About Cinema Rendezvous

Actor & Entrepreneur Shylaja Chetlur is the Founder, Chairperson & managing trustee with Director Naga & Filmmaker Arunmani on the trust board. Hotelier Nina Reddy, & Educationist Sri Nisha Elamaran are patrons. Actor/producer Mrithula Chetlur, NSE Arbitrator C N Arunkumar & Financial consultant B. Ramakrishanan, are on the advisory board of CRT.

Since its inception in 2012 Cinema Rendezvous has had a series of ‘dates’ which are interactive discussions with prominent film personalities, special screenings, art / craft / technique related workshops and panel discussions. The Bala Kailasam Memorial Award since 2015 was an annual recognition with a cash prize, for national-level excellence in documentary filmmaking having a Social impact. CRISFF (International Short Film Festival) and Pennai Female Focus Film Festival are CRT’s endeavours starting in 2022.

Cinema Rendezvous Trust runs a film club that has a diverse group of interesting participants seeing & discussing cinema. Having started in the basement of Hotel Savera it aims to celebrate the romance and magic of cinema as a substantial & meaningful experience in all social possibilities. It works at promoting social engagement and dialogues through creative arts, instead of viewing cinema limitedly or merely as an entertainment medium.

Discussing the art, craft and science of Cinema from different viewpoints is the crux of each screening or discussion. In each of the ‘dates’, prominent personalities from the creative arts & media are brought over as a special invitee and they share their experiences & thoughts on Cinema. Film buffs get an opportunity to view, present & debate films of vernacular, other Indian & foreign languages.The regular monthly ‘dates’ have united a bunch of film-buffs and professionals through their common love for cinema. The gatherings are fun & interactive while remaining thought provoking.

There are Movies that make one forget reality. Movies that live in people’s minds forever. Movies that one can describe shot by shot. Movies that can be termed as eye-openers. There are filmmakers who have stolen a million hearts. Directors who have changed people’s ways of thinking and expressions. There are silver screen moments that defined the day for generations and shook their faith in reality. There are scenes that words fail to help express and remain haunting forever. Cinema Rendezvous brings people together to share such personal experiences, to debate likes / dislikes and learn to see varying points of view.

Our Vision

We aim to create more social engagements for films and encourage constructive dialogues that advances films from just being a mere entertainment.

Our Mission

We drive insights post film screenings with fun debates and lively discussions that are thought provoking and enrich the film experience with every take.

Meet Our Team

SHYLAJA CHETLUR

Shylaja Chetlur is an entrepreneur, film-maker & south Indian actor working across television, theatre and films, as a performer and content creator. She is earnestly bonded to the development of fine arts and culture. A science graduate from the Madras Christian College she has explored her passion for performance & media since 1995.

Rudraveenai, Sahana, Lakshmi, Selvi, Vasantham, the Vijay TV chat show – Cinema Karam Coffee are some television projects that carved a niche for her as a Tamil TV artiste. Enthiran was a cameo on the big screen while numerous advertisements over the years have all made her instantly recognisable across different sections of audiences. She has worked on several stage productions with Directors K.Balachander, Prasanna Ramasamy, Bombay Chanakya, Bombay Gnanam & Naga. As an actor, her performances have fetched her a recognition that she puts to good use in other spheres of her interests.

Her Production House – Shylaars Productions has worked on corporate films, short films & documentaries. She is the proprietress of Wanderlust, Travel lounge at Hotel Savera that specialises in showcasing south India with short travels like the Holistic Series.

Shylaja is the Founder and Managing Trustee of Cinema Rendezvous a not-profit-trust that runs a film club showcasing World Cinemas of substance to promote cross-cultural understanding. The trust also creates awareness about Cinema as a social tool and works towards the betterment of unsung cinema professionals from the movie industry.

She is a regular speaker & moderator on talks about women affairs, entertainment & entrepreneurship. She is the Indian Associate of an Annual Show called The Taste of India in Melbourne exploring the Australian milieu in the context of music, dance, theatre and visual arts. She is an executive committee member of the Chennai International Film Festival and is active in NGOs like The Duchess Helping Hands & NAAM for women. She is a member of the Andhra Chamber & the Hindustan Chamber of Commerce. She is the artistic consultant for Hosuril Thiruvaiyaaru.

NAGA

Naga is a popular Indian Screen Director. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) – India’s premier film institute. He began his filmmaking career in Bombay as a Director of Photography for features that include Gawaahi and Patthar Ke Phool. He has worked on Indian TV serials in Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil languages.

After moving to Chennai in 1990, he has established himself as a master storyteller in the niche home-grown genre of TV thrillers apart from his flair for comedy. Some of his trendsetting works were in the Marma Desam series, which he penned and directed. The fictional series explored mystical occurrences in real life and traditions which have lost their scientific connotations. Naga was the first to explore the concept of dual personality on a small screen through his Vidadhu Karuppu – the story of which revolves around the rural saviour deity Karuppu Sami – who is still believed to be policing the villages and meeting out justice. Edhuvum Nadakkum, Ramani Vs Ramani, Rudra Veenai, Chidambara Ragasiyam and the likes were all intelligent stories that have set hallmarks in the Tamil TV industry.

