Paayum Puli, Pathungum Balli

Uh, oh...this is not a late - very very late - review of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the graphics or technicques. Last Sunday, this movie was featured on Star Vijay, and dubbed in Tamil. Let me confess, though I was very impressed with the Engllish version of the movie, this Tamil version made me understand and ejoy the movie thoroughly.

Thankfully, the Tamil version did not turn out to be one of those "Paayum Puli, Pathungum Balli" type of dubbing, which is normally aired on Star Vijay. Have you guys watched Jackie Chan singing one of the old SIvaji songs or repeating Rajini's punch dialogues in those movies? Thaanga mudiyaathuda saami!

Good we begin to have decent dubbings of good movies, makes it worthwhile - especially understanding some things that one couldnt pick up in ENglish. Soon, we will have "Mothirakkai Maayaavi" - Lord of the Rings. Am sure Lord of the Rings would be much enjoyable too, if going by the trailer I see on KTV. Gawd...imagine who would give voices for some of the characters - Parthiban for 'Smeadle', Arvindswamy for 'Aragorn'...sad Sivaji Ganesan is dead, else he could have dubbed as 'Gandalf'...

My best tamil comedy movies collection

Here is the list of best full-length hilarious, funny, humourous, comedy Tamil movie VCDs I would definitely love to own...So whats your list of such Tamil movies?

Missiamma
Rangarao - the veteran actor in his elements, and Savithri matching every wit. The best one is the character who comes as T. R. Ramachandran's Personal Assistant. No dialogues for him in the entire movie. All through the movie, he keeps taking notes, very sincerely, every action. In last scene, M.N.Nambiar will lift this guy to throw him out, even then, he will be taking notes.

Maya bazaar
Rangarao again. Can we forget the "am aha...im ihi...um uhu..." magic chant or the song "Kalyana samayal saatham"? And the wedding scenes where Rangarao (Kadothkajan) morphs into Savithri (Abhimanyu's wife - forgot the name), and creates a havoc. Savithri's body language completely mimicking Rangarao was fantastic. DO you guys remember the Lord Krishna(NTR)'s vesham as old brahmin and sings with this thunthana - "Vatraadha selvamey vaazhga nee vaazhga"?

Michael Madhana Kaama Raajan
Kamalhassan in four roles! My God! What a movie!!! Crazy Mohan the real star...
Scene where Madhan gets to meet his dad "Appa ennappa odambu jillunnu irukku?"
"Ungammathaan bathirama irukka sonna, fridge-kulla okkanthirunthaen..."
"Ennamma, oru maathiri pesaraaru?"
"Oru maathiri yenna, rendu maathiri kooda pesuvanay?" In a different voice, calls out "Madhan", and in another different voice "Madhan"
Contrary to popular thought, it is Raju (the Fireman) who fascinates with me with comedy rather than Kaameshwaran.

Thillumullu
K. Balachander brought the humor dimension in Rajinikanth as Ayyampettai Arivudainambi Kaliyaperuma Indran and Ayyampettai Arivudai Kaliyaperumal Chandran. Sowcar Janaki and Thengai Srinivasan (a class of his own) would make us ROTFL. Once a favorite movie of DD Pothigai channel. Would be screened atleast 4 times a week. We'd never miss it.

Singaravelan
Kavundamani, Kamal, Mano, Vadivelu, Charlie combination is a complete laugh riot. Surprisingly the movie is from R.V.Udayakumar who is know for his sentimental village movies. Well, we can easily see Kamal's strong imprint in many scenes. Starting from scene where Kamal imagines what happens to his father like in Tamil movies, the riot starts and proceeds till last scene.
Cant forget these scenes:
'Karuvaadu' scene - Kamal says "Intha koovam pakkam poyiraathey, romba naarumaamay..."
Beach scene - Vadivelu - "Can I have one amuks?" Kamal - "No"...slowly Kavundamani will start "Any help?"...
At Kushboo's home, Kamal's first encounter with Manorama - "Ding, ding, ding bbbrrroommmm"

Bommalaattam
Cho as Zambazar Jaggu...Madras Tamil got a status because of Jaggu. The scene where he explains a mythological story to Manorama is the best.

