Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Tam Time
Any sarcasm in the blog is completely intentional.
I am trying to list out a few 'most captivating' aspects of tamil cinema. These surely and really captivate me so much that I want to see (or hear) them over and over again.
- Madhavan's Dance: Maddy's dance moves would surely put the finest of Ballet dancers to shame. In my humble opinion his artistic finesse is really showcased in the 'Vaada machan' song from the movie Run. Stunning absolutely!! Wonder why no one has told him yet that there is a difference between jumping, attempting to dance and actually dancing itself.
- Shivaji & Co. belting out dialogues in English: Oh my Gaaaaaaaaad !!! You bloody blaagarrd!! The class of the 50's and 60's were really a class apart. However, there were those like the one and only Kaadhal Manan Gemini who was way ahead of his times singing hip and happening songs like 'oh oh enthan Baby..' way back then. Who would have thought at that time that words like baby (and its derivatives) would be the coolest thing to use in a song.
- The phenom called Udith Narayan: A real threat to the survival of any of the South Indian languages. Trust me, language is really no barrier for this guy. Well, when you choose not to concern yourself overly with pronunciations you can sing not just in Tamil but even end up singing effortlessly in French or Spanish.
- CAPTAIN: Oh yes, how can any discussion about tamil movies not talk about this Superman? Given his bulk, walking or jogging might appear gravity defying, but his stunning fight sequences break all known laws of gravity. Given his terrific physique and fitness, the way he jumps around and dodges bullets convinces me that he is 'The One'; move away Neo. If you ever happen to see Captain along with a character called Prabhu in one shot on the screen you can be rest assured that you have seen the 'special effect' moment of the century.
Well there's much more to write about, but I am feeling too sleepy to continue. More on my most cherished moments of tamil cinema later. Yawn.... 'Kindal, ennaku tamizhla pudikatha vaarthai' ;-)
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Sunday Bloody Sunday....
I have lost count as to the number of people I have let down today. I cant use the general term "people" to refer to them, they are much than that. A whole lot of action items ranging from booking movie tickets to railway station drop to dentist appointment to filing tax returns, were lined up for the day (some cropped up during the course of the day). At the end of the day thanks to my 'inaction' these still remain as open action items (oh no... I am sounding like a typical s/w engg now). Well, but the affected parties were gracious enough to accept my apologizes. I am happy that they didn't sound like a certain person in a certain notorious mail chain whose famous dialogue was 'You may apologize but I will not apologize you' ;-). Well, I guess instead of referring others for time management and priority management courses, its high time I attended a few of them myself.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
The Modest God....
1997, NPS Auditorium:
"The school topper in physics is Sridhar Raman"...Applause !! A few minutes later...
"And the school topper in Maths is Sridhar Raman"....Thunderous Applause !!!
Toooo much !! Sounds awesome eh? Well our hero didn't stop there, over the years he brutally murdered every single competitive exam that came his way. CAT, in particular was thrashed twice by this very person.
Well fits the image of a typical nerdy first bencher right? Nope, the last thing this dude would do is sit in the first bench or hang out with any of those jerks in the first bench (sorry, I have no decent words to describe people who occupy the first row in college). Boasting or showing off about his achievements is simply beyond this guy. uhmm.. he does show off, about trivial things like the fact that he is a cusp (How can I forget that dialogue...What am I today, a Gemini or a Cancerian?) or his high scores in NBA, FIFA or some such thing. Kudos to this modest super achiever !!
Right now Chilli is in a phase of his life where he believes he is 'The One', the God who is destined for a higher cause. The God who would enlighten the ignorant mortals. Wishing him all the luck on his holy crusade. I hope he lives up to the great Ku Fu Hu proverb 'With great power comes great responsibility'. However, from personal experience I can only advice him that religion and politics are dirty business, one should never get mixed up in them. Even the mighty fall !!
"The school topper in physics is Sridhar Raman"...Applause !! A few minutes later...
