Kerala News Archive: September 2007

Nasraani
Sunday, September 30, 2007 | AJ

Nasraani zooms in on the life of a rich planter,David John Kottaram, who leads a luxurious life style. He lives for his friends and is willing to do anything for them. The only person who has any strong influence on him is Narayana Swamy, a retired advocate from Supreme Court. Even though David John seems happy all the time, he has got his share of sorrows, the important one being the long wait that he infused upon Sara, with whom he was betrothed ten years ago, but due to some family reasons couldn't reach up in marriage. Sara,a college lecture, is still not yielding to move away from him as she waits in the hopes of uniting with him some day. The film which uses the best of the mannerisms of Mammootty will in all terms satisfy the fans of the star as the role is an Achayan character like he did it in Sangham, Kottayam Kunjachan to the latest Pothen Vava. Others in the cast include Jagathy Sreekumar, Kalabhavan Mani, Muktha,Vimala Raman,K.P.A.C. Lalitha, Lalu Alex, Vijayaraghavan, Saikumar, Biju Menon, Bharat Gopi, Maniyanpilla Raju, Siddhique, Captain Raju, Sukumari and Ponnamma Babu. Bijibal scores the music to lyrics by Anil Pachooran. Nasraani is produced by M. Rajan under the banner of Horizon movies. The movie is expected to be in theaters by the 12th of October.

Mammootty And Mohanlal Coming Together
Sunday, September 30, 2007 | AJ

Mammootty is to appear as Sree Narayana Guru and Mohanlal to appearing Swami Vivekanandhand the new film Yuga Purushan. The film which is directed by R. Sukumaran, who has directed films like Padhamudra and Rajashilpi earlier.The film will also present the contemporaries of Guru like Swami Vivekanandhand,Gandhiji, Chattambi Swamikal relations with them. The project has become one of the biggest to look out in 2008.

Paradesi
Saturday, September 29, 2007 | AJ

The film tells the story of hundreds of people who were left alien in their own land, due to lack of documents to prove themselves, and their identity. To the Indian government he is a Pakistani,and to the Pakistani government he is an Indian.The film written and directed by P.T. Kunju Mohammed, will have Mohanlal playing a totally different and very challenging role in four getups as Valiyakathu Moosa.Mohanlal's character in the film as eighty-year old character Moosa,son of a freedom fighter, is a representative of such people. Jagathy, Siddiqe, Lakshmi Gopalswamy, Padmapriya, Sewtha Menon, are playing important roles. Music by Ramesh Narayan and Shahsaad Aman. The film which is produced by A and A productions will be the first Malayalam venture that the Pyramid Saimira Limited is taking up for distribution. Paradesi will grace the theaters on October as Ramzan special.

Prithvi And Meera in Bose
Saturday, September 29, 2007 | AJ

Prithviraj will team up with Meera Jasmine in the new Malayalam film Bose. Directed by one of his favorites M. Padmakumar, the film is scripted by A K Sajan. Jagathy, Saikumar, Prakash Raj, Lalu Alex and Babu Raj are in other major roles in the movie which is produced by Chandra Kumar in the banner of Malavika Productions.

T.V Chandran To Act In 'Adayalangal'
Saturday, September 29, 2007 | AJ

Director T.V Chandran is preparing himself to act in a new movie. He will be appearing in an important role in the new film by M G Sasi, one of his associates. The film titled Adayalangal will start from October first week at Pattambi. Nedumudi Venu,Jothirmayi,Govind Padmasoorya are acting important roles. After acting in the film, T.V Chandran is scheduling to start his new movie. Muktha or Samvrutha will be finalized to do the lead in the film, which will give either of the actresses to play a role of the life time.

Swargachithra Back To Malayalam
Saturday, September 29, 2007 | AJ

Swargachitra is producing two films of Mammootty and Dilip. After the release of Sargachitra's Vijay film Azhakiya Tamizh Makan, the shooting of Dilip film will start and later Mammootty's film. S N Swamy pens the story and screen play for Dilip's film to be directed by Sajan.Both these films will start only after three months that is after the release of their Tamil film.Swargachithra had a very good marketing and production sense which catapulted many of the non superstar films of the nineties to big hits.

Muslims donate land to construct Hindu temple
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 | MP

Malappuram (Kerala), Sept. 25 (ANI): A Muslim family in Kerala has donated land for construction of a temple.The land was donated by the family to reconstruct a centuries old temple, located 50 meters away from a mosque in Malappuram District's Peruvalloor area.The proposal originated when the remains of an old Gowri Sankara temple was unearthed from a land near to the half-a-century old Hidhayathul Islam Secondary Madrasa a few weeks ago.The village panchayat members and mosque authorities held talks with the representatives of both religions and decided to hand over the land, which belonged to a Hindu family centuries ago.“P. Abdul Nasar, owner of the ancestral land, who is in Gulf now, came forward to declare that he and his familymembers are not hesitant to hand over the land to re-construct the temple. This land is owned by my father and later given to my brother, who decided to take this step,” said P Sulikha, sister of Abdul.There were small disagreements between the representatives of the communities on the reconstruction of the temple. But later an informally constituted committee comprising of mosque authorities, members from the village panchayat and temple authorities decided to discuss the problem. The feeling initially was that the reconstruction of the temple was impossible, taking the proximity of Madrasa and Farookabad mosque into consideration. The committee kept the issue a secret, and tried to arrive at a solution. .According to a temple authority, the land, belonged to Mangalasseri Illam years ago. But the ownership of the land changed several times before Abdul became the owner. The Hindu families later abandoned the temple. One of the temple committee members, Dasan Kottaykulam, said: “The Gowri Sankara temple was a part of Kadampuzha temple, which has a legend of over 3000 years. All the members from the Hindu community are happy for the kind consideration shown by the Muslim community.” For the past 300 years, no worship has taken place at the temple, which is in a dilapidated condition. Now, the mosque authorities have handed over the land to us and we will soon start the reconstruction and modification work, Dasan added. As per the legend, Lord Siva and Goddess Parvathi had stayed here for nearly four years. It is believed that the temple was constructed nearly 3000 years ago. The temple authority has formed a committee named Kshetra Samrakshana Samiti to reconstruct the temple. Villagers can now listen to the prayer calls from the mosque and chanting of Vedas from the temple at the same time during the holy month of Ramzan. (ANI)

