Yesteryear heartthrob Sridevi's daughter Jhanvi debuts

After Radha, yesteryear heartthrob Sridevi is all set to launch her daughter Jhanvi on the big screen, that too in Tollywood. Sridevi's daughter Jhanvi will do her first film opposite Nagarjuna's younger son Akhil. Interestingly, Radha's daughter Karthika made her onscreen debut in Josh opposite Nagarjuna's elder son Naga Chaithanya

Source: Galatta

Popular Telugu Hero Ram replaces Star Ravi Teja.

Popular Telugu hero Ram, who is currently busy with Rama Rama Krishna Krishna under the direction of Srivas, will be the hero instead of Ravi Teja in creative director Krishna Vamsi's new flick, which is expected to start rolling in June. According to sources, Krishna Vamsi initially had plans to cast Ravi Teja as the hero in this flick, but later changed his mind after a clash with Ravi Teja during a private meeting. However, the official version is that Ravi Teja walked out of the project as he is too busy to allot dates for Krishna Vamsi. Jenda Pai Kapiraju and Kandhiriga are the two names under consideration as the title of this flick jointly produced by Raju, Praveen and Giri. Other cast and crew will be finalized soon.

Source:Galatta

Telugu Movie Darling's Audio released in Hyderabad.

The audio of rebel star Prabhas's new Karunakaran-directed class love story Darling, which is expected to grace screens on April 23, was released in a grand function at Cyber Gardens, Hyderabad. The audio release function coincided with the birthday celebrations of Allu Arjun and lyricist Anant Sriram and the unit members cut the birthday cakes. B.V.N. Prasad, Karunakaran, Puri Jagannath, Rajamoui, V.V. Vinayak, Meher Ramesh, Boyapati Seenu, Dil Raju, Nallamalupu Bujji, Shyam Prasad Reddy, Aditya Babu, G.V. Prakash, Kajal, Prabhas, Ravi Teja, Allu Arjun, Sravanti Ravi Kishore, Krishnam Raju and others took part in the event. The film directors who attended the event launched the audio jointly by handing over the first copies to the heroes present. Supreme Music has bought the audio rights of Darling, made by B.V.N. Prasad under the banner of Sri Venkateswara Cine Creations. G.V. Prakash is the music director.

Source: Galatta

Telugu Super Star Mahesh Babu is Back!

After the tremendous success of Athidhi (2007), Tollywood's Prince Mahesh Babu surprisingly had no releases for the last two years! The reason is obvious. Mahesh Babu is actor who strongly believes in quality of films rather than quantity. In a career spanning more than 10 years, Mahesh Babu was very particular in doing not more than two films per year and the outcome has been remarkable! He has done just 15 films so far; of them, 8 won the most prestigious awards in the state including Nandi Film Awards. It does not end there! Mahesh Babu's steady career growth has made him the only Tollywood star who is the brand ambassador of three major companies: Thums Up, Univercel and Navaratna Oil. He is also the only actor in Telugu to have signed an agreement with corporate gaint UTV Motion Pictures. Is that not enough? Mahesh Babu fans can cheer up now! After a halt, their favourite hero is currently working on successful dialogue writer turned director Trivikram Srinivas' tentatively titled Kaleja, produced by Singanamala Ramesh Babu under the banner of Kanakaratna Movies with a whopping budget of over Rs. 30 crores. After the tremendous success of Athadu, this is the second time Mahesh Babu teams up with Trivikram Srinivas in Kaleja, touted to be an adventurous, comedy-oriented love story. Mahesh Babu plays the role of a taxi driver. Kaleja is expected to hit the marquee in May.

