The actor Kamal Haasan has revealed that the trailer for his forthcoming Tamil film Uttama Villain is about to be released. In a video released on his YouTube channel, Haasan said that post-production work was underway in Los Angeles. "The trailer is ready and should be released very soon," he said. The film is the last made by the late legendary filmmaker K Balachander, who died on December 23. – IANS
A R Rahman writing a film
The Oscar-winning musician A R Rahman, who performed at the Sufi Weekend at Dubai World Trade Centre last month, is writing the script for a film that he also plans to co-produce. His announcement came after reports that he was planning to direct a movie. "I am not thinking about directing," he said. "I am scripting a film and also co-producing it. It's in process." Rahman has also composed the music for the forthcoming film I. – IANS
Luise Rainer dies at age of 104
Luise Rainer, the 1930s film star who was the first to win two Oscars in a row, has died at her home in London at the age of 104. "She left with grace and peace after battling pneumonia," her daughter, Francesca Knittel-Bowyer, the actress's only child, wrote on Twitter. "She leaves her indelible print on her profession and all those who touched her. No doubt she is readying her entrance to heaven, and definitely to rearrange it." Born in Germany into an affluent Jewish-Austrian family, Rainer appeared in only 14 films, collecting Academy Awards for her leading roles in the 1936 film The Great Ziegfeld and The Good Earth the following year, when she was 28. Only four actors have matched her feat of winning two Oscars in a row. But unhappy with the "fluffy" roles given to her by the legendary MGM boss Louis Mayer after her double Oscar triumph, she walked away from Hollywood. She went on to build a career in theatre in Britain and the United States, and also appeared on TV. – AFP
