PRIYANKA CHOPRA AGAIN IN THUPAKI

It was reported that Priyanka Chopra, who made her acting debut with Thamizan before creating a niche for herself in the Bollywood, would make her come back with Vijay's next movie Thupaki to be directed by AR Murugadoss. However, the former Miss World has denied that she was offered the role but claims that the actress wants to work with the Kaavalan star and the Ghajini director.

The actress, who was recently spotted shooting her forthcoming Anurag Basu’s Burfee in Pollachi where the 29-year-old gave her first shot for Thamizan, said that she is a big fan of Vijay. Priyanka Chopra wants to act with him again. And also the she wishes to work under AR Murgadoss but they have not offered Thupaki. However, Priyanka assures that the actress could sign any other Tamil project if any impressive script comes her way.

Meanwhile, AR Murgaodoss has signed Kajal Aggarwal to play the role. The forthcoming Tamil movie, which is being made with the budget of Rs 65 crore, is produced by Kalaipuli S Dhanu.

VIJAY CLEARING HURDLES

Vijay is rolling up his sleeves and working out a number of issues facing his next movie with AR Murugadoss. Initially, production management related issues popped up when the producer SA Chandrashekar was penny pinching. The Director and other team members were not happy by some of the cost cutting measures. Before it blew out of proportion, Vijay quickly intervened and transferred the project from his father and handed it over to his next in line producer Dhanu.

This resulted in unexpected challenges because of the earlier contracts with Gemini Circuit, who had initially agreed to do the distribution. After the transfer of production responsibility, Dhanu wanted to take it all the way from production to distribution. This created some disagreements between the involved parties and led to difficult conversations. All the pre-production activities, location hunting and cast 'n crew selections were put on hold last week which led to tense moments. There were open questions on whether this project will actually happen. Again, Vijay took up this matter in his hand and settled this issue in a mutually agreeable manner.

Vijay has the best line-up of movies in the Tamil industry spanning next 2 to 3 years. Vijay is keen on doing whatever it takes to deliver on the promise he made to his fans. This remind us of famous Vijay's punch dialogue "Once I make a decision, I don't listen even to myself!".

ILAYADHALAPATHI TO PLAY A COP?

'Thupaki' which sees the coming together of actor Vijay and director Murugadoss for the first time is touted to begin shoot from December. This is the first time this combo (Vijay-Murugadoss) is working together. Fans of Vijay are thrilled, because Vijay means mass and Murugadoss means class in the Tamil film industry. Rumours are running rife with eager fans wanting to know what the film is based on.

Now there are some rumours doing rounds in the films circles in Tamilnadu that Vijay will be essaying the role of a cop in 'Thupaki.' To be more precise, the actor might get to play the role of a crime branch cop! This will be the second film where Vijay dons the police cap, the first being 'Pokkiri.'

'Thupaki' also comprises a strong technical team. AR Murugadoss will be leading the show, with Santosh Sivan taking care of the cinematography. The music is touted to be taken care of by Harris Jayaraj. Kajal Aggarwal will play the love interest of Vijay. This again will be the first time where Vijay and Kajal Aggarwal will be sharing on-screen space.

The film is sure to boast off some stunning stunts, exotic locales along with an interesting story. Dialogues in the film will be penned by Jayamohan. Team 'Thupaki' will meet for its first shooting schedule, which will begin Tiruchendur and near Thoothukudi soon. Some reports also suggest that the team will later progress towards Mumbai for future filming.

WHY THERE IS NO ANNOUNCEMENT YET FROM A.R.MURUGADOSS ABOUT VIJAY'S NEXT?

Although title of the film is decided as Thupaakki, it seems the same title will see some trouble in Telugu. The movie is a bilingual and according to sources close to the director. The title 'Thupaakki' is already registered with the Telugu Films Chamber by 'Jinka Harish Babu'. Also, it seems Jinka Harish Babu is unwilling to part with the title as his movie is already underway. The movie focuses on terrorism and Harish wants the title that somewhat describes the storyline. While there are no immediate announcements from the Murugadoss stable about the title trouble, it's likely that Murugadoss will want to buy out Thupaakki from Harish. Stay tuned with Vijay 360º for more direct first on net updates!

NANBAN MOVIE UPDATES

Gemini Film Circuit : We didn't sell the marketing rights of Nanban to Sun Pictures. Nanban is our highly hyped forthcoming home production which will hit the theaters on Pongal. Our banner will distribute Nanban, all over Tamil Nadu and Overseas, as of now. Further, We have bought Vikram's Rajapattai. We are planning to release Rajapattai on December 16, as we don't want a clash with the hulking Nanban...

VIJAY AND A.R.MURUGADOSS COMBO

Though it is not confirmed as yet, it is rumoured strongly in Kollywood circles that popular director A.R. Murugadoss has been assured a whopping sum of Rs.12 crores to direct his next film which would star Vijay in the lead.
The talk that Vijay and Murugadoss are likely to come together has been there for some time but it now appears a distinct reality.
The film has been titled Thuppakki and is l...ikely to be a mass entertainer. It was to be produced by Vijay’s father S.A. Chandrasekaran in association with Gemeni Films. Though it’s not stated as such, Murugadoss’ fee reportedly made the film change hands. The film would now be produced by ‘Kalaipuli’ Thanu.

