RIFLE RANGE BOY

Sarpatta Paramparai (சர்பட்ட பரம்பரை, Tamil, 2021) Written, Directed by Pa Ranjith One can learn a thing or two by watching films, i.e. if one is bothered to check the backstory. This is one rare full-length boxing film in Tamil, coming from a land that usually infuses familial masala to the storyline. In keeping with the timeline the story is set in, in the 1970s, there is ample sprinkling of Tamil Nadu politics to set the mood. For once, we see actors who really look their part as boxers. The make-up, boxing techniques and the make-believe props that cradles us back to the mid-1970s are convincing enough. Before watching this film, I did not know that boxing was a passionate sport in northern Madras even before the 1940s. Boxing came to India with the British. In Tamil Nadu, it was named 'kuttu chandei', and it came with its own set of rules. Boxers could not hit each others' faces, not the body. In the early 1940s, it seems there was a black British boxer (some say he is...

Vivekanda Illam, Chennai. Ever wondered how people in the tropical climates used to cool themselves down on a hot day before the advent of refrigeration? Frederic Tudor, a businessman from New England, had the foresight to harvest something free from its frozen lakes to ship it to places that needed it most. He mastered the art of sending tonnes of ice, covered with sawdust, to Florida and the Caribbean in the early 19th century. He later even exported it all the way to India. A trip carrying 100 over tonnes of ice from Boston to Madras typically took 4 months with 80% of the cargo intact. In the 1840s, Frederic Tudor built a facility in Madras to store his merchandise. It was named the Ice House. Frederic Tudor was part of the Boston Elite or Boston Brahmins, as they were referred to. The Boston Brahmins are descendants of the earliest immigrants from England. They were Protestants and were the leading influencers of American institutions and cultures. Frederic Tudor In...

Vazhakku Enn 18/9 (Court Case Number 18/9; Tamil, 2012) I ended up watching this 2012 India's nomination for the Oscars in the foreign film category. It was recommended to me by my wife as the next best thing since sliced bread using an unknown cast. Unlike me, she never had the chance to appreciate the late 70s and 80's era of 'arty' mainstream Kollywood film shot in unglamorous villages using new plain atypical film-star faces and relatively little makeup. Films in this category would include 'Pasi', 'Nizhalgal' and 'Moodu Pani'. The way I see 18/9, this film can be divided into 3 parts. The first part showcases the daily trials and tribulations of the low-income citizens of Chennai. Every living day is another day of survival, ferociously arguing and barking at fellow human being for a piece of the dwindling pie in the material world. The second reveals the relative comfort of the prospering 'milder' mannered but shrewd and cautious...

Madras to Pondicherry (Tamil,1966 B/W) One of the sites I saw recently placed this Tamil film as #4 in his list of 50 Tamil movies 'to see before you die!'. Not for anything but its unique genre - road movie category. In fact, I remember watching another movie (Thirumalai Thenkumari) where it shows various characters and escapades whilst enroute to perform pilgrimage. Along the way, the marvel of divine powers of the Lord is depicted in rather melodramatic and melodious ways through its story and devotional songs. In Hollywood, off hand, one can recollect films like 'Boney & Clyde' and 'Easy Rider' which fit into this bill. In a way, the 60s western TV series 'Have Gun will travel' - " ¶ Paladin, paladin where do you go? ¶ " can be included for it shows someone with a dark past going places for adventure! MTP is a full length comedy with a small element of suspense embedded in it. It is the story of the adventures of a bus driver (A. K...