VOL
ISSUE
01 11 AUG‘10
INDIA: Rs 50 UAE: AED 10
PAWAN KALYAN’S “I am embarrassed of
being called Powerstar”
Bindu Madhavi
- SUCKER FOR ROMANCE
KOMARAM PULI All set to break the records. Yet Pawan Kalyan doesn’t give a damn!
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK - CLASS OF 2009 - 2010
MARYADA RAMANNA Why S S Rajamouli
is jealous of his wife!
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VOL01/ISSUE11
CONTENTS/08/10 38
Centre Stage/PAGE Power Star Pawan Kalyan wields his magic
VOL
ISSUE
01 11
45
AUG‘10
INDIA: Rs 50 UAE: AED 10
PAWAN KALYAN’S - I am embarassed of being called Powerstar
Bindu Madhavi
- SUCKER FOR ROMANCE
30 KOMARAM PULI All set to break the records.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK - CLASS OF 2009 - 2010
Yet Pawan Kalyan doesn’t give a damn!
51
MARYADA RAMANNA Why S S Rajamouli
is jealous of his wife!
VOL01/ISSUE11
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48
CONTENTS/08/10 16
reader Speak
26
exCluSiveS 26 28 34 45 51
Deva Katta calls the shots girish Karnad’s acclaimed legacy Framed with Preetham gubbi! teaser of Komaram Puli Class of 2010 – the new set of lookers from southern cinema
48
FeatureS 48
Behind the scenes: Maryada Ramanna
galleria 30
Bindu Madhavi says it like it is
30 34
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Gold Class
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thanks for mentoring me. now, we change gears. “i thank all the stars who’ve illuminated our covers.”
Dear readers, it’s been 10 months since i spoke to you. and i feel it’s time for me to reconnect. i must share with you that i thought Southscope was my baby, but it turned out to be my guru. let me explain. When i started out, i had no inkling about business, leave alone the publishing business. i was an arts student in junior college and have a Journalism degree. all i wanted to do was to bring out a product that, i, as a movie buff would love to read. in the last few months, i learnt everything about business & publishing – brainstorming for articles, photo shoots, how to finance your project, cash flow management, how to host an awards function, how to hire people, why to fire, designing good layouts, selling advertisement space, leading a team and most importantly how to create an engaging magazine that people would love to read. all of you’ve in a way mentored me, having been a part of the magazine’s journey. thank you for that. When i used to read film magazines like total Film, entertainment Weekly and Filmfare i used to think, “Why don’t our magazines in the South do such photo shoots?” i guess no one did because they didn’t know how to do it or that it could even be done. i can proudly brag now, that we did our bit in glamorizing our Southern film fraternity. We’re not the first ever to a do a shoot. agreed. But now our so-called competition and other lifestyle magazines have followed suit and started doing shoots of our movie stars extensively. i should thank all the stars who donned our covers and readily came forward to be a part of our shoots. guess what most told me, “We’re glad you asked us because no other magazine did and we love doing shoots!” So far, we’ve dedicated a lot of editorial space to celebrities and their personal lives. now, it’s time to change gears. Southscope was meant to be a movie buff’s best friend. and we’re going to be just that. you’re going to read more about the movies you’d love to see with extensive and in depth coverage unlike most newspapers and websites that exist today. Movies and celebrities go hand in hand, so behind-the-scenes stuff about stars will still be around. this issue has curtain raisers to Komaram Puli, Maryada Ramanna and a glimpse of Kalavani’s success. i hope you will like our new editorial style. if you did, please share it with other film buffs. if you didn’t, please talk to us. Or tweet. Best regards,
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Meghana Rao : the magazine is awesome. i looked at the cover and picked it up and trust me it was worth a buy. i request you all to put some contests on movies and music. Overall, the magazine is superb, but the price is little expensive and even the subscription fee is also high. good work. Keep it up! Satya Srikanth : awesome cricket supplements on the four stars, good work team! Tarang Gowda : Seeing Puneet on the cover was a real surprise. For the first time, it felt like Puneet stood out from the rest. great job Southscope! 1951 was erroneously mentioned as the year of release of Mouna Raagam in the Looking Back section, page 60 in the July 2010 issue. The correct year of release is 1986.
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VOL
ISSUE
01 11 AUG‘10
INDIA: Rs 50 UAE: AED 10
PAWAN KALYAN’S “I am embarrassed of
being called Powerstar”
NOWBindu Madhavi SUCKER FOR ON- ROMANCE STANDS
KOMARAM PULI All set to break the records. Yet Pawan Kalyan doesn’t give a damn!
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK - CLASS OF 2009 - 2010
MARYADA RAMANNA -
Why S S Rajamouli is jealous of his wife!
PANORAMA OF SOUTH CINEMA
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YOU’VE SEEN THEM, YOU LOVE THEM, YOU CAN’T IMAGINE GROWING UP WITHOUT THEM… NOW HERE’S WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THEM!
TEL
junk mail veteran actor vuppala Dadiyam nagayya (popularly known as Chittor nagayya), was the first icon of telugu cinema before ntr, anr and Sv ranga rao rose to superstardom. Born in 1904, nagayya worked as a journalist with Andhra Patrika and later made his acting debut in 1938 with Gruhalakshmi, which was directed by H M reddy. nagayya had made a strong impression not only as an actor but also as a singer with his debut film. a year later, B n reddy introduced him as the male lead in Vande Matharam. nagayya thereaſter went on to act in over 200 films in both telugu and tamil. Bhakta Pothana (1942) and Thyagayya (1946) catapulted his fame to superstardom and both these films are still counted among the best devotional films ever made. the Maharaja of Mysore was so impressed with nagayya’s performance in Thyagayya that he presented the actor with 101 gold coins along with a necklace. at one point of time, nagayya was the highest paid actor in southern cinema but his benevolent nature along with box office failures led to a severe financial crisis. His popularity and contribution to south indian cinema in its early days is unparalleled. it comes as no surprise that Chittor nagayya was the first telugu actor to be given the Padma Shri award by the government of india in 1965.
l v Prasad’s contribution to indian cinema is nothing short of awe inspiring. But not many know that he began his cinema career as a struggling actor. in 1930, he ran away from home with rs 100 in his pocket and landed in Mumbai (Bombay then) to try his hand at acting. His struggle continued for another year, during which, he did menial jobs to survive in Bombay. Finally in 1931, he earned the rare distinction of acting in the first talkie films in three different languages. Alam Ara (Hindi), Bhakta Prahlada (telugu) and Kalidas (tamil) were all released in 1931. For his role in Alam Ara, he was paid a monthly salary of rs 30. it was here that he met filmmaker H M reddy, who later offered l v Prasad small roles in Bhakta Prahlada and Kalidas. From a small time actor in 1931, to one of the biggest filmmakers by the mid 40s, l v Prasad had come a long way. He had etched his name in golden letters and how! He established Prasad Productions in 1956 and later the famous l v Prasad eye Hospital and Prasad Film labs. in 1982, l v Prasad was given the Dada Saheb Phalke award by the government of india for his contribution to indian cinema.
KAN
not many know that thespian Dr rajkumar’s only movie outside Kannada was a telugu film. it was the Kannada remake of Bedara Kannappa directed by Hln Simha. aſter the Kannada film Bedara Kannappa, rajkumar did not receive many acting offers. Having tasted success in Kannada, gubbi veeranna decided to remake the film in telugu as well. the original director Hln Simha was retained for the telugu version while rajkumar played the lead role of Kannappa. the role of neela, which was originally played by Pandaribai was essayed by K Malathi in telugu. therefore, it is evident that the film was not dubbed into telugu as against popular belief. it was actually remade in telugu. the telugu version of Bedara Kannappa was an average success. there are some differences between both versions. the song Jaya Jaya Mahadevi by ghantasala was especially popular in those days
the rajputs who migrated to Karnataka actively engaged in the entertainment sector. Prominent among them is the Shankar Singh family. Shankar Singh was associated with more than 50 films as producer and director since 1952. though he came to Kannada cinema as an amateur with hardly any knowledge of filmmaking, Shankar Singh found his feet finally and was successful with a various aspects of filmmaking such as scriptwriting, screenplay, mixing, editing etc. Shankar Singh was fundamentally a businessman with keen business acumen. He understood the pulse of Kannada cinema and therefore was able to deliver successfully. He married Prathima Devi, a star in those days. their son, rajendra Singh (Babu) has directed more than two dozen films. as a child artist, rajendra Singh starred in Chanchalakumar and Bhakta Cheta. His sister vijayalakshmi Singh was also a well-known actor who has now become a director. Babu’s son aditya Singh is an upcoming actor while another prodigy rishika Singh is debuting as a heroine. 18 SOUTHSCOPE AUG’ 10
GOLDCLASS
telugutinsel
ALLU ARJUN TURNS SANTA Christmas is nowhere near, but that doesn’t bother Allu Arjun. He has been learning some serious kick ass martial art in Vietnam for his next film, Badrinath for quite sometime. The big hearted guy that he is, he has been asking friends back home what gifts they’d like from Vietnam. When he returns, we certainly expect to see his ‘Santa Claus is around’ avatar!
WHAT WAS SHARWANAND DOING AWAY FROM HOME? After two back to back releases, Sharwanand took a long break and went to the US on a vacation. His recent film, Prasthanam was specially screened at San Jose and Sacramento in California. Sharwanand, Deva Katta and Ravi Vallabhaneni met the audience who couldn’t stop raving about the film. The celebrations never seem to end for this team! 20 SOuTHSCOPE aug’ 10
CHIRANJEEVI FINDS A NEW FAN IN ROSAIAH! The audio launch of Pawan Kalyan’s Komaram Puli was a glitzy affair. Amidst all the cheer, one statement caught everyone’s attention. The CM K Rosaiah, who was the chief guest stated, “Like you, I am a huge fan of Chiranjeevi.” The crowd went completely berserk. We wonder, what effect it would have on the state politics, though!
GOLDCLASS
telugutinsel
A R Rahman never bothers about his personal security. In fact, he doesn’t like being surrounded by black clothed gunmen at all. Apparently, Rahman had just one guard at his home in Chennai until a few months ago when a fan barged into his home. Ever since, he has two guards. Even when he was in Hyderabad recently for the audio launch of Komaram Puli, he was seen walking around without any security.
NTR JOINS THE HARLEY DAVIDSON LEAGUE Everything that NTR does turns out to be flamboyant. Recently, he was invited to inaugurate the Harley Davidson showroom in Hyderabad. His arrival at the showroom stalled the traffic for over an hour with hordes of people trying to catch a glimpse of him. Not only that, he’s the first customer of the brand from the state. We hear Pawan Kalyan also owns a Harley Davidson but it was imported.
I liked the new look of your website southscope.in. It’s getting better and better everyday. Way to go! - Sapthagiri
RAHMAN HAS NO SECURITY ISSUES
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH TAAPSEE AND LAKSHMI? New sensation, Taapsee and Lakshmi Manchu are almost inseparable these days. A li’l birdie tells us they’ve been hanging out a lot together in the past few weeks. Lakshmi left no stone unturned to promote both Taapsee and her first production venture Jhummandhi Naadam. The film gave a huge boost to Taapsee’s career and she found a great pal in Lakshmi. Win win situation?
aug’ 10 SOuTHSCOPE 21
GOLDCLASS
kannadacapers
PREM GETS THE BOOT Actor Prem, who isn’t doing much these days, was recently thrown out of Prema Chandrama. The director Saahuraj Shinde accused Prem of interfering at every step. Apparently, Prem wanted his name to be flashed on the invitation and banners of the movie launch. Shinde decided it was time and threw Prem out of the movie after taking back the advance of Rs 10 lakh that he had paid Prem. But Prem maintained that he walked out of the movie because of “differences” with the director. Good try but try again!
SUDEEP DRAGGED AROUND AND HOW! Sudeep who has of late been shuttling between Bengaluru and Mumbai was dragged into an unnecessary controversy by actor-producer Dwarakeesh recently. Dwarkeesh announced a movie titled Vishnuvardhana which did not go down well with the Kannada film industry and Bharathi Vishnuvardhana, wife of the late superstar. Dwarakeesh was accused of using the late actor’s name. Eventually, Sudeep was present at the muhurta of the movie sans any title! Sudeep became the target of the media for supporting Dwarakeesh. Tch tch…
YOGARAJ BHAT TURNS CHOREOGRAPHER! We have heard of choreographers turning directors, but director Yogaraj Bhat is foraying into choreography. He was seen teaching dance steps to actors Diganth and Nidhi Subbaiah for a song from his maiden home venture Pancharangi. Is Bhat tired of choreographers Harsha and Imran Sardhariya? Either way, we hear Bhat was ecstatic about directing the dance sequence. Cool!
