kirukkal.com

  • about
  • archive
  • all that is
  • photoblog
  • April 16, 2004

    Guest Blog 1 – Anand Chandrasekharan

    Anand Chandrasekharan, my friend who like me, is a geek, graduated from Stanford, and works at a wireless company he started in Silicon Valley, and is involved with Deeshaa a rural India focussed initiative. He is now in India. Listening to Aayitha Ezhuthu music, he was impressed and wanted to write a note on Vairamuthu’s genius in Aayitha Ezhuthu. Here it is. You can contact him at write2ak[at]stanford[dot]edu. Thanks Anand and I wish you to write many more such brilliant observations here.

    Vairamuthu’s magAKK!
    Multi-lingual movies, with their other challenges also bring with them the undeniable challenge of songwriting. With Rahman and other music directors making waves in multiple languages, one can’t help but compare the quality of lyrics in the hindi and the tamil versions of the same film.

    Why this rant? Because of Mani Ratnam’s Yuva/Aayitha Ezhithu music release. Among other lyrical masterpieces by Vairamuthu, one line that stands out is “Kann Thondri Kann Kaana Kanneero” (Is this a tear that is out, yet unseen?) in the song Hey, Goodbye Nanba!

    The movie itself is about identity. The letter AKK, which in Tamil can only be used in conjunction with another letter to convey any meaning; the three lead characters, who all come with different ideals and then learn from the other perspectives to define their own identity. Vairamuthu captures the essense of this dilemma concisely (in only 3 words) and yet leaves the listener with so many questions – Is the tear there? Is it gone? Is the sorrow still left after the tear is gone? Much as one hopes Aayitha Ezhuthu will leave the audience wondering about the identity of today’s youth.

    One can’t help but sigh at the genius of Vairamuthu (not that that needed any mention), and at the same time compare it with the bland “Begana Begana” in the Hindi Version of the same song.

  • April 14, 2004

    Kangalaal Kaithu Sei

    Bharathiraja’s Kangalaal Kaithu Sei was a big disappontment. Given Bharathiraja’s earlier thrillers like Sigappu Rojakkal, Tik Tik Tik and Captain Magal, this movie wasn’t even close to any of them. First of all, this cannot be even called a thriller. Cause there was nothing in the movie to be thrilled about.

    B.Raja still loves to remain in 80s where he was the master of the game. I was majorly disappointed because of the splendid trailer that they etched out for this movie. The promos were classy and called for the best movie making capabilities. But unfortunately the movie was loosely connected with the story. Also we have no clue as to how the hero manages to steal the diamond.

    The major let down was the characterizations. In this millenium, a enthusiastic young business man who actively screws up a reporter who asks a stupid question, behaves like a jamindaar in his house. The way in which the hero communicates with his hand to his servants is irritating and looks like S V Rangarao types.

    A R Rahman has worked really hard to bring out some really good numbers. Aha Thamizhamma and Azhagiya Cindrella song stays in hearts. I loved the audio of Anarkali song which has some amazing tabla music. But the picturisation was bad with the heroine dressed in Anarkali costumes runs in the sea shore all along the song. Sujatha‘s dialogues just shine in few places.Also the editing which is synonymous to Alaigal Oyivathillai times is very disturbing the pace of the movie.

    Priyamani, the heroine looks nice and I hope she would do well in her next movie with Balu Mahendra and Dhanush called Athu Oru Kanaakkaalam. In KKS, She was left with no scope to act. Being compared with the cindrella doll, she behaves just like a doll. Mudhal Mariyadhai is one Bharathiraja’s best film ever. I only hope he can still films like that, which can stand over time.

    Are u thinking that I am still puzzled how the hero was able to steal the diamond. Never mind I didn’t understand the rest of the movie also.

  • April 14, 2004

    Re-visiting Shankar’s Boys

    After all that media screw-up, Shankar’s Boys went into the boxes with the same speed. The same Sun Tv which gave a very bad rating for this movie broadcasted Boys yesterday (without major cuts) as a part of Tamil New Year’s Day celebration (?!!). Atleast by doing it Sun TV joins the group of Boys supporters.

    Now that the rest of hypocritical public who refused to meet the Boys in theatres had a chance to see the movie on their televisions. And, probably now they would understand that Boys was just a reflection of the existing teenage world and not some out-of-the-world issue. I hope they would have cursed the media enough, for being biased with Boys and sabotaging the film’s box office.

    The audio was cut whenever the boys uttered the OTMP word. I am unable to understand why this was done. I can only laugh loudly at the judgemental skills of censoring.

