Karma Cola

Dabaang: Wanted 2

2010-10-07T20:44:00.001-07:00

Dabaang is truly Wanted 2. Even if you are not a Sallu fan, you can't not enjoy this film. Racy entertainer overall though sags sometimes in the first half, but then that's ok. Sallubhai is truly enjoyable as Chulbul Pandey, a character which I found very close resemblance to the tapori in Wanted though with a UP dialect. Found it difficult to get the UPwala dialect at times. But it was a true blue bang bang salman movie

Location:Flight to Mumbai

Back on blogspot

2010-09-01T03:52:00.001-07:00

I am back at doing what I am always passionate about : Blogging. And that too after a long long hiatus....Thanks now to the blogpress app for iPhone. Twitter or facebook does not provide the satisfaction that blogging delivers. Will see more of my posts soon....

Location:Now in Kolkata....

Resurgence of Brahminism

2009-03-01T07:40:00.000-08:00

What I am saying can sound funadamentalistic, but i suddenly see a strong resurgence of Brahminism. Long subdued and trampled by "Dravidian" politics and by "so-called secular" brahmins themselves, Brahminism will soon regain its Golden Era in the next 5 years. My assumption is mainly based on the simple cyclical theory of "what goes down has to come up".

I can also substantiate it by two bold moves by two prominent brahmins, both of which have an indirect link to Jayalalitha..
- "Enga thoguthi" Mylapore MLA S Ve Shekar starting up Fedeeration of Brahmins Associations (FEBAS - http://febasindia.org) recently. FEBAS has asked for 7% reservation for the Brahmin community in the education system. Though its common knowledge that SV has falled out with Jaya, he is till a part of the AIADMK legislature party.

- Cho S Ramawamy's new teleserial "Enge Brahmanan (Where is the Brahmin)" which ventures into the interpretation of the Vedas and talks high about the Hinduism and Brahminism. And obviously, the serial is aired in Jaya TV and Cho is a staunch supporter of Jaya too.

- Off late, I have also seen my friends forwarding mails about Shastras and Mantras, something which would have been considered a taboo.
Anyways, we need to wait and watch...

Elections & IPL to pump in Rs 15K crores

2009-02-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

An interesting article in The Economic Times today. The 2009 Lok Sabha Elections and IPL are likely to pump in Rs 15,000 crore into the system . Quite an amount!! With 0.3% of the GDP to be guzzled out by June 2009, it is likely to pump prime the economy. My take: I am sure 50% of the amount is definitely black money, which would have largely not come out had it not been for this twin events.

NDTV Greenathon

2009-02-15T07:52:00.000-08:00

As I watched the NDTV Greenathon event last week, I was shocked to realise that there are about 200,000 villages across the length and breadth of the country which have no electricity. Shocking!!! 62 years after Independence, we still languish with this disgusting statistics when politicians continue to spend power lavishly in election rallies. Lets do out bit to mitigate this. Let's support TERI and NDTV on this initiative to light up the villages.

A ride in the City of Joy

2008-05-06T06:10:00.000-07:00

I was in the City of Joy (Kolkata for the unitiated) a couple of months back. And I was taking a joy ride (sarcasm intended) in one of the city's infamous cabs (taxi). I was completely shocked to see that the cab's interior was in total shambles...maybe shambles is an understatement (check the photograph taken in my Nokia E61 i). The car was just a mishmash of various auto components, replete with stains of various hues and colors. If you think that this car was an exception, then you need to check out the other taxis too. Maybe this was far better...Thankfully, I reached my destination safely.

SMS galore!

2008-01-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

Festive times pull up my spirits big time, thanks to the numerous SMSes that fill my mobile inbox. Wondering how? There are so many people who have stored your number in their mobile address book considering that you are important, and unfortunately I have not stored their numbers. And its so embarassing to reply to them asking who the sender is. So the best solution is to wish them back and thank them.

Jai Ram Ji Ki

2007-12-25T10:04:00.000-08:00

Narendrabhai Dāmodardās Modī is back at the helm of affairs in Gujarat. Even at the risk of being branded communal, let me pen this down....Gujjus have done a remarkable step of voting him back.

This Advani protege and a true RSS man has definitely put Gujarat on the fast track of developmental growth. Not just that, he has been able to quell all sorts of communal (and Pakistan-triggered) violence post-Godhra riots, which in itself is not a mean achievement. What UP and West Bengal have not been able to stop, he has done it. No wonder, many like me have been rooting for Narendrabhai to stage a strong comeback.

One thing is clear...the stunned and quitened Congress camp will further go into hiding. Truly deserving for a lady and her son who made unnecessary statements such as "maut ke saudagar". Will someone teach Sonia and Rahul the art of politics, after the debacles at UP and Gujarat...

Indians & Aggression

2007-10-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

The golden rule is "Winners can show aggression". Losers need to be humble. And the Indian cricket team seems to have learnt it the hard way. The young team's aggression on and off the ground was respected when they won the T20 World Cup. But after the miserable defeat to the mighty Australians in the Future Cup, Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh have learnt the lesson the hard way.

Displaying agression on the ground is considered a taboo by Indians, as it goes again the spirit of the game - Gentleman's game is what the cricket puritans will say. But I strongly condemn it. We need people on the ground who can give a sledging or two back to the Australians. Why take it and complain over it, when you can always give it back.

Having said that, the boys need to channelise their aggression meaningfully by becoming consistent and thrashing the competition. Unless you beat the competition, Sreesanth and Harbhajans of the world will be termed as "reckless" and will be dropped by the wayside.

Floating stone from Sethu Samudram

2007-10-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

It was a long weekend of 4 days for Chennaivasis, thanks to the proposed bandh call by DMK and Gandhi Jayanthi. So I packed off to Pondy for two days to visit the Ashram along with family.

Since my mom had read about a Hanuman temple in Papanchavadi, on the Pondy - Tindivanam road, we decided to visit the temple. What was stunning was not just the 36 feet high five-faced Hanuman. What was also intriguing and surprising (and rather topical) was the stone in the picture alongside.

For those not conversant in Tami, it says that the 8 kg stone in the bowl was brought from Sethu Samudram bridge built by Rama, that is currently under controversy. What is stunning is that the stone actually floats in the water. Truly amazing.

Visitors to the temple are amazed. How is this possibe? Well only Rama can explain this miracle. Or maybe our Chief Minister Karunanidhi can demystify this with his knowledge on Rama and Ramayana. Jai Ram ji ki!!

Dhoni's Men in Blue

2007-09-23T05:57:00.000-07:00

Dhoni's trust in youngsters seems to have paid off. By storming into the finals of the T20 cricket finals, one thing is clear. India does not need a full time coach. Not just that, Sachin, Dravid and Ganguly will now have to fight to find a place in the team, which is great for Indian cricket. What is saddening is the likes of Rohit Sharma, Uthappa and Gambhir will have to sit in the benches to make way for the seniors. Even if India loses the finals, what is enouraging is that the India - Australia series is going to be worth every minute.

MK, Rama, Jesus and Allah

2007-09-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

I fail to understand one aspect. If Karunanidhi does not believe in Rama and Ramayana, why does he have to be vocal about it and make statements that hurt the sentiments of Hindus. Will Karunanidhi ever comment about the existence of Gods of other religions. He will never do that for the cause of vote bank. Hindus and more so Brahmins, believe in taking everything lying down, and will never make an issue of it. And if one BJP does create a hue and cry, then they are termed communal and violent. Damn this politics and politicians.

PS: It seems the editorial of the latest issue of Cho-edited Tughlag seems to have ripped apart this ridiculous stance of Karunanidhi.

AR Rahman's Jayahe

2007-08-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

Before the screening of Chak De, there was a screnning of an AirTel promo of the new national anthem version of AR Rahman. When it said, please stand up for the national anthem, almost 100% of the audience at Sathyam Cinemas stood up in obeisance. Patriotism still runs high in the country. Instead of getting infuriated with the handful who did not stand up, I would rather feel happy with the majority's act. Chak de India...

Hear this exclsuive tune at http://www.airtel.in/jayahe/JayaHeyJanaGanaMana.mp3
Or watch the video in You Tube.

Check out this old promo video on the national anthem. This will stand the test of times any day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L46pziPTYH8

Happy Independence Day!

Chak de SRK

2007-08-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

Watching Chak De on the first day of release let loose a whole lot of thoughts:

- SRK donning the role of Kabir Khan and starring in a film that signals the birth of a new age Bollywood. SRK excels in his department. No overdrama but just the right emotions in a measured manner.

- How the media these days are really taking things to the extreme-taking a sportsperson to the top one day and dropping him the very next day.

- Success will ensure that the past failures are short lived and erased from people's memory

- Story and screenplay can definitely make a movie sail through smoothly without a star studded cast.

- Whats more, there was no need for dupes and long shots as the main characters themselves looked like convincing hockey players. Are they hockey players who acted or were they actors trained in hockey? Either way it is thoroughly appreciable.

- Shimit Amin, who I thought was best directing violence-filled movies such as Ab Tak Chappan, excels and gets a new fan by directing a true-blue sports film

- The live hockey shots looked really convincing, making you wonder how they managed to do it.

- Finally, the thought that a sports movie can be really interesting without any song and dance sequence, makes you realise that there are directors who trust the Indian audience. While Lagaan was more of an emotional drama with cricket as a main theme, this is a sports movie with hockey scenes dominating almost half the movie.

Chak de truly rocks, more so if you are a SRK fan like me.

Sun TV vs Raj TV

2007-06-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

Blood is thicker than water. Just hope Raj TV's Rajhendran has thought about this long standing proverb before taking the plunge to start Kalaignar TV and joining the DMK party with brothers. In my opinion, this is a costly mistake that he has made. I think Rajhendran should also not feel happy that Sun TV has been asked to vacate the DMK premises. Here's my interpretation of the episode.

It has been common knowledge that Sun TV has been targeting Raj TV for a takeover and that Dayanidhi Maran did everything to pressurise Raj TV. But unfortunately for Daya, they didnt succumb. But I am sure its just a matter of time before Marans and Karunanidhi patch up and things become hunky dory again. At that time, Rajhendran will be under intense pressure and Raj TV will have to become a fold of Sun TV for sure. Now lets see if my assumption becomes true.

BMW & Mayawati

2007-05-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

Rajdeep Sardesai had given an interesting reason for Mayawati's vistory. He called it the BMW factor-Brahmins, Muslims and Weaker sections of UP had given her the thumping margin for vistory. Quite interesting acronym.

