Smart Cookie

Kajal Agarwal is a clever young girl who is very ambitious and goes about her career with the astuteness of a professional chess player.



The petite star's clever strategy helped her land Magadheera, the most successful film in Telugu cinema.



Kajal is now applying the same tactics in Tamil cinema and Bollywood as well. In Tamil, she has Maatran opposite Suriya and in Bollywood, after Singham with Ajay Devgn which was a huge hit, she is sitting pretty.



Kajal somehow managed to bag the role that Anushka Shetty had played in the Tamil original of Singam that had Suriya in the lead.



Her role model is Kajol, Ajay's wife and a superstar in her own right. Kajal did not get to meet Kajol though she really wanted to, but it is certain that the two will get along because both have beauty and brains.

Sameera's perfect match..

Sameera Reddy has made an impact in Tamil cinema but so far she has been unfortunate in finding the perfect onscreen match.

In her debut film, Vaaranam Aayiram, Divya Spandana gets Suriya. In Asal, she was part of a two heroine project with Bhavana, so she had limited screen time with Ajith. Then in Nadunissi Naigal, her boyfriend gets killed by a psychopath who is obsessed with her.

Sameera up next has Vettai with Arya and Maddy next, but that is also a two heroine project where she shares screen space with Amala Paul.

But finally, it seems her luck has changed and she will be seen opposite Vishal in Vedi which is her first solo heroine project. Besides, everybody is saying that they make a great couple as they are both tall and have dusky good looks.

7am Arivu: Most Awaited Film of 2011

Suriya's upcoming film of director A.R. Murugadoss with Shruti Hassan opposite him is nearing the finish line and has been creating news nearing its audio launch touted to be one of the most awaited films of the year.

Surya apparently plays a circus acrobat in the film and has worked very hard to pull off this difficult role.

The crew of the film were so dazzled with the actor's dizzying acrobatics performed for the filma and were very impressed that the makers begged him to show off some of his moves to the audience at the audio launch for the film which is to be held this month. Being the good sport that he is, Suriya has agreed.

This spectacular event is to take place at Nehru stadium and Kalaignar TV has obtained the broadcasting rights. Udhayanidhi's Red Giant Movies is producing the film. Therefore the trailer for his Oru Kal Oru Kannadi will also be released simultaneously.

Not only Tamil cinema fans but even folks in Bollywood and the Telugu film industry are counting off the days to its release as its director A.R. Murugadoss had turned down many Bollywood and Tollywood projects to concentrate on 7am Arivu.

The director's confidence in his film and Suriya is immense and the whole world awaits to see it!

7am Arivu looks better than Ghajini: A. R. Murgadoss

The first look of Suriya's 7am Arivu is out and features the actor as a Buddhist monk, which is one of the roles he plays in the film.

Though the shooting has been on for more than a year now, the movie - which is directed by A R Murugadoss and produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin - has been kept under tight wraps, with not even a single still released to the media.

"It was a strategy by the makers to keep all visual material away from the media as they did not want anything revealed about the subject," said a source, adding, "And now, gauging by the response the poster has got, it seems to have paid off."

The source added, "This look as a Buddhist monk is sported by Suriya only in the first 20 minutes of the film. He looks completely different after that. The material, in which he will be seen with the leading lady of the film Shruti Haasan, will be released later, perhaps sometime close to the audio launch of the film."

When director A R Murugadoss was contacted, he said, "We wanted to ensure that 7am Arivu looked much better than Ghajini, our previous film together, and so we worked hard on the look for the film."

Next up for the director is a film with Vijay, which he says will commence in October once 7am Arivu hits screens.

7am Arivu soon . .

Looks like it is raining audio launches in the town this August.

Just when the audio launch of Ajith's 'Mankatha' was reported, here comes another audio launch that is good news for all Suriya fans out there.

'7am Arivu' team is gearing up for its music launch soon after 'Mankatha's audio hits the stands.