22 SOuTHSCOPE aug’ 10
GOLDCLASS
kannadacapers
LOOK WHO JENNIFER IS GETTING COZY WITH! What’s going on here? Jennifer Kotwal was seen getting cozy with director Om Prakash Rao recently. Looks like she seems to have forgotten all the abusive words the director used against her at a press event for their film Huli. At the audio release of Jaggesh’s Liſt Kodla, Rao was posing for pictures with his arm comfortably around Jennifer who didn’t seem to mind at all! Now, we hear that Rao has signed her for another film. Compromise…or?
CATHERINE TRESA LOST AND FOUND Model-turned-actor Catherine Tresa recently gave a tough time to the police. The actor, who debuted in Duniya Vijay’s Shankar IPS went missing for a week. Her mother lodged a complaint with the police, who launched a massive hunt to find her. But one week later, Catherine and her mother landed in the police station claiming that she was in Hyderabad with her uncle. Turns out she was indeed in Hyderabad to patch up with her troublesome boyfriend. Phew!
TEEN ROMANCE FOR KISHAN Master Kishan, who holds the Guinness Record for being the youngest director of a feature film, is now set to create another record. The 14-year-old shocked everyone when he romanced Rrushitha (who’s younger to him) in front of the media! The occasion was the launch of his film titled 15 being directed by his father Shrikanth. Kishan will be seen as a young adult. We wonder if he is all set to claiming the record for the youngest Kannada film hero. aug’ 10 SOuTHSCOPE 23
TELugu LOADING...PLEASE WAIT
Cast : Jagapathi Babu, Vimala Raman, kota Srinivas Rao, Tanikella Bharani Director : Pravin Sri Producer : dr dharmkartha Music Director : Ilayaraja Banner : Sri keerthi Creations
GAAYAM 2
A sequel to Gaayam is being made by debut director Praveen Sri with Jagapathi Babu in the lead. Initially, Ram Gopal Varma (who directed Gaayam) was not keen on a sequel, but he agreed to do it as he was quite impressed with Praveen’s work. The movie is a sequel in every sense as it starts where the first one ends. Jagapathi’s character in the first part was the highlight of the film and he’ll have the same name (Durga) in the sequel. It starts with how Durga had been living since 15years.
Cast : Ravi Teja, Shriya Saran, anjana Sukhani Director : Gopichand Malineni Producer : Venkat Music Director : Mani Sharma Banner : RR Movie Makers Don Seenu has been creating a lot of buzz ever since its shoot began in Europe. The movie was also shot (three songs and few scenes) in Switzerland, Spain, Dubai, Barcelona and Iceland for over 45 days which is the longest foreign shoot schedule in Ravi Teja’s career. But the key scenes were shot in Rajamundry and Hyderabad. This would be Shriya Saran’s come back film in Telugu. Although the story of the film has been under wraps, Shriya Saran had told the press that she plays a character of a girl who is smart, intelligent and thinks no one can fool her but things go haywire and she returns to India.
24 SOuTHSCOPE aug’ 10
DON SEENU
LOADING...PLEASE WAIT
KaNNaDa
Cast: Puneet Rajkumar, Bhavana, Rangayana Raghu, Ravi Kale, Raju Talikote director: Duniya Soori Music: V Harikrishna Producer: Parvathamma Rajkumar Banner: Poornima Enterprises Puneet’s home production, Jackie, is about a rebel in society who falls for a simple girl (Bhavana). Bhavana is making her debut in Kannada with Jackie. The movie is touted to be packed with action.
JACKIE
Cast: Duniya Vijay, Sharmila Mandre, Yajna Shetty, Rangayana Raghu director: K Maadesh Music: Sadhu Kokila Producer: Mohan Kumar & Krishnaiah Banner: Mohan Productions Duniya Vijay returns to the slums with Kari Chirathe (black panther), which is about a vagabond making it big with the help of politicians. Sharmila Mandre and Yajna Shetty play his love interests.
KARI CHIRATHE
aug’ 10 SOuTHSCOPE 25
TELUGU // EXCLUSIVE
Precisely two films old, deva katta has emerged as the director to watch out for. In a tête-à-tête with Hemanth kumar, he talks films, life and all else…
26 SOuTHSCOPE aug’ 10
It’s not everyday that a director makes a comeback after five years and becomes the focus of all attention. A film like Prasthanam is a rare occurrence in Telugu cinema. Despite several other big budget films, Prasthanam made with a modest budget of Rs 3.5 crores has been one of the most talked about films of the year so far. Soon after the release of the film, the word of the mouth picked up and Deva Katta was inundated with messages from everywhere. It wouldn’t be a surprise if his next film features one of the biggest stars in the film industry today. After all there must be something that Balakrishna and Prakash Raj were impressed about his work. Like most filmmakers, he was in awe of cinema since childhood. But he did not let his passion for films interfere with academics. An engineering graduate from Sathyabhama Engineering College, Chennai Deva Katta took a keen interest in films, literature and writing when he was in school. “I was a good student, but life had other plans, I guess,” he smiles. Although he wanted to pursue filmmaking as a career, he chose to complete his Masters in Industrial Engineering in USA. During this time, he also enrolled in a local film school and began to direct short films. Some of them were highly appreciated and there was no looking back since then. Valasa, a docu-feature on Indians settled in the US was a turning point. “I met Ravi Vallabhaneni during a screening of Valasa and got along instantly. We decided to collaborate for more projects,” Deva Katta reminisces. The first feature film which he directed was Vennela back in 2005. The film had the right blend of comedy and drama which made it a huge hit among the youth, both in India and USA. Raja, Sharwanand and Parvathi Melton received much acclaim for their performances in the film. However, Deva Katta’s first project wasn’t a cakewalk. With no recognition whatsoever, selling the film was quite an uphill task. The film had close to 35 investors who pooled in money for the production and they had to go through several other setbacks.
and release go haywire. The film was released at the peak of the IPL season and it had to compete with two other big budget films, within two weeks of its release. His next statement catches us by surprise again. It is a humble confession but something that not many would admit to. “I have failed in too many ways with Prasthanam. The biggest problem was going for a wide release sans enough publicity,” he rues but quickly veers off to other things. At a time when the film industry is almost split wide open on the issue of small vs big films, Deva has a different take. He reckons that the film business is not charity and no one’s out here to lose money. But there are other problems which continue to haunt him and his film. The biggest of them is perhaps online piracy. “We are in a helpless situation. It’s a pity that people don’t understand how piracy impacts us. Maybe I should write my next script on it,” he quips. Within weeks of the film’s release, they started looking for other revenue models. Finally, they placed their bets on a pay-per-view arrangement on the internet which spurred more buzz about the film than they anticipated. We couldn’t help but bring up the issue of how it feels like to be a filmmaker in India. Having stayed in the US for more than 13 years must have changed his perspective, we think. What with the chaos and disorganization in everything? Does it mean he’s going back to the US for good? “On the contrary, I have decided to make more films in Telugu. I have already written a couple of scripts and we will start shooting again by the end of the year,” he lets us know. A stylish action comedy is on the cards and he promises to reach out to a wider audience with his next film. We are certainly looking forward to this one!
After 2005, Deva Katta almost vanished from the scene for five years. Ask him why and here’s another one we bet you didn’t imagine. “My wife was still studying in the US at that time. I didn’t want to interrupt her studies and career to pursue my ambition. Everything has fallen into place now, though” he smiles and also adds that both of them are US Citizens now. A conversation with Deva Katta reveals his philosophical side too. He talks about how almost every emotion in our lives has a reference in the Mahabaratha. This deep impact of Mahabaratha and Shakespeare’s Hamlet was the genesis behind his recent film Prasthanam. Although the film wasn’t a complete adaptation of the epic, Deva Katta states that he attempted to infuse the essence of both these works in his film. “It’s the darker side of human nature,” he offers. “The Mahabaratha in particular is replete with so many plots and sub-plots that each story can be made into a film.” Despite all the critical acclaim which the film had got, Deva agrees that it’s a good example of what happens when your publicity
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kannada // EXCLUSIVE
THE RENAISSANCE MAN If you think being a writer, playwright, actor, movie director and a Jnanpith award winner is an impossible feat, you haven’t obviously met Girish Karnad. That’s what makes him a oneman-institution says Aravind G Shivkamal. Perfection is his middle name. The word `average’ doesn’t figure in his dictionary. His success may not have commercial overtones all the time but that doesn’t make him any less successful than anybody in his league. Recognition has come in the form of many awards at regional, national and international level.
Photographer: Balu Mandarthi
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Film-making is just one of his trades. Otherwise, he is a full time writer and playwright, who has won the country’s highest literary honours – Jnanpith award. Does that make him content? No way. He goes right ahead and extends his work beyond movies and writing to the streets whenever there’s an issue relating to human rights.
Karnad went on to become a noted director in the field of Kannada cinema. His directorial debut, Vamsha Vruksha, based on a Kannada novel by noted writer S L Bhairappa, was a classic hit. The movie won several national and international awards. Girish cast himself in a prominent role in Vamsha Vruksha.
Born into a Konkani-speaking Brahmin family, Girish Raghunath Karnad is a lighthouse of talent, someone hard to emulate.
Before this, Karnad had acted in a movie called Samskara, based on a novel by U R Ananthamurthy and directed by Pattabhirama Reddy. Samskara, for which Girish had written the script, won the first President’s Golden Lotus Award for Kannada cinema.
He attributes his interest in movies to his early exposure to traditional theatre during childhood. He was an ardent admirer of Yakshagana (a traditional dance form of Karnataka) and was fond of theatre. Probably nobody in Matheran village, Maharashtra, where he was born, ever thought that this son of their soil would someday be recognized as an acclaimed playwright, actor and a director. Karnad is one among the seven recipients of Jnanpith Award for Kannada. For close to five decades, he has been composing plays, often using history and mythology to tackle contemporary issues. He is also a name to reckon with in the world of Indian cinema - as an actor, director and screenwriter. Winner of many awards in the field of cinema, Karnad is also the recipient of Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan titles. As a playwright, poet, actor, director, critic, translator and cultural administrator, 72-year-old Karnad is undoubtedly a multi-faceted personality par excellence. He is also rightly called the Renaissance Man. Incredible as it may seem, Karnad had dreamt of winning the world by writing in English! During his graduation at the Karnataka College, Dharwad, Karnad had a burning ambition of going to England and writing poetry in English. He had confessed that he wanted to be internationally famous like Shakespeare and T S Eliot. He did go to Oxford - as Rhodes Scholar. He did achieve international fame - but not for his English poetry. After earning his degree in Arts, in 1958, Karnad went to England and studied at Lincoln and Magdalen colleges in Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar (1960-63), earning his Master of Arts degree in philosophy, political science and economics. After working for seven years with the Oxford University Press, he resigned to freelance. He was also the Director of the Film and Television Institute of India (1974-1975) and Chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi (1988-93). During 1987-88, he was at the University of Chicago as visiting Professor and Fulbright Playwrightin-Residence. It was during his tenure at Chicago, one of his best plays Nagamandala had its world premiere at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. This original play in Kannada was translated to English by Karnad himself. He also served as the Director of the Nehru Centre and Minister of Culture, in the Indian High Commission, London (2000-03). Karnad’s works have been widely translated into English and all major Indian languages. Most of Karnad’s plays are composed in Kannada though he dreamed of earning international literary fame. When Karnad started writing plays, Kannada literature was highly influenced by the renaissance in Western literature. Karnad has to his credit the authorship of modern classics such as the famous Tughlaq, Yayathi, Hayavadana, Nagmandala, Agni Mathu Male, Maa Nishadha, Anju Mallige and Tale-Danda. He marked his return to direction after nearly three decades with A Heap of Broken Images in 2005 that explored the facets of the urban Indian society with its fascination for technology. The play staged as part of a theatre festival in Bangalore, was written especially for the Ranga Shankara theatre, in English, and as well as in Kannada, as Odakalu Bimba.
