I was thinking for a few minutes on something clever to start this post with, but as you can see, I am unable to do so. But if you have been loitering here for the past few years, you will know that I am not prone to clever poetry or wordplay. Verbosity passes for wordplay here and so I will just go ahead and say what I want to say.

Right. So, most of you know I have been in Chennai for the past 6 months. Some of you (3 of u, really) have wondered why I am not blogging. Let’s just say that now I have a life. Actually no. I don’t. I am just joking with you. My laptop’s been under the weather and my PC is senile. No really. That’s the truth. (more…)

The newest meme in the desi blogosphere – the one’s that only the hardcore cricket fans know about – is the one that Prem Panicker is guilty of starting. Though I am usually guilty of ignoring memes, I really have to take this one up. Not only because of the fact that the meme originated from someone that I look up to, but also because the theme is something that is close to my heart.
(more…)

Yup. I am back. Or at least I think I am back. I am in the process of dusting a few cobwebs around here and also in the process of settling back in my dear city that I left more than 8 years. Well I don’t know if I am going to be here or would I have to move, but it looks fairly certain that I’ll call India home for the near future at least.

I know I have been awfully silent these past few months. But to quote that BSNL employee who managed to infuriate even the unflappable me last week, past is past. I intend to start regular service on this blog in the next few days once I get past the small task of upgrading WordPress. While there is the small matter of securing gainful employment, I will keep that issue and the related activities in the background like it has been for the most part on this blog.

Here’s to new beginnings…

Ok, I don’t know why the angle is weird, but a kind birdie sent me this and a few other pics from the Endhiran set. These are probably everywhere by now, but I got them just a few minutes ago. Enjamaaai!

Well, sort of. It’s been more than three months and life’s still not conducive to blogging. But I don’t want to keep this place silent.  To be honest, while I have been gone from here, I have done a few posts over at my other hangout, Überdesi. But I have missed out on a lot of blogging here.
(more…)

Apparently,

Article 152 of the International Sporting Code states that drive-through penalties are “not susceptible to appeal”.

But why the fuck would the F.I.A wait for two weeks, schedule a hearing for an appeal, go ahead with it and THEN rule that the appeal is inadmissible because the original penalty was ineligible for an appeal?
(more…)

I met her just once but I owe at least a small part of the good times of the past year and a half to her touch. When she told me about her illness a few months ago, may be it was the insulating nature of the chat window that stopped me from comprehending the enormity of the news. But then a few days later, someone nudged me and I understood. And I froze.
(more…)

Driving on the New Jersey Turnpike is a game of strategy, anticipation and the odd pitfall. Add to it, the (not so) random speed traps and it becomes one long 2.5 hour long game of chess.

Yes yes yes! Orey Clancy-esque only! Naan engeyyo poyiitten!

Kuselan for the most part is the telling of a simple story of two friends. This is a story that had potential for understated and yet effective performances, considering the caliber of the leading actors in the mix. Having watched the Malayalam original, one went into this Tamil remake with just a few expectations. While all of them were satisfied, I haven’t been able to digest some of the additional parts that have been added to the Tamil version ,perhaps to satisfy the front benchers.

Case at point – the “comedy” track featuing Vadivelu’s character and his wife. And why the fixation with skin, be it Nayanthara’s or the other actress who played Vadivelu’s wife? Not something I’d want to see in Thalaivar padam, but this has been an alarming recurring scenario starting with Chandramukhi. Thalaivaa, can you step in and put a full stop to this nonsense?

While I am still the quintessential die-hard Rajini fan, I try to take the movie’s story at face value and mold my expectations accordingly. But that is just me. I can’t speak the same of the other members of the fan fraternity. From what I saw around me in the screening in the premiere last night here in Jersey, if this movie tanks in the box office, it will be because of misplaced expectations. And one can only blame the promos of the movie and the creators of these promos for creating false notions of this being a standard Thalaivar padam. In reality though, this story was (at least originally) not about the Superstar. It was/is all about his friend, Balu.

But the promos (including the official website) have so far featured only Rajinikant with rest of the cast relegated to mere footnotes. Even the music CDs that were handed out yesterday for everyone at the premiere, have only Rajinikant’s image on the cover. That, IMO, is a great disservice to the other cast members, especially Pasupathy and Meena. Their’s might not be award winning performances, but they played the characters that the movie was about. And those are the characters that I will recommend that you watch this movie for.

For a longer extensive review, check out my post in UberDesi.