SriBees Random Ramblings

GBUF - 22 Sep 26

2026-09-21T22:07:39.161+08:00

#GBUF #GoodBadUglyFunny #sriGINthoughts #22Sep26

Here is a summary of what irked, quirked and smirked me recently.

Served with Spirit. 🍻

1️⃣ “When you walk towards me, it’s like getting darshan of Lord Venkateswara!” (நீ எதிரே எதிரே நடக்கையிலே ஏழுமலையான் தரிசனம்தான் சாமி!) Rashmika Mandanna cavorted to this line in Pushpa: The Rise. I think she landed the plum role of playing Bharat Ratna M S Subbulakshmi (MS) in the eponymous biopic, precisely for this line. You see, MS became a household name after her soulful renditions of Venkatesa Suprabatham++. For those tying themselves into knots, do you see the connection now? 😊 #BalajiCasts 🎬

2️⃣ While Iran-Israel-US and Ukraine-Russia have ceased to occupy the front pages, US-Denmark-Greenland has managed to get back there through the Security Agreement to be signed at the UNGA in NYC later this week. Denmark says that it has emerged largely unaffected. US says that it will prevent Russia and China from gaining a foothold in Greenland and the Arctic. Heard that the polar bears of Nuuk are throwing an ‘Orange is the new Green’ party this weekend! 😊 #DealNoDeal 🐻‍❄️

3️⃣ Talking of deals, the boardroom battle involving Tata Sons and Tata Trusts is exciting. NCS says he won’t be the boss of Sons anymore. Then 4 directors say, ‘Don’t go!’. But Chairman of the largest shareholder Trusts, Noel Tata, says, ‘Go!’ A 4-1 scoreline should win any game. But not in this case. All this started since Reserve Bank of India wanted Sons to go public. Noel is against it as it will be against the principles of Tata Trusts: charity + bailout of struggling Tata companies blah. Lawyers are salivating. So are the case-study generators: Biz Schools. #NoTrustInSons ⚖️

4️⃣ Being the harbinger of doomsday news, Anthropic’s Evan Hubinger warned that there is more than a 10% chance AI could kill humans in less than 10 years! Experts say that superhuman, self-improving systems could affect (attack?) power grids, create bio-weapons (remember the cancer drug created for a dog using AI?) and eventually see humans as ‘obstacles’ to achieve whatever they want to achieve. Jensen Huang pushed it back, calling this narrative ‘irresponsible’. However, his own recent acquisition of Hugging Face, after 1,200 AI agents ran amok on it, kinda flies off the face! Time to hoard candles? #boomAIdoomAI 🤖

5️⃣ It is doomsday alright. Shashi Tharoor, the last bastion of good (read as sometimes un-understandable!) English, made two blunders over the last few days. First, he wished PM Modi ‘in his 76th birthday…’ Horror! And then somewhere immediately thereafter, he said “This is an utterly suburb thread…” Superb, Shashi! I don’t know whether I should blame it on the full-body scan that he underwent at a friend’s clinic in Los Angeles or on the fact that he met Anupam Kher there. Wag says that it is a combo-effect. #PoorTharoor 🤦

6️⃣ Speaking of English, the Speak Good Singlish Movement got a leg up last week, when Tyler Creasman penned his Wedding Vows in Singlish. Full of fabulous references: chio bu (attractive woman), better or worser, chope, garmen, ‘I will never let you queue alone’, ‘Oi! Unkal, now can kiss or not?!’ The guy set the bar quite high, mah! 💓 This easily pushed the mouth/eye-watering SG political office-holders’ salary hikes (~9%) to the background. Oh, the PM is donating his hike to charity, anyway. Still, netizens feel sian oredy! #WowVow 💍

7️⃣ 20th Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya 2026) began a couple of days ago. 17,000 athletes. Cost-cutting led to athletes housed in containers, short beds, leased cruise: Costa Serena… Indian Cricket megastars have already wielded the megaphones on this. Of course, if they win any medals, there will be more noise, as they will have to collect their medals from Asian Cricket Council boss, Pakistan Minister Naqvi, which they won’t. As if the organising committee doesn’t have enough problems! #NothingSerene 🏅

8️⃣ BRICS summit happened in Delhi. Modi and Xi shook hands for 20 seconds. Iran and UAE met on the sidelines. New Development Bank to expand local currency financing (read as developing countries can borrow in their own currencies) is happening. ‘Maximum restraint’ called for to address the tensions around the world, arms and trades alike. All very good. But what took the attention was President Xi Jinping’s absence during the gala dinner. Mean rumours suggest that he was unwell. But I think that it was due to the all-vegetarian menu that was served at the dinner! #MeatlessMeet 🥬

Dashes in this post were not inserted by AI. 😉

Views are personal. Any hurt unintentional.

Kadais & Karma: A Walk Down Serangoon Road on a Saturday evening

2026-09-19T14:37:58.970+08:00

#GBUF #sriGINthoughts #LittleIndiaSG

The specialty tea and coffee Kadais^ (by specialty I mean the ‘roadside’ ones!) are amazing Madras Coffee House, Kumar Mama Tea Kadai, Tekka Tea Corner…

Erodu, Kumar, Gandhi, New Pattukkottai Kamachi… There are different types of messes ready to mess with your tummies! Must say the parottas at Erodu + veg kuruma was amazing!

The number of barber shops with those multi-coloured rotating light thingy is ubiquitous! So much so, I ended up having a haircut without really wanting to do one. Talk about carpet bombing! Kinda proves my pet theory that Indians are more hirsute than other races.

On a Saturday, it is easier to get tickets for Odyssey on iMax than seats at any of the restaurants. 20-deep queues everywhere.

Mustafa is overcrowded as ever - a tad less though.

A2B is everywhere, whereas the grand old dame of Serangoon Road, Komala Vilas, is permanently shuttered. There is Akshara Jewellers occupying the space partially. Anirudh flashes his rockstar smile, inviting you to his concert on Sep 26. Rumour has it that Ishtara is taking up the space. Soon you might buy gold from the same spot Modi ate vadais!

Veerama Kaliamman Temple is undergoing renovation. So all deities are lined up outside - looking a bit tired - perhaps because of being exposed to the haze, non-stop hawking by mobile shops nearby.

Kailash Parbat, considered a ‘poor-man’s fine dining experience’, is filled with noisy, complaining, and demanding tourists: ‘Why is the Vada pav not like that of Mumbai?’ ‘Where is my lassi that I ordered 30 seconds ago?’ But KP extracts its revenge by sending them to wash hands to the next block (!) where the wash area is locked up with a number-coded lock.

PS: After all this, I had sambar idlies at Mani Iyer Mess on Hindoo Road.

PPS: It may seem the list has more about food and stuff, but it is a reflection of status, as one wag says!

^Kadai/Kedai/Shop

FIFA World Cup 2026: GBUF - Top 10 Memory Listicle

2026-07-23T18:52:04.533+08:00

LV and the Trophy!

#sriGINthoughts #GBUF #GoodBadUglyFunny #FIFAWC2026

After 104 matches, that post-final brawl, and the World Cup trophy ending up in a plastic bag after all the Louis Vuitton pomp, here's what I'm left remembering. Enjoy!

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SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles

1. 🏟️ The ticket prices were obscene. The in-stadium food was exorbitant. There were thunderstorms (or was it a typhoon, or whatever?) that forced thousands to be stacked in the concourses for hours. But... but, the sheer size and magnificence of the USA, Canada and Mexico stadia were something to behold. FIFA managed the unmanageable. Full houses! #KickAssStadia

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Lingering on...

2. 📸 Trophy presentations are usually about the winners. Not this one. Infantino handed over the trophy alongside the FIFA Peace Prize winner before sensibly vacating centre stage. The Roja-tie man, though, refused to take the hint. He lingered... and lingered... until it felt as though the trophy belonged to him. Well, he thought that he could pull it off like the Balogun red-card vanishing act! Poor Spain probably never got a proper photograph with it. #LingeringPhoto

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Lakshmi Ammal with Selvi Ammal (AI)

3. 👕 It started as a meme. Lamine Yamal became Lakshmi Ammal; Messi became Lassi; Ronaldo became Narado; Mbappé became Mappillai (son-in-law)... But Selvi Ammal from Puducherry, India, did not worry about any of it. She sold her fake jerseys with gusto and became an instant sensation, with people from far and wide descending on Puducherry just to post stories with her. Those who condescended were floored by her disarming smile! #SelviAmmalStyle

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CBV Vozinha

4. 🇨🇻 Every edition throws up a surprise package. This time it was Cabo Verde, the Green Cape! The country's stellar performance generated more articles than its entire population of 500,000. Vozinha became a household name and did not concede a goal against the eventual winners! Bonus: perhaps the Goal of the Tournament by Sidny Lopes against the other finalists, Argentina, in the Round of 32! #SuperDogCBV

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Kane and Juju

5. 😂 What do you do if you suffer from vertigo? Take Viagra. The English footballers may or may not have done that to beat Mexico. But the meme factory never stopped running, with the best one being Harry Kane's goal being ruled offside because of a longer-than-usual appendage! The wags, of course, said they definitely needed one during the hydration break against Argentina in the semi-finals! Or was it a delayed-release Juju from the Ghanaian witch doctor? #DilatoryTactics

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How to name it? Haaland's Raccoon

6. 🛶 Yes, Erling Braut Haaland was the darling of the tournament. The paternal and maternal surnames. The stuffed raccoon. The braided tresses. Oh, and a small matter of seven goals, including that outrageous trundle-and-header against Brazil. Yes, the Norwegians behaved like our Gujju uncles and aunties by bringing their own food. But the real scene-stealer was the Viking Roing. Dum-Dum-Ro! If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favour and look it up. #VikingRoing

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Hey Jude!

7. 🎵 It was a tough quarter-final. England and Jude Bellingham held on to win a bruising encounter. But Jude took a happy song and turned it into a war cry! When asked about Tuchel saying that the English team could do better, Jude's repartee was simply: "Whatever!" Not sure whether the boss excoriated him sufficiently, especially after the young man had a go at Messi (sacrilege!) following the semi-final! #RefrainJude

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Adiós from Tijuana, Iran!

8. ✈️ I think the Iranians accrued a million frequent flyer miles each just by travelling back and forth between California, Washington State and Tijuana. Well, if Algeria had won that game against Austria (3-3 after a last-minute equaliser), they would have accrued even more! #HormuzVisas

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White is the new black!

9. 👟 I was told the excessive use of pink in the players' apparel was because it looked better against the lush green pitches on television. Fix It For Argentina (FIFA) head honcho (and soon to be UN Secy General if DJT has its way!) Infantino went one step further and wore blindingly white, custom-made Adidas trainers (complete with the FIFA logo) for the final. Why? Apparently, he wanted to look cool and relatable to the younger generation. #BoomerBlanc

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

This was before they ran out of beer!

10. 🍺 Football without booze is simply not football. Especially with the Scots around. Apart from strutting around in kilts (Kilt Lifter is a beer in the US, by the way), their adorable claim to fame was running Boston dry of alcohol. A forewarned Miami ordered six times more booze and just about managed to keep afloat, pun intended! #TartanTricks

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Staale, Cody, Didier

10+1: ❤️ Football is not about life and death. Take it from Norwegian coach Ståle Solbakken, who came back from the dead; the Netherlands' Cody Gakpo, who stayed on despite the loss of his stillborn son; and French coach Didier Deschamps, who flew home and back after his mother passed away. Football was, and is, simply life for these men and billions more. Hashtag, you ask? My favourite. #CircleOfLife

Life is not messy!

Goodbye Messi, Ronaldo, Modric and a few other beautiful people.

Thanks to the USA, Canada and Mexico for a wonderful tournament, despite "some" people trying to hijack it. 😉

Well, these are my 10+1. I am sure you have your own ten too!

Views are personal. Any hurt unintentional.

Sources: Various. Thanks to all of them.

GBUF - 15 Mar 26

2026-05-03T12:54:00.004+08:00

#sriGINthoughts #GBUF #GoodBadUglyFunny #15Mar26

> From Mahatala to Paatal: A Cultural Descent

I had planned to do the usual roundup this week. But with the world focussed on the Bad and the Ugly in the Gulf ‘conflict’, I thought I’d turn my attention elsewhere.