Bama Vijayam
"Varavu ettana, selavu pathana"...comedy movie with a message! V. Sekar tries it, but not as effective as K. Balachander in this movie. Sowcar Janaki, Balaiah and Major Sundarrajan are show stealers. My fav scenes - Sowcar Janaki learning English,

Kathalikka Neramillai
Balaiah and Nagesh combination movie directed by Sridhar, is a real fun movie. Can you afford to forget the thriller story-telling scene of Nagesh and Balaiah. Balaiah - what an acting...he would slowly start perspiring and start building up the fear in his eyes. Other scenes where he would address Ravichandran as "Magar" to Muthuraman...light humour replete in complete movie. The experience is something akin to Devan's writings.

Kaasethaan kadavulada
Ever hit song - "Jambulingamay jadadhara" and our good old Thengaai Srinivasan as Saamiyar, and his magical chants...oh my God. This is fav movie with Sun TV and many people's favorite too.

Sadly, cant point out any particular movie in recent times as full-length comedy movie that did not harp on physical overtures, and apssing them off as comedy...Maybe 'Panchathanthiram' can accept after reluctance, to some extent. Otherwise cant think of any.

Sahana - Sindhu Bairavi - Part:2

{Oops, 17 days without a blog. Thats too much. To make up for it, this lengthy ones that has been due for quite sometime...}

Sahana - SIndhu Bairavi - part 2 is over! Despite Malachikkal Mama YG Mahendran's histrionics, the serial was overall a wholesome entertainment. Sahana deserved special mention in the clutter of mega-serials hounding the Satellite Channels arena.

1. The story moved quite well, and no character was left unattaended too, there was a logical conclusion for all characters introduced

2. No frivolous and gross scenes that have become mainstay in today's serial war on channels. When I mention frivolous and gross, I mean scenes like two women bad-mouthing and filthy-talking each other or some other person, or ever-crying melodramas.

3. Nice songs were interpsersed throughout the serial. Credit goes to Rajesh Vaidya for the good music.

4. A subtle humour element, as such available in most of our lives, had blended into the story.

5. Venkat, whom I have known as comedy script writer to S.V.Sekar's plays, and few 'thunuks' in Anada vikatan, kumudam, was a co-director in this

6. Some of the comedy scenes involving TV world and the serials shooting, were quite hilarious. Only K. Balachander can take a dig at TV serials in a TV serial.

My top 4 characters, worth mentioning, in order of their performance and characterization:

Sahana: Enacted by Kavya Sekhar. Simply superb characterization, and a perfect fit. Kavya fit into the role like Malavika fit in as Anni. Charming voice, expressive eyes, good body language, nice dialog delivery. Am sure many thdukku girls would have identified with her. Her characterization as a bold, honest person refusing to fall into patterns and rules set by ourselves, but ready to be bound by affection and love will linger in mind for some time.


Dhanapalan: Enacted by Prakash raj. Good characterization - a free man, business man interested in listening to songs and a good Ghazal singer. Though O.S.Arun's voice didnt match well with strong base voice of Prakash raj, we hardly noticed it once the song picked up. "Enakkaen veen vambu" ghazal still keeps resounding in my ears. Need not say about Prakashraj's histrionics. He brings in a great life into the role, who ultimately marries (S)Indhu. A well-deserved marriage for a character who is straightforward, very clear about certain lines in life.

Sindhu alias Indhu: Enacted by Anuradha krishnamoorthy. Again, initially she didnt fit into Sindhu's sparkling character. Also, her acting also left a lot to be desired. But through the course of serial, it is shown clearly how Sindhu has mellowed down. So the initial shock of soft-spoken Sindhu was hardly noticed by later. Indhu had blended into the story very well, and showed remarkable improved in acting.

Meera alias KaMEEkaRA: Enacted by KB favorite Renu. She did her part quite well. Her introduction as a 'Muthir kanni' waiting to get married, and like many ladies today thinking all tele-serial characters as living, shedding tears for them, getting engrossed with serials, living a life with TV serials was a good characterization. The character slowly gets married, hurt by the excess doubt by husband, quits wedlock, struggles, faces reality, comes up in life to be a successful entrepreneur. There was enough story in this character itself to be developed as a mini-serial. As an ignorant English-unknowing lady uttering "Adhai chollu", and as a dignified business lady uttering "wonderful", Renu has handled her role quite well. Excellent example of self-belief.

