Why My Blog Became My Lifeline
Posted on: September 18, 2026
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Growing up in India, I was never particularly interested in academics. Going to school felt like a chore, and I rarely focused on improving myself in the classroom. The fact that I still managed to graduate and earn two degrees was largely due to the push I received from my parents and, of course, some hard work on my part.
I cannot really blame my parents, as they were products of their time. In the 1980s and 1990s, careers outside the traditional professional fields were rarely considered viable. While growing up, all I ever wanted was to somehow associate myself with cricket. I was obsessed with the game and wanted to do something that would keep me close to the sport. An engineering degree was about as far removed from that passion as possible.
Like many people I knew, I completed my engineering degree and then, at the insistence of my parents, boarded a plane to the United States to pursue a Master’s degree. The next few years of my life were a roller coaster ride. Studies, learning to manage myself, handling finances, and dealing with the pressure of finding a job after graduation defined that period.
There was a great deal of uncertainty, and with a large bank loan and mounting credit card bills weighing heavily on my shoulders, finding a job quickly was my only option. Things were not always rosy. I faced numerous rejections along the way and was even cheated by a consulting firm. Yet, with nearly $40,000 in debt, giving up was never really an option. After a couple of months of relentless hustling and applying for countless positions, Lady Luck finally smiled on me when I landed a job in August 2005.
A few days later, I flew to San Francisco to begin work. I was understandably nervous, as it was the first job of my life. The first few months were fairly mundane. I worked in technical support on night shifts, which meant there was very little excitement. The highlight of many nights was watching a colleague brew a full pot of coffee and somehow manage to drink all of it before the shift ended.
One night, while searching for a movie review, I stumbled across a blog. The blogger reviewed Tamil films and seemed a lot like me, living in the United States and probably working in IT. I started reading his posts, and in a sudden burst of inspiration decided to create a blog of my own.
I was not a good writer, nor had I ever done anything remotely similar, but I felt the need to create something. I signed up on Blogspot and launched my first blog, GirisOpinion. Initially, it was simply a place where I could pour out my thoughts about the sport I loved. Over time, however, it became much more than that.
Writing blog posts kept me sane during the first few months of my job, when I was working twelve-hour night shifts. Doing something you do not truly enjoy can drain you, and I had been experiencing that feeling ever since my engineering college days. The blog became an outlet, a way to distract myself from the stress and pressures of everything happening around me.
Whenever I sat down to write, my mind focused on nothing except the topic in front of me. For that brief period, everything else faded into the background.
A few years later, I moved to WordPress and never looked back. The blog evolved into something much bigger than I had originally imagined. It was no longer just a way to stay connected to the sport I loved. It became a space where I could share my thoughts on virtually any topic under the sun.
I never considered myself a great writer, but that never stopped me from wanting to write and maintain the blog. Over the last few years, however, things have not always been smooth. There has been a great deal of stress, and much of what has happened has been beyond my control. I moved to an entirely different continent for a new job, and with that came a fresh set of challenges.
Many times over the past few years, I have wondered whether it was finally time to close this chapter of my life. I hardly find the time to write anymore. Yet, every time I seriously consider shutting the blog down, something stops me.
I pause and reflect, and then I realize that this is not just a blog to me. It is something that helped me navigate some very difficult years after moving alone to the United States more than two decades ago. It gave me moments of peace and clarity amid the chaos. It provided an escape when I needed one the most.
That is why I keep going.
Even though I have not been able to write much lately, mostly because of what I can only describe as mental fatigue, I simply cannot bring myself to close the blog. It means far more to me than the articles I publish. It represents a journey, a passion, and a part of my identity.
The blogger who inspired me to start writing decided to stop a few years ago, but I am not there yet. So for now, I keep renewing the domain and returning whenever I can. This blog is more than a collection of articles; it is a record of my journey, a refuge during difficult times, and a reminder of who I am. Here’s to a few more years of writing, reflection, and finding peace through words.
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If someone had told me in 2019 that Virat Kohli would retire from Test cricket with an average below 50 and fewer than 10,000 runs, I would never have believed them.
That, in many ways, sums up Kohli’s Test career. It began slowly, rose to extraordinary heights, and then endured a prolonged decline that lasted almost as long as his peak. The result is a career that was undoubtedly great by most standards, but one that somehow feels incomplete given the heights he once seemed destined to reach.
