T'wood stars on a blogging mode

" Hey guys... just started shooting in Hyderabad again... feels great to be back...,” reads a recent post from actor Ram’s blog on the website http://www.heroram.com/. The actor, who has discovered the joys of blogging a la Aamir Khan and Big B, says this was the only way he could reach out to his fans.


“When I tuned into a radio station in Vijayawada, I heard an RJ talk about how she is in touch with me on Facebook. Fact is, I am not on any social networking site. I realised that the only way to clear the air is by starting a virtual space of my own.”
From talking about their everyday schedules and throwing in their two cents worth on burning issues to dispelling rumours, Tollywood actors are in a confessional mood these days. And the horde of interactive blogs and websites by them are testimony to their newfound need to express.


Lakshmi Manchu, producer, TV host and daughter of actor Mohan Babu, says, “I remember my dad had a man who replied to his fan mails. He also sent them autographed pictures. I learnt from my dad the importance of keeping in touch with fans. I respond to most emails. Since I have my own website and blog as well, everyone can get in touch with me.”

For most stars, it is the need to get feedback from the audience that drives them to blog. Sharwanand says, “Fans post comments on what they liked or disliked in my films. The feedback is honest and I value it.”


Many others use their blogs as a tool to publicise causes that matter. Actor Kamal Kamaraju, says, “I started a blog to spread awareness on HIV/AIDS. I also have another blog where I update people on my everyday life. It’s my online journal and I also upload my paintings there.” Actor Daggubati Rana couldn’t agree more. “My blog is a powerful medium to voice my opinions. Through this platform, I also get to read opinions of people outside the film industry. It is a tool which helps me stay connected with my fans.”

"Actors don't live in real world" says Navdeep

In his 15-film career, Navdeep has had to deal with more flops than hits, but the actor is not one to give up. the 24-year-old who has been missing in action, is all set to make a Tollywood comeback and has three films slated for a back-to-back release.Despite making waves in the Tamil film industry with Arinthum Ariyamalum, Navdeep, who was last seen in a small cameo in Ready, says he is keen on moulding his Tollywood career again.


“In the last two years, I did three Tamil films and have also been shooting for Arya-2. This is probably why my fans didn’t get to see much of me. Also, my previous Tollywood movies didn’t do well and I was waiting for something interesting,” he says.Out from a “hibernation” of sorts, Navdeep is treading cautiously in the industry now.


“While I enjoy working in both the industries, Tollywood is where I feel at home. But when I choose films here, I’m extra careful, since the Telugu film industry is more image conscious and hero-centric,” he adds.The young actor also admits that his no-show at the box office is because of a few “obligatory” movies he did.
“I used to oblige friends who approached me with requests and most of them bombed. But now I’ve learnt not to yield to pressure,” says Navdeep, who is now helping his brother find his footing in the film industry.

“I help Parthu get in touch with the right people, but nothing beyond that,” he clarifies.For an actor keen to make his mark in Tollywood, Navdeep is conspicuous by his absence at most filmy dos. “I prefer staying away from filmy bashes. I don’t like to be in a place where all film stars do is talk about movies. I don’t think they live in the real world, which is why I prefer staying away,” he says

Multi-starrer movie season in Tollywood

For an industry that is known to be hero-centric, Tollywood is now fast breaking the mould. In a new trend, a host of Telugu multi-starrers are all set to hit the theatres after Eenadu with Kamal Haasan and Venkatesh, paved the way. From Arya-2 and Vedham to Om Shanti and Shambho Siva Shambho, multi-starrers have become the season’s hottest flavour.


The reasons are many, say directors. It is easier to weave interesting stories around multiple characters, feels Krish Radhakrishna, the director of the upcoming film Vedham, starring Allu Arjun, Manchu Manoj, Anushka Shetty and Manoj Bajpai. “With more stars, audience have more to look forward to. It also makes the story stronger,” he says.


Director Sreedhar Reddy couldn’t agree more. “It becomes easier to expand the story if there are more stars. The expenses may be higher, but the demand for the film’s satellite rights make up for it.”
The Telugu film industry, which is just waking up to this trend, is excited about the economics of it. Priyanaka Chalasani, the producer of Om Shanti, says, “Kajal, Nikhil, Navadeep, Bindu Madhavi and Adithi Sharma are acting in my film. All their fans will be drawn to the theatres.”

