Pot-pourri

[PLUS]

A Jewish wedding in Kerala after 21 years
11 Dec 2008, 0258 hrs IST, T S SREENIVASA RAGHAVAN, TNN

KOCHI: The parents of Shelomo and Susan want the marriage of their children to be a quiet affair. But the first wedding for India's oldest
Jewish community in more than two decades promises to be far from that. And with the Mumbai terror strike making the country's handful of Jews a target for the first time, there is also going to be a lot of cops around.

After 21 long years, the 48-member Jewish community in Kochi will witness a wedding at the 400-year-old synagogue in the popular Jew Town in Mattancherry. The bridegroom is Shelomo (28) and the bride Susan (25), who will exchange rings on December 28. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/A_Jewish_wedding_in_Kerala_after_21_years/articleshow/3820075.cms

[PLUS]

Suresh's Boss in progress

Action hero Suresh Gopi's upcoming venture Boss, directed by Nizar, is progressing in full swing in and around Kochi. (Nizar had made a comeback with yet another Suresh Gopi starrer Bulle.)
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/malayalam/top-stories/2008/suresh-boss-101208.html

[PLUS]

Manju Warrier returns with Bodyguard

Readers may remember we reported two months ago that former Malayalam actress Manju Warrier, wife of actor Dileep, is likely to make her re-entry to Malayalam films, as she made an unexpected public appearance at the audio launch of AMMA's muti-starrer Twenty:20, nearly 10 years after her sudden marriage with actor Dileep in 1998. Our forecast has come true now.

Manju Warrier, one of the most-loved heroines of Malayalam film industry, is making her re-entry with her husband Dileep's upcoming venture Bodyguard, directed by ace Siddique. Manju Warrier will have a meaty role in this film which is about to start shooting on 12th December. Contrary to the latest sensational rumours that South India's costliest actress Nayantara is the heroine, now it is rumoured that Manju Warrier will be his heroine.

Interestingly, other sources insist Dileep's lucky heroine Kavya Madhavan will be the heroine. Anyway, we request the filmmakers to quash all confusion and gossip about their heroine by making an official announcement immediately. Anyway, the announcement is expected during the pooja function of the film on 12th December at Kochi.
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/malayalam/top-stories/2008/manju-warrier-bodyguard-121208.html

[PLUS]

Club Converge: Hop on the party wagon!

Express Features
First Published : 06 Dec 2008 05:07:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 06 Dec 2008 03:28:55 PM IST

Funky to tech, Bollywood to rock....Yes, the three-day party is on with a colourful start. For those who are yet to hop on the partywagon, popular DJs Neil and Tuhin will perform tonight at the Club Converge, Ocean Fest 2008, in Willingdon Island. The others who will make you rock are DJ Pearl and DJ Nikhil Chinnappa (MTV, Submerge, Mumbai).

A wizard on the turntable, ‘functronic’ is how Neil describes what he plays. With a unique set of funky and electro house tunes in his stock he is getting ready to set the dance floor on fire at Kochi.
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Club+Converge:+Hop+on+the+party+wagon!&artid=e0j6NwV17Ys=&SectionID=9R67TMeNb/w=&MainSectionID=9R67TMeNb/w=&SEO=Visual+Jockey,+Club+Converge,+party&SectionName=gUhH3Holuas=

[PLUS]

Almost all upcoming films are shot and post-produced at Kochi

Doctor Patient starts shooting

Young director Viswanathan's Doctor Patient, starring Jayasuriya in the title
role as a psychiatrist, produced by Nandigram Ram Prasad under the banner
of A.R. International, has already started rolling at Kochi from the end of November.
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/malayalam/top-stories/2008/doctor-patient-shooting-121208.html

Suresh Gopi's thriller starts shooting

Debutante director Ajmal's investigative thriller Ring Tone, starring Suresh Gopi
in the lead as a CBI officer, has started rolling in North Paravoor, Ernakulam.
Bala plays an important role along with Suresh Gopi; Telugu actress Megha
Nair is the heroine.
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/malayalam/top-stories/2008/ring-tone-starts-rolling-131208.html

Love In Singapore in February

Baiju NT [December 3, 2008, 5:30:18 PM]

Vaishakha Release, distributor of the upcoming Mammootty starrer Love In Singapore being directed by Rafi Mecartin, has said they plan to release the movie by 18th February, 2009. The film, which was supposed to hit theatres on January 23, has completed its entire shoots at the locations of Singapore, Kochi and Karaikudi and is presently in its post production stage. http://malayalam.galatta.com/entertainm ... 20382.html

I.V. Sasi ready to start Vellathooval

Veteran
Irruppam Veedu Sasidaran, better known as I.V. Sasi, who holds the record for having directed the most movies in Malayalam (nearly 150), will soon direct Vellathooval to be produced C.M. Raji under the banner of Anugraha Films. Presented by V.B.K. Menon, the film will have two newcomers in the lead roles.

