Aasai

Aasai () () is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language romantic thriller film, written and directed by Vasanth and produced by Mani Ratnam. The film stars Ajith Kumar and debutant Suvaluxmi, while Prakash Raj, Rohini, Poornam Vishwanathan, Nizhalgal Ravi, and Vadivelu play supporting roles. Jeeva was the cinematographer, while Deva composed the music. Upon release, the film received positive reviews and went on to become a commercial success at the box office. The film was remade in Hindi as "Pyaar Zindagi Hai".
Plot.
Saraswathi "Yamuna", the younger daughter of an Orthodox father, comes to Madras for finishing her studies. Major Madhavan, the husband of Yamuna's elder sister Ganga, gets infatuated with Yamuna after seeing her photo in a letter sent by her. Meanwhile, Yamuna meets Jeevanantham "Jeeva" in a bus, who gives his ticket to her as she had not taken her own. Later one day, Jeeva decides to express his love to Yamuna by writing "1 4 3" (the number of letters in "I love you") in a letter and giving it to her, but he witnesses a group beating a boy who did the same thing, so he disposes the letter. It is found by Yamuna, who realises his love.
One day when they are walking together, Jeeva tries to remove dirt from Yamuna's eyes, and he kisses her. Yamuna is angry with him. Jeeva senses it and gets wet in the rain and gets a cold. Hearing this, Yamuna meets him. Jeeva expresses that she is the only medicine to him, and he needs her. Yamuna promises she will marry him. On Yamuna's birthday, Jeeva jumps into her house and presents her a puppy. One day, fearing that Yamuna's father might not marry him to Yamuna, he decides to marry her in a register office, but Yamuna refuses and Jeeva leaves.
Meanwhile, Madhavan settles his father-in-law's debts and earns his trust. He also pays for connecting a landline to Yamuna's house and talks to her regularly, but Ganga is unaware of this. One day, Ganga finds it, and starts to realise his true identity. Madhavan then expresses his love affair on Yamuna to his wife. This makes her so upset that she attempts to go and live with her father and Yamuna. Madhavan imprisons her in home, and one day he tells her she can go to her father's house by flight, and tricks her by putting a sleeping pill in milk and making her drink it. She falls unconscious. Madhavan then murders Ganga by suffocating her to death with a polythene cover and tying it around her head by his shoelace, and lies to everyone that she died from heart attack. He then makes Yamuna and her father stay with him in Delhi to look after his baby, but he has other plans.
Jeeva comes to Delhi. One day he sees Yamuna, who ignores him. Later he sees her carrying the puppy he presented and tells why she needs the puppy when she does not need him. Yamuna leaves the puppy in the middle of the road. Later that night, Yamuna comes to take the puppy in the rain. Jeeva sees this and realises she really loves him. Two months later, Yamuna's father decides to get her married to Jeeva. This shocks Madhavan, and he decides to stop the marriage. Yamuna's family meets Jeeva in a restaurant. While Jeeva was talking to Madhavan, he takes advantage of a careless Sikh and dashes against him, causing Jeeva to lose his balance as well. In the melee, Madhavan steals Jeeva's purse. When Jeeva senses his purse missing, he confronts the Sikh and makes a fool of himself, exactly as Madhavan anticipated. Later, he suspects Madhavan and wants to frisk him. This angers Yamuna's father as he blindly believes Madhavan.
Madhavan later gives Jeeva's flight ticket and wants to send him to Madras, but Jeeva fools Madhavan by tearing the ticket and spending the day with Yamuna. Enraged, Madhavan drenches his baby in the rain and calls Yamuna to look for it. Later, Madhavan arranges for some men to pour liquor into Jeeva's mouth and lay him in the middle of the road. Madhavan makes Yamuna and her father believe Jeeva is a drunkard. The father boasts that he has the divine gift to discern good versus bad people upon sight; with that "gift", he declares Jeeva a bad person. Meanwhile, Jeeva complains to Lt. Col Hariharan, a friend and higher officer to Madhavan, but he does not believe Jeeva. Later when celebrating Holi, Madhavan asks Jeeva the puppy he had presented to Yamuna. Jeeva gives it, but Madhavan kills the puppy and frames Jeeva. An argument ensues between them; Madhavan tries to kill Jeeva with a rod, but stops when Yamuna pleads with him.
Hariharan eventually realises the truth about Madhavan and tells him to stop. Instead, Madhavan kills Hariharan, staging it as a car accident. Madhavan plants narcotics in Jeeva's pillows and tips off the police, leading to Jeeva's arrest. While meeting Jeeva in prison, Madhavan boasts and lays the plot out to Jeeva; how he cruelly killed Ganga to get Yamuna. Yamuna overhears this and informs her father. Her father wails in agony for his murdered older daughter and his folly and poor judgement. They plan to escape, but Madhavan arrives, knocks out Yamuna's father, and holds Yamuna prisoner in his house. Jeeva escapes from prison and arrives there. A fight ensues between Madhavan and Jeeva in which Jeeva triumphs. Yamuna and Jeeva take the baby to the hospital as it fainted. Yamuna's father locks the doors, opens the gas cylinder, and lights a matchstick, causing an explosion that kills him and Madhavan. Jeeva is exonerated and unites with Yamuna and the baby.
Production.
Development.
"Poovellam Kettupaar" and "Kanne" were the working titles during the film's production but Vasanth chose "Aasai" as the title because "it was about both the protagonist and the antagonist".
Casting.
The lead role was initially offered by Vasanth to Suriya, son of actor Sivakumar, to make his debut but he declined, citing a lack of interest in an acting career. He was replaced by Ajith Kumar, after Vasanth and S. Sriram saw him in a "dhoti" advertisement on Doordarshan. Actor Suresh dubbed Ajith's voice. For the antagonist Major Madhavan, Vasanth considered Manoj K. Jayan as one of the actors but he felt the role needed someone else, he chose Prakash Raj after he was recommended by his mentor K. Balachander. Vasanth chose debutant Suvaluxmi after seeing her performance in the Bengali film "Uttoran" and he wanted "someone who had an innocent face and could make the audience believe the gullibility of the character."
Filming.
Vasanth chose the Delhi backdrop because Prakash Raj’s character had to be "far away from the heroine's place" and the team shot in the early mornings during their Delhi schedule as the director was "obsessive about onlookers not being part of the frame". The film's military parade scene was filmed at the Chennai branch of the Officers Training Academy after giving an assurance that the character of Madhavan had a "blemishless professional record".
Soundtrack.
The music was composed by Deva. Deva was roped in to compose the music because the director and the composer had earlier worked together on Doordarshan shows. To get the right music, Deva and Vasanth had pre-recording sessions to finalise the orchestration and sound of the songs. Mandolin U Shrinivas played the mandolin portions in the song "Pulveli Pulveli".
Lyrics were penned by Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry & Vennelakanti.
Release.
Upon release, the film won positive reviews from critics. "Ananda Vikatan", in a review dated 1 October 1995, rated the film 41 out of 100. The film went on to win three awards at the Tamil Nadu State Awards securing honours for the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director for Vasanth, the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director for Deva and the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for Hariharan. The film was later remade in Hindi as "Pyaar Zindagi Hai" in 2001. The film ran for more than 210 days in theatres and emerged as a major breakthrough in Ajith Kumar's career.


Howard Brookner

Howard Brookner (April 30, 1954 – April 27, 1989) was an American film director. He produced and directed the documentary "" about William S. Burroughs (1983), "Robert Wilson and the Civil Wars" on theatre director Robert Wilson (1986), and directed, co-produced and co-wrote "Bloodhounds of Broadway" (1989).
Biography.
Howard Eric Brookner was born April 30, 1954 in New York City and grew up in Great Neck, Long Island. He studied at Phillips Exeter, earned his B.A. from Columbia University in political science, and his M.A. in art history and film at New York University, where for his senior thesis he began what would go on to be the highly acclaimed feature documentary on William S. Burroughs. His film crew consisted of his NYU classmates Tom DiCillo (camera) and Jim Jarmusch (sound.)
Begun in 1978, "" was aired on BBC Arena and premiered at the 1983 New York Film Festival. Janet Maslin of the New York Times wrote: "The quality of discovery about 'Burroughs' was very much the director's doing, and Mr. Brookner demonstrates an unusual degree of liveliness and curiosity in exploring his subject."
Brookner followed up "Burroughs: the Movie" with a feature documentary on Robert Wilson, documenting Wilson's failed Civil Wars project, offering a closeness to the avant-garde theatre director similar to that in "Burroughs: the Movie". "Robert Wilson and the Civil Wars" was released on public television in 1986.
In 1987 Brookner began production on the American Playhouse/Columbia Studios feature he had written and was directing, "Bloodhounds of Broadway" starring Madonna, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Grey, Rutger Hauer, and others.
Secretly, Brookner was battling AIDS, which became exacerbated when he decided to go off his AZT medication to have the strength to finish shooting. "The New York Times" wrote it "was a race against the clock" as Brookner was gravely ill while fighting the studio for final cut and holding readings for his next film "Scary Kisses" (with new acting talent that included Sean Penn and Tilda Swinton).
He died before "Bloodhounds of Broadway" was released and was buried on his thirty-fifth birthday, 1989. Surrounded by friends and family, he left this quote taped to his refrigerator door: "There's so much beauty in the world. That's what got me into trouble in the first place."
Filmography.
Other Credits
Uncredited
Archive and restoration.
In 2012 Howard Brookner's archive was discovered in a number of locations in both the United States and Europe. The collection included 16mm film, reel to reel and mag sound, cassette tapes, 8mm film, VHS, video 8, and personal documents including letters, photos and writings. Some of the material contained never before seen out-takes of ", including those with Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, Brian Jones and Brion Gysin. The material was all shot by and for Howard Brookner between the late 1970s and end of the 1980s.
On November 28, 2012 Howard Brookner's nephew Aaron Brookner launched a Kickstarter campaign to finance digital restoration of Howard Brookner's out of print film '. The campaign was successful, gaining $21,360 from 283 backers, beating the initial goal of $20,000. The extra money raised during the campaign, not required for ', was designated towards preserving and restoring Brookner's wider archives.
The re-release of " coincided with the celebration of William S. Burroughs' one-hundredth birthday, in the year 2014.
Uncle Howard.
"Uncle Howard" is a feature documentary by director Aaron Brookner, nephew of Howard Brookner. The documentary follows Aaron's search for and restoration of Howard Brookner's archives including "" and "Robert Wilson and the Civil Wars".
Simultaneously the film tells Howard Brookner's story from his early filmmaking career at NYU, through his three completed features and up until his death in 1989. The film features contributions from numerous colleagues and friends of Howard's and is executive produced by Jim Jarmusch.
On December 2, 2015 it was announced that "Uncle Howard" would premiere in the US Documentary Competition category at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.


