Suriya shoots in the desert

Suriya is one versatile actor who goes that extra mile to get his act right.

Stunts, looks or anything else for that matter, when it comes to films he gives more than 100 per cent. Maatraan is no different. He is in Jodhpur shooting for the final lap of his upcoming film with K. V. Anand.

Sources told DC that Anand wanted certain crucial scenes to be shot in the desert and a big team including Suriya, Anand and 500 junior artistes are doing it with a smile in the scorching summer heat with temperatures soaring past 40-degree Celsius mark.

Produced by AGS Entertainment, the movie has sizzling Kajal Agarwal as Suriya’s love interest and Harris Jayaraj has scored the music.

It’s official Singham 2.

It’s official! We had earlier reported that Anushka Shetty and Hansika will be seen sizzling with Suriya in Singham 2.

After delivering a hat-trick of hits — Aaru, Vel andSingham, the successful combo of Suriya-Hari is teaming up for the fourth time.

According to its publicist, the new movie will go on the floors after Suriya wraps up Maatraan with K.V.Anand.

A little birdie informs us that Anushka has been given only 25 days of call sheets and Hari is convinced that Hansika will fit the glamorous role in the sequel.

Hari has also repeated Vivek, Vijayakumar, Nasser, and Radha Ravi from the first part.

Prakash Raj has been left out while Rahman and B-town baddie Mukhesh Rishi have been added to the cast. Comedian Santhanam will also be seen in a crucial role.

Produced by Lakshman, the movie will have music scored by Devi Sriprasad. Some songs and stunt sequences will be shot in Kenya and South Africa.

Suriya inspires Aamir Khan

Reports that Aamir Khan, the Mr. Perfectionist of B’wood, will be seen in the role of an acrobat and performing some mind-blowing stuff in Dhoom 3 are already out.

But does anyone know who inspired the Bollywood star to take up his circus act seriously? According to B’town sources, it is none other than the hot-and-happening south star Suriya, who essayed a similar role in the period flick 7Aum Arivu.

Aamir is playing a super villain in the film and for the last few months and he has been training in acrobatics with the American celebrity acrobat David Poznanter.

Suriya is portrayed a circus artiste in Murugadoss’s 7 Aum Arivu. The actor, who goes to any length to prepare for his role, had admitted in an interview to DC that he trained with two veterans who worked for popular circus units including Bombay Circus.

He said that he was taught juggling, hand walking, gymnastics, acro-dancing etc and he spent a lot of time with the circus team before starting the shoot.

It may be recalled that Aamir, who tasted huge success by remaking the Suriya-Murugadoss combo’s Ghajini,was keen to get the remake rights of 7 aum Arivuas well. But the deal didn’t materialise due to various reasons.

It is learnt that after watching Suriya’s acrobatic act in 7 aum…, Aamir is keen on performing all the acts himself and has told David that he wants to get every move perfect.

Suriya with filmmaker Shankar

Suriya could be replacing Vikram in the movie, say sources.
Actor Vikram's camp, however, is on the defensive. The actor, who is leaving for the UK to shoot for Thandavam, will complete his portions in that film in 60 days. He will return to India in mid-June and will start work immediately on Shankar's film," confirmed his spokesperson. Vikram hasn't been replaced by Suriya and held discussions with filmmaker Shankar even last week, the source added.
For Suriya to be cast in the flick, a lot of date-juggling will be required as the actor has three films lined up, apart from his current project Maatran. He has agreed to be part of Singam II, to be directed by Hari, and an untitled film by Venkat Prabhu. If he were to do Shankar's film, Singam II will be postponed, say sources. This would ultimately affect all his other projects, and filmmaker Venkat Prabhu told City Express there could be a delay in his project with Suriya because of the strike in the film industry, and he could do another film in the interim period before teaming up with Suriya.

Deepika Padukone has been approached to play the lead lady in this film, which would have either Suriya or Vikram as the lead, confirmed a source close to filmmaker Shankar. It is not a multi-starrer and only one of these heroes would work on the project, the source clarified.

