Ramya and Vijay in new Kannada film Jhonny Mera Naam

A two-acre set for kannada director Gubbi's new film Jhonny Mera Naam is fast turning a major tourist attraction in Mysore.

Even if we had charged a nominal Rs 10 a person, we would have collected no less than Rs 5 lakh by now,” says Mohan B Kere, the art director of kannada film Jhonny Mera Naam. The huge set he has put up for the film — starring Vijay and Ramya — in Mysore is drawing crowds and has become a major tourist attraction. Spread across two acres, it is said to be the largest outdoor set erected for a Kannada film till date — a record of sorts. On weekends, the cast and crew is finding it tough to control the crowds. (Donwload free MP3 songs here)

Built at a cost of Rs 70 lakh, the mammoth set houses a row of streets, a towering bridge, commercial establishments and a series of two-storied houses. Besides, two huge bungalows have been completely erected.

“After we discussed the story, I gave sketches and photoshop images to the director and cinematographer Krishna. There were some doubts whether the project would shape up well. Now, they are very happy as they are ahead of the schedule,” says Mohan. Ninety per cent of the film's shooting, he says, is taking place in these sets alone, including songs and fights. (Download free kannada MP3 songs / videos / lyrics here)

“Since all the ‘locations’ are in one place, shooting has progressed at a brisk pace. They can wrap up shooting by 4 pm every day,” says Mohan. The art director shot to fame with Hudugaru and has since been involved in all of Ganesh's films. Others big films include, Puneeth's Aam and Raj The Showman, Sudeep's Mussanje Maatu, Darshan's Porki and Josh.

Mohan's dream project is a 'floating village, which he was supposed to set up for Mahesh's film with Shiva Rajkumar. The film has been shelved, but Mohan is hopeful that he “will raise a similar set” for some other kannada film.

Inspired by the work, a corporator in Mysore decided to set up a similar studio. The Kala Degula studio has already started functioning from last week. (Download free kannada MP3 songs / videos / lyrics here)

Shooting of the Vijay, Ramya starrer kannada film Johny Mera Naam directed by kannada director Preetham Gubbi is progressing at a very fast pace in a special set erected in Mysore.

The set is in a 2 acre plot called Gandhi Colony. Vijay, Ramya, Rangayana Raghu and Sharan are participating in the shoot of the film which started in December.

Ramya is paired for the first time with Vijay. Ramya has been raving about the crew in her microblogging site. She says that she is having fun working in this unit and she has been in splits with both Rangayana Raghu and Sharan making the entire unit happy with their antics. (Download free kannada MP3 songs / videos / lyrics here)

Vijay has had a makeover and has reduced his weight by nearly seven kgs. "Director Preetham Gubbi wanted to see a new me along wiht a brand new hair do. I had full trust in his abilities to deliver a `pucca` entertainer through Johny Mera Naam. I have just followed what he told me. I am sure that Gubbi will achieve big success through this film as he did with his previous film", says Vijay.

Kannada Movie Review - Junglee

JUNGLEE
DIRECTOR: Suri
ACTORS: Vijay, Aindrita Ray, Rangayana Raghu, Adi Lokesh, Suresh Chandra



The camera work perhaps cannot get any better; Satya Hegde seems to be at his peak. The art work by Shashidar Adapa beats the best in the business. Kannada music director Harikrishna’s music is not great but good enough. Kannada actor Vijay dishes out another good performance. But it’s the film that is the problem. It has no story, too many dialogues for Rangayana Raghu and innumerable killings to keep count. In the least, the film promises a headache.

Prabhakar aka Junglee (Vijay) wants to be a screen villain. He comes to the city with his mentor Gudde Narashima (Rangayana Raghu) who has made good friends with the underworld. Half the film is tapori talk between these two characters. The censor board may be too decent to understand the vulgarity in this street talk. There is not much else in the film except for a couple of good songs and mass murders. But kannda hot actress andrita ray looks cute.

Suri, it seems, gathers all his information from watching films in bars. So, there are more than a dozen references to scenes from other films, and if not carrying a gun or sword, then the characters hold glasses or alcohol bottles. Free download kannada film songs here.

