One more attempt at blogging

Madhu Rao - mostly mistaken to be a 'good boy', writes about movies and music and on rare occassions rants about his home town Bangalore (more like wails). Has tried and quit audio and normal blogging a few times. ...and oh! Can go watch movies without company and is usually remembered for his junk knowledge of hapless and forgotten Bollywood numbers.

[madhurao]

First blog test on Tumblr

Stumbled on 'Tumble' while laughing through all the Rage pages (Tambram rage, Gult rage, Amit rage) and thought this might be a chance to revive my hibernated old blog (blogs, actually).

Hoping for ease of migrating from old blogs to the new one and ability to blog more often and more conveniently

[madhurao]

A hassled nomophobe

It was a pet to me indeed..faithful since 2 years. I liked the way it looked (like a candy) and ran..always said 'its creator doesn't create any more like it'.

About 10 days ago the illness began, then the fatigue and frequent unconsciousness. A local (bad) quack at BLR tried a horrible heart transplant and some stupid exorcism(!) but no good. Surgeons at a more serious hospital at Kukatpally,Hyderabad probed around yesterday and the verdict is - its terminally ill. Poor thing cant stay alive for 10minutes... they asked me to get a new one and ditch this. In fact they said 'recycle it'. huh!

I am contemplating a second opinion at another hospital...maybe from a more gifted therapist.

The other Nokia care is in Banjara Hills...err..should I just buy a new phone? Recos please?

Bye-bye my Nokia 6233....

[madhurao]

Barah Aana (Hindi)

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Powered by: Chakpak.com Barah Aana

'is duniya me maangne jao toh kuch nahi milta, cheeno toh sab milta hai' Vijay Raaz,who brings a typical Mumbai watchman, Yadav, alive on screen,declares in disgust. Baraah Aana is not dramatic....it's not a great motion picture, or any movie which has towering performances. But it reaches out to you in some way. A good enough portrait of the kameena duniya that's out there. A world where 30K is money earnt over 3 years, not money spent on luxury in a month. A world where one is forced to become spineless to survive while he sees his diseased and poor child die amidst poverty -- these are such cliched stories that our society have seen from such a long time that we fail to even take note now. That said, the movie just asks you to take a re-look at some aspects of life around us and refrains from preaching. I think that's what is effective about this movie. No need of divulging much of the story except saying that Vijay Raaz, Arjun mathur and Naseeruddin Shah play 3 common men who are forced (or so they believe) to take risky shortcuts to get some easy money. Naseer's story of course, has an interesting spin to it. The director's way of handling Naseer's character through the movie finds a fan in me; many critics dint think much of it. Vijay of course is fantastic, not that anybody has any doubt. I would think he should also try some really negative characters and he can shine more! Sure, the movie loses a bit of pace mid-way; the movie's is good for living room viewing. Yet again it re-inforces to me -- so many local takes by Bollywood on what it is like to live in our country, are over-looked by audiences, while the views of a certain Mr.Boyle are lauded in such a huge way. I ask why should we be so enamored by a surreal sequence of events such as in 'Slumdog...'? This review though is about how 'Baraah aana' is something I want you to watch on a weekend. Please do so.

[madhurao]

Give me judgement - am I a stupid customer?

