Superhit Movie

അല്ല അറിയാന്‍ മേലാഞ്ഞിട്ട് ചോദിക്കുവാ .. ഈ superhit എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞാല്‍ എന്താ അര്‍ഥം ? നമ്മളെ ഒന്നും അറിയിക്കാതെ ഈ TV ഭാഷാ പണ്ഡിതന്‍മാര്‍ പുതിയ നിഘണ്ടു വല്ലതും ഇറക്കിയോ ആവോ..

എന്ത് തന്നെയായാലും കൊടും ക്രൂരത തന്നെ.
"Winter" എന്ന് കേള്‍കുമ്പോള്‍ എന്തെങ്കിലും തോന്നുന്നുണ്ടോ ? വെളുത്ത മഞ്ഞും , കൊടിയ തണുപ്പും, ജനല്‍ പാളികളിലെ ജല കണികകളും ഒക്കെ ഓര്മ വരുന്നുണ്ടാവും.

"Superhit ചലച്ചിത്രം Winter" എന്ന് കേള്‍കുമ്പോള്‍ എന്ത് തോന്നുന്നു ? ആദ്യം ചോദിക്കാന്‍ തോന്നുന്നത് "ഇങ്ങനെയും ഒരു പടം ഉണ്ടോ?" എന്നല്ലേ ? മലയാളി എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞു അഭിമാനം കൊള്ളുന്ന ഒരു സാധാരണകാരനു ചിലപ്പോ ഒരു ചെറിയ ചമ്മല്‍ തോന്നിയേക്കാം.. ശെടാ.. ഇങ്ങനെ ഒരു പടം...ഇതെങ്ങനെ miss ആയി പോയി..

അധികം desp ആവാന്‍ വരട്ടെ. ഈ പടം ഇറങ്ങിയത്‌ ഇതിന്റെ director പോലും അറിഞ്ഞു കാണില്ല.. Theatre ഇല്‍ ഒന്നും എത്തിയ മട്ടില്ല.. ഇതിലെ പാട്ടൊന്നും ഒരു സംഗീത ചാനലിലും കണ്ടിട്ടില്ല..

ഇങ്ങനെ ഒക്കെ ആണെങ്കിലും TV ക്കാര്‍ പറയുന്നത് ഇത് "Superhit" മലയാളം ചിത്രം ആണെന്നാ !!
ഹാവൂ...
എന്തൊക്കെ കാണണം !
കാണാന്‍ കൊതിയാവുന്നു എങ്കില്‍ നിങ്ങളുടെ പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട മലയാളം ചാനല്‍ കണ്ടു കൊണ്ടിരിക്കു ...
വരും... വരാതിരിക്കില്ല..

A New Rajiv Gandhi In the Making ?

It has been quite a while - 2 decades ? - since we saw one spirited dedicated social worker at a high command in Indian Politics. In a badly scripted play, where every single actor is at the mercy of another for survival, this gentleman stands out as an exception. And this very much explains why his straight-forwad remarks and view points on contemporary and bygone issues invite so much of media attention and develop into controversial stories.

The man is Shashi Tharoor (not Rahul, if you thought so... He is very much part of the 'script'!). If you are not too keen a news-grabber, or your arena is restricted to national news or state news, then this name would sound like belonging to a newcomer. But he comes with immense level of experience handling international issues, during his tenure as Executive Assistant to the UN Sec General Kofi Annan. An ardent cricket fan, his command over the language (English) will sweep many off their feet.

In this dirty game of politics, where people shamelessly 'plead' for media attention - be it in the form of "hunger strike" or in the form of "throwing mud at each other", this is one gentleman who is 'paparazied' by the media... He is a hot seller for them.

He is never away from controversies. A famous(?) one was when he referred to the economy class of airliners as 'cattle class'. Perhaps, too much of command over the language... Here in India, we are blissfully ignorant of the usage 'cattle class'.

Recently, I happened to watch a press conference of his, live on TV. I dont remember, when was the last time I watched any such event live on TV. Is it that they dont telecast it live, or becoz I stay away from TV ? Anyways, this was a big coverage, and unlike showing snippets of the press conference, the channels were dedicating considerable airtime, keeping aside their regular activities. Interesting !

Incidentally, this press conference happens to be the aftermath of another controversy, where he was alleged to have criticized the foreign policies of Nehru and Gandhi. His presentation was nothing short of captivating to watch. Excerpts (put down from own memory): "Did I ever criticize Nehru or Gandhi ? Gandhiji was never a minister, so what foreign policy of his are you talking about? You have the tapes of my speech with you. Please play it again and listen to what I have said. In fact, it was a seminar involving serious discussion about foreign policies with delegates from high ranks. It is discouraging to know that the attendees did not have a minimal level of understanding of the topic."

