My rants don’t end with the screenplay but with the reason behind why it was stretched to the limit, and that being the all hyped ten roles. Firstly, I failed
to
see the
need for the
ten rolesI failed to see the need for the ten roles. Some of them were outright outrageous and the rest could have been essayed by any character artist. Lets face it, you wanted to emulate your idol, the late Sivaji Ganesan and get into the record books. This thirst for roles led you to conjure three of the weirdest characters  have ever seen in Indian cinema. You may have guessed by now that I am referring to that Frankensteinsh ‘cauliflower khan’ guy who looked like the lost son of ‘Lurch‘, the irritating ‘Dubyaman‘ guy and the Chinese martial arts teacher. If they were in jest then I apologize, for I failed to see the humor in them. The three guys collectively account for less than ten minutes of screen time and their existence is justified only by the fact that you wanted to please certain sections of the society. Your fans may argue that hadn’t it been for them, Govind would have never recovered the vial. Is this the lame excuse you wish to give in the name of chaos theory? To me the film seemed to resemble the election agenda of the UPA, as it seemed to have a little something for everyone. So you had, shaivism vs vaishnavism, bio-nuclear warfare, sand mining, cancer therapy,  brahmins, muslims, christians, dalits buddhists, sikhs, strippers, CIA mercenaries, heads of state, casteism, martial arts, and a tsunami all under one umbrella called ‘Dasavataram’. Now that certainly is a feat to be proud of, but then were they warranted in the first place?

Many have been comparing Dasavataram to Sivaji, for both of them were hyped summer releases on mega budgets featuring the biggest stars of the industry. Before I receive scathing remarks on my comparison, let me tell you why I found Sivaji to be a more enjoyable experience. Firstly I had no expectations in the acting department, secondly the music was kickass and songs were well choreographed and thirdly the movie never took itself too seriously. Even in my review for Sivaji, I wrote

forget the rants, forget that there exists something called logic, watch the movie for what it is, the screaming, dancing, the rejoicing in the aisles, buckets of paper at your feet and a sore throat three hours later. This is what sums up the whole Sivaji experience.[link]

That was possible because we never took it seriously, we never sought any logic and enjoyed it for its madness. However it isn’t possible to just sit back and watch Dasavataram for you talk of things like the ‘Chaos Theory’, ‘Butterfly Effect’ and so-called mind-boggling-CGI. As educated audiences we are forced to put on our intelligent caps, recollect
wikipedia entries and
attempt to relate events
in the movie as we connect the dotswe are forced to put on our intelligent caps, recollect wikipedia entries and attempt to relate events in the movie as we connect the dots. This is where things began to fall apart for me as the loopholes seemed pretty evident. Most of the characters seemed unwanted, the music seemed insipid and the CG seemed shabby. The CG dept was the most interesting one, for some sequences were breathtaking and stunning would be a very small word to describe them, whereas some sequences reminded me of the production values of archaic times where we had cardboard houses and toy cars blown up. The much hyped tsunami sequence was ironically pretty damp but by Indian standards, it was a brave feat.

A majority of chaos has been caused not by the concepts adapted by the film but by your fans, who’ve launched a scathing attack against blogs that have carried mixed views. The illogical comments and email forwards doing the rounds today are a testimonial to your intolerant fan base. Some have even gone all the way to connect each of your role to the avataars of Lord Vishnu and thus attempting to explain the non-existent logic behind them. For every rediff style commentor who challenges my views, I have my answers ready. I managed to get a ‘Thirittu VCD’(pirated version) and can hence post screenshots and clips to elucidate my stand.

There are a few positives that mustn’t go unnoticed though. Dasavataram has proved that Mallika can even disappoint in a made-for-mallika role. The very thought of Mallika cavorting in a club as a stripper was reason enough to watch the movie, however she manages to disappoint in a role only she could have pulled off. Just like the way you managed to curb emotion, expression and even your voice behind two inches of latex. After the breathtaking first fifteen minutes, the only moment that sought attention was the short and hilarious interogation session between Balram naidu and Govind. The rest of the movie though watchable, never gained the focus it lost.

