Ayan

Ayan - What does Ayan mean? Well, it means a lot in different languages. I am not going to delve into that.

Ayan - Suriya's latest movie after V.1000 is a super entertainer for the masses. Suriya has been telling everyone that he couldn't give a fun-filled movie because he devoted more time with character based roles in movies such as V.1000 and Kaakha Kaakha. For the long wait, Ayan surpasses all expectations.

Suriya plays the role of an educated street smart under-the-table-business associate. A computer science graduate who uses more of his brain than muscle to get rid of people who come in his way. In a lot of places, he would remind you of what Clooney did in Ocean's or Leonardo did in Catch Me. I mean, its a lot of fun to watch. Nevertheless, tamil cinema cannot do well without fights. So, there is scope for that too. One fight that was shot in Congo is bleddy amazing. Its like the one that Daniel Craig does in Quantum. Extremely fast, through small buildings, windows, terraces, winding streets. Kudos to the guys who planned the cameras. It was PERFECT.

Ayan introduces you to another world that's flourishing big time in India. A world of dvd's, cocaine, gold biscuits, diamonds - everything unaccounted. Talking of diamonds - I like the way they explain the diamonds business in Africa.

The villain gets introduced in less than 10 minutes from the beginning. So no great shakes. We always know that if something goes wrong, its always because of him. Villain is a Bollywood import and he does quite a shitty job. Very bad voice syncs.

Prabu is Suriya's boss and he controls a lot of this business. Its interesting to see how these guys get the smuggle the stuff from the airport to India and back to other countries. While we know that a lot of this could be true, its quite shocking to see what happens.

Jagan - the guy who hosts America's Funniest Videos on Star Vijay is Suriya's pal in the movie. Tamannah is his sister. NOW THATS A VERY BAD MATCH UP for a family. Black Coffee and Milk. Jagan as Chitti has a very interesting role. He has done a fantastic job. I am guessing that this is a great break for him and the future holds a lot for him.

Tamannah - this hard working Punjabi kudi rocks! In this movie, its not just love and songs for the actor. Love happens in like 5 mins. They meet and the next scene they are already in love. Costume selection would score a 4 on 5. She is surely getting better in every movie of hers.

There is no separate comedy track. Suriya, Jagan, Tamannah, Karunas, Renuka (Suriya's mom) - everyone does comedy to their own capacity. When prime characters perform comedy, it gels into the movie and it also lightens the audience's view about a particular character.

Songs and the picturisation are a treat. Hariharan's voice in Pala Pala is so FRESH. Like always, Harris' music reminds you of all his previous creations. Grinding the same dough. I am guessing that Harris is fond of a few raagas and he composes only on those. One of the songs, i think Nenje Nenje, was shot in Walvis Bay, Namibia, where the sea and sand dunes are next to each other. Beautiful Place.

Story, Script, Screenplay - would give a min of 3 on 5. Very skillful. Even though we have heard of so many con-job movies in the past, this one is quite entertaining. There is more focus on smart smuggling rather than using plain ammunition with mobs. Creativity is fabulous - KV Anand and his team will be appreciated for this. In a lot of instances, they quickly show the way things unfold from the past. That's very thoughtful and neatly done.

Overall: Great entertainer from Suriya, after a long time.

HDFC Standard Life Insurance

So, in July last year, the guys from HDFC Standard Life Insurance called me and told me about their pension plan. You know how they can make it sound very attractive and all that crap. I am not going to go into the details of all that.

My dad was telling me that just one insurance policy and a PPF account is not enough. Maybe I should put some amount from my salary somewhere else as well instead of just keeping it in the bank.

I signed up for the Pension Plan. The moment you say yes for the policy, you know how fast things happen. The representatives came home. The application forms were just ready to make the signatures and nominations. I paid the first premium through cheque and then opted for ECS to pay the remaining premiums. I had to sign a blank cheque, cross it. Also sign in two different places, just for matching signatures. Everything happened with ease. In about 2 weeks time, I got the policy papers.

August, September, October, November and December. No problem at all. Every month, HDFC would get a payment from my bank. I would get a copy of the receipt through the mail and I would also check it online once in a while.

In January, I got a call from the call center informing me that HDFC could not take an electronic payment and so I should make an online payment or go to the nearest office and may by cash or cheque. I didnt bother. I had signed up for ECS only to avoid all this headache. Then I got another call 2 weeks later telling me that the ECS payment was not taken because the signatures did not match. I was like - WTF, you morons. You took payment for 5 months using the same signature and suddenly in January the signatures did not match? I asked them the same question and you know about these call center executives. They hardly have any knowledge. The only answer they have is pre-programmed - "Sir, according to our system, the payment could not be processed because the signatures did not match. In order to avoid further delays with respect to your policy, please contact the nearest HDFC Standard Life Office."

So, obviously, you know that these good-for-nothing fellows are not going to be of any help to you. And the funny part is that they also ask you one question towards the end - "Is there anything else that I can help you with?"

For which, you have to say "NO THANKS". And the conversation ends there. The ball is in your court. For no mistake of yours. In all this while, the guy who is your policy advisor has no interest whatsoever to take up your case or do anything in that regard. If you want something, you have to call him.

With my wedding coming up, I had better things to do. So, I kept quiet. By this time, I got a letter from HDFC that the policy is lapsed and if I need to renew the policy, I have to call some random toll-free number. All this while, the guys at the top are not bothered at all. All they follow is some senseless protocol. There is no relationship manager or anything of that sort who takes up this case and tries to find out what happened. They just send letters one after the other.

A few days later, one more guy called. He had the same story but he sounded a bit more sensible. He told me that I could make an online payment. I did that. By this time, it was end January. In about a week's time, I got a receipt for the payment I made. February passed and in March second week, I got a call again from HDFC Bombay about my policy. I told them that I made one payment in Jan and will make another payment that week for Feb and March, which I made. I got a call again from someone in Chennai. I told him that I made the payment. Then the Bombay guy called again. I confirmed with him again that the payment was already made but its not reflecting on the site yet.

Then that smart ass fellow says "Please call the toll-free number and lodge a request giving all the details". Again, I was like - idiot, you get all the time to do follow up calls and check whether I have paid, but you cant do a simple help for your customer?

After so much help that they did to the customer, HDFC also did one more thing. After taking payment for 3 months, they sent me a letter yesterday.

It says
"We wish to inform you that we are unable to revive your policy since we have not yet received the information/clarification that we had sought from you vide our earlier letter"

And then some more bulshit in the letter. The letter has also come with a cheque for amount that is like one tenth of whatever I have paid till now.

I called the call-center and told them that I have a letter like this. They know that I have already paid whatever is needed to revive the policy. But all they have to say is "Please visit our nearest branch tomorrow"

I cant believe that a company like HDFC is doing stuff like this. RIDICULOUS. They put ads like "Sar Utha Ke Jiyo" and all that effin crap on every TV channel. Why the **** ??? It makes no sense. Sad part is; I guess I am locked for a very long time on this. The next thing I have to figure out is how to reduce this already "pain in the ass" pension plan to something bearable so that even in the future if i dont get the money, i wont be too worried about it.

