Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Present- TENSE... Future?
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Diet Prose
Aappu Kitti!!!!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
We are like that only...
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Where are the giants?
Spoiled oppertunities...
You can royally screw up the whole thing by making the leading pair run around trees and sing! Unbelievable... thats bollywood, a whole oppertunity to make a classic film spoiled by putting in lot of predictability and cliches.
I watched Dil Bole Hadippa last day... I wouldnt have seen (seen not watched!) it full if it didnt had Rani and Anupam Kher who puts up superb performances with a wafer thin script. Shahid Kapoor after a brilliant performanF in Kaminey totally goes beserk aping Shahrukh a la Chakde Style.
Come on, man! we have seen NRI returned choclate heroes, we have seen heroines teaching them indian culture, we have seen them running around trees and going on dates... but we havent seen an Indian heroine with a cricket bat in her hand kicking some ass in cricket field dressed up as Sardar with thick beard. Instead of decveloping on these novelties you ended up serving us same old stuff yet again... Dissappointing!
Resigned....
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Blast after Bomb scare..
Saturday, October 17, 2009
An apology and a threatening
Monday, September 28, 2009
A holy starting for a holiday...
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Beautiful Amelie
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Ultimate foodie show
Legend of Lost Love
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
An Uncle....
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Explosive Gulaal
Monday, April 13, 2009
A poem on celluloid- Thirakkadha
Ranjith is an extraordinarily talented filmmaker and script writer who has made several good movies. He is comparable to RGV. Like RGV he is intelligent but makes many bad movies due to overconfidence. After brilliant Nandanam, he made craps like Prajapathi, Kayyopu, Rock n roll etc. But in this film we can find a director who is quite sure of what he want us to see.
A similarity between Thalappavu and Thirakkadha- other than the presence of Prithvi and the same time of release is the way story is narrated. Makers dont show any respect for time. It just skips from present to past leaping years together some times and it is done without us getting confused or bored.
The movie is about the magic world of celluloid where dreams are made and demolished in a single friday. Story is similar to some major movie stars real life and some characters are much similar in physical appearences too. But it is not mimicry, we dont feel any awkwardness when they do that.
An aspiring director want to make his next movie about the private life of a superstar's first wife. Movie is about how he travels to find out their past life and long buried secrets and how he manages to make their love story end beautifully.
Prithvi and Anoop does a great job. Anoop never let us feel irritated about his imitating Laal. Priyamani's Malavika makes you feel sorry. Samvritha has nothing much to do. This movie does not hit your conscience or make you think deep like Thalappavu. But still it is beautiful like a small pom and worth a watch.
The Great Indian Thamasha 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Thalappavu- where the killer and the victim units
In this darkness some sparks happens rarely some where and we, the greedy audiences gulps it down our throats forgiving the film maker of all its faults.
Madhupal's Thalappavu with all its faults and shortcomings is praise worthy due to its seriousness and sincerity. The story starts with the character of Laal, a cop, shooting the character of Prithviraaj a naxalite.The movie shoots some very basic questions at the audience.
If some one is forced to do a crime , does he have to bear the responsibility of it?
When the whole world turns against you, and your whole existence is under threat, do you have the responsibility to keep a vow of silence?
Do you as an individual have any moral responsibility to prevent injustice happening to your fellow men?
The story is based on a real life incident happened some time back when a police constable agreed hat he had to kill a naxalite leader due to pressure from top, and years later his conscience tortured him to tell to the world. Madhupal has captured the pain of the protagonist very sincerely. The narration is also brisk and fast paced. The movie is not sequential, it jumbles the time frame every other scene, and it never makes the audience confused too. Madhupal has shown a good grip in narrative too.
Actors have done reasonably well, Laal steals the show with his extraordinary performance. Prithviraaj looks a bit out of place in costumes and dialogues, but he cannot help it as a heroic character. Side actors has done very well especially Raju...
What makes the movie unique and great is the theme where ultimately the killer and his victim unites to fight for justice...
Tear jerker
I should say we had become very close friends in a short while of time, in course of three months to be precise. He works in the same place where I works. When I joined there he was on a long leave and then he used to come on two wheeler for work. I travels in company cab, so we never used to meet often, just were aware of each others existence.
Then one day when we were returning in the cab he was there, sitting in front of me with another friend, and they were talking about old Hindi songs, which was my weakness too. Slowly I joined the conversation.In the end we had a wonderful time together...
After that three of us used to meet together at a nearby Dhaba, used to have a great time discussing and singing Kishore, Rafi , Mukesh and Yesudas. We became great friends in course of time. He had a great talent of mimicking singers especially Kishore and Yesudas. We were stunned by the quality by which he can sing in Yesudas voice. When we tell Yesudas he starts "Sarade..." an old Kannada song sung by the master singer.
When my mother was there with me he had come a couple of times. We had dinner together, once he brought sweets after coming from an on duty.
All was going fine, when I received a call on a sunday afternoon... ' V had a serious accident just a few moments back... heard it is serious'. He was coming back after doing overtime in company, when a truck hit his bike very badly... truck was overtaking another vehicle and came to the wrong side. He tried to avoid, but couldn't help getting hit on his right thigh. Truck sped away with out stopping. He was rushed to hospital immediatly.
Barring some minor wounds on his arms, nothing had happened any where on his body except on right leg, right thigh bone was crushed to powder, other bones also severely cracked and deformed. Doctors were recommending amputation, but later tried surgery. All bones replaced by steel rods and waiting for a major plastic surgery.