The script is by John Paul while cinematography is by Ananthakkuttan. Girish Puthenchery-Johnson team deals with the music. The film also has Lalu Alex, Jagathy, Ganeesh, Revathy, Seema, Swetha Menon in the cast. Editing is by P.C. Mohanan. The shooting will start on December 12 at the locations of Munaar, Thodupuzha, Vagaman and Kochi.
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/malayalam/top-stories/2008/sasi-vellathooval-111208.html

Red Chillies progressing

Baiju NT [December 8, 2008, 4:27:31 PM]

The shooting of superstar Mohanlal's Christmas release Red Chillies, directed by Shaji Kailas and produced by Ranjith under the banner of Rajaputhra Movies (which had earlier made Chinthamani Kola Case with Suresh Gopi), is progressing at the locations of Kochi and Thengasi at Singapore.
http://malayalam.galatta.com/entertainment/malayalam/livewire/id/Red_Chillies_is_progressing_20493.html

Mohanlal's Sagar alias Jackie

By galatta
Friday Sep 26 7:35 PM

The shoot of Sagar alias Jackie, a sequel to Mohanlal's 1987 blockbuster Irupatham Noottandu directed by K. Madhu, will start in mid-December. The film will be shot in the exotic locations of Goa, Mumbai, Dubai, Leh and Kochi. An exclusive photo shoot of Sagar alias Jackie was held last week at Mohanlal's Max Lab in Kochi. To be directed by Malayalam's most stylish director Amal Neerad of Big B fame and produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner of Ashirvad films, the film will be a stylish thriller.
http://in.movies.yahoo.com/news-detail/34770/Mohanlals-Sagar-alias-Jackie.html

[PLUS]

Mohanlal's Maxlab Entertainment Pvt Ltd inaugurated at Kochi

[AbrahamVCherry]

Colors and Cultures Happily Married in IndiaWorld

By Edna Fernandes

Three weeks after Mumbai’s terror attacks, one of the most abiding images is of the golden-haired toddler orphaned by the siege at the local Jewish center. His plight haunted me. I have a son almost exactly the same age. During the early months of my pregnancy with him, I was in India researching a book on the country’s Jews, particularly those in the oldest community in Kerala, which lies south of Mumbai. As I watched the horror unfold, it struck me that this preplanned attack on Jews in Mumbai had ended millennia of peaceful co-existence for an Indian Jewish community that numbers just 5,000.

Most are members of Mumbai’s Bene Israel Jews. The Baghdadi Jews, once centered in Kolkata (the capital of West Bengal), have pretty much died out. But the oldest group of all is the Cochini Jews of Kerala, who date to the time of Solomon, according to their oral history.

There was a time when the Cochini Jews, too, numbered in the thousands, owned vast estates and plantations across the state, and had eight synagogues. Today, fewer than 50 Cochini Jews remain; only one synagogue is in use, and the remainder are crumbling into dust, nests to serpents and vermin.

Until that November day in Mumbai, India’s Jewry had never been persecuted or made to feel endangered by their fellow Indians. According to the Indian government, the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out the Mumbai attacks. But Indian security experts are sure the group had some help from sympathizers within India itself. So, these attacks signal a shameful first.

But we would do well to remember that India remains one of the few adopted homelands where Jews were welcomed on arrival. They have happily co-existed alongside Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Christians, without fear for their safety.

Indeed, Jews in Kerala were once feted as foreign royalty and accorded special privileges that were usually the preserve of the Hindu rajas. Theirs was an illustrious history for many centuries. The only time the Indian Jews suffered persecution was at the hands of outsiders: the Portuguese and their Arab trader allies in the 16th century and onward.

Cochin has long been a crossroads for trading empires: the Chinese, Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch and British all came to South India, which was seen as a land of white pearls and black gold, as pepper was known. During the reign of King Solomon, ships arrived from Israel on the bounteous Malabar coastline, seeking luxuries with which to furnish his royal court. According to the Bible, Solomon’s ships brought “once every three years, silver, elephant’s tooth, peacocks and apes.”

Trade flourished, and after the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE and then the fall of Jerusalem and razing of the Second Temple in 70 C.E., waves of Jewish refugees arrived to settle on the South Indian coast. For them, it was never meant to be more than an interim homeland. They ended up staying 2,000 years and became part of India’s mosaic of religion and culture.

The first major Jewish settlement was in Muziris, also known as Shingly or Cranganore, and it became a place imbued with religious significance, a second Jerusalem in the Jews’ spiritual landscape.

