ST OR WEST CINEMAXIMUM IS THE BEST-EAST OR WEST CINEMAXIMUM IS T
IS THE CUPID STRIKING??
BUZZ We tell you whats hot!
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Contents
VOLUME 5 # 10, OCTOBER 2, 2009 ISSN NUMBER 0971-7277
FEATURE
WOW CUP !
14 The Great Eight We select 8 landmark Hindi films of the millenium.
Oscar winning makeup artist Chirag Hakked has transformed the looks of many celebrities including Super star Shiju Orlnd, Rising star Sooraj, heroine Jyothi Lakshmi, the grand villain Sreekanth Ullanath and Universal star Kishore Kumar, to mention some names. This fornight, the costume genius has worked on the girl next door, Jyothi Pavithran, and the results are WOW! Chirag Hakked imported cosmetics worth Rs 1 crore in order to give Jyothi Pavithran a new look and hairstyle The rumors are that the hair gel used for Jyo’s new hair is similar to the one Kamal Haasan used in Dasavataram.
REGULARS 22 Spot On Previews of some upcoming films, including Sivaram Mony’s Aazhangal and director duo Abhinav-Vishnu’s Kuppiyil Bhootam.
20 Rapid Questionaire with Super star Shiju
26 Movie Reviews Cinemaximum guides you through the new releases.
5 Editorial Dreams; Lost in the mist.
25 Oomph Check out the hot face of this fortnight!
5 Your Say
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The latest buzz of the industry!
Letters to the editor; All about the last issue! Sooraj (SRJ), who shot into stardom after his edge of the seat performance in ‘K2: The legend of Kallan Conicova’, which featured Superstar Shiju Orlnd in the lead is on cloud nine after the success of his solo hero role in Aaditya Chimpu’s ‘Kabhi Aage Kabhi Peeche’. He has now signed on to some hot new projects, including Studio19’s ‘Kuppiyil Bhootham’. Also, rumors are there that Sooraj has been casted in Abhinav Sunder’s dream project ‘EIGHTEEN’. Yes, we are all happy for
him. But the ice in the juice is that SRJ has demanded director duo Abhinav-Vishnu to cast Jyothi Lakshmi as his heroine in Kuppiyil Bhootham. He has also given producer Nithin Babu a special visit regarding this. It is to be noted that the pair had once been together in ‘Kabhi Aage Kabhi Peeche’, which is still running successfully all over India and is a hot favorite with the youth. Ahem, ahem. Cinemaximum smells something chicky. Is the cupid striking? UNKNOWN SOURCE
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COVER STORY
MEN AT WORK: Cinemaximum introduces a set of young gems ready to enter the world of cinema.
PHOTOGRAPH: AVINASH PAUL COLOUR GRADING: ABHINAV SUNDER
DISCLAIMER: ALL THE ARTICLES PRINTED IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE ORIGINAL
PUTHIYA MUGHAM Direction: Diphan Label: Bathesta films
Chief Executive Maria J Neriamparambil Editor-Creative head Abhinav Sunder Photographers Paul George Vedanayagam Sreerag Kannan Abhinav Sunder Interview Host Khamil Kareem Writers Abhinav Sunder Aswin Ram Print Star Xerox, Gandhipuram Special Thanks Sooraj S Rakesh Raj Lukhman Pambra Sivaram Mony Vishnu Varma Rahul MR Kishore Kumar Shiju PT Premnath A Aithihya Ashok Kumar Jyothi Lakshmi Madhumita Bala Neetha Susan Jacob
Now when was the last time you felt your nerves pumping up hot blood, while sitting in an A/C cinema hall? Debutant director Diphan’s Puthiya Mugham, starring Prithviraj provides just that. It bypasses the cliches and comes out fresh, with the new age of manhood. Its like a Tamil film with all the quality sensibilities of Malayalam.The story is quiet simple and way too cliched, which makes it dumb to explain.
WHY GRAMAPHONE?
Sound technology today has advanced to a level, which enables the viewers to watch and hear their favorite movies and songs in the best quality. But only few are aware that the simple gramaphones reproduce the most natural sound, in the highest quality and bitrate. Sound scientists all over the world are still researching with their heads on heals to get a digitalised replica of a gramaphone’s sound reproduction. It is said that RNI No. 1619/57 . Price Rs 100 . Written, designed, edited & published by the present universal CD can Abhinav Sunder for and on behalf of the Department of communication, GRDCS, reproduce only upto 25% of the sound which the gramaphones Avinashi Road, Coimbatore. Chief Executive: Maria J Neriamparambil give out. Head of the Department: G. Radha The Yamaha Corporation came out with a series of AV Cinemaximum takes no responsibility for unsoliciated photographs or material ALL PHOTOGRAPHS, UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED, ARE USED FOR ILLUSTRATIVE recievers which boasted of “Natural sound”, and ended up PURPOSES ONLY being a disaster at sales! The THE NATIONAL/REGIONAL EDITION OF CINEMAXIMUM IS NOT FOR SALE best part is that the Dolby Labs OUTSIDE INDIA have now spent over 100 million on their Natural Sound project, which is still incomplete. Now DISCLAIMER FOR PROTECTION OF PRIVACY AND INFORMATION this is what you call “Old is Any information recieved by us through responses by Users/Subcribers to the Short Messaging Services (SMS) Key Codes or such other subscription service of ours will Gold”. Way to go Gramy! be used in whole or part, in our publications (other than contact information), for our research, individual marketing, strategic client analysis and for other internal purposes and all copyrights in such information will vest with us. Your contact information shall not be sold, traded, rented or in anyway divulged to anythird party unless we are legally bound to do the same.
