Thiraikatha- A story off the "thirai"

There was lot about this movie as it was termed as one of the "off - beat" type of movies. Also to add to it, the movie starred Prithviraj, my favourite actor.

It was the day of diwali, i was all alone in my apartment in Chennai as my housemates have left to their native for the celebrations. Too much of time to kill..

I remember seeing in the dailies that "Thiraikatha" was released in Chennai.. But was apprehensive if the new releases would have replaced this movie.. Anyways this time i was completely relying on the yellow page websites.. Well they said it was "Sangam Cinemas" where the movie was scheduled.. The sub- urban train was moving at a snail's pace for me and i was cursing my ownself for not starting a little early for the evening show.. No time to spare, i just got into an autorickshaw from the Chetpet station..

Alas !! Disappointment.. there was no Thiraikatha but some diwali releases... Atlast it was only on this sunday i got to see this movie after i got the original VCD from Music World..

Review:

Thiraikatha - As the name suggests, the movie is about the celluloid world. Not that, it completely revolves around the tinsel town, but on the life of an actress from her bloom to the gloom days.

Akbar @ Akki (Prithviraj) is a young director who is keenly working on the script for his second movie. For Akki movie-making is not a profession but a passion. He runs a restaurant along with his crew despite his successful debut. He narrows down to the life of an actress of yester years, Malavika(PriyaMani) for the storyline of his next venture.

As he explores more about the life of Malavika, the movie unfolds to the happenings of the recent past. As a reluctant actress Malavika debuts as the lead lady alongside Ajaychandran(Anoop) as the bad guy in her first movie. Despite her mother's disapproval the actress falls for the struggling actor Ajay. The movie turns out to be a success and so does the career bloom of the actress. With more films opportunities pouring in Tamil and Malayalam the actress is quite a star among the masses, but for Ajay is yet to get his bigger break as a hero.

Thanks to a common friend between the two, they get to act together in a movie in lead roles and end up in a secret marriage. But the marriage is short lived following difference of opinions and they soon part ways. Ajay's career takes an upturn and he grows to become a super-star who reigns on his popularity even in his 50's. Ironically, on the other hand Malavika's fades and due course of time she is totally forgotten.

Akki's inquisitives leads him to the ailing actress who is totally withdrawn from the gaiety and the glamour. This makes a transition to compassion and he persuades her to come with him for betterment. He also refrains from his decision of making a movie on her life. The actress who quite envisions her last days wishes to see her long lost love and the aftermath marks the climax of this touching movie.

Though based on a true story, the director has to be lauded for the impressive screen play. In fact he has given enough room for showcasing some excellent acting from lead characters.

In terms of acting it is Priyamani who omnipotently steals the show. Be it the glamour girl malavika or the ailing actress she excels in both. Next in line would be Prithviraj and Anoop. Well the rest of the characters like Samvrutha, etc complete the package of the decent movie.

Unlike most of the movies which throws light on the darker side of the actors, this one seems to have potrayed the emotional turmoil esp. that of the actressess in their fading end of careers.

The songs are good but the background score could have warranted more attention. Also the second half seems to drag a bit but the climax does the expiations for the little of shortcomings. A decent entertainer, infact the typical malayalam which vouches mainly on a solid stroyline.

Thiraikatha - The thiraikatha(screenplay) in deed shines bright in the thirai.

How Opal Mehta got into a painting ??

When i was in my final year @ college, this was the latest buzz news about an Indian origin Havard Sophomore, Kaviya Viswanathan.. On the first week i happen to read a full page interview with the girl about her debut Novel "How Opal mehta got kissed, got wild and got a life".. in the next week she was termed a "Plagiarist"..with her contract with some movie production company being annulled.. More pages found to be similar to various other novels.. and the book was pulled off shelves..

Enough were these reasons to increase my inquisitiveness to read this but unfortunately i could n't manage a copy of it .. Well I was out of college got myself a job in chennai.. In my agenda Weekends are meant for long shopping schedules.. i don't mind even shopping in the subway pavements, a posh mall with all major brands or the over/ever crowded Ranganathan Street or the little market area in Tambaram.. In one such shopping visits i found a copy of this book in a road side shop with the following cover pic..

Though the prime reason for choosing this book to read was the controversy surrounding the book, i liked the plot the novel. But this cover pic was different from the ones which made rounds in the internet as shown below

I had a team mate who was leaving our company to join a firm in her home town. I decided to gift the person something different. Infact she often reminded me the cover pic of the book and so i decided to gift her the same as my memento.