The Aquarium (film)

The Aquarium (, translit. Genenet Al Asmak) is a 2008 Egyptian drama film directed by Yousry Nasrallah.
Introduction.
Filmed in Egypt, Genenet Al Asmak "جنينة الاسماك" captures not only Cairo's Grotto Gardens but also her wounded society- a city of repression. Filmed in long continuous takes, the film conveys a sense of the real Egypt, through the depiction of the lives of Laila and Youssef.
Synopsis.
Laila, portrayed by Hend Sabri, is a rather unhappy and lonely radio talk show host who listens to other people's fantasies on her late night segment. Youssef, played by Amr Waked, is an anesthetist by day and an illegal abortion surgeon by night. The story begins with each character's separate tale being told in parallel and the difficulties they face with society. The protagonists have one thing in common, loneliness. Perhaps a way to satisfy this, they both feed off the grief of others- Laila through her talk show and Youssef at his legal place of work. Genenet Al Asmak can be compared to a 48-hour walk in Laila and Amr's lives. From the issues faced in the household by Amr and his terminal father played by Gamil Ratib to Laila's occasional party-girl evenings with her friends, "a walk in their shoes" effect is established. The film ends with the two protagonists physically meeting in Egypt's Grotto Gardens and realizing the loneliness they feel in each other.
Genenet Al Asmak tells the story of how everyday citizens function in the Egyptian society and find ways of release in a number of ways. Shot around Egypt, the film explores the country's political and moral situation with the help of Laila and Youssef.


Vijay Special Jury Award

The Vijay Special Jury Award is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The award is given to both actors and films.


G. M. Sundar

G. M. Sundar is an actor who has acted in a number of Tamil films. He turned producer for the film "Urumattram".
Career.
He studied acting at the Film and Television institute, Adyar. He was given his first role by director K. Balachandar in the film "Punnagai Mannan".
Later, Sundar was cast by Kamal Haasan in the film "Kadamai Kanniyam Kattupaadu" and "Sathya", produced by Raaj Kamal Films.
Apart from mainstream films, Sundar played the lead role in the national award-winning film "Ooruku Nooruper" directed by Lenin. He also acted in and produced a short film, "Urumattram", which won the national award for the Best Environmental Film.
After a brief hiatus, Sundar has entered into the second phase of his acting career through Nalan Kumarasamy's "Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum", starring Vijay Sethupathi and Madonna Sebastian. It was a critical and box office success.


Billa II (soundtrack)

Billa II is the soundtrack album, composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, for the 2012 film of the same name, directed by Chakri Toleti that stars Ajith Kumar as the title character. The album consists of six tracks; five songs and a theme music track. Na. Muthukumar penned all lyrics for the songs.
Production.
Although a new director (Chakri Toleti) was chosen to direct the prequel, Yuvan Shankar Raja, who had worked on the score of "Billa" (2007), was retained as the composer of "Billa II", which became his fifth project starring Ajith Kumar. The soundtrack album was reported to feature six tracks, including one promotional video song. It consists of five songs and a theme music track, an altered version of the original 2007 "Billa" theme. Yuvan Shankar Raja had composed a sixth song for a belly dance sequence, which was not included in the soundtrack, but featured only in the film. Na. Muthukumar agreed to write the lyrics, replacing Pa. Vijay who had worked on "Billa"'s lyrics. In a departure from convention, the lyrics were penned first which were set to tunes later.
Yuvan Shankar Raja revealed in 2014 told that he tried to recruit Shakira for the project but failed because of "budget troubles". In late January 2012, Yuvan Shankar Raja left for Florida, US, Chakri's home place, to finish the compositions. During the trip, he had composed a "melody song". Singer Krish informed via Twitter that he had lent his voice for a R&B style song that would be the introduction track of the protagonist, while Shweta Pandit was reported to have performed one song, too. However, Krish's version was later replaced by Yuvan Shankar himself. Re-recording works began by May 2012 in Mumbai.
Release.
The audio launch was initially to be released in mid-March 2012, but was then pushed to second week of April. Actor Rajinikanth was approached to unveil the soundtrack, with the team supposedly rescheduling the audio launch to suit Rajinikanth's dates, who had left for London for the filming of his film "Kochadaiyaan". The soundtrack was unveiled on 1 May 2012, coinciding with Ajith Kumar's birthday. Sony Music Entertainment that marketed the album of Ajith Kumar's previous film "Mankatha", acquired the music rights of "Billa II" as well for an unprecedented sum after some weeks-long negotiations. In the week before the audio launch, Sony Music began releasing teasers of each of the songs every day and promoted them across social platforms. The Telugu version of the soundtrack was released on 5 June 2012 at the Taj Deccan in Hyderabad.
Reception.
Rediff's Pavithra Srinivasan gave it 3 stars out of 5 and went to add that Yuvan Shankar Raja had "infused certain freshness to the music", describing it as "quite promising".
Track listing.
Billa 2 Song Lyrics


Santhosh Ananddram

Santhosh Ananddram is an Indian film lyric writer, screenwriter, director who works in Kannada cinema. He rose to fame with his debut directional venture 2014 film "Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari". He later went on and directed Kannada Star Puneeth Rajkumar in "Raajakumara", which was considered to be an all time industry hit in Kannada cinema.
Career.
He started his film career as a lyric writer through "Rocky". He then assisted Harsha in script, dialogues and direction departments for "Chingari". He also worked as a dialogue writer for "Agraja" and "Gajakesari". He made his directional debut in 2014 with Industry hit "Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari" starring Yash (actor) and Radhika Pandit. His next movie "Raajakumara" with Puneeth Rajkumar was released on 24 March 2017 and received huge applause from critics and audience. After humongous success of "Raajakumara" and two straight industry hits, he rose to fame as "Star Director" of Kannada cinema.
Ananddram's upcoming film is again with Kannada Star Puneeth Rajkumar titled "YuvaRathnaa" under Hombale Films. It was launched on 1 November 2018 on account of Kannada Rajyotsava. It was noted that two impaired kids from Chamarajanagar district came down to release the title of the movie. Ananddram was honoured with Zee Kannada's Hemmeya Nirdeshaka (Proud Director of Karnataka) for "Raajakumara". He made his Tollywood debut with the film "Yuvarathnaa" in 2021.
Personal life.
Santhosh Ananddram hail from Kota, Udupi district, Karnataka though he was born in an Iyengar family and brought up in Bangalore. He has a Brother Sagar Ananddram, who assists him in his Cine Career. He did his schooling (primary & high school) in Bangalore Education Society. He obtained a degree from Seshadripuram college, Bangalore. He was also recruited to Infosys where he worked for close to a year and resigned because of his desire for cinema.
He married Surabhi (Hail from Bellary) on 21 February 2018 in Bangalore in a star studded event where whole Kannada Film Industry Stars, Technicians, Journalists, Politicians came and wished the couple. It was covered in all Media and became one of the high standard marriages in the Kannada Cinema History.


Fjols til fjells

Fjols til fjells or Fools in the Mountains is a Norwegian situation comedy film released in 1957. It is one of the most popular Norwegian films of all time. It is considered one of Edith Carlmar's best films and is one of her few forays into the comedy genre as she was known primarily for social dramas about women's issues.
Plot.
When two guests who look exactly alike arrive at Hurlumhei hotel, the manager Poppe, thinking they are one person, begins questioning if he's going mad. Teddy Winter is a famous suave actor while the other (an unnamed ornithologist) is a geeky professor. Soon the actor's ex-lovers, an actress named Eva Sommer and a famous model named Mona Miller join them at the hotel adding to the confusion. The model mistakenly makes sexual advances on the professor which angers him. When he spurns her this also puts Teddy Winter into hot water. The actress catches word of this and is also angered. Poppe is driven up the wall by all this. Meanwhile, the daughter of the hotel director disguises herself as a bellhop at the hotel to prove to her father that she's not just a spoiled child. The bellhop figures everything out and sorts out all the confusion to Poppe. She marries Poppe and everything ends happily with Winter back with the actress and the ornithologist now with the model.
Release.
The film was released in Norwegian cinemas in summer 1957 to mixed reviews, but it was a box office success. It was re-released to cinemas ten years later, again filling theatres. It remained unreleased on home video until the '90s when it was released on VHS, followed by a remastered DVD release in 2004. In recent years it has been shown on NRK during Easter every year. It made its US TV debut on TCM on Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 9:15 PM Eastern standard time.
Cast and characters.
This was also the film debut as an uncredited extra for Liv Ullmann. She appears as a hotel guest near the very beginning of the film.


