A.S.A.D #2: Mutha Mazhai

https://open.spotify.com/track/1JicoVYTaArOqbttWM7DkI?si=Pv9rXh4VSrys4quJxLsFbw

IMO (probably not popular), Dhee owns this song! When I consider the lyrics, context, and the style of singing, I can see why Dhee is the perfect choice, and I wonder if that was on purpose. I have heard this song in Hindi and Telugu too, sung by Chinmayi. While it is beautiful, it lacks the subtle nuances that Dhee brings to this song. Also, I am not sure if the Hindi and Telugu lyrics carry the same meaning.

To set the context: the song is from the POV of the “other woman”, i.e., the mistress. Considering how young she is, being in a relationship with a much older man, and her rival being an older woman, you would expect her to be very self-assured and arrogant. But here she is vulnerable, insecure, and longing for a deep and meaningful relationship. (Of course, the insecurity could also be because the man in the midst is Kamal! Who, even at 70+, can make a woman weak in her knees! Note the line “ini unthan kaiyil swargam”.)

So I feel the song turns the typical 'seductive mistress' trope on its head. There are many lines in the song that bring out how she feels about the relationship and her need for a secure place with him.

The most striking one for me is “Innum varum enthan kadhai”

– As in: “I am not a passing affair, but here to stay. There is more to me and to our relationship.”

“Karu mai kanda kannokki

Poi solli nindraayaa”

– Not sure which specific word in Tamil is used here, but I think “mai konda kan” refers to her eyes full of genuine love.

“Naan kadhali, kadhalan nee

Veru ellaam verum vesham enbaen”

– This is very ironic considering she is in an affair, whereas he has been married to his wife for a much longer time. But she considers her tie with him as genuine and his marriage a farce!

“Innum oru morai enthan kathai sollavaa”

– She wants to keep reminding him of their past so that he feels obliged to stay with her. In this line, Dhee sounds coy and cheeky.

“Kaalam yaavum neethaanae

Intha kaalan vanthaal velvaenae”

– I wonder if this is a reference to Sathyavan–Savitri?! The irony of a wife fighting for her husband’s life versus a mistress fighting for her lover is not lost!

There are many more lines, but these are the ones most striking to me.

I asked ChatGPT to give me its opinion on this article and that adhigaprasangi not only gave me its opinion but also hooked me into a long drawn chat with more insights on the song. While most were what i have already covered above, this was interesting:

In the 4th line what I thought is 'dammaro dum dum' is actually 'sangam maruthankam' (don't blame urself if u thought so too....this is just Rahman effect) This refers to the marutham poetry of Sangam literature that deals with infidelity! 

Coming back to my review:

Dhee’s voice perfectly emotes the vulnerability and naivety of a young woman hopelessly in love with an older married man. To me, Chinmayi sounds very mature and even challenging. Somehow that doesn't fit the scenario here.

The music gives you the same feel as “Or Unmai Sol” (Aazhutha Ezhuthu) or “Athini Chithini” (Thenali — barring the comic elements). There is a sensuality and deep emotional pull in the music that cannot be explained. I also find the tune and music somewhat similar to “Veera Raja Veera” (Ponniyin Selvan) even though mood of the two songs are very different. 

How can I close this without thanking ARR? Yet another reason to be grateful to him for giving us this gem of a song. After more than 30 years of composing, he still never ceases to amaze me 😍

A Song A Day (A.S.A.D iykyk) #1: Mei Nigara from 24

https://open.spotify.com/track/2qN6L6hAiJqXGaIOUu4mLf?si=XmuNNLunQrykTE7yU2SvmA

This is a very fast-paced romantic song – the kind I love!

I initially didn’t think much of it, but some lyrics and certain musical elements made me go back and listen again and again. Eventually I fell in love with it.

While romantic songs are typically melodious and slow-paced, there are some that are very fast-paced, with a sense of urgency and excitement, like Anbil Avan (AYM) and Kala Kalavena (Rhythm).

Like many ARR songs, every time I heard this song I discovered something new. While credit for lyrics goes to Madhan Karky, ARR's music brings it alive. 

A few interesting aspects in this song:

- it's interesting how the lover is compared to characters (Queen/King, Beauty, Demon, Slave?!). And towards the end the song talks about liberating these characters. 

- The construct of the song feels haphazard even though it does follow a standard flow.

- Every few lines the expression of love differs — feeling overwhelmed by her beauty and voice; something sweet, dreamy, nostalgic (guitar tune, sticky candy, flying rabbit). Unfortunately I don't know the meaning word for word.

- There is a tiny cello tune that comes just once (at 01:58).

- He says “whatever happens to me, keep smiling”, while she says “whatever happens, keep creating”. And this kinda annoyed me! 

This is one of those Sid Sriram songs where his style of singing is used to perfection and then some! While there is always a touch of longing and sadness in his voice, here ARR also gets him to express a sense of being overwhelmed.

The whole song feels so raw! It's as if a group was trying out different tunes and lyrics and inadvertently launched it! But still so beautiful.

Oh, fun fact: I thought this was Harris' and was very surprised and impressed. Later I found out it's ARR's (of course it's ARR!).

30+yrs of love.....just got STRONGER!

Remember, we are just into the second month of this year and it is already looking bright and wonderful. I know there are 10 more months to go, but attending the ARR concert will be the highlight of this year (unless HE does one more and I get a front row seat without having to sell my kidney).

You often watch glimpses of his concerts on YouTube and feel you know what to expect. But the reality is nothing like it. Despite not having original singers, despite not getting to see him clearly on stage, despite the heavy crowd, despite standing for 5 straight hours, and despite the long wait for the commute back home (we reached home at 12:30 — a good 2 hours after the concert ended), the experience was unbelievable. And I still can’t get over it!

I was originally going to get a balcony ticket, but a friend (who also helped me with the tickets) recommended the Fanpit. I chose the ARR fanpit (obviously!) as it was cheaper, and I thought I would later sneak into the VIP fanpit (how naive was I!). It truly felt like standing inside a ‘pit’ as I could see only the top half of the stage. The actual performance on stage was completely blocked by those standing ahead of me. For the first 30 minutes, I was desperately trying to catch a glimpse of ARR, then finally gave up and decided to watch on the big screens and enjoy the show.

He started with Jana Gana Mana (Aayutha Ezhuthu), followed by a couple more peppy songs before switching to a medley of his romantic numbers. I was worried that the whole concert would be bits and pieces of songs, but then the full renditions began. Though I can’t recall all of them, here is a list I remember: Enna Solla pogirai (Kandukondein Kandukondein), Hosanna (VTV), Dil Se Re (Dil Se), Humma Humma (Bombay), Mallipoo (VTK), Mutha Mazhai (Thug Life), Minsara Kanna (Muthu), Naadaan Parindhe (Rockstar), Endrendrum Punnagai (Alaipayuthey), Chinna Chinna Aasai (Roja), Chaiyya Chaiyya (Dil Se), and many more.

In one of the promo videos, he mentioned that he and his team had figured out how to handle audience preference for regional language and that the experience would be totally different. So I was worried this might turn into more of an instrumental concert. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. The only instrumental he played was the intro music from Muthu — I didn’t realize how awesome that music was until I heard it live!

It is impossible to pick a favourite segment from this show. The whole experience was out of this world! But there were goosebump-inducing moments — when ARR sang the swaram and aalaap interlude from Kannaalane, Fana, and the segment in Mannippaaya. I almost teared up hearing him sing live. There were also some all-time favourites that sounded magical live — Hosanna, Enna solla pogirai, Humma Humma, Chaiyya Chaiyya, Dil Se Re, Thai Manne Vanakkam. Of course, Chandralekha by the OG singer Carolene, and the Bhogi song by Dhanush. Dhanush was adorable — he seemed a bit conscious, standing a few paces behind ARR, and ARR pulled him forward to share the stage and sing together. That was lovely!

A beautiful and thoughtful addition to the show was sharing the stage with social media talents — Alex, Amritavarshini (Thavil player), and a Colombian percussionist (didn’t catch the name). Alex sang Raasathi En Usuru, and it was quite good! His voice suited the song very well — though no one can replace the OG Shahul Hameed. The song selection, singer, and ARR initiating it were beautifully orchestrated. ARR has always tried to go beyond the mundane and keep introducing new things while staying current. These additions showed how he appreciates and respects real talent. The Thavil segment by Amritavarshini was wonderful too — I had never really noticed this instrument until now. I had only known the mridangam and Kerala chenda before this.

It is not just about bringing in Carolene or sharing the stage with Dhanush, Alex, or others — it is the way they are introduced, personally by ARR himself. These personal touches make it truly special for the invited artist. Another interesting element was that most of the orchestra instrumentalists were women. I have seen many ARR concert clips but never so many women artists. This must be a new development. I love that he quietly brings in progressive changes (remember the relaunch of chinmayee with mutha Mazhai!) and lets them speak for themselves — no announcements, no trumpeting. For a big showman, this humility is endearing.

