YSR: Untimely, Unfortunate!

Now, this has come out as one piece of really shocking news for me- Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, the charismatic AP Chief Minister is no more and that too, due to a chopper accident!

A big loss to the people of Andhra Pradesh, YSR's death is truly a bolt in the blue for INC as it is losing one of its senior most and highly respected leaders down south! 4 time Member of Parliament, YSR took over Andhra Pradesh from N Chandrababu Naidu in the 2004 Assembly Elections. He won the 2009 Assembly Elections again and brought INC successfully back to power. He also won 33 Lok Sabha seats in 2009 which was quite an achievement!

The INC will have to do a lot of ground work before finding out a successor to YSR and I cannot think of anyone who can really match upto him! The opposition parties may find it easier next time but all will definitely miss YSR in the political circles. May his departed soul Rest in Peace!

Three- O Celebrations!

Considering the fact that I was few continents away from home for my big 30th Birthday and the amount of work on hand to be completed, I thought this day was going to be a low key affair. But, thanks to my good friends in Halifax, I had a blast- the kind of Birthday I have not celebrated in decades!

To start with, had a great lunch at Economy Shoe Shop- now don't mistake it for a place that sells shoes. It is one of the oldest Taverns in Halifax, has a very unique feel to it, is done up differently and most importantly, serves delicious food. I had a ball munching into my Club Veggie Wrap and Roasted Potatoes under comfortably warm sunshine!

Had more fun when I was back in office. A delicious chocolate cake was arranged specially for me (with a Birthday Message written across it) and I had close to 30 people singing "Happy Birthday" to me!!! I am so so happy that this Birthday has turned out magical for me. I hope the year ahead is also as special! Thanks to all good friends in Halifax who made this happen. Needless to say, I am on Clouds NINETY NINE  before I board the flight home tomorrow :-)

Rajan P Dev and Murali

2 talented actors that Malayalam Cinema lost to the 2009 Monsoons...2 who can never be replaced. This post is my way of paying tribute to the 2 actors who I have enjoyed watching on screen!

Murali was not just a cinema actor- he was also an intellectual who believed strongly in the leftist ideals and tried to apply them to his life. A stage actor, director and an articulate writer, Murali handled his different roles with his ease and played all of them extremely well! Murali came into limelight during the mid- 80's with one great performance after the other- in Hariharan's "Panchagni" and Lenin Rajendran's "Meenamasathile Sooryan". It did not take Malayalam Cinema long to recognize his talent and soon he became a part and parcel of Malayalam Cinema slipping in and out of a variety of characters and leaving his stamp behind on each of them. He particularly shined in roles scripted by Lohitadas (Aadharam, Maalayogam, Kaarunyam, Bharatham, Thoovalkottaram, Amaram, Venkalam, Chamayam, Valayam- to name a few) and Cherian Kalpakavadi (Lal Salaam, Aardhram, Ulladakkam). He was accepted as villain, supporting actor as well as a lead actor though he was not at all the conventional hero. He won Kerala State Awards for Best Actor 4 times (Aadharam, Kaanakkinavu, Thalolam, Neythukaran) and twice for the Best Supporting Actor (Amaram, Veeralippattu/ Pranayakaalam). He also won the coveted National Award for Best Actor in 2001 for Priyanandan's "Neythukaran". He was also the Chairman of the Sangeetha Nataka Academy and authored 5 books in total. He also won widespread acclaim for his stage production "Lanka Lakshmy". He had an unsuccessful stint with politics too when he contested for the Alappuzha Loksabha Constituency in 1999. Murali will be remembered for his powerhouse performances. He was truly an actor who could rise above the script and bring out the finer nuances of the character through his performance!

Rajan P Dev took Kerala by storm as Kochuvava, the protagonist in one of the most successful stage plays in Kerala history- SL Puram Sadanandan's "Kattukuthira". Unfortunately, he could not play the role in the film adaptation but he more than made up for it through a stellar performance in Thambi Kannamthanam's Mohanlal starrer "Indrajaalam" which was his first major role in Malayalam Cinema. It was one of those rare villain characters who outlived and outperformed the hero in spite of having a talented actor like Mohanlal playing the hero. Rajan has not had to look back ever since. Powerful characters followed one after the other- most of them were villainous roles but later Rajan made a clever and successful move to performing character roles and comedy roles as well. He even ended up playing titular roles like Pallivathukkal Thommichan and Thommanum Makkalum- the latter where his role was even more important than that of Mammootty's. He made a successful move to Tamil and Telugu Cinema and played menacing villain roles with great ease. Unfortunately for Rajan, his performances were not properly awarded though many of his characters are well etched out in the minds of movie goers (Sthalathe Pradhana Payyans, Ekalavyan, Commissioner, Sphadikam, Aniyan Bava Chettan Bava, The King, Junior Mandrake, Dada Saheb, Karumadikuttan, Sethuramaiyer CBI, Bharath Chandran IPS, Chandu Pottu, Chota Mumbai, Roudhram etc)

With the demise of these 2 great actors, Malayalam Cinema stands to lose yet again. Rajan P Dev and Murali along with Bharath Gopi and Oduvil Unnikrishnan in recent times are losses that have malnourished Malayalam Cinema of some of its best character actors! Even when we say that these are actors who cannot be replaced, we are still hoping and looking forward to a brand new set of talented actors coming up and taking their positions, at least partially. As the saying goes, the show must go on...

Exciting times at JTPAC

For Art connossieurs in and around Ernakulam, it is an exciting time since JTPAC has come up with a wonderful array of programmes that promise to be a true treat-

Vineeth and Lakshmi Gopalaswamy perform on 5 September, Udit Narayan sings on 19 September, its Sivamani's percussion on 3 October and Mohanlal and Mukesh perform "Chayamukhi" on 17 October 2009. What more does a true lover of art need?

Personally, I am going to miss Vineeth and Lakshmi since I am on air on 5 September! But I definitely am going to be there for all the other three! (hopefully nothing else crops up!) Shall write about what I thought about those after I attend the performances :-)

Label me "Technologically Challenged"...

I started blogging looking at blogs of some of my friends and cousins and take inspiration from other blogs even when it comes to stuff like Layout, Page Elements etc being the "Technologically Challenged" person that I have always been!

To be fair to myself, I have been able to recreate most of the stuff that I have seen on other blogs within my own but I have been a miserable failure when it comes to "Labelling" of posts. I have seen fellow bloggers using "Labels" to astounding effect. I recently started trying but within 5 posts realized that labelling is not my cup of tea. None of my labels repeat and most of the time I end up posting without adding labels even though labelling is at the back of my mind.

After a lot of thinking and re thinking, I have decided that my blog and posts look good enough without the labels! I dont think I will ever understand this whole funda of labelling and have decided to stay away from it...forever.

East is East, West is West!

