'Pigs go in herds, the lion walks alone'
That's a rough and ready translation of something Rajnikanth spouts in and as Sivaji. He says it mid-way through the film, I squirm in my seat. My membership of the porcine club was signed and sealed Thursday night. I drove after work on a rainy, slushy day to catch a late night screening of the biggest film to come out of Chennai in three years - Sivaji, The Boss.
No more proof was needed. I was part of the herd. I had squelched my sensibilities, curbed my natural inclinations, disinclinations rather, and had caved in to peer pressure.
How could I not go. Everyone was going and conversations for some time to come would be referenced to Sivaji. I could be in or out. I chose to be safe rather than sorry. Discretion is the better part of valour.
The media hype also did its bit. I mean this was Tamil Nadu's biggest superstar, India's biggest, bigger than Bacchan they were saying. The most expensive Indian film to date, one of Tamil cinema's most successful directors at the helm, A R Rahman's music etc etc etc.
TV rights were sold for Rs 5 cr and Kalaignar TV that bought it will will need to wait THREE years before they can run it! When was the last time you heard that about a Hindi film? Even heartland Hindi news shows got their minds out of people's dark sides, showing an unusual interest in a 'Southern' sensation, all clamouring to articulate the Rajni phenomenon.
I remember Rajnikanth from some very forgettable Hindi films of the 80s. Well the news is that he is still there. Stuck in the 80s that is.
The plot, the story telling, the antics, are so camp and ludicrous that you can only wonder that anyone can be so brave. And so narcissistic (Note potshots at other Tamil stars). And self indulgent (over three hours and self mythifying comments). And crass (see innumerable scenes wooing heroine in the first half).
The dialogues which I couldn't understand, the only Tamil I know is - Chaddi pota ko - and with no subtitles for help - I missed the nuances, and there seemed to be some. Of course one way of looking at it is see the whole film as a joke. Some of my friends raved about how what I thought was Sivaji's absurdity was exactly what made it deserve outside its language market, a cult following. I am afraid I think we are desperate and clawing to find legends and myths.
Except for some quirky graphics and some stylish sequences - one song in particular that I am going to refer to as the GORA song - which was crazy, funky and sarcy, Sivaji was the boss. Of crap. And I am the pig. Who followed the herd.
59 comments:
Anu Radha Do you think that you have done an intellectual talking here, well i personally feel that you are wrong to the core. Most of the people who have talked for the movie sivaji are not just fans, some of them know Mr.Rajnikanth personally and they admire him for what ever he is on screen and off screen aswell. What i personally feel is that, the right to express yourself dosent give you the licence to go around the world hurting people with your thoughts which for them may not be true, for instance a friend of mine thinks that there is something fundementaly wrong with islam and its face quran, he has come to this conclusion just because of the things that are happening in Afganistan, kashmir, iraq, sudan( I am a Hindu and i personlly believe quran is a wonderful guide for every humanbeing which teaches how to lead a happy and disciplened life) etc. My friend believes that quran is propaganding violence and terrorism. Well i know that he is a Hindu and i am pretty much sure that he hasnt read quran, Anuradha i have a question for you, do you mean to say that this person can express his personal views in a blog just because he has the right to exercise his freedom of speech?. I am Not Blaming your Thought's you have every right on those thoughts of yours just as the way you have the right's to express your views in a blog, in the same way a person who happen to read your blog has every rights to express his views about the Blog and just as the way you have your rights to critisise people who are talking for sivaji movie and against you. The Fans of Mr.Rajnikanth have their rights to react to a blog which they feel is hurting their sentiments do you get it" ITS THEIR RIGHT". "For every action their is an equal and opposite reaction that is the law of nature". !!!!
I don't see anything wrong with your blog about Sivaji. Most of the typical kollywood/bollywood films revolving around "one hero-one heroine" song and dance stories are CRAP. They portray a macho hero and a dumb sexy heroine. There is one anti-hero. There are sequences of fight between the hero and a dozen goondas. Finally the hero is united with heroine. Is there anything more??????????
Sivaji s da boss f crap..it sucks! majority of tamilians hate dat film! its goin 2 flop badly n weeks 2 cum..its juz mass hysteria nd hype fr it 2 b dis big a hit!
@ Anonymous...hey dude's i dont know who you people are but still i share your views that most of the movies made in india are typical and crap, sivaji may look like a crap for people who are used to movies like City of God, Paradise now, Children of heaven etc i love watching these kind of movies the movies which belong to the genre of best of world cinema. what i am trying to say is If some people find it hard to understand the phenomenon called Rajnikanth they should atleast refrain themselves from what they term it to be an insensibility rather than posting blogs which cries for peoples attention to eulogies their sensibilities. This act of theirs crying for attention in the first place is an act of insensibility.
anuradha
we are not the people who cannot accept criticsm.we have read and heard critical view of film in both electronic and print media in national and regional level by well known personalities including suhasini anirathnam.they have pointed out both postives and negatives of the film.what hurt me most in your comment is the word narcissistic and self indulgent.whatever he does in his films whether the punch dialouges and other things he does all these to please his fans.if you know the real person rajnikanth you have not commented like that and you would have understood why his films has that kind of dialouges and scenes.if rajnikanth is egoistic person and really intereseted in self glorfying he would have have used his popularity to become poltician.and if he is narcissistic he would not appear bald in public life.his off-screen image made his fans expect him to do all kind superhero stuffs and selfgloryfying comments.he is a good actor first.he had worked with somany great directors in tamil including balachander,balumahendra,mahendran,maniratnam and others.if you watch his late 70's and early 80's films you will know the potential of actor rajnikanth. but today he has reached the stage where he has not to do experiment with his roles.this is not my opinion.it is the opinion of famous film critic and cartoonist "madan".my request to you please don't underestimate the rajnikanth the actor and person.and don't underestimate his fan also.when there is dearth of role models and good people in public life we admire him for his simplicity and humbleness.
Well sed..i m a tamilian..v accept dat rajini s a crap star...he acts in crap films..plz watch mani rathnam movies alone..
sivaji may be crap, MAY BE, but rajni is dfntly not nrcstk. its just a movie, watch it if u want 2, thts that.
hey i appreaciate ur comments but dont u think its in appropriate to write off a film totally ...and mind it u need to face facts,,i dont think people would have even bothered to visit ur blogs if it was not hosted on any other site.u owe to CNN for Hits..If u look at this blog there not more 50 comments....so i guess as journalist you should be bit judicious in ur choice of words.....anyway iappreciate fact u have taken criticism in a good way...As the Boss says Koool......
Good post. And the follow-up is even better. Not too surprising though that people fail to distinguish between an on-screen persona and a man in real life.
Appreciate the personal opinion though. I think you should have kept the title of the post unchanged as well.
Anuradha just a question to you
have you ever watched Mithunda's movies?? a colleague of yours calls him king of C grade movies
so know what to expect when you go in to the movie hall. obviously you cant expect Al pachino's acting in a movie like ace ventura. Similarly Shivaji is made for a different audience and is of a different genre which you may or may not appreciate. just as you expect your viewers/readers to be open minded it would help if you opened your mind
"Rajnikanth" what is it, is that a name of a person, if yes who is he?. Now if I ask that question to somebody and if I said to him that I am an Tamilian I would be considered by him as an alien from mars or Jupiter even if he doesn't patronize the person who carries that name and I am sure millions of others who patronize that person more than what the word patronize means will consider me as some dumb head who is out of his mind and seriously needs an assistance of a lunatic asylum. "Super Star Rajnikanth" the name itself is enough to elicit the charismatic picture of a person, trying to wear a pair of glasses in his own branded way of style in the minds of all the tamilians around the world, he has been a phenomenon in the Tamil film industry. Now things have grown big with respect to Tamil film industry and so has the things about this actor. Now he is considered to be the highly paid actor in Asia next to Jackie Chan, now that is really big considering the fact that when the world talks about Indian film industry its only referring to films from Bollywood. The efforts of many great actors like Kamal Hasan to take Indian cinema to the world is commendable and is quiet worth mentioning but this man known only for his striking gimmicks and movies that never cross the boundaries of the genre called entertainers has for sure given an identity to the Tamil films by marking a dot in the map of world cinema.It would be a mistake to compare this Badshaa of box office with any other Indian actor, he has his own fan following who like him the way he is, in a world were glitz and glamour should be a part and parcel of any person who chooses to live in that world, this man has chosen to be real in the real life(posing for photographs with bald head, unkempt beard etc..), some find it idiotic about the way he looks and wonder how this person could be some one who has won the adorations of millions of fans around the world, what ever might be the reasons, at the end of the day an ordinary auto driver who goes for a movie after a days of hectic driving would want to come out of the movie hall with a satisfied smile on his face and Super Star movies have sure stood up to those expectations and will continue to do so in future.
- Prasanna Kumar
Sigh! Before i begin my rant, my disclaimers..
1. I am educated and literate, and know the difference between good literature and utter drivel
2. I am not a tamil fanatic, nor do I intend to cause any harm
Anuradha,
If you make a mistake once, it is forgiven. If you make it more than once then I think you deserve all the brickbats that you are getting and then some more.
While we all respect your right to personal opinion and so forth, it is your duty to respect others sentiments. I think that is the first thing they teach you at journalist school right?( I am assuming you went to one! and If you did I pity the school).
I read your original article, but refrained from commenting, assuming that you were a immature, egotistic and bigoted person who was a shame to the journalistic fraternity, but then you did not give up.
To sound parochial, if this were Bengal, you guys would have probably struck off work for a whole week now. We might not have Satyajit Ray's oscars, but neither do we have people who steal them.
Your critique sucked, because not only was it biased, but also derogatory. I am happy that this still has not gone to the Rajini fan clubs, for your sake.
The movie might be bad, but your language was worse, 'pig', 'crap' - I think this is more a reflection on your upbringing.
Yeah you might have balls( I like the way you chose the one amongst the thousand comments), but they are definitely in the wrong place.
