Am Back & Happy Diwali!!!

It’s been quite a while, since I’ve posted. There has been lot of things happening, that for sure deserves at least half-a-dozen posts! Hope I’ll frequent this space a lot more. Until then, bye and Happy Diwali!!

My Five!!

The Hindu's Saturday edition of Metro Plus features a column called My Five. It is a personal list of the five greatest tracks in popular music. Ever since this column started to feature I had always wanted to nail down my personal my five songs. So here it goes my five…

1. Metallica
Nothing Else Matters
Singer and guitarist James Hetfield wrote it to a former girlfriend, and it is widely rumored that it meant “no matter how far” (Metallica constantly toured), he was still "so close" with the heart. It was first released in 1991 on the self-titled album Metallica. Initially the response to this song was lukewarm, as Metallica fans were treated to some heavy metal thrashing in their prior albums. But as the song grew in them, this became one of the most powerful soul-stirring rock ballads of all-time. A Metallica signature song! Many rock stations still play it frequently.

2. Pink Floyd
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
Written by Roger Waters, this song was a tribute to Syd Barret, who was instrumental in the construction of the band, Pink Floyd. Since his behavior was too erratic, he was soon shown the exit doors. Lines such as “Remember when you were young, You shone like the sun” and “You were caught on the crossfire Of childhood and stardom” took a direct rig at Syd’s unpredictable behavioral pattern. ‘Shine on…’ is a nine-part composition and was first performed on their 1974 French tour. With the trademark David Gilmour’s guitar genius and Roger Waters philosophical lyrics, this song is a treat to listen.

3. Guns n Roses
November Rain
A wonderful rock ballad written by lead singer Axl Rose for their 1991 album Use Your Illusion I. One of the longest songs from GNR which runs to 8 Mins and 55 Secs and it features a sweeping synthesized string backing arrangement. Slash sizzles with the guitar riggs, and this song is listed at number 6 in the "The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos" by Guitar World. November Rain had an extended run at the top of Billboard charts during the 90’s. The music video for this song, released in 1992, quickly became the most requested video on MTV and won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography.

4. Led Zeppelin
Stairway to Heaven
"Stairway to Heaven" continues to top radio lists of the greatest rock songs. A Led Zeppelin classic number, that oozes lyrical brilliance and mind-blowing composition by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant. Recorded for band's fourth studio album, Led Zeppelin IV, it quickly reached global acclaim and very much defined the rock music of the 70’s. It was voted #3 in 2000 by VH1 on their list of the 100 Greatest Rock Songs and in 2004; Rolling Stone magazine put it at #31 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

5. Nirvana
Smells Like Teen Spirit
A smash hit from the album Nevermind, this song had put Nirvana on the music map and announced the arrival of the prodigiously talented Kurt Cobain. The song begins with Cobain strumming the main riff, adding distortion when the rest of the band joins in and progresses to a pre-chorus, that is dominated by the phrase "Hello, hello, hello, how low?". Cobain yells the lyrics quite often and in the final verse Cobain screams the refrain “A Denial” repeatedly. A Nirvana special!! Rolling Stone magazine put it at #9 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Those that almost made it:
Bryan Adams - Please Forgive Me
Led Zeppelin - Kashmir
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean, Just Beat It
Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water
Eagles - Hotel California
Aerosmith - Dream On
Phil Collins - Another Day in Paradise
Scorpions -Winds of Change
Metallica - One, Enter Sandman, Unforgiven -2
Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb, High Hopes

'Fedex' Derailed!

History repeats itself! Bjorn Borg's dream run at the Wimbledon was halted by a left hander, but not before the Swede had won 5 successive Wimbledon crowns ( 1976-1980). Federer who had high hopes of surpassing the legendary Swede's feat, was also halted by a south-paw again in a grueling 5-set encounter.

Fans, Media and Players themselves have started drawing comparisons between the 2008 Final and the 1980 epic final between Borg and McEnroe, latter is considered to be the mother of all Wimbledon finals. But McEnroe himself confessed that final between Federer and Nadal (2008) was the best of all time. The match lasted for a marathon 4h48' testing the mental and physical toughness!

