Tamil Movies a bad influence?

Being a Tamilian, it's no wonder that I happen to watch Tamil films every now and then. Nevertheless, an email sent by a friend a few days back got me thinking about the influences of Tamil films in our lives, particularly in the lives of Tamilians in Malaysia.

You see, this friend of mine happen to read my previous posts on my blog and inquired if I'm getting paid for promoting VTV and Raavanan through them? Well, if that's true, then tamil film producers would be running at losses trying to pay each blogger for the so-called "promotion" of their films ;)

Of course, the sarcasm lying in his line of question could very well be noticed. Why the sarcasm, you may ask? This friend of mine (let's call him K, shall we?) happens to think that the Indians in Malaysia are suffering as they are influenced by Tamil films. In layman's terms, he's basically saying that Tamil films are the sole reason (or probably one of the main reasons) why Indians are in a dire state today (or are they?)

I have to agree with him on the fact that Tamilians are more fond of idolizing the stars as compared to other ethnics. Want a proof? Rajini in his 60's can still be accepted as a youthful hero (Sivaji The Boss anyone?) but the same cannot be said of Amitabh- well, even when he was playing the hero in Cheeni Kum, he was potrayed as a man of 64 years old...

How ironic that two actors of the same age group, each having their huge fan base, who grew up together as stars, and even attempted to enact the roles the other did in the original version (in their prime age),  be so similar and yet so distinctive in their choice of movies now? While one cannot be seen doing a youthful character, the other cannot be seen NOT doing youtful characters ;))

Well, whose fault is it that Rajini is donning the roles half his age today? The directors, the producers, the technicians or Rajini himself? If you ask me, it's the audience of course. It has to be remembered that movies are a money-making industry, just like any other businesses. Thus, more often that not, films are made to cater to the audience's taste. Very few has the guts to break away from the well ventured path, prefering to do something which hasn't be done before. Maniratnam for one, gave a diverse set of good film- Iruvar, Dilse, Kannathil Muthammittal to name a few. Nevertheless, all these films suffered a setback in collection, thus he has to resort to making commercially safe films (and compromising on creativity at the safe time) such as Alai Payuthey and Guru. While some might say Guru is a landmark as far as Hindi films are concerned, I seriously beg to differ. Maniratnam might not admit this, but for a man who did the emotionally sensitive Mouna Ragam and critically as well as technically acclaimed Nayagan, movies such as Guru are definitely a cakewalk for him. Probably the only hindrance he might have had in Guru is having to work with lame actors such as Abhishek and Aishwarya for the same. 

Movies like Iruvar, Dilse and Kannathil Muthammittal suffered financially at the box-office despite being good films

So where does this brings us back to? Does tamil films serve as a bad influence to the viewers? Again, I couldn't quite bring myself to agree to this. What are the elements of bad influences in tamil cinemas (which lacks in other regional films) that we can point out? The fact that it shows a huge dossage of criminal acts? Or that every other tamil films is filled with folk numbers with heroines dancing in skimpy clothes? Or the fact that heroism is at its pathetic state here? A big NO to the three options. Are we that naive to say criminal acts in films motivate viewers to do the same? Or do we see scantily dressed women dancing in street like how it's shown in the movies? Or do young men actually dress up as a Cock or utter punch dialogues, as does the heroes in the films? The idea is as laughable as projected in the films.

And what is the worst case scenario of films' influence in men? Maybe provoking the public to damage the theater chairs and screens if their "idol's" films are not screened on time, could be said as one. But if you ask me, the act can be credited more to the lack of anger-control management than to the untold interest in watching the particular film in the first place.

Otherwise, films have its share of advantages and disadvantages of its own. While certain films leaves us in awe of the way the film is projected, (if you've seen one shot of Iruvar, you know that it was definitely one of the best technically made films in India; for sample try this-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8EBPi3gWWE - take a look at how beautiful the up-close as well as the long angle shots were done for the scenes until 1.16, and mind you, this is just a pinch of what Maniratnam has done in the whole film!) certain films, on the other hand, do make us to rethink if we're giving the stars more than what they deserve (Barath's claim that his "Chinna Thalapathy" title is conferred by his fans might make us think who's the fooler of the two- the fans, for conferring such titles or the actor who shamelessly uses the same for the sake of publicity?)

