Interesting video to watch!
Wednesday 24 July 2019
Friday 28 July 2017
Big Boss!!!
Its been ages i wrote in my blog! But i think its high time i start again. And what better time than now!!!
So why Big Boss? i can see academicians frowning at me!!! But people in academics are not in ivory tower. i am from the faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. And i am interested in events that creates ripples in society. So when you come to know that common men are all posting videos supporting a 'reality show' participant, you wonder what is happening.
When Big Boss Tamil was first announced, i wondered how will tamil nadu accept such voyeuristic show. We tamils are people conscious about our personal space. We prefer saying namasthe than shaking hands. How will we accept group of strangers living in a house with changing equations! I never liked Hindi Big Boss but to be honest, i have never watched Hindi programme fully. So i would not know the attraction for 10 seasons to continue. But i had serious doubts about the show in tamil.
To my surprise or should i say shock, i saw tamilnadu take to the show like a fish to water! Unexpected celebrity emerged from the show, and i could see polarized opinions from people from different walks of life. i saw celebrities coming out in support or giving their views about the show. Both celebrities and common people were reacting so passionately about the show and its participants. We have a whole lot of memes and trolls flooding the social media. What a creative people we are! Where is this creativity at other instances!
If the extreme reactions of the public is entertaining to watch, the actions of the inmates is even more entertaining. I seriously want to study behavioural pscyhology. The way people change their alignments, friendships is revealing. Whether it is real or scripted, i would not know. But as a celebrity pointed out, if it is scripted then it is a wonderful screenplay as it has engaged people not just from tamilnadu but other places like sri lanka, malaysia and even singapore.
Smart move by the channel. The TRP must have increased to leaps and bounds. Many people started the show for Kamal haasan, but today many would continue even without kamal! Surprisingly, Kamal is not bad as an anchor! i wondered whether Kamal would have the audience connect which Bhai has! Kamal at times is seen as elite actor not for masses! lets see if anchoring the show is going to make a change to his public image.
Big boss might be looked down by intelligentsia but cannot be ignored as such programmes do make a difference in our society.
So why Big Boss? i can see academicians frowning at me!!! But people in academics are not in ivory tower. i am from the faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. And i am interested in events that creates ripples in society. So when you come to know that common men are all posting videos supporting a 'reality show' participant, you wonder what is happening.
When Big Boss Tamil was first announced, i wondered how will tamil nadu accept such voyeuristic show. We tamils are people conscious about our personal space. We prefer saying namasthe than shaking hands. How will we accept group of strangers living in a house with changing equations! I never liked Hindi Big Boss but to be honest, i have never watched Hindi programme fully. So i would not know the attraction for 10 seasons to continue. But i had serious doubts about the show in tamil.
To my surprise or should i say shock, i saw tamilnadu take to the show like a fish to water! Unexpected celebrity emerged from the show, and i could see polarized opinions from people from different walks of life. i saw celebrities coming out in support or giving their views about the show. Both celebrities and common people were reacting so passionately about the show and its participants. We have a whole lot of memes and trolls flooding the social media. What a creative people we are! Where is this creativity at other instances!
If the extreme reactions of the public is entertaining to watch, the actions of the inmates is even more entertaining. I seriously want to study behavioural pscyhology. The way people change their alignments, friendships is revealing. Whether it is real or scripted, i would not know. But as a celebrity pointed out, if it is scripted then it is a wonderful screenplay as it has engaged people not just from tamilnadu but other places like sri lanka, malaysia and even singapore.
Smart move by the channel. The TRP must have increased to leaps and bounds. Many people started the show for Kamal haasan, but today many would continue even without kamal! Surprisingly, Kamal is not bad as an anchor! i wondered whether Kamal would have the audience connect which Bhai has! Kamal at times is seen as elite actor not for masses! lets see if anchoring the show is going to make a change to his public image.
Big boss might be looked down by intelligentsia but cannot be ignored as such programmes do make a difference in our society.
Thursday 9 February 2017
Sunday 6 September 2015
Being lonely in a crowd!
My friend's article on Loneliness in Deccan Chronicle sent me off to a philosophical mode! she was talking about being lonely even with people around! Being alone and being lonely are two different things! i do know the difference! I do live alone but i dont always feel lonely! But at times even I am affected by loneliness! Close friends or family can be depended on to drive those blues away. Even otherwise i have my most dependable friend 'my books' to fall back.
