ControversyIntimate scenes in films continue to bring abusive comments on social media against women actors and families, while the male actors are treated as heroes.CrisInstagram / Durga KrishnaNearly a year ago, a film song composed by Bhoomee premiered on YouTube, winning a lot of love for the music and Sid Sriram’s rendition. Somewhere in that romantic melody is a short passionate kiss between the onscreen actors Krishna Sankar and Durga Krishna. Cyber bullies, hardly dormant when it comes to abusing a young woman online, found a new prey and jumped on with scathing remarks on Durga, her husband and others in the family. A year has gone by and Durga moved onto other films. But when a teaser of the same Malayalam film – Kudukku 2025 -- came out two days ago, the bullies were back. This time, along with Durga, the men in the film and her family also joined the fight against cyber bullying.
- 7/10/2022
- by Cris
- The News Minute
MollywoodTouted to be a thriller, the film will start rolling from August 1. Digital NativeDigital NativeDirector Midhun Manuel Thomas’ new film is titled Anchaam Pathira. The film will have Kunchacko Boban playing the male lead and the rest of the star cast includes Sharafudheen, Unnimaya Prasad, Sreenath Bhasi, Remya Nambeesan, Indrans, and Jinu Joseph. Touted to be a thriller, the film will start rolling from August 1. Aashiq Usman is bankrolling the film under his banner. Shyju Khalid will be cranking the camera for Anchaam Pathira with Sushin Shyam has been roped in to compose the tunes. The film is likely to hit the marquee later this year. Kunchacko Boban had played the title role in Allu Ramendran which hit the marquee earlier this year. Allu Ramendran was a comedy thriller directed by Bilahari. Girish had penned the script in association with Sajin Cherukayil and Vineeth Vasudevan. The film was produced by...
- 8/1/2019
- by Luke
- The News Minute
MollywoodAccording to reports, Vineeth Sreenivsan will be playing a teacher in this flick. Digital NativeDigital NativeVineeth Sreenivsan’s next film is titled Thaneermathan Dhinangal! Wielding the megaphone for this venture will be director Girish Ad and it will be bankrolled jointly by cinematographer Jomon T John, editor Shameer Muhammed and Shebin Backer under the banners of Plain J Studios and Shebin Backer Productions. The director has co-scripted the film with debutant Dinoy Paulose. According to reports, Vineeth Sreenivsan will be playing a teacher in this flick. Sharing the screen space with him will be Mathew Thomas and Anaswara Rajan. Jomon T john will be handling the cinematography for this entertainer with Justin Varghese composing the tunes. Director Girish, it may be noted, was one of the scriptwriters for Allu Ramendran, a comedy thriller that was directed by Bilahari. The film starred Kunchako Boban in the title role. Girish had penned...
- 6/27/2019
- by Luke
- The News Minute
MollywoodThere is some brilliant scripting here, making a seemingly harmless practical joke appear so grave.CrisTo know the meaning of this title, you have to first read it properly. In English it isn't clear, the ‘L’s in 'Allu' can be read as the 'L' in 'love', but in Malayalam, it is the 'L' in 'all'. And 'Allu' means the nails thrown on the road to make a puncture. Ramendran is the name of the hero, played by Kunchacko Boban. And Ramendran keeps getting allu on his police jeep tyre. You should never judge a movie too soon. The first few minutes of Allu Ramendran look so disappointing that you might shake your head and fear that poor Kunchacko has gone and made yet another wrong choice. But when director Bilahari begins to cast away the poorly written comedy, coming from veterans like Salim Kumar and newer comedians like Dharmajan and Hareesh Kanaran,...
- 2/1/2019
- by Cris
- The News Minute
MollywoodThe film, directed by Shaheed Khader, is set in Kolkata and revolves around a husband and wife played by Kunchacko Boban and Nithya Menen.Digital NativeActors Kunchacko Boban and Nithya Menen will be coming together for a film, to be directed by Shaheed Khader, a former associate of late filmmaker Rajesh Pillai. According to reports, Shaheed’s film with will be a complete family entertainer. It is a story set in Kolkata and revolves around a husband and wife played by Kunchacko Boban and Nithya Menen. The project will be bankrolled by E4 Entertainments. Shaheed has previous directed the Tamil film Chennaiyil Oru Naal, the remake of the popular Malayalam film Traffic, directed by his mentor Rajesh Pillai. Nithya Menen, who hasn’t been seen in Malayalam cinema for a while, had recently spoken about working with Fahadh Faasil for a romantic entertainer in Malayalam. She had not revealed more details of the film,...
