Rajamouli at Mumbai trailer launch: ‘Am aware of the excitement around ‘RRR’

S.S. Rajamouli’s highly-awaited period action drama ‘RRR’ had its theatrical trailer launch on Thursday. The ‘RRR’ trailer launch was followed by a gala event in Mumbai.

Rajamouli and his team were involved in a media interactive session.

Rajamouli, who attained fame with his epic drama ‘Magadheera’, later set his own mark in Indian cinema with his ‘Baahubali’ series. Now that ‘RRR’ is to be witnessed by the audience, the ace filmmaker seems to be quite confident of his upcoming fictional drama.

He remembers how ‘Baahubali’ became such a big movie, with the hype around its release. Rajamouli also opened up on his craft in the film, said, “As far as I understand the pulse of the audience, it is obvious that a huge section of people will expect the same kind of movie from me after ‘Baahubali’, because, ‘Baahubali’ is a benchmark in my career.”

“But there is a deeper meaning in what the audience expects, from the maker of ‘Baahubali’. I tried to analyse what the audience want from me and realised that they are looking for the kind of cinematic experience ‘Baahubali’ gave them. Not a similar story, but a similar visual experience, imbibed with emotions and fiery action sequences”, Rajamouli said.

He assured that ‘RRR’ will bring in the same connection with the audience, similar to ‘Baahubali’. Rajamouli has seemingly left no stone unturned to make ‘RRR’ an international film in terms of scale and scope.

With an ensemble star cast of Ram Charan and Jr NTR, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Olivia Morris will be seen in pivotal roles, while Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson and Alison Doody are in supporting roles.

The Telugu-language period action drama is produced by D.V.V. Danayya of DVV Entertainments. ‘RRR’ is releasing on January 7, across India in multiple languages.

Earworm: Raghav Sachar’s new song ‘Soniye’ is out

Singer and music composer Raghav Sachar has released his new music video titled ‘Soniye’ on Thursday.

The video also features Kate Sharma.

Presented by Panorama Music, the song is sung and composed by Sachar and penned by Chandan Gokhru.

Raghav Sachar said, “‘Soniye’ is a special song that creates a feeling of expanse. It has a new-age groove and a big soundscape. The music arrangement features the saxophone in the lead, which is one of my favourite instruments. It’s the saxophone piece that gives the hook line the passion a love song craves for. I’m excited that the song is out now.”

‘Soniye’ is out on the official YouTube channel of Panorama Music.

Ram Charan gives ‘RRR’ trailer launch a miss

Telugu star Ram Charan had to skip the ‘RRR’ trailer launch in Mumbai on Thursday as he had to attend a family wedding.

S.S. Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ has got a thumping response for the theatrical trailer which was released earlier on Thursday. The makers had arranged for a screening of the trailer in the Telugu states.

Also, the movie’s cast and crew, who flew to Mumbai, had interactive sessions with the Bollywood media. ‘RRR’ hero Jr NTR was also present at the event, while Ram Charan had to skip the media interaction as he was attending a family wedding.

Ram Charan and Upasana had to be at Upasana’s sister Anushapala Kamineni’s wedding. So Ram Charan had to call off the schedule where he was supposed to interact with the media.

Well, Ram Charan, who missed the show, will be soon kickstarting the promotional activities, as the ‘RRR’ team will travel to important cities, promoting the epic film.

Starring Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran, and others in important roles, ‘RRR’ is a pan-India movie which is releasing in multiple languages across the country on January 7.

Legends League Cricket signs Amitabh Bachchan as ambassador

Legends Cricket League, a professional league for retired international cricketers, has brought megastar Amitabh Bachchan as the League Ambassador. “I am absolutely looking forward to the Legends League Cricket celebrating the Legends of Cricket from all across the world, bringing back the old rivalries for us to relive the nostalgia. It is a great opportunity for all cricket fans to get an opportunity to see them play live again,” Amitabh Bachchan stated in an official release.

The League will be played in January 2022 at the Al Amerat Cricket Stadium in Oman between three power-packed teams representing India, Asia, and the Rest of the World.

“I have had the opportunity to play cricket in my younger days and then also commentate with some of the greats of the game but now to become the face of such a wonderful initiative is an incredible feeling. To have these Legends of the game who have given such beautiful moments of happiness and pride always, back on the field again is exhilarating. Legends League Cricket will definitely present itself as an excellent opportunity for the Legends and their ardent fans like me to connect again,” Amitabh Bachchan added.

