Spotlight: Is Aishwarya Rai A Sadist!

Even the banners of News Papers are talking about the alleged disturbance in the relation between Aishwarya Rai aand Abhishek Bachchan after the onset of lip smooching scene in Dhoom-2.

It's known for everyone that the newly released Dhoom-2 has a strong lip smooching scene between Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai. As the marriage proposal of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai are in pipeline, as per the gossip the scene gave boost for a split between the two. The gossip says that Abhishek Bachchan is worried to watch her fiancé get smooched by Hrithik Roshan. Well, had Abhishek watched this smooching scene only on the day of the film's release? It's known for everyone that the film was screened in a premier show for the family of Amitabh Bachchan including Abhishek in theater. But the hype is being made only after the release of the film. A Mumbai based website wrote about this alleged split between the most popular couple, and immediately the most popular Telugu daily copied the same and placed it on its front page.

"All this hype, either intentional or incidental is only for the publicity of tehfilm and nothing else", says a film critic.

It's not new in film industry to watch a married or would-be married lady with other men in intimate scenes. But everything is being considered mere professionalism in many cases. Kajol, after getting married to Ajay Devagan acted in the film 'Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham'. After watching the song 'Suraj Huva Maththam..' featuring Kajol and Shahrukh Khan in it, people thought about the plight of Ajay Devgan. But there is nothing unofficial in this matter for film families. Even Kajol's mother Tanuja acted in intimate scenes with other heroes after marriage. Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia went on well for quite a long time although Dimple acted in many intimate scenes with other heroes. Same is the case with Hema Malini and Dharmendra, Ranadheer Kapoor and Babitha, Rishi Kappor and Neethu Singh and many more. Boney Kapoor could happily marry Sridevi despite watching her intimate scenes his brother Anil Kapoor on screen. To much of astonishment Ketan Mehta, the director pictured his own wife Deepa Sahi in nude along with Shahrukh Khan for the A-Grade film 'Maya Memsaab'. Everything comes under profession.

Coming to Tollywood, everybody knows how Ramya Krishna danced for the song 'Chinnadamme Cheekulu kaavaalaa..' with Jr NTR for a film. But things are ok with Krishna Vamshi till now as per official news. It's again part of profession.

Other viewpoint at present speaks that Aishwarya Rai is a sadist. A film buff says, "Aishwarya had broken the hearts of Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi with similar things and now the turn has come for Abhishek Bachchan. Aish appears to be a sadist who plays with the hearts of his lovers". We cannot break this conviction if it's strong and tenacious.

To sum up, Hrithik, who smooched Aishwarya Rai's lips, happened to be a married guy. Otherwise, new gossips might have sprouted stating that Aish's fresh lover is Hrithik. When Hrithik was questioned on this scene, he gave a smile and walked out, it seems. It's not too late. Media may go and takes a statement from Suzanne Khan as well. Let's wait and see.

To sign off on a lighter note we can take it as a publicity stunt to boost up the collections of Dhoom-2 further.

Expression: Distributors Extend Thanks To Nayantara!

The movie that was released recently amidst lots of controversies is 'Vallabha'.

At last the distributors are very happy as the movie has not made any loss because of the lip lock scene on posters. The smooching scene between Nayantara and Simbu is highlighted and much hyped before the release of the film. That could pull lots of crowds to theaters. However the posters were censored later but the word of mouth campaign brought the youth audience to theatres.

Despite a big turmoil in her love life with Simbu, Nayantara could make the distributors happy with thumping collections all the while.

Hence distributors are extended their heartfelt thanks for this dame.

New Film: Ileana Signs For Allu Aravind to Pair with Pawan Kalyan

Ileana is freshly hitting the screen with the films 'Khatarnak' and 'Rakhi' pairing up with Ravi Teja and Jr NTR respectively. She also signed on a film on the banner of Geeta Arts to pair up with Pawan Kalyan in the direction of Trivikram Sreenivas. It's announced long ago about the film in the combination of Pawan Kalyan and Trivikram Sreenivas. Now, the announcement of heroine is also finished in this way.

Trivikram bagged Nandi award for the film 'Athadu' for penning dialogues and directing the movie. Ileana says that she is fond of Trivikram Sreenivas for his jest and humor in _expression.

"He cracks jokes while he talks. Although I know little Telugu, I understand and enjoy his dialogues those carry punch and sense. I like to perform with such a dialogue pack", Ileana says.

Let's wait and see how promising the film would be.

Gossip: Nayanatara Irritates Elders of Industry!

The successive hits have made heroine Nayanatara too big. She too realized it and began belittling others. Most recently she sat beside stalwarts of the industry in a film function on the stage. They could not digest the way she behaved. She wore a blouse which bared all her back. While she was ascending to the dais, every one watched her from back started jostling each other to convey how awkwardly she was dressed. Even her sitting posture on the platform embarrassed the elders. She exposed her leggy beauty with her shining shoes. Her speech, which consisted nothing verbal, irritated many. A flying kiss, repeated whooping guffaws, a few body jerks could make her entire speech. In one word, she was found intoxicant with success.

Crazy Hyderabad: Phir Dhoom Macha De

Ok, so it is more or less certain that Dhoom 2 is a hit. Wait! How can you declare that just a day after it is released you ask? Well, for one, the definition of a hit can be directly correlated to the ticket sales in the first week and believe it or faint, theatres are brimming with people and the movie makers are grinning their way to the banks.

On Friday when the movie released, a popular multiplex in the city which is screening 11 shows every day, had sold 16,000 tickets — several in advance of course. This means the screens showing Dhoom 2 are booked for almost a week and the ticket counters are only bustling with more people who want to get their hands on the most prized movie ticket of this season—this despite the movie releasing in a record 27 theatres.

With a movie full of bikes, races, hunks and hot babes roaming the streets of Brazil, do you blame the large young crowds thronging the theatres, even if it be a stampede-like frenzy?

Screen Talk: Abhishek’s strange tale

It’s really strange how the idea for a film originates, sometimes. Apparently, actor Abhishek Bachchan, relating how he actually signed Mani Ratnams Guru, informs that Ratnam and he were actually working on a different script when the director suddenly had a change of heart. He told Abhishek that he felt like making Guru instead because he found it to be very interesting. Abhishek Bachchan, who reposes his trust in the filmmaker, heard him out and immediately agreed to do the movie.

Film Talk: Sumanth with Two Sentiments Subsequently

The next two movies of Sumanth are going to be with loads of sentiment in them. 'Classmates' is the movie which is holding a sensitive youth sentiment something on the lines of 'Na Autograph'. This is a remake from a Malayalam flick.

