GBUF 26 Oct 2025

 

#sriGINthoughts #GBUF #GoodBadUglyFunny #26Oct25

Political Flow: 

🌍 The last two weeks meandered. The Middle East is sitting on an uneasy peace. It’s BAU on the Russia–Ukraine front. India is acting tough with the U.S. Not all quiet on the western, or rather, the Baloch front for Pakistan. Then Trump… has a side talk with the Indonesian President and puts in a word for his son, Eric; continues his pardoning spree this term. Binance’s CZ — who had backed the First Family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial — hit the thou-shalt-be-pardoned lottery this time. Amid all this, Timor-Leste became the 11th member of ASEAN. So, will ASEAN now be called ASEAN XI? Oops — that won’t sit well with DJT, will it? 🤝

Sport Miracles: 

🇨🇻As is its wont, sports threw up joyful surprises. Cape Verde (aka Cabo Verde) qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A nation of barely half a million making it to football’s pinnacle tournament… Cameroon vibes anyone? As if that weren’t enough, LA Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani ⚾ belted three home runs and struck out ten batters — all in a single pennant-winning game, redefining the very idea of an all-rounder. For context, that’s roughly the baseball equivalent of a triple-century and a ten-for in one cricket match! Meanwhile, Kohli fist-pumped after breaking two ducks! 😉 

Tech Outages: 

💥 AWS went down — perfect timing, Indians were about to celebrate Diwali. 😊 It seemed like half the internet went dark, though Asia mostly escaped the chaos. Among the top casualties: smart beds! 🛌 Users of Eight Sleep found themselves either too hot or too cold, with beds that refused to elevate, flatten, or sound the wake-up alarm. How much more interconnected do we really want our lives to be? 😴

TV Brouhaha: 

🎶 The doyen of music television, MTV, is shutting down its music channels. For many of us who grew up listening to the greats belting out one hit after another, guided by those funky VJs, MTV (along with the now-defunct Channel V) shaped our pop-music lives. [Not that I could decipher any of the lyrics until much later!] 

👦 And then came the trolling of Ishit Bhatt. The precocious ten-year-old, brimming with confidence and bluster, who made it to the hotseat on the Junior edition of Kaun Banega Crorepati (the Indian Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?), was accused of being disrespectful to the great Amitabh Bachchan. The online mob descended, seemingly extracting an apology from the child. Slow Clap! 

👨‍💼 All this, in a world where Bill Gates made a cameo in the Hindi soap Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (“Because the Mother-in-Law Was Also Once a Daughter-in-Law”) to discuss maternal and child health with the heroine, Smriti Irani — a former India cabinet minister. Now tell me, really — who owes whom an apology? 

💎 Crime & Culture:

Rounding out the week with a daring heist at the Louvre Museum. In less time than it takes to finish a morning cappuccino (9:30–9:38 am, to be precise), four thieves made their escape on two scooters — with a few diadems ( not the Ravenclaw kind ), brooches, and necklaces — leaving French authorities rouge-faced. Not one to squander a publicity opportunity, the German company Böcker, which manufactured the ladder the robbers used, ran a tongue-in-cheek advert. And wags around the world are already telling their bosses: even French thieves observe “working hours.” 😎

Views are personal. Any hurt unintentional. Till the next heist…

Kantara C1: Possessed by Faith, Confused by Plot

 

Eight reasons Why I “liked” Kantara: A Legend Chapter-1:

