Pa n o r a m a o f s o u t h c i n e m a Vol 1 issue 1 october 2009 rs.50 01 01 www.southscope.in siddharth’s intoxicating signature style i am a technique in myself -Balakrishna Why sizzler ileana’s story unfolded follow us on shraddha das will never do that? Panorama of south cinema Publisher Chief Executive Officer Executive Director Editor- in- Chief Assistant Editor Features Editor Features Writer Editorial Coordinators Tamil Nadu & Kerala Karnataka Mumbai Creative Director Visualiser Senior Graphic Designers Graphic Designers Production Head Creative Consultant Branding & Marketing Director Marketing Managers Moorthy Sreenivasulu Allu Sirish Ramakanth T Vanaja Banagiri Mona Ramavat Karthik Pasupulate Vrinda Prasad Sridevi Sreedhar Aravind G Anil Merani Raj Shekar B Jaya Prakash K P Suresh K Palvai, Suresh CH Ravi Kumar K V, Vamshi Vulavapati Krishna P Priya Gazdar Ayyar S, [email protected] Tvishi Zaveri, [email protected] Raja Reddy M, [email protected] Saroj Kumar Biswal, [email protected] Raghu Kumar Gorthy, [email protected] Sanjay Kumar S, [email protected] Mohan Manoharan, [email protected] Ravanam Swaminaidu Vishnuvardhan Induri, Radhakrishna G [email protected] or SMS SCOPE to 56263 [email protected] Circulation National Manager Deputy Manager Regional Manager (Chennai) Consultant- Distribution Board of Advisors Subscriptions: Enquiries: www.southscope.in Southscope takes no responsibility for unsolicited photographs or material. ALL PHOTOGRAPHS, UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED, ARE USED FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY Registered Office: #202, Shiva Sai Sannidhi, Dwarakapuri Colony, Punjagutta, Hyderabad 500 034. All rights reserved. Reproducing in any manner without permission prohibited. PuBliSHED FOR tHE MONtH OF OCtOBER 2009 Edited, Printed, Published and owned by Moorthy Sreenivasulu Printed at Kalajyothi Process Pvt. ltd, 1-1-60/5, RtC X Roads, Hyderabad – 500 020. Published at 202, Shiva Sai Sannidhi, Dwarakapuri Colony, Panjagutta, Hyderabad 500034, A.P. Editor : Moorthy Sreenivasulu Letter from the PubLisher Cinema is probably the first love for millions of Indians. But love for cinema assumes gargantuan proportions in the south of India. Cinema is a way of life for us, a religion almost. Hand painted cutouts of the superstars going up to 100 feet are a part of the landscape down south. Talk about hero worship! Obviously, in a land that is obsessed with cinema, the business of movie making has no choice but to thrive. But why is it that an industry which produces more than half of the 1000 films that hit Indian screens in a year not so much in the public eye? When the bulk of gross filmed entertainment revenues – 50% - is garnered by the South Indian film industry, and 60% of the country’s cinema houses are in South India even if only 22% of India’s population lives here, why is the South Indian film industry not so written about? With enormous talent, path breaking ideas, hallmark discipline and sophisticated technology on its side, the south Indian film industry is in a state of eternal bloom. It’s only befitting that its story is taken to the world in a manner as zippy as its nature. The highpoint of our achievements came in the form of Oscar awards. When AR Rahman, the music maestro and Resul Pookutty, the editing genius walked the red carpet at the Academy Awards, the entire world saluted Indian talent and creativity. It took two south Indians to bring home the much coveted Oscar that remained elusive for generations despite several films being nominated in the past. On the homeground, south films and south actors swept the national awards last month. With accolades pouring in from all quarters, it’s high time we dedicate a magazine that holds a mirror to south cinema. So here’s presenting southscope. An English-language monthly, focusing on the happening Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada film industries primarily. Pages will, of course, also be dedicated to the Bollywood, Hollywood, regional cinema and world cinema. With a subtle seductive presentation style, a young and contemporary look, smart and informative content, southscope aims to be a first-off-the-shelf pick. southscope will be made widely available at all Indian stands and in USA, Malaysia, Far East, Middle East and Europe to cater to the vast diaspora of Indians there. I would like to extend thanks to the people whose long hours and hard work, and frenetic pace, have made this project possible. The raring-to-go editorial team, the explodingwith-ideas design team, my dream editor and very many others behind the scenes. Ultimately what matters most is your long lasting relationship with southscope. southscope will continue to evolve, recreate and redefine