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AVM Productions presents Superstar Rajinikanth in a Shankar film: SIVAJI
the BOSS
Latest news and updates on SIVAJI the BOSS:
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Manish Malhotra, the
‘Fashion Guru’ has taken up the most challenging assignment in his life. He is
giving superstar Rajnikanth a brand new look in Shankar’s Sivaji.
Manish is the official costume designer for Rajnikanth in the magnum opus
Sivaji. According to Manish Malhotra: “It is an honour for me to be
associated with Rajni sir, one of the icons of Indian cinema. When Shankar
approached me to give Rajni sir a make over, I readily agreed. He will be
wearing my suits besides sporting other looks”.
At the moment, Manish is receiving a lot for accolades for the costumes in
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna which he has designed for Amitabh Bachchan,Abhishek,
Shahrukh, Rani and Priety. Among them, Big B’s leather jackets and sunglasses
giving him a Casanova look has become popular.
Rajni, the style mannan of Kollywood has agreed to Manish choice of
colours and style. Adds Manish: “You watch Sivaji, it will one of the
biggest make-over’s for Rajni sir. His suits and style of dressing is sure to
become a rage”. |
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Okay, we
know that you figured out that it is for Sivaji.
Rajini’s next film Sivaji is taking shape in a brisk fashion. Shooting has
been held in Chennai, Hyderabad and Spain. Manivannan and Vadivukkarasi play
Rajini’s parents while noted speaker Raja and Sun TV Uma Padmanaban play
Shreya’s parents. Veteran adjudicator in pattimandrams and Tamil scholar,
Solomon Bapiah is Rajini’s neighbour.
The
Venkatachalapathy Kalyana Mandapam in Tiruverkadu in the suburbs of Chennai
was abuzz on Friday. The marriage scene was picturized and K.V. Anand
captured the moments on camera.
 While
the lead actors and their supporting artistes were present, the novelty about
the scene was that there was no traditional pundit who is a constant fixture in
all such scenes. No homams, kumbams, etc. The marriage was solemnized with Tamil
verses recited by Solomon Bapiah. It should be interesting to watch on screen.
Shankar who seemed quite stretched during the scene later shifted the unit to
Prasad Studios where a homecoming scene with Rajini was shot in the Blue matt
format. |
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AVM’s Sivaji is
a mass Rajnikanth film with all essential ingredients to back up the star’s
image. Comedy scenes are a major highlight of a Rajnikanth film, in fact a lot
of people believe that Vadivel-Rajni comedy scenes in Chandramukhi was
one of the major reason for the film to click.
In Sivaji Rajni is paired with Vivek and Shankar’s style is more
subtle comedy. Now the latest we hear is that last Saturday a rollicking Rajni
style item comedy scene was shot at AVM studio. Rajni had three different
get-up’s - take-off on MGR, Sivaji and Kamal!
Rajni donned MGR get-up of Rickshakaran and sang the popular
“Azhagiya Tamizh magal…” song tuned by M.S.Viswanathan and sung by
T.M.Sounderajan and Susheela. This was continued by the famous song “Mayakka
Menna….” from Sivaji Ganesan’s Vasantha Malagai tuned by
K.V.Mahadevan and sung by T.M Sounderajan. And finally the scene ends with the
rocking Nethu Rathiri Yamma… song of Kamal Hassan’s Sakalakalavallan
sung by SPB and Janaki.
Rajni-Shankar combination is sure going to rock!
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Shankar and his team
are leaving for Spain to shoot a song at exotic locations there. AVM’s Sivaji
is the biggest movie of 2006 and A.R.Rahman’s music is said to be the major
highlight of this entertainer.
All the songs in the film are said to be fast peppy numbers that may turn out
to be chartbusters. This song in Spain will be picturised on Rajnikanth, Shreya
and 20 dancers from London. It is choreographed by Prabhu Deva and cameraman
K.V.Anand will be shooting it.
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 They
are already in Sivaji – Manivannan, Livingston and Vadivukkarasi. Remember
Pyramid Natarajan? Yes, that portly gentleman who sometimes plays villain in
movies. He split from K Balachander's Kavithaalalya to start his own
production company Pyramid. His pastime is to play small roles in movies. A
friend of Rajini, Pyramid Natarajan's dream role was to act in a superstar
flick and that is coming true now. His joy knew no bounds when Shankar
called him up and asked whether he would do a role in Sivaji. His yes was
forthwith. The question is whether he would play father or villain.