Every private company seems to be a blood sucker of the third rate. LIC would have been better I guess. Any comments?

Back

Oh, its so difficult to get back to something after a very long break. Here I mean work and blogging.

Three weeks of vacation - first my wedding, then a trip to delhi to attend a close friend's wedding, a day trip to agra, back to chennai for the reception, then to perth via singapore; to chrischurch from perth, a week in the south island, back to perth again for about 5 days, stop over at singapore and then back to chennai. Whoooaaah!!

Whattaaey TRIP maan.

After all that, when i came back to work, there was no work. Thankfully, I had come back for something more interesting. Ultimate Frisbee. Yes, the Kodaikanal Fly Baba tournament is coming up during the last weekend of March. And Chennai is going to Bendy Field in Kodi with a 35 member team. This time we got our own bus!!!

Other than ultimate practice, i dont have much to do. the week i landed, i spent one day in office sorting out proofs for tax purposes. the recession is quite bad. bad bonus, no promotion and maybe no hike too. promotion and hike decisions have been postponed till june or july. management is buying time to see what the market reactions will be. haha. last year, around 200 people were made directors in the office. i was like - WHAT is WRONG with the guys in talent management?

Whatever, I still have to write atleast one post about my kiwi land trip. Until, then I am just signing off.

The Persians are waiting for me to lead their army.....

The Wedding Photos

FROM MY D80

FLASH VERSION



HTML VERSION

The Wedding

Kabadi

A sport that has a small connection to an epic like Mahabharata, also widely played in many states across India, a prominent sport in Bangladesh. Yes, its Kabadi.

Director Susindran has perfectly executed a script based on Kabadi with simplicity and finesse. This is not like Chak De, Lagaan or any other sports movies like Goal or Victory. This movie has a completely different take on Kabadi. There is no money, glamour and fashion. The game itself has little popularity among the masses. We hardly find anyone talking, which probably makes it easy for the director to have a small village like Kanakkanpatti as the nucleus of this movie.

A group of youngsters, who have different backgrounds, in terms of caste, work, status, are great friends and stand united only because of Kabadi. Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu is what they call themselves and they take pride in attending the local kabadi competitions. Winning is almost like a nightmare to them and to keep their heads high amongst their villagers, they play the weaker team from the next village. Their ultimate aim is to win a tournament so that they can walk inside the village with their heads high up.

A movie where almost everyone is a newbie, maybe a budget of a few hundred thousands, no expensive props and mostly everything natural is what makes VKK so special.

Mari, the uneducated young lad who is a goat-herd, is the principal character in this movie. Other than a very sad background about Mari, what we get to see is only his inclination for the sport and his love for the anonymous girl Saranya Mohan, who comes to the village festival from Madurai. Its interesting to note that the director has beautifully brought out the love between the two without even letting out the girl's name. Also, its awesome to note that they never exchange any contact information. They decide to wait till the next years festival. It works like that in villages. How difficult but at the same time, fascinating.



The other characters have been neatly sketched. Each one has an interesting background and they bring vibrance and color to the movie. Kishore, as the Kabadi coach, sets the pace in the second half of the movie.

Comedy is not a separate track. The kabadi players by themselves are an enthusiastic crowd. Moreover, being villagers, "nakkal and nayyaandi" comes automatically to them, atleast the director has made sure that there is no need for an extra character to bring humor to the screen.

Music is quite a plus to this movie. The songs are simple and melodious. No powerful instruments to make you feel jolted out of the blue.

Overall: MUST SEE

Women and IT

Sometime back, a company ran this intolerable ad.



Between 2001 and 2007, 37000 women in the UK have abandoned IT Careers.

And Tim Berners Lee said this about sexism in IT "A culture that avoided alienating women would attract more female programmers, which could lead to greater harmony of systems design. If there were more women involved, we could move towards interoperability. We have to change at every level"

Is IT predominantly a "boy thing"?

Padikkathavan - Cool Cocktail

Super Star's son-in-law is back. A movie of the same title was another feather in Super Star's cap during his career. I guess the same holds with Dhanush. His performance in this undoubtedly commercial movie will definitely take him a long way.

Padikkathavan is a generous cocktail of all the commercial aspects that any one would look for in a movie. This movie is all about how Dhanush - a 10th Fail, who gets humiliated by his father at home for not studying, decides to get ahead in life by almost forcing someone who is highly educated fall in love with him, who happens to be Tamanna.

Dhanush is the everything in this movie. He fights, dances, jumps, runs, does all sorts of stunts in the movie. With his Bruce Lee figure, he takes a dig at punch dialogs and excels in comedy as well. We know for a fact that Dhanush himself did not complete his education before entering films, but he has to be appreciated for the great work he has done in this movie. The title of the movie by itself had raised expectation of the audience by a few notches. Dhanush has carried this movie quite well.

Music is a plus for this movie. Mani Sharma's music may not be something innovative or out of the box, but it definitely gels with the script. "Raanki Rangamma" and "Hey Vetri Vela" are numbers that would stay on charts for a few months.

Milky White Tamanna - is she going to ride a wave like Simran? She sure does a wonderful job in the movie. With the kind of offers she has been getting from directors and producers in tamil cinema, if she continues the hard work that she has been doing, I am quite sure that she will give native actors a big run. In this movie, she is total entertainment material. But what surprises all of us is how her character evolves in this movie.

This film has got too many bad guys. At one point you are bored seeing people just killing each other. Extremely Painful. And by the time, the twist in the movie is revealed, you just want everything to get over. Suman, one of the bad guys, has more scope in this movie than just handling rifles and knives. Suman's acting in those extra scenes brings some seriousness into the movie.

Vivek's comedy begins only in the second half. First half comedy is completely ruled by Dhanush and his "tea-kada" friends. Vivek starts off well, but is somewhat annoying a little later. In the second half, he is always accompanied by dhanush. so, as soon as comedy gets a little off-track, the script ensures that patching work is done.

Overall: Only entertainment, no logic.

Poem: Her favorite steel tumbler

she woke up
morning birds her alarm
this sunday
was no different

nowadays she was
used to the rhythm

prepare
deck up
new batch arrives
stand straight
genuflect
sit gentle
sing devotional
serve coffee and snacks
listen to elders jabbering
ancestral connections

nothing made sense
hot and bothered
acted with obedience
she held her emotions tight
never spoke an extra word
in her own territory

the hand had moved
a few degrees south
in some time she thought
life will be normal

with anger and hatred
she looked
at the kitchen sink
tumbler and plates
put to wash

for,
the seventeenth time
a stranger's lips had
left
another dirty mark on her
favorite steel tumbler

Villu - Hopeless Bow

In an era, where actors struggle to make an impact among the fans, Vijay gives a pedestrian performance for a movie that lacks every aspect of a good movie.

Third day after the movie has released and I saw people walking out for every song. Intermission - complete chaos. Fans were frustrated. Second half - complete damage. Atleast the first half was bearable. Second half is a disaster.

