HANGOVER

VTV Movie Review

gauky — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:54:49 +0000

Warning: Spoiler Alert

After the music review of Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya (VTV), here is the movie review. For starters, I really liked the movie. With Silambarasan in the lead, there was always an apprehension. But GVM has ensured that we see Simbu in a new Avatar. Although the story is a simple love story, I enjoyed the practicality behind the story. Unlike most Tamil movies, which end predictably, VTV blends logic and drama. The concept of boy loving a girl from a different religion has been showcased in different ways by different directors. Although, the premise has remained the same over the years, the renowned directors always have their noses in front. GVM has his own style of showcasing his movies and this could be a reason why he is up there with the best in the Kollywood industry.

The first half is pretty typical of most love stories. Boy looks at girl. Love at first sight. Chases and looks to win her soon. Songs and clichéd dialogues follow. Add a few surprises and witty one liners, we have a breezy first half. The scene which involved Simbu travelling to Kerala to express his love was unnecessary. The movie has a great first half but loses its way post interval. The end makes up for the poor second half. Personally, I enjoy movies which are realistic and logical. I could relate to VTV in parts to my real life. That always makes an interesting watch. Simbu’s nasal voice is irritating but Trisha’s amazing screen presence makes us ignore Simbu completely. Trisha is gorgeous and makes me want to watch the movie again. ARR as usual has been outstanding. The song locations are out of the world but the choreography is really bad. Hosana and Omana Penne do not require skimpy foreigners and hooded gentlemen. Along the same lines as “Jesse”, VTV was definitely a “light hearted romantic love story”. I would give it a 7.5/10 rating and a 10/10 for Trisha for sweeping me off my feet.

Blogs- The thing of the past??

gauky — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 10:46:40 +0000

I just finished watching Julie and Julia. Largely inspired by the movie, I decided to quickly write a post. Julie hated her job from day one and took up blogging as a hobby. She managed to write about her passion (cooking in this context) and ensured that she would go to sleep peacefully each day. Along similar lines, I took up blogging way back in 2005 to write about my interests and see how I could convey my thoughts to my readers. When I started writing, I had a very narcissistic theme to my posts. In other words it was a poor man’s Facebook without the dynamic interface and the sleazy status messages. I was not constrained by 140 characters or anything like that 4 years back. It would contain in-depth analysis of the 140 character thoughts I had. My goal was to ensure that people could get to know me better and I could end up having interesting discussions over this amazing network called the internet. My posts predominantly consisted of personal incidents and events that had an impact in my life. I had interesting comments and faithful people who actually followed me (in a non twitterusque manner). I got to know new people and I also got a chance to gain entry to a leading girl’s college in Chennai. What more can one expect out of a blog?

I enjoyed writing and I did it out of sheer passion. Many of my friends started blogging and the interest fizzled out pretty soon for most of them. After 5 years, I am so glad I am still writing. On the other hand, the genres of my posts have changed significantly. I can attribute it primarily to the nature of blogs I read and those that are driven by the intent of making money. I rarely write personalized posts. Currently blogs have content that rarely beguile readers. Blogging has become a profession by itself and most people end up leveraging the concept of Crowdsourcing to make a living. Bloggers look to make money in all possible ways. I am personally against commercializing the medium of blogging. It was designed to pen down one’s thoughts and get opinions from people. Currently, on the excuse of connecting with their fans, blogs are used by celebrities and business honchos to make money. I think it only aggravates controversy.

In a nut shell, blogging will fade soon. It will be swept away by something shorter and smarter. Even if the platform stays, bloggers will fade. Everything has become short and easy. Everyone reads through RSS feeds (so do I). People do not have time to read more than 140 characters. Links have become shorter. People want everything on their mobile. I am hoping the above predictions are wrong. Only time can tell. I hope to be more frequent. For movie and food lovers, please watch Julie and Julia.

ARR is God

gauky — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:39:43 +0000

I usually don’t review music albums too often but the latest magic by ARR is special. I stopped buying Cd’s but I am definitely going to grab a copy of VTV. I am looking forward to Feb 14^th when the movie is slated to release. Here goes the music review.

