Sunday, December 30, 2007

Sweet Memories!!!

Two days back, I was cleaning up my table draw after a long time. Long time here indicates a gap of more than 6 months... No no.. I was not doing it to write one more tag as the purse tag. It just happened...

That draw was a dump yard for me through years from my college days where in I put anything and everything that blocks my table and will not be of any use in near future. So as I was digging in, I found:

* Compass tightener(not from school.. :D I got one in my college to draw my Sumeeth Charts)
* A car that I made by joining bits and pieces I got as free with some biscuit pack
* My set squares(from engineering drawing)
* A file dumped with a lot of my resume xerox copies and mark sheet copies(it went in after I joined my job)
* Few old magazines
* Paper cuttings from Science and Technology supplement of Hindu. I have never bothered to read any of them till now :P
* Almost a dozen wasted CDs
* One 3.5" floppy. I thought it was time to sing oppari for it, but alas!! It worked fine in my system ;-)
* Lots of invitations. I had this madness on invitation designs and had collected dozens from school days. They are still there!!

And then, I laid my hands on it. My slam book!!!

When people got cute slam books from Archies' and similar places in my fourth year, I got a rather simple one, it was actually a simple unruled notebook that was eco friendly. I mean made without cutting a tree! I had atleast the happiness of saving a tree.

I had given a small intro of myself with my likes and dislikes(almost all holds good even now) As I turned pages, I was excited to read after years once again what people had thought about me. Their funny comments, kalaasals, wishes, praises, nakkals, touching sentiments.. It was like going back to college days!!!

Those memories all still afresh in my mind and the notebook too is still new as I had got it from the shop. Friends are for away from me now, haven't spoken to many for months and years... But those few lines they had written about me speak a lot...

I miss my friends!!! Miss u all :(((

Ok, to end this on a happy note, I would like to wish a few people belated wishes through this post. Its always good to be born on the last week of the year -that's what I feel- because that one day will erase an year of all bad memories and you will expect a new year, a fresh start in few days. So the lucky ones are:

Divya - Dec 27th (Thanks to slam book)
Tanveer - Dec 28th
Nirmal - Dec 29th
Brindha - Dec 30th
Rajesh - Dec 31st

Wishing all you people all happiness and good luck in the new year and may God bless you all with good health and required wealth!!! ;-)

P.S: Watched a Telugu movie called "Happy" today, ironically almost cried towards the end becoz of so much of love feelings :P It was an entertaining movie starring Allu Arjun(I don't like him at all, but he has done a good job in the movie) and Genelia D'souza. Was a modified remake of Azhagiya Theeye in Tamil :)

Friday, December 28, 2007

Best of Dec'06 - Dec'07 : Actors and Actresses

Names are sorted based on alphabetical order only!

Best Actors


Ajith Kireedom, Billa
Arya Oram Po
Dhanush Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam, Polladhavan
Jeeva Katradhu Thamizh, Rameswaram
Madhavan Evano Oruvan
Prithviraj Mozhi, Satham Podaadhe, Kannamoochi Yenada
Rajini Sivaji
Sarath Kumar PKMC
Surya Vel
Vijay Pokkiri, ATM

Best actresses




Asin
Pokkiri, Vel
Bhavana
Veyil, Deepavali, Rameswaram, Koodal Nagar
Jyothika
Mozhi, PKMC
Nayanthara
Billa
Padmapriya
Satham Podaadhe, Mirugam
Priya Mani
Paruthiveeran
Sadha
Unnale Unnale
Sangeetha
Evano Oruvan
Shriya
Sivaji, ATM
Trisha
Kireedom

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Great talents of year 2007

G.V. Prakash Kumar: This nephew of Rahman is no lesser than his uncle. From the kid who sang "Chikku bukku chikku bukku rayile" he has come a long way and is a talented music composer and singer today. His first venture Veyil was just a sample of his talents where he brought out the flavor of the soil in his songs. Followed a string of hits with Kireedom, Polladhavan and Oram Po, not to forget his good work in the recently released audio of Velli Thirai.

The sound of his music has a Rahman kind of feel though he is slowly coming up with a style of his own. One thing I found impressive about his songs is the way he uses the singers. Be it Sonu Nigam in Vizhiyil(Kireedom) or Suchitra in Naan Alibaba Thangam(Polladhavan) or Sunitha Sarathy and Krish in Neeye Sol(again from Polladhavan) or Jayachandran in Kanavellam(Kireedom) or Alka Yagnik in Idhu enna Maayam(Oram Po), he has brought out a different dimension of their voices in these songs. And of course, Sadhana Sargam's different westernised melody Akkam Pakkam was unforgettable.

He himself is a good singer too as proved by Kaadhal Yaanai(Anniyan) and Hello Miss(Unnale Unnale). With a handful of offers in coming days, he is sure to go places with his immense talents.

Krish: Vijay Balakrishnan aka is a singer with loads of talents and a sweet, wonderful voice. His June Ponaa July Kaatre was the anthem of youth this year. I learnt from TV shows in which he participated that he was brought up in US and came to India in his quest to become an actor and a singer. In spite of this, he has such a vast knowledge of Tamil songs right from very old days, which I doubt not many of the singers have. He has sung many remarkable songs this year under many music directors and hoping that this is the start of a long journey of his voice in the music industry.

Dhanush: Good appearances alone does not make a good actor. A very ordinary looking Dhanush winning hearts with his performance film after film is a good example of this. Call it the luck that his marriage to Aishwarya brought him or the magic that his little son did for him, he is fast moving up the stardom ladder with every film. A good dancer, casual actor with boy next door looks is what makes Dhanush special. Films like Sullan are a thing of the past and now Dhanush is back with a bang with movies like "Yaaradi nee Mohini" to prove himself.

