Kollywood

Debutante Ashrita Shetty considers herself extremely lucky to be cast opposite southern actor Siddharth in her forthcoming Tamil thriller "Udhayam NH4".

"Every newcomer wishes to get launched with a successful star and I got lucky with that. I'm very happy that I got to work with Siddharth in the beginning of my career. He is very experienced and I got to learn a lot from him," Ashrita said.

Touted to be a road movie, "Udhayam" also features Bollywood actor Kay Kay Menon as well as Deepak, Ajai, Kalai, Karthi and Avinash. It is directed by debutant Manimaran.

"I play Ritika, a very simple, young, soft spoken, naive college going girl who falls in love with the hero," said Ashrita, who forayed into films after winning the Times Fresh Face of the Year award 2011.

"I participated in Times Fresh Face contest and won the Mumbai level competition. Later, I also won the national level. I became the face of 'Clean & Clear' brand. Directors Vetrimaran sir and Mani Ratnam sir saw my advertisements and met me in Mumbai and finalised me for the film," she added.

Quiz her if she is intimated by growing competition in the industry and pat comes the reply, "I'm not thinking about all that right now. I just want to do good roles, work hard and give my hundred percent to all my films".

However, she admits facing camera for a movie is not easy.

"Facing the camera wasn't completely new for me as I have done TV commercials, but having said that, shooting for films is way different and difficult than shooting for ads," she added.

Ashrita has two Tamil projects in the pipeline

Rajinikanth will be seen playing dual role in his next movie Kochadaiyaan. Soundarya Rajinikanth is making her directorial debut with Kochadaiyaan and renowned director R.S.Ravikumar provided the script work. A.R.Rahman is composing the tunes and Resul Pokutty is working as the sound engineer.

As per reports, Rajinikanth is playing dual roles of a father and a son. Shobana will pair with Kochadaiyaan (father) and Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone will be seen as Rana’s (Son) pair.

Audio launch of Kochadaiyaan is expected very soon and movie is currently undergoing its post-production work in China. Kochadaiyaan also casts Jackie Shroff, Aadhi, and Nassar in supporting roles. Sunil Lulla is producing this movie under EROS International.

Ilayathalapathy Vijay’s most awaited movie Thalaivaa teaser was released on April 11th. Thalaivaa is surely one of the most anticipated movies of 2013 directed by A.L.Vijay. Amala Paul is playing the female lead and G.V.Prakash is composing the tunes.

Thalaivaa new teaser draws many expectations as it shows Vijay staring the sea with amazing background music. Thalaivaa team is in Australia for their final schedule which will continue till 26th of April.

Santhanam, Ragini Nandwani, Suresh, Sathya Raj and Rajiv Pillai are playing the supporting roles. Nirav Shah is handling the cinematography and editing is by Anthony. Chandra Prakash Jain, C.P. Sunil and C.P. Dinesh are producing Thalaivaa under Sri Mishri Productions.

Southern actress Anjali, who has been in hiding after accusing her stepmother, Bharati Devi, and Tamil director Kalanjiyam of harassment, has left her brother Ravi Shankar worrying about her whereabouts.

Anjali has been in hiding since Monday.

Her brother has not heard from her since then. Worried about her whereabouts, he registered a missing person's case Tuesday. Police officers are investigating the matter.

"I haven't spoken to her since Monday. She was in a hotel in Hyderabad on Monday, but she is not to be found there now. I worry about her whereabouts. Until I see her, I won't be relieved," Ravi Shankar said.

On Monday, Anjali complained that her stepmother, Bharati Devi and director Kalanjiyam were mentally torturing her and have been using her like an ATM.

She left Chennai and moved to Hyderabad, where she settled down in an undisclosed location and was unavailable for contact.

Following Anjali's allegation, her stepmother and director Kalanjiyam the rumours and stated that they caused her no harm and were clueless about reported harassment charges.

Kalanjiyam also filed a defamation suit against Anjali Tuesday for charging him with baseless allegations. He was even ready to handle all charges against in a courtroom.

Meanwhile, Bharati Devi has filed a police complaint Wednesday alleging that Anjali may have been kidnapped and is being forced to issue statements against her and director Kalanjiyam.

