Rules of Salt Lake - Sector V

Yes people, I have moved to Kolkata - City of joy! I have been writing a post on that... lying in my draft. We will see that later because there is some thing I thought I should tell the world first. That's the rules of Sector V of Salt lake city - the house of strange looking people who are always tagged for some reason.

Learning road rules in Sector V can be an overwhelming task. So, let me try to make it easier for you

Driving lane - You drive on
1. left if you are a supporter of CPM
2. right if you are a supporter of Trinamool Congress
3. on top of another vehicle/human/animal/anything if you are driving share auto

Usage of horn is something very important. Otherwise you run the risk of having your license cancelled.
You honk if
1. you do not like the weather
2. there is a heavy traffic for over 2 kms (which happens often)
3. your GF left you
4. you are hungry
5. you drive an auto
and other unfathomable reasons. If some is blocking your way, you do not honk. You run over them.

Speed limit:
Defined in the speedometer on the dashboard of the vehicle that you are driving.

If you are bored, you can derive fun by
1. splashing the water logged on roads on the pedestrians
2. stopping your vehicle perpendicular to the traffic and blame it on Michael Schumacher
3. announcing strike

The rest of Kolkata ain't like this I am told! So..Peace!

Surrrr.....

At 2:38 AM Eastern Time...with excruciating tooth pain one can completely understand and relate with the song line

"En unchi mandaila surrrrungudhu".... Vijay is genius!

Do we even deserve good movies?

I, personally, think that we (tamil movie watchers) do not want us to elevate to a level where creators can treat us with some intelligent movie...

Aayirathil Oruvan, for all its flaws, still deserves a standing ovation. I used to not like Selva... but in this movie...he has tried to stand out from formula movies...

I have read lots of reviews of the movie... there are intelligent chaps quick to point out flaws and going out of way to find any small resemblance to Hollywood flick. But guys, hold on... is this not the first time a genre like this has been touched upon in tamil movie industry? For that, we should applaud...for it would pave way for other creators to walk that lane... Is it not ironic that in a culture that has 1000 years of history before the actual recorded historical period does not have any movies in the genre of "Brave Heart" or "Kingdom of Heaven" etc? How many of us really even know our history and appreciate it? We need more such movies to tell us our history...

We are so used to hero bashing up "N" number of goons... where "N" is exponential component of no. of movies the hero has acted...For ex. Vishal can now handle up to 100 goons, I believe. I also think the professional critics of the websites that we have are not professional. I mean, what research do they do before writing a movie for a historical fantasy movie like AO? Do they know what kind of enmity was there between Cholas and Pandyas? Do they what variation of Tamil language Cholas spoke? What script did they use? Nothing... yet they magnanimously award one star to such an effort?

AO is released in a world where Vettaikaran manages 3 stars! God save thy!

Comeback

After having to go in exile for about 7 months, I am back (Deepavali release).

These 7 or 8 months is the period in my life where I failed to understand how one can manage time. I couldn't, at least! Any ways, now that one of my most challenging projects is behind me, I can manage to have some online presence.

Deepavali time... got to be rocking back at home. Especially on the eve of deepavali and the day itself. Though the essence of togetherness is lost now, still its fun that at least the family gets the time off to spend with each other. Back home, sweets and kaaram would have been ready by now and my monstrous brother would have already started having his hands, eyes, everything over it. All I get his a "missing you while eating your favorite sweet" line!

Looks like Aadhavan is the baby that is getting all the attention amongst the kodambakkam babies to be born on deepavali. I sincerely hope that my next 15 or 20 dollars doesn't go waste like it did all year until now and even 2008 with exceptions of Kamal Hasan movies!

Coming to Kamal Hasan, I saw the Kamal 50 program organized by Star Vijay TV. It was very well organized and many kind people of industry showed up. Some speeches were regular, some praising Kamal, some emotional but none boring and the best was reserved for the last...Rajinikanth. It was a display of true friendship and immense proportions of humbleness. There was no need for Rajinikanth to speak the way he did. Being a superstar himself, all he had to do was wish Kamal the best (like what Mammooty did. His speech was the so-so). But he went to extent of explaining in detail that he holds this position due to Kamal. It is simply outstanding on part of Rajini to have done so and the chota chota bachaas of industry can learn a thing or two from him. In Rajini style, "Hats off"!!

Wish you a all a very happy and safe deepavali.

