Blogging Reloaded.....

This has been the longest break I remember to have taken from the Internet since I first took the tide. More so of a Sabbatical!!!

I believe its definitely

6 months now since I last blogged.
7-8 months since I orkutted
6 months since I last used Flock
Flickr, Slashdot, are long forgotten incidents in my life...

Wonder why..???

Its because, I have had a bigger, rather the biggest commitment one should and can pick up in life....Marriage..!!!

Yep...I have been married to Gayathri since June 25, 2007.

http://25june2007.googlepages.com gives you some fall-back of the details!!!
(at least that kept the blogger in me grinning for the last few months, for the quantity that has gone into the page!!!!)

I believe only things of such magnitude can pull me out of the web...and I am *for the record*, assorted a way to get back into this viscious web of blogging inspite of my commitments...after all blogging and  all other netizen stuff were so dear to me once upon a time...and are still !!!!

Me would continue this lost trade...let me see if I am able to pick it up frm where I left...!!!

have definetely lost the  audience, which in originality was like finding an Oasis in Thar Desert!!!!

Shd build back with renewed vigour...and I hope I can catch up...

Good for a comeback blog I suppose!!!!...:-)

Cheers,
Rajesh

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Yaro Yuvan-ukkul Raja-voo!!!!!

This is my version of the popular Chennai-600028 song...Yaro Yaroukkul Ingu Yaaro...!!!!

It aint NEWS when I say that Yuvan Shankar Raja is one of my all-time favourite musicians....coz...thats an established fact....yeap...and you should have noticed me telling that Yuvan is fast becoming a benchmark for Like Father--Like Son....and time's up it seems for the apprentice-ship....

I dare say that Yuvan has indeed graduated to the standards of his father.....People may say that this is controversial...but put this in perspective....And lets try answering a few questions and may be we figure out the fact...

a) Is it because Yuvan is a major-hit like what his Dad used to be in his Heydays..???
Agreed Yuvan has been a hit with every movie of his..!!!! and mass-hits at that ...plus critical acclaim...not the typical remarks you associate with a millenia music director in Tamil Cinema.... but does just that propel him to Dad-dom...which is as elusive and not even ARR has reached at... NO...not the reason for Yuvan -> Raja transition...

b) Is it because of the family-blood...???
Partly YES...:)...Should be hereditary I thought..without which such talent is hard-to-come-by and genius personified....

c) Is it because of the class of music...that Yuvan churns out movie after movie...???

YES...this is the reason...I would say, that he graduated to his father's place...not just hereditary...but on pure merit....Reasons you might be interested...??!!!!

Answer: Have you heard the 4 songs in Chennai-600028, ??!!! *Vazhkaiyai Yosingada*, *Vazhkaiyai Yosingada - Remix*, *Yaaro Yarukkul Ingu - Version 1*, *Yaaro Yaarukkul Ingu - Version 2*....

when I first got to hear those songs....which was by the way pretty late after the song release....*I* for the first time felt that I was indeed listening to The Master(Maestro) instead of his musical-heir....

yes...the instrumentation...the melody component....the SPB -ism....the SPB Charan-ism....and the chitra-ism....the haunt factor...all made all the four songs a Illayaraja treat to me rather than a Yuvan roll-out...

I have enjoyed these songs for the *whole* of last week...and I know how enjoyable...and heavenly they have been and I still relish the experience...and the feel I went through after relishing them....I would wish everybody had that oppurtunity...time...and the eye for detail...that I enjoyed in that last week....

The raison d’être for this blog...is to
a) Sensitize people of the exhilaration I went through with these songs...
b) Wish everybody goes through
c) Self-declare unofficialy that the heir is well...already there....and the music world wouldnt repent throning the heir with the crown that the Maestro Illayaraja held proudly...and one we for sometime in between felt would be un-occupied for a generation at-least...

YES...this is it...Yuvan is the true;worthy;logical;biological heir/successor to the Master/Maestro Illayaraja....and

detractors/disapprovers/aruguers...please..please listen to those four songs...*with a pair of good quality headphones*...then you know what I am blah-blahing....:-)

*Sivaji - The Boss* -> An Audio Review

<>This originally was started on Apr 8 and then I left it to rest...and wanted ARR's tunes to set in..sink in...to give quality review...so here it is...more than a month from the day the audio was released!!!! <>

The Boss driving the Boss....dancing to the tunes of yet another Boss...might sound as a sure shot anti-therapy and as a recipe/treatise for the *Too many Bosses Spoil the broth* idiom.....but hold on....

naaah....that's not happening with Sivaji....that too when the Big Boss Shankar drives Bigger Boss Rajinikanth....both dancing to the tunes of yet another Big Boss AR Rahman....SuperStar Rajinikanth, the mass-man is pipped to succeed the umpteenth time....if the tunes are any indication....this Sivaji....is expected to be the boss in collections as well...a truly mass mania of an album I should say...very enjoyable if u r a true tamil cinema fan!!!!....

not withstanding the insider-leak of three songs, half a week before the audio release....(actually adding to the curiosity of the actual product....)...the audio sales was frantic on day 1....and I was personal witness to that....

the best part of any shankar movie audio release is the audio CD cover which has the song lyrics....and a snapshot of what each song has in store for us...and that's the current trend of biggies like Mani, Shankar, et all.....and Shankar didn't disappoint one bit with his visuals....breathtaking I should say....I was glad to see the lyrics sheet...but not so glad with the cover design...which was at best looking AVMish...rather thaan Shankar-like or atleast Superstar alike....it was plain...SUN TV serial look-alike....I mean how could one think such a plain looking cover suit a movie of such a stature....anyways..,.I could attribute only AVM for this folly....ok...lets move on.... :-)

One refreshing aspect if you had noticed... is that the entirety of the album indicates more of a Shankar SHOW rather than a SuperStar SHOW...the latter was the case for most of his yesteryear films. Except for the first song...which is more like a GREEK tradition or so to say!!!.....hahaha...and rightly like the movies...lets get started with the *Intro* song review....