The other film of Sumanth on the banner of Suresh Productions that is going to be directed by Chandra Siddardha has the family sentiment in it. It appears as if Chandra Siddharth is going to repeat with the chemistry he worked with 'Aa Naluguru'.

In fact, after the film 'Godavari', Sumanth experimented with mass oriented film 'Chinnodu' that didn't work well at box-office. So, his subsequent films are going to be again with sentimental elements. Let us see how he fairs well with this sentiment.

Amitabh Bachchan: 'Politics? No Thanks!'

Mumbai, Nov 25 (IANS) Superstar Amitabh Bachchan has denied he is returning to politics, saying he doesn't understand politics and "there's absolutely no question" of his getting into it "in any capacity".

Says Bachchan: "I'm not into politics at all of any kind. There's absolutely no question of my going into politics. I've repeatedly said I don't understand politics, nor do I have any wish to get into it in any capacity.

"Let me say once and for all I'm not going to get into it. I don't make any political statements. Nor am I on any political platform. I'm not qualified to understand or participate in any of our politics," Bachchan told IANS.

But what about Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh's statement to the effect that the Big B might be asked to stand for elections?

"Ask him why he said so. Why are you asking me?" reasons Big B calmly.

Bachchan, who was an MP for a brief period in the eighties when Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister, admits that perhaps his close association with politicians, who are his friends, often leads to the belief that he is going the political way.

"I agree I've many friends who are heavily into politics and affiliated to many different parties. But I do not follow any of their political ideology. You are also my friend. Does it mean I might take to journalism? Or would it be right to presume that you'd become an actor just because you know me so well?"

The actor was busy shooting a music video for his forthcoming release "Baabul".

"The video is woven around my song 'Kehta hai babul'. I think they'll use my song only in the credit titles and the end titles... or maybe a portion in the background."

About the controversy surrounding Abhishek getting the Yash Bharti award in Lucknow that evoked criticism and protests, Bachchan responds: "There should be debate and questioning in any free society. We're a democratic country and everyone is entitled to an opinion."

Gossip: Ileana Demands Rs.70 Lakh and Shuns Films

Ileana turned the heads of entire South India with her first two Telugu films those turned super hits. She was also called 'the next Simran' by film circles.

She rocked the hearts of many youngsters and at the same time stepped into Tamil film industry with the film 'Jadu' acting beside Ravi Krishna. Jyothi Krishna directed the film. But the film toppled at the box office.

Still, she is not at all compromising with her remuneration aspect and she is demanding a whopping Rs. 70 lakhs per film. As producers couldn't meet to her demand she shunned the offers to act beside Ajith in 'Kireedam' and with Surya in 'Sarvam'.

Well, it's only the success line that boosts up the graph of remunerations. Ileana's 'Khatarnak' and 'Rakhi' are releasing shortly and her fate decides with the result of those films as well.

Snippet: 'Running' Styles Of Mahesh Babu and Prabhas

Running forms an integral part of action sequences, be it in chasing scenes or regular fights. We cannot say who runs well off screen.

But to talk about on-screen running styles while casually discussing with a group of young students (who are waiting in queue for Casino Royale tickets in Hyderabad) regarding the action performance of our Tollywood heroes, discussion pointed to the way they run.

Almost all the youngsters replied Mahesh Babu and Prabhas have the best running styles. They say - Mahesh runs with a lot of josh and power (he has scenes of running in almost all of his films) while Prabhas has the running style of a professional athlete. Ironically scoring poor marks in this list are the tow top heroes, Chiru and Nag who don't have an impressive running style to boast of.

Behind The Scene: T-factor prevents film stars in Karimnagar!

Film stars supporting various political parties are now facing a strange dilemma -- to campaign or not to campaign in Karimnagar. Primarily because most of these actors are from Coastal Andhra and they are afraid of people's reaction in view of their strong Telangana sentiment.

The Congress is sitting pretty in this regard. Noted Telugu villain-turned-hero Srihari, who recently joined the Congress party, hails from Telangana and he has no problems in campaigning. He is planning to undertake a whirlwind tour of Sircilla and Nerella assembly segments on November 26, starting with a road show at the temple town of Vemulawada.

Film stars supporting Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Ch Vidyasagar Rao are reluctant to campaign, because of Soundarya sentiment. Naresh, who happens to be former BJP State general secretary has agreed to campaign for a day, but he too is worried of the Telangana factor. The BJP leaders are trying to convince other film stars like Kota Srinivasa Rao, Shiva Krishna, Giri Babu and Sharat Babu, but they do not know how the people will receive them. Especially Kota Srinivasa Rao, who often uses Telangana language for his villain characters, is afraid of resistance from the people.

Telugu Desam roped in former minister and comedian Babu Mohan for campaign in some parts of Karimnagar, but he was virtually hounded out by the people. As a result, TD has reportedly dropped the plans to bring cine actresses Roja and Ravali considering the Telangana factor. On the other hand, the TRS has roped in the services of the famous TV anchors Dasanna and Sathanna. The duo performed at the public meet organised by the TRS in Karimnagar on last week and campaigned for the TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao who is seeking re-election from the constituency.

Andala Ramudu 100 Days Today!

AndalaRamudu e roju tho 100Days Complete chesukundhi.Comedian Sunil ki hero ga promotion ichina e cinema,Bad phase lo unna heroine Arti Agarwal ki kuda relief ichindhi.Sunil mark comedy tho paatu music,Audience ni surprise chesina Sunil steps e cinema ni Superhit range ki teesukellayi.Low budget lo nirminchina e cinema audience tho paatu Producers ni,Distrubutors ni,Exhibitors ni kuda happy ga navvukunela chesindhi.

Dhoom-2 Review: 'Thief-Police' Drama with High Visual Treat

Film : Dhoom-2
Rating : 3/5
Banner : Yash Raj Films
Casting : Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Bipasa Basu and Uday Chopra
Story : Aditya Chopra
Choreography : Vaibhav Merchant
Editing : Rajeswar
Action : Allan Amin
Music : Pritam
Direction : Sanjay Gadhwi
Theatrical Release: 24th November 2006

The film is a mere showcase of Digital Effects, Heavy Background Score, Sparkling Stars and Suave Stunts.

It lacks the flavor and fragrance but stands only as a colorful synthetic blossom. The spirit in the film is completely down due to unconvincing scenes and incredible sequences.

It’s only a visual treat for early teenagers. The narration never holds any logic but goes like a fairy tale.

It must have carved with more shrewd and brilliant elements. Except a few dialogues and a small number of scenes, rest of ‘Dhoom-2’ is relatively downward to its first part.

