Yesteryear’s screen heroine and pan-India actress Jamuna’s death on Friday morning has evoked a flood of condolence messages from Tollywood, cutting across political camps. In her heyday, Jamuna, who passed away aged 86, had starred alongside Ntr, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Jaggayya, Krishna, Sobhan Babu and Krishnam Raju. And in her later years, she had worked in movies with the younger generation of Telugu stars.
Taking to Twitter, Balakrishna and Ntr Jr, the late Ntr’s son and grandson, respectively, condoled Jamuna’s passing.
“As a bubbly mischievous girl, fiery sister-in-law, homemaker and above all. as the on-screen Satyabhama of Telugu people, Jamuna garu is unforgettable. My homage to the departed soul,” Balakrishna tweeted.
His nephew and ‘Rrr’ star Ntr Jr tweeted: “For almost 30 years she reigned over the silver screen. Prayers for her soul.”
Actor Chiranjeevi stated: “Although her mother tongue was Kannada, she conquered the hearts of Telugu...
Taking to Twitter, Balakrishna and Ntr Jr, the late Ntr’s son and grandson, respectively, condoled Jamuna’s passing.
“As a bubbly mischievous girl, fiery sister-in-law, homemaker and above all. as the on-screen Satyabhama of Telugu people, Jamuna garu is unforgettable. My homage to the departed soul,” Balakrishna tweeted.
His nephew and ‘Rrr’ star Ntr Jr tweeted: “For almost 30 years she reigned over the silver screen. Prayers for her soul.”
Actor Chiranjeevi stated: “Although her mother tongue was Kannada, she conquered the hearts of Telugu...
- 1/27/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
KollywoodIn return, Kangana thanked him, adding she was amazed to "know such a great human being". Digital NativeThe shooting of the upcoming biopic on the late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalithaa recommenced recently. Speaking about Kangana Ranaut, who plays Jayalalitha in the film, director Al Vijay lauded her dedication. In an interview with the Times of India, Al Vijay was quoted as saying, “Everyone knows how good Kangana is as an actress. Her screen presence, performance and dialogue delivery as Jayalalithaa was amazing. To look like Amma, she took a lot of effort; she put on 17 kilos and had to reduce 15 kilos for a song.” In reply to this statement from the director, Kangna thanked him by putting out the tweet: “Thank you Vijay sir not many men acknowledge a woman’s brilliance, dedication and efforts.... you are one person I met in my life who enjoys my...
- 11/17/2020
- by Anjana
- The News Minute
TollywoodStarting from the ‘80s to present times, Spb sang many songs for Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Nagarjuna and Venkatesh.Tnm StaffFile photoIn his career spanning five decades, Sp Balasubrahmanyam was the voice for the top four veteran stars of the Telugu film industry who still have a firm hold on their fanbases. The singer passed away on Friday, after his health took a turn for the worse. He had been recovering from Covid-19 in a Chennai hospital. For fans of Telugu cinema, however, Spb or Balu, as he was known, will always be the voice behind the favourite songs of their biggest stars — Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Venkatesh and Nagarjuna. Starting from the ‘80s to present times, Balu sang many songs for these stars. In fact, the popularity of these songs was one of the reasons for the actors to reach their levels of stardom in the initial stages. With his energetic voice, Spb...
- 9/25/2020
- by Rajeswari
- The News Minute
Tollywood'v', which is set for Ott release on September 5, has Nani in the lead role.Digital NativeDigital NativeRevealing details about his role in the upcoming film V, actor Nani has said that he plays a character, which will be both scary as well as eerie. The star has been quoted as saying, “I play a character that’s scary and eerie, but you might end up rooting for him.” This is creating a strong positive buzz among his fans online. V, which is set for Ott release on September 5, has Nani in the lead role. While not divulging anything about the title, the star pointed out that the audience will understand the reason in the fifth scene. Well, this has created further hype for V. The film was slated for Ugadi release this year and the filmmakers were gearing up for it until the government announced lockdown on account of Covid-19 outbreak.
