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Box Office Analysis - Sivaji reigns supreme : Rajnikanth's charm has managed to create a firm grip at the box office for Sivaji. Even after completing three weeks, Sivaji still reigns supreme at the box office. The magnum opus, produced by AVM Productions and directed by Shankar, has managed to witness houseful shows not just in Tamilnadu but all around the globe.Even after three weeks, the movie is running to packed houses especially in Chennai city. All the 23 screens where the movie released is full of avid Rajnikanth fans. With average theatre occupancy of 96 per cent, the trade analysts feel the movie is sure to break several records in the history of Indian cinema. Rajnikanth and more of Rajnikanth have done wonders for the movie. The coming together of big names like Rahman, K V Anand and Thotta Tharani had created more hype for the movie and thankfully it sustained all the hype. Movies like Naan Avanillai and Chennai 600028 have managed to complete 75-day run. The former produced by Hitesh Jhabak and directed by Selvah had several top heroines like Sneha, Malavika, Keerthy Chawla, Namitha and Jyothirmayee sharing the screen with Jeevan. A remake of yesteryear flick titled the same, Naan Avanillai is putting up a decent show.
Chennai 600028 is continuing its victory lap. Directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by J K Saravana and S P B Charan has won enough support among the young audience. Starring newcomers, the movie thanks to the good work by the star cast and catchy music score by Yuvanshankar Raja is continuing to woo the audience. Not far behind is Karuppasamy Kuthagaitharar. Starring Karan in the lead role, KK, directed by debutant Moorthy is winning good patronage especially in the rural areas. Praveen Kanth's long-pending Thullal finally managed to hit the screens last week. Directed by Praveen Kanth himself, the movie has managed to draw audience thanks to Vivek's good comedy. Meanwhile, the Chennai box office has witnessing the release of English movies like Fantastic Four, Mel Gibson's Apocalypto and Mohanlal's Hello. Sivaji still the BOSS : It is raining money for Tamil Nadu box office as 'Sivaji: The Boss' is running houseful at all cinema halls. The Rajnikant starrer, released on 17 screens, is recording 100 percent collections. 1. 'Sivaji' (Director - Shankar): The most hyped film of 2007 has conquered the hearts of all those who have seen the film. The craze that started before its release has not subsided even after 2 weeks. 2. 'Chennai 600028' (Director - Venkat Prabhu): This small film has managed to survive the 'Sivaji' storm and that speaks for its strength. 3. 'Karuppusamy Koothagaitharar' (Director - Murthy): The success of the film is the success of Karan, the hero of the film. 4. 'Unnale Unnale' (Director - Jeeva): This is another film that escaped the 'Sivaji' tsunami in multiplexes. 5. 'Paruthiveeran' (Director - Ameer): 'Paruthiveeran' has completed more than 100 days and has done it in style. In Tamil Nadu, 'Sivaji' music rocks : A.R. Rahman's music for the film "Sivaji" has caught the ears of the listeners and the album is being lapped up in the state. 1. "Sivaji" (music by A.R. Rahman): After watching the film, "Athiradee" and "Vaaji vaaji" have become a rage as the scenes are fascinating. 2. "Unnale Unnale" (music by Harris Jayaraj): "June Ponna" sung by Krish and Arun is on high rotation on all the radio stations. 3. "Mozhi" (music by Vidyasagar): The success of this album shows there is space for melody even today. 4. "Chennai 600028" (music by Yuvan Shankar Raja): The film is a surprise hit and has made the album a favourite among young listeners. The song "Jalsa" is a must listen. 5. "Naan Avan Illai" (music by Vijay Antony): "Ean Enakku", sung by Jayadev and Sangeeta Rajeswaran, is instrumental for the album's success. © - M ohan ku m ars.Com
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Sivaji enchants Sri Lanka too : The Rajnikanth mania has gripped Sri Lanka too. His blockbuster Sivaji:The boss is on show 41 times a day in seven theatres across the island, with all shows running to full houses. "People forget the war and queue up for tickets at the Monohara theatre. It's booked for a week now," said K Nathan, a resident of Jaffna, in north Sri Lanka. The film transports the viewer to a world of fantasy, a far cry from the grim reality of Jaffna where disappearances and killings carried out with impunity by unidentified warlords are the order of the day. The film is running to full houses in Trincomalee in the East and also in the plantation areas in Central Sri Lanka, which is home to lakhs of Tamil labourers of Indian origin. "It's house fill. No tickets for another week," said the manager of Midland cinema in