Story


The film starts with a train passing through a vast Namibian desert. The train carries a precious crown of a queen. Amidst tight security, Mr. A (Hrithik Roshan), the international robber, robs off the crown from that fast moving train. He makes a series of great robbery and the Mumbai Police Officer, Jay Dixit (Abhishek Bachchan) and another special officer (Bipasa Basu) sketch a strategy to catch the robber. Ali (Uday Chopra), a Mumbai Police Cop assists them in the mission.

Mr. A leaves a mark of letter ‘A’ wherever he accomplishes a robbery. He also keeps on changing his appearance after a successful robbery. After coding and decoding, Jay Dixit comes to conclusion that the next robbery of Mr A will be in Mumbai. Jay’s guess turns true and Mr. A lands in Mumbai. Rest of the film is how Mr. A accomplishes robberies and how Jay and Co chases him till the end.

As a part of mission, Jay Dixit deputes Sunehari (Aishwarya Rai) to act as a partner to Mr. A and trap him slowly. But she falls in A’s love and that drives to narrate some sentimental track.

With several twists and turns the film takes to the end with ‘two climaxes’!
Performances


High score of marks goes to Hrithik Roshan who depicted several getups and looked very easy and cozy with all. His dances rocked the screen with electricity. But still, the director couldn’t exploit him to the full.

Abhishek Bachchan played a monotype role with seriousness all the way.

Uday Chopra tried to make the viewers laugh but he failed. His antics and frolics didn’t work well.

Bipasa Basu looked steaming with her routine façade while Aishwarya is not apt in the role she played. But, it can be considered as mere experiment of Aish. It’s only Bipasa who showed herself in skimpy two-piece bikini. Aishwarya appeared in shorts and tops but nothing skimpier than that.

Editing demonstrates the subtlety while cinematography substantiates to be sharp and pointed.

Make-up deserves a very grand mention and Costumes are just ok.

There are few worth mentioning sequences in the film:
1. Hrithik Roshan hiding in the camouflage of white sculptors getting dressed up as a statue.
2. Bullet-Gun sequence between Hrithik and Aishwarya
3. Hrithik appearing as old police cop and queen.

Dialogue that can be remembered:
Uday Chopra says a ‘doha’ that goes:

Ishq Ki Umar Hoti Hai Awaara
Pandrah, solah, satrah aur attaarah!

(‘Age of love’ becomes aimless wanderer. And that age is 15, 16, 17 and 18)

Audience Response:

*
It’s putting down for audience as the much publicized ‘Aishwarya with bikini’ is absent in the film.
*
The much expected comedy is also missing in the film which proves to be another thumbs-down factor.
*
Audiences stirred to the lip smooching scene between Hrithik and Aishwarya.

Thumbs-Down Factors:

*
Story is pretty meek
*
Narration is bleak and
*
Conviction is weak

Thumbs-Up Factors:

*
Pledged with visual treat
*
Edged with few characters
*
Sledged with technical muscle and
*
Merged with dance and tussle

Bottom-Line:
Nor a firm ‘No’, neither a strong ‘yes’

Gossip: Will Jagapathi Babu Become A Producer?

Hero Jagapathi Babu thought his film ‘Samanyudu’ will be a silver lining in the sky, after witnessing successful flops as a hero, barring a few exceptions. To his utter disappointment, he finds the same old lukewarm response even to this film also. Most of his friends in the industry take pity on him. Some advise him to follow the footsteps of his father and start career as a producer. Traces of ageing reflect in his physique, however muscular he is. He too appears to be convinced with the opinions expressed by his well wishers. He, however, needs time to take decision, sources say.

Gossip: Sneha Turns Superstitious!

Heroine, Sneha, is leisurely repenting for the mistake she did in haste. She expected lot out of the film ‘Manasu Palike Mouna raagam’, as film was heroine- oriented one. She cancelled many call sheets to devote her time in the film. The film turned out to be a disaster. Had she done at least two commercial films during the same time, she would have excelled many other heroines. She has turned superstitious after this failure. She is performing Poojas to all the deities at her disposal for better prospects in her career. She said had a dip in holy river on a full moon day to have bright future.

Film Talk: Bhoomika's Love For Small Movies

Bhoomika acted with almost all heroes in Tollywood. But recently she says that she is more interested in doing small movies with small heroes as she is getting more fame and remuneration. She paired up with Shivaji in 'Missamma' and won good applauses for that. Similarly she freshly paired up with Raja for 'Maya Bazar'.

She adds that she got good recognition with 'Missamma' in the direction of Neelakanta and expecting the same with 'Mayabazar' of Indraganti Mohana Krishna. She also conveys that she will be more interested in doing small movies hereafter.

Bhoomika has now signed on the film 'Satya Bhama' in the production of Bekkam Venu Gopal of 'Tata Birla Madhyalo Laila' fame. The status of the film 'Maya Bazar' would certainly affect the business of 'Satya Bhama'.

Snippet: Tarakaratna's Trials to Act in Tamil

Nandamuri Tarakarathna is now testing his luck on Tamil screen. As per the Film Nagar sources he is going to do a film with a Tamil director in Tamil shortly. He has been trying and trying on Tollywood screen but luck didn't favor him in any way.

He also thought of starting his own production banner and even that didn't work out.

Tarakarathna had come into the industry with the brand name of his grand father but still no film of him turned positive till now.

Well, let us wait and see if this hero, who couldn't do well in Telugu, finds success at least in Tamil filmdom.

Screen Talk: Bond movie slammed for stupid mistakes

LONDON: The new James Bond movie Casino Royale has been voted among the top 20 most mistake-filled films of the year.

According to contactmusic.com, fans have written to the website MovieMistakes.com with their findings.

Twelve errors have been detected till now. One of the mistakes includes Bond's driver's door being open and then mysteriously shut outside Casino Royale.

In another scene, Daniel Craig's protective white suit is visible under his pants when he climbs an aviation fuel tank.

The site's creator Jon Sandys says, "Normally for major releases it's only when they are on DVD that the really major things get noticed, but some of the mistakes spotted so far are really blatant."

Snippet: Sainikudu releasing it with 270 prints on November 30

C Ashwini Dutt on Wednesday made the announcemet at Ramanaidu studios, where the film’s technical work is going on. “We are releasing it with 270 prints,” he said.

He said the film would be a visual treat for the audience. He also lauded the film’s technicians for their efforts.

“All I can say is Sainikudu will be a unique experience for Telugu audiences”. Director Gunashekar informed that the film’s colour grading had been done at Spirit (owned by Rana, Ramanaidu’s grandson) in Hyderabad, the only centre in India that has ARRI-SCAN.

