Jiiva keen on more action movies

"You will remember Kamal Haasan from Sathya when you look at him. He is a man of conviction and believes it's his duty to question the wrongdoers and help the helpless." This is exactly how Jiiva describes his character in Rowthiram, which hits screens today.

"It's a usual film, but director Gokul has brought in the element of difference through his way of filmmaking. It's a contemporary, no-nonsense film that will have the audience hooked," he says with confidence, "Despite being a debutant, Gokul had me hooked with his narration. He showed me videos of his previous works and explained how he was planning to shoot the film."

So, what is Rowthiram all about? "In pure Tamil, it means kovam. It's not about hopping mad with anger, but staying composed and thinking things through even when someone is angry. There's a saying - Tamizh oruvanai shantha padutthum. Tamizh oruvanukku rowthiram pazhakkum. The film talks about that kind of anger," he explains.

Despite being high on action, Jiiva says the film revolves around a cute love story. "People will not sit through a film if it lacks lighter moments. If Titanic was all about how a ship hit the iceberg and sank without a trace because the engine failed, it would have sank at the BO as well! The core of Rowthiram will be a love story between Shriya and me. It's a story that everyone can relate to and enjoy watching," he smiles.

Talking about Shriya, he says, "Despite having worked in several films with top actors, Shriya is down-to-earth. She gels well with everyone and is one whom you would call perfect heroine material."

Rowthiram was in the making for long and was even surrounded by controversies. But Jiiva says it was worth the wait. "It took us almost two years to complete the project. Some even thought that audiences would forget that a film called Rowthiram was being made! But, I'm confident that it will bring people to the theatres because it's a film worth watching. Be it the script, the cinematography, the music or the artists' performance, the audience will have a lot to look forward to," he signs off.

Newbie Pooja bags Amala's role..

Amala Paul was initially said to play the female lead in Mysskin's superhero flick 'Mugamoodi' with Jiiva in the lead and now she has opted out of it.

Instead of Amala, model turned actress Pooja Hegde has been signed up to make her acting debut as the lead opposite Jiiva. Pooja was adjudged as the runner-up in the Miss Universe – India contest held recently.

Narain will play a negative role in this film directed by Mysskin and produced by UTV Motion Pictures.

The shooting of Mugamoodi will commence from September onwards and the director is planning a teaser trailer in the meantime.

Taapsee is on a high

She's started her career with a National-award winning film in Tamil (Aadukalam) and has also acted in a handful of commercial flicks in Telugu.

Her acting prowess has been widely appreciated by both critics and the audience. Despite all this, Taapsee has always had a complaint - none of the album CD covers of her films have featured her. That's until the music of her second Tamil film, Vandhaan Vendraan with Jiiva, hit stands.

An excited Taapsee tweeted, "It's been six releases for me in my career so far. But only now, in my 7th release, it has happened that my picture appeared on CD cover. Thanks (director) Kannan sir!" Now, we know why you're grinning from ear-to-ear girl!

No demand for Shriya Saran down South

Shriya Saran, who was once the hottest property down south, seems to have slim pickings now in the Telugu film industry.

The actress, who has worked with all the biggies, made headlines for walking out of Manchu Manoj's film Mr Nokia. She is now finally making a comeback in a low budget movie, opposite Allari Naresh and Sharwanand.

Ask her why she chose this film and Shriya says, "This is a cute love story and that's what prompted me to sign it."

While she has made special appearance in many films lately, this movie, directed by Narayana,will be Shriya's first leading lady role since Don Seenu, early in 2010.

Meanwhile, Shriya is awaiting the release of her Tamil film, Rowthiram with Jiiva. When we asked her if Rowthiram marks her return to Kollywood, the actress said, "Return? Why would you say that? The only reason I've not had a release after Chikku Bhukku (late 2010) was because this film took a long time to make. But it's finally releasing now and it's been worth the wait."

Click here for more of Shriya's hot images !!

Audience will love Taapsee in Vandaan Vendraan

Taapsee is done with Vandaan Vendraan. Jiiva had already finished his portions and only a song with Taapsee remained. It is being shot today at VGP.

