Emotions... Movies... Malayalam..

To me, the dialogues and the way the actors convey it makes a big difference while watching movies.. A good emotional scene should appeal to my psyche.. the dialogues should have depth.. the characters should deliver them with conviction.. And this doesn't happen often as I think only few script writers /directors/actors or their combinations have that knack.. Or maybe as many of our movies are about characters exhibiting heroism(read brave/talented), a character's vulnerability can be a  pricey thing to explore...

One language I love watching movies in is Malayalam.. Though I don't know to read/write in Malayalam, I have come across time and again that this language has syllables, words, expressions whose sounds are far more appealing to my ears than their equivalent words in other languages I know..  Also the Malayalam film  industry has some of the finest actors and story tellers.. 

Few days back, I was watching this Malayalam movie 'Rithu' with my friend.. The movie is an emotional journey of a guy who is returning to India after few years only to realize that his two best friends have moved on with their lives and he is the only one stranded with the memories of the days that they spent together... The below scene from the movie is a beautifully crafted one.. After many days of watching this movie, it still kept coming back to me...

The hero's brother talks to the hero about how dear ones can move apart and why holding on to those memories can be dangerous...

   

Ennalum anbe anbe thaan vaazhkaye..

A movie sans commercial elements has only little chance to hit at the box-office unless the screenplay becomes the hero. 'Kannum Kannum' movie(2007), is a personal favorite. I am not sure whether it did well at the Cinemas but its story and narration were beautiful. This song 'Anbe anbe thaan vaazhkaye' has neat wordses in sync with the storyline and an attractive picturing (backdrop is the amazing Kutralam in many scenes). Some favorite lines ' Annai annai illai endru enn adimanam azhudhadhu undu, ennai vidu ilaya pengal enn annai enna aanadhu enna'. ' Irudhayam sirakadithu enn vaazhvil idhu varai paarthadu ilai, enn naalum iruttukul vaazhndu vandhen, enn vaanam thekku pakum vidiya kanden' .' Enn vaazhvil izhandhadhai adainthu vitten, kai maarai en idhaythai virundhu vaithen'. Vairamuthu spinning love with lines. And ya watch the movie if you haven't. A sincere direction by G.Marimuthu.

The Coiffure and Courage

Boycut hairdo is something that catches my attention.  I can reckon easily  'Meg Ryan' in You've got mail ,'Sagarika Ghosh' of CNN-IBN and 'Priyanka Gandhi' who spot the pixie cut. Though meaningless, I somehow feel girls with this boyish haircut are dauntless. Of late 'Mamta Mohandas' , South Indian actress and singer has also become a favorite. I remember seeing her in a few films but took notice only when I saw her in Asiavision awards with a superb boycut. She went on to sing 'Kizhaku pookum' song from her Malayalam flick Anwar. And today I happened to read an interview of hers in Cinema Plus-Hindu. She has battled cancer and she had to cut her hair off for chemotherapy. She says ' I would work eight days in two weeks and then go for a chemo. It was tough'. With an air of optimism and courage she tells ' I will focus on my work so that I could be heard better in future. I need to be more powerful to make a difference. And yaa the haircut, I always like a new hairdo'. Now that goes for a toast Mamta, for your coiffure and courage. 

Blah Blah...

This quote is such blatant truth. ' The tragedy of life is not death, but what we let die inside us while we live'. Read it on the front page of Robin Sharma's ' Who will cry when you die'. Hit me hard.

Why do most of us say something that we just don't mean to say?? I wanted to shout at someone but instead I said 'It's Ok'. What the hell.

I am proud to have known a friend whom I call Ani. She has tried her best to keep in contact with me and many others after school days. She has written her CA papers and I pray she clears them.

This birthday I realized I love myself more than I did last year.

On my friends birthday I came to know that my inditing skill is at an all time low and it needs grooming as I couldn't think of anything to write on his card.

There is no current favorite song of mine. How come?

I watched Alaipayuthe last weekend for the umpteenth time and couldn't stop myself from going gaga.

I don't believe anymore that Bhagavat Gita is meant to be read only during old age.

Though one part of me tells my mom to resign from her job. The other part says it would be great if she could work till retirement. One of my dear wishes is to deliver a speech before a gathering on my moms retiring day.

I am trying to fight laziness head on.

South Indian girls are far better than North Indian girls when it comes to respecting people. Not generalizing. I can't stand people who can treat things as humans.

The other day when I was waiting for a bus, I heard a pujari in a nearby temple say ' Trees are treated as Gods by some as they give fresh air and shelter to a lot of people, in a time when we people think twice to help our fellow being.' I found it to be profound.

If you are not going to tell a person that you felt bad about what he/she said/did, then there is only 1% chance that you don't get hurt by the same person a second time.

I love to read anything about the psyche and how it works these days. Given a time turner, I would love to do my graduation in psychology. Having said that I also have to say formal education is only required for employment.

I like Chak De India more than Lagaan. Not that I like Sharukh to Aamir or Hockey to Cricket.

There are some times when I try to think when I am supposed to feel. And there are many other times when I feel when I actually should be thinking. Did the creator interchange my heart and brain?

Confession ; I don't lift all calls that come to my mobile and reply to all messages unless I think it's necessary. I don't think there is any need in picking up and telling that 'I am busy and will call back later' when you actually don't feel like talking to that person in the first place.

I wish to live a long life.

'You don't own a person in a relationship'. This understood I don't think there will be many break ups/ divorces.