Source: Galatta

Telugu Superstar Nagarjuna Forays into Ad Films

Following the footsteps of his counterparts in Bollywood and Tollywood, action hero Akkineni Nagarjuna is all set to jump into the ad bandwagon for top multinationals (MNCs). Yes. I am planning to act in ad films, Nagarjuna said in reply to a question during an interaction with presspersons at the launch of new Parachute Advanced Cooling Oil in Hyderabad on Thursday. He and Bhumika Chawla unveiled the product introduced by Marico Limited. Both Nagarjuna and Bhumika have also acted in the promo screened for Parachute Advanced Cooling Oil. This is my first promo and more are in the pipeline, he said, refusing to elaborate further. Notably, actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, actors Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun and other film actors acted in advertisement films for a few MNCs and the response from viewers has been overwhelming.

Source:Galatta

Telugu Film Industry Calls off Shutdown againts piracy!

The Telugu film industry on Thursday withdrew its shutdown call to protest against piracy and producer Yalamanchi Ravichand also called off his fast-unto-death after the Andhra Pradesh government assured that it would take steps to deal firmly with the issue

The Movie Artists' Association (MAA) president Muralimohan told reporters that there would be no 'bandh' on Friday as the industry was satisfied with the assurance given by Minister for Cinematography Geeta Reddy.

The industry had on Wednesday announced that all activities related to the film industry would come to a halt for one day on Friday to press the demand for anti-piracy measures.

MAA had also appealed to owners of all theatres in the state to participate in the shutdown.

The minister assured the industry that the government would bring a legislation to curb piracy. She said video libraries would be issued licenses after screening them.

The minister assured the industry that a special anti-piracy cell would be formed.

According to the Telugu film industry, the second biggest after Bollywood, piracy was causing a loss of over Rs.2 billion (Rs.200 crore) every year.

Meanwhile, Ravichand also ended his fast following the government's assurance. He was on fast for the last four days to demand the government bring piracy under the purview of the Goonda Act.

Actor-turned-politician K. Chiranjeevi, and several actors and producers had expressed solidarity with him.

Source: IANS

Telugu Hottie Charmi's New Movie Commences

The shooting of charming beauty Charmi's Mangala, directed by Osho Tulasiram, maker of heroine-oriented blockbuster Mantra, and produced under the banner of Mantra Entertainment, commenced at Annapoorna Studios, Hyderabad with producer Bellamkonda Suresh clapping the muhurat shot on Charmi. Sairam Shankar switched on the camera, while Sukumar did the formal first shot direction. I knew Tulasi Ram from the time he was an assistant director. I never thought that Mantra would be a big hit and when I attended the Mantra's opening shot, all the cast and crew appeared in a depressed mood. Later, the movie proved to be a trendsetter. I wish the same for Mangala, Sukumar said. Charmi and Tulasi Ram spoke during the occasion. Music is by Vishwa; cinematography is by Sivendra. Story and screenplay are by the director himself. The cast includes Pradeep Rawat, Yuvaraj, Chitram Seenu, Subash and others.

Source:Galatta

Telugu Aggressive Star Gopichand's Golimaar releasing on Apr 24th

Popular Tollywood director Parasuram, who earlier directed the super hits Yuvatha and Anjaneyulu, is all set to cast aggressive star Gopichand as hero in his new untitled film to be produced by Anand Prasad (maker of Souryam starring Gopichand). Parasuram says this comedy and family-oriented movie will present villain-turned-hero Gopichand in a never-seen-before role. The details about the crew and other cast are awaited. Meanwhile, Gopichand has just completed the shooting of Golimaar, which is gearing up for release on April 24. Priyamani is the heroine in this flick being produced by Bellamkonda Suresh and directed by Puri Jagannath. Nasser and Roja play key roles. Golimaar is inspired by the real life story of encounter specialist Daya Nayak, a Maharashtra police officer.