How do you draw a balance between the good and bad of films? Simple, leave the bad films and promote good films- My guess is, if films like Kannathil Muttamittal, Anbe Sivam and Naan Kadavul have done well in the box-office, it would inevitably have resorted in more such path-breaking films to be produced in future. But nothing's of loss...yet. If anything, Tamil films seems to be treading the right path now and then. The fact that movies like Angaadi Theru has done a good business, while Sura is still struggling to make ends meet is a proof that the public is expecting more from the industry than run-of-the-mills kinda films. 

Things are definitely changing for good but whatever said and done, if Tamil films are said to be the mother of all sufferings faced by the Tamilians- well, I for one would highly object to it for sure. Sorry K, your point has failed to leave a mark in me!

Raavan- the countdown starts!

Ok, so the countdown for Ravana/ Raavanan has started. 14 more to go!Yeaaay! In any event, I know that it's a darn too late to talk about the music, nevertheless, what better way to start the Raavan topic than this. The following are my thoughts about Raavan music, which I posted in that yahoo group some time back. My views might have differ from the time this was written but that's a different issue altogether. For now, let's start the music!

Let me be honest…I mean really honest with you guys. I’ll begin by telling you what happen on the day I bought this album…The moment I got out of the store after purchasing the album, the sky opened up and start flooding the whole town. You may say that it’s God’s way of showering blessing, but why does it have to happen at a time when I didn’t have my umbrella around? I ran to my car as fast as I can and guess what?…I couldn’t find my car keys! (it was stuck inside my handbag with my hundred other things…well, whoever said that a lady’s handbag contains almost everything under the sun wasn’t kidding themselves. My handbag had almost all…except my dumb car keys :((  ) As luck would have it, there wasn’t a shelter nearby, thus, I had to open my handbag in the middle of the road, drenching myself and the hundred other stuff I was talking about, in the process of finding the keys!

So, yeah, I finally found the keys, got in to the car and just at that point, some nutcracker had to double-park his car beside mine! Well, after a short dispute and many honks later, I managed to get my car out. Now, here’s the moment I was waiting for, the excitement of listening to ARR’s album for the first time!

 

Beera Beera with Vijay Prakash’s strong vocals set the ball rolling. Karthik came in next with Behne De, followed by Thok de killi, Ranjha Ranjha, Killi re and Kata Kata and…well, that’s it. Wait a minute…that’s it? I haven’t even begun to enjoy any of them yet :(  For the first time, I found that I didn’t have any thoughts about ARR’s album…not even a negative one…I was feeling almost indifferent and I didn’t like the feeling at all. Hating an album is one thing, but indifferent? If only this day could get worse.

So, I started playing them again from the beginning. By then, I reached the Montessori where my 3 years old nephew studies. I picked him up and was just about to replace Raavan with Thomas & Friends soundtracks (despite months of cajoling him to listen to ARR, I must say that I’ve failed to break my nephew’s “relationship” with Thomas & Friends soundtracks) when a “miracle” occurred. No, there was no signs of snow falling (that would have been a disaster, not a miracle ;) )…it was my nephew swaying his body to the beats of Beera Beera. Hey, were the beats there the first time around? I abandoned all thoughts of changing the cd. Instead, I hiked up the volume and both of us started to sway together this time around. Beera Beera has the grandeur presentation with Vijay Prakash’s solid voice giving a wonderful rural touch to it. In fact, the name Beera is so addictive that by the end of the song, both my nephew and me kept singing Beera Beera from the top of our lungs! (well, it was really more like “screaming” than “singing” actually but who cares?) And the beats, wow! I’ve always maintained that ARR provides the best percussion sounds…and time and again, he proves me right. Beera Beera is definitely a wonderful start to the album. 

Behne De followed thereafter. Undoubtedly, this has one of the best prelude ever…there is something so mystifying in the prelude that you just can’t wait to hear what ARR has to offer. And with Karthik giving his best (as always), you can never be wrong in classifying this as the best number in the album. God knows why National Award has eluded Karthik for so long. This guy deserves it and more…

On the whole, Behne De grants such a spellbinding experience! I’m left speechless…And my nephew? Well he’s too busy staring at the cute chick in the car beside ours to notice this number. Oh well, one day he’ll learn to appreciate ARR’s music.

