My Kind of Thespian

(KK is the 2nd from your left above) You might catch him animatedly rehearsing a script for a play production on the lawns of Max Muller Bhavan (German Cultural Institute).Or maybe if you visit Amethyst or Barista or one of these coffee houses you might find him amidst college folks and 20 somethings. Or he might have just strolled into landmark, wearing pijama pants, and a faded shirt ,wanting to pick up something about Absurd theatre. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Krishna Kumar Santhanagopalan (KK for those of us who know him). Quite simply he is the reason why English theatre became accessible to hundreds of people who would not come under the bracket of “the elite” in this city. This man in his early 40s,sporting a stubble and an absent minded look, threw away the cushion of an I.T job to do theatre for a living. It must be truly frustrating to be KK.I mean so many of us have come and gone (joined and moved from Masquerade, his theatre group). Almost none probably has even a glimmer of this man’s passion for the creative. Some angry young college kids, like I was when I worked with him - rebels without a cause. Most others wannabe guys and girls doing theatre because its cool or whatever. And yet year after year this man sustains his energy and passion for his art, constantly innovating and figuring out new things. I was never great as an actor. In fact most people who work with him are bloody lucky as no other Director of substance would consider us even as a prop. But with KK more than talent it is willingness to work and passion that matter. Lack of sponsors,dearth of good artists, and indeed an immature audience, none can keep this man down. He just goes on and on,and on, even though most of us, have moved on from theatre. Krishna Kumar is a great inspiration for all of us, to not lose touch with our inner-self, and follow our dreams. Not all of us can take an extreme decision like throwing away our jobs to follow our passion. Which is why people like KK are special. Urban life with its pressures and compulsions would be a dud if it were not for folks of his irk. Artists and creative people are the very guardians of our soul constantly reminding us not to lose our identity in the hustle and buzzle of the rat race.

Film Review/Pudhupettai

Cast – Dhanush, Sneha, Sonia Agarwal Music – Yuvan Shakar Raja Cinematography – Arvind Krishna Directed by – Selvaraghavan Genre – Drama My PG Rating – Adults Only Pudhupettai chronicles the rise & rise of kokki kumar (Dhanush) from a helpless urchin to a dreaded gangster. And from the time he runs away from home, after his father kills his mother, to the final scene it is his survival instincts, which impresses upon you and later has you utterly disgusted.While incidents in the earlier parts of the film makes you sympathize with the antagonist events later on make you lose any sympathy,which you might have had for him. Dhanush as kokki kumar is mostly convincing,especially early on. Circumstances lead him into joining the gang of a local politico, Anbu.After his baptism as a member of the gang his progress is vertical all the way. It is in these parts when the character still has traces of vulnerability that Dhanush scores. As he overthrows the leader and establishes himself as the gang's chief you start witnessing the becoming of a beast. The chilling murder of his father, on Kumar’s orders, sends the proverbial shiver down your spine. Kumar bears witness to himself as he stares onto a mirror, almost to look at what he has become – this moment just before the interval is marvelous in its intensity, though a bit picture postcard-ish. The post interval phase of the film is in total contrast to the action packed first-half . It is a character study on how power goes to Kumar’s head and he slowly deteriorates and manipulates one and all. The moment when he blackmails Selvi(Sonia Agarwal) to fulfill his whims or else threatens to have her brother killed has you in absolute disgust again. Such is the power of the screenplay, but here is where Dhanush falters. He is totally unconvincing and some of the scenes that follow, like grown up men bowing to puny kokki kumar almost seem farcical. Dhanush dominates the screen like Kamal Haasan in Hey Ram! . Sneha’s performance as Krishnaveni, a local prostitute is nothing to write home about (but it seems to be already overrated). Some of the smaller character’s like Kumar’s sidekicks leave a real impact on you. Especially the scene when the gangsters exchange tales about how they landed up doing what they were doing hits you hard. Only God and the director know why Sonia Agarwal is there in the film! There seems no limit to Selva’s infactuation with his own protégé as she is once again portrayed as an almost angelic charmer. Yuvan’s BGM is soothing especially the haunting background score survival of the fittest. Arvind Krishna’s camerawork is slick and realistic. But there are several picture postcard moments, which stand out like a sore thumb,and are clearly aimed at award juries. Admittedly Pudhupettai is not the masterpiece some of us expected it to be. It is the flawed, yet honest work, of a director attempting to break out of the shackles of conventional cinema, and present a work in which he depicts things as is,without ever moralizing. That is cinema for cinema’s sake for you, though it makes you more than a little uncomfortable. As you laugh in horror at the farcical last scene with kumar addressing the audience on a political stage the pitch-black humour has you leaving the hall with an uncomfortable feeling. And this is where the director’s success lies. Partial success if you insist.