Hosana

Sung by Vijay Prakash (man behind Manmohini from Yuvvraj), this song is likely to be on top of most charts in the coming days. This romantic song has a very western feel. Blaze’s rap has become a part and parcel of most of ARR’s album. I felt it was a deliberate ploy by the director to release this song online way before the other songs. This has raised the expectations of the album. Suzanne D’Mello’s humming of Hosanna in the background syncs perfectly with the main track. Very soothing song and I am dreading to watch Simbu in the video.

Aaoromale

This song has taken me by surprise. I never expected ARR to come out with such a track. The chant in the first half of the song is fantastic and the guitar gives me a feeling of hearing to an 80’s rock song. I have never heard of Alphons Joseph before but after this song I am sure he is one man to look forward to. Superb track.

Anbil Avan-

I am not a great fan of Devans voice. Although after hearing this song, I find his voice not too bad. But the song is probably the only fast number in the album. The starting is similar to boom boom from Boys but the portion between 2.01 and 2.15 is my favourite. I think this peppy number has all the ingredients to be a smash hit.

Omana Penne

At the time of writing this is my favourite track. After Taxi Taxi, Benny Dayal shows what else he has in his repertoire. Kalyani menon’s ( Rajiv Menon’s Mom) malu portion is giving me goose bumps. Brilliant entry by her. Omana Penne is a beautiful song. . This melodious song was added on the request of ARR after the making of the album. Thank god he did it. Super track.

Mannipaaya

A. R. Rahman & Shreya Ghoshal make an awesome pair. This song has beautiful lyrics. For a change I tried analysing what Thamarai tried to tell. Slow track but not the best. I hope Simbu is not in the video. Actually that’s the rule for all the songs.

Kannukkul Kannai - Naresh Iyer does it again. The music at the beginning is awesome and I think this song is right up there on the top of ARR. Typical ARR track..

Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa

How can we have an ARR album without Karthick rendering his voice. A slow and nice track. I have not heard it lots, but a lot of hardcore ARR fans seem to pick this one as their favourite song in the album. I need to hear it some more times to take a call.

Rarely do we see all the songs in an album of ARR being so spectacular.VTV is a great comeback for ARR to Kollywood. Looking forward for some more great music from him. Just like Sachin Tendulkar ,ARR has nothing to prove to anybody. He composes, He conquers and He charms people. ARR Rocks…

2009 – A year to forget

gauky — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:45:58 +0000

Phew..It has finally come to an end. 2009 had been a year, which I have to forget in a jiffy. Just like how I ended my review of 2008, I am beginning my review of 2009. 2009 was very similar to Bollywood: A few hits, a few misses and a majority of flops.

Hits

Thinking about it, I have really nothing much to flaunt about. My presentation in a global conference was probably the highlight of my career so far. The experience was exceptional and one I would never forget. The royal treatment made me feel like a king. The opportunity came to me at the right time and I am happy that I managed to achieve what I set out for. In addition to the conference, trips to Ooty and Bangalore were special and helped me relieve the stress. I gave back something for the community earlier this year, when I taught a few under privileged students English. The short stint would have been a long one if I had the courage to handle a couple of dogs. Thanks to Gizmo, I managed to pull through three months of dogture (portmanteau of dog and torture). Finally, one thing that has not changed over the years has been my network. I managed to meet a whole bunch of new people and also re-establish contact with a few lost people. Overall, in business lingo, my network had a healthy growth rate of 25%. The forecast for the next couple of years is expected to be more. Most of my female friends have been hitched. I attended multiple engagements, multiple weddings and heard multiple break up stories. 2010 is going to be filled with a lot more shocks. My friends have been awesome throughout the last one year and I owe a lot to each and every one of them.

Misses

I tried taking up multiple exams in 2009. Just like any other attempt at growth in 2009, I failed to do well. Nothing went right in any of my exams and I am back to where I was when I passed college. I missed a trip abroad with my friends. The timing was not suitable. I missed Diwali due to my dad’s poor health and I missed kozhakattai due to my poor health. I had signs of H1N1, but thankfully I bypassed it.

Flops

Personally, this has been the worst year of my life. I lost my father on November 21st. He had been suffering for a long time and I was right in the middle of the struggle. His thorough professionalism has motivated me to follow his footsteps. Right now my career has hit a roadblock and I need to act quickly. I had a mediocre year in quizzing. I managed to make a couple of finals, had a few close calls and some pathetic performances. The elusive open quiz final spot was there for the taking in 2009, but I messed up. Hoping 2010 would be a better year for me and my team. My blogging style and frequency has been poor this year considering my laziness and failure to accomplish goals.I really hope I can blog more often in 2010 and make it more interesting for my able readers.

