Day 4 : The Reader

Day 4 got better.

The Reader is a romantic drama with Kate Winslet playing the lead role Hanna Schmidtz. She won an Oscar for her terrific performance. She was brilliant.

The story is set in the late 1950s post world war 2. A fifteen year old German kid Michael ( David Kross  and Ralph Fiennes is the older Michael ) falls in love or rather has an affair with a woman, Hanna who is at least twice his age. They have a physical intimacy as well and Hanna wants Michael read her books each day. Under mysterious circumstances she leaves him one day only to be found in an unfortunate situation –  in a courtroom standing trial where Michael, a law student, is an observer. Michael is equally shocked like us. Hanna is an illiterate (not a spoiler because this is a give away ) and out of pride and self dignity she admits to a crime which she never committed in the concentration camps. 

Michael is confused. He is the one who could stop her conviction and life sentence but chooses to be silent. Hanna’s illiteracy is her secret. To maintain the secrecy she goes to the extent of admitting to a crime in which she was least involved. 

After a few years, Michael starts to send audio cassettes where he reads stories for her. Once her sentence is over, the movie ends making us feel sorry. There is a little sadness but a heavy regret. 

I felt this as a complete movie that could get a 9/10. This undoubtedly should be Kate Winslet’s best. She deserved this Oscar. Her character in the movie is that of a woman who doesn’t bend by the rules made by people. Her conscience is solid and there’s no flinching or fluttering when she admits her actions in the concentration camps. She questions the judge back “what would you have done”. A great scene that one.

David Kross and  Ralph Fiennes have done justice to their roles. A good background score and cinematography  that add more life to the movie. 

There’s a good length of  nudity. It’s a controversial  and delicate relationship that is dealt with a uncompromising ease. It has to be and you cannot simply take that off the script. It would undermine the younger Michael’s turmoil after seeing Hanna back in his life. It leaves a huge scar in his heart that makes normal life so difficult again.

One can debate Michael’s actions or rather the failing to act for Hanna but it’s only human. Michael helping Hanna would have made this some usual fiction. Here he fights his past and conscience. The movie is just great. No negatives. 

Day 3 : The Hateful Eight

I’m a fanboy for QT (Quentin Tarantino) and there may not be a complete fair review here. 

QT fan or not.. this movie is worth watching.

The Hateful Eight is action thriller set in the early 19th century after the American civil war. 

One house. Eight killers. Doubts and deaths.

John Ruth ‘The Hangman’ with his prisoner Daisy Domergue travels across Wyoming on battering snow to take her to Red Rock for hanging for which he would be rewarded $10000.They decide to help Marquis who is estranged with three dead bodies ( his bounty corpses ). Mannix who is to be the next sheriff of Red Rock demands that he be helped in the blizzards. O.B the driver of the stagecoach and the four set out to Minnie and Sweet Dave’s haberdashery (an inn ) for shelter. But they don’t find Minnie and Dave at the haberdashery . There are four men who are in the inn for shelter. What follows that night is blood spurting, ruthless killings. Everybody is a suspect for the first death. All vile and cynical. Slowly the rest meet the maker either by gun or rope or even poison. There is a subplot within the main plot and it is unfolded almost at the second half.

Done with the synopsis we move to what I have to say about the movie.

A typical trademark QT movie. The overall plotline is like the Reservoir Dogs – all the characters are pivotal and no one is spared (literally). QT exhibits his eloquent screenwriting and delivers an action packed  thriller. There is tension right after all the eight enter the play and it is kept live till the climax. There is no guesswork here and you could only watch attentively. 

The casting is good where we have a sharp and uncanny Kurt Russell, a wise Samuel L Jackson, Jenifer Jason Leigh ( the showstopper according to me ) and an underplaying Tim Roth (welcome back !!).  Each of these except Tim have given a riveting performance. I loved Jenifer for her dialogue delivery,smirks,winks and rage. 

As the story is set in the 19th century, y’all folks gotta see what’s in store. The BGM suits the atmosphere and goes high tempo at the shootouts and plot revelations. 

QT’s love affair with the bounty history continues. Thankfully we are spared the racist violence. Here it’s fire on will on anyone you like at some point. Not recommending it for kids and light-hearted people. 

It’s a great movie. Having said that, I wouldn’t call this QT’s best. Personally, Django was better for me. The plot was so strong in Django which forced the actors to give their best. Overall Django was a complete effort. The Hateful Eight is not up to QT standards because his movies simply raise the bar each time. There are other aspects such as detailing and character description that are better than Django.

My rating is 7.5/10. If I had to be a QT fan and give a rating, I wouldn’t have flinched before giving it a 8. 

QT’s  movies will be called ‘vintage’ after a century. 

What’s in for day 4.. 

Day 2: War Dogs

War dogs is a comedy-action drama based on a true story about two Americans who try to make money using the wars and conflicts across the world. One phrase is used often – ‘between the lines’ which implies wars here obviously.

Two masked men pull out David ( Miles Teller – Divergent, Whiplash) from the trunk of the car and are about to blow his brains out.

Then the narrative style story starts where David gives us some interesting facts about war and what sort of money is made using conflicts and scams ( did you know that $17000 is used to equip and arm one US soldier ). It really disgusts how they made money using Iraq and Afghanistan. 

A few years before David ends up in the trunk, he has a mediocre life. He is a certified massage therapist who hates his job and he sees he’s going nowhere. At a funeral he meets his school buddy Efraim ( Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street, 21 Jump Street) who is a arms dealer for the US army. He deals with ‘crumbs’ as he states – the small orders that involves only few grands. It is convenient enough for David to nod his head after he knows what Efraim makes through this business.

So the duo cracks on closing in smaller deals and make a good amount of money. They even survive a drive through Baghdad during the war. Efraim is the gutsy but morally compromised businessman who can even go to the extent of fooling the mighty Pentagon. He’s the sort of guy who has a big poster of  ‘Scarface’ in his condo.

Then the inevitable happens – they get greedy and foray into something that’s way out of their league. David ends up in the trunk in the middle of nowhere. It’s a ride downhill from there with ‘karma gets back at you’ climax. 

My take here.. 

There’s a little humor and it’s laced all over the movie.  Jonah Hill is cast in such roles. Here too he’s the go-getter Efraim. And Miles Teller just fits in the ‘right guy for the wrong job’ role. And there’s Bradley Cooper playing the shady arms dealer. It’s an okay-kinda movie. I would rate it 6.5 on a scale of 10. You can get an idea on how even novices could deal weapons, ammunitions in the US. No negatives here. The movie is right on it’s track on what it wants to convey and where it needs to tickle. The ‘Hangover’ trilogy was into absolute humor and craziness but this one makes sense at times. 

 I tried hard not to go personal in a movie review. But… 

It appears that the US has a lot of con artists, small time scammers and all sorts of such noble men who make a joke out of their government itself. But what the government is doing outside their borders is simply ugly and selfish.

The movie for Day 3 is gonna be interesting for sure.😉

100 Day Movie Challenge – Day 1 : The Horse Whisperer (1998)

I have no resolutions for the year and after I read Osho’s words on resolutions, I was more than happy to lose the idea. But, I needed to respond to some itching neurons and here it is… ( Drum rolls )

A 100 day movie challenge.. ! One movie a day for 100 days straight.

At first, it sounded like a waste of 2 or 3 precious hours each day, but movies have been part of my life so long. I see it a creation, an art… (yawning myself )

So the first movie to kick off the ride was ‘ The Horse Whisperer’.

The Horse Whisperer is a feel-good slow paced drama which involves a young girl and her horse who recover from a terrible accident with the help of a ‘horse whisperer’ ( horse specialist sort ! ). There is a lot of emotion, drama and a slightly taut romance.

Grace ( a teenager ) is severely injured and maimed for life when she goes horse riding one fine day. Her horse ( Pilgrim ) is equally injured so much that the Vets decide it to be put down for good. Grace’s mother Annie, caring but dominating mother and wife, is hell bent on curing the horse. While her daughter suffers a mental trauma, Annie strongly thinks helping Pilgrim recover would be better for her daughter and the animal. She takes her daughter and the horse all the way to Nevada to meet the famous ‘Horse Whisperer’ – Tom. Everyone is initially skeptical about Pilgrim’s and Grace’s recovery, but Tom has a way with the horses ( with people as well ). While Pilgrim and Grace recover, Tom and Annie are about to get into an affair which is very convoluted and risks everyone’s happiness. The end however is a little surprising but definitely makes it a feel-good movie.