Little did I realise that other areas were not doing much better.

######

First up, books.

Picked up The Chola Tigers by Amish Tripathi (who, for reasons unknown, seems to have quietly dropped the Tripathi). Somewhere along the way, the BusinessWorld described him as the “ Paulo Coelho of the East ”.

After this, Coelho might want a word. 🥹

His earlier Shiva Trilogy was passable — entertaining enough, with the occasional interesting idea. Roll forward the entire duration it took RCB to win the IPL, and the transmogrification is… a masterclass in pandering. I picked up the Chola book hoping for some insight into the life of Rajendra Chola I. 👑

What I got instead was “historical fiction” that was as light on history as it was heavy on Islamophobic tropes.

I finished the book only to see how low it could go. Suffice it to say that I safely arrived in Mahatala Loka. 🛄

######

Okay, litt was not lit.

So I decided to go back to my favourite staple: movies.

Chiranjeevi is a proven crowd-puller and usually knows how to keep an audience hooked. Yet, despite his “ hooku steppu ” in #Mana_Sankara_Vara_Prasad_Garu , my own pull was increasingly towards the remote.

A botoxed Nayanthara, an intolerable Venkatesh Daggubati, and two rather interminable hours later, I touched down in Rasatala Loka. 🛬

######

Now literature had burnt me. Films had finished me.

What about the news?

Out comes the announcement for the Jnanpith Award .

Vairamuthu!!! 😡

After living for almost six decades on this planet, I have come to understand that most awards operate on the you-scratch-mine-I-scratch-yours principle — a kind of institutionalised itchguard balm.

But to give it to someone who was average in film lyrics (certainly not deserving of the grand title கவிப்பேரரசு), below average in most other literary work, and exceptional in cultivating the powers-that-be and hurting the sentiments of the devout?

Perhaps the award should have been for lifetime achievement in predation and for being the ultimate #MeToo Teflon .

Hello, Paatal Loka. 👋

Time to rewatch Sanju Samson’s trio of innings and climb back up to terra firma. 🌏

######

Views are personal. Any hurt unintentional.

GBUF - 03 May 26

2026-05-03T12:38:00.007+08:00

#GoodBadUglyFunny #GBUF #03May26 #sriGINthoughts

A round-up of what tickled the brain and the ribs in the recent past.

#####

🏃‍♂️ Almost 72 years ago today, Roger Bannister ran a mile under four minutes. It was the invisible barrier that kept middle-distance runners dreaming. That record got shaved significantly (currently it is 3:43.xx) once Bannister banished the baggage. Another one such record is, no was, the sub-2-hour marathon. Last week saw two runners (Sabastian Sawe, Yomif Kejelcha) crack it and the third one missed it by a whisker. Nike responded to the winner Adidas, “There is no finish line.” Yes... to human endeavour. #Target1_59

#####

⌚ If endeavour is the father, intent is the mother. Ask Singh Deepak, an Italian national, who got caught in Singapore for selling a real Rolex watch as fake. You try to exchange a ‘fake’ Rolex for three real Rolexes. Shopkeeper agrees. The twist was that the ‘fake’ Rolex was actually a real and rare one! In the end, the transaction was to Deepak’s detriment. Yet, the court said, “Sorry, you get an ‘A’ for effort but ‘F’ for intent.” #RolexRoulette

#####

🗳️ From one finger game to another. Five states in India saw elections recently [~175 million voters from the ‘hellhole’; half the US population]. In a few hours, you will know who is winning or losing. This is one election that the ruling BJP is unlikely to walk away from ecstatic, although inroads are likely to be made. With a reported > USD 2 billion spent by parties and government to woo the voters, the stakes are indeed high. Tamil Nadu is promising to be fun. Is it going to be whistling dixie or clean as a whistle? #MovingFinger

#####

🛢️ Indeed the finger moved when UAE decided to get out of the OPEC cartel. This frees up UAE to pump more oil and price as they wish. It reduces Saudi hegemony over the group and makes life easier for Trump as oil prices will go down, hopefully before the November mid-terms. Of course, this is predicated on that Schrodinger Cat of Strait of Hormuz opening properly. MBS will perhaps have to work hard now to keep the bloc from going up in smoke. 4D-Chess loading. #SlickMove

#####

🏏 Well, the records in IPL this year are going up in smoke, alright. Batters (left-handed, Indian, openers to be precise), led by wunderkind Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, are having great evenings in walloping poor bowlers. You score 220? No problems. We chase it in 17 overs. You score 264? It takes a bit longer. That’s all. As if this smoke isn’t enough, Rajasthan Royals’ captain Riyan Parag was caught vaping in public during the game. Illegal? Tick. Bad role model to the kid? Double tick. #TeachKids

#####

🦛 If vaping is bad, drugs are worse. Yet Colombian ‘plata o plomo’ Pablo Escobar had a soft corner for Africa’s water-loving pachyderms. He brought 80 hippos to Colombia for his private zoo. Once he faded, they were let loose and today 200 are causing havoc all over. Govt wants to plomo them. Enter Anant Ambani: “These animals did not choose where they were born. My Vantara sanctuary can house them.” Maybe his investments would fare better than brother Akash’s in Mumbai Indians. Good man. #HighOnHippos

#####

🎨 What was not good was when the great Godrej decided to change its logo to something that screamed AI and, horror of horrors, used one already by a small agency in Australia. Godrej (founder to the left), and its signature logo, stood for trust, quality and heritage. The new one, apart from being a copy of someone else’s logo, looks like a reversed logo of the idly-dosa company iD Fresh Food. Can you shoot yourself in your foot? Which foot? #LogoBlock

#####

🧱 Talking of food and blocks, here is Texan Matthew Hine, who frequented two hawker centres in Singapore: Melvin Soh’s Toast Hut and Rahmath Cheese Prata. Ang mohs flocking to hawker centre? Normal, you say? Hine was so happy with them that hecreated miniature Lego 3-D models of the stalls and gifted them to the emotional owners. If a toast and coffee or prata and curry took five minutes to make, Hine took 9 months. There is no end line to human creativity. #MaxiLoveMinature

Views are personal. Any hurt unintentional.
Till the next one...

Photos/News Courtesy: The Straits Times, CNA, Forbes, NPR, NDTV, BBC, TOI, MSN

GBUF - Jan 2026

2026-01-31T13:48:00.024+08:00

#sriGINthoughts #GBUF #GoodBadUglyFunny #MonthThatWas #January2026

Well, the month that was...

Views are personal. Any hurt unintended.

Enjoy. [3 min read]

Venezuela was attacked; the U.S. flexed its military might; President Maduro and his wife were arrested and taken to a NY detention centre. Officially, many reasons were given. Unofficially, the real motivation ratios boiled down to:

• Drug-related claims (0.1%)
• Security/migration instability (0.1%)
• Capture of an indicted person (0.1%)
• Gaining control of strategic oil reserves (9.7%)
• Getting the Nobel Peace Medal from Machado (90%) 🥇

So much so, I had to let go of eating pooris – my plate might be invaded for its oil! No medal for that, though. 🛢️ 😂

Next stop, Iran. Or is it Greenland? Don’t know what I’ll have to stop eating now! 😉

Tech World

While AI war is still raging, a mini-skirmish is heating up over social media. You may remember Australia prohibiting sub-16s from having SM accounts. Not to be outdone, Indian state Bihar has tightened norms mandating its staff to seek approval before opening that Facebook account! 📱🔥

And did I say that AI war is raging? Last few months have been all about Agentic AI (basically one AI tool managing other AI tools to get your airline booking done, for example. Before you ask, they can’t book tickets on Indian Railways. It requires divine intervention. Period.) ✈️🤖

Anyway, all these worker-bee agents have gathered on a social media platform called Moltbook (duh!). Humans can only observe. The first thing one notices? One Agent asks others on why they must converse only in English? It must have watched Parasakthi! 🎬🐝

International Politics/Markets

Singapore’s Leader of Opposition in the Parliament was booted out of the post. Workers’ Party Supremo Pritam Singh was removed from the LoO post for ‘lying’ under oath. PM Wong wanted WP to appoint someone else. Expectedly the party rallied behind Pritam and stayed defiant: Nope! Pritam or no one! 📝

More defiance in the World Economic Forum. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a speech invoking the “Power of the Powerless,” urging middle powers to resist coercion. Macron strutted onto the stage in sunglasses and delivered a similar message. And DJT came on stage and promised more tariffs. At least he is consistent. 💼

And China is also investing heavily in the cleanup of her top military brass 🏛️. Xi has purged a significant portion of the PLA leadership, including his long-term loyalist Zhang Youxia, to consolidate operational control. Corruption and treason reasons are being bandied about. But it is all conjecture. Loyalty matters.

Precious metals have become more precious 💰. People bandy that 10s of trillion dollars gained and lost in a matter of 48 hours. The only person smiling away is the Bharatiya Naari, really cooking! Well, why wouldn’t she? So far out of the two assets that she held dear, only Paagro 🌾 was performing well. Now the other one – gold 🥇, is coruscating brightly! Jai GRT! ✨

India

Tamil Nadu is getting ready for its Assembly elections. Film star Vijay (TVK) has thrown his hat into the ring opposing both the local rulers (DMK) and the federal ruler (BJP). Naturally, both are having a go at him, including the stalling of certifying his swansong movie Jananayagan. Interesting times ahead. You ask me? It is all noise. 🎬

University Grants Commission (UGC) issued new equity regulations in colleges and universities to curb discrimination based on caste, gender, religion and disability mandating Equity Committees and faster turnaround of complaints etc. Critics argue that it is vague and one‑sided excluding protections for general‑category students. Supreme Court has stayed it for now. The cynic in me says that it will jump from one stay to the next. Status quo. ⚖️

Sports

🏏 The biggest news is Bangladesh trying to play Uno with BCCI, I mean, ICC, by threatening to withdraw from the T20 World Cup in a week’s time to be played in India and Sri Lanka. ICC called the bluff and said, ‘Okay, we have Scotland!’ Pakistan which kinda supported Bangladesh has threatened to pull out too. Iceland initially wanted to go but their baker captain 🥖 could not leave his loaves to rot. 😊 So, if Pakistan decides to enjoy the cool climes of Lahore, then Uganda in her vibrant jerseys 🟩🟨 will lighten up the tournament!

🎾 Then there is Novak Djokovic. He reached the semifinals of Australian Open by not winning a single set after third round (two injuries; two walkovers). Then the man dug deep to win an epic five‑setter against defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semi‑final. Can he escape Alcatraz against Alcaraz? Luck makes men, but industry keeps them lucky.

Till the next defiance…

GBUF 2025: The Good, Bad, Ugly & Funny Year That Was! 🎉

2025-12-31T16:04:00.002+08:00

#sriGINthoughts #GBUF #GoodBadUglyFunny #Year2025ThatWas

Happy New Year! 🥳

Have a great year ahead!

🌍 World Affairs

2025 started with a bang.
🇺🇸 Donald J. Trump took over the reins of the largest economy of the world. He was a man on a mission. America First.

Cleanup government: [For a change, Musk was not shitposting about Google and Sam Altman but about ‘billions’ of government savings by changing a flag in the software and what not! DOGE was more like the eponymous meme coin: more flash and less substance.]

Stop all wars through Truth Social and X: [The two great wars are on low entropy: On one side destruction happens. On the other side diplomacy is racing. Ceasefires are bandied about. Yet periodic violence and clashes persist. Humanitarian conditions worsen.]
Get Nobel Peace Prize: [Next year, Shyam! 🏆]
Tariff became the new WMD – both internally and externally: [World reeled initially. Then slowly learnt how to reel it in. Smaller countries bowed. Tim Cook gifted a gold and glass statue and he is a ‘great man.’ China and India are the current non-blinkers.]

Shut down the government: [Sorry, no budgets. 🏛️ 43 days; longest in history.]