Then comes Thok de killi…there’s something so modern yet rustic in this number. Again the percussion takes full control of the song that my nephew started jumping on his seat again…if only I was not driving, I would have joined him too. The sudden increase in the tempo coupled with Sukhwinder’s amazing vocals just leaves you asking for more.

Rekha Bharadwaj and Javed Ali came next with the seductive Ranjha Ranjha. I have to admit. I never liked Rekha’s voice. Yeah, I know…I might be alone in this, but still, I never liked her voice…til Ranjha Ranjha happened. In fact, her voice is so captivating that she completely overshadowed Javed Ali’s performance here. Great going Rekha, you just got yourself another fan on the list!

And there’s also Khilli re, a typical Shreya Ghosal kinda number. But this time around, ARR ropes in the sweet Reena Bhardwaj (is she related to Rekha by any chance?). And I must say, she did great justice to this song. The song has a soothing effect, coupled with Reena’s melodious voice. And I was mighty impressed with the first interlude…so much so that I can almost imagine Aishwarya gracefully performing her Bharatanatyam to it.

And finally ARR brings in Kata kata. Like Beera Beera, Kata Kata too were given a majestic look, all thanks to the grand orchestration and vibrant voices in the form of Ila Arun, Sapna Awasthi and Kunal Ganjawala.  There is a festive and celebratory feel to the number which makes you want to hear it over and over again.

As an album, Raavan is a definite treat to the ears. It’s so wonderfully woven that they all fit together while still managing to be distinctive at the same time. And with wonderful picturisations (which we can fearlessly expect from Maniratnam & team), this would definitely turn out to be “picture-perfect”. 

And yes, what was the biggest lesson I’ve learned from this experience?. ..Never hear to ARR’s new album when you’re in a ghastly mood!

Oh yeah, wanna know what happened to my nephew? He didn’t want to leave the car when we reached home so we decided to go for another round of drive while listening to Raavan…over and over again. 

Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya

Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya's audio was released amidst great expectations on 12th January, 2010. And sources have noted that the response to the sales have been extremely overwhelming. (The day after the release, Amazon has declared that it was facing difficulties to support the purchase orders made). Not a surprise though. Vinnai Thandi Varuvvaya have been making news from the day it was first conceived.

This was not only the first film which sees Director Gautham Menon teaming up with ARR, it was also the first Tamil release of ARR after Oscars. In addition, the highly exaggerated "rift" and break-up between Director Gautham Menon and his one-time favourite composer Harris Jeyraj, coupled with the lavish London launch of the audio have all only made the expectations sky-high!

As far as the songs of VTV are concerned, I have to admit that for some reasons, I feel as if I've been having an age old "relationship" with the album. To tell the truth, when I first heard the songs, I did like the album for the overall presentation. However, as the songs kept playing in my cd player, I noticed that there was something extra special about this album. The more I listened to it, the more I'm engrossed with it. And the more I'm engrossed with it, the more I'm unwilling to part from it. In fact, I happen to come across a mail written by a friend of mine who claimed that she now takes a longer route back home in order to have some time alone with the soundtracks. The moment I read it, I just couldn't help but smile...because that's exactly how I felt when listening to the album myself...to spend some time alone with the album and to uncover the truth of what's making it so spellbinding!
The followings are merely my thoughts on my "new-found friendship" with VTV. I'm not a professional commentator nor do I have a profound knowledge as far as music is concerned, thus kindly pardon me if there's any inaccuracy or mistake in the expressions and words used below.

1. Omana Penne

Omana Penne starts on a blissful tune coupled with the soothing voice of Benny Dayal. I've always preferred Benny in soft melodies rather than in  fast beats or folk numbers. And as expected, Benny has done a wonderful job here.  The first saranam was given an "under-water-singing" effect which reminds me of Blue, nevertheless the similarities ends there.

The Kerala portion on the other hand, has a heavenly rhythm which leaves you asking for more. It's always a privilege to hear ARR's usage of ethnic music, even if it's only for a few seconds and he has done an excellent job here as well. And needless to say, Kalyani Menon was the perfect choice for this. On a further note, the nadaswaram used throughout the song was just mind blowing. Initially I had my doubts if the real nadaswaram was used for this particular number nevertheless clarifications given by fellow friends and a quick check with  ARR's official website cleared my doubts. Kudos to ARR and Natarajan for churning out an essentially ethnic and yet modern tune. Omana Penne is definitely here to stay!