Interestingly, mana Tollywood stars who were once averse to the idea of sharing screen space with other actors, now claim they are not worried about a co-star stealing their thunder. Navadeep who is doing two multi-starrer movies, says, “It is a healthy trend. We should keep our insecurities aside and wake up to the advantages of multi-starrers.”


The young actors are in fact, all gung ho about the changing face of Tollywood. Actor Shradha Das, who is acting in the mutli-starrer Arya-2, says, “Many of us don’t mind acting with others. Moreover, the hype surrounding the film will only help us get noticed.”
Actor Bindu Madhavi, who signed up a role in Om Shanti, agrees. “The fact that I share screen space with so many stars will only help boost my career. It’s more about being a part of a good, big movie that can make an impact,” she says.

Big stars make their vote count

Though the overall voter turnout for the GHMC polls on Monday was poor, Tollywood stars turned up in large numbers to cast their votes. The Praja Rajyam chief, Chiranjeevi, who came with his son Ram Charan Tej and other family members, cast his vote at the Obullreddy school in Jubilee Hills.

Film-maker Allu Aravind, his son Allu Arjun, actors Pavan Kalyan, Krishna, Srihari, Nagarjuna, Amala, Balakrishna and his wife,director Rajamouli, music director M.M. Keeravani cast their votes at the BSNL office polling booth in Jubilee Hills.
Film-makers D. Ramanaidu, Kodi Ramakrishna, M.S. Reddy, actors Venkatesh, Babu Mohan, producer Suresh Babu, his actor son Rana, veteran director K. Raghavendar Rao, music composer Vandemataram Srinivas, lyricists Paruchuri brothers and other actors cast their vote in the Filmnagar Cultural Club. Tennis star Sania Mirza too cast her vote along with her parents at the Filmnagar Cultural Club.

Meanwhile, actor Junior NTR cast his vote at St. Ann’s College in Mehdipatnam.
“Elected representatives change the way we live. It is imperative for everyone to vote” said actor Nagarjuna after casting his vote. Interestingly, Mr Chiranjeevi said people are perhaps frustrated with the politicians and that is why have not turned up to vote.

Of the 904 votes at BSNL office polling booth in Jubilee Hills, about 270 votes were from people belonging to the film industry. Of the 2,105 votes cast at Filmnagar Cultural Club, about 595 were from Tollywood personalities.

"The crocodiles" takes it all away at ICFF

The German film The Crocodiles bagged two of the six awards apart from special mention at the International Children Film Festival that wrapped up on Friday in the city.
Directed by Christian Ditter, The Crocodiles is about a group of kids who call themselves


“The Crocodiles” and manage to nab burglars using technology. The Crocodiles took home the best feature film, best screenplay and special mention awards in the International films category. Elephants from the UK walked away with the Golden Elephant for best documentary and Harald Hamrell bagged the best director award for his Swedish film A Witch In Our Family.
In the Asian films category, Half Mine, Half Yours, an Iranian movie, bagged the Golden Elephant for the best feature film. Tamil director Pandiraj was declared best director for Kids and the Chinese film Two Men’s Classroom was chosen by the children’s jury as the best film.



Child And The Angel an Iranian got the jury’s nod for best screenplay. Mahesh Gore, a Hyderabadi animation creative director, bagged the best animation award for Fuel Duel.
The Chief Minister, Mr. K Rosaiah, minister for information, Ms Geeta Reddy, and a few Tollywood personalities gave away the awards.

Meanwhile, mild tension prevailed at the venue when one of the CM’s security personnel slapped a photographer of a Telugu daily. The Chief Minister later apologised to the photographer and promised to look into the incident.

Dasari says Telugu film makers are ill-treated by centre

Filmmaker and MP, Mr Dasari Narayana Rao, stirred up a controversy at the inaugural function of the 16th International Children’s Film Festival on Saturday by alleging that the Central government treated Telugu cine personalities as “second grade cinema citizens”.

Addressing the gathering at the Lalita Kala Thoranam in the city, he pointed out that many Telugu filmmakers eligible for Dada Saheb Phalke and Padma awards were overlooked by the Centre. Mr Dasari was cut up at being introduced as a producer and said that he had directed 148 movies and had also got into the Guinness Book of World Records.


