Kabali - Movie Review - No Spoilers

My quick take on the film that's on everyone's minds today.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely Yes. It is a good film.


What is good?
Rajnikanth - Don't expect the 40 year old you saw in Baasha or the swagger of Sivaji. The director has made it very clear that he is playing his age. So expect a performance as mature as his age and he will not disappoint you. Infact, I loved some of the emotional scenes and his performance.‪#‎magizhchi‬ to see him take this route and it paying off.

Ranjith-Rajni Balance - The director has struck a wonderful balance in how he has treated the Superstar giving ample space for the whistles as well as the character. Augurs well for the future!

Radhika Apte - All it takes is one scene for her to prove why she is so sought after.

Duration & Script - It is not a long movie by Kollywood or Rajni movie standards with a running time of little over 2 & half hours and was engaging. The script does not give you much scope to think with all the characters and events, despite its relaxed pace, which I think is a big positive. Good balance again!

Others: 'Neruppu da' theme from the already popular soundtrack (Mayanadhi plays out beautifully!) and some adequate performances from the co-artists. Good cinematography (subtle and not on your face, which I think is a big plus) and neat editing.

What could have been better?

I don't have a list here. No Major grudge either. Maybe the 2nd half could have been just a few minutes shorter. No stand out performance either from the supporting cast with a couple of them looking amateurish at places. A more menacing Antoganist could have added more value.

It is a gangster film. So expect some violence and bloodshed. It is not too much gore though.

Final Thought: Good film with a strong 'performance' from the Superstar. Do watch it!

Tamasha - Music Review

Post 'Rockstar' there is always the curiosity element when Imtiaz Ali and Rahman come together. 

'Tamasha' starring Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in the lead is their 3rd outing. Here is a quick look at the tracks.

Matargashti - sounds more like a 'Rockstar' leftover, more so because of Mohit Chauhan's singing, till Rahman comes up with a lilting twist half way through the track. One that will rock the charts for sometime to come.

Heer Toh - rides on Irshad Kamil's Hinglish lyrics and exploits Mika's singing skills pretty well, which is not the case most often and ends on frenzied high. One can imagine the  heroine wiping her tears away and joining in to shake a leg as the pace picks up towards the end. Heer Toh Abhi Khush hai!

Tum Saath Ho -  is from a standard Rahman melody template, one that you have heard in the past in possibly Sadhna Sargam's voice. One cannot ignore Alka Yagnik almost sounding like Lataji. Passable.

Wat Wat Wat - Rahman strikes a lovely balance of pep and melody with this infectious track. Arijit Singh & Sashwat Singh only take it a notch higher with their rendition. One of those tracks that you will come to love after a few listens.

Chali Kahani - This dramatic track swings between moods and genres and is an interesting listen for some of the transitions. Sukhwinder handles it pretty well, ably supported by Haricharan & Haripriya. One has to wait and see how this is used in the film. 

Safarnama - Lucky Ali sounded very Rahmanish in this song. Rahman also pitches in with some vocal backing in the interludes. The song ends better than it starts with Rahman upping the ante half way thru. Could go on to become a favorite with FM stations along with Wat Wat Wat and Matargashti

Parade De La Bastilla (Instrumental) - Has a very celtic feel to it and should work well as background material

Wat Wat (Vengeance Mix) - I liked the other version better. The mix sounds a bit too forced and out of sync to me. The other version had a inherent beauty that seems suppressed here with the 'vengeance'

Tu Koi Aur - Perfect track for the director to put together montages of the lead pair reminiscing their happier past. Typical slow burner from Rahman, with fantastic support from Alma Ferovic and a majestic Western classical choir. Rounds up the soundtrack well and on a high.

Imtiaz Ali and Rahman have set such lofty standards for themselves with 'Rockstar' that it is tough to scale it with every outing. This is definitely not comparable to 'Rockstar' but certainly better than their second outing 'Highway'.

My Picks: Wat Wat and Heer Toh

Swappnam - Dance, Theatre, Dreams

I am in a Trance.. Trance created by dance.. Dance emanating from a dream and a dream realized by Music..

Unlike anything I have heard before, the soundscape conceived and created by Maestro Isaignani ILaiyaraaja for the Dance show "Swappnam", conceptualized, directed and choreographed (alongwith Vaibhav Arekar) by Krithika Subrahmanyan, resonates with infectious energy and one is left asking for more.

The rich canvas he paints with his music holds the well choreographed abstract act by Krithika and team, together and portrays multiple hues and emotions that may miss the grasp of even the one's uninitiated to classical dance formats.

Featuring stars and stalwarts from the classical music field, including Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr.TV Gopalakrishnan, Sudha Raghunathan, Abhishek Raghuram, Embar Kannan, Bharath Sundar, Composer-Singer Sharreth Vasudevan, Rajhesh Vaidya, Haridwaramangalam AK Pazhanivel, Palakkad Sreeram, Rajashree Pathak among others from his own troupe of musicians and technicians, the composer encapsulates the works of Manickavaachaagar, Sundarar, Thirumoolar, Gopalakrishna Bharathi, Adi Shankara and many others like only he can in the space of about one and a half hours.

The western classical piece that seamlessly culminates in the "Ezhisayaai Isaipayanaai" or the "Bhajeham Bhajeham Shivoham" sung brilliantly by Rajashree Pathak or the grand finale in "Ammaye Appa" or the "Pradeepta Rathnojwala" (which I learn is from the Ardhanareeshwara Ashtakam by Adi Shankara) sung by Sharreth and Arunmozhi (Flautist Napoleon Selvaraj) or the intriguing Nandicchol constructed on top of a host of percussion instruments or the rich tapestry of rhythms sprinkled across the medley or the chanting of vedas, rudram and chamakam, this multilayered soundscape is another feather in the already sparkling bejeweled crown of this great composer.