 

2. Anbil Avan

The techno sound at the prelude seems to have traces of Santhipoma of Enaku 20 Unaku 18. To tell the truth, I didn't find this song to be particularly astounding at first. However, repeated hearing has made me to change my mind. Trust me, this song is "highly addictive". Devan did a great job, needless to say. I couldn't think of any other singer who would have given the song the same level of energy that Devan accomplishes. Nevertheless, I must say that Chinmayi was a revelation. I've always had difficulties identifying Chinmayi's voice as she has the talent of modulating her voice texture and style according to the mood of each and every song of hers. While she was soulful in Oru Deivam (Kannathil Muthammittal) and angelic in En Uyir Thozhiye (Kangalal Kaithu Sei), here she seems to present a western-based singing. In fact, when I heard this song for the first time, I had mistaken Chinmayi's voice to Vasundhara Das'. A check on the credits revealed the truth. She sounds amazing!

Coming back to the music arrangements, ARR has again surprised everyone with his choice of genre for a song such as this. The song basically expresses the lovers' dreams of their marriage. While most would  have settled for a melody for such a situation, ARR decided to grant a peppy, foot-tapping number. And what an apposite choice that was. He effectively brought out the elation felt by the lovers in a vivacious manner, while the inclusion of the marriage tunes at the interludes provided a wonderful, jubilant feel to it.

 

3. Vinnaithandi Varuvaya 

I was pleasantly surprised that ARR used Karthik instead of Hariharan for this soothing number.  This would have been a cake-walk for Hariharan who's a master in playing with the ragas. Nevertheless, I must say that Karthik has done a commendable job. In fact, full credits goes to ARR for using Karthik's voice in a very unconventional manner to such great effect. Instead of opting for the open-throat singing (which I believe is Karthik's plus point), ARR has brought out a rather husky side of Karthik here. Truly amazing!

ARR has used minimum  instruments here, letting the string arrangements to do the wonders. And wonders they did! I was instantly attracted to it from the first moment I heard it. In fact, I must say that I was amazed with the whole presentation of this song. Definitely one of my favourites!

 

4. Hosanna

Vijay Prakash is back after the amazing job rendered in Fiqrana. Among all the songs, Hosanna attracted me from the moment I first heard it. The song started on as a slow melody but ARR quickly transformed it to a fast tempo at the pallavi. Vijay sounds refreshing and he seemed completely at ease with the high notes. I especially loved the  way he presented the "idhayam" portion which comes at the beginning and at the end of the song. Absolutely delightful!

By the way, who said Blaaze sounded repetitive?? I don't usually like rap and I was never a big fan of Blaaze, but I dare say that he was great here! He seems to have adopted a more "Caribbean" feel this time which sounded cool to the ears. Suzanne on the other hand has added charm to the song with her blissful humming and chanting of "Hosanna". A highly lovable number, I must say!

 

5. Kannukul Kannai

The song started with great violin score coupled with the usage of percussion at the right places. The beautiful string arrangements at the interlude needs to be specifically mentioned here as I felt ARR has done a wonderful job with them. Naresh Iyer was truly amazing! The boyish-sounding Naresh is now back with a matured and well-developed voice and he handled the fast-pacy number gracefully. I admit that the  lyrics of the song have yet to grow on me but the amazing harmony of sounds projected here is too extraordinary to give this a miss. Definitely has potentials to hit the chartbusters!

 

6. Manipaya

The moment Shreya Ghosal rendered the first line, I knew that this is going to be a special number. But nothing prepared me for the surprise I was about to face. The whole experience of listening to this song just left me speechless. So much so that the moment the song ended, I had the urge to play it again and again. Shreya was just amazing. She totally connected with the song. Not only had she improve her pronunciation to perfection but the emotions she conveyed through her voice was so intense that you can't help but feel the pain and grief she executes soulfully. And ARR...what can I say about him? He just took the song to a higher level with his emotive singing. Truly, this song is just made for them.