Forest Whitaker excels in Last King....

2007-05-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

If you get a chance to watch Last King of Scotland, my suggestion is not to miss it. It's the gripping version of Idi Amin and his dictatorial rule from the perspective of his personal physician. Whitaker excels in is role as the brutal guy who mauled 300,000 people in Uganda ruthlessly. Really riveting...

Exclusive Ash Abhi wedding pics

2007-04-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks to an avid reader of Rediff, we have the following pictures...my guess it looks like these have been captured in a mobile phone...

Amitabh: Sidhartha Basu::Shahrukh: Derek

2007-04-23T01:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a comparison that I cant resist putting in. With the last of this season's KBC coming to an end, reams of print have been written on SRK vs Amitabh. I dont think its a reasonable comparison, cos' both are a league of a different kind. SRK like the quizmaster Derek is a showman and brings life to the event, whereas Amitabh like KBC's producer and quizzing pioneer Sidharth Basu, is more suave and classy.

And seeing the last episode of KBC, it was evident that SRK had taken the show to a different level with his down-to-earth approach, but retaining his King Khan image. Must say, with the high TRPs of SRK's KBC, the battle for the King of Bollywood status is still on between AB & SRK.

PS: I would have liked if he had not invited Salman to the last episode. He really made a mockery of the show with his rants...

TCS and Rajanikanth

2007-04-23T00:55:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the new “Experience Certainty” campaign of TCS on print and on websites. It reminds me of Rajanikanth everytime I see it. In one his movie he says “Sollrathada seiven, Seiyarthada Solluven” (I do what I say and I say what I do). This is what the TCS ad campaign also says, “Promise what we deliver…deliver what we promise”…Guess someone in TCS or its ad agency is a Rajnikanth fan…

Mirchi Suchi tops my blog search results

2007-04-23T00:44:00.000-07:00

Google Analytics tells me that a lot of the people coming to my blog were looking for info on Mirchi Suchi (rather ex-Mirchi Suchi). Looks like I need to type more about her movements to generate a lot of traffic to my blog!!

Ash-Abhi in Tirupati

2007-04-23T00:35:00.000-07:00

Some latest images of the first family of Bollywood in Tirupati

First glimpses of Sivaji...

2007-04-03T00:55:00.000-07:00

Moto vs Sony

2007-03-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

I just dont seem to get tired of the mobile wars. From the service provider's end, the war is now moving onto the handset providers end. Motorola was ruling the roast with Junior B. Now, Hrithik has been signed by Sony Ericcson as their brand ambassador. This is definitely an interesting match to watch than the boring World Cup matches involving Bangladesh and Ireland. So what will Samsung and market leader Nokia do now?

Barcamp in Bangalore

2007-03-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

Barcamp is scheduled to happen in Bangalore on Mar 31 and Apr 1 at IIMB (www.barcampbangalore.org). My company is one of the main sponsors. This was mainly inspired by Kiruba's talk at our company's Unconference that happened exactly a week back. He shared some nice ideas on barcamps and Unconferences, and shared interesting anecdotes about the blogging community. Bloggers are a truly class apart...

Suchi to quit Radio Mirchi

2007-03-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

Today's Indian Express said that Mirchi Suchi was quitting Radio Mirchi. And that she would be back in the airwaves after a hiatus of 3 months. Guess thats quite a big news in the channel wars. My car has just 6 auto store buttons but there are 8 FM radio channels in Chennai. Quite contrasting to A scenario even 2 years back. News reports say that Ananda Vikatan is also getting into FM...Are you guys really nuts? Where's the money honey?

Woolmer & Osama

2007-03-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

An American news channel had quite sometime back mentioned Osama instead of US political candidate Obama. Today when I read rediff talking about Woolmer's death being linked to Al Qaeda, I was re-checking whether there was a similar confusion of names. But his death has been actualy linked to Al Qaeda and the D Gang. Ridiculous. Incidentally the news has been published in one of the UK tabloids . Can someone say why Al Qaeda should target Woolmer?

Letter to Sunny

2007-03-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Sunny

I agree with you completely when you recently described Australian cricketers as "unpopular winners because of their "aweful" on-field behaviour." Probably the Australians too will agree with you, though they might slam you for this comment.

But Sunny, at the end of the day, just like the corporate sector, you ned to deliver results. I have seen awful managers, who deliver results. The management is not bothered as long as they deliver numbers.

It's a similar situation in sports too. No one is bothered about the on-field behavior as long as they win matches. Look at the Indians and they don't seem to have aggression anywhere-both on and off-field. Australians after losing the No 1 slot to the Proteas, slammed them hard in their recent World Cup encounter. That's what you call aggression. Mauling the Proteas as if they were playing against Bangladesh and Bermuda.

Its nice to be a gentleman on the ground. But its best to be a match winner, which our guys dont seem to be.

The king is dead. Long live the king

2007-03-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Move over India and Pakistan. The new giants of world cricket have emerged from the sub-continent again. With that preposterours victory against India, Bangladesh has enetered the world league. The brilliance of Mushfiqur Rahim (18) and Tamim Iqbal (17) reminded one of Tendulkar's early career radiance and charisma. What a team. Dave Whatmore has pumped in never before style and aggression in the youngsters...

For the first time I had watched a TV program though the night till 3 a.m. Tad disappointed with India's loss, it was more than offset with the fantabulous display by Bangladeshis..

Pasupathy is the man to watch out for...

2007-03-04T07:01:00.000-08:00

Finally I got to see Veyil. If Pasupathi does not bag any of the state or national or Filmfare awards, then please consider the film awards process in the country is rigged. What a performance.

Coming from the Koothu-p-patrai theatre family, and with stunning performances in Virumandi, Majaa and Mumbai Express, he was definitely a magnificient actor who can balance both comedy and serious cinema. But with Veyil, he has taken acting to a different level altogether.

He is the man to watch out for...

What happened to Cho S Ramaswamy?

2007-03-02T21:08:00.000-08:00

At one point of time in Tamil cinema and then politics, Cho S Ramaswamy was one of the admired and respected person. His commentary on the state of Indian and Tamil Nadu politics was considered bible by the Brahmins and the Tamil Intelligentsia. He was even touted as the mentor for Rajinikanth when he was making political overtures.

Every year, he organises at Music Academy in Chennai, an annual get together of the Tughlaq magazine, of which he is the editor. People throng in thousands to hear him answer their questions. So much so that the Academy overflows and people outside just hear his voice through speakers. Quite amazing.

But these days (for the past few years that is), he has become a Jayalalitha camp person. Wonder how she bought him over. Though he ocassionally derides even her to show he is neutral, it's clear that he is now in the AIADMK camp. The intelligentsia seem to have lost trust in this lawyer-turned political commentator. Just hope he comes back to his senses...

Gautham Menon fails to strike back?

2007-02-17T20:40:00.000-08:00

If it were a big disappointment for me, wonder how it would have been for Sarat Kumar's fans? Probably Gautham Menon should stick to racy cop & commando thrillers. That's his forte.

Pachai Kili Muthu Charam (PKMC) has an interesting story that has been stretched beyond a tolerable limit. The first half is very slow moving. In my opinion, only the first section of the second half was riveting. Rest of the movie was a slowcoach and killjoy.

Sarat just does no fit into the soft and scared husband role. He looks truly himself only when he fights back. Sorry Sarat, you are caught in your own web of "image". Andrea is pleasing o the eye. I have actually seen her on stage. But somehow her face looks expresionless (atleast that's what I felt), something very suprising for a theatre performer. Except for the last scene, Jyothika looks convincing all throughout.

Gautham. this is just an aberration. I am eagerly waiting to watch Vararanam Aayiram next month. Its supposed to be a commando and hostage drama in Afganistan with Suriya as the hero. That's like eating ice cream to Gautham. Am waiting for Day 1.

Welcome back Tiger

2007-02-03T18:43:00.000-08:00

The tiger is back in the Den. With Shiv Sena romping home to victory in the local body polls, Hindutva will be back in full form. And I just hope "Mumbai is only for Maharashtrians" gains momentum. That city is getting worse with every passing day, thanks to the non-Marathi populace. At a recent event which I attended, when the Dabbawalas President Raghunath Medge was presenting, he started and ended his presentation with a "Jai Maharashtra". I guess the cultural bondage should strengthen in all the states. Bangalore is heading for the gutter only because of the non-Kannadiga population and the minority Kannadiga population not able to keep their decibel levels high. Just hope Tamil Nadu retains its culture. It will.

The Great Indian Takeover

2007-01-31T17:56:00.000-08:00

Today's ET blares out - "The Great Indian Takeover". As I flipped through the pages of the newspapers, an overwhelming sense of pride took the better of me. Ratan Tata might have taken over Corus for business reasons. But its a sign of India stamping its authority in the global scenario, beyond just IT.

And the pride emerges from hitting back at The Empire- Corus (erstwhile British Steel) and an icon of the British Empire is now ready to fly the Indian tricolour. Who says life does not come a full circle...

Ostentatious LN Mittal is a man of "grey" and he is more of an Englishman than an Indian. Though the Corus deal is smaller than Arcelor Mittal's, the sense of appreciation and pride is much more. Envy Ratan Tata for the awesome crack team he keeps company of.

After TCS, Tata Motors and Tata Tea, it is now Tata Steel which has gone in for M&A. He has now tasted the sweetness of blood. I dont see Ratan Tata lying back. I am sure he is not going to stop his shopping spree.

Mani disappoints

2007-01-13T02:33:00.000-08:00

Being an ardent fan of Maniratnam, however much I try to write a biased review of Guru, I am just not able to put down any positives of the film, except for Abhishek's stunning performance. The film is truly disappointing considering the expectations it had built. (I actually watched the film on Day 1 night show).

Abhishek has definitely carried the film on his shoulders even as the screenplay sags at times and the hindi dialogues are little tough on you (actually i went to the film thinking it was the tamil version and over that, the dialogues were very difficult to understand at most times). Most of the characters are wasted including Vidya Balan and Aishwarya, who stand there in most of the scenes without much to do. But Mithun is a revelation for people who have not seen his art films. He truly shines .

As much as Mani tries to say it is not the story of Dhirubhai, the credibility dies down looking at the story, especially the scenes that have links to Dhirubhai's tussle with Wadias, RP Goenka and Gurumurthy, Gurukant "Ambani" Desai's offbeat" methods of raising money and gaining import licenses. It could have been a wonderful biopic of Ambani, but Mani smudges storyline inbetween. Wonder why he ever did that, taking the charm away.