I love to see you emote, break into tears, evoke laughter and much more without even uttering a single dialogue. Such is the greatness of a great actor called Kamal Haasan who is second to none. But narcissism has it limits and calling yourself ‘Ullaga Nayagan’ on screen with a song dedicated to you is a bit too much to endure. It could have been anyone behind all those layers of latex, but I feel cheated for I wanted to see you. Ten people with oversized heads is ok for the record, a villian looking like Shane Warne suffering from pigmentation is also tolerable. The authentic accents of a dalit christian and a telugu officer reminded me of vintage kamal, while the constipated faces of the giant, chinese guy  and the president made me squirm in my seat. The nambi made us wail in support and the song that followed was heart wrenching. The sardar showed us cancer therapy that was heard of only in email forwards ridiculing the Thalaivar. The scientist was the sootradhar but the old lady made me want to slit my wrists everytime she appeared on screen. The best part was however, watching K.S.Ravikumar prancing along with scantily clad egyptian women!

In short, I missed Kamal the actor.

ps: It hurts when guys like this are touted as the ‘Tom Cruise of India‘

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Couple of weeks ago we successfully raised our voice against a popular south-indian actress. The protest deeply cut through media while people stood up and took notice of our activities. After having announced our arrival we are now looking for another issue so that we are not skirted away by the media. We seek your blessings, and direction as we scout for the next celebrity-award-function.

Your ardent devotees,

Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK)

———————————————————————————————————————–

Bhakta HMK,

First things first, I would like to thank you for the pics which are now safely stashed in my hard drive for future reference. I failed to see what you saw or maybe I zoomed too much, anyways I request all my bhaktas to save the images to gauge the threats to our so-called-culture. On my way to the ashram I heard some kids chant a few shlokas you call rhymes, I’d rather call them crimes! Take this for example.

Jack and Jill, wen Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.
Up got Jack, and home did trot As fast as he could caper
He went to bed and bound his head
With vinegar and brown paper.

• The poor little kids have been sent to fetch water from atop a hill, No parent would do that. It’s a clear cut case of exploitation and the chai/bajji-stall where they work ought to be shut down! Get the human rights commission(NHRC) to support you on child labor.
• You could take out a protest against the corporation for not providing basic amenities and forcing the public to trek miles and fetch water from a hilltop. Add a pic of an old and feeble woman or a pregnant lady and extract extra leverage from the media!
• Children are forced to visualize the image of a boy with a cracked skull and a girl rolling down the slope of a hill. These ghastly images will stay in their minds long after they are out of nursery and may give rise to violent tendencies. get a psychiatrist to back this theory!
• The male protagonist here has completely ignored his female friend. Even at such a tender age kids are taught to ill-treat the girl child. As he runs home leaving the poor girl to tend to herself we clearly see the bias against the weaker sex. You might try getting feminists to unite and support your protest.
• The boy seems to have gone to bed and this shows negligence on behalf of the parents. You might try voicing against poor parenting and how the concept of working parents harms the growth of their children and eke out a cultural angle to it as well.
• The boy has used vinegar and brown paper to patch his broken skull, lack of awareness! You can protest against the NCERT for not imparting basic first-aid as part of school curriculum and goad the govt to make people aware like those polio adverts.

Ah! I could go on, but I guess these should keep you busy for a while, do feel free to visit me for darshan.

Sincerely,

Baba bangali..

PS: Inspired by this post.

PPS: Sorry shriya darling, but you help me drive traffic!

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There’s still a mad rush outside cinema halls as people throng to watch the costliest movie ever made in the history of Indian cinema. Sivaji is a Tamil flick being dubbed and released in other states of South India, but the stunning fact is that the movie is making money in states like Maharashtra, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh. It’s not just the Tamil speaking crowd in these areas but locals as well, and that’s even more surprising. With almost all news channels doing ‘Sivaji‘ specials, and dedicated 30 min slots for reviews, stills, promos and trade buzz the hype grows exponentially. Everybody now wants to be part of this juggernaut and are trying to be associated in some way or the other, be it tickets, t-shirts or other merchandise, trivia and just about anything you can think of to make a fast buck.

