Variety is the spice of life

Azhagiye – the latest mind haunt from the isai puyal. It’s the song from “Kaatru veliyidai” movie by Mani Ratnam and I am pretty sure Rahman has something up his sleeve for Mani’s movies. Every single album in their combination from Roja,Bombay, Thiruda thiruda, Iruvar, Dil Se, Alaipayuthey, Kannathil muthamittal, Ayutha ezhuthu, Guru, Ravanan, Kadal and Ok Kanmani has some or all of the songs being chartbusters. The last three albums kind of diminishing the shine with only a few of them being table toppers. For purists, even those that didn’t win the public support, were of special note as they could argue over the technicalities of those songs. The success of Rahman was more attributed to the freshness in his tunes that became more complex in tune like an updated software with each release. He leaped off from the western influence sowed by Ilayaraja and grew leaps and bounds from that platform provided by Raja. With the two singles released for “Kaatru Veliyidai” I guess (more of...

For the CBC newsletter, to post an article I asked for suggestions on themes and was recommended to write something about the current flavor of the month. And apparently, the valentine month is also the wedding month it seems. Probably the 28 day window is stacked with all auspicious days or due to positive(!!??) fall out of valentine’s day maybe. Give the credit where its due, but looks like wedding season is on us, as per reliable sources. By my missing memory, I could recollect attending about 6 weddings in past 15 years. One of which is mine where proxy is not allowed. My sister’s wedding and a cousin’s wedding comprise of two of them. Other three being my colleagues wedding each of which had its own story. First in the list is my team lead’s wedding in Madurai. He had arranged accommodation for all of us and even a car at our disposal to roam around. We took the car to all places in and around Madurai and barely reached the wedding hall on time for the muhurtham to only see him ...

There was this article http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/ites/capgemini-india-chief-says-65-of-it-employees-not-retrainable/articleshow/57232268.cms which literally bugged me into writing this post. More often than not I hear NASSCOM and IT giants give baashan on how to train our Engineering college grads to be more industry ready. In other words, these IT cos don’t want to waste their precious money in training the grads to suit their project needs, but want to push the cost into the curriculum of the very colleges from where they do campus hires. And now per this article, even those who have been trained as such by these folks are no longer trainable!! The comment section of the article throws much better light on the state of affairs than  the post itself. Its people, who give such hyperboles for sound bites, just because they’ve to utter some nonsense for a mike in front of them, who create more harm to us and our employment state than any bird brained politician. And wh...

When I opened the book, then only I realized it was the same book that I had returned to the library shelf after reading the synopsis alone. Since I had gone all the way out to the library and having taken a book I had rejected to read three times prior, I felt dejected at my own selection. But as someone said, the book chooses the reader. Probably that was the case here and I am more than glad that I happened to read it. Ivlo hype panra alavuku apdi onnum vedha vaakiyam laam ila. But it was a really good read. Story wise, the events kick start with an old man getting killed right at the door step of UN, being shot at by its security. It leads to some legal wrangles as UN is officially outside of any country jurisdiction. In comes our hero, an ex-UN lawyer, who freelances as an attorney, who is sent to placate the kin of the killed to avoid any embarrassment to the world body. It takes a while to unfold and by the time the hero stumbles on to a personal dairy of the guy who was kille...

The whole issue of mini-mum usurping the throne is heading towards Stockholm syndrome of a climax. All that is required is for her to appear before mike in a publicized meet and cry a few tears on how people are tarnishing and passing cheap comments on her and blocking her opportunity just because she was an assistant to the late supremo. Social media is abuzz with meme’s of how the ex-servant maid is now going to be the next ruler of the state and are, as usual, over the top in decrying her and her intentions. Some of the comments and memes may straight away invite defamation cases and are out right condemnable even if true. What such people miss out is that, though their intention of stopping a corrupt person to come to power may be justified, their means are not. Not a single meme or post talks about how corrupt she is and what are the charges against her and no one is questioning her source for creating such a vast fortune when her original and only known occupation had always been...

Dhuruvangal Pathinaru- Would’ve given this movie a skip had not been for such glorious reviews. Everyone who had seen the movie had only good things to tell and the word of mouth publicity not only garnered it more screens in the city but its continuing success well into the second month of release. I hardly saw any promotions or shows dedicated for the movie or reality shows invaded by the cast and crew. This movie is a good case in study for small budget movie makers, that if you are confident in your product, it would sell by itself with minimal exposure. The story is similar to “Vantage point” movie in its approach, where the same scene is narrated by so many people, with their version and backstory of what happened on that rainy night when someone gets killed and someone goes missing. The story grows in bits and pieces akin to identifying missing pieces of the jig saw and when it finally falls in place, only for the player to go down getting shot at. The person who kills h...

