Sunday, November 2, 2008

Yuvvraaj Audio Review


Moment of The Album :

The 35 seconds from 4:20 of Tu Muskara.


1. Tu Meri Dost Hai - 7.5/10
2. Shano Shano - 7/10
3. Tu Muskura - 8.5/10
4. Mastam Mastam - 7.5/10
5. Zindagi - 7.5/10
6. Dil Ka Rishta - 8/10
7. Manmohini Morey - 8/10
8. Shano - Remix - 7/10

Overall Album Rating :- 8/10 "GREAT"

(Note - The above ratings MAY vary Marginally in future. Keep watching this space!!)

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Vaaranam Aayiram Audio Review


Highlights :

  • Mundhinam & Nenjukkul Peidhidum.
  • Naresh Iyer's vocals in Mundhinam.
  • Shruti Haasan's vocals in Adiye Kolluthey.

1. Adiye Kolluthey - 7/10
2. Nenjukkul Peidhidum - 7.5/10
3. Yethi Yethi - 7/10
4. Mundhinam - 7.5/10
5. Oh! Shanthi! Shanthi - 7/10
6. Ava Enna - 5.5/10
7. Anul Mele - 6/10

Overall Album Rating :- 6.5/10 "FAIR"

(Note - The above ratings MAY vary Marginally in future. Keep watching this space!!)

Friday, October 10, 2008

Back to Cricket....!! Unfortunately.

The Big Fight is on. In Indian soil. The clash between two of the superpowers of world cricket Australia and India (superpower??!!) has brought the limelight back on Indian Cricket. As though the limelight had ever shifted from it!

Before i continue any further, I'd like to say that Cricket is my 2nd favourite after Football, in terms of sports i Love to watch. And so do not misunderstand me as some Cricket-Hater because of the article you're about to read. But this is something which I've been longing to write for ages now. And its precisely about the negative impact Cricket has had on Indian sports.

Its been just about 2 months now since the 2008 Summer Olympics. But even then its Indian heroes are almost as good as forgotten at the moment (Abhinav Bindra. Ring a Bell??). Even when Cricketers don't play any cricket, The Media don't give them a break. Can they be blamed? The world's richest sports body - BCCI. How did it become that? Millionares Vijay Mallya, Mukesh Ambani, Shah Rukh Khan buying IPL teams. We can question their attitude and ask why they would not do the same for sports like Hockey or Football. Are they wrong?? They're just doing what anyone else would have done in their position. Investing in something which would yield high returns. But the bottom line is, Cricket has literally shut out the other sports. And this is because of us! Our craze for this game is what is responsible for it.

I'm not criticizing the nation's general taste. But I just wish we'd give other games a try! And we should do so taking certain facts into account.

1. The number of countries who "competitively" play Cricket is 8 to 10. When there are totally about 200 countries! And even in this list of 8, we're not the top. So what is it that makes us so crazy about Cricket?!? I mean i can understand if Australia were as crazy about it. Because they're the best cricket team in the world.

2. Football is the most widely watched game in thew world, with almost every country on earth participating in it. I believe Brazil can take 1000 times greater pride in winning the Football World Cup than we would do if we win the Cricket World Cup. Thats because Brazil has truly competed at a GLOBAL LEVEL. A tournament with 8 countries involved (truly speaking!!) and we call it a World Cup?!!? Makes me Laugh My Ass Out!

3. In the recently concluded Summer olympics, we won 3 medals - 2 Bronze, 1 Gold. China won 51 Golds. USA had won 110 medals in total. And only 3 medals from a country with 1 billion people. Wow!!

4. Hockey is our National Game, hope you know that, and yet the state of Indian Hockey is miserable. We even had news earlier about some people trying to demote it of its National Game status. So much for what cricket has done.

5. I really wonder if people in today's world have time to follow a match for 5 full days! Alright its a TEST match and its a Test for the players involved. And sometimes it is a good watch. But sometimes its as much a Test for us!!

6. The population of Spain is 20 million less than that of Tamil Nadu! And yet in terms of sports they draw no comparison to India. Just a few examples of the Sports they excel in would be Football, Tennis, F1. They even won 18 Medals this Olympics (incuding 5 Golds).


