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Tamilisai files nomination for South Chennai

Hyderabad, Mar 15 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi recieves a warm welcome by Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, at Raj Bhawan in Hyderabad on Friday. (ANI Photo)

The AMMK will contest two seats in the DMK-ruled southern state, as part of a seat-sharing deal with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)…reports Asian Lite News

Former Telangana and Puducherry Governor and BJP candidate from South Chennai Tamilisai Soundararajan filed her candidature for the Lok Sabha elections and said that she resigned from the governor’s post because she wanted to “work directly for the people of the state.”

“The people want PM Modi to be Prime Minister again. South Chennai is a constituency with very responsible people and they’re longing for a good parliamentarian. The present MP is not very approachable. I will be very approachable. When I was in a constitutional post, I also used to interact with people. I resigned from the governor’s post because I want to work directly for the people,” Soundararajan told ANI on Monday.

Meanwhile, DMK candidate Tamilachi Thangapandiyan and AIADMK candidate J Jayavardhan also filed nominations for South Chennai.

“The ground for DMK is so hopeful for us and we are already victorious. We are facing the people with the achievements done by the Dravidian model government. We are confident for thumbs up victory,” DMK candidate Thangapandiyan said.

AIADMK candidate J Jayavardhan said that it is a fight between DMK and AIADMK.

Vinoj P Selvam, the BJP Central Chennai candidate also filed his nomination and said that they will meet people and spread awareness about the party campaign “Modi’s Guarantee.”

“We will meet people and talk about Modi’s guarantee in our campaign. People are fed up with DMK lies in every election. DMK MPs were nowhere after the election and now they come again in election time. People will reply to them in this election. “The petrol and diesel rate is high in Tamil Nadu compared to nearby states like Puducherry, Karnataka,” he said.

“People are aware of Dravidian parties and they are fed up of both Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu and people are ready to cast their vote for the NDA this time. Crores of rupees been alloted by the central government like smart City but it’s not used well. There is no governance done by DMK and they are a failure in it,” he added.

The AMMK will contest two seats in the DMK-ruled southern state, as part of a seat-sharing deal with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Apart from the AMMK, the NDA also entered into a seat-sharing agreement with the Ambumani Ramadoss-led Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), going into the Lok Sabha polls.

Voting for all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will be held in the first phase of the general elections on April 19.

In the 2019 general elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, comprising the Congress, VCK, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, MMK, KMDK, TVK, and AIFB, registered a landslide victory, winning 38 of the 39 seats in the state.

In 2019, DMK won 23 Lok Sabha seats with a 33.2 per cent vote share, Congress bagged 8 seats with a 12.9 per cent vote and CPI won two seats in Tamil Nadu.

The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases starting April 19. The counting of the votes will take place on June 4. (ANI)

BJP, AIADMK workers clash in Nilgiris

Police resorted to using mild force here as a clash erupted between BJP and AIADMK supporters on Monday outside the Ooty district collector’s office during the filing of nominations of their candidates for the Nilgiris Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu.

The two candidates reached the collector’s office almost at the same time.

Supporters of the AIADMK candidate raised slogans and held a protest. With the workers of two parties gathered near the place, there was some pushing and shoving, and the police restored to use of mild force, in which a few BJP workers were injured.

AIADMK supporters accused the police of not providing adequate protection and protested on the Gudalur-Ooty National Highway. The protests led to severe traffic snarls, with weekend travellers, who were returning from Ooty, getting stuck.

BJP state chief K. Annamalai, along with party workers, held protest against the alleged assault of two BJP workers by the police. He, along with Union Minister and BJP candidate from Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency L Murugan, visited Ooty Government Hospital to meet the injured party workers. He filed his nomination papers from the seat.

AIADMK has fielded D Lokesh Tamilselvan from the seat. Annamalai told reporters that he will file a complaint with Chief Electoral Officer against police officials who “caned BJP members”.

BJP and AIADMK, erstwhile allies, are contesting the polls separately. Tamil Nadu will go the polls in a single phase on April 19 for all its 39 Lok Sabha seats. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Tamil Nadu: DMK Seals Seat-Sharing Deals With CPI, CPI(M)

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SIIMA Awards: Tamil and Malayalam Stars in Spotlight

In Tamil, the biggest contest was between ‘Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1’ and ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’ with the former winning by a narrow margin…reports Asian Lite News

The second night of the SIIMA (South Indian International Film Awards) saw the winners for Tamil and Malayalam cinema announced, with ‘Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1’, ‘Rocketry’ and ‘Vikram’ in Tamil, and ‘Bro Daddy’, ‘Nna Thaan Case Kodu’ and ‘Hridayam’ in Malayalam taking the spotlight.

