Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Ajith Kumar, Dhanush, Sivakarthikeyan, and Vijay Sethupathi cast their votes in Chennai
By Vivek Raj | Galatta | 11:21 AM
The first phase of voting for the General Elections 2024 has begun today (Friday, April 19) and leading Tamil cinema stars have been seen arriving to cast their votes at polling booths across Chennai. 'Superstar' Rajinikanth cast his vote at the Poes Garden polling booth amidst heavy police bandobast and urged everyone to do the same as Tamil Nadu goes into the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Although Makkal Needhi Maiam president Kamal Haasan or 'Ulaganayagan' as he is fondly called by fans is not contesting the elections this year, he was seen showing his inked finger after he cast his vote at a polling station in Alwarpet.
According to reports, Ajith Kumar was one of the first in the Tamil film fraternity to exercise his duty in Chennai and had flaunted his inked finger to election officers, the press and the paparazzi before exiting the polling station. Likewise, Dhanush too cast his vote at the St Francis Xavier School, followed by Sivakarthikeyan at the Good Shepherd School, while Vijay Sethupathi was seen bonding with other voters at Kilpauk. Addressing media persons, Sivakarthikeyan stressed on the importance of voting and how it is every person's right, while extending his wishes to first-time voters. The actor also quoted Abraham Lincoln saying, "The ballot is stronger than the bullet."
The first phase of Lok Sabha elections is currently underway in 102 seats across 21 states and Union Territories, and the counting of the votes will be held on June 4. The first phase polls is being held on all seats of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Lakshadweep (1), Madhya Pradesh (6), Meghalaya (2), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Rajasthan (12), Sikkim (1), Tamil Nadu (39), Uttar Pradesh (8), and Uttarakhand (5). Furthermore, there will be five seats each in Assam and Maharashtra, four in Bihar, three in West Bengal, two in Manipur, and one each in Jammu and Kashmir, Tripura, and Chhattisgarh.
'Merry Christmas': Sriram Raghavan opens up on the one unexpected thing that Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif brought to the film (EXCLUSIVE)
By Vivek Raj | Galatta | 05:42 PM
Leading Hindi filmmaker Sriram Raghavan's latest film, Merry Christmas, starring Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi and Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif is now out in theatres. Shot simultaneously in Tamil, the hit director recently sat down with National Award-winning film critic Baradwaj Rangan, the Editor-in-Chief of Galatta Plus, and spoke about the one thing that was unexpected for him with what Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif brought to Merry Christmas.
Known best for his films Agent Vinod (2012), Badlapur (2015), and Andhadhun (2018), to name a notable few, director Sriram Raghavan opened up about Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif in Merry Christmas and said, "When I started it, I was very fascinated by this casting. This film depends a lot on the chemistry of the actors. But, when it was sort of coming together, that's when I realized that we're getting that. Before release, I can't say anything nice about the film. I mean, I'm supposed to say, but I feel very hesitant to. I feel very odd doing that. So, it's come together, and in my head it was a small little movie. I said, 'I don't want any worry of any budget and luckily we're okay on that.' It's not like it's a huge budget. So, for me, it was just that we managed to pull it off with these two."
Sriram Raghavan further stated, "Vijay (Sethupathi) as an actor I discovered... every actor you work with... I've never worked with him, but I've seen his performances. So, when I started working, I started meeting the man, discussing, interacting, and so much, and there's so much he's contributed to the film in terms of acting. I would have thought of in a certain manner and he would just say, 'What if I do it like this?' I'd say, 'Gee, that's not a bad idea.' So, it was stuff like that."
Watch Merry Christmas director Sriram Raghavan in conversation with Baradwaj Rangan in the video below:
'Merry Christmas': Vijay Sethupathi explains the reason for rejecting 20 films, shares about why he said 'NO' to new villain and guest roles (EXCLUSIVE)
By Vivek Raj | Galatta | 07:18 PM
Leading Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi will be kicking off 2024 with the highly-anticipated Merry Christmas scheduled to open in cinemas worldwide as a grand Pongal treat on January 12. The Hindi-Tamil bilingual has the National Award winner sharing screen space with Bollywood sensation Katrina Kaif and is directed by Sriram Raghavan of Andhadhun (2018) fame. With the response to the Tamil and Hindi versions of the Merry Christmas trailers receiving a stellar feedback from fans, Vijay Sethupathi sat down along with director Sriram Raghavan for an exclusive interview with Galatta to talk about their film, while also sharing his views about putting a stop to taking up villain and cameo roles.
