Tele-vetti 15

Tele-vetti 14 Aascar goes to Boo ! - 9 out of 9. Congratulations Boo!

Scores :

LKS - 8/9

Sridhar Narayanan - 7.5 /9

Rajesh Ragupati - 4/9

Jay - 6/9

Aarathi - 6/9

The correct answers:

1.Poova talaya

2. Ten mazhai

3. Kadalikka Neramillai

4. Pattanattil Boodam

5. Tiruvilaiyadal

6. Edir neechal

7. Aboorva sahodarargal

8. Aboorva raagangal

9. Server sundaram

Tele-vetti 15 - Rahmania!

• Identify the Rahman SONGS not (just) the film L to R -


• One entry per person / Only one guess allowed


• One point per correct answers - 12 points to be won - Points only if you get the songs right.


• Email your answers to blogeswari {AT} gmail {DOT} com


• Please do not post your answers in the comments section.


• Last date for sending your entries - Saturday, 28th February 2009

• Email your answers to blogeswari {AT} gmail {DOT} com


• Please do not post your answers in the comments section

Was a complete joy compiling and putting together a collage of Rahman songs. This should be a series in itself. What say? Ready for more Rahmania?

Delhi 6

There's something about these Dilliwaala film-makers - Dipankar Banerjee, Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra etc. that is so very irritating. They are so full of Dilli that their films become stand alone advertisements for Delhi tourism than an integral part of the story.

Delhi 6 is one such "This-is-the-city-I-grew-up-in-It-has-winters-it-has-shawls-it-has-happy -gaajar ka halwa families-and-red fort-and-jamma masjid-and-I-want-to-showcase-MY CITY-to you" film.

Spot anyone from Delhi in Mumbai particularly the media peoples and they are likely to say "Mumbai has nothing... Dilli main.. dilli haat.. paratha gully.. connaught place haijeee.. Dilli winters ka jawab nahin" for anything and everything . If they are sooo in awe of their city I wonder what they do in Mumbai wasting their time.

Back to Delhi 6 and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's senseless attempt to make a film out of nothing.

Story

Abhishek Bachchan along with an accent and a Wahidaadima visits India 'coz Waheedadi's last wish is to get her ashes dissolved in Bhaaarat... in Delhi 6 to be precise. At Delhi 6, there's this huge haveli with bhabhis, bhaiyyas, motus, chotus, chintu, pintu, mamas, macchans and masakkali.

Abhishek dances , sings, flirts with Sonam , mu-meetha-karos and becomes a monkey in the climax. Yes , you read it right.

Cast

Abhishek 'accent' Bachchan, Waheeda Rahman, Om puri, Pawan Malhotra, Supriya Pathak, Atul Kulkarni, Rishi Kapoor, Tanvi Azmi, Divya dutta, Prem Chopra,Vijay Raaz, Sonam Kapoor , Masakkali, the usual theatre guys from Nukkad serial, Lagaan , Swades etc. and a Kaala bandar (black monkey) in an important role.

Gaali 6

From the very first frame, you kind of feel that something is really not right about the film... The guy who plays Abhishek Bachchan's father looking like his younger brother , Waheeda Rahman's plastic face, Abhishek's clueless expression... bizarre!

The film moves to India with almost half an hour of Ram leela performances spilled all over. The Ram leela sequences have no relevance in the film whatsoever. If its not Ram leela, its the songs. A no-story film with Rahman's songs wasted and how.

Oho... R Rahman

Masakkali is a super duper hit, so is Dilli hai, Kaala bandhar...But what's the point ? They just appear at random . Wish Rahman had come up with a separate album titled Delhi 6 with the same songs and videos exclusively for the album. What an utter waste of beautiful songs in this film!

Sets and SFX

Delhi 6 has been very well recreated in Rajasthan with a Jama Masjid and Red fort in the background thanks to Samir Chanda, the production designer. Uggh! Those tacky SFX of Abhishek and gang travelling a car with moving shots in the background, Abhishek and Sonam in NY - Paartha Mudal naale was better man!

Sogam Kapoor

First glance - impressive. The moment she opens her mouth - eeks-essive. One Juvenile kid paired opposite a guy who looks and is, ten years older than her.

Silly 6

Well, there is no story in the first place. On top of this, there are side stories - Cyrus Sahukar's secret affair, Divya dutta as the kuppa kaari , Sogam Kapoor's sister, Ompuri - Pawan Malhotra's rivalry, Prem Chopra as the bad old man and many many others which do not contribute anything anywhere.

