MIND MUNCH......mmm!

The Slum'dog' that roared!

2009-02-25T14:16:00.007-04:00

Slumdog Millionaire swept 8 oscars and the world off it's feet. Personally i liked the movie though i dont know if it really deserved ALL of those awards, but i'm very happy nevertheless. My idol AR Rahman won 2 oscars! WOW, this he richly deserves. I dont see it as an award for his particular composition for slumdog but as a reward for his 16 years of dedication & perseverance in film music. Now coming to the controversies and debates:

1) SLUMDOG depicts a filthy India highlighting only it's shortcomings

When u make movies set in a particular region (other than the 'developed' world) , the international audience sometimes needs to be shocked. Since the movie is to be a powerful drama , what better setting to have than place the protagonist in the most scary and adverse conditions and chart his upward course to victory. Its an eons old movie formula worldwide. Tell me if you would really care if a millionaire became richer by winning a game show.And frankly, are the scenes depicted not all true? We can lament about the depiction in the movie, the day the situation shown in it no more exists. period. Even our own Indian movies show blood thirsty villains, women being raped, parents violently opposing lovers, politicians completely corrupt etc etc etc! Why didn't we complain then? So we can openly comment on our shortcomings amongst ourselves but oh lord don't let the others know. hypocrisy. Ram Gopal Varma and Maniratnam made movies on the underworld. 'Nayagan' was even selected in TIME magazine's top 100 movies list. so we ban all these people because they 'exposed' a shameful face of our country? And my dear critics , why blame Danny Boyle? The original story idea germinated in an INDIAN Vikas Swaroop's mind. lets all burn his effigy. 'Salaam Bombay' and 'Traffic Signal' were movies made on similar subjects by Indians. Why were they accepted?.

2) India celebrating a British film's Oscar victory

This would have made sense if there was no Indian effort involved in this movie. For heaven's sake 2 Indians won 3 awards that night. Shouldn't we be proud? The movie is British in production terms but Indian in soul. Weren't we happy with the 'Gandhi' success in 1982 since it depicted our greatest modern times leader? The lives of our own neglected fellow citizens were put under the spotlight and worldwide audiences empathized with them , shared their joys and sorrows. So whats wrong? I'm extremely proud of Rahman and Pookutty and very happy for them.

3) We get obsessed about an American award ceremony

People, plz try to remember who invented movies! Who have been responsible for the creation of all most all of the industry's technology. Who have given the world masterpieces in almost every genre. Hollywood. So when an academy based there rewards our country's work, isn't it a matter of pride? I agree not all their selections were great and not all our movies which didn't get selected, bad. But a recognition from them is nevertheless reason for joy. Tamil/Telugu directors want to make Hindi movies. This is not because they hate their regional fields. This is because they want to showcase their work to a wider audience and earn appreciation. Same goes for us striving to get international recognition for our movies. What is wrong with that? Some movies are formulaic masala entertainers made to entertain the hardworking people from the lower strata of society. Some are uplifting 'Art' cinema for 'mature' wine sipping film connoisseurs. And some are movies formatted for international audiences satisfying Oscar formulas. I don't think anything is wrong with that! In fact I would not like the lack of variety in movies.

So anyway, I liked the movie while acknowledging it is not a masterpiece and I'm extremely happy about AR Rahman and Resul Pookutty winning the Academy awards. JAI HO!

PS: The song is America's new Macarena!!! :)!

Time to act yet?

2008-12-03T11:26:00.004-04:00

Initially the images splashed on CNN seemed like one of the umpteen number of terror attacks that have been happening in India and abroad. Note the tone of this sentence which described my thoughts. 'one more amongst the many'! Pathetic but anyway..!As the hours passed, I realized this was not just another attack. It slowly dawned upon me that this was much larger. The emotions i was feeling had visited me before. A September morning 7 years ago. As i watched the terror unfold, I was still hopeful of a speedy end. Nothing in the world at that moment would have convinced me that this was going to be just the beginning for 3 days of urban horror! What happened during the 3 days was absolutely eclipsed by the magnitude of emotions the incident had stirred up. We didn't read the newspaper, sigh in despair and go on our way. We did resume our daily duties but only after an explosion of frustration pent up in our bodies for long. Intelligence inputs ignored, antique rifles and faulty bullet proof vests for the police, Lackluster transport for NSG commandos making them 9 hours late......! What the heck is going on? Did institutions like RAW, army, navy etc fail or our 'elite' babus just were too wrapped up in their vanity to even pay heed to the warnings? I'm tired of words of bravado after every such horrific incident! 'We severely condemn this', 'we warn pakistan', 'India will be back', 'Nothing will stop this'! Bullshit! When will we ever act? and if someone acts it'll be hindu fundamentalists slaughtering innocents! Dont we have the guts to fight these misguided blood mongering vampires? Dont we have the resources?A nation of 1 billion could just watch in horror as a handful 20 something kids held an entire city ransom! can you believe that? Bangladesh army tortures returns mutilated indian jawans' bodies. What do we do? 'We severely condemn this'! A brazen attack on our nation's parliament which is supposedly under 'extreme security'! What do we do? 'Pakistan has a hand in it'! How the f--- did we even allow this? Why are we a reactive nation? Why cant we be proactive? in everything including sports!!We jump with the 'Damn Pakistan' slogan almost instantaneously! No doubt most of our terror originates there. But are the politicians masking their own ineptness by firing accusations left and right at them? They have shamed us in front of the world as a nation which just delivers dramatic dialogues while watching it's people perish. If it had been the US or Israel , the terrorists would have 'martyred' faster than they can spell Osama Bin Laden! India is ofcourse a soft target. We seldom react! We're a slumbering kumbhakarna! Just good for our IT, curry and Bollywood! Damn us! I understand we all equally deserve the blame. But taking cricket analogy, selectors can select the players, it is upto the guys to perform on the field. If we keep repeating failed selections though it entirely our fault. I hope we wake up before some more innocent people lose their precious lives!