I am not sure how many people who do not know the story of Ambani (more so in rural areas) understand what shareholder AGMs, public issues and non-convertible debentures mean. Even higher end movie-goers will not appreciate it.

But overall, when you walk out of the movie hall, Abhishek's stunning performance of a rustic villager-turned millionaire is faded by the disappointment of Mani's yet another directorial failure.

Mani, waiting for you to stike back with Lajjo.

India Poised

2007-01-05T22:51:00.000-08:00

India Poised (www.indiapoised.com) is one of the best India-centric campaigns in recent times. From the house of my ex-employer Times of India, it has come at the onset of the 60th year of being a free nation. Times is celebrating 2007 as the "Year of India". Truly it will be.

The ads have received extensive visibility in all of Times channels including TOI and even Times Now TV. With the booming voice of Amitabh Bachchan reciting it, the anthem is very inpsiring. Here's the text:

India v/s India

There are two Indias in this country.

One India is straining at the leash, eager to spring forthand live up to all the adjectives that the world has been showering recently upon us.

The other India is the leash.

One India says, give me a chance and I 'll prove myself. The other India says, prove yourself first and maybe then you'll have a chance.

One India lives in the optimism of our hearts. The other India lurks in the skepticism of our minds.

One India wants. The other India hopes.

One India leads. The other India follows.

But conversions are on the rise. With each passing day more and more people from the other India have been coming over to this side.

And quietly, while the world is not looking, a pulsating, dynamic new India is emerging.

An India whose faith in success is far greater than its fear of failure.

An India that no longer boycotts foreign-made goods but buys out the companies that make them instead.

History, they say, is a bad motorist. It rarely ever signals its intentions when it is taking a turn.

This is that rarely-ever moment. History is turning a page.

For more than half a century, our nation has sprung, stumbled, run, fallen, rolled over, got up, dusted herself and cantered, sometimes lurched on.

But today, as we begin our 60th year as a free nation, the ride has brought us to the edge of time's great precipice.

And one India - a tiny little voice at the back of the head - is looking down at the bottom of the ravine and hesitating.

The other India is looking up at the sky and saying , it's time to fly.

Ratan Tata shares bday with Dhirubhai

2006-12-28T04:25:00.000-08:00

Didn't quite know that Ratan Tata actually shares his bday with Dhirubhai Ambani (IBN just said that). Two of the greatest business tycoons who have changed the face of India Inc. Both of them using divergent methods to achieve the glory. Though Ratan Tata has been a late bloom, he has turned aggressive only in the last five years. What a run it has been for him in 2006. It does not suprise considering the people he is surrounded by - Gopalakrishnan, Ramadorai, Krishna Kumar, Ravi Kant...what a team. Really like to be part of this crack team that goes about acquiring companies across the globe. The way he has handled the CSN takeover bid typifies the straight-forward, clean attitude of the Tata clan.

Interestingly, today's Economic Times has two different ads released on Ambani's 75th bday - a full page in 3rd page by Mukesh and a first page bottom anchor strip by Anil. Really interesting. Fighting to claim a share of their father's glory.

Sunil Mittal and Asim Ghosh should thank me...

2006-12-27T18:48:00.000-08:00

Its more than a coincidence. After I quit a company, the organisation hits the trajectory path to greater heights. AirTel has reached unbelievable heights after I quit out of frustration in 2004, even giving up possible stock options which I would have got if I had just stayed on for six more months. Never realised the potential of that stock then. But the Bharti scrip is a gold mine of all sorts. The news now is that employees in Bharti have also been given an option to move from telecom to retail, if they desired so. Interesting times indeed.

Then, I quit Hutch in 2005. Now look, the valuation of the company has hit $ 21 billion and the company is all set to have a new owner - could be Vodafone or even ADA (Anil Ambani that is). But if Essar's Ruias take it over, then I am thankful that I quit the company (hate them for no fault of theirs. Probably because of their past mismanagement in other areas. Though they are a turnaround story now).

So now companies know the route to success!!

Vacation, Vellore and more

2006-12-27T08:27:00.001-08:00

I am off from work the whole of this week for vacation - definitely a well-earned break. Despite Chennai being the place to be in times of Christmas and New Year, off I went to Vellore with wife in tow to her mom's place. Traveling by the Golden Quadrilateral to Vellore after a period of 8 months is definitely a drive to cherish. The drive till Sriperumbudur irks, but then rest of the journey is bliss. Clipping/zipping at almost 120 kmph, even on the return (please dont tell my wife, mom or sis about this lest I get a lesson on slow driving), the drive on this route is much better than East Coast Road. Next target: drive to Bangalore. Dont know when that will happen.

"Auto" Shankar in Makkal TV

2006-12-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

PMK-owned Makkal TV has got one program that probably is gaining a lot of viewership (and probably just one program in its entire playlist that is worth watching). "Auto Shankar" is the serial's name, and has been claimed by its makers as the story of the serial murderer with the same name. With names of actresses that he had "dealt with" named subtly in the serial interspersed with names of corrupt police officials, the serial is definitely a worthy watch. But the serial tries to portray Auto Shankar as a nice guy who gets betrayed by his colleagues and the police department. Though all that sounds a little far-fetched. For more information on Auto Shankar and a little of his mis-demeanors, check out ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Shankar

Mani, Guru and Controversies...

2006-11-26T01:12:00.000-08:00

Mani, the genius and Alwarpetvasi, seems to be flirting controversy yet again, this time with his forthcoming release Guru.

Here are some nuggets of information and rumours that are floating in Bollywood:

- Its loosely based on the life of Dhirubhai Ambani, with the story also resembling the Hollywood blockbuster "The Aviator" (For a presentation in Pune, when I was doing a bit of reading on Ambani, there was someone who mentioned Ambition + Money = Ambani. Bingo)

- Whats interesting is that there are reports that Mukesh Ambani has been given shades of grey and is reportedly upset about this. That Anil Ambani-owned Adlabs Films is distributing the film, seems to be adding some credibility to that rumour.

- Madhavan said in an interview in Sun TV that he was asked by Mani to lose 8 kgs for the film. Thankfully somone told Madhavan this. But he looks more "Alaipayuthe"ish now (meaning he looks smart again)

- And yeah finally, both my favorites Ash and Vidya Balan provide the glamour element.

Mani, you have two of us eagerly waiting to watch it on Day 1. And if you do come across this blog, you can also come back to watch my review of Guru.

At Big FM studio

2006-11-25T19:55:00.000-08:00

I visited the studios of Big 92.7 FM in Chennai on Friday, when I went over to their office. I was in the studio when "Speed" Dheena's program went live at 6 p.m. Realised at that point of time that being a radio jock is definitely not an easy task, especially when the whole world is listening to you live. Truly difficult. Got to see the other RJs too. I still stand by my earlier blog on Big FM - they have the best line up of songs in the Chennai radio scene.

Amar shonar Bangla...

2006-11-25T05:32:00.000-08:00

Amar shonar Bangla (my Bengal of Gold)
Ami tomae bhalobashi (I Love You)...
...That's Tagore's description of Bengal.

Well, I was in Kolkata early this week on official travel, my first ever visit to the City of Joy. Though I did not get to see much of the city. I kinda liked whatever I little I saw of it. Maybe, that's because my trip was completely confined to the more posh Salt Lake area. Or probably my opinion of Kolkata was too biased.

Telegraph, rasmalai, rosgolla and Maach (fish) is the essence of Kolkata (much like The Hindu and filter coffee in Chennai). Interestingly, fish is like considered vegetarian by Bongs and is part of their staple diet along with aloo (potato).

I also went to the popular Park Street on the second day. For lunch, I went to Sourav's (the popular food court managed by Sourav Ganguly) with my colleague. Both the ambience and the bengali food that I got to lay my hands on, were good. I even went to the City Centre mall and let me tell you, the city is not as conservative as everyone thinks it to be. Quite hep actually.

Since my mom grew in and around the Ballygunj area of the city, she has a fascination for the city and would not miss an opportunity to visit the city. Though I would have preferred to travel by the Metro and visit the Victoria memorial, time was too short. Just hope I get another chance to visit the city in detail...

Style + Class + Bikes + Bikini = Dhoom 2

2006-11-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Watching D:2 on the first day of release at Mayajaal (Chennai) was definitely worth the long drive and the expensive tickets. In my assessment, this is probably the first time an Indian film oozes styles and class that can give Hollywood films a run for their money. Stunning action stunts. Glitz and glamour. Exotic foreign locales. Bikinis and Rio festival. A no-brainer story with a taut but hard-to-believe screenplay. Thats Dhoom 2 for you.

Before signing off, need to say Ash has never looked so stunning before in bikini tops and mini skirts. And neither Bipasha nor Ash looked vulgar even in those skimpiest costumes.That's definitely an art for south actresses should emulate. Though all of them looked classy, Hrithik stole the thunder right under Abhihek's nose. When you walk out of the hall, the signature tune is in your lips and an all-pervading sense of overawe around the gloss and glitz. A feel-good movie that's definitely a dekko for no specific reason.

Jodi No 1

2006-11-19T00:57:00.000-08:00

The latest reality show to grip Tamil TV audience is Vijay TV's Jodi No 1. If AirTel Super Singer started the genre of reality shows, this program has taken it to the next level. Considering that it has got reel and real couples from small screen competing for the title of Jodi No 1, it has got a lot people that I know glued to it. At this stage, there are just three couples vying for the top honours. Though personally i dont feel Vijay Adhiraj and Rashna are all that great, they have managed to make it to the semis...and yeah, Preetha Raghav need to really reduce weight...anyways I am glued to it like many others

Weekend getaways

2006-11-04T05:25:00.000-08:00

Weekend getaways
Originally uploaded by krishsriram.

Its been a hectic month to be very precise, and I have been away on weekends to Coonoor, Pondicherry for official strategy sessions. And between this, I was in Bangalore for just a day. So without saying, my blogging had to take the brunt of travel.

I got to stay at some of the choicest of locations - The Dune in Pondicherry , Taj Garden Retreat in Coonoor and The Oberois in Bangalore. Though The Oberois undoubtedly walks away with top honours in terms of comfort, both Dune and Garden Retreat brought me close to nature.