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TO SUBSCRIBE
Prithviraj (Krishna Kumar) is a good Mridhangam artist, and is already engaged to his childhood lover Mira Nandan. He joins an engineering college in Ernakulam, where he gets undue attention from the opposite sex. Bala, who plays the rich guy in college is the youngest brother of the famous city gangsters. He develops an interest in Priyamani, who is also his family friend. Priyamani on the other hand being a fresher, studying in Krishna Kumar’s class, takes a special interest in him. This makes Bala uncomfortable, and then the action begins. Prithviraj as the brahmin boy
from Palakkad shines with his terrific screen presence, innocence and conviction, all at the same time. Meera Nandan and Priyamani does their roles neatly and Baala too, performs surprisingly well as the villain. Technically, the film is savvy with fast paced cinematography by Bharani K Dharan and super cool cuts by Samjith (Mhd). The beautiful, yet punching music & background score by Deepak Dev adds to the steel coat with a subtle softness. On the downside, the action scenes towards the climax is a tad too lengthy and needs serious trimming. 15 minutes shorter, and it could have been a lot better. Predictable, and unpredictable at the same time, this set of explosive reels contain that rare formula action, which neither takes itself seriously, nor gives the audience the time to get serious! Its a mindless game of revenge, filled with nail biting stunts and an out of the world performance by the protagonist played by Prithviraj! So thats two thumbs up to Diphan & team for Puthiya Mugham. Believe me, its a quality action flick with so much fun filled in, that you just can’t miss out on this!!
ST OR WEST CINEMAXIMUM IS THE BEST-EAST OR WEST CINEMAXIMUM IS T
LUCK BY CHANCE Direction: Zoya Akhtar Label: Excel entertainment Luck By Chance, Zoya Akhtar’s debut film as a director is heartwarming and consistant. Lavishly produced & slickly written by the Akhtar sibblings, the film is a sattire in disguise. Even though it moves on a snail pace, you never get bored for a second! The kind of subtle humour shown in here is rare to find in movies today. Now let me warn you, Luck By Chance is not a comedy by any chance, but is a movie which makes you think.
And analysing this film is a tough task, I must tell you. Because, you cant help praising the movie, untill you realise that the movie itself didnot create any impact on you! Now this is a perfect example of an almost good film, because it looses itself somewhere in the making, that you don’t know where the fault lies! I have failed to judge this film; Try your luck, if you wish to! example of an almost good film, because it looses itself somewhere in the making, that you don’t know where the fault lies! I have failed to judge this film; Try your luck, if you wish to! Post your comments & reviews @
www.cinemaximam.blogspot.com
log on to www.cinemaximum.blogspot.com CINEMAXIMUM, OCTOBER 2, 2009
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Lost in the MIST
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Direction: Danny Boyle Label: FOX Studios Intellectuals might call it “Mediocre and senseless”; but believe me, Slumdog Millionaire is that rare senseless movie, which gives your senses a rest! Wildly silly, but entirely watchable, it is no classic by any chances as most part of its making is inspired from the highly inspiring “City of Gods”. Based on Vikas Swarup’s Indian bestseller Q&A, the plot of Slumdog Millionaire revolves around a city underdog, Jamal Malik, his life adventures, his love & his destination. Out of Jamal’s three phases, the first one creates a huge impact. Gripping at most parts, its unpredictability lies in the predictability of the plot. The strong perfomances can be considered as the biggest strength of the movie. And let me tell you, the movie
BHRAMARAM Direction: Blessy Label: Yavonne E Company
Bhramaram is undoubtedly Powerful cinema, and has taken Malayalam industry into a whole new level. Blessy explores
This is the story of a dream. A self perception of lost love, passion and sky high ambitions.
wouldn’t be half as good as this, if it weren’t for AR Rahman’s brilliant music & Anthony Dod Mantle’s breathless cinematography; the crisp editing by Chris Dickens adds to the charisma! The film is not a perfect in any way. Infact, the script goes loose many a times, but its charactors and their brilliant potrayals keep us glued on to the screen! And the movie is best enjoyed when you dont take it too seriously. And finally, when the end
credits start rolling, you see the actors dancing to Rahman’s beautifully composed “Jai Ho”. And that is when you get reminded that even if the film is an out & out hollywood production, its very own heart lies at India! So its four popcorns out of five for Dany Boyle’s SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE; Its a buoyant hymn to life, and a movie to celebrate. Watch it; get entertained, touched, and inspired!