Asin

Asin Thottumkal (born 26 October 1985), known mononymously as Asin, is a former Indian actress who appeared in Tamil, Hindi, and Telugu films. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She has received three Filmfare Awards. She began her acting career in the South Indian film industry, but later shifted her focus to Bollywood. She speaks eight languages, and dubs her own films. She is the only Malayali actress, other than Padmini, to have dubbed in her own voice for all her films, irrespective of language. Asin has been referred to as the "Queen of Kollywood" by online portals in 2007.
Making her acting debut with Sathyan Anthikkad's Malayalam film "Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka" (2001), Asin had her first commercial success with the Telugu film "Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi" in 2003, and won a Filmfare Best Telugu Actress Award for the film. "M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi" (2004) was her debut in Tamil and a huge success. She received her Filmfare Best Tamil Actress Award for her most noted critically acclaimed performance in her third Tamil film, "Ghajini" (2005). She then played the lead female roles in many successful films, the most notable being the action films "Sivakasi" (2005), "Varalaru" (2006), "Pokkiri" (2007), "Vel" (2008) and "Dasavathaaram" (2008), hence establishing herself as the leading actress of Tamil cinema and was also honoured by the Tamil Nadu government with the Kalaimamani award for her excellence in the field of art and literature. In 2013, Asin was conferred with the Pride of South Indian Cinema award at SIIMA for her contribution to Tamil cinema.
In late 2008, Asin made her debut in the Bollywood film "Ghajini" (2008), opposite Aamir Khan, which was the first Bollywood film to have collected more than 1 billion in the domestic box office, subsequently collecting worldwide. Asin won the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and many accolades for Ghajini. 2011 marked the most successful phase of Asin's Bollywood career, as she starred in Anees Bazmee's romantic comedy "Ready", in which she co-starred alongside Salman Khan. The film was a major hit at the box office, collecting worldwide. In 2012, Asin first starred in Sajid Khan's multistarrer "Housefull 2", which collected more than 1 billion. She then featured in "Bol Bachchan" and "Khiladi 786", which were also commercially successful with both grossing over 1 billion.
Early life.
Asin was born at Kochi in the state Kerala in a Malayali Syro-Malabar Catholic family. Her father Joseph Thottumkal is an Ex-CBI officer and later managed several businesses. Her mother Seline Thottumkal, who moved from Kochi to Chennai and then to Mumbai to live with her daughter, is a surgeon. According to custom, Asin was to be named Mary, after her paternal grandmother. Asin's father however, named her Asin as the name had a beautiful meaning. Asin has quoted that her name means "pure and without blemish". She states that the 'A' in her name is from Sanskrit meaning "without", and "sin" from English.
She attended Naval Public School from LKG through X standard. She then attended St. Teresa's School in Kochi for her Kerala Higher Secondary Examination Board (Plus Two) Education. After that, she attended St. Teresa's College in Kochi, a college affiliated with MG University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature.
Career.
Early work (2001–04).
Asin's first assignment was an advertisement for BPL Mobile. She debuted in the Malayalam film "Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka" in 2001, at the age of 15. After taking a year out to pursue her education, Asin returned with her breakthrough film as an actress, "Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi" opposite Ravi Teja, portraying a Tamil girl in her first Telugu language film, which subsequently fetched her the Telugu Filmfare Award for Best Actress. In the same year she won the Santosham Best Actress Award for her performance alongside Akkineni Nagarjuna in her second Telugu film "Shivamani". Her following two Telugu films "Lakshmi Narasimha" and "Gharshana", both portrayed Asin as the love interest for police officers and both were successful ventures.
Asin's first Tamil language film was "M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi", in which she co-starred with Jayam Ravi. Asin reprised her role from her film "Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi" for the remake, which saw her portraying a Malayali girl instead of the Tamil girl in the original. The movie subsequently went on to super-hit in Tamil cinema during 2004, introducing Asin to Tamil film industry. After a brief return to Telugu films, to do "Chakram", she appeared in "Ullam Ketkumae". The film, initially launched in 2002, was supposed to be her debut as a lead heroine, is a college love story, directed by Jeeva, which was long-delayed but eventually became a successful venture at the box office, creating wider opportunities for her and the rest of the cast.
Tamil film breakthrough and stardom (2005–07).
After the release of "Ullam Ketkumae", Asin was cited as a leading heroine of the Tamil film industry after starring in blockbuster films such as "Ghajini", "Sivakasi", "Varalaru" and "Pokkiri" respectively. The film which provided the breakthrough for Asin was "Ghajini". The film, co-starring Surya, directed by A.R. Murugadoss, earned her the Tamil Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Her role was that of a vivacious young model named Kalpana. Sify.com praised her portrayal as "magical", describing her character as a "lovable chatterbox", played with "sheer ability in the romantic interludes, the poignant and heartfelt scenes when she rescues minor girls from villains and her gory end are touching". On the following Diwali in 2005, Asin had two releases, "Sivakasi" and "Majaa". Despite the latter becoming an average grosser, the former went on to be a successful venture at the box office.
The following year, her long-delayed venture "Varalaru" opposite Ajith Kumar also succeeded at the box office, and The Hindu said she "looks lustrous and sails through her role smoothly". Asin appeared in Pawan Kalyan's "Annavaram", another successful venture, which was a remake of Thirupaachi. In January 2007, Asin appeared opposite Ajith Kumar and Vijay in two different films, "Aalwar" and "Pokkiri", with the latter becoming a success, whilst "Aalwar" became a failure. Though Asin's role in "Aalwar" was criticised, her performance in "Pokkiri" was lauded by critics. Her final project of the year was opposite Surya, in Hari's "Vel", which had a Diwali 2007 release, subsequently becoming her third successful film which released during the Diwali season in three years. Asin, who portrayed a TV anchor, was appreciated for her role in the film.
Hindi film debut (2008–10).
Asin appeared in her first dual role in K. S. Ravikumar's "Dasavathaaram" opposite Kamal Haasan, who portrayed ten roles. The film had been under production since September 2006. Despite being overshadowed by Haasan's ten roles, Asin's portrayals in the film were praised as her "best-to-date", with one of her roles being that of a Vaishnavite in 12th century Tamil Nadu; whilst the other character was a Brahmin girl from Chidambaram, for which she won her first ITFA Best Actress Award. "Dasavathaaram" subsequently went on to become one of the blockbusters.
Since establishing herself as the leading actress in South India, Asin opted to move into Bollywood. Her first film "Ghajini", opposite Aamir Khan, was the remake of her breakthrough film of the same name. Upon release, the film garnered positive reactions from critics and masses alike, with Asin being singled out for her "fabulous" portrayal. Noted critic Taran Adarsh described her Hindi debut as "fabulous" and that "to share the screen space with an actor of the stature of Aamir Khan and yet remain in your memory even after the show has ended is no cakewalk. She looks fresh and photogenic and acts her part brilliantly, giving Asin's performance a positive outlook."
"Ghajini" became the highest grossing Bollywood film of 2008 and the sixth highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time according to net collections. Asin later appeared in Vipul Shah's "London Dreams", alongside Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn, in which she played a south Indian girl, Priya, who is emotional but strong willed and an ambitious dancer at the same time. The film received mixed reviews from critics.
Her first film of 2011 was "Kaavalan", which released on 15 January 2011. The film was a critical and commercial success. "Behindwoods" review of the film praised her performance: "Asin, in Tamil for the first time after "Dasavatharam", convinces us with her portrayal. The chemistry of the lead pair has worked out well; especially the portions w things that ultimately result in love". The chemistry between Vijay and Asin worked out well and was appreciated. Asin went on to win the SIIMA Award for Best Actress for this film. The film also includes Vadivelu as the comedian along with Mithra Kurian, Roja and Rajkiran playing supporting roles.
Final work (2011–15).
Her next movie with Salman Khan, "Ready", was released on 3 June 2011 to mixed reviews. Critics praised the chemistry between Salman and Asin. Upon release, "Ready" became the second highest weekend grossing Bollywood film, after "Dabangg" and went on to become the fifth film in Bollywood history to cross the coveted mark in the domestic market.
In 2012, she first appeared alongside Akshay Kumar in Sajid Khan's multistarrer comedy "Housefull 2". Though it received a mixed critical reception, it was a major commercial success. Asin generally received favourable reviews for her performance, with Adarsh stating that "[a]mongst the female leads, Asin has the meatiest role and gives a decent account of herself."
On 6 July 2012, Rohit Shetty's "Bol Bachchan", alongside Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan, released with mixed reviews with the critics praising the performances of Asin, Ajay Devgn, and Abhishek Bachchan. Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama, who praised Asin's performance stated: "Asin does well, though her screen time is limited. Nonetheless, her amiable looks and stimulating smile add to her charisma!!." While the reviewer from Behindwoods quoted: "There is a small surprise with regards to Asin's role. She is the romantic interest of Ajay and looks serene and absolutely cute." The movie is now declared a super hit.
"Khiladi 786", in which she reunited with her "Housefull 2" costar, Akshay Kumar, released on 7 December 2012 to mixed reviews, but was strong at the box office and eventually became a commercially successful venture.
Asin did not appear in any movie in 2013 or 2014. Her only movie release of 2015 was "All Is Well", directed by Umesh Shukla and produced by Bhushan Kumar. In one interview, director Umesh Shukla stated that Asin would be seen in an "important dramatic role".
Other work.
Humanitarian work.
During the shoot of her film "Ready" in Sri Lanka, she was part of camps that were meant to help the Sri Lankan Tamil people who were affected by the Sri Lankan Civil War.
In an interview during the DNA I Can Women's Half Marathon in 2012, Asin, speaking about the importance of health and the necessity of education said:
Brand ambassador.
Asin has been the brand ambassador for several companies and products, and has appeared in commercials for Avon, Mirinda, Colgate, Fairever, Tanishq, Big Bazaar, Parachute, Spinz talc, Lux, Amrutanjan Healthcare, and Clinic All Clear. Asin has been endorsing Mirinda soft drinks since 2004.
Personal life.
Asin is a Catholic Christian belonging to the Syro-Malabar rite, and currently resides in Mumbai. She also owns an apartment in Marine Drive, Kochi and a farmhouse in Vagamon, Kerala. The actress is a polyglot. She can speak seven languages; being well-versed in Malayalam (her mother tongue), Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, English, Hindi and French. Asin also speaks a smattering of Italian and learnt basic Marathi for her movie "Khiladi 786", in which she played a typical Marathi girl. In June 2013, it was reported in the Indian media that Asin was learning German during her free time. She began learning Spanish after visiting Spain in early 2014.
Asin married Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma in January 2016 in a Christian wedding that was followed by a Hindu ceremony, and quit from acting after marriage. Their first child, a daughter Arin, was born on 24 October 2017.


Citadel Film Corporation


Roll Rida

Rahul Kumar Velpula (born 26 Jan 1989), known professionally as Roll Rida, is an Indian rapper, song writer and actor in Tollywood (Telugu).
He became popular with his YouTube rap song on Sankranthi, "Patang", was a huge hit with over 17 million views. His other popular songs are Kirana rap, Breaking news Kattif,Shankar Ka Beta, Ivvalane Dilkush,Ignite, Arupu etc. In 2018, he appeared as a contestant for Bigg Boss Telugu 2 and successfully reached the 15th week of the show and finished in 6th place.
Early life.
Roll Rida was born in Karimnagar, Telangana, India. He did his schooling at Johnson Grammar School in Hyderabad; intermediate at Narayana Junior College, Tarnaka and completed his BTech in computer science from CVR College of Engineering, Hyderabad. He was popular for his singing in school and started a band in college with Syed Kamran.
Career.
Roll Rida initially worked at Google, Hyderabad and as Quality Analyst at Tech Mahindra.
He picked his professional name, Roll Rida, upon a friend’s suggestion, after popular American rapper, Flo Rida, of Low song fame. He quit his job to pursue his successful singing career in 2017. His rap song ‘Arupu’ with Syed Kamran raked in 4M views on YouTube.
He was the first to do a rap song in Telugu language. In 2013, he debuted on Sankranthi with a single, "Patang", on YouTube became a huge hit, with over 14 million views. His songs Patang, Kirana song, Dilkush are popular with young listeners. He toured USA in 2015 and 2016 to promote his Telugu rap and Hip Hop songs. He also performed at TKR Engineering College annual event which was a huge hit. Roll Rida was featured on VH1 in 2010.
Artistry.
Rapping technique.
Roll Rida's rapping is a combination of Hyderabadi Telugu and Deccani slang spoken in Hyderabad old city.
Tollywood.
He worked with Telugu music directors like M. M. Keeravani, S. S. Thaman and Anoop Rubens. He also performed with DIVINE. He worked as a voice artist for Akhil Akkineni in the film "Manam", and Jr. NTR in "Temper". He acted in a short film, "Hello!", an urban rom com. It was released on YouTube.
Bigg Boss Telugu 2.
He was selected for "Bigg Boss 2" for his popularity. He stayed in the house till the week before the finale of that season.


