kirukkal.com

November 4, 2005

Pop it up !! Pop it up !!

The annoying pop-ups in the recent days was due to the statscounter @ webstats4u. From the day, it was plugged here back in 2002, it has clocked 7,21,624 visits until today.

Those days[I’m talking like an oldie here], webstats4u was the only stat counter around just like the yaacs commenting system. Surprisingly Kiruba still hasn’t switched from Yaacs to Blogger’s commenting system. With hardly a bunch of bloggers in Feb 2002, who knew each other well, if one subscribed to a service, the other followed him/her and thats how I subscribed to the nedstatbasic’s stats counter which was recently re-named as webstats4u.

Though the hosters are providing with awstats, this webstats was providing a lot of information, I would like to see from time to time. I’m sorry to see it de-commissioned but then the pop-ups are annoying any time.
November 4, 2005

Hindu on Deepavali Malar

[Image – Hindu]

Hindu writes on Tamil magazine’s deepavali special issues. While the mention nearly all the good ones like Amuthasurabhi, Manjari and Kalai Magal, they missed out on Ananda Vikatan’s special issue. AV’s special issue is supposed to be a highlight of deepavali, those days and after 35 years, they are back again for the last 3 years. Is this what you call Selective Amnesia ?

Anyway, my copy of AV’s deepavali special issue is currently in British Airways flight and I’m waiting to get my hands on it.
November 3, 2005

Shahrukh, the Smoker

The great Indian censor board’s ban on ‘smoking-on-screen’ doesn’t fit documentaries, I assume. Else, this docu interview, The Inner and Outer World of Shahrukh Khan, would have never even made it to a preview theatre. Shahrukh, the man who is perpetually restless, also perpetually smokes in ever damn shot of the interview. And heck, even me who is completely against banning smoking-on-screen, for once thought Shahrukh’s smoking is infectious not only for him but also for others. He smokes during a hair cut, in-between a shot, while lying flat on his bed and even while walking from the backstage, during a public show. While he talks too much about being an orphan after his father and mom’s sudden demise, I’m only thinking Shahrukh should defintely stop smoking atleast for his family.

Anyway, the two DVD disc contains two different faces of shahrukh. One, the inner world of Shahrukh, the man he is in shooting sets, with his family, as a dad and as a loving husband. The outer world of Shahrukh displays the face he is in movies, to his fans and during a public show. Two manifestations of the same human. He pushes a teenager in a public show to dream about naked women. While, he is teaches his son to pray, ‘ Bismillah…..’ on a diwali day. That’s Sharukh for you.

The inner world of Shahrukh was essentially made during 2004 when he was shooting Main Hoon Naa and moving lips for the hindi version of The Incredibles[Hum Hai Laajawaab]. So as Shahrukh talks to the interviewer inbetween the shots, he makes perfect sense. Not an inch of stardom imagination, he has. He is clear that the world wouldn’t stop if he stops to act. He doesn’t carry the hype about himself along and hence he is able to converse from the heart.

The outer world of Shahrukh DVD, follows him through his concerts in the USA. It shows how people love him and how he wanders from one city to another alongwith a huge crew comprising of Rani Mukherjee, the vivacious Preity Zinda and Saif Ali Khan.

Shahrukh Khan was once my fave actor for his versatality but during the last few years, he walks into any movie and just acts smart. As he turns more of an icon than an actor, I think he becoming another Rajinikanth. That apart, he is still seems to be a common man like you, me and everyone else.

The takeaway for me from this 2 hour interesting documentary is this – “I have completely lost track of time. I don’t know where I am, which city I would move tomorrow and where I sleep. All the hotels and rooms look the same to me and tomorrow morning, I would forget which hotel I stayed. I always feel I am late by 2 or 3 days. Even if I were to die, I think I would be two three days late. For me, there is no timetable. There is no past or future. If something has to happen it will happen then. Until then, the world will wait for me”.

What a curse, the stardom is !!

P.S – What a co-incidence, just read somewhere that today is Shahrukh’s birthday. Happy Birthday Dude !!

P.P.S – I am sure Shahrukh doesn’t read this column but with a pinch of co-incidence again, he is planning to quit smoking. Via KV in the comments.
November 1, 2005

Yet another deepavali-less year passes

Yet another deepavali-less year passes by. Have fun this dhoni deepavali.

P.S – Called home to wish and the only sound I heard was the cracker ‘music‘.
October 29, 2005

Sujatha talks about THE BOSS

[Image – Rajini Fans / Vikatan]

Sujatha is on the hot seat. With AVM announcing Rajini’s next flick Sivaji, the media is already going ga-ga over even a trivia about the movie. Shankar has found an ideal script/dialogue writer with Sujatha to suit his endeavors. It’s truly a favor for Shankar than for Sujatha.

This is Sujatha’s 25th year in writing for cinema. Sujatha was shying away from the invitation to write for cinema until Kamal Hassan and K Balachander forced him in Ninaithaale Inikkum. In his interview to Kunguman on on the account of the silver jubliee year at cinema, Sujatha details on the scripting of Sivaji and concludes that the premise is new, both for Rajini and Shankar. Not just that but he also discloses how scripting is usually done by the kollywood biggies like Mani Ratnam and Kamalhassan. Pretty interesting interview and Sujatha is just too good in adding hype to the already hyped Sivaji.

If you didn’t get to read the offline interview, I’ve uploaded it here, Page 1 & Page 2. Thanks Karthi for passing it across.

Pop it up !! Pop it up !!

Hindu on Deepavali Malar

Shahrukh, the Smoker

Yet another deepavali-less year passes

Sujatha talks about THE BOSS