I am a pig too, for you have dragged me into this.
hey Anu dont care...v tamilians dont even like dis marathi-kannada old fart...v hate him...don worry...our support fr u only..dis rajini s boss f all crap..his fans r nt real tamilians.. dis idiot didnt support for kaveri river..bt he s acting lik he s a poli samiyar..he s a porikki who used 2 do all sort f bad things..he s a pottai boss wen it comes 2 politics...his films r really pathetic..his acting s lik sum joker in a circus..LOL
Hi Anu,
You are welcome to dissect the movie in whatever way you deem fit. I have some comments on what you missed in the movie.
1. Since you did not understand the language , you missed out on some of the excellent punchliners and comic strips in the movie, After all a movie is supposed to entertain, and Sivaji does justice to that in full
2. If you have been following Rajni's work in the past , you should have realised by now, that the "Hero" image of Rajni sells better than say the "Normal Person"
Rajni. The producers are not making a film for charity , and they will make what will sell best!
3. The work of the director is "Super" to say the least, If he managed to make Rajni look as fleeting on screen and make such beautiful sets, which add to the entertainment value of the movie, he has to be given credit
4. The song numbers were not too many and not too less, The content was just about balanced for a Rajni fan's liking.
5. In the entirety of the movie, there was not a single profanity uttered, ( Surprise? ) , Well that is the making of a good editorial and script writing team, hats off ( May be you could not appreciate it because of your lack of knowledge of the language ). A "conservative" family could watch the movie with their kids and not have to be embarassed at any point during the movie.
6. The "hero" is the invincible character in most movie situations, so let us give in to that , and let a movie be a movie,
It is after all a means of entertainment, and as long as it does entertain you , Peace!
i know you will take out the material, so without asking your permission i have put that article in my blog(http://roshyonnet.blogspot.com/), i believe you have no problem in that...Anu you have a spark in you.keep it up.
I appreciate your article but without understanding Tamil i dont know how you have reviewed the movie...Anyway expecting more bombs like this
roshy
Prasanna
I value sentiments and I agree your argument about hurting people. I would have cared less about Shivaji if I was not getting zillion mails a day. But it was not happening, whenever I opened my mail I see a stack of mails about Shivaji, which really irritated me. Did someone care for about my thoughts and stop sending mails, no one did. Then how do you even criticize about Anuradha.
Synergy is a good stuff and I would like to see people get together as a community to do something good for India. We have a million problems in India, there are farmers who commit suicide everyday in every part of India, send them some money rather than buying a ticket for Rs.1000 in premium. No one gets as a community to do something good for the nation or for the people who are in need, but they get together as a Rajini group to send out stupid emails and statistics. And is the movie really worth the hype. I don't think so.
I'm a true Tamilian and I've admired good Rajini movies. Rajini is a good man and he does good for the people and that's so different from Rajini as an actor. I really don't know what to call the people who cannot distinguish between the two. For me it's just a movie and I tend to forget about it in due course.
I'm still very much uncomfortable with the punch dialogues like "The whole Tamilnadu likes his color", "If someone touches him the whole Tamilnadu will burn". That's atmost arrogance. I'm sure no one in south India wants to have Rajini's color, many of my friends are great fans of Rajini and still go to parlor to get bleached and getting a fairer skin. And if Tamilnadu burns for a man called Rajini, it'll be the most stupid thing on planet earth.
Rather than ask us to Grow Up. You guys better grow-up. It's just a movie and if you think more than that, then you guys don't live in reality. Use the energy elsewhere and help a human or a living being elsewhere and that'll make more sense to your life, rather than supporting people who behave like goons or so-called maniacs who threatens someone.
If you have the right to criticize, we do too. I'm here because something about Shivaji hurt me too. It's definitely not the hype of the success that bothered me, I like to see a Tamil Cinema going world wide and see it on UK toplist, but I really feel bad for the quality of Tamil Cinema and this movie is definitely not worth it.
ra sri,
Rajni-bashing or Sivaji-bashing cud even be acceptable (to me - who dint shell out 1000 bucks for that movie, who admires Rajni & Shivaji Rao Gaekwad). You talk abt receiving 'mails' & stacks of those about Sivaji. Did AVM Productions or GV Films or Mr. Abirami Ramanathan send those? Did Mr. Gaekwad or 'RAJNI FANS' send those? Did they dig out your e-mail address and 'spammed' your mail box?
Wow, I sure wonder how dare they could do that. Lets assume they did so - you know how to handle 'spam' mails. Post the 'sender email id' here and I will take it up with appropriate authorities - be it Yahoo or G-Mail or Rediff - all e-mail providers have stringent regulations against spamming.
To call all the people who watched the movie (that includes Mr. Karunanidhi, Ms. Jayalalitha, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, Mr. Ajith, Mr. Gaekwad & his family, the tea vendor on the street, the slum-dwellers who gave up a few days' meal money, the rickshaw pullers at Flower-bazzaar, the Auto walas all across Chennai, Bus conductors & Drivers, and millions of other 'INDIANS' - mebbe Dravidians, and Japanese, Malays, Chinese) as a herd of pigs - is that 'justified'?
Rajni the Man v/s Rajni the 'ACTOR' - Does Rajni 'even act' these days? I dont think he needs to - its pretty much the same role with minor changes. Guess the same will apply when you vote for 'criminals, ex-cons, rapists' who contest elections - hence we have got 'Politicians' like Lalu who in their personal life have N children - a standing example to be followed on the World Population day (June 11).
Hence we have Italian Widows helping out their yesteryear's love (a bit of my 'own' imagination of course) ghost-directing the Government. Kudos to your wonderful 'thoughts'.
Social Cause v/s Movies
So, basically no body should watch 'movies' at all. I mean there are N number of movies to which people flock and buy black tickets. If no one is to watch movies, no one would produce them. If no one produces movies, what about all the junior artists (did you notice how many were employed for just one 'Athiradee' song?). Ah, they could join 'as Mr. Suman put it in the movie' the 'National' job - begging, right Mr/Ms Ra Sri?
To say the least - Rajni making a movie in itself means food & living for so many - from BIG Production houses and ex-Chevalier's sons to those poor junior artists - extras, that might be living on the streets. And you talk of 'social' cause. When all movies show their leading characters smoking & drinking, here you have a movie in which 'even the villain' does not smoke or drink or hire prostitutes. And you talk about 'social' causes.
There was one dialog where the villain gets arrested and is in the entrance of the Central Jail. He (the villain) says 'Aadhi da' and almost instantaneously Vivek opens his mouth and utters 'Podaa' when Rajni shuts Vivek's mouth. If you knew what was the next word (that rhymes with Aadhi) was - well, thats what you are - to me.
Rgds,
Anonymous
@ Ra Sri..
Hello Ra sri it was nice to see your reply, First you need to understand the reason's behind my replies to AnuRadha Senguptas posting's, it was not her thoughts about the movie sivaji which put me off but it was her comments on the people who had watched Sivaji. Dude Life is all about making choices and everyone knows what to choose and what not to. I am a kind of person who is open to all kinds of cinema, i enjoyed watching city of god a Brazilian movie as much as children of heaven an Iranian movie(with English subtitle's of course). You cannot compare a movie like sivaji with Forrest Gump or crash its like comparing dosas and pizzas or expecting a dosa to taste like a pizza or vice versa, they both taste different but they taste good. My all time favourite hollywood actors are Tom hanks, Julia Roberts, Anthony Hopkins, AL Pacino, Robert DE Nero, recently i watched the movie The pursuit of happyness and i was blown off by Will smiths performance so he has become the new addition to my list, in the same way i like watching Rajnikanth movies kamal hasan and vikram movies, i like all these actors because they infuse their individuality into the characters they play. some of the dialogs in the sivaji movie like "The whole Tamilnadu likes his color", "If someone touches him the whole Tamilnadu will burn" may not have appealed to you but it has for people who like watching Rajnikanth, here you just chose not to buy the thing that was sold to you, that was the choice you made and your choice deserves respect in the same way people who made the choice to buy it deserve the respect too, you cannot blame them for buying it, it was their choice. If watching movies like Forrest gump alone and turning blind to other kind of movies is being intellectual in other words ignoring the varieties which makes life look so vibrant and colourful is what you call as being intellectual then i would rather choose not to be an intellectual.
I admire Prasanna and I like his replies, for he argues sensibly (unlike others). I'm a vivid movie watcher like you and I watch pretty much watch any movies irrespective of the language and whatever genre it belongs. I have the right to comment and to express my feelings.
We are proud of ourselves to call that we are a part of the biggest democracy and it looks like many people who live in don't get the real meaning of it.
For a while stop thinking as a Rajini movie and say what's good in that movie to be so popular. I'm not a fan of Kamal, Sivaji, Sonia, Karunanidhi, Lallo, Italian widow or Jayalalitha. I'm a true critic and I don't have a biased opinion. What I feel is what I write. I've admired Older Rajini movies and have also admired Shankar's older movies. But with such a powerful combination like Rajini, Shankar, ARR, AVM etc. what they delivered is well below par.
And Mr. Anonymous, I agree with your anguish about the Italian widow and that's what I'm fearing the worse here. It's Rajiv Gandhi's Charisma which brought her to the limelight and MGR's Charisma has ruled TamilNadu for decades even after his demise. She did not get in the thron without we all voting. Directly or indirectly we selected her, you cannot be blaming someone else for that. That's what I fear the worst again, what happens if Rajini makes use of his Charisma to enter politics with the help of supporters like you. Does Tamilnadu need another actor in the throne, I don't think it's a nice idea.
Laloo has made Indian Railways reach greater heights with the help of IIT Students. Wakeup man, what we need is educated people in politics and not Charisma. Stop saying about the window in Delhi and ensure that you vote to someone who's educated.
FYI I'm not a nerd and I make a living out of technology and words like SPAM is not new to me. Come on man, stand on your feet and get back to the reality, why would someone else SPAM me about Rajini without some profit in it. All the mails or the so-called spamming was done by my own good friends whom I cannot block.