"East is East, West is West and Never the Twain shall meet" or so went Sir Rudyard Kipling's saying. All those of you who have worked closely with folks in the West may agree that Sir Kipling was right in whatever he said!

Well, I have been working very closely with friends on the other side of the globe for the past 4 years and from the interactions and the visits, I have concluded that there are differences between East and West, some of those kind which will never ever be bridged.

When I started off in this industry and during my initial interactions with the Westerners (for ease of description!), I have often wondered why they are so particular about time and so paranoid about small things. For example, if you tell them that it is raining heavily, the immediate next question would be whether there is a flood threat; if you tell them that there has been a minor bomb blast, the immediate next question will be whether you will shut down or if you tell them that 3 of your team members are sick, the immediate next question will be whether there is a pandemic Flu threat and if yes, what was the back up plan!

I used to get amused, surprised and sometimes highly irritated when I had to respond to these queries and put my friends at ease. 6 visits to North America later, I should say, I understand and appreciate the concerns of my friends. Imagine life in a part of the world where the weather could change next minute. It will be bright sunshine all around and in just half hour, your street could be flooding. In the early winter, you go out for a movie with family and the running time of the movie could be just enough for the parking lot to be covered with snow. It will be time to take out your showel (if you have one safely in the boot, that is!) and shove your way out of the parking lot! When you are born into a part of the World where this is the way of lif e and have grown up experiencing this and much worse stuff, how will you end up not being paranoid? And if all this was not enough, there was the big 9/11. The earlier instances are where nature plays spoilsport and these are stuff that happens when fellow human beings play spoilsport!!!

From what I have seen of the World, I think I can safely conclude that we, as Indians are quite a spoilt lot. We take almost everything for granted- weather, people, time, the list is endless. We dont care about what time of the day we get up, how late we turn up for appointments and how casually we treat others- especially subordinates at work and women folk at home. We do things the way we feel like doing and we want everything and everyone else to change according to our whims and fancies. Else, we sit and whine, shout or complain but not take that one single step to put things straight. I say "WE" because I realize, rather shamefully, that I too am no different from many of my friends...

One visit to the West and if you stay long enough to see how seasons and weather change circumstances, you will clearly understand how easy life is in our part of the globe and what are the additional challenges our friends in the West have to encounter besides the ones at work!

I am not saying that we also need to have the kind of variations in Weather that the West experiences but it defnitely is high time we analyzed and understood the difficulties of being in a part of the World where anything could be a threat to things as simple as your daily routine/ schedule. Let us understand the importance of time, what people mean to us and how we should take independent charge of our life and decisions, just the way friends on the other part of the Globe do!

Let us change our attitude, the way we look at things and see how things improve all around us. It is not a big task, but I bet the results will give you a pleasant surprise! Do TRY IT :-)

Aye- O, Three- O!

I am not the kind that enjoys celebrating Birthdays. Come August and I start getting irritated for little things considering the fact that I would be turning an year older the next month. The irritance stays with me almost till end of September and then I start moving on consoling myself that getting older is a bitter fact in life!

Not this time though! For a change I am eagerly looking forward to my Birthday this time and not without a valid reason- come next week and I turn 30!!!!3 decades old, that is!

I was not old enough to understand the significance of completing 1 decade when I turned 10, I was quite irritated with myself when I turned 20 since that marked the end of Teenage but this time around, I am feeling happy and proud at turning 30 and I have my own reasons for it!

30's in my opinion is the best time in any person's life- a decade where many things happen, many things fall into place, many changes take place and you become important to many people so much so that people start treating you for what you are...

I have seen this happening to friends, cousins and many other acquaintances. You turn 30 and suddenly you are mature enough in the eyes of all- your younger siblings, cousins and friends look upto you and the older folks in your family always ask you for an opinion on all stuff- important or otherwise.

On the personal front, you pretty much complete your studies whatever your branch of study be, you would have kind of stabilized on your work front and will be on a high acceleration path to success, glory and hardwork! You will be married or about to be married or start giving a serious thought to marriage, you would have even had a kid or a two. Later during your 30's, you start thinking about an alternate career, taking off time to learn things which you always wanted to learn, start reading serious stuff and start looking at life from a totally different point of view.

You also start looking at yourself with a new set of eyes- you start taking care of your appearance, you start watching your weight and appearance, develop a style of your own, start acquiring interest in classy stuff, buy your own house and car, participate in decision making both at home and work, get closer to friends and their families and pretty much create a world of your own- and if you are lucky enough, end up creating a very happy World around yourself...

That is what I am looking at when I turn 30. I might not do everything that I have written above. I have my reservations about many of those stuff though that's what people generally end up doing in their 30's. Whatever I end up doing, all I am looking at is being successful, happy, rich and creating a world around myself I would be happy being part of...

Just 4 more days and its Aye- O, Three- O for me. I am entering the world of Fun n Flirty 30 (though I always had my own reasons to believe that I was both Fun and Flirty!) and hence, please join me in wishing Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Free Dinners...

The guys at the Hotel that we have been put up at are being very kind these days. Probably because we are stay in guests for as long as 22 days, they have provided us each with Gift Coupons worth a dinner for 2 at the Restaurant for as much as CAD 75. Great, isnt it?

Thats what we thought when we redeemed the first coupon last Sunday for a lentil soup and a delicious Orecchiette Pasta (With sautéed wild mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh grated Grana Padano cheese, fresh herbs and extra virgin olive oil) for myself and Acadian Seafood Chowder (a rich soup full of shrimps) and Atlantic Salmon for my friend. We were filled up to the brim and had a tough time walking back to the room while thanking the generosity of the Hotel authorities.

Today was the day scheduled for the second coupon. My other friend went ahead with his Acadian Seafood Chowder and Nova Scotia Arctic Char. Being the vegetarian, I had to satisfy myself with French Fries (no veg soup was on the menu for the day) and Vegetable Fried Rice (which was made to my order, a decision I regretted while I was eating what was served in that name!)

To be fair to the restaurant, the complimentary bread and butter were delicious! Anyways, there ends my series of Free dinners at this Hotel- I was excited when I received the coupons, ecstasic when I had my first dinner and am detached from the whole thing after the second dinner. As I realize now, free dinners are good once in a while but not all of them need to be to your liking...

Feeling Light...

Saturdays in Halifax are for shopping and when you have malls like Mic Mac, why worry? The mall is supposed to open at 9.30 AM and there we were, the 3 of us waiting at the entrance of the mall at 9.20 AM itself. The objective was to finish shopping by noon, grab some lunch and head back to the hotel. We did meet all objectives- we shopped, had lunch at 2 and were back in the hotel by 4 PM!

Thanks to all the "Back to School" and "Clearance" sale, all of us felt much lighter at the end of the enterprise- the wallets were empty by the time we were back and as one of the friends remarked, if we had walked this walk in the straight direction, we could have crossed the Atlantic!

