Kaatru Veliyidai (soundtrack)

Kaatru Veliyidai () is the soundtrack album, composed by A. R. Rahman, to the 2017 Indian Tamil romance film of the same name written and directed by Mani Ratnam starring Karthi and Aditi Rao Hydari. The soundtrack album consists of six tracks each in original Tamil and Telugu version of the album. Four of the tracks for the original version were penned by Vairamuthu, one by his son Madhan Karky and another by Shellee. The lyrics to the Telugu version were written by Sirivennela Sitaramasastri. The album won Rahman the National Film Award for Best Music Direction in the Songs category at the 65th National Film Awards. The choreography for the songs were done by Brinda and the cinematography for the film by Ravi Varman.
Development.
In late 2016 Vairamuthu, the lyricist for this soundtrack revealed that this album would have seven songs but the original album could only retain six tracks. In the song Tango Kelaayo it was Haricharan himself who sang the female part with his vocal formant and pitch tweaked to modulate like a young sensuous female. A. R. Rahman also said in an interview to The Hindu that Tango Kelaayo was the song from the album that took maximum time to complete. When Diwakar was called to sing, he was given only a small part. But later, impressed by his singing, Rahman decided to use him for the whole song- Diwakar said this in an interview to Behindwoods. When the song "Vaan" was being composed, Rahman used only keyboard as the basic instrument for the bgm and Shaasha's voice to which Mani Ratnam agreed. Later Rahman added a flute bit to the song after Ratnam had actually shot it in Belgrade, Serbia. Rahman also stated that a few portions of the background score were composed in London. The song "Jugni" had been sung by Indian Idol 2017 contestant Tejinder Singh (the Punjabi portions alone). This, he revealed on his Twitter page. The trailer which was unveiled by Mani Ratnam and A. R. Rahman on 9 March had the unreleased track "Tango Kelaayo"'s bgm and the other "Jugni" track playing in the background. The theatrical print also had a track "Anbay" playing in the background sung by Rahman himself and the song "Vaan (unplugged)" sung by Shashaa Tirupati, both not included in the original motion picture soundtrack album.
Marketing.
A musical glimpse of the film was released on 26 January 2017, and it was announced that the first single will be released on 2 February 2017. A short teaser of the song "Azhagiye" was released on 1 February 2017, and the full song was released the later day. The Telugu version of the song, titled "Hamsaro" was released on the same day. The lyric video reached 1 million views within 24 hours of its upload. "Azhagiye", featuring the voices of Arjun Chandy, Haricharan and Jonita Gandhi, and lyrics by Madhan Karky (his second collaboration with Ratnam after "Kadal") seems to be a breezy number from A. R. Rahman. The full song (Tamil and Telugu version) has been released on Wynk Music for Android users and on iTunes for Apple users. The second single track "Vaan" was released on 14 February 2017, coinciding with the Valentine's Day. Before the single release, a promo of the song was released on 13 February 2017, on YouTube. It was released in Telugu as "Maimaruppaa" on the same day. The third single track "Sarattu Vandiyila" was launched on 1 March 2017 at midnight, also in Telugu.
Release.
The soundtrack album of the Tamil version was released on 20 March 2017 with the presences of actors Suriya and Sivakumar coming as a special guest at the Sathyam Cinemas, Chennai. The soundtrack of the Telugu version was released by Mani Ratnam and A. R. Rahman on 24 March 2017, at a promotional event held in Hyderabad.
Track listing.
Original.
The tracklist was released on 18 March 2017 by Madras Talkies on their Twitter account.
The soundtrack also has an unplugged version of the song "Vaan Varuvaan", with a slightly varied lyrics by Vairamuthu and sung by Shashaa Tirupati which comes only in the theatrical version during the introduction of the female lead. The track does not include any instrumentation other than the keyboard being played in the background unlike the original song.
Reception.
The album received very positive response from critics. The film's background score received much critical acclaim upon release. The Soundtrack also marked the 25 year of collaboration of Rahman-Ratnam combo.
Hindustan Times gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stating "The composer has taken us back to the magical ‘90s, where he used to hit the bull’s eye with every given album." Sify gave the album 4 out of 5 stating "‘"Kaatru Veliyidai’" marks the 25th year for AR Rahman in the Tamil music scene. That, invariably means it has been 25 years since Mani & Rahman joined hands for the first time. The duo still has enough gas in them to surprise us and deliver an album that could make us look back and take notice. The best tracks in the album are already popular and that has indeed raised the stakes of the film. Fresh effervescence, stamp of authority, signature style, foot tapping numbers, and simple yet experimental tunes – the album ticks most boxes easily. It is very hard to not like this. And, guess what? The social media is going ballistic." Music Aloud gave the album 3.5 out of 5, stating "Kaatru Veliyidai has some good music, but, as a soundtrack, is not up to ARR-Mani Ratnam standards."
Bollywoodlife gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stating "This is a Mani Ratnam-AR Rahman collaboration. You shouldn't miss it for the world. AR Rahman makes you fall in love again with love and music. There's a song of every kind that will give you a reason to reierate your fandom for the musical maestro." Moviecrow gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stating "Kaatru Veliyidai has the fair mix of melodies and Rahman's experimentations, However, the album is few notches below the usual Rahman- Maniratnam's soundtrack." Deccan Chronicle gave the album 3 out of 5 stating "‘Kaatru Veliyidai’ might not be Rahman’s best of works, but it still reiterates his unparalleled, orchestral charm and gives you that Déjà vu, you so often have been craving. At that, it excels, and how!" Milliblog commented it as "In the 25th year of their collaboration, Mani and Rahman prove that the spark is alive and kicking." The Quint commented it as "‘Kaatru Veliyidai’ proves, yet again, that AR Rahman seldom shies away from experimenting with unexplored melodies." Behindwoods gave 3.25 out of 5 to the album and summarised "It's yet another completely avant-garde set of songs high on romance from the master combination of Mani Ratnam and Rahman!"
Album credits.
Credits adapted from info published in the official CD cover.
Additional Vocal Supervision: VJ Srinivasa Murthy


Allari Krishnaiah

Allari Krishnaiah or Allari Krishnayya () is a 1987 Telugu-language film produced by C. H. Satyanarayana and S. Bhaskar under the Vanitha Arts banner and directed by Nandamuri Ramesh. Nandamuri Balakrishna, Bhanupriya play the lead roles with music composed by Chakravarthy.
Plot.
The film begins in a village that is tranquil under the governance of Narasaiah (Rao Gopal Rao) and his nephew Madhavaiah (Jaggaiah) who inquest loyal judgments. The two families maintain a genial relationship. Gopala Krishna / Krishnaiah (Nandamuri Balakrishna) a gallant is the younger brother of Madhavaiah who adores his brother and sister-in-law Savitri (Jayanti). He falls for Lalitha (Bhanupriya) daughter of Narasaiah, and they are engaged. Besides, two malicious Veerabhadraiah (Chalapathi Rao), and Karanam Kanakaiah (Gollapudi Maruti Rao) carry out several barbarities in the village. Meanwhile, Panchayat elections step forward when a gap arises between Narasaiah & Madhavaiah because each of them supports different parties. Exploiting it, the blackguards create a rift that turns into the rivalry between the two and they detach. Moreover, Kanakaiah conspires to knit Lalitha with Veerabhadraiah's roguish son Sundaram (Sudhakar). Krishnaiah breaks out their ploy and marries Lalitha which is opposed by Madhavaiah, hence, they too split. Right now, it's time for a festival that is held every year under the supervision of Narasaiah & Madhavaiah. Here, Krishnaiah takes the responsibility to conduct it and also convinces them. Thus, the knaves sacrilege the jewels of god and arraign Narasaiah. At last, Krishnaiah divulges the reality, acquits his uncle as guiltless, and ceases the baddies. Finally, the movie ends on a happy note with the reunion of the family.
Soundtrack.
The music was composed by K. Chakravarthy with lyrics written by Veturi Sundararama Murthy. The soundtrack was released by Saptaswar Audio Company.


Nandi Awards of 2005

The Nandi Awards are presented annually in Andhra Pradesh, for Telugu cinema by the state government. "Nandi" means "bull", the awards being named after the big granite bull at Lepakshi — a cultural and historical symbol of Andhra Pradesh. Nandi Awards are presented in four categories: Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Copper.


