be prepared folks.....mmmm....you might as well get to listen to this famed phrase on National Television in India on the eve of August 15 / January 26 very soon.... you winked ur eye....I saw that....;-)...and don't day dream..its as surprising to me as it might sound to any individual in India..... Amitabh Bachhan is likely to be fielded as the candidate for the President of India by a host of parties calling themselves the THIRD FRONT....which without question is headed by Samajwadi Party...with ADMK, AGP and some others......for the impending Presidential election within 5 months from now... the others worthy contenders are Somnath Chatterjee, Bairon Singh Sekhawat, Karan Singh....and somebody else.....:-).... and though I believe that Big B would be the biggest B ever / better B if he became president, I sincerely feel politicians / elderly statesmen should hold the office of the highest esteem in India..... It might be controversial, but though I have the highest respect for the academian in Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, I felt he wasn't able to command the authority an elderly statesman would have ...and the post was just of a high command...more than anything else....and I believe thats what even Dr. APJ felt, as he cited no-interest in a second term, for he wanted to concentrate more on meeting and interacting with the face of india-students..... so we would know more about this in a few days to come after the assembly elections currently under-way.....after which the parties would lobby heavily for the next election the presidential election..... and you know what...I am planning to cover this news item with interest...and you can find more updates on the same....here...:-) Bye for now!!!! Rajesh
technorati tags:president, election, Amitabh, BigB Blogged with Flock
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Yep...I am with the "Revolutions version" review ala the Matrix Trilogy.....Madhur Bhandarkar has completed a trilogy of social treatise subjects.....quite starkingly bold...should I say all his movies have been.....???? though this would rank the least best among the three stars....Page 3 being the best, Corporate the next best and Traffic Signal content with the last place.... nah...nah.....that is not mean that Traffic Signal is not a worthy stop over....but one of the best places in the weekend to spend over 3 hours....yes....it is relegated to the last place in Madhur Bhandarkar's standards....yes...but compared to contemporary bollywood movies.....its by far a clean sweeper for credits....:-)....
yep...the movie as usual is a hell a lot realistic....I am forced to use the same words from my "Corporate-Movie Review"....he has stripped the issue on hand..."thread-bare"...and made the story run nude with the gore realities....all through the 3 hours....puhhh....such realistic movies are what makes the cinema soul in me gladdened and satiated to the core..... I haven't been to Mumbai/Bombay in my lifetime....but having seen depictions of Mumbai and news on Mumbai...all along, this movie's backdrop, the characters, the situation...seem nothng but realistic...wow..you would find any of the characters...on any of the traffic signals in india...leave alone mumbai!!!!... The artistes have given as much as expected.....with no major star cast, except for Konkona Sen.....who I belive was wasted....though she pulled her weight...I would have wanted her character to be more main stream than a separate track...infact I was expecting some link to the main story line....and felt odd..when her character got sidelined completely with the death of the SoftwareEngineer-poser..... Yep...the movie's AS SEEN ON STREETS tag line is definetely welcome, but nevertheless, the story should have had some interwinings....and a screenplay to match the credence of the story cast.....what I meant is ....yep ...the movie is all about "beggars in traffic signals and the periphery life"....but just that 8 word sentence doesn't maketh a movie....you need to build a soul around this plot line and have to tell a convincing story...the traces of it were definetely evident....but alas only evident...no more substantiation.... I felt the movie should have gone on to show something more in the last 15 minutes...or atleast should have lasted 15 more minutes...where you get to a logical conclusion....it was like...ookok....your 2 h and 30 mins are up....please move on....THE END...was what it felt like for me.....I felt the same for the superbly efficient kamal haasan starrer "Kurudhi Punal" as well....
how well it would feel if one had the sense of gratification of having been promised a triple sundae Ice Cream as a dessert at the end of a sumptous meal.....and actually having one...it would be the perfect icing....one would ever want.... all I could say was...this movie just promised....the dessert....and never cared to attempt for one...:-).....though the meal was quite gratifying....:-)......
technorati tags:review, trafficsignal Blogged with Flock
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Guru...so many people review the movie...as if its the latest craze world over...yet....this one struck chord....quite strikingly though......just because it wasn't a full blown review...:-)
Its from a ONE-WAY relation for me....I know him through his blogs and his job...but he doesn't know me...:-)......I keep track of his blogs.... read his over the world take of GURU....lemme not divulge anything.....read for yourself!!!!!...in his blog....here
http://sudhishkamath.blogspot.com/2007/01/guru-some-quick-thoughts.html
enjoy maadi!!!! Rajesh
technorati tags:guru, review Blogged with Flock
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huh????!!!!!....a proud indian me...at this moment!!!.... booked your tickets yet???...yeah....now even Indians can afford to travle to space aborad an Indian Space Voyage.....a landmark achievement...defientely!!! Yep...the news is: SRE ( Satellite Recovery Experiment ) of the ISRO is a major sucess and the satellite which was launched by the PSLV earlier this month Jan 10 to be precise....has taken two payloads, done experiments AND....returned back!!!!...yeah..you read it right!!!!.....the satellite returned back gracefully...and it has been taken to SriHariKota for analysis.... with more advancements...YOU AND I....IN THIS BEAUTIFUL WORLD.....can fly to the moon...and start a habitat!!!!...:-))... read along in the master article from THE HINDU here
Jai Hind....
Rajesh Prakasam
technorati tags:SRE, technology, ISRO Blogged with Flock
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mmm....actually this is an interesting discovery that I have done...:-)......this is a new browser called FLOCK....which is based on the Mozilla Engine...and is completely...completely....young in its outlook.....such a refreshing idea....which somehow missed a lot of geeks...:-)...actually...geeks dont get enticed with these thoughts....so its upto some cool-headed....quintessential internet-ian to have come up with this fresh-as-a-whip concept.... with out much ado...lemme tell u what it is...:-)...This web browser FLOCK, has an interface much like Firefox....but has this idea of a socially-networked browser....you can share photos, news, blog infos...and what not....it is the tool that integrates all the ubiqitously available tools like Blogger, Flickr, RSS, etc., and so on.....
The star attractions are a) it has integrations with photo management tools like Flickr, PhotoBucket b) it has integrations to blog sites like Blogger, Wordpress, LiveJournal....and so on... c) a cool news aggregator,
d) Technorati integration goes deep down!!!!
when I say integration, it aint any fundu technical jargaon that I am referring to....its just that... you dont have to get to these network sites, to register your presence...and update stuff....you just fireup FLOCK....and update it as part of FLOCK....it does the rest for you!!!!....Infact...thats what *yours truly* is doing at present.... this blog post in LiveJournal...is written in an application window of Flock and not at LJ....really convenient I shd say...particularily when you have umpteen places to update...and keep track of..... so.....after firefox its flock for me......if I can borrow McD's caption.... *I'm lovin it*
cheers, Rajesh technorati tags:technology Blogged with Flock
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Just like what Guru is used to getting in the movie...real-life hero Mani Ratnam has got *dugna* returns for his GURU...and has recovered lost ground...badly lost though through his *Ayutha Ezhuthu* and *Yuva*...
A genuine film I should say....in just 2 words...a true film critic appeasing movie....so you should figure out that my senses have been gladdened by this movie...which happen only when I watch Shankar's movies...and for the first time...I get this feeling for a Mani movie....I am impressed to the core...and without doubt one of the best contemporary Indian Movie directors....easily on top of the country..:-)....Congratulations Mr. Mani Ratnam..:-)....an excellent work of art...