But once in a while i do end up questioning the meaning of my life. i think most of us have such thoughts striking at us when we feel low. We get up rush to office, do our work sincerely and rush back home! Do house work, watch our favourite TV shows and then go to sleep! Then next day, same thing starts again!!! So why are we doing this again and again? Is there any reason for all these?
Does having a family make it more meaningful? i ask myself! i look at my people with children. Children - best of God's creation! they come with their own gifts and responsibilities. Parents need to work to care for their children, to give them physical comforts and emotional wellbeing. When a child comes running to you as soon as u come home, that happiness cannot be measured! But the monotony of daily house work and caring for children doesnt give you time to enjoy those small joys of children. I can see screaming parents who are bogged down with work, have no energy to spend extra time with their beautiful children. By the time they realize, children are grown up as teenage horrors who would make sure that they dont listen to their parents as they are now in their teenage. Now comes the hard phase of parenting.
In all these struggles children's academics and career create even more stress! So does having children makes your life more meaningful? When after all the trauma and trouble, children grow up and step out to try their freedom. Now parents, old and tired are alone again! If the parents are still a close couple, that will give them good support. If not, or if one person is not there anymore, then the other parent, is now single and alone! So now it is being old and alone!
So we are going to end up alone only! So why go through all the trouble? Ok that is called living! But is there a meanign for all this living - either alone or with family? i am still searching for the meaning!
Now i blame all this on my friend and her article!!! It is sunday evening and i am going to be afflicted with Monday Blues, and on top of that this confusing questions!!!
But once in a while i do end up questioning the meaning of my life. i think most of us have such thoughts striking at us when we feel low. We get up rush to office, do our work sincerely and rush back home! Do house work, watch our favourite TV shows and then go to sleep! Then next day, same thing starts again!!! So why are we doing this again and again? Is there any reason for all these?
Does having a family make it more meaningful? i ask myself! i look at my people with children. Children - best of God's creation! they come with their own gifts and responsibilities. Parents need to work to care for their children, to give them physical comforts and emotional wellbeing. When a child comes running to you as soon as u come home, that happiness cannot be measured! But the monotony of daily house work and caring for children doesnt give you time to enjoy those small joys of children. I can see screaming parents who are bogged down with work, have no energy to spend extra time with their beautiful children. By the time they realize, children are grown up as teenage horrors who would make sure that they dont listen to their parents as they are now in their teenage. Now comes the hard phase of parenting.
In all these struggles children's academics and career create even more stress! So does having children makes your life more meaningful? When after all the trauma and trouble, children grow up and step out to try their freedom. Now parents, old and tired are alone again! If the parents are still a close couple, that will give them good support. If not, or if one person is not there anymore, then the other parent, is now single and alone! So now it is being old and alone!
So we are going to end up alone only! So why go through all the trouble? Ok that is called living! But is there a meanign for all this living - either alone or with family? i am still searching for the meaning!
Now i blame all this on my friend and her article!!! It is sunday evening and i am going to be afflicted with Monday Blues, and on top of that this confusing questions!!!
Monday 11 May 2015
My tryst with Uttama Villain!
Any kamal movie creates an excitement in tamilnadu and being a 90s generation i too was part of that excited crowd. Kamal's movie is a tradition in our household. (dad was not much of Rajini fan!) So when Uttama villain was released i was keen to watch it. knowing Ramesh Arvind was the director i was expecting a comedy. So when i heard mixed reviews about the movie i was confused. in fact reading Hindu review of the movie (i am a loyal reader of Hindu) disconcerted me! Though the critic did praise some elements of the movie, it read more negative in the end. And it was by a reputed critic. But surprisingly some of my friends who saw the movie had a different answer to give. In fact i liked one comment - the review is what complicated not the movie!
Anyway i did go to the movie and i did see it. It was an interesting experience! should i use the word interesting? i wonder! The movie had its share of flaws. Let me first discuss them. The initial portion where we should be able to relate to the actor and its shocking news, didnt work out. there should have been more suitable scenes which would have made us connect with the actor and his angst. His reason for taking a movie like uttaman's was not given. Yes we do know its about a guy who is immortal. But that initial connect was missing. because of that lack, there was a disconnect in later sequences with that character and his family. But some of the later scenes did try to give that connect: father and daughter scene, father and son scene (i teared up!) and bro and sis bonding were a few.
