Variety is the spice of life

Let me start with the verdict first, for a change. This movie is a master piece and should be immediately remade in every Indian language and propagated. Probably would request the election commission to buy the rights and distribute it whenever and wherever there is an election. Just like how Doordarshan scraped “Roja” and “Naam Iruvar” CD’s to dust as special movie screenings on Independence day and Gandhi Jayanthi. The power of satire, when combined with real life issues, is unimaginably big. And when it translates as a movie on screen with decent performances by steady actors, it becomes even more powerful. And if the issue is something that is deep rooted and is a known malice like Bribery (as in Indian movie), Corruption and carelessness (Mudhalvan, Anniyan), caste related, politics (Amaidhipadai and several dozen more) each of those movies have shone brightly at the box office. Whether it caused any change in the society is anybody’s guess. But such movies make you feel energize...

At times, there comes a movie, that even though is theoretically perfect, fails to give the movie experience. Sherni falls right into that category of movies that are so realistic, it doesn’t feel like a movie. The story follows, something like a day in the life of a honest forest officer. And especially a lady forest officer. The trials and tribulations she faces both on personal and professional front are so candid that, it doesn’t feel like watching a movie, but a cctv camera recording. Vidya Balan is the lead in this movie and carries it through from scene one till end credits. Her frustrations and extreme anger are subtly expressed with just a flash of eyes at best. And this subtlety from the beginning, feels as if something big is being setup for a vent out in the end. That never happens. So does the tigress, T12, who never shows her face on screen except for a video grab and on couple of photos. The very first instance of the tiger actually coming on screen is the climax of the ...

I actually had no intention of watching it anytime soon and was waiting for it to be thrown open on all OTT and other tv channels. Ever since the reunion show was announced FRIENDS fans were abuzz on what to expect and how the gang that shaped the lifestyle of a generation couple of decades back, would look like now. More importantly, how alike or different they are/were from the characters. It begins with the cast coming one by one to the very set where their life got made. As they keep talking with each other, hugging crying and joking, the show slowly moves into its rhythm. A talk show host, interviews them in front of the famous fountain where the show’s name credits begin. There are short voice bites from famous followers of the show, some regular characters throw their voice in, sitting along with the audience. There are some surprise special visits by celebrity guests and AV voice bites by lot more of them. The most touching and awesome ones being the fans from all over the worl...

Been a while, a really long while, since I read a Cussler. When I stumbled on this book, the title caught my fancy and halfway down realized that the name of the hero, Dirk Pitt, sounded familiar. It all came flooding back, literally and figuratively, with “Raise the titanic” that I had read almost 25 years back. Clive Cussler is probably the inspiration, hoping he started writing earlier, to James Rollins and Mathew Reilley kind. His books, majorly centered around sea and underwater adventure, for the hero himself is based on marine division of USA, have a fantastic premise, mixing up mythology with science. The endings are always rushed and way too simple. Guess Rollins and Reilley have encashed on this concept big time with their own sigma series and Jack West series respectively.  This book, like most of his other novels, is quite voluminous, running to almost 600 pages. But the pace with which the story moves, it never makes a dull reading. The story begins with a catastrophe,...

Had been binge watching on Star Trek since last couple of weeks. Whenever I used to see the alert popping up on my watchlist, somehow felt it would be another boring sci-fi one. Ever since I started with the first one, it has been absolute binge. Saw all the 3 movies back to back and now onto Star trek Original series on Netflix. I was surprised to recall this series, that used to play on DD long back. That phasers (guns that shoot lasers) made me realize that they used to be my favorite gun as a kid and how we used to make paper guns and fight our own battles. That part of my childhood memory had long been lost and the other one being the transmitters. The way they get transported to and from their ship was fascinating and I used to long for such options to try it out. I never had a chance to see those series frequently and whenever I did, I used to get glued to the screen with no clue as to what they were speaking. And I used to think Spock was the villain all along for he used to lo...

Junior somehow has a repulsion for writing any other language than English. And the sad part is, he doesn’t like to read or watch tamil stories. Even he doesn’t understand a bit, he watches stories on every language under the sun but not tamil. To satisfy our cribbing, he will keep them for couple of minutes and the moment we turn our head, it would’ve become either English or hindi or even Russian for that matter. Since his school started with tamil as second language from this year, we wanted him to practice writing tamil alphabets. His mom started with coaxing and finally the she-hulk had to come out to make him sit for the writing practice. “Naama inniki tamil alphabets practice pananum. Be ready I will come in 2 mins” Junior dutifully took his slate and chalk out and started writing. I was actually shocked and impressed at the same time, watching this from a distance. Never realized that he already knew how to write in tamil.  Just to be sure I asked, “Ennada ezhuthitruka” “Am...

 "Appa..en kooda velayadriada" "Dei..ipothanaada velayadinom...play with amma" "Amma busya vela panitrukka" All this happening while i was attending an office call "Enda dei..naanum thaanda vela paakren" "Nee pesittu thanada irukka" That intha avamaanam unakku thevayaanu yosichitu..once the call got over we started playing.  Junior and me do these voice overs while playing with our animal toys. Yes, we have an entire jungle of animals. “Hey..un per enna” “hippo” “ippo thaana kekaren..sollu” “hippoo” “adai paduthaathada....per enna nu solluda” “hippoooo” “shabba…eppo thaan solluva” “ippo than solrene” “Adhaan enna kekaren” “Hiiipppooo” “Naanum appolenthu ketutrukenn.. eppo kettalum ippo nu solriye thavira pera solla maatengara. Appo appo name maathipia?” “aiioooo…. Mokka pasangala…” This time the voice came from wifey. “Ippo rendu perukkum adi vizha poguthu...Eppo thaan school/office open panna poraangalo..Appo thaan enakku nimmadi” Juni...