London Masala

Thandavam (Dance: தாண்டவம், Tamil; 2012)

I never really fancied Vikram (a.k.a. Chinaaya Kennedy) and his over the top overacting. One friend told me to view as it is supposed to different from his previous flicks. Unconvinced, I gave it a go anyway, but I beg to differ with his opinion. It is the same broody guy carrying the whole world's worry on his shoulders (like in Anniyan). And he is blind on top of it (like in Kasi). And trust the Indian masala to extrapolate the technique of echolocation, which was devised to help the visually handicapped to move around without knocking into things by hearing the echo of their voice, to be used instead by a blind ex-intelligence officer to become a vengeful killer! (A walking blind killer machine)

It starts with a 2011 New Year bomb blast in Tower Bridge London. A year later, people are seen leaving flowers at a monument erected to commemorate the dead. So is a blind man, Vikram, who is seen playing the organ in a church later.

Then there is a beauty parade. Sarah Vinayakam (Amy Jackson, a regular Tamil film actress) wins, and she tries to promote herself by performing public service. That lands her at the same church as Kenny (Vikram), and she develops a soft spot for him as most compassionate girls do in any Tamil film, of course after crossing each other's path. Of course, you cannot blame me, a child of the 80s, for comparing this performance to that of Kamalhasan in 'Raja Paarvai', a 80s' film of a blind musican.

Kenny has a dark side where he goes on a killing spree of certain prominent individuals in London. Santhanam (the comedian with the irritating whiny voice) as Satyan plays a cab driver who seems to be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and is initially thought to be involved in the killings. Nasseer as Veerakathi is a Sri Lankan Tamil speaking English police chief.

One of Kenny's killings goes wrong, and all three (Kenny, Sarah and Satyan) go into hiding. The real reason for the massacre is told.

Amy Jackson, Ms Liverpool 2009
and Runners up Ms England 2010

Kenny is actually Shivakumar, an intelligence officer in Delhi. He is summoned to his own wedding by his mother when he receives his own wedding card! He, a totally obedient every Indian mother dream child, just does his designated duty of trying the matrimonial knot. The wife, a high flying ophthalmologist (Anushka Shetty as Meenachi), more interested in her work rather than conjugal mess tells her new husband to keep his hands to himself, thinking that he is a lowly cop! Of course, the hubby surprises her in his own teenage love smitten cheesy ways that she turns into a love vixen.

Too long a good thing cannot last. Shiva has to go on a secret undercover mission to London to get his hands on a hard drive which carries some sensitive information and at same time sniff out some rogues in the department.
In London, he finds out that he had been double-crossed by his best friend. His wife who makes a surprise visit to London to wish Siva birthday wishes perishes in a bomb blast which is blamed squarely on him. He is blinded by shrapnel while trying to save his wife. Siva is labelled as a dangerous terrorist. His mother succumbs to a heart attack after hearing that her pristinely pure son could do such a travesty to the motherland. Sivakumar assumes a different identity and goes into hiding.

Loves the man's job, not the man!

Now coming back to the present time, Sayan and Sarah clear Siva's name and shows Veerakathi the real killer and story. Siva's name is cleared by the British courts, but Siva decides to stay in London and not return to India as his true love lies buried there in England...

Now, what is so special about that?

Vikram and all the male stars continue to churn out mentally unstimulating flicks these using pretty faces which do not usually make it past it into double digits of successful movies. We, the audience, are guilty are trying to ignite the production more of this kind of trash.

I must change my informants... As I do in most intelligence challenging films, I watched it by fast forwarding the dance-song scenes as the death-defying fighting scenes! It saved a lot of time and unnecessary anxiety.

Assassination of the character kind?

The Girl (2012)
This controversial film produced by HBO and BBC put the legendary Alfred Hitchcock in a bad light. It is the product of the interview of a down and out actress Tippi Hedren whom Hitchcock introduced in 'Bird' (1963).
Hitch's fascination with blondes continues after Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergmann and Kim Novak. In comes Tippi  Hedren a blonde with Nordic roots, a single mother, a model with a child. After an unpleasant encounter with Vera Miles who became pregnant during Hitchcock's earlier film, he is happy with her single status.
Tippi, on her side is smitten for having a chance to work with a director of his stature. He promises to elevate her career to that of Grace Kelly, who stopped acting after marrying Prince of Monaco.
Shooting of 'The Birds' commences (no pun intended). Slowly, Hitchcock starts controlling her dressing and even her make-up. We, the viewers, can see that Hitch is made to look like sexual predator, have long stares at Tippi whilst leaving to our imaginations of what actually goes through his mind!

