Telugu Gossips

Sakshi's land disputeHeroine Sakshi Sivanand invested around 60 lakhs on two different land sites in the outskirts of Hyderabad a few years back. Since she is not based in Hyderabad, she did not get to visit her sites regularly. When she had come to Hyderabad recently, she found that both her sites were grabbed. The worth of these sites is more than 2 crores now. The land-grabbers offered to buy those at a cost less than half of its current valuation. Sakshi is trying to get a fair rate by holding press meets and by making the issue public. Most of the popular heroines are buying real estate in Hyderabad. Incidents like these might discourage them from their intention to cash in on real estate boom in the city.

Vijaya Santhi's filmy dialoguesVijaya Santhi seems to be crying hoarse over political parties doubting her nobility in her intentions of separate Telangana. She is seen attending public meetings and telling typical filmy dialogues to attract the masses. But nobody seems to be paying any attention as Vijaya Shanti still is settled in Chennai and is yet to move to Hyderabad.
Filmmakers after SurenderWith his skilful directorial works in Athanokkade film, debutant director Surender has shot to the big league. He worked as an assistant to Kranthi Kumar and T Prabhakar in the past. For the last six years, he had been running around filmmakers and heroes with scripts. It was Nandamuri Kalyan Ram and Nandamuri Janaki Ram who saw the talent in Surender and gave an opportunity with 'Athanokkade'. With positive talk of Athanokkade spreading all over like wildfire, many producers and heroes are now after Surender. It is reliably learnt that two of the happening youth heroes and two of the top heroes sent feelers to Surender. A controversial producer went to Surender with 25 lakhs as an advance, which Surender refused to accept. When he was looking opportunity before Athanokkade, there were no takers. Now Surender is flooded with offers, which he could not immediately accept. This is how our film industry operates! Strange but true!!

D stands for "Delay" in DSPBunny, Bhadra and now Andarivadu, Devi Sri Prasad seems to be giving tough time to the filmmakers by not giving tunes in time. It is a thumb rule that audio of any film should be released a month before the release of the film so that there is enough time for the songs to get caught in the minds of movie lovers before they watch the film. Audio of Bunny was released 9 days before film release. Audio of Bhadra was released on May 2nd, which was 10 days before the film release. Now, the audio of Andarivadu is expected either on 18th May or 23rd May while the film is slated for release in the 1st week of June. It is reliably learnt that over-commitment on the part of the music director is the cause for delay. It's high time for Devi Sri Prasad to take fewer films at a time and give good quality music.
4th January 2005

Abhinaya Sri molested? "Item Song" girl Abhinaya Sri (aa ante amalapuram fame) had a bitter experience on 31st Dec night when she was giving a live performance at Mallareddy Gardens, Bowenpally, Hyderabad on New year eve. Masses attended this event by paying good amount as entry fee. A portion of the crowd - in a state of inebriation - stormed on to the stage and tried to molest her and the other female group dancers. Lack of adequate security and rowdy behavior by a portion of the crowds caused the program to be stalled midway. This made the other section of people furious and they made ruckus by breaking chairs and left the venue in frustration. This incident certainly shows the attitude of certain people towards girls considered as sex symbols and the risks involved in performing on stage without adequate security.
Dhoom to vroom in Telugu?It is reliably learnt that Hindi blockbuster Yashraj Films 'Dhoom' is going to be made in Telugu on a grand scale. It is not yet clear about who is doing this film. Incidentally, Dhoom's theme is inspired by Hollywood flick '2 Fast 2 Furious' (Fast and Furious 2) and its climax is inspired by another Hollywood film 'Ocean's 11'. This film has lots of fast bikes, high-speed chases and dare-devil robbery scenes.

Teja looking for belly dancersTeja went to Syria and Jordan last month to shoot a song with Arabic tune for his film Dhairyam starring Nitin and Raima Sen. He wanted belly dancers to be featured in that song. But little did he know that the local religious structures prevent women showing off their belly and naval. A disappointed Teja returned without canning the song. This time he did more research and made sure that belly dancers are readily available to throw their charms at lenses in Dubai. The team of Dhairyam is leaving to can a song with belly dancers very soon.

Enlivening narration You need to be over-expressive, loud and vociferous to make yourself heard in Telugu film industry. And we all know that story sitting is the first step in the production of any film. Hence a story writer needs to use all his/her skills to convince the producer, director and the hero about the story. There is one writer who narrates the dialogues as per the scene by emoting himself. If there is a crying scene involved, he would narrate it by actually crying! K Viswanath has beautifully captured this character in his film 'Swarabhishekam' in the form of Venu Madhav. Venu Madhav plays the role of a music director who prepares himself physically and mentally to suit the situation in the scene while composing music for it.

