One does not simply

Here is my post to reddit.

Mayakkam Enna : Selva all the way

Hey..Hi th.er.. *cough* *cough* *removes cobwebs*. Sorry. Hi there..I can see this place has been devoid of any human activity for a long time, mostly because I didn't feel like writing about anything. (I actually wanted to write about some movies and cricket but couldn't find the inspiration get them done, was happy enough with my new found liking for twitter).

NOTE : Being a fan of Selvaraghavan and Dhanush (No, not because of Kolaveri) my views on the movie might seem to be biased, but they are not. At least I have tried not to be.

As I had decided earlier after watching Pudhupettai, I finally got tickets for a first day show of a Selva movie, Mayakkam Enna. For me, Selvaraghavan has always been one of a kind. His trademark has always been the rawness with which he tells the story. Even though all his films are to be categorised as dark, he has somehow managed to bring in new levels of intenseness in to the scenes. One thing which separates these elite directors from the rest, is the way in which they push the actors to their limits and bring out the best in them. Selva has done it in every one of his films and more importantly he chooses the perfect cast for the characters in his mind (Dhanush in Kadhal Kondaen and Pudhupettai, Parthiban in Aayirathil Oruvan were master moves). Mayakkam Enna is no different, it is an intense ride with Selva stamped all over it.

The essence of Mayakkam Enna is the importance of  relationships, and the difference they can make in our lives, be it friends or a supporting wife (Im guessing selva has taken a few pages out of his own book). The first half of the film is racy, fast moving with all the elements for a film to be enjoyed in a theater.(now I know what it is to dance in front of the screen). Dhanush is at this cool best and is a treat to watch. But its the second half, that makes the movie a "Do not watch in theaters". At least not in Kaasi theater for a first day show, with the guy next to you shouting "Pesudi...pesu..ethavuthu pesu", during those glorious moments of silence which usually bring out the best in a selva movie. The story, like in other selva movies is kept simple and at times cliched. But as usual, thats not where he scores. He plays to his strength, intensifying every scene as they come. Those innumerous stares and glares between Richa and Dhanush throughout the movie, prove to be powerful. Although there were some cliched parts in the movie like [spoiler-highlight to read] the way in which Dhanush is cheated by a big shot photographer, or the climax in which a series freakish events give Dhanush the break he has been waiting for, all his life. [/spoiler]. It is to be understood that, even though these are indeed integral parts of the story, selvaraghavan generally doesn't care about them. For him they are just gateways to enter a phase where he tries to tell what he had set out to and when he is done, he finds another one which allows him to finish it off as quickly as possible (remember pudhupettai's climax when kokki kumar goes to moorthi's place?). Selva is so obsessed with the core of the film that he chooses to overlook other finer aspects, like for eg the CG or the even the originality of the pictures that Karthick (Dhanush) is supposed to have taken (looks to be sourced from Google images, I hope its not). But I wonder if that is the secret ingredient which makes him unique. Given the space of a room and a couple of actors, Selvaraghavan would be my choice to direct a movie. (Shankar might cross question if he can paint the room green and use it, no he cant)

Richa's performance as Yamini is laudable. With Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya, Gautham Menon has shown that dubbing is the way to go for tamil cinema, where good movies (Muran for eg) are constantly affected by the heroine's "enko tamil koncham koncham theryum" syndrome. The character of Sundar's dad is memorable and proves how powerful yet so simple a scene can be. GV does a neat job with the music, with bgm matching the fervour of the scenes. The songs are entertaining and do justice to the situation.

Having said all this, I am genuinely surprised by the extremely rave reviews the movie is getting. The film is great if you look at it from Selva's perspective, but in the end Mayakkam Enna still suffers from over sentimental/dramatic scenes in the second half which gives the impression of being a bit lengthy.

For best viewing experience watch the first half in theater..dance..comeback..wait for the original dvd and watch the whole movie again.

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intelligent mokkai

What did the male robot say to the female robot?
A-I nee romba azhaga irukka.

A Decade of Kollywood

This 2000-2010 has been a memorable journey for the Kollywood industry. It has reached the heights never dreamt of before with its films reaching audiences world over. Just at the dawn of a new decade, I have put together a list of Tamil films which I felt writing about. These, by no means reflect their success at the box office or for that matter suggest that they are my most favourite. They are just a set of films which stand out in their own way.


Hey Ram ( 2000 )  

Kamal’s directorial debut, Hey Ram is an epitome of how a movie should be made according to the thoughts of the film maker and not how the audience would like it. Till date, it is one of the most mature Indian films to be made with critical acclaims for its technical prowess. Its one of the very few films in Indian cinema which overestimates its audience with its complex visual techniques. It is a feast for a discerning viewers who will relish the the gradual shifts in the views and moods of Saket Ram.






