When routine commercial entertainers with six songs-four fights formula and overdose performances of comedians are made, critics lambaste them more than like anything and proclaim the need for different stories.

But then, what if movies with different concepts are made? Even then, some of those films are being criticized by the critics. As we know, Sukumar’s directorial venture ‘Naannaku Prematho’ hit the screens today. Sukumar was highly appreciated for his intellectual skills in making a different film which is devoid of regular masala stuff.

Although ‘Naannaku Prematho’ got good reviews some of the flaws in the movie were also exploited. According to fans and some of the movie buffs movies like ‘Naannaku Prematho’ should be encouraged to get more number of such movies with innovative and brand new themes will be made in Tollywood and makes the industry superior to all other film industries of India.

Tollywood’s Mega Power Star Ram Charan wished Sharwanand and Whole Express Raja’s team for grand success. Ram Charan wished Express Raja movie to be 2016 Sankranthi’s festive bonanza.

After watching few trailers and songs of Express Raja, Ram Charan was joyous and triumphant that this movie will be a sure shot hit.  He wishes Sharwanand and UV Creations banner for great success. Express Raja is a Romantic love story starring Sharwanand and Surabhi in the lead. Merlapaka Gandhi who made his mark with Venkatadri Express has directed this film.

UV Creations banner who produced super hit films like Mirchi and Run Raja Run is spending money for this romantic entertainer. The movie is all set to hit the screen tomorrow i.e. on 14th January as Sankranthi Treat.

Body shaming, throwing crude remarks via internet has become too common among the haters to spill the venom. Recently, Pooja Bedi’s daughter was attacked for the revealing dresses she wears. Mean names, nasty comments were just adding to the verbal attacks. While the remarks can do enough to make one lose his/her cool, Pooja’s daughter Aalia Ebrahim sent across an empowering message.

Now, another star kid was targeted. This time it was Sridevi and Boney Kapoor’s daughter Khushi Kapoor, who is just 15-years-old.Like almost all the teenagers, Khushi likes posting pictures on Instagram, a huge platform for picture sharing. However, haters have opinions and are judgmental too and they like to raise their voice regardless the fact that they are being rude.

Khushi was attacked for having a stomach which popped out of her bodycon dress. Imagining that 15-yr-old being body shamed on internet is just horrible.However, the reply of little Khushi was mature and beyond the age she is. Instead of replying with hate or anger, Khush sent out a loud and clear message to all the haters. Here’s the Insta message:

‘I post my pictures because I feel good and confident. I put out these pictures not because I want to show off or try to be anyone or anything else. I have my own sense of style and my own way to think and me putting out a picture that’s accessible to so many people is taken more of an opportunity to judge me or my looks, clothes or anything else. I put something out there because it’s something I feel good about, everyone is entitled to have their own opinion but putting someone else down because of it is not making you any better of a person.

Please think twice before you decide to comment something rude or offensive, it’s not a joke. It’s sad how in this day and age where feminism is finally getting the attention it deserves, girls still feel the need to tear each other down and indulge in body shaming. I don’t care if you think my stomach pops out or if I don’t fit into your idea of beautiful, but for your own conscience please realize that having such narrow minded opinions of people makes you an ugly person inside.

I truly believe everyone is beautiful in their own way, why can’t we all celebrate that and encourage each other. There is only one of you, embrace your beauty, and don’t rain on my parade when I’m confident enough to embrace mine. I hope that whatever it is that frustrates you enough to be so cruel will one day go away, because some people might actually take your snide remarks seriously, and I know from experience it can hurt. Let’s be kind to one another, love always’

The year 2016 is very special for actor Balakrishna. He’s looking at the release of his 99th film — Dictator, on January 14 — and at home, life is starting to feel that bit extra special with the veteran doting over grandson Devansh. “I become a child myself when Devansh is with me. We’re both very excited around each other. The other grandfather (Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu) is a bit dull, so whenever the little one meets me we have a world of fun — I’m always keeping him active,” the actor says with a smile.

“I tell my daughter Brahmani that he should be active all the time. I even show him my films… he doesn’t really understand what’s going on but I still try explaining things him. And I tell everyone… leave Devansh with me for 10 years because I want to teach him so many things. I will turn him into a person with so much energy and positivity… just like me. The other grandpa is nicknamed ‘Silent Thatha’. I’m the more hyper one.” The actor’s smile turns into a laugh. Life at home has always been important for Balakrishna. From the early days, he remembers the early mornings and the school runs. “But all credit has to go to my wife Vasundhara. She took care of their education too while I was busy with the movie career. I was not very involved in their schooling but I would get up early and drop them off to school. And if the driver was absent, I would drop them and pick them up from tuitions too. That’s the only help I could offer. Vasundhara took care of everything else.”

