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

Nishan Nanaiah in a scene from Radio / The Hindu
Actor Nishan Nanaiah says he is at home in Mollywood and is game for challenging roles

“I never thought that I’d last so long in the Malayalam film industry,” says Nishan Nanaiah with a chuckle. “Though a non-Malayali (he belongs to Coorg in Karnataka), I am surprised and happy that people here appreciate my work,” says the actor who made his debut as the endearing Sarat in Syamaprasad’s Ritu (2009). He followed it up with an impressive performance in Sibi Malayil’s Apoorvaragam and topped it with a brilliant act playing the charming seducer Rustam in Ee Adutha Kalathu (EAK). Last seen in the bi-lingual movie David and 10.30 a.m. Local Call in Malayalam, his latest release is Umer Mohammed’s Radio.

Radio is about Swetha (Iniya) and Priya (Sarayu). The movie stresses on how a woman has to find her inner strength and rise to the occasion. “It is a women-centric story. These girls come from different strata of the society and I happen to be a part of their lives,” says Nishan.

An alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Nishan believes Malayalam films are closer to real life, with enough scope for subtle acting. Also, he isn’t much worried that many of his movies didn’t do well in the box office. “At FTII we are taught to be true to the character you play and I feel it is in Malayalam cinema that I could stick to that. I do just one movie at a time, sometimes my choices go wrong. After all what you read in the script needn’t come out the same way on screen. I’ve no regrets about any movies I did in any language. It has been a great journey, during which I could share screen space with good artistes. Like Vikram in David,” says the actor over the phone from Jaipur where he is currently shooting for a movie.

All said and done, he is still waiting for a challenging role like that of Rustam. “When Arun (Arun Kumar Aravind, director of EAK) came up with the role, I had no second thoughts about accepting it because I was waiting to break free from the lover boy image I had till then,” he says.

He still gushes about the reception he got for the role. “A lot of housewives became my fans!” Nishan says, breaking into a hearty laugh.

“I think many women could relate with the housewife (played by Tanushree Ghosh). They are perhaps unhappy in their lives and crave for attention and care. It was after doing Rustam that I realised so many women go through this rejection in their lives,” he says. He also dubbed for the movie “since that was the accent expected of Rustam. My Malayalam hasn’t improved beyond that, though!”

As he looks forward to work with big names in Mollywood, Nishan is taking each role as it comes. “Acting is what I’ve always loved to do. I was crazy about movies from childhood to such an extent that I could remember the release date of important movies by relating it to something in my personal life. It was a shock for my parents when I decided to become an actor, because I was good in studies and sports (he was a state-level tennis player). They are worried about the unpredictability of the profession. But I tell them that I’m doing something I enjoy. I might earn less, but I find this profession liberating!” Nishan signs off.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Featurs> Cinema Plus / by Athira. M / Thiruvananthapuram, March 08th, 2013

Veejay and DJ Nikhil Chinappa was in Ahmedabad recently for an event performing a gig for Amdavadis, and he appeared very articulate and full of love for his music. In an interview, he tells us why he does not like it when someone asks him for favourite requests at a party and how playing music for him is a journey than just an entertaining event!

What do you like about the crowds in Ahmedabad?
I have done some really nice parties in Ahmedabad. The crowd are very open and appreciative of good music, unlike bigger cities like Mumbai where people are sometimes ‘too cool’ to enjoy good music. They often don’t dance on the floor thinking that their make-up will go away, their hair is sweating so gel will go and all that! Amdavadis do not have such frills when they come to a party! At my gig I will be playing House music because that’s what crowds like here.

What puts you off when you play music?
Another thing I don’t like about people when I play at some places is that they expect a deejay to play their favourite requests. I play only what I love and it is my responsibility to entertain the crowds. But if you are wanting to listen to a Punjabi song in the middle of some interesting English songs I am playing, then you should go home or your car and play your song. The minute you play a favourite request the person will go home! Why would I want that? I like people who have high levels of energy. Unlike to what people think, the last gig I enjoyed the most was in Indore.

Will you pursue acting in films? Why did you connect with the masses?
I like Bejoy (Nambiar) so I worked in Shaitan and David. I think I connected as a deejay or veejay with the masses because I was very cool about my what I liked and what I didn’t like. I hated maths, I loved chemisty and I said it! I didn’t take off my clothes on stage to look cooler but I loved my music and digged my heels into it and did it right.

I started deejaying 10 years back and people are loving electronic dance music now. I even know that I am not a great deejay and there are many better deejays in the country. But I got many good deejays to perform for my company.

Don’t you feel people miss the shows on MTV where VJs presented music?
Not at all. MTV is a youth channel and a major research goes into what they show on television. In the past 6 years, trends have changed. When I was in college, TV played music constantly, and you waited for your veejay to play or recommend new songs ….now its Youtube and Internet. I feel MTV is 100 percent right on the content andyes the number of people who want VJs are much smaller today. Nobody wants to watch veejays recommend songs on television.

Do you feel that there was a greater recall value for the kind of western music played at gigs before than now?
Every generation has felt that their music is the best but change is constant, today a cold play band song has an enormous following like Eric Clapton had its followers in his time. In fact I am constantly fascinated by the variety of bands and singers who are emerging on the party scene. There is a lot of new disco that s coming out here. When I started my own company and my first party we threw in a club that had 800 capacity and we only had 42 people on the floor. But we had so much fun playing for them, and we did what we felt right. Today my company is doing 7 gigs in 2 days in 2-3 different cities.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Music> Entertainment / by Tanvi Trivedi, TNN / February 28th, 2013

Nishan Naniah’s claim to fame? He gave the very respectful term chechi a sexual undertone! Many by now would have connected the dots to the obvious reference to Nishan’s character in Ee Adutha Kaalathu. His quaint accent in speaking the Malayalam language and his rakish charm endeared this Mumbai boy to a whole lot of women.

After a brief lull, he is back with 10.30am Local Call in which he plays the lead. A suspense thriller, he has his fingers crossed about the outcome of the film. Talking about being selective while choosing roles, he says that his prime criteria has always been his interest level from the point of view of the audience and of course, the credentials of the producer and the director. The defining factor would be the script he says, “I take up only those roles which are scripted well. There is many a slip between the cup and the lip! Sometimes the script that gets translated on screen is so very different and I have made those mistakes before!”

Nishan is elated at having shared screen space with Vikram for the multi-lingual David and says that it was wonderful to share screen space with an actor who was hassle free and down to earth. The Mumbai boy says that the language barrier never stopped him from attempting films in the South. In fact, his first film was in Telugu, after which he got offers from Malayalam. Nishan very candidly says, “Hindi is a language I think in and I love but that has never stopped me from branching out! My only principle is that I will do only one film at a time; I prefer to sit idle than sign six films simultaneously.”

An eclectic interest in books has shaped this intelligent actor’s thoughts and he is a firm believer in destiny. Nishan stoically believes that whatever is intended for him will come to him; otherwise it will pass him by. Supporting his theory he reveals, “ For most of my films, I was never the first choice but circumstances converged to ensure that I do those roles.”

Nishan is also very confident about his talent and why not? Notwithstanding the fact that he is a Film Institute product, he says that he has never accepted any role for the sake of the greenbucks and adds, “I do not want to compromise on my work, I work hard and put my heart and soul into my performances which is why I am not insecure about my talent.” It is his confidence in his craft that made him sign a woman-centric film like Radio.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Entertainment> Mollywoood / DC, by Priya Sreekumar / February 25th, 2013