03/27/08 ~ Early Tollywood

3.27.2008

The name Siva Nageswara Rao reminds us of one film - Money. He amassed abundant goodwill with this trendsetting film. He has also delivered two more blockbusters in the form of Pattukondi Chooddam and Sisindri.

About him in his words:

I was born and brought up in Uppalapadu (near Guntur). I completed my graduation from The Hindu College, Guntur. I was fascinated by films since my childhood. I went to Chennai to join Telugu film industry in 1979 at the age of 23. I struggled there for six months. In order to earn daily living, I acted in films like Burripalem Bullodu and Sannayi Appanna as unofficial junior artist (I did not have the membership card) . They used to pay be 100 rupee for 3 days. Then I joined in an office as an accountant. That is when I met Tripuraneni Chittibabu who recommended for work in direction department of ’Ammaiki Mogudu - Mamaki Yamudu’ (starring Krishna). That film was produced by Karunanidhi on Pumpuhar banner. Later on I worked for many of Vijaya Nirmala’s films like Bhogi Mantalu, Antham Kaadidi Aarambham, Doctor Cine Actor etc. I also worked with directors like Madhusudhana Rao, Lenin Babu, CS Rao, SA Chandra Sekhar. Then I worked with Kranthi Kumar for over six years (from Swathy film onwards).

Meeting Ram Gopal Varma:
It was during Rao Garillu time, I worked with Ram Gopal Varma. I was working on behalf of the director and Ram Gopal Varma was doing it from producer’s side. He said that he would be directing a film soon and he wanted me to be co-director of that film. I immediately accepted his offer. He asked me the reasons for accepting and I gave him three reasons -

1. There is more money in his offer
2. I can be frank with Ram Gopal Varma and I don’t need to praise him all the time.
3. If his film becomes hit, I can shift to him on a permanent basis.

Money film:
During the time of Prema Yuddam, I was fired by the director Rajendra Singh Babu. That is when Ram Gopal Varma offered me the co-director job in Shiva. During the making of Kshanakshanam, Ram Gopal Varma offered me a deal of 5-lakh per film if I worked with him on permanent basis. I told him that I would like to direct a film as my main goal is to direct films. Then he suggested me a few story ideas and I picked up the storyline of Hollywood flick ’Ruthless People’. That is how Money film was made. We had a tough time in selling that film. We previewed Money for 50 days in Annapurna Studios Preview Theater to the distributors. Nobody liked that film. At one time, we thought that Money film would never release. But somehow Money hit the screens and the rest is history. We made that film in 55 lakhs budget (in Telugu and Hindi). We used very colloquial language in the film. Money collected over 3 crores of share.

Pattukondi Chooddam film:
The dead body episode in that film is inspired by a newspaper article I have read. I had the knack of giving humor touch to all kinds of emotions. Hence I used that tragic news to humor’s benefit in Pattukondi Chooddam film. This film too had problems. We screened this film for many buyers in Rama Naidu studios for 50 days. The film got instant hit talk after the release. We made the film with a budget of 80 lacs and this film collected a share of 1 crore in Nizam itself. We sold the film for 10 lacs in Nizam on NRA basis and it collected a share of 17 lacs in main theater of Sandhya 35mm. We erected a Brahmanandam cutout of 40 ft height at Sandhya complex, Hyderabad. A Chiranjeevi’s film was also playing in Sandhya complete at the same time. And Chiranjeevi’s cutout size was 35 ft. Lot of people scolded me for putting a bigger Brahmanandam cutout. That was a kind of sensation in those days.

Sisindri film:
I got inspired by ‘Baby’s Day Out’ film and wanted to one such kind of film in Telugu. That is when I saw the photo of Nagarjuna and Amala with their son Akhil. I went to Nagarjuna’s house and asked Amala for the dates of hero. She said that she don’t handle the dates of Nagarjuna. I clarified that I was referring to her son Akhil. She was hesitant. I gave her the VCD of Baby’s Day Out. Later on Nagarjuna met me said that he would produce the film. All the profits from that film were to go to Blue Cross Society. We made that film on lavish scale. We exposed around 100 rolls. Nagarjuna bought a building in Banjara Hills for Blue Cross Society in Banjara Hills from the profits earned by Sisindri.

About Photo:
The story of this film is based on a real incident that happened around two and half years back in AP Coastal area. The same incident repeated in Nizam around 9 months back. The moment you watch the film, you would come to know what I am talking about. It deals about a burning problem in colleges. This film will have two songs, unexpected twists and an intelligent climax.