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 After
crooning behind the mike for more than four decades, the honey-voiced K.J.
Yesudas, has planned to act in a film. Titled Koormam, he has penned the
story and a lot of newcomers are in the lead cast. K.R. Ramadas would be the
director. Yesudas’ role is held under wraps but the story would revolve
around the prevailing system of corruption and political manipulations.
As senior gets ready for a new avatar, junior is scaling a milestone in his
fledgling career. Yes…we are talking about Vijay Yesudas. Son of K J Yesudas.
Vijay Jesudas is going to sing in Sivaji for Superstar. Davani potta
Deepavali in Sanda Kozhi sung by Vijay had impressed Superstar very much.
He liked the song and requested AR Rahman to rope him in. Vijay is excited
about singing under AR Rahman’s and that too for Superstar. Many of his
father’s songs for Rajini are evergreen hits. All the best, mate!
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Finally the search for
the bad man in Rajnikanth’s Shankar directed Sivaji has ended. Suman the
multi-lingual actor will be at the receiving end of our superstar’s blows!
Shankar and Rajni had been searching for the guy to play the pivotal role of
the villain who operates from overseas. Now Suman will play this elusive
character who moves from one country to another as our hero Rajni is on a
mission to track him down.
This villain role is very crucial in Shankar’s script and when Mohanlal
refused the role, it was Nana Patekar who was approached. The grapevine has it
that, both the actors demanded a huge amount as salary and producers AVM had to
beat a retreat. The next option was our own Prakash Raj but even he demanded a
huge salary!
To cut a long story short, producers have now fixed Suman who is now mainly
concentrating in Telugu cinema. Remember that he was one of the most handsome
actors in Tamil before he got into a controversy.
In the last 25 years, Suman has done over 170 films including playing the
role of Lord Venkateswara in Annamayya and Lord Rama in the yet to be
released Sri Ramadasu both in Telugu.
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N.V. Prasad buys dubbing rights of Shivaji
N.V. Prasad has bought the dubbing rights of Shivaji for Rs 10 crores, and he intends to release the Telugu version on the same day as the Tamil version.
Director Shankar is keen on getting Shivaji perfect, and
superstar Rajini agrees with this view. So do not be surprised if it is
released late in 2006, or early in 2007. Shooting is proceeding on
schedule amidst tight security. Shankar is reported to be in the US
searching for unique and ideal locations. A hard and unsparing
taskmaster and total perfectionist, we can expect the very best from
Shankar and Rajini. Stay tuned to galatta.com for more updates! |
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Whenever
a Rajini movie is in the making, rumour mills
work over time churning out stories of who is
in, who is out and what's happening. Some turn
out true while most go wrong. It was reported
that Vanakkam Thamizhagam Revathi would be in
the flick but a confirmed source now says that
it is Uma Padmanabhan. She plays mother to Shreya
while Pattimanram Raja plays Shreya's father.
However, rumours still abound as to who the villain
is. Many names were floated including Amitabh
Bachhan. But Shankar is yet to sign up for the
bad guy. Some reports say that Sathyaraj, Rajkiran,
Mohanlal and Nana Patekar were indeed approached
for the role but they had declined the offer.
Don't be surprised if Rajini gets vexed and says:
"I'll play the villain myself." |
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There is total silence about the progress in the shooting of Rajini’s Shivaji.
The reason for this is that the makers are not releasing any news to
the press and in fact have a gag order on all crew members, so that
suspense is maintained, and no secrets are revealed. Only persons who
need to be present for any given shooting sequence are permitted to be
present with security better than seen at airports. Cell-phones are not
permitted at the shooting sites of Shivaji, because
cell-phones today have camera and video functions. Of course, this will
also add to the suspense, and persons will become even more anxious to
see the film. Chandramuki, meantime, is still running strong.
Galatta.com joins the fans in waiting with bated breath and crossed
fingers for the early completion and dramatic release of the next
mega-blockbuster Shivaji!
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Shankar, producer M.S.Guhan of AVM, cameraman K.V.Anand and six other team members involved with Sivaji are on a tour of US and Canada on a “location hunting” for song picturisation.
They are expected to be back in Chennai by February 20 after this “mini
tour of the western hemisphere”. Two of the five songs tuned by
A.R.Rahman will be picturised in exotic foreign locales in winter
though our superstar is not too comfortable with his sinus problem that
causes discomfort during extreme cold.
