Yugapurushan

Filimworld Newsdesk- Exclusive
Posted on 23rd May 2008
11:00 AM

The much awaited reunion of the super stars of Malayalam cinema in a
non commercial venture will have to wait if sources close to Mega star
Mammootty are to be believed.

Mammootty has decided to pull out of Yugapurushan, the movie in which
he was supposed to play Sree Narayana Guru the man who revolutionized
the caste system in Kerala, due to his busy schedules. It is believed
that the change in appearance the actor will have to undertake to play
Gurudevan, also lead to the change in mind. He was in two minds to
tonsure his head for the lead role. Sources close to the star revealed
that squeezing in a project like Yugapurushan would mean that the
schedules of various other movies would go for a toss and Mammootty
who is already peeved at the delay of Pazhassi Raja did not want that.

There were initial reports that Mammootty wasn't convinced on him
being the right choice for the role, but had given in to the pressures
of the director and producer. The project generated a lot of academic
interest when plans of roping in Mohanlal to play Swami Vivekananda
got the go ahead.

Given the latest development, it remains to be seen if the project
would materialize, as the makers were very keen on Mammootty playing
the pivotal role.

All hopes of ikka donning Sree Narayana Guru is over.
however, Mammootty is acting in the film with mlal - the role is not known.

malayala manorama on 4 june 2008 (wednesday) carried an advertisement by AVA Productions (AV Anoop, owner of Medimix). it is titled Wanted an Actor.

this is the summary of the advt. yugapurushan, produced by av anoop under ava productions and directed by r sukumaran will have actors including M, Mlal, and many prominent actors from various other languages. we are looking for an actor with resemblance to act as Sree Narayana Guru. the age should be between 35-45 and height between 5.5 ft and 6 ft. thelinja niravum athmeeyatha niranaja kannukalum ulla aalayirikkanam. contact with biodata and full size foto.

Mayabazar

'Mayabazaar' to start this October IndiaGlitz [Friday, May 23, 2008] Superstar Mammootty will start working for ‘Mayabazaar’ his new film with debutante director Thomas Sebastian, from this October. The movie will feature talented actor Prakashraj, opposite Mammootty.
Prakashraj who is the scion of villainy in Tamil films is considered as the highest-paid villain in the history of Indian Cinema. One of the most natural actors in the film industry, he had worked with Mammootty years ago in the film 'Indraprastham' , when he was a relatively a fresh face in the field.
‘Mayabazaar’ will be his fifth Malayalam film, the previous ones being 'Indraprastham' , 'The Prince', 'Oru Yathramozhi' and 'Pandipada'.
The life of laborers, who work for demolishing old vehicles, is the background of 'Mayabazaar' which will feature two heroines, the one being Meera Vasudev, who was Mohanlal's co-star in ‘Thanmathra’. Mammootty plays the role of a laborer named Sivenkutty, with impressive cast support in Nedumudi Venu, Innocent, Salim Kumar, Suraj Vanjaramood and Bijukuttan.
The director of the project, Thomas Sebastian, a long-time associate of leading directors like Sibi Malayail, Blessy and Sundardas, has also penned the screenplay for the film with support from Govind Vijayan.
Saji Mangalath will produce this movie under the banner of Akhil Movies.

Kuttisranku

Noted internationally reputed cameraman- director Shaji.N. Karun is
waiting for the monsoon to set in Kerala… Why?

Shaji is starting the shoot of his magnum opus Kuttisranku, featuring
Mammootty as a marine sailor who operates goods boat (charakku kapal)
between Kondugnaloor and Kollam, through the backwaters of Kerala.

Anil Ambani's Reliance Entertainments is producing the film in
association with Shaji N. Karun. For the first time Mammootty who has
done films with all the masters in Malayalam cinema is teaming up with
Shaji.

It is a long cherished dream of people who appreciate good cinema in
Kerala. Meera Jasmine will also be playing a key role in the film.

The locations chosen forKuttishranku are Kaavaalam, Kumarakom and
Vaikkom, in the backwaters of central Travancore.

The script for the film is penned jointly by Shaji N. Karun and noted
British writer Farukh Dhondy.