Swimming Pool

Cast- Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, Charles Dance Directed by Francois Ozon Genre – Psychological Drama My Parental Guidance Rating – X Rated Swimming Pool was short listed for the prestigious Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival for the year 2003.Rated 83% fresh by the critics freshometer at rottentomtoes.com,dreaded for its tearing apart of movies,I started watching this film with a great amount of anticipation.This was one of those films built up to be a near masterpiece on an artist’s creative process being portrayed on screen. After sitting through its run time of 1 hour and 43 minutes I was left wondering had I seen anything other than a well disguised porn film?Terrible movie – I have no other words for it.I mean 1st there is this frustrated mystery novelist(Charlotte Rampling)who goes on a holiday to France to get ideas for her next book.She makes herself cozy in a villa with you guessed it,a swimming pool.This sensual beauty (Ludivine Sagnier) lands up from nowhere and the skin show begins .The cameraman indulges on the anatomy of Sagnier who is seen topless every other scene and there are these different men who land up every night and some very erotic (the arthouse types will say‚’’realistic’’),scenes unfold. Somewhere in between all this a murder takes place(or does it?)and the two leading ladies are out to find the truth and the movie concludes with an ending which is supposed to facinate you like the conclusion to The 6th Sense.And Oh! There are some scenes which are supposed to showcase Fraudian repression which seem only an excuse for further skinshow.Admitedly Charlotte Rampling as the on the surface conservative novelist comes up with an underplayed and briliant performance.The symbols such as a crucifix being removed and coming back on or the reflection on a mirror, of the writer,work partially. But I don’t see in what way they represent the blurring of the lines between reality and fiction. If you are the kind who finds those pathetic cubic images of Picasso fascinating Swimming Pool may interest you.If you want to be seen as having an interest in art house cinema again you might want to watch it,as the film is a critics darling,going by the reviews I have read. I saw Kalvanin Kadhali starring that unpretentious,badshah of dirty jokes,S.J.Suryah a few days back. I would any day watch his films than a too scared to admit it is a bit padam,which is what Swimming Pool is. My Rating of the film - * out of * * * * * Verdict – Terrible

Survival of the Fittest

- a curtain raiser to Pudhupettai

Pudhupettai Selvaraghavan's 4th feature film is about "the rites of passage of a don"in the director's words.Those familiar with his style of film making will know that Selva's films showcase a brooding,on your face,realism.I have compiled below some links which attempt to give a balanced perspective about the man who is hailed to be "the poor man's Mani Ratnam" by some and among the best things to have happened to South Indian cinema by others.So here goes -

Birth of a don ,preview of Pudhupettai.

Watch the Pudhupettai trailer here.

The Hindu's review of Kadhal Konden.

Guru Subramanian,blogger on Kadhal Konden .

Why some good films are wrong films! -by Sudhish Kamath,journalist on 7g,Rainbow Colony.

Visit the official website of Pudhupettai.

What can we expect to see in Pudhupettai?I would say an unsullied,birds eye view,of Chennai's underworld,by the man who sees the world in shades of grey.

15, Park Avenue

(above) Konkona Sensharma as the mentally challenged Methi, in a still from the film.

Cast - Shabana Azmi, Waheeda Rehman, Konkona Sensharma, Rahul Bose Genre –Drama Directed by – Aparna Sen Story in brief – A tale of two sisters – Anu (Shabana Azmi) and Methi (Konkona Sensharma). Anu is a divorced Physics professor living with her mother and schizophrenic younger sister. Methi had led a comparatively normal life (albeit with traces of abnormality) until she went on a reporting assignment in Bihar where an incident changes her life forever.

Performances – Konkona Sensharma as Methi comes up with a performance that at once touches you and disturbs you at the same time. Her struggle to separate the delusional from the real is very, very, realistically portrayed. While all the other actors give good performances artistically there is very little for them to explore or portray. Needless to say ,both Rahul Bose as the guilty ex-fiancé, and Shabana Azmi as Methi’s sister who places her life on hold, stand out. The Ending – Will leave you totally stumped. Literally an ‘open’ ending! I quite liked it though. As most of the characters lead incomplete lives the inconclusive end is apt. My Verdict – I really loved the film. Though for the record I must state not in the same league as Mr and Mrs Iyer I was deeply moved by Methi’s struggle to find the elusive joy in her life.15, Park Avenue - a place that does not exist - becomes a metaphor for Methi's search for stability and permanent joy in her life. My Rating - * * * * out of * * * * *