Rahman has been shuttling between Chennai and Toronto where he is
composing the score of the most expensive $ 26 million musical
extravaganzaThe Lord of the Rings, a stage show which premiers in Toronto by March end.
Meanwhile Shankar (who loves Canada and its landscapes) will discuss
the remaining songs with Rahman. Once the unit returns, they will
finalise the locales and go back to shoot the songs probably by March
end after the weather improves.
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We
called him unpredictable and he still is. Shankar
had the first schedule of shooting in Hyderabad,
canning the songs there. For the story part, Shankar
worked in Chennai in his second schedule. The
film was shot in various parts of Chennai such
as Central Station, AVM Studios, Shenoy Nagar
and Kilpauk. It is in the second part that famous
small screen personalities like Pattimanram fame
Raja, Solomon Pappiah and the Sun TV Vannakkam
Thamizhagam presenter Revathi…..appear.
Shankar now is in New York scouting for a good
location for the fourth schedule. Yes, he will
be working on his third schedule again in Hyderabad
after which the crew will move to New York. By
the way Shankar is planning his schedules, it
looks like Sivaji will hit the screen on time
if not in time. Can we see Sivaji then on the
Pongal ? Well, Shankar is unpredictable. |
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Superstar
Rajinikanth is vexed. His stylish mannerisms
are prone to be copied and caricatured
by others.
In Chandramukhi, he refrained from any
such acts as if to say that he carries
much substance with style. For Sivaji,
he has been busy evolving a new and different
style which would not be fooled around
by others. Let us wait and see what that
new style would be.
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The shoot for the year 2006's biggest movie
AVM's "Sivaji", starring Rajnikanth and directed by Shankar, is going
on at a brisk pace. A 12-day schedule has just been completed during
which a song tuned by A. R. Rahman was picturised on Rajni and Shriya
at the Ramoji Rao Film City in Hyderabad. According to sources, what
impressed Rajnikanth was Shankar's passion for work and the rapport he
shares with the team. Shankar has also given Rajni a smashing new look
- he looks at least 10 years younger. Says producer M. S. Guhan:
"Everything is going like clockwork." |
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Well,
they said that Shankar would have his
next shooting schedule at AVM and then,
it was reported that another scene would
be shot at Vandikaaran Street in Guindy
but the Sivaji unit suddenly landed at
R V Nagar near Shenoy Nagar to shoot a
scene at the Government staff quarters.
It was a pleasant surprise to the local
people who had gathered there the moment
the shooting equipment arrived.
Imagine their amazement when the superstar
himself arrived with full make-up and
in white trousers and green shirt! Of
course, the security was there cordoning
off the curiosity seekers and the hangers
on. The terrace of every block was crowded
to the brim, people craning their necks
to have a look at their icon. They shot
there the entire day, breaking the schedule
into two sessions. The local people are
talking about nothing but Rajinikanth.
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 Superstar’s
‘Sivaji’ is shaping up well, the shooting schedule for the film is taking place in Hyderabad and Chennai alternatively.
After a gap, the unit of ‘Sivaji’ - The Boss is back into action at AVM
Studio today. Mega sets are put up in AVM studio for the shooting.
A song sequence involving Superstar is shot in this set. Till now Shankar has completed only 20% of the film.
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An
apartment block in the Vandikaaran Street,
Guindy was busy. The production crew of
Sivaji was surveying the area for a possible
location. News trickled out from the unit
that they might shoot a scene of Sivaji
here. The local people are excited. Will
the superstar himself visit their block?
The unit people give a knowing smile.
Well,
S P Balasubramaniam is also all smiles.
He is called to sing three songs for the
Superstar starrer. Two songs from Chandramukhi
have put this guy in the limelight. Crooner
Blazey too will be humming for a song
in Sivaji. The superstar is an industry
by himself, giving opportunities for a
variety of people with skills. |
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Shriya the heroine of Rajnikanth in Sivaji is taking leave for 10 days from Shankar’s set to be with her family in Delhi for her brother’s wedding.
As per her contract, Shriya had given bulk dates to Shankar as the
director is particular that his heroine should not do any other film
during this period. But Shriya was given special permission as she was
all excited to be with her brother.
It seems that she is personally looking after all arrangements and
doing shopping for the big day, a typical Punjabi wedding in New Delhi.
