Anushka Photo Gallery

Lakshmi Manchu signs Mani Ratnam's Pookadai

Gorgeous Lakshmi Manchu is going places. The multifaceted actress seems to be crossing all language barriers. After making her Bollywood debut in Ram Gopal Varma's Department, she has now signed a prestigious Tamil movie to be directed by Mani Ratnam. The actress took Twitter to share her excitement to be part of maverick filmmaker Mani Ratnam's flick. She wrote, “What an amazing day.. Launched Tamil film w @itsmemanoj as producer and signed a movie as an actor w Mani Ratnam himself. Doesn't get bigger.” “Ok..phew.. I just signed a movie w Mani Ratnam. My first Tamil film. He is the first man who influenced me 2 b in films.Dreams do come true.” The forthcoming Kollywood movie is tentatively titled as Pookadai and the movie is a launchpad of veteran actor Karthik's son Gautham. However, Mani Ratnam is considering a few Bollywood actress to cast in the film to play the female lead role. It is reported that the filmmaker has approached Sonam Kapoor recently and waiting for her nod. Meanwhile, he has signed Arjun Sarja to play the role of a baddie.

Billa2 On The Sets

Mejo Joseph debuts in Tollywood

Mollywood’s young and talented music composer Mejo Joseph, who scored music for super hit Notebook (2006), Cycle (2009), Kanmazha Peyyum Munpe (2010) and Traffic (2011), is now debuting in Tollywood.

Mejo Joseph is the music composer of director O.S. Avinash’s Salamat, starring Tanish and Remya Nambeesan. The audio launch of the film will be held by the end of November.

“The album has a collection of six songs and is a mix of Carnatic, melody and of course, fast numbers. I hope they like the new style they might possibly not be acquainted with yet,” Mejo said. Salamat is scheduled for a December release.

Besides his Tollywood debut, Mejo is also stepping in Bollywood by scoring background for the Hindi version of Traffic, which began its shooting on November 24. His next Malayalam film is Prithviraj starrer Louis VI.

Smoking Is Banned In Telugu Movies

The scenes of a dashing young hero puffing away stylishly on a cigarette might soon be a thing of the past, with the new regulations enforced by the Censor Board.

If there are smoking scenes in a movie, the new regulations make life difficult for the movie’s production team during the censor  certification process. For a start, the movie will not be given a clean U certificate even if there is no other objectionable content. The hero will be required to deliver a special “Smoking is harmful” message at the beginning and during the interval break of the movie.

The production team would also be required to give a very strong justification for the presence of the scene in the movie.

The movie industry was quick to raise its voice in protest against these new regulations. Several leading producers from the industry are planning to seek legal intervention in the matter.

Writer Ravi to direct Varun Sandesh’s next film

Varun Sandesh is the mail lead in writer-turned-director Nandyala Ravi’s debut film. Ravi had written dialogues for several films like Asadhyudu, Mr.Errababu and few other films. Suresh D is going to produce the film on Kumar Brothers banner. The film is expected to go on floors in January, 2012. Meanwhile, Varun Sandesh is awaiting the release of his upcoming romantic film Priyudu which will hit the screens on December 3 and he’s currently shooting for Neelakanta’s next film titled as Chammak Challo.

Vijay’s Telugu Thupaakki in trouble

Although title for the Vijay – A R Murugadoss upcoming film is decided as Thupaakki, it seems the same title will see some trouble in Telugu. The movie is a bilingual and according to sources close to the director, the title Thupaakki is already registered with the Telugu Films Chamber by Jinka Harish Babu.

Also, it seems Jinka Harish Babu is unwilling to part with the title as his movie is already underway. The movie focuses on terrorism and Harish wants the title that somewhat describes the storyline. While there are no immediate announcements from the Murugadoss stable about the title trouble, it’s likely that Murugadoss will want to buy out Thupaakki from Harish.

Jagapati Babu in Vikram’s Thandavam!