As the promos promised...this was about the rise of a commoner to places where commoners aren't used to frequenting....and it was precisely what it said...if I had to say in a line....
but what is most impressive about this is ....the juxtaposition of the life of Guru and the progress India made in these years....in addition to the emotion, drama and struggle both the protagonist and the country have gone through.... its a personal style statement from the magician Mani Ratnam...:-)
Abhishek Bachchan...has..as expected...shouldered the film completely....and definitely needs to be credited....for he has gone far enough to be considered a serious acting talent in the industry...and is reaching out to his father's place....with such films in the future...an absolute stunner of a performance...and gives as much weight needed for the character of Gurukanth Desai...and is every bit Guru..than Abhishek....a straight A grade for AB...infact the solitary reason the movie was saved from the clutches of a documentary and as a matter of fact is so enjoyable is only because of the heavy weight characterization of Gurukanth Desai...and the flawless rendition by Abhishek...again...so happy for AB...:-)
Now comes Mani Ratnam...he is definetly the front runner but by the pure acting merit of AB...Mani has been relegated to the second most significant contributor to Guru....Wow...what can I say about this creator...infact my first review for any mani product of any form.....have never felt like what people say when I saw prior mani films...but this one needs to stand apart from his legendary creations...this is definitely a corner-stone in Mani's career...His screenplay is absolute honey on screen...wooo.....what valuable lessons for budding screenplay writers....the movie never ever sags for pace for all of its melo-dramatic undertones...great pace!!!...and particularly the scenes where guru addresses his share-holders...those scenes were so so realistic....and was like *AS SEEN ON TV*...;-)....I'm lovin it.....certainly a DVD candidate in my video library!!!!
Mithun Chakraborty...aka mithun da.....can't really comment on this legend as I literally don't know any thing about Mithun da outside of this movie....but all I can say is that he pulled his weight quite effectively...and has pulled out an effortless display of histrionics...now... you don't call anybody a legend without a reason...i am not sure if its the character that led mithun perform a stunner or if mithun has lent that stunner onto the character...anyways..its the movie that gets its third most significant contributor...and befittingly Mani chose to credit Mithun Da as the first of the actors in the title card!!!..a mark of respect for the superstar!!!!
Allah Rakha Rahman...what a gift for humanity and Indian cinema....his songs lilt to the core...and whenever a song came on...I was completely high on octane...and started to croon along with the song...and got a couple of scorns from my neighbour seat...but I gave a damn to it...and continued to sing along which is what I do for all my musical favourites.....Every song is a masterpiece when is on screen...the only jarring note is that the voices of the playback artistes...didn't quite suit the on screen pair of AB and AR....yeah...Tere Bina with ARR crooning was kinda odd for the stature of AB...but the song is nevertheless a genius....Ek Lo Ek Muft....with Chitra crooning wasn't that great for Aish....yeah....they could have been take care of...As an album...Guru gets full marks....but somehow this sync has slipped......so here you go with the 4th most significant contributor to the film....
Rajeev Menon (Cinematography), Madhavan(Shyam Saxena), Vijay Krishna Acharya (Dialogues)....have been the next most significant contributors...in no specific order....yeah....rajeev menon's mastery is visible in every song....each fitting crisply into the tone of the movie...no jarring notes there....good....
Madhavan..must be extremely giftedto get meaty roles in Mani's films....but luck doesn't stay if you aren't worth it..and the corollary is true with Madhavan....his role is a neat sketch...which he does to picture perfection....
Vijay Krishna Acharya's dialogues have been so so vital for the movie to be so impressive...that if I forget a mention of this....I am inadequate a critic....I loved almost all of the critical spells...but the most standout dialogue is the one, when Madhavan laments that *The Independent* is responsible for Guru to be *paralyzed* literally.....and mithun da also laments about his son guru's health, when Madhavan asks Mithun da if they should stop the new article (against guru)...when Mithun Da replies....*no...no....if you are sure that what you write is true...dont bother hesitating....truth should be out!!!*..... this singular dialogue sums up the character of Manikdas Gupta....and the moral value it flaunts....
Characterization for the story...is the next significant contributor...probably the root cause of all the above contributions...fabulous would be an understatement....I loved the confidence with which the young Guru made waves....:-)...the older Guru was more of an assertive, tactful and to-the-core business man.....the younger guru was intelligent, swift and self-confidence personified...was so refreshing to look at such heros on screen.,...and for once wasn't ashamed of using the word HERO for the character..how wonderful it would be if everyone had that confidence up their sleeve...:-).....next up is Mithun Da's character....wow....super cool role to be in...these two sketches are worthy to shore-up the movie...even if it had faltered as opposed to its current genius...;-).....A bit of irony was that with such powerful sketches up the sleeve, the story failed to show Mithun Da or Madhavan'c character come to a logical conclusion...:-)..atleast I would have wanted that!!!
Aishwarya and Vidya Balan need metion...they have done their bit to the movie.....and one of the most striking aspect of the movie was...the richness and innovation of the title card...I was completely floored by the graphic...and for once wished the title card lasted forever!!!!!....it seems when there is a powerful magnet like Mani at the epi-centre of the action....talented and skilled resources..automatically conjoin to form a whirlpool of a movie....which is testimony with the work of art called *Guru*...
The one aspect I wasn't personally happy with the movie...was the moral values that it advocated at the end....though GURU succeeds and justifies his acts....he nevertheless flounders as a moralist at places...which needn't have been glorified and justified...and more so...the judges who were so critical and un-prejudiced until that 4.5 minutes rhetoric of guru towards the end....acquitting him of most of his charges....hard to digest in an otherwise almost flaw-less movie....the main reason for this lament though...is that the character of Gurukanth Desai was so..so..powerful that without this moral-value affliction...he would have been an immortal sketch....but may be Mani wanted it to suit some real-life character..;-)....and make it more human.....hmmmm...
Nevertheless....I would rate Guru as one of the best movies...I have seen in a long long time...:-)
Congratualtions to the entire GURU team!!!!...a landmark movie in Indian Cinema History...more so because it seems to resemble a landmark personality in Indian Economy and Indian History!!!!
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At your favourite browsers....:-)......the official launch of my website.... Rajesh Prakasam
the cosmetic pre-requisite to appreciate the website would be the understanding of THE MATRIX philosphy....though not absolutely necessary...its a would be nice to have feature....:-)
anyways....do visit my portal...though you have to practically read it....as I have shelled out a hell lot of text for my page...which is what I am typically...:-)).....very talkative.....;-).....
let me know your comments......
cheers,
Rajesh
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| Date: | 2007-01-11 22:03 |
| Subject: | Strange Feeling |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  annoyed |
yeah...its quite strange for me....and I am unable to cope with it!!!....and unable to come to terms with it!!!....really...I mean it....
I have never had so much of personal commitment to attend to....all through my career of 4 years....that I find it odd....coz....I have always been a full-time professional life person...that I have given little thought to my personal life...outside of the weekend days that I get....and as always I would get amused at married people & others for that matter have loads of personal work to contend with their professional life...and I would wonder *why the hell* do they get committed to????
but as destiny would have it!!!!....I am currently through that phase of life...when I am having to suddenly wade through a spate of personal comittments...and I am shocked to think of the thought that I would have to compromise with my work life, which I hate to do.....as I feel work is what drives me further in life...and thats my life line.....:-)...i know my friends scorn at me when I say...."we get paid only to work for the company and not for our qualification..:-)...".....
so when I get more and more of personal commitment which is hard to ignore...I am left with a strange feeling of "why the heck is this dilemma upto me??"..i am stuck at a hard plane..where personal life and professional life are competing hard to find prime time!!!! in me....:-)....and I am at cross-roads....trying to do the impossible hara-kiri of finding the right balance between both the worlds....my famous matrixian analogy, betweeen the *machine world (atleast for me)* and my *zion*.....:-)
Happy New Year..to whoever reads this..and that includes me as well...:-)
Bye,
Rajesh
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mmm...having run through the mileu of stuff of day 1, and travelling back to Electronic city....I hardly had time to sleep......but kinda got an hour having gauged the exact time that I needed to be at the venue......so as usual...I was there on time at the venue...the fact I relish most in any place is being on time...:-).....
