The Indian Premier League – Spellbinding

Finally the most awaited Indian Premier League has commenced and this novel concept is probably the not the best but the better that can happen to cricket – the gentlemen’s game.

I watched the opening ceremony on 18th evening and was mesmerized with the way it was done. I couldn’t look anywhere apart from the TV for the first half an hour of the Ceremony. One of the best opening ceremonies I have ever seen. Its rocking to see the film stars owning and supporting their respective teams and see them screaming their head off for every six their team players produce.

It happened in the first match. The Kolkatta Knight Riders vs. Banglore Royal Challengers was an awesome highscoring game. Funnily, Vijaymalya spoke with Jadeja before the match began and was too proud of his team. I heard him say that his team is full of experience and probably the best in the eight. Sadly the team lost with a score that hardly reached 100 and Vijaymalya’s high paid cheer leaders had no dancing to do. Sharukh on the other hand was seen standing over the railings and dancing while his team almost broke the ball with hard-hit sixes.

This game, emphatically, is a million dollar fun, but I wouldn’t agree with the group that says this is best thing that can happen to the game of cricket. I don’t know if I am correct thinking this way but in my opinion, I would like to compare the situation with that of Football. There are leagues confined to the country clubs (men play for other country’s clubs too) and that way we see a lot of players endowed with ball-wielding skills on the field. And thus for them the World Cup becomes such an ambitious play. The feel the players and the viewers get for the FIFA World Cup is definitely unrivaled. However the in the game of cricket, the domestic play has been of interest only to the BCCI and very few of the public take involvement in watching and commenting on those games. In fact, I found one of my friends oblivious of the fact that India won the Under 19 ICC Cricket World Cup.

This is a situation like the cricket’s own situation in the type of play. Test cricket and One day Internationals were dominating and after T20’s entrance, many lost the patience to sit and watch Test Cricket. Now the favourites have become the ODIs and T20s. Probably cricket has crossed the stage where domestic play would ever demand attraction by any means. International Cricket is always the cynosure.

But this is no censure to the league. As I have stated in the title, this form of cricket is spellbinding. IPL is a stupendous entertainment any cricket fan can experience. Not the just the viewers, but also the cricketers, especially the younger ones, will have glutted excitement playing with other experienced International players. My already existing joy about IPL was stirred when I saw Ricky Ponting hugging Ishant Sharma for taking a wicket in the first game. We would get to see lot more of “International Hugging” for sure…

IPL is superb, fantastic and entertaining. But for the game of cricket, the International matches are always the best and the entertainment and excitement one would get while watching an action packed India vs. Pakistan game on the field has no equal emotion!!

Yaradi Nee Mohini - My Review

I had wanted to watch this movie since its release, but after watching it I ended up feeling dumb for having “wanted” to watch it.

Yaradi Nee Mohini is a film with a story line totally irrelevant to its title. The movie begins with dhanush again playing a role of a “vetti”, hopeless man trying to find himself a job in a ‘Software Company’. And when he finds one, he meets Nayantara (my sweetheart and a project manager in the company) and, like in any other usual tamil cinema, falls in love with her. While she claims she is not interested, hero’s depression accrues as his father passes away. His friend Karthik plans to take dhanush along with him for his marriage in a village affirming that the downhearted hero will find solace with a lot of people around him. And from there, the typical Tamil film antics concerning hero’s impression in the family is exhibited.

Everybody knows this is a Telugu remake and since I haven’t seen the Telugu version I am not able to compare the two but from what’s in the Tamil edition, this film is definitely not worth watching unless you are a fiery fan of Nayantara.

The movie paces slowly and sometimes I felt a little bored. Give Nayantara less clothes (like in Billa) and she will never act (only walking like what Ajith did) but give her too many clothes like Yaradi Nee Mohini and she’ll repay you with over action. It got into my nerves every time she tried to act like a software company’s project manager. Sort of gives a feeling that Tamil film heroines are worth only for love subjects in movies and can’t act when given a meaningful role.

I saw in some of the papers that the on screen chemistry between Nayantara and Danush is too good and I would suggest to those who call that true to be a little away from me. Because I might not stop to think what I was told my mom when I was 5…..avoid violence.