I had read in the previous edition of The India Today that the Dune was one of the "places to be". And it indeed is different and enjoyable, provided you vacation there with your family. With no locks on the main door (and even in bathroom for some of the rooms) coupled with a small-size double cot, it definitely is not a great place with your colleagues. Plus, very interesting in terms of different types of architecture (such as Kerala or Chettinad). Must say, it was a perfect mix of business and pleasure.

Chennai Police, la Hollywood style

2006-11-04T05:03:00.000-08:00

DSC01245
Originally uploaded by krishsriram.

Early this september, I had taken this photograph when I was driving down on Mount Road in Chennai. It was then not public information that Chennai Police would get a face-lift with 100 Hyundai Accent cars to be gifted by the Korean automaker. Well i had clicked pictures thinking it might be dummy cars for a movie . Looks like the Chennai Police make over is definitely for the good, la Hollywood style. Just hope that the policemen too get a make over, la Bruce Willis. Wishful thinking!

Laughter riot "Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikesi"

2006-11-04T04:05:00.000-08:00

pulikesi
Originally uploaded by krishsriram.

I got to watch "Imsai Arasan" just yesterday. Must I reiterate the public verdict that it is a laughter riot. What impresses is not just the way Vadivelu has come to the fore with his differentiation of "Pulikesi" and "Ugaraputhiran" (the two characters he plays in the movie), but the way day-to-day problems and their solutions are conveyed comes out strikingly.

Be it the snipe on the cola-pesticide controversy, "tamilisation" of film names or even the spoof on tamil cinema, I think director Simbudevan has handled this in a manner that has not been seen in Tamil cinema. Way to go!

Shankar has just proved that he is a better producer than a director. Maybe he too must focus on small budget films with a story value, than the large budget-special effects and violence laden films that he directs.

Vadivelu is truly the king.

Ash Chandler is hilarious

2006-10-02T06:16:00.000-07:00

Ash Chandler
Originally uploaded by krishsriram.

A few days back, I was at the launch of Times Ascent Chennai edition. As is customary with any Times party, it had the tinge of difference. Not talking about the short-skirt clad compere that is mandatory. What lightened up the evening was Ash Chandler's rip-roaring forty-minute session. Arguably one of the best stand-up comedians in India (Vikram Sathe is the other; I would not like to add Shekhar Suman as he is more of a show host), he kept us entertained with a wide-variety of topics including the usual "wife-nagging" and "old people" subjects. But there were couple of jokes that probably remain unforgettable - "trousers keep going up as men grow old and how at one points the neck pops up just above the trousers"..and yeah the icing on the cake, "The women in Chennai are hot. No wonder they say, "wanna come" (Vanakkam he meant)...

PS: photo alongside shows Ash with his model-turned-wife nethra Raghuraman

Lage Raho Mahatma...

2006-10-02T05:57:00.000-07:00

LRM
Originally uploaded by krishsriram.

I hate saying it. But I am sure, Mahatma will get a lease of life again with Lage Raho Munnabhai. If Munnabhai Part I created a new genre in commercial Hindi mainstream films, the second part is definitely bound to send across ripples in the commercial Hindi cinema. Going beyond the regular dose of "mamus" and "wats", the film has a strong story line but sometimes sagging screenplay. Guess, its definitely a dekko for the bold approach. Must say, Vidhu Vindo Chopra should stick to producing films...

Big FM is awesome...

2006-09-30T01:10:00.000-07:00

Reliance is back at doing what it is best at - becoming the category leader despite being a late entrant. Earlier, it happened with mobiles and now its with FM radio. Arguably, Big FM is the best in Chennai, in terms of the quality of songs played. While Radio Mirchi is too RJ-centric with only latest hits, Suriyan FM has a bad line up of RJs. Radio City is awful with a bad line up of songs. And Big FM is refreshin with a mix of 70s to 90s medlodies played along with only latest hits (and not latest songs...hits is the catch word)...

Its going to be great for the listeners with the War for the Radio Waves...
Pesalam, ketkalam, life kondadalam....as the Big FM jingle goes

Tryst with Kollywood stars...

2006-09-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

It was Kollywood party at its best. Well, I am talking about Filmfare South Awards party at Park Sheraton last saturday night. It was a starry night and truly rocking in true-blue Times Group ishtyle. at the party me and a star-struck Suchi had tryst with Vijay, Vikram, AR Rahman, Harris Jeyaraj, Trisha, Simbu, Dhanush, Srikanth, Prakash Raj, Madhavan, Parthiban, Kushboo, Gowtham Menon, Priyadarshan, Bharath, Malavika, Namitha, Reema Sen...the list is endless...truly starry...not quite sure whether I would get a chance again to see them all together...and that too probably sitting and chatting beside you

Its my second filmfare south party and definitely an unforgettable one...

To be or not to be KANK

2006-09-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

KANK
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

It's a belated blog despite the fact that I had watched KANK on the second day of release. When your wife is crazy about SRK, it's surprising that I had leeway till the second day to watch the film. My eagerness just kept waning with the passing of every frame of the movie. The slickness and sophistication of the film was rather negated by the unacceptable storyline. As much as marital discord is the order of the day, it need not be portrayed in big screen. It's an act of complete irresponsibility on the part of KJ. Anyway, everyone makes mistakes...

V V Rocks

2006-09-10T00:29:00.001-07:00

vv
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

"Parimaanam" means "phase" in Tamil. That's what Kamal Haasan' latest slick flick Vettaiyadu Vilayadu has done - create a new phase in Tamil cinema. A film with a production value that can give the best of Hollywood films a run for their money. Every artist and technican working in the film have tried to outbeat everyone else to shine bright. But Kamal has outshone in his stunnning performance as DCP Raghavan with his "Raghavan instinct".

Probably, this is the first time that we can say that its not just a Kamal's film, it's a Goutham Menon film too. And his stamp is clearly visible in the subtle but well-crafted portrayal of Kamal-Jyothika relationship (the way he had portrayed "Anbuselvan-Maya" affair in Kaakha Kaakha).

VV truly rocks. And thankfully even the BO seems to agree with that. Now, I am keenly waiting for Thalaivar's next film "Dasavatharam".

Kotler Sr & Jr

2006-07-27T09:38:00.000-07:00

Kotler Sr & Jr
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

As the title of this post says...its the photograph of Kotler Sr and Jr...well Kotler Sr is on the right side without a tie...

But jokes apart...it was a memorable occassion meeting the "guru of marketing" who is deified and worshipped by all b-school chaps...and I am no exception...

Thanks Dr Kotler for posing with me

Goa Gala...2

2006-07-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

DSC01011
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

A recent report said that most of the bloggers posted photographs of themselves or people related to them...you see one such narcissist posing stylishly against a tree...

Goa Gala...

2006-07-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

DSC01093
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

It was our first wedding anniversary on July 1..so Suchi and me spent it in the cool environs of Salcette in South Goa...the blogged photo shows both of us on a boat ride on the river Mandovi...

The man to watch out for...

2006-06-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

Ray_Ozzie
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

A few months back, when i read an article on Ray Ozzie in Fortune , I knew it was just the beginning of the second innings for this tech brain. This man has just stepped into the shoes of Bill Gates as Chief Software Architect of Microsoft. A dream for billions in the world. A low profile, introverted Lotus Notes founder, replacing one of the biggest stories of this century. I am very bullish about Ozzie, and I am sure he will take Microsoft to the next plane of glory.

If one has to learn succession planning, one needs to take a few pages of learning from Gates, stepping down in 2000 as CEO and now even giving up day-to-day responsibilties at MS. And just retaining the position of non-executive chairman.

We will miss you King William Gates III. (UK's Inquirer terms him as MICROSOFT'S spiritual and temporal ruler King)

"Koffee with Suchi"...yawn yawn

2006-06-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

suchi2
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Over exposure kills. And it seems to be coming true in the case of Mirchi Suchi, the bubbly tamil RJ of Radio Mirchi. Everyone liked her on the radio and wanted more of her banter. Now in her new avtar as the host of "Koffee with Suchi" on Vijay TV, she seems to have become too stale and predictable with no true-blue celebrities being her guests. And that too, when the programme is just into its fifth episode.

Not just that, in the name of being hep and in-sync, the programme , supposedly modeld on the lines of the hit "Koffee with Karan" show, seems to cross all tolerable limits. Why should Dinesh Kartik who has not even managed to stay on in the Indian cricket team, get to speak to his girl friend in Kuwait for the "benefit" of the viewers and, even proposing to her? Really crass. And Jyotsna Chinappa , the self-styled squash champion actually "sucks her thumb" for the audience on the insistence of Suchi, when proudly talking about having quit the habit only when she was 18 (a year back). And the spaghetti-stringed top Jytosna was wearing was quite repulsive.

I just hope Suchi does not imagine herself to be a "Karan Johar", rattling out probing questions. All she does is make viewers squirm in their seats, change channels and probably slowly withdraw from watching the future episodes. Just hope the TRPs fall. Just hope Mirchi Suchi has her feet back on the ground.

Yashraj is off the mark...finally

2006-05-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

Yashraj is off the mark...finally
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Well "Fanaa" is bound to give contradictory reviews considering that die-hard Kajol fans have been eagerly waiting to see her back on the big screen. But, in my opinion, Yash Raj misses the mark after a long time.

Kunal Kohli was the other reason for me to watch the film, considering I freaked over "Hum Tum". Despite the excellent picurisation, hummable tunes, some lovely locales and even more splendid performances by Kajol and Aamir, the film definitely misses the mark.

The screenplay is not taut and tends to sag at times. But then if you are in for a good clean hindi movie after a long time, Fanaa is definitely worth a dekko.

Lok Paritran splits...

2006-05-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

To think of it, 34000 odd Chennaivasis , seeking redemption from politicians actually voted for the novices of Lok Paritran in the recent federal elections. But Lok Paritran has now split just within months of formation. It clearly shows that no matter what the pedigree is (in this case IITians), the moment you get into politics, ego clashes come to the fore. I would have at least voted for Napoleon (DMK) and narrowed the slender margin with which S Ve Shekhar (ADMK) won.

Heres the hot news from media reports...

Lok Paritran, a party launched by some IITians and other educated youth vowing to usher in a clean administration, has split with four of its seven candidates, who contested in the recent elections, quitting the outfit. The faction accused the “national leadership” with financial bungling and lack of transparency.

“We left Lok Paritran on Sunday in disgust after witnessing the favouritism shown to the Mylapore candidate Santhanagopalan, who was given all the financial support and workforce for the campaign. We got nothing by way of support. On the other hand, we were abused, humiliated and even threatened by our national leadership,” said K. Rajamany, the Anna Nagar candidate and an engineering consultant.