That will be the synopsis.

Now, grabbing the forceps and prongs for dissection.

The screenplay is as smooth as Single malt Scotch. The accident is shot well and convinces us to imagine the horror. What each character goes through is so vivid through the expressions and the dialogues. Here is where the casting should be appreciated. There is no particular protagonist but each character is important. Scarlett Johanson plays the grumpy teen Grace so well that the director back then should have seen her shining career far ahead. Robert Redford  – Tom and Kristin Thomas – Annie  are equally fitting and have sunk their teeth in to the roles.

Annie is a ‘control-freak’ basically and when it doesn’t work with Tom, she is easily pissed off. Their brief romance is very interesting. Where this movie scores is the complication that each character goes through – a grumpy teen who wouldn’t let anyone help her after she is maimed, a confused and desperate mother who has this huge burden over her head, a man in his forties who is single and falls for the mother easily and , of course, the troubled horse who will carry the scar for the rest of his life.

The cinematography is pleasant – with all those ranches, hammocks and streams so serene it makes us long for a trip to Tom’s ranch. The movie is long, mind here because this is a movie you need to watch when you wake up at 4 AM and feel like watching a pleasant movie. Or you could sit with your partner on a Saturday evening for this movie if you don’t wanna party hard. It sure isn’t a waste of 2.5 hours is all I can say here..

More to come.. !

You could drop your comments in case you decide to encourage or one-critic-to-another kinda stuff..

Compulsive

 

Yesterday :

He walked into his Team Lead’s cubicle.

“Moorthy, did you get a chance to look at the portfolio deck?”

Moorthy looked back at Vicky with a face drooping with sleep and nonchalance. His coffee was hot and Vicky knew the coffee on Moorthy’s table had no purpose at all.  The nonchalance alone was rehearsed many times when he was new to this position of Team Lead. Saracasm, lame jokes and nonchalance became the essential virtues for Moorthy.

Vicky had absolutely no respect whatsoever for this sad excuse of a Lead. And at times, he had expressed his derision so obvious that the other team members even felt sorry for Moorthy. Vicky was like that. He didn’t respect anyone who just sat there and did nothing to contribute other than slapping a stupid comment on any good work the team did.

“Vicky. This deck… Looks so colorful and flashy.. what do they call it.. ‘funky’? .. we cannot take this to the SM.. ”

“Moorthy .. SM liked my  deck last time…” He just pointed at Moorthy’s laptop and  turned back to leave the cubicle. No other words.

This was not new to him or anyone in the team. The others would open the deck and explain each slide and the reason for the design, animation and image. But Vicky wouldn’t.

The next day when the SM was at office, Moorthy presented the new Portfolio estimate and report. Except the header and footer images, the deck was Vicky’s.

Vicky had a cup of coffee in his hand. Hot and foaming.

When the presentation was over, the Senior Manager appreciated the content and the whole theme in it. He said he liked the GIFs too. Moorthy was beaming with pride and told him that it was prepared mostly by himself and Vicky made some ‘slight’ modifications.

The coffee was still hot.

Today :

Vicky stood there in front of the mirror with the cup of coffee, fresh and foaming. He was all dressed up and was ready to start to office. But this had to be done.  His reflection stared back with the same contempt but only with a little more intensity. The breathing became heavier and he started to feel the heat in his cheeks and forehead. The anger was taking a different form now picking up all necessary reasons to fuel the flame. When he knew that he was furious enough, he threw the coffee at his reflection on the mirror.

He let this feel sink inside and smiled back the distorted reflection.

 

The first ride on the old roads..

In a few ways, this was a Deepawali to be remembered. The interest towards crackers almost dipped to zero this time, but the so called ‘Ganga Snanam’ or my mother’s glare had me light up one early at 7 AM. The rest of the day was one boring holiday at home. I had even suggested a family reunion for the next year. The main reason for the Deepwali flop was this : the first Deepawali without my sister. She was in Chennai with her in-laws. I never knew that one animal in our family could make such a difference.

Now, why it could be at least a little interesting Deepwali this year ? I rode all the way to home in the Royal Enfield Desert Storm 500. That’s 840 kms folks ( round trip of course ! ) . My sister and her husband had almost demotivated me as they felt riding in NH doesn’t qualify as a ride at all. Partly, true ! But I thought one should travel to his/her home once. It might be the road you took a 100 times before – but on bike, it may be a new road to your heart.

I started at 5.30 AM on Friday from Perungudi. I was a little groggy because of the last minute preparations. Though the riding gear was ready, the bike wasn’t. It needed a small health check and I had collected the bike at 8 PM on Thursday. This is a clearly  one of the ” Don’t “s when it comes to planning a ride.  When I made it till Chengalpet toll, I thought the majority traveling for the festival had started on Friday. I could only maintain 70kmph average when I reached there and there was my first stop. You can’t help noticing that people stare at you – when you are geared up with a riding jacket, gloves, knee guards, a baggle saddled neatly with a bungee cord. A little boost to me actually at that point.

The route was simple  : Chennai -> Chengalpet -> Ulundurpet -> Athur -> Salem -> Namakkal -> Velur.

So my next stop was at Ulundurpet for breakfast. My hands were trembling since my second stop was late. I should have planned to stop every 70 kms, but the bike was so good that I was averaging 90 kmph. I overtook some of the cars seamlessly. After a 20 minutes break, I geared up again and was on the bike. I had stopped after Chinnasalem and sat somewhere in NH. There was not a shop where I had stopped and I just sat on the ground watching the cars and vehicles pass by me. The sound of high speeding vehicles on tar – this is some sound a rider might love. A silence was often interrupted by a vehicle which resembled a loud breathing. You could try this when you are on a solo trip – but make sure you sit in a safe place and park the bike properly.

 

At 10.45 AM, I was almost at Salem and decided to stop again. I had a tea and some water. Since this was a solo trip, there was only a little talk – only with the shop-keepers and the curious ones who enquired about the trip. I reached home at 12.15 PM. It had taken me roughly 6.5 hours to cover 420 kms. I had averaged somewhere between 70-80 kmph. After a satisfying shower and lunch, I fell asleep. I deserved and earned that deep sleep. I hadn’t slept like that for 2 months. When I woke up, every inch of my body told me of a few mistakes. I had made only three stops during the ride and the fourth was at home. This is definitely not advisable for novice riders like me.

The festival, crackers and after devouring enough sweets and a day later, I tried to get the bike ready for the return trip and to my shock, the battery had died. A complete death where I thought of giving it a proper burial. EFI wouldn’t get the bike to life again without the battery. This burnt my hands for 3000 rupees. Yeah people ! This is where you get to say ‘ouch !’ or giggle.

So after I got the battery ready, I started off at 5.30 AM on Tuesday. Tyre pressure was perfect, bungee cords taut around the bag and I rode enjoying a pleasant sun rise.

 

Everything was good till 10.30 AM – I was only 90 kms to Tambaram. To my second shock and fury, I had found that the battery cover had flown off somewhere. The battery was exposed  bare and it was even slanting loose from the hold. Imagine my horror – if the battery fell somewhere in the 90kms in the middle of the ride, I would have to spend another 3000 rupees and an extra 3000 to tow it to Chennai. This was the place for a jugaad, a 10 rupees cello tape had to be stuck and wound across the battery. It looked like a miserable bandage and I felt sorry for the bike and it must have felt sorry for me. ( Giggle again morons ! )

I managed to cover the next 90 kms in 90 minutes. This part was the terrible one in the ride  – filled with  fear, anger and fatigue. Somehow, I managed to get it to the service center in Chrompet and got a cab back to home.

And the top speed hit in this so-called-trip was 125 kmph. At least one thing to gloat.

The End !

Here are some take-aways-of-sort to novice riders :

You should have your bike ready at least two days prior to the ride. Don’t rush up on the day before the ride. Your confidence level will drop a little which is not good when you start.

Check your battery – Especially when you are riding on a Desert Storm or Thunderbird 500 that has a EFI Engine that needs a boot from the battery. When your battery is dead on these two models, you have successfully ruined your trip.

Pack at least 12 hours before the ride. I packed 6 hours before the ride and I had missed a lot of things. Still, I managed to have a spare Bungee cord, hand pumps for tyres, a power bank in the bag.

