The first show on the first day might have been eccentric to a foreigner. But for those who have grown in a city in which every third person thinks he is the superstar’s greatest fan, the celebration was nothing less than a ‘déjà vu-ed’ déjà vu. It would have been a big disgrace had it not been so. The early morning sun had visitors it’s never seen before. Maybe, they never slept to wake up. The cows had to start work early, as its milk had to be processed sooner to be delivered at the cinema halls. The first show as early as 5 a.m., but I am sure every soul there wished it started even earlier. One fan screamed into the microphones carried by the frantic paparazzi, “We have waited for about 2 ½ years. We can’t wait any more’.
As I said, this article is about a fanatic who watched ‘Endhiran – the Robot’, the second time the second week. The time around in a much better cinema hall (seemingly), he expected a good crowd. And yes, he got what he expected, though a very a solemn one (Imagine, the audience clap for the superstar’s entry scene. Isn’t that atrocious?). The multiplex owners are fanatics as well. All screens, all shows, ran only one movie. And guess what, all shows for the whole two weeks were sold out. I was glad that this time I will watch the movie, not just the Superstar. After having heard and read so much, I wanted to see what Shankar had actually created from what the late writer Sujatha had written. I wanted to see how the whopping 150-crore was spent. I got a good cozy seat, from where Rajni looked him and Aishwariya seemed her (yes, for a Superstar fan, anyone other than his idol would only seem to on screen, even if it’s the beauty queen).
The movie started with the letters ‘S U P E R S T A R…..’ beaming on the screen one by one. Nowadays it does not come with the usual Basha BGM. Thalaivar, as he is fondly called, is cool now (remember, the repatriate software professional in Shivaji – the Boss). Then slowly a voice echoed, “Puthiya manitha….’, certainly marking the birth of a new era.
This time, Rajni is a scientist - Artificial Intelligence is his field, Robot is his work. The first scene, accompanied by the effervescent voice of SPB, he is fitting the chassis of the Robot to create a trim and handsome Rajni-like android. The robot, walks and walks like Rajni, speaks and speaks like Rajni and….nope, even an ardent fan like me would not be able to say the robot dances like Rajni. The metallic Rajni is an amazing adaptation, a class-act done effortlessly. When I say effortlessly, I mean the ‘endhiran’ should not be acting at all. He is just a machine, and does a machine act? Now, isn’t that effortless!!!
However, to the amazement of some and amusement of others, the Robot, named Chitti, in the movie falls in love. No, it’s not because of Aishwarya. It’s simply because she is the first to kiss him after he gets his hormones activated. So do they mean to say, a kiss does it to a machine as well? Or was it because Chitti is made to read all those books on feelings? Certainly not! It’s about hormones folks - just hormones. And this is a sci-fi movie. Science fiction is an individual’s imagination, which may or may not be accepted. And why would the creator feed in hormones to a robot? Simply because the magnetic (not flying) robot does not know that life is much more than just living (How many of us actually know that? – that’s another blog to )
Now, who is Aishwarya? She is a medical student and Professor Rajni’s girl friend. The confrontation between Chitti and Vaseegaran is one of the best scenes of the movie. ARR’s BGM blends superbly with the scene when Chitti turns and walks back disappointed after Aishwarya tells him he is just a machine and she can’t love a machine. That was yet another effortless scene – a robot showing disappointment!!
Shankar-ism was evident in a few scenes. Chitti talking to the mosquitoes was one such scene, I thought. Though some might feel it was a bit overboard, but when compared to what the villainous robot would do later in the movie for Sana (Aishwarya), it did require Chitti to be cute yet extreme.