Of course, not all attempts at change succeed. He tried to make the Tamil audience sing a Hindi song — perhaps too ambitious, even for ARR :p. He sang Dil Se Re and encouraged the crowd to sing along in Hindi, but after some hesitation, they sang the Tamil version instead. He kept prompting “Dil Se Re,” but the audience politely resisted, and he had to move on.

He also kept his word about organizing the event better after the Dec 2023 mishap. With a 30K+ crowd, the event was managed fairly well. Entry and exit were crowded, but there were enough volunteers and police to avoid any mishaps.

The concert truly felt like a Valentine’s gift for us fans. Throughout the 3.5 hours, we sang along to almost every song (except Hindi ones) and even hummed the instrumentals. Our legs and neck hurt, our stomach growled, and our throat was parched — but none of it mattered. We were tightly packed, sweating, yet completely absorbed in the music.

ARR will always be special to us because we have seen his journey — from a young composer with a pathbreaking Roja, to conquering Bollywood (Rangeela!), to collaborating with legends like Andrew Lloyd Webber, winning the Oscar, and continuously exploring music globally. He is far from a one-hit wonder. After Roja, the hits never stopped. He created iconic songs for every emotion of our generation — Mustafa Mustafa (friendship), Chinna Chinna Aasai (dreams), Vidugathaya Indha Vaazhkai (imo best rajni-spirituality combo), Aathangara Marame (nostalgic romance), Vennilave Vennilave (falling in love), Mannippaaya & Uyire (forbidden love), Satrangi Re (seven stages of love), Enge Enadhu Kavidhai (heartbreak), and many more.

While most of the crowd was from my generation, the kids in our group — probably Gen Alpha — were equally enthusiastic. It was a heart-melting moment to see them singing along to songs we grew up with.

Even more unbelievable is the energy of the man on stage! At 59 (he will be 60 next Jan!) he performed for 3.5 hours, delivering hit after hit without a break. Except for Khwaja and a few melodious numbers, most were high-energy songs. He was constantly playing, singing, or both — and closed with Humma Humma, Chaiyya Chaiyya, and Thai Manne Vanakkam. Who does that? Is he even human?

Of course, I wished there was more. I missed Mazhai kuruvi (CCV), Petta Rap (Kadhalan), Veera Raja Veera (PS), Vellai Pookal (Kannathil Muthamittal). Honestly, I wouldn’t remove anything from what was played — I just want more! My kids wanted Ennavo Oruvan, but I’m glad he didn’t include it — no one can do justice to it like Swarnalatha. One tiny drishti pottu — I wish he hadn’t sung Chaiyya Chaiyya. I’m too used to Sukhwinder Singh’s voice.

After watching the O2 series, I desperately wanted to see him live. I thought this concert would give me closure — but instead, it left me wanting more. To transcend generations, to evoke the same emotion in someone who discovered him decades ago and in today’s kids, and to continue creating despite criticism — that feels almost superhuman.

I feel proud and in awe of him at the same time.

Best Valentine ever — and hoping for many more :) 

When the Master got disciplined!

After successfully raising my twin kids, I thought that taking in a couple of dogs would be akin to chump change. How wrong was I?! I can’t just walk into my home anymore! I first need to call my kids to restrain the excited dogs so that I can quickly rush past them, lest they leap and get a hold of me or my clothes. Neither can I seem to just leave my pair of slippers lying around unless I want them chewed to pieces. Nor can I dry my clothes in my backyard, unless I want them shred to ribbons! For the first time in years, I find my independence taking a severe backseat. But it appears to be just a case of ‘aa bail mujhe maar’ — I was just asking for it!

We were a fairly happy and content family of four. But then life seemed too peaceful! So a minor ask that my son had for over two years suddenly seemed very important and deserving of immediate attention. He desperately wanted a dog and my previous houseowner was against having pets. So we set out to upturn 10 years of peaceful settlement and find a house that would accommodate pets. After many rejections, we ended up with a lovely independent house. It looked right out of an 80s Tamil movie! The next step was to find the pet. This was fairly easy as a good friend runs a dog shelter. She shared a couple of pictures of newborn puppies. Being a mother of twins, I felt terrible separating these siblings. So, we ended up adopting not one but two indies.

The first 4 to 6 months were so wonderful! Coming home and spending time with these puppies was the best time ever. After a long time, I genuinely looked forward to coming home. (This is not to say that I don’t love returning home to my children. I adore them to bits! However, for the past 3 - 4yrs they’ve been going through their pre-teen and teen phases, respectively. So, IYKYK!)

It was somewhere around the 6-month mark of the puppies that the destructive phase started. Almost everything became a chew toy and was shredded to pieces. This included some of the strongest chew toys I’d found. Don’t be fooled by the cute adverts for dog toys! Nothing is tough enough for their sharp teeth and persistent gnawing. Flipflops, plastic bowls, flower pots, newspaper, mugs, buckets, bicycles - almost every household item one would generally keep in the verandah or backyard were not spared. Thankfully their food bowls were made of steel. I only see dents now, but no holes in them yet.

We now have an invisible “Lakshman rekha”, an unspoken boundary of sorts, within and around the house. If anything is important enough and needs saving, it must be kept within this line. Gone are the days when I could casually leave things around and go about my business. My dogs have taught me the concept of “a place for everything and everything in its place” more effectively than my parents or kids ever did.

Before you get a pet, other pet parents only focus on and talk about the challenges of feeding them and caring for them. No one talks about the psychotic destructive nature of these tiny monsters. I think it is probably one of two reasons:

1. They are so used to keeping things out of their pets’ reach that it is business as usual and not something worth mentioning.

2. They have been conditioned and sobered by the pets in their lives long enough. They may find it embarrassing to admit it publicly.

I have always been an authoritarian. My children are easily disciplined by the usual Indian household tactics. Even if there is any kind of retaliation, I employ other tactics to discipline them. But this approach doesn’t work with my dogs. People have often told me to wave the stick at them to instill fear in their hearts. And it’s not like I haven’t tried! But one dog, Chutti, growls and snaps, while the other, Chellam, tightly shuts his eyes in submission. I don’t have the heart to bully either of them. So, I just let them run wild. Now our newspaper guy has learned to throw the paper far into our home’s verandah. We now have a solid, impermeable, box for milk packets. There is now a sturdy and sealable shoe rack in which all our footwear goes. The only things I can’t save are the plants! But now I believe, in the grander scheme of things, a few strewn plants hardly matter.

There is another side to having pets at home. It’s the one that makes one wonder, “How could I ever live without them?”. The intense tail wags, along with their excited leap directed at me when I come home from work, make me feel so warm and welcomed. When I see my usually reticent son shower them with kisses, and my daughter trick them with treats to make them eat their food, I find it very heartwarming. We also split responsibilities. I take care of cooking, my kids take turns feeding them, cleaning their bowls, and cleaning the yard. One can see a whole new side to one’s kids that one never knew existed. Seeing one’s children develop into well-rounded compassionate human beings is the best gift ever! I was once paranoid of street dogs, and now I can walk past them without feeling jittery. I even admonish them for tailing me on my walks, and they seem to listen. Of course, my comfort stops at 2 or 3 dogs, if there is a pack of them I would run in the other direction!

There was a time when we would go on multiple vacations. A long weekend warranted at least a road trip. It’s been almost a year and we’ve had only one vacation. But, hey, nobody is complaining! I wish I could leave them in someone’s care and take a break, but my kids won’t hear of it! As much as I resent not having my freedom, I can’t seem to complain much. Somehow, this family of six feels just right. I wouldn’t have it any other way! Though I do have an eye on that little puppy on our street…

Manjummel Boys Review

We saw the Manjumme Boys movie this week and it was quite a unique experience for multiple reasons. This was our kid’s first night show! Our first Malayalam movie on the big screen. And for the first time ever I resisted the temptation to hog on popcorn!!!

I went for my first ever night show movie after marriage and I was so thrilled! Staying up that late and going out was unheard of before marriage. So, to go for a movie at 10PM and to be on the streets around 1AM was quite a thrill! Sadly, my kids seemed rather ambivalent about it. They couldn’t see why it is such a big deal. However, I was happy to have broken them into this lifestyle rather than let some random stranger take credit in future 😉

This is probably the first time ever we saw a Malayalam movie on screen, and I am happy that we did. I don’t think we would have got the same experience on TV. The visuals and audio effects in theater couldn’t be replaced by watching on TV. Maybe it is also a first that a Malayalam movie deserves a theater-viewing rather than TV!

And for the first time ever I resisted the temptation to eat pop-corn! I stood firm by my intermittent fasting schedule and refused to eat past my dinner time. Except a few sips of cold coffee (who can resist Satyam cold coffee?!) I didn’t eat or drink anything until breakfast the next day!

Oh, one more first: It took us less than two hours to decide, book and leave for the movie. Randomly (first time ever ever!) Anand suggested that we go for a night show around 8-30PM and within a few minutes he booked the tickets and we were out by 10-30PM!

Now coming to the movie: I suppose anyone who has watched would know the interesting plot, where it is derived from and how it connects to Kamal’s Guna. But there were other other aspects that made it all the more interesting for me.