100 Writeups

Rang De Basanti

Cast – Aamir Khan, Om Puri, Atul Kulkarni, Siddharth Music – A.R.Rehman Directed By - Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra Imagine two parallel stories from different ages running side by side and merging into one universal theme – revolution. The sheer audacity to compare a bunch of yuppie rebels without a cause with extremist freedom fighters and yet managing not to make this seem blasphemous! Rang De Basanti keeps you interested through the entire runtime of 157 minutes. But what could have been a great film ends up as a great idea. Sue an English filmmaker wants to make a docu-drama about a group of Indian freedom fighters. Her auditions to find the right cast miserably flop. As she befriends a circle of mostly college boys she realizes in flashes that this group could be her cast. While all seems pleasant on the outside most of the gang have different insecurities. Karan (Siddharth) for instance does not see eye to eye with his super rich father. DJ (Aamir Khan) conveys in an emotional outburst why he still hangs out with college guys. An unexpected event in the second half turns the lives of the primary characters topsy-turvy. This incident acts as a catalyst for them to take on the corrupt system .The movie starts slipping this point onwards and sort of becomes like a Shankar film (Indian, for instance). As Karan announces over the radio why the group decided to assassinate a senior politician, and urban youngsters react in national T.V. in favour of their action, one gets that sense of dejavu. While most characters are well etched out, the ones which I could relate to most were those of Siddharth and Atul Kulkarni.The screenplay is fabulous though at times the comparison of these rebels to our freedom fighters seem absurd. The music by our very own Rehman perfectly blends into the story and background. The whistle as his name flashes in the title credits is more than what even Aamir Khan gets!We are proud of you man!The promo of Rang De… reads 'a generation awakens'. They may have might as well made it ' a generation awakens to anarchy' - as that’s how the film comes across in the tragic finale at the All India Radio. - - - - - This is the 100 th writeup in my site.I would like to thank my family,friends and everyone else who has been reading what I write and encouraging me.

Humour / Waiting for Bayam

or the short film that does not exist ?!? Last summer Sridhar (he of Rebel in a Teacup fame) declared that he was shooting his 1st film along with his pal Dinesh.He was very excited about it and the to be short film was titled Bayam (Fear). He also proudly announced to me after our journalism class that they would be sending the film for short film festivals across the world. Me wannabe a filmmaker one day (if you didn’t know that already!!!) and went on a PR campaign promoting this entity. Virtually all my friends came to know about the now absconding magnum opus as I went gaga saying we must promote independent cinema in our midst. A few months passed and the director duo (ala Matt Damon and Ben Affleck) proudly announced the completion of their movie in Sridhar’s blog. Just when I was prepared to catch a pre editing screening of the film it went into a prolonged surgery on the editing table. It was stuck in cold storage for so long that I started getting my first doubts about whether there was any footage to edit in the first place (basically I started wondering if Bayam is the yeti of world cinema!). After I started pulling Sridhar’s leg about this, the master copy became just out of reach. It was rumored (by the co-director himself) to always be in his bag whenever we met, but only after we met! That is to say Sridhar would innocently say something like,'' Even today it was in my bag''. Now Dinesh and he have apparently screened it to a bunch of his friends.I am next in the hit list of prospective viewers. Sridhar has a last chance to prove that Bayam is not a myth he conjured to impress his fiancée! Amen.

Neofeminism

I don’t like gender-based bifurcation of issues. Inequality, discrinmination, abuse or any other problem needs to looked at as human maladies which need to be addressed and not divided into men’s and women’s issues. Unfortunately neofeminism ends up being no different from what it supposedly condemns – a male dominated society where women are constantly stifled. It ends up becoming just as immature and byzantine as chauvinism and neofeminists are more than glad to indulge in silly debates and conversations , which are in no way constructive. What exactly do I mean by neofeminism? I will try and define it in the context of our milieu. It is the narrow, convenient, misinterpretation of feminism, by a small section of urban Indians. It is exclusive of a large cross-section of Indian women who are in real need of empowerment. These jokers think that raising your voice against Salaman Khan beating up plastic Aishwarya Rai is being liberal and forward thinking! Wonder how many of these jerks even heard of the Imrana case. True feminism as I see it looks at empowerment of women as a whole rather than spin up pulp sentiments of the educated elite. It is an inclusive philosophy open to debate from men and women from all walks of life who are reasonable. Feminism and its ugly sister, i.e, neofeminism are as poles apart as Medha Pathkar and Shoba De.The philosophy of neo feminism is the philosophy of ‘cool’. It is a hopeless wannabe, which is more interested in wearing an attitude (remember the Weekender adds?) than highlighting any real issues. It is an insult to anyone with a genuine concern for women’s rights and human problems as a whole.