Shriya: Beauty and grace personified and her name is Shriya. One advantage that Shriya had over her contemporaries is that, she had the chance to play the pivotal role in all her films like Mazhai, Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam, Sivaji and ATM. In the sense, there is a part of the story in all these films that revolves around her. Unfortunately, I would say that she has not made the best use of these chances and has given just adequate performances in all these films. Hope she would make the best use of her roles in forthcoming films next year. She is a brilliant dancer, her expressive beautiful eyes playing an important role. Surprisingly, she is an actress who has always kept low profile unlike some empty vessels who appear in all TV channels giving big hype for their minuscule roles.

Santhanam: Starting off in small screen with his extremely popular Lollu Sabha, Santhanam has moved to big screen starring in a lot a big films as a comedian. In these days when actors do a variety of things sometimes interesting sometime disgusting in the name of comedy, Santhanam's style of providing comic relief by casual way of talking is well appreciated by lot of people. He has also managed to a give a good performance in serious scenes too. He surely has a great future ahead and of course a long career in cinema to prove himself(inspite of the rumors that he has died in an accident :D)

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Best of Dec'06 - Dec'07 : The Movies

Best Movies of the year
Films are sorted based on alphabetical order only!
Best Entertainers: Films that were great entertainers, loved by the people as well as the box office.

$ Billa: Movie that was one of the most expected this year. Remake of yester year Rajinikanth’s super hit was a well made movie, with high technical aspects and a great looking Ajith, though a part of audience were not satisfied with it.

$ Chennai 600028: Made in simple style based on the game of cricket, this movie milked the gully cricket craze of Chennai to the fullest and went on to become a hit with lots of appreciaition.

$ Mozhi: This is undoubtedly the movie of 2007. A movie that shows the other side of differently abled people who are always shown as objects of pity in movies. Jyothika’s performance took the movie to its greatest heights.

$ Paruthi Veeran: Inspite of a violent climax, this movie was widely accepted by audience mainly for the performances by lead stars and realistic screenplay. Karthi and Priya Mani lived their characters.

$ Pokkiri: Remade from Telugu super hit of same name and directed by Prabhudeva, it was a very faithful remake with great music by Manisharma. Vijay’s restrained performance and Asin’s charm were unforgettable.

$ Polladhavan: Yet another realistic movie that released silently among Diwali releases and slowly gained momentum through rave reviews and good word of mouth. Dhanush recorded yet another hit to his career.

$ Sivaji: The overly hyped and most expensive Rajini-Shankar combination film was expected to do more magic than what it actually did. The exaggerated screenplay and rehashed theme were saved by Rajini’s command over box office and the superstar charisma.

$ Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam: A simple story with a engaging screenplay has never failed in Tamil cinema. The performances of Dhanush and Prakashraj added to the strength of the film.

$ Unnale Unnale: The cute and beautifully shot love triangle with decent performances was loved by youth and the greatest advantage came through brilliant songs of Harris Jayaraj. Jeeva made everyone miss him with this last work from him.

$ Vel: A historic concept and storyline can do wonders with a powerful screenplay having lots of masala and sentiments even today with a greater chunk of audience. For non believers, this Surya-Asin starrer from Hari is an example.

Best Efforts: Some of the best efforts from Tamil industry that might not have been big box office hits but were appreciated well.

!! Ammuvaagiya Naan: This story of a sex worker saved and brought into normal life and the consequences was a moving effort elevated by Bharathi’s performance in the title role.

!! ATM: Honest efforts from Vijay to break away from his usual formula and the first time brilliant performance in a double role were all let down by a dull screenplay and a unimpressive climax.

!! Evano Oruvan: This film is Madhavan’s way of showing his love for good cinema and he excelled all the way through it. Only if the common audience were more mature to relate to such genuine movies, the standards of film making shall improve.

!! Guru: Manirathnam brought to life the biography of a business tycoon with the help of Abhishek Bachan. Being a dubbed film, it did not go down very well with all classes.

!! Kalloori: Most heart rendering story of the year by Balaji Sakthivel, in the lines of Kaadhal. The typical arts college of south Tamilnadu was brought to life by the actors and the director.

!! Kannamoochi Yenada: Though not impressive as her maiden venture Kanda Naal Mudhal, this film from Priya connected well with family audience for its clean entertainment and some good performances.

!! Kireedom: Remade from the Malayalam film of the same name, this film is a story of a police man aspiring to bring his son into the profession and the related events. Rajkiran as the father stood high with a great performance with a good support from Ajith.

!! Muni: A great effort from Lawrence as a director and actor. With Rajkiran for support as the ‘ghost’, this super natural thriller was a good entertainer.

!! Periyar: The art of making art films is not mastered by anyone as good as Gnana Rajasekaran. Sathyaraj and Kushboo lived as Periyar and Maniyammai in this biographical film.

!! Veyil: A story of love, affection and sentiments in the rustic soils of a Tamil village. Another gem from Shankar’s production house directed by Vasantha Balan. Pasupathi gave a brilliant performance.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Best of Dec'06-Dec'07 : Part 3

Before I proceed with today's list of best, I would like to thank all my friends who tolerated all my 5947 questions (hee hee..) and gave me inputs to come up with this final list. I take this opportunity to thank my friends Prem, Shrinivas, M.S.Vinodh and Aravind who helped me a lot to form these lists.
All lists are sorted on alphabetical order only!

