Poornima Bhagyaraj (formerly Poornima Jayaram) turns 65 today.
Poornima Jayaram (now Poornima Bhagyaraj) made her debut to the Tamil screen in the 1981 film Nenjil oru Mull opposite Prathap. Although the film failed at the box-office, her second signing – Durai’s Kilanjalgal opposite Mohan – released just three weeks later and went on to become a blockbuster hit. The success of this second […]
Remembering Soundarya, the star of “Padaiyappa” and “Arunachallam” on her birth anniversary
Soundarya was the daughter of Kannada film producer and director, K.S. Sathyaranarayan. She made her debut to Kannada films in 1992 and her debut to Tamil a year later through the Karthik starrer, Ponnumani. He role in Ponnumani brought her huge fame and accolades. Her subsequent Tamil films – Muthu Kaalai, Dear Son Marudhu and […]
“Ratchasan” Vishnu Vishal turns 41 today
Vishal Kudawla is better known by his screen name, Vishnu Vishal. After completing his MA degree, he was showing great promise as a cricket player but a serious injury brought a halt to his plans. When he landed his first acting job in Suseendiran’s sports drama Vennilaa Kabadi Kuzhu, he spent months getting himself in […]
Bharathiraja – The man who permanently changed the face of Indian Cinema
Introduction. Bharathiraja has been credited with revolutionising the Indian film industry. When he made his debut in 1977 with the Kamalhaasan-Sri Devi-Rajinikanth starrer, Pathinaaru Vayathinley, it marked a major shift in the approach to filmmaking. In addition, Bharathiraja introduced a host of new talent behind and in front of the camera, many of whom carved […]
Stuntman Mohan Raj killed on the sets of “Vettuvam:”
Tragedy has struck on the sets of Pa. Ranjith’s Arya starrer, Vettuvam when stuntman Mohan Raj was killed during the filming of a car stunt that went horribly wrong. Mohan Raj had driven on a built ramp a fraction to the left, causing the vehicle to lose control and somersault. The crew rushed Mohan Raj […]
R Sarathkumar turns 71 today.
R. Sarathkumar turns 71 today. The star of over 150 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi, Sarathkumar has won two Tamil Nadu State awards and two Filfare Awards south in a career that spans 39 years. After graduating from college where he represented his college in football, cricket and hockey, he took up […]
Talented but controversial Lyricist Vairamuthu turns 72 today.
Vairamuthu Ramasamy was born on 13 July 1953. He was introduced to films as a lyricist by Illaiyaraja in the 1980 film Nizhalgal directed by Bharathiraja. In a career spanning 45 years, he has written more than 7500 songs and poems and is the winner of seven national awards for Best Lyricist – the most […]
Na. Muthukumar’s short career remains an unforgettable one
Nagarajan Muthukumar was a talented writer and lyricist and was the winner of 2 national awards, 4 Tamil Nadu State Awards and 4 Filmfare South Awards – all for Best Lyricist. He wrote more than 1500 songs and scripted or co-scripted seven films. He was born in Kanikapuram in Kancheepuram on 12 July 1975. He […]
Remembering “Thenakathu James Bond” Jaishankar on his 87th Birth Anniversary
Jaishankar was an under-appreciated and under-rated actor. At a time when the box-office was dominated by Sivaji Ganesan, M.G. Ramachandran and Gemini Ganesan, Jaishankar established his own fan-base and developed his own market by providing a positive return on investment for film producers. His script selection was excellent, as he chose stories that were fresh […]
Bala – One of Tamil cinema’s most awarded Directors
Bala was born on 11 July 1966 in Madurai. He showed an early interest in films and joined the legendary Balu Mahendra as an assistant director. He made his debut as a director through the 1999 film, Sethu which had Vikram in the lead role. By that time, Vikram had completed ten years in the […]