Triple offer from Vijay

IndiaGlitz [Thursday, May 27, 2010]

Vijay is at an important cross road now. With controversies and criticisms mounting Ilaya Thalapathi has finally decided to put everything to rest and make every body happy. As the first step Vijay has decided to release three films this year to make the theatre owners happy. Siddique's ‘Kaavalkaran’ is 60% complete and is generating good trade talk so far. ‘Jayam’ Raja is also ready for ‘Velayudham’ and there will be an official announcement next week. Also there is news about Vijay giving his consent to do the remake of ‘3-Idiots’ in Tamil. It’s likely that Vijay will announce this at the launch function of ‘Velayudham’. With these sudden developments the theatre owners are convinced and are ready for Vijay films again.

Vijay is Siddique's actor

IndiaGlitz [Wednesday, May 26, 2010]

After a long time a Vijay film is progressing without his regular codes in place. Heavy mettle intro song, punch dialogues, flying villains etc are put on the side by Siddique in ‘Kaavalkaran’, sources say. With criticisms from all over for his regular routine flicks of late Ilaya Thalapathi Vijay has finally given into his director. In ‘Kaavalkaran’ it is the director who is calling the shots, they say. There won’t be a intro song elevating hero to a super hero or punch dialogues at the wrong places or villains flying all over at a breath of the hero in ‘Kaavalkaran’.   So as clay in the hands of God Vijay has submitted himself into the hands of Siddique. The sudden shift of attitude may be surprising for many but all Vijay lovers are seeing this as a change for the better. After the earlier Siddique-Vijay combo ‘Friends’ is an all time classic. We expect them to repeat the feat.

Madhi to shoot Vijay

IndiaGlitz [Tuesday, May 25, 2010]

Cameraman Madhi who started off with ‘Punnagai Desam’ is going from strength to strength. He has done a variety of films of different genre to showcase his ability. Oru Kalluriyin Kadhai, Ninaithale, Silambattam are some of Madhi's earlier films.   Films like Veyil and Nepali brought feathers to the cap of Madhi. And with ‘Paiyaa’ Madhi has become one of the hot shot cameramen in demand.   Now Madhi is in the big league after ‘Jayam’ Raja signing him to shoot Vijay in ‘Velayudham’. After Karthi, Madhi has got the opportunity to work with another major star. ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ will be Madhi’s second film with Karthi.

Hansika to be paired with Vijay

Vijay's 52nd flick 'Velayudham' will be directed by jayam Raja and produced by Aascar Ravichandran. Before it has been sad as Genelia will do the female lead role for the movie. Now Hansika Motwani replace Genelia.

Now the actress is busy in Maapillai Shooting, the shooting of the movie will end in few days after that she will join hands in 'Velayudham' unit and she also signed in Jayam Ravi's Itch Movie directed by Prabhu Deva.

The 'Velayudham' Movie Pooja will take place shortly at Nehru Stadium.

Vijay hits back

Ilaiyathalapathy Vijay has hit back at his detractors within the industry by doing two films simultaneously, and planning to start a third film by August.

All this is his silent response to get back at "vested interests" who are trying to put a ban on his films. After the failure of Sura, the theatre's association in the NSC area (North and South Arcot and Chengalpet) of Tamil Nadu recently announced that they wanted the actor to take "moral responsibility for the failure of Sura".

They wanted the actor to refund at least 40 per cent of the amount that they had paid as MG (Minimum Guarantee).

A spokesperson of the Chengalpet-Kanchipuram Theatre Association, said, "All recent Vijay films, including the latest Sura have been failures. We had lost crores earlier paying MG's by screening Azhagiya Thamizh Magan, Kuruvi, Villu, and Vettaikkaran and now, Sura is a washout. Superstars like Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan had compensated us when their films bombed. If he is not willing to pay cash as compensation, Vijay can do a film for us to make up for the losses."

Now, Vijay, instead of getting into a slanging match with exhibitors and distributors, has quietly begun work on two films. For nearly a decade after he became a superstar, Vijay has been doing only one film at a time, and having a release once in a year. Now, the actor is working on two films — Kavalkaran and Velayutham — simultaneously and will also start work on the Tamil remake of 3 Idiots.

Says Siddique, who's directing the actor for Kavalkaran, "We are now shooting the college campus scenes of the film with Vijay and Asin in Vellore and after this schedule, nearly 70 percent of the film will be complete. It is going to be a different type of Vijay entertainer, which is sure to be lapped up by the family audiences."

On Sunday, Hansika Motwani flew down to Chennai from Mumbai to do a photo shoot with the star at a studio in Saligramam, for producer Aascar Ravichandran's Jayam Raja directed Velayutham. The film is rumoured to be a remake of Nagarjuna's Telugu hit Azad (released way back in 2000), which was inspired from Amitabh Bachchan's 1989 flop Main Azad Hoon, which was in turn a carbon copy of Frank Capra's 1941 classic Meet John Doe! Vijay will have two heroines — Genelia and Hansika — in the film and will play a fictitious `man of the masses' created by a female journalist. For the first time ever, Harris Jayaraj will provide music for a Vijay film.

The producer of Velayutham, Aascar Ravichandran, is veteran producer and distributor who controls more than 30 screens in NSC area, and has a proven track record with hits like Anniyan and Dasavatharam. Remember, it was Ravichandran who made Vijay a superstar when he took over the marketing of Kadhalukku Mariyadhai in 1996. A source close to Vijay said, "Vijay sir is reworking his mass hero image to suit the taste of family audiences. Kavalkaran and Velayutham are carefully planned out projects and he is sure to bounce back with these films followed by the 3 Idiots remake."