Vishal dating Varalaxmi Sarath Kumar ????

The latest buzz doing the rounds in Kollywood is that Vishal has found his soul mate in none other than Sarath Kumar's daughter, Varalaxmi.

Sources say that the two have apparently been seeing each other for the last six months and that Vishal's father is allegedly not too pleased about this liaison.

According to an industry source, the relationship had reached a point recently where there was even discussion of marriage and Vishal confided in his father, producer G K Reddy. It seems Vishal's father was not happy with this development and the two weren't on the best of terms for a while. "Vishal's father was not pleased that he wanted to marry Sarath Kumar's daughter after the two had a fallout. Post this argument with his father, Vishal was not going home for a while. He was staying at a house he has bought in a posh locality and would would sometimes sleep in the office too," said the source.

The once-close family friends, Sarath Kumar and G K Reddy, have worked together on several films. "The last film that G K Reddy produced and Sarath Kumar starred in was I love India. This film ran into losses and it looks like their relationship also soured," added the source.

When we contacted Vishal, he said, "No, I'm not seeing Varalaxmi or anyone else. It might sound cliched, but we're just good friends and we hang out together with the same gang of friends. I've known her for the past 20 years. We go out for dinners and catch movies with the same group of friends, which is perhaps the reason for people talking about us."

He added, "I'm very much single. I would be more than happy to disclose my girlfriend's identity, when I have one. But now, there's no girl in my life."

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.

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.

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.

Wrath over Avan Ivan. Would it be banned?

The Singampatti Zameen is planning to take legal action against Bala and others involved in Avan Ivan for degrading their Zameen and their deity Sori Muthu.

The Zameen has condemned Bala for using their names in the film, particularly that of deity Sori Muthu and the Kaaraiyar Sorimuthaiyanar Temple.

The Simgampatti community members are an angry lot for Bala ridiculed them in the film. Further, the scene in which the Singampatti Zameen is stripped and killed has forced the members of Singampatti to seek deletion of those particular scenes.

It is said that they are making all arrangements to file a case seeking a ban on Avan Ivan. Is this another publicity stunt and most movies follow these days? Wonder what Bala has to say!

Vishal and Sameera starrer Prabhakaran

Wondering waddup with the Prabhu Deva directed, Vishal starrer project, tentatively titled Prabhakaran? Well, this film has reached the final schedule and the planning for it is now on.

The last leg of shoots will commence in the days to come and Prabhu is expected to wrap Prabhakaran so that he could begin work on a Hindi film that he has committed.

Vishal’s next film has created a lot of expectation as he has proved his mettle as an actor in the latest release Avan Ivan.

Pairing up with Vishal in Prabhakaran is Sameera Reddy and this film is touted to be an action thriller.

Avan Ivan trailer out..!

The trailer for much-awaited Bala's 'Avan Ivan' is out and we at Celebsfactory have got this exclusive piece for you.'

It shows our thieves Vishal and Arya along with GM Kumar, the duo donning various roles, probably for street plays and claiming themselves as 'kalaignars' (artists), with the BGM of "Dia dia dole..." a fast-paced number sung by Suchitra and "Kaatu sirikiye" an interlude from the track "Rasathi pole..."

We also get to see their lead ladies, Janani Iyer and Madhu Shalini.

It also looks like Arya gets a lot of beatings from brother, Vishal, in the movie. Probably, a Goundamani - Senthil sort of comedy? Two other things we get to notice, is the good rapport between GM Kumar and Arya and Ambika sporting a never-seen-before sort of look.

Buzz is that, the movie revolves around these two thieves who steal cows for a group that sells cows from Theni to Karnataka for beef. Cows are fed with mud water to make them look hefty.

While we can’t be sure of this, although it sounds real interesting, what we can see from the trailer is that, as promised, it will be a comedy entertainer from Bala for the first time ever, of course with many fight scenes, and immense importance to the script and characters as always.

The trailer has increased more hype about the movie, how many of you are geared up for 'Avan Ivan'? What do you movie buffs think about the trailer, tell us right away...