Suriya Replaces Arnold Schwarzenegger

Wondering what is all about? Yeah! Our very own Suriya has replaced Arnold Schwarzenegger. Well, as everyone knows, Arnold is the most insatiable passion for the youngsters working for a healthy body. You would never miss Arnold’s posters in every fitness centre. Obviously, everyone wants to be Arnold and now a sudden change has happened over the space.

During the recent event, a leading filmmaker has openly mentioned that on his visit to Madurai, he found this change. One of the leading gyms in temple town had Arnold Schwarzenegger poster and has now replaced it with Suriya’s 6-pack picture.

It is patently because of the fact that actor has become a role model for leading a disciplined structure to maintain a strong and healthy body.

SUCCESS OF 7aam Arivu

RELEASE
7aam arivu made on budget 80 crores and 30 crores for its production work.
The film was the largest release in Suriya's career, opening with 1000 prints worldwide, with 400 prints in Tamil Nadu alone include 51 prints on chennai. The Telugu dubbed version, 7th Sense had the second largest release in Andhra Pradesh for a dubbed film by opening up in 400 screens across the state.

BOX OFFICE
World wide Gross Collections( Both Tamil and Telugu Versions)
Total First(1) Week Collections : Rs 54.9 Crore
Total First Two(2) Weeks Collections : Rs 67.5 Crore
Total First Three(3) weeks Collections: Rs 76.7 Crore
Total First Four(4) weeks Collections: Rs 86.1 Crore
Total First Five(5) weeks Collections: Rs 91.6 Crore
Total First Six(6) weeks Collections: Rs 95.7 Crore
Total 50 Days World Wide Gross Collections: Rs 98.9 Crore
Total 100 days World Wide Gross Collection: Rs 130 Crore
Box office over total run of movie: Rs 143 Crore

TOTAL BOX OFFICE
Tamil version: Rs 123 crores
Telugu version: Rs 20 crores

VERDICT
Tamil Nadu : HIT
Malayasia : HIT
Australia : HIT
Singapore : HIT
USA : HIT

India's First Performance Capture (Facial) - Srinivas Mohan

Srinivas Mohan who is taking care of Visual Effects in Maatraan revealed some interesting facts about the special effects in the movie today further heightening the curiosity among fans and industry people.

"In India, one more milestone in visual effects, happened today, i.e, Performance Capture (Facial) for Maatraan. It was made possible by team Maatraan. I;m happy and thank full for the support and the involvement of the Director K.V.Anand sir, Actor Surya sir, Dop Soundar sir and Producers of AGS Entertainment for making this possible. Cant reveal anything more at this stage about the project, or else I will have to face the wrath of K.V sir, to be exact, in his own words ,I will kill U" 

Rise and shine

When Saravanan received Rs 750 as his first month salary from a garment firm, his joy knew no bounds. For, it was his own hard-earned money. His biggest ambition then was to touch upon a four-digit salary. But destiny had other plans. Following the footsteps of his father, he made a debut in cinema as actor Surya. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Even after entering the cinema industry, his father’s fame did not help him much. Being the son of Sivakumar might have helped him bag his first offer, but after that, it was Surya’s hard work and dedication that took him to where he is now. The biggest turning point came in the form of Bala. When the filmmaker picked Surya to play the lead role in Nandha, not just Surya, but others too were doubtful as to whether he would fit the bill.

But the actor made a strong resolve to prove himself at any cost. And when the film hit the screens, Surya’s name was on everyone’s lips, as his stunning performance took the film to a new level. “I can never forget Bala and his Nandha. It is an important film in my career,” he says.

If the biggest turning point in Surya’s professional life was Nandha, the sweetest moment in his personal life was entering into wedlock with Jyothika. The hit-pair tied the knot with the blessings of both families in 2006. “Jyothika’s entry into my life changed many things. And the arrival of Diya and Dev made me a complete man,” says this loving husband and doting father.

As an ‘A-list’ actor in Tamil cinema, Surya has competition from within the family as well — in the form of Karthi Sivakumar, his younger brother. “Cinema has always been Karthi’s passion. He started his career as Mani Ratnam’s assistant director. But he too became an actor like me and our father,” says Surya.

