Kerala News Archive: October 2007

Two Nuns Killed In Kottayam
Monday, October 22, 2007 | AJ

Kottayam: Two nuns were killed when some bricks and cement from a building under construction fell on them inside the compound of a convent at Nagampadom today. Reshmi from Alappuzha and Maggi from Trichur were engaged in gardening when the accident took place, police said. The bodies were kept at the S H hospital for post-mortem.

Heavy Rain Continuing In The State
Sunday, October 21, 2007 | AJ

Rail, road and air traffic were affected as heavy rains pounded many parts of Kerala.Two deaths were reported from Alappuzha and Kozhikode districts. The current spell of rain was triggered by systems of low pressure formed along Kerala and Tamil Nadu coasts, Indian Meteorological Department sources said. The monsoon fury was especially severe in the southern parts of the state, including the capital city and suburbs, where roads and rail tracks submerged hitting traffic for several hours in the forenoon. Revenue Minister K.P Rajendran has instructed the district officals to remain alert. The rainfall was expected to continue in over Kerala in two to three days.

Mohanlal In Shafi's New Movie
Sunday, October 21, 2007 | AJ

Super hit director Shafi planning to make a film with Mohanlal. The film will be scripted by Rafi -Mecartin after their recent hit with Lal 'Hello'.The sponsors of Mohanlal's American the show, Thara Arts and and Mohanlal's home production company, Aashirvaad cinemas are producing the film. Discussion is going on about the chances of shooting the movie in fifty days in US. The other cast and crew of this film are yet to be fixed.

Raudram
Sunday, October 21, 2007 | AJ

Mammootty is donning another cop in Renji Panikkar's Raudram. Mammootty wields the role of Assistant Police commissioner, Narendran, who is a industrious, trust worthy officer. This is the second time the star is appearing in the scripts of Renji Panikkar. The new film also introduces a new heroine Manju. The film also have Rajen P Dev, Sai Kumar, Vijaya Raghavan, Shammi Thilakan,Janardanan, Jaffer are also in the film. The film is produced and distributed by Marikkar films by the 29th of November.

Rock 'N' Roll
Sunday, October 21, 2007 | AJ

Director Renjith new movie with Mohanlal, called Rock 'N' Roll. Mohanlal is presenting himself as Chandramouli, a world famous Drummer who returns to Kerala to find his old friends and members of music troupe. The film will also have Mukesh, Jagathy, Rehman, Manoj K. Jayan, Siddhique, Harisree Ashokan, Lakshmi Rai, Shwetha and Radhika will also make their presence in stronger roles. The film scripts by the director, the music will be handled by Vidhyasagar and Giresh Puthenchery. The film is produced by P.M Venugopal, and distributed by Marikkar films on November.

Lorry Strike To Continue
Saturday, October 20, 2007 | AJ

Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan and Lorry owners made a futile attempt today to bring a possible breakthrough in the ongoing strike called by the Lorry Owners Federation. The CM said the Federation is challenging the government and the Court. He said adequate steps will be taken to tackle the strike so that it does not affect public.The Lorry Owners Federation called the strike began from midnight of October 18th. The discussions between Transport Minister and lorry owners failed on Monday. The decision was taken in protest against the government’s negligence towards the association’s petition in connection with the lorry operators’ welfare fund.

Physicians Mega Conference At Kochi
Saturday, October 20, 2007 | AJ

Kochi: Around 8,000 delegates from across the country are expected to participate in the 63rd Annual Conference of Association of Physicians of India, APICON 2008, scheduled to be held here from January 10 to 13. This was the second time that Kerala is hosting this mammoth conference after 1980, when the membership of the Association was just 1,200, Dr N N Ashokan, its Organising Secretary, told reporters here. Quiz programmes, symposia and live workshops would form part of APICON 2008. About 10 experts from abroad are also expected to attend the conference.

Kochi doc creating video album on Tendulkar
Friday, October 19, 2007 | MP

Kochi, Oct 19 (ANI): With Sachin Tendulkar breaking into the top ten of the latest ICC ODI rankings, one of his fans is busy creating a video album as tribute to his glorious cricket career. Dr. C V Ranjit, a dentist in Kerala’s Kannur District, has composed and sung in 20 different Indian languages including Arabic and English. He says that it has taken him about six months to complete the album. “The main reason to come out in 20 different languages is to popularise and make it easy to understand among the public that Sachin has thousands of fans across India and abroad,” said Dr. Ranjit. The twenty languages used are Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Bihari, Kashmiri, Tulu, Urdu, Arabic, English, Sanskrit and Bhojpuri.He has used the same verses in 18 different Indian languages, including Arabic and English. The album named 'Shan-e-Hindustan', meaning the pride of India, was shot at Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Kannur. The six-minute-long album also features a song on Tendulkar sung by Dr Ranjit. It cost over 10 lakh rupees to complete the shooting and production of the video album,” he said. Dr. Ranjit claims he met Sachin and discussed the making of the album during the ODI in Kochi between India and Australia on October 2.“The response from Sachin was 'all the best',” he said. The turnaround from doctor to musician took place almost two years back without any formal know how of music or video album making. His first video album titled is "Shalu” and Sachin’s album this is his second. He plans to release the album by December and the audio CD's will be ready by next month. Dr. Ranjit’s dream is to hand over the first copy of the video album to Sachin, for which he will be soon meeting him. Though he is now getting more singing and composition assignments in the film industry, Dr. Ranjit says he will pursue dentistry and music side by side. (ANI)

Mammootty's New Film 'Mayabazaar’
Friday, October 19, 2007 | AJ

Debutante Thomas Sebastian directing a film with Mammootty in the for lead has named it 'Mayabazaar'.Thomas who plans to present the star in a novel theme is also introducing another scriptwriter Govind Vijayan, through this film. The film produced by Sachi s. Mangalam in the banner of Aakhil Films. The shoot for this film will start by the end of next March. Thomas Sebastian has been a long time associate of directors like Sibi Malayail, Blessy and Sundardas.

