All the Best, Iraq!

The United States of America is transferred power to the interim Iraqi government yesterday. This was 2 days ahead of schedule. This is perhaps the only thing that has happened ahead of schedule in Iraq.

There will be a lot of mixed feelings in the United States on Iraq. John Kerry might have two such feelings. One that the US should have gone to war and the other that the US should not have! Bless him Lord! He never leaves any room for speculation!

Coming to think of it, the war was a bad experiment in showcasing the United States’ cowboy capabilities. This was also a war that CNN will never forget. If the first gulf war made them, this one broke them! The images of “embedded” journalists and correspondents towing the line of the government and spewing nonsense on the TV screens was just too much for everybody.

I sincerely pray to God that George Bush is defeated in this year’s elections. Lets hope Americans can cast their vote properly and count properly! Till then I would like to wish Iraq all the very best in its newfound path towards democracy.

Manoj
(P.S. According to news reports the Iraqi Prime Minister is still alive. That is itself good news for Iraq!)

The Review: Lakshya

Lakshya
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan
Director: Farhan Akhtar

I normally never write good things about a Hindi movie. This time though I am going to write a glowing tribute to one. Lakshya is a fantastic movie.
It captures the confusion of a yuppie Hrithik Roshan, who has no goals in life, trying to become something in life. Supporting him is Preity Zinta as Romila Dutta (modeled on Burkha Dutt of NDTV 24X7). She is in love with him from the college days. This is the only sore point of the movie. What made Romi fall in love with a demented character like Hrithik. It is not fully explained nor convincingly portrayed.

Hrithik has absolutely no idea as to what to do with life. One of his friends decides to join the army and that is reason enough for him also to do so. But as luck has it, his friend drops out and Hrithik has to join the army alone. After a few horrible days in the Army hrithik decides to run away. He comes back to his family and Romi only to be looked down upon. Romi decides not to marry him for his fickle mindedness. This spurs him on to rejoin the army and he goes on to capture an important peak in a war against intruders near the LOC.

Unlike in other movies where the transformation of a character is often hastily portrayed, this movie has the convincing portrayal of a confused man gaining his focus and calling in life. Hrithik does an outstanding job here. Preity as Romi does not have much to do. But she portrays her character sensitively. The scenes involving Hrithik and Romi are an example of great chemistry.

Amitabh Bachchan carries his role with great dignity. His encouraging speeches are the lifeline of his soldiers. The man’s acting skills are put to full use here. Om Puri and a few other artistes are wasted.

There are three finely crafted and goosebumps raising scenes in the movie:
1. Hrithik is standing near the edge of a mountain and looking at another huge one. Preity walks up to him. He tells her with full emotion “You always thought I had no ambition in life. Now I have one and that is that” he says pointing towards the Peak that the Indian army should capture come what may.
2. Indian soliders have captured a Pakistani bunker. The wireless set used for giving commands by the Pakistanis is still blaring with the question “Why did the firing stop?”. An Indian solider (a Muslim) takes the set and barks back “The firing has stopped because we have won. And with the mercy of God (Khuda) we will destroy you”. The voice at the other end retorts “Tumney Khuda kaha? Tum Mussalmaan ho kya?”. To this the Indian solider replies “Tumhareliye mein sirf Hindustani hoon!”.
3. The peak has been captured. Hrithik fires a bullet in the air to signify the same. Amitabh Bachchan is eagerly awaiting news from his boys. He watches the bullet being fired in the air from his binoculars and gives out a loud cheer. “Yes, they have done it”. And then he lets silence and relief give the measure of his happiness. As well as ours!

Among the many delights of this movie is the fact that Hrithik Roshan can actually act and emote on screen! I have never been a fan of Hrithik Roshan. After watching Lakshya I have become one. Lets hope we get more sensible and good cinema like this. Well done Farhan Akhtar!

The Review: Girlfriend

Girlfriend
Cast: Isha Koppikar, Amrita Rao, Some-guy-as-hero
Director: Karan Razdan


This is not going to be pleasant for anybody. A few days back I had written about why the movie “Girlfriend” should be banned. After watching the movie I have had to change my opinion. The FILMMAKER should be banned. How else can one react when the filmmaker has tried to use the curves of Isha Koppikar and Amrita Rao to the fullest extent and passed it off as sensible cinema?