I still remember Kohli’s entry into the Indian Test side. At the time, breaking into the Indian middle order was nearly impossible. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman were still around, and opportunities were scarce. Kohli got his chance during India’s tour of the West Indies in 2011 after several senior players opted to rest following the World Cup triumph.
It was a forgettable debut series, but few doubted his potential. The talent was obvious. The question was never whether Kohli would succeed in Test cricket, but how far he would go.
The first real glimpse of the player he would become came during India’s tour of South Africa in 2013-14. Although India lost the series, Kohli announced himself as a genuine Test cricketer. He showed that he possessed not only the technique to succeed at the highest level but also the temperament to take on the world’s best bowlers in the toughest conditions.
Even the disastrous tour of England in 2014, where his technique was repeatedly exposed outside off stump, proved to be only a temporary setback. The response that followed defined his greatness.
From December 2013 to November 2019, Kohli was arguably the best Test batter in the world. During that period, he scored 23 centuries in 64 Tests and averaged nearly 59. More importantly, he scored runs everywhere. Home or away, pace or spin, strong attacks or weak ones, Kohli found a way to dominate.
What made his achievements even more remarkable was that he was doing the same in white-ball cricket. While piling up runs in Tests, he was simultaneously averaging over 50 in both ODIs and T20Is. No contemporary batter matched his consistency across all three formats.
Yet Kohli’s contribution to Indian cricket extends far beyond the runs he scored.
If his batting made him a superstar, his captaincy transformed Indian Test cricket.
Under Kohli, India developed an identity it had often lacked overseas. For decades, India had relied heavily on batting and spin. Kohli’s India embraced fast bowling as its primary weapon. The results were remarkable.
The pace attack led by Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Ishant Sharma became one of the most formidable bowling units in world cricket. Supported by Umesh Yadav and a world-class spin department, India evolved into a team capable of winning anywhere.
For nearly a decade, India were virtually unbeatable at home and consistently competitive abroad. The historic series victory in Australia in 2018-19 was the culmination of years of cultural change, and Kohli deserves immense credit for driving that transformation.
His influence extended beyond tactics and team selection. He redefined fitness standards in Indian cricket and inspired an entire generation of players to treat conditioning, discipline, and professionalism as non-negotiable aspects of success.
And then came the decline.
What makes Kohli’s Test career so fascinating is not that he struggled. Every great player eventually does. It is the length and severity of the slump that remains surprising.
Until November 2019, Kohli had scored 27 Test centuries in 84 matches and averaged close to 55. The expectation was that he would cruise past 10,000 Test runs and perhaps finish with numbers comparable to the very greatest batters in the game’s history.
Instead, the runs slowed dramatically.
In his final 39 Tests, he managed only three centuries. The consistency that had defined his career deserted him. His average steadily declined, eventually settling at 46.85. By any objective measure, those are excellent numbers. Yet they fall short of what seemed inevitable at the peak of his powers.
That is the paradox of Virat Kohli’s Test career.
Most players would consider 9,230 runs, 30 centuries, and an average of 46.85 the achievement of a lifetime. For Kohli, those numbers somehow leave a sense of unfinished business because his peak suggested something even greater.
As a batter, he may not have reached every milestone many expected him to. As a leader, however, his legacy is beyond debate.
I will remember Kohli the captain more than Kohli the batter of his later years. I will remember the aggression, the belief, the relentless pursuit of excellence, and the conviction that India could compete with anyone, anywhere in the world.
His retirement feels slightly anticlimactic. A player of his stature deserved a grand farewell in front of a packed stadium. Circumstances, however, do not always allow legends to script their own ending.
Indian cricket now moves forward without both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in its Test middle order, leaving behind a significant void. Replacing their experience and presence will not be easy.
Yet all careers, even the greatest ones, eventually come to an end.
While Kohli may continue to entertain fans in ODI cricket and the IPL, seeing India take the field in whites without him will feel strange. Few players have shaped an era as completely as he did.
His Test career may not have ended with the numbers many predicted in 2019, but numbers alone cannot define his impact. He leaves behind a stronger Test team, a pace-bowling culture that changed Indian cricket forever, and countless memories that fans will cherish for years to come.
That is a legacy few cricketers can match.
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On Day 3 of this on going Test match after India had conceded 445 to the opposition, India found themselves 6/2 in their first dig. Out walked India’s most celebrated and revered cricketer over the past 2 decades to the crease to join a solid looking KL Rahul. The day so far had been marred by rain and it was certain that India wouldn’t have to face too many overs. You would expect a batter of the caliber of Virat Kohli to try and help India to salvage something to probably try to end the day with no further loss of wickets.
