I wish everyone a very happy and trouble-free new year!
This is going to be one of the most memorable years for me,as I am leaving back to the United states on this new year day.
As always,it has not yet sunk in that I am going to leave my near and dear ones.
I don't think my folks read my blog,but then if they chanced upon this blog of mine,I would like to convey that.."I love you all so much".
To all my friends and relatives who made this trip interesting and memorable..thanks a lot.
See you all next time!
Till then,
Adios.
Wish you all a happy new year again.
Raapi

Posted by rajesh |

This is the title of the movie from 'autograph' movie fame Cheran.I had been looking forward for the movie since Diwali time,but then it got postponed due to some issues.I had been listening to Sabesh-Murali's songs from the movie,which were mellifluous and very meaningful.I had even posted a blog about the song - 'Orumurai dhaan'.Such was the expectation that the songs and the theme of the movie -'a tribute to parents',had created.

When I asked for opinions from the diehard movie fanatics,namely my cousins and a few friends here in Chennai,unanimously all their responses were - 'Oh..That movie..hmm..Think abt it.3 Hrs..Are you ready to spend 3 Hrs sitting through a dragging movie with not much of commercial/comedy stuff in it?'
But then I had already decided long ago that it was worth an effort to start viewing all of Cheran's movies,just because of the hype Autograph had created and the way it had lived up to the expectations.



Few minutes into the movie,it was very obvious that Cheran was trying a hand at doing what he is very good at - Showing incidents with dialogues that every single person in the movie hall could relate to.Almost every scene in the movie seemed to be a replay of one's life and started taking us through an endless bout of nostalgia.I was really awestruck at the way Cheran had tried to detail every bit of trouble,anxiety,selfless thinking and many other little attributes common to all middle class parents.There was not a bit of over-acting from Charanya - the mom and Raj Kiran - the dad.The main thing that I liked was,there was no unnecessary 'item number' that had been thrust in just for the front benchers.
I have always been used to booing crowds and nasty comment passing college students in almost all the movies I had seen in the theatres.But this time it was certainly different.The pin-drop silence and the spontaneous applause during some of the well-acted scenes,mainly Charanya's funny rantings against her daughter-in-law,made it all look great.

This was a movie I had always looked out for - the one which did not glorify the stupidity in the name of 'love'.Although It did show the protaganist engaging in a love affair and as in other movies,taking the bold step of getting married without the parents' consent,but then the whole new world of separation and guilty feeling was very well exposed.The emotions that Cheran portrayed,very well brought the guilt that any son would have for his selfish act and sheer negligence of his parents.
The printing press scenes were very very realistic and lent a good setting for exhibiting the pressing situations that the father had to go through to make ends meet.

I expected the 'Orumurai dhaan' song to have been filmed differently.I thought it was the one which would be te most hurting song in the movie,providing maximum impact.This was because of the lyrics of the song.'Enna solgiraay' song was filmed in a simplistic fashion but was wonderful.

So,what would I say if someone was to ask me about the movie?
If you got a girlfriend,go to the movie with her,as she would understand what it is to live as a family and what is in store later in life after the trance or blissful phase of youth/love she is currently in.The trials and tribulations to follow later would definitely stay well etched in her memory upon watching the movie.

If you have a very close friend,preferably from childhood,go to the movie with him as he and you would be able to relate to so many little incidents from childhood.

If you are fortunate enough that you live with your parents and siblings,please take time to take them to the movie.The joy that one would get while seeing them relate to those scenes and incidents and the smile that would magically emerge from all of us,is simple invaluable.

A wonderful movie,worthy of a watch through its entirety atleast once.Ofcourse watching the clips in bits thorugh all the SUN TV,Jaya TV movie clip shows - thats going to be a treat that I look forward to.

Incidentally this movie is going to be a memorable one for me - thats for an altogether different reason . ..:)

Thanks Cheran for all those tears that you were successful to extract from me.
-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |

This trip I found the auto drivers a little mellowed down and it didn't take much time to realise the reason for this attitude of theirs..
All along I had always been exposed to that rogue like attitude of the auto drivers,everyone of whom seemed to have lost their cool early in the morning and were on the verge of hunting till the last rupee from their innocent passengers.
"Meter ku mela potu kudunga saaar" was a cliched phrase which has been already made fun off by Vivek and all other comedians.
But this trip,there was not many such requests.The bargains that were made- some of them cruel as in 50rs instead of the demanded 100rs,were taken with the right spirit and were sometimes even accepted by the auto drivers.The reason being the calltaxis.They have brought such a shock in the lives of the auto drivers that it wouldn't be long when these guys might become super-well-behaved beings.
Rajnikanth's 'Autokaaran' song from Baasha had so many honey-coated words describing these individuals,some of which are currently bearing truth.
Wiating for the day when I get out of Central Station and an autodriver,well shaven and adorning a uniform comes forward and utters a greeting - "Hello Sir - How are you?Enga poganum?This is the rate chart for different locations.Please let me know wherever you want to go"
A far-fetched dream!But you never know.It could come true,thanks to the call taxis :)