11th October 2004
Budget flops and Cost failuresSome of our budget-craze producers/directors/actors seem to have forgotten simple economics that govern the outcome of a film being a hit/flop. It is just a commonsense that if you make a film under 5 crores, you would deliver a blockbuster even if it collects a share 8 crores. If you make a film over 15 crores, then that film would become a blooper even if it collects a share of 14 crores. Certain films are being termed as budget flops or cost failures even before the release of the films because of high budgets. Cutting the hero/director's remunerations and limiting the wastage of production days would eventually bring down the budget, which in turn would make a film become commercial hit though it has got average talk. Every producer/director/hero seems to know these simple economics, but most of them are forgetting when it comes to making their own films.
Hindi freemakes are inTelugu filmmakers are also depending on Hindi films for story ideas. We already had films Varsham (Tezaab), Satruvu (Naam) and Intlo Srimati Veedhilo Kumari (Hungama - probably a remake) made in this year. As per the sources of idlebrain.com, there are few freemakes from Hindi films that are being alleged made by big banners and big makers. These films are Maine Pyar Kiya, Kal Ho Na Ho (which in turn inspired by Anand), Ghaatak and Koi Mil Gaya.

Serendipity freemake again in TeluguOur Telugu filmmakers never seem to get tired of getting inspired by Hollywood blockbuster Serendipity. Okariki Okaru, Nee Manasu Naaku Telusu and Love Today films had some inspiration from Serendipity. The Tamil flick Jay Jay, which is being dubbed in Telugu with the same title, is also inspired by Serendipity. An idlebrain.com source has it that a straight Telugu film that is ready for the release is also inspired by Serendipity. When will this quest of freemaking Serendipity stops? May be till they deliver a hit film!
STAR to buy MAA TV?As per the latest speculations in the TV channels market, STAR TV is said to be negotiating with MAA TV for a possibility of buying a major stake in MAA TV. If it works out on both the sides, they might come up with the news officially in the weeks to come.
30th August 2004

Opportunistic PremaPrema has acted in many blockbusters and Telugu film industry encouraged her a lot. But she actively participated in an anti Telugu films rally conducted in the leadership of Kannada Raj Kumar by protesting against the newly proposed tax pattern for non-Kannada film. There used to be 70% tax on non-Kannada films earlier and Karnatana Government has taken a decision to decrease the entertainment tax from 70% of 30% on non-Kannada films. Telugu films are the biggest beneficiary because of this tax cut. Raj Kumar held a huge rally to protest this and made sure that Telugu films could only be released 6 weeks after they release in AP. The Karnataka territory has a considerable share in Telugu films business. Any Telugu big hero's film is being sold between 60 lakhs to 1 crore for Karnataka territory. Because of this new regulation, all the latest Telugu films starting from 'Naa Autograph' were not released in Karnataka. The latest one that suffered for lack of Karnataka release is Mahesh Babu's Arjun. The Telugu film lovers found betrayed when Prema participated in such an event that hampers the market and reach of Telugu cinema.

'Koi Mil Gaya' in TeluguA popular director is freemaking a Hrithik Roshan's blockbuster 'Koi Mil Gaya' in Telugu now. This film stars a non-Telugu hero who had given two duds after his debut. And it also features a Hindi heroine in main lead. A media baron is producing this film. We have to wait and see how this film shapes up.

Vissa TV Channel in soupVissa TV channel, which was launched in a big way last year, - from the group of Tamil Raj TV - is having tough time now. This channel stopped relaying programs since three weeks. It is learnt that there are certain grey matters related to licensing and permits which made Vissa TV stall its operations.

5th August 2004
CM's satire on Murali MohanThe bigwigs of MAA (Movie Artists Association) - Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh etc - in the leadership of ANR and Murali Mohan met CM recently to request for a land of 2 acres for an independent building to be built for MAA. They have also identified the location of the land to be behind Padmalaya studios in Jubilee Hills. After listening patiently to their plea, YSR is said to have made a jocular satire by saying that Murali Mohan is the one who gives lands to others and how come he is coming to Government for MAA land. Everybody took it in lighter vein and laughed off!