- 1/9/2019
- by Cris
- The News Minute
MusicOn the director’s 88nd birth anniversary, here’s a look at how he integrated Carnatic music with Tamil films to popularise the art.Anand Kumar RSIn one of the most impactful and memorable scenes in the Tamil film Sindhu Bhairavi, the male protagonist, who is a famed Carnatic vocalist, is shown rendering a Telugu kriti ‘Mari Mari Ninne’ in a concert. The assembled audience in a hall in Chennai applaud after the song, though nonchalantly. Even as the singer is revelling in that appreciation of the audience, a hand goes up. This is of the woman protagonist who challenges the singer and demonstrates that Carnatic music, if sung in the local language (Tamil in this case) which people can follow, will be appreciated much better. In a later scene, the singer discovers this for himself when a fisherman profusely appreciates his rendition of a Bharathiyar composition in Tamil. It was felt then (and may be even now) that Carnatic music was elitist in nature. Ace director K Balachander (popularly known as Kb) one of the most revered filmmakers in India, used this film as a medium to plug this important message that for music to reach many, it needs to be understood. By his own admission, Kb was a big fan of Carnatic music and hence didn’t want it to be seen as some highbrow art form. In his own ways – some direct and some subtle -- he did his best to mainstream Carnatic music as much as he could, through his many films. On his 88nd birth anniversary, here’s a closer look at this aspect. The film Sindhu Bhairavi, one of Kb’s later works, that too among his best hits, has a Carnatic musician as the central character. For a filmmaker to indulge in references to Carnatic music in a film like Sindhu Bhairavi which had it as its backdrop is not surprising. But this piece is just not about Sindhu Bhairavi alone but about many of his other films right from his early career days where it would appear that the director was waiting for some opportunity to plug Carnatic music in his films. Right at the beginning of his career, at the height of black and white cinema, one of Kb’s landmark films was Apoorva Raagangal. Though the film was about complex relationships, Kb sets this with Carnatic music playing the interlude. The female lead is a popular Carnatic singer. The male lead happens to play the mridangam which incidentally works in enhancing the romantic quotient between the leads! Another novel idea in the film was to use different aspects of Carnatic music like Sarali varisai, Thani Avartanam, Abaswaram, Sruti betam, Mangalam as placeholders throughout to carry forward the narrative. Kb’s understanding of Carnatic music comes out very clearly when we see these placeholders in the context of the film. For example, when the estranged husband character makes an entry at the wrong time, the card Kb uses is Sruti Betam (pitch distortion). How apt! Apart from Aboorva Raagangal and Sindhu Bhairavi, another film where Kb placed a Carnatic musician in a major role was Unnal Mudiyum Thambi. Here, the hero’s dad is again characterised as a famed Carnatic singer and is called Bilahari Marthandam Pillai, Bilahari being a popular Carnatic raga. And the elder son who is born mute is a Nadaswaram player. Though the film is about ideological differences between a non-compromising dad proud of his “high caste” moorings and his son who wants to break these shackles, I feel Kb’s use of Carnatic music here was only was to draw a parallel. Of the need for Carnatic music to be liberated from the sabhas to the streets, breaking another caste divide of sorts. In what is a typical “Balachander touch” scene, the dad tells the son that he used Ashuddha Danyasi (Shuddha Danyasi being a Carnatic raga) in a song he sang in front of labourers. All these films, Apoorva Raagangal, Sindhu Bhairavi and Unnal Mudiyum Thambi with Carnatic music as the backdrop, gave opportunities for the music directors to popularise this form more widely. In that sense, Kb and the respective music directors need to be credited for making or at least earnestly attempting to make Carnatic music, to use today’s lingo – “mass”. If these were on-the-face attempts, there were other subtler methods which Kb used. He had a penchant for using names of Carnatic ragas to name his women leads in many of his films. Bhairavi and Ranjani in Apoorva Raagangal, Sindhu and Bhairavi in Sindhu Bhairavi, Sriranjani in Jathimalli are some examples. Even in his small screen innings, this continued with the serial Sahana. In the film Duet, one of the male leads is a saxophone player. In one of his interviews, Kb had