Known for making films with grandeur, Thanu has reportedly agreed to pay the above-stated fee to Murugadoss. However, the fee to be paid to Vijay hasn’t yet been revealed. The total budget of the film is likely to touch Rs.65 crores, making it the first time that such a huge amount goes into producing a Vijay-starrer.

There has been some tension brewing in the distribution circles which are apprehensive about whether the film would fare fitting at the box-office to match its huge production cost. Kajal Aggarwal has been roped in as Vijay’s heroine in the film, which would have music by Harris Jeyaraj.

MANIRATNAM TO DO A DESTINY WITH THALA - THALAPATHY

This is interesting.The Best director of Tamil cinema and two biggest and Loved actors are joining together.Yah,We heard is true.Maniratnam have a best and different script made for friendship.This is officially made for Ajith and Vijay.They two have accepted to do the film.The movie budget is said to be 75 + crores.The producer speak is going on.Two actors are said to be busy now with their current projects(Ajith with Billa-II and Vijay has a combo both with A.R.Murugadoss movie and Yohan adyayam ondru which is directed by Gautam Vasudev Menon.All kollywood lovers are waiting for a VIJAY-AJITH combo for a long time.And now,Maniratnam has made it to 70% conform news.If this happens,THALA-THALAPATHY fans will be United and no fight will be arose between them after this movie.

NANBAN OFFICIAL TRAILER

VELAYUDHAM, THE BIGGEST COLLECTION IN KERALA

Velayudham was bought for 2 crores and 30 lakhs in Kerala. Gaining more than 1 crore in the opening day itself there was enormous increase in the number of theatres for Velayudham in Kerala. Velayudham collected around 5.10 crores in 28 days in Kerala and has earned an enormous profit for Kerala distributors. Velayudham is now the No.1 Tamil film in Kerala in terms of collections beating all the earlier records!

MURUGADOSS'S DEMAND

Tinsel town was abuzz with rumours that the next big-budget, untitled project starring Ilaya Thalapathy Vijay and directed by A.R. Murugadoss, which was to be produced by his dad S.A. Chandrashekar, has changed hands and Kalaipuli Thanu will now be the pro ducer. Sources said that A.R. Murugadoss had demanded a whopping rupees `12 crore as his remuneration which didn't go down too well with SAC, especially after the mixed response to the director's recent flick 7 Aum Arivu. But Murugadoss wouldn't budge an inch and stuck to his demand. That was when Thanu, who already has Vijay's dates for a film to be directed by Seeman, stepped in.

When DC contacted Thanu, the producer would only admit that talks are still going on. “It was not a sudden decision. I had already given an advance to Vijay and he had agreed to do a film for me. It's just that everything fell into place now.“ But he strongly denied that there had been any difference of opinion with respect to Murugadoss' salary, dismissing the reports as “Just rumours. We are working out the potential budget and other logistics and soon an official announcement will be made.“ Two dates are being consid ered for the commencement of shooting -Nov 27 or December 1.

I DON'T WANT TO DO OFF - BEAT FILMS : VIJAY

Without any ifs or buts, Vijay has answered straight to a famous allegation on him- that he is not trying hands at different subjects. "I don't want to come out of the commercial route. And I will not do off-beat films. Commercial format suits me well. So why should I," he asks.

At the same time, the Ilayathalapathy confesses that he likes watching off-beat movies. "Personally speaking, I like such films. But I know very well that fans don't like me doing anything out of the commercial format. I have prior experience in this," he says.

Happy about the success of his Deepavali release 'Velayudham', he says, "I wanted to do such a film right from the beginning. But I was just a budding actor then. So I waited all these years, till director Jayam M Raja came to me with the idea."

On his next, 'Nanban' directed by Shankar, Vijay says, "Again it is a remake but one could feel Shankar's unique stamp from the beginning till end. The director has given a new colour to 3 Idiots and I loved being part of the movie. Nanban will be a Pongal treat."

VELAYUDHAM'S PLUS AND 7AM ARIVU'S MINUS

Surya’s 7aum Arivu and Vijay’s Velayutham was released during Diwali day. These two films are very much expected by all fans before it gets released.
When look upon 7aum Arivu and Velayutham, it seems Velayutham to be the winner of this Diwali.
Velayutham story is very simple and is suitable for all kinds of people. The director Raja had given a masala fil...m with comedy, romantic, fight, patriotism.. in a single story. And the starrers also very suitable for their roles. The ordinary Velayudham turning as a Superhero (look-alike)Velayudham was said in a Comical way without any buildups. Here the character demands that one who stands against evil is a Hero.
While in 7aum Arivu, it seems to be a lack of audience since it has a complex story, it is not suited for all types of viewers. The theme taken by AR Murugadoss is very big and the team has also had given full efforts. Only Thing to be appreciated is that the film governs Tamil and Tamil people. The director failed in best screenplay and it does not have enough love or comedy scenes. The character Bodhidharman is very well expressed.
But still Velayutham is Box-Office number one, and 7aum Arivu is flop!

VIJAY WILL GIVE THE FANS WHAT THEY WANT

Vijay is always asked why he does not experiment with different roles. The actor said that he has no intention of leaving his tried and tested commercial format as his fans expect nothing less from him. His experiments with offbeat cinema have not gone down well with them he said and therefore he will stick to what he does best.
Personally, Vijay said he enjoys watching experimental cinema. Vijay has some exciting projects on hand like Nanban as well as Murugadoss's film and Gautham Menon's next. So he just wants to let his films do the talking and silence his detractors once and for all.