Federer looked out of sorts in the first set, came hard next set. But Nadal made a swift comeback from 1-4 down to win the second set 6-4. Nadal won 5 straight games and pocketed a handsome 2-0 set lead. Rain, ' the divine intervention' for Federer gave him a break to quickly regroup his game and concentration and immediately Fedex was on a roll and at his menacing best.

Federer staged one of the best ever comeback in a grand slam final, produced some scintillating stroke play and won the third set 7-6. Federer won points at net at will. The fourth set again headed for a tie-break, and just when everyone thought Nadal was running home with the crown, Federer displayed unbelievable tennis to save 4 championship points. To be more accurate, when Nadal was serving for the match 8-7, Federer came up with an incredible backhand winner, only to save the match! Spectators at the centre court and millions of people around the world must have had the heart in their mouth for a split second. Federer won the fourth set, again 7-6.

After an agonizing rain interruption, match resumed again and both the finalist used all possible weapons in their armory to clinch the Grand slam. In what was supposed to be most dramatic fifth set final ever, Nadal had the last laugh. Spaniard won 9-7, and he couldn't hide the emotion. If Pat Cash, was the first to start the tradition of climbing up to the Guest Box, to get a hug or two from family and friends, Nadal( if I am right )was the first to climb up to the Royal Box! Glorious moments, Nadal would cherish for the rest of his life.

On a personal note, I would rate this final on par with 1980 final between Borg and McEnroe, 1990 final between Becker and Edberg and of course the 2001 final between Ivanesivic and Rafter. Incidentally all the six players, are serve & volleyer's , which is a rare breed these days!

This year, has not been a smooth sail for Federer! But adversity brings the best out of champions. Federer has found a new and perhaps his first adversary in Grass!

Happy Birthday Raja!!

On June2,1943 a musical marvel called Daniel Rasayya graced upon this earth only to rule the hearts of hundreds of thousands, with his mellifluous music. Saluting the legend of Ilaiyaraja and wishing him a Happy Birthday!!!

Raja, Vazhga pallandu..pala kodi noorandu...

12 Great movies, I wish I had seen it in the big screen...

"Laksh, that’s the word"! Farhan Akthar's simple account of a boy turn into a man, left me in splits yesterday. I fed my eyes to this amazing movie Lakshya, and I wanted to watch the movie all over again and again and again!!! The moment I was done with the movie, I retorted "Wish I had seen this in the big screen"!! Well, then I thought why not come-up with a list of movies which I gave it a miss in the big screen ( theatre) … Bingo!I ended-up with this list( in chronological order) which deliberately took into account, movies releases post-1990 only(to make my job simple :-)) . Without much ado, here we go!!!