Thandavam’s photo shoot will begin today, said UTV’s Dhananjayan. He revealed that Vikram, Jagapathy Babu, Amy Jackson and others will participate in this photo shoot. With the photo shoot on, the first look of Thandavam is expected very soon. Director AL Vijay is to wield the megaphone for this venture which will have music by GV Prakash.

It has been clarified already that Thandavam is not a remake of the Malayalam film by the same name. Further, we hear that it is an out-and-out commercial film that Vikram’s fans have been expecting for a long time.

Jackie Shroff makes a special appearance in Kannada film!

The makers are pretty tight lipped about Jackie Shroff’s role in Anna Bond.  But if rumours are to be believed, the actor will be playing a baddie in Puneeth Rajkumar’s much-awaited, Anna Bond. Apparently, director Soori wanted somneone powerful in the special role and hence approached Jackie Shroff. Priyamani and Nidhi Subbaiah will be the female leads in the film, opposite Puneeth. Rangayana Raghu, Shobaraj, John Kukkin, Avinash, Sumithra, Achyuth Rao, Pasupathi, Petrol Prasanna and Ninasam Satish form the rest of the cast. Soori has not only directed Anna Bond but has also penned the story, screenplay and dialogues. Besides the Kannada film, Jackie is also looking forward to his film with Ananth Narayan Mahadevan which has him play an author back role. The film Life’s Good will see Jackie opposite newcomer Saniya. In Kannada, the actor was also  seen in films like Zamaana and Aa Marma taking up prominent roles. Though Jackie has been making appearances in Kannada movies for quite some time now, he has not been able to make an impact on the Kannada audience. Let’s hope that changes with Anna Bond.

Nagarjuna – Dasaradh film from April

Dasaradh who earlier directed Santosham with Nagarjuna is set to direct the actor once again. Their new film, a family romantic entertainer, will go to the sets from April 2012.
D Shiva Prasad would produce the film. Dasaradh’s recent film with Prabash,Mr.Perfect, was a huge blockbuster.
Nagarjuna’s next release Rajanna is scheduled for Dec 23rd. The actor is currently shooting for Dhamarukham in the direction of Srinivas Reddy. Anushka is the leading lady of this graphical fantasy flick

Radhika elected again as President

Radhika Sarathkumar has done it again and added yet another feather to her cap. She has been unanimously elected as the President of the Tamil Nadu Small Screen Producers Association. A few days back, an emergency meeting of the General Council was called by the Secretary of the Association, Sankar and the decision was made.

It was felt that Radhika would be the perfect person to help small screen producers deal with their troubles as she has the experience and aptitude needed for the job. Incidentally, her husband, Sarathkumar is the Preseident of the South Indian Film Artistes Association.

Rajanna set to release on Dec 23

Nagarjuna and Sneha starring periodic film Rajanna will be releasing on December 23. The film is directed by Vijayendra Prasad and produced by Nagarjuna himself on Annapurna Studios. The makers said that the film will be released in record number of screens in Nagarjuna’s career. Rajamouli has shot the action episodes, songs and climax of the film. Currently, the film is in DTS mixing stages. The audio scored by Keearvani received good response among public. Rajanna is based on the life story of Telangana writer Suddala Hanumanthu.

Bunny ,Trivikram film first Schedule completed

We have earlier reported that Stylish Star Allu Arjun and Alluring dusky beauty Ileana is starring in a new film under most creative director Trivikram Srinivas’ direction. Yet to be titled film’s shooting is in full swing and the latest buzz is film’s first schedule is completed on Sunday.  Second Schedule of the film will be starting from 5th of next month. The same film faced opposition from Telangana protagonists when they stormed the shooting at Inon Hospital, KPHB, and Hyderabad. Some scenes of the film were shot on Allu Arjun, Ileana, Brahmanandam, Dharmavarapu Subhramanyam in Alluminum Factory, Hyderabad. Devi Sri Prasad is tuning mesmerizing music for the film produced by DVV.Daanayya.