I'm not sure how people in India think about the cine industry, but Worldwide Indian cine industry has a lot of respect for we used Cinema's to fight freedom. I even saw an article in BBC on how we used media wisely to fight freedom. But today what does the cine industry do other than sending wrong messages to the public.
I'm not just speaking about Shivaji here, but about all the sub-par movies which fail to deliver any decent message. Today, cinema is just an entertainment medium and they don't care it they teach you good or bad. I would say media is misused. In olden days there were movies which made sense and did entertain and spoke about freedom or faith. Even today few movies mushroom once in a while, recently I watched Mozhi, it did not have any hype, it did not have a seperate comedy track, but still had comedy, there was no ARR but the music was pleasent, there was no Shankar, but the screenplay was good.
I'm not a fan of anyone, and I do see a movies success with Rajini in my mind. To me he's just an actor like everybody and if acts good I'll appreciate and if not I don't buy it.
And I don't get Mr. Anon saying "Does Rajni 'even act' these days? I dont think he needs to". He is saying that for a long time and I'll believe it when he really does that.
Indians are behind fame and Rajini is no less. Right from Cricket players, to politicians to actors, they all will stay in as long as they could. No one is a Mahatma or Kamaraj here, those days are by-gone. Do a reality check.
And the public again, my message is very simple. Please distinguish between cinema and reality. It's just an entertainer. A movies success me nothing to me or to my family.
Try to use your energy wisely and help someone who's in need. Even Rajini would be happy to hear from you all, that you are helping someone in need.
Come on Anonymous
Cut the crap, do you think Rajini decided to act in Shivaji having the poor junior artists in mind. That's heck of a joke. So call Rajini fans have a entirely different mind set and it's in their blood and they will never change. Try to understand that there's a thin line between reality and cinema.
You speak against Hindi films all day and compare with the Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. But still get a herione from Bombay and get the junior artists from Mumbai. And you tend to say proudly that Rajini is helping local junior artists. Probably Shankar is contradicting his own catchphrase "Tamilnadu like his color", if its true then all the junior artists are to be black and there won't be any need to bring someone from Mumbai to dance.
Don't you have good looking females in TamilNadu at all, and don't we have enough talented junior artists. Try to sell your crap someplace.
Directors are so confident that they can deliver anything in the name of Rajini and people will accept it. That's true as far as Rajini is concerned. My arguement is deliver something good, Rajini's movie will be a hit and people take his messages for granted. They why the directors deliver something nice, rather than spending 70 crores to send a message about black money. Producers are converting they black money into white by taking such a successful movie, get back on reality man, don't be a dumb ass.
If it's famous, it's got to be good , that's people mentality these days. Last month Paris Hilton was the talk of US, that does not mean she's good. You people make Rajini great, without you he's nothing. Indirectly you elected Sonia and you bitch about her. Come on man, you guys make someone big and think he's God. God help them realize their ignorance.
Puttaparthi Saibaba is great, he has a super speciality hospital and does free heart surgeries and all to the poor. He's God to many. Is he a saint, I guess not. Do I believe him, I don't. Mr. Anonymous you believe him, you may or may not. But does this change other's perspective on him, I guess not. To me Rajini and Saibaba are the same. They both look great, but are they worth it, it depends on individual to individual.
Take the veil called Rajini and you will understand what I mean.
You guys are mass, no matter where you work, in which part of the world you live, and what car you drive, how good you are. You are still a crowd who would clap and whistle for a cheap word like "Aadhi da", "Pooda Koodhi". That alone is enough to distinguish a Rajini fan.
Forgot Valluvan and his ThiruKural, but got a catchy phrase from Shivaji, that means nothing and you remember it in the tip of your tongue. What a world?
Come on man, take care of your parents as you care for Rajini. They deserve it and you can make a difference in their lives.
This comment has contents for both Ra Sri & Rare Identity
ra sri,
"Laloo has made Indian Railways reach greater heights with the help of IIT Students" - Any links to websites that one could garner more info on this 'fact'? I will take up 'reading' that first before getting down to any further details on Laloo.
Ever since one Mr. King-maker Kamaraj passed away, Congress has 'always' struggled as a 'single' party - in Tamil Nadu - mind it. It is my ilk (the tea vendor, the auto walas, the slum dwellers etc) that get 'fooled' by the likes of Congress, etc. Its my ilk that are so blindly stupid to vote for regional parties in the Central election - thereby leading to a haggle for power & money. Its my ilk (the lower & the lower middle class) that gets all such words. The elite, the rich, the well-to-do - what about them?
You talk about N% of IIT-ians helping Railway ministry; what about the (100-N)% that are now no-where to be found in India? Huh, 'exceptions, my dear - aint examples'.
You like it or not - be it Anna, Karunanidhi, MGR, JJ - Tamil Nadu has always been like that. I wasnt born to see MGR's peak performance on & off screen - I am witness to Rajni's though. And given an oppurtunity to vote for an IIT-ian or a charimatic cinema personality - I would vote to NONE. Let the election commission come up with an option that indicates a citizen's right to 'vote to no-one', and I will wait for hours to cast my vote to that right. If such votes are a majority, let the 'Army, Navy & Air-force' folks take care of that particular district/constituency - till such time, my vote is for 'NO ONE'.
If you cannot block your 'friends' then take the issue with them - tell them your thoughts and ask them to remove you from their list - does it mean you get 'hurt' by the movie or the celeb in question? Hah, thats the funnest arguement I've ever heard.
Dear me, messages and movies. Please lets not get into those lines - what a movie is required to do - its best left with the directors & story writers to decide that. Why dont you come up with a story thats got a strong social message - I would like to know how many Producers are thronging to your story, then. Film industry - like any other - is a business. They sell what they think would fetch them profits. PERIOD. Why dont you ask your friends to watch more movies like Mozhi and make it more appealing to the producers to finance such movies? Give it a huge patronage and movies like Sivaji would shrink, why dont you do it? Act, m'amigo, dont preach when aint close enuf to practice.
Lastly, stop comparing - Gandhi, Indian Cricketers, Kamaraj - please they're all 'different' in their own subtle ways. BTW, even the 'Mahatma' was once accused of 'stealing' - its not about mistakes, its about how one emerges from that and how he goes forward. Rajni has had his own share of mid-life crisis and in full media glare. Its how he fought it and how he took himself forward.
You even know how many NGO's I am associated with? You even know how much of effort do I expend towards improving people living below par, people in a need. Anyways, if you do have time check this 'http://www.savegeetha.com/'. Actions speak louder than words and I dont have to justify to you (or to anyone except my consience) how much I do for others and how much for Rajni - PERIOD.
Next Mr./Ms. Rare Identity,
Cut the crap, do you think Rajini decided to act in Shivaji having the poor junior artists in mind. That's heck of a joke
Do you 'know' its a joke? Do you have 'facts' to follow it up? Did I say Rajni acts to help others? Dude, you hv got to get your sanity back - believe me. Its not me, its you who has got an 'Anti-Rajni' veil on your face.
You speak against Hindi films all day and compare with the Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
Did I 'compare' Sivaji with any other movie in my write-up? If some one else compared and wrote some thing to that effect - TALK TO HIM - NOT ME. Your usage of JBJ as a response to my write-up in itself is comical - to say the least. Its like comparing a temple procession with a drunken orgy, phew.
My lines "Rajni making a movie in itself means food & living for so many" are not synonymous with "Rajni makes movies to help others". Get your English vocab and understanding skills checked, buddy. Rajni is on-record stating that its a business and he hopes it does well in the B-O. I never thought he said he took the movie to help poor & needy; and I only said that the movie helps the poor & needy - by providing work, by providing entertainment.
Don't you have good looking females in TamilNadu at all
'Females' - Its usually used to refer to a species - like dogs or pigs, etc. In human terms we refer to them as ladies or women. Pathetic usage of words - to me it shows your up-bringing & your social background. Living in a 5000 sq ft bungalow doesnt provide a good up-bringing and social background. Anyways, 'our' (by which I refer to most of the Tamil & Dravidian) families treat women as God. They've imbibed similar thoughts and "usually" find themselves irritated in being cast as a piece of flesh. This is something which 'the-so-called-progressed' ladies from the other half of the country do not share. You can not find a Rakhee Sawant in this part of the country - but sadly you can not find a Barkha Dutt either. I wish they were better (not looking, but better equipped) to live better. They've always been 'special' (at times with female foeticide, killing young girls - but at times with JJ, Manorama aachi, Kovai Sarala akka) but I squarely blame it on this Male Chauvinist 'Society' for such atrocities.
BTW, junior artistes dont stop with those that appear 'on-screen'. It also refers to the technicians that work on the set, those that work on the costumes, on the PR, the light boy, the make-up man, the choero-masters & helpers, on so many other activities. Name one techie on such activities (of course Manish Malhotra for costumes for Rajni only in song sequences - thats an exception).
At the end of the day, its a business and Shankar thought it suitable to use 'good-looking' ones to the 'good' ones - as far as screen women goes. And behind screen, he chose to use 'good' ones to the 'apparently-good' ones. (Sujatha for dialog, not someone from Mumbai; KV Antony, Thotta Dharani, Prabhu Deva, AR Rehman - not Himesh, Lawrence, Brinda master, Kala master, & so many more)
And talking of the way you put it - why do you people listen to 'Cheeni Kum' title song? I mean, its from a "black" maestro who was once on the streets OF TAMIL NADU - We Tamilians patronized his music and made him the KING. Why do you patronize Mani Ratnam? Name 'one' male artist who has done well in Tamil from the 'Hindi' film industry? Just ONE is enough. From Tamil to Global - AR Rehman, From Tamil to Hindi - Mani Ratnam, Santosh Sivan (and let me not even go into the heroines category).
get back on reality man, don't be a dumb ass
dumb ass- Once again it shows your upbringing. I guess thats how your mom & dad converse. Anyways, may God help you overcome such problems. BTW, I do not accept your offering and hence you retain the ownership of those words :-) ROTFL.