THE KERALA SUPERSTAR !

If it is Tamil Nadu, the current super star is undoubtedly the Rajnikanth. But who is the super star of Kerala right now? It's none other than the Ilayathalapathy Vijay. Vijay's mass venture Velayudham has attracted people from all directions of Kerala. Day by day people are rushing to the theaters via vehicles. Velayudham has set a new record in Kerala history by breaking all the previous records made by other Tamil films released so far. Velayudham was initially released with 125 screens. But now the screenings have been increased to 200. Velayudham distributors are flying in the air because of their over joy with the grand success of Velayudham. The current trade talk is that, the Kerala distributors are worshiping the direction where Vijay lives.

AFTER RAJNIKANTH VIJAY IS SUPERSTAR

KollyWood Trade Market Increases Actor VIJAY. As per the current reports from TFI Rajini is the highest paid actor for Rana, then comes Vijay for his remuneration in Gautham Menon's Yohan: Adhyayam Ondru.

Official TFI Report :
TOP 6 PAID ACTORS IN KOLLYWOOD AS OF NOVEMBER 15

Rajnikanth : 24 Crores (Rana)
Vijay : 20 Crores (Yohan)
Kamal Hassan : 19.5 Crores (Vishwaroopam)
Ajith : 16 Crores (Billa 2)
Surya : 15 Crores (Maatran)
Vikram : 10 Crores (Raajapaatai)

VIJAY'S ARM PROJECT CHANGES HANDS!

Kollywood grapevine is abuzz that Vijay’s AR Murgadoss film which is to start in December had a change of producer.

The film which was to cost around Rs 60 Crore was to be produced by Vijay’s dad SAC, but latest news is that Kalaipuli S Dhanu has taken over as the producer.
The rumours making the rounds are AR Murgadoss wanted RS 12 Crore for the film, but SAC wanted him to reduce his price. Murgadoss struck to his guns and refused to reduce his salary.
The latest we hear is that leading producer Kalaipuli S Dhanu has stepped in agreed to fund the project.

Remember Vijay had earlier given a date to Dhanu for a film which was to be directed by Seeman ?
So it looks like AR Murgadoss will get his salary and the Vijay project will have a new producer.

VIJAY'S ROLE IN A.R.MURUGADOSS'S FILM

In the AR Murugadoss film, Vijay is playing a Mumbai dada, reports some sources in Kollywood. Though this fact has not been confirmed either by AR Murugadoss or Vijay, the news has started to make rounds.
The film has not been titled yet and AR Murugadoss is expected to announce the title any time now. However, the speculations on Vijay’s role in this film have started to make rounds. As per some reports in Kollywood, Vijay’s role in the movie will be similar to that of Kamal Haasan’s in Nayagan.
Yet another news that we hear on this project is that the film will begin in Tiruchendur and it will show Vijay’s transition as dada in Mumbai.

VELAYUDHAM FIRST 25 DAY COLLECTION

Vijay's Velayudham is rocking at box-office. After getting positive reviews from almost all websites and media, movie getting record collections in Kollywood history. As per the latest reports from our sources gross collections and share of 25 days as follows,

Velayudham 25 Days Collections | Share | Gross | Records

Business Statistics:

Budget: Rs 45 Crores

Total First(1) Week World Wide Gross Collections : Rs 51.1 Crore
Total First Two(2) Weeks World Wide Gross Collections : Rs 65.7 Crore
Total First Three(3) weeks World Wide Gross Collections: Rs 74.6 Crore

Total First 25 Days World Wide Gross Collections: Rs 78.2 Crore
Total First 25 Days Share : Rs 51.6 Crore

ILAYADHALAPATHI DR.VIJAY SPEAKS ABOUT NANBAN

EZHUPUNNA BAIJU ABOUT VIJAY

''It was like getting a Oscar when Vijay put his hand on my shoulder during his cochin visit.When Vijay reached cochin, he walked towards the fans and shared lots of happy moments with them. No malayalam actor ever did so.
I had worked with him for 70 days (In Kaavalan and Velayudham), he never displayed any kind of stardom in his behaviour and he's the humblest person i have ever seen''

- 'Ezhupunna Baiju' (Shown in the Picture) in a TV show 'Mazhavil Manorama' (Malayalam channel).

The show was about Malayalam film strikes and crisis but it soon changed into a platform for showering praises on 'Velayudham'..

VELAYUDHAM'S VICTORY OVER 7AM ARIVU

Kollywood saw a massive clash between two big movies that were released during Diwali. One was the much-hyped AR Murugadoss’s 7aam Arivu and the other, Jayamraja's Velayudham. With two popular heroes of Kollywood — Suriya and Vijay — battling it out on this festive occasion, it was rather surprising to learn who actually won the hearts of the masses this time.

7aam Arivu, produced by Udayanidhi Stalin’s Red Giant Films, saw massive publicity that ran for nearly a month before its release. Expectations too were soaring high for this film as the director who gave a runaway hit like Ghajini (both in Hindi and Tamil) was expected to deliver triple the success for this one.

Adding to the hype was Suriya’s role as Bodhidharma (a Buddhist monk) and Shruti Haasan debut in Tamil cinema.