India - Australian for fear

2008-11-20T11:29:00.002-04:00

Earlier this year despite several controversies , we came close to toppling the world champs. And now we have done it and in great style too! A 2-0 win over the Aussie side , be it home or away, speaks volumes of the kind of vice grip India had on this series. In fact i thought for once in a zillion years, the Australian side looked like an underdog. Frowns of concern wiped off their trademark smirks. I still love their game but this change of guard they are going through is not exactly going to be a walk in the clouds. Other than Katich's form and Krejza's crazy debut, there was little consolation for Australia, despite sparks of brilliance from Ponting and Hussey. We literally had them on the ropes in Mohali after the trademark indifferent opener in Bangalore. Ganguly's final test ton added to the significance. Our terrific Delhi opening pair, Dhoni's punishing form and Amit's fantastic debut (finally a worthy successor for Kumble unlike the ordinary Piyush) ensured a convincing win. In Delhi Gambhir and Laxman's double whammy double centuries threatened Aussies' reputation like never before. Thanks to a well timed revival in the Aussie batting led by Clarke, they staved off the threat for a draw. Kumble competed directly with his replacement Mishra and came off looking the lesser of the two. A great career came to an abrupt end with an injury. But he like Ganguly had chosen the right series to retire in. Nothing bigger than this! After a totally unnecessary clash with Watson (not for one second did i believe it was an accident when i saw the video), Gambhir got a one match ban. It is high time we learn to play aggressively like the aussies rather than trying to mimic their behavior. The ban was absolutely justified in my opinion despite the immature appeal that BCCI put up. This paved way for not Jaffer or Chopra but surprise surprise Murali Vijay from Tamil Nadu. He has been in the domestic headlines for the last 2 years but none would have imagined his super fast sprint into the squad that too in such an important series. To all the people who question his selection and attribute to the presence of Srikkanth as chair of the section committee, How many people voiced their concern when for decades , even rubbish players from Mumbai inexplicably keep making it to the Indian squad? There was also a Karnataka wave when as many as 6 players including sundries like Dodda Ganesh, David Jhonson & Somasunder were picked for one series. Did any think about the Srirams, Sharaths and Vasus who were lost into the oblivion meanwhile. Badri had to endure an agonizingly long wait for his place after tons of runs in the domestic circuit. Anyway M Vijay did enough to silence the critics with his assured handling of the Aussie attack however weaker they were compared to their former world class levels. He did not score a fifty but was involved in opening stands of 98 and 116 with Sehwag and there were absolutely no play and misses or nervous edges despite this being his extremely high pressure debut. For once the selectors displayed some sense , picking somebody who is in terrific form as of that moment. Sachin's classy ton and the crucial Dhoni-Harbhajan century stand helped to get into a great position and the spinners delivered the final blow. Dhoni's 8-1 field was widely criticized but he put it down to what the Aussies have been saying for past 2 decades, "We play hard to win. Nothing else counts"! Ponting drew flak for his use of part time bowlers to increase the over rate but i wouldn't blame him. He could have played hard to win too but would have openly flouted ICC guidelines. Why have the guidelines and punishments if they are never meant to be followed? At the end of an extremely satisfying series, i actually pitied the aussies. I pity the englishmen more. As i write they are 3-0 down in the one day series. Waiting for the Ashes!

Obama....Obama!

2008-11-06T12:04:00.004-04:00

One name has dominated world news over the past year or so! Barrack Obama! The previously little known Democratic Illinois Senator is now the first African American president of the United States. His calm and confident persona has generated a wave of passion amongst people not only in the US but abroad too. He has become a youth icon, a symbol of the black civil rights movement in America & a face for change! It is unbelievable the kind of fervor this guy has generated. It might be partly due to the fact that he is an african american running for the highest office in a country which once had a brutal civil war over the issue of slavery and home to one of the world's most notorious white supremacist organizations. It might also be due to the reason that he was a democrat promising change in the wake of a hugely unpopular Republican Bush regime what with the exhausting wars and the bleeding economy. Or it might be simply due to his composed persona, oratorical prowess or just his age. In a country which has long been preaching morals to the rest of the world, the election of Obama is a significant step in proving to the world that they mean what they say! No other president could evoke this widespread euphoria in the remote corners of the world as he did. In a way his success has been taken as a glimmer of hope for minorities under oppression all over the world. But for the US, more than that , he is being seen as a person who could turn the fortunes for his country and once again make them the nation everybody looks upto. Part of his success may also be due to Bush's unpopularity rubbing off on the republican challenger , McCain's own age, Sarah Palin's guffaws on national television etc. But there is no underestimating Obama's achievement. He has pulled the youth junta to the politics realm again. I have not seen youngsters celebrate wildly in clubs for a presidential election result before , in any country. Whether he is successful in office or not, he has proved that America is definitely a land of equal opportunity. Hope there is a revival of interest in politics in India too and someone young and dynamic comes to the fore to wash off the dirty impressions of a politician! I think we the people can pull off such a revival! YES WE CAN!

Dasavatharam - Not quite bang on target!

2008-06-17T11:46:00.008-04:00

Being an ardent Kamal fan, i just couldn't wait any longer to watch his 'magnum opus' Dasavatharam. The hype surrounding the movie was incredible, I would say much more than Sivaji! i grabbed my opening weekend tickets and rushed off to witness the spectacle in NJ. The opening scenes of the movie set in the 12th century had me drooling for more. But what followed didn't have me spellbound! Well, I did enjoy the fast paced movie, but certainly didn't think it was a masterpiece worth the hype. The movie did not have a complex intriguing story line. A few characters of Kamal (tall muslim, grandma, Avtar singh, japanese) either reminded me of Avvai Shanmugi or looked like a facial plastic surgery gone terribly wrong. Totally unnecessary! The much talked about graphics component, touted as hollywood-esque, maybe be better than some Indian movies but just not top notch. More important than any of this, the movie lacked that powerful drive home point! Too many messages inundated with kamal's now tiring atheist tirades with none making an impact on the viewer. 'Anbe Sivam' was much subtler but just rammed it's message straight into your heart. It happens very few times that I return from a movie and just don't know what opinion to form of it. Kamal's body language especially as the menacing Fletcher and the hilarious Balram Naidu were exceptional. The stunt sequences were remarkably choreographed. The 12th century piece was visually captivating. It was thoroughly enjoyable as a commercial entertainer but failed as a landmark Kamal movie. You would expect his movies (except his comedy capers) to seize you into the moment , silence you, torment you, enlighten you & elate you! You expect them to shake your very elementary bearings! But sadly nothing of that sort happened. No doubt, Kamal has gone through strenuous efforts to make this movie, be it exorbitant make-up or encompassing extreme characters. But at the end of the movie, u feel that maybe a less superlative effort would have still yielded the same result. Believe me , i would prefer Anbe Sivam's injury deformed asymmetric face any day to khalif's molten face! The 'Chaos Theory'/'Butterfly effect' concept are trend setting in Indian Cinema. But they were better portrayed i thought in the Ashton Kutcher movie 'The Butterfly Effect' though in a lighter sense. The Ranganthan idol causing the Tsunami sounds pretty lame even though that is the intent of the theory, that insignificant actions may cause extreme reactions. ATleast that is what most people think loudly on their blogs. Infact lot of people have gone through great pains to delve into less known abstract concepts to explain the movie! I tried deducing the movie from a positive perspective and this is what i got:

