Archive for the ‘General’ Category
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 normally don’t write about such things as I normally don’t care about what people are posting on YouTube or on social media but this one hit me hard. 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. When you watch something like that you just can’t look past it which is the reason for my rant.
- In: Cricket and Sports | General | IPL | Twenty20
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Chennai Super Kings haven’t had the greatest of seasons so far. With just 3 wins from 9 games their chances of getting to the playoffs is thinning with every loss. Their loss against Delhi Capitals over the weekend was a must win game to keep their confidence going but again despite putting up a good total their bowling and fielding let that chance slip.
While Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab kept their hopes alive with a moral boosting win, they also put a lot of pressure on CSK and Rajasthan Royals. CSK not only lost the game against Delhi Capitals, they also lost their star all-rounder Dwayne Bravo to injury. Losing him mid game and having to bowl Ravindra Jadeja in the final over cost them dearly. This would also mean that they would have to change their team combination once again. CSK haven’t been able to field a settled combination so far this season and Bravo’s absence is not going to be easy.
The middle order batting options isn’t something which is abundant in CSK’s arsenal. They only have Kedar Jadhav and Narayan Jagadeesan in their squad to fill that slot. The other decision they need to make is between Josh Hazlewood and Lungi Ngidi. Kedhar Jadhav had a poor IPL and was a regular for CSK in the first few games. He isn’t bowling anymore which means that he needs to play only as a batter in the XI. He really struggled with the bat this season and him not being the fastest mover on the field might weigh heavy in the decision making process. Jagadeesan played only one game for CSK and scored 30 odd, it would be unfair to not give him another chance in the XI.
The other option Dhoni & Co have is playing an extra spinner in Piyush Chawla in place of Bravo which also might be one of the discussion points. The other pickle CSK have is that with Bravo missing they need to plug their death bowling void. Bravo and Shardul Thakur did that for CSK in the last few games and with the former injured they need to decide between Hazlewood and Ngidi for that spot. Ngidi does seem the natural choice but again Hazlewood provides CSK with wickets with the new ball. It will be a tough call for the team management ahead of their all important game against Rajasthan Royals.
Making change to the playing XI is always tough but doing it when you are not particularly performing well as a team is even more difficult. CSK will know that any more slip up would mean that their chances of making it to the final four will almost be over. This is a must win the pressure is enormous on MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming.
My Playing XI:
Sam Curran, Faf Du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, N Jagadeesan/Piyush Chawla, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi
Let me start by saying that every one has a right to take a stand and support whoever they want. The problem is not the choice the industry has made, it is the way the they have handled the entire situation. The same people who have issues with the way Republic media has handled the case have gone on a rampage in attacking a man who is no more. A man who is loved by millions across the world and a man who cannot defend himself during this barrage.
Not a single person who is maligning Sushant know the man personally. Mr Anurag Kashyap says he had some issues with him professionally but he himself can admit that he did not know Sushant during the last year or so of his life. Taapsee Pannu says she does not know the star personally but has no problem in claiming that Sushant would have ended in jail if he was alive. I am not a Bollywood fan and despite my Delhi roots, I never liked the industry. The reason is not because of it’s content or talent but it is due to the hypocrisy which runs deeply within the industry.
The people who claim to have issues with the narrative of Republic have taken the same route themselves. Maligning someone who has lost their life and cannot speak for themselves is much worse that what you accuse the media of doing. It is fine to support anyone and raise your voice for a cause you believe in but at the same time you need to think if what you are doing is any different to what you claim to have issues with.
There is a family who lost their son, there are sisters who lost their brother, there are fans who lost their favourite star but none of you have any consideration regarding the same. Rhea still can defend herself and come out of this mess if she is not guilty but Sushant is never coming back, so the lack of sensitivity is jarring. Support or back whoever you want but stop tarnishing the legacy of a guy who had nothing but love for his fans and was respected and liked by all his co stars and technicians.
Mr Kashyap, has shared some meaningless chats to defend his choice of support. The only thing it showed was that he had problems with Sushant. Not even sure why he needs to defend himself if he feels right about the stand he has taken. Sushant isn’t here and he cannot put out counter chats to prove himself, so Mr Kashyap needs to understand this chat proved nothing and has no meaning in the overall picture. The only thing this showed is that he can hold a grudge for a long time which isn’t a great trait to be boasting about. At least Republic has taken a stand and has stuck by it and is ready to face any backlash they may be getting, Bollywood on the other hand want to take a stand but aren’t able to take the backlash that comes with it. This means they have taken the route of going on a slander campaign against the star which a certain media outlet has done as well.