S. R. Sathish Kumar

S. R. Sathish Kumar is an Indian cinematographer, who has worked in the Tamil and Hindi film industries.
Career.
Sathish Kumar initially apprenticed under P. Selvakumar and A. Rameshkumar. Then after he worked with his friend fellow cinematographer N. K. Ekambaram before getting his first opportunity as a senior cinematographer. Sathish Kumar began his career as the main cinematographer on the film Theekutchi directed by a.l.raja and then by working with S. P. Jananathan on the action adventure film, "Peranmai" (2009), before signing on to work on Kalyanakrishnan's "Bhooloham". The film's delay meant that he worked on the productions of "Mappillai" (2011) and "Meaghamann" (2014), earning critical acclaim for his work. For "Meaghamann", he experimented with a phone camera for particular shots. He subsequently worked on the Hindi film, "Desi Kattey" (2014), before "Bhooloham" (2015) finally released.


Aanai

Aanai (English: Order) is a 2005 Indian Tamil action drama film written and directed by Selva. It stars Arjun, Namitha and Keerthi Chawla in the lead, while Vadivelu, Sanghavi and Manoj K. Jayan play pivotal roles. D. Imman composed the soundtrack, while Shiva was the cinematographer for the venture which released in December 2005.
The film is a remake of the 2004 film "Man on Fire" starring Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning. The film's Hindi Bollywood remake, "Ek Ajnabee", starring Amitabh Bachchan in the lead, was released a week later.
Synopsis.
Selva has set the story in Chennai city as some terrorist leader in London wants to kidnap children of the rich and powerful.
Plot.
Vijay (Arjun) is an ex-cop who was framed up after he cleaned the city of the scum of the earth including nine encounter killings of dreaded gangsters. Now out of work, he is persuaded by his former boss to be the bodyguard of 8-year-old Priya whose parents (Manoj K. Jayan and Sanghavi) are millionaires.
He is hired to protect the little girl from kidnappers who are on the prowl. The kidnappers are led by a loony militant called 'Ahmed Khan' who manages to kidnap Priya and humiliate Vijay. The rest of the film is how Vijay assisted by two glam girls (Namitha and Keerthi Chawla) mete out vigilante justice in a cat-and-mouse game with the kidnappers.
Production.
Selva, who had directed Arjun in "Karna" (1995) and the long delayed "Manikanda" (2006) was signed by Vasan Visual Ventures to work with him again. The actor signed on for a hiked price of one crore rupees, following the success of his previous film "Giri". The unit had a 15-day shooting stint in Hyderabad in February 2005, with two of the lead actresses Namitha and Sanghavi involved in the shoot. The film featured a new editing technique tried by Satish and Harsha, while the team shot three songs with Arjun and Namitha in London, notably near the London Eye and Windsor Castle. Another song was shot with Arjun and Namitha at the Mohan Studio in Chennai, with the actor notably wearing four inch heels to make up for height difference with the actress.
During the making of the film, allegations arose that Arjun had been sending lewd messages to Namitha, which led to a brief furore on sets.
Release.
The film had a brief delay in getting released due to the failure of the actor's previous film, "Chinna", though the film finally released across Tamil Nadu in early December 2005. A critic from Sify.com noted "what could have been an edge-of-the-seat thriller ends up as a badly made mass-masala movie", concluding that the film is "disappointing".
Soundtrack.
The soundtrack album was composed by D. Imman.
Track list


K. K. Senthil Kumar

K. K. Senthil Kumar is an Indian cinematographer who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. He graduated with a degree in cinematography from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.He started working at Adis Wathba in 2019. He made his film debut with "Aithe" (2003) directed by Chandra Sekhar Yeleti. He is mostly associated with S.S. Rajamouli's films and has worked in box office hits such as "Sye" (2004), "Chatrapati" (2005), "Yamadonga" (2007), "Magadheera" (2009), "Eega" (2012), and "" (2015). In 2012, he won the SIIMA Award for Best Cinematographer (Telugu) for "Eega".
Personal life.
Kumar was born and brought up in Bollaram, Secunderabad and is the eldest of three siblings. He married Ruhee, a Yoga instructor, on 25 June 2009. They have two sons..


Vijay Adhiraj

Vijay Adhiraj is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Kannada films and serials. He was introduced in the NFDC & Doordarshan produced "Sahashraphan" in Hindi, written by then Prime Minister of India Shri. P. V. Narasimha Rao and directed by the Kannada T. S. Nagabharana.
Career.
Adhiraj made his acting debut starring in television serials, before featuring in films including "Ponnu Veetukkaran" and "Roja Kootam". Throughout the 2000s, he became an established television and live event host.
"Suzhal", directed by his father the late Shri Anand Mohan and written by him, launched him into the limelight. It was followed by "Nimmadhi Ungal Choice", produced by AVM Productions and directed by Shri Sp. Muthuraman. "Ganesh-Vasanth", written by Sujatha, produced by Madras Talkies and directed by Suhasini Manirathnam, helped establish his credentials as an actor.
"Chithi", produced by Radaan Mediaworks, established him as a sought after television star, and gave him the title "Superstar" of the small screen.
He finished as runner up in the reality dance show "Jodi Number One" during season 1, alongside his wife, Rachana.
He has since directed a film, "Puthagam", which starred Sathya, Jagapati Babu and Rakul Preet Singh in the lead roles. Adhiraj wrote the script in 1998, but was advised by his peers, including Crazy Mohan, to wait before launching the production. The film had a low key release in January 2013 and received average reviews from critics.
He has hosted many famous functions, including the Littleshows Award.


Ami Thumi

Ami Thumi is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Mohanakrishna Indraganti, starring Adivi Sesh, Eesha Rebba, Vennela Kishore, Avasarala Srinivas, and Aditi Myakal. The film was produced by K C Narasimha Rao, music composed by Mani Sharma, and cinematography by P. G. Vinda.
Plot.
Ami Thumi is a situation comedy about two loving couples, first Deepika (Rebba) and Ananth (Sesh) and then Maya (Myakal) and Vijay (Srinivas). The couple's fathers are business rivals, and Deepika's father Janardhan (Bharani) objects to the relationship. While Maya opts to become a nun, Janardhan arranges a match to another man, Sri Chilipi (Kishore), however, Deepika tricks Sri Chillipi into helping them. The movie follows his plans to help them change Janardhan's mind.
Reception.
The film received middling reviews from critics but with praise for Vennela Kishore's performance.
Soundtrack.
The music has been composed by Mani Sharma and released by Aditya Music.


The Mad Aunts Strike Out

The Mad Aunts Strike Out () is a 1971 West German comedy film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Rudi Carrell, Ilja Richter, and Mascha Gonska. It is part of a series of cross-dressing comedies inspired by "Charley's Aunt" and "Some Like It Hot".
The film's sets were designed by Eberhard Schröder.


Amol Rathod

Amol Rathod is an Indian cinematographer who primarily works for Tollywood and Bollywood.His first movie as a cinematographer was Oh, My God.
Career.
Amol started his career as an assistant camera man in Ram Gopal Varma films and later turned as Cinematographer.


The Adventure of Iron Pussy

The Adventure of Iron Pussy () is a 2003 Thai musical-action-comedy film written and directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Michael Shaowanasai and starring Shaowanasai. The protagonist is a crossdressing Thai secret agent whose alter ego is a gay male convenience clerk. A homage and parody of the 1970s Thai action films, musicals and melodramas, particularly those that starred Mitr Chaibancha and Petchara Chaowarat, the movie premiered at the 2003 Tokyo International Film Festival and has also played at the Berlin Film Festival, the International Film Festival Rotterdam and other festivals. It is a cult film and has screened at several gay and lesbian film festivals as well.
Plot.
The scene opens on a rural Thai coffee shop, run by an elderly man and his attractive teenage daughter. A gang of local thugs come in and start roughing up the customers and get abusive with the daughter. Suddenly, an elaborately coifed and tastefully dressed woman shows up and rescues the young woman and her father from further harm. This is Iron Pussy.
She disappears into the bushes and re-emerges as a slight, shaven-headed man, who then gets on the back of a motorcycle taxi and heads into Bangkok. Along the way, the motorcycle driver, Pew, relates his memories of the day he and Iron Pussy met – Pew, crazed from a drug overdose, had taken a young woman hostage. Iron Pussy came on the scene and rescued not the young woman, but Pew, and the two have been a couple ever since.
Iron Pussy arrives at her job. She is a clerk in a 7-Eleven in Bangkok. Unfailingly courteous and professional, she greets a man who she believes is just another customer, in the shop to pay his phone bill. When Iron Pussy scans the bill, a message comes up on the computer screen: "Hello Iron Pussy". It is a secret message from the prime minister. It seems there's a job for Iron Pussy.
Once again in the guise of the superheroine secret agent, the demure Iron Pussy goes to the meeting place with the prime minister, a Buddhist temple, where she takes time to make merit by releasing some turtles and fish into the nearby river. She meets with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his cabinet (all lookalike actors), who take time to sing a song, extolling the virtues of Iron Pussy.
Iron Pussy is tasked with uncovering the nefarious activities of Mr. Henry, a foreigner who frequently visits Thailand and leaves with full bank accounts. Mr. Henry will be attending a lavish party at the luxurious mansion of Madame Pompadoy, so Iron Pussy must infiltrate the housekeeping staff as a maid.
Her charms win over Madame Pompadoy's debonair son, Tang, who is nonetheless in another relationship, being engaged to marry Rungraree, globetrotting socialite. Iron Pussy feels herself falling for Tang's charms as well, but she has a nagging feeling that something is not right about that relationship.
Donning an all-black Spandex outfit and mask one night, Iron Pussy uncovers Mr. Henry's plot – he's making a mind-control drug. And Tang is involved in the scheme, which breaks Iron Pussy's heart.
Later, at the big party being thrown by Madame Pompadoy, Iron Pussy steps up when the main entertainment doesn't show up, and sings a song that really impresses everyone.
The next day, the family is going into the jungle for its annual deer hunt. This is when everything comes out – that Iron Pussy is actually a secret agent, but it's also revealed that Madame Pompadoy is Iron Pussy's mother, who gave Iron Pussy up for adoption long ago, which means, of course, that Tang is Iron Pussy's brother.
Origin and production.
The Iron Pussy character was developed by Michael Shaowanasai, a Bangkok-based performance artist, who made some short films involving the heroine. She is modeled after Thai cinematic heroine of the 1970s, Petchara Chaowarat, whose trademark appearance always included elaborate hair styles and makeup to accentuate her large, expressive eyes. Petchara made a string of action films, melodramas and musicals, mostly with Mitr Chaibancha, and Iron Pussy, particularly when she is in "stealth" mode, recalls Mitr's famous superhero character, Red Eagle (Insee Daeng).
The feature film was made while Shaowanasai's friend, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, was experiencing a delay in funding for his third feature film, "Tropical Malady". To keep his Kick the Machine production company working, Apichatpong and Michael collaborated on the script and quickly made "Iron Pussy" on an extremely low budget using digital video, which has a grainy look that matches the 1970s 16 mm Thai films that have survived the years to still be shown today.
Enhancing the retro look and feel of the film, the soundtrack is entirely dubbed, which was the standard practice with 16-mm production in Thailand. Many of the voice actors who worked on "Iron Pussy" are veterans from the earlier era and are well known to Thais. The dubbing allows Iron Pussy's transformation from her male alter ego to her female superhero personality to be even more complete, because a male actor dubbed the man's voice and female actresses dubbed Iron Pussy's voice and sang her songs.