Panchathantiram ( 2002 )
The out and out comedy entertainer, according to me will go down as one of the finest works of Kamal(which is quite a compliment in itself considering his other works). Making the viewers laugh at will especially after they know that you are going to try exactly that, is an art in itself. Crazy Mohan stands out from other dialogue writers with his unique style of dialogues giving another dimension to the already comical scenarios. The film is enjoyable from the word go and has since created records for repeat viewing. This is one of the few films where the side characters match up to the performance of Kamal and have since created a standard for timing based jokes. The combo of  Kamal and Crazy have made us laugh like no other entertainers in the history and its inevitable not to sense that blackhole when one of them is absent( Manmadhan Ambu and Kola kolaya mundharika are typical examples).


Kaaka Kaaka ( 2003 )

What is Kollywood without cops. The equation which determines the kind of films that turn up in kollywood makes sure that the audience get a regular dose of these “police” films. Kaaka kaaka is here just because it is the best cop movie of the decade. In his second film Gautham Menon announced to the industry that he belongs to the top league of directors and launched Surya in to the commercial arena. It was rare occasion when the “mass” agreed with the critics.



Aayutha Ezhuthu ( 2004 )

Protagonist entering politics to fight corruption and injustice (rather aniknayam) have always been directors’ favourite when it comes to “message films”. This was a landmark film of such kind, even though the content was so enjoyable that it is unfair to label it that way. Mani Ratnam along with some of the best character performances gave the audiences a potpourri of genres into a single movie and tied them up perfectly. It emphasized the role of the students in the now corruption ridden politics. It was also one of those scarce multi starrers in kollywood which brought together some the biggest names in the industry. It finds its place in the list for being the most underrated movie of the decade.

Pudhupettai ( 2006 )



Selvaraghavan has always suggested that he has it in him to make it big. He came out full blast with this epic gangster movie which portrays the rise in the ranks of a slum boy to a gang leader. Dhanush’s depiction of Kokki Kumar is easily one the best performances by an actor so early in his career. The film goes by Darwin’s theory of Survival of the fittest and has some really powerful scenes to have a big impact on the minds of the audience. The performance of the whole cast is simply amazing and add to the dark nature of the film. The album too goes down as one of my rare favourites of Yuvan.


Paruthiveeran(2007) 

Even though not my personal favourite, Paruthiveeran undoubtedly had one of the biggest impacts on the way movies were made in kollywood. With this movie Ameer showed the way for a string of village concept movies some of which went on to characterize the Tamil movie industry in the years to come. It was such movies which provided a level ground for new directors to prove themselves. Karthi and Priyamani too deserved the accolades they received for their brillant performances.

Chennai 600028 ( 2007 ) 

Who had ever thought that a film about a local cricket league team who call themselves Sharks ( and not Socks)  and their rivalry against Royapuram Rockers will go down upon as cult film topping the box office. This breeze like film literally introduced a new genre to the 95 year old Kollywood industry giving way to similar films like Saroja and Tamil Padam. The film, with its unusually casual dialogues connected strongly with namma Chennai's youth and has since then attained a cult status.

Dasavataram(2008) 

This film features in this list for bringing out one of the best performances from an actor in the history of the industry. It was only fitting that it had to come from Kamal hasan. Yes, even though the whole point of the film was to show kamal’s prowess( as some would call it scene podrathu), it can’t be denied that no other sensible actor would have dared to take up the roles. Even though the story was compromised here and there to fit in the characters, the super fast screenplay ensured that everyone remained gripped till the end. This has to be one my most enjoyable experiences in a theatre.

Enthiran(2010) 

Enthiran finds its place in this list for being the most “wannabe Hollywood” movie of the decade. If Slumdog was a Hollywood film with an Indian flavour, Enthiran was a Namma super star movie shelled out in a silverware called “graphics”. Yes, the visual effects were the best seen so far in India but the film suffered a lot to the popular spell-out-for-the-mass Syndrome. Still the film turned out to be a pretty decent watch for everyone and the collection records were rewritten.

(click here for the full review)

Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya ( 2010 )

Here, for not only being the most romantic movie of decade but for also being an epitome of good direction and cinematography without relying much on the story. This film, all about the chemistry between a boy and a girl brought out the actors in the little superstar(even if it meant lesser work for his fingers) and the already proven Trisha. The out and out western album too stuck to the Rahman effect, where the likeability of the song increases exponentially with the number of times one listens to it.

PS: all the best for the Alagiri's, the Stalins and the Marans to take the industry forward.

India vs South Africa : What to expect?