Suresh Gopi dubbing film Detective

Famous Malayalam star Suresh Gopi is renowned for his Police Officer roles and some of them have had a great run even in Andhra Pradesh. Now one of his hit movies ‘Ayudham’ is being dubbed into Telugu as ‘Detective’.

The movie is about the story of a tough special branch Police Officer and his attempts to save the country from some dreaded terrorists. There are some very interesting scenes in the movie, including some bomb blast sequences which have been shot very well, says the Producer.

Detective is being readied for a release soon and the audio will be out in December. Kunireddy Srinivas has bought the Telugu rights of the movie. Kartheeka is the heroine opposite Suresh Gopi in this film. Music has been scored by Alphons Joseph and M.V.Nishad is the director.

Bellam konda to bag Kanchana-2 dubbing rights

Raghava Lawrence directorial venture ‘Kanchana’ was a super hit film in Tamil and Telugu. The film will be remade in Bollywood soon. Raghava Lawrence who went on record that he has taken ‘Kanchana’ with a sequel in mind is busty directing the sequel at present .Top tollywood producer Bellamkonda Suresh is in negotiations with the film makers to get the dubbing rights of the film and is said to have offered Rs.10crs. The film makers are keen to sell the rights for Rs.12croresAccording to sources Bellamkonda Suresh is sure to get the dubbing rights of ‘Kanchana-2′.
Raghava Lawrence is currently directing Prabhas, Tamanna and Deeksha Seth starrer Rebel. The film recently completed Hyderabad schedule.

Sneha in Rajini’s film

Sneha has landed a coveted role in Rajini’s new film, Kochadaiyaan. The actress will be playing Rajini’s sister in the film. She is very happy to be a part of project, Sneha said as it has long been a dream of hers to star in a Rajini film.

The film is to be directed by Soundarya Ashwin and will probably have AR Rahman as the music director. Anushka is being considered for the role. A few reports have surfaced suggesting that a Bollywood heroine may also be roped in.

Adhinayakudu audio In December

Nata Simha Nandamuri Balakrishna’s Ahinayakudu film along with three charming beauties Saloni, Lakshmi Rai and Charmi  is all set to sing extravagantly on Dec 25th. The film is directed by Parachuri Murali on Sri Keerti Creations banner. Kalyani Malik is scoring mesmerizing music for the film true to Natasimha’s style. The film is presently shooting in exotic locations with Balakrishna rendering his all famous dialogues that are all set to delight his fans. The film will be releasing on Jan 25th.

Kamal Haasan launches FICCI

The Media and Entertainment Business Conclave 2011 was launched today at Le Royal Meridien, Chennai. It is a two day meet and will provide a platform for those in the film industry, media, communications, and broadcasting industries. Kamal Haasan is the chairman of the event which has been arranged by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

The Governor of Tamil Nadu inaugurated the event and Trisha lit the ceremonial lamp. The actress was full of praise for Kamal Haasan and said that the industry could do with more people like him who are so passionate about films. On a more entertaining note, it was announced that Kamal Haasan will be performing in a drama with Ramesh Aravind and Crazy Mohan to be directed by K Balachander.

Mahanati Savithri Vajrotsava Jayanthi in Chennai

Mahanati Savithri Sahitya Samskruthika Kalapeetam Sankshema Sangam is going to organize an event on December 6th in Chennai in connection with 75th Jayanthi of Great actress Savitri. The organizers are going to felicitate Vijayawada politician Lagadapati Rajagopal’s wife social worker Lagadapati Padmasri with Savithri Award. The organization is planning to launch a Mahanati-2 DVD in this event. The event organizers stated that, “We are going to felicitate several social workers and film celebrities along with Lagadapati Padmasri. We are planning to organize this event grandly.”

Allu Arjun Simbhu does samething

Simbu has signed up as a brand ambassador for seven up, a popular soft drink. He is shooting an ad for it currently, which was why filming of Vettai Mannan which had been scheduled for November 28th at Binny Mills had to be postponed to December 9th.