-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |

-Days seem to be too short when it comes to an India trip.The calender sheets seem to disappear much faster than when one is in the U.S.
-The coffee and saambhar that the Indian restaurants have can never be matched by any other cuisine or food item.So delicious and satisfying..
-Sitting on the 'easy chair' and watching a cricket match on TV- The feeling is just so nostalgic and divine!
-Meeting near and dear ones,especially the selfless paati/thaathas is a memorable experience.The genuine blessings that they endow when I do the Namaskaarams while parting - thats invaluable - brings in a sense of reassured confidence and goodness.
-Cute little cousins proclaiming that 'all they want is only you and not thatha/paati or even their amma/appa' -That brings in a smile coupled with a sense of grief as we part and they run behind the autos till the street end waving bye,crying all the way.
-Auto rickshaw guys,by default claim 50% more than the stipulated fare and end up decreasing it by 25% - still being the profitteer in the whole bargaining process.
-Temples seems to be so blissful,except for the Hundi's which seem to have hatched at every corner of the temple.The priests while giving the vibbhuthi have started pointed to the plate,cajoling us to offer money on the plates - which kind of sucks.
-Going around with amma tothe market,holding her tiny finger and watching her bargain 1 or 2 rupees per kilo on every vegetable being bought - brings in fond memories from the past and also a sense of guilt when realising how lavishly I spend money in dollars in the U.S on coke and 15$ dinners,while amma/appa still have not forgotten where they came from and live a contented but peaceful life.

More later..
-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |

Ever wondered what makes those millions of songs in Desi movies watchable?
Whether the heroine is Aishwarya Rai or some unheard local actress,no director wants to risk a movie without those duet songs with around 20 girls dancing in the background!The shameless 50 year old heroes still try to dance it out all through the songs,with the oft-repeated school drill type steps.This write up is not going to focus on the heroes or the heroins.Much is being written about them already,with many bloggers still showering platitudes on those granddad_like_looks_yet_active heroes and just_out_of_school heroines!
Has anyone ever given attention to those millions of extra actors who add "extra" spice to the songs?



These are some of my observations about them..
1)The extra/background dancers for the heroins shall not wear the same coloured dress as the heroine.
2)The extras are carefully picked in such a way that they don't have a pleasing look when compared to the heroine,lest they hog the attention that the heroin was supposed to get!
3)The female extras need to work for every rupee they get as emolument,i.e,they need to mouth the songs and dance thoroughly as if that song was the life or deatch decider for them!
4)The camera should never focus more than a few seconds on any of the extras;the camera speed along with the extra's frantic running in the song making sure that none of their faces get registered in any of the viewers' minds.



5)The male extras generally tend to be dark in complexion,so that hero gets a facelift automatically due to the relatively dark coloured background.
6)LHS=RHS always..Wait thats not any ending to a theorm/proof.It just says the male extras almost always equal the number of female extras in the song!The heights and physical appearances are also matched while selecting these pairs.
7)Both and male and female extras need to replicate the actions that is being done by the hero and heroin respectively!Imagine Vijaykanth doing the "left to right rope pulling" like act in a dance and the extras behind doing the "fast paced in and out peeing" like act in the dance..
8)Not much make-up or powder is allowed for the extras,lest they become more prominent than the pink painted heroin.
9)The male extras generally are not expected to be clean shaven.They need to sport a look reminding everyone of the guy on the street,who doesnt bother to comb his hair or iron his shirt!
10)The female extras from the 1970s and 1980s tamil flicks looked much better than even some of the heroins today!1970/80 extras wore much decent costumes and sported well-plaited hair,sometimes even flowers and they wore shiny clothing.
11)At some part of the song,it is a must for all the male extras to wear a lungi or Veshti,making sure that the underwear underneath is well exposed.

To be continued..
-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |

1)Why is it that it feels good to buy an expensive shoes at 50$ when the sale has been done by stating that the original value of the shoe is 100$ and it is 50% off on sale,whereas the same shoes in India sold directly at 40$ price seems to be a rip off?

2)How different is a 'heads and shoulders' shampoo bottle made in U.S.A from the one that is available in India itself and why is it that some people from India specifically request such stuff?