Movie	Release	Director	Why Theatre?
The Godfather: Part III	1990	Francis Ford Coppola	Anything for the Godfather! The final installment of the epic, The Godfather Trilogy, punctuates the effort of Michael Corleone to legitimize the crime business. The final scene (Al Pacino crumbling from the chair to bite the dust) embodies the very spirit of Pacino's nonchalant acting!
Michael Madhana Kamarajan	1991	Singeetam Srinivasa Rao	A rib-tickling comedy. Kamal dons four avatars and pulls them off with consummate ease. Climax scene, atop the hill in the ruined house involving all the pivotal characters in the movie is just one reason why I feel this movie ought to be watched in a theatre.
Roja	1992	Mani Ratnam	Movie that catapulted Mani to national fame and ear-marked the arrival of the musical prodigy A.R.Rahman. Movie broke all box-office records and the music went on to become TIME magazine's Top 10 greatest musical albums ever.
Schindler's List	1993	Steven Spielberg	A biographical film about Oscar Schindler a German businessman who single-handedly saved the lives of 1000 polish lives. Ben Kingsley ( of 'Gandhi' fame) as Schindler's accountant Itzhak Stern blew my mind away . A black & white classic of the 90's!!!
The Shawshank Redemption	1994	Frank Darabont	Morgan Freeman's Narration! What else.
Braveheart	1995	Mel Gibson	Mel Gibson's directorial debut couldn't have turned more fairy! The movie received as many as 5 academy awards, and got nominated for an additional five. Arresting dialogues, scenic cinematography and Guerrilla wars against English forces makes this movie a wonderful cinematic experience.
Kurudhi Punal	1996	P.C. Sreeram	Slick. Laconic. Lighting. Three words that describes the very essence of the movie. Based on Govind Nihalini's plot on infiltration, movie unfolds brilliantly with an out-of-the-world screenplay sans regular doze of songs. Kamal and P.C Sreeram dished out a movie which gave Hollywood production a run for their money!
Titanic	1997	James Cameron	Cameron's genius to interlace a love story amidst the infamous ill-fated 1912 maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic ship, proved to be a wise bet and made him an overnight hero! The film garnered as many as 11 Oscars. I still cant digest the fact I had let go the opportunity, when my friends saw the movie in Devi theatre when we were in our twelfth standard.
Lagaan	2001	Ashutosh Gowariker	India's most recent entry to the Oscars. The movie rekindled the national spirits of many people. It’s a victory of a nation and it must be savored only in a theatre!
Shrek	2001	Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson	A pioneer of sorts in the animation industry. This movie defied standards! Gave the audience something else to see! People from all walks of life were enchanted about the foul-smelling Ogre and the donkey and the rescue tale. This movie is a like a painting and paintings look good only in a canvas!
A Beautiful Mind	2001	Ron Howard	One of the few movies which disturbed my mind! Two days, I was completely occupied with this movie, I couldn't come out of it!!! Who could forget Prof.John Nash?? I felt like kicking myself for not watching this movie in Sathyam.
Lakshya	2004	Farhan Akhtar	Farhan Akhtar. Lt. Karen Shergill . Romila Dutta. Christopher Popp!

Pudhucherriel oru Kutchery!!!!

March 29, 2008, a bunch of travel enthusiasts hit the EC Road for a 300-Km journey to Pondy, leaving the coastal road with a trail of blaze! And this blog is a brief account of what went right and not-so-right at the sea-coast!!!

Wee-hour Start:

Trip to Pondy had lot of moot points like the non-elaborative itinerary, exact dates of the trip, confirmed list of enthusiast et al. But one thing that held sway right from the day one was that we would commute only in bullet/bike. A strict no-no for buses and trains!!!

We kick-started as early as 4AM and reached the ECR in 30 Min. After drooling over the Royal Enfield Bullet from the pillion seat for more than half-hour, I got the opportunity to be in the driver's seat. It was really a ride of my life! The odometer was hovering around the 120Km mark and it was sending currents across my body. To sum-up the exhilarating drive in two lines, I’d better resort to say ‘Fuckin awesome'!

Pit-stop - 1 (Kalpakkam):

The clock was ticking and sun was about to show-up, and we were aimlessly searching for a perfect locale to capture the sunrise. As luck would have it, we bumped into Kalpakkam township and all the while sun was patiently waiting for our presence.

Finally, she came out and enthralled us with her wide gamut of colors and incredible contours. After half-hour of satiable photo-shots, we bid our good bye to Kalpakkam.

Pit-stop - 2 (Alamparai Fort):

Intrigued by time-immemorial history of Alamparai Fort, we ensured that this place featured in our itinerary.But I must admit the fact that it was quite a let down, not because it had bad architecture or any other similar attributes, but because of its poor maintenance.

We knew it would be in a dilapidated state, but there were hardly any remnants of the fort. It was in a state beyond dilapidation, in complete ruins!!! Our tryst with history was indeed a bitter disappointment!

There will be blood…

Since we already drove down 100Kms, I said 'Folks, we will exchange ends, let the rider assume the position of pillion'. One fellow-bud did not pay heed to my words, and bore the brunt of a freakish accident along with the pillion rider.

