The paranoia that took cricket:
That the media's capability to transform into a megaphone and magnifying glass is a fact well known. And now it is driving people on either side of Wagah into a frenzy. The fact that cricket was transmogrified into a war from a mere sport is the result of such aggrandizement blown my the media bugles. Add to that the couple of frenetic advertisements showing men bleeding in blue(meanwhile this is a copied fantasy).
Capitalists who thrive on the emotions derived continue to make more money, when fans and wannabe fans 'rock' the stadium, with cameras capturing PYTs with their chin painted with colours of the national flag. One cannot help admiring the national spirit in the painting, if not the girl, lol.
Such is the state of display from the citizens over displaying nationality, when there is not such active participation in forums discussing the arms deal or the hackneyed nuclear deal discussions, thus making cricket frenzy a mere hollow sounding vista for venting the patriot's blood, just like an emotional catharsis.
Evolution of cricket from test matches to one days to 20-20s is undeniable, nevertheless such dramatic hacking of a game must never be allowed to wilt the basic sportive nature of the game.
Winning or losing, is not significant as it is just a mere sign of the culmination of the game. The way each teams fights, the strategies and other technicalities is where lies the sport. This enlightened moderation enables oneself to take a victory or a loss equally, and remain unperturbed awaiting the next game, instead of stirring up a commotion in facebook and sending forward messages mocking the losers.
Sport was originally a replacement for the civilized man to farther himself from primitive barbarianism. It is sad indeed that some overtones of current times is pushing the wheels of progress in the reverse direction.
18.3.11
Beating around the brain:
It was just another one of the boring day a few years ago. A rudderless surfing the internet when blogs were the craze(when twitter was getting popularity and facebook was getting introduced) when i came across this blog.
The emotional way she described the song(words fail when it comes to bombay jayshree) made me get myself involved, the monomaniac i am, for hours listening to it again and again.
The lighthearted flotation feeling when listening to an enamoring fresh musical rendering for the first time, irrespective of the genre, is one to die for. And the lullaby based on Dhivya prabhandam from Bombay Jayashree which was in 320kbps high quality left no room for complaining about quality either. It is akin to the first shower of the monsoon, when you know that it is going to be repetitive, and with each encore, trying to appreciate it in different possible ways.
Carnatic music is one which i should have acquired properly, nevertheless, i could connect with it subconsciously. Whether i am conditioned to do so, or it is natural is a wonderful subject of study for a psychology student who will never submit his thesis. Oh and the viewing of it from the lens of religion is a whole new unexplored vista!
Comparisons are inevitable: and these music genre tend to restore orderliness for the critic in the mind by setting new benchmarks. It is both a sad and a happy thing to happen, sad because your quest for quality will remove a substantial portion of what is called a new generation music, and happy because you are now a more discerning music listener.
From then on, i am in a state of being lost in limbo(courtesy Inception movie). I couldn't wholesomely get in resonance with any music. Fast numbers appear to be too rudimentary and melodies draggy and text-like. Not that i am not listening to cine music, but the passionate listening has reduced to a state of enlightened moderation.
Professor PV Ramakrishna, who was handling digital communication for me, once retorted in class, "with age and maturity, the frequencies of music appreciation tends towards the middle of the spectrum".
I would be glad if i fall into such a stage from my current limbo.
It was just another one of the boring day a few years ago. A rudderless surfing the internet when blogs were the craze(when twitter was getting popularity and facebook was getting introduced) when i came across this blog.
The emotional way she described the song(words fail when it comes to bombay jayshree) made me get myself involved, the monomaniac i am, for hours listening to it again and again.
The lighthearted flotation feeling when listening to an enamoring fresh musical rendering for the first time, irrespective of the genre, is one to die for. And the lullaby based on Dhivya prabhandam from Bombay Jayashree which was in 320kbps high quality left no room for complaining about quality either. It is akin to the first shower of the monsoon, when you know that it is going to be repetitive, and with each encore, trying to appreciate it in different possible ways.
Carnatic music is one which i should have acquired properly, nevertheless, i could connect with it subconsciously. Whether i am conditioned to do so, or it is natural is a wonderful subject of study for a psychology student who will never submit his thesis. Oh and the viewing of it from the lens of religion is a whole new unexplored vista!
Comparisons are inevitable: and these music genre tend to restore orderliness for the critic in the mind by setting new benchmarks. It is both a sad and a happy thing to happen, sad because your quest for quality will remove a substantial portion of what is called a new generation music, and happy because you are now a more discerning music listener.