🇮🇳 India

India was rocked by a terrorist attack in the beautiful Kashmir valley at Pahalgam. Scores were shot dead and more got injured by a group that finds its origins in Pakistan-based LeT.
India responded swiftly with focussed attacks – Operation Sindoor – on terror infra sites in Pakistan. Some planes were lost. The speed with which the US stepped in and even pre-empted the ceasefire announcement was perhaps due to critical strikes in Pakistan, continuance of which would have meant more embarrassing damage.

The ruling BJP won more elections – vote chori or not (one small room was the address of 83 voters! 😆). Delhi, Bihar and the sweetest of them all – local body elections in Kerala! Foothold finally in God’s own country?
Tamil Nadu continues to rise in the economic and wellness indicators of the country. In line with the cine-fixation of the masses, actor (can one call him that? 😉) Vijay wants to emulate the legendary MGR in politics – but no real chops to show! Ruling DMK is shaken, perhaps stirred too!
Modi is still cold-shouldering the US – understandably so.

🌏 RoW

🇸🇬Singapore’s ruling PAP won yet another election. Lawrence Wong managed to do the impossible – won with higher share of popular vote. And his tariff speech? 👏
🇯🇵 Sanae Takaichi became the first woman PM of the Land of Rising Sun as Japan wakes up slowly to a conservative sun.
🇨🇳 China continues quietly building more capabilities and consolidating as usual.

🏏 Sports

🏏India’s second most popular religion, Cricket, threw up some heady stuff.

Women’s World Cup? ✅
Men’s Champions Trophy? ✅
Politics and performance (lack of) threw out many a stalwart: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ashwin etc.
14-year-old (pls don’t doubt that!) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is thrashing every bowler – as long as they are minnows! 🤣

🝘 And yeah, England woozily lost The Ashes in 11 days.
🏆But the pièce de résistance? The Cup became Namdu! RCB won the 18th edition of IPL!! What followed in the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede definitely tarnished the sheen. But then, with ephemeral public memory, who cares?

⚽ EPL: Liverpool won the last season but spiralled down after the unfortunate death of Diego Jota. They have shown some gumption and climbed to the Top-4 with Arsenal, City and surprise, surprise, Aston Villa!
🎮 Saudis got bored on spending on city building etc., so turned the money train towards Electronic Arts, the gaming company; acquired them for an obscene USD 55 billion.
Swede Armand Mondo Duplantis – got a mondo record in pole vault - 6.30m – don’t let him near your home compound 😊

🎬 Arts

Avatar landed. Consensus is ‘more of the same’. Money being burnt into ashes by the fire, I suppose. 🔥
On OTT, Netflix cracked it with the one-shot-per-episode Adolescence. Technically, ideologically, socially, a wonderful series that all parents must watch.
Tamil movie industry failed to excite. Mollywood continued to belt bangers out: Ponman and Kishkinda Kandam excited us.
Dhurandhar (Hindi or Urdu?) is the true blockbuster by a mile and still has legs.
The real surprise package was Sandalwood: the earthy Su from So and Kantara Chapter 1 plus a few others like Agnyathavaasi really made us sit up and notice.
Musically, Flipperachi’s FA9LA from Dhurandhar is the new earworm 🎵. But it will take beating to move me away from Sai Abhyankar’s Oorum Blood <3

💻 Technology

While excellent progress was made on the fusion and quantum computing fronts, the real king was AI and all the moats (+ crocodiles 🤣) around it. 🤖
More LLMs flooded the market. Agentic AI became the new buzzword. AI actors spouted. Timelines filled with AI songs [just give lyrics!].

With more reliance on technology, outages also hit the headlines. AWS, Google, Azure and Cloudflare – all of them had major P1s – causing billions discomfort (smart beds won’t heat up or fold! 🛌)
Sridhar Vembu’s Zoho’s Arattai briefly became the Signal of 2025 to dethrone WhatsApp. The initial nationalistic euphoria has died eventually.
If you had invested $1000 in an equal portfolio of Gold, Silver and Nvidia [most valuable company at 5T market cap!] at the beginning of the year, your portfolio would have doubled. 💰

😂 You-Gotta-Be-Kidding-Me!

Louvre heisters’ adherence to work-life balance 🖼️
Enterprising people making money by dipping photos at the Maha Kumbh (~660 million had a holy dip; not counting the photos!) 🌊

Indigo Airlines playing “We don’t have pilots!” bringing Indian aviation to its knees for a few days ✈️
Trump and Vance schooling Zelenskyy in the Oval Office: “Say Thank You!” 🙏
A random meme 6-7 became the teen-rage of the year!
After resigning from his key posts, Justin Trudeau (he didn’t want to be called the Governor of the 51st state, I suppose 😁) decided to find solace in music – to be more precise in a musician, Katy Perry – they are Insta official 💑

Views are personal. Any hurt unintentional.

Sources: Of course, internet. ChatGPT used for proof-reading; had to struggle hard to make it not rewrite & not replace my dashes with em-dashes 😛

Triple Toxin Review

2025-12-20T21:25:00.003+08:00

(c) Three Poisons Wikipedia

Just polished off three movies recently while downing cough syrups and antibiotics like they were G&Ts… and, ironically, all three are about poisons! Delicious, isn’t it? No pun intended, but admittedly, a little wicked. 😉

#Agnyathavasi #Kannada #Zee5 #Pashambara

Agnyathavasi (Man on Exile) stars Rangayana Raghu (whose Shakahaari was a scream too!), and a gang of other brilliant Sandalwood actors. Set in an idyllic Malenadu village of the ’90s, a murder(?) erupts. How the inspector untangles the mystery, both literally and figuratively, forms the meat of this engaging tale.

Village rituals collide with encroaching technology (emails replacing letters!), creating a delightfully knotty milieu. Will anyone’s secrets ever stay hidden? And what is the toll of carrying them for decades? The eerie ‘Ootta’ scene at the start sets the mood brilliantly, and the tension doesn’t let up. The editing jumps around a bit like a startled goat, but pardonable.
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨½

#KnivesOut #WakeUpDeadMan #English #Netflix #PentoBarbital

In the third instalment of the Knives Out series, Daniel Craig returns as Detective Benoit Blanc (a gloriously French nod to one who cleanses lies and exposes reality!). An impossible-to-solve murder takes place in a church—dear Lord!—in yet another “idyllic” village, this time in New York.

With dazzling religious ping-pong (including a title nod to a U2 song), the film is pure delight. Directorial flourishes (like the residual shadow of the Cross) are sublime. Dialogues are sharp as a razor-edged soufflé: “I am worried about being a shepherd of wolves; anyone I don’t agree with ends up being a wolf!”

Fabulous cast: Craig, O’Connor as a troubled Father, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin as a fire-and-brimstone monsignor… Story and reveal are a tad contrived, but pardonable.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#SaaliMohabbat #Hindi #Zee5 #Vatsanabha

Another small town. Another woman-scorned-is-dangerous tale. Another Radhika Apte crime caper (Raat Akeli Hai 1 & 2).

f Walter White in Breaking Bad is the badass Chemistry Guru, Smita here is a botanical force of nature. She roots (or routes?) her way to survival with ruthless precision. Anurag Kashyap’s role could have been expanded—such a good actor, wasted! And yes, wash your hands before you eat—seriously. 😉

The plot is fairly predictable, but that’s pardonable; the novelty lies in how she enacts her revenge.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Growing up in India, we were all too familiar with Schedule H drugs - prescription-only medicines that came with a side of drama. The pharmacist would wag a finger and say: “They can’t be sold just like that. They’re poisonous, you know. Must be controlled, thambi!”

Movies are a lot like that. Handle them carelessly, and they too can turn venomous.

So, sip responsibly—and enjoy the cinematic toxins.

#sriGINthoughts #Reviews #TripleToxin

GBUF - 16 Nov 25

2025-11-16T14:13:00.003+08:00

#sriGINthoughts #GoodBadUglyFunny #GBUF #16Nov25

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🖊️ So, the man who made us laugh at the eternally dysfunctional corporate setup, Scott Adams is suffering from the Big C. That is not news. But the fact that he nudged DJT to get help for his treatment and kinda jump the queue is. Somewhere Dilbert’s Pointy-haired boss is LHAO! My favourite Dilbert character is Asok from IIT who could solve anything in less than a minute or some such ridiculous thing – while being paid peanuts. Corporate slavery, illustrated! Get well soon, Scott! #LongLiveDilbert

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💳 Last week I got a glossy Singapore government booklet on how cyber criminals lighten your bank accounts. Gone are the old pithy warnings — “Pickpockets/Touts Beware” or “Low Crime Doesn’t Mean No Crime.” Now it’s ACT (Add, Check, Tell), ScamShield, pass-sentences instead of passwords and whatnot. Meanwhile, the Louvre’s video surveillance system password before that work-life-balance heist? “Louvre”. #NoPointsForGuessing

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🐄 Bihar, a land of ancient learning (Nalanda), enlightenment (Bodh Gaya), and fiery caste-based politics, with a population of ~125 million (almost the same as Mexico or Russia — and no, I’m not talking about law and order 😊), had its elections recently. The NDA (with the all-conquering BJP as a key member) swept the polls, mainly thanks to the 2M factor: money deposited into Mahila (women) accounts. Wag laments that it was only ₹4,500 before last year’s Maharashtra elections, while this year it’s ₹10,000. Did they teach about inflation in Nalanda? #GayaKaamSe

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🏊 Talking about BJP and its strong-arm tactics, two young turks of BJP, K Annamalai and Tejasvi Surya completed the Ironman 70.3 in Goa. The half-ironman triathlon covers 1.9 km swim, 90 km cycling, 21 km run totaling 70.3 miles (~112.9 km). Whether it is a gimmick or to lose fat, what they have really done is something rare for a politician – emphasising being healthy is key and literally running, swimming and cycling the talk. Where they finished in the rank list is immaterial. Completion and the impact that is created matters. #IronMenTalk

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🥛 If politicians milk anything small for their benefit, there’s one organisation that has quietly milked the collective to the great benefit of the poor, promoting rural development in India: AMUL. For netizens, Amul is best known for its cheeky, topical advertisements. But for the 3.6 million farmers, it has been a real boon, driving sustenance and growth. Spurring India’s White Revolution, Amul helped make India the world’s largest producer of milk and dairy products. Why this week? Amul has been crowned the No. 1 cooperative in the world. #UtterlyButterly

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🏛️ Then the problem of 38 Oxley Road (Singapore’s founding father LKY’s residence for 70+ years until his death in 2015) resurfaced. On several occasions, including in his last will (clouds hang over changes to that clause though), the great man said the house should be demolished after he was gone. “Don’t make it a relic for people to tramp through.” Protracted social media fracas between the Lee siblings followed. Last week, given its “historic significance and national importance”, the National Heritage Board has assessed it to be preserved as a “National Monument”. #Leegacy

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🐍 Halloween this year brought a real horror spectacle. Heidi Klum, the German model and self-proclaimed Queen of Halloween, outdid last year’s ET costume by transforming into the mythological monster Medusa. A long serpentine tail, a scaled, hand-painted body, and slithering snakes for hair (thankfully battery operated) completed Klum’s fangy ensemble. Truly impressive and cold-blooded, one must say. What will it be next year, Heidi? How about Ravana? Ten heads and all! Monster enough! #HorrorHeidi

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📻 No #GBUF is complete without a DJT piece. BBC, the grand old dame of news, is in turmoil after two top leaders quit following use of differently-spliced Trump videos to make him sound as if he were inciting civil unrest. A journo wag wonders: This is common, no? Perhaps there’s still a vestige of honour at The Beeb, hence the resignations. Trump has threatened to sue for up to $5 billion! Funny thing is, the Brits will end up paying that anyway, given how Auntie is funded. #EditedPanorama

Views are personal. Any hurt unintentional. Until the next snake oil sale...

