Overage hero, underage heroine

Talk of young heroines opposite 'old' heroes: Malayalam star Mukesh has beaten his senior counterparts by acting opposite 15-year-old Bhavana in the highly successful Chronic Bachelor.

And 40-something Mukesh's eldest son is 13 years old!

"I am 40-plus and Bhavana is 15. But did we look bad on screen?" Mukesh counters when asked why he acted opposite a girl young enough to be his daughter.

Funnily enough, Mukesh's comic act is considered the highlight of Chronic Bachelor. He has also won more applause than Mammootty, the serious hero of the film.

Srikkant's regret

Srikkant's accident has upset his calendar. The actor was severely burnt after an accident on the sets of his latest release, Parthiban Kanavu, and forced to take a month off.

As a result, the star, who was to act in a Mani Ratnam film, is finding it impossible to give the dates that the ace filmmaker wants.

"I will not say I am not acting in Mani Ratnam's film," a disappointed Srikkant says. "I would say I missed out on an opportunity to act in a Mani Ratnam film."

Nagarjuna resurfaces

After a long hiatus, Nagarjuna will appear in a 'mass-centric' role in the recently launched Kamatchi Arts' untitled Telugu film.

"The role is packed with emotions," says the star, whose character is shown to have a disturbed childhood, but reforms after falling in love.

Producer Sivaprasad Reddy describes his sixth film with Nagarjuna as a 'lavish, mass-based entertainer.'

Young director Aditya, who rose to fame with Manasantha Nuvve, claims to have resisted the temptation of making a 'feel-good' movie with the actor. "I will use this opportunity to the hilt," says the director about his first film with a big star.

Shriya, who matched strides with Nag in Santhosham, is looking forward to her next film with the star. The other female lead, Aarti Agarwal, works with Nag for the first time.

With music by R P Patnaik, the film is slated for a January 2004 release.

Ambi as Dalapathy

Do Kannada audiences believe fat is beautiful? In a few months, we will know.

Ambareesh, the overweight and rundown star-politician, has just been signed on as one of two heroes in the Kannada remake of the Tamil superhit Dalapathy.

Known as the 'rebel' star, Ambareesh will essay Mammootty's role in the film, while new, upcoming hero Darshan Toogudeep will enact Rajanikanth's role. M C Dayanand will direct this as yet untitled film.

Ambareesh is bound to eclipse Darshan by his sheer girth, if not acting prowess.