There were only 17 overs possible on the rain affected day for India to bat and India promptly found themselves are 51/4 on the back of yet another top order collapse. Virat Kohli as he so often does nicks one behind the wicket to get out for yet another low score. The fans of the great player might point out to the Perth innings but again at the moment it does seem an anomaly rather than a sign of a player getting back to his best. Rohit Sharma who had a great chance to redeem himself in partnership with KL Rahul on the fourth morning gets out once again to a lose shot leaving India reeling at 74/5.
I have nothing but respect for both Virat and Rohit for everything they have done for the Indian Test team over the past decade but there comes a time when all good things should come to an end. Virat at the end of the day/night Test against Bangladesh on the 24th November 2019 was on top of the world. In 84 Tests at the time, Virat had 7202 runs at an impressive average of 54.97 with 27 Test hundreds. He was on the path to Test greatness and no one doubted that it was going to happen. After that series though Virat has been in a slump which can only be described as something unprecedented. In 37 Tests after that game against Bangladesh, Virat has 1964 runs at an average of 31.67 with only 3 further hundreds. His overall career average has now dropped to 47.49 and unless he has a brilliant last 5 innings in this series, he might not get an opportunity to get to 10,000 Test runs.
Rohit on the other hand isn’t in the same class as Virat in Tests. He established himself in Tests way later than Virat did but again for few years did exceedingly well at the top of the batting order. In 26 Tests since 2019 as an opener Rohit scored 2097 at an average of 51 with 7 hundreds. His batting especially at home against spin was brilliant and he also scored a crucial hundred in India’s Test win in England. Rohit’s slump in comparison to Virat hasn’t been for too long but again it does feel that it will be hard for both these players to get out of this and actually have a career in this format.
Test cricket is a thankless format and which even someone as great as Sachin Tendulkar found during the last 2 years of his career. India are going through a transition of sorts not to dissimilar to the one which they went through under MS Dhoni in 2013-2015. After the retirement of the greats a new crop of cricketers went through 2 years where except for one Test win at Lord’s lost all overseas games but ended up forming a core for years to come. The team under Virat from 2015 was unbeatable at home and also was good enough to win overseas. The Indian team is at the similar crossroads at the moment and it is time to move forward with the young team to build for the future.
The initial results might not be the best but India need to look ahead to the future and build a team which may equal what Virat’s team did for over 5 years. Jasprit Bumrah showed that he is capable of leading the team well and India should probably let him do the same. Rohit has been a very good white ball captain but Test cricket does not seem to be his cup of tea. Over the past few months the one thing which is noticeable with his captaincy is that he runs out of ideas when things don’t go his way which is not that different from what MS Dhoni was criticised for as a Test captain.
India have enough talent at their disposal to build for the future. The future of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin is also under question as both are in the wrong side of 30’s and do not have too many years ahead of them. Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are waiting in the wings and I am sure with enough game time they can do a great great job. The team management need to make some tough calls and should have honest conversations with all the senior players. No player is bigger than the game itself and the longer the management waits to make the changes the difficult it becomes. India as a team is still one of the best in the world and this is the time to ring in the changes in Tests.
The fans are extremely grateful and love the legends of the game but again there comes a time when the team’s needs has to be put first. Thanks to Virat, Rohit, Ashwin and Jadeja for their incredible services to the Indian Team but we need to look to the next phase of Test team. I feel the Australian series would be the right time to bid farewell to the greats. India aren’t going to make it to the WTC final next year which means it would be a fresh start for the team under a new captain and young players.
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Indian cricket team has always been known for its batting over the years. Even during India’s not so lucrative years as a Test team, India always produced great batters. The bowling was a struggle but again the two things India always excelled in was spin and good batters. The last few years though hasn’t been the same for India in terms of batting. In 2012/13 when Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman retired from the game there were lots of expectations from the next crop of Indian Test hopefuls. Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli were the torch bearers for the future of Indian batting and initially it did seem that they would carry it forward effortlessly.
Despite not having great careers like their predecessors they did keep India’s batting legacy going forward for the next decade. In the recent times though with Virat losing his form and India missing the services of Rahane & Pujara, the batting has become a struggle for India. The one thing even in 80’s and 90’s India were good at was playing at home. The ability to play spin and having exceptional spinners in their side meant India were a hard team to defeat at home. That legacy is fast disappearing as well which was evident in the recent whitewash at home against New Zealand.