"She (Bharati Devi) believes that someone could have kidnapped Anjali. She fears that her kidnapper might be forcing Anjali to allege harassments charges against her," a police official said.

It is reported that Anjali called her mother Wednesday. She has requested her brother to withdraw all charges against her step mother and director Kalanjiyam.

"My mother claims that Anjali spoke to her sometime back assuring that she is doing fine. She requested that I withdraw all charges against our step mother and director Kalanjiyam. I won't withdraw any charges until I see her. For all I know she might have been forced to say all this," Ravi Shankar said.

Hyderabad police commissioner Anurag Sharma said the investigation is underway.

"We are on the lookout for her (Anjali). Until we find her, we can't come to any conclusion," he added.

Anjali is known for successful films such as "Engaeyum Eppothum", "Kalakalappu" and "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu".

She made her cinematic debut with Tamil drama "Sathamindri Muthamidu", which was directed by Kalanjiyam. However, that film never saw the light of the day.

She was to join the sets of Telugu remake of "Bol Bachchan" Wednesday in Bangalore. The film unit has started shooting scenes that do not involve her.

"She (Anjali) was supposed join the team today. We couldn't wait any longer because we are working on a tight schedule and, therefore, started filming scenes that does not include her. I hope she returns soon," Sravanti Ravikishore, producer of the film said.

Siddharth and Ashritha Shetty starrer Udhayam NH4 will undergo censor work on Thursday. The movie completed its shooting part and currently undergoing post-productions works. Manimaran, a former associate of Vetrimaran is making his directorial debut with this film. G.V.Prakash composed the tunes and audio is getting a positive response.

Udhayam NH4 movie is produced by Dhayanidhi Azhagiri and Vetrimaran under Meeka Entertainments and Glass Root Films. Udhayanidhi Stalin of Red Giant Films has acquired the theatrical distribution rights of the movie.

Udhayanidhi Stalin shared the updates about Udhayam NH4 through a social networking site. He tweeted, “Release date of UDHAYAM nh4 wil b announced after the censor! Censor most prbly on Thursday :)”

Ilayathalapathy Vijay is busy shooting for Thalaivaa in Australia. A.L.Vijay is wielding the megaphone and Amala Paul is playing the female lead. G.V.Prakash is composing the tunes and acclaimed cinematographer Nirav Shah is handling the camera.

There is huge buzz stating Vijay as the main lead in the Tamil remake of Telugu movie Baadshah. Prasad V.Potluri has bagged the remake rights of this film and planned to rope in Vijay for the lead role. Vijay reportedly denied the rumors when a leading daily approached him about this news.

Meanwhile, Vijay will join Jilla shoot which is anticipated to start from second week of May. Jilla is directed by debutant director R.T.Nesan and Mohan Lal is playing a prominent role. Kajal is pairing with Vijay for the second time after Thuppakki. D.Imman is composing the tunes and R.B.Chowdary is producing this film under Super Good Films.

Southern actress Anjali has accused her step-mother Bharati Devi and Tamil director Mu Kalanjiyam of harassment. She has alleged that the two have robbed her of all savings.

"I've been mentally tortured by my step-mother and director Kalanjiyam. Both of them pose a threat to my life and I fear staying anywhere close to them. I moved out of Chennai yesterday (Monday) after I brought the allegations public. I'm currently in Hyderabad but would not wish to reveal my whereabouts," Anjali said.

Following the allegations Anjali made Monday, she went into hiding and was unavailable for contact.

"My step-mom and her husband used to accompany me for shoots and would never allow me to have my own space. They wouldn't let me talk to my friends or family. Currently, I only own one property in Chennai, all other assets and savings are in her name," she added.

"My step-mom knew director Kalanjiyam since my debut. They both have been constantly harassing me since then and treated me like a slave. I was merely a money making machine for my step-mother. I couldn't take it any longer and, therefore, decided to blow the whistle on them," Said Anjali, who has filed a legal complaint against her step-mother and director Kalanjiyam.

However, Bharati Devi, Anjali's step-mother, rubbishes all allegations.

"I adopted her from my elder sister when she was 15 years old and since then have been taking good care of her. I still can't understand why she would accuse me of harassment. She says I looted a crore of her savings, but in reality she is only getting paid in lakhs for her movies and, therefore, she can't possibly have so much money," Bharati Devi said.

