ShowBiz

Hyderabad, Sep 11 (IANS) Veteran Telugu actor Uppalapati Krishnam Raju has passed away at the age of 83 in wee hours on Sunday, family sources informed.

He is survived by his wife and three daughters. 'Bahubali' star Prabhas is his nephew.

Popularly known as 'Rebel Star' of Tollywood, Krishnam Raju has acted in more than 180 movies in a career spanning over five decades.

Krishnam Raju acted in movies ranging from social, family, romantic, thriller movies to historical and mythological movies. His succesful movies include 'Amara Deepam', 'Sita Ramulu', 'Katakataala Rudraiah' and many more.

Apart from being a two-time Andhra Pradesh government's Nandi Award winner, Krishnam Raju won the Filmfare best actor award for 'Tandra Paparayudu' in 1986. He was awarded the Filmfare South 'Lifetime Achievement' award in 2006.

Born, January 20, 1940 in the West Godavari district, Krishnam Raju made his film debut in 1966 with 'Chilaka Gorinka'. Briefly, he also portrayed the anti-hero in some movies. Krishnam Raju became a household name in Telugu homes with movies like 'Bhakta Kannappa' and 'Tandra Paparayudu'. He also produced several movies under his 'Gopi Krishna Movies' banner.

In his later years, along with film's, Krishnam Raju also pursued a career in politics. He contested as the Congress candidate from Narasapuram in 1991 but list. He won from the same seat as the BJP candidate in the 1999 polls and served as a junior minister in the Vajpayee cabinet till 2004.

--IANS
pvn/shs

Chennai, Sep 10 (IANS) The unit of director Yuvan's upcoming horror comedy, 'Oh My Ghost', featuring actor Sunny Leone in the lead, on Saturday released the theatrical trailer of the film.

The trailer shows Sunny Leone playing a queen called Mayasena. It also shows her to be the ghost.

"You would have watched me singing and dancing. Have you watched me in action?" she asks as she delivers a powerful kick to a person.

Director Yuvan, in an earlier interview to IANS, had said: "This is a fantasy film. So, the role that Sunny Leone plays is not representative of any region or time period."

The director had then explained that he was looking for a person, who could look supercilious and at the same time cool and that was when he realised Sunny Leone would be perfect for the character.

Yuvan had also disclosed that Sunny Leone had loved the script and that she laughed quite a lot during its narration.

Sunny Leone, for her part, had said: "There are some films that are able to make you chuckle at a script level. I enjoyed doing the film for just that reason."

Talking about the film, Sunny had said earlier: "It (The film) is scary in parts and so funny in others. I think that's such a clever combination. It's hard to make people laugh and I did put in the extra effort in nailing the timing."

"Besides that, I also learnt my dialogues with my diction coach. It's a special film and I can't wait for the world to see it."

The film, which will feature actors Yogi Babu, Satish, Dharsha Gupta, Mottai Rajendran, Ramesh Thilak, Arjunan and Thanga Durai, has been produced by D. Veera Sakthi and K. Sasikumar of VAU Media Entertainment and White Horse Studios.

--IANS
mani/kvd

Mumbai, Sep 10 (IANS) Anu Malik remembered recording a track with K.K. in the presence of legendary lyricist and poet Gulzar on the sets of a dance reality show. Late singer K.K. is known for his tracks like 'Tadap Tadap Ke Is Dil Se', 'Pal', and many more.

The 53-year-old singer Krishnakumar Kunnath died on May 31 after
performing for hours during a concert in Kolkata and his death came as a huge shock for all the music lovers and industry people.

After looking at the performance by 'DID Super Moms' contestant Anila and choreographer Shweta on the song 'Banda Bindas' from the 2001 movie 'Aks', sung by K.K., composed by Malik and picturised on megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Anu shared how K.K. compared his composition for the song with R.D. Burman.

He said: "I feel your performance was truly outstanding. The use of props and your footwork was really incredible. I must add that there are many people who do not even know that I have created this song. Some also ask me if this is my song, but your performance made me remember my friend who had sung this song - K.K."

He added: "He is no longer with us today, but we still have a lot of memories with him to cherish. I still remember that when we were recording the song, Gulzar Sahab and everyone else were seated together. I was directing and composing the entire album and K.K. requested to hear the song. For the first time ever, K.K. complimented me and said, 'Anu Sir, you remind me a lot about Pancham da. In fact, I am shocked that you can do such different genres of songs as well.' Those words really touched me."

'DID Super Moms' is judged by Remo D'Souza, Bhagyashree Dassani, and Urmila Matondkar. The dance reality show airs on Zee TV.

--IANS
ila/kvd

Chennai, Sep 10 (IANS) Actor Jayaram, who plays the important character of Alwarkkadiyan Nambi in director Mani Ratnam's upcoming magnum opus, 'Ponniyin Selvan' , recently disclosed a funny incident that happened while he was shooting for the film.

During the audio and trailer launch of the film that was held recently, Jayaram said: "It was the last day of shooting and a significant sequence was to be shot. Thousands of artistes were to participate in the day's shooting and director Mani Ratnam was busy.