Dasari's remarks on remakesDasari is always known for his sensational statements. Dasari stated in the audio of function of Shivashankar that remake filmmakers are traitors. What made his statement so sensational is that we have one remake film releasing every week for 3 weeks - Gharshana (30th July), Donga Dongadi (6th August) and Naa Autograph (11th August). There are also a couple of high profile remakes in the making - Shankardada MBBS and Gowri.
Venky's Professor ParvatheesamIn the success meet of his latest film Gharshana, the scribes asked what kind of variety roles Venky is going to dish to the Telugu movie lovers. Venkatesh casually replied that it could be any thing like 'Professor Parvatheesam'. With the rumors that came in the past that Venkatesh is contemplating on doing something similar to Nutty Professor, his causal mentioning of 'Professor Parvatheesam' gives little scope for that speculation.

29th July 2004
MS Narayana's generosityIf you think Chiranjeevi, NTR and other heroes lending hand to needy people is a routine, you must notice the generosity shown by MS Narayana. He announced a month back that he would donate the collections (shares) of Koduku film all over AP on 25th July to AP CM farmer's fund. But the trade pundits are asking how much a film starring Vikram (MS Narayana's son), which is declared as a flop would collect on 30th day after the release. Would somebody ask MS Narayana how much Koduku collected on 30th day?
Sada's fluent Telugu Actress Sada has surprised scribes yesterday at the pressmeet of 'Monalisa' by speaking Telugu fluently. After the pressmeet is over, a few scribes appreciated her by saying that Sada speaks better Telugu than some of so-called Andhra-born Telugu actress who tend to pick-up English accent to show off. She is planning to dub her voice in Telugu in her future films. Actress Charmy also speaks a bit of good Telugu.
Mahesh tryst with colasColas seem to be following Mahesh Babu's films recently. Thumps Up sponsored Nijam's publicity where as Pepsi funded campaign of Nani film. Now Arjun film's ad spending is being sponsored by Pepsi again. But the colas sponsoring turned out to be an anti-sentiment in Telugu film Industry as those films flopped miserably in the past. We have to wait and see if Mahesh can prove it otherwise with Arjun.

Collection queen - RuthikaActress Ruthika is crowned as collection queen by the Xtra director Veeru K in the titles of Xtra film. She is the cover page girl of Telugu edition of latest 'India Today' magazine that came up with the story about excessive violence and vulgarity in Telugu films. It is always good to be in the news, even it meant to be for a bad reason.

13th July 2004
Basic Instinct's Telugu Freemake12 years after Sharon Stone's psycho-thriller flick Basic Instinct released, a Telugu filmmaker named Mudiraj is currently producing and directing a freemake of it. Abhinaya Sri (daughter of former vamp star Anuradha) is playing the role of Sharon Stone in Telugu. This film is titled as 'Challenge' and is being made on a budget of around 30 lakhs.
An Unbiased ActorThere is a popular lead actor who is known well in the industry to attend late for the shootings. His unpunctuality has created quite a bad reputation for himself. The filmwallahs who were criticizing him for this, are now actually lauding his unpunctuality. The Reason: Well, he seems to be doing the same for his own movie that he is producing himself! A truly unbiased person he is, he treats all films alike when it comes to being unpunctual.
Scenes Director - Ravi RajaDue to certain differences, the film director Ravi Raja Pinisetty was taken out of the film towards the final days of shooting of KD No.1. To further show their resentment, the producers presented credits in the film in the title cards as following:
Director (Photography): Ram PinisettyDirector (Music): RupaliDirector (Stunts): Horseman BabuDirector (Scenes): Ravi Raja Pinisetty10th July 2004

Pawan Kalyan in MBBS?It is reliably learnt that Pawan Kalyan did a special appearance by doing a couple of dance movements for a Dhaba song for his brother Chiranjeevi's film Shankar Dada MBBS. If this information is true, Shankar Dada MBBS would be the first film in which mega brothers (Chiranjeevi & Pawan Kalyan) acted together.

Varma keen on NTRThe businessman in Ram Gopal Varma seems to have finally realized the hard hitting fact that Telugu film industry has more success rate and profit margin compared to Bollywood. Ram Gopal Varma is keen to produce Telugu films on his factory banner. He is seen making enquiries about business range and approachability of various Telugu film heroes. As per the sources of idlebrain.com, he is keen on NTR and asked for information about NTR's film Samba.