Speaking about appearing in special guest roles in films, Vijay Sethupathi said, "Beyond the fear of such a move affecting my market, the people who are approaching me for such characters are more. I've said NO to almost 10-20 guest roles. I've stopped it altogether. I had a different view about it before." He added, "I used to earlier believe that there's nothing wrong in doing such roles as it would give support to a film if I acted for 2-3 days since this is our livelihood. But, after a point of time, it became frequent - be it upcoming directors or established filmmakers. As a result, I took a strict decision against it as it sometimes affected the business of the films I was acting as a hero."
Vijay Sethupathi, who previously hit the high note with his performances as the antagonist most notably in films Petta (2019), Master (2021), Vikram (2022), and Jawan (2023), also opened up about doing villain roles and said, "Similar to the guest roles, many people began asking me to play negative characters. At a certain stage, I felt that I was moving into the territory of playing a typical villain. There were some people who asked me to say NO only after a story narration, but I'm not able to allocate time for everything. And, that is why I said during the recently-held Goa Film Festival that I've stopped taking up such roles altogether."
Watch Vijay Sethupathi and director Sriram Raghavan talk about Merry Christmas and more in the interview below:
'Merry Christmas' trailer: Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif's holiday date on Christmas Eve takes a dark turn; 'Andhadhun' director Sriram Raghavan's next - WATCH
By Vivek Raj | Galatta | 07:10 PM
The long wait for the trailer of National Award-winning Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi and Bollywood superstar Katrina Kaif's Merry Christmas has come to an end as the first visuals of the upcoming film have now been released. Directed by Sriram Raghavan of Andhadhun (2018) fame, the thriller has been shot simultaneously in Tamil and Hindi and includes two separate sets of actors appearing alongside the lead duo in both versions. The events depicted in the Merry Christmas trailer during a night between Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif hint at yet another promising thrill ride from director Sriram Raghavan, and fans will be looking to witness yet another entertainer along the lines of his Andhadhun once again.
The Merry Christmas trailer starts off showing a split screen with two mixer grinders - one grinding food, while the other has medicine tablets. In a series of shots, the visuals suggest the tone of the film, while highlighting the romance between Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif amidst the backdrop of Christmas Eve. Their time together quickly takes a big, dark turn as both characters appear to have reservations about each other while talking in riddles. The trailer for Merry Christmas has been released in Hindi and Tamil languages, and the visuals in each vary quite a lot but revolve overall around the mystery surrounding Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif's relationship, and the subsequent events taking place between them.
Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif are headlining the star cast of Merry Christmas, with the supporting cast in the Hindi version featuring the likes of Tinnu Raaj Anand, Sanjay Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Pratima Kannan, Radhika Apte, and Ashwini Kalsekar. The Tamil version of the Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif-starrer will once again see Radhika Apte, who will be appearing alongside Raadhika Sarathkumar, Gayathrie Shankar, Shanmugarajan, and Rajesh, among others in the film. Featuring music composed by Pritam, Merry Christmas was initially slated to release in cinemas on December 23, 2022, but was pushed to December 8 this year, and will now open in theatres worldwide on January 12, 2024,
Watch Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif in the Merry Christmas Tamil and Hindi trailers below:
'Train': Vijay Sethupathi and Mysskin join hands for a new journey; blockbuster producer Kalaippuli S. Thanu's next big film - First look and pooja ceremony pics out!
By Vivek Raj | Galatta | 04:46 PM
'Makkal Selvan' Vijay Sethupathi and acclaimed filmmaker Mysskin are teaming up for a full-fledged project for the first time titled Train and the excitement is as real as it gets. The upcoming film is being bankrolled by Kalaippuli S. Thanu under his V Creations, and the hit producer is known for some of Tamil cinema's biggest blockbusters and cult classics. Touted to be an action thriller, the story of Train is centered around a train journey, with Vijay Sethupathi undergoing a lot of changes for his looks for a different avatar, while Veeramae Vaagai Soodum (2022) fame Dimple Hayati has been roped in to play a meaty role.
Train will see Vijay Sethupathi and Dimple Hayati share screen space with several notable names among whom include Ira Dayanand, Nassar, Vinay Rai, Bhavana, Sampath Raj, Babloo Prithviraj, KS Ravikumar, Yugi Sethu, Ganesh Venkatraman, Kaniha, Diya Seetepalli, Singam Puli, Sriranjani, Ajay Rathnam, Thrigun Arun, Raichal Rabecca and others in supporting roles, with the first look poster also released. Mysskin, who has of late been exploring his musical side, will be composing the film's songs and the background score, while Fowzia Fathima is handling the cinematography, with Sri Watson in charge of the editing, and V Mayapandi overseeing the production design.
