||January releases Tollywood|| - Discuss

Starry Sankranti

Come January and Tollywood's hit makers, Mahesh Babu, Venkatesh and Ravi Teja will give each other a tough fight on the silver screen

Suresh Kavirayani

For avid Tollywood moviegoers, Sankranti is literally festive time. As always, this year too there are about five films slated for release. And in the contention are some of T-town's most sought after actors. It's virtually going to be a war of the titans at the BO, this festive season.
The first to hit the marquee is "Businessman" which is slated to release on January 11. Following the success of "Dookudu", the usually reclusive Mahesh was in an upbeat mood as he announced the date of "Businessman" at the launch of the film. The film is generating a lot of interest as it's a Puri Jagannath-Mahesh combination. The duo earlier had given the Telugu industry its all-time hit "Pokiri". Kajal is playing the female lead in the film, which is aiming for a record release with the highest number of screens.
Soon on the heels of "Businessman", the Venkatesh-Trisha starrer "Bodyguard" is all set for a "big" release on January 12. This is the third time that Trisha and Venkatesh are being paired together and avid fans of the duo are eagerly awaiting its release as their earlier films together —"Aadavari Matalaku Arthalu Verule" and "Namo Venkatesa" — were blockbusters. Stars battle it out
One day after the release of "Bodyguard", Ravi Teja's "Nippu" is slated to set the screens on fire. Actor Ravi Teja, director Gunasekhar and producer YVS Choudhary, who were roommates in Chennai at the beginning of their careers, have come together for this film. Deeksha Seth is playing the female lead.
Apart from these big films, comedian-turned-lead actor, Sunil, is also in the race with his "Poola Rangadu". This is director Veerabrahmam's second venture and Eesha Chawla is playing the female lead in this film which is slated for a January 14 release.
Another star waiting in the wings for a Sankranti release is Balakrishna. His film "Adhinayakudu" is releasing in the festive season, however, the date hasn't been confirmed yet.
suresh.kavirayani@timesgroup.com

Mahesh Babu in 'Businessman

Art for art's sake

Art director Anand Sai, who burst into Tollywood with Pawan Kalyan starrer "Tholi Prema", has created a niche for himself with his eye-catching sets in films like "Badrinath", "Khaleja", "Orange", "Brindavanam" and "Shakti" in the recent past. He says he gets his inspiration from travelling. "I love travelling and pick up interesting sights from my travels and try to incorporate them into my films as well," says Anand who believes in giving his best to every project. He says the biggest challenge is to make things look real. "I prefer working outdoors in real settings, rather than studio sets. It is much tougher, but also very satisfying," he shares.
Here's a little known fact about the ace art director. Not many people know that the leading art director is also a coveted art designer for celebrity weddings in the city. It all started when megastar Chiranjeevi asked him to do the art work for his elder daughter's wedding a while ago. "I thought it would be a one off, but soon the word spread and I have been doing this for a while. I designed the set for former speaker Suresh Reddy's daughter's wedding recently," he explains. But the art director is livid with some event management companies that are surreptitiously taking away all the credit for his designs. "It hurts when someone else takes away the credit for the work you do just because they decorate the set with flowers. It's very sad," he fumes. However, as far as films go, his call sheets look pretty good. He is presently working for NTR starrer "Dammu" and Ravi Teja starrer "Nippu".

Anand Sai

Nisha's a busy bee

Shankaran Malini

Ishtam" heroine, Nisha Aggarwal (who also happens to be Kajal Aggarwal's sister) has been promoting her recent Telugu release in Hyderabad. But, she's quite happy that she's not just almost wrapped up shooting for "Ishtam" alongside Vimal, but is also getting ready to start her next project. Nisha, who chooses to be tight-lipped about this Tamil project, says, "Although it has been confirmed, I am currently not allowed to talk about it. But we will start rolling in January or February." With regards to "Ishtam", she says, "There is only a song that's left to be shot. We will be heading to Egypt and Dubai. The film should be ready by February."
Quiz her on whether she could accompany her sister at the sets of "Thuppaki" in Mumbai, and she says, "I was busy with the promotions of my Telugu film "Solo" in Hyderabad at that time. Now I am back in Mumbai and Kajal is currently in Hyderabad. Hopefully, I will, if I have the time."

Nisha Aggarwal