it wasn't easy for Prithviraj to make a mark in Malayalam cinema that has been ruled by superstars for the last 25 years, but he has and aspires to turn director some day, nottoo far away. Vijay in conversation with thesuperstar in the making... prithviraj has long been regarded as the heir apparent, or in simpler terms, the next superstar of Malayalam films. The journey to the top for him has been some kind of a roller coaster until now, with some successes and quite a few failures. But his latest release puthiya Mugham has set the cash registers ringing big time and catapulted this handsome youngster to newer heights of stardom in the process.
the advantage of puthiya Mugham was that it was a simple story which could be moulded into any pattern, explains Prithviraj. "We had deliberately made the story into a high voltage adrenaline pumper that transpires energy into the viewers as they watch it. Now our judgment has been proved right. puthiya Mugham is a complete package where the protagonist can portray every dimension and among my successful films, this is probably the first actor-based script," he shares.
Such prudent thinking has perhaps made his list of forthcoming films looks incredibly impressive. The Tamil version of the Malayalam hit Classmates, Ninaithale inikkum has just been released and he is currently shooting for Mani Ratnam's Raavan. prithviraj considers it a privilege to be a part of Raavan, with its brilliant cast and crew, besides many other factors. In Malayalam, he has completed Joshiy's Robin Hood and has started shooting for Shaji Kailas' Raghupathi Raghava Rajaram.
Films like Anwar, thanthonni, Pathiramanal, pokkiri Raja and Veettilekkulla Vazhi are in the pipeline.
Acting has been in his genes, since his parents Sukumaran and Mallika were noted actors. "Money and fame were not really my inspirations to take up acting.
I had other career options to choose from" he says. He was studying in Australia when director Ranjith chose him for the role of the hero in nandanam, which came out in 2002. The rest, as they say, is history. Malayalam cinema saw the birth of a new hero. His brother Indrajith, who was earlier working as a software engineer, also an actor around the same time and has been doing pretty well ever since.
With hits like swapnakoodu, Ananthabhadram, Classmates and Chocolate, prithviraj cemented his position as the hottest young star of Malayalam. In an industry where the mighty two- Mammootty and Mohanlal- are still having a phenomenal rule at the box office with huge initials, that too even after more than 25 years at the top, things have never been easy for him.
prithviraj's foray into serious cinema happened with films like Akale, Thalappavu and Daivanamathil. he has won the best actor award in the Kerala State film awards for his role as a manipulative bureaucrat in Vaasthavam.
In the meanwhile, his Tamil films like Kana Kandein, Mozhi and Abhiyum Naanum and others did reasonably well. He has been getting some Bollywood offers as well.
Ask him which role he'd loved to have made his debut in Bollywood with and he says Kaminey almost instantly.
Of course, he is an ardent movie buff and watches films quite religiously.
He is also fascinated with the technical aspects of filmmaking. "I have always been interested in knowing about cameras, the equipments, stock and anything technical. In fact, when I enquired about these things with a few people in the industry during my initial days, they didn't take it in the right spirit and I lost films in the bargain. I still ask about those aspects but I don't lose films because of that, anymore. Maybe, I have reached that stage only now," he smiles.
No real surprise that he is keen about these technical details, as he dreams to turn director sometime in the near future. Remember, as the dictum in our films go, anything is possible for the hero. And Prithviraj is truly a hero in every sense.
oct 09 39
Akshay Kumar turns blue. But don't worry he's not sick. He has just got the word Blue inked on his neck for his upcoming underwater action caper Blue. He plays the character of a rich businessman who is obsessed with money and just can't get enough of it. The film has some fast paced action and breathtaking underwater sequences. Director Anthony thought it would be a good idea to have Blue tattooed on the nape of Akshay's neck to give his character an extra edge. What's more, Akshay even went on to shave off a bit of his eyebrows! It was a smart move to name Akshay's character in the film, Arav, which happens to be his son's name and is already tattooed on Akshay's back. That's some preparation, we'd say!