Black Money- You 'claim' Producers are converting their black money to white by this movie. Our justice system believe in 'innocent unless proven guilty' - PLEASE PROVE IT. Lets convert this forum into something useful and get such people behind bars - I am with you on this one.
Saibaba - Oh my!! Please NO NO NO. Rajni is a human being - PERIOD. He never claimed he can bring Lingams from his mouth - never performed any miracle - and please dont compare him with such Godmen.
Thirukkural - OH GOD. Thiruvalluvar is such an immensely honorable and respected person. How could you? How could you even think about Thirukkural and a stupid movie phrase? Just because 1000 people talk about a movie, doesnt mean Thirukural is outta Tamil Nadu. People immensely treasure and value it - they dont have to keep saying it, though. Its not like a movie script - thats famous for a few years/decades and then fades away. Man, I sure think you've got some problems in your life. I never studied Tamil - except as a Third Language in Classes 6 to 8. Just enough to read and understand - I can not even write my own name in Tamil. Sad, but I really will not be able to opine on such a great work as Thirukkural. The ones I read are usually on the MTC Buses (another sad & pathetic state of my existence),
Yaagavaraayiunum naakaka sokaapaar ... sollirukku pattu - is what pops into my head. I think it mean who ever it is, its always better to keep a tab on ones thoughts, words - though I am not really sure. Though the kural means so much to me, the language (Chaste Thamizh) is hard for me (a native Keralite born & bought up in Chennai with a mom who spent her childhood in Jamshedpur & dad from Palakkad) to follow. Its no excuse that I claim - its my fault. I need to put efforts to read & understand these valuable lines. I will, too.
"But do you have it in you to put down all the 1000+ verses and their meanings? Even in your Class X exam you'd have left it for choice and looked at some other entity" - is what I want to type, but I wont.
Parents & Personal Assault: You think I have 'parents' and I don't care for them. Huh, any Rajni fan would care more for his family & less for a stupid movie & a celeb. You dont even know how much I have changed their lives. From living in a slum (in a 50 sq ft place at Tondiarpet, near Kasimedu), now we're living in a 500 sq ft flat at a better place. They've put in lotsa effort in educating me and bringing me up and I know what my responsibilites are. Thank you so much for your words of wisdom - but dont stereotype any one who admires Rajni as a fool - or some one from Kasimedu that drinks and beats up his wife or throws his parents outta the house.
For one case like mine (moving from Low Class to LMC Lower Middle) there are 1000 cases that traverse the other way. You appear to suffer from the idea that any one who admires Rajni is a Rajni Fan and that he likes it when words like 'K____' are used. In the movie, the word doesnt figure out - its YOU that used it - not me, not Sivaji, not Rajni, not Vivek, not Shankar, not Sujatha (the dialog writer). That shows tonnes about you, m'amigo.
I dont have a car to drive, I live in a rented flat and I do not clap on such scenes - or for that matter any scene. I did not watch the movie for the first 15 days and I did not shell out 1000 rupees. Stop 'classifying' people like that.
Finally, 2 words (a request) GROW UP.
Rgds,
Anon (whom-u-sterotype-as-a-Rajni-fan)
Just a thought, has Rajni done anything useful to people of tamilnadu, he could have easily opened an education free school or iti or polytechnic,for all his money he has..In tamilnadu there are still 20 % people who eat once in a day and why donot rajni do something to overcome this poverty in his capacity.Y dont he spend the money , he spends on Himalaya
visits to the orphanages.
why you crazy people are behind him, who is just another citizen making a life out of your hard earned money
Once upon a time there was an excellent news reporter named Rajdeep Sardesai. He split ways with NDTV to start a new news channel amidst huge expectations. After seeing him in NDTV people hoped here was a TV channel which they could relate to and which will speak the truth.
But alas, how wrong were they….. After their site ratings fell after the abhi-ash wedding news died off. They chose a rather cheap gimmick to gain back their popularity. This event happened on July 02 2007 when a blog writer from ibnlive.com, Anuradha Sengupta(now fondly called as pig in the replies to her blog) was chosen to be the scapegoat for this cheap gimmick.
They put up a review of tamil movie Sivaji. There is nothing wrong in reviewing a movie and putting a bad review to it but what was disheartening is that the esteemed lady does not understand Tamil and she chose to see the movie in a theatre with no subtitles. Which means she could not understand the head and tail of the movie. Moreover, the language she used and the way she has brought out her so called “frustration” is really disgusting and is not expected out of a respectable news channel ibnlive.com.
But then, after giving it a thought and after waiting for a day, we got to understand the real purpose of the blog. By wednesday July 03,2007 the number of replies to the blog stand at 965 . Now a computer prodigy can tell as to how much traffic this could have created in the site. Hence, in a day due to Sivaji the popularity of the site ibnlive.com grew . So apart from the 150 crores sivaji is supposed to make, this goes as an additional credit to the movie.
A small request to ibnlive.com.In future pls avoid using such cheap antics for increasing traffic on your site.
A rotten apple spoils the entire basket. Hope, ibnlive.com continues to remain what it was a couple of days back.
Sincerely hope none of the other news channel follow suit.
And pls do not remove this. This translates no where to be offensive.
i will jst say gud wrk.. it seems ur post has been removed from IBN site.. after all they have buisness to do what else they can do..
but ibn should not have done that.. journalism is not about getting scared.. its about courage to speak truth even if it hurts..
Anuradha,
It's very simple as aptly pointed out by another reader: If you do not understand "Rajini - the phenomenon", there is no use talking to you people. Some users may not have been able to express themselves properly (like when they compared Rajni's personal life etc.), but we all have one thing in common. We all understand "Rajni - the phenomenon" and YOU DON'T...PERIOD. And yes, for someone who doesn't understand that, the movie is going to look like crap. On the other hand if you did understand, you would know why we are so mad and why you are so wrong in almost all your comments.
I wish I could point you to the article that an American had written after watching the movie - with no subtitles - and he didn't think the movie was that great either, but he understood "Rajni - the phenomenon" from seeing the reaction of the people who were watching the movie with him. Quite amazing that he could understand it and you still can't!!
Oh... long discussion without any purpose! If you like this film, please go and enjoy. If we don't like just say 'Don't like'. If you have knowledge about film making, then explain in details why you did not like it. Thats it! Not to use any unparliamentary words! I felt bad of those word usages in the original post of Anu. Unfortunately those who are supporting the original post of Anu are continue to use those BAD words! Like minded people????
Everyone seems to be livid here - either praising or ridiculing Rajni. I think that shows the importance of the man.
I did meet him once just with his family around. He didn't have any reason to speak to me and a couple of my friends at 11.30 in the night (he was coming out of a star hotel restaurant and we were packing off our art exhibition in the hotel). He spent 10 full minutes with us - ever smiling, ever attentive.
The man's greatness is that he makes us feel like Rajni and he, a humble fan of ours!
hi pig (as u say)
you can call yourself a pig but you have no right to refer to the movie goers as one of your kind.
you say that the original posting was just your personal opinion and well, you have to accept that we just let you have our personal opinion on your comments.
every word of your original posting and response to the comments clearly shows your attitude and ignorance.
i wonder how you are in this journalist field, i really pity your employer n colleagues.
in the first place, why on earth you went for sivaji? was there any compulsion?! you dont know the language n you know nothing of what was said in the movie.
for heaven sake, change your attitude or stop commenting on things you are completely ignorant of.
jay
get a hold lady
don try insultin things u r ignorant of.......
its really gr8 u tried to insult shivaji quite badly here
well think before u do....
u defenitely got some facts true in der....like the biggest budget and rajni being a gr8er star than bachan etc etc..... which is wat the world thinks.......u jus cant come and talk crap about it....
anyway u have seen the mobie and u clearly have said that noone pushed u into watchin the movie....then Y the hell r u so pissed up.... u wanted to c the movie urself..... u talk as if it was a forced experience.....
so jus learn to give respect fr those things u r nt well aware.....
guday
hey Anu ,
What you know about Rajini, he is the darling of masses. Do you know the reach of that movie and the collection. So reviewing about him and his movies.
Anuradha,
You are calling a movie “a crap” just because: either you could not understand its language, or you do not relate to audience who relate to it, or it has become a box-office blockbuster hit. Just in case your view is a reflection of the notion that well-made “artistic” movies and commercially successful movies should be on the opposite spectra of rationality, here is a comment from Mani Ratnam (Director of Roja, Bombay and Guru) which should effectively dispel it:
Mani Ratnam remains emphatic that he does not want to be an art film maker. "If the theatres are not full, it hurts me. A film should be commercially viable. People who put money into my films should get it back," says the conscientious MBA. His real obsession, however, is to communicate with his audience. Mani is still rankled by an incident in 1986 when he went to a theatre 50 km from Madras to observe the reaction to 'Mouna Raagam', a sensitive film about a girl who is married off after a tragic romance and refuses to go to bed with her husband. As the film ended, Mani heard a man say: "Why the hell couldn't the guy have got himself another woman if this one was being so difficult?" He recalls his dismay: "If I couldn't relate to a guy 50km from here, how was I going to get across to a wider audience? I can't forget that guy. That man in the theatre 50 km from here is still bothering me.”
If you personally dont understand the language , you dont deserve to review this movie..
The movie was really good , ( i agree u have to keep your brain inside your home before u leave for the theater) but it was very very entertaining. I repeat very very entertaining..tat is most important right!( either the movie must make u think or it must entertain)
I am a fan for classic movies, i have seen korean movies, swedish movies, japanese ones and even spanish ones.. And though tamil cinema and screenwriting has a longway to go, these movies are real entertainers ...
Go to hell...
SIVAJI IS A MASS HIT...which has brought 400% profit in overseas alone in two weeks,a whopping 37 CRORES...
If u aren't gonna go with that...
I JUST GOT TWO WORDS FOR U....
S**k IT
Alright.. the problem clearly seems to be your lack of understanding of the language.. and in a Rajini film the onus is primarily on the dialouges. So its pretty evident to me that you havent followed the movie.. eg. The "potshots at other Tamil stars" were meant to be tributes.. and everyone seems to have got that except you. Ha!
