"Oh, how we danced on the night we were wed, We vowed our true love though a word wasn't said The world was in bloom, there were stars in the skies, Except for the few that were there in your eyes. The night seemed to fade into blossoming dawn, The sun shone anew but the dance lingered on. Could we but relive that sweet moment sublime, We'd find that our love is unaltered by time." - Lyrics to "The Anniversary Waltz," composed by Dublin/Frankl The first time Ajay saw Pia, she served him drinks. She affected him more than the alcohol, and he found true love. He was a leading psychiatrist, but she messed up his mind. The first time Pia saw Ajay, he had too much to drink. She watched him make a fool of himself, and was relieved when he passed out. She was a woman who followed her heart, but despite his claims of true love, she had made up her mind. Thus began the story of Ajay and Pia. A love story, that begins at sea. Ajay is on a cruise with his friends - Nikhil and Reena, unhappily married, and Vicky and Natasha, happily unmarried. Ajay is having a wonderful time dealing with martial strife, lots of bad language and huge hangovers, when he finds Pia, and time stands still. After a disastrous first meeting, Ajay tries everything to woo her. He wants her, by hook, crook or even her little private notebook. She's not an easy catch at all, but finally, by sheer perseverance, he dances his way into her heart. Ajay and Pia develop a strong and special bond. In each other, they find an anchor. But the tide goes against them. Weighted down by lies and deceit, their boat is rocked, and their relationship drowns. But even oceans cannot keep true love apart. Against better sense, Ajay waits for Pia. In Pia's case, better case prevails, and she comes back to him. With no doubt in their minds about the way they feel for each other, they rush into marriage, despite the advice and failing relationships of their friends. Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry. And Ajay-Pia, love each other dearly, and their marriage flourishes, setting an example for their friends. But no marriages can be complete without problems, and Ajay and Pia have also have to face hurdles, some of which seem insurmountable. We are taught in school how to do sums, how to read and write, and how to conduct scientific experiments. But what do we really know about the greatest social experiment of all, namely our ability to keep the love alive in our marriage, especially in the face of crises? But even as things get much worse, and sometimes unsolvable, Ajay and Pia don't give up. They realize that marriage is not a ritual or an end. It is a long, intricate, intimate dance together and nothing matters more than your own sense of balance and your choice of partner. And Ajay and Pia are used to dancing together. So they battle all odds, and dance, and sometimes they fall. But every time they fall, they fall in love. And that's what a successful marriage requires. Falling in love many times, always with the same person. This is the special love story of Ajay and Pia. There may be no monuments dedicated to them and perhaps their names will soon be forgotten. But in one respect they succeed as gloriously as anyone who's ever lived: They've loved each other with all their heart and soul; and in life and marriage, that has always been enough.

For the last few months, with the two successive hits he had made, Sreenivasan has become one of the most sought after actor in Mollywood. He is virtually in demand in every project that has a different hero that suits his typical mannerisms. And the actor is busy as a bee, enjoying the new stardom that he has attained.

Sreenivasan, who is presently in the sets of ‘Pachamarathanalil’ has also earmarked his dates in May to play the lead in the movie by Haridas. Interestingly titled as 'Aravindante Athmakatha' the movie will be scripted by T A Shahid. Produced by Manoj in the banner of Minerva Productions, the movie will also feature Suganya, Lal, Jagadeesh and Jagathy in other important roles.

Even though their prime venture in Malayalam ‘The Sound Of Boot' didn't made the expected run at the box office, Pyramid Saimira Productions, is having big plans to concentrate more on Mollywood industry.

The group which runs the largest theatre chains in the Asian region will produce another 12 films in Malayalam for the year. The group will produce two big budget films with Mohanlal, this year Pyramid Saimira is also holding script discussions with many producers and will finance at least a dozen of them.

The company is also the producer of the new Sreenivasan starrer 'Pachamarathanalil' which will be a Vishu release.

Well it seems people don't get enough of Bebo and want her more and more. She seems to be there in films, doing ads endorsing big brands, and gracing the front covers of almost all magazines big or small. Kareena seems to have reincarnated with a fantastic physique and a great attitude. She is one actress who seems to have truly matured in to a bold and beautiful Bollywood actress. Life at 27, with its ups and downs, seems to have been great for Bebo with a collection of good films in her kitty. Kareena had recently made the press go haywire with her break-up from Shahid and her relationship with Saif. But the news seems to have died down thanks to the couple's mature treatment regarding the whole furore. Kareena now graces the front cover of 'Vogue' magazine's desi version that features some fantastic pictures of this Kapoor beauty in action. It is reported that the book also contains an exclusive and candid interview of Kareena. And for all the ladies out there this Bollywood beauty also seems to have revealed the secret behind her figure. But what makes Kareena mysterious and interesting is the rocketing career that she is going through right now. With some big releases like 'Tashan' in the pipeline and the Saif-Kareena news showing no signs of mellowing, we can look forward for much more of Bebo!