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AVM’s Shankar directed Sivaji
with Rajnikanth and Shriya in the lead is making rapid progress. Last
Sunday, a scene was shot at the busy Central Railway station in
Chennai, which is normally not given out for shooting. In most of the
films you will find only Chennai’s Egmore station.
Well, if you are Rajnikanth, then you have the most powerful and the
right contacts. The Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, a close
friend of Rajni is supposed to have given the green signal for this
shoot.
Rajni wearing a grey suit and coolers is shown in an animate discussion
with Vivek and M.S.Baskar in a particular shot at the Central Railway
Station. An entire platform was cordoned off and the media was not
allowed to enter or take pictures though a lot of long shots were taken
by those with camera phones.
Earlier, a song with Rajni and Shriya was shot at Ramoji Rao Film city
in Hyderabad on a huge set erected by Thotta Tharani resembling Arabian
nights dream. A.R.Rahman had given a peppy number and cameraman
K.V.Anand shot the song which took six days.
Both Shankar and Rajni hate to shoot in Chennai as the scenes they
shoot, will be leaked to the media which will then start the guessing
game and put out imaginative stories. But the powerful cinema workers
union FEFSI has insisted that the talkie portion of Sivaji be shot in Chennai.
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The shooting of Rajnikanth's Shankar directed Sivaji produced by AVM,
has started today (Dec 14) at the Ramoji Rao film city in Hyderabad . A
song written by Vairamuthu and tuned by A.R.Rahman will be picturised
on Rajni and Shriya along with 150 dancers choreographed by Raju
Sundaram.This song will take four days for completion.
Tight
security has been clamped at the film city with AVM issuing swipe cards
for entry into the floor where the song is being picturised. Not even a
single still from the shoot will be issued to the media for the time
being.
AVM has come out today with their first
newspaper ad announcing the start of the shoot of Sivaji with a tagline
-The boss. Rajni looks young and dashing in the still with coolers, a
polo-necked blue T-shirt and a blazer.
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The opening scene of Superstar Rajinikanth
is of paramount importance for his fans.
His opening scene, to a great extent plays
a crucial role in deciding the fate of
the movie. Some of his best ever opening
scenes were from Thalapathi, Annamalai,
Badsha and Padayappa, all of which went
on to become huge bumper hits.
In
such scenario, the opening scene of Sivaji,
one of his most expected movies, becomes
all the more important.
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Shankar
had extended rounds of discussions with
his assistants to come up with the opening
scene. It was earlier decided that a shot
showing Rajini coming out of a prison
to be canned as the opening scene. But
this has been changed now. Rajini’s
introduction scene will have the Superstar
walking in the streets of New York downtown,
Manhattan. With his fans being used to
the Superstar opening up with a song or
a fight, this definitely will be a different
one!!
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Rajini and Shankar are working under AVM banner for Sivaji.
Shriya is pairing up with Rajini in this film. Shooting started on 14th
December at Hyderabad, as already reported. A song was shot first. A.R.
Rehman is the music director. Vairamuthu has penned the lyrics for this
song. Rajini and Shriya danced together for this song. Grand sets have
been put up in Ramoji Rao film city for the shooting of this film.
Public were not allowed to watch the shooting. Security is very strict,
and even the technicians, etc. have been issued with photo-identity
cards, which are mandatory for entry to the sets.
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Sujatha is a well known and a common person in Shankar movies. He has
penned stories for many Kamal films and Manirathnam's too. Now,
dialogues for Sivaji
have kept him busy and occupied. He has a wide range of thinking and
has also written many science fiction novels, thrillers and
investigative movies. Sujatha made his debut in K.B's Ninaithaalae Inikkum. His genuine and fine works have earned him several awards. |
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 Rajinikanth's much-expected Sivaji hit the floors today at Hyderabad.
The movie, being produced by AVM, is their 168th venture, and brings titans of the industry Shankar and Rajinikanth together.
It will be Rajini's ninth film with AVM banner and Shankar's ninth film as a director over all.
The film is also important as it is Rajini's next
film after the stupendous success of Chandramukhi and Shankar's next
project after that record breaking Anniyan.
While Shreya plays Rajini's heroine, the movie has
Vivek besides rumors that Malayalam hero Mohanlal will be acting in an
important role.
A R Rehman scores the music while K V Anand cranks the camera.