From then on, i am in a state of being lost in limbo(courtesy Inception movie). I couldn't wholesomely get in resonance with any music. Fast numbers appear to be too rudimentary and melodies draggy and text-like. Not that i am not listening to cine music, but the passionate listening has reduced to a state of enlightened moderation.
Professor PV Ramakrishna, who was handling digital communication for me, once retorted in class, "with age and maturity, the frequencies of music appreciation tends towards the middle of the spectrum".
I would be glad if i fall into such a stage from my current limbo.
7.2.11
Ko music review:
Perhaps, this will be(hopefully) the shortest music review for a Harris Jayaraj musical.
Yennamo yedho is a for the most part a melody garnished with rap element , bearable just for the melody and direct instrumentation. Sounds dull and uninteresting.
Gala Gala is a sort of assorted, mega drum song with meandering flow. Fast paced by Harris standards. Bearable, listenable. Thats about it.
venpaniye is the traditional Harris melody, akin to the uyirile from Vettayadu vilayadu, deal sweetened by Bombay Jayashree.
The rest of the songs are so bland and Neo-Rehman-isque ventures. It never worked for the Master, and history repeats for the Student.
Perhaps, this will be(hopefully) the shortest music review for a Harris Jayaraj musical.
Yennamo yedho is a for the most part a melody garnished with rap element , bearable just for the melody and direct instrumentation. Sounds dull and uninteresting.
Gala Gala is a sort of assorted, mega drum song with meandering flow. Fast paced by Harris standards. Bearable, listenable. Thats about it.
venpaniye is the traditional Harris melody, akin to the uyirile from Vettayadu vilayadu, deal sweetened by Bombay Jayashree.
The rest of the songs are so bland and Neo-Rehman-isque ventures. It never worked for the Master, and history repeats for the Student.
19.1.11
The taste of pepsi
It was the summers in school time. 7th standard i suppose. It was a shirt drenched in sweat playing in the PKD school grounds. We all were returning back home. None of us had a paisa left. Except V.prabu. He had a ten rupee note.
Luckily, pepsi then costs around that amount in the nearby grocery shop. The shop owner was one kindhearted to give us three straws for a bottle of pepsi. Me, V.Prabu and Saravana Kumar took the other end of each of the straw and started sipping. 3 in 1 kind of.
Amazingly, the sweat and the thirst in the tongue made me relish the taste of pepsi like anything.. It went empty in no time(duh!).
It was the first and (until now) last time pepsi tasted the ultimate best and when i managed to drink it without the gases escaping through the nostrils.
Sadly, Saravana Kumar is no-more.
It was the summers in school time. 7th standard i suppose. It was a shirt drenched in sweat playing in the PKD school grounds. We all were returning back home. None of us had a paisa left. Except V.prabu. He had a ten rupee note.
Luckily, pepsi then costs around that amount in the nearby grocery shop. The shop owner was one kindhearted to give us three straws for a bottle of pepsi. Me, V.Prabu and Saravana Kumar took the other end of each of the straw and started sipping. 3 in 1 kind of.
Amazingly, the sweat and the thirst in the tongue made me relish the taste of pepsi like anything.. It went empty in no time(duh!).
It was the first and (until now) last time pepsi tasted the ultimate best and when i managed to drink it without the gases escaping through the nostrils.
Sadly, Saravana Kumar is no-more.
22.12.10
Whither democracy?
These are real testing times for the Indian polity. Democracy which is an institution to serve the people's welfare is subverted to usurp power to feed the watershed of corruption and criminality. A country cannot be governed* for people's welfare in an eternal state of scams emanating one after the another, making people lose faith over the institution of democracy: as seen from the bitter resentment in the comments poured by the people in the various media.
There are inbuilt defense mechanisms, like the CBI which evince attention for its purported stance of taking people to task. But then the usurpers of power are nonchalant when pointed about the might of the CBI. The politican want to plunder the country and its resources to fill his coffers at any cost and the disturbing trend here is the brazen attitude and the rapaciousness with which he/she defends his misdeeds by obfuscating the facts put forward in the accusal.
It is too premature and sans logic to conclude that democracy has failed, though a section of the population is assertive of the fact and continue to disobey the law- either actively or passively. The one who pays the bribe is equally guilty to the one who is demanding. The attitude of the people is disheartening. They have accepted corruption and bribery to be the norm of the day (and days to come). Ordinary people of the country are too much indulgent in the race to make their day fruitful to pecuniary results. How much of persistent advocating can bring up a change in the thinking of the common man is indeed tentative.
Democracy in itself owes its existence to the collective conscience of the people. Thus when the individual gains more importance over the group or society, the State where such muddiness and instigated turbidity prevails no longer can be called a democracy.