Race, one of the hottest films this season, is around three weeks away from its release. Still, it's producers TIPS and composer Pritam are leaving no stones unturned to ensure that the film not just stays in news but also take one of the biggest ever openings at the Box Office. To keep the film hot in circulation and add on to the immense hype that this action/thriller has been generating, the makers have decided to add on a new song in Race. The song is special since it features Saif Ali Khan and now hot-n-happening Katrina Kaif who was the only leading lady to have enjoyed a cent percent record last year (Namastey London, Apne, Partner and Welcome). Moreover, the title of the song is nothing less than inviting as it reads - 'Sexy Lady'. As per the film's producer Ramesh Taurani (of TIPS), the song was added as it was found to be a good replacement for 'Mujhpe To Jaado' which was yet to be shot. "We are thrilled with the great response to the title song 'Race Sanson Ki', 'Pehli Nazar Mein' and 'Zara Zara Touch Me'. We wanted to keep the momentum going. When Pritam made us hear the tune of 'Sexy Lady', we knew that this was the song for the film," confirms Ramesh Taurani. Adds Pritam, "'Mujhpe To Jadoo' was anyways waiting to be picturized. Since Abbas-Mustan also felt that 'Sexy Lady' could be a good replacement, everyone was in consensus with the decision. Says a confident Taurani, "We are quite happy with the way Race is leading up to it's March 21 release. The songs are doing quite well and are leading the charts all over. We would begin unleashing the talkie promos early March. They would be a mix of action and drama which forms the USP of the film." Meanwhile shooting of 'Sexy Lady' is currently on and would be wrapped up in quick time so that the song is on air before the release of the film. Moreover, there won't be much wait for the new edition of the music album of Race to arrive too. By first week of March, latest addition 'Sexy Lady' is expected to be a part of the newer lots of Race that would be out on stands.

From the moment director Shankar decided that he will work once again with the South Indian super star Rajinikanth, this project has been making news. Well there was also a controversy suggesting that Ash was signed and rumors emanating that she has quit the film. Well a few days back Ash had openly declared in an interview to a private channel that she had signed for this sci-fi flick. Now here is more news for all you fans of this Bollywood beauty. It seems director Shankar has asked Ash to go down by a few pounds because that is the look needed for the film. Ash, who had put on some weight for her recent blockbuster 'Jodhaa Akbar', is believed to be hitting the gym daily and is on a strict diet regimen for shedding the required kilos. Ash will be shown as a sleek chic and she might also have to do some stunt sequences for this film, hence the reducing in weight. Ash has received a whooping sum as advance, and signing this film she has become the top paid actress in the entire nation. 'Robot' sees the coming together of giants like Shankar, A.R. Rahman, and Rajinikanth. This same trio had come together for making 'Sivaji-The Boss' which became a block buster in South India and abroad. Let us hope that the magicians are able to weave their magic once again with this film as well.

Selvamani, who is known for controversial films based on the current affairs of our nation, is ready with ‘Pulanvisaranai – 2’. As expected, the movie has met with a lot of problems when it was sent for censorship.

The movie is based on petrol issue and the director is believed to have made many sensational and controversial observations on the issue. Censor board members keenly watched each and every scene keeping the track record of the director in mind and they found many scenes objectionable. When they said they wanted many scenes and dialogues removed or changed, Selvamani got upset and argued with the members.

It is worth recalling that Selvamani’s previous movie ‘Kutra Pathirigai’ too encountered severe problems in the process of censorship. The movie, based on the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was rejected by the board but Selvamani got the permission to release the film by approaching the court

Now the tug of war between censor board and Selvamani over ‘Pulanvisaranai – 2’ has begun. However, it might not be a big problem for the director, who is used for such tussles.

It’s a well known fact that Sivaji Productions is ready to commence its next project and that the hero is Ajith. Earlier it was said that Vishnuvardhan would direct that movie. But the chance of directing the movie has now gone to Venkat Prabhu. As a matter of fact, the opportunity to direct 'Aegan' itself was about to go to Venkat Prabhu. But since the producer Ayngaran Internationals preferred Raju Sundaram, Venkat could not get the opportunity. Ajith however, was keen to give opportunity to Venkat. He asked the young director to tell the story to Sivaji Productions. The story narrated by him was liked by the producers and hence he got the chance to direct Ajith’s movie. But let us keep our fingers crossed, as we cannot be sure of anything since everything keeps changing till it is made official.

Sila Nerangalil, a good thriller

As the first few frames of the Tamil film, Sila Nerangalil (Sometimes...) flit through old and yellowed newspaper reports, you sit up eagerly, waiting for the story to unfold. And New Light productions venture, director by veteran Malayalam director Jayaraj does keep you at the edge of your seat which is an accomplishment in itself.
When a dazed-looking girl (Navya Nair) lands up at an institution in Udayagiri, a relic of the 2004 tsunami, there's no clue as to her whereabouts or her family. Taking pity on the hapless girl who wakes up every night with visions of a man stabbing her with a pair of gleaming scissors, the institutions' chief hands her over to Jo (Vincent Ashokan), who is in-charge of the well-being of the inmates.

Together, they try and solve the meaning of her terrible nightmares with the help of Dr Gopalakrishnan (Raghuvaran, with his trademark staccato dialogue). They end up with the discovery that her dreams are connected to a terrible and gruesome murder that occurred forty years ago; which is of her own.

Forty years ago, she was Thamarai. And her husband Chidambaram had been hanged for allegedly killing her. But what really did happen on the gruesome night that she was hacked to death?

So far, so good.

The plot is interesting, the characters are well-etched, and there's sufficiently enough going on with the murder story that makes you wonder exactly who the culprit it is. Now, if only they'd concentrated on little points like dialogue delivery and a taut screenplay. The costumes are straight from the sixties, and everyone dances around a lot which might be logical for cinema, but isn't for real life.
Vincent Ashokan, son of veteran actor Ashokan with a quirky smile carries himself through most situations, action or sentimental. When he burns up in jealousy over his young wife's infatuation with the famous singer Madhavan, he excels. It's his beardly incarnation that falls a little flat, somehow. The sixties get-up makes him look good (except that suspenders went out of fashion in the forties). And the bit where he himself slips into hypnotic mode produces a wave of laughter from the audience.
Navya Nair looks at everything with huge eyes and does a creditable job as the harassed wife who wears puffed blouses and loads of jewellery. She's suitably dazed in the first half, and recovers a little towards the end ... but we are not told why her past is never.

It is clearly Raghuvaran who has got the lion's share of the movie. Very much in his element, his speeches in the first half don't make much sense, until the loose threads are tied up in the end.

