Thalaivar-in peter

The one thing that definitely captures one’s attention in Sivaji is the numerous English words/ dialogs that Thalaivar speaks. I just thought that I will make a post, listing all of them. I have also tried my best to arrange the dialogs in the order they came in the movie. (For folks who come here looking for non-Sivaji related posts, trust me, this would be my last post (atleast for the time being) :))

See you there.

Software System Architect.

Is this our Chennai?

I feel shy, you know.

I feel embarrassed. I feel shy and uncomfortable when it comes to talking to strange women, you know

Assistant Electoral Enumeration officer from the Election Commission of India.

It is all a mistake.

Nuts.

Sweet mummy.

Let's rock, Baby.

Oh give me that color,ya.

Washroom, please.

Please do something, doctor.

You are great, doctor.

Remarkable, doctor.

I will follow all the rules. I will fill out a zillion forms.

You are a very very special guest for us.

Loafer.

Steel body.

Who do you think you are.

I was cornered. I was helpless.

It was coincidence. Damn it.

Shit.

Give me a break, yaar.

Rich get richer. Poor get poorer.

Professional ethics.

I am Sivaji buddy.

Sivaji was my good friend. But he is no more.

and last, but not the least,

Cool

Am I missing something?

Post Sivaji Trauma

Symptoms:

• Feeling of euphoria (of having seen their Thalaivar after 2 years) and emptiness (bcos of the 2 year wait ahead that stares at them) at the same time
• Ending every other sentence with the word 'Cool'
• On being asked what their name is, the answer invariably ends with Pera kaetta udane chummaa adhiridhulla
• Repeated & vain attempts to horizontally toss a coin.
• Speak in husky tones bcos voice is so weak and coarse after hours together of shouting of Thalaivaaaaaaaaaa.
• Trying to pop a bubble gum into the mouth, by hitting it against any solid surface, preferably the left hand or others' forehead
• On being asked on why they have come alone (does not matter who is asking that question and where that question is being posed), they answer Kannaa...panninga thaan koottamaa varum. Singam...single-aa thaan varum
• Severe neck pain as a result of trying to alternate their coolers/ goggles that is between their noses to behind their necks and vice-versa.

Victims:

• Fans of an actor, affectionately called Thalaivar, who simply can't get enough of him
• NRI fans in particular are the most affected as Sivaji does not run for more than 1-2 weeks in most centers.

Recommended Medication:

• Sivaji DVD
• Another viewing of THE BOSS

Sivaji - The Syle Samraat at his scintillating best

Thursday night's review was the Thalaivar fan in me writing it. So, now that I have seen the movie 4 times, I thought let me try writing a more balanced review, which is almost next to impossible. So, if there is anyone who is here expecting to read a unbiased review, then please do not read further :)

Hype kills is one of the most used phrases associated with anything and everything that is given even a wee bit of hype. This holds good for stars and events across all fields, be it politics or sports or movies. And when the hype surrounding such a thing is as huge as the one that surrounded Sivaji before the release, it becomes almost impossible to live upto the huge expectations. It is in this context that we need to look at what Shankar has accomplished with Sivaji. He has handled that expectations admirably and has given a movie that both Thalaivar fans and neutral fans alike would relish for years to come. Like I had said yday, IMHO this will go down as THE best Thalaivar movie of all time. No doubts about it. I might have gone overboard when I said that the movie is 100 times better than Baashaa but I still would say that this is the best Thalaivar film of all time, even beating Baashaa.

The first thing that stands out in the movie is Thalaivar's looks. Thalaivar looks ravishing throughout the movie. Thalaivar just oozes style all through the movie. I can not recall any movie where Thalaivar's style has been put to such extensive use and that is precisely one reason why I rate this movie so highly, as his best. If we take Annamalai and Baashaa (2 of Thalaivar's power movies in the last 15 years), we all could easily recall a good 3 scenes from each movie as standout scenes, where Thalaivar's style gave us goose bumps. But in Sivaji, there are just so many scenes that you will lose count of such scenes. The one scene which comes right after the interval is just too good and should be placed right up there in the best scenes of all time in a Thalaivar movie. So, if you are someone who spends a lot of time during the intervals in getting something to eat, you better hurry up inside the theater. You would not want to miss out a single second of action from that scene.