I think it is safe to assume that parallels are drawn between the 12th century priest Rangaraja Nambi and the modern day scientist Govindaraja Naicker. They are the main protagonists. Similarly we can do the same to link the antagonists. We have king Kulothunga Chola from the past and the institution behind Fletcher or the US government headed by Bush. Both Rangaraja and Govind have strong beliefs of their own. While Rangaraja believes that Lord Vishnu is the divine power who guides everything on earth, Govind believes science is something which should be used to serve humanity rather than creating weapons of destruction. Both antagonists differed with these beliefs. While Kulothunga believed there is no other divine power other than Shiva and his forms, Bush believed science could be used to destroy human life if it is considered a threat. Now Rangaraja perishes in his quest to preserve his belief while Govind succeeds in proving his. Rangaraja is a man who believes in a supreme form (God) while Govind believes in a supreme power (nature)! The essence of the film might be what is evident in the climax. Nature , symbolized by the Tsunami, suppressed the human actions and declared it's supremacy over us mortals! While it dumped tons of NaCl to negate the bio weapon, it also returned the 12th century idol to the land where it belongs! Thus it culminated both good protagonists' efforts to counter the antagonists' evil designs. The 'Chaos theory' concept not only existed within the modern times which involved the various characters and their effects on each other leading to a series of events. It is also signified by the correlation and hence implicit interaction between events separated by centuries of time. The cycle of life is also emphasized!

Phew! That was the best i could do! At the end of the movie, the dumb felicitaion function, KS Ravikumar's dance, Bullets taking cancer cells with them, Govind's stale rants against superstitions/castes, too many messages relating to religious, humane and environmental spheres, partially awful make-up/ cheap graphics and a blatantly immodest song singing Kamal's praises spoiled the entire experience! What could have been a landmark effort by the legendary thespian, fell short and just managed to be a decent commercial entertainer! Hope 'Marmayogi' really quenches our creative thirsts! BTW , i still remain a die hard Kamalian, despite Aazhavanthan, Mumbai Express & Dasavataram!;)!

Cricket fever - 100 degrees and rising...

2008-06-11T12:54:00.004-04:00

back to blogging after a long break! wonder how guys in the movies maintain huge red diaries with every day of their 'colorful' lives captured complete with special effects, fights , duets and those deadly secrets including their most heinous crimes described in graphic detail!!! Well over the past couple of months, one thing which has ruled my body and soul (outside of family ofcourse ;)) has been CRICKET! The IPL mania was well worth the wait with spellbinding action. And it was doubly sweet since Chennai Supper Kings, the team i rooted for, made the finals. Rajasthan were definitely the deserving winners though. When i watch the MLB or NFL over here in the US, i always used to wonder how nice it would be to see this sports bar/office talk/jersey touting back in India. IPL did just that. Local rivalries are actually cool. For example, how many times would u meet pakistanis and trash talk cricket with them? Now imagine how many opportunities u'll get bust chops with a mumbaikar or bangalorean! Movie stars, Beers at the pavilion, short games, prime TV coverage and explosive cricket ....what more do ya want? ICL took the first step, but thanks to childish checkmates made by the BCCI, was unable to generate the kind of hype and excitement it's 'official' cousin did. Nevertheless, no cricket fan would complain. the re-emergence of oldies like Jayasuriya and stunning new talent like Shaun Marsh & Yusuf Pathan was unbelievable. My PSBB schoolmate Badri did himself good with a couple of match winning knocks. Also heartening was the way bowlers fought back in this extreme version of a batsman's game.

My highlight picks would be:

* Yusuf Pathan's clinical agression
* Badri's adjustments for T20
* Underdog Rajasthan's resurgence
* Chennai's passionate but extremely sporting crowds
* Gony's amazing bowling
* McCullum's 'Kuthuvizhakku' innings!
* Chepauk's fascinating outfield patterns
* CHEERLEADERSSSSSSSSS..........THEY JUST ROCKED!

Coming out of IPL fever , i walked right into our NJ cricket league one! Sunday cricket with all the elaborate equipment , is the closest we can come to a national team spot contention!:)! But phew, let me tell you something. The IPL guys sure make it look extremely simple. Boy, after 80 overs of heat, i wish there were some cheerleaders to re energize us!!!

Chennai - Growing Pains?

2008-03-17T15:58:00.002-04:00

Back after a visit to the hometown.Hmmm,...i saw a lot of things which didn't really please me. Maybe it is the bane of development. Horrific traffic , roads dug all over, places like T Nagar crowded like hell, construction of fly overs all over the city adding to the traffic woes. The city always known as a small town in the garb of a metro, was really proving to be just that. It is not able to handle the tremendous influx of migrant workers and their families and the sudden spurt in better infrastructure needs. I just wonder how much thought the governing bodies gave to the building of flyovers. Why can't they do it in phases? it is almost like every area in the city has been touched and is non pliable. Usman road especially is a rotten mess, with the crowds for silk saree and jewelery super stores not subsiding a bit. The flyover near the airport is still dragging along, causing a major headache to the scores of fliers commuting. labor and time could have been focussed here as this is more or less the gateway to the city. The airport itself has to improve a lot in terms of access from the plane to the interior lobbies and also passengers service filing in for departure. I was shocked to see the crowds at the airport. It reminded me of kaanum pongal at the Marina! The airport desperately needs expansion and a fresh whiff of beautification, considering the ever rising number of business travelers and tourists. Right now it is immensely clogged and choking to death.On the bright side, the duty free shops with a variety of imported liquor are a welcome addition. :)! Cleanliness also has deteriorated. We have always had trouble areas, but they have increased now. Lack of Civic sense and proper govt. maintained public toilets have made the city one of the largest rest rooms in the country. Political banners, posters and cutouts have besieged the city. I still can't understand the publicity crazed politicians. The once well known green caper in the city has dwindled alarmingly. The most amazing thing I noticed is how once popular restaurants and hangouts are in terrible shape, both ambiance & food wise, thanks to lackluster maintenance. I love local 'kai yendhi bhavans' and fast food stalls, but they have multiplied faster than mosquitoes. Fueling the spurt, are the local wine shops ever brimming with men of all ages right from the crack of dawn. More than the 11pm limit on bars and wine shops, i would prefer say a 'open after 4pm' restriction. This will at least help prevent luring the men from their jobs and necessary daily routines. After maturing over the years from a reckless bike driving college guy to a safe car driving working professional, I realise how much of nuisance, scatter brained, civic sense devoid motorists are. No wonder, a majority of people in the city are suffering from hypertension, stress, respiratory problems and body aches. It is almost like each and everyone is in a hurry somewhere. We should learn from the microscopic brained ants , how to travel in a straight line in order. I know that every city has it's share of woes, but it pains to see the city going downhill. When i was thinking these aloud, many said i was now a spoilt US based brat always looking down upon my country. It is definitely not that. I question why we can't behave like fellow good humans in other better off countries and why we can't emulate our own Indian cities like Hyderabad and Chandigarh which have walked right past us. Hope Chennai's rebellious adolescence phase gets over soon.

