Children of Heaven - Highly recommended

I watched "Children of Heaven" (Iranian movie in Farsi with English subtitles. Directed by Majid Majidi). One of the best movies I have seen in the last few years. Taare Zameen Par looks SO inspired by this movie. The simplicity, the music, the innocence and genuineness in the children who play the lead roles are the movie's biggest pluses. This movie treats lower middle class families in a very realistic and positive fashion without ever treading the sympathetic line. The positivity and energy in the movie is so refreshing and is sure to bring a smile to anyone's face. Without revealing any more about this movie - I share the movie's google video links. PLEASE WATCH IT.

Link to Part 1
Link to Part 2

Random thoughts

1. I had blogged 4 years back about Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore's achievements (It was a young Harish blogging his opinions away then. Can't imagine such an entry now). I really don't use the blog for covering my opinions on current affairs anymore, but still, PRIDE ARE THERE in Bindra's achievements. For posterity's sake here goes a tribute to Abhinav Bindra for his awesome achievement.
2. Atthini Chitthini (Tenali) is a great song. Completely out of the world and unique. The guitars in the start rock. Memories of those times where Girish and me used to listen to it came back. Good stuff.
3. Super singer on Vijay TV Monday- Wednesday evenings 9 pm - Watch it. Great timepass and some seriously good songs get thrown back into my consciousness.
4. Jaane Tu - is good fun, but one should watch it with the right company to enjoy it better :), as the rest of the crowd in INox demonstrated.
5. Badrinath is in the Indian team. Finally. Good luck to him.

List of movies to watch - Poi Solla Porom (Khosla ka Ghosla's remake which incidentally will also do just fine, I haven't watched it either), Aamir, Azhagiya Theeye, VaaraNam Aayiram.

Quick Life entertainment update

Here is a real quickie, that only recommends and doesn't review.
Songs -
1. Yeh Honsla - Dor. Tags for this song - Lilting, Hope, Rustic, fantasy village
2. Happy new year - Kuruvi. Tags for this song - Yogi B (actually just Yo), funny, creative
3. Yaaro Manadhile - Dhaam Dhoom. Tags - Fraud Pseud, Funnily hummable, Curiously addictive, Mockable
Movie Digest -
1. Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi - Tags - Stud max, informative, riveting, stylish
2. Anjathey - Tags - Raw, slick, powerful, Visually stud, favorite tam movie list
3. Manorama Six feet under - Tags - Gripping, over-rated, recommended
Book Digest -
1. The Kite Runner - Tags - Stud, Moving, Informative, Gripping, Well written, Farsi-Urdu-Arabic usage studness

A sudden discovery - Madhavan played Sujatha?

Sujatha (S. Rangarajan) the writer/ dialog writer par excellence in Tamil literature and cinema is no more. He is credited with spearheading the team that designed India's first Electronic Voting Machine. While these are in the news and are well known facts - what really caught my imagination was that - I now realize suddenly that Mani Ratnam's protagonist in "Kannathil Muthamittal" was more than loosely based on Sujatha.
Here are my observations on the similarities between Thiruchelvan (played by Madhavan) and S.Rangarajan (Sujatha)
1. Both write under a "Female" pen name (Indira was Thiruchelvan's wife's name - same with 'Sujatha' Rangarajan).
2. Both shoot into fame/ have a connection with Anandha Vikadan
3. Both have a day job in a productions/ government sector company (Maddy can be seen wearing uniform to work and talking on the phone/ meeting employees or union guys. Sujatha was an engineer at Bharat Electronics Limited in his day job.)
4. The obvious connection - Maddy speaks Sujatha's lines in the movie - and a lot of the thoughts are said to be either Sujatha's or Mani Rathnam's - the views of life, the focus on simplicity, the so-called "live for yourself" principle, the incisive nature of the speech and writings and so on.
I will research a bit more on Sujatha and see if there are any more similarities.

Guru - A review

Well, As I have done over the last decade (Since Bombay to be precise) I watched a Mani Ratnam movie in the first weekend. But, Guru was not the mother of all movie watching experiences like say a Nayagan or Iruvar. The movie had strains of Iruvar and Nayagan all along – basically because of a thematic connect with these movies. Now, that is where I have a problem. Mani has templates of scenes which he retrofits to new projects he undertakes. Now, picture this – Hero is working before he takes on his address to glory. Mani uses an item number to cover that part of the hero’s life. Nila adhu vaanathu mele in Nayagan, “Mayya Mayya” in Guru. Hero and heroine get married, “Nee oru kaadhal” comes in Nayagan, “Ay hairathein” in Guru. Hero is in the pits – “Thenpaandi” in Nayagan, “Jaage hain” in Guru. And, images of Iruvar keep coming whenever Guru addresses meetings. The confined spaces scenes of the lead couple remind you of Roja and Inba’s sequences in Ayutha ezhuthu. It raises two possible questions - Has Mani fallen a trap to his old creations that he has to keep going back to his old movies to borrow scenes? Or is it just his style of film making? However much I want to believe the latter argument, as a Maniratnam disciple, I feel let down. Mani has just stopped stretching himself.

