Glorious Indecision » movies

Why Kamal, why?

ushakutti — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:31:00 +0000

Okay, I’m a big fan of Kamal Haasan. He’s an incredibly talented actor, plus he’s got all that charisma and charm going for himself. Let’s face it – he is THE MAN.

However, let us set aside the dashing masculine charm that he continues to ooze, and get back to the point about talent. Throughout his career, he has proved his worth as an actor over and over, with movies like Thevar Magan, Nayakan, Thenali, Avvai Shanmugi, Pancha Thantram and Hey Ram (to name a few). He’s already tested his limits by playing four parts in a single movie (Micheal Madan Kamarajan). I think its safe to say that THAT movie was a runaway hit.

Now, 17 years after the release of MMKR, Kamal has come out with movie called “Dasavatharam” in which he plays 10 characters. I think he wanted to prove to the world that he really CAN act. (I assure you sir, we were convinced a long time ago. We really didn’t need this.)

To call the various incidents in this movie a “Plot” or “Storyline” would be a stretch. It supposedly carries “messages encompassing such concerns as the environment, science and faith”. To this, i can only say “It really doesn’t, sorry.”

From the beginning of the film, a series of events begin to unfold out of nowhere. All of a sudden 10 different Kamalahaasans living in various parts of the world start chasing each other with guns, cars, helicopters and fists (kung-fu style). One Kamalahaasan IS George Bush (He doesn’t chase anyone, of course. He merely sends out other Kamalahaasans, who are in the FBI, to chase Kamalahaasan). Meanwhile, there are some Kamalahaasans who are included in the movie merely because they were parked on the side of the road while 2 other Kamalahaasans were chasing each other. Then theres 12th Century Kamalahaasan who was chained to an Idol of Vishnu and then plopped into the ocean. This Kamalahasan appears to have nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of the “story”. Other Kamalahaasans worth mentioning are the Safari-suited-Telgu-speaking Kamalahaasan, Singing-dancing-Sikh Kamalahaasan and Social Worker Kamalahaasan. The most important props in the movie are a small metal box containing a vial of a deadly biohazard of some sort (none of the 10 Kamalahaasans has explained what EXACTLY the vial contains) and then theres also the idol of Balaji aka Perumal (not the same idol that 12th century Kamalahaasan was strapped to). There’s also the Tsunami (I’m not going to bother explaining that one).

After pointing out all the ridiculous points of the “plot”, i shall tell you the one thing that saves this movie. KAMALAHAASAN. He’s pulled off the acting bit. He’s captured 10 different characters bueatifully, with prefect voices, accents and various other character nuances. Too bad the plot was non-existent though.

Verdict:
-10/10 for Plot (thats NEGATIVE 10, for all mathematically challenged folks)
9/10 for Makeup
8/10 for Animation etc.
10/10 for Acting (note – this is called a pun)

Thanks to media hype, everyone is going to watch this movie. Thats the sad part. Even though the movie is a completely unnessecary showcase of Kamal’s talent and has the world’s most ridiculous non-plot, everyone is going to watch it.

As a fan of the actor, i can only say that i will forgive Kamalahaasan when he comes out with his next movie (in which, hopefully, he will restrict himself to playing fewer than 10 parts).

talking about poland

ushakutti — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:27:00 +0000

malayalam is a language tailor made for sarcasm and satire. storytellers and movie makers have made use of this particular aspect of the language to create some of the most interesting, quirky, heart-wrenching, hilarious and unforgettable narratives.

while people like MT, Padmarajan and an army of others have created a slew of classics, one man stands apart – as the king of malayalam satire, a living legend. his name is sreenivasan. a man who flexes his pen, twists malayalam to his hearts conent – and ultimately exposes the true essence what it is to be a malayali.

allow me to elaborate my point with an example….. it is very easy to understand why shobhana’s “vidamattey?…” and “yaarathu?….” bits from the wonderful Manichithrathazhu are so memorable and so often repeated. but only in malayalam, would you find a line like “Polandine kurichu nee oraksharam mindaruthu, athu enikkishtam alla” (delivered by a very frustrated sreenivasan over his first proper meal in days) receive such undeniable cult status.

[if you haven't heard this line, you haven't seen the
amazing and scathingly satirical gem of a
film called Sandesham. so, SHAME ON YOU!!]

Now, if you ask me exactly what the “essence of being a mallu” is…… i’d find it hard to explain. i guess its a mix of acid sarcasm, good humour, strong political views, unbridled cynicism, gossip and boundless wit. Or as a friend pointed out – all things mallu have one trait in common: they thrive on self-criticism. That is exactly what sreenivasan has learnt to capture, time and again, in his work.

They say that the best way to learn a language is to watch movies made in it.
So, If you want to learn malayalam…. watch the classics.
But, if you want to learn to be a malayali…. watch sreenivasan.

Me in 2007

ushakutti — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 15:58:00 +0000

OK, First off, i should tell you that i DONT make new year resolutions and so, this post is NOT about broken resolutions. *flashing teeth*

Don’t you think “Past-Year Retrospection” is a far more prudent MO? You cant break retrospections, now, can you?