Oh, the trumpet sound is awesome. And that introduces what? Chitti - the villain. Now that’s not a robot (will call it just Robo for the identity) at all. That’s Rajni at his best. When he says ‘Black sheep……’ and ‘epdi ipdi maarite Sana….’, it really is Rajni at his best. Yet, we never realize on screen that a robot was made to laugh. Yep, it just did, with proper stress and intonation. Now was that also fed into his ‘neural schema’? Maybe, should have been an add-on software with the ‘red-chip’ inserted to make Chitti – the destructor, ala, Robo.
‘Arima Arima….’ - some felt was unnecessary. But I feel it deserves to be in the movie, just for the splendid music and extraordinary visual display. Robo was the king, and that’s what was shown in that song.
What better treat could a Rajni fan get than a screen full of his idol. And when his replicas combine into a giant robot (something which runs far slower than the single Chitti!!), it just makes us wonder if we really were watching an Indian film.
How can I ever miss the dismantling scene? Now, how did Shankar visualize making that scene? I am sure it was just an idea very well implemented by some foreign technicians. For a layman it is just a scene. For an actor it is just an instruction. For the creator, it is a dream-come-true. Not all that we dream happen, but that does not mean they do not happen at all isn’t it? I think that’s what ‘Endhiran’ is all about - a wild dream-come-true and shown to the world to wonder.
On reading my blog again, I see I had started like a true Rajni fan and then transformed into someone who loved the movie he saw. That is what happens to everyone on watching the movie. All Rajni fans become ‘Endhiran’ lovers in the end. Yet, some would be disappointed that they could not see a typical Rajni movie, but it’s only that. Their Superstar proved it yet again why he was, is and always will be the top most.
And I could write so much only because I saw the movie the second time, with an audience who just clapped. But, nothing like watching Thalaivar the first show the first day.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
A year closer to independence
That is how I wanted to wish my friends this I-day. But I didn’t.
The other day I overheard a conversation between two friends. One of them was telling her friend that she had a chance to travel abroad, but had to say no to the offer because there was no one to take care of her baby son. Her friend wanted to ask if her in-laws would not take care of him, but she herself stopped midway with the realization that they were too old to handle the naughty toddler. There was an understanding nod only to show that both were sailing on the same boat. ‘Who is stopping you?’
My friend had a skill that not many possessed. His fingers play on any surface, music that will make even the surface proud. We urged to take up playing drums more seriously. He always cribbed about his job in a BPO and cringes with even the thought of stepping into his office everyday morning. He was last to go to office, and all that he did during the day (yes, even at work) was to drum his own heart’s music. ‘Who is stopping you?’
A close pal of mine had this eternal desire to study in a top foreign B-school. He looked at pictures of students in the brochures of foreign universities and saw himself amongst them. He would see the mirror and would think, ‘Do I have in me?’ His friends including myself believe that he can do it. He has been studying for several years, not for his MBA, but for the admissions to do one. Ask him and he will say he is planning to study still. And he has been saying this (not a word otherwise) for several years now. Hmm….8 years to be precise!! This elusive MBA is only moving farther from him, even as he most gleefully says ‘Next year I am planning to my MBA’. ‘Who is stopping you?’
A group of friends coming out of a ‘city pub’ were taking their motorcycles out of the make-do parking lot. A middle-aged man walked up to them asking for money, obviously to walk into the wine shop the next second he finds that generous someone. One of them wanted to ask the already sagging-in-booze creature to stop drinking and not to beg for money. But he stopped himself. ‘Who is stopping you?’
Thanks to the growing number of vehicles on our city roads, we have frequent impromptu get-togethers. I am talking about the huddles formed around some injured or drowsy bikes or their pillions. Sometimes we see some, unconscious or bleeding profusely. We want to help. We want to call an ambulance. But we still think there are so many people around and help would come from one of them, who according to us, knows how to deal with such things (wonder, what trains them to qualify). In fact we can also hear people complaining why no one was doing anything. ‘Who is stopping you?’
