Since when...

...did they start naming natural disasters?!?
Cyclone Phyan..Hurricane Katrina.. Hurricane Ike.. Hurricane Jimena..Typhoon Morakot!!
Who on earth names them?! Funny naming business it is!!

Nadodigal - a magical journey!

I watched this movie yesterday and I couldn't help but write this. This movie starts where the other films finish. We have seen countless movies where a couple's friends move heaven and earth to get them united. And, this movie starts there and explores the aftermath. The entire movie is based on one line: a friend in need is a friend indeed.



Image courtesy: Indiaglitz.com

This film is a excellent example for a great success when the story is good and a script that does justice to the storyline. Sasikumar as Karuna has done a real good job as the protagonist who along with his friends Pandi and Chandran try to unite his childhood friend Saravanan with his lady-love Prabha much against their parents' wishes! Pandi becomes hearing-impaired and Chandran loses one of his leg while Karuna loses his lady-love in their efforts to unite the lovers.

Then comes the irony! The lovers decide to separate within a few days of their marriage as they realize that they are incompatible with each other. What the friends decide to do after hearing this news forms the climax. The climax explores the failure of fleeting relationships in this ultra-modern fast-paced world. The movie has an engaging screenplay, keeping you guessing on what would happen next. Its not your run-of-the-mill predictable formula movie! All the actors in the movie have done justice to their characters. The one who stands out the most other than the main cast is Chandran's father who displays an unwavering optimism through the adversities.



Image courtesy: Indiaglitz.com

To think that one of the heroines Abhinaya who plays the sister of Sasi kumar and Chandran's love is hearing-impaired is unbelievable. I found this out only after the movie and never once during the movie did I doubt that she is deaf and dumb. She deserves a standing ovation and the director Samudhrakani and Sasi Kumar deserve an applause to have helped her enact this wonderful performance. Ananya as Nallamma, Karuna's love plays the village belle role with ease and poise.

The subtle screenplay with comedy interspersed in unexpected frames make this movie an enjoyable watch. This movie gives us the hope that good cinema is still around.Tamil cinema these days has become bold enough to cast ordinary looking people who are close to our lives in characters that seem very real. There is no unrealistic heroism or idealistic situations in this movie. The movie was as close to reality as it can be and yet had the magical quality of good cinema!

Music by Sundar C Babu is engaging as well. The song "sambo siva sambo.." is like a war cry and stays with you even after the movie is over. The background score is good too without overpowering the screenplay. Vaali's lyrics for the song "Ulagil entha kaadhal udanae jeyithathu.." touches your heart as immediately as you hear Hariharan's voice singing it.

This movie is not a commercial entertainer but, there is something for everyone in it!

Verdict: Must watch!

Whatta shame?!!?!

The recent news that made me feel ashamed of our nation's bureaucrats was that our former President Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam was frisked by the US Airlines company, Continental Airlines It saddened me to know that a man of such greatness and importance was frisked by an American airlines company in our own Indian soil!!

When this topic came for discussion at our lunch table at work, I asked my colleagues: "Do you think we will do this to Bill Clinton or Hillary Clinton?!? and, we let this happen to our own former President in our own soil!!". One of my colleagues quipped: "We won't do this even to Monica Lewinsky!!"

Whatta shame!! Lets go dig a hole and hide our heads in it!!

After a long time..

...I am back here to write something!I have been neglecting this blog, working more on my other blog. I wanted to write about many things as and when they were happening but, I postpone it and then it becomes outdated! One thing that nagged my thoughts is the recent attacks on Indian in Australia! Its very sad and Australia as a nation should be ashamed of itself for not being able to protect its guests! The Indian government is playing the onlooker's role in the Australian attacks on Indians. Why couldn't we issue a travel advisory warning our citizens about how unsafe Australia is?! How long are we gonna be spineless?!?

And, the ads on TV as usual kept and keep me intrigued! Can some one explain what this Ad is trying to convey?!



Of course, the song is catchy and my son loves to watch this ad!

Why is SRK a bad manager??