Today, corruption, nepotism, favoritism are the informal rules of governing. What applies to the grassroots, is applied to the higher orders. This canker is feeding to the societal inequality. Surprisingly, it is the very resilient feature of the democratic attributes(like dialogue, accomodation of dissent) that which further adds to the tools of the perpetrators. Thus when charged with corruption, the politician evades immediate action in the name of commissions and enquiry.
It takes a moment to point an error. The resolution of it is the real issue. The foremost of all is to make people aware. Aware of what is happening in this country- the facts as sharp as they actually are. This coupled with making people enlightened about their stake- which a high degree of education can only give. And media do has a positive role to play here. Media should be kept free of the same political culture which is ruining the country.
Indians are so generous that they lift political icons into dynastic appeal. Had congress resorted to democracy in their polity, it would have gotten itself a merit list for a able administrator. And the main opposition would cling on to democratic platform to fight the battle, rather than appealing to mass sentiments.
The classic case of left vs right(communists vs capitalists) is obsolete, and the political dichotomy is now only over the degree of liberalization. Then it is no more a dichotomy, and hence the inherent dissident is now extinct. Thus when group is advocating bad capitalism, and it lands in a quagmire as a consequence, the government has to bail it out. And then the same citigroup later does business sound and healthy, doing a decent burial to any lessons that has to be learnt. We live in turbulent times.
*Governing is a better word than ruling
These are real testing times for the Indian polity. Democracy which is an institution to serve the people's welfare is subverted to usurp power to feed the watershed of corruption and criminality. A country cannot be governed* for people's welfare in an eternal state of scams emanating one after the another, making people lose faith over the institution of democracy: as seen from the bitter resentment in the comments poured by the people in the various media.
There are inbuilt defense mechanisms, like the CBI which evince attention for its purported stance of taking people to task. But then the usurpers of power are nonchalant when pointed about the might of the CBI. The politican want to plunder the country and its resources to fill his coffers at any cost and the disturbing trend here is the brazen attitude and the rapaciousness with which he/she defends his misdeeds by obfuscating the facts put forward in the accusal.
It is too premature and sans logic to conclude that democracy has failed, though a section of the population is assertive of the fact and continue to disobey the law- either actively or passively. The one who pays the bribe is equally guilty to the one who is demanding. The attitude of the people is disheartening. They have accepted corruption and bribery to be the norm of the day (and days to come). Ordinary people of the country are too much indulgent in the race to make their day fruitful to pecuniary results. How much of persistent advocating can bring up a change in the thinking of the common man is indeed tentative.
Democracy in itself owes its existence to the collective conscience of the people. Thus when the individual gains more importance over the group or society, the State where such muddiness and instigated turbidity prevails no longer can be called a democracy.
Today, corruption, nepotism, favoritism are the informal rules of governing. What applies to the grassroots, is applied to the higher orders. This canker is feeding to the societal inequality. Surprisingly, it is the very resilient feature of the democratic attributes(like dialogue, accomodation of dissent) that which further adds to the tools of the perpetrators. Thus when charged with corruption, the politician evades immediate action in the name of commissions and enquiry.
It takes a moment to point an error. The resolution of it is the real issue. The foremost of all is to make people aware. Aware of what is happening in this country- the facts as sharp as they actually are. This coupled with making people enlightened about their stake- which a high degree of education can only give. And media do has a positive role to play here. Media should be kept free of the same political culture which is ruining the country.
Indians are so generous that they lift political icons into dynastic appeal. Had congress resorted to democracy in their polity, it would have gotten itself a merit list for a able administrator. And the main opposition would cling on to democratic platform to fight the battle, rather than appealing to mass sentiments.
The classic case of left vs right(communists vs capitalists) is obsolete, and the political dichotomy is now only over the degree of liberalization. Then it is no more a dichotomy, and hence the inherent dissident is now extinct. Thus when group is advocating bad capitalism, and it lands in a quagmire as a consequence, the government has to bail it out. And then the same citigroup later does business sound and healthy, doing a decent burial to any lessons that has to be learnt. We live in turbulent times.
*Governing is a better word than ruling
13.11.10
Engeyum Kaadhal music review:
"Simplicity is the Ultimate sophistication", said Leonardo Da Vinci. An artistic reflection i guess. Harris Jayaraj has been doing on the lines of this decree, if his latest tamil film musical is to be commented upon. Music sounds so simple- fewer instruments- there is no Rahman-ish too many instruments and complex orchestration. Instruments which a amateur music composer would choose, yet an outcome which sounds matured of a seasoned music maker. In one angle, Harris is one, there is a pattern occurring in all his songs, the soft jazz oriented novelties thrown around occasionally, like the fake opera bit.
