Err..I sure am late in watching the most awaited movie of the summer (Not speaking of Kuselan which is Thalaivar's offering for the masses coming up soon) - Dasavatharam! Kamal is acknowledged to be the finest that the country has produced (barring Shivaji Ganesan maybe, but I dont like his theatrics personally) and anyone who has seen Michal Madana Kama Rajan or Avvai Shanmughi would expect, without an iota of doubt, him to produce a swashbuckling, breezy and easy performance. The ulaga nayagan does not dissapoint - none of the roles appear labored. Infact the potrayal in a few avatars is so convincing that one starts counting and plays a Spot-Kamal game at times - This is especially true of the 95 year old Paati and the Japanese brother of Yuka - the Karate expert babe.
The story, screenplay and direction is by the master himself and it shows in every frame. The settings are top-class and there is not much time spent on frivolties. The stunt sequences deserve a special mention and look probable for a change - unlike in say Vishnuvardhan's Billa which looked like a cheap Matrix rip-off . The pace of the movie never lags and no normal movie-goer would ever have an attention-slip at anypoint of time during the 180 odd minutes, barring save some parts during the first half.
When someone plays 10 damn roles in any movie, it is but expected that he would eclipse all other performances. More so, when the guy doing this is Kamal Haasan. As such only Asin (played by Asin herself and not Kamal) and Mallika Sherawat (with a lot less cleavage on show for a pleasant change) had some kind of screen presence. Both disappoint but to be fair, no one takes Mallika to be a serious actress in spite of her "towering" screen presence. It must have been a surprising change for her from the usual kissing, cleavage baring, pre/post/extra marital sexual infidelity type roles that come her way. She must thank puritan south audiences and over-zealous political activists (double role of Karpu Guards) for making sure the screen stays clean. It is Asin, out of whom audiences expected a lot after Ghajini, who disappoints. Playing Kamal's lady-love sure has its negatives I guess - she doesnt make any mark and was an irritating presence during the second half. Seasoned veterans like Nagesh did not get time to do justice to their calibre. But hell, when you have one guy playing 10 roles...Jayapradha does a good job though in the limited time that she is on screen.
Some observations I made during the movie. The dialogues (quite evident in the second half) smell like out of a Singeetham Srinivasa Rao/Crazy Mohan flick. It does not require you to be a stud to figure out that these guys wrote scripts for Michael MKR, Kaadhala Kaadhala etc which had Kamal in them. Kamal has tried to bring in that type of humor into this movie through the character of the RAW Officer - The Andhra Kamal. Not quite rib-tickling and top class, but it sure is nice and funny at times.
I think Kamal as Chris Flethcher (Ex CIA) is the best in the movie. Would rate the 12th century role as second best. A comparision with previous movies by the legend is inevitable. Me thinks that Dasavatharam is a very good movie. But it did not have that big an impact on me, post movie. Not quite the level of Anbe Sivam or Nayagan. Imagine this guy pouring out all he has got in not 10 but in that 1 role.
Definitely worth a watch. Talks of Superstar doing not 10 but 20 roles in one song in the next movie. The clash of the titans begins this summer!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
A Trip to Singa-pura
Aloha! Am back after spending 4 days in Singapore...Had limited access to internet over there and so here I am posting my experience :)
About 4 hours away, Singapore is by no way an exotic foreign locale. On the contrary, at most times I felt as if I was in India..This applies more if you stayed at Little India
After a lot of dilly dallying got ourselves booked into the The Albert Court - A Far East Hotel
A pretty decent place to live in and most importantly close to a lot of Indian restaurants (Ananda Bhavan is just around the corner)..Walk onto Serangoon Road (about 50 mts from Hotel) and you have Komalas, Saravana Bhavan and Mustafa Center further down...The best way to book is to try rates at different Online Hotel Booking Sites - Tripadvisor gives good reviews and for bookings try asia-hotel, asiarooms, hotels-online and expedia . Try calling up the Hotel also to confirm rates (i did not have much success as they advise you to book online). If you are particular about vegetarian food, live at Little India.