. @DirectorMysskin ‘s #Train first look.@theVcreations @fowziafathima @RIAZtheboss @teamaimpr pic.twitter.com/RLmygVvuRI
— VijaySethupathi (@VijaySethuOffl) November 30, 2023
A formal pooja ceremony for Train was held on Friday morning, December 1, which saw the film's team pose for pictures with National Award-winning director Vetri Maaran, Nadigar Sangam President Nasser, Tamil Film Producer Council members Murali Ramasamy, Radhakrishnan, S Kathiresan, producer Anbu Chezhiyan, Kalyanam (Knack Studios) and others who conveyed their best wishes to the team. There is quite a lot of buzz for Train as the talk about Vijay Sethupathi and Mysskin joining hands for a film has been happening for quite some time, especially after the National Award-winning Tamil actor played an important cameo in the filmmaker's yet-to-be-released Pisasu 2.
Merry Christmas: Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif film to hit screens earlier than previously announced, new release date out
By Vivek Raj | Galatta | 04:43 PM
National Award-winning Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi and Bollywood sensation Katrina Kaif's Merry Christmas directed by Sriram Raghavan will open in cinemas earlier than previously announced. The upcoming film touted to be a thriller will be coming out on the big screen in Hindi and Tamil languages on December 8; a week before its previously announced December 15 release plans. The news of Merry Christmas' release date preponement has come as a big delight for Vijay Sethupathi's fans in Tamil, with the actor making the announcement on social media on Tuesday, October 3, by sharing posters of the film featuring himself alongside Katrina Kaif.
Christmas comes even earlier this year!! Be ready to feel the chills and thrills of #SriramRaghavan's #MerryChristmas, now on 8th December, in cinema halls near you.@TipsFilmsInd #MatchboxPictures @RameshTaurani #SanjayRoutray #JayaTaurani #KewalGarg #KatrinaKaif #SanjayKapoor… pic.twitter.com/PHp65E9KPx
— VijaySethupathi (@VijaySethuOffl) October 3, 2023
There has been quite a lot of buzz surrounding Merry Christmas as the film is director Sriram Raghavan's next after Badlapur (2015) and Andhadhun (2018), which turned out to be blockbusters at the box office, while also garnering appreciation from critics. The film will also see Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif sharing screen space with Radhika Apte, who is best known to Tamil audiences for playing the female lead in 'Superstar' Rajinikanth's Kabali (2016). Furthermore, Merry Christmas includes a host of stars forming the ensemble cast featuring the likes of Sanjay Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Pratima Kannan, and Tinnu Anand in the Hindi version, while Gayathrie Shankar, Shanmugaraja, Kavin Babu, and Rajesh Williams are cast in the same roles in Tamil.
Vijay Sethupathi, who has become a nationwide sensation after his stunning act as the antagonist in Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan, will be looking to carry forward the momentum once again in Hindi and this time alongside Katrina Kaif in Merry Christmas. With the new release date now out, we can now expect the film's promotions to kickstart going forward and a teaser and trailer to be unveiled in the days ahead.
'Makkal Selvan" Vijay Sethupathi launches Good Night fame Manikandan's next big project - full cast and crew details announced
By Tharini M | Galatta | 10:41 AM
Manikandan is a popular actor who has been a part of many hit films and recently played the lead role in the blockbuster feel-good entertainer Good Night, which was praised by many. Now, the actor has revealed an announcement about his next big film with debut director Prabhu Ram Vyas under the same Production houses that backed Good Night, Million Dollar Studios and MRP Entertainment. The actor has shared the announcement with the caption, "Next step with the new beginnings."(sic) The photos shared by the team shows the film was launched by 'Makkal Selvan' Vijay Sethupathi with a small pooja ceremony. The Jawan actor also clapped the clapperboard. The film is tentatively titled Production No. 2.