How original it sounds, is not more important than how utilizable the music is while you are listening to it. Instant captivating, a feel of lightness- say when i am driving a car, or relaxing myself at the end of the day. I am not arguing that music has to be 'familiar' each time, but it must be complying to the first line of this blog post.
Let us proceed to the review.
Engeyum kadhal.
Aalaap Raju
Comes out as a fresh piece. Terrific simplicity. Foot-tap beats. Devan's humming in the background. A clean song for any time of the day.
Thee illai
The opening violin hints at an unbearable pain of the heart, yet the opening contains attuned stifled excitement. Female voices are tending to the higher frequencies and this is becoming the fad. Second stanza instrumental is typical trademark of Harris. I love the way the drums roll whenever the opening lines are played each time- dramatic.
Nangaai
Made in haste or retarded pop culture garnished with lyrics to tamil populace. The style of fusion is what makes you listen to the song.
Lolita
Karthick's song all the way. A parallel to Uzhaga azhagiye song. Again the same simple beats, guitar prancing with it. Sparkling stanza tunes, which are instantly hummable. Harris and drum rolls!!! And the sax interludes. There is not a bit of laxity anywhere in the composition.
Bathing at cannes
many artists
Rap songs, with the hackneyed rap beats. Nothing more to say.
Nenjil Nenjil
Here's another engrossing melody, from the inimitable melody maker. Chinmayi, the softest of all feminine with Harish, the male counterpart. Pad's spank every alternate second. In feeling aspect, the heart melts to the mood of the song. Peculiar combination of the chorus and carnatic instruments in the second half(anbil avan- VTV). Flawless tamil lyrics matched to perfect diction. One of the best tunes i have ever heard as of now.
Dhimu Dhimu
As if all the melodies dont make the package complete, Harris gives us another Karthick song. Guitar and beat and Karthick: this adds up to a soothing, calm non-boisterous song. Yes, there is sax interludes. And the old school formula, which the composer relies so often- the end stanza pacing up of the song.
Barring the two aberrations(for commercial purposes- target audience inclusiveness) the five songs are more than worth the time you spend on it. Music for the basic purpose is overwhelmingly satiated and i think majority of the populace too will be. Thus ARR can proceed clinging to the apex of his high-brow work, this description is of questionable veracity but widely accepted, when Harris continues his artistry of making music simple, listenable and is capable of refreshing a tired mind(the contrary of ARR's enervating music).
Harris is one odd man out of the boisterous many, whose works confine to(or atleast attempting to) Leonardo's assertion.
"Simplicity is the Ultimate sophistication", said Leonardo Da Vinci. An artistic reflection i guess. Harris Jayaraj has been doing on the lines of this decree, if his latest tamil film musical is to be commented upon. Music sounds so simple- fewer instruments- there is no Rahman-ish too many instruments and complex orchestration. Instruments which a amateur music composer would choose, yet an outcome which sounds matured of a seasoned music maker. In one angle, Harris is one, there is a pattern occurring in all his songs, the soft jazz oriented novelties thrown around occasionally, like the fake opera bit.
How original it sounds, is not more important than how utilizable the music is while you are listening to it. Instant captivating, a feel of lightness- say when i am driving a car, or relaxing myself at the end of the day. I am not arguing that music has to be 'familiar' each time, but it must be complying to the first line of this blog post.
Let us proceed to the review.
Engeyum kadhal.
Aalaap Raju
Comes out as a fresh piece. Terrific simplicity. Foot-tap beats. Devan's humming in the background. A clean song for any time of the day.
Thee illai
| Naresh Iyer, Mukesh, Gopal Rao, Mahathi |
Nangaai
| Richard |
Lolita
| Karthik, Prashanthini |
Bathing at cannes
many artists
Rap songs, with the hackneyed rap beats. Nothing more to say.
Nenjil Nenjil
| Harish Raghavendra, Chinmayi |
Here's another engrossing melody, from the inimitable melody maker. Chinmayi, the softest of all feminine with Harish, the male counterpart. Pad's spank every alternate second. In feeling aspect, the heart melts to the mood of the song. Peculiar combination of the chorus and carnatic instruments in the second half(anbil avan- VTV). Flawless tamil lyrics matched to perfect diction. One of the best tunes i have ever heard as of now.
Dhimu Dhimu
| Karthik |
Barring the two aberrations(for commercial purposes- target audience inclusiveness) the five songs are more than worth the time you spend on it. Music for the basic purpose is overwhelmingly satiated and i think majority of the populace too will be. Thus ARR can proceed clinging to the apex of his high-brow work, this description is of questionable veracity but widely accepted, when Harris continues his artistry of making music simple, listenable and is capable of refreshing a tired mind(the contrary of ARR's enervating music).