His voice is markedly better than what we heard him in Chandramukhi (and of course, Baba). It kind of takes a while for us to get adjusted to the Thalaivar voice that we are so used to during the pre-Baba days. The ganeer kural is back and is simply rocking. Costumes are mind-blowing. Shankar makes Thalaivar wear so many costumes that before we could even admire him in a good costume, he changes to the next awesome one. His suits are amazing with the matching ties adding to the effect.

About Thalaivar's energetic performance - One word to describe that would be Wow. Thalaivar has given his best performance since Baashaa happened more than 15 years ago. He rocks big time. Stupid & jealous politicians can stop Thalaivar from doing his trademark cigarette flip. But Thalaivar's style in this one - the way he tosses the chewing gum from his right hand to his left hand before the gum makes its way to his mouth is just terrific. And the way he does the same in the climax scene on Suman's forehead was simply brilliant. Equally stylish is the way he catches the Saraswathi vedi in his mouth and lights it. His walk in each and every scene is so majestic, particularly in the scene where he sends Suman to jail & walks back to his car. And finally what to say about the shaven head - how many heroes have done that in the history of Tamil cinema? Thalaivar has put all of their efforts to shame and I am sure anyone planning to do so in the future, will have second thoughts on doing the same. Thalaivar simply rocks in that get-up.

Frankly, Chandramukhi was a letdown for Thalaivar fans and no one still knows why the movie ran. Chandramukhi was basically a comeback vehicle for Thalaivar after the Baba debacle. So, Thalaivar has set out to satiate his fans' thirst & hunger with Sivaji and thus it is a feast for all Thalaivar fans. One of the frequently asked questions about Sivaji is "Is it worth the 2 year wait?" I would even wait 5 years for such a movie from Thalaivar. It is that good.

Coming to the picturization of songs - well, Shankar is the best in the business and he proves it again beyond doubt here in Sivaji. Like I had said in my post last night, the Adhiradi song will go down as one of the best ever picturized songs in the history of Tamil cinema. Shankar's imagination runs wild in this one. For many Thalaivar fans, the only silver lining in Baba was the Maaya Maaya song where Thalaivar's dancing was so good that it was actually a revelation for many fans. Reason I am mentioning here is bcos Lawrence who choreographed that song is the one who has done the magic in Adhiradi too. The reason behind why Lawrence alone is able to come up with such awesome steps for Thalaivar is actually quite simple - he is a Thalaivar fan first and a choreographer next. I was simply going crazy during the Adhiradi song, which is pure fantasy portrayed on silver screen. Thalaivar's costumes in this one are mind boggling.

Next comes the Style song. For all those morons who mocked when the Bilbao shooting shot stills were released more than a year ago, this song gives the perfect middle finger. What a grand picturization. Another example of what is possible when Shankar puts his creative thinking cap on. To even conceive the idea for this song, is something that no other director could have done. And then to go on & picturize the song the way it has been done, hats off to
Shankar. The location was awesome and Thalaivar's dance steps in this one are again priceless. Shreya's dancing in this one deserves special mention. After Ballelakka got over, I was having a minor gripe that Shankar did not show Thalaivar's walk enough for us to savor in that song. But that gripe was short-lived as Shankar makes sure that we get enough of Thalaivar's majestic walk in the Sahana song. Thalivar looks so handsome in that song. Thotta Tharani's set in this song and the Vaaji Vaaji song are unbelievable. I was saying to my friends When have we even seen such grandeur in Thalaivar movie before? Vaaji Vaaji song was very entertainingly picturized. Loved the way Shankar had used the dwarfs in the song. Particularly the one time when Thalaivar walks in, as they are dancing and the way he drives them away saying 'Hey'. Again a sincere request to other actors - please refrain from wearing the king/ emperor costumer in the future. No one can look as majestic as Thalaivar in those costumes and wearing those costumes after Sivaji is only going to make them look ridiculous. That leaves us with Ballellakka - easily my disappointment of the movie. The locations were awesome in this song. Shankar does his best to make the song look colorful. Nayanthara was amazing as she dances with all her enthusiasm. So, where does the song go wrong? Thalaivar's dance steps. They are very unconvincing and I wish, somehow they could have come up with better steps, that would have suited Thalaivar more.

In a Thalaivar movie, there is hardly any focus on the heroine and I usually do not write about the heroine. But Shreya was just too good to not write anything about. Shankar again proves why he is one of the best directors. His casting of Shreya is simply a brilliant idea. She is gorgeous and contrary to our fears, does not really look too young for Thalaivar. Her dancing in all the songs was amazing. Her acting was adequate. It is really an achievement if a heroine gets noticed in a Thalaivar movie and Shreya has just accomplished that in Sivaji.