Motorola and miscellaneous

Sony entertainment's Indian Idol, Television Eighteen and Motorola get infilm publicity - Poor guys! Come to our medium guys, we give better VFM for such deals.

Rajat Dholakia a.k.a Jukku is one of the most versatile music directors in the ad film world . He has been made to act like a Fakir in a stupid role. Jukku Sir, Ungalluku idu tevaya?

And..

To bring some senti to the story - add a Riots, violence, bhai-bhai and bore bore. Suddenly Asatthu Daddi Abhishek turns into an angry dude in the climax. What flower sutthal I say?

Teri Mo..n..key

The supposedly funny part of a black monkey on the rounds in Delhi, is funny in the beginning, but when it starts eating 60% into the film's footage you start saying something that rhymes to the title above. The climax is one talaya-pichaxing scene. Horrible!

And last but not the least...

How I can forget my dear dear dear....

....One and only Amitabh Bachchan-ji sahab doing a white and white in white - half-a-minute scene in the end with his son-ji Abhishek Songi-ji.. Amma Bachchan and Aishwarya Bachchan were missing. Just when you think everything is over and you can run out of the theatre , the great Jambajaar Jaggu from Juhu does a guest appearance. Podumda saami!

Verdict

A film that starts from nowhere and runs for 2 hours like a headless chicken... headless monkey to be precise. Avoid at all costs. Watch a DVD of Swades instead.

Dilli che - Dhandam (ada) cha! - 1 out of 5

Billu

Saloon man's actor friend who he hasn't met for almost a decade, comes to Budbuda village for a shoot. Saloon man gets all the attention from a wannabe poet to the school principal wanting to meet Actor. Saloon man tries to meet actor but in vain. Finally , actor does some senti talk and true friendship ke liye zindabad hai.

Story

Kabhi Katha parayumbol Kabhi Kuselan

Saloon man, Saahir  and others

Saaruk kaan plays a self-obsessed over acting, over irritating Saahir Khan , the superstar of Bollywood , dancing with the pretty ladies. Irfan Khan is the ba___  (Saloon men association will punish you if you use the Ba___ word). Lara Dutta is Irfan's wife . Rajpal Yadav is some weird poet kinds, Priyardarsan-gang-Mallu actor is the jealous barber, Asrani plays some kaka types and overacting Ompuri plays an 'also there'. 

How Billu made Ullu of us

The film so badly needed some publicity, they created some hype with the never-existed-existing Barber's association's protest against the title of the film. This didn't get the required publicity. Now what? Bring some religious senti to it. A religious organization objected to the song in the film blah blah and blah. Junta is so immune to all this now - None of this makes any sense to them. Wake up Saaruk! The film needs to be GOOD if it needs a good run. Not protests and morchas.

Billu best

Portions of the film are quite warm.. Irfan trying to call Saahir, Irfan's reaction when Saaruk speaks in the end, the kids, Irfan in the last scene...Unfortunately these scenes put together are for exactly 20-25 minutes.

Billu bekaar

Just when I was about to think Saaruk khan is doing some decent work - Chak De India, one scene act in Luck by chance, he comes up with the most annoying performance of the decade. He is a superstar, super actor and all that in this film. But does he really need to over do it? 

He could have played himself. The very fact that Saaruk is the superstar in real life would have brought life to the actor Saahir. Why over dramatize it with twenty commandos, security guards, ten black scorpios following him wherever he goes? He was painfully irritating.

The story is on Billu as the title suggests. Saaruk has no scene to be a part of the film except for some ten minutes in the climax. The near climax speech in the school is a huge let down after all that I have heard of the Malayalam original and our very own Superstar's performance in Kuselan.

Since Saaruk is the producer and all-in-all of the film pal decided to add four songs on him which test your bleddy patience.

Gaana, Bajaaana and all that

With Pritam as the music director , even before the CD released in the market, you know that they will have one soniyo, one makhnave etc. Add one more to the list - Marjaani. I have become completely immune to all this that the Marjaani song has gotten itself tamizhised and I end up torturing my poor colleagues with "Marjaani Marjaani - kaiyila potta marudaani.... Marjaani Marjaani ... maadu potta shaani" kinda stuff. "Stop it M S Subbulakshmi...."  screams poor S from the other end. This is almost an everyday occurence.