“Sainikudu has excellent graphics. Such film needs the right colour correction and when we thought of using DI, I proposed that we rope in the best colorist in the world to enhance its visual beauty. Ashwini Dutt spoke to Suresh Babu and Rana who got senior digital colorist, Florian Martin Utsi. He has earlier worked for Hollywood films like Lord of The Rings,” Gunashekar explained.

Will the advanced technology affect the artists’ performance, we asked Gunasekhar.

He said, “Actually it will help the artists to perform well. This technology will enhance their performance on the screen. The equipment is first of its kind in our country. Big or low budget films, all the producers can afford it,” said Rana Daggubati, managing director of Spirit Media.

“We would like to take our Telugu cinema to the international standards with this new technology,” he added.

Digital colourist Utsi, who is from Germany said, “It is a great experience to work for a Telugu film.”

He also said that before starting work he listened to the story and learnt about every scene in the film. “The gradation will change for happy and sad scenes. I like the songs in this film,” he added.

“We can do our best when there is a good cameraman and incidentally Balasubramanyam has captured very good scenes with his camera for Sainukudu,” he said.

Film Talk: How Farzana Bagged The Role In 'Bha. Bum. Draw'?

Farzana is the hot heroine who shook the hearts of Telugu youth freshly. She debuted with the film 'Bhagyalakshmi Bumper Draw' and revealed her skin to spill glamour on screen. Well, how she got the chance of acting in that film?

Nidhi Prasad thought of making the remake of 'Malamaal Weekly' and decided to introduce a new girl in the character of Reema Sen. He has seen many photographs and profiles and Farzana's profile attracted him. He called on her and arranged for screen test. She passed in the test and played the role of Tanikella Bharani's daughter in the film. To utilize the first chance for getting positive feedback, she didn't hesitate for skin show.

Much before the release of her first film, she got the chance to act in 'Seema Sastry' beside Allari Naresh. G. Nageswara Reddy is making the film on his own production. She is playing the role of a daughter to factionist in Rayalaseema. As per the story, she loves a Brahmin boy and faces many problems in a humorous way. G. Nageswara Reddy is known for showing heroines in glamorous way. So, there would be another treat from Farzana shortly. Adding to this, Farzana is saying that as there is scope for full length performance, she would prove her mettle in acting as well.

Screen Talk: Shreya’s learning Tamil

Shreya Saran, who is the most popular heroine in Tamil today acting with Rajnikanth in Sivaji, has yet to learn Tamil. The actress has been writing all her dialogues in English and memorises them before the shooting. Director Shankar’s associates at the sets have been helping Shreya with prompt dialogue delivery. Also on the sets of Thiruvilayadal Arambam, which features Dhanush and Shreya in lead roles, the actress gets all help from director Boopathy Pandian.

Says Shreya, “It’s an interesting language. I am making all efforts to learn the language and may even try to do my own dubbing soon.” Shreya had acted in a couple of Tamil movies before, Enakku 20 Unakku 18 and Mazhai.

Impression: Will Jr NTR Force For Sameera Reddy in 'Yama Donga'?

There were gossips that Jr NTR forced the directors to groove in Sameera Reddy with him in his films.

Sameera Reddy debuted on Telugu screen with 'Narasimhudu' beside Jr NTR and then appeared in 'Jai Chiranjeeva' as well. As both the films turned down at box office, she got the image of iron leg and no offers lined for her.

But still, Jr NTR empathized and considered her a lot. It was told as hearsay that Jr NTR compelled to pair up Sameera Reddy with him for a film on the banner of Suresh Productions, which wasn't materialized. The film was stalled only with this issue and later that was made on the banner of GVG Raju as 'Raraju' with Gopichand, gossip says.

Again Sameera Reddy paired up with NTR for 'Ashok' and the result is known for all. There were gossips that Jr NTR presented a Camry car for Sameera Reddy.

Now, NTR's 'Yamadonga' is going to be made in the direction of Rajamouli. It was told that Kajal, the heroine of Kalyan Ram's 'Lakshmi Kalyanam' is chosen as one of the heroines. There is need for other heroine in the film and gossips are making rounds that Jr NTR would again rope in Sameera Reddy. But will Rajamouli agree? In fact, that depends on the tenacity of Jr NTR in this issue. Long back, Jr NTR said that he never pressurized anyone to place so and so heroine beside him. If that is true, he may not compel Rajamouli to rope her into 'Yamadonga'.

Last but not least, there is no Sameera Reddy factor in Jr NTR's 'Rakhi' that is undergoing in the direction of Krishna Vamshi.

So, is this an implication that Jr NTR is not so considerable about Sameera Reddy now! Just wait and watch!

Trade Talk: Films with Less Stamina and No Life

'Bhagyalakshmi Bumper Draw', the remake version of 'Malamal Weekly' could make good collections in the first three days but slowly it is losing grip at the box office. The posters of the film with village backdrop and glamour quotient have been making the audiences walk into theatres. But the elasticity in second half diluted the enthusiasm as many say. Adding to this the critics also say that the songs in the film disturbed the tempo of the film.

Apart from this, Janardana Maharshi's 'Gopi' is also showing its thumb down with lesser collections. Audiences have been saying that the title is very impressive but the film lacks in real interest boosters. Trade circles are saying that it is slowly going towards flop hood.

'Chakry', although released after a very long gap is declared to be a flop as audiences are hardly getting into the theatres. Confused story and grip less narration marred the film as many point out.

'Prapanchaanikokkadu', the dubbed version of 'Casino Royale' made big openings but lost its grip from the second day it self. The mouth talk on the film is very low and people have been saying that it is not on par with regular Bond movies.

Gossip: Rambha Finds Kid in Allari Naresh!

Rambha is one of the eternal beauties of the South Indian Screen. She preserved all her magnetic powers in her figure. In the film ‘Gopi’, she looked glamorous. She, however, felt uneasy to play opposite to Allari Naresh (although only in climax scene). While She was doing the role of heroine in ,’Aa Okkatee Adakku’, the film directed by his father, EVV, Naresh was a kid of hardly eight years. The same boy, as the hero, tried to roll the wedding knot around her neck in one of the climax scenes of ‘Gopi’, she felt bit uneasy. She hugged him to dampen her discomfort after the director Okayed the shot.

Behind The Scene: Ramoji treats KCR like NTR!

Those who are observing the media coverage in the Karimnagar byelections can quickly understand how much priority Eenadu and Etv is giving to Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao.