Its now time for us to ponder over this. And see what cricket has done to other Sports in this nation. Just like many others even I dream that one day we win the Football World Cup. But for that to happen, a lot has to change. Starting with our attitude on games other than Cricket....

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Sakkarakatti Audio Review

Its always a special feeling listening to many of ARR's songs and it is one, even to review one of his albums.

'Chinamma' is a great track with beautiful music and good singing. A Special mention about Chinmayee who was simply amazing in the song. Its such a treat hearing her sing.

'Elay' is without doubt the best track of the album. At first listen this track seems very ordinary which gives Most people a 'heard-that-before' feeling. But this is where the true talent of ARR is brought about. He has literally transformed a song with a very ordinary tune, to a superb foot-tapping number with some spell-binding music!! If you want to know what i mean, try singing this song without its music and see how plain and unattractive it sounds. Thats the greatness of ARR's music. The intense detail of music in this song calls for numerous listens.

'I Miss You Da' fails to maintain the standard set by the first two songs with experimentation which did not exactly create a great listen. But nevertheless we now know about Chinmayee's versatility too.

'Marudhaani' and 'Naan Epoudhu' (which I've already heard numerous times through the hindi version in 'Meenaxi') are two more good tracks which maintain your interest in the album but don't have anything which make them extraordinary.

And finally, the most talked about song of this album is far from the best. The popularity of 'Taxi Taxi' dwells on the simple fact that its very catchy and has a simple but attractive tune. It is a truly commercial track with ordinary music. Throughout the song you hear the same beats and does not possess a great recall value. Few months from now you will not find 'Taxi' half as appealing as it is, now.


In comparison this album is way better than the average score in 'Sivaji: The Boss' but does not match upto his previous release 'Azhagiya Tamil Magan' IMHO.


Chinamma - 8/10
Elay - 8.5/10
I Miss You Da - 6.5/10
Marudhaani - 7.5/10
Naan Epoudhu - 7/10
Taxi Taxi - 7/10

Overall Album Rating :- 7/10 "GOOD"

(Note - The above ratings MAY vary Marginally in future. Keep watching this space!!)

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Virender Sehwag

Its high time i wrote an article on this special batsman. First up, hats off to his performance in the 2nd test at Galle. His single handed batting display where he scored 201 of the 329 runs in the first innings is the prime reason for our victory!

I hate calling myself a "fan" of anybody. Maybe its because fans are often narrow minded and non-critical when it comes to their respective "idols". And maybe its also because fans know a lot of info and trivia about their idols, which i certainly don't have. Hence I'd rather call myself an Admirer. Until a year ago, it has been only Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble from our Indian Cricket Team that i call myself an admirer of. Now, Viru too!

He is one of the most exciting cricketers to me. When he is out on the field to bat I'm always on my heels! ( not literally! :-D ) You'll never know what he does next. I tell you, i cannot imagine many players who would hit a sixer to get to their triple century.

Such is the courage and attitude of this guy. And that's what i like most about him. His attitude to the game. The way he approaches his batting is unique. The naivety he possesses with regards to his batting is a joy to watch. I remember Ravi Shastri quoting him from an interview saying that "When i go out on the field to bat, all i think of as an opener is to whack the ball all over the park. Because thats only way i can make the new ball old and remove its shine and swing!!" :-D

His chirpiness on the field whether batting, bowling or fielding is another thing i like. I hope Viru never changes and he is the same always. He is an asset to the team and i think he should never be dropped from it. Because when Sehwag clicks, he can demolish the opposition like none else! He is a real match-winner!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

The Abortion Issue

This has always been a hotly debated topic as Rationalism and Religion take different stances on this issue.

As far as I'm concerned, i think religious views should be altered based on circumstances which warrant an abortion.

A possible case might be that of a rape victim. In the rare case that she is unable to recieve medical treatment immediately following rape, and, in the rarer case that she becomes pregnant, is it then justified to perform an abortion on the unborn foetus?

What we should consider in this case is that the bearer of the consequences of rape i.e. the pregnant woman has not made the Choice to become pregnant. But there lies a Choice whether to perform an abortion on the foetus. Why should the woman bear a child which can cause her mental agony, because of the nature of events leading to its birth. Besides it is not a Choice she made. It was an act of violence.