Source:Galatta

Award Winning South Actor Prakash Raj to don a Terrorists Role

National award winning actor Prakashraj has acted in almost all likes of roles in films. Apparently, for the first time in his career, he will play a terrorist leader in popular Tamil-Telugu filmmaker Radha Mohan's bilingual action entertainer Payanam being made in Tamil and Telugu. Telugu action hero Nagarjuna plays a police officer in this flick which is his a direct Tamil film after almost 14 years. He was last seen in Tamil in Ratchagan (1997). Talking about the film, Radha Mohan said that the second schedule of the film is currently on at the studio of actor Venkatesh in Hyderabad. The first schedule was completed earlier in Kulu Manali. Third schedule will begin on April 10 at the Ramoji Rao Film City. The film is produced by Dil Raju (Telugu version) and Prakashraj

Source: Galatta

Telugu Movie Crew employs 250 Victorians

The crew members of Tollywood sensation Ram Charan Reja's third film Orange, directed by Bhaskar with five heroines including Genelia, are currently busy shooting in Australia since the story revolves around a young Indian student settled in Melbourne. While the shooting is progressing at a number of Melbourne locations, including ACDC and Hosier lanes, Southbank, the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, the West Gate Bridge and Docklands, the crew had a surprising visitor recently. The visitor was Bronwyn Pike, Member of Parliament for Melbourne and Minister for Education, Skills and Workforce Participation. She spent the whole morning on the sets interacting with the stars. Orange is the biggest and longest shoot of an Indian film in Australia and will employ more than 250 Victorians as cast and crew during filming, Pike said. She said the Brumby Labour Government is proud that the wonderful city is playing a leading role in this much-awaited film. She expects that the film will carry a positive image of Melbourne and that Victoria 'is the place to be'. Anupam Sharma, a member of the production unit, said the Melbourne community was welcoming and film-friendly. The film will hit the screens by 2010 end.

Source: Galatta

Singer -Actress Shruti Haasan Heroine in Telugu Remake of Yerra Gulabi

Pretty singer-actress Shruti Haasan, daughter of lagendary actor Kamal Haasan, will be the heroine in the remake of her father's 1979 Telugu super hit Yerra Gulabi (Sigappu Rojakkal in Tamil), which was directed by Bharathi Raja with Sridevi as heroine. To be directed by Bharathi Raja's son Manoj, the remake will have Shakthi as the hero. The initial discussions are on. It is noteworthy that Yerra Gulabi was remade in Japanese as Red Roses and in Hindi as Red Rose. Meanwhile, after making her debut in films with last year's Luck (Hindi), Shruti Haasan is now busy with her second film Yodha (Telugu) opposite Siddharth. Yodha, which was launched at a glittering function in Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad last year, is progressing at brisk pace under the direction of Prakash Kovelamudi (son of K. Raghavendra Rao).

Source: Galatta

Telugu Actor Mahesh Babu will move into his New House Soon!

Prince Mahesh Babu is expected to shift his residence to Jubilee Hills from his current residence in Journalists' Colony by October this year, once the construction of his new house in Road No: 81 is complete. Mahesh Babu, who did not have any releases for the last two years, is currently busy with the shooting of Kaleja, being directed by Trivikram Srinivas with Anushka in as the heroine. He also signed another film to be directed by Srinu Vaitla which will go on floors from on March 26. Samantha is the heroine.

Source: Galatta

Southern Star Priyamani was apprehensive to be Part of Trilingual Movie

Reigning South Indian beauty Priyamani, who dons the role of Gangula Bhanumati, wife of Maddelachervu Suri (played by Suriya) in director-screenwriter-producer Ram Gopal Varma's upcoming Hindi-Telugu-Tamil trilingual Rakta Charitra, said that she was initially afraid of working in with Ram Gopal Varma. The National Award winning actress was sharing her experience about starring in Ram Gopal Varma's Rakta Charitra. However, my first trip to Mumbai to complete the shooting changed my perception totally. Working with RGV was a wonderful experience and he was easy to deal with on the sets, Priyamani said. The director took the final decision of casting Priyamani after he was impressed by her performance in Paruthaveeran, for which she won a National Award, it is said. Starring Vivek Oberoi, Shatrughan Sinha (Hindi), Mohan Babu (Telugu) and Radhika Apte in the lead roles, Rakta Charitra is the story of rebel-turned politician Paritala Ravi (Vivek Oberoi), one of the most-feared individuals in the blood-ridden faction politics of South India. The film, currently in its production stage, will be released in late 2010.