Anything for Saaruk

Deepika Padukone, Kona vaai Priyanka Chopra and Kareena 'chameleon' Kapoor do one number dance item each with Saaruk. So despo to grab the lead in his next film ! Deepika is the prettiest of them all, undoubtedly. But the costumes - particularly the swim suit with some thread-wire kinda thing falling all over is weird. I think costume designer Anaita Shroff Adajania forgot to add something in the last minute and decided to cut the existing stuff and so we have threads falling all over.

Oh yes, there's Lara Dutta also in the film but this time as one gaaon ki gori -" aji sunte ho... halwa khao" mother of two. Since when did UP housewives in the village start wearing Chettinad checked  blouses and typically-tamizhnadu sarees? Akka wears low cut blouses. tevaya? But must admit, she does look konjam real. Voice dub-bu chesava?

Camera - Art

I wish all villages in India looked this way. So picture (postcard) perfect resembling an 'India calling' 'India in pictures' book from Landmark. The top angle shots have red flowers strewn all over,the sky looks perfect, the river has some South Indian kovil pillars from nowhere.. and all these look so naturally artificial. 

V. Manikandan the cinematographer and Sabu Cyril the production designer have done their best but the problem is that their work stands out separately and doesn't blend with story, setting.

And why does Saahir khan shoot his sci-fi portions of his film in a lavish set in the village? Clueless.

Billu bewildered

Overall, a disappointing, confusing film. Watch it only if you have nothing else to do. Anyway this weekend, you are not likely get a place to sit in any restaurant with the lauvvers all over nor can you party tonight in peace with the chaddi brigade around. I doubt if lovey-doveys would want to spend their Valentine's day watching Billu. You are assured of two tickets. 

Billu the Stomach burn

Ok, here's some vayiterichal from my end. Rs.450 /= for two tickets at PVR. Kollai adichuttaagaa!

Billu No baar-baar - 2.5 out of 5

No West

Some stuff from the West which are now a part of our lives - things that I struggle to live with.

1. Finger bowls : These days, even ondrai-aana restaurants have started giving finger bowls. After one number full meals when your hand turns masala-ish , your fingers are dripping with curd what purpose does a stupid finger bowl with three spoons of warm water ? You need a mug , don't you? You dip your fingers in a bowl, wash your fingers in the same oily water, add more water from your glass and 'try' and wash your hands... wipe it with a tissue and you rush back home to wash it with soap and water, right?

2. Buffet : Great for vella-toal's sandwiches and salads. What about us whose dinner / lunch has a minimum of ten items - roti, pulao, curry, dal , salad, yet another curry and yet another curry. How on earth do you put all these things on one plate? And you stand in one lon....g queue for fifteen minutes , and when your turn comes you wonder how you are gonna stuff all these items on one plates so that you avoid waiting at the queue when you come back for a refill. Oflate Tamizh kalyanams have started this buffet system for kannala receptions. It's probably one good way of cost-cutting for the bride's side where they are assured of people not (being able to) coming back for a second helping.

Poor senior citizens! They struggle with that stupid porcelain plate on one hand and try to eat dinner , standing in a corner. Gone are the days where kalyana reception means one kattu for sambar sadam, thayir sadam, appalam, vadam ... Thanks to stupid buffet system the fun of enjoying a good dinner at kalyanams is lost.

3. WC : Vella-toal's toilet habits are good and sure, they follow basic hygiene and all that. We peoples still struggle. Most places don't even have toilet papers. Even if they have one, no dustbin available. If both are available, its a bloody common toilet for both men and women. WC is a curse for Indian homes. My sole requirement when we began house-hunting was this - "I need a separate toilet!" and thankfully, I have one at home ! I miss Indian toilets :(

4. Cornflakes for breakfast : Ayyo.. one big bowl of cornflakes is not good enough breakfast. One is supposed to eat like a king for breakfast. Cornflakes, to me is picchkkara breakfast. Lasts for exactly ten minutes. Cornflakes = Saravana Bhavan Pongal , where pasi doesn't adangufy. To me , cornflakes is more like a 4pm snack. Cornflakes doesn't give you that 'cook and eat' feel and that's probably why it doesn't fill the stomach. Ditto, bread sandwich for breakfast. Purushan's cousin calls it Naai-Saappadu .Upma, Aval Upma, Rava idli please.

Glossary

Vella-toal : White peoples also called as Dorais

Gandhi kanakku

Dunno if its Mugaraasi, but I end up spending for the world and its ammas - free lunches, free rides, free everything. Why me?

A victim of Gandhi kanakku, here's episode 843 of my life.

"I will drop you in Bandra" said Devadai a.k.a Bruhaspati at 9.30pm as I packed my bags to leave office. We took a cab till Bandra. Enroute I was subjected to some sogakkadais and "Am I not your friend?" kinda senti stuff which I promptly ignored. At Bandra reclamation where I wanted to get down to take an audo devadhai said "Let's go till Pali naka... you can take an auto from there avoiding the big roads". "What concern!" I said to myself.

As the cab touched Palinaka, I turned right to ask how much I owed her... and pal disappeared... Yes! She disappeared and I saw her running towards some man (who she later said was her friend or something) putting one number conversation. I could see from the cab's mirror that neither did he act like a friend nor was he interested in the conversation. Soon after I paid a 90 bucks, pal appeared from nowhere and 'escorted' me to an auto. No mention of monies , "how much do I owe you?" etc. I felt / feel like an idiot infront of a shameless, looseu ponnu who did all this senti "You are my only friend in office " kinda talk only to avoid paying for the cab. Ada shaniyane.

This is not the first time. Episodes no. 456, 789 will tell you how people land up at my desk when I order for my favourite Dal Khichdi, act busy and say "Order for me also na pleaseeee" and disappear when it came to payment and appeared when the food came to the desk. Again no mention of monies . Why me, Andavaa? Did someone say 'Pasi vandaal pattum parandu pogum". No. Pasi vandaal panamum marandu pogum.

One kostan - Don't these people feel embarrassed? Don't they feel like hanging themselves when they owe people money? How do they get away with their Gandhi kanakku acts?

I got an email / comment a couple of days ago after this post "Send this clock and give it to H, I will be meeting at her at Hyderabad". Whatt? Did you reallly mean what you said? Are you my akka/ thangachi ? Am I your servant? "Please transfer monies" replied I . Couldn't care about anything else. Ofcourse there was a smiley added to the comment which denoted this - "If you buy , laabam for me. If you ask me for monies, I can always getaway by saying, I put a smiley, I didn't mean it". Pongappa.

No more being nice to peoples when it comes to Gandhi kanakku. Enough of Gandhi-giri. Inime karate-giri daan. Wish me luck. I meet Devadhai everyday at work.

Saappaturaami 11

What's common to Nirulas , Dilli haat, Gurgaon Malls in Delhi, MTR , Brigade road in Bangalore, Saravana Bhavan in Chennai and Mondy's, Blue Frog, Hard Rock cafe` in Mumbai?

These are all places first timers to the city visit, new brides moving to the city are taken to by their anbu purushans to show-off how hep he is 'coz he drinks beer and these people come back raving about it to fellow Mumbaikars and give you that "Oh ya I went to Mondy's .. it was aweeeesoommmmme" and aruttufy you with their I-know-everything-about-Mumbai-since-I-had-a-beer-at-Mondy's talk.

Add one more this list - Candies in Bandra / Khar.

Is it a bakery ? Is it a cafe`? Is it a restaurant? It is an all-in-all Saappadu place where you get sandwiches, coffee, tea, juices, salads, noodles, fried rice, rolls, cakes, breads , desserts etc etc.

The best part about Candies near Pali naka, Bandra is the space. In a city where five people share a match box apartment and restaurants dump chairs and tables wherever there is space, this place is indeed, a heaven.

Once you place your order and pick up the food, you can either sit at the ground floor or climb up or climb up or climb up... The space is endless. Once you are enter Candies you will never be seen outside waiting for your turn to put handkerchief on the chair to edam pidichify.

The open space upstairs is a super blessing. The food is damn good. No complaints. The prices are similar to your Baristas and Cafe` Coffee days. Sandwich - Rs.50/= , Tea - Rs.30/= Tea cake per pc -Rs.20/=

In these days of cost-cutting in office , where you sit in your azhukku seat aimlessly, brain-storming, typing slides and slides of concepts ordering the same boring tea , ordering and PAYING FOR your Dal khichdis and the chappatis, I prefer going to Candies and get the Group Manager spend some money under the pretext of team-ideation.