Comedians make stars waitGone are the days when the producers have to wait for heroes to arrive at shooting location, because they are stuck with shooting of other films. Most of the top heroes are working on one film at a time these days. There are certain comedians who are featured in almost all films. A couple of days ago, a top Telugu film star had to wait for a comedian - stuck in the shooting of another film - from morning 9 am to evening 6 pm with his make-up on.
Who directed 'Madhyahnapu Hatya'It is publicized that Ram Gopal Varma directed 'Madyahnapu Hatya' starring Chakri and Amani. In a recent press meet, Ram Gopal Varma admitted that somebody else directed this film. It is learnt that Chakri himself directed Madyahnapu Hatna and Ram Gopal Varma's name is used as the director in publicity for better marketing.
29th June 2004
Balayya as Vijayendra VarmaAs per the reliable sources of idlebrain.com, Bala Krishna's latest film in the direction of Swarna Subba Rao is titled as 'Vijayendra Varma'. This title would have a caption of 'The power of an Indian'. This title would be formally announced at a press meet held in the first week of July 2004. Bala Krishna is doing the role of a RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) officer in this film.
Rajendra Prasad charges 35 lakhsIt is learnt that comedy king Rajendra Prasad is charging a cool price of Rs. 35 lakhs per film. He is currently signed in five films. It's nice to see Rajendra Prasad blooming in the second innings as well. His latest film 'Andaru Dongale Dorikithe' turned out to be a profit earner by bringing smiles on the faces of all buyers.
Ahoy China Film Festival Featuring in Indian Panorama section for National awards seems to be a history now. The latest fad is getting a nomination in China Film Festival. It started with ANOTA (Amma Nanna O Tamil Ammail) followed by Nenunnanu and Varsham respectively. We have to wait and see how many Telugu films queue up for nominations for next year's Chinese film festival.
23rd June 2004
'Too busy to fcuk' - TrishaTrisha threw a naughty surprise when she attended the press meet of Prabhas's latest film directed by Gowtam. She wore a T-Shirt that reads 'too busy to fcuk' (click for photo). Teasy isnt it? Well, you are not the only one, even the journalists and film celebrities were seen paying extra attention to her t-shirt.
Ruthika - new sex symbol on Telugu screenRuthikas debut Telugu film 6 Teens is a runaway hit. After a gap she did an item song in Girl Friend, which also succeeded at box office. Her A certificate flick Sorry Naaku Pellaindi became a hit because of the sexual innuendoes. As the sex is selling like a hot cake at Box Office, Ruthikas latest film Xtra (with a caption Maithili Malli Rammandi) is getting all the attention these days. Xtra is releasing on 25th June.
Films to cash Chiranjeevi's imageJK Bharavi - the write of Annamayya and Sri Manjunadha - has started off his directorial venture with a film titled Fans and completed it. This film deals with how Chiranjeevi fans (Hero and Heroine) play a constructive role in society by taking their idol as inspiration. Unfortunately, the film has been waiting in the docks for the past 3 years due to lack of buyers. Recently, shooting of another similar film, titled 'Seenugadu, Chiranjeevi Fans' was launched. We need to wait and see how if this film atleast would see the light.
16th June 2004
Colas are not coolColas are not cool, at least for the Telugu film industry. We had colas sponsoring the films Johnny (Pepsi) and Nijam (Thumbs Up) last year. Both these films bite the dust. Mahesh Babu's latest film Nani, sponsored by Pepsi, failed at Box Office. However hot is the summer, the colas are not going well with the films. Recently, Allu Arvind - Aswini Dutt's film 'Intlo Srimati - Veedhilo Kumari' (ISVK) is being sponsored by Pepsi. We have to wait and see what result the box office awaits this cola-sponsored film. However there is a slight difference to ISVK compared to earlier films. All the earlier films were big budget films hyped beyond expectations, where as ISVK is a small budget film with low profile.
Genelia - from shy lass to sexy sirenWhen Vijay Bhaskar approached Genelia to make her debut in films with the Hindi remake of 'Nuvve Kavali', the parents of Genelia are reluctant to let their daughter enter films as they felt filmdom changes their daughter's life in a bad way. Then Vijay Bhaskar had to show them the videocassette of Nuvve Kavali so that they can have an idea about what kind of film their daughter is going to act in. That film got released and went on to become a safe venture. With Shankar's 'BOYS', Genelia's image has changed from girl-from-next door to teenage sex bomb. Now a days, Genelia is preferred more for her raunchy image and the ability to shed the cloths. She has come a long way from being a over-protected kid to independent teenage girl.