“Right or wrong, the customer is always right.” Marshall Field If not exactly this statement, such is the professional ethos followed and practiced at the work environment I belong to. However I was appalled during my recent trip to Rajasthan, when not once but twice, I was led to think that the following maxim might be true: “The customer not only is ignorant of what he wants but also has no common sense to think on his feet.” I ask you, the reader, to help me in my state of quasi-guilt by arguing for or against my case. Let me outline the two incidents: 1) The place is a popular simulated ethnic/village resort where guests are treated to many games and niceties (e.g: puppet shows, joy rides, soothsayers etc). Most stalls have very courteous shopkeepers. We show up at a stall which promised to dress us up as a Rajasthani folk couple (costumes et al.) and photograph us. The guy at the entrance told us there are two sizes, a smaller photo for Rs. 150 and a bigger one for Rs. 200. That is ALL he said. I went for the smaller. After dressing up, we were led to a spot next to the stall where another guy and a camera man were present. All this while, mind you, we were being 'led' by the shop keepers into the 'service' being provided by them. So we go to the spot and the guy says 'You sir stand here and hold the laaThi like this. You maam stand here and give such and such a pose' to which we comply and give our best possible smileys. After the click, before we can think he goes through a quick repeat of instructions for new poses and ....CLICK. After the second click, before we can react, a third round of the same thing. Now, he comes and asks if we wanted fourth and fifth individual snaps? I ask 'well will that mean an extra charge?' and he says 'Of course that will mean extra charge!'. I said 'If so, no thanks'. We then undress (OK....relax, we had beneath, our own dresses!) and came to the cash counter. So by this time are you thinking that the deal is 3 snaps for Rs. 150? If so, thank you for the concurrence, thats music to my ears. If no, well blimey yes, I guess I am stupid. What followed was- I being asked Rs. 450, my flying into a rage on why he din't tell me it was 150-for-each, he pointing me to an obscure A4 size poster on the wall which said that (My miss! I had not seen that) and he arguing vehemently that I as a customer should know what I want and was taking 'him' for a ride. I asked him why he din't tell me before taking us through his 'pose change' routine; he kept arguing I should know better and that I was trying to save money. Eventually it was clear it was mis-communication and a misunderstanding on my part but what pissed me off was his rudeness to a customer. I paid up the amount, took the snaps and left after noting the email ID of the resort's marketing department. 2) Next we leave that city and reach our next destination, Jaisalmer. I had planned in such a way that soon after my train arrives (at 12.45pm) I should be able to check-in to the hotel and discuss options with the hotel guys for a Camel safari to a sunset point. I was aware that most options involve leaving to the sunset place, famous for desert dunes, at 3pm. Now the first glitch in the plan was that the train arrived at Jaisalmer at 1.55pm. By the time I got out of the station with all luggage and got to the hotel it was 2.20pm. I had, however, managed to get 2 options for the Camel safari to the most popular spot, Sam Dunes, by the time I reached the hotel and both would need us to leave by 3.30pm. When I checked in, I inquired about the service that the hotel provides for the safari. I got to know that their service is a bit more specialized and customized, in the sense that they take guests to a different exclusive spot and not Sam Dunes. Also, they needed us to leave sharp 3pm in a shared vehicle. Again, this is ALL he said, that mattered, about the camel safari service. So now, the situation is we are damn hungry, haven't taken a bath and need to decide quickly which option to take. At first the exclusive option given by the hotel sounded good so I told the hotel recetion person 'Okay, we will go but we might need more time to get ready'. This was at 2.40pm Then when I called the other guy to say 'No, thanks', he introduced a new idea that Sam dunes are the most popular and that the place chosen by the hotel would only give a faint and insufficient feeling of being in a desert. This put us back in confusion. Deepthi and I regrouped and decided to not go with the hotel, also keeping in mind that lunch had still not arrived. So we switched sides to the other option to go to Sam Dunes. 2.48pm I accept, it was not the best thing to switch at the last moment, but what happened after this ticked me off, as before. 2.51pm, I call the reception and say 'I am sorry, there are change of plans and since we really do not want to miss Sam Dunes we will go with another provider; please proceed with your guests so far at 3pm. Besides we will take a while to be ready'. For this, the answer I get is 'That's not good news; As soon as you confirmed, we ordered extra cabs and extra camels for you. Now you've to cough up 25% cancellation since you don't want to go'. That would come to around 325 bucks. Now, I am sure they were right in asking for a cancellation, but for god's sake why would they not have stated that as 'Terms and conditions' as soon as I asked them about the service if there were such hard and fast dependencies. Am I a dodo to switch if I knew about the cancellation terms!? Unintentionally, they came across as somebody who wanted to make a fast buck out of my being undecided. I am sure they did not intend to but that would be the perception. Mind you, there are a dozen providers of the same safari service and guest levels aren't any great after the recent events in India. After a brief but uneasy argument I offered to pay. Eventually they demanded nothing. Again, I got to hear things like 'You should know...you should think before doing this and that'. These two incidents also got my BP high and got me into a hyper-argument mode. People who know me well vouch for it that when I am in that mode, the other person, instead of getting cornered and defensive, would feel 'why is he doing this to himself' :) Not sure how I looked this time. That aside, the question I want to raise is, should we not demand some clarity in every service provided while being a customer? Also, how about watching what you say to a customer even if he is wrong and you are right, or when both parties are clear there wasn't 'crystal clear communication'? Take a look at the Terms and conditions laid out by IRCTC for online booking as an example, no scope for any ambiguity in the service. To be honest, though I've not mentioned the details of the stall and the hotel, in effect they've lost a customer for ever and I would not be a great promoter of these places. If anybody wanted more details, please contact me.

[madhurao]

Once upon a time in Bangalore on route no.11

As I finish reading the 'R.K.Narayan-ish' chronicle on Bangalore "Once upon a time" by Mr. E R Ramachandran I sit here with two emotions: An irresistably huge urge to escape back to the Bangalore of the 1950's that Ramachandran paints in front of our eyes and also, a deep despair mixed with a horrific after-(thought)taste while the current day state of the city de-mesmerises me.

Alas...

http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2008/12/07/once-upon-a-time-in-bangalore-on-route-no-11/

But ...back to the article. This is not an article but a journey through events as though the author can still see them unfold. I had never known or heard some of the events and anecdotes presented here! This, after all, is the time when even our parents were kids or teenagers at the most. I am a sucker for any such nostalgia....the photos of bengaLuuru, the side observations of the 'way it used to be' with certain landmark places like Vidyarthi bhavan or Majestic area, the unknown small-facts like that of Kengal Hanumanthiah's experience or the Master hiranniah's drama episode!!

'Bittre tirga sigolla' :-)) Had been a while since I'd heard that.

Some of us probably might not even know that IISc used to be called Tata institute, forget why it was called like that. How do we expect next generations to know anything about Old Bangalore??

Is there anything that's remained unchanged from the Bangalore that Ramachandran paints here??

But why care...did you ask?

:) Ask me when my fantasy comes true some day....oh well you wont be able to, since I'll be a laid back kannadiga of the old bangalore who walks to his Attara kaccheri office from his BaLepete house...back in 1955!!!

Well, as I said earlier, alas....

ps: Is it but natural to percieve that every passing era/period was a greener and a better time to live in??

[madhurao]

Spoken English to class VII at Khajaguda

'I am 11 years old-u' spoke the girl quite sweetly, unaware of the vernacular influences playing behind her statement...and I was there, not a moment late, to say 'old-u kaadu old'. Yep, I started my volunteering.....today, through Teach India's 'Project 511' initiative. Teaching is not easy. What's more difficult is teaching 'Spoken English' to telugu medium students. But what do I tell you ...the feeling of joy surging up in you looking at their response when you ask them 'English kaavala?' - nothing can beat the belief that you can make a difference. Hope I stick to this one like fevistick........