Bringing up the kids But I gave my children absolute freedom while growing up. This one time my eldest daughter, Brahmini, got a call from director Mani Ratnam about a role. I didn’t have any objections and I told them I would be happy to ask my daughter on their behalf. So I did.. but she declined — her choice. I asked my younger daughter, Teju (Mathukumilli Tejaswini) too but she wasn’t showing any interest either. It’s their life… it’s all up to them.” That sense of independence flows into the workplace too. “See, I just don’t want to be a dull person. I’m very jovial and I mingle with all. For example, in Dictator … Anjali is a good actress and she is hyper, just like me. The other actress is Sonal Chauhan, She’s not from here so, there’s always a piece of paper with all dialogues with her. I just give her tips on where to pause and where more expressions are needed. That’s all. I always encourage a natural comfort zone.”

‘I’ll never change’ Balakrishna is also close to his on-screen characters and shares much of their characteristics. One notable similarity is an affection for routine and habit. “I use the same Hamam soap, the same toothpaste, the toothbrush brand, the lanka chuttas (homegrown cigarettes). Even when I go abroad, I take these cigarettes with me. There are no restrictions on food because I eat everything. I don’t prefer dieting either. Instead, I have self-imposed restrictions on food. My day starts with the lanka chutta (he wakes up around 3.30am) and then it’s cycling and some cardio on the treadmill — no rigorous exercises and I don’t have one of those trainers either.”

His home Speaking of attachments, Balakrishna offered us a little insight into what his home at the city’s upscale Jubilee Hills meant to him. “When I built this house there was nothing around for miles. My father (the late N.T. Rama Rao) performed the bhoomi puja for this house and on the same day, I met Vasundhara. I still remember… my father-in-law was staying at a hotel here and I met them for my pelli choopulu (the traditional meeting of the boy and girl). And once the house was finished, it became a landmark and people started calling it the ‘White House’. Others even suggested the house should be turned into a commercial complex but I couldn’t. I have made so many memories in this house. My son will be taking the final decision though… these sentiments are mine and not his and I don’t want to force these feelings on them.”

Balakrishna also stopped himself from turning producer. “I was supposed to start a production house of my own. It was called Brahma Teja (named after my daughters). I even paid an advance sum to a director but the project never took off because astrologers advised me not to go ahead with production. I then dropped the plan completely.” The future and politics The simplicity in thought and belief continues as the talk moves towards politics. Balakrishna is a member of the Telugu Desam and says his focus remains on his constituency of Hindupur. “Currently, that’s my focus… yes. I follow party rules and whatever course it decides, I will go with it. I have no further aspirations. I do believe,

Chandrababu Naidu is the man for the job and I’m confident he will do the right thing and he will elected into the next term too. So yeah, my individual focus is on the constituency and my cancer hospital.”

Producer B.V.S.N. Prasad must be getting the jitters as his Jr NTR-starrer Nannaku Prematho is slated for release on Wednesday. But he now has to face a bigger worry before that. Actor Pawan Kalyan has filed a complaint with the Movie Artistes Association (MAA) that the producer is yet to pay him nearly `2 crore remuneration for the 2013 film Atharintiki Daredi.

“The producer had assured Pawan Kalyan that he would pay it before his next film but failed to do so. And so, Pawan Kalyan had no option other than approaching the MAA,” a source reveals. Atharintiki Daredi became a hit and the producer who had suffered losses till then earned good profits.

“The actor called B.V.S.N.  Prasad several times, but he didn’t answer the calls.  And now, even when Prasad’s movie is going to release on Wednesday, he is still mum,” the source added. After receiving the complaint, the MAA forwarded it to the Telugu Producers Council, which has sought a response from Prasad.

According to a source, the producer is in a hurry to solve the issue as early as possible as he feels the controversy might affect his latest movie.

As predicted earlier, young tiger NTR’s Nannaku Prematho is off to flying start in overseas, owing to intelligent making from director Sukumar. The film collected around $346,056 (2.31 Crores) from 73 locations and few locations are yet to be reported.

The figure would be much higher if the prints were dispatched on time. In recent times, Mahesh Babu’s Srimanthudu minted $560K through premiere shows from 130 locations. Interim, Nannaku Prematho is expected to collect somewhere around $1.5 million by the weekend which would be highest for NTR.