Speechless !

Shreya Reddy has said that she was left speechless after watching the special screening of Avan Ivan.

The former actress, who is married to producer Vikram Krishna and sister-in-law to Vishal, has said that she never expected such a performance from Vishal.

Shreya said that director Bala was instrumental in extracting such a performance from him. She was also full of praises for Arya and GM Kumar.

Shreya said that Avan Ivan is a simple story but director Bala has made it in such way that it has become exceptional.

Avan Ivan stars Arya, Vishal, Madhu Shalini and Janani Iyer in lead roles. The film is expected to hit the screens shortly.

Avan & Ivan are ready

Avan Ivan, A Film by Director Bala with Arya, Vishal, Madhu Shalini and Janani Iyer in the lead roles has the musical score by Yuvan Shankar Raja that is already sensational and is making news about the film.

It is to be noted that this is the first time the Director has completed his project within a short span of time as most of his previous films were shot for a span of atleast 2years.

Plans about releasing the film is getting close and the producers are planning to get over with it soon planning to release the film as soon as possible. According to the sources, reports are that the film will be hitting screens during the third or last week of May.

Submerged !

Janani Iyer, model-turned-actress will make her debut with Bala’s Avan Ivan. After the news that she had signed on for this project, Janani seemed to have gone in hiding. Recently, she was seen at the audio launch of Avan Ivan, looking absolutely gorgeous in a red and black sari.

Quizzed about her disappearance from the scene, she said that she had only been following her director’s strict instructions. Bala wanted his heroine to be the surprise package in the film and retain her USP as a fresh face, so he had asked her to stay away from the media blitz.

Janani Iyer added that she had submerged herself in the character completely and took a complete break from modeling and did not sign any more films. But now that the shooting is completed, she says she is happy with her work and is eager to do more films.

Speedy Gonzales

Producers are always delighted when directors finish their projects quickly and that is exactly what the producers of Vishal and Sameera Reddy’s untitled film are happy about.

Director Prabhudeva seems to be quick as a wink in finishing the project. Recently, he wanted to shoot an item song with Sophie Choudary and Vishal in Europe but he was denied visa. Not wanting to waste time, he came up with an idea of making a brilliant setting in Binny mills and completed that shoot.

It is said that he has shot almost 90% of the movie already in areas near Hyderabad.

The director wants to get over with his commitments by June so that he can marry Nayanthara in July without having to bother about other commitments.

We sincerely hope all this hurry doesn’t affect the quality of the movie.

New Kollywood hottie..!!

Those who see Madhushalini for the first time, will definitely take a second look at her. First, for her good looks and second, because she resembles a few other actresses in tinsel town.

"A lot of people have told me that I look like Heera because of my high cheekbones. Earlier, when I used to be skinny, people used to mistake me for Sonali Bendre. I don't know when people will identify me as Madhushalini," giggles the chirpy lady from the City of Pearls.

And what's keeping this Telugu ammayi on top of the world now is the fact that she is dubbing for Avan Ivan. "I have picked up Tamil and have put my newly-learnt skill to good use in the film. I play a college student who happens to be Arya's love interest. And let me tell you, though my look in the film can be classified as simple, it isn't deglamourised," clarifies the actress.

Madhushalini is extremely delighted at having grabbed this film, that too, so early in her career. "I have always aspired to work with Bala sir and when I got the offer, it was nothing short of a dream come true. Initially, I didn't know when my part would come as I had to wait for quite a while before my portions were shot. It was a long wait but it was definitely worth it."

Having been part of the Avan Ivan camp for almost a year now, Madhu adds that she was extremely comfortable throughout the shoot. But isn't director Bala a tough taskmaster, we ask, and she shrugs off nonchalantly. "In fact, he is quite a prankster. He was the one who was pulling off the maximum pranks on the sets, to the extent, that I was left in tears. Only when his assistant convinced me that it was just a prank did I realise that he was pulling my leg. Nevertheless, he is a serious filmmaker who is very sure of what he wants."