Nawalapitya in Central Sri Lanka, when asked if tickets were available. Colombo, of course, is seeing the biggest draw, because 40% of its population is Tamil-speaking, and it has four theatres showing the film four times a day, simultaneously. The Cine City multiplex in downtown Maradana has 20 shows a day. "Except for the 10.30 am show on weekdays, all the other three shows are booked for the next two weeks," an official of Concorde theatre in south Colombo said. Serpentine queues form outside the theatres hours before a show. "Disappointed fans who fail to get tickets extensively damage the cut outs and the police barricades. Police were sometimes compelled to baton charge the unruly fans," The Island daily said in a front page story with a picture on June 19. The demand is so high that the Cine City management has raised ticket prices to LKR.250 and 300, reports Virakesari a Tamil daily with the largest circulation in the island. "There is such an anxiety about getting a seat that crowds rush into the hall even before patrons of the previous show had filed out. All seats get refilled even before the end of a show!" the paper reports. "I am eager to see the film, but it will be a month before I can hope to get a ticket," said Tamil film buff, Minna Ahmad. "It can't get bigger than this - Rajnikanth, the superstar and style king, and Shankar the showman of Tamil cinema, are coming together for the first time in Sivaji. The good news is that this awesome combo is able to whip up an entertainment extravaganza that is deliciously good to savour," says Daily Mirror in its review. "The comedy in the first half is rollicking. Go for it - its entertainment guaranteed," the reviewer urges. Are you with Rahman on his 'One Love'? : Two more days to go and the New Seven Wonders List would be declared. The question on every Indian's lips is - Will Taj Mahal break into the Top-7? In the meanwhile promotion of Rahman's anthem song 'One Love - Ek Mohabbat' that has been especially created for the initiative has intensified in a big way. The music video of the track is out on all leading music channels and the messaging is simply impeccable. Rahman has not just composed the music for 'One Love - Ek Mohabbat' but even co-written the lyrics. Apparently he was quite tied up in his busy schedule but jumped on the offer to create the song and stretched himself to get it in the form as we see today. Combining commerce with art, I Media Corp Ltd (IMCL), the company that has backed the music video, has given the momentum a good enough kick off that has ensured that the country is aware about the ongoing voting for Taj Mahal to be placed in the elite list. Rahman did it for us. Will we do it for him by voting for Taj? When Sruthi Haasan searched Kamal : Kamal Haasan's daughter Shruthi Haasan had been to the shooting spot of Dasavatharam,which features the actor in ten different roles. Unable to find her father in the sets, she made anxious enquiries with an old man with big moustache and long hair, standing near director K S Ravikumar, about her father. Little did she realize that it was her father to whom she was enquiring to. The whole set went to laughter. Kamal Haasan is donning ten different roles including that of a old man. Produced by Oscar Ravichandran, the movie features Asin, Mallika Sherawat among others in the cast. Music is by Himesh Reshammiya.
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Screening Sivaji for a cause in USA : Kollywoodusa and Bharat Creations had a special screening of Sivaji on 1 July in Chicago to support Tamilnadu Foundation, a non-profit charity organization in America. All the proceeds from the show were donated to TNF. Hundreds of people who are not fortunate await help back home and this gives us golden opportunity to raise funds and support our community, a release said. TNF will utilize the funds to support poor senior citizens, building schools, providing scholarship and take care of mentally impaired children. Adding more, Sivaji has created history in Chicago, since it is the first ever Tamil movie to run successively for three weeks.
Kamal in P.Vasu's next venture? : Director P Vasu is very elated, with the stupendous success of Chandramukhi at the box office. He also has another reason to smile, as his son Sakthi’s film, Thottal Poo Malarum, has shaped up well. However, we hear that he is all set for a bigger project — to direct Kamal Haasan no less, after the ‘Ulaga Nayagan’ finishes Dasavatharam. Sources close to Vasu say the director is unwilling to open up on the topic, but it is likely to be a story which will be a thorough entertainer along the lines of Michael Madana Kamarajan. When asked, Vasu laughed off all speculation saying “No comments�. In simple English that means he is still writing out the story.
