“I will follow Asin in the glamour department”

Poonam Bajwa who made her screen debut in the recently released Sun Pictures Thenavattu with Jeeva is quite satisfied with the performance of the film. This young girl from Pune has already acted in a couple of Telugu and Kannada films but feels that only Thenavattu had given her the status of an actress.

While talking to a section of the media, Poonam Bajwa said, “Though I belong to Pune, I am more interested to act in south Indian films, especially Tamil films. I know that Tamil films are hero centric but I would like to act with all heroes. All the same, I would like to give importance to roles which would give me immense scope for performance.”

To a poser on whether she would act glamorously Poonam gave a clichéd reply, “I am not here to comment on heroines who act glamorously. But at the same time I will not act in a vulgar manner in the guise of glamour. I would like to follow Asin in this as she treads the line of glamour in the right way. She is my role model.”

Vijay’s assent to Silambarasan’s director

Silambarasan’s Silambattam is doing good business all over and needless to say the crew is on cloud nine especially director Saravanan. Special shows have been arranged for almost all popular heroes who have praised the director and hero’s work. In one of an exclusive show conducted for Ilaya Thalapathy, director Saravanan had made use of the opportunity and requested him to work under his direction. Impressed with Saravanan’s work, Vijay is also reported to have given his assent to hear a script. Perhaps Vijay may soon team up with Saravanan. Lets wait for Vijay’s next treat.

BRITNEY SPEARS’ SEX DISGUISE

Britney Spears reportedly snuck out of her home in disguise for a secret sex session.

The “Womanizer” singer apparently defied her father Jamie’s ban on men to enjoy the saucy rendezvous with a mystery friend – and even bragged of her romp when she got home.

A source said: “She’s been a prisoner in her own home and began to crave affection and attention from someone other than her parents, which is only natural.”

“She told her dad she got a ride with the person she’d arranged to meet and gone to their house in Los Angeles for a few hours.”

“She told him not to worry and that it was someone she’d known a long time who was a good person and wouldn’t hurt her.”

However, Jamie – who is co-conservator of her estate following her public meltdown last year – was apparently furious over the incident.

The source added to Britain’s Now magazine: “Britney told him that she was a grown woman and ordered him to get out of her room.”

“She didn’t come out for the rest of the day.”

Suriya’s dedication to Jo

As part of a contest organized by one of Chennai’s FM stations, Surya met his fans at the GRT convention center and felicitated the winner with a guitar autographed by him. The contest ‘Suriyakaga Oru Song’ was based on Suriya’s latest release Vaaranam Aayiram and required participants to sing songs from the movie.

Out of the 300 participants, 13 were selected for the final round for which Surya was present. The contest doubled up as an interactive session and Surya answered spontaneous questions thrown at him on various topics from his movies to personal smile, with his customary smile. The actor also stretched his vocal chords with a surprise performance of the number ‘Mundhinam Paarthene’ from the movie dedicating the song to his wife Jo.

FERGIE TO MARRY DUHAMEL NEXT MONTH

Fergie will marry actor Josh Duhamel in January.

The 33-year-old “London Bridge” singer and the “Transformers” star will tie the knot in Southern California over the second weekend of January.

It has been claimed many of Fergie’s “Nine” co-stars, including Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Sophia Loren, Marion Cotillard and Daniel Day-Lewis, will attend the ceremony.

The 36-year-old actor proposed to Fergie – whose real name is Stacey Ferguson – in 2007, after three years together.

At the time, friends said the singer was “the happiest girl on earth.”

A source said: “She is working with Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld on getting her fantasy gown. They are taking their time to get everything right. They only plan on getting married once.”

After announcing the engagement, Fergie insisted she was in no rush to tie the knot and wanted to ensure everything was perfect for her big day.

She said: “I have a big stack of wedding magazines. I want to go home and spend time with my family and just take some time to think about everything.”