Alluda Majaka

Alluda Majaka is a 1995 Tollywood action-comedy film produced by Devi Vara Prasad under the Devi Films banner. The film starred Chiranjeevi, Ramya Krishna and Rambha in the lead roles, with Kota Srinivasa Rao, Lakshmi and Ooha playing supporting roles. The movie was directed by E. V. V. Satyanarayana and the story and screenplay was by Posani Krishna Murali. The film was remade in Kannada as Kiladi.
The film generated widespread controversy upon release, with the communists and the Hindu nationalists demanding a ban on the film as it contained a number of scenes portraying women in an obscene manner. When the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) considered a ban on the film two months after its release, the fans of Chiranjeevi organised a protest in Hyderabad, demanding that the film not be banned. The CBFC eventually did not ban the film, but edited out the objectionable parts, the film thus achieving the dubious distinction of being one of the few films to be recalled by the CBFC. Despite the controversy, the film performed well at the box-office.
Plot.
Sitaram (Chiranjeevi) is the son of the benevolent patriarch of his village who has been the Panchayat President for the past thirty years. Sitaram, his family and the village community are victimized by Vasundhara (Lakshmi) and Peddaiah (Kota Srinivasa Rao). Peddaiah's NRI son, Siva (Chinna) comes to the village from the United States to see Pappi (Ramya Krishna), the eldest daughter of Vasundhara, and a girl of Peddaiah's choice for him to marry, but he decides instead to marry Sitaram's sister, Malleswari (Ooha), a traditional Telugu girl. Peddaiah agrees to the marriage after he realises that the ancestral land which Sitaram's father had distributed to the coolies contains priceless granite deposits. He demands the land as dowry days before the proposed marriage. Sitaram's father refuses to take it back from the coolies. Peddaiah cancels the marriage. Vasundhara is angered by Siva's choice but dupes the coolies, steals their land and makes a deal with Peddaiah. Siva's marriage is fixed with Pappi without his knowledge. Meanwhile, it becomes public knowledge that Malleswari is pregnant (with Siva's child). Sitaram's father kills himself when he realises that the coolies have lost their land. Sitaram and Malleswari move to the city, awaiting Siva's return.
Upon Siva's return, Malleswari is falsely arrested for prostitution before his eyes. Disgusted, Siva rejects her. Sitaram is framed (by Peddaiah) in the murder of a police officer and is subsequently sentenced to death. He escapes from custody and forcibly marries Pappi who is all set to marry Siva. With the help of a lawyer, Sivarama Krishna (Giri Babu), the estranged husband of Vasundhara, Sitaram comes out of prison on parole. He is then transformed by his father-in-law into Mr. Toyota, a rich NRI on the lookout for an Indian bride, to teach Vasundhara a lesson and to resolve the multiple crises of the film. After another arrest and dramatic escape from prison, Sitaram defeats the villains and restores order. Finally, Sivarama Krishna and Vasundhara are reunited, Malleswari marries Siva and Sitaram finds himself in a bedroom with Pappi and her younger sister Bappi (Rambha).


Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan

Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan (2 March 1935 – 8 September 2008) was an Indian classical music violinist and music composer.
Early life.
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan was born on 2 March 1935 and was trained by his father, Ramaswamy Sastry *.
Career.
The violin was his forte. He was known for his dexterity and subtlety in handling the violin, he catered not only to the music scholar but also to the layman. His play reflected his own different moods and the demands of his audience with whom he established and enjoyed a good rapport. He dwelled with ease and competence in the high as well as the low octaves.
At the age of 12, he accompanied great stalwarts like Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Maharajapuram Santhanam in concerts. He also performed with Nadaswaram vidwans like T.N.Rajarathinam Pillai and Thiruvenkadu Subramania Pillai.
He stopped accompanying vocal artistes in 1976 to concentrate more on solo concerts. He was famous for his fingering techniques on the violin. His interest in new attempts and innovations led him to work with veteran thavil vidwan Valayapatti_A._R._Subramaniam. They performed over 3,000 shows together. Vaidyanathan had deep faith in the therapeutic merits of music.
Film music.
He also made a significant contribution to Tamil devotional music. A. P. Nagarajan giving him his first break in the movie "Vaa Raja Vaa". He had several hits such as "Agathiyar" in which "Sirkazhi govindarajan" Acted as Agathiyar. And "Raja Raja Chozhan", for which he scored music, were also phenomenal hits.
Vaidyanathan made a special appearance in the 2005 Tamil movie Anniyan directed by Shankar, on the Tyagaraja Aradhana festival sequence for the song "Iyengaaru Veetu" which is a recreation of the real festival. He had guest appearances in many other films.
He tried his hand at film production with a feature film in Tamil "Thodi Ragam", with T. N. Seshagopalan in the lead, which failed to enthuse the audience.
Discography.
Their works include music for the following movies:
Awards.
He was awarded the prestigious "Padma Shri" title by the Indian government, "Kalaimamani" award, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1993, and the "Karnataka Isaignani award". He has also won "Best Music Director" awards for his background scores for films. He received the "Sangeetha Kalasikhamani" award given by "The Indian Fine Arts Society" in 1996. He also received the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director for the film Thirumalai Thenkumari in 1970 and the Tamil Nadu State Film Honorary Award - Raja Sando Award in 2000.
Other associations.
Vaidyanathan, had a long association with the All India Radio. An able administrator, Vaidyanathan served as Secretary of the Tamil Nadu "Iyal Isai Nadaga Mandram". As the Secretary of "Thyagabrahma Sabha", Thiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district, he conducted the Tyagaraja Aradhana for several years. He also served as president of the Raga Research Centre.


Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (soundtrack)

Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa is the soundtrack of the 2010 Tamil romance film of the same name, directed by Gautham Menon. The soundtrack album and background score were composed by A. R. Rahman, collaborating with Gautham Menon for the first time. The lyrics for the songs were penned by Menon's usual associate, Thamarai along with Kalyani Menon and Kaithapram, the latter penning the Malayalam lyrics in the album. The album was released on 25 December 2009 in London with several film personalities participating at the grand function. It was the first time that a Tamil film audio release was held in London. It was followed by an audio launch function which was also held in Chennai on 6 January 2010. Sony Music released the album worldwide. The album opened to critical acclaim from music critics. The audio was marked as #1 in Asia, in terms of advance bookings. The album was ranked among the best musicals of 2010. A collector's edition of the film was released on 1 December 2010, which featured two unreleased tracks. The same soundtrack album was reused in the simultaneous Telugu version "Ye Maaya Chesave" (2010) and its Hindi remake "Ekk Deewana Tha" (2011).
Album information.
The first song in the album, is "Omana Penne", which features Silambarasan dancing with Trisha. It is set to picturise him dancing and singing while they meet together. The song was sung by, Benny Dayal and Kalyani Menon. The second song in the album, is entitled, "Anbil Avan" which is sung by Chinmayi and Devan Ekambaram. The song was picturised in New York City, USA. The third song is "Mannipaaya", which was picturised around ECR in Chennai. The song has singer Shreya Ghoshal along with A. R. Rahman himself singing. The fourth song in the album is "Hosanna" and is sung by Vijay Prakash, Suzanne D'Mello and Blaaze, which already made huge waves before the official audio release. Additional vocals for the songs were penned by Vivek Agarwal, Dr. Narayan, V. V. Prasanna, Haricharan. This song was picturised in Malta. The fifth song is titled "Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa", which name is the album's title. The voice was rendered by Karthik, and had additional vocals by Vivek Agarwal. The sixth song is named, "Kannukkul Kannai" – one being a peppy number sung by Naresh Iyer. The final song in the album, is entitled, "Aaromale" sung by the music director Alphons Joseph, with Kaithapram's Malayalam lyrics.
Release.
Unofficial versions.
Before the official audio release, the track "Hosanna" was leaked and went viral on the internet. Later the track was officially released with the same singer but another strophe had been added to the song.
Official version.
The official audio of "Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa" was released at the BAFTA Awards held at London on 25 December 2009, which was attended by several film personalities, including the lead actors Silambarasan and Trisha, composer A. R. Rahman, lyricist Thamarai, director Gautham Menon amongst others attending the event, which also featured a live unplugged performance. On 6 January 2010, another audio release function was held at Sathyam cinemas in Chennai with several film personalities participating in the grand function, amongst the cast and crew, after which the original audio cassettes and CDs were available in stores. Three songs and a trailer was screened at the event. The audio was released by Kamal Hassan, who has previously acted in Gautham's direction in the film "Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu" (2006). The CD's & cassettes cover released by Sony Music India had an image of three Silambarasan's and on the right side a Trisha. All the lyrics are penned by Menon's usual associate, Thamarai and the Malayalam lyrics by Kaithapram and Kalyani Menon.
As a part of the film's promotion, the audio cassettes and CDs were released across the world via Amazon's online retail store, and also made available digitally on iTunes, Nokia Store, and an iPhone application, in which will allow the users to stream and listen to the full-length songs from the film, download the songs, wallpapers and other movie related information. This initiative is a first for an iPhone application that is entirely based on movie OST. It is the result of the joint efforts by Sony Music Entertainment India and Dot Com Infoway Mobile Studios, a Chennai-based Software and Mobile applications developer. The service will be available to any registered user of iPhone apps across the world, where a user will be charged $1.99 (139 in terms of INR) for downloading the application facilitating unlimited streaming of the songs from the album and $2.99 (213 in terms of INR) to download the whole album. The software company has also made sure to restrict unauthorized sharing of the content through this unique application, where a user who downloads the songs on his iPhone or iPod will not be able transfer it to any other unauthorized device.
Collector's edition.
A collector's edition special pack, titled "A. R. Rahman Collectors' Edition Pack of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa", was released by Sony Music on 1 December 2010. This edition included two additional songs, BAFTA audio premiere, A. R. Rahman T-shirt and liner notes of the songs. The additional songs, a female version of "Aaromale" and "Jessie's Land" were performed by Shreya Ghoshal and Megha respectively, at the audio premiere held at BAFTA Awards in London on 11 December 2010.
Other versions.
Telugu version.
The same soundtrack was also used in the Telugu version of the film, "Ye Maaya Chesave", which was simultaneously made and released with the Tamil version. The Telugu version of the soundtrack was released on 3 February 2010. It also had the same set of vocalists except for Rahman, who was replaced by Karthik for the Telugu version of "Mannipaaya" which was titled "Vintunaava". The lyrics were penned by Anantha Sreeram.
Hindi version.
The same soundtrack was also used for the Hindi remake, titled "Ekk Deewana Tha" which is also directed by Gautham Menon. The soundtrack was released on 23 December 2011.
Track listing.
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
The song Aaromale is written by Kaithapram
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya (Collector's Edition)
Reception.
The album received overwhelmingly positive reviews from music critics and listeners. Indiaglitz gave the album 4 out of 5 stating "Vinnaithandi Varuvaya is a cute little album that has experimental score by Rahman. The man with Midas Touch, Rahman is at again. The album is a rich treasure not just for Rahman-fans but to genuine music-lovers too. The music composer seems to have set a trend which others would soon emulate." Behindwoods rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stating "In a rather telling interview with Nik Gowing of BBC, Rahman expressed his deep desire to bring South Indian (he sweetly included all the four states) music out of its narrow confines and popularize it all over the world because it had so much to offer. He has taken a huge step in that direction with this album. Though the music sounds global, it has some tasteful native sensibilities." Rediff rated the album 3 out of 5 stating "It isn't possible to toss an opinion of an A R Rahman album based on just one listen. This composer has a talent for coming up with numbers that grow on you. Lyricist Thamarai stands out, as well. Having said that, it doesn't look like VTV is one of her best efforts. Blame the post-Oscar hype or the burden of too many projects but aside from a few moments of brilliant heights, ARR pretty much sticks to his proven template. In this collection, he's gone more for the western crowd, it seems and there's little space for experimentation. A discerning music-lover might be left yearning for something more. For diehard ARR fans though, it's a musical treat." Music Aloud gave the rating of 8.5 out of 10 stating "To sum up, it is refreshing to hear a set of totally new tunes from a Gautam Menon flick. Rahman has started off his 2010 campaign in style. And in "Aaromale", he has once again shown why he is a league apart from other music directors of his time." Milliblog reviewed "Gautam’s fish-out-of-bowl state shows as he grapples with Rahman’s divergently different melodic palette." Radioandmusic.com gave the album 3.5 out of 5 and reviewed "Experimental in nature, the album Vinnaithandi Varuvaya exudes freshness. My pick in the album includes Hossana which would go well with the audiences, Alphonse Joseph owes Rahman for beautiful composition- Aaoromale and Mannipaya."
Album credits.
Credits adapted from A. R. Rahman's official website.
Producers.
A. R. Rahman
Performers.
A. R. Rahman, Benny Dayal, Kalyani Menon, Devan Ekambaram, Chinmayi, Karthik, Vijay Prakash, Suzanne, Blaaze, Naresh Iyer, Shreya Ghoshal, Alphons Joseph, Megha
Production.
Music Label - Sony Music Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.


