Nayantara's sex appeal in 'Salute' not forced

Salute' features Nayantara in a glamorous role and has reportedly performed in a steamy manner with Vishal in a song sequence. Ever since the movie's stills were published in the press there has been a lot of talk of the 'onscreen closeness' of the lead pair. Many even started wondering if Nayantara was forced to step on the glamour element.

When a section of the press voiced this to the director of the film Rajashekar, during a press meet held recently, he categorically denied forcing Nayantara into appearing sexy in the film.

'The story needed the female lead to be glamorous and I had made this point very clear when I narrated the story to her' said Rajashekar.

Nayantara plays a daring television journalist in the film and her relationship with a top cop adds on the fuel to her investigation as well as the police department's hunt for the baddies.

'Nayantara is a thorough professional and took it upon herself to do justice to the role' Rajashekar added.

The film is slated for release on August 15 as 'Sathyam' in Tamil and 'Salute' in Telugu. What started as a four-Crore budget went on to a whopping cost of 23 Crores. About 600 prints are being made available for the release.

Mani Ratnam 120 Cr project soon

Kollywood is abuzz with news that ace director Mani Ratnam has signed the biggest ever deal in the history of South Indian cinema, to do a threeversion film in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. His production company Madras Talkies is supposed to be in the final lap of negotiating a whopping Rs 120 crore deal with the Anil Ambani run Reliance Entertainment Big Picture, for all negative rights for three languages. Industry pundits say that if the deal takes place, it will be the biggest for a South Indian film producer and director.

Mani Sir, as he is known in Kollywood (Chennai), has been quietly working on the script of this film since the release of his super hit Guru in January 2007. The elusive director, who never gives interviews, has been keeping a low profile after the demise of his younger brother G Sreenivasan, the moving spirit behind Madras Talkies.

The Hindi version will feature Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Govinda in a negative role. Confirming that he has signed up for the movie, Govinda told TNN: "I am actually doing a film with Mani Sir. Isn't it every actor's dream to work with him? We met recently and I heard about my role, which interested me a lot. It is an intense film and my role will definitely surprise the audiences." Abhishek, who scored his first solo super hit with Guru, is all excited about this new untitled film, for which he has given bulk dates.

The Tamil and Telugu version will have Vikram doing Abhishek's role while Aishwarya Rai will be the common heroine for all the three versions. He is teaming up with his photographer from his early films PC Sreeram, the wizard of lighting in Indian cinema and his own 'discovery' A R Rahman.

Shriya Saran career rocking

Where the sexy Shriya Saran, who appeared opposite Rajnikanth in Sivaji — The Boss last year, is shooting for BT. Some street romeos, unaware that she is already hot property in Bollywood, try to harrow the actress with wolf whistles and comments like, “Sexy ho, Bollywood ki rani ban sakti ho!” Shriya, of course, chews men like them up for breakfast every morning. She replies, “Dum hai na mere main!”

No doubt, the success of Sivaji... and her newfound status as a hot and sensational property in the South has made Shriya confident today. “Sivaji was Rajni’s film, but being a great man, he let me shine in it. Working with him, I learned to set myself a benchmark. Though I often ask myself — where now from here,” the actress admits. Where now, is for Bollywood to tell the talented Southern star.

Riding on Sivaji’s success, she’s bagged several projects, including some from Hollywood. In Bollywood, besides her debut film Awarapan, Shriya’s in Sangeeth Sivan’s Ek. “Films were incidental. I call it an arranged marriage. I fell in love with films after I got into the business. I was grooming to be a Kathak dancer when I landed in a music video. That’s how it began,” she says. On the Hollywood front, Shriya has wrapped up Ashok Amritraj’s The Other End of the Line opposite Canadian actor Jesse Metcalfe. And how has Deepa Mehta’s What’s Cooking to look forward to.

Now that she is in Bollywood, Shriya’s big ambition is to star opposite Amitabh Bachchan. She revealed, “I met him as a fan when I was about 11 and took his autograph. He was shooting in Udaipur for Khuda Gawah. Recently, I met him at an award function in Bangkok and told him that. He was amused. I told Mr Bachchan, ‘I want to work with you.’ And he replied, ‘I’m looking forward to it!’” But she doesn’t really have any favourites in Bollywood. “I am greedy. I want to work with everyone,” Shriya admits candidly.

Trisha teaches lesson to prakash raj

Prakash Raj was banned from Tollywood for troubling the producer by absenting for shoot schedules and coming late to the shooting spot etc...

Now he is the producer in Tamil and making films on Duet Movies banner. Now Prakash Raj said to have faced the similar problem from heroine Trisha for his film.

Trisha is doing a film for Prakash Raj and he wanted extra call sheet from Trisha to film a song, but Trisha rejected Prakash Raj saying that she has no dates. Prakash Raj approached film chamber, but there was no use. Finally Prakash Raj sat with Trisha and sorted out the problem.

Praksh Raj must be remembering his days of troubling producers?

Colors Swathi dream boy Prince Mahesh

‘Prince’ is the apt title to this charming hero Mahesh Babu. This handsome hunk who is living in the hearts of many young Andhra girls, has become more than anything in the world, for this naughty and pretty looking ‘Colors’ Swathi. Haa! Not in real life but in her latest film ‘Asta Chemma’ directed by Indraganti Mohan Krishna. This film which is likely to get released in August will show Swathi as an obsessive girl who is in love with the Prince.

Don’t you remember yester year heroine Jaya Badhuri (Amitab’s wife) who had the same kind of obsession for Dharmendra in her first Hindi film ‘Guddi’!

Mahesh Babu not celebrating his Birthday, but his fans do

Mahesh Babu’s mother-in-law’s sudden death that occurred last week has caused the grievance in his family. Although he is not celebrating his birthday due to this and had also postponed his shooting of his next project with Trivikram, his fans seem to be adamant in conducting various events in a grand manner that starts a week before his birthday.