Kochadaiyaan is nothing but Rana’s first part, says Ravikumar
Even as he is gearing up for the marriage of his daughter to be held in Chennai soon, director K.S. Ravikumar has been working round-the-clock in his latest assignment of ‘supervising’ the direction of Soundarya, the younger daughter of superstar Rajinikanth, as the former debuts as director with Rajini’s upcoming film titled Kochadaiyan. Ravikumar would also be writing the film’s story, screenplay and dialogues.
Kochadaiyan is nothing but Rana’s first part, says Ravikumar
The inevitable question of the fate of Rana, which was launched in April last year and abandoned subsequently after Rajini fell ill, was put to him once again recently. Pat came the reply from Ravikumar who said that Rana hadn’t been abandoned at all. “In fact, Kochadaiyan could easily be termed as the first part of Rana. The film has been progressing at a brisk pace under the able direction of Soundarya.
“In many ways, Kochadaiyan ought to be treated as Rana-1. There is not even an iota of truth in the rumours that we had abandoned the making of Rana. It has only been postponed and work on it would commence once Rajini completes Kochadaiyan. As all of us are aware, Kochadaiyan was planned as a short-term production in order not to trouble Rajini who was returning back to action after a gap of many months.
“Now that the shoot of Kochadaiyan is about to be wrapped up and would soon be followed by the film’s post-production work, we shall be (re)launching Rana in a grand manner once Rajini is free,” assured K.S. Ravikumar.
Movie Review : 'Ooh La La La'
Director A.M. Jothikrishna, who had introduced the likes of Shriya Saran, Tamannah and Ileana D'Cruz into film world, has chosen to launch himself as an actor through Oo La La La.
Movie Review: Oo La La La
Ooh la la la Movie Gallery | Audio Launch | Press Meet | Special Show Gallery | Trailer
'Oo La La La', according to the title card, is nothing but Oorvasi, Latha, Lalitha and Lavanya. But the explanation seems to be just a gimmick as it has no relevance to the storyline.
Surya (Jothikrishna) is your usual happy-go-lucky guy who moves around and enjoys life using his father’s hard earned money. His only goal in life is to have lot of girlfriends but no girl is interested in him. He nevertheless relentlessly follows girls.
Things take a turn when he meets Preethi (Divya Bhandari), who works in a coffee shop. His overtures to woo fetch some result, as the girl accepts to be a friend. Surya is on cloud nine and goes around with the girl. Her friendship proves to be useful to Surya, as girls start getting attracted towards him.
Preethi meanwhile, falls for Surya and decides to take the relationship further. But she is shocked when she finds that Surya is using her as a bait to attract other girls. She also gets humiliated after her kissing Surya has been exposed to many through an MMS. Preethi gets angry and moves away.
Surya soon realises his mistake and tries to console Preethi. But she is stubborn in her decision.
Do they come together again?
The storyline gives some scope for emotional drama and interesting viewing. All that a director has to do is to create a few watchable scenes to portray the build up to love, the period of romance, break up and the reunion. Director Jothikrishna has grossly failed in this. Worse, the actor Jothikrishna finds it difficult to suit the role. The script has no life and the hero has not potential to liven up. Result? A damp squib.
Detailing the failures of Jothikrishna as an actor and director would be a futile exercise as most of the film has been irritating. The director has tried to spice up things with mixing up comical element through out the film but it hasn’t fetched any good result, as the comical sense is sorely missing.
That the movie getting into serious mode in the second half doesn’t help either. It becomes afutile attempt as he sequences fail to impress in any manner.
Jothikrishna fails to make an impression despite choosing an easy He has chosen an easy role to make an entry. He has a long way to go in terms of dancing and emoting.
Divya Bhandari looks good on screen and emotes well. Ganja Karuppu's comedy is cheap and unimaginative.
Sekar Chandra’s music is forgettable.
Oo La La La is just another fare that hits the halls and disappears without making any mark.
Prabhu’s Bandha Paramasivam to be remade soon?
As it turned out, the lastest super-hot Bollywood film Housefull-2 was nothing but the ‘modified’ remake of the Tamil hit film Bandha Paramasivam which starred Prabhu and Rambha in the lead and released in 2003. Directed by the diminutive T.P. Gajendran, the hilarious comedy film had stars like Monika, Kalabhavan Mani and Abbas.
Prabhu’s Bandha Paramasivam to be remade soon?
Produced at a small budget by Vijay’s manager P.T. Selvakumar, the film turned out to be a profit-making venture for the producer. Housefull-2 has been produced and released recently without giving any formal credits to the producer and director of Bandha Paramasivam. Reports say that the film has so far collected more than Rs.100 crores in the all-India market.
Leading heroes Akshay Kumar, John Abraham and Ritesh Deshmukh and our own Asin are part of the cast of the film which has been running successfully. Funnily enough, efforts are on to remake the film again in Tamil with the current crop of stars.
While it remains a mystery as to who mooted the ‘remake’ idea of the film which released hardly a decade back, many producers and directors are said to be in touch with Selvakumar to acquire the re-make rights of the film in Tamil. Aarya and Jiiva are said to be among the top stars willing to be part of the cast of the film as and when it is remade.
Anjali plays Maheshbabu’s Anni in a new Telugu film
Actress Anjali has boldly taken on a role which had been rejected by many frontline actresses in both Tamil and Telugu. She has agreed to play Venkatesh’s heroine in an upcoming Telugu film which has another top hero Mahesh Babu playing Venkatesh’s younger brother in it.