“The first movie in this country on children was made by Telugu film industry 61 years ago,” said Mr Dasari.“ We are not lesser than any other industry. Despite that, the Hindi film industry takes away all the limelight.”He also turned to the information and broadcasting minister, Ms Ambika Soni, who was on the dais, and asked her to understand the problems of the Telugu industry.
Mr Dasari added that many Telugu film producers couldn’t get funding from the Children’s Film Society of India to produce movies as it demanded 15 copies of the bounded script. Though actor Nandita Das, chairperson of CFSI, tried to clarify, Mr Dasari continued to speak and told her that he was ready to prove his allegations.

“This festival is being organised by the AP government,” he said. “The CFSI should first stop operating from Mumbai and start its office in Hyderabad. Only then can children’s movies be made. The CFSI should start accepting applications for funding on the basis of the synopsis of the movie.”However, Ms Soni denied the allegations and pointed out that in 2007, Telugu film Amulya was screened at this festival.”We are not going to create any barriers in this festival as it is meant for children,” she said.

Nandita promises quality Indian movies for kids

Actor, director and now the chairperson of Children's Film Society of India, Nandita Das is busy with kids at the animation workshop organised for kids during the film festival. The actress who has been working round the clock this week to live upto her stint as the chairperson of the society says, the organising of the festival was a great 'learning experience' for her.


"The children's film festival has been larger than I imagined it to be. This fest brought together different minds to one platform and the kids surely got to learn a lot meeting their peers from different parts of the country and there is so much that happens between them in those informal spaces. Its been just three months that I took over as Chairperson of this society and ideally I would have liked to know how this society works before I could start doing something. But immediately I had to work for this festival and it was like directly diving deep into the sea. However, an overwhelming feedback from the kids is thankfully an acclaim to our efforts. " she says.


Nandita opines that there is a notion among Indian film makers that films for kids is loss making. She now plans to involve mainstream distributors,film makers and writers in CFSI and loan their thoughts on how to take these kids movies to theatres and make them commercially viable."Every time we think of making movies for kids in our country, they produce films that are boring and preachy. Kids want films on adventure,hope, fancy, fun with a subtle message in it. My duty now is to craft a market plan to take these movies to theatres. We will start informal committees with film makers, kids and writers that will advise us on how to make quality movies for kids. We will also make sure there are film clubs in district level. Every day I am making notes on what I can rectify and mygoal is to create certain systemic changes in CFSI that go beyond my stint as chairperson." the actor quips.


Though she is happy with the co-operation by the state government over conducting of this kids film fest, she smirks at the petty incidents that are blown out of proportion by a section of media. While admitting that there were lapses in the festival, she claims that Hyderabad is yet to own this festival.
"I have gone to about 50 film festivals as an actress. In every country,colleges, NGOs, youngsters volunteer to do something for the festival. But there, a few media personnel fought with me for media kits. It is imperative for us to own the festival and play a perfect host. Mistakes are bound to bethere in a wedding at home. Lapses are bound to occur in an event of this scale.Its sad that we look at the negative aspects of everything than giving constructive suggestions.It is sad that we don't take ownership of the festival in the city and accuse that the locals are not involved in it "



The actress who claims that she couldn't enjoy this festival much as she was busy spending half of her time in 'crisis management', promises an exponential growth in quality of Indian films for the 2011 film festival."I will give preforma to give feedback to all our employees. I am gettingfeedback from jury, officials, media, parents and kids. When we pool in all that and understand the problems in making films for kids, we can chalk outthe solution. That will be first on my prirority after the festival."who reveals that she didn't have to face any problems from bureaucracy as they gave her free hand in doing what she likes to do.

This Nandi award winner says there is a lot to learn from kids and says that she is overall happy for giving kids a memorable film watching experience."Kids never complain on trivial inconviences. Its amazing to see themover look little problems and enjoy the activities here.I think we elders are sad human beings looking at everything with negativity. An escalator expereince at theatre could make the kids laugh and enjoy.Overall, I am content and happy over the memorable experience we gave the kids in this festival. My aim now is to keep the spirit of this fest going until the next fest" she signs off.

Film Festival with a difference

M. Rekha, a Class II student residing in the government orphanage at Ameerpet, entered Prasads Multiplex for the first time where she watched the 3D animated film Fly Me To The Moon, as part of the International Children’s Film Festival. But for the festival, she would never have been able to see a film in a multiplex.