mentioned that he was a big fan of the very popular saxophone vidwan – Kadri Gopalnath. Kadri, as he is known in music circles, is one of the pioneers in playing Carnatic music with the saxophone. Kb was keen to spread Kadri’s talent among the masses which he did with this film, Duet. This gave an opportunity for film’s composer Ar Rahman to use Kadri in the songs which all became super hits. In the film’s opening sequence with title credits itself, we are treated with a virtuoso Kadri performance. Kb’s not so known film Oru Veedu, Iru Vaasal was a novel experiment in storytelling. It has two different stories split by the interval. The other experiment in this is that both the stories feature the famed Carnatic violinist duo – Ganesh-Kumaresh as the protagonists. Impressed by their stage presence and personality, Kb probably cast them in the film but this was one experiment that didn’t work. However, this doesn’t take away anything from his effort to mainstream Carnatic music – here, by introducing hitherto popular Carnatic musicians as actors in his films. If the film had worked, the “Cine fame” prefix to their names would have helped them get more people to their concerts, just like post the film Shankarabaranam, “Cine fame” Manju Bhargavi attracted huge crowds for her Bharatanatyam programmes. These instances may not be exhaustive but they are enough to drive home the point that Kb, through his films, played a stellar role in bringing Carnatic music to Tamil cinema. For instance, he points out the difference between Arohanam and Avarohanam of a Carnatic composition through the judge character in Sindhu Bhairavi in the climax. This dimension is another feather in Kb’s already crowded hat and remembering this on his birth anniversary is only a small tribute to this genius. Thukkada: As a keen follower of Carnatic music, there is no doubt that Carnatic musicians started including full length Tamil keertanas in their concerts in Tamil Nadu or while singing amidst Tamil dominated audience, post Sindhu Bhairavi. If Tamil songs are no more restricted to Thukkadas (short songs thrown in at the end of concerts usually), K Balachander deserves credit for the same. Also read: 'Mr Chandramouli' review: A half-hearted drama with unconvincing performances...
- 7/9/2018
- by Monalisa
- The News Minute
MusicIf I were to doodle the memories of the last 25 years in my head, the background would invariably be coloured in the hues of Ar Rahman's music.Pavithra RadhakrishnanFacebook/Ar RahmanI remember picking Chinna Chinna Aasai to sing at a music competition at school as a seven-year-old because it was "simple and catchy". I remember playing the audio cassettes of Bombay, Taal and Minsara Kanavu till they wore out and started playing out of tune. I remember tearfully bidding adieu to my high school buddies to the refrain of Muzhugaadha ship-ae friendship thaan. I remember tripping over a CD of the album Boys with my lovely wing-mates at the college hostel and getting starry eyed with Azhage Sugama. I remember how New York Nagaram and Ai Hairathe faithfully kept me company for hours on end as I ploughed through Java and Ajax at my workplace. Every time I pass the signal just before my workplace, I automagically hear Innum Konjam Neram in my head, for the number of times it has looped there. I remember how as a toddler, my son would demand for Mental Manadhil to be played in the car every.single.time, and how it was finally replaced a couple of years later, only by Azhagiye.. And I realise, though I have always known, that if I were to doodle the memories of the last 25 years in my head, the background would invariably be coloured in the hues of Ar Rahman's music. 25 years. That's how long this magician has been at work, creating countless "aaha" moments! It all started with Roja in 1992, and the album blew us away with its novelty. It had to be his best, we thought. Yet with each passing album, he has managed to outdo himself and now 25 years later, the sheer variety of genres spanned, the level of experimentation and evolution in is his music simply boggles the mind. What could delight a fangirl more than taking a walk down this glorious memory lane to reflect upon the highly eclectic nature of his music? From Aathangara Marame to Elay Keechan If idli-sambar is an average Tamilian's comfort food, then its musical equivalent would be folk; more specifically the rich legacy of folk music created by Ilayarajaa and his predecessors in the industry. That was (and largely continues to be) the gold standard but Rahman entered the scene and put a snazzy spin on folk music - a classical touch