Best Supporting actors

* Nasser (Pokkri)
* Pasupathy (Veyil)
* Prakashraj (Mozhi)
* Raj Kiran (Kireedom, Muni)
* Saravanan (Paruthi Veeran)

Best Supporting actresses

* Charanya (Vel, Kireedom)
* Radhika (Kannamoochi Yenada)
* Shriya Reddy (Veyil)
* Swarnamalya (Mozhi)
* Tanisha (Unnale Unnale)

Best Negative roles

* Nithin Sathya (Satham Podaadhe)
* Prakashraj (Pokkiri)
* Rahman (Billa)
* Suman (Sivaji)
* Vijay (ATM)

Best Directors

* Ameer (Paruthi Veeran)
* Balaji Shakthivel (Kalloori)
* Gautam (PKMC)
* Jeeva (Unnale Unnale)
* Manirathnam (Guru)
* Prabhudeva (Pokkiri)
* Radha Mohan (Mozhi)
* Shankar (Sivaji)
* Venkat Prabu (Chennai 600028)
* Vishnu Vardhan (Billa)

Debuts

Male
* Karthi (Paruthi Veeran)
* Shakthi (Thottal Poo Malarum)
* Vinay (Unnale Unnale)

Female
* Andrea (PKMC)
* Bharathi (Ammuvaagiya Naan)
* Tanisha (Unnale Unnale)

Comedians:

* Santhanam - ATM
* Vadivelu - Pokkiri
* Vivek - Sivaji

Best of Dec'06 - Dec'07 : The Music

All lists are sorted on alphabetical order except the Remix songs list
Best Music Directors:

(x) A.R.Rahman : Sivaji, ATM, Guru
(x) Dharan : Sivi
(x) G V Prakash Kumar : Oram Po, Kireedom, Pollathavan, Veyil
(x) Harris Jayaraj : Unnale Unnale, PKMC
(x) Imaan : Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam, Lee
(x) Joshua Sridhar : Kalloori
(x) Manisharma : Pokkiri, Malaikottai
(x) Vidhyasagar : Mozhi
(x) Vijay Antony : Naan Avan Illai, Ninaithaale
(x) Yuvan Shankar Raja : Deepavali, Chennai 600028, Thamirabharani

Best Music Albums:

(+) Azhagiya Thamizh Magan
(+) Chennai 600028
(+) Kalloori
(+) Malaikottai
(+) Mozhi
(+) Pachai Kili Muthu Charam
(+) Pokkiri
(+) Sivaji
(+) Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam
(+) Unnale Unnale

Best Singles:

(&) Akkam Pakkam - Kireedom
(&) Arabu Naade - Thotaal Poo Malarum
(&) Ayyayo - Paruthi Veeran
(&) Azhagu Kutty - Satham Podaadhe
(&) Idhu Enna maayam - Oram Po
(&) Kaadhal Neruppin - Veyil
(&) Kaadhal Vaithu - Deepavali
(&) Megam Megam - Kannamoochi Yenada
(&) Minnalgal Koothadum - Polladhavan
(&) Naanaare - Guru
(&) Naram Pookal - Urchaagam
(&) Oh Nenje - Sivi
(&) Oru Kalavaani Payala - Lee
(&) Oru Murai Sonnal - Sabari
(&) Ottraikannala - Vel
(&) Para Para Pattampoochi - Kattradhu Thamizh
(&) Perunthil Nee Enakku - Pori
(&) Thaaliye Thevai illa - Thaamirabharani
(&) Uppu Kallu - Karuppasamy Kuthagaikaarar
(&) Yen Enakku Mayakkam - Naan Avan Illai

Best Remixes (From No.1 to No.5)

# Ponmagal Vandhaal : ATM
# Yeh Aatha : Malaikottai
# Ennama Kannu : Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam
# Engeyum Eppodhum : Polladhavan
# Vethalaya Potendi : Billa

Best Lyrics

@ Kaatrin Mozhi (Mozhi) : Vairamuthu
@ Kelaamal Kaiyile (ATM) : Thaamarai
@ Nee Mutham Ondru (Pokkiri) : Pa.Vijay
@ Perundhil Nee (Pori) : Vairamuthu
@ Unakkul Naane (PKMC) : Rohini

Best Singers

Male
~~~~
(!) Benny Dayal:
Discovery of the year. Back to back hits in ATM. Proved that he can sing in different styles in his first few songs itself.
(!) Haricharan:
Most heard voice of the year. Arabu Naade, Megam Megam, Ottraikannala, Sariya Idhu Thavara, Vaikaasi Nilave - His hit list voice too big
(!) Karthik:
Powerful voice of the year. Ennama Kannu, Unnale Unnale, Minnalgal Koothadum, Kanavellam palikkudhe, Kaadhal Neruppin were some hits
(!) Krish:
Sweetest voice of the year. Stole a lot of hearts with most popular June ponaa. Other hits include Neeye sol, Nee Kavidhai enakku
(!) Madhu Balakrishnan:
Melodious voice of the year. Perunthil Nee Enakku and Pesaa Madandhaye are some samples
(!) Naresh Iyer:
Lively voice of the year. Hits like Valayapatti Thavile, Oru kalavaani payala, Then kudicha nari, Kaadhal Konjam
(!) Naveen Madhav:
Most energetic voice of the year. Made us dance with Pokkiri pongal and other hits like Sanda Kozhi, Kandha kadamba, Thiruchendhooru Muruga
(!) Rahul Nambiar:
Stylish voice of the year. Hits like Vasanthamullai, Oh baby, Aayiram Jannal, Para para pattampoochi among others
(!) Ranjith:
Brilliant voice of the year. Dole Dole, Nee mutham ondru, Neruppum kaayum, Uyire Uyire, Theriyaama Paathuputen showcased his talents
(!) Vijay Yesudas:
Most Versatile voice of the year. Kaadhal vaithu, Seval kodi, Sahaana Saaral, Kattabomman Oor enaku, Paarvai mele pattal, Devathaye vaa are few picks from the huge list.

Female
~~~~~~
($) Bombay Jayashree:
Rocked yet again with Unakkul naane, Uppu Kallu and Minnalgal Koothadum
($) Chinmayi:
Excellent work in Kaadhal Neruppin, Mayya Mayya and Sahaara Pookal
($) Ujjayinee:
One Valayapatti thavile was enough to speak for her talents and she rocked in a totally contrast Marilyn Monroe too..
($) Madhushree:
Inspite of her horrible Tamil accent, hit with Vaaji Vaaji, Perunthil Nee, Vaigaasi Nilave
($) Sadhana Sargam:
Her Akkam pakkam became song of girls this year. Another notable song was Naanthaana.
($) Saindhavi:
She can sing anything from vibrant Kadatharen naan unna to Melodious Kelaamal kaiyile with ease
($) Sangeetha Rajeshwaran:
Not only rocked big screen with Yen enakku mayakkam but also small screens with Ennai thedi kaadhal
($) Shreya Ghosal:
Rained honey and sugar with Urugudhe, Endha kudhirayil, Naanaare, Ayyayo
($) Shwetha:
Going higher and higher with songs like Nee mutham ondru, Megam Megam, Oh Nenje, Vizhiyil un vizhiyil
($) Suchitra:
Brilliant performances with Dole Dole, En chella peru, Naan alibaba thangam