As somebody observed rightly, KCR is getting as much publicity from Eenadu group as N T Rama Rao had got during 1983 Assembly elections. Every statement of his is getting the wider coverage and in every news bulletin, the TRS is getting the maximum coverage. Nobody gave such a wide coverage as Etv and Eenadu did for the "Cricket Kits" issue, which projected the Congress in a bad light. In fact, Etv ran a special news bulletin exclusively on this cricket kits issue.

One can understand the compulsions of Eenadu and Etv, as Ramoji Rao wants to beat the Congress black and blue. But why is he giving so much coverage to the TRS and not the Telugu Desam (which also stands a better chance in Karimnagar) is a million dollars question!

Impression: Abburi Ravi after Trivikram Sreenivas

Dialogues prove to be the backbone for the success of any film. Many successful films spill Humor or aggressiveness or sentiment or seriousness in the best way through dialogues. The era of Jandhyala proved to be the golden period for comedy series and eventually the writers like LB Sri Ram and Tanikella Bharani also proved their skill. Now, the writers like Trivikram Sreenivas and Marudhuri Raja are waving their success flag by penning the most mass appealing dialogues spilling humor and subtlety every where.

Adding to them, the young guy who bagged good scores for his dialogues in 'Bommarillu' was Abburu Ravi. Now he is doing a movie with K.Vijaya Bhaskar. Director Vijaya Bhaskar says that Abburi Ravi is the best writer after Trivikram Srinivas. But industry says that he will stand as a very tough competitor for Trivikram. Abburi Ravi is now doing 'Annavaram' with Pawan Kalyan and 'Classmates' with Sumanth.

Let us see how this young dialogue writer withstands in the industry with his incessant dexterity to pen dialogues with changing trends

Film Talk: Allu Arjun Combines With Dil Raju

Allu Arjun's film with Dil Raju was confirmed and that is going on to sets in Febraury 2007.

Long back, it was planed to groove in Allu Arjun to play in the films 'Bhadra' and 'Bommarillu' of Dil Raju. But that wasn't materialized at that time. Although there have been talks about the new film, it got finalized finally in the combination of Allu Arjun and Dil Raju. This would be the second film in the combination of Dil Raju and Allu Arjun after 'Arya'.

Allu Arjun is now awaiting the release of 'Desa Muduru' in the direction of Puri Jagannadh.

Snippet: Many Top Heroes Engaged In Social Service

Service done by celebrities will be highly recognized than something done by normal people. Film actors attract bi attention of public with their magnanimity. Hence, they can really motivate others well while bagging good impression among the people.

This week almost all the top heroes are busy with social events. Jagapathi Babu is busy with Blood Camp. Balakrishna was engaged with his Camp against Cancer. Mohan Babu is busy in offering free education for two kids. Chiranjeevi is as usual busy in eye donation activities, blood donation camps and freshly added campaigning against Aids recently.

This is certainly a motivating and inspiring factor for many others in the society.

Film Talk: Hot Anushka in 'A' Certificate Film

Hot Yoga Teacher turned actress Anushka has now stepped into Tamil film industry with the film 'Rendu'. Sundar C is the director of the film and it is being produced by Khushboo.

Madhavan is playing male lead in the film while Anushka is sharing the screen along with Reema Sen.

For the degree of violence and skin show, the film is tagged with 'A' certificate as per the fresh sources. Censor board suggested a few cuts in the film to get 'U' certificate but Sundar C denied the suggestion. Hence, the board members signed off by tagging 'A' certificate to the film.

Sundar now feels that the 'A' certificate itself pulls more crowds to the theaters as he targeted only the non- family audiences and youth with this film.

In fact, it can be concluded that the debut number of Anushka in Tamil is an 'A' Certificate flick.

Gossip: Ankita’s Exposure Stuns Industry!

Ankita is making last bid attempt to have a firm grip as heroine in the Industry. She has shed all inhibitions that come on her way in exposing. The stills from her recent film ‘Julai’ confirmed she was highly decisive in looking hot. She almost revealed her ‘assets’, wearing nothing expecting a thin blouse on her top. Most of her female counterparts in the industry were taken aback with her courage. Her initiative bore fruits. Two directors have already made offers to her.

Reel Talk: Prabhudeva To Rock In Goa

Goan film festivals are the talks of tinsel town now.

Actor Cum Choreographer-turned director Prabhu Deva will perform at the inaugural function of the International Film Festival to be held at Goa from November 24.

The much-awaited film festival will showcase films from various countries, and panel discussions have also been organized. As part of the inauguration, a mega cultural event is organized in which Prabhu Deva will perform followed by Bollywood heart-throb Hrithik Roshan.

Also Telugu movie 'Hope' of Policherla Venkata Subbaiah, which describes the tale of a student, has been chosen for screening at the fest. The film is directed by K.Satish (also called K.satyanarayana )and features Kalyani and Ramanaidu in lead roles. The film got good critical acclaim when it was released.

Film Talk: Bommarillu Bhaskar's 'Love Marriage' In April

Bhaskar is on cloud 9 with the tremendous success of his film 'Bommarillu'. Adding to this success, his love line also shined bright and he is getting married in the New Year. His marriage is coming on to cards shortly and that is fixed in the month of April 2007.

As speaking to greatandhra.com Bhaskar revealed about his marriage.

He said that he will let out the details shortly. Let us wish him all the best for his success in love.

Bipasha Basu says shooting bikini scenes very stressful

She may be one of India's most sought after actresses, but when it comes to donning a bikini for her latest movie, Bollywood beauty Bipasha Basu has the same fears as every other woman.

``Let me tell you shooting in a bikini is not easy,'' the actress - who plays a cop in the movie ``Dhoom2'' - told in an interview.

``After three days of eating oranges, working out thrice a day and going paranoid, 'am I fat?' I did not want to look very oomphy, I wanted to look athletic,'' said Basu.

``I wanted to be a Cameron Diaz, I did not want to be a Pamela Anderson,'' she said.

Basu, who is currently dating Bollywood heartthrob John Abraham, has starred in more than 22 movies since she entered the movie industry five years ago. Her recent films include the comedies ``No Entry'' and ``Phir Hera Pheri,'' or ``Some More Hustling.''

Tidbit: Who is That Big Hero With Kamalini!

Bengali beauty Kamalini Mukherjee has won the hearts of Telugu audiences with her traditional look and decent attire. She acted in the films Anand, Meenakshi, Style and Godavari where she got good applause all the way.

She also paired up with Kamal Hasan for a Tamil film 'Vetaiyadu Velaiyadu'.

Freshly, she got an offer from Bollywood and she is getting into that big industry this coming New Year. The film is going to hit the floors in the month of February and the story discussions are already over. A big hero is going to pair up with her. But she is not revealing the secret despite repetitive asking.

