Tuesday, April 13, 2010

"Anything For You" movie release on Apr 23rd

"Anything For You" after doing it's successful run at Film Festivals is releasing in USA on Apr 23rd at BIG Cinemas theatres. It's the maiden venture for Writer/Director Anand Alagappan, produced under the banner Newyork Talkies by Telugu NRI Ravi Gavva and Mahender Musuku. The international cast and crew includes, music composer Karthik Raja, Music Maestro Ilayaraja's son, Emmy Award winner Cinematographer Alphonse Roy, Costume designer Vasuki Baskar, who did costumes for Soundarya Rajnikanth's movie "GOA", Juliana Fine, an international model and actress, Aaron Mathias, and Pooja Kumar, who recenlty acted with Hollywood actor Chris Kattan.

This is the first Indian American movie shot on RED camera. It won "Silver Ace Award" at the Las Vegas Film Festival and played at India International Film Festival at Tampa, Florida. Movie website link http://www.anythingforyoumovie.com

Director / Producer Bio: Anand Alagappan

Anand Alagappan along with Ravi Gavva and Mahender Musuku started Newyork Talkies in 2007. Anand started his career with the TV show "We Love India". He hosted and produced the show, a travelogue and lifestyle of people of India origin living in USA which was telecast in VIJAY TV for 14 week episodes. His short film "Anand's No Exit", a comedy about credit card service was officially selected for many film festivals including "LA International Short Film Festival", "World Cinema Naples", "South Asian Internatilnal Film Festival" etc. "Anything For You" is his first feature film debut.

Music Director: Kartik Raja - Ilayaraja's son Kartik Raja's first music composing for an English Film.

Cinematographer: Alphonse Roy

ALPHONSE ROY / DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Alphonse Roy, leading Wildlife Cinematographer has worked extensively with BBC, National Geographic, Discovery and PBS. He was awarded an Emmy for his contribution as a cinematographer for one-hour film on Tibet. His feature film works include award winning "Oorukku Nooru Paer", Parcel and "Aamir".

Cast:

Heroine: Juliana Fine

Juliana Fine began her career in New York at the age of 17 modeling for clients such as Nine West, Diesel, Gianfranco Ferre, and Seventeen Magazine. She fell into acting by accident when she was chosen on the street by casting directors of an MTV Commercial. She continued to do acting jobs and later trained and performed at New York's Stella Adler Conservatory. Since moving to LA, she has appeared in the independent film "X's and O's", "A Spiral State," "The Greg Behrendt Show" "Identity" and "America's Next Top Model".

Heroine: Pooja Kumar

Pooja Kumar was born in St. Louis, Missouri. After winning Miss India U.S.A. she worked for Channel V and hosted numerous TV programs. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and attended various acting workshops. Since then she has acted in feature films such as: "The Little Magician". Flavors", "Night of Henna", "Hiding Divya", "Park Sharks", "Knots Urbane". Her role in "Flavors" earned her the Screen Actors Guild Emerging Actor Award and her performance in "Night of Henna" was widely appreciated by critic A. O. Scott from the NY Times. She has been in major ad campaigns for Pepsi, Budweiser, AOL, Verizon, Bombay Dreams, Pearl Vision, Dodge, New York Lotto, and Campbell's Soup, True Roots. Her recent episode of Law and Order: SVU with Kal Penn was widely appreciated. She recently acted in "Bollywood Hero" along with Hollywood actor Chris Kattan.

Hero: Sam Ghosh

Born in India and raised in New Jersey, Sam Ghosh is no stranger to performance. Growing up as an only child, he found it natural to entertain audiences for his own amusement. Sam has trained extensively with Terry Knickerbocker at William Esper Studio. Past theater credits include The South Asian Monologues at CenterStage NY and Cami Hall, Life Science, Desipina's Seven.11 Convenience Theater at Abrons Art Center NY, Universal Percussion Ensemble's The History of the Drum. Film: Faith in a Wrapper, Aankh Macholi (Hide and Seek), Astoria Park, The Big Catch, Saving Hinduism, The Bomb Table, Finding Priya a Prom Date, Dreamer, Burkini. Television: CW11 Morning News, WahIndia TV, Wallstrip.com, Asian Variety Show (AVS), Lionsgate's Extreme Reaction. Radio: RBC Radio.







Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Chit Chat with Anita Galler - Telugu Cinema Actress

Anita (Anita Galler) sizzles in her knee-length black Sheath Dress. Quite a contrast to her demure looks in recently released Maro Charitra, remake of Balachander’s classic by the same name. She has been getting all the criticism for her looks in the film, but when you see in person, you would be stunned to know that she has in it her and blame for bad choice of character. Looking for roles that befit her real life persona, she talks
  • I am born and brought up in USA. My mother is Telugaite bu my father is an American. Although we live in Kansas City, every year we come to India for holidays. On one such trip, I came to know that Dil Raju’s production is looking for heroine in Maro Charitra, so I went for audition and thus I was selected for the role of Swapna.
  • since the age of 6, I have been learning Bharata Natyam and performing on stage in USA. I am dancer and love exhibiting my skills on stage. Acting came by accident. I studied Bachelors in Journalism but since I entered into films now I discontinued it.
  • Most of the people I met are talking positively about my acting but if you ask about the looks, it is director’s idea of showing me in that way. He has a particular vision and I did whatever he said. After all, actors are puppets in the hands of a director.
  • I don’t have any problem with Dil Raju but if he thinks that way I cannot comment on it. One should understand that I come from USA and brought up in western outfits. Putting me in a rustic-like character in traditional outfits, it definitely looks odd. I believe that was the problem than my ‘natural looks’. If I were shown in the way I look naturally, I would not have got such criticism. But again, they (director and producer) envisioned me in me in that role and took me. So who should be faulted?
  • I didn’t realize the magnitude of the movie when I signed it. KB’s Maro Charitra is a great film and captured romance beautifully. But times have changed and everything is different, so in the remake they tried to capture the changing times.
  • much of the movie was shot in USA and even the portions that were filmed in India are in RFC. So I hardly had to face any problem here. Moreover the production house and the team treated me so well.
  • Characters that suit me well. Roles that are light-hearted, trendy and glamorous. I would look good in regular today’s girls outfits. But I am not averse to diverse roles and am game for comic roles.
  • Looking glamourous is okay but no overdose of skin show
  • Big no. I don’t want to do them.
  • Most people tend to believe that girls who are born in USA would do all these things quite naturally but it is not true. Trust me, such things are really uncomfortable for even a girl who is born and brought up in western countries.
  • K Vishwanath’s Saptapadi. My mom used to play songs from the film in my house continuously when I was kid. I really love i.
  • Sridevi. She is the ultimate combo of great looks and peformance. She has expressive eyes and carries her body language well. In the current generation, I like Genelia for her choice of roles.