GagaOOLala

GagaOOLala is a Taipei-based subscription video on demand service specialized in LGBT content. It is owned by Portico Media Co., Ltd. Launched in 2016, it is the first LGBT-focused OTT platform in Asia. Its catalog includes feature films, shorts, documentaries, series and its own original content.
Name.
On a 2019 interview, Jay Lin, CEO of GagaOOLala, revealed the story behind the name: "Lala’ and ‘gaga’ are slang terms for lesbian and gay in Chinese. The ‘oo’ comes from the French ‘ou’ which means ‘or’".
History.
Portico Media is one of the co-founders of the Taiwan International Queer Film Festival and was in charge of the organization of the festival during its first three editions (2014, 2015, 2016). However, Jay Lin still found the film festival experience limiting regarding the availability of LGBT content for Asian audiences and decided to establish Asia's first LGBT-streaming platform, GagaOOLala. GagaOOLala was first launched in Taiwan on November 11th, 2016. Its first expansion into the Asian market took place with the launch in the 10 countries that conform Southeast Asia on April 28th, 2017. On May 13th, 2018, GagaOOLala was launched in Hong Kong and Macau. In June 14th, 2019, the streaming service started operations in all of South Asia. The company made the announcement together with a distribution tie-in with KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival.
Activism.
In October 28th, 2016, GagaOOLala celebrated the first ever Queermosa Gala, an award ceremony "to bring broad media visibility to the people and companies working hard to have LGBT voices heard in Taiwan." The ceremony was supported by GLAAD. Among the first year winner's were television host Dee Hsu, singer A-Mei and rights activist Chi Chia-wei.
During the Taipei Pride celebrations of 2018, GagaOOLala, GagaTai and LalaTai organized together with the Singaporean fashion photographer Leslie Kee the photography exhibition Out in Taiwan. The project was composed of black-and-white portraits of LGBTQ people living in Taiwan in order to humanize the LGBT community.
GagaOOLala is also one of the five founding members of the Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan, one of the main LGBT rights group in Taiwan. The organization was one of the main driving forces behind the passing of the same-sex marriage law in Taiwan on May 17, 2019, making it the first country in Asia.
Content.
The platform currently hosts more than 1,000 LGBT titles including feature films, shorts, documentaries and series from all over the world, but with a focus on Asian queer cinema. It is the home for the filmography of international queer directors such as Simon Chung, Zero Chou, Scud, Marco Berger or Joselito Altarejos, and the distributor in Asia of international hit titles like Blue is the Warmest Color, Moonlight, Front Cover or Weekend.
Original Content.
GagaOOLala has produced original content since its launching date. In 2016, they produced Ting-Chun Huang short film Sodom's Cat, one of the first R-rated queer stories from the island's filmography. The film was selected at that year's Outfest, Frameline and nominated to the Iris Prize.
The next year, 2017, GagaOOLala produced its first feature film, Tale of the Lost Boys, by Filipino director Joselito Altarejos. The film, a Taiwanese-Filipino cross-cultural story that tackles issues of sexuality and self-identity, was awarded Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Office Award at Sinag Maynila Film Festival. That same year, the platform also commissioned its first original series Queer Taiwan, an episodic documentary about the circumstances that have made of Taiwan a beacon for LGBT rights in Asia and, eventually, the first country in the continent to legalize same-sex marriage. The first season focused on four main topics in Taiwan: religion and the marriage equality movement, the drag culture, sex and disability, and surrogacy.
In 2018, Queer Taiwan was renewed for a second season and re-branded as Queer Asia. The move to four new different countries (Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan and Vietnam), "to highlight the steep cultural differences in Asia within the LGBT community".
GOL STUDIOS.
In March 2019, GagaOOLala launched GOL STUDIOS, a crowd-sourcing platform to assist in the production and distribution of LGBT content around the world. GOL STUDIOS is open to all filmmakers, where they can upload any projects they are working on, request resources, and connect with other film professionals. The platform will bring more original content into GagaOOLala. In its first year, GOL STUDIOS commissioned 11 projects that will be released in 2020. Among the selected projects are Hong Kong independent film director Kit Hung's latest project Forever 17, a Zero Chou's new film and series, and the surrogacy-themed documentary Made in Boise, that will premiere on the second half of 2019 at Independent Lens on PBS.


Dennis Day (Mouseketeer)

Dennis W. Day (July 12, 1942 – July 17, 2018) was an American actor, singer, dancer and theater director, best known as one of the original cast members of "The Mickey Mouse Club". After ending his career as a child actor, he went on to work as a theater director before relocating to Oregon in the 1980s.
Day disappeared in July 2018 and was found dead several months later. A roommate was charged with his death in 2019.
Life and career.
Early life.
Day was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, and later moved to Downey, California. He started acting at age six and after auditioning with his sister, was a Mouseketeer for the first two seasons of "The Mickey Mouse Club" in 1955–1957. At age 11, he appeared in a minor uncredited role in the film "A Lion Is in the Streets" (1953) with James Cagney.
He came out as gay to his family and moved to San Francisco when he turned 18, though he later told a "Rolling Stone" interviewer in 1971 that he was bisexual and had used drugs. He continued to work as an actor and dancer, including at La MaMa Theatre in New York and in Los Angeles.
Later life.
Day married Henry Ernest Caswell, his partner since the early 1970s, in 2009. Day and Caswell at one time ran a guesthouse for gay actors in San Francisco; from the 1960s until the early 1980s, Day worked for the Living History Centre, producing Renaissance and Dickens Christmas fairs, playing Newington Butts at the Renaissance fairs and also coaching other actors. They moved in the mid-1980s to Oregon, first settling in Ashland, and then in Phoenix, where they had a house. Caswell also worked for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, while Day made and sold wine jelly and worked seasonally for Harry & David.
Disappearance and death.
Day was reportedly last seen on July 17, 2018 after Caswell, who has dementia, was admitted to the hospital after a fall. Day reportedly left on foot, telling a third housemate, a live-in handyman, that he was going to visit friends, but his cat and dog were left behind, and the dog was found roaming by neighbors. One neighbor had a letter written by Day mentioning being assaulted by the handyman, who told police that Day was also exhibiting signs of mental problems. After Day was reported missing, his car was found in the possession of people approximately away in Coos County, who, according to police, said that they had permission to take it, possibly in exchange for helping the handyman. In August 2018, police searched the property after neighbors complained of a "bad smell". Friends began asking for help locating him starting in November that year, and in February 2019, after his family learned of his disappearance, his case was featured on an episode of "Dateline NBC". In March 2019, his case was profiled on the podcast "The Vanished".
Police had searched Day's residence and elsewhere, but in early April 2019 human remains were discovered on the property. On June 6, 2019, it was announced that the remains were confirmed as those of Day, though a cause of death was not announced. On July 5, 2019, Oregon State Police arrested the former handyman in connection to Day's death. The man, 36-year-old Daniel James Burda, was charged with several crimes in connection with Day's death, including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and identity theft.


Kasi Viswanathan

Kasivishwanathan (born 28 January 1968) is an Indian film editor, who has worked on Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam language films.
Career.
Kasivishwanathan entered films hoping to work as a cinematographer but failed to get opportunities, prompting him to work as an assistant to Malayalam editor K. Narayanan. He later moved on to work as an associate editor in films like "Thevar Magan" (1992) and "Kuruthipunal" (1996). He later apprenticed under A. Sreekar Prasad in films of several languages including Oriya, Sinhalese and Kannada.
He made his debut as an editor with Kamal Haasan's "Aalavandhan" (2001), experimenting with techniques involving animation and motion capture cameras, before also working on the romantic comedy, "Pammal K. Sambandam" (2002). His work on his first film won him the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Editor. Kasi Viswanthan subsequently went on to collaborate as an editor in several of Prakash Raj's productions with Duet Movies. He has since regularly collaborated with directors including Radha Mohan, Suseenthiran, Seenu Ramasamy and Sundar C.
In 2016, he made his debut as an actor with a role in Suseenthiran's "Maaveeran Kittu" (2016).


Hisham Zaman

Hisham Zaman (born 1 February 1975) is a Norwegian film director and screenwriter of Kurdish origin. He graduated from the Norwegian Film School at Lillehammer in 2004. His films center on the stories and inner dilemmas of characters united by a common refugee experience, exploring human themes such as love, acceptance, sacrifice, revenge, loyalty and honour. He has co-written several of his scripts with the Norwegian crime novelist Kjell Ola Dahl.
Zaman's breakthrough film, "Bawke," won more than 40 national and international awards. He is also a two-time winner of the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film, the only filmmaker to have been awarded this distinction two years in a row.
Early life.
Zaman was born in Kirkuk, Iraq in 1975. When he was 10 years old, he was forced to flee the country with his parents and siblings. The family spent several years as refugees in Iran and Turkey, hiding from the authorities to evade arrest. They were eventually granted political asylum in Norway, where Zaman arrived at the age of 17.
Although he had an early interest in filmmaking, Zaman was told by his father that ‘cinema will not put food on the table.’ However, his mother used to let him and his cousins go to the cinema without his father’s knowledge. After arriving in Norway, Zaman ‘took his father’s advice and began working as a car mechanic for Toyota to support his family. In the evenings, however, he explored his passion for filmmaking by joining an amateur cinema club and using rented and borrowed equipment to begin making his own films.
In 2001, Zaman was accepted to the Norwegian Film School at Lillehammer, from which he graduated in 2004. His diploma film, "The Roof", played in a number of international film festivals. "The Bridge", a short film he shot with his classmates, was awarded The Norwegian Playwright’s Association’s Award for Best Screenplay at the Norwegian Short Film Festival in 2003.
Career.
"Bawke" (2005).
Zaman received widespread critical acclaim for his breakthrough short film, "Bawke". The 15-minute film tells the story of a father, an undocumented Kurdish refugee making a dangerous journey across Europe, who is forced to choose between two evils for the sake of his young son.
"Bawke" was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Prix UIP for Best European Short Film at the European Film Awards. It received more than 40 other awards at festivals around the world, including the prestigious Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in 2005. It also received an Amanda Award, the Norwegian equivalent of the Oscars, for Best Short Film the same year. In 2010, it was named the best short film of the last decade in a poll by Norwegian film magazine "Rushprint".
The film is dedicated "to all those leaving their native countries and their roots and language in search of a better life.”
"Winterland" (2007).
Zaman’s next film was "Winterland," a mid-length comedy about a Kurdish man living in remote Northern Norway, who enters into an arranged marriage with a woman from his home country whom he has never met. "Winterland" was selected as the opening film for the Tromsø International Film Festival in 2007 and won an Amanda Award for Best Actor.
"Before Snowfall" (2013).
Zaman’s debut feature film, "Before Snowfall", is a road movie that tells the story of a young man who sets out on a quest to avenge his family’s honour after his sister runs away from an arranged marriage. "Before Snowfall" was filmed over a period of two years, and shot in four different countries.
"Before Snowfall" has been called a “dazzling drama about the shifting definitions of family, love, and honor.” The film opened the Tromsø International Film Festival in 2013 and was the most award-winning Norwegian film that year. It won the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at the Gothenburg Film Festival for its “original and honest vision that goes beyond clichés.” It also won the award for Best Cinematography in a Narrative Feature Film at the Tribeca Film Festival. According to the comments given by the jury for the award, “"Before Snowfall" packs a visual punch to match the force and ambition of its story” and “invites us into many vivid worlds and fulfills many possibilities for cinematography as an art form.”
"Letter to the King" (2014).
Zaman’s second feature film, "Letter to the King", features five characters on a day trip from their refugee shelter to the Norwegian capital city of Oslo, each with a unique agenda for the trip. Tying the five stories together is the voice of an 83-year-old man, desperate to return to Kurdistan, who decides to write a letter explaining his plight to the King of Norway.
The script for "Letter to the King" was co-written with Mehmet Aktas, a Kurdish producer and writer from Turkey. They wrote the script in three weeks, drawing on the stories of refugees they knew personally. The film was shot in 35 days without any financial backing. It has been called a “beautifully structured, highly emotional and deeply memorable ensemble piece” and one that “finds narrative diversity in the tragi-comic variety of immigrant experience.”
"Letter to the King" once again won the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at the Gothenburg Film Festival in 2014. The award was given by the jury for “a film that is compassionate and honest in its presentation of human existence.”
The film also received the FIPRESCI award at the European Cinema Festival of Lecce, and was one of three films shortlisted for a nomination to the Oscar Awards by the Norwegian Oscar Committee.
Themes and directing style.
While refugees are the central characters in all his films, Zaman stresses that ‘I make films about human beings, not about politics.’ Through his emphasis on human stories, he seeks to portray refugees and migrants as complex and diverse individuals, rather than a monolithic entity. In his words, “[t]his is what makes us human, because we are so different. But at the same time, we are judged by the politicians, media, society as one group.”
Zaman’s films are all fictional, but they are inspired by real-life events, stories, and personalities. Some of his own experiences as a child refugee influenced the sequence of events in "Bawke". He has said that “it was important for me to empty myself of the stories that have bothered me for many years.” When making "Before Snowfall", Zaman met with human smugglers and used the details they provided to guide his story development. He regularly returns to Kurdistan and visits refugee camps in Oslo to collect stories. As a result, his films play with the boundaries between documentary and fiction.
Zaman is also notable for his use of non-professional actors to play the majority of the leading roles in his films. His team has recruited refugees from public places such as cafes and community centres to act in his films. As he says, “[f]or me, casting is an important part of the filmmaking process, maybe 50% of the whole film. If you have the right cast, half of the job is done.” He also borrows from amateur actors’ expressions and clothing to lend authenticity to his work. While his scripts are written in Norwegian, the dialogues in his films are often in Kurdish or other languages spoken by refugees.
Despite the harshness of the refugee experiences that influence him, comedy is a feature of all of Zaman’s work. In his words, “lightness and humour are also present in my films: they are often born from the absurdity of the situations.”
Zaman’s work marks a significant departure from mainstream diaspora Kurdish cinema, which has tended to rely heavily on tropes of suffering and political betrayal. His films have also been recognized for the substantial contribution they have made to Norwegian national cinema by exploring the experiences and challenges of migrant communities in the context of an evolving society.
Other.
Zaman founded the production company Snowfall Cinema in 2015. He was an associate professor at the Norwegian Film School, where he has also served as Head of the Department of Film Direction. He speaks six languages: Kurdish, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Norwegian and English.


