Vishwaroopam

The recent happenings surrounding the movie has really disheartened me. For someone who is a non-tamilian(tamizhan if you would like to call it) and even then took immense pride in hailing from Tamilnadu, i always thought that it had a good mix of free and open minded people. This is proving to be wrong again and again. And I am not saying this only out of frustration or just by listening to the news. I watched the movie on Sunday(in Telugu though i am pretty much sure not much is lost in translation) and can definitely say there is nothing offensive to Muslims in there.The movie doesn't even talk about Indian muslims(only from a point it does, but that too is shown in a positive light) so where does the question of offending them come from?  Many of them seem to have formed an opinion without even watching it. Now my question is if Vishwaroopam is not going to see daylight in Tamilnadu, why was Oh My God, which takes potshots on God and religions, released there? Didn't they find it offensive? It definitely mocked some of the hindu religious beliefs. That aside, its really bad to see that someone like Kamal Hassan( a man of great stature in Tamilnadu) who has been in the industry for over 40 years, has to face something like this. With due respect to the so-called democracy in our nation, seriously where are we heading to??

Picture courtesy : Maggie's Notebook

My Elixir

Filter coffee - A cup in the early morning is all I need to function properly!

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.

Asura- Tale of the Vanquished

Almost done reading 'Asura' and i realize that everything depends on perception. Life is all about how you perceive things. The book has an interesting take on Ravana and his side of the story- Ravanayana as the author likes to call it. It has definitely opened a whole new world of thoughts for me..that everything has another side to it...true to the quote -  "There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth"

All through my life, i have been made to believe Ravana was the bad guy and his death is celebrated year after year across the world for all his bad deeds. After 'Asura', i am not so sure of the 'bad guy' part. If the author(Anand Neelakantan) has managed to bring in such a thought(however miniscule it may be) in his reader's mind, i think he has been very successful in completing his job i.e.putting across his side of the story. I would recommend this book just for its sheer audacity, albeit some grammatical mistakes, in a world where everyone grew up listening to only one side of the story - which was Rama's.

Happy Madras Week!

Of tart mango slices coated with salt and chili

and gazillion silk sarees woven with zari,

Of Hindu paper with strong suda-suda filter coffee

and worshipping godlike rajini even at sixty,

Of feisty elliots and marina beach

and not to forget the chennai heat :)

Of well-oiled hair with jathi-malli

and the alphabet 'zh' that caught my fancy,

These are just some of the endless memories,

18 years of my existence i owe it to you,

To you, Madras, with all my love :)

Photo courtesy - Wikipedia

Of beaches, sand and...

lying on a beach shore

with sand on my toes

basking in the gentle sun

i think, "oh..what fun!"

the waves, they come,

gently caressing the shore

roaring to tell a secret

about the sun and its planets

As i watch this scene with awe

i realize an innate respect for the blue

humbled, i allow the ocean song

to clear my mind of every wrong...