Later, Karnad directed several movies in Kannada and Hindi. Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane, Ondanondu Kaaladalli and Kanooru Heggaditi, based on a novel by Kannada writer Kuvempu, Cheluvi and Kaadu are some of the noted Kannada movies directed by Karnad. He introduced another multi-talented personality – Shankar Nag – to Kannada cinema. Younger brother of Kannada actor Ananth Nag, Shankar announced his arrival with a bang through Ondanondu Kaaladalli. The movie was inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s film and won Shankar the best actor award in his debut Kannada film. Kanooru Heggadathi (2000) was another landmark film featuring national-awarding winning actress Tara in the lead. His other two Kannada films Cheluvi and Kaadu were also highly appreciated. Karnad’s films are a class apart from the regular Kannada movies. They are normally a blend of art and commercial films. His films are not only critically acclaimed but commercially successful as well. Karnad also directed several Hindi films like Utsav and Woh Ghar. Utsav, made in 1984, was a cult classic that saw the integration of Mrichchakatika. He immortalized Rekha through the character Vasanthasena. Karnad is also a popular actor in Kannada and Hindi movies, known for roles that are a class apart. He has acted in Telugu, Tamil and Assamese films as well. He has acted in several landmark movies like Hey Ram, Pukaar, China Gate, Minsaara Kanavu, Kadhalan and Meri Jung. In Kannada, Karnad is a popular character artiste. He was seen in powerful roles in movies like Ananda Bhairavi, Mysoora Mallige, Anveshane, Nee Tanda Kaanike and Aaghaata. Girish was lying low ever since he directed Kanooru Heggadathi. Just when everyone had almost forgotten him, the maverick came back with the screenplay for Aa Dinagalu, a landmark movie directed by K M Chaitanya in 2007. The movie dealt with the underworld of Bangalore in 1980s. The movie was not a commercial hit, but received widespread acclaim. Karnad played a cameo in Aa Dinagalu. He has also played the role of Karadi, the sootradhar (narrator), for several stories in the popular audio book series for kids, Karadi Tales. He has also been the voice of APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India, in the audio book of Kalam’s autobiography Wings of Fire. In Karnad’s words, “His characters are not flesh and blood individuals but broad representations of their class or ideology”. Noted litterateur U.R. Ananthamurthy calls him ‘The poet of drama’. “The use of history and mythology to tackle contemporary themes gives him the psychological distance to comment on our times,’ he adds. True to his statement, Karnad has indeed created a tradition of his own, be it in his writings, plays or movies. Karnad is a private person and does not like to discuss much about his family. He has declared that Kanooru Heggadathi would be his last directorial film. We can only wish he changes his mind on that one.
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“I believe in beauty over brains!�
She says it like it is, which makes Bindu Madhavi seem so much sexier! Vrinda Prasad gets us the rest.
Photographer: G Venket Ram Make Up: Vikram Mittal Hair: Rachel Styling: Chaitanya Rao
She had no clue what it takes to become an actor. Only, she wanted to be one. And badly. Bindu Madhavi decided the best way to filmdom was through modelling. So she googled up photographers of the south and went straight to G Venket Ram for a portfolio. She was asked to come back after she’d worked on her looks, body language and figure. Venket never expected this very regular looking girl to return to his studio a month later, all glammed up. He finally shot her folio, after which she did a few commercials and walked the ramp. While shooting for a TV commercial in Kerala, she got a call from Telugu film director Sekhar Kammula’s office. “I rushed to Hyderabad, and the next day I had to give my audition. All I prepared myself was to meet Sekhar and not to bag my debut role,” she giggles. That is how she did Avakai Biryani. Then came Bumper Offer which did moderate business, and Om Shanti besides Rama Rama Krishna Krishna, which went unnoticed. And she rues, “I signed films considering the big banners since I was immature and didn’t how to go about things. But all that has changed now. She is among the more sought after actors in the Telugu industry and she’s also doing a Tamil film directed by Anju.
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“The camera gets me on a high!” Bindu says almost purring. And she is quick to add, “Earlier I used to be very conscious of how I looked and of my weight. Ever since I shed those extra kilos, I love the camera.” But has losing weight worked for her? “I lost weight because directors would say I had to lose weight, but now they see me and say I looked better earlier. I’m confused! I think we still haven’t gotten to accept size-zero down south.” Ok but here comes the clincher. “I believe in beauty over brains, and this is why, I’m in the glamour industry. My looks will speak here. But that doesn’t mean I don’t buy the grey matter at all!”
C+ CAMERA Puneeth looks dashing on the cover page. Thank you for featuring him - Karthik
We usually leave the best for the last. So here it is. Bindu’s first kiss happened in her 12th grade, out of pure peer pressure that all her friends had been kissed by then but she hadn’t. “So I went on a date and kissed the guy. Got back and told my friends that even I had been kissed. Finally!” Ask her to pick between a live in and a fling and she’d go for the fling! “I’m a one man’s woman. I believe in having steady relationships. I was seeing a guy for three years and after that I have never found anyone who I can think of having a relationship with.” But she hasn’t turned bitter after that. In fact, not at all. “I love, love stories!” is her mantra. She is hardcore romantic. “Make that sucker for romance.” And her dream destination: Paris. What else!
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She moved out of home to start her career in the film industry. “I lived for a month without much money and at times without food too. My parents refused to let me do what I wanted to. I wasn’t allowed to go out even, so I ran away from home. It’s been my biggest adventure.” Her biggest fantasy though is to bartend in an American pub for two weeks, inspired from Coyote Ugly. She also wants to do a completely crazy off beat role. This one’s inspired from Dev D.
kannada // EXCLUSIVE
l ve
is in the
air
Something has happened to Preetham Gubbi, new generation Kannada film director. Of late, his wife feels he is going overboard with his love for her. “But that’s what I am. I am here to sell romantic dreams to people. I am the way I am,” is Preetham’s response. Any guesses why he has made a tremendous impact with just two romantic films? At 29, he has already become an integral part of the Kannada film history after having written the blockbuster, highest revenue grosser of all times, Mungaaru Male. He gets so engrossed in his stories that Preetham becomes a part of them. No wonder, the male protagonist played by Ganesh in Mungaru Male is named Preetham! Since writing the story for Mungaru Male and two other films, Preetham has taken to direction with ease. He has directed two successful films, Haage Summane, featuring new comers and Maleyali Jotheyali, Ganesh’s maiden home venture. Now, Preetham is busy with his third film Johnny with Duniya Vijay in the lead. In a span of five years, Preetham has climbed the ladder so fast that he doesn’t even have the time to recollect how it happened. He is not among the directors who can be seen mingling with the 34 SOuTHSCOPE aug’ 10
There’s something about the rains that inspires Preetham Gubbi, the 29 year old Kannada film director, to unleash his romantic fantasies, much to the audiences’ and producers’ delight discovers Arvind G Shivkamal
producers or roaming the streets of Gandhinagar, the hub of the Kannada film industry in Bengaluru. “Only a handful of producers and actors can identify me” he contends. There’s no identity crisis here. For, he is so popular among his female fans that they crave to meet him in person to understand his skills, not relating to direction, but guess what –romance! When he is in a mood to write a story, he goes to a misty cloudy location with incessant rains, a trademark of Preetham’s films. And it won’t be less than a year before he comes to the sets to direct the film. “I have always been a perfectionist. I try to make sure that there are no loopholes. Basically, I do not like to compromise. When I visualize a dream, I want it to be translated as it is on screen,” says a candid Preetham. Otherwise, who would give up an opportunity to direct a sequel to the superhit Mungaru Male? Preetham had written the story for the sequel as well. Ganesh was the male lead. Pooja Gandhi was not part of the cast as the story had moved on beyond Mungaru Male. The launch was just 15 days away.
“Somebody wanted a minor change in the story, but I was against it. I just gave up that project. The Mungaru Male sequel is shelved for now,” he admits. But Preetham has moved ahead and won acclaim for his films. Even after watching the final print of Mungaru Male, there were suggestions for a happy ending. But Preetham would have none of that. “Once the film was ready for release, I told Yogaraj Bhat that it may be a hit or a flop. I never imagined that Mungaru Male would change the trend in Kannada films,” he recalls. After Mungaru Male, he was flooded with offers to write stories and direct films. But being a choosy person, Preetham did not give in. He wrote the story for Geleya, the directorial debut of choreographer Harsha and followed it up with Aramane featuring Ganesh. “Then, there came a juncture when I felt it was time for me to direct a film. I love taking risks. I had made up my mind – either I take credit for the success or blame for the failure,” that’s how Haage Summane happened. The title Haage Summane (Just like that) is a line from one of the hit tracks of Mungaru Male. As expected, his debut film performed well at the BO but not at the level of Mungaru Male.
“It was one of the few Kannada films for which a Super 35 camera was used. It was the first Kannada film that won the award for best cinematography in 2008,” he points out. By then, the combination of Preetham Gubbi, cinematographer Krishna and rains had become synonymous with success. Rains are part of any Preetham Gubbi story. He started with Mungaru Male (Monsoon Rains). He has an explanation: “I am inspired by rains. I feel romance and rains have something in common. It is easy to depict romance in rains.” Keeping in mind rains, he wrote another story which had a tailor-made role for Ganesh. By then, Ganesh had reached the top: “When he heard the story, he liked it. I also felt that only Ganesh could essay that role. As we started developing the story, Ganesh said he wanted to produce the film. And that’s how Maleyali Jotheyali happened.”
launched the careers of several actors including thespian Rajkumar. It is but natural that Preetham too is in the same field. “I watch at least 2-3 Hindi and English movies every day. I am crazy about films. I develop my stories based on one-line thoughts,” says Preetham, who spent nearly five years working for dancer Vaijayanthi Kashi’s troupe as a lights and stage specialist before writing Mungaru Male. From the shape of things as of today, there’s no stopping Preetham. His aim is to direct a film with Puneet Rajkumar in the lead.
“If somebody asks me to quit directing films, I will do that once I direct a Shah Rukh Khan film.”
But his dream is to direct a Shah Rukh Khan film. “He is the ultimate icon of romance in the country. I visualize him in every story I write. If somebody asks me to quit directing films, I will do that once I direct a Shah Rukh Khan film.” Now that’s what we call a winning attitude.
Maleyali Jotheyali provided the restart that Ganesh badly needed. A few films of Ganesh prior to Maleyali Jotheyali had failed at the BO. The film directed by Preetham ran for 100 days at several centres. After having worked with soft heroes and romantic stories, Preetham dropped a bombshell when he announced that Duniya Vijay would be the male lead of his next film Johnny. Reason was obvious - Preetham and Vijay are poles apart. Preetham’s movies are for girls and balcony audience whereas Vijay’s movies are for the masses and the hooters. “I know that Johnny is a challenge. The class has to meet the mass in this film. But I am confident that it will be a success. Every person has a romantic side in him. It is important for a director to showcase it. Love stories can be narrated in various ways. I want to try out something different with Johnny,” Preetham justifies. He has written the story keeping Vijay in mind, “I am sure it will be different when you see Johnny. I want to show one part of Vijay, which has not been shown so far. You could call this a crazy connection”. Some say that Mungaru Male was partly based on his life story. But Preetham rubbishes them. “Of course, my love life is as good as any film. I met my wife ten years ago. We were part of the same theatre group. When we were returning in a train from Mumbai after staging a performance, I proposed to her. I told her that she had to say yes or no in 24 hrs, by the time the train reached its final destination.” Preetham says he had a hunch that she would not say no, “We married three years ago. And life is still a dream.” What did he like in her? “You could say the director’s eyes caught the right talent.” An unannounced claim to fame of Preetham is that he is the grandson of the legendry Gubbi Veeranna, one of the pioneers of Kannada theatre. Gubbi Veeranna’s drama company at its heights
Southscope is the best looking South Indian magazine by far with real content. Great work guys – Dhruv Chitgopekar Consultant, New Delhi
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The ElDorado of the South
The invasion of dubbed films from Tamil Nadu, Hollywood and China is an age old story in Andhra Pradesh. The market size for such films has grown by heaps and pounds in the last few years. Hemanth Kumar traces the history behind this exponential rise of dubbed films in the state.
to a careful penetration of dubbed films into every nook and corner of the state over the past couple of decades. They are produced elsewhere but carefully repackaged and customized for our entertainment. The systematic rise of the number of dubbed films every year in Andhra Pradesh has been quite exponential. The huge success of some of the recent dubbed films like 2012, Avatar, Yugaaniki Okkadu reiterates that they are here to stay.
