DUlquer ti share Lokah Profits with Crew / Lingusamy to Direct Composer Vidyasagar son

Producer Dulquer Salmaan is a very happy man. Unlike many other producers who believe they owe their team nothing after having paid their stipulated remunerations, Dulquer has decided to share the Lokah profits with his cast and crew.

Although Dulquer doesn’t want to tomtom his generosity, a source from the team informed this writer, “Dulquer was not able to pay any of the actors or technicians their market price. They all worked at a token remuneration, or for free, for the love of cinema and Dulquer, not necessarily in that order. Now it is time for Dulquer to share the profits with the entire team. He is not doing anyone a favour. He feels this is the way the business of cinema should work.”

At the success meet, Dulquer addressed long-standing criticism about how mainstream cinema often caters to the male gaze. Acknowledging this issue, he credits the film’s screenwriter, actor Santhy Balachandran, for bringing an authentic woman’s voice to the story. “Santhy, thank you for giving us a woman’s voice in this film,” he said. “We’re often told our films are written and shot through the male gaze. I don’t even want to use the word ‘female’ here… If there’s a woman superhero or superstar today, and we’ve represented her right, all the credit goes to Santhy B.”

Dulquer also reflects on the scale of the film’s success, admitting it was unlike anything he had experienced in his career so far. “We’re still trying to process what’s happening. For us, Lokah always felt like a very intimate film it almost came across like a big-budget indie. We had to bring Jakes Bejoy in to make it more commercial,” he explained. “I’ve acted in over 40 films, but I’ve never experienced this level of reception as a lead actor. Thank you to all the audiences for accepting Lokah.”

Harshavardhan, son of music composer Vidyasagar, is stepping into Tamil cinema as an actor.
He'll be launched by director Lingusamy, known for hits like Paiyaa.
This move has fans curious to see how Harshavardhan will shift from making music to taking on the big screen.

Harshavardhan joins ranks of Kollywood star kids

With this debut, Harshavardhan joins the list of star kids in Kollywood, following names like Vijay and Suriya.
He's already shown his musical talent with viral video songs and mash-ups of his dad's work.
Now, all eyes are on how he'll make his mark as an actor under Lingusamy's direction.

 

 

 

SK Producers rethink on Budgets / Remembering Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu

 As Madhraasi continues its slide and reaching Rs 100 crore within Tamil Nadu looks impossible. A big drop as Amaran was a Rs 300 cr club film. SK needs to understand that Amaran became a blockbuster not because of him. Excluding Amaran, his market is actually lesser than Dhanush. If Madharaasi fails to beat Kuberaa collections and Idly Kadai beats both Kuberaa and Madharaasi collections, then Dhanush will move to number 5 spot and SK will come down to number 6. SK’s budget range should be 60–80 crores just as Dhanush’s. He can’t move to 165 crores budget within a single blockbuster film. Hopefully Vinayak, VP and Cibi projects, the budgets are controlled.

19 years of Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu

 

We say that Vikram is a tribute by Lokesh a fanboy of Kamal . However the only film which one can call as the extraordinary fanboy sambhavam is Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu . . This came just one year after the flop of Mumbai Xpress (Highly underrated), and became one of the biggest modern sensations and comebacks for a Tier 1 star.

SO  much has been  said about the film’s gorgeous content and scene executions, but the  highlight is the beautifully natural work chemistry between director Goutham Menon and actor Kamal Haasan, which shaped the unforgettable scenes we see today.

The best example of this is the iconic Villain Base Infiltration Intro, where Kamal stares into the soul of the villain and asks, “En Kannu Venunnu Kettiya?”  This is really how a fanboy should actually treat his idol

The magical part of this sequence, beyond the execution and cracking performance, is that it was purely improvised. Kamal and GVM approached this film in a way where they discovered it together, scene by scene. And when it came to this particular moment, the entire crew was stunned by Kamal’s complete improv of both dialogues and mannerisms. You can even see the camera adjust at the last second to zoom in on Kamal’s eye.

Through classy direction, brilliant performances, outstanding songs, and- tying it all together- a rock solid script, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu stands as a timeless piece in the stellar decade of Tamil films.

