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September 11, 2004

“Chaiya Chaiya” on the Noo Yaak A Train – A review of Bombay Dreams

[ by Ashok Rajamani (donkeytiger@gmail.com) ]

A Brief Intro – Ashok grew up commuting by the 12B pallavan. A materials engineer by trade, he is now a rootless wanderer in the States. He believes regional languages have the best in Indian Writing, and that Indian cinema could still stop being so intoxicatingly static. Someday he plans to settle in a South Indian Temple town, and revive the Swatantra party. Though for the near future, he shall remain a ravenous capitalist.

“Chaiya Chaiya” on the Noo Yaak A Train

“Shakalaka baby, Shakalaka baby, don’t Shakalaka with me.” So goes the lines of a song set to AR Rehman‘s music in the Broadway extravaganza Bombay Dreams. The lyrics, if you are care, are by one Don Black. This is not going to be a relentless negative critique of Bombay Dreams. Bombay Dreams is a mixed bag and even after the hindsight of one whole week, a general “yes or no” fatwa cannot be issued.

A musical is basically a story with minimal script and lots of music. A critical difference from Bollywood movies is that the singing tends to move the story along. The Oscar winning movie “Chicago” is based on a musical of the same name. Musicals are released in theatres in Broadway-New York, while there is a parallel musical scene in London too. Not more than 2-3 big budget musicals are released every season. Though some of the longest running musicals like “Phantom of the Opera” and “Cats” have been running for something like 10+ seasons, most don’t survive the first season.

Bombay Dreams came to the US after two moderately successful seasons in London. It is based on Rahman’s music. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Shekhar Kapur are supposed to have made some vague contributions. Meera Syal (of “Goodness Gracious Me” fame) is credited with the story though she probably wrote it on the back page of a plane ticket on one lazy afternoon. Therein lays the problem with Bombay Dreams. Bombay Dreams is constructed as a parody of a typical Bollywood masala movie but what if the original product itself is perceived (by the regular American) as a parody?

(more…)
September 11, 2004

I liked this just-one-page-redesign of

I liked this just-one-page-redesign of Anil Dash called which made it seem like a Google search page. Here’s one more Googlish page from his links archive, probably the one that should have inspired him. Google must probably be happy that he have entire sites designed like them.

The Mirchi Bazaar is here in Chennai Trade center. They promise to make the consumers get happy with their range of stalls. Chellamay releases. The latest ad of Chellamay that sports the baby pictures of the entire cast/crew looks cute.

Happy Weekend Dudes!!.
September 10, 2004

Sujatha and Science Fiction

[Pic : hindu.com]

On an internet chat session with Writer Sujatha, the discussion went over to science fiction and my obvious response was that Bharathi was one of the earliest tamil science fiction writers of the last century. His science fiction poem[as I prefer to call it] Bharatha Desamendru popularly known as Sindhu Nathi Inisai, was written with a lot of forethought.

Sujatha replied that the pioneers of science fiction in Tamil were Kalki and Puthumai Pithan. Kalki’s Mohinitheevu and Puthumai Pithan’s Kadavulum Kandasaamy Pillayum could be identified as the intial science fiction stories. But even after decades after these stories, it was Sujatha who made science fiction as genre in tamil books. Having written science fiction novels including Enn Iniya Iyandira and Meendum Geno, he has also written many science fiction short stories at various occasions for various magazines.

Manushya Puthiran’s Uyirmmai Publishers have released a collection of Sujatha’s science fiction shortstories during earlier this year. I have to say that the shortstory Thimala is one of my favorite shortstory of Sujatha after his all-time best Nagaram. However Thimala is a science fiction and is included in this collection.

Even if an author is ignorant of scientific facts, as long as he observes “internal consistency”, if it obeys social and structural rules within the plot, the story will be accepted, says Sujatha. He invites greater exploration of this genre which flouts tradition and invites a re-evaluation of old-fashioned viewpoints. This is a passage from a good review of this Sujatha’s Vingnana Chirukathaigal written by Prema Srinivasan, can be read here in The Hindu or a reproduction of this in Desikan’s blog here.

On an another note, last week, I did buy one of Sujatha’s best written analysis called Kadavul Irukiraara ? which was serialised in a fortnightly called Vin Naayagan. I vaguely remember that Madhan was also involved in the effort of this magazine. The magazine has been stopped now and I was one of the regular readers of Vin Naayagan for this amazing column of Sujatha. This is now available as a book.

On another note, his Junior Vikatan column Yen ? Yetharkku Yeppadi ? – Part II and Vikatan column Katrathum Petrathum – Part II have just been released by Vikatan publication. A must read/buy if you a Sujatha fanatic.