In contrast i loved uttaman's story! there was much more completeness in that story. i dont agree with hindu review which felt that uttaman story didnt synch with the present. i wd say fault was with the present not the folklore. Uttaman as a chr was more believable and interesting! and it was interesting to see the story unfold. The movie within movie was interesting to watch. and what made it more interesting was the third aspect: it was like watching kamal's story within the movie. so it was story of kamal's within uttaman's and manoranjan's story! i felt a heaviness in my heart as if it was kamal's story being taken there.
That made me wonder why kamal took this movie. Irrespective of the director, it is kamal's movie all the way. What made kamal to choose this plot? His loved ones brush with death? His own immortality? Seeing death at close quarters, i have developed a genuine fear of my own mortality. That is why i could relate more to this movie! None of us want to die, though we do mouth dialogues against it. But fear of death is there in every one. each deals with it in his own way. but i would like to know what inspired kamal to take this concept!
that way UV is an experience indeed! But the movie had its regular cliches! Another major issue i had with this movie was other characters didnt have much role to play. but that also pandered to the concept and this is happening more in kamal's later movies. hope he realizes the danger of it. inspite of miniscule role few actors did make a mark: Nazer, in one of his wonderful portrayal, urvashi, in that minimal role, parvathy as daughter and that guy who acted as son and bhaskar as the secretary were impressive.
What a difference from the earlier movie i watched! Many people liked OKK for its fun loving plot and simple story line. But this movie can give multiple interpretations to different people. You look for parallels and metaphors! so many layers it has that it will take us more time to deconstruct! i do love feel good movies but once in a while i would like to analyse what i see and try to find the hidden meanings!
i would like to ask Mr.Kamalhaasan what inspired him to take this movie. Talks about mortality comes with age. My parents death made me conscious of such issues. But what made kamal to take a movie on this issue. was it the brush of death of his loved ones? what? Makes me wonder!!!
Anyway i did go to the movie and i did see it. It was an interesting experience! should i use the word interesting? i wonder! The movie had its share of flaws. Let me first discuss them. The initial portion where we should be able to relate to the actor and its shocking news, didnt work out. there should have been more suitable scenes which would have made us connect with the actor and his angst. His reason for taking a movie like uttaman's was not given. Yes we do know its about a guy who is immortal. But that initial connect was missing. because of that lack, there was a disconnect in later sequences with that character and his family. But some of the later scenes did try to give that connect: father and daughter scene, father and son scene (i teared up!) and bro and sis bonding were a few.
In contrast i loved uttaman's story! there was much more completeness in that story. i dont agree with hindu review which felt that uttaman story didnt synch with the present. i wd say fault was with the present not the folklore. Uttaman as a chr was more believable and interesting! and it was interesting to see the story unfold. The movie within movie was interesting to watch. and what made it more interesting was the third aspect: it was like watching kamal's story within the movie. so it was story of kamal's within uttaman's and manoranjan's story! i felt a heaviness in my heart as if it was kamal's story being taken there.
That made me wonder why kamal took this movie. Irrespective of the director, it is kamal's movie all the way. What made kamal to choose this plot? His loved ones brush with death? His own immortality? Seeing death at close quarters, i have developed a genuine fear of my own mortality. That is why i could relate more to this movie! None of us want to die, though we do mouth dialogues against it. But fear of death is there in every one. each deals with it in his own way. but i would like to know what inspired kamal to take this concept!
that way UV is an experience indeed! But the movie had its regular cliches! Another major issue i had with this movie was other characters didnt have much role to play. but that also pandered to the concept and this is happening more in kamal's later movies. hope he realizes the danger of it. inspite of miniscule role few actors did make a mark: Nazer, in one of his wonderful portrayal, urvashi, in that minimal role, parvathy as daughter and that guy who acted as son and bhaskar as the secretary were impressive.
What a difference from the earlier movie i watched! Many people liked OKK for its fun loving plot and simple story line. But this movie can give multiple interpretations to different people. You look for parallels and metaphors! so many layers it has that it will take us more time to deconstruct! i do love feel good movies but once in a while i would like to analyse what i see and try to find the hidden meanings!
i would like to ask Mr.Kamalhaasan what inspired him to take this movie. Talks about mortality comes with age. My parents death made me conscious of such issues. But what made kamal to take a movie on this issue. was it the brush of death of his loved ones? what? Makes me wonder!!!
Sunday 19 April 2015
OK Kanmani!
I saw maniratnam movie after long time! i was not enthused to see neither Ravan or Kadal! OKK movie sounded promising creating nostalgic feeling about Alaipayudhe! All excited to relive the magic of maniratnam love stories (roja, mouna ragam, idayathai thirudathe all personal favourites) i booked it for second day. i even ventured to a single screen theatre (as multiplexes were full!) to see it before reading the reviews. If the review is not good, i will lose interest.