Now, let me hasten the guilt trip. We see someone in the elevator who works in the same office. We want to smile, but all that we manage is too look at the ceiling or the floor. A beggar knocks at our car window. We want to dig into our wallet for some change, but something stops us. We cry of boredom, but when we get to something exciting we hold ourselves. We see someone being beaten up on the road. And all that we do is to give a sorry look at the pitiable. Now, in all these things, ‘Who is stopping you?’
These are some of my own realization. I am sure we all have several such instances when we have stopped ourselves. ‘Who is stopping us?’
We can certainly argue in our support in all the above instances. Yes, it is understandable that there would be no one to take care of a hyperactive toddler. And, it is certainly best for a trained person to handle an accident scene. So we do have justifications for all our actions. And we break all barriers to satiate our conscience that we are right and we could not have done much. Honestly, how many of us really go home with a satisfied heart after the reasons we give ourselves. Doesn’t it haunt us at least until with time it is forgotten?
Now, what is freedom? Wiki mentions ‘free will’ as a main ingredient for freedom. Freedom in our thoughts and actions, which lets us do what we really want to – free will. Freedom has its obstructers – economic, political, societal etc. But the worst of all is the barrier that grows and piles up from within - our mind block. This block stops us from giving a helping hand when it warrants, annihilates the stimulus to act or react.
This is an anecdote from the life of the great Tamil poet, Subramaniya Bharathi. As a small boy, Bharathi used to sneak into these cultural expositions like street plays, political satires, puppet shows etc. On one such escapade he went to a villu paattu exposition. The vidwan was singing on not being offered any luxuries, when Bharathi went up on stage and said that instead of thinking about such petty things we should be thinking about freedom for India. The best thing about this incidence is not only that Bharathi at that age could have such far-fledged thoughts but also that he was not hassled about the crowd or the vidwan. His thoughts were free and will unrestrained, even when India was under British occupation.
Freedom is all around us now. We can choose what we want to do. There is a wide range of activities to engage on and a world to explore. They say necessity is the mother of all innovation. But it is quite ironic isn’t it, that now we are at a point of time when our desires are running behind pleasantries around. We see something and want it at some point of time in our life. Innovation now comes with growing competition among the suppliers of those pleasantries. By doing this we have restricted our wants as well.
Our wants restricted and thoughts muted, what are we? And the worst part is that we teach the same to our kids. When we teach them to eat only our food; they learn to not share their food. We teach them to play with only a selected few; they learn to shun the others. We restrict them; they restrict the others. So there we sow seeds for discrimination, and from discrimination blooms haves and have-nots and eventually all the evils of the society.
Now what is the solution for this problem? How are we going to give ourselves this much-wanted freedom? When and how is our independence from this destructive mind block come? Every problem has a solution isn’t it!!!! While looking for a solution, I came across a news article a couple of days back. A Right to Information (RTI) activist, Ramdas, who reportedly exposed a PDS, foodgrain and fuel distribution corruption, was found dead in Nanded. The same article also mentioned the murder of Jethwa, who had just filed a PIL against illegal mining, in Gujarat a couple of months back. Now, who stopped them?
So as of now I think I will only wish my fellow Indians - ‘Happy Independence Day’. Long live our independent India.
The other day I overheard a conversation between two friends. One of them was telling her friend that she had a chance to travel abroad, but had to say no to the offer because there was no one to take care of her baby son. Her friend wanted to ask if her in-laws would not take care of him, but she herself stopped midway with the realization that they were too old to handle the naughty toddler. There was an understanding nod only to show that both were sailing on the same boat. ‘Who is stopping you?’
My friend had a skill that not many possessed. His fingers play on any surface, music that will make even the surface proud. We urged to take up playing drums more seriously. He always cribbed about his job in a BPO and cringes with even the thought of stepping into his office everyday morning. He was last to go to office, and all that he did during the day (yes, even at work) was to drum his own heart’s music. ‘Who is stopping you?’