On the other hand, Vijay’s Velayudham was promoted at a mediocre scale in and around Tamil Nadu. With Vijay playing the role of a super-hero for the first time in his career, this one too created a lot of buzz before its release.

However, post the release, Velayudham’s stupendous victory has come as a rather surprising one. With critics and audiences voting for Vijay’s super-hero flick over Suriya’s 7aam Arivu, the results have proved to be a shocker.

What really turned the tables? Says a source, “Before the release of these two movies, it seemed clear that 7aam Arivu would win over Velayudham. The film’s massive promotional activities, claiming it as ‘something unseen’, proved to be a wrong tactic, once the film was released. With a lot of commercial elements in the film and scripting errors, people were let down by the Suriya-Murugadoss’s combination.”

As a matter of fact, Velayudham which was released in comparatively lesser number of theatres across the country, has raked in more than 7aam Arivu in the first week of its theatrical release. “Velayudham was promoted as an out-and-out commercial entertainer and did surprise the audiences when it was released. Though it had lesser publicity compared to the former, it has proven to be the ultimate winner. And while both the movies enjoyed a massive opening, the rather critical reviews let 7aam Arivu down,” adds the source. For films that rely only on promotional activities, the clear win of Velayudham proves to be a resounding lesson.

FANS CELEBRATE THE SUCCESS OF VIJAY'S VELAYUDHAM

New Delhi: Success, they say, tastes sweet. And if one is to go by the celebrations of the scores of fans of actor Vijay on Tuesday, one would have no problems in agreeing with that statement.
Vijay's 'Velayudham', which released for Deepavali, has been doing exceptionally well in most centres where it is being screened. The film, which was released worldwide, has been declared a box office hit in around 800 centres.
Says a source, "Within a week of being released, we have had requests for an additional 100 prints. Now, apart from the theatres that were already screening the film on the day of the festival, a 100 more theatres are screening the film. This is a noteworthy victory for the actor."

IBNLive
The victory assumes significance for the star as after 'Kaavalan', this will be his second straight successful film in a row. His fans, who are aware of the significance of this victory, celebrated it in a manner they thought fit.
On Tuesday, 25 fans of the actor prayed for the film to complete its silver jubilee at the Vadapalani Murugan temple. They also tonsured their heads as part of their prayers and celebrated the decision of the Kamala theatre management to screen the film there.
The fans, after offering their prayers, then made their way to the Kamala theatre and performed a milk abhishekam to the polyvinyl posters of actor Vijay kept there.
What was interesting to note was that women too were a part of this celebration. The fans burst crackers and danced to popular numbers before dispersing from the venue.

VIJAY FANS CELEBRATE 52

Vijay fans celebrated Velayutham’s success recently and since it is his 52^nd film, about 52 college students pledged to donate their organs. The star was present at this function that took place recently.
Vijay has always been supportive of such causes and has encouraged his fans to donate organs, blood etc. The actor said that he is impressed by the students coming forward to donate their organs and thanked them for it.

AJITH'S VILLAIN IS VIJAY'S VILLAIN TOO

Vidyut Jamwal who impressed with his perforamce in the hindi version of Kakkha Kakkha is turning out to be a hot favorite actor for Kollywood directors. Recently , he was signed as the baddie for the Ajith starrer “Billa-2″ which is directed by Chakri Toleti.Now,He is signed for the upcoming Vijay’ movie which will be directed by ace director A.R.Murugadoss.Confirming this news, A.R.Murugadoss said that Vidyut Jamwal will be one of the villain for the movie .Vidyut Jamwal couldn’t have asked for more , he is one lucky lad, who made his way from Bollywood to fight with Kollywood leading Super Stars who are worshiped by their fans .

VENKAT PRABHU CHOOSES VIJAY

Looks like Venkat Prabhu has found the hero for his next. It is none other than Vijay. After directing Ajith in Mankatha, which got a huge opening, Venkat’s status as a director went up. There were a lot of rumors about his next project and we hear that it will be with the Ilayathalapathy. Vijay has given the go ahead for this project, sources say.

And this film will be produced by Venkat’s long-time buddy SPB Charan, son of popular singer SP Balasubramaniam. The groundwork for this project is on and Venkat is working round the clock to begin it as early as possible

NANBAN UPDATES....

While fans are eagerly awaiting for the release of Shankar's Nanban, the latest we hear is the audio of the film is expected to be launched soon..

The film which is the remake of b'wood blockbuster 3 Idiots has Vijay, Jiiva, Srikanth, Sathyaraj,Illeana, Anuya and a host of others in prominent roles..

Director Shankar who is reportedly very pleased with the way the film is shaping up is also equally thrilled with Harris Jayaraj's compositions for the film.

Sources say, that the songs will turn out to be chartbusters, and one hears that the song Aska is actor Vijay's favourite in the film. Recently Harris tweeted that the film's music would be unveiled soon.

As the final mixing of the audio is in progress, the audio will be released soon..

With Harris scoring the music, we are sure the songs will be rocking!!

KAJAL BAGS VIJAY'S FILM

Kajal can barely believe it. It can’t get bigger than this for the Punjabi lass! Yes, we’re talking about Kajal Agarwal, who’s got a prize catch —- Ilaya Thalapathy Vijay's next film directed by A.R. Murugadoss.