When the port city of Cranganore was flooded in 1341, the Jews slowly began to migrate to Cochin, where they remain to this day. The founding father of the Cochini Jewry was a man named Joseph Rabban, also known as “The King of Shingly.” The Jews’ oral history says that when Rabban first arrived in India, he was greeted by the Hindu raja as foreign royalty. The raja received the Jews on the shores, bedecked in his most lavish finery, with a full entourage.

The Jews proved useful allies to the Hindu royal dynasty of Kerala and swore fealty to the crown in times of war. Cochini tradition says that in 379 C.E., the Hindu raja rewarded the Jews by giving them a set of copper plates engraved with a royal decree that effectively gave them their own autonomous kingdom and special “royal privileges,” such as the right to ride an elephant, be carried upon a palanquin and be shielded by parasols. Historians date the plates to a later period of 1,000 C.E.

The copper plates with the decree were known as the Cochini Jews’ Magna Carta, and in the centuries that followed, with the arrival of the Portuguese, the Hindu raja of Kerala would offer the Jews of Kerala protection from persecution. This close bond continued right up to the time of Indian Independence, in 1947.

So, given this illustrious past, what was the undoing of India’s oldest community of Jews? It was not persecution, war or pestilence, but a division within that brought them to the brink of demise. A color division arose, separating the older line of darker-skinned Malabari Jews from the fairer-skinned Paradesi Jews who mostly hailed from Europe, fleeing the Inquisition in the 16th century. This so-called “Jewish apartheid” meant that the black and white Jews of Kerala did not intermarry and that they endured four centuries of division and rancor.

It took a black Jew called A.B. Salem to break the divide, and by the time of Israel’s creation in 1948, the two sides had come together. But this happened too late. By then, many in the community in Kerala, as well as in Mumbai and Kolkata, had left for Israel.

When I last visited Cochin’s Jews in 2006, they seemed a community that was waiting for the end. There were just 12 white Jews left, mostly in their old age, and fewer than 30 black Jews. The community had not seen a wedding for decades. There were no newlyweds, no chubby babies to elevate the elders from the mire of the past. It was a community of no weddings, only funerals, and everyone spoke of the end.My thoughts were very much with them in the days after the Mumbai attack. Despite their difficult and tumultuous history — from past glories to imminent extinction — today the Jews of Cochin still have something important to bequeath: a message of hope.In Cochin there is a village where a synagogue, mosque, church and Hindu temple all reside within a quarter-mile radius. The village of Chennamangalam has become symbolic of a society where people of different religious beliefs can coexist happily without compromising their identity. It is a place where the Jew and Muslim have lived as friends for centuries. It is a source of great pride to Keralites.This is one message of hope. I recently received another: I heard the news that after decades, there is finally to be a wedding for the Jews of Kerala. A young Cochini black Jew is to marry a Jewess from Mumbai’s Bene Israel. Already, there is talk of the chance of a new baby, a new beginning for this dying community.

After much sorrow, there is reason to celebrate.

http://www.forward.com/articles/14742/

[PLUS]

Sibi-Uday duo again

Baiju NT [December 23, 2008, 2:12:55 PM]

Ace scriptwriter duo Sibi K. Thomas and Uday Krishna needs no introduction to Malayalam film viewers. They have been in the industry for the last 17 year and given us numerous hits like C.I.D. Moosa, Kochi Rajavu, Vettam, Lion, Runway, Kilukkam Kilukilukkam, Thuruppugulan, Chess and most recently AMMA's multistarrer Twenty:20.

After creating super hits like Runway and Lion with Dileep, the Sibi K Thomas-Udhay Krishna duo is all set to team up with veteran director Joshy again for a Mohanlal movie to be produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner of Aashirwad Films. According to initial reports, the project is confirmed to begin shooting by the end of July, 2009.

Meanwhile, Mohanlal is currently busy shooting the second schedule of Sagar alias Jackie, which began in Dubai last week. Planned as a sequel to Mohanlal's 1987 blockbuster Irupatham Noottandu directed by K. Madhu, Sagar alias Jackie is directed by Malayalam's most stylish director Amal Neerad of Big B fame and produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner of Ashirvad films. After the second schedule, Mohanlal will return for the next major schedule of the film in Kochi.

http://malayalam.galatta.com/entertainment/malayalam/livewire/id/Sibi_Uday_duo_again_20876.html

[AbrahamVCherry]

Kochi
Down Jewish memory lane in Paravoor

Members of the Jewish families, who had migrated to Israel long back, during a get-together at Paravoor on Friday night.
Photo courtesy Express Buzz.com

04jan_family.jpg (9.53 KiB) Viewed 1914 times

KOCHI: Decades after migrating to the Holy Land, they sauntered down memory lanes long forgotten...a smile here, a tear there. The get-together of fourteen Jews, originally from Kerala who had migrated to Israel as early as in 1970s, was a perfect blend of age-old Jewish traditions, the unanimity of being an Israeli and nostalgic memories.


