Reema denies reports!
Reema Sen has denied the news that she is doing a film with Jeevan for new director Selva from Pune where she is shooting for Chal Chala Chal . However, the actress says that she was contacted by the makers of the film, which is a remake of an old Gemini Ganesan film by K.Balachandar Naan Avan Illai.

When contacted Reema told Moviebuzz: “I had asked them to send me a DVD of the original which they have not done so far. Added to that, there are five heroines in the film and after Vallavan I have become very cautious. I am yet to make up my mind on it and I can’t understand how the media can write such unconfirmed reports.”

This Jeevan starrer is to be produced by noted film distributor and financier Jabak and directed by Selva. Jeevan plays a womanizer who is an expert in wooing women, which was made memorable by Gemini Ganesan the Kathal Mannan of Tamil cinema and it will be a tailor made role for the actor.

The views expressed in the article are the author's and not of Sify.com.

Reema- Back to Bollywood!
After the super hit Thimiru and an average Vallavan, Reema Sen has one more release, Rendu coming up on Nov 10.
Now she has signed a Hindi film opposite Govinda titled Chal Chala Chal produced by Sera Sera in association with Priyadarsan and Sunil Shetty’s ‘Popcorn Entertainments”.

The shoot starts today (Nov 2) in Pune and the film is directed by Raj Kumar, former assistant of Priyadarsan. Camera is by Madhu Ambat and music is by Anu Malik.

Chal Chala Chal is a remake of Mohanlal- Sathyan Anthikkad Malayalam classic Varavelppu, a comedy based social entertainer. The cast also has Rajpal Yadav in a crucial role.

Reema does not have a single film in Tamil. Does it mean that she is putting Tamil films on the backburner? “No way”, says Reema, “Tamil films are my bread and butter, but I will do only films that excited me by way of a good script and director”.

Reema is particular that she will not do films with senior actors in Tamil. But her priorities in Hindi are different as her hero Govinda is a veteran actor!

The views expressed in the article are the author's and not of Sify.com.

'I am still in a state of shock': Reema
Reema Sen labeled as the ‘lucky mascot’ of Kollywood is still in a state of shock. Her most ambitious film Vallavan released for Diwali took a good opening but the actress is receiving a lot of flak for doing a negative role that is not convincing nor well-etched out. Reema who generally does not react to anything that easily, speaks exclusively for the first time about her Vallavan experience. Excerpts:
You had told us that Vallavan is your most ambitious project before the release. Now after seeing the film what do you feel?
Yes, (after a long pause….) Vallavan was very close to me right from the time the story was narrated to me till the last day of the shoot, which took almost a year and a half! I never speak or expect a lot from my films but I got attached to Vallavan. I totally believed in the film but it let me down.

What made you sign the film and how was the story narrated to you?
The story was narrated to me as a school flick with a protagonist and an antagonist-Simbu and me. The story happens in a school with Simbu, me and Sandhya in the lead. How I fall in love with Simbu and after some interesting twists we go our way and meet two years later, which leads to the riveting climax. I was even send the DVD of an English film, which was the inspiration and I really fell for my character which was something that I have never done so far. I took it up as a challenge and that's how I was in the project.

But half way through the shoot, there were rumours doing the rounds that Nayanthara’s role was extended which was later denied by everyone in the unit?
I trusted Simbu as a director. He is very talented and he convinced me that my role is the pivot around which all the other characters revolve similar to Neelambari of Padayappa.. I believed him. Now after seeing the film I have nothing to say…. it is there for everyone to see how my role has shaped out!

How many days did you shoot for the film?
I shot for nearly 70 days but only about one-third of what I shot was used in the film. The two songs promised to be picturised on me finally came down to half a song!

Then there was this much publicized news when you left the sets in a huff and Simbu was looking out for another actress to replace you. And after a few days, you came back without making any statements and made up with Simbu. Why did you decide to come back?
Somewhere during that time, I felt that Simbu was bringing his personal life into the film. Things were not going the right way and I had difference of opinion with him. But later my commitment and belief in the project made me come back and complete the film. I have never worked with so much dedication and faith in any film so far.

Do you think that your anguish, involvement and pain paid off?
(Thinking) No.. Vallavan will be a painful experience to me and I am terribly disappointed to let my fans down.