He alleged that he was first appointed treasurer of the party but was sacked when he asked for accounts. Though he got 11,665 votes, the party leadership chose to project Santhanagopalan as the star candidate despite his getting a mere 9,436 votes, he alleged. “The national president Tanmay Rajpurohit did not even thank the public who cast about 35,000 votes and there was not a single word of appreciation for the candidates,” said the second rebel member Mr. Elanthirumaran, who had unsuccessfully contested against DMK president M. Karunanidhi in Chepauk.

“In fact, the party president and state general secretary had said that Mr. Santhanagopalan would get huge public sympathy and win in Mylapore if I got beaten up contesting in the politically sensitive Chepauk,” he claimed.

He alleged that Mr. Rajpurohit had appointed him as the state president but Mr. Santhanagopalan later declared before the media that he held the post. To top it all, the national president “surprised all by simultaneously appointing Arvind Seshagiri as state president,” said the software professional. He said in the absence of any support from the party leadership, he was “forced to risk my life campaigning with just four friends in the tough Chepauk constituency.”

Mr. Ishrayel Maheshwar, the Thousand Lights candidate, alleged that Mr. Rajpurohit yelled at him and sacked him from the party just because he wanted to express his views about the party’s performance in the elections. He claimed that about half of the 700-odd members of Lok Paritran would quit and join the rebel group."

Karunanidhi & Kannagi are back

2006-05-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

karunanidhi
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

For the fifth time, he is back as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. And along with him will come the displaced Kannagi statue back to its rightful place along the Marina Beach in a few days from now, straight from the Chennai Museum...completely refurbished. And it will ensure that one more pre-election commitment of the octagenraian gets fulfilled, along with the 2kg of rice through ration shops and many such revenue-draining measures.

I am keenly awaiting the reversal of couple of measures implemented by predecessor Jayalalitha, the main ones being the "come-back of lottery business" and the movement of liquor business back from Jayalalitha family owned Midas Distilleries to the other private players. These both should definitely help generate a lot of free cash in the market.

But what suprises me is the Local Administration being portfolio allocated to Stalin and retaining the big ticket IT portfolio with Karunanidhi himself? Stumps me, but the answer should unfold in the next few days.

But then whoever comes to power in Tamil Nadu, one thing is for sure - they have always been pro-industry and IT friendly. And this govt will be no different. As long as that happens, I am happy whoever rules the nation.

"Vazhai Meenukum..." rocks Chennai

2006-04-09T06:52:00.000-07:00

gana ulaganthan
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Just could not resist talking about this song which probably is one of the biggest hits in Tamil cinema. From a film called "Chithiram Pesudadi", the claim to fame of the film being that it has become a hit on its second release, thanks ,mainly due to the yellow-shirt clad Gana Ulaganathan who has sung this song...and on whom the song has been picturised along with Malavika...

This is just the beginning for Ulaganathan...late bloom

The lyrics goes like this...singalong..

Tu tu tu tu........

Vazhai Meenukum Vilangu meenukum kalyanam
Antha thenakuni kootamellam oorvolam
Antha nadu kadalil nadakuthaiya thirumanam
Angu asara kodi aalukelam kummalam

Oh o oh ....oh o oh ........

Kalyanama Kalyanam kalyanama kalyanam
Kalyanama Kalyanam kalyanama kalyanam

Vazhai Meenukum Vilangu meenukum kalyanam
Antha thenakuni kootamellam oorvolam

[music]

Oorvalathil aadivarum nanduthane naatiyam
Eyam mellam thallam mulangivarum vanjira meenu vaathiyam

Oorvalathil aadivarum nanduthane naatiyam
Eyam mellam thallam mulangivarum vanjira meenu vaathiyam

Paarai meenu nadathi varar paathiyam
Namma Paarai meenu nadathi varar paathiyam
Angu thayr pola poguthaiya oorbola kaatchiyam
oorbola kaatchiyam

Vazhai Meenukum Vilangu meenukum kalyanam
Antha thenakuni kootamellam oorvolam

[music]

Cooum aaru kadalil sayrum antha idathil
Itha paathu vitta uluva meenu vatchathaiya vaikungo

Cooum aaru kadalil sayrum antha idathil
Itha paathu vitta uluva meenu vatchathaiya vaikungo

Panchayathu thalaivarana sura meenu thaanungo
Panchayathu thalaivarana sura meenu thaanungo
avan sonna padi iruvarukum nitchaithartham thaanungo
Kalyanam nadanthu varuthu paarungo

Vazhai Meenukum Vilangu meenukum kalyanam
Antha thenakuni kootamellam oorvolam

[music]

Maapillai sontha pandham meesa kar erango
antha nethili podiya kaara podiya kalagalanu irukuthu

Maapillai sontha pandham meesa kar erango
antha nethili podiya kaara podiya kalagalanu irukuthu

Penuku sontha bandham meesa kaara kaduma.....
Penuku sontha bandham meesa kaara kaduma

Antha santhana meenu vavar meenu varavazhaipu tharuguthu...
varavazhaipu tharuguthu...

Vazhai Meenukum Vilangu meenukum kalyanam
Antha thenakuni kootamellam oorvolam

[music]

Maapillai vazhai meenu pazhavar kaadu thaanungo
antha manna ponnu vilangu meenin meenjuru thaanungo

Maapillai vazhai meenu pazhavar kaadu thaanungo
antha manna ponnu vilangu meenin meenjuru thaanungo

Intha thirumanatha nadathivaikum thirukamalu annango
Intha thirumanatha nadathivaikum thirukamalu annango
Intha manna makalai vazhthukindra periya manusan yaarungo ...?
Thalaivaru thimeengalam thaanungo !!!!

Vazhai Meenukum Vilangu meenukum kalyanam
Antha thenakuni kootamellam oorvolam
Antha nadu kadalil nadakuthaiya thirumanam
Andha asara kodi aalukelam kummalam

oh..o...oh..o
Vazhai Meenukum.....Antha thenakuni
nadu kadalil...Andha asara kodi aalukelam kummalam.....

Who will Mylapore choose?

2006-04-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Tamil Nadu is waiting with bated breath for the next Chief Minister. Considering that there seems to be no anti-incumbency wave against Jayalalitha, it seems to be a clear victory for her in the forthcoming husitngs. But then its impossible to predict the Tamil voters.

But an even more interesting battle is set to unfold in my own constituency - Mylapore - considered as the residence of Chennai's intelligentsia and one of the few Brahmin bastions in the city.

Its a three-way battle. Though I expect it to be a direct battle between AIADMK's S Ve Shekhar and DMK's Napoleon- both of them popular Tamil actors.

Do you see an young chap in red tee in the pic alongside - thats Santhanagopalan Vasudev of Lok Paritran - a party formed by IITians (check out my earlier blog on them). Santhanagopalan's pedigree is impressive but I dont forsee a great chance for him.

In my opinion, S Ve Shekhar's chances are bright considering that the brahmin votes will turn in his favour (as he is a Brahmin apart from Santhanagopalan. This is going to be easier as the other Brahmin-favoured party BJP does not have a candidate in Mylapore.

I am still contemplating as its a tough choice. But then I shall make up my mind before the elections.

No more "paper tigers"

2006-03-31T06:19:00.000-08:00

Originally uploaded by theiyer.

The Indian cricket team was once termed as "paper tigers" for their prowess on paper. But the victory in the first two ODIs against England (including the one today in Faridabad) has just proved beyond doubt that this indeed is a formidable team, with the batting prowess flowing down to No 10 too.

Look like Tendulkar might just have tough time getting a place in the team when he comes back from London after the surgery two months down the line.

But then Greg Chappell and Dravid seem to have no complaints, in the way things are shaping up, in the run upto World Cup 2007.

PS: Some rare snaps of the Indian team off the field...rare camraderie actually considering that Ganguly was actually around

It was nicely spooky "Being Cyrus"

2006-03-26T03:00:00.000-08:00

beingcyrus
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

There were just three reasons which propelled me to watch "Being Cyrus":

1) it was indeed a long time since Suchi and I had gone to a movie and hence it became mandatory on us to watch one this weekend. Strangely, there was no other film really worth watching ("in our perception", lest someone starts throwing up names of movies)

2) the film is presented by Times Group (my ex-employer) and without saying, would definitely be maximum "bang for the buck" as their products always have been

2) finally, promos had an element of slickness and spookiness attached, especially the website www.beingcyrus.com. "Awesome" would be the word to best describe it - modeled on the lines of Times of India and ET e-papers

And, Homi Adajania's 2 hour odd long English movie did prove to be a entertainer with a taut screenplay, some refreshingly apt music (by Salim and Sulaiman..just dont know who they are) along with an unexpected climax.

The film has taken a magnified look at a Parsi family. In my opinion, Parsis in India are "konjam" (small in Tamil) confused lot - caught between time warps and cultures, groping to find their identity.

Thankfully, Saif proves that he can carry a film through on his shoulders, with a non-chalant attitude and has played the right amount of histrionics (unlike in the regular Hindi flicks). Obviously, being in the company of a star cast replete with Naseerudding Shah, Dimple and Boman Irani, he better have a rub-off effect.

The movie definitely would not be a box offic hit and might cater only to the top segment of the audience, which probably is well understood considering that it has made its rounds in international film festivals before hitting the box office. But it is definitely worth a dekko.

Flying the Good Times

2006-03-23T08:49:00.000-08:00

Flying the Good Times
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

It was the first time that I got to travel by Kingfisher Airlines on my way back from Pune. To be frank, the usually staid three hour odd flight journey passed off in a jiffy despite the half hour stopover at Bangalore for half hour.

Truly King Class, flying the good times. Refreshingly different from Jet, Indian Airlines and Sahara, Kingfisher I am sure will change the contours of the aviation industry in the next couple of years.

The usual safety jig by the airhostesses is replaced by Yana Gupta performing it exclusively for you in the small screen in front of every seat. That set the tone for the journey. And Vijay Mallya in his la Bransonic image, welcomes the "guests" and says he has "instructed his crew" to take care of us. That guy really has got class. (you can reach Vijay Mallya at chairman@flykingfisher.com)

The cuisine was actually way better than Jet's. But the best part was the air hostesses's insitence that I eat something during the flight from Bangalore to Chennai. Despite my rejection, she kept egging me to have atleast a glass of juice. But then she gave up when I relented. Thats what you call "smothering" with hospitality. (Suchitra could not stop laughing when I narrated about this incident...). Be it the video and audio channels in the tv screen or the KF branding inside the plane, the experience was truly different.