the ‘Road movie’ genre rather effectively, which is quiet new to our industry. The director shows his sheer talent by churning out a gripping revenge tale from a very much cliched excuse for a storyline! Added to that, the movie is which filled with a whole lot of thrilling road trips, pulp action, and high octane drama, more than enough to entertain the hell out of you! But sadly, Bhramaram lacks the honest brilliance, which was evident in director Blessy’s earlier works like Kazhcha & Thanmathra. This is mainly because of the unfiltered screenplay and bad casting. (The kid who played Mohanlal’s daughter was pathetic & Bhoomika was not suited for the role). Blessy has gone wrong on various aspects, which you wouldn’t expect from a man of his calibre! Moreover, the movie just doesn’t get into your heart, even with Mohanlal delivering an edge of the seat performance, for he
is the very soul of the movie! He shines on the silver screen with his spontaneous dialogue delivery, unbeatable comic timing, and the trillions of expressions he brings into the character of Shivankutty, the protagonist of the movie. Now, lets not forget that this film is labelled as a Road movie. So forget the expectations, and its time to show your thumbs up. For, Bhramaram is an experience you shouldn’t miss. Its among the best you can get out there, maybe for the years to come! Bhramaram can be considered as Blessy’s most ineffective work yet, but still the movie is worth a watch for some spine chilling moments. It is a taut film, which will keep you on the edge of your seats with your nerves pumping hot blood, with a fantabulous performance by Mohanlal. I don’t mind watching the movie all over again just for that gem of an actor, because he is back in form after a long time, and he is so good!!! log on to www.cinemaximum.blogspot.com
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A
s the time moved, my career as a filmmaker boomed and I seldom travel through the roads of the god’s own country. But whenever I’ am in my native land, I make sure that my driver takes the road alongside my alma mater and I look out of the window of my car, to catch a glimpse of students on the first floor balcony of the school building; it was impossible for me to forget the past. However, the last day, when I looked out of the car window, I could see neither her, nor the usual crowd. All these 3 years, I had taken it for granted; what had happened to her, I wondered. She, who usually stood by the balcony all these years, knowing or not knowing I would be looking out for her, even though I might not see her, even though she might never see me. Now where else should I look for the memories of my love, my young love, the girl who had come into my life for a few blissful weeks and then went out of it, into the mist of life? It was almost 4 years ago. I was seventeen and she could not have been more than 14. She had a mischievous face, beautiful, always ready to smile. Sparkling eyes; how could I forget those naughty eyes, with which she used to steal a glance or two at me, knowing very
well that I would be looking at her whenever I get a chance. My class had a very good view of the first floor balcony and I used to eat my lunch, facing the window. She was always found in a group – talking, fighting with her friends. Only once, she was alone on the balcony; on the day when she was the only one in improper uniform and I stole a kiss, a sweet flying kiss. She was rather surprised at my deed and quickly turned her head away from me, laughing. I was in love, but by the time I realized that, it was a bit too late. My school days were ending in a week from that day and she had more than 3 years to finish hers. Moreover, the only way of communicating with her was through eyes. I always used to look up onto her face – that is when our eyes meet and what I loved about her was her smile – she seemed to give out some glow, which used to pour over me like a sudden outburst of sweet rain. Once I gathered up enough courage to propose her. Nevertheless, a second thought pulled me from behind – what guarantee would I give her that I would be able to take care of her. I dreamed of becoming one among the finest filmmakers ever; I dreamed of fame, glory, money. But a dream will always remain a dream; that was what I was told by one of my classmates. However, I cannot blame him, because I was one among the worst students in my class and with such pitiful academic performance, who would predict a good future for someone like me, in this huge world of engineers and doctors? Even I would not.
It was my last day at school and I forced myself not to look at her, as I wanted the day before to be last day to see her. But my eyes were uncontrollable. I looked at her and waved to her. She waved back, smiling like the sun breaking through the clouds; her responses so sweet and generous, made my heart long for her, forever. And, whenever I passed by my school, summer or winter, spring or monsoon, I used to make my driver slow down the vehicle and would easily spot her figure within the crowd of students on the first floor balcony of my alma mater, but never could I see her face from that far. In recent times, after leaving Kerala and making my home in the Mumbai metropolitan, I have passed through the town less often. But yesterday, I looked again and I noticed that she was absent on the balcony, which was filled with a crowd, strange to me. And for the first time I noticed that the school building was getting old; railings rusted & paintings peeled. My heart felt hard on my chest and a drop of tear burnt my cold cheeks. I got out of my car, and swiftly walked past the school gardens into my old school, to cherish the best memories of my life. Now that I had everything I dreamt of, I realized something was amiss - Love. And I knew I would never find her. A butterfly flitted about the garden looking in vain for a flower on which to alight. It settled briefly on my hand, before opening its wings and fluttering away into the mist. (abhi.alive.1989@gmail.com)
CINEMAXIMUM, OCTOBER 2, 2009
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ISSUE: SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
HIGHLIGHTING STARS Iam a regular reader of your magazine, and it is one of the best magazines presenting the film industry. The reviews of movies are really awesome. Especially the last issue focussed on vintage and it had a comparison with the actors Mohanlal and Mammooty of the Malayalam Cinema which created a further more deep affection for Mohanlal. One thing which I liked in your post issue was the A TAKE ON THE INDUSTRY I loved your Vintage special issue, especially the article on the disasters of the kings of bollywood industry. I liked the detail you added on how some of the top stars of today are trying to grab media attention by getting into public eye. SRK’s role in the KBC as well as Kya aap 5vi class se tez hain was atrocious. It killed the taste of the original programs conducted by the american channels. That these actors couldn’t satisfy the crowd in their “block busters” is now more evident than earlier. Seriously speaking, there
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it was handled; only focussing THE COMPLETE MAGAZINE on their professional inputs and capabilities rather than media popularised gossips and Cinemaximum is a issues. Waiting to see more complete entertainment from the next issue. trailer for me. I always look forward for the movie reviews Aithihya Ashok Kumar by Abhinav Sunder, which is (Via mail) simple and upto the point satisfying all the eager movie goers with accurate reports TO SEND YOUR guiding them into the right cinema. The interview of FEEDBACKS AND SRJ of K2 fame in the last LETTERS vintage issue was really good. I must say, he is entering the SMS: 900090009 coverpages of all the current entertainment magazines. The LOG IN TO last issue, which also featured www.cinemaximam.blogspot.com “Box Office Kings”, a feature on the comparison between Aamir E-MAIL TO Khan and Shahrukh Khan was abhi.alive.1989@gmail.com a good article. I loved the way interview with the rising star, Sooraj (SRJ). His performance was superb in the short film, Kallan 2. Iam sure that he will capture the film industry as an entertainer with his facial expressions. I hope the upcoming movie Kuppiyil Bhootham, which is creating quiet a hype with its grand promotional strategy. I hope it strikes a chord with the audience too. Best of luck to Studio 19
Cinemaximum is a magazine that we movielovers wait every fortnight. The movie reviews and interviews are very rare and contridectory compared to its competetors. Last edition’s exclusive interview with rising star Sooraj (SRJ) was fabulous and hilarious! Expecting more from this magazine.
