Nervous Idiot..

Ileana is gung ho about Nanban with Vijay, directed by Shankar. She bubbles over with enthusiasm while discussing the project.

Apparently 'Nanban' is not a scene - by - scene lift from the original Three Idiots but a remake that takes Tamil sensibilities into account .

Ileana's character has also been tweaked a little and she credits her director Shankar for developing the character as well as her look in the film.

About working with Vijay she says "I was a little nervous but everyone made me feel comfortable and helped me out with the language barrier. Vijay is a very composed person and is very friendly. He shares a great rapport with Jiiva, and Srikanth and the three enliven the sets considerably. As for me, I am the fourth idiot on the set", she adds with a laugh.

Heroes waiting for Gowtham . .

Gautham Menon’s next project in Tamil is the hot topic for discussion in Kollywood as the director is very busy with 'Prem Katha' the Hindi remake of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya with Prateik Babbar and Amy Jackson playing roles that were originally played by Silambarasan and Trisha.

The Director's next project has become a hot topic as 'Prem Katha' is expected to be wrapped soon and his Tamil venture is now in question with all due respect to his films from Minnale to Nadunisi Naigal.

It is said that Gautham now has a wonderful action-based script and is looking for a suitable hero to play the lead role and Kollywood’s youngest heroes Arya, Karthi and Jiiva are vying with each other to lap up this role to boost their careers to the next level.

I speak Tamil : Taapsee

Actress Taapsee who donned the role of an Anglo Indian girl 'Irene' opposite Dhanush in 'Adukalam' didn't fail to enthrall her Tamil audience and is ready to do the magic again with Jiiva in the film 'Vandhan Vendran'.

This film is being directed by debutant director Kannan and at this point of time Taapsee is learning the Tamil language in order to speak in her own voice for this and her forthcoming Tamil films.

She while speaking about this said,” After Aadukalam, Vandhan Vendran has created a lots of expectations. In this film I am donning a very good role and the news about me demanding more salary is no truth as I'm only demanding the salary I deserve. The Telugu film 'Mr Perfect' in which I have acted is having a good response. I have dubbed in my own voice. I want to dub in Tamil in my own voice for Tamil also. I'm learning the language now and am able to understand Tamil when others speak. I will speak Tamil with ease in a short span of time.”

Excited !

Handsome actor Srikanth despite his good looks and talent has failed to make it big in the Tamil film industry. But the actor is now being directed by hit-maker Shankar in the film Nanban which also stars Vijay, Jiiva, Ileana and Satyaraj. The actor has signed his next film and it has been titled Ethiri En.3.

Srikanth is excited about this movie and says that the script is very novel and that he is happy to have signed the dotted line. Ethiri En.3 is scripted and is to be directed by debutant Ram Kumar and is produced by Sixth sense production house. The film is touted to be a crime thriller and will start rolling from the 11th of May. We hope this movie gives Srikanth the much deserved break!

Upset about Sucess . .

Udayanidhi Stalin, the distributor of Ko, has said that some people are very upset about Ko’s success. He added that he feels very sorry for them and wished them luck next time. Though the producer-distributor-actor did not disclose the names of all those whom he thinks are upset about Ko’s success, there are strong speculations about whom he is referring to.

Sources say that Udayanidhi has referred to Silambarasan as he was the first choice of director KV Anand to play the lead role but it went to Jiiva following some differences.

Meanwhile, the film is being appreciated by movie buffs all over the world and has already been declared a hit.

Jealous Mother ..

Though her Telugu debut 'Josh' with Naga Chaitanya did not create waves in the box-office, star kid Karthika (daughter of 80s actor Raadha) is very happy with the way her Tamil debut 'Ko' with Jiiva and Malayalam debut 'Makara Manju' with Santhosh Sivan has shaped up.

Getting accolades for her performance in the recently released Tamil film 'Ko', the actor seems very excited. "My Tamil film just hit the screens, while my Malayalam film is set to release this week. Everyone's been asking if I'm nervous, but I am thrilled to have two releases. I've given my 100% and hoping for a great start," says the 18-year-old actor.

Talking about the roles she's playing in both the films, she says, "In 'Ko', I play the role of a reporter who works for a Tamil daily, while in 'Makara Manju', I am doing a dual role, where one of the characters is the celestial enchantress, Urvasi."

Karthika, who wanted to join her dad's business, says that acting came to her by chance. "Though my mom, Raadha and aunt Ambika were South Indian divas in the early '80s, I never thought I would get into film business this early. But luck had its way. I couldn't have asked for a better debut with KV Anand in Tamil," she says enthusiastically. On being compared with her mom constantly, she says, "I was initially tense, later accepted it and now I've learnt to ignore it. I am here to prove myself and it's totally unfair to compare me with a legendary actor like my mom."

Probe her about what her mother has to say on her acting skills, she quips, "My mom has always taught how not to act, rather than giving acting tips. After seeing the rushes of 'Ko', she was proud of me and rather jealous, about the kind of debut that I was offered. I am lucky to have her has my mentor."

Back off ! says 'STR'

Ko has opened to a great response from the audiences and Jiiva, the hero of this venture, is thrilled about it. Naturally, many have been wondering if STR regrets backing out from this project as it has turned out to be a super success. His fans took it one step further and have been actively airing their feelings on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. They have said that the role was not a suitable one for their hero as it is a political drama with too many other characters that takes attention away from the lead.

STR was upset that his fans have chosen to show their support by tearing down the efforts of the cast and crew of Ko. He has requested them not to say negative things about others in the industry as they all belong to the same fraternity and he has nothing but respect for all who are a part of the film industry.

STR made it clear that he had certain reason for opting out of Ko and does not want the issue blown out of proportion especially since its success augers well for the industry. That is very decent and sportive of him we must say.

Fight Against Piracy : KO

Jiiva is very upset as his film KO is a victim of piracy. The movie has been released on the internet over the weekend and the full version can be watched online. The actor is devastated and has said that such crimes undermine all the hard work that goes into a film and deprive many of their livelihoods.

Not one to remain passive, Jiiva has asked his fans and all film lovers to join him in the fight against piracy. If anyone comes across such illegal websites on the internet they have been requested to send the links to pirakill@hotmail.com, so that the miscreants can be apprehended and suitably punished. We at Behindwoods.com endorse the stand taken by Jiiva and hope that our readers will join the fight to kill piracy.

K V Anand's Next ..

K V Anand's Ko starring Jiiva, Ajmal and Karthika in lead roles has hit the screens today with a massive response. KO , an intense political-drama is promising to be much bigger hit than Anand's previous outing with Surya.

With K V Anand having completed Ko and Suriya wrapping up the shooting of 7Am Arivu, both are getting ready to start Mattran. Expectations are high as Suriya and Anand come together again after Ayan, which went onto become a blockbuster.

Anand says, ' expectations would be really high. We have delivered a hit before. Audience would expect a lot from us. I hope with writers Subha and Suriya in my side, I can easily pull it off'. The latest buzz doing round in Kollywood is that Kajal Agarwal might play the female lead opposite Suriya in Mattran and is all set to go to floors very soon.

Copy Cat

The name 'Harris Jeyaraj' has now become a euphimism for Music Director in Kollywood!

As on date he is the busiest music director in Kollywood. He has never done any remix songs or have done rework with another muscician's product.

He is the music director for the movie Nanban. Commenting about his work he said "I don't want to be labelled as a copy cat. Even though the movie Nanban is a remake, as a music director, I am not copying anything from its original 3 Idiots. "

Jeyaraj continued "Let it be a big or small budget movie. Let the movie be a replica of a super hit version in another language. By principle, I never copy others work and hence I never repeat a music from another movie. I never get influenced of the so called original version."

Double Ayan

The much-awaited film from KV Anand starring Jiiva, Ajmal and Piaa Bajpai has yesteryear leading actress Radha's daughter Karthika playing the leading lady. The director who is very happy about his third film says “KO is Double Ayan”! referring the Surya starrer that propelled KV Anand and Ko to be twice as good!

With Harris Jayaraj’s music topping the charts, it is hoped, to repeat the success of Ayan which had some timeless numbers. Producer, RB Chowdhary of Super Good films will be releasing this movie simultaneously in Telugu as Rangam. This is a first for the production house and reflects the confidence the makers have in their film. Lets see what awaits this coming new year.