Late aa yezhudinaalum na latest aa yezhuduven!

I finally watched Kabali three days after its release and for one-third the release date's price! Thankfully, that was only one of the things I was pleased about. (Big bucket of pop corn all to myself, was another.)

For a Rajni fan, this movie was unusual to say the least. While he was obviously central to the movie, he featured in it quietly, even in the first scene. His slow walk out of jail was a contrast to his usual half-run directly towards the audience when he makes his appearance. His catchy oft-repeated one-liners were dwindled down to one word. And when he spoke, it was brief. He was hardly highlighted in any of the dance sequences (for good reason), and did not--thankfully--have a young love.

Instead, he wore his clothes and wig with grace. He appeared pensive rather than jittery, and he showed some emotion--not quite that of the Rajni from the 70s but certainly not the one from even two years ago. (Yes, I am referring to Linga.) He didn't fly in the air and perform any gravity-defying stunts, he just did a couple of pull-ups. And no, I will believe until my dying day that he, and not a stunt double, did that.

What worked in the film was the background score, the music and the Super Star himself. What didn't, was the illogical and unbelievable sequences, the 'romba sumaar' (average) screenplay and the incredible amounts of violence that left me wondering what had changed since Baasha released in the 90s, where he also plays a gangster. That was violent too, but this took gore to another, completely unpleasant level.

Although there was no comedy track at all--a first for a recent Rajni film--the subtitles provided enough entertainment. In addition to translating words like 'avall' to 'My beautiful Mrs', they also explicitly told us whether his laugh was a 'tickled-pink laugh', 'confident laugh', 'arrogant laugh', self-assured laugh' or 'brave laugh'. Rajni fan or not, we could've figured it out.

For a fleeting moment, I had wondered if I should take my children and introduce them to the experience of watching a Rajni film in a theatre. To hear the crowd go crazy when the words SUPER STAR RAJNI flashed across the screen! To not be able to hear the dialogues for the first few minutes because the whistles were so loud! To watch people cry and throw things towards the screen! But I'm glad that I didn't because none of it happened the way I remembered it. Maybe because it was a weekday, or maybe because it wasn't the first day, or maybe because it wasn't Madras.

I'm glad I watched the film but I'm even more glad that I watched it alone. Just me and my memories of how it used to be.

Lingaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!

It's interesting that yet another movie in the recent past (Katthi being the other) has focused on a topic that is a staple in recent news - water. Although I haven't watched the latter yet, I'm guessing that it was just as bad as Lingaa. Oops, did I just give away the gist of this post?!

(Those who haven't watched it yet, don't worry, no spoilers here.)

The Good
Amidst the drama, masala and political intent that one expects (and loves) in a Rajni film, the plot revolves around many aspects that go into the building of dams - displacement of villagers due to flooding that will be caused by the structure, resettlement in the form of allocating other land, compensation for the land lost, and the angst and confusion among the to-be-displaced partly due to mistrust and party due to having no knowledge of the mechanics of how it all works. The film highlighted these important points such that lay people, who are often clueless about the other side of 'development', can understand.

The Bad

• The comedy was a joke. (Get it?!)
• The soundtrack - really, the movie might have been more tolerable without any background score or duets at all. (Yes, the one time where being delayed to the movies would've been a good thing. Even the SPB/Rajni opening song sequence was pathetic.)
• Sets, costume & makeup - The amount of money spent on this could possibly have been used to fund the construction of a small-sized dam! (This statement is purely based on my imagination and has not been influenced by any knowledge of the film's budget or of the actual costs of dam construction.)
• Dance sequences - the one area where thalaiva has always struggled, and continues to do so. The editing has tried to minimise close up shots but the discomfort is more than evident even from a distance. (Using foreign dancers and glaring outfits can only cover up so much.) 
• The female lead(s) - Two for the price of one. (Two times the pain!)
• Fight sequences - Would've been better left to the viewer's imagination. (Felt a bit like watching Po go through the Matrix motions!)
• The villain - WHO?
• The one-liner - was a one-worder and certainly not worth repeating. (Naa oru darava kooda sollirka koodadhu!)

The Ugly
The last 11 minutes of the film.

I said no spoilers, and I've kept my word. Watch it at your own risk or under the influence - of friends, what else!

Vishwaroopam - thoughts and things

I don't watch many movies but I've seen my share of good, bad and horrid (what, you thought I was going to say ugly?!). I don't read reviews and I haven't written many either save for this and this. After all the hype surrounding Vishwaroopam, I decided that I must not only watch it but also write about it at some point. So here goes....a couple of weeks after the experience.

My overall take - the movie was awesome! Well-made and good time-pass especially if you like dishum dishum type of films. The plot, as predictable as it was, was well executed. The action scenes and stunts were really Hollywood-like and not Vijaykanth-movie-like (where bombs go off all around him and he comes out unscathed, or when he stays in the air for minutes kicking those around him while all the time defying the laws of gravity). The first half hour had me in splits but I think you have to be a Tam Brahm to appreciate a lot of it :). The soundtrack was really good - the only full-length song in the film was very well done. Kamal's mastery of music and dance and the interest he takes in researching every single thing to death shows clearly (as always).