Villu opened this Pongal hoping to be a commercial success. This time, the Prabhu Deva - vijay combination has backfired. Pokkiri was phenomenal. After that one, this movie comes across as a major letdown for Vijay fans.

Now, Vijay has a few flag. An emblem rather, from his fan club. So thats the introduction for the actor. Vijay in the lead role has just killed time on the screen. No acting. Nothing that any person from the audience could appreciate. Ok, the dance sequences are quite nice. Comedy hasnt gone well. Everything else is below average. Villu for Vijay's career is like how Kuruvi did sometime back. Just more damage. I hope Vijay finds a way to fix his script choosing skills. This commercial mass entertainer formula is not working well. Gone are the days of the standard formula. Everyone wants something different and out of the box.

Music by Devi Sri Prasad. Another let down. Jalsa song is okay. Every other song has an amazing telugu touch. Devi Sri - please understand. We don't like movies where actors do 5 stunt scenes and 5 songs. We know to appreciate good music and we always like it that way. You have done a good job before. So I dont understand why you have miserably failed this time.

Prabhu Deva - the director. Some say that this movie is similar to Soldier in Hindi. The bobby deol movie. I dont remember that one. Whatever. But whats there to direct in this movie. Deva told on TV that this movie is like an MGR movie - wholesome entertainer. Well, definitely not. This movie is a pain in the ***. Was there anything called STORY in this whole movie? Bottomline is REVENGE, but the way it has been handled - extremely atrocious. Its usually the end of the first half where you can try all your direction gimmicks and possibly screw up. in the second half, you have to patch up and give a powerful comeback so that people walk out with a enthusiastic feeling about the movie. In this case, post intermission is complete trash - especially the flashback.

Nayantara - she is beautiful. Camera captures her well. Comedy goes great. She has done a neat job. Otherwise, no scope for acting.

Vadivel - first half comedy is AMAZING. Keeps you rolling. The sequence with the english song "I just cant stop loving you" is a fantastic and innovative effort. Second half comedy is again waste. Hopeless.

Prakash Raj, Anand Raj, Sriman, Gita, Manoj K Jayan, Ranjitha - all these characters add more trouble to the weak storyline.

Overall: Huge letdown for Vijay fans

Nature's New Year Gift

Straight from the tree at home. Organic Produce from the home garden. After quite a long wait, we managed to get hold of these fruits. Thankfully, the arboreal rodents and the birds were busy doing something else.

Ghajini - In Hindi

Prayer to God - SRK please dont watch Vaaranam Aayiram and ask Karan Johar to copy the movie for you.

When I walked out of the movie hall, that was the feeling I had about Aamir Khan's Ghajini - a remake of the tamil version. Comparing two movies is not the way to go, but what the hell. I think this way I can represent my thoughts better.

Two hours of this movie is just the same. Copy Copy Copy. This is Bombay and that was Chennai. The last 30 minutes was dealt with concentrated effort to make it look professional.

Aamir Khan has done a lot of hard work in this movie, but gets distinction only. You have to give it to Suriya for his outstanding performance in the tamil version. Khan looks very royal in the first bit. So its a bit difficult for a third tier model to visualise him as an aspiring model. Surya does that part well. He looks pro when he is a CEO and he appears very down to earth during his part with Asin.

Props look more sopihisticated this time. A posh apartment in Hiranandani Gardens is too much to ask for. That too, well laid plans and pictures. Everything looks clean and doesnt look like a house that belongs to someone who suffers from short term memory loss.

Asin steals the show. She is the same Kalpana we saw a few years back but what an amazing performance. Bollywood lassies - beware! Miss Thottumkal has already established her position with class.

Ghajini might be a hit in Bollywood because Bollywood has not seen movies with meaningful scripts for a very long time. Most movies are luxurious commercials. So this movie will definitely go a long way.

Jiah Khan plays Nayantara's role in the movie. I thought Nayantara was such a waste of time in the movie. Jiah says - No, how can that be! I will prove that I am the worst for that role.

AR Murugadoss has done a great job. He has ensured that the second version is much better and cleaner than the first one. As a director he scores more points for the hindi version.

AR Rahman's music. I seriously could not appreciate the songs. Background score was mindblowing. Songs - sorry. Sanjay sees Kalpana and falls in love with her. "Oru Maalai" in Tamil was such a fantastic representation of the mood. Here in the same situation, the song sucks. And then Suttum Vizhi - it was another mega hit song. Perhaps Rahman thought that he shouldn't bring the same mood inside the hindi version but these songs in tamil gave such a boost to the storyline. It didnt do that much impact in Hindi.

Overall: A new experience for hindi movie lovers.

Silambattam - Little Star Rises

Little Star does it again. A complete entertainer. A bit of everything that you would expect in a excessively commercial movie.

I think the main highlight of this movie is Yuvan's music. I should talk about it before anything else. Yuvan has given the best again. The music is well aligned with the commercial aspect of the movie. Dont expect the song visuals to be aligned to the script. NO WAY. The songs are just to enjoy. 'Vechikkava' - a remix and mega hit from Simbu and Suchitra, after 'Dandanaka' in Kaalai. This song sets the mood for all the songs to follow. 'Vechikkava' also reminds you a bit of 'Maarugo maarugo' from Vetri Vizha. 'Nalamthaana' is also a cool one. Yuvan has made ilayaraja sing for one of his songs and its come out really well.

Story - well, its again related to revenge and gory fights between two families. They just keep killing each other and then you know what happens in the end. but still, there is a reasonable twist in the story and its quite nice as it generates enough masala content for the audience.

Simbhu does the role of a priest in the temple. What I dont like here is the way they have portrayed the priest community in the movie. They just make a lot of fun and its not good. I mean, I haven't seen a lot of movies that make fun of the christian nor the muslim community. In fact, I cant even think of one where they made excessive fun of these two communities. Even for that matter, a chettiar or a nadar or those deep down south ones. most movies take a dig at brahminism and this movie takes it to an unbearable level. So, Simbu's characterisation is quite nice. He has acted well, the typical styles follow. He has also worked well on the song sequences.

Sana Khan - major time pass girl in the movie. she is best used only for the songs. exposure - yes. that element is there too. lip sync is quite bad i thought. dont know whether she will go a long way. but definitely item number material.

Prabhu does a character role in the movie and it goes quite well for him. Sneha is also around for a while. She plays her part with elegance.

Action is an important element of this movie. Rather the main element. Kanal Kannan manages to pull it off again. Very skillful and neat.

Comedy by Santhanam and Manobala in the Brahmin setting really sucks. They just take a dig at multiple people and sometimes sound quite offensive. Karunas in the second half of the movie makes you laugh naturally.

Overall: Mass entertainer. Try once if you have time and money to waste.

Weekend Well Spent

My weekend started on Thursday evening when I boarded the train to Kodai Road. It was a fun filled three day weekend. Highlights as follows:

1. Ran to catch the moving train. I was actually sitting inside another train on the opposite platform until my friends came and told me that I was sitting in the wrong train.

2. Was forced to listen to a torture conversation from a supporting actor by name Y.Vijaya. She always comes in the tamil movies as someone who belongs to the bad guys family.