[madhurao]

Karo zyada ka iraada - Interesting ad

At first it was the jingle that caught my attention and made me look up at the Max New york life insurance ad.. 'khaab ko kya chaahiye? rang thode zyaada..........karle dil zyaada ka iraada' ....seemed like a zesty Amit kumar in the early 80s singing away for some obscure movie under Pancham's/Bhappi's guidance :-) Then I realised it's an ad. The ad concept is no doubt interesting...as this page below points out, A wants to be B, B wants to be C, C wants to be D and D in turn wants to be A. Take a look: http://www.pluggd.in/interestingness/circle-of-life-max-new-york-life-ad-2737/ But what's got me hooked on is the jingle. I am sure the composers intended a tribute to the retro kings of Indian music. If so (and even if that wasn't so) they've won. The interludes, the yoodle, the instruments and the singing - all full marks!! What an idea sir-jee!!

ps: Talking of Pancham and obscure, I sometimes feel its upon us hardcore fans of the late wizard to popularise some of his work from the 80s that, very unfortunately, went un-heard due to various reasons, chief of which was that they were used in bad movies. So, I want to introduce one such song 'Ye kori kawari karaari nazar' from the 80s Sunny Deol movie Samundar, sung by Kishore. I've listened to it no less than a dozen times from the past week, it's an ear-worm! Give it a listen. Total dhing-chak! :)

http://ww.smashits.com/music/hindi-movie/play/songs/4244/Samundar/36511/Ye-Kuri-Kanwari.html

[madhurao]

Volunteering....again

I started volunteering again.....after 4 years. I feel good :) It was at a Govt school in Gopanpally, Hyderabad, where my job in the hour was to clear doubts that 4th and 5th grade students had in Gen.knowledge and computers. I was there, representing 'GE Volunteers'. It was a repetition of feelings... of returning home feeling devoid of all the 'worries' of the several pending 'issues' around your life... and the rest of the day becomes (I won't call it magical) relaxed.....satisfying... life-reassuring. The same feeling from the Samarthanam days of jumping into every opportunity the NGO presented for volunteering, of reading to the kids, of running around in the Yesudas concert arrangements, of having lunch with the folks at the NGO and of performing 'hacchevu kannada da deepa' with the visually impaired........ so I've asked myself several times since then 'What was it that made me stop being plugged in?'. Yes, it was a sudden plug-out. Well, time to change that. Serendipity - The 'Teach India' campaign has kicked off in Hyderabad from today, and I feel I should (and will) register. If not anything, it will be a platform for me to get acquainted with the NGOs in and around Hi-tech city after I've moved to Hyderabad. (When's the last I blogged? Shoot ..lots happening in life after that!!!!! :) for starters, I am married!! More on that in subsequent posts) While filling up the form I am asked for the reason I want to volunteer. I want to use what I wrote as a discussion point with the readers. "I believe volunteering is a means of give and TAKE. While I am giving something to somebody I do not forget the feeling of success and the warmth received that I take back every time I volunteer. I also believe that volunteering is NOT CHARITY and every act of volunteering should be a project configured as specific, measurable and result oriented activities like the projects we have in other spheres of life. I see a good opportunity for realizing the above through Teach India and also a chance for reviving my volunteering. I do hope I get a call soon!" I am not patronizing here. It's just that all of us, including me, are guilty of believing that volunteering means a one way street of 'giving'....and that the recipients of this giving are 'needy'. Just by thinking that way, in fact, you are setting your volunteering up for failure. Also people are not selfish enough when they volunteer to 'volunteer', in terms of knowing and establishing what they want to get out of it. I invite readers, many of who have thought about volunteering and have given up due to frivolous reasons like 'no time', 'nothing I can help with', 'cant stand to look at disabled/challenged people' to consider that you instead need to put in place a specific, measurable, result oriented approach for volunteering and that is when some reality might happen. The rest is left to being so determined that you won't give up. Then the aspect of considering the recipients of your volunteering 'needy' - I think that's a heinous act. All of us are guilty of it. What one can do is be available to serve, when required. There is this scene in the movie 'Sparsh' where Naseer, the principal of a blind school, says to volunteer Shabana Azmi 'aapko agar yaha kaam karna hai toh please kisiko bechara mat pukaariye' (If you want to work here please dont address anybody as needy/hapless) after she utters that phrase. By not being one among them and treating them as 'becharas' you stand to lose their confidence. Sparsh, by the way, is a very profound film and a must watch for anybody who wants to volunteer. I am not very sure yet that the 'Teach India' campaign will be a great platform for my volunteering efforts, but I sure do hope so!

[madhurao]

Taare Zameen par (Hindi)

Powered by: Chakpak.comTaare Zameen Par

Taare zameen par - I don't know if enough is being said about this movie yet, or is going to be said. First reactions from viewers will be that it's a great movie, that the actors are awesome and the story is well written. For me, it was good to see a re-affirmation that it does not take a lot to make a difference in somebody's life. It takes willingness, and taking a stand for the other person's cause. Taare zameen par is outstanding cinema because it's so articulate and sensitive about the plight of the young boy Ishaan, under played fantastically by Darsheel Safary, and also because it defines what movie making in Bollywood can become with the right ingredients.

Aamir shines as he does always - sincere, straight forward. He proves he makes as good a director as he is a lead actor.

Shankar-Ehsan-Loy find an occassion to do many things: Break loose, re-visit their roots, reach new levels. I'm about to buy the CD in the next couple of days.

By the way, I'm all the way with you Aamir, this is the way one should emote, empathise and empower. "Black" makes awful movie watching (Poking my finger into my throat.....groan!)

[madhurao]

200 Pounds beauty (Korean with English subtitles)

Figured may as well spend the time at the Singapore airport lounge doing something different - writing on my blog about a Korean movie! This movie has apparently broken all Korean movie records recently and got many rave reviews and nominations to some popular awards. Happened to watch it on the flight back from melbourne and liked it pretty much. I would say while this is a pretty bold subject they've chosen, in the sense you dont get to see too many movies talking of extreme make-overs involving plastic surgery, (or drastic surgery as the in-flight mag put it) it's also true that you get hooked on due to some good acting and direction. The emotion flows well during the second half and the filmmakers have done well to say what they're out to say. It's been an age-old debate of looking good vs. being good, appearance vs. substance, body vs. soul .. (uh oh thats deeper than required!) well you got it. The movie picks up from where Bridget Jones stopped writing and goes on to explore what happens when a girl decides she knows the way to get the guy and the job she wants. I think it's a bit drastic for a girl to decide to go for a head-to-toe makeover (I mean duh this is not a new haircut that you admire in the window of the saloon and enter!) but in the end you do feel the sensitivity of the issue. Kim A-jung, the lead actress, has acted quite well as the girl after the makeover to expose the confusions in the girl's mind and the painful emotional journey she goes through during the story. Also, MAN... CAN SHE SING!!?? After all the talk of 'internal beauty' and 'appearances do not matter' and blah-di-blah-di-blah :) let's accept it. Girls can get insecure about appearances and they have to work out what to do with their insecurities. Also, the guys ought to really show it to them that they would love them irrespective (well, some of us, for sure) just because of who their women are and the way they are...and they would never want their women to go through all the pain and get a 'job' done to please the guys (just shuddered in my seat thinking about that).