The best thing about shopping in a mall, beside spending money, is of course the kind of calories you burn walking, walking and walking. The bigger the mall, the better. The more the clearance sale, the better!

Well, that was my learning for the day from Mic Mac and for those who are interested I cancelled quite a few things off my list- Stuff for my mom and sis, shirts and trousers for myself, DVD's, the works. The food was fabulous (my all time favorite Falafal wrap with some boiled potatoes and a Dairy Queen Honey Caramel Milk Shake!), had a taste of rain in Halifax (while running towards the Bus back to the Hotel) and is still enjoying the "High" looking at all the shopping bags scattered around me while I am typing this away...

Chopsticks...

BTW, I ate at the Japanese Grill using chopsticks and did that successfully for the first time in my life :-)

So what if they were joined at the top?

Thrills at the "Grill" continue...

If it was Mongolian Grill yesterday, it was Japanese Grill today:-) I cannot tell you how much fun I am having with the sheer variety of food that I am eating these days!

I was on a business dinner tonight and my good friends at Halifax took me to The Hamachi Grill at the Waterfront, Halifax. The menu looked like Greek and Latin to me but the charming waitress was kind enough to explain the whole procedure. We were sitting at a rectangular table with one end open and we had a hot plate right in the middle of us. Initially it felt we were attending some sort of a conference but when the chef came in with his stuff only we realized that we were in for a treat.

There is something called "Teppanyaki" where the chef prepares whatever we order right in front of us on the grill table. Since the grill table used is common for both meat and veggie, I chose to eat Flat Grill Udon Noodle Fry- Veggie which was awesome. Fresh Garden Salad and Veggie Spring Rolls were also provided. I summed up my supper with delicious Japanese Ice Cream in Ginger Flavor and needless to say, I was overwhelmed with the sheer magical taste of the food!

It was not just the taste of food that was magic but the entire art of Teppanyaki cooking that made it even more interesting. You could ask for Seafood, Pork, Beef, Chicken or Veggie Teppanyaki and it would be served to you with Soup, Salad, Steamed Rice or Japanese Fried Rice.

The chef started out with the preparation of Japanese Fried Rice. He had a bowl of steamed rice with him and added a bowl of fresh cut veggies to it. It was mixed very well and then he added Japanese wine and sauces to it. The wine added to the plate will be lighted with fire for a brief minute and then it gets mixed with the rest of the contents.

Once the rice and the vegetables were cooked well, he pushed the mixture aside and started working with the eggs. His juggling act with his head, knives and his chef hat provided for some laughs! I never knew that you had to learn so much to be a Japanese chef! The eggs were thrown into the air and made to fall on the sharp edge of the knife and they were broken effortlessly. All eggs were scrambled with consummate ease and these were mixed with the Rice and Veggies. The Japanese Fried Rice was done and he arranged it in heart shape on the grill table for all of us to see. The rice was served straight onto your table in bowls accompanied by sauces.

Next was the turn of the veggies- Onions, Mushrooms, Carrots, Baby Corn were all mixed up. The Onion Rings were arranged one on top of the other to make a volcano and Japanese wine was poured inside the pieces. Once it was lit up, it looked like the volcano was in action- giving out fire and smoke! The veggies were also mixed and cooked together and served onto the plates.

Later he brought in Salmon, Scallops and Shrimps and the steps were repeated with Chicken and Pork as well. While there is no doubt that the food grilled right in front of your eyes add to the excitement and that they are served piping hot, the only drawback I found with the food is that you are served the rice first, then the veggies, then the seafood and then the meat!

You need to gulp a lot of water (soda/ alcohol for those who are interested) while taking this food lest it should leave a burning sensation in your stomach. It is rich in calories and you eat it boiling hot but have no questions on the taste! It will help if you down an Ice Cream or some green tea to ensure that the food gets digested properly.

That said, being at the Japanese Grill was an awesome culinary experience that tantalized my taste buds and had me craving for more! Dont leave an opportunity if it comes your way sometime soon :-)

Vietnam is not just about war!

And I found that out when I ventured into Star Anise, the Vietnamese Restaurant on Barrington Street, Halifax. I was on supper break from work (working evenings these days!) and had to grab a quick bite. There were no counters open in the Food Court and I had no choice but to visit a restaurant. Thats when I came across this one, the menu was quite economical and the place looked pretty neat and comfy.

5 minutes later, there I was looking for options for vegetarians and I finally zeroed in on Veggie Spring Roll and Fried Tofu with Vermicelli. In Oriental food, it often becomes difficult for veggies to make people understand that you do not eat meat or fish. Convincing the waiter here, thankfully, was an easy task and he said he would not mix fish or chicken stock to my dish.

The Spring Roll was awesome and went off quite well with the Hot Chilly Sauce. The Vermicelli made of rice was very close to "Sevai" (a Tamil Nadu Breakfast dish) and it was garnished nicely with lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, carrot and cucumber. Tofu was cripsy hot and made for a good bite while tucking in the Vermicelli with the veggies. I washed down the food with a glass of Mango Juice and was happy that I chose Vietnamese food and nothing else.

So, friends- there are good things about Vietnam and the food definitely is one of them! Now you know, ryt?

Mongolian Grill :-)

I had my first encounter with Mongolian Grilled Food while I was on a business visit to Fargo, ND. Hu Hot looked and seemed quite strange to me when I got in but the flavour and taste of the Mongolian Grill was so good that I ended up eating 2 meals instead of one!

The reason why I went back to 2006 August (when I went into Hu Hot) was due to the second encounter that I had with Mongolian food at Halifax. At the outset, let me tell you that the food was not as good as what it was first time (Probably having good eating partners also helps. B and S enjoy food but not the company that I had this time!).

The very concept of Mongolian Grill is very simple and unique- you will have 3 counters- one for veggies, one for meat and fish and a third one for noodles, rice, oils and sauces. You will be given a bowl to pick your stuff. You can go to the counters and fill up your bowl with whatever you need. You will be billed based on the weight of your bowl and the entire contents of your bowl is emptied on a huge circular Tava (Hot Plate in English, I suppose). The cook mixes the contents of your bowl well and it is cooked in the oils and sauces you selected. The food is then provided to you steaming hot!

Now, here is the catch! You should know what goes with what and what are the ingredients of the various sauces and oils. Being the Vegetarian that I am, I tried my luck with all kinds of veggies first- Broccoli, Beans, Carrot, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Spring Onion, Green Pepper, Hot Pepper, Cauli Flower, Black Olives, Pineapple, Mushroom and Alfalfa Sprouts.