That's precisely what we did a couple of weeks ago when SG and team did not want to come to office on a Saturday to 'ideate' for a pitch. We met at Candies and spent some 300 odd bucks for the four of us, sat for almost 5 hours in the same table sipping some juice and mossukkufying sandwich. I wouldn't comment on whether the ideas that came out where brilliant or not but the change of location, ambience and the food definitely helped...atleast helped me say "We went to Candies to ideate yaaa" in aabees.

The happy part of Candies is the 'happy hours' post 8pm - You get a 25% discount. The annoying bit is the wait at the counter to select and pay for your food. Post 11 am on Saturdays and Sundays, there's this huuuugee rush and the Hanumar vaal queueueueue at the counter. Once you pay and get your food (self service), you will definitely get a place to sit and enjoy the food.

Weekends - Avoid this place if you are bagaasura hungry 'coz the wait at the counter can go upto almost half an hour. Have a vada pao at the road side stall for your first pasi and then enter Candies.

Welcome to Candies-

And more...

These are pics from the ground floor till Level 2. Levels 3 and 4 had lauvv birds koochi-kooing early in the morning at 8.30. The shy type me didn't want to embarrass myself. There is also a party hall available for parties, inside.

Drishti pusanikkai - 'Wall of peace' - What it means? Summa Pseud feel ..

Fooood...

A portion of my breakfast

The mini-cakes came free.. haiyya!

A must-try / buy at Candies. Mini breads - Rs.6/= a loaf - sell like hot-cakes... er.. hot-breads. Go grab it - This gets sold out in minutes.

This branch of Candies is at - McRonell Hall, St. Andrews Road, Near Pali Naka, Bandra (W), Mumbai . Phone 26424124, Home Delivery: 26422324, 26432425, 26430728 .

Candies is shut on Mondays. The other Candies' outlets are at ONGC grounds, Reclamation (opp. Leelavati Hospital) and at Khar.

Saappaturaami rating : 4.5 out of 5 .

Kala Ghoda festival 2009

The Karuppu kudirai is back and yes, had this alpa thrill of being one of the first to attack the shops and fill my bag with everything and anything from the Kala Ghoda bazaar.

This installation by a group of architecture students from Prabhadevi caught my eye. This is not part of their project / syllabus / curricullum . These guys decided to get together, buy used cycles from the scrap dealer , chorbazaar etc. and put them together.

If there's an award for the best stall in Kala Ghoda , it should go to Harshad Patankar . This young mechanical engineer's handmade watches and clocks are a must buy. Me no cash - he no accept card. I WANT THESE CLOCKS, DEAR PURUSAN!

The Hastakari stall - One bag and two kurtas added to my shopping cart and the quilt, to the wish list.
A regular at almost all craft bazaars in Mumbai - Nirmala from Kottans (pic). "Namma oorkaaraala naamadan encourage pannanum" - M-i-l's golden words and yours truly added two small pouches to the shopping cart.

For Hamsi, Teesu, Arj, Sharan and I....

Plus Brass ganapatis, Concern India's pen holders, pouches plus bags plus Orissa handicrafts plus...

The Shopping will todarum tomorrow....this time with one number man's big fat wallet which will (hopefully) have more money than the chillarai I had carried today.

Tele-vetti 14

Tele-vetti 13 Aascar goes to Blossom Blossom - 9/9 . Congratulations!

Scores:

Lavs and Ambi - 8/9

LKS , Swap , Faitoo, D Rat and Manikandan - 7/9

Art Navy - 5/9

Sud Gopal - 4/9

Old Timer - 1/9

The correct answers:

1.Vaali

2. Roja

3. Unnale Unnale

4. Subramaniapuram

5. Boys

6. Kuselan

7. Paruttiveeran

8. Azhagiya Tamizh magan

9. Veyyil

Tele-vetti 14 - Adaan Nagesh !

• Identify the Nagesh films
  
• One entry per person / Only one guess allowed.
  
• One point per correct answers - 9 points to be won.
  
• Email your answers to blogeswari {AT} gmail {DOT} com.
  
• Please do not post your answers in the comments section.
• Last date for sending your entries -Tuesday, 10th February 2009
  

• Email your answers to blogeswari {AT} gmail {DOT} com.

• Please do not post your answers in the comments section.

Kollywood Kostan # 20 - Aruvadai Naal is the correct answer- No winners.
Over to Kollywood Kostan # 21 on the right hand side.