When we look at the batting statistics for Indian batters over the past 5 years we can spot a trend. None of the batters barring Yashasvi Jaiswal average over 50 (min qualification: 10 Tests) during that period. The senior batters have struggled and have an average of under 40. This shows a pattern which is hard to disregard. The reason for Indian struggles both at home and overseas and not being able to be consistently good in a format which the team takes so seriously is due to the same fact. When we look at the average of the same batters at home only Pant & Jaiswal shine. India’s best batter Virat Kohli averages just 29 at home and Rohit Sharma is only slightly better at 35. The overall average of Indian top 6 over the same time has been a respectable 36 but again the heavy lifting mostly has been done by middle order along with Jaiswal. If we look at the stats for the 5 years before that for the top 6 it reads 53. When you look at the change in those numbers you can see how badly the batting has suffered over the past 5 years. Virat Kohli during those 5 years before his slump was marching towards Test greatness, Pujara was having a dream run and Rohit who had just made a comeback also was looking in good touch at least in India.
Something suddenly flipped in 2019 which turned the golden period into a slump which is hardly seen with Indian batting for a long time. India before Jaiswal made his debut, went through couple of years without a single batter in top 6 averaging 50 in Tests. I can’t remember when the last time it was? May be after Sunil Gavaskar retired and before Sachin found his feet? We know that every team has a phase where great players retire and there is a period of lull but India have always found someone to take over. Virat Kohli was that person for India for majority of his career until he fell into the biggest slump seen from a top batter in the world. Sachin’s last 2 years of slump was thought of as being disastrous but that has been upstaged for sure. The batting decline over the years finally culminated in that 3-0 drubbing at home, India’s first in 12 years.
When everyone thought that India probably have reversed the trend with their batting in the second innings of the first Test, the second Test proved that innings to be an anomaly . While fast bowling resources have improved enormously for India the batting at the same time has seen a major decline. If we were to look at the history of the sport, the only two teams which dominated Test cricket for a period of time had both the aspects clicking together at the same time for a significant amount of time. India have struggled to do that over the past few years. The inability of the batters to learn from their mistakes and improve on their flaws is completely missing from this era of batters. Virat for example took great effort in improving his technique against the moving ball after the disastrous 2014 series in England but has fallen back to his old habits once again. His will to improve doesn’t seem to exist anymore and his falling Test average is a testament to that. Rohit Sharma, I feel wasn’t the best Test player even when he started off but again with waning reflexes, he does not have anything to fallback on. Pujara and Rahane suffered a slump so big that they are no longer in the scheme of things. Gill is 30 Tests old but he hasn’t been consistent enough and also hasn’t had the luxury of playing in a settled firing batting line up. Only batter who has been consistent and has been performing brilliantly over the last 5 years has been Rishabh Pant. He was India’s best Test batter before his injury and after returning he still has been India’s hope with the bat in hand. The pressure is finally showing on the little man as it is hard to be a lone warrior in the toughest format of the game.
India will go into the 3rd Test at Brisbane with lots of questions. The biggest one is their batting. While Jaiswal and Gill are the future of Indian Test batting, the management would be thinking about who else can make it to the top 6. The batting has to improve for India if they are to consistently challenge teams around the world and also win that elusive World Test Championship. The 3-0 loss against New Zealand at home has almost put paid to their hopes of making yet another finals baring miracle. India need to seriously think about the future of the two senior batters in the line up and also think about who they want to back in the Test format. Virat Kohli is a great of Indian cricket but even his most ardent fan would agree that his method of getting out has become too repetitive to keep defending anymore. Rohit Sharma has been struggling in all formats and has been using carefree cricket to mask his struggles.
India are still a very good Test team and have very talented players waiting to break into the Test team, the question though is if the management has a vision. I never had any major hope on Gautam Gambhir and so far his tenure as a coach has been poor. The team selections, the backing of players in Tests have all been confusing and inconsistent. The only format where India have got things right is in T20Is and we can see the results showing in the recent months. India need to do something quickly if they want to continue to be a force in Tests in the coming years. Identifying the core of Indian batting take India forward for the next decade is a challenge and I hope that the management can think ahead. India fell off the wagon in this WTC cycle suddenly after being at the top for the most of it but again things aren’t that dire at the moment but again selection of the right personnel is important.