Then I went into the Sauce and Oils bar and added Hot sauce, Ginger, Garlic, Honey Garlic, Mustard, Teriyaki, Black Bean and Honey Garlic- well a little bit of everything. I added my share of Noodles and topped it off with some Hot Chilly Sauce, Salt and Pepper! I should say the final outcome was quite tasty and the best thing is that it is served piping hot! Whenever you visit a Mongolian Grill, the one thing you have to remember is to add adequate sauces and oils to your selection so that whatever you select gets cooked well!

I would not say that I will enjoy Mongolian Grill daily. But this is definitely an option that a foodie can try! Do not hesitate to check into one as and when you come across one next time :-)

The Art of Making Presentations

This probably is the first time I am writing about something other than movies, food, politics, sports or travel! One of the reasons is that many a times my friends and readers of this blog have asked me why I am not writing anything related to work. The second and the most important reason is that I have been working on some slides for the past one week or so and I felt if everyone would take care of some points while putting their slides together, things will become easier and better for all.

I do not claim to be an authority in making presentations but I think keeping the following points in mind will help:

1. A PPT is different from a Word document. One should not write long sentences and paragraphs on slides. Brief pointers would suffice. Grammar is not important
2. To the maximum extent possible, follow the six by six rule. 6 words in every bullet point and 6 bullet points on every slide (Thanks to my ex Boss for this idea! It makes the slides look sexy ;-))
3. Include only relevant points on your slide. Points that are outside of the scope of the presentation overcrowd the presentation and make it dull
4. Do not read out the slides to the audience. The audience can read the contents of the slides. Focus on explaining the contents of the slide in your own language. You can skip points that are self explanatory
5. You should always be comfortable with the slides. You should be aware of what is the contents of each slide. You should not start speaking about slide 17 when you are on slide 7
6. Arrange your slides in logical order. The contents of the slide should not confuse the audience
7. Always make sure you hold the audience's interest. Maintain a comfortable posture, keep good eye contact, prompt the audience to join the discussion and always be open for questions
8. Do not hesitate to use a White Board or Chart Board to explain your points if you feel that would make a better impact
9. Be cheerful and look confident while presenting your slides
10. If you feel entertaining a question would deviate from the subject of your slide, you can decide to take it offline with the permission of the audience
11. Do not try to beautify your slides unnecessarily by adding background images etc. The contents of the slide should be clear and nothing should drive away the focus of the audience from the contents
12. Last but not the least, circulate the slides to the audience after you are done with the presentation

These are some points that I felt we need to be careful about. If any of you feel something can be added to the list above, please dont hesitate to use the comments link below :-)

Happy Presentations!

The Magic of Maggi Noodles!

Maggi Noodles is something that I have always been a fan of, so much so that Maggi is what I call Noodles, even when I visit restaurants. A dish which I don't care who or how made, something that I can eat even as a 2 AM snack- that is the extent of endearance I have for Maggi Noodles.

I have always been particular about eating Noodles with vegetables added- Potato, Beans, Carrot, Cauliflower, Capsicum, the works...I would never eat Noodles bare (just the noodles and the taste maker was a strict no- no for me!). Probably, that was the reason I used to get fussy when I see people carrying packets of Noodles while they travel abroad for short visits. I would often wonder how could anyone eat just the Noodles that too microwaved (No oil, you see!)

But I was in for a pleasant surprise when I decided to go with a pack of Noodles a couple of days back. It was so yummy, and I have finished 6 packs in less than 48 hours!!! Noodles get cooked well in microwave and veggies or no veggies, Maggi is magical! Try it out if you have not before and I am telling this out of my own experience- YOU WILL LOVE IT!

Hurricane passing off as Heavy Rain!

It was with bated breath that I was waiting for Hurricane Bill to strike in Halifax primarily because I had not seen one. I had no idea how much damage a Hurricane would cause and I suppose my excitement had gotten over my good sense since I was really waiting for a Hurricane, of all the things!

So, here I was up early on Sunday morning and watching through the window how and when Bill was actually gonna hit. BTW, I am in a harbor facing room (well, sort of!) and can see the backwaters at a distance. The effect that something like a Hurricane will have can be quite well assessed sitting on a height and staring at the water through a window. The morning was supposed to be sunny but I got up to find heavy rains lashing the city. I was up from about 8 AM in the morn and the heavy rains were continuing, so much so that none of us ventured out even to get some food. It rained till about 3 PM and things started getting better thereafter!

Bill was not supposed to hit Halifax till about 9 PM and I was waiting for night fall thinking that the heavy rains were a good pre cursor to the violent Hurricane I was about to witness at night. Unfortunately, the euphoria turned out to be short lived. It was bright and sunny by 5 in the evening and the night turned out to be a very normal Summer night for the city!

The next morning when I enquired with my good friends in Halifax, I was informed that the Heavy Rains were all that the city had of Hurricane Bill! What an Anti- climax!

I would not pine for another Hurricane anytime hearing stories about the damage that the previous one created but would be lying if I tell you that I was not disappointed with Bill especially after the many stories that I had heard! Heck, I cannot even hope for Better Luck Next Time... 

Oberoi Restaurant- Kochi

Oberoi Bar on MG Road, Kochi is apparently one of the oldest in the city and most of the Kochiites will remember the old building adjacent to Seematti and bang opposite Chennai Silks near to the Northend of MG Road. The news here is that the same group has started a restaurant on the meeting point of Veekshanam Road with Chittoor Road in the same premise where Alappatt's Only Veg Restaurant used to function earlier.

I dont think it has been a very long time since the restaurant opened, at least not to my knowledge and when the restaurant came to my notice, me and a friend of mine decided to check it out. We went to the place for dinner on a Saturday evening. The Air conditioned dining hall was quite crowded and the Menu Card looked like it was quite easy on our purse. We ordered for Kerala Parotta with Vegetable Curry and the dishes were served quite fast.

The Parottas were delicious and quite filling, but the Vegetable curry left a lot to desire. Apparently, one of the chefs was off on that particular day (as our ill luck would have it!) and there was a big struggle in the see through Kitchen to prepare and deliver dishes on time.

The restaurant also has a juice corner that serves fresh Fruit Juices and scores moderately on the neatness aspect and lay out. I would recommend the restaurant for a quick byte but it would not be advisable to choose Oberoi if your idea is to relax comfortably and eat with a large group in tow! 

25 years of Sobhana!

I have been having a "Sobhana fixation" ever since I saw her in "April 18"- her debut Malayalam movie as a leading lady; which was released way back in 1984 (I would have been 5 years old then!). The one remarkable scene in that movie is where Sobhana asks her husband Balachandra Menon to adjust the pleets of her sari and he stoops down at her legs and does the job. Menon plays the Sub Inspector of Police in the movie and he says- "No other person will get this kind of luck!" While the sequence was playing in the theatre, my father asked me- "Haven't you seen this happening at our place too?" That probably is the reason why I remember this scene so emphatically.

