MS Dhoni to produce Tamil movie with Nayanthara in the lead

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Chennai, May 12 Ex-India captain M.S. Dhoni is now venturing into film production, sources in the Tamil film industry said.

According to information available, Dhoni who has set his eyes on the film industry is picking his first movie in Tamil with Nayanthara in the lead.

Dhoni, according to sources, has already roped in Sanjay, one of the closest aides of megastar Rajinikanth. Sources said that Sanjay has given the tip-off to Dhoni that roping in Nayanthara for his debut movie will augur well for him in the Tamil film industry.

Nayanthara’s would-be husband and director Vignesh Sivan is an ardent fan of Dhoni and the possibility of the former Indian captain playing a cameo role in the movie is not ruled out.

The movie ‘M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story’ was a super hit and did extremely well in Tamil Nadu as Dhoni is a hit among the Tamil fans ever since he has been leading the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and sources said that his confidence of producing a Tamil movie has come from this fan following he has in Tamil Nadu.

Nayanthara is currently shooting for a Shahrukh Khan movie directed by Atlee. She has already committed for ‘Paatu’ by Malayalam director Alphonse Puthran and ‘Connect’ directed by Ashwin Saravanan, the shoots of which are to commence after the conclusion of her Shahrukh Khan starrer.

Former Indian cricketer Harbajan Singh has debuted in a Tamil movie ‘Dikkilona’, and played a lead role in another movie, ‘Friendship’.

Former pacer S. Sreesanth had made his Tamil movie debut through the Nayanthara starrer ‘ Kaathu Vaakulla Rendu Kaathal.’ Irfan Pathan, another former Indian cricketer is playing an antagonist in the Tamil movie ‘Cobra’ in which Vikram is the hero and it is directed by Ajay Gnanamuthu.

17 years for ‘BHADRA’

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Bhadra is a 2005 Indian Telugu-language romantic action drama film directed by debutant Boyapati Srinu. Produced by Sri Venkateswara Creations, the film stars Ravi Teja and Prakash Raj. The film has music composed by Devi Sri Prasad with cinematography and editing by Arthur A. Wilson and Marthand K. Venkatesh respectively.

It has been dubbed in Hindi and Bhojpuri as Badala and in Malayalam as Brahmam. The film was later remade into Tamil as Saravana, Kannada as Gaja, Bengali as Josh and Bangladeshi as Bhalobeshe Morte Pari (2010).

Boyapati Srinivas, cousin of Posani Krishna Murali and erstwhile assistant director of Muthyala Subbaiyah had directed this film. The script was narrated to Dil Raju who immediately okayed the script and started production of the film. Firstly script went to Allu Arjun but due to some reasons didn’t go then Jr. NTR and Prabhas were also considered for the lead roles. Finally, Ravi Teja got selected as hero. The film was made in a moderate budget of 5 to 6 Crores.

 

Disney announces 100 original shows for Indian OTT market

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New Delhi, May 12 As content streaming heats up in India, The Walt Disney Company has revealed that it is working on 100 original shows in local content for the country where its Disney+Hotstar OTT platform is currently the leader.

The company, which added 7.9 million new subscribers to Disney+ in the March quarter (Q1), taking the total to 137.9 million, said during the earnings call late on Wednesday that it has about 500 shows in the pipeline for local content outside of the US or English speaking.

“When you look at that 500, I’ll give you some broad breakdowns. In the Asia-Pacific region, including Southeast Asia, of that 500, 140 is in that region. In EMEA, it’s 150. In India, it’s 100. And in Latin America, it’s 200,” said Christine McCarthy, Senior Executive Vice President and CFO, The Walt Disney Company.

Disney’s video streaming service Disney+Hotstar added 2.6 million paid subscribers for the quarter ended January 1, taking its total base to 45.9 million users.

Although the company did not break down the recent figure of 7.9 million new subscribers, it is obvious that a bulk of new users are coming from India where the OTT consumption has exploded.

“We ended Q2 with more than 205 million total subscriptions after adding 9.2 million in the quarter. That includes 7.9 million Disney+ subscribers, keeping us on track to reach 230 million to 260 million Disney+ subscribers by fiscal 2024,” said Bob Chapek, CEO of The Walt Disney Company.

The announcement of 100 new original shows for the Indian market came after Amazon Prime Video said last month that it will launch 40 new titles in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu across original shows, movies and co-productions in the next two years.