Pro-ethicists and theologians may argue that this is just as bad as a career-oriented abortion from the point of view of the unborn foetus. But the comparison is ridiculous as the situation and reasons are different. They may also say that that the attitude of these pregnant women towards their unborn child, may progressively change from repulsive to that of something innocent. That is however a subjective view and varies from person to person. It is easy for them to pose such arguments than placing themselves in the woman's position.

Today you have the Mehtas' case making news on all channels throughout the country. As per the law, according to the provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971, abortions are permitted up to the 12th week of pregnancy. Between the 12th and the 20th week, an abortion can be permitted with the consent of two doctors only if the mother or the child faces a fatal risk. However, beyond the 20th week of pregnancy, an abortion can be conducted only if the mother’s life is in danger and not the child’s. A doctor, who conducts an abortion beyond the 20th week for any reason apart from a fatal risk to the mother, can be sentenced to imprisonment of up to seven years. Unfortunately the mother (Mrs. Mehta) is in her 25th week of pregnancy and has found out that her child has a congenital heart problem. Should the law be amended?

I firmly believe so. The law cannot make exceptions. And hence has to be amended. The law exists to make lives better and safer. It is not the mother's or the child's fault that only a
diagnosis after 20 weeks revealed the defects. Besides, the fundamental question which arises is, Is it necessary to give birth to a child whose life is at a fatal risk from the moment it is out of the womb? Is it necessary to give birth to a child who cannot lead a normal life like others, when the birth itself can be avoided? Why does the child and the mother have to undergo suffering and agony for no mistake of theirs?

Sunday, July 27, 2008

The Dark Knight - A Review

"The Best movie to have released in recent times!!"

IMHO The Dark Knight is a movie to which the above statement can be applied to.

The pre-release hype that surrounded this movie was unmatched. The very good first part (Batman Begins) and the death of the movie's main antagonist Heath Ledger (The Joker) were the prime reasons for it. Besides this Warner Bros. adapted aggressive marketing for this big budget movie. There are very few movies that i can think of that have lived up to the hype that they've created. This movie not only lives up to it, but surpasses all. There are even fewer movies that i know, that have become both, box office hits and critically acclaimed. And this movie is one of those elite!

There is not one aspect of the movie where the movie falls short of a high standard. Be it Direction, Acting, Story, Entertainment, you name it, this movie has got it all. Its just not one of those mindless non-stop action flicks, with Only jaw-dropping stunts. It has got everything. Even Emotion, which many movies of this genre lack.

And then just when you thought it was all over there comes a twist! That is another thing special about this movie. Despite the length (2hrs 30 mins) the movie is so gripping and fast-paced that you will never once feel "its a bit of a drag now" (i checked my watch in the end to see if it really was 2 and a half hours).

A lot has already been said about The Joker's performance that I'm about to say. Whether he deserves an Oscar can only be said with relation to other great performances in other movies this year. The Joker has put up a splendid show but then again i feel that its not the kind of performance that cannot be replicated. Maybe it was my huge expectation on his performance which has made me say this, I don't know. There are already talks about who might be the next joker (Daniel Day Lewis? Johnny Depp?). It remains to be seen if anyone can ever match up to Ledger's performance. Though all this said, it is acting which you would love to see over and over and over again..... The Joker has immortalized Heath Ledger.

Christian Bale has been overshadowed by Ledger in this movie. But nevertheless the cast of Bale, Oldman, Eckhart and Caine have delivered power-packed performances befitting the movie's stature. I feel Katie Holmes would have done the job better than Maggie Gyllenhaal, as she is a better actress than the latter, in my opinion.

The movie is even a visual spectacle and for those looking for high-flying action and special effects, you wont be disappointed.
Possibly one of the best parts of the movie arrived in the last 10 minutes or so, which contained memorable dialogues and powerful scenes. It sets this movie apart from any other super-hero movie ever made. And when the words, "The Dark Knight" is displayed across the screen just before the end credits roll, you can feel the hair on your skin rise!!

Expectations are obviously high on Chris Nolan for the next Batman movie. But even if he is the same man who made Memento and The Prestige besides the two Batman movies, i don't think even He can surmount his accomplishment in The Dark Knight!

There is little that I've said above that has not been said before about this movie. So rather than reading the countless rave reviews, i suggest you watch the movie immediately, if you haven't. Watch the movie without any of the expectations created by Reviews similar to this one, to enjoy the movie even more. :-) :-)

Rating : 10/10

(I never thought I would put such a rating ever again, for a movie after The Departed !)