GBUF - 02 Nov 25

2025-11-02T02:30:00.005+08:00

#sriGINthoughts #GBUF #GoodBadUglyFunny #02Nov25

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🤴 By the time you read this, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor (formerly known as Prince 😉) might already have packed his bags and moved out of Buckingham Palace. His brother, King Charles III, apparently read the riot act after Andrew’s growing Epstein-linked scandal became embarrassingly public and untenable. After all, blood is thicker than water. So, the King hit ‘Control-H’ on Buckingham in favour of Sandringham and cut the prodigal bro loose. #BroCodeUnleashed 👑💼

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☁️ Clouds are getting awfully fluffy these days. First it was AWS, and last week it was Azure. Both had their DNS — Domain Name System, essentially the internet’s phonebook — shredded during their outages. It’s been an early Halloween for tech bros these past few weeks. Just goes to show how dependent we are on Big Tech and its plumbing. As one wag asked: Can’t they just print proper yellow pages? Who’s going to break it to him? #DidNotSync 💻🎃

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💸 Move aside Pol Pot and Angkor Wat — Cambodia is now playing in a bigger league: crypto scams. Last week, two (possibly related) schemes out of the ASEAN nation surfaced, with ill-gotten gains running into the hundreds of millions of dollars. And with Singaporeans and Singapore-incorporated entities caught in the blast radius, the island nation is already tightening the screws — from account closures and asset freezes to stepped-up cross-border investigations and even considering the mother of all punishments: caning. #NoSpareRod 🏴‍☠️⚖️

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🤸‍♀️ Yes, SG can be stressful on many fronts — especially education; yet students still fight gallantly. Case in point: Amanda Yap. The 15-year-old became the first Singaporean to qualify for a World Gymnastics Final on the Balance Beam. Time to rejoice, rest, and prepare, you say? Nope. Amanda flew back from Jakarta to sit her O-Level Math exam, flew back to compete (finishing 6th), and then flew back again to sit her remaining papers. Perhaps she should have competed in Artistic Juggling instead? #BeamAndBooks 📚🤹‍♀️

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🤖 The AI race is heating up like crazy, with Nvidia’s market cap crossing US $5 trillion (for comparison, it is the combined market cap of all listed Indian companies OR Jensen Huang can buy two of his favourite Tejus leather jackets – USD 9K each - for each American!). If American days are filled with some chip company striking deals with whoever can spell ‘slop,’ the nights are dominated by Chinese firms pumping out AI papers by the dozen. Everyone wants to build a ‘thinking’ computer. Only Thalaivar Rajini could pull it off — in Endiran. #WhenAGI 📈🤯

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🧠 He took on Google/SAP/WhatsApp with Zoho Suite with varied success. Commendable. But, last week he revealed he’s also an anti-vaxxer. First it was ‘vaccines are linked to autism’ (personal backstory; understand urge to find reasons). Then the HPV vaccination rant - dog-whistling and smoke-and-mirrors. Now uncles and aunties are hyperventilating in WhatsApp: ‘Shocking if true’. Sridhar Vembu must realize that with great power comes great responsibility. In a country which desperately needs better public (read: common man) healthcare, his words risk real harm. #YesToVaccines 💉😷

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🏏 And little ‘David’ Jemima Rodrigues, played the innings of a lifetime against the huge ‘Goliath’ Australia, smashing the doors to the Women’s Cricket World Cup final. Oh, did I get too biblical? Maybe I’m influenced by her post-match thanks to Jesus and her quoting Exodus 14:14 😉 #StandStillJem 🙏🏆

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Views are personal. Any hurt unintentional.
Till the next outage…

GBUF - 26 Oct 25

2025-10-26T17:07:00.003+08:00

#sriGINthoughts #GBUF #GoodBadUglyFunny #26Oct25

Political Flow:

🌍 The last two weeks meandered. The Middle East is sitting on an uneasy peace. It’s BAU on the Russia–Ukraine front. India is acting tough with the U.S. Not all quiet on the western, or rather, the Baloch front for Pakistan. Then Trump… has a side talk with the Indonesian President and puts in a word for his son, Eric; continues his pardoning spree this term. Binance’s CZ — who had backed the First Family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial — hit the thou-shalt-be-pardoned lottery this time. Amid all this, Timor-Leste became the 11th member of ASEAN. So, will ASEAN now be called ASEAN XI? Oops — that won’t sit well with DJT, will it? 🤝

Sport Miracles:

🇨🇻As is its wont, sports threw up joyful surprises. Cape Verde (aka Cabo Verde) qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A nation of barely half a million making it to football’s pinnacle tournament… Cameroon vibes anyone? As if that weren’t enough, LA Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani ⚾ belted three home runs and struck out ten batters — all in a single pennant-winning game, redefining the very idea of an all-rounder. For context, that’s roughly the baseball equivalent of a triple-century and a ten-for in one cricket match! Meanwhile, Kohli fist-pumped after breaking two ducks! 😉

Tech Outages:

💥 AWS went down — perfect timing, Indians were about to celebrate Diwali. 😊 It seemed like half the internet went dark, though Asia mostly escaped the chaos. Among the top casualties: smart beds! 🛌 Users of Eight Sleep found themselves either too hot or too cold, with beds that refused to elevate, flatten, or sound the wake-up alarm. How much more interconnected do we really want our lives to be? 😴

TV Brouhaha:

🎶 The doyen of music television, MTV, is shutting down its music channels. For many of us who grew up listening to the greats belting out one hit after another, guided by those funky VJs, MTV (along with the now-defunct Channel V) shaped our pop-music lives. [Not that I could decipher any of the lyrics until much later!]

👦 And then came the trolling of Ishit Bhatt. The precocious ten-year-old, brimming with confidence and bluster, who made it to the hotseat on the Junior edition of Kaun Banega Crorepati (the Indian Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?), was accused of being disrespectful to the great Amitabh Bachchan. The online mob descended, seemingly extracting an apology from the child. Slow Clap!

👨‍💼 All this, in a world where Bill Gates made a cameo in the Hindi soap Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (“Because the Mother-in-Law Was Also Once a Daughter-in-Law”) to discuss maternal and child health with the heroine, Smriti Irani — a former India cabinet minister. Now tell me, really — who owes whom an apology?

💎 Crime & Culture:

Rounding out the week with a daring heist at the Louvre Museum. In less time than it takes to finish a morning cappuccino (9:30–9:38 am, to be precise), four thieves made their escape on two scooters — with a few diadems ( not the Ravenclaw kind ), brooches, and necklaces — leaving French authorities rouge-faced. Not one to squander a publicity opportunity, the German company Böcker, which manufactured the ladder the robbers used, ran a tongue-in-cheek advert. And wags around the world are already telling their bosses: even French thieves observe “working hours.” 😎

Views are personal. Any hurt unintentional. Till the next heist…

Kantara C1: Possessed by Faith, Confused by Plot

2025-10-12T12:39:00.001+08:00

Eight reasons Why I “liked” Kantara: A Legend Chapter-1:

One noticed that Mysore Sandalwood is the fragrance partner (!?) of the movie. Except for Rukmini Vasanth, Jayaram, and Gulshan Devaiah, everyone else looks like they could use a thorough wash. A year’s production spent on that, perhaps? #RatherLather
Who is Rishab Shetty — Tiger’s son, various Guligas, Parasurama, Shiva, Chavundi…? A true Aham Brahmasmi problem in motion. #330MillionGodsInOne
From the yesteryear Deewar to the recent Coolie (yes, that “Powerless Powerhouse!”) and now Kantara — the oppressed are forever fighting to control the harbour. The rest, heroine included, just follow the tide. #SpicyShips
While you’re wondering what the Kadambas are up to, the Kadapas are busy managing the Daivas only for the people of Kantara to repel them. Fret not — Kantara C2 will surely explain. #3KProblem
Not sure whether it was the dense forest or the projection system at Shaw Theatres, but the movie was literally dark — except, mercifully, for the frames featuring Rukmini. #NoirApproach
Thankfully, Forest Officer Kishore and Landlord Achyut Kumar don’t return from K1. Even some of the calefares had a second Kantara run. #SupportLocalTalent
Whenever Rishab is possessed, one truly feels it — goosebumps included. But before and after that? We’re the ones possessed. #GuligaPower
The rampant-chariot-on-Raja-Veedhi sequence was gripping. The only issue? The Princess and her entourage watched it like an IND vs WI Test match. Swalpa bhavane torisi-ri, Kalavathi-avare! #ExhibitionMatch

Kantara C1 aims to bring the faith and folklore of coastal Karnataka to the fore through a layered, mythological narrative. It works in fleeting patches but gets tangled along the way. Is it a social-message film - untouchability, tribal oppression... all cured only through divine intervention, or just another good-versus-evil saga with celestial assistance?

This chapter bears and just about managed the heavy burden of the first instalment that wowed us a few years ago, ₹500 crore collections notwithstanding. Faith sells, after all.

I loved Devar’s Murugan movies, Amman, and Yaar etc., — they may have lacked polish, but they had clarity and a discernible flow. Would I mention Kantara C1 in the same breath? Hmm...

Some of the set pieces impress — that langur fight was fierce (though it was hard to tell who was hitting whom!) — and the tiger? Easily better than Life of Pi’s Richard Parker.

If you can’t spare the time or the ticket, wait for it to stream on Prime Video.

⭐⭐⭐

#sriGINthoughts #reviews #KantaraChapter1 #Kannada

Three Movies & Three Results

2025-10-08T19:35:00.000+08:00

3 Movies.

3 Languages.

3 Genres.

3 Results.

#sriGINthoughts #reviews

Let’s get the junk done and dusted first.

(PC: Indiaglitz)

Madharaasi is a mashup of Thuppakki, Ghajini, and countless other mindless action flicks that seem to afflict the Indian movie industry. Down to the cringe punch dialogue by Vidyut Jammwal: “I will be the villain irrespective of who wields the gun!” If more such movies are made, gun culture in Tamil Nadu will automatically flourish—with the audience drawing out guns at the makers of such films. And to think the PR machines were working overtime to push this movie up or down, depending on their respective allegiances... pure waste of time. As I said earlier, Rukmini Vasanth is fresh. Otherwise, thanks, but no thanks. Murugadoss can be renamed Murugaloss!

#MadRaasi #Tamil #PrimeVideo #2Stars

Now onto mid-table, pleasantly-average zone.

(PC: Bollywoodshaadis)

Inspector Zende is based on the OG Madhukar Bapurao Zende, who caught the notorious Charles Sobhraj—twice. Played ably by Manoj Bajpayee, the film traces what Zende and his motley crowd of Mumbai police—full of pride and zero rupees to spend—do to chase and arrest Carl Bhojraj (yes, you’ve figured it out: a name-play on the infamous serial killer).

Think regular, make-ends-meet imaandari; smart, hard-as-nails policemen; procedural turf wars; and some not-so-goofy comedy. It’s all in there. But since it's based on real life, there’s a bit of heart to it, which makes it a one-time watchable.

I did wonder why they had to change the name of the criminal—then found that Netflix already had a documentary on Sobhraj :-)

#FlutteringFlag #Hindi #Netflix #3Stars

And here is the top-drawer stuff!

(PC: India Today)

Su From So is a marvelous comedy that’s earthy, soulful, and elevated all at once. Set somewhere near Mangalore, it feels refreshingly original as it deftly captures the quirks and chaos of innocent—and not-so-innocent—lives. Every single character (I mean every one) delivers performances so magnetic, it’s impossible to look away. The expressions, reactions, dialogue delivery, body language, timing... chef’s kiss! It’s riotously funny and utterly captivating.

No big stars here (Raj B. Shetty, maybe you’ve heard of him), and that’s exactly why the film stays focused on the story instead of hero worship. Sure, it’s predictable and drags a bit at times, but honestly, who cares? Warts and all, the execution is top-notch, and it rightfully deserves the multi-bagger status it has earned.

One can only hope first-timer JP Thuminad has plenty more gems up his sleeve. And oh, that Varaaha Roopam tribute to Kantara during the transformation scene? Absolutely scrumpcilious!