In the first scene we are introduced to Isha Koppikar, who is seen running (frankly jogging is an art and I don’t want to malign it) on the beaches of Mumbai (Mauritius is being passed off as Bombay! God save this country!). She reaches home to be told by her house-mate Amrita Rao that the wash basin is not working. Our lady proceeds to repair it. Apparently she can do things a man can do. To build up her “manly” skills there are a lot of other scenes like fighting with men and racing a man.

Isha Koppikar likes Amrita Rao a lot. She even secretly watches Amrita taking bath. Gimme a break! Let me quickly finish the “story”. Amrita is in love with a guy. But Isha Koppikar is in love with Amrita. That is because she hates men because of sexual abuse in her childhood. What happens towards the end, frankly dear I give a damn, is the rest of the story.

Few points about the movie:
1. Every single character in the movie is a stereotype. We have a “gay” man, doing “gay” things, we have a hunk of a guy doing what such people are always supposed to do, chase women and we have Isha Koppikar proving that she is no less than a man.
2. There are two scenes in the movie where Isha and Amrita make out. What is astounding is the fact that both the scenes follow the same pattern and its just the clothes the ladies are wearing that is different. One actually happens and the other is supposed to be a dream of the hero.
3. This movie should walk away with the “best Dialogues” of the season. Sample this: “Jab mein soti hoon, tho behosh ho jaathi hoon” (Yeah right, we all are conscious when we sleep!): the hero finds out that Isha and Amrita are far too close. He goes and tells Amrita “Tum dono raath ko pyar karthey ho!” Oh Gawd!

Isha Koppikar however needs to be complimented on her portrayal. The character is flawed but she puts in a genuine attempt to act. Well done lady! The hero is frankly a bore. Amrita Rao looks the perfect bimbette.

All in all, the movie is a skin fest. If you are interested in watching two glamorous ladies doing all sorts of rubbish head towards Girlfriend.

My Life: Bill Clinton or I am still with Hillary: Bill Clinton

I am still with Hillary: Bill Clinton

Yesterday I had been to the newly opened Higginbothams books showroom near my place and the book that starred at me as soon as I went in was “My Life: Bill Clinton”. It is rather soberly named, I should say. It is around 900 pages. It costs Rs. 853.
I am still contemplating whether I should buy it. Come to think of it, it has all the ingredients to make a fantastic read. It has emotions, ambition, achievement and of course the right dose of sex!

David Letterman had this to say about Clinton’s book the other day on his show:
“The latest Harry Potter movie and Clinton’s book are more or less the same. Both are about a boy and his wand!”

Oh my God! The Americans have great wit!!

Manoj
(P.S. I would like to welcome Yogesh to the World of Blogging! Happy Bloggieng Yogi Bear!)

Da GMail

Awright. I too have it. I finally got an invite for GMail.
Now my ID is pmanoj@gmail.com.
The interface looks sleek and sexy. Move over Rediffmail. You are no match for GMail.

A public thanks to Codewarrior aka Sunil Prabhakar on the PG forum for giving me an invite. By the way, guys, did you know that PG (www.pagalguy.com/cat) rocks? You didnt, but now you know!
PG rocks!

Manoj

This "Girlfriend" is unwanted!

Alright, a big debate is brewing on the "Girlfriend" movie issue. This is a movie which features Isha Koppikar as an obsessive and pseudo-male lesbian. She is in "love" with Amrita Rao, who is in love with a guy. What a triangular love story!
Now the problem in this movie is that it features scenes where Amrita Rao and Isha Koppikar make out. And that has instigated the "We-Cannot-Do-Any-Wrong" Brigade to oppose the movie. Strangely I agree with them for the first time. Here is why
(By the way this is a copy paste of a post I made in PG forum!)

