Balan. K. Nair Passes Away

Veteran actor and Bharat awardee Balan. K. Nair passed away at Thiruvananthapuram on August 26th. He was suffering from pneumonia and other related complications. He had been ailing for a long time with other health problems. Balan.K.Nair was admitted to the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology on July 17th after a lump was spotted in his brain. Later he was put on ventilator and was showing signs of improvement when things took a bad turn on Tuesday, 23rd. The end came at 11:45 on Saturday. He was 68. Balan.K.Nair was awarded the Best Actor for his role in M.T.Vasudevan Nair's 'Oppol'in 1982. Later he became synonymous as a villian and did many memorable roles for which he will be remembered for a long time to come.

Darling Darling

Vineeth and Dilip comeing together for the first time in V J Creations’ DARLING DARLING to be directed by Rajasenan who has given many hits with Jayaram in the past. The film is a comedy about two friends Kurup and Unnikrishnan. Kurup’s son Kochukurup who owns a fancy store decides to assist his salesman Manukuttan to elope with Sarasu, the daughter of Unnikrishnan. However, Manukuttan does not turn up and Kochukurup is caught with Sarasu by Unnikrishnan. He asks him to marry her. Kochukurup refuses and thus both families turn into bitter foes. Kochukurup then decides to go to Bangalore and stay with his friend Aniyankutty who transforms him into a suave urbanite. The two friends meet Padmaja and this brings about a new turn in their relationship. What is the turn of events next is answered by the film. Darling Darling has Vineeth as Kochukurup and Dileep as Aniyankutty. Kavya Madhavan is Padmaja and newcomer Shalu plays Sarasu. Others in the cast are Sarath, Janardhan, CI Paul, Jagathy Srikumar, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Indrans, Cochin Hanifa, Sukumari and Ponnamma Babu. The film has music by Ousepachan and cinematography by K P Nambiathri.

Nakshathrangal Parayathirunnathu

Nakshathrangal Parayathirunnathu is a comedy film in which Mukesh and Innoncent are heirs to a great legacy in Ayurvedic medicine, but they do not know how to practice it. They get into many business ventures to make money but fail and finally decide to get into their family business. This story is narrated in a hilarious manner by director C S Sudesh. Divya Unni, Lal , Harisree Asokan, Narendra Prasad, Rajan P Dev, Madhupal, Jaybaharathi and Kaviyoor Ponnamma are also in the cast. Story by Shatrugan, lyrics by Kaithpram, music by Mohan Sithara and cinematography by Venugopal are the other major credits. The film is produced by Grishmam films.

Unniyaarcha

Believe it or not, Vani Viswanath is really lucky these days. Though she had been doing not-so-meaningful roles and action roles for quite a long time, she has been lucky enough to bag some really good roles of late. One among these is of course the role in T.V.Chandran's SUSANNA. But matters don't end with SUSANNA. Vani has also bagged another challenging role, that of UNNIYAARCHA. The film Unniyaarcha, to be directed by P.G.Viswambharan, is based on a script by Shatrughnan. Shatrughnan has decided to give much prominence to Unniyaarcha, the brave and valiant warrior- lady of the 'vadakanpaattu'- the folklore of Kerala that has been passed down from generation to generation in the form of ballads. It is to be noted that actress Madhavi, who had once done action roles just like Vani now, had done the very same role, i.e., of UNNIYAARCHA in the award winning film Oru Vadakkan Veeragaadha. Maybe SUSANNA and UNNIYAARCHA prove to be turning points in Vani's career.

Varavay

Varavay is a traditional family story that centres around Kallikatt Tharavad. Some interesting and mysterious incidents that take place in this Tharavad creates tension among its members. Saikumar plays the character Vijayachandran and a new actress Bhagyalakshmi is paired opposite him along with Shrutiraj. Produce by K.K.Mohanan & K.K.Chandran, Banner Apsara Cine Arts, Story by N.V.Bhaskaran, Lyrics by Appan Thachaet, R.K.Damodaran Music by S.Balakrishnan. The film directed by Harish also features Harisri Ashokan, Bobby Kottarakkara, Tony, Keshavan, Kottayam Purushan, Baby Anju, Ansu, Bobby Kottarakkara. And is set to capture mainly the family audiences.

