Pleasant to be plump

.. in winter, that is, esp. in the US.. For two reasons - one that I was aware for a long time, and another a new enlightenment.. ;)

First is that plump people have more fat to 'burn' to generate heat inside the body during the winter and thus wont be feeling the outside cold that much.

Lil bit of chemistry now.. Secondly, their excess fat, which is made of long-chain organic compounds, is a bad conductor of electricity. This reduces the extent and the intensity of their getting static shocks. On the other hand, thin and athletic people have low fat and high amount of water and muscle in their body, both of which are good conductors. This makes them more prone to the shocks.

Nowadays whichever metal object I touch at home, I get a shock, many a times with spark as well.. This is more so after I return from gym.. This is the price I have to pay for getting my body fat cut down from over 25% to less than 7% in the last 9 months..

Kramer Batsha

(Pics adopted from Indiadirect and Wikipedia)

I was just watching the first episode of Seinfeld-Season 6. Kramer tells Miss Rhode Island: "If I say something once, it is like telling a thousand times". Ada.. engeyo ketta madhiri irukkey.. Idhuvum suttadha?

PS: I have just added a new feature "My Current Favorite Video" to the sidebar. I am glad that the first song I am posting is one of the most romantic songs I have ever seen. Had this movie been released a month ago, this song would have certainly been added to the "Various Stages of Love" Valentine's day collection. Goutham magic!! Simple, yet so beautiful.. I will be updating this section in accordance with the title, but it looks like this song is here to stay for quite a long time.

Tamil vs Hindi Cinema: 7. Villains

(Pics adopted from musicindiaonline and Galatta)

The movies released in the couple of weeks (e.g., PKMC and Mozhi) made me think about the role of villains in Tamil cinema and compare it with Hindi Cinema. For instance, I was surprised that three of the leading characters in the feel-good movie 'Mozhi' have recently appeared in notable -ve roles. As was done earlier, I am gonna limit the comparison to the post-2000 era.

Tamil cinema:

If you take a look at my post on the most notable villains in Tamil, we have had quite a good amount of versatility in the recent past; but has it been top-class? For that, the list of notable recent villains are:

1) Nasser: Though he was terrific in the early-mid 90's, his recent -ve performances have been forgettable. He appears more often as a loud villain (e.g., Thamirabharani, etc.) than the brainy subdued one he was famous for. His last notable performance was in 'Anbe Sivam'.

2) Raghuvaran: Where is he now?

3) Prakash Raj: Though talented, most of his roles after 'Aasai' were similar, until probably 'Ghilly' and after that, they are mostly similar in 'Chellam' style. Had couple of different hero-resisting roles in 'Vasoolraja MBBS' and 'Anniyan' but apart from that, he is one talent largely being wasted.

4) Pasupathy: Similar to the earlier mentioned, had a rollicking start early in his career (Dhool, Virumandi) only to become loud and irritating later (Arul, Sullan, Madurei and Thirupachi). Majaa and Veyyil suggest that he is better off as a character artist and probably likely to appear so in the near future.

(A point off-the-topic: The exceptional movies that I mentioned above Kamal's influence.. He really brings out the best from his co-artists).

Rest of the others, like 'Kaadhal' Dhandapani, 'FEFSI' Vijayan, Ponnambalam and Aashish Vidyarthi are so-so.. They look, act and shout like villains.. thats all. Rarely have we got the heroes embracing -ve roles. Even if it happens, more often than not, the hero makes up for it by appearing in a goody dual role (e.g., Indian, Aalavandhan, Amaidhipadai and Vaali) . So, he is the loser and he is the winner as well.. Once in a bluemoon we get a Kadhal Konden (Dhanush), or Kaakha Kaakha (Jeevan) and Ayutha Ezhuthu (Madhavan).. here again, the former werent established heroes when they performed the -ve roles.