Well i have done some alternations in the painting as well :).. Well that's the story of How opal Mehta got into a painting :)

Movie Reviews - Santhosh Subramaniam

Review: The brother duo team of "jeyam" is back again as usual with a remake and had played safe to render a family entertainer this summer. As my friends told that the original telugu version "Bommillaru" was more impressive, I didn't get the drive to watch this movie. I read that the movie was about 'Father-Son' relationship and the intricacies caused by an over-caring Dad's love towards his son.

But it was my dad who made me watch this movie :)... Actually he had booked my return ticket on a State Transport AC bus but I had asked him to book my tickets for the ordinary deluxe bus which leaves 2 hours later than this one. Not always I gave my consent for my father's decision and deferred on this one too as didn't want to miss my extra 2 hours of stay at home this weekend. OMG.. They screened 3 movies in this bus that too movies which were hardly a month old.



K.. It's enough of beating round the bush.. SS's story line is about a son who craves for an independence from his father's over-powering love. Subramaniam, a millionaire pleasures in handpicking all choices on his son’s behalf. On the otherside his son craves for a love and career of his own choice. Santhosh (Jeyam Ravi) is deeply crestfallen when his dad betroths him to a girl ironic to his likings. But things change a lot for Santhosh when he meets the cute Hasini(Genelia), a girl still a child at heart. It 's love at first sight and don't try to explore any solid reasons :). When his dad finds about his lady-love Santhosh is ready to fight back his father. The girl is invited to Santhosh's home with a notion to win his dad's approval.

Did the girl won the approval ?? Did the dad realize his son's desires ?? Well watch out the rest on screen to find the answers.

The person who single handedly steals the limelight would be Genelia. Thanks to her innocent looks, the lass has indeed rendered her best in the role of Hasini. Next in line would be Prakash Raj and may be 'jeyam' Ravi cos' he 's the one who comes most often on-screen. The actor though had matured a little in his looks, there 's still a lot of scope for improvement in terms of performance and voice. Kowsalya, Cricketer Sadagopan Ramesh, M.S.Basker, Shayaji Shindey, Geetha, etc.. etc.. since this long list of actors merely make a screen presence and are quite used as fillups.

Though there's a separate hero’s friend's crew( an usual add-on in movies) to contribute for the comedy part, it is Genelia and her innocence which stirs more laughter.

The music is good, but still the deliberate unsolicited duets are again a pitfall.

So to sum up, a light-hearted movie this holiday season. Of course u would surely find it enjoyable.

Movie Review - Anjathey

I wrote this review long back but only now i have started blogging and there by i 'm collating all of my old stuff :)

ANJATHEY- I read a lot of good reviews for this movie and so decided to watch it. I went all alone for this movie and I was late as usual :). He... hee.. punctuality is a virtue which i always lag ;)
There was lot of discussion about this movie and I remember someone comparing it with Martin Sorcese’s “Departed”. So this had enough reasons to increase my inquisitiveness to watch it.

REVIEW:

This movie is another contribution to “Friends turning Foes” genre but the screenplay is fresh and a bold attempt. Thankfully there is no glorification of hero or love sentiments which makes the movie distinguished from the rest.

It is a tale of two friends in a neighborhood who take ironic career paths as a fateful SI interview force them a destiny as not anticipated by the either. Sathya(Naren) is nothing more than a loitering youth who boozes often and ends up in a duel. His friend Kripa(Ajmal) diligently aspires a career as a Sub Inspector. But it is Naren who cracks the interview by illegal means and Ajmal loosing the same. This happens to be the reason for the culmination of hatred in Ajmal towards
his friend Naren. It is at this point that Dhaya (Prassanna) takes advantage of Ajmal and deceives him to be a part of an underground crime team.

While the unjust and negligence witnessed by him in his work moulds Naren as a sincere policeman, on the otherside frustration and jealousy attribute to Ajmal’s transition to an anti-social element. With both the friends on opposite sides the rest of the movie is about saving young girls from falling a prey into the hands of lustful kidnapper team of Prassana and Logu(pandiarajan).



The director, Myshkin has to be lauded for his apt character selection. Naren has rendered a matured performance in the role of Sathya. It’s Prassanna, the soft look hero who had transformed himself as a hideous Paedophile villain warrants attention in the movie. As for the debutante Ajmal, the athletic build 6 footer also excels in acting. The Chennai 28 girl Vijayalakshmi(Uthira) fits in the bill perfectly as the troubled sister of Ajmal and lover of Naren. The actor in the role of an ever complaining friend “kuruvi” steals the show and moves ur heart in the climax.

