If the buzz is to be believed, she has bagged her next project with Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar, which will kick off towards the end of the year. Ramesh Taurani of Tips will be producing this film and it will be directed by the debut duo of Sajid and Farhad. Supposed to be a mass entertainer, it might prove to be Tamannah’s big ticket to superstardom in Bollywood as well.

In Tamil she will next be seen with Ajith in a film to be directed by Siva.

The groom hasn’t been revealed yet and Anushka herself hasn’t officially announced anything about her marriage yet.

Meanwhile, the actress has Irandam Ulagam with Arya and Singam 2 with Suriya in Tamil and Rani Rudramma Devi and Baahubali in Telugu.

Fans were treated to stills and videos of Ajith riding a Ducati superbike and we also came to know that Ajith was involved in a thrilling boat chase sequence, under the watchful supervision of famed stunt director Lee Whittaker.

This team’s next moves are eagerly awaited by Ajith’s fans.

Regina Cassandra plays Papa, the love interest of Siva Karthikeyan and Bindhu Madhavi plays Mithra Meenalochani, Vemal’s lover. ‘Parotta’ Soori plays an important part too.

The film is being produced by Escape Artistes Motion Pictures and distributed by Studio Green. Yuvan Shankar’s two songs for the film have been released online and have garnered appreciation among the netizens.

This is the first time that director Suraaj known for his comic capers like Marudhamalai and Thalainagaram, is teaming with Karthi and Santhanam in an entertainer that has liberal doses of action and humor.

Alex Pandian opens up with a high octane action sequence that has Karthi saving Anushka from baddies and escaping from their clutches. What follows this episode and what construed this event is what Alex Pandian all about.

For Karthi, this is an action flick all through and the actor wears his action garb quite consummately, performs dare devil stunts, zooms in mid-air to bash up the goons, jumps on a moving train, saves Anushka and gives Santhanam nightmares when he plays with his sisters.

Santhanam has become the sine qua non of Tamil cinema and he delivers once again with his comedy antics and wisecracks. For a change, Santhanam is not on the hero’s side but in the opposite camp and constantly explores opportunities to keep Karthi off his sisters which render a large scope to tickle the funny bones. But it would have been nice if Santhanam controls his double entendres as there are many children who are his fans and watch his films.

Karthi sports a Rajni name, mouths Rajni dialogues and is armed with a face that has a high instant likability quotient and when necessary, he can charm you with that 1000 watt smile of his.

Director Suraaj’s forte is comedy that was evident from his previous projects. But in Alex Pandian the comedy ratio is low and action occupies a huge chunk. The first half of the film belongs to Santhanam and the director travels to a certain extent on an even keel in this segment although songs and fight sequences impede the progress.

However, post interval, the film descends on to a path filled with potholes and plot contrivances. There are moments when you sense the film is drifting aimlessly example is the Manobala segment which in no way contributes to the film. It is very evident that Suraaj has lost his plot midway and his narration fails to grab the audience. The non-cohesive screenplay also results in low engaging factor.

The premise is also age old and predictable and some sequences and dialogues are regressive to say the least and are completely unwarranted. With a wonderful and an experienced cast like Milind Soman, Suman, Prathap Pothen and Visu, Suraj could have done wonders but sadly, he has wasted all of them. And Anushka features only in the second half and the beautiful lady is also under utilized and reduced to a mere damsel in distress looking to the hero for support. Renuka as Santhanam’s mom and Sanusha, Nikitha Thukral as Santhanam’s sisters are lively.

DSP’s scores are nothing spectacular and the placement of the popular number ‘I am a bad boy’ at the end credits does disappoint. Technically Alex Pandian does not offer much but for the action sequences which are plenty and are shot quite well.

To encapsulate, Alex Pandian may work for people who patronize formulaic films with few songs, action sequences and the routine content.

Kadal is the story of a young direction-less man and the influences on his life with a fishing hamlet as the backdrop. However, the pivot is the conflict between Arvind Swamy and Arjun which forms the warp and weft of Kadal on which the entire film is woven.

It will not be an understatement to say Arvind Swamy owns Kadal. What a powerful comeback! We are seeing him after quite a long aestivation and the man literally owns the screen with his portrayal of Father Sam. Be it the pain or the anguish or the affection or the determination to carry on Jesus’ doctrine, Arvind Swamy triumphs with the myriad emotions. And Arjun is the perfect foil for Arvind Swamy with a different kind of characterization and the Action King sails through his role.

Karthik Muthuraman can be proud of his son Gautham. As the affection deprived and the venom spewing Thomas, Gautham delivers in his very first film. He scores in action as well as dance department too. A worthy find indeed! Thulasi Nair is natural and the confidence shows. The younger versions of Gautham are perfect, especially the child. His painful and scary looks linger on.

Technically Kadal boasts of illustrious names that prove their mettle once again. In a film like this, there are huge chances that the cinematography overshadows the script. But Rajiv Menon’s success lies in his camera travelling unobtrusively with the needs of the script. Some of the shots he has canned, stay on with you even after you leave the theater.