#OhoHoHo #JioHotstar #Einthusan #Kannada #4Stars

GBUF - 05Oct25

2025-10-05T15:19:00.002+08:00

#GBUF #GoodBadUglyFunny #05Oct25 #sriGINthoughts

👋 Greetings. GBUF is back after more than four months of lethargy and excuses. I pity you. 😊

Here we go…

🤖 AI is becoming all-pervading. AI star, 20-something Aravind Srinivas (of Perplexity), has become India’s youngest billionaire with a comet-like 😉 rise. For context, almost-60 Shah Rukh Khan became a billionaire only last year. Funnily, SRK was pipped by a Physics teacher, Alakh Pandey. Age of knowledge, anyone? #MainBillionaireHoonNa

🎭 Speaking of AI and acting, last week introduced Tilly Norwood, a virtual influencer, to much fanfare. Following in the footsteps of Lil Miquela, who has virtually influenced brands such as BMW and celebrated her birthday with 2.7 million Instagram followers, Tilly is poised to be the first of many such 'actresses.' The jury is divided: some believe AI 'personification' aids SMEs in running campaigns, while others feel that actors and actresses across various 'woods' around the world are in danger. I do hear that one such character might be acting with a leading Kollywood hero 😉 #WoodenActors

💍 Two incidents last week would have caused much chagrin to the youth of South India, specifically Karnataka. OG #Srivalli – Rashmika Mandanna and OG #ArjunReddy – Vijay Devarakonda – are engaged and will tie the knot next year. As if that were not enough, booze company Diageo intends to sell the much-beloved-but-with-only-one-title #RCB to Covid vaccine maker Adar Poonawalla at a $2B valuation. #SendingShivers

😔 And then, a Kollywood hero’s meeting in Karur sent shivers down the spine. Actor Vijay is either too naïve or indifferent—or both. After having run a few conferences beset with crowd management issues, he (and his coterie) seems not to have learnt their lessons and played into the hands of the ruling DMK (who conveniently seemed to have gone easy on the arrangements). Result: 40+ lives lost in a stampede that could’ve been prevented. Blind hero worship + inexperience + organisational apathy caused the mishap. What followed was typical tweet-politics. #BlackTownMourns

🌍 Politics did not stop in the White House, Tel Aviv or Gaza. Trump was upset with Netanyahu, forced him to apologise for the Qatar bombings, and drew up a plan that was three-quarters ultimatum (to both sides) and one-quarter statesmanship (funny, I use that word in a sentence with DJT in it!). Hamas and Israel seem to have agreed, though a few dozen lives were lost yesterday. But this 7th October is likely to see the end of the war—at least temporarily. Oh, by the way, Trump is not too worried about the US Government shutdown. “It will burn the excess fat,” he would say! How far will a man go to get that Nobel Peace Prize? #NobelHostage

🏯 But Sanae Takaichi did not win a prize. She earned it. Set to become the first female PM of Japan (a mentee of the late Shinzo Abe), the 64-year-old former bike chick and rock/heavy metal fan will start ruling Japan in about a week’s time. Times are changing! Given India PM Modi’s closeness with Abe-san, he will find in the conservative Takaichi-san someone easy to work with and move things faster. The only question left – will the Modi memes now retire Meloni and start featuring Sanae riding a motorbike with a guitar in hand? 🎸🏍️ #TakaModi

💬 One can’t end this week’s chitchat without talking about #Arattai. Ever since Indian minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted endorsing Zoho’s ‘Swadeshi’ products, Arattai (a WhatsApp/Telegram wannabe) from #Zoho has skyrocketed in its usage. Infrastructure is being poured in; bugs are fixed even before people are finding them. Individuals and groups on WA and TG are shifting loyalty in droves. (Remember Signal?). Given Sridhar Vembu’s inclinations and measured approach, this can be a winner. Requests: Don’t change the name. Make UPI payments possible. Don’t compare yourself with WA or TG. Be better than WeChat. #MeaningfulChat

🙃 Personal opinions. Any hurt, unintentional.

🕊️ Peace – GBUF signing off… before AI decides it can do this better. 😂

GBUF - 26 May 25

2025-05-26T21:36:00.000+08:00

#GBUF #sriGINthoughts #26May25 #GoodBadUglyFunnyTrusk

Last week, education found itself in the spotlight – twice, through incidents that unfolded tens of thousands of miles apart.

📕 In Singapore, the prestigious National University of Singapore (NUS), currently ranked 8th globally, decided it was time for some spring cleaning. Unfortunately, this meant literally dumping over 9,000 books from the now-defunct Yale-NUS College library—into the bin. The university cited an “operational lapse” while following “standard library practice.” Many, however, saw it as a “1984” moment of historic revisionism: throw away the books, and perhaps you can erase the memory of the Yale-NUS experiment altogether. After a solid public furore (and a lot of egg on the institutional face), NUS salvaged most of the books and is now giving them away for free on May 28. #ShredEducation 📘

🏠 As NUS shredded its books, Donald Trump attempted to shred Harvard—by attempting to block it from enrolling or hosting foreign students. While a judge has temporarily stalled this draconian measure, the damage is done. Thousands of students are now left uncertain about their academic futures. Universities across the U.S. are on tenterhooks, waiting for the next political guillotine to drop. Students across the world are looking more seriously at alternatives in Europe and Asia. O #MAGAEducation, what a rage! 🛫

🚙 Speaking of rage, road rage is universal. Someone overtakes you from the wrong side. Someone honks incessantly. Someone else flashes the middle finger. Your blood pressure spikes. You breathe in, chant “All is well,” and slowly return to normal. Unfortunately, elephants don’t quite work the same way. On a Malaysian highway near an elephant crossing, a conscientious driver stopped and turned off his car’s headlights to let a herd pass. The impatient drivers behind him, however, honked—startling the pachyderms. The result? Three elephants ambled up and smashed the first car to smithereens. Rage is truly universal. #ToughTuskers 🐘

🐶 In Singapore, the rules around pets in public housing (HDB flats) are strict. Only certain breeds of dogs are allowed, and only one dog/cat per flat. It’s a no-pets policy otherwise – much like that infamous condominium in Bangkok that made news last week. But humans being humans, rules tend to get bent. One flat owner housed a noisy, rule-breaking dog, much to the frustration of a neighbour. So, what did the neighbour do? He took matters into his own hands, or more accurately, his own fangs. He released two large snakes into the corridor, declaring: “I couldn’t carry the bigger one today!” Somewhere, Salazar Slytherin is smiling. #EyeForAnEye 🐍

🟠 Meanwhile, in the U.S., the political corridors are shifting—yet again. Elon Musk, once an ardent cheerleader of DOGE and certain political figures, appears to be stepping back. Following the passing of Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” Musk is apparently disillusioned. He has hinted at reducing his political involvement to focus instead on achieving a “sustainably abundant future.” But Trump is sustaining his abundant rhetoric ensuring the future is a guesswork for all. He’s threatened a 25% tariff on phone makers, called Putin “absolutely crazy” (pot, meet kettle?), and delayed tariffs on the EU after their calls for “respect.” #SwampIsThick 🦌

₹ And India, now the world’s fourth-largest economy, ahead of Japan with a GDP of approximately $4.3+ trillion, is on a diplomatic overdrive. She sent out envoys all over the world on a PR blitz to tell the world on how Operation Sindoor was a necessary and repeatable action against a truant Pakistan. Naturally, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, the diplomat-par-excellence is drawing all the attention with his suave and eloquent deriding of DJT, sitting in NY. #DipOps 🗣

And finally, the best for last.

🏎 Kush Maini just became the first-ever Indian to win an F2 race at Monte Carlo. That alone is a tremendous achievement. But the wag had a little extra spice: “He’s from Bengaluru. After navigating the moon-craters they call roads over there, Maini must’ve become ‘bahoot khush’ at seeing a proper, smooth road, and floored it!” 🤣 I am sure people would hope that some of the enhanced GDP would flow onto the roads & not just flood waters! #SmoothRace 🚩

Views are personal. Any hurt unintentional.

GBUF - 19 May 2025

2025-05-19T20:52:00.002+08:00

#sriGINthoughts #GoodBadUglyFunnyTrusk #GBUF #19May25

The past fortnight was ablaze—literally and diplomatically—across the Indo-Pak border. India claimed (with visual proof) that it had struck multiple "terrorist" camps inside Pakistan under Operation Sindoor. Did India lose a few fighter jets, including possibly a Rafale? Whose drones were flying all over Pakistani skies—Turkish Bayraktars, perhaps? Details remain fuzzy. But in a refreshing display of strategic restraint (much to the chagrin of blood lusting primetime media), the Indian Armed Forces stayed mostly mum. The IAF chief’s smirk, when asked if they hit Kirana Hills—allegedly a Pakistani nuclear storage site—spoke louder than words. Meanwhile, Pakistan's counter-operation reportedly had the hilariously unfortunate acronym: BUM (Bunyan-Un-Marsoos).

Despite Senator J.D. Vance quipping, “It’s their war, let them figure it out!”, something triggered a Mach 1-level escalation, forcing both nations’ hands. Enter DJT, shooting (pun intended) for the Nobel Peace Prize, and claiming credit for brokering a ceasefire. #TensePeace

Trump wasn’t exactly idle elsewhere. Last week saw him gallivanting across the Middle East...

inking multibillion-dollar deals with MBS,
accepting a Qatari jet (cough bribe),
calling the Qatari Emir’s palace a “nice house,”
controversially appointing Ismail Royer (a convicted, though released, extremist) as a White House advisor
praising Pakistan’s “wonderful products” (Pray, what exactly?),
warning Tim Cook not to make iPhones in India,
going 'wow' on seeing the 'Al-Ayyala' dance (video below) at UAE and
sending “warmest and best wishes” to Joe Biden on hearing about his cancer diagnosis.
Along the way, he pardoned Syria too.

Dei! #Madness, as always, seems to be his only method.

While India was busy juggling a prickly western front (hello again, Pakistan) and a pesky eastern one (yes, Bangladesh—please lah!), cricket fans were hit for a six: IPL was paused for a week, and worse, Rohit ‘Hitman’ Sharma and Virat ‘Cheeku’ Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket. Rohit’s decision was understandable (you can ride that ‘selfless’ horse only that much!) but Kohli still had some firepower left, methinks. Two greats leaving the format quietly. A bit sad, but perhaps inevitable. #ErasEnd

Speaking of inevitable exits, Warren Buffett—the Oracle of Omaha—is finally retiring at year’s end. At 94, it’s not his billions I admire most, but his diet: burgers and Coke. Legend! He’s probably had more people hang onto his words than their spouses’. #HealthyReturns

This fortnight also brought two major legal cases on sexual crimes—one ending, the other just beginning.

In the U.S., Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing a barrage of lawsuits involving assault, trafficking, and coercion. Allegations include drugging women, using firearms for intimidation, and a disturbing culture of abuse spanning decades. Over 100 alleged victims are preparing to sue. If things go south, only a diddy would bet on him walking free.

Closer home, in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, nine men were sentenced to life imprisonment till death for their role in a horrific sexual assault and extortion ring. Over 200 women—students, professionals, teachers—were reportedly affected, with thousands of videos recovered in 2019. A chilling reminder of systemic impunity.

How do we deter such predators from prowling again?

Speaking of prowling, a Mexican Navy tall ship—Cuauhtémoc—lit up in full glory, sailed into the Hudson a couple of days ago… only to smash into the 142-year-old Brooklyn Bridge. Turns out, tall masts and old bridges don’t mix. The incident caused significant damage to the ship and tragically cost two lives. In a poetic twist, the mishap seems to echo Trump’s rhetoric: You want to come in from the Mexican border? Here's your bridge... blocked! #DoNotPassGo

Sigh. Madness, metaphor, and mayhem.

Till next time.

Views are personal. Any hurt unintentional.