Velaiilla Pattadhari (soundtrack)

Velaiilla Pattadhari () popularly referred to as VIP is the soundtrack album, composed by Anirudh Ravichander of the 2014 Tamil film of the same name starring Dhanush and Amala Paul in the lead roles, while Saranya Ponvannan, Samuthirakani and Surbhi portray supporting roles. This film marks the second collaboration of Anirudh with Dhanush, after his debut film "3". The soundtrack album features 8 songs, and all the lyrics in the film were written by Dhanush. Initially all the songs were mentioned to release on the first week of January 2014, but was postponed to February 2014, to add two more songs.
The audio rights were acquired by Dhanush's newly formed music label Wunderbar Studios, a subsidiary of the production company Wunderbar Films, alongside with Divo, a newly formed digital streaming portal which is their first venture. All the songs in the film were rendered by Dhanush and Anirudh and initially no playback singers, recorded for the songs in addition, except S. Janaki, who recorded for "Amma Amma" written by Dhanush, who also sang for the track. The recording of the songs were completed within late December 2013.
The tracklist was unveiled on 10 February 2014, in a form of a video teaser with the film's title theme song through YouTube. The complete album was launched on 14 February 2014, at the Suryan FM 93.5 Radio Station, Chennai with Dhanush, Amala Paul and Anirudh Ravichander in attendance. The soundtrack received mostly positive reviews. Anirudh promoted the album on Sun Music on 11 July 2014, a week before the film's release. The songs "Velaiilla Pattadhari", "Poo Indru Neeyaga", "What a Karuvad" and "Udhungada Sangu" topped the Radio Mirchi South charts for 31 weeks.
Critical reception.
Srinivasa Ramanujam of "The Times of India" gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, saying that some of the songs sounded similar to Anirudh's previous compositions. He criticised the use of only two male singers (Dhanush and Anirudh), stating that "other voices might have provided a fresher musical perspective to some of the tunes". Behindwoods rated the album 3.5 out of 5, stating that "Velaiyilla Pattathari is a solid album from the Anirudh Ravichander- Dhanush combination. The duo strike again!" Moviecrow rated the album 7.5/10, stating that "Anirudh's consistency is mind boggling so far with 4 out of 4 chartbuster hit albums. Anirudh is proving that he is truly a prodigy, at least so far. What's amazing is all his 4 movies are for new directors and 2 out of 4 movies for emerging heroes such as Sivakarthikeyan and Siva. Just imagine what this young talent could do as he starts working with accomplished directors and actors in 2014." Indiaglitz rated 3.25 out of 5 stating "The effort that went into the album's creation is evident and the success is the proof. Kudos to the entire team of VIP for a promising album. This is definitely a riveting start for Kollywood's journey in 2014."
Album credits.
Credits adapted from CD liner notes
Producer.
Anirudh Ravichander
Performers.
Anirudh Ravichander, Dhanush, S. Janaki
Additional Vocals.
Veena Murali, Deepthi Suresh, Sowmya, Deepak Blue, Aravind Srinivas, Maalavika Sundar, Niranjana Ramanan, Narayanan, Keba Jeremiah, Lavita Lobo, Inno Genga, Sajith Satya, Vinay Sridhar, Nadisha Thomas, Kavitha Thomas, Sanjana Rajnarayan, Shenbagaraj
Beatbox - Hardee Bee
Orchestral Programming - Ishaan Chhabra
Vocal Arrangement - Arjun Chandy


Three Birch Trees on the Heath

Three Birch Trees on the Heath (German: Drei Birken auf der Heide) is a 1956 West German drama film directed by Ulrich Erfurth and starring Margit Saad, Sonja Sutter and Helmuth Schneider. It was one of 54 heimatfilm produced that year, as the genre's popularity reached its peak.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Dieter Bartels. The film was shot at the Wandsbek Studios in Hamburg and on location around Lüneburg Heath outside the city.


Akhil (film)

Akhil: The Power of Jua is a 2015 Indian Telugu-language action fantasy film directed by V. V. Vinayak and produced by Nithin and M. Sudhakar Reddy under Sresht Movies banner. The film stars Akhil Akkineni and Sayyeshaa in their debut. The film features score composed by Mani Sharma with soundtrack by Anup Rubens and S. Thaman. Vinayak wrote the screenplay from the story given by Veligonda Srinivas along with dialogue by Kona Venkat. Released on 11 November 2015, the film was a commercial failure.
Plot.
The story begins at thousands of years ago with a voice narrating how the Earth would face destruction in future due to the powerful UV rays of the Sun. Few saints in India foresee this destruction, make a sphere with most powerful and strong metals which possess an immense power that absorbs the harmful UV rays hence it protects the Earth. Since it has to be placed at the Earth's equator, they give the sphere to a tribe in Congolia, Africa. They leave from there by warning them that it should be kept at the Earth's equator during every Solar eclipse. If they miss even one of the eclipse, then the earth should face major destruction. The African tribe names the Sphere as Jua (Name of the Sun in Africa). Now the story moves to the present day, where a Russian don is plotting to capture the Jua so that he will have the solution when the world is in destruction and thinks he can rule the world. For this, he seeks the help of an Indian don. The Indian don sends his henchmen to the tribe to get the Jua, but Bodo, a young graduate of the tribe, takes it and escapes.
In Hyderabad, a young and carefree orphan named Akhil fights in the streets for earning and celebrates with friends. One day, Akhil meets a girl, Divya and immediately falls in love with her. He impresses her in a couple of meetings by operating her rabbit, which needs a heart surgery with the help of K. V. Rajendra Prasad, Divya's college principal. Later Divya invites Akhil and his friends to her marriage. Akhil plots to break the marriage but finds out that Kishore, Fiancé of Divya, is in love with some other girl and unites Kishore with his lover, making Divya's dad furious, who is a Don in India as shown in the beginning of the movie. Disheartened, Divya leaves for Europe finding Kishore. Akhil gets to know Divya is in Europe and follows her. After reaching her in Europe, Divya asks Akhil to act him as her lover, thinking that she can make Kishore envy. Meanwhile, Mambo, a thug of Indian don, searches for Bodo to get the Jua and shoots him in a chase. Bodo falls at Divya's apartment, and she treats him as she is a Medico. The very next day, Akhil tells Divya that he was the one who united Kishore and his lover, breaking Divya's marriage. She gets mad at him and tries to leave but is kidnapped by Mambo, who saw Divya while treating Bodo. Akhil gets injured while chasing them and got hit by Divya's dad, who came to know that he loves Divya. He falls unconscious under a tree, where a chain with a sun-shaped locket falls over his neck. Divya's father catches Akhil, and through him, he gets to know Mambo kidnapped his daughter. He calls Mambo and orders him to release his daughter, but Mambo refuses. Akhil finds out about Mambo's place and leaves for Africa with Kishore to rescue Divya.
After reaching Africa, at the airport, a church father asks Akhil to hold his bible, cross and white coat while he goes to the restroom. Johnson and Johnson, a cab driver who came there to pick up the Priest, mistakes Akhil as the Priest and drives him in his car. Akhil asks him to drive to Congolia; Johnson resists taking him there as it is a dangerous place but due to Akhil's insistence takes him to the Place. Akhil, along with Kishore and Johnson, reaches Mambo's place and fights with his men and takes Mambo's brother while holding him hostage. He rescues Divya, who still hates him. In the meantime, Divya's father comes to rescue her from Mambo but gets trapped there. Mambo calls Divya and warns her if they don't return to his place, he will kill her father. They all return to Mambo's place to rescue Divya's father. Mambo asks Divya about where was Jua kept, and she misguides him by telling him the wrong place. Mambo, after reaching the place, finds out he was fooled by Divya and goes back to her. By then, they all manage to escape and hide in a forest where Akhil fights with a tiger to save Divya, which makes Divya forgive him, and her father likes and accepts him as his son-in-law. The next day they go to Congolia village, where the African tribe guarding the Jua live. At the same time, a Russian don and Mambo with his men reach there and shoots Akhil, but a young man of the tribe guards him by giving him his life. Akhil asks him why he sacrificed his life for him then the young man points towards the sun-shaped locket in Akhil's neck. He learns that he has some connection with this Jua, and he only should find it. Mambo again tries to shoot Akhil, then Divya tells the exact place where Jua was hidden. She tells them that Bodo dropped the Jua in a river full of piranhas and killer fish while he was escaping from Mambo. Akhil owes that he will bring the Jua back to the tribe. After getting the Jua by fighting the piranhas in the river, Akhil kills Mambo and his men. Meanwhile, the Russian don escapes in a helicopter with Jua. Akhil jumps onto the helicopter when it is about to take off and kills the Russian don and gets the Jua, while the pilot causing the helicopter to hit a volcano. Before the explosion, Akhil jumps out with a parachute and handover the Jua to the tribal head, who places it back at the Earth's equator and rescues the world from destruction. In the end, Divya and Akhil unite.
Production.
Akkineni made his debut with a cameo appearance in the climax of "Manam" (2014). Either Vikram Kumar or Deva Katta were expected to direct Akhil's debut as a lead actor. While Nagarjuna reportedly confirmed Vikram Kumar to direct Akhil's second film, Deva Katta was confirmed to direct Manchu Vishnu in the Telugu remake of "Arima Nambi" (2014). On 21 September 2014, Akhil said "I know that a lot of people are curious to know details about my debut film. However, I would like to clarify that I haven't made up my mind yet. I want to start my career with a blockbuster film and I'm not going to settle for anything less than that. If all goes well, I will announce details about my debut film in near future after "Oka Laila Kosam" releases. Till then, all I can say is, I'm still working hard on what my debut film should be", at an event celebrating Akkineni Nageswara Rao's birth anniversary and the success of "Manam". Later V. V. Vinayak was approached to direct this film after the release of "Alludu Seenu" (2014).
Veligonda Srinivas, who penned the script for Akkineni Nagarjuna's "Dhamarukam" (2012), wrote the film's story. Kona Venkat and Gopimohan were working on the film's screenplay. The film's principal photography was expected to begin on 15 November 2014. Anup Rubens & S. Thaman were selected as the music directors. Nithiin was reported to be a part of the film in late November 2014 which was supposed to be a romantic film with adventurous backdrop. He was also reported to produce the film while the story discussions slowed down as Vinayak's mother fell ill. Vinayak's mother died in early December 2014 because of which the film's launch was postponed by a week. The film was officially launched on 17 December 2014 in Hyderabad. Nithiin along with his father Sudhakar Reddy was confirmed to bankroll the film under the banner Sresht Movies.
Amol Rathod and Gautham Raju were confirmed as the cinematographer and editor, respectively. Kona Venkat was confirmed to pen the film's dialogues, while the screenplay was announced to be handled by Vinayak himself. Nithiin said that they are searching for a new actress as the female lead, and the regular shoot would begin in early January 2015. Akhil said in an interview with Sanchita Dash that the film is an action movie with few stunts and would be shot in a new style of filming. He also confirmed that a new actress would be selected, and screen tests are being held. He added that they opted for a new actress as he himself is a debutante and to minimize the burden and expectations on the film. Sayyeshaa was reported to be the female lead later marking her Telugu debut.
Release.
The film was originally slated to release on 22 October; however, it got postponed many times. Visual effects were said to be the reason behind the delay. The makers have confirmed that film will be releasing on 11 November.
Marketing.
On 29 August 2015, Salman Khan released a 55-second first look teaser. The teaser received a mixed response from viewers.
Soundtrack.
The soundtrack was jointly composed by Anup Rubens and S. Thaman. The film's audio launch was held on 20 September 2015.
Box office.
"Akhil" has grossed ₹10 crore at the AP/Telangana box office on the first day, with a distributor share of ₹7.5 crore. The film with a total gross of ₹13.86 crore worldwide on its first day and became the highest opener for a debutant Telugu actor.
Accolades.
Santosham Film Awards