The next few years is crucial for the Indian Test team and players like Sai Sudharshan, Jaiswal, Sundar, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill should be part of Indian top 6 in coming years and we also have players like Jurel, Sarfaraz and few others who need to be given consistent chances. If India need to arrest this batting slump, they need to make some tough calls and hope this management is strong enough to make those calls.
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The year 2024 began for Tamizh industry with 2 big films release on Pongal. The first one was Dhanush’s Captain Miller and the other was Sivakarthikeyan’s Ayalaan. Both films even though collecting decently at the box office did not impress the critics that much. Following that Tamizh cinema did go through a drought in terms of content and success at the box office. All was not lost though as at the same time we did have movies like Lover and Garudan which were very good.
During that time the Tamizh YouTube content creators had a field day criticising the content and the industry. The one thing they realised as well was that criticising their industry actually got them new fans and subscribers. The constant videos putting down the industry and it’s content and appreciating other industries actually created a new fan base for these creators. The success of Malayalam cinema at the start of the year fueled this change among these creators. We all know how passionate Malayalam cinema fan base is and the Tamizh YouTube content creators took full advantage of that. The fact which was completely ignored during this time was that Tamizh cinema had a great 2023. Even at the end of the year a movie like Parking released to huge critical acclaim but these videos made everyone believe that the industry has been struggling for years.
The same people who posted a video a week to appreciate and promote other industries disappear completely when a good Tamizh cinema releases. This has been a trend and not something new to 2024. Even in the past few years when a good Tamizh content releases these so called experts disappear except for the movie review. There will be no follow up, no appreciation videos etc will be seen from these creators. The second half of the year has been brilliant so far from Tamizh cinema. Starting from the successful Maharaja films like Lubber Pandu, Kottukkali, Meiazhagan, Amaran, Thangalaan, Raayan, Vaazhai etc became critically acclaimed films.
Despite producing such widely accepted content in the second half the narrative of Tamizh cinema struggling is being propagated by these so called experts. Who are these YouTube experts? What is their credentials? Why do we give so much importance to their opinion? These are some questions the audience of these channels need to ask. Anyone who is reporting on something need to have some sort of journalistic ethics. Obviously none of these people have studied journalism have no clue what that means. The major cornerstone of journalism is integrity which many of these people lack. The other most important ethics of journalism is accountability, trust and truthfulness. When we look at these content being posted these days it is just done for the sake of increasing the subscribers count.
If any of these creators had integrity they would have at least posted some appreciation videos later in the year when Tamizh cinema produced some good content. The fact that there are more videos criticising and trolling Kanguva than appreciating a film like Meiazhagan shows the shallowness of these creators. The amount of appreciation videos we see of Meiazhagan, Vaazhai, Lubber Pandu etc from other language creators show how selfish and horrible Tamizh content creators are.
I am not saying don’t appreciate other language films, actually I am saying the opposite. Appreciate good content irrespective of the language and have some integrity when posting content. I agree it takes lots of effort to produce a video, edit it and publish the same and they obviously need subscribers to run a channel but what they are doing right now is unethical. Criticism is important for any industry and if you see content creators from other South Indian languages are harsh on poor content from their industry but none of them go to the extend Tamizh creators go. They don’t put down their industry to appreciate other regions to the level our creators do. Why is that I ask? Is it because we are so insecure that we are afraid of appreciating our industry? Is it because we think if Tamizh cinema is appreciated their subscribers will leave them? I am not completely sure but this needs to stop.
People who are jumping on such creators bandwagon are also to blame including other language fans who actually think these people mean what they post. The fans and creators from other South Indian industries are way ahead of the so called experts from Tamizh. They not only appreciate other industry content but also post a balanced view of their own industry. When Malayalam cinema was doing so well earlier this year we did not see a Telugu YouTuber posting a video attacking their industry nor did we see Kannada content creators doing the same. So why are we doing this is a question we viewers need to ask as well. I don’t mind criticism as not everyone has to like a film. There are a lot of them who did not like Meiazhagan as well which is fine as it is their prerogative but their needs to be some kind of fairness in the content they post on their channels. When you troll or post negative reviews of a film, appreciate good content as well. Don’t just post videos to appease fans from other industries for the sake of subscribers, it just looks bad.
