Sivaji - Part 2

Yes...That is Super Star..

I am stealing this from my friend Kamalesh -

" Thalaivar oru get-up maathina nooru get-up maathina maadiri "

Vidyasagar's GEMS

It’s been a while since I have posted on this blog.I have been busy with my sports blog. But a couple of good songs I heard prompted me to write this post.

I have always liked Vidyasagar, right from his "Nethaji" days. The man has a rare combination of music knowledge.I had a chance to meet him and spend some time in his recording studio once in Madras. He patiently listened to my moronic questions and answered it. When I challenged him that it was KJ Yesudoss that sang , "Poothirukkum Maname" in Puthaiyal , he humbly corrected my stupid proclamation and said it was Hariharan. I was like..."Err...Sorry "

He seems very knowledgeable and has definitely got "it". The knock on him early in his career was his lack of box-office success but all that has changed in the recent years(Read "Chandramukhi")

These are some of his songs I have really enjoyed.

1.Anbe Anbe - Uyirodu Uyiraaga

This song is just amazing. The singers Chitra & Hariharan are just perfect.

I have not always enjoyed the "extra" touches that Hari gives in his songs , but in this song they just seem to fit perfectly.Infact I liked all the songs in the film. Srinivas got a big break singing the "Poovukellam" in this film.

http://www.oosai.com/tamilsongs/uyirodu_uyiraga_songs.cfm

2.Orre Manam - Villain

Another lost classic. The film was a regular KS Ravikumar film, which did well. But this song did not get its due credit. Sadhana Sargam just rocks in this song.

http://www.oosai.com/tamilsongs/villan_songs.cfm

3.Azhakooril Poothavlae - ThiruMalai

SPB is my favorite playback singer. So when he sings, which is not often these days, I listen to it pretty eagerly. Though this song has the usual Vidyasagar rhythm sequence (which he uses a lot) , SPB takes this song over the hump.

http://www.oosai.com/tamilsongs/thirumalai_songs.cfm

4.Kanden Kanden - Madurey

This was the song everyone thought, KJ Yesudoss sang. Surprise, Surprise!!

Madhu Balakrishnan did a kick ass job and this is a great number.

http://www.oosai.com/tamilsongs/madurey_songs.cfm

5.Kaalai Arumbi- Kana Kanden

Though, the first prize in this song goes to KV Anand for his stunning yet simple visuals , VS gets to share the prize with him. Simple but yet innovatively done.

http://www.oosai.com/tamilsongs/kana_kanden_songs.cfm

6. Poo Vaasam - Anbe Sivam

This song is popular but I still had to put it on there. I would request all of you to enjoy this song with the visual brilliance of Kamal. You want to fall in love and do the things he does when you enjoy this song. (I wanted to badly..Too bad Kiran was taken...hehe)

This film also has "Mounamae" , by SPB & Chandrayee , another beautiful song. Overall a great album.

http://www.oosai.com/tamilsongs/anbey_sivam_songs.cfm

7.Athhi Atthi Kaai - Aathi

Another good song in an atrocious film. Soft number by thalaivar. Great rendition - What's new?

http://www.oosai.com/tamilsongs/aathi_songs.cfm

8.Chithirayil Enna Varum - Sivapathigaaram

This is a brand new film , Sivapathigaaram. Considering the reviews , its propably going to not run for more than a month. So chances are people are going to forget this song. But dont miss it.Karthik and Swarnalatha have done a really good job. Unlike ,DK , I dont want to dismiss Swarnalatha as a bad singer.She just needs to be chosen for the right song.

http://www.oosai.com/tamilsongs/sivappathikaram_songs.cfm

ALERT : Please listen to these songs in good audio system. Hearing it at a low volume on your laptop so that your cubicle neighbor does not hear is not doing justice to the music. Also a Good Mood helps!

Enjoy !

My new Blog

I created a new BLOG - a sports only blog.
Why and other questions answered there...Check out.. My Own ESPN

You talk Tamil - You get interrogated !

Check out this story..