Kiran Rathod's formal dress senseKiran Rathod is really hot. One can easily make it out, if one looks at the photo gallery and trailers of Andaru Dongale Dorikithe (ADD). It is reliably learnt that Kiran Rathod designed her cloths for ADD. They hide less flesh and leave the rest to fresh air and to the ogling eyes of passers-by. And, she calls those dresses as formal ware. Hmm! Just imagine what kind of outfits she designs if she were asked to design informal ware!!
1st June 2004
ISVK inspired by Hungama?Did you remember the last year's Bollywood blockbuster 'Hungama'. It was directed by Priya Darshini. Very few know the fact that story of Hungama was heavily inspired by a Telugu film titled 'Gopal Rao Gari Ammai' starring Chandra Mohan and Jaya Sudha. That film was directed by K Vasu. The producer Aswini Dutt and Allu Arvind approached K Vasu who has been sitting idle for a few years to recreate the same magic with the same storyline as 'Intlo Srimathi Veedhilo Kumari'. Arti Chabria plays the lead role. Prakash Raj plays the role played by Paresh Rawal in Hindi.
Yuva storyline for VidyardhiFamous south Indian producer RB Chowdary has started a film titled 'Vidyardhi' by launching his son Ramesh as hero. This film's shooting is almost complete. After the release of Mani Rathnam's movie Yuva, the rumors of rife that Vidyardhi story has striking similarities to Yuva story. Just like Yuva, the storyline of Vidyardhi too deals with how a student who entered politics and rose to the higher ranks with minimal resources. Vidyardhi would be releasing in the month of July 2004.
Dharmavarapu as FDC ChairmanDharmavarapu Subramanyam is one Telugu film artist who supported Congress Party wholeheartedly for the recently held elections. He prepared the publicity material and electronic media ads for Congress campaign. And there is no dearth of goodies if somebody sincerely works for a party and if that party wins. The Film Nagar grapevine says that Dharmavarapu Subramanyam is poised to become the new chairman of the Film Development Corporation (FDC).
Trisha charges 40 lakhsTrisha is definitely the hottest heroine on the block with sensuous features and a tender face. The mega success of Varsham has thrown her into limelight. The Telugu film producers are queuing for her dates now. She is demanding for Rs 40 lakhs per a Telugu film and getting it too.
26th May 2004
NTR is back to NTRYouth mass star NTR made sure that he played it to galleries by having a reference to legend NTR in each and every movie till 'Simhadri'. However, there is not even a single reference to legend NTR in 'Andhrawala' and it bombed at box office miserably. To make sure that NTR's reference is intact, mass hero NTR made sure that he has reference to legend NTR in his summer release 'Samba'. There would be a scene in which NTR's photo from Chandasasanudu being re-used. We have to wait and see if NTR's reference make wonders for him.
YSR to look into TFI after 3 monthsCelebrities form Telugu film industry recently approached the chief minister YS Raja Sekhara Reddy with the problems faced by current film industry and the measures to come out of the slump. YSR politely said that he is busy with priority issues now and he would surely look up into the problems in 3 months and solve them all at once. We have to wait and see the stance of new government on the problems of Telugu film industry in the months to come.
2-month rest for Bala Krishna Bala Krishna is going to rest for 2 more months to make sure that the leg ailment he had is completely cured. He met with an accident in Jodhpur few months back and taking medication since them. His next release in the direction of Swarna Subba Rao is expected to be released during the dussera, as per the latest reports.
18th May 2004
Aptudu inspired by Ghaatak?After witnessing flops over Tamil remakes (Seshu & Villain), Raja Sekhar seems to be looking out for Hindi flicks now. Dr. Raja Sekhar's latest film Aptudu is said to be inspired by Raj Kumar Santoshi's film 'Ghaatak' starring Sunny Deol, Meenakshi Seshadri and Amrish Puri. Raja Sekhar, Anjala Zhaveri and Mukesh Rushi are doing the main roles in 'Aptudu'. Sentiment brand director Muthyala Subbaiah is directing this film. Raja Sekhar is producing 'Aptudu' on his home banner.
Asin down with chicken poxAsin is down with chicken pox when she was doing an intimate bedroom scene for Venkatesh's Gharshana around 3 weeks back. However, the sources close to Asin reveal that her shooting schedules are rescheduled conveniently. The producers of 'Gharshana' had no upset with this fact, as they are confident that they could release the film in June/July 2004.
The Italy effectItaly seems to have become the hottest key word among the Indian conversations. Even when the name of Italy is mentioned for some other purpose, it draws unusual attention. This happened when Sravanthi Ravi Kishore held a press meet to explain the progress of his film with Sumanth as hero. He mentioned that they would be visiting Italy to can songs. Then came gasp from an indomitable scribe - Sonia's place! Italy has become synonymous to Sonia's birthplace than an elegant European country.