Catholic schools to introduce sex education
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 | MP

Kochi, Sept. 25 (ANI): Kerala has made a name for itself as a State which has achieved 99 percent literacy. It is now adding one more feather to its cap by introducing sex education in Catholic schools.The Family Commission of Kerala Catholic Bishop's Council (KCBC) has decided to bring out its own textbook on sex education to be taught in the Catholic schools across Kerala. The Family Commission took this decision after a meeting at the Pastoral Orientation Centre in Kochi recently. While preparing the text book, many aspects will be kept in mind including HIV/AIDS and expertise of doctors, theologians, psychiatrists and teachers. The book will concentrate on moral, spiritual and psychological education in a comprehensive way. “The book would look at the entire issue not only from a physiological perspective but also from psychological, spiritual and moral dimensions”, said Fr Jose Kottayil, Secretary of KCBC Family Commission. In the first instance, the text book will be introduced only in Kerala schools run by the Catholic management and later it will be used in other Catholic schools across India, Kottayil added. The decision has been taken following the controversy over the sex education book which recently was introduced by the Kerala Government's Education Department in all the higher secondary schools. The new book is expected to be published before March 2008 and will be available from next academic year.Around 13,000 higher secondary schools are run by Catholics in India with over seven million students. The majority – 53 percent -- are from the Hindu community and 22 percent are Catholics and around 8.6 percent Muslims.In India, Catholic management runs more than 14,539 educational institutions out of which 60 percent are in the villages and the rest 40 percent are in towns and cities. (ANI)

Nedumudi Venu Won International Award
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 | AJ

Nedumudi Venu,the veteran actor from Malayalam has won the best actor award in the Zimbabwe International film festival. He was given the award for portraying the complex nature of the character of Usthad Alif Hussain, the musician in the film Saira directed by Dr Biju.The festival which was held between August 27 and September 5 had 26 films in the competitive section. Saira was the only Indian film that attended the festival.Saira was produced by Radhakrishnan in the banner of Mrinalini films .The movie has already been to 19 film festivals world wide, fetching accolades from many of them.

Suresh Gopi In Rajeev Nath's Film
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 | AJ

One of the frontline directors of Malayalam Rajeev Nath team up with Suresh Gopi in his new film on the world classic Casablanca, titled in Malayalam as Ezhaam Mudra.The star appears in the film as a naval doctor, as Rajeev Nath plans to recreate the magic with the Tamil Tigers as the backdrop. Mandira Bedi is now approached to enact the role immortalized by Ingrid Bergman in the original.

Suman In Malayalam
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 | AJ

Suman,the Telugu superstar will debut into Malayalam with Hariharans Pazhassi Raja,the magnum opus which is presently in the floors.Suman will present the role of Pazhayaveedan Chandhu on screen, in this film. Suman will join the second schedule of the film.Apart from Mammootty who dons the title role, Tamil superstar Sarath Kumar also makes a debut in Malayalam with this film, playing a prominent role in the film.

T. V Chandran -Aryadan Showkath Team again
Monday, September 24, 2007 | AJ

After a gap for more than a year Aryadan Showkath is again back with another script that he plans to produce. This time too,T.V Chandran will direct the film. The film which has a female oriented plot will start in a short while in and around Kozhikkodu and Wayanad. His first film with T.V Chandran,Paadam Onnu Oru Vilaapam was the most celebrated movie of the year in the parallel circuits, which even got many awards including the one for best scripts and best actress in the national level for Meera Jasmine.T V Chandran's Tamil film Aadum Koothu,all through the last year,with Cheran and Navya Nair in the lead,which got many awards from the Tamil Nadu government.

Suresh Gopi In Shaji Kailas 'Boot'
Monday, September 24, 2007 | AJ

After Alibhai director Shaji Kailas is ready to start working on his new project, another investigative thriller with Suresh Gopi.The film titles 'Boot' will be the first production of Pyramid Saimira productions in Malayalam. The film scripted by Rajesh Jayaraman will start by the end of this month at Peerumed.Suresh Gopi appears again in a police role, as S P Siddharth, who is into investigating another case of importance. It is a matter to time, which will prove whether there is anything different to look out for, in this film.

Hareendran Oru Nishkalankan
Monday, September 24, 2007 | AJ

Vinayan' new film titled Hareendran Oru Nishkalankan, started at Kochi.Staring Jayasuriya,Indrajith and Manikuttan, films also have Bala and Bhama in other prominent roles. The film produced by Sathish Nair in the banner of Nandikesh Films, the film has Jagathy Sreekumar, Laloo Alex, Cochin Haneefa,Rajan P.Dev, Suraj Venjaramoodu, and Salim Kumar in other important roles. The film which is based on story by Vishnu Vinayan has the screenplay and dialogues penned by director himself. The films music by Bernie-Ignatius, lyrics by Vayalar Sharath Chandra Varma.cinematography by Rajeev Alungal. The film will reach the theatres from Pyramid Saimira.

Sukumari To Lead In 'Thottil'
Monday, September 24, 2007 | AJ

After acting in around two thousand films in supporting roles in Malayalam, veteran actress Sukumari is finally called upon to play the lead. The film in which she is projected as the lead star is Thottil directed by Ashok R Nath.The director after the critically acclaimed films like Sabhalam and December, is also now on a serious subject, scripted by Anil Mukhathala.The movie will also feature Nedumudi Venu,Manoj K Jayan,Saikumar and Jagathyin other important roles.