In Tamil, director Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1’ led the race with 10 nominations, followed by the Kamal Haasan-starrer ‘Vikram’ with nine. R. Madhavan’s ‘Rocketry’ nabbed the award for Best Leading Actor, while ‘PS1’ won the ultimate award for Best Film, narrowly inching out ‘Rocketry’, though Madhavan did win the award for Best Debutant Director.

In Malayalam, ‘Bheeshma Parvam’ led the race with eight nods, followed by ‘Thallumaala’ with seven, though the biggest award was nabbed by ‘Nna Thaan Case Kodu’, which won Best Film.

The race was a steep one in both categories, because much like the first night where Telugu and Kannada cinema had produced several critically and commercially acclaimed blockbusters, Tamil and Malayalam cinema did the same, so it was very hard to predict who would win the race, especially as the voting was done by a fan poll.

In Tamil, the biggest contest was between ‘Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1’ and ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’ with the former winning by a narrow margin. In Malayalam, it was between ‘Bheeshma Parvam’, ‘Thallumaala’ and ‘Nna Thaan Case Kodu’, though ‘Thallumaala’ won Best Leading Actor.

SIIMA is an occasion to celebrate the artistry of South Indian cinema in the fields of direction, technical achievements, story writing and cinematography, as well as provide a platform to take South cinema to international audiences.

The event was being held at the Dubai Trade Centre, between the dates of 15-16 September, with the first night giving off the awards to Telugu and Kannada, and the second for Tamil and Malayalam.

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‘Ponniyin Selvan-2’ is based on the Tamil classic

PS-1 has done the basic work and introduced the story. So, PS 2 won’t be tricky,” Karthi said…reports Asian Lite News

Tamil star Karthi admitted in the Capital on Tuesday that it was not easy for people unfamiliar with the history of the Chola Dynasty to understand the first part of ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, Mani Ratnam’s multi-award-winning periood drama that set a Tamil box-office record for 2022 by grossing Rs 502 crore.

But Part 2, which is releasing on April 28, will be easier for audiences in the North especially to comprehend, emphasised the actor who plays the victorious Chola general, Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan, in the film. Karthi added that if the first part was like an introduction, the second brings out the real story.

Speaking to the media, Karthi shared how he explained the story to his friends. “I sent them a WhatsApp message with info about the story and it helped them understand the film. PS-1 has done the basic work and introduced the story. So, PS 2 won’t be tricky,” Karthi said.

Vikram, who plays the Chola prince Aditya Karikalan, elaborated on what Karthi had said and added: “The confusion is about the names. I could not get some of the names and their pronounciation. It is tough even for me. I can well imagine how challenging it must have been when the film was being dubbed.”

‘Ponniyin Selvan-2’ is based on the Tamil classic, ‘Ponniyin Selvan, by Kalki Krisnamurthy. The story revolves around the early life of prince Arulmozhi Varman, who went on to become the famous Rajaraja Chola I.

Its principal cast includes Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha, Jayam Ravi and Sobhita Dhulipala. ‘Ponniyin Selvan-2’ will be released on April 28.

ALSO READ-Tamil movie industry always standing on its own feet

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Neeraj Madhav debuts in Tamil

The film, which has been shot predominantly in Chennai and Mumbai, has triggered a huge amount of interest in fans…reports Asian Lite News

Malayalam actor Neeraj Madhav, who will be making his debut in Tamil cinema with director Gautham Vasudev Menon’s much-awaited action entertainer ‘Vendhu Thanindhadhu Kaadu’, plays a character called Sridharan in the film.

The unit of the film chose to disclose his look and character name in the film on the occasion of his birthday on Saturday.

Taking to Instagram, Madhav said, “Birthdays are always special. But maybe this one tops the list. Sharing a glimpse to my first Tamil movie ‘Venthu Thaninthathu Kaadu’.

“Working with the phenomenal Gautham Vasudev Menon and inspiring Silambarasan was a humbling experience. Couldn’t have asked for a better birthday gift. And to be on the cards with the maestro, A R Rahman is a dream come true. Thanks to the team.”