Thinner (film)

Thinner (marketed as Stephen King's Thinner) is a 1996 American body horror film directed by Tom Holland and written by Michael McDowell and Holland. The film is based on Stephen King's 1984 novel of the same name (which he wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman) and stars Robert John Burke, Joe Mantegna, Lucinda Jenney, Michael Constantine, Kari Wuhrer, and Bethany Joy Lenz.
Plot.
Billy Halleck is an obese, upper class lawyer living with his wife Heidi and their daughter Linda. Billy recently defended an underworld crime boss named Richie "The Hammer" Ginelli in court and is now celebrating his acquittal on a murder charge. Heidi, in an attempt to persuade him to forget about his obsession with food, attempts to give Billy oral sex as he is driving. Distracted, Billy accidentally runs over an elderly Romani woman named Suzanne Lempke, killing her. He is acquitted in the subsequent proceedings by his friend Judge Cary Rossington. The local police chief Duncan Hopley also obstructs the case by committing perjury for Billy. Outraged by the injustice, Suzanne's father, Tadzu Lempke, places a curse on Billy on the steps of the courthouse by touching his face and uttering "Thinner". Soon afterward, Billy begins to lose weight rapidly, despite not working out or sticking to his diet. Heidi, fearing the weight loss may be due to cancer, calls Dr. Mike Houston, with whom Billy soon begins to suspect his wife is having an affair.
Billy learns that Rossington and Hopley have also been cursed; Rossington has been metamorphosed into a lizard-like being, while Hopley develops purulent ulcers on his face and hands. Both Rossington and Hopley commit suicide. Billy tracks down the Romani camp and tries to reason with Tadzu; however, Tadzu is further angered and he makes the curse on Billy worse. Gina, Tadzu's great-granddaughter, uses her slingshot to shoot a large ball bearing which goes directly through Billy's hand, infuriating Billy into vowing revenge against Tadzu and the other Romani people who live there. Billy then enlists Ginelli to attack the Romani camp and persuade Tadzu to meet with Billy and lift the curse. Chanting a spell, Tadzu mixes Billy's blood into a strawberry pie. Tadzu states that if someone else eats the pie, the curse will kill them quickly and Billy will be spared. He urges Billy to eat the pie himself and die with dignity, but Billy refuses.
Billy arrives home and gives Heidi the strawberry pie. She delightedly eats a piece, while Billy heads to bed, claiming exhaustion. The next morning, Billy finds Heidi's desiccated corpse next to him. He is gleeful to be free of the curse and of what he believes is his disloyal wife. However, when he goes downstairs, he discovers that his daughter Linda had eaten some of the pie for breakfast. Wracked with guilt and having nothing left to lose, he prepares to eat the rest of the pie. However, Billy is interrupted by Mike, who is at the door. Seeing Billy, Mike grows uncomfortable and struggles to explain his unannounced presence, seemingly confirming Billy's suspicions of an affair between Mike and Heidi. Billy invites Mike in for a piece of the pie and closes the door with a smirk.
Critical reception.
"Thinner" received mostly negative reviews from critics. The film holds a rating of 15% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 20 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "A bland, weightless horror film that seems to want to mock itself as the proceedings drag on." James Berardinelli gave the film two stars out of four, writing: ""Thinner" could have been an opportunity to examine the ethics of a slick lawyer who refuses to accept responsibility for his actions. ... Unfortunately, questions of morality are of secondary importance to a film that emphasizes its "Death Wish" aspects." Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a D rating, writing: "Like too many Stephen King movies, "Thinner" is all (emaciated) concept and no follow-through." A more positive review came from Mick LaSalle of the "San Francisco Chronicle", who called "Thinner" "one of the better Stephen King-derived movies."


Shridhar Phadke

Shridhar Phadke (, born 9 September 1950) is a famous Marathi language music composer from Maharashtra, India.
Early life.
Shridhar Phadke was born on 9 September 1950 in Mumbai. He is son of the famous Marathi singer and composer Sudhir Phadke and singer Lalitabai Phadke.
He completed his education from D. G. Ruparel College of Arts Science and Commerce and later did his post graduation in Information Technology in United States of America in the decade of 1970. Later he joined Air India. He retired from Air India as Executive Director-IT in the year 2009.
He has not undergone any formal training for music. When Shridhar Phadke was in USA for his post graduation, he composed his first tune for a devotional song Devachiye Dwari. Sudhir Phadke heard this song and appreciated the tune. Sudhir Phadke also sung this song in one of his programs in the USA. Later this song was recorded in the voice of Suresh Wadkar for album "Omkar Swaroopa" ().
Career.
Shridhar Phadke started his career as a music director with the film "Laxmichi Paule" (). Earlier it was decided that Sudhir Phadke would compose music for this film. But the director heard the tune of the song 'Phite Andharache Jaale' () composed by Shridhar Phadke. He liked the tune very much and decided to include this song in the film. Later it was decided that all songs from this film be composed by Shridhar Phadke.
Composer.
Shridhar Phadke has composed music for many Hindi, Marathi films. Some of them can be listed as:
Shridhar Phadke has composed many independent albums as well. Some of the very famous albums are:
Concerts.
Shridhar Phadke regularly performs all over the world. Following are some of his concerts:
Awards.
Shridhar Phadke has won many prestigious awards for his compositions. These include:


Ammayi Pelli

Ammayi Pelli () is a 1974 Indian Telugu-language comedy film, produced and directed by Bhanumathi Ramakrishna under the Bharani Pictures banner. It stars N. T. Rama Rao and Bhanumathi Ramakrishna, with music also composed by Bhanumathi Ramakrishna in association with Satyam.
Plot.
Advocate Raghuram (N. T. Rama Rao) and Dr. Lalitha (Bhanumathi Ramakrishna) are an ideal couple, they lead a happy family life with their three children. The couple is being in the process of making their daughter Padmini / Puppy (Latha)'s marriage, they see two different matches without informing each other, i.e. their juniors Lawyer Sitaram (Padmanabham) and Dr. Rajaram (Srikanth). But Puppy is already in love with a young guy, Ravi (Chandra Mohan). Here, a dispute arrives between the couple and the egos clash which lead to their divorce. Then Raghuram's friend Raghava Rao (Gummadi) gives a suggestion to live separately for 2 months by keeping the children with each of them per month. The rest of the story is a comic tale, that parents are seeing to combine their juniors with their daughter and children are trying to reunite their parents. Finally, the movie ends on a happy note with the marriage of Ravi & Puppy.
Soundtrack.
Music composed by Bhanumathi Ramakrishna & Satyam. Music released by Audio Company.


