Sunday, December 7, 2008

Vaaranam Aayiram-Movie Review

Gautham Vasudeva Menon has been making films with class and he has proved his mettle again. This time, it is with Vaaranam Aayiram. Seldom do we see movies like these, that portray the emotions between family relations. Mozhi directed by Radha Mohan was no exception, but that was of an entirely different genre. Attempting such a bold theme, needs lot of guts. Gautham has worked wonders with Veetayadu Vilayadu, depicting a fast-paced thriller, based on a cop. I must say he has experimented with an entirely different concept in Vaaranam Aayiram- the relationship between a father and a son.
The movie starts with the older Suriya(Krishnan) going for a haircut. The make-up team could have worked a little better on his beard. It totally did not go with his old age. He returns from the hair-saloon, only to die five minutes later, Choking up blood all around the house. Brilliantly portrayed by Suriya. Film-goers who expected an action movie with clues from the title, would have been felt deceived by the initial scenes. That is where the director's story-line stands out.
Simran plays Krishnan's(Old Surya) wife in the film, as Malini. Make-up was very bad. She informs the younger Suriya(Surya) about his father's demise. Surya was then on a Army mission. The first-person narration starts from there, travelling through various stages of Surya's life and his bonding with his father. Krishnan narrates his love experiences with Malini to his son and daughter. Must mention the director's dialogues throughout the movie. Very crisp and to the point.
Surya's school life progresses to college life. An interesting train journey. This is where he meets the love of his life, Meghna(Sameera Reddy). He takes out his guitar and starts singing a song. He proposes to her. She tries to elude him, with the usual dialogues and this is when the song, "Nenjukkul Peidhidum" song starts. Brilliant composition by Harris Jayaraj. And astounding camera work by cinematographer,Rathnavelu.
The train reaches Chennai and she leaves with her dad. Twists and turns and Krishnan ends up in hospital, as a result of a mild heart attack. Duty-bound, Surya starts working and accomplishes his dad's dream of building a house. He sings at a few competitions and manages to rake in money. He manages to find Meghna's house, only to be turned down by her, that she would leaving for the U.S. a week later.
Surya reaches home and tells everything to his dad. Krishnan acknowledges his son's love and asks him to go the U.S.. He leaves for the U.S. and finds Meghna. Meghna reciprocates his love. Ill-fate strikes. Meghna dies in a bomb blast at the building she was staying. But ill-fate eludes Surya. He survives. He breaks down uncontrollably. That scene was more of a tear-jerker with an outstanding performance from Surya.
He reaches home, only to become a drug-addicta few days later, unable to forget the his days with Meghna. Surya's performance as a drug-addict could even fetch him an award. The song,"Ava Enna Enna Thedi Vantha Anjala", showcases his grief, with Karthik's mesmerising voice. His mother sends him to Kashmir. He rescues a child from a group of terrorists and manages to turn over a new leaf. He returns to Chennai and decides to join the armed forces. Follows an intensive workout routine. This is where Surya with the six-pack comes in.
He reciprocates the love of his sister's friend Priya(Divya Spandhana) and marries her. The news of his father's demise reaches him. He leaves for Chennai to perform the last rites, shot exclusively on the shores of Rameshwaram. It looks more like some island. The film ends with a stellar performance from the cast. Harris Jayaraj's music has to be applauded. The director's inclination towards music has worked wonders with all the songs, picturised in picturesque locations.
Final Verdict: A good family film to watch, if you love your dad. 4 Stars out of 5. And yet, the end of another post!! Watch out this space for more!!

Friday, November 21, 2008

The All new Google Mail


I wanted to check my mail this morning, and I opened up my new browser, "Flock", I downloaded last night. I typed in gmail's web address and waited for a few minutes. I couldn't believe my eyes. Instead of the usual, plain, boring layout and white background, there was a picture as the background. And it was so good to look at. I thought again. I had read somewhere on the web about "phishing sites", for those of you who don't know, phishing sites are those which are set up by hackers, exactly similar to the original ones, to obtain valuable personal information, from unsuspecting users.

I tried all alternatives. I opened Gmail through Google search. And then, through Yahoo search. But, the result was the same, flashy, good-looking website. Bad, there isn't the sign-in seal like feature in Google, which is there in Yahoo, to detect fake sites. I wish Google could add such a feature to enhance security. I looked again at the address bar. The protocol has Secure-HTTP. I thought again and I signed in. What surprised me was, that I was able to change even the layout of my inbox and other stuff. A variety of themes were avilable to choose from and it all looked so cool.

Looks like Google is all set to enter the trendy and stylish market. Here's one fan wishing all the very best for Google!! And yet again, the end of another post. Check back soon!!! 

Aut Sore Singh


It is defined as a long, results-oriented relationship with an external service provider for activities traditionally performed within the company. This is not one of Kamal Haasan's roles in Dasavatharam. This is about Outsourcing, which is in crisis after the recent American Presidential elections. Barack Obama made it to the top-spot by winning over a wide margin. Speculations are that, once he gains power and also entry into the White House, his first measure would be to stop outsourcing.