1. One noticed that Mysore Sandalwood is the fragrance partner (!?) of the movie. Except for Rukmini Vasanth, Jayaram, and Gulshan Devaiah, everyone else looks like they could use a thorough wash. A year’s production spent on that, perhaps? #RatherLather
2. Who is Rishab Shetty — Tiger’s son, various Guligas, Parasurama, Shiva, Chavundi…? A true Aham Brahmasmi problem in motion. #330MillionGodsInOne
3. From the yesteryear Deewar to the recent Coolie (yes, that “Powerless Powerhouse!”) and now Kantara — the oppressed are forever fighting to control the harbour. The rest, heroine included, just follow the tide. #SpicyShips
4. While you’re wondering what the Kadambas are up to, the Kadapas are busy managing the Daivas only for the people of Kantara to repel them. Fret not — Kantara C2 will surely explain. #3KProblem
5. Not sure whether it was the dense forest or the projection system at Shaw Theatres, but the movie was literally dark — except, mercifully, for the frames featuring Rukmini. #NoirApproach
6. Thankfully, Forest Officer Kishore and Landlord Achyut Kumar don’t return from K1. Even some of the calefares had a second Kantara run. #SupportLocalTalent
7. Whenever Rishab is possessed, one truly feels it — goosebumps included. But before and after that? We’re the ones possessed. #GuligaPower
8. The rampant-chariot-on-Raja-Veedhi sequence was gripping. The only issue? The Princess and her entourage watched it like an IND vs WI Test match. Swalpa bhavane torisi-ri, Kalavathi-avare! #ExhibitionMatch

---

Kantara C1 aims to bring the faith and folklore of coastal Karnataka to the fore through a layered, mythological narrative. It works in fleeting patches but gets tangled along the way. Is it a social-message film - untouchability, tribal oppression... all cured only through divine intervention, or just another good-versus-evil saga with celestial assistance?

This chapter bears and just about managed the heavy burden of the first instalment that wowed us a few years ago, ₹500 crore collections notwithstanding. Faith sells, after all.

I loved Devar’s Murugan movies, Amman, and Yaar etc., — they may have lacked polish, but they had clarity and a discernible flow. Would I mention Kantara C1 in the same breath? Hmm...

Some of the set pieces impress — that langur fight was fierce (though it was hard to tell who was hitting whom!) — and the tiger? Easily better than Life of Pi’s Richard Parker.

If you can’t spare the time or the ticket, wait for it to stream on Prime Video.

⭐⭐⭐

#sriGINthoughts #reviews #KantaraChapter1 #Kannada

 

Three Movies & Three Results

3 Movies. 

3 Languages. 

3 Genres. 

3 Results.

#sriGINthoughts #reviews

Let’s get the junk done and dusted first.

(PC: Indiaglitz)

Madharaasi is a mashup of Thuppakki, Ghajini, and countless other mindless action flicks that seem to afflict the Indian movie industry. Down to the cringe punch dialogue by Vidyut Jammwal: “I will be the villain irrespective of who wields the gun!” If more such movies are made, gun culture in Tamil Nadu will automatically flourish—with the audience drawing out guns at the makers of such films. And to think the PR machines were working overtime to push this movie up or down, depending on their respective allegiances... pure waste of time. As I said earlier, Rukmini Vasanth is fresh. Otherwise, thanks, but no thanks. Murugadoss can be renamed Murugaloss!

#MadRaasi #Tamil #PrimeVideo #2Stars

Now onto mid-table, pleasantly-average zone.

(PC: Bollywoodshaadis)

Inspector Zende is based on the OG Madhukar Bapurao Zende, who caught the notorious Charles Sobhraj—twice. Played ably by Manoj Bajpayee, the film traces what Zende and his motley crowd of Mumbai police—full of pride and zero rupees to spend—do to chase and arrest Carl Bhojraj (yes, you’ve figured it out: a name-play on the infamous serial killer). 

Think regular, make-ends-meet imaandari; smart, hard-as-nails policemen; procedural turf wars; and some not-so-goofy comedy. It’s all in there. But since it's based on real life, there’s a bit of heart to it, which makes it a one-time watchable.

I did wonder why they had to change the name of the criminal—then found that Netflix already had a documentary on Sobhraj :-)

#FlutteringFlag #Hindi #Netflix #3Stars

And here is the top-drawer stuff!

(PC: India Today)

Su From So is a marvelous comedy that’s earthy, soulful, and elevated all at once. Set somewhere near Mangalore, it feels refreshingly original as it deftly captures the quirks and chaos of innocent—and not-so-innocent—lives. Every single character (I mean every one) delivers performances so magnetic, it’s impossible to look away. The expressions, reactions, dialogue delivery, body language, timing... chef’s kiss! It’s riotously funny and utterly captivating.

