Hitchcock, Angry men and Bollywood - A quick review

Watched few movies this week.

‘12 Angry Men’ was the best among them. If you ever get a chance, please don’t miss to watch this movie. For a movie which was taken in 1957, this one was a brave effort from the director. This movie would give you an experience of a group discussion. It revolves around 12 men who are in a jury which is on the verge of deciding the judgment on a murder case. 11 out of the 12 find the accused guilty. The one guy who thinks that the accused is not guilty talks them out of it and makes them accept his idea on reasonable doubt. Finally the jury unanimously accepts that the accused is not guilty. Prejudice always obscures the truth. That’s the core of the movie. An awesome work of direction, screenplay and acting.

Right after watching this movie and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, I committed a crime by watching 3 other Hindi movies. That was a sin. You want to what movies they were.

Baagbhan - Oh well what can I say about this movie. Except for ravishing Hemamalini and a good performance by Big B, every single scene of the movie was precariously sentimental. The whole movie was so predictable and gave me an effect of watching a Vikraman's(a tamil director) movie. The movie's attempts to connect this out-of the world characters with the ethos of sentiments towards parents which were so forced that the transcendent and feel-good leaps of that parental sentiment seemed mawkish and unearned. Salman's activities as a philanthropist were the peak of atrocities. Especially in the scenes where he talks to his foster parents with some unusual respect and best was the scene where he and Mahima take aarathi for Amitabh’s and Hemamalini’s photos. I guess the director had thought that the viewers would not even have an iota of sense. I’m perfectly alright with a little bit of sentiments in a movie, but this was a sentimental killer.

Then I put myself into an unwanted struggle by watching these made-to-be-calssic movies (Ek Aur Ek Gyara & Garv). Though I took only 30 minutes for each movie, both of them did not sieze to put me in a sensation of dizziness. These two movies unquestionably take a spot in the list of worst movies I have ever seen.

God Bless Bollywood...Actually I should say God bless us from Bollywood !!!!

Thanni Illatha Kaatukku

If you are from India and if you have watched a good amount of Indian movies, be it Hindi, Tamil or Telugu, It is almost inevitable that you would have missed a scene were a corrupt politician transferring an honest police officer to a no man’s land (Thanni Illatha Kaatuku) for interfering in his business which always pertains to corruption, women and rowdism. This not only happens in movies. It’s the reality too. Many times the politicians use this as a weapon for their self-aggrandizement. This hampers the development of a particular district when the district officer becomes the target, the case on a which a CBI officer works when he is a target and so on. Some of you might have known that the only posts which enjoys a minimum tenure of two years are the Cabinet Secretary and Directors, CBI and Enforcement Directorate. Recently the central government has added Home Secretary, Defence Secretary and Directors, IB and RAW.

The next in the list of posts on which the politicians had been using their power with impunity for a long time are the district officers and the police officers.

“A study of postings of Indian Police Service officers in the districts of Uttar Pradesh during 2004 shows that as many as 153 officers headed the police forces in 70 districts during the year at an average of about 2.2 per district. Four Superintendents of Police headed each district police force in Kushinagar, Jalaun, Mainpuri, Ferozabad and Baghpat and 17 districts saw at least three officers heading each of their police forces during the year. In other words, an officer joins the district and remains there on an average for 3 or 4 months before a new man comes to take over from him.

Corruption is not the only motive. It is done not only to reward but also to punish. This is one way to bend the entire district administration to one's will. In August 1979, the National Police Commission (NPC) stated that transfer and suspension are two weapons frequently used by the politician to bend the police officers to his will. The absence of a sound transfer policy is playing havoc with the morale of officers. But besides harming the morale, it is damaging the whole ethos and efficiency of the administrative system. One, frequent changes in the administrative heads of the districts result in poor and delayed implementation of government policies. It takes a fairly long time for the district chiefs to get acquainted with the problems of their districts, establish rapport with the community leaders and plan the implementation of policies to solve people's difficulties. "

Source:The Hindu

This is the same reason we can see the governors, commissioners and senior police officers, getting transferred when there is a change of power in the state, which is highly unacceptable. Rules like this will surely act as a check on all these, hopefully !!!