Ravi Shastri, the Commissioner of the League’ feels elated with Amitabh Bachchan joining the League. “The Shehanshah of Cinema, the Don of our hearts is here with us to take the essence and message of LLC all across the globe. It’s a privilege to work with him and I just can’t wait to get things going with him. This is going to be like a trace of a bullet, I tell you,” he said.

“He is a legend par excellence. This association will add immense value for the League. We shall work very closely with him to ensure we do justice to this association and make the League a global success,” said Vivek Khushalani, Chairman of Legends League Cricket.

‘RRR’ trailer creates ripples with action-packed visuals

Amid feverish anticipation, the makers of S.S. Rajamouli’s highly-anticipated epic ‘RRR’ unleashed the theatrical trailer on Thursday.

The pan-India movie is a fictional take on the lives of unsung freedom fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju.

The ‘RRR’ trailer opens with great visuals, as a tribal girl is being snatched away from her family by the British, as the movie depicts the pre-Independence era.

Jr NTR, who plays Komaram Bheem, is introduced with a spectacular entry, as he is seen training himself while fighting a tiger. As the beast lunges itself at Bheem, he is seen controlling it with a roar.

However, Rajamouli only manages to set the bar higher, as Ram Charan is introduced as a sepoy, under the Britishers. With a jaw-dropping, fierce look, Ram Charan is seen in some intense action sequences as Alluri Sitarama Raju.

The focus shifts, so as to introduce the bonding between Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju. A few emotional sequences leave the viewers touched with Alia Bhatt as Sita.

For an ace director like Rajamouli, who is known for his big-screen spectacles, this film appears no different.

While Jr NTR’s role is signified by the element of water, and Ram Charan’s part role is characterised by fire. The last action sequence from the theatrical trailer of ‘RRR’ where they both fight against the British is top-notch as Rajamouli knows how to stir the emotions of the audience.

‘RRR’ is slated for release on January 7.

Chiranjeevi to portray an undercover cop in ‘Chiru154’

Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi, who is awaiting the release of his upcoming movie ‘Acharya’, has a packed line-up. His upcoming movies include a venture directed by Bobby in which he plays a cop.

Sources reveal interesting details related to this project.

Marking his 154th film, Chiranjeevi is to act under the direction of K.S. Ravindra(Bobby), in which he will play a cop, who is on a mission to stop the alarming crime situation in a coastal town. Reports also suggest that ‘Waltair Veerayya’ is one of the titles considered for this project.

The movie’s story would be in a Sri Lankan backdrop, while Chiranjeevi is to be seen in a transformed look. ‘Waltair Veerayya’ (tentative title) is to feature another popular actor Ravi Teja in a crucial cameo.

Produced by Mythri Movie Makers, this movie is to have Devi Sri Prasad composing the music, while the cinematography is handled by Arthur A. Wilson.

Apart from this film, Chiranjeevi has been roped in for ‘Bholaa Shankar’ and ‘Godfather’, which are being directed by Meher Ramesh and Jayam Mohan Raja, respectively.

Arvind Swami’s ‘Sathuranka Vettai 2’ to hit screens worldwide in January

The sequel to the superhit Tamil film ‘Sathuranka Vettai’ is to finally hit screens next month.

Director Nirmal Kumar’s ‘Sathuranka Vettai 2’, which features actors Arvind Swami and Trisha in the lead, is to release in January next year, its new producer revealed.

Apart from Arvind Swami and Trisha, ‘Sathuranka Vettai 2’ will also feature Prakash Raj, Radha Ravi, Nassar, Chandini, Sreeman, Manobala, Kumaravel and E. Ramadoss among others.

Written by H. Vinoth, who is presently directing Ajith Kumar’s upcoming film, ‘Valimai’, and who is also the writer of the first part of ‘Sathuranka Vettai’, the film has been directed by N.V. Nirmal Kumar, known for having directed the superhit ‘Salim’, starring Vijay Antony.

The film was originally produced by Manobala Picture House and Cinema City. However, due to financial issues, its release was getting delayed.

Now, its rights have been acquired by producer Mouttou Sambandam of Onsky Technology Pvt Ltd. Sambandam, who only recently turned a producer in the Tamil film industry by choosing to produce ‘2030’, a first-of-its-kind flash forward genre film. Sambandam has announced that the film will hit screens in January next year.