A Jewish wedding held at the Pardeshi Synagogue, Mattanchery, after a gap of 21 years brought them back together.

Though some of them have been to Kerala earlier, it’s the first time all were coming together. They gathered at the house of Menahim, Mriyam, Shafeer and Soniya at Cheriyappilly, near Paravoor, on Friday night. The celebrations began with a traditional prayer - Sabbath in Hebrew - and lasted till late night.

Sisters Shalva, Gila and Lilly of Pallivathukkal family of Chendamangalam migrated to Israel with their family in 1972. “It was after my predegree that I migrated to Israel along with my family. I married an Israeli and settled there. Back to Kerala, I feel wonderful. However, it’s only a temporary shelter. The Holy Land is my motherland now,” says Shalva.

“It’s wonderful being here.

When I bring my friends to Kerala they ask how could we leave this place,” says Gila, settled in the United States, who returned to Kerala for the first time.

Lilly, a teacher in Israel, says she couldn’t get away from the memories of Kerala for a long time. “I kept weeping for my land for a long time,” she says. She is accompanied by her husband Eliazer.

Siblings of Rebecca, Molly, Eshkol and Yoseph of Jew Street, Paravoor, migrated to Israel in 1970. “I used to come here almost every year except last time. However, it’s the first time we are coming together.

It’s nice to be here,” says Rebecca Simon. Her husband David migrated to Israel in 1949.

David is a former employee of the Electricity Board there.

Molly is accompanied by her husband Menahim and son Shimon. The team has a woman from Morocco - Julie.

They have different opinions and memories about Kerala. However, all are united when it comes to Israel.

They say the world judges Israel merely from outside.

What actually happens is far distant to what the world thinks, says Shalva’s husband David. “You come to Israel.

We are simple souls, same like you see everywhere else. We aren’t different from the rest.

Israel is the only land we have,” he says.

“Israel wants peace. We need peace on both sides, we should try to create such an atmosphere,” says Shira, daughter of Shalva and David.
http://expressbuzz.com/edition/story.as ... CsU=&type=

[PLUS]

To Harihar Nagar on March 26

Baiju NT [January 5, 2009, 3:28:11 PM]

Actor-producer Lal of director duo Siddique-Lal debuts as an independent director with his upcoming To Harihar Nagar (Malayalam), a sequel to yesteryear blockbuster In Harihar Nagar (1990). According to sources, To Harihar Nagar, which started rolling in Kochi last month, is almost complete and is getting ready for release on March 26, 2009.

Produced by Lal Creations and PNV Associates, To Harihar Nagar will be an out-and-out comedy entertainer, depicting the story of four intimate friends Mahadevan (Mukesh), Govindan Kutty (Siddique), Appukuttan (Jagadeesh), and Thomas Kutty (Asokan) who all live in different places after their marriages. Coincidentally, they all are back in Harihar Nagar after some years.
http://malayalam.galatta.com/entertainment/malayalam/livewire/id/To_Harihar_Nagar_on_March_26_21130.html

Indrajith sports six pack abs

Baiju NT [January 5, 2009, 5:08:36 PM]

It was truly surprising news for all Malayalam moviegoer that Prithviraj is working hard at a gym with a personal trainer to get a stylish, trendy six-pack abs for ace director Mani Ratnam's upcoming multi-starrer Ravana. He even had a reputed trainer to plan his workout. The actor is said to have lost 10 kilos during the last three months and has refused to display his six-pack in his Christmas release Lollipop.

Indrajith is also learning Kathakali since his character in this film is the son of a Kathakali artist. Dhanya of Thalappavu fame is the heroine. Produced by Anoop John, Nayakan has Jagathy Sreekumar, Siddique, Thilakan, Cochin Haneefa and Bheeman Raghu in important roles.

The movie has already started shooting at Kochi and will be completed after its shoot at Ottappalam. Planned as a realistic action movie, Nayakan, with some portions shot in Malaysia, is likely to grace theatres during summer 2009. More details are awaited.
http://malayalam.galatta.com/entertainment/malayalam/livewire/id/Indrajith_sports_six_pack_abs_21140.html

Mammootty starts a blog
By Moviebuzz | Sunday, 04 January , 2009, 12:46



Mammootty is said to be one of the most net savvy actors in south Indian cinema. Many years back he was the first actor to have his own website.

Now on New Year day, Mammookka has started his own blog site- http://www.i-am-mammootty.blogspot.com. It is a good blog and has some serious writing on socio- political- financial issues plaguing Kerala.

The first blog written by the megastar was on Sambathuvevasthayude Rashtriam, an in-depth analysis on the 'Politics of finance'.

