Survived coz of my will power: Vikram

He became a southern superstar after being in the industry for over a decade and actor Vikram says that it is his will power that has kept him going.

The 45-year-old Tamil movie actor, who made his Bollywood debut in Mani Ratnam's Raavan in 2010 said that he never gave up his struggle as he had faced a bigger challenge during his college days.

"I was riding pillion on my friend's motorbike and we met with an accident which badly injured my right leg," said Vikram.

He had to undergo 23 operations over four years to save his badly injured leg from being amputated.

"I was bedridden for three years and on crutches for one year before I fully recovered," he added.

Born as John Kennedy Vinod Raj, the actor tasted success after playing the lead role in Sethu in 1999 as a tough young man who uses violence as the only way to deal with people.

The actor was recently in Malaysian capital to promote his latest movie Deiva Thirumagal in which he plays the role of a mentally-challenged man who goes to court to seek the right to raise his young daughter.

The movie is based on Sean Penn and Dakota Fanning starrer I Am Sam, which got a Hindi remake in the form of Ajay Devgn-Sushmita Sen starrer Main aisa hi hoon.

Tamannah wants Vikram..

Vikram has once again proved himself to be a versatile actor in Deiva Thirumagal.

Vikram's histrionics has again won him rave reviews and naturally almost all the actresses in the Tamil film industry are vying to share the screen space with him.

One such actress is Tamannah.

Tamannah in a recent interview has said that she wishes to play Vikram’s onscreen pair in one of this future projects.

Tamannah has paired up with almost all the leading stars in Kollywood including Dhanush, Vijay, Karthi, Suriya and Jayam Ravi but she never got the opportunity to star with Vikram.

Following the massive hit of Deiva Thirumagal, she has let word circulating that she is keen on working with Vikram.

Vishal and his Guinness feat

Vishal faced a question from the media on whether he would compete with Vikram for the national award for best acting this year.

"There is a lot of time for that and it will be decided later," replied Vishal.

It has to be mentioned here that both Vikram’s performance in Deiva Thirumagal as well as Vishal’s acting in Avan Ivan are being raved about to be contesting for the National Award for Best Actor. However, Vishal said that he would be happy to get the coveted award and would not worry if he is not selected for it.

When asked if he plans to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for acting as a squint-eyed person, Vishal said that efforts are on to enter his name for this feat.

Deiva Thirumagal releasing finally..

Vikram's Deiva Thirumagal directed by Vijay was supposed to have been released in April, but it was postponed. The film has been dogged by controversy regarding the title and the portrayal of a certain section of the populace. Changes had to be made and the offended people pacified before the film could proceed to its release.

And now it is confirmed that the film will be released on July 15th. The team is relieved and everybody is waiting to see the audience response to all their hard work. Anushka and Amala Paul will also be seen in this film in addition to comedian Santhanam.

Vikram plays an autistic character. Sean Penn received an academy award nomination for a similar portrayal and closer home, Shah Rukh Khan attempted it. Insiders who have seen the rushes are swearing that this is one of Vikram's finest performances and might just win him another national award.

Sanusha, The Myna Heroine

Sanusha of Renigunta fame will be starring in the Kannada remake of sleeper hit 'Myna' that was considered by many to be a classic and won rave reviews from the critics.

Myna was also the film that catapulted actress Amala Paul to the big league making her the hot property in the industry that she went on receiving roles with the likes of Arya and Vikram.

The Renigunta actress is hoping that the Kannada version will work the same magic for her and give her the edge in the race for superstardom. Ganesh will be playing the male lead and the film will be directed by Narayan.

Amala Paul returns to her roots..

Amala Paul made her debut in a Malayalam film but it was the Tamil film industry that welcomed her with open arms.

Amala will now be seen in two very happening films - Deiva Thirumagal and Vettai with Vikram and Arya respectively. Her Muppozhutham Un Karpanai with Atharva also has her in what is supposed to be a very good role.

Despite being very busy with Tamil films, she could not resist when an offer for a Malayalam film came her way. It is a Renjith film called Indian Rupee and Prithviraj will probably be the male lead.

At the rate that she is going, it won't be surprising if she goes on to capture hearts in the Kannada and Telugu film fraternities as well!

Bumper Release..

UTV Motion Pictures have acquired the rights of Vikram's Deiva Thirumagal, directed by Vijay.

The film also has Anushka and Amala Paul in key roles and UTV seem to have a lot of faith in the film that made them decide to release the film simultaneously across the world.

The film will be screened in multiplexes across the length and breadth of the country and is believed that Vikram's performance and charisma will have a lot of pull. Besides North Indian audiences loved him in Raavan.

The film will be censored soon and will be released in July. This is the first Tamil film UTV has bought.

Post Deiva Thirumagal . .

Following the huge success of ‘Azhagar Saamiyin Kuthirai’, director Susindhran has now joined hands with actor Vikram. The film has been titled as ‘Raja Pattai’ in which Vikram will be playing dual roles. This was the news we heard before a few days. But director Susindran has mentioned that the film is now titled as ‘Vendhan’ and will have Vikram playing single role.

The film will start rolling on June 7 and the first schedule will be held in Chennai for next couple of months. Famous Telugu actress Deeksha Seth will be starring opposite Vikram in female lead role while Telugu film industry’s leading filmmaker and actor K. Viswanath takes on an important role.

For the first time, Vikram will be joining hands with Yuvan Shankar Raja. Both Susindran and Yuvan Shankar Raja had flown down to Singapore for composing some tunes.

Unlike previous films of Susindran, this one will be a full-fledged commercial entertainer laced with fun, frolic and action.

Since the film is all about the backdrops of Chennai, it will be shot exclusively in Chennai city with only the songs that shall be shot abroad.