Before 10.00 AM in this occasion....I was ahead of time...and took a stroll around the stalls.....and stopped around the SUN microsystems stall, which I remember was a great deal of a crowd puller the previous day!!!!..i was keen particluarily on OpenSolaris info...the pre-launch demo of OpenSolaris was all I could get till now.....so approached the stalll....and a couple of kind gentlemen....from SUN directed me to the right OpenSolaris resource and in minutes I was getting funda explined on DTRACE of OpenSolaris... then about the Zones...and so on....and it rather became a discussion of what Linux couldn't do and what OpenSolaris could do.....I kinda enjoyed the healthy discussion.....then there was another gentleman...who was incharge of the LookingGlass 3D java desktop project and to be frank...just by the visuals I was attracted to that stall....and again in a couple of minutes....I was zooming in (literally) on the 3D desktop, the panoramic feature...et all.....I was getting back to reality, when I accidentally saw my watch.....and lo...it was already 10.05....and gosh!!!!...I am already late for the opening keynote address...of Day 2...so I quickly took leave of the courteous gentlemen at Sun....and rushed to the 750 seater hall.....
10.00 AM to 11.00 AM The talk....KDE4 and You had just begun and Aaron Seigo, a KDE developer since long was going on at a steady pace...Actually..it was very good topic....coz...as a side track...he was talking about what KDE stands for...what the roadmap of KDE is....and the usual tech talk tidbits that one would expect of such people...in short it was an all in one package for me....in addition to knowing what KDE4 is going to look like!!!!...KEWL....:-)
11.00 AM to 12.00 NOON the choices for the hour were straight forward..as there was a talk on DTrace with OpenSolaris and I stright zoomed into the Hall....yeah...it was kind of a recap of what I had seen in the morning at the SUN stalll.....put forth in a detailed fashion and Peter Karlsson was splitting thread bare the usage of DTrace....infact he opened up a world of debugging previously difficult to imagine....good work by the DTrace team!!!! I should say!!
12.01 PM to 1.00 PM clear again, was the choice, when you have Rasmus Lerdorf manning one of the halls...where do you expect me to be??? huh??? I have known about him only through LinuxForYou and other magazines....was completely thrilled to be as his audience....and his talk as well was lucid and very very informative...and he as som many others emphazized the *KISS* strategy...siting striking examples like www.orkut.com and www.flickr.com...which exemplify the strategy!!!!....Indeed the way of his presentation was awesome...of a different standard!!!!...was proud!!!!
Lunch@Day 2 As usual...lunch was awesome..and me had to put up a house-full board near my belly-area this time around!!!! Met my long time friend at the event and was pleasantly surprised to meet him and talk to him...:-)
2.00 PM to 3.00 PM Didn't have anything much to attract my senses, by way of a talk....and had to choose one instead of loittering around, so chose the Java EE5 talk, but as expected I couldn't concentrate one bit and then had to respect the other audience and had to move out. Thats when a bell rang in my head!!!....and I remebered that I am not finished with the Looking Glass 3D desktop demo....so went there...and as usual there was a courteous SUN employee who took pains to explain the work of Sun Engineers in Looking Glass and its road map....interesting, exciting, cool....all in one....seriously looking forward to looking glass..:-)
3.00 PM to 4.00 PM This was the talk of Sulamita Garcia, which took make files and strip them thread bare... have never actually written one make file...so was excited and was informed of so many options in a make file.
4.00 PM to 5.00 PM Yeah....this was one of those funny talks...as funny as the speaker's introduction.....:-).....Christoph Hellwig is a Linux Kernel Developer by passion, and does this whenever he gets time off from sleep.... and he passed on his passion in a presentation for people who are as passionate but not yet there!!!!....infact the introduction was so true that....by the end of Day 3, we the audience could witness Christoph sleeping in the gallery!!!!
5.00 PM to 6.00 PM ok....this was the most awaited topics for me*Which Open Source Liencse, by Russell Nelson*...for two reasons...a) that it was the single more interesting topic for me in the whole Open Source funda!!!! and b) that it was very recent in mind due to a dilemma I was in, when I was while giving a consultation for a client......His talk was so clear, lucid and articulate.....I mean LITERALLY he was so articulate with his actions that it was hard to miss the information. We also had a set of interesting questions at the end of the session!!!!! I should say I enjoyed it to max....was on cloud 9!!!!
6.00 PM to 7.00 PM One more interesting session for the day!!!! how many!!! This was a look back session, which was discussing what India has gone through in the last 10 years in LINUX....and the community....It was an eminent panel list who have seen the length and breadth of the community and are people who say....BEEN THERE DONE THAT..!!!! The general observation was that a) students should contribute more....and b) the community in general should be contribution oriented as much as use-oriented..which made sense actually..:-)......Pointers to ponder for open source users...which included me as well....I was embarassed as well....for the second time in 2 days!!!!
this went on till atleast 8 PM....and it was a good discussion hard to pull a stop at it...so it was decided that this would continue as a BOF in one of the tents the next day!!!! ...good beginning already!!!!
so....trotted back to my place....talking to my friend....and had a good tme talking to him about good old days!!! and getting to know of where's who....of my mates...:-)....
so Day 2 as well was rich in experience...and I already got the feeling of the *beginning of the end of FOSS.IN 2006*...which felt very bad!!!...:-)
FOSS.IN 2006 a Diary......TO BE CONCLUDED....;-)
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Me...one of 2000-odd attendees each day at FOSS.IN 2006, an International Event of repute happening every year in India, which mainly focusses on a multitude of topics under the umbrella called Free and Open Source Software with a tinge of India....not to discount the international audience and the speakers...:-)
Yeah..the event is of such big repute that more and more of an international audience is a feature that this event has to accept and live with...:-)
I have only been an attendee....(kinda embarassed to say this...people who where there would relate to my embarassment).....from 2004.....from LinuxBangalore Days...:-)
This time the event returned to its original place...JN Tata Auditorium @ the IISc campus in Bangalore.....quite a natural place...capital of the science capital of India to have this geeky conference .....
Lemme try this form of minute-ing my presence at FOSS.IN 2006....my experiments with user's patience never seems to wither....;-)
Day 1:
Early Morning 7.30 AM Planned to be in advance of the Bangalore Traffic, and eventually reached the venue at around 7.40 AM...wasn't surprised to see a just a few volunteers slowing gearing up for the event...me..sidetracked...wandered in to IISc campus, found a good canteen to have a gulp of some veggie stuff for breakfast....got some really good deal with the purse and the food and as far as I am concerned, the event has started out very well!!!!!
Pan into 8.30 AM I reached the venue, once again, this time encouraged to find some public movement and some billboards...:-)...thats more like it!!!.....got myself registered..scammed through the delegate kit....and was pleasantly surprised to see the standard of the conference going upstream!!!...the designs and the scratch pad all were goodies that people would come to expect of such conferences....
Until 9.30 AM Gradually FOSS.IN 2006 started pulling crowd.....and the entrance to the venue was kinda crowded....and I started recognizing familiar faces from 2004 onwards!!!!.....they have been regular just like me...:-).....
by 10.00 AM And the crowds were let in.....*familiarity breeds contempt*....but I would have differed from that by a mile...atleast with this situation.....familiar stalls...but it was all new for the people...and as usual people started flocking the stalls even before they were fully setup....curious enough to know more before they can.....
