Caramel toes and other sweet things.

For the phoot-baal lover in me.

2011-10-25T13:54:00.001+05:30

I love football. I still have trouble telling offside, but I love the game. This post is sort of a confession statement where I come clean about all things football. It all began with the 2002 World Cup. This new channel called Ten Sports had started services in India and this was to be their first major event. I surely must have missed the first few games, but as the tournament progressed, I became more and more involved. I was living in Aminjikarai then, and we used to sneak in and read India Today which our tenant from second floor had subscribed to. I happened to read one such world cup special issue and got a slight understanding of which team is good et al. Like every other noob in the country, I supported Brazil. I vividly remember watching the finals at Murali's place.

The love for English football started in the 2005/06 season. I was vacationing at Jammu after my Class 10 board examination. We didn't get ESPN/Star Sports back in Chennai, so this was all new to me. Thierry Henry had scored 27 goals that season. This was a time when, for me, Henry was still hen-REE instead of ahn-REE. Now that I think of it, I was most likely to be an Arsenal fan if not for Fifa 99. That has been the only computer game I've been decent at, and I played it like crazy those two months. The Quick-Play mode started with Man Utd and they had, like, full strength. I, for the obvious reasons, always chose them as my side and scored tens of goals (this was after I got better at it; i used to switch sides and score own goals in the beginning). David Beckham was like a god on the field and I almost always score a hat-trick with him. So there, that is why/how I started being a United fan. I downloaded wallpapers and screensavers on my absurdly slow dial-up connection, edited names of players on the Fifa 99 United team to match the team of 2006 and more such silly things.
I don't know shit about the Manchester United legacy. The reason why I'm writing this is because I don't want people to call me a phony bastard who doesn't know the first thing about the game but calls himself a United fan. I being a part of the 'United bandwagon' has little to do with doing the 'in-thing'. Let's face it, it's cool to be a football fan and even more to be a United fan. It's good to be a part of a team and United ended up being my bitch. When I see a United match happening when I'm flicking through the channels on a lazy Sunday evening, I watch.

P.S. I understand the timing of this blog is very awkward, coming just days after United took its worst beating ever in a long, long time. That too in a derby match (that's me trying to show off a little). I still owe my allegiance to them and I will always be a United fan. Just don't expect me to come up with anything clever when you're sitting there analyzing the game.

Rants Vol.1 Issue 1

2011-08-19T18:43:00.001+05:30

I never realized how much I loved my friends. With talks of placements going on everywhere in college, it is finally dawning on me that these guys won't be around me after a few months. The last 3 years have been nothing less than spectacular. Keeping aside the fact that I haven't done well academically, I must admit I had great fun (in my own peculiar way) during my time here. In a week or two, they'll have a job to fall back on and I will be dusting my third semester text books.
I, of course, don't blame anybody but myself for the situation I'm in. It's a very mixed feeling that I'm having right now. I'm honestly happy for them but the realization that I will be left alone is overwhelming. I'm having that 'lump-in-the-throat' moment right now. Ramp tells me he might be going to NUS and I ask him not to forget me. More later.

(First written on the back of my Engineering Economics classwork on 18th August, 2011)

My mind wanders..

2011-08-19T18:31:00.002+05:30

I intend to write something but I am not able to settle on an issue. I received my semester results a day ago and things don't look sunny. The tiny ray of hope of doing MS in the US or even of getting placed at some IT company vanished the moment I learnt I'd managed to pass in only 3 of the 13 papers I took. Mostly everyone around me is likely to get a job, while the possibility of me finishing my B.E. within the course time is uncertain. The only way I can stay afloat and continue to fight is by not becoming comfortable with my failures, which I oddly have. I cannot come up with an answer if someone were to ask me what went wrong.
I shouldn't even be writing this now (I am sitting in my computer graphics class). I also don't understand this urge to write down/share the most personal of feelings and thoughts. The social network, that has been formed by connecting all the lost, wandering souls with a gossamer thread, has certainly made the world a smaller place. Ironically, it has also succeeded in doing the opposite. For example, I haven't met one of my closest friends for around 3 years now, but a week hasn't gone by without us communicating in one way or the other. I don't even remember what she looks like anymore. Also, I would be lying if I said I miss being, for want of a better word, physically around her. The whole idea of actually being with a person has, in a way, lost its meaning, as far as I am concerned.