The Scar of Shame

The Scar of Shame is a silent film shot in the winter of 1929 and released in April 1929. It is a silent film melodrama featuring African American black actors and was written for a predominantly black audience. It premiered from April 13–17, 1929 in the M&S Douglas Theatre in New York City. Its second screening ran from April 15–20, 1929 at Gibson's Theatre, Philadelphia.
It was produced by the Colored Players Film Corporation of Philadelphia, in one of the early examples of race movies, in which an entirely black cast performed a feature film specifically for a black audience. The film was produced and written by David Starkman and was directed by Frank Peregini, both white. It was one of the later silent race movies.
Melodramas were the genre of choice for early 20th-century black filmmakers. This film emerged during a time of great breakthroughs in not only African American film but all art with the Harlem Renaissance when “a new sense of black consciousness emerged” likely after witnessing the bravery of African-American soldiers in World War I. This was a collaboration of a “black cast, white crew and interracial production team” produced by the conspicuously named “Colored Players” who were mostly white, in 1927. "The Scar of Shame" was one of three films produced by this company, founded in 1926 in Philadelphia.
Plot.
While practicing piano, Alvin sees Louise being beaten by Spike, and he rescues her and then brings her back to Lucretia’s house. Lucretia, the owner of the boarding house where Alvin is residing, allows Louise to stay in return for chores around the house. Eddie meets with Spike, who has a black eye after the incident, and the former attempts to convince Spike to let Louise work as an entertainer for him. Spike doesn’t seem enthusiastic and shows regret for beating her, which he later credits to his alcoholism. Spike has some desire to allow his daughter to escape the kind of life he is stuck in, but he is unable to change any of his actions without being sucked into his old lifestyle by the alcohol supplied by Eddie.
Eddie learns the truth about the confrontation between Alvin and Spike during dinner at Lucretia’s. Later in the evening, Eddie forcefully attempts to bring Louise back to her “old pappy” but again Alvin intervenes. Drunk again from Eddie’s liquor, Spike continues to harass Louise who contemplates suicide if it continues. Alvin proposes to Louise after rescuing her again from the altercation, claiming that she wouldn’t need to worry about harm if they were married. After he defends Louise from Eddie at Lucretia’s house, Alvin exclaims “I’ll teach you to treat our women like that!”
Over more alcohol, Eddie schemes with Spike to distract Alvin with a fake telegram announcing his mother’s illness while they kidnap Louise. Alvin cannot take Louise with him because he hasn’t informed his mother of their marriage, which she would not have approved of because of her concern with class. Louise laments in life and finds a letter from Alvin’s mother urging him to marry another woman who is “part of our set,” referring to the same level in social stratification. She proceeds to rip the letter and then the marriage certificate.
Before they go through with the plan, Spike once again hesitates, remarking that she is better off away from people like him. Alvin comes back to confront Eddie after learning he had been tricked, and that his mother was visiting friends out of town. The scene is cut between Alvin's being in the car in the suburbs and Louise's tearing up mementos of their marriage. Eddie breaks into the house and entices Louise with far-fetched possibilities of becoming rich. As Alvin enters and guns are pulled, someone accidentally shoots Louise in the neck leaving a scar. Louise becomes involved with Eddie's gambling while Alvin is in prison. Eddie refers to Alvin as a “dicty sap”, which insults his ambitions to move up the rungs of the class system.
Alvin escapes prison by filing the bars in his cell and re-establishes himself as a music instructor with a false name. Alvin falls in love with his student, Alice, but “lives a daily lie” because he has hidden the secrets of his past. Louise is involved with Alice’s father so Alvin meets her after dropping an urgent note to Alice’s father. Alice’s father unknowingly pairs the two together for a dance. Later that night, Louise makes advances on Alvin, threatening to expose him, and he gives in for a moment but in a later scene Alvin rejects her and leaves. In distress, Louise kills herself after writing a revealing letter of repentance and apology. In it, she confesses that it was really Eddie who shot her neck, and he wouldn’t allow her to tell the truth during the trial.
Alvin feels compelled to inform Alice and her family about his secrets after hearing of Louise’s death, and they forgive him. The lament of Alice’s father mirrors the earlier foreword in blaming the environment and Louise’s lack of education, finishing with the statement: “our people have much to learn.”
Social insight and significance.
This film depicts the struggles to advance from a poor environment. With the new emergence of a black bourgeois class, the film provides “a manual for those on the make,” embodied in Alvin Hilliard, but also “a caution to the weak willed who might be diverted from success by urban temptations.” For example, Louise is tempted by the opportunity of a “big break” as a cabaret singer, and her father is unable to resist alcohol.
The message is not so straightforward, and we see those who strive for more ending up hurting those they care about and deserting those less fortunate of the same race by the desire for success. "The Scar of Shame" provides insight into a “detailed anatomy of the conflicting strata of black urban life:” The “strivers” are in conflict with those who feel unable to leave their place in society, and the latter are resentful towards strivers who abandon them.
There is also the problem of by being assimilated into white culture, seen when Alvin seems to only compose “white music” on the piano, and losing track of one’s black heritage. Generally in the film, a darker skin tone is associated with lower class whereas those more close to white skin are higher class. The message is that it is not the skin that determines the character’s fate but rather their ambition. (However, it can be argued that Alice is slightly more white and portrayed in more alluring camera shots than Louise and Spike.)
A common theme throughout the film is the conflict between the higher and lower classes and their roles in the degradation of black women. It seems that the lower classes were thought to inflict sinful temptations, ill repute, and loose morals. Simultaneously the top class tried so hard to separate itself from the rest that it did not allow for those trapped below to advance.
Library of Congress.
The film has been preserved by the Library of Congress, but it is not on the National Film Registry preservation list. On all Library of Congress VHS/DVD prints, "The Scar of Shame" is accompanied by a 1923 short film, in which Noble Sissle sings jazz tunes while Eubie Blake plays the melody on the piano. The short film, titled "Sissle and Blake" by the Library of Congress, was filmed in the Lee DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, and is one of the early examples of sound-on-film technology.


