Friday, September 26, 2008

AMITABH BACHCHAN IN MARMAYOGI


The latest update on Kamal Hassan's yet to be launched big budget movie Marmayogi is Bollywood Superstar Amitabh Bachchan's acceptance to do a meaty role in this movie. It has been confirmed that Marmayogi will have veteran Bollywood actress Hema Malini playing a prominent role. Now Kamal Hassan is trying to rope in the legendary actor for an interesting role.

It can be recalled that plans were on to rope in the Big B for the Rajini starrer Shivaji. However he declined the offer. But he always disclosed his wish to play a full length Tamil film at once in his life. According to sources, Amitabh is yet to react for Kamal's offer but the latter is very much hopeful in getting his dates.

CHAKRAVARTHY IN SARVAM WITH ARYA AND TRISHA


BY, KARPAGAM THYAGARAJAN

J.D. Chakravarthy has returned to Telugu film industry with Homam. His scintillating performance (dialogue delivery, acting and direction) in Homam has boosted his market value with producers and with his growing number of fans.

Homam's success has brought him laurels as well as prestigious projects. Shankar has approached J.D. Chakravarthy to be the villain in his next magnum opus, Enthiran. JD, as he's fondly known in the industry, has also bagged a role in director Vishnuvardhan's Tamil film Sarvam, starring Arya and Trisha. Dil Raju, one of the most prominent producers of the film industry, has signed the hotshot director-actor for a romantic entertainer.

Even Nagarjuna has roped in the whiz kid to be the villain in his son, Naga Chaitanya's debut film to be directed by Vasu Varma. Naga Chaitanya's debut will be launched on September 20, the traditionally auspicious date for the Akkineni family.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Zee Tamil gears for big-ticket launch; channel to go on air around Vijaya Dasami


BY, N. THYAGARAJAN


Zee Tamil is all set to hit the airwaves around Vijaya Dasami. Zee News Ltd, part of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), is planning a big-ticket launch with a 45-day media campaign spanning the entire state.

The new channel will air 11 hours of original programming content and one and a half hour of news programme. To start with, Zee Tamil will have three soaps and two more would be added within 4-5 weeks of the launch. The channel, which is testing its signals now, is hopeful of being present in 90 per cent C&S households in Chennai. V Chandrasekaar Barathi, Business Head, Zee Tamil, said that the channel would be available on all major MSOs from day one. Apart from DishTV, the channel would be available on one or two more DTH platforms, he added.

Zee Tamil also plans to have a high-decibel marketing blitzkrieg involving print, cinema, radio and outdoor. The launch campaign will break on October 1 and would be spread across the state for 45 days. The channel would also organise musical nights in six cities preceding the launch, which would feature some popular singers and film stars.

DraftFCB Ulka is the creative agency on the account. Barathi agreed to the fact that the market was already crowded. He said, “There are no two ways about it. We are conscious about the fact that we are the 21st channel to enter the market. Our differentiation would be our narrative style, packaging and focus. Our strategy would be right placements, looking at audience preferences.”

Barathi further said that Tamil Nadu currently had 21 channels, of which 11 were GECs, “but we are talking about only two or three channels, so there is scope for more channels to come and make a difference”.

“When Kalaignar TV was launched, the overall time spent on television went up by 9 per cent. So, it is not that the existing time spend has been taken away, but there has been an increase in the time spent on the channels. Therefore, there is scope for more channels.” Barathi maintained.

KADHALIL VIZHUNDEN GETS 'UA'



BY, KARPAGAM THYAGARAJAN

Kalanithi Maran’s Sun Pictures maiden movie in Tamil Kadhalil Vizhunthen, after a protracted battle with the censors has been cleared with an ‘UA’ certificate. As per sources in the trade, the film is likely to release this Friday (Sep 26) worldwide.
The film has a new team Boys Nakul is turning hero along with Sunaina as the heroine, and the theme of debutant director P.V Prasad is said to be bold. According to the grapevine, the censors found the climax of the film to be “bloody and too violent”, so they have trimmed it and given it a ‘UA’ certificate.
Meanwhile Sun TV network has started the biggest ever promotional campaign of the film on their channels. Every commercial break on Sun Music has the Vijay Antony chartbuster Nakku Mukka… blaring out.
Television ad gurus feel that if actual rates of Sun TV’s spot buy rates were taken into account, Kalanithi Maran must have spent a fortune on the TV ad blitz of Kadhalil Vizhunthen.