Neetha Susan Jacob (Via Speed post)
Vivette Kajal Helen (Via SMS)
haven’t been too many good movies that the bollywood industry has seen in past 3 years or so.You were extremely correct in saying that the film industry needs more than just new directors.Yash Raj films have us bored to death with their love themes and angles. Ram Gopal Varma lost his flavor with his take on the classic Sholay, ‘AAG’. Madhur Bhandarkar comes on once in a while with a surprise in his hands. His latest “FASHION” had several controversies but it made it to the Box Office list. Ronnie Screwvala is one among the few who continues to amaze us consistently. Karan Johar, a disgrace to
KALLAN 2
I LOVE CINEMAXIMUM
bollywood filmmaking after his debut K3G is another reason why the Bollywood industry should look for a new outlook. The gay sequence in almost all of his films after his first have insulted the gay community in the world. And many many more such ‘disasters’ to remind about. Our industry needs better movie makers. Not just with performance but with a better story. I look forward to your upcoming issue on the new star ‘Shiju Orland’. I pray that the world sees more of such GENUINE performers. Madhumitha Bala (Via e-Mail)
1. K2: THE LEGEND OF KALLAN CONICOVA Critics Rating: 2/5 BO Verdict: SUPER HIT 2. KAMINEY Critics Rating: 4/5 BO Verdict: ABOVE AVERAGE 3. LUCK BY CHANCE Critics Rating: 3/5 BO Verdict: FLOP 4. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Critics Rating: 4/5 BO Vertict: BLOCKBUSTER 5. RED CHILLIES Critics Rating: 1/5 BO Verdict: AVERAGE 6. CRAZY GOPALAN Critics Rating: 2/5 BO Verdict: SUPER HIT 7. BHRAMARAM Critics Rating: 3/5 BO Verdict: BELOW AVERAGE 8. PUTHIYA MUGHAM Critics Rating: 3/5 BO Verdict: SUPERHIT
Director Trio: Abhinav - Vishnu - Lukhman Label: Studio 19 Let me make it clear to you. Studio19’s Abhinav-VishnuLukhman directed ‘K2: The legend of Kallan Conicova’, a sequel to the 5 minute short film titled, ‘Kallan’ is nothing but 30 minutes of non stop fun. The basic premise of the film revolves around a small time innocent thief, Kallan Conicova who lives in a small village named Cheruppalassery, in the Palakkad district. The story begins when he stumbles over an imported cooling glass wore by a small kid. Revealing more about the plot will only spoil your fun in watching this half an hour shortie. There are some instances which clearly shows the sheer brilliance of its makers. Take the visual in which a boy is waiting for a drop of water near the corporation tap, which also acts as a transition! Or even for instance the crowd scene in which the small girl is explaining the story of theft to the villagers, which was very well handled, as far as a student film is concerned. As far as the performances are concered, Shiju Orlnd as the
innocent thief shines with his excellent screen presence and a sincere effort he made to enter the character. Sreekanth sizzles as Dr. Khan, the villain. Out of the lot, Sooraj, the surprise package of the movie, who played a mere layman in the beginning, stands out with his edge of the seat comical timing. Sooraj sure will go places and has the ability to capture the heart of the audiences all over! The smooth flow of the movie is supported by excellent Camera work by Sreerag Kannan and razor sharp editing by Abhinav Sunder Nayak. The lovely locations add to the charisma. On the downside, the screenplay wavers towards the end and the viewers tend to get confused at the ridiculous flow of the story after the half time gets over. Sad, the movie started off so well that the graph goes linearly down! Also, the sound mixing which has not even been credited to anyone is way below average and ametuarish. Shockingly, even some of the dialogues are not audible! So in the end, I would go with two out of five for Studio19’s Kallan 2. Its a highly enjoyable watch and trust me, if the makers had concentrated more on the scripting and execution, the end product could have been lot better.
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RECCO
BORAT is a delicious comedy, which is more like a documentary in its pace. But trust me, the movie is worth a billion, as its a screem. Watch it to believe. Highly reccomended!
RED CHILLIES Direction: Shaji Khailas Label: Aashirvad Cinemas First things first, director Shaji Khailas’ Mohanlal starrer RED CHILLIES is one of those idiotic, mindless potboilers, with enough number of punch dialogues, low angle shots, and violent editing gimmicks to satisfy the typical mohanlal fan! The film begins with ‘Red Chillies’, the popular gang of radio jockeys working for a Radio Station in Kochi, owned by the singapore based business giant OMR. On the new year’s eve, the Red Chillies gang gets into deep trouble & then the terror ride begins! Mohanlal plays OMR, the man who knows it all, and the rest is known to all! On the technical side, Camera by Shaji gives you a high-end eye problem and editing by Samjith adds to the headache. In the end, what the
audience get, is a set of glossy reels consisting millions of shots, added together to form one hell of a headache movie, which is a pain to watch! So thats two out of five, and a thumbs down for Shaji Khailas’ RED CHILLIES. Watch it if you are a Mohanlal Fan, and the chances are that you wont be dissapointed!
CRAZY GOPALAN Direction: Dipu Karunakaran Label: Bhavana Cine-arts Despite a weak script, an overdose of heroism, and a miserable female lead who deserves a slap on her face, actor/ producer Dilip’s latest offering CRAZY GOPALAN, is a racy comic entertainer, which is a huge relief from the dumb squids we witnessed for the past few months. The story revolves around a petty thief Gopalan, who unknowingly gets involved in a bank robbery case, followed by a series of unfortunate events. The protagonist, played by Dilip, is a treat to watch in the comic part, but fails miserably as the action hero towards the climax. Salim Kumar is at his best, and makes you fall out of the seats laughing! Jagathy Sreekumar shines with his unmatchable comic timing and Harisree Asokan does a faithful
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comeback to the genre. This is slapstick comedy at its best, and debutant director Dipu, along with his talented team of technicians, deliver what the audience really quench for; 2 hours of rib tickling comedy, which reminds you of the good old times of Dilip, who gave us some hard-core laugh riots like Meesamadhavan and C.I.D Moosa. Going to its technical aspects, Cinematography by D. Kannan is refreshing. Editing by Manoj
is worth mentioning, with a controlled, yet sufficient usage of effects and sharp cuts. Despite its shortcomings, this out and out Dilip film satisfies big time, as its heart lies at the right place. I would go with two out of five, and double thumbs up for director Dipu’s comic crapper, CRAZY GOPLALAN. It is worth a watch, but I would recommend you to leave your brains at home; sometimes mindless entertainment is better than serious boredom!