30 Years Ago

30 Years Ago (, translit. Men Thalatawn Sana) is a 2016 Egyptian drama film directed by Amr Arafa.


Mrinal Kulkarni

Mrinal Dev-Kulkarni (born 21 June 1968) is a film and soap opera actress and director in India known for her role in popular Hindi language TV serial "Son Pari". She has acted in both Marathi and Hindi TV serials and films.
Early life, family and Education.
She was born in a Marathi Deshastha Brahmin family in Pune. Her parents are Dr. Vijay Dev and Veena Dev. She has a Master's degree in Linguistics from Pune University. She has a sister named Madhura. She lost her father after illness on 11 April 2019.
She married her childhood friend Ruchir Kulkarni in 1990 and has a son Virajas who is also a part of Marathi film industry.
Acting career.
Mrinal was 16 when she made her debut in the role of Peshawe Madhavrao's wife Ramabai Peshawe in the Marathi TV serial "Swami". This gave her a popularity. Ravindra Mankani played the role of Madhavrao.
She was not very serious about acting. Instead she wanted to complete doctorate in philosophy. But offers kept coming her way and finally she decided to make a career in acting in 1994. She continued with acting as her career on receiving, after the above successful role, many more roles, including those in "Shrikant" (a TV serial based on one of Saratchandra Chatterjee's novels), "The Great Maratha", "Draupadi", "Hasratein", "Meerabai", "Teacher", "Khel", "Sparsh" and "Sonpari". Her role in the TV serial "Avantika" on Alpha Marathi channel has received much acclaim. Mrinal is famous for playing a number of historic characters – Draupadi , Ahilya Bai Holkar, Ramabai, Jijabai etc. She had done 22 hindi TV shows till now. She stopped acting in TV serial to focus on her direction ventures.
She has also done a few advertisements as well.
Mrinal Kulkarni has acted in Marathi as well as Bollywood films.
Direction.
Mrinal Kulkarni Debuted as Director Marathi film Prem Mhanje Prem Mhanje Prem Asta, The story of the film has been written by Mrunal Kulkarni. After that she directed Marathi historical drama Rama Madhav.
Awards.
Kulkarni has won following awards-


Ravikant Nagaich

Ravikant Nagaich (5 July 1931 – 6 January 1991) was an Indian film personality.
He started his filming career as a cinematographer in Telugu films, N.T. Rama Rao's "Sri Seetha Rama Kalyanam" in 1961 being his first film. With "Farz", he turned to Hindi movies and direction. This low-budget thriller inspired by "James Bond" was a surprise hit and helped Ravikant and the film's lead pair's (Jeetendra and Babita) career. Dharmendra acted as Agent 116 Gopal in "Keemat" (1973). Jeetendra reprised his role as Agent 116, Gopalkishan Pandey in "Raksha" (1982) and again in "The Gold Medal".
He went on to direct 24 more films with "Duty" (1986) being his last. Though he had some big-budget hits like "Mere Jeevan Saathi" and "The Train", his low-budget fare such as "Surakksha" and "Wardat" - again in the secret agent mode like "Farz", "Keemat", and "Raksha" - are his remembered hits due to the tacky stunts and special effects and the fact that despite these drawbacks, the films did well. Mithun Chakravorty too benefitted from "Surakksha" to move to commercial films as Jeetendra had earlier with "Farz".
He also produced two films in the 1980s: "Wardaat" and "Shapath".


Ideachi Kalpana

Ideachi Kalpana is a Marathi film released on 31 December 2010. Produced and directed by Sachin Pilgaonkar.
Soundtrack.
The music is provided by Avdhut Gupte and Sachin Pilgaonkar.


Samira Wiley

Samira Denise Wiley (born April 15, 1987) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Poussey Washington in the Netflix comedy-drama series "Orange Is the New Black" (2013–2019) and as Moira in the Hulu dystopian drama series "The Handmaid's Tale" (2017–present), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
Wiley also had starring roles in such film as "The Sitter" (2011), "Nerve" (2016), "Detroit" (2017), and "Social Animals" (2018). She also narrated the Netflix documentary "Night on Earth" (2020).
Early life.
Wiley was raised in Washington, D.C. Her parents, Christine and Dennis W. Wiley, are the co-pastors of Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ. Wiley's parents have been referred to as "pillars of the LGBT religious community," as the Covenant Baptist Church was the only Baptist church in D.C. performing same-sex unions in 2007. She has two siblings: Aiyana Ma'at and Joshua Wiley.
Wiley attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., and the Juilliard School in New York City, graduating in 2010. At Juilliard, she trained in theater performance and worked mainly in theater in her early career.
Career.
Wiley's first major acting role was in the comedy film "The Sitter" (2011). In 2011, Wiley played Maria in a theater production of "Love's Labour's Lost" by The Public Theater.
When the Netflix television series "Orange Is the New Black" —based on Piper Kerman's — came into development, Wiley was told about the auditions by a friend from Juilliard, Marco Ramirez, who was a writer for the show. After discovering that another Juilliard friend, Danielle Brooks, had won a role in the show, Wiley asked Brooks to rehearse lines with her to prepare for her audition for the role of Poussey Washington, the on-screen best friend of Brooks' character. Wiley's audition was ultimately successful; she appeared in all twelve episodes of the series' first season and was featured prominently throughout the second season. The darker and more violent plot of the second season allowed for the growth of Wiley's character, whose evolved story lines led to Wiley's prolonged screen exposure and ultimate development as a "fan-favorite." She was promoted to series regular for the third season. The fourth season revolves heavily around her character, leading up to the reactions within the prison upon Poussey's death at the hands of a prison officer. Wiley's wife, Lauren Morelli, is a writer on the show.
In between seasons of "Orange Is the New Black", Wiley filmed "Rob the Mob" (2014), an independent crime film directed by Raymond De Felitta. She appeared in an advertisement for the digital monetary service PayPal in 2014. In 2015, Wiley featured in the 21st episode of the 16th season of "", "Perverted Justice", portraying a young adult wishing to recant her rape accusation of her father when she was 6 years old, and set him free. In December 2015, it was announced Wiley had been cast to voice the titular character in the video game "The Walking Dead: Michonne". The game was released by Telltale Games in February 2016. In 2017, she narrated one of two versions of Max Brooks' book, "Minecraft: The Island: A Novel". Wiley also starred in a film called "37" (2016), a true story of thirty-seven people who witness a murder and none call the police or intervene. In 2016, she starred in a new play by Quiara Alegría Hudes called "Daphne's Dive".
She competed against "New Black" co-star Laverne Cox in an episode of Spike's "Lip Sync Battle". With performances of "Un-Break My Heart" by Toni Braxton and "O.P.P." by Naughty by Nature, Wiley emerged victorious.
Wiley was featured in "Maniac Magazine", appearing on the cover and in an editorial of the 2014 September/October issue displaying "a series of bold, chic, high fashion looks." She was also featured on the cover of 2014 edition of "Out" magazine, along with Sam Smith, Elliot Page, and Zachary Quinto.
Awards.
In 2014, Wiley was named "Out" magazine's Ingenue of the Year. In February 2015, she was awarded the Human Rights Campaign's Visibility Award. According to the Human Rights Campaign's website, Wiley was always accepted and embraced by her parents, regardless of her sexuality, and to this she attributes her success.
In 2017, Wiley received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role in the Hulu series "The Handmaid's Tale", going on to win Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series the following year.
Personal life.
On October 4, 2016, Wiley announced her engagement to "Orange Is the New Black" writer Lauren Morelli and they married on March 25, 2017. Morelli gave birth to their first child, a daughter named George Elizabeth, on April 11, 2021. In November 2017, Wiley was nominated to "Out" magazine's "OUT100" for 2017 in recognition of her work and her visibility.


Tripuraneni Maharadhi

Tripuraneni Maharadhi (20 April 1930 – 23 December 2011) was an Indian Telugu film, screenplay, dialogue and script writer. He is remembered for his political forays, as well as for the film "Alluri Seetharama Raju". He was the de facto director for all the scripts written by him. He is survived by three sons and one daughter, Usha Mandava, who is deceased. Among his sons Varaprasad Tripuraneni is a film maker and a prominent BJP politician.
Role in politics.
Maharadhi is to some degree, linked to every political party in the Telugu political frame and was instrumental in the launch of the TDP. He was the first person to come up with the idea of a regional party in A.P after which he started a campaign namely 'Telugu Tejam' as prospective title for a regional party, it consisted of a 16-point agenda which included the famous phrase "Telugu Valla Atma Gauravam" which later N.T.R used to a great extent to promote T.D.P'S political vision. Maharadhi vehemently proposed Telugu tejam to fill the then existing political vacuum and also to establish a political identity for Telugu people (ref : Marosari maranisthunna NTR and NTR punarudhaanam); later a few intellectuals joined this crusade and soon it attracted many visionaries into this movement. Maharadhi along with the few intellectuals decided that a sammohan shakti is required to counter the charisma of Indira Gandhi, hence in that process N.T.R was finally convinced to join the initiative wherein he took over the reins and finally Telugu Tejam was named as Telugu desam to fight the next electoral battle.
Maharadhi also served as Andhra Pradesh Congress State Secretary when Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy was Andhra Pradesh Congress president. In this position, he was instrumental in promoting YSR in the east and west Godavari districts in Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy's early days. When the Bharatiya Janata Party came into existence, he served briefly as a National Council member. In 2004, Maharadhi launched his own political party 'Trilinga Praja Pragathi' (TPP) with the slogan 'Badugu vargala rajyadhikaram' (power to the weaker sections of the society).
Works.
Filmography and written works.
Plus 150 scripts to his credit.


El rey de los gitanos

El rey de los gitanos, was a 1933 American Spanish language comedy-drama film directed by Frank Strayer, which stars José Mojica, Rosita Moreno, and Julio Villarreal. The screenplay was written by Paul Perez, Llewellyn Hughes, and José López Rubio. It was produced and distributed by Fox Films, and premiered in Barcelona, Spain on May 23, 1933. Its U.S. premiere occurred three days later in Los Angeles on May 26.


International Festival of Cinema and Audiovisual of Burundi

The International Festival of Cinema and Audiovisual of Burundi (FESTICAB) is an annual film festival held in Burundi.
FESTICAB was established by the film director Léonce Ngabo in 2009. It comprises competitions in three categories: Burundian films, East African films and international films.
At the 2011 FESTICAB the East African Film Network (EAFN) was founded. The 2015 FESTICAB was disrupted by the protests against President Nkurunziza running for a third term, and many screenings needed to be cancelled.


Barakat!

Barakat! is a 2006 French/Algerian drama film directed by Djamila Sahraoui. It premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival on 16 February 2006.
Plot.
During the Algerian Civil War, Amel (Rachida Brakni) is a doctor who, on returning home from work one day, discovers that her journalist husband has gone missing. Receiving no help from the authorities, she decides to look for him herself. She is helped by another woman, Khadidja.
Awards.
At the 2007 Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, "Barakat!" won the Oumarou Ganda Award for the Best First Work, the award for Best Music and the award for Best Screenplay. It also won the prize for Best Arab Film at the third Dubai International Film Festival.


Abburi Ravi

Abburi Ravi is an Indian screenwriter who works in Telugu films. He received Nandi Award for Best Dialogue Writer for "Bommarillu" (2006).
Early life.
Ravi was born and brought up in Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh. He graduated in BSc from graduated DNR College, Bhimavaram. After completed Master of Business Administration from Nagarjuna University, he started working in an advertising agency.
In 2001, director Trivikram Srinivas who was a classmate of him offered Ravi to work as an assistant director. Ravi obliged and worked for "Nuvve Nuvve" (2001). which began his film career.