It's true when they say that you can only hate what you don't understand.
Although you could have saved yourself from some slack had you not ignorantly commented on the movie without even clearly following it.
Nice way to get some hits on your page though.. cuz you know Rajini sells..!! :)
Good evening.
Black Money: One respondent claimed that producers are converting their black money to white by this movie. While dismissing this allegation using the logic of 'innocence unless proven guilty', there is enough proof that Tamil film industry has always set standards for professionalism, being well in control of budgets, and streamlined productions that have for long been the envy of a more flamboyant but less disciplined Bollywood.
The 2005 summer Tamil blockbuster, "Anniyan," was touted as the biggest and most expensive South Indian film ever at that point. Its producer Oscar Ravichandran, described as most risk-taking producer in Kodambakkam aka Tamil Film Industry, remarked: "All payments to artistes, technicians and production were made through cheques and there was no black money involved as you can see from my accounts which augurs well for the future and corporatisation of the industry." It was the first film in South India to get institutional finance of Rs. 9.5 crores from the IDBI, the first Tamil film to be insured for Rs. 29.5 crores and above all, the accounting during the film making was done the corporate way.
Now having corporatised the Hindi film industry, biggies such as Adlabs and UTV are testing waters in the South Indian film industry.
guys she is earning from your clicks...simply ignore her.
Yaaraga irundhalum orutharai avamariyathai seithu kidakkum panam ... i dont want to complete this statement.
guys dont come back to this blog. ivanga ennavena kathittu pogattum.
free-a vidunga.
hey, arent you the woman who called yourself swine after watching sivaji. well, here is a pun for you... well no, i dont wanna be that bad, coz im not a journalist. i dont write all the crap that comes to my head, coz i dont work for cnn-ibn.
i also hereby recommend a new idiom for oxford/webster dictionaries:
'doing a sengupta' or 'sengupting': means flaming about a subject without having a clue about what it is and keep on defending it like a pig.
btw, in that cartoon, boy you look fat.
THIS IS THE OFFICIAL ANURADHA SENGUPTA hate club! Anybody who hates her can join this club.
Anuradha Sengupta is a journalist in CNN IBN. Nobody took notice of her. Nobody even cared whether she existed or not.
It was from the moment she started to TRASH-TALK about our “THALAIVAR” SUPERSTAR RAJNI and his latest movie SIVAJI in her blog, she became the one-stop spit-stop for all DIEHARD RAJNI FANS. This was her road to become famous.
If you still haven’t checked her article about Sivaji, plz chk it out.
1. This one started it all, the moment it was uploaded, in a matter of hours 4000+ thrashing comments landed in the website ibnlive.com
http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs/anuradhasengupta/164/2061/sivaji-the-boss-of-crap.html
She became scared to death after seeing the responses.
2. She made things worse, by commenting on the fans now. Again she was thrashed with terrible comments.
http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs/anuradhasengupta/164/2079/thank-you-sivaji.html
3. Later she was forced to apologise publicly in her own blog.
http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs/anuradhasengupta/164/2134/life-after-sivaji.html
RAJNI IMPACT!
She stopped writing in IBNLIVE, and opened her own blog in blogspot.
http://senguptaspeak.blogspot.com/
She also roped in her colleague Sanjeeb Mukherjea for her support, who failed miserably.
http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs/sanjeebmukherjea/262/2126/rajini-the-blogbuster.html
FINAL VERDICT:
ANURADHA SENGUPTA SUX AND SUX BIG TIME!
Copy paste this link and join:: http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=36121450
anuradha is a bitch who gets screwed by her own dad ...so she is mentally upset about all men ..forgive her...
subhrota sen gupta (brother)
Anuradhaji..
So here’s a true, but a moderate thalaivar fan reacting to your highly sarcastic review of his latest starrer.
First things first..I have got a couple of friends who say DOSA with Sambhar and Chutney sucks. Most of them being north Indians whose taste differs. So that’s what makes them say Dosa sucks. But even in the smallest canteen’s and eat-out’s in Chennai / Bangalore, this combo rocks 24 * 7.
So point Number 1) Is that your taste differs from those millions for whom Thalaivar isn’t just a star, not even a mere superstar, but an inspiring icon. So obviously your taste differs.
2) Its just a movie. Please don’t talk of reality. Not many real things are interesting. And hey, it’s a cineama theatre and NOT AN OPERATION THEATRE where everything u see is real. Please look around yourself, if pragmatism is what u expect out of every thing.Dont step into movies.
3) Punch Dialogues!! Often their effect’s get reverse-amplified during translation. There again it goes back to the argument of Taste’s. So the same power, u don’t get to see in translated versions. Sorry, u need to be a tamil to enjoy his puches.
4) North Indians, as I have seen them are known for their ridiculous habit of characterizing someone out of their taste’s and not their skills. Try not to be one of them as neither you, nor we are PIGS.
5) Well, last but not the Least, the so called BIG B made trash movies like Nishabd, Cheeni Kum and the most recent crap (JBJ )..One of these movies were declared as EROTIC by the media.
So, y no such reactions for that and y just our thalaivar ? FAVOURITISM and CHAUVINISM is the word I am forced to use here.
6) Am sorry if you find this rude, but u simply need to be more mature.
Anuradhaji..
So here’s a true, but a moderate thalaivar fan reacting to your highly sarcastic review of his latest starrer.
First things first..I have got a couple of friends who say DOSA with Sambhar and Chutney sucks. Most of them being north Indians whose taste differs. So that’s what makes them say Dosa sucks. But even in the smallest canteen’s and eat-out’s in Chennai / Bangalore, this combo rocks 24 * 7.
So point Number 1) Is that your taste differs from those millions for whom Thalaivar isn’t just a star, not even a mere superstar, but an inspiring icon. So obviously your taste differs.
2) Its just a movie. Please don’t talk of reality. Not many real things are interesting. And hey, it’s a cineama theatre and NOT AN OPERATION THEATRE where everything u see is real. Please look around yourself, if pragmatism is what u expect out of every thing.Dont step into movies.
3) Punch Dialogues!! Often their effect’s get reverse-amplified during translation. There again it goes back to the argument of Taste’s. So the same power, u don’t get to see in translated versions. Sorry, u need to be a tamil to enjoy his puches.
4) North Indians, as I have seen them are known for their ridiculous habit of characterizing someone out of their taste’s and not their skills. Try not to be one of them as neither you, nor we are PIGS.
5) Well, last but not the Least, the so called BIG B made trash movies like Nishabd, Cheeni Kum and the most recent crap (JBJ )..One of these movies were declared as EROTIC by the media.
So, y no such reactions for that and y just our thalaivar ? FAVOURITISM and CHAUVINISM is the word I am forced to use here.
6) Am sorry if you find this rude, but u simply need to be more mature.
Anu - you got conceived when your mom slept with the entire mohan bagan team members and licked mishti doi off their balls.. So its a gene related problem that you were born this way.. Dont worry about it.. there are other freaks in the world.
Dont abuse our thalaivar because then history will repeat itself in the sengupta clan.. TNCA league members (all 5 divisions) will visit your house. LOL.
soothai moodri thevudiya mundai.. koodhi mava!
Anuradha,
Hope you've read this review from South Africa, posted under "At the SA Box Office this weekend" by Ailsa Windsor (Perhaps you should watch again with the English subtitles as Alisa did :-))
Sivaji (The Boss) (Showing at , The Zone – Rosebank; Cavendish Square – Cape Town; Gateway and Suncoast Casino)
Starring: Rajinikanth, Shriya Saran, Vivek, Prakashraj, Manivannan
It has been a while since Ster Kinekor has screened movies which have emerged from the South of India – this is about to change! Sivaji (The Boss) is a perfect example of East meeting West – it has all the usual eastern ingredients of song, dance, love, drama and more while parodying some of the more popular western films – a cause of much mirth.
With elements taken from ‘Desperado’ , ‘The Matrix’ and ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ among others Sivaji takes the audience on a hilarious journey with a man who has been educated in America and has high hopes of establishing a university in his home town. However, when it is established that he wants to provide free education to the masses he meets with much opposition.
This Tamil film with English sub-titles shows how Sivaji (Rajinikanth) has to bribe his way to the top eventually emerging as a ‘mafia-type’ boss complete with parody. Keeping on the lighter side is the way he inveigles his way into Tamilselvi’s heart (Shriya). Well worth watching (AW)
See http://www.newsonline.co.za/article_detail.asp?Article_ID=1077
Another positive review from South Africa:
Comic relief from red tape
August 6, 2007
By Debashine Thangevelo
Sivaji: The Boss
Rating: ****
There hasn't been this much hype around a Tamil movie since … come to think of it, we haven't had one as big as Sivaji: The Boss release on the big screen. In fact, this movie could very well be the catalyst in introducing South Indian cinema on the South African movie circuit in the same way Kuch Kuch Hota Hai re-launched Bollywood into mainstream cinema in 1999.
And, if the opening weekend's taking of R212 409 is anything to go by, Sivaji will enjoy a good run on the big screen. Why is there so much interest in this film? It has Tamil iconic actor Rajinikanth as the hero. Enough said!
That Rajinikanth has the Midas touch is proven by his track record of box-office hits. People at grassroots level identify with his films as they highlight societal problems like extreme poverty, prevalent bribery among public servants and corrupt politicians who get away with murder. Sivaji is fashioned on the same formulaic premise and is complemented by extravagant sets for the item scenes.
Sivaji is a family entertainer with the usual masala mix of drama, romance, action and comedy. The comic timing between Vivek and Rajinikanth is spot-on. Of course, this wouldn't be a Rajinikanth film if it didn't feature his trademark nuances like bouncing gum off his palm into his mouth (in his earlier films he did the same but with a cigarette), coin-flipping and the I'm-gonna-get-you-look.