African snails pose threat to coastal Kerala
Sunday, September 23, 2007 | AA

Kochi (Kerala), Sep 23 (ANI): Giant African snails are posing a serious threat in the coastal regions of Kerala, where locals have spotted it in a large number along the walls of buildings, on trees and even plants. Popularly known as African snails, they grow up to five inches in length, sometimes as big as the palm of an adult human hand. These snails are known to destroy crops and even cause fatal diseases in humans. They consume almost anything that comes their way, ranging from coconut leaves to flowers, and even chunks of concrete wall. "I have read that these snails cause brain fever called meningitis. The disease spreads through a parasite that lives in rats. The snail mucous, when it comes in contact with the human mucous membranes in eyes, nose and mouth can cause Eosinophilic disorders," said Antonia Roseline K J, lecturer, Zoology Department, Cochin College. A programme to educate residents in the area about health risks and eradication methods will be undertaken soon, Roseline added. Thilothima Bai, a resident of Mattancherry District near Kochi, said: "I keep shooing them away from my house, but they somehow come back. In my entire life, I have never seen such a big snail in this locality." These snails lay up to 1,200 eggs a year, which can pose a serious threat to environment. This species is known for its survival techniques, like its ability to go into hibernation for two to three years. However, the easiest way to control their population is to collect these snails in a box and sprinkle ordinary salt over them. African snails are cone-shaped with brown shells. They have seven to nine whorls that are brown in colour with irregular darker streaks running across them. This rare snail is usually found in rivers and in the Pacific Islands. Though it is unknown how these African natives reached Indian shores, but it is believed that they might have come with large shipments entering through the Cochin port. (ANI)

Four washed away in pipeline burst
Thursday, September 20, 2007 | MP

Idukki (Kerala), Sept 19 (ANI): Four electricity board officials, including one assistant engineer, were killed and four others went missing after they were washed away in waters from a ruptured pipeline at the Panniar Power Station in Kerala's Idukki town.The officials were at the Panniar Power Station on an inspection on Tuesday when two water pipelines from a nearby reservoir burst, flooding the facility and washing the victims away.Four bodies were recovered today. Search operation is on to locate the others.The waters gushed out of the power station and eroded neighbouring settlements and forest area. At least 15 houses were submerged and 35 hectares of land eroded.Kerala's Electricity Minister A K Balan, who rushed to the accident site, said: "The Government is taking all necessary steps in rehabilitating the families of victims and other villagers." Damage to machinery at the 30-megawatt station has been estimated to be worth Rs. 150 million. (ANI)

Shafi Again With Mammootty
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 | AJ

Super hit director Shafi will once again associate with Mammootty to produce another fun movie.The details of the new project will be announced in a month.Shafi, who had done two Mammootty films till date, has converted both the films into hits. Their Mayavi is the first and the hit of the present year.Shafi presently is in the final stages of production of his latest film Chocolate. The film which will be a Ramzan release

Mohanlal Films On Demand For Remakes
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 | AJ

The success of the latest Kireedam and Veeraappu, the remake of Mohanlal's Malayalam films Kireedam and Sphadikam respectively, Mohanal's other films are also on high demands for remakes.Many Tamil film makers are now on the rush to collect and watch the DVD's of his old films so that they can make an agreement with the concerned producers for remake rights,at the earliest.Lal's 2004 hit Udayananu Tharam is now being remade by Prakash Raj.Ali Bhai and Hello are his two films of 2007 that will be remade into Tamil in a short while.Earlier in Hindi, many of his Malayalam super hits were remade by Priyadarshan, which were also good hits in Bollywood. Rajnikanth recent super hits like Muthu and Chandramukhi were also the remakes of Lal's Malayalam hits like Thenmaavain Kombathu and Manichithra Thaazhu.

Prithviraj In Fazil's Bilingual Film
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 | AJ

After Ente Sooryaputhrikku Fazil going to start his new bilingual film.Which will be made simultaneously in Malayalam and Tamil. Prithviraj will be the hero in both the versions of the movie, which is also scripted by the director himself.In the different versions, prominent stars from both the languages will don the characters. The Malayalam version of the film will be distributed by Seven Arts for Vishu. The shooting for the films will start this December.

Mamta Sings In Tamil
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 | AJ

Actress Mamta Mohandas is a popular singer in Telugu now. She won the Filmfare Award for best singer in Telugu films recently.Mamta has now been roped in to sing a song for Simbhu starrer Kaalai.The recording took place at the music director's studio in the presence of Simbhu and Prakashkumar.Interestingly Simbhu himself pens the song.

Meera,Priya Mani And Sandhya Got Tamil Nadu Film Awards
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 | AJ

Tamil Nadu Government announced the film awards for the years 2005 and 2006.Most of the Malayalaee celebrities working with the Tollywood enjoyed receiving some accolades for their creativity.Malayalee who won the award was Priya Mani as the best actress for 2006 for her effective portrayal of a lively rural girl in Paruthi Veeran.Meera Jasmine and Sandhya received the special awards for best actress for their roles in Kasthooriman and Dishoom respectively.Lohithadas Kasthooriman was also selected as the best film in special category for glorifying women hood.

Auto rickshaw driver turns savoir of Children
Sunday, September 16, 2007 | MP

By Juhan Samuel Kochi (Kerala), Sep 15 (ANI): Hundereds of street children in Kochi may not know who their parents are, but consider Murugan, the auto rickshaw-driver-turned social activist a dear friend.Murugan heads a help group called 'Theruvora Pravarthaka Association' which in Malayalam language means 'Street Workers' Association'Murugan, who grew up in an orphanage -- as his mother could not afford to bring him up -- knows the pangs of destitution.During the past six years, he claims to have saved about 2000 street children from the drudgery of forced labour.Murugan rescues the children from street labour takes them to voluntary organisations and seek their help. Many organisations like Sandvanam Trust and Consolation Trust have been of great help. Radha Menon of Sandvanam Trust said, "Murugan brings children from streets in distress to our organisation. I think he is really a God's chosen and blessed one."The young activist now plans to pen his experiences on the streets amidst poverty and hunger as also the stories of some of the children he rescued, all for the benefit of children saved from the streets."My life's main aim is to work for people and sell this book in large numbers. The earnings out of it will be spent on children and social activities," he says.India has banned employing children under the age of 14. Those found violating the law could face up to two years jail and a maximum fine of 20,000 rupees or both.An estimated 21.6 million children, aged between 5 and 14 years, are working as labourers in south Asia out of a total of 300 million children in this age group.Officially, India has about 12 million child workers who are under the age of 14, but voluntary groups put the number at close to 60 million. (ANI)