NTR’s market value in overseas is increasing for each film, despite their fate here. Likewise, with optimistic reviews, Nannaku Prematho is doing remarkably well in USA. As per trade reports, the film got strong openings for early shows and the same response is expected for last two shows for today.

Already most of the theaters are showing houseful boards for these shows and first day Telugu states figure will be around Rs 13 crores. Nannaku Prematho has some intelligent scenes which are pleasing overseas spectators.

Sukumar did lot of work to pen this script and did some research to write some intellectual sequences. The director once again proved that, he is genius and his knowledge in mathematics is incredible.

Mumbai: Bollywood celebrities like Farah Khan, Kapil Sharma and Vir Das among others today took to Twitter to express their displeasure over the arrest of comedian Kiku Sharda for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the followers of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda leader. Kiku, best known for his role of Palak on Kapil’s TV show

‘Comedy Nights With Kapil’, has been sent to 14-day judicial custody. Without making any direct comment, Farah showed support for Kiku by posting an image, which read, “You found it offensive?… I found it funny… That’s why I am happier than you.” She captioned the photo as, “#KikuSharda.” Kapil, the host and the producer of ‘Comedy Nights With Kapil’, showed support for Kiku.

“I request sant Ram Rahim Singh ji ‘INSAAN’ to come out in media in this case and set a beautiful example of humanity by supporting an artist, who is just working to spread happiness in the world. Come, let’s work together for happiness and peace,” Kapil tweeted.

With Baahubali’s gargantuan success, Rana Daggubati has finally become a pan-Indian actor. He was menacing as the macho antagonist Bhallaladeva in the film. In contrast, his upcoming role in Bangalore Naatkal, a Telugu and Tamil remake of the Malayalam film Bangalore Days, will see him play a more simpler character.

“I shed 25 kilos of my Baahubali weight”, reveals the star who is excited about his character in Bangalore Naatkal — “I play Shiva Das, the role that was portrayed by Fahad Fazil in the original film. Shiva is someone I could quickly relate to. When Bhaskar and PVP asked me to essay the role, I was ecstatic! I also had great co-stars,” Rana says. The actor adds that the death of his grandfather and role model Ramanaidu however, was a big blow. “You can never overcome certain losses. My grandfather believed that “work is worship”. Nonetheless, life goes on. In following what he said, I have been signing new films in full swing.”

Does he look at his career as before and after Baahubali? “Obviously! That movie broke boundaries. It became big in Tamil Nadu, a bigger hit in Hindi and a massive success in Telugu. Baahubali 2 has become a brand already and I am happy that my belief was proven true,” Rana says. Ask him if he believes in multi-starrers, and he replies , “I believe in films”. When we ask him if we can see Rana as a solo hero in Tamil — “I just started shooting the Hindi-Telugu bilingual Ghazi, based on the true story of a Pakistani submarine that mysteriously sank in 1971, under debutant Sankalp Reddy’s direction. Given my commitments, if I find time for a Tamil movie, sure I will do it!”

The moment you ask about his marriage, Rana swiftly responds. “I am not in a relationship with anyone! There is a lot of time and effort one needs to put into relationships, which is something I cannot afford to do right now. Let me complete my films, marriage can wait!” he says.

Raj Tharun’s upcoming film Seethamma Andalu Ramayya Sitralu had its audio released on Sunday evening, and the event saw actors like Manchu Vishnu, Aadi, Sushanth, Rahul Ravindran and Bellamkonda Srinivas in attendance. Gopi Sundar, a popular music director in the Malayalam film industry, is the music director of this film too, with Raj Tharun saying that he is a big fan of Gopi’s and is lucky to have worked with him.

“This film has a village backdrop and we completed it with a feel good atmosphere. My first film Uyyala Jumpala was also shot in Godavari. My co-star Artana and I became good friends during the shoot and and she is very simple.
“If I look better and different in this film it is because of the director,” added Raj Tharun.

Raj Tharun’s friend Srinivas Gavireddy directed the film, while. popular Telugu director N. Shankar plays the role of his father role in this film.

Nara, Nandamuri Families Joint Sankranthi/ Balakrishna Sankranthi in Naravaripalle! Nandamuri Balakrishna is going to celebrate this Sankranthi at his brother-in-law and AP CM Chandrababu Naidu’s hometown Naravaripalle.