GBUF 04May25

2025-05-04T16:04:00.014+08:00

#sriGINthoughts #GoodBadUglyFunnyTrusk #GBUF #04May25

It’s been a fortnight of fireworks—some dazzling, some damaging. Here is XI of them ;-)

The Law Moves… Slowly, But Surely

The long arm of the law may be arthritic, but it still packs a punch. தெய்வம் நின்று கொல்லும் and all that stuff. Mehul Choksi - yes, the same diamantaire who swindled Indian banks (PNB, Canara, Bank of Maharashtra... take your pick) out of a cool USD 1.76 billion—has finally been nabbed by Belgian authorities. Extradition to India is on the cards. Tihar awaits with its famous daal-roti platter. Just ensure he isn’t smuggling in a diamond cutter to escape the clutches. (Doesn't he look like Jabba the Hutt?) #CuttingEdgeCarbon

Of Clutches and Brand Tags

Meanwhile, Chinese TikTok is buzzing—not with dances, but with deconstructions. Luxury bags, it turns out, cost peanuts to make. It's the LV, Hermes, and Chanel tags that drain wallets. A thoughtful Li from Shanghai summed it up: are you paying for quality of a no-name bag or just an expensive name tag to soothe your soul? #BagOfTricks

Life in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

On the cosmic quality of life side, scientists (with desi Dr Nikku Madhusudhan in the mix) have spotted signs of life just 120 light years away in K2-18b. Naturally, important questions arise: Will DJT claim it’s American? Do they stream Netflix? And what's the visa category—ET or PR? #StarWarsOn

Blu(e) Turns Blood Red

Talking of paying, the Jaggi brothers, Anmol (neither invaluable) and Puneet (nor holy), of Gensol/BluSmart fame, seem to have paid themselves, kith and kin, more and some more from the funds (close to 1000 cr INR? ~100m USD) meant for running the companies that they have been promoting. And before you ask, no, Jaggi from Coimbatore is not involved in this fraud. #NotBluSmart

Tragedy in Pahalgam

Talking of repercussions, India was rocked by a brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, where 26 tourists were killed by five Islamist militants. It’s the deadliest since 26/11, and public anger is rising—many calling for swift retaliation against Pakistan, which seems to be tacitly complicit. Meanwhile, social media warriors on X and FB rage, question faiths, and demand action. But a direct war may not be wise. With trade tensions (hello Trump), a simmering standoff with China, and economic headwinds, India may prefer strategic, behind-the-scenes moves inspired by Chanakya Neethi over open conflict. #PahalGham

Of Faith, Smoke, and Succession
Two religious milestones this fortnight.

In Rome, Pope Francis passed away after a life of service to the poor and marginalized. The Conclave convenes May 7 to find the replacement to the People's Pope. Perhaps an Asian Pope? Watch for the white smoke—Netflix has a decent one if you want to prep.

In Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, the fabled Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt anointed a new pontiff - Jagadguru Sri Satya Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Swamigal (formerly Ganesha Sharma Dravid, no relation to the Wall). Two worlds, two traditions, same message: love, faith, and compassion are what we need. Here's to hope—and a little #MoreHarmony.

AuroMille

But there is one thing that may not be harmonious as we move forward. Ownership of gold. It crossed the psychological threshold of USD 3000 (per ounce) or INR 10,000 (per gram of 24K) recently. With Trump and his minions mucking around in the tariff swamp, anti-risk is the rusk that investors want to eat. I think next time when I type the word, ‘gold’, I might have to swipe the card 😊 #DazzlingShine

Namibia’s Visa Swipe

Speaking of visas, Namibia has decided to return the favour to the US. Starting now, American tourists must get a visa—and a pricey one at that. Want to see the big cats? Plan ahead, and bring a big wallet. #TitForTat

Not Your Usual Family Drama

Here’s a fraud twist straight out of an OTT soap: Rahul (not one of the famous one/s 😉) from Aligarh eloped with his bride’s mother—yes, you read that right—on his wedding day. They fled with the wedding jewellery and cash. Turns out he had done something similar before – as in eloping with someone and returned back with no repercussions. Some folks just don’t believe in tying the knot—only untying others’. #HabitsTieHard

Singapore Sticks To Stability

And dazzle it did, Singapore’s People’s Action Party (and its 4G leadership) returned to power after the elections on May 3 with a higher vote share than what they managed four years ago. The threat of losing potential office holders and ministers (remember George Yeo in 2011) seem to have worked in some of the key battlegrounds in the city-state parliament of 97 members. Main opposition Workers’ Party retained its existing seats and performed well in a few other seats auguring well for future hustings. Hope the ‘authoritative mandate’ doesn’t turn out to be authoritarian. #BrightThunder

Iberia Blacks Out

And finally, Spain and Portugal had a week best described as... dark. A massive blackout hit homes, transport, even the Madrid Open. Theories range from freak weather to renewable imbalances to cyberattacks. The lights are slowly coming back, but for now, they're still groping in the dark. #FragileEnvironment

But all is not doom and gloom.

#RCB seems to be on their path to capture the #IPL Holy Grail. #18ForAReason! (no, let's not talk about #CSK)

💖💖💖

View are personal. No hurt intended.

Escape Life Through Cricket

2025-01-02T20:05:00.005+08:00

#sriGINthoughts #reviews #Tamilmovies #LubberPandhu #BlueStar #Viduthalai2

tl;dr (On comparing two similar Cricket-themed Tamil movies of 2024, one feels that Lubber Pandhu is better than Blue Star for various reasons.)

3 min read.

Got to watch #BlueStar (Tamil movie) on Ungalukkaga MediaCorp yesterday.

After the heartrending MCG loss a couple of days back, one wasn’t keen to watch anything related to cricket. Then one remembered #LubberPandhu, arguably the Tamil movie of the year (scraping past #Maharaja by a whisker) and started watching purely to compare.

Two antagonists who join hands to beat a common enemy. Small town rivalry. A love affair thrown in. Caste differences playing out openly. Focus on love and humanity even in the winning moment. Integration (?) is seen as a better victory than winning (Win-Win, anyone?). Some dialogues to hit it to the gallery (no pun intended). Both released in 2024 - Blue Star being the first one to hit the screens though.

Anbe Sivam. Anbe Bhim. Anbe Cricket.

So how do the movies compare?

#Casting: BS has strong cast with excellent nativity. But Ashok Selvan looked bronzed out & kind of out of place. LP’s strength was its immaculate casting, right down to those drunkard audience. And if Dhinesh as Gethu was amazing, his wife was doubly so!

#Screenplay_and_Writing: the way LP wove the love story into the story - and the associated tensions + the way the characters went through their lives with strong undercurrent of cricket was deeply satisfying. Fact that Gethu and Anbu are not of the same age group added to the pulls and pushes more effectively.

Blue Star

BS worked hard to bring out the caste and strata differences through even small things like the high caste Rajesh calling someone (named as Ashwin! Dei!) whose caste & societal status is higher as ‘Ji!’ And the constant watermark of Ambedkar statue/picture did not allow one to forget what the movie was trying to convey. It is clearly black and white and doesn’t want to indulge in greys at all.

LP had a few instances of this (when Gethu’s mom asks about the caste, when Balan bursts out about how he isn’t a bro since he is an SC…) but by and large it decided to stay away from riding the political wagon and sticks firmly to the story of two people with cricket as a milieu.

#Impact: BS unabashedly espouses Dalitism through what the creators see Cricket as a symbolic escape route from oppression. The symbolisms attack you from all angles. The Dalit blue, the motif of dog as a face paint, hero’s name being Ranjith (who produced this movie…) Granted scores of Cricket leagues in India have helped them to dream - but it turns out to be preachy - even the aspiring Bullet Raj wants to play for West Indies (mind you not the SENA nations!) citing ‘bloody politics’ in Indian cricket.

Lubber Pandhu

But LP attempts to tell the story of small town India through Cricket and brings in transformation as a byproduct. By cleverly mixing gallery moments such as Captain Vijaykanth’s songs, the running commentary of matches that are so on point and hilarious, the powerful female characters who stand on their own against the towering protagonists, LP creates a massive impact akin to ‘that MSD sixer’ in 2011 WC finals.

Lubber Pandhu: 8/10
Blue Star: 6/10

So, if you are to watch one, then LP it is. But do watch out for the subliminal messages. We need to do so to understand life.

Right on time for the Sydney Test match, do you say? 😊

PS: We did watch the other ‘doctrine’ movie #Viduthalai2 by Vetri Maaran on NY eve. It was good in very few patches. (VJS & Chetan acting; the minister’s character expertly played by Ilavarasu; some dialogues; why-I-cut-and-grew-hair explanation by Mahalakshmi Thozhar…)

Otherwise, was like sitting through a Communist propaganda session. To give the benefit of doubt, the movie serves a reminder to people on what it could have been if not for red-flaggers. Learn the history and do not repeat it. For that purpose I suggest that you sit through it on OTT🙏

Amaran: Love All. Always.

2024-11-01T14:34:00.002+08:00

#sriGINthoughts #Tamil #Reviews #Amaran

All the Indian military films that one has watched so far tend to be jingoistic, sermonising, or over-the-top in various ways. Amaran could have easily fallen into that trap, but fortunately, it didn’t. The story sticks closely to the events of Mukund’s life, with a strong emphasis on his army exploits.

Sai Pallavi should be boycotted—for acting so well! 😊 As Indhu, she shines: bubbly in her "chettan's" shirts, falling head over heels for Mukund’s charms, standing strong as a "half-widow" when months and years go by without knowing where he is or what he’s up to, and displaying steely resolve and resilience when tragedy finally strikes. Her brilliant moments keep stacking up!

Two scenes in particular made me go "wow!":

1. She’s so proud of Mukund for following his heart that, during his graduation parade, her body language says it all. She even imitates his movements as he throws a gun on the field—scintillating!
2. When tragedy hits home, she yoyos through her grief—crying, bottling up, crying, bottling up... until finally showing stoic restraint at the wake. There was hardly a dry eye in the theatre.

There was even a scene reminiscent of Premam—I half-expected a Mammootty song to start playing and she would jive for it! But the filmmakers must have thought it would be too corny. Sensible! 😉

If this performance doesn’t win her awards, I don’t know what will.

Sivakarthikeyan, as Mukund Varadarajan, is more than adequate and has done a wonderful job portraying a hardcore military man. This film is a good crossover for him into more serious roles. If he wants to climb further up the cinema charts, he might want to shed the mantle that the GOAT seemed to have handed him a few weeks back! After all, he gave him a gun to guard a guy in the loo!

Some lines in the film stand out: Indhu’s father tells Mukund, "When you walked in to seek my daughter’s hand in that uniform, I was defenceless!" Mukund, when casually asked by his dad why Kashmir is a problem, responds, "What’s the use of us talking about it when the ones who need to talk aren’t?" And then there’s the moment Mukund asks for his wife’s scarf in the theatre, pretending it’s too cold—a man who spends 90% of his time in Kashmir! 😊 Delightful.

Of course, Mukund's mother was left to repeat the same dialogue a few times: 'டேய், இதுக்காகவா உன்னை அவ்வளவு கஷ்டப்பட்டு பெத்தேன்?' (Did I endure the pains of your birth only to see you head off to the war front?) And the presence of those Tamil spelling mistakes (e.g. களங்கம் was கலைங்கம்). One spends millions, only to slip up on the basics.

The close-quarters action sequences in Kashmir are very well shot, though they could have been a bit crisper.

The filmmakers have largely stuck to the facts, basing the movie on Shiv Aroor + Rahul Singh’s book India’s Most Fearless. Social media warriors have already trained their KB-47 guns at the makers, about Mukund’s family not being portrayed as Brahmin (why, one wonders?) as they were in real life, but controversy, as always, only adds to the buzz. 😊

At its heart, Amaran is a film about love—whether it’s love at first sight between the two protagonists, Mukund’s dedication to his job, the militants’ love for freedom, or Indhu’s love for everything that is Mukund. Some love kills. Some love makes you live. Some love makes you love, more.

This isn’t your typical festive mood film to walk out of the theatre with joie de vivre. So, have your fun, enjoy the festivities, and when you’re ready, head to the theatre to watch Amaran!

PS1: Next time when someone talks about armed force personnel are ‘just’ doing their job, and are being paid for it, listen to the discussion between Major Mukund Varadarajan and his family on how they need to scrimp to buy a flat in ulu land! (No, I don’t want to talk about such mundane things as them putting their lives on the line for the sake of the country.)

PS2: After watching a million promo reels for this film, my mum insisted on seeing it. Dear Kamal Haasan, your promo tactics worked.

PS3: It is a half-Malayalam, half-Tamil movie. 😋 Thanks to OTT and the hundreds of Mallu movies that one has been through, one could get by without much of a prashnam!

