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. 😂