now THAT proves India is shining

by Captain Bhankas Fri May 31, 2013 8:01 am

when a beedi worker stars opposite a somewhat successful b'wood actress. gone are the days when beedi workers rolled beedis in Ganesh Beedi Co. to earn their meal. now they act in bollywood movies.

equal access to wealth and The Thing = india shining.

now THAT proves India is shining Raanjhanaa_Poster-553x800

now THAT proves India is shining Raanjhanaa_Poster-553x800

/tgif

by Merlot Daruwala Fri May 31, 2013 8:42 am

Saar, you are kindly requested to desist from such classist, racist and regionalist attacks on our superstar Rajini-saar's son-in-law. Mr Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja is not and has never been a beedi worker.

by Captain Bhankas Fri May 31, 2013 8:49 am

aaaawwwwn? are you sure, agent? i mean... you see... ayla... what the... what i want to say is... i mean LOOK AT HIM! had you simply said "he has never been a beedi worker" my next comment would have been "does he sell bhurji-paaw at saki naka?".

thanks for letting me know that he is His SIL. i mind it already! sorry sorry. really sorry. please.

by Merlot Daruwala Fri May 31, 2013 8:58 am

Lol @ bhurji-paav seller at saki naka. You saar, are a very very bad, racist man. Putting down our most beloved idols and crushing us southindians like this...very very bad.

by garam_kuta Fri May 31, 2013 8:59 am

Captain Bhankas wrote:when a beedi worker stars opposite a somewhat successful b'wood actress. gone are the days when beedi workers rolled beedis in Ganesh Beedi Co. to earn their meal. now they act in bollywood movies.

equal access to wealth and The Thing = india shining.

/tgif

ah.. we know exactly how you must have felt when the most powerful man on earth got elected for 2nd term

by MaxEntropy_Man Fri May 31, 2013 9:00 am

if you look at him carefully, he is a good looking man, but not in a rugged way . better looking than bhachchchchchchan and the multitude of bombay khans. yes he is dark.

by garam_kuta Fri May 31, 2013 9:02 am

Captain Bhankas wrote:when a beedi worker stars opposite a somewhat successful b'wood actress. gone are the days when beedi workers rolled beedis in Ganesh Beedi Co. to earn their meal. now they act in bollywood movies.

equal access to wealth and The Thing = india shining.

/tgif

for the rest of your life, are you going to be looking over your shoulder for spotting 'pOttu thaLLu' cleansers from beedi worker association affraid

by Propagandhi711 Fri May 31, 2013 9:18 am

Captain Bhankas wrote:aaaawwwwn? are you sure, agent? i mean... you see... ayla... what the... what i want to say is... i mean LOOK AT HIM! had you simply said "he has never been a beedi worker" my next comment would have been "does he sell bhurji-paaw at saki naka?".

thanks for letting me know that he is His SIL. i mind it already! sorry sorry. really sorry. please.

HEH. did you hear the sounds of an irate rajni fan saying mind it!!??

by pravalika nanda Sat Jun 01, 2013 10:56 pm

Captain Bhankas wrote:aaaawwwwn? are you sure, agent? i mean... you see... ayla... what the... what i want to say is... i mean LOOK AT HIM! had you simply said "he has never been a beedi worker" my next comment would have been "does he sell bhurji-paaw at saki naka?".

thanks for letting me know that he is His SIL. i mind it already! sorry sorry. really sorry. please.

** he has typical indian good looks - nice bones, nice skin, nice jaw, and he looks quite able. in what way/s are you better-looking than him? please let us know.

by pravalika nanda Sat Jun 01, 2013 10:59 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:if you look at him carefully, he is a good looking man, but not in a rugged way . better looking than bhachchchchchchan and the multitude of bombay khans. yes he is dark.

** why can't they ever find good-looking southern indian girls to act in these movies?

by seven Sat Jun 01, 2013 11:40 pm

is he standing on a stool or sth? he couldn't possibly be taller than sonam kapoor, or is he?

@ MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
if you look at him carefully, he is a good looking man, but not in a rugged way . better looking than bhachchchchchchan and the multitude of bombay khans. yes he is dark.

why this kolavari di?

by garam_kuta Sun Jun 02, 2013 2:27 am

seven wrote:is he standing on ...stool or sth? he couldn't possibly be taller than sonam kapoor, or is he?

or by the side of..

he couldn't possibly be taller than sonam kapoor

is the movie about mixed basket ball competition?

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun Jun 02, 2013 2:35 am

Captain Bhankas wrote:when a beedi worker stars opposite a somewhat successful b'wood actress. gone are the days when beedi workers rolled beedis in Ganesh Beedi Co. to earn their meal. now they act in bollywood movies.

equal access to wealth and The Thing = india shining.

Initially I did not like Dhanush...but after seeing some of his movies, the guy is indeed talented and acted very well in some movies with out of the ordinary storyline. I also heard directors and others say on TV shows that Dhanush is really a multi-talented guy and he is only 28 ad he became a star before he married Rajni's daughter (who is 2 yrs older than him). The guy - like rajni - appears in normal attire and no make up on all shows and interviews and very humble and talks like any next door guy.

Not like the horse-faced Khans of the Hindi world. I cant believe that people think these Khans are handsome.... God.. I tell ya...

by seven Sun Jun 02, 2013 12:15 pm

garam_kuta wrote:
seven wrote:is he standing on ...stool or sth? he couldn't possibly be taller than sonam kapoor, or is he?

or by the side of..

he couldn't possibly be taller than sonam kapoor

is the movie about mixed basket ball competition?

wait for ashdoc's movie review or watch the promos

by Jeremiah Mburuburu Sun Jun 02, 2013 12:27 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:if you look at him carefully, he is a good looking man, but not in a rugged way . better looking than bhachchchchchchan and the multitude of bombay khans. yes he is dark.

yes, he is a good-looking fella. however, he acts like a wuss.

by Maria S Sun Jun 02, 2013 7:20 pm

Captain Bhankas wrote:when a beedi worker stars opposite a somewhat successful b'wood actress. gone are the days when beedi workers rolled beedis in Ganesh Beedi Co. to earn their meal. now they act in bollywood movies.

equal access to wealth and The Thing = india shining.

/tgif

Aww..the Handsome Capt. Vinod has someone new to tease- in his cute posts!

I guess FIL has to make way for the SIL who "has arrived" Smile

Apart from the most important- talents and humility..they are as different as they can be.

And am not sure if it's meant to be a compliment or slight to Beedi workers! Beedi workers in Southern districts of TN are in various shapes and shades..they may not have LeBron's physique..but, many are well-built and quite handsome..and the physically puny Dhanush has to put on weight, grow taller..and do some serious body building and weight lifting to look like them:) And he was born with a silver spoon which..only became more golden with time!

The somewhat successful bollywood actress (Sonam who?)..if she is talented will be internationally well known, imo..since Mr. Dhanush (trying so hard to temper my praise for him) has made even the most useless actresses look talented-elevate them with his unique presence..and pairing up! *Will be interesting to see how this movie does.. and the Bollywood media and fans react to him.

Have fun!

by MaxEntropy_Man Sun Jun 02, 2013 7:58 pm

i like vikram. good entertainer. and if you want to talk about ruggedness, he can have bhachchchchchan and the khan clan for breakfast and burp them out for lunch.

i love this song.

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun Jun 02, 2013 9:51 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:i like vikram. good entertainer. and if you want to talk about ruggedness, he can have bhachchchchchan and the khan clan for breakfast and burp them out for lunch.

i love this song.

There are quite a few younger ones who are also good actors: Arya (incidentally a muslim BE - mechanical from SRM Univ). Karti (Sivakumars son BE + MS from Binghampton) in the rugged looks + acting category.

by Rishi Sun Jun 02, 2013 10:08 pm

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
MaxEntropy_Man wrote:i like vikram. good entertainer. and if you want to talk about ruggedness, he can have bhachchchchchan and the khan clan for breakfast and burp them out for lunch.

i love this song.

There are quite a few younger ones who are also good actors: Arya (incidentally a muslim BE - mechanical from SRM Univ). Karti (Sivakumars son BE + MS from Binghampton) in the rugged looks + acting category.

Did he do all that to become an actor?

