J Baby Trailer: Dinesh goes on an emotional search for his lost mother

The makers of J Baby, starring Urvashi and Dinesh, have unveiled the trailer for the film. Going by the 2.33-minute-long trailer, the film seems to tell an emotional story about the bond between a mother and a son.

Urvashi, who looks to be in her 50s or 60s is shown to be someone who possesses the characteristics of a kleptomaniac, collecting odd items like keys and letters from her neighbours without them noticing. She removes fuse from electric boxes and also picks fights with everyone around her When this behaviour of hers becomes an issue and reaches the police, her son Dinesh lashes out at her for humiliating him. Angered by this, Urvashi walks away from her family. Her two sons then set out on a journey up to the North of India to search for their lost mother. Will they find her and realise their mistakes? This forms the rest of the story. 

Written and directed by Suresh Mari, J Baby also stars Maran, Kavitha Bharathy, Jaya Murthy, Shegar Narayanan, Ezhumalai, Dhaksha, P.Melody Dorcas, Ismath Banu A, Sabbita Roi, and  Mayaashree Arun. 

In an earlier conversation with CE, Suresh said, "J Baby is a family drama with a good dose of comedy and sentiment. It's a story about a mother and her two sons." 

Produced by Pa.Ranjith, Abhayanand Singh, Piiyush Singh, Sourabh Gupta, Aditi Anand, and Ashwini Chaudhari, the film's technical crew comprises composer Tony Britto, cinematographer Jayanth Sethu Mathavan and editor Shanmugam Velusamy.  

J Baby recently cleared censorship formalities and received a U certificate from the CBFC. 

The film is scheduled for release on March 8.

Saravanan joins the cast of Dhanush's Raayan

The makers of Dhanush's 50th film, which was recently titled Raayan, have been making back-to-back announcements regarding the star-studded cast details of the film. On Tuesday, Dhanush revealed that actor Saravanan is also part of the film and shared his character poster from Raayan.

Raayan marks Dhanush's second directorial venture after Pa Paandi (2017).

The actor is seen wearing spectacles and seated on a chair in front of a house. He seems to be playing a character in his 50s or 60s.

Currently, apart from Dhanush, the cast also features Kalidas Jayaram, Sundeep Kishan, SJ Suryah, Prakash Raj, Selvaraghavan, Dushara Vijayan, Aparna Balamurali and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar in pivotal roles.

The first look poster had Dhanush wearing a blood-stained apron and holding a sharp weapon in his hand. Kalidas Jayaram and Sundeep Kishan were standing behind him with knives that also had blood in them.

The shooting of Raayan was wrapped in December last year and is currently in the post-production stage.

The technical team has music by AR Rahman, cinematography by Om Prakash, editing by Prasanna GK, and action choreography by Peter Hein.

Santhanam's next titled Inga Naan Thaan Kingu

Actor Santhanam is all set to star in the upcoming film Inga Naan Thaan Kingu. The announcement for the same was shared today by actor Kamal Haasan on his social media handles. The film, which looks to be another fun entertainer, is directed by Anand Narayan.

The first look poster which was released along with the announcement had the actor being raised up in the air by a group of men in what looks like a wedding or festival backdrop. 

Priyalaya, who is debuting as an actor with this film, will play the female lead. Other members of the cast include Thambi Ramaiah, Munishkanth, Vivek Prasanna, Bala Saravanan, Maran and Cool Suresh. Late actor Manobala will also be seen in a prominent role.

Ezhichur Aravindan has penned the story, screenplay and dialogues of this film which has music by D Imman, cinematography by Om Narayan and editing by M Thiyagarajan. Lyrics for the songs have been penned by director Vignesh Shivan and Muthamil. Inga Naan Thaan Kingu is produced by Sushmita Anbuchezhian and presented by Anbuchezhian of Gopuram Films. The film is scheduled to be released in summer this year.

Santhanam  was recently seen in Vadakkupatti Ramasamy, directed by Karthik Yogi of Dikkiloona fame. The film, which starred Megha Akash as the female lead, opened to mixed reactions at the box office.

Myskin attends Double Tuckker music launch, extends support to director Meera Mahathi

Many found it challenging to make their first film, and this applies to Double Tuckker director Meera Mahathi as well. He spoke about what it was like to find a lead actor for Double Tuckker at its recently held music launch event.

“I directed this film based on my experience directing short films, without having worked as an assistant director for anyone. Many friends who saw my short films encouraged me to direct Double Tuckerr. When I decided to direct the film, I approached actors to narrate the story. Unfortunately, I cannot approach top stars like Vijay and Ajith. I aimed to tell the story to emerging heroes, but none of them showed me even the slightest respect. I didn’t receive the basic respect of being treated like a fellow human being from them,” said Meera Mahathi.

“I only requested five minutes from them, but they were not willing to spare even that. It was only after Mime Gopi introduced Sir Dheeraj that I had the opportunity to pitch the story. Dheeraj asked if I could impress him in just five minutes. However, when I began narrating the story, an hour had passed by the time I finished. Initially, this film started as a small project," the director added.

Also part of the event was actor-director Myskin, who consoled the first-time director. Myskin stated that he set aside his production schedule and attended the event for Double Tuckker as he admires Dheeraj. Mysskin also expressed how much he likes Dheeraj by drawing attention to his admirable attributes while mentioning the 500 lives the latter saved as a cardiologist.

Myskin

Urvasi and Dinesh's J Baby trailer to be out on this date

On Tuesday, director Pa Ranjith took to his X handle to announce that the trailer of J Baby, starring Urvashi and Dinesh would be released tomorrow, February 28. 

Written and directed by Suresh Mari, J Baby also stars Maran, Kavitha Bharathy, Jaya Murthy, Shegar Narayanan, Ezhumalai, Dhaksha, P.Melody Dorcas, Ismath Banu A, Sabbita Roi, and  Mayaashree Arun. 

In an earlier conversation with CE, Suresh said, "J Baby is a family drama with a good dose of comedy and sentiment. It's a story about a mother and her two sons." 

Produced by Pa.Ranjith, Abhayanand Singh, Piiyush Singh, Sourabh Gupta, Aditi Anand, and Ashwini Chaudhari, the film's technical crew comprises composer Tony Britto, cinematographer Jayanth Sethu Mathavan and editor Shanmugam Velusamy.  

J Baby recently cleared censorship formalities and received a U certificate from the CBFC. 

The film is scheduled for release on March 8.
 

Rajinikanth and producer Sajid Nadiadwala to collaborate for a new project

Actor Rajinikanth and Bollywood producer Sajid Nadiadwala have joined hands for the first time for an upcoming film project. 

The official X (formerly Twitter) handle of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment (NGE) broke the news along with a picture of the duo posing together. ''It's a true honour to collaborate with the legendary Rajinikanth Sir! Anticipation mounts as we prepare to embark on this unforgettable journey together!'' reads the caption of the post. 

Other details of the project including the title, director, cast and crew are yet to be revealed.

Sajid Nadiadwala's wife Warda S Nadiadwala wrote, "Cheers to your special day. Your everlasting love is an inspiration to all of us. Wishing you a very happy anniversary Thalaiva and Amma. Here's to a lifetime of happiness. And of course 7 janam as well."

Sajid Nadiadwala has produced films like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Heyy Babyy, Housefull, Anjaana Anjaani, 83, Heropanti, Satyaprem Ki Katha among others. He has also directed the film Kick starring Salman Khan and turned writer for films like Heropanti 2, Housefull 2, Housefull and the Marathi film Lai Bhaari. He will soon be releasing Chandu Champion and Housefull 5.

Rajinikanth was last seen as Moideen Bhai in his extended cameo appearance in Lal Salaam, directed by Aishwarya Rajinikanth. The film starred Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth in lead roles. Up next, he has Vettaiyan with director TJ Gnanavel of Jai Bhim fame. The shoot for the film is currently going on at a brisk pace. He will soon begin his next project with director Lokesh Kanagaraj which is tentatively known as Thalaivar 171.

Gautham Vasudev Menon's Joshua completes censorship formalities

Ahead of the release of Gautham Vasudev Menon's Joshua Imai Pol Kaakha, the makers announced that the film has completed censorship formalities and has received a U/A certificate from CBFC. Starring actors Varun and Raahei in lead roles, the film is scheduled to hit theatres on March 1.

Earlier the makers had released the trailer of the film which showcases Varun and Raahei's characters being in love. Varun takes up the task of protecting her at any cost while safely moving her from one location to another. He fights, kills and performs daredevil stunts, going to all extent to save her from any harm. We also see Krishna playing the role of a villain who disrupts his mission. Raahei gets kidnapped by a few goons and Varun must keep his word and bring her back at any cost.

Joshua Imai Pol Kaakha started filming in 2019 and was expected to see a theatrical release in 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the production of the film was halted.

Talking about the film ahead of its release, in a press interaction, the director hinted at the chances of the film falling into the universe of Vikram-starrer Dhruva Natchathiram, which is yet to hit the theatres.

Stressing on the Dhivyadharshini's (DD) character from Joshua, GVM  opened up about the film being part of the Dhruva Natchathiram universe, "DD worked with me in Dhruva Natchathiram, and I told her, the character in Joshua is almost as same as what she has done in  Dhruva Natchathiram, or it might be an extension". Then he goes on to add, "  There is a connection you will get to know when you watch Dhruva Natchathiram."

This action-thriller is produced by Ishari K Ganesh for Vels Film International. The cinematography for the film is done by SR Kathir. 

Read: Varun: Joshua won't be your usual action flick

Samuthirakani's Yaavarum Vallavare gets new release date

Earlier, we reported that actor-filmmaker Samuthirakani's Yaavarum Vallavare was slated to hit theatres on December 29, last year. However, the film was not released during that time. Now, the makers have announced a new release date for the film. The directorial debut of NA Rajendra Chakravathy, Yaavarum Vallavare will hit theatres on March 15. 

With Yogi Babu playing the lead alongside Samuthirakani, Yaavarum Vallavare has a supporting cast consisting of, Riythvika, Arunthathi, Ramesh Thilak, Naan Kadavul Rajendran, Ilavarasu, Devadarshini, Mayilsami, Bose Venkat, Joe Malluri, Poster Nandakumar, and Cheran Raj. 

In an earlier conversation with CE, Rajendra shared that the story spans over the course of 12 hours, and is a reflection of society's need to find heroes among themselves. "As the title Yaavarum Vallavare explains, the crux of the movie propagates the idea that when a predicament arises, we need not await the arrival of a sole saviour. Instead, common people who rise to the occasion are heroes themselves."

With music by NR Raghunanthan, Yaavarum Vallavare has cinematography by Jai, and editing by G Rama Rao. C Anand Joseph Raj has backed the film under the Thee Community Pictures Production banner. 

Suresh Sangaiah-Yogi Babu team up for a rural comedy

Director Suresh Sangaiah, who is best known for films like Oru Kidayin Karunai Manu and Sathiya Sothanai, is teaming up with actor Yogi Babu for a Hotstar Specials film.

Sharing details about the untitled film, he says, "It is set in a dry and barren village in Ramanathapuram district and will revolve around the people in the area, and speak about their struggles and their happiness. This film is close to reality and will hold an essential message for the society."

According to the director, the film will be an out-and-out comedy and will expand upon the idea of 'survival of the fittest'. Explaining this, he says, "When you are forced to face the reality that this is how your life is going to be, you have to adapt to the new conditions and survive. This is the central theme of the film." He further adds, "Yogi Babu plays a villager in the film and his character is the catalyst for several twists and turns that occur in the story."

Interestingly, Suresh reveals that the film will showcase many villagers on screen with the same importance as the lead characters. "In every scene, there will be around 40 people on screen. Several of them are actual villagers and we trained them to be on camera," he notes and adds, "There wouldn't be any violence or caste-based issues shown in my film and will focus on the lifestyle of people in a simple village. It will be like reading a Ki Rajanarayanan novel."

While the spark for the story came from a friend of his, Suresh Sangaiah has penned the story and screenplay. The yet-to-be-titled film stars Lovelyn Chandrasekar as the female lead while the rest of the cast includes George Maryan, Raichal Rabecca and Ramakrishnan.

The film has music composed by Nivas K Prasanna and cinematography by V Thiyagarajan. The technical team also includes PL Subendhar handling the art direction and editing by R Ramar. The film is produced by SR Ramesh Babu’s RB Talkies and Jegan Baskaran’s Box Office studios. The makers are planning to release it in theatres, with a later premiere on Disney+Hotstar.

Suresh

Aparna Balamurali pens heartfelt note on working with Dhanush in Raayan

Previously, we reported that Aparna Balamurali of Soorarai Pottru fame is onboard Dhanush's sophomore directorial, Raayan. On Sunday, the actor shared her character's poster from the film and penned a heartfelt note on working with Dhanush and other senior actors in the film. 

She wrote, "Forever grateful to Dhanush sir for giving me the opportunity to become a part of Raayan. From being a huge fan, to working with you, is a dream come true! You are an inspiration sir! This is extremely special. It's a blessing to share the screen with Dhanush sir himself, Selvaraghavan sir, SJ Suryah sir, Prakash Raj sir, My dearest Kannan Kalidas Jayaram, my amazing costar Sundeep Kishan and darling Dushara Vijayan. It's an extremely special feeling to be a part of an AR Rahman musical. Words won't be enough to express the feeling of working with you sir." (sic)

Along with Aparna, the film also features a talented ensemble cast, including Kalidas Jayaram, Sundeep Kishan, SJ Suryah, Prakash Raj, Selvaraghavan, and Dushara Vijayan.

It is worth mentioning that Aparna, who won a National Award for her performance in the Suriya- starrer Soorarai Pottru, was last seen in Tamil in Nitham Oru Vaanam alongside Ashok Selvan. This will be the first time Dhanush and Aparna will be sharing screen space together.

The shooting of Raayan was wrapped in December last year and is currently in the post-production stage. The film's technical team comprises music composer A R Rahman, cinematographer Om Prakash and editor Prasanna GK. The film has action choreography done by Peter Hein.