Eight-year-old Salman fan gets standing ovation on The Ellen Show

Bengaluru, Jun 9: There’s no denying the fact that Sudeep is one of the most popular and sought-after names in Kannada cinema. The versatile actor has won the love of fans due to his ‘pan-India’ look and impressive selection of roles. A self-made star, he paid his dues before making it big in Sandalwood. The Bachchan actor had, some time ago, told Film Companion that his initial years in the industry were anything but easy.

 The mass hero revealed that his first two movies never saw the light of the day as they were abandoned midway. Following the setback, he finally made his Kannada debut with V Umakanth’s Thayavva and began a new chapter in life. Sadly, the film sank without a trace and was removed from theatres within three days of its release.

“My first two films did not see the light of the day while the third one did not see people,” he added.

Sudeep ultimately tasted success with the 2001 release Huchcha and the rest is history. Over the years, ‘Deepanna’ has starred in several commercially successful movies and proved that he is a certified ‘A-lister’. The star has also made an impact in non-Kannada movies like Rann and Eega, expanding his fanbase big time.

Coming to the present, Sudeep was last seen in the Bollywood biggie Dabangg 3 that did decent business at the box office. The actioner saw him share screen space with Salman Khan, giving fans a reason to rejoice. The cast included Arbaaz Khan and Sonakshi Sinha.

He will be turning his attention to the Kannada biggie Kotigobba 3, the third instalment of the Kotigobba series. The film, directed by Shiva Karthik, is one of the biggest movies of the year. It features Shraddha Das, Madonna Sabastian and Aftab Shivdasani in key roles.  He  will also be seen in the Anup Bhandari-directed Phantom.

Mumbai, Jun 30: Actor Vivek Oberoi on Tuesday announced that he is set to make his debut as a producer with a high-concept thriller titled "Iti- Can You Solve Your Own Murder”.

The whodunit thriller will be directed by Vishal Mishra, who has previously helmed on films "Coffee With D” (2017) and "Hotel Milan” (2018).

"Iti" will be produced by the actor's banner Oberoi Mega Entertainment, Mandiraa Entertainment and Girish Johar. It is creatively backed by Prernaa Arora.

The 43-year-old actor said he trusts Vishal’s vision and liked the idea so much that he decided to back the project.

"I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting journey with Prernaa, team Mandiraa and Girish. We hope to present an engaging piece of cinema to the audiences with this," Vivek said in a statement.

The film revolves around a woman who is racing against time to solve her own murder. The project is expected to go on floors by October and release in the first quarter of 2021.

“I’m super excited and keen to share this story with our audiences. Vishal is a very gifted talent and we are pretty sure that with this film, we have a winner on our hands," Johar said.

Vivek's last Bollywood big-screen appearance was in 2019’s "PM Narendra Modi". He was also seen in season two of Amazon Prime Video's thriller "Inside Edge".

Chennai, Mar 12: Superstar Rajinikanth on Thursday clarified that he never aspired to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and said his plans for politics include different heads for his prospective party and a possible government headed by it.

In his first official press conference since December 31, 2017, when he announced to take the political plunge, the veteran star also said he planned to appoint as CM, an educated youth who was compassionate and had self-respect.

With a two-leadership system for party and the government, the former would act as an "opposition" to highlight issues and would not even hesitate to "remove", apparently the head of the government, if it fails to perform, he said.

His prospective party would focus on including a substantial amount of youngsters in the age group of below 45 years while the rest would comprise retired judges and IAS and IPS officials among others.

"I myself would reach out to them and invite them," to join him, the 69-year-old actor said.

Contrary to expectations, he however, did not make a concrete statement on floating his party but called for an "uprising" by youth, after which he would make his formal political entry.