Another Scriptor Turns To Direction
Friday, October 19, 2007 | AJ

The recent years of Malluwood cinema has seen a lot of scriptwriters turning to direction, and many attaining big success. Following the likes of Lohithadas, Renjith, Renji Panikkar, Unnikrishnan and Renjan Pramod also tried to be the captain of the films. Adding to this list is Reji Nair, the script writer of Pattalam and Oruvan, who will debut into film making this year. He has signed Jayaram as the hero of his first film. Reji Nair is now giving the final touch up for the script of this film which will tell a contemporary satirical story.

New Chief Priest For Sabarimala Temple
Friday, October 19, 2007 | AJ

Sabarimala: P.K. Krishnan Namboodiri was selected as chief priest (melsanthi) of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple for a one-year term.The selection was made by draw of lots from a panel of nine candidates shortlisted on the basis of interviews conducted by Travancore Devaswom Board authorities earlier. Hailing from Koothulli Mana in Palakkad district, 52-year old Krishnan Namboodiri had earlier served a term as the chief priest of the Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple. M.N. Krishnan Namboodiri of Mangatt Illam was selected as the chief priest of the Malikappuram Devi shrine, located in the Ayyappa temple complex.

Mohanlal and Padmapriya Bags Akashvani Award
Friday, October 19, 2007 | AJ

`Notebook,'directed by Roshan Andrews, has won the first award instituted by Akashvani for films based on the judgment of its wide audience. Sathyan Anthikkad bags the best director award for his `Rasathandram. Mohanlal and Padmapriya were chosen as the best actor and actress award. Innocent was selected as the best character artiste and Jagathi Sreekumar the best comedian. K.J Jesudas and K.S Chitra were selected the best playback singers, while M.Jayachandran was adjudged the best music director. Vayalar Saratchandra Varma won the award for lyrics. The awards, adjudged by audience through letters and e-mails, would be given away on October 21 at Kochi.

5 Malayalam Films Selected for Indian Panorama
Thursday, October 18, 2007 | AJ

The Juries for the Indian Panorama Section of International Film Festival of India (IFFI)– 2007 recommended 21 feature and 15 non-feature films for screening at International Film Festival at Goa in November 2007. 5 Malayalam Films had been Selected for the Film Festival namely Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Naalu Pennungal, Lenin Rajendran’s Ratri Mazha, Shyamaprasad's Ore Kadal, Renjith's Kayyoppu and Babu Thiruvalla's Thaniye.

President To Visit Kerala
Thursday, October 18, 2007 | AJ

Thiruvananthapuram:President Pratibha Patil will be arriving here on November first on her maiden visit to Kerala after assuming office.During her one-day visit,the President would be attending a function organised here as part of the 'Clean Kerala Mission',Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan told reporters.

Kerala hotel's tryst with tall sandwich
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 | MP

Tiruvanathapuram (Kerala), Oct 17 (ANI): A hotel here has made a 50 feet high sandwich after a 10-hour long hard work in an effort to make it to the Guinness Book of World Records. Forty-two employees of the Uday Samudra Leisure Resort at Kovalam readied a record-breaking sandwich, which is eight feet taller than the previous held record made by O'Brien's, an Irish Sandwich Bar that made a 42-feet tall sandwich in 2003.Rajagopal Iyer, the corporate director of the resort said, that the employees started making the sandwich at 12 noon on Tuesday and it was completed by 10.30 p.m."We are presenting this sandwich to the entire nation as a gift. For quite sometime now, no record has been created on food products in India. We have done this, made the sandwich and broken the world record," said Iyer.The giant sandwich has 350 slices of bread, each slice measuring 2.5 x 2.5 feet and weighing 6 kilograms.It required 45 kilograms each of cucumber and tomatoes, 40 kilograms each of boneless chicken, sausage, ham, apple and mayonnaise sauce.Further, around 25 kilograms of fish, 75 kilograms of lettuce leaves, 35 kilograms of onions and 150 kg of butter were used."We had some problem initially, but we broke the sandwich record eventually. A ground staff officer and one manager were also a part of this team," added Iyer.This giant sandwich is all set to break the world record. Also, this attempt to make the world's tallest sandwich coincided with World Food Day, which is celebrated on October 16. (ANI)

Govt. Not To Enhance Pay
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 | AJ

Thiruvanthapuram: The Government ruled out enhancing the pay of doctors in the state, even as the Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) said it will continue with its non-cooperation agitation.Addressing newspersons in Thiruvananthapuram, Finance Minister Thomas Issac and Health Minister P K Sreemathi said the entry cadre scale could not be revised and asked the KGMOA to call off its agitation. The government would hold another round of discussions with the doctors on Wednesday, Dr Issac said. The government had already taken 'necessary steps' to ensure that doctors attended to their duties.