This anecdote of Sujatha sums up his witty and serious social sense. Thanks to Latha for passing on that. When his flight took off from Bangalore, he could see water allover from a bird’s eye view and just after half hour while it was landing in Chennai, he could see just empty buckets in a queues, waiting for water. So he wrote Arai Manikkul Ithanai Paarapathchamaa. WOW!!
September 8, 2004

[Click on the image to

[Click on the image to enlarge]

Instead of individual appearance to every house, Lord Krishna should have just visited Grand Sweets in Adayar yesterday on the account of his birthday, Krishna Jayanthi. Thats where most of the Chennai was busy buying Uppu/Vella Seedai.

It rained the weekend. And when I say this there will be someone asking if it really rained on sunday in Chennai. While I called up my friend just a 2 miles away to tell him that I would be running late because of the showers, he replied “You can be late, but don’t fool me. It’s scorching here man”. If KK Nagar to Saligramam can have so much of a weather difference why do we blame the Indiya Vaanilai Aaraichi Maiyam, again and again.

Just when I was waiting for the rain…rain to go…away, I clicked the rain, that’s probably worth thousands of bucks in Chennai. We need rain dudes. If not for an olympics medal, let Anju Bobby George invite the ruler of Olympus, the Greek God of Rain, none other than Zeus, to Chennai. I can put an invite for him in my blog. You think I’m kidding, I ain’t joking here. We need rain, water, floods.
September 7, 2004

R.K Narayan and Me

[Pic: thehindu]

That title relating RK Narayan to me is the height of hopes. But seriosuly there is a thin line of connection. Read on.

Last week, I had to meet a childhood friend at Purasawalkam and hence went there. Purasawalkam is at slightly north of Chennai just after Egmore near the Poonamallee High Road. If you can remember Hotel Dasaprakash, you can remember Purasawalkam. It’s my most favourite place on earth. Quite Naturally. I was born and brought up in Vellala Street of Purasawalkam. Until 15, my entire childhood was spent at purasawalkam. Being a born go-rounder, I had literally walked, cycled, biked through every square feet of Purasawalkam. It had some nice temples like the Gangadeshwarar temple and some beautiful parks around. Also crowded with theatres/sabhas, Purasawalkam was probably one of the reasons why I grew a movie/music buff. From Abirami complex to Sangam, Ega and more, we had totally 15 theatres within a 3 KM radius, some of them are either converted to wedding mahals or run porno stuff these days. A lot of sabhas which are now converted to flats played enough carnatic music next to Mylapore. The musical legends like the gods’s own voice, MS Subbulakshmi, DK Pattammal and others had lived at Purasawalkam. At that time Purasawalkam was still striving to become the heart of Chennai. Today it is the shopping paradise of Chennai after Pondy Bazaar in T.Nagar. I no more live there but now when I go the place even after few months, I get a feeling the place, the roads and the buildings are getting smaller. Donno if someone had a similar feel when they visited their childhood place after long time.

Like anybody else, to tell about that place and my childhood, I have enough stories. But back to point. In his Autobiography, My Days, RK Narayan writes the first few chapters of his childhood that was spent in Purasawalkam. His full name being Rasipuram Krishnaswami Ayyar Naranayanaswami. After Swami and his friends, he shortened it as RK Narayan. He was born and brought up at Vellala Street of Purasawalkam. He talks about the corner of the street to where he used to run and see the bullockdrawn carriages moving around. Also RK Narayan recollects about the nice Ponni Amman Koil that he visted with his family. I had read his autobiography a long time back and didn’t give a note to it, truly.

A friend’s dad and also another friend of mine had asked if I knew the exact house where RK Narayan lived. One of them even told the place but I wasn’t grasping it. I wasn’t too sure because the street was a kilometer long and had many sub-lanes and he could have lived anywhere.

Yesterday I was talking with my thatha, my grandpa, who had spent more than 45 years of his life in the same purasawalkam, I remembered this interesting point to clarify. When I asked him “ Thatha!! RK Narayan, namma vellaala theruvula enga irundharunu theriuma? “. Do you know where RK Narayan lived in Vellala Street ?. He smiled and with a natural ease said ” Namma aathukku rendu aam thalli irundhaar. Ethana thadava idha onakku sollirukken, badava”. He said “RK Narayan lived just two blocks away “. Oh ! my gosh. Just two blocks. We were just two blocks away to where the malgudi creator RKN lived and even after my grandpa pointing it out when we lived there, I hadn’t noticed it. Fool, I thought to myself. Though RK Narayan wasn’t even there when I was born, it was a GREAT joy and delight to know that my house was located so close to RKN’s childhood home. That was be sufficient to allow myself, a RKN fan, to feel connected to the genius. Thanks Thatha!!, You made my day.

Further :
The musical memories of Purasawalkam.
Walking with RK Narayan in The Frontline
An interview with RK Narayan’s brother RK. Ramachandran by Randor Guy.

“Chaiya Chaiya” on the Noo Yaak A Train – A review of Bombay Dreams

I liked this just-one-page-redesign of

Sujatha and Science Fiction

[Click on the image to

R.K Narayan and Me