Let us wish all the best for this beauty.

Spotlight: Ugly Break Ups Of Beautiful Heroines

The interest of film buffs will be more focused on off screen romance if star than their on screen love. Several times, the love affairs of heroines get into fire and only in some occasions something gets fruitful indeed.

Long ago, Simran-Raju Sundaram affair passed on rumors in the air. But silence prevailed from the side of Raju Sundaram. Then, Simarn was linked up with Kamal Hassan and the gossips waned out slowly.

Something similar was crushed between Tarun and Arthi Agarwal little while ago, but that remained as mere gossip and nothing came out officially.

Now it is turn of Nayantara, whose break up with Simbu has taken an ugly turn. Nayan is avoiding most of the media, and is speaking only to a select publishing house, a move that leaves the room open for unflattering interpretations.

Sneha's Naga Ravi (although an off screen guy) affair also brought some scornful waves for Sneha's fans. When Sneha's romance hit the roof, she had the guts to call a press conference and faced the flak alone when romance turned sour. Not only did she emerge as a bundle of courage, a number of producers were convinced of her professionalism.

It is obvious that attempting suicides and getting worried about love lives would mar the careers of heroines. Producers hardly feel secured with such crumbling heroines. Sneha did something bold but Nayan is not.

Puri Jagannadh about Desamudhuru

Industry Hit Pokiri tarwatha Allu Arjun,Hansika combination lo Puri Jagannadh direct chesthunna Desamudhuru gurinchi Puri cheppina konni details...

Love stories chala chusam..ammayi-abbayi love chesukuntaru...rich&poor....love lo edho problem...ala kakunda oka kotha love story raayali anukunnanu,kotha angle touch cheddam anukunna.Hero oka Sanyasini ni love chesthe eila untundhee?anukunnanu, adhe Desamudhuru katha.Love&Action category ki vasthundhi e cinema

hero very smart guy,intelligent fellow...chese panulu chusthe "veedu bhale mudhuru raa" anipisthundhi.andhuke cinema title Desamudhuru


Hero peru BalaGovind,Maa Tv lo oka Programme director.Life ni chala light ga teesukuntadu. Behaviour casual ga untundhi,Reaction sharp ga untundhi.very lively charecter.

Himachal Pradesh backdrop chala bagundhi.aa lovely atmosphere lo hero..akkada oka aada sanyasinila gumpu ..aa gumpu lo heroine..aa scenes chala interesting ga untayi.

Hero charecter lo chala fun untundhi.alage Ali comedy track kuda chala baguntundhi.

Vidya Balan with Chiranjeevi?

Parineeta,Lage Raho Munnabhai cinemalatho Bollywood lo manchi peru techukunna Vidya Balan Lage Raho Munnabhai Telugu remake ayina Sankardada Zindabad tho Telugu screen pieki rabothondhi ani taaja vaartha.Bulk dates(for 90Days) ivvatam kudharaka Kamal Haasan cinema Dasavatharam vadhilesina e Tamil ammayi ni Sankardada Zindabad tho South ki teesukuravalani Gemini Film circuit producers try chesthunnaru.
Vidya Balan prasthutham Maniratnam Guru,Nikil Advani Salaam-e-ishq cinemallo natisthondhi.

Jagapathi babu in Sainikudu

Anthahpuram,Anukokunda Oka Roju,Gopi(Goda meedha Pilli) lanti cinema llo special charecters lo meppinchina Samanyudu Jagapathi babu Sainikudu cinema lo kuda oka important charecter chesinattu telusthondhi.Gunasekhar direction lo Jagapathibabu Manoharam cinema lo natincharu.Mahesh babu,Trisha combination lo Gunasekhar rupondhinchina e cinema audio Superhit ayindhi.High expectations unna e high concept Mass Entertainer November30th na release avuthundhi.

Dil Raju- Bhaskar film from June

Bommarillu Bhaskar tho Dil Raju nirminche cinema 2007 June ki start avuthundhi.Young Star hero okaru aa cinema lo lead role lo natistharu.Mazhai (Varsham Tamil remake) direct chesina Raj Kumar direction lo Dil Raju nirminche maro cinema(title Kotha Bangaru Lokam?) March lo start avuthundhi.

Prabhas tho Dil Raju nirmisthunna Big budget film Munna March28th na release avuthundhi.

Sainikudu with 270 Prints

Mundhu announce chesinattuga November 30th ne Mahesh babu cinema Sainikudu 270 Prints tho release avuthondhi.Ninna jarigina press meet lo Producer Aswani Dutt e vishayam confirm chesaru.High technical values tho vasthunna e cinema lo color grading kosam ARRIscan use chesaru.Lord of the Rings Trilogy ki work chesina Digital intermediate expert Utsi Sainikudu D.I chesaru.

Sainikudu New Jersey Premiere Show Details

EDISON, New Jersey - Nov 22nd 2006: The countdown has begun for one of the most exciting moments in the history of Telugu cinema. For the first time ever a Telugu movie is going to be premiered on the 30th November in USA, in one of the most prestigious cinemas - AMC Loews located in New Jersey, USA.

This is the first time that a South Indian Movie is being premiered on foreign shores. Now a Telugu movie is on the threshold of entering into this hall of fame. No prizes for guessing that the movie is SAINIKUDU produced by ace production house Vyjayanthi Movies.

The lead actor of the movie Super Star Mahesh Babu fondly referred to as Prince, just had back to back super hits in ATHADU and POKIRI. The latter in fact broke all box office records in the last 75 years of Telugu cinema. It also was a scintillating success across the world. Not just Telugus, but scores of Non-Telugus too have turned fans of Mahesh Babu after watching POKIRI. And now comes the icing on the cake, the crowning glory- SAINIKUDU

Elaborate arrangements are being made for the Premiere. The Main Cast and Crew including Super Star - Mahesh Babu, Director - Guna Sekhar, Music Director- Harris Jairaj, Producer-Aswini Dutt and Executive Producer- Swapna Dutt will grace the occasion. There will be a meet and greet of the starcast, followed by a screening of the movie, followed by which there will be a press meet.

KAD Entertainment, who distributes the movie in all the overseas territories along with Vyjayanthi Movies, has carved a niche for themselves for their innovative approach towards South Indian movie promotions abroad. Now SAINIKUDU surely is another feather in the cap.

Vyjayanthi Movies is known for producing several spectacular movies with the biggest of star in Telugu for nearly three decades now. In terms of extravagant production values and path breaking marketing campaigns the production house has always stood out. Super hit films like INDRA, CHOODALANI UNDI, RAJAKUMARUDU, STUDENT NO.1 etc., remain etched in public memory for their unforgettable music and superlative entertainment. SAINIKUDU is poised to live up to that tradition.