Direction/Grading: Abhinav Sunder Photo: Paul George (AVI)
Photo: Paul George Vedanayagam
Numero uno heroine Jyothi Lakshmi is our hot face of this fortnight
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ON THE SETS>>
W
hen more & more number of young aspiring filmmakers and technicians storm into the world of cinema, it brings a silver of hope to the Indian film industry, where movies are being made like cotton candies in more than a dozen number of languages, with a wide variety of subjects to interpret and an array of cultural heritage to study on. People considered it as a miracle when little Steven Spielburg came out with a movie at the age of 17. Now, in this era, where new age filmmaking relies upon digital methods, the gate is open for all, resulting in stiff competition in and out of the industry. Here is a set of young geniuses with fresh and innovative methods of craftsmanship in their pocket, ready for their BIG LEAP.
SYNOPSIS
Direction/Grading: Abhinav Sunder Photo: Paul George (AVI)
This Studio 19 film is a true blue fantasy/ comedy with characters etched out in more or less similar to a comic book. The premise revolves around a young man and a toddy bottle containing a Genie. Being purely based on supernatural happenings, situational humour and comedy of errors, this may not be every body’s cup of tea. But the makers promises us an edge of the seat laugh riot, which will keep the viewers glued on to their seats till the end. Aimed mainly at the mass, this short film is a no-brains-in comic crapper.
KUPPIYIL BHOOTAM
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BANNER NB Productions
CINEMATOGRAPHY Sreerag Kannan
FIELD ASSOCIATE Nikhil Anand
PRODUCER Nithin Babu
EDITOR Abhinav Sunder
DIRECTOR DUO Abhinav & Vishnu
ART DIRECTOR Balu Narendran
CAST Sooraj, Sreekanth, Kishore, Anand Krishna, Rakesh Raj
CINEMAXIMUM, OCTOBER 2, 2009
Photo: Paul George Vedanayagam
A MAGICAL TALE
CINEMAXIMUM, OCTOBER 2, 2009
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ON THE SETS>>
MEN AT WORK of the fittest; Survival that is what the world today
is all about. Among many colleges, the GRD College of Science, Coimbatore is among the best in town, providing cutting edge studio facilities and post production techniques including full fledged AV studios, 3 broadcast cameras and an array of AVID systems for video editing. The college has a history of producing great filmmakers, actors, journalists and technicians. This year, with the guidance of Ms G Radha, the HOD of the department of Communication, we have aset of young guns, passsionate in the art and craft of filmmaking, ready to showcase their talents to the world outside.
RAKESH RAJ <FILMOGRAPHY> AS actor
KUPPIYIL BHOOTAM (in production) AS cinematographer/ director
A HEALING FEATHER JYOTHIRGAMAYA A CUP OF TEA AS creative director
APOORVA (malayalam feature film)
Rakesh Raj is a National Award winning short film director, with a bright portfolio containing 3 shorties as his solo work. He has won a national award for his first short film, ‘Jyothirgamaya’, which talked about AIDS. This aspiring filmmaker is an excellent cinematographer too. He proved his camera abilities by working as the cinematographer for various student short films and advertisements, which includes Sibi’s HERO, a commercial short film. He has worked as the creative director of ‘Apoorva’, a malayalam feature film. Even though the film bombed at the box office, and gained no applause from the critics, the creative section was hugely appreciated by everyone. Now, Rakesh is turning into an actor in Studio 19’s Kuppiyil Bhootham.
Director Sivaram Mony (Middle), with his Associate Lukhman Pambra (Right) and Cinematographer Sreerag Kannan (Left)
Sivaram Mony is regarded as a very serious filmmaker. He has directed over 4 short films, of which, the first 3 won many awards and recognitions. He has also worked as the editor for many student short films and advertisements. <FILMOGRAPHY> A resident of Thiruvananthapuram, Sivaram started off making films when he was in school, with proper guidence AS writer/director from experienced personalities. He specialises in Premiere Pro and AVID editing and is regarded as the fastest AVID operator in college. AAZHANGAL (in production) Mesmerised by his capabilities, Sibi, an aspiring director gave Siva the job PLUS ‘O’ SQUARE of editing his debut work, ‘Hero’, a commercial short film. Right now, Sivaram, along with associate Lukhman are busy working on CULPRIT ‘Aazhangal’, a 20 minute short film, which stars Babu and Pavithra in the PRERITHAM MIZHINEERPOOKKAL lead.
SIVARAM MONY
Producer Aadithya Krishnan T R B (Middle), with Cinematographer Sreerag Kannan (Left, Down) and associate Lukhman (Right, up)
ASST. CAMERAMAN Sarath S S CAST Pavihra Uday, Faisal Babu, Sharmal Ayyanikkal, R S Mony
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COVER
CINEMAXIMUM, OCTOBER 2, 2009
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MEN AT WORK KISHORE KUMAR <FILMOGRAPHY>
SYNOPSIS
AS actor
Kishore Kumar, an aspiring actor/choreographer/ director has directed a short film titled ‘30 by two’, and a music video for ‘K2: The legend of Kallan Conicova’, which all clicked with the
KUPPIYIL BHOOTAM audience. (in production) The best thing about this Madhurai resident is that he is a jack of all things. He proved his acting abilities AS director through many student short films. His directorial capabilities are par LOVING YOU excellence, and his dancing skills go (pre production) with the professionals! K2 RAP VIDEO With all these goodies in his pocket, THIRTY BY TWO Kishore Kumar is a total gem, and director Abhinav has casted him as the protognist for his dream project; also, AS associate Studio 19 has offered him a meaty role in their upcoming venture, ‘Kuppiyil HERO (post production) Bhootham’.