This is one of the rarest of rare times when all the groups opposing the movie seem to be right! Let us look at this one by one:
1. The Homosexuals group.
They have every right to feel slighted by the movie. I have not seen the movie but from what is reported in the media Isha Koppikar plays a pseudo-man and stuff like that. This is an unncessary justification. Homosexuality is just a feeling! Even Mughal rulers have at one point of time practised this. Does that make them any bit less glorious? I think we should not talk about whether homosexuality is right or wrong. It is a choice made by people and we better start accepting it.
2. The Right-wingers
Man they got it right this time. "Girlfriend" seems to be made to set the cash registers tinging. That says something about ourselves does it not? I mean we normally go to a B-grade movie to see some tiltillating stuff. And here we have two women for one! We should first introspect on our tastes before commenting on anything! Coming back to the point, there is nothing wrong in making a movie about alternate sexuality, PROVIDED, our filmmakers have first tackled basic issues in our movies. When was the last time Bollywood gave a good movie on issues like "corruption, education" and stuff like that. Had we got such movies, then our filmmakers would be justified in making those adulterous (Murder, Hawas (Phew! What a name!)) movies or alternate sexuality movies.
3. The common man and woman
Alright, alternate sexuality exists, now what is the need to trumpet this? Why should everyone start knowing that such a thing exists? For awareness! Gimme a break! When we run scared of providing normal "sex-education" to our children, how the hell can we provide alternate "sex-education"!
4. Filmmakers
God, they need a hard whack on their backs for saying that they portray things sensuously and not sexually! Again gimme another break! Fire was a movie that portrayed lesbianism sensitively. Girlfriend I am sorry to say has only provided tiltillation value. (I have seen the promos!)
I normally stand for liberal ideas. I believe that censorship should not exist at all. Let the viewers decide what they want to see. But for the first time I want to join in the campaign to ban a movie, simply because the filmmaker is making a complete mess of his artistic freedom and providing the masses with no "alternate" cinema.

Comments welcome!

Manoj

Bring back Clinton, America!

This November will see a new president being elected in the United States of America. This year’s contest is going to be between George Bush Jr and John Kerry. Thank God, I am not an American. I mean, what kind of a choice is that?
The former is a bumbling bee and the latter double-speaks on every issue. Long Live Manmohan Singh and A P J Abdul Kalam!
As it is, I don’t understand how Americans managed to vote for George Bush Jr aka Dubya. The man is such a dork! And keeps talking in religious terms all the damn time! I clear my throat and clearly say that Laloo Prasad Yadav, for all his shortcomings, is still miles ahead of the Dubya!
What is the solution then for America?
In my humble opinion, they need to bring back Clinton. According to me he is the 2nd best president of the USA of the 20th century. The first being the incomparable FDR!
Clinton is the most charming man I have ever seen on television. The man could lie with a straight face and still run away with all our sympathies. He repeatedly lied, yet never lost anybody’s confidence. His speeches always had the feel-good factor. This is something totally lacking in Dubya’s speeches, if you can call them that.
So bring back Clinton, America. And yes, Monica Lewinsky would also be just fine!

Manoj

Happy Bloomsday!

Today is the 100th anniversary of Bloomsday. It is not a real day actually. Today is that day a 100 years back, when Bloom, the hero of the novel Ulysses written by James Joyce starts his all encompassing day.
He goes through all the emotions known to mankind in just that one day alone.
Considered to be the best novel of the 20th century Ulysses was initially banned in America and United Kingdom (they actually ban books there?)because it was perceived to be obscene (Oh come on!). 15 years after the ban it was released without any censorship. Apparently in 15 years time it became less obscene!
Here is celebrating the only such day!
Makes me wonder, when the Indian government is going to life the ban on "The Satanic Verses". There are more dangerous books that the government can ban.
Wait till Narendra Modi writes his memoirs!

Manoj

Yahoooooo!

I just checked my mail and got to know that Yahoo is going to offer 100 MB storage space. WOW!
This means that:
1. I dont have to check my mail JUST to delete some mails!
2. I can send larger attachments!
3. I can save a whole lot mails
4. YAHOO is afraid of GMAIL :)

Anyway, thanks Yahoo.
Now i promise to use Yahoo till GMail does me apart!

Manoj

F. R. I. E. N. D. S

I was bitten by the FRIENDS bug this past weekend. I saw the 1st season of the mega hit serial. I saw most of the episodes at a stretch and yet it did not bore me. I guess, that was the reason for the serial’s success.

My favorite moments so far:
1. The way Ross says “Hi” every time he is not doing good.
2. The way Joey says “Cool”.
3. “The one with the Poker”
4. The scenes with Chandler and Janus. Man, they are funny.

This got me thinking on another count. Why don’t we (in India and Tamil Nadu) get to see such serials? An obvious answer would be because they don’t make them like that! Right, so why don’t they make stuff like that?

I really don’t seem to know! Your ideas and suggestions welcome!