Need to check out Paramount and Go Air now.

Memoirs of an Iyer in "Oxford of the East"

2006-03-23T08:14:00.000-08:00

DSC00868
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

I was drowned in a deluge of nostalgia during my entire two-day stay at Pune ("Oxford of the East") last weekend. Why not, I was back in the city after a gap of 7 years. Reminiscing my Symbi MBA days in Pune in the Indian economy troubled times of 1997-99, I was wandering on the streets of Senapati Bapat Road and Shivaji Housing Society, trying to juxtapose the current topography with the past.

My frailing memory, which lets me down at the most needed times, was vividly recollecting the contours of the area where I used to reside and study as a young, out-of-college, middle class kid with dollar dreams.

Climbing up the ChaturShringhi Mandir (it was actually quite steep than I remembered), I was thankful to the almighty for what I am. The last time around I walked up that steep hill to salute the Mother, I was in the company of Thyagi and Varada. And i still have a photo of that defining moment of the three roomies on top of the hill during our last days at Pune.

This time around, I was staying in one of those posh apartments (in Baner Road) that have sprung up across the city, changing the city's skyline. And just a shouting distance away from that place was Sudaksh, a thick friend from Symbi days and one of the handful of my classmates residing in Pune. We were catching up on what had happened in the intervening seven years over dinner at "Arthur's Theme" in Koregaon Park (yes the very same area where Osho's Ashram is located). Koregaon was always an enigma to us - with a stream of vagabond foreigners lounging on the streets. We used to sit in front of the German Bakery to catch a glimpse of robe-clad foreigners in their own world.

Talking about food, I was able to gorge on Maharashtrian delicacies vada pao and batata vada. Bought some Bakarwadi for eating at back home.

Yeah, changes seem to be catching up with Pune. My institute has shifted to Hinjewadi (outside Pune) and the new batch of students in the Symbiosis campus seem really hep (rather anything would have been better than our batch). The new Pyramid megastore has just sprung up near my old residence. The roads seem to be clogged with burgeoning traffic and the student population seem to have gone down in proportion (after Manipal, Pune was always considered a student's haven).

Things keep changing and its time to move on. One thing is however clear, my dreams of setlling in Pune now loooks remote...the city just does not attract me anymore.

(The photograph above is the statue of RK Laxman's "The Common Man" in Symbiosis Vishwa Bhavan, SB Road, Pune)

Lok Paritran - A Ray of Hope?

2006-03-05T08:51:00.000-08:00

paritrana
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

My loyalty for BJP seems to be coming in for test now. With the launch of Lok Paritran, its a litmus test for my loyalty during the forthcoming assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Lok Paritran (www.lokparitran.org) is a new political party in the Indian political arena and is a brainchild of 5 young men which includes IITians.

On Sunday evening, it was probably their first ever public meeting ...at Mylapore's Ragasudha Hall - ideal locality considering that Chennai's intelligentisia reside here, but not the ideal location for a public rally considering that it can seat less than a hundred folks at a time.

I entered the hall with little scepticism about the number of people interested in this outfit's activities. To the utter shock of my amma, Suchitra and me, the hall was packed. Good sign. But then the people assembled seemed to be sceptical about the "new kids on the block" - whether they would stand the test of times or are they just a knee jerk reaction to "Swades" and "Rang De Basanti". Especially the "Perisus" (senior citizens in slang Tamil) who bombarded them with unnnecessary questions and suggestions. What was evdident from the questions thrown in by the audience was that everyone wants to be advisers and not volunteers.

Why can't people just allow these guys to get to down to work? They wanted to know their action plan and their stance on various political issues. Will they ever have the audacity of asking such questions to Jayalalitha.

Everyone seemed to be talking about them except media - check out the blog world and there are reams of blogs about them. Will they become like AP Venkateswarans and Subramaniam Swamys of the world..who Tamils had lot of expectations considering they were from intelligentisia..but then just merged with the crowd or have disappeared.

Too early to comment...I can just say "all the best" and believe they are a new ray of hope for India. Well they already have three primary members from my family. But whether we will vote for them...lets see...depends on the BJP candidate for Mylapore constituency.

The face behind RmKV

2006-02-18T19:43:00.000-08:00

RmKV
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Do you recognise the person in the photograph receiving the award? Chances are you will fail to recognise him. But then I am sure that there is no one in Tamil Nadu who does not recognise or has not heard of his brand - RmKV. But the sad news is that you will not see him anymore - he died in a tragic highway accident a few days back.

Redefining the world of textiles and garment retailing, this IIT Textile grad had done a yeoman's service to countless weavers and in the process, resurrecting Tamil Nadu's fallen pride - silk weaving.

New product development is one and creating a niche in the cluttered marketplace through an aggressive brand push is another. I am sure that there are hardly any textile connoisseurs in the country who had the pulse of the market as he had.

"Cinderella Pavadais" was one of the cutting edge product innovation that made tradition looked so fashionable. When we decided to pick one for my niece just a few days into the launch of the product, the shelf had gone empty, thanks to the Diwali rush. 50,000-coloured saree further ensured that the arc lights were further trained on RmKV.

Its definitely a loss that can never be bridged. Just hope that the brand can continue its march despite its mentor.

Aamir Ko Kya Ho Gaya Basanti?

2006-01-26T05:51:00.000-08:00

Its inevitable - what goes up has to come down. Its the second film in a row that Aamir Khan has disappointed his fans. Sitting in a lousy Melody cinema hall in Chennai for the 1st Day-1st Show of Aamir Khan's latest flick "Rang De Basanti", one has a lot of expectations. But his fetish for jingoism seems to be driving away the film going masses and splitting him away from superstardom.

Just fail to understand why he has to give lessons on patriotism to the youngsters - RDB actually seems to be a blend of Mani Ratnam's Yuva and Ashutosh's Swades - on India's 57th Republic Day. If the storyline had focused on the interesting aspect of MIGs crashing due to corruption in sourcing parts, it would have made a better impact (It seems there have been 200 MIG crashes so far killing 76 IAF pilots so far...awful!)

The screenplay sags right from the word "Go" and you start wondering whether Rakyesh Mehra actually has a grip on the storyline. Playing the role of a college-goer, you expect Aamir to relive the Dil Chahtha Hai charm - yes he does to a large extent though the wrinkles in his face gives him away. The film begins to gain pace towards the end but to the utter dismay, it has an unexpected climax, by which time it makes no difference to the junta.

If Aamir Khan's intention was to get a message across to GenNext (as was evident during his interaction with youngsters in NDTV), I am sure he has definitely not hit the bulls eye.

This is my review at the end of Day 1. We need to wait for four more days to await the BO verdict ? Anyway, if you are an Aamir Fan, do not miss RDB - its his film though he shares the screen with five others thorughout the 165-minute documentary.

Sridhar, Mahendran....now Cheran

2006-01-26T05:50:00.000-08:00

Tamil cinema puritans and connoisseurs might not quite like Cheran being compared with the likes of old time greats Mahendran and Sridhar (as the title of this blog suggests). But after watching his latest flick Thavamai Thavamirundu, director Cheran can definitely be put into this elite bracket for bringing out human emotions in a manner that is hardly seen in Tamil cinema.

Realism. Every scene of the 210-minute film oozes out with nativity that is probably visible after a long time ("Kaadhal" I feel was a film which had the smell of nativity).

The film breezes along tracing the travails of a villager in bringing up his two sons. Not just the story, but the screenplay has brought about a whiff of freshness.

One thing is sure - this film will manage to show case to us how unbiased the national awards selection panel is. This film has to win either the Best Film or the Best Actor award for Raj Kiran, if not both.

Finally, a titbit - the leading actress of the film Padma Priya is actually a MBA and was working in GE Capital (now Genpact) and then Symphony Services in Bangalore. Yeah, she was Suchitra's colleague at GE and thats why I know about her. And i feel, she has done her bit perfectly just as Gopika managed to do for Cheran in his earlier flick "Autograph".

Way to go, Cheran.

Quo Vadis?

2006-01-21T20:55:00.000-08:00

One of my colleagues was mentioning the other day that her friend had remarked "It is better to not take husbands to watch Cheran's new flick Thavamai Thavamirundu since the film was propogating a dangerous dogma of staying with parents". Where is our society heading towards? ..Very scary...
Anyway I should be watching the film today after two full months of release..finally

"Hair-raising" experince

2006-01-21T20:43:00.000-08:00

It was one of those monthly Sunday mornings when it was time to whittle down my growing mane - little did i realise that it would be a "hair-raising" experience rather than a "hair-cutting" one. By virtue of having thick and unmanageable hair, this has led me to change hair stylists frequently in my quest for someone better. For the past two years though, I have settled for Park Sheraton despite the inhibitive and spiralling costs at the hotel's salon (and not to forget the tips to the barber and the valet driver) for two main reasons - excellent service and the chance to share the chair along with some VVIP. But the former reasonn was propelling me now to make the change.

It was the day after Pongal and I was waiting for my turn (you could gain entry only with an appointment to cut the hair..hmmm...times have changed). Out of the blue, Ashok questioned me, "Enna sir, thalai pongaluku oorukku pogaliya? (What sir...for first pongal after marriage you are not visiting your wife's place as per tradition?)...He actually remembered that it was the first pongal after marriage (a seven-month old incident) and that my wife Suchitra's place was Vellore. Stunned at this experience, I swore to never think of shifting ...After all, I was at the receiving end of a customer-delighting experience

Once a Mylaporean, Always a Mylaporean

2006-01-14T00:17:00.000-08:00

untitled
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

The title might sound cliched if you have been in the part of Chennai called Mylapore. There is an aura associated to this area which blends the old and the new. And it is therefore not suprising that Mylaporeans came in droves to celebrate the "Mylapore Festival".

This festival, if I am not wrong, was into its second successful edition. Mylapore was resplendent in the street lights that were erected for this purpose and the small gullies were bursting at their seams with not just the Mylaporeans, but even foreigners who had come specifically for the event.

park
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Folk dances, street theatre, kolam competitions and many more such items were there to keep the people entertained all through the four days. But my favourites were "kutcheri in the park" and the special food counters put by caterer Shubham Ganesan. The concerts were held in Nagswara Rao park in Luz. Suchitra and I go for a walk in the mornings to the park and during these four days we used to catch up with some good music while on the walk. Talking about the latter, on two consecutive days I had food at Shubham Ganesan's stalls which had some of the best Tamil delicacies . Relished them and added some good calories.