There’s a popular adage that a star is born every Friday. Destiny changes every week and new stars emerge out of nowhere. Telugu Film industry has no dearth of stars and movies to keep the audience hooked for an entire year. In the last few years, there were more Telugu film releases than Tamil or even Hindi. Not surprisingly, Telugu film industry contributes more than 40% of the entire revenue generated in South India. But what’s surprising is the huge fan following for Tamil heroes like Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Suriya and Vikram in Andhra Pradesh. The list doesn’t stop there. Jackie Chan, Jet Li, James Cameron and few other Hollywood action figures like James Bond, Spiderman, Superman, Iron man are quite popular too. The credit for this phenomenon goes 36 SOUTHSCOPE aug’ 10
The obsession with films has always been quite high in Andhra Pradesh. With more than 2000 cinema halls spread across every corner of the state, the state has the highest number of cinema halls in the country. Andhra Pradesh also ranks high among the top entertainment revenue generating states in the country. Films aside, Andhra Pradesh has been a unique blend of cultures for more than 2000 years. Dynasties like Kalinga, Kakatiya, Mughal, Nizam, Hoyasala, Vijayanagara and to an extent Cholas have left their mark in various parts of the state. When the state of Hyderabad was merged with a part of the Madras Presidency in 1956, the northern part of Andhra Pradesh had a Hindi, Marathi and Urdu influence, while the Southern part had a Tamil influence. The coastal districts were ruled by the British in the preindependence era and when all these areas merged to form one state, it was rich in cultural diversity. Even the Telugu film industry was based in Madras till the late 80s before it moved to Hyderabad. The strong cultural bond between Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu has been instrumental in several film makers and actors from both the states collaborating to make films. K Balachander directed Telugu films, while K Vishwanath worked with Kamal Haasan which resulted in cult classics like Saagara Sangamam and Swathi Muthyam. Subsequently, most of Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth’s films continued to be dubbed in Telugu. Mani Rathnam’s earlier films like Mouna Raagam, Nayakudu and Geethanjali made him a huge brand in AP and Shankar followed suit with films like Bharatheeyudu, Gentleman, Jeans and Oke Okkadu. The Tamil film industry had spread its wings and of late almost every other big budget Tamil film is either
dubbed or remade in Telugu. It’s not just Tamil cinema, the Hollywood giants like Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Paramount and several other studios have been dubbing their films in Telugu. Dubbing a film in the local vernacular gave the English films the much needed access to the smaller towns and cities. The Telugu version of films like 2012 and Avatar grossed as much as the English version, if not more. An interesting thing to note is how the success of one dubbed film can open the floodgates for more such films. In 2009, Roland Emmerich’s epic film 2012 dubbed as Yugantham, was among the top grossing films of the year. It broke the record set by James Cameron’s Titanic more than 12 years ago and ran for more than 50 days with houseful collections. Lakshmi Ganapathi Films, which had distributed the film across AP, employed a unique strategy to promote the film. Analogies were drawn to the predictions foretold by the legendary Brahmamgaru, a highly revered spiritual guru in AP. The marketing strategy worked and how! People flocked to the cinema halls to see how the world we knew would come to an end. The film raked in a share of around Rs 10 crores which is a new record for dubbed films in Andhra Pradesh. A month later James Cameron’s magnum opus Avatar was released in Telugu, Hindi and English across the state. Geetha Film Distributors spent close to Rs 45 lakhs on promotion and publicity of the film. Media Channels went berserk before the release of the film and some even went to the extent of claiming that Avatar was inspired from Ramayana. This pre-release hype ensured huge openings for the film it went on to rake in a share of close to Rs 8.5 crores in its full run. The IMAX English version of Avatar in Prasad’s Multiplex, Hyderabad recently completed its 200 days run with more than 300,000 viewers! One of the main reasons for this deluge of dubbed films is its low investment-high profit margin equation. Except the acquisition cost, dubbing an English film or a Mandarin film costs around Rs15 lakhs. For a Tamil film to be dubbed in Telugu, it costs just over Rs 20 lakhs since the songs have to be rerecorded in Telugu. On the whole,
even if Rs 1-2 crores go into dubbing and releasing a film, the total investment is still less than the low budget films made in Andhra Pradesh. With effective marketing, the producers can easily recover their investment. Apart from the theatrical collections, the satellite rights of these films are also sold at a decent price. Unlike several other states in the country, Andhra Pradesh has one of the lowest entertainment taxes on films, which makes it a lucrative market that cannot be ignored. In the past six months alone, Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia, Red Cliff, Ironman-2, Aayirithil Oruvan, Paiyaa and Singam were some of the most hyped dubbed films in Telugu. While some of these films bombed, films like Aayirithil Oruvan (Yugaaniki Okkadu) and Singam (Yamudu) enjoyed considerable success. The honeymoon with Andhra Pradesh never ceases to end for several Tamil stars like Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Suriya, Vikram, Vishal and Karthi. Almost all their films have been dubbed in Telugu and they have been playing the right cards to expand their market size beyond the borders of Tamil Nadu. Besides, several heroines like Genelia, Anushka, Trisha, Kajal, Nayanthara, Asin, Shriya are immensely popular in both Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The emergence of Andhra Pradesh as a vibrant market for dubbed films has left the audience spoilt for choice. Surprisingly, only action or adventure films seem to be the popular choice when it comes to dubbed films. Of late, the infatuation with outlandish visual effects seems to have hit a new high. Almost all dubbed Hollywood films bank heavily on this aspect to pull the crowd. What remains to be seen is whether this phenomenon of dubbed film will threaten the revenues of Telugu film industry someday in future. It seems like an impossible feat for now, there’s no denying that dubbed films are a force to reckon with. The market size of Andhra Pradesh is huge enough to embrace new entrants from all over the world. It’s not without a reason, why it can be called the El Dorado of the South!
aug’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 37
starPower
Power Star’s
Everything he does, even his silence, makes news. In a career spanning 14 years, his films have set and broken records time and again. People who have seen him from up close, speak volumes about his sincerity. Pawan Kalyan is something more than his stardom and he continues to be an enigma. Yet, he’s probably one of the most misunderstood actors in the industry today. Being Pawan Kalyan is a tough job indeed! Hemanth Kumar finds out more about him and what makes his life a paradox.
tHe Star Power
tHe Star Power oF Power
Life hasn’t exactly been a bed of roses for Pawan Kalyan. He has seen both sides of the coin and knows the importance of being grounded to reality. In the late 70s Pawan Kalyan grew up in a middle class family with four siblings. As a kid, he was closer to his sisters Vijaya and Madhavi. His father used to work in the Police department and later shifted to the Excise department. His eldest brother, Chiranjeevi went on to become the Megastar of Telugu Cinema. Many years later when Chiranjeevi moved to Chennai, Pawan Kalyan stayed with his brother and sister in law, Surekha for quite sometime. The bond with Surekha grew stronger and stronger and she has been a motherly figure to him ever since. Amitabh Bachchan was one of his favourite actors when he was young. In short, he was the cynosure of all eyes when he was a kid; however life changed once he entered his adolescence. When he was in class 8, he threw a small birthday bash for his friends. After the party he stepped out of the house and saw scores of beggars desperately looking for food. This sight of poverty moved him so much that he vowed to never celebrate his birthday again. Another interesting incident occurred when he was in class 10th. He was escorted by a policeman and kept in jail for seven hours because his bicycle didn’t have a dynamo attached! That wasn’t his only brush with police. He literally gets escorted by the police, every time he makes a public appearance for the furore he creates. Once, when he staged a protest outside a popular English daily for libeling him, the traffic came to a grinding halt and he had to be escorted. The last time such an incident had occurred was when Rajinikanth created a roadblock in Chennai, when his car was stopped to make way for the then Chief Minister, Jayalalitha’s convoy.
He’s one of 21st century’s biggest icons of Telugu cinema, but stardom means nothing to him. He has a mammoth cult following, yet not much is known about his private life. He stays away from the limelight, but once he’s onscreen he sets it on fire and how! We would be at a loss of words if we had to describe what it means to be Pawan Kalyan. His life seems to be a paradox of everything we expect from a film star. If we could deconstruct his image as a Power star, he comes across as a normal human being with great ideals. Pawan Kalyan has indeed set himself apart, but that hasn’t deterred his fans from thinking the world about him. Recently, a leading national daily conducted a survey on what Indians are talking about on Orkut. Guess what? The Orkut community dedicated to Pawan Kalyan is ranked No.1 ahead of all other celebs in India! Everything he does, even his silence, makes news!
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Directors and producers who have worked with him in the past can’t stop raving about him. He frequently collaborates with his long time friends, music director Ramana Gogula and art director Anand Sai for his films. The rise of Pawan Kalyan to super stardom at the turn of the millennium is a classic example. He made his onscreen debut in 1996 Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi which was an average fare. Kalyan made his presence felt thanks to his expertise in martial arts. Directed by EVV Satyanarayana, the film also had Supriya, the grand-daughter of ANR in lead role. A year later, he made a strong comeback with Gokulamlo Seetha which was termed as a big hit. The year 1998 changed Pawan Kalyan’s life as an actor completely much to the jubilation of his fans and Telugu film industry welcomed its new youth icon. The first of the two films which had released in 1998 was Suswagatham. Pawan Kalyan’s role was highly appreciated and the film’s climax still remains famous. Then came, Tholiprema and it went on to achieve the cult status. Directed by A Karunakaran, the film ran for over 200 days and more than that it laid down a template upon which more love stories were made in the next few years. Thammudu and Badri which followed in the next two years brought him closer to the family audience. In 2001, Pawan Kalyan teamed up with S J Suryah and newcomer Bhumika Chawla for the first time. The result of this
When it came to studies, he hardly ever took interest and ended up being a drop out after he failed in his intermediate exams. But the story doesn’t end there. A little later in his life he got addicted to books. It’s an open secret that the lives of Che Guevara and Martin Luther King have had a huge influence on him. And so did books written by Kahlil Gibran, Paramahamsa Yogananada and Ramana Maharshi. When he’s at home, he reads books till 4 AM and hardly sleeps for 4-5 hours everyday. He has left quite a few people stunned with his fluency in English despite being a drop out. Apart from books, Pawan Kalyan is into classical music and has made an attempt to learn violin in the past. Not many know that the actor takes a lot of interest in nature, rainwater harvesting and even organic farming. He had bought a huge chunk of land near Hyderabad where he planted saplings and started irrigating the land a few years ago! Like we said, he’s a man of few words and believes in leading a simple life despite the cult status he has outside the precincts of his house. Once he’s inside those four walls, the image of a Power Star vanishes and he gets into the shoes of a caring husband and a doting father of two kids. After his first marriage failed, he fell in love with his co-star Renu Desai. But it wasn’t love at first sight on the sets of Puri Jagannadh’s Badri which had released in 2000. Renu Desai’s drift towards Pawan Kalyan was slow and as they began to understand each other, nothing could stop them from leading a happy life. In 2004 the couple was blessed with a son. Pawan Kalyan decided to pay homage to his favourite director, Akira Kurosawa and named his son Akira Nandan. The duo got married officially in 2009 and recently they were blessed with a daughter who has been named as Aadhya.
In the past two years, a lot of things have happened, including politics which brought out new facets of this actor. People who have seen him from close quarters vouch for his sincerity and honesty. His ability to mingle with the crowd and express his thoughts with alarming clarity has caught many by surprise. A keen listener that he is, he was instrumental in inspiring the party cadre as the President of PRP’s youth wing, Yuvarajyam. Instances of him walking the extra mile to reach out to all sections of people have been all over the news. Once when he saw reports of suicides in weaver community, he decided to help them out in his own way. He approached the weavers and convinced them to weaves clothes for him for all his subsequent films.
combination was Khushi. Not only was it a blockbuster, it elevated Pawan Kalyan’s status as a style icon and the title Power Star was given to him by his fans. The hits which he had delivered till then turned directors such as A Karunakaran, Puri Jagannadh and S J Suryah into a sensation. However, except Puri Jagannadh, none of them could reprise the success they had tasted with Pawan Kalyan’s films. Is it a Pawan Kalyan Paradox? We will leave you to figure it out. Life turned topsyturvy when Pawan Kalyan chose to direct his next film Jhonny at the peak of his career. The film was released with much fanfare in 2003 but it couldn’t reach the expectations which the audience had from their favourite actor. Not to be bogged down by failures, he continued to do at least one film a year. Gudumba Shankar, Balu ABCDEFG, Bangaram and Annavaram followed with moderate commercial success. He delivered a blockbuster after a long time in 2008 with Jalsa. So far, he has constantly tried to experiment with his roles as well as the style. After a brief hiatus of two years, he’s back on silver screen as Komaram Puli. We, the audience would be waiting with bated breath to see what he has in store for us this time.
He’s like any other common man who is emotional, socially responsible and at the same time calm and composed. He loves his family, particularly his brother Chiranjeevi to the core. His outbursts of anger in the past had a reason which weren’t written or talked about. It’s an emotional outburst which any common man would resort to. No wonder, he’s probably the most misunderstood actor. The clash between the Power Star and the genuine Pawan Kalyan is a myth and he has clarified time and again that he’s just an actor. During the audio launch of Komaram Puli he stated, “I feel embarrassed when someone calls me Power Star. I don’t believe in records because if not today, they will be broken on some other day.” That’s modesty at its best, yet we continue to be baffled at his persona. If this is not a paradox, then what is? In his next film, S J Surya says, Komaram Puli would reflect what Pawan Kalyan thinks as a person. He’s playing himself in the film.” Perhaps, there’s a lot of truth in that statement which hasn’t been explored or exposed.