Manoj

Movie Countdown: My All-time favourite: Mouna Raagam

Mouna Raagam
Cast: Mohan, Karthik, Revathi, V. K. Ramasamy
Year of Release: 1986
Music: Ilaiyaraja
Director: Mani Ratnam

I just cannot get over this movie. I have tried to like another movie so much that I can displace this movie from the top of my list. I have failed time and again. Nothing seems to diminish my appetite for this movie. I know every dialogue in and out. I understand every single nuance in this movie. Yet, I feel completely enamored by this movie.

The story is very simple. Revathi, a normal middle class college going girl, falls for the likeable but rowdy Karthik. In an unfortunate accident Karthik dies. Revathi is unable to get over him. Meanwhile her parents arrange for her wedding with Mohan. Revathi protests, but finally succumbs to the pressures from her parents. At first Revathi hates the very sight of Mohan. But slowly she starts to understand the gentleman in Mohan and is drawn towards him. What happens in the end forms the crux of the story.

There are very few movies made that can be called perfect. This is one such. One could only say negative things just for the heck of it. From the start to the finish, this movie is poetry on celluloid.

It is still very tough to decide who gave the best performance? Was it the loveable rogue Karthik, with his inimitable style (the “Chandramouli” scene is a complete standout) or was it Revathi, as the lady crossed between two extremely likeable men, one dead and one alive or Mohan, the gentleman hopelessly in love with his wife but still living a life almost without her.

Among other things, what works in the movie is the perfect casting. I guess nobody can imagine anybody else playing the lead characters. That is always the hallmark of a good film. (Remember Casablanca? Can you imagine somebody else playing “Rick” other than Humphrey Bogart.)

There are a lot of memorable scenes in the movie. Like the one where Karthik gets into the bus and refuses to move till Revathi accepts she was looking for him. And the scene where Mohan talks very curtly and disrespectfully to Revathis’ dad is engagingly sweet. (Revathi then goes on to ask him “why he behaved like that?” He would reply that it would make it a lot easier for others to understand why she was wanting a divorce.)

Finding words to describe this movie is like trying to find adjectives for Sachin Tendulkar’s batting. You will always run out of them. So I will keep this short and sweet. Just like Mani Ratnam’s dialogues in the movie.

Manoj
P.S. I wonder if there will ever be a Tamil movie coming anywhere close to “Mouna Raagam”.

Yeh dil maange MOTIVATION!

After a rather good week of preparations for CAT last week, I have started getting slack. I am completely drained of all the energy I had when I started out. And to think it has just been a week. Whew! What have I gotten myself into?

I am in the need of a huge dose of motivation. How do I get it? It is baffling me. If the thought of getting into an IIM is not motivating enough, I wonder what will be. I bought a book on “Vedic mathematics” yesterday. The number of maths books in my small library is increasing. There is however no improvement in my “mathability”. I remain as big a duffer I was with Maths a few years back..

Now in the government up above in heaven I wonder who is in-charge of the Mathematics department. I would want to direct my prayers to him. I wonder how much I would have to pay to move my prayer from table to table.

Manoj

Movie Countdown: Number 2: Gokulathil Seethai

Gokulathil Seethai
Cast: Karthik, Karan, Suvalakshmi, Manivannan
Year of Release: 1996
Music: Deva
Director: Agathian

There comes a movie now and then which really makes a lot of sense. “Gokulathil Seethai” was such a movie. A beautifully crafted tale of a playboy meeting the right girl and turning a new leaf. This movie kept taking swipes at convention and morality every few minutes. It had a lot of negative points, but the sheer force of the idea behind the movie helped negate as well as bury those points.

Karthik is a playboy. So obviously he is rich and parties hard. His father is Manivannan. He keeps asking his son to become more responsible in a way which would not even convince a 5-year old. Karthik has a weakness for women. Karan, a lower middle-class guy, is his friend, but now works for him. Karan suffers from Inferiority complex, but is the typical nice guy.

Karthik and Karan visit a function once. There, they see Suvalakshmi singing. Both of them are captivated by her in different ways. Karan is enamoured by her beauty and her voice. In contrast, Karthik’s basic instincts are activated on seeing her. He wants to spend a night with her.

