Have a long way to go before I die ...
The full list @ http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/100-movies-to-see-before-you-die.html
Monday, March 23, 2009
Before You Die
Yahoo! Movies has released a list of 100 movies to see before you die. The list includes one from India.
Have a long way to go before I die ...
The full list @ http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/100-movies-to-see-before-you-die.html
Have a long way to go before I die ...
The full list @ http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/100-movies-to-see-before-you-die.html
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Shashi for MP
Elections are round the corner and heartening to see people like Dr.Shashi Tharoor in the fray. Calls are made during every time there is an election for educated people to enter the fray and none of the previous attempts bore anything fruitful. People like Mr. T. N. Seshan who were exemplary in their civil service careers biting dust in the political stage being sad examples.
Given the history, the entry of Dr. Shashi Tharoor (http://www.shashitharoor.in) is an interesting development and I think he is doing the right thing by standing as a Congress candidate for Lok Sabha from Trivandrum, Kerala. Previous attempts by people of this standing were more in their individual capacities and no wonder those attempts ended where they did. In India, support of the major political parties is a major ingredient for success in elections and with the pro-UDF tidings currently in the state of Kerala, I feel, Shashi definitely has set up the best platform for a win.
Sporting a solid resume and a clear vision for Trivandrum, Shashi is one of the best qualified candidates in the general elections this time. So here comes , a chance for Trivandrum to elect India's next Foreign Affairs Minister.
The irony is that Shashi who came to Kerala to teach the Mallus good English is now toiling hard to pick up decent Malayalam. Also, now I wonder, for people like Shashi isn't the Rajya Sabha route a better choice. May be that is his plan B.
Sporting a solid resume and a clear vision for Trivandrum, Shashi is one of the best qualified candidates in the general elections this time. So here comes , a chance for Trivandrum to elect India's next Foreign Affairs Minister.
The irony is that Shashi who came to Kerala to teach the Mallus good English is now toiling hard to pick up decent Malayalam. Also, now I wonder, for people like Shashi isn't the Rajya Sabha route a better choice. May be that is his plan B.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Curious Case of Oscars
Photo Courtesy: The Times Of IndiaJai Ho ...
Eight awards and three of them to Indians. Recognition is always a moment of joy and when it comes from the most celebrated film academy, it is all the more sweeter. So, for sure a moment of great pride. Congratulations to all the winners and especially to the Indians among those.
Particularly happy with the Oscar (www.oscar.com) for 'Smile Pinki'. Unlike films, documentaries tell real stories and when it is able to make an impact when told through the cinematic medium, it turns out to inspire many more useful initiatives. So a real good purpose served.
I stand by what I said in an earlier blog; Slumdog Millionaire (SM) does not work for me. I simply don't get how Danny can win the Best Director for his over-the-top work in SM or how SM can win the Best Picture award. Of course, here assuming SM won on it's strength and not because all the other nominated films were poorer.
But I understand Oscar is a business at the end of the day and I will leave it there.
Jai Hind ...
Eight awards and three of them to Indians. Recognition is always a moment of joy and when it comes from the most celebrated film academy, it is all the more sweeter. So, for sure a moment of great pride. Congratulations to all the winners and especially to the Indians among those.
Particularly happy with the Oscar (www.oscar.com) for 'Smile Pinki'. Unlike films, documentaries tell real stories and when it is able to make an impact when told through the cinematic medium, it turns out to inspire many more useful initiatives. So a real good purpose served.
I stand by what I said in an earlier blog; Slumdog Millionaire (SM) does not work for me. I simply don't get how Danny can win the Best Director for his over-the-top work in SM or how SM can win the Best Picture award. Of course, here assuming SM won on it's strength and not because all the other nominated films were poorer.
But I understand Oscar is a business at the end of the day and I will leave it there.
Jai Hind ...
Saturday, February 14, 2009
My (borrowed) Take
Photo Courtesy: The HinduHere is Mr. Hariharan's take on Slumdog Millionaire and something which is completely 'My Take' too. I couldn't agree one bit more. Here it is; what I wanted to say but couldn't ...
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2009/02/15/stories/2009021550180500.htm
Well Done, Hariharan!
Monday, January 26, 2009
True Lies
Cartoon Courtesy: The HinduThe above cartoon is a bit dated, could not post earlier as I was facing some issues with uploading images in Blogger. By the way, given the progress or lack of it with the Satyam episode, the value of this cartoon seems to have only been multiplied. So going ahead and posting it still!
Chayamukhi: To See, Not Look ...
Photo Courtesy: P. Sandeep, FlickrBased on the epic Mahabharatam, 'Chayamukhi' is a very enjoyable drama from Mohanlal, Mukesh and team from Kerala. They were in Bangalore yesterday and was lucky not to have missed the opportunity to watch it.
Malayalam cinema's biggest star, Mohanlal is an actor extraordinaire and watching a drama with him in the lead role was a memorable and thrilling experience for me. With his aura, Mohanlal was a towering presence on stage and was ably complemented by other actors, musical scores and all the other things that went into the making of Chayamukhi.