(First written on the back of my computer graphics classwork on 10th July, 2011)

The "Best Pictures" of 2010

2011-02-27T15:54:00.001+05:30

1. Inception - The one movie I expected the most from this year, Nolan's dream heist thriller was everything I could ask for and more. Though there is this nagging feeling that I still haven't come up with a convincing solution to the puzzle that the movie is, the joy of trying to piece it together the first time was really something. With solid performance, great music and stunning set-pieces, this one here has remained my favorite all year long.
2. Toy Story 3 - The one reason why this movie worked so well for me was nostalgia. I watched the previous two movies no more than three years ago in quick succession. The happenings of Part 3 were inevitable, we always knew this day was coming. I didn't particularly love the first half as anyone who had seen the trailer would've known about Lotso. It's the second half where the movie dazzles with genuine thrills (the escape and then the heart stopping incinerator scene). And finally when the time to say our goodbyes comes, it becomes too hard to control the tears. The perfect end to a great series.
3. The Social Network - I must have seen this one thrice and I still can't get enough of it. With crackling writing filled with the some epic dialogues and an awesome non-linear narrative, this one was more enjoyable at home than in the theater. The soundtrack deserves a special mention.
4. True Grit - In a time when cowboys are gonna kick alien butts, comes a western that has everything you expect from it. A good old fashioned narrative, beautiful cinematography, great performances and an unpredictable ending, this was very enjoyable. There's too little of Josh Broklin in the movie though. Not that it was a problem, but I would've preferred to see a great scene with him in it.
5. The King's Speech - The crowd pleaser and front runner of this year's race. It's a beautiful looking, feel good period film which though very enjoyable, is too flat and cliched to deserve the top prize. It also is a very safe movie where hardly nothing can go wrong.
6. The Kids are All Right - I read many didn't like the movie because they felt the family was unfair to Mark Ruffalo's character by shutting him out. I like it for the very same reason, and can't even begin to imagine how crappy the movie would've been if they all ended together as one big happy family. This was funny, sexy and moving.
7. The Fighter - I loved it when I saw it but I just don't feel like going back to it. With showy performances that grabbed my attention and well choreographed boxing sequences, this one was very entertaining but with little or no emotional impact.
8. Winter's Bone - This one lost most of its initial impact which wore off pretty soon. Now the only good things I remember about it are Jennifer Lawrence and the lake scene.

Did not see:
-127 Hours
-Black Swan

My visit to a place in real dust..

2011-02-19T21:42:00.001+05:30

I wrote the following text between 7:30 and 8:15 am.
Okay, everyone around me, with a few obvious exceptions, seem to having fun. I'm enjoying in my own way, listening to great music. I didn't really plan on being such a hardass. Arjun had given me loads of advice on what to do and what not to. As I expected, i'm not following any of them. Leo, JP and Balaji arrived at my place at around 5 and we then picked up all the snacks purchased the previous evening and walked to the bus stop, where we were joined by Sibi, Shakti and Karthika.
God, I feel like an idiot writing a journal when I can have so much fun or conserve the juice in my phone's battery. Oh fuck, the girls have started singing. This is something that happens at every excursion, doesn't it? Not that I can hear them with my headphone on and Sam Sparro's singin black and gold. I've brought two books along, Lehane's Mystic River and Freakonomics. I'm feeling a little sorry for Ramp who seems to be terribly bored. Just helped myself to a gorgeous piece of black forest cake, maybe it's my growling stomach that's keeping me back from enjoying. A good breakfast is all I need. Ah! here comes the snow spray, the picnic quintessential. Fifteen to eight and The Beatles need my help. Monisha is looking especially pretty today, dressed in a red+green chudidhar. The girls have just ended singing Vada machan while I was listening to Daft Punk, now my heart will go on. Arjun had asked me to talk to all the girls, something which seems incredibly crazy now that i'm sitting inside the bus. Pratheek's asleep, so are KK and Pramodh. The in the last three rows are creating a ruckus; they're having a great time. The 'gumthalakadi gummas' have started, with Rajesh spear heading the Op podu revolution. He has improvised and tried to fit left le podu and right le podu to his arsenal, which seems to have gone down only too well with his soldiers.
"IV in charge parthee ku op podu ohhooo left le podu ohhooo.. right le podu ohhooo.."
Time is only 8, the Smiths are wondering how soon is now. Murugasan is probably wondering what he has signed up for, can't blame him, the guy next to me too is feeling the same too. The camera is lying dormant in my pocket, don't think i'll take any more than 10 pictures all day. GK is getting raped by everyone, he should've kept his mouth shut.
Finally, we've stopped at some hotel in Dindivanam now, time for everyone to take a leak.