It was crisply written and stylishly presented and will have new postings every week. The idea seems to be reaching across to a wider spectrum of audiences. The blog is written in Malayalam, but will soon have an English version too.

Mammootty's blog was inaugurated by the star himself on the location of his new film Pattanathil Bhootham at Thammanam, Kochi. Kavya Madhavan, the heroine of the film, director Johnny Antony, and writers Sibi. K. Thomas and Udayakrishnan were present along with a lot of Mammootty fans (see pic).
http://sify.com/movies/fullstory.php?id=14829935

[AbrahamVCherry]

World class Art Centre at Kochi, Mohanlal Chairman

Superstar Mohanlal and Choice group chairman join hands to establish a world class Art performance centre at Kochi, named JT PAC (Jose Thomas Performing Art Centre). Mohanlal is the chairman of the centre.


In a joint press meet at Kochi on Wednesday, Mohanlal and Jose Thomas said the centre would start in the first week of March 2009. Various art forms would be performed in the weekends at 6.30 p.m. There is also facility to do study and research works on art forms. Centre will produce music, dance and drama for the purpose. Classic stories like Nala Damayanthi and Shakespeare’s The Tempest will be performed on the first step.

The work of theatre complex is nearing completion in the Choice School complex at Tripunithura. The theatre with modern Sound and Light facilities can accommodate 700 persons. Workshops and training sessions would be conducted at the centre under the guidance of veteran artistes.

“It was a longtime wish of mine to establish an excellent centre to perform arts. Now it is getting fulfilled,” Mohanlal said.

The entry to the theatre would be restricted with ticket. The programmes for six months will be scheduled. Normally there is priority to the art forms of Kerala; though Indian and Foreign art forms would also be performed. The artistic Director of the centre is noted Malayalam film director T. K. Rajeev Kumar. Centre would constitute a scholarship for the poor students, who perform best in the youth festivals of schools and colleges.

Cine actors Dileep, Vineeth, Lakshmi Gopala Swami and singer Usha Uthup attended the function of Logo release of the centre on Wednesday.



http://hamaraphotos.com/bollywood/regio ... irman.html

[PLUS]

Film makers never ending love with Marinedrive

Another film being shot at Marinedrive, just 6 days ago

Subhash flickr gallery

[PLUS]

Mohanlal's website inaugurated at Kochi

His movie production and post production companies based at Kochi have also
got their website opened. Mohanlal has recently shifted from Chennai to Kochi,
like many leading actors in view of overwhelming concentration of Malayalam movie
industry at Kochi.

ലാല്‍ കളക്ഷന്‍സുമായി മോഹന്‍ലാലിന്റെ വെബ്‌സൈറ്റ്‌

കൊച്ചി: സൂപ്പര്‍സ്റ്റാര്‍ മോഹന്‍ലാലിന്റെ വെബ്‌സൈറ്റ്‌ കൊച്ചിയില്‍ പ്രകാശനം ചെയ്‌തു. ട്രാവന്‍കൂര്‍ കോര്‍ട്ടില്‍ നടന്ന ചടങ്ങില്‍ നടന്‍ ജഗതി ശ്രീകുമാറാണ്‌ വെബ്‌സൈറ്റിന്റെ ഉദ്‌ഘാടനം നിര്‍വഹിച്ചത്‌.

ഒരു ചലച്ചിത്രനടനെക്കുറിച്ച്‌ തയ്യാറാക്കിയ ഏറ്റവും വലിയ വെബ്‌സൈറ്റാണിതെന്ന്‌ സൈറ്റിനു പിന്നില്‍ പ്രവര്‍ത്തിച്ച ഡിസൈന്‍നെറ്റ്‌ അവകാശപ്പെട്ടു. ലാല്‍ ആരാധകര്‍ക്ക്‌ സ്വന്തം ഇഷ്ടതാരവുമായി ആശയവിനിമയം നടത്താനുള്ള സൗകര്യവും സൈറ്റിലുണ്ട്‌. മോഹന്‍ലാല്‍ ഇതുവരെ അഭിനയിച്ച 283 സിനിമകളെക്കുറിച്ചുള്ള ചിത്രങ്ങളും വിവരങ്ങളും സൈറ്റില്‍ കിട്ടും.

ലാലിന്റെ സ്വകാര്യശേഖരത്തില്‍ നിന്ന്‌ എടുത്ത 5000 ത്തോളം അപൂര്‍വചിത്രങ്ങള്‍ സൈറ്റിലുണ്ട്‌. ലാലിന്റെ വിവാഹനിശ്ചയ ചടങ്ങിന്റെയും വിവാഹത്തിന്റെയും വീഡിയോകളും സൈറ്റില്‍ കിട്ടും.

