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LAZYGEEK means…

Pair Up, Gear Up & Cheer Up !!

Mani Ratnam, undisputedly the best director in India and Kamalhassan, undisputedly the best acting actor in India are gearing up to pair up in their next blockbuster after Nayakan. A wish of all good-cinema-lovers for long time becomes a reality.

This news has been in rumor for quite sometime when they both wished to break their silence in the cassette release function of Mounam Pesiyathey (Silence talks !!). Answering a question as to when Mani and Kamal would come together for a movie again, Mani said “Soon!” and Kamalhassan took the mike from him and said “Very Soon!!”.

Mani Ratnam is working on the script of an english movie called Dragon Fire. The novel written by Humphrey Hawksley, one of the BBC’s most distinguished and experienced foreign correspondents. Kaleidoscope Entertainment and Mani Ratnam together formed a production company, Crossover Movies. This would get probably delayed because of his next venture with Kamalhassan.

Both these news have come in the last 3 weeks and my guess is that Kamal and Ratnam would pair up for this Dragon Fire. This would probably elevate Kamal as an international actor and also take Ratnam to bigger heights. If this news is announced, it would be the biggest buzz of the year and all the eyes on would be both these gentlemen to make it to Oscars. Oscars has been kamal’s long term dream and this would probably be his best try. Much has been said about Mani Ratnam whose directorial talent is renown. I am too impressed with his story telling capabilities that I am even sure of an Oscar for him from this movie.

Hey what happened to you, Are u caught by the Virus ???

Hey!! Hey!! Enna aachu unakku [Hey, what happened to you] is the most talked about song in the Tamil world. A R Rahman coming back with his youthful tune and Vasundra Das rocking the teenagers world with her shakalaka voice in the movie Kadhal Virus. Similar song to the one in Nayak [Mudhalvan in Tamil], this has a hip-hop tune and in the lyrics the girl asking her guys to be of certain principles and qualities, many of them are youthful and some really useful.

This is A R Rahman’s come back music after Bombay Dreams because his music for Baba [Rajinikanth’s latest movie] was criticized for lack of attention given to songs and background score. The movie also sports 5 more songs each of a different variety. TR Simbu, the latest addition to the youngster heroes in tamil has contributed a techno song to this movie called ‘Bailamore’. ‘Vaannila’ by Srinivas and Karthik is the next best after ‘Sonnalum’ in the melodious mood rendered by Unnikrishnan and Harini. SP Balasubramanian with his evergreen voice also comes back after some time with a melodramatic ‘Enthan Vaanin’.

Kadhal Virus is the most expected movie with Kathir’s direction. His previous movies have been trendsetters like Idhayam[Heart], Kadhal Desam[World of Love] and Kadhalar Dinam[Valentines Day]. However it is a feast for A R Rahman lovers.

Retail Renaissance:

Writer Shobha De fondly remembers the time when she would, along with her mother, painstakingly plan and prepare Diwali sweets. “Today I buy mine from Satish Ladoos,” she says, adding: “I feel sad at the passing away of an era when I see the crass commercialisation of a beautiful festival.”

The above para was lifted from Nidhi‘s cover story in India Today. And what a statement it is with asheer understanding of the descending standards of modern mankind, especially in India. These much hyped retail merchants in all forms hijack festivals. In Chennai, right from the textile retaillers to the pizza merchants everyone hypes their products and tries to push it through to the public.

The buying power of the current generation has increased ten fold and the push is more than what could be grabbed by them. Chennai was once considered to be a conservative city. But with the silicon revolution, the city has grown into a multi-faceted, multi-cultutal market for retail industry.

Last week when I was at Spencer’s I had peeped inside Landmark (a vast bookstore and music shop) to see what they are upto. They have some of the best collection of books and music. Music was selling hot cakes while a few serious readers were around the literary section. But the variety of music is just too much. Their collection ranges BoneyM to Bombay Dreams and a wide range of unheard IndyPop. Really welcoming but what worries me is the hype thats created around the music and on the electronic gadgets that are sold.

Least used feature in a electronic gadget is hyped to be the latest technological invention by the manufacturer and prized one and half times more than the previous version. A Dvd player sold at Rs.25K plugged in with the latest technology and with some exotic ‘unwanted’ features becomes invalid if I stops playing in-between a movie. I would rather prefer a mid-range player that has minimum features, which is not-so-technologically advanced that can play a movie with ease. Mobile phones are better examples in this regard. Nokia 3330 was pushed with a hype that WAP can be used with ease. None of the cellular providers in chennai give WAP connectivity. So someone who has bought Nokia 3330 for some 12K is using it to the same extent as I use my Nokia 3310 bought for 6K.

This would become a balanced market, when the manufacturers listen to what customer wants. Till then this hype creates a hole in our pocket.

If you are a India Today subscriber read Nidhi’s Diwali Dhamaka.

Crazy !!! Crazy !! Crazy !!

Disguised in the form of cultural experience, a cannibal act happens in a Japanese restaurant.