Though several names including Priyanka Chopra and Priya Anand were tossed around, the opportunity to romance Vijay on-screen has fallen into Kajal’s lap.

Sources say that the leggy lass, who’s on a high after her Bollywood debut hit Singham with Ajay Devgan, was on cloud nine after signing the film on Tuesday with mass hero Vijay.

She is the only lucky girl to sizzle with two K’town biggie The Mass Hero Vijay in this untitled flick. Her Tollywood career is also looking up with that film — one with Mahesh Babu and another with her Magadheera costar Ram Charan Teja.

A source reveals that the movie, which is produced by Vijay’s dad S.A. Chandrashekar, is set in Mumbai and will be shot extensively in the business capital.         

Reportedly it will go on the floors from December 1. Santhosh Sivan will handle the camera and Harris Jayaraj is expected to score the tracks.

NANBAN AUDIO ON DECEMBER 10 2011!

It’s a great year for Vijay and Harris Jayaraj as they have been streaking success in their own respective arenas. Well they’re coming together for the first time in Shankar’s ‘Nanban’. Harris Jayaraj has managed to churn out chartbusters one after the other.
Harris Jayaraj is now working on the final mix of the album and the master copy will be ready somewhere by next couple of weeks. As the producers are planning to release the film on January 14 for Pongal. Sources says that the music is likely to hit audio stores by 10th of December as they need at least a month gap between the audio and theatrical release.

WE ARE VERY PROUD TO BE A VIJAY FANS

Vijay Complete 52 movies - All Centres (Village and City based Subject) Vijay did all role like Auto driver,Tea Master,Unemployed,Bodyguard,fisher man,Iron smith,Welding man, Bike mechanic etc

Vijay spent his 10 percent of his salary for welfare activities..(Run Computer Educ centers, Donate Money for Heart Operation and students Higher education)

Vijay allocate time for his fans (every month photo shoot and discussion)..

He is only actor Support Social issues directly like Kovai Children kidnap and murder, Anna Hazare Protest, Eelam Fast Protest, Agaram foundation etc.. so

" WE ARE VERY PROUD TO BE A ILAYADHALAPATHI DR.VIJAY FANS".

HARRIS JAYARAJ ON NANBAN AUDIO

Harris Jayaraj, the music director of Nanban, has said that the final mixing of the audio is currently on. The musician is focusing on Nanban's audio right now as the plan is to launch the music during the first week of December.
With the deadline set for the audio launch, Harris is concentrating on completing this. Director Shankar, meanwhile, is busy with the post-production work and is expected to wrap it up soon.
Nanban will hit the screens for Pongal 2012, stated Shankar recently.
Nanban has some big names associated with it like Vijay, who plays the lead role with Ileana as his lead pair.

VIJAY IS GLAD TO WORK WITH SANTHOSH SIVAN

During the audio launch of Urumi, Vijay said that he is happy to be working in Santosh Sivan in his next film. The actor launched the audio CD of Urumi, which is the dubbed version of the Malayalam film with the same title. Apparently, Santosh is to wield the camera for Vijay’s next to be directed by AR Murugadoss. The director said that he has seen Santosh Sivan’s deftness in handling the camera in films like Roja and Dil Se and is happy to work with him.

Vijay said that the songs in Urumi looked like paintings and that is the power of Santosh’s camera handling skills.

The film’s lead star and one of the producers Prithviraj could not attend the audio launch as he is busy on the sets of Masters, a film directed by Subramaniapuram fame Sasi Kumar.

Mani Ratnam said that soon after seeing the Malayalam version of Urumi he felt that only Santosh Sivan can make such a film within limited budget and time span.

Speaking at this event, Santosh Sivan said that he always wanted to make such films and he is happy to have done that within a restricted time frame and budget. Urumi is a historical fantasy flick that has Prithviraj, Prabhu Deva, Genelia, Nithya Menon and others. The audio launch took place at Satyam Cinemas this morning.

I KNEW 'VELAYUDHAM' WOULD WORK : VIJAY

New Delhi:
Sharp, measured and bright. That's exactly how one can best describe actor Vijay's responses to searching questions posed by City Express.
The star, who has proven to industry pundits through his back-to-back hits with 'Kaavalan' and 'Velayutham' that he is still a force to be reckoned with in Kollywood, is clearly on a winning spree. And that spree might just not be confined to Kollywood and may well extend to the business of politics, if one is to go by the indications given by the star.
With 'Velayudham' still going strong after having been declared a hit in over 800 centres and with three other big films with established directors like Shankar, Murugadoss and Gautam Menon all set to follow, Vijay's reply to his critics, who wrote him off after Sura's failure, it seems, is only bound to get stronger and louder in the coming days.