Today Church To Observe Protest Day
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 | AJ

Kozhikode:The Tamarasseri Diocese here will observe a protest day on October 17 demanding a public apology from CPI(M) Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan on his controversial statement against the Catholic Church. Talking to newspersons in Kozhikode, the church leaders said all educational and religious Institutions under the Diocese will remain closed as a mark of protest against the statement made at Thiruvamdi in the district on October 13.The statement triggered a controversy in the State with many religious and political parties, including the KCBC and the main Opposition Congress demanding a public apolopy from Mr Vijayan.

Kalabhavan Mani In 'Kerala Police'
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 | AJ

Kalabhavan Mani is doing lead role in a new film titled 'Kerala Police'. After the great success of 'Ben Johnson',Mani is again donning a police role in a new film Directed by Chandrasekhar and Scripted by Vinnoo Narayan. Nedumudi Venu, Innocent, Siddhique, Vijayaraghavan, Shammy Thilakan, Augustine, Suraj, Aishwarya and Muktha are also the part of the cast.The movie will be produced by D.K.M. Group,Bangalore.Film will start in a month’s time.

Nasraani
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 | AJ

Joshi's 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.All is going not so bad for D K, till Annie a medical student and Sara's half sister who is taken cared by David, is accused by the police for committing the murder of Benny, an upcoming politician and the son of political king and former Revenue Minister M.C Paul. With supportive evidences and witnesses, Police is all the way around to seize the girl who is said to have taken revenge and killed the future prospects of Malankara Congress, for having ditched one of her best friend who committed suicide following Benny's rejection!The film scripted by Renjith.The film which uses the best of the mannerisms of Mammootty will in all terms satisfy the fans of the star. More over, Mammootty has been excellent always in presenting Achayan characters. Kalabhavan Mani,Vimala Raman,Biji Menon, Lalu Alex, Vijayaraghavan are played their role well.Shaji cranks the camera for the film, Bijibal scores the music to lyrics by Anil Pachooran. Nasraani is produced by M. Rajan under the banner of Horizon movies

Paradesi
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 | AJ

Valiyakathu Moosa is one of hundreds of Malayalees who left to work in Karachi during the days of the British Raj,who after independence returned to India in the 1960s and settled in Malappuram.They do not have a passport or even an address in the land they were born in, due to their plight in Pakistan during the time of separation and independence.Many look upon them as Pakistani spies,and many a times had to face law to prove their identity. Moosa has a wife and children here who are Indian citizens, but Moosa himself is not considered a citizen of the country,due to some technical objections from the bureaucracy.Mohanlal portrays three stages in the life of Moosa,in his 35,60 and 80's..Mohanlal proves once again that he is among the top in the list of the best actors in the country today. Not only does he breath life into his character but also carries on with its ethos with restraint emoting, till the end. Jagathy who appears in very few scenes steals the show with the artistry of the seasoned actor.Shwetha Menon,Padmapriya,Siddique,T.G Ravi, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy,Sona Nair and a couple of new comers also bring in some meaty performances,which make the characters real.Director P.T. Kunju Mohammed for a well crafted movie,though narrated in a slow pace,the intensity of the trauma undergone by those characters sink in to our hearts.The film which has music by Ramesh Narayan and Shahsaad Aman.The film which is produced by Antony Perumbor.

Chocolate
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 | AJ

Chocolate tells the tale of a teenager who is forced to study in a women's college. Shyam Balagopal is a tough guy who has been shown the door from a couple of colleges before as he is well versed in everything other than studying and keeping discipline. For Shyam Balagopal, it's a dream come true for being the only male in a women's college, that too a college which is well known for the beauties like Anna Mathews,Nandhana and Susan.The highlight of the film is that the female is not treated in traditional misogynistic terms where the usual female lover confess before the hero of her misdoings,and strong messages are given on the illogical norms and prejudices that the elder generations holds when dealing with the problems of the younger lot.Director Shafi have done a commendable job to make it appealing to the core. Amazing performances by Prithviraj,Jayasuriya,Roma,Samvritha Sunil,Ramya and Salim Kumar.The cinematography by Azhagappan, editing by Harihara Puthran and production design is first rate. The music department by Vayalar Sharath-Alex Paul team is not at their best.The film make sure you secure a seat at the earliest to enjoy this hilarious fun, which will definitely make you give a smile that will linger.