Ramesh Khanna as the hapless photographer produces a few laughs.The editing's slick and fast, without unnecessary twist and dialogues. Shreekanth Deva's efforts make you tap your feet to a few numbers. You only wish, that more of the sixties had been given importance though the climax makes you really sit up.

Altogether, a nice fare if you're in the mood for a good old-fashioned crime thriller.

Rating ***

Kanthaswamy, the Vikram - Shriya starrer is steadily shaping up and the crew along with the director Susi Ganesan is back in town after a hectic and successful schedule in Mexico. It was also reported in the media that Vikram had charmed the audience there and would be featuring in a Mexican film as well. Vikram Director Susi Ganesan who is a student from Mani Ratnam’s school of direction had visited the director recently and the duo was reported to be discussing Kanthaswamy and other films in general. That was when the ace director was said to be considering Cheeyan for an important role in his next Hindi film which will have the Guru team of Aishwarya Rai and Abishek Bachchan once again. Talks are said to be on between Mani Ratnam and Vikram. If this offer comes through, fans of Cheeyan and Mani Ratnam are sure to be delighted as the talented couple has never been teamed up earlier.

The two have not shared screen space beyond that enrapturing dance number in Sivakasi. The two almost starred together in Kuruvi, but for reasons unknown, Nayan withdrew and Trisha took the spot. But having sampled the pair in the Sivakai song, fans having been waiting for Nayantara and Vijay to act together. And looks like that wish is soon to be fulfilled! The latest news making its rounds in the cine circle is that Nayan has signed on for a film to be directed by Prabhu Deva, which has Vijay in the lead! It appears to us that her sexy stint in Billa has created waves, landing the actress some terrific roles including the lead in Ajith’s next movie Aegan!

01.ANJATHEY
Cast : Narain,Prasanna,Vijayalakshmi
Direction : Mysskin
Production : V.Hitesh Jhabak

02.SADHU MIRANDA
Cast : Prasanna, Kavya Madhavan, Abbas
Direction : Siddique
Production :Alka Film Corporation

03.INDRALOKATHIL...
Cast : Vadivelu, Shriya, Suja, Nazar
Direction : Thambi Ramiah
Production : Manickam Narayanan

04.BHEEMA
Cast : Vikram, Trisha, Prakashraj
Direction : Linguswamy
Production : A M Rathnam

05.THOONDIL
Cast : Shaam, Sandhya, Divya
Direction : K S Adhiyaman
Production : M I A With Tarlac And G W M

01.JODHAA AKBAR

Banner
UTV Motion Pictures
Ashutosh Gowariker Productions

Producer
Ashutosh Gowarikar, Ronnie Screwvala

Director
Ashutosh Gowarikar

Star Cast
Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Sonusood

02.MITHYA

Banner
Planman Motion Pictures
Tangerine Digital Entertainment Pvt. Ltd

Producer
Arindam Chaudhuri

Director
Rajat Kapoor

Star Cast
Naseruddin Shah, Neha Dhupia, Ranvir Shorey

03. TAARE ZAMEEN

Banner
Aamir Khan Productions
PVR Cinema

Producer
Aamir Khan

Director
Aamir Khan

Star Cast
Aamir Khan, Darsheel Safary,Tanay Chheda

04.WELCOME

Banner
Base Industries Group

Producer
Firoz Nadiadwala

Director
Anees Bazmee

Star Cast
Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif

05.SUNDAY

Banner
Big Screen Entertainer

Producer
Kumar Mangat
Sunil Lulla

Director
Rohit Shetty

Star Cast
Ajay Devgan, Ayesha Takia

'Jodhaa Akbar' hits gold

JODHAA AKBAR is on a record-breaking spree in Overseas. The 10-day total of U.S.A., U.K., Australia, Gulf and other Overseas territories is approx. Rs. 21.5 crores, which is phenomenal. The film is set to emerge one of the biggest success stories in Overseas

U.K. BOX-OFFICE

• JODHAA AKBAR [last weekend: No. 10, this weekend: No. 15]: In its second weekend, the film has collected £ 171,245 on 46 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 3,723. Total: £ 679,192 [approx. Rs. 5.34 crores].

U.S.A. BOX-OFFICE

• JODHAA AKBAR [last weekend: No. 19, this weekend: No. 22]: In its second weekend, the film has collected $ 702,120 on 100 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 7,021. Total: $ 2,505,703 [approx. Rs. 10 crores].

U.A.E. BOX-OFFICE

• JODHAA AKBAR has collected approx. $ 800,000 [approx. Rs. 3.19 crores] in its first 10 days.

For all those who had doubts whether Mohanlal reads his scripts before accepting a new film, here is some food for thought.

Mohanlal after reading the complete script of writer-director T.S Suresh Babu's Karthika Thirunal Karthikeyan(KTK) has rejected it on the grounds that he has done similar larger-than-life character and the cost of the film will be over Rs 4 crore, making it financially a big risk for the producer Siraj Valiyaveetil.

KTK was Mohanlal's next big budget movie and the shoot was to start in the last week of March, with Parvathy Melton, Namitha and Padmapriya signed for the film, which was to be his Onam release.

Now Mohanlal is going to do Madambi written and directed by former journalist turned script writer B. Unnikrishnan (Smart City). Mohanlal is very impressed with Unni's script in which he plays an unusual role of a kind hearted money lender. For the first time Kavya Madhavan will be in a role of a full fledged heroine opposite the star.

In Madambi, Mohanlal plays Gopalakrishna Pillai, a money lender who has come up in life the hard way, but on the right track. He does not believe in lending money based on promissory note or blank cheques. Everything is based on love and on the strength of the borrower’s words (Vaaku). Pillai does not charge "blade" interest, but is very firm on getting interest and principle amount back, so he is the lord of the village he lives which has no bank or any other money lenders. One day out of the blue a private bank ‘New Generation Bank’ is set up by Jayalakshmi (Kavya Madhavan), which creates the twist in the tale.

