Dhanush's elaborate thanksgiving message for 'VIP 100'

Known for pulling off the boy-next-door roles in a most convincing way, Dhanush came out with one of the biggest blockbuster movies this year - 'Velai Illa Pattathari' (VIP). This film crossed 100 days in theatres yesterday, as reported earlier. VIP, starring Dhanush and Amala Paul is produced by Dhanush’s own production firm 'Wunderbar Films'.

With a debutant director R.Velraj, VIP is a very special film for Dhanush as it marks the 25^th film in his career. The actor has posted a sweet, extensive thanksgiving message in his official Facebook page

My sincere and humble thanks to cinema fans,MY fans and GOD for making this film a humongous blockbuster.

 

My sincere thanks 2 Samuthrakani sir,Saranya madam,Subramaniam siva,vignesh Shivan,Bhaskar n Amala 4 deir tremendous hard work n support

 

I thank Velraj and Anirudh for their amazing work.

 

I thank escape artist Madan for their great support and positivity.

 

My sincere thanks to all the press and media for supporting vip and me. Also for acknowledging vip as a genuine blockbuster

 

Sincere thanks to Vivek to have believed in me. Also thank surabhi,Hrishi and Amitash for bringing in more positivity

 

I thank my wife Aishwarya for all the understanding and providing me a peaceful home.

 

And finally I thank my MOM and DAD for constantly praying for me and protecting me. Love you all

We wish him good luck for his upcoming movie Anegan.

Ajith's co-star returns after 8 years, for Mani Ratnam

Actress Kanika who has last seen in Tamil opposite Thala Ajith in 2006's blockbuster Varalaru, is now on the comeback trail. If an on-location still is anything to go by, she is a part of Mani Ratnam's upcoming romance flick 'Okay Kanmani' starring Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen in the lead roles.

 

Kanika has been quite busy in the Malayalam industry all along and has also rendered her services as a dubbing artiste in major hit movies like Sivaji and Anniyan. 'Okay Kanmani' should hopefully lead to a good comeback for her in the Tamil industry.

Karthik begins with Anegan

Twitter is a common platform for celebrities to connect to their fans. Another entry into this circle is yesteryear actor Karthik. He joined Twitter yesterday and overnight he has more than 2K followers. The actor is known for having given some memorable films like Agni Natchathiram, Kizhakku Vasal, Ponnumani etc.

Karthik's upcoming movie is Anegan starring Dhanush, Amyra Dastur in lead roles. This movie is produced by AGS Entertainment and directed by KV Anand. The new joinee tweeted about Anegan saying Hi Friends, We complete Dubbing for Anegan on Monday. I know you will wish us well and enjoy the Film. Great team work! It’s All Dir KV Anand Ji's Film.

Sources say that Anegan will be released by the end of November. We need to wait for further updates about the movie in this space.

Vikram rides along with Shahrukh Khan

With grandiose production, a high profile star cast, exorbitant budget and a talented crew the movie 'I' is seen as the most awaited film of the year. Produced by Aascar Films and directed by Shankar, 'I' is said to be in par with excellence. The film saw a grand audio release on 15^thSeptember and is expected to release in the coming months, though there is nothing official about the release date yet. Meanwhile, the teaser continues to attract the attention of one and all.

The film’s look and feel is the talk of the ‘world’ now. Aascar films tweeted saying “I Teaser with Subtitles is now playing in theaters screening Happy New Year in North America”. This move is bound to give 'I' increased reach and exposure, as Happy New Year is a big-ticket film with big stars, and is a much-awaited movie all over the world.

Happy New Year meanwhile is busy breaking records - left, right and centre. Watch this space for more on 'I' and 'HNY'.

Kaththi is now Vijay's highest .. All-time Top 5 next?

We have been reporting about Ilayathalapathy Vijay - AR Murugadoss' Kaththi's business details from across the world. The latest we have is from the United States of America (US). Reportedly, Kaththi has grossed a massiveUSD 511,252, which approximately translates to 3.1 crores, as of Saturday.

Till date, only Rajini and Kamal's films have grossed more than 500K USD, and this is indeed a big breakthrough for Vijay. Kaththi is now his highest grosser in the US, and is the No.2 this year after Kochadaiiyaan.

 

With good reviews and popular word of mouth, the movie is expected to gather much more in the coming days and enter the all-time Top 5 for Tamil films in the US.

 

Stay tuned for more and the all important Chennai box-office update.

The rise of the ‘Selfie Pulla’ – Top 10 Songs

Behindwoods brings you the Top 10 songs of the week (Oct 18^th - Oct 24^th).

The ratings are based on Aircheck performance of the songs.