Nine tea gardens reopened in Kerala
Sunday, September 16, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, Sept 16 (ANI): Nine tea gardens out of 17 closed ones in Kerala have reopened consequent to the rehabilitation package announced by the government recently. The owners of the closed tea gardens were asked to avail the package by the end of August 2007 and reopen the gardens expeditiously, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement issued here today. Five gardens are in the process of settling their accounts and would open soon. In West Bengal, one garden, out of 14 closed tea gardens, has reopened and started functioning. Three gardens are in the process of being taken over by the new management, the ministry said, adding that two gardens have been negotiating with the banks for restructuring of the outstanding dues. Two more garden owners have indicated that they intend to sell the gardens and are on the look out for prospective entrepreneurs. All these are expected to reopen soon. The two closed tea gardens in Assam have got new management who is in the process of restarting the garden. A rehabilitation was announced by the Centre on June 29 this year for 33 tea gardens, which were closed as on April 1, 2007. More than 30,000 workers employed in these gardens were affected due to their closure. The package provides for restructuring of the outstanding bank dues, provision of fresh working capital with interest subsidy from the government, waiver of outstanding loan dues to Tea Board and settlement of Provident Fund dues in instalments. Once the accounts of these gardens are regularized, they will become eligible for term loan for replanting under the Special Purpose Tea Fund, and upfront subsidy for the machinery items under the Quality Upgradation Scheme of Tea Board. (ANI)

VHP appeals to Kerala Govt to cancel decision to felicitate M F Hussain
Sunday, September 16, 2007 | MP

Kochi, Sep 16 (ANI): The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) today appealed to the Kerala Government to cancel its decision to felicitate painter M F Hussain with the 'Raja Ravi Varma' award.The Government was "insulting" the Hindu community by selecting Husain, who had portrayed the Hindu gods and goddesses in a bad light, for this award, VHP Secretary General Praveen Togadia told reporters.Varma had done his best to respect the Hindu gods and goddesses through his paintings, he added. Togadia alleged the government of taking control of the administration of temples.This is "clear interference" in Hindu religious matters and against constitutional norms, he added. On September 12, the Kerala High Court restrained the decision by the ruling LDF Government to honour Hussain. (ANI)

Nineteenth Stop
Sunday, September 16, 2007 | AJ

Mohanlal is all set to play the lead role in an English film. The Mollywood buzz has it that the highly talented actor would play the lead role in a film titled Nineteenth Stop. The film would-be based on a story written by the celebrated Malayalam writer M.T Vasudevan Nair. Asin might play his ladylove in the movie.

Mammootty & Padmapriya selected for Mathrubhumi Awards
Sunday, September 16, 2007 | AJ

Mammootty, is adjudged the best actor for his performance in Palunku, while Padmapriya was the best actress for the character portrayed in Vadakkumnaathan for the Mathrubhumi-PSS Limited awards that were announced yesterday. Lal Jose directed Classmates was named as the best film while Sathyan Anthikkad bagged the best director award for Rasathanthram. Mohanlal and Major Ravi will get special awards for their work in Rasathanthram and Keerthi Chakra, respectively. Jagathy Sreekumar (Best supporting Actor-Palunku), Muthu Mani (Best supporting actress-Rasathanthram), Gireesh Puthenchery (Best scripts-Vadakkumnathan), Johnson (Music direction-Photographer)Vayalar Sharath(Lyrics-Classmates), Vineeth Sreenivasan, Manjari (Best playback singers). The awards will be distributed in the second week of October at Kochi.

Shaji Kailas Aagain In Tamil
Sunday, September 16, 2007 | AJ

After 'vanchinathan' director, Shaji Kailas who is also planning to start a new film with new comers in Tamil. The movie will start in a short while as the crew and cast is being finalized. The better budgets, availability of a number of crowd pulling heroes, new plots and locations seems to be the reasons of interest of Malayalam directors to prove themselves in Tamil. Moreover they will not be forced to limit their creativity in stringent budgets, normally offered by the Malayalam industry.

Chandana Kallan
Sunday, September 16, 2007 | AJ

Dileep is appearing in K.Madhu's new film. One of the frontline action film directors of Malayalam couldn't team up with Dileep for any film in these years.Now they are planning one in the scripts of Sibi K Thomas-Udhaykrishna. The film will have him in the role of a big smuggler. This movie which is tentatively titled as Chandana Kallan will be one of the first projects of the star, next year.

Star Singer
Sunday, September 16, 2007 | AJ

New film by Viji Thampy is into the never extracted backgrounds of the making of a reality show on Television. Based on the recent boom in the productions and popularity of reality shows in our mini screens, this film also is about the making of one such show. Titled Star Singer, the film will be a musical love thriller. The film will feature 45 young newcomers with Suresh Gopi. The actual screen test for the selection of the cast will be held in a week in the major cities of Kerala. The movie will also have Jagathy Sreekumar, Suraj Venjaaramoodu, Harishreee Ashokan and Vasundhara Das in other important roles.

First tourist train from Kerala on August 28
Saturday, September 15, 2007 | AA

The dreams of a tourist train on the lines of the 'Palace on Wheels' has materialized with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation's (IRCTC) will kick off special tourist trains from Kerala to major tourist destinations. 'The maiden run of 'Bharat Darshan’ tourist train from the capital was on August 28. The 12-day tour will cover Goa, Jaipur, Delhi, Agra and Hyderabad. Bharat Darshan tourist train has seven coaches, a pantry car and two luggage coaches. Each coach will have a guide and security personnel to ensure the safety of the tourists.Music and entertainment has also been arranged. The second tour package of the tourist train will be from September 23. The train will commence journey from Erode and will cover Hyderabad, Aurangabad, Ajantha, Ellora, Jaipur, Delhi, Agra and Sanchi. The authorities have also worked out a seven-day package from Thiruvananthapuram to Goa and Hyderabad in November.