I got to know of this movie when we were watching a YouTube video where the boys interacted with Kamal and Santhana Barathi. And I thought they were fanboying Kamal so the movie is most probably a soppy tribute to Kamal. But there were so many positive reviews that I was tempted to watch. Except the animated version of the song in the beginning and the song played at the end, reference to Kamal and Guna were quite subtle. They just happen to decide on going to the Guna cave because one of them has heard about it. The mallu accent while reciting the famous dialogue was quite funny, while the reinterpretation of the divine love was quite amazing (more on that later). And if you look beyond the realm of the story, I quite agree with Kamal that the original is more of a duet between Kamal and Ilayaraja (if you have heard the audio cassette version of making of Guna songs you would know what I mean; and yes, I am that old!). It is a completely different aspect that he hasn’t stayed loyal to Ilayaraja. He not only worked with multiple music directors, but also compared some unworthy ones with Ilayaraja! All the same, there is this deep connect between them that shines through in songs likes this.

Looking at the way the boys plan their trip and how they travel was quite humbling. Except for needing a big car there was hardly any pre-planning required! In this age, we spend a really long time identifying a place and then at least a month planning our itinerary, hotel room, ticket booking, etc. My recent week-long trips took us couple of months of planning and organizing. Even if we consider trips we took before kids, they still required a lot of planning. All the boys needed was a dorm for stay, roadside eateries for food, hopping from one sightseeing place to another – that is all it takes to make a trip fun! No fancy resorts, or adventure sports, or luxurious mode of transport, or apparel shopping…the list could go on! And just one camera for a group of 9!

I don’t know if the backstory for the boys is true to real life or if it was just for cinematic effect. The whole ruckus around losing Tug of war and practicing for it was quite funny. I am sure there was a lot of humor in the first 15-20min during the wedding scene, but the dialogues and subtitles were running so fast that I couldn’t keep pace. How the tug-of-war comes into play while rescuing their friends was quite interesting, but again am not sure if this is just for the movie since we usually like to see things nicely wrapped up.

I was especially impressed by the picturization of the trauma Subhash goes through while inside the pit. I have only seen such articulation on book, and often on screen it is all very murky and confusing. But the director got this perfectly on screen. Here again, I am not sure if the back story of Subhash saving Kuttan in their childhood days is real. If it isn’t, then we really didn’t need that kind of background to justify Kuttan stepping up for Subhash.

The most goosebump inducing moment is the last scene when Subhash is finally rescued and is carried by his friends, with the ‘Undaana kaayam engum’ line from the ‘Kanmani Anbodu’ song playing in the background. Until recently the song was merely Kamal’s interpretation of how an illiterate would compose a letter to his beloved with a good dose of exaggerated expression of his love. I personally found the main line (undaana kaayam engum….etc….) extremely annoying (btw, the only part I loved was Kamal’s piece towards the end (‘la la la laalala….’) because of how wonderful his voice sounds!) But with this movie, you realize how this line can be reinterpreted for a completely different situation and made all the more beautiful! Time and again we have seen movies and songs on friendship, but this movie took it to an all-new level.

Reinterpretation of a song for a different situation reminds me of how my mother could interpret a love song for a mother-child love. I discovered this when I had my kids and my favorite song was ‘Poo kodiyin punnagai’ from Iruvar – and it turned out to be my son’s favorite. I could always calm him down and put him to sleep (and no silly jokes on my singing skills please!) with this song! Now those days are long gone………..I guess nothing really lasts forever………..just like how I can never get annoyed with the ‘Kanmani anbodu’ song ever again!

Revisiting an Old Favorite is not always a good thing!

Anand and I often try to introduce our kids to movies and music from our times. So far there have been many hits and a few misses. With Ponniyin Selvan, Mani Ratnam made a huge impact on our kids. For a long time we put off showing them his classics as we thought it wont be age appropriate. But with my kids watching Leo, Jawaan and Jailer (with overtly violent scenes skipped) we thought might as well show them Mani’s movies. 

We were debating which one to pick between Nayagan (my husband’s favorite) and Agni Natchathiram (my favorite) and went with AN since we couldn’t find Nayagan. Anand wasn’t very enthusiastic and couldn’t understand how I could prefer AN over Nayagan. He strongly felt the movie to be inappropriate for the kids and I couldn’t understand why! Later I realized he obviously has a better memory considering he was in his teens when the movie released 😉 

 Since I hadn’t really watched the full movie after the first time I only remembered just the good things – handsome Karthik, somewhat good-looking Prabhu and the hospital scene copied from Godfather. All these from the bits and pieces I had seen over the years. I prepped my kids with - awesome music, a younger and fitter version of Periya Vellar from PS, the thrilling fight scenes, crisp storytelling, and on and on. 

When the movie started I was super impressed with how Mani sets the stage with the very first scene – the interview scene where Karthik beats up the interviewer (VK Ramasamy) for asking inappropriate questions about his father. And then the cringe-fest started: 

• We are repeatedly shown how everyone deals with and is affected by Viswanathan's two families
• There is a tit-for-tat in almost everything between Gautham and Ashok
• Amala’s loosu-ponnu character was so super annoying! Even my daughter commented her mental age is of a pre-kg girl and the pairing is like a pre-kg girl and a 11th std boy
• There are soooo many songs! We are in an age where there are hardly any songs, and even the ones are usually in the background without interfering with the flow of the story
• The Janagaraj-VK Ramasamy comedy track – what was Mani even thinking?! I thought he made family-friendly movies. The comedy just gets worse and worse as the movie goes. We had to forward all their scenes!
• Karthik-Nirosha romance was also cringey 

Except for the thrilling bit with the politician the movie ends up being a fight….strike that….a quarrel between step-brothers! With a peep into their love life and friendship. The scene I was looking forward to (the hospital scene) came so late into the movie that I had lost interest by then, and went back to my book. 

My kids were seriously wondering just why I recommended this movie! 

• They were too young to understand the family situation of Viswanathan or why Karthik was constantly angry
• They found Amala unbearable
• The Karthik-Nirosha jokes weren't age-appropriate 
•  They are so used to movies without songs that they were super annoyed with songs constantly interrupting the movie
• am sure there were more.....but by then I had left the scene :p 

But the best part of the movie, for me, is rediscovering the beautiful songs in this movie. 

It is often said that Raja-Mani combo produced the best songs. While I do love the songs in Mouna Raagam and Nayagan, am not a big fan of Dalapathi songs (except Yamunai aatrile and Chinna Thaayaval). Now listening to the songs from this movie I realize this has got to be the best that the duo produced. Every song is so beautifully composed and the singing is just amazing. I personally do not like songs with a strong Carnatic influence but that is just me. However, it looks like the songs were specifically composed to showcase different Carnatic ragas, so that explains why almost every song sounds like a keertana! After repeated listening, I find only Thoongadha vizhigal to be overly Carnatic, the others not so much. 

There is another interesting discovery from my listening – Ninnukori, Oru poongavanam and Va Va anbe are rather unlike typical Raja songs. I don’t claim to know his songs well and my preferences lean towards ARR. But Raja’s songs generally stick to a certain tempo and pitch, unlike ARR who goes all over the place with speed and pitch. Raja’s songs are never too high or too low nor fast. But these three are an exception. Ninnu kori is a very rapidly sung song while Oru Poongavanam, Va Va anbe tends to go very high and at times very low. In all these songs the timing of the pitch goes perfectly well with the lyrics. I also realized that my favorite songs of Raja (Poova eduthu oru, Putham pudhu poo, Inji iduppazhaga duet) all follow this format! I suppose you can make me listen to Raja songs even then ARR lingers 😊 

This is probably common knowledge, still – most of the music you hear in ‘Raja-Rajathi rajan indha raja’ song are often heard in chase sequences as bg music. I think it was even copied by DSP in Dasavatharam. 

Another interesting point is how the songs are spread between Chitra and Janaki – they each have a solo (Janaki one more than Chitra) and a duet. Both have done an exceptional job with every number. Yet Chitra got the national award – not sure why or how! I keep listening to the songs and I can’t pick one over the other at all! They are so wonderful in their own way! 

The lyrics of the songs are also quite beautifully written. Except maybe Thoongadha Vizhigal, all other songs are lovely. This is quite unlike that time period when most songs had very vulgar or crass lyrics. Wonder if Mani had anything to do with it. But then again I can’t get past the comedy track so not sure if I can credit him for the lyrics. 

The next day we found Nayagan on Prime - not sure why we didn’t earlier! Both loved the movie, and Anand gave his usual teary-eyed tribute to Kamal. So my pick is long forgotten! 

Side note: While writing this I wondered why Anand didn’t pick Dalapathi since that is his most favorite Mani movie. Then I remembered – we were earlier watching SIIMA awards where Kamal was repeatedly climbing stage to give or take awards. And it concluded with Kamal getting Best Actor Award (surprise! surprise!) for Vikram (the movie, not the oh-so-talented actor!). And Anand was exhilarated from watching his idol get an award, yet again, even after all these years, beating (bulldozing?) the younger actors (who had also done an award-worthy job!). So he badly wanted to go back and relive the thrill of watching Kamal at his best! This was also triggered by Mani receiving award for Best Director for PS and them talking about Nayagan-2. Btw, Vikram (the actor, not the forgettable movie) was not even in the picture! Anyways, thank god he was looking for a Kamal-Mani combo and not just Kamal. Otherwise, we would have ended up watching Guna!