The only obstacle which stopped him from implementing this idea was the lack of vibrancy of clothes on big screen. Another time, while canvassing for elections in Adilabad district his heart melted when he saw scores of people fighting for last few drops of water at a borewell. He ensured that a fresh borewell was dug but the vacuum that he hasn’t done anything for the society continued to haunt him. Few years ago, when acid attacks on women were on the rise, he met Swapnika, a girl who was hospitalized after one such attack. She pleaded him to do something and ensure that such incidents don’t happen ever again. He was moved to tears.
ALL SET TO BREAK THE RECORDS. yet Pawan Kalyan doesn’t give a damn!
Komaram Puli:
Pawan Kalyan plays role of a powerful cop in the Anti Terrorist Squad named ‘Komaram Puli’, hence the title. Nikesha Patel also plays a police officer who later on becomes a housewife. Her role has both serious as well as comical
“The legend came as a Shepherd, The legend came as a Merchant and then the legend came as a Lawyer. Now, the legend comes as a Police Officer.” The first teaser of Pawan Kalyan’s Komaram Puli couldn’t have been more exciting. On July 11, hundreds of fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of Pawan Kalyan and A R Rahman during the audio launch were in for a big surprise. Pawan Kalyan’s dashing avatar as a Police Officer sparked fan frenzy. A thundering applause followed his powerful dialogue - ‘Karthavyame Masjid. Karthavyame Church. Karthavyame Gudi. Karthavyaanni Sakramamga Nirvarthisthe Meerandaru Devulle,’ (Duty is Masjid, Duty is Church, Duty is Temple. If you perform your duties well, then all of you are gods). S J Suryah, the director of the film revealed that Komaram Puli was a socially relevant film which would reflect Pawan Kalyan’s off-screen persona. But things took a different turn when Pawan Kalyan poured his heart out about the film. His statement – “I don’t like talking about the success of my films,’ became the talk of the town. An unknown facet of the Power Star had emerged. Does success means nothing to him? It was almost as if he had read our minds and answered our question almost immediately. “Behind the success of my films, there’s a collective effort of a lot of people right from light men to millions of fans. I have seen the effort which they all put in but it’s not recognized. I sincerely wish that everyone be given due credit if a film becomes a hit.”
“I don’t believe in records. They are meant to be broken and the cycle continues.”
“Komaram Puli is a legendary concept and Pawan Kalyan is playing himself in the film.”
“The film has been made with a great intention.”
“Only Puli can break all records of Magadheera.”
Komaram Puli promises to be a complete action entertainer with a good message ingrained in its storyline. Expectations are sky high from this film, after all this is Pawan Kalyan’s latest film after two long years. His previous film, Jalsa was a blockbuster and nothing less would do for all those who are looking forward to this film.
The story of the film takes us across seven countries. The film has been shot in Malaysia, Singapore, Bangkok and Dubai. all the guns used by Pawan Kalyan and others in the film were sourced from Dubai. While shooting the film in Dubai, Pawan Kalyan bought one of his favourite bikes, a Harley Davidson which cost him Rs.40 lakhs. He drove the bike in the film as well. a r rahman has collaborated with artists from three european countries for re-recording the background score. Out of the six songs in the film, there are four direct songs and two background songs. lyricist Chandrabose, who wrote all the six songs in the film, took almost three months to write Amma Thalle while all it took to write Maaralante was 30 minutes. Pawan Kalyan is all set to enthrall his fans with his dance moves in the song ‘Power Star…Power Star’. There are two extra ordinary chase sequences and Pawan Kalyan has done even the risky scenes all by himself.
Singanamala Ramesh, the producer of the film is all set to make the big splash this August. Komaram Puli is the highest budgeted film in Pawan Kalyan’s career. Binodh Pradhan, the cinematographer of the film has gone all out to ensure Komaram Puli is technically brilliant. This is the first time that A R Rahman has composed the music for a Pawan Kalyan’s film. Here’s some more inside scoop of what Komaram Puli has in store for us
undertones. After shaking her leg for item numbers in Devadas and Thulasi, Shriya Saran is doing the same for a solo song, Dochey in this film. Similar to Khushi, S J Suryah will be seen in a special role in this film.
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TELUGU // FEATURES
THE INCREDIBLES
THE INCREDIBLES S S Rajamouli’s latest film, Maryada Ramanna is said to be a clear departure from his usual fare of opulence and violence and packed with romance and comedy, instead. Hemanth Kumar gets talking to the team for a behind the scenes view.
We ask the same question to Rama. “Oh! It’s always been like that. After all, when almost everyone in the team is like family, it has its share of advantages,” she smiles. Yes, we agree too. “I bet you don’t know who I am. I am Nagineedu’s brother,” a neatly dressed gentleman announces to the production team of Maryada Ramanna. Rama Rajamouli, S S Kanchi and Shobu Yarlagadda break into laughter. It is Nagineedu indeed, who looks 20 years younger than his age. For the uninitiated, Nagineedu is the latest character artiste to have hit the Telugu cinema screen. Ten days before the release of Maryada Ramanna he looks as relaxed as ever, without a trace of anxiety. A little later, two kids join the group and start searching for their uncle, S S Rajamouli. “He’s busy with the post production of the film along with Keeravani,” informs Rama Rajamouli, his wife. We had lost all hope of talking to the man himself whose career graph continues to hit a new high year after year. The shoot of Maryada Ramanna had been wrapped up and the team had less than two weeks to work out all the details before the film’s release. Yet, everyone seems to be relaxed.
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Over the past 10 years of Rajamouli’s career, his family has been his pillar of strength. His father, Vijayendra Prasad writes all the stories for his films and Rama has always been the costume designer. She’s also the boss on the sets when the producer isn’t around. Rajamouli’s cousins, M M Keeravani and Kalyan Malik compose the music and background score respectively. Keeravani’s brother, S S Kanchi has written the story and dialogues for Maryada Ramanna. And recently we came to know that Rajamouli’s 18 year old son, Karthikeya aspires to be a cinematographer and has already begun his training. Cinema indeed runs in their blood! After films like Simhadri, Yamadonga and Magadheera, Rajamouli and his team have become the best selling brand in tinsel town. What makes all of Rajamouli’s film instant blockbusters is still an enigma. The ace director is known for his Midas touch, yet he
doesn’t take his work for granted. “Rajamouli strives to achieve 99.99 per cent perfection in his work and he puts in 200 per cent effort in everything he does,” says Kanchi, adding, “These days, cinema is being categorised into multiplex cinema and B & C centers
“Rayalaseema is also famous for the respect which people have for their guests. Our film tries to explore the humour between the extremes of violence and respect for guests which Rayalaseema is known for.”
cinema. Rajamouli has managed to break this mould. There’s something for everyone in his films.” Perhaps, that’s what makes his films work. But after having made a blockbuster like Magadheera, wouldn’t it be a huge risk to do a film immediately after with comedian Sunil in the lead? Shobu Yarlagadda, one of the producers from this team brings in a different perspective. “When you have a director who’s clear about what his film is all about, the argument of Maryada Ramanna being a risky project loses its relevance. For every rupee we spend on the film, Rajamouli tries his best to show it on screen. As a producer, what more would I want?” On June 26, 2010 Rajamouli and Shobu unveiled the first look of Maryada Ramanna. In a daring move, Rajamouli narrated the entire story of the film and said, “It’s not my regular film. And we want people to know what kind of film they are going to watch.” Maryada Ramanna is a romantic comedy set in Rayalaseema with Sunil, Saloni and Nagineedu in lead roles. Contrary to all other films set in Rayalaseema, Rajamouli says, “Rayalaseema is also famous for its splendid hospitality. Our film tries to explore the humour between the extremes of violence and respect for guests which Rayalaseema is known for.” So how did it all begin? “Arka Media Works is the market leader in TV production in south India,” informs Shobu. We knew Rajamouli even before he had made Student No.1. In 2001 we requested him to make a film on our banner and even paid the advance. But later we forgot all about it until 2008. Rajamouli had this vague idea of making a small film but he wasn’t clear on the specifics. He promised that he would make this film under our banner. That’s how we got involved in the production of Maryada Ramanna,” Shobu adds. Surprisingly, it didn’t take a long time for Rajamouli to get over the success of Magadheera. He started working on Maryada Ramanna’s script within weeks of Magadheera’s release and got it ready in three months.
It was shot in Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Jammalamadugu and Gandikota. “Despite all the hard work which went into making this film, it was like a picnic. The team shares a great rapport and we are one huge happy family,” concludes Shobu. Even Rama, Kanchi and Saloni echo the same sentiments. Rajamouli and Kanchi had an almost nomadic childhood. They spent several years in Raichur, Kovvur and Chennai before moving to Hyderabad. “I have great memories of Raichur. Its proximity to Rayalaseema has a huge influence on people’s lifestyle and culture. For a story like Maryada Ramanna, it’s important that the script writer understands the nuances of life in that region,” says Kanchi. He feels that writers and particularly directors should be aware of the lifestyle people lead in various parts of the state or even the country, if they want to make a universal film. So, what was his biggest challenge in this film? “Maryada Ramanna is not a large scale project like Magadheera or Yamadonga. He expects all his crew to be present on the sets all the time. He works so much that he wants to get everything right down to the minutest of details. Our biggest challenge was to maintain the consistency and tone of this film,” shares Kanchi. He has also played a small comic role in the film. Interestingly, the cycle which Sunil uses is a special character which acts
as a narrator. Ravi Teja did the voice over for the cycle. “Rajamouli’s films are usually like biryani with the right amount of spice and other flavours. However, Maryadha Ramanna would be like a sweet dish. All I can say that that it’s a feel good film, “he signs off. It’s not a common sight to see a heroine getting a chance to work with Rajamouli twice in her career. After a small role in Magadheera, Saloni was in for a big surprise when she got a call from Rajamouli’s office. “I was on cloud nine and couldn’t believe I was going to be signed for the lead role in his film,” beams Saloni. Her excitement is quite evident as she gets talking about her role in the film. “My onscreen name is Aparna and I happen to meet Sunil in a train. Aparna is a traditional girl who’s deeply grounded in her family values, yet she can’t help falling in love with the enemy.” Did she have to prepare quite a bit for this role? “There was absolutely no need for that. Rajamouli enacts each and every scene down to the last facial expression before we do it. We just have to repeat whatever he shows us.” What was the most memorable incident during the shoot, we ask Saloni. “It’s hard to say. Everyone had a great time while shooting for the film. Oh, that reminds me, I have a song named after me. Raaye Raaye Saloni,” she gushes again.
Meanwhile, art director Ravindra constructed an elaborate house set for the film in Kokapet, near Hyderabad. “We spent a lot on that house set, since most of the film had to be shot indoors. It’s a magnificent set which is about 20,000 sq ft,” Shobu beams with pride. The principal shooting of the film began in January, 2010 and went on for 100 days, which is a record short time for a Rajamouli film.
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“He is not in his usual self in the film, so he used to go berserk whenever we had a break. It’s great fun when he’s around,” Her chemistry with Sunil added a whole lot of zing on the sets. “He is not his usual self in the film, so he used to go berserk whenever we had a break. It’s great fun when he’s around,” she says. Saloni has been around in the Telugu film industry for quite sometime, yet she hasn’t managed to jump up to the big league. Is she happy with her roles? “I have always been proud of my work. Now that I am working with the biggest brand of the Telugu film industry, I am confident life has better things in store for me,” her confidence in the film is unmistakable. Sometimes, we wonder if Rajamouli has now moved beyond insecurity and failure. The best person who could answer this was the partner in crime, Rama Rajamouli. She has been his shadow for eight years and the first one to know what Rajamouli is about to do. “He constantly keeps thinking about how to improve the quality of his films. The primary objective has always been to make sure the stakeholders earn profits from whatever films he makes,” she reveals. Rama has been working on all of her husband’s films since Sye. However, Maryada Ramanna has been the most effortless film she has done so far. “The story of the film unfolds over a period of two days. There were hardly any costume changes but we did make sure that there weren’t any inconsistencies. No wonder, my husband is jealous that I didn’t have much work to do!” she bursts out laughing. On Sunil, Rama says, “He shocked us when he lost so much weight and we had to insist that he put some back on. He didn’t budge. He’s extremely hardworking and spontaneous. We had to work a bit on his expressions since he had to be subtler than his usual slapstick comedy style. He realised soon that he’s not a regular hero, but he does lots of heroic deeds in the film.“ We couldn’t leave Rama Rajamouli without asking one last question. What’s the other side of Rajamouli, especially when he’s at home? We are told he starts his day at 5:30 am irrespective of when he sleeps at night. “He loves kids and spends a lot of time with all the kids in the family. We love long drives and when he’s on a break, we go on short vacations along with our extended family, “she says. When he’s not shooting? “He’s like a sloth! His laziness often results in him drawing parallels between Mahabharata and other things. I think he has a thing for period drama.” Is that a hint for a forthcoming project? We hope so!