- 8/26/2020
- by Luke
- The News Minute
EntertainmentTwo films and a web series will soon release on the late Tamil Nadu Cm's life - but here's who we'd cast if we were making our movie!Tnm StaffThere are two films and a web series which will soon release on the life of late Tamil Nadu Cm J Jayalalithaa. Nithya Menen, Ramya Krishnan and Kangana Ranaut are playing the political leader in their respective projects, and social media is rife with discussions on who looks most suited to doing the role. While Nithya Menen and Ramya Krishnan have both found some acceptance, Kangana's look as the older Jayalalithaa has come under much flak. But what about the rest of the cast? The challenge of making a biopic is that the audience should be able to connect the cast with real life personalities. Here are our picks for who should play who in a biopic on Jayalalithaa. Jayalalithaa: We...
- 12/10/2019
- by Sowmya
- The News Minute
TollywoodBigamy is often romanticised in popular culture, seldom viewing it from the woman's perspective.Priyanka RichiMahanati, the bilingual biopic on yesteryear actor Savitri, showcases a pivotal scene in which she (Keerthy Suresh) is reprimanded by her uncle after he discovers that she has married Gemini Ganesan (Dulquer Salmaan), and runs away from home. Savitri runs towards Gemini’s home, in the middle of a heavy downpour, and knocks on his door. Surprisingly, she is called inside by Alamelu, Gemini's first wife, who dutifully makes sure Savitri is comfortable at their home. Gemini and Savitri make their relationship public. Alamelu and her kids disappear from the scene. Gemini Ganesan’s involvement with the many women in his life is thus subtly pushed to the background, making him the evergreen ‘Kadhal Mannan’. In the end, we're given to understand that he still cared about Savitri, thus painting him in sympathetic light. While Mahanati is based on real life people, there have been several Telugu films which have romanticised and validated polygamy. A staple theme in the 1980s, the hero’s tryst with multiple women has been a symbol of his ‘machoism’. A hero juggling two wives and the confusion that ensues has often been the content for comical plots in films. But rarely has the trauma and pain a woman undergoes in such situations been addressed. Evolution of polygamy in cinema Telugu film critic Mahesh Kathi says that polygamy in cinema evolved out of the "family drama" genre, in which the hero getting into situations of conflicts in marriage was justified. This was also often made appealing to women audiences by citing instances from mythology. “We are fundamentally a patriarchal society with a male dominated film industry, where a hero is aspirational and heroine is an object of desire. As the majority of the audience is also male, having multiple heroines fighting for a hero appeals to their libido too,” Mahesh says. Polygamy has been made acceptable in cinema by taking refuge in mythology, in which most of the Hindu gods are known to have multiple wives, Mahesh adds. In the 1997 devotional flick Annamayya by K Raghavendra Rao, God is shown as personally conducting the wedding of Annamayya (Nagarjuna) with his cousins – Timakka and Akkalamma. Realising that their husband was born for humanity and the Lord’s service, his wives in the latter part of the movie give up their lives, freeing Annamayya of any earthly attachment. Vamshi Vemireddy, Assistant Professor of English at the Humanities and Social Sciences department, Iit Tirupati, says, “Telugu cinema has increasingly witnessed this trend with the emergence of the third generation stars such as Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh and Balakrishna, though it has its roots way back in Shobhan Babu’s time.” From yesteryear’s Shobhan Babu to Nagarjuna, bigamy has been justified in spite of the law. Nari Nari Naduma Murari (1990), Allari Mogudu (1992), Intlo Illalu Vantintlo Priyuralu (1996), Aavida Maa Aavide (1998), among others, are quite well-known for spreading this trend in Telugu cinema. A look at the posters of these films reveal the explicitly celebratory tone around bigamy. Myths of ‘macho’ or ‘masculine’ men who can handle two women (either through marriage or casual relationships) have been perpetuated in society since ages. “This particular folk myth ingrained in patriarchal mindsets which treats female figures as a trophy to be won or owned, may have propelled this phenomenon to creep into the silver screen,” Vamshi opines. So what has helped this trend survive in Telugu cinema? Continuous reinforcement of the trend in popular media, including TV serials, work towards normalising bigamy. Whatever the law may say, social acceptance is driven through media, says Mahesh. If one is to look at biopics, the genre has often tended to romanticise the