National award winning actress Rituparna Sengupta is quite miffed these days. Reason: she was robbed recently! At a crowded location in Kolkata, where she was shooting, somebody managed to steal her latest cell phones and a lakh in cash from her vanity van. the money, we are told was to go for the West Bengal chief minister's cyclone relief fund.
she was to go there to make the donation herself after the shooting, but landed there empty handed. She had to finally write a cheque right there to make the donation. But she lost most of her contacts since the police only managed to get back one phone and her wallet, but of course the money was gone. Apparently, she used to laugh when her friends would complain about losing their phones in trains or taxis, but not anymore.
Eesha Koppikhar's long lost desire of getting a black belt in Taekwondo was fulfilled recently. She's been practicing Taekwondo for the past eight years, and while she should have cleared her exams at least two years back, she is not complaining too much. It's a case of better late than never. She hopes she never needs to use her newly perfected skills except in films. And she'll get a chance to do exactly that. She is not only hosting a wrestling show on television but will be doing some raw stunts in her upcoming film Shabri. She's so motivated that she would now like to go in for the second level black belt too. The highest degree is ninth level. And she hopes to reach there when she's like 70, since it takes a good 30-40 years of relentless practice to get there!
Aushtosh Gowariker's penchant for perfection really cost Priyanka and Harman Baweja. During the shooting of What's Your Rashi, Ashutosh wanted one song sequence to be shot in a single go, so it took around 20-25 takes before he was finally satisfied. A khabru says that the shoot stretched on almost throughout the night and both Priyanka and Harman were half dead by pack up time. But being utterly professional as they are, they hardly complained. After the shoot was completed, somebody from the unit joked saying if the shoot had happened when Priyanka and Harman were supposedly dating, they would have loved the extended schedule! To this, someone else quipped "well they are best of friends even now..." Hmm, whatever?
It seems Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan have very smartly planned their possible marriage in 2011 knowing very well that most of Bebo's projects will be over by then. As of now Bebo has Main Aur Mrs Khanna, Kurbaan and Aamir Khan, starrer three idiots releasing this year. There are six more projects lined up for her including Gulel and dhoom 3. she can then hang up her boots, like most other actresses have done after tying the knot. Wonder if Sharmila Tagore will like the pataudi khandaan ki bahu appearing on the big screen in short dresses and bikini ala Kambaqt Ishq style post the wedding. Can't imagine Bebo in boring sister and bhabhi kind of roles though!
Recently, Amrita Rao, Akshay Khanna, Farhan Akhtar and Kangana Ranaut were travelling to a foreign locale together on the same flight. Apparently, Kangana was trying desperately to get Akshay's attention but he was busy catching up with Amrita instead, who eventually fell asleep on Akshay's shoulder after a tiring day! In fact, once the flight landed in Hong Kong, Kangana introduced herself to Akshay as his co-star in the next Anil Kapoor film to which all that Akshay said was "really." Well by the way, it seems like Akshay and Amrita have a great chemistry going on.
Wonder what Shahid would have to say now since he has been calling Amrita quite frequently these days. Some soap opera style complications here?
The tissue issue
pop singer Christina Aguilera almost lost the lyrics she penned down for her new song on a napkin at a Los Angeles restaurant while she was dining there. Her husband Jordan Bratman and she had finished eating and the waiter came to take away the dishes. everything was efficiently whisked away including the prized napkin! But she caught up with the waiter just before the napkin could be thrown away. The Grammy awardwinning singer had to go great lengths explaining to the waiter about what happened and found the napkin untouched on top of a plate. Guess after she found it, she was truly on a song!
Veteran actress Jane Fonda is planning to marry her exboyfriend at the end of the year in the presence of two exhusbands! Rumours were going around about Fonda planning to tie the knot with 67-year producer Richard Perry, but a spokeswoman of the actress apparently stated that it may not happen anytime soon. The couple had announced their engagement at a recent party in the Malibu home of Barbara Streisand and James Brolin and now everyone seems to be talking about it. What's more interesting is that she plans to invite her second and third husbands - former politician Tom hayden and media tycoon ted turner for the wedding! is that called eating and having your, ahem, wedding cake?