Ramp Tamil Film Awards 2011

2011-01-14T15:16:00.001+05:30

I wish to thank our Jury President R.A.M Prashanth for his time. I would also like to thank Sri Balaji, JP and Karthik for their contribution.

Best Motion Picture (Drama)

Naan Mahaan Alla
Easan
Madrasapattinam

Best Motion Picture (Comedy)

Boss (a) Baskaran
Kalavani
Theeratha Vilayattu Pillai

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Arya (Madrasapattinam)
Vimal (Kalavani)
Karthi (Naan Mahaan Alla)

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Oviya (Kalavani)
Amala Paul (Myna)
Anjali (Angadi Theru)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Venkatesh (Angadi Theru)
Ganesh (Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya)
Santhanam (Boss (a) Baskaran)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Saranya (Kalavani)
Snigdha (Nandalala)
Priyamani (Raavanan)

Best Director

Vijay (Madrasapattinam)
Suseendran (Naan Mahaan Alla)
Rajesh (Boss (a) Baskaran)

Best Art Direction

Madrasapattinam
Enthiran
Aayirathil Oruvan

Best Cinematography

Madrasapattinam
Enthiran
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya

Best Makeup

Enthiran
Raavanan
Aayirathil Oruvan

Best Costume

Madrasapattinam
Raavanan
Aayirathil Oruvan

Best Visual Effects

Enthiran
Aayirathil Oruvan
Kutti Pisasi

Best Choreography for a dance sequence

Shobi (Easan)
Robert (Suraa)
Raju Sundaram (Enthiran)

Best Original Soundtrack

A.R. Rahman (Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya)
G.V.Prakash Kumar (Aayirathil Oruvan)
Yuvan Shankar Raja (Naan Mahaan Alla)

Best Original Song

Aaromale (Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya)
Neela Vanam (Manmadhan Ambu)
Iragai Pole (Naan Mahaan Alla)

Best Actor in a Cameo role

Jeeva (Boss (a) Baskaran)
Murali (Baana Kathadi)
Simbu (Goa)

====================

Worst Actor of the year

Danny Denzongpa (Enthiran)
S.P.Charan (Va Quarter Cutting)
Vijay (Sura)

Worst Actress of the year

Tamannah (Sura)
Tamannah (Paiyaa)
Tamannah (Thillalangadi)

Worst Movie Studio of the year

Y Not movies
Sun Pictures
Sivaji Productions

====================

SPECIAL JURY AWARDS

Best “Yenna-maithuku-nee-padathula-irruke?” actor of the year

Livingstone (Thillalangadi)
Prabhu (Asal)
Ranjitha/Karthik (Raavanan)

Best “Marubadiyum-moonjiye-kamchidathe” actor of the year

Ameer (Yogi)
Karu Palaniappan (Manthira Punnagai)
Ranjitha (Raavanan)

Best “Unakku-ithu-thevaiya?” actor of the year

Shaam (Thillalangadi)
Vaiyapuri (Raavanan)
V.S. Raghavan (Irumbu Kottai Murattu Singam)

Best “thevdiya-pula-kaase-return-pannuda” movie of the year

Sura
Asal
Va Quarter Cutting
Yogi
Thillalangadi
Chikku Bukku

The prettiest Indian athletes at the Commonwealth Games

2010-10-14T16:15:00.013+05:30

Note: This is a pretty tasteless compilation and I should be ashamed for rating some of our nation's best athletes on the basis of their looks. But now that I am at it, here's what i think.

3.Saina Nehwal (Badminton)

2.Dipika Pallikal (Squash)

1. Heena Sidhu (Shooting)

Watch the youtube video. She is the best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgTO60pZAQA

And here's the link to her facebook profile.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=520647301

Complete list of movies i've seen at the cinemas

2010-05-12T19:57:00.021+05:30

English

The Adventures of Tintin (with Arjun at PVR) Loved the movie.

Taxi Driver (Alone at PVR) Waste of time and money. Saw it on Scorsese's birthday.

Drive (with Dilip at Escape) Don't even get me started. No, really.

The Tree of Life (with Arjun at PVR) It's almost unbelievable that this movie made it to Chennai and that I actually got to see it on the big screen. A theater full of pathetic, ignorant bastards with not even the slightest courtesy of keeping their lame ass remarks to themselves. We had that god-awful crushers at kfc and walked all the way to Thiru Vi Ka park before the movie started.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (with Arjun, Hithesh, Vinu, Sabarish, SP, Jeno, Irfan and Shakti at Sathyam) I liked the movie while others hated it. Kuch khaas nahi hua.