All the veterans have contributed to the movie’s success with their performances even though they share a few onscreen moments. There are a lot of scenes which evoked applauds from
audience in the theatre. The flower vendor scene ought be an inevitable mention. The director seems to have impeccably weaved these interludes.

On the flop side, the movie moves at a much slower pace. The climax was elongated to the maximum until the viewers almost forget a few of the characters involved in the final chase sequence. Also the transition of Ajmal lacks more sensibility.

With only two songs and a just a jingle to replace the duet for the lead pair, the music was good. The ‘Gana’ type of songs are already topping countdowns.

The sepia tone for cinematography adds advantage to the gray shades of the characters dealt in the movie.

The team could have concentrated more on the few of the flopsides.

Movie Review - Vellthirai

I am fan of Actor Prithviraj and that was the main reason i was to this movie on the very second day of release... Infact i was there in the same multiplex during the premiere but unfortunately missed out both the movie and my favourite actor..

Review The glitz and glamour could have camouflaged the gray areas of the tinsel town, but this movie happens to explore those areas and puts the spot light on them in the form of a story. It 's a movie about movies which tells the implications of the whims and fancies of Actors who rule the celluloid and often take the upper hand on their very own creators.



There is a famous saying "Too many cooks spoil the broth" and this adage quite holds good when it comes to anticipations too. Afterall audiences would anticipate more from the superhit crew of "Mozhi". Find out for urself in the theatre...Saravanan(Prithviraj) is an aspiring director who is working on his dream script for his first break. A struggling junior artist Kanniah(Prakashraj) who happens to find resort his place steals his script to become the superstar Dileep Kanth.. In the mean time Prithvi marries his lady-love, the reluctant actress Mythili(Gopika). While the new born "dileep kanth"makes it big in the industry, the hard working Saravanan is more into hardships. The crest fallen Saravanan is left alone by his lady-love just for his own sake. It is at this point of time the producer (Sarath Babu) comes in for his revival. The headstrong superstar troubles enough the director and the crew. Atlast how the crew completes the movie is the rest of the story.. Hope the storyline is quite similar to the original "Udayananu Tharam"..


The laughter quotient is quite carried well by Charley, M.S.Basker and the rest of the actors but the movie seem to be a serious one. In terms of acting Prakash raj is splendid and so his protege Prithviraj. The actors expressive eyes has done patch ups for the little shortcomings caused by his tamil accent. As for Gopika and Laxmi Roy have done their parts well..

On the flop side the movie lacks momentum.. The movie could have been in a better pace like the climax. Also next in line would be art direction. The struggling asst director cum taxi driver seems to live in a posh flat. The screen play could have been better to have an impact on the good story base.There are no duets for the lead pair except for a sorrowful sonnet.

Afterall VELLITHIRAI(The Silver Screen) could have shined even more brighter...

Movie Review - Dasavatharam

I started writing movie reviews while i was in bench without a project :)...

Dasavatharam -More than a year in the making, “Ulaga Nayagan” playing 10 different roles, Made in a whooping Budget of 65 crores and.. and.. a whole
lot of reasons which were ample enough to raise the anticipations for the movie.

No wonder the movie pulled in crowds of all sorts and the theatre was packed to the brim. Did the movie live it up ?? That’s a million dollar question which couldn’t have an assertive answer.

The movie starts with an event which happens during the Chola reign. The desperate attempts by a Vaishnavite priest to save Vishnu’s idol becomes futile when an overpowering king kills him by drowning him in the sea along with the idol. The next part of the movie which comes as a first person narration by the actor himself starts in the US in a biotech Lab. It’s where our Hero Govind(kamal) experiments on a Bio weapon. The first victim of this
bio-hazard happens to be a monkey. Owing to the ill implications caused by it’s misuse, the rest of the story is about how the Hero struggles to prevent it from falling into the hands of the evil. Well this one happens to be most omnipotent villain of all times in Tamil Cinema, Christian Fletcher, played by Kamal. Do mind to watch a different point of view of a natural calamity which shook us in the recent past in the climax.

The first 40 minutes of the movie keeps you glued to your seats transforming you to Hollywood style of movie with swift stunts and Hi-Fi events. The Japanese girl who plays Yuca deserves a special mention here. The good start seems to ebb away later in the movie when the vial is sent to India by mistake. Both the hero and the villain Kamal alongside Mallika Sherawat come to India to find the vial. Mallika plays the lady accomplice of Fletcher and
does an item number and few chasing scenes to her credit. The scenes where Govind tries to convince the old lady(kamal) and her grand-daughter Andal(Asin) to give him the vial makes you yawn. Infact, Asin seems to be much of nuisance in the movie chanting the same dialogue all along. She could be called the inevitable heroine since she has not much work but all tamil films ought to have a lady-love and so she has managed some screen space.