Stylish Star, Allu Arjun popular Telugu star is also endorsing this brand and he is also shooting the ad. Coincidentally, Simbu also appeared in the Tamil remake of Allu Arjun’s Vedam.

The Business Man audio on Dec 22nd in 3 languages

The audio of The Business Man starring Mahesh Babu and Kajal under the direction of Puri Jagannadh is going to be released in three languages – Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam, at the same time. Dr Venkat of RR Movie Makers is producing this prestigious film . Currently the shooting of the film is going on at RFC. ‘Businessman’ will hit theaters worldwide on January 11th as Sankranti gift. The special attraction of this film is the theme song sung by Mahesh and Puri Jagan. The dialogues in ‘Businessman’ are likely to become more popular than the ones in ‘Pokiri’. According to makers, ‘Businessman’ will be a turning point to Mahesh Babu in his career.

Hrithrik emerged as Asia’s sexiest Man

Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan has emerged as the sexiest Asian Man in the World of the year 2011.According to a survey conducted by the Eastern Eye Weekly, Hrithik, 37, beat off tough competition from high profile stars to top the 50-strong list. The popular A-list actor won by the biggest ever margin in the history of the men’s list to topple last year’s winner Ranbir Kapoor, who finished sixth. Hrithik, who was third last year, got votes from all over the world from fans of different ages and cultures via social networking sites like Twitter. Other big named new entries included Abhishek Bachchan at 17, Prateik Babbar at 20, Ajay Devgn at 29 and Farhan Akhtar at 34.The highest placed Pakistani was once again Ali Zafar at 5, the highest placed British star was Jay Sean (9) and the highest placed sportsman was World Boxing champion Amir Khan (10).Other notable names in the list are John Abraham (7), Akshay Kumar (9), Arjun Rampal (11), actor Imran Khan (12), Saif Ali Khan (13), Atif Aslam (16), Riz Ahmed (21), Siddhartha Mallya (31), Mahendra Dhoni (33), Aamir Khan (35), Zaheer Khan (39) and hip hop star Shizzio (46).

Venky Bodyguard except song shooting completed

Venkatesh’s forthcoming film Ganga- Bodyguard shooting has been completed except for a song. Trisha is romancing Venkatesh in this movie. Gopichand Mallineni of Don Seenu fame is directing the film while Bellamkonda Suresh is producing it under Sri Sai Ganesh Productions banner. The film is expected to release on January 12, 2012 for pongal. The film has high expectations as Venkatesh-Trisha’s earlier films like Adavari Matalaku Arthale Verule was a big success. After Bodyguard, Venkatesh’s next film in the direction of Meher Ramesh will begin in January. Paruchuri Prasad will produce the movie under Untied Movies banner.

Anushka boldly dons the role of sister-in-law

Even though our heroines are above 30 years of age, they will take to the heels if they are offered sister or sister-in-law roles. They are worried about their image. But Anushka has boldly agreed to don the role of sister-in-law of Mahesh Babu in a Telugu film.

In the Telugu film titled Seethamma Vakitlo sirimalle Chettu , Venkatesh and Mahesh Babu are donning the role of brothers. Venkatesh is donning the role of the elder brother while Mahesh Babu dons the role of a younger brother. Samantha has been signed to pair with Mahesh Babu.
When the other heroines were approached to pair with Venkatesh, all of them refused. The reason is that if they pair with Venkatesh, they have to don the role of Mahesh Babu sister-in-law. So finally the director approached Anushka and narrated her the story. Anushka immediately gave her nod. That is the reason Anushka is always considered the darling of the film industry.

Tapsee in Bollywood film opp Siddharth

Punjabi Kudi, Delhi Doll Tapsee who scorched the screen even in her traditional attire in ‘Mogudu’ is all set to make her bollywood debut with Siddharth in a film titled ‘Chashme Buddoor’. This is Siddharth’s second bollywood film after he struck the industry as ‘Striker’. The film is said to be remake of bollywood’s golden classic “Chashme Buddoor’ of 1981. The film unit will be shooting some of its scenes in exotic locations of Goa starting from Dec 4th and Tapsee is flying to Goa to shoot for the film. This schedule will be completed by 20th of December ‘Chashme Buddoor’ features bollywood bigwig’s like Rishi Kapoor, Sonu Nigam, Ali Zafar, etc.