Criminal charges against Coca-Cola India
Monday, October 15, 2007 | MP

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct.15 (ANI): The Kerala Government has initiated the process of filing criminal charges against Coca-Cola India for spreading pollution through its distilleries.In a notice sent to Coca-Cola India last week, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) asked the company to show cause as to why a criminal case should not be filed against it for polluting the environment. The company has been given two weeks to respond. The state government action comes in the wake of a longstanding demand that Coca-Cola must also be held criminally liable for the damages it has caused to the community in Plachimada, where it has a bottling plant. Coca-Cola’s bottling plant in Plachimada, one of its largest in India, has been shut down since March 2004 as a result of community opposition to the plant. The community has accused the Coca-Cola bottling plant of creating severe water shortages and polluting the water and the soil – directly as a result of its operations in the area. “We are encouraged by the action of the government to hold Coca-Cola criminally liable for the damages it has caused in Plachimada,” said R. Ajayan, convener of the Plachimada Solidarity Committee who was key in getting the government to take action. “We are confident that Coca-Cola will be prosecuted for the crimes it has committed in India.” Coca-Cola India has dismissed the notice, describing it as “unwarranted and arbitrary.” The company’s spokesperson, Mr. Ameer Shahul, has claimed that the plant was a “zero-discharge” plant during its operation and that all studies carried out in the last four years had found no traces of pollution. The facts, however, suggest otherwise. The primary reason that the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Plachimada remains shut down is because it is unable to obtain the “consent to operate” permit from the Kerala State Pollution Control Board because of widespread pollution found by the regulatory agency. On August 19, 2005, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board ordered the Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. bottling plant in south India to “stop production of all kinds of products with immediate effect.” The Pollution Control Board noted that the company has yet to explain the large amounts of cadmium in its sludge, which is contaminating the groundwater, making it unfit for human consumption. In addition, tests by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as well as Outlook magazine have both confirmed the pollution by Coca-Cola company in Plachimada. In October 2003, the Central Pollution Control Board of India also confirmed high levels of heavy metals in Coca-Cola’s sludge, which the company was distributing to farmers as “fertilizer”. Coca-Cola’s contention that the plant was a zero-discharge facility contradicts the government as well as independent studies. “We are glad that the Coca-Cola fiasco in India is taking its natural course of finding the company criminally liable for the damages it has caused,” said Amit Srivastava of the India Resource Center, an international campaigning organization. “We also strongly feel that the Coca-Cola company should be further held criminally liable for the complete distortion of facts it is making today,” Srivastava said. (ANI)

Kerala houseboats, a major hit among IT savvy
Monday, October 15, 2007 | MP

Kochi, Oct 15 (ANI): The famous houseboats of Kerala, which have been popular with tourists from across the world, are now becoming popular among techies and employees from the corporate world. Manu George and Liji with their children are in a different world surrounded by serenity amidst backwaters, which they usually missed in Metros. "It’s really pleasant to be on a houseboat away from our daily hectic life. Its kind of a chill out with my family,” said Manu, who is from Delhi. Now-a-days, there are many techies who come down from metros like Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi to enjoy a day out on a houseboat. The boat starts from the main jetty in the morning at 10.00 a.m. or as per the arrival time of guests and keep on cruising all day until the sun sets. It is anchored in a safe place where the tourists can enjoy fishing, eating or prepare food. Besides, techies can also be in touch with their office or relatives through internet on board while cruising. The cost of hiring a single houseboat for a 24 hour ranges from Rs. 5000 to Rs 10,000. In Alleppey, most of the houseboats are equipped with A/C rooms, including attached bathrooms and a kitchen, apart from the services of two crew members and a chef. The number of tourists is fast increasing and keeping this in mind the houseboat operators are also lining up to provide them with maximum facilities on board including fishing, meals on board and ayurveda treatment for stress. And few of the Travel agents like Pulickattil House Boats and Tour operators are already working to create a new tour and rejuvenation package for the techies. Tomy J. Pulikattil, a tour operator and owner of six houseboats in Alleppey, said, “The rush from Bangalore and other metros are mostly seen during the off season which in Kerala means monsoon time. The main reason being is attractive rates offered to them which is cheap and easily affordable.” Houseboats (Kettuvallams), which were used for transporting goods from one place to another, are also a major tourist attraction not only for domestic tourists but also for the foreign tourists. Kerala backwaters are unique nature and are found nowhere else in the world. Backwaters are a network of lakes, canals and estuaries and deltas of forty-four rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea. Backwaters of Kerala are a self-supporting Eco-system teeming with aquatic life Over 900 km of this labyrinthine water world is navigable. Tourism has emerged as a major sector in the State and provides employment to over one million people. Kerala is the fastest growing destination in the world. The World Travel and Tourism Council has predicted 11.6 per cent growth rate for Kerala's tourism sector up to the year 2013. (ANI)

Mohanlal In Blessy's New Film
Monday, October 15, 2007 | AJ

In their first joint venture Blessy and Mohanlal had created a first class classic in 'Tanmatra' which won much of the awards. Now Blessy will have Mohanlal in the lead role for his next project, will start by the first months of next year. The film will be produced by Raju Malyath in the banner of Century Films. Blessy is at present giving final touches to 'Calcutta News'it is expected to reach the release centres for this Deepavali.

Mammootty's 'Katha Parayumpol’ Started
Monday, October 15, 2007 | AJ

Mammootty's Christmas release Katha Parayumbol started at Thodupuzha. The film scripted by Sreenivasan, tells about the relation between a filmy superstar and his old friends who are presently a parallel college teacher and a barber. Sreenivasan, Jagathy,Innocent, Meena, Salim Kumar are appearing important roles. The film produced by Sreenivasan and Mukesh in the banner of Lumiere films is directed by debutante Mohan.

Mohanlal's 'Flash' Started
Monday, October 15, 2007 | AJ

Sibi Malayil will return to call the shots after a gap of two years, with 'Flash' which has Mohanlal in the lead starts at Kanjangaad. The film which is scripted by journalist Bahasurachandran. One of the heroines will be Parvathi of Notebook fame. Besides, the film will have Jagathy, Murali, Saikumar, Jagdeesh and Siddique.The film produced by Tomichan in the banner of Mulakupadam films,will be the Christmas release of the star.