Silambattam Movie Review

Starring: Silambarasan, Sneha, Sana Khan, Prabhu, Santhanam

Direction: Saravanan

Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Production: Lakshmi Movie Makers Limited

Silambarasan’s Christmas gift is here; so how good is the gift, or is it a gift at all? The answer depends a lot on your preferences and tastes. The director had vouched pre-release that he had made a full length entertainer and he has given everything that he believes towards making one. The intentions are spot on, but as the saying goes ‘small good deeds are better than large good intentions’ and it is the deeds of the director that we are interested in, we don’t doubt his intentions.

Silambattam is about retribution, an oft repeated theme in Tamil cinema and a very regular element of Silambarasan starrers. It is all about the feuds within a family that take on unmanageable proportions and result in death and despair for many. An extended family in a village is leading a happy and united existence. The head of the family is a much loved man in the village and in his last days he leaves a large chunk of his property for the welfare of his villagers. Most of the family is happy to abide by the decision of their godfather, but there are factions that believe that the old man has shown more largesse than is agreeable and decide to oppose it. Push comes to shove and the inevitable sickle takes center stage. As many members of the family are killed, some of them make off with their lives, never to return. But destiny brings back one boy to his roots and when he learns of what has passed, then retribution is the only thing on his mind.

The director has admitted that the plot is not novel. Well, we don’t expect a path breaker either. The director has handled the story and screenplay and while it cannot be denied that the plot and the script do show signs of promise and potential, the ultimate realization has been found wanting. Somehow, one gets the feeling of an opportunity that has been wasted. The narration is not sound, though it is difficult to put one’s finger on exactly what the weaker points are, lack of application on the director’s part seems to be the culprit here.

Silambarasan has turned in a whole hearted performance. Appearing in two roles for the second time in his career, he makes good use of the scope provided. His role as the villager in the ‘flashback’ mode must be appreciated, especially his combination with Sneha who also has managed to make an impact with a limited role. Their chemistry is surprisingly good, with machan machan song having come out really well. Sana Khan, paired with the present day Silambarasan, has been largely sidelined by the main plot. Then there is the seasoned Prabhu, the able Kishore, the veterans Nedumudi Venu, Nirosha, Yuvarani etc. But in spite of having such a cast at his disposal, the director has failed to make an impact in many scenes. The talent of these artistes cannot be doubted, the fault has to be with way they were utilized. Santhanam and Karunas shoulder the comedy in the flashback and current modes respectively. There are certain lewd and at times unsavory dialogues that have been passed off as comedy, definitely in bad taste. But Karunas salvages pride for the comedy department with interestingly devised comic situations which blend in with the plot.

Highlights of the movie are undoubtedly Silambarasan’s dance skills and the foot tapping tunes. Silambarasan does not disappoint, nor does Yuvan. The Machan Machan song in Ilaiyaraja’s voice is a delight while ‘Where’s the party’ is a typically trendy pub number, thoroughly enjoyable. The action sequences too have been crafted well. But one gets the feeling that director Saravanan has relied too heavily on these elements to carry the weight of the movie, while the execution of a fairly good plot has left a lot to be desired though there are certain scenes (few and far in between) that reflect the director’s ability. Saravanan fails to join the list of cinematographers turned successful directors.

Overall, Silambattam is not a bad product, but it could have been a lot better had it not been for the lackluster handling. At the box office, Silambarasan fans might not feel let down by the content and regular additives, but when it comes down to the others, it’s a bit of touch and go. Saravanan, Silambarasan and the rest of the Silambattam team will have to wait and watch.

Verdict – Silambattam – Nothing special

Villu Songs Free Download

Actors : Vijay, Nayantara, Vadivelu
Director : Prabhu Deva
Music Director : Devi Sri Prasad
Producer : Ayngaran International Films

