CLASSIC ENTERTAINEMENT

In the few Tamil films she has done, Padmapriya has proved she is great eye-candy and an even better actress! Her biggest asset is her readiness to try different characters, irrespective of the lack of glamour or otherwise. While she had no qualms in the glam role in Pattiyal, she was equally happy to don the burkha in Pokkisham. Idrundhu, Sattam Podadhy, Mirugam, Striker and Irmbu Kottai Morattau Singam are ample proof of her acting prowess.

“My main objective is to experiment with different genres. I am extremely comfortable with all South Indian languages, whether it’s Malayalam, Tamil or Telugu. In fact I am quite fluent in Bengali too. I don’t want to talk about my future projects at the moment. All the films I am currently working on are in the making and the media will be the first to know when the movies are ready for release,” she said to a leading English daily.

“I would like to work with all directors and technicians, given the opportunity. I want to work in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi or even Russian and Spanish for that matter. For me it’s all about learning and being a part of many cultures and exploring the different perspectives of each market. Acting in a different language and a different industry is just an extension of your profile,” she added.

She made her debut in the Tamil film Krishnaleelai directed by K. Balachander. Meghana, daughter of Kannada star couple Sunder Raj and Pramila Joshi, started acting as a theatre artiste in the play 'Jokumaraswamy'; after she entered college, she started modelling.

But now, Meghana Raj is excited about her first Kannada release Punda opposite Yogi, which is the remake of the Tamil film Polladhavan.

“I really wanted to make my debut with a Kannada film. My first stint in acting was in a Kannada play called 'Jokumara Swamy'. But two years ago, well-known director K. Balachandar spotted me at an audio release function in Chennai and asked me whether I wanted to act in a Tamil film. My father was also present with me and I was unsure of what to say. I said yes and immediately after Krishna Leelai, I was approached by the producers of the Telugu film Bendu Appa Rao. Later, I did get some Kannada offers, but most of them looked uninteresting. Punda was one exciting project that I could not miss. And now the film is ready for release. I have put in my 100% in the film. The songs of the film have been shot stylishly,” Meghana said at the audio release function of her second Tamil film Kadhal Solla Vanden.

After the super hit of his Paiyaa, popular Tamil director Lingusamy is now gearing up to commence production of his seventh directorial venture, a Tamil-Telugu bilingual.

In a recent interview, Lingusamy confirmed: "It will be a bilingual with Silambarasan in the Tamil version and Mahesh Babu in the Telugu version. Dhayanidhi Alagiri will be the producer of the Tamil version, while Tirupati Prasad of Mega Supergood Films will produce the Telugu version. The Tamil version will start rolling in July after Simbu completes the first schedule of Poda Podi, while the Telugu version will commence by September."

Currently, the director is busy completing the script. The latest buzz is that gorgeous Tamannaah will play the female lead in the Tamil version. It would be interesting to watch the on screen chemistry of Simbu and Tamannaah.

There are also reports that the director is trying to rope in Madhavan to play a prominent role (as Tamannaah's brother) in the film. Official confirmation is expected soon!

Illayathalapathy Vijay is currently busy with his 51st film Kaavalkaran (remake of Malayalam hit Bodyguard) directed by Siddique. The film also marks the re-entry of Asin in South Indian cinema after a gap. Vijay will team up with Jayam Raja for Velayudham after completing Kaavalkaran. Devi Sri Prasad will compose the music. The latest buzz is that the cute actress Saranya Mohan will play a prominent role (as Vijay's sister) in the film.

The film is produced by Aascar Ravichandran; bubbly girl Genelia and Hansika Motwani are the leading ladies. This will be Genelia’s second film opposite Vijay after Sachin. The producers are reportedly planning a grand movie launch at Nehru Stadium in June. There are also reports that Velayudham is the remake of the Telugu hit Azad.

Cinematographer Priyan will reportedly team up with Jayam Raja for Velayudham.

South India’s smile queen Sneha's ongoing bilingual film Bhavani IPS is ready to hit screens across Tamil Nadu and Andra Pradesh in July. A remake of lady superstar Vijayashanthi's cop movie Vyjayanthi IPS (1990) which fetched her the National Award for the Best Actress, Bhavani IPS is simultaneously being made in Telugu and Tamil by director Kicha.

Bhavani IPS stars Sneha in the role of a trigger-happy cop Bhavani who takes on three villains: Kota Srinivasa Rao, Sampat Raj and Manoj K. Jayan. Sneha has reportedly performed daredevil bike racing for chase scenes in this film, which also has Ilavarasu, Brahmanandam, Ponnambalam, Aryan, Manobala, Raj Kapur, Delhi Ganesh and Vivek in the cast.

“I remained Sneha for the first two days of the shoot but after seeing my stills with guns, I got the confidence of essaying the cop’s role. I’ve done it well and after the completion of shoot I started missing my khaki attire. I’m in love with khaki now. I’ve watched Vyjayanthi IPS and Vijayashanti madam has performed extremely well. I recently saw an interview of Vijayashanti in a Telugu paper. She had said, ‘Sneha is the right person to do the role and all the best for her.’ After reading this I got more confidence,” Sneha said to a leading English daily.

There are five songs in this film composed by music director Dhina. The screenplay and dialogues are handled by the director himself. S.K. Bhupathi is the cinematographer. Art is by Manu, editing is by S. Saleem and action is by Thalapati Dinesh. Bhavani IPS will be

Well-known designer Sidney Sladen had a fashion show of his latest couture collection at Taj Coromandel on Friday evening. Beautiful Trisha walked the ramp in one his creations. Looking stunning in green, Trisha sashayed on the ramp with some well-known names of the fashion world.

Several celebs including Jiiva, Jayam Ravi, Sangeetha, Rahasiya and Ramya Krishnan were present at the event.