Latest news with #Meiyazhagan
The Hindu
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Meet Jijesh S and Shaji Balaramapuram from Thiruvananthapuram who train animals and birds for the camera
Mask keeps extending his paw and refuses to let go once I touch him; while Simba is in his own world playing with a ball, Jo is like a fidgety child. This is a celebrity rendezvous for me. These canines have 'acted' in films, short films, ad films and television serials. Their latest claim to fame is the second season of the web series, Kerala Crime Files (KCF), directed by Ahammed Khabeer, streaming on JioHotstar. I 'meet' them on the first floor of an under-construction building, around 100 metres from the busy Balaramapuram junction in Thiruvananthapuram. There are seven other dogs, two Persian cats and Kathu, an indie cat, all of which belong to Jijesh S and Shaji Balaramapuram, who train animals and birds for the camera. Dogs are crucial to the narrative of KCF, an intriguing police story about a missing civil police officer and an ex-convict. While Simba, a labrador, plays Terry, a police dog with an incurable medical condition that becomes crucial in the investigation, Mask, an indie, appears in the CCTV footage as a stray dog, which eventually leads the police to the culprit. Jo, the beagle, is Roby, the pet of the character played by Arjun Radhakrishnan. It was overwhelming for Jijesh and Shaji when the dogs were mentioned in the end credits of the series, along with their photographs. 'We were elated when Mask was invited as chief guest at the success celebration of the series held in Kochi recently,' Jijesh says. Adds Shaji, 'Premkumar [director of Meiyazhagan and 96], a huge fan of the series, attended the event and asked specifically about Mask. He clicked photographs with him.' Mask is friendly and that worked to their advantage, Jijesh says. 'A difficult scene to execute was the one where Simba is taken to spot where a theft had taken place and he has to stay still when his handler pulls the leash. Since he was not familiar with the actors, that scene took some time,' says Shaji. The dogs are kept in this building, under the supervision of three employees when Jijesh and Shaji are away working. A few others are housed at their homes. The indies shown as stray dogs in KCF also belong to the duo. 'We trained them to move around like stray dogs. We take care of around 12 indie dogs, most of which are under the care of our friends,' Shaji adds. The indie dogs are either those rescued or adopted by them. Mask was around a year old when they found him on the roadside at Killippalam. Two others, Chill, who acted in Maranamass, and Maya, a 'junior artist' in KCF, were found in sacks on a rainy day, when they were barely a month old. 'We are also taking care of two indies as their owner passed away. We will start training them soon,' Shaji says. Jijesh points out that abandoned pups have to be given extra care. 'They need help to come out of the trauma. Training makes them confident and comfortable when they are in a crowd,' he says, citing the case of Mask. Shaji adds that since dogs are often scared of loud noise, they take them for walks along busy roads and by the railway tracks so that they get used to high decibel sounds during shoots and while travelling. Among the other 'actors' in the building are Brownie, a Chippiparai, a sighthound breed from Tamil Nadu. She 'acted' in Kanguva, Padakkalam, and will be seen in Prithviraj's upcoming release, Vilayath Buddha. The senior most of the lot is Tinku, a Labrador, whose health is failing because of his age. He has acted in Parava, Laika, and a few short films. He is one of the dogs housed at the shelter home in KCF. Shaji says that Chill was busy early this year. 'In the morning he was filming for Khusboo, a new movie, in Thiruvananthapuram and she had to be in Kochi for Maranamass in the evening.' Luca, the Great Dane, comes with a legacy! His father had acted in Pulimurugan, one of the biggest hits in Malayalam. Luca was in Panchavarnathatha and a few other movies. Besides dogs, the duo has been training cats, horses, bull, goats, birds, ferret etc for movies. They have provided a bull and horses for Tovino Thomas' ongoing production, Pallichattambi. 'Tarantula, hedgehog and snow glider are among the exotic animals in our keep,' Jijesh says. Until last year, the duo worked separately. Jijesh has been a dog trainer for over 15 years. 'Since I loved dogs, my father had got me a book on how to train dogs when I was in school. When I got my first dog, a cross between indie and Pomeranian, I tried the methods on him, and later on my labrador. Later, I trained a friend's dog and there has been no looking back.' YouTube tutorials and books have come handy while training other animals and birds, Jijesh says. 