Things weren't serious though, as they sustained only minor injuries, but it did dampen the spirits for a while.The fact that the accident took place only from a striking distance of Pondy, only rubbed more salt into the wounds. They swiftly took medication from a local doctor and after moments of brief pause we screamed in unison 'the show must go on’ and hit the roads again!!!

Welcome to Pondy!

We criss-crossed Pondy for 2-hours relentlessly found an economy-meets-elite kind of hotel which was lying in close proximity to the Pondy beach.

Without an iota of hesitation, we booked the hotel.
After dozing-off for a couple of hours, we visited the Aurobindo ashram in the afternoon, and went to Tic-Tac for shopping DVD's, amassing more than 50 films and bills were running to the tune of thousands.

A fine evening, rocking night and wonderful morning…

Around 4PM, we headed to Chunnambar, a boathouse near the Cuddalore bypass road, by the time we reached the exact venue it was around 5:30 PM, and the boathouse closed down at 4:30PM. Momentary disappoint faded in a jiffy as we witnessed a brilliant sunset near a dam just opposite to the boathouse. 'Perhaps a blessing in disguise' I quipped to myself. Snap after snap, roll after roll we were hunting the sunset crazily!

Partying all-night-out we quickly regrouped in the wee-hours next day, to capture the sunrise again. Completely mobbed by the clouds, we had now only a fat-chance to capture a vivacious sunrise. But our long wait bore fruits, as we had the opportunity to snap an ultimate shot (the pic in the right side). In my opinion, this was the best pic (k) of the whole trip!

On the road again!

After a brief stay at the Manakula Vinayagar temple we decided it was time to pack our bags and check-out of the hotel. We headed-off to Auroville!!!! Serenity, tranquility or placidity… I am running short of adjectives to describe this place! This should be an obvious-must-visit in anybody's travel plan to Pondy.

We had a delectable lunch at Auroville and we hit the highways again! Reluctantly we bid adieu to one of the finest places known to humankind, Pondy… And this is not an over statement!!!! Be it the eclectic French culture, staggering architecture, plethora of travel spots, strange street/ avenue names, and of course dime-a-dozen liquor, everything about Pondy leaves us spell-bound! This place would surely draw you again and again and again…

Choa!

Off to Pondy - Roadies set the road ablaze...

After months of meticulous planning, persistent persuasions and unsolicited dilly-dallying, we would be finally setting-off to Pondy in just about 15 mins. As am writing this, I could suddenly see, adrenalin pumping hard and suddenly rushing through ...Am doubly excited about the fun and frolic associated with back-breaking 300 Km long ride... The plans are well chalked out and hope we discover something new in Pondy... Will post a descriptive blog at once after am back! Signing off! Vrooooommmmmmmmmmmm……

Anjadhey - Movie Review!

It's an ace form Mysskin! Exactly two years back, he sprung a surprise-hit with Chithiram Pesuthedi! He's back again with a bang! With the same team re-grouping, success only had a slim chance to elude them… Anjadhey has been declared a critically-acclaimed movie and can be easily cherry-picked as the best movie of the year so far.

Mysskin has intricately woven a plot based on a famous storytelling technique called twist-of-fate. The story is set in the backdrop of a police colony and revolves around two pivotal characters Sathya (Naren) and Kirupa (Ajmal) who share a very good relationship with each other. Kirupa aspires to be a SI (Sub Inspector) and slogs tirelessly in pursuit of his dream. Sathya cools his heels as a hooligan often engaging in petty brawls.

Relentless pestering from his friend Kirupa and mordant words of his father (M S Bhaskar), conspires Sathya to appear for the SI interview and by crook means, he lands up with the job. Kirupa is denied of the SI job and he accounts Sathya as responsible for snatching the job from him and develops hatred towards Sathya. Kirupa seeks redemption in life and becomes a hoodlum. This sudden twist-of-fate which sees an exchange-of-ends in character feeds the rest of the movie and makes it a compelling watch.