Jalsa Singer : Baba Sehgal, Rita

Vada Maapilley Singer : Tippu, Rita, Vadivel

Hey Rama Singer : Amalraj, Kovai Sarala

Dheemthanakka Thillana Singer : Devi Sri Prasad, Divya

Daddy Mummy Singer : Divya

Jalsa Remix Singer : Devi Sri Prasad, Baba Sehgal, Rita

Nee Kobapattal Singer : Sagar

Are You Crazy Singer : Divya

Bommalattam (aka) Bharathiraja’s Cinema Movie Review

Starring: Nana Patekar, Arjun, Kajal Agarwal

Direction: Bharathiraja

Music: Himesh Reshammiya

Production: Therkathi Kalai Koodam

No white-gowned and winged fairies, no sugary sweet songs posing as interludes, no emotional turmoil of brother-sister or love struck couples. Bharathiraja’s Bommalattam is not what is usually expected out of the legendary director who delivered such fairy tale romances and intense movies with powerhouse performances. Instead, it’s a riveting and fast-paced suspense thriller set in the backdrop of the film industry. Not that the turf is new to Bharathiraja whose thriller Tik Tik Tik is still considered to be one of the most-watched pulp movies of his period.
Bharathiraja’s skill at crafting watertight screenplay is evident as the movie travels at jet pace without a moment of sluggishness in the narrative. Besides, the narrative is smart that is capable of holding the suspense quotient until the truth is unfurled on its own during the course of the movie.

Much can’t be revealed about the movie’s plot as it would be unfair; since the movie’s watching pleasure largely lies on the idea that the viewer is not informed beforehand – as is the case with most of the suspense thrillers.

The movie follows the murder and investigation of Nana Patekar’s crew members. Nana plays a renowned film director whose crew members are murdered in immediate succession. CBI is summoned for investigation and the truth unravels revealing the identity of the murderer – in the due course scoring out the prime suspects one by one.

Bommalattam also provides an insider’s look into the world of cinema. Nana asks the female lead of his movie for an ‘emerging out of the sea’ scene. However she refuses reasoning that her pedicure was done recently and the salt water could damage her cuticles. After much prodding she agrees but with a condition – she will wet her feet only in bottled mineral water. Same way, Vivek and Manivannan’s characters also tell a lot about the menaces a crew has to face during outdoor shoots.

Nana’s acting needs no elucidation – he fits perfectly into the shoes of a patient director, who is exasperated at the snootiness of his film’s lead and devastated at the murder of his allies. Arjun plays an intelligent and neat CBI officer and delivers a subtle performance, quite atypical of his usual deliver-a-kick-and-leap-into-the-air roles.

The songs Va Va Thalaiva and Check Check proclaims Himesh’s prowess in tuning catchy numbers. Mandy’s background score deserves a special mention, especially for its subtlety. Kannan’s camera captures the proceedings in perfect angles and assists in enhancing the movie’s flow.

On the downside, the movie largely seems to cater to the Hindi speaking audience – given the locale and the milieu in which it is set. Irregular lip-sync of actors also reveal that the movie is in fact dubbed into Tamil after having been shot in Hindi directly.

All said and done, Bommalattam is a perfectly crafted and executed investigative thriller. The surprise factor being Bharathiraja’s tautly woven screenplay – it negates the chance of tedium, even for a fraction of a second.

Verdict – Bommalattam – Hold on to your seats!

Mumbai Attack will Affect Indian Tourism

The government has recently announced a package of monetary and fiscal measures to address the concerns of sectors perceived to be slowing down the economy. One segment that has been totally left out of the government largess is the highly labour-intensive tourism and hospitality industry, which is reeling under not only the effects of global slowdown, but more seriously, the dastardly attacks on Mumbai city.

The terrorist attacks in Mumbai could not have come at a worse time; October-April is the peak tourist season in India. Declining incomes and valuations in the West had led to only 1.8 per cent increase in tourist inflow in October 2008, compared to double-digit growth in the last five years.

The week after the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai saw thousands of hotel bookings cancelled all over India. The dozen-odd advisories issued by foreign governments to their citizens to desist from travelling to India and the prevailing scare are causing a perceptible fall in tourist-arrivals during the October-December period, as against an increase by 15 per cent in the third quarter of 2007.