1) Balleilakka - SP Balasubramaniam, Raihanah, Benny & Chorus

My first reaction to the song, was it seemed a look-alike to *Devuda Devuda* of Chandramukhi , also an intro song, I was disappointed....a bit....but that vanished much before the song actually finished its first run of 06:06 run.....ARR showed what a master he is ...as the tempo of the song picked up quite remarkably....and reaches a class of its own....though the content quotient of the song is straight forward...there was a whiff of fresh thought in Kavignar Na. Muthukumar's lyrics...interestingly talking about Ideal Tamilians....and for the first time not an encomium for our thalaivar's deeds.....interesting lyrics...actually adding to the appeal of the song...

two stand out lyrics that I loved here were....a) Aadu Maadu mela ulla paasam, veetu Ration Card-il serka solli ketkum and b) Pangaali.... Pakkathu veetukkum Serthu samaikira anbu ingu vaaazhum...

commendable...that too confidently plugging them into a SuperStar song...and an intro song at that....

I guess this song shd serve as the Intro...when our Thalaivar returns from America...if the lyrics are any indication to go by!!!!

My personal best rating is reserved for this song... though this might not be the purist's bet....:)

2) Style - Rags, Tanvi, Suresh Peters, Blaaze

The old horse for ARR has returned with style, I should say...I am referring to Suresh Peters here...how many songs have we heard from the vocal chord of Suresh Peters in the formative years of ARR, the legendary Chikku Bukku Rayile...and helluva songs....good to hear him back...:)

What do I say about this song...the current lip-catcher of the youth...(not necessarily Thailaivar fans!!!!)...u instantly feel this song is meant to tear the chart-buster lists...what with the picturization being nothing less than sparking...

I believe Shankar wanted to do a tribute to Rajni's Style...albeit in his and ARR's style...so here comes the brain-child of Shankar and ARR....which is so apt for Rajini....in the lines of *Alagu...nee nadanthaal Nadai Alagu*...

Paa.Vijay can seriously start looking at advanced english courses...cuz...If he wants to continue this way of writing English poems...;)...interspersed...with GOD-KNOWS-SPANISH..he would benefit from a lil more of english...;)....I wonder how this *vithaga kavignar* is churning such stuff....multi-faceted..value add for his employer...:))...hahaha....

truly the song is too kewl if you want to indulge with the passion it was made...no point in complaining that the song looks alike present genre of songs...wait for the picturization...you will be blown over by the master shankar...rest assured... :-)

Stand out lyrics here are a) the male voice saying *Oh, let me say something*..:-)...and b) *Eiffel Tower ithaythil Nattai*...:))

3) Vaaji Vaaji - Hariharan, Madhusree & Chorus

The theme-catcher...and the primary duet song of the movie I suppose...in the likes of *Ayyengar Veetu Azhage* and *Mudhalvane..Mudhalvane*....has the traditional setup...and matching lyrics which is at best.. classical tamil...from none other than a master himself...Kavignar Vairamuthu...

super melody should be a gross understatement for this song...and I believe this guy HariHaran reserves his best for the master ARR...I have not seen Hariharan's voice so good in any other creator's product.....An instant hit with the masses....and also with the RJ-mania crowd....radio stations would compete within to get it on air...

the lyrics are of a high-class is just another complement to vairamuthu and not *the* complement..the standout lyrics for me were a) Anbaaa Vaalai Yedu...Alagai Saanai yidu... b) Muranpaatu Mootai nee... c) Seyyal Puyal Naanadi...

4) Athiradee - A R Rahman, Sayanora

Uff....does the start raise your BP..??? Yes...the pick-up tempo is super fast..as if ARR is out to prove that he is still as young as in Kadhalan, when you got that *Muqqabula* from the then wonder-whiz kid....:)....

Again a typical youth flick...and suprised at the *Balls of Steel* that Shankar has to bring in two (rather three such songs) in a thalaivar film...when he is groping at getting to fatherly-elderly roles...ala the Big B...ohmigod... I love such guts...and the attitude of *NOT* to be a Roman in Rome....;-)...

Lyrics from our eternal Dev Anand of Tamil lyricists....you definetely can't ASS U ME his age with his lyrics for 'Athiradee'. If you were held captive in Zion all through and just been taught Tamil and then u get to listen to this song and if you are queried to predict the age of the gentleman who wrote this piece-meal thing...you would be shocked to that you just listened to a gentle-old-man...who is just 76 years young...:-)...

And the grapevine/Page 3 has it that Vaali has been offered Rupee 1 Lakh for this non-tamil song...:-)...maybe that required more effort from Vaali to string in Eddie Murphy / Sten Gun / Roger Moore / Love Fun / Naughty / Man / N.R.I. / Cuba / James Bond / Spy / Spider Man / Pistol / Shock / Flataaa / Don / MidNight / Superman / eye / Tension / fast / Castro / Maestro / First Night / Waste / Sweet Bun / Butter Jam / My Fair Lady into a 5 minute 45 second song....which by now you should understand requires herculean effort from a Master tamil Lyricst who could write Krishna Vijayam....Such is the versatility of the man...:)....Amazed is just the word...

I believe the song atleast at the Audio stage is all-about Vaali...Only the Visuals are expected to bring the real master Rajini Kanth to the forefront....:-).... A peppy number with ARR at this crooning best!!!!!....pretty normal and enjoyable stuff for the 2007 guys..:)

5) Sahana - Udit Narayanan, Chinmayi

First things first....Mr.Udit Narayanan please pat your back on my behalf...you have come a long way from the *Coimbatore Maapilaikku Ponnu Kedaichaaa* days...(arguably one of his first songs....)...the lyrics have been delivered admirably..in close-to-authentic pronunciation....which is commendable..for both Udit and ARR.....

To be frank...on the first run, I was disappointed with ARR for having chosen Udit for such a classical outpour from the class-act Vairamuthu...the song had so much of feel and soul....I felt, a better tamil renderer would have done great energy levels for the song, just like what Vijay Yesudas does to the Pathos (or rather the derivative)....but on repeated runs, I realized that Udit has used the language with great meticulousness..and his diction was event-free...so to say...:-)....

Again, the contender for the TOP slot out of the album...even after 30 days of listening to these songs....I am unable to choose the best song of the album...Balleilakka, Vaaji and Sahana....reach up there for various reasons....

Melody wise...I should say the best...of the album....soul-searching music and the tempo is equally supported by the vocalists Udit and Chinmayi....I believe Chinmayi should be on top of this world...she seems to get the best numbers out of ARR's albums recently...and I know how she would feel...knowing her reasonably - as a blogger-friend-cum-orkutter....:-)....Good Luck Chinmayi....YOU ROCK in Sahana...!!!!...

I am not sure how this young-looking-feeling song would fit-in with the stature of our thalaivar...but we are missing the linchpin in the equation....Director Shankar...who has already spiced up and made RajiniKanth look atleast 10 years younger...so expect something special for this rather special piece of the Album...:)

Striking lyrics here for me are a) Orayiram Aandugal Semitha Kaathal ithu b) Noorayiram Aandugal Thaandiyum Vaazhumithu

6) The Boss - Blaaze, Naresh Iyer, Raqueeb Alam

mmmm....I believe this is for the next-generation youth....that is present-generation kids...:-)...yeah...atleast the lyrics indicate that....I expect this to be used as an interlude to thalaivaar's entry into a scene...or might be used as a clever intersperse within other background score....or who knows...maybe a full-fledged song...but more of the yawning stuff this song...I loved *B-A-B-A...Baba thats what they say* than this....Sega Fightaaaa thing.....looks kinda cheap....but anyways....a thrusti pottu for the whole album...with sick lyrics....almost looked like a song from an Ajith film...:)...okok...not much....

next....

7) Sahara - Vijay Yesudas, Gomathi Sree & Chorus

wooww...is just the word for Vijay Yesudas' lilting voice...true inheritance from his father...;-)....Doesn't really look like a pathos song, contrary to public expectations....

cuz...the tempo is as equal to the original Udit-Chinmayi number..just that Sahara Pookal Poothatho...precedes Sahana Saaral Thoovuthoo....which I believe is the crux of the song....which might be unravelled to the onlooker only in the movie....

A classic remix atleast....:-)....

Overall....An excellent winner material from A R Rahman....if Guru was stellar for the instrumentation.....Sivaji is a true commercial winner albeit not degrading to the levels of a potboiler...Its classical....and Illustratable SHANKAR material.....:-)

Happy Birthday Trisha!!!

Here's wishing Trisha Krishnan a very happy birthday...and let this year bring you



more of popularity and less of notoriety.....

more of tamil movies & more and more of telugu movies...

more of news and less of controversies...

more & more of your art form for die-hard fans like me...!!!!



Happy Birthday Trisha...!!!!!



Cheers,

Rajesh



Technorati Tags: general, trisha, birthday, may4

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UBUNTU for DELL-ians

"oh...yeah....its been there for long...."...I hear people grunting...!!! but nevertheless this news piece i thought needed a feature in my blog at least...considering DELL's widespread audience...and UBUNTU's recent success...



DELL...as you all know is this sturdy notebook provider, proof *yours truly*....who has been using a DELL inspiron for close to 2 years now...and its battered to the most at my hands....and has traveled a hell lot more than what business executives do.....and has also hosted tea-parties....for ant families...and other smaller reptile families for last two years in its keyboard!!!!....and motherboard...is rock-sturdy and executes commands as good as a faithful servant..!!!! I am lovin' it!!!!...



UBUNTU is this *Linux for Human Beings* thing that became popular by mid 2005 or so I suppose -at first I scorned this tingy....as I felt it was more of an insult for all linux users all-along (the fraternity I have also been part of since 2003) -...and people were ordering free copies of UBUNTU 5.01 in bulk...me included...and surprisingly, I got 10 DVDs...and gave off 9 sets to my friends...the true spirit of Linux, I was practising at that instant..I was proud...and little did I know that this UBUNTU thingy would pick up so much steam that it is touted to be the easiest to set-up and use Linux, closely on the heels of SuSE Linux (after Novell Acquisition)..Ironically, SuSE picked up and also lost steam because of Novell...(picked up becuz Novell pepped up the UI, lost because of the MS-Novell deal many were skeptic about!!!!)..so UBUNTU was again the fore-runner for pure linux distros....in usuability... ...and man u should admit, UBUNTU has indeed come a long way from the 5.01 days...I hear, its a breeze to setup and use, faring up on ease of setup and use to Vista....so you know people don't fudge data when they talk in terms of Vista comparison...;-)....



so...UBUNTU being endorsed by DELL...will actually work out better for DELL rather than UBUNTU....:-)...surprising u might say..but the fact is YES....ubuntu is already there as a popular distro for quite some time now....and when DELL endorses, it really doesn't add face-value as far as corporate usage is concerned....*after all, when has Linux community been concerned about corporate or brand endorsements..???*....its always self-existent among the nerds, geeks...and lesser mortals like me who stick to the idealism it proposes rather than anything else..!!!!! so DELL branding would do lil in terms of raise in ubuntu popularity.....but the other way out pretty damn YES.....



DELL, I suppose will benefit and cash-in on the following segment....people who want to buy a laptop and use linux on it...(there are hordes of people who want to and are doing that already...)..and when u know that *LINUX WORKS FOR SURE* on DELL....(borrowing M$ terminology)...people will be all the more ready to go for DELL..knowing well the reliability thing I told earlier...that is already a factor for siding with DELL...



so its more of a popularity puller...and a marketing stunt to up the DELL force in this MATRIX rather than anything else...



and as usual...this gladdens the grey cells...and the hearts of so many linux believers...and we know we will win the war...finally, just like Morpheus believes in the ZION's freedom and victory...;-)



cheers,

Rajesh



Technorati Tags: news, linux, ubuntu, dell, laptop

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Amazed...is not the word!!!!!

seriously.....this incident has forced me to wield my fingers back to blogging, inspite of the pressure-cooker situation I am in currently at workplace....!!!!!!