X-Men: First Class (with Arjun at PVR) Largely uneventful. Actually, I don't remember much.

Source Code (with Arjun at PVR) Yes, I wanted to watch this movie alone. I honestly thought he wasn't interested in watching this one, but, I could have asked before booking. It wasn't as good as I hoped it was, but I can't help but think I would've liked it better had I seen it alone. Why? I don't know. I saw BP there, who passed a careless comment about my body, loud enough for everyone to hear.

True Grit (with Arjun at PVR) I hadn't seen anything like it on the big screen, and if wasn't for Arjun, I would've surely settled for a bluray rip. After the movie ended, this man next to me said,"Very good movie." I wish I can grow up and be like him.

TRON: Legacy (with Irfan and Pramodh at Devi Bala) I am still very sorry I dragged Irfan and Pramodh to this movie. If the movie wasn't bad enough, the theater made the experience unbearable. Some dumbfuck forgot to elevate the seats as they went farther from the screen.

The Social Network (with Arjun at Escape) I wasn't floored when I first saw it. I was a little scared I wouldn't understand much of the movie's dialogues, but it wasn't so bad in the end. Apart from that first scene at bar, I pretty much got the entire movie. I may also have missed the parts where they say Divya Narendra's name 'cause I found out about him only later, while talking with Arjun.

Inception (with Arjun, Hithesh & Vinu at Sathyam) I keep forgetting Vinu was there with us that evening (he booked the tickets and saved our asses). I remember telling Arjun I was not coming if Vinu and Hithesh were. I didn't want to be the only one to not understand the movie. Everything was okay at the end of the day and I didn't fail so badly in the presence of those three geniuses.

Toy Story 3 (with Pramodh at Sathyam) For once the kids in the theater were a delight. Their innocent laughs and gasps made the movie even better.

How To Train Your Dragon (with Jeno, his brother Vimal and his cousin at Sathyam) Was late to the movie by around 30 minutes and then Jeno says "padam thane da..". But this remains my favorite 3D movie till this date.

Up in the Air (with Arjun at Sathyam) My first non-action movie.

Avatar (with Arjun at Sathyam) Second time was even better.

Avatar (with Vishnu, Ramp & SP at Sathyam) December 17th 2009. Bunked college and went to watch this.

Inglourious Basterds (with Arjun at Sathyam) A theater full of Tarantino aficionados.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (with Arjun at Sathyam) Paid to watch this, got home only to see i had won 3 more tickets in a contest.

Star Trek (with Arjun at Sathyam) Nothing cool happened. Saw Siddharth and Henry there.

Up (with Arjun at Sathyam) My first 3D movie. Felt like i was inside a day-care center.

Watchmen (with Arjun at Sathyam) Watching two actors make passionate love on a giant screen with Leo Cohen's 'Hallelujah' playing in the background, perfect!

Quantum of Solace (with Arjun at Sangam) This was one forgettable outing.

Iron Man (with Arjun, his dad and Mohan at Albert) Post-intermission, we four were the only people sitting in the theater.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull (with Arjun, Vinu at Sangam) If you thought short round was an irritation, i wonder what you will say about Mutt "Witwicky" Williams.

Wall.E (with Arjun at Sathyam) Superb!

The Dark Knight (with Arpit at Sathyam) July 18th 2008. THE BEST THEATER EXPERIENCE!

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (with Arjun at Sathyam) Calypso who?

Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix (with Arjun at Sangam) July 13th 2007. Took leave to book the tickets. We walked back from theater and it rained.

Spider Man 3 (with Arjun, Bharath, Prasanna, Hitesh, Siddharth, Shravan at Sathyam) Went to the theater in Shravan's car. Ordered a hot-dog which was delivered to my seat. I actually liked the movie. Others didn't. Then went to Spencers.

Casino Royale (with Arjun, Bharath, Hitesh, Siddhu, Prasanna at Ega) "The name's Bond, James Bond", the only line i understood.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (with Arjun at Sathyam) Friendship Day.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (with Vikram at Ega) I celebrated Arjun's birthday with Vikram.

Spider Man 2 (with Murali, Tinku at Ega)

Welcome to the Jungle (with Murali at Sathyam)

The Scorpion King (with Murali, Vinod mama at Muralikrishna)

The Mummy Returns (with Murali, Vinod mama at Muralikrishna) Sridharan had come with his family.

Japanese

Rashomon (Alone at Chennai Film Chamber Theater) So glad i saw this one. And people actually stood up and applauded at the end of the movie. One of the best theater experiences.