With the release of “3 Idiots” Bollywood is back with bang. Along the same lines, I hope that 2010 provides me the break to get my life back to normalcy. Adieus 2009- All izz Well!!

The “Q” is not DEAD

gauky — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:32:08 +0000

The wedding season is back and I am here with another post. Over the next few months, my close friends are going to get hitched. I am hoping this post could help them organize their wedding better. Over the years, the South Indian wedding has transformed from a two day extravaganza to a week of madness. This change has been more evident in the last couple of years. Traditionally, the Wedding used to be followed by the Reception with couple of events the previous day. Nowadays there is a lot more action. I would like to call it the “Hybrid Wedding”. The recipe is very simple. A pinch taken from the Gujus, a drop from the Punjabis and a smidgen from the Bengalis. To top it off we have the local flavour. The final product is a complete package, which digs a deep hole in the pocket. Events such as Sangeeth, Mehendi and the Dandiya are tailor made for our eye muscles. More women under the spotlight, a lot more razzmatazz and a great showcase of wealth. Sounds great? Not really.

One thing that has not changed over the years is the Queue. The last few weddings I have attended have tested my patience. Queues of length up to the entrance have resulted in long waits. The end result is an artificial handshake and a photograph that can give the RTO photographers a run for their money.No one gets to spend time with the couple and people end up feeding their stomachs and rush back home. It is more like a “Power Wedding”. The couple hardly have time to share their experiences. The whole experience is very artificial. Industry experts estimate the size of the wedding industry in India to be a staggering Rs. 1, 90,000 crores. With so much of business interest, I think it is time they hire consultants to conduct the wedding in a more organized manner. The “ Q” has to go. No one has the patience or the time to wait for half an hour to shake hands or smile for a photograph that will never be seen. The only conversation that takes place on stage is this

(Bride’s friend on stage)

Guest to Bridegroom – I am your wife’s dad’s friend’s sister’s daughter. I kn..

Groom: Yeah Thanks. ( WTF)- (She didn’t even wish him but he interrupts her)

Photo.. Please.. Click.. Done… Next…

It’s that artificial and fast.

The Western weddings are a lot different where the couple invite only a selected few and they also send their gift request along with the wedding invitations. I have a few suggestions that could make this process more streamlined and entertaining.

1) They could have a stage built at the centre and go around the hall and meet the people voluntarily. This could provide the couple a chance to speak to people who have come to bless them.

2) Another option could be to remove the cameraman from the stage and make it optional. Those interested in a photo with the couple could take them later while the others could just move on after giving the presents. This would at least accelerate the process.

3) The last option could be to have tables all around the hall. Make people sit around them. The couple could go to each table and speak. This would make it personalized and will arrest the “Q”.

If you guys have more suggestions please comment. It could be very useful. The “Q” has to die. Join me in this movement. I wanted to write about a lot of stuff but I have had no time. Some posts in the pipeline are about My Trip to Mumbai, ARR Concert, B- School Essays and Chennai. Hopefully some time I could write about those events.

Maximum City????

gauky — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:59:21 +0000

I am 23 and it is rather surprising to note that I have never traveled alone to any other state/country. There are two reasons for this

1) My upbringing.
2) Never got the opportunity to do so.

I came close to traveling abroad alone on two occasions. I missed out on both due to some situation cropping up in the family. Here I am, after 23 freaking years, embarking on my first trip alone. I know it is not such a big deal in this day and age but to do it so late is a bit weird. The best part is that I am traveling to a city which was once my dream destination. I am heading to Mumbai after a gap of 17 years. The last time I went was in ” Udayan Express” from Bangalore. The 24 hr train journey was a lot of fun except for the fact that I was 6 years old and holding on to anything that came in my line of sight. I do not have any great memories from ” Bombay” if i may call it so. I am sure Raj Thackeray does not read my blog. I hope the city lives up to the hype. I have heard enough and more about the place from my peers as well as from movies. The night life, the women, the food and what not… I think 3 days is good enough to judge a city. Although I expect to have a nervy day 1, I am sure that the remaining two days will be legen.. wait for it…daryyy. Looking forward to it..Any suggestions for important places to visit. Please feel free to comment. Will blog about my experiences once I am back.