Sruthi, formerly a street child and now studying in Class VII with the assistance of an NGO, couldn’t contain her excitement.
“I watched the 3D movie with special lens. I thought the fish would eat me up as they came really close to me!” she says delightedly.

And Shivanand, a Class VI student at the government school for the visually impaired, was all ears as he “heard” a film specially audio described for him and his classmates.“I can hear everything in the movie. They narrate all the scenes,” he says.

About 3,500 children living in orphanages and juvenile homes or studying in schools for the visually impaired, the mentally challenged, or from child labour rehabilitation schools got to watch films for the very first time in their lives thanks to a special initiative of the state government and the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI).


“In this film festival, our goal was to get children from underprivileged backgrounds to watch movies in multiplexes. We didn’t want this film fest to be just another event that people soon forgot,” said Mr C. Parthasarathy, MD, AP Film Development Corporation.
To this end, the government conducted contests for children across the state, released brochures and posters a month in advance, conducted a 2-km run and created a buzz about the event.There was a creative dimension to the festival as well. The CFSI held workshops on animation, film-making, scriptwriting, story-telling, reporting and special interactive sessions with kids and directors. For the first time, there was a children’s jury award, a special category and award for Asian films, and special screenings of films made by open forums which brought film-makers, kids and parents onto one platform to discuss the future of children’s movies in India. About 52 child prodigies from across the country were felicitated during the festival. The state government declared that it will take this festival to all regional centres after dubbing the films into Telugu. It also plans to include “filmmaking and cinema studies” in the school curriculum.


The CFSI too has big plans. Its CEO, Mr Sushovan Banerjee, said,“By the next film festival, we want to screen movies made by children themselves under a special category. We will give DVDs of our films to the state governments that are interested in screening them in schools. After this fest, we will have a series of meetings with filmmakers who can help us bring these movies to theatres and make commercially viable movies for children. This children’s film festival was the one with a difference.”

"I might direct a Telugu movie soon"

The Hyderabad blues seems to have struck Nagesh Kukunoor. The filmmaker, who set up shop in Mumbai years ago, is part of the jury of the International Children’s Film Festival and says he is glad to be back home as he was “missing” his city.


“The festival has given me an excuse to hang out here and chill out with my buddies. I have been a jury member for different film festivals before. But this time I am doubly excited as I am getting to spend a week at home,” he says.

However, it’s not all play and no work for Kukunoor, who is geared up for the film festival. “There are a lot of kids on the jury this time and I want to see whether my opinion matches with theirs,” he quips. Nagesh, who shot to fame with his two movies that were based on kids — Rockford and Iqbal — feels that children’s films are not given enough priority by the industry.


“Our films are controlled by the private sector, which is driven by industry economics. Children’s film society should fund more movies on kids and make them commercially viable. Countries like Iran make great movies for kids. It will take time for our film makers to understand that kids movies are profitable too.”

Box office success is something that has evaded Kukunoor’s films after the success of Iqbal and Dor. Both Bombay to Bangkok and his last film, 8x10 Tasveer failed to make an impact. Though his upcoming films, Yeh Hosla and Aashayein have been in the news for a long time, they are yet to be released.


“Aashayein got delayed initially because of the disagreement between the production house and distribution company. After wards, there was the multiplex strike. We hope to release both movies soon.”Whether they have fared well at the box office or not, the director says that he is happy with his body of work. “Bombay to Bangkok is a comedy, Tasveer is a thriller and Iqbal was a story about the human spirit. No two films of mine are identical and my movies are a mixed bag from different genres. As a movie buff, I like to watch different genres. And as a director too, I would like to make different kinds of cinema. I don’t think there is anything called commercial cinema,” says Kukunoor, who is not averse to the idea of making a Tollywood flick.


“The only reason I’ve not directed a Telugu movie is because I’ve always been more comfortable with Hindi, even though my mother tongue is Telugu. But lately, I have been seriously considering working in Tollywood. I might direct a Telugu movie soon,” says Kukunoor.

' Saifeena can get boring'

Sporting a bearded look and a devil-may-care attitude to match, Saif Ali Khan is his usual confident self before the release of his film Kurbaan. Despite the controversy surrounding the half nude posters of him with his girl friend Kareena, Saif is taking everything in his stride.