Harris is one odd man out of the boisterous many, whose works confine to(or atleast attempting to) Leonardo's assertion.
25.9.10
snippets
The congress forms the government. And then they speak about the congress and the government.
Ayodhya is the battleground for the babri mosque supporters and Ram temple activists. Someone goes to court, and on the eve of the judgment, government gets proactive. Activists(i don't know when they become one) plead for out of court settlement. The erudite Supreme Court makes government a party to it. What an illustration for the word, 'quagmire'.
Manmohan Singh, the honorable PM, quips that there is no free lunch for anyone in India. The rodents chuckle rollicking over grain filled jute bags, for they have proved the PM wrong!!
The congress forms the government. And then they speak about the congress and the government.
Ayodhya is the battleground for the babri mosque supporters and Ram temple activists. Someone goes to court, and on the eve of the judgment, government gets proactive. Activists(i don't know when they become one) plead for out of court settlement. The erudite Supreme Court makes government a party to it. What an illustration for the word, 'quagmire'.
Manmohan Singh, the honorable PM, quips that there is no free lunch for anyone in India. The rodents chuckle rollicking over grain filled jute bags, for they have proved the PM wrong!!
3.8.10
Endhiran film music review:
Well, the songs have come up. And Rahman's fans all over twitter and the blog world are exhausting every superlative adjective to glorify the songs and getting in sync. They justify, Rahman is lord and what comes from the lord is consecrated, and therefore no negative comments to be aired.
"Well the songs are superb(assumed to be superb), and hence i will listen to it. Because Rahman's intellectual depths are revealed only in the nth time of hearing"
The world is increasingly becoming liberal, and therefore it is best left maniacs and fanatics to their own idiosyncrasies. Even if i am one myself.
Music is defined as a periodic noise. That's a negative description but nevertheless fits the bill. Even if it is slightly periodic, or if it follows a pattern, or it produces a soothing sensation something which induces sleep to a tired mind.
This is one form of describing music, and when it resembles jarring, woofer wrecking, random synthesized sounds, the apparent difference between music and noise is wiped off.
Endhiran is one such album, where the character of music is lost in the drumming and echoing background noises.
Pudhiya manidha has this robotised voices and ARR himself joins the robots, and his daughter adds a soft element, and then the the song actually starts at 2:20 when SPB starts his hum. Aw..... what a voice, after a long time, the reign of the real male voice in tamil film music. Yeah i mentioned periodic, yes the beats simple and periodic, sudden bursts of voice(with the annoying goat sounds produced by Rehaina, ARR's sister). SPB voice is robotised at times, which hampers the rhythm. song brought to life by SPB.
Kadhal anukkal : Pardon me, is this song composed by Rehman? Any average Joe can come up with a similar tune and presentation. Tippu's voice exactly for Vijay Prakash.
Irumbile oru idhayam: The voices playing in the stereo is so bizarre. ARR voice is excellent and mind-blowing at times but which is hidden behind the grandeur of music. (how much it fits for the hero on screen is another issue), An average song. Will be nice for a drive in the car.
Chitti dance:Not exactly music by any standards.
Arima arima: Purely for the video and not so sumptuous for audio standalone listening. Rhyming verses, Sadhana Sargam will not to match the actress voice. Noisy and too loud at any volume.
Kilimanjaro: Rahman's sister is a menace to this song's intro. Otherwise, it is a nice song with Javed Ali and Chinmayee!!!!! Her modulation is so different and intoxicating. Beat is heavy and slow paced funky. The only listenable song, which doesn't enervate you , fresh and stands out from the others. Tribal elements.
Boom boom:Musical notes resemble Shivaji's adhiradi song. Kailash kher's voice dont have much applicability. Female voice dont fit: and the synthesizing makes it irritating. More of noise and less and less of music.
......
They said ARR is a genius, and his works rings only to the ears of true intellectuals, common men like me will take many times to grasp it. Is there anyone listening to Shivaji or for that matter VTV?
Musical notes which are complex for the sake of it.
Well, the songs have come up. And Rahman's fans all over twitter and the blog world are exhausting every superlative adjective to glorify the songs and getting in sync. They justify, Rahman is lord and what comes from the lord is consecrated, and therefore no negative comments to be aired.
"Well the songs are superb(assumed to be superb), and hence i will listen to it. Because Rahman's intellectual depths are revealed only in the nth time of hearing"
The world is increasingly becoming liberal, and therefore it is best left maniacs and fanatics to their own idiosyncrasies. Even if i am one myself.
