WANNA KNOW HOW PRIYAMANI GOT HER FIRST BREAK? READ ON...

HOW IT HAPPENED
Being a Bharatiraaja find feels great, and working with technicians such as Balu Mahendra was wonderful. Yet the film that put me on the road of success is Paruththi Veeran. On hearing that Ameer was looking out for a heroine for his film, I met him at his office. I had planned to leave for Bangalore that evening. Just then I got a call asking me to report at Theni the next morning for a photo shoot! Unsure of what it meant, I went to Theni. After that, I heard nothing from the director. Later, I was at Ooty for a shoot, when congratulatory messages began pouring in. Perplexed, I asked what was happening and was told my pictures were in the Paruththi Veeran invites! Only then did I know I was in the film!

HOW IT FELT
Great. A real learning experience! Except the five main characters, the cast comprised actual villagers. Ameer made us observe their body language, dialect and mannerisms and perform accordingly. During dubbing too, he sat with me and helped me with the Madurai slang. It isn’t easy, you know!

HOW LIFE CHANGED
I was recently in Tiruchi for the shooting of Malaikkottai. People thronged the location to have a glimpse of Muthazhagu, the character I play in Paruththi Veeran. The accolades the film has won for me are unbelievable, and they are translating into worthy projects. What more can I ask for?

(Courtesy: The Hindu)

RAJA FINDS HIS NICHE IN TOLLYWOOD, BUT WILL HE BE ABLE TO MAKE IT BIG?

The chocolate-faced boy of Tollywood, Raja, has come a long way from itsy-bitsy teeny weeny roles. Though he is still to establish himself as an actor to reckon with in the Telugu film industry, luck and pluck has enabled him to create an identity of his own.

Raja burst on to the scene with Appudu Appudu, one of the biggest hits of 2001. But, all was not hunky dory. "After a dream debut, it felt as though lady luck had deserted me. To make matters worse, I was considered as unlucky after the failure of all the films I had acted in. It was a traumatic phase," says Raja, talking to Hyderabad Times.

But, Sekhar Kamula's Anand bought back joy in the life of Raja, who had been doing odd roles till then. "Anand changed everything. Fans still address me as Anand," he says. And predictably, there was no looking back. He was able to carve a niche in Tollywood with films like Aa Naluguru,and Kokila.

Right now, he has graduated from family dramas to action films. "My latest film, Toss, is an action flick in which I play one of the leads. Until now, I have acted only in family-oriented movies, but I want to shed that image to appeal to a larger audience. I have worked hard to put in the extra muscle required to look the part," says the actor.

What does he think of the GenNext actors? "The new generation of actors be it junior NTR, Allu Arjun or whoever it is are in the transition phase. They are more aware of what is happening in the world cinema than any other generation, and that will be reflected in their work."

There have been rumours of his alleged escapades with his Toss co-star Priyamani. What does he have to say about it? He shrugs off the rumours but says wedding bells might ring any moment. "All I can say is I have found the love of my life, and she is not from the film industry."

DALER MEHNDI LENDS HIS VOICE TO JUNIOR NTR IN YAMADONGA

The Bolo Tara Tara fame, Daler Mehndi, has caught the fancy of Tollywood now. He has sung a song for the NTR-starrer Yamadonga. The song goes like this "Nuvvante padi padi chasta...". The picturisation of the song is currently underway in Hyderabad. We don't know for sure which heroine is featured in the song opposite NTR. For currently, there are two leading ladies in the film -- Priyamani and Mamata Mohandas. The Bhangra/pop singer has sung in Telugu for the first film. Already there are huge expectations from the film, and S S Rajamouli and NTR are keen on making this film a hit at any cost. For both of them, who are facing a rough patch, this film is an acid test. So they are not taking any chances at all, and are ensuring there is novelty in the songs, in the dialogues and in the picturisation. We hear that some real dialogues with some real punch have been written for the film. And NTR has really done some hard work to make it a rabble rouser. Meanwhile, Daler Mehndi has recently come out with a new album after quite a gap. And, we hear, the album is catching up fast. Let's hope he will sing many songs to come in the Telugu film industry.

PRIYAMANI, AN ENIGMA WRAPPED IN BLACK MAGIC

Priyamani's double speak on exposing

Priyamani is the new talk of Tollywood today. Not that she has any great achievement to her credit. Nor does she have any assets or acting talent to boast about. Nor for that matter the striking beatuy of the Bollywood belles. It's just her luck that there are no good faces around to fill the dearth of heroines in the Telugu film industry. Otherwise how do you think this Bangalore belle, who was tried and tested and packed up to Tamil for good, get a chance to get some assignments. Of course, even now she doesn't have great films to speak of, except for a teeny weeny role opposite junior NTR in Yamadonga. Which is how she shot into the limelight. And you know how Tollywood directors are. The moment a heroine is cast opposite a top hero, they make a beeline to the actress's house. And we hear that she has a hit to her credit in Tamil too. But it needs confirmation. Other than NTR she is acting in a film called Toss (God knows who the hero of the film is) and opposite Tarun in a Supergood Films venture.

Despite that, we must admit that she is really trying her best to cash in on her unusual luck. And her thoughts invariably sway towards exposing. And here is what she has to say about exposing: "Cinema means glamour. It's not fair to say that I won't do glamour roles here. But there are certain limitations. That is why I always choose clothes that suit me. If I feel that they don't gel with my physique, I will refuse to wear them."

Dear Priyamani, we know what glamour is, we don't need a discourse from you on the topic. Are you exposing or not, we want a direct answer to that, not some vague poetry. And how do you define glamour? There are thousand and one ways to be glamourous without exposing an inch of your salacious flesh. And we can definitely tell you that you don't qualify for those glamour roles, because, as we have said earlier, you neither have the looks nor the physique to boast about. So, it boils down to exposing, right? Do you think you have the choice to choose your own clothes in the Telugu film industry? You either buckle in under pressure or you get out. And so you have only a hobson's choice. And we know you are game for it. Right?

Tollywood