Mammootty And Arjuin In Vandematharam
Thursday, September 13, 2007 | AJ

Mammootty and Arjun play cops in Vandematharam (Aruvadai-in Tamil) the big budget film set to hit the theaters this Pongal. The two take on the tough task of harvesting anti-social and anti-national elements.The film has Sneha and Mamta doing the female lead.The second schedule of the film will start in a short while.The film directed by Arvind, Aruvadai is produced by Henry who has also taken on the job of screenplay. Music is by Vidyasagar.

Another lady director to debut
Thursday, September 13, 2007 | AJ

Anjali Menon, who is quite famous with her documentaries and telefilms,is planning to start a new film, this month. The film titled Manjaady Kuru will have a big cast including Rahman, Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Murali, Urvashy, Kalpana and Kaviyoor Ponnama. The movie which is produced in association with NFDC will have Piyaadru,camera man from Switzerland ecinematographer. The film will also feature four songs written by Kavalam and music by Ramesh Narayan. Manjaady Kuru is all set to start by the 16th of this month.

Kattu Mulla
Thursday, September 13, 2007 | AA

After the hit Arabikkatha, Lal Jose will start shooting for his new venture Mulla from the mid of October. With Dileep in the lead, appearing as Mulla who is a man with less education and no backgrounds, the protagonist is character who is a bakery staff, always immersed in the decoration of icing cakes. Lal Jose is planning to introduce a new heroine through this film. According to the director, this will also be a complete entertainer like his biggest hit Meesa Madhavan. The music department of the film is handled by Vidyasagar and Vayalar Sharath while Sindhuraj pens the script for the film.

Kerala High Court restrains Government from honouring M F Hussian
Thursday, September 13, 2007 | AA

Kochi, Sept 12 (ANI): The Kerala High Court on Wednesday restrained the State Government from honouring the noted painter M F Hussain with the Raja Ravi Varma Award till further orders. A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice H L Dathu and Justice K T Shankaran after hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Ravi Varma, a member of the erstwhile Cochin Royal family, issued the interim order. The petitioner in the PIL filed submitted that Hussain had 'abused' the freedom of under Article 19 of the Constitution by depicting Hindu Gods and Goddesses in a 'vulgar' manner, disregarding religious sentiments and feelings. The PIL also contended that the recipient is not a native of the State of Kerala, and the award is being conferred to a 'stranger' in complete violation of the norms. The controversial decision was also against the directive principles of Constitution of India to maintain harmony among the people, the PIL stated. However, the Bench said the State Government has the liberty to approach the court for modification of the order. Hussain was scheduled to be awarded on September 17. (ANI)

Tsunami alert issued for Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Thursday, September 13, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, Sept 12 (ANI): The Ministry of Home Affairs today issued a Tsunami alert for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands after an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 on the Richter Scale struck southern Indonesia. "The Islands administration has been advised to take all precautionary measures to alert the people in the coastal areas and be in the highest state of preparedness," a Ministry release said. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry have also been asked to maintain a vigil, the release added. The Home Ministry is monitoring the situation constantly. As per information received from the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (NCOIS), Hyderabad, an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 occurred in southern Sumatra, Indonesia at about 4.41 p.m. IST today. The earthquake was centred about 15.6 kilometres underground, in the southern Sumatra area. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for wide areas of the region. (ANI)

Mohanlal In Animation Film.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 | AJ

Mohanlal reinventing his career by doing an animation film. Animation Dimensions, an animation company has started their work on a film with the Superstar as the hero. Mohanlal will also be lending his voice to the film, says the Creative Head of the Animation Dimensions, Prakash Nambiar. The film will have two heroes in the lead. Besides Mohanlal the other hero would be a superstar from Bollywood.Apart from this, another animation series with the famous characters of Naadodikkattu,Daasan and Vijan is being worked by another group of animators.

Rohini Back To Malayalam
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 | AJ

The heartthrob of the eighties,Rohini is again back to Malayalam playing a prominent role in the new film Rock N Roll by Renjith. The film will have her playing the role of Nirmala, wife of Violinist Issac, played by Lal.The actress,who debuted through Malayalam and became a big star in the eighties, had a number of hits associated with her.Recently she was appearing as the presenter of a number of programmes of Amritha TV.She is also a friend of Renjith,since she lent her voice for Shreya Reddy in his Black.

Mallika Sukumaran In Tamil
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 | AJ

Mallika Sukumaran,popular supporting actress and mother of Malayalam stars Prithviraj and Indrajith is making a debut in Tamil films.She will be appearing as the mother of Madhavan in the new film Vazhthukkal. Mallika who has got a number of offers from Tamil in the previous years decided to act in Vazhthukkal only because she is a big fan of Madhavan.Directed by Seeman,the film holds a prominent role for the character played by Mallika.

Mammootty Again In Double Role
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 | AJ

After a long time Mammootty is again appearing in a double role in the new film by Anwar Rasheed, who has delivered the biggest success of his career in Rajamanikayam.The film,not yet titled will have him doing the roles of two brothers.Scripted by Benny P Naayarambalam, the film is expected to start by the end of November. The film produced by Marikkar Films,will have music by Rahul Raj. The finalization of the scripts and the crew are in the last stages.

Madhupal Became Director
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 | AJ

As an associate director and then as an actor Madhupal,directing a film. Now the actor who had directed a few tele films is taking up the job of directing a movie. His first film, titled Thalapaavu, Prithviraj and Navya Nair in the lead roles.The movie which is all set to start rolling by last week of September 2007.The film is produced by Tamil actor Mohanraj under the banner of Civic Films. Scripted by Babu Janardhanan.The film will have Jagathy Sreekumar, Lal,Rajendran and Kalabhavan Mani in other important roles.