Top 5

Top five films of the week
IndiaGlitz [Saturday, May 17, 2008]

Mammootty's mass masala `Annan Thambi' rules Kerala box-office. In
four weeks the film has taken a record distributors share of Rs more
than 4.40 crores from 75 screens in Kerala. The top five movies of the
week end are:

1. `Annan Thampi'- The marketing of the film is the prime reason for
the film's huge success. By opening in B & C stations, it has boosted
collections. The vacation audiences seem to have finalized on this
blockbuster as their favourite one.

2. `Innathe Chinta Vishayam' - Mohanlal's `Innathe Chintha Vishayam'
released in 42 stations has been removed from a few release centers.
But the movie is sure to rake in profits as it has got a steady
audience especially in the main centers. The movie is sure to end the
drought of hits for Mohanlal.

3. `Pachamarathanalil' - This will be the first film distributed by
Pyramid Saimira in Malayalam, which shows signs of becoming a profit
maker. The debut film by debutante Leo Thaddhevoos has invited
interests from the family audience mainly due to its cast of
Sreenivasan and Padmapriya and of course, due to one of the
refreshingly rare story lines.

4. `Shakesphere MA Malayalam'- This new film is touted as a hilarious
entertainer and opens at the charts in the fourth position. With
plenty of comedy artists and a refreshing plot, the movie may become a
success, if marketed well.

5. `Positive' -This romantic thriller offers a rare genre to
Mollywood. As expected, this V K Prakash movie has stunning visuals
and impressive music

New projects

1. Oneway Ticket will release in June. Only Ikka's dubbing is left. Songs in which Prithviraj leads a team with Ikka cut outs is the highlight.

2. Twenty Twenty will release on 27 June. will release in 90 theatres - Ikka has 10 days' work left.

3. Pazhassi Raja - the climax has to be shot yet. after that it requires another 4 months for post-production work. (gud; let them take enough time to make it perfect)

4. Vandematharam will release on July 4. climax was shot in kanyakumari beach last week.

5. Parunthu starts in Kozhikode on 12 May ie already started.

6. Kutty Sranku will begin on 15 June in Kuttanadu - Reliance Group is the producers.

7. Pattanathil Bhootham is a full-length comedy. relation between a byke rider in a circus and children. at one stage he gets superhuman capabilities.

8. Maya Bazzar will reelase on Xmas.

The other movies in the queue are the following:

ranjan pramod - direction and script
ranji panicker - script and direction - kuruvinakkunnel kuruvachan
ranjith movie
valiyaveettil movie international film
v.m. vinu- t.a. shahid film for aroma
roshan andrews film produced by karunakaran for carlton films
k. madhu-ak sajan film
shyamaprasad- vindhyan film
gireesh (former associate of lal jose and shyamaprasad)
shafi-raf mecartin film - hello mayavi

the report by vazhoor jose says there are another one dozen films in the various stages...!!

Annan thampi

Annan Thambi - A blockbuster?
By Moviebuzz  | Tuesday, 13 May , 2008, 17:19

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After Katha Parayumbol Malayalam cinema did not have any blockbusters till Annan Thambi came along. It has become the first Malayalam superstar film that has turned profitable from the releasing stations itself.
This has come about due to Marakkar Films, the producers and distributors brain wave idea of releasing the film in 75 screens across Kerala. There was strong objection from established theatre monopoly in big cities who could not stomach this, but Marakkar also went equally aggressive and collected MG's (Minimum Guarantee) from small B & C stations!
Those who said that Mammootty cannot dance or do comedy, is now forced to eat crow. The megastar's pulling power at the box-office has once again been is terrific and has clearly made him the number one in Kerala.
Annan Thambi- Balance sheet 25 days after its release
Cost of Production (including print and publicity) - Rs 3.78 crore
Theatrical collections (Distributors share) + MG's from B & C stations - Rs 4. 22 crore
Overseas and Indian domestic - Rs 45 lakhs
Television Rights - Rs 95 lakhs
Telugu Remake Rights - Rs 35 lakhs
Total from all rights = Rs 5 . 97 crore
# Profit in 25 days = Rs 2.19 crore

# Please note the film has the potential to collect Rs 2 crore more once it completes its run in all stations in Kerala in the next eight months.
Annan Thampi' breaks records IndiaGlitz [Saturday, May 10, 2008]
`Annan Thampi', the latest release from Mammootty,
has already grossed more than nine crores from its 21 day run. The
movie tauted as the biggest hit of the recent times is breaking
collection records in many release centers all across the state.
> Already making a distributor share of around four crores, the
movie featuring Mammootty in double roles managed to bring in profits
even with a run of two weeks in its 75 release centers. Its marketing
strategy of releasing in maximum centers has already reaped rich
dividends and will start a new trend in movie releases.
> Anto Joseph and Shahul Hameed Marikkar of Marikkar Films, the
biggest production group of modern day Malayalam cinema, who has
churned out three superstar films in recent times, is more than happy
to see their film's good run at the box office.

