Smokescreen

With controversies about smoking on-screen in the air from the past few days, here is yet another incident which adds to this much debated issue. Recently, at the launch of ‘Putta’, which is being produced by Pyramid Saimira Production International Limited and directed by Om Prakash Rao, a poster of Vijay holding cigarette became the much discussed issue. Managing Director of Pyramid Saimira Group P S Saminathan, chose to answer the question from journalists by beating around the bush. Meanwhile, the director Om Prakash Rao, who seemed to have awakened from a gentle slumber when the discussion was going on, was all ready to change the poster itself!

Vijay for the first time is playing the role of an auto driver opposite Prarthana. Prarthana who has acted in Telugu movies as a child artiste, is now looking forward to her debut as a heroine in this movie. 

Long song

B K Srinivas' Mandakini, starring the vivacious Rashmi seems to be adding more novelties. K Kalyan who has composed the score for the film has got veteran singer S Janaki to sing in a Kannada film after seven years. Janaki, who had stayed away from Gandhinagar, protesting against the lack of recognition to playback singers by the State Government when it came to the State film awards, has finally consented to sing a song for the film. Another highlight of the movie is the song of a duration of 10-min and 8-sec. This is the longest ever song written in the Indian film industry and it depicts the proud history of Karnataka and has been shot in 17 districts across Karnataka. That's not all.  The First Indian Idol Abhijeet Sawant has also lent his vocals for the first time to a Kannada song! Perhaps not to be outdone, director Ramesh Surve has got veteran journalist Dr Patil Puttappa and Dr Shivakumara Swamiji, the Siddaganga seer to put in an appearance in one of the songs! With producer Srinivas starting a healthy precedent of insuring the entire unit of technicians and the cast of the film before beginning shooting, Mandakini seems to be a bagful of innovations!