At 57, the actor pulls of his 30- year-old character with élan. He switches fluidly from kindhearted industrialist to lovesick idiot to the hero who saves the day. Saran matches his performance with confidence and grace. Kudos to the artistic director; the painstaking detail in the aesthetically pleasing themed sets for the song and dance scenes doesn't go amiss. Saran's costumes are amazing, ditto for Rajinikanth.
Sivaji is a captivating film that will leave you in stitches and cheering for the underdog to rise up and kick some bad-guy-butt. If you enjoyed … HIndustani, Dil Se and every Rajinikanth movie … you should enjoy this.
Anuradha,
Here is one more lesson for you in the art of writing a professional, unbiased review, balancing admiration and criticism in the right tone.
SIVAJI
A movie review by Balaji Balasubramaniam
Sivaji delivers exactly what one expects from a combination of Rajnikanth and Shankar - a larger-than-life Rajnikanth improving society in a simplistic but dramatic manner while romancing Shreya, goofing around with Vivek and participating in rich, elaborate song sequences and graphics-filled fights. It is weak on logic but Rajnikanth's style, charisma and screen presence have been exploited to the fullest extent to make that easier to overlook.
Shankar's record at the box-office proves that he knows the pulse of the viewer well. Sivaji seems designed to prove that he knows the pulse of the Rajni fan just as well. An all-out, unapologetic tribute to Rajni's star power and solely intended to showcase his ability to carry a movie single-handedly, the film is the work of a director who fully understood Rajni's image and set out to depict it in the grandest way possible. In that, he has succeeded. For Rajni (and Rajni fans!), Sivaji is going be a tough act to follow.
Sivaji (Rajnikanth), a software engineer in the US, has returned home for good and is determined to do good for the people. He decides to open universities to provide free education and hospitals to provide free medical services but finds the process rooted in corruption every step of the way. Setting aside his own misgivings, he bribes the concerned people and finally gets the permission to set up his foundation. But problems arise in the form of Adiseshan (Suman), a powerful businessman who sees the foundation as competition to his own empire. Meanwhile, Sivaji falls for Tamilselvi (Shriya), a pious, timid girl but she and her family don't warm up to Sivaji and his family so easily.
The film is unabashedly aimed at Rajni fans. The one liners, the slo-mo shots, the multiple hair styles, costumes and get-ups(including dressing up like MGR, Sivaji and Kama Hassan) and the references to past movies(note the professions Suman asks Rajni to consider when he is down on his luck) are all designed to elicit cheers and whistles from the actor's huge fan base. Rajni of course rises to the occasion, carrying it all off with élan. Looking young and dashing in some fantastic costumes, he plays to the gallery as only he can. The actor and comedian in him peeks out in the first half (he has some funny lines and he is very convincing when he is frustrated about the roadblocks to his plans) but it is all style in the second half. Starting off with the fantastic tea shop confrontation with Suman, it is a one-man show all the way. Armed with new gimmicks like the coin toss and the bubble-gum pop, he reminds us once again why he is the real original as he takes on Suman and his cohorts.
For his part, Shankar picks his favorite 'social vigilante' theme but the whole thing seems very watered down here. The first half describes the problem(corruption) while the second half suggests a way out of it(use the black money hoarded by the rich to fight it). It is a topical issue sure but is handled in a superficial way that prevents it from making an impact. Sujatha helps lay out the issue in a short and crisp manner but the sequences where the plan is put into action are mostly outlandish. Creating sequences allowing Rajni to be bombastic and larger-than-life has obviously been Shankar's only consideration and so logic and realism take a big hit.
The movie doesn't start off strong. Rajni's introduction scene is pretty weak (inspite of a strong build-up). Ballekakka... kicks off rather abruptly and the song sequence itself, in spite of the grandeur and a slim and great-looking Nayantara, is disappointing. The technique of painted surroundings is a Shankar trademark by now and so fails to wow us and the fast steps for the song are a bit too much for Rajni to handle.
In spite of the fabulous make-up that makes Rajni look almost half his age most of the time, we know that Shreya is way younger than him and any lovey-dovey sequences between them would have been quite uncomfortable. But Shankar cleverly sidesteps this by making the entire romance a comedy and that makes it easier to accept. Rajni's family wooing her family is different from the usual boy-girl routine and the entire sequence where they visit Shriya's house is hilarious. The comedy is definitely loud, juvenile and slapstick but it works. Vivek has some fantastic lines and Pattimanram Raja is an inspired pick for the role of the harassed, exasperated father. The segment where Rajni turns fair is also very funny (and clever since Shankar brings it in without making Shriya seem superficial) and the comic undertone makes the Style... song sequence work a lot better than the photos suggested. The location is great and Rajni has some great steps and moves (who else can make a simple move like taking off coolers to reveal plain glasses underneath, so stylish?!).
One of the big reasons for Chandramukhi's success was the flashback sequence that allowed Rajni to appear in a different get-up as Vettaiyan Raja. Shankar has learned well from that and tweaks the screenplay to allow the same here too. Rajni's look in the last segment is exhilarating and a good surprise (Oh, how I wish those pictures hadn't been leaked!). He gets to introduce a new style, utter some crowd-pleasing punchlines and participate in a stylish, good-looking fight sequence.
Shriya looks suitably mellow as Rajni's love interest. She looks gorgeous in the song sequences and is probably the only Tamil heroine among the current crop who deserves the description 'hot'! Considering the clean nature of the rest of the film, she could have been clothed a little more in the songs though. Suman plays a suave, sheep-in-wolf's-clothing kind of villain. He does a good job but his character is obviously very ineffectual and that affects our impression of him. Vivek has almost as much screen time as Rajni if you disregard the song sequences and has some hilarious lines.
Athiradee... should count as one of the best Rajni song sequences of all time. Lavishly mounted in a great setting with great ideas, bright costumes, superb choreography, it is one of the high points of the movie. Vaaji Vaaji... and Sahana... are more noticeable for their grand sets. As far as fight sequences go, Shankar spoils them by being too ambitious. The music store fight is nicely done but the comedy hurts its effectiveness. The car chase at the drive-in is plain ridiculous with SUVs flying off in all directions as they are swatted by Rajni's vehicle. But it does end on a nice note though. The climactic fight is saved by style with the billowing coat on Rajni adding to the atmosphere. The small fight at Suman's godown and the fight inside the rundown building end up being the best of the lost since they are more realistic and down-to-earth.
Rajini's punchy one-liners will now be heard in Hindi
Suresh Mathew / CNN-IBN
Published on Tuesday , August 21, 2007 at 02:39 in Entertainment section
New Delhi: Rajinikanth in and as Sivaji will soon be speaking in Hindi. The Tamil film, which released in June this year, is already a superhit worldwide and now the producers are targetting the Bollywood market by dubbing the film in Hindi.
“The reason why we decided to dub the film in Hindi was that the Tamil version itself took on fantastic openings in the North, which has never happened before. People watched the movie even without subtitles so we have decided to go with the Hindi version,” Sivaji’s producer, M S Guhan said.
And that’s not all music composer AR Rahman is all set to re-record the entire soundtrack for the Hindi version. News is that lead actors Rajinikanth and Shreya may voice their dialogues for the Hindi version.
And the difficult task of giving Rajini's punchy one-liners a Hindi garb has been undertaken by writer Swanand Kirkire.
“The language is very crucial because everything has to be either translated or adapted to suit the film and the actors,” writer Swanand Kirkire said.
A stickler for perfection, director Shankar is leaving no stone unturned to make the dubbed Sivaji look different from other regular dubbed films.
“Dr Shankar has his own ideas of perfection. So even when he dubs a product he takes care of minute things like changing the signboards to Hindi,” Guhan said.
Sivaji in Hindi is scheduled for a Diwali release and may just feature a special appearance by none other than superstar Amitabh Bachchan. So, let the fireworks begin!
(With inputs from Somen Mishra in Mumbai and Aarti Nagraj in Chennai)
podi punda.
gaboor thevadiya
Anu Radha, Well I am reading this article after watching the 100th day of Shivaji in USA. I have watched the movie 10 times in theatre.
There are lots of people who got benefited out of
'Shivaji the movie' you are one among them. I could see your post just trying to get the people attentation but in the very wrong way and you got that tooo some nine hundreds comment hmm not a bad thing and like Indian politicians you say thats my personal view and all crap...
you guys do anything for money.
well one thing I can say is you got to be a Tamilian to understand feel and enjoy Rajinikanths movie.
Chumma athridhuillai...
Actor leads India's rising film industry
Henry Chu
Los Angeles Times
Oct. 5, 2007 12:00 AM
CHENNAI, India - Waiting in line to see the most expensive film in Indian history, a young woman searched for the right words to describe the movie's star, an aging, slightly paunchy actor who goes by the name of Rajnikanth.
"He is a god," Deborah Rekha Jeyasekar, 21, finally declared. "We accept that."
This isn't necessarily hyperbole in a land where celebrities are treated with something close to idolatry. When Sivaji - The Boss opened June 15, fans poured milk over cardboard cutouts of Rajnikanth in a Hindu rite of worship. Others sacrificed an entire week's wages to buy scalped tickets to the first screening.
Fueled by the actor's megawatt star power, the film, with its Robin Hood story line and an estimated budget of $18 million - huge by Indian standards - appears to be enjoying a blockbuster run at the theaters, though box-office figures have yet to be released.
But Sivaji is not a Bollywood production, and Rajnikanth is not a Hindi-speaking Bollywood heartthrob. The movie was shot in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, and the dialogue is in Tamil, a language spoken by more than 70 million people.
The strong success of Sivaji has highlighted the fact that the Indian film industry, often considered synonymous with Bollywood, is actually far more diverse. A country of more than a dozen official languages, India has several different "ollywoods" scattered across the subcontinent, churning out movies that cater mostly to regional audiences.
Indeed, although Bollywood's colorful song-and-dance spectacles generally boast the biggest budgets, the biggest stars and the biggest domestic and international penetration, the Hindi film industry in Mumbai accounts for only about a quarter of the 1,000 or so movies produced in India annually.