Well i was quite frankly surprised by how the movie led itself. Not to say I think there aren't good movies made in Korea, but it's just the lack of awareness to us folks. Time to finally swim out of the holly/bolly wood shores and explore more! But where do we and how do we start? If readers know of any good leads of movies from the east, please write in NOW!!!!!!

I would recommend this movie to all, even if you don't understand Korean. Extremely surprised to not see an IMDB entry (!!) Let me see if my review guru James Berardinelli has caught this movie yet?!

Addendum: Found it with the original korean name under IMDB! Minyeo-neun goerowo

[madhurao]

Dodgeball (English)

Yo....F 'in A :-))

Quite a movie...all 90 minutes of Ben Stillerish rubbish. holy guacamole it's Dodgeball time!!!

IMDB: Dodgeball: Grab life by the Ball!!

So, Tuesday eve, no calls...desperately looking for a break so here I am at the video store and I can't believe i'm pointing to the DVD that says 'Dodgeball'.

Well i think the movie 'Dodgeball: A true underdog story' wins plainly because it spins a story off a ridiculous sport like Dodgeball and like Stiller (in a grotesque fatso papa outfit in the end) claims 'Thats the problem with the American movies, you don't want to have any complexity in the movie'. So go, leave your brains knocked off outside the halls by a ball splintering through your head, and enjoy the fun! :-) Shall we say 'Balls' to serious stuff?

But hey, let's give atleast this to the movie. You'll have a good time. Nothing outrageously funny; a chuckle here and there, but Stiller and Vaughn play off quite well. Of the several underdog movies, this has to be the most outrageous. Credibility goes for a toss but uff, I'm sure if David Letterman was to watch this he would say 'who cares honestly?' I really liked Vince Vaughn in this movie. He is a scene stealer always if you ask me (Wedding crashers, Break-up etc). Stiller is much more a LOSER in many of his other movies ('Meet the...' series, Along came polly, There's something about Mary etc) but tries desperately here to show off that he is the all-time loser. Some of his 'moves' fall flat but generally quite funny. Thankfully he is less obnoxious than Mike Myers, whom I'd like to Dodgeball in his balls, right now! tee hee (where did that come from eh!?)

I like what they have done with the climax. By the way don't think Dodgeball is mythical. The makers of the movie display enough passion for getting the inner details of the game out. I myself witnessed dodgeball being played out while I was at Connecticut, so there you go! It's a popular game.

I think what takes the cake is the usage of 'Lady in Red' in the movie ROTFL......

Not to mention the graceful inclusion of oldie Chuck Norris and, in a sudden attempt to bring in uncommon depth to the screenplay, Lance Armstrong. That scene makes you not move on to the next; unbelievable in content though you dont want to invest in it's credibility. Check that out.Otherwise it's all quite full out of outrageousness, the movie, not 5 minutes passing without some pun about some kind of balls coming in.

Nah, I actually liked it. Do not think I intend to pooh-pooh it. Good for a friday night.

Fancy, somebody in gandhinagar coming up with an under-dog story around 'chuur-chanD'!!! ;-)

[madhurao]

Mungaaru maLe (Kannada)

