RaNa’s film launched

Sekhar Kammula’s latest film introducing RaNa (son of D Suresh Babu) as hero was launched today morning at 10 am in Rama Naidu studios. AVM Productions is going to produce the film. As per the sources of idlebrain.com, this film will not be a regular film but a coming-of-age film that deals with social responsibly. The muhurat was a private affair and media was not invited.

Arundhati Tamil on 20 February

Arundhati is all set to create records in Telugu film industry

. And after a huge gap, prestigious Tamil production houses are showing tremendous interest in dubbing Arundhati film in Tamil. The offer for dubbing rights of Tamil is running into several crores. It is not known whether Shyam Prasad Reddy sells the rights or dub it in Tamil on his own. The tentative release date for the Tamil version is 20 February.

Trisha paired up with Gopichand

Trisha is going to play the female lead in Gopichand’s next film in the direction of Siva (Souryam fame). Kajal Agarwal’s name was announced earlier. But could not honor this film due to her prior commitments. Trisha is going to pair up with Gopichand for the first time. Tamil actor Satyaraj is going to play Gopichand’s father in this film. Bhagawan Das and Pulla Rao are going to produce this film.

Delhi–6 comes to town

The Bollywood flick 'Delhi -6' starring Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor is pipelined for a February release. The maker of critically acclaimed, 'Rang De Basanti' (Oscar Nominee) Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is directing this movie which is the most anticipated flick of this year.Set in the backdrop of Delhi in early days, the title has been inspired from the city's pincode – 110006, which evolved into a commonly referred slang among the residents as 'Delhi -6'. The plot is about Roshan (Abhishek Bachchan) a guy who returns to India from USA along, with his ailing grandmother for a quick visit. How this turns into a long journey and his exploration about his native country is unveiled in a captivating narration. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Ronnie Screwvala are together producing this movie on UTV Motions Pictures and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Productions banner.

Ali plays hero again

RaviSrinivas Vaitla is set to producer a movie starring comedian-turned-hero Ali, in the direction of Vijayasarathi on Honeywell Arts banner. Director of ‘Kanchanamala Cable TV’, Vijayasarathi has now been roped in to direct this comeback movie of Ali. ‘Yamaleela’ (1994) was a hit movie that turned Ali from a comedian into a hero. Later, he returned back to comedian roles after a series of duds like 'Somberi', 'Gundamma Gaari manavadu', 'Hungama' as hero. Now, he is again playing the lead and pins high hopes over this forthcoming movie. The movie will be different from Ali’s earlier ventures and it is an action flick filled with comical elements. The heroine is yet to be finalized, while we have roped in two top heroines to dance in two special songs, according to the director. The first schedule of this pipelined movie will begin on 2nd February and the second will be started from March. The makers are planning to release the movie by the second week of May, after completing the final schedule by April in Hyderabad and Karnataka. Music is being composed by SriSuman and the camera is being cranked by K. Dattu.
RaoRamesh, Jeeva, 'Satyam' Rajesh, Melkote, 'Amrutham' Harshavardhan, Pavala Shyamala are other important artists in the cast.

Who’s going to be ‘Maska’-ed

Sankranthi is one festival next to Diwali which usually have a release of anticipated movies. ‘Maska’ is one in the list starring Ram, Hansika and Sheela in the cast. Popular producer MS Raju is making this movie directed by B. Gopal on Sumanth Arts banner. Sentiment props and movies are inseparable in Tollywood. MS Raju’s releases on Sankranthi have mostly become hits which paved way for ‘Maska’ coming this time. Adding spice to it is Ram’s and B. Gopal’s earlier hits which came out during the same festive day. Ram’s last ‘Ready’ was a super hit which was released on Sankranthi, 2008. All these elements and the trio’s combination have created much hype for the flick. MS Raju is pinning hopes on ‘Maska’ to become a hit. The present moment’s spur is the title, ‘Maska’. Everyone knows maska is to deceive someone and woo them but we aren’t sure who’s going to be Maska-ed in this movie. Will the hero try to make the heroines fall for him or will they be after him? It could even be on how the hero evades the villains giving them a maska. We don’t have to wait for long as ‘Maska’ comes out shortly to answer these questions.