itself in tune with your expectations. Hope you’ll enjoy the read. All comments and suggestions are welcome. best Moorthy Sreenivasulu Publisher VOL01 ISSUE01 OCTOBER 2009 CONTENTS exclusive 36 Back Stage Get set to meet Ravindra, the hot shot art director pAnoRAMA oF south cineMA 44 Rajadhiraja 4444 The importance of being Balakrishna 5656 Shooting Star Pooja Gandhi - The hit machine of Kannada cinema FeAtuRes 14 31 58 Stars on Facebook and Twitter The highs & lows of small budget films The DNA of a blockbuster 26 Model: ILEANA coveR pictuRe: RAMAKANTH T MAkeup: MAdHU hAiR: SUNITA styling: SAMIRA d’CRUz pRoduction designeR: dIVyA UdAy 4466 4444 FundA 13 17 Junk Mail Telugu Tinsel, Kannada Capers Screen Test Who’s doing what, where? 3388 3388 21 22 34 62 63 66 69 70 Launch pad for aspiring actors 2222 Loading… Please wait Films in the making Hi 5 with Krishnudu Kaleidoscope Bioscope Film reviews Events, parties etc... 5588 Star Affair Horoscope Sing Along Flashback Karaoke of hit songs Nostalgia revisited – The timeless magic of Mayabazaar CONTENTS centRe stAge 46 Up close and personal with Ileana D’cruz Pa n o r a m a o f s o u t h c i n e m a Vol 1 issue 1 october 2009 rs.50 01 01 www.southscope.in Prabhudeva on Wanted, nayanthara & that special someone the other side of MuMaith Khan Suriya vS vijay ClaSh of the titanS South SWeePS national aWardS gAlleRiA 26 38 Siddharth’s Signature Style Siddharth ++ THIS MONTH ON SOUTHSCOPE.IN e-MAgAzine sep ‘09 VIEW READ DOWNLOAD Shraddha Das Sizzler Shraddha Das’s tryst with the couch pRoFile 54 Prabhas’s powerful formula VIEW READ DOWNLOAD e-MAgAzine oct ‘09 6969 FUNdA 13 10 : 09 RIDE ON THE SIDE You’ve seen them, you love them, you can’t imagine growing up without them… Now here’s what you didn’t know about them! legendary director k viswanath’s swathi Muthyam was India’s official entry to the Oscars in 1986. It was the first Telugu film and only second south Indian film to have represented India in the prestigious competition. No other Telugu film has ever been chosen to represent India at the Oscars. Jayamalini is famous for her salacious item numbers and vamp roles. There was a time when there would not be a film without a Jayamalini number. She went on to feature in over 500 Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi movies. We all know about the acting caliber of the late actress Savitri. Her humanitarian side is less discussed. Savitri happened to meet the former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and came back having donated all the jewelry she was wearing for the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. That’s what you call a heart of gold! Mohan Babu has won many honours both as an actor and a politician. But few people know that he was made the Deputy Member for the International Parliament for Safety and peace, u.s.A in due recognition in his achievements in the field of Education. International Parliament for Safety and Peace, is an international organization whose stated intention is the promotion of world safety and peace. Darshan is the only kannada actor to own the fuel-guzzling Hummer vehicle. The star hardly uses it these days though, because of its poor fuel economy. Ramya is a book worm. She has a huge collection of books, especially short stories and novels, at home. oct 09 1313 kAnnAdA telugu FEATURES Have an account? sign in Join the converstion IS yOUR FACE ON THE BOOK, TwEETy? search sign up now If stars don’t exist in the cyber world, they haven’t arrived in life discovers Vrinda Prasad Ram Gopal Varma Lakshmi Manchu Mallika Sherawat Meher Ramesh Mickey J Meyer Reema Sen Puri Jagannath Nayanthara Shriya Saran dhanush Katrina Kaif Uday Chopra Satish Kasetty Amrita Rao Priyanka Chopra Lakshmi Manchu loved Inglorious Bastards, Raja is on a trip, Krishna Vamsi is busy with his work, Suhani Kailta is depressed, Ram Gopal Varma says, “The point of Life is tht thrs no point to it. So it’s better to live it point by point and point to point.” Celina Jaitley is watching Balika Vadhu and has become a TV soap addict while Uday Chopra says “I am setting up my new MacBook Pro unibody and 24” cinema display, life couldn’t be better!!!...I love my mac, proud to be a geek;” Aarthi Agarwal is out of town with friends and badly needs this break. Mallika Sherawat is over the moon because “Gosh! Ram Gopal Varma called me the Marilyn Monroe of the east… blush blush.” No we’re not gossiping for the heck of it, neither have we made typographic errors. these are quotes straight from the stars’ mouths. That’s not all. We managed to get them all in 10 minutes precisely. Far fetched? Would have been a few years ago. But in this era of social networking in the cyber world, it’s free for all if not on the Facebook, then Twitter.