And you thought Udta Punjab was an exception?

- By Manigandan K R

Just like the makers of Udta Punjab,  the

makers of a Tamil film called 'Metro' too have been put to great hardship by a certain decision of the Censor Board here.

Ananda Krishnan, director of the Tamil film Metro, says, " There are certain sequences on chain snatching in my film, which is a crime thriller. The Censor Board took exception to these sequences being shown and told me that they would not be able to clear my film for release. Their contention was that showing the modus operandi of a criminal gang could influence young minds in a wrong fashion.

"Our intention is to create an awareness in society on these criminals who are a menace. We want the people to be aware of all their tricks and their line of thought. Just showing only chain snatching instances without these factors would have  served no purpose."

The decision of the Censor Board stunned the filmmakers who then decided to seek relief by presenting their case to a Revising Committee.

However, what they did not realise was that it would take time for a revising committee to view the film.

"It took close to 50 days for the revising to watch our film and give us relief. We eventually got relief but then, only I know what I went through during those 50 days," he says.

The director says that veteran director and musician Gangai Amaran was part of the revising committee and that he, along with other members of the revising committee, saw reason.

"While the earlier panel refused to even clear the film, the Revising Committee cleared the film for release without a single cut. They have cleared the film with an A certificate," the director says gratefully.

Here's why we call G V Prakash a bankable hero!

Slowly but surely, Music director and actor G V Prakash has emerged as one of the most bankable heroes in the Tamil film industry.

Yes, GV, who first proved himself as a competent music director, has now also established himself as a reliable hero in an industry which is exceptionally dynamic in nature.

The man, who started his acting career with the hit Darling, soon followed it up with another hit in the form of Trisha Illana Nayanthara. And then, to top it all, he scripted another success story with his Pencil.

Now, he is gearing up for the release of his next film Enakku Innoru Per Irrukku. GVPrakash says the film, which is  a family drama with loads of humour, is a sureshot success.

While the industry is aware that he has been extremely successful, not many know how he has been able to deliver back to back hits.  

When CineObserver caught up with him to ask him about what he feared the most, GV made it clear that he did not fear controversies.

"If you ask what I am most concerned about, then, it is this. I am very concerned about the fact that my producers get back the money that they invest in my films," he said.

Well, now you know why producers like him and why he has another eight films lined up after this one!

- Manigandan K R

Work on Ilaiyaraaja's Ammayi gets off to a grand start

Work on Illaiyaraaja's upcoming film Ammayi got off to a grand start with a pooja at the Prasad Lab in the city on Thursday.

The film, that is to be directed by Sankar, will feature actor Vinay and Varalakshmi Sarathkumar in the lead.

Talking to CineObserver, actor Vinay said, " I play a married man in this film, which will be a family drama with a dose of horror in it. We will look to finish this film in the next four months and then release it."  

 Director Sankar said that the film's story will be based on a real-life incident. One important highlight of the film is that its music is to be scored by none other than Ilaiyaraaja himself.

A visibly moved director Sankar said that he considered the maestro's decision to score music for his film a  big blessing.

The film's story is set in Chennai and therefore the crew will shoot most parts of the film here.

 Manigandan K R

Review of Velainu Vandhutta Vellaikaaran

By Manigandan K R

Director Ezhil is back and how! The man, who made Manam Kothi Paravai, has come to realise that his strength lies in comedy. Not just stopping with realising where his strength lies, he has gone on to exploit it to the hilt in his next offering titled  'Velainu Vandhutta Vellaikaaran'.

Featuring Vishnu, who incidentally is also the producer, and Nikki Galrani in the lead,  the film has a simple story that provides ample scope for several funny sequences. Importantly, most sequences are genuinely funny.  While Vishnu plays Murugan, a tailor who is also the brother of a politician (played by Robo Shankar),  Nikki plays the role of a police officer. Both actors are at ease when it comes to portraying their respective roles and needless to say, end up delivering commendable performances.

But it is comedian Suri, who, as the hero's friend Chakkarai, who takes the spotlight. Right from the word 'go', Chakkarai's misfortunes make the entire theatre roar with laughter. Chakkarai is on the verge of wedding his dream girl when trouble starts. And it starts with his friend Murugan tempting him with a gold ring. Why does Murugan do so? 

Well, Murugan is assigned the unenviable task of finding eight unwed men to take the place of bridegrooms who, after promising to marry at a mass wedding ceremony organised by his brother's political party, ditch at the last moment. He manages to find seven men by employing all the resources at his disposal but is unable to find the last person within the stipulated short time. Desperate to save his politician brother's honour, he decides to make Chakkarai the eighth bridegroom, telling him that the wedding will not be for real. Chakkarai agrees, after the bride, Pushpa, a dancer at festival,assures him that it will be a staged wedding. She tells him that they will go their own ways after the political event and that she would let him have a gold ring that they get as a  gift for their wedding from the political party.Unfortunately, for Chakkarai, the wedding happens for real. To add to his misery, their wedding picture gets published in a daily. And as if this wasn't enough, his wife's reputation precedes her and he is often identified as 'Pushpa Purushan'.

That is just one part of the story. The film also has another plot involving action sequences and more humour. Three other comedians add to the fun factor apart from Suri, Vishnu and Nikki. They are Robo Shankar, Ravi Maria, and Motta Rajendran. All of them add substantial value to the movie.  Together, they take audiences on a fun ride that is worth every penny.

 

On the whole,  if you are looking for a good film to watch with the entire family this summer, then, this definitely is one option.