Elephant slam-dunks a basketball in Kerala
Monday, September 10, 2007 | MP

Trivandrum (Kerala), Sept. 10 (ANI): A pachyderm regaled audiences have with his on court dunks at a basketball tournament inaugural on Sunday.The presence of “Ramdas", the elephant, was an add-on to popularize basketball among school children, college students and corporate employees.Sports Minister M. Vijayakumar inaugurated the tournament. "The response was marvellous. There has been a lot of enquiry from the parents and from different quarters. We have allowed exhibition matches in schools to pick up interest," said Shaji Vettooran, the President of the Trivandrum Basketball Association (TBA).Foreign tourists also enjoyed the day-long carnival.British tourist Terry Alberts said: "To be in India and to see an elephant putting a basketball in the basket was an amazing experience. To be so close to an elephant, an opportunity to photograph, such an experience was amazing." Street basketball, popularly known as 'Streetball' was also introduced. Over 20 teams participated in the carnival. (ANI)

Novel With Six Songs
Saturday, September 8, 2007 | AJ

Jayaram starrer Novel will start its shooting started.The film which has Sadha for the first time in Malayalam will be shot at the capital city and the climax of the film will be shot at Malaysia. Directed by popular organizer East coast Vijayan, the film will have six songs of which five songs will be sung by maestro Yesudas.Three songs in the film are Yesudas solos while the other two are duets sung with Manjari and Sujatha. The sixth song of the film is a solo sung by Shwetha.The films music department will be handled by M Jayachandran while one song will be set to music by popular musician Umbayee. The film will have two jingles made for the promotional of the film.

Mukesh With 5 Big Films
Saturday, September 8, 2007 | AJ

After the success of Vinodhayathra, Mukesh seems to be the most wanted supporting actor around. He is now casted in five big films.Mukesh has just completed his hero roles in Suhruthu which also have Jagathy in an important role. The film is directed by Venu Nagavalli after a gap of 6 years.Mukesh also has important roles in films like SMS which have Bala and Navya Nair in the lead. He will be also seen in Rock And Roll with Mohanlal, which will start in a short while.Mukesh is casted back to back with Sreenivasan in two films, Ayur Rekha and Katha Parayumpol. The second film is even produced by the duo, in the banner of Lumiere Films.

Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag
Saturday, September 8, 2007 | AA

New Delhi/Mumbai, Aug 31 (ANI): The pre-release hype and bonhomie over the Bollywood's most awaited film, 'Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag', disappeared in thin air, as the movie considered to be inspired form 1970's cult classic 'Sholay' disappointed the cinegoers. "It's really bad, really bad...please don't watch it," said Aditya, a viewer, who had booked the ticket in advance for the first show of the movie on Friday.Audience left theatres cold and disappointed. Boasting of a big star cast, the movie failed to create the magic that original blockbuster 'Sholay' weaved on its audiences and still wields its magic."It's okay, only Amitabh Bachchan's role is good, otherwise the movie is not worth it," added Gaurav. 'Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag' was in the news from the day it was announced but mostly for the wrong reasons. After film critics and researchers denounced the attempt at tinkering with classics, the producer got into trouble for trying to use the original title since it was earlier titled as 'Ram Gopal Verma Ki Sholay'. The Sippy family, who made the classic 'Sholay' took Verma to court, where the former won the case, prohibiting the latter to use the title Sholay in the film. Verma then had to change the title to 'Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag'. Varma, who made his directorial debut in 1989 and has 27 films to his credit, denied the allegation of plagiarism, saying 'Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag' is not a take-off on the original blockbuster but, admits to it being loosely 'inspired' from it. "Theme of 'Aag' is the same as 'Sholay'. In terms of revenge-drama of a cop wanting to take revenge against a dacoit or a gangster. But, my intention is not to do one-upmanship on it when I can do something better," he says in his defence. "So, this is just a kind of tribute, homage to what it encompasses. It's not the scenes, it's not the story," he adds. Such was the success of 'Sholay', a film about two reformed crooks who saved a village from a neurotic, foul-mouthed bandit, that it ran in theaters for years and arguably became the greatest Bollywood film ever made. 'Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag' is also about two crooks, just out of jail who come to Mumbai with big dreams but end up working for a gangster, and how they help the police to round off a dreaded criminal 'Babban'. The film sees some of the seasoned actors of Indian film industry playing key roles along with some new comers. Ram Gopal Varma, who reversed roles of some of the characters in his remake and added his own to the story, stunned Bollywood by casting Amitabh Bachchan in the iconoclastic role of Gabbar Singh, the merciless villain, while in the original version he was one of the two heroes. The legendary actor, who plays the role of 'Babban'- the dreaded criminal in the film, seemed really upbeat about the role reversal. "It's been a great pleasure to be in this film. Having worked in the original in an entirely different role and now to be challenged to do perhaps one of the most different experiences that I have had," said Amitabh Bachchan. The film is also being dubbed in Tamil language, to cater to the regional audience. After Varma's disastrous attempt at a remake of the classic, next in line is a 100-million-dollar project to make four versions of 'Sholay'- a remake, a prequel, a sequel and an animated version, by Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC) an upcoming Bollywood studio. The deal signed between PNC and Sippy family is one of the biggest in the industry, which operates on low profit margins and spends an average of 1-2 million dollars on a film. (ANI)

Mammootty Celebrated His Birthday
Saturday, September 8, 2007 | AJ

Mammootty,celebrated his 54th birthday in the sets of Shouryam directed by Renji Panikkar.Muhammed Kutty at Chempu in Kottayam district of Kerala is a recipient of an incredible three National film awards for Best Actor,six State awards and six Filmfare awards in the best actor category. His first screen appearance in 1971 on Anubhavangal Paalichakal.He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1998. Along with Malayalam movies, Mammootty also created hits in Tamil, and Telugu and acted in a few Hindi films. Having completed 300 films as a hero.He has just completed Nasrani with Joshy,which will hit the theatres this Ramzan. Happy Birthday'Mammootty.

