Cinema, Karam, Kapi

It seems like yesterday and Ajith Kumar has already completed 25 years in Tamil Cinema which is a remarkable feat, given that he never had/continues to have a blood relation who produces movies. He has almost come up on his own strength all through and he dissolved all his fan clubs many years back. He continues to maintain a dignified silence in most public issues and is neither active on social media either. So when Vivegam was announced, his fans rejoiced for it was a defining year in his career. the film opened to a thunderous box office opening although the reviews were mixed, with critics rating the film high for its finesse and sharp editing cum direction. The film did well in the theatres and continue to run a few shows sparingly. So when I noticed last week that the film was up for viewing on SunNxt app, I was quite surprised. It's abnormal that a top-hit film of one of India's highly rated Actors shows up on an OTT platform on the 50th day of its the...

Have always felt that I was lucky to have lived through the times of Illayaraja & AR Rahman, two musicians whom we have grown listening through the 80s, 90s and the Millenium. Both the composers have a very unique style of music creation that hasn’t been able to be challenged by the new crop of composers. Raja & Rahman are very niche in their own ways and no one can occupy their positions in Indian Music history that has seen thousands of musicians come & go. While Raja is considered as “God” of Music by his ardent fans spanning across age groups, Rahman’s music is very contemporary and he has been able to hold on to the interest levels of fans for 25 years from Roja to Kaatru Veliyidai (interestingly both are Mani Ratnam films!). I have been listening to music from a very young age and am also trained in classical music, Mridangam to be precise during my school days. Till date, I wake up in the morning listening to music and go to sleep doing the same -  ...

So, I got the opportunity to see the First day First show yet again for another film, this time at Abirami Cinemas, Chennai. It was a full house as expected. Most of the fans who were cheering and whistling when Mani Ratnam, AR Rahman, Karthi and Aditi’s names appeared on the screen must have been in liquid form when Alaipayuthe was released. I compare Kaatru Veliyidai to Alaipayuthe because in a way, this film is a sequel, if I may say. Mani once again delves on his most favourite subject Marriage & Relationship, which I had written in a previous article which you can read here . Having seen Alaipayuthe during my college days, I could relate to this movie and see why the Millenials cheered all through the movie especially during certain scenes and dialogues. The film is shot in and around Srinagar in bits and a majority are sets recreated and the backdrop of the film is another Mani Ratnam favourite – War. This time it is the one India fought & won at Kargil. The who...