3. Got to see some of the spots where the movie Subramaniyapuram was shot.

4. Awesome breakfast at Sholavanthan.

5. Got to check out the Vadipatti artifical turf ground. Apparently, Vadipatti churns out the maximum enthusiasts for hockey from Tamil Nadu.

6. Tried Paneer Soda after almost a decade. God, it was so refreshing. And then, Bovonto, another amazing drink.

7. Took a small walk in Kodaikanal on Friday evening. Visibility was like 2 feet.

8. Saturday morning was bright and sunny. So, we ended up doing a 30 plus km cycle ride in the hills. Went around the lake and took the upper lake view road straight to the golf course, then Pillar Rocks and then the Berijam Checkpost. From there headed down another hill for about 15 kms.

9. Amazing uphills and downhills. Downhill speed of atleast 35-40kmph. Got knackered completely on the uphills. Every hill was a challenge. There was always this tendency to give up and get on to the support truck. But, giving an extra mile of effort is such a pleasant feeling and it gives you a great feeling at the end. So I kept riding the cycle until the guys just forced me to stop.

10. Bought half a kilo of home made chocolates from Kodi - Raisins, Dates, Butter Scotch, Almonds. Every possible flavor.

11. Took a scary ride back to Sholavanthan. The driver drove the Omni at 60kmph through the hills. He reached the foothills in about an hour. Every minute, I was fearing whether I was going to throw up.

12. Reached Madurai on Sunday morning and tasted the world famous Jigar-Thanda. There are only 2 shops in Madurai that are famous for this. Every other seller is trying to fake it.

13. Visited the Thirumalai Naicker Mahal, which was under renovation. So nothing much to see, other than concrete, cement and paint all over the place.

14. Silambattam - the best thing to happen in Madurai. Totally Simbhu style and killer movie.

15. A mindblowing concert by Vedanth Bharadwaj at the INTACH Madurai to end the holiday.

Just heard

One of our relatives came home on Sunday evening. They had something to tell.

Someone in their family was the Revenue Manager(RM) at the TAJ. He was leading a team of 5 people. They were holding a meeting at the TAJ about the arrival of a cricket team for the ICL. After a while, they got news that the cricket team was going to get delayed indefinitely.

The team plus RM was reporting to a General Manager(GM), who had recently joined the TAJ in Bombay. He still hadn't found a place to live, so he was living at the TAJ with his family as well. After this meeting, the GM asked the RM to leave since the cricket team wasn't going to come to the hotel.

So, our relative, who was the RM, left the hotel. He was just 10 minutes away from the Hotel, when he heard the news. Obviously he couldn't get back to the hotel to see what was happening. But he got the news three days later.

The 5 people who were in the meeting room with him that day were brutally shot by the terrorists.

The GM, who heard the news of the attack in the Hotel, was getting down the elevator. There was so much commotion that he could not get to either the team nor his family. He wasn't allowed to go anywhere, rather. But the mean terrorists had entered in multiple places. The family was shot as well. It took them three days to get the bodies out. The mother had been holding the child locked in her arms when they were being shot by the terrorists. After three days, the rescuers could not even unlock the hands to separate the bodies.

Just hearing to this was so painful. I seriously cannot imagine what the immediate families would be going through.

Mumbai Storm Chasers

WOW, Ultimate scene in India IS really getting bigger and better. Check out the news video on the Mumbai Team. These guys will be here in Chennai over the weekend for the tournament.

Chennai Beach Ultimate Championships 2008

Click on the image to view in full resolution mode.

SEE YOU THERE

Malayalee Pennae

I was watching Kiran TV today and I came across this totally beautiful song. Its called "Malayalee Pennae" - translates to "Malayalee Girl".



I think this song is perhaps the best non-film malayalam song I have heard in recent times. And maybe one of the best to come from the Malayalee Youth as a dedication to the women folk.

If you are Malloo reading this, enjoy the feeling !!!

Connect 101

Hey Readers

See the picture below.. if its not clear, then click on the picture to see a better size. After you've carefully looked at all the pictures, let me know what connects these pictures. There is ONE SINGLE THEME.

I'll buy you beer and dinner if you get the right theme.



Please use the comments section to give me the answer.

Vaaranam Aayiram - life must go on

Varanam Ayiram Suzha valam seithu; naranan nambi nadakkinran enrethir
Purana porkudam vaitthup puram engum; toranam nattak kanak kanden thozhi nan

Life is a box of chocolates - happiness, love, affection, success, good friends, etc would add sugar to your life and make you cheerful. But, life is not just a box of chocolates - fear, failure, diffidence, sorrow, separation, etc would add the salt and bring those tears. Come what may, LIFE MUST GO ON. For every individual has his share of ups and downs in his life. He needs to see what he can do for the future that awaits him.



Gautham Vasudev Menon's Vaaranam Aayiram sends home this simple message with a plethora of emotions that any individual can relate with. The movie literally takes you through high and low tides - you walk out with mixed feelings but generally good.

The story is about a son who, after the demise of his father, reminisces the time of his life when his dad was around. Right from birth till the stage he is currently in, he tries to bring back all the incidents; sees how his dad has been a great motivator and a role model who influences his life in every small way possible.

Not every actor gets to play a role, which is almost something like a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity. Suriya is the crux of this movie. The movie revolves around him and his relationship with his dad (another Suriya). I could clearly see that Suriya is getting better at every film as an actor. People say that he is following the foot-steps of Kamal Hassan. Quite true. As an actor, Suriya is giving everything he can to bring completeness to the director's vision. Suriya's escapades with love reminds you of Madhavan in Minnale. Suriya's deep low voice and reactions, background vocals in some situations give you a feeling of the Suriya we saw in Kaakha Kaakha.

Simran - oh, what a comeback! She initially plays the lovely lady who steals the heart of the Dad Suriya. Her predominant role is a mom character who tries to be a good support for her family and ailing husband.

Sameera Reddy - she is definitely going to go places in the industry. What an amazing character - full of life. I think she deserves a big applause for having done a wonderful job in the movie. She takes the movie to a different high and the 20-30 minutes of Sameera and Suriya on the screen keeps you in the best of spirits.

Divya Spandana - she comes into Suriya's life during the second half of the movie. Although she doesnt have a bubbly role, she gives meaning to her character by doing absolute justice. Too bad, she doesn't have the best songs in the movie.

Harris Jeyaraj's music and background score is amazing. All songs are topping every chart in South India. A good part of the movie is based on music, since son Suriya plays the guitar. Right from wooing his girlfriend by strumming the guitar to entertaining his mom and dad with his music, there is music everywhere. "Adiyae Kolluthae" is a total highlight. Shot completely in Berkeley, this song is an energy booster.

The movie has an overdose of English. Too many "Daddy"; "I love you dad"; "I love you mom"; "I miss you dad" phrases and then conversations between the family dominated by english words in between. I wonder why Gautham imposed this on a simple middle class family? Did he plan to appeal to the current generation of youth?