Until 11.00 AM by 10.00 AM, early birds like were already in the crowd-puller JN TATA Audi which could house 750 people,,,,,,but even after 10.30 AM delegates started to pour in at the registration desk...and there was a long queue outside IISc...a bottleneck...unavoidable....considering indian mentality of punctual....as a result...the Welcome Address got pushed b about 30-40 minutes,. which I thought would snow-ball..but surprsingly that was blocked right at the outset....:-)....good for the organizers!!!!!....Atul Chitnis. gave the welcome address and finished before the opening keynote address...:-)
11.00 AM to 12.00 Noon The opening keynote address for the first time in the annals of LinuxBangalore / FOSS.IN was an Indian who made it big by way of contribution to *this* world...Suparna Bhattacharya....to be precise...the talk was as minimal and modular as the topic of discussion was.....there was a lot of kernel-newbie developers who were eager to see Suparna as their face...in lkml....:-)....It was priding for me personally, Indians can make it !!!!...
12.00 Noon to 1.00 PM .Christopher Wittig....CEO of db4 objects....a living example of Open Source Business Model....was as inspiring a personality as his topic....he made the whole talk of open source business model, look very simple....just like a *cover drive* being a simple stroke for Sachin Tendulkar
Lunch Actually this was a surprise package....prior to this year's edition...lunch wasn't a niche area for this event..so didnt have much expectations.....but this time they scored full marks there as well...:-)...seriously the food was of the highest quality that you could get in affordable prices in and around Bangalore...and I was pleasantly surprised by it.....so food quota 2 of the day was equally good....:-))
2.00 PM to 3.00 PM okok...now started the time when people had to actually choose between talks....the toughest part of any FOSS.IN or LB/20XX....but I had a clear idea well ahead of the conference..on what kind of talks do I have focus so that what I miss in the other talks dont matter much to me... so...deciding on this one at 2 PM wasn't a big deal....coz...it was Phillip Tellis who was doing a rhetoric about libyahoo2...historically his talks have grabbed quite a bit of an audience....and his talk this time was about his pet project....libyahoo2....it was kind of a walk through the histortical lane of Yahoo on Linux systems....:-).....I really enjoyed every moment of it!!!!
3.00 PM to 4.00 PM This session that I chose to attend also had a historical reason!!!!...wonder what.....coz...this session came close on heels to Sun's opening up of Java to *our* world....the one information that gladdened my heart for the whole of November....The talk on OpenJDK, its roadmap, its expectancy, the licensing talk...was all that I loved......what with Java being my second love after Linux....:-)
4.00 PM to 5.00 PM This was a divided session for me...coz...I couldn't finalize on one of the hallls......but finally settled at G Karunakar's workshop....I have great respect for this man...who is the single most influential face of Localisation of Linux in India!!!!! Quite exiciting I should say his workshop was
5.00 PM to 6.00 PM But I had to move out halfway onto the 750 seater for the 5 PM session which was more dearer to me the GPL talks....ha....these talks seem to interest me more than technology...and I guess the maximum I hear about the GNU GPL will not be sufficient to satiate my quest for knowledge on the same....this talk by JayaKumar was about the current affairs of GPL v2/GPL v3 *and* the Linux Kernel....quite informative atleat for me...coz...I was unaware of the Linux Kernel side of the story!!!!...I relished it!!!!
6.00 PM to 7.00 PM This was about the closing keynote address of the day....the star of FOSS.IN 2005 Mr.Andrew Cowie of Operational Dynamics...his speech seriously is of the highest order of quality!!!!...and..he didn't disappoint this time as well!!!!...his issue which warranted a solution was a problem of too many choices and too many projects trying to accomplish the same.....which he covered with a very relevant set of present day candidates any F/LOSS user.developer would relate.....and also brought about a solution case study in one of the areas.....:-).....good forethought and a very very good candidate that warrants discussion amongst the community!!!!...so the closing keynote was indeed a corner stone of a talk...
...and the DAY 1 of FOSS.IN 2006 went off really really well I shoud say!!!!...I was brimming with joy of having had so much of an overwhelming information bank to carry back home!!!!...
no time to relish..coz I had to return back for the DAY 2 of FOSS.IN 2006, the account of which will be my next post!!!!
c ya in Day 2!!!!!
-Rajesh
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I know people on the internet are eccentric.....to an extent lunatic.....but this is news...and will remain a news for me forever......I can never come to terms with this fact.....being a gadget-freak myself...
just came across this site!!!!!
SmashOurStuff
this site seems to be one of those lunatic sites which derives pleasure out of smashing iPods, XBOXs, PS3s, and WIIs in front of the gadget-freaky people in the store and....hold your breadth..film it on video and put up on their websites.....
this it seems they do, just for pleasure of people go wild when they see this act happening in public...and to peek it up...they have a donor club who donate to this site....to see stuff broken....
heck....how stranger this web can get???!!
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this has been a heated discussion happening inwards inside me for quite a long time now....*nobody knows when exactly this started*....
From the day I started to live an Independent Life, post-graduation, I have always wanted to be idealistic in all daily walks of life..!!!..and have strived to the hilt for that...always sticking to the ideal solutions when confronted with a choice....simply because that was easy for me...as it has already been time-tested and nobody is at a loss...or can be faulted for going the ideal way....even though people might argue that the *ideal* solution is not always the practical solution....but nevertheless nobody can refute an Ideal solution saying it is wrong.....:-)....seem to get my point....yeah....thats more like it!!!....ahh..now that I have sensitized you to my think-tank's domain!!!...let me let out the real problem errr....dilemma....err...what-ever-you-call-it onto the public domain!!!!...
as I started/strived to practice a disciplinarism from within....though it is difficult at times....but I have come to terms with it now... I have been with faced with an expected-but-difficult problem....somewhere over the last three years, I have started to expect the same stance of idealism from other people who interact with me on a daily basis.....which I should say has led to a lot of occasions when I am left with a sense of scorn on the attitude of the other people.....and let me tell you one more thing....the biggest turn-off for me is a person with *attitude*...I hope u get the point....
okok....not that I am getting into a complaint mode....though I am pissed off by people who lack that idealism within them...I *as well* respect that they have as much right to their feelings, as I have to mine...and they are free to express it to anyone....but it saddens me, why they dont realize what I am realizing!!!!! that they aren't treading the idealist path....
This starts from expecting your colleague to act professionally at work....expecting the office administration to be spot-on and professional, failing which I am having to get a annoyment on the admin....:-(......expecting people to drive properly on roads.....expecting people to be courteous to fellow-public....expecting auto-rickshaw drivers to be polite to the public when we hire them....and not the least.....a customer-centric business to be customer-friendly and focus on meeting the customer expectations rather than meeting his/her own ends..and thereby not meeting /falling short of customer-expectations.....and expecting movie-makers to be true to the platform they are trying to portray.....and there by not polluting the rich media space with bull-shit....I feel so turned off and I get so roughed up....that people around see the person in me as *alien* at times....which is odd for the inner personality that I am...and I keep wondering why the hell people look at me askance for the acts of others...
so if you note keenly.....because of the idealist that I always want to be.....en route I have un-noticingly put up a face of an *EXPECT-IST*....who expects a lot from others. People who know me better, having seen where this *expectist* in me is taking me to....have started to show the road ahead in this expect-ist lane.....and have introduced me to the lane called *try-to-be-pragmatist*.... hmmm...I thank thy god for making me connect to the topic atlast !!!!!!....Enjoy the Lord !!!!
