Itsy bitsy

AJITH KUMAR

Ajith's 50th film, Mammooty and Arjun coming together for Vande Mataram, Suresh entering Tamil tinseltown and Charles explains about Nanjupuram.

The magic number

So, you thought Ajith Kumar is disillusioned with the film world, and is pursuing his other passion - motor racing. Clarifies Ajith, who has signed up for one season of F2 racing: “My 50th film is for Cloud 9 (Dayanidhi Alagiri and Ratnavel), to be directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. Since Gautham wanted some more time to complete the story and scripting, I decided to indulge in my passion.” He wants his 50th film to be “a win-win situation for all involved in the film”. Incidentally, after his last outing in F3, Ajith gave two hits Varalaru and Billa.

Kollywood ahoy!

Yesteryear heroines Radha and Ambika's brother Suresh is the latest to enter Tamil tinseltown. Says Suresh: “Way back in 1997, I did my first Telugu film Paradesi, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. Later, I left for the U.S. to study film acting, and worked there for about eight years. After I returned, I acted in the remake of M.T. Vasudeva Menon's Neela Thamara, directed by Lal Jose.” Now, Suresh is acting in Perarasu's Tiruthani, starring Bharath. With three more Malayalam films in hand, including Red Friday, directed by director Bharathan's associate Majith, Suresh is happy he's done different characters so far. And, right now, he's set his eyes on Kollywood, where his sisters once ruled!

National relevance

Malayalam superstar Mammooty and our own action hero Arjun come together for Vande Mataram, produced and written by Henry, and directed by T. Aravind. Says Henry: “While the name was cleared for Malayalam, it took a while for Tamil. The film is ready for an April release. The story revolves around farmers' plight, and has national relevance. Mammooty and Arjun play police officers, with Sneha in a crucial role as Mammooty's wife.”

Town of snakes

Nanjupuram is a fictional village where snakes are more feared than worshipped. Of course, the film's hero Raghavan is not scared. But, due to circumstances, he develops fear too, and this affects his life, and his love interest Monica. “Nanjupuram draws a parallel between caste domination and snake poison — both dangerous,” says director Charles. “We shot with a lot of real snakes, many of them poisonous. But, it was a breeze for the film crew. Raghavan has also scored six songs for the film,” says Charles.

Keywords: Ajith's, Mammooty, Arjun, Vande Mataram, Suresh, Charles, Nanjupura
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