Sydney Sickness after the Melbourne Massacre!

2008-01-07T16:47:00.000-04:00

Every Indian cricket fan knows how tough an Australian tour is! Every time you hope the Indian team performs better than last time. But in reality, you are actually bracing yourself for an inevitable super storm. The worst of fears were confirmed in Melbourne. India always has this starting problem on away tours, practice or no practice. It was no different in the first test. A well oiled Australian juggernaut (though less intimidating than the Steve Waugh band of soldiers), ran over the Indian side. Our inexperienced bowling attack was not expected to bother the aussies anyway. But the famed batting lineup folded meekly. The thumping defeat raised fears of a lopsided tour ! But then i remembered...the next venue was Sydney! A favorite hunting ground for Indians, especially Sachin and Laxman. As Dravid continued to bury his head in the ground, Jaffer & Yuvraj were 'guest appearances' at the pitch. But Laxman and Sachin, the SCG darlings, led the Indian resurgence and fought with gumption. Saurav didnt make a ton, but made fighting contributions. But alas, a victory was not to be. Apparently Bucknor and benson, the 2 umpires, flipped a coin and decided to side with the aussies. The circus began:

1. Symonds given not out after a huge nick.
2. Ponting given after not out after another huge one.
3. Ponting given LBW after a huge inside edge.
4. Symonds given not out by the third umpire!@#$%, after a perfect stumping.
5. Symonds stumping not referred to 3rd umpire.
6. Jaffer bowled off a no ball.
7. Symonds given not out again twice.
8. Hussey given not out twice.
9. Dravid given out when bat was no where near ball.
10. laxman given not out when he was plumb in front.
11. Ganguly given out for a grassed catch.

Hmmmmm.....! Umpires are humans and they err sometimes. But these were morons who sometimes get it right. Add to this the 'tough but fair' aussies claim dubious catches and appeal for everything. Wasn't this the very team which cautioned India's excessive appealing once? Harbhajan was reported for calling Symonds a 'monkey'! India countered by reporting Brad Hogg for terming Indians 'bastards'! The shameless aussies say what Hogg said was harmless sledging banter in good humor, while what bhajji said was an extremely personal and demeaning racist slur. Well, if 'bastard' is not personal then i don't know what is. For heaven's sake, against england some time ago, they commented on atherton's wife while he was batting. Thats not abusing. Thats that famous aussie humor! Yeah right! Bhajji got banned for 3 tests despite of no video/audio evidence and umpires having heard anything (but i personally think they were deaf anyway, it didnt matter to them - nicks or abuses!!). How is it that the aussie abuses are always harmless sledging & their excessive appealing is playing tough? They still are the best cricketing side currently. But they definitely are not the 'Angels' of the game, as they perceive themselves to be. India was robbed of atleast a draw, with atleast 300 runs gifted and maybe about 150 runs snatched thanks to umpiring guffaws. Almost all the Australian players claimed it was a great victory despite the 'minor controversies'! 11 horrible decisions - minor? The umpire referring to Ricky Ponting for giving Ganguly out caught - A stroke of genius I must say! How would out justice system be if the scenario was such?

JUDGE: Did u commit the crime?
CRIMINAL: absolutely no.
JUDGE: Taking into consideration the accused's testimony, i declare him to be free! 'JUSTICE IS A GENTLEMAN'S GAME'!

And i almost burst out laughing amidst my furious disappointment, when Ponting said after the game 'I never thought about the 16 in a row record until you mentioned it'! ROTFL!

Being an Indian 2

2007-12-20T16:41:00.000-04:00

From wrongfully venting anger by some to peeing in the pants by others! The Taslima Nasreen issue is truly an embarrassment for the UPA government. "A secular state is a state or country that is officially neutral in matters of religion, neither supporting nor opposing any particular religious beliefs or practices. A secular state also treats all its citizens equally regardless of religion, and does not give preferential treatment for a citizen from a particular religion over other religions." But this government seems to bend to every whimper that a particular organization , claiming to represent a minority, produces. I would have expected the government to stand up to the insane protests by certain biased groups, and assert it's initial move to keep and protect Taslima in Calcutta. But it is evident from recent developments that this is just another spineless bunch of politicians! She is not a terrorist! She is not a criminal! She wrote some anti-islamic stuff( which i think is mere personal opinion - applaud it or condemn it - don't run around hunting for her blood!)! She has also retracted some portions of her book after incessant protests over the years! And she can't lead a normal life in a free democratic country like India? What utter nonsense. Are we really the great democratic nation where everybody's rights (not their outrageous wishes) are respected and protected? Add to this the violent protests and innumerable court cases against actresses expressing their personal opinion about pre-marital sex! it is like we have the freedom of speech as long as we say what some people want to hear! condemning a statement is perfectly fine! But all this effigy burning, violent rallies, lawsuits, 'fatwas' etc? Maybe Saddam's regime was fairer?

Being an Indian

2007-12-07T16:51:00.000-04:00

I was always proud to be an Indian. It always fascinated how such a heterogeneous society survives as a nation despite all differences in language, religion and views! But of late, i've got my doubts if India is the happy 'Unity in Diversity' nation that has always been projected in our textbooks. We have so much hatred in our country! North vs South, Hindu vs Muslim, Tamil vs Kannada, Upper Caste vs Lower Caste and many others! Every nation has it's differences.But the differences in India seem to always cross the words sphere and spill out onto the streets and affect the common man. Politics is not an easy job. Governing a group of people,be it of any size, is a momentous task. But many politicians seem to play petty mud slinging games to garner votes. They don't understand the horrific implications of their words and actions. The Godhra incident is one such example. A train full of innocent people was burnt. It was full of hindus! Till today nobody has effectively proved who did it. But since the victims were Hindus, it was assumed the perpetrators were muslims. Then all hell broke loose. The handful of miscreants , muslim or any other, might still be roaming the earth. But hundreds of innocents had no idea what was going to hit them when an politician brain washed army of saffron came and slaughtered them. Many politicians and educated youth, till date, shamelessly support this action as a fitting reply to the Godhra incident. They think this will silence the islamic militants once for all! What they don't understand is that while the actual terrorists have not been punished , they have successfully turned hordes of innocent people into extremists. They have just played another bloody episode of the vicious circle of violence! We might have to witness many more of these insane retaliations and counter retaliations which will result in huge human casualties. I don't know how the hindutva feel they are any different from blood mongering terrorists like Al Qaeda! The biggest shame is that the people who participated in this crime, are considered to be true guardian angels of Hinduism! Is this what they learnt from the Bhagvad Gita? I think a murderer in any guise is still a criminal! Let him be Hindu or Muslim! I salute all the doctors who save lives regardless of caste, creed, race or religion! Taking lives is very easy. Saving a life is extremely difficult. When you lose respect for a fellow human being's life your religious beliefs & education come to a naught and you cease to exist as a human. Today in our country, we're so busy defending our religion, caste, race, language, community, that we have lost any sense of Indianess! God, whom we don't see, is able evoke such emotions in us which are not stirred a bit looking at our fellow human beings who are very much visible! Why? Like in the movie , 'Apocalypto', THE END OF A CIVILIZATION DOES NOT COME FROM OUTSIDE BUT FROM WITHIN! We have supposedly the most learned civilization on earth! But witnessing these horrors, I'm afraid our golden ages are over!