Anjali plays Maheshbabu’s Anni in a new Telugu film
Actress Anjali Latest Photos
As such, by agreeing to be paired up opposite Venkatesh, Anjali would obviously be playing Mahesh Babu’s Anni (sister-in-law) in the film. It’s this possibility which made many heroines refuse the offer to play Venkatesh’s heroine in this particular film. As she has always been daringly different, Anjali has taken up the role and has decided to go ahead with it.
While most of the heroines have been ready to do anything to land up an offer opposite Mahesh Babu, it remains to be seen whether Anjali’s decision to play his sister-in-law would hurt her chances of making it big in the Telugu film industry in the days to come. Anjali, who has earned the tage of an actress of substance through her roles in films like Angaadi Theru and Engeyum Eppodhum, is hoping that her decision doesn’t back fire.
It is also said that Amala Paul, who would soon be making her debut in Telugu films through a direct Telugu film, had first agreed to take up the role but backed up at the very last moment as she had a fledgling career. Anjali, who has signed along the dotted lines and has taken up the offer, is optimistic about her chances in Tollywood and Kollywood.
The Karlovy Vary film festival is indisputably the biggest film event of the year, not only for Czech movie buffs but also for filmmakers and festival fans from across Europe.
The festival is the country's only FIAPF-accredited competitive feature film festival and has come a long way since its foundation in 1946, through 40 years of censorship to its "resuscitation" by Jiří Bartoška and Eva Zaoralová in 1994.
Today, it boldly stands alongside such renowned European festivals as Cannes, Berlin or Venice, bringing the best of these festivals plus a wide range of new films to thousands of visitors every year.
From Friday, July 2, the box offices will open again and for the next 10 days, the festival will screen 204 films, including many premieres, and play host to industry guests, journalists, and, above all else, visitors, without whom Karlovy Vary wouldn't be known as "The Backpackers' Festival."
Vary, unlike the glitzy festivals mentioned above, is mainly a festival for people.
No other Category A festival in Europe offers so many accreditation-free visitors a chance to see the films of their choosing and even shake hands and sit down over coffee with filmmakers.
For many visitors, the only roof over their heads for the week of the festival will be a tent or the ceiling of a gymnasium shared with dozens of other guests.
Accommodation
If you don't mind sleeping on the floor of a gym, you can try your luck at the school building at Nábřeží Palacha 1, around 100 meters from the Hotel Thermal. The price per person per night is 99 CZK. Bring your own mat and sleeping bag.
If you prefer sleeping outside -- and the weather looks pretty favorable so far this year -- go to the campsite set up every year at the AC Start Karlovy Vary football stadium, where you'll pay 70 CZK per person/night. There's also a hall where you can sleep if you don't have a tent.
Since the festival attracts more and more people every year, it's always the best to book accommodation well in advance, but if you still haven't done so and would like to find a decent room for two or three, I recommend checking the official Karlovy Vary International Film Festival website's discussion forum for accommodation offers.
Tickets
Tickets will again be available again from the box offices in front of Hotel Thermal and the Grandhotel Pupp.
I'd recommend a buying a Festival Pass, however. These are available for one, three or five days or for the entire duration of the festival and entitle the holder to see three films per day free of charge. A Festival Pass also allows the holder to attend concerts and -- if there's room -- press conferences, and to swim in the Hotel Thermal pool at a reduced price.
Also through the Pass, you can reserve tickets via SMS text message from 7am every day. (Be punctual -- only a limited number of seats are available this way and are usually gone by 7:05am.)
Guests
And who is it that you should be looking for this year?
Jude Law will visit Karlovy Vary to receive the Festival President's Award, while Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov and Slovak director Juraj Herz are both expected to be honored with the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema.
The festival will also welcome iconic film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, whose long-term collaboration with Martin Scorsese has included work on such films as Raging Bull, Gangs of New York, Goodfellas and The Departed.
Schoonmaker will introduce a restored version of The Red Shoes, which, along with six other films, forms part of a tribute to the brilliant British filmmakers Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger. Karlovy Vary will also host Pressburger's grandsons, Andrew and Kevin Macdonald --respectively a successful producer and an Oscar-winning director.
And of course, the festival will welcome the creators of the films competing for the festival's main prize, the Crystal Globe, plus the members of the jury that select its winner.
Films
Two-hundred-and-four films are ready to be screened for thousands of visitors. But which ones to choose?
The festival will open with Crazy Heart, starring Jeff Bridges as country singer Otis "Bad" Blake, a performance which won him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, and close with Heartbreaker, a light romantic comedy starring Vanessa Paradis and Romain Duris that pays tribute to Dirty Dancing.
In between, there are numerous sections to choose from. The main competition features 12 new films, several of which are directorial debuts, and two of which were produced in the Czech Republic: Jan Svěrák's new puppet film Kooky (Kuky se vrací) and the thriller 3 Seasons in Hell (3 sezóny v pekle), based on the early life of underground writer Egon Bondy.
Probably the most sought-after section among film buffs who couldn't make it to Cannes, Berlin or Venice is the Open Eyes section. Cannes-winners such as Certified Copy (Copie conforme), for which Juliette Binoche won the Best Actress Award; Grand Prix-winner Of Gods and Men (Des hommes et des dieux); Jury Prize-winner A Screaming Man (Un homme qui crie); and Poetry (Shi) (Best Screenplay) are just a few of the films to look forward to.
From the other sections, don't miss the Variety Critics' Choice selection entitled Europe Now!, showcasing new European talent.
For lovers of B-movies, the Midnight Screenings section includes a collection of some of the best Ozploitation movies. Films like Dead End Drive-In, Razorback and the documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! are definitely worth staying up late for!
Last but not least, try not to miss the screening in the Grand Hall of Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven, truly a masterpiece of the filmmaking art.