Tight Schedule For Vimala
Saturday, September 8, 2007 | AJ

Vimala Raman is making right moves in Malayalam.She has two big releases in Nasrani opposite Mammootty and in College Kumaran opposite Mohanlal.She had recently been with Dileep in Calcutta News in a short cameo, but not as his heroine.After being the female lead of Suresh Gopi, Mohanlal and Mammootty, she is now finally becoming the heroine of Dileep in the next film Romeo.The movie directed by Rajasenan, after a long gap is scripted by Rafi -Mecartin.

Innocent Is Back In Lead Role
Saturday, September 8, 2007 | AJ

The veteran actor Innocent is back in the lead role after two decades. He had been the hero of many films in the early nineties like Dr Pashupathy,Saandram,Sakshal Sreeman Chathunni,Kabooliwala and Gajakesariyogam,which were all surprise hits.Now it is the film which marks the landing of long time associate to Jayaraj,G George as independent director, which will have Innocent in the lead.The film titled Jubilee will feature him as Korasayippu-a seventy year old character. The film which has scripts by Shatrughnan also will feature Saikumar,Jagathy,Manoj K Jayan,Salimkumar,Sadiq,Bijukuttan and K P A C Lalitha.The film will start its shooting from the second week of september at Kottayam

Amma's Movie Starts On November
Friday, September 7, 2007 | AJ

AMMA has finally announced its movie shooting dates.The movie produced by Dileep on behalf of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) will have an ensemble cast which includes all the big names of Malayalam movie industry.The film directed by Joshy,stars Mammootty,Mohanlal,Suresh Gopi,Dileep,Jayaram,Naren,Prithviraj, Indrajith and Jayasuriya in important roles.The film is planned to start by the mid of November. The scripted by writers Sibi Udayan. This is a biggest project in Malayalam.

Police seize 10,000 detonators lying 'unattended' at Thrissur bus terminal
Friday, September 7, 2007 | MP

Thrissur (Kerala) Sept 6 (ANI): Police on Thursday recovered nearly 10,000 detonators from a busy bus stand in Thrissur in Kerala. The detonators were found near a bus leaving for Kozhikode after locals informed police about 'anonymous' boxes in the bus terminal. No arrests have been made so far. Though search are being carried out to locate the 'owner' of the consignment, police have also said that there could be possibility that someone may have forgotten the boxes, since such detonators are also used for mining purposes." Someone may have left it there. We are not sure to whom they belong to. The owner might have left it, but owing to police interference he was unable to obtain them. We are further investigating the case," said T. Chandran, Superintendent of Police, Thrissur. The explosives were of Class-6 type, division-3, and were manufactured in Wardha in Maharashtra state, officials said. Police said the detonators found were ordinary explosives, which when used with secondary explosives can prove to be highly destructive. (ANI)

Kerala's mechanical engineer makes miniature fighter planes and warships
Friday, September 7, 2007 | MP

By Juhan SamuelVatakara (Kerala), Sept 6 (ANI): While the Bay of Bengal is witnessing joint naval exercise of five-nations, a mechanical engineer in Kerala takes pleasure in making miniature replicas of planes and warships used in the First and Second World Wars.For the past 13 years, Roopesh Keereeyat has been creating accurate replicas of fighter planes and warships using paper, plastic, rubber and other waste material. Unable to realise his childhood dream to become a fighter pilot, Keereeyat is cherishing it through modelling of fighter planes and warships.He said: "I started to think of doing something to end my frustration."Among his collection are replicas of war machines of the US, Germany, Russia, Britain and France. To name a few are F-16, F-15, A-10, P-47 Thunderbolt, Sukoi, Russia's MiG-27 and France's Mirage.In making the fighter plane models, the most difficult part is to procure stickers and names, besides the year of manufacture, says Keereeyat.After thoroughly researching the Internet and books, Keereeyat goes ahead with the project, and sometimes, it takes months to complete one model.He uses paper and plastic as the main medium. For other parts, he uses tyre and cycle tubes.Keereeyat dreams of building an aeronautical museum for his war machine replicas He hopes to put the museum in place by the year-end.Sometime in the future, Keereeyat also plans to build an aircraft using a motorcycle engine and to go into aerospace technologies like missiles and rockets.Vishnu Priya, a relative of Keereeyat, says: "I feel proud of his creations and sometime used to feel jealous. He has an inborn talent to create minute things." (ANI)

Mohanlal In Sibi Malayil's 'Flash'
Wednesday, September 5, 2007 | AJ

After long 6 years Sibi Malayil and Mohanlal Team comeback with new film titled 'Flash' will start by the first week of October. The film scripted by S.Bhasurachandran, an eminent journalist is a suspenseful film which has Note Book fame Parvathy in the lead.The Pooja of the film held at Vismaya Max Studios,Thiruvananthapuram. Lyricks by Rafeek Ahamed and music by Gopi Sundar.The film produced by Tomichan in the banner of Mulakupadam films, will be the Christmas release of the star.

Suresh Gopi As C.B.I Officer
Wednesday, September 5, 2007 | AJ

Suresh Gopi is now donning the role of a C B I officer.His new film with Shaji Kailas C.B.I From Delhi will have him as the lead.The film will be produced by Pyramid Saimira productions, who are planning to produce another ten films for the year.The last film of Shaji Kailas with Suresh Gopi 'Time'couldn't rise up to audience expectations. So this time the director will also have to prove his audience pulling powers,once again.

Dileep In Siddhique Film
Wednesday, September 5, 2007 | AJ

Siddhique will direct a movie with Dileep in the lead, which is planned for next Vishu. The director, who is famous for converting his every film into major hits, Johnny Sagarika will produce the film.Dileep is appearing for the first time in a Siddhique movie. Director will also pen the script for the film. The other cast and crew of the film are being finalized.The director, who is presently busy in Tamil with his latest flick with Kavya Madhavan and Prasanna titled Sadhu Mirandal.

