2010 ~ Telugu Cinema

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Mahesh babu's profile

12:04 AM అ.నా.రా 1 comment

Prince Mahesh Babu Profile

Name: Mahesh Babu
Birth Name: Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu
Nick name: Naani, Prince, Navataram Superstar
Profession: Actor
Date of Birth: 9 August 1974
Birth Place: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Height: 6' 2" (1.88 m)
Zodiac sign:Leo
Nationality:Indian
Eye colour: Brown
Hair colour: Light brown
Mother Tongue: Telugu
Religion: Hindu

shruti hasan in south scope vol 1

11:58 PM అ.నా.రా No comments

shruti hasan in south scope vol 1

rockin' on a roll!

She does stunts that action heroes would proudly put on their resumes but sizzles in a bikini too, is not the usual star kid, is not the usual girl! Shruti Hassan in an exclusive conversation with Mona Ramavat and Anil Merani
Luck surely favors the brave.

Jumping off burning trains, dangerous stunts and no body doubles, a stunning debut packed with adrenaline. Add to it oomph, determination and defiance. Luck has indeed favored the brave and the beautiful Shruti Hassan! Versatile. Singer, actor, music maker... Bollywood's latest offering makes a rather unconventional beginning on the silver screen.

"But I honestly don't know how to define unconventional," confesses a mildly bemused Shruti. We get the impression she's been told this by way too many people that she's playing a `different' sort of role in her first film. More so because she was all set to do a Tamil film with Madhavan that never took off. "Aren't most debutante actors these days making unconventional beginnings? The perfect formula of romance, comedy and drama to launch a new actor has really changed over the years. The only thing that mattered to me was that my role in Luck fitted with what I was excited to do and I took it up.

It's as simple as that."

Simple? She's got to be joking. In the scene where the entire cast had to jump off a train on fire, Shruti not only sent the body double away but also motivated Mithun da to do it! "Imran singed his eye lashes and I ended up with the kind of nicks and cuts that my dad really thought I've been in a duel with a mountain lion! But it was the most exciting thing I've ever done," she recalls.

Talk to her about southern cinema and it's like catching her at home. "I would be very happy doing southern films sometime in the future. Especially in Tamil." And Hollywood? "Well, why not?

These days the world is so globalized that Hollywood doesn't seem as far fetched as it was a few years ago." Truly global as she is, Shruti is also quite grounded in her Tamil roots. "Growing up in Chennai has been a blessing. Chennai is a culturally rooted city where learning is of utmost importance with discipline and this has been of great value for me. Also there are so many talented musicians I've met there who have helped widen my musical perspectives. I'm very proud of being a Tamil girl."

And Daddy's girl too. "You bet! What I've emulated the most from him is his sense of commitment and living life on your own terms. He's always made me realise that I owe answers only to myself and nobody else."

We also hear he's the only man in her life at the moment. She's got a tattoo somewhere between the nape and shoulder blade, but it's no proclamation of undying love for a man here. It's her own name in Tamil.

From love we move to attachments. And here comes, Akshara, Shruti's younger sister who's a Ballroom Latin dancer.

"Guess what, she's younger and yet she keeps throwing dance moves at me and I have no choice but to learn them!" We went on to ask (hesitantly though) about how her parents' divorce has affected her and expected awkward pauses. Instead, we heard Shruti say this: "My parents' divorce didn't impact me much. I'm still what I have always been.

Their separation was their choice. My choices impact me the most," she smiles that infectious smile.

victory venkatesh in south scope vol 1 sep 2009

11:56 PM అ.నా.రా 1 comment

victory venkatesh in south scope vol 1 sep 2009

Angry man, crazy man, family man... Karthik Pasupulate revisits the many faces of Venkatesh He is probably the least celebrated of the famous quartet of Telugu superstars that ruled for over two decades. The name Venkatesh might not evoke the same frenzy as a Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna or a Nagarjuna, but with seven Nandi awards, four Filmfare awards besides a host of other such honours, he clearly has a way with the audiences.

Down south, people have a proclivity for hyperbole. It is a tendency that is reflected in titles we bestow upon our reigning film stars.

Honorifics like Vishwavikhyatha natasaravabhauma NTR, Natasamrat ANR, Nata Bhushana Sobhan Babu, Rebel Star Krishnam Raju, Megastar Chiranjeevi, Collection King Mohan Babu, Yuvasamrat Nagarjuna, Yuvaratna Balakrishna... give a glimpse of our penchant for the superlative. Victory Venkatesh then seems like a pretty toned down expression of that kind of worship.