Secondshows.com the premiere Telugu Movie ticketing portal will soon launch sales of tickets for the special premiere show. The tickets will be priced at $40. A Special SAINIKUDU souvenir kit will be given absolutely free to each patron attending the Premiere.

The Souvenir kit will have:
· A Special DVD on the making of SAINIKUDU
· A Special article that Prince Mahesh uses in the movie
· An autographed Poster/Calendar besides few other surprises.

Okka Magadu shooting in Single schedule

Balayya-Y.V.S.Chowdary combination lo rabothunna Okka Magadu regular shooting December 1st week lo start avuthundhi.Start to finish schedule lo shooting complete avuthundhi,oka 30Days second unit kuda work chesthundhi.Simran,Anushka,Nisha Kothari heroines ga natisthunna e cinema kosam ippatike 6songs ni already record chesaru.Mundhuga announce chesinatte April 28th na movie ni release chesthamani Y.V.S.Chowdary chebuthunnaru.

Pawan Kalyan Puri Jagannadh Cinema!

"Nuvvu Nanda aithe..nenu Badri ..Badrinath aithe enti?"e Dialogue gurthu undhi kadha..ilanti punch tho adhe combination lo maro cinema rabothondhi!Vaishno Academy banner lo Pawan Kalyan hero ga twaralo cinema untundhi ani Puri Jagannadh latest interview lo chepparu.
" Kalyan kuda OK annaru..ippatike story line kuda anukunnanu,daani meedha work cheyyali" ani Puri Jagannadh chepparu.
(Earlier there is a buzz about same combination in Anjana Productions,we have to wait for some more time for full details)

Press Note: 5 Lakhs donation by Balakrishna and his fans

9th Annual fund-raising event was held for the IACO (Indo American Cancer Organization, which is popularly known as Nandamuri Basava Tharakam Memorial Cancer Foundation) at Akbar Restaurant , Garden City, New York, on the evening of 18th Saturday Nov 2006. Popular Telugu Hero Yuvarathna Mr Nandamuri Balakrishna was invited as Chief Guest for this event. Around 450 NRI’s comprising of Balakrishna’s fans, supporters, Doctors, Donors, delegates from all over the Northern America participated in the event. IACO raised more than $ 3,00,000 on this occasion, which will be used to help in eradication of Cancer and related diseases in Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Tulasi Polavarapu, Founder of the IACO reiterated that the funds raised during this occasion would be invested in providing quality medical care to cancer patients, creation of cancer awareness and buying the latest diagnostic equipment.

In his keynote speech Shri Nandamuri Balakrishna, said he still remembered how badly his mother was suffered from cancer in the last days of her life. The need for this modern Cancer Institute was the dream of late Smt. Nandamuri Basava Tarakam wife of late Chief Minister Dr N T Rama Rao who herself succumbed to the deadly disease. He requested everybody to join hands in this fight against cancer.

He also requested elite NRI’s to keep up our great Indian values and traditions. He praised and thanked every NRI for helping their family, relatives, friends and other charitable causes despite the hardship initially in this country. Most of the speakers on this occasion shared their memories and bonding with late NTR

The famous NRI doctors and personalities attended this event including, Dr Dattatreyudu Nori, internationally renowned Oncologist, Sri. K. Krishnam Raju Secretary, NBTR Memorial Cancer Foundation, Dr. Mallareddy Pilla, Dr. Dasaratharama Reddy Gaddam

5 Lakhs donation by Balakrishna and his fans
Fans of Balakrishna donated USD 5000 towards the fund. Reciprocating to his fans generosity Shri Nandamuri Balakrishna added another 5000 USD of equal contribution from his end to the fans amount. Apart from above, NRI Chitram, who bagged Maharadhi USA rights, donated USD 1,116 to Indo-American Cancer Organization. Total amount donated by Balakrishna, fans became USD 11,116 i.e 5 lakhs INR.

Entertainment:
It was a 5 hours plus Event. Miss India worldwide 2006 Trina Chakravarty performed Indian classic dance and also anchored the fundraiser event. Few multi-talented Doctors entertained audience by singing beautiful melodies and by rendering NTR’s mythological movie dialogues. Inspired by them, Balakrishna taken over the dais and delivered his trademark punch dialogues as well as SriKrishna pandaveeyam mythological skits. Fans and the audience went berserk with Balaiah’s participation.

A Female doctor, who is a non telugite beautifully, sang a telugu melody (Nuvvu Nuvvu from Khadgam). Video Song Clips from Balakrishna’s forth coming release Maharadhi were special attraction of the night with cheering crowds and dancing fans.

Overall it was a night of everlasting memories for IACO members, Nandamuri Balakrishna and his fans.

Reel Buzz: Bikini Beauty Less Inclined Towards Tollywood

Mona Chopra, the Bollywood heroine, hails from Hyderabad but wishes to settle down in Mumbai. Her focus is on Bollywood now as per the snippets from her interview given to a Mumbai magazine.

She acted in Telugu films like 'A Film by Aravind' and 'Something Something'. She got recognition in Bollywood with her films 'No Entry' and now with 'Game'. She relies of excessive exposing and feels highly comfortable in bikinis.

As the market for bikini beauties is comparatively good in Bollywood, she is opting out Tollywood. As per the reports, she is not so inclined to get the fame as great performance actress. All that she needs is quick recognition and fast cash.

If that is her wish, let us hope that she finds good place at least in Bollywood in the way she wants.

Film Talk: Response for 'Khatarnak' Songs

The response for the songs in 'Khatarnak' is pretty good, although many have been opining that MM Keeravani hasn't shown his mark this time. He composed the songs with novel feel making the youngsters respond to it positively.

The songs have good commercial value where 'Bujji Bujji Papa' was inspired by 'Aja A Aa Aaja..' of Shammi Kapoor's old song.

Other song, 'Vastava..' is giving a feel of old Tamil composition .

Apart from this, 'Doma Kudithey Chickun Gunya..' is attracting many ears for the word 'Chikun Gunya' in it. Although many didn't like the sense in lyrics it is catching the attention obviously. It was told that the song is being hummed by Kannadigas in Bangalore.

Other songs 'Love Chese Vallaki…', 'Matante Maateraa..' and ' Aa Gaganamlo..' are appealing to the senses of youth.

Along with 'Sainikudu' and 'Maharadhi', the songs in 'Khatarnak' are also dinning in the ears and dancing on the lips of film lovers.