Almost as prolific are "Kollywood," the Tamil film industry based in Tamil Nadu, and "Tollywood," its Telugu-language counterpart in the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh. Combined, the two entertainment powerhouses released nearly twice as many feature films last year as Bollywood.
"Everyone thinks Bollywood is the biggest in India, but it's actually the South Indian movie market that is bigger than the Hindi market," said Hetal Adesara, editor of Businessofcinema.com. (Hindi is the dominant language of India, spoken by more than 300 million people, concentrated mostly in the north.)
The growth in regional filmmaking, along with India's overall economic boom, has helped spur optimistic forecasts of the potential of the country's movie industry.
A report this year by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry pegged India's film business at $2.1 billion in 2006. That figure will more than double by 2011, the report projected.
Last year's highest-grossing movies in India were Bollywood creations, led by Krrish, starring the highly bankable Hrithik Roshan as a caped superhero. The movie, which made it into a handful of American theaters, raked in about $20 million worldwide, more than triple its initial investment. (In India, tickets at even the best cinemas in big cities never cost more than $5.)
This year, Bollywood has struggled to match 2006's record at the box office. Several high-profile films with big-name stars have flopped.
Still, Bollywood's global reach is not in any doubt. Its films do brisk business in other parts of Asia and in the West, especially in nations with significant South Asian populations, such as Britain. Same-day premieres around the world have become more common, and reviews of Bollywood flicks now appear in American newspapers.
But some non-Bollywood films are making inroads of their own. Rajnikanth, a bus conductor turned actor, has a devoted following in Japan, and ardent fans in Malaysia rioted and set one cinema on fire when the first screenings of Sivaji were delayed by a few hours.
In India, the highly anticipated film - the actor's first in two years - is exhibiting strong staying power, boosted by a months-long publicity campaign by its maker, AVM Studios. Three weeks after the movie's premiere, even weekday morning shows here in Chennai were sold out, attended by screaming moviegoers of both sexes.
Industry scuttlebutt has it that Rajnikanth's fee for Sivaji was $5 million, plus a share of the profits, making him India's highest-paid actor.
The movie follows a well-worn populist story line in which the title character brings down a corrupt rich businessman and builds hospitals and schools for the poor. But Indian critics are in near-unanimous agreement that the plot is largely irrelevant. The movie is essentially a vehicle for Rajnikanth to reel off one-liners, perform Matrix-like stunts and strut around.
That's why, analysts say, the film has traveled so well outside of Tamil Nadu. An inability to understand Tamil is no barrier to figuring out what's happening on screen. (A non-Tamil-speaking American reporter, who sat through all three hours and 20 minutes of Sivaji, can attest to this.)
The movie also underscores the importance in India, more so than in Hollywood, of a big-name star for launching a blockbuster. An Indian film with an A-list actor can certainly flop, but a film without one almost never becomes a hit.
"Rajnikanth is an amazing star who sort of bypasses all age groups," said film critic and analyst Indu Mirani. "He's about 60-plus, but . . . he's so flamboyant on screen that he appeals to everybody."
• vignesJones
• Posted: Oct 5, 2007 at 7:47 PM
Rajinikanth's charismatic acting is certainly entertaining. It’s fun to watch him on screen. By the way, he is 50+ only...and who cares about the actor's age as long as he belts out good movies to watch.
Other Ollywoods Divert Limelight From Bollywood
By Emily Wax
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, October 8, 2007; Page A11
MUMBAI -- At a recent Bollywood party, where the glitterati were draped in silk saris and the literati were slightly less glamorous, some guests sipped cinnamon mojitos while others bellied up to the sushi bar. All around, there was plenty of movie buzz, but most of it wasn't about Bollywood, India's best-known film industry.
Instead, the chatter seemed to be mostly about "Sivaji: The Boss," which was produced by the Tamil-language film industry, Kollywood, one of India's half-dozen regional "ollywoods." The star of "Sivaji," goes by the name Rajinikanth.
"I so wish I could hire him for advertising, but he charges the Earth," lamented Khant, one of Bollywood's advertising moguls, as he waved a pair of chopsticks over various starlets at the party.
"Bollywood is this nation's beloved form of entertainment, don't get me wrong," Khant said. "But these other ollywoods inspire even more euphoria than Bollywood these days. They are just total gods of the Indian heartland."
Indeed, Kollywood -- so named because its films are produced in an area of Chennai called Kodambakkam -- is enjoying a powerful and profitable renaissance, as are the other ollywoods. Although India has the largest film industry in the world, only 200 of the 800 movies made each year are from Bollywood. Meanwhile, the number of productions from the other ollywoods has nearly doubled in the last decade, according to film industry experts.
In this country of 1.1 billion people, going to the movies is a favorite pastime, so the box office potential for the ollywoods is enormous. Films in Bhojpuri, a Hindi dialect, have made so much money recently that Bollywood's most iconic actor, Amitabh Bachchan, signed up to star in one.
Films from the other ollywoods tend to have smaller budgets compared with those from Bollywood, so they often have far larger profit margins. Moviegoers are more than happy to have a wider selection.
"With more money to spend, people in India's small towns want to go to the movies, and they want to see culturally rich story lines that connect to their own lifestyles," said Manoj Singh Bhawuk, the lead lyricist for Bhojpuri films, who has written a book on the industry.
Although regional films here are as old as Indian cinema itself, they have never before been in such demand. Film critics say Bollywood plots have become too focused on Indians living abroad -- so-called Non-Resident Indians, known in slang as NRIs -- with characters who jet between New Delhi and New York, living glamorous lives that don't resonate in small-town India. Other critics say Bollywood films involve too much sex and have been Westernized, with some actresses dressing in hot pants and tight shirts rather than saris.
There's also a sense that Bollywood stars have grown distant from their fans and are more likely to be seen on corporate billboards than during visits to mid-size towns and cities. Regional stars, on the other hand, are still accessible.
In India's southwestern state of Kerala, the biggest star of Malayalam-language films, Mohanlal, still meets with fans at Hindu temples. Some Keralite households keep autographed photos from his visit to a local cafe.
"The other ollywoods are rising again, and their stars are just colossal," said Karan Johar, director of many Bollywood NRI-themed movies and now host of India's most popular movie-star talk show, "Koffee with Karan."
"The regional stars mean everything to hundreds of millions of fans," Johar said. "You can touch them when they come to your town's fan club. They are such total icons, and they are unbreakable."
In an interesting twist, Indians abroad are also turning to the other ollywoods for regional films that remind them of home, with the movies shown in suburban theaters in the United States and in international cities with large Indian populations, such as Capetown, Dubai and London.
Fans say they still love Bollywood films but want to supplement them with movies that feature folk stories in their native language.
"We love the Malayalam films because the birthplace of the stories is right here, in towns and villages that we recognize on the big screen. That feels great," said Harikeishnan Ravindran, 31, who is living in Dubai but was outside a cinema during a recent visit home in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala. "I don't care much for Bollywood's artificial wealth and all the dancing. I would rather watch our local heroes in our local language, in stories that are connected to our lives."
Malayalam films have enjoyed a long history of critical acclaim in Kerala. The stories often involve emotionally powerful issues such as caste, bride-burning, child labor and poverty. Compared with Bollywood, there are few if any songs, and plots lines are often more linear. The films always show local cities and portray everyday problems. Comedies are goofy and typically include fight scenes and Robin Hood-like plots in which an underdog saves the poor, as in "Sivaji: The Boss."
"People in India are anxious to keep their very strong sense of community-level culture alive," said Shyamaprasad, one of the most famous directors of Malayalam films. "And in India today, that means that they want to see that local feeling on the big screen and at the movies."
THE NRI EYE: Indian films not only for NRI eyes any more
Web posted at: 10/15/2007 7:50:0
Source ::: The Peninsula
For nostalgic Non-resident Indians the cinema hall screening a Bollywood production has always been a home away from home. In those few hours, the homesick individual relives the forgotten flavours and misty memories of all that he left behind.
As more and more Indians leave home to find work outside the country, the demand for servings of desi entertainment grows. According to Amit Mitra, Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the Indian entertainment industry has outperformed the country’s economy and is one of the fastest growing sectors. Revenues from television industry alone are expected to grow from $4.2bn to $11bn by 2011. Indian films are screened in 110 countries and the overseas market brings one-fifth of the revenues for any major film release. Recent estimates show that the total value of Indian content sold outside is $200m and is slated to grow at 20 per cent annually.
The market for Indian movies overseas is expected to grow at 18 per cent, faster than the domestic market which is growing at 16 per cent, according to a report by FICCI and audit firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers Pvt Ltd. Yet, the report found that the market could be expanded through better marketing, and sub-titling and dubbing efforts as well as wider releases.
One remembers an interview given a few years back by megastar Amitabh Bachchan to the Times of India. “Our films are being witnessed by millions of those who do not know a word of Hindi. They simply enjoy our movies. But so far Bollywood has not marketed its products professionally among these people. You talk of marketing our films abroad. But don’t you think there will be greater acceptability abroad if our films have better content. We do not seem to be getting out of the boy-meets-girl rut.”
However, of late, Indian producers have increasingly aimed their movies at overseas audiences. Productions such as Yash Raj Films Pvt Ltd’s Ta Ra Rum Pum are being seen as examples movies with international appeal. Other producers, such as UTV Software Communications Ltd, have partnered with Hollywood production houses, and movies such as Monsoon Wedding, Bend It Like Beckham, Bride & Prejudice, Water and The Namesake, while varying in content, have done their bit to put Indian movies in the minds of moviegoers overseas.
In order to boost the demand for Indian movies among foreigners and Indians living abroad, the government is planning to undertake promotions of the films in the overseas market, targeting not just NRIs but foreigners in a big way.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has formed five core groups, comprising representatives from the film industry, to submit their suggestions on measures to promote the film industry outside India. According to Information and Broadcasting Minister, P R Dasmunshi, the core group on ‘Export of Films and Related Issues’ has submitted its recommendations and action is being taken.