Surya has another side too. His philanthropic activities, though not known to many, has acted as a catalyst in changing many lives. The Agaram Foundation he floated a few years back now provides education to hundreds, if not thousands. “Every individual has a responsibility to do something for society. Agaram Foundation is a small contribution from my side,” Surya says.

At present, Surya is busy giving finishing touches to Maatraan, a project where he teams up with director K V Anand once again, after the super hit Ayan. “Maatraan is a story with a difference. It will have all the commercial elements, but at the same time, things will be told from a different perspective. I love working with Anand.”

The movie is getting dubbed and released simultaneously in Telugu, under the title Duplicate. Interestingly, Surya himself will dub for the Telugu version. “Karthi dubs for his Telugu films and I would like to give him tough competition,” the elder brother says in a lighter vein.

This year also has Surya taking on another role as the host of Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi, the Tamil version of Kaun Banega Crorepati. “When I was approached by the producers of the show with the idea, I was little unsure about committing to it. Then I thought, why not to give it a shot? I am happy that things are going on the right track now, thanks to everyone’s support,” he says.

To get his act right in Neengalum Vellallam Oru Kodi, Surya had been to Mumbai and visited the sets of Kaun Banega Crorepati. He even watched the way the show was being conducted there. And what’s more, the Big B, Amitabh Bachchan, also gave his blessing.

“Anyone can shine in life if they chase their dreams with passion,” says Surya. And, with a name like Surya, he can’t help but do so. 

Keeping the audience hooked

Neengalum Vellalaam Oru Kodi' is drawing quizzers with its mix of funny, bizarre and serious questions

After the first 12 out of 80 episodes rolled out in its first season, the makers of the Tamil KBC, “Neengalum Vellalaam Oru Kodi”, have gone in for a life-line — Audience Poll. Just to be sure that the show's working after the initial buzz and suggestions that some of the questions were too easy.

“The ratings haven't fallen. In fact, we have grown in the third week even with these questions. And the questions were not silly, the options were mocking. The feedback we got was: Don't mock your own questions. We've taken it as constructive feedback and put it to the Big Synergy team,” says K. Sriram, Channel Head, Vijay TV.

“The characteristic of the show is that you play at the level of the contestant. If it's a chaiwala like in ‘Slumdog Millionaire', the questions are made at his level. It's partly science, partly art and it involves a little judgement and experience. The first few questions are meant to be icebreakers and people can slip even in the simplest of questions. Out of 19 people who have been on the show in the first 12 episodes, five have taken lifelines within the first five deceptively simple questions. The reason we employ simple or easy questions is also because it increases the ‘shoutability' factor. People sitting and watching the show shout out at the answer. The idea is not to put an organic chemistry formula question to trip everybody right at the start,” explains Siddharth Basu, one of the masterminds behind the Indian variants of the show.

Siddharth Basu, who runs Big Synergy, was in town to supervise the new schedule — Episodes 13 and 14 — shot on Friday, for Monday and Tuesday evenings.

“You can look up this video on YouTube when a contestant on ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire' was asked ‘Which of the following is the largest: A. A Peanut B. An Elephant C. The Moon D. A Kettle... and still got it wrong after using a lifeline. That's part of what the show is supposed to be at the first level. It is supposed to be funny, bizarre and eventually get serious. Sometimes, even stupid questions get wrong answers.”

There has been no dumbing down for the South whatsoever, Basu insists.

“It has never entered our mind. Part of the format is to play at the level of the contestant. To give you an analogy, a show like ‘Mastermind' is like watching Sachin bat in full form. You admire a virtuoso. On KBC, anybody can put bat and ball. It could be your grandmother. Or to give you another analogy of high jump, let's say you can jump 3ft. Since the show is designed as a ladder, we would start easy to make you clear your level before pushing you to jump higher.”

“You will see more and more facets of Suriya during the season. He's making quite an effort, really reaching out to connect to the audience,” adds Basu. “He approached it very conscientiously and sincerity that comes off on screen. We did mock sessions for gameplay, techniques with him and different kinds of people. He hadn't done much real time interaction like theatre before and yet, he's managed that graph in quick time. The idea is to play to the strengths of the star. The idea is not to make him become Amitabh Bachchan or SRK, it has to be Suriya or Suriya plus.”