Achamillai Achamillai

Achamillai Achamillai () is a 1984 Indian Tamil-language political satire film directed by K. Balachander. It stars Rajesh and Saritha in the lead with Pavithra, Gopi, Delhi Ganesh and Charle in other prominent roles. The film deals with party switching and depicts its influence on the lives of small-time politicians. The film met with critical acclaim, winning three awards at the 32nd Filmfare Awards South, as well as the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. The title refers to a popular poem composed by Bharathiyar.
Plot.
K.S Ravikumar a man who helps (Respectively) Thenmozhi, a worker in a textile factory, resides in a small village with her blind father, a former freedom fighter. She develops a mutual attraction to Ulaganathan, an idealist in the same village who is respected for his integrity and unselfishness. Upon the approval of Ulaganathan's father, they marry on 15 August, coinciding with India's Independence Day. The couple lead a happy life and work for the welfare of the village. With elections around the corner, two political parties try to garner support by enlisting Ulaganathan to their side. Initially reluctant, Ulaganathan joins one of the parties when it promises to provide him with a ministerial position.
Ulaganathan quickly slides down the slippery slope of political intrigue and intimidation, alienating both his wife and his father. Thenmozhi returns to her father's home to deliver her first child. Ulaganthan wins the election, but as neither of the parties receives a clear majority, the rival party bribes Ulaganathan to join them instead. When Thenmozhi returns after the birth of their child, she is disappointed over the transformation of her husband and refuses to live with him. To spite her, Ulagnathan brings home Alangaram as his mistress. Alangaram and her mother slowly take control over the household, which leads to Thenmozhi leaving her family. Ulagnathan's atrocities go beyond her tolerance when he plans to organise a communal riot in the village in order to safeguard himself from the critics. When Thenmozhi finds out about this, she goes to have a talk with him. But Ulaganathan defends himself by saying that political murders are not ethically wrong. The following day (Independence Day), a statue of Mahatma Gandhi is to be unveiled by Ulaganathan. During the ceremony, Ulagnathan makes a speech on his and his party's accomplishments. Thenmozhi approaches him with a garland; as she lays it on his neck, she stabs him to death. The police arrest her; at the end, Suthanthiram is seen crying at the feet of Gandhi's statue.
Production.
The film was produced by Kavithalayaa Productions, Balachander's production house. Apart from direction, he took charge of the story, screenplay, and dialogue. Cinematography and editing were handled by B. S. Lokanath and N. R. Kittu, respectively.
Themes and analysis.
"Achamillai Achamillai" is a satire on the Indian political system. Its underlying theme is Party switching, a common phenomenon that exists in the country's political system, and its impact on small-time politicians. Balachander added a dwarf character named "Suthanthiram" (literally, "Freedom") to metaphorically depict that the freedom of the nation is stunted.
Soundtrack.
The film's score and soundtrack were composed by debutante V. S. Narasimhan, while lyrics were written by Vairamuthu and "Erode" Thamizh Inban. The soundtrack received positive response.
Reception.
"Achamillai Achamillai" was released on 18 May 1984 to critical acclaim. The film had a 100-day run in theatres and was commercially successful. It was the only Tamil film to be screened at the 'Indian Panorama' 10th International Film Festival of India in 1985. Saritha's performance won her a lot of accolades and critical praise.
A contemporary review from "Ananda Vikatan" stated, "When everyone is using cinema for entertainment, Balachander uses cinema as a weapon to attack the evils of the society...". G. Dhananjayan, in his book "The Best of Tamil Cinema: 1977 to 2010", called the film a bold attempt by K. Balachander after "Thanneer Thanneer", and lauded the director for his dialogue filled with sarcasm. The film received negative reviews for showcasing violence. Some critics were concerned about the idea that even educated people would be corrupted if they come to politics, while a few others opined that the film did not provide a solution for the problem.
Legacy.
The film is widely regarded as one of the finest that Balachander has directed. In a 2006 interview with "The Hindu", Balachander listed the film as one of his favourites. Analysing the dominance of female characters in Balachander's films, Baradwaj Rangan listed the heroine of "Achamillai Achamillai" as an example.


Goa (soundtrack)

Goa is the soundtrack album by Yuvan Shankar Raja to the 2010 romantic comedy film of the same name, directed by Venkat Prabhu, and produced by Soundarya Rajinikanth's Ocher Studios, starring Jai, Vaibhav, Premji Amaran, Sneha, Piaa Bajpai and Melanie Marie Jobstreibitzer in prominent roles.
Background.
The album consists of nine songs, composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, Venkat Prabhu's cousin and regular music director, joining together for the third time after delivering the successful chartbuster albums "Chennai 600028" (2007) and "Saroja" (2008). A major highlight of the soundtrack is a "family song", the first in the album, titled "Ezhezhu Thalaimuraikkum" that features "the cousins of the family", including music director Yuvan Shankar Raja, his siblings Karthik Raja and Bhavatharini, and his cousins Premji Amaran and director Venkat Prabhu himself. The song, penned by Gangai Amaran, is said to talk about and pay tribute to the elders of the Raja family—Pavalar Varadarajan, R. D. Bhaskar, Ilaiyaraaja and Gangai Amaren—and the family's home town, Pannaipuram (Theni), where the song was also recorded. It was recorded live using a live orchestra, as it was usually done in the 1980s, but which has become a rarity in recent days. Despite earlier reports that indicated, that Parthi Baskar, another cousin, would lend his voice for that song as well, he, however, wasn't featured in the final version of the song. Another highlight is a song featuring Yuvan Shankar's father, legendary Indian composer Ilaiyaraaja, who agreed to lend his voice, after having been approached by Venkat Prabhu, who was very eager to make him sing in one of his films, along with legendary singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. Another song is rendered by Ajeesh, the winner of the second season of the reality-based singing competition "Airtel Super Singer".
Apart from these songs, additionally a special promotional song was also composed as earlier reported, the Goa title track that was released as a teaser trailer prior to the release of the film during Deepavali 2009. The song also features Chynk Showtyme and Pav Bundy, two "international artists", who performed at Yuvan's Dubai concert in December 2009 as well. It also features a club mix arranged by Premgi Amaren. Other singers to render their voices for the album include K. S. Chitra and actress-singers Andrea Jeremiah and Mamta Mohandas, the latter singing for the first time under composer Yuvan Shankar Raja's direction. The lyrics for the songs were written by 'Kavignar' Vaali and Venkat Prabhu's father, Gangai Amaran as usual.
Release.
The album's premiere event, where the soundtrack would be released officially was postponed several times due to delays and problems in the production and to avoid clashes with other big film events and releases. The album was earlier planned to be released during last week of October, then got postponed to second week of December (coinciding with producer Soundarya's father Rajinikanth's birthday), and later postponed to 23 December 2009, and finally released on 6 January 2010. Though producer Soundarya Rajinikanth had planned to have a grand event at Chennai Trade Centre for the album launch, with many prominent film industry personalities gracing the function, the album was eventually released in a very simple manner by Soundarya's father Rajinikanth at his own residence at Poes Garden, and about which the press and media wasn't informed and not invited. On 1 January 2010, a few days before the official release, the songs were broadcast on several radio channels during New Year special programs for promotional purposes.
Reception.
The album received positive reviews. Behindwoods rated the album 3 out of 5 stating "A neat and slick album that mixes the predictable and the pleasantly novel. Yuvan scores again in the rhythm department. One truly wishes the film is equally lively and fulfils Venkat Prabhu’s ‘hattrick’ aspiration." Indiaglitz rated the album 3 out of 5 stating "Splendid show by Yuvan Shankar Raja in Goa. Listen to the album and get charmed. It is like packing bags and going all the way to enjoy a splendid vacation in Goa." Rediff rated the album 2.5 out of 5, stating "Yuvan Shankar Raja usually reserves the best of his work for certain directors and so far, Venkat Prabhu has been one of them. This time around, though, either he's run out of inspiration, or has been under strict orders not to exert himself too much. Aside from a few moments, you can't really sense his presence anywhere. There are a lot of fireworks, much rapping and clash of percussion instruments, but his signature tunes are hard to find. Being Yuvan, he doesn't really mess up but you'll just have to resign yourself to enjoying what little of originality there is." Milliblog gave favourable reviews stating "Goa’s soundtrack is exhilarating – Yuvan opens the year in style!"


The Box of Life

The Box of Life (, ) is a 2002 Syrian-French drama film directed by Usama Muhammad. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.