Source: Galatta

Bhanu Mehra to Act in Telugu Movie varudu?

Action hero Allu Arjun's Gunasekhar-directed action flick Varudu has created a lot of hype among movie buffs. The identity of its heroine is kept confidential by the makers. All we know about her is that she is a new face. It was recently reported that the image of Varudu's heroine was leaked through internet and her name was said to be Bhanu Mehra, who has played a small role in a Bollywood film. But director Gunasekhar has denied it and said the real identity of the heroine would be revealed only on the day of the film's release. The audience will come to know why we kept her identity a secret only on watching the film. Till then, you need to be patient and cooperative, he added. Some say the release of Varudu has been postponed from March 26 to April 2 because Allu Arjun's hand was fractured and he is unable to complete the dubbing. An official announcement is awaited.

Source: Galatta

Telugu Actor Pawan Kalyan's Komaram Puli Complete

The shooting of Pawan Kalyan's Komaram Puli, directed by S.J. Suryah, is complete except three songs, producer Singanamala Ramesh informed. The makers are now planning to release the movie in the last week of April. Nikisha Patel, who is making her debut in Telugu, is the heroine. Oscar winner A.R. Rehman is scoring music. The film has Pawan Kalyan playing the role of a cop. Notably, Komaram is the surname of the Gond martyr Komaram Bheem, who fought against the erstwhile Asaf Jahi dynasty for the liberation of Hyderabad State. FICUS recently obtained the Canada theatrical rights of Komaram Puli, produced under the banner of Kanaka Ratna Movies.

Source: Galatta

Siddarth: The Shah Rukh Khan of Telugu Movies?

Southern star Siddharth, who plans to turn producer next year, says he is the "Shah Rukh Khan" of the Telugu film industry and that romance will always be his forte even though he is popular for his intense roles in Hindi movies like 'Rang De Basanti'.

"I do a lot of romantic roles in Telugu films. In fact when people say you are the Aamir Khan of Telugu films, I say I am the Shah Rukh Khan of the film industry. I do all the 'Tujhe dekha toh ye jaana sanam' type of sequences in Telugu," Siddharth told us in an interview.

"I do romantic movies as my mainstay and when I want to change my mood, I do a 'Striker' or a 'Rang De Basanti'. Now that I have done a serious film like 'Striker', I need to go back to my strengths and do a romantic film," said Siddharth, who has done Telugu films like 'Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana' and 'Bommarillu'.

At the same time, the actor, who played the intense Karan Singhania in 'Rang De Basanti' and a Mumbai-based carrom player in crime thriller 'Striker', stressed that doing romantic roles is not a cakewalk.

"I find romantic films, which are on a lighter vein in Telugu, as challenging as serious dramatic films in Hindi - both are equally tough. The important thing is that you have to find a nice script and I think 'Striker' was one of the nicest scripts I have read in my career because I found it a very realistic film.

"My next Hindi film would be a more light-hearted one. I wanted to do a light-hearted one for now because when you do a serious role, you need to come out of it. I want to give as much time as I can to Hindi," he said.

Siddharth made his debut in Bollywood with 'Rang De Basanti' in 2006. He took a four-year break before his second release 'Striker' but now plans to do more Hindi films.

"At this time, I am shooting for two Telugu films simultaneously so that I can have a year to do Hindi films," said the 30-year-old.

The actor is currently busy with a Rs.300 million fantasy adventure film in Telugu and a village comedy.

He also has his plans set for launching his own production house in 2011.

"I am starting my own production next year. India is becoming a great country to make small, independent films that are content driven, just like 'Striker'. These films need to be made because these big studio films with the routine 'naach gaana' (song and dance) and foreign locations will always be made because they are fun. But it's important to make realistic cinema as well.

