Mani Mania!

You can now call me a certified lunatic! Or, a damn good spy! I actually took the pains to find Mani Ratnam's son on Orkut!!! Quite some time, I spent on the profile.. Verified whether it was the authentic one! Also found G.Srinivasan's daughters!!!!! Gawd, am this vetti!!!

Anyway, for all those die hard Mani maniacs like me-
His son seems to be a hard core communist.
There's no mention about his dad. Not even a community to celebrate the glorious guy.
And it looks like anything that sounds Cuban or Russian appeals to him. There are communities ranging from Anton Chekhov to Tchaikovsky!
To read the profile without stammering much like me, I suggest you hazard a try only after taking a course in the Russian language.
Altogether, the profile shouts- "Non-intellectuals, keep away" ( Not that I'd have scrapped anything foolish to have left a trace of my visit) [;)]
The only communities that suggest his link to world filmdom- he's part of the communities for Ilayaraja and Tamil Cinema. No mention about dad. No mention about mom. Nothing about Kamal Hassan!

Tholai nokku paarvai ;)

I was listening to this awesome Ilayaraja composition-

"Indha poovilum vaasam undu, indha paatilum ragam undu"

from Murattu Kaalai, a song that I have loved listening to, for as long as I can remember! The movie was released in 1980, I just verified. I somehow feel that the 70's and the early to mid 80's are the golden ages in Tamil film music. Of course, I'm a Rahman loyalist but still I doubt anyone can recreate the 80's magic. Rahman, I admire him on another plane which somehow stays away from the Ilayaraja saga . There's no comparison- they are apples and oranges! And I'm passionate about both.

Anyway, I'm now wondering how many songs the present era, i.e Rahman+Harris Jeyaraj et al, will leave to the future generations.

"Pettai Rap" from Kaadhalan- Yes, surprising to see that I have gone for Gaana, but this particular one's a true marvel that's sure to stand the test of time!

"Kaadhal Rojave" and "Pudhu vellai mazhai" from Roja.

"Oruvan Oruvan Mudhalaali" from Muthu.

"Mustafa Mustafe" from Kaadhal Desam.

"Poovukkul olindhirukkum kani koottam adhisayam" from Jeans.

"Poongaatrile un swasatthai thaniyaaga thedi paarthaen" from Uyire.

"Pacchai Nirame" from Alai Payuthey.

"Kandukondaen Kandukondaen" from Kandukondaen...

Quite a few numbers from Rhythm.

"Kannathil Muthamittaal". Though I hold "Vellai pookkal" in similar heights, it lacks picturisation and hence it stands a very good chance of fading in the minds of the public.


I'll continue with Harris and the rest later!!!

What this woman wants!

Watched Bourne Ultimatum, first day first show!!! Film's awesome and I don't understand why I haven't read the trilogy yet! Here's the list of books I'd like to get hold of-

• The Bourne Trilogy by Ludlum
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• The Namesake by Jhuma Lahiri
• Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
• Gone with the wind, because that's one of the very few classics I have somehow missed reading!

I'd also like to start with John Grisham. And if I can get hold of a copy, some classic- just to relive good ol' school days!
I have a list of movies now but haven't watched them, I wonder why! But guess I'll watch 'To kill a Mocking Bird' first and then start with the rest of the movies. I just went through the book- 501 Must-See movies and I have narrowed down some 100 yet-to-watch movies!

Mayakkam thandhadhu yaar... Tamilo Amudho Kaviyo...

The other day, I watched one of my favourite movies, 'Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu' on K TV. Guess the Sun Network is shooting from all barrels now to tackle the competition from Kalaignar TV. Kalaignar has clearly lost the momentum it managed to build in the first two days of their telecast. I have no means to garner what footage it currently has in the 'Nedun thodar' area but anyway am enjoying the good movie-run on the Sun network now, in their attempts to fight the competition.
And hence, I had the opportunity to watch this film!
That the movie is one of the best in Tamil film history needs no saying. And of course, neither does the music by M.S.V. Anyway, I just wanted to say this- after listening to 'Theertha karai inile therkku moolai ile', an awesome piece by Bharathiaar , I want to listen to quite a few other Bharathiaar songs SANS accompaniments! Yes, that'd be an ecstatic experience...
Thinking about this,I have a doubt- do performers think of the notes or of the lyrics when playing?!

To Kill a Mocking Bird!

I asked myself repeatedly how I could have missed this book for so long! Yes, that's exactly how I felt when I finished reading 'To Kill a Mocking Bird'. In fact, I now feel like appealing to the CBSE to introduce it in their syllabus in middle school. The atrocities of the racist western world narrated by a child not more than 8 years old- it cannot be told more effectively! Jean Louise 'Scout' Finch is unarguably the best heroine in my opinion... The innocence of the child and her own interpretations of certain happenings, humanity that rises in mankind when least influenced by society- Harper Lee is awesome at bringing these ideas afore! My greatest regret is that the lady has never written another book...
I can very well relate my own childhood with that of Scout's- I still remember talking in hushed tones about supposed thieves and later, frightful personalities lurking in less populated spots in my primary school, a sense of equality, petty skirmishes and arguments ranging from who could sharpen pencils to the sharpest degree to who had the best chess set- when we didn't even know how to play the game!
Guess the book brings about such reminiscence in all its readers..
Am itching to see the movie which looks really promising in wikipedia with Gregory Peck starring as Atticus Finch and Robert Duvall as Boo Radley!!!

Hey, Goodbye nanbaa...

Boo hoo! I lost my phone! I tell you it all began with a pen.. yes, a pen! I went to the bank to withdraw some money. Only then did I realize that I didn't have a pen. I went to the cashier, asked her for a pen, chatted for a while about her son who had just started college... As always, I kept my phone on the table beside me.. And I look at the place which had my phone.. Flash, it's gone!!!