7th May 2004
Actress's secret marriageAs per the last rumors being circulated in the Film Nagar, a native Telugu film actress - who is also known as buxom beauty - is in deep with love with an associate director of a film in which she is acting. There are unconfirmed reports that she even entered into wedlock with him secretly. However, there are no evidences like register marriage certificate or photographs to prove this. It is learnt that the associate director is very talented and this actress might break the news once he makes it big as director in Tollywood. There is neither a confirmation nor a denial from the close associates of the actress about the marriage. We have to wait and see when this actress is going to announce it in public.
Son strokes this summerSummer is known for the scorching sun heat and after effects of sunstrokes. But a few guys in Film Nagar are sarcastically commenting that this summer has got quite a few 'son strokes' in store for the filmiwallas who are introducing their sons as hero. We have a range of debutants from sons of Top heroes to the sons of comedians acting in their debut films now. We would soon see who is more powerful in causing burn - son or sun!
TDP supporting celebs in jittersWith the exit polls indicating the comeback of Congress into power in AP, the film celebrities who have been actively supporting TDP are starting to feel the heat. There are a few smalltime artists who acted in TDP advertisements, which has got some strong remarks on Y Raja Sekhara Reddy, Sonia Gandhi and Congress. Those small artists duly attended the birthday function of Dasari (who is a Rajyasabha member of Congress) and said to have apologized for their act (both verbally and figuratively).
17th March 2004
Ban on couple of magazinesAP Film producers counsel has banned (extended non-cooperation) couple of film weekly magazines for 4-8 weeks on different reasons. One magazine was extended non-cooperation for writing personal remarks on a director/producer who gave a disaster in the beginning of this year. Another magazine was on the fire because it reported false news that a big hero is acting in a guest role of a film to be produced by a producer who gave blockbuster for this Sankranthi season. The press is unhappy with this act.
Ravi Teja refuses 'autograph'Hmm! Did you get a nasty feeling that Ravi Teja might have refused the Telugu remake of 'Autograph'? Its not so! When he was shooting for Venky film recently, a girl came to him for an autograph by handing over a note of Rs 100/-. Ravi Teja refused to do so as only the Governor of RBI is eligible to sign on currency note in India. Thanks to Ravi Teja's social awareness. There are still quite a few celebrities who don't mind signing autographs on a currency note.
Ran into trouble again!A multi lingual, multi faceted and multi talented big artist ran into trouble again. He did not report to the shoot of a film produced and acted by a big hero for 3 consecutive days. That big hero is looking for a replacement for this actor. This is not the first time this big actor ran into trouble. He did the same for many producers in the past. He was also once banned by Movie Artists Association.
Daivagna Sharma gets a shockDaivagna Sharma - a self proclaimed astrologer and numerologist - got a shock of his life yesterday when he was sent back from Yuva audio function held at Taj Banjara by the organizers telling him curtly on his face that it is a private function and he is not invited. Daivagna Sharma has the peculiar/notorious habit of coming to film functions uninvited and sit in the front row. And when the anchor sees him, he would presume that Daivagna Sharma is a guest and he would call him up on dais. Daivagna Sharma would be having a happy morning next day when he sees his photo on newspapers (though some irritated photographers tend to cut him off from photos). We have to wait and see if he sticks to his old habit of coming functions uninvited or not!
10th March 2004
Freemake feverThere are two makes of 'inspirations'. One is remake - a legal way of buying the story from other languages. Other one is freemake - an illegal way of lifting the story without paying any money to the makers of original film. Our Telugu filmmakers seem to have run out of steam and creativity. As if the remakes (Munnabhai MBBS, Khakha Khakha, Tiruda Tirudi, Kadal Kondein, Alagi, Autograph, Kaasi, Tirumalai, CID, Arul) are not enough, there are quite a few freemakes that are being made from Hollywood blockbusters. The English films which inspired a few films under production in Tollywood now are Westside Story, The Big, First Blood, Sixth Sense, Excess Baggage, 6 days and 7 nights and Who Am I.
'Pattu' ParisramaEver wondered what Pattu Parisrama means? It usually means the industry of silk production. But this word has got a totally different meaning in Telugu film industry. And a certain group of technicians and artists belongs to this group. These people would keep on getting more films and projects in spite of delivering consecutive duds at box office. Their expertise lies more in catching (pattu) the projects than delivering the goods. Now, do you understand what 'pattu' parisrama means?