“It’s just a backless photograph and I feel that it is sensual and aesthetic, not sexual. Kurbaan is a mature love story. But I understand that a section of people did get offended. My only aim is to release the movie and if we have to change the posters for that, we are ready to do it,” says Saif, who is excited about the way the film has turned out.

“The movie is an intense love story in the backdrop of global terrorism. It deals with the question of whether a terrorist can be loved. I’m glad I got a chance to act alongside Kareena in such an interesting film, instead of a regular rom-com. I am looking forward to it as it is an important juncture in my career.”

In fact, Saif is making it a point to play “versatile” roles in all his films.

“It’s important to be different in each movie for it to click at the box office. Love Aaj Kal wouldn’t have been a hit, if not for my sardarji look,” he says. And his love for experimenting doesn’t stop at acting. Saif, who has recently donned the role of a producer, feels that film production is a more complex process than acting.

“Acting is just visualising things and performing, but production is all about realising that vision. It is much more challenging than acting,” says Saif, who is busy with his next production venture, Agent Vinod, an action adventure that has him playing the lead.When not in news for his films, Saif is known to make headlines for selling brand “Saifeena”.

The actor, however, disagrees, saying, “We don’t sell ourselves as a pair. I like to be known as Mr Khan and she as Ms Kapoor. In fact, we are careful not to be seen as one unit and retain our individuality. It can be boring to see Saifeena together all the time,” he quips, adding, “Kareena gets along well with everyone at home, including my kids.”Perhaps they are one of the most written about B’wood couple, but Saif says he doesn’t mind the speculations.

“It’s all a part of showbiz. We realise that people have an honest interest in our relationship, so we reveal whatever we can. It’s only when we are asked something too personal, that we refuse to talk.”

Visually impaired kids enjoy movies

Children's Film Society of India has decided to audio describe two moviesevery year to be specially screened for visually impaired children across thecountry. Currently, CFSI has 5 special movies which are specially audiodescribed with added narrations that are meant for the screening of visuallyimpaired kids.

"Since these kids can't watch, we add a few narrations that describe sceneshappening on the screen. We have five audio described movies for them. Wewill audio describe two movies every year hereafter. In fact commercialmovies like 'Munna Bhai MBBS ' have also been audio described. If anyonecomes forward to audio describe Telugu movies we are ready to screen themfor visually impaired children in the state" said Mr Sushovan Banerjee, CEO,CFSI.

On Monday, CFSI screened films for blind children from Government schools at Potti Sri Ramulu Telugu university auditorium as a part of the International children's film festival being held in the city . That apart, a unit from the CFSI is also visiting each school for visually impaired in the city every day to screen these films. About 100 kids from Government schools for visually impaired and Devanar school enjoyed the movie 'Katt Katt Kad Kaddu' on Monday. Two special films are being screened for these kids everyday.

A few of these students who are partially blind and could easily follow themovies. Officials said that the all the five movies including ' Kabhi PassKabhi Fail', 'Karamati Coat' will be screened for all the visually impairedchildren in special schools in the city during this festival. Since kids can't see,these movies will have more narration and commentaries so that the visuallyimpaired get to know the sequences and scenes in the movie.

"I liked the movie and I have been following what is happening in the story.It is very descriptive. We understand what is happening in the film. We enjoyTV programmes in our hostel and so it is easy for us to follow what ishappening on the screen here" said Shivanand, a visually impaired 6thstandard student of Dar-Ul-Shifa.

"There are 120 visually challenged kids in our school. They are used to TVprogrammes. These movies describe where the actor is, who is getting closerto him, what is he doing in the scene etc. and hence they understand what is going on. Since there are commentaries that are added to the original film andare being screened for these kids, they are able to follow the movie" said Aneez, Hindi teacher at Dar-Ul-Shifa school for visually impaired. The state film development corporation has also asked CFSI to give them the CDs of these special movies so that it could screen them for visually impaired all over the state.

Thammareddy says T'wood heroes aren't men

Senior Tollywood film maker and former President of AP Film producer's council, Mr Thammareddy Bharadwaja said that 'none of the heroes in Telugu film industry are men'.When asked if top heroes in Tollywood would act in movies like 'TareZameen Par' made on children's issues, he said that, ' none of our heroes will do that kind of cinema. There are men in Bollywood and our heroes are not men'.