Thank God its Friday

Another awesome friday morning. Its when you are awake after sleeping over a thursday night syndrome. You feel as if you are so powerful that you can even lift 200 pounds on either shoulders. For those who dont now what is Thursday night syndrome, It is an universal mental disorder, mostly prevailent among college students and working class. The cause of this - You have worked 4 days continously and you now that you have 1 more to go and you want that to get over and you cant wait for it. Usually the symptoms are restlessnes and a strange feeling in the abdomen due to that, reduced sleep, increased appetite. Once you sleep over this syndrome, friday mornings are so fresh, you become so active, as if you are out of a flu or something. You want to get the day over with, so you become more active. This is common in most of the people white, black, asian, caucasian, mongolian with exceptions of some geeks and happens no matter how much ever you like your job.

Once again Thank God Its Friday !!!


Pack it up, pack it in
Let me begin
I came to win
Battle me that's a sin
I won't tear the sack up
Punk you'd better back up
Get up, stand up, come on!Come on,
throw your hands up
If you've got the feeling
jump across the ceiling
Jump around, Jump aroud, Jump around, Jump around Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,
Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,

I came to get down
So get out your seats and jump around
Jump around Jump up Jump up and get down.Jump

Jump around, Jump aroud, Jump around, Jump around Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,
Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,Jump,

- This is House of Pain (cypress remix version). A song that tells you how exactly one (atleast me) feels on a friday !!

So Jump ! Jump ! Jump ! Jump ! Jump ! Jump ! Jump ! Jump ! Jump ! Jump !


Have a nice weekend guys !!!

Ayutha Pooja & Dasara

Just realized that it was Vijaydasami(Dasara) yesterday, when I popped open Hindu's webpage. Usually when I was in school someone or the other used to remind about all these, because it will surely come up during the conversation with the parents. Even if your parents missed to remind you, there would be at least one parent who reminds their ward about this and that guy would have cribbed about that with you.

I'm not quite sure about the other states. In TN Vijayadasami is the day after Ayudha Pooja(Festival for the Worksman), also called as Saraswathi Pooja. As a kid, it was one of those days that I was eagerly waiting for, Diwali being the topper of the list. Until I was in 8th grade, we(me and my brother) used to attend the early pooja at home and then head out with dad to his office. As he works in the Engineering Department of Southern railways, this day was considered to be an important one at his work. Almost 300 gang men and labours assemble in the office. They used to clean the tools, the trolleys and doors to a sparkling bright, with turmeric leaves tied on either side of them. Wherever you turn you can see kunkum, mangal, sandal applied in a particular fashion. Then there is a grand aarthi, generally by the senior office of dad's. After the aarathi everyone will be distributed with a bag of apples, oranges, rice pori, jaggery. Being the smallest kid, it was almost palpable that my brother was everyone's favorite there. We used to come back home, generally with 2 other men who used to carry bulk load of bags with sweets and other stuffs. For the next two three weeks mom used to try out different kinds of pori like masala pori, sweetpori, koathamali pori.

This day has one more significance, which is the main reason I like this day. We don't have to read on this day. Books were neatly wrapped and offered in front of goddess saraswathi. Mom used to apply kumkum on them, before placing them in front of god. I always used to give the text books of the toughest subject. Chemistry and Tamil text book of mine will always find a place. Then we take the books out from the pooja room, the next day and we have to read at least for sometime on the dasara day. There by it was believed that they were invoked with the blessings from the goddess of learning, Saraswathi.