You have been warned, watch the songs on TV and save money.

Kannada actor Vijay's raw appeal

EVER since he debuted in Duniya, Vijay has been making news. And, frequently, it’s been for the wrong reasons. Recently, Vijay attracted media attention when he attended an event with Shubha Poonja — his costar in Chanda and Slum Bala — with whom he’s been linked with for a while now. He reportedly arrived and left with Shubha in his car, which led to much speculation. “Shubha’s my co-star and friend. If we hang out together, does something have to be brewing between us? It’s my personal life, so what I do or who I go out with is my concern. My family knows what I am, so I don’t care about anything else,” Vijay lashes out.

His spat with filmmaker S Narayan, who directed Chanda, also generated a huge buzz. Vijay was accused of unprofessional behaviour during the making of Chanda by the director. What’s his equation with him today? “We still aren’t on talking terms. I was a newcomer and was unnecessarily dragged into industry politics. Narayan kept dropping big names and how he’s made films with them, and tried to make a bakra out of me. I wasn’t willing to toe his line, which hurt his ego,” explains Vijay.

After kannada movie Duniya, why didn’t he cash in on his popularity to bag big projects?

 “It’s not easy to survive in the industry because there’s politics at every stage. And it’s taken me this long to get out of the S Narayan mess,” he says. After the commercial success of Duniya, why’d Vijay do an art film like Avva? It didn’t succeed at the BO, but his liplock with co-star Smitha garnered publicity. “Avva had a strong message and a wonderful storyline. Everyone said my market value would go down if I did that film, but it remains unshaken. And what’s wrong in kissing? It’s a part of acting. When Emraan Hashmi can do it, why not me? If I get a chance to kiss, I’d do it again,” he laughs. Is he getting stuck with the same rugged look in every film? “People like me in mass-oriented roles. If I don’t fit the conventional image of the tall and handsome hero, I’ve no regrets. I’m not a polished hero, but people like my raw appeal,” he says. So what’s with the sixpack? “When everyone made such a big deal about Bollywood heroes sporting six-packs, I thought, ‘Why can’t I do it?’ So I trained with the best instructor — a former Mr India,” the kannada actor informs us.

Kannada actor Vijay's six pack

Vijay’s flaunting it!

YOU thought only the Bollywood Town blokes could do it. But namma kannada actor, Duniya hero Vijay is out to prove otherwise. We met the kannada actor recently and were surprised to see him in a new avatar. He’s sporting a six pack and some equally cool biceps as well.

“And it’s all thanks to my trainer who’s a former Mr India. He’s been goading me to work hard on my body and this is the labour of three months,” says the actor. So is he doing it for any particular film? “No I just wanted to show people that Sandalwood can sport six packs too,” he laughs. We got a dekko at his fab abs...and here it is.

*****

“Firstly, I want to be a versatile artiste. I want to prove that I can act in any role.’’

That’s what Vijay, Kannada actor and recipient of the best actor award for Duniya, said during a courtesy visit to The Times of India office on Monday.

“In fact, I had the ambition of becoming an actor since childhood. I always wanted to be an action hero. It’s just a craze,’’ he said. Vijay has to his credit, nearly half a dozen movies, which include Slum Bala, Mukhyamanthri I Love You, Avva and Junglee.

“I first faced the camera in Ranga SSLC. When I was selected as the hero for Duniya, I never expected it to be a big hit. We worked hard and expected a positive response from the audience. The subject was close to the common man’s heart. Director Suri presented it in an excellent way and the movie did well.’’

A fan of Rajkumar and Rajnikant, Vijay believes in working hard. “Basically, I am a stunt artiste. I worked hard for nearly eight years to gain expertise in various forms of stunts. I broke my legs many times and even today, I live with pain in my lower back,’’ he said.

On the Kannada film industry, Vijay said experience and education is lacking in many films. “I have seen youngsters who have worked as assistants in one or two films, directing movies without experience. How do you expect the film to succeed? Directors should have some background about the field.’’

Vijay feels producers should never interfere in a director’s work. “Give directors a free hand and see the results,’’ he said.