No big stars here (Raj B. Shetty, maybe you’ve heard of him), and that’s exactly why the film stays focused on the story instead of hero worship. Sure, it’s predictable and drags a bit at times, but honestly, who cares? Warts and all, the execution is top-notch, and it rightfully deserves the multi-bagger status it has earned.

One can only hope first-timer JP Thuminad has plenty more gems up his sleeve. And oh, that Varaaha Roopam tribute to Kantara during the transformation scene? Absolutely scrumpcilious!

#OhoHoHo #JioHotstar #Einthusan #Kannada #4Stars

GBUF - 05Oct25

 #GBUF #GoodBadUglyFunny #05Oct25 #sriGINthoughts

👋 Greetings. GBUF is back after more than four months of lethargy and excuses. I pity you. 😊

Here we go…

🤖 AI is becoming all-pervading. AI star, 20-something Aravind Srinivas (of Perplexity), has become India’s youngest billionaire with a comet-like 😉 rise. For context, almost-60 Shah Rukh Khan became a billionaire only last year. Funnily, SRK was pipped by a Physics teacher, Alakh Pandey. Age of knowledge, anyone? #MainBillionaireHoonNa

🎭 Speaking of AI and acting, last week introduced Tilly Norwood, a virtual influencer, to much fanfare. Following in the footsteps of Lil Miquela, who has virtually influenced brands such as BMW and celebrated her birthday with 2.7 million Instagram followers, Tilly is poised to be the first of many such 'actresses.' The jury is divided: some believe AI 'personification' aids SMEs in running campaigns, while others feel that actors and actresses across various 'woods' around the world are in danger. I do hear that one such character might be acting with a leading Kollywood hero 😉 #WoodenActors

💍 Two incidents last week would have caused much chagrin to the youth of South India, specifically Karnataka. OG #Srivalli – Rashmika Mandanna and OG #ArjunReddy – Vijay Devarakonda – are engaged and will tie the knot next year. As if that were not enough, booze company Diageo intends to sell the much-beloved-but-with-only-one-title #RCB to Covid vaccine maker Adar Poonawalla at a $2B valuation. #SendingShivers

😔 And then, a Kollywood hero’s meeting in Karur sent shivers down the spine. Actor Vijay is either too naïve or indifferent—or both. After having run a few conferences beset with crowd management issues, he (and his coterie) seems not to have learnt their lessons and played into the hands of the ruling DMK (who conveniently seemed to have gone easy on the arrangements). Result: 40+ lives lost in a stampede that could’ve been prevented. Blind hero worship + inexperience + organisational apathy caused the mishap. What followed was typical tweet-politics. #BlackTownMourns

🌍 Politics did not stop in the White House, Tel Aviv or Gaza. Trump was upset with Netanyahu, forced him to apologise for the Qatar bombings, and drew up a plan that was three-quarters ultimatum (to both sides) and one-quarter statesmanship (funny, I use that word in a sentence with DJT in it!). Hamas and Israel seem to have agreed, though a few dozen lives were lost yesterday. But this 7th October is likely to see the end of the war—at least temporarily. Oh, by the way, Trump is not too worried about the US Government shutdown. “It will burn the excess fat,” he would say! How far will a man go to get that Nobel Peace Prize? #NobelHostage

🏯 But Sanae Takaichi did not win a prize. She earned it. Set to become the first female PM of Japan (a mentee of the late Shinzo Abe), the 64-year-old former bike chick and rock/heavy metal fan will start ruling Japan in about a week’s time. Times are changing! Given India PM Modi’s closeness with Abe-san, he will find in the conservative Takaichi-san someone easy to work with and move things faster. The only question left – will the Modi memes now retire Meloni and start featuring Sanae riding a motorbike with a guitar in hand? 🎸🏍️ #TakaModi

💬 One can’t end this week’s chitchat without talking about #Arattai. Ever since Indian minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted endorsing Zoho’s ‘Swadeshi’ products, Arattai (a WhatsApp/Telegram wannabe) from #Zoho has skyrocketed in its usage. Infrastructure is being poured in; bugs are fixed even before people are finding them. Individuals and groups on WA and TG are shifting loyalty in droves. (Remember Signal?). Given Sridhar Vembu’s inclinations and measured approach, this can be a winner. Requests: Don’t change the name. Make UPI payments possible. Don’t compare yourself with WA or TG. Be better than WeChat. #MeaningfulChat

🙃 Personal opinions. Any hurt, unintentional.