The result?? Millions of people of Indian origin, employed in the U.S. are at the risk of losing their jobs. This would not have been the issue of discussion, if John McCain was elected to power. Obama feels that Americans have been denied jobs in their homeland and so, is in the verge of driving Indians out of America. But mind you, Indians can survive wherever they are. They are respected for their knowledge and practical application of analytical techniques worldwide. Why, even Bill Gates was asked how he would respond to an economic crisis, where Indians would be asked to leave thier jobs in the U.S. He replied promptly."I would gladly shift the Microsoft base to India". This is because over 36% of employees in Microsoft are Indians, and people of Indian origin.

Imposing a ban on outsourcing, would mean a lot of things. The economic crisis, which India is facing today, would become even worse. Referred to as the "Global Meltdown", it has a taken a toll of thigs. I've never heard of such a crisis in recent years. Not only the economic crisis, but also the power shortage, seems to take a dig on economy. Why is the globe facing a meltdown? global warming perhaps?? Why don't they order a giant freezer and place the economy inside it, so that it does not melt? Instead, the economy can be sent to the North Pole!!. And once it recovers, can be brought back.

The students who have paid hefty sums to study engineering are at risk of not being employed. The campus placements for this year, compared to previous years have come down drastically. Though this has been the news, I.T. companies hold press conferences stating that they would recruit thousands in the next Fiscal year. And the reason they cite is that they would need the recruited students, to function as employees in their organizations, once the market recovers. Hope the market recovers soon. And yet another day, and yet another blog. Watch out this space for more!!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Man and Mouse Game

Midnight 12 A.M. Deep sleep. Dreams with a couple of Kollywood and Hollywood actresses. Suddenly, I wake up hearing some sound. No, not A.R. Rahman's songs or Sivamani's beats. Someone hitting hard on some piece of metal. I console myself and consider it to be a part of my dreams. I cover my head with the bedspread. I try to sleep again. 5 minutes later, I hear the noise again.

I look at the clock. Five minutes past midnight. Creepy time to be awake. Haunting memories of old horror movies fill my mind. I'm scared. There comes the noise again. I switch on the lights, assuming the LIGHT would ward off evil spirits.The noise stops. I heave a sigh of relief and switch off the lights. But lo, the noise starts again. Now, its real scary. I decide to call folks at home. With detective instincts, I try to find out the source of the sound. With the easiest of exams(pun intended), two days later, I need to catch up on some sleep. I try real hard, and trace the source to my study table. It was a metal table which had enough space, and two drawers. It was like someone hitting on the door, of one of the drawers of the table. I take my mobile phone to get some light. I cast light on the table. The sound stops.

I go back to sleep again. I try very hard to disbelieve the fact, that it is some ghost or even worse, a kollywood actress without makeup. The noise continues all night. I tell my folks at home about it, the next morning. No sleep. My eyes were all red. Red as in "Ajith" in the movie "Red". I sleep for hours. But, there's no sound. Again, night time. Well and good. No sound. I'm happy and back to my usual dream mode. Midnight again. The same sound continues. This time, I decide to crack the mystery. Without sleep, I think of all alternatives. The sound continues. But, no ideas.

The next morning, I ask dad to check my table. Though, I'm fearless, I asked him to do it for safety purposes. My safety, obviously. My dad opens the door of the table's lower drawer. I had kept, important papers(newspapers), photographs of my favourite actors and actresses and most importantly, some of my books. They were all in pieces. As if, they had been passed through some shredder. I open my mouth wide in disbelief. Definitely, the work of a "Kolli Vaai Pisasu". My dad opens the table's drawer loacated at the top. He closes it and opens it again. He does so for four to five times. Thats when something jumped out from inside the table, stucking its head outside the table drawer. I was not wearing glasses then. With difficulty, I find my glasses and stare at the creature.

I take two steps backwards. I turn back. I run helter-skelter. "Eeeeeeeek!!!! Mouse!! Moushe!!". My dad decides to stop the menace. He ties its neck with a piece of string and throws it on the road. It runs its way to safety. My dad congratulates me for my fearlessness. The mouse had bit the wire of my old computer mouse into two pieces. Pretty hungry mouse. Good thing, it did not bite me elsewhere when I was asleep.

Thus, with the traits of Alfred Hitchcock, I wind up this thriller-terror-horror story of mine. I'm sure it'll be a box office hit. I'm looking for the cast though. I'd like to play the fearless youngster who's afraid of mice in the film, all by myself. No dialogues. Only action. And yet, another post blabbing about some mouse-nonsense and the interesting anecdotes from the meeting of mouse and man. er.. Boy.. er.. Youngster.. Er.. Youth. Whatever.

My First Post

Words can travel far and wide and so can ideas and creativity. I blog what comes to my mind at the instant and no second thoughts. I don't mind if it is controversial or care if it gets me a Nobel Prize. I dream a lot. No, not when I'm asleep. Always, when I'm awake. It makes me ponder at things around me. And every instant, I come up with something new. Sometimes, it turns out to be hilarious. Sometimes, it turns out to be serious. But, they're all my genuine thoughts. I hope the picture continues. All set and I'm done with my first blog. Check back soon, for my next full fledged post.!!