Comedy branding:
Money and Pattukondi Chooddam made a comedy director. With that tag, people thought that I could able to do comedy films only.

Filmography

Director:

1. Mr & Mrs Sailaja Krishna Murthy (2004)
2. Sisindri (1995)
3. Money Money (1995)
4. Lucky Chance (1994)
5. Money (1993)
6.Photo
7.Bhookailas

Writer:

1. Money Money (1995) (story)

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BHOOKAILAS 2007

Story, screenplay and direction –Siva Nageswara Rao
Music –MM Keeravani and Rohit Raj,
Lyrics – Chandrabose, Suddala Ashokteja,
Dialogues – Ramaswamy,

Script – Nivas,
Action – Vijay,
Editing – K Ramesh,
Presents – B Narayana Reddy,
Producer – B Gurunatha Reddy,

Cast:
Venumadhav,
Suhasini,
Mumaith Khan,
Gowri Munjal,
Luvvy,
Devender Danoa,
Janardhan Maharshi,
Brahmanandam,
Tanikella Bharani,
Ali,
Sunil,

Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam,
MS Narayana,
Jayaprakash Reddy,
Krishna Bhagawan,
Jeeva,
Kondavalasa Lakshmana Rao,
Uttej,
Mallikarjuna Rao,
Rallapalli,
Tirupati Prakash and others

Siva Nageswara Rao is known for bringing out good comedy films. His films like 'Money', 'Pattukondi Chooddam' and 'Sisindri' proved his calibre. However, his film with Venumadhav as hero with the real life story based on real estate boom in Hyderabad with the announcement international airport, ring road on the outskirts of the city and other such issues, proved to be quite old fashioned. Though the storyline was good, the narration was mediocre especially after the real twist in the film. Those who had good knowledge over Siva Nageswara Rao's direction easily understand that some others meddled with the script and also in the direction as if the director was sidelined in some scenes especially after the interval bang. If not, Siva Nageswara Rao himself lost the charm in bringing out comedy films and he himself made the film quite mediocre and killed the enthusiasm of the viewers by putting up quite longer scenes without any break. Moreover, the comedy track between Brahmanandam, Sunil and Venumadhav is quite atrocious and the director misused the mostly talented comedian like Brahmanandam. It is surprising how the hero become a big fool, though he was established as a clever boy of course an innocent.

Story:
Kailasam (Venumadhav) is a petty milk vendor and lives happily with his parents (LB Sriram and Geetanjali). Their family has a two-acre land on the outskirts of Hyderabad city. At the same time he is very kind and innocent. He gets engaged to Bujji (Suhasini) and during the betrothal he demands Rs 1 lakh as dowry. With the announcement of ring road around the city, the people of his village become rich. But Kailasam's parents were against selling the land. With a change in the ring road layout, the land belongs to Kailasam gets good demand and two realtors vie for Kailasam's land and increases the land price to Rs 50 crores per acre. Kailasam threatens suicide and convinces his parents to sell away their land and earns Rs 100 crores overnight. He, along with friend Kamesam (Janardhana Maharshi) shift to the city for a happy living, by leaving his most loving parents. He also refuses to marry Bujji with whom he was betrothed. Kailasam appoints a PA (Devender Danoa) as he was illiterate. After reaching the city, Kailasam with the advice of Kamesam plans to produce a film and gets cheated by Manikyam (Bharani), and another politician called Gannayya (Jayaprakash Reddy) and swindles his entire money. Kailasam's PA continues to alert him at every opportune time but to no avail. After getting cheated by everyone including his close friend Kamesam, Kailasam realises the folly that happiness lies not with money but by staying with the near and dear ones.

Venumadhav puts up best performance and showed good ease in dances. However, Venumadhav should understand one thing that he should improve his individual acting skills instead of imitating the popular heroes, especially while playing a hero of a film. The comedy track in the village with Kondavalasa, MS, Krishna Bhagawan and Jeeva in is just okay. Another notable performance in the film is by Sunil who excelled in his role as a police officer. Songs in Thailand were choreographed well and the production values were good in the film. Mumaith Khan had a little lengthy role in the film, though Suhasini was the heroine. Writer Janardhana Maharshi played the hero's buddy.