🕊️ Peace – GBUF signing off… before AI decides it can do this better. 😂

 

GBUF - 26 May 25

 

#GBUF #sriGINthoughts #26May25 #GoodBadUglyFunnyTrusk

Last week, education found itself in the spotlight – twice, through incidents that unfolded tens of thousands of miles apart.

📕 In Singapore, the prestigious National University of Singapore (NUS), currently ranked 8th globally, decided it was time for some spring cleaning. Unfortunately, this meant literally dumping over 9,000 books from the now-defunct Yale-NUS College library—into the bin. The university cited an “operational lapse” while following “standard library practice.” Many, however, saw it as a “1984” moment of historic revisionism: throw away the books, and perhaps you can erase the memory of the Yale-NUS experiment altogether. After a solid public furore (and a lot of egg on the institutional face), NUS salvaged most of the books and is now giving them away for free on May 28. #ShredEducation 📘

🏠 As NUS shredded its books, Donald Trump attempted to shred Harvard—by attempting to block it from enrolling or hosting foreign students. While a judge has temporarily stalled this draconian measure, the damage is done. Thousands of students are now left uncertain about their academic futures. Universities across the U.S. are on tenterhooks, waiting for the next political guillotine to drop. Students across the world are looking more seriously at alternatives in Europe and Asia. O #MAGAEducation, what a rage! 🛫

🚙 Speaking of rage, road rage is universal. Someone overtakes you from the wrong side. Someone honks incessantly. Someone else flashes the middle finger. Your blood pressure spikes. You breathe in, chant “All is well,” and slowly return to normal. Unfortunately, elephants don’t quite work the same way. On a Malaysian highway near an elephant crossing, a conscientious driver stopped and turned off his car’s headlights to let a herd pass. The impatient drivers behind him, however, honked—startling the pachyderms. The result? Three elephants ambled up and smashed the first car to smithereens. Rage is truly universal. #ToughTuskers 🐘

🐶 In Singapore, the rules around pets in public housing (HDB flats) are strict. Only certain breeds of dogs are allowed, and only one dog/cat per flat. It’s a no-pets policy otherwise – much like that infamous condominium in Bangkok that made news last week. But humans being humans, rules tend to get bent. One flat owner housed a noisy, rule-breaking dog, much to the frustration of a neighbour. So, what did the neighbour do? He took matters into his own hands, or more accurately, his own fangs. He released two large snakes into the corridor, declaring: “I couldn’t carry the bigger one today!” Somewhere, Salazar Slytherin is smiling. #EyeForAnEye 🐍

🟠 Meanwhile, in the U.S., the political corridors are shifting—yet again. Elon Musk, once an ardent cheerleader of DOGE and certain political figures, appears to be stepping back. Following the passing of Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” Musk is apparently disillusioned. He has hinted at reducing his political involvement to focus instead on achieving a “sustainably abundant future.” But Trump is sustaining his abundant rhetoric ensuring the future is a guesswork for all. He’s threatened a 25% tariff on phone makers, called Putin “absolutely crazy” (pot, meet kettle?), and delayed tariffs on the EU after their calls for “respect.” #SwampIsThick 🦌

₹ And India, now the world’s fourth-largest economy, ahead of Japan with a GDP of approximately $4.3+ trillion, is on a diplomatic overdrive. She sent out envoys all over the world on a PR blitz to tell the world on how Operation Sindoor was a necessary and repeatable action against a truant Pakistan. Naturally, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, the diplomat-par-excellence is drawing all the attention with his suave and eloquent deriding of DJT, sitting in NY. #DipOps 🗣

And finally, the best for last.