After all the excitement, movie was kind of anti climatic! No i am not saying it was bad. it was a feel good movie that caught the pulse of today's generation. After long i enjoyed the dialogues of Maniratnam movies. In fact people were clapping and enjoying the dialogues (who is the script writer?)
The director has caught the pulse of younger generation. Today younger people in love give importance to their careers too. it was nice seeing both male and female shown in similar thought process. For them falling in love is breezy and they dont have issues in exploring the relationship. And marriage is not the be - all and end - all, unlike earlier generations who believe marriage is a must for every one.
The hero is commitment phobic, typical of young guys. He works in animation industry, enjoys partying and not interested in marriage. The girl too has a good job, loves partying. when she likes a guy she does not hesitate to initiate. But her reasons for not wanting marriage is personal - her parents marital life.
the girl's chr and her change in feelings were shown better than the guy's. his change of heart was sudden and not very convincing. In reality, such guys would have gone ahead with their career and might have looked up at each other when they come back. or might have got married to other people. that is the reality. after all the initial argument for live-in relationship, the director seemed to have toed the line and made them get married. that was like pandering to the masses. But showing them going off to their own career might not have suit the rom comedy genre. so may be the film needed this ending.
though the lead actors were good, the girl was electric, i loved the older couple. their love and caring were more interesting. i wd have loved to see how the couple manage the alzheimer disease. that relationship was more poetic without being preachy.
i remembered earlier movie Pizza! in that lead couple will be living together. When the girl gets pregnant, for baby's sake, they decide to get married. and the marriage is not calling people and making fuss. but just exchange of rings! and it was treated casually which is how it is being treated nowadays. i somehow felt that was more real than this candy floss romance.
Talking about live in relationship and arguing for it - may be the director is telling parents what they should be expecting from their children. may be now parents of children who are living away from home will now have doubts.
such relationships are happenign in reality. so now we have movies talking about it. That is a good thing!
But coming back to the movie, OKK is a good feel good movie but has no depth or does not create any impact. Alaipayudhe had much more heart! Songs were good but are they as good as his other movies. i liked the carnatic song, thara sings. But still it was nice seeing Maniratnam back in form.
After all the excitement, movie was kind of anti climatic! No i am not saying it was bad. it was a feel good movie that caught the pulse of today's generation. After long i enjoyed the dialogues of Maniratnam movies. In fact people were clapping and enjoying the dialogues (who is the script writer?)
The director has caught the pulse of younger generation. Today younger people in love give importance to their careers too. it was nice seeing both male and female shown in similar thought process. For them falling in love is breezy and they dont have issues in exploring the relationship. And marriage is not the be - all and end - all, unlike earlier generations who believe marriage is a must for every one.
The hero is commitment phobic, typical of young guys. He works in animation industry, enjoys partying and not interested in marriage. The girl too has a good job, loves partying. when she likes a guy she does not hesitate to initiate. But her reasons for not wanting marriage is personal - her parents marital life.
the girl's chr and her change in feelings were shown better than the guy's. his change of heart was sudden and not very convincing. In reality, such guys would have gone ahead with their career and might have looked up at each other when they come back. or might have got married to other people. that is the reality. after all the initial argument for live-in relationship, the director seemed to have toed the line and made them get married. that was like pandering to the masses. But showing them going off to their own career might not have suit the rom comedy genre. so may be the film needed this ending.
though the lead actors were good, the girl was electric, i loved the older couple. their love and caring were more interesting. i wd have loved to see how the couple manage the alzheimer disease. that relationship was more poetic without being preachy.
i remembered earlier movie Pizza! in that lead couple will be living together. When the girl gets pregnant, for baby's sake, they decide to get married. and the marriage is not calling people and making fuss. but just exchange of rings! and it was treated casually which is how it is being treated nowadays. i somehow felt that was more real than this candy floss romance.
Talking about live in relationship and arguing for it - may be the director is telling parents what they should be expecting from their children. may be now parents of children who are living away from home will now have doubts.
such relationships are happenign in reality. so now we have movies talking about it. That is a good thing!
But coming back to the movie, OKK is a good feel good movie but has no depth or does not create any impact. Alaipayudhe had much more heart! Songs were good but are they as good as his other movies. i liked the carnatic song, thara sings. But still it was nice seeing Maniratnam back in form.
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