Hindi Cinema:

(Pic adopted from BBC and Yashraj films)

The situation in the recent past in this aspect has been pretty encouraging and versatile. Almost all the main heroes have appeared in a negative role and have done reasonably well also. For example, Shahrukh (Don-though a bit different and KANK- a gray character), Aamir (1947 Earth and Fanaa), Amitabh (Aankhen, Aks and the forthcoming Sholay), Saif (Omkara), Ajay Devgan (Khakhi and Deewangee), Akshay Kumar (Ajnabee), Abhishek (Yuva), John Abraham (Aetbaar), Sunil Shetty (Main Hoon na) and Akshaye Khanna (Humraaz).

Even the actresses turn out to be interesting villains. Priyanka Chopra (Aitraaz), Kareena (Fida), Esha Deol (Ankahee), Isha Koppikar (Girlfriend), and Bipasha (Jism) to name a few.

In addition to that, the mainstream villains have been reasonably good (e.g., Manoj Bajpai, Ashutosh Rana, Irfan Khan, Mohan Agashe, and Mukesh Tiwari) too of late. The legacy of Pran and Amrish Puri has been passed on and continued well by many others. They usually stumble whenever they portray some Jihadi or Pakistani bigwig as the loud villain but otherwise they are OK. Even renowned actors like Nasirudeen Shah (Krrish, Sarfarosh), Om Puri (Dev, Yuva), Nana Patekar (several) and Boman Irani (Don, Ekalavya, and, to some extent, Munnabhai) appear in -ve roles and add flavor to it. They, IMHO, make the Hindi villains more dislikable than Tamil ones

So, the lead for Tamil cinema is reduced to 3-2.

Previous posts in this thread:

6) Music directors

5) Comedians

4) Good actresses

3) Beautiful actresses

2) Great actors

1) Handsome heroes

India's most eligible bachelors

1) Rahul Gandhi (Hope no Columbian marriage already)
2) Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MEB in Jharkand, officially)
3) Karan Johar (Plz dont laugh)
4) Yuvraj Singh (Why Kim, of all?)
and
5) Simbhu (hehehe)

Anyone u like to recommend?

PS: My first post in 'All Things Kamal' blog on "Kamal & Gandhigiri". Plz do check it out.

Pachai KiLi Muthucharam

(Pics adopted from Behindwoods and Musicindiaonline)

Venkatesh (Sarathkumar), a medical rep. and Kalyani (Andrea)are happily married and have a son. The 4-year old kid is suddenly identified with diabetes, and that affects their marriage life. During his daily journey to work by train, he meets Geetha, (Jyothika) a married lady with a daughter, and they become friends. They are slowly attracted to each other and a relationship starts developing pretty fast between them. When they think they can get away with it, they are jolted by a huge shock which comes in the form of Lawrence (Milind Soman).

I really liked this movie. I have neither read the novel or watched the movie 'Derailed' and I got it confirmed that this is pretty much a replica of the original movie, except may be for the last 30 mins. The story is pretty fast-paced from the beginning, whether it deals with the soft relationship between Sarath and Jo or the twists and turns that happen later. The old title for this movie and the fact that my best friend could guess it midway, as told to me earlier, made me expect a twist when I got a break during the 5 mins. of interval. When it comes, it is accompanied with a couple of mini twists as well.. so watch out.

When the main theme starts evolving, I got a feeling that this is tamil's answer to KANK. The conversations between Sarath and Jo are so believable and we get the feeling as if this is really happening in front of our eyes. Jo has got some best expressive lines similar to what she utters in Kaakha Kaakha. The interactions between Sarath and Andrea are very sweet and romantic. Andrea's reaction when she comes to know of her husband's mistake is something new to the Tamil cinema, and it completely suits to her personality shown thus far. Goutham proves again that he has a unique way of looking at relations and emotions, suiting to the present age.

Sarath comes off with flying colors as a typical middle class man who is simple, afraid, love-seeking, confused, and loving to his family. Except for a couple of fight scenes which could have been avoided with some clever thinking, he has played probably a most realistic role ever in his career. I wish he gets to act in such down-to-earth roles more in the future. Jo looks very different (interesting make-up). As always, Goutham brings the best from her. Sad that we will get only one more movie from this good actress. Andrea (the female voice in 'KaRka kaRka' of VV) is beautiful, sweet, elegant and does well in the short screen time she gets.. more than what one can expect from a newcomer. Where did she come from? Milind reminds us a lot of 'Pandiya' of Kaakha, in his actions and dialog delivery, and I think Jeevan has provided the dubbing voice.