Naren and Ajmal have played their role to perfection. Naren's mannerism while he engages for each fight is riveting. Ajmal has handled two extreme natures of good and evil diligently. Two surprise packages in the movie are the villains. Kudos to Mysskin for casting Prasanna, chocolate-boy of Kanda Naal Mudhal as Casanova and Pandirajan ( Kadhanayagan fame) in negative shades, who once ruled the roost with his comic prowess. Prasanna as Daya with his weird-hairdo had essayed a different role and has challenged himself and succeeded. M S Bhaskar, as Naren's father has stunned with his sublime acting. Other casting accolades include Ponnvannan, Livingston, Kuruvi and Vijayalakskmi (Chennai - 600028 fame).

Sundar C Babu has done an impeccable job as a Music Director. He haunts with his BGM, a perfect coup for a thriller. Talents such as Sundar C Babu ought to be given more chances. There is a fine thread between 'Dabban Gotthu' and Folk and Babu has walked meticulously on that fine thread with élan. 'Kannadhasan Karaikudi’, 'Kathazha Kannalae' are fine examples. The dream sequence song 'Manasukkul' was quite captivating as well. Theme music was pulsating.

Mahesh Muthusami has done a fabulous job with the camera. His effort to foster the eerie mood of the film is evidently visible in the big screen. The climax shot at Karumbu Thottam which must have gobbled-up incredible lengths of film role certainly praise-worthy and a feather in the cap for the lens men. Certain angles were really extraordinary and songs were well shot. Sadagopan Ramesh has done a crispy work with his scissors.

Minuses include Ponvannan's dubbing (done by someone else or he had a sore throat?), Confession of Kirupa in the climax which seemed totally illogical and lastly the unbearable length of the movie. I must confess I don't mind watching a movie even 4-hr-long, but industry doesn't work that way. Mysskin has failed to understand in spite of bearing the brunt on the last occasion with the pre-mature fate of Chithiram Pesuthedi. Box office declared CP a failure, not before Oscar Ravichandran intervened. He edited out close to 20 mins and re-released the film which ran to packed houses. I wonder what the fate has in store for Anjadhey?

But take nothing from this talented director, Mysskin. He arrived with Chithiram Pesuthedi and he is here to stay with Anjadhey!

Kamal Hassan - The unsung singer!

Kamal Hassan, is very well known as a multi-faceted actor, hell-bent film-maker, and an avid dancer. But few people must have adored Kamal Hassan as a singer. It might raise an eyebrow, if I were to tell you that Kamal has sung close to 75 tracks, and as it turned out be, most of the songs were runaway hits. Lot of the people though denigrate Kamal, accusing him that, he forcibly persuades music directors to have him sing at least a track in films he's casted on. But people, fail to understand Kamal is qualified enough to do the singing himself(occasionally). Why???

Kamal under the tutelage of Dr Balamurali Krishna has practiced carnatic music and Mr. Krishna was so impressed with Kamal, that he asked for 2 and a half years while Kamal continued with him, and he would make sure to get Kamal on stage with him. Kamal engrossed with movies couldn’t really afford the time! Dr. Krishna was so fond of Kamal, in the Miley Sur Mera Tumhara short film, he wanted Kamal to sit next with him on the Tanpura, but Kamal humbly declined saying it'd be unfair.

Ilaiyaraaja was the first MD to spot the singer in Kamal and gave him ample opportunities to sing all-along in their long term illustrious association. Memorable films include Aboorva Sagotharargal, MMKR, Virumaandi and the recent Mumbai Express. Kamal has also sung for other music directors which includes ARR, Karthik Raja, Bharadwaj, Vidya Sagar, Yuvan Shankar Raja…

I thought it’d only be befitting a post to come out with a compilation of my personal favorites

Kamal has sung for Ilaiyaraaja and other Music Directors…

So here it goes for the ultimate connoisseur of music!

