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News18
43 minutes ago
- News18
750 Injections In 4 Years: 'Nayak' Villain Ranga's Real-Life Struggle After Kidney Failure
Ponnambalam's story is as heartbreaking as it is familiar in the world of cinema. A feared onscreen antagonist in the 90s and early 2000s, he shared screen space with big stars like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijay, Ajith, Sarathkumar, Sathyaraj, and Vijayakanth. His towering presence and raw physicality made him a natural choice for menacing roles. Hindi audiences remember him as Ranga, the dreaded villain in 'Nayak', and for his role opposite Suniel Shetty in 'Rakshak'. (News18 Hindi) He started his film journey as a stuntman and was known for executing risky action scenes without a single injury. That earned him the nickname "Spare Parts" in the industry. He made his acting debut in 1988 with 'Kaliyugam' and later appeared in a string of Tamil hits like 'Apoorva Sagodharargal', 'Vetri Vizha', 'Micheal Madana Kama Rajan', and 'Mannava Kaval'. At his peak, he acted in ten films in a single year. (News18 Hindi) But fame and adrenaline were followed by a long downward spiral. Alcohol addiction took a brutal toll. Years of abuse led to kidney failure, and since 2021, the actor has been on dialysis. Dialysis is the cruelest punishment in the world, Ponnambalam said in a recent interview. "I've had 750 injections in four years, every alternate day at the same spot. I can't eat salt. I can't eat a full meal. Even my enemies shouldn't suffer like this," he said. (News18 Hindi) He has had to spend over Rs 35 lakh on treatment. "Sarath Kumar was the first to help. Then Dhanush and Arjun pitched in. Even Chiranjeevi helped me financially, despite a fight we once had on set. But many others in the industry didn't even ask how I was living," he said. (News18 Hindi) 7/7
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Dhan celebrates 11 years of ‘Namathu Mannvasam' magazine
Dhan Foundation in Madurai celebrated the 11th anniversary of their monthly Tamil magazine – 'Namathu Mannvasam' – here on Monday. The magazine, retaining its unique identity, has kept up with its promise of promoting mostly new women writers and readers, said M.P. Vasimalai, Executive Director of Dhan Foundation. As reading habit among students has gradually diminished, the magazine should produce engaging contents based on Tamil literature found only in bits and pieces in school syllabuses, he added. When some of the important and essential Tamil literatures were present just as stand-alone poems in subject books, the students would barely think of reaching out to the whole work of literature, Mr. Vasimalai stated. 'By producing content in the form of story reading, the students, who are the target readers, could be largely engaged,' he added. Further, speaking about the magazine's novel effort, he said that the writers who contributed to the magazine were mostly ground-level workers. Through this, the magazine has proved that it could sustain the content that comes organically from working class people, he added. Appreciating the tremendous hard work behind every published magazine, he said that publishing houses should also consider coming up with at least five translated works of writers which have hardly reached the public. Madhan Kumar, of Padiparivu Pathipagam, said the magazine which was being published in Tamil, Kannada and Marathi, is to be expanded to other languages like Odia and Telugu. 'As a uniqueness of the magazine, of the 500 writers, 200 of them were women. Also, every year's March month edition would be a by-women and for-women edition,' he noted. Adhering to the famous philosopher Antonio Gramsci's perspective about organic intellectual, he said, 'The magazine runs solely on the organic intellectuals - women writers also the field workers.' Magazine's editor B. Thirumalai recalling the efforts of the magazine to continue its work during Covid-19 pandemic, said that even the mainstream magazines could not sustain during the critical few months of the pandemic. 'It was possible because of the readers who pushed us to expand our horizons out of our comfort zones,' he added. Now, the aim of the magazine would be reaching 50,000 copies from the current 25,000 copies and their work in the following days would be towards that, he said. During the event, a compilation of the 12 magazines was released.
Pink Villa
an hour ago
- Pink Villa
Dulquer Salmaan's Kaantha teaser promises a stormy story of fame and mentorship
Dulquer Salmaan is celebrating his 42nd birthday on July 28, 2025, and the makers of his next movie, Kaantha, have unveiled a special treat for fans. The period drama venture has officially dropped its teaser, announcing the film to release on September 12, 2025. Kaantha Teaser Review Kaantha showcases a period drama cinematic venture, set in the 1950s of Tamil cinema. The era, considered to be the golden age of Indian cinema, features Dulquer Salmaan as a superstar unlike any other in his contemporary life. With his rise in glory, the teaser showcases an intense look into how a superstar made a film his own, enjoying love from everyone around him. As he begins a new movie, 'Saantha' set to become Tamil cinema's first-ever horror flick, the superstar reunites with his mentor, teasing a rising animosity between them. While the teaser started off as if it would be a revenge ploy by the superstar's former mentor, the dynamics take a massive shift as Dulquer Salmaan's character makes the final decisions on set. With every change, the film once titled Saantha would also be changed to 'Kaantha,' a name meant for him. Watch the teaser for Kaantha: Kaantha is a Tamil-Telugu language bilingual movie starring Dulquer Salmaan in the lead role. The film is co-produced by Dulquer himself, along with Rana Daggubati, who is expected to play a key role in the film. As DQ returns to Tamil cinema after some time, the ensemble cast includes Bhagyashri Borse, Samuthirkani, Ravindra Vijay, and many more in key roles. The period film is directed by Selvamani Selvaraj, who previously made the 2016 romantic drama, Nila. Dulquer Salmaan's work front Dulquer Salmaan is currently working on his next film, Aakasam Lo Oka Tara, a Telugu-language film expected to be in the romantic genre. Moreover, the actor will soon be returning to Malayalam cinema with an action flick titled I'm Game. Furthermore, Dulquer recently unveiled the teaser of the film Lokah - Chapter One: Chandra, directed by Dominic Arun. As DQ bankrolls the project, Naslen and Kalyani Priyadarshan play leading roles. The film is said to be the first installment in a planned cinematic universe with Tovino Thomas and Dulquer Salmaan expected to play cameo roles.