"I was sharing a caravan with actor Prabhu while shooting for the film. At around 4.30 in the morning, I heard a deep-throated voice calling my name. It was actor Prabhu.

"He said: 'I have two food packets here. One is for me and the other is for you. Let's eat now as we are unlikely to get food the whole day.' I replied to Prabhu sir, 'It is 4.30 in the morning sir. How can we eat at this time?"

"Prabhu sir replied, 'You will not get time to eat tomorrow.' I stepped out, took a stroll and came back again and lied to Prabhu sir that I had asked Mani Ratnam about a break for food and that he had assured me that they were going to shoot just one shot and that after the shot, there would be time for a couple of hours when we could have refreshments.

"Prabhu sir got convinced that there would be a break for refreshments, thinking director Mani Ratnam himself had said so.

"Shooting began at six the next morning and went on and on. Hours passed but there was no sign of a break coming. At 10 a.m., I could hear Prabhu sir groaning, 'I am hungry Mani.' Yet, there was no break. By the time, it was two in the afternoon, there was no break. I snuggled into a corner, to avoid being seen by Prabhu sir."

"It was then that I heard him say: 'Has anybody seen a bald man (Jayaram's character is bald, except for a small tuft of hair)? If you have, he'll be carrying a stick in his hand. Get that stick he has in his hand and thrash it on his head."

--IANS
mani/kvd

Chennai, Sep 10 (IANS) Actress Gayathrie, who played one of the important characters of director Lokesh Kanakaraj's blockbuster 'Vikram', celebrated the film completing 100 days in theatres by sharing an interesting piece of information on her dying scene in the film.

Taking to Instagram, the actress said: "When an actor performs a dying scene in a movie, it is customary to take a shot of them waking up and smiling at the camera. Somewhat like telling the universe that the scene was just acting and that the actor is alive and well.

"While shooting for my scene in 'Vikram' we forgot to take that shot. Pressed for time, we couldn't move the lighting set up either. So, we got innovative and took these. To everybody asking, unga thala enga, Inga paarunga da!"

The actress also shared a couple of pictures, one in which her face is covered and the next in which she is seen standing next to director Lokesh Kanagaraj, sporting a smile.

Actor Kamal Haasan has also reacted with happiness to the news of the film completing a 100-day run in theatres. On Saturday, he shared an audio clip, expressing his gratitude to fans for the film's success.

--IANS
mani/kvd

Durham, Sep 10 (IANS) India captain Harmanpreet Kaur feels it is good for a cricketer to take a break from the game rather than pushing themselves too hard whenever they are feeling down due to mental fatigue.

Harmanpreet's comments come after England all-rounder and stand-in captain Nat Sciver pulled out of the white-ball series against India to focus on her mental health and well-being.

"We as a team discuss a lot on these things. Your performances go up and down, and it is better to take a break than pushing too hard in such times. As a team we want to help that player, and we are very open about players taking break when there is mental fatigue and things do not go as you want."

"Last year, I went through these things playing back-to-back cricket. This year, we had the Commonwealth Games, and the Hundred was there (back-to-back), but I wanted to take a break. Playing back-to-back does take a mental toll, and it is good to take a break at times (rather) than pushing too hard," said Harmanpreet ahead of first T20I at Durham.

In the past, Harmanpreet has been vocal about the benefits of having a mental psychologist around, in whom the players can confide about their mental struggles in challenging phases of their careers.

Harmanpreet herself had spoken eloquently about how having sports psychologist Dr Mugdha Bavare helped her in getting back to form ahead of the Women's ODI World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year. In the tournament, Harmanpreet made 318 runs, including a century and two fifties, averaging 53 and at a strike-rate of 91.64.

"When we were on the New Zealand tour, (Dr Bavare) was our go-to person and helped us a lot. I hope in future also we can get her with us, because right now we are paying too much attention to our physical fitness and skills. But mental skill is something we need to take seriously."

"She was there when I was going through a lot of things. She helped me a lot, and my family and friends were talking to me and telling me every day what I am and what I can bring to the team. I spent a lot of time with Mugdha, and got positive results. I started performing again, getting those runs I really wanted to get for my team."

In recent times, talismanic men's batter Virat Kohli had spoken about his mental fatigue during a prolonged lean patch, which resulted in him taking time off cricket for a month and a half. Though the men's team has a mental conditioning coach in Paddy Upton till Men's T20 World Cup, the women's team haven't got a same person in full-time capacity.

"We represent our country, and there is a lot of pressure. Sometimes you only put so much pressure on yourself because you know your game and your ability, and what you can do your country. So sometimes expecting too much can also pull you back. In such times, if you can go to someone and express yourself and get some ideas about how to go about your own things, it will help you ease out."

"How much ever big a player you are, after a point you need someone, a mental-skill coach, because mental health is as important as your physical fitness and skills. We need to have someone always with us because that is one part that is easily ignored - not only in sports field but even out of the field."