Once it is done, the unit will be having a little farewell party to celebrate the completion of their film and the effort that has gone into it.

Director Kannan who did films like Jayam Kondan and Kanden Kadhalai is trying his hand at a new genre with this film. It is going to be a crime thriller with great action. Nanda is the villain in this film and Santhanam will be providing the comic relief. The film was shot in Mumbai, Goa, Turkey, and the jungle belts in the Western Ghats.

All eyes are on Jiiva as he is having a great year career wise. Taapsee's first film in Tamil won the National award and she says that VV will get her the love of audiences.

Gautham Menon to direct Vijay

Vijay is all set to do a film with Gautham Menon, the maker of memorable movies like Kaakha Kaakha, Vaaranam Aayiram, and VTV. The star is currently busy with Nanban.

Velayudham is also being readied for release. When he heard Gautham Menon's script he was floored and immediately agreed to be a part of the project once he wraps up work on pending projects.

Gautham Menon felt that the role was tailor - made for someone of Vijay's talents and he was delighted when he accepted. The ace director will be going ahead with his next project with Jiiva which is slated to commence in August. And when that is done he will begin filming Vijay's film.

Gautham has wanted to work with Vijay for the longest time but due to various reasons nothing materialized. But this time around everything worked out perfectly and it will be very exciting to see what this dynamic duo will be serving up for Tamil cinema fans.

Ko to be remade in Hindi..

The hugely successful K V Anand-directed Tamil movie Ko is set for a remake in Bollywood and one among the heartthrobs Ranbir Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor is tipped to play the role enacted by Jeeva in the original.

KO was a blockbuster and the director is presently in discussions about the Bollywood project, says actor Ajmal who played a scheming Vasanthan Perumal, Jeeva's friend in the movie.

It was earlier rumoured that Akshay Kumar was to play Jeeva's role. "But it would either be Ranbir or Shahid who are likely to enact that role," said the actor.

Ajmal, who shot to fame playing the role of an anti-hero in the Tamil movie Anjathey, says his role in KO is every actors dream and if everything goes well, he might get a chance to reprise the same in its Bollywood version too.

Anand who was impressed with Ajmal's shots in Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru and Anjathey signed him on for the movie. "He wanted me to play the role of Jeeva's friend. I was totally focused on my character," says Ajmal, who as a student leader gets elected and becomes Chief Minister in the movie, a seemingly goody-goody character whose real intentions are revealed only in the latter half and catches viewers unawares.

KO has stunning music numbers composed by Harris Jayaraj and the songs are still topping the charts even after months since the film released.

Mugamoodi

UTV Motion Pictures is all set to produce Mugamoodi, to be directed by Mysskin. The director is supposed to have written this script with Suriya in mind but couldn’t join hands with him for various reasons.

The director then had a discussion with Arya and later also with Vishal, but again the project failed to start until Jiiva agreed to play the lead in this Super Hero flick.

According to sources, Jiiva who is now flying high with the stupendous success of KO has been signed by UTV for this ambitious venture and was looking for someone equally famous to play the baddie opposite him and Actor Narain who debuted with Mysskin's Chithiram Pesuthadi seems to have accepted the role.

UTV’s Dhananjayan had said that Narain’s role will be a very powerful one and has thanked him for accepting the negative role, as it will be a deviation from his hero status.

Jeyam Ravi & Jiiva together..

Filmmaker S.P. Jananathan gave a good break for Actors Jiiva & Jeyam Ravi through in ‘E’ and ‘Peranmai’ respectively. In fact, both the actors had very powerful roles in S.P. Jananathan's films that gained them a prominent place in the A-league.

Now the actors are coming together for the first time that will be directed by S.P. Jananathan. The film is reported to be an action thriller that will be shot in India and other foreign locations.

The heroine of the film is yet to be decided as Jananathan is looking out for an actress who is fluent with the Tamil language. Moreover, he wants her to be more glamorous with ability to perform some stunts as well.

The director says that he had worked with both Jiiva and Jeyam Ravi sharing a very good rapport since then. He is very much known to their potential levels and is expecting the project to turn out to be a major hit.