A close pal of mine had this eternal desire to study in a top foreign B-school. He looked at pictures of students in the brochures of foreign universities and saw himself amongst them. He would see the mirror and would think, ‘Do I have in me?’ His friends including myself believe that he can do it. He has been studying for several years, not for his MBA, but for the admissions to do one. Ask him and he will say he is planning to study still. And he has been saying this (not a word otherwise) for several years now. Hmm….8 years to be precise!! This elusive MBA is only moving farther from him, even as he most gleefully says ‘Next year I am planning to my MBA’. ‘Who is stopping you?’
A group of friends coming out of a ‘city pub’ were taking their motorcycles out of the make-do parking lot. A middle-aged man walked up to them asking for money, obviously to walk into the wine shop the next second he finds that generous someone. One of them wanted to ask the already sagging-in-booze creature to stop drinking and not to beg for money. But he stopped himself. ‘Who is stopping you?’
Thanks to the growing number of vehicles on our city roads, we have frequent impromptu get-togethers. I am talking about the huddles formed around some injured or drowsy bikes or their pillions. Sometimes we see some, unconscious or bleeding profusely. We want to help. We want to call an ambulance. But we still think there are so many people around and help would come from one of them, who according to us, knows how to deal with such things (wonder, what trains them to qualify). In fact we can also hear people complaining why no one was doing anything. ‘Who is stopping you?’
Now, let me hasten the guilt trip. We see someone in the elevator who works in the same office. We want to smile, but all that we manage is too look at the ceiling or the floor. A beggar knocks at our car window. We want to dig into our wallet for some change, but something stops us. We cry of boredom, but when we get to something exciting we hold ourselves. We see someone being beaten up on the road. And all that we do is to give a sorry look at the pitiable. Now, in all these things, ‘Who is stopping you?’
These are some of my own realization. I am sure we all have several such instances when we have stopped ourselves. ‘Who is stopping us?’
We can certainly argue in our support in all the above instances. Yes, it is understandable that there would be no one to take care of a hyperactive toddler. And, it is certainly best for a trained person to handle an accident scene. So we do have justifications for all our actions. And we break all barriers to satiate our conscience that we are right and we could not have done much. Honestly, how many of us really go home with a satisfied heart after the reasons we give ourselves. Doesn’t it haunt us at least until with time it is forgotten?
Now, what is freedom? Wiki mentions ‘free will’ as a main ingredient for freedom. Freedom in our thoughts and actions, which lets us do what we really want to – free will. Freedom has its obstructers – economic, political, societal etc. But the worst of all is the barrier that grows and piles up from within - our mind block. This block stops us from giving a helping hand when it warrants, annihilates the stimulus to act or react.
This is an anecdote from the life of the great Tamil poet, Subramaniya Bharathi. As a small boy, Bharathi used to sneak into these cultural expositions like street plays, political satires, puppet shows etc. On one such escapade he went to a villu paattu exposition. The vidwan was singing on not being offered any luxuries, when Bharathi went up on stage and said that instead of thinking about such petty things we should be thinking about freedom for India. The best thing about this incidence is not only that Bharathi at that age could have such far-fledged thoughts but also that he was not hassled about the crowd or the vidwan. His thoughts were free and will unrestrained, even when India was under British occupation.
Freedom is all around us now. We can choose what we want to do. There is a wide range of activities to engage on and a world to explore. They say necessity is the mother of all innovation. But it is quite ironic isn’t it, that now we are at a point of time when our desires are running behind pleasantries around. We see something and want it at some point of time in our life. Innovation now comes with growing competition among the suppliers of those pleasantries. By doing this we have restricted our wants as well.
Our wants restricted and thoughts muted, what are we? And the worst part is that we teach the same to our kids. When we teach them to eat only our food; they learn to not share their food. We teach them to play with only a selected few; they learn to shun the others. We restrict them; they restrict the others. So there we sow seeds for discrimination, and from discrimination blooms haves and have-nots and eventually all the evils of the society.