Your tyre pressure should be the recommended psi or even one unit lesser. I had 22/32 for front/rear. Do this 12 hours before the ride ( I did it at 9 PM and I had to start at 5.30 AM the next day – Don’t )

Fill up at regular intervals. Royal Enfield, trying to maintain the Retro feel, has no fuel gauge placed in Desert Storm . You can notice an Orange blink on the tank symbol but that is not doing you any good. You need to fuel at least once in 250 kms and maintain 90 % fuel capacity when you fill.

Avoid the NH if time isn’t a concern. This will make the ride less boring or I should say, State highways will make it more interesting.

Change your leg position when you are at 70 – 80 kmph. This will help you stretch a little, reduce the aching a bit. Don’t do this when you are over 80 kmph which is risky.

Carry a water bottle always. I had left mine somewhere in the middle but thankfully , I only needed battery replacement and a cello tape.

Don’t let anyone demotivate you. Trip or not, as long as you are up to it, it is one. You are riding at 100 kmph + and putting yourself through a strenuous process that is risky and border-line crazy. It counts…

Cheers !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book review – ‘Yuganta’ by Irawati Karve

Yuganta – The End of an Epoch by Irawati Karve ( first published in 1967 ) is a detailed research on the greatest Indian Epic – Mahabharata.

This book can be shelved in  the genre of Non-Fiction/Mythology and it is a very interesting read, thanks to my sister for recommending it.  The research and the effort that the author has put in is remarkable. The writing is of a great style. There are not going to be much of spoilers here, so please read on !

Yuganta talks majorly on two things – the intricate life of a few important characters like Kunti, Draupati, Bhishma, Dharma, Karna and the after-math of Mahabharata. The author tries to substantiate the versions of Mahabharata ( yes, there are three to many versions ) and clearly dissects the great epic giving us the would-be-interpolations and the near-facts  – for example, did the enraged Krishna lunge towards  Bhishma with  his whip or discus ?

On this premise, she also tries to argue with the readers on a few very important events in Mahabharata with empathy and anger when necessary. The first version of the book was published in 1967, appreciate the bold work.

Most of us have grown to like and accept Mahabharata from the tell-tale versions and thanks to the new Star Gold version of it, we had a small re-cap. We should naturally have the basic questions to ourselves – how could the most-ideal-man Dharma have Draupati as a stake in the dice game ? How did Krishna convince Arjuna to kill his own cousins ? How did the great Bhishma let the injustice happen to Draupati in the court when she was being disrobed?

But little  did we bother to know the after-math of Mahabharata and the short-comings of important characters. The version that we were told has been edited to many layers that makes only a few researchers privy of certain facts. Thanks to Irawati, we can explore the epic a little deeper.

The burden of life that  Kunti, Vidura, Dhrithrashtra and Gandhari had to carry on their shoulders after the war is simply agonizing to read.  This books does a good job of giving us the answers for the questions that we did not ask and becks us to ask more questions. There are logical assumptions in places like who really is Dharma and how Kunti had her three sons. Despite her unforgivable mistake in Karna’s birth, she had been a great mother, a queen and counsellor to the Pandavas till her death. She had her own flaws, but never compromised or succumbed to her past. Yuganta celebrates Kunti and Draupati at places, and it also explains the plight of Gandhari – a beautiful girl from the hilly kingdom who later had to swallow her disappointment for the rest of her life and devote herself  to the blind Dhrithrashtra (their conversation towards the end and Gandhari seeing the world after many decades, is all written beautifully).The same is with Vidhura, who despite being the fittest among the three sons of Vyasa was denied the kingdom. He is so wise he learns to accept it and lives the fullest.

My favourite was the chapter ‘Draupati’ ( the next favourite was ‘Krishna Vasudeva’ ) and when I completed it, I felt it heavy to flip to the next chapter. It leaves us in shock as to who really loved Draupati more and how she failed to realize it. Each chapter is more captivating than the other. Yuganta also  elaborately talks about Bhishma’s sacrifices as well as his callousness or indifference in a few incidents where his interventions could have stopped the great war ( can call it an epic fail ?) . We come to know that the later versions of Mahabharata have been interpolated to a great extent that we see only the ideal heroes and the perfect villainous characters. Here is where Yuganta feels like a guide to interpreting the Mahabharata not only with facts but also with a rich emotional content. There is an incident where Karna deserts Dhuryodhana to save his own skin. Such shocking revelations make the book all the more engrossing.