Next step with the new beginnings !!@gouripriyareddy @iamkannaravi @Vyaaaas @RSeanRoldan @kshreyaas @barathvikraman @Yuvrajganesan @mageshraj@MillionOffl @proyuvraaj pic.twitter.com/jrEUXRKgbR
— Manikandan Kabali (@Manikabali87) August 4, 2023
Sri Gouri Priya is set to share screen space with actor Manikandan in the yet-to-be-titled film. She recently played the lead in the Lalagunda Bommaigal segment of the anthology series Modern Love Chennai. She has also played important roles in some Telugu films. The film will be helmed by debut director Prabhu Ram Vyas. The film will also feature actor Kanna Ravi, who has starred in character roles in films like Kaidhi, Mandela, Saani Kaayidham, etc. The film will also feature music composed by Sean Roldan, who has composed many hit numbers in films like Jai Bhim, Mehandi Circus, Good Night, etc. On the technical side, Shreyas Krishna of Sita Ramam fame, has been roped in as the cinematographer, and Good Night editor Barathi Vikraman is also a part of this film.
After the Blockbuster Success & heartfelt responses to #GoodNightMovie, We are back with next film !!
— Million Dollar Studios (@MillionOffl) August 4, 2023
Starring @Manikabali87 @gouripriyareddy @iamkannaravi directed by @Vyaaaas
A @RSeanRoldan musical 🎶
Film kickstarts with shoot @kshreyaas @barathvikraman@proyuvraaj pic.twitter.com/z2OnVRUEIi
The actor Manikandan teased about an announcement about his next project yesterday with a Post that read, "Just had a good nap. So, what's next". And now, the project has been officially announced. He is also starring in an interesting project alongside Atharvaa Murali in a series titled Mathagam that is to release soon on Disney+ Hotstar.
Shah Rukh Khan introduces Vijay Sethupathi as the dealer of DEATH in Jawan: "There's no stopping him... or is there? Watch out!"
By Vivek Raj | Galatta | 12:51 PM
'Bollywood Baadshah' Shah Rukh Khan has released the first look of 'Makkal Selvan' Vijay Sethupathi in Jawan. The global superstar has unveiled the first look posters of the National Award-winning Tamil actor on social media in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages. Taking to Twitter, SRK shared Vijay Sethupathi's look in Jawan and wrote, "There's no stopping him... or is there? Watch out! (sic)". The new Jawan poster introduces Vijay Sethupathi's character as "the dealer... of death" adding plenty of intrigue, while also creating quite a lot of curiosity as an antagonist to Shah Rukh Khan in Jawan releasing in theatres worldwide on September 7.
There's no stopping him... or is there? Watch out! #VijaySethupathi #JawanPrevue Out Now! #Jawan releasing worldwide on 7th September 2023, in Hindi, Tamil & Telugu. pic.twitter.com/BdD3OKttMZ
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) July 24, 2023
Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan has several big names from Tamil cinema and marks the big Bollywood debut of director Atlee, 'Lady Superstar' Nayanthara, 'Rockstar' composer Anirudh Ravichander, cinematographer GK Vishnu, and editor Ruben, while Vijay Sethupathi will be seen in his next big Hindi-speaking role after playing a key role in Mumbaikar, which premiered directly on JioCinema back in June. It is to be noted that Deepika Padukone will be seen making a special appearance in the film, with Priyamani, Sanya Malhotra, and Sunil Grover also cast in key roles. Vijay Sethupathi's casting in Jawan is undoubtedly big and his role is billed to be an intense one, that will pose a tough challenge to Shah Rukh Khan, with the visuals of their on-screen confrontation in the Prevue trailer giving audiences a glimpse of what awaits them in theatres in September.
Jawan is carrying tremendous buzz in the trade after Shah Rukh Khan made a stunning comeback after four years with his Pathaan earlier this year, which minted more than 1000 crore in worldwide collections, and he will no doubt be looking to hit the bullseye once again. Likewise, Atlee too will be coming out firing on all cylinders in his Bollywood directorial debut after making it big in Tamil cinema with blockbusters like Theri (2016), Mersal (2017), and Bigil (2019), which had 'Thalapathy' Vijay in the lead role.
Shah Rukh Khan shares special messages about Jawan team members, says he learnt Tamil from Vijay Sethupathi - Here's what he said about Atlee and 'Lady Superstar' Nayanthara
By Tharini M | Galatta | 11:07 AM
Jawan is the next big film of actor Shah Rukh Khan after the record-breaking success of Pathaan which was celebrated by his fans and movie buffs. The actor is joining hands with a Tamil film director Atlee who will be making his Bollywood debut with the film. The makers had revealed an exciting Prevue ahead of the release of the film in September and it crosses over 112 million views in 24 hours. The actor replies to two of the cast and crew members of the film and thanked them on the Twitter handle. He first replies to Atlee's tweet saying “Your are da man!!!!!!”(sic) and thanked the director for everything and making sure that Atlee's son AK Meer gave his inputs with the filmmaker's wife Priya!! And ended with “Love u all”.
