Chennai :

It’s been years since he chatted about art and life while eating Coorg food with his friend, the late painter Rani Nanjappa, but artist S G Vasudev remembers it as clearly as if it was yesterday. “My late wife Arnawaz and I spent most of our evenings at her house. We were extraordinarily close,” he says.

On Thursday, he will be returning to those years during a function organised by the Coorg Association of Madras to remember one of the few women painters of Madras of the 1960s. Former IAS officer P M Belliappa will donate one of Nanjappa’s paintings to the museum at Cholamandal Artists’ Village.

“Coorg has few artists of repute and I felt it was a glaring omission that Rani’s work was not in the museum, which traces the Madras movement she was part of,” says Belliappa, who knew Nanjappa as a child. Belliappa bought two of her works recently and decided to donate a figurative canvas from 1962 to the museum, while retaining the abstract she did later in her life.

Born Rani Pooviah in the early 1940s, she studied art in Chennai at Stella Maris and College of Arts and Crafts. She was one of principal K C S Paniker’s favourite students and taught at the college later. “She was vivacious and well-read with a wonderful sense of humour and brilliant organisational skills,” says Vasudev.

Her student, sculptor S Nandagopal, remembers her as vivacious and striking personality who made art fun. “I was a physics student and never planned to be an artist,” he says. “But Rani was so passionate about art and could spot talent and inspire people.” Nanjappa moved to the US in the 1970s after she got married and continued to hold shows there. “She wanted to return. Looking back to India can be problematic for an artist,” says Vasudev. In March 1982, she went into a coma following a serious car accident, from which she never recovered.

Nanjappa’s work is described as being balanced and contemplative yet full of energy and colour. She drew inspiration from large kolams and colourful rangolis. Writing for Illinois Art Council in Chicago, she said, “The complex geometric patterns of kolam in white, pure and strong and the colour contrast in the rangoli helped me discover geometric forms in Indian dance and music. For example, in Bharatanatyam, besides the graceful rhythm, there are strong angular movements, giving ideas of geometrical patterns traced in the air. These are my inspiration.”

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Chennai / by Shalini Umachandran, TNN / March 21st, 2013

Actress Harshika Poonacha, who is a favourite for stage shows and dance performances iat award ceremonies, has landed her first special dance number. The actress will be grooving to a song set to tune by Arjun Janya in the upcoming film Case No 18/9.

“I’ve gained confidence in my dancing abilities after the many stage shows I’ve done in the recent past. I cannot wait to dance to this song. It is a disco number,” says Harshika. The film, which is the remake of the Tamil hit Vazhakku Enn 18/9, features Shweta Pandit, Sindhu Loknath and Niranjan in the lead roles. While the original didn’t have any special song sequence, director Mahesh Rao has said that he has tweaked the script to include the song.

“I have never made a special appearance in a dance number for any film before this. It was after listening to the song that I was convinced to accept the offer,” says Harshika, who coincidentally happened to act in director Mahesh’s Murali Meets Meera, where her cameo won a lot of applause.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Regional> Entertainment> Kannada /by Sunayana Suresh, TNN / March 18th, 2013

The trend of South remakes in Hindi film industry is growing stronger. The latest addition to the list is the upcoming film Badlapur Boys.

It’s a remake of the Tamil blockbuster Vennila Kabadi, which was directed by Susindran in 2009. A Muthu has acquired the remake rights of the Tamil film and is producing the film in association with Salim Tanvar under the banner of Karam Entertainment. The film stars Nishan Nanaiah and Saranya Mohan in the leading roles.

Nishan Nanaiah and Saranya Mohan

Muthu, a renowned Bollywood editor who has worked in more than 50 films like Sadak, Deewana, Balwan, Raja Babu, Judwa, Ziddi, Haseena Maan Jayegi. He’s turning producing with Badlapur Boys.

Muthu states, “I am very happy with the way the film is shaping up and the debut director Sailesh Verma is doing an excellent job. The film stars Nishan who was last seen as Peter in Bejoy Nambiar’s David and Saranya who is a big star down south. She was also part of the original Tamil film.”

This film marks Saranya’s B-Town debut. “We are leaving no stones unturned for this project as we have got some of the best on board for this project. Sachin Gupta, Sameer Tandon and Raju Sardar are the music director while the lyrics are by Sameer Anjan.

Background music is by Monty Sharma and Sharat Chandra is the creative producer,” adds Muthu. Monty and Sharat were also involved with the Shahid-Sonam starrer Mausam.

Badlapur Boys deals with a plot of social family romantic drama with sports as a backdrop. “It’s a very simple film and people who have dreams of being successful will surely connect with the subject,” says Nishan.

source: http://www.mid-day.com / Home> Entertainment / Mumbai, March 12th, 2013

Suede’s spring-summer line launched. / By Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Suede, the newly-launched fashion store offered a sneak peek into its Spring/ Summer 2013 Collection put together by Mohammed Anaikar recently at Taj Coromandel.

From timeless ethnic influences to elegant Western styles, the range presented at the ramp show choreographed by style guru Prasad Bidappa, smacked of variety and versatility. The Classic Collection featured showstopping gowns in lush fabrics embellished with delicate craftsmanship. Dresses and ensembles came in a wide range of fabrics, colours and silhouettes.

The styling was global in its appeal. The Contemporary Ethnic Wear line had experimental garments that worked well when teamed imaginatively — think chic tunics and metallic trousers! The colour palette ranged from pristine whites and pretty pastels to rich turquoise and pleasing pinks.

For men too Suede had some stylish options.

The ramp show featured a slew of ace models including Indrani Das Gupta. Miss India Kanishtha Dhankar grabbed eyeballs in an exquisite lace dress.

Besides its off-the-rack garments, Suede, the highend designer label also offers customised clothing for individuals who wish to restyle or revamp their wardrobe.

The store is located at 3A Rutland Gate, Second Street, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Features> Metro Plus> Fashion / Chennai, March 14th, 2013