"I want to get into production very soon. We are going to make an announcement in a couple of months. We have got our funding," he said.

Source: IANS

Telugu Hottie Charmi sues Telugu TV Channel Maa TV

South India's charming beauty Charmi has filed a complaint against leading Hyderabad-based Telugu TV channel Maa TV, alleging that the channel has aired some of her images with more skin show, publicity stills taken secretly by producer Yalamanchi Ravichand for her latest movie Mayagadu at a time when she slipped and fell down. It is noteworthy that Charmi has earlier locked horns with the same producer by lodging a complaint with the Movie Artistes' Association (MAA) against him, alleging that he has been harassing her for the last few months by making obscene phone calls and comments at her. Charmi alleged that the producer used these images for publicity of his film. She also alleged that Maa TV officials had threatened her when she questioned them about the airing of these images.

Source:Galatta

Telegu Superstar's Namo Venkatesa runs Successfully!

Victory Venkatesh and voluptuous beauty Trisha's Namo Venkatesa, released on Sankranthi day by 14 Reels Entertainments, has completed its 50 days run in 122 centres on Thursday. Though Namo Venkatesa received mixed response from the audience, the box office performace of the film has been impressive. During its first week, the film fetched a collection of Rs. 1.1 crores in the eastern region of Andhra Pradesh, Rs. 80 lakhs in the west and Rs 3. crores in Nizam, while the Ceded territory reported Rs. 2 crores. This is the biggest first week's collection in Venky's career. Namo Venkatesa, directed by Sreenu Vaitla and produced by Anil Sunkara, Achanta Gopinath and Achanta Ram, has music by Devi Sri Prasad. Gopi Mohan was the man behind the story, script and dialogues. Camera was handled by director Sreenu Vaitla.

Source:Galatta

Telegu Movie Adhurs completes 50 days!

Director V.V. Vinayak's Adhurs, starring Jr. NTR, Nayantara and Sheela in the lead roles, has successfully completed 50 days run in 128 centres. Released on January 13, Adhurs completed its 50 days in 28 centres in North Andhra, 17 in East Godavari, 12 in West Godavari, 11 in Krishna, 14 in Guntur, 9 in Nellore, 37 in Ceded areas. Produced by Kodali Nani and Vallabaneni Vamsi, the film garnered a first week collection of Rs. 25 crores. The film revolves around twin brothers who get separated at birth. An old Brahmin lady plays a trick and takes away one twin by putting a dead baby in his place. The weeping mother leaves with one baby. The missing boy becomes Chari (NTR), while his brother grows up as Narasimha (NTR) under the love and care of his mother. Chari is sensitive and hilarious in his mannerisms, while Narasimha is brought up in a crude manner. While Nandu (Sheela), daughter of the police commissioner (Sayaji Shinde) falls in love with Narasimha, it is Chandrakala (Nayantara) who gets attracted to Chari. Meanwhile, a gang of baddies (Asish Vidyardhi and Mahesh Manjrekar) are in search of the family of a top scientist. The rest of the story is about the relationship between the scientist and the twins.

Source: Galatta

Telegu Superstar Nagarjuna to Act in a Bilingual Action Entertainer

Nagarjuna is all set to begin the shooting of his next film to be directed by popular Tamil-Telugu filmmaker Radha Mohan. A bilingual, this action entertainer is titled Payanam in Tamil and Wanted in Telugu. Produced by Dil Raju (Telugu version) and Prakashraj (Tamil version), this film, based on the Kandahar hijack episode, will be an action thriller. The director is keen on introducing a new pair in both languages. The movie is planned for release in April 2010. Incidentally, Major Ravi's upcoming Tamil-Telugu bilingual Kandahar staring Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Tamil actor Suriya and Malayalam superstar Mohanlal will also revolve around a plane hijacking.

Source: Galatta