RGV said Chaitu is better than Nag

Controversial director Ram Gopal Varma who stepped into the shoes of producer for the film Bezawada is quite impressed with the maturity levels in the acting sense of Naga Chaitanya. Comparing Nagarjuna and Naga Chaitanya, RGV stated that, “Nagarjuna is 15 films old when he acted in Shiva while Naga Chaitanya is 3 films old till now. I feel that Naga Chaitanya is more matured actor than that of Nag at the time of Shiva. Hence Naga Chaitanya is better actor than his father. I just hope Nagarjuna doesn’t come after me with a cycle chain.

Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu Svsc In Vizag

The first true multi starrer in the Telugu Industry in a long long time, Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu, is going to commence production from Dec 15th and we have learnt that the first song will be shot on Venkatesh in Visakhapatnam. Victory Venkatesh and Prince Mahesh Babu are starring in this movie.

The heroine opposite Venkatesh has still not been confirmed despite several names floating around. A formal announcement and confirmation is awaited from the makers.

Mahesh Babu is going to join the shoot from January. Srikanth Addala is the director of this movie and Dil Raju is the producer. Mickey J Meyer is scoring the music for this film.

The movie is said to be a complete family entertainer. Mahesh Babu and Venkatesh will be seen as brothers. Prakash Raj will be seen as their father

Manchu Vishnu blessed with twins

There is double happiness in manchu family with actor Vishnu Manchu becoming a proud father of twins. Aunt Manchu Lakshmi feels the twins are unidentical. One looks like the Manchu scion while the other has taken the looks of her mother.

Vishnu’s wife Veronica gave birth to two baby girls at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. The entire manchu family, headed by Mohan Babu was in US at the time of delivery. Mother and the twins are well, according to information reaching here.

Mohan Babu, Lakshmi Manchu and Veronica had informed the news on the micro-blogging site. “I thank God for the immense love he has showered upon me thru my life & I pray that he continues to show the same love & more to my angels,” tweeted Veronica.

Aunt Lakshmi tweeted, ‘most magical day. And my two “new” angels are beautiful and healthy. Baby 1 looks like the Manchus and baby 2 just like mommy.”

Vishnu has left for USA taking break from his next film to be with his wife during the delivery and the arrivals has lit up the entire family.

Naga Chaitanya Bezawada day 1 collections

Director Ram Gopal Varma’s latest production Bezawada has opened to divide talk. The first day collections of the movie are quite decent in territories like Krishna, Guntur, and Vishakhapatnam. The film received very average collection in crucial Nizam and Ceded areas. As per reports, the film has collected Rs 2.18 crore on its opening day has brought smiles to its makers.

Tom Cruise flies to Agra, Anil an accomplice in mission

Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise, who is in India to promote the fourth installment of his “Mission Impossible” franchise, has squeezed in a special visit on his chock-a-block itinerary — the Taj Mahal in Agra. And guess who accompanied him in this mission? Co-star Anil Kapoor.

Cruise landed in Delhi early Saturday and headed straight to the Leela Palace, Chanakyapuri. He stayed at the hotel’s exquisite Maharaja suite, which has a personal gym, jacuzzi and is one of the most expensive suites in the country, said sources.

From there, the 49-year-old left for Agra with his “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” co-star Anil Kapoor. The international star would be staying in Oberoi Amar Villas in the Taj city.

Kapoor is also set to co-host a party for Cruise along with Viacom 18 in Mumbai Saturday night.

The bash would be a private 150-guest affair at the Taj Rooftop, Colaba. However, some Bollywood’s A-listers like Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan would not be seen at the bash as they are either out of town or have expressed their inability to join in.

The only Khan superstar at the bash would be Aamir.