Sathumpodaathay Is Kelkkatha Shabdham
Monday, October 15, 2007 | AJ

Prithviraj's Sathumpodathay(Tamil)will also be released in a dubbed version.In Malayalam in the title Kelkkatha Shabdham. Prithviraj and Padmapriya will lead the film. The film directed by Vasanth who had directed hits like Aasai,Keladi Kanmani and Rhythm. The music and songs of the film by Yuvan Shankar Raja are also a big hit.The music release of the Malayalam version was made last week.

Biju Viswanath Make An Irish Film
Monday, October 15, 2007 | AJ

Biju Viswanath,cinematographer-director, who debuted in Malayalam, long back in 1993 with a comic film 'Peter Scott' has now is on to create a film in the Irish language. The movie titled Lorg ('Quest'), attempts to present the history of a nation through the perspective of a poet. Shot entirely in Ireland, the film is based on the poetic works of the renowned Irish writer Celia de Friene.The movie produced by a Company called Indibhid,will have an entire cast and crew from Ireland.

Kaithapram Viswanathan In Tamil
Monday, October 15, 2007 | AJ

Kaithapram Viswanathan who has created quite a number of hits in Malayalam is debuting into Tamil.He will be giving music to Rudran, a film directed by debutant Mahesh in the banner of R K films.The movie will feature five songs by Kaithapram who is known for his poignant soft numbers. The music director also has signed a couple in Kannada. The first one is Mugdamanasu which will feature Ranjan in the lead.

Sharon Stone give film award to Mata Amritanandamayi
Sunday, October 14, 2007 | MP

Paris, Oct 14 (ANI): Noted Hollywood actress Sharon Stone presented spiritual guru Mata Amritanandamayi with an award for her humanitarian work at the human rights film festival Cinema Verite in Paris.Stone said that Amritanandamayi was a "remarkable angel", the BBC reported. A documentary titled Darshan based on the ‘hugging saint’ has been made. The documentary was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, earlier this year. Amritanandamayi, also known as Amma, is best known for blessing her devotees with a hug, and has a huge following both in India and overseas. She is said to have embraced over 26 million people. (ANI)

Mons joseph Is The New PWD Minister
Saturday, October 13, 2007 | AJ

Mons joseph,the MLA from Kadunthuruthi will be the next PWD minister from Kerala Congress Joseph Group. The decision came after the Kerala Congress(J)high-level meeting at Kochi.The decision will be conveyed to the Chief Minister today and the swearing in ceremony will be held on this week. Earlier the party could not come to a consensus over the issue and the decision was put off. The Party Chairman PJ Joseph had to face criticism from all other constituents in the front during the LDF meeting for keeping the PWD department without minister when the roads in the state are completely in wreck.

Nasrani Releasing Today
Friday, October 12, 2007 | AA

Kerala theaters will see new releases today. Mammootty is coming, as ‘Nasrani’ Directed by Joshy. The script of Nasrani is by director Ranjith. More about Nasrani here: http://www.my-kerala.com/p/m/films/2007/nasrani/index.shtml Mohanlal’s ‘Paradeshi’, directed by P.T. Kunhimohammed, tells the story of the displaced. For the youth, Shafi is ready with his ‘Chocolate’ shot extensively on the Sacred Heart College campus in Kochi.

K B Ganesh Kumar's house stoned
Friday, October 12, 2007 | AA

KOLLAM: Unidentified persons stoned the house of former minister and Kerala Congress (B) MLA K B Ganesh Kumar at Pathanapuram near here in the wee hours today. Ganesh Kumar alleged that CPI (M) workers were behind the incident and the opposition UDF organised a shutdown in the Pathanapuram assembly constituency, which the Kerala Congress (B) leader represents in the assembly.

Priyan's 'Manichithrathaazhu' On Tomarrow
Friday, October 12, 2007 | AJ

Director Priyadarshan's version of 'Manichithrathaazhu'titled 'Bhool Bhulaiya' will hit the screens on tomarrow.Akshay Kumar donning the role of Mohanlal in the original will be a treat to watch as Priyan has been making it with a biggest splendor. The film has Vidya Balan and Shiney Ahuja in the roles of Shobhana and Suresh Gopi in the original.'Manichithrathaazhu'(1994) which was a phenomenal hit in Malayalam was then later remade into Kannada (Apthamithra)and Tamil(Chandramukhi).

Japanese 'Peace Boat' visits Cochin
Thursday, October 11, 2007 | MP

Cochin, Oct 11 (ANI): An international Japanese ship called the 'Peace Boat', which is on mission to spread peace and friendship around the world, dropped anchor off Cochin on Wednesday. Launched by a Japan-based NGO, the ship aims to create awareness on peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development and respect for the environment.The ship, carrying close 1,100 passengers of different nationalities, including UK, Australia and New Zealand, started its journey from Tokyo on September 23."The idea is that people are learning that despite different cultures we are basically the same. If ordinary people can mix together and learn from each other then the leaders should follow suit," said Steven Cleri, an Australian passenger. Peace Boat activists interacted freely with the residents. A soccer match was staged between the residents and the Peace Boat team."This is a ship that is voyaging around the world to different countries and now we have come to India. We decided to make a soccer club to have cultural exchanges with other world," said Matario Mabuchi, one of the Japanese passengers. In its 59th 'Around the World' voyage, the ship will next halt in Jordan.Peace Boat will touch 21 ports around the globe before returning to Japan in January next year. (ANI)

OM SHANTI OM gets the highest price
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 | AA

Farah Khan's 'Diwali' release, the Shah Rukh Khan - Deepika Padukone starrer, OM SHANTI OM, has been sold at the highest ever price paid for a Hindi movie in Kerala -Tamil Nadu. The rights have been bought by Pyramid Saimira. The distributors plan to have a big release, with 60-70 prints in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Meanwhile, OM SHANTI OM is all set to create another record of sorts by going in for an unheard of 2000 prints (worldwide) release. This is the highest number of prints (including digital) for any Indian movie till date.

