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December 23, 2004

That very moment

I have blogged about accidents and traffic in Chennai before, this is one more of that category.

Couple of days back, in a suburb of Chennai, while me and my friend were driving back on a two-wheeler, there was crowd in the middle of the road. A man’s body lying there. We searched for the head. No head.

Next day in my office this was the talk-of-the-day. Looks like he was run over by a watertank lorry. We know that watertank lorries are the mobile God-Of-Dead in Chennai. But this one was truly heart crunching. Imagine that doomed man’s thoughts just when he was alive under the wheels of that lorry. One moment and all his hopes, dreams, family and career boomed out.

No Preaching. A suggestion, Drive Slow.
December 22, 2004

The Heaven’s Door

Knock, Knock, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. Not the Bob Dylan stuff but today is Vaikunda Ekaathisi.

Looks like Master Martin Scorsese and Di Caprio combo is going to work again. The Aviator rocks this year’s Golden Globe nominations. Releasing for Christmas in the US and no sign of the movie release in Chennai.

It’s a joke that you can’t watch three continuous songs in Ktv. One of them will be a bad one. Suprisingly it wasn’t today. Starting with Sivakumar and Nathiya singing Kanna Unnai Thedukiren in the Kodaikaanal cold, it went on Kamal Sridevi singing Perai Sollavaa from Guru. Finally it was Rajini and Deepa with a voice-over of Senorita !! I love you from Johnny. All three were SPB goodies, picturised at hillstations and also my fave ones. The joke was broken.
December 21, 2004

Movie of the Year 2004

This is usually awarded finally. Let’s get this upfront and go back down the Best-Of-Kollywood-2004 list.

Among the numerous good and bad movies that kollywood saw this year, Virumandi takes the cake. Be it for Kamal Hassan‘s directorial skill or sheer touch of class in screenplay which was a tightrope walk or simply the cast of Virumandi which supported the screenplay, Virumandi walks away with the Best Movie of the Year tag. Few things that I probably felt were the best in Virumandi were, Picturisation of the whole movie inside sets which didn’t seemed like one, Abirami’s fantastical sketch of Annalakshmi, Pasupathy as Kothala Thevar and the Shanmugam as Peykkaaman.

Here are a few lines that I blogged just after watching Virumandi –

Virumandi is a just an observation of modern day, cell phone cultured rural folks of Tamil Nadu. There is however a message implied in this observation which is made without passing judgments on their life style, their sentiments and their everyday outcries.

Few other movies that I thought were worthy contenders are Mani Ratnam‘s Aayitha Ezhuthu, Cheran’s Autograph and Selvaraghavan’s 7G Rainbow Colony.

Aayitha Ezhuthu missed out in characterisation of Inba Sekhar though it had superb screenplay, dialogues and cinematography. Autograph had amateruish acting though Cheran had a novel approach in story-telling. Selvaraghavan came near close to Virumandi but didn’t match it in the technical forte and background score.

The Best Of Kollywood 2004 follows. Do leave your suggestions/comments.

Tamil Moves that released during 2004 –

7G Rainbow colony, Aayitha Ezhuthu, Adithadi, Alagesan, Alagiya Theeye, Amma Appa Chellam, Anbu Sagotharan, Arasatchy, Arul, Arumugasami, Athu, Attakasam, Autograph, Bose, Campus, Chatrapathy, Chellamey, Dreams, Eathiri, Enavo pidichiruku, Engal anna, Gajendra, Gambeeram, Gilli, Giri, Image, Jai, Jana, Jeyram, Jore, Kalam, Kalumulla kalamvarai, Kamaraj, Kanavu meipada vendum, Kangalal kaithu sei, Kathal, Kathal dot com, Kathaley jeyam, Kavithai, kovil, Kudaikul mazhai, Kumaran s/o mahalakshmi, Kuthu, Loves, Mahanadigan, Manasthan, Manmathan, Matchi, Mathumathi, Mathura, Nee matum, Neranja manasu, New, Oru murai solividu, Peralagan, Pethi sollai thattathey, Puthukotailirundu saravanan, Saga, Sema ragalai, Setai, Shock, Singara chennai, Sulaan, Thendral, Udaya, Ullathai nee killathaey, Uyirosai, Vanam vasapadum, Varnajalam, Vasool raja, Vayasupasanga, Virumandi, Viswa thulasi

Thanks to Namma Nanganallur Vasant for the list of movies. I am not sure if this is a exhaustive list. Suggest if there are any movies to be included.
December 20, 2004

Google and the Geek

Here’s Google way of wishing Happy Holidays.

Google‘s desktop search gotta bug[Read it as Aerosmith’s Janie’s Gotta Gun]. A big bug. I suppose they will fix it with a patch. No Issues.

The last man I was expecting to write such an awe-inspiring essay, The Drive to Discover, in support of NASA‘s exploration efforts was James Cameron. Like his movies, he starts it with a mastered ease and then he makes you agree that what he says is close to perfect. Must Read.

Books of the Year 2004, says The Economist
December 20, 2004

Carnatic Sells Big Time

And you thought only film music was selling in millions. The carnatic season special CDs exhibition happening in Sri Sankara Hall on the TTK road will prove you wrong.

Last evening, it was brimming with activity and there people flock the place to get their favorite devotional, carnatic music CDs with a lovely discount. The growth of technology is only boosting the carnatic musical sales. Bharathnatyam, Bhagavad Gita and many other important music are now available as DVDs.

I picked up couple of CDs and some rare gems of MS along the way. Sangeetham‘s editor Sriram’s Carnatic Summer is one of the appreciable efforts in this year’s music season. Sriram chronicles lives of twenty great people of carnatic music like Chembai, Ariyakudi, MS, MLV and others in Carnatic Summer.

My friend who was thoroughly excited at the music exhibition loitered around the entire carnatic music section, went back to the other hall and bought AR Rahman‘s Bombay Dreams. Carnatic music sells, rarely, I agree.

That very moment

The Heaven’s Door

Movie of the Year 2004

Google and the Geek

Carnatic Sells Big Time