The story of Kathavarayan is set in a place that has grabbed the headlines recently – Hogenakkal. But the scene of shooting  discussed here is ARS garden, near porur, which has a permanent police station set and also a hospital.

Karan, the hero, was sitting on the bed with a bandage on his head. HE had a young girl for company. Karan backoned after director Salangai Durai finished the shot. “I play a bootlegger, popular in the area,”Karan outlined the story. I feel what I do is right whereas the heroine is against alcohol. How can she accept a person who sells liquor on the sly? And she tries her best to wean him. I accepted  the film mainly for one reason. It is normal in Tamil films to find the bad man being the bootlegger and the hero a police officer. But here it is other way round. The novelty attracted me. It will be a different film with all the box office ingredients,” he added.

Family Entertainer:

“we have shot three songs in Malaysia. The Karan-police game is a thrilling one. The film will offer clean entertainment for the entire family with a good story line, action, love and sentiment,” he said.

The cast includes Ilavarasu and “Kadhal” Dandapani in important  roles. Camera  has been handled by Karthik Raja and music is scored by Srikanth Deva.

The film is produced by V.Ramachandran, sadhiq and Devan.

Director Salangai Durai is also in charge of story, screenplay and dialogue.

“A family drama with romance as its bottom line,” is how P.V.Ravi, director of ‘Mahesh, Charanya Matrum Palar,’ describes his film. Ravi has apprenticed under Lingusamy.Shakti, who made his entry with “Thottal Poo Malarum,’ pairs with Sandhya. “The chemistry between the two should work wonders for ‘Mahesh..’” says Ravi. “After Thottal Poo Malarum I listened to atleast 20 scripts. But nothing struck a chord like the line of ‘Mahesh…’ did. And Ravi is unbelievably patient. After being ticked off ever so often by me dad.[P.Vasu] who directed me for “Thottal ..’ working with Ravi is a cakewalk,” laughs Shakti.”It will be pleasant film with familial ties and romance handled with sensitivity,” Ravi signs off.

Mention’Arai Enn 305il Kadavul,’ and Simbudevan is all smiles. The makers are planning a mid-week release, which is rather strange. “Anyway it’s holiday time,” says Simbudevan. Director Shankar’s S Pictures which catapulted Simbudevanto fame with his first film, ‘Imsai Arasan…’ is producing “Arai enn 305il Kadavul’ If it was vadivelu in the former, it will be Santhanam and Kanja Karuppu playing pivotal roles this time. “they’ve come out with a great show. And get ready to watch a very different Prakash Raj,” he says. Realism with slices of fantasy is what it’s all about. “Vidyasagar’s music is another highlight,” says Simbudevan. Has shankar watched ‘Arai Enn..?’ “sure! He’s happy with the output. We’ve tried out a different concept. Our sincerity should pay off,” he adds.

The Happenings in 24 hours at three different places will form the crux of ‘Saroja.’ Director Venkat Prabhu, who made waves with ‘Chennai-600028,’ wields the megaphone again for ‘Saroja,’ whose story promises to travel on interesting lines. S.P.Charan, producer of ‘Chennai-600028’ plays a role in the film with premji, Shiva and others. Jayaram has a prominent part too. ‘Saroja’ is being shot as a bi-lingual. “Yes, it is also being made in Telugu. The theme has universal appeal,” explains a unit hand. Vega, a Mumbaiker born and brought up in Australia, Nikita and Kajal Agarwal play the female interests. “An ordinary day, four ordinary men and an extraordinary situation,” is how the maker sums up ‘Saroja.’

Bitten by the cinema bug, Rex Raj, a resident of Toronto, Canada, is now in Chennai to direct “Thalaikeezh.” “from beginning to end the story will be far from predictable. A sense of expectation will persist throughout,” assures Raj. Relatively new faces Rakesh and Tejamani play the lead. “A youngster who comes to the city to study in a college here, his experiences and changes in his mindset form the base of my story,” says Rex Raj. Deva’s assistant Adhish Uthriyan is the composer. “he’s come out with some commnendable numbers for “Thalaikeezh,” says Raj.