This Sivaram Mony film talks entirely about the journey of a doctor through the past life of one of his patients, in which, he gets seriously involved. The exciting gist of the film lies in the inferences of the doctor and the irony is when the doctor himself wants his inferences to be wrong. Some beautiful love scenes and a breath taking suspense beholds the premise of this short film. Excellent cinematography and masterful writing adds to the beauty of the film.
ABHINAV SUNDER NAYAK <FILMOGRAPHY> AS writer/director/ editor/designer
UNTITLED HINDI FILM (pre production) KUPPIYIL BHOOTAM (in production) KALLAN 2 KANHADA THE KALLAN AS editor
Abhinav S Nayak is a hot shot writer/editor/director/ designer, who has done over a dozen shortfilms including DHAAHAM ‘K2:The legend of Kallan Conicova’. He is also planning to A SALUTE TO shoot a serious comedy from Mumbai. GANDHI Being a residant of Ernakulam, his home town is Calicut. THATHWADEEKSHA Abhinav made his debut short film, ‘I keep them under my INTERVIEW shoes’ when he was 17 years old. BUDHIMAAN SHAKESPEARE Following his debut, this genius continued to experiment his cinematic capabilities through many short films including ‘The Kallan’, ‘Kanhada’, and AS designer ‘K2’ to name a few. He specialises in film editing and can be regarded as the best editor in the college. He also freelances for an agency called ‘Masterstroke’, as the company editor. AAZHANGAL Right now, he is working on a fantasy comedy, titled ‘Kuppiyil Bhootham’ (in production) with co-director Vishnu.
AAZHANGAL THE DEPTH BANNER Aadanj Reels
WRITER V S Arun Kumar
ART DIRECTOR Balu Narendran
PRODUCER Aadithya Krishnan T R B
CINEMATOGRAPHY Sreerag Kannan
DIALOGUES/ASSOCIATE Lukhman Pambra
DIRECTOR Sivaram Mony
EDITOR Jeevan George
COSTUME DESIGNING Bobby George
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CINEMAXIMUM, OCTOBER 2, 2009
STORY
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MEN AT WORK VISHNU VARMA <FILMOGRAPHY> AS associate
Regarded as the heart of Studio 19, this genius is an inevitable part of any film in the comedy genre. Specialised in satires, he mesmerises us with his simple presentation of very
ABHINAV SUNDER’S much socially relevant topics. UNTITLED HINDI Vishnu Varma is a resident of FILM Cheruppalassery, Palakkad district. He (pre production) has directed & co-directed almost a dozen number of short films. AS writer/director This little genius is an impressive musician too. He specialises in keyboard, KUPPIYIL BHOOTAM and has composed a couple of songs, and has plans to release a music album (in production) soon! A SALUTE TO Right now, Vishnu is working on his GANDHI GOOD MORNING latest project with Abhinav Sunder Nayak, titled ‘Kuppiyil Bhootham’, which KALLAN 2 is a fantasy/comedy. INTERVIEW THATHWADEEKSHA BUDHIMAAN SHAKESPEARE ASSIGNMENT KANHADA THE KALLAN
AVID or FCP? These days, there is a lot of confusion outside the industry over the selection of softwares for video editing. Now Cinemaximum is going to end all your confusions. Believe it or not, both AVID and FCP are equally good in terms of output. The selection of softwares totally depend on your style of editing and the comfort level. FCP is widely used for its easy layout and the features it provides. It is more flexible and has plentiful gimmicks which would be useful for commercial editing, and thus, FCP is used mainly for advertisements than movies. AVID, on the other hand, is regarded as the classic software and naturally, is the best software around to edit films. But in the end, as an editor, all you need to know is editing a film, and not operating a software! CINEMAXIMUM
AS assistant
PRIYAMAANASAM (docu-fiction)
LUKHMAN PAMBRA <FILMOGRAPHY>
Lukhman Pambra can be called as the king of melodrama. AS actor He aspires to become the assistant of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and make movies the way he wants to. DHAAHAM Being a resident of Thrissur, Kerala, he wants to travel all KALLAN 2 over the country in search of interesting subjects and research PLUS ‘O’ SQUARE materials. Regarding his works, he was the co-director of Abhinav and AS associate Vishnu in Studio 19’s ‘The Kallan’, ‘Kanhada’, and ‘Kallan 2’. Now, he has completed his first solo directorial venture titled ‘Dhaaham’, AAZHANGAL in which he played the role of the p protognist. g The short film is slowly y gaining acclaimations everywhere. (in production) He is also a fine actor, with great screen presence which was evident in A S w r i t e r / d i r e c t o r Sivaram’s ‘Plus O Square’ and Abhinav Vishnu Lukhman’s ‘Kallan 2’. DHAAHAM Right now, this gem is working with KALLAN 2 ace director Sivaram Mony in his latest INTERVIEW venture, ‘Aazhangal’. He has alos THATHWADEEKSHA completed the screenplay of his next BUDHIMAAN venture, which is to be shot in Thrissur SHAKESPEARE town. Rumours are that the movie is KANHADA about a real life incident that happened THE KALLAN to him during his school days.
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CINEMAXIMUM, OCTOBER 2, 2009
COVER
“I select my lms carefully.”
I sat down at the luxury suite at the Oberoi hotel, Mumbai and in not more than a minute, an elegant personna entered the room. The star wore a simple Gap T Sirt and Jeans, with a plain glass and oiled hair. He smiled and offered me a cup of tea. And we started off right away!
Not Sure. But ask.
I become a star means not A b h i n av-V i s h n u - l u k h m a n ’s (AVL) kazhivu (talent). It is my kazhivu only. Because I do only one movie one year. I select my films carefully.