Both of them set out in achieving their objectives. Obviously, Karan looks all set to be successful. His frank talk and innocence appeals to Suvalakshmi. She however hates the very sight of Karthik, who proposes a one-night stand with her. Suvalakshmi almost decides to marry Karan, when some problems develop at her place. To avoid that, she runs away, aided by Karthik, playing the Good Samaritan here. They reach Karan’s house and Karthik is happy to have returned Suvalakshmi to Karan. Even she is happy. Until problems start in Karan’s house. His parents object to their (Karan and Suvalakshmi) union, citing all sorts of reasons. They even start insulting Suvalakshmi. Karthik now steps in and takes her to his place. The rest of the story is about how Karthik is transformed from a Casanova to a “normal” man with morals.

Firstly, things which impede the movie. Karthik as the Casanova is the perfect choice. After seeing him play the role, I wonder if anybody else could have done any better than that. Karan on the other hand is not very effective. Some of his emotions look very concocted and plastic. The editing and other such aspects also do not always compliment the movie well. The background score could have been more inspiring.

What do work in the movie are the dialogues, the situations and the direction. The dialogues deserve a special mention. When Suvalakshmi tells to Karthik: “You have till now only known women who want to sleep around. So maybe it is not your fault after all” she not only wins a place in Karthik’s heart, but our hearts as well. When Karthik tells the bus conductor that he has a credit card but no change, we feel sad for him.

The interesting situations thought out by the director helps the movie move forward without any hitches. A story like this is dependent on the central characters and their performances. That way Karthik and Suvalakshmi match each other frame by frame. Manivannan as the father of Karthik is perfect foil.

I have watched this movie a lot of times. My interest has never flagged. For this the director deserves a special pat on the back. Agathian, the director, however could not deliver a better movie till now.

Karthik won a state award for this movie. As he should have. He thoroughly deserved this one.

Manoj
P.S. We have almost reached the end of this week’s countdown journey. Tomorrow I will unveil the movie number 1. I guess it will come as no surprise to anybody.

Summer of '04 (or) Cloudy Chennai

I live in a place that used to have only three seasons: hot, hotter and hottest. Right you are. I live in the wonderland called Chennai. The hot weather never deserts Chennai. Except for a brief spell of rain in the months of October and November, the sun is omnipresent. Poor souls who have to travel to Chennai are warned about the weather amongst other things. It will be hot. The sun will scorch your brains away and stuff like that. Not any more folks!

The sun and the rain seem to have signed an accord. According to this, the sun will reduce its intensity and hover around thrice a week. The rest of the time will be taken over by dark clouds and a little rain. This accord also seems to have kept the temperature in check. Previously Chennai would see a lot of “40 degress Celcius” days. This summer we did not even have one. Incredible!

As it is I love my Chennai. With the weather being this incredible my love has doubled.

Here is hoping that the weather stays this way in the supposed winter also.

Manoj

No Cell! No Phone!

I forgot to bring my cell phone to work today. For the past year and a half, I have always had “Jupiter” with me. Jupiter is a sassy Motorola C300. In his day (I am assuming its gender to be male) he was very costly. Today, though, his value has come down drastically. Ahem Ahem!

It was but a rather curious experience. Something like what “Castaway” Tom Hanks would have undergone. I was cut-off from the rest of the world. Not that I don’t have a phone at office. But frankly I don’t even know my office number. I only know my extension number. Who wants to know the office number, when people can be reached instantly on the mobile. Otherwise one has to go through the “Hi! Welcome to XYZ Company. If you know the extension you want to dial….” Gimme a break!

Am I feeling liberated this way? No. I like Jupiter and I know he is here to stay. Those complaining about cell phones intruding their privacy and stuff like that are just not talking sense.

This should be the only day Jupiter and I spend away from each other. Otherwise he belongs to a place near my heart! My shirt pocket!

Manoj

Movie Countdown: Number 3

Roja
Cast: Arvind Swamy, Madhubala, Pankaj Kapoor, Nasser
Year of Release: 1992
Music: A R Rahman
Director: Mani Ratnam


When this movie was made, I am sure the makers never would have expected the impact this movie would have. This movie brought together three all-time greats. The master director-producer K. Balachandar, the inimitable Mani Ratnam and the invincible A R Rahman (this was his first movie). The result was an explosive movie, which broke records and barriers.