ಯಾವ ಹನಿಗಳಿಂದ..ಯಾವ ನೆಲವು ಹಸಿರಾಗುವುದೊ ಯಾರ ಸ್ಪರ್ಷದಿಂದ..ಯಾರ ಮನವು ಹಸಿಯಾಗುವುದೊ..ಯಾರ ಉಸಿರಲ್ಯಾರ ಹೆಸರೊ..ಯಾರು ಬರೆದರೊ ಯಾವ ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಹೂವು..ಯಾರ ಹೃದಯದಲ್ಲರಳುವುದೊ..ಯಾರ ಪ್ರೇಮ ಪೂಜೆಗೆ ಮುಡಿಪೊ..ಯಾರು ಬಲ್ಲರು ಮುಂಗಾರು ಮಳೆಯೇ..ಏನು ನಿನ್ನ ಹನಿಗಳ ಲೀಲೆ ’ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಅಂತೆ ಪ್ರೇಮ ಅಂತೆ, ಛೆ!’ ಅನ್ಕೊಂಡು ಒಳಗೆ ಬಂದವನಿಗೆ ’ಮತ್ತೆ’ ಒಂದು ಚೂರು ’ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಪ್ರೇಮ ಪ್ರಣಯ’ ದ ವಿಷಯಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಯೊಚಿಸಿ ಅದೇ ಗುಂಗಿನಲ್ಲಿ ರೋಮಾಂಚನಗೊಳ್ಳುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡಿ, ಭೂತದ ದೃಶ್ಯಗಳು ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಭೂತದ ತರ haunt ಮಾಡಿ, ಕುಣಿದಾಡಿ, ಚುಚ್ಚಿ ಎನೋ ಒಂಥರ pain ಅನುಭವಿಸುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಕಡೆಗೆ ಎದ್ದು ಬರುವಾಗ ಪುನಃ ’ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಅಂತೆ ಪ್ರೇಮ ಅಂತೆ, ಹ್‍ಮ್‍ಮ್!’ ಎಂದು ವಾಸ್ತವತೆ ಅರಿತುಕೊಳ್ಳುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡಿದ ’ಹನಿ ಹನಿ ಪ್ರೇಮ್‍ಕಹಾನಿ’ - ಮುಂಗಾರು ಮಳೆ ಮುಂಗಾರು ಮಳೆಯೇ..ಏನು ನಿನ್ನ ಹನಿಗಳ ಲೀಲೆ!! ಯಾಕೋ ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್ನ್‍ನಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಚಿತ್ರದ ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯ ಬರೀಬೇಕು ಅನ್ನಿಸಲಿಲ್ಲ, ಮತ್ತು ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದೂ ವಿಮರ್ಶೆಯನ್ನೂ ಬರೆದಿಲ್ಲ ಅದಿಕ್ಕೆ ಈ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ. ’ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ’ ಅಂತ ಪ್ರತಿ ದಿನ COMEDY ಮಾಡುವವ ಅನ್ನೋ image ಇದ್ದ ಗಣೇಶ್, ಮುಂಗಾರು ಮಳೆ ಚಿತ್ರದಿಂದ ಸಾಧಿಸಿರುವುದು ಅಸಾಧ್ಯವಾದದ್ದೇನಲ್ಲ ಆದರೂ ತುಂಬ ಹೊಗಳಬೇಕಾದ ವಿಶಯ ಏನೆಂದರೆ ಅತಿ natural ಆಗಿ, ಅನುಕರಣೆ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ straight from the heart ಅನ್ನುವಂತೆ ಅವರ ಪಾತ್ರ ಮೂಡಿ ಬಂದಿದೆ. ಅನುಮಾನ ಇಟ್ಕೊಂಡು ಚಿತ್ರ ನೋಡಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋದವರ ತಲೆ ಮೇಲೆ ಹೊಡೆದ ಹಾಗೆ ತನ್ನ ಪ್ರತಿಭೆಯನ್ನು ಪ್ರದರ್ಶಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. A case of total perception change. ಆದರೆ ಈ ಚಿತ್ರದಲ್ಲೇನೊ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಪಾತ್ರ ತುಂಬ ಒಪ್ಪತ್ತೆ; ಮುಂದೆ ಬೇರೆ ಬೇರೆ ಪಾತ್ರಗಳನ್ನು ಹೇಗೆ ನಿಭಾಯಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ ಅನ್ನೋದು ಕಾದು ನೋಡಬೇಕು. ಚಿತ್ರ ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಆದ ಹೊಸದರಲ್ಲಿ ಗಣೇಶ್‍ನ ಮಿತ್ರರು ಸೇರಿ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಒಂದು ಪತ್ರ ಬರೆದು ಅದನ್ನು ವಿಜಯ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದಲ್ಲಿ printಮಾಡಿಸಿದ್ದರು. ’ಗಣೇಶ ನೀನು ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರ ಕಥೆಯನ್ನೇ ಬೆಳ್ಳಿ ಪರದೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ತಂದಿದ್ದೀಯ. ನಮ್ಮ ಕಥೆ ಹೇಳಿ ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ನಗಿಸಿದ್ದೀಯ, ಅಳಿಸಿದ್ದೀಯ, ಮೆಚ್ಚುಗೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಚಪ್ಪಾಳೆ ಹೊಡೆಯುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದೀಯ’ ಅಂತೆಲ್ಲ ಬರೆದ್ದಿದ್ದರು. ಅದನ್ನು ಓದಿ, ನಾನು ’ಓಹ್! ಈ ರೀತಿ ಇರೊ ಚಿತ್ರ ಐ.ಟಿ ಕಂಪನಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮ್ಯಾನೇಜರ್ ಆಗಿರೊ ನನಗೆ ’ಅನ್ವಯಿಸೋದೇ’ ಇಲ್ಲ, ಇಷ್ಟ ಆಗೊಲ್ಲ’ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ ಅನ್ಕೊಂಡೆ. ಹಾಗೇನಿಲ್ಲ...ಚಿತ್ರ ನೋಡಿದ ಮೇಲೆ ’ಅರೇ! ಇದು ನನ್ನ ಕಥೆ!!’ ಅಂತೇನು ಅನ್ನಿಸದಿದ್ದರೂ, I could relate to it well. ಅವನಿಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತು ಅವಳನ್ನು ತಾನು ಪ್ರೀತಿಸ್ತಾನೆ ಅಂತ...ಆದರೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿವರೆಗೂ ಆ ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಸುರುಳಿ ಸುತ್ತಿ ಬಂದು ಅವನ ಕುತ್ತಿಗೆಗೆ ಸುತ್ತಿ, ನಗಬೇಕೋ ಅಳಬೇಕೋ ಗೊತ್ತಾಗದ ಹಾಗೆ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೆ ಅಂತ ಅವನು ತಿಳಿದಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ತಾನು ’ಸೋತ’ ಅನ್ನುವ ಭಾವನೆ ಬಂದಿದೆ. ಈಗ ಪ್ರೆಮದ ನಶೆ ಜೊತೆ ಮಳೆಯ ರಭಸ ಸೇರಿ ಅವನಿಗೆ ಅರಿವಾಗ್ತಿದೆ, ಆ ಪ್ರೇಮ ಅವನಿಗೆ ದಕ್ಕದೆ ಇರಬಹುದು ಅಂತ. ಇದೇ ಮಳೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಹುಚ್ಚನ ಹಾಗೆ ಖುಶಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕುಣಿದಿದ್ದ, ಈಗ ಅವನ ಮೇಲೆ ಅವನಿಗೆ ಪರಿವೆಯಿಲ್ಲ, ಜಗತ್ತಿದ್ದರೇನು ಬಿಟ್ಟರೇನು ಅನ್ನೋ ಸ್ತಿಥಿ. ಕಣ್ಣೀರು; ಆದರೆ ಮಳೆ ಇರೋದ್ರಿಂದ ಯಾರಿಗೂ ಅವನ ಕಣ್ಣೀರು ಗೊತ್ತಾಗ್ತಿಲ್ಲ. ದೃಶ್ಯ ನೋಡಿ ಮನಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ಬೇಜಾರಾಯ್ತು. ಯಾಕೆ ಪ್ರೀತಿಸಿ ಈ ಥರ ಹುಚ್ಚರ ಹಾಗೆ ಆಡ್ತೀವಿ ಅನ್ನಿಸಿತು. ಹೀಗೇ, ಅಂದು ನಾನು ಮಳೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ’ಮೈ’ಮರೆತು ಸುರಿಸಿದ ಕಣ್ಣೀರಿನ ನೆನಪಾಗಿ, ಇಂದು ಚಿತ್ರ ನೋಡುತ್ತ ಕಣ್ಣು ಮಂಜಾಯಿತು. (ಸಿಟಿಯ ’ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಇದ್ದರೂ ಒಬ್ಬಂಟಿ’ ಅನ್ನೋ ಥರ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಣ್ಣೀರು ಯಾರಿಗೆ ಗೋಚರಿಸುತ್ತೆ?) ಇದು interval ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ....ಬಾಕಿ ಚಿತ್ರ ನೋಡುತ್ತ ಆ ಕಹಿ ಮರೆತು, ಮುಂದೆ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಬರಲಿರುವ ಸಿಹಿ ಸಿಹಿ ಘಟನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಅಪೇಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತ Enjoy ಮಾಡಿದೆ. Overall ಚಿತ್ರ ತುಂಬ ಅರ್ಥಪೂರ್ಣವಾಗಿದೆ. ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕ ಯೋಗರಾಜ್ ಭಟ್ ಅವರ ಮುಂಚಿನ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳು ನಾನು ನೋಡಿಲ್ಲ, ಆದರೆ ಈ ಚಿತ್ರದಿಂದ ಅವರು ಪ್ರತಿಭಾವಂತ ಮತ್ತು clever ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕ ಅನ್ನೋದು ಗೊತ್ತಾಗುತ್ತೆ. ಮುಂಗಾರು ಮಳೆ mass public ಗೆ ಖಂಡಿತ ಇಷ್ಟ ಆಗತ್ತೆ ಆದರೂ, ತುಂಬ ಯೋಚನೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಸದಭಿರುಚಿಯಿಂದ ಮಾಡಿರುವ ಪ್ರಭಾವಶಾಲಿ class ಚಿತ್ರ ಕೂಡ. ಈ ಚಿತ್ರದ strong point, ಇದರ ಸಂಗೀತ, ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ. ಮನೋ ಮೂರ್ತಿ sudden ಆಗಿ ಕನ್ನಡ ಚಿತ್ರ ರಂಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಿಂಚಿರುವ ಸಂಗೀತ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕ. Poetry ಅಂದರೆ ದೂರ ಓಡಿ ಹೋಗದೇ ಇದ್ದರೂ, ಅಷ್ಟೇನು ಗಮನ ಕೊಡದಿರುವ ನನ್ನಂಥವರೂ ಮತ್ತೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ಮೆಲಕು ಹಾಕಿ ಹಾಡ್ತಾನೇ ಇರೋಣ ಅನ್ನಿಸುವಂತಹ ಗೀತ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ (ಜಯಂತ್ ಕಾಯ್ಕಿಣಿ ಮತ್ತು ಯೋಗರಾಜ್ ಭಟ್ ಅವರಿಂದ)...ಈ ಚಿತ್ರದ ಹಾಡುಗಳು ನಿಜವಾಗಿಯೂ ’ವಿಸ್ಮಯಾ’!!! ತುಟಿಗಳ ಹೂವಲಿ..ಆಡದ ಮಾತಿನ ಸಿಹಿಯಿದೆ ಮನಸಿನ ಪುಟದಲಿ..ಕೇವಲ ನಿನ್ನದೆ ಸಹಿಯಿದೆ ಹಣೆಯಲಿ ಬರೆಯದ ನಿನ್ನ ಹೆಸರ..ಹೃದಯದಿ ನಾನೆ ಕೊರೆದಿರುವೆ ನಿನಗುಂಟೆ ಇದರ ಕಲ್ಪನೆ ನನ್ನ ಹೆಸರ ಕೂಗೆ ಒಮ್ಮೆ..ಹಾಗೆ ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಅನಿಸುತಿದೆ ಯಾಕೊ ಇಂದು..ನೀನೇನೆ ನನ್ನವಳೆಂದು ಮಾಯದ ಲೋಕದಿಂದ.. ನನಗಾಗೆ ಬಂದವಳೆಂದು ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಅಂಶ ಏನಂದ್ರೆ ಬಹುಶಃ ಜೋಗ್ ಜಲಪಾತ ಇಷ್ಟೊಂದು ಮನೋಹರವಾಗಿ (ಅಥವಾ ಇಷ್ಟೊಂದು ಭಯಂಕರವಾಗಿ?) ಯಾವುದೇ ಚಿತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಸೆರೆ ಹಿಡಿಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿಲ್ಲ! ಮುಂಗಾರು ಮಳೆ ಅತ್ಯದ್ಭುತ ಸಿನೆಮಾ ಏನಲ್ಲ, ಆದರೆ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ತಲೆ ದೂಗುವಂತಹ ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ. ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಈ ಚಿತ್ರದ ಯಾವುದೋ ಒಂದು ಭಾಗಕ್ಕೆ ರಿಲೇಟ್ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬಹುದು, ಅಂತ ನನ್ನ ಅನಿಸಿಕೆ. ಅದಕ್ಕೇ ಎಲ್ಲ್ರೂ ತಪ್ಪದೇ ಚಿತ್ರ ನೋಡಿ. ಕನ್ನಡ ಚಿತ್ರರಂಗ ಸಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಇದ್ದ ಸ್ತಿಥಿ ಬರಗಾಲದ ಸ್ತಿಥಿ; ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಒಂದು ಚಿತ್ರ ಬರೋಕ್ಕೆ ಜನ ಕಾಯುತ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದರು. ಬಂತು, ಜನ ಮುತ್ತಿಗೆ ಹಾಕಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಆದ ಹಲವಾರು ವಾರಗಳಾದ್ರೂ ಕೂಡ ಪೀ.ವೀ.ಆರ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಆಟಗಳು ತುಂಬಿ ನಡೀತಿವೆ. ಯೋಗರಾಜ್ ಭಟ್ ಅವರು ಕೊಟ್ಟ ಒಂದು ಸ್ವಾರಸ್ಯಕರ ಸಂದರ್ಶನವನ್ನು ಓದಿದ್ದೀರಾ? ಬೇಕಾದರೆ ನನ್ನನ್ನು ಸಂಪರ್ಕಿಸಿ, ಕಳಿಸ್ತೀನಿ. ಓದಿ ಮಜಾ ತೊಗೊಳ್ಳಿ; ಬಾಯಿ ತುಂಬ ಬಯ್ದಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಬೇರೆ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕರನ್ನು ;-)