To one of the irking questions of a journalist, he responded "Next qn pls, I'm not going to listen to this nonsense" without losing his calm.

Check that video out on youtube or some other source, if you manage to come across. Be a fan!

Here is a printed version.

Is this the making of the future leader of the country ?! I wish it is...

(Isnt it visible from the fact that he has enemies in his own party ? :D They cant visualize a third person (first is Manmohan, 2nd is Rahul) coming anywhere near the proximity of the coveted chair)

Tail:

1. These days, the news channels do not seem to be airing news. Instead what they have is 'story'. A news channel almost always have this on their ticker - "Developing Story"

2. We should also be thankful to him for glorifying the name 'Shashi' that has been associated with all silly things for humor - Palarivattam shashi, for instance..

3. Shashi Tharoor is famous on twitter as well. I havent created an account, but this makes me re-think...

4. For some authenic reads : website , active website, wiki , twitter

Three Natural Calamities

1. Flood !

Nobody would have missed making this guess, seeing the title line. These floods are just like pink slips. You dont get to the seriousness of it, until u get a first-hand experience of it. So while we sit here on our cozy sofa, "enjoying" every bit of the TV news visuals, blaming the Government for not having 'foreseen' this happening, and for not taking the right steps to curb it, we dont really get the real picture. If a page of your passport gets wet with a few water droplets and the prints wash away, then that is serious thing ! Imagine the plight of 100's of 1000's.. Their immediate life, their near future, their far future all washed away in the furious waters..

When water entered a unit of our office in the vigorous rains of last year, it was only a few machineries and data that went lost. But then we had backups and everything was fine. To top up things, everything was insured. Do the farmers of the lesser known areas have all these priveleges ?

I heard a colleague who had returned from a home visit this week. Should be of a funny bone. He said "All silk sari's of mom are gone". If the sari's kept safe in the almirah are gone, then what in the house would have remained intact ?

Alright, 3 long paragraphs. What is the point ? Read the flood-articles in Sunday Times (Oct 11, 2009). The writer asks "Is it a natural calamity or a manmade disaster?". The CM's of the affected states were quick in crying at the top of their voices to get relief packages - 1000 crores each. Where this money will is anyone's guess, in a corrupt country like ours. But havent we heard this proverb over and over again, so many different occasions ? "Prevention is Better Than Cure". The article talks about possible (highly possible and altruistic) causes that led into the flood of this kind. The article also highlights the reasons for death and devastations of this kind, and how it could all be minimized, if not, avoided..

2. Thekkady Tragedy

Not a calamity, but a tragedy of sorts. Thanks(?) to the above flood calamity, this one went reasonably unnoticed at a national level. A much hyped enquiry, a suspended driver. The story ends, at least to most of the print/electronic media. Everyone would be in one voice, advocating the usage of life jackets, safety measures and what not. If you go to the place on a normal busy day, then you would know reality is very far from theoretical talks. Standing in queue for hours to get a ticket, one would simply want to get into the boat and get the best seat on it, preferrably on the top. Who would want to listen to the safety talks ? When was the last time you paid attention to the on-flight safety announcement ? The first time u travelled in a plain, that is..

The bottom line, make it a compulsory thing by providing infrastructure - larger boats can accommodate more people (oh really?!) and can be a good tonic to beat the rush.

3. Mayawati

If the calamities listed 1 and 2 could have been averted, I wonder if a slight ancestral foresight would have helped us do away with this (bigger) one! How can a person sitting in the supreme seat of a state act so outlandishly by creating monuments of herself at busy streets ? Let her do that if she wishes, but please, not with our tax money. Pity to the electoral role of UP to have placed this "calamity" high up and not down under !

Update[Oct14, 2009] : Mayawati issues order to check unproductive government spendings !!!!

Tail:

1. A very very grim face, full of make up , hair-do , lipstick and glare "Our reporter Maya Gupta is present at ground-zero with more info on this unfortunate event". And what we see next is a fat lady in salwar standing dipped into waist-high water and delivering lines in an even grimmer face (but this time, no make-up. where do you find a beauty parlor in a flood hit land?). Another "ground-zero" reporting was during the Chennai Marathon (or was it Mumbai?). The reporter Mr Gonsalves is seen running along with the participants - all aged retired gentlmen - holding mic in his hand. And asking questions and getting answers even while they are all running. How innovative ?!! Will there be a ground-zero reporting of a volcanic eruption ? I would luv to see that

2. The close-up Ad is doing rounds! It was Sow who first pointed out the ad and the song, I guess. Now the song has become such a big hit that they hav launched another ad with a remixed version of the same song. Way to go :)

3. Long time no movie, and post wedding first movie - Wake Up Sid. The regular team - Sand/Soo, Gas, Bin, Sow, Mridul - and my doctor. Good movie !

4. Cousin had been to K.Gundi. 300km from here. Looks heavenly! So what's next ? :)

(Or in a non-syntactical Samsung manner, Next is what ? :D )

New Songs... New Faces !

While the movie buffs and music lovers are stunned at the new release "Puthiya Mugham" debate is still on, whether the title song is entirely sung by Prithvi himself. The tone of the voice changes dramatically from the initial low pitch to the punching high pitch. We could give the credit to the actor, and blame the tone variation to a miscued mixing. Coz even the music director Deepak Dev has reportedly said that the entire song is sung solely by Prithvi.

I still ought to disbelieve. Watch this video and you will know why.

I still ought to disbelieve. Watch his lips carefully at the high pitch rendering part and you will know why. (Again, a bad video mixing? Who knows!)

Whatever the outcome of the debate be, this a nice creation by Deepak Dev. The movie has other songs that are on top of the charts. "Picha Vecha" by Shankar Mahadevan is a quick-like romantic melody. "Thattum muttum" is by Jassie Gift. Listen to this on a 5.1 :)

KK has sung his first Malayalam song "Rahasyamaayi". Pretty average song.

Tail:

1. Ee padam koode hit aayathode nummade payyante jaada angu kombathethi. Entammo!!

2. With Mohanlal and Mammootty doing stupid movies, no wonder that "Puthiya Mugham" made it big. Even otherwise, I heard that the movie is nice.

3. Do you know DD is part of the panelists of Amrita Super Star 2 too ? Good quality program. Dump ISS, and welcome ASS (this is an abbreviation, FYI :D )

4. What has happened to Bollywood ? Not a good melody to listen to!

Malayalam TV Channels

At Rock's place, the TV is more of a decorative electronic piece that is seldom used the way it is intended to be used. Not to blame it, when we have the complete entertainment package that goes by the name RockMon.

Nevertheless, there are occasional switching ON's and thumb exercises. Barring a few good channels (Discovery, CN, Amrita) the rest are all thoroughly Boring ! Between 6 and 10 there is no stupid malayalam channel worth watching. The so-called "reality" music program on the first ever Malayalam Satellite Channel has drooped to such boring levels that the thumb gets auto-reflexes when the blue-painted screen appears. It is a unanimous voice that says "the quality of contestants is far better compared to last year's ". But then, if there is no variety in show-packaging how can you expect the intellectual common Malayali man to sit in front of the screen for an hour at a stretch ?

Let me not talk about the "politically" operated, "cinematically" directed Malayalam channel. Having procured such a close-to-heart name - the literal name - of the channel, they have failed miserably to give any sort of entertaining or informative programs to the viewers. A few programs that stand out are Fresh N Hits and Hello Good Evening. HGE used to be far better in the initial days, but now it is just okay.. Forget the Palee-spear-headed programs. He is still in a fantasy world. Gandharva-Sangeetham -- total crap. It is so pitiable to see talented singer Srinivas sitting in the judge panel. His time should be used for better things - for instance, singing! The song from Dost - Manju pole - still remains favorite to many a person..

There is this Satellite channel, that goes by the name of a Star. Isnt that an anomaly in itself :D

I'm forced to watch this channel, thanks to mom, from 7 to 7.30. A soap by the name Mazhayariyaathe. It is interesting :P But then there is this SP madam who is leaner than a police laathi. How did she become an SP at such a young age?

(But then, what is your problem. She is the SP...period !)