Some of the facts from the original Mahabharata makes us think that it was more history than fantasy where even good men made mistakes and some of them had to pay terribly for them. In a way, we can relate more and it kindles a new interest in us to read the Mahabharata. There is love, sacrifice, political vendetta, revenge, greed, agony and what not. Mahabharata is the embodiment of human emotions – bundled up in a single epic.  Towards the end of the book, there is a philosophical debate and the author’s anguish towards the decadence of a great culture to the lowly sunk idol-worship. It makes us wonder if there were no extraordinary humans after Krishna, Buddha that we had to dig from their graves and idolize them to live a meaningful or restrained life. It is clear that the culture during the Yuga ( Dwarpa ) when Mahabharata took place had utmost acceptance towards short-comings  and human tendency to err. And just like the author, I took have asked myself the question – ‘where did we slip’ ?  

All  I have written is a review about the greatest review of Mahabharata.

Highly recommending this book to those who love mythology and are not too sensitive when it comes to their religious beliefs.

Writer’s block, Rambling

I cannot avoid this little excitement when I think that my short-story is through half way already.

But, I had to decelerate and think whether it qualified as a short story. I have penned up to 1000 words and it is definitely going to need another 1500 or may be even more. Taking the followers count in mind, I should say there is a chance that they might scroll down ( or off ) seeing the length ( though I am extremely committed to making it a good read for them ).

Does 2500 words qualify for a single post ?

I am following a few blogs here and there are short stories going  in chapters or parts. These are mostly of the genre ‘romance’ which makes it a little easy to hook the reader up to wait for the next post. I myself have tried my hands at writing ‘Romance’ and found it effortless to add some cheesy conversations and incidents ( often picked from real life experiences ). But in my current short-story, the genre is more of drama or sort of a tale. The story itself travels towards an incident and that is the soul of the whole story. If I need readers to come back for the next chapter, I cannot artificially add such ‘ come-back-to-know-what’s-next ‘ endings to my chapters. This is exactly where one of my writer’s block ( like Ribo ) enters – ‘ Can I make the readers come back if I am posting my story in chapters ? ‘I have tried to wade this off because this question was a little demotivating.

The expectation I set on my shoulders is too heavy. The only thought that runs through the mind is that the narration should be so vivid and good that the readers should follow up for the next chapter. Being an amateur, it is quite tough for me to keep up to that level. The one-liner or the context is really good and this makes the job of writing even more tougher. You have the perfect ingredients but do not want to ruin your dish – is the sort of feeling. I tried to edit the first 1000 words – but it just wouldn’t seem right.

There,  I have rambled it all. (Sighing with a relief already )

Some of you here are already seasoned writers – so please feel free to share your thoughts, modus operandi etc.,.

#Review : Dharmadurai – Simple, poetic at places and longer than necessary

The title of the movie has got nothing to Rajini’s ‘Dharmadurai’ of the 80’s and there we are saved from a remake disaster. The Dharmadurai here is a kind, emotional and spontaneous man – a doctor from one of the remote ( beautiful ) villages in the Southern parts of Tamil Nadu. His greedy brothers, well in their senses, tear his life apart and he finds his life back through his college friend(s).

The trend of ‘story for the actor’ is slightly fading but it feels like  Seenu Ramasamy went on to make a movie having only Vijay Sethupathi as his lead character. Nevertheless, this man fits into the role easily. The cast is really good – you have Vijay Sethupathi and Radhika who sink in to their roles with such ease and the rest of the cast have done justice. The cinematography is brilliant, some shots are treat to the sore eyes and you have to give that to him. The background score is not something that I might remember and a couple of songs might just enter the playlist. You have a very good crew but when a captain is not confident with his plans, then the sail isn’t just what you expect it to be. That is what I believe has happened to ‘Dharmadurai’.

Spoiler Alert !