Last week, viewers got to see a very new side of the star when he danced with a contestant and went down on his knee to propose to her. “When he goes on to the floor, he surprises us,” says Sriram. 

Rajnikanth, surya, jackie chan for shankar movie

Singham adopts a lion

Surya adopts a lion from Vandaloor Zoo!
Actor Surya has come forward for a noble deed. Fans will know that the actor and his brother are fascinated like many, towards animals in the wild. Karthi who has already adopted a tigress from famous Vadaloor Zoo is now joined by his big bro.

Surya has taken up full responsibility to feed one of the lions in the Vadaloor Zoo for a full year. Spread over a sprawling 650 hectares, the zoo has elephants, lions, tigers, leopards, deers, chimpanzee monkeys, and camels is a haven for the animals and the visitors who come to see them. Back in October 2010, brother Karthi too adopted a tigress named Namratha from the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur. The actor paid Rs.77,000 towards the feeding cost of the tiger for six months and said, “Protecting a tiger is like protecting the forest itself and I am happy to have the opportunity to sponsor a tiger” Every animal is fed a fully nutritious diet with special care given to hygiene. We found out that for a daily meal it’s Rs. 436 for camels, for rhinos it’s Rs. 373, elephants Rs. 520 , and Rs. 525 for lions and tigers, the last one being a fully non-veg affair. Others including Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss have offered to feed deer, tortoises and birds. The zoo officials have also invited the general public to come forward with their good gestures.

So the next time you make a visit to the zoos, you can always adopt one of ‘em right?

Power of Surya

Suriya Sivakumar ventured in small screen with 'Neengallum Vellalam Oru Kodi', a game show that graced the screens on February 27. As per sources the show which was aired on prime time on Vijay TV has received a phenomenal response from people across Tamilnadu. The show helped Vijay TV to swell its viewership by more than 200% on the prime time band in which it was aired as per a press note! "The initial response for the show has been overwhelming", quipped K.Sriram, Channel Head Vijay TV. "We have been thronged by congratulatory messages from viewers and advertisers. We are glad to know that the show has cut across audiences and markets. We have managed to seep through the smaller markets in Tamilnadu in a big way", continued Sriram. "Suriya's warmth and his down to earth behavior have charmed every contestant and it's evident on the show", said Siddharth Basu, Head, Big Synergy. This warmth is now felt across millions of viewers. The contestants who have come on to the show are from varied backgrounds. Small town contestants from Panruti, Kumbakonam, Kanyakumari feel that the show and the money that they managed to win on the game, have been life changers. "The show in its third week now has a lot of surprises in store for audiences. We have celebrities who would walk into the show soon. We have planned various CSR initiatives as part of the grand game show", concluded a beaming Sriram.

MAATTRRAAN 10 QUICK FACT REVEALED

1.Maattrraan is 80% complete and expected to release late Summer.


2."Duplicate" is not the Telugu title for Maattrrraan revealed the unit members."Duplicate" was just a temporary working title used on the clap-board.

3.Harris Jayaraj completed compositions for 4 songs. One more song to be completed soon after the team returns from Hyderabad.

4.A set has been erected in Hyderabad to match aportion that was shot in Russia earlier. An elaborate action sequence was canned with 10 fighters from France. Before shooting the fight sequence, the team shot a song (kaal mulaitha poove) song with 20 Russian dancers

5.Suriya revealed that KV Anand took the first photo shoot and also first movie shot of Suriya for Nerukku Ner in 1997. Suriya called KV Anandas his elder brother. Additional fact: KV Anand was also the first one to can the shots of Jyothika in Doli Sajaa Ke Rakhna (Kadhaluku Mariyadhai in Hindi)

6.Director called Kajal very spontaneous and professional. She can give exact expressions almost instantaneously. All one had to say is type of expression and necessary level and she can precisely give it.

7.Suriya and Kajal called Maattrraan an intelligent cinema, 200% entertainment, not a brainless entertainer. Both called Maattrraan will be a landmark movie for reasons that can not be revealed in the press meet.

