Producer Henry made a sort of casting coup when he signed Malayalam superstar Mammootty and Arjun in the Tamil-Malayalam bilingual Aruvadai (Vandemataram in Malayalam). Directed by Aravind, the film addresses rural issues. Mammootty is cast as an intelligence officer and Arjun a police officer. Sneha is cast opposite Mammootty and she plays a pilot. Deepak makes his debut as the antagonist in this action packed entertainer with a message. Recently a few key scenes were filmed at the I.B. office and the central jail complex in Chennai. Nearing completion the film has musical score by Vidyasagar.

Rahman's music conservatory

On his birthday on January 6, music wizard A.R.Rahman announced that he would soon be launching a music school to train aspiring musicians. The K.M. Music Conservatory and Audio Media Education, India’s first Apple authorized training center will for the time being work next to his studio in Chennai before it is shifted to a sprawling campus in the suburbs. “The programme starts from May when the new academic year begins and the courses include Western Vocal and Instrumental music, Indian Classical Vocal, both western and Indian music theory, music appreciation besides audio engineering, an Apple-certified course in Logic Pro and digital design certified course in Pro Tools. The faculty at the conservatory includes professors from India and abroad besides musicians,” he said. Students soon will have an opportunity to audition for the professional KM music symphony orchestra on completion of the course.

Kasu Irukkanam fame Viswa plays the lead role in Mahadurai’s Andal Azhaghar. Sri Ranjani plays the female lead in this love story produced by Venkat Kulasekharan and Jayanthi Mala Venugopal. Nesan composed lilting tunes for the seven songs. “It is about a director an avid movie buff and television watcher. It has interesting spoofs, unlimited entertainment.” Shot extensively in Chidambaram, Tiruvannamalai, Kodai Kanal and Chennai the film is slated for a February release.