yeah..in this pragmatist lane.....what you should basically *expect is*....oops....should we expect yet????...anyways .....:-)..... that there are practical solutions' alternative for almost all ideal solutions..and that we should try and take that road...which would keep a balance between the expect-ist as well as the protagonist (or the person from whom the expected behaviour is in question!!!!).... but one huge problem this kicks-off is that this lane would never-ever satiate the purist in me...rather to put it more bluntly....compromising on Ideals is that last thing I would want to....but this is exactly what this school-of-thought...seems to preach...and I should admit with amazing results at places...which fails the Idealist logic......:-)
so as usual...my think-box in me is writhed and I am at cross-roads.....I know that the try-to-be-pragmatist will portray me more as a sane person....as opposed to the insane image I get among people who see my Idealist approach....this is much like the Dilemma that the protagonist Ramanuja Iyengar is faced with in the tamil movie ANNIYAN......when the alter-ego in him takes over to set things right!!!!...haha....I bet there's nothing common between the alter-ego *anniyan* and me....but the dilemma faced by *ambi* is so true and I am amazed at how a natural subject has formed a storyline for a major blockbuster... and now who was that who said....practical cinema does'nt succed ????!!!!!....maybe shankar was a pragmatist, trying to stuff Idealist messages in the commericial cinema world where idealism is scorned like *do they sell it some where or what???*
Seriously, this issue of choice as emphasised in *the matrix* is getting onto my nerves...and I have had a heated debate still lingering in my mind on friday evening with my room-mate LNC....on a trivial issue( as far as he was concerned)...:-)...I have this smartphone-cum-PDA..which has an Internet browser called OPERA...and can browse any normal website a PC-based browser can render.....and I opened the site...www.cricinfo.com to check the scores of the Ind Vs Rest of SA match....and it seems that the benevolent cricinfo lobbyists decided to provide a mobile interface for their web-portal ( intent is appreciated...but read on).....and have ported part of their portal which they feel is what the user would require at any point of mobile access...and have comfortably avoided such first-class match scores in their mobile interface....and this pissed me off to no-end...and I was wild at this.......and my argument was...
*how can cricinfo.com decide what I should access from a mobile browser, there by restricting the user-privileges that I have as a web user,...particularily when my mobile-browser can seemingly access all websites under the sun..!!!*.... this argument is precisely based on the premise of customer expectation in this web-portal....which is mainly a user-driven-advertiser sponsored website....who doesn't want me access information on basis of a screwed up assumption that mobile browsers are not-capable or dont-have-need to know first class match info.....
which was completely shocking for me.....I say...either port the complete site to mobile platforms...or dont do it for heaven's sake!!!!!.....you screw up Rs 2 of mine in addition to pissing me off for a whole night at the complete lack of customer sense from the content provider...for no fault of me.....but because of the lack of customer-orientation in this issue....
This small issue has raked up this whole argument onec again and as a consequence you see this post from yours truly!!!!....which drools on the path my alter-ego should tread....which I cant come to a conclusive decision at this point.....and maybe..just maybe, with more experiences, the *try-to-be-pragmatist* would take over....but as of now...I am sticking to trusted guns *idealist*...just like the Indian cricket recalling *trusted gun* Sourav Chander Ganguly!!!!!.
cheers,
Rajesh
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mmmmm... we have an ARR winner....true class at display!!!!
7 songs in number....as usual nothing less nothing more than what you come to expect of ARR..:-)....3 super cool melodies...2 bollywoodish numbers, which I am sure, ARR wouldn't be comfortable enough to put up on his resume....and 2 ironically unconventional numbers, which would definetely would add value to his multi-faceted skillset part of his resume!!!!! ...which sum upto 7 numbers that Mani wanted from ARR..???!!!!!
newyas...if u haven't heard the audio...heres' the details that would sum up the 7 numbers!!!!
1) Aye Hairathe...should be the best of the lot.....a stylish melody, which should surprise many...yours truly included....its of a different era...what with Hariharan...easily singing his best song yet??? the swara variations are excellently placed...and ARR should be complimented for this...huh...what a stunner!!!!!
2) Tere Bina... looks to be a variant of the previous one...but soon takes off on its own merit...and huh does ARR's voice have some magic in it or what???...i donno why...but all the songs he sings are soul searching...maybe its do with his voice more than the song themselves!!!!!..a true tribute to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Saab..:-)
3) Barso Re... i guess this is the intro song for Aish...has good beats and melody to rev up the audience, who even by hearing this will tap their feet...lovable song!!!!
4) Mayya Mayya..ahhh the Mallika Sherawat number...;-)....typical bollywoodish..haven't been impressed much by the song...but was completely surprised to see Chinmayi's name in the credits for this song....clean camouflage...if I could use that word here!!!!...appreciable effort by chinmayi!!!!! maybe the visuals catch up for the lost ground in this song!!!...
5) Baazi Laga....udit narayanan starts off enthusistically....again a typical hindi film song, which didnt impress me much...atleast not expected from the Mani-ARR stable!!!!
6) Jaage Hain...ahh...here comes the stunner list that I spoke abt in the beginning....this song is just a jingle of 2 lines....and man...the song lasts for 6 odd minutes and keeps you mesmerised to the hilt....its quite common that you might have missed the atma & dismissed this song the first time you heard it!!!... but spend time on this and you can see Chithra's and ARR's voice does wonders along with the tune...I relished this song, typically this is what ARR is time-testedly proved us....pulling things out of his bag...completely unexpected..!!!! huh....
7) Ek Lo Ek Muft...haa...now onto some lighter vein stuff....this time Bappi Lahiri is the one who croons for this number...a rustic sounding tune...and you will definetely dance if not with the Bhaang to spicen up more!!!!...a complete kuthu type song (popular in Tamil!!!!)...a upbeat song...no doubt...this is also a freshie for ARR...haven't heard such a rustic number from ARR for long!!!!..
Overall an truly enjoyable album if you are a true ARR fan!!!....not so sure about the others.....:-)...top-brass directors have this knack of extracting story-knitten songs and tunes....and *GURU* is exactly one such candidate..so this album is aint a musical...but nevertheless qualified enough to get nominated as a musical!!!!!
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And now...a convenient Dating is a possibility...:-)
I aint a guy from the tabliod...nor a freelancing news reporter.....I am just a filtered reproducer of news that appeal to me on my blog...and this one's definetly qualified for a feature in my blog...coz...the one I dreamed of 2 years back...is reality now.....
I got acquainted with Open Source Software...or Free Software as I learnt much later....around 2003.....and as you might know I practice free software evangelism quite vociferously......and in 2004, due to work place requirements...I started *dating* with JAVA quite frequently.....a few nightouts here and there inclusive......I got impressed by the simplicity it provided and the power that comes with its simple structure..amazing actually.....maybe because Java was the first programming language I dated...that I feeel that its equal to what C/C++ is offering by way of flexibility.... a soft corner indeed
So Free/Libre Software is what I wanted to use all through....not because I am a NO/NO guy for Propreitary Software...but because I want to be a righteous person and I couldn't shell out locks of rupeees for software that I had to use.....and with usage I get to understand the flexibility a F/LOSS gives...and end up advocating it to people....in India often with the righteous factor...people get convinced youo see....;-)....
but the problem was...the software that wins my daily bread JAVA...was not Open Source...nor Free Software...and it evoked much of a scorn in the consortium of FSF/OSS guys.....so my love for Java and Free Software had to be parallel dating tracks....until November 13, 2006, when the SUN MicroSystems the Java founders.....decided that they would release Java under GNU General Public Licene v2....which I believe is a landmark decision in the history of Free/Open Source Software....qualifying for one of the news of the century...after LINUX kernel's entry....coz.....Java has accomplished so much over the last decade...that its the single largest commercially backed up programming langauge that is used without liability and across platforms.....and this *opening up* of the source of Java is just the nailer that was needed to sky rocket the significance of Java....Its usage and power are foregone with respect to the public acceptance.....the significance definetly wouldn't say no to this move...which bolsters Java no end....:-)
And yes...as a consequence, I am over the moon that both of my darlings are inline with the same ideology, that I can do away with separate datings and can speak of them at the same wavelength and at the same discussion...:-)...sweet according to me.....
Dating SIMPLIFIED......as far as I am concerned......and Java standards are becoming Open Standards is a milestone in the history of Modern Computing....
Lets Salute SUN MICROSYSTEMS for this bold move....which definetly is not the least expected...particularily when you are talking about the single largest contributor to Free/Open Source Movement and a firm supporter as well...