Monday, December 24, 2007

Best of Dec'06 - Dec'07 : Miscellaneous

Technically Brilliant Movie Billa
Best Camera Work Nirav Shah (Pokkiri, Billa)
Best Editing Antony (Kireedom, ATM)
Best Choreography Prabhudeva (Pokkiri)
Best Art Direction Thotta Tharani (Sivaji)
Best Action Kanal Kannan (Malaikottai)
Best Animation Movie Inimey Naangathaan
Best Thriller Sivi
Evergreen Voice(Male) SPB (Yaaro Yaarukkul, Ballelakka)
Evergreen Voice(Female) Chithra (Yaaro Yaarukkul)
Evergreen Performance(Male) Sathyaraj (Periyar, Kannamoochi Yenada)
Evergreen Performance(Female) Khushboo (Periyar, Vegam)
Best ad featuring a cine star Univercell ad featuring Madhavan
Best Reel Pair Arya - Pooja
Best Special Effects Sivaji
Best non film song Ennai Thedi Kaadhal (Kaadhalikka Neramillai)
Best Tele Serial Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal ( Vijay TV)
Best TV Show Jodi No.1 Season 2
Best Cine Website Sify.com

Special Mentions


* Vasantha Balan:
For the brilliant film Veyil in his debut, which brought out reality to the core and won a lot of acclaim even from out of India.
* Lawrence: For shining as a actor, dance master and director in his Tamil venture Muni and doing his job perfectly. Plus his dance classes to the differently abled people.
* Tamanna: For getting critical acclaim even in disasters like Vyabari and for her brilliant performance in the latest Kalloori
* Ember Rap, Dr. Burn: "You're my diamond gal" and "En nanbane kavalai vendaam" were two best raps in Tamil cinema this year after a long time ever since Suresh Peters's days.
* Premji Amaran: For his all round performance as a singer, rapper, actor, comedian and for his extremely popular "Enna koduma sir idhu?" :)

Top punches of the year

* Chumma Adhirudhille - Sivaji
* Cool… - Sivaji
* Enna koduma sir idhu? - Chennai 600028
* Evlavo pannrom idha panna maatoma? - ATM
* Oru vaati mudivu pannita en pecha naane kekamaaten - Pokkiri

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Worst of the past year....

Time again for me to list of the best and worst of entertainment industry in the past one year. As last year I had posted a countdown early, I have included films that got released in Dec 2006 also in this countdown.

I have not sorted the lists on any rating basis, because everyone has done their best(and of course worst) jobs this year, so it is not fair to rate them on any basis ;-) But for an order, I have done an alphabetical sort on the names.

Let bad things come first. So here are the worst things that happened in the past year:

Worst movies of the year: The movies from which you cannot even think of one positive point and the ones which were worst nightmares for Tamil film industry.

* Ennaip Paaru Yogam Varum
* Kaanal Neer
* Thullal
* Veerasamy
* Vyabari

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"All try no use" cases of the year: People who tried all possibilities to get a break but broke only their noses with great films...

* Arun Kumar (Thavam)
* Jeevan (Machakaaran, Naan Avan Illai)
* Prashanth (Thagappansaamy)
* Ramesh (Madurai Veeran)
* Sibiraj (Lee)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Worst performances of the year: Performances that had tortured us and made us run away from the films.

Male
* Jeevan (Machakaaran)
* SJ Suryah (Vyaabari, Thirumagan)
* TR (Veerachaamy)

Female
* Mumtaj (Veerachaamy)
* Namitha (ATM, Billa)
* Sandhya (Kannamoochi Yenada)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Worst songs of the year: Songs that punctured our ears!!!

* Mayile Mayile - Aalwar
* Oororam Puliyamaram - Paruthi Veeran
* Vechirukken - Veerachaamy

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Worst debuts of the year: Debuts that added no value to the industry, rather made people think, "Evan da ivana/ivala ellam padathula nadikka vechaan"

Male
* JK Ritheesh (Kaanal Neer)
* Praveen Kanth (Thullal)
* Thirumavalavan (Anbu Thozhi)

Female
* Bhanu (Thaamirabharani)
* Christine Zedek (Chennai 600028)
* Keerthi Chawla (Aalwar)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Other Nightmares:

Worst Remade Movie of the year: Parattai Engira Azhagusundaram
Worst Scene of the year: Mobile Torch light operation scene in Sabari
Worst ad featuring a cine star: "Fair and Handsome" ad featuring Surya
Worst Look of the Year: Cheran (Mayakannadi)
Worst Star cast in a film: Veerachaamy
Worst Interview: TR's interview to Indhiaklitch (read Indiaglitz)
Worst TV Show: Masthana Masthana (Sun TV)
Worst Cine Website: Behindwoods.com

Friday, December 21, 2007

The "Have You Ever" tag...