Hindi

Yaadein (with Prakash mama at Sathyam) Eli re eli kya hai yeh paheli...

Dhoom 2 (with Arjun at Ega) Comedies.

Jodhaa Akbar (with Arjun at Sathyam) Arjun sat on a woman while settling into his seat.

Saawariya (with Arjun at Sathyam) Ballsiest movie i've ever seen. Less than an hour into the movie and i knew where it was headed.

Taare Zameen Par (with Priya at Ega) Good movie.

Gupt (with Mom, Dad, Priya in Rajpipla, Gujarat) I saw my classmate Tarannumh there.

Hindustani (with Mom, Dad, Priya in Rajpipla, Gujarat)

Abhay (with schoolmates in Rajpipla, Gujarat) Nana Patekar was on fire in this movie.

Mangal Pandey (with schoolmates in Chennai at Ega) The Ameesha Patel kiss was the only thing i liked, and the title song. The whole class was singing, "Mangala mangala.."

Telugu

Aata (with Priya at Ega) Dumb!

Tamil

Mankatha ( with Dalton, Ram Prasad, Madhu Kiran, John and 8 other guys at AGS, OMR) The rowdiest bunch I've been anywhere with, where everyone, with the exception of two, were ineligible for placements. We jumped the college fence, walked all the way to the theater and saw this piece of trash. Yes, they loved it.

Aaranya Kaandam (Alone at Vetri) Don't remember having a better time watching a Tamil movie. So much so that I felt compelled to stand up and applaud, which I did, only to be laughed at by two idiots. Total paisa vasool, this.

Enthiran (Alone at Vetri) Mohan and Moni were sitting somewhere in the front. I didn't hate it. I would've given them a better movie had they asked me to edit it. (And by edit, I mean mercilessly chopping all the lame scenes.)

Raavanan (Alone at Vetri) The fucker sitting next to me was scratching his underarms with much ferocity.

Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya (Alone at Vetri) When the Omana Penne song began I, instead of thinking about Linsa, fantasized about this junior girl. Her name is Aparna, by the way, and I don't know why she came into my head.

Naan Kadavul (Alone at Vetri) When the movie ended, the impact it had on me was indescribable.

Siva Manasula Sakthi (with Ramp, Joshu & Prasana at Shanthi) Naa varamaten nu sonnen, izhuthitu poninga...Oh yeah, the day Prasana had an accident.

E (with Anitha akka, Yuvaraj uncle, Murali, at Rohini) e-pori parakum oun aa oun...spit-worthy.

Sachien (with Mohan at Vetri) Vijay, Genelia and the fog-machine.

Gillli (with family at Vetri) Loved it!

Billa (with Balaji, Praneeth, Nageshwar, Sunil, Mohan Raj, Rahul Raj, Senthil, Prammoth at Sathyam) OMG! He stole my pen-drive!

Thenali (with family at Vetri)

Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu (Alone at Muralikrishna) I paid 25 bucks for a box ticket to see this movie.

Dasavatharam (Alone at Vetri) Nightmare!

Virumaandi (with Lokesh at Vetri) Sat on a Pepsi-crate during the first half. The theater emptied up post-intermission.

Baba (with Murali, Vinod mama at Rohini) Can't believe i liked this shit.

Sivaji (with Monica, Mohan at Vetri) Went crazy inside theater. Shouted at the top of my voice during Rajni's intro scene.

Thambi (with Bharath, Prasanna at Sangam) I wore my new Glider shoes to the movie, accidentally stepped on molten tar and soiled the sole.

Paruthiveeran (with Lakshmanan, Saravana Bava, Shriram, Balaji at Sangam) Lakshmanan wore this bright yellow shirt, had a good laugh.

Anjaathe (with Shriram, Balaji, Prammoth, Saravana Bava at Abirami) It went on and on and on...

Vallavan (with Chander anna at Vetri) Eve of Diwali.

Thiruda Thirudi (with family at Vetri) Kinda liked it i guess.

Pudhupettai (with Murali at Sathyam) My first 'A' rated movie.

Anniyan (with Priya at Vetri) Totally enjoyed it!

Vaaranam Aayiram (Alone at Vetri) Boring!

Ghajini (Alone at Vetri) First movie that i saw alone. Priya bought me the tickets and left.

Ramana (with family at Vetri) Tamil'le ennaku pudikatha ore vartha, mannippu! Oun!

Pattiyal (with Priya at Vetri) Not the kind of movie you take your sister to.