So, heres my own PYR 2007 – off the top of my head, in no particular order…….

In 2007, these are the books that i read and still remember (:D)
The Name of the Rose – Umberto Eco
Journey to the River Sea – Eva Ibbotson
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J K Rowling
Cry, The Beloved Country – Alan Paton
Thud! – Terry Pratchet
How to be an Alien – George Mikes
plus lots and lots and lots of chick-lit and several mindless advneture novels(hehe)

In 2007, i watched the following movies and still remember them:
Donnie Darko, Casablanca, to Kill a Mockingbird, Crash, The Departed, The Seventh Seal*, Brokeback Mountain, 300 *grin*, Capote, A History of Violence, Casino Royale, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Heat, Chak De India, Akira Khurosawa’s Dreams*, Taare Zameen Par, Om Shanti Om (i grudgingly admit i liked more parts of it than i hated), Arabikkatha, Mozhi.
(WOW! that is a LOT of movies….)
On TV, i mainly just followed Grey’s Anatomy. Have stated watching The Closer too, though.

*Of these, I caught The Seventh Seal and Dreams at Lakeside Campus’s very own film festival :) “KALEIDOSCOPE“, which was a small but delightful event. Too bad i couldn’t catch the other
films that were screened.

In 2007, I mostly listened to these artists/singers/bands:
The Beatles, U2, Alexi Murdoch, Queen, Dire Strits, Counting Crows, John Lennon, Sting, Bruce Sprinsteen, Bob Dylan, Moby, Dido, Sufjan Stevens, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, Mukesh

Other sweet things in 2007-

Spending a lot more time with the 4R’s (you know who you are :)…) truly delightful thing, this!!
With all the reminiscing, movie-watching (accompanied by movie-pausing and middle-of-the-movie-discussing), gossipping and above all, the silliness that has carried on over the years. Love you guys!!

Attending an impromptou NPSK Reunion early in the year. We had a mellow and happy time, around 20 of us. That was nice :)

Turning 21. It felt profound for a while. That wore off, of course… but i thought i should mention it…..

Celeberating Onam like never before!
Sounds odd, i know- Seeing as i’ve lived my whole life in Kerala. But this years Onam Celeberation on campus was an awesome 2 day affair. It was well organised, un-lame (i know thats not a real word) and fun with traditional games, good natured contests, a delicious sadhya and genreal cheer. What i have to say about Onam this year could fill several posts, actually. You get the idea though – FUN ONAM!

Installing Ubuntu Fiesty all by myself on my PC and having a lot of fun with it. Then updating it to Gutsy without glitches :D

Working on our final year project – getting on a boat, collecting our samples, the whole hoopla.
Most people would hate sieving the mucky sediments, filtering the plankton and frantically taking physico-chemical readings….. but i LOVE IT! :D….. I love walking around carrying the thermometer, salinometer, pH meter and even the lux-meter all at once and recording data at a frenzied pace while people try to knock you off the boat. lol.

The following things/people really grew on me over 2007 -
A certain paraniod, crazy fraud mallu chick; Lakeside Campus; Hindi and tamil movies (both to a very small extent); KIOS; Dr. Gregory House

Regrets 2007 (no, this is NOT the same as making a list of broken resolutions)
Didn’t travel much……….
Didn’t finish many books i started reading……..
Didn’t loose much weight………..
Didn’t conqour any part of the world in my quest for absolute power….
Didn’t *BEEP: THE REST OF THE REGRETS HAVE BEEN BLOCKED since they’re none of your business :P*

Happy New Year Everyone!

Taare Zameen Par

ushakutti — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 15:24:00 +0000

When I started working on this blog, I asked myself what my first post should be about. Then I went to watch this movie, “TZP” as they are calling it. I found my answer……..

Now, I’ve seen enough hindi movies to know that you must NEVER go to one with ANY expectations. In fact, I tend avoid hindi movies altogether. But watching the promos and knowing Aamir Khan had made this movie, I walked into the theatre hoping and praying that this one would be worth it …… hoping I wasn’t wasting an entire evening.

My prayers were answered by a brilliant script, a delightful cast and and insightful direction.

I could easily summarize by calling it an “emotional rollercoaster” or “tear-jerker” or use other phrases that crop up in movie reviews. I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to type out character sketches or a plot summary, either. I don’t beleive I need to.

The message of this film is simple – “Every child is special” and its on every poster. This message is bought to us in an absolutely honest yet subtle and sensitive way. There isn’t a single thing in this movie that stands out like it doesn’t belong. Every character, incident and emotion is genuine.

TZP hides nothing and makes no excuses. It is not a sad movie. It’s not a feel-good movie. It just is……

The animation, music and lyrics deserve special mention. But more importantly, there is no part of this movie that you have to ignore or block out in order to give it 5 stars – and that is saying something for a hindi movie.

Honesty and boldness apart, it is about finding your own silver lining. This is what makes it a true gem of a film.

It’s clear that this movie comes from the hearts of everyone involved. Taare Zameen Par is not meant for just parents or children or teachers – just people. Watch it.

I dedicate this first entry in my blog to Aamir Khan, the perfectionist. :) If he ever reads this, he should give himself a hug.