Lady gaga has become the biggest gaga of downloads according to figures on all-time download charts. Her single Poker face has notched up 7,79,000 sales on downloads alone to top the charts while her first British release let's dance is at number three with 7,00,000. British pop singer GaGa feels honoured to be the songwriter and performer of the number one and number three all time downloaded songs in the history of Britain.
That must be music to her ears!
Victoria Beckham posed again for the cover of a magazine giving her fans a glimpse of her naughty side. she's sporting stockings and suspenders while perched on a diving board. The former Spice Girl certainly has a thing for posing in lingerie.
Earlier this year, she featured in a raunchy emporio Armani campaign with david. who knows what might come next...
Hollywood starlet Megan Fox confessed that she feels insecure and has the feeling of being mocked all the time.
The 23 year old also confessed that she used to harm herself during her tender age.
"I am really insecure about everything.
i never think i am worthy of anything. i have a sick feeling of being mocked all the time. I have a lot of self-loathing," she says.
She added, "Yeah! But I don't want to elaborate. I would never call myself a cutter. Girls go through different phases when they are growing up. when they are miserable they do different things, whether it is an eating disorder or they dabble in cutting."
Scarlett Johansson confessed that she dreads going on musical tours since she suffers stage fright. the actor-singer has recorded a new album with music collaborator Pete Yorn titled Break up. While she's excited about the whole project she also fears that the success of the album will lead to a series of live shows and she is already feeling phobic!
something that can make him hungry anytime is Sambar sadam Michael Jackson is his idol and although they were to share the stage once, the show was cancelled.
He believes in Astrology only when it favours him! Prabhu Deva is a typical Arian.
His beard, curly hair and vibhooti are his signature style statements. dancer-turned-choreographer-turned-actor-turned filmmaker Prabhu Deva's modest home in chennai, is like the man himself. Its doors are not open to everyone. Southscope becomes the chosen one to be privy to his abode on the bustling TTK road. Sridevi Sreedhar attempts to unravel the enigma surrounding the boneless wonder...
How different was it directing Vijay in the Tamil remake of the Telugu blockbuster Pokiri and working with Salman Khan in the Hindi version Wanted?
Well, every actor has his individual style. The Tamil Pokkiri is city based and there wasn't much need for any nativity changes. The best thing is that I'm buddies with both the actors.
Why is Prabhu Deva surrounded by mediocrity when he deserves to be the best?
(Smiles) I have always been this way and nothing - success or failure - affects me. It could be because of the middle-class attitude we've imbibed from our parents. They have always kept us grounded and honestly, I don't think I've achieved anything so big that I should be bragging. Even now, we never discuss films at home.
Your brothers are accomplished choreographers too. What is your relationship with them like?
All of us are busy doing our own thing. We hardly meet or talk on a daily basis. But deep within we care a lot about each other. We meet occasionally for family functions.
Tell us about Nayanthara, your co-star from Villu?
Nayanthara is very professional, punctual and most importantly, treats everyone with the same kind of respect - be it the producer or the light boy. As an actor, she has immense screen presence and charisma which are very important for someone in her position.
Will you work with her in future? There are rumours that she is the heroine in your next Telugu film and that you are launching her in Hindi? And you've also been linked up...
These are all figments of someone's very creative imagination! She is definitely not the heroine in my next film and working with her in the future, depends entirely on the script. Do you believe in love or is it more about companionship?
I think, both love and companionship together make a happy relationship. For me, compatibility and comfort level are the most important.
What makes Prabhu Deva happy?
Being close to loved ones and my work being appreciated are the two things that make me happy.
Who is the closest person in your life right now?
That's someone very, very special, who I cannot talk about now. When the right time comes, I will definitely tell the whole world about that person.
Why don't you choreograph songs in your films that you direct? Has choreography taken a back seat now?
It's not a deliberate move. Recently, I did a song for Rajinikanth's Shankar directed Enthiren (Robot). I am so busy with direction that I leave the choreography bit to Raju or other dance masters. They are all talented and I give them complete freedom.
You've always been shy, soft spoken and reticent. Not so media friendly, even. What do you have to say about that?
(Laughs) I am no longer what you think I am.
