News

2020 was especially cruel to our entertainment industry. One by one, we lost Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor, (music composer) Wajid Khan, Basu Chatterjee, Sushant Singh Rajput, Saroj Khan, Jagdeep, S. P Balasubramaniam, Soumitra Chatterjee, and Nishikant Kamat.

Nishikant Kamat’s going; I took it personally. Though I had never met him, we shared a certain bonding. Whenever he called, he would speak in that soft, respectful voice and tell me that I should not mind if he doesn’t respond to my messages immediately as he travelled a lot.

I first reached out to Nishikant after I saw his directorial debut, that exceptional Marathi film Dombivali West in 2005, which was quickly remade into Tamil as Evano Oruvan with Madhavan in the lead. Nishikant quickly became a successful director in Bollywood. But he hardly had any friends in the Mumbai film industry except John Abraham, with whom he did the successful Force and Rocky Handsome.

Kamal Haasan Starrer Gunaa Re-Release(Photo Credit – YouTube)

The Kamal Haasan starrer 1991 Tamil psychological romantic drama Gunaa is all set to re-release on the big screen. Over the years, the movie received a cult status because of its unique storytelling and honest performances. Needless to say, it is nothing less than a treat for all the fans of the superstar who will get to experience the movie soon on the big screen.

Gunaa Plot

The plot of the Kamal Haasan starrer revolves around a man named Gunaa (Kamal Haasan), who has been recently released from the psychiatric hospital. Because of his vulnerable mental health, he is delusional and believes to have a wife who is the avatar of Goddess Abhirami. He meets an heiress, Rohini (Roshini), whom he thinks is his destined wife, and kidnaps her. Despite this, a romance blossoms between the two.

When Will Gunaa Re-Release?

The Kamal...

Fall is the season for a glow up. So why should your playlist fall behind? We all have those songs that we would sell a kidney for, just to listen for the first time again. Favourites are constant in a person’s life. But that does not mean you cannot rediscover some timeless music along with some new hits. And if that comes tailored in the form of a list, then who’s to argue?

Music can quite literally be called the soul of South India, yet some find it difficult to move on from their all time repeats. But don’t worry, we have specially curated this list to fit into your playlist! So sit back and enjoy the vibes of our picks for the fall.

Vethalai: Resonating within the street singers and musicians of Tamil Nadu, Vethalai amalgamates the best of the North and the South. In a...

Playback singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya – of 1990s era – has revealed that the song ‘Wada Raha Sanam’ was not intended for him but for legendary singer S P Balasubrahmanyam. Abhijeet appeared on the stage of ‘Indian Idol 14’ for an episode themed ‘Abhijeet’s Challenge’.

Ananya Pal from Kolkata, who is known for the ‘Mishti Dhoi’ voice, performed beautiful renditions of, of ‘Waada Raha Sanam’ and ‘Zara Sa Jhoom Loon Main’ songs both originally sung by Abhijeet from the movies ‘Khiladi’ and ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, respectively.

Impressed by Ananya’s singing style, and sharing interesting insights about the song ‘Wada Raha Sanam’, Abhijeet said: “The song ‘Wada Raha Sanam’ does not appear to be intended for me. Champak Jain, the owner of Venus Records Music, is no longer with us; nonetheless, he is a dear friend and I consider him as my Godfather.”

“This was Venus’s debut picture, and Akshay Kumar,...

New Delhi, Nov 12 (Ians) The festivities are on and the anticipation for the celebrations in the evening is building up as Diwali is here.

On this Diwali, here are our suggestions for the Top 10 movie tracks to celebrate the festival of lights with songs that can make you sing, dance, smile, or just put you in a great mood:

‘Deepavali Deepavali’ (‘Mudduni Maava’) – Perhaps the ultimate song for celebrating Diwali, this song from the 1993 Kannada film starring veteran actors Shashi Kumar, and Shruti in the lead role, is a timeless Diwali song. It was sung by the legendary actor and singer Dr. Rajkumar, alongside composer S.P Balasubrahmanyam, and Manjula Gururaja. However, this is sadly one of the most overlooked songs for Diwali. The go-to song for the celebrations, ‘Deepavali Deepavali’ is nonetheless a timeless song which is perfectly suited for the occasion.