Felt I had done nothing in the blog for quite sometime, so posting this biggggggest tag I had done till now... :) Thanks to Shrinivas... People who are interested to kill time like me can do this exercise :D

Smoked a cigarette?
No .. And never ever in my life. Am not ready to kill myself and others around me too :P

Crashed a friend's car?
No.. Not yet :P

Stolen a car?
Bommai car kooda thirudi velyaadadha nalla payyan ;-)

Been in love?
What is love naa?? :O

Been dumped?
(Thanks to Shrinivas for answer :D) If I am selected, only then I can be dumped .. :D so andha vidhathula lucky :P

Shoplifted?
Kaasu kudukaama kundoosi kooda kadailendhu eduka maaten… Free ya kedaikardhu freeya nammala vittu poidum :P

Been in a fist fight?
Aalukum character kum no relation :D Sandai ellam amma kooda mattum than.. that too no fist fights

Snuck out of your parent's house?
No… And not in future too :)

Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back?
Yeah… a lot of heroines… No one bothered to reciprocate :(((

Been arrested?
Not by justice anytime.. And not even by situations, because I have learnt to enjoy in any worse situation.. :P

Gone on a blind date?
I have blindly eaten dates whenever I got them… That’s all I know about dates :P

Skipped school?
Quite a lot of times… And that too with a knack… No doubts or questions in school or home… Sentiment-a thaaki neriya vaati cut adichiruken ;-)

Been on a plane?
Yeah.. In an unknown age, about 5 yrs old with my parents to Mumbai.. But really enjoyed a flight to and fro after about 20 yrs gap this year, thanks to my official US trip

Seen someone die?
Unfortunately …my father… very closely when he was just talking casually, choked and passed away.. took me days to get out of the shock..

Purposely set a part of yourself on fire?
No.. I am afraid of fire on skin :P

Been jet-skiing?
No… Chennai laya.. hee hee :D

Met someone in person from the Internet?
Many.. Quite a few orkut friends I have met, some of them very close now.. My Orkut stay for about 3 years has not gone waste :D

Taken pain killers?
Take them often though trying to reduce. Main problem is headache which I cannot tolerate. So will surely take pills that time.

Flown a kite?
Tried many times in childhood with cousins.. but never got the trick of flying it :(

Built a sand castle?
There was a construction going on opposite my house and I was sitting in my school holidays whole day in the sand building bigger and bigger castles with my cousins. And we had our rival group too from the slum nearby who used to destroy our castles mercilessly :( We were ahimsavaadhis, so we never picked up a fight with them :P

Gone puddle jumping?
Yes… quite often in school days…

Cheated while playing a game?
No.. I honestly play games.. I often get cheated for my utmost honesty :P

Been lonely?
I love being around with people, but at the same time I enjoy loneliness. I have spent years of my life in loneliness sitting in house speaking to walls… It was my world till I joined college, after which I broke my silence. I can sit for hours even today lonely without talking to anyone.

Fallen asleep at work or school/college?
It is a day to day activity. If someone speaks in a monotone for more than five minutes I will fall asleep. And if I seriously start reading something in silence, I will sleep. So I have slept in college classes, and even today in office trainings and at work :P

Used a fake ID?
Yea .. Used many times in orkut. Though not for any harmful purposes ;-)

Felt an earthquake?
Was in college days when Chennai was shaking once. I felt it really well coz the steel cot in my house was trembling...

Touched a snake?
Yuck ! They are disgusting even to look at :(

Slept beneath the stars?
Many times in my childhood days, especially when we had a power cut and it was a summer day, we all kids used to play in terrace in moonlight and our parents used to have long chats… Those were golden times!!!

Been robbed?
Right from my bench mates in school to State Bank and Tata Indicom, everyone has robbed many things off me… I am such a gullible person :(

Been misunderstood?
Sometimes. Coz I speak with lot of hidden meanings so there is a lot of possibilities for misunderstanding…

Won a contest?
Only once in my life… Participated in a SMS contest from Axeland when I purchased a deo and won myself a cute water container.

Run a red light/stop sign?
Yeah, as a pedestrian many times :P

Been suspended from school?
No….

Been in a car accident?
No….

Eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night?
No.. I would love to but health won’t let me to…

Walked the streets drunk?
No drinks… only walking streets :D

Had déjà vu?
Yes.. Many times. Even in dreams, some dreams have places, situations that make me feel a sense of déjà vu

Danced in the moonlight?
Yeah as a kid… :) Never risked others’ lives after that

Witnessed a crime?
Everyday . World is full of crimes today and I do witness it everyday everywhere :)

Been obsessed with post-it notes?
Yea. I would love to use it, but I keep it very safe when I get it from someone… Never had a heart to tear it off and paste it :D

Squished barefoot through the mud?
Yeah.. In rainy days many times. I feel like I have set foot on shit when I do that… So I try to avoid it as much as possible. ;-)

Been lost?
No.. Whenever I go out, I stay with the group, so no chances of getting lost..

Been on the opposite side of the country?
I haven’t crossed Bangalore and Hyderabad as far as I know till now.

Swum in the ocean?
No… But flew across oceans this year :D

Cried yourself to sleep?
Yes ... Alone and to myself.. Whenever I feel very stressed out, that’s my only way to get relief

Played cops and robbers?
Lots and lots of times… My favorite childhood game

Recently colored with crayons?
Recently means 10 years back :D

Sung karaoke?
Yeah.. When I am all alone and listening to music I do that… Enake kekka sagikaadhu.. So paadhila niruthiduven :(

Paid for a meal with only coins?
No.. I hardly take coins out of my purse.. I keep changing rupee notes for coins :P

Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?
I say to myself that I will not spend more than half an hour on the net today. And I do sit till half an hour past 12 everyday :D

Made prank phone calls?
When I call some one I know well for the first time, that too from an unknown number, I do play a prank on them. But, sometimes they find me out… Especially, my mom… I can never cheat her in any voice!!

Caught a snow flake on your tongue?
Yes, from my refrigerator :)

Written a letter to Santa Claus?
No…

Blown bubbles?
Yes, as a kid.. We used to make soap water at home and use lollypop sticks to blow bubbles out of it.

