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KollywoodThe Kannada and Malayalam versions of this 'Queen' remake have been certified without cuts and are ready for release.Digital NativeBollywood flick Queen, starring Kangana Ranaut was one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful films of 2014. Kangana won National Award for Best Actor for her role in this film. The film, directed by Vikas Bhal, starred Kangana Ranaut, Rajkummar Rao and Lisa Haydon in the lead roles. It was produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures in association with Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena on a budget of Rs12.5 crores and it went on to collect Rs 108 crores at the box office. This film is being remade in all the four south Indian languages – Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, by Manu Kumaran under his banner Mediente Films. The Kannada version has Parul Yadav reprising the role done by Kangana Ranaut in the original while in Malayalam it is Manjima Mohan,...

TollywoodThe actor had made her debut with the Telugu film 'Maaya' in 2014.Digital NativeAvantika Mishra has been roped in to play the lead role in a movie to be directed by Shammir. She will be sharing the screen space with Tharun Bhascker in the film which will be bankrolled by actor Vijay Deverakonda under his banner. Reports are that Avantika Mishra was selected for the role after she underwent an audition and stunned the filmmakers with her performance. We hear that she has a meaty and unconventional role in this yet to be titled film which prompted her to take it up. On her role, we hear that she will be playing an aspiring actor. The project is underway already and a workshop is being conducted to ensure that the lead actors get into the skin of the characters they play. Besides this Telugu film, Avantika also has the Tamil...

EntertainmentThe original version in Hindi had fetched Kangna Ranaut the National Award for Best Actor in 2014.Digital NativeBollywood flick Queen, starring Kangana Ranaut, was one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful films. The film also went on to win the actor the National Award for Best Actor. This film is being remade in all the four South Indian languages and the teasers of all the four films have been released. The teasers have already garnered the attention of the film buffs and are going viral in all the languages. The first look poster of all the four versions of the remake was out on October 19 to coincide with the Vijayadasami festival. With the teasers releasing on the same day, we hear that the four remakes will have a simultaneous release as well. The Kannada version has Parul Yadav reprising the role done by Kangna Ranaut in the original...

TollywoodIts director Neelakanta is said to have differences with Tammannah and walked out of the movie.Digital NativeThe Telugu version of the Hindi flick Queen has run into trouble. Having creative differences with its central character Tammannah, its director Neelakanta is said to have walked out of it midway. Eventually, director Prashanth Varma of Awe fame stepped in to complete the film. However, when the film’s poster was released recently, the director’s name in the credit line was missing and it raised a lot of speculations. Reports are that when Prashanth Varma stepped on board, he had made it clear to the film’s producer Manu Kumaran that he would ghost direct the movie and his name should not be featured in the credits. The producer also did not have any qualms over it, following which the director’s name has been omitted altogether. The Bollywood flick Queen...

MollywoodThe actor is also working on another Malayalam film called 'Mikhayel', in which she would be seen with Nivin Pauly.Digital NativeIn the Malayalam version of the popular Bollywood film Queen, actor Manjima Mohan will play the character Zama Nazreen. She will be reprising the role played by Kangana Ranaut in the Hindi film. The Malayalam version is titled Zam Zam. Manjima, last seen in Malayalam cinema three years ago, is also working on another Mollywood project called Mikhayel. She would again be seen with actor Nivin Pauly, who she was seen with in her first film, Oru Vadakkan Selfie. Queen, released in 2014, had not only been a blockbuster hit, but also Kangana the National Award for Best Actor. Following its immense success, Queen is being remade in all the four south Indian languages – Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. In Tamil, the film is titled Paris Paris, and it is...