PachaikiLi muthucharam is not a flawless movie. The last half an hour was a bit dragging, though the song that fits there makes it tolerable. As mentioned earlier, Sarath's realistic performance becomes unrealistic when he bashes up a dozen goondas single-handedly. Jo's last few minutes in the movie come off as irritating, though it is a new Avatar for her. These are above-minor hiccups in an otherwise engrossing movie.

As one can expect of a Goutham movie, the technical aspects are top-notch. The songs are picturized pretty well - especially the "Un sirippinil" (seems inspired from the remix version of "yeh vaada - Tu tu hai meri dil...)". Though it reminds us of 'Partha mudhal' of VV, it is shot better than the latter. 'KAdhal konjam', though comes pretty late, is worth waiting for. 'Karu karu' blends with dialogues rather well and the picturization of 'Unakkul naan' (Surprise lyricist: Rohini) reminds of 'Uyirin uyire'. Aravind Krishna's camera captures the mood of the film pretty well.

Very sweet title for a nicely made movie. Watch it - it is different.

Different stages of Love

On the occasion of Valentine's day, some clips (thanks to Youtube), which are my all-time favorites, and currently playing in my mind.. When I thought about them, I realized that they fitted very well into a nice trend.. :)

1) School Love:



What a song!! A matchstick lightens the room, and he sees the most beautiful thing - her smiling face. The song goes on to show some beautiful interactions between the two youngsters.

2) College Love:


One of the best 3 songs of 2007; well, some consider this to be the best. I won't argue.. Very cute song.. chancelessly handsome Surya, very homely and loveable Bhumika make an excellent pair. The chemistry between them was just perfect.

3) Office Love:


Another beauty.. Simran is so believable when she shows her nervousness in the company of her beloved. Superb melody.

4) Newlyweds' love:


:) Everything is just sooo perfect with this song - the pair, their romance, the choreography, location, cinematography, the singer, music, lyrics.. Literally a dream song!!

5) Mature love:


Another of the top 3 best songs of 2006.. Similar to my fav movie 'Before Sunrise', thalaivar and Jo just keep talking to each other and spend time together, eventually falling in love. Their admiration for each other is shown in a subtle manner.. The backdrop of NYC is another added attraction.

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone!!

Sachin, the unsung bowler

His recent form notwithstanding, Sachin has always proven his detractors wrong with his bat more often than not. Since 2004, his bowling has picked up reasonably well too - his bowling average of ~ 27 in this period is comparable with most contemporary full-time bowlers. In the recent win against the West Indies at Cuttack too, he played an important role by picking up 2 wickets at crucial times at excellent economy rate.

I observed something rather peculiar during the course of the match. After he got his wicket, his batting average and bowling average were exactly the same, upto two decimal points - 43.87 (circled red in the pic).. Interestingly, there was a good correlation between the wickets taken and amount of runs scored by him too (circled blue).. 145 wickets and ~145 x 100 runs !!! i.e., he gets a wicket after he collects precisely a hundred runs.

I believe that he has an important role to play in the forthcoming world cup as a bowler too.. That is bcos the slow and bouncy wickets in WIndies would suit his style of assorted spin bowling.. Wanna bet?

From Madurai to Manhattan

Yesterday I had a chance to see the first snow fall of my life. So, this long overdue wish was over atlast.. :) Night temperatures hover sub-zero, so atlast, this is like "Welcome to Northeast!!". I was just remembering the evolution of my adaptability over the past decade or so. Having lived all my young life in South Tamilnadu, where the climate anytime of the year can only be defined as 'Hot, hotter or hottest', my parents hesitated a lot to send me to Bangalore. And, my first couple of winters in Bangalore were terrible. Imagine a guy who would shiver at the approx. 20 C evening temperature of Madurai being brought to approx. 10 C of Bangalore.