Untold Story

Ramesh * is an upcoming sports writer working in a major cricket based website as its Assistant Editor. He is an alumnus of The School- K.F.I where I studied from class 8 to 12.He passed out the year before I joined. His is a tale of hope with a fairytale ending to add the icing on the cake. Ramesh wrote poetry when he was in high school and had wanted to do his graduation in English. His parents forced him to prepare for IIT entrance exams.He was not remotely interested in any course which this institution had to offer. He flunked the entrances and won the immense displeasure of his parents. He was thrust into doing Bsc Physics at the Loyola College. He battled his way through depression and pangs of self-doubt through his years in college. He got hooked onto drugs and managed to write a few publishable poems. Somehow he also managed to get the gold medal for Bsc Physics. Thinking this would console his parents he told his father about the prize. His father merely told him not to sound as if he was an IIT gold medallist. Ramesh was shattered. He joined a new cricket portal 22yards.com* as a reporter. He covered both regional and international matches in the Indian subcontinent. Slowly he made his way up and shifted to the Bombay office of his website. About a year back he became Assitant Editor of his organization. In a recent talk show on NDTV he was one of the panalists. The underdog had arrived and I felt mighty happy for him. I don’t know Ramesh personally .He was the longhaired, pony tailed, hippie looking, ex-student whom I used to catch a glimpse of during alumni meetings. My knowledge of his life is solely from word of mouth tales I have heard from my seniors and mainly from our English teacher in school Sumitra Akka^. But I see in his story universal hope for all of us that success may not always come in the most obvious form. I wonder if there is a single person who can claim that his or her life has been a bed of roses with no disappointments. Acceptance of life comes with the acceptance that failures and disappointments are a part of it. There is a Ramesh inside all of us and as long as we remain honest and sincere in our endeavors we shall triumph in the final analysis however distant this may seem at present. * names changed ^ in the school where I studied we call our teachers akka and anna. title inspired by the name of a tamil film,solla marande kadai

Music review / Original Soundtrack of Pudupettai

Lyrics na.muthukumar Music Composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja Recorded at Bangkok orchestra a selvaraghavan film

Trend breakers must be appreciated and the OST of Pudupettai is certainly one. It is out of the box and in tune literally with the gangster/underworld milieu the movie is set in. Yange area the rap song for instance captures the scorn of a typical lower middle class person for the upwardly mobile. Nerupu Vayinil sung by Kamalhassan in his trademark base voice is another track in which Yuvan Shankar Raja has done justice in creating music capturing the violent theme of the film.

However, tracks like, Survival of the fittest, the instrumental theme song of the film, for instance comes across as pretentious and I am sure have been generously inspired (plagiarised?) from Hollywood themes. While these instrumental pieces definitely sound good the listener is left wondering about how original they are. For the uninitiated nenjodu kalandire was partially lifted from a TheCorrs song called Runaway. Walking through the rainbow the theme song of …Rainbow Colony is supposed to be copied from none other than Ilayaraaja (Yuvan's father!!!)’s BGM for the film Johny. With this kind of history one tends to become a bit sceptical.

My favourite song in the album is oru naalil, which Yuvan has sung himself. It is fresh, melodious and stands out. Full of pathos this song offers na.muthukumar, the lyricist the scope to showcase his talents as a poet. Pul pesum, poo peesum is a gana pattu types, probably set in a similar situation to the sapno me milte hai song in Ram Gopal Varma’s Satya.Fast paced and peppy the song is sure to follow the success of thi pidika, an earlier Yuvan song in the same style.

The OST concept is new here and must be embraced . There is not a single song in the soundtrack, which can deteriorate into a duet on screen. I am pretty sure that only one or two of them will appear as full-fledged songs in the film. In the past Selvaraghavan has got Yuvan to give his best and with Pudupettai the tradition continues. The music promo’s claim to bring “world music at your doorsteps”. Regarding that I am afraid I have to disagree. I thought I would finish with these provocative lyrics from the yenga area song -

Hey Padicha Naaye Kitta Varathey

Enga Area Ulla Varaathey !!

A/C Potta Bathroomil Enna Varum Ponga

Thandavaalam Kitta Othunguvom Naanga

Nethu Vecha Meenkozhambu Kaathula Pesum

Malli Poovum Inga Pootha Meen Vaasam Veesum !!