'Katha Parayumpol' Going To Start
Tuesday, September 4, 2007 | AJ

Mammootty and Sreenivasan will acting in Katha Parayumpol,start from mid of this month.The film is directed by debutant Mohan. Scripted by Sreenivasan himself, the film is produced by Mukesh who also appear in a prominent role in the film.Mammootty appear as Superstar Ashokraj in the film, while Sreenivasan is a barber Balan who is an old friend of the star.The film which is planned to complete in a single schedule, will be the 2007 Christmas release.

Prithviraj Goes To Telugu
Tuesday, September 4, 2007 | AJ

Prithviraj stars in a Telugu film.The actor had been extremely popular with the directors whom he had worked with. It applies to both Malayalam and Tamil. As far as his career in Tamil goes, he is now starring in the remake of 'Udayanaanu Thaaram'.While Director Priyadarshan,producing a Tamil film will be directed by the ace director Fazil, who has invited Prithviraj to do the lead in the film. The, movie will start its shooting in a short while.

Mammootty's Shauryam Started
Sunday, September 2, 2007 | AJ

After 'BharathChandran I P S director Renji Panikkar starts his new film with Mammootty in lead named 'Shauryam'.The scriptwriter turned director, has been taking a long break of two years after his maiden venture in direction.Shauryam is said to be a potpourri of satirical events that occurred in the Kerala social and political atmosphere, this year.The film produced by Marikkar films.

Ore Kadal
Sunday, September 2, 2007 | AJ

Director Shyamaprasad's Ore Kadal hit the screens.The film speaks about the varied experiences of life and hitherto unseen aspects of romance,more about man's endless desire to acquire, to separate needs and conveniences in the new globalize society. It also touches on the sexual and emotional imbalance existing between couples-A kind of film that will not allow you to reach for your popcorn as you sit eager in want to enjoy every word, follow every twist in another great script and wonder at the way the seemingly complicated plot devices are merged.An exciting performance from Mammootty and Meera Jasmine.The film relies heavily on the simmering chemistry of Mammootty,Narain and Meera on screen, and the compositions.The film Scripted by the director Shyamaprasad himself,produced by Vindhyan in the banner of Rasika Entertainments,songs by Gireesh Puthencherry set to music by Ouseppachan.

Kummattikali dancers add shimmer to Onam festivities
Saturday, September 1, 2007 | MP

Thrissur, Aug.31 (ANI): Onam, the harvest festival is also a time for staging traditional folk dances like Kummattikali. The traditional folk dance that has now disappeared from the cultural scene of Kerala, is performed by dancers clad in colourful outfits made from grass and leaves. Kummattikali is performed on the themes taken the Hindu epic Ramayana, based on the life of Lord Rama. The dance is also a harbinger of communal harmony, as the artists cutting across all religions and castes to perform Kummattikali. Mervin Jose, a Christian artist, said: "In Thrissur, the Kummattikali is given much importance than any other part. As for myself, being a Christian I feel great and happy to perform because of its secular aspect and this is the second time for me." Artistes dress up in leaves or grass (Kumatti or, parppadaka reeds) and wear painted wooden masks representing Gods and Goddesses like Rama, Sita, Hanumana and even demons from the epic Ramayana. Some performers cover their whole body with bunches of grass for a more bushy appearance and onlookers, especially children, take great delight watching the performance. Dr. K. Muralidharan, Convenor of Kummattikali show, said: "The 150 years old traditional art form initially used the masks made of arecanut palm leaves and other agricultural products. But after 1941, wood material has been used to prepare the masks mainly of demons, old lady and Hanuman." He said: "These masks are very expensive, costing around rupees two lakh. The cost is borne by villagers of all communities, irrespective of caste and creed." These masks are usually made out of single wood usually of trees of jack fruit and hog plum. They are prepared months before the actual show. Rhythm for the dance movements is created by vamping the string of a bow like instrument named Onavillu.Reeds of arecanut palm are used to make the bow and the strings are played with a narrow bamboo stick. Kummattikali performers earlier used to move from one village to another during Onam. The villagers -- as a gesture of thanks for entertaining them -- used to gift them with jaggery, rice and even money. Today, it has become a major pomp and show for the villagers and performers mainly in the Thrissur District in Kerala. (ANI)

Kerala’s Thrissur District stages ‘Tiger Dance’ festival
Saturday, September 1, 2007 | MP

By Juhan SamuelThrissur, Aug 31 (ANI): The Swaraj Ground in Kerala’s Thrissur District played host to the vibrant ‘Pulikali’ or ‘Tiger Dance’ festival recently. Hundreds of males with huge bellies and children wearing tiger masks took part in the dance that forms a key element of the popular harvest festival of Onam in Kerala.Pulikali is also known as Kaduvaakali, in which artists paint themselves with tiger stripes of yellow, red and black, and dance to traditional instruments.The main theme of the dance is tiger hunting, and its origins are attributed to Muslims soldiers. According to C.D. Wilson, a Christian artist, the festival has now become an all peoples event. Those who watched the dance, said there has been change in the performances over the years. In the early days, masks were not used at all and participants would have themselves painted. In modern times, ready made masks, cosmetic teeth, tongues, beards, and mustachies are par for the course. Organisers of the dance said they were thrilled by the response of sponsors and youths.“This year, more youths came forward to participate in the festival. Even the response of the sponsors and the government was good,” said John Daniel, an event manager.A sriking feature of this folk art is the colorful appearance of the performers. First of all, the dancers have to remove the hair from the body, and then, the base coat of paints is applied on them. It takes two to three hours for the coating to dry. After that, the second coat of paint is applied with enhanced design. This entire procedure takes at least five to seven hours. A particular combination of Tempra Powder and varnish is used to make the paint. The origin of Pulikali dates back to over 200 years, when the King Ramavarma is said to have introduced the folk art during Muharram. Mohemeddan soldiers of the British army stationed in Thrissur also participated in the event. (ANI)

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