Beginning by commenting on his experience of working on 'Velayutham', Vijay says, "We worked really hard for a year. In fact, when about 60 percent of this film was over, I recalled all the scenes that we had shot and knew then itself that this movie would work big time. I told director Jayam Raja too about this feeling of mine."
But then, draw his attention to the fact that during Deepavali, there were reports of a battle being silently fought over screens and he responds by thinking for a complete minute before answering, "I want to discuss something useful. Today, my movie's a hit and that is all that matters."
'Velayutham's handsome performance at the box office, that too close on the heels of 'Kavalan's success, is certainly a shot in the arm for him. But he Sharp, measured and bright. That's exactly how one can best describe actor Vijay's responses to searching questions posed by City Express.
Did he actually make a conscious effort to plan these films to reverse his fortunes at the box office? Responds Vijay, "Everybody goes through these phases. I don't pay too much attention to them. I went through a bad phase and now it is going well. I don't plan anything. If something appeals to me, I do it. For instance, I was supposed to do a movie a couple of years ago with Jayam Raja. But then, that never materialised. Had it materialised also, we still could not have been sure if it would have been as successful as 'Velayutham' has been."
The actor's next film to hit screens will be Shankar's 'Nanben', the Tamil remake of the blockbuster '3 Idiots'. Initially, rumours were doing the rounds in the industry that all was not well between the ace director and Vijay and as a result, Vijay had even walked out of the project only to return later.
Refuting these rumours, Vijay says, "Firstly, director Shankar is a wonderful human being. I've known him from the days he was an assistant director to my dad. His growth has been nothing less than phenomenal and I've been both impressed and proud of his growth. As for the rumours, there is no truth in them. The only thing that we had to sort out was the dates problem. 'Nanben's offer came my way when I was half-way through 'Velayutham' and managing dates wasn't easy. But we figured a way out."
About the cast of 'Nanben', Vijay says, "Both Srikanth and Jiiva are good friends. Sathyaraj Sir plays the villain in the film. Tamil cinema would not have witnessed a bond as the one that exists between Sathyaraj Sir and me in this film."
Finally, ask Vijay where he sees himself five years from now, Kollywood or Bollywood and he pauses. "I don't plan anything. Especially, anything that's that long", he says.
Persist and ask him, 'Politics'? He smiles and signs off saying, "May be".

VELAYUDHAM ROCKING IN BOX OFFICE

Vijay's Velayudham is rocking at box-office. After getting positive reviews from almost all websites and media, movie getting record collections in Kollywood history. As per the latest reports from our sources gross collections and share of first 3 weeks as follows,

Total Budget : 45 Crore
1st Week WorldWide Collection: 51.1 Crore
2nd Week WorldWide Collection: 65.7 Crore ... 3rd Week WorldWide Collection: 74.6 Crore

IN THE NEWS NANBAN SONGS TO BE UNVEILED SOON

Director Shankar is reportedly very pleased with the way Nanban is shaping up and he's thrilled with Harris Jeyaraj's compositions for the film. There is anticipation that the songs will turn out to be chartbusters, especially considering that the original, 3 Idiots, had hit numbers. According to sources, Harris has been paid a whopping sum for this project and one hears that the song Aska is actor Vijay's favourite in the film. Recently Harris tweeted that the film's music would be unveiled soon.

Apparently Shankar has shot the songs in a manner that is much different from the way they have been picturised in 3 Idiots. One hears that the final mixing of the audio is in progress now and the audio will be released some time in December.

VIJAY AND AJITH COMBO AFTER 16 YEARS

These days Vijay and Ajith fans seem to get closer. It is because both the actors are showing good bond between them at various occasions. Now the news is that some big wig producers are planning to rope Vijay and Ajith the top two actors in the remake of yesteryear blockbuster Sholay starring Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra along with Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan in the female lead.

Jai and Veeru (the heroes) are very close friends who robs to live their life. At one point a police officer catches and jails them. One day the police officer makes a deal, to kill the most dreaded goonda of his village Gabbar (Amjad). These two eventually accept the offer and how they eliminate Gabbar in the end is the story.

If this becomes true then this will be big comeback for the Ajith and Vijay combo after 16 long years. Their last combo was seen in the 1995 film Rajavin parvaiyilae.

VELAYUDHAM AT BOX OFFICE

The box office results are getting better for Vijay's Velayudham. During the diwali Velayudham had the least count in the box office results.
But day by day things got heated up, and after 20days of the Diwali films run. Now its official that Ilayathalapathy Vijay's Velayudham is the Box Office King.
The film which was made under a 45 crore budget, its yeilding more fruits than costliest diwali releases. Velayudham's last week collections went up to 10 lakhs which itself a big amount for the budget of the movie. Oscar Ravichandran the producer of Vijay's Velayudham is feeling happy and thanked VIjay and M Raja for their hardwork and effort shown in shaping up the film to its success. If Velayudham is diwali box office winner, then Shankar's Nanban will be Pongal Box Office smasher.

'NANBAN' AS '3 RASCALS' IN TELUGU!

Ilayathalapathy Vijay who is now basking in the success of 'Velayudham' that is still running to packed houses, is gearing up for his next festive release, 'Nanban' that will see light of the day on Pongal 2012. Now the latest is that Vijay has expressed that the Telugu version will be titled '3 Rascals'!

The film that is a remake of Bollywood's super hit '3 Idiots' which by itself is inspired by a Chetan Bhagat novel will see a release in Telugu, simultaneously. 'Nanban' also marks director Shankar's first ever remake venture.

The film stars Vijay, Srikanth, Jiiva and Ileana in the lead roles, who are reprising the roles played by Aamir Khan, Madhavan, Sharman Joshi and Kareena Kapoor respectively. It may be mentioned that Ileana has a good market in Andhra Pradesh.

Vijay will be seen in never seen before sort of looks in the songs of this film which will release big internationally this Pongal.