Kaniha

Divya Venkatasubramaniam (born 3 July 1982), better known by her stage name Kaniha or Kanika, is an Indian film actress who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema and in some Tamil, Telugu and Kannada movies. Kaniha made her debut in the 2002 Tamil film "Five Star".
She went on to work in other South Indian film industries, including Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada. She is perhaps best known for her performances as "Eashwari" in her debut film "Five Star", "Gayathri" in "Varalaru - History of Godfather" and "Thenmozhi" in "Autograph". She has had a successful run in the Malayalam film industry, with most notable works include "Bhagyadevatha," "Pazhassi Raja and Spirit."
Early life.
Kaniha was born on 3 July 1982 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India as the second daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Venkat Subramanian, both engineers. She studied at TVS Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Madurai and also won accolades including the Tamil Nadu State Award for Educational Excellence in 1999. She then got admitted on merit to BITS ("Birla Institute of Technology and Science"), in Pilani, Rajasthan, from where she graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree
Having developed her singing talents from her childhood, by participating in pop music and light music shows, Divya was interested in singing and related performing arts. While she was still studying, she gave stage performances as a pop singer from time to time. When she was supposed to perform at the Miss Chennai event, a beauty pageant contest, in 2001, she got to participate at the contest, after a model had backed out at the last moment. Despite lack of experience, she emerged victorious at that contest, which would later pave her the way for a film career.
Career.
Susi Ganesan spotted Kaniha on a magazine cover page and insisted on her performing the lead female role in his second feature film. Divya eventually entered the Film industry, accepting the offer, while her name was changed to Kaniha. Her debut film was the Mani Ratnam-produced "Five Star" (2002) with Prasanna, who made his acting debut as well, in which Kaniha portrayed a traditional village girl. She completed the entire film during her summer holidays, since she was a student.
Kaniha turned down all projects that were subsequently offered to her, including films by S. Shankar and P. C. Sreeram, and went on to complete her graduation. Even before she finished her graduation, she completed her Telugu debut film "Ottessi Chepputunna" during her winter vacations, acting under another stage name Sravanthi. In regard to her performance, "Idlebrain" wrote: "Sravanthy looks homely in the film and suited the character. She performed well. She is good at dances as well".
After completing her studies, Kaniha decided to give herself a go at the Tinsel towns. She starred in the Kannada film "Annavaru" (2004), a remake of Mani Ratnam's "Thalapathi" (1991), stepping into Kannada filmdom, too. She followed the movie with a neat, cameo role in Cheran's "Autograph", earning critical acclaim. Kaniha next appeared in a comedy oriented role in a commercial film by K. S. Ravikumar, "Aethiree" along with Madhavan, Sada, in which she portrayed as a "naughty Brahmin girl". "Sify" labelled her performance in the film as "outstanding". She went on to play the female lead in "Dancer" opposite physically disabled Kutty, following which she returned to Telugu cinema, accepting to reprise her role in the Telugu remake of "Autograph", "Naa Autograph", playing the same role as in the original version. She proved to be an actress to reckon with in the Kannada film "Sye", a remake of Tamil film "Dhill". She finally ventured into Malayalam cinema as the heroine for the campus-based film "Ennitum".
Later in 2006, she appeared in her biggest project till then, "Varalaru", directed again by K. S. Ravikumar, in which she shared screen space with Ajith Kumar and Asin. She won plaudits for her role as a mentally disordered girl. After a two-years gap, her most recent Kannada film "Rajakumari" opposite Ravichandran got released, in which she again got to play the female lead role.
After her marriage, when she was supposed to have bid adieu to the film industry, Kaniha returned to the Malayalam cinema in 2009, with the films "Bhagyadevatha", directed by veteran Sathyan Anthikkad and starring Jayaram and Narain as well, and "Pazhassi Raja", directed by reputed director Hariharan and starring Mammootty, Sarath Kumar and Padmapriya among others. While the former one, in which she played the role of a homely Christian girl, was highly successful at the box office, the latter one, a biographical historical film, in which she played the role of a queen opposite Mammootty. Her performance in "Bhagyadevatha" led to her winning several awards. Her rising adulation in the Malayalam industry saw her eventually sign laudable roles in the films "My Big Father" and "Christian Brothers" before she took a maternity break.
Other work.
Besides acting, Kaniha has ventured into other fields as well, working as a dubbing artiste, playback singer and TV host, proving to be a versatile and talented person.
Television.
Even at the prime of her career, Kaniha moved to "small screen", hosting a couple of TV shows, which she believed were a "refreshing change from movies". She had first hosted the second season of the popular comedy show "Kalakka Povathu Yaaru" on STAR Vijay in 2006, following which she had hosted the popular family based game show "Mega Thanga Vettai", the annual "Chutti Vikatan Children's Quiz Show" both on Sun TV. Besides, she also played a lead role in the television serial "Thiruvilayadal" on Sun TV. She has judged popular reality shows like Sundari Neeyum Sundaran Njaanum, Star Singer both on Asianet. In 2015 she judged Uggram Ujjwalam a Malayalam reality show on Mazhavil Manorama.She judges Grand Magical Circus on Amrita TV.
Dubbing and singing career.
Kaniha has ventured into playback singing and dubbing as well. Having a vast experience and being a professional singer before turning actress, Kaniha got the offer to sing the theme song of her debut film "Five Star". She then turned dubbing artiste, dubbing for actresses Genelia D'Souza in "Sachein", Sadha in "Anniyan" and Shriya Saran in "Sivaji: The Boss".
Advertisements.
Kaniha has also featured in print and TV ads of some reputed corporates. Some of them are listed below.
Personal life.
Kaniha married Shyam Radhakrishnan, brother of Jayashree on 15 June 2008 who works as a US-based software engineer. They have a son Sai Rishi born in November 2010. Initially she had decided to leave the film industry, finishing her career as an actress, and to settle down in the US, stating that she, however, would complete her hitherto signed films. In January 2009 then, Kaniha, unexpectedly, announced her comeback with the Sathyan Anthikkad-directed Malayalam film "Bhagyadevatha".


Reform School (film)

Reform School is an American film produced by Million Dollar Productions in 1939, starring Louise Beavers. The film was directed by Leo C. Popkin. In 1944 the film was re-released as Prison Bait.
Beavers plays as Mother Barton, a probation officer of a large city that believes in a plan for an "honor system" at a reform school. When the previous superintendent of the school is ousted, she becomes superintendent and has to address a brutal guard, the previous superintendent's "henchmen", and teens at the school. Reginald Fenderson played a supporting role as "Freddie Gordon", one of the boys at the school.
The film debuted a group called the "Harlem Tuff Kids", which included Eugene Jackson playing as "Pete", DeForrest Covan as "Bill", Eddie Lynn as "Joe" and Bob Simmons as "Johnny". The Harlem Tuff Kids also appeared in the 1942 film "Take My Life".
The executive producer of the film was Harry M. Popkin. The writers were Jos. O'Donnell and Hazel Jamieson.
Posters for the film remain.


Ramesh Naidu

Pasupuleti Ramesh Naidu (1933–1987) was an Indian film music composer, multi instrumentalist, and singer, known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He garnered the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for the film Megha Sandesam in 1983.
He was associated primarily with directors like Dasari Narayana Rao, Vijaya Nirmala and Jandhyala. His major works include Srivariki Premalekha, Sivaranjani, Ananda Bhairavi Meghasandesam, and Swayamkrushi.
Early life.
He was born in Kondapalli in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh, India. At the age of fourteen, under the guidance of B. R. Chopra, Naidu got trained in music instrumentation and orchestration at the music company H. M. V. His debut film as a music director was for the Marathi film "Bandval Pahija".
He was first introduced to Telugu movies in "Dampatyam" by Krishnaveni. He moved to Bombay again and later to Calcutta. He married a Bengali woman, and worked for about ten years for Bengali, Nepali and Oriya films before returning to Telugu films with the movie "Amma Mata" in 1972.


Girishh G.

Girishh Gopalakrishnan (; born 26 September 1986) is an Indian music composer, music producer, singer in the Tamil film industry. He made his debut as a music director with the Tamil film, "Marina" directed by Pandiraj.
Early life and career.
Girishh was born on 26 September 1986 in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu. He is a student of violinist Lalgudi Jayaraman and started learning music under him from the age of 8. He also trained in western classical music under the late Das Daniel.
Girishh graduated as an engineer in 2008 and went on to do his master's degree in music composition at Leeds College of Music. He then continued to stay on in the UK working as a freelance Composer and Conductor for Orchestras, composing music for film, dance and theatre productions.
In October 2011, Girishh got a chance to meet Pandiraj through Sivakarthikeyan, who eventually signed him on to compose music for "Marina", as he required an international sound to the film's score. The music for Marina released on 9 January 2012, to extremely positive reviews, critical acclaim and popularity, with the song "Vanakkam Chennai" and its promo video going viral. The film's soundtrack and background score received critical acclaim.
After Marina, Girishh worked on director Balaji K. Kumar's "Vidiyum Munn", an experimental thriller. The film features the song "Penne" sung by British Singer Susheela Raman. The audio for Vidiyum Mun was launched on 16 August 2013, under Sony's Saregama label. Vidiyum Munn's soundtrack marks a unique occurrence where the composer has written all the lyrics for the songs, along with composing them.
"Vidiyum Munn" released on 29 November 2013, to rave reviews for the film, the film's music and the background score, which was recorded in Manchester, UK with players from the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. The score was conducted by Brian Morrell, who has worked with the likes of Elton John and Sting.


Tamil Nadu Talkies

Tamil Nadu Talkies was an Indian film production company producing films in Telugu and Tamil languages. Headed by S. Saundara Rajan, it was founded in the 1930s. Tamil Nadu Talkies was one of the foremost names in early Tamil cinema from the 1930s through 1950s, but later fell into obscurity.
Legendary Telugu film actors Gummadi Venkateswara Rao and Krishna Kumari made their debut through the films produced by the company.


Sun Kudumbam Viruthugal for Best Sister

Sun Kudumbam Viruthugal for Best Sister is an award given as part of its annual Sun Kudumbam Viruthugal for TV serials, to recognize a female actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a Sister Role.
The award was first awarded in 2010 under the title Sun Kudumbam Viruthugal for Best Sister. An award called Best Sister Role was also awarded occasionally in 2014.


Vijay Award for Best Debut Actor

The Vijay for Best Début Actor is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil (Kollywood) films.
The list.
Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.


The Liberation of L.B. Jones

The Liberation of L.B. Jones is a 1970 American neo noir crime film directed by William Wyler, his final project in a career that spanned 45 years.
The screenplay by Jesse Hill Ford and Stirling Silliphant is based on Ford's 1965 novel "The Liberation of Lord Byron Jones". The novel, in turn, was based on events that happened in a Southern town where writer Ford lived. After he wrote the book, he was verbally attacked for writing about the events that had occurred in his town. The motion picture's release added to the controversy, especially in Humboldt, Tennessee, where Ford lived.
The film stars Roscoe Lee Browne, Lee J. Cobb, Lola Falana, Anthony Zerbe, Lee Majors, Arch Johnson, Yaphet Kotto, Eve McVeagh, Chill Wills and Barbara Hershey in an early role.
Plot.
L.B. Jones, a wealthy African American funeral director in fictional Somerset, Tennessee, seeks legal representation from the local law firm run by Oman Hedgepath and his newlywed nephew Steve Mundine. Jones is seeking a divorce from his considerably younger wife Emma, alleging she had an affair with white police officer Willie Joe Worth, whom he suspects is the biological father of her unborn child.
In an effort to avoid a public scandal, Worth begs Emma not to contest the divorce, but she hopes to collect enough alimony to allow her to maintain the lavish lifestyle to which she has become accustomed. When she refuses to cooperate, Worth severely beats her, then, with the aid of fellow officer Stanley Bumpas, arrests Jones on false charges after he refuses to withdraw the divorce suit.
Jones escapes and eventually cornered, he confronts the officers and is handcuffed. He quietly and respectfully refuses to cooperate even at gunpoint, and Worth murders him, with Bumpas casually watching. Worth, initially cool, is suddenly horrified by what he has done and then even more so at Bumpas's subsequent, but cold bloodily practical actions in treating Jones's body like it was a side of beef and hanging it from a wrecker hook.
Bumpas slashes the body and removes Jones's shoelaces to make it look like it was done by other black persons in a revenge-type killing. Initially another black man and Emma are forced to confess to the murder, but Hedgepath quickly discovers that the man was in jail at the time of the murder and also the confessions were obtained with a cattle prod which appears to be commonplace at the jail.
The charges are immediately dropped and Worth, who has been shocked by his own actions, turns himself in and confesses to Hedgepath and the Mayor, in part suggesting that Hedgepath may have accidentally, but with no intent, influenced him to take action.
Worth is willing to take all responsibility. However, he and Bumpas are not held accountable by City Attorney Hedgepath, who in typical Southern fashion, sweeps the problem under the rug, and makes himself a true accessory after the fact by disposing of the murder weapon and the murder is covered up quietly. The Mayor wants nothing to do with any of this and is happy that Hedgepath handles it so as not to disrupt the reputation of the community.
Hedgepath props up Worth enough with thoughts of his family so that Worth accepts the burden of guilt without the need to confess and although he gives Worth a choice it is clear that Hedgepath has significant influence over Worth. The two officers are not held accountable for their actions. However, almost immediately, Bumpas, off duty, is murdered very deliberately and coolly by Sonny Boy Mosby in partial retaliation for a vicious beating he once inflicted on the man.
Sonny had recently decided not to retaliate against Bumpas for the beating, but the murder and cutting up of Jones was apparently the final straw for Mosby. The murder is gruesome, but Sonny makes it appear to be an agricultural accident, rather than a revenge killing.
Worth keeps his job, Emma is under the presumption she will be getting Jones's money, although there is a suggestion that she might have a little guilt and will be ostracized by the black community. Hedgepath is apparently abandoned by the remnants of his family with the Mundines moving out. Mosby, unsuspected, leaves town on a train, apparently with a clear conscience but a look of maturity.
Production.
Ford wrote the first screenplay himself then Stirling Silliphant was brought in to do a draft for $200,000. William Wyler was paid $600,000. Shooting took place 2 June to 11 July 1969.
Critical reception.
Wyler's last screen film received mixed reviews; some appreciating his effort felt it was not powerful enough. In his review in "The New York Times", Vincent Canby said, "I'm sure that Wyler and his screenwriters . . . were out to make a suspense movie that would also work as contemporary social commentary. In the interests of melodrama, they have simplified the characters from Hill's novel to such a degree that they seem more stereotyped than may have been absolutely necessary . . . Wyler's direction is notable only for the coldness and for an impatience to get on with the story at the expense of any feeling of real involvement . . . I must say I wasn't bored by it, just depressed."
"Variety" called it "not much more than an interracial sexploitation film."
"TV Guide" rates it two out of a possible four stars and comments, "Though the cast gives some strong performances, ultimately the film is an empty affair. The questions of racism and southern prejudice had been well handled by other films long before this. Had it been made 10 years earlier it would have been a landmark, but in 1970 it was no longer fresh material. The script is pockmarked with cliches and stereotypes, though the technical aspects are fine. This last film of director Wyler was nothing special."
Awards and nominations.
Lola Falana was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year – Actress but lost to Carrie Snodgress in "Diary of a Mad Housewife".