On a normal, eagerly awaited friday morning...I was at my normal self, reached office, had breakfast, and was reaching down to the ICICI ATM @ office to withdraw cash....



There wasn't a queue as such, with one ATM kiosk unmanned!!!!...so reached the spot, did the rituals....and entered the amount to be withdrawn.....



and the machine was dutifully counting the notes to be dispatched and I was waiting....and suddenly my mobile beeped for the familiar SMS tone...



and I being a person who hates calls / intrusions when I am at something else which is more time-constrainted....like getting down a bus, or auto, paying the auto-wallah, talking to somebody in office even leisurely.....and I thought.....who the f*&k is sending me an SMS this morning morning!!!!!.....



and all this happening before the notes arrived at the gateway of the ATM machine....and as soon as it arrived....I was all the more pissed off...as the machine, as dumb as ever, disposed all the 100 rupee notes it had for the 5K cash that I requested....and I was bulked-out with fifty 100 rupee notes.....sulked....I picked up the notes, side-stepped and started counting the notes...and once I was done, I picked up my mobile to see who that gifted soul on earth is... to get my blessings early morning!!!!.....



and to stun me up, and rev up the day for me and make me do my favourite act (blog)...was this Short Text Message that I received.....It was from ICICI bank, to alert me on the CASH WITHDRAWAL that I made moments ago..!!!!!!



agreed that it was close to 2 mins since I withdrew cash from the ATM, but think of this, my mobile beeped for the SMS, even before the machine finished counting the notes...leave alone pushing all those 100 rupee notes to me..!!!!!!



thats why I said...AMAZED is not THE WORD!!!!!......



if you can analyze this situation a lil deeper, you understand....that....



a) its not the ATM machine which sent me a line-of-sight communication SMS...!!!!! straight to my mobile!!!!



b) Who says ICICI bank's processes sucks..!!!!!



c) Who says HUTCH doesn't deliver SMS messages on time...can somebody get better at all ??? for ON-TIME definition....!!!! that too at the remotest of places for HUTCH-TamilNadu -- Chengalpet!!!!!....which was until very recently considered a ROAMING network for Hutch-Chennai.....wowww.....I am proud to use HUTCH...!!!!! ;-)...



Again...as a side-story....:-)

a) Amazed at my blogging ability to churn out so much of junk with just a 1 minute issue...

b) Amazed at people's benevolence and patronage on me to read through this junkie with ultimate patience...expecting some *amazing experience*....!!!!! Thanks a lot, Homo Sapiens!!!!! You Rock!!!!



-Bye,

Rajesh



Technorati Tags: amazed, SMS, experience, fun

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WoUSB (World over USB)

ohmigod....this USB never ceases to fascinate...



the other day...I heard my manager complain...that the USB ports that he has in his lappie isnt enough...and needs a USB hub...to fill-in things....



that set me thinking...I know...I use quite a few USB devices...and when I connect my IPOD, Web camera, Bluetooth Dongle, and 80 GB USB harddisk, I am also running out of ports in my Inspiron...but that complaint of his set me thinking....as if to, if this USB device freaky world is taking over our senses....I mean its so convenient, fast and plug-and-play...too easy to ignore...



I have been fascinated by the design creativity with which USB devices have been made in China...My friend carried a Make-up kit like box, when he came back from china...and he had a box full of USB devices each half-a-thumb size...solving various purposes....and it was sleek and sexy to look at....USB memory card readers, flash drives, bluetooth dongles, MP3 players, huh....and to add to all this, even charging mobile phones is USB enabled....u know this last thing is f_____ing convenient....super cool....u dont have to run around for electric sockets...which strangely seem to be diminishing in office interiors nowadays...(maybe the decors are too smart and tech-savvy that they figure USB is the next coolest thing, even before DELL / IBM figure out and add more USB ports to their PCs...;-)....)



and with all this in perspective, this news bit that you are going to read is least surprising but nevertheless worth a moment's extrapolation as to what all will this USBed world could do???....and thats what I call WoUSB (World over USB)...hear some synonyms...yeah...it was meant to be...hahaha....:-))...



http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/gadgetbuzz/0,39041749,61954501,00.htm



-Rajesh

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*Sivaji* Vaaaram

This has been a week full of Sivaji-ness for me...knowing fully well the me....you would understand why I am so pepped up on Sivaji....why not u would ask..???? "The world of tamils is anyways pepped up...whats the big deal in U" .....Yes...The tamil-speaking lore is pepped up I know...but I have a couple of personal reasons...


a) Shankar - the eternal perfectionist...is the director...backed by his Anniyan Success...( u know what... Shankar steels thoughts from minds of people like me...who are hardcore cinema fans...(not the entertainment ilk...who goto movies for their entertainment quota)...people like me go with the same vigour what people like shankar share on cinema...!!!!) )....

b) Haaa...the Thalaivar effect...definitely...this one is enough reason for the whole of Tamil Nadu to be ebullient...yep...thats reason two...and the DON-Down South is ravishing in all visuals one can see...and me being as hardcore a Reality Cinema fan....am a fan of fantasy...and ready to handover my logicspace for rent to the movie maker....if and only if he can draw confidence on me in the dark-room called *theatre*....and I would love to delve in such fantasy...truly and fully.....and Rajinikanth is fantasy fantastic...again courtesy the master called Shankar....so....u see reason two is also different from the Rest of the World XI....;-).....


so....why is it Sivaji Vaaram for me...???? Yep...it started off with the rumour of Sivaji songs released on the Internet....which I was frantically searching for the songs on the internet ...(now...now....dont catch me on the wrong foot....I am not the guy who sits up late night and scouts for downloads from P2P sites ....and relishes in illegal music....I always believe in original CDs for songs and movies....)......my gumption not withstanding, I downloaded the songs, three in number....(U C... temptation to have a first cut before the D-Day took the better decision..!!!)...and as usual fell for the music...though I was skeptical of the life of these songs in the original CD and the film eventually.....Cut the Songs for RingTones...had them on my mobile as well....saw a few faces go askance in the office lift when my mobile went out free of inhibitions...singing *Vaaa Jee Vaa Jee Vaa Jee...En Jeevan Nee Sivaji...* in the voice of MadhuShree....hahaha...*thats the effect I have on the peoples...*.. :-)...

This illegal copy of the songs did the round and filled my personality for three days.....and when this excitement was up in the Air.....I saw *Kumkumam* ( the best kanna best... book....)...flashing a front pages story of a Rajini Interview....and before I could realize...I had bought the book.....and when I opened...the first facing page of the book rightly had the rajini cover story...and i was surprised...and by the time I finished reading the page....was pleasantly angry at the Kumkumam team...for they have made the whole of TamilNadu APRIL FOOL...by running this thing...when they didn't have a story to go with it....now...with a pleasing and reasonable explanation....was amused and laughed at myself...and was pleased...instead of being pissed offf at spending 10 bucks for being an April Fool....SO One more day of Sivaji for me in this weeek....:)

This Sivaji craze failed to die down on me....and I was waiting for the audio CD release of April 4....and to make matters easy on me....the AVM Management and Shankar seem to have decided on an earlier date...as Apr 2...and I was restless @ office...the whole day....and was desperate to get into the first bus back home in the evening....and was longingly looking at the posters of the Audio Release....and when I reached city limits...started looking for shops selling the CDs... from the bus....and people around me in the bus..unaware ( or maybe restrained emotions, basically)...of the turmoil within...were thinking that I am acting sheepishly...and to the extent of looking childish...but I didnt mind....I was high on octane....to the state of being inebriated..when u don't know what happens around you....(Shankar has that effect on me...unfailingly though with his last three releases...huh....)


so the next two days went with the songs and me....and innumerable thoughts about how each song will be a visual candy....so....a well rounded week of Sivaji Dose...( an audio review of Sivaji is impending here though!!!)

*I wonder what I see* when I get to the movie hall in a couple of weeks time....somebody please take care!!!!

Cheers,
Rajesh

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Google - The new Free Wireless Service Provider

Yes...you read it right...and read it on time...or rather after time!!!!...

This was the prank that google played...(which google is getting better every year!!!!) on 31 march this year....infact they have an archive of what they did each year.....

maybe knowing what google can comeup with on Apr 1, I wasn't amused / amazed at this (which I was three years back)....but it was good fun seeing the passionate people google has....!!!!

such should be the ideal company i would own one day!!!!!

Read through the prank-y apr fool bit they played this year @

http://www.google.com/tisp/

hahaha....as I told you....I was amazed @ their *romance* prank which was a yesteryear business which they wanted to...atleast earnestly for April Fool's day!!!...

http://www.google.com/tisp/notfound.html

Read thru these links and have fun....and yeah...Happy Fooling around on Apr 1!!!

-Rajesh

Technorati Tags: google, april 1, technology
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ThiruMagan - A Movie Review

People...especially film makers should remember we are in 2007 and they should be atleast aware if not abreast of what kind of films that are made world-over and not the least in Kollywood.... man....we are moving to Dasavadaram, Sivaji and we still see archaic pre-independence kind of scripts for movies...still...and that too completely lifeless...

There is nothing wrong in dusting old-swords...but atleast make sure you are able to weild the old sword judiciously...which is where the director has failed miserably....and if it is the directors first movie( I donno...and don't really care)...and if he feels its his best shot...then I am sorry, I suggest some other profitable profession for the man....I am sorry the movie can be sloppy, listless and lifeless, scriptless...but not cinema-less....:-)...

Yes...it was as though some radio-drama unfolding.....and it keeps on unfolding, scene after scene, without a pre-conceived direction...and though we know the ultimate end...there seems to be no plotline to take it to that level....and only until the last 15-20 minutes...do we get the heck of what that was aspired but never attempted to be told...was a pure love story and not action based...as lot would have suspected as the story(...ooops...there wasn't one) / movie proceeds....:-).....

There are a host of heavy-weight actors...VijayaKumar, RadhaRavi, Ranjith, Meera Jasmine..and our hero SJ Suryah (who can also act...if he knows his limits).....with such acting talent, even if 10% of screen space was dedicated to each of these people, we should have had a pretty good movie to contend with...and the pity was only 10% of the total movie time was devoted to some emoting and all these stalwarts...shared their screenspace and did some work only in the last 15 minutes....which was pathetic...considering the rich talent one has at his disposal....

Each character in the movie is disjoint and hangs on Trisangu Swarga....and nobody knows the reason of existence....the three part premise of story/screenplay writing seems to have absconded from the director's mind....and the last 15 minutes is what one can take back from the movie....and after all the lifeless show for the previous 2 hours...one loses complete interest in the proceedings...and looks for the exit....:-)....

There was no real purpose in what the director wanted to say....The hero shown as an innocent villager...defies logic....what with the Hero's face-make over, his ageing stature, and to top-it-all that he studies Standard X+2....this is first rate slip-shoddiness....

Adding a masala character to the movie is an archaic trait...of the 80's....which is sour as a bitter-guard...and with every heroine pressing on the oomph-factor these days...having Malavika do that masala character is pointless...and to put it blunt....It was cheap....

Every damn character in the movie....is non-original...and save originality...atleast it should have been unique....which wasn't the case...Had this movie been made in 1980's....which is typically 25 years REWIND....there could have been a case of sensibility for the plot....nevermind it suceeds or not....