My Favorite Male Solos......

My favorite male solos…

Female solo songs expressing love have always been my favorites. And there are so many of the kind! The first one that comes to mind is ‘Evano oruvan…..’ from Alaipayuthey. Then going all the way back you have such gems as ‘Naalai indha neram paarthu….’ (from Uyarntha Manithan), ‘En vaaniley….’ (from Johnny),’Kannaalaney….’ (from Bombay), ‘Kala kala vena pozhiyum…’ (from Rythm), just to name a few from my favorites. In all these songs the expression is of how she feels being in love. It is never about the looks or any physical form of love. But just the deeper feeling of being in love. The male versions are bordering cocky. It is either about how beautiful the woman is,  or how well he will take care of her,or what a wonderful life he expects to have from her, or how she is the definition of a perfect woman, you could go on…….. It is almost never about the feelings of being in love. In my observation this is rarely found in the male solos.  So, in all the noise of umpteen romantic songs I found a few rare songs where the lyrics, the singer and music bring together the beautiful feeling of being in love from the male’s perspective. Here are 8 of those songs that are in my favorites. Feel free to add your’s! 

Note: I am not getting into the meaning of the songs as it is not possible to retain its beauty in the translation. But where necessary I do pick a few lines here and there that made an impact. 

Also, the songs are in no particular order except I wanted to start with my all-time-favorite (Munpaniya) followed by my recent favorite (Mogathirai)

1. Song: Munpaniya

Singer: SPB

Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Lyrics: Pazhani Bharathi

Movie: Nandha

The lyrics of this song brings together the story of a boy who has been bereft of love, getting a fresh breath of life when he falls in love with a girl. The lyrics carries an understated bewilderment of the guy at finding love. This has got to be one of SPB’s best. His voice is so pitch-and-tone perfect. The nuances he brings in at the right moments are just amazing.The song gives me goosebumps everytime I hear it. And am never tired of waiting for those beautiful moments (‘maatram thandhaval needhaane….’, ‘naan unn moochile….’, etc.)

I always thought Nandha music is by Ilayaraja but today I was surprised to find out it is by Yuvan! I seem to keep making this mistake of attributing Yuvan’s classics to Karthik or Ilayaraja! I attributed 7G Rainbow Colony to Karthik raja! 

Somehow all soulful songs seem to carry flute music. The beats in the background carry just the right amount of subtlety to not impede the smoothness of the song. And after all the chorus, and different instruments,the flute is what stays with you. 

The interlude by Subha and chorus brings in the right lightheartedness to this heavy song, and also gives a glimpse into how the woman is feeling. When I had initially heard this song I somehow found this interlude jarring. After years of listening to different romantic songs and appreciating the multiple flavors within a single song I realize how well this interlude fits in to the song. 

What can I say about SPB’s singing! It’s out there for everyone to hear it, feel it, fall in love with it! He never stops to amaze me with his subtle beautiful singing. While not the same genre, ‘Thanga thaamarai magaley’ is another all-time favorite of mine in his voice. Of course there are hundreds of songs, but in very few he gets to exhibit such nuanced singing. 

2. Song: Mogathirai

Singer: Pradeep Kumar

Music: Santhosh Narayanan

Lyrics: Kabilan

Movie: Pizza

Sometimes Saavn does wonderful things. Adding this to my collection because I was into Santhosh Narayanan songs was one such. I initially found this song too hazy and couldn’t really follow it. We are so used to the standard format of movie songs, that I couldn’t really get a handle of this. Add to this, the completely new genre (not sure what it is but it has a lot of guitar and keyboard and harmonium also I guess…..dont really have an ear for instrument) made it harder for me to follow the song. 

For a long time I couldn’t really follow the point of the lyrics. The song ends with him expressing how all-encompassing she is in his life, but from the beginning it ranges from pointing out the beauty in nature to some vague lines on how he feels? I am still not sure but something about the soulful melody that latches on to you. Yet another thing that threw me off about this song: I assumed the last bit to be the typical complementary nature of a couple. The ‘unn samaiyal araiyil’ type. But after repeated listening I realized what those lines meant and was amazed by the depth of the lyrics. One of my other favorite line is ‘Unn kaadhalaal ennull nooru kanaa’. 

The song is by Pradeep Kumar, who I am not a big fan of! I feel he has very limited range,and rarely adds value to a song. But this song seems to work perfectly well for Pradeep’s style of singing. The singer only needs to deliver the lyrics without expressing too much emotions (unlike SPB or Sid Sriram?!) and let the focus stay on the music and lyrics. 

3. Song: Satrangi Re

Singer: Sonu Nigam

Music: ARR

Lyrics: Gulzar

Movie: Dil Se

Yet another classic of ARR where it looks like he is going all over the place but the end product is well put together! This is one of those ARR songs where everytime I listen to it I discover something new. This is one of his most arresting songs ever! I fell in love with it from the moment I first heard it. In our Dilse cassette, I would keep swapping between Chayya Chayya (the first on side-A) and Satrangi (the last on side-B)  repeatedly! This song is a 7.5minutes of pure awesomeness!

When I first heard the song, I couldn’t quite understand how the expression of his love and calling her the seven-colors of his life are connected. Mind you, my understanding of Hindi is very poor and this is Gulzar’s lyrics. So really tough to follow. But recently I came across a Tiktok video on this song and understood the connection. At that time and even now I feel Mani trivialized the depth of the song by making Manisha wear outfits in seven different colors. It seems so in-the-face. 

Taking pointers from this site (which also refers to the tiktok video I mentioned earlier), the song actually talks about the seven stages of love: Attraction, Infatuation, Love, Faith, Worship, Madness and Death. It is impossible to pick any single line of this song. While I dont get the exact meaning of all the lines, the song has an all-encompassing effect. This combined with Sonu Nigam’s rendition and ARR’s music makes it all the more beautiful. 

The more you listen to this song, the more you notice the nuances of the music and singing. The whole song I think is meant to show the mesmerizing effect love has on him. This is brought to life with the soulful rendition by Sonu Nigam, haunting humming by Kavita, use of what I found out is accordion (which to me sounds like pungi - the snake-charmer’s instrument). All this while, we have the consistent beats to keep a steady tempo. And the song itself varies in tempo throughout. Sonu Nigam’s singing starts slowly,  then goes into a frenzy and then slowly mellows down keeping in line with the ebb and low of the stages of love. The instrument at 5:55 alongwith the ‘ishq par zor nahi….’ is particularly touching. And Sonu brings it to a beautiful closure with ‘Mauth ki godh….’. By the way, another blog mentioned use of flute but I somehow can’t identify that in the song. 

Here again, Kavita’s humming and the Mirza Ghalib couplet seemed unnecessary when I first heard the song. All I wanted was ARR music and Sonu Nigam’s voice. But after repeated listening I see how beautifully all these fit together. 

At the risk of offending the fans of Tamil version, there is no way Srinivas’ singing or Vairamuthu’s lyrics can hold a candle to the Hindi version. The first time I (inadvertently) listened to the Tamil version I stopped immediately. Srinivas sounds whiny! not an iota of passion in his voice. I didn’t want to put down the Tamil version without properly going over it so I read the lyrics. Counting down the 7 stages of love is so in-the-face! And somehow it sounds more crass than passionate :(  

4. Song: Usure Poguthey

Singer:Karthik

Music:ARR

Lyrics: Vairamuthu

Movie: Raavanan

Yet another beauty by ARR this time in Karthik’s voice. How can anyone come up with a passionate song at the time of kidnapping and make it so memorable?! While Mani has given his own backstory to the kidnapping there is no denying that the antagonist is falling for a married woman. Just like in the DD-version Ramayan and here, I root for the Raavan character! 

I think this song is best heard and just heard. The picturization seems a little overdramatc with Aishwarya flying all over the place. The first time I heard this song I simply loved it but I did have a problem with ‘udhatta nee konjam suzhikkayile’. It is usually used in a vulgar context, but after seeing the movie you realize the context is very different. Again there could be two different meanings: Either she is quivering her lips from fear or from disgust! And given the context, to me the latter seems more appropriate. And that makes you feel all the more for the guy. 

Here again there is a certain flow to the lyrics and the tempo of the song. It is not just about the guy expressing how his love is forbidden and he has no right falling in love with this woman. The song starts off with how smitten he is with her, and how he longs for her. In the next stanza he jumps to justifying his love - that there are always people who break the laws and there is a new law written to accommodate such people, after all the laws are man-made (so why should I toe the line?!). The song (like most of ARR love songs) starts with a slow tempo and reaches a peak halfway and again after the second stanza. I don’t know if this is my imagination but I feel there is a certain stoicism in Karthik’s tone of singing. The song is a soliloquy of sorts - the guy having  a conversation with himself on his ill-fated love and his own justification for his love,  and eventually thinking about death. 