By now, it is a known fact that A R Rahman reserves his best for Mani Ratnam and the tracks are already chartbusters. Nenjukulle has a different treatment amidst conversations, Adiyae was a let down with the choreography not gelling well despite it being a dream number, Elay Keechan and Moongil Thottam are lively and well shot. Magudi adds color to a well conceptualized title roll and also to Gautham’s transformation sequence.

Jayamohan’s dialogues are flavored with coastal nativity but the dialect does not seem to be uniformly spoken. There are quite a few aberrations on this segment. Kadal should be lauded for its art director Sashidhar Adappa who impresses with the church and in the climax sequence.

The pace of Kadal is leisurely languorous and this is the pace that the director has fixed for the film. The first half moves in a unilateral direction but it is in the second half that the film takes a meandering course. Although the conflict between Arvind Swamy and Arjun is the fulcrum, there is not enough depth in it for the rest of the sequences to hinge upon this. Same thing holds good for Thulasi and Gautham’s romance. Thulasi’s psychological condition and her relationship with Arjun are also not explained clear enough.

To encapsulate, the bar is always pushed several notches up when it comes to Mani Ratnam’s films and in that vein, Kadal may disappoint the general audience whereas it would appeal to his fans who are still patiently waiting for his magical spell on them which is missing in Kadal.

For a generation that was fed on a diet of K Bhagyaraj’s films, the plot of Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasiaya is nothing new but for the current generation, this is the story of three men wooing one girl and their funny ideas and tricks. There are slight alterations from the original film (Indru Poi Naalai Vaa), perhaps to suit the current trend.

The power of Santhanam at the BO and with the audience is well known but in KLTA, it is Powerstar Srinivasan who shadows everyone becoming the power centre of KLTA. It is in fact interesting to observe that Santhanam has given ample scope for his fellow actor and perhaps it is his shrewd acumen that had roped in Powerstar for his film. It is a kind of big spoof played on the actor which Santhanam points at the end “nee comediannu theriyamaiye irukkiyae’ which works for KLTA.

Powerstar gathers all the applause and audiences don’t get tired of cheering him whenever he appears on screen or mouths a simple dialogue or flexes his muscle. Dialogues like “Shruthi vandaa, koodave avanga appa Kamalum varuvaaraa”, “Mannu lorry break pidikkadhu, appanukku friends pidikkadhu”, “Corporation kakkossukku ayudha pujai pannina maadhiri” bring the roof down. And there are plenty of such dialogues in KLTA.

The story is nothing new and is totally predictable but what favors it are the continuous bouts of humor and wisecracks that tickle the funny bones hugely. You know what is going to come but you still wait eagerly to see how it is going to happen. There are many scenes that are high on humor quotient like the ‘chinnanchiriya vanna paravai’ rendition at the temple, Powerstar using a double for dance at the temple to name a few.

KLTA team’s agenda is simple and clear- they want to make the audience laugh and they have succeeded in this mission big time. Gags and oneliners follow at regular intervals. Although pace is not the high point of KLTA, by the time you realize the snag, there is something coming on screen which makes you roll with laughter. That aside, KLTA is all about humor snippets that are strung together that gives an enjoyable time at the theatre.

For Powerstar, all that he does is to just play himself and hence it is a natural performance. The very factors, for which he is generally made fun of, are all integrated in to the story resulting in a spoof like show. The best example could be the scene at the liquor shop where Santhanam takes a picture of Powerstar, shows it to him, asks for his opinion and teases him.

For Santhanam, KLTA is another regular show as an actor and he glides past his role. When he emotes with feigned seriousness mimicking all heroes when Vishaka asks him ‘neengalumaa?’, it is hilarious to say the least. There are also dance sequences in KLTA involving Santhanam and Powerstar which again result in more hilarity. Newcomer Sethu is just about adequate and in fact he fades in the presence of the other two artists. Vishakha Singh is one more actor from north.

There are other supporting cast members like VTV Ganesh, Kovai Sarala, Devadarshini and Shivshankar master but the spotlight is clearly on Powerstar. Cameo from Gautham Menon, Simbu and cinematographer Balasubramaniem gel well with the plot.

Among Thaman’s songs the ‘love letter’ number, remix of yesteryear ‘unnai vaazhthi paadugiren’ picturized on Santhanam is a laugh riot. Replete with humor, KLTA offers what it is set out for-gives an unabashed hilarious 140 minutes for the viewer.

Bala’s colleagues and fellow filmmakers have been lauding him for giving his best work in Paradesi. The expectation from Paradesi is high as usual as it is a Bala film, the man who gave us unforgettable films like Nanda, Sethu, Pithamagan and Naan Kadavul.

Lead man Atharvaa is also trumped to be the next best thing in the industry by none other than Bala himself. With such buzz going on, the release date of Paradesi is one to look forward to, indeed.

She doesn’t party much and has even learnt cooking it seems. In all, she makes sure that success doesn’t go to her head and stays normal along with her friends who date back to her school and college days.

Meanwhile, the producers of the film, V House Productions’ Suresh Kamakshi and Ravi have signed up to fund three more projects, out of which one will be directed by Suresh Kamakshi himself. The producer duo is planning to bring fresh talents into the industry and newbies Jagan and Krishnamurthy will be directing the other two projects that will be produced by V House Productions.