The good old days of writing letters

gauky — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:08:12 +0000

I was having a brief conversation with my Post Man the other day and it got me all thinking about how life would have been if we did not have E-Mail. A decade ago, I would have contacted the Post- Office close to three times a week. Now, I have no idea what their number is.The jobs of the post man have become so much more simpler.

Letters have played a brief but exciting role in my life. Ever since the advent of E-Mail, letters does not have the same charm that it used to have in the earlier days. I am glad my granddad retired from the esteemed position of a Postmaster. Those days, it was one government jobs that had buoyant competition. Now, it is outsourced to anyone above the age of 60. When I moved to Chennai from Bangalore in 1997, I was so fascinated by the concept of exchanging letters. Most of my friends would spend substantial amount of time to draft a letter. I would do the same in return. I would in fact sketch stuff and send it to them. That is probably the only occasion where I ever spent time on art. There is a major sense of fulfillment and anxiety as soon as I send one. With E- Mail the entire equation changes. Most of them are links or quick messages that convey truck loads of information. There is minimal effort. The only and probably the biggest advantage of E-mail is the fact that it is real time. But I guess it kills the suspense.

I still have each and every letter I have received with me and it is great feeling to read them ten years later. The letters may sound silly but it makes a good read. When I was twelve years old, I have actually written a letter to Rahul Dravid praising him for his wonderful batting and asking him to hit more runs. Obviously I didn’t have his address to post it. The letter will be retarded and the English will be pathetic. Looking back at it, it is so amusing. I have attached a copy of the letter as an image below. I doubt I will ever write an E-mail and save it in My Drafts. Sometimes technology can take away the beauty of traditional methods and indirectly make us extremely lazy. I hate writing any more. I prefer to type. I am sure most of you will agree with me.

I am guessing that most of us would have invested a lot of time in jotting down our thoughts and feelings and sending it to people whom we wish to. A letter can reveal the mood of the person and convey more than just few lines of text. Nowadays the only letters we receive are that of bills from the various private banks in India. No one has the time to sit and write in a piece of paper about their life. It is either communicated publicly through a social platform or privately through emails. Sometimes E-Mail can be so artificial. There is no value for effort spent. Effort is belittled whereas Time is worshipped. There needs to be a balance between both.

I still prefer opening an envelope and read a letter rather than checking my email ever 10 minutes. I used to be the first person to open the post box to check if I have received any mail. Now days we are online all the time checking e-mails and not realizing that we have lost an able trusted mode of communication. Whenever possible try to send a few letters. It would take people by surprise and would make them feel extremely important.

BORED (of) EXAM

gauky — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:52:35 +0000

It is finally official. No More board exams for Class 10. The government has made it optional. This comes as a huge bonus to the students who are studying in Class 9 now. Longer Summer holidays,no tuitions, Dish Tv’s can stay,no one is grounded and no career defining decision to be taken. IIT Professors can now scratch their bald heads to identify ways by which they can select candidates . The need to shift schools is not required and our education system has opened the gates for students to enter into a level playing field.

I still remember how much I struggled that one year. I hardly followed Australian Cricket, refrained from meeting new women ( no kadalai) and had my phone removed from my room. Currently, I doubt I can do without any of the above tasks for one day. Phew!!! It is a huge relief for the students. I firmly believe that it is at the end of class 9 and the beginning of Class 10 that we forget how to enjoy life. More often than not we end up in front of our books for one year on the trot.Now students all over the country can relax and think about what they want to do for another two years. The tenth standard exam has been the cause of many problems.

From the day the results come till you are around 30, people want to know your tenth standard score. It is crazy that one set of exams can determine what kind of a person he/she is. It used to be a benchmark for most parents to decide what his/her son is capable off. Intelligence cannot be measured with one exam and the students ought to be tested in a wide range of subjects to determine how good or bad they are. The Indian mentality is way behind the west in this regard. There is too much emphasis on marks or money and as a result the competition is sky high. A lot of deserving students get unnoticed while a lot of undeserving students take center stage. According to me, this is very visible in a country like ours and it would perfect if the government can standardize education and increase the quality. Currently, the rich get richer and better education while the poor get poorer and mediocre education.