This channel, gets alive at 11PM, with the long-running comedy-scenes program. Follows the "pazhayathum puthiyathumaaya paattukal korthinakkiya" music program. The comedy program doesnt have a commercial break :P No sponsors ? Good for us :D

Then there is this channel, which is the best thing to happen to Malayalam TV industry - keep aside the "exclusive" coverages to "Amma's programs" during the News Hour. Super Star was a reality music show on this channel, with popularity going sky-high. Stephen Devassy is a priced contribution of this channel - alright he was talented, but the channel showcased him in the right manner. Today, he plays in stage shows of Hariharan and A.R.Rahman ! But again, the channel has its own share of soap-offerings. So most of the prime time is gone down the drain. And for Heaven's sake, pls stop those stupid dubbed movies on Sundays. At least spare the songs, and let them be played in the original :(

Tail:

1. Sony kept telling "25 May se Badal Rahe Hai Hum". Ppl (or rather, I) kept thinking it could be some new looks, new logo... But phew... Its only a new set of soaps and then the game show 10 Ka Dum. The sale of Vicks cough tablets will go up, with Sallu bhai requiring a truck load of those after each episode :D

2. Zee TV has this super natural dance competition program by the name Dance India Dance. Talent in abundance. Keep aside the drama, the grand salute, the emotions, and it is an amazing dance performance by all the contestants !

3. Something about the ads... Seeing all these umbrella ads, I keep wondering.. Doesnt it rain in other parts of the country ? Or is the umbrella industry in India monopolised by brands from our tiny state ? Need to find out !

New Song

Mos and Cat - Thottaal Pookkum..

Singer - Yasir.

Very nice !

Myths

1. Party Advertisements do good to the party.

(We all know how much good the India Shining ads did to Bhaajpa. And now LDF has started a mallu version of something like 'kerala shining')

2. The songs that got A.R.Rahman Oscar Award were very much situational in the movie

(Got fed up seeing similar lines being uttered by a multitude of personalities on live television - Manorama News it was. Even now, I consider the Jai Ho song to be completely out of place in the movie. And the dance..aaargh... Gimme a break!)

3. They make a fuss when petrol prices go up. But when prices come down, they are ignorant!

(Did you know ? The bus fare and taxi fare in our God's Own Kerala were slashed when petrol prices came down by almost 10 rupees in a very short span of time)

4. These politicians will ruin the country. The country has gone to dogs. No grass will walk here 

(Check this announcement at Jaago Re - "ECI* has recently passed a rule that allows ordinary citizens like you and me to conduct community drives, register eligible voters and submit the forms in bulk to your local ERO". Thats right. YOU can make a difference.)

5. ATMs are always right. And so are sodexo coupons.

(I would still say ATM's are better. At least they give the correct number of notes - at times the denomination might be incorrect. But did you ever bother to check ? Trusting NCR is reasonably okay. But dont extend a similar trust level to sodexo. Count it before you pocket it. I've uncovered a big fraud at my place. The declared amount was not seen on paper!)

6. Balarama is for kids.

(Sowji will kick me if i say this is true. Well, I have just finished reading the latest Balarama. The printed one, mind you. Dracula onnum manasilaayilla :-s )

Tail on point 2.

It was nice to hear actor Mukesh speaking over the phone with utmost honesty when he replied to the news reader's qn "Have you watched Slumdog Millionaire" with a firm "No". Having said that, the mallu news readers found the term "Millionaire" the most complicated tongue twister they ever uttered. Variants like Mill-Nair, Milna-Nair, Milanar and what not , were heard !

Tail on point 4.

This doesnt prove to be much of a myth up north in Kannur district of Kerala. Hope you have read that the Bangalore serial blasts were masterminded and operated by our dear brothers from this area. That and a few related stories will form a new blog altogether.

Idea Star Singer 2008

Gasper does a copy/paste of my patented lines, and writes a story of his own.
And the smarter of the two copy/pastes the entire story and puts in his own blog.

Read on :-)

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Idea Star Singer 2008 (ISS2008) has been inaugurated by none other than our Super Duper Dialogue Man of Malayalam Cinema, Mr. Suresh Gopi on 28th April, 2008. And the best part is that I don’t have to see and hear Ms. Renjini Haridas anymore. I don’t hate her, but I don’t like her manglish and disco on stage.

Rat says, “Renjini Haridas was a big hit, you see… Junta generally dislikes English plus Mal in anchoring. But every household liked this gal. (enthu kandittaanaavo… but she was good an anchor, and pleasant in presentation)”. And Soo has a contrary opinion, “M'am Renjini Haridas is unsahikable! lo laval samsaarikkunnatu kekkumbozhe deshyam varum... She s**ks as an anchor! Oh plz, don't tell she has a pleasant presentation!”

So 50% of people liked Renjini while the others didn’t like her. Idea Star Singer 2008 (ISS2008) brings to limelight Mrs. Ramya Ravindran instead of Ms. Renjini Haridas (a good change) and Ms. Devi instead of Ms. Meera Nandan (a sad change, coz (1) Devi is another Renjini and (2) I liked Meera). And after Mulla, I have literally fallen in love with her.