മോഹന്‍ലാലിന്റെ ശബ്ദ അവതാരികയോടെയാണ്‌ സൈറ്റ്‌ തുറക്കുന്നത്‌. താരം സ്വന്തം കൈപ്പടയില്‍ എഴുതിയ സന്ദേശം ഹോംപേജില്‍ കാണാം. ഈ ചടങ്ങിനൊപ്പം ആശീര്‍വാദ്‌ സിനിമാസിന്റെയും മാക്‌സ്‌ലാബ്‌ എന്റര്‍ടെയ്‌ന്‍മെന്റിന്റെയും വെബ്‌സൈറ്റുകള്‍ കൂടി തുറന്നു. നിര്‍മാതാവ്‌ ആന്റണി പെരുമ്പാവൂര്‍, മോഹന്‍ലാല്‍ ഫാന്‍സ്‌ അസോസിയേഷന്‍ സംസ്ഥാന ജനറല്‍ സെക്രട്ടറി വിമല്‍കുമാര്‍ തുടങ്ങിയവരും സംബന്ധിച്ചു.
http://mathrubhumi.com/php/newFrm.php?news_id=124117&n_type=NE&category_id=3&Farc=

[PLUS]

Mammootty to buy house in Kochi

By galatta
Thursday Sep 4 7:28 PM
Superstar Mammootty is still looking for an suitable house to buy in Kochi.
Now he is staying in a rented house at Kadavanthara, Kochi.. He owns a
house in Chennai at Raja Annamalaipuram.
http://in.movies.yahoo.com/news-detail/33005/Mammootty-buy-house-in-Kochi.html

[AbrahamVCherry]

Slumdog Millionaire to grace Kochi

Photo courtesy Express Buzz.com

23-slumdog-millionaire-230109.jpg (8.64 KiB) Viewed 1728 times

British director Danny Boyle's British-Indian film Slumdog Millionaire, for which Indian music wizard A.R. Rahman recently won the Golden Globe for the Best Composer in Critics Choice Awards 2008, will be premiered in Kochi on January 23 (Friday) by Metro Film Society in association with Sridhar Cinema. The film has won accolades from Golden Globe for best film, direction, screenplay and music score.

Slumdog Millionaire revolves around an 18-year-old orphan Jamal Malik (Patel) from the slums of Mumbai, who wins the jackpot of 20 million rupees on India's reality show 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?'. Jamal participated in the show not for money but to reach his missing girlfriend Latika (Freida Pinto), a devoted fan of the show, who watches it without fail.But after the show is completed for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating. They question how a street kid can know so much as to win the first prize in such a prestigious quiz. Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slums where he, his brother and his missing girl friend Latika grew up, their adventures together and encounters with local gangs. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answers to the game show's questions.

The film, based on Vikas Swarup’s bestselling novel 'Q&A', also stars Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla and Irrfan Khan. Slumdog Millionaire's all-India release has also been slated for Friday with more than 200 prints (in both Hindi and English). However, the Hindi version titled Slumdog Crorepati is said to have a wider release in the country.

According to reports, the cast and crew of Slumdog Millionaire will be in India to attend the film's Mumbai premiere on January 22. "The Mumbai premiere is a special event for all those associated with Slumdog Millionaire. After the film has released in the US and UK and has become what it has, it is like a homecoming for the film's cast and crew. We are planning a gala event with a special list of invitees,'' said Vijay Singh of Fox Star Studio, which releases the film in India.
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/malaya ... 30109.html

[AbrahamVCherry]

Bhelpuris tingling taste buds of Malayalees

KOCHI: When Bhoop Singh from Madhya Pradesh came here about a decade ago to eke out a living, little did he know that his bhelpuris would one day become a hit in this land of banana chips and papadams.

The snack with an iconic status in north India and other chats are tingling the Malayalee taste buds, especially in this commercial capital, thanks to the push cart street vendors like Singh. Made of puffed rice, sev, mashed potatoes, chopped onions and tangy chutneys, these snacks are not very expensive, probably that is why they find many takers even during these hard times when families think twice to go to restaurants. At least over 40 such vendors are doing brisk business as day light fades and nig ht creeps in Kochi, which is home to people from different states.

But it was not a bed of roses when Bhoop Singh started the business. His customers were earlier north Indians, but over the years, Malayalees have also joined it and have taken a liking to the tangy chats and 10 different varieties of bhelpuris and vada pavs, Singh said.

Buoyed by the success, he brought his younger brother Santosh to help him in the business, who is now independently running the business at another spot. As daylight fades, the vendors begin their business, which goes on till 9 pm, Santosh said.