Stratagem to topspot

Amala Paul has had an enviable career that has seen her come within touching distance of the top spot. She says that her stratagem to stay ahead of the curve is very simple. Rather than sign any and all films that come her way out of insecurity or a need to fatten her bank balance, she prefers to pick and choose.

The Myna babe gives due consideration to the weight of her role, the overall story, and the director. Only when these three factors meet her criteria does she go ahead and sign on the dotted line. Amala Paul currently has Deiva Thirumagal with Vikram, Vettai with Maddy, and Mupozhuthum Un Karpanai with Atharva in her kitty.

Deiva Thirumagal ?

News about the Thevar community’s unhappiness towards the title of Vikram’s upcoming movie ‘Deiva Thirumagan’ has been in the media for long. Before the team could relent and find a suitable title to replace the original, the Thevar group and Forward block party held protests in front of Vikram’s house in Thiruvanmiyur today morning.

Headed by Muthiah hundreds of people held protests stating that naming a character with developmental disability as ‘Deiva Thirumagan’ undermines and insults their leader Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar. Once the protests started Vikram notified the police who came there and arrested many for causing disturbance. Vikram has sought police protection for his house until the case which is currently going on in Madurai high court comes to a conclusion. During all this commotion the producer Mohan Natarajan announced that the movie title has been changed to ‘Deiva Thirumagal’ ( U gotta be kiddin !).

Deiva Thirumagan and its trouble

After several speculations and options, Vikram and Vijay finally settled upon the title Deiva Thirumagan for their upcoming movie. Barely days after this title was announced people of the Thevar community demanded the title to be changed for it derogates their loved leader Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar who was fondly known as Deiva Thirumagan. The Shiva Sena also joined hands with the Thevar community and demanded the makers to change the title.

Deciding to put an end to all the problems, the director Vijay and Vikram have now changed the name to ‘Deiva Thirumagal’. With this we hope the film does not run into any more problems and gets a smooth release by the end of May. Deiva Thirumagal stars Vikram, Anushka, Amala Paul, Nasser and MS Baskar among several others.

Anushka has something to say . .

Anushka Shetty, the hottie who became popular in Tamil Nadu through the film Arundhathi, later on paired with Vijay in Vettaikaran and with Surya in Singam.

Anushka while speaking to the media said,” We should distinguish between cinema and real life. Actresses should not speak about cinema in their homes. Similarly when coming to the shooting we should forget our homes. Then only life will be happier. When I debuted in cinema, my parents use to accompany me but I was not able to act with perfection in their presence. So I prevented them from accompanying me. It does not matter that in how many films we act. But it is important that we should act in quality films. I act in all the films as if it is my first film. Only if the films are a success then only actresses can survive.”

The actress is Vikram’s co-star in Deiva Thirumagan and has predicted that Vikram will surely get several awards for his performance in the film. The actress is in awe over Vikram’s acting skills and says that she never has seen such a performance before.

Highly impressed with her co-star in the film, Anushka says that never in her acting career has anyone given her acting tips that he had given. Deiva Thirumagan’s director Vijay had also said that he expects the film to fetch several awards for Vikram.

Let’s hope that Anushka and Vijay’s prediction for Vikram comes true.

Katrina to enter Kollywood

Tamil actor Vikram who is known for doing versatile roles is all set to romance Katrina Kaif in one of his future ventures. Vikram is currently starring in Deiva Thirumagan movie in which he plays the role of a retarded father who fights for rights over his child’s upbringing.

Vikram is planning to do his next film under Kannan direction. Katrina Kaif is likely to play the female lead in this multi-crore film titled Karikalan. Silver Line Film Factory will produce this movie which will have ample dose of special effects.

Katrina Kaif is not yet approached but the producers are ready to pay anything she asks for. Vikram’s Karikalan music would be composed by Harris Jairaj. Stay tuned for further details.

Anushka Shetty - Numero Uno ?

Actress Anushka has a lot to look forward to this year.

After all, two of her most important films in Tamil — Vaanam with Simbu and Deiva Thirumagan with Vikram — will hit screens in the first half of the year. While she reprises the role she played in Vedham in Vaanam, its remake, Anushka apparently plays a lawyer in Deiva Thirumagan, being directed by Vijay of Madrassapattinam fame.

What's more, we even hear that Anushka is on top of the list for playing Simbu's heroine in the Tamil remake of the Hindi blockbuster Dabangg. In an earlier interview to CT, Dabangg's heroine Sonakshi Sinha, who's doing Selva's film with Kamal Haasan, said, "I will like to work in the Tamil remake of Dabangg.

"But again, it depends on the dates. If I had a chance, I'd like to remake the film in every language possible." But, Kollywood is abuzz with rumours that the producers of the Tamil version are keen to rope in either Anushka or Illeana for the role!

Vikram geared up for Deiva Thirumagan's release

Vikram's eagerly awaited next release after Raavanan, had its logo and title release on Sunday (April 3) afternoon at the new Rain Tree hotel in Chennai.

It's official the film directed by AL Vijay has been titled as Deiva Thirumagan and is produced by veteran Mogan Natarajan under the Sree Rajakalliamman Medias.

Deiva Thirumagan has Vikram, Anushka, Nasser, Amala Paul, Santhanam, MS Bhasker, 'Black' Pandi and KK.

It has music by GV Prakash and the camera is by Nirav Shah and is edited by Antony.

Three 20 seconds teasers and a 97 second trailer of the film were unveiled for the press.

The trailer was simply awesome; Vikram plays a man Krishnan who has the mind of a 5 year old kid! The teaser is made for television, an invite to audiences to come and watch little Krishnan!

The audio of the film will be released on April 14 in Chennai. DeivaThirumagan is slated for release on May 14, as the big summer release.