 1. Mersalaayitten - I (A.R.Rahman)

 2. Selfie Pulla - Kaththi (Anirudh)

 3. Naan Nee - Madras (Santhosh Narayanan)

 4. Aathi - Kaththi (Anirudh)

 5. Aathangara Orathil - Yaan (Harris Jayaraj)

 6. Agayam Theepiditha - Madras (Santhosh Narayanan)

 7. Ippadiye - Poojai (Yuvan Shankar Raja)

 8. Oruthi Mele - Jeeva (D Imman)

 9. Verarum - Poojai (Yuvan Shankar Raja)

10. Pookkalae Sattru Oyivedungal - I (A.R.Rahman)

Cinematographer Ashok Kumar passes away

One of India’s eminent cinematographers Ashok Kumar breathed his last yesterday, the 22^ndOctober at his residence after being in the hospital for more than six months.

Ashok Kumar had worked as a cinematographer in many films in different languages. In Tamil he was known for his work in Nenjathai Killadhe, Johnny, Vetri Vizha, Kai Kodukkum Kai, Mannan and Shankar’s Jeans to name a few. He won his national award for cinematography for Mahendran’s Nenjathai Killadhae. He also wielded the directorial baton in Andru Peiydha Mazhaiyil which won awards. He had been associated with many luminaries in the industry and was well known for his stylized visuals.  

Behindwoods grieves for the departed soul and offers its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. May the soul of Ashok Kumar rest in peace! 

A R Rahman's Sangeetha Iyakkam!

When it comes to director Vasantha Balan, one can be assured that his detailing would be splendid. The subjects that he chooses for his films are extraordinary from Veyil to Angadi Theru to Aravaan and they are definitely not the run-of-the-mill types.

His upcoming Kaaviyathalaivan is about the theatre artists of yore and the recently released trailer just reiterated the director’s potential to stand out tall among the crop. The film’s music scored by A R Rahman is already much spoken about and the trailer opens with the ‘Vaanga Makka Vaanga’ lines welcoming the audience into a different world.

The happenings in the theatre scenario of old times and the clash apparently between two ruling artists appear curiosity inducing. There is also romance, humor, action amidst a freedom struggle milieu upped by the colorful visual extravaganza of Nirav Shah.

The trailer gives a cue of what to expect and the interestingly worded credits is a minor example. Mind you, its only Sambhashanai (Jeyamohan) and Sangeetha Iyakkam ( A R Rahman) and not just dialogues and music!

A very different Siddharth, Prithviraj, Vedhika, Nasser, Ponvannan, Singam Puli and other artists!  It absoultely appears like a special and refreshing cinematic experience from Vasantha Balan and we are waiting!

Vijay says, “Your respect for yourself is a sign of your respect for me”

It has become a ritual of sorts to do Paal Abishegam to the cut outs of favorite stars during the release of a film by fans. An Ilayathalapathy fan Unnikrishan did the same in Palakkad after seeing the film Kaththi yesterday and as fate would have it, he fell down from the cut out and died.

On hearing this, a visibly upset Vijay has sent a note that reads

Sir,

I deeply mourn and extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of  Sri.Unnikrishnan from Vadakkanchery, who lost his life during the celebrations yesterday.

The loss of my loved one is irrecoverable and will remain in my heart forever.

I humbly request all fans to show your support in ways that do not endanger your life and the lives of those around you, especially during celebrations and festivals like Deepawali.

Kindly take adequate safety and security measures, otherwise these kind of incidents gives unbearable pain.

Your respect for yourself is a sign of your respect for me.

Kaththi's record-shattering 1st day box-office gross / net in the South

Ilayathalapathy Vijay - A.R.Murugadoss' second outing together, Kaththi has emerged with a tremendous opening day figure, after its worldwide release yesterday, the 22nd Oct for Deepavali. The film has outperformed not just in Tamil Nadu but also in neighboring Kerala and Karnataka.

 

Kaththi's Day 1 gross and net figures from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka are as follows

 

TN - 12.5 crores gross as well as net, as the film has received entertainment tax exemption (a new record for Tamil films)

 

Kerala - close to 2 crores gross, around 1.75 crores net

 

Karnataka - 2.2 crores gross, 1.6 crores net (a new record for Tamil films)

 

Total first day gross from TN, Kerala and Karnataka is 12.5 + 2 + 2.2 = around 16.7 crores

 

Total first day net from TN, Kerala and Karnataka is 12.5 + 1.75 + 1.6 = around 15.85 crores

 

Some of the factors being cited for the gargantuan opening are

 

- The reunion of Vijay and Murugadoss, and the huge resulting pre-release hype due to a variety of factors

 

- The big release in all these markets in all the main screens

 

- The favorable Deepavali release time and the extra-ordinary advance booking in TN, which commenced just a day prior to the release on October 22nd

 

With the movie getting favorable word of mouth from the audience and a big thumbs-up from Vijay fans, the coming days are expected to be big as well. The film is also likely to easily brave the heavy rains in TN.