Nandi Award for Best Special Effects

The Nandi Award for Best Special Effects instituted since 2005 is given after the Nandi Awards committee selects a film from all the films that released in that particular year, which has the best visual effects.
The award is usually given to the special effects supervisor or the special effects company that worked for the selected film. "Magadheera", "Eega", and "" are the films which won both the Nandi Award for Best Special Effects and National Film Award for Best Special Effects for that year.


678 (film)

678, released internationally as Cairo 6,7,8, is a 2010 Egyptian political thriller film written and directed by Mohamed Diab. The film focuses on the daily sexual harassment of women in public places and events in Egypt. The film took the Top Prize in the 2010 Dubai International Film Festival, Muhr Arab category.
Plot.
The film focuses on the lives of three women of different social classes who get publicly harassed. It starts with Fayza (Bushra), a low income government employee who gets harassed in a taxi and a bus (numbered 678) on the way to work. When she arrives home she resists her husband's attempts in sleeping with her and doesn't explain why she can't sleep with him.
It then moves to Seba a middle class jewelry designer who gets harassed in a stadium by a group of men while her husband is unable to reach her to stop what is happening to her. Following that, her husband was unable to live with what happened and she was left with no one to take care of her emotionally. She separated from her husband and started a harassment class in al Sawi cultural wheel.
Finally the movie focuses on Nelly, a standup comedian and call center employee who gets harassed verbally on a call with a customer as well as physically while walking home when a truck driver grabs her and pulls her through the street. When he finally leaves her she runs behind the truck and doesn't let it go until she and the crowds were able to pull the driver out and hand him over to the police. She tries to file a report for harassment but the police officer resists and sends her to another precinct. She appears after that on a TV show as the first Egyptian to file a report for harassment.
Controversies.
Controversies around the film include a threatened lawsuit by Egyptian pop singer Tamer Hosny for the film's use of his song, as he did not wish it associated with the subject.
Attorney Abdel Hamid Shabaan made an attempt to block the film's exhibition in the Dubai International Film Festival due to its "poor portrayal" of Egypt. The filmmaker denied any intention to defame Egypt, as he believes the issues narrated in the film are universal.
Mahmoud Hanfy Mahmoud of the Association for Human rights and Social Justice requested that the film be banned as potentially inciting women to injure men's genitals with sharp tools, but filmmakers argued that it did not encourage but merely documented the practice of some women carrying such tools for self-defense.


Aa Okkati Adakku

Aa Okkati Adakku () is a 1992 Indian Telugu-language comedy film, produced by M. Saravanan, M. Balasubramaniam under the AVM Productions banner and directed by E. V. V. Satyanarayana. It stars Rajendra Prasad, Rambha, Rao Gopal Rao and music composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The film is the debut of Rambha in the Telugu film industry. The film was recorded as a "Blockbuster" at the box office. The film was also remade in Hindi as "Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi" (1997) and in Kannada as "Bal Nan Maga".
Plot.
Chitti Babu strongly believes in astrology and spends a lazy life. Rambha, with whom he falls in love, pressures him to marry her before her father, Royyala Naidu, finds an alliance of his choice. Naidu, out of love for his daughter, agrees for the marriage on the condition that he earn 1 lakh by the night of the wedding. Chitti Babu starts cheating people to earn money. Royyala Naidu finds out about the deception and insults Chitti Babu's mother. Chitti Babu realizes the importance of money in life and finds employment in a garment factory which is in the loss and makes it successful and earns 1 lakh rupees. Royyala Naidu relents after seeing that Chitti Babu has become a hard-working honest man and gets the lovebirds married. Chitti Babu lives happily with his wife.
Soundtrack.
Music composed by Ilaiyaraaja. Music released on AKASH Audio Company.


List of Syrian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

Syria submitted a film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film for the first time in 2017. The award is handed out annually by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. It was not created until the 1956 Academy Awards, in which a competitive Academy Award of Merit, known as the Best Foreign Language Film Award, was created for non-English speaking films, and has been given annually since.
Submissions.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film since 1956. The Foreign Language Film Award Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films. Following this, they vote via secret ballot to determine the five nominees for the award. Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by Syria for review by the Academy for the award by year and the respective Academy Awards ceremony.


Forbidden to Forbid

Forbidden to Forbid (; ; also known as "É Proibido Proibir") is a 2006 Brazilian-Chilean-Spanish drama film directed by Jorge Durán. It stars Caio Blat, Maria Flor and Alexandre Rodrigues as teenagers in a love triangle.
Production.
Durán searched locations to film during three months, with the filming itself taking place in five weeks in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. After four weeks of production, the editing lasted four months.
Reception.
"Forbidden to Forbid" won the Films in Progress Award of the 53rd San Sebastián International Film Festival, and the Best Screenplay and New Director of the Festival de Cine Iberoamericano de Huelva. It won the 2nd FestCine Goiânia for the Best Film, Best Actor for Alexandre Rodrigues, and Best Editing. Durán won the Best Director Award at the Valdivia International Film Festival, while Blat received the Best Actor Award of the Festival de Cinema Luso-Brasileiro de Santa Maria da Feira. At the 11th Brazilian Film Festival of Miami, it won the Best Film Award, Best Director, and Best Actor Award for Blat. It won the Jury Special Award of the 28th Havana Film Festival and of the 4th Quito Festival Cero Latitud, as well as the Best Film Award of the 2006 Biarritz Film Festival and of the 2006 Viña del Mar International Film Festival. It also received a Margarida de Prata Award from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil.


Amaram Akhilam Prema

Amaram Akhilam Prema is a 2020 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by Jonathan Edwards and produced by Vevkds Prasad. The film stars Vijay Ram and Shivshakti Sachdev along with Naresh, Annapoorna and Srikanth Iyengar in supporting roles. The music was composed by Radhan while cinematography was handled by Rasool Ellore and editing done by Mariappan. The film was released on Aha on 18 September 2020.
Plot.
Akhila (Shivshakti Sachdev) is a calm and introvert girl who loves her father a lot. Even her father loves her like his world. But she makes a mistake eloping with her boyfriend. Later she realises that he is not correct for her and returns back. Not to know this that her father stops talking to her.
Heartbroken she decides to study civils as it is her father's dream and make him happy. She comes to her aunt's home for coaching . Amar (Vijay ram) a sweet heart who runs a bookstore with his dad eventually falls for akhila. He knows about her past that she is estranged from her father after making a mistake, Amar decides not to talk to her anymore.
On the results day she is qualified for Indian Administrative Service but still her father has no change of heart. Amar comes back and try to convince his father. Eventually Akhila too falls for Amar but is reluctant as she wants nothing more than her father's approval. The rest of the story is how Amar convinces her father and win his love.
Music.
Music for the film was composed by Radhan. Lyrics for the songs were written by Rehman. On 16 September 2020, the first single "Tholi Tholi" was released by Madhura Audio.
Release.
The film was released through Aha on 18 September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reception.
Thadhagath Pathi of "The Times of India" wrote that "despite having a good message, the film doesn't stick to its guns". Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of the The Hindu noted the film tells "a familiar tale of love, bonding and egos".


Nilesh Jalamkar

Nilesh Jalamkar (born 6 July 1977) is an Indian actor, Film Director and producer of Marathi films. He has worked in Indian cinema and sometimes acted in well-known movies such as "Aasud".
He began his directorial career with the groundbreaking "Debu" (2010) and has since delivered many box office hits over a period of 9 years. Jalamkar's films are known for their technical nuances and fantasy concepts and he is one of the few Indian filmmakers who have made successful films in the fantasy genre.
Career.
Jalamkar started his career in Marathi movies with "Debu" a biopic on the life of Gadge Maharaj and "Mahanayak Vasant Tu" a biopic on the life of Vasantrao Naik . He has Worked with prominent names like Anu Malik and Sonu Nigam as a Director and a Lyricist. His most notable work is the Multi-starrer "Nagpur Adhiveshan" with "Makarand Anaspure", "Mohan Joshi" and "Chetan Dalvi".His film Satyashodhak was funded by the Maharashtra Government was a biopic on Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule.
His Current Work Aasud will be released on 8 February 2019.
Personal life.
Nilesh Jalamkar is M.A from Shivaji College, Amravati and B.Ed from Nabira College, Nagpur. He spends most of his time teaching English Grammar for MPSC and UPSC students. He dreamed of being a Movie Creator since childhood. Mr. Jalamkar acted as Pralhad in a play when he was in 4th Grade.


Marble Ass

Marble Ass () is a 1995 feature film by Serbian filmmaker Želimir Žilnik. It was screened at the Berlin Film Festival in 1995 and won a Teddy award as best feature. It was screened at many worldwide festivals besides Berlin including the Toronto Film Festival, Montreal, San Francisco and Moscow. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Teddy Awards, the film has been selected to be shown at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2016.


S. M. Sriramulu Naidu

Subbarayalu Munuswami Sriramulu Naidu (1910-1976), also known as Sreeramulu Naidu, was an Indian businessman and movie producer from Coimbatore who founded the Pakshiraja Studios in 1945. He was responsible for the early development of the Tamil film industry in Coimbatore and was called the "Coimbatore movie mogul". He has directed and produced films predominantly in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam languages, while also having made one Kannada film. In 1944, he was implicated as one of the accused in the Lakshmikanthan Murder Case and served his sentence till 1945 when he was discharged due to lack of evidence.
Early life.
Sriramulu Naidu was born in Tiruchi in the year 1910. His father Munuswami Naidu was as a station master in the South Indian Railway Limited.
On retirement, Munuswami Naidu opened a bakery by name Davey & Co which Sriramulu Naidu inherited after his death. Soon, however, Naidu got interested in films and became a partner in Central Studios in Coimbatore. Later he would establish Pakshiraja Studios in Coimbatore and was also the founder of Chamundeshwari Studios in Bengaluru .


Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim

Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim (, transliterated: "Ali Mizah wa Ibrahim") is a 2016 Egyptian film directed by Sherif El Bendary.
Plot.
Ali believes his late girlfriend's soul has been reincarnated in a goat named Nada. Ali, his goat and his friend Ibrahim embark on a journey of friendship and self-discovery across Egypt to reverse the curse.
Reception.
The film was dubbed "a weirdly likable firecracker" in a review in "The Hollywood Reporter". It received a mostly positive review in the "Variety". It won the award for Best feature film at the 2017 Malmö Arab Film Festival.


The Secret of the Mountain Lake

The Secret of the Mountain Lake () is a 1952 drama film directed by Jean Dréville and starring Harriet Geßner, Lil Dagover and Fredy Scheim. It was made as a co-production between France, Switzerland and West Germany. A separate French-language film, "The Girl with the Whip", was also released.