Speaking to the media at the 16th International Children's Film festival being held at the city, the producer said that our heroes know nothing about cinema but think that they are 'demigods'. He said that most of the actors in the industry are 'dumb' and don't go beyond making movies with two fight scenes and a few dances.
"The mindset of our heroes is very bad. They don't know what is cinema.They don't watch International cinema and know nothing about movies.Their parents are actors and so they have become one. Forget about good stories, they can't even give good 'treatment' and making to the films. They don't have passion for cinema. They don't experiment at all and don't have the courage to do movies like Tare Zameen Par" he said and added, " I can't talk further here, it will be more controversial" .


The producer said that it is impossible for producers to invest in children's movie unless they are commercially viable. He opined that people don't watch movies for kids and it is too risky for producers to invest money on movies for kids and incurr losses. He asked the government to give complete subsidy if it is a good movie and said that since the government is giving very little funding, our film makers are making 'terrible' movies for kids.


"We can't make movies with Rs 20 lakh. They will be hopeless movies withthat amount of funding given by government. If it is a good movie, thegovernment should fund it completely and also build mini theatres indistricts to screen such movies. All said and done, everyone forgets aboutmovies for kids after this festival and it is back to square one." he said.

"I have to live upto my family's expectations"

Being the grandson of filmmaker Ramanaidu, son of producer Suresh Babu and nephew of actor Venkatesh is no easy task. And Daggubati Rana, who has created a huge buzz in Tollywood even before the release of his debut film Leader, is nervous about living up to the expectations.


“I can’t afford to fail as everyone’s watching me. I have to live up to the expectations of my family. I hope this film works as it is an honest movie and it is my first. I don’t have an image of my own and I want the audience to accept me with this film. Shekhar Kammula took about a year to pen this script after extensive research and we shot the movie for a whole year. It has been long since Tollywood has made a political drama. It is in the same league as the The Godfather,” says Rana, who is going all out to promote the film.



“Filmmaking as a process has evolved. The size of the market has increased. Movies today are offering audiences visual treats like never before. You need to offer quality cinema to the audience and promote it well,” he adds.This producer-turned-actor feels that the transition from “behind the scenes” to “onscreen” was not hard for him.

“I took a break for two years and underwent training in all aspects of acting before I faced the camera. I am born in a family of actors, and this step came naturally to me. It’s just another art form,” says Rana, who was into visual effects, cinematography and production earlier.
In fact, A Belly Full of Dreams, a film produced by him went on to win much critical acclaim.Even as he is set to make his debut, Rana is busy going through scripts for his next film.

“I would love to do different genres. I don’t want my next film to be similar to what I’ve done,” says the actor, who is learning the tricks of the trade from his uncle Venkatesh.“I grew up watching his films and when I told him that I want to be an actor, he showed me a methodical way of going about it. He guided me at every level. He saw the first rushes of my film and gave me his honest opinion. I have learnt discipline from him.”


And when he is not shooting, Rana is quite the party boy, who is seen hobnobbing with the current crop of actors at every do. “Though there is competition, we all are good friends. Whenever we meet up, we discuss our films, scripts and share tips and tricks. We have great fun together.”

Special screenings for blind, orphan and juvenile kids

The Children’s Film Society of India has decided to organise special movie screenings for children from orphanages, juvenile homes and visually impaired kids during the International Children’s Film Festival in the city that starts on Saturday.

About 400 juveniles from various homes across the state and children from various orphanages under the social welfare department and run by private organisations will watch the movies in this festival.Officials say they will screen five movies which have a special in-built sound system for the visually impaired children.

Children will also participate in filmmaking, acting, creative writing, story making and animation workshops during the festival. Actors and eminent personalities will act as moderators for open forums that will be conducted every day on various topics related to children and films.

“We have about 250 movies in our library and most children don't have access to these movies.

We will discuss and invite opinions on various topics on children and their movies like ethics in using children in films, whether films should be a part of the curriculum for children etc. Actor Nandita Das, lyricist Gulzar and Amol Gupte, who penned Tare Zameen Par, will act as moderators,” said Mr Sushovan Banerjee, CEO, Children Film Society of India.

The society and the government are also organising a 2-km run along Necklace Road this Friday to instil the spirit of the festival. About 100 movies will be screened in nine theatres acrossthe city between November 14 and 20.