Like I said earlier in this blog, I never liked Bollywood much but I still watched movies of Anurag Kashyap or Taapsee Pannu but now I have no urge to watch any Hindi film. The decision has nothing to do with the industry’s overwhelming support for Rhea, far from it. I just cannot take this hypocrisy anymore. Sushant was an actor I respected and loved and it was fitting that the last Hindi film I watched was of him.
I just hope people realise what they are doing wrong. People like Rajdeep, Anurag, Farhan, Taapsee, Sonam, please stand up for what you believe in but leave Sushant alone. Raise your voice for what you think is right but stop maligning someone who is no more when you have no clue of what was happening with him during his last days. I am not passing any judgement on who is right or wrong as the law will take it’s course. I am just saying don’t preach if you cannot follow. If you want people to take you seriously at least have some pride and believe in what you are standing up against, If not, your narrative comes out as hollow and meaningless.
I also have a small request for people who are standing for standing up for Rhea as well. Please continue to do so but keep in mind, to support someone you need not malign someone else. No one knew Sushant personally, we are all going by the narratives and counter narratives provided by the media channels. The only truth is that the man is no more, if we had an ounce of sensitivity we would refrain from calling names and hurling abuse.
You are saying #Stopthewitchhunt ,we fans are saying #StopslanderingSushant.
Back again after a break
Posted on: September 4, 2020
- In: COVID19 | Cricket | Cricket and Sports | General | General Lunch Time talk | IPL
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I haven’t written in a while and when I sit down to write this I feel a bit rusty. I last wrote a piece during the 2019 World Cup and it has been more than a year since I even logged into my blog. A India trip happened at the end of last year and when we came back we never thought the chaos this year would turn out to be. When we first heard of COVID-19 late last year we did not realise it would bring the entire world to a halt.
I feel lucky that I was able to get back to India in over 10 years finally before everything went down. The entire 2020 has been really hard for everyone around the world and I am sure everyone wants this to end soon. For now though the only thing we can do is stay safe and follow the safety precautions as prescribed by the Government of the country we live. In Australia though we have been lucky especially in South Australia as the local Government has been brilliant in arresting the spread with good proactive management.
But again for me though this has also made me realise that we should never stop things we love to do. Life isn’t predictable and you never want that regret. I am back to writing again. Even though it might be difficult for me to write as often, I will be publishing as often as I can. The cricket has already started which is great and I do have few things to share regarding the same.
The IPL starts this month and India would be resuming their International cricket with a tour to Australia later this year. Even though watching cricket isn’t going to be the same for a while, it is great that we are getting to see some good games coming our way.
Till next time stay safe and stay indoors.
- In: Education | General | General Lunch Time talk | hardwork | Indian Cities | Real Life | School | Students | teachers
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School memories are special for everyone. Everyone at some point in their life when they look back, School forms major part of their lives. For me though I don’t remember much about my first 7 years in school. It just feels like a hazy blob without much structure, so let me directly skip to 8th grade of my school life. My parents both worked in a bank so transfer was a normal occurrence. This time they were posted to a rural branch close to Cuddalore. Since Cuddalore was a closest town/city to their branches we decided to make that our home for the next few years.
For me though moving wasn’t alien as we had already moved from Delhi to Chennai when I had completed my second grade. Cuddalore was a nice small town, it had 2-3 major schools, 4-5 theatres, some beaches and overall a good vibe. The biggest challenge for me was always adjusting to the new school. Even when I think about it now, 8th grade in that school X (Let’s call it that) in Cuddalore possibly was the reason I went in to my shell even more. I was never an extrovert but again the experience in that school in Cuddalore possibly pushed me over the edge.
I was never a brilliant student let me be very clear about the same, I did okay in my studies and probably sometimes punched above my weight. This is not to say I wasn’t interested in studies but I needed some good guidance and teaching to understand the concepts better when compared to others. I wasn’t in the top 20% of the class, nor was I in the bottom, I was somewhere in the middle. The Indian school system is brilliant for the students who are probably in the top 20% but have no proper method to deal with the rest.
Going to a new school that too in a place you are not familiar with was a daunting experience. I was new to the town, did not know many people and me being an introvert did not help either. Making friends in that school was tough. I don’t know for some reason the students in the class saw me like an alien and it was hard to gel with them. I had some terrible experiences in the class and I felt miserable throughout the year. Thanks for my one friend, let’s call him V who helped me to get through that nightmarish year. V was the typical top 20% student in the class but also was a great guy as he did not make friends only on the basis of marks and ranks. I also had my neighbour let’s call him JP, who became great friends with me when I moved in and we spent lots of time together and kind of shared similar problems at school.