‘Naatu Naatu’ (‘Rrr’) – While not a song of Diwali by itself,...

New Delhi, Nov 12 (Ians) The festivities are on and the anticipation for the celebrations in the evening is building up as Diwali is here.

On this Diwali, here are our suggestions for the Top 10 movie tracks to celebrate the festival of lights with songs that can make you sing, dance, smile, or just put you in a great mood:

‘Deepavali Deepavali’ (‘Mudduni Maava’) – Perhaps the ultimate song for celebrating Diwali, this song from the 1993 Kannada film starring veteran actors Shashi Kumar, and Shruti in the lead role, is a timeless Diwali song. It was sung by the legendary actor and singer Dr. Rajkumar, alongside composer S.P Balasubrahmanyam, and Manjula Gururaja. However, this is sadly one of the most overlooked songs for Diwali. The go-to song for the celebrations, ‘Deepavali Deepavali’ is nonetheless a timeless song which is perfectly suited for the occasion.

‘Naatu Naatu’ (‘Rrr’) – While not a song of Diwali by itself,...

Actress Bhagyashree, who is set to grace the stage of talent reality show ‘India’s Got Talent’ season 10, will be left amazed by the innovative act of ‘The Art’ on the song ‘Mere Rang Mein Rangne Wali’, and called it an amazing performance. The song ‘Mere Rang Mein Rangne Wali’, sung by S P Balasubrahmanyam, is from the 1989 romantic musical film ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, directed by Sooraj Barjatya.

It was the debut movie of Bhagyashree, alongside actor Salman Khan.

This weekend the show will be high on entertainment and emotions as it will get its ‘Top 6’ Finalists.

And, making the semi-finale an entertaining affair will be the cast of ‘Sajini Shinde Ka Viral Video’ — Bhagyashree, Nimrat Kaur and Radhika Madan, who will not only be promoting their film, but will also motivate the semi-finalists in the Saturday episode.

‘The Art’ will impress one and all with their sizzling act on ‘Mere...

Actress Bhagyashree, who is set to grace the stage of talent reality show ‘India’s Got Talent’ season 10, will be left amazed by the innovative act of ‘The Art’ on the song ‘Mere Rang Mein Rangne Wali’, and called it an amazing performance. The song ‘Mere Rang Mein Rangne Wali’, sung by S P Balasubrahmanyam, is from the 1989 romantic musical film ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, directed by Sooraj Barjatya.

It was the debut movie of Bhagyashree, alongside actor Salman Khan.

This weekend the show will be high on entertainment and emotions as it will get its ‘Top 6’ Finalists.

And, making the semi-finale an entertaining affair will be the cast of ‘Sajini Shinde Ka Viral Video’ — Bhagyashree, Nimrat Kaur and Radhika Madan, who will not only be promoting their film, but will also motivate the semi-finalists in the Saturday episode.

‘The Art’ will impress one and all with their sizzling act on ‘Mere...

EntertainmentMaitreyi, who plays Devi Vishwakumar in the popular Netflix series, dances to ‘Sami Sami’ song from the movie Pushpa.By Niha U Actor Rashmika has reacted to the dance of Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in the popular Never Have I Ever show, calling it a “stunner.” Maitreyi who plays Devi Vishwakumar, a teenager of Tamil origin, in the Netflix series performs to the ‘Sami Sami’ song from the movie Pushpa: The Rise in the final episode of the delightful series. Pushpa stars actors Rashmika and Allu Arjun. Reacting to the dance performed by Maitreyi, Rashmika wrote, “stunner! you did sooooo gooooooddddd. sending you full love.” Overjoyed by the appreciation, Maitreyi replied, “I will Never have imposter syndrome about dancing again. Thank you so much @iamRashmika.” I will Never have imposter syndrome about dancing again. Thank you so much @iamRashmika ❤️ https://t.co/ErpZRe72Wg — Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (@ramakrishnannn) June 9, 2023 The dance video from...

