Dune Movie

You have seen it all before & yet you have not seen anything like this before

However cliched it may sound, Dune is a perfect example of  a jaw dropping exercise.

Dune must go down in the history as probably the first movie that uses the entire length of its first part to introduce the universe that the audience is going to experience.

There are details, details and more details. 

There were several riches to be savoured, the immense spaces, the visual grandeur, the magical images of a desert, the diversity of the universe and a narrative cloaked in intrigue and mystery.

Denis Villeneuve's capability to narrate a story with as little clutter as possible comes in handy. But the scope of the story is so vast that new  characters are tossed in and so are the concepts. There is quite some processing to be done. Certainly requires to be seen a few times before you really get a grasp of the Dune universe.

Dune is a  stunning achievement not so much as what you see on the screen but the thought process that might have gone behind the making.

Must Watch!!! for a serious movie goer.

Sardar Udham, Streaming on Amazon Prime

Must Watch: An important slice of history

For the patient, the Jallianwala bagh massacre erupts in graphic detail towards the end of the movie. The Jallanwala Bagh massacre is recreated capturing the essence of the traumatic incident in  no uncertain terms. It is raw and mercifully not sugar coated. This segment is a must watch especially for Indians of all ages and especially the millennials. 

An understanding of our history and how our freedom has been won is something we all may reflect from time to time.

Having said that, the movie seems inordinately long i hope this important film can be trimmed by 30 to 45 minutes. This will help the movie to be viewed by a lot more people, especially the youngsters.

P.S: This is certainly not for those who seek light weight entertainment

Remembering veteran tamil actor Srikanth

I remember meeting Srikanth on lazy Saturday evening around 2003 outside Narada Gana Sabha along with my family at the outdoor canteen at the Sabha. 

It was unforgettable interaction. One distinctly remembers Srikanth so relaxed and so much at peace with himself. He was very happy that we were taking our kids to R.S. Manohar’s play that evening. He thought it was essential education.

When one thinks of Srikanth, his unmistakable voice comes to the fore.

The villain in Anna Bhoomi, Devar’s first 3D film was Srikanth. Unfortunately his voice quality gave away the suspense of the movie or whatever was left of it.

For me Srikanth’s best film was the poignant ‘Raja Nagam’, which was a remake of Puttana kanagal’s Naagara Haavu and remade into Hindi as Zahreela Insaan, with Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh.

For me the song, “Adutha Athu Ambujatha parthela” will be a constant reminder of Srikanth and Sowcar Janaki.

Srikanth was metrosexual. Remember his looks in Venniradai. He was amazingly handsome. But somewhere in 70s, after Thanga Pathakkam, when he became a villain, his hairstyling slowly became bizzare undoing his natural state.

The mantle of villain in Tamil cinema was supposed to have been passed to Rajnikanth. However with Bairavi, Srikanth was the villain and Rajnikanth as the hero, the the foundations of superstardom for Rajnikanth was laid. The rest is history.

I will always remember Srikanth as the gentleman whom I met on the lazy Saturday afternoon

May your soul rest in peace, Sir.