CinemaThe actor has also reportedly been approached by Priyadarshan to play an important role in the Malayalam movie ‘Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham’.Digital NativeDigital NativeTollywood star Nagarjuna is waiting eagerly for the release of his upcoming film, Officer, which is directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film is scheduled for release on June 1 amidst a lot of expectations. With Officer gearing up for release, Nag’s fans have been waiting eagerly for information about his next. According a report published in Cinema Express, Nagarjuna has been approached to star in a Tamil as well as a Malayalam film. While the Tamil film will reportedly be directed by National Award winning actor and director Dhanush, the Malayalam film is a Priyadarshan directorial. On the Dhanush project, Nag told Cinema Express: “Dhanush approached me with a script, which was originally written for Rajinikanth. As Rajini has taken a political plunge, he wanted me to be a part of that film (sic).” Meanwhile, Priyadarshan has reportedly approached the actor to play an important role in the Malayalam movie Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham, which will have Mohanlal playing the title role. The film is based on the life of the 16th century naval chief Kunjali Marakkar. On this project, the star is reported to have said, “Talks are still underway for that, but nothing has been finalised yet.” Besides these films, Nagarjuna has also inked a deal to star in a multi-starrer in Telugu which will have Nani in the star cast as well. With Officer getting ready for release, Nag is expected to make a formal announcement regarding his upcoming films for the year very soon. Nagarjuna is a well-known actor in the Tamil film industry, despite being a star in Tollywood. Very early in his career he acted in Idhayathai Thirudathey, a Mani Ratnam directorial. His last outing in Kollywood was Thozha, in which he shared screen space with Karthi. The film was a smash hit. Also read: 'Queen' Telugu remake: 'Awe' fame Prasanth Varma replaces Neelakanta as director (Content provided by Digital Native)...

TollywoodPopular Telugu filmmaker Neelakanta was signed to direct the Telugu as well Malayalam version of the film.Digital NativeDigital NativeIt’s been one setback after another for the southern remakes of Queen. Actress Revathy was originally supposed to direct all versions of the film’s southern remakes. However, when she backed out due to unknown reasons, actor-filmmaker Ramesh Aravind was approached with the offer to direct the Tamil as well as Kannada versions of the film and he jumped at the opportunity. Popular Telugu filmmaker Neelakanta was signed to direct the Telugu as well Malayalam version of the film. While Kajal Aggarwal and Tamannaah Bhatia were signed for Tamil and Telugu versions respectively, Parul Yadav and Manjima Mohan were signed for Kannada version and Malayalam version of the remake. Among the many setbacks, the film has faced, first one was when Amy Jackson walked out of the project due to her other commitments. It was followed by director Neelakanta opting out of the film after he alleged that he had creative differences with Tamannaah. The makers didn’t reveal the reason for Neelakanta’s exit; however, on Wednesday via a statement, they confirmed that Prasanth Varma, who shot to fame with Telugu film Awe, has been signed on to take over the reins of Telugu version of Queen. Prasanth has already started shooting for the project, which features Tamannaah Bhatia in the titular role. Queen, a 2014 film, was directed by Vikas Bhal. It had Kangna Ranaut playing the female lead with Rajkummar Rao and Lisa Haydon in pivotal roles. Kangana Ranaut played the role of Rani, a young girl who goes on her honeymoon to Paris, after being dumped by her fiancée, played by Rajkummar Rao. At the launch of the Tamil version of the film last year, Kajal told Hindustan Times that she’s very particular that the original will be adapted to Tamil sensibilities. “The makers of the film and I are very clear that we want to adapt Queen to Southern sensibilities and do it our own way. While the script will essentially remain the same, the treatment will be personalized. I will also add my own touch to the role,” she said. (Content provided by Digital Native)...

Film: "Chamak Challo"; Actors: Varun Sandesh, Sanchita Padukone, Catherine Tresa, Brahmaji, Srinivas Avasarala and Sayaji Shinde; Director: G. Neelakanta; Rating: * - suffers from sluggish narrative.

Filmmaker G. Neelakanta, a National award winner, who proved his mettle with offbeat films such as "Show" and "Missamma", disappoints big time in his latest Telugu romantic-drama titled "Chamak Challo". It is that kind of film, which will make you breathe a sigh of relief as the credits roll down.

The film had the potential to be an engaging love story, but even before it could leave an impact, the slackening narrative drains every last.