The one line I especially love is ‘Etta irukkira suriyan paathu…..’. Unlike the typical comparison of a woman with a flower, here the woman is the sun while the man is the lotus coming alive. I find this a very refreshing change in our lyrics. 

I also like the rustic elements of the song that goes so well with the movie and character. Fire in a teak forest, calling himself her maman (?!), thailaan kuruvi, manthirichha vitta kozhi, and few others. My only gripe with the song is the timing. He just kidnapped her and it is probably just an attraction. But the song is too passionate for a love-at-first-sight context! Anyways, you have to give it to Mani-ARR-Vikram combo to make you look beyond these issues and simply love the song! 

5. Song: Thalli pogathey

Singer: Sid Sriram, Aaryan Dinesh Kanagaratnam (ADK)

Music: ARR

Lyrics: Thamarai

Movie: Achcham Yenbathu Madamayada

This song is a perfect example of how beautifully one can write the confusing feelings of falling in love. Trust Thamarai to come up with such a beautiful expression of love. The guy’s emotions range from being confused at how he is feeling to being angry with himself as he cant stop thinking about her, and then the fear of losing her. Here the metaphorical comparisons are very refreshing. He compares her to a mighty ocean while he is an insignificant being. Often moon is compared to a woman’s beauty, but here the man sees himself as the moon that stays up the whole night. And then again, he compares himself to a wilting lotus. 

Like I mentioned before, lyrics from male POV are often cocky with the man assuming complete ownership of the woman - body and soul! With Thamarai we see a refreshing change - the man is just as shy yet eager for a physical relationship. And hopes she would understand his longing. 

Between Sid Sriram and ADK they bring the insecurities and longing of the protagonist alive. Somehow I feel at the beginning the woman’s humming is coming from a distance while the male is singing at a very slow tempo. Slowly the tempo builds and when you hear her voice closer, ADK jumps in with a frenzy! My favorite lines: Kangalil yekkam, Kaadhalin Mayakkam, Aanaal Partha Nimidam,Oruvidhamaana Thayakam. 

6. Song: Adiye

Singer: Sid Sriram

Music: ARR

Lyrics: Madhan Karky

Movie: Kadal

Another beautiful rendition by Sid Sriram. While the theme is similar to the previous song here there is also the bewilderment and curiosity of where this is leading. There are many wonderful lines in this song. I especially love how he compares himself to a kid (aattu kutty) - something associated with cuteness and innocence! 

My other favorite line is about how she brings out his insecurities:  Kannala kannadi senju, En achatha kaaturiyae . There is also the underlying meaning - that he is too scared (shy?!) to look her in the eye. 

It is surprising to find such a feministic song from Karky. I am a fan of his lyrics, but somehow this sounds a little unlike him. Also, my only gripe with this song is the chorus. A soulful solo rendition would have better suited the lyrics. 

7. Song: Ei Suzhali

Singer: Vijaynarain

Music: Santhosh Narayan

Lyrics: Vivek

Movie: Kodi

This is a very fast-paced number with beautiful lyrics and wonderful singing by Vijaynarain. All thanks to Santhosh’s music. Unless the music is obviously ARR a song rarely catches my attention. What really drew me to this song is catchy-teasing lyrics placed all over the song. I loved this song so much that I googled and found the lyrics and meaning when it was newly launched. This is from the singer’s blog and the translation is quite well written. All the same here is my two cents :) 

In one line he calls her a beautiful oleander flower (arali) - the hidden meaning being arali is not only beautiful but also poisonous. In another line he says he is frothing as he is unable to handle her beauty. 

While in most male POV songs the male is rather confident and knows how to conquer his love here he is scared of what she is doing to him and just wants to be spared. He also compares his heart to something as fragile as an egg shell. 

The song ends with a load of sweet nothings shared in nature. The lyrics are so beautiful that it actually comes alive when you listen to it. The guy suddenly realizes that he is drowning in love - as in he seems to find romance/love everywhere and wonders what has happened to him. He compares himself to a fish that thought it was caught in a snag only to wake up and realize it was all a dream and that it is still alive and in familiar waters. 

8. Song: Chittu kuruvi song

Singer: ARR

Music: ARR

Lyrics: 

Movie: Chekka Chevandha Vaanam

Oh what more can I say about this gem by ARR?! I have covered it all here. 

There are also some beautiful Kannada songs that I love. But not many are solo and even the solo ones I dont think I know enough to write about it. So leaving it out of this list. Hope you found some of your favorites here! Let me know your favorites too! 

One pleasant rainy evening - artoonsinn event

Prerna had a weird sense of deja vu while listening to her husband, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. There had been an influx of fresh graduates in his company which brought a breath of fresh air. The sight of wide-eyed freshers always kept the oldies on their toes, wanting to look young and energetic while imparting their wisdom from experience. Apparently they had some freshers in Aniket's department as well. As a Senior Lead, it was his responsibility to put them through an orientation and help them identify a career path.

Prerna and Aniket were a happily married couple with a daughter and son entering college. Their married life had been fairly uncomplicated. She had been a copywriter in an advertising agency while Aniket was already climbing up the ladder in his IT company. Once in the family way, she chose to become a homemaker.  

It was a pleasant evening with light showers. She loved these quiet family times with her family chatting in the living room, while she got busy in the kitchen. It felt so warm, cozy and just perfect. She got the expected enthusiastic response when she announced hot samosas and tea. Though her son followed-up with ‘just one for me Amma. I am cutting down on oily food’; and her daughter ‘me too Amma. I had a late lunch.’ That’s alright. She will save the balance for another rainy day!

She suddenly heard rolling laughter from her husband. Apparently one of the freshers was a very witty girl with a healthy humor. Prerna was suddenly taken back to her younger days. She was one of the college freshers hired as a copywriter in her agency. She hit it off with her Senior Lead, Rajesh, from the get go. After every witty remark, she always looked out for that chuckle from Rajesh. Slowly she gained confidence and interacted more directly with him. The extended coffee time, perfectly timed water breaks, stolen glances, unnecessary virtual chats….all came back to her. There was definitely some chemistry between them, though it never went beyond the office walls. 

She quickly stole a glance at her husband, when he happened to look her way. What was that look on his face? Guilt? Did he have a crush on this girl? If so, wouldn’t he keep it a secret? Why talk about her? Did Rajesh ever talk about me with his family? Was I the topic of a light conversation on a rainy evening? Or a guilty secret he never revealed? What did he even think of me?

Oh come on………..why fret over something that happened so long ago! It hardly matters now. But why is it suddenly so quiet in the living room? She noticed her husband lost in his own thoughts, her daughter pushing her snack around the plate while her son hadn’t even looked at his plate. And suddenly she felt a gush of cold air…

Author's Note:

Deja vu is a French word. It literally means 'already dreams'. It is a feeling of having already experienced the present situation 

Marete hodenu song - Jun 2019

This is my current favourite kannada song. It is beautiful for the lyrics and music. The lyrics is romantic, sweet and tongue-in-cheek. There are two versions to this song, but I like the unplugged one better-probably because I heard this first. 

Those who know kannada can appreciate it better, but here goes my attempt at translating it to English, just the first few lines:

I forgot what I started out to do....I was so struck by your lightning presence

Forgive me, but the fault is ur's if I fall into your arms

There is a beautiful bond between a fragrant flower and the snatching breeze

Luka chuppi song - Nov 2019

I was always so caught up with the fast numbers in this movie, I never really noticed this song. When I heard it recently I wondered how come I missed it! Then checking on YouTube realised - the picturization is so sad and the complete song doesn't come thru in the movie. Nor does the context bring out the beauty of the lyrics . 

This song is way beyond just a melody. This has to be one of the most beautifully crafted song of a conversation between a mother and her son. Lata's voice has the right touch of motherly feel to it, while ARR sounds so young, excited, vulnerable all at the same time! 

Though I knew the general meaning of the song, I went online to check the word-to-word meaning and it brought tears to my eyes. The play on the word 'dheep' and 'chaand' is so sweet. And when ARR sings 'Lage bin tere mujhko akela' there is so much longing in his voice! And the ending duet is yet another beauty. 

In case you dont know Hindi well, check the lyrics meaning here:

http://songnlyrics.blogspot.com/2006/01/lukka-chhupi.html?m=1

And here is the full song, not the movie version:

Listen to the song 'Luka Chuppi' on Saavn at https://www.saavn.com/s/song/hindi/Rang-De-Basanti/Luka-Chuppi/QQk0fAxGbmk?referrer=svn_source=share&svn_medium=com.google.android.gm&utm_source=share&utm_medium=com.google.android.gm

'96 movie review Nov 2018

Here is my review of the movie #'96. A beautifully crafted romantic movie in Tamil. 

Let me get my one gripe with the movie out of the way, the last 30min could have been crisper and I wish the characters had continued showing the same restraint. Otherwise, ’96 is one of the best movies ever! 

