Mani Ratnam may adapt Ranbir In his Ravana

Mani Ratnam, one of the most talented directors of India, has roped in Bollywood heart-throb Ranbir Kapoor for his next directorial venture, tentatively titled Ravana, a modern day adaptation of the epic, some sources said.

The movie, a trilingual to be simultaneously made in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, will have star couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwaya Rai in the lead in Hindi as Rama and Sita; comedy hero Govinda will play the role of Hanuman.

Incidentally, Vikram, who will play Ravana in the Hindi version, will be playing Ram in the Tamil and Telugu versions. Aishwarya will be the heroine in all three languages.Prithiviraj and Priyamani are also said to play important roles in this multi-starrer. So can movie buffs get to see Vikram kidnap Aishwarya Rai?Music will be by A.R. Rahman. Camera is said to be handled by Manikandan.

Mani Ratnam has been working on this three language film script since he wrapped up Guru in 2007. According to reports, Mani Ratnam was impressed by Ranbir's performance in Saawariya, in which the actor has done a tremendous job, even if the movie was not a big hit. However, it is not revealed what kind of character Mani Ratnam will cast Ranbir in.

The film, to be made under Ratnam's banner Madras Talkies, will be produced by Mani Ratnam's sister Sharda. It will go on floors from September; P.C. Sreeram, Mani Ratnam’s friend and partner, and Mani Ratnam’s discovery A.R. Rahman will also be on the board of this historic mega project.

Vinayakudu's Music Out On Vinayakachavathi

Vinayakudu sounds like the title of a devotional movie at first, but a look at the publicity stills assures us that this is a superb entertainer with a difference. Starring Sonia, of Happy Days fame, the movie’s soundtrack is being launched on September 3rd (Vinayak Chaturthi) on Aditya Music label.

Saikiran, Sekhar Kammula’s apprentice, makes his directorial debut in Vinayakudu. Prem Patra, whose Aa Naluguru was critically acclaimed is presenting the film, with Sarita Patra producing it under the Prem Movies banner. The film’s shooting was wrapped up and the post production is also in the final stages.

Prem Patra was quoted as saying, “The shooting and editing work has been completed and dubbing is going on now. Our director moulded the film in an attractive manner. Though we were forced to increase the budget due to the media attention, the film has turned out satisfactorily. Those who like novelty will definitely like this film. Sonia, who played Sravs in Happy Days, has given a stellar performance as Kalpana. What is Kalpana’s relationship with Vinayaka? There lies the suspense.”

The director said, “We started the film with a limited budget. However, the production cost went up with the media hype. The film has different elements like love and entertainment.”

Surya Teja, Jyothi, Adarsh, Muralikrishna and Poonam are part of the star supporting cast. National Award winner P.G. Vinda has done some excellent cinematography with music by Shyam Prasanna. Editing is by Marthand K. Venkatesh, lyrics are by Vanamali and Avinash; story, dialogues, screenplay and direction are by Saikiran.