Parunthu

‘Parunthu' starts this twelfth IndiaGlitz [Tuesday, May 06, 2008] After the recent super hit 'Anann Thampi’, Mammootty will start shooting for his next film 'Parunthu' from the tenth of month.
In the break after completing ‘Annan Thampi' the superstar was busy shooting in small schedules for the movies 'Twenty Twenty’, ‘Pazhassi Raja’ and his Malayalam - Tamil bilingual 'Vande Matharam'.
The pooja and recording of ‘Parunthu' was held last week at white fort, Kochi. Ace director Blessy lighted the lamps in the function. The movie produced by Howly Pottur in the banner of Dream Team Productions will be directed by M Padmakumar. T A Rassaq has penned a character called Parunthu Purushothaman for Mammootty in this movie. Lakhsmi Rai and Roma will appear as the heroines of this movie.
Alex Paul is the music director while Sankeev Shankar wields the camera. The shoot for the movie will start at Kozhikkode from the twelfth of this month.

News

after the dileep film Bodyguard, siddique will do a film with mlal for 2009 vishu. For 2009 christmas, ikka will join siddique for marikar films. velli also says ikka is to join sathyan anthikkad's new film - but i doubt about it credibility.

M's Maya bazar seems to be an interesting project - Christmas 2008- with Prakash Raj doing a amjor role in the film. ikka will have a new comer in the film as a heroine. meera vasudev (thanmathra) is another heroine. camera - azhakappan, music- shankar-ehasan- loy. maya basar will start in october - before that mammootty is expected to finish parunthu and pattanathil bhootham.

ikka will start parunthu on 12 may in kozhikode. lakshmi rai is the heroine. roma is also doing the sister of heroine role.

Annan Thampi collection:

velli theatre report says AT grossed 8.5 crore from two weeks. it says all release centres are flooded with people. last saturday and sunday, in ernakulam AT was screened in savitha theatre as well apart from the big Saritha to avoid rush. they say the distributor' s share is rs 2.87 crore. even in a small theatre like vetturoad harishree (near kazhakuttom) the share crossed rs 2.7 lakh.

velli gives AT figure for tvm as Rs 48,49,048 fro 14 days.
innathe chintha - 21 days - Rs 27,59,586
Kerala Box Office (May 2-4, 2008)
Tuesday, 06 May , 2008, 14:10
Mammootty's mass masala Annan Thambi rules Kerala box-office. In two
weeks the film has taken a record distributors share of Rs 3.12 crore
from 75 screens in Kerala.
The marketing of the film is the prime reason for the film's huge
success. By opening in B & C stations, it has boosted collections. For
example the highest distributors' share so far is from Nedumangad
Rani which used to be around Rs 85, 000. For Annan Thambi which released
simultaneously in Thiruvananthapuram and Attingal (the two nearest
releasing stations), two weeks' share from the same theatre is Rs 1,
79,436. In Thiruvananthapuram, it grossed Rs 15, 43,918 from two screens
in the first week. The simultaneous release did not eat into each
others' collections.
Regarding collections VELLI reported AT groseed around
8.5 crores in 2 weeks. It looks like a believable figure considering
that the movie grossed 5 crores in the first week! Imagine that this
is a figure normally achieved by a blockbuster movie in 30 to 35 days
( like MAYAVI)from a release in 42 to 48 stations. But RM did better
than MAYAVI colecting nearly 10 crores in 40 days.

In the number two place is Mohanlal's Innathe Chintavishayam, which from
42 releasing stations has collected a distributors' share of Rs 1.72
crore in 19 days. Clearly the Sathyan Anthikad film is lagging behind
because it did not go for a big release. Now when the film is released
in B & C centers later this month, the collections will not be even one
third of a simultaneous release. For want of new releases in Malayalam
Mulla is in the third place, Cycle at fourth and Katha Parayumbol in the
fifth place.