The movie is so wholesomely beautiful that it is hard to figure out where to start! It is a story with a very simple premise……school sweethearts meet after 20+years, what happens next? We have seen many movies portraying teen love, lovers meeting after their life take different paths, even an old man going in search of his lover! While it would be normal for both to have lead a normal life of career, marriage, family, etc., here the guy doesn’t get married. He stays single and still misses his lover. While we would normally see such a guy as a loser or a creep, we are left feeling sad and sympathetic. Full credit to the director and Vijay Sethupathi (VS) acting that he evokes a feeling of helplessness among us. You wish you could do something to make him feel better, but you know there simply isn’t. Probably because the movie starts off showing us what he made of his life that he becomes an intriguing and interesting character from the word go. And combine that with his amazing acting, you root for him all through the way!

I never feel comfortable watching movies that depict teen love. Somehow I feel it is never handled with the sensitivity or finesse it deserves. But this movie does a wonderful job of it. Rather than find a reason for love, the movie focuses on how two young kids bond with each other and how it is so deep, and broken so abruptly that it lasts rest of their adolescent and adult life. There are no cute girl gimmicks or macho stunts. It is a simple and quietly pretty and extroverted girl juxtaposed with a boy who suddenly discovers his feeling and is forever tongue-tied around her. No stealing glances, stolen kisses, etc. It is a really sweet portrayal of love. 

Rather than question his everlasting love for her, everyone accepts his feeling for what it is and lets him be. Isn’t that wonderful? There is no need to look for a certain goal or an end. Just a feeling you want to carry forever, and be content with it! And there is no condemning her for moving on with her life either. The impromptu way in which they discover the misunderstanding and how they missed a chance at life together is so realistic and painful. The unassuming way in which VS reveals his attempts to meet her and keeps track of her can only leave a girl feeling special. How bittersweet is that! 

Do you get that unexplainable vague, yet wonderful feeling when you hear a really beautiful romantic song? A song that is so encompassing and consuming? For me songs like ‘naan paesa ninaipathellam…’, ‘eghirikudhithaen….’ (from boys), ‘ninaithu ninaithu…..’ (7g rainbow colony), ‘yae kahaan…’ (silsila) does that. And now this movie!

About that Chittu Kuruvi song.... Dec 2018

About that Chittu Kuruvi song....

It’s been a while since I fell head-over-heels into an ARR song. Considering the number of songs he has recently composed, that is really sad. While his music for Vijay movies are not my type, I was eagerly waiting for CCV songs. You know how we often like his songs after watching the movie, or reading the lyrics? So I decided to seriously ‘pursue’ those songs after watching the movie. But it was such a disappointment! The movie was so bad, and the songs hardly made an impact. I did make a valiant attempt at listening to the songs. But I couldn’t bear to listen to them after a few seconds. After skipping all the songs I completely gave up.

But somehow the Chittu Kuruvi song kept nagging me. I did like it in the movie, but somehow when I heard it online it didn’t make any sense. The song seemed to jump from one mood to another and for the first time ever I didn’t think ARR’s voice suited the song (blasphemy!). I thought he sounded too old for a youthful song like this. I was so-so disappointed. I couldn’t believe a wonderful combination like this could produce such a terrible collection of songs.

Being an ardent fan of ARR, I next tried starting from the lyrics and that is when it hit me, hit me HARD! It turned out to be such a wonderful song! The change in mood, voice modulations, everything made sense!

For the uninitiated: The song is about a guy falling in love with a girl, and then the girl leaves him. He is heartbroken and also sad for the girl wondering how difficult it must be for her. Then he realizes she is actually happy and doesn’t seem to be bothered by leaving him. Now that is just the crux of the story.

This is said in the form of a guy who loves nature and finds peace and wisdom from nature. Then a sparrow comes along and wants to be friends with him. The sparrow calls him closer and asks if he likes her. The guy is enthralled by the dramatics of the sparrow and compares her (and his feelings) to a beautiful dream or a song he heard in his dream. He even wonders if the sparrow simply feels sympathetic towards him.

Then there is a long rain and the sparrow flies away. The rain becomes more intense with lightning and thunder. He wonders if the sparrow lost its way. He feels sad for losing the sparrow, and also how heartbroken the sparrow must be on losing him. Later he realizes the sparrow isn’t sad, but is very happy. Instead of enjoying the beautiful rain, the guy is left crying for losing his lover.

As you can see there are so many emotions in this song. The peaceful moment before the sparrow comes in, the feeling of falling in love, then his confusion over why the sparrow loves him, and then the heartbroken moment when he loses her, and finally the realization that the sparrow is happy, but he is still in love and missing her. How does he manage to get all these emotions in a <6min song! Seems so impossible, but then here it is! And he is rocking at it!

Now I realize everything part of the song fit so perfectly! The lyrics (the beautiful Tamil words!), music, ARR’s voice, modulations, music, ARR’s voice, modulations, lyrics…….oh god am going in circles…….just like the song in loop right now!

You know how some songs are so beautiful that it encloses you and makes you feel like you are in an island with just the song surrounding you? Well, I have had that feeling for many of his songs….Evano Oruvan (Alaipayuthey), Kannalanae (Bombay), Rehna Tu (Delhi6), Satrangi (Dil Se), Thayya (Dil Se), to name a few. Now here is one more such song.

Thanks to this site for opening my eyes (and ears and heart) to this song: https://www.tsonglyrics.net/2018/09/mazhai-kuruvi-lyrics-english-meaning.html

Here is that beautiful song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt4-FwVe1Fk

Vaksana Farms - Dec 2021 vacation

Vaksana Farms 

After a tiring trip in Kumbakonam visiting temples, a quiet and relaxing vacation is what we needed and that is exactly what the Pico farm delivered! The elegant farmhouse with it’s glass exteriors give you a view of the beautiful greenery around from the cool indoors. Set among farming lands in a somewhat remote village, you can be assured of peace and tranquility, far away from the hustle-bustle of the city and noise of the highways.

True to its name, the farmhouse is a small duplex house with a kitchen, study and living room on the ground floor and sleeping area in the first floor. The house is filled with posters of kid’s favorite – Tintin, Asterix-Obelix, etc., immediately drawing the kids in. There is also a variety of books if you would just want to sit back in the reading nook in the living room and enjoy some quiet reading time. While there is no TV, there is a good internet connection if you want to stream something on your device.

The farmhouse has few dogs, cows and a pony – and these kept our kids busy all the time! For once, I was not worried about where my kids are and what they are upto. The dogs and the puppies were safe and my kids couldn’t get enough of them! The pony is a different story J I can’t decide if he loves people and hence keeps coming to us, or just doesn’t want us there :D He needed some strong words and a pat from Mr Sivaraman to send him away. The pony unfortunately had to be tied up most of the time since he was just too big for us to deal with.

One key ingredient to make a place warm and happy are the hosts and the food -  Mr Sivaraman and his wife had this in abundance!  They made our stay all the more memorable with their warm welcome, home-cooked meals and regular check-in to make sure we are comfortable and have everything we need. I was truly amazed at the number of food items our hostess churned out for us! Within the realms of traditional vegetarian South Indian cooking, she managed to prepare so many different varieties of food and from different ingredients! I also felt guilty and wondered if I should lend a hand…….but then this is my vacation and I am a hopelessly lazy person :P A special mention to Shekar, his wife and Pushpa who support Mr Sivaraman and his wife in running the farm and farmhouse.

While I was not planning to step out anywhere, KIruba’s list of places to visit was tempting. So we ended up going to Akkarai Kali Amman temple. The drive was amazing with mostly a sea of greenery on both sides of the road! While I have driven through villages with paddy or sugarcane fields on both sides, this is the first time I came across clumps of plantain farms, sometimes casuarina trees, mango farm, etc. The temple is situated in the middle of a lake and you would have to walk through a shallow river to reach it. Since there was no one around to guide us, we didn’t want to risk going through the water – none of us know swimming and the water was quite slushy. However, we had a good time playing near the bank and attempting to reach the falls. Despite all the beauty of nature, here again we found trash and filth near the water falls. There was even an overturned garbage can. So we avoided the place where the water falls flows through the rocks.

Probably because of the timing of our trip (too soon after the heavy rains) there was not much to see or do on the farm. That is something I was looking forward to, especially for my kids to experience. I hope to visit again during a more appropriate season. Until then, thanks for a memorable 2021 year-end vacation!

Modern Love Chennai - Review

During my Kerala trip I started watching Modern Love Chennai, and managed to complete the series a few days back. I have watched the Mumbai, New York, and Amsterdam series. And by far the Chennai series is probably the only one where I found my most favourite and many favourites as well. I don't really remember the earlier ones that well but what stands out is Anne Hathaway’s ‘Take me as I am Whoever I am’, ‘Hers was a World of One’ on gay couple adoption in New York series; ‘Raat Rani’, ‘Mumbai Dragon’,  ‘My Beautiful Wrinkles’ in Mumbai series; ‘Episode 2’, ‘In the Eye of the storm’ from Amsterdam. Music was also mostly wonderful in the series. The composition of the theme song, and individual songs in most of the stories was quite good too. 

Before I start with the beautiful ones, let me get the biggest disappointment and in-retro redundant story out of the way - ‘Paravai Koottil Vaazhum Maangal’. Why tarnish the memory of a beautiful movie like Marupadiyum? Of all the philandering husband stories, Marupadiyum is probably the only one with a strong female lead who stands up for herself, decides to find her own identity and become an independent woman. 