They say that a major part of your portion was trimmed after the first day of release?
I am still in a state of shock after my friends and fans told me that my portion in the second half has been trimmed leaving the longer first half totally untouched! I just can’t understand why my scenes were butchered, which was very crucial for the film? Now I can tell you that this was not the Vallavan which I had been signed for!

Do you think that Simbu gave Nayanthara’s character the extra edge?
I had no problems with her during the making of the film. I would not blame her for what happened. As the captain of the ship, the director has to take full responsibility for changing the focus of the story from the school milieu to his love story. And after the focus shifted, the film suffered in totality.

You looked like a dream in your recent films like Thimiru . But the audiences say that you have never been photographed so shoddily in Vallavan. Please comment?
Ha… Ha, (Laughs) I don’t think I looked like a sea horse in the film. Even in Priyadarsan’s Hindi film Malamaal Weekly, I had no make up on and still looked good. But I just can’t figure out what went wrong in Vallavan.You can’t point fingers at me for that.

What is your state of mind now?
I have moved on. I am a very sensitive person- be it my friends, family or films. I was very emotionally attached to Vallavan but today I have to tell my fans that it has been a great learning experience for me. And trust me, even if Vallavan was offered to me all over again with the same script narrated to me, I would still do it!

Vallavan
Silambarasan wears many hats in his first attempt as a director, writer, singer and hero with Vallavan, a glossy packaged youth mass entertainer. The stylishly picturised songs in a music video style, especially in the first half is a treat to the eyes. But Simbu’s story and screenplay takes the back seat, and the plot goes haywire as he tries to make a film on romance, friendship and obsessive love.

The first half is a rip roaring rocker! It is Simbu's guide on how to romance. Vallan (Simbu) is a happy-go-lucky college student with a set of friends and Suchi (Sandhya) is his conscience keeper and supporter. Vallan meets Swapna (Nayanthara) and it is love at first sight. He realizes that Swapna is a teacher who is three years older than him. But he decides to woo her by turning into Pallan (Simbu) an ugly duckling with buck tooth and glasses.

Soon, after a couple of well-executed dramas, he makes Swapna tell him “I love you” and they end up in bed. But when Swapna comes to know that Vallan is younger to her and that too a student, she rejects him and decides to marry another guy. Meanwhile Vallan’s school days come back to haunt him. Geeta (Reema Sen), his first crush at school, later becomes a psycho and is obsessively in love with him even today! Geeta decides to make life more miserable for Vallan. Will Vallan marry Swapna, when Geeta is gunning for him after kidnapping Suchi?

Vallavan is loosely based on two Hollywood flicks-the romantic classic “The Notebook” and the thriller Swimfan about obsession, betrayal and revenge with a campus backdrop. The trouble with the film is that the screenplay plods in the second half to become a half-baked thriller where Reema's character is not well-etched out. Her deep love for Vallan, which subsequent leads to obsessiveness is not well-explained. And the last scenes of Geeta in a mental asylum force us to think that more than a psycho, she was a mentally ill person!

But the strength of the film lies in the first half as Simbu is able to attract the attention of the youth and keeps you mesmerized with amazingly shot songs and Santhanam’s refreshing comedy and one-liners. The kissing scene and bedroom scene of Simbu and Nayan could have been more sensuously shot. Simbu projecting himself as a superstar (a la Rajnikanth) and the digs he makes at various Kollywood actors goes a little over board.

One of the major highlights in the film is Yuvan’s tangy music and background score. Loose Penne…. and Vallava… are picturised slickly. Yuvan works best with the younger lot like Simbu and Selva. Priyan’s camera and Rajeevan’s art work adds a rich look to the film. Editor Antony seems to have fallen asleep during the editing, as the film (3 hours 5 min!) is too lengthy and need at least 20 minutes of trimming.

Nayanthara virtually walks away with the film and has never looked so beautiful. She looks gorgeous especially in songs and does justice to her well-etched out role. Reeema Sen as Geeta gets a raw deal as her actions is not justified, though she does her psycho act to perfection. Sandhya in that walk-in role is cute. And finally the name is Simbu alias Vallavan. Watch him meld effortlessly from the cool dude to the romantic man. He delivers an absolute knock-out performance and virtually holds the film together.

If you are looking for some wholesome entertainment, then Vallavan is worth your time and money.