    In such a case, why should hollywood films in India be censored only for erotic scenes. They can also censor the audio like they did for Boys. And if only they do it, films like Phone Booth will be audioless and we, clueless. Let’s pray god that this doesn’t happen, at all.

  • April 11, 2004

    The Passion of the Christ – Movie Review

    The Passion of the Christ

    Watching Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, I was breath-taken, shocked and literally found myself shattered by all that blood and other very infamous violent devices used on christ’s body to physically abuse him.

    The Passion of the Christ follows the last 12 hours of Jesus’s life. Passion meaning suffering in Latin refers to the agonizing events in the final 12 hours of Jesus Christ’s life. Starting from Getsemane where Jesus is betrayed by Judas and gets arrested by the leaders of Pharisees, the movie walks along with Jesus from then to his last breath on the cross in Golgotha.

    Much as been argued and debated on this highly controversial Mel Gibson’s adaptation of perhaps the greatest story ever re-told. Leaving the accuracy of movie and comparison of the depiction with the biblical truths to the biggies, I would stick with the movie and it’s clandestinely beautiful technical craftery.

    As the scenes where the christ is beaten-up and tortured unfold, I couldn’t avoid the feeling that it is an exaggeration par excellence. But as the movie continues to unravel the true epic of Christ, one would accept it wasn’t exaggeration after all.

    Perhaps the most authentic scene in the movie was when the Christ is scourged, whipped as the blood pours from all over his body by the Romans. Added to it, he is also beaten by a torture device called flagrum or the cat o’ nine tails, a whip with multiple straps and embedded with barbed metal tips to catch and shred the skin, leading to huge blood loss. In one of the most graphic shot where this flagrum is used on the christ’s body, it gets stuck below his rib cage and gets pulled violently causing a tear in the body from where the blood rushes out like a fountain.

    As described by many, it is one of the most violent movies of all time. Mel Gibson as the director wants to show this torture of Christ in detail. It’s awe-inspiring and gruesome but the power of the movie lies in these scenes which are never scene before on-screen.

    As Gibson being one of my favourite actors, I would have wished him to play the Jesus himself. But Gibson following the rule, no star bigger than the film itself, paves way to Jim Caviezel, the actor who stars as Jesus. With Caviezel’s amazing sharp eyes and some authentic photography by Caleb Deschanel, Mel Gibson’s brings to life a great hero.

    Adding to the authenticity, the whole movie talks the biblical language. Aramaic, a ancient Semitic language closely related to Hebrew that today is considered by some linguists to be a dead language. So you sit through the whole movie with sub-titles that distracts you from watching the movie. This wouldn’t be called a compromise as Mel Gibson makes his Jesus talk like the same Jesus who lived 2000 years back.

    This movie is certainly not an entertainer. As some said in a review, that if this movie entertains you, you are a sadist. Also for kids, this movie would be hard to sit through.

    Mel Gibson as a director sparkles during those flashback scenes when Jesus recollects his past during Crucification. As Mary sees Jesus carrying the cross and falls down flat in the streets of Jerusalem, she remembers Jesus as a child who stumbles and falls down near the house. She runs fast to catch the child before it falls. But unfortunately the child falls down and gets hurt. This universally accepted sentinmental scene also finds a place in this movie.

    With some appreciable BGMs and real-to-life Jerusalem street sets, The Passion of the Christ calls for a breath taking description of the life of the Christ. But what’s tough to comprehend is the human nature during the times of Christ which is dubbed as violent, barbaric and ruthless. Probably thats why Jesus preached Love thy Neighbour. Co-incidental to the above lines, as type them, Kamalhassan yells through the speakers, Anbe Sivam… Endrum Anbe Sivam. Do you think timing can be more perfect than this ?

  • April 7, 2004

    Aayitha Ezhuthu Website – On the Go !!

    3 young men.

    From 3 strata of society.

    With 3 entierly different
    points of view towards life…

    …Their paths cross over
    the Napier Bridge on a Thursday morning.

    Their lives change irreversibly.

    So goes Mani Ratnam’s Aayitha Ezhuthu synopsis in the website. This and much more info on Inbasekar(Maddy), Michael Vasant(Surya) and Arjun Balakrishnan(Sidharth). Also meet the all new Selva Nayakkam(Bharathiraja).

    (more…)

←Previous Page
1 … 252 253 254 255 256 … 316
Next Page→
  • about
  • archive
  • all that is
  • photoblog
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • kirukkal.com
    • Join 26 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • kirukkal.com
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar