Tamil Cinema Rocks in Orkut

                             

                            Google India announced its first ever Orkut Zeitgeist in India on 25th Aug 2009. Zeitgeist means the “spirit of the times“. Social networking sites being the single largest generators of Indian web traffic are the best place to check out what India’s youth are up to online…and turns out they are all on Orkut! People are using Orkut like never before: to forge bonds, to express themselves, to come together around causes and topics that excite them or simply to share their creative pursuits with a wider audience. The wandering mind knows no bounds!
Indian Top Orkut Communities List:

“StYlIsH PeOpLe”
“India”
“Chocolate”
“MTV & still more MTV!”
“TCS 2009 Batch……….!!!!!!”
“Tom and Jerry – Cartoon”
“Boys VS Girls (Who Is d Best?)”
“India Stock Market (BSE NSE)”
“Tamil Cinema”
“I hate to wake up early”
“Friends“.

http://www.google.co.in/intl/en/press/pressrel/20090825_orkut.html

                 I’m glad that I belong to Six of the above mentioned communities (Bold Letters). And I’m very glad that Tamil Cinema Community got into one of the Top positions beating Bollywood. Kudos to Karthik (that’s the reason!), the owner of the Community. Congrats to the mods and members too to keep the Community active.  I am was an active member till last month by posting threads and taking part in the discussion forums. I dont get enough time nowadays to post threads. But whenever I login, I never fail to visit the comunity. I read some selective topics and vote all the polls. The members are the real strength of this comm. Keep Rocking Guys!!!

 

Recent Ringtone of Youngsters

You might have heard this music very frequently these days. This is the ringtone of most of the youngsters today. It’s obvious that I too have the same ringtone. 4 out of 10 ppl keep this music as their ringtone. When I go out of my home, I get confused whether my mobile is ringing or some others’ mobiles. When I went out with my friends for a dinner one Sunday night, I saw my friend Bala got baffled when my mobile started ringing. Ya he’s also an ardent fan of Ilayaraja and he has the same ringtone.

                       This is an awesome piece of Music from the Maestro Ilayaraja in Mani Ratnam’s debut movie “Pallavi Anu Pallavi” in Kannada. It is the debut for Anil Kapoor too. The cinematography is by none other than Balu Mahendra. Though this movie was dubbed in Tamil as Priya Oh Priya, neither the movie nor the music became a hit. Thank God! Else Mouna Raagam would havent been a hit. Bcos, few of the Karthik scenes were there in Pallavi Anu Pallavi (Esp the Coffee shop scene). But Karthik made it the Best. Anil was so-so.

                        The music was later composed into a song by the Maestro in the Sivaji-Ambika starrer Vaazhkkai. But the song “Mella mella ennai thottu…” was picturised more like a cabaret song with Silk Smitha and Raveendar. It also didnt became a hit.

  After about 25 years, this music has become very popular after the movie Sarvam. In the movie, Arya hears this music whenever he sees Trisha. First I thought, Yuvan has copied his dad’s tune. But in the movie itself, Arya says he can hear Ilayaraja palying a violin when Trisha crosses him. It has become the latest and hottest ringtone.  I come across  “Mella mella ennai thottu…” as some of my friends’ the Caller/Hello/Dialer Tune. That’s the magic of the Maestro. Thanks to Yuvan and Vishnuvardhan for rehashing the Music and making it more popular.

P.S : As per my knowledge, this is the first Theme Music in South-Indian Films much before mesmerizing Theme Music of my all time favourites Mouna Raagam and Punnagai Mannan.

 

Nostalgic Commercial

                           I was just surprised to see this video after a loooong time where Aamir and Ash appeared in a Pepsi ad. I think it was in the early 90s. In fact, I forgot about Aamir and Mahima in this ad. All I remember is, Ash was in this ad as Sanjana. Aamir looks as usual like chocolate boy. Mahima choudhary looks so young (resembles Rani) and less prettier than Mahima of Pardes. Ash looks soooooo ot and stunning like a Hollywood actress. I’m a fan of her from those days. Thanks to my Orkut buddy Mahesh for uploading this video that gave me a Nostalgic feeling. Cos those days, Pepsi was more popular than Coke. Especially, its caption was so catchy.
“Yeh hi hai right choice baby…. Aaha”. There is a song with this caption in the movie “Aaha”.

         Coincidentally, Aamir and Ash became the brand Ambassadors of Coke. I loved their earlier Coke commercial too.

 

                     I dont like aerated drinks like Coke, Pepsi, Thumbs up. I wont say that I never drink but very rare. I always like to drink Slice or Maaza and prefer to sip a glass of Sprite or 7up after a heavy meal (mostly non-veg) . Every drink has 2-3 brand ambassadors. Shah Rukh, Sachin, Ranbir, Deepika for Pepsi;  Aamir, Ash, Hrithik, Vijay  for Coke; Akki, Chiranjeevi for Thumbs up. Hats off to Abhishek Bachchan for not taking an Ambassadorship or Endorsement for any such drinks. His principle is not to endorse any brand that is harmful to health. It would be good if the other celebrities follow his footsteps.

 

Priyanka Chopra beats Kamal Hassan

                    

                

A dozen Priyankas

                    Hey don’t get baffled on seeing the Title. Priyanka Chopra aka Piggy Chops breaks the record of Kamalhassan by doing 12 different roles in her forth-coming Ashutosh Gowariker film “What’s Your Rashee?” pairing up with her old flame Harman Baweja. It was Sivaji Ganesan who held the record by doing 9 different and differentiating roles in the movie Navarathri. Later, Sanjeev Kumar follwed the veteran’s footsteps in the Hindi remake of the Classic film. After about 4 decades, Kamalhassan did 10 mindblowing roles in his “Dasavatharam“. Now, our Chopsy baby makes History by donning 12 roles in a movie. She’s becomes the first actress to do many roles which is a record not only Bollywood, but also in Hollywood. Obviously, the 12 roles would be about 12 different zodiac signs as the title  indicates.

                   I have lots of expectations for the movie 3 main reasons. 1st, I love Sun Signs (Thanks to my friend Rachana) 2nd: Ashutosh Gowariker, a promising film maker, last but not the Least: It’s none other than Priyanka. I didnt like her when she was crowned Miss World in 2000. Even in her earlier movies, she was below average as an actress. But I loved her acting in Aitraaz (Copy of  the Hollywood movie Disclosure). She did the role of Demi Moore at her own style. Later, she was just awesome in the Madhur Bhandarkar flick “Fashion” as Meghna Mathur. None could have suited that role except her. (Not even Bipasha, whom I thought would be apt for it before watching the movie). She did a pretty decent job in the most recent “Kaminey” as a Marathi mulgi. But PC excels in roles with grey shades. Might be her real nature. Though she’s a Cancerian, I would like to watch the Scorpion Priyanka in “What’s your Rashee?” among a dozen Priyankas. Wow, this is the 12th post of my blog!! Wat a coincidence!!!

P.S: The movie has pretty chances to do well at the Box Office since Priyaka and beau Harman broke up during the shooting of the film. Remember Shahid and Kareena broke up during the filming of Jab We Met, which was a Blockbuster and fetched many awards to Kareena also a new beau Saif. Priyanka too got Shahid. Let’s keep the fingers crossed!

 

Happy B’day Ganesha

                           23rd Aug 2009                                                                          

              Vinayakar is a favourite God for most of us. He’s the first God and He finds place in almost all the temples. People visit Him first before going to the main Sannidhi. He is very adjustable and so he can be seen even under Trees and at the trijunction. Unlike Mumbai’s Sidhhi Vinayak Temple, He doesn’t have an individual Temple (Famous and big) here. I went to Sidhi Vinayak temple twice but came back after seeing the crowd. I like to worship God in a peace and calm condition. According to Tamil Mythology, Vinayaka is a bachelor. But in Northern parts of India, He has two wives “Ridhi” and “Sidhi”. Recently I visited a famous Vinayaka Temple at Pondicherry with His two wives.

           I have heard about the Grand celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai. The next day of the Chaturthi (not panchami) is Bisarjan (Immersion of Ganesha idols in the Sea) It is a must-watch in Mumbai which is a Holiday too. But immersing those Idols in the Sea would cause lot of environmental issues. My friend Bala may write a Social Awareness Blog on this topic. But unfortunately I left from Mumbai without celebrating the Ganesh Chaturthi.

           Today I had work. Instead of going to Temple and worship Ganapathy, we went to office and worked with our Boss Mr. Ravi Ganapathy. I missed Sundal, Kozukkatai, Paayaasam, Special programmes especially the movies Siva Manasula Shakthi, Puduppetai and Special Maanada Mayilada, etc.

Work is WORSHIP!

Ganapathi Bappa Mourya!!!