Those of you who used to visit my blog in my early days can recall the name 'Sinusitist' that I used to call myself. My sinus in the final year in Bangalore was real bad, so I was worried about the cold West. Luckily I came to Florida. Another 10 degrees change.. During the first winter, without the car, it was lil difficult but it wasnt bad. The next move was to New York. Add another 10 degrees in the wrong direction but surprisingly the body has shown good signs of adoptability. Now, I can walk freely without any jacket, at temperatures of > 7 or 8 degrees. So, the moral of the story is, always try to make a graded change.. I wonder what would have happened if I had made a direct transition as in the title of this post..

Kay Bee See

(Pic adopted from Rediff)

I was watching 'Who wants to be a millionaire' after a long time y'day. Its ripped-off version in Hindi is gonna re-enter as KBC-3, hosted by Shahrukh. I observed the sharp difference between the American and the Indian versions. The host here just pretty much asks the qn., the participant responds, and she immediately responds if it is right or wrong. On the other hand, what a drama in Hindi!! I used to dream of participating in KBC, 6 years ago.. now, when I think of the following scenario, I better wont..

To choose a contestant, he asks "Arrange from thin to fat, the following A-class celebrities: Aishwarya Rai, Adnan Sami, Amitabh Bachhan, Akshay Kumar.

Hard to beat me in this kinda stats.. so I quickly press the buttons and Bingo!! Mine are the fastest fingers.. (Gud I forgot to cut my nails)

Shahrukh: Hello Mr. Raju, welcome to KBC-3.. Do u know that I acted in a movie with ur name in the title? huhuhuhu (typical Shahrukh laughing-TSL)

Me: Yeah Shahrukh ji, I know.. 'Raju Bangaya Gentleman'

SRK: Haan.. gud gud gud.. after today's show, everyone will say 'Raju bangaya karorpati'.. *TSL*.

Me: Really? hehehehehehe..

SRK: *Explains the rules of the show yeda yeda yeda* "R u ready?"

Me: ya..

SRK: Sure?

Me: yes..

SRK: Confident?

Me: *Puzzled* (Did he ask any qn. already?)

SRK: Ok.. here is ur first qn..

Me: *Thank God.. I thought I dozed off"

SRK: Here is ur first question, who is India's Prime Minister? a) Harbhajan Singh, b) Sonia Gandhi, c)Manmohan Singh d) Natwar Singh..

Me: *Raising hand* I know I know, I know the answer.. I will tell the answer..

SRK: Mr. Raju.. dont be a nerdy kid in a crowded class.. Only u r here to answer this qn.. plz.. calm down .. sit and answer..

Me: hehehe.. it is c) Manmohan Singh

Sure? Sure... Confident? Confident..

SRK: Computer ji.. plz lock c) Manmohan Singh and tell me if Raju got it right or wrong.. and then starts staring at me ..

Me: *OMG.. I gave a politically correct answer.. Dont tell me it is b), which is technically correct... God, oh God! Save me!*

SRK: Correct answer...

Me: *Appada*.. Me too start clapping appreciating myself..

SRK: U have the next qn.. Who penned 'Ramayana'? a) Vyasa b) Valmiki c) Vashishta d) Vikramaditya.

Me: The answer is b) Valmiki..

Sure? sure.. Confident? confident.. Shall I lock? Plz lock..

SRK: OK Computer ji.. plz lock b) Valmiki.. *After staring at me, and sowing seeds of some soul-searching inside me, says "right answer.." *SIGH*

OK.. u have won 3,000 rupees now, the question that would win u 5,000 rupees is.. What is the chemical formula for water? a) H2O; b) NaCl; c) H2O2 and d) NaOH.

Me: My profession is chemistry.. :D I know the answer well.. it is a) H2O..

Sure? Sure.. confident? confident.. Shall I lock? plz lock.. OK Computer ji.. Mr. Raju confidently says it is a) H2O.. Sometimes even experts make mistakes.. Has he made one? *What the bu*#$%#&it? Check it out after this small break.. Plz dont go away..