'Once you know the base you can work around that. Each animal or bird is a challenge. But if you are willing to spend as much time with it, the task becomes smooth.' Shaji also has been a pet lover from childhood. 'An inspiration has been Sanjayan KP, veteran dog trainer who was with the BSF. I used to watch his videos and tried that on my dog. Later I bought a horse and trained it. I sought the help of a friend in Mysore when I had to do verticals,' says Shaji, 48. His major works are Pulimurugan, Parava, Panchavarnathatha in which he trained several animals, including emu, horse, donkey, camel, goat, iguana, etc, Kayamkulam Kochunni and Uriyadi. In Poovan he trained a rooster for the first time. 'I came across this fiesty rooster in my neighbourhood, who was sold to a meat shop after his owner had enough of him. However, I paid a hefty amount to buy him and named him Mani. Initially, it was difficult even to catch him. But eventually he became friendly. In Poovan, he would crow at any time I commanded, provided we gave him treats! Mani was also in the web series Perilloor Premier League,' says Shaji, who has also acted in a few films. For Jijesh, 43, the big ticket to cinema was Valatty, in which he trained the dogs that played the main characters. His other projects include Sufiyum Sujathayum, Anveshippin Kandethum, Nna Thaan Case Kodu, Rudhiram, Kanakarajyam, Malayankunju and the web series Masterpeace in which Jo has acted. It was on the sets of Kanguva (2024) that Shaji and Jijesh decided to work together. 'Shaji chettan had brought Brownie and I was there with a Rajapalayam dog that belonged to a client. We have known each other for years and felt that it would be good if we worked together,' Jijesh says. Together, they have worked in Maranamass, Ponman(trained the ducks), the sitcom Uppum Mulakum (Persian cats), Padakkalam, Oru Anveshanathinte Thudakkam, Bramayugam, Thudarum etc. 'We read the script before we start training the animals. There is always a risk especially when dogs have scenes on busy roads. The indie dogs are street smart and so they easily adapt if a situation arises whereas other breeds do not have the same reflexes,' Jijesh says. The profession gets risky for the trainers too. Shaji, for instance, once broke two ribs, when the buffalo he trained for the web series Perilloor Premier League, got scared during an action sequence and stamped him on the chest. The duo stresses that they send health reports of the animals to the Animal Welfare Board every three months. In spite of the challenges, the profession has its share of fun as well. Like, working with ferret in Bramayugam and rat in Malayalee from India and Rudhiram. 'It took time to tame the ferret. Books and videos helped. As for rat, I guide it using a rattle. It is one animal that never strays off the route once we teach it. We keep mealworms and superworms as well, which are often used as feed for our exotic pets. These worms are needed for scenes where they show decomposed bodies,' Jijesh says. Finally we are introduced to Iliana, the ball python, a star in several photoshoots and horror movies. 'She cannot be trained but can be tamed,' Shaji says.
Pink Villa
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Maareesan Movie Review: Vadivelu, Fahadh Faasil starrer is a road trip comedy thriller that forgets its destination
Maareesan is a comedy thriller road trip movie starring Vadivelu and Fahadh Faasil in the lead roles. The Sudheesh Sankar directorial marks the actors' reunion on the big screen after Maamannan and has been released in theaters on July 25, 2025. If you're planning to watch the movie in theaters this week, here's the Pinkvilla review you need to read. The Plot Maareesan features the story of Dayalan, a convict who was recently released from the infamous Palayamkottai prison. A thief by profession, he believes that some houses talk to him, begging to be robbed. In such an instance, Dayalan enters the home of Velayudham Pillai only to find the old man tied to a bed with chains, calling out for his son. Pillai requests Dayalan to untie him and drop him off at the nearest bus stand, revealing him to be an Alzheimer's patient. In hopes of robbing some money from Velayudham, Dayalan decides to help him out. However, what follows is a comedic thriller in which both men travel together, making it a journey of empathy, betrayal, and manipulation. The Good Maareesan starts as exactly one would expect, with performers like Vadivelu and Fahadh Faasil reuniting. The actors who were at odds with each other in Maamannan delve into a relationship of camaraderie with this venture. While the screenplay could be criticized as a whole, the flawed and raw nature of the main characters is what makes the movie a pleasant watch. Both Velayudham and Dayalan are rooted in reality, so their journey would feel like taking