Cinematography handled by Rathnavelu is above all. Starting from the 80s themes, the train journey of Suriya and Sameera, and the shots of Golden Gat Bridge where Sameera proposes to Suriya - all that is mindblowing.

Overall: Another great movie by Gautham

Trek 3700

I finally bought myself a TREK 3700



I wanted to get a nice road bike for a very long time. Over the last six months, I did a lot of research on different bikes available in the Indian market. Went through product brochures of BSA, Hero, Hercules, Avon, Firefox, Lumala, LA Sovereign, TREK, Merida, Raleigh etc etc.

All the Indian brands are mostly priced below 10K. But the build quality is not good. There is always some stiffness with the bike and the gear shift mechanism is not very smooth. I have tried the BSA ones very often. Even the latest one called ACT 105 isn't that great. There is something that makes the imported ones feel better during the ride.

Lumala is SriLankan. They are good, but very heavy. And there is no guarantee for good service. And also difficult to get spares. LA Sovereign is a joint venture with a Thai firm. They have good alloy bikes, but not that great for the price that you pay.

Then I checked Merida through a dealer in Bangalore. Great bike, but the logistics of getting the bike to Chennai and then servicing it here. Its not easy.

Raleigh - amazing bikes from the UK. These are produced right now in Asia. The Hypercity in Bombay has stocks but they dont ship to other states. If you have anyone in Bombay who is willing to ship it for you, then the Explorer and the MTRAX models are absolutely great bikes.

Firefox Target and Firefox Reloaded were also in my budget. I was almost buying the Reloaded, when the guy suggested the TREK. I had a look at the bike and it suited my requirements better than the Firefox. The Firefox has tyres that are better suited for the flat roads. So, for off-roading, you'll need to have another set of tyres. The TREK comes with the tyres used for mountain biking, but the best part is that the TREK on a flat road with such tyres is as good as the Firefox. Also, the Shimano gear system that is used on both these bikes is different. That enhances some quality of the product as well.

Anyway, now I am all thrilled about my new road bike. I am just waiting to hit Kodai in December for that wonderful cycling tour.

And if you need any help on buying road bikes, do feel free to reach out to me. I'll be glad to help.

Support for Srilankan Tamils

For quite some time, a number of groups in this side of the country have started raising their voices for the Srilankan Tamils.

I really don't know why. Srilankan Tamils may be connected to the Indian Tamils or the Dravidians through history. But that's like so many hundred years before. Those guys decided to move to a different country for a living. They are of a different nationality. Why do these political outfits here cause trouble for us citizens?

The other day, last week. There was a human chain staged by the DMK. Rain was already causing enough havoc all over the city and these guys added more fuel to the fire. There was complete chaos in major parts of the city. People were stranded at most places. It took at least 4 hours for the traffic to clear and find some breathing space. And on the next day, there was no news about the situation. Most newspapers were celebrating the success of the human chain. WTF.

Today, I hear that there is a trade closure. Most shops, rather all shops are closed today for supporting the cause of Tamils. But what the hell again? Why should these people disturb public life? Like actor Vikram says in the movie Saamy, all these political outfits should go to Marina Beach or Island grounds and do whatever they want.

What a waste of resources? When will these fellow learn to think objectively? Beans is selling for 80 rupees a kilo and most vegetables are above the Rs.30 mark. Not too far before we hit a crisis and someone here is worried about a bunch of Tamils. I can agree to this agitation if the Indian Army was involved in the firing of Tamils. Instead of supporting, we should be more careful about these people entering our land and causing trouble for us. There are so many hundred thousand Bangladeshis inside our country who are illegal immigrants. We have enough trouble from our neighboring countries. And we also have so many outfits within the country who keep bombing cities day in and day out. And here in Tamil Nadu, we have a bunch of stupid fellows who are busy supporting rather than safeguarding.

If the Tamils don't have food, then send them food supplies or whatever you can to support them. Why trouble me to support them?

Oasis 2008

WOW, this is such a wonderful coverage of Oasis. We never had so much publicity. These guys are talking of thousands of students and we used to celebrate when the registration crossed 1000. The guys are mentioning about a budget of half a crore and I still remember that we had a budget of less than 20 lacs. If everything else in pilani is working like before, then this year, a lot of people in SUB and StuCCA Body are walking away with a huge bank balance.

Aegan - Diwali Show-gun

The man who is known for his luck at the box office is back again. Yes, its none other than our THALAI. He has done it again! Truly this is THALAI-DEEPAVALI.



Aegan - meaning the one and only one, also referring to Lord Shiva, made a gala opening on Saturday the 25th of October 2008 all over.

Ultimate Star Ajith, whose screen name is Shiva (in line with the theme Aegan), has given a great light hearted movie for his fans, this Diwali.

Aegan is a cool copy of Main Hoon Naa - the SRK movie that made wonders a few years back. The movie has all elements of entertainment that anyone would look for. Even though it was a copy, the script and the screenplay was done really well.

Ajith is back to make you laugh after his success with Billa. He is fat and not agile at all when it comes to dance. That shows clearly. If he had lost like 5 kgs of weight, mostly at the belly and a little on his face, then the impact would have been much better. Considering that SRK looked quite trimmed in the original, Ajith here looks totally like UNCLE. Some of his actions are also remind you of his style in Billa. Maybe he is still not out of the Billa Superhit Hangover. Having said all that, Thalai still rocks.

Comedy comes out really well. With stalwarts like Cochin Haneefa, Jayaram and then support from others like Sathyan and Nasser, every moment is quite enjoyable. The Jayaram-Sathyan combo during the first half is simply mindblowing.

Nayantara is the Professor at the college. The HOT PROFESSOR. Not just hot, but too hot to handle. Continuing after Billa and Satyam, she takes glamour to the next level. Nayan dons sexy outfits in the movie. Even the saris would make you go agape. As usual, there is not much scope for acting. More for singing duet songs in the Alps and some romance filled brushes with Ajith, just to set the ball rolling in the college.

Piya (from Poi Solla Porom) and Navdeep (Arinthum Ariyamalum) are the other important characters in the movie. They have done a good job. Nothing different from how it happens in Main Hoon Naa, but they have given enough justice to their role in the movie.

Yuvan's music is good. Background score is just GREAT. Especially the AEGAN Beat. Some songs would remind you of previous compositions. One actually reminded me of Michael Jackson. But a borrow from here and there but not exactly a true copy is warranted i guess. Check the trailer for the initial beat (starting at 00.34). Its going to be the ringtone of the quarter.



Raju Sundaram, another well know choreographer, has tried his hands at direction. For a first timer, he has played it safe and chosen a proven script. Taking less chances for experimentation and more emphasis on maintaining the script originality, the director makes a good start. We can hope to see more movies.

What didnt gel too well was the villain trying to do some comedy. It was ok to begin with but then it got too irritating towards the second half of the movie.

Overall: Nice timepass.

