Regional Cinema

The Sun Media Group -- owners of the Sun television channels, Sumangali Cable Vision (SCV) and seven FM radio stations -- Friday launched its direct to home (DTH) service, Sun DTH, here at a price of Rs.75 per month. The Sun Group belongs to brothers Kalanidhi and Dayanidhi Maran and SCV -- which controls major parts of the cable business in Chennai -- is owned and controlled by Kal Cables Pvt Ltd, an affiliated company.

"Cheluvina Chiththaara", set to complete 100 days in the first week of October, tops the list of Kannada films this fortnight.

Finally, "Hello Premistara" starring Sairam Shankar, who is Puri Jagannath's brother, hit the theatres this fortnight. The film's release had been postponed due to the recent bomb blasts. With security tightened in some theatres, the audiences have now started returning to the cinema halls.

Action king Arjun's "" has got a fantastic opening across Tamil Nadu and has even toppled "Sivaji: The Boss" to reach the top.

The month of Ramadan is a dull period for Malayalam cinema as collections dip and theatres close for annual maintenance. With no new releases for the next few weeks, Mohanlal starrer "Ore Kadal" tops the chart.

The levels of violence may be down, but beautiful Kashmir Valley is far from regaining its old glory as the dream destination of movie producers. Not only were some of the famous Bollywood blockbusters of 1970s and 1980s like "Junglee", "Kashmir Ki Kali" and "Andaz" filmed on locations in the valley but Hollywood director David Lean also shot scenes for the cinematic adaptation of E.M. Forster's "A Passage to India" in the old city of summer capital Srinagar.

GoAir, an aviation foray of the Wadia Group, has tied up with International Management Film Festival (IMFF) to organise a festival of management films in Delhi in October - the first such in the country.

Film: "Anatharu"; Cast: Upendra, Darshan, Radhika, and Samghavi; Director: Sadhu Kokila; Music Director: Sadhu Kokila; Producer: Muniratnam. Upendra rescues "Anatharu" from the fate of ending up as just another of the dreary, dime-a-dozen remakes the Kannada film industry is churning out these days.

Shonali Bose, the director of "Amu", will be honoured at the 2007 Sikh Heritage Awards Gala here Sep 22. The gala kicks off the Fourth Spinning Wheel Film Festival. Mayor Bloomberg's proclamation recognising Sep 22-28 as Sikh Heritage Week will be presented during the gala.

Conceived last year to inspire Sikh youths to express their faith and make Sikhism understood in the wider world, SikhNet's Youth Film Festival has attracted 40 entries this year, which have been put online. A panel will adjudge the best films in three competition categories on Sep 28.

Noted character actor Sreenivasan's son Vineet, who is an accomplished playback singer, will debut as an actor in Malayalam film "Cycle". "It was a role that came by accidentally when the script writer of the film, James, asked me if I could play the role. I spoke to my father and he agreed," Vineet told reporters at the muharat of the film here Friday.

It was a step back in time for India's communist veterans. The heyday of the Left revolution was relived and leaders who made it possible flickered on the screen as the present day apparatchiks watched a film on the life and times of legendary left leader A.K. Gopalan Nambiar.