I took a City Tour on the first day and did a little bit of shopping in Little India. Went the next day to Sentosa Island. This is not to be missed and is probably the best holiday spot to visit if you are in Singapore. You have 2 options to enter the Island - one by Cable Car from Harbor Front Tower 2 or take the Sentosa Express from Vivocity. I took the MRT from Little India Station to Harbor Front Station and then walked across to Tower 2...Lotsa good deals on the counter there for Sentosa - You choose the kind of rides/places you want to see and then choose the best Tour Package - Each costs approximately S$ 60...This would include 2 way trip to Island by Cable Car and entry tickets to those particular rides in the package...Do not miss the 3D cine show and the Underwater World....No Indian food at Sentosa - So pack stuff to eat there (Thanks Padma :) )...Another good ride is the Luge - you can showcase your driving skills here..Me did some Schumi like overtakings and brakings to end up at the Finish Line a cool 5 mins earlier than my parents...Got into a vantage position to shoot a pic of them coming full speed around the final corner and dug into my bag for the camera only to realize it missing...After some 15 mins more of tension and frenzied searching of bags I was in the Aiyyo Nasama Pocche mood and trudged back to the counter and started telling the kid over there about my precious Canon which was no more mine. After patiently listening, the kid turned around, bent down and retrieved my camera..I guess we had left it at the Counter when getting our tickets..Realized why this was such a successful and favored tourist destination (Singapore prides itself on the low crime rate and extreme penalties - For instance, playing around with the MRT emergency buttons can land you a fine of S$5000) ..From the Aiyyo Nasama Pocche mood, I turned pensive and waltzed to the "If this were India and I had misplaced my camera" mood...
The third day was spent shopping..The places you should not miss are Mustafa Center and Sim Lim Square. Both are within walkable distance from the Hotel at Little India...Mustafa is a hell of a big super duper market which stocks everything from exotic condoms to rare gem stones. I couldnt find the need for the former and did not have money for the latter. So me restricted myself to shopping all in between..No bargains at this place. The electronics are clearly more expensive than what you might find outside (Sim Lim etc)...Good buys - Luggages, cosmetics, watches etc...Got myself a Seiko Chrono, Altec Lansing 2.1 Speakers and some other computer accessories...(Note - If you have a relative whose coming down from the US, catch them for a much better deal)...Went down next to Sim Lim Square as I had read a lot about if being a haven for digital cameras and the likes...The mall is pretty impressive with well stocked shops...One thing I couldnt do was bargain - I am not a bad bargainer and I had read a lot about bargaining being the way to go at Sim Lim..But hell, everything seemed to be fixed here...One thing you can do is make sure you collect the Handouts from different shops and compare prices...I did not buy a digital camera here although I could see a lot of shops as I couldn't get the best deal...It is still about 3-4 k cheaper than India for an above average camera...The night was spent at the Night Safari - a popular destination for tourists it being a night zoo. No comparison to Vandalur Zoo in terms of varieties of animals, but in terms of cleanliness and presentation - they represent two ends of the spectrum...Why don't we learn the good things also from the West (or East in this case) ? Vandalur to us is one big picnic outing - Pack a lot of puliyotharai, vadam and curd rice (enough to feed half the species over there), balloons, cricket bats and footballs..Squat right in front of the cage and feed the Tiger the molagai pieces from the puliyotharai and throw stones from the safe confines of the other side of the cage...Not wanting to lead this kind of a lifestyle, every damn tiger would love to get its H1B processed and move on to San Diego or Singapore..In fact the tiger I met at Night Safari gave me a friendly wink...Hell :)
Spent the next day lazing around, little more shopping at Mustafa and arrived at Changi Airport a cool 5 hours in advance..An amazing place by itself, the Airport is itself worth a day's visit..Spent a couple of hours window shopping in each Terminal (Also bought a couple of tees at the end) and then boarded the Indian Airlines flight back home...
Back to business - have to catch up on sleep :)
About 4 hours away, Singapore is by no way an exotic foreign locale. On the contrary, at most times I felt as if I was in India..This applies more if you stayed at Little India
After a lot of dilly dallying got ourselves booked into the The Albert Court - A Far East Hotel
A pretty decent place to live in and most importantly close to a lot of Indian restaurants (Ananda Bhavan is just around the corner)..Walk onto Serangoon Road (about 50 mts from Hotel) and you have Komalas, Saravana Bhavan and Mustafa Center further down...The best way to book is to try rates at different Online Hotel Booking Sites - Tripadvisor gives good reviews and for bookings try asia-hotel, asiarooms, hotels-online and expedia . Try calling up the Hotel also to confirm rates (i did not have much success as they advise you to book online). If you are particular about vegetarian food, live at Little India.