I am not saying everyone is bad, there are a few good ones here and there but again when you have so many poor ones good ones are hard to find. While social media has made it easier for a common man to dabble with journalism the ethics of such a role should still remain valid. While proper journalist and reviewers will refrain from trolling or posting polarising content just to increase subscribers these self proclaimed experts do it only for subscribers. I am a fan of Indian cinema and watch content from all languages if the content interests me. Never have I appreciated an industry just to put down the other, even when talking with my friends. Good content comes from all industries and so do the bad ones. At the end of the year every industry at the maximum will have only 10-15 films which remain in our minds. Even Malayalam industry known for its content cannot buck that trend. No one can say an industry produced 50 great films a year, that is not possible. The fact everyone knows and still we promote and support such creators who make us believe otherwise.
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Two years ago I wrote an article about how Tamizh cinema is failing the Pan-India test and how their lack of promotions causes lack of visibility of their content. The want to have a largely successful Pan-India film also has compromised quality of the well known Tamizh masala films. Tamizh cinema is not alien to Pan-Indian success. The current YouTube generation do not realise how big of a hit movies like Roja and Bombay were. These were the days before people only cared about content and did not care about how much money the movies made.
There were also Shankar’s movies like Indian (Hindustani), Enthiran and 2.0 which were pan-India success stories. So in a way Tamizh cinema was the pioneer in Pan-Indian films. Not only movies Tamizh cinema also produced first pan-Indian stars. So this is not something Tamizh cinema should be concerned about as they have nothing to prove. Tamizh cinema was never known for high budget extravaganzas like how Telugu cinema always did. Yeah Tamizh industry made mindless action films as well but again those were rarely successful. The only kind of films which actually were successful were movies with decent story line or movies with some message like the ones S Shankar made.
Now with the pressure of making films which breaks the 1000 cr barrier, Tamizh cinema has forgotten what made them tick over the years. Nothing against movies like Kanguva which is a great attempt but again the want to make a highly successful film the industry is trying to manufacture films which is never going to work. To be frank except for Telugu cinema none of the other industries are able to make movies which continuously match their own success. Kannada industry which put itself on the map with KGF 1 & 2 could not make another film with the same success. I wouldn’t include Kantara with KGF as they are not the same kind of films.
If what we have seen over the past 2 years is any indication Tamizh cinema is more comfortable in generating good content without having to try too hard to impress the wide audience. The movies which were made for local audience without the intention of going pan-India are the movies which actually went across borders and was liked by everyone. This exactly has been the template of Malayalam cinema as well. They have been concentrating on good content and while they might have not made a 1000 cr film, they don’t seem to care about the same.
What Tamizh cinema has shown over the past 2 years is the same. The industry is more comfortable creating good content and not very adept in creating this big scale put together films which other industries are more capable of. Even the big star masala films which have been successful over the past couple of years have been different content with good film making. The only star who has been successful despite questionable content has been Thalapathy Vijay but that cannot be taken as the norm. Even Vijay has collaborated with good directors and has produced movies like Thuppaki, Kaththi and Leo over the last decade. Vijay has a huge fan base which makes his films kind of “content proof” if you want to call it that.
This year we have had brilliant films come out of Tamizh cinema and has been loved by everyone irrespective of the language they speak but again none of these films were large scale films. I am not saying the industry should not try to make films for box office success but again when Manirathnam or Shankar made those films in the 90’s they did not think that they are making a pan-Indian film. They made the films for Tamizh audience but the content took the films across India. The want to manufacture a film to appeal to larger audience will never work. The reason Telugu cinema is successful is because, that has been their strength over the years.
It is okay to be known as the industry which creates good content like Malayalam cinema rather than going for glory with half baked content in the name of pan-India. The success of movies of Meiazhagan, Vaazhai, Lubber Pandu, Maharaja, Amaran etc should tell the film makers as to what kind of films the audience is expecting. Tamizh cinema has always been experimental but again it has always been with a good story and film making. I hope we go back to the roots and make the kind of films we are known for and if that becomes pan-India success then that should be a bonus.
After Thalapathy Vijay announced that his next film will be his last due to his foray into politics, there have been lots of speculation about who the next Superstar in Tamizh cinema would be. Vijay himself in is speech mentioned passing on his baton to Sivakarthikeyan (SK) but again the discussions are still on. Lots of YouTube media channels have also had discussions to analyse as to who will take over and become the next superstar in the coming years.
