Kajal Agarwal seems to be the next big heroine who is going to rock south Indian film industry. The actress, who is already a popular face in Telugu and Tamil, has received an offer from Kannada.

Debutant director Raghu Hassan, who has started work on his film ‘Thathasthu’ with Chiraag playing the lead role, has approached Kajal to play the heroine. “An official announcement will be made soon,” he says.

Revealing more details, he says, “We initially approached Kajal Agarwal and Sonam Kapoor for the role. However, we have now more or less finalised on Kajal Agarwal as the actress has also discussed her expectations.”

Movie Artists Association President and veteran actor Murali Mohan presided over a press meet to talk about a critical issue over a land that was originally dedicated for the film industry.

Talking about the land allotted by the Government of Andhra Pradesh for the film industry, Murali Mohan said that a total of 35 acres of land was allotted. Out of the 35 acres, Rama Naidu Studios, Padmalaya Studios and another venture were started. The remaining land has been illegally occupied by a few miscreants, he complained.

Her recent avatar as an active politician has not stopped Kushboo from doing her job- acting. The yesteryear heartthrob, if sources are to be believed, has been roped in for a Malayalam film after a long gap.

Titled ‘Pranchiyettan And The Saint’, the movie is directed by acclaimed Mollywood filmmaker Renjith. “The film which has Mammootty and Priyamani in the lead roles will have Kushboo playing an important character,” sources say.

It is worth recalling here that Khushboo had bagged the award for the best supporting actress in ‘Kaiyoppu’, which was also directed by Renjith. “Hence she had no apprehensions when the director approached her for ‘Pranchiyettan And The Saint’,” sources add.

Trisha’s beautiful mother Uma Krishnan has denied the rumors of she becoming actress. A section of media in Tamilnadu has reported that she’s playing a crucial role in Kamal Haasan and Trisha’s current film in Tamil. But Uma Krishnan who accompanies her daughter Trisha to every shoot Trisha attends denied the news.

“I came to know that news about me doing a role in the film was all over. It sounded bizarre, as I am definitely not doing the film and acting is not my cup of tea,” she said.

Tollywood’s hottest hero Ram Charan Teja will be playing the role of a football player in Kollywood mass masala director Dharani’s Telugu flick Merupu, produced by N.V. Prasad and Paras Jain under the banner of Supergood Movies.

The actor is said to have undergone sufficient football training in Sydney and Lisbon. Notably, Ram Charan’s father Chiranjeevi also played a football player in the blockbuster Vijetha (1985).

According to sources, Merupu will hit screens in December. Kajal is the heroine. P.C. Sriram is handling the camera; Devi Sri Prasad is scoring the music.

Popular comedian and producer Sudhakar, who was admitted to a private hospital on Friday for treatment for neurological and kidney-related ailments, slipped into coma on Sunday, his doctors said.

The actor has high blood pressure and diabetes and his condition is critical, they added. Meanwhile, Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi, Sudhakar’s friend, visited the hospital.

Sudhakar has acted in more than 600 films in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. He produced many films in Telugu, including the super hit Yamudiki Mogudu. Sudhakar won the Nandi Awards twice for Subhakankshalu and Snehitulu.(galatta)

Following the allegations of genocide against Tamil population in Sri Lanka during the war against LTTE, South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce and South Indian Film Artists Association has imposed a strict boycott on all the actors and technicians including those in Bollywood who performed at the IIFA event in Sri Lanka recently.

Without minding this strict warning, South Indian beauty asin is currently shooting with Salman Khan in Sri Lanka for Anees Bazmee’s Ready (remake of the Telugu hit Ready). Kollywood sources say that, asin is likely to face a ban on acting in Tamil films for crossing the warning. A decision on her ban is expected to be made by the South Indian Film Artists Association in a couple of days. Let us se, how will asin react?

Veteran artiste Kota Srinivasa Rao’s son, Kota Venkata Sai Prasad (39), died in a road accident today (June 20, 2010) on the Outer Ring Road at Toli Chowki in Hyderabad.

While the initial reports mention that his two-wheeler was hit by an unidentified vehicle, the vehicle and its driver were later identified and the driver Mahmood was arrested by the police. Kota Prasad’s family were also traveling on the same route in a car, while Prasad was driving his sports bike when the accident happened. Though the family rushed Prasad to hospital, Prasad succumbed to death due to head injury and excessive blood loss and was pronounced dead at 2:40 p.m. by the doctors of Olive Hospital at Langar House. Prasad is survived by his wife and two kids.

Manisha Koirala tied the knot with Nepal-based entrepreneur Samrat Dahal, whom she was seeing for sometime, in a traditional ceremony in Kathmandu on Friday.

The Bollywood actress, who hails from Nepal, exchanged wedding vows with Samrat in a private function at the Gokarna forest resort, 10 km east of the capital. Dressed in a yellow saree, she garlanded Samrat and exchanged rings as priests recited Vedic mantras in the presence of her parents.

The wedding was attended by close friends of the actress from the tinsel town, including actors Suman Ranganathan; Manisha’s co-star in her debut film Saudagar, Vivek Mushram; and Govinda’s wife Sunita

Well known actress once known as Veda or Archana is asked to embrace the hero, but refused to do the scene.

The director of the film Vishwa Murali said that the history of discussion is committed to make the scene locking lips with the hero in the film, but she refused to do the scene in the game.

The director said the story Veda is a nurse at the hospital and the hero falls in love with her and he will win his heart.When Veda agrees to love, is supposed to embrace the hero on his lips.

Hyderabad Police on Sunday arrested television artist Dimple for the recent attack on her fiancé Sridhar Verma after he allegedly refused to marry her.