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So
what’S new? Tel
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It’s always about freshness that stands out in showbiz. No matter how many stars are ruling the marquee at any given point, it’s the newcomers that breathe in oxygen into the make believe world of cinema, discovers Southscope.
2010
Inputs by: Vrinda Prasad, Karthik Pasupulate, Aravind Gowda and Sridevi Sreedhar
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naga chaitanya
What else would you expect Akinneni Nageshwar Rao’s grandson, Nagarjuna’s son and Venkatesh’s nephew to be but an actor? But he wanted to be a racer, since he loves bikes. His fresh looks plus those eyes that remind you of his dad in a rather romantic sort of way are instantly drawing. His debut Josh was a debacle but then Chaitanya worked hard for Ye Maya Chesave and the result showed. And now he’s got projects coming in by droves. And girls, he’s delectably single! 52 SOuTHSCOPE aug’ 10
Those classic good looks with his tall, strapping, suave, urbane persona match his name so well, don’t you agree? Then there is that family legacy that comes with the Daggubati household. Perhaps the biggest challenge for him will be the burden of expectations. He will have to measure up to the illustrious feats of Rama Naidu, Venky and Suresh Babu. To his credit he put in a confident show first up in Leader. It was not the regular five songs six stunt superman fare that one usually expects. He’s going places already working with the likes of Abhishek Bachchan and Bipasha Basu, in Rohan Sippy’s Dum Maro Dum. Folks apparently, Bipasha’s been helping him with his ‘Hindi diction.’ This guy’s certainly got a lot going for him, hasn’t he?
She seems natively talented when it comes to the camera and those lush looks only add to the overall effect we call Richa! Her debut with Rana Daggubati in Shekhar Kammula’s Leader may not have got rave reviews but Richa certainly has grabbed all the right eyeballs. This early on in her career, she has already signed a movie with Ravi Teja and has a few more lined up. Where to, next?
richa
nara rohit Nara Rohit charted out a different route for himself by choosing to do an offbeat film like Baanam. His role was very well taken. Rohit is surely a new face of Telugu cinema’s grand resurgence. Most girls go gung-ho about his powerful masculinity and the energy that shows through on the screen. Wonder what’s next.
samantha
Ever since her debut Ye Maya Chesave, the girl next door is back in vogue and how! The Telugu industry really seems to have taken to her big time and is already treating her as the next big thing in the making. Her next would be Brindavanam, plus an untitled film with Mahesh Babu. Really, ye maya chesave!
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Demure and dusky, Priya Anand made her presence felt in the little screen time that she got in Leader. Her fresh bubbly presence was hard to miss and certainly did not go unnoticed. This was not her official debut though. Priya started her acting career with the Tamil film Vamanan. The young lady’s career has been up and about since. Her second flick Rama Rama Krishna Krishna did average business but she is being watched keenly.
priya anand
karthika
Her debut film Josh, came with a lot of deco but failed to make much of an impression except for being the debut flick of two star kids. To be fair to her, Karthika was saddled with a character where all she had to do was look all coy and bubbly. That her mom, Radha was one of the hottest leading ladies of her time did not help matters either. Her fresh, slender, delicate ways on the screen did stand out, though. We’ll need another look at her before passing judgments.
shruthi
She’s pretty talented. Pretty and talented! We’ll throw in unconventional as a well. While her debut film Love Sex Dhoka walked away with all the accolades, things were a lot more humbler with her first Telugu flick, Taj Mahal. Considering her theatre background, Shruthi is one bundle of talent to look out for.
The name itself means the art of acting. Watch her in Shambo Shiva Shambo and you can’t but fall in love with her. For the uninitiated, she is hearing impaired but has gone beyond her limitations and proved that where there is a will, there is indeed a way. Abhinaya’s eyes and expressions score her some points. Some points! 54 SOuTHSCOPE aug’ 10
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aadhi
Movies based on sports are few and far between in Tamil – but when one is made, and made well like Vennila Kabaddi Kuzhu, people do forget their popcorn. Vishnu really rose to the occasion with this film replete with an extra rustic flavour and rural Tamil kabbadi. With quite a few prestigious projects on hand - Drohi, Bale Pandiya and Kulla Nari Koottam – it looks like Vishnu is set to go places.
After having made his debut with Mirugam in an unconventional role, Aadhi soon did Eeram. His impeccable performance in a cop’s role had girls go drooling and the film industry sit up and take notice. His next release Ayyanar is certainly his big ticket to stardom as a mass action hero. Although his father is the popular Telugu director, Ravi Raja Pini Setty, Aadhi preferred to prove himself as a saleable hero in Tamil cinema. With half a dozen projects already in his kitty, he is slowly but surely getting there!
vishnu
shiva
With an adorably deadpan expression and fab comic timing, Shiva is surely turning out to be the next comedian to watch out for. An extremely versatile RJ with Radio Mirchi, Shiva’s break came with Venkat Prabhu’s Chennai 28 and Saroja. But it was Thamizh Padam, Tamil cinema’s first full length spoof that threw him into the big league. Right now, he’s wrapping up 16 and Quarter Cutting. Let’s see what’s next.
aug’ 10 SOuTHSCOPE 55
Tam
sunaina
Not many expected her debut to be great, but Kadhalil Vizhunthen proved to be a brilliant success. She played a very different role too – a corpse! Technically, though, this was not her first attempt at acting. She’d played a few small roles, notably in Rajnikanth’s Sivaji. She is now in demand, sort of in a biggish way. Kathirvel, Thiruthani and Vamsam are her upcoming films.
poorna This enthusiastic youngster, known for her striking resemblance to Asin began her career with the show Super Dancer, on Amrita TV. Later, she did quite a few movies in Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada, before being noticed for her chirpy performance with Bharath in Muniyandi Vlangiyal Monram Aandu. Following it up with Kandhakkottai, with Nakul, Poorna is set to star in a bunch of films - Vithagan, Drohi, Arjunan Kadhali, Adhigaram and others.
piaa
She’s probably the fastest growing actor in the Tamil industry right now – what with the success of Goa and her avatar as a perky singer with a core of common-sense, Piaa Bajpai wowed viewers with her glamorous looks and assured screen presence. This determined girl from Ittawa came a long way to Chennai, to first star in Poi Solla Porom, a hit and then Ajith’s Aegan. Having already shared screen-space with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan and Dhoni in ads, Piaa is currently filming for Ko, Pinkurippu and Bale Pandya among others.
56 SOuTHSCOPE aug’ 10
kan
sunaina
chiranjeevi sarja
Stardom runs in his family, really. What else would you say about the grandson of the late actor Shakti Prasad and nephew of Tamil star Arjun? Though his debut film Vaayuputra did not make much of an impact, Chiranjeevi is already doing three films with the leading ladies of the Kannada film industry. Now, there is some buzz that he might debut in Tamil too, shortly. Let’s wait and watch.
If you see his first film Josh, you’ll know why girls can’t resist him and guys secretly envy him! In his second film Mandahasa, he plays the role of a lover-boy, again and then he’s got another untitled project. A complete outsider in the Kannada film industry, Rakesh is making all the smart moves. And some purely knee weakening ones too!
rakesh
aneesh
He is touted to be the next Shivarajkumar. Being a film producer’s son, Aneesh made the right beginning, attended the best of acting school and then plunged in headlong. His first film – Police Quarters – won him much critical acclaim. We hear he didn’t have to prepare much to face the camera for the first time. After his second film, Nam Areal Ondina, he is now doing one film each in Telugu and Tamil. Looks like he’s someone to watch out for. But will he be able to live up to the tough expectations is something that remains to be seen.
aug’ 10 SOuTHSCOPE 57
kan
No distant cousin of Deepika Padukone, this Mangalorean beauty announced her arrival with Raavana paired with Yogi, last year. Since then, she has been flooded with offers. But before she could say yes, she already was grabbed by the Telugu and Tamil industries. Now, Kannada producers are keen on bringing her back. There are some projects in the pipeline. Will she stay put or follow in Deepika Padukone’s footsteps, who debuted with a Kannada film and made it big in Bollywood?
sanchita padukone
meghana
Her father’s a police officer but even he could not stop her from coming under the arc lights! Meghana Gaonkar with her stunning looks made her way straight into Nam Areal Ondina as the female lead after featuring in several TV shows as anchor. Her first film was not even complete and she signed three others – Maathukathe, Tughlaq and Vinayaka Geleyara Balaga – something unheard of in the Kannada film industry in the recent times. What’s more, she hopes to fill the void of Kannadiga heroines since she is one. Make way folks…
yagna shetty She is the latest from the long list of Mangaloreans to come to the Kannada industry with Ondu Preethiya Kathe, which went unnoticed. But she got second time lucky and featured in the highest grosser of 2009 - Eddelu Manjunatha. But it only got better and she did Sugreeva paired with Shivarajkumar! Now, she’s got Kari Chirathe with Duniya Vijay in which we’ll see her all hot and glammed up. In less than a year, this MBA grad has acted with leading stars. Isn’t that like totally wow? We wonder if she’ll go the Shilpa Shetty way… 58 SOuTHSCOPE aug’ 10
Nidhi Subbaiah
Nidhi did many smallish roles before Yogaraj Bhat decided to sign her up for Pancharangi which is set to propel her to a different league of stars. But this most seen face on TV is not in a hurry to sign films. She’s taking it nice and slowly.
mal
rima kallingal
When she started anchoring a popular show on television, ace director Lal Jose picked her up for Neelathamara. Since then she is only aiming higher and higher. She played a maid in an old Nair Tharavadu (Ancestral home), who falls for the young master of the house. Hardly the sort of role for a debutante, last month she also played a rebellious teen in Mummy & Me. Both her films have been super hits and she is being talked about as one of the best new finds in the industry.
Southscope is proud to have been associated with the audio launch of
The Kochi based Rima was a runner-up at the Miss Kerala Pageant, and started doing ads and some magazine covers. Director Lal Jose spotted her and actually signed her up to do his first Tamil film Mazhai Varappoguthu, but the project never took off. Then Shyamaprasad’s Ritu was offered to her and slowly she climbed up the ladder in Malayalam with films like Neelathamara and Happy Husbands. And it only gets nicer from her.
archana kavi
The Telugu film industry saw Angelina Jolie spunk some fun before anyone else at the Southscope Salt premiere!
sty e sutra GET THIS LOOK
Prabhas, the angry young man of today’s Telugu cinema, started his career not so long ago with a series of hits like Varsham, Chatrapati, and Billa. Now with a personality like his paired with his index finger pointed at you while he delivers his intensely passionate “Okka Adugu, okka adugu,” how could anyone stop themselves from being mesmerized? We hear any Telugu man would love to look like him and any Telugu woman - well you can guess where this is headed! So, once we saw this picture, we had to let you all know how you can get this look. - Maya Raj
Rs.6300
JOURNEY
Rs.1495
WILD WEST
Plot No. 1, Journalist Colony, Road No. 3, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.
Rs.5495
JOURNERY
Rs.15000
JOURNEY
Rs.700
REFLECT
Rs.7995
1-8-215/7/B, Sindhi Colony, P.G. Road, Secunderabad
FASHION X’PRESS
Rs.1895
JOURNERY
Shop No. 6-3-348, Road No.1, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.
Rs.399
Earth Quake 1-8-91/19/1, Sindhi Colony, PG Road, Secunderabad. Rs.1599 Rs. 2295 Rs.890
JOURNERY
Designer: Sampath CON’TRADITIONS
19, My Home Tycoon, Begumpet, Hyderabad.
60 SOuTHSCOPE aug’ 10
BANGKOK FASHION Shop No: 156, Swapnalok Complex, SD Road, Secunderabad.
Rs.1495
Designer: Sampath CON’TRADITIONS 6-3-1089/7/13, Raj Bhavan Road Hyderabad.
Rs.1895
JOURNERY
It
aNuSHKa
Anushka never ceases to amaze us at events with her huge collection of gorgeous suits.
sty esutra
Star of the month
- Maya Raj
Sari or halfsari, Anushka can up the temperature of any desi outfit.