I would wake up in the morning and switch on the tv there would be the Ashes to watch, as I have my morning coffee (rather kapi in davara-tumbler) and newspapers. Just when I have had my brunch and when my eyes seem to have initiated shutdown after seeing off the stumps in Ashes(the scorecard most probably reading Cook* or {some australian spinner's name} going wicketless), I suddenly realize that that there is going to be another cricket match starting shortly. So finally, cricket season is here! ( you might ask me when it wasn't but I don't care, it just sounds cool).

An India vs South Africa test series has never before attracted so much attention to it. The prime reason being, India are at the top of the ICC test rankings. (the same reason ODI cricket got a huge boost after 1983) Going into the series, the Indians unlike the previous times are no under dogs. This, as most would expect will be one of the more closely contested contests in the recent times.

On the Indian perspective, as always we have one of the most enviable batting lineups. The openers, arguably the best around have the most challenging role of seeing off the new ball which will be bounced in by Steyn and Morkel. Dravid, who has been India's most consistent player away from home will looking forward to set his records straight with South Africa, especially after his dismal performance as a captain in his last tour  exactly four years back. Then too, he was in a really good touch after the tour of West Indies where he won the man of the series for his brilliant knocks which came at a time when most batsmen were clueless.

The main difference between the tours is however is the absence of Saurav Ganguly who will be replaced by Suresh Raina. Ironically the short ball has proved to be a nemesis for both the southpaws. It will be a huge test for Raina who will be tested on wickets which are least suited for him. He will remain as a wildcard even though I feel that the he has enough up his sleeve to come out successful.

The dark horse however is the Indian bowling attack especially the pace bowling department. They are the unsung heroes in India's rise to the top and have proven that spinners are no more the face the Indian bowling. Even though India's rise to top was helped immensely by their home advantage over the past two years, its important to see the role played by Indian pace bowlers especially Zaheer Khan in the conditions not favouring him. He with his control and reverse swing, has emerged as one of the best bowlers in the world with the old ball. Even the lone match which India has won in the south african soil was set up by special performance from Sreesanth who with his seam postion can match up to any batsmen, on his day. Ishant Sharma has not been quite consistent after he showed the world what he is capable of with the ten overs he bowled to Ricky Ponting. He will relish the bouncy conditions with his six-foot height and will be hoping to cement his place in the team.

Nevertheless, South Africa too are looking equally strong with every department. Hamia Amla especially is in the form of his life and will put up a big price for his wicket. Of course the old war horse Kallis is still the best all rounder around and will challenge the Indians in every way, not forgetting the slip catching.

So we can expect to see all the drama a good test match would have. Ideally, a triple ton from Sehwag, a match saving( more preferrably match winning like mohali) innings from Laxman, yet another hundered from the master(50th!), a few lusty blows from bahjji and my personal favorite a double from Dravid.

Pakistan- Rewriting history

I thought I would share some outrageously funny excerpts from the Pakistani history textbooks which I compiled from the resources available on the internet. Contents like these regularly find a place in the textbooks meant for children, despite the efforts made by their own citizens.

"Hindus worship in temples which are very narrow and dark places, where they
worship idols. Only one person can enter the temple at a time. In our mosques,
on the other hand, all Muslims can say their prayers together."


[A story “The Enemy Pilot”, about a captured Indian pilot, presumably of Hindu               
faith] He had only been taught never to have pity on Muslims, to always bother     
the neighbouring Muslims, to weaken them to the extent that they forget about                  
freedom, and that it is better to finish off the enemy. He remembered that the
Hindus tried to please their Devi Kali by slaughtering innocent people of other
faiths at her feet; that they regarded everybody else as untouchables. He knew
that his country India had attacked Pakistan in the dead of the night to bleed
Pakistani Muslims and to dominate the entire Subcontinent.             
       
"While the Muslims provided all type of help to those wishing to leave Pakistan, the people of Indiacommitted cruelties against the Muslims (refugees). They would attack the buses, trucks, and trains carrying the Muslim refugees and they were murdered and looted."


"In 1965, the Pakistani army conquered several areas of India, and when India was on the point of being defeated, she requested the United Nations to arrange a ceasefire. After 1965, India, with the help of Hindus living in East Pakistan, instigated the people living there against the people of West Pakistan, and finally invaded East Pakistan in December 1971. The conspiracy resulted in the separation of East Pakistan from us. All of us should receive military training and be prepared to fight the enemy."

   "After winning their freedom, they [Muslims] wanted to
    establish a government in which they could live in
    accordance with Islam, where every law would be in
    accordance to Qur’an. But they knew that the Hindus
    were in a majority in India. After the British leave, they
    would not let an Islamic state be established here. They
    would establish a rule of the Hindu law rather than that
    of the law of the God. In this law, Muslims would be
    treated as untouchables."