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SUMAN RANGANATHAN PROFILE

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MADHU SHARMA PROFILE

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SAMEERA REDDY PROFILE

Name: Sameera Reddy
Date of Birth:8 September, 1982
Birth Place: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Height:5.7.5"
Hair: Black
Eyes: Black
Nationality: Indian
Profession: Actress, Modeling
Education: Rani Birla College at Calcutta
Marital Status: Single
Languages: Hindi, English, Telugu
Hobbies: Swimming

Family Background

Sister(s): Sushma, Meghana
Ex-Spouse: Ex-boyfriend: NTR Junior

Film Background

Debut Film: Maine Dil Tujhko Diya
Famous Movies: Taxi Number 9211, Kalpurush, Musafir, Darna Mana Hai
Latest Movies: Race, Fool N Final
Upcoming Movies: One Two Three , Vaaranam Aayiram

Other Facts: Proficient Kathak artiste

Favourites

Favourite Drink: Soya milk
Hobbies: Swimming

Biography:

Sameera Reddy is an Indian telugu actress. She is most famous for her incopcious role in Taxi Number 9211. She first came into notice with the music video 'Aahista' by Pankaj Udhas. She did a few modelling jobs and then decided to act. She made her debut opposite Sohail Khan in Maine Dil Tujhko Diya. Her role was of a shy college girl who falls in love with one of her fellow students. The film went un-noticed but by the time of the release she was getting more film offers.

Sameera Reddy is one of the sexiest actresses in Bollywood. She has two sibling sisters, Meghna Reddy and Sushma Reddy, both popular models and VJ’s. Following Sameera, Sushma also entered film field.

Sameera’s is a trained Kathak dancer. She loves swimming, dancing and playing video games. And she cannot do without working out in the gym. Yoga is another one of her favorite activity. She absolutely hates fatty and fried foods.

Sameera Reddy became popular with Pankaj Udhas’s music video ‘Aahista’. She did the video when she was in college. In the video she played a demure character, very unlike her current sex symbol image. In her school days she was very fat and was teased a lot for that. But everything changed when she started working out. Nowadays she is called Indian Jennifer Lopez.

After two more flops she had her breakthrough role with Musafir. The film eventually flopped but it made it clear that Sameera Reddy had arrived. She went from shy college girl to ultimate sex symbol. Her stunning image and sensuality was enough to get her noticed. The film was quite controversial as it included a kissing scene between her and her co-star Anil Kapoor.

She has also done a notable role in a Bengali film "Kalpurush". Her elder sister, Sushma Reddy made her acting debut with the film Chocolate. Her other elder sister is Meghna Reddy. She made a guest appearance on the British show Casualty. Her name had been associated with many, including celebrities. However so far she has denied all such link ups.

Her Trivia:

Sameera was just 17 when she did Pankaj Udhas’s music video ‘Aahista’
Sameera Reddy, is youngest of three sisters.
Meghna and Sushma Reddy, her elder sisters are both popular models and VJ's.
Her main hobbies are working out in gym, swimming, yoga, videogame and dance.
Her elder sister, Sushma Reddy made her acting debut with the film 'Chocolate'.
She made her debut opposite Sohail Khan in Maine Dil Tujhko Diya.
The film 'Musafir' was quite controversial as it included lot of skin show and a kissing scene between her and her co-star Anil Kapoor.
Sameera is a trained Kathak dancer
Sameera has been working for a year on Sam's Mission, a video game being made for mobile phones that includes special effects, fights and more.
She is very particular about her diet. She stays away from fatty, spicy, and fried foods.
Director Sanjay Gupta calls her India's answer to Jennifer Lopez.
She made a guest appearance on the British show 'Casualty'.
Sameera always loved outdoor games, like track and field events, but she is an avid video gamer as well.
Her lips resemble angelina jolie's
Her main bad habits are smoking and drinking.
Sameera Reddy has become the first Indian actress to feature in a video game.‘Sam’s Mission’ is a mobile game.

Personal Quotes:

