G.O.A.T

The “Greatest of All time” (GOAT) movie of ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay, hosting a galaxy of stars, was much-awaited as it is his second last movie before he switches on to his political career. The movie directed by Venkat Prabhu is a generic mass masala movie catering to the actor’s fan base and then perhaps a few more. 

Spoilers ahead.

Pros

• Casting for a such a large-canvas movie could be arduous. With Prasanth (reviving his career), Prabhu Deva, Sneha, Laila and with other starry cameos, the movie has placed a safe bet with each actor performing their role precisely.
• The action sequences of the movie are top-notch and keep us entertained for the most part.
• Last, but least, the man himself ‘Thalapathy Vijay’ has given his all in terms of performance and dance capabilities and will be sorely missed when he hangs his acting boots.

Cons

• Venkat Prabhu and Yuvan Shankar Raja have given us multiple songs and BGMs to rave about, but this movie unfortunately drew a blank. The songs and the BGM (literally blaring) was well below par. 
• LOGIC. Logic has no place in Indian’s mass masala movies, but this was taken to the extreme in this movie. An intelligence officer’s son is kidnapped (actually Vijay’s charatcer could have very well taken his son along to fill up the form) and there are no repercussions for it. Strange and hard to believe.
• STORY. Hollywood scripts are to be copied and/or inspired from. But this movie’s inspiration from Gemini Men/Departed/Sniper-Train is taken too far and requires course correction at least in the next part. I believe the director first script for this movie revolved around a time travel wherein Vijay’s character uses time travel to revisit the crime scene again and again to find out what happened to his missing son and eventually retrieve him, but was modified as another father-son time travel movie stole the show recently.
• VFX. Fell short of expectations, could have been better.

 

Coming on the back of a critically and commercially movie like ‘Manadu’, director Venkat Prabhu’s effort seemed not to be that GOAT. Hopefully it will be course corrected in the sequel and hope the entire movie crew put in more effort the next time around to send-off Vijay’s acting career on a happy note.

KALKI – 2898 AD!!

Yada yada hi dharmasya glanirbhavati bharata

Abhythanamadharmasya tadatmanam srijamyaham

 

"Whenever there is a decline in righteousness and an increase in unrighteousness, at that time I manifest myself."

 

Lord Krishna’s words in the midst of a searing battle between the Pandavas and Kauravas forms the core story of Nag Ashwin’s most ambitious movie of this year. Starring a host of stars – Amitabh Bachan, Kamal Hasan, Prabhas, Deepika, Disha Patani and others, this epic saga offers a great start to the ‘Kalki’ universe. Spoilers ahead.

 

 

 

 

Cons

 

• A lagging first half with nearly a work-from-home Prabhas fail to pull us through the initial boredom. However, it is adequately compensated by a visually compelling second half with a great pre-interval and a fantastic climax.
• Usage of all the sci-fi Hollywood movies in post-apocalyptic and chase sequences might be borderline plagiarism, but fit decently into the storyline.
• Kamal Hasan’s character was obnoxiously different, and an extended role-play in second set of the movie series would provide justice to his great talent.

 

Pros

 

• Fantastically believable VFX seamlessly fit into the cinematic marvel with re-created scenes from the Mahabharata war and the detailed fight sequence between Amitabh and Prabhas quite the highlight.
• Amitabh Bachan as the legendary Ashwatthama is the new version of ‘angry’ old man and exudes absolute brilliance in each and every frame.
• Deepika emerging from the fireball (like Kunti) and with several vulnerable portions has given us an underdog to root for.
• Surprising Santosh Narayanan’s BGMs create the most memorable goosebumps as the shrill pitch reverberated around us, even defying the poorly constructed audio in the theatre.

 

Last but not least, the fantastic direction of Nag Ashwin, who has transcended the boundaries of conventional story-telling, defying odds to deliver a good start to this cinematic universe. If you are interested in mythical Indian tales and its futuristic extensions or want a visual treat on the big screen, then this is definitely a must watch movie.