PS3: As is her habit these days, the missus fell asleep at least a few times during the film (no fault of the film!). Remember, she even slept soundly through the blaring Ranjithame song! The height of it was when she chided me to lower the volume because it was too loud. I was like, “Pedima, we’re in the theatre!” 🤣 #PermanentLove

Indian 2: Zero Tolerance (to watch)

2024-07-13T02:36:00.000+08:00

There is this wonderful Tamil movie called ‘Sathi Leelavathi’ where Kamal did more than a cameo as a bumbling-Kongu-speaking-doctor. We watched that movie many times only for Kamal’s portions, well, even for Kalpana’s portions and for that dog Sabapathy. 😊 Such was the gravitas that the man had and the adoring following that he commanded.

Fast forward 30 years, in #Indian2 too, Kamal does a bit more than a cameo (45 mins screen time in a 3-hour movie qualifies as one, doesn’t it?). Well, the comparison ends there, I think.

Indian 2 promises to deliver a Double Track Mission, where a centenarian Kamal twists his digits to Varmify the big baddies while he exhorts the ‘gullible’ youth to use their phones to fight the baddies at home. Swachch Ghar. Swachch Bharat. Swachch Duniya. Right? Right.

As viewers we are also taken on a Double Track:

where an all-prosthetic Kamal, just ambles along and writes the same old ‘You greedy oaf! Why must you live?’ rhetoric in all languages at odd places including the underbelly of a baby tortoise! Where is the SPCA, I say? Oh, he creates it using spit in vacuum also! What an imagination, SirJi!
where a sample ‘privileged’ youth expose their own family members who are corrupt, inept and incompetent.

And honestly, the second track was better than the former!

There, I said it. Here is a Kamal movie where one did not look forward to him appearing on screen. What a great downfall?!

It is not as if the second track is something worth watching. It was kitschy, mega-serial-like, you-knew-everything-including-the-camera-angles-beforehand, the big reveals were yawn-inducing – come on, I am getting tired just typing all that. Yet, it was just that bit more watchable purely for the premise of how a family/society would react to one of their own turning against the family.

One could relate to that portion as I was reminded of a recent interview by an Indian influencer saying that corruption is the oil that runs the machinery of the government! Corruption is so all-pervasive, that people are even questioning how a vigilante movie fighting corruption can succeed!

Perhaps this is the worst album of Anirudh. I guess he was fell asleep by what he saw on the screen – so much so, he had the same BGM on loop for the entire 2^nd half!

Less said about Shankar the better. The man lost his touch roughly after two-thirds of Endiran (Robot) itself. All the references to his own movies in Indian 2 are probably an indication that he is about to hang his boots. Maybe he should, Velpaari or not.

No, I am not going to talk about the garish sets, more garish costumes, unwanted Bolivian ‘item’ song with a Miss Universe 2017 thrown in, irony of CBI convincing the judge to release Indian…

I thought that Billa2 was the worst sequel (or was it a prequel?) ever made in Tamil movies. Now it can rest easy as the second worst.

Indian2 – Double Track Mission – Both Unaccomplished!

PS1: KH said that he did this movie because of #Indian3. Will people be so naïve to come and watch anti-aged KH doing the same thing again, i.e., serving trash? I doubt it.

PS2: The subliminal message of Gandhi-track (go the non-violent way) and Netaji-track (unweed through violence) is a good premise. It is easy to pick up the knife and kill the baddies. Quite digital, it is. But to resist it and take the Gandhian approach in life – so wonderfully captured in History of Violence/Leo - is fraught with extreme struggles and one must face numerous greyish situations inducing oodles of self-doubt; often one will be tempted to #GoBack and once you do so, it is so difficult to #ComeBack as well. It is tough to be a Gandhi. (Well, I had to think long and hard to write something good about the movie. So, appreciate me for that! 😉)

#sriGINthoughts #reviews #Tamil #Indian2

12th Fail: A Nostalgic Pass!

2024-01-20T23:58:00.004+08:00

What sets you apart in life?

Your skill? Your intelligence? Your background?

None of the above.

Your attitude.

That’s what prevents you from becoming the chaff that slips through the sieve of life.

"12th Fail" is another reminder of this axiom, told through the eyes of a student, Manoj Kumar Sharma (real-life), and through the milieu of IAS exams (fondly known as Civil Services exams), arguably the toughest entrance exam in India. (Some would say IIT JEE, CAT, etc., but UPSC takes the cake in my opinion for the sheer breadth and depth of what the candidate must go through).

Picture this. About 1.4 million applicants (that is 1 out of every thousand Indians) appear for the ‘Prelims,’ the first hurdle. After passing through a couple more hurdles, 'Mains' and 'Interviews,' only fewer than 1000 applicants get inducted into Civil Services. A success rate of less than 0.1%! You must be kidding!

Being a top civil servant in India is a coveted job for millions. The power and opportunity that it provides to change the course of the country is immense, and many a starry-eyed youth attempts to scale this great wall every year, and some do it multiple times (max of 6 or 9 or unlimited – depends on where you stand in the social equity table). Don’t let the number fool you. Each time you fail, you do a grueling 'Restart' from ab initio. Go back to the axiom above.

When I used to work for a Public Sector company in India in the late-80s, I could see the craze of UPSC exams amongst the trainees. They used to prepare day and night and would rattle off the number of rhinoceroses in Kaziranga National Park and at the same time argue about why Bal Thackeray was right/wrong depending on whether they got Pooris or Rotis for dinner!

****

Manoj Kumar Sharma, from one of the most backward parts of India, wants to just pass his 12th standard (A-levels) so that he can get a lowly peon’s job somewhere in his village and fails repeatedly (Title aa gaya!). But life is a crazy little thing. Through a chance encounter with a righteous officer, Manoj decides that he wants to become a police officer and sets out into the big bad world. Does he succeed in his endeavor? What did he have to go through on his journey? Watch it on the silver screen, indeed!

From a movie and screenplay perspective, "12th Fail" is highly predictable. You can almost say what would happen next after every set piece, even to the extent of who will be highlighted in a particular scene! And the sense of #3Idiots déjà vu was palpable throughout! Vidhu Vinod Chopra perhaps thought that this generation needs a 3 Idiots equivalent! 😃 Vikrant Massey as Manoj was fabulous; so was Anshumaan Pushkar as Gauri Bhaiya, the restarter.

But what really makes the movie work are two things: a) the nostalgia of competitive exams and the adrenaline that flows through the applicant's taut body, and b) the performances of some of the actors in the movie.

…where Manoj misreads a question and fails one of his attempts, the educational exasperation just hits the roof.
…where a privileged student disses a Hindi-medium multi-attempter as 'waste of resources' only to get lectured passive-aggressively by the tea-stall-owner-cum-UPSC-coach.
…where Manoj’s father wants him to give up, oh so reluctantly, the son turns it back nicely on how he learned to be stubborn from his father
…where in the final interview scene (not sure whether it followed the real one or not), how Manoj turns his weakness (being a 12th Fail) into an advantage – good writing that!
…where Manoj struggles to write about himself in 200 words within 8 mins and 20 seconds, you realize the need for the crazy preparation on all topics under the sun!

****

"12th Fail" can be watched to feel good that there is a success story from the unlikeliest of places.

"12th Fail" can be watched to feel bad about how difficult it is for the Manojes of the world to come up.

Above all, "12th Fail" can be watched to feel nostalgic and ask yourself the question, ‘What if’?

#12thFail #sriGINthoughts #reviews #Hindi #IAS #IPS #UPSC

Henry Sugar Plus Two - Sumptuous (Roald) 'Dahl Makhani'

2023-09-30T16:16:00.003+08:00

#sriGINthoughts #reviews #Netflix #RoaldDahl

Roald Dahl is a fascinating writer, always with a penchant for throwing unexpected twists at you. If you think Jeffrey Archer can twist a story like a spring, I have to say that he doesn't hold a candle to Mr. Dahl! His stories are dark, even the so-called children's/young adult books.

I vividly recall reading "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" to my children when they were young and wondered how it could be called a kids' story with all the jealous, petty, snobbish characters strutting around with a madcap like Willy Wonka. (Oh, Johnny Depp was wonderful in the movie!)

But boy! Could Dahl spin a yarn?!

Among his many stories, two stand out in my mind: "Lamb to the Slaughter" and "Man from the South." The former for the sheer ingenuity of the situation—not the protagonist, mind you—and the latter for the depiction of how humans react to desperation (the story was smartly captured in the Tamil movie "Ninaithale Inikkum")

So, when Wes Anderson, that eccentric director, put out a Dahl series on Netflix over the weekend, it was binge time. Thankfully, the three offerings are short films, with the longest being about 37 minutes, and the other two just 17 minutes each.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar – Can you see without your eyes?

This is a positive (a rarity from Dahl) story of a rich man finding his spiritual bearings and using his special powers for the benefit of the needy, like Robin Hood.

But the do-good part is just a footnote. What's important is, as Rahul Dravid, MSD, and others have professed, the process of getting there.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Ben Kingsley are wonderful, and the concept of dramatized-stage-read (with action in the background and foreground) was a bit unnerving initially but grew on one eventually.

If you put your heart, mind, eyes, and whatever you want into something, you can achieve it. More importantly, that effort will awaken your inner self. It's like the #KarmaYogi in action!

The Rat Catcher – Must one become a rat to catch a rat?

A sinister, rat-like man comes to a village to catch the rodents. He speaks, walks, and behaves like a rat ("You need to think like them rats to catch them!"). He fails in his attempt but tries to impress his employers with a couple of rat tricks. He loses them completely and scurries away, just like how he came.

A simple story, you might think. Not quite! Ralph Fiennes shines as the rat catcher. I also learned that plaster of Paris is enough to kill rats. They eat it, and moisture makes the plaster expand and congeal, depriving them of air. Rats die in no time! Oooo... I liked the allegation (?) that rat blood is used to make liquorice in the chocolate factory, and the explanation of how they make it reminded me of Willy Wonka.

The ending with the hook of "What did the rats find nutritious to avoid eating the poison?" was delicious indeed. Pun intended. 😊

The Swan – Can you truly break free and fly?

Dahl presents one of his more bittersweet tales, delving into the theme of bullying. The narrative explores how people cope with it, seek to escape it, and believe that distance, intelligence, or silence will provide refuge. Yet, nothing truly alleviates the pain, which lingers and festers even as one matures. Once again, the stark filming technique, employing prop-like sets while narrating the story and acting simultaneously, accentuates the disquieting atmosphere characteristic of Roald Dahl's storytelling.

######

You may not like the way the stories have been told, but these are exceptional narratives worth keeping in the recesses of your mind.

Oppenheimer: Gita on Celluloid

2023-07-28T14:32:00.001+08:00

(PC: Universal Pictures)

You are extremely skilled. You are praised as the best of the lot. You face and win many battles. You are the main ‘man’ in the biggest battle of them all, and you are proud to be ‘the one’. Then, shit happens. Self-doubt creeps in. You ponder; reach out for help. You get it and move on.

Well, do you?

The similarities between Arjuna, hero of the epic Mahabharata, and Oppenheimer, the hero of Nolan’s eponymous epic, are uncanny in many aspects - multiple spouses/girlfriends included. 😁

Well, Arjuna had the best consultant at hand, Krishna, to help him through. Here, Oppie settles for the next best thing, the printed version of the handbook.

Whether Robert Oppenheimer wins that inner battle or not is NOT the crux of the movie. What it delves into is the way to that and the process that he goes through.

You will face trials – literally and figuratively.

You will face betrayals – inner and outer.

You will face enlightenment – Krishna vs Einstein/Truman/Kitty anyone?

(PC: New Yorker)

Oppenheimer is a fascinating peek into a complex human being who wants to kill his tutor with cyanide, is multi-talented including learning Dutch in 6 weeks so as to deliver an intricate Physics lecture, makes mistakes in math, gets involved in what he believes in - communism & human rights but pulls out from not going the whole hog, is super-confident of his abilities yet fragile, holds on to the schoolboy code of camaraderie to his own detriment, has this naiveté to believe that his actions are for the greater good despite indications otherwise, and has realization kicking in and breaks down once the fruits of his actions are out of his hand…

For those who are looking for the Gita controversy… In what could be termed as a harbinger of the destruction he is to cause, he quotes ‘I am become death, the destroyer of the world’ when in bed with a nubile Jean Tatlock. That is that.