The film, which has been shot predominantly in Chennai and Mumbai, has triggered a huge amount of interest in fans.

The poster the unit released has Simbu seated in a chair in what appears to be a hairdresser’s shop and Neeraj Madhav standing behind him with a cloth in his hand. The poster also made it clear that Neeraj’s character in the film is called Sridharan.

Produced by Ishari K Ganesh, the film has cinematography by Siddhartha Nuni, music by A R Rahman and editing by Anthony.

ALSO READ-‘RRR’ smashes records

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Cheran celebrates 25th anniversary in the industry

Actor Prasanna, in his message to director Cheran, said, “A spectacular journey indeed. So proud of you director Cheran sir.”…reports Asian Lite News

Actor and director Cheran, who is known for having given Tamil cinema some of its most loved classics such as ‘Autograph’, ‘Thavamai Thavamirundhu’, ‘Bharathi Kannamma’ and ‘Porkalam’, on Sunday completed 25 glorious years in the Tamil film industry.

Several people from all walks of life greeted the director-actor on social media, with many of them congratulating the director and wishing him many more successful years in the industry.

Notable among those who extended their wishes was Suresh Kamatchi, the producer of the blockbuster ‘Maanaadu’, who said,”It is a boon to last in the film industry for a quarter century. The fact that he has loved cinema and has been breathing it has got three National Awards to find their way to him. My dear brother Cheran has presented treasures to Tamil cinema that will be remembered by time and will stand the test of time. I wish he sees many more victories.”

Actor Prasanna, in his message to director Cheran, said, “A spectacular journey indeed. So proud of you director Cheran sir.”

Fans, actors, directors, producers and assistant directors were among those who greeted the director on the occasion.

Cheran, who has three National Awards and six state awards to his name, replied individually to each of those who had sent him a wish on Twitter.

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Diaspora India News

TN sets up welfare board for Tamil diaspora

The proposed Welfare board named, “Pulampeyar Thamizhar Nala Variyam” and Stalin announced that January 12 would be celebrated as “World Tamils Day” …reports Asian Lite News

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced a new welfare board for the Tamil people living abroad. The Chief Minister in a statement here on Wednesday said that the Tamil Nadu Non-Resident Welfare Act was enacted during the period of the previous DMK government on March 1, 2011. Stalin’s father Kalaignar Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu then.

He said that setting up of a welfare board for the Tamil diaspora was also announced then but the AIADMK government that assumed office after that did not take it forward.

The proposed Welfare board named, “Pulampeyar Thamizhar Nala Variyam” and he announced that January 12 would be celebrated as “World Tamils Day” and Tamil people living in several parts of the world would be brought together.

Pulampeyar is a Tamil word used in reference to emigration and emigrated people and Thamizhar Nala Variyam stands for the Welfare Board.

The state government, according to the Chief Minister’s statement, would constitute a benevolent fund of Rs 5 crore for non-resident Tamils.

An amount of Rs 20 crore would be earmarked for the Welfare board which includes Rs 8.10 crore for Welfare schemes, the statement said.

Dr Vijay Prabhakar, a Medical doctor from Tamil Nadu who lives and works in Chicago while speaking to IANS said, “This is a good decision and I welcome the steps taken by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru M.K. Stalin to constitute a welfare board for Tamil diaspora and January 12 as World Tamil Day.”

ALSO READ: Kerala CM speaks to Stalin on Mullaperiyar

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Lanka denies Indian pressure over holding PC polls

India’s foreign secretary reiterated India’s position on complete implementation of the provisions under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution…reports By Susitha Fernando

The Sri Lanka government has said that the decision to hold much delayed Provincial Council (PC) elections, which were introduced as a part of 1987 Indo-Lanka Peace Accord, was not due to Indian pressure

Cabinet spokesman and Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella on Sunday denied any pressure exerted by New Delhi through Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla who made a three-day visit to the island nation last week.

“Whether the Foreign Secretary visited or not was not a matter but the government always holding discussions with India,” Rambukwella said.

“It was on the initiative of India that the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was introduced. As a principle, India is in of the view that we maintain it. This is a common demand that India make whenever we visit India or someone from India visits us.”

Narendra Modi with the Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi

During his visit from October 2 to 5, Shringla, who met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, reiterated India’s position on complete implementation of the provisions under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, including devolution of powers and the holding of the PC elections at the earliest.