Rapid Action Force

Rapid Action Force is a hi-tech action film produced by Shirdi Sai Creations. Directed by Salim Babu, Produce by P.K.R. Pillai, Story by Salim Babu, Lyrics by Mujeeb Rahman, Music by Shailesh Narayanan Vani Viswanath dons the lead role of an IPS officer named Aditya Varma . She and her rapid action force encounters the notorious terrorist outfit called 'Kargil House' which forms the crux of the story. It also has some other enjoyable moments and melodious music with Vani Viswanath lending her voice for the first time as a singer. Also prominent in the cast lines are Kalabhavan Mani, Siddique, Raghu, Vineetha etc. and supported by over 100 junior artistes.

Punnuse Express

There are only few people in Malayalam Cinema who are as versatile as Jagathy Sreekumar. He is perhaps the only comedian who can be cast as a hero also. There is no wonder that producers of low –budget films consider it a safe bet to make a film with Jagathy in the lead. And, as some in the industry itself are heard saying, it isn’t too much of a risk as there is almost a 100% guarantee that films with Jagathy in the lead will at least give back the capital that has been invested. PUNNUSE EXPRESS, produced by K Suresh Babu under the banner of A-One Cine International, and directed by debutante Nazar Kallarakkal, is intended to be a real entertainer with Jagathy in the lead. Jagathy plays the role of Punnuse who, owing to his practical wisdom and style of working, which is like that of an express, is known to the people around him as ‘Punnuse Express’. Punnuse is the attendant in the mental hospital run by Dr.Jayadevan. In fact he is the hub of activity in the whole of the mental hospital. One day, his friend Sankarankutty reaches there in search of Punnuse. And that is when something really surprising happens. A young girl, Haritha, who is a patient there runs to Sankarankutty, embraces him and even kisses him in front of everyone. Sankarankutty is shocked, he doesn’t understand anything since he has no idea as to who the girl is. Anyhow Punnuse intervenes and succeeds in taking away the girl. Sankarankutty is relieved for the time-being. But he doesn’t know what is in store for him. This episode is just a beginning. What happens later forms the theme of PUNNUSE EXPRESS. The songs done by the Yusuf Ali Kechery-Mohan Sithara team is a main attraction of this film. Since Jagathy is a favourite among the audience at present, the film is very likely to come off well at the box office.

Chippy Makes a Comeback To Malayalam Cinema

Chippy, who has been busy in Kannada with a new name Shilpa, is Makes a comeback to Malayalam as the heroine in KAATTUVANNU VILICHAPPOL, directed by Advocate Shashidharan Pillai, the producer of KOURAVER. The film, produced by Shashidharan Pillai himself under the banner of Harikrishna Films has Vijayaraghavan in the male lead. O.N.V.Kurup and Thirunalloor Karunakaran pen the lyrics and M.G.Radhakrishnan scores the music. Hope Chippy gets a chance to escape from the sister roles that she seemed to be specializing in before turning to Kannada! Wait and see whether the Kerala audience accept her or will they reject her as they did to Amritha alias Rambha?

Usha Uthup

The song Ente Keralam, ethra sundaram… is highly popular one in. And Usha Uthup, who sang this number, has always been accorded a more than warm welcome in Kerala. Here is the good news for the hard-core fans of this inimitable queen of pop. After a considerably gap of time, Usha Uthup is back singing for a Malayalam film. Director Joemon’s next venture Dhanushkodi, starring Biju Menon and Aiswarya Rai, will have a song by Usha. Written by Gireesh Puthencherry, the song is set to tune by none other than Ilayaraaja.

C I Mahadevan Anchu Adi Naalu Inch

C I MAHADEVAN ANCHU ADI NAALU INCH is a comic thriller in which comedian Cochin Hanifa plays the title role. He is sent to a village where a bomb blast in a school bus has created terror among the people. He has a bunch of policemen working in the local police station to assist him. How Mahadevan unravels the mystery behind the blast with the policemen who are more concerned about their personal matters than their duty forms the story. Kannada actress Sruthi is the heroine. Jagathy Srikumar lends support as the head constable. The film has cinematography by Utpal V Nainar and music by Benny Ignatius. K K Haridas directs the film produced by Ishwarya Productions.

War And Love

Is there any relation between the two? There is. Says Vinayan, the director of this film. This is supposed to be his masterpiece. The story is absolutely fantastic. Indo-Pak war. The whole soldiers in one battalion of Madras regiment are captured by Pakistan. They are jailed and subjected to horrible torture. One of the Pakistani majors is a keralite. (Wonders that never cease.) And… You know it. The major has a beautiful daughter. She fell in love with a Malayalee soldier. She helped them to escape from the jail. From then onwards, interesting incidents began to unfold. Let us hope India and Pakistan does not become one single nation in the climax. Anything is possible in these days. Dileep is the hero and Indraja is the heroine. Prabhu, Kalabhavan Mani, Jagadeesh, Mukesh, Manoj K.Jayan are the other prominent actors in the film.