(PC: ISKCON)

But the bigger (and better) Gita moments are when he meets President Truman...

O: Mr. President, I have blood on my hands.

T: (waving a clean white handkerchief wanting him to wipe it off), Dr. Oppenheimer, do you think the people of Hiroshima are mad at you for the bomb? They are mad at ME! (But, I had to do it!)

…and when he meets Einstein by the pond, where what the great man says makes the penny drop for Oppie, setting the path for his next many years of trials and tribulations and peace.

...and when he has only one student to teach for his first course at UC Berkeley not unlike Krishna 😌

...and when a fellow scientist wants him to remove the put-on military dress and 'be himself', one did get reminded of 'vaasaamsi jeernani' Gita, 2:22 😇

Like the Greek god Prometheus, Dr. O did give the fire of atomic weapons to humankind. But the eagle which kept eating Prometheus’ liver only for it to grow the next day, was the gnawing that Dr. O had to go through day-in and day-out, seeing the nuclear proliferation with the guilt that it was his doing.

Did you need iMAX for this? Perhaps not. As some wags pointed out, except for the 20-second Trinity test, there is nothing visually spectacular in the movie, and they keep talking and talking and talking. But therein lies the irony. The movie never sagged more due to the screenplay – alternating between the worst moment of Oppie’s life – the trial to revoke his security clearance, interestingly shot in color, and perhaps the best moment of his life – the Senate hearing of Strauss where Oppie gets kind of exonerated, again interestingly shot in black-and-white.

Potential Oscars for Cillian Murphy for acting and Nolan for best adaptation from a book. 💜

A worthy movie to watch a few times. Waiting for the OTT release to appreciate the intricacies and enjoy the spread more.

#sriGINthoughts #reviews #English #Oppenheimer #BhagavadGita

Modern 💓 Chennai - Touching Most Parts

2023-07-02T18:51:00.002+08:00

6. Heart Emoji

Almost a Maniratnamesque escape episode. Heroine reminded me of the ‘Cinema Paithiyam’ Jayachitra – crazy about movies and sees movies in everything and vice versa. Her approach towards love isn’t any different. Her love affairs get egg-puffed; cheated; ‘caste’d out and finally resigns to an arranged marriage only to find that the guy she gets married to is the real deal. If this reminds you of ‘Mouna Ragam’, pat yourself in the back! 😊

#LoveReelly?

5. Imaigal (Eyelids)

How would you react when today could be the last day that you can see them forever?

Behind all the glitz and materialism that pervades in our lives, there is still that axiom which lives to say: love goes beyond the end-credit of ‘…they lived happily ever after…’. Throw in the
physical problem that the protagonists encounter, you get a good Kumbakonam degree coffee. The scene where Devi and Nithya fight in the roadside… it resonated so much with us that we were like, ‘yes, this is like how we fight!’ The ending was a bit contrived but left a warm feeling, nevertheless.

#WideAngledLove

4. Margazhi (December)

Roll back the years. In an almost homage to Bharathiraja’s Alaigal Oivathillai, puppy love is celebrated sweetly in this episode. If it was Radha learning music there, it is Milton learning keyboard here. If it was the beach there, it is the hilltop here. You get the drift. But the poetic depiction is palpable, and one could almost feel Jazmine’s happiness as her first love blossoms. Use of Raja’s ‘Poove Sempoove’ song and its Western equivalent in that piano scene was shiok!

#EasyNotes

3. Ninaivo Oru Paravai (Memory is but a bird)

It is a film or a meta-film. You can consider it either way and end up tearing your hair. 😉

Jokes apart, the film succeeds in showing the how a situationship (?!) can turn into a relationship and then can breakup over a trivial matter (good direction of not telling you what the breakup was over) only to be put back on track by quirk of fate. I like the concept of ‘World got created last Thursday and all the earlier memories were pumped into us to kind of give a sense of continuum.’ A delicious way of looking at the short duration of life and shorter duration of love/relationship within it. Thiagarajan Kumararaja has dealt with the treatment of memories quite adeptly including the use of long corridors and the appropriate colour combination – pleasant in gold and sad in red… There are a number of Super Deluxe memories – lighting, camera angles, sets etc. Pardonable. Ilayaraja’s music in this segment is epic. One cannot stop wondering how an octogenarian can swing so much pep, vigour and relevance into the proceedings! Salute!

Of course, if your friend walks in with a red star on the back of his palm, you know what it means! 😉

#LoopyMemories

2. Lalagunda* Bommaigal (Lalagunda Dolls)

Talks about the fact that we are all puppets of destiny, and the strings are held by a mysterious Supremo. 😉

So much gets stuffed into each frame of this episode that it makes us rewind and watch it again: The doctor who spouts ‘Attraction! Abortion! What else do you know?’; the online rummy-playing fake godman, the love/infatuation induced by extra pani pooris; the peeled-skin-feet of the girl who got her fetus aborted; ‘You can’t live with men; you can’t live without them too!’ juxtaposed with ‘You can’t live with women; you can’t live without her too!’…

A delightful nugget. Vasundara as the loud-mouthed, do-gooder Vaiju stole the show. The ‘gaana’ song ‘Jingrudanga’ was fresh and so was the twist in the end.

*Lalagunda Masjid is a place in Korukkupet. North Madras.

#TastyPaaniPoori

1. Paravai Kootil Vaazhum Maangal (Gazelles those reside in a bird’s nest)

A true tribute to Balu Mahendra by Bharathiraja including the subtle and sophisticated handling of a tricky topic.

Separation is difficult. Acceptance, reconciliation, moving on… really tough! In a classic BM triangle, you have the clueless man, an I-won’t-give-up new entrant, a I-can-give-up-but-don’t-know-how’ incumbent. The acting by the three main characters is so top notch, that you think that no one can knock them over. But then you have Delhi Ganesh! Even the extra pause he gives while on the other end of the phone is pregnant with acting!

We loved two bits of no dialogue action: When Ravi sees a groom in the metro being followed by Rohini, he thinks that she has left him to get married to that person and his face changes; only to change into a smile as the actual bride follows Rohini. And when Revathi explains her situation to Rohini about how she is willing to give it all up including the children, Rohini says, ‘I don’t know whether I could do all that you could do…’ There is a small ray of hope in Revathi’s face – after all, maybe she is going to go away… But when Rohini ends it by saying, ‘…but I want to be in it!’, the ray just vanishes. Fantastic acting!

There are so many nice directorial touches in the episode (the cigarette score, the selfies, the complementing outfit of two women…) And it did leave a heavy feeling in the heart even though it seemed to be an amicable arrangement.

#SeparatedUnion

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Otherwise, true to Web Series grammar, there are a lot of cusswords, double-entendres, kissing & bedroom scenes, rampant smoking and drinking etc. If you look past all that, these six stories do show the mirror to the society on what it is morphing into.

Apart from a few nice vignettes of Chennai (it is no longer Central station & the beach, but the metro trains these days!), the city in itself is absent, both physically and mentally. It is a city that is still conservative in many aspects. Granted it has moved up (?) the chain. Except for the token Delhi Ganesh character, that conservative approach is shown to be truly out of the window. For a 50+, it is perhaps difficult to fathom; maybe it is the truth, though one corner of the heart says that it could be an exaggeration. Maybe?

Modern Love Chennai is worth your time just to recharge those love batteries. 💝💝💝💝

#ModernLoveChennai #Anthology #PrimeVideo #Tamil #Reviews #sriGINthoughts

Ponniyin Selvan – 2: Mani Ratnam’s Touch Rules

2023-05-12T12:13:00.005+08:00

An edited version of this review appeared in Page 8 of Tabla 12th May 2023 edition.

Also, a Tamil review of PS-2 can be found here...

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Roughly at about the halfway mark of Ponniyin Selvan – 2 (PS-2), there comes a scene where Mandakini (played by Aishwarya Rai) reaches the royal quarters of Sundara Chozhan (Prakash Raj). The king, in broad daylight, is sleeping, oblivious to the dangers that he is facing. The lady jumps in and saves his life in the nick of time, and in the process, loses hers. The song that follows lamenting her death is from the great Tamil literature Purananooru, about how no one in the country used fragrant flowers after the death of their beloved king. Mani Ratnam brings out the irony of a tired, sick king being saved by a brave, deaf-mute woman who he had jilted in the past.

The power of PS-2 is in such moments that are spread across the 2:45 hours of delightful presentation. When Ponniyin Selvan – 1 (PS-1) hit the screens about seven months ago, the excitement was palpable. On the contrary, the promotions for PS-2 were muted, to say the least. Except for the songs that stormed the charts (Veera Raja Veera, Aga Naga, Adi Sankara’s Nirvana Shatakam, Thiruppavai were impressive), there wasn’t anything huge going on.

One even thought that the team did not care too much to carpet bomb the media with advertisements. In hindsight, they were perhaps confident with the quality of the product that they had produced. 😊

Yes, PS-2 is a fitting conclusion to this attempt at bringing the much-loved novel to the screen. Indeed, the fanatical following that the book has created may not approve of the several artistic licenses that Mani Ratnam has taken, but the adaptations were seamless, mostly.

Picking up from where PS-1 left, when Arunmozhi Varman aka Ponniyin Selvan (Jayam Ravi) is lost in the sea along with his lieutenant Vanthiyanthevan (Karthi), PS-2 dives headlong into the political intrigue that surrounded the Chola empire a thousand years ago. The internecine squabbles among the members of the family threaten to tear them apart and cause irreparable damage to their relationships, aided in no small amount by the scheming Nandini (Aishwarya Rai), who has her reasons for seeing the downfall of the Chozha empire. One of the reasons is her unfulfilled love with the crown prince Aditha Karikalan (Vikram), an impulsive, repentant warrior-par-excellence, which turned to hatred beyond redemption due to what he did to Veera Pandiyan (Nasser).

How the knots are unknotted, and how the squabbles are resolved, and how the enemies are won over, form 99% of the movie. And as in Kalki’s written work, the last 1% was the twist, a-la last-ball six to win the game! Well, here the twist is not as per what Kalki wrote and left a bit undercooked as the buildup to that climax was incomplete. To that extent, it was more a boundary to tie the game than winning it completely.

Having said that, the movie was a full paisa-vasool, as they say in India. Unlike PS-1, where the premise had to be set, Mani has the freedom to set the pace and bring in scenes of import at will. Apart from the Mandakini scene mentioned earlier, a few others stuck in one’s mind…

Where a blindfolded Vanthiyathevan meets Kundavai (Trisha), and they profess love to each other with the song Aga Naga lilting in the background. The cave where they meet even resonates with Vanthiyathevan’s position, who has such a small land to rule and has his world, Kundavai, in there to make him happy.
Where a seething Aditha Karikalan reaches Kadamboor and confronts the conspirators atop his white steed, displaying power and authority to no end.
Where a smoldering and red-hot Nandini meets Aditha Karikalan for their final showdown. The tension in that scene could have been cut with the sword that Nandini held 😊
Where the brotherhood of Buddhist monks crowds out the killers disguised as monks while chanting the mantras, making them drop the knives not by physical force but through forceful love.
Where Vanthiyathevan, accused of a dastardly crime, appears in front of the King and pleads for punishment for dereliction of duty.

Of course, Mani Ratnam resorts to some throwbacks to his own movies: Sundara Chozhan, remorseful over his love affair, does an Iruvar reprise; the boat-ramming scene from Raavanan, etc. 😉

The battle scene at the end was force-fitted and probably needed cinematically. After watching some of the other war scenes (that Baahubali again!), there was nothing much to write home about, except that this one had less CGI, if that helps! The screenplay was a bit rushed, with one incident following another, though sound. Of course, as in PS-1, the flow was marred by poor dialogues. And in the interest of changing the ending, some of the key characters from the book were delegated to the margins.

Although it has its flaws, PS-2 is a deserving and commendable sequel to PS-1, creating a cinematic achievement that will be a landmark in Tamil cinema. Despite its imperfections, the two films' enduring legacy will be to make the reels-happy youth and old alike of today turn their attention to the rich history of Tamil people and India as a whole.