Arvind Swamy (Mani’s favourite hero) is a man born and brought up in the city. He however wishes to marry a girl from a village. So he visits a village and selects a girl. The girl however is in love with another man. She explains the situation to Arvind Swamy and pleads for help. To keep the damage at its very minimum, he tells the girls’ father that he would like to marry his other daughter. This infuriates everybody at first. But later they accept. Arvind Swamy and Madhubala get married, much to Madhubala’s dislike.

The scene shifts to the city. Arvind Swamy makes every effort to be an adorable husband, but Madhubala just hates his very presence. She looks upon him as an immoral person. Consequently she keeps refuting all his attempts at getting to know her. She even starts asking him to leave her back at her village. At this point of time they meet Arvind Swmay’s boss, who subsequently falls ill. Due to his illness he asks Arvind Swamy to step in his shoes and carry out a mission in Kashmir. Arvind Swamy agrees. Meanwhile Madhubala gets to know the real reasons behind Arvind Swamy’s actions and is overcome by remorse. Before she can make up, Arvind Swamy has to leave to Kashmir. She also tags along and once in Kashmir, Arvind Swamy is kidnapped by terrorists. Thus starts an epic struggle by a woman to get her husband back.

There was a lot of things right in this movie. Arvind Swamy was charm personified. Madhubala as the demure housewife played the best role of her career. Nasser as the Tamil-speaking military man in Kashmir was also perfectly cast. But best of all was the choice of the main terrorist. Pankaj Kapoor was very effective in the role. Coming as this movie did at the dawn of terrorism in Kashmir, it struck a chord with the whole of India. This movie is however more important for other reasons.

Fristly, it brought Tamil cinema into the collective consciousness of the nation. Then, there was A R Rahman. This man single handedly caused a few silent revolutions. Lots and lots of music directors and singers started coming into the mainstream after Rahman opened the floodgates. Mani Ratnam became a brand to reckon with. Arvind Swamy hit big time. The movie also went on to win a lot of national awards. It was like an idea whose time had come. Nobody could stop this movie reaching new heights. And nobody did!

It would be futile to go on about this movie. Everybody would have seen this movie atleast once, if not more.

Just one postscript:
I shudder to think what would have happened to Tamil cinema and music had Roja not hit the silver screen in 1992.

Movie Countdown: Number 4

Thalapathi
Starring: Rajnikanth, Mamooty, Arvind Swamy, Shobana, Banupriya, Nagesh,
Year of Release: 1991
Music: Ilaiyaraja
Director: Mani Ratnam

There is nothing ordinary about this movie. Every frame tells a story. Every character lives out their part. The finest moment of this movie is however “the moment of reckoning”. More about that later.

Rajnikanth (Soorya) is abandoned the minute he is born. Reason being, he is born to an unmarried and very young Srividya. Some lady in a slum picks him out of a ditch and takes care of him. After he has grown up sufficiently to realize the rights and wrongs in the world, Rajnikanth picks up a fight with a local goon. In the course of this fight Rajnikanth mangles him badly. The goon is admitted to a hospital and is in a serious state. This guy apparently works for Mamooty (Deva) , the good goon. Seeing his trusted lieutenant in a hospital, rage overtakes Mamooty. He then makes sure Rajnikanth is thrown in the jail.

Some time later Mamooty comes to know of the reason behind the fight. Sensing a mistake was committed by his guy, he makes Rajnikanth walk out of the jail. And in one of the many “Goose-bumps-raising” scenes in the movie, they (Rajnikanth and Mamooty) meet at the steps of the jail. Impressed with Mamooty, Rajnikanth joins him as his henchman. His Thalapathi.

Together they spell terror in the streets. But, they do it for a good cause. They always fight only bad guys. In comes Arvind Swamy as the smart Collector. His parents are Jai Ganesh and Srividya. Arvind Swamy goes on to marry Shobana, who was the love interest of Rajnikanth and chalks out plans to stop the violence wrecked by Mamooty and Arvind Swamy. All legal measures he takes fails. Frustrated he ropes in Amrish Puri, another don, to finish both of them off. In the end, Mamooty gets killed and the family unites. The story is modeled on the lines of the friendship of Duryodhan and Karna in the Mahabharath.

Now for the reasons, this movie stands out. The slow-motion styled approach. The movie is shot almost fully in the slow-motion technique. So every scene makes a huge impact. There are quite a few scenes which stand out, including the “moment of reckoning” scene.