Now onto the characterization follies....a) RadhaRavi's character...was like a dormant volcano...and it was like...he is gonna explode anytime....and that never happens...particularily after how virile his brother is.....that is a mistake in screenplay...YOU shouldn't mislead your audience...and you should establish the credence of a character...be it positive or negative beyond doubt in the first few scenes....unless you have a story based on the camouflage you are planning with the characters ( ala thriller/murder mysteries)....neither of which is Thirumagan....:-(.....

b) Meera Jasmine's character is a criminal waste...I would say....what did she get to do...???except for emoting a couple of dream scenes...where SJ Suryah sizzles with her dreams..???? I wondered how National Award winning actors like her choose to and continue acting like these....which are nothing but "I am sorry".....bullshit....

c) Even the eternal goodie of villlage films....Nattamai Vijayakumar lacks poise in the movie...for no fault of his....and is just a pawn in the hands of the floundering director and his screenplay....

d) Only Ranjith, according to me...got to do some decent acting in the movie...and he excels as usual at that...emotionally correct ( but a villain for the story ) role....:-)...good...:-)

e) Actors like Illavarasu should be used to the fullest...see what Cheran did with him in *thavamai thavamirundu*.....particulariuly considering the potential of his character in Thirumagan.....

There were shades of *Mudal Mariyadhai*, *Kilakku Seemayile*, *Pandavar Boomi*...and innumerous Village movies of yesteryears....but the worst part is...nothing has been used to get some quality work done....:-(......pity......

Double entenders in the movie I think are to please the hardcore SJ Suryah fans...who I think wouldn't be endorsing such stuff otherwise....And also these should have been influenced by the man SJ Suryah himself....I dont understand how long SJ Suryah can sustain the *NEW* innoncence in his characters.....which is by the way pathetic exhibition of emoting-on-screen....I am sorry ....it was so irritating to see his character on screen....yuck...:-(.....

Songs, background score...and re-recording are all pretty sub-standard ...just as the movie is...

And Lyrics....???!!!..Its amusing to note if the lyricist was caught in a time-machine or something like that....!!!! cuz...the lyrics didn't suit the rustic looks that the film portrayed.....this is again a major flaw in reasoning.....cuz....visual / logical flags as to which time frame one is in...is very important for the present-day cinema audience...he/she is no gullible self to blindly accept what is on offer in a dark room, unless you make them believe in what they see by spellbinding display on screen....:-))....which wasn't a remotest possibility for Thirumagan....

ala SUN TV if I had to summarize with a one-liner....it would be....

THIRU MAGAN...THIRUNTHATHA MAGAN.....:-)

HOWTO-SCREW-A-SONG-WITH-JUST-1-MINDLESS-DIRECTOR....-PORI-

haven't quite got what I meant in the headline tag????...i am duty bound to put that term into proper explanation....:-))...

I remember seeing the "Making of the Song - Pori"......aired on TV, a special programme for Diwali...what stuck chord in the program and made me yearn for this song was the supreme novellness of the lyrics....

the theme of the song is to list out all small moments of joy-abound that one gets like...

a) getting a Window seat in a bus,

b) A hot tea on a rainy afternoon,

and the lyricist YugaBharathi goes on...and lists around 20+ such niceties et petite titbits...and compiled a song out of it...

The novelty doesn't end there...the song was composed on the fly with the director of the film, the music director Dhina and the lyricist YugaBharathi...in one sitting!!!...on TV...:-)

The song had a good soul-searching tune...and was quite hummable the instant you heard it...and to top it...the song-recording of it was also picturised for the 30 minute TV show....which generated quite an interest for the song...atleast in me....and I waited for the film  PORI (a Jeeva Starrer) to get released...ever since I saw this 3 months back..

And..now when I see the song on screen in TV...I was filled with nothing but a pathetic feel....simply pathetic to say the least....what a good theme-lyric...had defintely demanded a innovative picturisation....the song was picturised as a run-of-the-mill duet...which it wasn't atleast by the merit of the lyrics that went behind it.....

I wonder where these people...that is directors..who completely screw up such good songs....learn their trade from...Sorry...this is listless a show....which I bet, even I had pictured  a much better way in my mind as soon as I saw the show on TV.....

and lemme tell you..this is not the first song that I get this paranoia feel...there have been numerous songs where I have felt the video to be a major let down for the actual merit of the audio....A prominent example being....

PUSHING IT HARD from the film Kanda Naal Mudhal.....wow...what a song it was to listen in the album...and my jaws dropped onto the floor when I actually saw the video in the movie....simply shameless picturisation....

atleast the Music Directors...would definetely have a feel of how a song should be ...be it Yuvan who was the loser in the later example...and Dhina the loser in the former example....they should be able to suggest the director before hand about how he picturised the song, while composing.....that would give a good measure of the life in the song for the director....

thats where directors like Shankar score double hundreds..who work the other way...by clearly spitting out what they want out of the song, from both the lyricist..and the music composer...so you atleast dont have the imbalance of who screwed things...its invariably the director if at all it screws big time...which hasn't been the case with Shankar till date...

need to meet shankar one day and discuss such things all day!!!!...will wait for the day!!!!..

But Sorry, Pori-Folks....I am disappointed to say the least..please put a blog on HOWTO-SCREW-A-SONG-WITH-JUST-1-MINDLESS-DIRECTOR....

technorati tags:pori, review, movie

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this is it..I love you Shahrukh...:-)

mmmm.....I was actually forcing myself to hold back this review from Day 2 of the KBC-Reloaded...yeah..thats how I choose to call it!!!!...I wanted to give it some more time...cuz...I didnt want the review to be just based on the hype and hoopla and the initial surge in interest....

but...now..let me tell you....Its absolutely enjoyable.....definitely more charismatic than should I say *The KBC*....I am a great fan of The Big B...but that shouldn't take the sheen and credit out of SRK...cuz..he is doing an absolutely fabulous job as the Game show host

....man.... isnt he charming..I mean with his personal demeanour....definitely this is a huge..huge...huge booost to a career that is already on The Petronas Towers..yep....with The Don..he showed he could get into the Big Shoes.....and here...he furthers it by showing he can even replace the Big Shoes...cuz...this is a younger domain...and he can install his hold quite authouritatively and i believe -by the way he did today's show with the Navi-Mumbai lady...-he would soon remove the thought that there was another host for this show before him....he is so..at home with the show....that it feels so right now this show...