Recession has not hit their business and school and college students, office-goers and even elderly people are their regular customers. - PTI

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blnus/18281220.htm

[PLUS]

Films currently under shoot @ Kochi

ഹെയ്ലസ എത്തുന്നു

താഹ സംവിധാനം ചെയ്യുന്ന ഹെയ്ലസ എന്ന ചിത്രത്തിലെ ഒരു രംഗമാണിത്. കൃഷ്ണന്‍, ഉത്പലാക്ഷന്‍ എന്നിവരെ സുരേഷ്ഗോപിയും സുരാജ്വെഞ്ഞാറമ്മൂടും അവതരിപ്പിച്ചു. കൊച്ചിയിലെ പള്ളുരുത്തിയിലുള്ള ബംഗ്ളാവില്‍ വച്ചായിരുന്നു ഈ രംഗം ചിത്രീകരിച്ചത്.
http://sify.com/malayalam/fullstory.php?id=14846321

ഒരു ബ്ളാക്ക് ആന്‍ഡ് വൈറ്റ് കുടുംബം
വാഴൂര്‍ ജോസ്

കൊച്ചിയിലെ കിന്‍ഫ്രാപാത്തിലെ മനോഹരമായ ഒരു ബില്‍ഡിംഗിലായിരുന്നു ഷൈജു അന്തിക്കാട് സംവിധാനം ചെയ്യുന്ന ഒരു ബ്ളാക്ക് ആന്‍ഡ് വൈറ്റ് കുടുംബം എന്ന ചിത്രം ഷൂട്ടിംഗ് ആരംഭിച്ചത്. കലാഭവന്‍മണി, ജയസൂര്യ, ഭാമ, ലാലു അലക്സ്, ജനാര്‍ദ്ദനന്‍, സുരാജ് വെഞ്ഞാറമൂട്, ബിജുക്കുട്ടന്‍ എന്നിവര്‍ പങ്കെടുക്കുന്ന വിവിധ രംഗങ്ങളുടെ ചിത്രീകരണമാണിവിടെ നടക്കുന്നത്.
http://sify.com/malayalam/movies/fullstory.php?id=14843930

[PLUS]

More films under shoot

Mammootty is our Daddy Cool
Monday, February 2, 2009, 15:47 [IST]
Aashiq Abu, assistant of Kamal is directing the film Daddy Cool. The shooting will begin on March 2nd at Kochi.

The story is about the relationship between a Dad and son. They admire each other. All the foolishness done by the son is well supported by the dad and mother gets fed up with them. The dad is a Crime Branch police officer named Antony Simon and the son the seven year old Aadi Simon.
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/malayalam/top-stories/2009/mammootty-movie-daddy-cool-020209.html

ദിലീപും നയന്‍താരയും ഒന്നിക്കുന്ന ബോഡി ഗാര്‍ഡ്‌

സിദ്ധിക്കിന്റെ ചിത്രത്തില്‍ ദിലീപ് ആദ്യമായി അഭിനയിക്കുന്നു. ആറു വര്‍ഷത്തെ ഇടവേളയ്ക്ക് ശേഷം സിദ്ധിക് തിരക്കഥയെഴുതി സംവിധാനം ചെയ്യുന്ന ബോഡി ഗാര്‍ഡ് എന്ന ചിത്രത്തിലാണ് ദിലീപ് നായക കഥാപാത്രത്തെ അവതരിപ്പിക്കുന്നത്. ജോണി സാഗരിക സിനിമാ സ്‌ക്വയറിന്റെ ബാനറില്‍ ജോണി സാഗരിഗ നിര്‍മിക്കുന്ന ബോഡി ഗാര്‍ഡിന്റെ പൂജയും സ്വിച്ചോണ്‍ കര്‍മവും കോട്ടയത്തു നടന്നു.

തുടര്‍ന്നുള്ള ദിവസങ്ങളില്‍ ഫോര്‍ട്ട് കൊച്ചിയിലായിരുന്നു ചിത്രീകരണം. ഇരുളടഞ്ഞ കെട്ടിടത്തിന്റെ അകത്തളത്തിലേക്ക് ഒരു ചെറുപ്പക്കാരനെ അടിച്ചോടിച്ചതിന് ശേഷമെത്തിയ ജയകൃഷ്ണനോട് പകരം ചോദിക്കുന്ന രംഗമാണ് ചിത്രീകരിച്ചത്. കാമ്പസില്‍ മയക്കുമരുന്ന് വില്പന നടത്തുന്ന ആല്‍ഫ്രഡ് എന്ന വിദ്യാര്‍ഥിയെയാണ് ജയകൃഷ്ണന്‍ നന്നായി പെരുമാറിയത്. കൊച്ചിയിലെ അറിയപ്പെടുന്ന ഗുണ്ട സംഘത്തില്‍പ്പെട്ട ആല്‍ഫ്രഡിനെ അവരുടെ സങ്കേതത്തില്‍ വെച്ച് ജയകൃഷ്ണന്‍ തന്റെ, ലക്ഷ്യം വിശദീകരിക്കുന്നു. ആല്‍ഫ്രഡിനെ അറിയില്ലെങ്കിലും അവരുടെ നേതാവിന് ജയകൃഷ്ണനെ നന്നായി അറിയാമായിരുന്നു. മൂന്നു ദിവസംകൊണ്ട് ഫോര്‍ട്ട് കൊച്ചിയിലെ കടല്‍ത്തീരത്തുള്ള ബംഗ്ലാവില്‍ വെച്ചാണ് ഈ സീനുകള്‍ സിദ്ധിക് ചിത്രീകരിച്ചത്.
http://movies.mathrubhumi.com/story.php?id=31107&cat=6&sub=37&subit=0