Bsf Jawan Chakrapani, who serves at the India-Pakistan border, recently attended aha’s Telugu Indian Idol auditions, showcasing his passion for music and dedication to serving his country.

During his audition, Chakrapani shared how he had no prior knowledge of music but learned to sing while on duty at the border. He spoke about how singing helped him cope with the challenging conditions of serving in a remote location with no mobile network or access to other facilities.

Chakrapani sang the popular song ‘Aakasham Thaakelaa’ rendered by late Sp Balasubramaniam in the Telugu hit movie ‘Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana’.

His dedication to learning music in such challenging circumstances left the judges and the audience in awe. S.S. Thaman, one of the judges, commended Chakrapani for his commitment to music and service to the nation.

After listening to his performance, Singer Karthik was moved to give Chakrapani a ‘Yes’ for his talent, but to everyone’s surprise,...

A video featuring Canadian rapper Drake and Lil Wayne performing on late Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar’s iconic number ‘Didi Tera Devar Deewana’ from the popular 1994 Bollywood film ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun…’ at a concert has gone viral. However, it is not clear if the video is authentic.

A user shared a clip of the two rappers and wrote as the caption: “Drake and Lil Wayne showing respect to Lata Mangeshkar, history in the making for the desi community.”

The clip features Drake mixing his songs with ‘Didi Tera Devar Deewana’ originally picturised on Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit Nene.

The clip has received a mix response and some even claim its fake. Some went on to drop hilarious comments saying that the DJ was Indian.

One user said that “I was at this show and this never happened.”

‘Didi Tera Devar Deewana’ was sung by Lata Mangeshkar and S.P. Balasubrahmanyam...

RecognitionA prolific musician, Ilaiyaraaja has composed more than 7,000 songs in over 1,400 movies, primarily in Tamil.Tnm StaffIlaiyaraaja/ FacebookVeteran music composer from Tamil Nadu Ilaiyaraaja, who is fondly known as Maestro and Isaignaani by fans, has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President. The announcement was made on Wednesday, July 6 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who took to social media to share a photo with the music composer. The Pm spoke about the latter’s contribution to film music. “The creative genius of @ilaiyaraaja Ji has enthralled people across generations. His works beautifully reflect many emotions. What is equally inspiring is his life journey- he rose from a humble background and achieved so much. Glad that he has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha,” the tweet read. Twelve members are nominated by the President for a term of six years. These nominees, selected on the advice of the Prime Minister,...

Entertainment'Ms Marvel' is the first series from Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that revolves around a Muslim superhero. Tnm StaffScreengrab/ Twitter, YouTubeThe latest addition to American superhero franchise Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is Ms Marvel which is the first MCU show to feature a Muslim protagonist in the lead. The story revolves around Kamala, played by Iman Vellani, a 16-year-old Pakistani-American from Jersey city. The show was released on June 6 on streaming platform Disney Plus hotstar. Much to fans’ amusement, the show has plenty of references to South Asian culture, and Indian cinema in particular. Examples include scenes that had references about Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and actor Fawad Khan, and Farhan Akhtar being roped in as part of the cast. Tamil audiences who watched the show, took to social media to share that they were thrilled to see music composer Ar Rahman’s song from superstar Rajinikanth’s 2014 Tamil...

Anders Refn’s WWII saga “Into the Darkness” (Denmark) and Ko Chen-Nien’s abuse drama “The Silent Forest” (Taiwan) won the major prizes at the 51st International Film Festival of India in Goa.

