Is Vijay TV Acquiring ‘Yathumagi’?

In the recent times, Vijay TV has been constantly acquiring the satellite rights of certain films prior to its release. It’s
worth mentioning that the channel had bought ‘Porkalam’ for a record-breaking price right before the day it had hit the
screens. Now, the channel has got into pacts with couple of unreleased films.

According to the sources, ‘Yathumagi’ happens to be one of the films while the other one is close on the heels of
finalization. The film produced by Sakthi Sangavi and Mohan Sangavi under the banner of Chola Creations was completed before a very long time. Finally, the film hits screens on March 12 with moderate prints across the state.

Debutant Sachin takes on the lead role with Sunaina starring opposite him in female lead. Bala Kumar, once a journalist of leading magazine wields megaphone for this film. When approached the officials of Vijay TV, they have just stated that discussions are going on and things aren’t yet decided.

James Vasanth’s musical score has already received commendable reviews at audio markets.

Who is Dhillu Dura?

We have been seen a lot of advertisements of Dillu Dura. What is is? A new Movie? A new TV Serial? Its none of these, instead it is a social awareness campaign aimed at encouraging people to clear their misconceptions about AIDS and go to Nambikai Maiyam for counselling & testing.

The concept of Dhillu Dura has been conceived by N&D Communications and executed by JD Jery. The teaser advertisements has Choreographer Ramji as ‘Dillu’ Dura.

After ‘Pulli Raja’ it is now ‘Dillu Dura’. These characters represent the common man who has doubts about the HIV. They have limited knowledge about HIV and are not sure how it keep at bay such ailments.

The Dhillu Dura campaign is aimed at encouraging people to clear their misconceptions about AIDS and receive counselling at the Nambikkai Maiyyam (Integrated Counselling & Testing Centre). A character called Dhillu Dura has been created to resemble a mass hero styled with bright flashy clothes, flamboyant hairstyle and swagger reflecting a devil-may-care attitude. A fun-loving playboy, he is someone that the high risk TG would relate to. It has series of three teasers that will be telecast on leading Tamil channels and finish with a revealer. An outdoor event has also been planned with the character Dhillu Dura

Teaser 1:

The hero of this teaser Dhillu Dura hits the screen with all the fanfare of a mass film hero. He is the cynosure of all eyes when he dances into the market in his inimitable style swinging his belt buckle, kicking pots and raising a ruckus as people rush to get out of his way. The curiosity in the audience is provoked as they would wonder if this is the promo for a new film. The teaser strongly drives the message that Dhillu Dhura is coming. It would finish with the super Yaar Indha Dhillu Dura? This would raise the level of curiosity about the character as the audience waits for the next.

The second version of this teaser focuses on building up curiosity about Dhillu Dura to a greater crescendo. Dhillu Dura’s is a fearless character and a risk-taker who is ready to dive into any kind of adventure without thinking twice. Each of his actions signify the beginning of some terrifying action. When he ties his scarf on his hand, it means it’s a hunt for women and when he ties it on his head, it means he’s going to kill.

Teaser 2:

The first two versions of the teaser would have firmly established the character of Dhillu Dura and this is a step forward. While the previous teasers show him as extremely self-confident and sure of himself, this reflects a total contrast in mood. The people whom he teased now call him Dullu Durai. He seems confused about something and consults everyone from a Killi Josiyam palmist, to a Guduguduppukaran (Fortuneteller) to a quack doctor. Yet, he does not get his answer. The Super is Dhillu Durakkey Kulappama? The audience gets more curious to know the identity of Dillu Dura and what he is confused about.

Revealer

The revealer shows Dhillu Dura initially as onfused but receiving guidance from his teachers. Based on this, he is shown going to Nambikai Maiyam (ICTC) to clear the confusion he is facing. Shots of the counselor are shown and it finishes with Dhillu Dura emerging triumphant with the super Dhillu Dura ippo thelivuthurai ayittaru.