Apparently, looks like Karthik(better known as suchi’s husband) has got a ironlike position in the Tamil Cinema for the role of a impeccant and innocent young man, whose lover will always be loved by the hero, and will let the girl ditch him to marry her ex-boy friend, sit and cry for some time, soothe himself by calling it a sacrifice. Basically, if any of you directors want a guy friend for your hero to unwittingly hurt him by “ensoying” with his girl friend, you have Karthik.

Shockingly, in this “Tamil Cinema”, the climax will deceive anybody who predicts it, and by all odds, it sucks.

Here are some things that really infuriated me.

1. Nayantara wears too many clothes, not good.
2. A plump good looking girl and a monkey like creature were “trying” to romance in the film, Koduma.
3. “Palli” Dhanush fights with 10 rugged guys and even lifts an elephant sized man, totally unacceptable.
4. While several engineering students are striving hard to learn English for Group Discussion in placements, our dhanush passes it by talking in “sutha” Tamil, I watched it with mouth agape.
5. Later in the movie he does speak some English. I was traumatized.
6. Finally, the film just doesn’t tell you who the (Beep) Mohini is.

To tell you the truth, Yaradi Nee Mohini is not worth a review.

**/5 – After so much revilement, I am giving it 2 starts only for the Nayantara and for some comical dialogues that merits appreciation.

Verdict : Waste of time.

Santhosh Subramaniyam – My Review

Looks like this month's recipe is only Movies Reviews for my blog since i have earmarked two cerebration posts for May first week as i wouldn't be writing anything in the exam time...as for now...here is whats in my mind...

I am really happy that I did the right thing by going to abirami mall this evening because after a long time I actually got to watch a good Tamil movie.

Santhosh Subramanium is a comical commercial film which is actually a remake of the Telugu super hit Bommarilu. I was oblivious of that until my brother told me minutes before I was leaving for the theatre. I had seen the parts of the original telugu version and though I could understand the scenes, I couldn’t enjoy the comedy for the obvious reason that I don’t know the language too well.

But the understandable Tamil version is nourished with healthy and splendid comedy that goes along with the story line perfectly. The story is well known, it is all about a man who has an over protective and over concerned father who always wants to give the best to him, not cognized of whether he likes it or what he likes. The son (jeyam ravi) moves on with his discontented life but experiences a turn when he meets Genelia who is apparently the heroine of the film but yes…..in the movie she plays a kiddish girl who just does what she wants. And the film proceeds on with their relationship, his father’s threat to the love, and to the bigger problem, the too much interest the father (Prakash Raj) takes in his son’s life.

Though this story, direction and screenplay was copied from another source, the movie still found a positive place in my heart for the excellent comedy (hail Santhanam), Genelia’s awesome acting (she was a damn cute innocent sweetheart), Jeyam Ravi and Prakash Raj’s really good performance etc.

Ha..ha…Wait a minute.. Sadagopan Ramesh is actually acting in this movie as Ravi’s brother. That is probably the funniest thing you’ll ever notice in the film despite Santhanam’s fantastic comedy!! But yes, I didn’t find him too naïve in acting part.

Music wasn’t impressive, but screenplay and cinematography was fine. Jeyam Ravi’s acting was ok but a lot like Bommarilu Siddharth. Santhanam has a promising future and Geni darling….I love you!! To be laconic, this film is a perfect entertainer.

****/5 – I am taking away one star only for the non impressive music and the statement that lives every word “A Jeyam ravi’s film will find success only if it is a Telugu remake” !

Verdict : A must watch rib-tickling entertainer.

Vellithirai - My Review

This is the third movie review I am posting here and this blog seems to have become a movie reviews portal. Since I cannot live without movies, and since I am absolutely jobless in this one month study holidays I have, I am entrancing myself by watching more movies than I usually do. So here is what I think about Vellithirai.

I was much excited about this film’s release and expected it to be even better than this duo’s previous film “mozhi”, but to tell you the truth, I am sort of disappointed with it.

The film revolves around Prakash Raj and Prithviraj, two so called friends trying to achieve success in cinema. While Prakash is striving to become a successful actor in the mainstream, Prithvi is on his endeavour to be well established director. While prithvi is on no interest to cast Prakash in his movie, prakash steals the script, registers the script and even completes the film with self as hero and ultimately sees success in his career. Prithvi stands helpless and he goes on writing other stories. But later in his life, he is forced to make a movie with Prakash Raj as the hero and the climax is something one wouldn’t expect.