I took a City Tour on the first day and did a little bit of shopping in Little India. Went the next day to Sentosa Island. This is not to be missed and is probably the best holiday spot to visit if you are in Singapore. You have 2 options to enter the Island - one by Cable Car from Harbor Front Tower 2 or take the Sentosa Express from Vivocity. I took the MRT from Little India Station to Harbor Front Station and then walked across to Tower 2...Lotsa good deals on the counter there for Sentosa - You choose the kind of rides/places you want to see and then choose the best Tour Package - Each costs approximately S$ 60...This would include 2 way trip to Island by Cable Car and entry tickets to those particular rides in the package...Do not miss the 3D cine show and the Underwater World....No Indian food at Sentosa - So pack stuff to eat there (Thanks Padma :) )...Another good ride is the Luge - you can showcase your driving skills here..Me did some Schumi like overtakings and brakings to end up at the Finish Line a cool 5 mins earlier than my parents...Got into a vantage position to shoot a pic of them coming full speed around the final corner and dug into my bag for the camera only to realize it missing...After some 15 mins more of tension and frenzied searching of bags I was in the Aiyyo Nasama Pocche mood and trudged back to the counter and started telling the kid over there about my precious Canon which was no more mine. After patiently listening, the kid turned around, bent down and retrieved my camera..I guess we had left it at the Counter when getting our tickets..Realized why this was such a successful and favored tourist destination (Singapore prides itself on the low crime rate and extreme penalties - For instance, playing around with the MRT emergency buttons can land you a fine of S$5000) ..From the Aiyyo Nasama Pocche mood, I turned pensive and waltzed to the "If this were India and I had misplaced my camera" mood...
The third day was spent shopping..The places you should not miss are Mustafa Center and Sim Lim Square. Both are within walkable distance from the Hotel at Little India...Mustafa is a hell of a big super duper market which stocks everything from exotic condoms to rare gem stones. I couldnt find the need for the former and did not have money for the latter. So me restricted myself to shopping all in between..No bargains at this place. The electronics are clearly more expensive than what you might find outside (Sim Lim etc)...Good buys - Luggages, cosmetics, watches etc...Got myself a Seiko Chrono, Altec Lansing 2.1 Speakers and some other computer accessories...(Note - If you have a relative whose coming down from the US, catch them for a much better deal)...Went down next to Sim Lim Square as I had read a lot about if being a haven for digital cameras and the likes...The mall is pretty impressive with well stocked shops...One thing I couldnt do was bargain - I am not a bad bargainer and I had read a lot about bargaining being the way to go at Sim Lim..But hell, everything seemed to be fixed here...One thing you can do is make sure you collect the Handouts from different shops and compare prices...I did not buy a digital camera here although I could see a lot of shops as I couldn't get the best deal...It is still about 3-4 k cheaper than India for an above average camera...The night was spent at the Night Safari - a popular destination for tourists it being a night zoo. No comparison to Vandalur Zoo in terms of varieties of animals, but in terms of cleanliness and presentation - they represent two ends of the spectrum...Why don't we learn the good things also from the West (or East in this case) ? Vandalur to us is one big picnic outing - Pack a lot of puliyotharai, vadam and curd rice (enough to feed half the species over there), balloons, cricket bats and footballs..Squat right in front of the cage and feed the Tiger the molagai pieces from the puliyotharai and throw stones from the safe confines of the other side of the cage...Not wanting to lead this kind of a lifestyle, every damn tiger would love to get its H1B processed and move on to San Diego or Singapore..In fact the tiger I met at Night Safari gave me a friendly wink...Hell :)
Spent the next day lazing around, little more shopping at Mustafa and arrived at Changi Airport a cool 5 hours in advance..An amazing place by itself, the Airport is itself worth a day's visit..Spent a couple of hours window shopping in each Terminal (Also bought a couple of tees at the end) and then boarded the Indian Airlines flight back home...
Back to business - have to catch up on sleep :)
Monday, June 2, 2008
Life at Chennai and the all the good things...
After living here at Chennai for the past 8 years, the last 26 days do seem to bring about a lot of memories. There is a certain peace that hometown nostalgia entails you to enjoy and I shall indulge.