I am a die-hard fan of Sunny Deol: Reema Sen

By Lata Khubchandani

Just when everyone thought Reema Sen had disappeared from the Bollywood scene, she rose again like the proverbial phoenix. In "Wah Wah Ramji", Reema is cast opposite Amar Upadhyay. The film has as its USP, the inimitable Paresh Rawal and is directed by Raman Kumar. Reema speaks on her role in "Wah Wah Ramji".

What kind of film is this?
A love story and a nice comedy. It's an interesting film.

What is your role?
I play a very bubbly girl. Mine is a very vital character. In my first film, I was portrayed as an introvert.

We have heard that you are a die-hard fan of Sunny Deol. Apart from him, who do you like?
Yes, I am a huge fan of Sunny Deol, but I absolutely love Abhishek Bachchan and Ajay Devgan. Amar Upadhyay is a sweet guy, very pleasant to work with and very hardworking.

How dicey has a film career become with so many new faces every day?
It is indeed very dicey. Talent no longer matters, it’s success that matters. 100 newcomers may be coming in, but as soon as one person's film does well, he or she gets work. So the B.O. success gives you that extra push. Today, everyone, even established actresses do South films in between, and they also do shows. You have to do all that, you can’t fight the system.

Have you done any films in the south ?
Yes, Dhool, produced by A M Ratnam, the guy who did Hindustani and Nayak. I did that one film in between.

Which was your last release, before Wah Wah Ramji?
Jaal - The Trap. This was about three months back.

Any new films coming up?
I have been confirmed for two projects, but haven't signed on the dotted line yet.

What next?
I have just finished an item number for Aan - Men At Work. This is directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. All I can say is that it is the mother of all item numbers, but I want people to see it before I say anything more. It's a really sexy number and for a change the song is very melodious. Ganesh Acharya has choreographed it. He went crazy shooting it. The film has Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Lara Dutta, Shatrughan Sinha, Raveena Tandon and Preeti Jhangiani.

Only good scripts excite me: Reema Sen

Moviebuzz

Reema Sen is a rage among the teeny boppers. She made her debut in Teja, directed by Chitram in Telugu, followed by Manasante Nuvvu, both hits. In Tamil, her first film was Minnale with Madhavan, which was a super-hit. In her recent film Chellamay, she had an author-backed role which she played to perfection.

Reema has the right attitude, glamour and sensuousness necessary for an actress. She has won a million hearts with her hypnotic grey gaze, ravenous tresses and ivory skin. With a definitive attitude, Reema wears her sexuality comfortably and is no dumb doll on the glam-block. Sify.com met Reema on the sets of her latest film Vallavan. Excerpts:

Why are you doing very few films unlike other heroines?
I am a little choosy about the roles that I do. I'm not interested in grabbing all the offers that come my way. The script and my character’s importance in the story should be vital, even if the length of the role is small.Also, I don’t compromise on my salary and would like to do roles that the director feels is safe in my hands.

What are the films that you are currently doing?
After Chellamae, I took a much-needed three-month break from films as I was getting my flat in Mumbai done up. Now I am working in Vallavan with Simbu, which has a very exciting script. Following this, I will be doing a Hindi film titled Hai Yeh Paisa directed by Priyadarshan, opposite Ritesh Deshmukh. The movie also has Paresh Rawal, Om Puri and a huge star cast. My Kannada film opposite Upendra titled News will also release soon.

Is your flat in Mumbai ready?
Yes my flat in Lokhandwala is ready. I was obsessed with getting my flat done up well. And that’s why I took time off from my work to do the interiors. It has a French look with a white theme. Society magazine is going to feature my flat in their next issue.

Don’t you feel insecure that there are three heroines in Vallavan? What is your character?
When I first heard the story I was convinced about my character and like I told you, I don’t really care how many heroines are there in the film. My role is very different from what I have done so far. I play Geeta, a schoolgirl who is in love with Simbu’s character.Simbu is full of energy and is always a good observer. He is very passionate about his work. I am sure that it will be a good film.

So you play a schoolgirl?
Yes.. I play Simbu’s first love and if I were to tell you more about it… Simbu will kill me (laughs loudly). I am so relieved that I don’t have to use any make-up for this role. Just kajal and lipstick is suficient. It’s a blessing in this Chennai heat.

What are your future plans?
I want to do good films and I am a big fan of Ajith (giggles)! I would love to do a film with him in future. Right now only good scripts excite me and nothing else.