I love you shahrukh as always!!!!!

technorati tags:KBC, Shahrukh, review, gameshow

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GURU - A movie review

Just like what Guru is used to getting in the movie...real-life hero Mani Ratnam has got *dugna* returns for his GURU...and has recovered lost ground...badly lost though through his *Ayutha Ezhuthu* and *Yuva*...

A genuine film I should say....in just 2 words...a true film critic appeasing movie....so you should figure out that my senses have been gladdened by this movie...which happen only when I watch Shankar's movies...and for the first time...I get this feeling for a Mani movie....I am impressed to the core...and without doubt one of the best contemporary Indian Movie directors....easily on top of the country..:-)....Congratulations Mr. Mani Ratnam..:-)....an excellent work of art...

As the promos promised...this was about the rise of a commoner to places where commoners aren't used to frequenting....and it was precisely what it said...if I had to say in a line....

but what is most impressive about this is ....the juxtaposition of the life of Guru and the progress India made in these years....in addition to the emotion, drama and struggle both the protagonist and the country have gone through.... its a personal style statement from the magician Mani Ratnam...:-)

Abhishek Bachchan...has..as expected...shouldered the film completely....and definitely needs to be credited....for he has gone far enough to be considered a serious acting talent in the industry...and is reaching out to his father's place....with such films in the future...an absolute stunner of a performance...and gives as much weight needed for the character of Gurukanth Desai...and is every bit Guru..than Abhishek....a straight A grade for AB...infact the solitary reason the movie was saved from the clutches of a documentary and as a matter of fact is so enjoyable is only because of the heavy weight characterization of Gurukanth Desai...and the flawless rendition by Abhishek...again...so happy for AB...:-)

Now comes Mani Ratnam...he is definetly the front runner but by the pure acting merit of AB...Mani has been relegated to the second most significant contributor to Guru....Wow...what can I say about this creator...infact my first review for any mani product of any form.....have never felt like what people say when I saw prior mani films...but this one needs to stand apart from his legendary creations...this is definitely a corner-stone in Mani's career...His screenplay is absolute honey on screen...wooo.....what valuable lessons for budding screenplay writers....the movie never ever sags for pace for all of its melo-dramatic undertones...great pace!!!...and particularly the scenes where guru addresses his share-holders...those scenes were so so realistic....and was like *AS SEEN ON TV*...;-)....I'm lovin it.....certainly a DVD candidate in my video library!!!!

Mithun Chakraborty...aka mithun da.....can't really comment on this legend as I literally don't know any thing about Mithun da outside of this movie....but all I can say is that he pulled his weight quite effectively...and has pulled out an effortless display of histrionics...now... you don't call anybody a legend without a reason...i am not sure if its the character that led mithun perform a stunner or if mithun has lent that stunner onto the character...anyways..its the movie that gets its third most significant contributor...and befittingly Mani chose to credit Mithun Da as the first of the actors in the title card!!!..a mark of respect for the superstar!!!!

Allah Rakha Rahman...what a gift for humanity and Indian cinema....his songs lilt to the core...and whenever a song came on...I was completely high on octane...and started to croon along with the song...and got a couple of scorns from my neighbour seat...but I gave a damn to it...and continued to sing along which is what I do for all my musical favourites.....Every song is a masterpiece when is on screen...the only jarring note is that the voices of the playback artistes...didn't quite suit the on screen pair of AB and AR....yeah...Tere Bina with ARR crooning was kinda odd for the stature of AB...but the song is nevertheless a genius....Ek Lo Ek Muft....with Chitra crooning wasn't that great for Aish....yeah....they could have been take care of...As an album...Guru gets full marks....but somehow this sync has slipped......so here you go with the 4th most significant contributor to the film....

Rajeev Menon (Cinematography), Madhavan(Shyam Saxena), Vijay Krishna Acharya (Dialogues)....have been the next most significant contributors...in no specific order....yeah....rajeev menon's mastery is visible in every song....each fitting crisply into the tone of the movie...no jarring notes there....good....

Madhavan..must be extremely giftedto get meaty roles in Mani's films....but luck doesn't stay if you aren't worth it..and the corollary is true with Madhavan....his role is a neat sketch...which he does to picture perfection....

Vijay Krishna Acharya's dialogues have been so so vital for the movie to be so impressive...that if I forget a mention of this....I am inadequate a critic....I loved almost all of the critical spells...but the most standout dialogue is the one, when Madhavan laments that *The Independent* is responsible for Guru to be *paralyzed* literally.....and mithun da also laments about his son guru's health, when Madhavan asks Mithun da if they should stop the new article (against guru)...when Mithun Da replies....*no...no....if you are sure that what you write is true...dont bother hesitating....truth should be out!!!*..... this singular dialogue sums up the character of Manikdas Gupta....and the moral value it flaunts....

Characterization for the story...is the next significant contributor...probably the root cause of all the above contributions...fabulous would be an understatement....I loved the confidence with which the young Guru made waves....:-)...the older Guru was more of an assertive, tactful and to-the-core business man.....the younger guru was intelligent, swift and self-confidence personified...was so refreshing to look at such heros on screen.,...and for once wasn't ashamed of using the word HERO for the character..how wonderful it would be if everyone had that confidence up their sleeve...:-).....next up is Mithun Da's character....wow....super cool role to be in...these two sketches are worthy to shore-up the movie...even if it had faltered as opposed to its current genius...;-).....A bit of irony was that with such powerful sketches up the sleeve, the story failed to show Mithun Da or Madhavan'c character come to a logical conclusion...:-)..atleast I would have wanted that!!!