This is one bloody movie which I envy as a Rajini fan! I need a movie like this with the Superstar in a suave detective role and a crime mystery thriller. Vettaiyan could have been that but it took a different path.

The latest buzz is that the Fahadh Faasil  will work with Prem Kumar, the Meiyazhagan director. 

The 96 director revealed his next film’s details in a recent interview. “I will be working on my next movie with Fahadh Faasil. It’s going to be a thrilling action flick, but it’ll still have that emotional depth I love. I told Fafa a story for 45 minutes, and he really enjoyed it. This is a straight-up Tamil movie, and they start shooting in January.” 

Prem Kumar’s Next Projects:

1.     An adventure survival drama with 9 characters.

2.     An action thriller starring Fahadh Faasil in the lead role.

3.     A film where the plot revolves around a love story but without a heroine.

 

 

 

Anumol tops voting after expose of Aryan's Celibacy Test : BB Malayalam

 Akhil Marrar winner of previous BB show told Anumol when he came as a guest- Stay rooted to your conviction. Anumol who levelled charges of co- contestants Aryan and Gizele kissing in the night in the dormitory and groping, continues to be leading in public voting as majority feel she was right  . Question asked is =Why Bogg Boss Malayalam Season 7 shying away from showing video clips to prove that nothing happened between Gizele and Aryan under the bed covers ?. An information that comes out is that Gizele was 23 years of age when she joined BB Hindi and it was 14 years back. She has falsified her date of birth as 1996 and it is in reality it is 1990. Anumol  stood by her charges that she saw with her own eyes was what she believed and was not willing to  retract from her charges. Mohanlal said that camera footage did not show anything and that one of the day she said she saw was the day she was making chappathi in the jail. Why not show this clip with date and time to prove Anumol is bluffing ?. Just as clips are shown to prove that contestants were in the wrong, BB cameras in the bedroom can show that the two contestants did not do hanky panky inside or outside. Also, the clip where the two Aryan and Gizele wake up and come out of the quilt was not shown but was seen by those who watched show at late 2 AM.

Anumol stood by her claim that from her bed she could see what was going on. Though Mohanlal ranted about how the show has  hit a low , he should have defended the duo sleeping in same bed and practicing celibacy, Aryan being a Modern Day Gandhi . Gandhi had married at 13, and taken a vow of celibacy when he was 38 and the father of four children.

Gandhiji's "celibacy tests" involved sleeping naked with his young grandnieces, Manu Gandhi and Abha Gandhi, to try and "test his conquest of sexual desire". These controversial experiments, occurring in his late 70s, were met with widespread disapproval from followers and colleagues who considered them a "terrible blunder" and ethically questionable.  

Details of the Experiments

• When: In late 1946 and early 1947, shortly before India's independence. 
• Who: Mahatma Gandhi, who had taken a vow of celibacy decades prior, and his grandnieces, Manu and Abha, in their late teens. 
• Purpose: Gandhi stated he wanted to further test his conquest of sexual desire and abstain from sex as part of his Brahmacharya (celibacy) experiment. 

 

KALYANI NEW LADY SUPERSTAR AS OTHERS FALL

 

 Heroine centric films like Lokah the Malayalam film and Ghatti the Telugu films and a rom com Param Sundari hit screens last week, out of this Lokah is a blockbuster and makes Kalyani a Superstar while Ghatti and Prem Sundari riding on high hype crashed. It has put a big question mark on Anushka’s pull at box office and Jhanvi Kapoor’s pull in Bollywood and questions about whether she will be able to continue the legacy of her Late Mom Sreedevi. Earlier Anupama Parameswaran made a bid with Purdah and it too sank.

The only woman Superstar in South was Vijay Shanthi and known for her action roles. After that many have come but had no staying power, Kannada saw Malashree and later in Malayalam it was Manju Warrier and most recently it was Nayanthara. All of them have fallen by the wayside. In contrast look at Trisha who still has asway over the audience especially in Tamil. However, her heroine centric films like The Road have crashed.

Nayanthara who took her Superstar title seriously had kept away from hero-oriented films and made appearances in a Thalaivar film or in a Mammooty-film. After her heroine centric films crashing, she has shifted track, her clout with OTT audience too declined and latest being TEST. Now latest is that she is now shaking a leg with Chiru. Ghatti did great business pre release but crashed post release despite having no big Names as opposition.