a look into the life of someone around us. The initial half of Maareesan reminds us of the layered conversations and narratives that existed in Meiyazhagan. The bond formed by Velayudham and Dayalan becomes an unlikely friendship that warms your heart, making you love them, despite their flaws. The movie's execution is done by Sudheesh Sankar, who made it somewhat of a good watch. This was unexpected, knowing that Sankar was responsible for a mess of a movie like Villali Veeran starring Dileep. However, far from redemption, Maareesan stands firm in his filmography. With the technical side being aided by Yuvan Shankar Raja's music and Kalaiselvan Sivaji's cinematography, the movie tugs at your heartstrings, at least in the first half. The Bad Maareesan had a promising start, even though it stumbled with its setup at certain points. With the rocky first half, the film held together with consistency, but miserably failed when it took a genre shift in the second half. The screenplay waters down the comedy and road trip aspects of the movie, transforming it into a hunt for criminals. The fault in the writing isn't that the makers took a genre shift, but rather that it was so conveniently placed. Filling the storyline with clichés and stereotypes, Maareesan just becomes an average thriller film. With every week bringing a new movie release, it seems tacky and lazy from a writer's perspective. The lack of inventive storytelling and reliance on flashbacks to make the narrative sense is amateurish. While the makers are to be lauded for not depicting graphic visuals to emphasize the crimes, the impact loses its prominence in this world. With the audience already struggling with the new narrative in the comedy thriller, what makes the movie a struggle to watch is the runtime. The editor could have easily cut out many portions, and the narrative would remain coherent. The Performances As mentioned earlier, Vadivelu and Fahadh Faasil are the top performers in making the movie a promising venture. As Vadivelu plays Velayudham, you would experience how a man known for comic timing for most of his career is actually a brilliant performer, meant to be regarded as one of the greatest in Tamil cinema. While Fahadh Faasil is no stranger to playing a thief, the Aavesham actor continues to reinvent himself with a quirkiness to his character. Moreover, white veterans like Kovai Sarala and Livingston provide heartfelt performances; actor Vivek Prasanna's comedic timing needs a special shoutout. Watch the trailer for Maareesan: The Verdict Maareesan is not a film one would recall years later and consider ahead of its time. It is a simple venture with powerful performances by the core cast. While the narrative is sluggish and clichéd, one would love to watch it for the sake of the leading actors.
Time of India
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Chiyaan 64' takes off; Untold story behind Vikram and Prem Kumar's surprise union, film to hit floor in August
Vikram is currently gearing up for his 64th film, not his 63rd. Vikram was announced to team up with 'Mandela' and 'Maaveeran' fame director Madonne Ashwin for his 63rd film. But an announcement on Chiyaan Vikram's 64th film surprised fans, and the actor teamed up with director Prem Kumar . This announcement has been well received by fans. Vikram to commence Prem Kumar's directorial first As per Cinema Vikatan, Chiyaan Vikram's project, directed by Maddone Ashwin is currently in the process of being scripted. But before that, the first film to start rolling is a film directed by Prem Kumar. This is now confirmed to be Vikram's 64th film. Prem Kumar, who has delivered heart-wrenching films like '96' and 'Meiyazhagan', has chosen an action-packed thriller this time. Vikram was very surprised to hear his story synopsis and immediately agreed to the film. He expressed confidence that this would be the right choice after 'Veera Dheera Sooran'. Hence, he asked Prem to deliver the full story soon. Prem Kumar holds plan for '96' sequel The important thing is that Premkumar, who wanted to direct '96 Part 2', postponed his plans for the sequel as he waits for Vijay Sethupathi's call sheet. Meanwhile, another story written by the director, and is currently being developed into 'Chiyaan 64'. The team is busy selecting the cast. They plan to start shooting next month and release it in January 2026. By then, the release of the long-pending 'Dhruva Natchathiram' directed by Gautham Menon may also take place. Vikram aims for a box office blockbuster Chiyaan Vikram delivered two back-to-back hits with 'Thangalaan' and 'Veera Dheera Sooran', and he next aims to move a step ahead to deliver a box office blockbuster. A film each with Madonne Ashwin and Prem Kumar has made his lineup interesting, and let's wait to see how Chiyaan Vikram's plan goes out.
