Variety is the spice of life

History is a funny thing. It is a representation of the events that happened as according to the ones who lasted longer. Not a single event that I’ve read about from my school days has remained the fact, as it was depicted. Be it the giant leap for mankind of a moon landing, be it the glorified reign of kings, be it about the over positive image of industrial revolutions and the romanticism of renaissance – every single one of them have been torn to shreds with alternate view points on the rise. In fact, majority of those view points makes so much sense that makes one wonder, how long will the subject called history will remain in school syllabus, for every single change of power at the center, the frequency of dilly dallying about the past history increases at a rapid rate. Not quite sure if it would still be the same, but from my school days, whatever was described as world war 1 and world war 2 were increasingly being reminded of nothing but, family quarrel between couple of neighbo...

Off late thriller movies, stories based on murder mysteries or serial killers have gone rampant across all the woods, be it kolly, tolly or mallu. Happen to saw 2 thriller Malayalam movies back to back and thought will do a mixed review for both in a single post. Forensic – as the name mentions, the hero happens to be a forensic expert and is solely responsible for all the major twists and break throughs in the movie. Compared to him, the entire police force is totally dummy as they are there in the scene just to do his beck and call. That includes his ex-sister-in-law (so many hashes!!really distant relation) who happens to be the police chief heading that serial killer investigation. Considering the timing of the release, probably the makers of Penguin (tamil movie) suttufied some scenes from related to the kid being serial killer. Yes. You read it right. 2 movies, in the span of a week dealing with under aged kids as serial killers and that too their kills are in the most gruesome a...

Wifey on amplifier mode - “Kutty..shirt a thooki thooki podaatha” A hyperactive junior jumping on the bed hardly paid heed to that and pillows and bed cover came next on his throwing arc. After wrestling him to submission, “Adi vaanga pora nee…shirt podu..ilaati kosu kadikum “ “En avana ipdi confuse panra..shirt podatha solra..aprum shirt podu solra..avan ennathaan pannuvan” I asked innocently.  She couldn’t get the mokkai initially and post which the shirt landed on my head.  Junior had a hearty laugh ala Naradhar after a successful kalagam and said he would give the honour of clothing him to me. “Appavum paiyanum ennamo pannitu ponga..thoonga pora nerathula thaan rendum kottam adikum” “Kutty..ammava padutha koodathu..nee good boya iruntha thaan stronga super hero maathiri aaga mudiyum” “oookaaaaay” came the response “Unnoda favorite super heroes yaaru sollu” I tried diverting him into thinking about the list while buttoning the shirt “T rex” “Dinosaurlaam super herova..aprum...

Chai with Chitra is one You Tube channel, where in famous personalities from tinsel town share their life experience. Their stories include not just about their successes. Unless prodded on by the anchor, they always talk about how difficult their entry had been into movie industry, their embarrassments, family situation, insults and how they landed up with their first break. Invariably the first episode of the multi episode series follow this template. I saw for 3 people and each of them couldn’t be any different from other. First interview that made me hooked into the channel for further episodes was that of Director Venkatesh, more popular as the cruel villain of Angadi theru movie. In fact, I had never seen any of the movies he had directed as they were all crass and B grade. But the way he explained the effort behind each of them was interesting. His struggles as a debutant director and how his cast helped him during a 6 month break in between the shooting schedule it was all very...

Even before the dust could settle on OTT platforms vs theaters, the kind of movies that had been released on OTT’s would surely make them think twice before buying anything new. Be it Ponmagal Vanthaal or Gulabo Sitabo were not worth the ad money spent. Add “7500”, “Bad boys for Life” and “Penguin” to that list it only makes one wonder who the hell is in charge of Amazon prime’s movie buying department. If 7500 was a B grade movie, where the director forgot to make the rest of the half hour including the climax, only to sell it for half price to Amazon, Bad boys was Bad right from its title till name scrolls at the end. It is a potpourri of all things that was bad with Bollywood and kollywood of the 90’s. Dabba screenplay, lifted and shifted scenes from every movie known and the end credit where Will Smith son is marked as potential candidate for the next installment was anything but Banal. Penguin could’ve bucked the trend if only the casting had been taken care. Much has been thrashe...

If there is a portion in brain that deals with doing mischief and being naughty, probably kids these days come up with all of their cerebrum, cerebellum and medulla full of it. Junior on regular days is extremely naughty and mischievous. At times, it has been “brought to my notice” by “powers to be” that I always end up cranking him up a bit. Be it while putting him to sleep or for teaching him new pranks, my name is always getting tagged as the co-accused or as the hand that pulled the trigger. Poor me will be at the firing line, for him switching the lights off when someone is taking bath. Other than the fact that I lift him up to make him reach for the switch or to suggest it to him, it was always him who does the act. Likewise, while everyone tries to put him to sleep, if he gets into a giggling fit at some casual/normal/innocent antic of mine, how can I be the one to be blamed. It is a different fact that, it takes couple of more hours for the freshened up kid to come back to his ...

Amazon prime has had a mangalagaramaana beginning with direct movie launches. Be it “ponmagal vanthaal” or “Gulabo sitapo”, the theater owners would be glittering in glee that they’ve been spared the blushes in releasing these duds. If ponmagal vanthaal was a dud out and out with nothing going in its favor, Gulabo sitapo was killed by its own hype with its drool worthy combo of AB and Ayushman. Even 2 days after watching the movie, I am still clueless on the guise decided for AB. His character is 70+ and his wife is supposedly 15 years elder to him. But she looks younger on screen and AB is hardly recognizable in his getup. Full credit to the make up team if this was their intent. In the run time of roughly 2 hours plus, the search of story takes us through possibly the longest 130 minutes of recent times. Greedy landlord of AB scheming to usurp the dilapidated haveli, eagerly awaiting the death of his wife who is the actual heir, trying to get the generation old tenants, vacate the ho...

The after effects of Corona Pandemic is going to be telling in most walks of life. Be it the way we work, way we study, way we travel, way we worship, where we eat, how we shop, every single aspect of individual and social life is set to undergo a shuffle in medium term and quite possibly for long term as well. Ten years down the line, people may even forget how crowded places used to be – if at all the lessons from the virus are learnt correctly and if at all the virus relents. One gloomy and possibly likely scenario that is emerging is that, invariably 80% of the world population will get infected. This herd immunity is what going to save us (hopefully) with the rest of the 20% being made unreachable by the virus. When the courage to face the virus with the understanding that it is not fatal for everyone dawns on the general public, the process of the 80% getting infected will expedite exponentially.  Even now, people world over, are fed up of lockdowns and the havoc it is creati...

“Dei appa..” “Ennada” “Idha open panni kudu” In this lock down kalebaram junior’s school had issued notebooks to justify their pagal kollai of a fees. For LKG kid they had given 6 notebooks and some textbooks with a nano bit of a rubber and micro bit of a chalk piece thrown in. Junior was super excited as he now had new things to tear and throw. He was told very clearly by mom that he should never ever tear school note books. It has held for one hour so far which is a world record in itself. Coming to the topic, junior was very curious to see the rubber packed in a wrapper. The conversation continues. “Idhu eraser..chalk piecela ezhutthinathulaam azhikathu” “oh..appo crayons?” “No” “Color pen” “No..only pencil ezthinathu thaan azhikum” “open panni kudu?” I know the minute it gets unwrapped within seconds the eraser would reach veera swargam. I told him “ithu open panna kaathula karanjirum. So wrap panniye irukatum” He left the room and went to hall.  After a minute came back and sa...