Jagathy To Act In Mini-Screen

These days lots of film stars are taking to the mini-screen, perhaps in search of greener pastures. The latest and the most notable entry is none other than the king of comedy - Jagathy Sreekumar. Jagathy is producing and acting in a mega-venture-evidently a comedy serial directed by famous film-director Ali Akbar. The serial, based on a work by Jagathy's famous father, the late Jagathy N.K.Achary, has got an interesting name too - HUKKA HUA MIKADO. Jagathy is, for the first time, making his entry as a singer too. The noted actor however sees no difference between the mini-screen and the big-screen and declares that he has decided to do this venture as he wanted to spend some time at least with his family in the midst of busy

Untitled

"What's in a name?"- That's what the Harikumar-Sreenivasan team seems to ask regarding their new film, which is still unnamed though the first schedule of shooting has been finished. Harikumar, the maker of films like Jaalakam, Oozham and the national award winning Sukritham, seems to have changed tracks, at least for the time being. His latest unnamed film has a story told in a rather lighter vein. With script and dialogues by none other than Sreenivasan and Jayaram in the lead role, the film is most likely to go well with the audience. It is after a considerable gap that Jayaram and Harikumar are coming together, their last film together being Ezhunnallaththu. The plot of Harikumar's latest film revolves around Deepu, a young man for whom the twenty-four hours of a day do not suffice since he is always busy helping one or the other of his five sisters. (Four of the sisters are married while one is still in college). Deepu's main business in life seems to be running errands for his sisters, whose dependence on him never seems to end. If one of them has to get the gas cylinder replaced, she calls Deepu to do it for her. If another one of them wants the children to be taken for an outing, Deepu is needed. If someone among the five needs something from the market, it is Deepu who has to run and fetch it from the market. Poor Deepu! He has to be ever-present to help them meet their never-ending demands. Once in a while even if he tries to escape from all this, his mother reminds him that he is the only person on whom the five sisters can depend. And then again it is the same story for Deepu. Deepu's sisters had tried many times to find a suitable bride for their brother, but all in vain. For they never seem to agree with one another upon any girl and hence the marriage goes on getting delayed. Finally, they unanimously choose a girl, Priya. With Priya making her entry, things naturally change in that household and there are many subsequent developments, even unexpected ones. And it is here onwards that the story of the film takes a new turn. Jayaram is Deepu while Samyukta Verma does the role of Priya. The screenplay by Sreenivasan has an equal dose of humour as well as family-stuff, at the same time getting serious now and again. The songs by the Yusuf Ali Kechery-Gireesh Puthencherry-Johnson team are sung by Yesudas, M.G.Sreekumar, Sujatha and Venugopal. Cine-journalist Shantivila Dinesh is the associate director for this film, which has been produced by Sukumaran under the banner of 'Divya'. The second schedule of shooting for the film has started and it is expected that the film would be getting a name very soon.

Cover Story

After Priyadarshan’s KALAPANI, Tabu makes a reappearance in Malayalam films in Revathi Kalamandir’s Cover Story opposite Suresh Gopi. The action thriller directed by G S Vijayan is about the adventures of Vijay, a TV news reporter. Vijay and Police Commissioner Anand together expose many crimes, infuriating a very powerful lobby that wants to stop them in their tracks. Meanwhile, the duo finds Jasmine at many places in course of their investigation. This enigmatic girl slowly gets closer to both Vijay and Anand. Is it a ploy to break up the duo? Suresh Gopi is Vijay and Biju Menon is Anand while Tabu appears as Jasmine. Nedumudi Venu, Rajan P Dev, Nasar, Janardhan, N F Varghese, Sai Kumar, Sidiq and Risbava are the other artistes in the film. Music by Sarath, lyrics by Girish Puthencheri and cinematography by Venugopal are the other credits.