Madambi is set against a hilly village in Central Travancore area, and Mohanlal speaks in the local dialect of the area. Jayasurya plays Mohanlal's younger brother and the film also has Sreenivasan, Jagathy, Siddique among others. Mohanlal wears traditional Mundu with Kara border, coloured Khadi shirts (see pic) in the film produced by a new banner Surya Cinemas of B.C Joshy.

The shoot of Madambi will start in the first week of April in Idukki after Mohanlal completes Sathyan Anthikad film and his cameo appearance in 20: Twenty.

Sunil alias Narain is a well-known actor in Malayalam and Tamil.

To be an actor was Narain’s big dream though his parents who have nothing to do with the film industry wanted him to get a degree. Thus to make his father happy, Narain did a course in cinematography at the Adyar Film institute. And when he knew that Rajeev Menon needed an assistant, he met him and confessed about his dream. It was Menon who motivated him to be a good cinematographer first before becoming an actor.

After completing the course in cinematography he came into the film industry as an assistant to Rajeev Menon, one of India’s noted film makers and cameramen. He worked with him for many advertisements and a film - Morning Raga. During those days of working with Rajeev, Narain met Adoor Gopalakrishnan and his cinematographer Mankada Ravi Varma who wanted some camera equipment for Nizhalkuthu. Later he made his debut as an actor by playing the protagonist Oduvil Unnikrishnan's (the hangman) son in the film.

Narain’s performance as the firebrand IPS officer, Rajan Mathew, in Jayaraj's 4 the People and the struggling lawyer, Emmanuel John, in Achuvinte Amma were memorable roles. 4 the People was dubbed in Tamil and Telugu and Narain also did the Bengali version. And who can forget Murali of Lal Jose’s Classmates? The film brought him close to everybody’s heart.

It was around this time that Sunil decided to change his name to Narain when he made his debut in Tamil with that pathbreaking film Chithiram Pesuthadi directed by Mysskin. In Malayalam his solo film Panthaya Kozhi produced by director Lal was lukewarm at box-office. And he also acted in Shyamaprasad’s Ore Kadal a film that was critically acclaimed.

Anjathey-Good in Multiplexes!!

Narain has so far balanced his roles in Tamil and Malayalam successfully. In Tamil, after Chithiram Pesuthadi, Narain did Nenjirikum Varai and Pallikoodam in which he played collector Vertrivel which won him a lot of accolades.

And now the actor is basking in success of his latest release Anjathey in which he has come out with an outstanding performance as Satyavan again with director Mysskin. He has also signed a Malayalam film with noted director Kamal in which he will be paired with Meera Jasmine for the third time.

Narain’s wife Manju is a noted television personality in Kerala.

Karthik Thirunal Karthikeyan was supposed to be Mohanlal’s big-budget film slated for release this Onam. The movie , directed by T. Suresh Babu, stars three female leads -- Padmapriya, Namitha and Parvathy Melton. The latest buzz is that Mohanlal has backed out of the project as he done a similar role before.

Mohanlal has several other films in the pipeline and we need to wait and watch as to which Mohanlal starrer would make it to theatres this Onam.

The IC-814 flight hijacking will haunt India forever. Eight years after the blot on the skies, the truth remains hazy. A former military official, now a top filmmaker in Kerala, Major Ravi will expose the behind-the-plot scenes in his film Kandahar.

And he has landed a casting coup. Indian cinema's two acting powerhouses, Mohanlal and Kamal Haasan, will share the silver screen together for the first time in Kandahar.

"It is a big international conspiracy," says Ravi. "Many facts have not been revealed. India had to the pay price, even though many countries were involved in the hijack drama. My film, in Malayalam and Tamil, will explore the truth. I have got authentic information on what really happened, who the key players were. Obviously, I can't reveal the plot now."

On the casting coup, he says modestly, "Yes, if everything goes according to plan, the film will have Mohanlal and Kamal as commandos. Both of them are keen to act together; they are my close friends as well."

Kamal had expressed his desire to act with Mohanlal in a recent public function in Thiruvananthapuram.

Friendship apart, won't it be a huge task to make two of India's top actors act in a single frame?

"Yes, that is the challenge," Ravi replies. "That is why I said everything should go according to the plan. There are many things which I have to consider. I have to be careful that the presence of the two should not affect the course of the film. Yet, I am confident that it will work out smoothly. I am also planning to make it in Hindi with a different cast."

All his films are, perhaps, his personal accounts of history, be it Keerthichakra or Mission Ninety Days. While Keerthichakra depicted militancy in Kashmir, the latter looked into the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. In both cases, he had a crucial role to play.

If Keerthichakra raised the patriotic fervor, then his Mission Ninety Days drew a blank.

But Ravi says he is not rattled. "Mission Ninety Days was based on true incidents," he says. "I can't compromise on facts to make a film glamorous. People would have expected more sensationalism. But I am not the one for that. Those who are in the know really liked the film. International press agency AP interviewed me for over an hour after learning about the film. I don't have any regrets. It is a very special film."

But before Kandahar, Ravi will shoot a film on the Kargil war, which he says will be another "shocking revelation of the Kargil episode."

"The Kargil war was completely unnecessary. It was a war that was thrust upon us," Ravi says. "We may have won the war, but the human loss was mind-boggling. There are many facts which Indians should know."

The film, which also stars Mohanlal, will focus on the post-war situation. To be shot in Dubai, Pakistan and India, the Rs 8 crore (Rs 80 million) film will include the characters of Pakistan President Musharraf and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the key players in the Kargil episode.

"The search for their look-alikes has already begun," Ravi says.

Interestingly, Mohanlal will have the same name Major Mahadevan, which he played in Keerthichakra. "I don't know why. I have a special bonding for the name," Ravi explains.

