Potti Maaripochi in CIFF

My Day 2 in the Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF)- I wonder why they want to add the word “International”, they should have kept just “Chennai Film Festival”. Is it because they screen movies from around the world?

Before starting every movie and in their promotions they add “In support from Tamil Nadu Government” and to note, there is a big banner in which it is written “From the blessings of AMMA”. Makkal’in Mudalvar’ presence is there, you cannot escape from amma in Tamil Nadu.

Back to the business part, I went to catch-up at least two films- 5 PM and 7:15 PM.

5 PM show in Woodlands was scheduled for a Bulgarian film Roseville, but they started to play an Italian film “Like A Wind” (potti maariduchi- I guess this is normal in an event like this!). Most of the audience realized it when the title got displayed, but the people who were telecasting\projecting it realized after 15-20 minutes. Then the movie was stopped abruptly and the Roseville film was started. When Roseville started, the lady in the mic announced they are playing the correct film now! An appropriate excuse could have been sought.

Back to the actual business about the film- Roseville. It started as an average Hollywood B-Grade film, like “people driving through the forest and a creature appearing from nowhere”. The plot moved like Kubrick’ “The Shining”. 120 minutes running-time was too much for the film, they could have reduced it to 90 minutes. Sound design and the background score were good.

Before, catching up the next film got a chance to meet my fellow blogger Mahesh. Had a quick chat with him. Rushed in for little refreshment and "chucha".

Next film- Nuoc (2030), a Vietnamese film about raising sea levels. The cinematography was good in capturing the rough sea (Or is it my delusion, because I sat too near to the screen).

My Previous CIFF related post- http://teashoptalks.blogspot.in/2014/12/my-first-day-in-film-fest.html

**Above Image from Nuoc film.

My First Day In A Film Fest

While reading this piece of writing, people may think I’m too excited and exaggerating my experience, but attending a film festival is in my list of “to-do” items for a long time, I kept skipping it for years. So there is no harm in writing about it!

On the 2nd day of the Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF), I took some time from my busy schedule (Iddu reel’u!) and narrowed on the 3 PM show at Woodlands. My target was a movie from The Netherlands- Tuscan Wedding, but I also had an option of 2.45 PM show at Symphony (Adomaya. Life Goes On - An Assamese film).

I was able to reach the theater sooner than I expected and thought of catching up the 2:45 PM show. I parked the bike (free parking only in Woodlands). As said before, I was excited. Walked into the theater and choose my seat.

They announced to switch off the mobile phones, everyone smartly put their phones in the silent mode. Movie started. With in few minutes, I realized that I forgot to take the key from the bike. I was sure the key is in the bike, because that’s my routine way of forgetting it. I was about to move out, but I don't want to ruin my first experience. For few minutes, I couldn't concentrate on the movie. From my past similar experiences, I know the key is perfectly camouflaged and it’s hardly got noticed by the people passing through it (I once, left it on a busy street), so I took a chance (Kurutu daiyriam).

I continued to watch the film. Occasionally, someone was whispering “hello.. nan theater’la irukeen” and some frustrated souls walked away in the middle of the film (May be they had forgot something like me).

Clap.. clap.. clap the film ends.

Oh!! what happen to the key ?- It was there in the bike and the bike was there untouched!.

Note: There is a photo exhibition happening in Woodlands. Theme- Cinema Halls.

Web link for the festival- www.chennaifilmfest.com

Enough Mr. Superstar

By the time you read this you might have seen the film or your friends would have already given their take on the movie as “mokkai”. Yes, they are correct the film is “mokkai”, when you go to Lingaa expecting the Bashaas or Padayappas.

They have taken a time-tested superstar formula- An intro song, powerful flashback and a bad guy. They neither over-cook nor under-cook the film, but they forgot to turn on the stove. Being in 2014 they took the movie which is meant for the year 1999. 

Lingaa is watchable on the whole, even though there are bits and pieces of dragging moments for every 15 mins. The intro song is from the dream of the hero, which is a complete lack of imagination, longgg flashback…wait.. wait.. I’ll stop here, I can see that you are saying “Thalaivar scene’la vandalee podum”.

My fear is when people like Rajani and Kamal can still be super heroes at the age of 60’s, will Vijay and Ajith follow the same. Long live Tamil Cinema.

Enough Mr. Superstar or enough of Mr. Superstar.

Mozhi ப்பராபளம்

This is the norm for most of the bilinguals like me in Tamil Nadu, especially while in school, we suffer from this Language’ophobia. மனேயல்லி ಕನ್ನಡ (வீட்டுல Kannada), வெளியில் தமிழ் and in school English. This was how I started my school days in a confused state till 4th Standard, but when I stepped into 5th standard, things became more complicated. Hindi and Sanskrit joined the race to torture me. I was put into this CBSE School in Sri Vidya Mandir (SVMS), Salem. 

Up until joining SVMS, my Hindi vocabulary was verrrryyy limited, like, “Ek.. doo.. theen”, “Chumma.. chumma.. de..dee”, “shoolay”, “namaskar” and not to forget “ek gaon main..ek kisan raghuthatta”. I was a hosteler then, so new joinees were pushed for a special tuition from 4:30 PM to 5:00 PM, while the rest of my friends were playing cricket.

Hindi teacher should be called as Ji or Pandit. Sanskrit sir as Sharma Ji. Tamil teacher as Ayya\Amma. English and other subjects as sir\madam.

Our Hindi tuition Ji was from Ambasamudram, he’ll say “ஒழுங்க படிக்கலே மணிமுத்தாறுல புரட்டி எடுத்துடுவேன்”.

Halfway through my 5th standard year, there came a circular “Students should speak in Hindi, while in Hindi period. Should speak in Tamil, while in Tamil class. Sanskrit in Sanskrit period. For English class and the rest of the subject- English is must”. 

We hostelers had a big doubt, “What language should we speak in interval and lunch period?”. So as days passed, one day during an interval period, I said to my friend Balu, “டாய், நான் one bathroom போயிட்டுவரேன்...”, suddenly someone caught my ear. It was my Sanskrit Sharma Ji (He was like Premji from Goa film). He said “Hey man, you talk in Tamil”.

Me: No, Tamil ji.. bath room is English!! He said, “come to the staff room”. He pulled my ear and dragged me to 2nd floor.

I thought, “Yov Sharma, நீங்க management-க்கு salaam போட என் காதுதான் கெடச்சதா!!"

I ended up paying Re. 1 for talking in Tamil. That one rupee was added to my mess bill.

உங்க மொழி அரசியலுக்கு என்ன மாதிரி எத்தனை ஊரூகாய் ஜாடியோ!

A small pawn in the divisive linguistic politics.

**Above image by the blogger