IBM sees more participation from Kerala Students
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 | AA

IBM will hit Kerala with the second year's activities of its 'The Great Mind Challenge (TGMC). Last year the company saw a participation of 121 teams of students from Kerala. This year, IBM expect last year's record being surpassed in the state. Student teams from 61 colleges from Kerala have already registered for the contest. Through this challenge, IBM hopes to create opportunities for student to work on real time projects and train them to be fit for the industry. The top 20 projects by the participating teams will be hosted on the internet to be used without charge by end users and IBM business partners. It is also an opportunity for students, faculty and institutions to win rewards and recognition at the national level.

Video greetings for Eid
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 | MP

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 10 (ANI-Business Wire India): Invis Multimedia, a premier digital content developer, has come up with 'Ramzan Video Greetings' exclusively available at http://kerala.indiavideo.org/, ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.The greetings clips available include exclusive videos like that of the first mosque in the Indian sub-continent, and some colourful art forms popular among the Muslim community in Kerala. Video clips on prayers and breaking the Ramzan fast are also available. Users can customize the message to be sent along with video. "Our aim is to develop an online video encyclopaedia of India" said Hari M. R., Managing Director of Invis Group. Almost all major festivals of the State can be viewed from the site.The video portal, http://kerala.indiavideo.org/ contains hundreds of professionally made video clips of Kerala. According to the National Geographic Traveller, Kerala, popularly known as God's Own Country is one of the fifty destinations of a life time. "www.kerala.indiavideo.org" is part of this project, which is already a popular video website featuring hundreds of video clips on culture, heritage and art forms. According to M. R. Ajith, Executive Director, the speciality of Kerala videos is that it contains only professionally created video clips. This novel concept was first introduced during the Onam festival in Kerala. "We received an overwhelming response for Onam video greetings. We expect a similar reception for the launch of Ramzan video greetings", he said. (ANI)

Mohanlal As 'Karthika Thirunaal Kaarthikeyan’
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 | AJ

Director T.S Suresh Babu coming back after a long gap directing a film with Mohanlal in the lead named as Karthika Thirunaal Kaarthikeyan’.The film based on a story by Mahesh Mithra, will tell the tale of a person who has amazing abilities having survived 24 accidents including 4 air crashes and 17 lightening strikes on him.The film scripted by Dennis Joseph.The film will also have Madhu, Sreenivasan and Nedumudi Venu. Five music directors will give music to the five songs of the film. The movie will be produced by Valiyaveetil Siraaj in the banner of Valiyaveettil films.

K P A C Lalitha Got Premji Award
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 | AJ

K P A C Lalitha will recieve the Premji award for the year. This announcement was made by the award committee members.The actress will be presented with the award in a function that is to be held by the end of this month. K P A C Lalitha, one of the senior most actress of Malayalam cinema had appeared in more than 500 films in a career span of 35 years. Equally popular as the wife of late director Bharathan, and the mother of actor -director Siddharthan, she is still busy with plenty of offers from the film field.

Sreenivasan Settles At The Capital City
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 | AJ

After a decade of living at Chennai, Sreenivasan, the versatile actor director from Malayalam has decided to settle down at the capital city. He has now shifted with his family to Royal palm apartments at Thycaud.The actor who had first been to Madras by 1975 had a plenty of good and bad experiences associated with filmdom.It was after a struggle for seven years that the actor has started to get better roles.Sreenivasan who is quite happy to see that his recent film Arabikatha is well received in the state.

Annan Thampi
Tuesday, October 9, 2007 | AJ

Anwar Rasheed,director of 'Rajamanikyam'has named his next film with Mammootty as 'Annan Thampi'. The film which is scripted by Benny P Nayarambalam.Will have the star in a double role. Presenting himself in the dual roles of two brothers, Mammootty will join the film by the mid of January.Marikkar Films will produce the movie.This will be a Vishu release.

Ramzan Films Lined Up
Tuesday, October 9, 2007 | AJ

Around five films are getting ready to make it into theatres for the race of ramzan. Paradesi starrring Mohanlal expected to arrive on 12th of October. The film directed by P.T Kunju Muhammed is expected to get released in 40 theatres. Then on the same day will see the release of films like Mammootty’s Nasraani directed by Joshy, Shafi's 'Chocolate' with Prithviraaj,Jayasuriya and Roma. Nasrani is likely to release in 55 centers on Friday, scheduled to open at 2 pm all over Kerala. Suresh Gopi'S' Black Cat’directed by Vinayan,and debutante G.R.Indopan's‘Ottakkaayyan’ will also find select theatres on the same day.