The 13th Amendment to the Sri Lanka Constitution was introduced subsequent to India-Sri Lanka Accord signed between then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and President J.R. Jayawardene on July 29, 1987.

A power-sharing arrangement as a solution to the ethnic tension between the majority Sinhalese in the South and minority Tamils in the North and the East, the amendment created PCs dividing the country to nine provinces.

However all PCs remain defunct for years without polls being conducted due to a legal deadlock.

A Parliamentary Select Committee has been appointed to resolve the issue and President’s brother and Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa on Friday announced conducting PC polls before March 2022 after overcoming the legal impediment by a passage of a Bill before Parliament

Meanwhile Tamil National Alliance (TNA), a political party representing majority Tamils, told IANS that the Indian Foreign Secretary who met the party representatives was of the view that the PC polls must be held early.

TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran said during a meeting with his party, Shringla expressed the need to hold the PC elections soon.

“The Foreign Secretary also stressed the need to implement the 13th Amendment in full as a first step,” Sumanthiran said.

However there are a number of MPs and coalition parties within the government who oppose the 13th Amendment and also the PC system.

ALSO READ: Indian fishing boats attacked by Sri Lankan navy

ALSO READ: Shringla begins Sri Lanka visit

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Lankan Tamil diaspora ramp up protests against ‘Family Man 2’

Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora step up protests over Family Man 2 web series

The controversial hit series has come under fire from Tamil organisations for the ‘negative’ portrayal of Sri Lankan Tamils…reports Asian Lite News

Stepping up their campaign against the Amazon Prime web series ‘The Family Man 2’, the members of the Eelam Tamil diaspora have urged the Tamil film industry to stop showing the victims of genocide in bad light.

The controversial hit series has come under fire from Tamil organisations for the ‘negative’ portrayal of Sri Lankan Tamils.

The Australian Tamil Congress (ATC), British Tamils Forum (BTF), Irish Tamils Forum (ITF), La Maison du Tamil Eelam (MTE), Norwegian Council of Eelam Tamils (NCET), National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT), Solidarity Group for Peace and Justice (SGPJ-South Africa) and United States Tamil Action Group (USTAG) have collectively written a letter to the Tamil Nadu Film Directors Association, Tamil Film Producers Council, and the South Indian Artistes’ Association in this respect.

“We, as victims of the biggest genocide in this century, note with concern the falsification of the just struggle of Eelam Tamils against the state oppression in the above web series and strongly condemn it,” a media release issued by the organisations stated.

The organisations have expressed their anguish over Tamil actors and script writers being roped in for the said web series.

The diaspora organisations have also debunked the makers’ claims that the web series is a work of fiction, alleging that it’s a deliberate attempt to malign Sri Lankan Tamils.

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“Although the directors/producers of ‘Family Man 2’ have stated that the series is a fictional product, the usage of words such as ‘Eelam Tamils’, ‘Point Pedro’, ‘Eelam’ and ‘North Sri Lanka’ as well as similarity of scenes to the last stages of the genocidal war in Sri Lanka and violent streaks exhibited by the characters clearly demonstrate the fabricated agenda to illustrate the Eelam Tamils as people prone to mindless violence,” the statement read.

The Eelam Tamil organisations have objected to the depiction of Eelam Tamils as terrorists, wherever they reside.

“For the past 12 years, we have been seeking remedies against the injustices caused by the genocide in a peaceful manner and in accordance with the mechanisms of international laws. Still these kinds of steps are being taken with the aim of suppressing our efforts,” the statement added.

As the first step, the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora had registered their protest through memorandums to Amazon Prime head office for its part in releasing the web series on its platform.

The global Tamil diaspora has staged demonstrations in front of the Amazon Prime offices, the first of which was staged in front of the Amazon office in London on Monday, adhering to the Covid-19 regulations.

‘The Family Man 2’ has also faced protests in Tamil Nadu, with several public personalities and political leaders demanding Amazon Prime to stop screening the web series, which stars Manoj Bajpai, Priyamani and Samantha in lead roles.

ALSO READ: Plaque omits Tamil evokes fury in Srilanka

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Popular Tamil actor Vivekh dies at 59 in Chennai

Popular Tamil actor Vivekh was admitted to SIMS Hospital on Friday morning after showing “acute coronary syndrome with cardiogenic shock”, reports Asian Lite News

Tamil movie comedian and Padma Shri recipient Vivekh passed away on Saturday at a private hospital here. He was 59.