The core message is Aalosanai Pera Nambikkai Maiyyam (Get counseling at Nambikkai Maiyyam) and Nambikkaiyodu Nambikkai Maiyyam Sendru Seriyana Aalsosanai Peruvom ( You can trust that you will get the right information at Nambikkai Maiyyam)

The concept of Dhillu Dura has been conceived by N&D Communications. Headed by M.Nachiappan, N&D is an integrated communication agency that offers services offers in the areas of Branding, Technology, Rural Marketing, Market Research and Events. They have been behind the successful campaigns of brands like Power Soaps, Kalaignar Kaapittu Thittam, Repco Bank, CADD Centre, Sangam Hotels and so on.

The execution of the concept was done by JD Jery of JJ Media Park who brought alive the character of Dhillu Dura onscreen with aplomb. The visuals communicated the message clearly in a way that appeals to the target audience. They have worked for a wide range of well-known brands in jewellery, fashion stores and FMCG Products.

We appreciate Dance Director Ramji for playing the lead character and enthusiastically agreeing without even asking for the script once he knew that it was for a social cause. He has done a wonderful job playing the character and also choreographing the dance sequences.

Dhillu Dura is all set to leave his mark across Tamilnadu and spread the AIDS awareness message.

Courtesy - Chennai365

'I now know that there is a God'

"The secret buried under the earth might go undiscovered but the secret inside one's mind will always remain for people to unearth it."

That's the intriguing tagline that accompanies Vijay TV's band-new Tamil serial, Yamirukka Bayamaen.

Branded a mytho-thriller, the serial stars Vadivukarasi, Master Chanakya, Sasi Anand, Anil and Mahalakshmi. Music is by Srihari Krishna.

Writer Indra Soundarrajan has come up with the screenplay whose main plot is developed by directors Naga and Ramji.

The fact that Indra Soundarrajan has written the screenplay can only mean good things for the serial. After all, he is the same man who gave us serials like Marmadesam and Vidhatha Karuppu.

His novels too such as Rudhra Veenai and Kottaipurathu Veedu deal with subjects ranging from spirituality, reincarnation to lost legends. They are usually supplemented by true stories, which have held the readers' attention for years.

In a tete-a-tete with rediff.com, Indra Soundarrajan reveals what led him to Yamirukka Bayamaen. Excerpts:

How did you come up with Yamirukka Bayamaen?

Legend has it that Siddhar Bhogar created the idol of Lord Muruga at Palani with Navabhashanam -- nine kinds of poisonous substances.

There are stories that he created another idol as well. After all, if I had, say, a block of gold, I wouldn't create just one piece of jewellery, would I? It seems reasonable to suppose that Bhogar did create another idol.

There is a Kurinji Aandavar Temple in Poonthottam, in the Kodaikkanal area, which is also of Navabhashanam, but this has been created in a different way. And two families are desperately searching for it, not just for the idol's value but because it's closely intertwined with their future.

How would you classify Yamirukka Bayamaen? Is it a spiritual serial? Will Lord Muruga appear later on? Or is it more like a treasure-hunt?

This serial has everything. It's a thriller; yes, but it's more a journey of self-discovery where the characters learn something new about themselves and the world around them. I would also call it a sort of treasure-hunt. It's like a mystery. Bhogar too, must have left some evidence about another buried idol.

This serial is like searching for the route to a city that doesn't exist on the map. Except that it does.

As for whether Lord Muruga appears, our perception of the physical appearance of God has changed in the last 100-150 years. Two centuries ago, people only knew their Gods in the forms they were represented in temples.

Now, with the growths of the media, we have these lords and deities liberally showered in gold. They look more like advertisements for gold ornaments than deities. We see God in a certain way, but the truth is he could assume any form; be anywhere.

The fantasy-thriller genre in Tamil literature is an exciting one. How did you become a part of it?