Perhaps Venky would not have it any other way. The deeply spiritual person that he is, he might just say what's in a name? He is the sort of guy who would rather let his work do all the talking. His caliber as an actor was never in doubt. His mature debut as the south's very own angry young man in K Raghavernder Rao's Kaliyuga Pandavulu won him many accolades. The Nandi award for the best newcomer only confirmed what was already known. However, it was K Vishwanath's Swarnakamalam that truly established Venkatesh as someone not to be taken lightly.

In fact, Venky went on to win the prestigious Nandi Award three times in the first four years of his career.

The law of averages soon caught up with Venky, with a slew of unsuccessful films. But it was only a matter of time before he got it right with the jungle adventure Bobbili Raja. It was also the debut film of late teen sensation Divya Bharati. Bobbili Raja rocked the box office, and Venky was back in business.

The film's success marked the beginning of a very special phase in his career. His films Coolie No1 and, Surya IPS were big hits. Then came the Ramgopal Varma-directed Kshana Kshanam.

Among other things, Kshana Kshanam was a revelation of Venkatesh's flair for jest.

Not one to be tied down to an image, Venkatesh has constantly reinvented himself over the years. Another great year was 1992. It was the year Chanti released. It proved to be one of the biggest hits of the year, and was even dubbed in Hindi as the Karisma Kapoor starrer Anari. Venkatesh's touching portrayal of a slightly demented man won him much critical acclaim as well.

It was around this time that he started experimenting with familyoriented films like Chinnarayudu.

His impeccable comic timing came to the fore. Such was the success of these films that it also earned him the sobriquet of being the family hero.

Not so flattering for his angry young man days but Venky had come a long way since then. Be it with action films like Gharshana, Lakshmi and Tulasi or family entertainers like Kalasiundam Raa, Pelli Chesukundam Raa, Malleswari, Aadavari Matalaku Ardhale Verule, Venkatesh broke stereotypes and created quite a stir. Not bad for a foreign-returned MBA who wanted to get into film production, we'd say.

Allu Arjun south scope vol 1 September 2009

11:55 PM అ.నా.రా No comments

Allu Arjun south scope vol 1 September 2009

And the winner is ... And the winner is ... And the winner is ...

Allu Arjun has arrived and how! Karthik Pasupulate caught up with him soon after Arjun took the most coveted black lady home

The best thing about appreciation is that it makes what is exceptional about an individual belong to everybody. Try comforting a nominee, who's lost out the best actor statuette to a competitor, with that logic. You'd be lucky if you get away with just a mouthful! Because when it comes to the movie awards it does not get bigger than the Filmfare Awards and here, the winner takes it all. Allu Arjun did just that when he was adjudged best actor for Parugu.

Well deserved, one would think, after him being in the contention a fair few times over the last six years. A quick take on what it's like to take home the most coveted black lady in showbiz... Winning stroke Interestingly, though Allu Arjun's performance in Parugu was well-appreciated, he was not the favourite to win the title. And the actor is candid enough to admit it. "You do not expect to win awards. I am kind of used to the feeling of attending award ceremonies as a nominee.

But I had that fleeting sensation when I saw Charan smiling as he was getting ready to announce the winner. But I could not stop blushing once my name was announced," says Arjun. But he is only too happy to share the credit in his moment of glory. "The credit must go to the director, really.The idea of the film was his, after all," he says.

Greedy for more So, now that the monkey is finally off his back he must be breathing a lot easier. We wonder if that would put extra pressure to live up to those lofty expectations. "For the record, it certainly completes me as an actor. It's the sort of thing that will look nice in biographies," he says laughing. "But it really does not change anything else. When you are signing a film you go for it based on a gut feel and then travel on that hope. But yes it has made me greedier for more," he confesses.

Miles to go But `Bunny', as he is fondly called, has his plate full at the moment. Having almost completed shooting for the sequel to Arya, he is currently shooting for two more films.

"I am very excited about Vedam. I have a very interesting role in it. The film is a story about five people. Something like this has never been attempted earlier in Telugu cinema. Besides, I have just begun shooting for an untitled film by Gunasekhar," he reveals.

That looks like a tight schedule. So, what's the motivation behind this new found multitasking? "I realised if I keep working on just one film a year I would have just worked on 10 films in 10 years. I want to be seen more often and try my hand at a variety of roles,"

he shares. Now, isn't that reason enough for Arjun's fans to rejoice?

> As good as it gets "It is overwhelming. This is the first time I am winning a best actor award in my career. I have had to wait six years for this, so it is very satisfying," beams an excited Arjun. One would have thought his portrayal of the annoying lover in Arya deserved an award. "It would be unfair to compare the two performances. I'd say both are on par. On a number scale I'd give both the performances 3.75 out of 5," he decides.