Over the years, I have seen April 18 umpteen number of times and for a teenager of 14 years, I felt that Sobhana did justice to her debut role. It was followed by impressive performances in Balu Mahendra's "Yathra" and I V Sasi's "Kanamarayathu" (for which she won her first Kerala State Award for Best Actress!). The best thing about Sobhana is and has always been the fact that she can be paired up with any actor and put in any kind of role- she will emerge victorious. At the same time, she could play the love interest of Mammootty, Mohanlal, Rehman, Balachandra Menon, Suresh Gopi, Jayaram, Manoj K Jayan, Rajanikanth, Kamal Hassan, Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Sathyaraj, the list is endless...

Though she has flirted with movies in languages other than Malayalam, her strong foothold has always remained in the Malayalam film industry which recognized her abundant talent by providing her with roles of substance one after the other. April 18, Yathra and Kaanamarayathu were followed by memorable performances in Vaasthu Haara, Ananatharam, Ennale, Pappayude Swantham Appoos, Meleparambil Aanveedu, Mazhayethum Mumbe, Minnaminunginum Minnukettu, Sindhoora Rekha, Hitler, Kaliyoonjal, Magalkku, Agni Sakshi and many more.

She also holds the record for having done the maximum number of lead roles opposite both Mammootty (~60 films) and Mohanlal (~30 films). Her pairing with Jayaram is considered the best and the 8 films they did together have all been winners at the Box Office. She has also worked with directors of all genre, moving in and out of films with commendable ease. Her association with directors like Balachandra Menon (April 18), I V Sasi (Kaanamarayathu), Joshi (Mambazhakkalam), Fazil (Manichithrathaazhu), Sathyan Anthicaud (Sasneham), Jayaraj (Makalkku), Priyadarshan (Thenmavin Kombathu), Sibi Malayil (Sindhoora Rekha), Syamaprasad (Agni Saakshi), Kamal (Mazhayethum Mumbe), Bharathan (Chilambu), Padmarajan (Ennale), Mohan (Pakshe), G Aravindan (Vaasthu Haara), Adoor Gopalakrishnan (Anantharam), Thulasidas (Minnaminunginum Minnukettu), Anil Babu (Kaliyoonjal), Siddique (Hitler), Manirathnam (Dalapathy), K Balachander (Rudhra Veena), Revathy Menon (Mitr- My Friend), Pamela Rooks (Dance Like a Man) have all been equally successful.

One of the few actors who could balance mainstream cinema equally with serious cinema, Sobhana's career touched a peak when she bagged all awards in town for her wonderful performance in Fazil's Manichithrathaazhu (1993) including the coveted National Award. The role was later attempted by accomplished actors like Soundarya, Jothika and Vidya Balan in other languages but none of them could match up with Sobhana. She won nation wide recognition once again for her performance as the lonely housewife in Silicon Valley in Revathy Menon's sensitive Mitr- My Friend (2001). Over the years, there have been many performances of hers that are considered classics!

25 years later, Sobhana still continues to enthuse us and picks up those stray roles in films that come her way. Appearances in "Mere Baap Pehle Aap" and "Sagar Alias Jackie Reloaded" may not justify her talent or screen presence but her dance performances always draw full audiences regardless of which city in India she performs in. Her ballet "Maya Raavan" was acclaimed by critics and commoners alike and the talented lady is working on her second ballet rumuored to be based on the life of Lord Krishna. Her fans still tune into Vanitha Rathnam 3 on Amrita Television- a show that she judges and keep looking forward to those odd films of hers, expecting yet another of those power house performances!

Lasting for 25 years as a leading lady and still commanding respect from generations of film lovers is no mean feat and Sobhana, having achieved that, is truly continuing the legacy of her aunts- the timeless Travancore Sisters (Lalitha, Padmini, Ragini). Lets hope that we get to see the beautiful Sobhana more often on screen tackling one challenging roles after another...

Sounding a bit too silly...

I have very rarely been about intelligence and philosophy but today I think I have started sounding downright silly, what after 17 posts on a single day. I think it is time I stopped posting for the day and probably for the week!

I have made good my absence from blogosphere for more than a month and it is time for me to move on with aspects of my visit to NA. Shall log in from NA if I come across something good enough to post. Else, my next post will smell of the soil of Kochi. Till the time I log in next, it is TA TA to everyone!

My New Pair of Glasses!

That is my proud possession now and probably for many more days to come. Many of my colleagues had wanted me to replace the old pair of glasses that had started looking quite dated. The frame had lost its sheen and the lens had all kinds of scratches on them. My face had expanded thanks to the pounds I had added to my frame and my pair of glasses looked like they were having a tough time balancing on my face and nose without breaking!

I myself had been considering replacement of glasses but the fact that all I wanted was an anti glare coating on a plain glass kinda stopped me from spending money on a new pair- until I heard about Titan Eye + opening at Kochi, that is. I decided that it was time for me to change my pair of glasses and reserved a substantial portion of my annual bonus to acquire my priced possession.

K, my friend, helped me in choosing the right frame and I had it customized for the breadth of my face (not something to be very proud of, anyways!). I could not help feeling happy when I wore it for the first time and I had many (unlikely) people coming up to me and telling me that the new pair looked good on my face! I am extra careful this time and am pampering my pair of glasses by cleaning them twice daily!

Whether or not it has improved my vision, my new Titan Eye + has definitely improved others' vision of myself and that's satisfaction enough for now :-)

Naturals Unisex Salon- Is it worth the hype?

Kochi has not had too many Unisex salons (the only ones that come to my mind are Ole and Olee) and that was reason enough for the hype that surrounded the opening of a branch of "Naturals" Unisex salon right on KP Vallon Road, Kadavanthra.

I stayed away for almost an year from visiting Naturals- there were many other places offering decent hair cuts and coloring. This time around I thought I would try out Naturals and I had my friend, K for company. It had been a while since I subjected myself to a Pedicure and with the monsoons in Kochi, my feet were something that I was not feeling very proud about. Decided to go for one at the Naturals along with a hair cut and hair color.

My hair had not grown long enough to warrant a cut but the stylists at Naturals trimmed it and I thought I looked better. I chose light brown for my hair color this time but the coloring was done in a rush. When I washed it off, I found that the grey hair on my scalp had turned greyer!!!

However, the Pedicure was the best that I have ever had (I have had it only twice before though). They had Pedi Counter just for people with bad feet days like yours faithfully and the guy at the salon did a good job and my feet looked like they had never touched the ground before :-)

It is another story that I had to shell out a little more than a grand to get these stuff done. I did love the ambience, the personalized care and the service but I don't think the rates justify the services provided. I would say it is not very different from other salons that I have visited in the city. The only high point is your chance meeting with the local celebrities who may hop in anytime and trust your stylist to leave you in the lurch as soon as he spots a celebrity type!