7/G Rainbow Colony (with Chander anna, Mohan, Monica, Ranjini aunty at Vetri) I cried! And sang along all the songs.

Azhagi (with family at Vetri) Don't remember much, but i liked it then.

The cities of Up in the Air

2010-03-07T13:36:00.009+05:30

"Tonight most people will be welcomed home by jumping dogs and squealing kids.

Their spouses will ask about their day, and tonight they'll sleep.

The stars will wheel forth from their daytime hiding places.

And one of those lights, slightly brighter than the rest,

will be my wingtip passing over."

Religulous Me!

2010-03-04T17:47:00.005+05:30

If you're wondering what the word "religulous" means, it is a portmanteau derived from the words "religion" and "ridiculous". The recent revelatory video footage, showing a self-proclaimed god-man laying on a bed lazily while a yesteryear actress fondled him, made me rethink my stand on religion. Even before this whole episode unfolded I'd done a lot of thinking about it.

I wouldn't call myself an atheist, but yes, an agnostic. I'm not saying stuff like 'God doesn't exist', cos no matter how scientific one gets there comes a stage where we hit a dead-end and are unable to explain some questions like 'What existed before everything?'. Nor am I saying stuff like 'God does exist' as the same argument works the other way too where the holy men are not able to prove the existence of God. I stand somewhere in the middle. So is he/she just a figment of our imagination? Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

But i have my own set of doctrines that i try to follow because i believe leading a faithless life is not worth living. Believing in ourselves is the key to success. If somebody says "It is all written" then ask them what is the point in living a life if it is already scripted. We are masters of our own destiny and there is no puppeteer up there controlling our lives like we are some dolls.

Growing up in a highly religious family i was fed with all sorts of crap-talk and it will take me time to get over it. Stuff or shall we say ideas like afterlife, heaven, hell, purgatory have become a part of my system. There are times when i say, "Oh my god!" and think "What am i saying?".

We humans have made religion a quintessential part of our existence. We bring religion into everything. Okay. Had it been something like "one religion one god for all" things would have been much different. But then we started tweaking it to suit our lifestyle, which is understandable. The problem started when we asked childish questions like "whose god is superior" and started fighting over it. And we're still fighting.

Okay now what do we do when things go out of our control? Try to do nothing. During the period between writing exams and the announcement of semester results, i did not pray or worship anyone cos what good is it anyway? I knew i had screwed up big time and nothing was going to change it. Miracles are nonexistent. You reap what you sow, its as simple as that.

We are all free to follow any set of beliefs, but let's not do it because we were asked to do so by our parents. I understand the whole point behind religion and the mystery it demands but blind faith kills. Question everything. This was jus a wake up call to everyone.

And talking about Mr. Nithyananda a.k.a Teeratha Vilayattu Pillai, what he did was not wrong. Men are weak and ask anyone and they'll tell you celibacy is one among the toughest things. Like according to Hindu mythology most of the Gods had more than one wife so what the fuck is the problem? But these god-men blah blah are full of shit anyway, no point in supporting them. And the people who worship these a-holes deserve to be fooled.

Be good to everyone people, how hard is that?

(1275) Days of Jessie

2010-02-26T22:00:00.009+05:30

After i decided that i was going to watch Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, jus one thought was running through my mind. Something that i thought i would text people when i walked out of the cinema. It goes like this.. "Jus when i had completely given up all faith in the tamil film industry came a movie that changed everything." Boy, Was I wrong!

There's a scene in the movie where a character tells our hero Karthik that 'Fortune favours the brave' to which he says, 'Fortune favours the intelligent' and then does something not so intelligent but that is not my point. All i'm saying is that Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa was a brave attempt indeed, breaking free of the conventional story and making a movie that is the anti-thesis of love stories. Only complaint is its not intelligent as the director himself wants it to be.

Simple story. Hindu Boy meets a Christian Girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn't. Boy goes all out to make her love him. Girl finally falls for him, only to reveal that she liked him from the word Go. Enters our villainous dad who is staunchly against getting his daughter married to the boy. The girl has a muscular brother and then there's culture clash. Did the writer refer to the book of cliche before scripting this? Haven't we seen it all before? Not exactly. Cos there's little more to our characters.

The boy is an aspiring movie director with a room full of posters of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Martin Scorsese etc. Halfway into the movie, we're told that he is a boxer, jus to satisfy the fans of the lead actor who have paid 120 bucks to see their demigod kick some ass. He uses profanity and curses in english, says 'fuck' for most of the times and each time it seems forced into the script jus to make his fans go apeshitcrazy. His dad doesn't approve of his career choice. His mum is jus there in the movie so that we don't ask questions about her whereabouts. And there's a sister too.