No. I gave the directors and they become the producers also. Nowadays directors are producing their own movies. Like Mohanlal know, Aashirvaad Cinemas.
What is your net earnings , as of now?
Oh! I earned mostly. I thought I cant count. My asset I thought is 1 lakh 1 crore. I thought like that I am nearest to ambani. But I gave some money to ambani because Ambani nowadays is in So, How is it being a kadam (debt). See my phone, superstar? its Nokia 6300 Multimedia phone. Iam very rich. Star is not a child is not a star. While born as a child, it How do you spend your wont be star. Stardom means money? a personality can make by developing his acting, like that I spend my money. I will give he can do well in his acting & some directors to produce their creativity. Creativity is the most films. important thing to become a star. You know… But the job of a director is to make movies, and not to How did you become a star? produce them.
Sir, but it seems that AVL gave Now a little more deep into your you a break. What do you life. Do you have girlfriends? comment? Oh! Sure man. How many!! No No. They are not the one Uncountable. who give me the break. I take tea breaks twice a day. Also, I So are they just your fans, or acted in my first movie in kerala. your girlfriends? That Rajamanikyam know, in that, Mammoty’s brother. Like No. They are my true lovers. that I acted. So that time also I was there. So I conclude the session with a pleasent note from you, to the But sir, there was no such readers. Please proceed, sir. “brother” character in the movie Rajamanikyam. I want my readers to know that Iam more capable. Thats all. No comments The time is up and tea over! So, let me ask you a little more personal question.
.
KHAMIL KAREEM
ABHINAV SUNDER
CINEMAXIMUM, OCTOBER 2009 CINEMAXIMUM, OCTOBER 2,2, 2009
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MEN AT WORK SREERAG KANNAN <FILMOGRAPHY> AS cinematographer
ABHINAV SUNDER’S UNTITLED HINDI FILM (pre production) KUPPIYIL BHOOTAM (in production) AAZHANGAL (in production) KALLAN 2 PLUS O THE WHOLE SQUARE
Sreerag Kannan is an exciting cinematographer, whose frames simply stand out! Starting with Sivaram Mony’s ‘Plus O Sqaure’, his success graph has only gone up. It includes Studio 19’s ‘Kallan 2’, which had superb visuals and Sivaram Mony’s ‘Aazhangal’, which is in production. As per the reports, the camera work is stunning. Sreerag Kannan, a Thrissur resident is plannning to get into the Pune film institute after his UG. His fututre works include Studio 19’s ‘Kuppiyil Bhootham’, and Abhinav S Nayak’s dream project, a hindi film to be shot at Mumbai.
Rahul MR is a genius when it comes to Visual effects and colour correction. He has mastered the entire Adobe suite and has already moved on to Combustion and 3Dmax.
A
thrill to be around, Superstar Shiju Orlnd, besides his hectic schedule, insisted on spending some time with Cinemaximum, and even allowed us for an exclusive 10 minute rapid questionaire session with him! Shjju talks about his stardom, his love, and the success strategy. The readers may kindly excuse us for the bad spoken english by our guest.
RAHUL MR <FILMOGRAPHY> AS visual effects artist
He took us into the magical world ABHINAV SUNDER’S of visual effects through Studio 19’s UNTITLED HINDI ‘K2’. The Visual effects, especially the FILM masterful colour correction and the (pre production) crisp rotoscopy at the end credits were KUPPIYIL BHOOTAM all brilliantly done. His future works (in production) include Studio 19’s ‘Kuppiyil Bhootham’, A SALUTE TO which, according to the sources, is a GANDHI graphic extravaganza. Rahul is now KALLAN 2 planning to upgrade to SMOKE and PLUS O THE WHOLE MAYA soon. SQUARE This wonderfully gifted team of men is all set to get into their proffessional chairs. Their stunning skills, and a grand profile to back them too. They have brought a breakthrough to the normal student short film making by experimenting and extending their capabilities to the commercial level with unique topics and subjects. One thing that remains common in this army is that they are all passionate about filmmaking. They have started their carriers, not waiting for
STORY
a break to come their way, by creating opportunities is set by themselves and believed with the perfect dedication to accomplish the same, and when the camera starts rolling for their carriers, its all action with no cuts and retakes. So ladies and gentlemen, presenting to you, the future of world cinema. LIGHTS ON. ACTION!
ABHINAV SUNDER
.
ALL ABOUT
ARRI
The Arri Group has been the largest world wide supplier of high quality motion picture film equipment since 1917. It is the largest manufacturer of professional motion picture equipment, film cameras (16, 35, and 65/70 mm) and cinematic lighting equipment in the world. In recent years they have expanded into postproduction equipment with the Arrilaser, and in 2000 purchased Moviecam to refine their new camera platform Arricam. In 1937 the Arri Group introduced the world’s first reflex mirror shutter in the Arriflex 35 camera, an invention of their longtime engineer Erich Kaestner. This technology employs a rotating mirror that allows a continuous motor to operate the camera while providing parallax-free reflex viewing to the operator, and the ability to focus the image by eye through the viewfinder, much like an SLR camera for still photography. Arri has recently developed the Arriflex D-21 high definition camera. The camera uses a 35 mm CMOS sensor (instead of CCD) to allow cinematographers to utilize standard 35 mm lenses. Almost all the film industries around the world uses ARRI, except Hollywood. WIKIPEDIA
CINEMAXIMUM, OCTOBER 2, 2009
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THE GREAT EIGHT
We give you a list of 8 landmark films between the year 2001 to 2007
B
ollywood has witnessed some of the greatest films of all times in the recent years. Leaving the best of the millenium, we take some landmark films of the year 2001-2007, which set off a trend, a revolution or even a style of new age film making. Our ratings are void of any jury recognitions. Flip the page to start your journey through the various milestones of the new age cinema.