I guess studying Engineering in India is like studying Liberal Arts in America. If you are not sure about what you really want to be, that is the default choice.

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun Jun 02, 2013 10:33 pm

Rishi wrote:
Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
MaxEntropy_Man wrote:i like vikram. good entertainer. and if you want to talk about ruggedness, he can have bhachchchchchan and the khan clan for breakfast and burp them out for lunch.

i love this song.

There are quite a few younger ones who are also good actors: Arya (incidentally a muslim BE - mechanical from SRM Univ). Karti (Sivakumars son BE + MS from Binghampton) in the rugged looks + acting category.

Did he do all that to become an actor?

I guess studying Engineering in India is like studying Liberal Arts in America. If you are not sure about what you really want to be, that is the default choice.

You are still thinking along the oldlines. One has to study for a career and a career based on the degree. That is called ITT education in India. They teach what a specific industry wants. I asked questions a few weeks ago. Is MMS education a waste - after all he did not teach after mid/late 70s. There are tons of lawyers among the "law breakers" in parliament. When was the last time narayana murthy did any DIRECT engineering work ?

Education is about the art of learning a process; how to focus on a topic, understand its principles, and practice applying them to real world-LIKE problems. This "ART" stays with a person no matter what kind of job is targetted in life. The guy who turned around Ford was CEO of Boeing. One lies and the other runs on the ground; The Physician becomes Dartmouth president (guess when he last taught a typical class); then heading the IMF (or World bank?).

so these engineers/actors will understand the process of making a movie much better including coordination between various units; finance; people's management; scheduling; time management, etc...things that are also used in a managerial, engineering profession.

by bw Sun Jun 02, 2013 10:43 pm

hmmm.

i can't quite make up my mind about who the kettle is and who the pot is between kollywood and bollywood.

tough choice indeed.

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun Jun 02, 2013 11:25 pm

bw wrote:hmmm.

i can't quite make up my mind about who the kettle is and who the pot is between kollywood and bollywood.

tough choice indeed.

Also, I am pretty sure more Southie actors and actresses are college educated.

by bw Sun Jun 02, 2013 11:29 pm

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
bw wrote:hmmm.

i can't quite make up my mind about who the kettle is and who the pot is between kollywood and bollywood.

tough choice indeed.

Also, I am pretty sure more Southie actors and actresses are college educated.

relevance?

shame on them if, despite their education, they churn out such tripe.

by garam_kuta Sun Jun 02, 2013 11:35 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:i like vikram. good entertainer. and if you want to talk about ruggedness, he can have bhachchchchchan and the khan clan for breakfast and burp them out for lunch.

whaa? ruggedness and those eunuchs. common yaar.. shouldn't be even in the same sentence..

and you can't be more right on vikram..

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Mon Jun 03, 2013 12:07 am

bw wrote:
Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
bw wrote:hmmm.

i can't quite make up my mind about who the kettle is and who the pot is between kollywood and bollywood.

tough choice indeed.

Also, I am pretty sure more Southie actors and actresses are college educated.

relevance?

shame on them if, despite their education, they churn out such tripe.

Are you saying that the educated actors themselves turn to be tripe or the movies they churn are tripe?

Education relevance? education gives them better overall skills.

by bw Mon Jun 03, 2013 12:37 am

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
bw wrote:
Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
bw wrote:hmmm.

i can't quite make up my mind about who the kettle is and who the pot is between kollywood and bollywood.

tough choice indeed.

Also, I am pretty sure more Southie actors and actresses are college educated.

relevance?

shame on them if, despite their education, they churn out such tripe.

Are you saying that the educated actors themselves turn to be tripe or the movies they churn are tripe?

Education relevance? education gives them better overall skills.

i would hope that "educated" people will show better taste when it comes to making movies or choosing what movies to act in - the idiocy in most movies is astounding and i really don't know how these people can participate in such inanity with a straight face. it hasn't made them any more cultured or sophisticated when it comes to treating movies as a true art form. actors like ian richardson, alec guinness picked and chose very carefully what roles and movies they were associated with.

by Kris Mon Jun 03, 2013 2:04 am

bw wrote:
Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
bw wrote:
Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
bw wrote:hmmm.

i can't quite make up my mind about who the kettle is and who the pot is between kollywood and bollywood.

tough choice indeed.