“Into The Darkness” won the Golden Peacock for best film. The award carries a cash prize of Inr 4 million. The Silver Peacock for best director went to Ko, for “The Silent Forest.” The award comes with a cash prize of Inr 1.5 million.

Liu Tzu-Chuan won best actor, male, for “The Silent Forest,” while Zofia Stafiej won best actor, female, for her role in Piotr Domalewski’s comedy-drama “I Never Cry” (Poland).

Kamin Kalev won the special jury award for drama “February” (Bulgaria/France). Cassio Pereira dos Santos won best debut for trans coming-of-age film “Valentina” (Brazil). Indian director Kripal Kalita was given a special mention for for Assamese-language film “Bridge.”

The International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication Unesco Gandhi Award,...

Famed playback singer and Padma awardee S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, popular as SPB or Balu in the movie world, who recorded over 40,000 songs in 16 languages over a period of five decades, died on Friday afternoon, his son S.P. Charan said.

Speaking briefly to the media outside the MGM Healthcare Hospital, Charan said Balasubrahmanyam passed away at 1.04 p.m. and thanked the hospital officials for the treatment and service.

He said further details will be shared later.

In a statement issued on Friday the hospital said: "In a further setback this morning, despite maximal life support measures and the best efforts of the clinical team, his condition deteriorated further and he suffered a cardio-respiratory arrest. With profound grief, we regret to inform that he has passed away on September 25 at 13.04 hours."

The hospital said, Balasubrahmanyam was on life support measures since Aug 14 for severe Covid-19 pneumonia.

On August 5, in a Facebook post,...

A feud like this is rather unfortunate! Things aren’t well between two of the southern film industry and perhaps the country’s two music giants, if recent reports are to go by! Recently, singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam made a revelation on facebook where he explained composer Ilaiyaraaja had sent him a copyright infringement notice, following which, the singer can’t perform the legendry maestro’s songs in any tour. The singer, who gave voice to many of Salman Khan’s hit songs in the 90’s talked about how he and his team were met with this ‘legal’ notice. The singer is on a worldwide tour and also explained that he would be avoiding crooning any of Illayraaja’s hit songs to avoid any further trouble. S.P.B tells his trouble S.P. Balasubrahmanyam shared this post on facebook : He further asked his followers to not categorise the news as...

India’s biggest celebration of music, The Global Indian Music Academy (GiMA) has unveiled its most illustrious nominee list for the year. Only the most outstanding in the industry have the honor of receiving a GiMAnomination, with only the finest getting a chance to walk awaywith the most coveted music award in India- the GiMA award.

For the film category, Bajirao Mastani bagged the maximum nominations by receiving a nod in nine categories. Following closely with seven nominations is the super hit movie Tamasha and Roy with six.

Global music icon A.R. Rahman has been nominated for his incredible work as music director in Tamasha and Arijit Singh features prominently on the list for his playback singing.

Sabbas Joseph, Director – Wizcraft International said, “Every year with the Gionee Colors GiMA Awards, we aspire to bring forth newer talent and recognize true achievements in the music industry. This year we have...

Lingaa is a highly anticipated Tamil thriller starring South Indian legend Rajinikanth in a double role. Also starring Sonakshi Sinha, Jagpati Babu and Anushka Shetty, the film has been directed by K.S. Ravikumar and is in cinemas now. The Hindi version of the music has been composed by renowned musician A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by legendary writer Gulzar. So does the music to Lingaa has anything interesting to offer? Read on to see what we thought of it.

To kick start the album we have ‘Ranga Ranga,’ sung by the legendary S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and Jaspreet Jasz. The song is upbeat throughout and has a blend of instruments such as the trumpet, drums and the guitar; with a chorus to accompany the composition also. This one is not a bad attempt by Rahman, but I think for me personally it just does not have any catch to it. It was...

Chennai, March 13: After impressing audiences and critics alike in Telugu drama "Mithunam", veteran actors S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and Lakshmi, will be seen together in upcoming Tamil film "Moondre Moondru Vaarthai".