Here is why:

• He thinks he is the best manager in the world.
• He wants the team to perform right from the word "GO".
• He thinks his team should ALWAYS win. He doesn't like to lose.
• He thinks being rude and demotivating the team will make them perform better as they will fear him.
• He thinks money can bring his team victories.
• He is a bad manager.

Seeing the IPL league matches, its no surprise that the Deccan Chargers are in good form after their poor start last season. The team management had confidence in the team. They didn't make any haphazard changes in the team hoping for the team to perform better! Changing the captaincy sends out a wrong message to the team that the management doesn't have confidence in the team and it also puts a pressure on the replacing captain. What can a Captain do that the team couldn't do?

Deccan Chargers are a perfect example for a team where there is good management. I assume the Owner of the team has left cricketing decisions to the team, which is letting the team perform to its fullest potential. When there is no mismanagement clutter in the environment, the team is happier to perform. I hope the managers of the world take a lesson here that a positive environment goes a long way in getting the best out of the team.

SRK should leave cricket to the people who play cricket. Then, his team may start a winning spree. Till then, he can only hope for a miracle.

Where is this world going to?!

We've been seeing a lot in the news regarding the ugly turn ragging in colleges are taking these days! Made me think of my college days..of how I was ragged and how I did! It was pure and harmless fun from both sides! But, hearing the ragging stories doing the rounds these days send a shiver down my spine. Young freshers in college being beaten till they go blind! That's shocking! I am glad I finished college in better times! I was only asked to count the number of trees in the campus, made to sing and dance. The funniest that they made me do was to play kho-kho with jus one other girl. Imagine: I had to sit on the floor and she will run around me and when she says "GO" I will start running around her while she sits on the floor. It was HILARIOUS, not at that time though!

But, I don't think freshers these days are made to sing and dance or asked to count the number of steps and trees in the campus. They are being asked to strip and booze. And, when they refuse to comply, they get beaten black and blue! Is that why we are bringing up our kids? Jus so that they have to go through this at college! I can't imagine how twisted the minds of these Senior kids are these days! Kids these days aren't brought up with values. I am scared of the time when I will have to send Alvin to college!(He is not even into pre-school now!)

I have read somewhere that one should have a past juicy enough to share it with his/her kids when the time is right. I will definitely share my youthful days with Alvin. But, imagine the college freshers who are losing their youth to ragging!Who would want to recollect the trauma of stripping in front of strangers?! What will they have that can be shared with their kids?! Sigh!

Career crossroads,anyone?!

I have been in this corporate rat-race for quite sometime and its taking a toll on me. I need a break. Maybe that's why I am not compelled to write anything here too..

Thanks for all the people who still check here often.. I will be back soon when I get over this phase or at least the mental block! :-)

The Curious Case of Pink Chaddis!

I am sure most of the young Indians understand what I am talking about! Yes! The 'pub'rouhaha dats been brewing in the metros! The Moral policing of the various Senas in this country! I totally support the cause of the Consortium of Pubgoing,Loose and Froward women! No, I dont drink.Neither do I go pub-hopping! But, I support their cause! A recap for those who are out of context: The so-called moral police of India called Sri Ram Sena(SRS)led by Pramod Muthalik attacked women in pubs saying that they are maligning the Indian Tradition. So, they attacked and molested them in broad daylight! Now, the SRS has warned against the Indians celebrating Valentine's day as they consider a celebration of love against Indian tradition and culture, a culture which gave the world Kamasutra and Khajuraho! So, a group of young Indians have started this campaign for donating used/fresh pink chaddis(underwears) to Pramod Muthalik and the SRS as a token of love for St.Valentine's Day! What an idea?!?



I have a few questions that I would like to ask Pramod Muthalik and his SRS.. Who gave him and the SRS the authority to attack innocent people? Is attacking women good culture? When the entire world in moving into a futuristic world, he wants Indians to go back in time and live like animals as we used to. A tradition is not a written rule to be followed. Its an evolving potpourri of culture and society that moves ahead with time! If we were to follow the traditions that once were being followed in this country, then women from certain castes wouldn't be wearing clothes above their waist and widows will be burnt along with their husband's funeral pyre! That backward were our traditions!