There are many more stories that the Major would like to film. "There was a military operation in which we lost at least 100 soldiers in the war with China in 1962. Only four or five survived. But we won that particular battle. Despite being an incredible operation, it has not got its due. I have been trying to get details. That is one of my future plans," Ravi says.

The journey from a soldier to filmmaker, says Ravi, has been wonderful. "I have had the rare opportunity to pursue my passions. A soldier in the first innings, and a filmmaker in the second. I am enjoying this. There are more stories to be told."

Arshad Warsi is the latest actor to become a film producer.

Quite a few actors have started their own production houses like Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Aamir Khan. Now, it's Arshad's turn.

A source close to the actor tells us that Arshad wants to do serious roles but unfortunately, he isn't being offered any.

In an interview to rediff.com, Arshad had admitted, "It is fun to be able to perform different roles. Otherwise, it gets boring."

In fact, this is reportedly the reason why Arshad refused to take up Dhamaal 2. Dhamaal, starring Sanjay Dutt, Jaaved Jafri, Ritiesh Deshmukh and Warsi had been a big hit. Aftab Shivdasani replace him in the sequel.

"Arshad is being offered many comic roles but now, he wants to do meaningful cinema," the source added.

It is learnt that Arshad has roped in director Kabir Kaushik to direct his first production venture. Kabir had directed Sehar earlier, which saw Arshad in a serious and beautifully-etched role.

Till date, Arshad has always included Sehar as one of his favourite films. The film was based on the real life story of an honest cop, who was instrumental in breaking the organised crime in Uttar Pradesh. Unfortunately, Sehar failed at the box office.

Meera Jasmine is one the most sought-after actresses in Malayalam film industry. She has established herself as a good actress in both Malayalam and Tamil. Meera has been often linked to her co-stars. The recent announcement of her marriage with mandolin player U. Rajesh should put an end to all baseless marriage rumours. The actress is presently busy with her much-awaited film directed by Sathyan Anthikkad and starring Mohanlal in the lead. Her previous film, Rasanthanthram,

starring opposite Mohanlal and directed by Sathyan Anthakkad, was a big hit. There are high expectations from this untitled film too.
Meera is pairing with Narain in Kamal’s new youth-centric film based on the new IT generation. Production begins next week. She was last seen with Narain in Shyam Prasad’s Ore Kadal starring as Narain’s wife.

We have all heard this one. With co-stars like Mugdha Ghodse and Kangana Ranaut it was out in the papers a few weeks back that Priyanka was asked by the director of this film ‘Fashion’ to reduce her weight.

But the lady has quashed all rumors leading that way by coming out that, no one has asked her to slim down for her role in the film ‘Fashion’. She has also said that this is one of the most insensible stories that she has heard in a long time.

This Bollywood beauty has also made it clear that she shares a good rapport with the ‘Fashion ’director Madhur Bhandarkar. Priyanka is all set for Karan Johar’s next that stars Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham in the lead role. The actress has also reportedly told that her look for ‘Fashion’ was a well-toned look and she would be flaunting the same look in KJ’s film too.

Priyanka has also made it clear that she is not the ‘anorexic’ figure type and does not support such looks. She says one does not look beautiful when they are too thin. She feels that Indian women are naturally beautiful. They are well-proportioned and ‘aesthetically endowed’ in all the right places, and by becoming too thin one is going against nature.

It is just that Priyanka has worked out for a well-toned look rather than an anorexic, too thin kind of look.

Beauty with brains Priyanka is! She sure knows what look suits her best.

Kajol has proved that movie stunts are not restricted to men alone.

In her husband Ajay Devgan's debut, U, Me Aur Hum, the actress has performed a stunt all by herself."We shot the song Jee le on a cruise liner," says a source from the film's unit. "Ashley Lobo has done the choreography. While performing the number in the evening, Kajol to leap down from the upper deck. During the leap, she sprained her ankle and fell, thanks to her five-inch heels. But despite that, she took some painkillers and shot the very next day for the same shot."

Ajay Devgan tells us more. "I wanted a salsa for the song," he says. "It was an expensive shoot -- we had more than 100 dancers and a crowd of about 600 people on the cruise. Vishal Bhardwaj composed the salsa number according to the script requirements. It was very brave of Kajol to finish the shoot despite her leg injury."

U, Me Aur Hum will release in April.

Mammootty had a good beginning this year with his first release, Raudram, creating ripples at the box office The actor will be seen playing the title role in the magnus opus historical movie, Pazhassi Raja, directed by Hariharan and scripted by M.T. Vasudevan.

The National Award-winning actor, who has done several movies of different genres in various languages, has now been signed for a new action thriller to be directed and scripted by debutante Gireesh.

The new movie by Sathyan Anthikkad, is the most eagerly awaited one for the millions of fans of Mohanlal, as they are sure the director and his themes will definitely provide a lot of support to Lal in delivering a big hit, in these difficult days of his career.

The new film being made by the Aashirwad Cinemas, have Mohanlal as a garment manufacturer, Gopakumar, who becomes a advisor to three women who are going through difficult marriages.

The characters played by Mohanlal and Meera Jasmine who are in love, become a part of the lives of these three ladies played by Suganya, Mohini and Muthumani.

The story develops into how the couple with the help of their husbands played by Asokhan, Mukesh and Vijayaraghavan, bring an end to the distorted singular lives of the ladies.

As usual Sathyan is tying to handle a serious, different theme that will appeal to the majority, sprinkled with subtle humor. Ilayaraja, the master composer will handle the music department of the film, which will have three songs.

‘Silanerangalil’, which is releasing this Friday (Feb 29), promises to be a musical thriller without gory scenes, suggestive dialogues, or obscenity. The entire unit is confident that the film would entertain all sections of the audience.