"If we can go to people who can help us on the mental aspects, things get easier and you feel relaxed, and you feel you have more areas where you can go and express yourself," concluded Harmanpreet.


--IANS

nr/akm

Chennai, Sep 10 (IANS) Actress Amala Akkineni, whose performance in her just released bilingual film 'Kanam' has come in for widespread praise, said that she made sweets for her entire unit despite not having cooked for a while.

When asked about rumours that she had made sweets for the entire crew of 'Kanam', Amala said with a laugh: "Yes. In the movie I play the role of a mother, and one day, when I was asked, 'Ma, will you cook for us,' I didn't know what to say."

"How can I tell them that I don't know how to cook? So, I did it whole-heartedly. But it doesn't come as easyly when you don't cook daily.

"The entire crew came home and ate the whole thing. Poor things, everyone ate in silence. But I doubt if it actually tasted good. You just have to ask them."

The actress, who ruled the Tamil film industry with her brilliant performances before marrying Telugu star Nagarjuna and settling down in Hyderabad, said that her dubbing in Tamil for the film surprised director Shree Karthick.

She said: "I can speak Tamil well if given as a dialogue. But when I converse normally, I think in English and translate word by word into Tamil. So it will seem slow. As Telugu is my spoken language now, I mix it up with Telugu words too. But while dubbing, Shree Karthick was surprised. Because I will speak in Tamil first and it will be spot on. It was easier than Telugu."

--IANS
mani/kvd

Mumbai, Sep 10 (IANS) Actress Radhika Madan, who has started dubbing for 'Sanaa', said that the movie is going to be an unforgettable part of her journey as an actor.

Radhika said: "It's been exciting going back to this character and finding my voice for Sanaa again. Sudhanshu's storytelling aesthetics are exceptional and dubbing for his directorial is allowing me to relive the magical experience of shooting for it.

"'Sanaa' truly is going to be an unforgettable part of my journey as an actor."

Her upcoming movie is a relationship drama that revolves around a headstrong and ambitious woman, who is fighting an internal battle caused by unresolved trauma.

Director Sudhanshu Saria said: "Collaborating with Radhika, who perceives cinema the way I do has been fulfilling, fun and creatively enriching. She went to lengths to embody Sanaa to the best of her calibre."

"I'll always remember her looking determined to be this feisty girl on a journey to heal. I can't imagine any other actor bringing out what she has in Sanaa."

Produced by Four Line Entertainment, directed and written by Sudhanshu Saria, 'Sanaa' stars Radhika Madan, Pooja Bhatt, Shikha Talsania and Sohum Shah.


--IANS
dc/kvd

Chennai, Sep 10 (IANS) Director Lokesh Kanakaraj's 'Vikram', featuring actors Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil in the lead, has now completed a magnificent 100-day run in theatres.

The film, which continues to draw crowds to theatres despite having been released on OTT from July 8, has already grossed over Rs 400 crore from its box office collections worldwide.

Written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, the explosive action thriller had its worldwide theatrical release on June 3, 2022.

A delighted Kamal Haasan took to social media to thank fans for the film's success. Posting an audio clip on Twitter, Kamal Haasan said: "With the support accorded by fans, 'Vikram' has now touched the 100-day mark in theatres. I am very happy. In my heart, I hug each and every one of you who have been admiring me beyond generations. My heartfelt thanks to each and every person who was responsible for 'Vikram''s victory. My wishes and love to younger brother Lokesh."

'Vikram', which has been showered with praises from people, continues to hog the spotlight. The movie hasn't just impressed Indian trade circles, but has left International markets awestruck as well.

'Vikram' has broken several box office records and has officially become the number one grosser in Tamil Nadu.

--IANS
mani/kvd

Chennai, Sep 9 (IANS) Director 'Siruthai' Siva, who is now working on a film featuring actor Suriya in the lead, on Friday disclosed that the film was being made in 3D and that it would be released in a whopping 10 languages.

Releasing a motion poster of the film, an explosive action entertainer that is tentatively being referred to as #Suriya42, Siva tweeted, "With the love and blessings of the Almighty, all the fans, media friends and cinema lovers."

The exciting motion poster has a hawk hovering over a battlefield in which knights are battling it out, while Suriya's character, dressed in the attire of a commander, is seen standing on a rock and observing the proceedings on the battlefield.

It is then that the motion poster makes the disclosure that the film is being shot in 3D and that it will be released in 10 languages. The poster also has the tagline, 'A mighty valiant saga'.

The motion poster has led many fans to wonder if 'Suriya 42' is a historical or a war film.

The film is being produced by Studio Green Gnanavel Raja and has music by Devi Sri Prasad. Disha Patani plays the female lead in this film, which has cinematography by Vetri Palanisamy, who had shot superhits like Ajith-starrer 'Veeram' and 'Vedalam'.

Richard Kevin, who did a fine job editing superhits like the critically acclaimed 'Vikram Vedha' and the recently released webseries 'Suzhal', has been brought onboard this film as its editor.

--IANS
mani/dpb