Going gaga over Jaganmohini

The tall voluptuous nymph and star of ‘Jaganmohini’, Namitha has now became talk of the town. She plays the role of CJ in ‘Billa’ starring Prabhas and Anushka in the lead. Meher Ramesh is directing this movie. The film is a remake of the Tamil ‘Billa’ featuring Ajith and Nayanthara. Copying Nayan’s bikini act, Anushka has consented to shed her clothes to wear just a bikini. Namitha is not far behind, for she appears in a sensual swim suit which might sure regale the young spectators. Eventhough, Namitha debuted into Tollywood with ‘Gemini’ in the lead, she didn’t attain the needed recognition. And now she is coming back with ‘Jaganmohini’ a bilingual film in Telugu and Tamil along with ‘Billa’. The tinsel town in entirety has gone gaga over the actress

Suryaprakash Rao signs up Naresh

'Allari' Naresh is one of the hot and happening hero in Tollywood, after giving a number of hits. He's now established as a minimum guarantee star which bought him the offer from Nukarapu Suryaprakash Rao. The producer of hit movies 'Holi', 'Adirindayya Chandram', 'Brahmasthram' and 'Ninna Nedu Repu', Suryaprakasha Rao has now signed up Naresh to play in a movie, to be directed by Srinivas Reddy. Even though, Naresh has his hands full with a slew of movies to be done in 2009, he has signed up this project. The latest addition to the list of filmmakers and producers waiting for Naresh's call sheet is, SPR Entertainments.

A hearty birthday wish to B.A. Raju

One of the most senior and respected public relations officer cum producer in Telugu film industry is B.A. Raju. He started off as a journalist which was his first stint into being a PRO. Next, a magazine dedicated to movies named ‘Superhit’ was started by him. He moved on to become a relations officer among the film personalities and later became a producer himself. ‘Premalo Pavani Kalyan’ was his first produced movie on Superhit Friends banner. The second one was ‘Chantigadu’ that debuted Bala Adithya as hero and Suhasini as heroine which was directed by B. Jaya. ‘Premikulu’ is one more from his production house and all his films were big hits in the box office. Being one of the able PRO’s has made Raju to be called in to work for the much hyped Nagarjuna’s ‘King’. Indiaglitz.com wishes the senior journalist a happy birthday and a prosperous year on his birthday that falls on Jan 7.

2008: Top 5 Telugu films

Ashta Chemma, starring an all Telugu-speaking cast, was directed by Mohan Indragranti. The movie, an inspired adaptation of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ by Oscar Wilde was a laugh riot, superbly scripted by Indragranthi, who gave Telugu audiences off-the-wall hits like Grahanam. The film introduced a natural-born comedian, Srinvasa Adivala and showcased the latent talents of Naina, Swati and Bhargavi (who was murdered just a few weeks ago).

Jalsa, Pawan Kalyan’s longed-for mega-hit after 4 long years, came at a very opportune time. With the launch of brother Chiranjeevi’s party, Pawan Kalyan was made president of the youth wing of the Praja Rajyam, called Yuva Rajyam. Starring as a reformed naxal who has to fight to claim his lady love, Pawan Kalyan shone in the myriad facets he had to portray on screen.

Raksha, remade in Hindi as Phoonk, was co-produced by Ram Gopal Varma, India’s king of supernatural movies. Jagapathi Babu scintillated as the fond father, a sceptic who’s forced to change his atheist beliefs as he sees his daughter pulled apart by evil spirits. Raksha didn’t offer any ready-made answers regarding the supernatural vs. the rational but definitely opened a debate about the supernatural that many Indians believe in.