 

Happy B’day Chennai

22nd Aug 2009

 

                Today Chennai aka Madras turns 370. Can’t believe? Here’s the History. (Courtesy: Wikipedia)

              On 22 August 1639, Francis Day of the British East India Company bought a small strip of land on the Coromandel Coast from the Vijayanagara King, Pedda Venkata Raya in Chandragiri. The region was ruled by Damerla Venkatapathy, the Nayak of Vandavasi. He granted the British permission to build a factory and warehouse for their trading enterprises. A year later, the British built Fort St George, which became the nucleus of the growing colonial city. Fort St.George houses the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

      The name Chennai is a shortened form of Chennapattinam, the name of the town that grew around Fort St. George, which was built by the British in 1640 CE. The town area is said to have been earlier a part of the empire of the Rajas of Chandragiri.There are two versions about the origin of the name Chennai: according to one version, Chennapattinam was named after Damerla Chennappa Nayaka, a Vijayanagar chieftain, Padma Nayak Velama Raja of Kalahasthi and Vandavasi from whom the British acquired the town in 1639 CE. The first official use of the name Chennai is said to be in a sale deed, dated August 1639, to one Francis Day who was an agent for the British . According to the second account, Chennapattinam was named after the Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple; the word “chenni” in Tamil means face, and the temple was regarded as the face of the city.
 
      The city’s former name, Madras, is derived from Madraspattinam, a fishing village north of Fort St. George. There is a little agreement among researchers about the exact origin of the name Madraspattinam. Some believe that the Portuguese, who arrived in the area in the 16th century, may have named the village Madre de Deus. Others believe that the village’s name came from the once prominent Madeiros family (variously known as Madera or Madra in succeeding years) of Portugese origin, which had consecrated the Madre de Deus Church in the Chennai locality, Santhome, in 1575. (The church was demolished in 1997.)

         Sometime after the British gained possession of the area in the 17th century, the two towns, Madraspattinam and Chennapattinam, were merged. The British referred to the united town as Madraspattinam, while the locals preferred to call it Chennapattinam.The prevalent shortened name Madras is regarded to have a Portuguese origin.
The state government officially changed it to Chennai in 1996, around the time many that Indian cities were being renamed. Chenaiites celebrate 22nd August as Chennai Day!

           Personally, my favourite place is Chennai. I love the place a lot. In my childhood, I used to spend my Summer vacation in Chennai (then Madras) at my Aunt’s home alongwith my cousins who were also in Chennai and Arakkonam. We used to roam in my uncle’s car. I used to see the Film Advts in Awe. Luckily, I got my first job in Chennai. Though the salary was less, I loved being in my favourite place and roaming around. Many of my relatives dont like Chennai because of  Water Scarcity n Hot Climatic Condition. They prefer Bengaluru to Chennai. But my choice is our Singara Chennai. I feel proud when my North Indian friends say Chennai is the most clean city. For the past 3 1/2 years I was out of Chennai. I heavily missed Chennai and when I got an offer here, I immediately said “YES” without negotiating the salary. But after coming here, I’m still missing Chennai since I’m house-arrested. I feel as if I’m still in North India speaking in Hindi with the colleague, watching Hindi channels, eating roti, dal and sabzi, drinking chai, etc. Hope I would come out these things soon and get into Chennai by watching movies at Satyam, spending Sundays with friends in Besant Nagar Beach, freaking out at the Spencers, shopping in T-Nagar, travelling in the Local trains and new AC Buses, having rice, sambar, rasam in lunch; sipping South-Indian Filter Coffee; attending kutcheris and all.. Happy Chennai Day for all Chennai-lovers!!!

 

Oy- Not a Heart-Touching Movie

                            Siddharth is a pretty decent actor whose movies always creaate an expectation in me. Since this is Shamili’s debut with Yuvan’s rocking music, my expectations became much higher. Two of my Telugu colleagues used to listen to the songs continuously (esp Sehree…) which made few other Northie guys watch the movie. I read somewhere that it’s a remake of the Blockbuster Idhayathai Thirudaadhey (Gitanjali in Telugu). But it’s a different inspiration of Erich Seagal’s Love Story. Hero comes to know the final days of the heroine and fulfills her wishes. Poor, Shalini she gets patient role and dies in her debut movies (Both, as a child in Anjali and as a heroine in Oy).

