Funny anecdote
Singer Yesudas is a perfectionist. When it comes to recording his songs, he normally desires utter silence and, professionalism. So when our Ratnamala Prakash was to record a song with the maestro, she was naturally nervous. For music director Hamsalekha that meant an inferior output. Scratching his head for a solution, Hams was intrigued by a ‘trait’ unique to Malayalee actors. Without wasting time, he sought Yesudas’ opinion on that. He wanted to know why Malayalee men in general appeared to move their hands in a peculiar fashion while walking? The singer was nonplussed and shook his head. To which Hams offered his explanation: Used to ‘commuting’ on the waterways in Kerala’s hinterland, the Malayalee men found it difficult to walk on roads in the capital city, Thiruvanantapuram. Unconsciously, their hands mimed paddling! Yesudas roared in laughter and the tension was broken.

Hamsalekha chose to narrate this anecdote while the scribes were waiting for the leading pair of Gunavantha to turn up on the muhurat day. If only his talent was used on-screen!

Action-packed hero
Actor Shivarajkumar is a ball of endless energy these days. Busy shooting for Santa (which is releasing today) and Lava Kusha, Shivanna is also wrapping up the action scenes for his Satya in Love, directed by newcomer Raghava Loki. When the journalists met him on the sets of Satya... the actor was without his wig, a trademark in the film! Looking tired, he nevertheless enthused about the shot he was giving - his introduction scene in the film, choreographed by none other than Peter Heines, the acclaimed action director down South. The 40-plus actor made little of the fact that he was bone tired as he was floored by Heines’ approach to an action scene, seen in a long time after the times of action directors Master Shivaiah, Palani Raj and others. The actor confessed that Peter Heines had impressed him so much that he simply didn’t feel like going off the floors even if he did not have a shot to give! Some professionalism, this. Is the Young Brigade listening?

Unexpected benefit
Speaking of Gunavantha, actress Rekha has been pencilled in to play hero Prem’s sweetheart. After Rakshitha got married and Ramya set sights on other shores, the field is wide open in Gandhinagar - Radhika is hardly in contention for the top slot. Smart Rekha has chosen the right time to fill in this slot and is reaping this unexpected benefit. Apart from Gunavantha, Rekha is starring opposite Aniruddh in Tamashegaagi and Ganesh in Hudugaata. What’s more, she is all out to convince people that begetting a girl child matters in the end, in Hetre Henne Herbeku.
As for Prem, the romantic hero gets to play Rekha’s saviour in this film, where she is supposedly suffering from a phobia (what kind, only time will tell!). And to give that touch of ‘authenticity’, the actor sports a bushier moustache as well. Well, with the surprise failure of Pallakki, one hopes the handsome actor is not trying to camouflage himself!