Baladoor, an all-out entertainer starring Ravi Teja and Anushka, saw Ravi Teja taking on a more sober role. This action flick showed Ravi Teja emoting when he was not fighting off the baddies or wooing shapely sexy Anshuka. Very much in the vein of a Ravi Teja starrer, Baladoor
was another feather in the superstar-in-the-making’s cap.

Ullasamga Utsahamgaa, starring the doe-eyed beauty Sneha Ullal, was a low budget flick whose market expectations rose with Dil Raju grabbing the distribution rights of this B. Somu production. Director Karunakaran’s career, which was not doing too well recently, was boosted by this film’s success.

Suhasi: Junior Trisha

There are reports that lovely Trisha is considering making an entry into Sandalwood. But with the release of Haage Summane (Kannada), Karnataka has got its own Trisha lookalike in Mumbai model-cum-actress Suhasi who doesn’t mind being called Junior Trisha. Suhasi is Gujarati theatre artiste Lata Goradia’s daughter. Debutant director Preetham Gubbi was on the lookout for a fresh face when he saw Suhasi in a few ads and approached her for Haage Summane (Kannada). Preetham told Suhasi that he was the one who wrote the script for the blockbuster Mungaru Male (Kannada). Suhasi, who has acted in the Hindi Serial 'Ek Chabi Hai Pados Mein', accepted his offer right away. The young actress is full of praise for her director. “His groundwork was terrific and as the captain of the ship, he took care of everyone,” she commented. Haage Summane (Kannada) was released recently and the final verdict about the film is not yet known. But Suhasi is already becoming famous with her resemblance to Trisha and she has bagged a Tamil film also. Having shot to fame with commercials, she hopes to make a successful career in Tollywood saying in an interview, “It’s a great industry and friendly to newcomers.”

Top 5 heroes of 2008

Chiranjeevi may not have set the box-office ablaze this year with his acting or fighting prowess. But definitely this a star-turning-politician created regional history by launching his Praja Rajyam party. The only other actor of A.P. able to garner such public support was of course, the legendary Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, founder of the Telugu Desam Party. By launching his own Praja Rajyam party, he captured the attention of the National media and dominated the airwaves for the duration of the launch.

Junior NTR seems all set to be his grandfather’s heir in looks and charisma. Already, he has earned an enviable base of devoted fans. Though Kalyan Ram too was touted as NTR’s political and cinematic heir, it is Junior NTR who has captured Telugu hearts. Now that he’s lost weight, he looks every inch the lady-killer his grandfather was.

Nagarjuna, the gentleman actor, managed to sweep Telugu audiences off their feet with his single royal release King at the very end of 2008. The mega-star who releases his mega-budget extravaganzas at the end of each year, Nagarjuna proved trade pundits wrong by galloping home with a mega-hit this year too.

Prabhas, the good-looking and charming nephew of Krishnam Raju, has silently raced to the top with all his movies becoming hits and above-average earners. Bujjigadu Made In Chennai starring Trisha signalled Prabhas’ arrival in the big league. Known to pick great scripts, Prabhas is currently shooting with the sensuous Anushka and the voluptuous Namitha for the Telugu remake of the Tamil super hit Billa (2008).

Venkatesh always makes his audiences laugh with his superb comic timing. Chintakayala Ravi didn’t disappoint with the producers laughing all the way to the bank. Known to be a producer’s hero, Venkatesh is appreciated for remaining within the budget by not postponing shooting schedules unnecessarily, arriving late or throwing star tantrums. ‘Victory’ Venkatesh, as he’s known to fans, is unassuming. At the same time, he knows what his fans want and delivers without fail.