The discussions are hot at the moment after the grand success of Amaran recently in theatres. Funnily enough Amaran isn’t the typical Tamizh superstar film. The speculation about SK becoming the next superstar is at it’s peak though after this success. The bane of Superstars in Tamizh cinema though is that once you become one your range and options in the commercial space decreases. Even though this is not the case with Malayalam cinema, Tamizh, Kannada and Telugu cinema superstars face this fate. For example Mammootty can remain superstar in Malayalam and still do movies like Kaathal, Peranbu, Nanpakal Nerathy Mayakkam kind of films but in other Southern industries superstars cannot do that.
Lets take Superstar Rajinikanth for example, he has been trying to branch out and make different kind of films but has not been that successful. His recent Vettaiyan was a different kind of film for the superstar but wasn’t that kindly received by the audience who wanted more mass which apparently was missing in the film. Technically if you see Tamil Cinema has only had 4 genuine superstars, MGR, Rajinikanth, Vijay and Ajith. I wouldn’t place Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Hassan, Suriya, Vikram etc in that space as they never compromised on content and always did different films through their careers. If Vikram and Surya became superstars they wouldn’t have been able to do a Thangalaan or Jai Bhim respectively.
This is the reason I feel Tamizh cinema does not need another superstar. Sivakarthikeyan, Harish Kalyan. kavin etc who are the young stars of Tamizh industry have been dabbling with some different subjects in recent times which has been refreshing. For example SK’s Maveeran is the most original superhero movie in recent times and if he does graduate to become a superstar, he would not be able to do another film like that. Even though Vijay and Ajith have tried to branch out and do something different they still have to remain inside their superstar circle and cannot experiment too much. This kind of creates sameness in the type of content they are involved in. We cannot blame the stars of these states though as the audience themselves do not want to see them in movies which do not present them in larger than life characters.
While the audience is happy to see SK now in a realistic portrayal of Major Mukund Varadharajan in Amaran, they may not be able to see him such roles if he were to become a superstar. With superstardom the budgets increase and the content takes a hit at most times. The movies might collect a lot but again it will not mean it is good cinema. Luckily so far in Tamizh cinema the current superstars have managed to dance around their superstardom to do some different roles which is due to their collaboration with some fantastic young directors but it is not the case all the time. This is the reason I do not want to see another superstar in Tamizh cinema. These young actors should take Vijay Sethupathy as an example and work towards becoming the stars who value the content and do not fear dabbling with different roles. Vikram is an example as well as he can still do a Deiva Thirumagal and Thangalaan without having to worry about his market. If you are a superstar I don’t think you can do that.
For the sake of the betterment of Tamizh cinema, I hope the young actors remain the stars they are and continue to give us fresh subjects and original content like they have been doing over the past few years. I don’t think there needs to be a desperate attempt to create another superstar in Tamizh cinema unless we can treat superstardom like how Malayalam cinema does.
- In: Bollywood | General | Movies | Reaction Channels | Tamil Movie | YouTube
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I rarely write about YouTube reaction channels. Most of the time, I simply ignore them. But a recent reaction to the trailer of Amaran left me genuinely disturbed. Over the last decade we know that reaction channels have become a thing and they have all kind of become self proclaimed experts on everything. We as an audience don’t question their credentials or their expertise on a subject and just view their videos and put them on a pedestal. The biggest gainers of this wave have been foreign Youtubers. The channels which had hardly any subscribers or views jumped on the Indian bandwagon to increase their popularity.
There have been a lot of them who have propped up recently. There are a few channels who actually give respect to the content they are watching and to the culture of the people whose content they are reacting on but not everyone does that. Recently I saw a reaction of a Tamizh trailer reaction by an American reaction channel. The trailer was of the movie Amaran, a movie which is close to the heart of all the Indians. A story of courage, valor and sacrifice of Major Mukund Varadarajan. I have no issues with people watching something and saying it is not for them or they did not like the content they are watching but to outright make fun of what is happening on the screen is appalling.
Making fun of the person who isn’t alive and his family who went through tremendous pain shows what sort of people we have been supporting. The way they were laughing at Sai Pallavi, who is actually playing the role of the wife of the Major, Indhu Rebecca Varghese was horrible to watch. Knowing very well that this a story about a real life person and about his family and to still make fun of the characters in the movie is a new low. You don’t have to actually be a Army family to understand loss of human life and the impact it creates on the immediate family. One of the reactors says she does not connect to the sentiment as she is not from the region is the most ridiculous comment I have heard in recent times.
