Odishatv Bureau
Chennai: More than 700 artistes from the Malayalam film industry will be taking part in various programmes lined up for the Malayalam film festival that starts tomorrow as part of the celebrations of 100 years of Indian Cinema here.
 
Out of some 730 who will perform, 650 artistes have arrived and the rest will arrive in batches, said popular character actor Nandu, who recently bagged the South Indian International Movie Award for the best supporting actor in the Mohan Lal starrer 'Spirit'.
 
"It is a big contingent," he told PTI.
 
Megastars Mammooty and Mohan Lal are also expected to attend, though it is not clear whether they will perform, he said.
 
Some actors, who are at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, venue for the four-day event inaugurated by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Saturday, include Jayaram, Fahad Fazil, Bhavana and Manikuttan, he said.
 
Rehearsals are going on and the artistes are sweating it out, Nandu said.
 
The Malayalam Film Festival will commence in the morning tomorrow. Union Minister Vayalar Ravi and Kerala Culture Minister KC Joseph will participate.
 
Popular movies being screened during the celebrations include superhit 'Nadodi Mannan' starring MGR (Tamil), 'Pasa Malar,' (Sivaji Ganesan), former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister NTR's mega hit of the 1950s 'Maya Bazaar' (Telugu), 'Satya Harishchandra,' 'Bangarada Manushya (Kannada),' and the 1965 Malayalam movie, the Ramu Kariat directed 'Chemmeen', starring Madhu, Sheela, thelate Sathyan and Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair,which won the President's Gold Medal for the best film.
 
The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce is organising the extravaganza along with the Tamil Nadu government.
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