First among them is the one where Amrish Puri tries to lure Rajnikanth to his side. Rajnikanth does not even as much consider the option. He gives Amrish Puri a piece of his mind. Finally Amrish Puri asks him on the reason for his steadfastness. “Deva is my friend” Rajnikanth retorts.

Then the scene, where Srividya comes to meet Rajnikanth after coming to know that he is her lost son. The emotions brought forth by both the actors can make anyone’s eyes misty. Another famous scene, is the one in the police station. The policeman asks Mamooty and Rajnikanth to stop the violence. Mamooty referring to the bad guys says “Ask them to stop, then I will stop.”

Ilaiyaraj’s music is again top notch. The “Rakkamma” song was a super hit. As were most of the songs in the movie. Performance wise this should be Rajnikanth’s most underplayed one of his career. Mamooty was a perfect casting choice.

Now to the most important scene of the movie. The “moment of reckoning”. As far as I am concerned, this is the best scene in a Tamil movie yet. Arvind Swamy would have put Mamooty in jail and gotten him beaten up by the policemen. By this time Rajnikanth comes to know that Arvind Swmay is his brother and Srividya his mother. Mamooty comes straight out of the jail and wants revenge. He directs Rajnikanth to kill Arvind Swamy and the policeman. Rajnikanth starts fidgeting. The music in the background adds on to the tension. Mamooty is surprised. He shows Rajnikanth his wounds and again asks him to kill them. Getting no response, Mamooty concludes that Rajnikath is hesitating because Shobana (Rajnikanth’s former love interest) is now married to Arvind Swamy. Infuriated by the claim, Rajnikath asks Mamooty if he knows what friendship is. This is, according to me, the finest hour in Tamil cinema. After some more prodding Rajnikanth spills the beans about his relationship with Arvind Swamy. Again the background music compliments the scene perfectly. If one did not get goose bumps watching this scene, then one must have a medical problem.

Another interesting sidelight. This movie was released along with Kamalhassan’s “Guna” on the same day. While this movie went on to smash records, Guna died a natural death. The tame “Guna” was no match for this powerhouse “Thalapathi”.

My Experiments with CAT and all that!

My mom made a very pertinent remark the other day. She asked me as to “why I was struggling so hard to get an admission to an MBA course?”. Now what could I tell her? That I am weak in Mathematics (urgh!) cannot be even remotely contested. That is perhaps the most important factor in my non-performance! But is that really the problem?

Every non-addressing of a problem can have a hundred justifications. “It is very tough to do that”, “Actually I do not know how to go about this”, “If only I was better in Maths I could have got through”. Over the course of the last 2 years I have come to realize the truth. All those reasons are just a load of bullshit! Nothing less!

If you want something badly, you can as well get it. Nothing can stop you, except yourself. And I finally got the answer to my mom’s question. “I” was the problem that was stopping all my endeavors. My approach was all wrong. I never made CAT my passion. I never let it consume me. As a result, I never took it seriously. But now I have learnt my lesson. With regards to CAT and life. I might or might not make it this year, but I atleast will take heart from the fact that I could identify the problem.

God only knows how I am going to work around this problem!

Manoj

My All Time Favourite 5 Tamil Movies

I have a small confession to make. I have not seen a lot of pre-1989 movies. So my list will tend to look a little biased. But I am making it very clear, that this is only the list of MY favourite movies. I am not generalizing the list to “The Top 5 Tamil movies ever”.

Number 5 on the list is:
IDHAYAM
Starring: Murali, Heera, Chinni Jayanth, Janakaraj
Year of Release: 1991
Music: Ilaiyaraja
Directory: Kathir

Anybody who was ever in love, cannot ignore this movie. Better still, anybody who was ever in love and could not express their love, just has to see this movie. The melancholy that prevails throughout the movie looks very real. No concocted situations, no half-baked or surreal scenes are present in this movie.

Murali meets Heera in the first year of Medical college. He falls in love with her at first sight. Chinni Jayanth is his friend, who stands by him through thick and thin. He keeps egging Murali on to express his feelings for Heera. After much coaxing he finally manages to convey his feelings. But just at that moment he comes to know of a big secret in Heera’s life involving her sister and hastily claims back the book in which he had placed his love letter. What happens after that forms the rest of the story.