VIJAY VOUCHES FOR SHANKAR

Vijay claims there have been never any tension between him and Shankar during Nanban's filming. In a recent interview to a tabloid, he mentioned that his friendship with Shankar runs way back to his days as an Assistant Director with his father S A C. "He is an absolute delight to work with and I enjoyed working in Nanban," Vijay was further quoted as saying.

Vijay also has good words about his costars Srikanth and Jiiva. "We have become good friends after the movie," he said.

VIJAY HEADS DOWN SOUTH

The Ghajini filmmaker has chosen Thiruchendur, one of the six abodes of Lord Muruga, as the backdrop for the film's commencement
T Unfazed by the mixed response he has been getting for his recent movie 7 Aum Arivu, A.R Murugadoss has quickly moved on to his next, another biggie. This one stars Ilaya Thalapathy Vijay . The untitled flick, produced by Vijay's dad S.A Chandrashekar, will go on the floors by the middle of next month. The Ghajini filmmaker has chosen tives Thiruchendur, one of the six abodes obje of Lord Muruga, as the backdrop for the the film's commencement, with the w Velayudham star very much a part of f the scenario.

Sources said that the story demand ed a venue like Thiruchendur temple, which is situated at the seaside. From there the action is said to travel to Mumbai, where most of the script unfolds.

A high action drama, the makers are yet to finalise the female lead, although Bollywood hottie Priyanka Chopra is said to be the front-runner, with others also in contention. Unconfirmed sources inform us that it is a two-heroine subject and Murugadoss is keen to rope in Priya Anand of Nootri Enbadhu fame as one of the heroines.

VIJAY FOLLOWS MGR'S SUCCESS MANTRA

Vijay’s back with a bang. Flush with the success of his Diwali offering Velayudham, Vijay met the media to cele brate and share his joy with them. He’s delighted that his `mass masala’ formula, finely packaged into a screenplay by Jayam Raja, has clicked in such a big way .

Remarkably, despite the fact that his stories are not different, his `looks’ don’t change and his flicks don’t vary, most of Vijay’s films continue to work at the B-O, barring a few duds.

Reacting to a query about adopting MGR’s success formula in film after film (though initially he said he goes the Rajini way) Vijay explained, “It’s a tried and test ed formula for success. The legendary MGR fol lowed this formula and his films were block lowed this formula and his films were block buster hits. Rajini sir follows the same method and so do I!“ He grinned, “If it makes everyone happy, is there anything wrong in sticking to it?“ He said that he was eagerly waiting for the release of Nanban, in which he teams up with film maker Shankar. Jayam Raja and Vijay Antony were also present on the occasion.

VIJAY AND VIJAY SUCCESS STORY

The combination of Ilayathalapathy Vijay and music director Vijay Antony has clicked in a big way with the audiences.

The combo’s latest Velayudham music is a big hit with the audiences and has also helped the M Raja directed film to the winning post.

Last week the leading FM station Radio Mirchi in their Top 20 (week ending November 5), has placed two songs from Velayudham in the chart.  “Chillax...” is the number one while “Molachu Moonu...” is at number two.

Vijay Antony has beaten the most popular Harris Jayaraj to the number one spot on Radio Mirchi Top 20 countdown.

Harris’s “Ringa Ringa…” from 7aum Arivu,  which was the previous week’s number one has been relegated to the third position!

Vijay and Vijay has been reeling out hit after hits, right from Sukran (Ilayathalapathy did a cameo in the film) days.

The first full-fledged film that the duo did was Vettaikaran. Two songs from the film “Chinna Thamarai …” and “ Enn Muchimandai…” became runaway chartbusters.” And now Velayudham is an even bigger hit.

Vijay Antony has been able to give hit music to Vijay. The songs a mixture of mass and melody has worked wonders with Vijay’s fan base.

The opening song a crucial factor in a Vijay film is given extra care by the music director.

VIJAY AND KAMAL DANCE TOGETHER

Kamal who celebrated his birthday on this Nov 7th had a long time wish it seems. Ulaga Nayagan Kamal Hassan who is well known for his dance movements in the early 80’s and 90’s was obsessed with our Ilayathalapathy Vijay’s dance style since a long time.

Even thou both have met at various occasions. Kamal always wanted to see the dance steps of Vijay lively. So when Kamal Hassan arranged for a bashing birthday party, his close circles and many of the VIP personalities attended.

To make it a memorable one our Ulaga Nayagan requested Ilayathalapathy to dance for him. Vijay was shaken to surprise seeing a request made by Kamal himself. So Vijay just tuned his legs and made Kamal’s birthday an unforgettable one.

VIJAY AND A.R.MURUGADOSS GOES TO THIRUCHENDUR

After a huge hit in Velayudham, Vijay will shoot for his next film to be produced by his dad S A Chandrashekar and directed by A R Murugadoss. Buzz is that movie will kick start in Thiruchendur, one of the six abodes of Lord Muruga.

A high action love story, the makers are yet to finalise the female lead, although Bollywood hottie Priyanka Chopra is said to be the front-runner, with others also in contention. Meanwhile Vijay's Nanban , directed by Shannkar is releasing this Pongal and the audio will be launched later next month.

Ilayathalapathy Vijay is a happy person these days, with the mega venture Shankar’s Nanban releasing this pongal makes Vijay the hottest star in Kollywood.