Harris Jayaraj has done the music for this film and the audio album is touted to have 6 songs, inclusive of one song in Chinese.

7am Arivu has Harris Jayaraj's association with Mandarin singer Hau, from China and the duo were quite comfortable working together. Harris had even revealed that he felt good when Hau was able to play one of his Tamil songs too.

The music launch of '7am Arivu' is being planned as a grand affair.

The fans of Suriya are particularly looking forward to this because of the reports leaking about the hero's dare devil acrobatic acts during the music launch.

7am Arivu would have Suriya sporting three different avatars that are distinctly different from each other.

Sruthi Haasan will be making her debut into Tamil films as Suriya's heroine with '7am Arivu.'

The film is believed to be very sophisticated in fight sequences and special effects with director A.R. Murugadoss roping in talent from the west for the Computer Graphics required in the film.

Though there are no confirmed reports regarding the music release date yet, a part of the film circuit has revealed that the audio launch of '7am Arivu' will take place on August 20. Though this date has not been confirmed by anyone closely associated with the film, it has created an unrested eagerness among Suriya fans.

Maatran goes on floors

Friday (July 22) morning saw the puja launch of K V Anand's upcoming flick Maatran.

The film features Suriya and Kajal Aggarwal in lead roles and has music by Harris Jayaraj. It marks the return of the Ayan superhit combination.

It will be my most exciting film; I can vouch for that, said the actor recently, whose 7am Arivu with director A R Murugadoss is yet to hit screens. Looks like Suriya, who celebrates his birthday today, is all set to rock!

Rohit Shetty's tribute through Singham

Rohit Shetty who paid a tribute to the 70s in his last, Golmaal 3 with Mithun Chakraborty's character is all set to take his 70's inspiration a step further in his next.

The Ajay Devgn—Kajal Aggarwal starrer Singham, Shetty has not just drawn inspiration but entire fight sequences from 70's blockbusters Amar Akbar Anthony and Zanjeer.

Ajay Devgn who plays a angry young cop named Bajirao Singham in the film titled after his character, will be seen enacting the same cuts and chops and mouthing the same dialogues in the film.

A source revealed, "The famous scene from Amar Akbar Anthony between Vinod Khanna a cop and Amitabh Bachchan the goon has been re-enacted in Singham.

The scene has Vinod Khanna unbuttoning his police uniform to beat up Amitabh. In Singham, Ajay Devgn who plays a cop, does the same to Ravi Beasant. In fact, the dialogue between Ajay and Ravi are similar to the ones between Vinod and Amitabh."

And that's not all. "There is a scene similar to a scene from the 1973 hit Zanjeer as well. The scene where Pran walks into a police station and tries to sit on a chair, which Amitabh Bachchan kicks away and says, 'Jab tak baithne ko kahaa na jaaye, tab tak chup chaap khade raho,' has been re-created in Singham. In this film, the scene has been picturised on Ajay Devgn and Marathi actor Ashok Samarth," added the source.

Seems like Rohit Shetty and Ajay Devgn are all set to recreate the 70s magic on screen with Singham. "Rohit wanted to pay a tribute to the 70's and also to the original angry young man of Indian cinema, Mr Amitabh Bachchan," said the source.

When contacted, the official spokesperson from the film confirmed the existence of the scenes in Singham and added, "They are used as a tribute to the films of 70's.

Rohit and Ajay have grown up watching these films. These are iconic scenes and we have tried to pay them a tribute through our film."

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.

Sonam foraying down south?

Double Cheers for Vijay fans, if what we heard from the closer sources is believed to be true. It is time for Vijay to rock as he’ll be joining hands with filmmaker A.R. Murugadoss.

The film that is likely to be produced by Aascar Ravichandran and Vijay’s father’s S.A. Chandrasekhar on first copy basis with to release the film worldwide.

