Big Cine Expo at Chennai: How theatres can gear up

Fans dance inside a theatre during Rajinikanth’s new film, ‘Coolie’ | Photo Credit: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE Less than a month ago, Thalaivan Thalaivi clashed at the Tamil cinema box office with Maareesan. Later this week, the same two films – one featuring Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya Menen, and the other featuring Fahadh Faasil and Vadivelu – are clashing yet…

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How Krishna has inspired a wide body of Carnatic compositions

Archana and Samanvi performing at the 14th Sri Jayanthi Music Festival, at Vani Mahal. | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B The Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha’s Sri Jayanthi festival featured Archana and Samanvi where the vocalists demonstrated how Krishna has inspired a wide body of compositions. Their choice of repertoire, spanning Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s kritis, Purandaradasa’s devarnamas,…

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Sachin Sudhakaran and Hariharan Muralidharan, National Film Award winners for Best Sound Design, on the soundscape of ‘Animal’, and the intricacies of sound in storytelling

When the 71st National Film Awards were announced, Sachin Sudhakaran and Hariharan Muralidharan were at work, as usual. “My dad called to inform me, which made it all the more special,” recalls Sachin. He and Hariharan jointly bagged the National Award for Best Sound Design for the Hindi film Animal. “We are grateful; we weren’t…

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‘Balan’: ‘Manjummel Boys’ director Chidambaram’s next film announced

Poster of the upcoming Malayalam film ‘Balan’. | Photo Credit: @KvnProductions/X The upcoming Malayalam film from KVN Productions and Thespian Films, helmed by Manjummel Boys director Chidambaram, has been titled Balan. Written by Jithu Madhavan, the writer of Aavesham, the film’s production commenced on Sunday (August 17, 2025) Manjummel Boys and Aavesham, which was written…

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Interview | Rachita Ram on Lokesh Kanagaraj’s ‘Coolie’: Always wanted to play a Neelambari-like character in Rajini sir’s movie

Rachita Ram is a huge fan of Rajinikanth’s 1999 blockbuster Padayappa. The film instilled in her the dream of working with the superstar and sparked her love for complex characters, such as Neelambari, essayed with aplomb by Ramya Krishnan. For the past decade, Rachita has reigned as one of Kannada cinema’s leading ladies, featuring alongside…

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Producers of Rajinikanth-starrer ‘Coolie’ approach Madras High Court against ‘A’ certification

A poster of the recently released Tamil movie ‘Coolie’ starring Rajinikanth | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Sun TV Network Limited has approached the Madras High Court against the grant of ‘A’ certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to Rajinikanth-starrer Coolie, thereby making it impermissible for those below 18 years of age to watch…

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