To sum up, was it an enjoyable experience at Naturals? Definitely yes. Is it good value for money? Definitely not. Is it worth all the hype and hooplah? Not really.

Not convinced? Check it out yourself!

Eating out after a Night Show

There are a couple of restaurants that I visit along with my friends everytime we are back from a night show at the movies (9 PM to 11.30 PM show). I dont think I have written about these quick byte places before and I would be unfair if I dont write about them considering the frequency at which I visit them. So, here we go:

1. Canopy: The Coffee Shop of Abad Hotels on M G Road, Kochi is a good place to grab a quick byte. The best part of Canopy is that they serve all kinds of food- you get a variety of dosas, the customary Kerala Paratha, the rich Battura, quick n tasty chats or the anytime burgers and sandwiches. The pastry shop is equally tasty and sell a variety of nice pastries. Coffee, Tea and shakes are also worth a try. The simple, understated ambience and the classy crowd that frequents the place makes it a diner's paradise especially during late nights
2. The Mando: 24 hour Coffee Shop at the International Hotel, Veekshanam Road, Ernakulam, the good thing about Mando is again its simple and sophisticated ambience, the high emphasis on cleanliness and a fairly good variety of food that is made available. The huge parking space helps and so does the fact that the Coffee Shop serves Beer that will keep the drinkers happy!
3. Ceylon Bake House/ Bake House Inn: Anybody who has eaten from one of these restaurants will vouch for the fact that they serve the best Porottas, Appams and Idiappams in town. Not to miss the hot and spicy Biriyanis that come in a variety. Their Egg Roast and Egg Masala are famous all over and the fact that these restaurants are open till way past Midnight helps

These are the few options we have explored. If any of you feel anything further can be added to the list, do let me know. For all those who are new to the city, you now know where to head to if you are hungry after watching a night show, Right?

The New Look...

I always look out for new things in life and that kinda explains the new look of my blog. Spent almost half an hour in deciding how it should look from now on. Hope others also like it.

It is so easy to change the look of stuff like this. How I wish I could change my look as often as I change the look of my blog ;-)

Confessions of a Shopaholic!

This could well be taken as my "Honest Mumbling #3". I know that "Confessions of a Shopaholic" is the name of a recent chick flick that was panned by everyone that saw it. But here I am talking about myself and this quirky addiction of mine- that to shop till I drop or till my Credit Card sees red.

The funniest part is that I was not like this before. When I say before, it would be 6 years back. Though I used to enjoy going out just at the drop of a hat, my idea of fun was not getting in and out of shops...not till my stint at Bangalore started.

I moved to Bangalore in 2004 since I landed a new job there and from there on started my days of travel which is yet to stop. My first trip abroad was to the United States of America in July 2004 for a 3 month stint and it was in connection with this trip that I did my first round of massive shopping which became characteristic of me as I progressed. Well, that was a 3 month stint and the shopping thankfully was only in India and did not continue in the US. I came back and in almost 4 months time was all ready to pack to Kuwait which beckoned me with another opportunity.

I was not sure how long the stint would last and hence, I ended up doing another round of massive shopping. Thankfully, I was at my best behaviour while I was in Kuwait...till Dubai happened. I was asked to fly to Dubai for a 3 week assignment and I had planned a vacation immediately after that- my first vacation after I landed in Sheikh's land and I had plans to buy gifts for all my immediate family members. What better place to shop than Dubai when you are planning gifts for everyone- so I started- from Deira City Centre to Wafi Mall to Ibn Bathootha Mall to Lulu Hyper Market to Gold Souk- I was here, there and everywhere (thankfully Mall of the Emirates was under construction then!) and bought and packed everything that I thought was attractive to my eyes.

The one month vacation in India passed in a jiffy and it was time for me to return- not to Kuwait but to Bahrain for a week's training. Seef Mall and Al Ahli Mall followed and I ended up swiping my card at quite a few outlets. My stint at Middle East did not last too long after that and I was back home by late 2005.

When I joined my current employer in quiet Kochi I thought I would get better. Little did I realize that my next trip to USA with my then boss, a self proclaimed shopaholic, would change my life. We were in Fargo, ND, USA and our day did not end without a visit to West Acres, the biggest mall in the city. I wanted everything I could land my eyes on and soon I was packing stuff to such an extent that I became the laughing stock at Airport on my way back home.

What started there has continued ever since. My fetish for books, DVD's and branded clothes continue and I dread going out even in Kochi since I find it difficult to keep a tab on myself. Bangalore is even worse and everytime I visit Bangalore I have to visit at least one of the malls in the city. In spite of multiple visits to Halifax, NS, I find myself to be the first one to rush to a shop in any of the local malls trying to buy one thing or another. I am not sure where I am going and how all this is going to end up. For the time being, I continue with my habit and spending money continues to give me a high. These days I manage to restrict my spending at most to movies, eating out, books and CD's- I hope to have a decent collection of books and movies by the time I retire. Quite a noble idea, what say?

Missing out on the fun!

There have been so many things happening at home, at work and in life in general. Not that I am complaining but I am also missing out on a lot of things and would have to do a lot of catching up after I am back in India.

I missed out watching Jayasuriya's first big hit "Ivar Vivahitharayaal" in theatres, I took a flight to North America the day Vishal Bharadwaj's "Kaminey" was released (Its a big hit back home, it seems. Hope I get to watch it in a theatre after I get back!). The hugely awaited "Kanthasaamy" has released back home to mixed responses and I just cannot wait to catch it in theatres at least for the foot tapping songs.

I could not make it to Pankaj Udhas's concert in JTPAC since I was held up with some work. Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia's flute recital would have ended few hours back and I am sitting here in North America. Vineeth and Lakshmi Gopalaswamy are scheduled to present Bharatham at JTPAC on 5 September and I don't land in Kochi till the morning of 6 September- all this at JTPAC are being missed in addition to Usha Uthup, Avial, Taufik Qureshi and Ganesh- Kumaresh that I have already missed :-(

I missed out on the "Cheedai" and "Appam" that mom would have made on Sree Krishna Jayanthi and am going to miss out on the "Modhakam" that she would make tomorrow to celebrate Vinayaka Chathurthy. All I can do is to remember the taste of the delicious Paal Payasam that ma would make for every birthday of mine when I turn an year older in a couple of week's time. The big onam celebration at office is on 31 August which again I am going to miss. I am also missing out on the family get together at Hyderabad during Onam 2009 to celebrate the arrival of my cousin's twins into the family- Vibhas and Bhuvan!

I miss out on a friend's wedding right on my Birthday and also missed out on my Aunt's short visit home after what might be an year. I missed out the spectacular Athachamayam at my hometown in connection with Onam and also on all the shopping that we would do on MG Road, Kochi just before Onam! I also missed out the celebrations associated with my friend's father turning 60 and all festivities on India's 63rd birthday. I might also miss out on meeting a whole lot of old friends who come home for the big family festival- Onam...