🏎 Kush Maini just became the first-ever Indian to win an F2 race at Monte Carlo. That alone is a tremendous achievement. But the wag had a little extra spice: “He’s from Bengaluru. After navigating the moon-craters they call roads over there, Maini must’ve become ‘bahoot khush’ at seeing a proper, smooth road, and floored it!” 🤣 I am sure people would hope that some of the enhanced GDP would flow onto the roads & not just flood waters! #SmoothRace 🚩

Views are personal. Any hurt unintentional.

GBUF - 19 May 2025

 #sriGINthoughts #GoodBadUglyFunnyTrusk #GBUF #19May25

The past fortnight was ablaze—literally and diplomatically—across the Indo-Pak border. India claimed (with visual proof) that it had struck multiple "terrorist" camps inside Pakistan under Operation Sindoor. Did India lose a few fighter jets, including possibly a Rafale? Whose drones were flying all over Pakistani skies—Turkish Bayraktars, perhaps? Details remain fuzzy. But in a refreshing display of strategic restraint (much to the chagrin of blood lusting primetime media), the Indian Armed Forces stayed mostly mum. The IAF chief’s smirk, when asked if they hit Kirana Hills—allegedly a Pakistani nuclear storage site—spoke louder than words. Meanwhile, Pakistan's counter-operation reportedly had the hilariously unfortunate acronym: BUM (Bunyan-Un-Marsoos).

Despite Senator J.D. Vance quipping, “It’s their war, let them figure it out!”, something triggered a Mach 1-level escalation, forcing both nations’ hands. Enter DJT, shooting (pun intended) for the Nobel Peace Prize, and claiming credit for brokering a ceasefire. #TensePeace

Trump wasn’t exactly idle elsewhere. Last week saw him gallivanting across the Middle East...

• inking multibillion-dollar deals with MBS, 
• accepting a Qatari jet (cough bribe), 
• calling the Qatari Emir’s palace a “nice house,” 
• controversially appointing Ismail Royer (a convicted, though released, extremist) as a White House advisor
• praising Pakistan’s “wonderful products” (Pray, what exactly?), 
• warning Tim Cook not to make iPhones in India, 
• going 'wow' on seeing the 'Al-Ayyala' dance (video below) at UAE and 
• sending “warmest and best wishes” to Joe Biden on hearing about his cancer diagnosis. 
• Along the way, he pardoned Syria too. 

Dei! #Madness, as always, seems to be his only method.

While India was busy juggling a prickly western front (hello again, Pakistan) and a pesky eastern one (yes, Bangladesh—please lah!), cricket fans were hit for a six: IPL was paused for a week, and worse, Rohit ‘Hitman’ Sharma and Virat ‘Cheeku’ Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket. Rohit’s decision was understandable (you can ride that ‘selfless’ horse only that much!) but Kohli still had some firepower left, methinks. Two greats leaving the format quietly. A bit sad, but perhaps inevitable. #ErasEnd

Speaking of inevitable exits, Warren Buffett—the Oracle of Omaha—is finally retiring at year’s end. At 94, it’s not his billions I admire most, but his diet: burgers and Coke. Legend! He’s probably had more people hang onto his words than their spouses’. #HealthyReturns

This fortnight also brought two major legal cases on sexual crimes—one ending, the other just beginning.

In the U.S., Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing a barrage of lawsuits involving assault, trafficking, and coercion. Allegations include drugging women, using firearms for intimidation, and a disturbing culture of abuse spanning decades. Over 100 alleged victims are preparing to sue. If things go south, only a diddy would bet on him walking free.

Closer home, in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, nine men were sentenced to life imprisonment till death for their role in a horrific sexual assault and extortion ring. Over 200 women—students, professionals, teachers—were reportedly affected, with thousands of videos recovered in 2019. A chilling reminder of systemic impunity.

How do we deter such predators from prowling again?

Speaking of prowling, a Mexican Navy tall ship—Cuauhtémoc—lit up in full glory, sailed into the Hudson a couple of days ago… only to smash into the 142-year-old Brooklyn Bridge. Turns out, tall masts and old bridges don’t mix. The incident caused significant damage to the ship and tragically cost two lives. In a poetic twist, the mishap seems to echo Trump’s rhetoric: You want to come in from the Mexican border? Here's your bridge... blocked! #DoNotPassGo

Sigh. Madness, metaphor, and mayhem. 