"When I was a teenager, I was so much in love with Salman Khan that I had his posters all over my room. I used to write to my sister in New York that I had a crush on an actor who has just debuted in a film called Maine Pyar Kiya. In fact, I don''t regret doing my first film with the Khan camp. I loved working with them."
"The shooting of my next film with Buddhadev Dasgupta will start very soon and I am honoured that Dada has again considered me for his next film"
"I derive job satisfaction from doing Bangla movies."
"Post-Darna Mana Hai, I was offered similar kinds of roles which were stereotyped. But I didn’t bite the bait. Now, I want to experiment with different roles, so that critics can call me a complete actor."
"I change my phone every month depending on the features."
"I love car racing and action-packed ones. After a long day, playing games on my Playstation energises me a lot"
"Sushama has her own film career going and Meghna is in Greece. We never discuss work when we meet. But they’re very supportive and protective about me. As for my parents, they are proud of our achievements and always encourage us,"
"I live each day as it comes and every day I set new goals. Acting is very stimulating and I believe that if you’re happy with the work you’re doing, it’s an overwhelming feeling."
"I don't want to be just a commercial success, and get stuck doing certain kind of roles. I am looking for more."
"They love me. I can vary my look -- from being very Indian to very sexy. It's all about balancing the two"
"Basically I am very shy. But being a kathak dancer, I am trained to be convincing in adaas -- that's why I can play any role with great conviction."
"I've never done films for the sake of doing them and that's what keeps me fresh and exclusive. You won't see me everywhere,"
"I hated putting on lipstick and my sisters were like two glam dolls. Today, I am obsessed with make-up and I am a shopaholic. So my sisters say they've created a monster! I must have every product or outfit that I see in a magazine."
"If a kissing scene if it had to be done again, with someone from Hollywood, It will have to be Mel Gibson"
"I am like the baby of the house. My sisters really pamper me and are very protective about me. We never discuss work at home. Sushma and I are at different levels. We choose different roles. So I don't see us acting together in future."
"Sameera doesn't quite agree with Sunny's reclusive image. "I don't think Sunny is shy and reclusive. He is one of the cutest co-stars I've ever had. He used to crack jokes at 5.00 a.m. when we all were drained out."
"It's an honour to be associated with someone like Buddhadev Dasgupta. His sense of vision is just so amazing and he's got the best out of me. I gave up my Diwali and worked extremely hard. I'm glad my sincerity paid off. I went to Kolkata, learnt Bengali and actually saw how the women draped cotton saris there,"
"In Naksha I play a TV presenter, a city bred girl who lands up in a jungle with two guys. I had to get physically fit for this character. I learnt horse riding, river rafting and sword fighting."

Filmography:

One Two Three (2008)

Vaaranam Aayiram (2008)

Migration
cast: Shiney Ahuja, Tanvi Azmi, Fatima, Satish Kaushik, Irfan Khan
Director: Mira Nair
Release Date:

Race
Producer: Kumar S. Taurani, Ramesh S. Taurani
Director - Abbas-Mastan
Co star - Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Anil Kapoor, Sameera Reddy
Music director: Pritam:

Fool N Final
Cast: Sunny Deol,Shahid Kapoor,Sunil Shetty,Jackie Shroff,Bipasha Basu,Vivek Oberoi,Sameera Reddy,Ayesha Takia
Director: Ahmed Khan
Release Date: February 2007

Ghulami
Cast: Sunny Deol,Sameera Reddy
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Release Date: 2007

Benaam
Cast: Ajay Devgan,Bhumika Chawla,Sameera Reddy
Director: Anees Bazmee
Release Date: 2007

Kaal Purush - Memories Of The Mist
Cast: Mithun Chakraborty,Rahul Bose,Sameera Reddy
Director: Budhdev Das Gupta
Release Date: 2007

Naksha
Cast: Sunny Deol,Vivek Oberoi,Sameera Reddy
Director: Sachin Bajaj
Release Date: September 8, 2006

Ashok
Cast: Jr. NTR,Sameera Reddy,Prakash Raj,Sonu Sood
Director: Surender Reddy
Release Date: July 13, 2006

Taxi Number 9211
Cast: Nana Patekar,John Abraham,Sameera Reddy,Sonali Kulkarni
Director: Milan Luthria
Release Date: February 24, 2006

Jai Chiranjeeva
Cast: Chiranjeevi,Sameera Reddy,Bhoomika Chawla,Arbaaz Khan
Director: K. Vijaya Bhaskar
Release Date: December 21, 2005

Narasimhudu
Cast: Jr. NTR,Sameera Reddy,Amisha Patel
Director: B. Gopal
Release Date: May 20, 2005

No Entry
Cast: Anil Kapoor,Salman Khan,Fardeen Khan,Esha Deol,Bipasha Basu,Sameera Reddy
Director: Anees Bazmee
Release Date: August 26, 2005

Musafir
Cast: Anil Kapoor,Sanjay Dutt,Sameera Reddy
Director: Sanjay Gupta
Release Date: December 10, 2004

Darna Mana Hai
Cast: Vivek Oberoi,Saif Ali Khan,Sanjay Kapoor,Nana Patekar,Sameera Reddy,Shilpa Shetty
Director: Prawaal Raman
Release Date: July 25, 2003

Maine Dil Tujhko Diya
Cast: Sohail Khan.,Sameera Reddy,Kabir Bedi,Neeraj Vora,Sanjay Dutt
Director: Sohail Khan
Release Date: August 23, 2002

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