Though Kalyani has a BIG winner in Lokah , she has starred in a dud released on same day with Fahadh Faazil in the lead. Samantha was one who showed signs of lasting a heroine with draw but she too has fallen. Her sex appeal and her acting talents could have lasted but she over priced herself and made her a losing proposition. Among this take the case of Sai Pallavi. To a great extent Amaran – Thandel hits were possible by Sai’s performance and now she is in Ramayana as Sita.

anhvi has chosen roles that many might call risky, yet she has built a reputation as one of the strongest Bollywood debuts of recent times. She went on to appear in Zoya Akhtar’s Ghost Stories on OTT, receiving praise from both critics and fans. Later, her 2020 biopic Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl premiered directly on Netflix, gaining appreciation despite the lack of a theatrical release. Trade experts felt the film could have done even better in cinemas, but Netflix reportedly paid Rs 50 crore for rights, turning it into a profitable project. Janhvi’s performance also connected with a wide audience, proving her growing talent. She followed this with roles in Roohi, Good Luck Jerry, Mili, and Bawal with Varun Dhawan. In 2023, she also entered Telugu cinema with Devara: Part 1, starring opposite Jr NTR, marking her pan-India debut. Not every project has worked in her favour, like the 2024 film Ulajh. Still, Janhvi has focused on heroine-led stories. Her recent comedy-drama Param Sundari, with Sidharth Malhotra, grossed Rs 40 crore in its first week at theatres. Her upcoming film Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari with Varun Dhawan has already built hype with its trailer.

Mohanlal to play Saravana Bhavan Annachi / Conjuring beats Indian releases, Anirudh under Fire

 the Vettiayan director narrated his long-pending Dosa King project to Mohanlal, and the project may materialize this time.Suriya’s Jai Bhim, which was released on OTT, received huge acclaim, and the director, Gnanavel, made Vettaiyan with Rajinikanth, which emerged as a failure and did not get much positive response from the critics either.It is said that the film is based on the real-life story of Saravana Bhavan founder Rajagopal, who was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of murder. Mohanlal is on a high note in his career as he scores three back-to-back successes in 2025.

The term "Dosa King of Chennai" refers to P. Rajagopal, the founder of the globally renowned Saravana Bhavan restaurant chain, which specializes in South Indian cuisine, including dosas. Despite his culinary success, Rajagopal was convicted of murdering a former employee and died in 2019 while facing a life sentence for the crime. 

Unexpectedly, The Conjuring: Last Rites overshadowed all the releases this weekend, emerging as the audience’s first choice to watch. With more than 317K tickets sold in the last 24 hours on BookMyShow, this Hollywood horror film beat the rest in both word-of-mouth and sales. AR Murugadoss’ Madharaasi trailed behind with over 212K tickets sold in the same period.

The final installment of The Conjuring franchise was released in multiple languages, including Telugu, and earned around Rs. 21 crore on day 1, becoming the biggest opening day ever for a Hollywood horror film in India.

A Hollywood movie is leading the way, and it remains to be seen whether Indian films will outshine it today or in the coming days in terms of sales.

Anirudh test work for Madharaasi has received only average response. Fans feel that beyond the film’s own flaws, Anirudh’s music no longer sounds fresh or engaging. Once he could uplift even average films like Jailer with strong background scores, but now doubts are rising about his spark. The BGMs often feel repetitive, missing the creativity that defined his earlier style. Recent tracks have failed to go viral, except Monica from Coolie, which also faded quickly. Projects like Madharaasi, Coolie, Kingdom, Vidamuyaarchi, and Vettaiyan have been widely criticised as mediocre. Anirudh is now under pressure to bounce back. In the coming year, he has several big-ticket films lined up, including Pradeep Ranganathan’s Love Insurance Company, Vijay’s Jana Nayagan, Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2, Gautam Tinnanuri’s Magic, Nani’s Paradise, and Shah Rukh Khan’s King. These films will test his consistency.

