Simhaa to Play a North Madras Guy in Veera
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ITA BACKBEAT A chat with A prisoner Kala role for Nilayam Kishore, Chandru next Pg3 SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015 I ADVERTORIAL, ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY PROMOTIONAL FEATURE I CHENNAI Pg18 Volume 8 Issue 188 Free with TOI & STOI Praveen Tyagarajan I wouldn’t want to go to an institute headed by Gajendra Chauhan [email protected] had Gulzar Saheb as the lyricist as I was SIMHAA TO PLAY his disciple. The costume designer was hough he is of royal lineage, film- from Chennai and Raju Sundaram had maker Shivendra Singh Dungar- choreographed one of the songs. And of Tpur would rather not draw atten- course, there was Rahman. But people in tion to it because, he insists, he carries no Bombay questioned my decision to have vestige of his regal trappings. His passion him on board. Many argued that if A NORTH MADRAS lies in preserving and restoring films, and Ilaiyaraaja hadn’t quite succeeded in he exhorts filmmakers to look at cinema Bombay, what were the odds that a new- as an art form rather than just mass comer would? Remember this was in entertainment. We caught up with him 1993, and Rahman hadn’t quite arrived on on his recent visit to Chennai, where he the national scene yet. People asked me if shot for his film on Indian cinema, com- Rahman would record in the night. It was GUY IN VEERA missioned by the Busan International only while he was doing my film that Film Festival... Rahman shot into fame and became a Martin Scorsese did it for me… sensation. Predictably,people who’d earli- The work I do to preserve and restore er doubted my decision started hound- films stems from my innate love for films. ing me to get him for their ventures. In a way,I do what Martin Scorsese, thro- Though the film, tentatively titled ugh his Film Foundation, has been doing Iqtefaq, was never completed, Rahman for years to ensure that future genera- had assured me that he’d be work with tions have access to all the old masters of me whenever I decided to make a film. filmmaking. I watch the films of the old My family wasn’t happy at all about masters and I realise they were far more me doing films... experimental in the early years than If anything, while royalty in India were what we are today.Where do people learn great patrons of art and culture, and they filmmaking from? From watching old promoted heritage and felt for it, they did films. Remember in filmmaking what we not recognise films as an art form or even think is new is never new. I find the old a component of heritage. When I told my films, I dig into heritage, and I want to Shivendra Singh Dungarpur father I was going to Bombay, he didn’t bring it alive for future filmmakers. It’s talk to me. He simply looked the other important for them to be able to go back way.Now,he’s proud of my work towards into the past. They may not always love Film Festival I’m going to feature inter- Rajalakshmi’s relatives. She was Tamil preservation and restoration of heritage, what they see, but it’s important they pretations of my discoveries in Indian Nadu’s first woman director and actress, but he’s not interested in the films I know about it. So, I am a filmmaker,who’s cinema, namely Tamil, Hindi, and and she was a Brahmin. And in those make. I must have made over 500 com- also an archivist. Bengali cinema. Since my passion lies in days this mattered a lot. Way back in 1931, mercials, but when I tell dad to look at an The high point of my Chennai visit was the past, my film will talk in an interest- she acted in Kalidas. ad that I’ve made, he smiles at me and visiting TP Rajalakshmi family… ing manner about filmmakers we have Rahman signed his first Hindi film with doesn’t bother to watch the ad. The only What I really want to do is to make a 10- forgotten and whose work too probably me… film he’s seen is Gandhi. hour-long film, in volumes, on Indian cin- doesn’t exist anymore. The highlight of AR Rahman was the music director of CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 ema. But for the Busan International my Chennai visit was meeting TP my first film that finally never got made. I Pooja Jhaveri roped in for GV Prakash to act Bobby Simhaa Prabhu Solomon’s film in a film titled after [email protected] a localite. Veera is a political satire, underlined with subtle humour. We Vadivelu’s character obby Simhaa already has an will start shooting this film in action film with director September. We’ve decided to have BVijay