Mumbai, April 17: Music maestro A.R. Rahman, currently preparing for his ambitious “Wonderment” tour, has admitted that news and rumours about him do take a toll on his mental well-being. In an exclusive conversation with Media, A.R. Rahman opened up about his preparation for the ‘Wonderment’ tour, the use of AI in music, his mental state, and much more.

When asked, “Music requires a happy state of mind, do news and rumours about you that circulate everywhere affect you?”

Rahman replied, “I think every artist goes through this. Sometimes they are in a very, very sad state, and they have to do ‘Chhaiya Chhaiya’ or ‘Hamma Hamma’. You can’t say I’m not in the mood. They will go to somebody else. Sometimes you are very happy, and they want you to do the saddest song. You should be ready for it. In music, you have to be in a very neutral condition. You are almost like an actor. You are sad inside but you have to play happy.”

When further inquired , “But as an artist and as a human being, does it really affect you when you read so much about yourself.” Opening about it Rahman quipped, ‘It does, It does affect but it’s part of the game. The ups and downs.”

For the unversed, A.R. Rahman’s wife announced her divorce with him in the month of November 2024. Soon a social media post went viral accusing Rahman of having an extra-marital affair with one of his band members which led Rahman to issue a statement. He also announced to take a legal action against those spreading defamatory news about him.

Further during the conversation, A.R. also spoke about his health and shared a message with his fans stating “Thank you for all the love. Sorry to have scared you. The hospital gave something which went viral. I am here healthy with all your prayers and love. See you on the 3rd at D.Y. Patil stadium.”

In the month of March, A.R. Rahman was admitted to the hospital in Chennai due to chest pain.

Mumbai, April 14: One of the most versatile actors, R Madhavan marked 25 glorious years in the Indian film industry on Monday.

The ‘Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein’ actor chose to commemorate the occasion in the most soulful and humble way, with a visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Joining him were his ‘Kesari Chapter 2’ co-stars, Akshay Kumar, and Ananya Panday, as the trio sought blessings ahead of their much-anticipated film’s release on April 18.

Madhavan took to his official IG and dropped a picture of him offering prayers, alongside Akshay and Ananya.

He penned a heartfelt note on the photo-sharing app, reflecting on his 25 wonderful years in the Indian cinema.

He said, “25 Glorious, Wonderful, Rewarding and Blessed years as a Film actor…. Journeys beyond my wildest dreams…with Ecstasy and Agony for constant companion, yet with all the LOVE earned that overwhelms my Heart to this day…. And So… during this very spontaneous Pilgrimage on this very Auspicious and Special day (14th April 2000 when my FIRST FILM ALAIPAYUTHEY Released)..Just To Surrender and show GRATITUDE for all the blessings that can either be Explained nor Justified AAAAA.. Thank You and Guide me.”

As mentioned in the post, Madhavan made his debut with Mani Ratnam’s 2000 flick “Alai Payuthey” and never looked back since.

From memorable roles in “Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein”, “3 Idiots”, and “Tanu Weds Manu” to the critically acclaimed “Shaitaan”, Madhavan’s journey has been rich with diverse characters and impactful stories.

Now, he is looking at another powerful performance as Advocate Neville McKinley in “Kesari Chapter 2”.

A spiritual sequel to the 2019 outing, “Kesari”, the film is a cinematic adaptation of the book “The Case That Shook The Empire” by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat, centred around C. Sankaran Nair and the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

The Karan Singh Tyagi’s directorial has been produced by Dharma Productions, Leo Media Collective, and Cape of Good Films.

Chennai, April 14: The makers of the Tamil superhit film ‘Sachein’, featuring actors Vijay and Genelia D’souza in the lead, on the occasion of the Tamil New Year’s Day on Monday released a new trailer for the film.

The film is to be re-released in theatres on April 18 as part of celebrations to mark the film’s completion of 20 years.

Taking to his X timeline, Kalaipuli S Thanu, the producer who first made the film 20 years ago in 2005, shared the link to the new trailer and wrote, “Sachein trailer out now! #Sachein Grand theatrical release on April 18th.”

The announcement was greeted with joy by fans and film buffs.

In fact, the film’s leading lady actress Genelia D’ Souza too had reacted to this announcement and had said that the film always has her heart.

Quoting an announcement by the producer of the film, Kalaippuli S Thanu, Genelia wrote, “Sachein – Has my heart always” on her X timeline.

Thanu responded to Genelia’s tweet, saying, “Thank you!”

The film was a huge superhit when it first released in 2005. Apart from Genelia who played the lead, the film also featured Bollywood actress Bipashu Basu. Bipasha played the second heroine in this film. Interestingly, ‘Sachein’ marked Bipasha Basu’s Tamil debut.

The film, which was directed by John Mahendran, was a rom-com that revolved around the titular character Sachein played by Vijay and his lady love, Shalini (played by Genelia). The film emerged a superhit making four times the money that was invested on it.

Apart from Vijay, Genelia and Bipasha Basu, the film also had some very versatile actors like the late Raghuvaran, Vadivelu and Santhanam among others.

The film’s cinematography, which was one of its highlights, was by Jeeva and its editing was by V T Vijayan.

Devi Sri Prasad, who scored music for the film, delivered six songs for the film, with five of them going on to become chartbusters. Interestingly, Vijay had rendered one of the songs himself. The peppy number, ‘Vaadi Vaadi’, which had lyrics by V Elango, was picturised on him and comedian Vadivelu.