Shahid (film)

By the Brothers for the Brothers

The last time I felt hope for this country was during Kumbh Mela stampede, when the photographs of unidentifiable deceased were published in major dailies, by the government machinery, across the length and breadth of this country, to reach out to the relatives of the deceased to help them claim the bodies of the deceased.

In any harm resulting out of any ideological difference, it is always, the poor and downtrodden that get affected, irrespective of race or religion. History has been replete with instances of injustice. Such is creation. 

It also requires courage to empathize with the situation and stand up for a cause. 

The indoctrination: If you want to change the system, Be a Part of it.

Shahid Azmi puts behind the years of incarceration, conquers his devils and dedicates 7 years of his life to get 17 acquittals for the unfairly convicted, a fantastic ratio, in our system.

A story that has to be told.

Mr. Hansal Mehta: Am touched and moved. Thanks for your conviction to bring this to the screen. I am proud to be an Indian.

Captain Phillips

The Somali Ultimatum

Before going to the film, it may be a good idea to catch up with the wikipedia on Somali Pirates

As with many challenges that plague the world today, this could also be a classic case of treating the symptom than the cause.

Permit me to now to share the flutters of joy and a wonderfully liberating evening.

Consider this, a giant liner, however fast it goes, against the expanse of ocean is a picture of static magnificence. Out of nowhere emerge two skiffs (a small boat, Also check out on the methodology of the Somali pirates in Wikipedia) which begin chasing the giant liner. The giant liner revs up and increases its speed, still it remains a piece of static magnificence. With these constraints it is difficult to capture this chase visually. What does the director do? Inventive enough to convert this into a riveting chase by magically mixing it with his signature shots, smart editing and some extraordinary music.

Paul the director, nay a magician, builds an illusion of dynamism and carves a movie out of a documentary with verve, skill and panache. Bill Ray, the screenwriter must get an equal share of the credit.

I just loved the background score and Oh! Boy, those adrenalin pumping percussion score, (African I suspect). They just go for the jugular.

Last but not the least, Captain Philip(Tom Hanks). This captain is smart, thoughtful, cunning, daring, unrelenting, patient, concerned, nervous, fidgety and vulnerable. Hanks surprised me with a slice of Denzelesque(Captain Boon, Remember the Titans) assertion.

Fifteen years back, Hanks, was the uber cool English Teacher turned Captain in Saving Private Ryan. My reverence for Captain John Miller, lies in his magical parting words to private Ryan, "Earn it, Captain".

Maybe Hanks was a straight choice for this role, but somewhere in my heart, I felt Hanks should not have done this role and left it to someone, just out of respect for Captain John Miller!!!!!

Gravity

Thriller in a Planetarium

You cannot but help get  a feel of having watched a thriller in a planetarium!!!!

Since the movie has been reviewed already with the choicest adjectives,  All I can say, this movie is a sweeping spectacle and requires, multiple viewing to get  a grasp of the thinking that has gone into the making.

For its ambition and detailing, the bar has just been raised a notch higher!!!.

Sathyam Cinemas, PVR CINEMAS AGS Cinemas Fame Cinemas Warner Bros. Pictures

Getting rid of the interval in India

The only request to the cinemas that screen this movie, for the love of cinema, can we please get rid of that mandatory interval in India. The movie is just 90 minutes long and for the first time I heard a standing ovation for a film during the interval!!!, which was incidentally missing at the end. The entire experience of watching this film got diluted, the rhythm and the flow was lost.

The interval is the greatest disservice to Gravity!!!

A must watch!!!!

Itharku Thana Aasaipattai Balakumara

Roughly translates into, Was this not that you desired, Balakumara?

In 1978, during Vinayaga Chaturthi, I had wanted my father to reserve for the Kamal Hassan blockbuster, Sattam En Kayil, instead he brought tickets for Mullum Malarum. I was upset, had half a mind not see Mullum Malarum. After seeing Mullum Malarum, I could feel that Rajinikanth, the star had arrived. 

In the case of Vijay Sethupathy, I have now seen and enjoyed all his films till date and I was able to accept and appreciate him as an actor. But today, Vijaya Sethupathy as "Sumar Moonji Kumar(Ordinary Faced Kumar), the antics of endearing vagabond amalgamated with verbal chatter and tomfoolery almost meandering without any direction was able to improvise and dish out inexplicable magic as the movie progressed, especially towards the end. Sheer magic to be experienced. Vijay sethupathy is already has established himself as a star with a huge fan following, including a lot female following including my daughter who are upset that he is already married!!!! The Good News: This Star is here to stay!!! 

Not bad for an actor who started his career as an Accountant at the venerable Koothu-P-Pattarai

A great cameo by M.S. Bhaskar is another standout.

This probably one of the first comic adaptations of Amorres Perres, with three stories intertwined by an accident. Creative, painstakingly constructed, but the plethora of characters builds discreteness to the narrative, and you are therefore left with laughs in spells.  

We have another capable director who has the thinking cap on and am sure he will learn from this experiment and go on to make good and better films.

Remembering the Genius of Sivaji Ganesan

Murasu TV telecast "Uyarntha Manithan" on the birth anniversary of Sivaji Ganesan today.

As the timeless Sivaji crooned "Antha Naal Gnabagam Vanthathey..."(Nostalgia about good old days), I was transported to the train rides back from school to home between 1978 - 1980, between Perambur and Korattur, when there fierce arguments between my class mates Ravichandran and Shamiq Hussain arguing for and against Sivaji respectively, the party included Narayanan Vedartham Seshadri and Puthigai Venkatagiri and a few others.  While Ravi would extoll the virtues of Sivaji, Shamiq would brush aside Ravi's arguments with disdain and would find it very difficult to digest Sivaji's brush with overacting, until he saw the highly artistic and romantic Thillana Mohanambal.

We all grew up watching Sivaji Ganesan and MGR and in reality, they were fundamentally responsible for attracting people in droves to cinema in Tamil Nadu and  to the credit of Sivaji he has had a lasting influence on many actors including Kamal hassan, who proclaimed his legacy as Sivaji's successor with Devar Magan.

When Parasakthi was released in 1951, people seemed to have remained in their seats in hushed silence during the interval.

A certain section of people could accuse Sivaji of being loud but Sivaji remains a treasure.

For the current generation of people and for people from other states, who would like to understand and experience the versatility and genius of Sivaji Ganesan, I would like to recommend, Antha Naal(one of the best suspense thrillers of all times), Kappolotiya Thamizhan, Thillana Moganambal, Thiruvilayadal, Muthal Mariyadai and Thevar Magan. The list I have chosen is a very small sample and which the current generation can easily relate to and appreciate the genius of Sivaji. 

In our household lies an old sofa set, which my twenty-year-old son would never allow us to dispose. Why? Incidentally, the sofa set was used in 1972 to seat Sivaji Ganesan who had come as a Chief Guest for a play, Mohini Theevu, staged by our uncle's troupe. 

I am happy to see the enduring appeal of a great genius whose potential was never put to full use by our industry

Is it not a travesty of justice that Sivaji has never been a recipient of a single best actor award.

Ironically it is the French government which conferred one of their highest awards to Sivaji!!!