Not that I am unduly worried even though that is a very long list. This is how life treats you. Sometimes you have everything you ever wanted, sometimes you don't get anything that you want and sometimes you get things that you never asked for...If I say I am not enjoying my stint in NA, I would be lying and I suppose that is what compensates for all that I am missing. At the end of the day, hits and misses are all that life is made of, right?

My First Encounter with a Hurricane!

It could be tomorrow- at least that is what the forecasts say. Halifax does not look like it is going to get a hurricane anytime soon- it is all bright and sunny around. But the weather in North America could change the next second- something I have learnt out of my 6 visits to this massive continent in the last few years.

I am not taking chances and am making sure I am indoors- more out of the curiosity to see what happens during a hurricane rather than out of fright. I come from the land of violent monsoons and have seen trees getting uprooted in the wind but a hurricane on the Atlantic coast of North America need not be the same as monsoon rains on the coast of Arabian Sea in India. I hope it does not wreak havoc and damage all around but I am keeping my fingers crossed to see what it would look like!

Do pray for all Halegonians and I shall definitely write about what I saw. Till then, it is waiting time for Hurricane Bill to strike :-(

Delicious Thai Dinner in North America!

Does that sound like it is not possible? All you need to do is to check into Chabaa Restaurant and you will understand what I mean! I am in Halifax for a business visit and my good friends here took me and my friends to Chabaa for a Thai Dinner. To say the food was delicious, would be an understatement!

We started off with fabulous spring rolls and followed it up with Vegetable Noodles and Vegetable Fried Rice (that's what I ate!). Ginger Chicken, Spicy Pork and Squid were ordered as side dishes along with delicious Vegetable Curry cooked in a gravy of coconut milk and nuts. The rice noodles which is a Thai speciality was awesome to say the least and had the right quantity of vegetables cooked in stock. The Fried Rice with generous dose of Tofu further accentuated the taste. I was overwhelmed with the delicious food on offer and all of us ate to the content of our heart and tummy.

Washed it down with some hot, steaming coffee and all of us agreed that this was the best Thai food one could ever have!

Serene and Beautiful Yercaud!

We had been planning a reunion of school friends for a very long time- some married, some still enjoying their bachelorhood! We planned and planned and planned for close to 3 months and finally what started as a plan with 8 of us ended up with just 3 of us bachelors. The 3 of us were determined that we will somehow make this happen and thus we went ahead with the plan zeroing in on a place that was sort of equi distant from both Kochi and Bangalore.

That is when I heard about Yercaud through a couple of friends- a hill station just 45 minutes drive away from Salem and I thought- that sounds like the perfect place. We sprung into action and on a cool Saturday morning found ourselves packed into a car to Yercaud from Salem Railway Station where we met. The fact that we had a 4th member in the team (a friend's friend- of the opposite sex ;-)) added to the pleasure though none of us had any ulterior motives. We had reservations at Grange Resorts and the car drove us right to the resort which thankfully was located away from the bustling small town of Yercaud.

The resort was just right for us and we checked into the rooms. The rooms were large and comfortable and the complimentary breakfast was delicious(Idli, Bread Omlette and Uppma). We checked in at around 6 AM on a Saturday morning and it was foggy all around. By around 11 AM, we decided to start our sight seeing. There are 4 view points on the Shevaroy hills of the Eastern Ghats and they are curiously named Lady's Seat, Gents' Seat, Kids' Seat and Pagoda Point! The view from all four points are equally magnificent and you can see the entire city of Salem below and the winding mountain road you take to reach Yercaud.

The Shevaroy cave temple is another attraction and the beautiful Yercaud lake offers ample opportunity for boating. You can cycle around the lake or take a ride on the horse. The Anna Park on the lakeside has a mini zoo and we saw a beautiful peacock with its feathers fully hoisted shaking its booty and taking pride in its appearance. The mini aquarium is another attraction around the lake and a bumpy ride on the All Terrain Vehicle promises a wee bit of adventure for those who love it!

The weather was cool and pleasant throughout though we were right in the peak of summer and it offered a good getaway for us from the sveltering heat of Kochi. Yercaud is aptly referred to as the "poor man's Ootty" and a trip to Yercaud is not very heavy on your purse. We spent the entire weekend for a little over 2 grands and the resort as well as the restaurants in the town offered high quality food and services at affordable cost. More than anything else, it is the serenity and purity of Yercaud that attracts you the most. It is not fully exploited commercially yet and that is the biggest plus of Yercaud.

Yercaud is also considered a great place for honey mooning- thanks to the resorts that are located over vast expanse of land and a variety of spots that are empty throughout the day. The weather also adds to its charm.

If you are looking for a quick getaway at an affordable price, you know where to head to. Even if you do not opt for Grange Resorts, make sure you check into the boutique inside the resort that offers a variety of attractive stuff at reasonable prices. Your wife/ GF will love it for sure ;-)

Daddy Fools Around...

Ad- men turned movie directors often end up with films that look uber cool but make no sense whatsoever. The situation is the same with debutant director Aashiq Abu who has helmed "Daddy Cool"- the only thing catchy about the movie is its title!

Its a kiddie movie no doubt but that does not allow a director to play around with characters and making real stuff sound and look like a video game. He loses the confidence of the grown up's alright but the silly climax of Daddy Cool is the kind even 6 year old's will have troubles accepting!

On a positive note are Mammootty's youthful looks, Master Dhananjay's smart performance, Sameer Thahir's camera work coupled with the Art Direction and Costumes. The kind of money that has been spent in accentuating the coolth of the movie does not justify the apology for a script. Add to it Daniel Balaji's eccentric performance, Richa Pallod's struggle with lip synching and an ever expanding Biju Menon- this Daddy ain't cool Mr. Abu!

Govind Padmasoorya's confidence might earn him more offers and the title graphics are the best seen in Malayalam cinema till date. That more than sums up "Daddy Fool!"

Teenage Troubles

My earliest memory of "Kaanamarayathu" is watching it at Shenoys theatre as a 5 year old along with my grandma and aunt and singing along with Krishnachandran that iconic "Oru Madhurakkinavin" while Rahman was cavorting on screen wearing his brief :-) As I sat through the timeless classic on VCD almost 25 years later, I could understand clearly what Malayalam Cinema of today is lacking- a scriptwriter like Padmarajan and an maverick director like I V Sasi (who is now past his prime!)

Kaanamarayathu has a plethora of star actors each contributing significantly to the plot and ending up putting a wonderful performance- right from Mammootty who plays the uber cool Roy to Rahman's energetic youth to Sobhana's spirited Sherlie to Seema's mature doctor to Unnimary's playful housewife to Lalu Alex's concerned older brother to Bahadur's witty office boy- its a pleasure watching these actors perform characters that have been very well etched out!