"I was moved by their performance in 'Mithunam'. They were so naturally good in their roles that it prompted me to have them in my film. They play the hero's grandparents and have good scenes together," the film's director Madhumita told Ians.

National award-winning actress Lakshmi and Balasubrahmanyam played an ageing couple in "Mithunam", a critically successful film by actor-director Tanikella Bharani.

"Moondre Moondru Vaarthai" is being produced by Balasubrahmanyam's son S.P. Charan under his home.

Chennai, Jan 20: S.P. Balasubrahmanyam's manager has refuted rumours that the legendary singer suffered breathing-related problems while performing in South Africa last week.

The singer took to the stage at the ongoing Indian International Film Festival of South Africa (Iiffsa) Saturday.

Balasubrahmanyam was there to receive the Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema Award as well as perform at the function.

"He was invited to South Africa to receive the award as well as perform. He didn't face any health-related problems there. He is doing fine and has urged all his fans to not believe in rumours," Harnath, the 68-year-old's manager, told Ians.

On Sunday, rumours had surfaced that Balasubrahmanyam had.

Chennai, Dec 31: Actor-filmmaker Tanikella Bharani along with singer-actor S.P. Balasubrahmanyam will attend the screening of their Telugu drama "Mithunam", which will be screened at the upcoming 2nd Indian International Film Festival of South Africa (Iiffsa).

Balasubrahmanyam plays the lead in the film opposite Lakshmi.

Iiffsa, a multi-city event, is scheduled to be held in Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg Jan 16-23, 2014.

"I'll be travelling to South Africa along with S.P.B (Balasubrahmanyam) sir to attend the screening of our film. We have already screened our film at the Chennai International.

Chennai, Nov 18: Veteran Tamil filmmaker K. Balachander will be felicitated with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to cinema here Dec 1 by Raindropss, a youth-based social organisation.

"K. Balachander will be awarded the lifetime achievement award for his contribution to cinema over the last few decades. The award will be handed over to him in the presence of luminaries from Tamil film fraternity such as A.R. Rahman, S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, and P. Manorama along with Chennai-based Indian cricketers R. Ashwin and K. Srikkanth," read a statement from Raindropss.

At the event, the social organisation will also launch an annual table top calendar 'Maatram Thedi - Be The Change 2014' on the occasion of World AIDS.

Chennai, Nov 15: Legendary singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam has crooned a special song for upcoming romantic-drama "Preminchali", the dubbed Telugu version of recent Tamil release "Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer". Producer Suresh Kondeti says the song will be a highlight of the film.

Kondeti, who had bought the dubbing rights of the film, plans to release it by November end or early December.

"The song was originally sung by Yuvan Shankar Raja, but I felt Balasubrahmanyam's voice would do complete justice to it in Telugu. Therefore, I approached him with the request to croon the song. He initially hesitated but after he read the lyrics of the Telugu version, he instantly agreed to sing it," Kondeti told Ians.

The song, "Jo.

Five years after the success of his directorial debut Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), Sooraj Barjatya made a phenomenal comeback with his next project Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994) under his family company Rajshri Productions. It is one of the most important films to have released in the history of Hindi Cinema and contributed towards a number of structural transformations within the industry itself, as you will come to discover in this article. Starring Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan in the leading roles, Hum Aapke Hain Koun is a family-oriented film which also starred Anupam Kher, Reema Lagoo, Alok Nath, Renuka Shahane and Mohnish Behl in pivotal roles. It is based on relationships and how they evolve; whether it is between family, friends or between two people who eventually come to form a more intimate relationship. It contains a masala of romance, comedy, drama, as well as a range of song and dance sequences throughout.

Chennai, Oct 7: The first song from upcoming Rajinikanth-starrer, the Tamil political drama "Kochadaiiyaan", was released online Monday. S.P. Balasubramanyam (Spb) has sung "Engage pogudho vaanam" and his effervescent vocals make the emotionally uplifting song a must hear.