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Metal - The most Misunderstood genre in Music


When i first started listening to Metal music, i may never have imagined that i will write such an article.

To most people, Metal may typify as Noise! :-D Cant really blame them because that was the way even i've felt (sometimes) in my very initial stages of listening to this genre.

There are some kind of movies where u did not quite comprehend much, and hence feel a re-watch is needed. And it is only after the re-watch u appreciate the true greatness and value of the movie There are some other similar kinds of movies in which u do not feel too good after the end, and u think u will never see this movie again. But later when u start thinking about the entire movie as a whole, u start to appreciate it a lot more, to the point that u want to watch it again. Quality Metal music can be compared to either of these kinds of movies.

Because of its "heavy" nature and relatively limited audience (compared to easily appealing genres like Pop and Rock), very little Metal music is heard in Mainstream music. (Mainstream music refers to the Commercial world of music like in Airplay and Music Videos, the kind of music We hear most of the time, on Radios and TVs). Hence few people actually get to know more about this genre. The common misconception that this kind of music is Noisy and bad for the ears, is Nonsense to say the least. It is just the same as any other kind of music in that sense.

As it is obvious Metal requires some patience in listening to. To me the extent to which a music is "Good" depends on how much it sustains the interest in me Everytime i listen to it. The layers of music in a song is what will eventually keep this interest. In other words it is the Richness of the music which sustains interest.

In my short talk above u would have realized that i am talking only about the Music in a song. Thats right. I don't give a damn for the lyrics in a song. One reason for that s i feel music is a language of its own and the music is what captures me most. Besides i feel lyrics in most songs don have much value or sometimes even meaning ( unlike poetry!). It is only in the rare case that i start enjoying a song So much that i try to make out its lyrics. And of course the above statements don't apply when i listen to Hip-Hop songs :) :)

Coming back to Metal, i can say that it is one of the most instrument-centric genres. Most listeners of Metal don pay much attention to its lyrics. They listen to it for the way the music is created. Most of the time this is done by the Classic instruments of Drums and Electric Guitars. They are the mainstay of Metal music.

Metal is a very diverse genre in itself with tens of other sub-genres originating from it. Each of the sub-genres differ in one or more of the following Major ways :

1) Kind of Vocals used
2) Song Structures
3) Pace of the music
4) Tone, Bass
4) Instruments used

I must add here that Linkin' Park, a band which is especially quite popular in India, come under the category of Nu-Metal (or so they say!!). I should however say, that their music is average or below average imho. And if you want to listen to some "real" metal, they're certainly not it!

To most of the relatively new listeners of this genre, some genres may appeal more than the rest. But for the experienced listeners it All ultimately boils down to Great Music.

For those who enjoy music, and really dig instrumental stuff, i recommend giving Metal a try. And remember, it does not come on easily at first. :-)

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Dasavatharam - A Possible Interpretation

THE FOLLOWING POST CONSISTS OF EXTRACTS TAKEN FROM ANOTHER WRITTEN SOURCE.


DASAVATHARAM FAQS - CHAOS THEORY AND BUTTERFLY EFFECT
Kamal Haasan's ten roles in Dasavaratham

Rangaraja Nambi (12th century Vaishnavite -- Buddha avatar??)
Govindarajan Ramaswamy (bio technologist - Rama avatar??)
George Bush (US President)
Avtaar Singh (Punjabi singer)
Christian Fletcher (US ex-CIA officer)
Shinghen Narahasi (a Japanese martial arts expert - narasimha avatar??)
Krishnaveni (95-year-old, mentally retarted woman - Vamana avatar??)
Vincent Poovaraagan (a Dalit neglected by the society due to their caste - Krishna avatar?)
Kalifullah Mukhtaar (8 feet tall innocent muslim - Kalki avatar??)
Balram Naidu (Telugu intelligence officer - Parasuram avatar??)

Here is the excellent explanation about Chaos theory and Butterfly Effect and ofcourse Dasavatharam - From a forwarded message -


FOR THOSE WHO LOVED Dasavatharam AND ALSO FOR THOSE WHO CUDNT UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT!!!!!!!!!!