BBC drama on Hitchcock attacked by former colleagues
Toby Jones (Hitchcock) and Sienna Miller (Tippi Hedren)
Both nominated in 2013 Golden Globe Award

He even tries to steal a kiss from her during one of their trips from the shooting scenes. To get back on her refusal, he insists on using live bird instead of the mechanised birds in crucial scenes of shooting of 'Birds'. He insists on repeated takes of the same scenes for days resulting in an exhausted and injured Tippi. Amidst this background, Tippi completes the film, albeit with some soul searching. Of course, the gifts and special treatment helped. This resiliency was the character admired by Hitch, that he casted her in his subsequent film, Marnie. Hitch's advances continues.
Mrs. Hitchcock (Alma) is fully aware of her husband's fascination with his heroines but decide to stay aloof and look the other way.

Tippi Hedren

Hitch starts stalking Tippi. Alma leaves Hitchcock temporarily. Hitch then started demanding sexual favours for bringing her to dizzying heights and even proposed that they should elope. Tippi completes her film and a leaves. She, however, does not get the chance to get into other films because of a clause in her contract that bars her from working with any other studio!
The film was received with mixed reviews, mainly because it was based on character assassination of a legend based on one person's interview of something left buried 60 years previously. Some are wondering whether it is just tears from a grieving star. On top of that, other Hitchcock's heroines like Doris Day (The Man who knew too much), Kim Novak (Vertigo) and Eve Marie Saint (North by Northwest) had nothing but praise and respect for this man. Anyway, Hitchcock is not around to defend himself. The actors (Toby Jones and Sienna Miller) in the film, however, did a excellent performance that they have been nominated for the 2013 Golden Globe Awards.

Liaison with the devil?

This is an interesting documentary about the life and times of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose and his army of freedom fighters in the Indian National Army. RS would be interested to note that Sikh soldiers were a hit amongst the German girls. There is a story of a Indo-Austrian child and a mysterious death which intrigues many conspiracy theorists. He is said to be the mysterious leader who had no qualms to shake hands with the devil for Independence of India.

Statistics are statistics

And they were always meant to be so... Unfortunately, we have always used statistics to generalize. Cancer of the lung had always been associated with male smokers. Of late, young non smoking ladies have also been struck by an aggressive form of this dreaded neoplasia.
The last thing that you would expect to be stricken by this malignancy who be a young mid 20 fit non-smoking male who does not indulge in unhealthy activities. A pious individual with his whole future paved right in front of him with a new job and a soon-to-be bride awaiting to dream of matrimonial bliss and all the dreamy memories that come with it. It makes it worse when you have seen the boy grow right in front of your very eyes stricken by this infamously deadly crab. Armed with a chest full of hope and passionate divine mercy the family is throttling along, praying for a miracle with diligent medical advice.
About twenty years ago, through the course of my work, I came in contact with a family who never really got over the fact that the fit youngest member of their big closely knit family went for a football game with his friend and returned home as a corpse. The family could not fathom why a 22 year old active athletic male could die from pulmonary embolism (clots in veins of the lung, commonly seen in obese, sedentary or pregnant individuals). The explanation of the Divine forces had bigger plans that we, mere mortals would not comprehend, was unacceptable. The stopped visiting the House of God and observing certain religious practices that they religiously held close to their hearts. One thing that they never failed to do was to place a memorial reminder in the papers annually on his death anniversary.
There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics as quoted by Twain.

Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."

- Mark Twain's Own Autobiography: The Chapters from the North American Review

Illustration by Peter Newell from COSMOPOLITAN, August 1898

National Geographic Photo Contest 2012 Winners

Thanks RS for input!