The lyrics didn't particularly sound poetic, nevertheless, they spelt out the characters' feelings exceedingly well. The girl seeking forgiveness for failing her lover, and the guy responding by attributing each and every success of his to her was expressed poignantly here. In fact, the whole song has a pathos feel lingering around it that eventually leaves you emotionally drained. ARR has created a whole new dimensions to his music by not only evading the usual pallavi-saranam-pallavi sequence, but by giving each and every stanzas a life of its own. And adding to the magical effect is the inclusion of the wonderfully crafted and meaningful Thirukural. What more can you ask?

I would whole-heartedly agree that this song is definitely the best of the lot! Face it, "beautiful" is just too lame a word to define this song!

 

7. Aaromale

When Rahman infused rap into folk numbers, everyone was left awed by the final product. So how would you respond now that he blends rock with ethnic music? You can't respond, of course. You're just left flabbergasted with the sheer brilliance of ARR. Alphonse was an apt choice for this number. His powerful , solid voice suited the mood and style of the song marvelously. I loved the slokas-like tunes which gives the song a native touch and ARR inserts them well with the excellent support of percussion.  If there's anyone who can blend rock and ethnic music exceedingly well, then it has to be ARR. The more I hear this number, the more I'm drawn to it. Phenomenal!

 Overall, Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya left me feeling completely contented and excited. ARR has never failed to surprise me with each new projects he ventures. This time around, I was not only elated, but I was thoroughly absorbed and captivated with the final product. God bless ARR for triggering a special feelings in our hearts through his magical music once again!

Music of my life

Music, mainly Indian music has played a major role throughout my life. Needless to say, I have only one person to thank for the inclusion of music in my life...A.R.Rahman! A.R.Rahman needs no introduction. Nevertheless, I would still take the privilege to talk about him and how his music changed my life.

Born as Dileep Kumar, A.R.Rahman (ARR to most) began his career by playing keyboard for many renowned music directors. He then went on to compose ad jiggles before venturing into the Indian Film music as a composer in 1992 for the film, Roja.

A.R.Rahman during his early days as a Music Director

Roja must have been very special to ARR in a lot of manner. It was his first film as a film music composer after a stupendous career as an ad jiggles composer. In addition, the film was directed by Maniratnam, a genius in film making and produced under the banner of Kavithalaya, owned by K. Balachander (a renowned film director who gave path-breaking films in 70's and 80's). Moreover, this was also the first time Maniratnam collaborated with a different (and a fresh one at that) after his own successful collaborations with India's finest music director, Ilayaraja.

In fact, rumor has it that ace director Maniratnam had a tiff with composer Ilayaraja during their last venture, Thalapathy. Ironically, when Thalapathy was released in 1991, the soundtracks of the film went on to grab many accolades and praises and set the cash register ringing. Nevertheless, by then the tiff had left too much of water under the bridge and Maniratnam set out to find a new composer for his next venture. It was at this point of time that he got to know A.R.Rahman and on hearing some of ARR's compositions, Maniratnam was so amazed by the latter's talents and quickly signed him up for his dream project, Roja and the rest they say, is history!

The year was 1992. Roja was released amidst huge expectations and publicity. I was 9 years old back then...a school student who knew nothing about music let alone Indian music industry (the latter, for some reason failed to strike a chord in me). Nevertheless, when Roja was released, I went on to watch it in the theatre with my family members. The beginning scenes of the terrorist being chased and captured by the Indian army was a little too blur for my naive mind...so much so that I failed to notice the exciting BGM that followed the scenes. In fact, back then BGM was as vague a word to me as the whole scenes put together.

Then, the enticing music began to come. The whole screen seems to have come alive with the scene of sun-rise and the music that followed...Chinna Chinna Aasai was born. Even hearing it today would bring back many beautiful memories to me. The sound was so refreshing and energizing. It is undoubtedly the best introduction song for a heroine.

Roja fetched Rahman his first National Award. Not surprisingly, he set the history by becoming the first person to be awarded the National Award for his debut work. More movies came along after Roja. Most were memorable, many were magical and some were just too great to be described in words. (I would definitely write about some of his works in my next post).

Today, ARR is a global icon, having won the double Oscars for his stupendous work in Slumdog Millionaire (SdM) and is on the run for the Grammys later this month, while Jai Ho, the outstanding number from SdM has become a world anthem now.

