Sunday, January 20, 2008

We whacked 'em at WACA!!!

"And obviously I am not here to review about what the shit is happening in the politics or the world of football or cricket since I find many of my co-bloggers doing a better job!"
Well these are the lines which are none other than mine from my very first post. But now, i can't resist from writing this one though i may continue refraining from such kinda stuff hereafter. It couldn't get better than this either!

There's a saying "Nice guys finish last!" But on a sensational Saturday, en route to registering what might go down as India's greatest ever test win, Kumble's team proved that nice guys can just win it in style. Like in 2001, this win halted the Aussies' march towards a record 17th consecutive test win
making it a sweet revenge after the Sydney fiasco! And with the WACA being the perfect battleground, which is considered as the fastest pitch in the world. Even though i hadn't been following the past two tests since i had college, luckily i got a chance to watch almost every ball of this fast paced Armageddon (courtesy : my local cable tv operator or whoever it is. You have the CAS - Conditional Access System and the damned set-top-box thingy in Chennai. Doh!)

After winning hearts by withdrawing the abuse charge against Brad Hogg which anyone would have guessed as a goodwill gesture from a submissive team, Kumble believed otherwise. He badly
wanted to win though the thought of exacting revenge never crossed their minds. And the much awaited inclusion of Pathan and Sehwag obviously didn't let the team go down in any aspect! Sehwag, even though not providing a boisterous knock, full credit to him for chipping in with a good opening knock in the first and for picking up 2 vital wickets in the final innings which almost decided the fate of the match. And Pathan has once again emerged as the pace spearhead for India using the new ball efficiently in getting the early breakthroughs, his batting too played an important part! Another notable performance was obviously Ishant Sharma who was all successful in picking up the Punter on both the occasions. And Kumble will go down the history for his 600 wickets and Dravid becoming the second highest catcher alongside a number of feats by the team in this match!

Overall it was once again the team effort which got the much deserved victory for us. A victory
considered the best overseas, more significant than the Twenty20 WC, and more significant than any other one in the history of Indian cricket! They have yet again proved that they can pounce back over the opposition and can make millions of hearts to celebrate. Lets hope that every encounter be a victory and every victory be a reason for those millions of hearts to celebrate which includes You, Me and every Indian! Chak De India!!!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Top 10 Movies 2007!

I would like to present a countdown of what i feel as the TOP 10 MOVIES of the year 2007. This list of movies is in no way related to the Box Office charts (Or, it's not like the latest big-star movie gets the first place as shown in TV channels). It's just my forthright opinion on these movies. So here it is, the 10 best movies of the year 2007 in which a record of 105 films were released with at least a dozen of them making profits making it a landmark year for Tamil Cinema. The superstars continued to dominate, with Rajnikanth's Sivaji turning out to be the top grosser! And... there were also very good films featuring newcomers and dealing with fresh and novel scripts among which Mozhi, Paruthiveeran and Chennai 600028 deserve mention. There were also bold attempts like Katradhu Tamizh and Evano Oruvan which were critically acclaimed! So here is the list, a mix of box-office blockbusters and critically acclaimed ones.




10. MALAIKOTTAI

A routine commercial mix, all ingredients well proportioned to make a movie that managed to maintain a consistent tempo till the end. Vishal’s mass hero image well exploited, Priyamani used exclusively for song and dance routines, the label of a comedy action entertainer and a free run devoid of any competition were the factors that came together to make Malaikottai a profitable venture.



9. VEL


The biggest hit of Deepavali 2007, Vel was Hari’s yet another family drama set in a rural backdrop rode on the ability of the director to make the most out of a script. Surya’s double role and chemistry with Asin were key factors in Vel hitting the target. Hari's racy screenplay and Vadivelu's hilarious tracks with family sentiment were the other ones serving the main base for the movie's success.