 

We will keep you posted on Kaththi's first weekend domestic box-office show and also its overseas performance, in the coming days. Stay tuned.

S.S Rajendran critical in hospital

Making his first best impression in the audience’s hearts, S.S Rajendran  of Parasakthi fame is in critical condition and has been admitted to a private hospital last evening. Known for his famous roles in Poombugar,Manohara, Koodi Vaazhthaal Kodi Nanmai, Ratha Kaneer etc, this majestic actor had created a niche for himself. While Sivaji Ganesan and MGR ruled the 60’s, SSR created his own style and wooed the audience with his spectacular roles and acting.
 

Sources close to the actor say that he has been infected in the lungs and that he was admitted to the Meenakshi hospital , Alwarpet yesterday.
 

SSR Kannan, son of the famous actor says

“He has been in critical condition since yesterday and has been getting stable now and then. Doctors are trying their best and rest is left to god”

With a great level of interest in music, movies and politics, this legend actor sure has touched everyone’s lives personally. Behindwoods wishes him a speedy recovery! 

''Monstrous opening for Kaththi in USA''

Oct 21, 2014

As soon as the release of Kaththi was confirmed in TamilNadu, the tickets were sold out in the matter of hours. 

 

We now have news from the United States of America. As of 21st October 2014, 5:00 AM IST, all premier shows in USA have been confirmed and most of the shows have been sold out. 

 

Now this is a monstrous record breaking opening for Kaththi in USA.

It is wrap up time for Lingaa

Oct 21, 2014

We had reported a week back, on the 14^th of October that a song sequence featuring Rajinikanth and Sonakshi Sinha was set to be shot in a grand and royal fashion. Now we hear that, this one week long song shoot was wrapped up last night and with that the shoot portions involving Sonakshi Sinha are said to be complete.
 

The pretty lady confirmed this news in her twitter handle. “Lingaa is done!! Thanks to @superstarrajini sir and the entire team for this opportunity. Enjoyed working on this film and learnt a lot! “.
 

With one more song sequence left to be shot, it is still uncertain if the movie will meet the 12/12/14 release deadline as earlier planned. Stay tuned for more updates.

It's Diwali, but Vishal is already planning for Pongal

Oct 21, 2014

Sundar C is on a roll with 3 consecutive hits as a director, in the form of Kalakalappu, Theeya Velai Seiyannum Kumaru and Aranmanai. Now the ace director is all set to continue this winning streak with his upcoming film Aambala starring Vishal and Hansika in the lead.
 

This film will also feature the likes of actresses Madhurima, Kiran and Ramya Krishnan and now we hear that Andrea, who acted as a ghost in Sundar C’s previous horror film Aranmanai, has also been roped in to play a cameo role in Aambala.
 

We had earlier reported that this film is likely to release for Pongal 2015, now we have authentic confirmation that the film will indeed hit the screens as planned, and the first look poster will be unveiled tomorrow as a 'Pongal Release'.

Suriya's Masss also for Deepavali

Oct 21, 2014

Venkat Prabhu has shared a slice out of his recent product, the Suriya starer Masss, amidst the Deepavali celebrations which are slowly reaching a peak. His recent tweet states, "This Deepavali will be a complete one ;))) #diwaliincompletewithoutMass".What does the hash-tag exactly say? 

 

Having a close look at it, Venkat Prabhu hints that, there might be a first look poster or something even more, for Suriya fans and film buffs to relish for this festival of lights. 

 

Adding to the Kaththi - Poojai dhamaka at the box-office, Kaaviya Thalaivan and Anegan are all ready for a trailer / teaser release respectively on the Deepavali day, and now with Masss also participating in the race, one can't ask for a better day.

It's final - Kaththi IS RELEASING worldwide tomorrow...

Oct 21, 2014

In the ongoing negotiations over Kaththi's release in Tamil Nadu, a new update coming in reveals that the Tamil Nadu Theater Owners Association have decided to go ahead with the release of Kaththi all over the state, tomorrow the 22nd October onwards as a grand Deepavali attraction.

Now all the eyes are on the advance bookings to commence in all theaters across the state and the booking response for the opening weekend is bound to be earth shattering. The plans are expected to commence anytime now.