There were some bullies in school and the fact that I wasn’t doing great in the class did not help matters either. The teachers in that school weren’t very helpful either. I wasn’t grasping the concepts and it became difficult to concentrate on anything without understanding what was going on. Maths became the toughest of all for me through the entire year and I really struggled. I still remember the one day when in the chemistry class, the teacher asked me a question and I did not know the answer. The guy practically humiliated me in front of the class by repeatedly asking me more questions, making fun of me along the way and also suggested something like I did not belong in 8th grade. That episode kind of left a deep scar in me and it made me to never ask any questions in the class even if I had a doubt.
The funny part is that the teachers in India do not realise that each student has different needs and all of them cannot grasp things at the same level. Scolding or hitting someone for not understanding something will not make them to understand it better. In such situations students do couple of things, one they try really hard to understand things on their own or resort to blindly mugging up the answers without understanding the concepts.
It is kind of inspirational for even me as to how I was able to turn a corner as the year progressed with all the subjects except for maths. I was able to improve through lots of hard work and dedication and was even appreciated by my class teacher in the class. That was one of the very few proud moments in that year. I should hand it to the math teacher though as she was the only person who actually thought she should do something about my troubles with her subject. She offered to spend some time after the school hours to teach me the concepts which she could not do in the class and it really helped me a lot. I really thank her for that. So the absolute nightmare which was the 8th grade was finally coming to an end and we were nearing the finals. My continued struggle with Math meant that I needed to do well in the finals to actually pass the year and my friend JP who had already failed a year had to pass this year to save some face with his family.
We both approached the final exams with lots of sincerity and thanks to my sister who spent a lot of time with me before the math exam, I think I did reasonably well and felt confident of the results. Exams were over and the summer break had started and I was extremely relieved to have gotten that break. Two months had passed after the exams and this was the time people get their results in the post. Those days it would be a post card from the school which will say either “PASS” or “FAIL” in it. Strangely both for JP and me the card never arrived. We spoke to some of our fellow students and realised that all of them had received them and my only friend V from the school had also received the same. Now both of us started panicking and did not know why we did not get the results. We decided to go to the school and check it out and since the school was closed for the summer break no one was in there.
When we started to reminisce what could be the problem we realised that couple of months ago we had a small tiff with the local post man. I don’t remember the exact reason though now but that was the reason for our cards not getting delivered. Both of us immediately reached the local post office and stood outside and spoke to few post men there and they advised us to apologise to our post man. We went in apologised to him and he finally handed over the card to us. The guy got a sadistic pleasure which we could see on his face when we came in all panicky looking for the results. We just gave what he wanted and he handed over the cards. All this was happening while we both still had no clue what that card said. When we finally got our cards, we saw the four letters we wanted to see “PASS”. The year was a total nightmare and possibly one of my worst school year and it rightly ended with equally stressful week or two.
Even though I felt happy for myself and JP I was dreading the fact that I need to go to school again in few weeks and have to spend another year with the same bunch of guys who made my life miserable the year before. I was just hoping for a better school year ahead and probably some new faces and friends when I start my 9th grade. All in that I was happy that I at least had V who would be with me in the year to follow as well. With that thought in mind I continued to enjoy the rest of the break with JP and rest of my neighbour friends who were fantastic by the way while waiting for another year in School X.
An emotional goodbye
Posted on: May 15, 2017
- In: Australia | Country | General | Immigration | Languages and Politics | Real Life | USA
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I still remember the day I landed in the US for the first time. It was January 5th night and there had been heavy snow in Pennsylvania. My international student advisor along with another student whom I had contacted through students association had come to pick me up. I was 22 years old and had never lived away from my parents for more than a month. I was confused, scared and was thousands of miles away from my family.
I did not know to cook, did not know how to manage finances and basically was unfit to stay alone at that time. To top it all, one of my luggage did not make it through on time. That suitcase was the one which had all the food and I was basically afraid of how I was going to manage. I still remember the night I landed and I did not even know how to call my parents to inform them of my safe arrival. The guy who came to pick me up wasn’t very helpful in telling me how to make a call. Mind you this was in 2003, calling to India was still not easy or cheap that it is today. So I just went to sleep without knowing how to inform my parents.
Thankfully my parents called the college and got to know that I had safely arrived. I was lucky that I had my cousins in the US already and they helped me out with the initial calling cards to India. Everyday from the morning after was a learning experience. From learning to cook to managing my own bank account I was Fast tracked to independent living. Even though it was difficult at the start it progressively got easier.
The college life was excellent, I met some wonderful people and I am still in touch with some of them. The 2 years I spent at the university taught me a lot and made me confident of taking care of myself. Once I graduated I did have few months of struggle but I did find a job which I held to the last day I was in the US.
The overall experience in the US was brilliant. The country gave me a lot and I loved every minute of it. I got married when I was in the US. My wife and I travelled a lot and saw lots of beautiful places. We had our first child while we were in the US. Lots of amazing friends and people, the memories would be etched in my mind forever.