Police alleged Dimple, 23, was the attack on Sridhar and she also stage-managed an attack on herself to mislead the police. Her assistants Mani and Nagaraju were also arrested while another accused Prabhakar is at large.

A case of attempt to murder was booked against Dimple and three others at Kukatpally police station.

Dimple, who has acted in TV serials for various channels, had claimed June 9 that she along with her assistant Mani came under attack by an unidentified woman when they were on their way for shooting in Manikonda outside Hyderabad.

Bangalore: Director Ratnaja allegedly got actress Amulya to kiss him by promising her roles in his next two films; liplock pic reportedly made public by blackmailers who couldn’t extort Rs 1 crore from him.

Had director Ratnaja paid up Rs 1 crore ransom to blackmailers, 14 intimate pictures of him kissing Sandalwood sensation and second-year PUC student Amulya would not have been made public, sources in Gandhinagar say.

The sources say the blackmailers also possess a one-minute video of Ratnaja with Amulya, who starred in the director’s latest film Premism that could create a bigger controversy.

After John Abraham, Amitabh Bachchan and Aditi Govitrikar, Trisha follows suit now. Kollywood’s numero uno Trisha has been signed by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) as their brand ambassador. The actress has been chosen as the Goodwill Ambassador for the ‘Angel for Animals’ campaign which PETA will be announcing on June 10.

The campaign will focus on the adoption of stray Indian dogs and urge people to provide them with caring homes. Trisha hopes that she will be able to help spread word about the noble cause. “I really think that this campaign has a great message—adopt a dog, give him/ her a home and treat him/ her like family,”she said to a leading English daily.

Stars who hardly get roles or heroines who have lost glamour switchover to Television. That is quite common feature. But imagine a star who is still in much demand and directors and producers are waiting to get a nod for their projects from him moving to TV. Venkatesh sets this new trend. Venky is making debut into Television as actor. He will be playing the role of Swami Vivekananda, the great Indian philosopher.

It would be 25 episodes TV series that focuses on the life and ideologies of Swami Vivekananda. Director Neelakantha who made films like Show and Missamma would be directing. What is more Venky himself is producing this. It is learnt that the serial would also be dubbed into English and other languages later.

“My comfort levels are quite high in south when compared to Bollywood. I hail from south and people here are humble and respect everyone.” says Sameera Reddy, who is making her presence felt pan India with multiple projects.

Singing more paeans on south, the ‘Surya S/O Krishnan’ actress says, “Actors here are professional and I would love to do more movies with Suriya, Ajith and of course Gautham Vasudev Menon.”

Throwing light on her next ‘Yeh Hausla’ by Nagesh Kukunoor, Sameera says: “I am excited. We shot it in the outskirts of Jodhpur for 46 days. I felt great. All credit should go to Nagesh. He taught me so much; I connected myself with so many emotions, which I was not aware that existed in me.”

Ace director V.V. Vinayak’s father Krishna Rao (70), a film distributor and theatre owner from Chagallu village in West Godavari district, passed away on Tuesday morning at Bollineni Heart Care Centre, Rajamandry, following a heart attack.

Krishna Rao was admitted to the hospital with chest pain and died while undergoing treatment. His body has been brought to his native place and the last rites will be held today. He is survived by three sons and three daughters. Many Tollywood stars expressed their deep condolences to the family members.

With virtually offers drying up in Tollywood, Hansika moves to Kollywood for better chances. And offers land in abound for this bubbly beauty. She has already completed two films and has signed another flick with big hero Vijay there. Staring her career in Hindi, she shot to fame in Telugu but she lost the opportunities as she started demanding heavy remuneration. So she shifted her base to Chennai where going is good as of now.

Veteran lyricist Sree Veturi Sundararamamurthy (74) passed away due to excessive bleeding in lungs today, May 22, in Care Hospital, Banjara Hills at about 9:30 p.m. He has been sick for a while and had to be moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) two days back. Sree Veturi Sundararamamurthy is survived by his wife Seetamahalkshmi and three sons. Born in Pedakallepalli of Guntur district on January 29, 1936, Sree Veturi entered the film industry as a lyricist with the film O Seetha Katha (1974). Starting with maanasaveeNaa madhugeetam… from the film Panthulamma (1977), he won the Nandi Award for the Best Lyricist a total of 14 times, with the latest being for uppongelE gOdaavari… from the film Godavari (2006). He won the highly reputed National Award for Best Lyrics once, for raalipOyE puvvaa neeku raagaalendukE… from the film Maathrudevobhava (1993). Interestingly, he won the Manaswini Trust Award the same year for another song in the film – vENuvai vacchaanu bhuvanaaniki…; he won Manaswini Trust Award earlier for the song aakaaSaana sooryuDunDaDu… from the film Sundarakanda (1992).

After being divorced from Lalitha Kumari, National award winning actor Prakrashraj is planning to enter marital bliss again. Rumourmongers say the actor will wed Bollywood choreographer Pony Verma on June 24, 2010, soon after the premiere of  Naanu Nanna Kanasu, his maiden film as director in Kannada.

Sources say that Prakashraj and Pony have been in a relationship for over two years, but this relationship was kept under wraps till now. After a family court granted him a divorce in 2009, he has decided to make this connection official.

South India’s most controversial pair Prabhu Deva and Nayantara were spotted together at the wedding reception of director Siddique’s (of Friends fame) daughter Sumaiahin Kochi. The duo was earlier spotted together at an award function in Hyderabad; they had also danced together at a recent event in Chennai. Interestingly the lead pair of Siddique’s upcoming flick Kaavalkaran (a remake of his Malayalam superhit Bodyguard), Vijay and Asin skipped the event. Rumours states that Vijay and the director had some difference of opinion over the Kaavalkaran script. Vijay’s Friends co-star Suriya flew down from Chennai for the occasion.