Mejo Is Back
Tuesday, October 9, 2007 | AJ

The young music director of the film Note Book,Mejo Joseph,who also appeared in a cameo in the film,but couldn’t hold on to his prime hit to deliver him more opportunities.Now Mejo is back after waiting for a year in the new film Cycle which has Vineeth Sreenivasan in the lead role. The songs will be written by Anil Panachooran who shot to fame with the latest Lal Jose film Arabikkatha.The film will have four songs of which a couple will be rendered by the hero himself.

Mohanlal, Meera Bags Jeevan TV Aawards
Monday, October 8, 2007 | AJ

The Jeevan TV-Mastro Mania awards for Malayalam films of 2006 were announced yesterday, selected Mohanlal, the best actor for his meticulous performance in Keerthichakra and Rasathanthram, while Meera Jasmine was adjudged the best actress for the character portrayed in Rasathanthram and Rathri Mazha.Sathyan Anthikkad's Rasathanthram which was also the biggest hit of the year was named as the best film.Roshan Andrews bagged the best director award for Note Book.The other awards include:Jagathy Sreekumar,Sreenivasan,K.P.A.C Lalitha (special awards), Saikumar(Best second actor),Lakshmi Gopalasamy(Best second actores),Vayalar Sharath(Lyrics),Alex Paul(Music direction)Vineeth SreenivasChithra (Best playback singers).Life time achivement award goes toMadhu.

Kangaroo For December
Monday, October 8, 2007 | AJ

Kangaroo,the second film by Raj Babu after the hit Chess will start this month. The film which is produced by Lal Creations will have Prithviraj and Jayasuriya in the lead. The film is planned as a Christmas release.A one year old boy who is an important character in the film.Meanwhile Prithviraj's Chocolate will complete,the film will be a Ramzan release.

Dileep's 'Romeo' Start Next Week
Monday, October 8, 2007 | AJ

Director Rajasenan's Dileep movie 'Romeo' will start next week.The film scripts by the super hit director duo Rafi Mecartine.The film will have two heroines, Samvrutha Sunil and Vimala Raman.The film portrays the story of a youth who falls attracted in between two popular female singers.K P Nambiyadiri handles cinematography,while Jayachandran composes music for the film.Dileep is now in the sets of ‘Kolkata News’ where director Blessy is giving the final touch ups to this Deepavali release.

Sibi-Lohi-Mohanlal Team Is Back
Saturday, October 6, 2007 | AJ

After a waiting for a decade, the dream team is back. The team of Lohithadas and Sibi Malayail who had been with the most saleable artist of Malayalam, Mohanlal to create some of the classics of modern cinema, is again thinking to make another with Mohanlal.The film has been tentatively titled as Bheeshmar, and the initial works on the projects are on. The movie will be produced by Johny Sagarika and will be the second project of Sibi with Lal in 2008.

Kavya Opposite To Mammootty
Saturday, October 6, 2007 | AJ

Kavya finally to pair with Mammootty.The new flick Rikshskaaran directed by M.Padmakumar, will have her paired as the heroine for the first time opposite Mammootty. Kavya is playing the role of Advocate Indulekha in the film , which is expected to hit the floors by the last week of November.After this film she will again appear with the star in the K.K Raajeev's Chempakaraman.

Mukesh Back As CBI Officer
Saturday, October 6, 2007 | AJ

Mukesh plays a CBI officer for a movie titled SMS. Sarjulan is the director. Bala and Navya Nair are playing the lead roles.The film is about a college campus and the romance that blooms there. The film's story is by the producer O.V Prasanna himself.Mukesh is playing the role of a CBI officer Robert Mathews in the film. Ilayaraja scores music for SMS.

Jassie Gift In Telugu
Saturday, October 6, 2007 | AJ

Playback singer and music director Jassie Gift is now debuting in Tollywood.The singer has sung a few in the language,his first movie as a music director will be Sawal, directed by B. Jaya, which will hit the stands soon. The film which has six songs has a few crooned by Jassie himself. The young music director is expecting the film and its music to become blockbuster hits. Jassie had debuted into every language in the south with the dubbing versions of For The People, which were straight hits in every industry. In Telugu his Malleeswariye(the remade Lajjavathiye)was one of the biggest hit of the year.

Asianet awarded "Cisco Powered Network"
Friday, October 5, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, Oct 4 (ANI-Business Wire India): Asianet, Kerala's leading cable service provider, today announced that it has been awarded the “Cisco Powered Network” designation for deploying an end-to-end Cisco and Scientific Atlanta solution for delivering Digital Cable Services. The Cisco Powered Network ("CPN") programme is a co-marketing programme involving leading service providers with networks built on Cisco's industry-leading technology. Utilising Cisco's powerful network technology in its digital cable service infrastructure, Asianet continues to be a leading force in the digital TV space. The end-to-end digital video solution provided by Cisco and Scientific Atlanta includes a Scientifific Atlanta digital headend, Integrated Receiver Decoders (IRDs), encoders, PowerKey CAS, digital set-top boxes and Cisco CMTS and IP optical transport technology. "We have always been driven by the passion to provide the very best to our subscribers and bring the very best of the digital technology to the viewers of Kerala." says Mahesh Kumar, CEO of Asianet. "By choosing an end-to-end provider, we relieve ourselves from having to go through the challenges of integrating and managing a complex set of equipment from different vendors. We can focus on our core business of providing a world-class TV viewing experience to our customers." "Cisco and Scientific Atlanta recognize the need for increased digital penetration in India, and we are committed to support cable service providers in this effort," said Bill Katherman, VP and Managing Director (Asia Pacific) for Scientific Atlanta, a Cisco company. "We are honoured to be associated with a service provider like Asianet, who is investing in high-quality, differentiated services with the future in mind." (ANI)

Mammootty In Chempaka Raman
Friday, October 5, 2007 | AJ

Popular teleserial director K.K Rajeev comes into big screen.The film with Mammootty in the lead titled ‘Chempaka Raman’. The film which will have the actor wielding the role of a drama actor will start this December.'Chempaka Raman' will be the first release of the star in 2008. Mammootty who is at presently in the sets ofRanji Paniker's Shauryam.