The shooting commenced at a huge set erected at Ramoji Rao Studio in Hyderabad and a song sequence was being shot.
The movie is expected for Deepavali release next year. |
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 One
of the most keenly awaited events relating to a Rajnikant film under
production is the PUNCH lines. Film industry is always abuzz with
excitement over what Rajni would choose as his tag lines.
For
the Rajni fans, in particular, 'Idhu Eppadi Irukku' in '16
Vayathinile', 'Naan Oru Thadavai Sonna Athu 100 Thadavai Sonna
Mathiri', 'Aandavan Solran, Arunachalam Seyran', or' Laka Laka Laka' in
'Chandramukhi' - have a special draw. In fact, it's the PUNCH lines
which draw repeat audiences.
 Chennaionline
is happy to announce a special PUNCH contest for his forthcoming film
'Sivaji'. The 10 best PUNCH lines for Rajni will get special prizes.
All the PUNCH lines will be sent to
Rajni.
By a special arrangement, we will make the PUNCH lines available to Rajni and the AVM banner for possible use in their films.
 Give
your names, age, address, email id, mobile and landline numbers, and
your PUNCH should not exceed 60 words. This can be in Tamil and Telugu
but written in English script. For e.g 'Idhu Eppadi Irukku'.
The last date for the entries is
December 30, 2005. Lucky winners will get prizes..
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The habit of setting stages worth a huge sum for the sake of shootings is becoming common in the film world. For the film Sivaji starring
Rajinikanth, a stage-set worth one crore rupees is being set up in
Andhra by Shankar. These stages are mainly set up in a grand manner to
make the whole show come live. For some time in the past, shooting took
place at beautiful scenic spots. Now the stage setting habit is back
again. Also a stage worth 93 lakhs is set up for the shooting of
Venkatesh’s Subash Chandra Bose.
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PUJA FOR AVM'S "SIVAJI" PERFORMED: (From left) Heroine Shreya,
director Shanker, AVM Saravanan, Rajnikant and M.S. Guhan.
CHENNAI: It sounded like a contest: a section
of the media and industry insiders were betting on a date in December
for the launch of superstar Rajnikant's next movie, and the film's
production team.
The latter had kept the date a secret. So it
was a surprise to all when on Monday the puja was performed for AVM
productions `Sivaji' ata brief and solemn function.
The producers said they had made it brief
considering the plight of lakhs of people affected by the rain in the
State. The producers, AVM Saravanan and M.S. Guhan, were joined by
Rajnikant and director Shanker. The lead lady Shreya took time off from
a commercial shoot to attend the function.
The unit kept the function under wraps and
even Shreya knew about it only after coming to AVM studio. Similarly,
comedian Vivek too thought it was for some discussion, and got a
surprise. Keeping with the production house's tradition, the puja was
held on the third flood of the studio. It was only two days back that
the floor was fully air-conditioned.
The producers came in at 9 a.m. Director
Shanker was at the studio at 9.15 a.m and Rajnikant walked in at 9.20
for the simple 15 minute function.
Music director A.R. Rahman, who is abroad, was
represented by his mother Karima Begum. Others who attended included
lyricist Vairamuthu, cameraman K.V. Anand, dance director Raju
Sundaram, art director Thotta Tharani, and director S.P. Muthuraman.
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Chennai
(Nov 28, 2005) : It sounded like a contest: a section of
the media and industry insiders were betting on a date in
December for the launch of superstar Rajnikant's next
movie, and the film's production team.
The
latter had kept the date a secret. So it was a surprise to
all when on Monday the puja was performed for AVM
productions `Sivaji' ata brief and solemn function.
The
producers said they had made it brief considering the
plight of lakhs of people affected by the rain in the
State. The producers, AVM Saravanan and M.S. Guhan, were
joined by Rajnikant and director Sankar. The lead lady
Shreya took time off from a commercial shoot to attend the
function.
The unit
kept the function under wraps and even Shreya knew about
it only after coming to AVM studio. Similarly, comedian
Vivek too thought it was for some discussion, and got a
surprise.
Keeping
with the production house's tradition, the puja was held
on the third flood of the studio. It was only two days
back that the floor was fully air-conditioned.
The
producers came in at 9 a.m. Director Shanker was at the
studio at 9.15 a.m and Rajnikant walked in at 9.20 for the
simple 15 minute function.