Action aplenty in July : With Sivaji fever slowly settling down, a host of Tamil films are getting ready for a release this July. These movies were lying in the cans since no adequate theatres were available for screening. With over 23 theatres opting to release Sivaji, several films were forced to wait for their turn to hit the screens. On 12 July, Madhavan's Arya and Thangar Bachchan's Pallikoodam will see the light of the day. Expectations are high on both the movies since they have been in the news all through their making. Also Sherin- Nandha starrer Urchagam, produced by GV Films is expected for release on the day. The film is directed by Ravichandran. On 20 July, Ajith's much-awaited Kireedom would be released. Starring Trisha opposite Ajith, the movie is directed by debutant A L Vijay. Besides it is expected that Parthiban and debutant Bharathy starrer Ammuvagiya Naan would also be released on the same day. Arya's Oram Po, which was lying in the cans for a long time will eventually, is released on 25 July. With Pooja playing the heroine, Oram Po is the debut directorial venture of Pushkar and Gayathri. Asin turns TV compere : oday, the buzz bee in Kollywood is Asin. She is flying between Chennai and Mumbai on a regular basis. The actress from the 'God's Own Country' is acting opposite Kamal Haasan in Dasavatharam and Aamir Khan in Hindi remake of Ghajini. Meanwhile, Asin is to play heroine to Suria in Vel, directed by Hari. In Vel, she plays the role of a bubbly young TV anchor, who runs behind Suriya romancing. Asin who is dubbing herself in Hindi, says, “Aamir Khan was impressed with the way I speak Hindi. He suggested to me that I dub myself�. On Dasavatharam, she says, “When I walked into the sets of Dasavatharam, I was really tense. I know only K S Ravikumar before. I thought it is a serious business with so many big names around. In contrast, working in Dasavatharam was really a fun. Sharing the screen with Kamal Haasan is a delight�.
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Nag Ravi to distribute Kireedom in Chennai : Nag Ravi of Insight Media has snatched the distribution of Ajith's forthcoming film Kireedom for the Chennai area. Nag Ravi had earlier distributed films like Vattaram and Muni before. Currently Nag Ravi has bought the Chennai distribution for Kireedom from its producers Sujatha Cine Arts. Kireedom starring Ajith, Trisha, Raj Kiran and Saranya is directed by A L Vijay and musical score by G V Prakash.
Celebrating the success - Pokiri : Vijay's Pokkiri is running successfully to complete a 200-day run across theatres in the State. To coincide the occasion, a mega function is being planned in Chennai in which the cast and crew of the movie would be felicitated. According to reports, the mega function would be held on 8 July in which 'Super Star' Rajnikanth is expected to take part and distribute mementoes and shields to the Pokiri team. Directed by Prabhudeva, Pokiri featured Vijay, Asin, Prakash Raj, and Vadivelu among others. A remake of the recent Telugu hit titled the same, the movie opened big in Tamilnadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. At the function, popular actresses like Simran, Namitha are expected to perform dance numbers on the dais. Sridevi, Kamal coming together? : Sridevi and Kamal Haasan were considered the lucky pair in Tami cinema in late 1980s and early 1990s. The two had come together to render several blockbusters then. After Dasavatharam' is complete, buzz is that Kamal will act in a film to be directed by P Vasu. It is said Vasu is trying to sign on Sridevi for that. However the actress, who is married to Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor, does not seem to be interested in acting again.Efforts are on to convince her. Meanwhile, Vasu has been roped into play a prominent role in Dasavatharam. Kireedom's audio does well : Kireedom's audio, which was released a few days ago, is doing brisk sales. Set to tunes by young G V Prakash, the album has five tracks sung by the likes of Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghosal and Vijay Yesudas among others.With the movie set for release later this month, the audio's success has come as boon for the team. Kireedom stars Ajith and Trisha in the lead roles. Directed by debutant A L Vijay, the movie is produced by Sujatha Cine Arts. The movie is inspired by Malayalam hit titled the same. Vijay says, "I am thrilled to see my film releasing this month. Hopefully it would do well at the box office". Prisoner of an idea and imagination : The Chennai Central prison is the favorite destination for film-makers these days. The century-old prison as been closed after the inmates were shifted to a newly-constructed jail at Puzhal near Chennai. Recently, films including Pagadai and Pasupathy starring Ranjit were shot in the Chennai Central Prison. On 30 June, director Perarasu chose to commence his Pazhani starring Bharath in the Central Prison. Scenes involving Bharath were shot. Pazhani is directed by Perarasu and produced by director Sakthi Chidambaram. Perarasu is taking strenuous efforts to ensure a hit in Pazhani. Vishal finds love in Malaikottai : Vishal's Malaikottai is progressing at a rapid pace. Spurred by the success of Thiruvilayadal, director Boopathy Pandian is lending his trademark touches catering to an youthful audience. Priya Mani, whose work spoke volumes of her acting credentials, is paired with Vishal.In a relaxed frame of mind, Pandian related the happenings. Stunts (Kanal Kannan) and Vaithi (cinematography) are the other important names. The team includes G Sasikumar (editing), Kalyan Shobi (dance director) and Na Muthukumar and Yugabharathi (lyrics).
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