We also have a new jury. The thrones are adorned by (1) Ouseppachan – debut Kathodu Kathoram (1985) instead of Sarath, (2) L R Eashwari – an old singer famous for seducing songs instead of Usha Uthup, (3) Unnikrishnan - National Award for his first song "Ennavale" from "Kadhalan" cinema (I wish instead of M G Sreekumar), and (4) M G Sreekumar previously Sree yettan as Kuttettan.

Idea Star Singer 2008 (ISS2008) brings in a lot of expectations being the successor or Idea Star Singer 2008 (ISS2007). Rat’s of the opinion that, “ISS2007, when Idea Star Singer 2007 (ISS2007) started, not many were glued to it in the initial days. But thanks to the show packaging plus stage plus the quality of competitors, it became a hit”.

The star attraction of Idea Star Singer 2008 (ISS2008) is its prize. The best male and female singers vis-à-vis Mr. Idea Star Singer 2008 and Ms. Idea Star Singer 2008 are going to get a flat worth 1 crore each. That’s a lot of money and a lot of people will be eagerly watching it to know who the lucky two are.

The wave of reality shows started somewhere in 2005 or 2006 and was at its peak in 2008 for the Indian viewers. 2008 doesn’t seem to be any different with shows such as Idea Star Singer 2008, Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar, MTV Miss Teen India 2008, MTV Roadies, Chak De Bachche, Nach Baliye 3 Results, Champion Chaalbaaz No 1, K For Kishore, Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hai, etc… Opportunities to exhibit talents are increasing and the price money is increasing… All the best to all aspirants…

Voice of India, Nach Balliye and Other Dramas

What is all black and blue, and makes you take out your gun ?
No no.. its not Saawariya.
I was referring to 'Voice of India'.

The cheerful lit-up face of Shaan used to be a good sight to watch. But off late, I dont know if this talented singer-turned-anchor is smiling or crying - seeing all the marketing gimmicks in front of him. Or......is he too a part of this boring dama? There is a Thick Fair Chance!

It was not very long ago, that I wrote about Abhijit - why he is a good singer, and better of behind a playback microphone, and why he shouldnt try his luck at other 'unfamiliar' territories. Is he sitting on those fancy black rotating chair to get an oscar for himself ?

And then there is the bubbly cheeky Alka Yagnik who is visibly not at ease delivering those funny lines in praise (or otherwise) about the contestants.

There are many other faces (I dont know their names). They sit disciplined on their allocated chairs while the singing goes on, but the moment it is over, one of them (they take turns) run to the stage (to get more audience visibility?) and lift the contestant (in an attempt to get India a gold at the next Asian Games Weightlifting Competition)

And once while surfing channels, I found this contestant (Ishmit) there on the stage with a slightly bent back and dropped head. He is sick and "Doctors have strictly advised him not to sing". Apparently, he has watched Shahrukh Khan's Kal Ho Na Ho, and tried to do best justice to his 'im-gonna-die' performance on the stage. Another Oscar nominee

These days, I find only 2 persons singing. Rest are eliminated, I guess. The contestant number 2 (Harshit?) has this expression on his face, which reminds me of a baby's discomfort in wet nappies. An ardent imitator of Babul Supriyo (who, in turn, is a xerox of Kumar Sanu (who, in turn, had been accused of a Kishore Kumar copy)) once forgot the lines of "Kya yehi pyaar hai". He got stuck at this line "Pehle mein samjhaa...". But to add to the drama, he made the orchestra team work for their money, and made them play the same music 4-5 times, till he got the lines correctly with help from Alka Yagnik etal. Interesting!

This reminded me of the stupid drama which had happened in Nach Balliye. As narrated to me by a friend of mine, the sure-shot first prize aspirants "forgot" the next step, and stood blank on the stage. Good that they (and others) are veteran serial/movie actors, they could have enacted it out very well. Total bakwaas.

And these days, Bipasha Basu and John Abraham have no other work, than to go and laugh, applaud and speak out already-rehearsed set of lines at these reality(?) shows. I saw them in a dance reality show (Nach Balliye) the other day, and then on Voice of India recently. And John forgot to put on his shirt. He had come in a banyan.

I should confess that the participants of VoI have real good talent. The drama part could have been done away with, but perhaps, the show packers thought otherwise.

One good thing that happened on TV recently was 'Kal Ho Na Ho'. Of course its an umpteenth re-telecast, but a good entertainer throughout.

I've got something to tell about Idea Star Singer (Asianet) and about the failed attempt by the competitor channel (Surya) by coming out with a similar show. Later...