Aishwarya and Vidya Balan need metion...they have done their bit to the movie.....and one of the most striking aspect of the movie was...the richness and innovation of the title card...I was completely floored by the graphic...and for once wished the title card lasted forever!!!!!....it seems when there is a powerful magnet like Mani at the epi-centre of the action....talented and skilled resources..automatically conjoin to form a whirlpool of a movie....which is testimony with the work of art called *Guru*...

The one aspect I wasn't personally happy with the movie...was the moral values that it advocated at the end....though GURU succeeds and justifies his acts....he nevertheless flounders as a moralist at places...which needn't have been glorified and justified...and more so...the judges who were so critical and un-prejudiced until that 4.5 minutes rhetoric of guru towards the end....acquitting him of most of his charges....hard to digest in an otherwise almost flaw-less movie....the main reason for this lament though...is that the character of Gurukanth Desai was so..so..powerful that without this moral-value affliction...he would have been an immortal sketch....but may be Mani wanted it to suit some real-life character..;-)....and make it more human.....hmmmm...

Nevertheless....I would rate Guru as one of the best movies...I have seen in a long long time...:-)

Congratualtions to the entire GURU team!!!!...a landmark movie in Indian Cinema History...more so because it seems to resemble a landmark personality in Indian Economy and Indian History!!!!

Half-century....:-)

PROLOGUE:
Yeah...this is it!!!!...a half-century of posts....for a blog that is more than 3 years old...:-)....a seriously unconventional act for a so called *Blogger*..yep...I know that....but there are a multitude of reasons for this....the work pressure in 2005, the blooger blcok by the govt of India...and lately...the use of Live Journal....:-)....for most of my posts...just for convenience...

actually this is ironic....this post was the one of the first posts that I wrote in preparation for my blog...it was so close to my heart...cause it was also a way of representing what I thought about the world...much the reason for which I chose to blog....but somehow didnt publish it...infact a *coming Soon* post came in very early in this blog for this article...and that *soon*..is now....3 years later....and a much more choosier blogger.... and a much more idealistic self.....

And one more disclaimer....this post was written in MID 2004 when the software bandwagon was just getting to full-steam...so you should be warned..and well informed that..you might get *hey whats new in this*..and *this is archaic*...and *what bla-bla-bla is this*......

the scenario now is quite the same...much more specific in problems.....so...this is just to record my feelings....JUST IN LINE WITH MY MOTIVE OF MY BLOG...




HOW IS IT TO BE A SOFTWARE ENGINEER IN INDIA.....

This is current affairs...concurrent affairs!!!! The refreshingly new face of India....India has got synonymous with this Buzz word....You get instant recognition and respect when you say "I am a software engineer working for XYZ"...you are treated differently by the general non-IT public..which is more than 90 % at places....So does all this present a rosy picture??? a life recipied in heaven with all the goodies...and lived in this world with all the riches????

naaa....not all the times...is what I feel,....true and accepted is the fact that you are called UpperClass with the wage structure prevalent in software industry in India....you have a quick route to riches in this profession...you can get SETTLED in LIFE (a cliche..I feel)...you can lead a life par the american one ( keeping in mind the mentality of most Indians to compare with America for every walk of life!!!)......you can wine and dine at the choicest locations..you can think you can live a luxurious life compared to the guy with the same amount of experience in the conventional work ways!!!..more so if you are a bachelor..;-)...

All said and done....you can always bask in these positives..if you always want to see the clear sky....but the truth is that there are murkier clouds..behind the clear one, which the seemingly external onlooker will fail to decipher...okok..wait...wait..this is neither a writeup to crib about my
present profession nor an attempt to mar the significance of my profession which has brought glories to India -- improving India's economy..bringing in a lot of foreign investment..getting a brand image called INDIA INC working....torch bearing outsourcing for the countries world over..piloting education, fringe employment for thousands...and umpteen other goodies..which this writer...will not in any way be able to put into words....-- I feel I am digressing off the epicentre....

anyways....onto the murkier part...firstly...software engineers' life is a saga in its own..for most parts...leave alone the stress that software specialists face..which they have taken as a daily affair of their life. Every individual in this industry will surely have a story of their own...own version of
troubles they face and the consequences they have had in their life because of this profession...People leave their hometowns for greener pastures in IT capitals of the country, few and far between them...handful of them in fact....The irony is that...only in such stressful work conditions would you need the moral support of the family....but alas you are left to handle it all alone..(as if it's a test for your life ahead??!!!)

Practical reality is that only 25-30 % (approximate) of the software fraternity...is computer science gradutes or aware of software engineering, or trained in software basics in college... the other half..majority in actuality are unaware of the nuances of the trade...and are just pushed into the milieu to grapple it out all alone...just because there were no avenues for professionalism in their original intended profession, which is a hard pattern to not notice. This is where trouble starts. They are always up against the monster of expectation...mostly fighting their own inability and trying to disprove it...and succeeding at that. Thus its always a ME Vs the world trying to test my ability, my assertiveness to buckle to pressure....but at the end of the day..you see him sailing it out...which reminds me of a phrase from Srimad Holy Bhagvad Gita quoted in Tamil, "Ithuvum Kadanthu Sellum.." meaning that "This will also be a passing cloud..and will not stay to torment you / be with you for eternity". Atleast this is how I take it.

One learns quickly that the code they write/maintain is no more useful than to feed the self..just another way to get the outsourcing bandwagon moving in India....

ok....so now that you have just got a glimmer of a light into what a software engineer is made up of in this Information Age....

This isnt anything of the *Amartya Sen* type essays which are masterpieces in themselves...this is just to show what I felt at some point inside me...which was much different from what I am made of....

It was more of a *record of the impression of the self*.....so thats how introspective a Software Engineer is.....:-)




EPILOGUE:
happy blog-reading....and for heaven's sake please....please....return to my blog....for more posts...not necessarily interesting though...;-)