multiple affairs of the hero in question. “For example, Tamizhselvan’s character, modeled on Karunanidhi, in Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar (1997) is sketched in such a way that his affair with another woman becomes insignificant in the larger political scenario. To avoid controversies, biopics appease audiences so that they only empathise with the characters in the movie,” Mahesh says. The trend was also a ploy to ensure that no heroine gets sufficient screen time, and in turn, reducing her chances of getting anywhere close to the pay scale or stardom of the hero, says Tejaswini Madabhushi, a member of Hyderabad for Feminism. “As in many of Shobhan Babu’s movies, men are often shown as unwitting victims who suffer to keep two or more wives happy, while the women are shrewd and lacking in kindness and understanding. For example in movies like Mirchi (2013), the man’s behaviour is explained through a complicated backstory while a woman’s feelings of heartbreak are not explored because it is so casual for men to date or marry multiple women, especially when it is for the ‘right cause’,” Tejaswini says. The underlying algorithm Raghuramaraju, Assistant Professor at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences in Iit Tirupati, says that the legal restrictions on polygamy have led to ‘polygynyless patriarchy’, often depicted in popular films where men have relations with two women, but sequentially rather than simultaneously. “To trace the origins, from the 1980s, Telugu movies have had heroes who maintain a relationship with one woman in the first half of the movie and with another in the second half, following dramatic sequences. Soundarya in the film Super Police (1994) dies in a bomb blast planted by the villain and this is shown in flashback. Nagma is the other heroine. Here the hero has two women one after another without committing polygamy. These depictions subconsciously recall the earlier tradition of polygamy while, strictly speaking, following current customs,” the professor notes. A similar trend can be seen in Yes, Nenantenene (1994) and Criminal (1994) where the second heroine plays the role of a catalyst, facilitating the coming together of the other woman and the hero, yet not involved. Raghuramaraju in his book Modernity in Indian Social Theory explains that though apparently there is no polygamy from the point of view of the hero, from the point of view of the viewers, their voyeurism ultimately gives them the same feeling of polygamy being committed. “While polygamy has been rejected, patriarchy remains problematic and unfortunately, it’s still an enduring feature in our movies that requires further resistance,” Raghuramaraju opines. What about contemporary cinema? According to critics, even in contemporary cinema, we see sporadic instances of this trend especially in ‘mass’ films that supposedly cater to the working class and lower middle classes. “I don’t think bigamy as a subject is discussed seriously since cinema as an industry still revolves around star figures. However, there are plenty of new-age films that are breaking this old formula of ‘masala' films,” notes Vamshi. According to Vamshi, films such as Oohalu Gusagusalade (2014), Pelli Choopulu (2016), Jyo Achyutananda (2016) and Ami Thumi (2017) in recent times have gone beyond this formula of fetishising or romanticising bigamy or commodifying the female figure on the screen. In Tharun Bhascker’s Pelli Choopulu, the female lead (Ritu Verma) fights patriarchal constraints, choosing to become an entrepreneur rather than depend on her father or a husband. She also breaks stereotypes by giving a tight slap to her ex-boyfriend, not for abandoning her but for not having the decency to break up properly. "Jyo Achyutananda is also a clean emotional ride between the characters Jyostna, Achyuth and Anand. Achyuth and Anand are brothers and Jyostna is a tenant at their house. Jyostna's character is well beyond the stereotypical Telugu heroine who only sings and dances. Various facets of love, life and human relationships are portrayed through her character," Vamshi Reddy notes. But Raghuramaraju says, “It may not be an exaggeration to say that from the late '80s, one of the recurrent aspects of Telugu popular films is featuring two heroines. From Aayanaki Iddaru (Ramya Krishna and Sivaranjani: 1995), Shubhalagnam (Roja, Aamani: 1994),Suryavamsam (Meena, Prema: 1998) to Narasimhanayudu (Simran, Preeti Jhangiani: 2001) all feature multiple heroines, making it a recurrent theme. Even contemporary cinema has failed to address this patriarchal metaphor.” “There are no decisive voices so far towards the change as such. However, the number of films with such content has considerably reduced. Hopefully this is an indication of change,” Mahesh Kathi notes.