Too many doubts about correlation of the movie, Chaos theory and Butterfly Effect have come into Picture….!!!

The movie clearly states about Chaos Theory and Butterfly Effect [Kamal says it in his Speech in the Movie ]

The concept of “CHAOS THEORY” and “BUTTERFLY EFFECT”, by itself is a complex concept, which mainly highlights the happening of huge unimaginable things because of least probable things…!!!!

Dasavatharam although deals with these concept, but does not necessarily confuse anyone with it,,,,



To just brief about these Concepts,

Q: What is Chaotic System ?
A: Basically a chaotic system is one wherein long term predictions are impossible.Like for example,if I push a car, I know that it is going to move and it will continue to do so if I go on pushing it on and on.However,in a chaotic system,this situation cannot be predicted over a long period of time.
Weather for example is a chaotic system.No matter how good your instruments are,you simply cannot predict the weather with 100% accuracy over a long term basis and forecast it.

Q: What is the Butterfly Effect ?Matsyavatara
A: It is the most important component of a chaotic system.Basically,small perturbations results in amplifications which completely destroys the original nature of the system and makes prediction impossible.
If a butterfly flaps its wings in Africa,it could result in a cyclone in USA.(Mark the word COULD).A highly dumbed down explanation of the butterfly effect is in the film Anniyan,where Vikram’s sister dies because a liquor shop owner sells liquor on a dry day.

Q: OK, how does Dasavatharam incorporate it ?
A: In essence,Dasavatharam talks about 8 characters who are inconsequential as such,but are integrated in a larger picture.Without Bush,the plane would have been called back.Without Shinghen, Govind would be dead.Without the tsunami,the world would have been destroyed.Even Krishnaveni Patti plays a very important role.If she had not put the vial in the idol,maybe Govind would have recovered it then and there and a powerful weapon would have been unleashed.The very fact that it went into the idol meant that it was being accelerated to its destiny.Without Kaifulla Khan, Govind would have never escaped;the list simply goes on.

Q:OK,so does the film talk about theism or atheism?
A:Neither.It talks about how humans drive the destiny of the world.

The idol that is drowned in the sea along with Rangarajan in 12th century by Chozha king results in a fault being developed at the bottom of the ocean and creates tremors more than 800 years later. These tremors result in the Tsunami. This again is a classic case of Butterfly Effect wherein a seemingly inconsequential event (the drowning of the idol) saves Tamil Nadu from being wiped off the face of the earth.


The 1st scene is perfectly connected to the climax, remember what Kamal says in the first scene, that he will not say “Om Nama Shivaya” , but Asin tells him to chant it , but still Kamal refuses , ( in this kamal in his story tries to tell that ) Nambi believes in his god more than anything, but Asin feels “Its ok if we change the god or chant other god’s name, its life thats most important.” Now if u see the climax its JUST OPPOSITE…. Kamal doesn’t believe in god much and values lives of people the most…. but Asin deeply believes in god and that too this dialogue comes when both Asin and Kamal’s hand is on the god which came from the sea , and it also means that they are getting united from the place they departed hundreds of years back ( Kamal and Asin).The connection between the 1st scene and the climax in the movie shows the generation circle combined with supernatural powers of GOD and destiny…..!!!

If you watch it closely u can also find another actor who has done double action other than Asin and Kamal.
Asin’s father Sahasranamam [12th Century], in the beginning he says to Nambi “Panchatchira manthirathai sollitu vaango mappillai” and at the End [After tsunami] he says “Avar enna jathiyo inga vaanga paati “.
Another Eg. of Chaos Theory and circle of life.

FURTHER————-

Nambi explanation

Okay, this is slightly outside the chaotic system driving the film as a whole. From what I could gather he says that this story is about ideologies like God,the madness surrounding such ideologies and decides to tell the story of the Shaivite-Vaishnavite conflict to show how people go crazy in the name of God as an example.

As a loose end,it gets tied up in the end,when the Ranganathar idol is thrown out of the sea due to the tsunami which highlights the cyclic nature of life.Actually the Nambi character highlights both Chaos and Karma which I explained.That is the brilliance of this film,there is so much to see and understand.