NANBAN AUDIO UPDATES

The audio of the much-expected Nanban will hit the stands during the first week of December. Speaking about this, the film’s director Shankar said that the songs have come out extremely well, thanks to Harris Jayaraj. He added that the steps that are usually seen in four songs have been put together in a single song in Nanban. Harris has done an excellent job, said Shankar.

With the annual Carnatic Kutchery season due to begin in December, Nanban’s music is all set to rock Kollywood!

NANBAN OFFICIAL TRACK LIST

1. En Nanban Pola
2. Irukkaana Iduppirukaana
3. Uskulusku Yemo Yemo
4. Heartilay Battery

Two more songs to be added to the list!

NANBAN A GRAND AUDIO LAUCH

Now that director Shankar has confirmed on his blog that the shoot of his forthcoming film 'Nanban' is 100 per cent complete and the Vijay-Jiiva-Srikanth starrer would make it to cinema halls for Pongal, a guessing game is on as to when would be the film's audio will release.
When we probed, inside sources expressed that a mega music launch function is being planned in Chennai by the last week of November. "It will be a grand show in which top guns of Tamil cinema will mark their presence. Cultural programs will also be there," they said.

"Harris Jayaraj, who had earlier worked with Shankar in 'Anniyan', has come out with beautiful songs. All the songs in the film have the quality to emerge chartbusters, as they are composed in such a way that it would strike an instant chord among the youngsters," they added.
Produced by Gemini Film Circuit, 'Nanban', a remake of Hindi hit '3 Idiots', is currently in its post production stage. Shankar, known for crafting his films with the precision of a goldsmith, is said to be working overtime for 'Nanban', for this is his first remake project.

ILAYADHALAPATHI DR.VIJAY TO STARTED NEW TV CHANNEL

With an interest in politics, Vijay knows it's only advantageous to have a TV channel on his own. Like what Captain did. Groundwork for his new television channel is underway with Sangeetha Vijay researching and finalizing on the name and other necessary details for the launch of the channel. It's also learnt that official announcement will be out on the Pongal day, 2012.

It's likely that a popular journalist will be appointed as the channel head, who is already a well known name among the Tamil public and has served in the board of a tabloid. He seems to have agreed to Vijay's request in heading the channel. Expect an announcement soon.

VIJAY'S VELAYUDHAM BIG HIT IN FOREIGN SOIL SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Vijay's Velayudham is doing great in Singapore and Malaysia more than in home pitch. Recently it has been found that Tamil audience in Singapore and Malaysia are big fans of Vijay and are thoroughly entertained by his purely entertaining comedy, Velayudham.

Velayudham has been especially liked by family audience in Malaysia and Singapore who like stress free comedy and entertainment based films than films with complicated story lines. Children here are bigger fans of Velayudham’s comedy, songs and action scenes. Among Diwali 2011 releases children in Malaysia and Singapore preferred to watch Velayudhan to any other film.

Throughout the entire Velayudham, whistles and applauses keep coming on and on. Durga, a teenage fan of Vijay from Singapore said that the scenes of Vijay and Santhanam in Velayudham bring laugh riots in the audience.

SHANKAR - THE SPIELBERG OF INDIA

Vijay is basking in the success of Velayudham..The film directed by raja was a commercial entertainer which also had hansika, Genelia, Saranya Mohan, Santhanam in prominent roles..

The actor is next gearing up for Shankar’s Nanban.. the film which is the remake of b’town blockbuster 3 Idiots stars Jiiva, Srikanth, Illeana, Sathyaraj and a host of others in prominent roles..

The Velayudham star could not stop raving about director Shankar. “I will call him the Spielberg of India. His technical expertise simply amazes me. He acts out each and every scene including minute details, which made our job easier. I simply go without any preparation.”

Meanwhile he will also be seen in Gautham’s Yohan Adhyayam Ondru, a high action thriller.

VELAYUDHAM 1ST DAY IN KOLLAM, KERALA

VIJAY IN NANBAN

Vijay is very pleased as Velayudham has been hugely appreciated by his fans. Even as the accolades are pouring in for this film, Vijay has set his sights on his next release which will be Nanban directed by Shankar. According to the actor the film is not a blind copy of the original 3 Idiots but a fresh take on the same concept.
Shankar's vision and ability to innovate keeping in mind the tastes of the Tamil audience is truly amazing according to Vijay. The actor added that working with Shankar has been an educational as well as extremely pleasant experience. Nanban which also features Srikanth, Jiiva and Ileana is expected to release in time for Pongal.

VIJAY READY FOR DIFFERENT ROLES

Vijay has expressed his desire to be part of movies that offer versatile roles to him. But the Ilayathalapathy of Tamil cinema wants those films to fall under the commercial format. "Because commercial cinema is something which I have been successful at," he says.

Happy with the success of 'Velayudham', his Deepavali release, the actor says, "It was my longtime desire to work with Jayam Raja and so was the director's too. I started feeling positive vibes right from the first day of the shoot and when 60 percent of the movie was shot, I was confident about it's success."

Speaking on comparisons with 'Azad', Vijay further said, "Anyone can find a lot of differences between Azad and Velayudham. The director has made interesting changes to the story and screenplay to make it close to the hearts of Tamil audience."

Vijay is currently on a break, spending time with his parents, wife and children. Earlier this week, the actor's mother and singer Shobha Chandrasekaran has been appointed as the Artistic Heritage Consultant by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.