After a longtime, an interesting premise of a story that too for a mass commercial film – Bogan. The initial few scenes involving Arvind swamy and the heist remind of “Nokku varmam” from “7th arivu” movie till the time the concept of how he did it is explained. A spoiler for those who had already read the movie review like me J Arvind swamy has been having the time of his life, post his “Thani oruvan” movie success. The movie, though has Jeyam Ravi, as the original lead, has so much screen space dedicated to him is clear proof of his clout. And one has to say, he has made fair use of this ample screen time. Be it emotion scene or posing haughty arrogance, he does it effortlessly. The suave villain that was lacking in tamil cinema is well and truly sealed in Arvind swamy. Premise is same as the one already tested in “Chinna vaathiyar” movie. There are no elaborate rituals as in the former and a mere look makes him achieve the result, which leads to so many loop holes that kinds of r...

If I was  given a little titbit of an information on relation between Tesla and Twain, few interesting legends surrounding Livingstone and Stanley, news about an organism that thrives on eating electricity, that’s right, for survival and add to the mix the fact finding mission on verification of THE exodus, by Moses, I would’ve relished reading each of those items individually and would’ve stopped at that. But James Rollins had other ideas to add to them and has come up with the latest edition of Sigma series Novel – The Seventh plague. Have always been a big fan of novels that move at super fast pace, with a delightful mix of fact and fiction and Rollins is a past master at that. His last few novels where a total let down to say the least. But he more than makes up for them in this latest edition. It’s a true to its tale, Rollins special with a fantastic premise weaved around fiction, almost undecipherable from so many facts strewn around, that it all results in sensational stuf...

With fringe elements being the headline hoggers ever since the new government came to power, couldn’t quite help to notice an alarmingly growing pattern. Whenever there is an “art work” – predominantly movies or write-ups, involving distortion of historical fact or extending their artistic liberty or contrary to long standing opinion, there seems to be hue and cry from everyone – both the opposing party and the perpetrator. The latest case in study being the “bhansali slapgate”. Ithulam oru news? NE is bursting in seams with Nagas burning CM house and Manipur doing blockade with Assam again on the burn, the mainstream media has found a director being slapped by a guy and some rogue group disturbing his movie shoot as something worth primetime debate. Of course, it would involve some loud mouth-no brainer MP from ruling party, who for his want of few minutes of fame would say some nonsense trying to sound super intelligent and that would be the feeder for the whole week’s debate sessi...

Febrauary na love thaan nyagabam varanumaam. Enga paathalum red color heartin poster and balloon and chocolate and semma colorful. Aanlum overa commercial aakitaanganu thonuthu. Intha balloon, card, rose flower, chocolate kooda ok. Veena pona coffee mug engenthu intha listla vanthuchu therila. Mini gundaa andaa size ku coffe mug sollitu, they put anything and everything as the wrapper for the cup. Sun sign, cute sayings, philosophical ones, pictures, cartoons inum ennalaam antha cup circumferencela fit aagumo athanaiyum they do, except for the original intent- to drink coffee. Obviously two cups of coffee on them, you would need a refill for the percolator. Dicotion vaangiye bondi aaga vendi thaan. All things considering, the month dedicated for love is the shortest of all. Ithan moolam enna karuthu sollavaraanga? Love is short but life is long? Edho onnu irunthutu poguthu. Personally I feel its an overkill of emotions. There is no logic to any of these and so does the concept of ...

After finishing bursting every bubble on the sheet, Anil finally declared “ok..now I am bored. Edhukaga enna inga vara sonna” “I am confused” replied Priya “ok” “What ok..yendaa neenga ellam ipdi irukeenga” “err..now I am confused…”yendaa” sollitu “neenga” nu respectoda solria? Or neenga as in many people” “Unkitta poi solla vanthen paaru..naan kelambaren” “hey..relax pannatumaynu mokka potta..tensiona thaan iruppennu adampudikara…enna prachanai…” “Seriousa kekarenna solren” “koorum..koori tholaiyum” Unable to control the smile, she mock slapped him on his wrist. “I am confused Anil..” “Adhaan already sollitye..mela sollu” “Yesterday Ram proposed to me” “Idhu ithana varushama intha blogla nadakara vishayam thaana…” “Puriayala” “Priya ku propose pannatha Ram unda nu sonen..athula enna confusion? Hindi la propose panitana? Enkita artham kekatha..enakum hindi teriathu..love ku edho paar moar nu solvanga nenakren” “konjam shuttera close panria..solla vanth...