Vaanan; he’s also in the locations in and around Chennai as [email protected] process of completing Ko 2. and now, the predominant backdrop for the in the midst of that, he’s has signed film.” ooks like GV Prakash is on a signing spree, es- his next film, titled Veera. Bobby About the rest of the cast, he says, pecially when it comes to acting projects. He plays a north Madras guy in the film. “Iswarya Menon, who was last seen Lcurrently has Trisha Illana Nayanthara ready Veera, to be directed by ad-film- in the Kannada film, Namo for release and will soon start shooting for Ketta maker Rajaraman, is a Elred Kumar Bhootatma (a remake of Tamil film Paiyanda Karthi, whose script has been written by production. Says Rajaraman, “The Yaamirukka Bayamey), has been Vetri Maaran, and the comedy thriller Bruce Lee, di- film is set against a north Madras roped in as the female lead. Others rected by Pandiraj’s assistant, Prashanth. Now, the backdrop, and Bobby will be playing are yet to be finalised.” composer-turned-actor will be acting in a film that GV Prakash will see him teaming up once again with his debut film Darling’s director, Sam Anton. Says GV,“Sam and I will be working together on a film tentatively titled Kaipulla. As the title implies (taking after the hugely popular character name of Vadivelu in Winner), the film will be a comedy. 1D to shoot video at NASA Pooja Jhaveri Gnanavel Raja is the producer.”He adds that he will be shooting for the film simultaneously with ne Direction will shoot Prashanth’s film, which is expected to kick-start by a music video for their October.He will also be composing the music for all O record-breaking single [email protected] the three films. Drag Me Down, which they released last week at the hanush is currently shooting for Prabhu Solomon’s next NASA Space Center in film, for which a special set of a train has been erected in Houston, Texas, USA. While Dthe city.While it has been confirmed that Keerthi Suresh not much is known about the is playing the female lead, the buzz now is that Telugu actress video as of now, it is speculat- Pooja Jhaveri has also joined the cast; she has, in fact, also start- ed that it will have an inter- ed shooting for her portions for this as yet untitled film. galactic theme. The video will Prabhu Solomon confirms, “Yes, she is part of this film. She is be directed by Ben Winston, playing an important character.”Meanwhile, Pooja has also been who worked with Harry Styl- approached to play the female lead in Atharvaa’s upcoming film es, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Pa- to be directed by Rajamohan. The director has narrated the script yne and Niall Horan for their and she has agreed to be part of it, but she is yet to sign on the dot- hit video Best Song Ever. ted line. This a film with a rural theme, and she will be playing a Agencies Niall Horan of 1D at the NASA village belle. Pics: Praveen Tyagarajan A WALK THROUGH OLD MARKET STREETS OF MADRAS [email protected] MOORE MARKET/LILY POND adras, with its teeming marketplaces, COMPLEX flower marts and wholesale vendors, has KNOWN FOR: BOOKS, MAGAZINES, PETS AND Malways attracted buyers from the rest of ANTIQUE COLLECTION the country.There is a place for everything — the Looking for second-hand books or magazines? silks, the kanakambaram flowers, the coffee, the Located right along the Central Station is this histori- antiques — quite unlike the modern day Chennai, cal complex – fully functional since 1900, when it was where the shopping most often than not, starts named after Sir George Moore. Even though some and ends in a mall. But before this, the temples parts of the building have been taken over by the gov- lanes, areas around the local stations and bus ter- ernment, this flea market of sorts is the place to buy minals, and other places in the city that even rare collectibles, too, as there are antique stores sell- today boast of colonial architecture, blossomed as ing peengan, old coins and other items that one can markets — the crowded Parry’s Corner, no longer see in the households. Not to miss pets like Koyembedu, Moore Market, and more… Here are love birds, rabbits, and different varieties of fish, some of the oldest markets and shopping streets among others. And all this at killer deals… in the city that still remain a shopper’s delight… BURMA BAZAAR KNOWN FOR: CDS & DVDS, IMPORTED CHOCOLATES, PERFUMES, MOBILE PHONES KOYEMBEDU AND PARRY’S CORNER Skirting the Central Station is the Burma Bazaar, set up in the 1960s by KNOWN FOR: FLOWER BAZAAR Burmese refugees.