Music is defined as a periodic noise. That's a negative description but nevertheless fits the bill. Even if it is slightly periodic, or if it follows a pattern, or it produces a soothing sensation something which induces sleep to a tired mind.
This is one form of describing music, and when it resembles jarring, woofer wrecking, random synthesized sounds, the apparent difference between music and noise is wiped off.
Endhiran is one such album, where the character of music is lost in the drumming and echoing background noises.
Pudhiya manidha has this robotised voices and ARR himself joins the robots, and his daughter adds a soft element, and then the the song actually starts at 2:20 when SPB starts his hum. Aw..... what a voice, after a long time, the reign of the real male voice in tamil film music. Yeah i mentioned periodic, yes the beats simple and periodic, sudden bursts of voice(with the annoying goat sounds produced by Rehaina, ARR's sister). SPB voice is robotised at times, which hampers the rhythm. song brought to life by SPB.
Kadhal anukkal : Pardon me, is this song composed by Rehman? Any average Joe can come up with a similar tune and presentation. Tippu's voice exactly for Vijay Prakash.
Irumbile oru idhayam: The voices playing in the stereo is so bizarre. ARR voice is excellent and mind-blowing at times but which is hidden behind the grandeur of music. (how much it fits for the hero on screen is another issue), An average song. Will be nice for a drive in the car.
Chitti dance:Not exactly music by any standards.
Arima arima: Purely for the video and not so sumptuous for audio standalone listening. Rhyming verses, Sadhana Sargam will not to match the actress voice. Noisy and too loud at any volume.
Kilimanjaro: Rahman's sister is a menace to this song's intro. Otherwise, it is a nice song with Javed Ali and Chinmayee!!!!! Her modulation is so different and intoxicating. Beat is heavy and slow paced funky. The only listenable song, which doesn't enervate you , fresh and stands out from the others. Tribal elements.
Boom boom:Musical notes resemble Shivaji's adhiradi song. Kailash kher's voice dont have much applicability. Female voice dont fit: and the synthesizing makes it irritating. More of noise and less and less of music.
......
They said ARR is a genius, and his works rings only to the ears of true intellectuals, common men like me will take many times to grasp it. Is there anyone listening to Shivaji or for that matter VTV?
Musical notes which are complex for the sake of it.
10.3.10
Vinnaithandi varuvaya: my take
Is the movie about love at first sight? Yes and no. Maybe familiarity (also) breeds love. When one sided love is the cinematic-ally established normality, when the other end too feels it, then its (blessed) co-incidence. And when you are deep into it, you make promises, whether it is realizable or not. But you have to, to get the going.
A boy(karthick) actually(not hero). Narrates his story to us. Watch it without the pre-concluded characterizations. Quite a few movies are a visual real life event. The few-worded guy, who chases his love. In life, something happens in the flow. It depends on whether u allow this 'flow', or u discredit it. He took it by the flow. He believed it is his love. And stood by it. Till the end of the movie. Maybe till he 'moved on'. Or not.
The other religion girl's dilemmas throughout. The on-screen aesthetics(costumes). Her unwillingness to take the plunge. Beautiful portrayal of a girl (also) in love, who want to have it all, and quite different from stereotyped tamil heroines. Trisha could have done it better. GVM should have picked some other emoting girl for the lead. Especially when she asks karthick to move on, there's lack of emotional display. Only the dialogue delivery by Chinmayee helps.
The background music is blaring at times. ARR did an experimentation, his usual now-a-days.
The climax is a director's trick. Though ending not so like 'hero and heroine lived happily for many years' , it leaves a lasting impression. Awesome depiction of the feel of love towards the end. Especially when karthick displays his angst hiding his tears while describing his girl.
Love is a feeling. There is no success or failure rates to it. This movie illustrates it. I regretted(and that is also a feeling) what happened to karthick when he tells us with emotionally cracking voice what exactly is love. I couldn't agree more.
This movie's one of a kind. Accept it as it is.
Is the movie about love at first sight? Yes and no. Maybe familiarity (also) breeds love. When one sided love is the cinematic-ally established normality, when the other end too feels it, then its (blessed) co-incidence. And when you are deep into it, you make promises, whether it is realizable or not. But you have to, to get the going.
A boy(karthick) actually(not hero). Narrates his story to us. Watch it without the pre-concluded characterizations. Quite a few movies are a visual real life event. The few-worded guy, who chases his love. In life, something happens in the flow. It depends on whether u allow this 'flow', or u discredit it. He took it by the flow. He believed it is his love. And stood by it. Till the end of the movie. Maybe till he 'moved on'. Or not.