Grand-Prize Winner: The Explosion! The subject's name is Busaba, a well cared for Indochinese Tigress whose home is at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Thailand. I had taken many portraits of Busaba previously and it was becoming more and more difficult to come up with an image that appeared any different to the others. Which is why I took to observing her more carefully during my visits in the hope of capturing something of a behavioral shot. The opportunity finally presented itself while watching Busaba enjoying her private pool then shaking herself dry. In all humility I have to say that Mother Nature smiled favorably on me that day! (© Ashley Vincent/National Geographic Photo Contest)

First Place, Places Category: The Matterhorn, 4,478m, at full moon. (© Nenad Saljic/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Viewers' Choice for Places: Iceberg Hunters - Chipping ice off an iceberg is a common way for the Inuit community to retrieve fresh drinking water while on the land. During a weekend long hunting trip, we came upon this majestic iceberg frozen in place. It was a perfect opportunity to grab enough ice and drinking water for the remainder of the trip.(© Adam Coish/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Viewers' Choice for Nature: Tender Moment - Everyday in Mara starts with something new and different and day ends with memorable experiences with spectacular photographs. I was very lucky to sight and photograph Malaika, the name of this female Cheetah, and her cub. She is well known for her habit of jumping on vehicles. She learned that from her mother Kike, and Kike from her mother Amber. Like her mother she is teaching lessons to her cub. This is a tender moment between Malaika and her cub. I was very lucky to capture that moment. (© Sanjeev Bhor/National Geographic Photo Contest

Honorable Mention, People: Captive - Yayasan Galuh Rehabilitation Center is an impoverished mental health facility based in Bekasi, Indonesia that hosts over 250 patients. Most come from poor families no longer interested in managing their condition, or are unable. Some patients are homeless, deposited after being taken off streets by police The only medical treatment received is for skin conditions. No assessments, psychotherapy or psychiatric medications is available. Over one third of the patients are shackled in chains. These measures are implemented to those thought to be violent, uncontrollable and dangerous. (© Wendell Phillips/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Viewers' Choice for People: Expedition Amundsen - A race that follows in the path of the famous explorer Roald Amundsen brings the contestants to the Hardangervidda Mountainplateu, Norway. 100km across the plateau, the exact same route Amundsen used to prepare for his South Pole expedition in 1911 is still used by explorers today. Amundsen did not manage to cross the plateau and had to turn back because of bad weather. He allegedly said that the attempt to cross Hardangervidda was just as dangerous and hard as the conquering of the South Pole. The group in the picture used the race as preparations for an attempt to cross Greenland.(© Kai-Otto Melau/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Honorable Mention, Places: Eerie Eiffel - The gloomy winter day worked to my advantage to create this eerie feeling of the famous landmark Eiffel tower.(© Indra Swari Wonowidjojo/National Geographic Photo Contest)

First Place for People: Amongst the Scavengers - In Dandora, Kenya. At the end of the day women are allowed to pick through the dumpsite.(© Micah Albert/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Honorable Mention, Nature: Predation up close and personal - Near Komodo, Indonesia, I was surrounded by thousands of fish that moved in synchrony because of the predation that was happening. It was an incredible experience. (© Fransisca Harlijanto/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Honorable Mention, Nature: Red Fox catching mouse under snow - With his exceptional hearing a red fox has targeted a mouse hidden under 2 feet of crusted snow. Springing high in the air he breaks through the crusted spring snow with his nose and his body is completely vertical as he grabs the mouse under the snow. In Squaw Creek, Park Country, Wyoming. (© Micheal Eastman/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Honorable Mention, People: Chinese traditional dragon boat racing - Dragon boating is a Chinese traditional entertainment. As an aquatic sport to commemorate Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet in ancient China, it is usually held in festivals, which can be traced back to two thousands years ago. (© 关嘉城/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Honorable Mention, Nature: East of Iceland - Glacial ice washes ashore after calving off the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier on Iceland's eastern coast. During the waning light of summer this image was created over the course of a 4 minute exposure while the photographer backlit the grounded glacial ice with a headlamp for 2 of those 4 minutes.(© Eric Guth/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Honorable Mention, Nature: Ursus arctos horribilis - This photo of a wild Alaskan brown bear digging on a game trail was taken with a homemade motion-controlled triggering device hooked up to my DSLR. Location: Bear Creek, Lake Aleknagik, Alaska. (© Jason Ching/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Honorable Mention, People: Stilt Fishing - Stilt fishing is a typical fishing technique only seen in Sri Lanka. The fishermen sit on a cross bar called a petta tied to a vertical pole planted into the coral reef. This long exposure shot shows how unstable their position is

Love blooms after forty...

Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi (Shirin-Farhad made it,Hindi;2012,)

Ferhad Pastakia is a 45 year old goody two shoes Farsi man who is living with his over-domineering and constrictive mother and grandmum. He has cordial relations with his aunt and cousins. The only problem is that everybody is trying to get him married desperately. He feels that his chances are getting slimmer as he gets older and the ladies he is introduced to are getting younger. And the embarrassing problem to the prospective brides is that he is employed as a sales assistant in a ladies' undergarment shop, which is not a problem at all to Ferhad.
A chance meeting of a 40something customer, Sherrin Fuggawalla who happened to be a secretary at the Parsees' Trust Association just clicked the right button. After a few dates, Farhad brings her to meet her mother, just when she discovers that Sherrin was instrumental in destroying a certain illegal water tank in their ancestral home. Ferhad's mother goes ballistic.
Basically he was left with a choice of needing to choose between his mother and his beau.

A famous Farsi

Sherrin has her set of problems with a comatose bed ridden father. After a yo-yo of ups and down, with not much imagination and as predictable, the couple tie the knot after the hero makes a stand and sheds off his 'push over' image in front of his mother and aunt.

The film is nothing new on its storyline. The only refreshing thing in its storyline is that for a change, a Hindi movie is not all about youth, music and flashing of the flesh. There is still hope for 40 somethings for love and starring role in a major movie. Maybe the fact that these two main actors are big names in Bollywood made the difference. Farah Khan, a famed choreographer, did not particularly shine as a leading star. Boman Irani, a accomplished comedian fared well as a Mommy's boy. Farhad's mother role, played by Daisy Irani, a common feature in Singapore's sitcom, 'Under One Roof'.

Dramatisation of a secret mission

Argo 2012

Direction: Ben Affleck

This film received much praise mainly because it is an American movie that exaggerates American efforts to save its citizens from its 'evil' enemies. In the process, it renders genuine helpers mere bystanders. It narrates a secret mission apparently to rescue six embassy staff members who managed to escape their captors during the takeover of the American Embassy in 1979.  

Ben Affleck (the director and producer) stars as a CIA agent who masterminds an escape plan for the embassy staff by entering Iran undercover as a Canadian filmmaker searching for a location for his movie Argo, a space fantasy film. He manages to gain entry and contact the escapees. The tension of escaping from the threatening Iranian militia amidst the last-minute cancellation of their ticket and the pulsating excitement at the immigration exit point form the highlight of the film.

The camera shots were not typical of a feature film but resembled journalistic footage, like how reporters would capture live coverage, adding authenticity to the story. That's fresh! Even though we all know how the ending will be, the director still managed to maintain high tension and excitement right till the end!

The fictitious exit point drama before the runway
police car chase (also never happened)

People involved in the actual mission clarified that it was not as filled with anxiety, and other nationalities also played more significant roles. However, since this film is based on real events and not the actual mission, the dramatic licence allows it to portray the CIA as the eternal heroes and others as either foolish or barbaric!

To be fair, the film attempts to depict and justify the Iranian uprising, though it contains some historical inaccuracies (was this intentional?). After being governed by numerous Shahs, a secular prime minister was elected in 1950. He nationalised the oil fields operated by American and British companies. In response, the US supported a coup d'état to install Shah Reza Pahlavi as their puppet monarch. Many killings and punishments were carried out by Savak (his secret police) during his extravagant rule - the empress is said to have bathed in milk, and the Shah reportedly had his lunch flown from Paris on Concorde!

The people retaliated with the 1979 Islamic revolution. The deposed Shah (in the USA for cancer) is demanded to be returned. In this setting, the American Embassy hostage crisis unfolds. The great escape comes to an end when the stewardess announces on the PA system, "..alcoholic beverages will be served now as we are clear of the Iranian skies!..."

Just a few observations...

I never knew the term 'sweatshop' was popular before the 1990s and that the 'F' word wasn't used so freely in the late 1970s (I think, unless I was with the wrong crowd).