I can do really superb things which you might say insane. Just like what I am doing now. From office to net cafe and doing aimless blogging. Ha:)

All ears

Hey.. I have not been posting a lot on favorite songs/songsters/composers these days. To me a day without some music is a day incomplete. Just thought of these three songs which I have been listening to repeatedly for the past few weeks. I have been performing them with my heart inside out on my PG's terrace where my mobile becomes the mike and the vast night sky, the audience:)  

1. Mere chehre ki dho nishaaniyaan - God, Rahman... You must have got up directly from your prayers and composed this one:) It's got a divine touch end-to-end. More often than not you come up with an ethereal melody like this that mizzles on one's heart leaving it fresh ... Halki si baarish huyi sooki zindagi par...(A light shower on my barren life) ... Sonu Nigam pulls it off really well( If it was sung by another proficient singer also I would have liked it, might be. But Sonu Nigam brings in the emotion in those lines (which I think will be more evident after the release of the film) to the fullest , especially I thought this line of the pallavi... ' Is phone ke saas par, meri awaaz bhar, mujhpe hasthi hain khamoshiyaannnnnnnnnn' and also all those endings, meherbaniyaann/badhgumaniyaann/nishaniyaann. And Abbas Tyrewala, I just can't wait for the release of your  movie. And what a songster you are!! Janne tu remains to top my playlist even today, equally for the lyrics and music. Jhoota hi sahi album is also unfolding before me in the same way. Been listening to only 'Cry Cry' and 'Dho nishanniyaan' though, can't get enough of this one itself...:)

2. Pookal pookum tharunam aaruyir paarthadu yaarum ilaye - I can just write the lyrics of this song at a stretch. Na. Muthukumar pens beautifully , here are some of the best wordses of recent times in the lines of first love. ' Enna uravu idhu edhuvum puriyavilai endra pothum idhu neeludhe (What relationship is this, not able to understand it but still I am hanging on to)...Yaar endru ariyaamal, peyar kuda theriyamal ivan odu oru sondhum uruvaanadhe(Haven't known him, but still a nameless relationship is building its way)... Yen endru ketkaamal, valithaalum nirkamal ivan pogum vazhi engum manam pogudhe(Without asking why's, without stopping even if it hurts, my heart is going his way)...' Harini, where were you this long.? Your voice hasn't changed even a shade though. Mesmerizing like always. Roop Kumar Rathod, what a singer! When he sings 'Poonthalure...'  it touches all chords of my heart. Some singers have a niche with love songs, Rathod is one such. Pookal pookum is as beautiful as his Khamosh raath(an all time fav number). G.V. Prakash has composed it really well. Those Andrea's english verses and the Thaana thom thanana...thaana thom thanana... are really sweet. 

3. Maavin chottile manam ulla maduramai, manadharil kulirunn yen baalyam(the smell and sweetness of the mango of childhood days )- A beautiful melody that brings in nostalgia for a keralite especially. The first time I heard this song was on TV,  Swetha Mohan sang it for some Singapore Asianet show . Me and mom were enjoying each line of it. It was sprinkled with freshness throughout. Mom's eyes lightened up as she articulated incidents of her childhood days relating to the lines in this number. It's so beautifully written and so well sung by Sweta(singer Sujathas daughter). It's composed by M.G.Sreekumar(singer turned composer). 'Niramaarna sandhya maanju, mazhai ulla raathri poyi... innum marayatha mazha orrma yen balyam'.(The colorful evenings have shaded out, the rainy nights are all gone, just those showery memories of my childhood are left behind). 

Happy listening... Life is beautiful... :)

Tat Tvam Asi

Some days back read a beautiful post on spirituality and humanity. After reading that I have wanted to pour in my thoughts about the same subject. Many times I draft something, but either due to unstable net connection or writer's block I don't post them. I have always contemplated on the existence of a supreme power. As a child, I was taught that God can solve all my problems. And that all the good and bad things I do, God is watching over me. I was taught on how to join hands and pray. I remember asking Mom at the temple, ' What should I pray ?' And Mom used to tell me 'Ask him for good health, good marks etc'. I guess most of the parents tell their children the same. I used to believe Mom, and when my Maths marks are down and Mom used to scold me for all the careless mistakes I have made. I used to directly go to the pooja room and ask the deities 'Why did you all have to do this to me?':) Days went by, and my meaning of God also changed. To me somehow it's like this, if it's good it is God. As I used to tell my buddies, there is no good in GOD but there is God in GOoD. I never fold my hands before deities, I just keep my right hand on my chest and close my eyes for sometime. And all I say most of the time is 'You are my strength'. Everyone has goodness in them and how much of goodness that much of God too. I am not against any religion or God. I am against the society which has divided people in the name of both. I am against all those people who set off communal riots within the country. Seeing God in statues and in different forms is the problem, why not see God in yourself. According to me, the strength in you is the God and the weakness in you, the evil. Why not worship yourself for the goodness in you? Why not teach our children more about the goodness in doing good things than the goodness in God.? They after all are not going to see someone by name God in their lifetime, rather tell them about good people. Why not be humane than godly? After walking the eighteen steps in Sabarimala temple, what the devotee gets to see is these lines 'Tat Tvam Asi'(Thou art that) meaning ' You are God', the ultimate knowledge. I have understood now that good marks come only by studying and good health by good habits. Unlike my brother I never used to follow Ramayana or Mahabharata. My questions to Mom were , Why Lord Rama had to  prove to his countrymen that Sita is chaste? Why didn't Lord Krishna marry Radha, his childhood lover? I used to be this girly kind and used to hate anyone who makes girls cry , be it God or Man. Even now Mom doesn't have solid answers to these. But my questions now have changed. I ask 'Why are innocent people killed?' , 'Why isn't there equality in the society?' Can your GOD answer them? But I guess WE can. 

Found you..

These scenes between Kunal and Konkana from Chunari mai lagaa dhaag was something I was looking for a long time now. Cute ones. Fans of Konkana / Kunal, don't miss these scenes out. And please do watch the movie if you find it, it did move me.