Kamilini thinks its time for skin show!!

She may be Bengali by birth, but Kamalini Mukherjee is one actress who always played the role of a homely Telugu ammayi to the tee. However, tired of the “sari-clad” roles she has been essaying, Kamalini is now all set to shed her “goody two shoes” image for an edgier, more glamorous look.

Blaming her typecast image on the role of the good girl she played in her debut Anand, Kamalini says, “My role in Anand has definitely given me great fame, but both the audience and the filmmakers have typecast me in that one character. It is a great responsibility and is also tiring to live up to that image of the character. Because of this role, I never got to play any glamorous roles. I have only played characters that don’t have negative shades. The few different films I have done like Bramhanandam Drama Company and some others either never saw the light of day or weren’t successful. I’m so bored of miss goody two shoes and I’m conscious about the roles I pick up.

With a new perspective in place, the actress is ready to experiment with a new look too. Kamilini, who is all for “skin show” and “size zero” says,

“It is nice to see that young actresses today are able carry themselves so well, be it in a saree or a swimsuit. I am ready to sport a glam look if the story demands it. Actors are a reflection of what’s happening in the world and you have to keep up with the trends today.”

With her Tollywood career too looking up, the actress who has a couple of films in her kitty insists that she won’t do any more blink-and-miss cameos, which she was getting famous for.“I won’t do any more guest roles since I’m focussed on my upcoming films. But if my friend Shekar Kammula offers me a guest role, I can’t refuse. In his film Happy Days, I did a cameo as a lecturer as it was an integral part of the story. In my next movie Police Police, I am doing a cameo again, but my character marks the turning point in the film, says Kamalini.

In fact, critics claim that Kamalini’s scarcity of films is because she always stuck to the Shekhar Kammula camp. “I don’ t stay in Hyderabad and I am not aware of any camps in the industry. I only choose my films based on the role I will be playing and its importance in the story. I have refused many movie offers with big stars and directors because I didn’t like the role they offered me,” she defends.

When she is in Hyderabad, the actress hangs out with her “few” buddies from the industry. “Shekhar Kammula, Sumanth and Sharwanand are my good pals. I’m not an extrovert and I’m not seen out too often, I like to keep to myself,” she adds.

Nara Rohit Naidu makes Tollywood debut!!!

Coming from a policial family, politics and race for votes, urge to travel bybeacon light cars should have been his natural choice and Assembly or Parliament would have been his inherited destinations. But Nara Rohit, the nephew of Telugudesam Chief Chandrababu Naidu and son of Nara Ramamurthy Naidu chose films over politics. Acting in Ashwini Dutt's film Banam Rohit says it is the passion for films that made him chose celluloidover 'khadi'.

"I have decided to get into movies when I was doing my engineering in Chennai. Though it wasn't my childhood ambition, it occured to me duringmy engineering days that I could be an actor. A lot of my friends told me that I can be an actor. I told my dad about it and he was happy too. When Itold my pedanannna garu (Chandrababu Naidu) about it, he forwarded me to Ashwini Dutt and thats how this movie occured to me" he says.

Rohit says after he decided to enter film world, he learnt dance, fights andeven went for a acting course in New york film academy and a film making course."My dad used to ask me when I was a kid if I wanted to be an actor. I said no then. But when I finished my engineering and told him that I want to bean actor, he was very happy. Everyone in my family were positive about my interest. My uncle Chandrababu Naidu too told me that I should give my 100 per cent to what ever I do and encouraged me. I spent a lot of months working towards pursuing my film career by learning dance, fights, acting and technicalities involved in film making. I approached my uncle once Ithought I was ready for it"

He says his course in film making has certainly helped him understand the 'film language'."Its certainly getting me an idea about the film. I understand thetechnicalities involved and it is a great help. However the greatest challengeis live the charecter I am playing for 52 days of shooting"

Filmnagar rumour mills have been working round the clock spreading newson how Rohit's dad Ramamurthy Naidu got him this film offer for sacrificing the MLA ticket for Chandragiri seat in last elections. Ask Rohit about this, he says, " even I read that somewhere. Its so funny. I laughed it off. This film happened to me last December much before the whole election process began. Its got nothing to do with my dad contesting" he clarifies.