History Loading…WCT20!!

Irrespective of the outcome of today’s India vs England match, this T20 World Cup, hosted by USA and Caribbean, has been quite a ground-breaker with the first ever appearance of South Africa in a finals of a ICC tournament. As many as 20 teams participated in this grand tournament, with many exciting last-ball thrillers.

Highlights

USA Vs Pakistan – Nobody can rule out the decline of Pakistan team, but for them to lose out to USA in a super-over finish was disappointing even by their standards. USA moving onto the Super 8’s from league matches (beating Canda enroute) augurs great for themselves and associate members of world cricket as well.

Papau New Guinea Vs Uganda – One of the lesser know and followed matched between two relatively new comers provided us with a thriller with Uganda scrapping through, their first win on a world stage.

England Vs Oman – One of the shortest matches this World Cup, which England won in 19 balls, ran them through to super 8’s. In the process, they eliminated Scotland, which had nearly gone through to the next round breaking their hearts and souls.

Srilanka and New Zealand – With both these teams not at their best, they were still expected to move on to the next phase of the tournament. However, a Bangladesh and Afghanistan played better to pip them out, with AFG team bettering Bangladesh team to reach Semis.

India Vs Pakistan – Last but not least, our own cricketing behemoths clashed out in New York’s Long Island (Eisenhower Park) stadium to a packed audience, providing ample goosebump moments in a rain delayed match.

My friend’s and I were lucky to witness an interesting South Africa Vs Netherlands match in NY, with the Dutch running the Afrikaans pretty close. With quite a profitable New York stadium round of matches, there is a great possibility of international matches being held again in Long Island.

 

With cricket’s ever expanding reach (part of Los Angeles 2028 Olympics), I hope today’s match with the next one captures USA’s and World’s attention and help cricket grow to its full potential.

Flashback Series - Kandukondain Kandukondain!!

There are always some movies that are our absolute favorites and then there are some that when we re-watch it, we learn/recollect some important life lessons. ‘Kandukondain Kandukondain’ (roughly based on ‘Sense and Sensibility’ novel) is the best of both worlds and is an absolute must watch.

Highlights

• AR Rahman’s soothing music fills into each and every frame of the movie starting from jasmine flowered introduction cards to the beautiful end credits extending into all the songs.
• Lyrics by Vairamuthu are pearls strung from beautiful words.
• Cinematography by Ravi K. Chandran is quite exquisite, with wonders of ancient Egypt, castles of Scotland and paddy fields of Karaikudi showcased beautifully.

 

 

Actors

• Mammootty is at his absolute best performing each and every scene with grace and with fantastic expressions. His dialogues about the tragedies in his life to falling in love with Aishwarya Rai’s character is quite heart touching.
• Before he moved on to formulaic movies, Ajith’s character play is perhaps one of his best, taking us on a trip down the hardships of a newbie trying to make his place in the movie world.
• Tabu absolutely has lived her character in the movie. Starting off as a person who accepts destiny's role in guiding her life to the person who makes her own destiny, is quite a contrast to her younger sister’s character played by Aishwarya Rai.
• Movie ‘Jeans’ and this movie has quite defined Aishwarya Rai's early movie career. She has portrayed her fiery character with absolute conviction, with a fitting finale wherein she understands the ‘true’ meaning of love.
• Mannivannan, Srividya, Raghuvaran, Abbas have given their best with even guest appearances of Dino Morea and Pooja Batra making a strong impression.

 

With recent movies not making an impact on critics or us, I hope that we are able to watch a re-release of this Rajiv Menon’s best directorial to rekindle our fond childhood memories. ‘Kandukondain Kandukondain’, as they say, is not just a movie, but an emotion, which takes on a roller-coaster ride called “Life”.

Manjummel Boys – Cliffhanger!!