Music
director A.R. Rahman, who is abroad, was represented by
his mother Karima Begum. Others who attended included
lyricist Vairamuthu, cameraman K.V. Anand, dance director
Raju Sundaram, art director Thotta Tharani, and director
S.P. Muthuraman.
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 One of the secrets about superstar Rajinikanth's next film "Sivaji" has been given away. Others, however, remain.
The launching date of the film, about which there
was so much speculation in the industry and the media, is no longer a
secret. The film, being made under the banner of AVM, was launched on
Nov 28 at a simple function in the presence of selected invitees,
including heroine Shriya and lyricist Vairamuthu. To be directed by
Shankar of "Anniyan" fame, the film's story is closely guarded.
Even Shreya chose to be tightlipped about the
script. The actress, who has scorched the screen with rain scenes in
"Mazhai" (a remake of Telugu "Varsham"), didn't reveal much except that
she is honored to be working with Rajnikant.
There have been reports that the film is about Rajini scouring the world for seven look-alikes, about whom he comes to learn.
Shankar, who is said to have convinced Rajini with a
"one-line" narration of the story, however, would neither confirm nor
deny the reports.
Another secret is Rajini's fees. While it is agreed
that the fee is "astronomical" and would set a new record, reports of
the quantum vary from Rs.100 million to Rs.250 million.
The success of "Chandramukhi" at the box office has obviously done wonders to Rajini's career.
The producers are also secretive about the cost of
the film. Nobody in the industry, however, puts the cost at less than
Rs.500 million. The rights of the film, meanwhile, have reportedly been
sold already for an exorbitant price.
Another classified detail is when the film will be
released. While there is no word from the producers, it is expected
that "Sivaji" will hit the screen in November 2006.
Last but not the least, it is a secret whether the
choice of the film's title has anything to do with Rajini's real name -
Shivaji Rao Gaekwad. | |
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Actors: |
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Rajinikanth,Shriya |
Director: |
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Shankar |
Music Director: |
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A.R.Rahman |
Cameraman: |
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K.V.Anand |
Editing: |
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V.T.Vijayan |
Art Director: |
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Thotta Tharani |
ChoreoGraphy: |
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Raju Sundaram |
Dialogues: |
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Sujatha |
Banner: |
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A.V.M.Saravanan, M.S.Gugan |
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Rajini and Shankar have joined under AVM productions to make a film Sivaji.
By this, Rajini is working for the AVM banner for the ninth time; this
will be Shankar's ninth directorial venture; Rajini's lucky number is
9. It is 153rd film for Rajinikanth, and the 168th film for AVM.
At
the photo session held in Mumbai, Rajini effortlessly gave so many
different poses without displaying any boredom or fatigue, astonishing
Shriya with his untiring enthusiasm and zeal. At Rajinikanth's
insistence, the pooja was a very low-key affair attended by very few
persons on 28 th November at 9.30 a.m. Even the press was not invited.
Rajinikanth, clad in a typical white kurtha, came on time as usual,
looking refreshed ready for “Action!”. Shankar was also full of energy
and enthusiasm for the big project. They did not want fans to create a
stampede, traffic-jams, and other inconveniences on a working day. 25
crores – is said to be the movie's budget. Hopes are pinned high on
this movie after the super-success of Chandramukhi, which is being
remade in Hindi with Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role. Shooting of
Sivaji starts at the Ramoji Rao studio in Hyderabad on December 14.
Shankar, Rajini and AVM are all happy with the first draft of the
story. Thotta Tharani is putting up 5 huge sets and there will be tight
security at the Ramoji Rao studio. A song picturisation on Rajnikanth
and Shriya tuned by A.R. Rahman will constitute the start of the shoot.
It
is reported that Rajini has requested director Shankar to avoid
political dialogues so as to avoid the controversies that dogged Baba .
This is also expected to be a “clean” movie, without any digs at
politicians, thrills, comedy, and the evergreen Rajini's trademark
acting which makes him India's top-selling star! Seeing how Chandramukhi continues to be a hit, we hope and expect that it will still be running when Sivaji is released! | |
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 Vivek
and director Shankar seem to share a good rapport. Vivek played a
brilliant cameo in his Boys and so also in his Anniyan. He played the
role of a funny cop along with Prakash Raj in Anniyan who investigates
a series of murders.
Vivek, who has completed his 150th film (Anbae Vaa)
this year, is all thrilled now for he would be acting along with
Rajinikanth in Sivaji to be directed by Shankar.