-Rajesh
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The following is a personal opinion and you may or maynot be able to digest this...but no harm whatsoever caused as a result of these opinions will be claim-able!!!!.....:-)) and creditable to the author!!!!...hehehehe...:-))
The tagline for the movie "He knows what to do".....almost suits the movie.....and to the personality "T.R.Silambarasan".....Yep....:-)... You have a winner at hand...who can win critical acclaim rather easily than the mass acclaim. I am not sure about the public reaction for this movie...but I believe..I have got every rupee's worth for the three hours I was in the theatre..!!!
A full-blown commercial entertainer....sincere to its genre....the director has taken care of all aspects that could aspect the movie's future in theatres...and has given a racy thriller....which has the best of music from Yuvan Shankar Raja....the best out of the child prodigy Simbu..both before and behind the camera.....the best of visuals....and to top it off all a simble story....:-)....
Yes...Vallavan was built on a shoe-string storyline....into this mamooth one basically by the brainchild of Simbu....who has mixed peppy music, apt songs, crisp cinematography, decent acting and skillful direction in the right proportions to bring this personality defining movie. Yes....what I could observe from the movie was that...this movie is of a challenge to Simbu...to prove himself as a director and a worthy cinema talent rather than an attempt to provide a good cinema for the audience...okok...dont catch me wrong....and this doesn't mean that the movie wasn't good for audiences.....Ofcourse it was a clean giant-wheel ride for the viewers....going up and down in emotions with the director....:-)...credits definetely to the director for that!!!!
I should say the movie is a medley of sorts....the movie seems to be a jugalbandi of almost all super-hit love movies in TamilNadu....atleast 1 scene from each of yesteryear movies....seems to have inspired various scenes of the movie....but it has been cleverly handled....look at it this theory - Cinema has become part of every tamilian's life and involuntarily....we use so many quotes from movies....and act like filmi characters at so many instances.....even without making a conscious effort in our daily life - When this theory is put to test against the impact of older movies on Vallavan, you should be able to see light at the end of my arguement....the characters seem to be so realistic...that quite easily we would have reacted and spoken the way the characters do in the movie....so that's realism for you...!!!!
The movie starts off with Valluvan (aka) Valla trying to woo the heart of Swapna (Nayanthara) a lecturer in the same college as Valla studies..but without revealing to her about this...a couple of songs..good numbers runaway inbetween....haha....and then she accepts his love and their life moves on....until one day she discovers that she is indeed in love with a younger fella....which is against her mental makeup...and she avoids him....albeit with a host of histrionics from the lead pair....well played I should say!!!!...and we are at the juncture...of the interval...and T.R.Silambarasan....asks us to "WAIT AND WATCH" the second half....and true to that tagline...the second half is worth waiting and watching...although nothing unexpected happens...but a gripping flash-back is depicted in micro-detail....and the image of Geetha (Reema Sen) develops monsterously...for the audience...and the movie winds up much in Bhagavad-Gita style....saying the Good always end up at the winning side!!!!....and with a now familiar finishing tagline for the movie "to be continued" ....the movie is undoubtedly stylish....cool....and with substance....but somewhere something at the corner of my logical reasoner(that is what other's call MIND)....isnt happy about the movie...so I set exploring deeper onto the movie...analyzed it thread-bare and found a couple of facts which I feel justified my logical reasoner's unhappiness!!!!
a) the dialogues from the legendary Balakumaran are spot on and stellar....but the director could have made crisper dialogs and made scenes which were a little less on the film strip so that the movie looks crisper and more crackling!!!...seriously...I aint joking...I felt all of the emotional package of the movie was kind of elongated / strtched and could have been reduced mainly by just shortening the dialog performances....
b) although the director's maiden venture should be credited without doubt....it could have been better...for we know that this is his second movie unofficially...:-)...The director seems to have been carried away in some instances and the scenes could have been much different and smarter....anyway that comes with experience...and moreover the most jarring features I would say were a)the use of a couple of unparlimentary words...and that tooo in crystal clear modulation.....in very serious scenes of the movie...b) and the completely lifeless picturisation of the romantic scenes of the movie....which made one feel a sense of apathy for the maker.....forced to keep such scenes in movies but never given the freedom to shoot it the way it should have been. Take it from me....for the general chord the movie strikes...these two aspects that I noted, were completely unneccesary....hope the maker irons out such incongruencies from his thinking as his future as a film-maker is definitely going to be an integral cog in the future of Tamil cinema.
There would one in a generation...who would be completely gifted with talent...It was Sivaji Ganesan / MGR until the 1970's...and it was Kamalhaasan / Rajinikanth until the 2000's and most certainly it would be SIMBU for the new generation....I have cautiously used only Simbu's name in this list...coz....what is on display in this movie..if it isn't fluke.....that is....Rajini's screen presence and Kamal's overall talent base seems to have blended into one in the form of Simbu.......mate...this isn't Exaggeration..I am serious....!!!
The reasons for my not-so-subtle observation and my cemented confidence in Simbu is as a result of some aspects in the movie...which you would discover from now on.....
a) the songs have been state hits...and LOOSU PENNE was declared as the 'song of the year 2006'..that isn't the point....the hardwork and the acumen that simbu has spent on all the songs is something only directors like Shankar do....excellent...the techincality of the songs if one observes closely...is pleasantly surprising for an Indian song.....the 'loosu pennne'...and 'yammadi..athaadi' and 'Hip Hip Hooray' are visual candys up for grabs for the audience....good to see such focus from a young turk!!!
b) the direction and the act of story telling, allround cinematic talent has been righteously inhereted by Simbu from his father "Vijaya T.Rajender" and it was fitting to see T.R. share the stage with Simbu and shake his legs for the song "Yammadi ..Aaathadi"....thats when the saying "Pulikku poranthathu Poonai aaaguma"...struck chord in my mind......which when translated...roughly equals...."The tiger cub dont maketh a feline cat"...infact the son has gone a couple of notches ahead of his father....by also taking care of his figure...and is definte to become a successful next generation hero as well...:-)
c) the concentration on character sketches is very evident and each character evokes the needed emotion from the viewer and does exactly what is expected....including Nayanthara and Reema Sen....(who has got a never before / never after role...).....such focus is very refreshing to see in this Fast-Food cinema age...when fights, songs and racy screenplay seem to be the only way to quick success...
If at all simbu has slipped glaringly ( and he has according to me)...it would definetely be the screenplay...and every other scene was predictable.....but interesting nevertheless....:-)......so I believe as a critic....I need to give the verdict to simbu rather than to the film...because its out and out a SIMBU show!!!!!......
Well done Mr.Simbu...you are a great prospect for Tamil Cinema....you should focus more on harnessing you talent and not get carried away by petty races..which seems to be quite evident by the dialogs.....you can pitch for a place in the pages of Tamil Cinema's Legacy..if..and only if you can concentrate more on substance cinema.....Well Done!!!!...and yeah..."He knows what to do!!!!..and should do better!!!"
-Rajesh
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| Date: | 2006-10-27 15:56 |
| Subject: | a la DaVinci Code |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  I am the happiest man!!!!! |
[transported to pre-four-months]....:-)...yeah....I remembered the days when I used to avidly read the book "DaVinci Code", (just to make sure, I understood the movie!!!!)...and try solving the puzzles alongside Robert Langdon and crew...
I would, on most occasions fail, as I was completely ignorant of the christian mythology and literature...but it was a good learning for solving a puzzle.......Yeap....it helped....would be an understatement....
[zoom in]...to present [1 week back].....I got an email forward talking about a puzzle....and challenging people to *try* solving it...:-)....
as always...when I am provoked....I am inspired to do what I think is impossible....so...I set out to solve the puzzle...!!!!
It was a web-puzzle...which had 23 levels....and solving each level just rested in figuring out the next URL with the help of the hint in the current page.....
