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Popular comedian of Tamil movies, R Mayilsamy passed away in Chennai on Sunday early morning. He was 57. The Tamil comedian complained of uneasiness while dubbing for a movie when his family members and colleagues took him to Porur Sri Ramachandra Medical College in Chennai but he passed away on Sunday morning.

Mayilsamy acted in more than 200 movies in a carrier spinning 39 years.

The Tamil comedian had recorded for his latest film, ‘Glassmate’ before his death. Actors M.S. Bhaskar and Parthipan visited his residence to pay their last respects.

The veteran actor made his debut in the 1984 Bhagyaraj movie, ‘Dhavani Kanavugal’. He had played some stellar roles in Ghilli, Dhool, Uthama Puthiran, Kanchana and many others.

He won the Tamil Nadu state government award for the best comedian for the movie ‘Kangalal Kaidhu Sei’ in 2004.

Mayilsamy was remembered for the screen space he had shared with the late comedian of the Tamil industry,...

CinemaMayilsamy had worked in many Tamil films along with top comedians including Vivek and Vadivelu. Mayilsamy/TwitterPopular Tamil comedian actor Mayilsamy passed away on Sunday, February 19. He was 57. Reports said that he passed away while he was being taken to Ramachandra Hospital in Chennai's Porur. Mayilsamy had worked in many Tamil films along with top comedians such as Vivek and Vadivelu. He was also a mimicry artist. His colleagues and fellow actors such as Ms Bhaskar, Ramesh Kanna, Parthiepan and others visited Mayilsamy’s residence to pay their condolences. According to reports, the actor had been unwell. His body was kept at his residence in Saligramam, Chennai, for visitors to pay their last respects. The actor was reportedly rushed to the Ramachandra Hospital after he complained of discomfort. He was declared dead by the time he was brought to the hospital. Mayilsamy made his debut in Tamil cinema in 1984, with...

Mumbai, Feb 9 (Ians) After Prakash Raj, whom he called ‘Andhkar Raj’, criticised his film ‘The Kashmir Files’, filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri has come out with a harsh response to actor-politician’s statements and said his film has given “sleepless nights to urban naxals”.

Prakash had recently mocked the filmmaker’s claims of the film having a stake at winning an Oscar award.

Agnihotri took to Twitter on Thursday morning and wrote: “A small, people’s film #TheKashmirFiles has given sleepless nights to #UrbanNaxals so much that one of their Pidi is troubled even after one year, calling its viewer’s barking dogs. And Mr. Andhkaar Raj, how can I get Bhaskar, she/he is all yours. Forever.”

He had also shared a video clip of Prakash from a live chat session held at the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters in Kerala, where he called ‘The Kashmir Files’ a “nonsense film...

Mumbai, Feb 8 (Ians) The shooting for the upcoming film ‘The Vaccine War’ directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri has wrapped up its final schedule. The film’s producer Pallavi Joshi says science thriller is a new and different genre but they decided to accept the challenge.

Pallavi says, “The Vaccine War is unlike any other film that we have ever done under ‘I Am Buddha’ productions. Science thriller is a very new genre and it’s a very difficult genre but we decided to accept the challenge. I think 100 marks should go to Vivek for accepting this challenge of writing and directing this film.”

The film stars Nana Patekar, Sapthami Gowda, Pallavi, and Anupam Kher.

“All the actors – Nana Patekar, Nivedita Bhattacharya, Sapthami Gowda, Girija Oak, Yagya Turlapathi and myself, we found ourselves in completely alien territory because the scientific terminologies that we had to use in his film were so...

Mumbai, Feb 7 (Ians) Writer-lyricist-actor-comedian Varun Grover, who is known for his works in films such as ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, ‘Masaan’, ‘Newton’, ‘Monica, O My Darling’ and ‘Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar’, has turned director with the film ‘All India Rank’, which recently had its world premiere at The International Film Festival Of Rotterdam (IFFR).

Varun shared that the film is semi-autobiographical and his idea behind the film was to capture joy, confusion, love, doubt, hope and cynicism that comes at the age of 17 and the constant tussle between ambition and mediocrity.

Talking about his directorial debut as a feature film director, Varun said: “We all struggle when we are 17. The hormonal desires called love, the constant swinging between ‘ambition’ and ‘mediocrity’, the generational trauma of parents – all create a minor-key horror-comedy around us. With ‘All India Rank’, I want to capture exactly that phase of our lives, the phase of joy and confusion,...

It’s challenging making a film about a young adolescent’s coming-of-age tale submitting to being made into a conformist in a country like India. Not because it isn’t an ideal backdrop to tell the story, but because there’s already been well established and acclaimed shows/ films churned out of the similar struggle of persistence across the Indian diaspora. But Varun Grover is no ordinary writer, and with his latest – “All India Rank” – the artist now turns his eye into the directorial realm.