This certainly has to be one of Murali’s best films. His forlorn and love-torn expressions tends to linger on in the mind, even after the movie is over. Heera does not have much of a role. The movie seems to be said more from the perspective of the man, than that of the woman. But she does whatever is required of her very well. The only sore point in this film is that Murali and Heera do not look like a well casted pair. Somebody more expressive in Heera’s place could have matched Murali frame-by-frame.

A special mention has to be made of Chinni Jayanth, who plays his role very naturally. As Murali’s friend in need, he lightens up the mood and also helps to make Murali understand the depth of his love for Heera. The scenes involving Jayanth and Janagaraj are downright hilarious, if one can forget the exaggerations.

Ilaiyaraja is at his usual best. In fact, the score for this movie must have come at the impending end of his dominance in Tamil Film Music. A year after the release of this movie would mark the beginning of a new era in Tamil Film Music in the form of a release of a certain movie. The movie was “Roja” and the music director “A R Rahman”.
So in that context also, this movie is very important.

The ending of the movie was also very different. The hero does not get the girl. The director leaves the ending to us. He signs off wondering if the guy will come back in time to get his girl. This again must have been new at that time. Kathir (the director), however would beat this form to death by having the same endings in most of his other movies.

It can be debated endlessly if Kathir is a good director or not. But what cannot be debated is the impact this movie has. Surprisingly, this movie stands upto repeated viewing. A sense of boredom does not creep in. Maybe that is the secret of this movie. The eternal nature of love.

Idhayam is about love’s labour lost.

The movie at position 4 comes tomorrow.

Manoj

The Vans of the IT-Highway

First, some orientation.
I(nformation) T(echnology)-Highway, is the unmotorable stretch from near Tidel Park onwards to the Infosys office and beyond. All the IT-companies worth their name and salt are located here. Government buses have long since given upon on this stretch of medieval land. Here is where the vans step in. They are the Good Samaritans (albeit charge Rs. 5/-)
Now that orientation is over, let me jump into the trials and tribulations of actually traveling in such a van. Better still, let me list down some remarkable points:

1. In a 20-seater van, atleast 50 people travel. (And that is a very conservative estimate)
2. The distance between two “stops” can be 10, 20, 30, 40 and so on till 500 mts, depending upon the driver sighting a human form willing to travel.
3. The size of the seat per person is inversely proportional to the number of people who get into the van.
4. Nothing, almost nothing stops people from riding this vehicle, which flirts with big buses and lorries all the time.
5. This travel can be looked upon as an “adventure sport” for those, who do not have the time to do such things.

I reached office after enduring a ride in such a van. Must say, I managed retain all my bones intact. Amen!

Manoj

Who Inspires Me?

Instead of introducing myself as "So-and-so" doing "Such-and-such" a thing, I would like to introduce the persons who have inspired me. That should be indication enough of the kind of person I am.

- A R Rahman -

Whom has this guy not inspired? The embodiment of simple living and high thinking. The Mozart of Madras shall continue to inspire me forever.

- Mani Ratnam -

This guy has beautiful dreams and has the God-given capacity to capture them on film. I have no hesitation to say that he is India's finest director ever.

- Sachin Tendulkar -

I will always remember the two miraculous innings in Sharjah against an "I-wonder-what-hit-me" Australia.

- Arundhati Roy -

Not for "The God of Small Things", which frankly I never understood. But for her courage. FOR showing to the world that a woman's only impediment in life is her own idea of her "supposed" limitations.

- Steven Waugh -

For being the "COOLEST" one.

- Bill Clinton - (without Monica Lewinsky!)

For being the most charming man i ever saw on Television.

- THE MOVIE "Casablanca -

"Here is looking at you, kid"
"The only cause I am interested in is myself."

Great dialogues and Greater performances.
In the course of my life, I might end up seeing this movie atleast 10,000 times.

The above listed are my eternal favourites. Sometime next I will write about people I directly interact with and who have inspired me.

So long.

Manoj
P.S.: I will be blogging atleast twice a day. So hang on in there!

Born Again

I have made atleast two attempts in the past to start and run a blog. I have failed miserably. This is my third attempt. I hope it will be third time lucky for me.

The blog will be biased towards CAT 2004. There will be a lot of posts, which will have the CAT as its theme. However, I will try to make this blog as general as possible.

Goodday!
Manoj