“Our world-class creative teams are focused on creating content that will drive subscriber growth in targeted segments and deeper engagement across the platform. This includes leveraging our existing intellectual property. Also, we’re intent on creating new franchises,” said McCarthy.

Sudha Chandran gets a chance to play a double role after 35 years

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Mumbai, May 12 Actress Sudha Chandran was always fascinated by double roles and feels lucky to have finally got the chance to play it in her show ‘Naagin 6’.

The actress, who plays the role of Seema and her mother Tara in the show, says that she loves the variations between the two characters.

“This is the first time that I have played a double role. It’s very exciting and I always wanted to do a double role. Each time I saw actors doing double roles, I always longed to do one but I never got the chance. After 35-36 years, Balaji Telefilms gave me the opportunity and I simply loved it,” she says.

On elaborating about the variations she has made in two characters, she explains: “I always felt that the variation is very important, if you see me in ‘Naagin 6’, the character of Tara that I am playing is of adivasi and I have made it very rustic and kept very black makeup.”

“It looks very rustic and low but when it came to Seema’s character, which I am playing as well, I have plaits and a long bindi. It is a cute looking image. As an actor when I saw myself, I was very convinced that these two looks are so different and unique,” she says.

While talking about the challenges, she adds: “The challenging part in playing a double role is that you have to look different. The mannerisms have to be different, especially when you are in the same frame. The fun part is seeing yourself play the two characters.”

The actress says that people are also loving this sequence.

“People have called me up, applauded and have loved the performance. In fact, they said that ‘Naagin mein ab maza aa raha hai’ as the negative track has started. The story has been scripted so well, kudos to Balaji Telefilms who have come up with such a brilliant idea. I have given my 100 per cent and the rest I have left to God,” she says.

Talking about how she got to know about the role, she says that it came as a total surprise.

“Initially, I remember that the costume designer sent me a message saying that these are Seema’s mother’s sarees and I said that maybe you have sent these to me by mistake as I am playing Seema. She said that I am playing a double role and that time I was really taken aback as it was a surprise, nobody told me about it. But I was never nervous as I believed in my talent and I was prepared,” she says.

Sudha says that content on TV is also evolving thanks to the chances available on OTT.

“There is a big threat coming from OTT and now, when you see television, the content is very good. On OTT, there is wonderful content coming in so television writers and makers cannot take it lying low, so yes there are lot of innovations happening in television as well now,” she concludes.

Stage is set for OTT release of ‘RRR’

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Hyderabad, May 12 Jr NTR and Ram Charan’s epic ‘RRR’ will be released on ZEE5 on May 20.

‘RRR’ the S.S. Rajamouli-directed film that took the country by storm with its box office receipts will now be released on OTT a few months after its worldwide theatrical release.

Despite the fact that the producers have kept the details of ‘RRR’s OTT release under wraps for the time being, it is expected that they will make an official announcement soon.

The film will be available in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada on the platform, with a Hindi version coming soon.

The blockbuster starred Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Samuthirakani, Olivia Morris, Shriya Saran, and others, and was produced on a large scale by DVV Danayya. MM Keeravaani composed the film’s music.

Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan plan to compensate investors for ‘Acharya’ losses

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Hyderabad, May 12 The recent ‘Acharya’, featuring megastar Chiranjeevi and his son Ram Charan, turned out to be a box office disaster.

Ram Charan is reportedly making up for the losses, as many investors who hoped for a blockbuster invested a lot of money and lost money.

Following the film’s lukewarm reception around the world, a distributor recently wrote Chiranjeevi an open letter requesting compensation for the losses.

Directed by Koratala Siva, ‘Acharya’ failed to impress, despite the fact that Telugu’s most-hyped father-son duo Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan appeared together on screen.

Furthermore, with Koratala Siva on board, the investors did not expect the film to be such a disaster.

The news that Ram Charan is planning to compensate a portion of the film’s losses has sparked hope among buyers and distributors, who have suffered huge losses.

Chiranjeevi, on the other hand, will be seen in ‘Godfather’, ‘Bholaa Shankar’, and a couple of other movies.

 

No price hike for ‘F3’ tickets: Producers

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Hyderabad, May 12 Big-budget Telugu films are increasingly being released with a huge hike in ticket prices in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana but the team of ‘F3’ has reportedly decided against raising ticket prices.

According to early reports, the producers of ‘F3’ have decided to use standard ticket prices.

A rise in the ticket prices can be considered as one of the factors which have caused a certain amount of damage to the recently released movies.

Movies like ‘Radhe Shyam’, ‘Acharya’, and ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’, being subject to hike in the ticket prices, had an impact on the bookings.