Sights & Sounds of Deepavali

2007-11-12T16:57:00.000-04:00

Well, it is my 7th straight deepavali in the US! And yes it has never matched the kind of fervor we experience back in India. Every year i crib having missed the New York south seaport fireworks. This year was no exception. Stuffing myself with sweets, i tried to celebrate the festival as much as possible. And of all the things to do, i had to choose Vijay's ATM to watch on the big screen. Unlike in the movie's plot, i did not need the gift of ESP to predict a terrible movie experience. I took the risk anyway and my fears were confirmed. In a way it was funny with all those outrageous stunts and stuff. At the end of the movie, it was like a 10000 wala had just finished bursting inside my head! So there you go, fireworks sans pollution but seriously harmful to your mental health. After this debacle, I slept most of the weekend with the satisfaction of having contributed very little towards global warming by not getting out.

Misbah misses, Dhoni kisses

2007-10-10T09:37:00.000-04:00

So, finally a world championship for India! I really don't care what form of cricket now! Tired of seeing the Aussies grab it all. And what an epic final between the Indus rivals!! The Twenty20 world cup was like a perfectly executed blockbuster script. Great action (BIFF!POW!BANG! with sixes), energetic item dances (cheerleader gyrations), sensational twists in plot (Australia lost 3 games) and a riveting climax (India/Pakistan final) where the hero ultimately won (at least for us Indians!!)! India won both the encounters with Pakistan. In both the games , only one man threatened to take the game away from us - a previously unknown warrior named Misbah. In both the games, he brought the pakis into the game but failed to finish. On the second occasion, it was purely due to a quixotic shot he attempted. At that point, thanks to some very ordinary bowling from Joginder, he already had one hand on the cup and the Indians were getting ready to resign to their fate. This moment reminds me of the last ball six of Javed Miandad. Yes, the results were different. But in both the cases, they depended solely on the batsman and the 21 others were mere spectators! Maybe that is the difference between being brilliant and being almost brilliant. But apart from that moment, India was totally in control throughout the tournament. We were never fancied to become the slam bang champions of cricket. Australia, Sri Lanka and maybe even Pakistan were considered. But definitely not the land of Gavaskar and Dravid. Twenty20 is an amazing concept for marketing the game. 3 hours of this is far more exciting than 3 hours of Baseball! And i think the spate of changes effected upon the One Day game could have been introduced here instead. This form of the game definitely provides the minnows with a glimmer of hope. This doesn't require the patience, temperament, elegance or classical textbook skills that Test matches and to some extent ODIs require. Overall, it was exciting and fun. Mission accomplished - for Indians and the organizers!

A bridge that widens the gap!

2007-09-17T15:29:00.000-04:00

The furore across the nation regarding the sethu samudram project is one instance highlighting the extremities of thought existing in our country today. The UPA claims that Lord Rama never existed and Ramayana is mere fiction. The traditionally atheist dravidian DMK supports this. The hindu fundamentalist BJP and it's allies believe Ramayana is not only a symbol of hindu faith but also a true story with abundant physical evidence. TV, websites and newspapers have been ripped apart with heated arguments and counter arguments! I personally would not side with any of these sides. I believe our perspectives are totally messed up. At one end, we are passionately defending physical evidences for religious beliefs. At the other end , we try to quash all matters of faith by proclaiming there is no god. The believers should try to channel their energies and thoughts towards following the spiritual morals of their religion and the atheists should work towards humanitarian ideals since they are aware of the human existence as opposed to that of god. There is more of questioning each other's beliefs rather than following one's own ideals. Most of our politicians (Islamic fundamentalists, pretentious & seemingly 'moderate' UPA, hindu nationalist BJP/VHP, all opposing communist and caste driven dravidian parties) are mere opportunists! It doesn't really matter what they believe in! It is the struggle for power which they are interested in. As for the Ram Sethu bridge, it's existence or non-existence , has not affected millions of people who have read the Ramayana and understood it's essence. Nor will it in future. How many of us have seen it? Has it ever affected our faith? Religious fundamentalism or atheism should not be reasons to oppose or support the project. My concern would be more from a scientific perspective. Would the destruction of this natural barrier have any ecological/geological effects? I think it would, and that is what has to ascertained. I'm opposed to destroying nature for mere human material gain!

Scintillating Soccer Sorcerers

2007-09-04T16:01:00.000-04:00

India wins an international football tournament! This headline is so simple yet has been so elusive! The resurgence of indian football's blue boys, hopefully, is the beginning of a sporting renaissance in this cricket crazy nation. I was a fervent fan of indian football till I came to the US. After that, due to lack of opportunities for me to watch and enjoy Indian international and domestic games, there has been a steady decline in my interest. This probably was one single major reason for the lack of popular support for the game in our country. Zee Sports has done a commendable job in whipping up this passion once again by injecting a new zing! Far removed from the dull 'Dour'darshan telecasts, Zee has successfully marketed the sport to today's youth. Ofcourse there is more distance to be covered to even provide a semblance of competition to Cricket, but they are right on track. Coming to the Nehru Cup win itself, it was great! After eons, finally our team looked like a well oiled international side worthy of respect. Earlier , we would have minuscule sparks of brilliance but no cohesive plays and good finishes. But now it seems Bob Houghton has been able to train the team to accumulate all the lessons preached by the innumerable coaches who preceded him, and put them to practice. But I should admit, motivation for these players is not easy to get. They entered and survive in this sport, knowing it is regarded as a second class sport in this country. It can't even be compared to Hockey, since hockey is our national sport and we have 8 Olympic golds (though none of them won recently) to show on the international scene! The 'World's most popular sport' tag is the only one keeping it a rung above Volleyball, Basketball, Handball etc. This victory is a fitting tribute to Bhaichung Bhutia, the face of Indian football in the last decade! He achieved that rare endorsement worthy stardom that eluded players like IM Vijayan, Bruno Coutinho and Jo Paul Ancheri! Every sport needs a star to stir support amongst the masses. Dhanraj Pillay for hockey, Limba Ram for archery, Jaspal Rana for shooting, Leander paes & Sania Mirza for Tennis, Prakash Padukone & Gopichand for badminton, PT Usha for athletics, Malleshwari for weightlifting, Geet Sethi for billiards etc etc etc! Bhaichung filled that gap for football. The scores of cash incentives announced after this victory should continue as this will secure the financial futures of the players. Zee Sports' coverage of the National Football League (NFL) , has brought the game out of the traditional enclaves of Bengal, Kerala and Goa. Cue should be taken from the USA, where even little league baseball games are telecast on national networks. Watching sports in a stadium, bar or home should become a major pastime like going to the movies. Hope there are several more such revivals in sports such as Athletics, Boxing, Gymnastics & Swimming.