The interludes of "Bhajeham" transports one to Kashi for a splendid "Vishweshwara Darshan". The on stage 'Uzharcchi' visualization of 'Ayye Mettha Kadinam' was interesting. The popular composition in Jonpuri "Eppo Varuvaaro" or the Neelambari based lullaby bit - everything plays out quite beautifully in the scheme of things.

The dance and choreography were pleasing to the eyes and I was blessed to get a glimpse of Padma Bhushan Prof.CV Chandrasekhar whose cameo appearance left the rasikas enthralled.

I sincerely wish the producers of the show take it to other centers (the show premiered on Dec 28th, followed by 2 more shows on Dec 31st and Jan 2nd, 2015-all in Chennai) for more people to soak in this wonderful dream.

An audio cd containing selected tracks from the show is also available for music lovers to revel in and get a feel of the surreal world of 'Swappnam'.

Muzhudhaai Unarndhavar Yaaro - Lyrics (Tamil)

I was looking for the lyrics for the Sai Bhajan 'Muzhudhaai Unarndhavar Yaaro' popularized by MS amma. Since I could not find the same documented anywhere, I penned it down (in Thamizh).

Originally part of the multilingual album 'Sathya Sai Sangitanjali', this Behag based song, I understand, was composed and written by Athmanathan. This was later released as part of the compilation "Thamizhe Isayaai" featuring Thamizh compositions sung by MS Amma.

முழுதாய் உணர்ந்தவர் யாரோ? சாயி உன்னை

முழுதாய் உணர்ந்தவர் யாரோ?

பார்த்தனுக்கு கீதை சொன்ன பரந்தாமா, இங்கு

பாலனுக்கு பாடம் சொன்ன மாயம் என்னவோ! (முழுதாய்)

அங்கேயும் இங்கேயும் எங்கெங்கும் நிறைந்திருந்தும்,

அன்பர் மனதுக்குள்ளே அடங்கி ஒடுங்கும் உன்னை (முழுதாய்)

அம்மையாய் அப்பனாய் அம்மையப்பனுமாகி

இம்மையில் எனக்கும் இன்னருள் பொழியும் உன்னை (முழுதாய்)

கொண்டது எந்தனை கொடுத்தது உந்தனை

என்ன கணக்கோ இது ஏதும் புரியாது (முழுதாய்)

Queen - Movie Review - Hindi Film

'Queen', the story of Rani from Rajouri Garden, Delhi, has been making waves since its release alongside the lot more publicized 'Gulaab Gang'. But looks like the box office has not been so kind to the women in pink.

After almost a week long deliberation, we decided to celebrate the 'holi'day with Kangana Ranaut and she absolutely made our day!

The film begins with a tribute to its cinematographer Bobby Singh, who, I understand, passed away mid way during the shooting of the film (& Special Chabbis).

Directed by Vikas Bahl, who earlier gave us 'Chillar Party', the film stars, alongside some brilliantly cast character artistes in various supporting roles, Rajkummar Rao and Lisa Haydon.

A bride-to-be, dumped by her fiancee, 2 days before the scheduled wedding decides to go on the already planned honeymoon all by herself and in the process learns to live life on her own terms. Any similarity to last years hit 'English Vinglish' is only coincidental, I guess, as Vikas dishes out well etched scenes one after the other to keep things moving.

The dialogues (co written by Kangana), hilarious at times, are uncluttered and real, for a film that hinges completely on the actors and their interactions, what with most of the film being shot abroad and key characters that do not speak Hindi. Kudos!

Amit Trivedi deserves special mention for the soundtrack and every song fit the bill perfectly. I have raved enough about the songs (London Thumakda and Ranjha-credited to Rupesh Kumar Ram, being my favorites) on my fb page. It was interesting to see the usage of Sitar in the Rock show scene. Another stellar effort post Lootera, where I thought his background score was brilliant.

The screenplay does lose a bit of steam in the second half as some scenes seem repetitive but thankfully it picks up pace again at the right time. The Roxette episode I thought was an unnecessary detour and hardly leaves an impact. Further, the reason for Vijay's (Rao) change of heart could have been established better. Nevertheless, the writing does leave a moist eye at places.

Lisa Haydon is vibrant (in every way!) as Vijayalakshmi ;) ;) Rajkummar Rao as Vijay does his part well. Even the Japanese & Russian room mates in Amsterdam and the Italian chef are perfect choices and throw in nuanced performances. The 'sense of humour' that keeps you smiling though out needs special mention. The french toast, the sex toy shop, the hostel, the non-veg jokes of Santa-Banta, the lizard et al..

But in the middle of it all, is an outrageously heart warming performance from the leading lady

Kangana Ranaut, who does not let you take your eyes off her even for a split second. Whether it is the drunken street dance (to the kick-ass rejig of Anhonee's Hungama Ho Gaya) outside the discotheque in Italy or the pleading at the coffee shop in Delhi, Kangana's Rani is one of the best enacted leading roles I have come across in a recent times. And going by the trailor of her next, 'Revolver Rani', Kangana is certainly setting a few benchmarks for the bollywood leading ladies. Hats off!

My Verdict: Highly recommended. Kangana's Rani will leave a smile on your face as you step out of the movie hall.