The comedian has reportedly given bulk dates for the movie, which would be shot in a huge set erected at Hyderabad.
Asked about acting in a movie starring Rajinikanth,
Vivek says, ' it is a great honor to be working with Rajinikanth. I had
worked with him in Veera and Uzhaipali. As I was busy with Shankar's
Boys, I could not act with him in Baba. Now Shankar has realized my
dream to be part of a Rajinikanth's movie. I am eagerly waiting for the
shooting to commence, says Vivek.
So too are the fans. |
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Sivaji
has become the most important talking point
in Kollywood these days. Every move by the
film’s team is watched and reported
with great alacrity. A.R. Rahman will be
the music director and he has already started
composing the score. He has assured that
he would not let us down as it happened
in Baba. The next piece of revelation is
that the film’s camera work will be handled by ace cinematographer, K.V.
Anand. Anand had already turned director
with that beautiful film, Kana kandein.
Then he went back to work in Rajkumar Santoshi’s
Hindi film. No doubt he is excited, but
as a senior technician he has assured that
cinematography is largely dictated only
by the script. He was himself a great fan
of Rajini and he would definitely bring
in the magic of his image within the dictates
of the script. He also said that Bollywood
was quite wide-eyed about the making of
Sivaji. |
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Novelist
Sujatha will be completing 25 years in the
industry as a scriptwriter. The man who
pioneered the science fiction and thriller
genre in modern Tamil literature, is at
ease with film writing as well.
His touch of humour is tongue-in-cheek.
In his silver jubilee year, he is writing
for the reigning superstar. He has promised
that the dialogues for Rajini’s Sivaji
will be the firebrand and crackling type.
His fans can look forward to a feast. Ditto
with music director, A.R. Rahman, who has
also said that Sivaji will have some memorable
tunes.
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Shankar is directing Rajini’s Sivaji with Shriya as
Rajini’s pair. A.R. Rehman is to be the music director for this film.
Another important person in this film is Vivek. He has previously
worked with Shankar in his Boys. His recent performance in Anniyan as police officer was really good. Now he is to work along with Shankar in Sivaji.
Vivek feels proud and happy to work along with the superstar. He has
given bulk days for this movie and feels really thankful to Shankar for
giving him such a great chance. Who would not feel proud and happy??
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 Prakash Raj, the lucky mascot of director Shankar in Anniyan, has been chosen to play the main villain’s role in Sivaji.
Rajinikanth starrer Sivaji to be produced by AVM Productions features Shreya opposite the Super Star.
Now the buzz is that Prakash Raj has been chosen to play the baddie.
Prakash Raj played a police officer who cracks the series of murders in Anniyan.
Now the director has roped him to play the villain in Sivaji too.
Moreover with Prakash Raj holding a good market in
Telugu film industry, casting him in Sivaji would help in making the
movie a big success in Tollywood.
Prakash Raj had acted with Rajinikanth before in Padaiyappa in which he played a cameo.
K Balachander introduced Prakash Raj, much like Rajini, on screen as a villain.
So KB’s two proteges will have plenty to share between themselves. | |
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The race for the heroine's slot in Rajnikant's next
film `Sivaji' seems to have ended. The industry was abuzz with names
such as Aishwarya Rai, Trisha, Jothika and Nayanthara. But now it looks
like it is going to be Shreya the lead lady of `Mazhai'.
The actress made her debut in Kannada movies. She is now slated to pair with Tamil cinema's superstar.
The music for the film will be rendered by A.R.
Rahman, while K.V. Anand, thenational award winner, will click the
camera. The art direction will be taken care of by Thotta Tharani.
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Superstar is not a person who needs any introduction. Even a small
kid would tell who superstar is. Such a man of great fame is Superstar
Rajinikanth. After Chandramukhi which really rocked the film world, he is working with Shankar in Sivaji.
Rajini is perfectly satisfied with the way the film is progressing. He
feels that this film is a real milestone in his life. He is working
hard towards the success of this film.
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Ten Japanese nationals, die-hard fans of Rajnikanth, came to Chennai to
see Chandramukhi when it was released. That’s the charisma of the actor
who will star in director Shankar’s next film, Sivaji, under the AVM
banner, writes G Ulaganathan.