NRI Producers influxCash-rich NRI Telugu guys seem to be doing mass exodus to Telugu film industry these days. There are quite a few NRI-producer's films that are under production. But there is one NRI-producer who proved to be very judicious. He recently started a film with a smalltime youth hero in the main lead with an approximate budget of 1 and half crore. After one schedule, he realized that no buyer would come forward to buy his project and at the end he might be forced to release the film on this own. He already spent 15 lakhs on the film. He took a decision to scrap the project and write off 15 lakhs. It's a wise to lose 15 lakhs than losing 1.5 crores. Is it not?
2nd March 2004
NBK fans protest against Bellamkonda SureshThe fans of Nandamuri Bala Krishna shouted slogan - 'Bellamkonda Suresh Down Down' when Bellamkonda Suresh was leaving the muhurat function of Bala Krishna's Nartanasaala. The curious journalists tried enquiring producer LP Raju about the same and he was tight-lipped about it. The onlookers say that this protest is made because Bellamkonda Suresh - the producer of Lakshmi Narasimha - is not sticking to his promise of 200 centers for 100 days which he made at the Warangal's LNS success function.
D Suresh to write a tech bookD Suresh Babu entered film industry in 1982. He worked for Devata film. Later on he took over the reins of Suresh Productions and proved himself as a fine producer. He has seen many things in moviemaking and encountered too many situations where he had to take certain decision over certain things like story/casting/budget control/technicians etc. He is planning to write book in the near future so that his expertise and knowledge could be shared with others. It's a nice gesture from Suresh Babu to reveal his trade secrets when all the big producers prefer keeping data/knowledge to themselves.
Music directors MP3 secretsOne of the journalists recently met the manager of a popular music director. The journalist observed that all the tunes composed by that music director are sounding similar. 'How can you say that? Sir has recently brought 200 audio CDs from abroad' said the manager. He is indicating that how can one say his tunes are similar when he is copying tunes from 100s of CDs from west. Good observation. Is it not?
29th Jan 2004
Hype agentsWhen you make a film by investing crores, you need prospective buyers so that you can derive table profit even before the film is released. And 95% of the films that are being made today are not having buyers. How to sell a film when there is no buyer? Here is a solution! Create artificial demand!! Some of the film makers (small as well as big) have invented a new technique to create artificial demand. They send extra artists and production managers to RP Road (for Nizam area), Gandhi Nagar (for Krishna area) etc. They go as independent observers and tip off to the distributors that they have seen the rushes of the film and it is shaping up very well. They even go to the extent of telling that the rival distributors are on the verge of picking up the film. This ignites the distributor. Then again another 'Hype Agent' reach the same distributor after a few days and gives additional inside information like lab reports, censor reports etc. This information lures the distributor and they are buying the movies at exorbitant rates and the hype agents are given commission based on their marketing skills by the producers. The distributors are learning it hard way after the movie fails at the box office. The saddest part is that the distributors are falling prey to the same Hype agents again and again!
Amisha charges a croreAmisha Patel has done just one film so far and she is currently acting in Mahesh Babu's Naani. She is also signed for NTR's next film in the direction of B Gopal. It is reliably learnt that she charged a royal sum of 1 crore to the producer Chengala Venkat Rao.
Asin branded as cop girlAsin who debuted as 'Tamil Ammai' in 'Amma Nanna O Tamil Ammai' last year is on the verge of falling into cop trap. Her second film 'Shivamani' is a cop story. Her third film 'Lakshmi Narasimha' is also another cop story. She is currently acting in the remake of 'Kakha Kakha' with Venkatesh as hero. This film is also a cop story.
Anshu exposes in TamilAnshu - who acted in 'Manmadhudu' and 'Raghavendra' in Telugu - is deprived of any exciting offers in Telugu. This made her migrate to Chennai for greener pastures. She acted with Prasanth and Simran in Sankranthi release 'Jai'. Though the film evoked lukewarm response, Anshu's skin-showing skills got good applause.
12th January 2004