I really dont know who to blame in this scenario. Should I blame the guy for talking loudly in a public place in Tamil or Should I blame the off duty airport employee to get freaked out about it and complain to the police ? Well ..we dont have the transcript of what the guy spoke. But this is where I come into play...Enjoy !! HeHe !!

Guy 1 (in the airport) : Machi..Nethikku Game Paathiya ?? We Killed Them....

Guy 2 (on the other end) : It was a good game..but i think since the score was onesided we should have rested our players in the 4th qtr...

Guy 1 : Podaaanga.....We should have killer instinct da...appothaan antha team'kku nammalla pathu theriya varum...

Guy 2 : What if out main guy gets hurt in the 4th qtr in a game we are already winning ?

Guy 1 : Machi...game'la adhellam sagajam da..."You cant bother about blood on the battlefield"

Guy 2 : Anyway ,..next week is an important game..and we should win that...or else we can only get to the position we were in last year...

Guy 1 : Machi...namma jeyikka porom da...im confident...what we did last year..is nothing...what we are going to do next week...the world will be stunned....namma avanagala easy'aa thokkadikilaam...

If this was the conversation that actually went on and the airport official heard that...I really cant blame the airport official .

Too many things on my head - Updated

Have you ever had that feeling that you want to blog your opinion about everything that made an impact on you over a few days...Well, I have had that feeling for a while now and this post is the result …So here we go….

9/11
****
Yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of the tragic events that took place on 9/11/01. Time does fly real fast. I remember that day vividly. A regular morning at our house in Akron where I was convincing Asif (my roomie) that our TV should also be used to watch channels other than MTV & VH1. Turned on MSNBC, they were talking about the first plane crash into the WTC and as I was watching in amazement another plane hit the second tower. My heart stopped.

Recollected myself and proceeded to an Advanced Operating Systems class that morning which was suspended in about 20 minutes after it began. Our university was shutdown and everyone was asked to vacate the campus immediately. The university had received information that our Polymer Science Centre (one of the best in the world) could be a target.

We came back home and all of us watched the NEWS for the whole day. Someone suggested we could play cricket at Geethu’s (another akronite, roomie later) backyard later in the day since classes were cancelled. I opined that it might be kind of insensitive and plain stupid to do that considering the tragedy that took place. Most agreed, we moved on.

I hope things settle down in the world and look foreword to the day when we can all co-exist, get rid of HATE!

US Open
********
Roger Federer == Tennis God

When I watched Federer do his thing, it was like watching Michelangelo at work.

Pure art. This guy is a genius and I really don’t know what else to say about his game that others have not said.

Maria Sharapova == Hottest Champion

Err….Guy Moment...Sorry(but i have a valid reason..look at the first google result). But Maria is just not all beauty. She is a very talented pro who is still in her teens. The sky is the limit for her

NFL Kickoff
***********
Coming from an NBA fan, I was truly impressed by the way the NFL carried out its opening weekend. The Manning duel was a classic and big brother prevailed.Athletes should really have something that we normal people don’t .Otherwise, how can you explain the fact they are trying to beat their sibling? I can’t do it. Hats off to the Mannings, Barber’s, Willam’s etc. Way to go , Professionalism !

College Football
**************
Props to The Ohio State Buckeyes, for going to Austin and getting a huge win.But columbus could ahve done without this. Texas, IMO was overrated and it showed. Was it a revenge game? You betcha! Don’t let them tell you otherwise! Also, Kudos to The University of Akron Zips for beating NC State in a thrilling game last weekend. Akron is finally getting some face time on ESPN and I love it!

Making New Friends
*****************
As one gets older, it is difficult to make good friends. I am not going to blame it totally on ourselves or on the people we met. The readers of the blog will make that decision and to help all of you make that decision an excerpt from our conversation :

I am meeting a bunch on new desi folks at a local bar...

Me : Hey , How are you doing ? Im , Sayee , I just moved to the Baltimore Area !

(Thinking that such a statement would invoke a similar statement from the other guy)

Him : Oh Okie…Cool Maaaaaaan…

Me : (Confused..) OoooKie…and you are?

Him: Aaaah…Im just chilling Maaaaaaan ! (Obviously he has been in the bar for a while, I guess he was tipsy)

Me: (Still Confused) Ooooook….and you are.. ?

Him: Im *********** maaaaaaaan…From **

Me: (Finally relieved as he revelaed his name) Aaaah…Hi ********…Nice to meet you !

Him : That’s okie Maaaaaaan !!

Me: (Are you kidding meeeeeee ????)

(After about 10 mins , I stopped talking to everyone , as I was preoccupied with football on TV. So this guys walks to me and goes..)

Him : Maaaaaaaaaaaan….Do you like sports ?....Maaaaaaaaaaaaan ?

Me : Yeah I do..I like almost all the major American sports …especially the NBA !

Him : Maaaaaaaaaaaan…You are from Chennnnnaaai ? and You like basketball ???

Me: Why? What's wrong with that?

Him: Noooo…Maaaaaaaaaaaaan…People from Chennai…Maaaaaaaaaaan…You are the only guy who I know who watches baskeball ….Maaaaaaaaaaaan!

Me: (At this point, I am ready to physically assault him..But I didn’t....) Ooooh Okie…that’s interesting !

Him: Maaaaaaaaan...Iverson Maaaaaaaaaaaan….He rocks Maaaaaaaann….. None of my friends Maaaannnnnnn…I am only guy …who follows sports

Me: I guess you need more friends….( I left the bar praying I don’t meet people like this again)

Jyothika - Surya
*****************
My heartiest wishes to the newly married couple. Both these guys are very genuine and simple human beings . I have no doubt in my mind that their marriage would be very successful !
(I had to post this picture for 1 reasons ...first the obvious reason..the other one is SuperStar - Gotchya...He He)

A Beautiful Mind & A Living Legend

Part 1 : The movie - A Beautiful Mind
Yes..Yes...The movie has been out for more than 5 years and the whole world has watched it and I am probably the last person to watch the movie...But I finally did watch it.

I loved the movie. I thought Ron Howard has done a great job with respect to "fictionalizing" the John Nash biography and transformed it into a fantastic movie. Not all great biographies or stories for that matter can be made as good movies.Good cinema requires a lot more than just a good storyline.Russel Crowe was just amazing in his portrayal of John Nash.I only hope , our film makers in India can come up with a movie like this.

Im a big believer that Indian and particularly Tamil Cinema has some of the best actors/directors/technicians and I hope they can rise up to the occasion to create a movie like this.

Part 2 : A living Legend - TIGER on Prowl again !
I have been following golf recently. Just my two cents for people who don't follow golf. "Yeah...This guy Tiger ...Yeahhh...He is pretty good "....(Read in Office Space style)

Tiger has 52 tour wins...12 majors championships and he is 31. This kind of domination is unheard of in sports let alone golf.Some people might argue well..Federer is dominant in tennis. Yes..True..but tennis has had many dominating players like Federer in the past and the same can be said for all sports.But Golf has never had a player dominate a decade like Tiger.His last win came at the PGA Championship that took place in Akron,Ohio.

A person who does not know golf or cannot appreciate golf will love watching Tiger play.Watch Golf...if not for anything else...Just for TIGER !

Power of the Rupee !

'Nuff Said !

Short But Funny..

All of us love our schools/colleges etc.,....on that note , get this...
a funny snippet I read recently on the WWW...

"Mani Shankar Iyer and Subramaniam Swamy who are both alumni of a famous college in Delhi that I shall not name. Both these distinguished gentlemen reportedly do not see eye to eye. At a college reunion Mr. Swamy is said to have written the following comments in the Visitors Book, “What I am today is because of this college.” Mani Shankar Aiyer, whose entry followed, is alleged to have written, “Why blame the college?”

Classic !!!

Nee Rajni'ya ..Kamal'a ?

I am pretty confident that someone has either asked you this question or you have asked someone this question or heard someone talking about it !!

For everything in our lives , we choose sides...

1. Rajni Fan'aa....Kamal Fan'aa

2. Sachin'aa...Dravid'aa ?

3.Ilayaraja'vaa...illa AR.Rahman'vaa...

4.Kathirikka Kari pidikuma..illa urlaikazhangu kari pidikuma... ?...you get the point ?

Why cant we like both...? Does it make us any less fanatic than..a true..Unadulterated fan ? Moreover its really hard to dislike anyone. Is'nt "hate" a very strong word. Personally, I don't think I can hate any actor. From the little bit of exposure I have had in working in the Industry..and having a slight idea of how much effor these guys put in ? Its really difficult for me to dismiss someone as unfit..Even if they are sometimes. Like..I hate Prashanth..I have seen him in too many movies..but his skills are the same..(or gone down) from the time he acted in Vaigasi Porandhaachu !..I jus wish someone would pour boiling water on his feet..when the camera rolls..to get him to emote !!!...His dialogue delivery has to be one of the worst in Tamil Cinema today.Atleast for his sake we need to revive silent movies !!

I digress...Anyway the point is....I feel all young actors today are very competent.They undergo intense training and try to prepare for the rigors of Tamil Cinema. It is not easy being an actor or for the matter ..a technician in the Tamil Film industry!!! Competition is cut throat...and only the best..(and the lucky ones,the rich ones..and the ones that come from famous parents) even get a chance to prove themselves.But after the initial chance to enter the industry..its very difficult to thrive in it.

Thats why..I think Rajni and Kamal are legends in their own ways.Yess..I am a hardcore Rajni Fan..Yess...I did fly to Chicago(from akron...when I was a poor graduate student) to watch the First show of BABA(Loved the movie BTW....okie i was kidding). Rajni's charisma and screen presence is unmatched...His people skills are possibly the best in the industry.On the other hand Kamal is a sheer genius ! Having had the oppurtunity to work in his unit for about 10 days...I have no other words to describe him ! He jus exudes knowledge ( Though sometimes people say that he is never tired of hearing himself)..and can talk to you pretty much about anything under the planet (provided he thinks your worthy enough for his time)

Among the present lot....I think everyone is good and has a strong point.

Vijay (dance/screen presence/comedy)...Surya/Vikram(always choose good subjects..offbeat movies..good acting skills)..Ajith(screen presence..decent skills)..Simbu(good cinema brain..talented dancer/actor)...Dhanush(tremendous actor..jus needs to do good roles) Each one of these guys have had ups and downs..but have survived them...will they last forever like Rajni and Kamal..only time can tell.

Seri....adhellaam udu...Nee rajni'ya...kamal'aa...?

This HEAT team is HOT !

Yess..I am a die hard Cavaliers fan. But I am happy for the Miami HEAT on their first NBA title.

The game just got over and there are a more than a few reasons that MIAMI (a team most experts picked against) won but let me give all of you two words.

Dwyane Wade - Your 2006 Finals MVP ...Congratulations

Da Vinci Code and the Cleveland Cavaliers

Two things made an impact on me this weekend. The movie "Da Vinci Code" and my beloved Cleveland Cavaliers.

To start off, I have not read the book. I did hear about the reviews panning the movie.I kinda know the story.With all this background information I went to watch the movie last nite in Ballston.

I liked the movie , I liked the performances by the actors and more importantly,the movie made me want to read the book. But it is important to remember that this movie is based on a fictional story. There is no empirical proof of any theories the movie suggests. Robert Langdon , the protagonist, keeps repeating this fact in the movie !! I dont know what all the side show regarding banning this movie is all about , I think its a waste of time.

Check out these interesting sites : http://www.opusdei.us/
http://www.davinciantidote.com/

Also check out this interesting review I read about the book.

Overall , this movie made me think about all religions. Now I am interested in knowing the history of Hinduism. Notwithstanding the fact that this movie is fictional , it should be pretty unsettling to realize that the things that we take for granted are not so true after all !!


Now..Moving on to my CAVS.Yes they lost to the Pistons in Game 7 in Detroit. I knew our best shot at winning the series was at home. But it was not meant to be. Im happy and proud of my team and I have one proclamation to make to all other NBA fans

"Get Used to seeing LBJ & the CAVS in May & June every year"

As a side note , I was on travel all last week. I was in the Phoenix airport during the 4th quarter of Game 4. The bar I was in had about 200 people . All the folks erupted in unison when the CAVS won. There were 3 reasons that this happened

1. Everyone roots for the underdog (unless your team is not the underdog)
2.Everyone hates Detroit(for obvious reasons)
3. And..Yeah EVERYONE LOVES LEBRON JAMES...