 "When the rule of the British was established, Hindus were quick
to learn the English language, and became tools in the
strengthening of the British rule, and simultaneously continued to
foster their traditional hatred towards Muslims. And this way they
prepared a plan to make Muslims their slaves for ever."


“The Hindus lived in small and dark houses. Child marriage was common in
those days. Women were assigned a low position in society. In case the
husband of a woman died, she was burnt alive with his dead body. This was
called ‘sati’. … The killing of shudras was not punished, but the murder of a
Brahman was a serious crime. … However, the people of low caste were not
allowed to learn this language. The caste system had made their life
miserable.”


"Hindus thought that there was no country other than India, nor any people other
than the Indians, nor did anyone else possess any knowledge." [Amazingly, this sentence, meant to denigrate Hindus, describes the response of the local
people to Al Beruni’s visit to India. This is despite the fact that Alexander the
Greek had come to this land many centuries earlier, that the rule of the Mauryas
and the Guptas stretched to the lands from where Al Beruni had come, that the
Arabs had conquered Sindh before Al Beruni’s visit, that the Arab conquest was
also aimed against the Ismailis who had settled in the area around Multan much
earlier, and that the Arabic mathematics was deeply influenced by the Indian
mathematics, etc., etc.]


"Hindu pundits were jealous of Al Beruni. Since they could not compete against Al
Beruni in knowledge, they started calling him a magician."


"The Hindus had the upper hand in the Congress and they established good
relations with the British. This party tried its best to safeguard the interests of the
Hindus. Gradually it became purely a Hindu organization. Most of the Hindu
leaders of the Congress were not prepared to tolerate the presence of the
Muslims in the sub-continent. They demanded that the Muslims should either
embrace Hinduism or leave the country."


"Therefore in order to appease the Hindus and the Congress, the British
announced political reforms. Muslims were not eligible to vote. Hindus vote
never voted for a Muslim, therefore, …"


"We have a high regard for Mohammad bin Qasim. He laid the foundation for the
Muslim rule in India. But the first brick of the foundation was defective. Therefore
the structure erected on this foundation turned out to be defective and fragile,
not destined to last long. Had Mohammad bin Qasim and the conquerors that
followed relied less on sword to increase their numerical strength ad more on
preaching and other methods, we would have been spared the events because
of which we are presently facing tribulations."

"Their (Muslim saints) teachings dispelled many superstitions of the Hindus and reformed their bad practices. Thereby Hindu religion of the olden times came to an end."

“…. during the 11th  century the Ghaznavid Empire comprised what is now
Pakistan and Afghanistan. During the 12th  century the Ghaznavids lost
Afghanistan, and their rule came to be confined to Pakistan. … By the 13th
century, Pakistan had spread to include the whole of Northern India and
Bengal… Under the Khiljis Pakistan moved further Southward to include a
greater part of Central India and the Deccan… Many Mongols accepted Islam.
As such Pakistan remained safe for Islam… During the 16th
 century, ‘Hindustan’ disappeared and was completely absorbed in ‘Pakistan’… Under Aurangzeb the Pakistan spirit gathered in strength. This evoked the opposition of the Hindus…
After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, the process of the disintegration of
Mughal Rule set in, and weakened the Pakistan Spirit… The shape of Pakistan
in the 18th Century was thus more or less the same as it was under the
Ghaznavids in the 11th  century.”

 "Shah Waliullah accordingly appealed to Ahmad Shah Durrani, the ruler of
Afghanistan and ‘Pakistan’ to come to the rescue of the Muslims of Mughal
India, and save them from the tyrannies of the Marhattas… Ahmad Shah Durrani
died in 1773, and with his death things became dark for the Muslims both in
‘Pakistan’ and Mughal India. In the ‘Pakistan’ territories the Sikhs raised their
head in the Punjab and became a great headache for the successors of Ahmad
Shah Durrani… In the ‘Pakistan’ territories, where a Sikh state had come to be
established, the Muslims were denied the freedom of religion. The Mujahideen
set up an Islamic state in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) which was a
manifestation of Pakistan spirit… Thus by the middle the 19th century both
‘Pakistan’ and Hindustan had ceased to exist; instead British India had come
into existence.
Although Pakistan was created in August 1947, yet except for its name, the
present-day Pakistan has existed, as a more or less single entity, for
centuries."

sources :

• The Subtle Subversion, Sustainable Development Policy Institute.
• http://www.jihadwatch.org/2008/12/pakistani-textbook-previously-india-was-part-of-pakistan.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistani_textbooks_controversy

Dai!

Anurag Kashyap has decided to remake devdas yet again, only this time the hero will be driving a car all along and fighting off villains. What is the name of the movie?


Dev D-Paiyaa