Beautiful Karnataka

So here is a full set of the photos that we took during our trip.. Enjoy and do let me know if you liked them... Mama



Beautiful Karnataka

Sringeri, Horanadu, Belur, Halebid, and Shravanabelagola

So my amazing trip to all these places began on Friday when I took the bus to Bangalore. By the way, never take SHAMA SARDAR Travels to Bangalore. Its horrible. The drivers are totally drunk and very customer unfriendly. They let people sleep on the aisle for half the money and some of them would just walk away with your luggage. Lucky, my luggage was safe.

At around 9am on saturday, we (myself, Abhinav Shankar - my frisbee mate and his mom) left Bangalore on NH4 and took the road to Hassan via Nelamangala, which is NH48. On the way, we made a stop at Chennarayapatna (CR Patna). There is a Kamat Restaurant just after the town on the highway. Next to that is a Cafe Coffee Day as well. After about 3 hrs of driving, this place is perhaps the best place to make a halt.


Our next stop was Belur - an important city of the Hoysala times. We spent about an hour there taking photos. If you have more time to spend, then best take a guide. We hit the road again to this place called Baalehonnur via Mudigere. We took a tea break here and then started again to Sringeri.

Sringeri is a temple town at the banks of the river Tunga. Adi Shankara selected this place to stay and teach his disciples. This place is of great importance for people who follow the Yajur Veda. We reached Sringeri around dinner time. There are very few hotels in Sringeri that provide accomodation. Most people stay with the Mutt's lodge. Very basic accomodation and just enough for one night. Advance booking is always appreciated. Now that a lot of people have taken to religion and belief in God, its better to play it safe. We showered, had food at Hotel Guruprasad and attended the Chandramouleeswarar Puja. The Puja was done by the Acharya himself. After that, we had a quick darshan of him and came back. Next day morning, we visited the Mutt again for a Paadha Puja (Feet Puja). They have a sandal made of silver worn by the Acharya, rather several copies, and the disciples do Puja for the same. Once that was done, we proceeded to Bhikshavandanam, where we get to meet the Acharya and seek his blessings. Remember, for all of this, you have to get tickets at the temple's desk at around 10am in the morning. Next stop was the Thorana Ganapathi (Its a Ganesha on a silver door frame. There is no temple, but its just on a door and frame.), where we did another special puja. Yes, you have to get tickets for this as well.

Next was photo time. We came back and took pictures of the temple and the surrounding areas of the Mutt. At the banks of the river Tunga, the devotees keep feeding the fishes. That's almost customary these days. The fishes were HUGE. Each one should have weighed like atleast 5kgs. Also, on the steps is the place where according to history, Adi Shankara noticed the cobra giving shelter to a frog. Then we had lunch at the Mutt. The Mutt provides free food to all devotees and let me tell you, the lunch is amazing. You should never miss it.

Post lunch, we left Sringeri and took the road towards Horanadu. Horanadu is about 60kms from Sringeri. The road is scenic (you can spot many lakes and waterfalls) but very bad for your car. An SUV is a better choice. Annapurnaeshwari is the main deity at Horanadu. She is made completely out of gold and her smiling face gives you such a blissful feeling.

From Horanadu, we took the road to Kalasa and then drove straight to Chikmagalur. This town is an estate town, dominated by coffee growers. We stayed the sunday night at an awesome place called the Kadur Club. Next day, after English breakfast, we headed towards Halebidu. The route was first to Belur and then 16kms to Halebidu. This city was also part of the Hoysala kingdom. Architecture is very similar to what we saw in Belur. Some of the important statues that we noted here was Krishna carrying Govardhana Giri and Ravana carrying Kailasa mountain.

Shravanabelagola was our next stop. We drove from Halebidu to Hassan and then stopped at the Kamat Hotel before CR Patna for lunch. We parked at the foothills and walked to the temple. A steep walk of about 650 steps leads you to the top for a view of one of the worlds largest monoliths. A view of the town surrounding this hill is brilliant.

From here, it was just back to Bangalore. We took the road to Kunigal and then to Nelamangala.

Au Kate

Siren is the name of this statue. Sculpted my Marc Quinn, its none other than one of the top international supermodels in the world - Kate Moss. Pure 18 carat gold - weighing 50 kgs. Thats exactly what Kate weighs in real life. This is a yoga pose and its supposed to depict the modern day Aphrodite.

One thing I really wonder... Did she actually pose like this for Quinn? Then she is really Kate Flexi Moss.

This statue cost 1.5 million pounds to make and is expected to fetch atleast 10 million pounds when it goes for the auction in January 2009.

More and more research on the topic led me to some interesting websites.

One is called Body Casting (explore this website a bit and you'll get to see some of their wonderful projects) and then the modern day Picasso called - Pricasso.

Leave the Dow and Bourses aside for sometime and learn to appreciate ART.

Old Ads

Saw a few ADS on a British Newspaper - really old ones. Not in print anymore. And yeah, they are quite alarming.

Do click on the picture and check them out.

The ET Madras Plus Coverage: Today

THE NEW BEE IN TOWN!

This bee is buzzing. And has people leaping into the air with excitement. Ultimate Frisbee is here!

Deepti Sivakumar

Come sunrise; the Elliot's beach springs to life with people. There are the aspiring cricketers, the joggers, yoga practitioners, laughter club members, the bluegreen health concoction vendors… Amidst these groups, there is one more. One that has people cheering excitedly. Ultimate Frisbee. As even a quick internet search will tell you, the sport is mostly called Ultimate since frisbee is a trademark brand name for the discs.

Chennai Ultimate Frisbee (CUF) is a group of individuals who are passionate and committed to the cause of turning unsuspecting beachgoers into Ultimate addicts. For the uninitiated, it is a lot like playing rugby or American football as far as the game-objective is concerned. Teams have to score points by passing the disc between its members in the opposing end zone. But unlike rugby or football, Ultimate is a nocontact team sport, which means if you have a broken nose, you can have no grudges.

Though Ultimate's origins can be traced all the way to North America, the sport is gaining popularity in many parts of India too, courtesy the people who fly to the US for education, and expatriates. Ultimate is only about four-years-old in India, but the national teams are already gearing up for one of its biggest tournaments. On November 29 and 30, Chennai will play host to around eleven teams; ten from across India and one from Sri Lanka. "There have been national tournaments before, but participation from ten national teams makes this Ultimate Frisbee's biggest so far," says Narayan Krishnan, one of the founders of CUF.

What's interesting about this game is that even at the international competitions, there are no referees; the game is self-refereed.

Ultimate is a sport that believes in fostering the player's sportsmanship over everything else. That explains the total absence of sledging or heckling on the Ultimate grounds. "We will win because we are better than the other team in skill, speed and stamina; and not because we can cheat, bully, sledge, trip or push them around," explains one of the Ultimate pamphlets. "Sometimes people get too caught up in the competition and they forget the spirit of the game. We're just a bunch of people who have got together for the love of the sport," trails off Manu Karan, CUF's pillar of support.

The CUF members meet four times a week to practise their dives, catches and throws. But besides that, they also teach Ultimate to children from the underprivileged sections of the society. In fact, in cities like Ahmedabad, Ultimate is being adopted by NGOs as a method to inculcate confidence, teamwork and leadership qualities among different communities. As a sport, Ultimate is associated more with the sheer joy of playing more than the "win at all costs" spirit, and the focus is more on team work and camaraderie between the players.