Also, I am pretty sure more Southie actors and actresses are college educated.

relevance?

shame on them if, despite their education, they churn out such tripe.

Are you saying that the educated actors themselves turn to be tripe or the movies they churn are tripe?

Education relevance? education gives them better overall skills.

i would hope that "educated" people will show better taste when it comes to making movies or choosing what movies to act in - the idiocy in most movies is astounding and i really don't know how these people can participate in such inanity with a straight face. it hasn't made them any more cultured or sophisticated when it comes to treating movies as a true art form. actors like ian richardson, alec guinness picked and chose very carefully what roles and movies they were associated with.

>>>>At the most basic level, this is a playing to the audience. In other words, this is what sells- the formulaic, song/dance/ fight sequences and the unimaginative boy- meets- girl and the family opposition scenarios. This is the storyline anyway that has been mouthed by certain directors and even Bachan. While this may not be off the mark, I do wonder if this is a copout and an excuse for intellectual laziness on the part of these directors.

by bw Mon Jun 03, 2013 2:57 am

Kris wrote:

>>>>At the most basic level, this is a playing to the audience. In other words, this is what sells- the formulaic, song/dance/ fight sequences and the unimaginative boy- meets- girl and the family opposition scenarios. This is the storyline anyway that has been mouthed by certain directors and even Bachan. While this may not be off the mark, I do wonder if this is a copout and an excuse for intellectual laziness on the part of these directors.

true - guess producing a "hit movie" more than a "good movie" drives most of them. that is why i respect people like adoor gopalakrishnan and shyam benegal who do not let commercial success dictate their art but instead, follow their creative urges.

by goodcitizn Mon Jun 03, 2013 3:24 am

bw wrote:
Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
bw wrote:
Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
bw wrote:hmmm.

i can't quite make up my mind about who the kettle is and who the pot is between kollywood and bollywood.

tough choice indeed.

Also, I am pretty sure more Southie actors and actresses are college educated.

relevance?

shame on them if, despite their education, they churn out such tripe.

Are you saying that the educated actors themselves turn to be tripe or the movies they churn are tripe?

Education relevance? education gives them better overall skills.

i would hope that "educated" people will show better taste when it comes to making movies or choosing what movies to act in - the idiocy in most movies is astounding and i really don't know how these people can participate in such inanity with a straight face. it hasn't made them any more cultured or sophisticated when it comes to treating movies as a true art form. actors like ian richardson, alec guinness picked and chose very carefully what roles and movies they were associated with.

Halcy, I doubt if you have seen enough good Tamil films to make these kinds of remarks. I am very closely involved with the Tamil film industry with numerous friends in the producer, director, actor circles.

Let me just take one example of an actor, Vikram, mentioned earlier by Max. I have met him while I lived in Besant Nagar whose house was close by. Prakash Raj was my neighbor.

Vikram went to Montford in Yercaud, then graduated from Loyola College in Chennai with a Bachelors in English Lit and later an MBA. He struggled initially to get good film roles in Tamil and acted in Malayalam and Telugu movies. His first break was when he acted as a street thug turned mentally ill patient in Sethu. He did a remarkable job as a blind man in Kasi (you ought to see this movie to believe it) and won several awards including Filmfare. In Pithamagan he hardly had any dialogue since his role as chavandi kothan (grave digger) with autism required primarily acting. He'd make Rainman's Dustin Hoffman pale in comparison with his acting to which he won the National Film Award for Best Actor. The movie Anniyan had him play a multiple personality disorder role as a submissive attorney, a fashion model and a psychopathic serial killer - all of which he captured brilliantly raising the bar for many upcoming actors. Last but not least, the recent Mani Ratnam bilingual movie - Ravanan in Tamil (where he played the tribal leader and Prithiviraj the cop) and Ravan in Hindi (where he played the cop while Abhishek Bachchan played the tribal leader) both versions opposite to Aishwarya Rai being filmed in the same set simultaneously so Vikram had to switch back his character roles each time of the shootings! Ravanan was a huge hit in Tamil Nadu while Ravan was a commercial flop. Vikram won the Filmfare award for Best Tamil actor for his tribal leader Veeraiya role. Ravan had critics mentioning Vikram's role was more convincing than Abhishek's role as tribal leader Baradwaj Rangan.