[madhurao]

Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (Hindi)

Youtube Trailer: http://youtube.com/watch?v=QLX8pENQjys TV promos sometimes choose the wrong things to showcase a movie, I think at times (well not the one I've chosen, fikar not). The TV promo of Honeymoon travels Pvt. Ltd has the main actors dancing away like crazy to Sunidhi's voice singing 'Sajnaaji vaari vaari jaanu ji mein ....aisa mera pyaar haii'. Kitna bhaddha gaana hai - I thought. Ill-composed - if there is any word like that. Huuh...not really; in fact, seen in the spirit of the movie the song is quite alright and so is the movie. Quite the quick paced medley of romantic stories and far better than the recent musical bollywood 'blah' - Salaam-e-ishq!!! While we have good acting, funny twists, sensible nuances to some couples (Shabana and Boman ki jodi, wah huzoor! aadaab!) and all such which will keep you hooked on and never coming across as too overly melodramatic and hence boring (Nikhil Advani - please note!) what really REALLY won my heart was the way debutante director Reema Kagti and the scriptwriters have chosen Radio Mirchi for Surrogate marketing and specifically used retro Hindi movie songs to pack a punch to flashbacks. Hats off! I guess we all are filmy at times, but don't admit it :) ....passing off scenes from our lives as filmy kahani. So, pack a punch the movie does when, for instance, the character Madhu walks out heartbroken since she just realised the person she loved is married and the stereo in the rickshaw blares 'dil haa dil ye sheesha hee toh hai, ek thes lagi aur toot gaya' or, in another scene, the usage of 'dekho maine dekha hai ye ek sapna'... I'm a sucker for these..kinda makes you wait for the next one! This is not new by the way.. remember Shahrukh wooing the sexy sari girl Sushmita with 'chaand mera dil'? also, of course, how about 'chahiye thoda pyaar' in Taxi No. 9211...niiiice. It's good to see people still like retro music :) Waiting to see more from Reema, you go girl....er lady?

[madhurao]

ondee ondu saari kaNmunde baaree......

>mungaaru maLeye ..enu ninna hanigaLa leele.. >anisutide yaako indu...neenene nannavaLendu.... aahaa entha madhura yaatanee!!! >nee amritadhaare koTi janma jategaati.... neenillavaadare naa hEge bALali.... >mausam pyar ka.. rang badalta rahe...yuuhii chalta rahe pyar ka kaarvaan... >haan pehli baar..ek ladki mera haath pakaDkar boli .... haa re haa!!!! >anjalii anjalii pushpaanjalii..anjalii anjalii pushpaanjalii >uyirin uyiren...uyirin uyire....... alas!!!! (screeeechhh)...here's office :-) I would not mind just driving up all day listening to songs... well never mind, kuch kaam bhi hojaye! Have a rocking week everyone!!

[madhurao]

Batman Begins (English)

IMDB: http://imdb.com/title/tt0372784/ Trailers: http://movies.virginmedia.com/synopsis/default.asp?filmid=4056&sec=syn How did I ever miss this movie on the big screen? How? HOW? Caught it on HBO last week. Batman has too long a legacy of comic books, cartoons, TV shows and motion pictures (black and white as well as colour) for me to newly introduce this super hero. For somebody like me (and everybody) who grew up using towels and bedsheets at home to mimic the caped crusader flying away from buildings and structures (read chairs and tables) Batman has been fascination unlimited, Batman has been source for mystified amazement..... So, obviously, very soon I had sought out all movies made on Batman and relished them (including the TV version starring Adam West and Burt Ward - Holy unexpected comedy, Batman! **BANG** **POW**- remember? lol). Till now, I was of the opinion that Michael Keaton and his Batman came closest to portraying the 'spirit' and the tradition of Batman, as created by Bob Kane. Val Kilmer was just good and George Clooney - forget it, just plain pathetic. Michael Keaton was a treat to watch and he underplayed the role of Bruce Wayne so much that you would start doubting 'Is this Batman??!!' For me, what aided was the sudden contrast with other movies of Keaton (Mr. Mom, Multiplicity etc) With 'Batman Begins' - acclaimed director Christopher Nolan (of 'Memento' fame!!!) has accomplished some thing amazing. Here's a new one, which is equal to the best in class, if not better. The fundamental difference that makes this movie a 'class' is the treatment. Batman does not 'begin' in a jiffy. There are not just a few seconds gone by before Bruce Wayne disappears into his bat-cave and zooms out in his Bat-mobile blazing fire! No missed details of why Batman took on the moral responsibility to save Gotham City from criminals and no details missed of how he got over his vengeanceful selfishnesses. Speaking of criminals, the criminals here are not clowns, they are not mutants....they are CRIMINALS, and the story establishes a genuine cause for Gotham to be really REALLY scared! It looks, finally, like they are not kidding you. It looks ......like Batman is in business. So while you are being taken through what may seem a wee-bit too technical revelation of how Batman began, you eagerly wait to see his first appearance....and boy does he 'appear'? (Does he at all?.. Batman is in-famous for his 'now he is here, now he isn't' act) You never have a chance after that to breath. It's the most effective appearance and also effective first appearance, if you may, of Batman I have seen. Christian Bale is right on the money - he is 'freaaaaaky'. You should watch the 'Making of Batman Begins' to know the pains the team has taken to build this technically and visually superb action flick. It's edge of the seat RE-ITERATED. The Bat-mobile - see it to believe it. The Climax - only word I can say is 'PHEW'. The fights - never before in a Batman movie. Observe the fight in his intro scene, I got the chills realising that it's actually like a comic book scene!! I think Batman movies had reduced batman to a joke (thanks to age-old tradition, may I say? tsk!) Batman Begins does a terrific job of putting Batman back where he belongs. Michael Caine is marvellous as the butler who 'nevaah' stops believing in Master Bruce. Great support by Katie Holmes and Morgan Freeman. That said, no batman movie can match the aura that Michael Keaton created with his underplayed performance. My recommendation(s) when anybody speaks of this topic: 'Batman' by Michael Keaton and 'Batman Begins' by Christian Bale. If this movie is screened ever again in halls near to me, I swear, I'll drop whatever I am upto ....and just GO! :-)