Tollywood ignores kids films

Every two years, Hyderabad grabs the attention of filmmakers and movie buffs across the globe in mid-November. The fixed venue for the International Children’s Film Festival (ICFF), the city pulsates with excitement for a week. And when the celebrations come to an end and the last of the speakers, who talk about the need for children’s cinema, head home, the spotlight turns off.

Only a few Indian films qualified to be screened at the 16th International Film Festival, to be held from November 14 to 20 in the city. Of them, only two are Telugu. In fact, less than five children’s movies are made annually by Tollywood, which churns out more than 150 movies a year.

Industrywallahs, who have swept the genre of children’s cinema under the carpet, blame it on the scarcity of funds and lack of interest. P. Sarath Kumar, member of the Censor Board, says, “What is the point in taking home a Golden Elephant when you suffer losses? People talk about children’s films only on November 14 and then forget about them.”

The economic hurdles are far too many, lament the few directors who have tried their hand at this genre. Umesh Shirupalli, the director of Circus-Circus, one of the two Telugu movies being screened in this festival, says, “After I finished Circus-Circus, I approached the Film Development Corporation (FDC) to get funding. They claimed that they did not fund movies that are already made. Distributors too don’t realise that there is a huge market for children’s movies,” adds Umesh.
Director Jaya couldn’t agree more. “Earlier, the government used to grant Rs 25 lakhs for every children’s film. Now the aid doesn’t exist. The government should at least give tax exemptions to exhibitors willing to screen children’s films.”

K.S. Rama Rao, former president, AP Film Chamber of Commerce, says, “The FDC comprises politicians, who have nothing to do with films. One can’t expect them to be sensitive towards the cause. The government should take steps to make it feasible to provide meaningful entertainment to children.”

Talking about the issue, actor Nandita Das, chairperson, Children’s Film Society of India, says, “The quality of children’s films is poor. I wanted to come up with an awards category for Indian movies for children, but we found that not more than six movies are eligible for screening in the festival. We are going to address this issue in an open forum this time.”
The quality of children’s films in india is poor. Not more than six movies are eligible for screening this time.Nandita Das, chairperson, CFSI

City to host International Children Film Festival

The city will host the 16th International Children's film festival between November 14 and November 20 . The festival for which Hyderabad has been the permanent host since 1995, is being organised by the state government and Children film society of India. The film festival will be inaugurated by Union Minister Ambika Soni and Chief Minister K Rosaiah at Lalitakala Toranam on Novemner 14. Children Film Society of India has selected over 70 films for screening from International, Asian and movies selected by children categories.


These movies will be screened in eight theatres across the city apart from three screens at Prasad Multiplex. The government will give the details of the theatres where the movies will be screened by the end of next week. The film festival that is organised in the city once in two years will for the first time have workshops in animation, acting, story telling and film making for students. CFSI has also decided to have a special screening for blind children with the help of specialists. Until last film festival ,only International films were given the golden elephant awards. This time the society has decided to include awards to Asian films too.

The Chairperson of the society , actor Nandita Das who was in the city to oversee the arrangements for the festival said that the films will be screened for free to all the children and there will be special screenings of about 25 films by UNICEF and a few German movies this time. "We have included awards in screenplay and Asian films category. Though I wanted to include Indian children films category, there were hardly any good Indian films for children. Only six Indian movies were selected for thescreening of which two are animated movies from Hyderabad. Children can walk into any of the theatres that are screening the movies for free. We have also organised for open forums where topics on enhancing the quality of children's films in India will be discussed. Over 250 child delegates will come from all over India and five delegates from each district in the state will also participate." said actor Nandita Das, Chairperson, Children film society of India., who also rubbished the rumours that the venue of this festival is being shifted to Goa.


About two lakh children from across the state are expected to view films during this festival. The state government has announced that it would provide free transport for the students to reach the theatres and is also organising cultural events at Lalitakala Toranam in the city on all the days during the festival.
The state government which is making arrangements for the festival, announced that it plans to start a Children film complex in the city. Though the state government offered land to the society to start its complex in the city, the central government didn't approve of it. Minister for Cinematography Dr J Geetha Reddy said that irrespective of the central government's decision, the state government will give space for the society to start its complex in the city soon. The Children film society is trying to rope in a few Bollywood and Tollywood stars to participate in the festival. The mascot of the festival and details on the jury will be announced in the first week of November.