in Varaaga Nadikkara Oram and Mettupodu, an unrestrained spirit in Elay Keechan and Uppu Karuvaadu, and the typically rustic tones in Athangara Marame and Usilampatti Penkutti. From Bilahari to Bhatiyar Figuring out the raga of an Arr song is like trying to place your finger on the main ingredient of a flavour-packed dish. The flavours overwhelm you at times, but you realise that the heart of the dish truly lies in that one ingredient. The masterchef has doled out delectable creations in Hamsadhwani (Vellai Pookal), Charukesi (Udaya Udaya), Panthuvarali (Hai Rama) and just about anything from Bilahari (Omana Penne) to Bhatiyar (Naina Neer), but if I must pick one absolute favourite, it has got to be Kannamoochi Yenada in NaataaKurinji. Ah well, with a caressing seasoning of Sahana! Pettai Rap! If you could start from "Rhythm of life..", go on upto "Aalai Anjalai Bazaaru Nijaru Kanniyappan Muniamma Giri Gaja Mani Mgr-u Sivaji Rajini Kamal-u, Bagil-u Bigulu Sevulu Avulu All Shows House Fullu, Pettai Rap" without missing a beat and by maintaining the same degree of swag and thara-localness throughout your rendition, you were officially granted entry into Arr fandom. It was the beginning of enjoying this hitherto novel genre of rap, and Blaaze made sure to nail in our love with the likes of Taxi Taxi and the Boss song in Sivaji, the most endearing of them being Hosanna. Is it ak-ka-pella? Or Aa-ca-pella? I wondered, when I first learnt that Raasathi belonged to that genre, about a decade after the album came out. Acapella ( the pronunciation and beyond) eventually became familiar territory, but in my head, its roots lie in the minimalist, yet spectacular Raasathi. In that inimitable voice of the late Shahul Hameed. For the soul The one facet that keeps coming up repeatedly in attempts to understand Arr - the very private person behind the moniker "Mozart of Madras" is his deep rooted spirituality and connection to Sufism. Needless to say, his creations influenced by the Sufi style of music are pristine and beyond critique. While Khwaja Mere Khwaja and Kun Faya Kun come to mind instantly, another gem that got shrouded amidst controversy and is rarely heard is Noor-un-alah from Meenaxi, brilliantly arranged in a Qawwali style. Break the rules! Every once in a while, Arr breaks away from the conventional Pallavi-charanam(s) format of songs. Remember the feisty Strawberry Kanne (with Sivamani having a field day on the percussion front) and its rebuttal dialogue building up to an operatic end? Or the melancholic Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya in that voice of Karthik that tugs at your heartstrings? Or the vocal-rich Please Sir from Boys? Des Mere Des Mere Meri Jaan Hai Tu The mind may roam all over the world, but home is where the heart is. Patriotic songs hold a timeless appeal, and to me, Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna in the evocative voices of Sonu Nigam and Honeyharan (typo intended) is the "it" song that can stir up a storm from even the faintest trace of patriotism. But there were also two other songs, one before and one after, that created quite the same effect on the listener -the iconic Vande Mataram, and the soulful Yeh Jo Des Hai Mera (oh that shehnai!) Of jazz, blues, gangsta, reggae and beyond Q : Would a groovy jazz number rendered by a North Indian work in a high strung Dravidian political drama? A: It would, but only if it can be pulled off like Iruvar's Vennila Vennila. One can't help but wonder where the true genius of the song lies- Asha Bhosle’s sensuous rendition, or Arr’s conception of having her render the song! To throw in the least expected musical element at a given situation in a movie and carry it through with panache is a feat only Arr can pull off. This shines through in so many multi-culturally influenced songs from all over the world - the Middle Eastern tones in Mayya Mayya, the blues of Adiye, the South American tribal tunes of Kilimanjaro, the Sinhalese Signore Signore in Kannathil Muthamittal, the cabaret flavor in Ramta Jogi, the contrasting ends of the rock spectrum in Sadda Haq (Rockstar) and Aaromale (with that delightful carnatic violin interlude out of the blue) or the earthy Punjabi flavor in Patakha Guddi (Highway)... With 25 (years) going in the upward trajectory of 99 songs (the movie), this Elon Musk avtar of the music industry is all set to break new ground with his directorial venture, Le Musk and the highly promising Sarvam Thaala Mayam with Rajiv Menon. Until then, Hey Goodbye Nanba!
- 12/25/2017
- by Editor
- The News Minute
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