By abolishing the 10th standard board exam, the government is sending positive signals to the Mango junta about Next Gen Education. As any other reform, I am sure this would evoke a strong debate and help Barkha Dut and Arnab Goswami earn their grub. Jokes apart, I am in favour of this decision and I am sure most people will be. Teachers and local government officials must stop tampering with the system further and just abide the law. It would do wonders for our country. Next up is Class 12.

10 Things I want to do before I DIE

gauky — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:22:27 +0000

1) Spend 16 whole days at the Oktoberfest.

I have heard so much about this festival that it is something which I have to experience at some point of time in my life.

2) Play the lead Actor or at least play a small role in a Film

I have always wanted to see myself on the big screen and see what it is like to be in front of the lens. I have heard so many versions of how easy or difficult acting is. Want to give it a shot.

3) Write a Book

Preferably an exciting book loosely based on my life.

4) Meet Steve Waugh

I have so many role models but I hope to meet Steve Waugh once before I die. He is my biggest inspiration.

5) Start my own Restaurant/ Sports Bar

Another very important task is to start a world class sports bar and eliminate the concept of last order.

6) Drive a Plane and if possible land in a parachute

I want to be a pilot for sometime and experience flying at wuthering heights

7) Be the manager of a Cricket/ Soccer team.

I have always been predicting on new moves and strategies which teams could take during the course of the game. But it is all very easy at home. I want to implement my ideas and strategies and check out the outcome.

Cook a full 3 course meal.

I have never been fond of the kitchen but would love to try my hand once in my life. Starting from the entrée, move to the main course and finish with the dessert. All this without any assistance.

9) Run a complete MARATHON.

My fitness is poor and I have never felt confident enough to run. But It is something which is right on top of my wish list.

10) Last but not the least. Wait For It………………………………………

I want to somehow make the WROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM sound (BIKE sound) without any problem. I know this is impossible considering the birth defect I have but I would love to take treatment and cure my most embarrassing problem.

My count stands at ZERO now but I hope to complete them one by one. Will update experiences as and when I ever do it.

Reality Bites

gauky — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:52:44 +0000

It might be surprising to note that the amount of time I have spent watching television over the last month stands at an impeccable 6-7 hrs. Partially this could be because of the Internet but still it amounts for very little time. I have become a very selective watcher and end up watching live Sports or Bollywood at it skimpy best. TV has very little to offer off late and this could be because of the hazaar Reality Shows and Soaps that channels come out with (I am referring to Indian Channels). The TV shows are either too melodramatic or they end up being staged. I sat for around ten min watching Sach ka Samna and could not stand it. MTV is no more Music Television. It could be called RTV or reality TV. There are just way too many reality shows in that channel and I frankly have no time. MTV Roadies was a huge hit and I am surprised that came through without much criticism. Apart from that, I do not see any of the other shows in any channel having high TRP’s.

It is disheartening to see the talent of India being wasted. Almost all shows are copied from the WEST with absolutely no creativity. Adding a bollywood hero to host the show does not add any value to the viewer. We might as well watch the stars in movies. Across boundaries in the WEST we see television Sit-Coms and reality shows running into 8th or 9th seasons respectively. Big Brother and American Idol for example are doing great because the whole program is conducted professionally. Our programs are constantly hitting high TRP’s for all the wrong reasons. We need original shows that have an element of skill and not just high stakes. Rakhi ka Swayamwar is a good example of an original show but what were the producers thinking. Seriously, they need a life. Why will anyone be interested in Rakhi’s husband? The reaction below sums up what viewers think of a show like that. This is the status message my friend had on FACEBOOK.

I feel like I want to remove hair in my head, one by one, then scratch and peel off the skin in my scalp, reach out to my skull, use an electric torch weld and melt my skull bones, then use a sewing needle and completely rewire my brain cells to make …it forget that I watched 10 seconds of “rakhi sawant ka swayamvar” on NDTV Imagine.

Funny isn’t it. But that’s the truth. We need to step up and come out with quality programs to woo people like me to watch television again. The Indian Television Industry has to create a BLUE OCEAN in the next couple of years. Otherwise it is just matter of time before television becomes an “Idiot BOX” literally.