There are a number of masala movies both in Kolliwood and Bollywood but to say that Indian cinema, Tamil films in particular, as steeped in inanity is both uninformed and reckless.

by bw Mon Jun 03, 2013 3:57 am

goodcitizn wrote:

Halcy, I doubt if you have seen enough good Tamil films to make these kinds of remarks. I am very closely involved with the Tamil film industry with numerous friends in the producer, director, actor circles.

Let me just take one example of an actor, Vikram, mentioned earlier by Max. I have met him while I lived in Besant Nagar whose house was close by. Prakash Raj was my neighbor.

Vikram went to Montford in Yercaud, then graduated from Loyola College in Chennai with a Bachelors in English Lit and later an MBA. He struggled initially to get good film roles in Tamil and acted in Malayalam and Telugu movies. His first break was when he acted as a street thug turned mentally ill patient in Sethu. He did a remarkable job as a blind man in Kasi (you ought to see this movie to believe it) and won several awards including Filmfare. In Pithamagan he hardly had any dialogue since his role as chavandi kothan (grave digger) with autism required primarily acting. He'd make Rainman's Dustin Hoffman pale in comparison with his acting to which he won the National Film Award for Best Actor. The movie Anniyan had him play a multiple personality disorder role as a submissive attorney, a fashion model and a psychopathic serial killer - all of which he captured brilliantly raising the bar for many upcoming actors. Last but not least, the recent Mani Ratnam bilingual movie - Ravanan in Tamil (where he played the tribal leader and Prithiviraj the cop) and Ravan in Hindi (where he played the cop while Abhishek Bachchan played the tribal leader) both versions opposite to Aishwarya Rai being filmed in the same set simultaneously so Vikram had to switch back his character roles each time of the shootings! Ravanan was a huge hit in Tamil Nadu while Ravan was a commercial flop. Vikram won the Filmfare award for Best Tamil actor for his tribal leader Veeraiya role. Ravan had critics mentioning Vikram's role was more convincing than Abhishek's role as tribal leader Baradwaj Rangan.

There are a number of masala movies both in Kolliwood and Bollywood but to say that Indian cinema, Tamil films in particular, as steeped in inanity is both uninformed and reckless.

GC,

i admit that i haven't watched too many tamil movies lately but whatever i have watched after recommendations from others have disappointed me greatly - while there is tremendous improvement on the technology front, the melodrama, exaggeration, unrealistic, cutesy portrayals of various ailments all remain and leave me with a sense of utter contempt and frustration. i haven't watched any of the movies you've listed and will try to get hold of them. i thought vikram's character looked quite contrived in that song clip max posted - was wondering what was wrong with him. now i know and i hope the movie is better.

the last tamil movie i watched is "naan E" and it left me dumbfounded especially since i heard that it won several awards!

most indian movies are driven by a formula and are preachy and manipulative trying to tug at the heartstrings of the audience. i don't see a big difference between bollywood or tollywood movies. by the way, i think mainstream hollywood is also largely driven by box office success and is very formulaic.

i will report back in a few weeks on the movies you suggested, if i can get hold of them. i have hated all mani ratnam movies i have watched, starting with "anjali".

by bw Mon Jun 03, 2013 4:13 am

haha, was looking up reviews of the much acclaimed "pithamagan" and this is what the hindu review said:

Even prudes who easily dismiss anything desi should watch the "Pithamagan" in action — because when diligence and intelligence go hand in hand, they deserve to be recognised and lauded.