Now what is the solution for this problem? How are we going to give ourselves this much-wanted freedom? When and how is our independence from this destructive mind block come? Every problem has a solution isn’t it!!!! While looking for a solution, I came across a news article a couple of days back. A Right to Information (RTI) activist, Ramdas, who reportedly exposed a PDS, foodgrain and fuel distribution corruption, was found dead in Nanded. The same article also mentioned the murder of Jethwa, who had just filed a PIL against illegal mining, in Gujarat a couple of months back. Now, who stopped them?
So as of now I think I will only wish my fellow Indians - ‘Happy Independence Day’. Long live our independent India.
Friday, July 9, 2010
A duel between heart and mind
Much has been said about the never-ending conflict between heart and mind. It is true that biologically heart has a completely different purpose, but philosophically they say it has a part in our thought process. Heart is generally considered the emotional and mind, the practical. We make the best of judgment with our mind, isn’t it? One such judgment is in the all-famous ‘love’. In love, there is another categorization – men think through the mind, thus practical, and women think through the heart, and thus emotional. Women folks who are reading might find the last statement absurd and untrue. But I am sure we would all agree that this is the excuse any man would give for the most ridiculous of decisions he makes. The second such judgment is in one’s career where the mind would say, stick on to what ever you are doing even though you know it makes no sense, and when your heart would say, do you want to do. It is very difficult to say what we should listen to. Your heart is right most of the times but mind is seldom wrong.
So if you are all wondering if this is going to be another love saga or if this is about a person who listened to his mind or heart and lost his life, then you are definitely wrong. This is about the 2010 world cup quarter final match between Argentina and Germany. My heart was most certainly with Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona. I am sure half the world would have wanted Messi to spin his magic. Every time the ball went to him, we could feel a rush in our adrenaline. But, did we see him on the field. I had to take a peek even in the TV trying to see him, but in vain. Jabulani had to have a fascination for the Germans especially, Bastian Schweinsteiger.
3rd minute of the match, my heart broke when Muller headed a Schweinsteiger free kick into the goal. I felt Maradona gasping. The vuvuzela blasted but this time around it was not for Argentina. Little did I know then that the match was well over with that goal and anything more would only be extra nails into Argentina’s coffin. Then it was like Argentina would score any minute. Not that after the initial setback, Argentineans’ attack was incisive. Not that Tevez had more shots on goal but lady luck didn’t sing. Every time the ‘goal-machine’ Higuain kicked Neuer had to make a ‘tough’ bend forward, to pick up a weak rolling ball. Shots were weak, Argentineans lacked purpose. Their forwards just stood, and stood behind a defender. The German defenders were never the ones to miss the ball, if in case Messi was indeed waiting for them to.
Now, the entire world, including the German fans, must have prayed for Argentina. We wanted to see a match, a fair one at least. Maradona must have given his bit during the half time break. We the Argentineans were walking to the ground, their captain Mascherano wanted a short team huddle. They came together, with more purpose, with insight and a victory in their mind, or rather heart. I was on the edge of my seat, my heart pounding for a reprisal from my favorite team. There entered my heroes in their shining armor and the Excalibur (I know these are allowed only in WWE!! So it was meant to be figurative). They indeed played with a lot of heart, just that Germans played with their mind. Argentina retained maximum possession, the famous tactics of the Germans. It was a wonder watching them play, it was like two world class teams playing. Then there he came – Miroslav Klose. The fluid German forwards proved the difference. No forward stood or lazed around. They kept moving to the gaps the Argentinean defenders gave, to make space and then seep through the defense. Klose struck for the first time in the match, his 100th, at 68’. After 6 minutes, defender Friedrich shoots his first ever World Cup finals goal. These two boulders landed straight on my heart (I know I shouldn’t be selfish, so they landed on our hearts).