- 6/27/2018
- by Monalisa
- The News Minute
ObituaryWhat is remarkable about her rise to this throne is that she never had any godfathers in any of the industries she worked in.CV AravindFifty years ago, in a studio in Chennai (then Madras), a young girl faced the cameras for her debut as a child artiste. Not many in the audience that watched this wisp of a girl would have wagered that this lass with luminous, bright eyes and a prominent nose would one day become the toast of not just South Indian cinema, but Bollywood as well. Sridevi performed as a child artist in a number of films, but landed her first significant role in a Hindi remake of the Malayalam hit Chattakari. Titled Julie and directed by veteran director Ks Sethumadhavan, the film saw Sridevi cast as the heroine Lakshmi’s nubile younger sister. But, the biggest challenge of her fledgeling career came to her in the Tamil film Moondru Mudichu, directed by star maker and the man with the Midas touch – K Balachander. As a thirteen-year-old, she was saddled with the role of the wife of an aging widower (played by Calcutta Viswanathan) and the stepmother of Rajinikanth. Kamal Haasan had a guest role in the film and the highlight of the film was the sequence of scenes between Sridevi and Rajinikanth. Balachander was later to cast her in another successful film Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu, which had Kamal in the lead, and Sridevi in the role of a young girl with a wayward father who falls for Kamal. Another director who played a stellar role in turning Sridevi into a household name was Bharathiraaja. His debut film Pathinaru Vayadhinile, a pastoral drama, had Sridevi playing the central role of the village beauty, Mayil, with Kamal Haasan as a physically challenged Chappani and Rajinikanth as the scheming villain Parattai. The film turned out to be a blockbuster hit. Sridevi, who had not yet established herself in the industry, threw caution to the winds, exhibiting the voluptuousness of her lithe frame, sending the front benchers into raptures of delight. Bharathiraaja again cast her opposite Kamal in the suspense thriller Sigappu Rojakkal, where Kamal played a homicidal maniac hunting down the heroine only to perish in the climax. The Sridevi-Kamal Haasan pair was a rage in Kollywood for several years, and the duo worked together in over forty films, including comedies like Meendum Kokila and intense dramas like Moondram Pirai. Moondram Pirai, helmed by cinematographer-turned-director Balu Mahendra, was a milestone in Sridevi’s film career. It tells the story of a professor (Kamal) who picks up an amnesia-struck waif, rendered senseless after a near-fatal accident. He takes her home and shelters her in the cocoon of his heart, but eventually loses her in a dramatic denouement when, after recovering her mental faculties, she is unable to recognize him as her saviour. But for the climax, where Kamal goes overboard with his emotions, the entire film belonged to Sridevi. Glamour took a back seat in the film as the actor essayed her role with aplomb, touching a new height in her career, dwarfing even a seasoned performer like Kamal. Ironically, it was Kamal who won the National Award for his performance while Sridevi was overlooked in the Best Actress category. Sridevi also worked with other Tamil heroes like Sivakumar in Kavi Kuyil and turned in a memorable performance in the Mahendran-directed Johnny opposite Rajinikanth, with whom she had also acted in the Sp Muthuraman directed Priya. Sridevi forayed into the Malayalam and Telugu industries too, and while Mollywood only cast her in lacklustre roles, well fleshed-out roles came to her in Telugu opposite veterans like Nageswara Rao (Premabishekam, a smash hit), Ntr, Krishna, Shobhan Babu and so on. Sridevi was the heroines in such Telugu hits as Konda Veeti Singham, Kshana Kshanam, Veeragadu, Sardar Pasparayudu and Bobbili Puli. Sridevi’s first