Our girl is someone with a very complex character, or was at least meant to be. She is not sure what she wants, she can never make up her mind, her actions are contradicting and so are her words. Though it all doesn't show up on screen, i can tell that this is what the writer had in his mind. She is very modern but old fashioned. Wears printed sarees throughout the movie. Keeps saying that her dad is a really good chap but there's not even one instance to support that view. Says that her dad would kill her if she falls in love with a hindu boy but even after she calls off her wedding he doesn't do much. This is not the contradiction i was talking about, this is jus the writer's silliness.

Okay now take out all the irregularities from this script. Fill it with really funny scenes and witty conversations. Make the narrative non-linear and you get a movie that's delightful. I'm talking about 2009's (500) Days of Summer.

I won't say the VTV was inspired by (500) Days of Summer as they were based on it's writer's personal experience but one can't help but draw comparisons if he has seen either of the movies. I threw my hands up in disgust when the scene came up where the leads talk to each other sitting on a bench in central park (There's such a scene in 500 too. Too similar to be a coincidence but i'm not speculating).

Technically the movie is the best in the genre. The spellbinding soundtrack composed by A.R.Rahman is worth the ticket's price. And the riffs of 'Aromale', too good. Well edited, well shot. Simbu never looked so handsome.

The problem with VTV is it doesn't know where to stop. Actors seem to repeat the same old lines. And it simplifies the twist so that the layman watching the movie understands what's happening on screen. And the lines towards the end are cringe-worthy. Silambarasan is a treat to watch. He has totally transformed himself to a guy who's totally believable as Karthik though there are instances where you see the 'Simbu' hidden in him. His acting is what was extracted out of him. Trisha is good too. If Summer Finn's character was shoddily written, it would have been jus like our Jessie's. And its not fair to blame the actors for belting out stupid lines after another either.

It's a personal film. If Vaaranam Aayiram was Gautam Menon's ode to his dad, then this is his tribute to his first love. Not a bad movie but not a good movie either. Everyone can sit through it and you'll even love it if you can relate to the characters.

Music & Lyrics

2010-02-14T07:32:00.004+05:30

Every crush i had had a song of its own. Sounds movie-ish but that is how it has always been for me. I don't pick up a song for a relationship, it's jus that everything falls into place. It happens when the feelings are strongest and comes a song out of nowhere that seems like it was written for you.

I've always been vocal about Linsa, but I am thinking whether or not to use names of the other girls here. Let's not.

There was this girl called Aishwarya Devi (using her name cos i don't give an eff about her) in my class, the whole infatuation hardly lasted a month but it too ended up having a song for its own. 'Sillunu Oru Kaadhal' was the new movie out and the lead character's name was Ishu, so Lakshman and Shriram used to make fun of me which resulted in 'New York Nagaram' becoming a crush song.
Okay remember the beautiful track from Kalloori called 'Un arugil varugayil'? That was one such song.
With Linsa, it obviously was 'Omana Penne' from Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa.

If a biopic was made on my life, these songs are a must in the soundtrack. :)

My 20 favorite Movie Characters of Noughties

2009-12-31T15:57:00.002+05:30

(In chronological order)

01. Leonard Shelby played by Guy Pearce in 'Memento' (2000)

02. Amélie Poulain played by Audrey Tautou in 'Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain' (2001)

03. John Anderton played by Tom Cruise in 'Minority Report' (2002)

04. Gollum played by Andy Serkis in 'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' (2002)

05. Jason Bourne played by Matt Damon in 'The Bourne Series' (2002 - 2007)

06. Beatrix Kiddo played by Uma Thurman in 'Kill Bill Vol. 1 & Vol.2' (2003 - 2004)

07. Jack Sparrow played by Johnny Depp in 'Pirates of the Carribean Series' (2003 - 2007)

08. Paul Rusesabagina played by Don Cheadle in 'Hotel Rwanda' (2004)

09. Maggie Fitzgerald played by Hilary Swank in 'Million Dollar Baby' (2004)

10. Kumar Patel played by Kal Penn in 'Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle' (2004)

11. Frank Costello played by Jack Nicholson in 'The Departed' (2006)

12. Borat Sagdiyev played by Sacha Baron Cohen in 'Borat' (2006)

13. Chris McCandless played by Emile Hirsch in 'Into the Wild' (2007)

14. Daniel Plainview played by Daniel Day-Lewis in 'There Will Be Blood' (2007)

15. Juno MacGuff played by Ellen Page in 'Juno' (2007)

16. Otilia played by Anamaria Marinca in '4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile' (2007)

17. The Joker played by Heath Ledger in 'The Dark Knight' (2008)

18. WALL•E created by Pixar in 'WALL•E' (2008)

19. Randy 'The Ram' Robinson played by Mickey Rourke in 'The Wrestler' (2008)

20. Wikus Van de Merwe played by Sharlto Copley in 'District 9' (2009)

2009: A Retrospection

2009-12-28T22:38:00.001+05:30

What an amazing year this has been. Haven’t got used to writing ‘09’ in the date and the year is over already! Here’s a look back at the year that was my best yet.