Says Sambandam, “Basically, I am a die-hard film buff. I watch almost all movies. ‘Sathuranka Vettai’ is one of the best films in the Indian panorama segment. When I heard of a new movie coming from this franchise of ‘Sathuranka Vettai’, I was so excited. However, I was suddenly let down to see the movie getting stranded at various stages due to unforeseen circumstances.

“When I ventured into the film production, I wanted to not only produce content-driven movies, but also pick good projects that have the potential to steal the limelight. What caught my attention consistently was this movie – ‘Sathuranka Vettai 2’. And now, I am glad that I have been able to get my vision materialised by choosing this project.

“I earnestly thank Manobala sir, Cinema City Gangadharan and many others for having given me an opportunity to explore my potential. Special thanks to Aravind Swami sir for his cooperation in securing the release of this film. Now, work on completing the pending portions have resumed and we are eyeing a worldwide theatrical release in January 2022.”

‘KatVic’ to tie the knot today

Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif will tie the knot on Thursday evening at Six Senses hotel Fort Barwara in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur district.

According to sources, Vicky Kaushal will tie ‘Sehra’ at 1.00 p.m, after which he will proceed in a procession that will travel from one end of the hotel to the other.

Kaushal and Katrina Kaif will perform the wedding as per the Hindu rituals and will take seven ‘phere’ in a special glass pavilion prepared in the Sheesh Mahal area of the hotel. A dinner arrangement for the VIP guests has been made in front of the Sheesh Mahal and the party will go on till late night.

The fort located in Chauth ka Barwara was built by the Rajput rulers in the 14th century which Six Senses Company has converted into a luxurious heritage hotel.

Many Bollywood celebrities are attending the wedding ceremony.

The security at the fort has been tightened and no one is allowed to even carry mobile phones in the hotel. Digital media security stickers are being used for those who are carrying mobile phones. By using the digital media security sticker technology, the high-profile wedding is being kept secret so that no photos or video leaks occur from inside the venue. At the wedding venue, digital media security stickers are being installed on the camera of their mobiles.

Jacqueline Fernandez skips ED probe in PMLA case

Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez who was once again summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to record her statement in a PMLA case, didn’t appear before the probe agency on Thursday.

After she failed to appear before the ED on Thursday, a fresh summon has been issued in connection with the Prevention of Money Laundering case lodged against multimillionaire conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.

Her counsel appeared before the ED to inform the agency that the actress won’t be able to appear.

On Wednesday, Jacqueline was grilled by an elite team of ED officials for more than six hours.

On Wednesday Jacqueline came to MTNL building at around 11 a.m. in Central Delhi where ED has its office.

A woman official along with five others were present in the room where her statement was recorded on Wednesday.

Apart from Jacqueline, another Bollywood actress Nora Fatehi has also recorded her statement as witness recently.

Jacqueline was earlier stopped at Mumbai Airport by authorities. She was quizzed there for hours and then set free. She was then summoned by the agency.

Recently LOC (look out circular) was issued against the actress at the request of the ED. The agency had doubts that she might flee abroad and hence they had written letter to the concerned authorities.

On Sunday evening she was about to catch a flight to come to Delhi when she was stopped at Mumbai airport.

The Enforcement Directorate had on Saturday filed a charge sheet under PMLA naming few Bollywood actresses as witnesses including Jacqueline Fernandez. The court had taken cognisance of the charge sheet soon after it was filed and had asked the agency to supply the copy to all the accused.

The next date in the charge sheet matter is December 13. The ED officials were tight-lipped over the matter.

Raveena Tandon: There are better roles written for actors now

Actress Raveena Tandon, who is gearing up for her series ‘Aranyak’ to drop on Netflix, has talked about how the industry has changed over the years and has molded itself into various forms to keep up with the times.

Speaking about how the industry has changed over the years, Raveena said: “A lot has changed but a lot remains the same. Like, in terms of content also the scene has changed, we have more female led stories and there are better roles written for actors.The workload is the same, it’s just as hectic. But there is a lot more organisation.

“Things on sets today go as per schedule. There is definitely a lot more seriousness from actors. No one takes things lightly anymore while shooting. When I started working, I don’t think I was prepared for the cameras, so to speak.”

Raveena reminisced about the days when she went on set with no “training”.

“I would say yes to a movie and the next day I was on set – no training, no preparations, nothing. Nowadays actors are all ready and prepared. So much has changed, we’ve evolved along the way,” the actress added.

Raveena will play the role of Kasturi Dogra, a determined cop who sets out to save the town of Sironha from a notorious killer in ‘Aranyak’.