On becoming a Tamil movie watcher

In the days when there was only Doordarshan, on every Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons films in regional languages used to be telecast. Being an avid movie lover I would rarely miss these film shows irrespective of the fact that on many an occasion I did not even follow the language. It must be this training because of which I haven't really minded the Tamil films that I have been made to view since last year by someone.

My knowledge has finally extended beyond Rajnikanth, Kamal Hassan and Madhavan. I can now recognize Suriya, Dhanush, Vijay, Simbu, Vikram, Ajith, Nayantara, Tamanna and Anushka Shetty. Months before Khatta Meetha trailers hit the screen I knew who Trisha was thanks to her success in the film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. While I'll be seeing many more Tamil films in the years to come, of the ones I have watched so far my favourites are Yavarum Nalam, Kaaka Kaaka, and Chennai 600028.

The Madhavan starrer Yavarum Nalam (meaning Everything is well) was the first Tamil film that I saw on screen. Its plot which is drama based as opposed to dialogue based, made for an easy understanding leaving the requirement of translation irrelevant.

The story is that a family moves into an apartment 13B. Soon the womenfolk get hooked on to a television serial by the name Yavarum Nalam. One day Madhavan realizes that the serial is a lot like their own lives. Soon he starts seeing even more similarities. Whatever happens to the characters happens to his family members as well. When an episode shows his wife undergoing a miscarriage, Madhavan decides to unearth the mystery. The events that then unfold keep you to your seats edge. Like the hero you are filled with disbelief that he will kill his own family as the soap opera predicts. At no point are you able to guess who is behind it all.

Yaavarum Nalam is surely a must watch. For those interested there is also the option of going for its Hindi version by the name 13B.

I had read somewhere that Suriya is like the Aamir Khan of Tamil films. His 2009 release Aadhavan however raised grave doubts in my mind, until I got to see Kaaka Kaaka (meaning To protect).

Its beginning is very intriguing, with police officer Anbuchelvan (Suriya) being shown as lying almost dead on the banks of a river with his thoughts only about saving a girl named Maya. The film then goes into a flashback when Anbu was a part of a specialist group allowed to use any means to wipe out crime. A man of few words, his affection for Maya (Jyotika), a school teacher whom he befriends, is revealed when she meets with an accident. During an encounter Anbu and his group kill a gang leader involved in a kidnapping case whose brother Pandya then decides to take revenge. The members of the special unit find their families and themselves targeted. In the midst of this Anbu and Maya get married and go to Pondicherry. But Pandya and his aides land up there and take away Maya leaving behind a brutally injured Anbu, bringing us back to the point where the story had begun. On recovering he starts his search for Maya and it is revealed who had given away the vital information to Pandya about his whereabouts in Pondicherry. In what I thought was a shocker ending, during his face-off with Anbu, Pandya stabs Maya who dies. An angry Anbu tracks down Pandya and finally kills him. The film shows that after this Anbu resumes his duties as a police officer and his old lonely life.

What I liked about Kaaka Kaaka was its tight script. The sweet love story between Anbu and Maya does not hinder the pace of the movie. Presentation wise it has a slick look. The performances are restrained and not over the top. Suriya plays the tough guy-silent lover combination perfectly. Not surprising then that this film relegated the actor to stardom.

In complete contrast to the above two films is Chennai 600028. Its one of those comic capers which actually make you laugh. The story is simple. It is about two warring cricket teams: Rockers and Sharks. The starting point of the film is the Radio Mirchi Cup Final which the Sharks end up losing. From there on the movie is about the events that unfold in the lives of the 11 members of the Shark team during the year until the next finals. Will the Sharks emerge victorious and be able to successfully avenge their previous year's loss? Chennai 600028 has got one of the most unpredictable and hilarious endings I have ever seen. I recommend it to anybody who wants to unwind after a tough day.

Raavanan

From the time Mani Ratnam wowed me with Anjali and Roja I have always looked forward to his new releases. Now that he makes films simultaneously in different languages, as opposed to simply dubbing them, they grab headlines all the more. So it has been the case for Raavanan (Tamil), Villain (Telugu), and Raavan (Hindi).

In the midst of housefull signs I luckily managed to see Raavanan. As the title suggests the film is centered around the antagonist and not the protagonist of the Ramayan. The story starts from the Sita haran episode. Veeraiyya or Veera (played by Vikram), considered a terrorist, kidnaps Ragini (Aishwarya Rai), SP Officer Dev Prakash's (Prithviraj) wife. The first shot of Veera jumping into a deep waterfall is breathtaking. He exhibits a fearful imposing presence atop a ship that is deliberately ramming into Ragini's small boat. From there on begins a tough journey for the kidnapper and his victim amidst dense jungles and devastating weather. At the same time Dev starts his search in which he is helped by a forest officer Gnanaprakasam (Karthik), the counterpart of Hanuman. Infact later in the film there is a rip off of the classic part in the Ramayan where Hanuman meets Sita in Ashok Vatika to inform her that Ram is on his way to take her back from Raavan's Lanka. In another borrowed sequence as the husband and wife are returning Dev like Ram questions Raagini's faithfulness, purity. In the film you also find equivalents of Raavan's sister Shrupnakha, here Venilla (Priyamani) and of Vibhishan, here Sakkarai (Munna). However, there are portions in which Raavanan significantly departs from the Ramayan.

