Samantha has improved: Gautham

Gautham Vasudev Menon is all praise for Samantha, the heroine of his trilingual 'Neethanae En

Ponvasantham'. "The actress has improved a lot when compared to Ye Maya Chesave (Telugu version of Vinnaithandi Varuvaya)," says the director. The big daddy of love stories, who is known for coming out with a beautiful romantic episode even in his crime thrillers, says Samantha's performance will be talked about in Neethanae En Ponvasantham. "She has to do every scene thrice since the movie is being made in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi," he says. And an important thing in the film about which Gautham is all thrilled is the music by Ilayaraja. "The maestro has elevated the film to a new level. Working with him is a big . It is a dream come true," the filmmaker says. With Jiiva playing the lead role in the Tamil version, Nani in Telugu and Aditya Roy Kapoor in Hindi, the movie is taking shape fast. The shooting is nearing completion and an audio launch function will be held soon.

Srikanth: Call me an accident baby!

Srikanth is currently working on 'Paagan', a commercial entertainer. A bomb blast scene was recently shot for which, reportedly for the first time in India, a Sony F65 camera (captures scenes during fire) was used. Srikanth performed in this scene without a dupe; however, he escaped an accident narrowly as his safety rope got cut during the shoot! "I meet with accidents for all my films; I can say there's a strong bond between fire and me. Call me an accident baby", he jokingly says. "I understand that a dupe artist has a family as well, if it's a risk for me so it is for him! We had several rehearsals and by then the rope became weak, it tore during the take. I slipped and luckily, in a split second I was out of the place where the bomb blast took place! The stunt artists pulled my rope instead of me as they didn't know it got cut, I can't believe I escaped", the star adds. 'Paagan' stars Srikanth and Janani Iyer in the lead roles

Dhanush - Sivakarthikeyan team up

Whether '3' clicked among audience or not, Sivakarthikeyan managed to strike a chord among audience as Dhanush's pal. The actor has a string of promising films in the pipeline and is much sought after, especially after the release of '3'. The latest is that Dhanush and Sivakarthikeyan have come together again, but not as co-stars this time. Industry insiders have it that Sivakarthikeyan plays the lead in Dhanush's next production venture! The film will be directed by Vetrimaaran's assistant Senthil and music for this film is touted to be by Anirudh, another talent from '3'. Grapevine is also abuzz that a top notch producer - cum - director is also keen on getting him on board. An official announcement is expected from the 'Kolaveri....' star on this front.

Siddharth: South's sperm donor!

Pan Indian actor Siddharth has bought the dubbing rights of the film 'Vicky Donor'. However, it's not yet confirmed of whether he will remake the film in Tamil or Telugu or both the languages for the star enjoys a good fan base in both the industries. Siddharth turned a producer last year and launched his own banner, Etaki Productions that produced bilingual 'Kadhalil Sodhapuvadhu Yeppadi' (Love Failure in Telugu). The latest is that the star has bought the dubbing rights of this film, but we can't be sure whether Siddharth will be playing the lead in this movie. 'Vicky Donor' is a light hearted entertainer that throws light on sperm donation. The film is about Vicky who becomes a sperm donor due to a few circumstances and how his relationship with his girlfriend is at stake due to his past. The actor has a string of promising projects in the pipeline, including 'Winds Of Change', 'Chashme Baddoor', NH4 and a film with Nandini Reddy.

'Jayam' Ravi in double role?

Jayam' Ravi is all set to do a dual role for the first time in his career. If sources are to be believed, the actor will be seen as a 50-year-old man and a youngster in his twenties in a film to be directed by Samuthirakani. The movie which has Amala Paul as the female lead will simultaneously be made in Tamil and Telugu. It will be produced by Vasan Visual Ventures. "It is going to be a revolutionary film," say sources close to the development. "The yet-to-be-titled flick will add a new dimension to Ravi's career as he is doing a first-of-its kind role. The actor is thrilled about," sources say, adding: "Samuthirakani has loaded the script with many interesting elements." At present, the 'Thillalangadi' actor is busy shooting the climax scene of 'Aadhi Bhagavan' directed by Ameer. Also in his hands are 'Boologam' directed by newcomer Kalyan Krishna, to be produced by Aascar V Ravichandran. He will be seen opposite Trisha in 'Boologam'.

A teaser from Simbu-Hansika

Work on 'Vaalu' is all set to commence in a full swing. STR and Hansika Motwani, the lead pair of the movie, will do a photo shoot, besides standing in front of the camera for a teaser trailer, which will be launched very soon. To be produced by S S Chakravarthy of NIC Arts, 'Vaalu' will be helmed by newcomer Vijay. STR and Hansika are already acting in 'Vettai Mannan' and they are going to repeat their act in 'Vaalu', which is touted to be an action-comedy. Says Hansika, "I am happy to work with STR again. I will be in Chennai for the photo shoot and teaser-trailer. The shooting will start in a couple of months. Vettai Manann is also going as planned." 'Vaalu' brings together Simbu, Santhanam and 'VTV' Ganesh, the triumphant trio of 'Vaanam' and 'Osthi', once again. While STR is currently working in 'Vettai Mannan' and 'Podaa Podi', Hansika has been roped in for 'Singam 2' and 'Delhi Belly' remake

From Hong Kong, for 'Mugamoodi'

Mysskin has roped in a Hong Kong based stunt choreographer for his forthcoming action adventure 'Mugamoodi', which has Jiiva and Narein as hero and villain, respectively. "The Hong Kong stunt master will design and execute the climax stunt sequence, which will be shot for 15 days. Nearly 70 per cent of the shooting will be completed with this scene. The rest will be done in a month's time," sources say. 'Mugamoodi' is an ambitious project of Mysskin, who is planning to roll out the sequels of the movie every year. It is about an action hero, on the lines of 'Superman' and 'Batman' of Hollywood. UTV Motion Pictures is producing this multi-crore flick. Jiiva will appear in a special attire exclusively designed for the film, suiting its theme. "Mugamoodi will be a complete commercial movie, but at the same time will convey a message to the society," add sources.