Despite its strong subject and the fact that the performance of even a single actor in the movie cannot be faulted, the film fails to elicit the viewer’s interest because of its slow pace, untimely songs and unnecessary sequences and dialogues. I would have really walked out of the theatre but I was pulled back only because the duo were doing a good job.

Gopika did a fine job and does look beautiful. Songs and the way they have been depicted seemed inappropriate and loose. Unlike mozhi, the cinematography stands too low. To sum it up, the film might just cross the line of a decent entertainer.

***/5 – One for the good performances, one for the strong subject and one exclusively for the duo’s chemistry as friends and enemies in the movie.

Verdict : Far too below the duo’s much deserving successful previous entertainer, Mozhi.

Kannum Kannum - My Review

I sat to watch this movie only for a reason that Prasanna is acting. I was much impressed with his performances in movies like 5 star, kanda naal mudhal, anjaathey, etc. All his movies did quite well in the theaters but I really doubt if this one will pull through.

Technology has advanced even beyond what our previous generation thought was incredible, and we use e-mails, sms etc. to communicate, and it is very fatuous that the director used the same old kadhal kottai ways of beginning love by sending inland letters to each other. I can only find my telephone bills, bank offers and advertisements, my college mark sheets and debit fees details. But ironically in the movie that is titled “Kannum Kannum”, the guy and the girl fall in love without even meeting each other!!

Prasanna decides to go to kutralam to meet her and stays in his friend’s house. From there the film is cloyed with emotions and dramas that are quite close to a seemly natural way and hence doesn’t really bore the viewers. Vadivelu has a comedy track disserved from the usual story and his dreadful jokes delineates vividly that producer has paid him the slightest amount.

But in the second half, for a little amount of time, Santhanam plays his part with his style of humour and that can really bring a smile for a movie that paces too seriously, if not for a laughter. Prasanna has acted well; actually speaking there is no big acting skill that is needed to play this role, so I am happy that he didn’t screw up.

The music was bad, simple and unsophisticated cinematography and the film is devoid of the regular Tamil film formulas like good dance, a good looking heroine, some action scenes and item numbers. They wouldn’t be making much difference to the movie anyways. All in all, a typical light Tamil film of low budget.

*/5 – The only star is for Prasanna and Santhanam’s parts and to the director who made sure that the movie doesn’t progress in a boring way.

Verdict: There is just nothing in the film!

RACE - My Review

Very well, after a long time I got to watch this hindi film starring Akshaye Khanna, Saif Ali khan, Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif and I must say that I was quite happy that I didn’t waste time that evening.

Firstly, of all the actresses the directors, Abbas and Mastan, chose Katrina Kaif for playing Saif Ali Khan’s P.A. I know it’s always difficult to find a good apple from a basket of rotten ones but these Einstein Brothers actually managed to do the reverse, and that too not from a basket of good apples but from the tree itself! I would have loved it had Prinyanka Chopra played the role.

Secondly, I have substantial reason to believe that two directors are great fan of K.Balanchandar. The film is replete with twists and turns, both predictable and unpredictable but I was rather sated with the style that these convolve as the end draws close.

The story is all about Saif and Akshaye, two brothers of whom Saif is older and owns a stud farm training incredible horses for the race. Akshaye is unhappy that his brother owns everything and decides to kill him. To his help comes Bipasha Basu, a former girl friend of Saif, and apparently succeeds. And if I unveil any more of the story, I would just become a spoiler (because this is the point from where the K.Balanchandar’s aura of story directing tactics has clearly taken its fix).

Anil Kapoor makes his entry to investigate the case as Inspector R.D and since the directors gave a woman for each of the two main characters of the film, Anil must have demanded one for himself too. They gave him my favourite and the really hot Sameera Reddy. Again, she is now Anil’s Assistant and plays a cute and hot girl with unendurable innocence. Of course, whatever be the role a girl plays in a bollywood movie, she has to sign the contract to do an item number with the least amount of clothes over her body, right? So, with bipasha basu and Sameera Reddy on the charge, can you not imagine what all you can expect?

On the other sides, I didn’t really like the music, the cinematography wasn’t very impressive and some parts of the movie brought back the ancient way of handling the twists and turns. However, I did have fun watching this film and I recommend this film for all bipasha and sameera fans.

*** / 5 - One for the ladies, one for the direction, one for its complexity.

Verdict : A worthy time pass, be it the movie or the ladies.