                          Sidharth (Uday) is a spoiled brat and Shamili (Sandhya) is a girl of principles and ambitions. He falls in Love at first sight on a New Year Eve (and his B’day too) in a Pub where he sees her in a churidhar among half-naked girls. She’s fond of Numerology and makes friends according to their birth charts. She doesnt want to make friendship with him saying that their numbers dont match. He immediately becomes as a Paying Guest in her house and soon captures her heart soon. The so-called comedy by Sunil in the 1st half is annoying so much.  The first half is pretty decent and good. In the first-half itself we come to know that Shamili has cancer and her days are numbered. The 2nd half  is about fulfilling her wishes. It’s lengthy and dragging too much. The Pradeep Rawat scenes are ok but Bramhanandam irritates with the other fatty boy. Shamili’s death is also sudden and purely cinematic. Napolean doesnt score much.

                    Some brilliant shots are there in the 1st half. For instance, when Sidhu n Shamili talk over phone, the audience think they are conversing with each other. But bothof them talk to their respective friends. The proposing scene is simply amazing where he presents 12 gifts for her B’day, the 12th being his Love proposal. When Shamili presents him 12 gifts in the 2nd half is amazing again yet sad.

 

Music is a great plus for the movie. The picturisation, locales, Art direction (Shamili’s beach house is simply awesome) and Sidhu’s costumes deserve special mention. Shamili’s looks are average. She cant be compared with her sis Shalini whose expressions are incredible with her attractive eyes (A Scorpion na). The second half should have been more intense and should have made the audience feel for Shamili’s death. No need of more melodrama like “Ezhundhiru Anjali Ezhundhiru” kinda climax.  But it should have made an impact. But a great thanks for the director for making a decent movie without item numbers,violence and cine masala.

Plus: 1st half  is good. Sidharth and Yuvan score.  

Minus: Annoying Comedy, boring 2nd half, climax that didnt touch the Heart

Rating: 2.5/5

 

Irritating Security Measures

          I’m just fed up with the Security measures taken in Chennai IT Parks. We have to be cautious but over-cautiousness irritates at times. Since I didnt get my Identity card, I’m undergoing hell a lotta procedures daily. Getting the gate pass prepared, getting the bags checked, entering names in the register, getting a snap taken through a web-cam, calling a person from the customer office to receive, etc. A persn with an I-card also has to undergo some of  these procedures. Even in Mumbai, there are not these many procedures. The alert was there just for a few days post 26/11 incident. But a person can roam around the premises without an I-card. I never had one.  Just we need to enter our name and Laptop serial no in the register before entering the office.

Soon I have to get my I-card.

 

Got Workplace(s) Atlast!

Atlast I have got not one but two Workplaces. Fort the past one month I was working from our Company Guest House since our new office was under some construction work. I was fed up by telling my friends that I stay and work at the same place. Working in a company guest is not new to me nor to any Telecom engineer. Since Telecom Industry is not sophisticated like Software, most of the Telecom companies have only Guest house as office. Most of the vendor companies get place to work at the customer offices. Likewise I too got to sit at my Customer (Nokia) office at Ascendas IT Park. And in the 2nd half I have to sit with our Customers’ Customer (Datacom). My favourite is Ascendas which is almost like a Mall with Pizza Hut, KFC, CCD.

P.S
The Coffee machine at Nokia Office has different varieties of Coffees from South India Filter Coffee (Light/Strong) to Normal Nescafe, Black coffee to Cappucchino and Moccacino

 

Happy Independence Day

Today I felt the Independence and Freedom. SO, today is the Real Independence Day for me. After a loooong time I went for outing forgetting work.After coming to Chennai, I hardly could find time to spend time with my family and friends. I’m literrally House-arrested, Guest-house arrested. I forgot sleep, weekend, mobile chats, freaking out with pals, movies in theater, Manada Mayilaada, Haasini Pesum padam, etc, etc. All I have for my company is my Laptop with Wi-fi. Thank God, Orkut and blog are still with me. I felt like a prisoner goes out of the prison on bail (not temporarily) for days.

I went to Pondicherry alongwith new colleagues. We first went for boating at Muttukkadu , then to the Crocodile bank, later to Mahabalipuram, and reached Pondicherry in the night. This is the first time I’m going to Pondicherry. When we started our Sumo on the ECR Road, I was singing “siragugal neeludhe…” (within myself). The best part in the trip is that we played Beach Volley ball in a beach nearby Manappakkam. The worst part is food. The guys are spending a lot for Smoking and Drinking but they ordered food by seeing the price in the Menu card. Too bad…

Happy Independence Day!!!