The movie also brings together the biggest names in Indian cinema in Director Shankar, Music by A.R.Rahman, K.V.Anand behind the camera, Thota Tarani behind the sets, Manish Malhotra’s costumes, Peter Haynes’ fights and finally the trio of Prabhudeva, Raju Sundaram and Ragahava Lawrence as choreographers. The rising starlet of South Indian Cinema, Shriya Saran as the female lead Suman as the bad guy, and satirist Vivek as the role of Sivaji’s sidekick find themselves playing meaty roles in the movie. The movie also features many prominent South Indian actors but then Rajini takes it all. Right from the title to the credits it’s the sheer magic of Rajini’s on screen presence that keeps you glued to the seat. Tickets have been selling like hot cakes and in some areas they’ve been selling a ticket for INR 1500($37.5)! On an average though tickets generally never exceed INR 100($2.5), even in the US tickets are hard to get with most most movie halls displaying sold-out banners. Pricing the tickets at $15 doesn’t help as people are buying them no matter how much they cost. With great difficulty I managed to be part of this spectacle and I must say, its an experience worth the wait and the money spent.

The movie has generated a lot of buzz since early December with stills, and bits of information being leaked onto the internet ever since. With big names being associated, expectations have been rocketing sky high as fans patiently awaited the release. Rumors were that owing to over expectation the movie may fizz out at the box office but then all those have n=been put aside now as ‘Sivaji‘ is on course to become the highest grosser in Indian Cinema. One thing ought to be taken into consideration that it is a regional movie and only 6.3% of the Indian population speak Tamil, yet the movie outperforms all Bollywood flicks by a mile. For those of you who have never watched a Rajini movie, this hype may seem real weird and unwarranted but unless you experience it you’ll never change your opinion. The sets are spectacular and the songs have been shot spectacularly, but that is all put aside by the style, mannerisms, dialogs well in short rajinisms.I don’t find the need to discuss the plot here as you can find it elsewhere, but what I would like to speculate on is the power of cinema. A lot of hard work, style and dedication goes into making a good movie but when we speak of a great movie, it’s a different ball game altogether. A good movie is one that leaves you with a nice feeling when you come out of the cinema hall, a great movie is one that leaves a lasting impression on you for years to come. When it comes to their movies, Rajini and Shankar both excel at it and that is why you find yourself drawn to the cinema hall again and again.

Shankar is a genius, he knows the pulse of the audience, he knows how to make movies that cater to all sections of society. There are those high-flying, gravity-defying fight sequences that have the front-benchers and fans roaring, there are oodles of impromptu comedy that will have the balcony crowd in splits, there is the pain and agony of failure when ‘Aadhiseshan‘ hands over ‘Sivaji‘ a coin n asks him to beg alms for a living, sorry aunties as there is no unwanted sentiment like a death(which is turning point in most shankar movies). Shankar’s forte is attacking daily problems like corruption and he sticks to that formula again. Right from ‘Indian’ to ‘Sivaji‘, all Shankar movies show the hero unable to bear the atrocities around him and either a death or an incident act as a catalyst for the hero to fight against the system. There is no death in ‘Sivaji‘ however when he looses all his money and is left with a Re.1 coin, Rajini turns to ‘Simha padam‘ and its non-stop action thereafter. The fights are very well choreographed and the background score blends with every scene. Shankar has taken utmost care to maintain the larger than life image of Rajini with a message oriented opening song, Rajinisms, punch dialogs and tomfoolery while not wading too far away from his subject of how black money, bribes and corrupt officials are feeding of the system like parasites. Like all Shankar movies, Sivaji also finds an innovative way to fight the system which is obviously not in tandem with the law.