Anushka looks nothing less than extraordinary in this black, red, white and gold Anarkali suit.
White looks divine on Anushka.
She has a love for salwar suits and flat chappals like we’ve never seen before.
When you add a southern style sari to the mix, this collection of Anushka’s event photos just look even better.
Stunning, just stunning! Certainly the T20 dress rehearsal was that much more glamorous with Anushka showing up in this piece. aug’ 10 SOuTHSCOPE 61
Upendra, or Uppi as he’s called affectionately by fans is the ‘Real Star’ of Kannada cinema. Starting his career as a writer and assistant director, Upendra quickly moved on to become a director and broke onto the big screen as a lead actor with a set of extremely successful and controversial movies like Sshhh, Om, A, and Upendra. By the time late 90’s rolled in, he was well on his way to becoming an all time great. No wonder his long list of beautiful leading ladies include yesteryears’ gorgeous girls - Raveena Tandon, Jyothika, Shilpa Shetty and Sonali Bendre; and the current FHM magazine’s most beautiful woman in the world - Deepika Padukone. In fact, Aishwarya along side Upendra was Deepika Padukone’s acting debut. With a lot more filming underway, we are certain we will get to see more and more of Upendra’s out-of-the-box movies in the future – and also be pleasantly surprised each time, with his style that’s so individually his alone! - Maya Raj
Made in made out
sty esutra
DeSIGnS on YoU! Maya Raj gets designer Sampath Kumar Talla to show us how you too can look like a movie star! Sampath Kumar Talla, Head Designer of Con’Tradition, Hyderabad has successfully craved out a niche for himself in an area of fashion that is often overlooked. You guessed it right, he specialises in designing for men! Working for over eight years in the industry, he says his relationship with retail and glamour was just meant to be. Born into a family where both his father and his grandfather were into garment manufacturing, it sort of came naturally! Although he toyed with the idea of joining the hotel management industry, designing reined supreme in the end. He still experiments in the kitchen every Sunday but designing remains his first love. He has even designed for the erstwhile Governor of AP, Susheel Kumar Shinde. Wondering what his movie connection is? Hired as a designer for the Ramoji Film City costume department right at the beginning of his career, he not only worked on costumes for the Film City’s entertainment and promotional events, but also made exclusive outfits for the actors shooting there. Fast forward to 2010 and you can view his designs every week from your very own home. Ever watched WOW – the gaming show on ETV? Sampath has outfitted Sai Kumar, the host and well respected actor for the show, bringing the total number of outfits to over 70. But that’s that about the celeb world. Follow Sampath’s style advice and this is how you too can look like a star!
GUYS: • Get a hair cut that is in vogue but does not make you look like you are about to do a shoot for the young and the crazy! • Always remember to accessorise your look with a bracelet, chain or a trendy belt. • Roll up your cuffs – think Venkatesh! • Pair jackets and blazers with jeans if you are attending a party. • Match your shoes to your belt – no questions asked! GIRLS: • Let your hair loose. • Show off your shoulders and legs. • Make sure you wear well fitted outfits. • Wear a dress or even a gown whenever occasion permits. • Stilettos are a must – need we say more!
bioscope
TELUGU
Snehageetham Cast: Shreya Dhanwantari, Ria, Suhani, Sundeep, Venkee, Chaitanya, Krishnudu, Venu Madhav, Vennela Kishore Direction: Madhura Sreedhar Music: Sunil Kashyap
Good The film has a contemporary storyline which deals with love, friendship and career of the youth today. The message is interlaced with well written conversations between all the characters.
n
Venkee, Sundeep Kishan, Chaitanya, Shreya stand out, thanks to their well-etched characterisation. Suhani, Riya and the supporting cast pitch in credible performances.
n
Sunil Kashyap’s music and the story written by Madhura Sreedhar add more zing to this film aimed at the young crowd.
n
The film’s latter half deals with real problems and the maturity with which the script has been dealt with deserves applause.
n
On the whole, the film is a pleasant surprise which has the right mélange of emotions. Considering it’s the debut film for most of the cast, the effort is noteworthy.
Could have been better... The film has been in the making for over two years and the effect is visible on screen. There are several inconsistencies in the first half of the film especially in terms of story narration.
n
It takes too long to establish the conflict point of the story.
n
Although cinematography is good at times, the art direction including make up, costumes and lighting could have been better to make the film more vibrant and glossy.
n
The comedy track involving Venu Madhav takes the focus away from the main storyline.
n
n
64 SOUTHSCOPE aug’ 10
- Hemanth Kumar
bioscope
kannada
Eradane Maduve Cast: Ananth Nag, Suhasini, Jennifer Kothwal, Tara, Rangayana Raghu, Prem Direction: Dinesh Baboo Music: Jayapal
Good n The combination of Ananth Nag, Suhasini and directorcinematographer Dinesh Baboo has always been successful. Eradane Maduve (second marriage) is a continuation of this venture that has been successful yet again.
Could have been better...
n A hilarious movie, Eradane Maduve is a pure family entertainer devoid of any cheap dialogues or unnecessary twists and turns. The director is successful in maintaining the humour element throughout the movie.
n
n In terms of performance, Ananth Nag and Suhasini are outstanding. Known for his versatility, Ananth Nag, who has acted in similar roles in the past, is at his best as a fired government officer who becomes the butt of criticism even at home.
n
n Comical scenes involving Rangayana Raghu and Tara are outstanding. National-award winner Tara in the role of a house maid is the surprise package with sharp and witty dialogues. n Dinesh Baboo is excellent behind the camera. Shot with three cameras simultaneously, the movie stands out technically.
Nearly 90 per cent of the movie is shot in one location – inside the house. It becomes boring after a while to watch the same background on the large screen.
n
Dinesh Baboo is known for his witty and humorous dialogue. Eradane Maduve, however, does not have Baboo’s trademark style. Rajendra Karanth, who penned the dialogues, has failed to match Baboo’s strength. Jennifer Kothwal and Prem do not have much scope in the movie. Jennifer at least lends glamour to the story, but Prem seems to be lost. Sharan may have tried hard to match the other stellar comedians, but ends up as an irritant. Music by Jayapal is the biggest drawback. The background score too is not up to the mark.
n
- Aravind G Shivkamal aug’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 65
Pic: M N Bushan
KALEIDOSCOPE
TELUGU / KANNADA
Deepika Parmar of Pappu fame was seen relishing the good food at hotel Moksh, Hyderabad.
Lyricist Kaviraj, director Mussanje Mahesh, Ganesh, Shilpa Ganesh cameraman Rathnavelu graced the launch of Ganesh’s second home venture, Kool. 66 SOuTHSCOPE aug’ 10
Pic: Manu
Promising actors Avinash Diwakar, Chiranjeevi Sarja and Anirudh were seen at the Foster’s ‘F’ row initiative for the Kannada film industry in Bengaluru.
Pic: Manu
Music Director Keeravani celebrated his birthday. SP Balasubramanium, SS Rajamouli, singer Anuj were present among others. It coincided with the Maryada Rammana audio launch.
Pic: Manu
Your website looks pretty cool and thanks for not bombarding the site with ads! - Desi
Pic: M N Bushan
Saikumar’s son Aadi was launched in Vijay Bhaskar’s film, Premakavali. ANR, Krishna, Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Nagarjuna and others attended the event.
Pic: M N Bushan
Pic: M N Bushan
The Komaram Puli audio got all the hoopla from crazy Pawan Kalyan fans.
Actors Kiran, Raghu, Darshan, Rekha and Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce President Basanth Kumar Patil attended the launch of Prema Chandrama.
5
Photographer: Mahen SImmha
WITH
MEGHANA RAJ She’s the daughter of renowned Kannada actorcouple Sundar Raj and Pramila Joshai. But the better news is that she made her acting debut with maverick K Balachander’s home production. In less than two years, she has acted in all southern industries. Incidentally, her first Kannada film happened aſter a string of Tamil and Telugu hits. Some even compare her to the glamorous Nayantara! An avid reader, Meghana Raj, who loves to spend time with her favorite pets when at home, at times feels the pressure of being a star kid. But she’s all set to make it on her own, finds Aravind G Shivkamal.
Was it easy for you since you are a star kid? Hmmm…I am the only child to my parents. I have seen the film industry since childhood. I have known people in the industry. But it does not mean that I can walk straight into a film. Initially, I wanted to join the army. Then, I changed my mind and set my sights on being a doctor. But somehow, as I grew up, I wanted to take up a profession I am familiar with. That’s how I chose acting over everything else. I did loads of theatre before taking the plunge into film acting. Though your parents are star actors in Kannada, you chose Tamil for your debut… Yes, it was accidental. K Balachander is an old family friend. He had once visited when I was 15. Then, he had asked me whether I was interested in acting, but I wasn’t sure I was. That day, he had foreseen that two years down the line, I would be acting. I had forgotten all about that. It so happened that two years later, I went to Chennai with my family for a wedding where I met the maestro. He asked me the same question again. This time, I could not resist the offer. Besides, it was his home production. I said yes! Within four days, the movie Krishnaleelai directed by Selvan was launched. I had never faced the camera until then. My first shot was a dance sequence and it was great. Subsequently, other language offers just came by…Bendu Apparao in Telugu; Kaadhal Solla Vandhen; Nanda Nanditha in Tamil and Yakshiyum Njanum. In between my Kannada film Punda happened. Do you feel that you have an edge over your peers as you have acted in all four southern languages? In a way, yes. Unfortunately, I have not been able to dub in Telugu, Tamil or Malayalam due to clash of shooting dates. But I am dubbing for my next Tamil movie. I want to be unique and different. I want to be identified by my roles and not for being a star kid. I feel very happy that I have been able to work with top directors in all four languages. But best of all, I’m known as a Balachander product! How do you deal with the pressures of being a star kid? Being a star kid comes with a lot of expectations. My parents have been in the Kannada film industry for several decades. People expect the same acting prowess from me. Sometimes, it’s hard to live up to those expectations. But fortunately, I don’t compare myself to parents. I am trying my best to emulate them. In other states, I am introduced as the daughter of a Kannada actor-couple. That brings a lot of pressure. But, somehow, I have been able to sustain it so far. Let’s see… Do your fans trouble you? I am still being troubled, can you believe it? I get crank calls on my landline in Bangaluru in the middle of the night. I do not know where they get my number from. It happened aſter a hit song from my Malayalam film was released on YouTube. People have been calling me since then. At times, I have to disconnect the landline before I hit the bed. But I am not complaining! aUg’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 67
screentest
Roshan Issac Roshan attended a show where his friend was walking the ramp and it so happened that choreographer Prasad Bidappa saw him and asked if he would be interested in modelling too. Pure stroke of luck! An engineer at the leading German Automobile company Bosch, and a kick boxing freak, Roshan who is currently based in Bengaluru. He did a TV commercial for Hyundai Verna and a few print ads for Langer, Peter England, Intel and Lee. He also played a small role in Savari which is a remake of the hit film Gamyam.