Me: *Idhu vereya? kadavuley.. mmm.. sari*

After the break, SRK repeats the qn., tells my answer and, after a few secs of staring at the monitor "yes he is right.. Indeed it is a) H2O...

*Claps all around, and I clap as usual*

SRK: Good start, Mr. Raju.. here is the next qn.. Which of these following nations is not an immediate neighbor of India? a) Pakistan b) Nepal c) Afghanistan and d) Srilanka.

Me: mmmm... I think it is c) Afghanistan..

Sure? sure.. Confident? confident.. Shall I lock? Plz lock..

SRK: Ever been to any of these countries, Mr. Raju?

Me: Heck, no..

SRK: hmmm.. and still u r confident enough about ur answer?

Me: *DUH?* oh ya..

SRK: OK Computer ji.. plz lock c) Afghanistan for Raju.. After a pause, Afghanistan is the right answer.. u have won 10,000 rupees..

Me: heheheh.. *CLAPS*

SRK: Now, if you answer ur next question, u will win Rs. 20,000 and that is a sure money for u..

Me: :D

SRK: The next qn. is: Which of these is not in the family of the other three? a) Raj Kapoor b) Kareena Kapoor c) Rishi kapoor and d) Anil Kapoor.

Me: Hmmm.... d) Anil Kapoor..

Sure? sure.. Confident? confident.. Shall I lock? Plz lock..

SRK: OK Computerji.. plz lock d) Anil Kapoor for Mr. Raju.. His face expressions change.. Oh Mr. Raju.. u have won so far Rs. 10,000 rupees.. Amm I right? Me: Yes.. SRK: U had the option to quit now and escape with those 10000 rupees but u decided to take a gamble, rite? Me: Yes.. SRK: *Staring deeeep in my eyes.. * (I feel something wrong) your gamble has paid off..

Me: *Uffffff*

SRK: Relieved huh? Hmm.. now 50K worth qn. is.. Which of these teams has never lost to India in the World cup matches? a) Australia; b) South Africa; c) New zealand d) Srilanka.

Me: I am a bigtime cricket fan.. I know it is b) South Africa..

Sure? sure.. Confident? confident.. Shall I lock? Plz lock..

SRK: Oh Mr. Raju.. u still had all 3 of ur lifelines.. you could have chosen to use any of them.. but, u decided to trust ur instinct instead.. ahhhh... (ayyo.. ennayya solre?) and, it hasnt let u down.. That indeed was right.

Me: *Idhai munnadiye solli tholaikkavendiyathu thane?* CLAPS

SRK: Next qn. for Rs. one lakh 25K NOW.. Which of the following is not a raaga in Carnatic music?

a) Paadi; b) Pavani; c) Pallavi or d) Poorvi

Me: *Ayyayyo... enakkum sangeethathukkum eni vachalum ettadhu.. enna qn. idhu?* mmmm.. I am not very familiar with carnatic music.. but I know that 'Pallavi' forms part of a song, so I think it cant be a raaga.. not sure though.. 'Paadi' sounds lil odd.. I am doubtful about it.. OK.. I will get my first lifeline.. Will get the help of the audience...

SRK: Audience? *GRINS* Ok audience, plz help Mr. Raju out..

Me: *This grin doesnt look right..*

Audience cast their poll, and after watching the screen, SRK's grin grows wider as if he says "I know I know I know"

SRK: The audience have voted.. Paadi - 29%; Pavani - 21%; Pallavi - 32%; Poorvi - 18%.

I turn around and think "I s'd have only known better" but still claps with hands held high, with a wry smile and looking around..

Hmmm.. the verdict isnt clear... so, hmmm.. I will try my luck with another lifeline.. I want to narrow down my choices with 50:50..

SRK: OK.. wise decision to take, in situation like this.. *Another grin*..

I think "now what? Whaz in store for me?" My heartbeat starts shooting over the roof.. and I see to my horror, in-remain a) Paadi and c) Pallavi. SRK cant contain his wide broad grin and I almost go "Oh S#*t ". Sweat starts forming on the forehead and I know that I am slowly getting trapped.. "OK.. I will use my third option as well.. I dont have the choice.. Lemme fone my friend"

SRK: Whom do you wanna call?

