Latest Sensation ..

Even before her Engeyum Kadhal released, Hansika Motwani was signed up for Mapillai opposite Dhanush directed by Suraj. Mapillai produced by Sun Pictures was the remake of Superstar Rajinikanth's yesteryear film of the same name.

Though Hansika has done a few movies in Telugu as the lead, she became more famous and managed to steal the hearts of Tamil youngsters as well after the photos from Engeyum Kadhal were officially released by AGS and Prabhu Deva.

Along with Tapasee, who also paired with Dhanush in Aadukalam, Hansika became one of the most preferred actresses for Tamil movie producers.

Actor Jayam Ravi, in a recent interview, mentioned how much fun it was to work with her during the shooting of Engeyum Kadhal.

Her career is confirmed for success after she was signed opposite Udhayanidhi Stalin in Red Giant Movies' Oru Kal Oru Kannadi (OKOK) directed by Rajesh (of Siva Manasula Sakthi and Boss Engira Baskaran fame). It is heard that other actresses such as Trisha and Tamannaah who were in the race for the role in OKOK are quite jealous of Hansika!

Hansika’s performance in Engeyum Kadhal has been loved by many, so we should see more of her in Kollywood in the days to come.

Secret of Sucess . .

Udhayanidhi Stalin who has tasted instant and consecutive successes as a producer and a distributor spills out the ‘secret formula’ when questioned how he manages it.

He said that "I always accept to produce or distribute movies that can be watched by the whole families together without feeling awkward".

“I follow a simple formula before committing any project. I don’t prefer having any vulgarity in my films either visually or in dialogues uttered by the cast. My choice is always to make films which can be watched and enjoyed by entire family.” he added.

When asked about the progress of OKOK he said that it is shaping out well and all he has done is to follow director Rajesh’s instructions to the T. He also said that he is immensely thankful to Suriya and Arya for the support they have shown him all the while. We hope Udhayanidhi tastes success as an actor too!

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.

Udayanidhi debuts as a hero

Making Siva Manasula Sakthi with Jiiva and Boss Engira Bhaskaran with Arya has given director M. Rajesh the confidence to launch producer Udhayanidhi Stalin in his third film, Oru Kal Oru Kannadi. So, how does Rajesh rate Udhayanidhi as an actor? “We mutually agreed to do a 20-day workshop-cum-rehearsal where Udhayanidhi was put through the paces as an actor. He really put in a lot of hard work to get his act together. It was only after he was convinced about his performance that we went for the first schedule,” says Rajesh. Hansika Motwani is paired with Udhayanidhi in this flick. And, music director Harris Jayaraj has already composed two of the five songs for the film, says Rajesh.

Learning curve

Her roles in the recent Muthukku Muthaga and Nanjupuram have got Monika the right kind of attention from many filmmakers. After almost 20 films as a child artiste, Monika graduated to mature roles, starting with Azhagi. This was followed by Bhagavathi, Sandakozhi and other films. With Agaradhi and Varnam scheduled for release soon, Monika is as busy as ever. “I have Naran in Tamil and Happy Husbands (remake of the Hindi No Entry, where she essays Esha Deol's role) in Kannada, while shooting is on for Kannigapuram Sandippil,” says Monika, who considers herself lucky to have played a variety of roles.

Action-filled debut

Popular stunt master ‘Fefsi' Vijayan's maiden directorial venture in Tamil, Markandeyan, follows his earlier efforts in four Kannada and two Telugu films. In this film, Vijayan introduces his son Sabarish as hero. He has undergone a year's training in Thai boxing in Thailand, and also learnt dancing and acting to prepare for the role. Vijayan also introduces popular Thai model Pinky from Bangkok, along with Telugu girl Nivedita in this film. In keeping with the background of the director, the screenplay has a lot of action, besides romance. Sundar C Babu has composed the music.

Crossover appeal

When most Tamil films seem to have an audience in Andhra, can the reverse be far off? The Telugu blockbuster Magadheera is being made into Tamil, ostensibly with a view to gauging the acceptance of Chiranjeevi's son Ram Charan Teja among Tamil film audiences. Producer Allu Aravind's last outing in Tamil was Mappillai with Rajinikanth and Amala, almost 21 years ago. Chiranjeevi has chosen to make a few changes in the film, titled Maaveeran, to suit Tamil audiences. Scenes involving the lead pair were recently shot in Chennai, Pollachi, Visakhapatnam and adjoining areas. A song featuring Ram Charan, Chiranjeevi and Mumaith Khan was shot at Chennai Harbour with over 500 dancers. The song has been penned by Vaali and rendered by Ranjith and Janaki.

Mollywood calling

Very rarely do established Tamil producers venture into Malayalam films, as compared to making Telugu or Kannada films. Now, Aascar Films' V. Ravichandran, whose recent successes include Dasavatharam and Vaaranam Aayiram, has ventured into Mollywood with director Sunil's 15th film, Lucky Jokers. It is reportedly a full-length comedy with a whole host of Malayalam actors. Ajmal, familiar to Tamil audiences, plays an important role. However, the producers are not dubbing the film in Tamil, as they feel the nuances will be lost. They are doing a Hindi version, though!