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2003/10/31/stories/2003103101210200.htm

note to self: alright, open mind, no anti-desi biases. pithamagan, here i come!

by MaxEntropy_Man Mon Jun 03, 2013 5:53 am

i didn't say i liked pithamagan, just the song.

by goodcitizn Mon Jun 03, 2013 6:00 am

bw wrote:GC,

i admit that i haven't watched too many tamil movies lately but whatever i have watched after recommendations from others have disappointed me greatly - while there is tremendous improvement on the technology front, the melodrama, exaggeration, unrealistic, cutesy portrayals of various ailments all remain and leave me with a sense of utter contempt and frustration. i haven't watched any of the movies you've listed and will try to get hold of them. i thought vikram's character looked quite contrived in that song clip max posted - was wondering what was wrong with him. now i know and i hope the movie is better.

the last tamil movie i watched is "naan E" and it left me dumbfounded especially since i heard that it won several awards!

most indian movies are driven by a formula and are preachy and manipulative trying to tug at the heartstrings of the audience. i don't see a big difference between bollywood or tollywood movies. by the way, i think mainstream hollywood is also largely driven by box office success and is very formulaic.

i will report back in a few weeks on the movies you suggested, if i can get hold of them. i have hated all mani ratnam movies i have watched, starting with "anjali".

I am not impressed by Mani Ratnam movies except for Mounaragam, Nayagan and Roja.

Pithamagan, Sethu and Kasi are all good movies but are tragedies, so be forewarned! Wink

My real favorite movie is Mozhi, if you haven't watched it. I also like Azhagiya TheeyE also produced by Prakash Raj.

Of the movies in 2012, I like two unheralded movies, not big in the box office: Vazhakku EN 18/9 (Case No. 18/9) a young love story that ended in tragedy, and Pizza (Peetcha as in Tamil script) dealing with a day in the life of a pizza delivery boy.

I agree that top-grossing movies aren't necessarily good movies since they are cast with big stars commanding a lot of fan base. That goes for both Bollywood and Kollywood.

by MaxEntropy_Man Mon Jun 03, 2013 6:16 am

goodcitizn wrote:
Pithamagan, Sethu and Kasi are all good movies but are tragedies, so be forewarned!

still a melodrama, and i suspect she will have the same reaction to it as she has mentioned above. i have come to believe we need to suspend expectations or dial it down multiple notches to enjoy watching tamil or for that matter most indian movies. anyway my comments about vikram had mostly to do with looks and if you accept the dialed down expectations, he is better than most other men in tamil cinema today. i can't stand madhavan, vijay and all these other characters.

by goodcitizn Mon Jun 03, 2013 6:28 am

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
goodcitizn wrote:
Pithamagan, Sethu and Kasi are all good movies but are tragedies, so be forewarned!

still a melodrama, and i suspect she will have the same reaction to it as she has mentioned above. i have come to believe we need to suspend expectations or dial it down multiple notches to enjoy watching tamil or for that matter most indian movies.

Dark plots often involve melodrama. Some overacting is to be expected unfortunately. That's why I prefaced it. There are village-based movies like Veyyil, Paruthi Veeran, Muthukku Muthaaga etc., that I liked. I have no clue what bw's taste is like. That's why I suggested that she watch Mozhi. Prakash Raj won the National Best Actor award for Kanjipuram, the story during British Raj of a weaver in silk. I liked it but there are those who felt it was too realistic to stomach.

by MaxEntropy_Man Mon Jun 03, 2013 6:35 am

goodcitizn wrote: I have no clue what bw's taste is like.

i discovered yasujiro ozu during the winter break thanks to her:

by goodcitizn Mon Jun 03, 2013 6:45 am

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
goodcitizn wrote: I have no clue what bw's taste is like.

i discovered yasujiro ozu during the winter break thanks to her:

Interesting. A 1953 movie clip, eh?

by Guest Mon Jun 03, 2013 7:43 am

So far I have liked all the movies that I watched on bw and pi's recos. I'm also an unapologetic fan of desi and Hollywood movies. Maybe I just like movies, and it has to be a complete dud for me to hate it. I did hate some of the recent hit Indian movies. But I still watch them.