News18
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Vikram To Start Filming For Action Thriller Chiyaan64 In September
Chiyaan64, a brutal action thriller, will feature Vikram in an intense avatar like never before. After winning hearts with his role in Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2, Chiyaan Vikram has joined forces with filmmaker C Prem Kumar for his next film. Tentatively titled Chiyaan64, the film marks the first collaboration between Vikram and the director, known for his work in 96 and Meiyazhagan, has been creating buzz ever since made official. According to the fresh updates, Chiyaan64 will see the actor in a ruthless role. Cinema Vikatan reported that Chiyaan64, a brutal action thriller, will feature the Thangalaan actor in an intense avatar like never before. In another thrilling update, the film is set to go on floors in August or September 2025. While more details about the shoot have been kept under wraps, the screenplay by Prem Kumar himself has reportedly impressed Vikram. The announcement of the film was made by Vels Film International, the production banner behind the upcoming project. In a post on X, the makers wrote, 'A collaboration that promises magic on screen. We at Vels Film International are proud to present our next prestigious venture, Chiyaan64, starring the phenomenal Chiyaan Vikram and directed by the visionary Prem Kumar." A collaboration that promises magic on screen ✨We at @VelsFilmIntl are proud to present our next prestigious venture #Chiyaan64, starring the phenomenal @chiyaan 🔥 and directed by the visionary #PremKumar ⚡ @IshariKGanesh @kushmithaganesh @Nitinsathyaa @sooriaruna … — Vels Film International (@VelsFilmIntl) July 16, 2025 While Chiyaan64 is in the pre-production phase, Vikram's Chiyaan63 with Maaveeran director Madonne Ashwin is still away from filming. It has been reported that Vikram will begin shooting for his 63rd film after completing the Prem Kumar project. Meanwhile, Prem Kumar is also planning a sequel to 96 with Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan. However, he will start working on the romance drama after wrapping Vikram's film. Coming back to Chiyaan Vikram, the actor was last seen in a lead role in the neo-noir actioner titled Veera Dheera Sooran: Part – 2. The movie, directed by SU Arun Kumar, follows the story of a former henchman, Kaali, who steps in to help his old boss, trying to pacify a police officer. Things take an interesting turn after Kaali is compelled to choose between his boss and his family. Alongside Vikram, the film featured SJ Suryah, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Dushara Vijayan and more in key roles. It is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Pink Villa
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Chiyaan64: Vikram to take on ruthless avatar in actioner with Prem Kumar, here's when it may begin filming
Chiyaan Vikram is all geared up to begin works for his next movie, tentatively titled Chiyaan64. The film, being helmed by 96 fame Prem Kumar, was recently made official with a new update coming in about its shoot. Chiyaan64 to begin shooting soon? According to a report by Cinema Vikatan, Chiyaan Vikram's starrer will be a brutal action thriller, marking a first for director Prem Kumar. The film will feature the Thangalaan actor in a ruthless avatar, with the shoot set to begin in August or September 2025. While more details about its shoot are not available, the screenplay, penned by the Meiyazhagan director, is said to have created an awe in Vikram and the producer. As casting for Chiyaan64 is said to be underway, the report also suggests that Chiyaan63, with Maaveeran director Madonne Ashwin, is still in the plans. Vikram will wrap up the Prem Kumar project before moving ahead with the other one. Interestingly, Prem Kumar will likely take on the sequel to 96 with Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan only after completing the Vikram movie. Chiyaan64 was made official earlier by the makers themselves, who shared the update and said, 'A collaboration that promises magic on screen. We at Vels Film International are proud to present our next prestigious venture #Chiyaan64, starring the phenomenal Chiyaan Vikram and directed by the visionary #PremKumar.' Chiyaan64 update: Chiyaan Vikram's latest movie Chiyaan Vikram was last seen in a lead role for the neo-noir actioner titled Veera Dheera Sooran: Part - 2. The movie, directed by SU Arun Kumar, featured the story of a former henchman, Kaali, who returns to his old boss' aid for a night in order to help him subdue a police officer. However, things take a dark turn when Kaali has to choose between serving his former boss or taking care of his own family. With Vikram in the lead, the movie had SJ Suryah, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Dushara Vijayan, and more in key roles. The film is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