While most of the young actors from film backgrounds complain of pressure from their parents fans, Rohit says he has no such issues since he hails from political family."I broke the tradition and entered films. If I entered politics, perhaps, people would have expected me to talk like my uncle. Since, I am entering a new field, there is no such pressure"

Rohit says his upcoming debut film Banam is an action drama and he is not debuting like any other hero as his movie is a story oriented flick and is notmeant to project him."When Ashwini Dutt asked me what kind of film I wanted to do, I told him that I was interested in story oriented flick. Regular format of introducing ahero to audience includes a lot of him in the movie and story takes a backseat. But I didn't want to do that. My movie is more about the story and direction.This movie will be a perfect kick start for me." he quips.

Nara Rohit also took a few behavioural tips from Balakrishna and otheractors in the family on dos and don'ts in the industry.

He says he used to watch a lot of Tamil films , courtesy his engineering in Chennai and that heis inspired by actor Surya."Surya makes people believe what he is doing is right. He perfectly playsthe roles he takes up and hee is an amazing actor who fits into any charecterso well. In fact there is a lot of experimentation in Tamil. They generally don't accept the same genre of films twice. With the influx of young actors in Tollywood, the new crop of actors is cominig, all of them are wellprepared and they are setting a trend. There is a competetion .The pulse ofTelugu audience is changing and we are getting to see a lot of quality movies" he feels.

While many actors enter politics after their film career, Rohit hails from political background. Does he plan to enter politics soon too? "Till now, I am not interested in politics.I am not too keen on politics. I don't know what will happen in the future. For now, I am focused on my film career" he says it rather diplomatically. "But both in politics and films, the ultimate aim is certainly to get the nod of the people. Both are connected to public" he adds leaving inferences for people to guess.

Ask him what he aims to end up in film industry as?"I dont know. I will let my films speak for themselves." leaving enough room for speculation.

Teenage actors flock to Tollywood!!!!

With stories of puppy love, college romances and teen heartbreaks becoming the Tollywood staple lately, there is a sudden influx of teenyboppers hitting the silver screen. As young as 16, these teen actors who not yet out of college are enjoying their first tryst with stardom and are learning to juggle their academics and acting careers.

Grabbing every free moment on the sets to catch up on their studies and using college vacation periods as shooting schedules, striking a balance is the mantra, says Rajeev, music director, Koti’s son and a student of Muffakam Jha College.

“Since I’m in my final year of engineering, we needn’t attend college every day. My friends always help me out with notes, so I’m not lagging behind,” says the actor who debuted with Notebook and is currently shooting for Manchivadu and another untitled film.

Special permission from colleges also bails out these young stars. Vyjayanthi, a second year intermediate student who has acted in Snehageetham says, “I study in Chennai and my college management granted me leave to shoot in Hyderabad. I’m in class XII and I can’t neglect my studies. I try and hit the books between my shots.”Dealing with academics and meeting the requirements of a demanding career is the least of their problems.

These young actors reveal that they also have to come to terms with the change in attitude of their friends. Suhani, barely 18, who has a few Telugu and Tamil films in her kitty, says, “I’m extra careful when choosing my friends, since many want to befriend me only because I’m an actor.”Understanding the price that comes with stardom, she adds,

“While it feels great to be an actor, life sure has changed for me. Stardom has brought recognition, but I’ve also had to give up on having a fun, college life.”Independent they may be, but definitely not unchaperoned. When it comes to managing finances, these teen actors turn to family. B. Ashok, a student of VNR VJIT and nephew of filmmaker B. Gopal, says, “For newcomers like me, dates are never a problem, but when it comes to managing finances, my dad helps me out. I concentrate on looking fit, learning to dance and act.”

"I act in only those movies which I can relate to"

Actress, social activist and chairperson of the Children’s Film Society, Nandita Das makes multi-tasking seem easy. In the city to finalise details of the Film festival to be held in November, Nandita talks about how she juggles her passions and what keeps her going.


“If we love doing something, time will automatically expand. Initially, I had my doubts about whether I had too much on my plate, but things soon fell into place. The important thing is that I enjoy doing all the tasks that I take up. I want to do full justice to the role that the children’s film society has given me,” says Nandita.


On the acting front, the dusky beauty has been making international headlines with her stellar performance in Before the Rains, which is set in 1930’s Kerala, where she plays a village woman Sajni who has an affair with her British boss.