I watched Marupadiyum when I didn’t fully understand the gravity of the story. But what struck me is the end to the story - I found it very refreshing, filled with hope and zest for life. And much later when I heard the song ‘Nallathor veenai seithei’ I could fully appreciate the depth of mental turmoil that Thulasi (Revathi’s character) goes through. The whole story is centred around how a woman - who is dependent on her husband financially and emotionally - maintains her dignity and self-respect, and finds her inner-strength to live independently in this world. While this might not be so scary or novel these days, it should be seen in the context of our society during the 1980s and 90s. Now to think about it, wonder if using Bharathiyaar’s song was yet another subtle hint at the strong woman he envisioned! 

With this stupid ridiculous dedication, Bharathiraaja has muddled up the idea of a modern independent woman with being detached and emotionless. How else would you describe a woman who leaves her kids behind with her husband and the ‘other woman’ and decides to live an independent life? To me the character seemed a spineless sacrificial lamb! The story gives rise to so many questions! Who is she to decide that the kids should be separated from her?Don’t the kids have any say in it? Can a family life with kids be so easily replaced by work life? Is it so easy to make kids live with a new woman and they not even miss their mother? Is a woman’s role in her family so easily replaceable? The story ultimately reduces the role of a woman to being a wife, cook, maid, nanny…..but what about the emotional connect? the bonding? How can anybody in their right mind come up with a story like this?! 

And giving characters the real name of the actors in Marupadiyum is such a genius stroke! Arrgh….And what is with the husband character? During the whole awkward episode he seems like another furniture in the room, albeit smoking at times. The only thing the movie got perfectly right is the awkwardness of the whole situation. The extended silence, inability to make small talk, etc. If those weren’t bad enough, she invites the ‘other woman’ to stay over for the night. I kept watching the whole movie hoping there will be some sensible conclusion to this story. Maybe they all realize their mistake and decide to go back to their earlier life, or maybe decide to put this off until kids are out of the nest? But no……….the director managed to keep the awkwardness until the end. And what exactly was the point of belatedly telling us about their first meeting?! To show that she is still hopelessly in love? Or that a love based on intellectual interests will not last? All in all, the father character (Delhi Ganesh) seemed to be the only sensible one. But unfortunately he wasn’t heard by anyone and was made to feel like pazheya panchangam. Moving on……

‘Ninaivo oru paravai’ is the other story I wasn’t ok with. Not that there was anything bad, but I really didn’t get the point of it. A lot of banter between the couple, their interests, etc., were interesting and engaging but the story seemed over-sexualized and unnecessarily so. Until the end we dont get to know why they broke up their relationship. I don’t know if the intent of the story is their relationship arch and the reason for breakup is redundant? But somehow the relationship arch didn’t seem strong enough and warranted an explanation for their breakup. There was also a hint that what is happening in real life was written as a script by the hero - here again there was not much depth to this storyline. On the whole the story seemed very muddled up. What I did love about this story was the beautiful songs in the background. Of late I have taken to watching some English series where mood and feelings of the characters is expressed through beautiful songs in the background. So beautiful that I make it a point to read through the lyrics. It was refreshing to find a Tamil movie adopt a similar style. I especialy loved Kadal Alaigalil ‘Aanaal’ song, Thaen Mazhaiyo songs in this movie. 

All other stories were lovely and beautifully done. ‘Lalagunda Bommigal’ shows the stark reality of girls conned by lecherous men and the unlikely event of a serial conman turning out to be a loyal husband. ‘Margazhi’ is yet another beautifully crafted story of a young girl who finds love and attention during a difficult phase in her life,that helps her come out of her loneliness. The story is quite subtle and interlude between them when they play and disucss about music is very well done. When she realizes her innate qualities when he expresses what he loves about her is very touching. The story does have a documentary feel with tedious scenes. And I am not a big fan of Ilayaraja’s songs in this story. It vaguely reminded me of some old song and not in a very good way. And I wish he had allowed some young singer to lend voice, atleast that might have made the song more pleasing to listen to. I am not sure if this is a popular opinion, but I felt like the movie is trying to say Margazhi has many significance - it is a celebration of music of different kinds and not just Carnatic, music can be enjoyed in many ways and not just in the form of concerts, it reminds you to discover and enjoy music for the sake of it.

It is a very tough pick between ‘Imaigal’ and ‘Kaadhal enbadhu…..’. While one is a very deep and heart touching story the other is a breezy romantic story of a girl falling in and out of love and eventually finding her soul mate. Despite the short duration, Imaigal has packed a lot of layers into its story and is beautifully enacted by Ashok Selvan and TJBhanu. The story brings out the difficulties of a parent with a medical problem/disability while caring for a young child,  how our youthful dreams are overtaken by the practicalities of a family life, how our interests and hobbies go into the backburner once we get busy with out lives,  etc. The story not only shows the frustration of a woman who is partially blind, but also of the people surrounding her, especialy her husband. While you can feel the fear and frustration of the woman, you can also empathize with what the man is missing out in his life. It would seem tad selfish, but living a monotonous life day-in and day-out is sad. 

Where was this Ritu Verma all these years?! She seems like a very familiar face but not sure if I have actually seen her in any earlier movie (except Nitham oru vaanam’). She is so bubbly, spontaneous, cheerful, unabashed……it is like the younger day Khushbo, Jyothika, Laila, Asin, all packed into one! She manages to maintain her energy and humor throughout the movie! It is very refreshing to find a heroine with a great comedic sense. The story also manages to stay true to romantic-comedy genre by creating a humor out of every situation. Her quest for finding a breakup song for a woman is especially funny. The umpteen homages to significant scenes from Tamil romantic movies are so well done. The scene with Baradwaj Rangan is quite funny, especially since he comes across as a very serious film critic while the situation in the story is so naive and juvenile. 

I ended up watching Imaigal, kaadhal enbadhu….. and Margazhi twice in as many days. It was that good! I think this has set the bar really high for any future Modern love series. 

My PS-2 Review

Prologue: So I did read the book again after watching PS-1 though only until Arunmozhi’s ship sinks. I think a big miss in the movie is the visions of Mandakini that Sundara Chozar sees that makes him mentally unstable. Kundavai plots to bring Arunmozhi safely back to Tanjavur and not Sundara Chozar. A very interesting scene in the book that reveals a layer to Sundara Chozar’s character is the one with the poets. Unfortunately this is not shown in as much detail. Also, the conversation between Aditha and Parthibendran in Mahabalipuram where Aditha ruminates about the futility of war and how contribution to art and welfare is the true legacy left by a King is also a very interesting one. However, it is probably too much to ask from a movie. Now coming to PS-2……

I actually saw the movie twice. Once with kids and Anand in Chennai soon after it released, and again in Bangalore with my sister. I loved the movie both times :) Before I forget……what is with Satyam (or should I now say PVR) charging you for butter in the popcorn?! What cheapos?! I remember Satyam CEO writing a long letter to his patrons at the time of PVR takeover about the continuity in their quality of service, and specifically the continuity in the quality of popcorn. I suppose he left the pricing vague and the vultures in PVR zeroed in on it? Unfortunately I ended up giving money to PVR again when I saw the movie in Bangalore. Seriously pathetic. 

Back to the movie…….

Between the four of us, we were armed with the (refreshed) knowledge of two versions of translated Ponniyin Selvan books, 1 ACK version to quickly identify any deviations from the original! Considering the complexity of the story, we were pretty sure the movie would be highly disappointing. But we actually ended up falling in love with Mani’s version! Mani has managed to give it just the right amount of tweaks to stay true to the spirit of this story. 

While the first part was all about introducing the characters, the second was about their relationship, the pivotal role they play, and moving the story forward to bring it to a logical conclusion. 

I remember the whole episode of Aditha Karikalan-Nanthini’s past and the role Kundavai plays in it narrated very briefly in the book. But it made sense to go into the details of this relationship in the movie for the viewers to appreciate the depth of the relationship and Aditha’s anger and frustration. 

While none of the characters get much screen time (except Vikram of course!) the time they do get is very meaty and exhibits layers in their characters without making it obvious. The only characters I wish had more screen time were Vandiyathevan-Nambi, and Vandiyathevan-Kundavai. 

Without many scenes or interactions Mani has managed to show a strong connect between Vandiyathevan and Kundavai. I dont know if this is my own extrapolation but I felt their common interest and goals drew them closer and hence the chemistry between the actors as well. Both loved and wanted to defend the Chola empire, both were focused on protecting and keeping the two princes safe, despite knowing the dangers of the expedition Kundavai asked Vandiyathevan to go to Lanka and he in turn took on the mission with pride and bravery. And the actors are such an unlikely pair! I dont think we have seen them together in any movie before but they turned out to be so good together. 

One of the best scenes in the movie is when the three siblings meet. This doesn’t exist in the original. Despite deviating from the original, this scene is so beautifully crafted that you can’t really complain. Mani has exhibited enough restraint to keep this from wallowing into an emotional scene. What is particularly significant is Arunmozhi’s and Kundavai’s understanding of the emotional turmoil Aditha is going through and their unwilling acceptance of his decision to go to Kadambur palace. 

