Ma. Ka. Pa. Anand turns 44 today.
Popular TV anchor Ma. Ka. Pa Anand began his career as a RJ on Radio Mirchi. His popularity son saw him on Vijay TV, where he quickly became a firm favourite with audiences. In 2014, he made his debut to the big screen playing the lead role in the rural drama Vaanavarayan Vallavaraayan. He went […]
Today marks the 62nd Birth Anniversary of Actor Murali
Murali made his acting debut in a lead roleunder his father’s direction in a Kannada film, but he only found fame after his debut to the Tamil screen in the 1984 film, Poo Vilangu. This film was a success at the box-office, but he achieved greater fame and recognition in his second Tamil role – […]
Sid Sriram turns 35 today.
Sid Sriram was born in Chennai on 19 May 1990 and moved with his family when he was one to Fremont, California in the United States. He began learning Carnatic music at the age of 3, with his first teacher being his mother, Latha Sriram. He graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree […]
Exploring the Enigma Called Illaiyaraja – Episode 7
Thus far, this series has looked at a chronological synopsis of some of Illaiyaraja’s albums. This episode will briefly break away from that structural format. Let us consider some questions asked by people who are not really fans of Illaiyaraja The rest of this series will provide responses to these questions, but I first need […]
Pasupathy turns 56 today.
Versatile actor Pasupathy Masilamani was born on 18 May 1969 in Northern Chennai. He began his career as a radio jockey and newsreader before going on to act in television serials. After joining a theatre group, he befriended actor Nassar. It was Nassar who introduced him to Kamalhassan. Pasupathy’s entry to cinema was to have […]
Santhosh Narayanan turns 42 today
Santhosh Narayan began his music career as an assistant to A.R. Rahman in Maniratnam’s Guru. He made his debut as a music composer in Attakathi, the first directorial of Pa. Ranjith and the maiden production of C.V. Kumar’s Thirukumaran Entertainment. Santhish Narayan’s soundtrack had a freshness that was received with much enthusiasm. The little known […]
Exploring the Enigma Called Illaiyaraja – Episode 6
This series of articles began with the intention of examining one outstanding song by Illaiyaraja in each episode. However, after the first episode, we realised that there was a lot of misunderstanding, misinformation and even ignorance of how Illaiyaraja became the pride of India. The Wikipedia page on him contains huge lapses, and ignores some […]
Sigaram Mothers’ Day Special
Unlike Hollywood films that portray a close relationship with one’s mother as something to be mocked at, Tamil films have always led the way in showing how Mothers need to be respected and honoured. Despite the many changes in societal values and social norms, the love and respect commanded by a mother is deeply entrenched […]
Exploring the Enigma Called Illaiyaraja – Episode 5
In Illaiyaraja’s first 30 months in the industry, he completed 41 soundtracks and background scores. This was not by any means a huge number of films, but two aspects made his music stand out from the others. One was the depth of his musical introductions and his interludes: These contained very intricate compositions, filled with […]
Sai Pallavi – The Reluctant Actress Who Won People’s hearts.
Sai Pallavi was born on 09 May 1992 to a Badaga family in Coimbatore. She showed an early interest in dancing and participated in some TV dance shows as a contestant on Vijay TV and ETV. After uncredited roles in Kasthuri Maan and Dhaam Dhoom and then turning down numerous offers to act, she made […]