinema of this short but beautiful period is a culmination of the Malayali ethos and South Indian life. It is characterised by detailed screenplays, excellently directed by master-Directors, dealing with everyday life with a lucid narration of plot intermingling with humor and melancholy. This was aided by brilliant Cinematography and lighting as in motion pictures like Perumthachan (1990), directed by Ajayan with Santosh Sivan as the cinematographer. While the movies were made expressive with warm background music by composers like Johnson, as in the motion picture Nammukku paarkkaan munthiri thoppukal (1986) directed by Padmarajan.
Many of the movies released during this time narrowed the gap between art cinemas and commercial cinemas in the Malayalam film industry, as in Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989). These were paralleled with movies like Kireedam (1989) directed by Sibi Malayil and written by Lohitadas, Mathilukal directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan (1989), 'Amaram'(1991) directed by Bharathan and 'Sargam'(1992) directed by Hariharan.
The period had an abundance of movies rich in creative humour from Directors like Priyadarshan, Akkare akkare akkare (1990) and Sathyan Anthicad, Nadodikkattu (1987). The era also saw well crafted comedy by the Duo Siddique-Lal, Ramji Rao Speaking (1989)) and In Harihar Nagar (1990). Other notable contributions of this period include His Highness Abdullah (1990) directed by Sibi Malayil, Piravi (1989) by Shaji N. Karun, Abhayam (1991) directed by Sivan, and the motion picture Daisy (1988) an expressive depiction of separation and longing set in a Boarding School, directed by Prathap K Pothan.
Popular Malayalam cinema through early-mid 1990s
Later movies followed in the essence of the golden period but lacked in freshness. However, they still stand out for their brilliance in storytelling and appeal. These include 'Bharatham' (1991) by Sibi Malayil, Kaalapaani (1996) by Priyadarshan and the award winning 'Manichitrathazhu' (1993) by Fazil. 'Sphadikam' (1995) directed by Bhadran was well received by the viewers as was 'Desadanam' (1997) by Jayaraaj. Some works stood out as strong in evocative power reminiscent of the earlier period, like Swaham (1994) directed by Shaji N.Karun, the first Malayalam film entry to the Competition in Cannes International Film Festival in 1994.
Current Scenario (late 1990s - mid 2000s)
After the early 1990s the quality of Malayalam cinema declined, partly due to the arrival of Satellite Digital Television and film piracy and partly due to the changing interests of the audience. The movies in current period are largely nonsensical comedies primarily aiming at large scale entertainment without much artistic message. These movies include Meesa Madhavan (2002) by Lal Jose and Kunjikkoonan directed by Sasi Shankar (2002). However,notable exceptions to these were the motion pictures Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala by Srinivasan (1998) and Vanaprastham (1999) directed by Shaji N Karun. Also Narasimham, the highest-grossing Malayalam movie as of 2005 was relased during this period, in 2000.
This is the period where two sequels of previously notable movies came out. Mohanlal's Ravanaprabhu the second part of Devasuram and Mammotty's Sethuramayyar CBI the third part of Oru CBI Dairykurippu. Udayananu Tharam, a blockbuster and a trend-setter, was jointly released by Mohanlal and Sreenivasan.
This period witnessed the migration of Malayalam film technicians toother language films. Among them were Priyadarshan, Santosh Sivan, Sabu Cyril, Ravi K. Chandran, Srekhar Prasad and others.

Wednesday 8 April 2009

Ram Gopal Varma's horror-flick in Tamil

Patently, he's the best lollapaloozas of auteurs in tinsel town crafting crime de la crime horrors. Ram Gopal Varma's previous flick Phoonk was a great hit in Bollywood Box.
The film was simultaneously remade in Telugu by Ram's assistant. Well, now the Hindi version is getting dubbed into Tamil titled Bhommaayi. JP Kumar of Future Films has bought the dubbing rights and has planned to release it by end of April.
The film is about a civil engineer who neither believes in God nor evil spirits But when black magic is spelled on his lovable daughter, his life turns topsy-turvy. How the protagonist overcomes the hurdles and shores on safer side forms crux of the story.
Kannada Actor Sudeep and Amritha have donned lead roles while Amar Kohilee has composed background score. Savitha's cinematography is sure to enhance the eerie feel more amongst the viewers.
Certainly, it looks like an era of Supernatural Thrillersdubbed into Tamil. Couple of weeks back, Anushka's Arundhathee witnessed good response across box office while previous week's release Prithviraj starrer Sivapuram (Dubbed version of Malayalam Film Aanandha Bhadram) has won critical acclaims.