Why assume the directors and actors are doing all that just for the audience. Maybe they themselves believe in the melodrama that they produce. For the "formula" to last as long as it did in Indian cinema, maybe that is the core of the Indian veins. Of course one is allowed to hate it, and I know many people who do. Having said that, glad Indians are catching on to the concept of variety of genres, and not all movies are made to please all the audience. So now we see the multiplex trend, and movies being made to please that audience and not just the masses in jhumritalaiya.

by Impedimenta Mon Jun 03, 2013 7:48 am

MAX/GC - watch "soodhu kavvum" and "naduvula konjam pakatha kaanum" but please please please pay attention to the dialogues. Completely a different genre of thamizh movies. give it a try.

vinodini - are you makin fun of muh man dhanush? wait, that would be RDJ. well, never mind.

by Guest Mon Jun 03, 2013 7:49 am

Lol. Inspite of his chidimaar looks, there is indeed something attractive about dhanush. (only seen him in kolaveri song).

by Maria S Mon Jun 03, 2013 8:21 am

Think we can all agree our taste is entirely subjective..

I don't see any connection between the education how entertaining an actor is on screen-can create magic..*As we all know.."common sense" and humanity/human emotions are not altered or enhanced by formal education..hunger is still hunger, loss still loss and sex is still sex.

*Cultural and socio-economic status may have a huge impact on what we can "relate to" and there is no doubt the reason the "masses" (code for the poor and lower middle class) in India..and they often determine box office hits..and only when they can relate to an actor on a certain level as "one of our own" will make an artist a superstar. You can't manipulate "the masses" with what they "should like- which movies are "superior"!

I can't comment about Bollywood (don't know enough)..but, certainly know enough about Hollywood and Tamil cinema...many of the Hollywood movies are plain trash..only difference is, they do it with better special effects and cinematography, technical superiority and ..making unbelievable and twisted characters masked with sophistication as harmless.

Well, "let me do my thing":

Pithamagan- *This movie adds to stereotyping of mentally ill with some grotesque violence, turned me off..don't really care for director Bala.

Vikram- Seems like a nice person, above average in looks and talent, but the masses cannot relate.

Karthi- No comment (out of affection for U).

Vijay- average, the "masses" relate to him..makes him a megastar.

*Out of affection for Impedimenta will add- Iron Man 3: No comment!

Never enjoyed newspaper critics or media reviews (and seldom agreed with them)..it's more interesting to listen to people on the street or social media..who express how they feel.

Speaking of which..was just reading the review of this Raanjhanaa movie dubbed in tamil- "Ambikapathy"..someone from the tamil movie industry who went to the private screening and posted in Fb..called it "a movie milestone" for Dhanush, for his performance. *He is a pretty harsh critic of most movies..am not going by what he says..will see how the world I don't know about (Bollywood)..feels and responds.

by Propagandhi711 Mon Jun 03, 2013 8:55 am

I am also very passionate in saying that indian movies no good. I've developed some intelligence over the years and started using deodorant which I figured would set me apart from the ayyo amma vaater-no-ice desi contingent with their square 1950 tv box style specs, toothbrush moustaches, obscure caste derived dietary restrictions, american teen lingo speaking fat thunder thighed wives and mustard seeds frying in oil bouquet but there are too many damn desis in this world, which makes it hard to assert individuality. I do so by claiming indian movies insult my equally pedestrian taste in western pop culture that rocks out to jethro-tull, pink floyd, eegals & direstraits and quotes tiresomely from gone with the wind and gaad father and vooteail california saang

by southindian Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:16 am

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:i like vikram. good entertainer. and if you want to talk about ruggedness, he can have bhachchchchchan and the khan clan for breakfast and burp them out for lunch.

i love this song.

Yes, I love this one Max. Great assortment of veshtis and done in style with changing length.

by bw Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:30 am

goodcitizn wrote:
MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
goodcitizn wrote:
Pithamagan, Sethu and Kasi are all good movies but are tragedies, so be forewarned!

still a melodrama, and i suspect she will have the same reaction to it as she has mentioned above. i have come to believe we need to suspend expectations or dial it down multiple notches to enjoy watching tamil or for that matter most indian movies.