foray into Bollywood as a heroine was with Bharathiraaja’s 1978 remake of Pathinaru Vayadhinile titled Solva Salwan, which however turned out to be a damp squib. It was in Himmatwala released in 1983, where she was paired with Jeetendra, a favourite of producers down South, that she created a significant impact. Suddenly, Sridevi and her ‘thunder thighs’ came into sharp focus across the nation. The Sridevi-Jeetendra pair was much like the Sridevi-Kamal combination down south, and films like Mawali and Tohfa clicked in a big way, while almost all their other films too did brisk business. Jeetendra, dubbed ‘Jumping Jack’ for his dancing prowess, was in awe of Sridevi. In a recent interview, he commented that he found it tough to match steps with her in the dance sequences as she was such a brilliant dancer. Not all her Hindi films did justice to her talent or versatility as they were mere potboilers focusing on entertainment. But there were notable exceptions like Sadma (the remake of Moondram Pirai), Mr India, Chandni, Chaalbaaz (in a dual role with Sunny Deol and Rajinikanth), Khuda Gawah (again, playing dual roles of an Afghani mother and daughter, opposite Amitabh Bachchan), Lamhe, and Gumrah. Shekar Kapur’s Mr India (which critics felt should have been titled Miss India as Sridevi hogged the limelight) was a delightful comedy caper, where she acted opposite Anil Kapoor. The “Hawa Hawaii” song, where she danced with gay abandon, became a craze, as did her Chaplinesque act that brought the roof down. Ace director Yash Chopra was so fascinated with her talent that he cast her in the dual role of a mother and daughter in his film Lamhe. Already, she had won hearts in his earlier film, Chandni, in a role tailor-made for her. Commercial hits like Nagina, Karma, and Janbaaz kept coming, right down to her last project before bidding au revoir to the industry, Judaai. Marriage to Boney Kapoor, Anil Kapoor's elder brother and a producer in his own right, turned the queen of the box office into a demure housewife. But when even her most die-hard fans thought she had hung up her boots for good, Sridevi sprang a surprise by returning to the silver screen after a fifteen-year hiatus. In 2012, Sridevi made a powerful comeback with the English Vinglish, directed by Gauri Shinde. The film’s theme centred on Sridevi as a housewife, who after being taunted by her husband and daughters on her lack of proficiency in English, strives to match their expectations by opting for a crash course in the language. The film was a runaway hit and the actor proved that she could still carry a film on her shoulders. Sridevi’s film Mom, produced by husband Boney Kapoor and directed by newcomer Ravi Udyavar featured her in the lead as the mother of two children played by Pakistani actors Sajid Ali and Adnan Siddique. The film also saw Nawazuddin Siddique and Akshay Khanna sharing frames with her. There’s no dearth of admirers even within the industry for the woman recently chosen as India’s greatest actress in the last hundred years by a popular news channel. Salman Khan, for instance, had said that Sridevi is greater than all the Khans in the industry, while veteran actor Anupam Kher dubbed her the Queen of Hindi cinema. What is remarkable about her rise to this throne is that she never had any godfathers in any of the industries she worked in. Instead, she made her rise to the top thanks to her versatility, her commitment to cinema and the hard work she put in over several decades. Bollywood has always been a haven for actresses from the South, with the likes of Vyjayantimala, Waheeda Rahman, Padmini, Hema Malini and Rekha all carving niches for themselves. But Sridevi has always been in a different league altogether, which is saying a lot considering that these other stars had massive followings in their heydays.
- 2/24/2018
- by Editor
- The News Minute
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