His latest release, the superhit Tamil film
Chandramukhi, has grossed nearly Rs 50 crore since it opened in
theatres. And now, he is all set to pair up with director Shankar for
their first ever venture together. Life seems to be going great guns
for actor Rajnikanth, who has with this latest deal become the second
highest paid star, next only to Jackie Chan among Asian actors.
According to sources, Rajni has reportedly been signed up by the
reputed AVM banner for a whopping Rs 25 crore for the film with
Shankar. This will include his remuneration, territory rights and other
“perks”.
Chandramukhi, made by Sivaji Films, is still running to packed
houses not only in Tamil Nadu but also in Andhra Pradesh and in
countries like Singapore and Malaysia. Though the film is a remake of a
popular Malayalam film Manichitratazhu, with Chandramukhi, Rajni has
almost begun his second innings with a bang.
There was intense speculation about his next film and as usual he
kept everyone guessing and went away to the Himalayas. Many directors
were eagerly waiting for his call and producers with large amounts of
cash also were after him. The failure of his earlier film— Baba— was a
big blow to his fans, but Chandramukhi’s success re-established his
superstar status.
In fact, Chandramukhi is being released in Japan with Japanese
subtitles. Rajni’s earlier film —Muthu— was a smash hit in Japan and
the actor is already a well-known face in that country. When
Chandramukhi was released, ten Japanese nationals, die-hard fans of
Rajni, came all the way to Chennai to see the movie.
The new film, titled Sivaji is to be made at a budget of around Rs
50 crore, but like his other films Shankar is never constrained by
budget limitations. Even his recent Anniyan, starring Vikram, cost
around Rs 20 crore as per conservative estimates.
Meanwhile, Shankar’s one sentence storyline seems to have floored
Rajnikanth who has asked him to develop it and write a script for him.
Shankar says he is almost ready with the story and will be finalising
the cast soon. A V M Saravanan is producing it and it will be Rajni’s
ninth under AVM banner. Incidentally, Rajnikanth’s favourite number is
‘nine’ and this will also be Shankar’s ninth movie. Within 24 hours of
Saravanan making the announcement, all the distribution rights have
been sold out and AVM is already richer by Rs 40 crore, according to
sources.
The shooting schedule is expected to begin this Diwali and the
movie is slated for an April 2006 release— on the Tamil New Year day.
This being election year for Tamil Nadu, the project has raised
much hype and expectations. Rajni, who is generally considered a close
supporter of DMK and its president M K Karunanidhi, has of late mended
fences with his bete noire, Chief Minister Jayalalitha who attended his
daughter’s wedding. Will Sivaji have a political undertone? That’s the
million dollar question!
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The latest buzz is that AVM produced Rajnikanth film to be directed by Shankar is titled Sivaji.
But when contacted the production house and the director refuses to
confirm the title and says: “It is too early to talk about the film
including its title. Let us first firm up the script”.
There is some credence to the rumours about the title being Sivaji as Rajnikanth's real name is Sivaji Rao Gaekward and the first film of legendary Sivaji Ganesan was produced by AVM. So Sivaji has a title value.
Meanwhile the buzz in trade circles is that the Rajni-Shankar combo can
fetch a market price of Rs 40-50 Crore as the combine distributors
share of Chandramukhi and Anniyan worldwide would easily cover Rs 100 Crore!
Already it is rumoured that the theatrical rights for Andhra, the
Telugu dubbed version has been snapped up by Tirupati Prasad who
initially wanted to make a film with Shankar in Telugu with Chiranjeevi
in the lead.
Meanwhile Shankar is also planning to leave to an undisclosed
destination to expand the one-live story he narrated to the superstar.
It may take weeks before firming up the story and screenplay as the
director is well-known for working at leisurely pace and hates
deadlines.
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The titans of Tamil film industry- superstar Rajnikanth and top director Shankar are coming together in a film to be produced by AVM, one of the oldest banners in Tamil.
This will be the biggest ever film made in South India and the deal was cemented today. Shankar has started work on the script of the film which will be released next year.
Said AVM Saravanan to Moviebuzz: “It will be our 168th film which will be released in our diamond jubilee year. By sheer coincidence, it will be Rajni’s 9th film with our banner and Shankar’s 9th film as a director”.
AVM has kickstarted the biggest ever film to be made in the history of Tamil films, which marks the coming together of the giants in the industry.The film is also important as it is Rajni’s next film after the stupendous success of Chandramukhi and Shankar’s next project after that record breaking
Anniyan.
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