Bonfire on the beach?
No…

Cheated during a test?
Yes.. I do copy if it is not an important exam and I won’t get anything good out of it(I mean, I am writing it for name sake) But mostly, I had been the source to copy from for many people ;-)

Gone skinny-dipping in a pool?
No ..

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Ullukulle enna?

Tag taken from Nirmal's blog...

I just opened my purse. I find:

1. My credit card
2. My debit card
3. My Sodexho card
4. My SBI debit card which is of no use anymore
5. A photo of Pazhani Murugan
6. My office bus pass
7. Passport size photos of me and my mom put together
8. 2 tablets of Crocin for emergency use
9. $20 note that I am retaining ever since my US trip
10. Coins for value of Rs.26 (7*1;7*2;1*5)
11. Rs.240 in cash (4*10;2*50;1*100)
12. 4 Credit card customer copies
13. 2 ATM receipts
14. Bill for purchase of memory card for my mobile
15. One antique 25p coin :D

Interested people can take up this tag :)

Sunday, December 02, 2007

An evening with stars....

I had been with Vikram to Birla Planetarium today. It was a long time plan we had in mind but it happened today unexpectedly. It has a so-called science museum with I guess 8 galleries on various disciplines. It also plays a 3D show and the planetarium show, all for a single ticket.

At the entrance of museum, a security who could be as old as 65 years, checked our tickets and explained to us the things to be seen in very detail. When we turned to go inside surprised at this detail of explanation, he called us slowly took us to a corner. Then he said "tea ku edhaavadhu kaasu kudunga sir. government employee sir. Sambalam kammi" etc etc. Me and Vikram looked at each other and couldn't help laughing. We gave the old man a change and went inside.

The museum is in a pathetic condition to say the least. Compared to Birla museum at Hyderabad or Vishweswaraiya museum at Bangalore, this is nothing. I wonder if anything has been updated in the science related sections for many years. Most of the exhibits were out of service. Every exhibit has a switch to operate but the probability that it works turned out to be less than 30%. If this is what the government projects to tourists as science, then I wonder what they will think of India!!! The only worthy thing I felt was the mirror world that had quite a few exciting illusions with mirrors.

We rushed up after seeing few galleries to the 3D show. There was one big crowd of school kids shouting like a fish market there. We stood there waiting for the delayed show talking about state of Indian education. Just then, from inside a group of kids from the previous show came out. From their faces we could make out that it was some "My Dear Kuttichathan" kind of 3D that was running inside. We decided not to risk it anymore. :P

We made our way straight to Planetarium and after about 15 minutes delay we were allowed inside. The show was the only saving grace of the whole evening even though it was Tamil.(we had no other option as the English show was sold out) As usual our people without any self discipline started with whistles, unnecessary claps and glowing mobile torch lights on the dark ceiling.

If maintained and conducted well, the whole thing could have been a wonderful showpiece for visitors and a memorable visit. Atleast for the sake of situated in a place near IIT and Anna University, I wish that the Government takes some measures to improve the condition of the whole setup.

Anyhow, we had fun and watched a lot of unintentional comedies. :)

Friday, November 30, 2007

Random thoughts for November

Vijay TV has started with a new tele serial called "Kaadhalikka Neramillai". I am not calling it mega serial because Vijay TV doesn't run serials for years like other channels. It features popular TV anchor Prajin with Chandra Lakshmanan(who I read is from Kolangal). I am not sure how good is the serial but I am watching it for I feel its fresh and much better than loads of crap running in prime time in other channels.By the way, the serial has a very good and well shot title song.

Listen to it at: http://vijay.indya.com/serials/kni/index.html

Watch a promo video below:

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The Jodi No. 1 season 2 is over after a lot of drama and dance. The final was a day of award as anyone and everyone except audience got awards. This is too much of diplomacy I would say!!! Yet another episode of Simbu's polambalgal. If he comes to small screen, he can give a run for money to all those crying mega serial heroines. :P

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Read 3 books in past 2 weeks. First one was "5 point someone" of Chetan Bhagat, a book that needs no introduction. Simple narration, realistic and a very good experience. I loved it.

Next was "12 Red Herrings" of Jeffrey Archer. It is a collection of 12 short stories by the novelist. I would say all stories were not excellent but atleast I felt good reading them. All of them had that crispy racy narration that I find in every Archer's book. The first and last stories were the one I loved the most. Especially, the last one, was too good.

It is about a young man, ending up accidentally in a unplanned date in a theater with an unknown girl. The story builds up like the girl sells an extra ticket at the counter as the person who was supposed to come did not turn up. Our hero grabs the ticket, sits near her and builds up a conversation with her in the interval between the acts.
The story is stopped at a point when they come out of the theater and our hero asks her out for dinner. From here, Archer gives 4 endings to the story, each of which is thrilling and enjoyable. The best thing is 3 of these 4 endings have the same conversation with same dialogs, but each of them said in a different context. And each ending is based on who that "other person" is, whose ticket was sold in theater. :)

The final one is "The Prodigal Daughter" by.. Archer once again. I don't know if I have a good taste of reading but somehow I like these novels because they seem to be a realistic fiction, has a lot of emotions in it, the narrative style as good as I can visualize the scenes and above all, its very understandable English. :D

This is the story of a daughter of an immigrant in US who becomes the President of the country after a lot of struggles. I got so very attached to the story that I was even in tears at one or two instances :D Romba feelings aaiduchu.. enna panna!! :P

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Video of the week

Time for another Video of the week. This time its a Kannada song from "Mungaru Male" featuring Ganesh and Sanjana Gandhi. The song and the video are equally rocking. The picturaisation, choreography and editing are excellent and its the first time I am seeing a very stylish Kannada song...