As I grew up, things were different. Mom wanted me and my brother to learn all these customs. Generally my duty was to clean all pictures, clean the pooja room, then get all those vessels ready to be washed by mom. Then I used to clean my Motorcyle and bike. Dad used to do his. Then do a small pooja for those. Then we all assemble at the pooja room were mom used do the aarthi. We uses to chant some slokas along with her. Generally on these days there will not be any breakfast, on top it all those special prepared items like vada, paayasam, sweet pongal, etcetra will be lined up in front of your eyes, but you cannot touch them until the pooja is over and prasad is offered to the crow. Mom was very strict on that. You cannot even taste them until the rituals were complete. I was always ready to take the prasad to the terrace and come back very quick and lie to mom that the crow actually ate it, even though they never turned up many times. Come-on you cant expect a crow to turn up very fast, when it is 80 degrees outside and added to that, that’s the day when they are every bodies guest. So they would have already had 2 or 3 full meals and napping at some tree top. I would take the first step and initiate the thinking of eating. Dad follows me. He knows I can’t wait for it, but he really cannot wait too.

Once I joined college, this festival always used to come during the study holidays, that is when I would have just started to read something. You can't really spare a day. So I always ended up studying on those days. Mom never worried about it, since she always knew that she has to pay for the arrear fee if I had to fail in the exam.

Suddenly I feel I miss all this fun. You never care for all these when you are actually there. Its only when you are very far away from something you really miss it. A desi crib !! isn't it.

Best Tamil songs of 2005

The year 2005 has been a bad year for Tamil Film Music. I might be oblivious, correct me if I’m wrong. From my perspective there are several reasons. The first reason, which some might think, to be a biased one is that, this year was probably the worst year for the madras Mozart ARR. He did not come out, even with a decent album. Even taking his international assignments into account, its been long since he had performed the way he used to during his prime days in Tamil. I, like many other ARR fanatics, am eagerly waiting for an alaipayuthe, KK or albums like that. The second reason which I feel is that, the taste of Tamil fans have changed a lot. Fast numbers have become a fashion. With songs Manmada Raasa, Seena thaana becoming a big hit last year, almost all the directors and Music directors came up with more fast numbers, which ia a big loss for TFM. Even other music directors like YSR, HJ, Illairaja and Vidyadsagar did not come up with a full rock-solid-album this year. Among the songs which came out this year, here’s the list of my favorite songs. Obviously YSR tops the list with most number of songs.

1. Andha Naal Nyabagam - IR (Athu Oru Kana Kaalam)
2. Pani Thuli Pani Thuli - YSR (Kanda Naal Mudhal)
3. Sutrum Vizhi Chudare - HJ (Ghajini)
4. Oru Maalai Illa veiyil – HJ (Ghajini)
5. Merke Merke Sooriyangal - YSR (Kanda Naal Mudhal)
6. Kaatril Varum – IR (Oru Naal Oru Kanavu)
7. Khagraaho Kanavilae - IR (Oru Naal Oru Kanavu)
8. Athindhom Thindiyum Nanthana - VS (Chandramukhi)
9. Ella Ella Ellla maateitaan payyan thaan - YSR (Arindum Ariyamalum)
10. Iyengaaru Veetu Alagey - HJ (Anniyan)

The other songs that I liked are konjum thira konjma thira, Kaathal enbathu kaduval allava, Uyire en Uyire ennova nadukuthadi, Saka Poadu poataale, Yaaridamum thoandravilai Ithu poal, Noothana nee Noothana.

Shooting Experience

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Yesterday I was fortunate to try out some shooting in a private shooting range which is 30 miles from where I live. It was one of its kind experience that you will have to feel for yourself. You get a chance to try out some real handguns, pistols and rifles. The way it works is, you should be 21 years and above and have a valid drivers license. You can select the type of guns you want to try and check it out for 30 mins. Then you can buy the ammo depending on the guns you have selected. I was trying a Gloak a basic model which all the cops use here and 9mm bullets. All I have to do was to fill the cartridge, load the gun and bang bang aim the target. It was a mind blowing experience. The force, that you feel for that fraction of a second when you shoot is just great. Neeless to day I hit Bulls eye. !!!

If you are in US, you must be having a shooting range near your place. I would suggest you to try that. Its lots of fun.