[madhurao]

middle class brahmins

dayavilladaa dharmavu aavudayya? dayavilladaa dharmavu aavudayya, ayya yaavudayya? the dharma of south indian (kannada?) middle class brahmin parents who have an 'eligible' groom in their family

[madhurao]

Guru (Hindi)

Guru is powerful cinema. Guru is good entertainment. Guru is pacy storytelling....... - Yeaa it's all that but GURU is a movie where I found for myself something more compared to other Maniratnam movies (the best of which, I feel, are Agni Natchatram, Nayagan, Mouna Ragam and Pallavi Anupallavi) It does quite less to insult the viewer's intelligence. Abhishek Bachchan - three cheers to his portrayal of Guru! He is successful because his role has character. He haunts you for a while even after you are out of the hall. He is utterly believable for most part of the movie, but only loses you for a while as he gets too patronizing on the judicial committee (an activity, I guess, which could not have been avoided). It's only during that scene when the story stretches your imagination a wee bit. Capitalism - very few movies that explore this concept. Guru would be one good way of exploring. Movie starts with how our Gurubhai started off. I got strong rememberences of Godfather II in the earlier scenes, not sure if it was the costumes and the setup, I guess that's what it was. There are parallels you can draw from Nayagan of course, and also some what to Al Pacino movies (none of which can end without a pompish glorified speech by Pacino at the end! hoo-aah!!!) But do notice, coming back to Godfather, the court room prosecution scenes - clear cut inspired from Godfather where Pacino gets interrogated. ====>> Addendum!! Come to think of it, this scene is more inspired by Howard Hughes's interrogation in 'The Aviator' (Kicks self for missing this) <<====== Capitalism - The way Mani has chosen to go here is to bring up a grey area about how moral or amoral can a capitalist become, or also, to what extent can that be alleged? Mani treats the topic with mastery here. For most part, it's a glorious story of how Gurukant Desai builds 'India ki sab se badi company' but some of the strongest scenes of the movie come from Mithun and Madhavan who are persistent on bringing down his empire to dust. What made me like the movie most? While as stated above, it's true that the whole movie is 'almost' a glorification of Guru's rise to power, it's also true that the movie is 'almost' as much a 'think-for-yourself' challenge to the audience. How can a capitalist tyrant (yes I call him that because he is merciless in his goals) justify the side effects to the society during his process of erecting an empire that will beat the first world giants? It's a grey area, and it's like the story-writer wants to start a public debate. Well not so much, it's only an attempt to portray it as it was. Mani respects the intelligence of the audience ....and the feeling you get when you realise that he knows you are intelligent - ah that's good :) Some aspects that really caught my attention and made me appreciate Mani as a film maker: - "60 crore logon me so tumhe yahee mila?" - Nariman point in the early 80s. Imagine how they would have shot it!! (Assuming rest of the 'Mumbai' is a set in the Madras talkies studios) - Did anybody notice the Kagaz ke phool poster and the Taj mahal song on the LP? So unbelievably thoughtful. - It does not at all seem like a south indian director does it? Ace dialogues... - Abhishek's acting. Full marks to Mani (huh!??! - did you say? yes!) Aspects that kind of made me twitch: - Aishwarya Rai - Aishwarya Rai - Aishwarya Rai Ughhh.....it's true that actors are 'rangmanch kE kaTputliya' in the director's hands, but literally???? Spare us!!!!!!!!! She is so wooden/plastic/puppetish (whatever-you-want-to-call-her) in Barso re megha megha and Dum-dara-dum...well you can say she is being herself again! grunt!! Somebody asked me 'Has Vidya balan acted better than Aish?' What a question!? Vidya is a goddess - acting, looks, grace :). How I wish she was the heroine...but alas - (so called) Reality bites you here ;-) Speaking of songs, Dum-dara-dum, the song that ARR has dedicated to his association with Late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan during the decade, stays in your mind. Found a blog that tries to capture the meaning of the song: http://sagittarian-ramya.blogspot.com/2006/11/tere-bina-lyrics-guru.html The lyrics by Gulzar play out like nobody else's can!!! ae hairat-e aashiqui jagaa mat pairon se zameen, zameen lagaa mat... Typical :-) Reminds me of the ever-ethereal lyrics by him at other instances - aaj kal paao zameen par nahi paDhte mere, or hone do dil ko fanaa, uDhne do har ik woh tamannaa...lines of one trying to escape himself and escape the world. Just when you were about to dismiss it as too poetical to be a film song, you are like 'wait a minute, aah!' That's the experience I have with many of his songs.. Bappi lahiri has a good time doing the 'almost satirical' ek lo ek muft. Enough said - Good stuff, so go get it! Other suggested reading: WIKI homepage of GURU, with vignettes by the main actors: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_%282007_film%29