Delhi girl wows Tollywood

Being launched by the Manchu family and getting K. Raghavendar Rao as her first director is more than what engineer-turned-model-turned-actor Taapsee could ask for. The Miss India 2008 finalist says that modelling had got boring after a while. “Initially I didn’t want to get into acting because I can’t live a life of pretence. I got into modelling and wanted to be the face of well known brands. But it started getting monotonous and I wanted to break away from it. That’s when I decided to act. Here I get to act in different scripts, there is no sense of repetition and I like it better than modelling,” the Delhi girl says.

Taapsee says the roles she got down South were much “meatier” than those offered to her in Bollywood. “I am from Delhi. It is natural for me to opt for Hindi movies. But the offers I got there were average. In the South, I was offered a stronger role opposite a star, backed by a renowned production house. So why settle for average roles in Hindi?” asks this young girl who already signed three films in Telugu.


Taapsee disregards talks of Telugu heroines being relegated to the background after a couple of songs. “People say heroines just run around trees and have few dialogues, but without her, the film wouldn’t be the same. I will sign any film where my role influences the script,” she says.
While Taapsee is paired with Manchu Manoj in Jhummandi Nadham, she also has high hopes for her Tamil movie Adukalam starring Dhanush where she plays an Anglo-Indian. Her inclusion in the film has raised quite a few eyebrows in the Tamil film industry as she was a replacement for Trisha.


“I got to know later that I was selected opposite Dhanush as a replacement for Trisha who was expected to do that film. I am worried about this because I guess Trisha’s fans will now start comparing me to her. I have never met Trisha and enquiries about me replacing her were difficult to handle,” she admits.
For now, she’s enjoying being part of the film fraternity here. “I like the camaraderie people share and the respect the technicians and artistes have for one another. It’s been a learning experience. I have almost become a member of Laxmi Manchu’s family and am staying with her. I love how T’wood works,” Taapsee says

Kollywood recycles Tollywood tunes

If you get a sense of deja vu (or deja ’heard) while listening to an item number from a Tamil movie, don’t be surprised. It’s perhaps because you’ve already heard it in a Telugu film before. Contrary to the old rule of using a Telugu film tune only in its Tamil remake, T’wood music directors are unabashedly re-fitting superhit tunes in Telugu, from Aakaleste Annam Pedata to Bommali, to any ol’ film in Tamil.
Sources blame Tamil actors Vijay, Surya et al for insisting on ‘acquiring’ hit Telugu tunes to help their movie succeed. “A director heard my Telugu songs from Jalsa and Shankardada MBBS and wanted them for his film Villu in Tamil. We ensured the songs had good lyrics and released them. The song featuring Vijay went on to become a chartbuster there too. My song Ringa Ringa is in demand too,” says Devi Sri Prasad, a T’wood music director.
Composers claim that since most tunes in both the states have a “western” mix, it is easier to re-use tunes. “Producers and stars there keep a tab of what’s a hit in Tollywood. Then they convince the music director to purchase the rights of the tune,” adds composer Koti.
Composer Radhakrishna, whose songs from Godavari are in demand in Kollywood as well, says the outsourcing is also due to a lack of original tunes, “Directors ask us for the tunes because at times, they don’t get good songs.”

But for movie buffs who watch both Tamil and Telugu films, it’s certainly not twice as nice, “I was watching a Tamil movie —Sura and was surprised to hear a track from Billa. I thought the music director was talented but was disappointed to see he used the same tune in both languages,” says Rahul K., a software employee.

Music composers however claim that very few people are really so discerning. “People who watch films in both languages are few and they don’t decide the fate of the film or it’s tunes. Music has no language barriers and there is nothing wrong in using the same tune for a different movie,” defends Devi Sri Prasad.

The only South star at IIFA-Colombo

Actress Seiya, who played the lead in Nenithe starring Ravi Teja and one of the leads in the multistarrer, Vedam, is making her presence felt at IIFA Awards in Colombo, despite the boycott from the South Indian Film fraternity.

The only South star in IIFA says, “I was invited by the organisers to represent the South industry. Only after coming to Colombo I was told of the boycott by the other South stars. I don’t understand this demarcation. We all belong to the film fraternity and I like it that way. I don’t think I am doing anything wrong by attending IIFA.”