The fitness angle cannot be ignored too. Ultimate goes a long way in giving the players something to look forward to, at the end of the day. "Most of us have full-time jobs; some of us are techies, some business analysts. But the work-home-work rut is a little difficult to break away from, once you get sucked in. Ultimate is my breakaway from the rut, even if it means waking up earlier on the weekends," says Manu. For some, the game is that last push one needs to make or break a habit. Muthuraman, an Ultimate lover, can't wait for the tournament to begin. "Ultimate helps me take my health seriously," he says.

Currently, CUF has around 35 members. "Newbies come over weekends to watch us play and some of them become regulars," says Manu, but he does add that the awareness levels are still low. For a game completely devoid of on-field cursing, Ultimate is surprisingly competitive, and even after the game is over, you can always catch the players practising their catches and throws. What's also unique about Ultimate is that it's unisex. Regardless of your age, sex, height and weight, you can play. Go on, be a part of the frisbee experience!

PS: By the way, the man leaping in the air to catch the disc was a photography trick!

Kadhalil Vizhunthen - Review

Everyday for the last two weeks or so, in fact, every 20 minutes or lesser, all the SUN NETWORK tamil channels (SUN TV being the producer for the movie) were showing the trailer for Kadhalil Vizhunthen(KV).

The music was pre-released on the Internet very long time back. The famous Naka Muka song was topping the Kollywood music charts for months. No one had a clue about this movie and the songs were already a treat to the common Chennai listener.

The run up to this movie was quite good. I was impatiently waiting to see the movie.

Before we go the movie, I should definitely praise Vijay Anthony - the music director. What an amazing score!!! Simply superb. Peppy numbers that would make you remember. And not just one song. Every song in this movie has been composed carefully. With so much effort and thought, the songs bring a whole new life to the movie.

KV is a movie about obsessive love. The first half of the movie is extremely fast. I really meant it. There is enough entertainment that you dont realise the passage of time. The storyline has been dealt with so much skill that you are just wondering as to whats going to happen. The second half gets SERIOUS. So much that you get tired and disgusted; just waiting for the movie to get over. The entertainment value curve gets to the third quadrant and remains only there.

The story at the base level is the usual poor boy - rich girl love story but it does get disturbing to the eye and I would defnitely not recommend watching this with your family. School children - definite NO. The suspense in the movie starts off quite well and then gets so much out of control that it becomes just a waste of time. Turns out to be a bug drag.

Screenplay, script, dialogs, direction - all these aspects are absolutely worthy until the Intermission bell rings. Second half is disastrous.


Nakul - the fat guy with spiked hair in BOYS movie is the hero. Being half his size and for a first movie as hero, he has done really well. The best part is dance. It looks like this guy is going to have a good future. But he could have chosen a much lighter subject to start launch his career. After a point, his actions in the movie just intolerable.

Sunaina - simple and pretty. A newcomer gets so much screen presence. Quite commendable. In tamil movies, that too in recent times, female leads have just been for time-pass. Sunaina as Meera is quite an angel in the movie.

Sampath - the bad guy in SAROJA, has an important role to play in this movie. He has done well. Two good movies in a row for him. We'll see more of him I guess. Livingston does a good role too. All other characters are very random and not worth any special mention.

KV comes across as a movie that has borrowed/copied themes and ideas from so many other movies in the past - GUNA, Kadhal Kondaen, 7G Rainbow Colony. By this time you should have guessed the outcome of this movie. Yes, its a major TRAGEDY.

Overall: First Half - Wonderful. Second Half - Super Torture

Marc Faber on US Economy

Investment analyst and entrepreneur Dr. Marc Faber concluded his monthly bulletin (June 2008) with the Following:

”The federal government is sending each of us a $600 rebate. If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, the money goes to China. If we spend it on gasoline it goes to the Arabs. If we buy a computer it will go to India. If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala.

If we purchase a good car it will go to Germany. If we purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy.

The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it on prostitutes and beer, since these are the only products still produced in US. I’ve been doing my part.’

Sakkarakatti - Damn Shitty

Let me ask one simple question. Do sons and daughters of actors have to necessarily become actors as well? Can't hey just study and do something else? And why completely tarnish the image of their parents who probably did really well during their time in the film industry.

Such is the case with Bhagyaraj's children. His daughter screwed up big time, in a movie a few years back and now its his son Mr. Shantanu. Like Vadivelu asks in one of his movies - YAEN !!!!

Shantanu - please! I am very sorry for you, son. I can already see your career plummeting. Unless you do something phenomenal. There should be a director and a producer who never heard about or saw this movie and they should cast you back in a movie. Thats your only hope. I dont know whether its your inability or the script, but this never worked for you. Your ratings - sorry, I dont think anyone would want to rate at all.

The movie is a crappy love story. During the movie, my friends and I were wondering whether its something wrong with the movie or we have grown out of such stupid ways of showing love. The way the movie treats love and relationships is absolutely at gutter standards. I wonder if college going people nowadays are like this.


AR Rahman - why Sir? Why did you do this to yourself? Did you really hear to the script before composing? Did someone influence you politically or catch you by the neck? Songs are nice but could have been composed for another film. For these films, it would have been good to have some random amateur music director. I am not taking any names.

Picturisation for songs - what a disaster! Too much of graphic effect that doesnt even gel with the movie. Themes copied from famous Hollywood movies. Learn guys. Learn.

What I am feeling is - Kalaipuli Thaanu made a lot of money with Dasavathaaram and maybe a few other movies previously. So he gave some black money to his son Kalaaprabhu and told him to just spend it with no sense whatsoever.

Shantanu's friends in the movie - what a bunch of losers! I hope I dont get to see any of those guys on the road. I dont think they'll come out too. They have lost even a crowd role in any south indian cinema.

Ishita - I think thats her original name. Screen name is Deepali. Whatever. How did they find her. She has no idea what she was doing in the movie. Did she act for free?

Vedika - remember the Kutti Pisaasu in Simbhu movie Kaalai. Yes, thats her. She is the one who does a reasonable role in the whole movie. Some good acting compared to everyone whho screwed up. Someone in the team had a mind to give her a good role. He/She definitely needs an award for having thought so much because no other person involved in this movie gave a thought about anything while making this movie.

I can just see the movies' revenues taking a downward shift right from day one. The van driver at Sathyam Cinema in Chennai told me that someone influenced the cinema management and made this movie run in a big hall. Pity Sathyam.

Overall: Worst movie of the year!!!

Funny Browser: n resworBynuF

unlmehg g amitgogn ttonog. i nkftmy oardoilagleuwhtry oissea u elithcnntn o sthehellhai ? gnnepp si t ahw .ihtfo drwadnatsredu oa i .si ek nercs eht nopswohsdna delbmrcs steg rworb ht nept i evea tb goo ro lzm ro byek hiw siht i won t'od elog gniahc dnawo thir eciff eht ni nits i.nineppahsiynnufnitos yedds

suddenly something funny is happening. i am sitting in the office right now and chatting on google. i don't know if this is with my keyboard or mozilla or google but whatever i type on this browser gets scrambled and shows up on the screen like this. i cannot understand a word of this. what the hell is happening?

