Weekend movies - Kokki & Parineeta

Kokki - You know what I liked the most about this movie - the length of this movie. The movie ran only for 1 hour and 40 minutes. And I was so glad that the movie got over so quickly. It is one of those wannabe realistic movies which end up being really bad attempts. The theme that the director has tried to handle is different but he just didn’t know what to do with a different theme. Karan was OK in his role as Kokki. Nothing path breaking as it has been made out to be. Malaysia Vasudevan as the calm & composed guardian of Karan was impressive. The Vikatan review of the movie mentioned about how scenes depicting Karan running on the streets of Chennai were just too many. I couldn’t agree more. He wasn’t shown just running, he was shown walking, going on the cycle and going on the bus. Easily more than 50% of the movie had shots which were shot on the road. The heroine was totally unnecessary and whenever there is a scene involving her, you can bet your money that there is going to be a duet song around the corner. I would have been happier if the songs had been done away with totally bcos of many reasons - 1) the songs were a major irritant to the flow of the movie, 2) songs were ridiculous and 3) it would have made the movie all the more shorter, may be even helping it break the record for the shortest Tamil feature film ever made. I really don’t know what more to write about this movie with nothing good in it whatsoever and the thing that is annoying to me is why is this movie even mentioned, while discussing good movies that have come out in Tamil of late. Take my word on this, you wont regret if you miss this one.

Parineeta - The first thing I guess you will recall from this movie would be its pathetic climax. A movie when went on smoothly until the very end had this most ridiculous climax and unfortunately, that stupid climax changed the whole opinion that I had about the movie. Again a case of "what the heck went through the director's mind" scenario. Nadodi Thendral is the one movie which I could recall while watching Parineeta. Like in Nadodi thendral, there is no reason why this movie should be a period film. May be bcos it is based on a novel which was set in that time period. The story is nothing new and something we have seen in so many movies in the 70s and 80s. Saif Ali Khan was OK. But anybody else could have that role equally well. Vidya Balan is beautiful, acts well and no wonder Mani has signed her up for a role in Guru. The songs were actually the highlight of the movie, with the Piyu Bole song instantly catching and it has been in repeat mode in my player, ever since I saw that movie. Another thing that captured my attention was the wonderful art direction. Bottom line - If you are ready to forgive the ridiculous climax, the movie is passable.

p.s: It has been a while since I wrote anything about Sachin. Though I wanted to blog about his first innings after injury where he scored a century without any apparent discomfort while playing the complete array of shots, I did not do it since I wanted to wait till he gets back to the Indian team. But the following passage which I found in the article here, was too good to give a pass. So thought of just quoting it here. The article titled "Call the medics" dwells on the 11 most famous cricket injuries. Interesting read and the this passage about Sachin is the only entry for an Indian cricketer.

Sachin Tendulkar - elbow

After the litany of metatarsal injuries that have befallen their footballers in recent years, England's fans probably believe they are the most anatomically knowledgeable sports followers in the world. Tendulkar's devotees, on the other hand, all 1 billion of them, might beg to differ. In his long and illustrious career, Tendulkar had missed just three Tests and 45 ODIs in 15 years, but when tennis elbow struck in 2004, it ruled him out of a host of high-profile contests, including the Champions Trophy and the sharp end of a Test series against Australia. "There was a stage when I could not hold the bat properly, could not lift it at all," he admitted while traveling to London for an operation in May 2005, as India held its breath and their sports pages turned into medical journals.

I particularly liked the line Tendulkar's devotees, on the other hand, all 1 billion of them, might beg to differ. Could not have said better. Come back soon, Sachin!!