Its all rumors about Rana

No other actors other than Rajinikanth and Deepika Padukone have been confirmed for Ranaa, says KS Ravi Kumar. The media has been reporting frantically that Asin, Rekha, Madhuri Dixit, Vidya Balan etc., are playing important roles in the film and later that these actresses have pulled out of the film for various reasons. Declining all this as mere rumors, KS Ravi Kumar has said that the media should only rely on official confirmation and not write news based on their own assumptions.

He added that he has not discussed the script with anyone till now and the star cast will be finalized very soon.

Source: http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news-1/mar-11-04/rana-rajini-26-03-11.html

KS Ravi Kumar's explanation to Oviya

Oviya was quite upset that her role in Manmadhan Ambu appeared more like a cameo with just a couple of scenes included in the film. The actress had been ruing that it was perhaps a wrong to decision to have agreed to the role but was satisfied that she got to star in a Kamal Haasan starrer, directed by KS Ravi Kumar.

However, Oviya has now come to terms that her scenes in Manmadhan Ambu were edited for technical reasons and this was explained to her by the film’s director KSR. She now seems to have found some consolation after KSR’s explanation and has moved on to concentrate in the Kannada and Telugu remake of Kalavani, which is being directed by Sargunam.

Source:http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news-1/feb-11-02/ks-ravi-kumar-oviya-09-02-11.html

Manmadhan Ambu Review- Just the right amount of everything

I watched Manmadhan Ambu today, well technically yesterday at 9:30 pm. I was lucky that it was playing in Telugu with the same timing so my parents went to that, while I went to the Tamil one. I picked the Tamil one because obviously, its the original one. Manmadhan Ambu stars Kamal Hassan,Trisha,Madhavan,and Sangeetha in the lead roles. Kamal Hassan has also take up the roles of a writer and a lyricist(5 songs) in this film. With K.S Ravikumar directing it and Devi Sri Prasad handles the music. Last but not least Udhayanidhi Stalin produces the film. Lets see how one of the most hyped Tamil film of the year turned out:


Ambujakshi aka Nisha (Trisha), is an actress and her fiance is an industrialist Madanagopal(Madhavan).He becomes a "Sandeha Prani" , he starts suspecting Ambu because of her career, and that creates a fight between the two,and their wedding stops. 3 years later,Ambu is on a European cruise/holiday with her child hood best friend(Sangeetha),who is a divorcee and has two kids. Meanwhile Madan sends an ex army man Major Rana Mannar(Kamal Hassan), to spy on Ambu to see if she is having an affair of some sort. The rest of the movie is what happens on the holiday and if Ambu and Madhan get back together or not.


Its a breeze for Kamal Hassan, too easy. Madhavan is drunk most of the time(lol), which he did very well in a whole. He looked incredibly young,  though he is 40. He has negative shades to his character.This might be one of Trisha's best films. She scores huge on performance,  matching Kamal Hassan in every scene,with her emotions and dialogue delivery. This is the second time she has dubbed for herself after Aayutha Ezhuthu, it was also nice to hear her voice. She pronounced the Tamil Kavathai words perfectly( thanks to Kamal Hassan), but kudos to her for getting it right! Sangeetha was perfect for her role,one of her best roles too,even though it was a supporting,it was a essential one. Ramesh Arvind, though a small role, you develop a ton of sympathy for his character, same with Urvashi. Caroline was gorgeous,however she had an extremely short role with no dialogue. Kunjan and Manju Pillai were hilarious as Kurup and Manju Kurup! K.S Ravikumar and Devi Sri Prasad had guest appearances. But the one to talk about is Surya's cameo,it was short and sweet ,but left you wanting more, cause it was just too cute. In all a outstanding performance by the whole cast!


My thoughts on the Cast: Trisha was awesome in the acting department but, looks wise she looked dried out. She didn't have that glow she normally has. She looked best in the end,and the beginning. But she still rocked! :) About Surya, I felt that without him the story wouldn't have really started. Im sure that Kamal, could have written the story in a different way, but for this Surya was needed. Because thats what starts the fight between Ambu and Madhan,without Surya there isn't a fight.

Music: First off, Neela Vaanam was just beautiful, everything about it. Before it was a wonderful song, but the picturization just adds to it now. The song has to be watched to understand the charisma of it. Kamal Hassan was definitely the right to choice to sing the song he added life to such a sweet song.  DSP has come out with some classy and decent tunes, which everyone can enjoy.He has done good BGM too. Lyrics are touching and understandable. 





Technical side: The live recording is awesome, its different to hear their actual voices. A very cool experience for the audience as well. The cinematography done by Manush Nandan is a huge asset to the film because it adds emotion,and the film feels breezy and fun. 

Pros:

• Comedy
• Cast
• Soundtrack/Music
• BGM( Background Music)
• Performances 
• Story/Direction
• Lyrics
• Includes Everything 
• Realistic film( except the action sequence in the beginning)
• The song Neela Vaanam as a whole
• Surya's Cameo

Cons:

• Confusing Climax( was hard to understand it cause, it was tongue twisty) 
• Confusing Ending 
• Hard to understand Madhavan and Sangeetha while they were drunk( lol ) 

My thoughts: I felt this movie to be a breezy flick, that can be watched a bunch of times. I really don't think you can get bored with a film like this. Every scene is a surprise and a pleasure to watch. I enjoyed every bit of the movie, loved it :) I also felt that the movie got comical as it neared to the end, because of all that hilarious planning for Ambu and Madhan. Definitely one of my most fav Tamil movies :) Im going to buy the DVD as soon as it comes out, maybe I'll go for Blu-Ray if they get one out. :) 

Trailer: 

The End: The movie zooms in on the traits of honesty and belief, we see that through out the movie.This is a movie for everyone to watch, its a clean family flick with no vulgarity, and its also not a typical K.S Ravikumar film either. Its something different, yet includes everything like comedy,romance,action,emotion,sentiment, etc. Its a all in one deal for the entire family to watch.


Rating: 4/5 ****/*****

Manmadhan Ambu Trailer :D ( Can't Wait)

Rajini sir is great: Vijayalakshmi

Heroine of 'Hara' (previously 'Sultan the Warrior') Vijayalakshmi can't stop raving about Superstar Rajinikanth. "He is so simple, friendly and down to earth," she says.

The 'Chennai 600028' girl, who was critically acclaimed for her performance in 'Anjathey', says, "I was scared to act with Rajini sir initially. However, he made me feel comfortable. It was a great experience working with the Superstar and his daughter Soundarya."

On her future plans, Vijayalakshmi says, "I am not concerned about the number of films I am acting in. I would like to be part of good movies which offer good roles to me."

Viji's father is the national award winning filmmaker Agathiyan and his sister's husband is Thiru, who directed Vishal's 'Theeradha Vilayattu Pillai'. "Both of them would give me feedback, which had helped a lot to improve my performance," the actress says.

Source: http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/61549.html

KS RAVIKUMAR AND RAJINI TO START

Hara (earlier known as Sultan – the Warrior) was initially touted to be a full-length animation film directed by Soundarya Rajinikanth. It was later decided to make a part of Hara into a feature film as it is impossible to make the entire film in an animated manner.

Ever since this decision was made, there was a buzz that one of Rajinikanth’s favorite directors KS Ravi Kumar will direct the feature film portion.

It has now been confirmed that KSR will indeed wield the megaphone and this will happen sometime in December, 2010.

Source: http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news-1/nov-10-02/rajini-ks-ravikumar-12-11-10.html