In the first few scenes, you see Dharmadurai ( a.k.a Dharman ) as a doctor in his 30s who is hell bent on bringing his family name ( or his brothers’ pride ) to the dust.  ( it’s a ‘Sumaar moonji Kumaaru with a different hair style ). The ruckus he creates wherever he goes creates problems for his brothers and they feel humiliated to the core which eventually gets Dharman locked up in his own house.  So when Dharman tries to escape, he creates the biggest problem for his brothers – which here, is one of the plot twists. He goes to his college to track his friends whom he believes, might help him get his life back. He only finds his class mate Subha ( Tamannah) and we are spiraled to the flash-back. He  goes on to tell her ( another flashback with the cute love segment where Aishwarya enters the picture) as to why he is his current  almost-deranged-desperate-state. He learns that Subha ‘s life also has her share of miseries and then they fall in love in an unusual way .( something that doesn’t gel into the story or making ).  A small terrorizing twist in the climax there but we come out with a sigh as the movie doesn’t have a tragic end ( we don’t really want a tragedy after this more than longggggggggggg movie ! )

There is a small narration  when the flash back starts which felt hanging loose and out of the story. It doesn’t feel coherent or continuing because when there is no narration in the beginning, why would you need one in the middle. The protagonist isn’t addressing the audience when the movie starts. Also Dharman’s atrocities are acceptable before meeting Subha, but the scene where he slaps Subha’s husband – again incongruous because by then he had almost got his life back.

I have no clue how Vijay Sethupathi – Aishwarya chemistry works so well on screen – the part of the movie which I thought was original Seenu Ramasamy ( along with the koil-kaalai and Dharman’s niece ). The flashback for the college life,though it has some one-liners for the message-loving audience,  was totally unnecessary because it did not help in anyway for the second love story. This  should have gone to editor’s table for the major part or should not have been in the script at all.

It is watchable for the making but not for the message because the message  is not something that is very new. It is the social evil that is almost uprooted and it is no longer clutching the society to such a level  (I can talk for TN here).

Watch it for the camera work, Vijay Sethupathi.

( Feel free to share your opinions as well ! )

 

Rubbernecks – Who and Why !

Rubberneck ( noun )  – A tourist, an extremely curious person, a rider

Now, drumrolls !

Rubbernecks is the FB page that we ( Mano and I ) have created to share our rides, stories and some cool pictures of course. Feel free to click here.

It was basically Mano’s idea and a few others including me joined the fray and created the page. Our artist is still working on the logo !

Our theme goes like :

‘ We have run out of kings, kingdoms and so, we have run out of stories. What will we have to tell our kids or even ourselves ( or our crushes ) ?

Ride. Let’s get ourselves some stories to tell ! ‘

That’s Rubbernecks in 50 words for you.

The basic idea of Rubbernecks is to bring riders together – the more the stories, the more we kindle the curiosity in others and in ourselves. Also, each Rubberneck is with you when you are riding – we will make sure you are on radar and help with whatever we can ( and should ) like riding gear, stay, routes and others.

Here’s the set of rules/instructions  or ‘code of conduct’  if you are looking for one:

• Ride and share your stories to us so that we can share it on Rubbernecks  – Any ride that covers more than 150 km – qualifies ! (no meaningless criteria )

• Just like the page and you are a Rubberneck from then. Send us a FB friend request or a message and we will catch up ( I and Mano for now ) with you for your post from there.

• It doesn’t matter which bike you are riding on or where you are from. All that matters is your curiosity

• Since this is going in FB, you know what language to use and what pictures to share ( if you are caught, you are caught mate ! )

• Do let us know if you are planning a trip – we would like to join you if you are looking for companions and also would help with information if you need any.

• If you are joining us for  a ride that we have  intimated on the page, we will update you with some more ‘what to and what not to’ bullet points

Nothing is free in this world and so all you gotta do is, share the Rubbernecks post about your ride on your wall as well.

From what we have experienced, there are so many places in India that look exotic at first sight. When there is so much to explore in our country, why do we look to go beyond the borders.  You also get to meet different kind of people and piling up such good memories feels good.

Trying out each cuisine in it’s birth place is a new experience altogether rather than trying it in your own city. Rubbernecks are also gourmets who enjoy food as much as they enjoy their ride. So you could be helping on where people should go if they are looking for eat-outs.

So ride.. And ride with us. Let’s carry some message each time we ride and show how beautiful this country is.

Tell us if you think your city or village or town  is one we shouldn’t miss. We will visit you. Remember, there is no disparity.

We are also looking to go beyond a single page – but all that comes  with the support from the fellow riders.

Here are our stories !

Ride 1

Ride 2

Ride 3

Ride 4