The story is a largely a trip through the minds of Bheeman and Keechakan (played by Mukesh) and to a lesser extent that of Draupadi (Aparna Nair). Bheeman is on a long journey to find his true love. And one that helps/that-does-not-help him in the process is a mirror named, Chayamukhi. Chayamukhi, per story, is a magical mirror looking into which helps one see his/her heart-throb. Gifted to Bheeman by Hidumbi, it changes hands (to Draupadi and then to Keechakan) before getting broken into pieces, creating a lot of heart-burn in the process.
In the story, Bheeman fails to realize his true love but playing that role, Mohanlal with his flawless act and dialog delivery wins a immeasurable amount of love from the audience. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and there were times when I felt transplanted to a different world altogether. A kind of feeling that only a drama and not cinema can offer. The story is punctuated with great music and time utilization (an un-interrupted total duration of 2 hours and 10 minutes) and on-stage depictions (of a forest, river, winter festival etc.) are worth mentioning.
Don't miss it, if there is one being played in your city and I for one wouldn't mind watching it one more time, :-)
Update (02/02): My friend Pramod, shares a link with pictures of Mammootty, the other great of Malayalam cinema, playing Bheeman.
http://sify.com/movies/malayalam/imagegallery/galleryDetail.php?hcategory=13733817&hgallery=14790323
This one is based on noted writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair's novel, 'Randamoozham'. Reserving my comments (and can-not-avoid comparisons with Mohanlal's Bheeman) till I get to see Mammootty in action.
Mammootty, when are you planning to come to Bangalore, as Bheeman?
Malayalam cinema's biggest star, Mohanlal is an actor extraordinaire and watching a drama with him in the lead role was a memorable and thrilling experience for me. With his aura, Mohanlal was a towering presence on stage and was ably complemented by other actors, musical scores and all the other things that went into the making of Chayamukhi.
The story is a largely a trip through the minds of Bheeman and Keechakan (played by Mukesh) and to a lesser extent that of Draupadi (Aparna Nair). Bheeman is on a long journey to find his true love. And one that helps/that-does-not-help him in the process is a mirror named, Chayamukhi. Chayamukhi, per story, is a magical mirror looking into which helps one see his/her heart-throb. Gifted to Bheeman by Hidumbi, it changes hands (to Draupadi and then to Keechakan) before getting broken into pieces, creating a lot of heart-burn in the process.
In the story, Bheeman fails to realize his true love but playing that role, Mohanlal with his flawless act and dialog delivery wins a immeasurable amount of love from the audience. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and there were times when I felt transplanted to a different world altogether. A kind of feeling that only a drama and not cinema can offer. The story is punctuated with great music and time utilization (an un-interrupted total duration of 2 hours and 10 minutes) and on-stage depictions (of a forest, river, winter festival etc.) are worth mentioning.
Don't miss it, if there is one being played in your city and I for one wouldn't mind watching it one more time, :-)
Update (02/02): My friend Pramod, shares a link with pictures of Mammootty, the other great of Malayalam cinema, playing Bheeman.
http://sify.com/movies/malayalam/imagegallery/galleryDetail.php?hcategory=13733817&hgallery=14790323
This one is based on noted writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair's novel, 'Randamoozham'. Reserving my comments (and can-not-avoid comparisons with Mohanlal's Bheeman) till I get to see Mammootty in action.
Mammootty, when are you planning to come to Bangalore, as Bheeman?
Black Man in White House
It was my first witnessing of the US President inauguration and the family joined me in watching the proceeding on television. Like many others are saying, may be this is a significantly important event of our times and not to be missed. Around 2M attending the event (in a city of 600K total population as somebody said) on a day when the maximum temperature was zero- degree celsius was real testimony to the excitement around.
All the major Indian news channels were covering the event live and I switched from Times Now to NDTV when Times Now started speculating on the 20-minute delay to the leaving of the Obamas to the Church, the first event on the agenda.
Obama's journey so far is already film-material. The massive expectations of him is going to make the job that much more difficult, but I feel, he will come out good in the end. With the job he has, the most important thing to do is to ensure that he surrounds him with the best and brightest. He did that very well during the campaign phase and has started on a good note with the appointments so far.
Wish him well and I eagerly look forward to his handling of the most important job in the world.
All the major Indian news channels were covering the event live and I switched from Times Now to NDTV when Times Now started speculating on the 20-minute delay to the leaving of the Obamas to the Church, the first event on the agenda.
Obama's journey so far is already film-material. The massive expectations of him is going to make the job that much more difficult, but I feel, he will come out good in the end. With the job he has, the most important thing to do is to ensure that he surrounds him with the best and brightest. He did that very well during the campaign phase and has started on a good note with the appointments so far.
Wish him well and I eagerly look forward to his handling of the most important job in the world.
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