“Kudumbasthan” Film Review
In a film industry where blood, gore, horror, skin shows and deviant behaviour seem to dominate films, Kudumbasthan, a comedy family drama written and directed by newcomer, Rajeshwar Kalisamy, is like a deep breath of oxygen-rich air in a polluted city. K. Manikandan plays the lead role opposite debutante Saanve Megghana. The impressive supporting cast […]
M N Nambiar – the legend behind Tamil cinema’s most famous “villain”
The face of villainy in Tamil cinema was, for several decades, M.N. Nambiar. With over eight decades in the film industry, M.N. Nambiar was an institution who stood alongside greats like Sivaji Ganesan and MG Ramachandran. He was born in Kerala on 07 March 1919 and made his debut in 1935 at the age of […]
TOP 20 Tamil songs for week ending 07 March 2025
This Week Title Film/Album Singer/s Lyric Music Last Week 1 Aiyaiyo Independent Samuel Nicholas Mohan Raj & Samuel Nicholas Samuel Nicholas 3 2 Idhayam Sonaal Ketkatha Once More Vineeth Srinivasan Vignesh Srikanth Hesham Abdul Wahab 2 3 Vaa Kannamma Once More Hesham Abdul Wahap & Uthara Uniikrishnan Vignesh Srikanth Hesham Abdul Wahab 4 4 Yedi […]
Some surprising facts about Charlie who turns 65 today
Velmurugan Thangasany Manohar is better known to audiences as Charlie, a name given to him by K.Balachander, the director who introduced him to films through the 1982 film, Poikaal Kuthirai. Balachander told him that he would have a remarkable career like Charlie Chaplin and, out of respect to K. Balachander, he retains the name to […]
Playback singer Kalpana refutes rumours about her attempted suicide
The film and music worlds are reeling from shock about the reported attempted suicide by playback singer Kalpana on Sunday. Kalpana had gone alone to their Hyderabad residence. When her husband failed to get a response to his calls and texts, he alerted the neighbours who had to break a door to enter. They found […]
Nassar: A talented actor and director with a nose for quality roles
Muhamed Hanif, better known by his screen name, Nassar, was introduced to the screen by K.Balachander in the 1985 film Kalyana Agathigal. Although the film failed at the box-office, audiences and critics appreciated th performance by Nassar, albeit in a minor role. After playing negative roles in Rajinikanth’s Velaikaaran and Karthik’s Vanna Kanavugal, he played […]
Selvaraghavan Birthday Special
Selvaraghavan is the elder brother of actor Dhanush. He made his unofficial debut as a director through Dhanush’s debut movie, Thulluvadho Illamai where their father, Kasthuriraja was credited as the director. His official debut came with Kaadhal Konndain in 2003 – probably his best work to date. He then made his foray into other themes […]
Sripriya – Versatile and talented actress
Actress Sripriya starred in more than 300 films in various languages, with approximately 200 of them in Tamil. She has also directed films in Tamil, Kannada and Telugu, including the 2014 Telugu remake of Drishyam. She made her debut in the semi-religious film Murugan Kaatiya Vazhi directed by P.Madhavan and soon found herself sharing the […]
Review of “Suzhal 2 – The Vortex” – Web series on Amazon Prime
A series like Suzhal is an extremely tough act to follow, as the series had a huge budget, featured prominent actors and – most importantly – was brilliantly crafted and tastefully presented. Created by Pushkar and Gayathri, the directors of the critically acclaimed Madhavan-Vijay Sethupathy starrer, Vikram Vedha, Suzhal set new standards for Tamil and Indian […]
How South Africans were robbed of celebrating Illaiyaraja’s genius
With the countdown on for the official launch of Illaiyaraja’s Symphony Number 1, the first symphony ever by an Indian composer, it is important to reflect on the way Illaiyaraja is seen by South African- Tamilians of all ages and, more importantly, on how this perception of Illaiyaraja and his music came about. Illaiyaraja made […]