Siddharth's dates dilemma

Siddharth is as busy as a bee.

Siddharth's bag is full of films in different languages, but the actor is finding it hard to allocate dates to the makers of those movies.

"Desperately trying to allocate dates for 5 films in 3 languages in the next 8 months. Total madness but I hope I manage to pull it off," Siddharth posted on Twitter.

"Kerala fans, sorry guys. I was supposed to do a Malayalam film but had to back out because of date issues. Hopefully, next year," he wrote.

Source: IANS

'Avan Ivan' on June 17

'Avan Ivan', starring Arya and Vishal, will be released on June 17.

National Award winning director Bala's first full-fledged commercial film 'Avan Ivan' will finally grace theatres on June 17.

'Avan Ivan' stars Arya, Vishal, Janani Iyer and Madhu Shalini.

The film is a comedy entertainer which narrates the story of two siblings.

'Avan Ivan' is produced and marketed directly by AGS Entertainment. Yuvan Shankar Raja's songs, which were released recently, are already topping the charts.

Source: Galatta

Rajnikanth leaves Singapore hospital, calls Jayalalitha

Rajnikanth leaves Singapore hospital, calls 

Jayalalitha

Rajnikanth was Wednesday discharged from the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore but will remain in the island-country for another month and a half.

Soon after reaching his place of residence from hospital in Singapore, Rajnikanth spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, said a Tamil Nadu government's release.

Rajnikanth told Jayalalithaa that he wanted to speak to her first after getting discharged from hospital and called her on phone, the statement said.

Wishing Jayalalithaa on her election victory, he told her that he would return in a month and a half.

Expressing her happiness on hearing Rajnikanth's voice and on his recovery, Jayalalithaa asked him to come back early.

The 60-year-old actor, who made his mark as a character actor in the movie 'Aarulirunthu Arupathu Varai' (From Six to 60 Years) was flown to Singapore on May 28 and admitted to the hospital the next day.

Sources said the actor's entire family - wife Latha, two daughters Aishwarya and Soundarya and sons-in-law Dhanush and Ashwin Ramkumar - are in Singapore.

Rajnikanth was admitted to the Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre in Chennai with fever and fluid retention following acute gastro-intestinal and respiratory problems on May 13. He was discharged from hospital on May 28.

At the Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre, Rajnikanth underwent advanced treatment, including haemodialysis.

Rajnikanth was earlier admitted to St. Isabel Hospital on April 29 after a bout of vomiting, and was discharged in the evening.

On May 5, he was again admitted to the ICU of St. Isabel Hospital after allergic bronchitis and fever.

Source: IANS

Rajnikanth calls up Karunanidhi

Convalescing in Singapore, Rajnikanth on Thursday called DMK president and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi and informed him about his condition.

Karunanidhi expressed his happiness at Rajnikanth's recovery and added that he expected the actor to return soon, according to a DMK statement.

The matinee idol told Karunanidhi that he had seen several ups and downs in the life and what is important is his health, and not bothering about other things.

Rajnikanth on Wednesday was discharged from the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore and will be there for a month and a half.

Soon after his discharge, Rajnikanth spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa and told her that she had saved the state by winning the assembly elections.

The AIADMK alliance led by Jayalalithaa trounced the ruling DMK-led alliance in the April 13 assembly elections.

Source: IANS

It's tough being a woman: Vishal Krishna

Kollywood actor Vishal Krishna will sport as many as nine looks in the upcoming Tamil film 'Avan Ivan'.

For Kollywood actor Vishal, this would probably be the most important phase in his career. After going through a box-office low, Vishal is pinning his hopes on his upcoming release 'Avan Ivan'. The film, that will hit the screens this week, is directed by Bala and also stars Arya, Janani Iyer and Madhu Shalini.

"I am not sure if I am excited, but I am definitely not nervous," says the young star. Since the director, Bala, is known to be quite choosy about his cast, Vishal considers this opportunity to be something he's rather proud of. "Though I've been part of several films before, I was looking out for that one role that would let me prove myself as an actor. It was Arya who suggested my name for this role and I am indebted to him," says Vishal.

The film sees him play the role of Walter Vanangamudi, a dramatist, and required him to sport nine different looks. So, which among them was the most exciting? "I got to dress up and live like a woman for 17 days! For the first few days, I couldn't get the nuances right. Bala wasn't convinced either and advised me to lose all my inhibitions for this part! Over the next few days, he was surprised to see me walking confidently as a woman," he reminisces, adding, "It was rather tough being a woman."

Talking about his experience, working with the ace-director, he says, "Bala can extract raw talent from his heroes. Contrary to rumours that imply he is tough to work with, he is a friendly and flexible director. I can proudly say that he has re-introduced me as an actor in this film."

Source:  DNA-Daily News & Analysis

What's next for Mani Ratnam?

We all know that Mani Ratnam's dream project 'Ponniyin Selvan' has been shelved due to budget constraints. So what's next?

Kollywood rumour mills now say that Mani Ratnam will direct Vijay in an action entertainer.

Since Mani Ratnam already has Vijay's dates (which he signed for 'Ponniyin Selvan'), he is now considering an action entertainer on the lines of 'Thalapathy' and 'Agni Natchataram'.

Meanwhile, there are also reports that Mani will soon launch actor Karthik's son Gautham in his upcoming project. Rest of the star cast will be finalized shortly. Veteran cinematographer P.C. Sriram and music director A.R. Rahman will be a part of the project.

Source: Galatta