Mulata (film)

Mulata (Mulatta) is a Mexican drama film directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares. It was released in 1954 and starring Ninón Sevilla and Pedro Armendáriz.
Plot.
In the Havana port, two mulatto children, Mateo (Ricardo Román) and Caridad (Ninón Sevilla) grow together. She is the daughter of a white man who died in a shipwreck, and a black laundress of African origin. Over the years, Mateo falls for Caridad, but she is in love with a Mexican captain, Martin (Pedro Armendáriz), who accidentally met her at the port. The captain was also in love with Caridad and offers to live together and she accepts. Caridad work in a cabaret in the port and the owner, Guevara (René Cardona), is attracted to the girl, and in a moment of jealousy, tries to kill Martin. Martin falls in financial trouble and have to mortgage his boat to Guevara. When Martin returns to Veracruz, Mexico, Guevara feels himself like the new owner of Caridad.
Reviews.
"Mulata" is not one of the classic melodramas of Ninón Sevilla. The film does not contain the extravagant elements that make the indisputable classics "Victimas del Pecado", "Aventurera" and "Sensualidad"; does not have the spectacular musical numbers in large series and complex choreography, which are found in almost all her films; and contains not humor like in "Club de señoritas". But somehow "Mulata" is probably the film that is closer to the cultural roots of Sevilla, ethnic and social concerns and the varied and different forms of love that made her life so rich. Adapted from "Mulatilla: Black Stamp", a novel by the Uruguayan writer Roberto Márquez Olivencia, the action takes place now in Cuba and tells the story of Caridad (a name that echoes the name of the Virgin patron of the island), the beautiful daughter a black slave who has to fight against those who exploit high positions, and men who only want her as a sexual object. Her life was marked by tragedy and she will be physically abused, betrayed and forced into prostitution. The story is told in flashback, from the memories of the Mexican sailor. The character is played of brutal way by the actor Pedro Armendariz. There is a long sequence on the beach that covers a celebration of a ritual dance of Santeria, the Yoruba religion shown by Ninon as important in her films as "Victimas del Pecado" and "Yambaó". By 1954, the sequence is a strange and audacious mix of ethnography and sensationalism.
The film shows a sequence where several dancers resembling be naked during a ritual. In this regard, Ninon Sevilla revealed: "Pedro Armendáriz had just returned from France, where he filmed "Lucrece Borgia" and counted me that in a scene rubbed a bunch of grapes on the breasts of an actress who was lying on a table and that down there was an actor who drank the juice of the grapes. And that only they could happen to the French. Mmmm I said, in this movie are going to show to the French that here in Mexico too there is imagination. I sent for a bag of black nylon panties in every sizes. On the beach scene did you put to all the dancers, so when lifted their legs, it seemed that they did not bring anything. This goes for the French."


Dushyanth Ramkumar

Dushyanth Ramkumar is an Indian film actor and producer working in Tamil language films, who made his debut in "Success" (2004). After appearing in a couple of films, he has worked as an executive producer for Sivaji Productions. He is the son of Ramkumar Ganesan and grandson of the actor Sivaji Ganesan. He is now acting in South Indian Tamil TV soaps such as "Devathai", of for which he is one of the producers.
Career.
Producer Issaki Sundar saw Dushyanth at the Sivaji Productions office and offered him the opportunity to make his acting debut. After initially rejecting the offer, he ultimately agreed after consulting with his uncle Prabhu and cousin Vikram Prabhu. Dushyanth was also credited as Junior Sivaji during the production of the film. The film was named "Success", after the first on-screen dialogue of Sivaji from the film "Parasakthi" (1952). The film opened to mixed reviews, with a critic noting: "the movie surprises us with a nice turn of events. It definitely energizes the movie and gets us interested again. Looking back on the first half after this, we realize that the movie has actually been quite clever in setting up stock characters, but in a slightly different way that makes the twist surprising." Another reviewer noted: "To sum up, "Success" is not the right film for Jr. Ganesan to be successful." His second film was "Machi" (2004), with a reviewer noting: "Dushyanth shows some improvement from his debut "Success", but not enough to mark him as a hero of promise." He has since not been seen in films as an actor.
He worked extensively on the sets of Sivaji Productions' "Aasal" as a producer. In 2015, he set up Eshan Productions and began his first film "Meen Kuzhambum Mann Paanaiyum" (2016), as an individual producer.
Personal life.
He is the son of actor-producer Ramkumar Ganesan and grandson of Sivaji Ganesan. His half-brother Shivaji Dev has also appeared in films, while his uncle Prabhu and cousin Vikram Prabhu are leading actors in Tamil films. He married Abirami in a ceremony in November 2011.


Chicago Latino Film Festival

The Chicago Latino Film Festival is a U.S. film festival, focusing on Latin America and Latinos. Held annually in Chicago since 1985, it is organized by the International Latino Cultural Center (ILCC) and sponsored by a number of national corporations as well as by the local Hispanic and Latino community. The Festival features the work of promising Latin American filmmakers with a special emphasis on films that showcase the enormous diversity of Latin America, and that defy commonly held stereotypes about Hispanics and Latinos.
During the majority of screenings, the audience have the opportunity to participate in discussions with local and visiting filmmakers. In an effort to highlight the importance of the artistic and educational value of all films, the Chicago Latino Film Festival is non-competitive with the exception of the coveted Audience Choice Award, as determined by the filmgoers and the Gloria Achievement Award. Since 1999, the Gloria Award has been given as a special recognition to individuals and institutions for their outstanding contributions to the Latino arts.
The Chicago Latino Film Festival presents a series of special segments as part of the general programming: Made In USA, Women In Film, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Trans (LGBT) and Animation.


Thishiwe Ziqubu

Thishiwe Ziqubu (born 5 August 1985) is a South African film director, writer and actor. She won Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 2016 Africa Movie Academy Awards, for her portrayal of Tshaka in the romantic comedy "Tell Me Sweet Something". In 2019, she directed episodes of "MTV Shuga Down South".
Education.
Ziqubu studied scriptwriting and directing after high school. She later attended the African Film and Drama Academy (AFDA), a film school. She also completed an Acting for Film programme at the Los Angeles campus of the New York Film Academy.
Career.
Ziqubu made her acting debut in the 2011 drama film "Man on Ground", which helped to move her career forward. As a scriptwriter and director, she wrote and directed three independent short films: "Out Of Luck", "Subdued" and "Between the Lines". She has also written for South African television soap operas "Isidingo" and "Rhythm City" and for "Is'Thunzi", a drama series. She co-created, wrote (as head writer) and directed a supernatural four-part drama series entitled "Emoyeni".
In 2019, she
directed episodes of the second season of TV series "MTV Shuga Down South".


Embar Kannan

Embar S. Kannan is a violinist in the fields of Carnatic Music and Tamil Film Music. Trained in Carnatic as well as Western Classical methods, he is a Grade 'A top' artist of the All India Radio and is universally acclaimed as a soloist and an accompanist.
Carnatic music career.
Born in a family of great musicians to Sangeetha Bhooshanam Sri Embar Sadagopan, Kannan took to playing the violin at the age of six. His initial training in Carnatic music was with Sri Subbanna Bhagavathar and Sri Vittal Ramamurthy.
In 1986 he received a talent scholarship from the Government of India and earned a place under the mentorship of Kum.A. Kanyakumari. Shortly thereafter he received the Yuva Kala Bharathi from Bharat Kalachar and the ‘Best Violinist Award’ from the Madras Music Academy for eight consecutive years.
Over the course of his Carnatic career he has accompanied many leading artists such as T. V. Sankaranarayanan, Trichur Ramachandran, T. N. Seshagopalan, Sudha Raghunathan, Kadri Gopalnath, P. Unnikrishnan, Bombay Jayashree and S. Sowmya.
One of Kannan’s prodigal accomplishments was the introduction of the silent violin to Carnatic Music in 2001. In August 2006, he played the silent violin at Puttaparthi in the presence of Bhagawan Sri Satya Sai Baba with the musicians of the HeArtBeat Ensemble.
On 14 July 2011, he played at a concert that was organised to raise funds for the Sankalp Trust, the open school and learning centre for special children, at the Mutha Venkata Subba Rao Concert Hall.
Film music career.
Kannan received his Western Classical training from acclaimed music director, Diwaker master. Under him, Kannan entered the film industry with the movie Puli Pettra Pillai. Subsequently, he made himself an integral part of Maestro Ilaiyaraja's orchestra and with them, has played in numerous films and concerts around the world. In addition, he has played for other music directors; notably, Karthik Raja, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Vidyasagar, Sharath, A. R. Rahman and Deva.