Soon after Fox Star Studios signed up A.R. Murugadoss as the creative producer, Murugadoss mentioned that more movies would be made under this collaboration and if things work out well, he might wield the megaphone for a film.

Murgadoss, who has been keeping busy with the post production work of his Suriya starrer 7am Arivu has met Vijay recently and narrated a oneliner that floored Vijay to have given his nod to the director.

Hold your breath now, the director is in plans to cast Bollywood beauty Sonam Kapoor opposite Vijay in this film. However the official announcement on this is yet to be made.

It was recently learnt that Sonam already had plans to star in South Indian films as well ever since her arch nemesis Sonakshi signed up Kamal Hassan's Viswaroopam who would not just be romancing the actress but also be directing her for the film.

The official announcement on this vijay-Murgadoss project would be made once the duo finalizes the script and other crewmembers.

Kajal's clarification..

Kajal Agarwal who paired with Karthi in Naan Mahan Alla says that Ranjini is the perfect match for Karthi.

At that time, when there were news about Karthi's personal relation with actress Kajal Agarwal about their chemistry on and off the screen - both the actors brushed the news to be mere rumors.

At this point of time, when Karthi is engaged to Ranjini who hails from Erode District. Their marriage is to take place on 3rd July and Kajal Agarwal while speaking about this marriage said, “Karthi is my close friend. I have shared lot of things with him when we were working on the sets of Naan Mahan Alla. Karthi is a wonderful person and has selected a bride that is best for him and his family," ended Kajal wishing the couple in advance.

Kajal Agarwal recently clarified the misconception that sparked off the controversy stating "I didn't consider myself as just a South Indian actress as I desire to continue acting in both North and South Indian films."

The actress who was really shocked at the impact of one's misunderstanding on her statement expressed her likeness towards South Indian films that gave her the opportunity to start her career as an actress. Although this clears the air, Kajal is still waiting for a response from the film fraternity towards her clarification.

With her Bollywood debut with 'Singham' opposite Ajay Devgan hitting theatres very soon, Kajal is expected to join K V Anand's crew for the shooting of 'Maatran' opposite Suriya that will commence only in the second week of July after his younger brother, Karthi's wedding.

Suriya is hot says Priyanka Chopra

Suriya and the 7am Arivu team were shooting in Mumbai, recently. Priyanka Chopra was present in the vicinity and she came over to say hello to cinematographer, Ravi K Chandran, since the two of them have worked together.

Priyanka enquired about Suriya, and said that she has seen him on the cover of a lot of magazines.

Apparently, Priyanka thinks Suriya is really hot and one of the best looking men in the country! Looks like Suriya has even more fans than he knows!

Anushka paired with Karthi for a new film..

Groom-to-be Karthi is also busy signing up plum projects. His next film after Saguni will be with director Suraaj, who did Padikathavan and Mappillai. Anushka has been roped in as the heroine. She was supposed to have done Siruthai with Karthi since it was a remake of her Telugu film, Vikramarkudu, but it did not work out. The actress is very happy that this time around everything went smoothly.

The film is yet to be titled. It is going to be an entertainer with lots of masala, action, and romance. Suraaj felt that Karthi is perfect for the role and waited patiently for Karthi to wrap up Saguni and give the thumbs up for his film.

Anushka proved to be lucky for Suriya as Singam was a big hit and it is hoped that her pairing with Karthi will also be a lucky one.

Suriya gets into Vijay's path?

Suriya is well known for his helping deeds towards students to pursue their dreams and goals through his trust 'Agaram Foundation'.

During a recent event, the star has said that he intends to start a Makkal Iyakkam very soon for the welfare of the people.

This disclosure by Suriya has surprised many because Vijay had already began lending a helping hand to many in need and then started a Makkal Iyakkam. This Iyakkam is now on the verge of becoming a political outfit.

Is Suriya trying to follow Vijay’s path?

Well, we don’t have a precise answer to that, but the star does not have any political affiliations till now.

Next Kamal Hassan ?

Kamal Haasan’s daughter Shruthi Haasan didn’t have a great time neither with Bollywood nor with Tollywood as her films so far has bombed terribly at the box office.

The actress is now making her Tamil debut with A.R. Murugadoss’s ‘7Aum Arivu’ opposite Suriya in the lead role. Pairing with Suriya has made Shruthi Haasan much more famous than the brand of being a legend's daughter.

The actress reveals that she plays the role of a scientist and cannot unravel anything more than this as the project by itself is a suspense thriller and there won't be any fun without the X factor.

Singing praises of A.R. Murugadoss, Shruthi says, “I believe Murugadoss is the backbone of the film. He never gets off from the concept.”

When asked how does she feel about Suriya being considered as ‘The Next Kamal Haasan’? She says, “Tomorrow, someone might be called as Next Suriya. That’s film industry!”

Maatraan in Pakistan ..

Suriya starrer Maatraan is ready to kick start and the unit is all set to shoot a schedule near Pakistan border. Director K V Anand is all geared up for this project and the expectations are high as the duo is paring up after the blockbuster Ayan.

After shortlisting from a long list of actresses, K V Anand has finally zeroed in on Kajal Agarwal as the female lead for Maatraan.

S.Soundar Rajan who has wielded the camera for movies like Ananthapurathu Veedu, Aadi and Billa in Telugu has been roped in for the project. Editing is by Antony and Art direction is by Rajeevan.

Hollywood Style ..

KV Anand is a perfectionist and when it comes to his script he leaves no stone unturned to ensure that it is an absolute winner. The director is currently hard at work on the nitty gritty of the script of Matraan which will have Suriya in the lead. He is going about it with clinical precision and has set up a storyboard in true Hollywood style to better capture his vision!

He is on the hunt for good artistes who will be able to assist in bringing his story to life. There can be little doubt that this brainchild of his is going to shape up into something good.

Bollywood Offers

Priyamani says that she is still trying to get good offers from Bollywood and while speaking about this, she said,” I am currently acting in Telugu and Kannada films. I will also be acting in two more Telugu films and talks are going on with regard to this."

The films 'Vishnuvardhana' and 'Lakshmi' in Kannada that has Priyamani as the female lead role are getting delayed. She stated that the films are not delayed because of her and The shooting of these films will commence soon.

She mentioned of her acting skills that were noticed by an audience worldwide in Maniratnam's Raavan despite of the film's fate at the box office and mentioned that the Hindi audience enjoyed her acting.

Having said that she also mentioned about her role opposite Suriya in Ram Gopal Varma’s Raktha Charithra II that did not reach the audience as expected.

"Many are asking me about not continuing to act in more Hindi films. Though I am acting in South Indian languages, I am making efforts to get offers in Hindi. I am just waiting for good roles.” she added.

Bollywood KICK

Though Shamshuddin Ibrahim AKA Shaam made his film debut through the Tamil film 12B, he shot to limelight after starring in the Telugu blockbuster titled Kick. Shaam had played an important role in this film and had earned name and fame enough to essay the same role in all of its remakes.

Kick was remade in Tamil under the title Thillalangadi and in Kannada it was named Kick. With both the remakes having done good business in Tamil and Kannada as well, it is now gearing up to go to Bollywood.

Recently, Salman Khan had met Shaam and assured him of the same role in its Bollywood remake and Shaam is happy over this development as it would be mark his debut in Bollywood. Sources in the Bollywood say that this remake would carry the title of the Original Kick and we just try and avoid saying, Not Again !

This remake is rumored to be directed by A R Murgadoss of Ghajini fame once he wraps up his '7am Arivu' with Suriya & Shruti Hassan in the lead. If sources are to be believed Deepika Padukone would be cast opposite Salman for the 1st time in a role preceeded by Ileana, Tamannah and Praneetha.

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.