Note : Ratings are based on the box office collections and the
cost of the film

Vande Matharam

Vande Matharam

Cast Mammootty, Arjun, Sneha, Kalabhavan Mani, V.M.C. Haneefa, Sumitra, Riaz Khan Producer Henry Director D Arvind Production Pankaj Productions Script K Santhosh Lyrics Gireesh Puthencherry and Vayalar Sharatchandra Varma Music Vidyasagar Preview
Sneak Preview
An investigative action thriller with superstar Mammootty and Tamil action hero Arjun in the lead, Vande Matharam tells the story of a group of officers protecting the country from the infiltrations of an international terrorist organization. The central investigative agency (RAW) finds out that Malik, head of a terrorist group, has crossed the international border and entered India to execute deadly explosions in South India.
Gopi Krishnan (Mammootty), Southern zone command director of the Intelligence bureau, is assigned the task of tracing the plans of the organization and stopping them from creating any damage. Gopi Krishnan forms a core team with support from Anwar Hussain (Arjun) who joins the group on deputation from the State police. The execution of 'Operation Malik' forms the climax of the movie.
The action sequences and stunts conceived by stunt director Anal Arasu are exceptional. Directed by D. Aravind, Vande Matharam is produced by Henry who returns to Malayalam cinema after 25 years. His last release was Yavanika. Kollywood actor Arjun plays an equally important role in the film. The film is being made in Tamil as well as Aruvadai. K. Santhosh has written the dialogues for the Malayalam version.
The film will feature two heroines, Sneha as a pilot and wife of Gopi Krishnan and Sharadha Arya as an ornithologist. Deepak J.D. makes his debut as the deadly villain; Jagadish and Jai Akash play supporting roles; others in the cast include Riyaz Khan, Vijayakumar, Rajan P. Dev, Raj Kapoor and Mumtaj.
The five songs in the movie, penned by Gireesh Puthencherry and Vayalar Sharatchandra Varma, are set to music by Vidyasagar. The Tamil verses are written by Pa. Vijay, Vairamuthu and Yugabarathi. Cinematography is by Vetri and Rajesh Yadav.
The movie has been made at a whooping budget of 14 cores. Vande Matharam will hit theatres on July 4.

Annan Thampi

Thiruvananthapuram, May 4 (IANS) Malayalam superstar Mammootty
continues to be a crowd puller and his latest release "Annan Thampi"
proves it once again. The film has already grossed an impressive Rs.30
million in a mere 17 days.

"This is because of sheer hard work and I am getting the returns for
it," Mammootty told IANS.

"Annan Thampi" is a complete entertainer with Mammootty playing a
double role. The 50-plus star also attributed the movie's success to
the fact that it was released even in small towns and cities.

"This has become one of the largest releases in 75 centres in the
state. This is turning out to be a new trend in the industry and now
enables even small towns to get to see a new film. This will cause a
dent in the piracy market because people watch latest films in the
theatre itself," Mammootty said.

Mammootty has hit a hat-trick with "Annan Thampi". His last two
releases also turned out to be huge grossers - Renji Panicker's
"Roudram" and "Katha Parayambol", where the actor plays a cameo.

Mammootty, who has over 300 films to his credit, says he works hard to
keep fit at his age. The star hurt his back while shooting for a film
a few days ago.

"I am ok now but the pain is still there. This is nothing but an
occupational hazard," he quipped.

Age seems to be no bar for the star as offers keep pouring in. He said
he has about three-four films currently in his kitty.

"I will be travelling to Tamil Nadu for a Tamil-Malayalam bilingual
film. (Tamil actor) Arjun is acting with me. The film will be titled
'Vande Matharam' in Malayalam and in Tamil it will be 'Koithu'.

"Then I have "Parunthu", where I play the role of a money lender
having a "Shylock mentality". I'm also doing 'Twenty-Twenty' ,"
Mammootty said.

But the movie he is eagerly awaiting is "Pazhassi Raja", where he
plays the title role of the 18th century king who fought the British
in the jungles of Wayanad in Kerala. The magnum opus is being directed
by Hariharan and noted litterateur M.T. Vasudevan Nair has written the
screenplay.

"I am really excited about it. The film is expected to be released
late this year," he added.