"I accompany her to shoots because I believe she needed some supervision. It is very easy to get carried away at this young age in this business and, therefore, I was there to protect her," she added.

Anjali is known for successful films such as "Engaeyum Eppothum", "Kalakalappu" and "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu".

She made her cinematic debut with Tamil drama "Sathamindri Muthamidu", which was directed by Kalanjiyam. However, that film never saw the light of the day.

Director Kalanjiyam too is shocked at Anjali's allegations.

"Her debut film never took off, but her family was in touch with me because I groomed her to be an actress. Her family treated me as their well-wisher and I respected it. I never tried to take advantage of her at any point. I still can't believe why she would accuse of harassment," Kalanjiyam told IANS.

"I was working with her in my upcoming Tamil film 'Oor Suttri Puranam'. She already shot some portion of the film and has given me dates in May as well. If she really had a problem with me, why would she even bother to work with me," he added.

He says he wants to handle this matter legally.

"She has defamed my name with baseless allegations. If she really says I harassed her, then I would like to handle the matter in court. I have also filed a complaint in her name. I will only see her in court now," said Kalanjiyam.

Meanwhile, Anjali is to start shooting for the untitled Telugu remake of "Bol Bachchan" from Wednesday in Bangalore. She also recently completed shooting for upcoming Telugu action-drama "Balupu".

Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan will participate in a panel discussion as part of a National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show, an electronic media show covering filmed entertainment, to discuss the international appeal of Bollywood. The event is being held in Las Vegas.

"This landmark session will commemorate 100 years of Indian cinema, and will offer a look behind the scenes of 'Vishwaroopam', a Tamil spy thriller written, directed, starring and co-produced by Kamal Haasan," a statement said.

In the session, Haasan will be joined by Jeff Kleiser, board director of the Visual Effects Society, actress Pooja Kumar, visual effects supervisors Tim McGovern and Madhu Sudhanan N., and Ravi Velhal, global content policy strategist from Intel Corporation.

The session, 'Bollywood Beyond Borders', is part of the partnership between the 2013 NAB Show and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to organise events honouring the 100th year of Indian cinema.

Haasan will also receive an award on behalf of the Indian cinema fraternity. It will be presented by Chris Brown, executive vice president (Conventions and Business Operations) for NAB.

The NAB show began April 6 and will conclude April 13.

Biopics aren't easy to execute, feels Tamil director Anil, who is awaiting the release of his upcoming Tamil film "Nadigaiyin Diary", based on the life of late southern actress 'Silk' Smitha.

"To make a film on someone without hurting anybody's sentiment is a herculean task. Biopics are a rarity in Indian cinema, but when made, they become extremely challenging because while working on a biopic, lot of detailing should be given to facts," Anil said.

"Even though there is scope for fictionalising events, but one should know how to balance between facts and fiction. It's a very thin line and, therefore, it's important to know how to use it effectively," he added.

Originally made in Malayalam as "Climax", the film is dubbed in Tamil as "Nadigaiyin Diary". Both versions of the film are getting ready for release in May.

Arun says the film seeks to reveal the cause of the death of 'Silk' Smitha, who became a symbol of sensuality after featuring in bold and semi-nude roles during her career.

"The cause of death of Silk is a myth. Some say it was a suicide, while some claim it was a murder. We have tried to reveal the cause of her death in the film. Besides her death, we have also tried to bring forth the unknown side of her," he said.

"What I'm showing audience in this film is completely different from what was shown in (Hindi film) 'The Dirty Picture'," he added.

Sana Khan plays the role of 'Silk' Smitha in the film, which is produced by Digital Entertainers.

"The role Sana plays is bold, but not dirty. She has done an amazing job of working day and night for finishing the project in 30 days," said Anil.

The music rights of Dhanush-starrer "Mariyaan", based on a real life story, has been acquired by Sony Music.

Directed by Bharat Bala, "Mariyaan" narrates the story of a site worker, who escapes from treacherous conditions to find freedom. Oscar winning composer A.R. Rahman has composed music for the movie.

Ashok Parwani, head south, Sony Music Entertainment, says music will play an important role in "Mariyaan".

"The film today is much talked about and we are confident that the music will play a pivotal role in the film," Parwani said in a statement.