I have never been happier as a CAVS fan than I am today !!!

Tamil Nadu Elections - What do you make of it ?

The Tamil Nadu general assembly elections results are out.

Tamil Nadu
Total No. of Seats : 234	Results Declared: 234
Party Won DMK 103 Congress 35 PMK 21 CPI (M) 9 CPI 5 AIADMK 52 MDMK 6 DPI 1 DMDK 1 Others 1

The DMK alliance has won and Karunanidhi(82 years old) is going to be the CM for the fifth time. He has jus won his 11th straight assembly election. Mind boggling , considering the fact that he has been in public office for more than 55 years.

Though the DMK alliance won , the DMK as a party has not been able to capture the majority by itself. This has resulted in the possibility of a coalition govt. , a rarity in the state. Though the PMK and Congress have indicated that they are not interested in being part of the government , I find it hard to believe. Here's why ..

The congress has won 35 seats , thats a pretty significant number considering that they dont have a leader like GK Moopanar.But they have Chidambaram , who is considered by many as a future CM of TN or even a future PM of India. The congress is the ruling party in the centre and the DMK has several ministers in the Central Govt ( Dayanidhi Maran for instance..who is by the way an alum of Don Bosco, Egmore..my alma mater as well...Yayyyyyyy !!!) as so does the PMK.

It only makes sense that the Congress would want "power" in some way even if they are not part of the Govt. But here is the tricky part , I think that all the alliance partners(Congress,PMK) would be happy to play "Best friend" until Karunanidhi is the CM(or until he is alive)...Karunanidhi is 82 years old and has had a few scares lately.

Im not sure if there was a huge "anti-incumbency" wave in these elections , considering the ADMK alliance won about 60 seats. But the issue that turned the tide towards the DMK was the election Manifesto..(2 Kg Rice..Free color TV..etc., etc.,) .

Often most of us "Indians" living in the US and elsewhere..think about the positive developments that our country has made over the years. But it is a travesty that people still get carried away by "free stuff". Where is the dignity of a person if he/she would vote for the DMK just because they have promised to give more free stuff than the ADMK ?

Frankly after a few hiccups in the first couple of years..the ADMK administration has been pretty solid. This is just not my opinion but the opinion of experts. For instance , I was in favor of the way Jayalalitha handled the Govt Employees strike...suspending 100000 people overnite ..to get them back to work...gutsy move... But arresting them overnite and threatening them was not so much gritty it was more like a vendetta move !

Overall ...I dont think there is a huge difference in the way that Dravidian parties administer the state of Tamil Nadu. I think its a question of who is the lesser evil.

People have short memories...and its not coincidental that other than MGR , no leader in recent history of TN politics has been the CM for two consecutive terms. MGR was a charismatic ...honest..and "easy to access" leader. People identified themselves with MGR.

It is also interesting to note that Vijaykanth has won his assembly seat from Vridhachalam. The only seat his party managed to win..though his party was a respectable third in most of the constituencies. It would be interesting to see if he becomes a responsible member of the Assembly or not.

Other tidbits :S Ve Shekar won his seat in Mylapore by about 2000 votes beating out Actor Napolean ... Vaiko and MDMK have been wiped out of the political map... Sarathkumar and Radhika are in trouble coz they jumped ship from the DMK but RADAAN (media company owned by Radhika) is the producer of all the top shows SUN TV has to offer today...

End of the day..there was one positive development...the student party started by a group of Ex-IIT'ians..has fared well in Chennai..though they did not win , they gave the other candidates in Chennai a run for their money. I hope these youngsters dont lose their momentum now but keep working towards establishing a name for themselves in the political arena

I dont know what the Title should be - Jus felt like posting something...

Today....Because it is April 14th - Which means "New Year's Day" for all the Tamilians - Chithirai masam begins today...

For those who want to the The Tamil calendar year...Here ya go...The Tamil Calendar

Also today is also the New year for the Bengali's ....Naba Barsha

Malyalees celebrate Vishu....- Astronomical New year

Also it so happens that today is Good Friday - The day Jesus was crucified and Sunday is Easter..the Day he re-appeared...

Also...let me share this info with you . Do you know why there is an Easter bunny ? I mean why is a rabbit associated with easter ?

The answer is because...The Easter bunny has its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore. The Hare and the Rabbit were the most fertile animals known and they served as symbols of the new life during the Spring season.

So I guess these "Rabbits" have it goin on !..You know what im Saying..They are pretty good..at you know..and now I know why ENERGIZER picked the bunny as it's mascot..coz they really keep goin on..and on..and on...and on....

One more reason I Love SportsCenter

First off.. I am gloating over the CAVS victory over LA on sunday.

Whenever the CAVS win I like to watch ESPN for the next 24 hours , to relive the victory.

And yesterday ..when I was watching one such episode for the Empteeenth time..The sportscaster goes..

"Lakers in Cleveland..on Sunday..and that jus means one thing....Eric Snow vs Smush Parker....(chuckle) or the side show between Kobe and Lebron.."

Classic..! Love it !

Bush in India. Big Deal? You Betcha!

Like it or not, George W Bush is probably the most powerful person in the "free" world today.

Yes..He is not the brightest American President we have seen.
Yes..He is not quite the eloquent speaker like his predecessor.
Yes..He has made strange (and sometimes appalling) decisions.

BUT, Bush is visiting India today!

I’m not sure if it says a lot about a Republican President visiting India, but it surely says a lot about India and the strides we have made as a country.People in America, as most of you would know, stereotype people of different ethnic origin with the kind of work they do.

Like say, African Americans are tied to either being a famous/rich Ball player or a troublemaker. Mexicans are either human smugglers or janitors. Indians are either cab drivers or 7/11 clerks or Snake Charmers (believe it or not)..Well Not Anymore.

Americans thinks of Indians today as successful doctors, smart scientists, brilliant engineers and well...Customer Support Reps. with a bad/fake accent.

The strides India has made over the past 20 years , Since the economy was liberalized (courtesy Manmohan Singh & Co)has the world taking notice about India. In fact, India has the second-fastest-growing major economy in the world over the past 25 years and trails only the US and China when it comes to contribution to the Global GDP.

Leaving all the hatred/ill feelings (if any) against Bush or the USA , behind us, I think this is a moment for all of us to savor.

Yes. Bush is visiting India today and that makes me happy as an Indian !

What were you doing ..?

When you were 21 years Old ?

Hmm..I was in my second year of B.E at Crescent Engineering College...Trying to figure out how I can pass my Maths III exam..(Which I eventually figured out when I was like 23..C'mon people its not that easy or is it ?)

But..this post is not about me...Its about Lebron James...for those who don't know who he is ! I think its about time you get to know this 21 years old kid..errr...Man Child...(6 Ft 8 in 240 lbs )

Lebron was the highest vote getter (in the Eastern Conference) as a forward for the All Star game in Houston.It was a weekend of fun for all Pro-hoops lovers. I enjoyed it even more coz my beloved Cavalier brought home the All Start Game MVP trophy.

For all who think..Lebron's just a ESPN highlight reel...Take a look at his resume..So far..

Youngest Rookie Of the Year Winner,
Youngest to 1000 points,
Youngest to score 40 in a game,
Youngest to score 50 in a game,
Youngest to 2000 points ,
Youngest to triple double,
Youngest All-NBA Player,
Youngest to 3500 pts , 1000 Reb, 1000 Asst.,
Youngest to 5000,
Youngest All-Star MVP

Pretty Impressive huh..For a guy who could not legally drink a beer until about 2 months ago ?

History says...All great NBA players hit their PRIME when they are 26-28 years old...

Watch out..This is going to get real ugly !

Rang De Basanti - Masterstroke !

I normally don’t watch Hindi movies. Mostly because, I don’t understand the language as well as I think , I should to enjoy the movie. Secondly, I don’t identify/understand a lot of what Hindi films are trying to convey in their movie.Im not saying Tamil/English films do(the ones I watch all the time) , but Hindi films have always been alien to me.