But not wanting to receive flak for her decision, Seiya is quick to add. “I am not performing here. Moreover, my dad, who is into theatre, has Bollywood connections which is also another reason why I am here.”

Tollywood wakes up to parallel cinema

A standard formula of four songs, three fights, a few punch dialogues clubbed with slapstick comedy was the Tollywood movie till the beginning of this year. But all that seems to be changing with several filmmakers willing to experiment with “message oriented” cinema.
The last few months saw Andhari Bandhuvaya, Prasthanam and Vedam being touted as torchbearers of a new renaissance in Telugu cinema. A few filmmakers attribute it to an audience that is increasingly exposed to international cinema, while critics cite younger and learned directors entering the fray as the reason for this much-awaited change.

“In the last few years, Telugu movies didn’t even qualify for national awards. But this year there are three movies that can be considered for the same. Though commercial movies like Simha continue to dominate the box office, there are an increasing number of takers for sensible movies too,” says P. Sarath Kumar, member of censor board and film critic.

Most of these movies have an underlying message which when treated sensibly, make them a hit with the multiplex audiences. It was earlier unthinkable in Tollywood to project a heroine like Anushka playing the role of a prostitute.
“I did Gamyam last year which won several awards. But it wasn’t a commercial hit. Now I made Vedam with Allu Arjun, Manoj Bajpai and Manchu Manoj. The star cast ensured that the movie was a hit though it doesn’t have forceful songs, fights and comedy. There are an increasing number of youngsters who are willing to watch movies if there is a creative blend of content without it being too preachy,” says Krish Radhakrishna, director of Vedam.

A strong NRI audience that is tired of watching stereotyped Telugu movies have also emerged as a new market. “While the Tamil and Hindi film industries experiment with stories and are willing to change, our movies have been predictable. Such films are facing commercial setbacks now, so the industry has begun to take risks to reach out to the multiplex audience. A few big heroes need to start acting in movies that balance content and commercial aspects to give better cinema to a changing audience,” says director Sreedhar Reddy.

“Movies like these are scripts from real life stories and the audience can relate to them unlike commercial movies that project actors as larger-than-life personalities. There is immense scope in such movies and are well appreciated,” says actor Sundeep Kishan who was critically acclaimed for his role in Prasthanam

"I want to be good dad to my kids"

Riding high on the success of Singham, Tamil “superstar” Suriya is excited about the release of the film’s Telugu version, Yamudu.
The actor, known for his versatility, is however, not yet ready to give up on “clichéd” stories because he says commercial cinema is needed to satisfy the masses.

“When I did Surya S/O Krishnan, IIT students, Ph.D holders and urban youngsters loved it but the rural viewers did not. Everyone, however, loved Singham. Both class and mass are important to me. I can’t afford to ignore either. I am trying to strike a balance between the two,” he says.
Over the past few years, Suriya and his brother Karthi have ensured that all their Tamil releases have been dubbed into Telugu. In fact, Suriya has delayed the Telugu release of his upcoming film since Karthi’'s movie Awara is still playing at theatres here. The actor reveals that he is planning to do a Telugu film next year while focussing on “bi-linguals” that rake in the moolah in both states.

“I would like it to be a bi-lingual and ensure it has actors known to audience in both states. Here, the audience relates to me ever since Ghajini, and there are huge expectations from my films,” says the actor.
So why are Telugu movies dubbed in Tamil not well-received by the Tamil audience? “It’s all about marketing. If the actors spend some time, focus on promotion and market their films, get proper Tamil lyricists to pen the songs and cast a few Tamil artistes in the films, Telugu films too will penetrate there.”

Like Vikram, Suriya too is jumping on the Bollywood bandwagon with his multi-lingual Rakthacharitra co-starring Viveik Oberoi. Rumours are rife that Viveik’s presence at IIFA in Sri Lanka might hit the film’s release in South India but Suriya plays safe, “I can’t comment on his presence there. I have been emotionally affected and so I didn’t go to Sri Lanka. I don’t know what impact Viveik’s presence there will have on the film’s release,” he says.

The actor says that he wants to spend more time with his family. “I am a second-time dad now and I realise that I can’t be selfish and focus only on my career. I need to make time for my family and be a good dad to my kids.”