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with the age old freedom fighters was well knitted. Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra’s international touch added to the oomph of tha cinema. Rang de basanti is a must watch for its youthful spirit of patriotism.
LATEST LANDMARK
8 Iqbal (2005)
Director: Nagesh Kukunoor Starring: Shreyas Talpade, Naseeruddin Shah, Shweta Prasad, Girish Karnad
Nagesh Kukunoor gave us a simple, entertaining and most importantly an inspiring cinema through Iqbal. He showed us how a speechless boy with his disabilities can get into the toughest-to-get-in job in the cricket crazy country. Iqbal’s (Shreyas Talpade) relaionship with his coach, his sister and his buffaloes (which are named after cricketers) were well depicted. Director Nagesh had done a good job by riding of over emotions and sentiments from the movie. One of my favourite scene in the movie is the appearance of the legend Kapil Dev as the secret selector. Iqbal can touch your heart and its another movie that tells you, “YOU CAN”.
Rajkumar Hirani’s Munnabhai MBBS is a a Beautiful comedy. Its a violent laugh riot, a potrayal of subtle relationships, and a social drama, all at the same time. The best thing about the film is that, it is makes you laugh and cry at the same time. The solid script and sharp editing adds to the charisma. Sanjay Dutt as Munnabhai, the small time Gunda, and Arshad Warsi as Circuit, Munnabhai’s assistant shines with their rolicking on-screen chemistry and comic timing. Munnabhai MBBS is a classic comedy, which will be remembered in the years to come for its well crafted charactors, and that rare softness in the drama. Taare zameen par (2007) Undoubtably a classic of this Direcror: Aamir Khan era. Starring: Darsheel Safary, Aamir Rang de basanti (2005) Khan, Vipin Sharma, Tisca Chopra Director: Rakesh Omprakash Mehra STUNNING!!! Aamir Khan’s Starrig: Aamir Khan, Siddharth, Taare zameen par is perhaps Kunal Kapoor, Sharman Joshi the ultimate movie on kids and thanks to its writer Amol Gupte. This highly thought provoking The movie simply touches the epic sized youth movie can soul and can move us to tears. raise the national spirit in you. One would wonder if the kid on It has substance and style in screen (Darsheel Safary) was proportions. Apart from Aamir acting or living his original life. you may not find any stars, Darsheel as the dyslexic Ishaan but all of them were brilliant Awasthi was unbelievable and and have given their heart and will be remembered for a long soul to the movie. The jumping time. Aamir showed his class screenplay which connects and I bet he can take Indian the rebellious youth of today cinema several notches higher.
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This edge of the seat rollercoaster ride directed by mastero Vishal Bharadwaj features Shahid Kapoor in double role. Cinemaximum considers Kaminey as a landmark film not just because of the legendary ‘Dhan-TeNan’; Kaminey is what you call a dark comedy and its the first of its kind to come out in India! ASWIN RAM
edited by ABHINAV SUNDER
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This oscar nominated movie will be remembered not only for its 1½ hour long nail Director: Ashutosh Gowairkar Starring: Aamir Khan, Paul biting cricket match, but for its Blackthorne, Rachel Shelley, brilliant characters, the highly captivating plot and the strong Gracy Singh message it carries. This Aamir
Lagaan (2001)
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CINEMAXIMUM, OCTOBER 2, 2009
Khan starrer stepped into the text books of bollywood right after its release. The movie was a huge success, and inspired people that any task can be achieved with continous hard work and practice. The music
by AR Rahman was enchanting. This is what you call a complete cinematic experience. No wonder the movie made into the Oscars.
The legend of Bhagat Singh (2002) Director: Rajkumar Santoshi Starring: Ajay Devgan, Sushant Singh, D.Santosh, Akhilendra Mishra Rajkumar Santoshi’s The Legend of Bhagat Singh would perhaps be the best biographical movie on an Indian freedom fighter after Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982). The movie was well cinematographed with great sets, which transported us all the way to the British-era. Ajay Devgan as Bhagat Singh is the soul of the film and handled the dynamic character with so much ease. The screenplay was well researched, and told us the message and philosophy of Bhagat Singh in the right sense.
Company (2002) Director: Ram Gopal Verma Starring: Ajay Devgan, Mohanlal, Viveik Oberoi, Manisha Koirala Ram Gopal Varma’s interpretation of the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his gang in ‘Company’ is nothing short of a genius’ work. It is a thrill a minute ride filled with guns, guns & guns. And the best part is, there is nothing in this movie that you can call ‘unreal’; its as if the whole movie is taking place right in your backyard, though the movie has been shot at Bombay, Dubai, Hongkong and Switzerland. The cruel and dark look, the haunting background scores, and some powerful performances by Ajay Devgan as Mallik bhai, Vivek Oberoi as Chandu and Mohanlal as Insp. Sreenivasan added to the glory.
Ajay Devgan in Rajkumar Santhoshi’s The Legend of Bhagat Singh
the characters shook not only
Black Friday (2004) (Indian the city of Bombay, but the release:2007) nation as a whole. Black friday
is what you call fictitious non fiction. Vijay Maurya as Dawood Ibrahim looks shockingly real. To coclude, if you haven’t watched Black Friday, its better you stop watching movies. Hats off to No director has ever approached Anurag Kashyap for coming out a controversial subject like the with a bold film, which is yet to 1993 Bombay bomb blast so inspire many. blatantly. But Anurag Kashyap did it and it works wonders. Munnabhai MBBS (2003) This book turned docu-fiction was released after a 3 years Director: Rajkumar Hirani ban in India. Its solid content Starring; Sanjay Dutt, Sunil and the director’s gut to refer Dutt, ArshadWasi, Boman Irani, to original living persons as Gracy Singh. Director: Anurag Kashyap Starring: Kay Kay Menon, Pavan Malhotra, Aditya Srivastava, Vijay Maurya.
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