Impression: It's Balakrishna after Jagapathi Babu

Long ago there was a song on Khushboo and Rajani Kanth in Tamil. The song goes with the tune of 'Anjani Putruda Veeradhi Veerudaa..' of 'Muthamestri' where Rajani and Khusboo call each other by their own names.

Similarly, Chandrabose penned a song on Trisha and that was grooved in Nitin's 'Allari Bullodu'. The song sounds really poetic and impressive but as the film failed, the song hasn't seen light in a better way.

Freshly, in the film 'Samanyudu' there was a song on Jagapathi Babu. Kamna Jethmalani performed in the song '..naa Jagapathi Babu..choopu churakatthira Babu..' on beach side.

After that, 'Maharadhi is going to show a song on Balakrishna and that is dinning the ears of music lovers now. 'Ottu vesi chebuthaanu okka saari vintaara..nenu kooda lebarey..Baalakrishna' is the song where the word Balakrishna is sounded in chorus.

This shows that songs are being made directly on the artistes themselves these days. Let's see if this trend continues for other stars as well.

Impression: Kannada 'Annavaram' Turned Flop

The film 'Tiruppachchi' was remade into Kannada and released for the recent Diwali. Darsan and Poonam Bajwa played the lead roles and the film was titled 'Tangi Gaagi', which means 'For Sister'.

As per the reviewers and people's verdict the film wasn't made well. The result was evident as it turned down at box office.

Although the film was a super hit in Tamil, it couldn't do even a bit well in Kannada. The main reason is understood to be the 'making defect'. It's once again proved that it is not only the story, but the narration aspect that makes big difference between a hit and flop.

The film is being made as 'Annavaram' in Telugu in the direction of Bheemineni Sreenivasa Rao. As Bheemineni is good at remake films and also proved to be efficient in dealing with sentimental emotion aspects, the expectations on this film are positive.

Let us see what grip Bheemineni has shown on this film.

Film News: Uncertainty over New Releases

A big uncertainty is prevailing on the new releases those are about to hit the screen shortly.

The release date of 'Sainikudu' is confirmed to be 30th of this month and Mahesh Babu is arriving in the USA on 29th.

The release status of Indraganti Mohana Krishna's 'Mayabazaar' in which Bhumika and Raja are pairing up and Nitin-Meera Chopra starred 'Satyam Sivam Sundaram' is still uncertain.

Fresh reports say that 'Khatarnak' is releasing in the first week of December. 'Rakhi' confirmed its release on 22nd of December. The release date of 'Annavaram' is announced to be 29th of December. The release of 'Desa Muduru' is postponed to second week of January 2007.

Although Balakrishna's 'Mahardhi' is initially announced to be December release, it has now pushed to January 2nd week for sentimental reasons as per fresh news.

The audio releases of 'Annavaram' and 'Desa Muduru' are going to happen on 1st of December (confirmed) and 2nd week of December respectively. Ramana Gogula scored music for Annavaram and that is going to be his next film after 'Chinnodu'. The audio of NTR's 'Rakhi' is also hitting chart busters in 1 st week of December.

Box-Office: 'Old' Is On Top and New Ones Follow

1. Bomarillu:
The film is still ruling the theaters with more inflow of family audiences. Siddhartha and Genelia have made a firm mark on audiences and the character of Prakash Raj is being identified by every caring father. The film is still running with impressive collections and sits on the top.

2. Bhagyalakshmi Bumper Draw:
This new remake from 'Malamaal Weekly' is attracting the masses with humor elements in it. The film holds many comedians and thus it is alluring the comedy lovers. Although a direct remake, it is doing encouraging business as far as the first week of its release is concerned. The film sits in position-2 of the toppers list of the week.

3. Prapanchanikokkadu:
This dubbing version of 'Casino Royale' made big opening collections and bagged good response. The features of new bond got mixed response indeed. The film sits in position-3 of Toppers list of the week.

4. Samanyudu:
This is getting slow and steady response and running well in theaters without getting out of the list. Jagapathi Babu could come out of hibernation to little bit and Sai Kumar supported for the depth in the film with his villainy. The film sits in position-4 this week.

5. Vallabha:
This dubbing version of Tamil 'Vallavan' is doing well in Telugu theatres. The lip kiss poster of Simbu and Nayantara could bring audiences to the theaters. Majority of the audiences happen to be youth and masses. The film sits in the position-5 of toppers' list of the week.

Aishwarya: I too want to know who sent parcel to me

Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai has said she too is eager to know who sent a parcel containing Euros 23,000 (around Rs 13 lakhs) to her, why and from where.

"Like all of you, I am also eager to know who sent this parcel, from where and why it was sent?" she said while talking to reporters at Sanganer airport after returning from Mumbai last night.

She would be shooting for director Ashutosh Gowarikar's 'Jodha Akbar'.

During questioning by Customs officials yesterday at Sahar Airport in Mumbai, Aishwarya had disowned the parcel sent to her from Rotterdam in Netherlands.

Looking relaxed, Rai said she was waiting for completion of investigation by the authorities.

Asked about 'Jodha Akbar', she said, "Ashutosh Gowarikar has been working very hard on this film and it would be a hit."

As for lukewarm response at the box office for J P Dutta's 'Umrao Jaan' in which she played the lead role, the Bollywood actress said, "I am not aware of box office results, but I got many mails from my fans who said my performance in the movie was good."

Preview: Will Balakrishna make a comeback with 'Maharathi'?

Hyderabad, Nov 21 (IANS) Telegu actor Balakrishna hopes to make a comeback with "Maharathi" after duds like "Allari Pidugu" and "Veerabhadra".

Sneha and Meera Jasmine play Balakrishna's love interests, while veteran actress Jayaprada plays his antagonist in the film, which is set for a Nov 29 release.

"The role has all the navarasas (nine emotions)" remarked Balakrishna.

According to writer Maruduri Raja, the role is "tailor-made" for the star. He added that he had acknowledged Balakrishna's suggestions and inputs.

Director P. Vasu is also returning to the Telugu movie scenario after a long gap. He said Balakrishna's is "a powerful role".

Balakrishna is the son of legendary actor and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N.T. Rama Rao (NTR).

"My dream of working with NTR didn't come true but I am happy to work with his son," said Vasu.

Jayaprada, who has acted with NTR in several hit films, said: "I have a significant role and it was nice working with Balakrishna."

Vasu introduces Kannada composer Guru Kiran to Telugu cinema with this film and promises "soulful tunes". The film's audio, which was released recently, is already a hit.

The industry is now waiting to watch whether Vasu, who gave Rajnikant a smashing hit with "Chandramukhi", can break Balakrishna's jinx too.