The fact of the matter is that all countries have their Military forces and this is a universal story. Even if we cannot resonate with their pain we can all relate to the loss the family faces when they lose a loved one. Here is a story of a wife who lost her husband, a kid who lost her father and parents who lost their son and all you could do is laugh at them? This is poor. I am sorry I have lost all respect to that channel and I at least will not watch any videos from any of them in that panel. I don’t have issues people criticising content of the film based on the making or the story etc but to make fun of characters knowing very well that this is not a work of fiction is something I cannot get past. People need to realise that none of these people have any attachment or connection to our films but just do it because they get lots of views and subscribers. I am not saying everyone is bad, there are very good ones who actually take an effort and these people are not them.
I don’t want to mention their channel or any names here as that is not my intention. The problem was not that they disliked the trailer. The problem was that they failed to recognize the humanity behind it. When stories are based on real people, empathy should come before entertainment. Unfortunately, in the race for views and subscriptions, that is sometimes forgotten.
- In: Cricket | Cricket and Sports | General Lunch Time talk | India | New Zealand | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match
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Whenever India’s famous victory at the Gabba in 2021 is discussed, the spotlight inevitably falls on Rishabh Pant’s match-winning heroics. Yet one of the most significant contributors to that triumph was Washington Sundar, a player whose very presence in the playing XI had been born out of necessity rather than planning.
When Sundar boarded the flight to Australia, he was little more than a backup option. India already had Ravichandran Ashwin, who was arguably outbowling Nathan Lyon in the series, and few would have imagined Sundar making his Test debut at the Gabba. But injuries had severely depleted India’s resources by the time the fourth Test came around, and when Ashwin was ruled out, Sundar found himself thrust into one of the most memorable Tests in Indian cricket history.
It was a surprise selection in more ways than one. Sundar had hardly played any first-class cricket in the years leading up to his debut, and questions remained about whether his off-spin was good enough for the demands of Test cricket. India viewed him largely as a like-for-like replacement for Ashwin, a player capable of contributing with both bat and ball.
Thrown into the deep end, Sundar responded admirably.
Bowling on a Gabba surface that offered little assistance to spin, he delivered a disciplined spell to claim the wickets of Steve Smith, Cameron Green and Nathan Lyon. His figures of 3 for 89 in 31 economical overs helped restrict Australia to 369, ensuring India remained in the contest.
If his bowling performance was impressive, his batting was arguably even more revealing.
Walking to the crease with India still staring at a substantial first-innings deficit, Sundar displayed a level of assurance that belied his lack of experience. After Pant’s dismissal, he joined forces with Shardul Thakur in what proved to be one of the defining partnerships of the match. Their counterattack not only rescued India from a precarious position but also laid the foundation for the famous chase that followed.
What stood out wasn’t merely the 62 runs Sundar scored. It was the manner in which he scored them. Against a quality Australian attack, he looked composed, technically sound and completely unfazed by the occasion. Rather than batting like a lower-order all-rounder, he looked every bit a genuine middle-order player.
The signs continued in the home series against England later that year. Sundar contributed valuable runs again and, at one stage, averaged more than 66 with the bat in Test cricket. While his bowling remained a work in progress, India appeared to have discovered a valuable all-rounder capable of strengthening the balance of the side.
Then came the setback.
Just as his Test career was gaining momentum, injuries halted his progress. Sundar disappeared from the red-ball setup and spent the next few years battling fitness concerns while re-establishing himself through domestic cricket and white-ball formats.
His recent return against New Zealand, however, offered a reminder of why so many people had been excited about him in the first place.
The headline numbers, a stunning 7 for 59, immediately grabbed attention. Conditions in Pune undoubtedly favoured spin, but it would be unfair to dismiss the performance as merely a product of the pitch. More encouraging than the wickets themselves was the improvement in his craft. Sundar looked more confident, more controlled and far more threatening than the bowler who made his debut three years earlier.
That development could be significant for India.
Replacing a cricketer of Ashwin’s stature is impossible. Players with more than 500 Test wickets do not come around often. But Sundar offers India a different kind of value. He is a capable top-order-quality batter who can bowl meaningful overs, provide balance to the side and contribute in multiple phases of a Test match.
India’s future will not depend on finding another Ashwin. It will depend on discovering players who can build their own identities.
Washington Sundar has the talent to be one of them.
The Gabba showed India what he could become. His comeback against New Zealand suggests that promise remains very much alive. The journey is still in its early stages, but after years interrupted by injuries, Sundar finally has another opportunity to establish himself in the format where he first announced his arrival.
For both Sundar and Indian cricket, that is an exciting prospect.
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