Till next time.

Views are personal. Any hurt unintentional.

GBUF 04May25

#sriGINthoughts #GoodBadUglyFunnyTrusk #GBUF #04May25

It’s been a fortnight of fireworks—some dazzling, some damaging. Here is XI of them ;-)

The Law Moves… Slowly, But Surely

The long arm of the law may be arthritic, but it still packs a punch. தெய்வம் நின்று கொல்லும் and all that stuff. Mehul Choksi - yes, the same diamantaire who swindled Indian banks (PNB, Canara, Bank of Maharashtra... take your pick) out of a cool USD 1.76 billion—has finally been nabbed by Belgian authorities. Extradition to India is on the cards. Tihar awaits with its famous daal-roti platter. Just ensure he isn’t smuggling in a diamond cutter to escape the clutches. (Doesn't he look like Jabba the Hutt?) #CuttingEdgeCarbon 

Of Clutches and Brand Tags

Meanwhile, Chinese TikTok is buzzing—not with dances, but with deconstructions. Luxury bags, it turns out, cost peanuts to make. It's the LV, Hermes, and Chanel tags that drain wallets. A thoughtful Li from Shanghai summed it up: are you paying for quality of a no-name bag or just an expensive name tag to soothe your soul? #BagOfTricks

Life in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

On the cosmic quality of life side, scientists (with desi Dr Nikku Madhusudhan in the mix) have spotted signs of life just 120 light years away in K2-18b. Naturally, important questions arise: Will DJT claim it’s American? Do they stream Netflix? And what's the visa category—ET or PR? #StarWarsOn

Blu(e) Turns Blood Red

Talking of paying, the Jaggi brothers, Anmol (neither invaluable) and Puneet (nor holy), of Gensol/BluSmart fame, seem to have paid themselves, kith and kin, more and some more from the funds (close to 1000 cr INR? ~100m USD) meant for running the companies that they have been promoting. And before you ask, no, Jaggi from Coimbatore is not involved in this fraud. #NotBluSmart

Tragedy in Pahalgam

Talking of repercussions, India was rocked by a brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, where 26 tourists were killed by five Islamist militants. It’s the deadliest since 26/11, and public anger is rising—many calling for swift retaliation against Pakistan, which seems to be tacitly complicit. Meanwhile, social media warriors on X and FB rage, question faiths, and demand action. But a direct war may not be wise. With trade tensions (hello Trump), a simmering standoff with China, and economic headwinds, India may prefer strategic, behind-the-scenes moves inspired by Chanakya Neethi over open conflict. #PahalGham

Of Faith, Smoke, and Succession
Two religious milestones this fortnight. 

In Rome, Pope Francis passed away after a life of service to the poor and marginalized. The Conclave convenes May 7 to find the replacement to the People's Pope. Perhaps an Asian Pope? Watch for the white smoke—Netflix has a decent one if you want to prep.

In Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, the fabled Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt anointed a new pontiff - Jagadguru Sri Satya Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Swamigal (formerly Ganesha Sharma Dravid, no relation to the Wall). Two worlds, two traditions, same message: love, faith, and compassion are what we need. Here's to hope—and a little #MoreHarmony.

AuroMille

But there is one thing that may not be harmonious as we move forward. Ownership of gold. It crossed the psychological threshold of USD 3000 (per ounce) or INR 10,000 (per gram of 24K) recently. With Trump and his minions mucking around in the tariff swamp, anti-risk is the rusk that investors want to eat. I think next time when I type the word, ‘gold’, I might have to swipe the card 😊 #DazzlingShine

Namibia’s Visa Swipe

Speaking of visas, Namibia has decided to return the favour to the US. Starting now, American tourists must get a visa—and a pricey one at that. Want to see the big cats? Plan ahead, and bring a big wallet. #TitForTat