Jiiva and Gowtham Project..

Gautham Menon is all set to direct Jiiva. The star had confirmed some days ago that he is to play the lead role in a film for which Gautham will wield the megaphone. This yet-to-be-named film will begin in August this year. The photo shoot has been planned on August 1st and the shooting will commence from August 5th, onwards.

Initially, the shooting will begin in Chennai and then the team will move on to the UK where a major portion will be shot. The movie will be produced by RS Infotainment.

Jiiva, who is riding high on the success of Ko, is thrilled at the prospect of working with one of the ace directors in the country.

Sequel to VTV

Great news for all those who love to see romantic flicks; the team that gave us the sweet and lyrical Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya is coming together once again. And, the best part is that they are going to give us a sequel to VTV, one of the most lovable romantic musicals to come out in recent years. Its going to be Silambarasan and Gautham Menon joining hands one again with the core team that gave us VTV being retained. We are not yet sure how much of the team is being retained, but knowing the part that Rahman’s music played in taking VTV straight into our hearts, it is difficult to imagine a sequel to the superhit without the wizard’s compositions.

VTV came at a time when Silambarasan’s career was being perceived to be moving on an action/mass hero track. But, choosing to go subtly and delightfully romantic, in the classy way of Gautham Menon, Silambarsan broke all perceptions and images that had been associated with him. Yes, this actor had different dimensions and he had chosen the right time and team to exhibit that. The character of Karthik will be remembered even a decade from now as the one that put Silambarasan on the course that he was destined for. And, it is not surprising that he is eager to be Karthik once again. And, if we talk about Karthik, how can we forget Jessie. We are not yet sure whether Jessie will be a part of the sequel, but Jessie will be close to the hearts of movie lovers as the character which presented Trisha in her most classy persona as yet. And, can we overlook Ganesh? Gautham Menon’s casting masterstroke that was the most endearing character in the movie after Karthik and Jessie.

Yes, we know that you want to see them all again, but we are not sure how much of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya will be carried over to Vinnaithaandi Varuven – yes, that is the provisional title as of now. But, it is not going to be all like VTV-1. If that was a smooth, mellow and sweet love story that left you with a lump in your throat towards the end, the new one will have more color, more vigor and more energy. The energized version of VTV!

So, are Gautham Menon and Silambarsan getting to work on it immediately? No, Silambarasan is still busy with Vettaimannan and Gautham Menon is working on the Hindi version of VTV-1 and is also in talks with Jiiva for a Tamil film. So, VTV-2 will take off only after Vettaimannan and the Hindi VTV are done and a final decision is taken on the project with Jiiva.

Its Gautham Menon back to what he does best, romance. After the change of track in Nadunissi Naaygal, he is getting back to the endearing romantic ways that have made his films favorites with lots of viewers around the world; so get ready to fall in love all over again – hosanna.

Gowtham, Jiiva and A R Rahman

Gautham Menon’s next Tamil project will be with Jiiva and pairing up opposite him will be Samantha.

The director has decided to direct an action-romantic flick and has found Jiiva to be the most suitable for this. This venture will go on floors once Gautham is done with the Hindi version of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya that is currently shot in Chennai titled 'Premkatha' starring Prateik Babbar and Amy Jackson reprising the roles originally played by STR and Trisha.

Manoj Pramahamsa may wield the camera for this venture too while Gautham has decided to retain Rajeevan (art director) and Anthony (editing) for the production. The icing on the cake for this venture is the Oscar Winner A R Rahman, who has been roped in to score the music for this flick.

Jiiva teamup with Mysskin..

Jiiva is on a roll and there in no stopping him. Ko has enhanced his star status considerably and he has filmmakers queuing up to sign him on for their projects. But Jiiva is not one to grab everything that comes his way and he is waiting for the right scripts.

When Mysskin approached him with a project he has dreamed of making for a long time, Jiiva was floored and agreed at once.

The film will be called Mugamoodi and it is going to be a superhero flick, the first of its kind in Tamil Nadu. A Mumbai based production house has agreed to bankroll this mega venture, so it is time for Jiiva and Mysskin to rock and roll!

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.