The other religion girl's dilemmas throughout. The on-screen aesthetics(costumes). Her unwillingness to take the plunge. Beautiful portrayal of a girl (also) in love, who want to have it all, and quite different from stereotyped tamil heroines. Trisha could have done it better. GVM should have picked some other emoting girl for the lead. Especially when she asks karthick to move on, there's lack of emotional display. Only the dialogue delivery by Chinmayee helps.
The background music is blaring at times. ARR did an experimentation, his usual now-a-days.
The climax is a director's trick. Though ending not so like 'hero and heroine lived happily for many years' , it leaves a lasting impression. Awesome depiction of the feel of love towards the end. Especially when karthick displays his angst hiding his tears while describing his girl.
Love is a feeling. There is no success or failure rates to it. This movie illustrates it. I regretted(and that is also a feeling) what happened to karthick when he tells us with emotionally cracking voice what exactly is love. I couldn't agree more.
This movie's one of a kind. Accept it as it is.
1.12.09
God's own country….revisited:
The trip to guruvayoor is always an enchanting one, the prime reason being the drive through the kerala countryside's lush greenery- a kind of dark greenery of the rainforest type and also the numerous intervening streamlets. Not only that, the villas which are encircled by a wild garden around, no doubt aided by the abundant showers.
Right after crossing the Tamil nadu border, there is a marked change in the visual environment-the first evidence of is the narrow Kerala roads-also the undulations indicating the lethargic communist government (which otherwise is too eager to ring in the cash box out of liquor sales-this is a common scene in which you see restless citizens of the so-called communist state queuing up to get their daily supply, just reminding a ration shop). The road from pollachi to Thrissur does not qualify for even a state highway (after Kerala) but I am not complaining-for the average speeds is around 50 to 60 kmph.
At such speeds, one can assume that it should be a leisure drive, but it is not the case. The driving style of most vehicles qualifies for rash driving and one has to be too careful not to cause any undue mishaps.
The scene of the leeward side of the western ghats with the occasional white line indicating a temporary waterfall is a common scene on the left side of the drive. Thrissur is about 120 kms from Pollachi and road was drivable only after Vadakkencherry where the NH 47 gives a very smooth drive after that. This is the scintillating part of the journey, where you cross the palghat gap, with dense canopy on either end. There are also rubber plantations on slopes, with the green plastic bags tied to sap rubber milk. After this stretch it is urban most of the way and there is nothing to offer other than the ubiquitous villas.
We reached the temple by 2 pm. The entrance time for the evening prayer is by 3.30 pm and hence the traditional way of going to the temple pond and all that. I wore my dhoti and to protect from any embarrassment I added a belt too. But the belt was too contrasting to the dhoti so I tied another small towel around the belt. Now the package is complete.
There were dark clouds hovering around there, and hence it means rains soon. But this is a combination of monsoon and equatorial rains, and I am feeling sticky in the queue out of this humidity. Right from entering the temple, there was some prayer songs being recited in carnatic ragas by a child prodigy that was so serene and going well in this spiritual atmosphere. Then nature started its own raga. The rains-it rained and how. It was pouring and I cant even see properly as near as 50 meters.
This was a splendid moment when on one side there was the smooth voice of some child and on the other side the pour of the rains and waiting without losing patience for the temple gates to open. And to this extravaganza, there added another charm-yes it was near 3.30 pm and there was the usual ritual before opening for the evening prayers with the traditional kerala style ‘sendai’ drummings. How scintillating was the day….
On entering the temple, I could see that there was some ritual in which three elephants decorated and with all the embellishments was being given a sort of an acclamation from the other side by drums and cymbals with the occasional wind pipes blowing at the peak times. In listening to this, in no time I was near the deity and so I concentrated on my prayers. Lord Guruvayoorappa was still a mystery to me. At one time he looks like a child, and at another time like the normal form as seen in the printed form. Perhaps, that is the uniqueness of this temple. This time, He really looked like a child sporting a huge smile (as shown by the sandalwood paste applied) and it was like He smiling at me as I go near Him.
It again started to pour and the feeling was like I was standing near a giant waterfalls. The temple area was swept clean and the whole area looked fresh. Mom went for taking prayers another time, and in the meanwhile I was listening in awe to the music.
After prayers, the traditional guruvayoor visit customs like buying halwas and pappad packs and then we started to home. Near thrissur, I made a small accident, when the brake was not enough to compensate my lack of attention to prevent the bending of the wagonR’s bumpers and backdoor. Fiat’s radiator was leaking badly. It was a tough time there and after a wait of 2 hours or so, we settled it there with cash after getting an estimate from the service station and started to home again.