It is learnt from reliable sources that the movie is sleekly edited by national award winner editor Sreekar Prasad to maintain the tempo of the narration. The duration of the movie is just around 2 hrs.

‘Silanerangalil’ is a murder mystery shot in two different eras- the 60's and the present time. The film is made in the style of a Manoj Night Shymalan eerie thriller, with fantastic songs.

As first published at our website, Pyramid Saimira is releasing this movie with much publicity. Pyramid is positive that the unique story and deft handling by noted Malayalam director Jayaraj, who has given hits like ‘4 The People’ in the past.

Mysskin’s second movie ‘Anjathey’, starring Narain, Ajmal, Prasanna, Vijayalakshmi, Pandiyarajan, Ponvannan, and ‘Bomb’ Ramesh, is doing brisk business all over Tamil Nadu. The no-nonsense thriller set in an emotional drama between two friends has undoubtedly captured the imagination of Tamil audience.

‘Anjathey’ has created a record of sorts. Apart from brisk collections at the box office, the movie has scored in many fronts. The fact that the film runs in full houses in all centers is a proof that Mysskin’s efforts have attracted the cross section of the society.
The movie sans sex, comedy track, and gimmicks attracting huge crowds is an indication of the maturity of the audience and a reward for the sincere work put in by the team.

Director Mysskin has to be commended for his subtle ways of narrating things. He never goes overboard to shock the audience. He has completely avoided sensationalizing the issues, including rape, dealt in the movie. The pervert behaviour of Daya is portrayed without perversion.

The characterization is another area where the writer scores. Even the supporting characters like ‘Kuruvi’ and fringe characters like the old woman selling flowers have been brilliantly etched.

The movie displays an amazing visual sense while the sound track shows you the power of silence in intense scenes. The deftly used low angle shots suggest different dimensions of the proceedings, while the symbolic shots show the value of subtlety. The cameraman (Magesh Muthusamy), editor (Sadagopan Ramesh), musician (Sunder C. Babu), and the director have worked in tandem to give the audience a unique experience of seeing a film well made. They have been ably supported by the cast members, who have given life to the ideas of the creative team on screen.

Though ‘Anjathey’ is seemingly a crime thriller, it tries to send strong vibes that could influence our way of thinking. It makes us reflect on our recruitment and training system, on friendship, on the relationship between parents and children, on our dream and on how to deal with the dreams that are shattered…

The fact that the audiences have received the experiment well could augur the future of Tamil cinema.

The last day of 2008 February would witness four new releases with 'Thotta', 'Silanerangalil', 'Vambu Sandai', 'Ponmagal Vandhal' hitting the halls on February 29. The foursome release over the weekend is confirmed by the advertisements in the news papers.

All the releases are awaited eagerly for one reason or the other. Jeevan – Priyamani starrer 'Thotta', for example, is expected will curiosity, as it comes after a lackluster affair ‘Machakkaran’ by Jeevan. Priyamani’s efforts to establish herself as a glamour heroine continue in this film too. The film is said to be a masala entertainer.

'Silanerangalil', directed by famous Malayalam director Jayaram, marks the transformation of Vincent Asokan as hero. The musical thriller is awaited with much anticipation.

'Vambu Sandai' will be typical Sathyaraj brand masala flick with Uday Kiran and Diya playing the young lovers. Raj Kapoor directs the movie, which has music by Imman.

Director E.M. Ramamoorthy’s 'Ponmagal Vandhal', with many new faces might spring a few surprises.

'Vellithirai' and 'Yaradi Nee Mohini', the two big films that were planned to be released in February, have been postponed to March.

Ace director Sathyan Anthikkad who rose to stardom in the eighties, had great support from the scripts of actor Sreenivasan.

Majority of his hits of the late eighties with Mohanlal in the lead like “Sanmanassullavarkku Samaadhanam'', ''Nadodikkattu”, ''Pattanaprevesham'', ''Gandhi Nagar Second Street” all bored that Sreenivasan stamp, which made all the trio great success with their flicks.

The last time Sreenivasan and Sathyan were seen together was for the hit movie ''Yathrakkarude Shradhakku'', which came out in 2002. There after both parted ways, and Sathyan started scripting for his own films like “Vinodhayathra'' and ''Rasathanthram'', which also attained good commercial successes.

But according to the latest reports, both the versatile actor and the director are planning to come together once more for another film in the near future. Other details of this Sathyan- Sreenivasan project which is under discussions are awaited.

After a wait of more than half a decade, veteran actor Vijayaraghavan is finally appearing in a pivotal role in a Sathyan Anthikkad film.

Sathyan's new untitled film starring Mohanlal in the lead will have Vijayaraghavan playing an important role of Pitambaram a gulf returnee. The actor is for the first time called upon by the director who is specialized in creating soft humorous, but soulful characters.

Vijayaragavan has been successfully donning the roles of venomous villains for a couple of years. Last year he had some notable roles in films like ‘Mayavi’, ‘Nasrani’ and the recent ‘Raudram’. Most will hope that, with a good role in a Sathyan film, he will escape from being typecast in the roles of villainous characters.

After 'Millenium Stars' that came up as a millennium release, Suresh Gopi and Jayaram are again uniting together, once again for a new film. This untitled flick is directed and produced by Jayaraj.

The shooting for this film is expected to start by the third week of March at Thiruvananthapuram. Both the stars will be appearing in roles of equal importance in this flick.

Jayaraj has been passing through a difficult phase in his career with almost all of his recent releases like 'Aswaroodan' and ‘Of The People’, making poor responses at the box office. So is also the case of Jayaram, with an array of recent flops after him.

The trade specialists are on the eager look to know what fortunes, the union of the stars and the director will bring on their careers.

Grosses Rs 74 crores (approx 19 million USD) in just 10 days worldwide…a record for a Indian film!