Composed by A.R. Rahman, the song opens to grand orchestra-backed blaring horns with recurring percussion. The song is highly energetic but Rahman skillfully gives it a melodic touch by introducing different instrumental portions.

Spb breathes life into the song, written by Vairamuthu. Lines such as "Unadhu vaalal oru Suriyanai undakku" (defeat the sun with your sword) and "Vetri changoli endrume oyadhe oyadhe" (the siren of victory never rests) are highly.

Chennai, Oct 6: Some call it coincidence, but every time S.P. Balasubramanyam (Spb) has crooned the title track of a Rajinikanth-starrer, the song as well as the film have turned out to be a blockbuster. Now all eyes are set on the superstar's "Kochadaiiyaan".

The song from the movie is slated to release Monday.

"The song 'Engae pogudho vaanam' crooned by Spb, lyrics by Vairamuthu and music by A.R. Rahman will be released online tomorrow (Monday)," posted Sony Music on its Twitter page.

Over the years, Spb has crooned the title track for Rajinikanth's Tamil films such as "Baasha", "Muthu", "Arunachalam", "Padayappa", "Chandramukhi", "Sivaji" and "Enthiran". All the films were blockbusters.

Veteran filmmaker.

Chennai, July 7: Indo-Canadian vocalist Jonita Gandhi, who had the privilege of singing for superstar Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Chennai Express" along with singing legend S.P. Balasubramanyam (Spb), considers herself "lucky" and describes the experience as "unbelievable" and "special".

Jonita crooned the opening track called "Chennai Express" in the film with Spb.

"I still can't believe that my first song in Bollywood is for Shah Rukh Khan, and to sing that song alongside Spb sir makes the experience even more special. I think I was at the right place at the right time," Jonita told Ians.

Even though she couldn't record.

Mumbai, July 4: Veteran S.P. Balasubramaniam has sung the title track of forthcoming film "Chennai Express" and Shekhar Ravjiani of the Vishal-Shekhar duo, the track's composers, says the singer is 67 but sounds like a 20-year-old.

The decision to get Balasubramaniam was jointly taken by the composers, along with director Rohit Shetty and lead actor Shah Rukh Khan.

"We are big fans (of the singer) since many years. I asked Shah Rukh if we can do this, and he said, 'You can'. So we immediately got in touch with his manager in Chennai," Shekhar said here Wednesday at the music launch of the film.

"He is 67 years old, he has sung more than 37,000 songs and he sounds like a 20-year-old. He is unbelievable, one of the.

We continue our series paying tribute to the 100 years of the magical Hindi film industry. In take two of Framing Movies we shine the light on Salman Khan’s Maine Pyar Kiya.

Maine Pyar Kiya revolves around two old friends, Karan (Alok Nath) who is a poor mechanic and Kishan (Rajeev Verma) who is a wealthy businessman. Karan seeks his old friend to ask whether he would be able to put up his daughter in his home while he goes to work abroad in order to earn more money. Kishan complies and agrees to look after Karan’s daughter, Suman (Bhagyashree) who is a country girl. Kishan’s son, Prem (Salman Khan) becomes friendly with Suman and soon they spark up a friendship. Prem attends a party with Suman, held by his wealthy friends, they insult Suman and state she is out to marry Prem. Left in tears, Suman leaves...

Chennai, Feb 11: The heart-warming tale of an ageing couple in "Mithunam" has touched the hearts of viewers in such a big way that it has successfully completed 50 days' run at the box-office. Actor-filmmaker Tanikella Bharani gives credit to the lead actors and the writer for the success of the Telugu family-drama.

The film, about the marital relationship of two ageing couple, has only two characters, played by S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and Lakshmi Narayan.

Based on Sri Ramana's bestseller Telugu novel of the same name, it has been directed by Bharani and produced by Anand Muyida Rao.

"Who would've anticipated that.

