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        Ajit, who halted his run of failures with Varalaru, teams up with a debutant director Chella, a one-time associate of S J Suryah, for Aalwar. This movie is about an angry young man who cannot tolerate the injustice being meted out in society and is eager to flex his muscles to take up public causes. Vivek plays the role of the hero's friend, while popular Malayalam actor Lal plays the baddie. Srikanth Deva has scored the music. Asin is the heroine.

        Produced by Mohan Natarajan, the movie is expected to open big for it has enough ammunition to attract audience with action, romance and comedy. 'It is no-nonsense movie and would be different from the rest,' says the director and adds, 'Aalwar takes on the mighty and wins not only with his brain but also with the strength of mind and body.'
 
 

        Vijay is back with Pokkiri. The action-filled film also stars Asin and Prakashraj in prominent roles.

        Prabhudeva, who has directed two films in Telugu, dons the role (of director) in Tamil with Pokkiri.

        Confident of tasting success at the box-office, Prabhudeva says, 'It is a regular Vijay film with love, sentiment and action.' The movie is a re-make of Telugu film of the same name.

        About working with Prabhudeva, Vijay, says, 'The expectations are high and we have worked hard to please our fans. It has been a year since my last release and fans must be looking forward to it. I have tried not to let them down.'

        Manisharma has scored the music while Nirav Shah has cranked the camera.
 
 

        In tune with the latest trend in the film industry is Thamiraparani, says director Hari.

        'These days audience expect a racy entertainer with action and humour interspersed. I am hopeful that my movie would appeal to film buffs,' he adds. B Venkatrama Reddy presents the film, which is set on the banks of the river Thamiraparani. 'It is slick and interesting with all the ingredients necessary for a hit,' says Hari.

        With back-to-back hits in 2006, Vishal is hopeful of extending the good run this year too. 'I am happy with the way the movie has shaped up', he says.

        Yuvanshankar Raja has scored the music and Priyan has handled the camera.
 
 

        Actor Surya's younger brother Karthi is making his debut with Paruthy Veeran, produced and directed by Ameer.

        After the critically acclaimed Ram, Ameer has chosen to dwell on the life and culture of the people in a rural village in Madurai district. Acccording to Ameer, 'It is a realistic attempt to depict life in villages, which has not been captured enough in Tamil cinema. We have shot in villages where even television has not made an entry.'

        For the first time, Yuvanshankar Raja has composed music for a village theme. Ramji has taken care of the camera. About working with Ameer, Karthi says, 'Ameer is a director who extracts the best from his artistes. He helped me get into the character and I was transformed into Paruthy Veeran. I reduced my weight and grew a beard. More stress was given on toning my muscles. He corrected my body language and helped me get the Madurai slang properly. Thanks to Ameer, I have got a perfect launchpad. He is a good mentor.' Priyamani plays the female lead.
 
 

        For the lovers of different cinema, Pongal brings with it the Tamil version of Mani Ratnam's much-awaited Guru (Hindi). Expectations are running high since Mani Ratnam has established himself as a director, with knack of striking a balance between art and commercial cinema with brilliance in technical aspects like art direction, cinematography and background score.

        Buzz is that the movie is loosely based on the life of business tycoon Dhirubhai Ambani.

        Guru has script by Suhasini Manirathinam and Vijay Krishna Acharya. A mature love story, the movie has been shot in Turkey and Badami (Karnataka), apart from Chennai and Madurai. Music is by Rahman with lyrics by Vairamuthu, cinematography is by Rajiv Menon.

        Also ready for release is Kalakara Chandru. The movie features veteran stars Karthik and Pandiarajan. In the cans for a long time, it features Anu opposite Karthick.