Rajini’s last movie was ‘Chandramukhi‘ and that was Rajini in a very mellowed down performance in a non-title role. After the debacle of ‘Baba‘, Rajini probably decided to do this movie with no hype, no image and more important no punch dialogs. Sivaji marks the return of the superstar in a title role and hogs 70% of screen time, Rajini has given up on-screen smoking and therefore he tosses a bubblegum into the air instead. Manish Malhotra has done a fantastic job on the costumes and the looks of ‘Thalaivar‘ as he is fondly called. Rajini sports over 50 differents looks and each of them is equally stunning, be it in the songs(king in ‘Vaaji Vaaji‘, villager in ‘Ballelaka‘, funky in ‘Oru Koodai‘, rockstar in ‘Athiradee‘ ) or in the scenes where he goes from riches to rags and back to riches. I’ve always maintained that what makes a great actor standout from a good actor is the ability to set aside an image and get low on comedy as well as emotion with style. Good actors can dance, fight and mouth a few good dialogues and probably end up with an award. Great actors are the ones who can do heavy emotional scenes by getting absorbed in the character, or tomfoolery and have the moviegoers in splits. This is what separates SRK, Amir Khan, Rajini, Big B, Chiru from the rest like Hrithik, Abhishek, Nag, Mahesh, Vijay, Ajith etc. In the first half Rajini almost emulates Vivek as the comedian trying to woo Shriya and it’s a treat to watch that. The scene wherein he mimics actors like MGR, Kamal Hassan is rib tickling and he performs them with utmost ease. It gets even better as this particular scene is re-shot in telugu where he mimics NTR, ANR and Chiru. The second half is pure style and substance as he bends the rules to achieve his goal. The bald headed ‘Mottai Boss‘ entry was a total shocker and had everyone completly blown away, Rajini is undoubtedly a super-style-star.

Notable rajinisms:

• Tossing the bubblegum
• Rotating his sunglasses
• Signing employment papers with both hands
• Playing with the coin before it lands in his pocket
• Rapping his fingers on his bald head
• Guitar fight and the Samurai sword fight

Shriya looks a million dollars as a pucca orthodox tamil girl and suits the role to perfection. A lot has gone into developing that look and it paid off as well. She looks stunning in the songs and Shankar has done his homework to highlight her huge eyes. Vivek is a complete package and at times in the first half seems like Rajini plays second fiddle to him. He has more punch dialogues than Rajini and literally comands screen presence in the first half as he helps Sivaji woo Tamilselvi. He is the more loyal sidekick in the second half but has the best lines. Suman is probably the most underrated actor in the South Indian Industry, but his ray-ban look as ‘Aadhiseshan‘ is a killer. Tall and burly he fits the role of a goonda turned businessman who owns colleges and hospitals that charge exorbitant fees.

Punch Dialogues

• Rajini
  • “Sivaji pera ketale chumma adhurudhulla” – “Hearing Sivaji’s name makes you feel the tremors”
  • “Kanna panninga dhaan kootama varum, singam single-a dhaan varum” – “Only pigs come in groups, lion comes single”
• Vivek
  • “Boss” – “Bachelor of Social Service”
  • “Sixkku appuram seven da, Sivajikku appuram yevenda” – “After six there is seven, after Sivaji there is no one.”
  • “Kuzhanthaigal paakurathu pogo, sivajikita vendaam go go” – “Kids watch pogo, don’t mess with Sivaji just go go”
  • “Chittoor Thaandina Kaatpaadi, Sivajiya cheendinaa Dead Body!” – “If you cross Chittoor you will reach Kaatpaadi, If you tease Sivaji you will become a Deadbody!”

Now there will be balcony rants bout how foolish some scenes were and that was always expected in a Shankar-Rajini film. The songs though shot brilliantly at magnificent locales and sets have no baring with the story line and seem like a separate track. Shankar never believes in using the songs to tell stories and therefore always has larger than life settings for them. Shankar loves technology and prefers using the latest equipment when it comes to film-making, the CGI visuals may seem a tad overdone. The fights also seem to be unwarranted for, but just to keep up with the image of Rajini and all the high flying action may not go well with the so-called posh audiences. The song and fight sequences are purely plug and play like other Shankar and can fit anywhere in the movie, we’re least bothered as they are a visual treat and bear no connection to the story. The scene where Sivaji electrocutes himself and Raghuvaran playing a guest role as a doctor performs CPR on him after 10-15 mins may seem a bit too much.

Frag everything that isn’t right and just sit back to experience the magic of Sivaji, forget the rants, forget that there exists something called logic, watch the movie for what it is, the screaming, dancing, the rejoicing in the aisles, buckets of paper at your feet and a sore throat three hours later. This is what sums up the whole Sivaji experience.

Technorati: Movie, Rajini, Review, Sivaji

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