Balayya will be accompanied by his family and of course Mr Naidu and his family will be present. Balayya, Mokshagna, Nara Brahmini, Nara Lokesh, grandson Devansh, AP CM Chandrababu Naidu, Nara Bhuvaneswari are all expected to celebrate a grand Sankranthi.

Considering that this happens to be first Sankranthi festival for Devansh, both Nara and Nandamuri families are planning to celebrate this in a big way. However, Balayya wants this to be a traditional affair.

All have decided to spend quality time with Devansh. Balayya will be in Hyderabad only up to the benefit shows of his latest film Dictator. After this, he’ll be heading to Naravaripalle along with his family. CM Chandrababu Naidu too called off his official programmes, works to make himself free.

Anjali is currently on top of her game in the Telugu and Tamil and film industries, and will now be seen opposite Balakrishna in the film Dictator which is releasing on January 14. About working with an actor of Balakrishna’s stature, Anjali says, “Initially I was a bit tense, because he is a very big actor and I heard that he is very strict. But once I met him, I got to know that he is actually very sweet and friendly,” says Anjali, adding that Balakrishna gave her space: “He told me to take my time to practice and then start the shoot. He makes everyone comfortable on the sets, so it was easy for me for the remaining shoot,” says Anjali.

She added that she is happy to be a “Telugu ammayi” and still be among the top actresses. “It’s not true that there is no place for Telugu girls. The industry is now very encouraging and I am always choosy about my projects,” she says, adding that picking the right roles is what can help actresses’ careers in the long run. Even though she’s a Telugu girl, Anjali became a bigger hit in the Tamil movie industry first and only found success back home with Seethamma Vakilto Sirimalle Chettu in 2013. “Yes, this film was a turning point in my career, and now, I spend most of my time travelling between Chennai and Hyderabad, dividing my my career between the Telugu and Tamil industries,” she says.

She also feels welcomed here, saying that there is no competition between the actresses. “For example if you take Kajal Aggarwal or Ileana or any other actress, they are meant for some roles. So everyone has their own space and I don’t feel that there is any competition,” she says. The actress also says that focusing on her career helps keep her mind off the baseless rumours that sometimes float around T’wood. “Everyone has a problem, but when an actress is in the limelight then her problems are highlighted. It can’t be solved overnight as it takes time and here problems too slowly getting solved,” she says.

Dismissing rumours about marriage, kids and even dating a director, the actress adds that talking to her friends helps keep her mind off the negativity. “They always advise me that if you are in the market, people will keep writing about you. So controversies are part of life and I take it positively,” she says.
She says that all her co-stars are her friends, including Sonal Chauhan, her Dictator co-star. “We don’t have any scenes together but I went and met her first, and we became good friends,” says Anjali.

The Telugu film Krishnamma Kalipindi Iddarini was awarded the best romantic film at the Jaipur International Film Festival. On the occasion veteran director Dasari Narayana Rao praised the filmmaker and the unit members.

“Earlier, there were films on love which were dignified. These days many films are made with love as a backdrop, but they are full of exposing scenes and double meaning dialogues. At this juncture, Lagadapati Sridhar has come up with a nice film and also got an award which is good for Telugu cinema,” said Dasari.

“I am happy that my film won the best romantic movie. This is a rare feat for Telugu commercial cinema. This award is a boost for me to make more good films in Telugu in the near future,” said Sridhar, the producer.

Sumanth Ashwin is coming up with a film titled Right Right. Kalakeya Prabhakar of Baahubali fame is playing an important role in this remake of the Malayalam hit Ordinary. Manu, who was a co-director for Drushyam is making his debut as director.

“The screenplay is the highlight of the film. The first half of it is going to be pure entertainment and the second half is full of excitement and suspense,” says Ashwin.

“Though it’s a remake of a Malayalam film, we have made a few changes to suit the Telugu nativity,” he adds. Pooja Jhaveri is making her debut as the female lead with this film. Shooting is going on at present in and around Hyderabad.

Ratnani’s annual calendar, which turned 17 this year, was launched in a star-studded event in Mumbai yesterday. Like last year, Anushka posed backless for the calendar shoot of this year too.

Anushka who is known to amaze he fans with her stupendous appearances was seen removing her backless gown from top. The actress is looking like an angel here in her silver-color outfit, with her bold backless look.

The starlet stuns with the killer look. She is elegant and enticing in the picture. On the film front, Anushka is delighted with Salman Khan’s offer in his next high budget entertainer Sultan.

The sports drama film directed by Ali Abbas Zafar is scheduled to release for Eid. For now, enjoy the backless enticing pose of Anushka folks!