‘F3’ will thus be one of the first Telugu films to be released with regular ticket prices. However, official confirmation from the producers is awaited.

On the May 27, Venkatesh, Varun Tej, Tamannah, and Mehreen-starrer ‘F3’ will be released in theatres.

Sonal Chauhan, Rajendra Prasad, Pragathi, Annapurna, and others will appear in important roles, while Pooja Hegde will be seen in a special song in the film, which is directed by Anil Ravipudi.

Thaman tweets about a candid interview with Mahesh Babu

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Hyderabad, May 11 ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata,’ starring Mahesh Babu, will have a worldwide theatrical release on Thursday. In the meantime, the cast and crew are promoting Parasuram Petla’s directorial.

Musician Thaman has reportedly conducted an interview with the star hero, and he has hinted at this via his social media posts.

“After a very very long time catching up for an interview with Our Very Own Super Star Mahesh Babu Garu. Sitting Next to Him Chatting and Talking about Our Block Buster Sarkaru Vaaripaata. Was On Sky”, Thaman’s tweet reads.

By amplifying the hype around ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata,’ Thaman, who has collaborated with the ‘Murari’ actor for the first time, has rendered a couple of soundtracks that have turned out to be instant chartbusters.

Now that Thaman has conducted an interview with Mahesh, their fans are eager to hear what the two have to say about the upcoming film “Sarkaru Vaari Paata.” This exclusive interview will be released soon.

Keerthy Suresh of ‘Mahanati’ fame plays the female lead in this film, and her chemistry with Mahesh Babu is expected to be one of the film’s major highlights.

Santoor maestro Pt. Shivkumar Sharma cremated with full state honours

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Mumbai, May 11 Santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma was cremated with full state honours, comprising Mumbai Police gun salute, at the Vile Parle Hindu crematorium, here on Wednesday evening with Bollywood turning out in force to bid him a tearful adieu.

Santoor maestro Pt. Shivkumar Sharma cremated with full state honours

His wife Manorama, sons Rahul and Rohit, family members and film fraternity friends like his longtime partner Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and table exponent Zakir Hussain were among those present.

Earlier, a large number of prominent personalities took Pt. Sharma’s final ‘darshan’ at his residence in Juhu, where his mortal remains were kept for three hours.

Among those who came and paid last respects were Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Javed Akhtar and his wife Shabana Azmi, singer Ila Arun, music composer Jatin-Lalit Pandit, many singers, musicians and commoners.

Later, hundreds of people could be seen on the roads bowing and offering their final farewell to the legendary musician draped in the tricolour as his flowerbedecked funeral cortege wended its way to the crematorium.

Born on January 13, 1938, Pt. Sharma brought the humble folk-music instrument ‘Santoor’ onto the world stage with his unique renditions.

He collaborated with the eminent flautist Pt. Chaurasia as the Shiv-Hari duo, composed music for several films including “Silsila”, “Lamhe”, “Chandni”,”Darr” and others.

Pt. Sharma was bestowed with honours and accolades including the Padma Vibhushan in 2001.

Top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and other dignitaries mourned the death of the 84-year-old Pandit Sharma following a cardiac failure on Tuesday morning.

Word Star: Ram Charan is a fan of the book ‘Offspring’

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Hyderabad, May 11 Telugu superstar Ram Charan, who had tasted the astounding success of ‘RRR’ along with Jr NTR, had to face a debacle with ‘Acharya’. Now the actor is busy shooting for his next big-budget movie.

The ‘Rangasthalam’ actor tweeted about his most recent read, Sandeep M. Bhatnagar’s ‘Offspring’ which he recommends for everyone.

Ram Charan’s tweet reads, ” ‘Offspring’ by Sandeep M. Bhatnagar is a poignant tale of choices in life. It meticulously captures the consequences of choosing goals over love, family, and traditions.”

Sandeep’s personal experience and close interaction with immigrants while working at the Indian Consulate General in New York inspired ‘Offspring’.

Ram Charan, a busy actor, mentions this book in which the author shares his thoughts on life’s choices. The ‘Magadheera’ actor appears to be impressed by the book’s narration, which captures the consequences of prioritizing goals over love, family, and tradition.

“Recommending this fascinating work to everyone!!”, the ‘RRR’ actor adds.

On the work front, Ram Charan will be seen next to Kiara Advani in their big-ticket movie under Tamil director Shankar Shanmugam of ‘Robo’ fame.