The engine temperature was soaring to new heights as there was no water in the radiator. It was really trying to get down at houses and ask for water at this odd time of the day, every five km of so. Sometimes it was totally empty and vapors coming from the hood, rain was pouring hard, with me getting wet and then messaging what I was undergoing to a friend, stopping at inconvenient places, talking to unknown persons, getting searched by night patrol policemen and finally it was 1 pm when I returned home.
Truly a oxymoronic day with extreme states within a few hours.
The trip to guruvayoor is always an enchanting one, the prime reason being the drive through the kerala countryside's lush greenery- a kind of dark greenery of the rainforest type and also the numerous intervening streamlets. Not only that, the villas which are encircled by a wild garden around, no doubt aided by the abundant showers.
Right after crossing the Tamil nadu border, there is a marked change in the visual environment-the first evidence of is the narrow Kerala roads-also the undulations indicating the lethargic communist government (which otherwise is too eager to ring in the cash box out of liquor sales-this is a common scene in which you see restless citizens of the so-called communist state queuing up to get their daily supply, just reminding a ration shop). The road from pollachi to Thrissur does not qualify for even a state highway (after Kerala) but I am not complaining-for the average speeds is around 50 to 60 kmph.
At such speeds, one can assume that it should be a leisure drive, but it is not the case. The driving style of most vehicles qualifies for rash driving and one has to be too careful not to cause any undue mishaps.
The scene of the leeward side of the western ghats with the occasional white line indicating a temporary waterfall is a common scene on the left side of the drive. Thrissur is about 120 kms from Pollachi and road was drivable only after Vadakkencherry where the NH 47 gives a very smooth drive after that. This is the scintillating part of the journey, where you cross the palghat gap, with dense canopy on either end. There are also rubber plantations on slopes, with the green plastic bags tied to sap rubber milk. After this stretch it is urban most of the way and there is nothing to offer other than the ubiquitous villas.
We reached the temple by 2 pm. The entrance time for the evening prayer is by 3.30 pm and hence the traditional way of going to the temple pond and all that. I wore my dhoti and to protect from any embarrassment I added a belt too. But the belt was too contrasting to the dhoti so I tied another small towel around the belt. Now the package is complete.
There were dark clouds hovering around there, and hence it means rains soon. But this is a combination of monsoon and equatorial rains, and I am feeling sticky in the queue out of this humidity. Right from entering the temple, there was some prayer songs being recited in carnatic ragas by a child prodigy that was so serene and going well in this spiritual atmosphere. Then nature started its own raga. The rains-it rained and how. It was pouring and I cant even see properly as near as 50 meters.
This was a splendid moment when on one side there was the smooth voice of some child and on the other side the pour of the rains and waiting without losing patience for the temple gates to open. And to this extravaganza, there added another charm-yes it was near 3.30 pm and there was the usual ritual before opening for the evening prayers with the traditional kerala style ‘sendai’ drummings. How scintillating was the day….
On entering the temple, I could see that there was some ritual in which three elephants decorated and with all the embellishments was being given a sort of an acclamation from the other side by drums and cymbals with the occasional wind pipes blowing at the peak times. In listening to this, in no time I was near the deity and so I concentrated on my prayers. Lord Guruvayoorappa was still a mystery to me. At one time he looks like a child, and at another time like the normal form as seen in the printed form. Perhaps, that is the uniqueness of this temple. This time, He really looked like a child sporting a huge smile (as shown by the sandalwood paste applied) and it was like He smiling at me as I go near Him.
It again started to pour and the feeling was like I was standing near a giant waterfalls. The temple area was swept clean and the whole area looked fresh. Mom went for taking prayers another time, and in the meanwhile I was listening in awe to the music.
After prayers, the traditional guruvayoor visit customs like buying halwas and pappad packs and then we started to home. Near thrissur, I made a small accident, when the brake was not enough to compensate my lack of attention to prevent the bending of the wagonR’s bumpers and backdoor. Fiat’s radiator was leaking badly. It was a tough time there and after a wait of 2 hours or so, we settled it there with cash after getting an estimate from the service station and started to home again.
The engine temperature was soaring to new heights as there was no water in the radiator. It was really trying to get down at houses and ask for water at this odd time of the day, every five km of so. Sometimes it was totally empty and vapors coming from the hood, rain was pouring hard, with me getting wet and then messaging what I was undergoing to a friend, stopping at inconvenient places, talking to unknown persons, getting searched by night patrol policemen and finally it was 1 pm when I returned home.
Truly a oxymoronic day with extreme states within a few hours.
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