lyrics source - lazygeek.net

My Rating of the soundtrack - * * * out of * * * * *

Splendor Of Our Boyhood

It finally happened at 4.45 last Saturday evening. The boy wonder who we all grew up idolizing reached the summit of the cricketing world by becoming the leading centurion in test cricket. The last couple of days have been full of how it shall be asked for eternity, where you were when Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, the cricketing monarch of India, took another giant leap towards immortality. Well, I was at work and around five I got a call from my father who told me that Sachin had just scored the 35th ton. I found it hard to control the tears of joy, which were threatening to pour. Millions of fathers, sons, friends, and fans of Sachin must have rejoiced similarly as they shared the glad tiding of Sachin’s feat. The curly haired, chubby teenager, had just done what he was prophesied to do all those years ago. Is Sachin Tendulkar the greatest cricketer of his era? I guess Lara and Warne have a few inches lead over him in that race. Is he the greatest player India has ever produced? No, a certain Kapil Dev Nikhanj holds that honour. Then what exactly makes Sachin such a hero to so many of us? Putting it simply, for an entire generation of us who grew up in the 90's he was the splendor of our boyhoods. Is it possible to put a prize tag over the countless moments of joy that he gave us with the majesty of his batting? Even the most die-hard Tendulkar fan knows in his heart of hearts that Sachin is past his best days. I don’t see his career stretching much beyond the 2007 world cup. Cricket pundits are sitting and hairsplitting about how he was never a great match winner like the Viv Richards and Dennis Lilee’s of the game. I would like to point out to them that Sachin did not have the privilege of being in near invincible teams like those gentlemen. For most of his career he had to play under the atrocious captaincy of Azhar and with a bunch of uninspired teammates. Cricket is not the all-consuming passion it was to me till my late teens. My best of memories of the game are those of the little man from Bombay trashing the best bowling attacks in the world. In a country still resting on laurels from bygone eras, starved of real life hero’s in the present tense in the 90’s, Sachin gave us so much cheer. His appeal and impact is far beyond cricket. He is a national icon who whose worth can be summed up in one word. Priceless.

Tavamai Tavamirunde Cast – RajKiran, Saranya, Cheran Written & Directed by - Cheran Tavamai Tavamirunde is a flat out masterpiece. It is the story whose fulcrum is the relationship between a father and his two sons. Muthiah (Raj Kiran) runs a printing press in a small town. Despite several hardships he brings up his sons along with his wife (Saranya) without knowing the hardships of life. As the sons grow up various incidents lead them to drift away from their father. How their lives unfold and how their father reacts to the situations forms the crux of the tale. The thing about …. Tavamirunde is that every single scene and character is unforgettable. Whether it is the deaf helper who works in Muthiah's press or Muthaih himself, who is the pivot of the film, every character is sensitively etched. The authenticity with which the situations are portrayed is such that only one who knows the milieu can depict it as such. No one other than Barathiraja has managed to portray the Tamil heartland and its people with so much of love, sensitivity and realism as Cheran. Rajkiran comes up with a performance, which according to me is on par with Sivaji’s in Mudal Mariadai.His underplayed performance in some of the scenes, for instance the one in which he is informed by a police officer that his elder son was among those boys caught visiting prostitutes, is just right and never deteriorates to overacting. Some incidents in the second half could have been portrayed a trifle less melodramatically. The weakest link of the movie performance wise is Cheran himself who plays the role of Ramalingam, Muthaih’s younger son. His bursts into tears are sometimes unnecessary and it is obvious that acting is not his cup of tea. In the final analysis …Tavamirunde is without doubt one of the all time great Tamil films. It is a tearjerker, which will give you the proverbial goose bumps. Like good old Pasamalar, which my grandmother’s generation keeps raving about this film, will be eulogised for a long time to come. Like 16 Vayadinile and Arangetram …Tavamirunde is one of the defining films of Tamil cinema. It reaffirms my belief that Cheran is a potentially great filmmaker and the best thing to have happened to Tamil cinema in ages. My Rating of the film - * * * * * out of * * * * *

"The Raaja still reigns supreme" – The Hindu

Celebrating 30 Years Of Isaigyani Ilayaraaja Some days back this boy called Ajit mailed me the URL of his blog dedicated to music. He had said there were some pictures of, and write-ups on Raaja sir. Naturally I was excited and landed up there. The absolute euphoria I felt on reaching there can be compared to the paravasam of Guna in the song partha vizhi. His site is a virtual eulogy to our panaipurathu raja. The immediate Friday review following the October 16th concert of Raaja carried a review by Malathi Rangarajan called “The Raaja Still Reigns Supreme”. What touched me most about the review is that it was like one written by a fellow fanatic fan of Ilayaraaja.Very few articles by ‘professional’ writers escape the trappings of moribund, wannabe ‘objectivity’. This one was a rare exception. 2006 marks 30 years since The Anakili Revolution when Raaja first burst onto the scene and changed the landscape of Indian music for eternity. I was planning to start the fireworks a little later. After reading Ajit’s blog and The Hindu write up I have decided to declare the tiruvila open right here, right now! I have also decided that I will do a short 10 – 15 minutes documentary film on Raaja sir sometime in the course of the coming year. The other day I went to Besant Nagar beach. I was humming anda naal nyabagam,vandade kanmani, when I got on to an auto. The autokaran’s radio was tunned onto to an FM station ,and would you believe it, a few moments later the song was played! I felt like a little kid who had just got his favorite chocolate! There is this song from Forrest Gump called turn, turn, turn that basically talks of how there is a time for each and every thing. Well, now is the time to celebrate Raaja, the real Jonathan Livingston Seagull in our midst. May the festivities begin!