Men like Pramod Muthalik and Raj Thackeray are cowards who can show their might only against the "weaker sex"(I dont like this terminology!!)as they call us! They can only mobilize the illiterate and drunkards towards the cause of moral-policing! Find one educated person in his right mind supporting their cause. You won't! Where was Raj Thackeray when the Mumbai Attacks were going on?! He was too scared to step out of his home.Where was his Uncle Bal Thackeray at that time? All these men are spineless cowards who satisfy their hunger for domination by oppressing women and quench their thirst for power by ruling over the illiterates and hooligans! Cos, they can only show their might among their likes! They are scared that the women in their communities won't give a damn about the men if they also go the 'forward" way like the pub-going women..

Pramod Muthalik and his men have now threatened that if they see any couple(a guy and a gal) being together and holding hands on Valentine's Day , they will either take the couple to the nearest Police Station and get them married or make the girl tie a rakhi to the boy and make them brothers and sisters!Wat crap?! Instead, if all the hooligans spend their energy in cleaning up our metros or regulating traffic, our cities will be better places to live in.

They(Pramid Muthalik, the Thackerays and their Senas) have achieved what they are after. If they have made me blog about their activities, they have achieved their most important goal! Fifteen minutes of fame! But,they have also started a movement among the educated youth.. a campaign against these SOBs that the Youngistan of India will not take these kind of crap lying down! I totally support the Pink Chaddi Campaign . We need more campaigns like this in this developing yet mentally-backward country.

One motto will save this country: Live and let live! We have enough troubles with our neighboring nations! We dont need such moral police to create tensions within! Let us live and let live! So, if you guys leave me, I have to go rummage my closet. I have a donation to make! ;-)

Ghajini - The phoenix!

The long pending review of Ghajini! Here we go..

I watched the movie at last and I want to tell the world about it! Its a must watch movie! The Director A.R.Murugadoss has analyzed the Tamil version enough and has eliminated all the flaws in the much better Hindi version! Aamir Khan as a man with seething anger and vengeance for the killer of his ladylove has done a good job!All credit should to the director and Aamir Khan! Aamir Khan has gone the "six-pack" way though there was no need for it in the movie!



Photo Courtesy: Sify.com

All the actors have done their job! Aamir is awesome as a man with unquenchable anger! But, he is starting to look old! He looks quite old against Asin. Asin looks very innocent!She is an odd one in the Bollywood film industry! Doesn't look like the usual size-zero waif-like heroines found in the North! More like the "healthy" Southie Heroine! She better return back to South Indian Film industry before committing a harakiri of her career in the North! Jiah Khan is also convincing! She comes as quite a daring lady in the movie..unafraid neither to meet a psychopathic-looking hero nor to meet the underworld goons! Quite a lady of this century, I shud say!

I liked Surya better for the first half of the movie..for the romantic scenes! But, the Hindi climax was way better than the Tamil version! I personally don't buy the twin-theory in Indian films! So, I was happy that the twin-element was not there in the Hindi version! The climax is fast-paced unlike the Tamil version dat dragged a bit! The scenes where Aamir looses his memory again in the presence of the villain were awesome! One kept praying for his memory to come back somehow and wreak a havoc to the villain! Finally, he gets his revenge as the villain himself digs his grave!

AR Rahman has done a good job with the songs though the Tamil version had better and more haunting songs by Harris Jayaraj. The background score is good! But, the songs are no match for the Tamil version!

The final scene shows an Aamir living a quite life playing with a few kids , still the same "short-term memory loss" patient ... but,with no unspent anger...with no need to remember a gory incident..no need to avenge a death...with a memory of only his lady-love! An out and out commercial entertainer! A Hindi movie I watched after quite a long time and I am glad I watched this movie! A movie to be watched in the theaters! All credits to Aamir and AR Murugadoss!