Not Your Usual Family Drama

Here’s a fraud twist straight out of an OTT soap: Rahul (not one of the famous one/s 😉) from Aligarh eloped with his bride’s mother—yes, you read that right—on his wedding day. They fled with the wedding jewellery and cash. Turns out he had done something similar before – as in eloping with someone and returned back with no repercussions. Some folks just don’t believe in tying the knot—only untying others’. #HabitsTieHard

Singapore Sticks To Stability

And dazzle it did, Singapore’s People’s Action Party (and its 4G leadership) returned to power after the elections on May 3 with a higher vote share than what they managed four years ago. The threat of losing potential office holders and ministers (remember George Yeo in 2011) seem to have worked in some of the key battlegrounds in the city-state parliament of 97 members. Main opposition Workers’ Party retained its existing seats and performed well in a few other seats auguring well for future hustings. Hope the ‘authoritative mandate’ doesn’t turn out to be authoritarian. #BrightThunder

Iberia Blacks Out

And finally, Spain and Portugal had a week best described as... dark. A massive blackout hit homes, transport, even the Madrid Open. Theories range from freak weather to renewable imbalances to cyberattacks. The lights are slowly coming back, but for now, they're still groping in the dark. #FragileEnvironment

But all is not doom and gloom.

• #RCB seems to be on their path to capture the #IPL Holy Grail. #18ForAReason! (no, let's not talk about #CSK)

💖💖💖

View are personal. No hurt intended.

Escape Life Through Cricket

#sriGINthoughts #reviews #Tamilmovies #LubberPandhu #BlueStar #Viduthalai2

tl;dr (On comparing two similar Cricket-themed Tamil movies of 2024, one feels that Lubber Pandhu is better than Blue Star for various reasons.) 

3 min read.

Amaran: Love All. Always.

#sriGINthoughts #Tamil #Reviews #Amaran

All the Indian military films that one has watched so far tend to be jingoistic, sermonising, or over-the-top in various ways. Amaran could have easily fallen into that trap, but fortunately, it didn’t. The story sticks closely to the events of Mukund’s life, with a strong emphasis on his army exploits.

Sai Pallavi should be boycotted—for acting so well! 😊 As Indhu, she shines: bubbly in her "chettan's" shirts, falling head over heels for Mukund’s charms, standing strong as a "half-widow" when months and years go by without knowing where he is or what he’s up to, and displaying steely resolve and resilience when tragedy finally strikes. Her brilliant moments keep stacking up!

Two scenes in particular made me go "wow!": 

• 1. She’s so proud of Mukund for following his heart that, during his graduation parade, her body language says it all. She even imitates his movements as he throws a gun on the field—scintillating!
• 2. When tragedy hits home, she yoyos through her grief—crying, bottling up, crying, bottling up... until finally showing stoic restraint at the wake. There was hardly a dry eye in the theatre.

There was even a scene reminiscent of Premam—I half-expected a Mammootty song to start playing and she would jive for it! But the filmmakers must have thought it would be too corny. Sensible! 😉

If this performance doesn’t win her awards, I don’t know what will.

Sivakarthikeyan, as Mukund Varadarajan, is more than adequate and has done a wonderful job portraying a hardcore military man. This film is a good crossover for him into more serious roles. If he wants to climb further up the cinema charts, he might want to shed the mantle that the GOAT seemed to have handed him a few weeks back! After all, he gave him a gun to guard a guy in the loo!

Some lines in the film stand out: Indhu’s father tells Mukund, "When you walked in to seek my daughter’s hand in that uniform, I was defenceless!" Mukund, when casually asked by his dad why Kashmir is a problem, responds, "What’s the use of us talking about it when the ones who need to talk aren’t?" And then there’s the moment Mukund asks for his wife’s scarf in the theatre, pretending it’s too cold—a man who spends 90% of his time in Kashmir! 😊 Delightful. 

Of course, Mukund's mother was left to repeat the same dialogue a few times: 'டேய், இதுக்காகவா உன்னை அவ்வளவு கஷ்டப்பட்டு பெத்தேன்?' (Did I endure the pains of your birth only to see you head off to the war front?) And the presence of those Tamil spelling mistakes (e.g. களங்கம் was கலைங்கம்). One spends millions, only to slip up on the basics.

