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ReviewJames may appear tad cliched for some but it shines through as a sincere ode to the legacy of Puneeth Rajkumar and his ever-growing fandom.ShuklajiSCREENGRAB/ YOUTUBEIt wouldn't be unfair to say that only a few films in the history of Indian cinema have carried the emotional bearing that Chethan Kumar's James has. For the many million fans of the late Puneeth Rajkumar, March 17 had been marked as a day of cathartic expression, one that transcended the usual celebrations surrounding a release and instead captured their boundless love and adoration for a star and his imperishable legacy. And 'James', the film, becomes that grand last hurrah as it gets fittingly released in cinema halls on the birth anniversary of the Powerstar. "The world is divided into three types of markets," beckons the narrator's voice as we are introduced to the world of James at the beginning of the film.

Sandalwood In this posthumous release, Puneeth will be seen as a security agent who takes charge of a squad to take down the mafia. Tnm StaffScreengrab/ YouTubeThe teaser of the Kannada movie James, which features late Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar in the lead, was unveiled on February 11. The film will be released posthumously, after Puneeth’s sudden death in October 2021. The trailer opens with the quote: “Emotions are bigger than business”, followed by shots of business meetings, cityscapes and action sequences. The teaser indicates that James revolves around the mafia and the underworld, and a high-stakes situation. Puneeth will be seen as Santhosh, a security agent, who takes charge of a squad to take down a mafia racket. He is introduced as someone whose guts and intuition are part of his trademark. The teaser ends with a conversation between the villain and Puneeth. When the former says, “There are no records of my rivals winning,...

SandalwoodRaghavendra Rajkumar took a hiatus from donning the greasepaint for a long time before staging a comeback with 'Ammana Mane'.Digital NativeHaving made a successful comeback and picking some of the best projects, Kannada actor Raghavendra Rajkumar’s star brothers, Shiva Rajkumar and Puneeth Rajkumar wished him all the best. Raghavendra Rajkumar took a hiatus from donning the greasepaint for a long time before staging a comeback with Ammana Mane. Adapted from the book Sri Lalithe, the film was directed by Nikhil Manjoo Lingaiah and bankrolled by Smt Atmasri and R S Kumar under the banners Sri Lalithe Chitralaya and Nisarga Creations. The film’s technical crew included Swami Googaredoddi for cinematography, Nitesh Kumar B for editing. The star cast included Rohini Nagesh, Sheetal Hemanth, Manasi Sudhir, Suchendra Prasad, Nikhil Manjoo, Chaitra, and Tabla Nani. This family drama, released last year, fetched Raghavendra Rajkumar the coveted Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor.

Interview Indrajit says that he has attempted to tell Shakeela's story of rags to riches to rags from a humane perspective.Sanjana DeshpandeIndrajit Lankesh has returned to film direction after five years. His latest venture Shakeela, starring Richa Chadha and Pankaj Tripathi, will be releasing in theatres on December 25. The film is a biopic based on the life of south Indian actor Shakeela who garnered fame in the Malayalam cinema industry in the 90s. The film will be released in five languages: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. The director, who is already working on adapting his father P. Lankesh’s award winning story for his next venture, said that people raised eyebrows when he decided to make this biopic. But, Lankesh was determined to tell Shakeela's story to the world. In an interview with Tnm, Indrajit says that he has attempted to tell her story of rags to...

SandalwoodSwami Googaredoddi will also handle the camera work for the film, which is titled ‘Rajatantra’.Digital NativeDigital NativeKannada actor Raghavendra Rajkumar, brother of stars Shiva Rajkumar and Puneeth Rajkumar, stayed away from the arc lights for a long time before staging a comeback with Ammana Mane. Adapted from a book by Sri Lalithe, the film was directed by Nikhil Manjoo Lingaiah and bankrolled by Atmasri and Rs Kumar under the banners Sri Lalithe Chitralaya and Nisarga Creations. The film’s technical crew included Sameera Kulkarni for cinematography, Swami Googaredoddi for cinematography, and Nitesh Kumar B for editing. The star cast included Rohini Nagesh, Sheetal Hemanth, Manasi Sudhir, Suchendra Prasad, Nikhil Manjoo, Chaitra and Tabla Nani. This family drama, released last year, fetched Raghavendra Rajkumar the coveted Karnataka State Film Awards for Best Actor. According to the latest reports, Raghavendra Rajkumar and the cinematographer of Ammana Mane, Swami Googaredoddi, will be...

SandalwoodRumours were rife that their son has been named Ayush, but Radhika has quashed it.Digital NativeDigital NativeThe star couple in Sandalwood, Yash and Radhika Pandit, welcomed their second child last year and since then there have been various speculations on the name. Rumours were rife that their son has been named Ayush, but Radhika has quashed it. Quelling such reports, Radhika wrote on her social media page: “Morning dose of happiness Replying to one of the most asked questions.. Finally Junior is getting a name soon!! Will keep u guys updated #radhikapandit #nimmaRP P.S: His name is not Ayush. (sic).” View this post on Instagram Morning dose of happiness Replying to one of the most asked questions.. Finally Junior is getting a name soon!! Will keep u guys updated #radhikapandit #nimmaRP P.S: His name is not Ayush. A post shared by Radhika Pandit (@iamradhikapandit) on Aug 23, 2020 at 10:50pm Pdt This means,...