There are movies that entertain you and then there are movies that take you for an experience of a lifetime. ‘ManjummelBoys’ written and directed by Chidambaram falls in the later category as it explores the perilous mission of a group of friends to rescue their buddy in the dangerous Guna caves in Kodaikannal in Tamilnadu.

Spoliers ahead.

 

Highlights

• Extraordinary sound design and background music by Sushin Shyam takes you right into the middle of action in this edge of seat thriller.

• Fantastic cinematography by Shyju Khalid literally makes you wonder how some of the scenes were shot through especially in the second half of the movie.

• Amazing crew of actors along with show stealer ‘Soubin Shahir’ have effortlessly fit into each of their roles of ‘Manjummel Boys’. Their various emotions shine through in the various frames of the movie. Incidentally Soubin Shahir has also acted in one of my favorites as well – “Ela Veezha Poonchira”.

• Phenomenal usage of ‘Kanmani Anbodu’ song (originally from ‘Guna’ movie) reference in the movie. The final part pf the rescue effort synching up with the beautiful lyrics provides ample goosebump moments.

• Finally a absolute hats-off to master writer and director ‘Chidambaram’, who has beautifully woven a cliffhanger and brought life to an amazing untold story. The sudden trauma induced chokeof crevice fallen person on his rescuer and the rescuer sniffing on lemon to alleviate the smell of the rock crevice are beautiful hidden gems in the  director’s writing and screenplay effort. Sincerely hope that he can replicate this effort in many more movies to come.

 

Right from ‘Roja’ exploring the Kashmir issue through a family drama to ‘Enthiran’ being the first pan India movie, Tamil movies were once considered the gold standard of South Indian movies. Telugu movies with Bahubali, Kannada with KGF series and Malayalam with Dhrishyam and other fantastic movies have pulled far ahead. It is time for some serious introspection for Tamil movie industry with at least the roles of ‘story and screenplay writers’  be given their due importance.

Nevertheless, a standing ovation is due for the original ‘Manjummel Boys’ who put their life on the line to save their best friend. I have been quite lucky to be a part of our own ‘EagleRock Boys’ group and have had some wonderful memories . Do let me know in the comments about this must watch movie and about the friendship groups that you have been part of in your life.

L(cu)EO – Not So Badass!!

(Spoilers Ahead)

Spotted Hyena are rare in the world and more so in India. As the main protagonist (expertly played by Vijay) and the respective authorities race to catch it up in the first few minutes of the movie, so does the audience as we catch up with the half-faithful remake of ‘History of Violence’ in director Lokesh Kanagraj’s latest movie offering. The movie stars a galore of stars like Vijay, Trisha, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun and has music by Anirudh.

Pros

·         Lokesh is known to bring out the best in characters played by relatively unknown dance masters/actors. Dance Master Sandy’s portrayal of a pyscho killer is menacing and we are left wanting for more in the superbly choreographed fight sequence in the coffee shop/bakery. 

·         Anirudh has clearly established himself as a king of BGMs and the I’m Scared song takes it to the next level showing Vijay’s mental vulnerability beautifully. ‘Naa Ready Thaan’ has been a chartbuster from the time it has released and is quite well choreographed by dance master Dinesh.

·         CGI’s have been a bane for Indian movies. However, the believable Hyena and stunning car chase is quite a highlight. 

·         But the stage is truly and well set for Thalapathy Vijay who aces each and every scene in the movie, showing a range of emotions right from fear to pure action in the many of the fight sequences. Lookout for the impromptu dance steps leading up to the fight sequence in the coffee shop, which is truly a delight for his many fans.

Cons

·         Director Lokesh has set very high standards with his previous movies and has expertly written them. However, this movie (even though is inspired/remade from ‘History of Violence’ movie) fails to recreate the magic of Managaram, Kaithi or Vikram movies. A better written story and with better connected characters (Sandy’s character could have been a long lost son of Arjun and the story unravelling from there) could have added some zing to the movie.