It was really sad when I had to leave the country which I called home for 14 years. It was a really hard decision to take. I guess I had reached that tipping point when it did not make sense anymore to continue waiting. It was hard to make that call but I feel it was the right one. 14 years is a long time in a person’s life and I was not getting any younger. America gave me a lot, it was wonderful experience and I enjoyed every bit of it but unfortunately the law makers are stuck in the stone ages.
Things happened too fast and I along with my family moved out at a breakneck speed. It never sank in as I did not even have time to say goodbye to people I know properly. It was good in a way that it happened so fast. The only regret I had was when I moved out of my home where my wife and I stayed for 5 years. The home where my wife and I experienced lots of highs and quite a bit of lows. The home where my wife and I spent hours together talking, watching movies and cooking. It was an emotional moment when I left the keys at the counter and locked the door for one last time.
There is no regret and I would do it all over again in a heart beat. I had wonderful 14 years and I leave with no regrets. Thanks US for everything you gave me and this post was a long time coming. I have moved on to a new country and new life but I carry with me wonderful memories. Bye Bye US, thanks for everything.
Strategic Break, really?
Posted on: May 7, 2017
- In: BCCI | Bowling | Cricket | Cricket and Sports | Cricket League | General | General Lunch Time talk | IPL | Twenty20
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Yesterday’s game between KKR and RCB was interrupted by rain. The game was on hold till the rain stopped and the ground was ready for play. The game stopped when RCB were 100/3 in 14.1 overs. After the match resumed, the bowling team just bowled 5 balls and the umpire called for strategic break. Are you kidding me? Why would either team want to strategize when they had just spent about an hour in the dressing room with the coaching staff.
What is there to strategize after just 5 balls when nothing much had changed? If BCCI wants to give an advertising break, why not just call it that? It is funny that BCCI dictates and forces teams to take a break when they don’t want to and thereby cause unnecessary break in play. If BCCI wants to sell airtime to make money they should call the break as advertisement break. If they really want to give the teams a strategic break, it should only be taken when the teams want to take it.
It was extremely funny when teams had just come in after a 45 minute break and within 5 deliveries had to go back in to strategize nothing.
India’s home season
Posted on: April 30, 2017
- In: Australia | BCCI | Champions Trophy | Cricket and Sports | England | General | General Lunch Time talk | India | IPL | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match | Tests
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India’s long home season ended with a brilliant series win over touring Australian team. India were brilliant throughout the season and it was a dominant home performance. India also reached the top of the rankings table during the season and have taken a nice lead over the second ranked team. The team had lots of positives over the season which spanned 13 tests none more satisfying than the performances of the pacers. Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami were excellent and provided timely breakthrough’s throughout the season. They both were pacy and kept their intensity whenever they were called up on by the captain. Bhuvneshwar Kumar also was brilliant in the chances he received and pocketed couple of 5 wicket hauls on wickets which assisted him. Ishant Sharma did not play a lot during the home season but he did give his all whenever he made the X1.
The spin combination of Ashwin and Jadeja were devastating throughout the home season. Ashwin was brilliant in West Indies as well when India toured last year for a 4 match test series. Jadeja though kept improving throughout the season and ended up as the number 1 bowler in the world at the end of it. The left-armer was brilliant with the ball and by the end of the season was contributing with the bat as well. The duo was also received good support from Jayanth Yadav and Kuldeep Yadav in the games they made the X1. The biggest positive for India though was the fact that they played as a team throughout and most of the wins were a thorough team efforts. There were many instances of young players stepping up to the challenge and putting in match/series defining performances. Jayanth Yadav’s maiden test hundred against England, Karun Nair’s triple hundred and Kuldeep Yadav’s 4-fer all were extremely important in the context of the match and the series.
The senior members also stepped up to the plate when required. The captain himself was brilliant throughout the season except for the Australian series. Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, Saha, Ashwin, Jadeja, Lokesh Rahul all made crucial contributions throughout the season. The all-round contributions from Jadeja and Ashwin, gave Kohli the opportunity to play 5 bowlers when required. The solidity which Saha discovered during the home season also gave Kohli a great chance to experiment with the X1.
Now that the home season is done and dusted, the team would know that they are in for much tougher challenges in the coming year or so. Overseas tours are not something new for this bunch. Most of the members from this present team were part of India’s long overseas season from 2013-2015. The team already knows what to expect and would hope to be better prepared this time around. Kohli’s first challenge obviously would be to defend India’s Champions Trophy crown which would be right after the IPL. This Indian team has shown that they could compete on any type of wicket and now they would want to put in more consistent performances overseas. Things are really looking exciting for team India under the leadership of Virat Kohli and as Ashwin had mentioned in his interview, hope he can take India to the newer heights in the coming years.
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