Unlike Valmiki's epic you are unable to call the end a victory of good over evil. Veera's black is mixed with white and Dev's white is amply sprinkled with black. There are scores of villagers who revere Veera for his kindness towards them. It is revealed that Ragini's kidnap was an act of avenging the molestation Venilla was subject to by the police following which she committed suicide. The sad tale even brings tears in Ragini's eyes and softens her towards the villain.

In contrast while Dev is a loving husband, there is a madness in his drive to catch the terrorist which even seems to overide his desire to find his wife. Shockingly when Sakkarai comes to surrender, Dev kills him. Dev's doubting Ragini is a deliberate ploy which leads to the eventual gunning down of Veera. Ragini's efforts to save Veera turn useless and bullet-ridden as he falls down a cliff the villain is tranformed into a hero.

The exacting conditions in which most part of the film is shot must have posed a monumental challenge for the actors as well as the technicians. As the end credits rolled I wondered if such physically demanding scenes were a necessity. But then it is these very similarities and differences from the Ramayan which give us something to ponder over, else Raavanan would have been a simple fare.

Blame it on the weather

I came across this comic strip in yesterday's The Hindu. Having a meteorologist father, it really tickled me. Hope it does the same to you. :-)

Loss of an identity

Today was my last official day at NCL, Pune. In the last one week I had been striving to get various signatures from officers of various departments on the No Dues Certificate, a necessary procedure to be carried out before leaving. Nothing made me realize the significance of it all as much as the act of returning my ID Card.

I had started off in NCL as a guest worker. For months I worked out of my own will, without the status of an NCL employee. So when I finally got selected as a Junior Research Fellow on a project and was issued an Id. Card I decided to always wear it showing it off as opposed to stowing it away in my bag or pocket. It gave me a sense of belonging. Every morning before entering the NCL gate I would put it around my neck feeling every bit important. So I felt really sad when I had to give up my Id. Card. There was a lump in my throat. It was as if I was losing a valuable part of myself.

In the evening while leaving the NCL premises as I walked the usual distance from lab to the gate I realized that from now on I could enter it only as a visitor, a guest. Its back to square one.

Julie & Julia and me

A week back I saw the movie Julie & Julia. The film interweaves the somewhat similar lives of Julie Powell (Amy Adams) and Julia Child (Meryl Streep), two women separated by half a century.

Julie Powell lives in Manhattan of 2002. She has a supporting and lovable husband Eric. She has an unsatisfying and a sad job. Her failed attempts at writing books have left her disillusioned. Her one solace is cooking.

Julia Child is the wife of a diplomat who finds herself living in Paris in 1949 because of her husband's posting. With nothing to do she starts taking classes to learn cooking. In doing so she discovers a passion and talent for it. Starting as a student she goes on to co-author a book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The publishing of the book was a journey of quite a few years during which she gets immense support from her husband Paul.

Julie Powell is an admirer of Julia Child. In order to give direction to her life she decides to take up a "project" of cooking all of the 536 recipes of Julia Child's famous book in 365 days. She also starts chronicling her day-to-day experiences of this project in a blog. As the year progresses the blog gains popularity and so does Julie. After a story about it in the New York Times she is contacted by several publishers and agents who are keen on turning her blog into a book. The film ends with Julie succeeding in accomplishing her mission followed by her getting to see the print copy of her first book titled Julie & Julia.

Comparing my behviour in the kitchen to the two lead characters I realized I am more like Julie Powell. There is a scene in the film in which in trying to bone a duck Julie Powell accidently spills the entire contents on the floor. The result is an angry woman venting fire and tears at the same time lying resolutely on the messy floor. It reminded me of one Sunday morning when I acted worse than this.

The story goes that I had begun the day by cleaning every nook and cranny of my kitchen. Having done with that I collected all the necessary ingredients in the mixer for making an onion chutney to have with dosas for breakfast. I made a little puree first and then added some more onions to it. But when this time I twisted the mixer knob it generated such a force that everything came spilling out. I was shell shocked. The chutney had spared nothing. Portions of it had landed on the walls, the slab, the stove, the nearby microwave, the floor, and ofcourse me. It was horrifying seeing what my squeaking clean kitchen had been turned into within 5 seconds. Angrily I cursed the mixer and myself. Mouthing venom and crying like a lunatic I attacked the kitchen with a duster and water raging vengence. I was a riot!

In my defense I am emotional when it comes to cooking. When dishes turn out well and I see my husband eating happily it is like the best compliment ever. But when its not so, it upsets me as if I have failed as the woman of the house in some big way.

I definitely must try to become like Julia Child. Her nature was so mild. She never blew up. Most importantly she was a happy cook. She enjoyed every bit of it whether she was able to flip the contents of the pan properly or not.

From this day forth I resolve to take things lightly in my trysts with cooking. :-)