Here is the video:

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Rewritten "History" - A Music re-review

I wrote a review of Rahman's music album "GODFATHER" aka "VARALAARU" in my blog more than one and half years back. The problem with me is that I like the songs only if the lead singer's voices sound impressive to me. It takes time to get used to new voices and today, when I read the review, I feel that I have not done justice in reviewing the album as a Rahman fan. Having got used to the new style of Rahman's music in these 18+ months, a re-review here...

Godfather(Tamil): An album tagged with big names like K.S.Ravikumar, Ultimate Star Ajith Kumar, Kaviperarasu Vairamuthu and of course Isai Puyal A.R.Rahman. Expectations were sky high for such a combination and the result was also good. The album had announced that "King is Back".

"Ilamai" was a peppy number repeated once again as Remix version. It was sure a catchy number and was a hit like Maramkothiye(Anbe Aaruyire). A rocking song that had hit top slots in music countdowns and to got repeated all day long in Listener's choices. A very very youthful number in the album, and the duck mix was sure rocking.

"Innisai Alabedaye" was a classical melody with touches of Kuthu in the middle. Some good Tamil lyrics penned by Vairamuthu here but in the orchestration and rendition of the song by the singers, you miss out the beauty in the words. Naresh and Mahathi sounded too good in this classical song, and the chorus was simply outstanding.

"Kaatril Oru Vaarthai" by SPB and Sadhana Sargam was a wonderful melody again with Hindustani touches. The song moves in a emotional pace and the "hey hey Saahiba" chorus sounded very peppy. SPB and Sadhana's voices took you through a pleasant journey of love and emotions with this song.

"Kamma Karayile" had some poor lyrics but a great folk orchestra and chorus. And as I listened to again and again, this song surely grew over me and I started loving it. Naresh and Sowmiya were good, but a better choice of voices would have taken the song to great places. You miss out the "Kuthu" effect in the voices but the wonderful orchestration of Rahman made up for all that. :-)

"Theeyil Vizhundha" by AR Rahman had a pathos mood with Rahman's voice bringing out the painful emotions beautifully. I normally don't like pathos songs so not very impressed anyhow. One average song in the album is "Dhinam Dhinam Deepavali" mainly beacuse of its Northie kinda singers(almost half a dozen of them) with their unusual accents, making it sound like an alien song. It reminded me of Rahman's music from Uzhavan and Kizhkku Cheemayile genre and it surely sounds good in a cheerful mood.

Overall, an album more enjoyable every listening and surely impressed me very much on the whole. For die hard fans of Rahman and those who had grown up listening to him like me, this album was a big solace after listening to lot of SJ Suryah film stuff and it was an announcement for Rahman's comeback to Tamil Cinema.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

A really beautiful song....

I came across this song a few days back, thanks to Vikram. Its a beautiful melody with meaningful lyrics in good Thamizh, and most important thing is its not an album from Tamilnadu or even India. Its a Malaysian private album and it really does sound very good much better than most Tamil songs of today.

Song : Kanavellam
Singer :
Dhilip Varman
Lyrics : Dhilip Varman

Now, listen to the song here:

Get this widget | Track details | eSnips Social DNA

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Azhagiya Thamizh Magan - The Movie Review

DISCLAIMER: The review is full of my perceptions and my opinions, so I have not made up anything for the sake of promoting a film or an actor. I have written this review as a normal movie critic and not as a Vijay fan. If you wish to see how a Vijay fan's review will look like, I can link you to that ;-)

There is always an opinion that all Vijay films look same and he does the same thing in all films. If you have taken his films in the recent past, they all had a happy-go-lucky person with rugged characteristics with romance, sentiments, comedy and action aplenty, not to forget well choreographed songs. But the role of Vijay was just an entertainer who delivers a power packed performance with punch. He has set the cash registers ringing with such films in the past. But “Azhagiya Thamizh Magan” is not a typical entertainer-Vijay film; it is a film of actor Vijay – and that too for the first time in a double role- with entertainment. [I can’t help people who feel that this line is a joke :P]

Spoiler alert: The plot or story line follows next. Please avoid this marked section if you have not yet seen the film.

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The film revolves around Guru (Vijay), a character who is good at heart and is in love with Shriya. The first half of the film is about how they fall in love and how they convince their parents for marriage. One gets to see lot of Vijay’s usual elements here including a well choreographed intro song. Then comes the ESP (Extra Sensory Perception) of Vijay by which he visualizes few things happening in future. It troubles him a lot and before he gets over the shock of it, he visualizes himself killing Shriya. This makes him move away from her to Mumbai. There he meets Prasad (Vijay again) whose passions are money and honey (read girls). Guru now chases Prasad to prevent him from killing Shriya. The rest of the film takes us through a roller-coaster ride of thrills and twists that leaves you entertained.

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The USP of ATM is Vijay. With a performance like never before, he takes up the burden of the entire film on his shoulders and delivers it impressively. He pleases you as Guru in the first half and stuns you as Prasad in the second half. The previous role of Vijay in grey shades was in Priyamudan, but it was just few years after his entry into cinema when he had neither experience nor expertise to perform a negative role like this. Now he has well seasoned as an artist and it clearly shows up in ATM. His comedy timing, dance and action are good as usual, but it’s the villain Prasad character that stands out at the end. Vijay has clearly shown a difference in body language, expressions and voice modulation of both similar looking characters which is appreciable. [Again, if you hate watching Vijay on screen there is nothing that is left for you in the film ;-)]

Shriya has more-than-enough of a role in a hero oriented film and has footage throughout the film. She looks gorgeous, emotes adequately and dances gracefully. Namitha as such had nothing to do except for dancing in skimpy clothes in a glamorous song. The film could really have done without her character. Santhanam has evoked a few laughters in a decent comedy track. All other supporting cast has done adequately, though few good actors are wasted in insignificant roles.