Mohanlal Back To The Sets
Friday, October 5, 2007 | AJ

Mohanlal is back and has returned to the sets after his 40-day stage programme in US and Canada. Mohanlal got rousing response all over the continent. All the South Indian audiences, even other language audiences, enjoyed the programmes. Now the actor has rejoined the shooting of director Ranjith's Rock N Roll, which is going on full swing. He will appear with a different hairstyle in this film one that will make him look like a rock’n roll singer.Soon after that he will finish the shooting of Sibi Malayil's 'Flash' in Kanjanghad.

Mandira Bedi In Malayalam
Friday, October 5, 2007 | AJ

The famous actress, model and commentator Mandira Bedi is finally stepping into Malayalam with the film Ezhaam Mudra.She will act opposite Suresh Gopi in the movie which is also co- produced by the star.The film is inspired from the classic film Kassa Blanca by Michael Kurtis. Directed, and produced by Rajeev Naath,the film is also scripted by him based on the classic.

MACTA To Promote Second Generation
Friday, October 5, 2007 | AJ

MACTA,the technicians association of Malayalam cinema is planning to enter film production with the remake Bhargavi Nilayam, the classic film of the sixties.Siddharthan, the young actor and son of late director Bharathan to direct the film. Siddharthan is now working with ace director Priyadarshan as an associate.Meanwhile, plans are on to bring in Anantha Padmanabhan, the son of director Padmarajan to write the scripts for the film.A topstar will play the role that Madhu did in the original. And in the other important roles, new comers are being considered.

Roma in Kannada
Thursday, October 4, 2007 | AJ

Roma, who shot to fame with his portrayal of the lead girl in Notebook with effortless ease,is now entering Kannada.Now, she has been signed up to be the heroine in 'Aramane' opposite Ganesh. She plays the grand daughter of versatile actor Ananthnag in the film.Roma has just completed shooting for the Shafi's Chocolate, which will hit the theatres on Ramzan.The actress has been quite selective in the roles that come flocking around her.

Women’s auto stand proves popular in Kochi
Tuesday, October 2, 2007 | MP

Kochi (Kerala), Oct 2 (ANI): Most travelers in Kochi are looking for auto-stands exclusively managed by women. They feel that they will not have to pay anything more than what is prescribed, and there would be no harassment. This is the latest instance of empowerment of Malayali women, who have been pioneers in many fields in the country. They are now managing and running an exclusive all-women auto stand with a self-help group for women called the ‘Kudubashree’. Their aim is to create more opportunities and uplift the status of women in the society, particularly in their own village.In a small village called Thrikkakkra near the city, nearly a dozen women have taken on the task of running auto rickshaws and providing transportation to locals.The initiative has been taken by the village council under a development programme for women.Denil Kumar, a project coordinator, said, "The main motto is to provide them a good place not only in the society but also in their own village so that many other women can follow the same path in the coming future."The project was kicked off by handing the keys of 12 auto rickshaws to women drivers, specially selected from lower income group families in and around the village.The total amount of Rs. 1.6 lakh to purchase one auto rickshaw has been jointly financed by a bank and the village council, with each woman driver putting in Rs. 14,000.Each of the women drivers has been given training before being allotted an auto.These women manage to earn around Rs. 250 in a day after taking off petrol expenses. This amount, they say is good for taking care of their families.“Earlier, we had to depend on our husbands. Now we can earn a good income." said Jaya Suresh.The self-help group is now working towards providing other women in the village with load bearing auto rickshaws and even a mini bus, to take shuttle services to other nearby villages. (ANI)

Mohanlal In Roshan Andrus 'Casanova'
Monday, October 1, 2007 | AJ

After the success of Udhayanaanu Thaaram Roshan Andrus and Mohanlal coming together with their new project. The new venture which is titled as 'Casanova' will bring out some of the unseen performances and acts from the star through a very different character, the film which is to be scripted by Bobby Sanjay, will be produced by Impressario motion Pictures limited.Undoubtingly the movie will be one of the prestigious projects of the star,next year.

Sreeshanth With Mammootty
Monday, October 1, 2007 | AJ

An important member of the team India which won the recent T20 World cup, Sreeshanth,will act with Mammootty for a feature film. Sreeshanth, the only Malayalee in the team will appear in the maiden venture produced by famous Udhaya studios, in their comeback.The film, not yet titled,Mammootty will play a Police officer. Sreeshanth will be in the role of a cricket player, whose attitude and aggression make greater impacts in the life of an officer.The film is directed by debutante Aashiq Abu.The film Produced by Kunchako Boban, Alwin Antony and Khadar.

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