Some key figures of the gross collections:

• India: Rs. 52.70 crores (one of the biggest openings ever in Indian cinema)

• US: USD 2.5 million = Rs. 10 crores (already one of the highest grossers of all time in the US market in just 10 days!)

• UK: GBP 700,000 = Rs. 5.60 crores (amongst the Top 10 first 10 days for an Indian film in the UK market)

• Gulf: USD 800,000 = Rs. 3.2 crores (amongst the Top 5 first 10 days for an Indian film in the Gulf)

• Australia: USD 286,906 = Rs. 1.15 crores (already tracking to emerge as the 2nd highest grosser of all time in Australia)

• Rest of the World = USD 380,000 = Rs, 1.5 crores

General:

The Telugu and Tamil versions will release on 6th March and are expected to create a huge stir in the South market.

The film has generated spectacular box office collections despite:

1. Not having a release in one of the key markets for this genre of movie - Rajasthan. UTV Motion Pictures is still in talks with various local groups to try and get the film released in the state, as interest levels amongst audiences are at fever pitch.

2. Suspension of screenings in the state of Madhya Pradesh over the 2nd weekend by the State Government. UTV has moved the MP High Court already to lift this suspension and has announced that it will go up to the Supreme Court if need be.

Sometime back, there were reports that director duo Abbas-Mustan were planning to put direction on hold temporarily, since they plan to concentrate on film production after having announced a slew of movies. The director duo has signed Rumi Jaffrey [presently directing GOD TUSSI GREAT HO], Rohit Jugraj [JAMES, SUPER STAR] and Nishikant Kamat [director of the Marathi film DOMBIVALI FAST] to direct a film each.

“Sure, we're starting a string of films with Rumi, Rohit and Nishikant, but we aren't putting direction on hold. That's a rumor. As directors, we are committed to Subhash-ji [Ghai], Tips and Venus and we will direct movies, besides producing films simultaneously,” the director duo reveals. Also, brother Hussain, who edits their movies, will also turn independent director soon; his directorial debut will be produced by Abbas-Mustan of course.

Meanwhile, Abbas-Mustan were planning to start sequels to BAAZIGAR and BADSHAAH. What happened to those projects? “BAAZIGAR is still fresh in the minds and frankly, we haven't found a script that lives up to the mammoth expectations. But an idea for BADSHAAH 2 has germinated and the moment the script is ready, we would approach Shah Rukh for it,” they state humbly.

Vipul Shah is gradually spreading his wings. An accomplished director himself, Shah surprised everyone when he entrusted the directorial reins of his new film, SINGH IS KINNG, to Anees Bazmee. This was much before WELCOME happened to Anees and Akshay Kumar together.

Now Shah has gone ahead and signed David Dhawan to direct his forthcoming venture. “Both Anees and David are in the same league, in the top bracket. After making a film with Anees, you ought to remain in the same bracket,” the soft-spoken producer informs me.

Will it star Shah's fav hero Akshay Kumar in the lead? “It's too early to comment on it. Actually, it all depends on the script. The moment we lock on the script, we'll look into that aspect,” he clarifies. Indeed, Shah is going from strength to strength!

It is almost certain that Nayantara would be the heroine of Ajith’s next movie, ‘Egan’, directed by Raju Sundaram.

Many speculations were making rounds during last week, as Katrina Kaif pulled out from the project due to her Bollywood commitments. Shriya was among the front runners according to the rumour mills. The hot girl, who is said to have irked Ajith by her appearance in Vadivelu starrer ‘Indiralogathil Na Azhagappan’, could not make it.

Then it was said that Ileana, the sexy gal of Tollywood would make a comeback in Tamil with ‘Egan’. Finally it is learnt from the reliable sources that the hot girl, who sizzled in ‘Billa’ with her dare to bare attitude and stylish appearance, will pair up with Ajith. The successful pair is sure to create sensation among the audience.

The news, if confirmed, will be a double delight for Nayantara, who is slated to pair up with Superstar Rajinikanth in ‘Kuselan’.

Tail: Raju and Yuvan Shankar Raja have flown to Malaysia for composing the songs for ‘Egan’.

Synopsis

Diamonds worth ten crores are stolen from dangerous Don, Papa. The diamonds accidentally fall in the hands of young love birds - Chandu (Upen Patel) and Chandni (Tanisha), who quickly hide them in a car. Papa and his idiotic henchmen Albert (Vrijesh Hirjee) and Pinto (Manoj Pahva) are desperately hunting for the diamonds while hot headed police office Mayavati Chautala (Neetu Chandra is on the prowl looking for offenders of any kind.

Enter the first Laxmi Narayan (Tusshar Kapoor). He's from a khandani mafia family and his mother prays that with a few murders under his belt, he will be settled for life. After bitching up badly in his early attempts, he's got a final chance to redeem himself as a Bhai. He comes to hotel Blue Diamond, Pondicherry because he's taken supari to bump off Papa (Mukesh Tiwari).
Enter the second Laxmi Narayan (Suniel Shetty). He's an MBA from Darjeeling and lives his professional life by following two simple rules -
1) The boss is always right.
2) If the boss is wrong, follow rule number 1.

He is sent to Hotel Blue Diamond, Pondicherry to collect a new car for his boss from Laila (Sameera Reddy).

The third Laxmi Narayan (Paresh Rawal) is a hawker who has made so much money selling underwear on the footpath that he has set up a lingerie factory for his son. His son sends him to Hotel Blue Diamond, Pondicherry to collect lingerie samples from upcoming designer Jiya (Esha Deol).

Three Laxmi Narayans are at the same place at the same time.

Three Laxmi Narayans waiting for messages at the hotel reception desk.

Three Laxmi Narayans getting letter and photographs meant for the other.