Now to the controversial aspects of the film...I don't know anything about Muslim customs and practices. So I did not understand the significance of the shaving of body hair, doing the namaz or any other custom before a suicide mission. If I were a staunch Muslim, then maybe I would have taken offense to it simply because of the casualness with which it is portrayed. There is an implication that it is a norm of sorts, which would make not-very-informed audiences assume certain things about Islam and Muslims itself on a larger scale that is totally unfair. So it's understandable that there was an public outcry but I'm not sure if I agree with the extremeness of it...for two reasons.

One - Movies are a form of art and expression. They should be seen objectively and within the context of the whole. Would this movie have had such an impact on people if Al-Qaeda hadn't been mentioned? If Osama hadn't been shown? If Afghanistan wasn't the battleground? If so much attention to detail hadn't been paid? I'm not so sure. There have been similar-themed movies in the recent past and none took the kind of beating that this one did.

Two - Religion tends to evoke certain responses in individuals. A lot of this is our own beliefs, our own staunchness, if you will, in our views...the feeling that mine isn't that bad and yours is the same or possibly worse if you look at it relative to one another. Those for whom religion (any religion) isn't so important, can maybe view all this very objectively...simply look at it for what it is. A movie...some entertainment...and nothing more. So a large part of this is us...and our inner-most feelings on sensitive subjects coming out as a reaction. Add some politics to this and one person's reaction becomes a nation's outcry and the censor board's pet project.

My conclusion - objectivity is the need of the hour...and not just for movies or movie reviews. :)

Ra-One - the review

I have to put in many disclaimers before I start writing this post.

• I don't watch too many movies, especially Hindi ones.
• I am a big fan of Superhero movies (apparently, in any language).
• I don't like the usual song, dance and crying kind of movies.
• I'm not a geek but I find certain aspects of technology really cool.
• OK, that's it. Now read on if you're still interested.

Met my expectations

Story line, music, acting - There was just enough of emotion and drama. No one overdid the death scene, there was no bawling etc. Music rocked! Acting - Ra-One's and G-One's expressions were naturally robotic and machine-like :)

Exceeded my expectations

Effects - The picturization of nano particles coming together to form Ra-One was awesome! Also the whole virtual environment that was created for the game was very neat.

Below my expectations

Shakrukh's South Indian imitation was terrible. The accent, the 'curly hair' and the AYYO - really bad. I'm glad that he was killed early on in the film.

The Voila factor
Roping in the big B for his voice and the Superstar for his style was really cool - a great marketing tactic. Showing a little respect to these two definitely doesn't hurt!

An out and out entertainer with great music and effects, Ra-One is a total time-pass movie. Throw your logical mind out and don't try to reason with the going-ons. You'll have a great time!

Adiosio!

Harry Potter came into my life as 4 free books when I joined Doubleday Book Club in 2001. 10 years later, all 7 have a safe place in my library, the last of which is the British edition (I will buy the American edition too, the set needs to be complete...whole...). I remember buying tickets well in advance for the first film and q'ing up with friends at the movies. I also remember going alone to the next 2 as I didn't have company :). Watched the next 4 at home. Became an owner of Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows Part 1 just 2 weeks ago.

One part of me couldn't wait to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. The other, no...it didn't want to go to the theater at all because that would mean that it would all be finished. With a friend for company and sporting 3D glasses for the first time, I watched the movie. And as I thought, I just didn't want it to end. It was so bloody good! Not much deviation from the book either. Simply superb effects and excellent soundtrack.

True magic...will miss it.

The name is Rajinikanth????

I've read a lot of books. Some good, some average, many boring but none that I thought of as terrible. But there's always a first isn't there? What's sad is that this book is non-fiction; a biography... about the most famous South Indian actor (debatable, some would say) alive!
How can one go wrong with a biography? The star's rags-to-riches story, professional facts, photos, comments from peers should pretty much cover it all. Hah! I wish.

Chapters alternate about the star Rajini and Shivaji the struggling boy. Its almost like a movie...present and flashback except that it happens for every scene. The author's English is terrible. She constantly moves from one tense to the other seamlessly, leaving the reader confused. She has mis-spelled names of movies, actors and many other important facts. She has literally translated most of the words (i.e say it in Tamil and write it in English). Many of her assumptions are completely biased as she is a hardcore 'thalaivar' fan. Like the teacher that everyone has had at some point that said 'open the door, let the climate come in', someone somewhere has said 'he has two daughters, both are girls'. Never before have I seen this in print(and not in the bloopers section, mind you). Apparently spelling and grammar checks were used neither by the author nor the editors. To publish this book and charge a whopping Rs. 495 is a crime. I feel cheated (although I didn't pay full price for it).

If we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, should we by it's title then?