8.Suriya called KV Anand is a mix of all best directors we have in Tamil cinema (logical + sensible + realistic + commercial entertainment+ rich technical value)

9.Unit members called Suriya as one of the most hard-working and dedicated actor who is always willing to push for more. Peter Heyn referred to the scenes where Surya took extraordinary risks to perform.

10.For the first time, Suriya will be dubbing in his own voice in Telugu

Actor Suriya impresses television audience with the very first episode of Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi.

Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, SRK and Salman Khan have all hosted shows of their own, but down south, Suriya is the first actor to take up hosting.

Apparently, before accepting the KBC Tamil version offer, Suriya had met Amitabh on the sets of KBC and spent a whole day watching him host the show. He had interacted with Big B about the show and it was Amitabh who’d inspired him to do the show in Tamil.

Amitabh had insisted that he take up the KBC Tamil version as he felt that it was an excellent medium to connect directly with the audience. In fact, there was a cute message from Big B to Suriya telling him to rock on the show.

Sriram from Vijay TV says, “Suriya is a perfectionist. He wanted to know all about the show and watch the shooting before he committed to it. We spent a day on the sets of KBC in Mumbai as a learning session. It was good to watch Suriya spending time on the sets amidst his busy film shootings.”

Suriya and Karthi to team up

Popular actors and sons of veteran actor Sivakumar, Suriya and Karthi will jointly release the audio and trailer of the film Oru Kal Oru Kannadi on March 5. The film, a romantic comedy is written and directed by M Rajesh. Named after a song from Rajesh’s debut film Siva Manasula Sakthi, the film marks the entry of Udhayanidhi Stalin as a hero. Harris Jayaraj has scored the music for the film. Hansika Motwani acts as Udhayanidhi's love interest in the film. Actor Santhanam is playing a crucial role in the movie. Udhayanidhi’s home production Red Giant movies is producing the rom-com and it’s heard that actor Arya, actress Sneha and actress and singer Andrea are making guest appearances in the film.

Suriya in small screen from February 27!

A phenomenon that rocked Indian audiences, 'Kaun Bange Crorepathi' is all set to capture Tamil audiences for Suriya Sivakumar's game show, 'Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi' will go on air come February 27.

This will be aired from Monday to Thursday at 8 pm. This would be the Suriya's debut on television and the channel plans to leave no stone unturned announcing the launch of the show on Vijay TV.  This successful game show promises a whopping amount of Rs one crore to be won.

The call for entry mechanism to participate in the show was announced during the fag end of 2011. Since then thousands of viewers and fans of Suriya gave raving response to the show.  Auditions were held at Coimbatore, Trichy and Chennai and apt contestants who answered simple questions in the preliminary tests were chosen to participate in the show.

Suriya says, "From the moment I walked into the sets of "Who wants to be a millionaire" I knew that this was more than a mere game show.  We have done our best and now we wait, like we do for any other big movie release, hoping the audience loves the show as much as we joyfully lived every minute of it".

Suriya's Maatran is Duplicate in Andhra

Suriya’s KV Anand directed AGS Entertainment produced Maatran is one of the most eagerly awaited films of 2012.

The overseas rights of the film have been sold at a new record price.

Maatran is an action thriller starring Suriya and Kajal Aggarwal in the lead along with Sachin Khedekar, Vivek, Daniel Balaji and Milind Soman.  

It isdirected and co-written by K. V. Anand and scripted by writers Subha. The film has music by Harris Jayaraj.

Suriya portray's five different roles inthe espionage thriller shot in the Balkan region in countries like Russia,Croatia, Serbia, Albania and Macedonia.

Maatran Telugu dubbing rights has been sold for a record high. It will be calledDuplicate in Telugu. Now it is clear that one of the characters Suriya plays is a duplicate.

Will the duplicate be a good guy or bad guy? Catch up with Maatran in May end or June to find the answer.

Shantha Kumar to direct Karthi or Suriya?

Studio Green has signed up director Shantha Kumar of Mouna Guru fame. The director’s one liner for his next has impressed the production house that he is reported to be signed up. Since Studio Green’s Gnanavel Raja is a close relative of the Siva Kumar family, there are expectations that either Suriya or Karthi may be signed up for this project.