·         The character arcs of the main protagonists, played less menacingly, by Sanjay Dutt and Arjun along with a pretty weak flashback fail to convince us why the protagonist reformed from a dreaded gangster to a peace loving family man.

·         Trisha has justified her role as a doting mother and wife, however other supporting characters could have etched better to create a wholesome movie experience.

Every movie with a big actor and a star cast reaches its intended audience, the fans and rakes in record profits. However, the actual litmus test depends on whether it has reached the encore masses and whether it stands the test of time. LEO’s forced entry into LCU (Lokesh Cinematic Universe) entertains us half-heartedly and leaves us a little unsatisfied. Hoping for a better experience with the rest of the movies in the LCU franchise.

 

Pyramid Mysteries!!

Once the tallest structure till the early 13^th century, the Egyptian pyramids were once part of the 7 wonders of the world. They have awed every visitor, kings (like Alexander and Napolean) and commoners alike with their structural beauty.

They also have intrigued many archaeologist and conspiracy theorist alike with their hidden mysteries which we seem to be finding everyday. The Giza pyramids are amongst the most well-known of all the 118 pyramids in Egypt and attract millions of tourists each year and pyramids come in various sizes, shapes and forms (bent pyramids/stepped pyramids).

Spectacular Pyramids

·         Unlike the common perceptions, the pyramids do not house any remains of any pharaoh nor do they contain any hieroglyphics (Language of the early Egyptians). All the mummied corpses are housed in valley of the dead and all the hieroglyphics are found in various temples (like Temple of Luxor).

·         If we just take the Kafre Pyramid, named after Pharaoh Kafre (who supposed built it), it supposedly contains 2.3 million stones with each stone weighing an estimated 10 to 20 tonnes. Add another 2 million stones that makes up the base of the structure, we have a extensive overlay of stones just for that one pyramid.

·         Inside the pyramid are two chambers (King and Queen) made entire of absolutely tight-fitting granite stones which contain a huge sarcophagus (Grantie Box with a lid). Till today, nobody truly knows what was contained in it. A narrow shaft leads from each of these rooms and points to Orion Belt of stars. Also, the three pyramids of Giza are aligned exactly like the 3 stars of the Orion Belt.

·         They way to each of these chambers is through a long narrow passage called the ‘Great Gallery’, which is truly spectacular as it contains of stepped stone ceiling, that have brunt the weight of all the stones and allowed safe passage inside the structure for many centuries.

·         But truly making the pyramids mind boggling are its dimensions. It is just 3.4 degrees off of true North and its dimensions match up to Earth’s dimensions (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TpkhqQ54guA). Even more amazing, is the fact that, The pyramids are 8 sided and not the usually 4 sided ones that we have come to understand. Each side is bent a little inwards at the center, which is only revealed at the spring and autumn/fall equinox days.

·         The pyramids stones are supposed brought from Aswan valley, which is about 500 miles away. There are non concrete theories on how the stones are transported, with many suggesting that raft over Nile river. Even by today’s technology moving stones over by rafts and skating them over wooden logs is next to impossible. The cracked and unfinished obelisk at Aswan and the Sphinx requires another blog post in itself.

·         Given these and many more structural amazements, there has been many conspiracies ranging from alien construction to usage of sound vibration technology to lift the stones debarring gravity.

 

Extrapolating the pyramid theology, we have found them on every continents, with pyramids being found in Mexico (Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan), Cambodia, Indonesia, eastern Europe and many countless places. All the pyramids seem to connected by what is called a ‘Power Grid’ that runs across our planet. Using this, explorers were even able to find a underwater pyramid near the coast of Japan.

Even though we have scratched the surface of this masterpiece of technology, we may truly never be able to understand the real significance of the pyramids. The Kafre Pyramid, with a Golden crown and limestone covered surface must have a quite an awesome sight for every person in its heyday.

Do let me know your thoughts and comments on how and why you think Pyramids and other olden man-made structures were created.