Jail and Jelly Beans...

2007-08-02T14:16:00.000-04:00

The 1993 Bombay Blasts case has finally come to the verdicts stage. 14 years is a pretty long time. I don't know what slowed the process down....political/judicial red tape or lethargic investigation. I can't believe that it just takes this long to complete an investigation and handout a verdict, since the part of nabbing the accused was over pretty quickly. The time period gives an opportunity to miscreants to distort evidence or harm witnesses. Depiction of the circumstances during the incidents also gets fuzzy. The victims and their kin had to endure this excruciating wait for closure. The common man ignored all the verdicts except one. Sanjay Dutt a.k.a Munnabhai. He got 6 yrs rigorous imprisonment for trying to conceal an illegal weapon. Everybody was so shocked with the verdict, calling it very harsh. But i was happy that he was treated as a regular person and given the sentence his crime deserved. He might be a good and more importantly popular human being with a not-so-long rap sheet.But I think he had no business having the weapon and above all an illegal one. I couldn't think of one possible rational explanation! I just hope this serves as a deterrent to all the ultra rich celebrities who think they can stretch their money power well beyond legal limits. Moving from weapons to wickets, India snapped up a tremendous Test victory at Trent Bridge. The lovely conditions for seam bowling were exploited thoroughly by Zaheer and RP. When they were bowling in tandem, it reminded me of the Srinath/Prasad combo! This is one test in a long long time, that we won purely due to bowling. The batsmen did their bit, but the bowlers really nailed it. This will be named the famous 'Jelly Bean' test thanks to the dumb prank played by the english cricketers. Guess they were just 'spilling the beans' that they had officially 'lost it'!I wonder where their cheerful naughty selves disappear during the Ashes! Hopefully we go on to win this series.

Sivaji The BOSS - (B)ox (O)ffice (S)uper (S)tar

2007-06-22T11:57:00.000-04:00

I was one of the lucky few to catch Rajini's 'Sivaji' the first weekend, here in NJ! ***THOUGHTS JUST BEFORE THE SHOW - Man, it can't get bigger than this. Rajni, Shankar, Rahman! it is going to be soooo different from the other Rajni flicks. innovative story, racy screenplay, awesome visuals and Rajni's new stylish look! ***THOUGHTS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SHOW - hmmmm! usual masala formula. No innovative screenplay. Great visuals but some graphics were a trifle overdone. RAJNI ROCKZZZ! The movie as such was definitely a disappointment considering the tremendous hype and the story being kept under wraps with great difficulty. It was an outright Rajni formula flick with attractive eye candy being the only contribution from Shankar. We all know Rajni's movies are for pure entertainment and not masterpieces. Those who are shocked by the physics defying stunts are just too naive. We need such movies to relax from our already complicated lives. And there are others like Kamalhassan and Manirathnam to provide thought provoking, revolutionary and uplifting cinema. Variety is the spice of life. Rajni as usual plays to the gallery and enthralls his fans. His electrifying screen presence especially in the climax is unmatchable. The first half was definitely a drag. Comedy seems forced into the script, but Vivek props up this section with his own punch dialogues! The scenes involving Rajni and Shreya too were ill scripted and boring. But i've got to say Shankar definitely knows how to project his heroine as the epitome of glamour. She is smokin' hot in the songs. At the interval, i felt a little let down by shankar, the man who provided the engrossing and equally entertaining 'Anniyan'. Now it was left to the superstar to provide an explosive second half... and that he did. The 'Athiradi' song and the mottai boss fight were amazing. Wish the whole movie was like this! Blaaze's rap number at the end was great. at the end of the day, one gets the impression that Shankar played it too safe and tried to preserve the Rajni formula. I respect Manirathnam for making a gripping movie like 'Thalapathy' despite ignoring this same formula. But what shankar achieved was to cater to the tastes of true Rajni fans. Action, Drama, Comedy, Dance!!! The movie displays the highs and lows of technical finesse! As with many of shankar's earlier films, cheap overdose of graphics like the rocket flying into Shriya's home and the drivein theater fight sequence provide a picture quite in contrast to the 'Style' song and the climax fight. The message that he tries to deliver about 'Black Money' gets lost in the sheer frenzy of the Rajni phenomenon. It didn't make an impact anywhere near shankar's earlier movies like 'Mudhalvan' and 'Anniyan'. It seemed like it had to be there to preserve Shankar's trademark. Maybe the director himself felt that too, as he stuffed the ending credits with his novel ideas, rather than let the hero mouth them. My Verdict (if it matters at all) - Does not justify the hype but projects a suave and explosive Rajni! Let the box office be inundated!

PS: Dancing and Shrieking Fans are an integral part of the Rajni film, and you have got to experience it at least once!

Its Rahmania!!!!!!

2007-06-18T11:28:00.000-04:00

Finally finally, a chance to see the 'Mozart of Madras' live in action. The musical genius and his equally talented entourage fired up the passions of thousands of NY area desis. He lives barely a 5 min. walk from my home in Chennai! yet this is the first time i saw him in flesh and blood (though from a few hundred yards away)!The 3 hr traffic congestion ridden drive from jersey to Long Island was really worth it. The moment we reached Nassau Coliseum , we realized the reach of Rahman's music. We could hear a multitude of languages on our way to the entrance. it is true. music transcends barriers! The almost jam packed stadium roared as if on cue, when Rahman appeared for the first time. And then what followed was 3 hours of bliss. There were a few things though which proved to be dampeners. The acoustics were really not worthy of a Rahman concert. Due to last minute changes in the schedule, the troupe had to do a concert in Dallas friday night and perform again Saturday night here in NY.The voices of all the singers sounded strained. And then there were no fireworks.....literally! But despite all this , the kind of energy that flowed amidst the audience more than made up for these! Chanting, Shrieking, tapping, clapping, dancing.....the crowd was alive and kicking! As Rahman was delivering one hindi hit after another, the enormous 'SI-VA-JI' chant thundered! and Rahman yielded. It was pure madness after that! Rahman left out most of his 'staple' hits from movies like 'Lagaan', 'Rangeela', 'Minsara Kanavu', 'AlaiPayuthey', 'Gentleman', 'Kadhalan' ....etc!!!But then u can deliver only so much in 3 hours. Besides, he had to cover his recent hits like 'Guru', 'Sivaji' and 'Rang de Basanti'! He had a generous share of tamil hits to satisfy a big number of tamil fans in the crowd. But if you are a true Rahmaniac like me , you wouldn't care about languages! Blaaze and Sivamani added colour and energy to the show. Neeti with 'Mayya Mayya' left the crowd spell bound. Hariharan did some crazy antics but singing wise he was spot on as usual! Sukhwinder was good but he really has to know when to stop. the white guy with his 'jathi' was awesome!My picks for the best renditions of the night were 'Mayya' and 'Secret of Success'! At the end of the show I wondered if any other musician can cast a spell over the entire cross section of Indians (across languages, regions, musical tastes, age...!)like Rahman did. He is GOD of MUSIC..at least for the current Indian generation!