Other characters worth mentioning for their characterization and histrionics include:
Surya - JKB & Sindhu's son
Bairavi - Sulakshana - without losing the streak of Bairavi in Sindhu Bairavi
Sakthi - As JKB's sishyai, and a good singer singing tunes for 'Thirukural'
Sivanesan - Newsreader Varadarajan impresses as JKB's sister's husband, who is forever at loggerheads with JKB
Rasi - JKB & Bairavi's daughter
Mridangam Gurumurthy - Veteran Delhi Ganesh lives upto his reputation
Kumaran - Rasi's husband and son of Judge Kumaraguru who asks "bilahari" ragam as varadakshinai


Sore point (s):
JKB: JKB enacted by YG Mahendran. Gambeeram, chaturyam, vidhya gauravam of JKB of Sindhu Bairavi was missing completely with JKB of Sahana. Ok, one can argue the time has mellowed him down, but then the story doesnt go that way. So, I would remark YGM has not done his part effectively, and I would state that K. Balachander did not do justice in selecting YGM as JKB.

YGM's dialog delivery has earned him the name Malachikkal Mama. Forever, he would talk as though he is under constipation. Worse, when JKB's voice breaks down, he further combines PILES with Malachikkal.

Meera's ex-Husband: Enacted by Madhan Bob. Though bit humourous initially, later on started talking dialogues which was easy to relate to a 'Metty oli' or a 'Geetanjali'

Sahana was a class of its own. Sad that the serial has come to an end so soon.

University challenge

No, no this is not about Sidharth Basu's 'University challenge' on BBC, but of the challenge posed by Madras University to its prospective students.

My sister recently went to Madras University for obtaining an application form for entrance exam to some of the PG courses offered by this University. She thought it must have been an easy task because personally she is going to Univ. Apparently it was not.

She had to apply for multiple courses offered by different schools of University, and also for the self-supporting track too. So she had to carry as many as 4 different DD for obtaining the same application form four times, and be filled 4 times.

At the Univ, she had to show it in a dept which would register that she has obtained a DD indeed, mark her name and give to her

Another dept had to be approcahed because the person there has to affix a seal that the DD is indeed a DD, and it is obtained in Madras University;s name, and had to enter into a register her name and courses, she is applying for

Next, she had to take the sealed acceptance, DD and a letter to another counter where they would supply the application form. This was a confusion again because in each school, cost of application form to apply for one course in that school is Rs 200 and an additinal Rs 100 thereafter for any other course application form. So, the person supplying the App form in the counter has to make a couple of entries in one school's register as the candidate name, DD amount and courses applied ofr. And another form in another school's register. And eventhough, the same school offers the self-supportive courses, the app form info had to be entered into another separate register.

The fun part is all these have to be entered into computers at the end of the day, a printout had to be taken, tallied with register at application form supply counter, DD verification counter and counter-signed by staffs in the relevant departments/counters.

Forget the backoffice process, the loop is not yet over.

After filling the forms, the student has to submit them in the relevant schools of Madras Univ, and not in some common box at Univ/common postal address. The courses my sister have applied span across the four centres of Univ in Chennai. Now she has to submit the forms at the relevant departments.

Madras University, what are you achieving?

Whither goest thou?

Another SunTV-JayaTV type stunt

Read this news article. This relates to rebuttal of some claims pertaining to photographs about illtreatment of war prisoners in Iraq.

The entire rebuttal-claim stuff reminds me of the Sun TV- Jaya TV rebuttal-claim during Kalaignar's infamous midnight arrest.

Rain, rain dont go away...

Oh boy, it rained, it rained...
Right here in Chennai, for TWO DAYS!
Right at the beginnig of agni nakshatram...Fantastic.
It is so pleasant, seemingly cool...

But woes of Chennai continue!
On Velacherry-Tambaram road where they have dug pits in between, which normally people watch out for...now becaue fo rain, and water stagnation, no one knew where is the road with little water above it, or where is the pit filled with knee deep water. MTC drivers and metro-water lorries couldnt resiste the temptation to find the difference...atleast two buses and a water lorry were stranded as of 9am today morning in similar slushy pits. Cranes were pressed into service.

Here is little song for rain:
Rain rain, dont go away
Come again everyday
Little Johnny can at home stay
Rain, rain dont go away

Yellarum searnthu Rain-ku oru 'O' podunga....