Radha Mohan

Radha Mohan is an Indian film director of the South Indian film industry. He is known for his work in the films "Mozhi" (2007), "Abhiyum Naanum" (2008), "Payanam" (2011) and "Kaatrin Mozhi" (2018).
Career.
Radha Mohan began work on his first film was "Smile Please" in 1996, which had dialogues written by his friend Babu, who had appeared in the lead role in "En Uyir Thozhan" (1990). The film was to star Prakash Raj in the lead role, but financial restraints meant that the film was later shelved. The film was later set for release during Diwali 1998 under the title of "Ananthakrishnan", but still failed to clear financial hurdles.
Known for his strong story lines and sensible and realistic portrayal of women, Mohan's films have largely been clean family entertainment. He has a penchant for humour in his films, and his films have been rib ticklers even though they carry strong messages and handling serious themes. "Mozhi" is his career's biggest hit, followed by "Payanam". The director worked under R. V. Udayakumar before he did his first film release, "Azhagiya Theeye".
Now Radha Mohan has made the remake of the Hindi Film Tumhari Sulu with Jyothika in lead role. The film also features , Vidharth and Lakshmi Manchu in supporting roles.


Faster Fene

Faster Fene is a 2017 Marathi-language crime thriller film directed by Aditya Sarpotdar The film stars Amey Wagh in and as Faster Fene, based on the character created by Bhaskar Ramachandra Bhagwat and also stars National Award winning actor Girish Kulkarni in a negative role. Supporting star cast includes Parna Pethe, Chinmayi Sumit, Dilip Prabhavalkar and Siddharth Jadhav in supporting roles. Dilip Prabhavalkar plays the role of Bhaskar Ramachandra Bhagwat.
Plot.
Banesh Fene (Amey Wagh) is a wildlife enthusiast & spends most of his time in the forest treating birds. He is set to travel to Pune for 1 month for his medical entrance exam, for which his mother has arranged his stay at one of her relatives — B. R. Bhagwat (Bha. Ra.). Bha. Ra. is a renowned writer who now lives alone in Pune. The moment Banesh arrives at his place, he finds that a robbery has taken place. He concludes that it would take 3 hours for police to arrive due to a political event happening nearby & gives him time to figure out the thief. He starts tracing evidence & eventually traces a 10-year-old boy who attempted the robbery. He finds out that this boy with the pet name Bhu-Bhu is an orphan who is forced to steal in the attempted murder of a senior citizen to usurp all his wealth.
Banesh rescues Bhu-Bhu from the clutches of the goons and gets back to B. R. Bhagwat's home. Bha. Ra. is a kind man who adopts him, and rewards Banesh with a pen, which he used to write many of his books. Next, Banesh goes to the college where his exam is scheduled. There he meets another fellow student & they become friends in a short time. Banesh lends him one of his pens as he has forgotten his. After the exam, Banesh runs into his childhood friend Aboli & they exchange their numbers. He then rushes to find his friend to get back his pen. The examiner informs him that he left much before scheduled time. Banesh is disappointed to lose the pen he got in reward.
As Banesh is returning home, he reads in the newspaper that his friend has committed suicide. He is shocked as he found no suicidal symptoms, on the contrary, his friend was quite ambitious. He decides to investigate & goes to his hostel. There the police have completed the investigation & are about to return. The police mock Banesh's argument that it is a murder, masked as suicide. Late night barges into the hostel & checks the CCTV footage. There he finds that after the exam, his friend is chased by the suspected murderer. 15 mins later the suspect comes out of the hostel in a petrified state & boards a rickshaw.
Banesh & Bhu-Bhu track down the rickshaw driver & question him about the suspect. From there they go to Swastik Lodge, where the suspect was staying for past 15 days but has checked out earlier. They pose as his friends & enquire at the reception about forgotten stuff (as the suspect had hurriedly left the lodge after the murder). They collect one set of clothes which he had given for laundry & find a receipt of photo-studio.
Banesh tracks down the photo-studio & gets all the details of the suspect. Meanwhile, the manager of Photo-studio informs his boss about Banesh who is trying to get information about the suspect. His boss is Appa, a mafia don who runs a syndicate that manipulates admissions to colleges. Banesh, with his sharp wit, is able to get rid of the goons & returns home. The name of the suspect is Amol & Banesh sets to find him. He finally locates him at the medical college at Tuljapur. Amol reveals that he is not the murderer, but hiding out of fear because he is an eyewitness. The goons of Appa also reach the college at the same time & Banesh once again rescues Amol & himself from them.
Later Amol reveals the complete sequence of events. Amol is a coach for medical entrance exams & approached by Appa's men to appear as a dummy for some other student. Amol coming from a poor family is enticed by the money & agrees to do it. That's how he comes to Pune & appears for the exam. He is identified by Banesh's friend who was a student at Amol's coaching institute & figures out the whole thing. He informs the examiner & requests him to call the principal. The examiner is part of Appa's syndicate & he calls Appa instead of principal. Appa comes to the college & stalk him to his hostel. There they murder him to erase all the evidence. Amol witnesses this & runs away from the scene.
Banesh tries to understand Amol's dilemma and leaves him at Bhagwat's house. Bhagwat promises Banesh that he would take care of Amol. At night, when Banesh and Bhu-bhu leave to track Appa, Appa's henchmen attack B.R. Bhagwat's house and injure him. When Banesh returns, he asks Bhagwat about Amol and Bhagwat says thathe has locked Amol in the wardrobe to keep him safe. Appa calls Banesh and tells him that Pillai has captured Aboli and if he wants that Aboli, Bhagwat and him to be safe;Then he should bring Amol to his place.
Banesh hospitalizes Bhagwat and brings Amol to the goon's place. There he goes away with Aboli and Amol shouts at him saying that he is a cheater. The goons later realize that the person they captured is not really Amol, but he is Rahul Khamkar, who was the student in place of whom Amol was giving the exam. Rahul is revealed to be the son of the education minister. Banesh manages to showcase Rahul and Amol's confession in front of media in a conference. Banesh chases Appa to the roof and sedates him with his own insulin pen. He tells Appa that he has no way out as the police have found his black money. Appa and his goons are captured along with the education minister and other associates.
Dhanesh gets a good result and Banesh let's his father know that his son will be a good example to all other students. Bhagwat goes in his room and starts writing his first novel based on Banesh named as "Faster Fene".
Box office.
The movie made fantastic collections across Maharashtra as it collected around over the first weekend.


Santosham Best Director Award

The Santosham Best Director Award is given by the "Santosham Film" magazine as part of its annual Santosham Film Awards for Telugu films.
The award was first given in 2003. Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.


Judah Sandhy

Judah Sandhy is an Indian film music director who predominantly works in Kannada cinema. He rose to fame with 2017 Blockbuster film "Operation Alamelamma".
Career.
Judah Sandhy was the founder member and frontman of Bangalore's based band "Slain" formed at the time of his college. After graduating from college he started music production and decided to take music as his profession, setting up his own music studio and working for commercials, short film "son of a gun", raju bhai and jingles. He made his debut as a music director in 2015 Kannada film "Thamisra". In 2016 he composed music for "Lifu Super" and "Badmaash" starring Dhananjay and Sanchita Shetty. In 2017 he composed music for the blockbuster film "Operation Alamelamma" starring Rishi and Shraddha Srinath and then composed 3 of the 6 songs from "Uppu Huli Khara". In the same year Judah composed music for "Chamak" starring Ganesh and Rashmika Mandanna.
Personal life.
Judah Sandhy was born on 21 January 1989 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. He went to St. Aloysius College, Bangalore.
External links.
Music And Score


Aruldoss

Aruldoss is an Indian film actor who has appeared in supporting roles in Tamil language & Malayalam language films. Prior to focusing on an acting career, he worked as a cinematographer for several films.
Career.
After completing school, Aruldoss worked as a photographer at weddings. Through his acquaintances, he managed to get a breakthrough into the Tamil film industry and served as an assistant cinematographer in Sundar C's "Arunachalam" (1997). He subsequently went on to work as the main cameraman in "A Aa E Ee" (2009) and "Pathinaaru" (2009).
Aruldoss has often collaborated as an actor with film maker Suseenthiran, after making his debut in "Naan Mahaan Alla" (2010) and appearing in "Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai" (2011), "Rajapattai" (2011) and "Paayum Puli" (2015). His close friendship with Seenu Ramasamy has meant that Aruldoss has also played roles in "Thenmerku Paruvakaatru" (2010), "Neerparavai" (2012) and "Idam Porul Yaeval" (2016). He has also appeared in acclaimed films including "Soodhu Kavvum" (2013), "Thanga Meengal" (2013) and "Papanasam" (2015).
During the making of "Ponmaalai Pozhudhu" (2013), Aruldoss slapped the actress Gayathrie by mistake. He subsequently made a public apology for his actions.


P. Sai Suresh

P. Sai Suresh is an Indian film editor, who has worked on Tamil language films. He regularly collaborated in ventures directed by Sundar C in the 1990s and 2000s, notably working on projects including "Arunachalam" (1997), "Suyamvaram" (1999) and "Anbe Sivam" (2003).
Career.
Sai Suresh has edited over a hundred films, and in 1999 he notably won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Editor for his work on "Unakkaga Ellam Unakkaga" (1999). Often collaborating with director Sundar C, Sai Suresh was amongst the most prolific editors in terms of numbers in the 1990s, often working on action, village and comedy films in medium budget productions.
In 2012, he worked on his 80th film, the romantic comedy "Ishtam" starring Vimal.


Anand Mhasvekar

Anand Mhasvekar is a Marathi playwright, writer director, producer and poet from Maharashtra, India.
He was born in the small village Mhasve in the Satara District, Maharashtra. Mhasvekar was educated in the Satara District and Mumbai. His primary education was in Pachwad and he received a B.Com and M.A. in Marathi from Mumbai University. He worked at the State Bank of India from 1979 to 2000. In 2000 he began working as full-time writer. He and his wife Kanta have two children Vinay and Neeta.