Howdy Spidey?

2007-05-11T10:12:00.000-04:00

I reluctantly trudged to the cinema to watch spiderman - 3! For me the second installment dulled the hype! Part 2 was more of a 'Karan Johar' type sob saga!Spidey 3, thankfully, had more action. yes there were several melodrama spills along the way, but in the end was my money's worth. The visual effects were as expected stunning. Tobey had to bring his histrionics to the fore in this one without his famed mask. He did a decent job till the climax. The supposedly tear-jerking scenes in the climax though, had the audience in splits!Even TR would have bettered that. He was crying for his friend Harry. It looked more like he was crying for candy snatched out of his hands!Bryce Howard looked stunning with her blond URBAN transformation from 'The Village'! The noises made by the Eddie Brock (Venom) character, was more like he was preparing to spit!The phrase 'Spitting Venom' makes sense! In the end, the movie was not a bad watch. But the spiderman cartoon i used to watch back in India , is still my favorite!

Violence : A way of life?

2007-04-19T20:19:00.000-04:00

Cho had schizophrenia! But what about the hundreds of others who meticulously plan murders for monetary gains, revenge, etc..! How would you classify killing spouses for insurance money, mob hits, armed robberies, prison cell torture and not to forget all the cruel wars! Violence has existed in human brains right through his evolution. Earlier either there were fewer individuals who went over the top or due to the lack of world wide media communication, many went unnoticed. But you would come to expect some progress in human behavior with the aging of civilization. These events seem to suggest otherwise. Terrorists say they have a cause to achieve! Psychopaths say they have suffered social rejection, abuse or isolation! Mobsters say they grew up in brutal surroundings with little to live on. These feelings are shared by many of us in all walks of life. the difference is....these guys dared to take the deadly next step. So why them and not us. Education, relatively better life, religious faith, closer family ties, fear of sin and plain common sense! Lack of access to weapons is an undeniably significant reason too. We have to realize that understanding our fellow humans' troubles and fears can play an important role too.Society is not about each man for himself. it is also not about just your family! Society is the entire world, humans, plants and animals. All criminals are not born mad people who inexplicably flipped all of a sudden. Circumstances are the most important ingredients in these recipes for disasters. we have to examine our thoughts, actions, beliefs which create these circumstances. Let us all strive together to erase violence before we get used to it!

Blood over Books!

2007-04-16T20:41:00.000-04:00

Campus massacres! Austin clock tower, Columbine, University of Iowa, Montreal, Amish school and now Virginia Tech.....! More and more blood is being spilled on the campuses. The formula is simple! Bullying, social rejection, drunk/divorced parents, sex abuse in childhood lead to dejection, isolation and violent thoughts! These often combine with easily available guns/ammo and culminate in terror & tears! While everybody is brooding over campus security measures, I think the problem is ..... no prizes for guessing ..... the gun! Stricter gun laws, better student counseling, clamping down on domestic abuse and bullying etc. Now those are ways to curb bizarre mass killings. We have to realize, seemingly petty things like bullying can have serious implications on a child's psyche! The aftermath of such incidents and natural disasters are just terribly maddening. The victims' families never achieve closure! There is no sane individual or group to be blamed, tried in a court of law, made remorseful and punished. They can just clutch their hearts and wait for the pain to subside, which seldom does. They can only blame their fate! The guy in this particular case has been described a loner who left a note condemning 'rich and deceitful charlatans'! But in some cases , the perpetrators belong to seemingly normal families who just flip suddenly! I don't know how anybody could ever identify such individuals and prepare a plan of action for such events in advance! All we can do now is pray for the dead and their bereaved families and hope this never happens again!

Men in 'Cricketing Blues'

2007-04-05T09:20:00.000-04:00

Greg Chappell's controversial Indian affair has finally ended. A coach who 'might' blame senior players for their haughty attitude, senior players who 'might' testify against Chappell and his arrogant ways, a captain who 'might' incur the wrath of the rest of the team by siding with the coach and finally the sport's governing body who 'might' turn this board into a Fortune 500 firm. All these 'mights' , collectively known as the Media Might, have knocked the nation's most secular religion in the underbelly and the whole nation is gasping for air. Add Woolmer's mysterious murder with suspicion on the betting mafia to this mix and you have got u'rself a .................Bollywood movie!!! Chappell woos BCCI with his laptop and wins her hand. They have high hopes for their family, the Indian team. Their kids Ganguly & Sachin turn against dad even as BCCI reaches dizzy heights in her career. Chappell unable to stand his kids, divorces BCCi and his family. BCCI feels betrayed by both her kids and Chappell and is worried if this is going to affect her professional life. She comes to know Chappell got scared coming to know of his friend Woolmer's fatal end to his marriage with PCB. The betting mafia don wiped him out before his kids got him. Did the don threaten Chappell to leave? Will BCCI and her kids settle their differences? Will Woolmer's killers be brought to book? Will the Gavaskar-Ponting comedy track integrate with the main plot?...............for the answers , keep watching.......SABSE BADA 'BAT'MAASH! The MEN IN BLUE now wish they were MEN IN BLACK, who could erase their memories in a flash!

India wins the WC.......................Woe Cup!

