Ruminations of a meandering mind

I feel quite sad to often see scathing remarks than good ones about M.G. Sreekumar. Who cares about his personal life or how he is as a person. He is my favourite male singer in Malayalam, period. Some of his renditions have been amazing, showcasing his considerable talent. This has been further substantiated by the fact that on one occasion, the legendary music director Johnson mentioned that he is one of the most versatile singers in Malayalam, second only to Jesudas. My personal pick of some of his best songs have come in either obscure movies so that the songs themselves never got noticed or it came in a time when the movies and the songs clicked during the film's release but were soon forgotten, lost in the sands of time. To name a few:

Thallam Marannu Tharaatu Kettu from the movie Pranamam
Pullariyude Pallaku Vanne from the movie Makkal Mahatmyam
Ammakilikoodilil from the movie Ammakilikoodu
Kandu Njan Mizhikalil from the movie Abhmianyu
Poovayivirinju Poonthenn from the movie Atharvam

These songs prove that he is no ordinary singer. Known for his fast paced songs that he sings with hitherto unheard-of panache, I have also considered him to an amazing stage singer. Some of his more famed songs :

Kaneer Poovinte
Sooryakireedam
Anthkadapoorathu
All songs from the magical combination with MohanLal and Priyadarshan
Sundari Sundari

and many more made him attain great commercial success.

In a career spanning over 2 decades to hold one's own footing in an era that also had the always in demand God of Malayalam playback singing Jesudas is no small achievement.All in all, MGS, you rock, and here's hoping for more soulful, dulcet renderings.

After what seems like forever, watched a near perfect English film. Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy is one of those seemingly nondescript movies that comes along without much of a hooplah and delivers big time. With its perfectly cast ensemble of the finest British actors and a mesmerizing background score, TTSS is a gem. Gary Oldman, the British actor whom one could hope to see more of on the big screen, comes up with the finest performances of the year. In a nutshell, this Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of the John Le Carre novel is not to be missed.

I dont know what to feel after watching Zindagi Na Milage Dobara..the coming of age cliche notwithstanding. Director Zoya Akhtar who showed great promise in her first outing, takes a few steps back with this one. It is not funny enough although it tries hard to be, the dialogues are not intelligent enough, the gags not good enough to linger long in memory. 10 years ago Farhan Akhtar made the quintessential DCH. ZNMD is no DCH, so lets not even compare even though comparisons seem inevitable. ZNMD has a bunch of talented lead actors but they just dont seem to be perfect in their roles, they seem contrived and unoriginal. However, this is still not a bad film, which shows the talent of Zoya, really, she can still put in some great sequences here and there and keep you engrossed. Like the one where the underwater expedition has Hrithik's character coming out in a daze and reflecting on the changes that one moment has caused, the tears carefully accentuate the feeling. And the other where Farhan's character loses all fear midway through the sky dive and on landing, the three of them rejoice at this accomplishment. And then there is Naseeruddin Shah, why cant we see more of this man in our movies. His 5 minutes cameo is absolutely brilliant. And there's also Farhan humming poems at different points in the movie, surely the best thing in ZNMD, the poetry and also because its Javed Akhtar's compositions. So you can sit through this one and some of us would want a repeat viewing, a good film but still a disappointment, considering this one's from Zoya.

Never been a sitcom fan but The Big Bang Theory is fast turning out to be an exception. The cast is just perfect but one actor does stand out.Jim Parsons who plays Sheldon Cooper, a socially inept nerd is first rate. Its an exceptionally difficult part to portray as the demeanour and expressions have to be just right. Add this to the fact that you need to convey the humor and make it believable so the comic timing should also be spot on. I dont mean that this is a one man show as the other actors do have their own space and playtheir parts brilliantly.The other thing that keeps you hooked is the writing. There is never a dull moment. Its no mean achievement that you are trying to infuse humor in converstations between four caltech graduates so dialogues must have a lot of scientific and technical jargon. So there is bound to be a lot of research that goes into the writing that deserves a lot of credit. The show is quick to gain ratings in its fourth season and could well turn out to be one of the most successful ever.

Here goes another one, wow, not sure if I have ever posted twice on the same day.

Had bacon and eggs finally.Reading when I was younger, I remember the most sought after breakfast in novels was bacon and fried eggs. Must admit, it tastes better than I expected. More servings of the same expected before I return.

Here goes one in time to break one of those ephemeral silences.
I am now in Saarbrucken. Not sure, if its the Christmas round the corner but its been different than the sleepy towns in Germany I have stayed in before. The place is brimming with activity, brightening up the winter gloom. Yesterday, we made a 2.5 hour (cross country?) trip from Saarbrucken to Heidelberg. The five of us purchased multiple tickets not knowing that one 37 Euro ticket served as a weekend pass for all five of us to travel basically to any part of the country by train. Excellent! Serves us right for not knowing the native tongue in Deutschland.

Have to say that Anurag Kashyap has never disappointed. He is associated with exactly the kind of movies I enjoy most. Just got back from watching Udaan. Kashyap has co-written and co-produced this one. Udaan is rivetting cinema. A hard hitting coming of age Bollywood film with writing that is first rate. Vikramaditya Motwane makes a grand debut as a director. The acting is top-notch and dialogues crisp with an enchanting musical score. Chefs-d'œuvre. Go for it!

I thought I should do a Tehelka on myself just to keep this blog rolling. So here goes:

A book that means a lot to you?
The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene. Its vintage Greene just for its profound characterisation,a deep understanding of morality and the conflicts of the individual.

Your favourite genre?
I dont read and stick on to one particular genre and hence there are no favorites.

Your favourite character?
Owen Meany in Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany. Read it to find out why.

How many books do you own?
Never counted. 400-500 would be a safe bet.

An underrated book?
All books by John Irving. All of Irving's books are intelligent, darkly comic and leave you with a lump in the throat.

An overrated book?
Many would disagree. For me the pick has to be Fountainhead by Ayn Rand just for being so preachy.

The book you bought last?
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.

Last book read?
Rabbit at Rest by John Updike.

A book you wish you'd written?
This is very difficult and hence like to pass :-).