My sister Usha was coordinating the events at Pitchu Pillai Street, which had Stella Marris girls displaying and selling their handiwork - ear rings, glaass and paper paintings, mehendi tatooing. Arts college students were involved in drawing portraits of the visitors. Needless to say, Pitchu Pillai street drew a lot of visitors, more for the people who were selling rather than their wares.
Some of the men were keen on mehendi tatooing, for some obvious reasons. MY sister said she had tough time managing these "over-enthusisastic" men.

Sundaram Finance is doing a good job with this initiative . Yeah not to forget, Vincent (of Mylapore Times) has been able to do a great job - probably you can forgive his put-on accent for this effort. If only Mylapore streets were broader to take this....if only wishes were horses....

First blog in 2006

2006-01-06T21:43:00.000-08:00

200506
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Its my first blog in the new year and I just hope 2006 turns out to be an awesome year. Looking back, despite the worst natural calamities, I would attribute 2005 to be a good year for India - socially and economically (I am not bothered about the world in general).

Naysayers of the world would continue to harp on the negativities rather than looking at the events holistically. I am sure 2006 would see even more calamities - how else would nature strike back at the nonsense that happens on the face of the earth. Simply put, its the law of Karma (I have written extensively about Karma Theory in http://theiyer.rediffblogs.com but then i decided to become less philosophical in life. Guess, thats what marriage does to you ..wink)...

What has been the most surprising aspect of 2005 has been the sustenance of Manmohan Singh as the PM and even more hearening is that he has been able to keep the "Left"ies in good humour. I am not sure how he can tolerate the Karats and Yechurys of the world. Look at Brinda Karat's recent controversy around Swami Ramdev's medicines - as long as it cures people what is her problem..anyway

Look at the positive aspects of 2005 and count our blessing (rather than cribbing about the negatives)

- The erring Natwar Singh being given his rightful place - outside the cabinet - Laloo was thrown unceremonously by his ilk and tribesmen (by the way I was suprised to see new Nitish Kumar govt ads inviting investment targeted at NRIs during Pravasiya Bharatiya Divas)

- The good will be subjected to constant trials but they will emerge victorious. Jayalalitha can do nothing to the Sankaracharyas . I still believe that she will atone for all her sins that she has meted out to the Holy Mutt and its seers.

- Dayanidhi Maran rising out suddenly from nowhere and creating a buzz in the political circles - getting the ilk of Gates to visit India and more so Chennai.

- Lou Dobbs might as well go to the Hawaiis for a break - everyone in US of A has decided to give him a pass. Its the best year every for the Indian IT sector in its history , making a mark globally. Awesome..

I could go rattling about the positive aspects... but I am sure 2006 will be even more awesome (well bad events are bound to be interspersed with the good..otherwise we will never be able to appreciate the good when it happens) Have a holistic and awesome 2006!!

"Chilled Beer"

2005-12-30T05:01:00.000-08:00

chilled beer
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Before you think that its a circus of a kid bear, hold on! In some remote part of India (some say Bihar), "Chilled Beer" has been erronesously mentioned as "Child Bear". It happens only in India, as the song by Govinda goes.

Christening the Cyclones

2005-12-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

What's in a name? A rose is a rose is a rose, argued Oscar Wilde passionately. But the Indian Met dept seems to disagree , going by the way they have been aggressively naming all depressions / cyclones in the region.

A little bit of Googling (Google search that is) revealed nuggets of information. Check this

- Naming a cyclone gives it a certain recognition as several cyclones find a mention in history because of the large-scale destruction they cause. Assigning a name, rather than a number or the date, makes it easier to track and remember a particular cyclone. Incidentally, the name of a major cyclone is never repeated (is there a dirth of name in the world where 6 billion + people exist)

- The nomenclature practice, prevalent in the West since the beginning of the 20th century, started as late as 2004 in India .

- An international body , Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre, located within the Indian Meteorological Department in Delhi, has the responsibility of christening all cyclones that hit India, Pakistan, Oman, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand in the North Indian Ocean region, every year.

- All storms that hit anywhere in the world, are assigned names by regional meteorological centres in the USA, India, Japan, Australia and Madagascar for their respective areas in the beginning of the year.

- This nomenclature business has an interesting historical context. Hurricanes in the beginning of the century were named after politicians which caused a major row (what other work do polictians have). Then, during World War-II, Army and Navy meteorologists started naming tropical cyclones after their girlfriends and wives which drew severe criticism. In 1979, the US Natural Weather Service and the World Meteorological Organisation developed a systematic way of naming cyclones in the beginning of the year, alternating male and female names, arranged in an alphabetical order.

- Due to multitude of sensitivities of people and religions. it was decided to name cyclones after abstract bodies - Agni”, Vayu, Pyaar and Baaz. Cyclones in this region of the world began to get names from October 2004. .

- 64 names for cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea are ready for "Christening" and will be valid until 2009, after which a fresh list will be drawn up.

- "Baaz" which recently mauled Chennai is the fifth cyclone in the region to be named (though it was the first to get prominence in the country). The first cyclone in the Arabian Sea that formed in 2004 got a name from Bangladesh: Onil. The second cyclone, also in the Arabian Sea, got a name listed by India: Agni. Baaz was an entry from Oman.

Reams of blogspace could be written on the nomenclature subject in the west (check wikipedia).

Yeah, the best piece of news is "Fanoos" let loose of its aggression much before it reached Chennai coast. If only, it had decided to challenge "Baaz", then the city would have been hit really hard. But without any bias, need to mention that the fed govt and corporation machinery were well geared for any eventuality . But then thankfully some expectations are not met in life.

When it rains, it pours

2005-12-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

The old adage of "When it rains, it pours" came true for Chennai last week. The city and its suburbs were floating on a water bed, quite unheard of in Chennai. As mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, "Rainy Chennai" was always considered an oxymoron. But now its proving to be a natural phenomenon, so much so, that it might topple the fed govt in Tamil Nadu for not being able to manage the floods which touched disastrous proportions.

Bridge on the River Cooum (not Kwai)

2005-12-04T05:59:00.001-08:00

Suprising would be an understatement - to see Couum river actually brimming with water (and not with the usual slush containing Chennai's waste). People started thronging along the bridge in the evenings to witness this historic occassion - both on the Saidapet and the Kotturpuram bridges which run across Cooum. Watch it lest you might never see it again

Exit Patron-in-Chief...Welcome Mr Baramati

2005-11-29T07:48:00.000-08:00

Its looks like good times are back for Indian cricket. No I am not talking about India'a ODI victory against Sri Lanka or the drawn series with South Africa. Not even its elevation up 3 levels in the ICC rankings to No 4. But what I am talking about is the exit of self-anointed Patron-in-Chief of Indian cricket, Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya.

In the much publicised BCCI elections held today, the strongman from Baramati bulldozed his way to the post of President. And that too by a handsome margin. Very surpising for Dalmiya as he had held sway of Indian cricket for close to 21 years. BCCI seemed to be his fiefdom and the Indian selectors his sentry guards. Now all that is set to change with Shard Pawar becoming the President.

One thing is for sure - entire dynamics across all cricket associations is set to change. Ganguly dada might lose support with the exit of Dalmiya , personally a gratifying factor for me. With NCP being a partner of Congress, Pawar will have the backing of the central govt and can take some bold decisions in changing the phase of Indian cricket. But whether Shard Pawar will be able to make a difference is yet to be seen..

Mahabs..

2005-11-29T07:20:00.000-08:00

DSC00631
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Stunning sculptures at Mahabalipuram. Just wonder how the artisans of those days managed to get such pieces (as photographed and uploaded by yours truly) sculpted without any sophisitcated machinery. The intricate carvings actually make you keep staring at them. Really astounding cave scultptures at Mahabalipuram aka Mamallapuram.

PS : Just visited Mahabs last Sunday. When your wife's friend visits you, it is a self accepted norm that the husband has to become the official chauffeur. Well but the drive was splendid, thanks to the East Coast Road (once Laloo remarked that Bihar's roads would be made like Hema Malini's cheeks...though that never happened)...

End of "Jungle Raj"

2005-11-23T09:22:00.000-08:00

Elation. That sums up what every Indian feels on the fall of the "jungle raj" in Bihar. What goes up has to come down and can Bihar be an exception. Guess 15 years has been a long time but Laloo and his consort ensured that the state dipped into even more penury, thanks to rampant mafia raj.
Just hope the small time engineer (Nitish Kumar that is) succeeds in turning around the fortunes of the state.

Adios Senor Drucker

2005-11-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

Every guy who passes out of the b-school, swears to live by three people - Kotler, Porter and Drucker. But then the reality is different as the vagaries of the corporate sector makes one completely oblivious to their teachings.

Can anyone ever forget Peter Drucker's contribution to the world of management, probably management as a concept would never have evolved without you. Thereby resulting in a thriving industry of so-called management "quack" gurus of today. "Knowledge Worker" and "Management by Objectives" will probably exisit till the earth continues to go around the sun.

And yeah, the champion of "privatisation" once said, "..highly skilled people are an organization's most valuable resource and that a manager's job is to prepare and free people to perform"..Only wish that all managers follow it to the tee.

Adios Mr Drucker.
PS : "Acknowledgements" section of my first book will have your name.

Glimpses of Chennai...ILC

2005-11-14T07:11:00.001-08:00

chennai 1
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

ILC stands for "I love Chennai"...my colleague Krish has started the movement called ilovechennai ..he has even gone to the extent of getting out ILC stickers and he is contemplating further merchandise..ilovechennai.com essentially tries to capture the essence of Chennai..

So all you diehard fanatic Chennaivasis...check it out and watch the photo blogs of "moments of Chennai life"..

chennai 2
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

FDi in Politics?

2005-11-09T07:05:00.001-08:00

Double standards of our politicians have come to the fore with two recent headliners - first the disclosures about the KGB funding of Communists & Congressmen (during Madame Gandhi's regime) as detailed by Mithrokin revelations and now the disclosure by Volcker on Natwar Singh's and Congress Party's involvement as non-contractual beneficiaries in the UN's Oil for Food Programme during Feuhrer Sadddem's rule.

Maybe the communists are against FDI in retail and banking. But they might not be against FDI in politics as the joke going around in Delhi suggests. Why do they have to exhibit such double standards ?