The writing was on the wall (or am I mentioning this a little too late?). Argentineans must have already started vacating their hotel rooms. ‘Not yet!’ said the Germans. Fourth goal and enough for the day, Klose added his 2nd for the match to his tally, his 52nd internationally.
My heart could not take the jolts. Losing was one, but the fact that Argentineans just could not find the German net even once, left me deeply hurt. No words can possibly explaining what I was feeling then. Maradona was in tears. Tevez was inconsolable. Messi looked a little composed, at least to the media glare. Higuain must have felt the match should have been on a different day. And the world must have wanted to wake up just to realize it was a nightmare. And my heart felt like a colossal package all sorrow on earth.
I am part of a world cup predictor game in my office. And guess what, I predicted Germany would win. Men are men isn’t it. We always chose mind over heart!!
So if you are all wondering if this is going to be another love saga or if this is about a person who listened to his mind or heart and lost his life, then you are definitely wrong. This is about the 2010 world cup quarter final match between Argentina and Germany. My heart was most certainly with Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona. I am sure half the world would have wanted Messi to spin his magic. Every time the ball went to him, we could feel a rush in our adrenaline. But, did we see him on the field. I had to take a peek even in the TV trying to see him, but in vain. Jabulani had to have a fascination for the Germans especially, Bastian Schweinsteiger.
3rd minute of the match, my heart broke when Muller headed a Schweinsteiger free kick into the goal. I felt Maradona gasping. The vuvuzela blasted but this time around it was not for Argentina. Little did I know then that the match was well over with that goal and anything more would only be extra nails into Argentina’s coffin. Then it was like Argentina would score any minute. Not that after the initial setback, Argentineans’ attack was incisive. Not that Tevez had more shots on goal but lady luck didn’t sing. Every time the ‘goal-machine’ Higuain kicked Neuer had to make a ‘tough’ bend forward, to pick up a weak rolling ball. Shots were weak, Argentineans lacked purpose. Their forwards just stood, and stood behind a defender. The German defenders were never the ones to miss the ball, if in case Messi was indeed waiting for them to.
Now, the entire world, including the German fans, must have prayed for Argentina. We wanted to see a match, a fair one at least. Maradona must have given his bit during the half time break. We the Argentineans were walking to the ground, their captain Mascherano wanted a short team huddle. They came together, with more purpose, with insight and a victory in their mind, or rather heart. I was on the edge of my seat, my heart pounding for a reprisal from my favorite team. There entered my heroes in their shining armor and the Excalibur (I know these are allowed only in WWE!! So it was meant to be figurative). They indeed played with a lot of heart, just that Germans played with their mind. Argentina retained maximum possession, the famous tactics of the Germans. It was a wonder watching them play, it was like two world class teams playing. Then there he came – Miroslav Klose. The fluid German forwards proved the difference. No forward stood or lazed around. They kept moving to the gaps the Argentinean defenders gave, to make space and then seep through the defense. Klose struck for the first time in the match, his 100th, at 68’. After 6 minutes, defender Friedrich shoots his first ever World Cup finals goal. These two boulders landed straight on my heart (I know I shouldn’t be selfish, so they landed on our hearts).
The writing was on the wall (or am I mentioning this a little too late?). Argentineans must have already started vacating their hotel rooms. ‘Not yet!’ said the Germans. Fourth goal and enough for the day, Klose added his 2nd for the match to his tally, his 52nd internationally.
My heart could not take the jolts. Losing was one, but the fact that Argentineans just could not find the German net even once, left me deeply hurt. No words can possibly explaining what I was feeling then. Maradona was in tears. Tevez was inconsolable. Messi looked a little composed, at least to the media glare. Higuain must have felt the match should have been on a different day. And the world must have wanted to wake up just to realize it was a nightmare. And my heart felt like a colossal package all sorrow on earth.
I am part of a world cup predictor game in my office. And guess what, I predicted Germany would win. Men are men isn’t it. We always chose mind over heart!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)