Another explanation(and this is slightly far fetched— as explained earlier) is that Govind is in fact the reincaranation of Nambi. As Nambi he couldn’t protect God and died in the name of God.In order to fulfill his Karma,he is reincarnated as Govind Ramasamy who ultimately saves the world from destruction.The idol in the end somewhat hints to this theory; his story began with the idol and it ends with the idol.
As far as the connection with Nambi character and events in 12th Century goes…
The connection is based on the “Butterfly effect “.

When Govind and Andal goes to the bury the idol in the sands, Andal will stumble on a particular stone couple of times…This is the same stone as the one from 12th Century hen Kothai rips her Thaali and flings it at Kulothunga Chozan…it will end up hanging on the stone. So, the implied message here is Andal is Kothai reborn in the 21s century.

During the encounter with Santhana Bharathi in the sand quarry, it is repeat of the incident from 12th century. Instead of Kulothunga Chozhan, it is the Sand Mafia which tries to inflict damage on the land.

This movie is a brilliant juxtaposition of independent characters whose paths cross, if only briefly, which is stunning example of Chaos Theory.

The idol that is drowned in the sea along with Rangarajan in 12th century by Chozha king results in a fault being developed at the bottom of the ocean and creates tremors more than 800 years later. These tremors result in the Tsunami. This again is a classic case of Butterfly Effect wherein a seemingly inconcsequential event (the drowing of the idol) saves Tamil Nadu from being wiped out off the face of the earth.

But actually kamal has not left anything for our imagination… Explanation struck the right chord, Kamal does tell to Asin in a dialogue that idol which gets sunken back then gets struck between the tectonic plates under the sea and causes tsunami…
Many people missed this dialogue i guess. Kamal’s accent was so very perfect Tamil, that many people missed it…. Being perfect Is a Problem by Itself !!! :)

Although the explanation is a least possible theory, that is what “Chaos Theory” And “Butterfly Effect” are all about.

Its not just the statue that caused the tsunami, but it just started a large chain of effects which kept multiplying exponentially and finally lead to it after 800 years….!!

The story line is that things going wrong are made to be right which involves many people and countries knowingly or unknowingly.

Knowingly:

-Bush, Manmohan Singh, Govindh, Fletcher, Balaram Naidu, Mallika Sherawath.

Unknowingly:

-Nambi’s drowning to death with the heavy statue causes simple changes to the seabed that causes a devastating tsunami 800 years later [According to Chaos theory it is possible.... although it is least probable... It is possible.. so nothing TOTALLY WRONG About it ]
-Poovaragan(actually saved kamal unknowingly—when poovaragan enters kamal and asin were caught by those manal kollayargal.There poovaragan distracts the gang helping kamal to escape),
- Avatar Singh(gave way to Fletcher to escape in the airport unknowingly),
- Japanese(saved govind from fletcher, he knows he is saving but he doesnt know about the play and was there only for revenge),
- Kallifulla and family(saved govind unknowingly)……..
-Vincent is a dalit leader of a lower caste( the so called ) but saved an Iyengar Girl ……and at the end becomes the son of the Iyengar Paati !!
- If Shingen Narahashi’s sister was not killed, Fletcher could have killed govind and used the virus for wrong purpose..

This is based on Chaos Theory..!!!!!

Overworked Cricketers?


Many of us today would have witnessed Indian Cricket Captain MS Dhoni's outburst in the post-match press conference regarding his players being tired because of the Asia Cup schedule.

I must say, i thoroughly agree with him in this respect. I wonder which asshole made such a schedule for the Asia Cup, with two back-to-back matches for the Indians and the Lankans.
The Indians had it even in the preliminary stage. Rarely do we find ODIs being played this way.
In the growing craze for cricket i wonder if we're beginning to forget that even cricketers are human beings.

And what was even more annoying were the statements made by BCCI VP Rajiv Shukla.

1. He says that if a player wants he can ask for rest, if he is too tired. And that Sachin had asked for rest because he wanted it. -

I hope the jackass knows that none of the players in the Indian squad have attained the level of stature as Sachin has, to ask for rest whenever the person feels like it. Besides, asking for rest may even give people the impression that the player is not patriotic enough to "stretch" his body for the country. Nobody would ever think that about Sachin, but if Praveen Kumar asks its a different case!

2. He compares the IPL where he says back-to-back games were played even at that time by the same players. -

The moron does not seem to know that Asia Cup ODIs are a 50 over format, and that The IPL is 20-20.