I have changed a lot. Now for the first time, I am promoting Wanted and I understand the importance of promoting one's film. The way they market films in Bollywood, is an eye opener. An average film can be made into a super hit by aggressive promotion and it's time we took a leaf out of the books of Bollywood filmmakers and actors.
What are your future plans?
I have no plans for the future. I take life as it comes. When I was young, I had very modest dreams in life. I worked very hard and God has been extremely kind with me. Today, I am directing, choreographing and acting in films.
I am planning to start an international dance school in Malaysia, US and Bangalore. I am also planning to do my first live stage show in Dubai this December.
The air-conditioning whirs comfortably from some unseen corner. The small room is crammed with computers, odd tables, trunks stacked up, while a harried assistant speaks on two cell-phones simultaneously.
In the midst of it all, arrives R Kannan, highly preoccupied, a little sheepish for coming late and delves straight into the film that's being talked about quite a bit these days.
Kanden Kadhalai, one of 2009's most anticipated films is complete. Pride and relief echo in Kannan's voice, more so as it is a faithful remake of Imtiaz Ali's smashhit, Jab We Met. "My first movie Jeyam kondaan was my own script, so Kanden Kadhalai was a very different experience as the completed script came to me," he shares.
Mani Ratnam's erstwhile assistant, Kannan has worked with the ace filmmaker on films like Ayudha Ezhuthu, Alaipayuthe, Yuva and Guru among others. With something like that on his resume, it was rather easy to be picked from a handful of directors by Moser Baer, that produced the film. Originally called Raja Rani "Someone else blocked the title and wouldn't give it to us, so we had to change it," Kannan grins the movie is now all set to hit screens.
"It's a faithful reproduction," Kannan confirms. "There are a lot of expectations riding on this Film, and we are sure it will live up to them," he shares.
We've gone to the extent of tranlating diologues from the original, for the Tamil audience, and we're sure we'll be able to hit the right note. We've been very careful not to give a `dubbed sort of feel' to the movie since that would end up spoiling things." His calm assurance mingles with his nervousness about how the film will be received. "But we had a blast, filming it in 60 days flat," he shares. Aside from a mild feverish upset thanks to Tamannaah who apparently took it upon herself to spread the flu to the whole unit things were pretty high energy. Such confidence usually indicates that Kannan did his homework by watching the original innumerable times, right?
Yes, he says, but they had to rely on subtitles. "I don't know Hindi," he grins disarmingly.
Language, though, was not such a big problem. "Jab We Met was never in any danger of getting lost in translation," he argues. The songs have been tuned all over again with music director Vidhyasagar. And the casting was more or less perfect, in his opinion. "Bharath, who is playing the male lead was a complete professional, as always. It takes some guts to attempt a role like this one. The script is heroine-oriented and the hero's character is subdued in comparison, yet firm in its individuality.
"He had to play it down, and Bharath did that very well. Tamannaah too," Kannan adds gravely. How did this eminently Punjabi girl play a typical, Theni ponnu (girl from Theni)? Kannan recreates the magic of Jab We Met in its Tamil remake, Kanden Kadhalai.
In this exclusive with Pavithra Srinivasan, he talks of the adaptations from the original and the departures that make it so much more
"It might surprise some, but she memorised her dialogues well and delivered them perfectly," Kannan is firm. "There are girls in those areas who aren't unlike her in complexion and looks. So she didn't seem out of place" Aside from these two, there's Santhanam as well, who's playing the heroine's uncle. The story has been retained, essentially "but there are changes," he lets us know.
Like that sensual lip-lock in the original? "Well, yes," says Kannan.
"Obviously, we had to tone that down, as Shahid and Kareena were lovers in real life at that time.
The Tamil audience's sensibilities are different. Also, the pace is faster. There needs to be a little bit of everything, and in the right proportions."
Apparently, the changes Kannan made were for the better, as Imtiaz Ali saw the Tamil version and pointed out. "You've ironed out all the wrinkles in my film," he's said to have commented. "For him to say that is a great thing," Kannan acknowledges. And in the end, that's what he's looking forward to staying loyal to the original, while letting a whole new set of viewers experience the refreshing breezer that Jab We Met was.