Trisha watches King in burqa

Nagarjuna starrer King, directed by Srinu Vaitla and produced by D. Siva Prasad Reddy under Kamakshi Kala Movies banner, was released on Christmas Day and is running to packed houses worldwide. Being Nagarjuna’s last movie of 2008, King was welcomed with a bumper opening and was declared a super hit in the first week. The movie is receiving rave reviews and public praise all over Andhra Pradesh and even nation-wide. Nagarjuna’s 3 get-ups, Brahmanandam’s trademark humour and of course, effervescent Trisha and dazzling Mamta Mohandas have proved to be a magical mixture that is drawing people to theatres in droves. With all the talk of King, Trisha, one of the queens of Telugu and Tamil films, decided to watch the movie in a theatre among enthusiastic audiences to gauge people’s reactions first-hand. Since her appearance in public would create havoc, Trisha used the age-old ruse of concealing her beauty in a 'burqa' and going to a theatre in Chennai to watch the public being enraptured by King. Safely concealed in the 'burqa', Trisha enjoyed the movie with the rest of the audience, who were unaware of the celebrity in their midst.

Bujji’s next three projects

Nallamalupu Bujji’s latest film Konchem Istam Konchem Kastam will be releasing in January 2009. He has three crazy projects lined up. The first film will be directed by Harish Shankar (Shock fame) with NTR as hero. The second project will have Venkatesh as hero and it will be directed a debutant Deepak. Vikram Siri (another debutant) will direct the 3rd film. Deepak and Vikram Siri are providing screenplay for Konchem Istam Konchem Kastam film.

Five releases for 1st January

1st January is going to witness five Telugu film releases. Krishna Vamsi’s Sasirekha Parinayam with Tarun and Genelia generated lots of interest among the movie lovers. Harsha P Reddy’s thriller Indumathi is also releasing on the same day. Posani Krishna Murali’s Mental Krishna with Satya Krishnan as heroine will hit the marquee on 1st Jan. Yashwant’s Maha Nagaramlo and dubbing film Satyam IPS are also releasing for the new year.

Navdeep – Bhoomika for 'Yagam'

'Gautham SSC', 'Chandamama' fame Navadeep as hero, Bhumika Kim Sharma of 'Khadgam' fame as heroine, PA Arun Prasad is directing a new film. It is produced by Raju and Praveen together on Silver Screen Movies banner. The title 'Yagam' is confirmed for it. The filming is done in India and locales of Bangkok, with out much publicity. Except for a song the shooting is completed. The remaining song will feature the hero and heroine. The other prominent cast of the film includes Ali, Brahmanandam, Harsha Vardhan, Ajay, Raghubabu, Rahul Dev, Indra Kumar. Actors from Thailand are also joining the team. Music is by Mani Sharma, Lyrics by Bhaskar Bhatla, Ananth Sriram, Photography by Bharani K Dharan, Story-dialogues-screenplay and direction by PA Arun Prasad.

'KIKK' audio in the first week of January

Sidhardh, Tamanna's fist combination as hero heroines, Kishore Pardasani (Dolly) debuting as director, the film 'Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam' is produced by Nalamalapu Srinivas(Bujji) on Lakshmi Narasimha Production banner. KIKK made with a backdrop of human values, has completed shooting. As a part of post-production works the re-recording in the direction of the music trio Shakar-Ishaan-Loy is underway at Mumbai. The makers are planning to release the audio in the first week of January. The movie will be ready for Sankrathi release.

Varun Sandesh - Anandi Arts film from 23rd Jan

The happening hero in Tollywood today Varun Sandesh is soon going to play a disparate role in his next film planned to be made on Anandi Arts by producer P.Kiran, in the direction of Gunnam Sandeep. The head of Anandi Arts, P.Kiran after a gap, post 'Anthahpuram' a hit film starring Sai Kiran, Soundarya as the lead pair, and Jagapathi Babu in a key role, is ready to make a new film. Gunnam Sandeep, son of popular producer and head of Just Yellows production house Gunnam Gangaraju, will make his debut as a director with this film. The film is a remake of Dhanush Starrer 'Polladavan' in Tamil. Unlike his earlier films Varun Sandesh will be seen as an action hero in this film, touted to be a romantic action entertainer. The movie will go on to floors on 23rd January.