3)The baggage weight limit that has been implemented recently by the U.S airlines -both domestic and international is 50 pounds per baggage and a 25$ penalty if the wieght is more than 50$ and less than 70 pounds.The reason that has been stated is the difficulty that the baggage check people/baggage loader/unloader junta are having to face with such heavy baggages.My question is..How is a 25$ penalty giving them strength to lift the same?

4)Why do things that don't appeal at all other times of the year,seem to appeal much more and bring in an urge to be bought,when the season is Thanksgiving/Christmas and especially when the things being bought are for near and dear ones in India?

5)Why do Mail-in-rebates scheme still appeal when it has been time and again proved that its a rip-off and has a very slimy chance of going through?Not long when they would have mail-in-rebates for anything and everything starting from bananas to bus tickets in the U.S!

6)Why can't the railway stations in India have trolleys similar to the Airports?Agreed that there would be vehement opposition from the porter unions but then this is one major form of physically enduring manual labour that is being encouraged by the Govt and it puts a very bad outlook on India's image.

7)How many of you subconsciously try to show so-called/self-assumed patriotism by not buying something which says "Made in Pakistan" and how many others try to avoid stuff that says "Made in India" :)?

8)What would be the usage to buying ratio of any SAM's club product?I bet that more than 50% of the stuff bought there reaches the dustbin upon getting old or being disliked for the sheer never-ending quantity.

9)If NRI's were forbidden from carrying chocolates/candies from U.S to India,I bet that it would have a significant impact on the Hershey's Kisses/Tobblerone candy segment sales.

10)Being in a ladies perfume shop for more than 10 minutes makes the nose so numb that all perfumes seem to start smelling the same.The extra fruity essence only makes one get out of the place as soon as possible.Is it why females sport such stuff in the first place ? - to drive away people from their vicinity?

Ok..fine..why all these sudden observations?
Yeah..Am getting ready for yet another India trip soon..
-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |

This seems to be a phase when..
1)I feel I am no more a kid and need to be consulted by the family on decisions which is not even related to me.
2)anything and everything that I come across is treated with skepticism and too much scrutiny by me.
3)I feel theres only a handful of close friends who really are close and are wellwishers.
4)chocolates and icecreams don't really appeal much and in fact seem to bring up memories of the evil monsters attacking a healthy body.
5)a sense of helpless contentment has settled in with respect to what I have studied,to where I have landed myself in a job and what more I need to do in the near future.
6)a dose of arrogance accompanies every statement or argument that I try to put forth.
7)games such as cricket seem to be something that needs to be only watched and not something which I should take part.
8)when I can feel my friends and cousins of my age graduate to the next phases of their lives,while nothing seems to have changed for me since the last 5 years,
9)when even the much hated curd rice seems to be quite astonishingly palatable and no objections are being raised by the tongue.
10)when cooking seems to be fun but the washing of vessels wards off the enthusiasm to cook.
11)when everytime the word "India" gets mentioned in the news/websites/company newsletters,the mind subconsciously pays more attention to it and feels proud for some unknown reason.
12)when the mind conveniently forgets to remember those old-aged grandma and grandpa,who infact keep thinking abt me atleast once a day.
13)when walking a few steps from the apartment to the mailbox/garbage dump area seems to be a tiring task.
14)when every tamil movie seems to be stupid and a sense of pathetic satisfaction emerges once everyone of them is watched without paying any money.
15)every song in a movie seems to resemble some other old song and yet they sneak into the playlist to be listened at work.
16)when temple visits are reduced to mere prasadham eating sessions and the only known 'gajaananam slogam' seems to silently slip out of my mouth unmindful of whatever I think of while looking at the idols.

Got many more of such mundane yet different feeling,but I guess everybody goes through such things at whatever point of life they are in.Its the babies that are the luckiest -They got all their life in front of them and have nothing much to worry.

-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |

lazygeek.net: Rogue Blogging !! stirred some thoughts about the so-called rogue-blogging.

Rogue Blogging??
Hows it different from how most of the tamil dailies report mere rumours as news on the front page?

When such widely circulating magazines and newspapers don't need to justify what they print,do you think any blogger who most often remains anonymous or under a pseudonym gives a hoot as to what he writes?

Rogue bloggers don't really create a commotion.The IIPM issue or the Manjunath episode created such a deal in the blogosphere because most of the bloghoppers/bloggers were able to relate to it and genuinely felt like expressing similar views.

In the case of rogue bloggers,they just manage to get some page hits/encoraging comments from their chaddy dosths for their shitty non-confirming views and outlandish claims/unparliamentary language/baseless allegations.Nobody gives a damn to what they say,not even the bloggers themselves who wrote it.

Is it anything new to blogging?I don't think so...
We have seen enough of such stupids,who try desperately to seek attention and page hits.

-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |