You are listening to the Expresso Entertainment update. Here is the latest news from the world of South Indian cinema, presented by The Indian Express.
“Today’s bulletin begins with updates on the latest trailer for the upcoming film Gargi, which the film’s creators released on Thursday. Written and directed by Gautham Ramachandran, Gargi will be released on July 15. The trailer takes us into the happy world of Gargi, a school teacher played by Sai Pallavi, who lives a happy life with her parents and dreams of settling down with a man of her choice. But one fateful night turns her life upside down. This is how her fight for justice begins.
Gargi searches for the truth while demanding respect from her family for being a woman. She seems to be waging a multi-front war with family, society and system.”
“Meanwhile, the first look of Trisha from the upcoming major film Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1 has been released recently. Trisha plays the role of Princess Kundavai in the film written and directed by Mani Ratnam. Madras Talkies, which is funding the project, tweeted at the unveiling of the poster: “In a world of men, a brave woman. We present Princess Kundavai!”
The creators of Ponniyin Selvan released the characters’ looks and main cast details when they started the promotions for the film two months before its release. Earlier, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s appearance as Queen Nandini was revealed. ”
“Following this, filmmaker Pa Ranjith announced his upcoming film ‘Natchathiram Nagargiradhu’. Although the first look poster suggests a fun, woman-centric romantic film, Ranjith’s tweet suggests that, like all his previous films, there will be strong political undertones.
He captioned the poster: “Love is political! #NatchathiramNagargiradhu, My next directorial film, is coming to theaters near you soon”. Dushara Vijayan occupies most of the headroom in Natchathiram Nagargiradhu’s poster. She appears stoic and her hair flows like a blue river. The color blue features prominently in Ranjith’s films. His production banner is also titled Neelam Productions. The color blue is associated with Dalit identity, which is also the driving force behind Ranjith’s filmography.
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“Other news: The who’s who of the Indian film scene have wished for legendary musician ‘Ilaiyaraaja’ after he was recently nominated for Rajya Sabha. Tamil superstar Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, who are closely associated with the music great, were among the first to congratulate Ilaiyaraaja.
Kamal opined that Ilaiyaraaja could have been given the presidency, while calling him a “musician par excellence”. Rajinikanth called Ilaiyaraaja a “dear friend” while tweeting his “heartfelt congratulations.” Ilaiyaraaja was nominated for the House of Lords along with three other notable figures from different walks of life. Sports icon PT Usha, popular screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad and philanthropist and spiritual leader Veerendra Heggade were the other three newly nominated Rajya Sabha members.
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“Meanwhile, Telugu actor Naga Chaitanya dedicated an Instagram post to his parents Nagarjuna and Lakshmi Daggubati. Sharing clicks from his childhood, the actor said his parents are the people he cares about the most.
Chaitanya captioned the photos, “Thank you” — a word I use often, but not often enough when it matters most. My next release #thankyouthemovie reflects this thought, something that moved me throughout the film journey. I dedicate this post to some of the people who mean the most to me, thanking them is never enough, I would also appreciate if you would share any pictures of people who mean the same to you! #thankyouthemovie will be released on July 22.”
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Malayalam actor and producer Kunchacko Boban is delighted that his upcoming film Ariyippu has been selected for the 75th edition of the prestigious Locarno Film Festival. Ariyippu will be screened in the competition section, making it the very first Malayalam film to compete in Locarno. Kunchacko said in a statement published on his Instagram page: “The 75th Locarno Film Festival, which opens on August 3, will have a Malayalam film ARIYIPPU in the international competition section for the first time in the festival’s history. And as it coincides with Udaya Pictures’ 75-year legacy, it is indeed a personal honor for me too, and a tribute to my grandfather and father.”
“For actor Ajith Kumar, going on a bike ride after shooting a film has become something of a ritual. He was recently spotted shopping at a store in London. And the CCTV footage of Ajith’s time in the store is going viral on the internet.
In the video, the cashier, who appears to be of Indian origin, recognizes Ajith. Ajith shakes hands with the cashier and exchanges a few pleasantries.
Many photos from Ajith’s trip to Europe have surfaced online. Ajith is touring Europe on his motorbike. He was also seen commuting on a freight train and a ship. Previously, the actor traveled around North India after finishing filming Valimai.
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“We end this bulletin with news about filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor. He was part of Modern Love: Hyderabad from the beginning. Kukunoor read approximately 200 personal essays published in The New York Times to shortlist 20 stories. From these, six stories were completed to form an anthology series. The main criteria for Kukunoor was to handpick stories that would resonate with Telugu audiences.
The filmmaker told indianexpress.com: “A lot of attention was paid to choosing the right stories. We also made sure that we cover different aspects. We kept the audience in mind throughout the process.”
Kukunoor’s main focus was the added value he can bring to the stories in Modern Love: Hyderabad to make them unique.
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