He was admitted to SIMS Hospital on Friday morning after showing “acute coronary syndrome with cardiogenic shock”.

Vivekh who was in a critical condition was put on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support, the hospital said.

Vivekh was brought to the emergency ward of the hospital in an unconscious state at about 11 a.m. on Friday by his family members, the hospital said.

Vivek seated with Rajinikanth and Dhanush at Neruppu Da audio launch

The hospital said he was resuscitated in the emergency room by specialists and later underwent an emergency coronary angiogram followed by an angioplasty.

According to the doctors, Vivek had complained to his family members about chest pain.

Condoling his death, Telangana Governor and Lt.Governor of Puducherry Tamilisai Soundararajan said Vivekh through his comedy dialogues had spread good social messages and earned the sobriquet “Chinna Kalaivannara” or Little Kalaivannar (Late Tamil movie comedian N.S. Krishnan had the sobriquet Kalaivannar) and was also an environmentalist in planting lakhs of tree saplings.

Vivekh born as Vivekanandan in Kovilpattin, Tamil Nadu, made his entry into the Tamil movie field in 1987 in the movie “Manathil Urudhi Vendum” directed by the late K. Balachander.

Soon he was in great demand and has acted with top heroes like Rajinikanth, Vijay, Ajith, Surya and others. He has acted in over 200 movies.

Vivekh was awarded the Padma Shri in 2009 and the Kalaivannar award from the Tamil Nadu government.

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Rajini to be honored with Phalke Award

Rajinikanth, who enjoys a demigod status, made his debut in Tamil cinema with “Apoorva Raagangal”. Among his numerous hits are films like “Baashha”, “Sivaji” and “Enthiran”. He is known as Thalaivar or leader by his fans…reports Asian Lite News.

Rajini Kanth is an all time super hero for Tamil and other language film industries in India. Superstar Rajinikanth will be honoured with the 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar announced on Thursday.

Javadekar took to Twitter to announce the news. Calling Rajinikanth “one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema”, he said that the actor was being awarded for his contribution in the field of acting, production and screenwriting for Indian cinema.

Posting a picture of the actor, Javadekar wrote: “Happy to announce #Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2020 to one of the greatest actors in history of Indian cinema Rajnikant ji His contribution as actor, producer and screenwriter has been iconic I thank Jury @ashabhosle @SubhashGhai1 @Mohanlal @Shankar_Live #BiswajeetChatterjee.”

Widely regarded as one of the most popular cinematic icons in India, Rajinikanth has also been honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016 by the Government of India.

Rajinikanth, who enjoys a demigod status, made his debut in Tamil cinema with “Apoorva Raagangal”. Among his numerous hits are films like “Baashha”, “Sivaji” and “Enthiran”. He is known as Thalaivar or leader by his fans.

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest honour in cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards by Directorate of Film Festivals of the Information and Broadcasting ministry of the Government of India. The first recipient of the award was actress Devika Rani. Recent recipients include Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, filmmaker K. Vishwanath and Manoj Kumar.

PM Congratulates ‘Thalaiva’

After Javadekar made the announcement on Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Rajinikanth with a tweet, “Congratulations Talaivar”. Soon Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu too, tweeted.

“Hearty congratulations to Shri @rajinikanth on being conferred the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Over the past many years, the versatile actor has been enthralling people by portraying a vast array of roles depicting myriad hues of human experience and emotions.#Rajinikanth,” said Naidu and added: “My best wishes for the renowned thespian’s future endeavours! #Rajinikanth.”

“Popular across generations, a body of work few can boast of, diverse roles and an endearing personality…that’s Shri @rajinikanth Ji for you. It is a matter of immense joy that Thalaiva has been conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Congratulations to him,” Modi said.

Rajini is called Talaivar or “Style Mannan” in the Tamil movie industry.

Calling Rajinikanth “one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema”, the I&B minister said that the actor was being awarded for his contribution in the field of acting, production and screenwriting for Indian cinema.

Posting a picture of the actor, Javadekar wrote: “Happy to announce #Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2020 to one of the greatest actors in history of Indian cinema Rajnikant ji His contribution as actor, producer and screenwriter has been iconic I thank Jury @ashabhosle @SubhashGhai1 @Mohanlal @Shankar_Live #BiswajeetChatterjee.”

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