Chennai, Jan 25: Southern playback singer Sreeramamurthy Janaki, known for chartbusters such as "Sirimallepoova" and "Mounamelanoyi", has been named for the Padma Bhushan award on the eve of 64th Republic Day.

The 74-year old veteran made her singing debut in 1957 Tamil film "Vidhiyin Vilayattu". She has crooned over 15,000 songs in a career spanning five decades across all southern languages and in Hindi.

She has a long association with singer S.P. Balasubramanyam. The two have sung more than 1,000 songs together.

She has won four National Awards and even the prestigious Tamil Nadu state award called "Kalamamani".

Ians...

Chennai, Jan 2: Veteran Telugu filmmaker Bapu aka Sattiraju Lakshmi Narayana, known for movies like "Sakshi", "Mutyala Muggu" and "Sri Rama Rajyam", says he was touched after watching the recently released Telugu family-drama "Mithunam".

"It's one of those rare films that don't come very often. It's a simple story which every married couple can relate to and must watch. I was completely touched by the performances of the actors in the film," Bapu told Ians.

"Mithunam", directed by Tanikella Bharani, stars S.P. Balasubramanyam and Lakshmi in the lead. The entire story revolves around two elderly characters.

"I personally wrote.

Every year, fewer and fewer Australian films and television shows are releasing soundtrack albums. Once considered a valuable promotional tool, changes in both the screen and music industries are threatening their existence. Aravind Balasubramaniam reports.

It is a sign of the times when the #1 Australian film of the year, aimed at a young demographic, chooses not to release a soundtrack album. Ten years ago, it would have been seen as an excellent opportunity to promote both the film and a record company’s selection of up and coming bands, but in 2010 Omnilab Media’s Tomorrow, When the War Began was only released a single on iTunes.

“When you walk into a record store that used to have a soundtrack section, it has become highly evident that the section has shrunk remarkably over the last few years” said Underbelly score composer Burkhard Dallwitz.

ABC Music is the label that has published...

The South Indian movie music world shared the grief of noted playback singer K.S. Chitra, who lost her eight-year-old daughter in a swimming pool accident in Dubai Thursday..The family came back from Dubai this (Friday) morning and the funeral was held in the evening,. Chitra.s manager Krishna Kutty Menon told us.A person in Chitra.s household told us that the entire household was in tears.Chitra had been to Dubai alongwith her family to perform in A.R. Rahman.s music show and was staying in a villa there when the accident happened.Nadana, a differently-abled child, fell into the pool while playing.She was born to Chitra and Vijayashankar in 2002, 15 years after their marriage.A devotee of Hindu god Krishna, Chitra had named her daughter after she got an award from the Kerala government for her song in the Malayalam movie .Nandanam...It is very sad to hear.

Predicting the future of a film or television program and avoiding a financial disaster doesn’t necessarily require clairvoyant powers; testing your project with an audience at different stages of the production process can make a huge difference. Aravind Balasubramaniam reports.

“Nobody wants others to tell them their baby is ugly,” says the founder and CEO of Audience Development Australia (Ada) David Castran. “But it’s very important that producers listen with two ears and try to challenge their strongly-held views. Testing empowers producers by giving them information about the audience’s relationship with the pilot or program. I know at times that can be controversial.”

Drama has the highest production cost per hour of all TV programming, so well-executed testing can inform producers and broadcasters about the potential response to their shows.

Castran’s company was founded in the early 90s to provide comprehensive audience study services to the industry.

Back in the early eightiees, most Hindi film fans had heard of only three male names from the South - actor Kamal Haasan, music director Ilayaraja and singer S.P. Balasubramanium. Of course the ladies scene has always been dominated by actresses from dowm south including the latest dusky beauties Deepika, Genelia and Asin! But come 90s and the name of whiz kid A. R. Rahman was heard all over, and he burst into the Hindi film scene with his superhit dubbed songs for films like Man...