Sirrrrrr!!! Maaasssssss!! Your are da man!!!! Thank u for everything and making sure the A K Meer gave his inputs along with Priya!! Love u all. https://t.co/MkfColhgd5
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) July 11, 2023
Shah Rukh Khan then expressed his thanks to Vijay Sethupathi saying “Sir an honour to work with you Thanks for teaching me a bit of Tamil on the sets & the delicious food u got. Love u Nanba!”.
Sir an honour to work with you. Thanks for teaching me a bit of Tamil on the sets & the delicious food u got. Love u Nanba! https://t.co/b346h1zjrt
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) July 11, 2023
The actor then took time to reply to the tweets of dance master Shobi, Sunil Grover, Yogi Babu, Sumit Aroraa, GK Vishnu, Ridhi Dogra, and Gaurav Verma. He made a special reply to the editors of the film Antony Ruben as he said: “Thank u for all the cuts and chops!! My Love to u… and now you can get a haircut and catch up on some sleep”. He also replied to music composer of the film Anirudh Ravichander Young he will miss the "vampire nights” and added, “Love you to the moon (because it can be seen only at night) and back beta.”
Love you to the moon ( because it can be seen only at night ) and back beta. Will miss our Vampire nights!! https://t.co/QRqpEEIVQ9
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) July 11, 2023
he had also thanked Vignesh Shivan for the wishes and shared about the role of Nayathara in the film "Vignesh Shivan, thank u for all the love. Nayanthara is awesome…but oh who am I telling this…you toh already know!!! But Hubby, beware, she has now learnt some major kicks & punches!!" (sic)
@VigneshShivN thank u for all the love. #Nayanthara is awesome…but oh who am I telling this…you toh already know!!! But Hubby, beware, she has now learnt some major kicks & punches!! pic.twitter.com/5aMZ8rzReN
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) July 12, 2023
Apart from Shah Rukh Khan, Jawan has a massive cast including 'Lady Superstar' Nayanthara who is making her big debut in Bollywood. Vijay Sethupathi, Sanya Malhotra, Vikram fame Jaffer Sadiq and others in important roles and the film also features actress Deepika Padukone making a special appearance in the film. It is set for a grand release in Hindi Tamil and Telugu on September 7.
Lyca Productions and 2018 movie director Jude Anthany Joseph announce a massive new project, is Vijay Sethupathi onboard?
By Tharini M | Galatta | 10:54 AM
Lyca Production is one of the leading production houses of the Tamil film industry and recently made the blockbuster hit film Ponniyin Selvan 2. With many anticipated projects with leading actors in line, the production has announced its next big venture. They have collaborated with the director Jude Anthany Joseph 2018 which broke many records in the Malayalam Film industry. The makers have shared the announcement with a 30-second video that shows dark clouds with thunder and rain. They said "Lyca Productions is thrilled to collaborate with the director Jade Anthany Joseph for our upcoming project". The video also has a photo of the director posing with GKM Tamil Kumaran with a contract at hand.
We are excited & thrilled 🤩 about this collaboration with the most happening director 🎬 #JudeAnthanyJoseph for our upcoming project! 🤗✨ pic.twitter.com/ORQVMPCWCv
— Lyca Productions (@LycaProductions) July 5, 2023
Lyca Productions have only announced the director of the project and not any information about the cast, crew or the title has been revealed. But, there is a massive speculation that popular Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly could play a pivotal role in the film. Yesterday, the director shared a photo with Vijay Sethupathi and said he met the talented actor sporting the same shirt as seen in the picture released by Lyca Productions in the video announcement. This has created speculation that the film could be a multi-starrer with Vijay Sethupathi in an important role. Official confirmation from the director or the makers is awaited.
The recent multi-starrer film of director Jude Anthany Joseph titled 2018 that revolved around the Kerala floods became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time. The next project of the filmmaker has been announced with the popular production house, Lyca Production. The makers have multiple films at hand including Raghava Lawrence’s Chandramukhi 2, Ajith Kumar’s Vidaa Muyarchi, Lal Salaam with ‘Superstar’ Rajinikanth in a pivotal role, Arun Vijay’s Mission Chapter 1, Superstar Rajiniknath’s Thalaivar 170 and 'Ulaganayagan' Kamal Haasan long-awaited film Indian 2 in different stages of making. Now, this project with director Jude Anthany Joseph joins the lineup.