Another recent FICCI study, conducted together with Ernst & Young has recognised a “huge market (abroad) waiting to be tapped.” “The overseas market is not just about plugging into the nostalgia of 20 million odd non-resident Indians. It is about tapping into the tremendous popularity of Indian content overseas,” the study report said.
It notes that in order to scale up, the Indian content industry needs to expand to newer markets with higher paying capacity. The study divides the content of Indian movies into three broad categories. While cluster one includes pure Indian content such as Hindi ‘masala’ movies, mystical Indian themes such as ‘Ramayana’, ‘Veer Hanuman’ or other cultural themes aimed at global audience come under cluster two. The third cluster includes programming content such as animation which can be produced for markets such as CIS, West Asia, Africa or East Europe, suiting their local needs.
West Asia in general and the Arabian Gulf in particular are seen to have a tremendous potential for Indian content. Mainstream Hindi films are becoming increasingly popular in the traditionally conservative Gulf countries. Apart from Indian satellite channels, several Arabic channels are also beaming the latest Bollywood films and songs round the clock in a bid to tap the ever expanding audience. Realising the increasing popularity of Bollywood flicks, major cinema theatres in the Arab countries have also started screening Indian hits regularly.
According to one estimate, between 30 and 40 per cent of Hindi movie viewers in these countries are nationals. And as Bollywood productions become more slick technically and acquire a more international flavour, this popularity is bound to grow. In fact, besides Hindi, productions in south Indian languages too are poised to go international. Nothing illustrates this point better than the stupendous success of the Tamil movie Sivaji – The Boss in which superstar Rajnikanth plays wealthy NRI. The films, estimated to have cost around $20m, has been screened in close to a thousand cinema theatres world wide.
London-based Eros International has entered into a JV with Ayngaran International, another London-based overseas distributor. Both have been in distribution for over two decades and have a huge slate of libraries. Sivaji was the first project of this new JV as well as the first investment and foray into Tamil cinema for Eros. Following the phenomenal success of Sivaji, the JV will look into both distribution and production of Tamil films. More of such exciting news is expected in the near future as the Indian entertainment industry refuses to be left behind in this march of India Inc.
Some of u guys are commenting in response to the "article", some in response to other commentators on the article and ranjinikanth, and still some are commentating on something thats not directly related the "article". Well that's ok, but my comments are related to the "article". So here it goes.
To anuradha sengupta(not to commentators).
1.) Based on the 7th para. The plot, story telling are not cramp&ludicrous. For few know that this story is based on true events, when i saw the movie i know there was a person who like sivaji came to do the kind of job thats told in the story in bangalore but not w/style or stunts.This movie had entertainment in it like all other movies do, with a minor message. As far as the antics goes, you don't understand the dialogues and behavior of the characters such as rajinikanth and vivek. Looks like you are foreign on tamil comedy, and i didn't see any absurd behavior all though the action of rajinikanth was overboard.
2.)Based on ur 2-3 para. The media was all over in the southern states and its the first southern movie to make its entry in the theatres of north-central india in tamil, not in dubbed language and did not have any subtitles. Unfortunately you did not cave into "peer pressure", but you were on of those foolish consumers who gave into the temptation of the media-hype surrounding the movie. I mean understanding abc's of tamil doesn't gurantee your knowledge on the dialogues, the minor message and the connection between you and the characters w/o the veil of rajinikanth, the songs, and the over the top stunts.
3.)Based on ur 5th para. Please, why are you comparing this film in terms of acquiring t.v rights with a hindi film. This is a south indian t.v channel and its their interest to buy/not buy rights of a movie.If any other t.v channels showcases hindi films, they also could buy the rights from a hindi movie. If that's not happened¬ heard about a hindi film, then its their issue.
The Wongs watch Sivaji
Navel Gazer
By Alexandra Wong
Overripe emotions? Over-the-top action sequences? An assault on the tear ducts? Indian movies are quite an experience.
For as long as I can remember, Indian movies have been a fixture in my life.
Sivaji, starring Rajinikanth as The Boss, broke box-office records everywhere it showed.
When I was a wee lass, my mother and I would plant ourselves in front of the idiot box every Saturday afternoon, armed with a box of Kleenex, preparing for the sob-fest that would inevitably ensue, while Dad rolled his eyes in undisguised amusement.
So when Dad remarked one day: “Have you heard about the latest Indian movie?”, I wasn’t too surprised.
But his next words made me sit up.
“Sivaji has just broken all the box-office records. The news was splashed all over the Chinese papers.”
From the fanfare and hoopla surrounding Sivaji, I had a feeling that it was more than just a movie – it sounded like history in the making.
“Shall we watch it for my birthday then?” I suggested.
My folks thought it was a grand, if somewhat unconventional, idea. Then again, we are not your typical Chinese family, as Mum is fond of pointing out. That very afternoon, the entire Wong family of three trooped into the local TGV. At the doorway, the ticket collector regarded me with a strange expression.
“Miss, are you sure you are at the right cinema?” he asked after a pause.
I nodded absently, impatient to enter the hall. Somebody had told me that watching an Indian movie at the cinema was a total experience – apparently, the moviegoers would really get into the spirit of things.
Young men would jump up and dance, and the audience would collectively whoop during climactic scenes. While I could reel off an entire list of Indian movie stars, I had never gone to the cinema to watch an Indian movie before, so I had no idea whether he was pulling my leg.
“Uh, this is an Indian movie,” the lad at the door persisted, emphasising the word Indian.
“Yes, yes, this is Sivaji The Boss, yes?” I repeated and sailed past him, leading mum and dad into the cinema.
As I gingerly made my way down the aisle, I did a quick scan. As far as my eyes could make out in the dim hall, we were the only Chinese in the entire theatre, I realised with a start.
“You watching Tamil movie, ah?” the lady next to me asked. Even in the dark, I could see her eyes were as big as saucers.
“You understand Tamil, ah?” my neighbour went on, wonderment in her voice.
I looked at her, mouth twitching. I couldn’t remember another time when the audience was so . . . hospitable. Antonio was right – it WAS turning out to be one unusual experience.
“No, but there are subtitles right?” I said hopefully.
She nodded vigorously.
“Yes, I think so. I hope you enjoy the movie. I heard it is very good! I brought my whole family here,” she said, pointing to the row of progressively lower heads beside her.
The audience demographic had an extraordinarily high proportion of families. Kids. Mums. Fathers. Teenage boys. Generations. In front of my mother, I could identify a lady in a saree with salt-and-pepper hair in a tight coil and quirky round spectacles.
A grandma, I thought with amazement. How many of my peers would even think of bringing their parents to the movies, let alone their grandma?
“When was the last time you and Dad watched a movie?” I whispered to mum.
She wrinkled her nose. “Long time ago. We had gone to the one in Parkson, but never been here before (Kinta City).”
I kept quiet, shamefaced. That was over a decade ago. We could all learn a thing or two about spending quality time from these Indian moviegoers, I thought, and made a mental to-do-note.
The movie kicked off promisingly with a rip-roaring tribute to The Boss. It was clear from the outset, the lines were blurred between the real boss and the celluloid boss. Both were adulated and treated with the same reverence as a demi-god. Well, you certainly can’t accuse the Indians of not respecting their elders.
To my dismay, 15 minutes into the movie, and the subtitles abruptly disappeared, as if the translator gave up halfway and thought, “Bah! No other races are going to watch this anyway.”
But if I had thought that the little linguistic hiccup would diminish our enjoyment of the movie, I was mistaken.
In the grand tradition of all Indian melodramas, a blitzkrieg of eye and ear candy flooded our senses. Sultry heroines sashayed and shimmied with a sinuous grace that made Shakira look clumsy by comparison. Whimsical phantasmagorical sets that seemed to have been drawn from every colour in the palette had our eyes popping out and mouths watering.
It was pure magic – an uncluttered storyline, unabashedly steeped in family values, cast in a sweeping, exquisite landscape. It almost dared you, with a wink and a saucy wiggle, to resist its infectious joyfulness and big, big heart.
And as the audience booed and cried and laughed on cue, we the Wongs went along merrily, never mind if we couldn’t understand a word of the rapidfire Tamil that passed through the characters’ lips.
Post-Sivaji, I conducted a status check and asked My Boss outside the theatre: “So Dad, nice or not the movie?”
“Ok-lah,” he grunted. “Over the top but can-lah.”
Dad is not a verbose man, so this was a resounding endorsement. A “can-lah” in his dictionary probably meant “fabulous!” in somebody else’s.
Ah, so he thought it was a humdinger of a movie too. I needn’t have worried.
I hear Madhuri Dixit positively sparkles in the current epic doing the cinema rounds, Aaja Nache. Anybody game for a song-and-dance?
If you’d like to get in touch with the writer, you can e-mail her at Alexandra.lywong@gmail.com
The last post is on 2007 - and this is year 2010 - June. I'm now in the US of A - Los Angeles.
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I still remember you PIG - and will always keep you in utter distaste.
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Your thoughts were one of the WORST and most hurtful ones ever expressed against an entire group of cinema watchers.
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It is a shame that you have a name that hails from Bengal - the land of Bose & Tagore.
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One of the many 'Anons' on the list of comments here.
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Will come back again - at a later date.
Anuradha, you ARE a pig indeed. Look?? Go suck Amithabh's cock and write well about bollywood you daughter of a bitch. It's 2011 and I still comment here to remind you, that you're being damped by us like a PIG dung... Who do you think you are? SLUT! Yes you're a slut who beds with Bollywood actors and get the payment next morn for writing about them and their strengths on you.
FUCK!
Hello Anuradha,
Can you please remove your blogs about Rajini and the movie sivaji. Its been so many years , every year when I happen to see so many news in Internet about Rajini on during his new movie release or birthday times. I happen to see ur blog still exist in the internet. Its not really good for a person like u who became a top 50 influential women journalist to keep a record of your hatred like this for so long. I request u and ur IBN CNN channel to remove these blogs. Its better to be a good critic rather being a journalist pouring personal hatred. The biggest blunder is publishing the personal hatred.
Good Luck!
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