Shantha Kumar’s maiden venture Mouna Guru earned him a good reputation in Kollywood and the director is looking forward to team up with an established star.

Surya Saying I Love You In NVOK ♥

Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi with Surya

Hansika bags plum role opposite Suriya

Stunning and totally smitten by the idea of good cinema, Hansika excitedly says, “Bagging a role opposite Suriya is a dream come true.”


The actress whose stakes soared after she teamed up with in Velayudham is a winner when it comes to glamorous roles.


After considering several names including Sonam Kapoor to fill the glam part for the sequel to his earlier blockbuster Singham with Suriya again, Hari was convinced that Hansika would fit the bill perfectly.


“I think I am blessed to work with some of the best talents in K’town. I am looking forward to working with Suriya and Hari sir,” she gushes. Ask her if she is not intimidated with the presence of Anushka, she quips, “Not at all! I know how my role will shape up and Hari sir has given me the narration. So, there’s no hassle”.

Four villains in 'Maatraan' - Suriya against Suriya!

There are a total number of four villains in Suriya's forthcoming venture 'Maatran' and one among them, interestingly, is Suriya himself. The other three are Milind Soman, Daniel Balaji and Veera of 'Nadunisi Naaygal' fame!

"If one would closely look at the three names, they could find a Gautham Vasudev Menon link. While Milind Soman is the baddie of 'Pachaikili Muthucharam', Daniel is that of 'Vettaiyadu Vilayadu', and Veera was part of 'Nadunisi Naaygal'," point out sources.

"This is because of Suriya's close rapport with Gautham. Both are good friends and had worked together in 'Kaakka Kaakka' and 'Varanam Aayiram'. Suriya, who was impressed with the performance of the three actors, wanted them to cross swords with him in Maatraan," add sources.

Directed by K V Anand, the film which has Kajal Aggarwal opposite Suriya is produced by Kalpathi S Aghoram of AGS Entertainment. Shooting is almost over and Anand is planning to release the movie during summer.

Maatraan's song shoot restarted

Surya's upcoming film Maatraan under the direction of K V Anand was halted by technicians due to salary revisal issue. Today Maatraan's song shoot restarted at Ramoji Film City. A short meeting between AGS Entertainment and FEFSI resulted in a compromise and FEFSI have agreed that they will not create any barriers for the shoot from the moment.

Kajal Aggarwal is playing female lead role in the movie. Vivek is playing an important role in the movie. Maatraan is based on present day story with perfect blend of action thriller. KV Anand is directing the movie and Harris Jayaraj is composing music. AGS Entertainment is producing the movie. The movie is scheduled to hit big screens on June 2012

Shankar in a Tamil film

"யாதும் ஊரே, யாவரும் கேளீர்"

Surya's first dialogue in the first epdisode of Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi  is - "யாதும் ஊரே, யாவரும் கேளீர்" (Yaadhum Oore, Yaavarum Kelir) which means, 'every country is my own and all the people are my kinsmen.

Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi Coming Soon

The most awaited game show Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi will be telecasted from 27th February at 8pm in Vijay TV. There will be 4 episodes in each week. Get ready to meet Surya at your house with your family and friends

Taapsee Pannu opposite Suriya?

Taapsee Pannu is clueless as to from where rumors cropped up that she would be the heroine ofSuriya's forthcoming film, which is to be directed by Venkat Prabhu. "I don't know who has spread these rumors," she says.

"As of now, I have not signed the project. And no one has even talked to me about it. But I have been flooded with phone calls and messages, repeatedly asking when I am going to start shooting withSuriya," says the 'Aadukalam' girl.

Currently busy with her Hindi debut, Taapsee, who is equally popular in Tollywood too, says she will be happy to sign new Tamil projects from March. "The response to Aadukalam was amazing. I am eager to sign a Tamil film," she says.

The actress recalls that she missed out an offer to act with Suriya earlier, as she could not allot her dates then. "But this time I would not leave the opportunity if I am approached to share the screen space with him," she signs off.