I clocked record number of hours sitting in front of my computer, doing stuff that has made this year a memorable one. Kept thinking about this girl who barely knows i exist. Wanted to shoot a short film, but couldn’t get past an idea. Downloaded stuff worth a million illegally. I spent very little time with family, especially with mum and dad. I know i should talk more with them but talk about what? Okay not gonna talk any more about this stuff as it demands a blog entry of its own. Have improved considerably with my English. And my hair-line has been receding pretty fast now. If i continue with this pace, I’ll have to opt for hair-transplant surgery at the age of 22, yikes! Haven’t grown a mm over the last 12 months, have reached the pinnacle. Lets get to the top things that happened to me in 2009.

facebook & twitter:

I had been using Orkut for quite a while now and wanted to give facebook a try. I signed up and i hated it. It found it to be really confusing (now i wonder why?) compared to the no-hassle Orkut. Then it slowly grew on me and guess what, I can’t but visit it at least once a day. I’m addicted to this baby and no longer enjoy using Orkut. And jus when i thought this was the ultimate social networking site, i had a tryst with twitter. My facebook page.

twitter is the coolest site to literally follow the people you adore. I would be very happy if more people start using it actively as it is a great medium to stay connected. I don’t update my status often (jus like this blog) as no one’s following it anyway but i read others’ tweets. My favourite tweeters: Roger Ebert, Chetan Bhagat, Rajeev Masand, Kris Tapley, Anne Thompson and Jason Reitman. Seriously, is there a better way to start a day than Genelia wishing you Good Morning! ?

Follow me on twitter. But my page is so dead. Can you hear the echo?

Avatar:

Yes, you read it right. This movie was one of my top obsessions this year. That doesn’t meant it’s my favourite. The wait for the movie was sweeter than the movie itself, but that view of mine may change after i watch it again on 30th. Spent a lot of my time over it. Wasted? maybe, but its jus like being in love, you live for present.

Thought of putting up the poster here, but they are all pathetic.

Linsa:

Umm.. nothing happened actually, nothing significant. But a day hasn’t gone by without me thinking about her. My friends are gonna give me dirty looks for saying this but seeing her was the only thing i looked forward to in college. It was an on/off thing for the last few months but after a lot of thinking I’ve made up my mind, It’s over (like it ever took off). She’s not gettable and i think i am wasting my time here.. Was i barking up at the wrong tree? Maybe. Jus like thalaivar said, “Kaadhal oru kadal maari da, athey maranthutu tumbler’kul neechal yenada?” But what will i do when i see in college when classes start again? Fall in love all over again? I couldn’t help myself till now. Let’s see what 2010 has in store for me. For now i have my fearless Taylor Swift to give me company, she belongs with me.

Wanted to put her picture here (yeah i have loads) but, it would be way too audacious of me. And quite indecent.

Priya’s Wedding:

Okay let’s start with a confession, you are the first person to read it.

“When i was staying in Jammu with mum and dad i missed my sister so much i used to cry at nights.”

Now that I’ve told someone about it i feel different. I’ve never told her how much i love her, and now it struck me that I’ve never said “I love you” to anyone in my life. Never to my mom & dad either. Even to the girls i proposed all i said was “I have a huge crush on you”. Back to the point, my sister getting married was a high point this year. Really happy for her. Here’s wishing her a long and prosperous wedded life.

Movies:

This year was a very good one for movie buffs. Almost all the blockbusters released in India with not too much of a delay. All the movies i saw in theatre viz. Watchmen, Star Trek, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Up, Inglourious Basterds and Avatar, were at Sathyam Cinemas. Except for the last one, I saw all the movies with Arjun and to make up for it I am watching the same movie with him again anyway. And all the countless movies i saw alone at home. And with the Oscar race that has already started, I’ve begun watching all the movies that are in-contention.

Hope the year was great for you too.

“WISH YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR!“