The major advantage of the film is the brilliant music of A.R. Rahman which has been transformed visually into well choreographed songs. All songs are a visual treat and Vijay is brilliant as always in the songs. Lawrence’s work in the “Ella pugazhum” song is brilliant. The outstanding one is however “Ponmagal Vandhal” remix which has been very well shot and edited, and comes at the right situation in the film. Another plus is the camera work of Balasubramaniyem, which has given the film the right look and feel. The visual effects are mostly well done, special mention to the double act scenes and the climax fight. Editing by Antony is crisp, not to forget his work in Ponmagal song. Background score by Rahman is also good.

Coming to the drawbacks, the film has a few scenes with poor visual effects, especially in the chasing scene before climax, which is very overdone. The film makers should take into consideration that urban audiences are well advanced today and especially, after watching lots of Hollywood movies such mistakes will really look very odd to them. There are parts of the film that are tailor made to satisfy Vijay fans. The screenplay sags in some places, a few scenes that are inspired from Hollywood flicks and there are a few logical loopholes which are obvious.

But before one blames Bharathan for these, he has done one thing which was not tried by any of the directors till now. He has extracted a performance of the career till now from Vijay which by itself is a credit for him. So one can forget all his other short falls and for a debutant, he has tried his best to give a clean entertainer suited for all audience.

Verdict: An laudable effort with good entertainment.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

ATM - All Time Music

When maestros make music, it cannot be questioned. There can be no second opinions. The least that one can rate is ‘quite good’. There was a feel in me couple of years back that Rahman had lost his touch with Tamil cinema. Sillunu Oru Kaadhal and Sivaji changed my mindset. Rahman’s place in Tamil Cinema is irreplaceable. Now, the music of Swargachitra Appachan’s Azhagiya Thamizh Magan(ATM), reinstates this fact very clearly.

Starring Vijay, Shriya and Namitha, ATM has music by Isai Puyal A.R. Rahman. This album will sure be a treat for Rahman fans as well as Vijay fans. Moving away from the typical Vijay film’s music Rahman gives something extra ordinary that will satisfy all class of music lovers. The storm has just begun.

Ella Pugazhum Oruvan Oruvanukke

A.R. Rahman begins the album, packed with all punch and style. An inspirational song for youth interspersed with few lines of praises for the hero, nicely written by Vaali. The chorus that comes throughout the song is nice and the heavy instrumental pumps up the adrenalin. The hero of the song is however Rahman, who with the full throated singing especially towards the end (Maanavan Manadhu Vaithaal) makes a big impression that won’t leave you till you finish listening the album

Verdict: Classy intro for a mass hero

Rating: 9.3/10

Ponmagal Vandhal

Die hard Rahmaniacs may not appreciate this remix work of Rahman very much. But this remix version of the old song from Sivaji Ganesan’s sorgam, is something I feel like Rahman’s answer to those dozen remixes that come up every month in Kollywood. With excellent western mix(by Krishna Chetan) and the subtle rap that doesn’t harm your ears, it makes you realize how well remixes are handled by maestros. Aslam sings it simple and Ember Rap gives the right feel. And very nice mixing of TMS’s lines from the original song in the middle.

Verdict: Remix Reinvented

Rating: 9.2/10

Nee Marilyn Monroe

Completely tuned in western style with lots of English words thrown into the lyrics, this is yet another rocking song. Benny Dayal and Ujjayinee do a great job doing full justice to the tune. Benny's voice modulation is amazing, especially when he sings "Baby un DJ naan" just in the tone of DJs. The female humming in the opening and the second interlude is brilliant. The use of Punjabi style instruments shortly in the first interlude is also a brilliant fusion. The guitar that plays all along the song is simply superb.

Verdict: Western all the way

Rating: 9.5/10

Valayapatti Thavile

This song opens slowly with a nice prelude and then singing by Madhumitha . Slowly it picks up speed continuing at a constant pace. The thavil that beats throughout the song and the mild nadhaswaram bits that play every now and then, gives you the southern flavor which fuses with the well composed North Indian Qawali style of singing by Naresh Iyer and Ujjayinee. There is also a brief jugalbandhi with quite a few instruments and jadhis in the interludes. A cool string instrument, not sure what it is, starts playing in second interlude and continues all along the second stanza. The intelligent use of different Ragas and swaras in the tune as per the lyrics is simply excellent work by Rahman, again a fusion of folk and carnatic. Naresh Iyer is as brilliant as ever.

Verdict: Fusion at its best

Rating: 9.8/10

Kettu Rasitha Paadal

An excellent melody with fast pace and great beats. Well, is that possible? With the maestro’s composing, anything is Its not a straight forward tune like Munbe Vaa, but little complicated like Sahana Saaral of Sivaji or Mellisaye of Mr.Romeo. The chorus of “Paarthum Paaramale Pogum Nerangale” in second interlude is out of the world, typical Rahman. Same with the case of “Kokilam Kokilam” line. Lyrics of Thamarai is an added plus, with brilliant imaginations like "Koondhal ennum yeni yeri muthamida aasaigal undu... Netri mooku udhadu endru irangi vara padigalum undu". The brilliant rendition by Saindhavi and Sriram Parthasarathy are feathers in the cap of Rahman’s great composition. A song that grows over after every listening.

Verdict: Rocking melody

Rating: 9.7/10

Maduraiku Pogadhadi

Listening to this song, one instantly goes back to the days of Kizhakku Chemmayile, when Tamil folk got its techno form from Rahman. Usage of good number of village percussions and instruments like Sitar and nadhaswaram gives this song a very ‘Song of this soil’ feel. You got to believe that it’s the same Benny Dayal of Marilyn Monroe song who has sung this folk song. A very versatile find by Rahman. Yet another surprise is Dharshana whose voice gives this peppy folk a tinge of western. Supporting vocals are very important in such songs and it’s adequately done.

Verdict: The techno folk

Rating: 9.1/10

Go and grab your audio CD right away… It’s worth a buy and listen.

Overall Verdict: Adhiradi Isai Mazhai

Overall Rating: 9.4/10