Though Madhushalini had to share screen space with Janani Iyer in the film, she has absolutely no qualms about it. "She was quite helpful throughout the shoot. She is a Tamil girl and helped me with my lines during the shoot. She was very co-operative on the sets and we had a great time together. As for Arya, he has prior experience of working with Bala sir in Naan Kadavul and hence, we would call him 'senior' on the sets. Since Bala sir's films are always out-of-the-box, we had to put in a lot of effort for this movie. And trust me, the boys — Vishal and Arya — had to push the envelope for their respective characters."

Now that the actress has done a film with the veteran director, she is in no hurry to sign new films. "I do not want to do a film for the heck of it. I want to experiment and do characters that will stand out," concludes the actress.

Meet Squint eyed Vishal

The tall, dark and handsome hero has stretched to the toughest possible limits for his upcoming Bala flick ‘Avan Ivan.’ Sharing screen space with long-time friend Arya, Vishal seems to have bagged the role of his life with Bala’s new offing ‘Avan Ivan’. The actor who has completely altered his looks for the film is quite happy with his hard work for the film because of the results it has reaped.

The actor recently found time to share his mind on his upcoming flick ‘Avan Ivan’.

Vishal plays Walter Vanagamudi, who is basically a thief and travels doing stage shows in villages along with his half-brother played by Arya. Vishal’s avatar in the film has an almost tonsured head, eyes sans eyelashes and a squint. Vishal reveals that the first response that Bala had on seeing him were tears of joy in his eyes!

Refuting to rumors suggesting Vishal’s role as a Thirunangai (eunuch), the actor clarifies that he does not appear as a eunuch and was surprised seeing such stories doing the rounds. Vishal has revealed that unlike the other Bala films which are too serious with not much scope for comedy ‘Avan Ivan’ will be a surprise for the audience. The actor has also revealed that the final twenty minutes of the film will bear the Bala stamp.

Bala's Avan Ivan

At a time when actors in Tamil cinema consider it is unsafe to do multi-starrers, Arya and Vishal has chosen to do otherwise. They have come together for Avan Ivan and even after the shooting is completed, they remain good friends.

Says Arya, ' what's wrong in doing a multi-starrer? My comfort level with Bala is good and we enjoyed working in the project. Bala guided both of us well.'

Echoing the same, Vishal says, ' we are friendly and did what Bala told us to do'.

Interestingly after Pithamagan which brought Vikram and Suriya together comes Avan Ivan with Arya and Vishal in the cast. Expectations are running high for the movie that would hit the screens next month

Magic to be recreated

After Naan Kadavul, Arya joins hands with maverick filmmaker Bala again to repeat the same magic. But this time they are joined by young and bubbly Vishal. The trio teams up for Avan Ivan.

Naan Kadavul, a 2009 film co-written and directed by Bala, is based on the Tamil novel Yezhaam Ulagam by Jayamohan who also penned the dialogues for the film. The movie had music by Ilaiyaraja. The film, which was in the making for over three years, was finally released on 6 February 2009 and it received rave reviews and critical acclaims, winning two National Film Awards, including the Best Director Award for Bala, and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. he film grossed over $10 million at the box office in the first 6 weeks.

Now come Avan Ivan. It's Bala's first attempt at comedy, written and directed by himself. The film will star Arya, Vishal Krishna, Janani Iyer, and Madhu Shalini in the lead roles. The film, produced by Kalpathi S. Agoram's AGS Entertainment, features music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, cinematography by Arthur A Wilson and editing by A Sreekar Prasad.

Says Vishal, "Sporting a squint and acting is no easy task. It was a tough ask and I had to really stretch to play that role to perfection. Luckily for me, Arya, who is a good friend, was with me in this project. Hadn't Arya been with me, I would have felt the pressure more."

Vishal adds that their friendship has helped the final output. "When the comfort levels of the lead actors is good, it reflects on screen. That is what has happened in the case of Avan Ivan," says Vishal.

It would be a double Nan Kadavul, say those involved in making of the movie.