The movie has more than its share of moments though.

The kiss Maddy gives Vidya Balan has to be one of the most brilliantly picturised and passionate sequences in Indian movies. The sequence that sets up the rivalry between Mithunda’s camp and Guru is vintage Mani. The 40 minutes after the hero and heroine intro songs are rocking. A lot of Iruvar in it, but excellent pace and depth in the scenes. The party in Guru’s house when his partner decides to part ways is brilliantly done. Amazing characterization. The belly showing sequence and the dialogs that follow it (Guru and Ash rock in this sequence) are again Mani speciale. Rajeev Menon’s transitions in technique as Guru moves on from one stage to another in life are top class. (I just cant help but feel that Barso re was more Rajeev than Mani. Stains of Konjum mainakkale all along. ) The lead pair are good examples of how Mani extracts performances to suit his script. The Vidya Balan – Guru exchanges are delightful. Mithun da is extremely dignified and is a pillar of strength to the movie. Maddy is almost unnecessary, but for that one kiss – Respect!

While on one hand, I gasped in orgasmic pleasure for some of the better moments, I was totally pissed off with the way Mani had to use kids to sing “Jaage hain”. Was he trying a Thevar magan or what? Mani must have been drunk when he conceived this idea. Rahman is just absent in this movie. The overdose of percussion in the re-recording and that irritating “Guru bhai Guru bhai” chants leave you exasperated. ARR can be seen in his elements only in the melodic Barso re charanam inspired BGMs and that amazing bit song for Vidya Balan. But a great bit song is but an essential ingredient in a Mani Movie. “Mayya”, “Barso re” and “Ek lo ek muft” are needless speed breakers to the screenplay. Why does Mani have to make movies that have songs at all? And the climax. Which Mani ratnam hero speaks a 5 min monologue? Maybe I need to watch it in Tamil and get bowled over by the word play. But otherwise, I felt totally let down watching the climax.

Overall, Guru was brilliant in patches, but when Mani Ratnam takes close to 3 years to make a movie, and has such a hardworking cast at his disposal, you expect more.

Of Strategic Sales and Syriana

The two parts of the topic are not related...by themselves.....except that one constitutes 5 days of my week, and the other is an example of a creation from an industry that keeps me alive the other 2 days to withstand the boredom from the first part....
I realized that there was no post in moi blog on my work.....it's specifically general. generally occasional, occasionally heavy....usually confusingly simple....and rarely simply confusing....
this many words plus that 2 word description "Strategic sales" are sufficient to describe...Moi work.....
A recent component of my work is decent....it involves getting into the dirty, stinking shoes of a private sector bank credit card salesman, who says "Sir, we are calling from $#@# bank...."
It's an experience in itself, that a so-called pampered kid who had it all easy in life needs to go through atleast once in life...Approaching people for appointments and going through repeated rudeness from pretentious PA's who say "He's in a meeting, why do you waste my time with all your calls!"...and finally on the fifth attempt, getting to speak to the senior manager who says "Why don't you contact me 4 days from now", and after subsequent subjection of the poor chap to repeated torture, a fifteen minute appointment.....
Traversing the trafficky roads of Hot Chennai, and quickly wiping the face of truckloads of sweat that flows as freely as freebies by political parties in chennai....before meeting the customer....with a faked "fresh and ready to go" look on the face, and a feigned smile that does Miss India aspirants proud....My god...respect to all the salesmen of this world...

The syriana part of my week is seriously good for me...cus I get to be me during that time...and what more could one ask for....

A AA...Review

Well, Don't fall for the track record at providing cheap humor that the director SJ Suryaah has...And don't even read this review beyond understanding that THESE KINDA MOVIES SUCK....
My points of concern read alarm
1. WTH is ARR doin in this movie...
2. How are junta actually standin such movies...vigadan gives it 41...i will give it 1 mark
3. The idea of live in partners is depicted in the cheapest and crappiest of ways...every scene in the first half had me uneasily, restlessly looking for the exit...
4. WTF does SJS think he is? a superman or what...his sense of impunity and lack of sens(itivity) is unparalleled...

For the record...i walked out for the first time in my life durin the intermission....
Anticipating better fare in Thotti Jaya, Gajini