Dark plots often involve melodrama. Some overacting is to be expected unfortunately. That's why I prefaced it. There are village-based movies like Veyyil, Paruthi Veeran, Muthukku Muthaaga etc., that I liked. I have no clue what bw's taste is like. That's why I suggested that she watch Mozhi. Prakash Raj won the National Best Actor award for Kanjipuram, the story during British Raj of a weaver in silk. I liked it but there are those who felt it was too realistic to stomach.

i have watched kachipuram. while the topic was a serious and important one, i think it was all a bit too overdone.

i love ozu. i happened to watch "tokyo story" right after i had the misfortune of watching a movie called "baghban". both deal with the neglect of old parents but the bollywood movie makes sure that every emotion is explicitly depicted in excruciating detail through passion filled lines, contorted faces, overt gestures of love and devotion, and in case you just didn't get it from these, they follow it up with a maudlin song as well. after 3 hours of unbearable drama, it all ends well with mr.bachan delivering a grand speech, making all ungrateful children among the audience cringe in shame.

"tokyo story", on the other hand, is lyrical and so subtle in portraying a similar situation and sadly, has no fairy tale ending.

i think if i view typical masala indian movies as badly made operas, i may make sense of it all.

by Impedimenta Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:36 am

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
goodcitizn wrote:
Pithamagan, Sethu and Kasi are all good movies but are tragedies, so be forewarned!

still a melodrama, and i suspect she will have the same reaction to it as she has mentioned above. i have come to believe we need to suspend expectations or dial it down multiple notches to enjoy watching tamil or for that matter most indian movies. anyway my comments about vikram had mostly to do with looks and if you accept the dialed down expectations, he is better than most other men in tamil cinema today. i can't stand madhavan, vijay and all these other characters.

what expectations? i have only one, when i go into the theatre, entertainment. I cannot understand how anyone can call movies like the bandit queen [for example], entertainment. They must have a very sick definition of the word. Vikram is very dramatic and i really could not sit through most of his movies, especially pihamagan. too dramatic and extremely tragic.

by Guest Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:44 am

I loved Tokyo story and Baghban both (Atleast when I first watched it). Liked both of them for different reasons.

Having watched 3-4 ozu movies, must say I am tired of jap movies and actors of that era. All the male actors do is, say 'haaaa' at the start of pretty much every dialog, and most of the times there would not even be any dialog. And all the women do is smile constantly out of sync with no matter what emotion they are portraying and then talk in a song-song manner. The one thing I did love was how they included steaming food in most of the scenes. Would make me rush to panda express every time. Anyway, even japs don't do that kind of performance any more.

by Impedimenta Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:50 am

suddenly i have a bulb question. when i saw this post from home this morning, i remember seeing a female face behind the omnipresent dhanush. who she be? she was very ordinary looking.

by Guest Mon Jun 03, 2013 10:40 am

Impedimenta wrote:suddenly i have a bulb question. when i saw this post from home this morning, i remember seeing a female face behind the omnipresent dhanush. who she be? she was very ordinary looking.

Imps, how's your leg doing now? I did what I promised you I'd do. Hope it worked at least a bit. Wishing you to dance away to ecstacy very soon.

by goodcitizn Mon Jun 03, 2013 10:43 am

bw wrote:
i have watched kachipuram. while the topic was a serious and important one, i think it was all a bit too overdone.

i love ozu. i happened to watch "tokyo story" right after i had the misfortune of watching a movie called "baghban". both deal with the neglect of old parents but the bollywood movie makes sure that every emotion is explicitly depicted in excruciating detail through passion filled lines, contorted faces, overt gestures of love and devotion, and in case you just didn't get it from these, they follow it up with a maudlin song as well. after 3 hours of unbearable drama, it all ends well with mr.bachan delivering a grand speech, making all ungrateful children among the audience cringe in shame.

"tokyo story", on the other hand, is lyrical and so subtle in portraying a similar situation and sadly, has no fairy tale ending.

i think if i view typical masala indian movies as badly made operas, i may make sense of it all.

No idea about Baghban. Have you seen Mozhi? If not, I highly recommend it. Of course, it does have a couple of song sequences that are unnecessary. Other than that it's a classic.

by Petrichor Mon Jun 03, 2013 10:56 am

Indians are desensitized...to evoke a reaction, you need high drama but at least with that high drama there is a threshold beyond which expression is permitted and people have freedoms. Behavior at these extremes are permitted to be over-the-top.

In foot-binding societies, expression itself is frowned upon and the thresholds do not exist. Reactions appear muted and signaled through minimal gestures. Reading these societies requires an 'amplifier' and an acute ear.

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