Kamal has once again proved his mettle by portraying 10 different roles. From the anguished Rangarajan Nambi to the Half lunatic ‘Patti’, From the stubborn Fletcher to the singer Avatar singh, you could witness the hardwork of the actor called “Kamal”. The actor’s immense research for each of the roles is very much evident from the nativity slang of each of the characters. Not to forget the make-up for the ten though some minor flaws in some of them.
The Japanese guy, Vincent Poovarahan, Fletcher are just awesome and keep you spell bound with their performances.

Most of the veteran Actors like Nagesh, K.R. Vijaya, Jaya Pradha ..etc.. and even a few of the avatars of “Kamal” come in as guest appearances making the
viewers realize that they are the desperate attempts by the director to justify the title “ Ten Avatars “. The crew seemed to have left no stones unturned
in bringing out the Ten roles but have quite failed to pull strings for a strong story base.

The second half of the movie is much like a collage of characters just as a tantamount to showcase the talent of the Actor. If in Sivaji’s “Navarathiri”, the story demanded nine different roles(navarasa’s), here in Dasavatharam you could find 10 roles desperately finding their way to fit in to form a story. This happens to be the major pitfall of the movie. Owing to this, the meticulous efforts taken seemed to have rendered a squander instead.

Both Himesh Reshmaiya and Devi Sri Prasad have done their parts well. Mukundah.. Mukundah.. is a noteworthy melody and Kallai Mattum kandal is quite strong on lyrics.

The cinematography and the art direction are on par with Hollywood and so is the graphics. Even with a lot of impeccable positives the movie is quite short to have struck a high note.

So to say “ Penny wise Pound foolish”- The crew could’ve concentrated more on the bigger picture rather than the smallest of the details !!

Farewell Mails

Friends should be few and good.. I always made few friends but lost most of them within a short span.. Find below some of my farewell mails

Simple could be this note of farewell
At times it might not even tell;
In the enigmatic way your presence dwell
Neither of us could forget you,
In our minds you will be fresh as morning dew

Many a times people may vanish;
Only memories are the ones that cherish
Not you been quite long,
In this project we all belong
Come hither everyone to wish her
All smiles and happiness forever !!!

_______________________________________

I wrote this note for my junior..

Time to say Good Bye
This farewell is yet another standby
Your sweet memories still
Never fail to fill
This void of yours
Ever perennial in ours
Here we all, full of zest
Wish u all the very best !!!

The Human Pheonix

THE HUMAN PHOENIX- This was my first painting after days of lonely weekends. I'm loner who wanders a lot in the weekend and do a lot of shopping. 'm a little of an oniomaniac.. Then it was Mom's advice to stay back @ home and try some painting which was most favourite while at school days.

He..Hee.. I accept my paintings are amateurish.. Well i named this one as the "HUMAN PHOENIX" cos i like the attitude of the mythical bird Pheonix and wanted a human form for it. Unfornately i overdid the yellow and red create flames/rays from the sun and the result was poorly done finish :)..

Never mind it's one of the favourite works of mine..

Meera In Dark

Meera - The divine lover. Somehow, I was very attracted towards this hindu deity, not just because she's a woman ;) but her subtility and the eternal wait for her Love. I used the Chittorgarh temple Meera's idol picture as a model for my painting below.

Guess what ?? My painting has a flaw ...( Well i know it has a lot of flaws :), but this flaw is evident).

Isn't something missing in this picture ??

Well i forgot to justify the title.. I named this amateurish painting of mine as "Meera in Dark"..

I'm not good in figure drawing and so i decided to work on a silhoutte.. I was told that Meera, is a divine woman who sings for her Lover, Lord Vishnu..

In this painting, She not only sings for her lover but also for her identity in dark, just like me :). Many of us try for identity not even realising it's dark..

A Farewell Note

Oye Re !! Beholdeth her - a wonderful person;
Who could be remembered for every reason
Your memories would cherish all four season
If we forget you, it would be a treason

Call her the girl versatile;
Who never fails to flash a smile
Now that you go a few thousand mile,
It was memorable working with you all this while

Project and Party with you has been a pleasure;
Those yester days will always remain a treasure
Like a bright morning sky in azure,
We wish you a colourful life with happiness assure !!