The Hindi movies that I watch are either the ones that get critical acclaim from all quarters,like Sarafarosh, Lagaan,Satya,Rangeela,Black etc or the ones that are total masala but enjoyable movies like Hum,Taal,Trimurthy,Khalnayak etc.

After watching Rang De Basanti last night, I can easily say , that it cracked my personal list of TOP 5 movies of all time !!

The movie has a patriotic flavor to it. But the movie does not lecture you about patriotism. The movie has a great theme of friendship but it does not have dialogues of friends singing praises of each other (Except for one scene when Sukhi says he loves friends coz they saved his life. He was drunk though. So one can understand that..)

The movie has great comedy, but it's not slapstick or dialogue based humour(a.ka no Crazy Mohan humor)..But...its just really funny. I laughed for one scene so hard that that whole theatre looked at me like I was having a chemical imbalance (or It could also been that I was the only one who laughed for that scene -) When Aamir Khan , calls the kid working in the tea stall and asks him.."Hey Chotu...Bismal ne kya Kaha ..Maalum hai ? " and then practices his dialogue ! Classic!

All the actors fit their roles. no over-acting. Kudos to the casting director...Siddarth is the hero of the movie..and it was refreshing to see that (an TOP star like) Aamir could play second fiddle with great poise. The way the director juxtaposes the past with the present was very creative and crisp.Especially when Sonia says "Maar Dalo Ussse"..Brilliant !

The Music was very different and refreshing..ARR played well within his boundaries and has come up with apt tunes. I was very also impressed with his tremendous effort in the background score ! The editing was perfect...There was not one scene you felt that was too long or that was disconnected. The movie progresses like a gentle stream rather than a gushing waterfall (which is very popular now esp. in Tamil moves..Fast screenplay...Fast Cuts..Popularised by movies like Mudhalvan,Boys,Ghilli etc)

All in All..this movie has made me think...and that what I think movies should make viewers do..Jus reflect on it ! If you watch this movie. it will impact you !! Now whether you want to channel that impact to something positive in your life if up to you! Rang De Basanti is more than just a movie. Its got all the elements to make it a phenomenon!

Don't Miss it !

Yo Yuvan...You There ?

Tamil Film Music is undergoing a sea of change.It's at an all time high.The freshness , vibrancy and the pure pleasure of listening to something innovative in today's Film Music is a blessing.

This revolution , if i may , is lead by one - yeah - Yuvan Shankar Raja ! I had a golden opportunity to spend some time with him in his studio , when I was in India , a couple of weeks ago.

Yuvan is young , energetic and most importantly very creative.He is also blessed with a great team of young minds who strive to give nothing but the best.The team a.ka. Selvaraghavan(Kadhal Kondaen , 7G Rainbow Colony and now Pudhupettai),Vishnuvardhan(Kurumbu,Arindhum Ariyamamalum and now Pattial) and Simbu(Manmadhan and now Vallavan) are like the "Band of Brothers".They dont have the cliched Director - Music Director relationship.

His music is heavily influenced by his propensity to International Music.But then again , he would churn out a totally mind blowing Carnatic number , or mix Carnatic with western beats and give you Kanda Naal Mudhalaai (from Kanda Naal Mudhal)

The one thing you can bet on Yuvan is that he is going to try to give you something creative and soul stirring.He is a workaholic and Music is what he thinks , lives and breathes ! (Duh..That's a surprise)

Some of his recent best :

1.Oru Naalil - Pudhupettai

2.Merke Merke -Kanda Naal Mudhal

3.Panithuli - Kanda Naal Mudhal

4.Eno Kangal - Kalvanin Kadhali

5.Kadhal Enbadhu - Oru Kalooriyin Kadhai

6.Pul Pesum - Pudhupettai

Also , all you Yuvan fans , cross your fingers , Yuvan told me something very tempting just as I left his studio."Yuvan:Unplugged - Live in the USA" - - is in the works ., will keep you guys posted.

(PS , I should thank my good buddies Srinath and Simbu (also in pic) who took me along for their recording session of "Vallavan" - Watch out - Vallavan is going to rock)