Another interesting deviation from the original is Kundavai putting together the pieces of Nanthini’s past and guessing her mother’s connection to Sundara Chozar. While the book exhibited Arunmozhi’s intelligence and generosity in the way he figured out and accepted Mandakini’s relation with his father (and Nanthini), in the movie he comes across as clueless as to why she looks like Nandhini. This unfortunately puts Arunmozhi in a bad light, but added more weight to Kundavai as she puts it together and confronts her father. The saving grace is how Arunmozhi handles the coronation at the end. Especially his dialogue ‘peraasai thaan arasar ku azhagu’. 

I think the whole twist in the tale of baby swapping and Madhuanthakar-Sendhan Amudhan backstory is too much for a movie, especially if it is a two-part movie for a 5-part book. Mani’s way of completely removing that piece and yet keeping the spirit of the book by showing the different faction’s love and loyalty towards their empire seemed apt. My daughter cried foul ‘But he is not the real Madhuranthakan?This is so wrong!’ But eventually (after we convinced her that Kalki’s is a fictional story and that is not what happens in reality) she agreed that the ending makes sense. On a side note: I am not sure how many mother-daughter tend to be fans of same actors but we can. I am a proud mother of a daughter who is also a fan of Vikram after this movie. By the way, she also loves the younger day Amitabh Bachchan (after a good dose of Sholay, 2 aur 2 paanch and few other ‘my younger day’ favorites of mine). 

Now coming to the other ‘best’ scenes and the actor who myself and my sister drooled over! It is a hard pick between his 3 scenes - when he enters Kadambur, his meeting with the chieftains, and his last scene with Nanthini. When he enters the Kadambur palace, the way he baits the Kadambur chieftain, piques on Pazhuvettarayar for marrying a young woman by repeatedly calling him ‘paatta’, the subtle transformation on seeing Nanthini all this while manoeuvring a restless horse is just amazing! 

Vikram is just as amazing when he confronts the chieftains for springing Madhuranthakan as the heir despite Sundara Chozar anointing Aditha as the prince. I couldn’t help but notice that Vikram is the shortest of the actors in that scene yet with the strongest screen presence. 

The final scene between Nanthini and Aditha is yet another gem in VIkram’s acting. How does someone look so handsome, confident and yet so vulnerable! His acting is just unbelievable in this scene. 

Unlike PS-1, music in this part was really good! My favorite is the Ilaiyoor Soodaar. It sounded like a very deep and poignant song. The composition, visuals and singing were very beautiful in the movie. Unfortunately I am unable to find the lyrics with translation. While Aga-naga is a little annoying to listen to, it is quite good in the movie. I guess there was nothing much to complain about the background score either, though it is not something I usually notice. 

While I don’t pay much attention to the settings or visuals, one worth mentioning is the sculpture of Raavana holding up Shiva and Parvathi. It is a very beautiful relief on a stone. While it looks like it is facing the King, it is actually facing a sculpture of Rama’s pattaabhishekam. Interestingly, I came across a Chariot which had Raavana carrying the idols of Shiva and Parvathi in Thiruvannamalai temple. 

I dont think I will finish the rest of the book. Unfortunately, now when I read the book I visualize with the actors from the movie. So it kinda kills your experience of reading the book. Also, I have got the scenes from the book and movie so jumbled up! However, the next time they put up the Ponniyin Selvan drama, I will take my daughter along. Few years back when I saw, I found it a drag because a) I had forgotten the story b) I was all alone so no one to discuss what is happening on stage and c) the Tamil was too tough to follow. This time I will have her for company. She has read the story 3 times - all translated versions but different authors. So hopefully it will make for some stimulating company! 

About the Shiva trilogy.......

I ended up reading The Secret of the Nagas (second in Shiva Trilogy) just to make sure it is safe for my 11yr old to read. Having read the book twice I really didn’t want to read it all over again! Now that I have finished the book, I so wish I hadn’t read it! Not just because I now HAVE TO read the third to remind myself of what happens next, but also because I found too many problems with Amish’s style of writing. Problems that I either ignored or refused to acknowledge in my earlier reads…..

After reading the first three books of Ram Chandra Series (am a little weary of reading the last one in the series) I really ddin’t want to read anymore of Amish’s books. His portrayal of Ravana as some psycho killer really leaves a very bad taste. I grew up listening to my grandmom and aunt singing praises of Ravan for his valor, intelligence, etc. Abduction of Sita was seen as a minor flaw in his character rather than a serious offense. While today with our maturity and awareness it seems unforgivable that a man would forcibly abduct a woman and keep her imprisoned, at that time all I could see was the sappy Arun Govil (as Ram) vs the regal and fearsome Arvind Trivedi (as Ravan) in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan. My admiration for Ravan was reiterated with Vikram’s portrayal of Beera in Mani Ratnam’s Ravanan.

Anyways, coming back to the Shiva Trilogy…………….

The first time I read the books it was so exciting and thrilling! While we come across analogies and reproduction of many western mythological stories, we have rarely come across an Indian counterpart except what we see in Amar Chitra Katha or the serious ones written purely based on the classics. So Shiva Trilogy filled a gap that I didn’t even realize existed. What made the book even more dear to heart is your favorite god being the protagonist in the story. While I do know Amish takes a lot of creative liberties in his portrayal of Shiva it was hard to not fall for the charming, romantic and handsome fictional Shiva in the book.

So I thought it would only be a bit tedious to read the book all over again, otherwise it should be an ok read. Unfortunately, I was left with feeling extremely irritated with Amish’s style of writing. It is not just the poor choice of words, grammatical errors, poor proofreading,….

For instance, no one ever just laughs in this book. They almost always ‘burst out laughing’. Irrespective of the situation, the surrounding, mood of the scene, they burst out laughing. Is it so hard to find an alternative way to describe laughter?

If I hadn’t known better I would have thought the book is actually the script of a Sanjay Leela Bhansali book. Time and time again Amish insists on listing every single person who accompanies Shiva wherever he goes….whether he is in a Vishnu temple, or on a ship, or paying respects to a King. Every single time there is a list of people who have accompanied Shiva. By the way, the list almost never changes. So why get into this level of detail every single time?! It is almost as if Amish had a checklist of things to say at every scene and he was just making sure it is covered. But what was the proofreader doing?!

And coming to how a scene is described….you know how in SLB movies and TV Soaps one person says something and then the camera pans to every single person to show their expression? That is how most of the scenes feel in this book. Just like in those movies/soaps this level of detail doesn’t serve any purpose.

Many a time the dialogues are so petty and unrefined. Especially the ones by Kali. They seem unnecessarily insulting to the other person and overly self-appraising.

The first two times I read the book, I found Amish’s way to interspersing characters and stories from our mythology into this story very clever and also gave us an interesting perspective. But after reading the Ram Chandra series, I am not so sure anymore. Especially the way Jamadagni story turned into one of Honor Killing doesn’t seem right. Honor Killing is too serious a topic to be used here.  

Of course, all this doesn’t take away the significance of this book and what it means to many of us. This is the first of its kind (at least to my knowledge?!) and gives the reader quite a thrilling and exciting ride. The book moves from adventure to adventure keeping the reader hooked and often wondering how did we get here? Like I said, this is my third read and I still wonder how did a certain situation come about?!

The philosophical discussions between Shiva and Vasudevs is quite interesting too, and is often thought provoking. Maybe because I usually don’t read spiritual or philosophical books, I found Amish’s take on Good vs Evil quite interesting. I also love how he made Mohini into the supreme goddess and the companion of Rudra. This puts a spin on how we view Rudra (as a representation of shiva in the form of chants and rudraksh seed) and Mohini (as Vishnu in the form of a beautiful woman). Considering how we revere Shiva and Vishnu as the two supreme deities, Amish’s take on Rudra and Mohini makes so much sense and fits right in place!

So now am off to get started with the 3rd and last instalment of this series. I only vaguely remember a little bit of what happens in this book, so am sure the suspense will still hold good 😊 Also since I have voiced most of what I find annoying, I should be able to ignore these flaws unless I find something new to complain about!

Kids these days......

Kids these days.....

This is my first experience of watching my kids do a group assignment, so am quite amazed at how independently they are able to do it without help from parents. 

For my son the teacher had formed groups and asked them to form a band and sing a Tamil poem as a group with music et all. And for my daughter - they had to enact a story from social studies. 

From the time he returned from school until the next morning my son and his band members formed a whatsapp group, did a gmeet call, assigned roles and instruments, decided on the beat for the drum, and then practiced on their own. The next morning they were all set to perform as a group with almost no in-person practice as a group! And their group was ranked first!

My daughter and her group decided on each person's role in school, once home they also created a whatsapp group. 1 kid took up script writing and promptly shared the script in a word doc in the group, while my daughter took up printing of 6 copies. The skit date moved to next week but they are already all set to perform! 

It is quite unnerving to see how easily they adapt to this virtual mode and don't let it come in the way of their routine!