• Vizhiyorathu Kanavum - Raja Paarvai
• Vikram...Vikram… - Vikram
• Ammammamma Vandadhingae - Per Sollum Pillai
• Potta Padiyudhu - Sathya
• Raja Kayya Vecha - Apoorva Sahodarargal
• Sundari Neeyum - Michael Madhana Kamarajan
• Kanmani Anboda - Guna
• Inchi Iduppazhaka - Thevar Magan
• Thanmanam Ulla Nenjam - Mahanadhi
• Ram Ram Salaam - Hey Ram
• Sanyaas Mantra - Hey Ram
• Unnai vida - Virumaandi
• Maada Vilakke - Virumaandi
• Ninaivo Oru Paravai - Sigappu Rojakkal
• Yaar Yaar Sivam - Anbe Sivam
• Alwarpettai Aazhuda - Vasool Raja MBBS
• Muththe Muththammah - Ullasam
• Peek Into Assasin's Life: Neruppu Vaayinil - Pudhupettai
• Kadhal piriyathu kavidhai - Pancha Thanthiram
• Injirango Injirango - Thenaali
• Kadavul Paadhi - Aalavandan

A funny incident!

After a grueling day at work, I came down to Tidel Park to board my 7.30 PM bus to reach home. As usual, Rajiv Gandhi Salai was bustling with traffic, where bikers define their own rules, pedestrians cross the roads at will, overcrowded MTC buses defy gravity and the share auto(the mangled remains of a crashed Auto Rickshaw, when rehashed gives birth to a strange thing called Share Auto ) wallas beckon the tagged gentlemen and women for one-helluva-ride!

It was 8PM, I was still waiting with bated breath, wondering whether the bus had already left! When the clock ticked 5 min past 8, bus finally arrived and I puffed away a huge sigh of relief. People (fellow employees) took-off like a bat out of hell, to ensure they got seat. I was the last to board the bus, and fortunately I got a window seat. Moments later, I noticed that the person who was sitting in the front seat was a Mobileaholic,a conclusively proven fact, for he was talking ever since I had reached the bus stop, CUG was doing the trick, I guess. 'He is a non-stop-non-sense' I thought to myself. His antics were irritating me… And what surprises me the most is, these are the same people( both men and women) who notch a vociferous 110 Decibel while a striking normal conversation, and invariably drop down to a feeble 30 Db, while talking to their special-someone. This is a trick, these people posses up their sleeve. And I wonder what these people talk all the time, all day long…

Coming back to the story, The trip sheet which is normally passed in the bus, is supposed to be filled-in by every associate which captures the basic details like Associate ID, Destination et al, and this gentleman, seated at the front did not care to fill it when it was passed to him, nor did he care to pass it to me. I was waiting patiently for my turn to fill it up, and I would then doze-off happily. I was closely monitoring him, he would just go about start filling-in, and then be immersed in the conversation doing all sorts of non-verbal gimmicks. He would then again have a look at the trip sheet, start filling-in and again would get lost in the conversation. Finally he made up his mind and started filling-in something concrete and just when I thought he was done with it, he puts aside the trip sheet pad and again started talking. I got enraged and by the time the bus reached Guindy, I totally lost my cool and said 'Boss are you going to pass that trip sheet or not' and he responded saying ' The pen doesn't write'!

I sheepishly smiled and curled up in my seat…

Sathyam 'Extravagant' Cinemas!!!

I really detest starting-off blogging on the break of a new year, with an unpleasant experience. But then, I couldn’t help it! While most of the Chennai-crowd were merrily celebrating the New Year at party halls, beaches and resorts, I chose to visit Sathyam Cinemas!

I quickly discovered Sathyam had something new in store for us. What??? LCD screens at restrooms, gaudily displaying the new releases and show timings… What a crock of shit that was! Sathyam Cinemas hitherto had done some significant renovation, reorganization and restoration. Worth a mention is the plush seating, RDX, Magic-Hat, Fuel, Pure Cinema et al…

But this one??? How on earth is this going to command a better movie-watching experience for the viewer? Looks Sathyam were left with surplus funds, and decided to piss it over… Utterly Preposterous…

It wouldn't spring up as a surprise if Sathyam shoots-up the ticket price in the name of such barren benefits and make ‘stinking’ profits! Beware where your money goes!