First Laxmi Narayan gets lingerie designer Jiya's photo and goes to kill her, only to end up as her hero. Second Laxmi Narayan gets Papa's photo and goes to collect the car from him, only to be mistaken for a killer and gets beaten black and blue. Third Laxmi Narayan gets Laila's photo and asks her to show him her underwear, only to be branded an old pervert.

Meanwhile Chandu and Chandni are determined to stop anybody from buying the car where they have hidden the diamonds.

But Laila has to sell the car to save her showroom.

And Jiya has to sell her designs to save herself from lecherous Mende's clutches.

A case of not one mistaken identity but three!

A crazy bunch of people doing the wrong things for the right reason!

A laugh riot from beginning to end!

Characters

Laxminarayan 1 - Tusshar Kapoor
He desperately needs to prove his killer instincts. But much to his mother's despair, this wannabe Bhai always goofs up. It's his last chance to kill, but he ends up becoming the victim - of love!


Laxminarayan 2 - Suniel Shetty
He's a loveable geek who takes pride in being accurate and detailed. He'll do anything to please the boss, including bearding a Don in his den. But when beaten up, burnt and tortured, even this ever affable soul wants to call it quits!

Laxminarayan 3 - Paresh Rawal
All the Bhabhis and Behenjis of Delhi will vouch for his uncanny eye - Just one look and be can gauge your innermost measurements. But then he comes across Laila who refuses to show him what he wants and blackmails him instead!

Jiya - Esha Deol
Jiya is a talented lingerie designer who is desperate to strike a deal that will settle her debts with the lecherous Mende. Waiting for underwear expert Laxmi Narayan she fails for Bhai Laxmi Narayan - the man who's come to kill her.

Laila - Sameera Reddy
Laila will do anything to save her glitzy auto showroom from being shut down by loan collectors. She will agree to strip or even try and sell off an old car till she discovers that the same car holds diamonds worth crores!

Inspector Mayawati - Neetu Chandra
She's bright and alert and takes a fancy to Laxmi Narayan 2. She's on the lookout for criminals and diamond thieves, but finds herself chasing after not one, not two but three Laxmi Narayans!

Chandu & Chandni - Upen Patel & Tanisha
They work in the showroom and love in their spare time. They hide the diamonds in an ancient car they think nobody will ever buy, but to their dismay, their boss Laila is hell bent on selling this same car to save her garage.

Best Actor
Shahrukh Khan - Chak De India

Best Actress
Kareena Kapoor - Jab We Met

Best Film
Taare Zameen Par

Best Director
Aamir Khan - Taare Zameen Par

Critics' Award For Best Actor
Darsheel Safary - Taare Zameen Par

Critics' Award For Best Actress
Tabu - Cheeni Kum

Critics' Award For Best Film
Shimit Amin - Chak De India

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male)
Irrfan Khan - Life in a... Metro

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female)
Konkana Sen Sharma - Life in a... Metro

Best Lyrics
Prasoon Joshi - (Maa - Taare Zameen Par)

Best Playback Singer (Male)
Shaan - (Jab Se Tere Naina - Saawariya)

Best Playback Singer (Female)
Shreya Ghosal - (Barso Re - Guru)

Best Music
A. R. Rahman - Guru

Best Story
Amol Gupte - Taare Zameen Par

Best Screenplay
Anurag Basu - Life in a... Metro

Best Dialogue
Imtiaz Ali - Jab We Met

R. D. Burman Award
Monty Sharma (Saawariya)

Lifetime Achievement Award
Rishi Kapoor

Power Awards
Yash Chopra & Aditya Chopra

Best Debut (Male)
Ranbir Kapoor - Saawariya

Best Debut (Female)
Deepika Padukone - Om Shanti Om

Best Special Effects
Red Chillies Entertainment - Om Shanti Om

Sony Head N Shoulders Fresh Face of the Year Award
Deepika Padukone

Best Background Score
A. R. Rahman - Guru

Best Editing
Amitabh Shukla - Chak De India

Best Choreography
Saroj Khan (Barso Re Megha Re - Guru)

Best Action
Rob Miller - Chak De India

Best Art Direction
Samir Chanda - Guru

Best Sound
Leslie Fernandes - Johnny Gaddaar

Best Cinematography
Sudhip Chatterjee

Best Costumes
Sujata Sharma - Gandhi My Father

1. ‘Varnapainkili’
Film: ‘Cycle’
Music: Mejo Joseph
Lyrics: Anil Panachooran
Singer: Vineeth Sreenivasan.

2. ‘Kanakuyilin'
Film: ‘College Kumaran’
Singers: Sujatha, Venugopal
Music: Ouseppachan

3. ‘Kannadi Kottile’
Film: ‘Calcutta News’
Music: Deb Jyothi Misra
Lyrics: Sarath Varma
Singers: Chitra, Vanitha and Vijitha

4. ‘Snehathin Koodonnu’
Film: ‘College Kumaran’
Music: Ousepachan
Lyrics: Shibu Chakravarthi
Singers: Karthik and Aparna.

5. ‘Puthiyoreenam’
Film: ‘Cycle’
Music: Mejo Joseph
Lyrics: Anil Panachooran
Singers: Karthik and Vineeth Sreenivasan.

Sreenivasan and Meena had already came together for two films in Malayalam-‘Udayananu Tharam’ and ‘Katha Parayumpol'. Both these films had been two biggest hits in Malayalam and the pair has proved to be a lucky one.

Sreenivasan and Meena are now uniting again for the third time for a new film scheduled to start next month. This new Malayalam film by director Suresh Krissna will be produced by Vijayavaahini Studios.

Sreenivasan flooded with offers after his recent hit 'Katha Parayumpol' is presently in the sets of 'Pachamarathanalil' - a film directed by debutant Liyo Theaddhevoos. Sreenivasan appears as a cartoonist in this family film, produced in the banner of Revathy Kalamandhir.