2007-03-27T14:57:00.000-04:00

Well Well! My fears were confirmed. India is out of the world cup. Actually this is good news. I don't have to see the men in blue being bashed black and blue by the Aussies, proteas, kiwis etc...!Thank god, Bermuda didn't beat Bangladesh! imagine the humiliation then - India pipping Bangladesh to enter the super 8s thanks to Bermuda! As is the norm per our 'Culture/Kalaachaaram/parampara', the effigy burning has started again. Dusshera should really be our national festival. This has become all too common. Falling on the feet before the event and pulling the feet after the disappointing results. The Indian bowlers never looked menacing & the batsmen were too timid! It's all in the head! There is just no 'Killer Instinct'! 'India has the strongest batting line up on paper' - well , seems like some donkey had that paper for lunch! It was just baffling to see Tendulkar, the leading ODI run getter, nervous and unsure at the crease like a debutant. Ganguly did his best, Sehwag peaked too late, Yuvraj was great till it mattered, Dhoni was dismal, Uthappa was too carried away, Dravid had nothing special, Harbhajan was not incisive, Zaheer was a meek spearhead, Agarkar kept undoing his own work, Munaf could'nt hurt a fly and Pathan/Karthik never got a chance. After the first game, i expected a GIH (Great Indian Huddle). I got that but unfortunately it was for consoling each other! For millions of Indians, it was WAKE UP, FORGET THE DREAM and GO BACK TO WORK!

Budget ramblings, Cricket Fever.....

2007-03-06T12:27:00.000-04:00

Budget 2007 drew a slew of criticisms especially from business houses and the salaried middle class. Tax exemptions or the lack of , seemed to be the biggest dissapointment! Well, agreed it was not a dream budget ( a la 1997), but had many bright points. I was just wondering if India would get consumed in it's enormous corporate growth and sideline several other life lines of the nation. But , benefits for farmers, duty cuts for agricultural equipment, increased funds for educational schemes & AIDS research etc... allayed my fears a little. We have all been so fascinated with mega malls, international brands, IT firms, cell phones, credit cards etc., that we seldom spared a thought for the masses in the villages and towns. I thought this budget atleast took a step in this direction. Was impressed with Lalu's railway budget too. Good to know he is planning to channel some of the profits towards sanitation. Train toilets have been the biggest deterrent for customers. With the domestic airline industry booming, Railways has to match international standards to draw not just the people who cannot afford air travel but also those who do (ofcourse if time is not a major issue!). The World Cup is almost here. The men in blue are raring to go...and so are their faithful followers!lets hope they atleast match the 2003 performance if not better it. I would probably miss most of the games since they are all day games though! :(! But the games i do catch, would be great on 50". WOW! can't wait! The large screens on the Chennai beaches are clinchers though!

I'm Back!

2007-02-20T13:23:00.000-04:00

Knew this was going to happen! a looong break. so wats been happening all these days. India won ODI cricket serieses against windies and the lankans. The games they lost were the only ones i watched live. Darn it! The last time i watched complete India games and they had a winning streak, was World Cup 2003. Hope it happens this time around too. Rahul Dravid got slammed for endorsing.............'Surya Namaskar'? Since when did that become a sign of religious fundamentalism! Back to politics, The cauvery issue! Don't know about 'Cauvery', but there should be free flow of 'Kalyani'!Hope the TN govt. fights for beer/liquor from other states. I get more Indian brands in New Jersey than in Chennai! It's below freezing here in NJ and it is driving me crazy. i'll take heat boils over frost bites, ANYDAY!!!

Big Bother

2007-01-25T15:09:00.001-04:00

The whole 'Big Brother' issue, in my opinion, has been blown out of proportions! Yes, Jade abused Shilpa and the place she came from. This happens everywhere every day. How many of us have abused our own countrymen. Dumb Sardar, Stingy Gujju etc,etc! Doesn't mean we don't have sardar or gujju friends! The attack on the show ,i feel, was on a personal level. She never said ' you f***ing brown skinned indians'!!!The claim of 'Racism' was not appropriate. We indians practice a form of racism ourselves...casteism. For heaven's sake, we have government backed caste based reservations!desis abroad, ridicule and abuse goras and blacks behind their backs. we have northie-southie clashes amongst ourselves! We have language & religion fanatics. I sometimes pity the whites. They are the only ones kicked for racism and other forms of discrimination, while almost the whole world practices it. and burning effigies? i think there is a well-structured industry out there manufacturing custom-made human effigies, dedicated institutes for educating people on 'Basics of burning effigies - 101' and professional 'Dharna' activists available for hire (resumes on Monster.com - minimum 5 yrs experience - BURNING STUFF!!!). Kushboo, Greg Chappell, Aamir Khan, Jade Goody....you name them, we've burnt them! and some minister warning Channel 4.....dude, do something for the people who voted for you! But kudos to Shilpa, not for surviving 'Racist' abuse, but for carrying u'rself with dignity amidst all this filth! and hey!, they gave you free worldwide publicity and paid you on top of that!your stars are aligned perfect!

Villager, Visionary, Winner........Mani, Movie, Magic

2007-01-21T09:18:00.000-04:00

It is not his best film. But is way ahead of the current crop. 2 successive Januaries, 2 awesome films. Rang De Basanti & Guru. Both won accolades as much for the story as for the technical aspects. After the YUVA debacle, everyone thought either Mani will return to tamil or film a commercially viable subject. But the story of probably the most famous Indian business magnate?Mani's forte has always been Drama! Abhishek wore the skin of the character and transformed himself into it. Nowadays, acting as a mad man or crying all over the place is considered tremendous acting. He proved otherwise. If Kamal started a trend with NAYAGAN, then Abhishek has started his own with GURU.The cinematography and background music are awesome. Dialogues were amazing. just the right mix of emotions, humour, sarcasm...! but i really thought the climax could have been more powerful. It could have been a sequence of scenes instead of just a courtroom scene. But in the end, you feel you have watched your money's worth. BOTTOM LINE : I liked the movie.

Chennai Chronicles ...

2007-01-18T09:59:00.000-04:00

just returned from home base! Boy, how the city and country have changed! India Inc. is evident everywhere!

Striking points....

1) Planes are outnumbering mosquitoes!'Standing' ticket costs less.
2) Chennai city limits.......don't exist! Awaiting Pondicherry as a suburb!
3) 'Earn in Rupees. Spend in Dollars' is the norm!
4) Basic amenities include water, electricity and cell phones...
5) At Last...no Auto fare bargaining. Pay double or get lost!
6) Saravana Bhavan Meals - Rs.100+! I think i'll settle for a 'Subway' sandwich!
7) Pizza Hut family size pizza........good appetizer
8) 'Park and Ride' in T Nagar - park far away and take an auto to the shops!
9) Billboards = skyscrapers
10) We have our own DOWN UNDER , thanks to all the FLY OVERS
11) Hmmm...what FM station shall i listen to today?

The city is growing, maturing, opening up and bubbling! it is an intriguing mix.
What will 'Arasi', 'Lakshmi', 'Kasturi' & 'Ahalya' do in tonight's episode of 'Sex and the City'?

Let the blogging begin...

2007-01-17T15:37:00.000-04:00

After countless discussions, arguments & quarrels on anything we see, hear or sense with friends, family and strangers, I finally decided to take my thoughts and opinions from the comfortable confines of my home and spill them onto the wide wicked world on the net. Will be back with more after i get any enlightening thoughts under the influence of alcohol!