Ask her if only movies with sensitive, political overtones appeal to her and she says, “I began with social work and only then entered films. My background has certainly influenced my choices as an actor. My professional image and personal life are not very different. The script and my role in the film decide whether I sign up for a project or not.”


Will we never see the actress running around trees and romancing a hero in a commercial movie? “Love stories can be beautiful. It depends on the way they are packaged. I got many such film offers, but I never took them up. It is not a conscious effort to avoid such cinema, but an instinctive choice to do films that I relate to. I never grew up watching such love stories. However, I don’t categorise films into commercial or art. Every movie is commercial by default,” says the 30-films-old Nandita who has acted in 10 languages and wants to act in many more.


“I’d rather take up the challenge of working in a new language than do a film I don’t enjoy. Language has never been a barrier for me,” says the actress who bagged the Nandi Award for the best actress for her performance in Kamli.


It’s not just the movies, she has also been in the news for her recent divorce. “Since I’m in the public domain, my professional life is open to all, but I don’t enjoy talking about my personal life. Even when I got separated, I didn’t go about telling people about it, but I won’t hide anything from the public if I’m asked about it, she says candidly.

'Die' hard fans a shocking reality!!!!

Three fans die for Magadheera, reads a headline of a proud Charan Tej fan site that compares his popularity with that of Chiranjeevi. Not too long ago, a Prabhas fan died in a stampede in a mad rush to get tickets for Billa. When Junior NTR’s Kantri and Mahesh Babu’s Athadu released, theatres in the state became a battleground of sorts, with a few fans losing their lives. However, the film industry is far from concerned.

Every big release in Tollywood, in fact, almost celebrates these casualties as a morbid yardstick of its success. The more deaths the stars cause, the greater his “success story.”This age-old problem in Tollywood has become a “trend” of sorts, but no one, right from the theatre management to the filmmakers and actors, seems to be in a mood to address it. While theatre owners blame filmmakers for the “hype” they create, actors brush off these casualties as “unavoidable”.

Actor Murali Mohan, president of Movie Artistes Association, says, “No actor wants to see his fans die. But they can’t help it. We can only show our sympathy for them. This is show business and we have to create hype around movies to draw the audiences. It is the theatre’s responsibility to handle the crowd.”

The blame game ensues, as even the exhibitors are quick to pass the buck. Vijandar Reddy, member of the AP Film Chamber of Commerce, says,

“It is impossible for theatres to handle such huge crowds. There is a provision in the law where the owners can hand over the theatre to the revenue divisional officer for a few days if matters go out of control. Theatre owners should utilise this provision.

”The death of fans has become a sort of “publicity” for the films, feels actress-turned-politician Jayasudha. “When filmmakers can plan audio functions and success meets so well, why can’t they plan crowd management? The theatre owners should open booking a month in advance.”

Jeevitha Rajasekhar, actor-turned-politician, couldn’t agree more. “There is so much hype created for each film, that the producer knows that this will happen. When filmmakers earn so much revenue from a movie, why can’t they spend on the security of their own fans,” she says.

DEATH TOLL*

A Prabhas fan was killed in a stampede in Visakhapatnam while buying a ticket for Billa earlier this year.
* A Junior NTR fan was killed in a stampede when Kantri released.
* During Athadu’s release, a Mahesh Babu fan lost his life in a stampede in Tadipatri.
* The fans of Junior NTR and Chiranjeevi got into a brawl at Royal Theatre in Bellary when both their movies Simhadri and Tagore released simultaneously in neighbouring theatres.
* Four Chiranjeevi fans died in a stampede in Rajahmundry while buying tickets for Tagore.
* During the release of Laxmi Narasimha, a Balakrishna fan lost his life. Three fans committed suicide when the movie flopped.

BLAME GAME---

Ashwini Dutt producer:

No one can be blamed for these casualties. In AP, there has always been a fanatical craze for movie stars. Such incidents are unavoidable, there’s not much we can do.

Manjula Swaroop, filmmaker and actor:

Fans should realise that movies are just entertainment. They should be cautious and not get carried away. This craze is disturbing.

Suresh Babu, filmmaker:

No one can be held responsible. A theatre owner can’t control crazy mobs during booking, nor can everyone avail of advance booking. Actors should address fans.