As Grey As It Gets

My Favorite Movie Psycho’s Robbin Williams(Above) in a still from One Hour Photo

Character - Norman Bates (Antony Perkins) Film – Psycho Director – Alfred Hitchcock The granddaddy of all psychos he became synonymous with the word psychopath. He is in my list because, the shower and the basement scenes aside, this mellow character is as much a victim of ‚ “mother’’ as the other victims. After hearing for years how scary this film was I finally caught up with Norman, along with Kanishkaa when I was in my 1st year of college. More than scared I was disturbed by Norman's character. But I must admit the scene in which, “mother’’ reveals herself in her entirety gave me cramps in my stomoch. Character - Forgot his name (Kamal Hassan) Film – Sigappu Rojakkal Director – Barathiraja This misogynist, who seduces and kills women, burying them in his garden,planting a rose plant above each victim, redefined how a mentally deranged person is portrayed in Tamil films. This seemingly sophisticated character unfolds as the movie proceeds and we see snippets of insanity. Especially the videos of him murdering women which he records for his godfather to see is spooky ( Barathiraja has used a technique for these short scenes, later used in Blair Witch Project ). We are given a wider look at this character’s psychological profile when Sridevi discovers a room in the outhouse whose walls are scribbled with his story. And the finale in which the movie ends with Kamal as a prison inmate staring at the camera (audience) with a blank, melancholic look on his face is sheer class. Character - Sy Parrish (Robin Williams) Film – One Hour Photo Director – Mark Romanek

This lonely photo developer working in a supermarket who stalks, and in his mind becomes a member of a family, is the dark horse on my list. This relatively lesser-known film has Robin Williams in a role totally opposite to his showman like persona in most films. The spookiest scene according to me was one in which Sy is watching TV in a room in his house and the camera slowly starts focusing on a wall – the wall is filled with pictures of the family of 3(husband, wife and son) he stalks. He considers himself as, “uncle Sy’’ to Jake, the couple’s son. Misguided and in a screwed up way, well meaning ,Sy Parrish is as gray as it gets. Character – Vinod (Dhanush) Film – Kadhal Konden Director – Selvaraghavan Vinod is what I would call a psycho by default. Scarred by abuse and pain from childhood Vinod grows up like Oliver Twist. Adam teased in his college and treated as an outcast he becomes over possessive about Divya the only friend he has had in years. Though one sees shades of imbalance in him it is only in the latter half does the director reveal that Vinod is mentally ill. There is a scene in which the police find the corpse of a bar dancer (a nymphomaniac who tries to seduce Vinod) in his room. The setting is shifted at this point to a hilly area ( we now realize he has kidnapped Divya ), where Vinod is dancing with tribals to the tune of the famous kadhal konden theme song. That totally takes you by surprise and hits you on the face. Innocent and yet dangerous, he is a bundle of, a plethora of emotions. I read somewhere that the Vinod character was inspired by a similar one in some German film called Klassenfahrt (The School trip). That was bit of a dampener though. Afterword – I have always preferred psycho’s like those above who are victims as much as victimisers. They are normal humans driven over the edge by circumstances. It is this that fascinates me about them. I frankly find Hannibal Lecter kind of characters who, “kill for pleasure’’ depraved and sadistic. They are evil by choice and meant to give you cheapkicks. None of my favorite psycho’s above fall into this genre.

Outrageous Hypocrites

"Our society should liberate itself from the ideas such as the one that women should have their virginity intact when getting married. No educated man will expect the woman he marries to be a virgin." – Kushboo 'Tamil Protection Movement' led by PMK seems convinced that we must become a Talibanesque society. The above statement is supposedly "against our culture” and some jobless idiots filed a defamation suit against Kushboo. Instead of poking fun at the petitioners the local court in Mettur issued a warrant against her and now she is out on bail. Atleast she did not commit a non-bailable crime! While it is obvious that the politicians are using the situation to gain mileage, I am shocked at how majority of people have responded. Especially the reaction of a section of the dalit womenfolk here is atrocious. Instead of celebrating Kushboo’s statement as a small step towards genuine emancipation for Tamil women we have women’s groups in Madurai holding public demonstrations against her! Even here in Madras a lot of supposedly forward thinking people seem to have taken offence to her remarks. I want to ask them – what is this great Indian culture you are trying to preserve? Did the sculptures in Kajuraho dating from a much earlier period rise from thin air? Where did this book called Kamasutra, which the west embraced, originate from? Who the hell are you to decide what other men and women should say and do? I hope they know this whole thing of moral policing of women came with the Mughal and British invasions of India. Do I need to even go into the lusty pursuits of household Indian mythological heroes? I know that what Kushboo said is representative of a substantial number of people, especially young women in our city. And if most men and some women in our state have a problem accepting this TOO BAD! When you see a matrimonial add where the groom in waiting seeks “a fair, homely, ________(the blank is filled with the caste name) girl, with an attractive slim body, who does not want to work" the word vulgar takes on a whole new meaning. These atrocious fools get away with BULL**** like that while Kushboo is being harassed for speaking out on behalf of urban Indian women. For the first time in my life I feel ashamed to say that I am a resident of Madras. A Madras where a woman cant speak her mind out. I support Kushboo in her hour of need and so must you.