Adolescence is an impressionable age and I lived through my peak hormonal changes here; schooling at DAV Gopalapuram and getting myself a Electrical and Electronics Engineering Degree from SVCE. Being a Day Scholar (Dayski) during under graduation robbed me off what would I believe is a sure-fire growth accelerator - Hostel Life. Thankfully, it looks like I would have this for the next 2 years of my life at IIM Indore.
Some things I would miss leaving Chennai..
1) Sathyam -> The favorite haunt for all the movie-lovers. I think my first movie here was Gone in 60 seconds. Hell, it was amazing watching those cars and I did not know who Angelina Jolie was.
2) Saravana Bhavan --> You have to give it to them. Overpriced though they are (which might change soon thanks to Kalaignar), the 14 Idly soaked in Sambhar is fabulous. I believe Rathna Cafe is a close competitor but I have not had enough opportunities for close culinary evaluation.
3) Maasilamani Street Kayyendhi Bhavan --> I cant call it the poor man's Saravana Bhavan as the last time I was there, they looked badly in need of Valet Parking. In case you have not been here, it is off Pondy Bazaar (Road adjoining Music World),. Devout hygiene fanatics might faint looking at the Kitchens but the Podi Dosai and Onion Oothappam would surely revive them if they gave it a chance. For the record, I have not heard anyone whom I have bribed, cajoled, threatened etc to accompany me falling sick after eating here.
4) Sweet Chariot, Ispahani Center, Nungambakkam --> Long since I have been anywhere close to Ispahani but this place used to be much more quiet, cozy and comfortable than its neighbor Coffee Day.
5) Fruit Shop on Greames Road --> One of the few good Juice Shops. Has some good neighbors in the Area like Frankies etc. The lime-mint cooler still costs the same 15 bucks it used to ages back, beating Inflationary pressures. The nice guys who would never kick out a bunch of blokes whiling away time on a 2/5 Lime Mint Order.
6) Marina Beach --> Does it need a mention. The pride of Chennai. Boy would I miss the Bhajjis or what :---(
I am sure I have missed a few...This is a city that is unique in many aspects..Anyone who has spent time here will understand what I am talking about. As far the others, Atithi Devo Bhava..Come down sometime and experience it for yourself....
Adolescence is an impressionable age and I lived through my peak hormonal changes here; schooling at DAV Gopalapuram and getting myself a Electrical and Electronics Engineering Degree from SVCE. Being a Day Scholar (Dayski) during under graduation robbed me off what would I believe is a sure-fire growth accelerator - Hostel Life. Thankfully, it looks like I would have this for the next 2 years of my life at IIM Indore.
Some things I would miss leaving Chennai..
1) Sathyam -> The favorite haunt for all the movie-lovers. I think my first movie here was Gone in 60 seconds. Hell, it was amazing watching those cars and I did not know who Angelina Jolie was.
2) Saravana Bhavan --> You have to give it to them. Overpriced though they are (which might change soon thanks to Kalaignar), the 14 Idly soaked in Sambhar is fabulous. I believe Rathna Cafe is a close competitor but I have not had enough opportunities for close culinary evaluation.
3) Maasilamani Street Kayyendhi Bhavan --> I cant call it the poor man's Saravana Bhavan as the last time I was there, they looked badly in need of Valet Parking. In case you have not been here, it is off Pondy Bazaar (Road adjoining Music World),. Devout hygiene fanatics might faint looking at the Kitchens but the Podi Dosai and Onion Oothappam would surely revive them if they gave it a chance. For the record, I have not heard anyone whom I have bribed, cajoled, threatened etc to accompany me falling sick after eating here.
4) Sweet Chariot, Ispahani Center, Nungambakkam --> Long since I have been anywhere close to Ispahani but this place used to be much more quiet, cozy and comfortable than its neighbor Coffee Day.
5) Fruit Shop on Greames Road --> One of the few good Juice Shops. Has some good neighbors in the Area like Frankies etc. The lime-mint cooler still costs the same 15 bucks it used to ages back, beating Inflationary pressures. The nice guys who would never kick out a bunch of blokes whiling away time on a 2/5 Lime Mint Order.
6) Marina Beach --> Does it need a mention. The pride of Chennai. Boy would I miss the Bhajjis or what :---(
I am sure I have missed a few...This is a city that is unique in many aspects..Anyone who has spent time here will understand what I am talking about. As far the others, Atithi Devo Bhava..Come down sometime and experience it for yourself....
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