I had went to see him... Due to heavy medication and less food he has gone totally weak. Heavy pain prevents his voice from coming out, and when I saw his leg I was dumb, I didnt knew what to sayall flesh and blood. I just muttered a get well soon and rushed out. Tears were gushing down the eyes... Just wiped them out because his parents were there. Told them my condolences and came out...
Wish I will sit with him soon and he will sing with the same mood and spirit.... " Sarade"....
Devdas for Gen X
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Why no posts from long time?
Hmmmmm..............
I dont have anything to say now!
Sorry
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Chinese signs
Too Good!!!
China is the place to be for English teachers >>
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Movie Roundup
Last week I watched 3 movies- Slumdog Millionnaire, Ghajini ( Aamir's Hindi version) and The Name of the Rose.....
Slumdog Millionnaire is a sure winner. Directed by Danny Boyle who has given such masterpieces like Trainspotting, an epic story on drug abuse, Slumdog is a powerful depiction of life in slums of Mumbai. It is an ode to optimism and hope in life. The acting department was great, the kids were superb, Dev Patel, Irrfan, Anil Kapur all did well. Indians throughout the world has reacted strongly to Slumdog title and showing Indian Poverty in poor light. But I dont feel bad as these are miseries that exists. Such movies should come and we should take a resolve to change the situation.
Ghajini was a dissappointment, may be because I had overexpectations due to the hype, or because I watched it after Slumdog. The movie is just ok. Aamir is not bad, but not as convincing as Surya, who did the Tamil version. Surya was more spontaneous, ruthless and brutal as the killer, at the same time more innocent and smart as the romantic. Aamir does not make you feel the pain the protagonist undergoes.
The Name of the Rose is a movie set in 14 th century Abbey based on the book by Umberto Eco. Sean Connery and Christian Slater stars as two priests called to investigate the mysterious murders of some fellow priests. The movie is suspenseful, scary at times and transferrs you to another world...
Friday, January 16, 2009
Alone Again....
So after one month of staying with Amma, I will be alone for some time from next week...
My sister wants to stay with her and as she cannot travel, both of them has to stay at Tellicherry, and I have to go back to Bangalore alone....
I will be missing the food, really... I cant imagine eating that horrible canteen food again.....
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
A Weekend with Hitchcock
Last weekend I spend with Hitchcock, the master film maker who scared the audiences and knocked the senses out of many a women by that bloody dagger scene in Psycho. I was browsing through some DVDs of a road side vendor when I came across this collection of 6 Hitchcock movies- North By Northwest, Psycho, Birds, Trouble with Harry, Man who knew too much and Farmer's wife. Now all knows it is tough to get a perfect DVD from roadside, this one was also not different. Audio and subtitles changes from English to French to Spanish without any provocation in between, audio runs ahead of the video.... all sorts of troubles mars the fun of watching North by northwest, Birds and Psycho.... But thank God I have watched them before. The ones that I never watched are intact and made my weekend special....
The first time I saw a Hitchcock flick was in TNT channel. It was North by Northwest of Cary Grant. Awesome movie with good turns and twist. Ahead of its time.....
The speciality of Hitchcock is that the protagonists will be normal persons going through unusually abnormal circumstances. Their actions wont be supernatural, their emotions, fears and conductance will be like any Tom, Dick or Harry.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
A 2009 of new hopes....
The year was really eventful for me... Lot of really bad experiences and some marvelous occurrences.. all in all a mixed one....
The year started in a hopeful note.. I had arrived one month back in Bangalore after working for a year in Coimbatore, hopes were sky high. I was staying in a PG in Basavanagar, near my 'office'. It was my batchmate's firm, promises were great, it was supposed to be my lucky breakthrough... one that never happened.
In two months I learned my lesson. Things are not that easy. Money IS an issue. Things are going from bad to worse at home. And I cannot do any thing. There was no money to just go out and drink a coffee. Frustrating! At March I went for a trip with my friends to Munnar. A trek from Munnar to Kodaikanal. That was the only silver lining in that dark period.
By April the company expansion was happening, new place, new machines, more people. I felt things will work better now onwards. Next month I got some money after 3 long months. But something changed... after giving money the attitude got wrong. I worked for 5 months with my own interest without any demands and reasonably well too. But after a payment is made I was treated really bad. I dont want to be a field for others to dump their frustrations. On 18 may a day before my birthday I quit the job. On request I decided to work for one month more. I joined CATIA course, just to boost my self and it gave me a truck load of confidense too. I received part of my PF money from Coimbatore...
From July I was jobless. Attended an interview and fought with the HR manager. Then I got interview call from Forgepro. Attended and got the job. I had promised Amma that I will land in a job in just one month, that was fullfilled. Joined in August. Moved to JP Nagar in a PG. Good friends, nice place. I was looking for a rented home to bring mother and settle. Finally in November got a place at Kaggalipura. Gave the advance and started living there by December first.
At the nick of time I received my pending PF payment and was able to pay for all utensils furnitures and things. December middle I went home and brought Amma to Bangalore..
This was my 2008 round up....
Plans for 2009?
No idea my friend. Want to enjoy bachelorhood for some more time. Save some bucks. Reduce stress and tension from life.... And I would also like to join a gym.... and follow a strict work out routine.....
HAPPY 2009