Paring of room tariffs was perhaps called for, but what wasn’t were airlines, travel agencies and hotels laying off workers and foreign tourists skipping India altogether and instead going to China, Thailand, Malaysia and Dubai. Not only tourists, even foreign investors and businessmen are shunning India.

This is a situation we can ill afford. The tourism industry employs 53 million people directly or indirectly and contributes 6 per cent of the gross domestic product.

A fall in arrivals in the tourist season can significantly worsen the economic scenario. A string of terrorist attacks has taken place in India in the last two years.

Making the country safer is a prerequisite for getting visitors and business. Visible action on the security front is required, especially in the metropolitan cities.

Somewhat excessive security measures were tolerated in the US after 9/11 since they ensure greater safety. Obtrusive display of security in China does not deter Western businessmen and tourists from going there in droves.

The demand of hoteliers to deploy armed policemen in their premises and PC wireless vans outside should be readily met because in the current atmosphere these measures would give a feeling of security to the travelling and business classes. Not only must stricter security measures be put in place but they also need to be better projected.

Repetition of footage and news of the attacks on the Taj and Trident on television channels do not enthuse visitors. Greater self-restraint by the media is called for.

Otherwise no amount of effort from our embassies and tourism offices abroad can help build an impression that normalcy is returning to India. The limited public resources and efforts available to us should be spent on conveying that India is of the size of Europe, and events in one corner do not necessarily affect the whole country.

We must also a send a message that safety has been increased and the economy is reviving. The return of the English cricket team to resume the Test tour must be highlighted.

The Indian hospitality industry is bruised by the economic slowdown and terrorist attacks. After 9/11 in New York, the London bombings of 7/7 and the train-bombings in
Madrid, the governments had come up with sizeable relief packages for their tourism industry.

Similarly, major fiscal and financial concessions are required to put back on the rails our hospitality industries. The luxury tax on rooms in states like Karnataka is part of the tariff.

The central government levies a service tax of 12.36 per cent on all banquets held in hotels. This is in addition to the 12.5 per cent value-added tax collected by states on food and beverages served at parties, guest rooms and restaurants.

Low occupancy and customer base cannot bring in much revenue whatever might be the rates of such levies. A more reasonable level of imposition might, in fact, fetch higher revenue for both hoteliers and governments.

There is a need to revisit the VAT rates. Also, the Centre must assure the states that revenue losses will be partially reimbursed till, say, March 2010.

The recent reduction in the Central Value-Added Tax by 4 per cent will not benefit the hotel and travel industry as most of their services do not attract such a levy. To improve the hotel industry’s access to bank credit, there is no need to persist with clubbing hotels with the real estate industry for purposes of bank lending, as being currently done by the RBI. Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Delhi, the states which account for the majority of tourists to India are fortunately not among the states that cannot afford greater fiscal support.

The central government must also do its bit. Coincidentally, the countries competing for tourists in Asia also happen to be rivals for attracting Western capital and technology.

We in India must act quickly lest we lose out on both fronts.

Confident women lack social skills

Women who project themselves as confident and ambitious in job interviews are perceived as highly competent but lacking in social skills.

Women who present themselves as modest and cooperative, while well liked, are perceived as low on competence.

However, confident and ambitious male candidates are viewed as both competent and likable and therefore are more likely to be hired as a manager than either confident or modest women.

Julie E. Phelan, Corinne A. Moss-Racusin, and Laurie A. Rudman of Rutgers University taped both male and female applicants interviewing to be a computer lab manager.

All applicants presented themselves as competent, but also as either confident and ambitious or modest and cooperative. Participants then evaluated the applicants’ competence, social skills, and hirability.

Results show how disparate hiring criteria further discriminates against ambitious, competent women, said Rutgers release.

When judging the ambitious women’s hirability, a perceived lack of social skills formed the basis of the hiring decision, and the womens’ high competence was relatively neglected.

For ambitious men, however, perceived competence and interpersonal skills were weighed equally in the hiring decision. Hence women were doubly disadvantaged because evaluators emphasised their relatively low competence and discounted their (high) social skills.

The study was published in Psychology of Women Quarterly.