Nana Patekar In Malayalam Film

Hindi actor Nana Patekar has been signed up to act in a Malayalam film. The film is based on the life of Changampuzha Krishna Pillai, the romantic poet of Malayalam, who died of tuberculosis at a young age. . Considered to be the 'Keats' of Malayalam literature, pain, pathos and pessimism were the keynotes of Changampuzha's poems. The young Malayalee lovers of his times drew inspiration from the pastoral elegy 'Ramanan' written by him. Ramanan' based on the tragic story of the poet's close friend and a poet in his own right Edappilly Raghavan Pillai who committed suicide at the age of 23 by hanging, was also filmed with the old-timers Sheela and the late Prem Nazir in the lead. The film on 'Changampuzha' with Nana Patekar who incidentally has a strange resemblance to the poet will be directed by V.K.Prakash whose 'Punarathivasam' won the National Award this year for the best Malayalam film. Girish Puthencheri's lyrics will be set to music by Jhonson. Definitely this is going to be a film Malayalees

Nedumudi as Jeevan Mosai

After anchoring KANNADI and directing Verukal for the small screen, journalist T N Gopakumar is all set to storm the bigger screen. And for his silver screen debut as director, lyricist and scriptwriter he has chosen one of the most acclaimed works in Indian Literature, Arogyanikethan by Tara Shankar Bannerjee. However, Arogyanikethan becomes Jeevan Mosai on the silver screen, the name referring to the central character in the novel. Nedumudi Venu would be portraying the title character, supported by an impressive cast including Srividya, Kavya Madhavan, Raghavan, Ganeshan, Krishna Kumar and Tara Kalyan. Parameswar Films will produce the film. The award-winning cinematographer Azhagappan would be behind the camera and Ramesh Narayanan will provide music.

Susanna

T.V.Chandran may not be a prolific filmmaker. In a career spanning about two decades he has made just a handful of films, six, to be exact. But the few films that he had made were all well received and internationally acclaimed. Alicinte Anveshanam, Ponthan Maada, Ormakalundaayirikkanam, Mankamma - all won him critical acclaim. And now, full three years after Mankamma, Chandran is all ready with his newest venture, Susanna, which was very much in the news recently on account of finding problems with the censors. Susanna, the story of which opens in the nineteen seventies, tells the story of Susanna, a lower middle class Christian girl, who falls in love with Thomachchan, the son of a rich man, Planter Varkey. They elope, but later, when Susanna is pregnant, Thomachchan leaves her for another woman. And when Planter Varkey says that he cannot see her as his daughter-in-law, she turns his concubine. But Planter Varkey doesn't keep her to himself alone; he introduces her to his four friends - a High Commissioner, an advocate, a Shakespeare-loving professor and a colonel, all of them around sixty. For the four of them, Susanna provides an outlet to act out their fantasies. As years pass by, the relationship between Susanna and her five lovers develop in a peculiar way. Susanna doesn't hate or despise those five who had exploited her condition. Instead she loves them, sympathizes with them, discusses with them and listens to their various problems and even treats them like little children. Susanna, who has full control over her lovers, has learnt a lot from her experiences and has grown into a different, mature person in these twenty-five years. Susanna is sure to come as a surprise-package for the audience. For it is Vani Viswanath, who has never played such a challenging and offbeat role and had been doing action roles or so, who does the title role of Susanna. It is her luck indeed. Or else how would the role, which was to go to Mallika Sarabhai or Kamya Malhotra (both of whom couldn't take it up due to different reasons), come searching for her. In T.V.Chandran's opinion, Vani has done a really splendid work as Susanna and the character now seems to have been created for her and her alone. Susanna has, in the cast, some of the best and most talented actors of the country including veterans Nedumudi Venu, Bharath Gopi, Charuhaasan, M.R.Gopakumar, Narendra Prasad and famous director P.Sreekumar. Another interesting feature of Susanna is that music director Johnson, who was the first music-director from Kerala to have got the national award, turns crooner. He sings a song "Himabinduvaayi pirannu.." and in his own opinion, it has turned to be much better than he had ever expected. For cinematographer K.G.Jayan, Susanna is perhaps his most ambitious project after K.P.Kumaran's Rugmini. The editing is by Venugopal and lyrics are by K.Jayakumar. The film, the shooting of which was completed in a mere 16 days schedule, is all ready and is most likely to be a real treat for film buffs.

Vinayapoorvam Vidyadharan

Director K B Madhu will be directing Vinayapoorvam Vidyadharan starring Jagathy Srikumar and Bhanupriya in the lead. The film revolves around Vidyadharan, a bank employee who is simple at heart, and his wife who aspires for an extravagant lifestyle. Her extravagance results in Vidyadharan losing his job He decides to flee from the city but instead finds himself amidst a few slum dwellers led by Hitler. Vidyadharan finds happiness among them and with the support of Hitler goes about setting his house in order. Jagathy plays Vidhyadharan and Bhanupriya is the wife. Rajan P Dev is Hitler. Others in the cast are Harisree Asokan, Madhupal and Chakiyar Rajan. Music is by Kaithapram, and camera is by M J Radhakrishnan in this film produced by Film Folks.