SandalwoodThe story of this romantic entertainer will reportedly revolve around black magic.Digital NativeDigital NativeThe upcoming Kannada film with the unusual title of Sakuchi is based on a real-life incident, we hear. Reports say that the film’s director Ashok S had experienced some of the incidents shown in the film and has woven it into an interesting tale. Actor Trivikrama, who made a transition from the small screen to the silver screen, plays the male lead in this romantic entertainer, whose story will revolve around black magic. Model-turned-actor Diana Mary will be seen playing his love interest. Sumana Rao and Manjunath Rao have been roped in to play important roles in this flick. Sakuchi is bankrolled by Ashwin BC, Madhukar J and Mahaveer under their banner. The film’s technical crew comprises Ganesh Govindaswamy for music and Anand Sundaresha for cinematography. The film is under progress and will hit...

ReviewA first-of-its-kind attempt in Sandalwood, director Dayal Padmanabhan’s film deserves to be lauded for the responsible portrayal of a sensitive issue.Aravind ShwethaYouTube screenshotThe Nirbhaya incident in 2012 shook the conscience of the entire nation. It’s been almost 7 years, but the brutal rape and assault of the young woman still sends shivers down one’s spine. Two weeks after the heinous incident, the braveheart breathed her last. What if she had survived? What if she had to wake up every day and face society and the rude comments, the sympathy, victimisation and more? Ranganayaki: Volume 1 – Virginity explores this angle. Ranganayaki (Aditi Prabhudeva) is a practical, independent, content woman working as a music teacher. She has a good job, good friends and a man who loves her unconditionally (Trivikram). She also has a ‘secret admirer’ in Krishnamurthy (Mg Srinivasa). When Ranganayaki and Trivikram get engaged, Krishnamurthy is heartbroken. After the engagement,...

SandalwoodThe film is modern in its thought, execution and portrayal of characters, including the cameos. Aravind ShwethaOn one side there are filmmakers exploring different subjects to bring to the silver screen. Then there are a crop of makers who have stuck to the formula of making films around subjects that are tried and tested before. Aadi-Lakshmi Purana is an example of the latter. Call it a cliché, but the romcom is one of the most popular genres among the young and old alike. So, it is savored and accepted warmly, as long as it is served tastefully with the right elements. Aadi Lakshmi Purana is a whimsical film that stands out for numerous reasons. Just because the title has "purana" in it, the audience need not fret about it being another age-old story. The film is contemporary in its thought, execution and portrayal of characters, including the cameos. Aadi (Nirup Bhandari...

SandalwoodDirector Mounesh Badiger’s choice to debut with this film is praiseworthy but the narrative and pace are a let-down.Aravind ShwethaA stitch in time saves nine. For the stitch to save nine, it has to be sewn with a strong thread and an equally strong needle. Even if either fails, the stitch becomes useless. Experimental films are the flavour of this season and the makers of Soojidaara seem have caught the buzz right. Soojidaara, featuring Hariprriya, new face Yashwanth Shetty and other talented actors, had created a lot of buzz online with its trailer. But we can’t always judge the movie by its trailer, right? The Padmashree award given to a renowned poet goes missing. Protagonist Yashwanth Shetty is on the run and finds shelter in a housing colony in Chitradurga town. The colony is home to different individuals who are struggling to find their own identities. Yashwanth...

SandalwoodVeteran star Raghavendra Rajkumar’s comeback film touches upon several issues faced by lower middleclass families.Aravind ShwethaAmmana Mane could not have gotten a better release date than Women’s Day, for the movie revolves around the three most important women in the hero’s life – mother, wife and daughter. This comeback film of veteran star Raghavendra Rajkumar had upped the ante with its intriguing trailer. However, the makers had sent a clear message that this would be an engaging, meaningful film and not a commercial potboiler for entertainment lovers. The film stands by it. Born with a deformity, Rajeeva (Raghavendra Rajkumar) is thin and frail. This upsets his father who gives his wife (Rohini Nagesh) an ultimatum to choose between the ailing baby and him. Rohini chooses the former, determined to make her son an independent man. He cannot walk or talk fast, so she stands by him throughout.

Sandalwood The actor said the movie, just like its prequel, would be a laugh riot Digital NativeGurunandan is upbeat about his movie Raju Kannada Medium hitting the silver screens soon. Happy over the way the film has shaped up, the actor has said that it would be a complete laugh riot just as its prequel 1st Rank Raju, which was a big success. While Gurunandan plays the main lead in the film, it also has Kiccha Sudeep in a pivotal role. According to the filmmakers, Sudeep’s character will be introduced post interval and will be seen till the end. On sharing the screen space with the top actor, Gurunandan said that working with him was a pleasurable experience and he got to learn a lot. Written and directed by Naresh Kumar, who had also directed the prequel, Raju Kannada Medium stars Avantika Shetty as the female lead. Others in the star cast also include Ashika Ranganath, Achyuth Kumar, Suchendra Prasad and Sadhu Kokila in supporting roles. Kiran Ravindranath has composed music for this venture with Shekar Chandra cranking the camera and Giri Mahesh editing it. Gurunandan, a popular TV actor, shot to limelight for starring in the soap Lakumi. He forayed into the film industry with Cyber Yugadol Navayuva Prema Kavyam in 2014 and tasted biggest success with 1st Rank Raju released the next year. On his acting career, Gurunandan had told in an interview that his entry into the film industry came without a godfather and he did not have any film background. Produced by Ka Suresh under his banner Suresh Arts, the film is scheduled for release on January 19th. 2018. It may be mentioned here that film had its share of negative publicity with heroine Avantika Shetty claiming that she was treated unfairly by the filmmakers, particularly producer Ka Suresh and filed a legal complaint. However, the issue was resolved with the Producers’ Council stepping in and settling it amicably.