8. POLLADHAVAN

Deepavali and a bevy of biggies, it is not exactly the safest time to release a movie. But Polladhavan with Dhanush and Divya in the lead stood tall on its merits. All credit to Vetrimaaran for showing enough courage to take a path less traveled and come out with flying colors. His style of narration and takings are very similar to the ace director, though he has told a dark and disturbing tale, throwing light on the bad and ugly underbelly of Chennai underworld.



7. UNNALAE UNNALAE

Unnale Unnale is an urban romantic fun film that explores love from a slightly realistic and different point of view. The movie does not have clichéd characters nor the typical masalas associated with Tamil films and is packaged in Bollywood style. Though some of the scenes are straight lifts from various Hollywood and Bollywood films, director Jeeva has succeeded in bringing out brilliant performances from his lead actors ( Vinay, Sada and Tanisha) and presenting the film in a chic and sophisticated manner. It was made for youngsters and they lapped it up, Harris Jeyaraj’s music playing a big part in it.


6. BILLA

Ajith’s popularity, the tremendous hype and the release that matched the hype. Receiving good reviews and word of mouth. To remake a 27-year old Rajinikanth film with another actor at a time when he is still the superstar, is a major challenge for any director. But Vishnu Vardhan is a daring young man who took up the challenge along with Ajit and they have come out with a fresh new Billa, an escapist comic book like fantasy film, which has been faithful to the original in spirit and soul. Slickly shot and stylishly packaged, the remake is slick and has certainly appealed to today’s youth audiences.


5. CHENNAI 600028

So, what made Chennai-600028 tick? The screenplay is minty cool and our heroes are ordinary middle class guys, not the larger-than-life super-heroes you encounter in Tamil commercial cinema. The basic storyline is woven around galli cricket match and a tournament, along with an assorted group of guys making it a thoroughly enjoyable film targeting the urban youth audience. A celebration of youth, friendship, fun and cricket- the essence of life, Chennai 28 managed to touch a chord in every person young at heart. Formula for success- Refreshingly fresh theme, totally youth based!



4. POKKIRI

Officially the first superhit of 2007. Vijay and his fans celebrated Pongal in style with Pokkiri going from strength to strength. Facing very little opposition after the first few weeks, this taut entertainer with a few good songs kept going on and on. Vijay’s first role as a cop and Asin’s presence did not let the interest die down. The on-screen chemistry between Vijay and Asin was great and the film turned to be the biggest grossing Tamil film in Kerala and also overseas apart from Tamilnadu which found it place in the UK TOP 20 for its impressive opening!



3.SIVAJI

It could'nt get better than this. The Rajnikant - Shriya starrer, directed by Shankar, is said to be the costliest ever made Tami film and was sold for a record price. The film actually opened huge with a record number of screens. Sivaji once again ascertained the fact that Rajnikant is the undisputed numero-uno of the Tamil film industry! Sivaji turned out to be the biggest ever film in the history of Tamil cinema, a fitting record for a movie that saw the coming together of the most skilled, dedicated and iconic figures of Tamil cinema.


2. PARUTHIVEERAN

Not many debutants have come this high or this far but Karthi has proved that he has got pedigree and class. Under the masterful hands of Ameer, he molded himself into the rugged village youngster who would throw a punch at you. Priyamani’s contribution too should not go without mention, same with Yuvan’s music. Undoubtedly, it is a brave film and full credit goes to the director for making every scene realistic and characters life-like. However after the end of it all, we wonder why he had to make it so morbid and disturbing!


1. MOZHI


No larger than life hero, no blood and gore, no loud villains, no punch dialogues, no crass comedy, no skin show and no item numbers…… Then what? Here is the verdict - A feel good love story is what Mozhi is all about! Director Radha Mohan has once again proved that he can make a perfect family entertainer with characters that you can relate to. Mozhi is indeed a feel-good entertainer with a simple straightforward story, knock out performance from the lead actors, melodious music and a glossy look bringing a new freshness to Tamil commercial cinema. For this alone they deserve a big applaud.A pleasant departure from the usual entertainers, Mozhi delighted without resorting to formula elements. Well made in all aspects and giving Jyothika the perfect platform for a swansong!