Tamil Pulp Fiction

Sometime back, I happened to visit the Bangalore Literature Festival and chanced upon this book. I had read about it before so i thought 'why not!'. So i picked it up with absolutely no expectations! The cover picture may seen very lurid but that's what Pulp Fiction is all about, right? For the uninitiated, refer this. 

So the result ...was an absolute joy ride! A collection of short Tamil stories, translated into English to showcase this wildly popular form of writing, which began as early as 1950s. The publishing house has selected some of the best works from 10 bestselling Tamil authors. These authors are serious competition to the Sidney Sheldons and Dan Browns,must say! I don't know if there was something lost in translation and it really dint matter to me that were translated that too not by the original author! I was also surprised by the content of some of the stories considering the era in which they were written. Very bold, at least a few of them and some cheesy dialogues here and there but it was fun! My personal favorite among them is 'Sweetheart ,Please die!' which was a very riveting story and I couldn't keep the book down until I finished it. Each story has an introduction to the author and his writing style. The midsection has an illustrious set of pulp fiction covers which were published earlier showcasing the tamil pulp fiction art.
Overall, the stories cover different genres- suspense, love, reincarnation, sex, drugs etc. So there is something in there for everyone. Read it with an open mind and let it grow on you.If you are an English aficionado, please skip it since that is not the main intention of the book.

I cant wait to grab a copy of Volume II!

Life of Pi

From the time i watched this movie, i have been promoting it like nobody's business (maybe i should ask Ang Lee for some monetary benefits!). So if i have to jot down the reasons why i really liked the movie and why one should watch it then here it goes -

•  It would definitely be India - One of the fewer Hollywood movies where a beautiful India has been depicted. More so, India has not been shown with just a 'Taj Mahal ' or those extravagant palaces of Rajasthan. Aesthetically shot, this could join one of those 'Incredible India' videos for sure. 
• I would prefer the book to the movie any day but i think the movie did good justice to the book too albeit a whole part being eliminated. If you haven't read the book, good for you! Go and enjoy the movie.
• I thought the 3-D effects were brilliant in the movie and some of the scenes (Spoiler Alert!), especially the one where the ship sinks and Pi sees it inside water, are a class apart. This one will stay with me forever i think. Very touching indeed!
• It gives you a spiritual high . I am not joking ..but it really got me thinking(again!) about God, beliefs etc. Some of them i spoke to, dint understand the whole spiritual concept behind it and all that they thought was that the movie is a good visual entertainer. That's pretty sad!
• I sometimes really wonder if nature is as beautiful as they have shown..i am referring to the aquatic life, skies,ocean..splendid! I feel we are missing out on so many such things due to our mundane life. 

Finally, the beautiful journey of Pi with Richard Parker, the obstacles that they undergo together, the fear that they share..you have to see it to enjoy it.