He debuted as director of a feature film with Ananthapurathu Veedu – a family story wound around supernatural phenomena. The plot ushered in a new trend in the Tamil filmdom of relatable and loveable ghosts. Naga has to his credit more than 20 documentaries and ad films as director.

Being passionate about various art forms, traditions and global cultures his thoughts are steeped in contemporary scientific thinking and practical relevance, experimenting across the various mediums of storytelling. His stories are fascinatingly conceived transcending the gaps of nationality, class, creed or age. His works are stylized with unique lighting and cinematography, freely incorporating the latest visual effects techniques.

ARUNMANI PALANI

He is a Post Graduate in English Literature from Madras Christian College and went on to pursue his real passion for films after post-graduation. He completed his Master of Fine Arts Degree in Film & Television Production from Chapman University, California, USA. After starting his career as an Assistant Director in Television he went on to become a Cinematographer after his graduation from Film School. He has worked as a DoP for Feature Films, Television Series, Documentaries and Commercials.

He got his breakthrough as a DoP for the feature film ANANTHAPURATHU VEEDU, Directed by Naga and Produced by Director Shankar’s S Pictures. He is currently completing a feature film SATYA and a documentary on Jallikattu as a Cinematographer.

Apart from being a Cinematographer, he has directed Commercials, Short Films, Documentaries and Corporate films. Working in Television gave him hands-on experience in Editing and Sound design. He is also a trained Stereographer for shooting films in 3D and handling postproduction for the same.

He has conducted workshops on varied topics in Screenwriting, Cinematography and Editing at LV Prasad Academy of Film and Television, MOP Vaishnav College of Arts and Science and at Monterrey University, Mexico He was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 2004 Chapman Student Filmmaker Awards and won the Best Cinematographer Award at the 2005 Chapman Student Filmmaker Awards. He was also nominated for the American Society of Cinematographers Charles B. Lang Heritage award in the 19th annual ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievements in Cinematography 2005.

Meet Our Patrons

A. NINA REDDY

Ms. A.Nina Reddy is a graduate from Osmania University, Hyderabad with a well defined ability & talent to handle people through excellent interpersonal skills and disposition.

She has taken up family business as her career. Nina, a dynamic, young leader stepped into the management of Savera Hotels & is now the Joint Managing Director. She charmingly adds a very personal style to the management combining traditional hospitality with a new world transparency. Mrs. Reddy has a shrewd sense of business, balancing entrepreneurial abilities along with familial and societal responsibilities.

Dr. J. Sri Nisha Elamaaran

Dr. J. Sri Nisha Elamaaran MDS, is the chairperson of the Sree Balaji Group of Hospitals & Educational Institutions that include :
Sree Balaji Medical College & Hospital, Dental College & Hospital, College of Nursing, College of Physiotherapy, College of Allied Health Sciences & College of Pharmacy.

With a masters in Dental Sciences, Dr. Sri Nisha is a medical professional whose entrepreneurship keeps her professionally engaged with the operations of the medical institutions started by her father Dr. Jagathrakshagan , a Thamizh scholar, entrepreneur , philanthropist and a political leader. With several terms in the TN Assembly and Indian parliaments Dr. Jagathrakshagan is a social visionary who dreamed and nurtured a mission to offer quality healthcare and education very early in his native Thamizhnadu. The Sree Balaji Hospital and colleges which he shaped with this vision, have successfully educated and imparted medical services to the needy for the past 4 decades. Dr Sri Nisha started to shoulder his responsibilities since her early youth and currently leads his missions with great calibre.

She is an achiever , who had taken her father’s philanthropical venture to a global platform with clear purpose and focussed goals despite challenges. With a silent strength and clarity to enhance the field of healthcare in India, she is a successful second generation educationist and woman entrepreneur, who efficiently balances business and philanthropy, like she does with her professional and personal avatars.

Today, as a leading Medical School in India, with a significant presence at every touch-point of the medical value chain, Sree Balaji Medical College & Hospitals are one of Asia’s largest healthcare groups and professional colleges offering quality Medical education. Dr. Sri Nisha played a key role in getting high value NAAC Accreditation & NIRF Rankings for her group and had initiated partnerships with various global pioneers to transform the healthcare delivery across India. Her vision for the next 10 years include Advanced Health Care for All, offering free , tertiary care & premium health care service to the economically challenged along with seeing her institutions being ranked in the Global Top 10 Medical Schools.

Dr Sri Nisha was ranked in the National list of ‘50 Most Powerful Women in Healthcare Service’, 2015 and 2017. She has been awarded ‘LifeTime Achievement Award’ for distinguished service in the field of Medicine from the Bharath Institute of Higher Education & Research, Deemed University. Her medical institutions have groomed great doctors and successful healthcare professionals from challenged socio economic statuses with her personal support through all stages of academic programs.

Meet our Consultant

B Ramakrishnan

B Ramakrishnan, a Chartered Accountant by profession, is an ardent lover of films. He is associated as an office bearer of Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation, which conducts international film festivals in Chennai for about 2 decades.

C N Arunkumar

C N Arunkumar is Chartered Accountant ( CA ) and Cost Accountant ( ICWA ) by qualification, having more than 25 years of experience in various facets of the securities market. CNA was nominated in 2012 as a member of NSE’s Investor Grievance Resolution Panel ( IGRP ) and has been serving the IGRP till date, adjudicating disputes between NSE members and their clients.