Needless to say, I'm truly proud of the success he so deserved. May many more awards and success crown him with glory. To the rest of the world, he might be the global icon, the musical storm or the Mozart of Madras...but to me, he was the man who taught me to love music, and thanks to him, his is the music of my life now and forever! Jai Ho Rahmanji!

Day Light Robbery

Reading in the newspapers about snatch thefts, robbery, rape and murder which seem to occur almost daily in our country...I can't help to think that these are matters which you would think would happen to someone else and not to yourself...until it does happen to you, of course...

My house was broken into last Tuesday. No one was in the house at the time of the incident. I came back from my firm at 7 p.m. on that day and found out that I could not open the door to my house...it seemed to have been locked from inside...I then had to find the keys to the adjacent door...which we hardly use actually, and managed to open the particular door. On reaching inside, I found, true enough, that the door was indeed locked from inside...I didn't see how it could have happen.

At one glance, the living room looked intact...nothing seemed fishy and I still haven't got a clue as to why the door was looked from inside.

I walked to the kitchen and for no particular reasons, turned to glance at the my study room which is located beside the kitchen. To my horror, the ceiling of the room was broken and our ladder was there with debris all around the place. And again in this room too, nothing else was touched. All the things were in its place.

I quickly walked to the other rooms and my fears were confirmed. The two bedooms were in a total mess...my clothes were scattered all around the house...my gold earrings and ringswere gone...my mom's clothes were thrown out of her cupboard too and her cash was gone. It was a sight that I would never forget!

Just this morning, I read the newspaper and there was this news about a guy who murdered a young mother, a 5 year old child and the maid, all for the mere reason of stealing a laptop from the house!

And I was just thinking...Thank God that no one was at my home at the time of the robbery...cash and jeweleries can be replaced but not lives! And to think that there are some insane people out here who don't even know the value of a person's life...that's depressing.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the great mothers out there! And this post is a tribute to my mom, who happens to be more complicated than I am or ever will be...

Roses, chocolates, gifts, delightful lunch and dinners to mothers would all be a norm on this day. As for myself, I lazed around the house and watched all the Mother's Day programmes on tv in addition to doing my laundry, shopping, cleaning, etc. My mom left to my grandparent's place on Saturday...again without informing anyone. Yeah, there's something weird going on at my place.

My mother doesn't talk to me...she hasn't been for the past two months, actually. And I have no clue as to why she behaves in that way. I tried talking to her, asking her questions, but all I get is a brusque reply, or a stare. If it was done by someone else, it wouldn't have taken me a few seconds to give a remark, cynical and sarcastic enough to leave the person with a gaping mouth . But when it's done by your own mother, you just have to bear with it, I guess. So much so, that after a while, I stopped trying to communicate with her...I thought she would cool down or come to her senses but to avail. She goes about the house pretending that I don't exist.

So, on Mother's Day I thought of putting a stop to all these. I bought her a dress which caused me a hefty amount and thought of presenting it to her. Little did I know that she went to my grandmother's place a day before and stayed the night over there.

So I waited for her to be back the next day, that is the Mother's Day. She came back about 8 p.m. with a permanent scowl planted on her face. I wished her Happy Mother's Day and gave her the gift I got her. She looked at me, and said, "Why are you giving me? I don't want it." Off she wents to her room, leaving me in the living room with the gift in my hand and a gaping mouth. So much for trying out my luck.

Happy Mother's Day anyway...

Detained

I was at the court today when I received news that five lawyers were detained for representing 14 other detainees in the police station. And one of them was my former colleague! My God! I was dumbstruck!

How can the police detain lawyers who are there to render assistance for the detainees? Is this what you call freedom for all? Why is it that every single words/criticisms uttered against the government is looked upon as a crime? Does freedom of speech really exist in this country?

I'm frustrated with the government, totally frustrated! Agreed that we are not having political crisis as in Sri Lanka or Thailand...agreed that we don't have racial riots as in India...agreed that we don't need to live in fear as in South Africa...but is that all that we need in life? Don't we need the freedom to choose our leaders? Don't we need the be given the right to criticise the government which we elect? Don't we have the rights to protest if the government is doing what is clearly wrong? Are we too naive and ignorant to waive these rights?