Like they say in X-Files, ARE THEY HERE NOW?

SAROJA

Ok, no critical review about this movie. SAROJA, an adaptation of the english movie "Judgment Night (1993)" is a great movie. Its a must watch. WHY?

Venkat Prabhu - the director, has done a NEAT job. For a person who is quite new to the art of direction, he has proved himself.

A very successful low budget movie. More than 70% of the movie has been shot outdoor with minimum requirements. A run down factory is the main place of action. Best use of available resources. No money for costumes as well. Its pretty much the same throughout the movie.

Most of the people in the cast are ones you see everyday in all the mega serials on SUN TV and other TV Channels. And since the movie particularly runs around these four friends and some key characters, I am guessing that most of the others made just a guest appearance. If thats the case, then so much money saved as well.

Movie is never serious. Comedy kicks in every now and then. So, you don't get tensed, get to the corner of your seat or bite your lips as to whats going to happen next. Even if you tried doing that, a unexpected Premji Amaran's dialog or expression will totally put you off-track.

Ok, one thing I don't understand is why did they give a name called SAROJA to that girl. I mean, its such a prehistoric name. Whatever.

Movie Team takes a dig at some Kollywood stars after their first attempt in Chennai 28 became immensely successful. Here its on Vijay's dialog "Evlovo Pannittom, idhu pannamattoma" and Rajni’s "I was helpless; I was kaarnered"

Nobody is a HERO in this movie. So, there is no one man beating 20 people phenomenon. Every thing is quite natural and acceptable to the mind. What would you do, if you are in trouble. You wont fight or fly in the air. You'll think and act. Thats what happens here as well. So, its a good reflection of a normal person.

Yuvan's music is very youthful and apt to how the story flows. "Dosthu bada dosthu" may end up being the latest friendship anthem and perhaps beat "Mustafa Mustafa".

You Knew?

Stunning
Beauteous
Ravishing
Graceful
Bonnie
Comely
Lovely
Attractive
Pulchritudinous
Exquisite
Resplendent
Splendiferous
Gorgeous

GOD, I never knew that the word "Beautiful" had so many similar words. Well, a few months back, everything in this world used to be Good and Pretty. It was so simple. Now those two words seem to have no meaning.

By the way, the image here is called "Aquarian Awakening". It was quite a surprise for me to find a picture like this.

Stylish Coke Ad

This is such a cool ad. I liked it a lot.

Dham Dhoom

Dham Dhoom is one movie from which you can learn a lot. Such as:

1. Toyota Innova is a great car for sensual love and romance.
2. In a foreign land, everyone around you, even your own country man, is a stranger.
3. A pole dancing stage in a bar is usually for women strippers and not men.
4. Don't get carried away by pretty women in a new country. Known devil is better than unknown angel.
5. Gut feeling can do magic.

Gautam (Ravi) is selected to go to Russia for a medical conference. He gets into trouble there and how he manages to set himself free is all what this movie is about. Jeyam Ravi's performance is quite good. As a stranger in a new land, he acts well.


Late Director Jeeva, who had worked with Director Shankar for a lot of movies and also independently gave hit movies like Ullam Ketkume and Unnale Unnale, had begun this project and was later completed by his team due to his sudden demise during the journey of this movie.

The first 20 minutes or so has almost 3 songs. That was like a shocker. In a way, its good too because later we will not have songs to distract us from the pace of the movie. As the movie gets to Russia, one of the guys from the Indian doctors team shows extreme emphasis about being careful in a new place. This gives enough ideas that in the next few scenes, our hero is going to have big trouble.

What I wonder is how Russian Immigration allows the Indian team to just enter without clear immigration checks. Also, why would you want to help some random woman in a foreign land, when you know that you are going to get married in like 15 days. Why try last minute flirting.

Harris Jeyaraj is back again with some numbers that are melodious. Background score reminds you of the Bourne movies. Its quite a straight copy.

Kangana Raut as Gautam's ladylove, Senba, is extremely skinny for a village girl and its completely unacceptable for "Tamil Nadu Village Girl Standards". Some flesh, especially near the hips, is required. Also, lip sync is bad.

Lakshmi Rai, supporting actor, is the advocate who helps Ravi in Russia. After a few glamorous roles, Lakshmi is back with character and substance to prove herself.

Malayalam actor Jayaram plays a very important role in this movie as an official from the Indian Embassy. When you closely observe his dialog delivery in the beginning, you get a feeling as to why it lacks assurance or assertiveness. Later, when things unfold you understand this well.

Overall: Good time pass

Jeyam Kondaan - Doesnt Win

Satya Jyothi films is back again helping director Kannan make it big.

Jeyam Kondaan takes us through few incidents in an ambitious young man's life. At the outset, its a brother-sister movie. So, this movie is somewhat like a re-jig of the Mani movie Agni Natchathiram. Definitely not any close.

Vinay returns from London to start a venture in India. After he lands, he finds that the money he had sent to his dad is missing from the bank. His quest to find out what happened to the money and then solving all the problems connected is the rest of this movie. A group of close friends, a step-sister with whom the sibling rivalry begins, a house in Madurai and its tenants, a local goon, are the main characters that shape this movie.

Vinay, as the lead role, in this movie, has done his part quite well. Most of his expressions remind you of his previous movie Unnale Unnale. His work on the songs part is hopeless, but what can he do. You just have to blame the choreographer.

Lekha Washington is the pinion of this movie. This is her first here and she has performed like a seasoned actor. Her arrogant and adamant nature reflects the generation of headstrong people whom you'd come across. If there is anyone who deserves credit for this movie, its Lekha.

Bhavana's performance is nothing to mention. She is just a supporting actor in this movie. Yeah, she has a few songs with Vinay. Otherwise, her role is very restricted to cute talking and she has no scope. The director has tried a "Dum Dum Dum Jothika intro song" similar with Bhavana in this movie. It hasn't worked well.

Vidyasagar's music doesn't deserve a clap. Songs like "Athai Koodava" and "Adai Mazhaikaalam" are melodious but don't strike a chord with the audience. You wouldn't want to hear to these songs again. The background score isn't any effective either.

Comedy takes two separate tracks, one with Vivek in the city and another with Santhanam in the suburbs. Both do well. In a certain instance, Vivek travels into a serious note which is quite commendable.

The movie comes with a host of extra characters who try and make as much impact as possible. Thalaivasal Vijay, Nizhalgal Ravi, Megha Rajan, Cochin Haneefa are a few to name. Krishna, who is Vinay's friend in the movie, has given an excellent performance. I would also appreciate the director for showing some depth in Krishna's character.

Overall: Watch it only for Lekha

Learnt

THERE WAS A GIRL
WHO WAS
TALL THIN AND FAIR

HER HAIR
HER HAIR
WAS VERY VERY LONG