Rajni to be in the city for 'Star night'

Tollywood actors hope to rake in atleast Rs 3.5 crore through the 'Starnight' event which being organised by Movie Artistes Association to raise funds for the recent flood victims. Sources from the association confirmed that actors Dharmendra, Jitendra, Rajesh Khanna Tamil superstar Rajnikanth, actors Vijayakanth, Vikram, Suriya , Sarath Kumar and others will be apart of the event.

Big B Amitabh Bacchan is also likely to participate in the event. Most of the actors in Telugu film industry will perform on the stage atstar night event. Rehearsals for the event is on and about 14 music directors will also perform on the stage at this event which will be held at Gachibowli stadium on November 7. That apart, there is also aspecial skit in which about 80 artistes will perform for more than onehour. Actors on Monday, also released a musical album dedicated to the victims, as a curtain raiser to this event.


Actors said that they hope to raise at least Rs 3.5 crore which will be handed over to the Chief Minister K Rosaiah at the event. Movie Artistes association informed that anyone who wish to contribute more than Rs 5 lakh will be allowed to hand over the cheque to the Chief Minister directly on the stage at the event.


"The highest denomination of the tickets will be Rs 1 lakh on which two will be permitted. The rest are Rs 10,000 and Rs 1,000. We are notgiving any complimentary tickets as the net proceedings are going tothe CM relief fund. Even the actors who are not performing should buy the ticket to enter the premises" said actor Maharshi, the joint secretary,Movie artistes association.


Apart from Tollywood stars, actors from Kannada, Hindi and Tamil film industries too will perform at the event."We have spoken to the actors from other film industries. They will not only perform but also handover their contribution to the Chief Minister's relief fund at the event. From Tollywood, all of us are practising since the past several days for this event. I am trying to ropein as many sponsors as possible for this event, so that we spend less onthe event and give most of the collected money to the Chief Minister" said actor Nandamuri Balakrishna, who is the executive chairman of the committee that is monitoring the arrangements for the 'star night'.


All the film shootings have been cancelled for three days from thisThursday to ensure all the actors reharse for the show.

Directors ,the new celebrities

Gone are the days when director’s names were relegated to obscure corners of film posters. Tollywood today has undergone a major shift from being a hero-centric industry to a director-centric one. The big directors in the industry now are as popular as the actors and their names are crowd-pullers themselves. From S.S. Rajamouli, Puri Jagannadh and Krishna Vamsi to V.V. Vinayak, Shekhar Kammula and Krish Radhakrishna, directors are fast becoming celebrities in their own right.



What’s more, these directors don’t restrict themselves to making films. From walking the red carpet at award ceremonies to playing celebrity judges and participants on reality TV, they are fast going onscreen from behind-the-scenes. Recently, director V.V. Vinayak was chosen to be the chief guest on a dance show on television while Rajamouli was the star participant on another.



Film Nagar sources claim that most of these star directors charge anywhere between Rs 2 crore and Rs 6 crore as remuneration. Shyam Prasad Reddy, senior filmmaker and president of the AP Film Producer’s Council, says, “Producers don’t mind paying the directors big bucks, because they are successful. When their names are associated with the movie, the audience can be sure that the movie is worth watching.”



Interestingly, these directors don’t make too many movies. They maintain the hoopla surrounding their name by doing one film an year a la big Tollywood actors. Krishna Vamsi who reportedly charges more than Rs 2 crore per film, says,
“Producers are not stupid to pay whatever we demand. They pay us for what we are worth. There is no fixed scale as such that dictates how much a director should be paid. When he is directly responsible for the fate of the movie, what’s wrong in charging good money? The director’s name in itself is saleable now.”


Actors who were the only ones who hogged the limelight till now, attribute the directors’ new-found celebrity status to the new stories they are coming up with. Actor Allari Naresh who aspires to be a director himself and earned a Nandi award recently for Gamyam, directed by Krish Radha Krishna says, “The popularity of directors has grown phenomenally and is on par with Bollywood directors. Filmmakers like Shekhar Kammula and Krish Radhakrishna have come up with innovative concepts and stories and have made stars out of debutantes. That’s what has made them popular.”



Actor Sharwanand couldn’t agree more. “Each director is known for a certain brand of cinema now. For instance, people know that Sreenu Vytla’s movies will be comic entertainers. They are the ones who run the show, so the importance being given to them now is justified.”