Southscope invites aspiring actors to send in their portfolio pictures to vrinda@southscope.in 68 SOUTHSCOPE aug’ 10
Mos Clubbers Guide Michael Jackson - King of Pop Eminem - Recovery Pop it rock it In the club 2009 Miley Cyrus - Time of our lives Michael Jackson - This is it The magic of Boney M
Aisha Raajneeti Khatta Meetha Raavan Love Aaj Kal Kajraare Lamhaa Milenge Milenge
Kadha Thudarunnu Malarvady Arts Club Nallavan Pappi Appacha Nayakan Pokkiri Raja Thanthonni
Punda Gundrugovi Aaptha Rakshaka Shankar IPS Raam Just Maath Maathalli Savaari Eradane Maduve
Paiyaa Raavanan Kalavaani Baana Kathadi Ayyanar Vamsam Veluthu Kattu Ambasamuthiram Ambani
Subhapradam
Yamudu
Vedam
Awaara
Villain
Happy Happyga
Golimaar
Simha
PIRACY IS KILLING CINEMA INItIAtIvE
K’naan - Troubadour Champion Edition
I Hate Luv Storys
Mummy and me
Krishnan Love Story
Singam
Jhummandi Naadam
A
Enrique - Euphoria
Once upon a time in mumbai
Oru Naal Varum
Sanchaari
Madhrasapattinam
Maryada Ramanna
Aagathan
inTeRnaTiOnal
BOllYWOOd
malaYalam
kannada
Tamil
Telugu
karaoke // telugu
Komaram Puli Music: AR Rahman Singers: : Vijay Prakash, Tanvi Shah Kayyam maanukuni iyyara haami Nayam Cheyavika Enduku Eemi Thayyarayye Mari Tharikita Dheemi Power Star Power Star Deyyam kayyam anu nuvvoka dhaami Cheyyandiyyamanu nuvvurikaami Em kadu mari Naathi Charaami You are Star You are Star Iyyalsindi Mari iyyavu Emi Thiyyalsindi thera theeyavu Emi Ayyo Cheyakika Thimmini Bammi Ammi Chelladika Chillara Dommiiii Thaluku Beluku Thaarale Namme Telugu Power Star Ve Summeeee Power Star Power Star Power Superu Superu Naapaina Chooparooo... Thappadika Chayyave Handsup Eppatiki Veyyana Lockup Cheppu Mari Chesina Thappulu Emiti Emiti Naa Neram Are Enduku Ee Dowrjanyam Adharaallo Herain Undey... Kulukullona kokain undeyAndamlo RDX Nindundey.... 70 SOUTHSCOPE aug’ 10
Nenello Nicotine undi... Chirunavvullo Steroid undi Allarilo Alcoholey Daagundi... Kougili karagaram looo Bidiyanne ika Bali Chestha mari Virahanney ika Uri Theestha Navarasika cherugulatho Pasidi Chamatalatho Musuru Chaliki thera theesthaa gaa Pettumari Paruguki fullstop Thaggu mari thagadika wrongstep Haddu ani Nilapaku Eppudu Emiti Emiti Vipareetam Are Enduku Naapi Pantham One Way lo Pravesham Entey 120 lo Prayanam Entey Pranayam lo paddatha paadu ledhentey Signal ney Adhigamistha Siggey Vadili Matheebavistha Chivariki naa licensey addankavthunna Egasina Eruvala Margamloo Edamaina adi kudi anta Sare Erupaina adi Pasupantaa Ika iruku sarasamata uruku muripemata melika mokshamata padamantaa Madhura Premalaku mastar nuvve Madana kamudiki fullstop nuvve Manasu dochukune Mastar nuvve Power Star Power Star
LOOKING BACK // KANNADA Cast: Uday Kumar, B R Panthulu, M V Rajamma, Sowgar Janaki, Jamuna, Dikki Madhava Rao, Relangi, Revathi Film: Rathnagiri Rahasya
Music: T G Lingappa
Director B R Panthulu
Producer: B R Panthulu
Year of release: 1957
Aravind G Shivkamal is clearly spellbound with the mystique of Rathnagiri Rahasya, a blockbuster that created history in Kannada cinema Rathnagiri Rahasya (The secrets of Rathnagiri) is among the first five movies in the history of Kannada cinema with fantasy and magic as the theme. The movie was an instant hit as some of the well-known magic tricks were brought alive on the big screen for the first time. They included disappearance of characters from the screen, talking puppets and ghost appearances. These acts, especially the talking puppets are hugely popular even today. B R Panthulu, who has several firsts to his credit, produced and directed the film. Consequently, some of the top actors from Kannada (Uday Kumar, Dikki Madhava Rao, M V Rajamma), Tamil (Sowgar Janaki & Jamuna) and Telugu (Relangi) were seen in prominent roles in Rathnagiri Rahasya. Panthulu cast himself in the role of a magician-turned-king. Rathnagiri Rahasya was also made in Telugu later. The plot is long with several twists and turns. Sowgar Janaki is a charming princess of a dominion under the emperor (Panthulu). She falls for the emperor and her ultimate wish is to marry him. But the emperor, during a visit to the dominion, happens to meet the princess’ beautiful aide (M V Rajamma). Mistaking her for the princess, he promises to marry the aide. He even fixes the wedding date aſter consulting with the dominion ruler. Due to unavoidable circumstances, the aide is unable to reveal her identity. On the day of the wedding, the emperor realises that he is marrying the wrong woman (the real princess) when he spots the aide. He stops the wedding. But later, he marries the aide much to the chagrin of the princess who feels quite let down and vows to take revenge despite being discouraged by her father. Consequently, in a war between the dominion ruler and the emperor, the latter takes over the dominion and the princess is forced to become a servant of the newly-crowned empress (M V Rajamma), who was her aide earlier. In the meantime, the princess befriends a magician and they hatch a plot to take over the kingdom. The magician transforms the emperor into a pearl necklace and the empress into a mentally deranged woman, who is packed off to the woods. Their young prince is also sent away to the jungles. Then the magician takes on the appearance of the emperor (Panthulu) and marries the princess (Sowgar Janaki), who is sworn in as the new empress. The minister (Dikki Madhav Rao) suspects something foul and he starts an investigation.
Meanwhile, the prince grows up (Uday Kumar) in the forests among wild animals. He is tamed by another queen (Jamuna). The minister discovers the truth and identifies Uday Kumar as the heir to the throne. The minister and the queen help Uday Kumar learn magic secrets by visiting Rathnagiri. Uday Kumar himself becomes an expert magician and helps his parents retransform into who they originally were. The princess (Sowgar Janaki) and the fake emperor meet a gory end. The three-hour long film has several interesting sub-plots that make it interesting to watch till the end. All the characters are lead roles and have equal screen presence. Though the prince (Uday Kumar) is projected as the male protagonist, he appears 40 minutes into the movie. The star actors outdo each other in the acting department. However, it is B R Panthulu who walks away with all the accolades for performing two dramatically different roles. His actions, particularly sniffing snuff, were imitated in various films. The snuff sniffing character is common these days in Kannada films. Rathnagiri Rahasya is one of the few Kannada films that saw Telugu comedian Relangi in his element. He appears in the role of a prince. His screen presence is so powerful that every scene leaves the audience in splits. The prince who does not believe in magic, tests a trick by popping a magic pill. His ears immediately transform into those of a donkey. Throughout the film, it becomes a Herculean task for the prince to hide his donkey ears. There’s even a jingle on the donkey ears that is played in the film. The jingle became such a hit that it’s classic now. T G Lingappa composed music for nine tracks for which lyrics were written by Kanagal Prabhakar Shastry. Apart from nine full tracks, the movie had another 15 short tracks. Renowned south Indian singers lent their voices. Amara Madhura Prema, Anuragada Amaravathi and Suma Baana became evergreen tracks, which are popular even these days. The movie ran for 100 days at several centers. Rathnagiri Rahasya was screened for a record number of days in the theatre, States. Subsequently, the theatre was referred to as Rathnagiri Rahasya States. Fiſty years on, Rathangiri Rahasya ranks among the best and most popular magical films in Kannada.
aUg’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 71
AUG - 2010
PREDICTIONS // FUNDA
PREDICTIONS
01
(People born on dates 1st, 10th, 19th or 28th)
Romance
Assets
Love is in the air! There might be affairs, marriages, partnerships, friendships or arrival of new members in family and social circles.
You will be spending considerable time and money on the repair of old property, machinery and other overheads.
Vocation You might get an opportunity to become the organiser of your trade. Assets Your expenses on the tutoring of some family member might increase. Family and Friends On the social scene, you are likely to get some reputed and esteemed post
03
(People born on dates 3rd, 12th, 21st or 30th)
Health
Vocation
Stay alert as your health might get affected because of a careless daily routine.
You might expand your business on the global level too.
Travel
Buying new property will be replete with several options.
You might go on short pleasure trips with your family and friends. Romance You will be confident enough to reach out and make new connections.
02
(People born on dates 2nd, 11th, 20th or 29th) Vocation Your enhanced reputation will also help you expand your business. Assets This month is auspicious for augmenting your immovable property. Family and Friends The tension involving any senior members of the family might get resolved. Health Take immense care of your diet and exercise regimen.
Assets
Family and Friends Some auspicious ceremony like a marriage or engagement is likely to take place at your home in the beginning of the month. Health This month is auspicious for your health and work efficiency. Travel The middle of the month indicates plenty of journeys with your business/work partners. Romance You must learn to keep your ego aside and let relationships flourish smoothly and easily.
04
(People born on dates 4th, 13th, 22nd or 31st)
Anxiety and difference of opinion at your home is indicated and the resolution for it will come gradually as the month proceeds. Health Stomach or blood related disorders are indicated. Travel There is a probability of travel by air. Romance Your busy social calendar could divert your mind away from people very close to you.
05 (People born on dates 5th, 14th or 23rd) Vocation Your efforts will be rewarded eventually. Assets You will make big investments on establishing your business. Family and Friends There is a possibility that family members might go out for job, education etc. Health Your concentration level may decrease and there is a possibility that some old disease might trouble you again. Travel
Travel
Vocation
You will face some uncertainties regarding journeys concerning your profession.
There might be few problems related to excise, employment or capital.
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Family and Friends
You might go on a pure pleasure trip with your spouse.
Romance You continue to enjoy your love relationships and commitments that were carried forward from the last month.
07
(People born on dates 7th, 16th or 25th) Vocation
06
Any problem concerning colleagues or partners would get resolved by the middle of the month.
(People born on dates 6th, 15th or 24th)
Health Very favourable planetary positions will keep your health in good form. Travel You might travel extensively because of family reasons and also due to your love of travel. Romance He/she may need your support and you both need to be practical and flexible.
Assets Your income would increase positively which will in turn add more prosperity. Family and Friends
Vocation You will develop your trade and get successful thanks to you management skills, patience and diplomacy. Assets You will buy good worth of valuable ornaments in the beginning of the month. Family and Friends On the social scene, hidden adversaries might surface. Health Take great care of your diet and exercise regimen to keep fit as much as possible during this month. Travel You can relax regarding unwanted transfers. Romance You will further want to focus only on relationships and associations that matter the most and last long.
In the beginning of the month, you might get some social or political post of responsibility. Health The health of you and your family will improve consistently. Travel You will travel during the middle of the month and meet your professional goals. Romance While your life goes on smoothly this month, the same cannot be said about your partner due to your own changing lifestyle and social life.
08
(People born on dates 8th, 17th or 26th)
(People born on dates 9th, 18th or 27th) Vocation The world is simply going to be amazed when your difficulties will pleasantly transform into success. Assets You may benefit by your old savings or fixed deposit. Family and Friends There will also be celebrations of a child birth. Health Health of elderly natives might get affected slightly only due to excessive work and stress. Travel
Vocation You will stay ahead in competition and grow rapidly on your professional front. Assets Your one source of income will be permanent while other will remain temporary.
Astro Numerologist: Bhavikk Sangghvi
09
Unwanted transfers will not happen at all. Romance You will tend to see relationships from a different (actual) perspective and you’ll feel good about it.
Family and Friends It may turn out to be a very auspicious month for your engagement and marriage.
E-mail: bhavikksangghvi@gmail.com www.bhavikksangghvi.com
aUg’ 10 SOUTHSCOPE 73
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR So what according to you sets the superstars apart from the also-rans? From my experience, I can confidently say that it’s the equanimity they have in their attitude towards success and failure besides inner conviction. Because their idea of success and failure has nothing to do with the way the world defines it. Take the case of Pawan Kalyan, our cover star this month. To say that he lives by his own rules is stating the obvious. Whoever has known him vouches for the fact that Pawan is the coolest dude off screen while he continues to remain hot property on it. His attitude towards life is not that of somebody living in an ivory tower even though he does come across as a recluse at times. I’m sure you’ll love Hemanth’s story on what makes him the power star. On the other side is Genelia D’souza, another formula buster on the block. She didn’t let anything come in the path she was trekking to reach her goal. On the contrary, she took every setback as a challenge and redefined her goals every now and then. Besides wowing the world with her filmi roles, she has also explored newer arenas. With her recent CNBC Aawaz Counsumer award for `Brand Ambassador of the Year’ with Shahrukh Khan as her predecessor, she seems to be adding fresher feathers to her overcrowded cap. That’s what makes her a star in the eyes of the world. And that’s what has made her our cover star this month. Mona’s informal chat with her turned out to be a great entertainer. Actually we’ve quite a few stars this issue. Cinematographer-director Santosh Sivan, Kavya Madhavan, Sreekar Prasad, Sonam Kapoor, Padmapriya, Bindu Madhavi to name a few. We also have an interesting line up of curtain raisers to Komaram Puli, Maryada Ramanna, an interesting report on Kalavani, the surprise Tamil hit, Suhasini Maniratnam’s column so on and so forth. Oh, by the way, we have decided to make Southscope more movie- centric from now on. Do read Allu Sirish’s letter. And do let us know what you think. Whatever you think. We need to know in order to make the magazine even more reader oriented. So please keep the feedback coming in. We’re waiting…
Vanaja Banagiri Editor-in-Chief 74 SOUTHSCOPE aUg’ 10