Chiranjeevi in Munnabhai MBBS remake?It is reliably learnt that Chiranjeevi has recently seen the Hindi blockbuster Munnabhai MBBS and was impressed by it. It is rumored that the negotiations are going on between Chiranjeevi and Anandi Arts to remake this film in Telugu. In that case, Ravi Teja is expected to play the 'circuit' character (played by Arshad Warsi in original). This project might be the next project of Chiranjeevi after Anji's release. Chiranjeevi is going to recreate the hilarious comedy which he created with 'Rowdy Alludu' and 'Annayya' with this film. More details later!
10th January 2004
Munnabhai by Anandi ArtsIt is rumored that south Indian language remake rights of Hindi blockbuster Munnabhai MBBS is brought by Anandi Arts for sky-rocketing sum of 1.75 crores. Anandi Arts is planning to make the Telugu version and sell of remake rights to Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. Anandi Arts produced films like Anthahpuram and Nuvvu Nenu in the past.
9th January 2004
EVV's pativrataluEVV has been claiming that he is introducing six heroines and six heroes with his 'Aaruguru Pativratalu' film. But the fact is that 5 of those 'so-called' debut artists are already tried and failed at box office. The three girls who already made their debut are Santhi Rao (acted as heroine in 'Avuna'), Lahiri (acted as Chiranjeevi's niece in Indra) and Amrutha (acted as heroine in Padma & Nenu Ninnu Premistunnanu). The two guys who made a comfortable debut are Rahul (Andam film) and a guy who anchors top 10 program in Gemini TV (he acted in Palanati Brahma Naidu and Tiger Harischandra Prasad).
Soorya Kiran's 30% shareIt took 2 years for him to make 'Satyam' film. But the offers kept flooding Soorya Kiran after the hit of Satyam. He is currently working for a film titled '51' which is going to be produced by ML Kumar Chowdary (Donga Ramudu & Party). It is learnt that he is asking for a share of 30% in the total profit in stead of remuneration. As long as your latest film is hit, our producers have no qualms of sharing their booty. What do you say?
Puri's publicity tacticsPuri Jagan is a shrewd director who know how to stimulate the senses of masses. He also shows which part to expose and which part to hide. If you see the publicity campaigns of his last three films, you would understand why he is been so successful in handling the publicity department. In 'Amma Nanna Tamil Ammali', the action sequences are avoided in the poster designs on the film to give a covering that it's a family story. For 'Shivamani 98480 22338', the poster designs does not sport any stills that has Nagarjuna in police attire. By doing so, he avoided the mass outlook in the posters to attract the family crowds. For 'Andhrawala', he made sure that the get up of elder role in film is not revealed in the posters. His strategy of hiding something in publicity is to make sure that the audiences feel a tinge of freshness when they come to theaters.
Sivaji asking for 25 lakhs?After the hit of 'Missamma', Sivaji is said to be demanding a remuneration of 25 lakhs per film. A producer who approached Sivaji confirmed the same to idlebrain.com. Sivaji started his career in a humble way and went on to become a solo hero. After working hard for so many years, he feels that his time has arrived. As long as they deliver hit films, we do not have any objections. And Sivaji knows it very well!!
6th January 2004
IT raids on diro & heroThe IT (Income Tax) department has recently raided a high profile movie director and a hero who this movie director has given three consecutive hits. There is a divide talk about the amount of money seized from them. Some people say nothing has recovered. But an important person spilled beans by saying that 80 lakhs of cash and 2 crores of property documents were recovered from the director. It is also said that binamy money worth one crore is recovered from that hero.
Akash's career in dilemmaAkash who made a big splash with debut film 'Anandam' started accepting each and every role that came on his way. This decision sent his career on a tailspin. After finding no takers, he started producing a film titled 'Naidu MA LLB' with himself playing the role of hero and that film is stalled due to financial shortage. Akash is seeking for somebody who can give him break as an actor. Any takers?
1st January 2004
Anji on 8th or 9th JanuaryAs of today, there is a lag of a day's work (of re-recording) for Anji. Hence the expected release day may be shifted from 7th January to 8th or 9th January. But the cine pundits are predicting a release of 9th January for Anji as 9 is the lucky number for Chiranjeevi.
Socio fantasy for MaheshMS Raju is said to have a prepared a special socio fantasy tale as the story for his film with prince Mahesh Babu as hero. This film might held muhurat on 14th of March 2004. Other details are being worked out.
Bhumika again with Pawan?As per the unconfirmed gossip, Bhumika Chawla is going to act with Pawan Kalyan again soon. AM Ratnam, who produced Kushi in Pawan-Bhumika combination - would produce this film in the direction of Dharani. Muhurat of this film would happen on 24th of January and this film would go to floors in April 2004.