[PLUS]

Shoot floor

Ranjith in silver screen again

Baiju NT [February 9, 2009, 3:55:33 PM]

Ranjith (also spelt Renjith), one of the most successful screen writers and directors in Malayalam, has recently proved his acting abilities through Thirakkatha and Gulmohar, which both garnered excellent reviews from critics and audiences last year. Finding the hidden actor in director Ranjith was one of the most exciting discoveries of Mollywood in 2008!

According to sources, the scenarist-director-actor Ranjith is presently busy with the preproduction work of his forthcoming directorial venture Palery Manikayam and will soon enact major roles two upcoming movies: Prithviraj-Bhavana starrer Robinhood directed by veteran Joshy and Mammootty-Gracy Singh starrer Loud Speaker directed by Jayaraj. The pooja of Robinhood took place last week in Kochi and Loud Speaker will go on the floors shortly.

Loud Speaker, a complete musical comedy entertainer, has Mammootty donning the role of 'Mike Gopalan', who always talks very loudly, hence his nickname Loud Speaker. Produced by Kochi-based Time Ad Release (distributors of Dasavatharam in Kerala), the film also has Nedumudi Venu, Innocent, Jagathy Sreekumar, Salim Kumar, Suraaj Venjaramoodu and Cochin Haneefa in the cast.
http://malayalam.galatta.com/entertainment/malayalam/livewire/id/Ranjith_in_silver_screen_again_22050.html

Pritvi & Bhavana are together again!
By Moviebuzz | Monday, 09 February , 2009, 08:47


After Lollipop Prithviraj and Bhavana are together again in Robinhood, an action adventure story directed by the veteran showman of Malayalam films Joshy.

The ‘pooja’ launch of the film took place last week in Kochi. The film is produced by Santha Murali of Anandavision that produced the super hit Lal Jose film Classmates.
http://sify.com/movies/malayalam/fullstory.php?id=14853518

Jayasuriya with Roma again

Baiju NT [February 9, 2009, 1:46:27 PM]

After the average hit Shakespeare M.A. Malayalam directed by Shyju and Shaji, young hero Jayasuriya teams up with bubbly actress Roma again in an untitled film to be directed by debutante Ramakanth Sarju, a former associate of Hariharan and the Anil Babu. The story, by the director himself, will be scripted by J. Pallasserry.

Meanwhile, Dr. Patient (also spelt as Doctor Patient) is currently progressing in full swing at the locations of Kochi, Peermedu and Wagamon. In this fun-filled entertainer, Jayasuriya plays a funny psychiatrist named Dr. Ruben Isaac, while Mukesh plays another psychiatrist. Radha Varma from Andhra Pradesh is the heroine. Jayasuriya's Currency has reportedly completed its entire shooting and is now in post production.
http://malayalam.galatta.com/entertainment/malayalam/livewire/id/Jayasuriya_with_Roma_again_22043.html

[PLUS]

Mammootty to buy house in Kochi

By galatta
Thursday Sep 4 7:28 PM
Superstar Mammootty is still looking for an suitable house to buy in Kochi.
Now he is staying in a rented house at Kadavanthara, Kochi.. He owns a
house in Chennai at Raja Annamalaipuram.
http://in.movies.yahoo.com/news-detail/33005/Mammootty-buy-house-in-Kochi.html

Mammootty's nickname: Loud Speaker

18 years after the super hit musical entertainer Johnny Walker (1992), director Jayaraj and superstar Mammootty team up again in Loud Speaker based on a script written by scenarist-director Renjith, hero of Jayaraj's Gulmohar. The pooja of Loud Speaker will be held in the first week of February.


The house warming of Mammootty's new house at Panampilly Nagar, Ernakulam was held on January 23, the release day of his latest flick Love in Singapore. The film was released in 77 theatres across the state.
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/malayalam/top-stories/2009/mammootty-loud-speaker-040209.html