Thursday, March 21, 2013
Cricket will not be the same anymore
If memory serves me right, I first watched him bat when India played New Zealand, he had been promoted to open the batting in what was going to be a stroke of genius by Ganguly. He was replacing his idol at the top who was out due to injury. He looked so much like his idol at that time, be it his stance and even some of his shots had the Sachin stamp. He smashed a century off 60 odd balls.
He was a genius, a modern day great, someone who was selfless about his own game but selfish when it came to destroying the opposition,he had no idea about the records that existed in the game and impossible as it sounds even forgetful about the last ball that was bowled to him. Nothing seemed to faze him, his game was built on a sound hand eye coordination-something that made up for his lack of footwork and something that would also be his vital thorn as he aged and found difficult to cope with the swinging bouncy tracks overseas-and a perfect balance. He was brilliant through the off side, the significant bottom hand was seen in his vicious cut shots. His leg side play improved considerably during the latter part of his career.
It is therefore befitting that my first article on cricket has to be about Viru. I write this with a sinking feeling that his return to international cricket is now a very slim possibility. For a game of glorious uncertainties, I so wish Viru proves me wrong, we can only wait! I haven't seen a player like him in the long years I have been following the game and there will no another one like him. He could dispatch a brilliant delivery to the boundary with consummate ease and also get out to a long hop caught somewhere in the out field. He could be beaten by a beauty from the bowler and and hit the same bowler for a six the very next ball. That was Sehwag for you, unpredictable but a player you could just pay and get your money's worth when it was his day.
I will so miss him on the cricket field, and cricket without Viru will not be the same anymore.
He was a genius, a modern day great, someone who was selfless about his own game but selfish when it came to destroying the opposition,he had no idea about the records that existed in the game and impossible as it sounds even forgetful about the last ball that was bowled to him. Nothing seemed to faze him, his game was built on a sound hand eye coordination-something that made up for his lack of footwork and something that would also be his vital thorn as he aged and found difficult to cope with the swinging bouncy tracks overseas-and a perfect balance. He was brilliant through the off side, the significant bottom hand was seen in his vicious cut shots. His leg side play improved considerably during the latter part of his career.
It is therefore befitting that my first article on cricket has to be about Viru. I write this with a sinking feeling that his return to international cricket is now a very slim possibility. For a game of glorious uncertainties, I so wish Viru proves me wrong, we can only wait! I haven't seen a player like him in the long years I have been following the game and there will no another one like him. He could dispatch a brilliant delivery to the boundary with consummate ease and also get out to a long hop caught somewhere in the out field. He could be beaten by a beauty from the bowler and and hit the same bowler for a six the very next ball. That was Sehwag for you, unpredictable but a player you could just pay and get your money's worth when it was his day.
I will so miss him on the cricket field, and cricket without Viru will not be the same anymore.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Beautiful is Beautiful
Beautiful is a milestone. Just short of 2 hours, its a film that delighted me from the first frame. Dont miss it simply for the fact that malayalam cinema hasnt lost it yet. V K Prakash finally hits the bulls eye with this one thanks to the brilliant script by Anoop Menon. Watch out for the subtle performances by the lead actors, none of them going overboard, Anoop Menon stands out in yet another stellar performance. Not to be missed.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Few words about MGS - the singer
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.
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.
Friday, December 30, 2011
TTSS
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.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
ZNMD
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.
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Histrionics of Sheldon Cooper
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.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Bacon and eggs
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.
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.
Saar Land
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.
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.
