Shah Rukh says he’ll turn Berlin into tourist magnet

Indian Bollywood hero Shah Rukh Khan, who is filming his latest action movie Don 2 in Berlin, predicted Friday that the film’s success would encourage millions of Indians to visit the German capital.

“You will have problems getting rid of all the Indians again,” Khan joked at a press conference.

“We are proud that we have discovered Berlin for Indians,” the Bollywood star said, adding the city could supplant Paris and London as favourite European destinations.

The action thriller, which also showcases Indian stars Priyanka Chopra and Boman Irani, features famous Berlin landmarks – including a scene in which Khan appears to dive 125 metres from a building near Berlin’s TV tower

Varma to chop some scenes from ‘Rakta Charitra’ after TDP protest

Following protests by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has agreed to delete some scenes allegedly projecting former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N.T. Rama Rao in poor light in his film “Rakta Charitra” which hit the screens Friday.

Varma, who is the director of the movie, and producer C. Kalyan said they would delete the objectionable scenes and dialogues.

Their assurance came after TDP activists took to the streets in parts of the state and stopped screening of the movie at a few theatres, alleging that Varma projected the party founder as a villain.

Stating that he is the biggest fan of the late former chief minister and popular actor NTR, Varma said those who had not even watched the movie were staging protests. “They should see the larger context in which the movie has been produced,” he said.

The TDP leaders alleged that Varma projected NTR as the one who encouraged factional violence by inducting Paritala Ravi into the party.

Protestors in Anantapur, Hindupur, Eluru, Visakhapatnam, Karimnagar and other towns gathered outside theatres, raised slogans against Varma and burnt his effigy. They demanded a ban on the movie.

The protestors attacked theatres in Visakhapatnam and Karimnagar towns and stopped the screening of the movie.

TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu demanded that the scenes belittling NTR should be deleted and the filmmaker should apologise.

NTR’s second wife Lakshmi Parvathi too demanded that the controversial scenes be deleted.

Veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha played the role of NTR in the movie, which evoked tremendous response across the state on the first day.

Anantapur district remained tense but there were no reports of any violence. Police continued their vigil to prevent any untoward incident.

Family of Obul Reddy, one of the characters in the movie, has also taken exception to the manner in which he was projected.

Earlier, Varma cancelled his visit to Anantapur on the advice of the police. Varma was planning to watch the movie in a theatre in Anantapur.

The film, based on the factional war between two families in Anantapur, is the talk of the town as the followers of both the families waited to see if their leaders are projected right and as heroes or villains.

The trilingual film in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil revolves around the feud between gangster politicians Paritala Ravi and Suryanarayana Reddy alias Maddelachervu Suri. Besides Sinha, it stars Vivek Oberoi and Surya in key roles.

Ravi, a former minister and leader of the main opposition TDP in the state, was gunned down in 2005 allegedly by the followers of Congress leader Suri, who is currently in jail for the bomb blast in Hyderabad’s posh Jubilee Hills.

The movie triggered a row much before the release with peace activists and NGOs opposing it on the ground that it could lead to a fresh spell of violence. They accused Varma of making factional statements through the movie and appealed to the people to reject it.

Locals also raised objection to Varma using the name of the district in the film. The protests forced him to change the name to Anandapuram.

Paritala Ravi was allegedly gunned down in Anantapur town Jan 24, 2005, by Suri’s followers.

Suri had earlier made an attempt to kill Ravi in 1997 at the Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad. Though Ravi escaped unhurt, 25 people were killed and many injured in the bomb blast.

Anantapur district is part of the backward Rayalaseema region, is notorious for factional killings. Factions backed by political parties have been engaged in bloody battles for decades for supremacy in villages, especially in Anantapur district.

The factionists are notorious for the merciless manner in which they eliminate their rivals. More than 500 people have been killed in the violence over the past 15 years.

Rakta Charitra Review- Another Gory Facet of the Politics !

Rakta Charitra Review: Ram Gopal Verma’s much awaited film “Rakta Charitra” is based on a true story of Paritala Ravi.

Well known for his gritty and dark cinema, RGV’s upcoming flick is the most violent Hindi film ever made.
The story of the film has no rules, here the life of human beings is not worth a penny, here men are butchered, women are raped and abducted, here police obey orders of goons and guns, bombs, swords, sharp weapons and knives are a man’s best friend.
The film has just one song. There is no romance, no foreign locations, no humour or comedy, no family gatherings, no striking sets, and no good looking faces.
It is a complete law of the jungle. The essence of “Rakta Charitra” is revenge. This film will be admired by those who has a liking for brutality in cinema. The film deals with emotionally volatile people.
The background of the film is set in a rural environment. The story of the film revolves around Paritala Ravi played by Vivek Oberoi a soft spoken person, who had taken law in his hands to take revenge from his father (Rajendra Gupta) and his brother’s (Sushant Singh) murderer.
The manner in which the incidents unfold in the film keeps the audiences hooked. There is not much movement in the first half of the film.
In fact, there are more and more killings. The story of “Rakta Charitra” gains momentum when an iconic actor turned politician makes his entry and takes Paritala Ravi under his wings.
“Rakta Charitra” is targeted towards those audiences who love to watch violence, aggression, bloodshed, massacre and brutality on the silver screen. The film will also be released in Tamil and Telugu versions.

Is Siddharth ‘Anaganaga Oka Dheerudu’?

Siddharth, Shruthi Haasan’s new socio fantasy film under is heading towards completion. It is being directed by K Prakash Rao while Raghavendra Rao and Walt Disney Company are producing this film under A Belly Full of Dreams Entertainment Pvt. Ltd (ABODE) banner. The film-makers are planning to release the film in the early 2011.

The latest news is that a title ‘Anaganaga Oka Dheerudu’ has been registered in the Film Chamber of Commerce and the final confirmation is yet to be made.

The story is all about a kingdom ‘Angarajyam’ and its people and their approach. Sources say “A witch (Manchu Lakshmi) tries to sabotage the kingdom “Angarajyam” and in the process a nine year old (Baby Harshita) becomes important and the hero (Siddharth) puts all his efforts to save the child from the ill effects of the witch. Shruti Hassan plays the role of a gypsy girl who falls in love with hero.”

Mohan Babu’s daughter, Manchu Laxmi Prasanna will be seen in a negative role in the film and the other supporting cast of the film includes Baby Harshita, Dr Brahmanandam, Allari Ravi Babu, Ali, etc.