The Rain and the Opposition

It has been a mad fortnight. Our house got flooded once and barely escaped a couple of days back. Last week when the water came in it got so bad that my sister floated paper boats across my room! I almost felt like Gabriel Oak of Far From The Madding Crowd!!! Man is a helpless bystander in the wake of nature’s fury. Literally. But over the last few days it is not the floods which has bothered me the most. The political opportunism of the main opposition party of this state has got me plain repulsed. I think the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu has dealt with the crisis affecting the state very appropriately and efficiently given the circumstance. Efforts are being made to provide adequate relief to those people most adversely affected by the flood. The electricity board in the city immediately cut power in all areas where chances of electrocution were high and yet ensured that safer areas had power supply. I am not very sure about other parts of the state, but at least here in Madras, victims mainly in northern parts, are being taken care of well. Instead of standing by the government in this time of crisis, the opposition party is busy making use of the situation to score brownie points and manipulate the public opinion especially through ‘news reports’ aired in its mouthpiece TV channel. Shame on you guys! You cannot sink lower! During any natural disaster fatalities are inevitable. Aparently the stampede in a relief camp on Sunday was in some absurd way the Chief Minister Jayalalitha’s fault! Anyone with a modicum of sense will know that when several people have been displaced and left without food and shelter they get desparate. In this case their desperation unfortunately led to the death of 6 women killed when several people scampered for rice and clothes, which were being distributed. I am by no means saying that the current state government is above censure. Its excesses especially during the current Chief Minister’s 1st term in office are public knowledge. But as far as the current crisis is concerned they have managed the situation very well. For some unfathomable reason Madras has always been a stronghold of the opposition party. I sincerely hope that the shameless way in which these guys have been spreading false rumors ensures that a few more people from our city vote against the rising sun during the assembly elections this year. My friend Punter(Shankar) has started a blog!Do visit it by clicking here! ---------- K.R.Narayanan(1920-2005) Former President of India May his soul rest in peace

Adhu Oru Kanakalam Starring – Dhanush,Delhi Ganesh,Priyamani,Talaivasal Vijay,Kalairani Music – Ilayaraaja Cinematography and Direction – Balu Mahendra People who have read my write up This Year’s That Movie will know just how much I was looking forward to watching Adhu Oru Kanakalam.Maybe because I expected too much I was a little disappointed by the film. It’s a good film no doubt, but it is not the masterpiece I expected. The film starts with a convict, Srinivasan (Dhanush), also called Chenu, escaping and hitchhiking upto Otty in a lorry. He narrates his story to the sympathetic lorry driver. Chenu is a middleclass boy who is unemployed after his graduation leading a carefree existence. He falls in love with his childhood friend Thulasi (Priyamani) who is the servant maid’s daughter, when his parents are not in town. Expectedly his father is averse to his having an affair with the girl. One day Cheenu and his friends who are drunk and driving crash into a police jeep and are arrested. A homosexual inmate harasses Chenu and the latter hits him and ends up accidentally killing him and is sentenced to 10 years in jail. While in jail he has to endure several hardships and his mother dies. Having promised Thulasi that he will marry her he escapes when he gets an opportunity. With the police hot on his heels what happens to Chenu? I found the climax and conclusion of the film uninspired and tame. Dhanush and Priyamani have emoted so well that they have lived as the characters. Dhanush’s eyes have this wonderful ability to express every kind of feeling and remind me of Sarita (you will know what I mean if you have seen Agnisakshi). Balu Mahendra scores in his cinematography especially in the scene in which Cheenu jumps from atop a cliff and he has captured the waterfalls beautifully. Ilayaraaja’s songs and BGM blend perfectly with the storyline as usual. Though Mahendra has made a film which is touching, pristine and simple, the viewer is left with a sense of deja vu. Its is also sad that the veteran director still feels it necessary to include an item number to pamper the frontbenchers. But that aside …Kanakalam is a very watchable film and better than any other Tamil film which has come out this year. My Rating – * * * out of * * * * * You can read Srivatsan's review by clicking here