Pawan Kalyan Told not joining twitter

Power Star Pawan Kalyan stated in a recet interview that he is not interested to join twitter unlike other heroes. The star opined that there is no point in sharing things like Back from shooting, today I’m sitting idle relaxing for a while, etc. He also said that we will lie and forget what we say when we return from a busy shooting schedule. The actor also said on a funny note that the director of Johnny has cheated him. Johnny is being directed by Pawan Kalyan and that is his first movie as a director. He said that he has a wish to act in 100 films. The interview is hilarious and we find a jovial Pawan Kalyan sharing his experiences.

Jayasudha plays Balayya’s grandmother!

Natural Actor Jayasudha is all set to play the role of a grandmother to hero Nandamuri Balakrishna in his forthcoming film Aadhinayakudu. But she defends the rationale in the role saying that it spans across 3 generations and she gets to the grandmother’s role after being shown as a wife in the 1st generation, who becomes mother to a 2nd generation and a grandmother to the third. The linking factor through this legacy is Balayya who appears in three roles. For the record Jayasudha was born in 1958, while Balakrishna was born in 1960. While she made her film debut in 1972, NBK made his in 1974 as a child artiste under Ramakrishna Cine Studios banner. It was in 1984 however that he had his first full fledged role as a hero in the film Sahasamae Jeevitham.

Amithab denied the rumors on Beti B

It is well known that the gorgeous pair of India Abhishek Bachan and Aishwarya Rai was blessed with a daughter on November 16th. Recently rumors rounded in internet and media regarding the selling of Beti B’s pictures like that of the Hollywood style. Finally Amithab opened his voice through his micro-blogging site twitter and tweeted that, “Media trying to build up story of sale of baby picture…ha ha ha … good try media, it will never happen….” It seems that a media group offered Rs.5Crores for the pictures but Bachchans sweetly denied that offer. At present Bachchans are busy searching an alluring name for Beti B.

Panjaa censor completed

Power Star Pawan Kalyan’s ‘Panjaa’ has completed its censor formalities and the same was conveyed by the makers of the movie. The formal certification is yet to be issued officially but sources say that a U/A certificate is reportedly being considered for the movie. The movie is now all set for a grand worldwide release on December 9th. Panjaa has been directed by noted Tamil Director Vishnuvardhan. Music has been composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and the audio album is already topping the charts. The movie is set in the city of Kolkata and Adivi Sesh is essaying the role of a villain in this movie.’ Panjaa is riding high on expectations and fans are expecting the movie to be a massive blockbuster. We will bring you more updates about the movie as and when they are available.

‘Virodhi’ selected for IFFI

Virodhi at IFFI Neelakanta directed Virodhi is the only Telugu film to be screened at the Indian Panorama section of on-going International Film Festival of India, Goa. 

It was selected out of 24 feature films from several languages. The film's producer Anil Meka and director Neelakantha are now at Goa for the screening. Produced by Srikanth's brother Anil Meka under the banner of Meka Media, Virodhi is a drama based on naxalism.

It tries to highlight its naxalism good and bad sides in the fight against the system. Srikanth plays a journalist who is kidnapped by naxalites.

Jr. NTR rejects Ileana in upcoming Boyapati Sreenu directed Dammu

Jr. NTR recently grabbed the headlines when he refused to work with Taapasee in upcoming Boyapati Sreenu directed Dammu. Producer K.S. Rama Rao suggested Taapasee's name for Dammu, after actress-singer Shruti Haasan walked out of the film.
               This time, he has refused Ileana. Reportedly, producer Bandla Ganesh suggested Ileana's name, but the actor thumbed down the proposal, bluntly asking for an alternative in this proposed film, directed by Seenu Vytla. The film is expected to roll in February next year. It is heard that Jr. NTR took this decision because of his bitter experience with the actress during their last film Shakti. "He will think twice before working with her again, since she used to throw a lot of tantrums during Shakti, which irked the actor," a source revealed.

Colors Swathi at Sangharshana Successmeet Pics