Guess reams of newsprint and kilometres of private television newsreel have been wasted on corruption & double standards of our politicians. Guess next time when the communists like Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury talk about governance and ethics, one needs to throw food at them, just like Nicholas Cage gets bamboozled in "The Weatherman" by Chicagoans whenever he predicts wrong weather....

Chiyan tickles with "Majaa"

2005-11-09T06:34:00.000-08:00

majaa
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Remakes of hit films always face the problem of being compared with the original. My wife still feels that Munnabhai MBBS is better than VasoolRaja MBBS though i disagree whole-heartedly. Anyway, "Chiyan" Vikram faces little resistance in this aspect as his latest Diwali release "Majaa"'s original Malayalam version is not quite popular in Tamil Land. That has been a big advantage.

Despite the sea-saw reviews in the media, i feel that the film has achieved its targted of being a majaa (fun in tamil) film. No idea on why it is called Majaa except that the protagojnist keeps spewing the word "majaa" quite frequently. Its rip roaring at a lot of times especially when Vikram shares the screen with Pasupati. Did not quite realise that Pasupati (who acted as Kothalla Devar in Virumaandi) can actually essay such comedy roles with ease.

Asin looks stunning and breezes in an out of the film. But in all, the film is a complete entertainer. Can watch it once definitely!!

PS : This weekend it is going to be Vijay's Sivakasi. Dont know whether other Diwali releases will stay in the box office for me to watch it in the forthcoming weeks

Who said it rained in Chennai?

2005-10-30T05:41:00.000-08:00

chennai rains
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

First it was the quake, then the floods across the country especially in the region below the Vindhyas, now the Delhi and the terrible rain mishap in Andhra. As my Amma would prefer to term it, its the peak of "Kali Yuga". Truly, it seems to be Nature's pay back time.

Setting aside the abstruse topic, lets move to the rains which lashed Chennai city on Thursday. 42 cms on OFD (One Fine Day that is) - which is actually one year's quote for the city completed in one single instalment.

Before we move to the main subject of the blog, first the trivia. We need to name this recent nature's fury (on the footsteps of Katrina, Rita and Wilma in USA). With two mega releases on Diwali , Asin is the sought after actress in Kollwood. Hence Mr Weatherman (not the recent Nicholas Cage movie which is yet to hit India), please refer to the rains as "Asin".

Well if someone had been out of Chennai on Thursday and had come back on Friday, he would have exclaimed as my friend did "Who said it rained in Chennai..I dont believe it". Except for the periphery and the suburbs, the whole city was parched dry the very next day and the very familiar sun was out popping. Just cannot believe that the city can actually get back to normalcy in a day with no signs of rain the previous day.

Guess, the massive and mandatory rain water harvesting drive has yielded rich dividends - the water above the ground level receding super fast and the water below the ground level rising to dizzying heights, unheard of in the city.

"Rainy Chennai"was always an oxymoron. Albeit it was proved wrong for atleast one day.

Anyway, catch you after my "thalai Diwali" (first Diwali after marriage for the uninitiated).

Cognizantised...

2005-10-27T23:57:00.000-07:00

CTS
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

If you are wondering what this ubiquitous logo that you get to see a lot if you are a Chennaivasi, is doing on my blog....well I have stepped forward to be Cognizantised...joined CTS (Nasdaq : CTSH) on Monday in marcom function and now getting acclimatised to the new ambience slash work culture..

The best part is yet to come ...I would be stationed at their Cathedral Road office (in the heart of the city) and thankfully not at the IT Highway Development Centre. Old MahabalipuramRoad with its battered - pothole ridden - rain lashed- semi dug up tracks scares the daylights out of every car driver...But then thankfully my Santro and its worn out 3 year old & 35000+ kms traversed tyres are saved from further misery of a gruelling close to 2 hour journey every day....

Good times are here again.....(borrowed from an old cola ad)

Gracias Mr Self Styled Management Guru

2005-10-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

arindam c
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Dear Mr Arindam "Self Styled Management Guru" Chaudhri

Accolades to you for paving the path for India bloggers to enter the hallowed precincts that hitherto American bloggers enjoyed (who can forget how Indra Nooyi's speech at Columbia was thrashed out and the latest one involving the sacking of an American employee for bitching about his employer in his blog).

With IIPM actually retaliating in a major way to the blog postings of Gaurav Sabnis (gauravsabnis.blogspot.com/ 2005/08/fraud-that-is-iipm.html ) and Rashmi Bansal of JAM, Indian blogs seem to finally gather the kind of momentum and eyeballs that the global counterparts were enjoying.

What has elated me in the whole episode is the kind of coverage that the Indian media has been showering and the way in which other bloggers have come to the support of Gaurav.

I do not want to comment on the veracity of the Gaurav and Rashmi expose but personally i do not have great opinion about you and IIPM . But thankfully the whole episode has ensured that Indian bloggers finally come under the glare of the arclight, with more people likely to take up blogging with passion to enjoy their 15 minutes "hall of fame".

Gracias Mr Chaudhri...But I guess you should start toning down the tendor of your advertising on IIPM and also retrace the steps targeted at Gaurav (media reports suggest that he has quit his IBM job to stop the embarassment that his employer was subjected to as your IIPM guys had threated to burn IBM laptops that they have received from the institute before Gaurav's office)....

Just hope you dont read this blog and stand outside my office in TTK Road, Chennai asking me to be sacked..anyways I am quitting from Hutch...

Surya wages war for superstardom with "Gajini"

2005-10-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

gajini2
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

As I walked out of the theatre on the second day (night show), I was not quite clear whether it would romp home at the box office - quite the same feeling if you had watched director Murugadoss' earlier directorial venture & Vijaykant starrer "Ramana". But I am stunned that the film has not just got Surya superstardom status but has also proved to be blockbuster hit.

Personally I liked the film for its slick picturisation, an off beat story line, technical finesse especially in the fight sequences (a la Matrix) , tight screeenplay though it started sagging towards the end and not to forget Surya's stunning performance as Sanjay Ramaswamy with able support from Asin as his consort-in-waiting.

Rage of the town seems to be the men's straighened hair look (akin to Sanjay Ramaswamy) and not to forget "Suttum Vizhi" number which is my wife Suchitra's current favourite...She drools every time Surya comes on screen esp in that foot tapping number...

Must admit...Kamal is finally receiving competition from Surya and Vikram...its time for him to make way for the youngsters...

Adios Li Ka Shing

2005-10-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

Adios Li Ka Shing.
Its time for me to move on and leave your Chennai mobility operations. I guess it can be attributed largely to this sunrise sector which seems to be taking its toll on people working for it. I am bidding adieu to telecom sector for the second time and this time I am sure that the industry is going to see my back side forever.

But then that does not take away the blame from the management of Chennai operations which made my life even more miserable with its rather rudderless focus of business, resulting in less and less time for personal life. Chaos and chaos all through out.

So I should be shortly moving to the IT Express Highway aka Old Mahabalipuram Road to join one of the IT biggies.

So Adios Mr Shing. Hasta la vista

PS : - I have not mentioned the name of my future employer as things do not happen for me if I talk about it. still emotional on such trivial things. will tell you once i join there.

- Yeah, just read an article on how an employee was sacked in US for bitching about the employer on his blogs. guess I am just telling the truth. check the attrition rate at Hutch in Chennai.

Marriage & Blogging

2005-09-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

Marriage does definitely squeeze my available spare time. And the first to be effected gets the blogging time. Really miss my blogging days. My rediff blog has not been updated after the January 17 posting on Tsunami. Its a different issue that I got married only on July 1. This has prompted me to immediately go in for a home PC as my current employer does not feel the necessity to provide employees with a laptop for anyone below the GM category. Well its a different issue that my pockets have dried up to dig in for a PC.
PS : Did i miss out that marriage is a very costly proposition. !!! Well anyway thats the only disadvantage (just mentioned it lest my wife reads it and punishes me without dinner tomorrow).

Mauritius Rendezvous....The Galleria

2005-08-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

Mark Twain once said, "God created Mauritius and then created heaven". He could not have been more precise in describing the pristine island country. Featured below are some chosen snaps depicting the blog protagonist and his consort during the honeymoon trip to Mauritius...Belated posting of more than a month...Happy Viewing anyways

Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Seven coloured natural soil Chamarel behind us...we could only count four colours...remaining colours are up for grabs...

2005-08-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

Iyer
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Ok ..this time its Suchi's turn to capture the Mauritius dusk positioned behind me...Who is going to bid for this masterpiece of a photo... Sotheby's or Christie's

2005-08-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

Suchi
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Yours truly had taken this snap of Suchitra sitting beside the canopy..Guess PC Sreeram and Rajeev Menon can settle down for a lesson or two from me...

2005-08-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

Mauritius Boat
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Striking a pose before the steering, gives a sense of immense satisfaction. Just that the person looking at the snap does not realise that the person behind the wheel does not know how to ride a boat.

2005-08-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

Mauritius Crater
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

A regular run of the mill snap in front of a dormant volcanic crater..one of the many natural bounties worth a watch in Mauritius

2005-08-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

Mauritius Dawn
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Mauritius mornings are pleasantly cool and its the best time to laze around, especially if your resort overlooks the pristine but calm beach. Taken near the swimming pool of Casurina Hotel at Troux Au Biches, this is one of the memorable mornings of our 6N / 7D trip....

Parineeta - The Unusual Triangle

2005-06-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

Parineeta
Originally uploaded by theiyer.

Vidhu Vindo Chopra seems to be striking gold as a producer, more than being a director. After Munnabhai MBBS, he strikes back with Sharat Chatterjee's love story of a Bengali girl Lolita in "Parineeta" (meaning married woman). A refreshingly different love story without the usual item song - dance - fight routine of Bollywood films, the film intricately traces the lives of Shekhar (Saif), Lolita (Vidya Balan) and Girish (Sanjay Dutt) and weaves a delicate triangular plot with twist and turns that befuddles you on how the story will meander to the end.

Director Pradeep Sarkar ensures that the film bubbles with the traditional Bong tinted lifestyle, making you wonder whether the charcaters are really unreal (though sometimes Lolita reminded me of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Manisha in 1947). Except for the dramtised climax (which can definitely be forgiven), the film is definitely worth a watch and Vidya Balan is definitely the find of the year.

The film definitely will remain etched in my memory as it was my first film with my wife-to-be. The next time I watch a film with Suchitra, she would have probably become my "Parineeta".