Why Sridevi did not work in Baahubali ? / Aamir- Lokesh film shelved

 In an interview with Komal Nahta, Boney Kapoor blasted producer Shobu Yarlagadda of Baahubali over her claims that his deceased wife, Sridevi made unreasonable demands as a condition for signing S S Rajamouli’s two-part epic. Boney began by saying, “The film with Rajamouli, Baahubali, didn’t happen. But I still have a message sent by Rajamouli, stating that he was a fan of Sri as an actor but after interacting with her, his respect for her has increased manifold because of the inputs that she had given (for Baahubali).”

When asked why she didn’t work in the film, Boney Kapoor revealed, “It was a misunderstanding created by the damn producer. Rajamouli came home and we had a lengthy discussion. When the commercials were being talked about, he left the room. That producer offered her money which was less than what she got for English Vinglish (2012). My wife was not a struggling actor. By casting her, the producer would have got some advantage in the Hindi and Tamil speaking markets. If he was not going to respect that aspect, then why would she work in his film? I guess producer ne yeh cheez Rajamouli ko nahin batayi thi. Rajamouli was told that she demanded a full floor of the hotel, entourage etc. The only thing we had requested was to try and plan the big schedule when the children have holidays so that they can also attend.”

Boney Kapoor further said, “During English Vinglish’s outdoor shot, I paid for the hotel room and flight tickets of the kids. I used to stay in Sri’s suite as it had two bedrooms. So, these producers were the culprits who fed the wrong things to Rajamouli. I am a witness to it and I can say it to the producer’s face. In one of the interviews, Rajamouli said that she asked for a full floor of the hotel and an entourage. Aisa kuch nahin tha. If it were the case, why would D Ramanaidu work in 6 films with her? Why would K Raghavendra Rao work in more than 20 films with her? Why would Rakesh Roshan work with her in 3 films and Yash Chopra in 4? Would they have cast her repeatedly if she were unprofessional?”

Boney ended his answer by explaining, “There was no regret that it didn’t happen. But the way it didn’t happen was wrong. They could have said that they can’t afford to pay so much. The producer is related to K Raghavendra Rao. He told K Raghavendra Rao a different figure. He told him that he was offering a huge amount to Boney and yet we declined. It was a lie. I told K Raghavendra Rao, ‘They never offered this money’.”

Latest buzz from Bollywood is that Aamir Khan is not to do the film with Lokesh due to several reasons. Primarily, the portrayal of aamir in Coolie is not what the actor has expected. What was told to him and what came on screen was different. Aamir shot for 10 days and only a fractured version came on screen. It lead to many trolls from Aamir fans. Apart from this the bad vibes from Coolie has made  damaging effect. Apart from this Lokesh is now concentrating on the own production Benz and his debut as hero and then shift to Kaithi 2.

Madharaasi : Treat for action lovers and SK fans. For other’s ??

 Overall Madharaasi is an average action thriller which is better than many biggies in both Kollywood and Tollywood till now like Hari Hara Veera Mallu, Game Changer, Vidaamuyarchi, Thug Life, Coolie, Kingdom.

It is far better than ARM’s last 5 films (Akira, Spyder, Sarkar, Darbar and Sikandar).

But don’t expect a cracker of a film and go. You will be disappointed.

Negatives

• Second Half screenplay has many issues
• Story is pretty generic
• Love scenes are cringeworthy
• Songs except Vazhiyiren, Thanga Poove and Salambala are pretty mediocre. BGM is okay. Madharaasi is the worst album in Anirudh and SK combo when compared to other albums like Ethir Neechal, Maan Karate, Kaaki Sattai, Remo, Velaikaran, Doctor, Don.
• Lengthy film which is a major minus. Could have ejected out a few scenes
• Concept of that gun culture is good but execution wise a bit faltery.
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• Positives

  • Sivakarthikeyan’s performance - be it dance, fights, comedy and acting, he aces it all. He has transformed into a complete package of entertainment. He is doing good in all departments.
  • Sivakarthikeyan’s character arc is good
  • Rukmini Vasanth looks cute
  • Superbly choreographed fight scenes
  • Interval scene is as usual has the typical A.R.Murugadoss’ touch which is very good
  • Other characters like Shabeer, Biju Menon, Vikranth, Vidyuth Jamwal had done a very good job
  • Technically sound film with excellent cinematography, production values, making and editing
  • Screenplay in first half is engaging