Gay People And Us

Quentin Crisp (above) whom Sting immortalised in his song Englishman in Newyork

A few months back while watching a film at Satyam,I saw this guy carrying a handbag, wearing jeans,a girls shirt ,dupetta and glass bangles .Obviously he was gay and I was a little shocked and instinctively repulsed. I kept starring at him in curiosity. Later I realized it’s like treating him like a specimen in a lab and felt guilty about it. A lot of the other people around were staring at him as well and I don’t blame them. We are a conservative city and someone openly admitting without shame that they are gay, which is what this man had done by the way he had dressed, is something that scandalizes us. Whenever I have thought of this incident one thing that strikes me is the tremendous guts it must have taken to come out of the closet about something, which is still considered very unacceptable in our society. There is this song by Sting called Englishman in New York. It is about a gay Brit called Quentin Crisp who in England in the 1930s, which was still under a major Victorian hangover, was a self-confessed homosexual. After being treated as an outcast he moved to New York in the last years of his life, where he was much happier. The plight of gays in India is similar to what it would have been in England in the 1930s.On this reality chat show called Kadaialla Nijam, which used to come on Vijay TV sometime back, this person who was a gay and lesbian rights activist spoke about how there are a substantial number of these people in our city and how they face disapproval and scorn wherever they go. He was talking about how they have to hide what they are, fearing how people may react to them. I think we should all realize that how much ever absurd the idea of same sex couples and attractions might be to us it is something which seems natural to these people. While we have a right to say that we don’t want to have anything to do with them, we have no business passing value judgments on them. We have a right to keep away, but we are nobody to mock, scorn, and ridicule them or call them evil or perverted. The genaralisation that gays try and harass us is being unfair to them. Just like there are men who rape women there may be gay folk who might make a pass at and abuse others. Just like rapists such gays deserve no pity and must be made to pay for their crime. But ostracizing their whole community for this is barbarian.

The situation of the guy I saw at the cinema house is not dissimilar to that of the defiant British gentleman who lived his life without compromise. “It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile, Be yourself no matter what they say.’’-These lines from Sting’s song convey the amazing defiance amdist unthinkable adversity shown by Quentin Crisp, and all people like him who have choosen to live life the way they want to, despite of being thought of as abnormal and wierd . Of course it is not easy for us to accept these people.But lets us respect their way of life and try to be tolerant to them.

If You Witness An Accident

Accident Relief Force provides round the clock service for victims of accidents. If you happen to witness one please do take the effort and call 044-52077777, which is their help line. Due to some of the legal formalities involved we think twice before helping out those unfortunate to have met with an accident. ARF makes our job easier. All we need to do if we see an accident is call their help line and give the details like where it has taken place so that they can reach the scene and take charge of the situation. Once ARF arrives on the scene they take care of admitting the person/s to a hospital, informing their kin and registering the case with the cops. ARF does not take remuneration for these services. They also have an insurance scheme to which you can subscribe to by paying Rs.390 per annum. If you are in Madras make a note of this number.Bringing the situation to ARF’s notice if we see an accident is basic humaneness and something we owe our fellow citizens. Source - Prabu Karthik expertdabbler.blogspot.com

The King Performs

An instrumental version of paruvame was being played on the speakers as we entered the gates of the Nehru Indoor stadium. After taking our seats the wait for Raaja sir’s entry was really exciting. And then a door opened slowly on top of the stage and we got our first glimpse of Raaja surrounded by little kids. As he started coming down the steps crackers started flying and he started singing janane janane. The King had arrived and we his fans went berserk as Raaja bowed to us in acknowledgment of the applause. And thru the show Raaja was at his spectacular best. His own unique style of conducting the show like for instance, stopping in the middle of a song to correct his orchestra players, was fabulous, in its sheer novelty. The singing demonstration of different folks songs, handed over by word of mouth from generation to generation, was scintillating. The grandeur of the orchestration for songs like sundari kannal oru seidi really came thru listening to them live. While a lot of the singers like SPB,Hariharan,Chitra,Jayachandra or even Mano sang really well, listening to Sreya Ghosal singing live was a huge dampener. She totally spoilt songs like elangatru vesude by skipping whole lines and mispronouncing the rest, and left me feeling she does not deserve to be in the same stage as Isaignani Ilayaraaja.Some of the celebrities speaking between songs, especially Barathiraja, were really irritating. It would have been nice if Raaja had performed songs from Nothing but Wind or How to Name It. Certain joys in life cannot be put in words. The privilege of watching Raaja sir perform is one of them. What makes Ilayaraaja so special for so many of us? I have for a while been trying to figure out the answer to this. I think it lies in the fact that there are very few things and people in our lives, which are a constant and always there to comfort us. My immediate family, those precious people who are my close friends, and Raaja’s enduring music are those invaluable things in my life, which I would call permanent.