When I started writing, around 1978-80, this genre was empty [laughs]. I wanted to take up a genre and make it my own. Its not just thrillers that I write. I have written feminist and psychological works as well. Krishnadasi is an example. Right now, I'm working on Ranga Nathi.

When did you start writing for TV?

My entry into TV was in 1997. I'd been writing steadily in the 80s, and my works appeared in magazines like Anandha Vikatan. I had just finished my novel Marmadesam in 1996, when the call came for it to be made into a serial. The date was February 8, 1996.

A scene from Yamirukka BayamaenWhen the serial was telecast, viewer reaction was intense. Did you have any idea about the cult-status the serial would achieve?

Absolutely not. The truth is when these serials were telecast, and the public were in a frenzy, it somehow never hit me. You need to absorb the reactions, to fully understand and appreciate it. I did not consider them as momentous. After all, many writers had attempted and succeeded before me, in this genre.

Who's the Indra, in your name?

My mother. When I began writing, it was the fashion to have feminine pseudonyms -- we had Pushpa Thangadurai, Sujatha, et al. I thought it would be better to have my mother's name first like a crown, if you will [laughs]. Soundarrajan sounds so tame.

Judging by the huge amount of other-worldly themes in your work, have you had such experiences in your life as well?

Those experiences were the reason I began delving in the subject in earnest. My grandmother was very fond of me when I was young. Many years later, one night, when I was in Madurai [ Images ], my wife woke me up at midnight. Apparently, my grandmother had arrived and was standing at our doorstep. I opened the door, but there was no one. My wife swore that she had seen her. Half an hour later, I received a phone-call: my grandmother had died at 11 pm.

These were the kinds of incidents that made me go deeper into the subject. The more I learned about such things, the more I began to understand. Today, you could say I have come full circle. I now know that there is a God.

The path of understanding, though, is difficult. Sometimes, you learn a great many things which you don't really understand. But this knowledge is necessary, even if it is just a key to a door that doesn't exist. Someday, you will have the lock to which this knowledge is the key.

Courtesy - Rediff

SSJ - One lakh Next week

The final 10 contestants are all that are left to vie for the top spot at the Airtel super Singer Junior 2 contest. With the elimination rounds over, Sharad, Shravan, Prasanna Sundar, Srikanth, Roshan, Priyanka, Srinisha, Nithyashree, Sahana and Alka are now left in the race.

Vijay TV has announced a Rs. 1 lakh cash prize to the best singer of this week in order to motivate them to sing better. A press note from Vijay TV states, “The kids would be made to sing in a round robin format i.e., every contestant would be made to sing against all the other contestants by taking turns to sing against another a set number of times. In the end, the two top scoring contestants would be made to sing for the rapid fire session where the one singer who gives an exceptional performance, would be adjudged as the winner and would also be entitled to win 1 lakh cash prize.”

The judges for this event are singers Naresh Iyer and Suchitra. Catch the kids in action from March 08 – March 11, 2010 at 9pm!

Vinnaithaandiya Kaadhal, Vijay TV Video

Vinnaithaandiya Kaadhal

Kadhai Alla Nijam, Season 2 ??

Kadhai Alla Nijam, Tamil Nadu's first live reality show, is all about real events, real people, real emotions and real judgments. Produced by K Balachander's Min Bimbangal and hosted by the much-admired actress Lakshmi, this programme unfolds real incidents that have occurred in the lives of people, who then share these emotional moments.

The show, which has fearlessly exposed and brought to light hitherto unmentionable and taboo subjects like homosexuality, widow re-marriage, adultery, physical and emotional abuse at the work place etc, has also acted as a redress forum for many of the victims. Since the day of its inception, Kadhai Alla Nijam has stirred emotions, awakened consciences, set the viewers thinking and made tremendous impact.

In each live episode of the show, a particular case is chosen and the issue is established. Once the issue has been established, those involved with it will be featured on the show.

Kadhai Alla Nijam will be soon be back for a fresh new season in Vijay TV and I am sure we all will be eagerly waiting for the same..