Levels 1 thru 8 was a cake walk...I was suspicious.....and I was vindicated!!!!!..Level 9 was cryptic to the core....I was brooding over it for close to an hour....on that day....tried really crazy patterns...without success...and then a week later ...took it up today.....started afresh from level 1 and used all the analytical reasoning that I picked up preparing for GRE(college days!!!!)...put to stern tests....and figured out Level 9.....a real sense of pride...overwhelmed me...:-).....
then Levels 9 thru 19 were also a cakewalk...but this time...it had quite a bit of brain-squeeze involved.....(used to that)...so squeezed out that thingy....out of will....and here I was stuck at twenty....so again familiar trace-back options....onto Level 20.....now Level 21....the choice was seemingly straightforward....but it took a stir of the stuff that matters....to cross...there...and
lo..behold...I was at the chequered flag...a granny was dancing to the tunes I set..!!!!hahaha...:-)....
so....as the famous tamil saying goes.."Yaam Petra Inbam Peruga Ivv Vaiyagam"....roughly translating to "Let the world go through the rich experience I have had"...... I am sharing the URL of the puzzle....try solving them....you can rest assured...ITZ FUN.....:-))
http://www.freestuffhotdeals.com/hacker/1.html
You know what....I am tempted to give SPOILER REMARKS here....but have with great difficulty controlled myself...to withhold my words.....cozzz...it would spoil the spirit of the puzzle....:-)
Enjoy....Puzzling!!!!,......and scratching...I meant the head...;-)
Me....contemplating on a story-script based on this a la DaVinci Code!!!!!!!.....little too much...isn't it????? ...vokay..vokay....:-)
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I am not old okay...but neverthless, I aint in adolescent age as well.....yes...I am graduating and I know that...have realized that as well...:-)...Good for me you would say...YES....I am kind of mature enuf to understand nuances of relationships and I dont think its taboo to talk about unconventional relationships....it just that person's way of looking at life...there is nothing right or wrong in this world.....Its how each one of us looks at things that matters and evolves into action.....
And you would wonder... why is this big rhetoric running wild in my brain now...yes...u shd have guessed by now....Its the impact two films have implicated on me....:-).....by two diversely different films...one by a debutant and the other by the largest of India's BIG-BANG directors......in two different languages...two completely different genre of films...but still connecting to the same message....interesting you might think....then...read on.....
And quite naturally as a corollary to the above..the following will also be my review for these movies....( u see I shd also find different ways of writing reviews....coz...they are getting monotonous for myself...I wonder how it feels for you guys...:-(...)
The movies in dicussion are a) Jillunu Oru Kadhal...and b) Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.....
Atleast you shd now accept my hypothesis of the description of these that I proposed earlier....Yep...I got to watch these movies....sometime back.....both were stunning in their own sense...I shd say....I loved both in equal sense....
Onto the first movie..*Jillunu Oru Kaadhal*...Its a Tamil Movie by a debutant director, Krishna with credit for the star cast going to the magical pair (Surya and Jyothika) and Boomika....The story is about a Love-lost youngster who relives..and realizes that he is getting all he wanted in his married life.....and gives 150 % true love to his wife and family.....just to find that his world is getting topsy-turvy coz of his old love life...and how his family copes with the turn of events!!!!..cool as a cucumber!!!
Now...the second movie....*Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna*....roughly translating to "Never Say Good-Bye".....a Karan Johar extravaganza...with a galaxy of stars...like the Big B, Lesser B, King Khan, Ravishing Rani and Pretty zinta....harping on the lack of the feel in marriages....which leads to out-of-house....out-of-convention relationships...which seems to be very natural and normal in the movie plot. The way they get hooked up and the way they find that their relationship's acceptance in the society to be like a rocking boat..and how they unite after filmi proportions...is what the movie all about....:-(....neat narration..:-)
so...what else...both the movies are about married life...one about the presence of soul/feel in a marriage and other the lack of it....and what it boot-straps....:-)......
In the Tamil tale, even when the protagonist is given a option to regain his lost-love life, with the consent of his wife...he refuses to...as he is more than happy with his married life....
but in the Hindi Tale, the opposite happens, the protagonists, when faced with souless marriages, find interest in each other and find the other's company exciting/enticing...and are ready to go to the extent of breaking free from their 5+ year married lifes and keen on starting their lifes afresh....together!!!
so if you observe keenly, on both the storylines, the crux, is, all these unconventional relationships crop up as a result of non-availability of a feel in their respective lifes. Its something like this.......
a split-personality / dual-responsibility is necessitated to satiate the inner feelings, which will otherwise be difficult to satiate with their normal personality. Their normal personality (married life) isn't able to achieve the feelings, the necessity of a split personality (other relationship) crops up much like KANK. When the normal personality is able to achieve the inner feelings, the need for the split personality disappears.... much like Jillunu oru Kadhal.....
so the dual personality example should suffice to clear up the arguement on board now...in my mind...and I hope the same reason's enuf for your sake as well...:-)
so...moral of the story....??!!!...:-)...nothing much...I wouldn't say this is right or wrong....but when u r into a relationship, give away any apprehensions/aversions...and be open and forthright with your partner....it takes a lot of guts...and a lot of attitude to discuss quite a few things openly with your partner......but if you can do that.....there isn't anything like it; If you can give 100 % sincerity to your relationship .....you are bound to get more than a 100 in return...and all is roses' company there after..:-)....and there wouldn't be a necessity for the split-personlaity...;-)......
brood over and hit gold!!!!!
-Rajesh
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Should I say that this is the best movie Ajith has ever 'acted' in ???? or should I say that this is 'the' movie where Ajith's versatility as an actor comes to the forefront...not characteristic of modern day heros who seldom 'act' ?????
yeah...Godfather..is the father of all the movies that Ajith has been part of all his life....a landmark movie for him...I can vouch for it...!!!!
The movie also gets to this credibility because of the ace director KS Ravikumar's skillful work....yes...its as good a movie for ajith's career as it is for KS Ravikumar's....
KSR..is known for racy entertainers...with commercial elements..and this one also unfailingly fits that brand image....a true commercial entertainer...with all the necessary stuff to make it a cocktail of a movie....:-)
The movie kicks off with the care-free / multimillionare son Ajith idling away time with his friends.....and getting to meet Asin..and also taking part in 3-4 songs within the first one hour....the stuff which his fans enjoy...and relish....not bad...coz...he is effortlessly good in such things....his father Ajith again (a physically challenged Ajith, thankfully not like 'Villain') not happy with his son's attitude towards life and wants him to be more serious about life.....
then the story moves on the serious lane...and interesting turn of events, force the hero to be tagged as a pyschopath..and he is on an electric shock treatment...'out comes the cat' from the bag and further interesting turn of events warrant a flashback, the role of kanika...and a couple of masterpiece songs from AR Rahman, fantastic character rendition by Ajith, and then you zoom into the current date...and you have an interesting climax in a marriage hall on cards.....its an out and out Ajith show....what with three characters....and three different emotion sest to work on for Ajith...and a visual treat for viewers....literally...the camera work is too good when the Ajith's meet up and interact....best part was..the whole double action scenes weren't too jarring on screen...which definetely needs a word of praise...!!!!
The movie has a host of surprising turns and twists....so I am hardpressed to conceal them...in this review...go watch it for yourself.....
AR Rahman is at his usual best...no doubting....the "Inisai Alavedaiye" song is a beauty...and the "Theeyil Vizhuntha Thena" song too...rendered by ARR himself....upto his usual best....
A few sick things about the movie were the climax being tooo cliche....it was raining songs in the first half, which was actually too much.....it wouldn't really hamper the movie's future...coz of the credit for the songs being ARR....and the first 45 minutes of the movie being loaded with double-entenders...which was completely unwarranted for this otherwise complete family entertainer.....