All India Rank is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam

There have been quite a few distinctive lyricists in India through the decades, most of whom have fruitfully shaped the course of Bollywood – the world’s largest film industry. Grover is also a scriptwriter, a comedian and now a director along with being a National Film Award winner for his lyrics.

‘The Kashmir Files’, the film which emerged a surprise hit, last year is set to be re-released in theatres on January 19 comemorating the occasion of Kashmiri Hindu Exodus Day. The director of the film, Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri took to his Twitter to share the news with his followers. He wrote: “Announcement: #TheKashmirFiles is re-releasing on 19th January – The Kashmiri Hindu Genocide Day. This is the first time ever a film is releasing twice in a year. If you missed watching it on Big Screen, book your tickets Now.”

The film, produced by Pallavi Joshi and Abhishek Agarwal in association with Zee studios, collected over Rs 245 crore as per Box office India.

Talking about the re-release of the film, Vivek and Pallavi said in a joint statement: “‘The Kashmir Files’ has done what it was supposed to do. It already has spread the truth about Kashmiri Hindu genocide. Tomorrow is The Kashmiri Hindu Genocide Day,...

Director Vivek Agnihotri who made ‘The Kashmir Files’ this year, has been at the centre of people’s ire over his Y-category security. Recently, the director shared a video on his Twitter that shows him walking around the city in security cover.

He wrote along with the video on Twitter: “The price one has to pay to show the Genocide of Hindus in Kashmir. In a Hindu majority country. Freedom of expression, ha! #ImprisonedInOwnCountry #Fatwa.”

Reacting to the video, netizens called the use of Y-security for Vivek ‘wastage of taxpayers’ money’. The director has made his reply.

For a Twitter user who said: “Shocking to see how much of taxpayers’ money is being wasted on security on a s****ag anti-national like you;” Agnihotri shared a picture of a heavily guarded street in Kashmir and wrote: “Tax payers money is used here to combat religious terrorism. If this stops, I can also live freely.

Writer-director Sarthak Dasgupta, who is currently receiving positive response to the streaming series ‘Dharavi Bank’ penned by him, has shared that Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi was destined to play the role of Joint Commissioner of Police Jayant Gavaskar in the show.

Walking down the memory lane, Sarthak recollected: “Around the time I had begun writing Dharavi Bank, a few years back, I met Vivek Oberoi at the house of director-producer Sanjay Gupta. We were all having lunch together. During a casual chat he asked me what I was doing those days. I told him about this crazy show which I was writing called ‘Dharavi Bank’. When he heard that it was about a cop who single handedly takes on a big cartel, he said he wished he could do the role. “Bro, it’s completely up my alley!”

He continued: “Cut to almost 1 and half year later, somehow the producers...

KollywoodVijay’s ‘Varisu’, co-starring Rashmika Mandanna and directed by Telugu filmmaker Vamshi Paidipally, and Ajith-Manju Warrier starrer ‘Thunivu’ are both scheduled to release on Pongal next year.Tnm StaffTwitter/ BayViewProjectsLLP, Sri Venkateswara CreationsTwo of Tamil cinema’s biggest stars, Vijay and Ajith Kumar, are once again headed to lock horns at the box office. Vijay’s Varisu, co-starring Rashmika Mandanna and directed by Telugu filmmaker Vamshi Paidipally, and Ajith-Manju Warrier starrer Thunivu are both scheduled to release on Pongal next year. Thunivu is helmed by H Vinoth and bankrolled by Boney Kapoor, while Varisu has been produced by Dil Raju and Sirish. Among the two, Varisu is coming to theatres after facing a number of roadblocks along the way. The film’s release was initially scheduled for Sankranti this year alongside Adipurush, starring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon and Saif Ali Khan. This, however, had to be delayed after the Telugu producers...

Bollywood actor Vivek Anand Oberoi, who plays a cop in the recently released streaming show ‘Dharavi Bank’, is very mindful of portraying the men in uniform in their true spirit and believes that it is important to render a sense of dignity to the roles of righteous cops.

The actor shared that it was important to not play the part in a caricaturish fashion. Talking about the same, the actor told Ians: “It is important to dignify men in uniform. It’s a noble profession that commands respect from the artistic community. As writers, creators and even in the audience, we need to make the extra effort to get it right on screen. I wanted to bring in gravitas to the part. I researched extensively and spoke to my friends who are cops about their experiences, their challenges.”

Having been around men in uniform and been friends with them, the...

Such is the crossover between film and TV that “Vadhandhi – The Fable of Velonie” is only the latest streaming series to find itself a prominent slot at a major film festival.

The eight-part Tamil-language crime thriller will upload to Amazon Prime Video from Dec. 2. But the International Film Festival of India will first give a special edit of the show a cinema screening on Nov 27.

With a title that means ‘rumors’ in English, the series is set in a small town where nothing is quite as it seems. The focus is on Velonie, a beautiful debutante (portrayed by newcomer Sanjana) who is complex and mysterious and whose back story is murky. Vivek, a cop (portrayed by multihyphenate S.J. Suryah), who is both troubled and determined, is on her case trying to penetrate through the layers of the town, his suspect and himself. It is not clear that he will be able to build a case,...

Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi, who is garnering a lot of positive response for his work in the recently released streaming series ‘Dharavi Bank’, has a connection between his debut movie ‘Company’ this film.

Since the actor plays the role of Joint Commissioner of Police, Jayant Gavaskar in ‘Dharavi Bank’, he revisited his debut film to seek inspiration for ‘Dharavi Bank’ from Mohanlal’s character of Veerappalli Srinivasan Ips, Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police.

Vivek said: “There are some performances that stay in your heart for life. Though ‘Company’ was my first film, it was a learning ground for me. I was surrounded by the best actors of our times from Ajay Devgn to Mohanlal. For ‘Dharavi Bank’, I, in fact, went back to Mohanlal Sir’s performance all over again. He played Veerappalli Srinivasan Ips, Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police. I have vivid memories of how he approached his scenes.

Samit Kakkad, the director of the recently released streaming series ‘Dharavi Bank’, has called Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi, a “one-take actor”. He was impressed by how well the actor was prepared for his part in the series.

Elaborating on the same, Kakkad said: “It is always a very enriching and fruitful experience when we get to work with actors such as Vivek who are aware of the pre-requisites and inner workings of the craft. He’s undoubtedly one of the hardest-working actors, and with his level of commitment from beginning to end, the process is made significantly simpler. The kind of preparation that he brings to the table is unparalleled.”

Vivek plays the role of Jcp Jayant Gavaskar in the Mx Original Series, which also stars his ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’ co-star Suniel Shetty. Unlike the cops that Vivek has essayed earlier, this time around in ‘Dharavi Bank’, fury and rage...

Prime Video today unveiled the gripping trailer of its widely anticipated, Amazon Original series, Vadhandhi – The Fable of Velonie, a Tamil crime thriller. Marking the streaming debut of multifaceted film personality S J Suryah, the series is produced by Pushkar and Gayatri of Wallwatcher Films and is created by Andrew Louis. The series also brings popular actress Laila to streaming and marks the debut of Sanjana, as they bring to life a complex and thrilling storyline, along with treasured icons of Tamil cinema M Nasser, Vivek Prasanna, Kumaran Thangarajan and Smruthi Venkat in pivotal roles.

The trailer gives us a sneak-peek into the journey of a determined cop Vivek (played by S J Suryah) who finds himself fixated on solving the murder of an 18-year-old Velonie. Untangling a web of lies and deceit, the show is riddled with ‘rumours’ as the name Vadhandhi suggests, examining the frailty of human relationships and perceptions.

‘Ranjithame’, the first single from director Vamshi Paidipally’s bilingual film ‘Varisu’, featuring Vijay and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead, has taken the Internet by storm, garnering a whopping 15 million views in less than 19 hours of being released on YouTube.

On Saturday evening, the makers of the film chose to release the first single from the film. Right from the minute it was released, the number became a rage, garnering a million views within just half an hour of being released.

Actress Rashmika Mandanna, who has danced to the number along with Tamil star Vijay, took to pen her thoughts about the peppy song on Twitter.

She wrote, “Song shoots are never easy but when you have a song like this, a co-star like this, a team like this and dancers like these… wohoo.. it’s worth all the pain. So exciting this is! Now the song is yours. Have fun you guys!

The makers of director Vamshi Paidipally’s bilingual film ‘Varisu’, featuring Vijay and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead, on Saturday released the first single ‘Ranjithame’ from the film, much to the delight of fans and film buffs.

Master of melody S Thaman has delivered a foot-tapping number that is high on energy.

Vijay himself has sung the song alongside M M Manasi. Thaman seems to have used the powerful percussion instrument Thavil to good effect in this song that lifts your spirits right away.

Vivek has penned the lyrics for this number that is sure to set the dance floor on fire. Jani master has choreographed the steps for this pulsating number.

The dances are trendy and graceful.

Rashmika Mandanna looks stunning in the song. The setting and backdrops look vibrant and flamboyant.

Overall, this is a loop-worthy dance track that has the potential to go viral in no time.

ReviewThe performances of actors Gopichand, Sathyaraj and Rao Ramesh are convincing. Raashii Khanna however deserves much of the appreciation for experimenting with comedy and succeeding with it. Balakrishna GaneshanDirector Maruthi’s Pakka Commercial is one of those films that end up making a satire of themselves unintentionally. The film, while ironically making fun of how television soaps present court proceedings to the audience – with monologues, silly staged and unrealistic depiction of events, ends up making a commentary about how this film belongs to the same category. Pakka Commercial stars actors Gopichand and Raashii Khanna, along with Sathyaraj, Rao Ramesh, Ajay Ghosh and others. The film is a courtroom drama. And one should not expect it to be anywhere close to reality, as the film amply makes it clear in the very title that it is a 'commercial' film. For the uninitiated, a typical commercial film is devoid of reality, logic and reasoning.