It is upto the Board to think of the situation from the players perspective and not sanction such ridiculous schedules. And more importantly not make such indifferent statements!!

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Dasavatharam - A Review

******WARNING – SPOILER ALERT!!********

A Kamal Haasan movie garners huge amount of expectations, even
among movie critics because he make films that are Food For
Thought!

But I must sadly say that this film has failed to live upto the hype it
created pre-release, owing to its big names, huge budget, and a
power packed music launch! And it has failed on more than one count.

I appreciate Kamal’s idea, but the execution was poor. And Director
K.S. Ravikumar has to take more of the blame.

Indian movies have seldom looked “convincing” when they try often
to “Hollywoodize” their movies, and the same can be said about
Dasavatharam.The English dialogue delivery by some of the
characters sucked, especially inthe Biotech research part! And even
the sci-fi elements were not carried out with the flair it is generally
done in English movies.

It looks like some of the characters introduced did not fit smoothly
into the story. A good example is the Japanese martial arts master.

If the result of the intention to portray 10 different characters
was this kind ofa Make-Up, then I daresay Kamal would have
been better off portraying 2 or 3 characters rather than 10! The
expressions and skills of the genius actor were hidden behind the
“wax faces”, and the only thing we could appreciate most in those
characters would have been the dialogue delivery (Christian Fletcher,

Kalifullah Khan, The United States President).

Another point of concern would have been Asin’s performance
which, as many felt, was annoying. I'm still wondering if its purely
the Director’s fault or whether Asin would have been able to do
something to make her non-stop yapping character a bit more
watchable.

The script and sequence of events in itself were uninteresting
and not as entertaining as it was intended to be. And a lot had
to do with the commercial elements added into the movie
(typical Ravikumar) in what should have otherwise been made
in a more powerful manner. There was little justice done to
Kamal’s Chaos theory, and the message was a very weak one.

The Music of this movie was very Average. And I must say that
the Himesh experiment has not worked out. The songs certainly
do not possess a high re-listen value. But then again I feel, the
songs sounded A Little Bit Better in the movie.

And possibly the worst part came in the end of the movie,
with an absolutely unnecessary song, and a jig by the US president,
which banished whatever little effect the Tsunami climax had on
the movie!


Before i end though, i would like to put in a word of praise for Kamal
who attempted to bring in such a brilliant concept( The Chaos Theory
and The Butterfly Effect ). The fact that he tried to relate various
incidents in the movie, and prove their cause to the final natural
disaster is very novel. The underlying explanations about various events in
the movie is probably what saves this from being a Truly Average film
But as i said earlier the execution was not effective and the concept
deserved much more.

The best part of thismovie came right at the beginning, with the story
set in the 12th century Chola empire. Considering that, lets hope that
atleast Marmayogi lives upto its expectations. :-)


Rating : 6.5/10

Monday, June 23, 2008

Indo US nuke deal


In headlines these days, all of us would be seeing the constant protest by the Left parties against finalizing the Nuclear Deal. It really irks me to see this attitude by the Left! This is not the first time the Left has worked towards issues detrimental to the country's progress ( Reservation based only on Caste? ) but this is the limit! They just fail to see the economic ramifications it would have on the nation's development! It would be such a huge boon to the raging energy crisis in this country, and hence the world! The reasons they bring up for opposing the nuke deal seem rather stupid and lame!! They say that its because of the imperialist policies of the US and that India should not be so dependant on other countries.

Well arguing against the first point, I hope the Left parties realize that the US has trie dits best to remove possible "deal-killers" from the 123 agreement, besides the fact that US considers India a reaponsible nuclear country! The latter part of the previous statement is further proved by the fact that the US refused Pakistan a similar deal!!

The second point is absolute bullshit! No man can live as an island, and the same applies to countries too!! Our country needs have to be fulfilled, and we cannot forever be dependant on just thorium and fast breeder reactors for our heavy energy needs!!

Its time the Bloody Left parties put an end to this nonsense show. They're seriously jeopardising an opportunity which may never return! It'll also mean that India loses her credibility in the international arena. My heartfelt sympathy is for our PM in this tough time. And the bloody selfish politicians of our country do not have the balls to rather prefer early elections than lose the N-Deal!! Only when we get rid of such Scum from our country will we truly progress!!