Those in India, eat less sweets, go out and meet your family and friends. Do not rub your seats in the sofa watching pattimandram, deepavali sirappu nigazhchigal etc. How can one "deepavali sirappu nigazhchigal anaithaiyum kandu kaliyungal. Deepavaliyai sirappaaga kondaadungal"? Whats the point in sitting at home and watching all the programs top-to-bottom? Where's fun in that? Lets go out and get rocking!

Those outside India, lets watch all the sirappu nigazhchigal in internet and enjoy our Deepavali! People living outside India with family, prepare sweets and kaaram in quantities sufficient enough to feed the paava patta bachelors living around you!

Have fun!

Whoa

Its been loads of work since I returned from vacation. After all I need to clear the mess that I created right? Well, that's what has been keeping me occupied. And it could have done well had it kept me away from "Ayan" as well. Alas, it didn't. For those Surya fans, the following statements are not gonna be any way near pleasing.

I firmly believe, I can bet my life, that "Ayan" is an out-and-out Vijay movie. All the ingredients for a Vijay movie is there 1. No logic 2. No story 3. Bad placement of songs 4. All scenes are glitched

And the movie world would be no less proud of Mr.K.V.Anand, the proud director of the film, because all the "paarampariyam" of tamil cinema has been preserved and dished to the tamil audience one more time. For the uninitiated the following are some paarampariyams
1. Hero always succeeds in cheating police - even though what hero does is wrong
2. Heroine of the film would be ready to sing a duet in an exotic location with hero any time, even when she loses entire family in a tragic accident (here she loses her brother and immediately jumps in to duet)
3. When hero fights the main villain, always..ALWAYS first few blows are taken by our hero.
4. Only after bleeding hero will retaliate.
5. Main villain always has one chance of coming back. He doesn't die the first time hero bears him down. He would rise come again, to shock the entire audience and then die.

There you go. You got the picture, right? Cinematography was the only plus in the movie. Harris must have seen the movie before tuning and hence the disaster. Re-recording was completely left to a cat running on the keyboard. On the whole...whoa no words to summarize it - ok its Kuruvi part-2.

What's eating me?

General Election - 2009. I wonder if there is anything yet to defied as far as our politics are concerned.

Scribble

Its been long since I thought of posting abt my vacation. It was one helluva time to be back with family. The sashdiabthapoorthi function was awesome. Though one hates relatives...some times it feels good to be back amongst the people you know. That too after a year in exile.

Then we had a trip to all the temples in and near Swamimalai. You name it, we saw it! Amongst those, we went to where our munnorgal (ancestors) lived. It was a lovely small village named "Pudhu Agraharam". As peaceful that you could hear a snake hiss at a 4 km distance. Things were greener there. People were friendlier. And hey never ask any one in the village if the distance to your destination is walkable. Our "walkable" and their "walkable" are two planets apart.

And what is life in chennai with out a nonchalant drive in what people here call death machines - Two wheelers. I had my share of drive and even made a namaskaram (blame it on speed breaker) to the people of "Kotturpuram" near Anna university. Driving four-wheeled version was a different experience altogether. I seriously did not find courage to leave the rear-view mirrors open in the city of Selaiyur.

How I feel today?

Today, I feel like standing on top of the tallest building and scream to the entire world that I am NOT a flexible guy. Yeah I am libran and supposed to be the guy who takes it all but maintains the equilibrium but I am sick and tired of it.

If people kith and kin to you take you for granted, that's one level. But when people in work also does that, that's heights! I was stupid enough to bring it to this level but I call it quits now!

Vaaraan varraan varraan lae!

I couldn't write for the past one month or so because of so many insignificant reasons...

Any ways..I am all set to travel to hometown Chennai for a 3 week vacation. I am excited. Meanwhile...I am joining the league of Arun Sundar...in the sense that I recently bought a Canon Rebel XSI. Lovely camera...I am all set to xplore chennai one more time... with my new friend.

Its gonna be a packed vacation. 

Feb 12th - Visa PAI

Feb 15th and 16th - Appa amma's sashtiabdha poorthi (60 aam kalyaanam)

19th - Cousin Marriage....

21st - MBA exam :(

Appuram office hain!

Nevertheless, amma kai saappaadu and frenz rendezvous...awesome 3 weeks awaiting. Will be writing from Chennai (as if someone is waiting for me to write..oru gethu dhaan)

Chao!