The close-quarters action sequences in Kashmir are very well shot, though they could have been a bit crisper.

The filmmakers have largely stuck to the facts, basing the movie on Shiv Aroor + Rahul Singh’s book India’s Most Fearless. Social media warriors have already trained their KB-47 guns at the makers, about Mukund’s family not being portrayed as Brahmin (why, one wonders?) as they were in real life, but controversy, as always, only adds to the buzz. 😊

Indian 2: Zero Tolerance (to watch)

 

There is this wonderful Tamil movie called ‘Sathi Leelavathi’ where Kamal did more than a cameo as a bumbling-Kongu-speaking-doctor. We watched that movie many times only for Kamal’s portions, well, even for Kalpana’s portions and for that dog Sabapathy. 😊 Such was the gravitas that the man had and the adoring following that he commanded.

Fast forward 30 years, in #Indian2 too, Kamal does a bit more than a cameo (45 mins screen time in a 3-hour movie qualifies as one, doesn’t it?). Well, the comparison ends there, I think.

Indian 2 promises to deliver a Double Track Mission, where a centenarian Kamal twists his digits to Varmify the big baddies while he exhorts the ‘gullible’ youth to use their phones to fight the baddies at home. Swachch Ghar. Swachch Bharat. Swachch Duniya. Right? Right.

As viewers we are also taken on a Double Track:

•         where an all-prosthetic Kamal, just ambles along and writes the same old ‘You greedy oaf! Why must you live?’ rhetoric in all languages at odd places including the underbelly of a baby tortoise! Where is the SPCA, I say? Oh, he creates it using spit in vacuum also! What an imagination, SirJi!
•          where a sample ‘privileged’ youth expose their own family members who are corrupt, inept and incompetent.

And honestly, the second track was better than the former!

There, I said it. Here is a Kamal movie where one did not look forward to him appearing on screen. What a great downfall?!

It is not as if the second track is something worth watching. It was kitschy, mega-serial-like, you-knew-everything-including-the-camera-angles-beforehand, the big reveals were yawn-inducing – come on, I am getting tired just typing all that. Yet, it was just that bit more watchable purely for the premise of how a family/society would react to one of their own turning against the family.

One could relate to that portion as I was reminded of a recent interview by an Indian influencer saying that corruption is the oil that runs the machinery of the government! Corruption is so all-pervasive, that people are even questioning how a vigilante movie fighting corruption can succeed!

Perhaps this is the worst album of Anirudh. I guess he was fell asleep by what he saw on the screen – so much so, he had the same BGM on loop for the entire 2^nd half!

Less said about Shankar the better. The man lost his touch roughly after two-thirds of Endiran (Robot) itself. All the references to his own movies in Indian 2 are probably an indication that he is about to hang his boots. Maybe he should, Velpaari or not.

No, I am not going to talk about the garish sets, more garish costumes, unwanted Bolivian ‘item’ song with a Miss Universe 2017 thrown in, irony of CBI convincing the judge to release Indian…

I thought that Billa2 was the worst sequel (or was it a prequel?) ever made in Tamil movies. Now it can rest easy as the second worst.

Indian2 – Double Track Mission – Both Unaccomplished!

PS1: KH said that he did this movie because of #Indian3. Will people be so naïve to come and watch anti-aged KH doing the same thing again, i.e., serving trash? I doubt it.

PS2: The subliminal message of Gandhi-track (go the non-violent way) and Netaji-track (unweed through violence) is a good premise. It is easy to pick up the knife and kill the baddies. Quite digital, it is. But to resist it and take the Gandhian approach in life – so wonderfully captured in History of Violence/Leo - is fraught with extreme struggles and one must face numerous greyish situations inducing oodles of self-doubt; often one will be tempted to #GoBack and once you do so, it is so difficult to #ComeBack as well.  It is tough to be a Gandhi. (Well, I had to think long and hard to write something good about the movie. So, appreciate me for that! 😉)

#sriGINthoughts #reviews #Tamil #Indian2