Goood....to better.....is how the movie transgresses over the two-and-half hours.....Well Done...you have a winner....a GodFather!!!!
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ting...ting....ting-da-ting-ting-ting... ting...ting....ting-da-ting-ting-ting...ting-ting.......
this has been echoing in my mind, lips, heart....in sync...even after 12 hours out of the cinema hall.....so you must have guessed the impact of the movie on me...and also my friend who watched it with me...!!!!!
One liner folks.....here goes the verdict....Super Cool, Stylish movie....much akin to Hollywood filming!!!!..worth watching in a theatre!!!!
and for others who would want to know more...cling on....you have a treat for your eyes...waiting in the pipeline....if you go to the theatre..:-)...Yes.....an absolute stunner of a movie....
I know what's the question on your mind...lemmme try / guess / answer that as well...:-)......Question: Have you watched the original DON....???? Answer: Yes...I have watched it multiple times and have also watched BILLA....the tamil remake of DON with Rajinikanth....both were phenomenal successes largely because of the central character's screen presence and charisma....which..much to the surprise of King Khan's critics....has flowed effortlessly into the new Age DON as well......to be precise....Shah Rukh Khan....as always shows people that he deserves the place he has acheived in Bollywood...next only to the Big B....Its only very apt that SRK got to 'DON' the role....which I am sure would have been a pity with any other actor in it!!!!..Yes...I mean it.....SRK has floated in the role's weight and showed us once more that only real talent can sail....afloat.....on top...even after 15 years!!!.....
The movie....kicks off with a stylish title card..which was completely impressive...then the movie swiftly switched to business....and the familiar DON scenes from the original were replayed....faithfully...albeit with new colours, style, cool gizmos and new faces...thats what you call a remake...but I was slightly.... at the bottom of my heart disappointed to see the same sequences...coz...though you call it a remake....you necessarily dont have to invest a fortune for a photocopy of the original...which is what the movie looked like all the way till the interval...one should concede...even though every scene was a verbatim reproduction....there was something original and sincere about the shots which made the whole movie gel with with the central theme of a cool and colorful remake......but the makers could have taken care of the editing a bit more seriously...coz...for close to an hour initially, it was like a compilation of scenes that like a story that was told....but I could figure out by the pace of the editing and the flow that Farhan Akthar is upto something as he was rushing the original story quite diligently and was very deceitful at that...that's what you call deft screenplay...you woo the audience into the web that you want them to see....rather than they figure out what runs on the director's mind...that way it was very clever scripting....Congrats...for the crew....
The cinematography needs mention....a green tinge all through DON scenes...and in general brought a whole different feel for the movie...I really enjoyed it!!!!...true.....:-) all the ariel shots....from a helicopter....particularily the Petrona Towers scene....the climax shot...were all really good....and for once I was pushed to believe I was watching a "Mission Impossible" like movie..and not an Indian movie..excellent!!!......The background score...literally scores full marks....Shankar-Eshan-Loy....have done a fabulous job....of using that singular tone I muttered in the beginning.....to create a medley of sorts...and have recreated the old feeling in a completely ingenious way...should need more than a round of applause....:-)....the legacy songs of "Yeh Mera Dil" and "Kaike Pan Banaraswala"....have been ruffed up quite welll....and the Main Hoon Don...songs sets the tone for the film....excellent....I enjoyed the music to the core...in this not so musical film.....surprising isn't it??????.....:-) One more aspect I noticed & enjoyed to the hilt was the use of the magnetic tune only when the DON is on screen or expected...and using the same influential tone, but in a completely deceitful way hard to identify...for other scenes... which I thought was very clever and also kept the viewers in a mesmerising spell all-through....astounding!!!!!
The script, the dialogues and the direction...takes the audience on a roller-coaster ride....exciting to the core....there are moments which turn the viewers upside down...and we are left with nothing but excitement..at the end of those scenes....worth every penny you spend on the movie...:-)....
onto the star cast...wow...a galaxy to contend with!!!!...
SRK....as usual is his usual..ebulient self...both as DON and as Vijay...
Priyanka Chopra...is stunning...the least to say...go watch for yourself....I have never seen an Indian heroine look like a hollywood star on screen, which Priyanka looked every bit.....what an intro for a Indian heroine....worth dying for....Her commited work outs at the gym..have paid off by way of a mid-blowing structure...never seen before on Indian Screen...really apt for these types of characters....she is growing in stature with every movie of hers....she definetely is destined for the top-slot...very soon...that is...if she isnt there already!!!!
Boman Irani...we know can pull of any role..be it comedy or the melodramatic....but he has done a meaty, blazer of a role...here...and walks away with the maximum credit after SRK....great to see such talented actors in India!!!!
Arjun Rampal....atlast I could see him 'act' in a movie.....good that he fit in perfectly into the character of Jasjit as in the original DON as well...which in itself is credit worthy for any new age actor...:-)
Kareena Kapoor...I am sorry...it was unusual....to see the groovy item number go waste in such a gangster movie...a Malaika Arora Khan would have done wonders to the role...according to me....sorry...Kareena..you weren't fitting into the theme...:-(
Pity that OmPuri didnt have any thing worthy to do in the movie...except let DON out of hand on two occasions....haha..:-)
Action scenes were a major plus for the movie I should say....the scene where don is kidnapped back to the folds of his origin...by Priyanka Chopra...the famous DON chase scene in the beginning when he loses his "Hosh"....and the petrona towers scene....the climax...were all fabulous to watch...and kept the audience's pulse racing.....:-)...
In summary, a wonderful diwali/eid treat as was promised...could easily be the film of the year 2006....I never found any glaring moments of mistakes, which needs a mention in this new age of cinema...when the audience is as clever as director....except when the director decide and scripts / controls the levels of our mental workouts...by intelligent screenplay....which this Akthar Family did to perfection....all in all...a Farhan/Javed Akhtar's time out...this diwali...:-)
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Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous new year, full of joyous moments and nothing else!! This is a look back on the indian cricket team's performance in the year 2004. For all practical purposes, 2004 was nothing but a dull patch, a feeble shadow of the mighty past of 2003. There may be differing views, saying India won the series in Pakistan....and good show in Bangladesh, but for close watchers, it was nothing but slip shod performance from the Men in Blue.The Pakistan series can be taken as an extension of 2003 as the Indians were in the same vigour and form, whatever you may call it. With the so called "Much Wanted Break" for the guys, they seem to have lost their basics and we were begining to see familiar performances akin to what we were seeing in Pre-Ganguly era( If I can call it that way..) they were never able to live up to their promise.
The Asia Cup, ICC Champions Trophy, Netherlands Videocon Cup, Natwest Challenge all reiterated the same in unequivocal terms..that the DAYS are GONE. This fact was validated later at the end of the year... from the appalling statistic that Indian Batting XI never managed to cross 250 in an ODI until the Bangladesh tour....where they crossed 300..courtesy the defeat to Bangladesh the previous match..:-(......
But there were positives as well for India XI in 2004, like Anil Kumble becoming the Highest Wicket taker in Tests for India, bowled I would at the best in his life time (remember his bowling in Australia); Sehwag dethroning Laxman for the highest test scores...and the most important carry forward I would say is the find of IRFAN PATHAN...what a bowler for India, I got a chance to see him bowl at the Bangalore test against Australia (though it was not great that match!!!)..but I could see what India can expect from this 19 year old...he has another good 10 + years for India if manages to stay fit; Also if you look keenly we also have a worthy third spinner in Murali Karthik; sadly Parthiv had to miss out of the race as he failed to do what he was hired to do primarily....:-(
Let's hope 2005 is a better one like its ODD predecessor for India..and builds up nicely for other events to come up before the all important 2007 world cup(its too far....but still.....)
cheers,
Rajesh Prakasam
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