Padmarajan has always been a master with his dialogues and you see his brilliance and naturalism all over the script of Kaanamarayathu. Add to it, I V Sasi's skilful direction, Syam's melodious music (Janaki and Krishnachandran are the singers), Ajayan Vincent's meticulous camera work and some razor sharp editing- no wonder Kaanamarayathu ended up a blockbuster that still lingers on in the minds of the movie goers.

Catch it on DVD/ VCD if you have not seen it before and you will see flashes of brilliant acting by Sobhana- you realize its no surprise she went on to become an iconic actress...

Bhai- Bhai Whine, Pa- Ma Shine!

If you want to know how much it helps to have talented actors on board, you should definitely watch Onir's "Sorry Bhai!". The title sounds youthful and the story line is bold and very much belongs to the new generation but surprisingly its the 2 senior actors that score- Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani playing a couple the 2nd time after the hugely successful "Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd"

Sorry Bhai! is about Harsh (Sanjay Suri), Siddharth (Sharman Joshi) and Aaliyah (Chitrangada Singh). Harsh and Aaliyah are engaged and want to get married in Mauritius where they met and it is upto Harsh's younger brother Siddharth to bring his parents Gayatri and Naveen to the wedding venue. Naveen is cool about it and takes an instant liking for Aaliyah but Gayatri is furious that her son could do something like this. Harsh is busy with work and this makes life difficult for Aaliyah who is trying to reconcile with his parents. Enter Siddharth into Aaliyah's life and all hell breaks loose when Aaliyah and Siddharth fall hopelessly in love with each other.

It is to Onir's credit that he makes his actors deliver good performances and makes the whole plot looks convincing. Shabana and Boman support Onir in his endeavors and constantly rise above the script, delivering their dialogues with charm, wit and intelligence. Sanjay Suri is adequate as the ambitious Harsh and Sharman Joshi looks confused enough to play Siddharth. The sad part is with the characterization of Aaliyah who is made to look like a whore and Chithrangada Singh just fails to deliver. Onir also messes up with the confrontation scene between the brothers and it is so surprisingly low on drama that it looks unreal!

Sachin Kumar's camera captures the beauty of Maldives very well and the selection of white background and costumes while depicting characters with grey shades, is a good directorial touch. The best part of "Sorry Bhai!" is that its fast and does not waste much time in establishing its characters. This is modern, youthful, intelligent multiplex cinema that is further enhanced by the presence of talented actors like Shabana and Boman! Dont miss it on DVD or Satellite TV. It is worth your time :-)

Season of Boredom!

Pseudo intellectualism is so deeply ingrained in the average Malayalee psyche that our film makers these days create mediocre stuff (or even worse than that) and go singing around as if these are the best films anybody could make! We saw that happening with T V Chandran's lazily made "Vilaapangalkkappuram" and now it is the turn of Syamaprasad with the supposedly bold, youthful and different "Hruthu".

Honestly, I have always been a fan of Syamaprasad ever since his DD days- I thought his Uyirthezhunelppu and Maranam Durbalam are the best to have come out on Indian television. Though he messed up with his debut feature film "Kallu Kondoru Pennu", he more than made it up with "Agni Saakshi", "Akale" and the brilliant "Ore Kadal". Unfortunately, Hruthu scores few notches lower than even "Kallu Kondoru Pennu" and a fair share of the blame should go to the scriptwriter Joshua Newton!

Newton's distorted view of today's youth and the IT industry is where the problem is. One of his lead characters is gay and the scriptwriter finds it disturbing to disclose it. Even more worrisome is the way he slots the character as a villain- It is as if he is trying to proclaim that a person with a different sexual orientation cannot be normal! And the biggest blooper of it all is that the character's sexual orientation has nothing to do with the plot on hand!

He goes all wrong with the characterization of pretty much everyone- Varsha (an undeniably hot Rima Kallingal) is a compulsive flirt and hence has to join "gay" Sunny (Asif Ali, loud!) as an antagonist in the eyes of the pure and virtuous Sharath (Nishan, wooden). Jaya Menon who plays Zarina, the head of the IT company that the three friends work for, needs to tone down. She is loud, clumsy and irritatingly over the top. The only actor who displays some flair for the art is director MG Sasi who plays Sharath's older brother- the revolutionary Hari.

Rahul Raj's songs are mediocre- "Koo Koo Theevandi" is easily the pick of the lot. Editing is lazy but camerawork is impressive. Cuckoo Parameswaran scores with the costumes yet again- they are so trendy, so today and wearable! Hruthu also feels painfully long even at under 120 minutes- some amount of trimming might help but I would still rate this one as Syamaprasad's worst till date!

Face (of) the Future!

After 7 years of struggle for the right role and the right film, "Puthiya Mugham" could well be Prithviraaj's ticket to superstardom in Malayalam cinema. Puthiya Mugham is not great cinema, it is downright escapist and has hardly anything new to offer in terms of content, but it is the vision of a new director and the novelty with which Prithviraaj has been presented that makes it a winner.

Puthiya Mugham starts off as a regular college film with the customary College group dance, ragging of first year students, one way love, a priest- principal who handles rogues with ease et al but gets into serious business the moment Prithviraaj and Bala come face to face over a trivial issue born out of proportion by Bala's trusted friend on campus.

I am not sure whether Diphan- Sindhuraj duo did this on purpose but the message that the film tries to drive home is very relevant in today's times- that the youth of today do not need anything significant to get an adrenalin rush! The entire plot of Puthiya Mugham rests on an issue that could have been resolved across a table but does not get resolved because the protagonists want to run a show of one upmanship that finally ends with the death of one of them!

Prithviraaj looks dashing and carries off his role with panache. He struggles with the mridangam though! He even exposes his much written over torso and scores some extra points with the show. Bala grinds his teeth deep into his first well written role in Malayalam. The dubbing artiste is a bit loud but Bala more than makes up for that with his performance. Priyamani is adequate as Anjana while the rotund Meera Nandan needs to watch her weight! The guy who plays Bala's friend is a revelation not only in acting but also with his agility during the dance number. The rest of the cast with the exception of Jagadeesh put up a good show.

It is good to see Deepak Dev in action after a long time- "Picha vacha" and "Kottum Kottum" are good numbers. The costumer messes up with Prithviraaj and Priyamani during the song sequence shot in Malaysia so much so that you dont even care for the lyrics. The technicians do a good job though the backdrop of the Picha vacha song is a bit too over the top! The action sequences are the best that Malayalam cinema has seen in recent times though they smell a bit too much of Anniyan, Ghajini and Ayan!

To sum up, Puthiya Mugham is very high on paisa vasool entertainment and will definitely end up as Prithviraaj's biggest hit till date! Debutant director Diphan has had a good start and let's hope he continues making good entertainers in future too...