"And the school topper in Maths is Sridhar Raman"....Thunderous Applause !!!
Toooo much !! Sounds awesome eh? Well our hero didn't stop there, over the years he brutally murdered every single competitive exam that came his way. CAT, in particular was thrashed twice by this very person.
Well fits the image of a typical nerdy first bencher right? Nope, the last thing this dude would do is sit in the first bench or hang out with any of those jerks in the first bench (sorry, I have no decent words to describe people who occupy the first row in college). Boasting or showing off about his achievements is simply beyond this guy. uhmm.. he does show off, about trivial things like the fact that he is a cusp (How can I forget that dialogue...What am I today, a Gemini or a Cancerian?) or his high scores in NBA, FIFA or some such thing. Kudos to this modest super achiever !!
Right now Chilli is in a phase of his life where he believes he is 'The One', the God who is destined for a higher cause. The God who would enlighten the ignorant mortals. Wishing him all the luck on his holy crusade. I hope he lives up to the great Ku Fu Hu proverb 'With great power comes great responsibility'. However, from personal experience I can only advice him that religion and politics are dirty business, one should never get mixed up in them. Even the mighty fall !!
Monday, June 13, 2005
Spiderman......
Don't know quite exactly why I am doing this. I am sitting in the middle of the night downloading the Spiderman theme. Nope, not the Spiderman I or II OST's but the good old Spidey TV series theme. Reminds me of the good old days of Door Darshan, the one and only source of all entertainment in the world (or rather our world). Was it the 80's ? Or was it the fact that most of our childhood spanned over that time period that brings on a sense of nostalgia associated with the 80's in our minds ? No idea. 'twas a golden era.
Anyways since I am lost in thought, let me copy-paste the lyrics of the song that I downloaded. Read and relive the good old days.
Spiderman, Spiderman,
Does whatever a spider can
Spins a web, any size,
Catches thieves just like flies
Look Out!
Here comes the Spiderman.
Is he strong?
Listen bud,
He's got radioactive blood.
Can he swing from a thread
Take a look overhead
Hey, there
There goes the Spiderman.
In the chill of night
At the scene of a crime
Like a streak of light
He arrives just in time.
Spiderman, Spiderman
Friendly neighborhood Spiderman
Wealth and fame
He's ignored
Action is his reward.
To him, life is a great big bang up
Whenever there's a hang up
You'll find the Spider man.
More on Johnny Sokko and The Giant Robot sometime later.
The best part of all cartoon hero series, 'The Villains' always lose in the end...;-)
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Chelsea, yet again?
"There are somethings money can't buy, for everything else there is Roman Abramovich".
Roman has decided (yet) again to spend money like water (or rather like oil) this summer. Bad news for Man Utd., Arsenal and the other traditional big boys of EPL. The Red Devils cannot afford to spend too much money right now with Malcolm Glazer breathing down their neck with a takeover bid. As for the Gunners, quite a lot of their funds are tied up to the construction of their new stadium, don't think they too can afford to sign up any big names this summer. Think about it, getting Bergkamp to sign a new contract was hailed as a big event in Highbury...I give up. And, what about Liverpool? Well lets not kid ourselves, 38 matches require a real depth in squad and lot of consistency, a magical run of 6 minutes will not ensure Liverpool lifting an EPL title. In my personal opinion Liverpool's Champions league victory was either one big stroke of good fortune or maybe it was just a cruel painful joke on Owen.
So will Mourinho & Co. successfully defend their EPL title again? Looks like it and there is no reason to doubt the fact that they will. Agreed, spending money alone is not the sole factor in winning a title, as is evident from the dismal performance of the 'Galacticos' of Madrid. But with Mourinho at the helm of affairs, with the backing of a big spending owner Chelsea can buy just the right players for the right positions.
The upcoming EPL season certainly looks bleak for non Chelsea fans. Hope is all they have.