Me: My friend "XYZ"

SRK: Is he knowledgeable in music?

Me: I pray so..

Whatever happens afterwards, it turns out that phoning a friend doesnt help either.. I have to make the hard choice.. and I choose after much deliberation c) Pallavi..

Sure? sure... Confident? confident... Shall I lock it? Plz do..

SRK: Ok Computer ji.. plz lock for Mr. Raju, c) Pallavi..

Hmmm.... u were sailing along so smoothly and then came this question to thwart you.. You tried all the three lifelines but none could help you with a clear-cut answer.. and you had to rely on your own instinct..

*My heart is pumping blood so fast I have never xperienced anything like it b4.. I sweat profusely; I try my best to hide my nervousness but i end up smiling stupidly.. My body starts shivering... I plead "Oh god.. inimey indha pakkamey thalai vachu padukka maattenn.. let this torture end at this very moment.." I am unable to hear what SRK is going on talking.. all I can hear is clapping all around, which brings me back to my senses..

SRK: OK.. u r still in game.. now, the Rs. 2 lakh 50 Kques..

Me: Ayya samy.. aalai vidunga.. 2 lakh ille 20 lakh win panni adhai appadiye kondu poi doctor kitte kondu poi kodukka virumbaley.. Indha 1 lakh-ai kodunga.. naan odi poyiduren.. Enn idhai 'hot seat'-nu solreengannu ippo enakku puriyudhu.. enakku panamum onnum venam..

Wasting the talents

On New Year Eve, while on a casual chat on the movie 'Thiruvilayadal Arambam', Dhanush's performance in it, etc. , my friend remarked that in Tamil cinema, the talents are getting wasted, and history is repeating itself (cf. super-heroism, mindless masala etc). A few hours ago, I watched 'Chennai Kaadhal' and suddenly that point seems to make even more sense. During the discussion, I said that it looks like we can count only on Jeeva and Bharath to act in sensible movies.. How I was proven wrong.. Bharath, and Vikraman, for a change or what God only knows, have both resorted to Gilli, Edhiri-type masala movie. Bharath walks in slow motion, his hand movements make the 'Whishhh' sound aka Rajini, etc.. Welcome to the long queue of 'Next Superstar' aspirants, Bharath!!

Lemme take the case of Dhanush as an example. He won our hearts and made the biggest impression after his performance in 'Kadhal Kondaen'.. In the scenes with Nagesh and in the climax, he really showed a lot of potential of being an excellent actor. Even in the masala entertainer 'Thiruda thirudi', he played the role of a carefree adolescent with aplomb. Later, only in 'Adhu oru kanaakalam' and in 'Pudhupettai', glimpses of his talent could be seen. Now that T.A. has become a hit after a string of flops, we can trust him to take a safe route and act in similar movies.. Here, I have listed a few promising movies by our young heroes to give u a glimpse of how they excelled when given opportunities and how later they 'veenapoyittanga'..

Vijay - Kadhalukku Mariyathai, Thullatha Manamum Thullum, Poove Unakkaga
Ajit - Aasai, Vaali, Kandukonden, Mugavari.
Simbu - Kovil, Manmathan.
One can even add our Captain for his performances in movies like Chinna Koundar, Vaidehi Kaathirundhal, etc..

We were glad to see that Vikram and Surya havent joined the aforementioned bandwagon yet; and I sincerely hope that 'Chennai Kaadhal' is an aberration in Bharath's resume. May be he wouldnt have expected a veteran like Vikraman to choose such a lousy plot. We were left wondering if there would ever be actors like Karthik and Prabhu of 80's again.. May be, if our directors believe in good scripts and stop depending on Telugu flicks for remaking.

PS: Me being a staunch Kamal fan has landed me the opportunity to write in an exclusive Kamal blog http://kamalhaasan.wordpress.com I am gonna start there with some stuff I have already posted here... Hopefully in the near futue I will have some new concepts to write on my fav actor.. All Kamal fans, plz do check it out there..