About comedy and Vivek - like I had written in my trailer post, this is how comedy should be in a Thalaivar movie. Very clean and completely enjoyable. This is where Shankar scores. The 'vaanga pazhagalaam' sequence is such an enjoyable one and the very idea brought a smile to my lips. Also, the scenes where Thalaivar tries to become fair have been shot in a very humorous manner. Vivek probably comes up with his best performance yet, in a movie where he does not even have a separate comedy track. His one-liners in so many scenes make the otherwise ordinary scenes to memorable ones. Like when he says Take OK. Camera off, the theater just erupts.

Alright now to the tough part. Some things that I did not like in the movie. Stunt sequences were a let down. It was evident that Peter Heines and his team have put in so much effort into the fight scenes but they go overboard mostly and thus end up being a disappointment. But hey? If folks loved the Matrix style stunts in Anniyan and the getting-below-the-race-car fight in Indian, they will lap this one too. Though the way the drive in theater fight scene ends in a nice way with car going into King Kong's mouth, the way all those cars were flying around was a disappointment. The success of stunt scenes in Thalaivar movies lies in the fact that Thalaivar's face should be shown as he is hitting the bad guys, something that was never done in 2 of the stunts in Sivaji. Shankar has definitely missed a trick there. Thalaivar has put in a lot of hard work in the fight scenes. I only wish that was shown in a more clear way.

As far as the story & screenplay is concerned, Sivaji definitely is not water-tight and surely does not have the punch that we have seen in the Shankar vigilante movies before. But then there is a difference between those movies and this one. Shankar did not have a star big enough or even remotely close to Thalaivar in stature, in any of those movies. So, he had to take extra care in dwelling deep into the issue he took in his hand and spend enough time on that. But on this one, he probably thought that he has Thalaivar with him and so instead of spending a few more scenes on the actual issue at hand, he diverts his focus on some scenes that would satisfy Thalaivar's legion of fans. In every interview that he gave in the lead-up to the movie's release, Shankar kept saying that he has achieved that fine balance between a Superstar movie and a Shankar movie. I think that is an exaggerated claim. It was like saying Oru koodai Thalaivar, Oru Koodai Shankar, Ondraaga sErtha padam thaane Sivaji But after seeing the movie, it should be rather Rendu koodai Thalaivar, Oru koodai Shankar, ondraaga sErthaa padam thaane Sivaji That is the mix that Shankar has gone with. Shankar had a choice to make: He can make a movie in his own style with Thalaivar just playing the role of hero in it or he could make a movie exploiting Thalaivar's superstar image with his directorial specialties taking a back seat. No wonder that he has gone with the latter choice. Given the amount of money that was at stake in this movie, it was only logical that Shankar decided to play to the gallery i.e. the millions of Thalaivar fans across the globe.

The only other disappointment of the movie - ARR's background score, especially in the fight sequences. Except for the Sega fight-aa song (which was not even used fully) and the bit that is used whenever Suman comes on-screen, the re-recording was, to put it mildly, pathetic. May be he was just content that his job was done, after he had come up with a very good album satisfying everyone. He surely could have done so much better in the BGM department, for a movie of this magnitude. Though Thalaivar's mere presence lifted so many scenes where ARR failed, those very scenes could have actually been elevated to Himalayan heights if only ARR had done his job better. There have always been questions about his re-recording capabilities and they are only bound to get louder after his Sivaji bungling. BTW, the secret that Blaaze told me was the rap that comes in the climax when Mottai Boss appears. It was a surprise bcos that rap was not part of the original audio CD. If anybody comes across a link to download that rap, please pass it along.

Alright, so where does this leave me? Let me try answering a few questions.

Is this Shankar's best film ever? No, not by a long way

But, is this Shankar's most challenging movie ever? Oh yeah.

Is this Thalaivar's best film ever? No, Mullum Malarum will always be my pick for that.

But is this Thalaivar's best Superstar film ever? Yes and again, by a long way.

And does it live up to the gargantuan pre-release expectations? Most certainly Yes.

Overall, for non-Thalaivar fans Sivaji is a serving of full meals and for Thalaivar fans, it is a feast which has to be tasted a good 5 times to get the complete taste out of it.

Sivaji - Most complete Thalaivar movie ever

Just got back from watching Sivaji. It is 1 am here and more importantly, Iam just too excited to write a coherent review. So, just penning down my random thoughts before I hopefully get to write a full-fledged review soon:

Thalaivar was wrong. He said that Sivaji is 10 times better than his most favorite film, Baashaa. But I have to disagree with him. Sorry Thalaivaa, Sivaji is 100 times better than Baashaa. With Sivaji, Thalaivar has a new problem at hand. Seriously, there is no way any other director can even think about making a movie that is remotely as electric and powerful as Sivaji. Post-Sivaji, Thalaivar is like a mountaineer who has climbed Mt. Everest. What other peak is there on the face of this earth that could challenge him? And most probably that would excite us watching him undertake that challenge?

The Adhiradi song along is 10 times the worth the price of your ticket. Shankar proves why he is the undisputed king when it comes to songs picturization. If you thought the picturization of Kannum kannum Nokia was mind-blowing, it is safe to say that you are not ready for Adhiradi yet. It will go down as one of the best picturized songs of Tamil cinema.

Thalaivar looks amazing throughout the movie. I loved the second half hairstyle better than the ones he sports in the first half. Mottai boss simply rocks.

I simply loved the first half. Comedy was so enjoyable. Vivek was at his hilarious best.

Shreya has done her role absolutely well. She looks gorgeous.

About Thalaivar - I think it is time the folks at Webster change the meaning of the word Style. What a style…what a power-packed performance. What a screen presence. There are just too many minute things in the movie that you will have to watch the movie a good 10 times to admire each one of them and also to appreciate how much thought Shankar (and his team) have put behind each one of them.

So, where do I place Sivaji? Dare I say it? Yes, I am going to say it. Sivaji is THE BEST Thalaivar film ever. Period. And I am sure there is absolutely no way that there can be a better Thalaivar film than Sivaji (unless of course Shankar decides to cast Thalaivar in)

Let the celebrations begin

The hype is maddening.

The buzz is unbelievable.

The excitement level is touching dizzying heights.

The biggest movie of Tamil cinema is here, finally.

After more than 2 years of waiting during which every single piece of information was lapped up by Thalaivar fans and the general public alike, the movie is ready to hit the screens. I just can not believe that I would have watched Sivaji in another 30 hours from the time of writing this. Like they say, this almost has been a 2 year thavam.

Whatever has been happening these last few days, first when the audio of the movie was released and then, when the trailer was released, has been nothing short of phenomenal. Seriously, who else can make the following happen:

- The fact that the trailer will be available for viewing is being announced as a headline news in channels like CNN IBN and Sun TV. I mean, whose movie's trailer can even elicit such a response from the media?

- There were so many Thalaivar fans who went to the theaters just to watch the trailer. Once the trailer is telecast in the interval, they are making their way out of the theater and some are even shouting for Once more for trailer. Check this video out for the scene inside the theater when the trailer was shown.

- Folks froze the trailer frame by frame and ultimately found that Shankar gives us all a sneak peek of the Mottai boss get-up that Thalaivar sports in the movie.

The man's reach is just crazy.

- You login to Orkut and you see thousands of folks having their names changed to something about the movie with the Pera kaetta udane chumma adhirudhila being the favorite of many fans.

- I meet someone for the first time at his place and naturally when the topic of Sivaji comes up, the guy I was meeting says his mother-in-law who is in town for the holidays, is a huge Thalaivar fan and she is eagerly expecting the movie to be released. She is already collecting pennies to be thrown at the screen when Thalaivar appears on screen.

- One fan (yours truly) drove 14 hours all the way from Seattle to San Francisco all by himself, just so that he wanted to catch the movie on the first day of the release and did not want to wait for 5 long days, after which it was anyway releasing in Seattle.

- One friend of mine who had come to the US on an onsite deputation pestered his onsite manager to release him ahead of schedule from the project so that he can catch a glimpse of Thalaivar in his favorite Albert theater

- After a good day of cricket, I am chilling out with my friend and on hearing the word Thalaivar uttered by me, another Tamil guy stops by and he starts his rant. He is married and has 2 kids, a 5 year old and a 3 year old. He says he has been a Thalaivar fan for like 15 years and was a member of the local rasigar mandram back in Chennai and during his time in India, he has never missed a single FDFS in Albert. And he says that his son is as big a fan of Thalaivar as himself.

- Or take the case of another friend of mine - he says that we should record everything about the release of Sivaji. By that he means starting from the trivial act of going to the Indian store and getting the tickets. He wants to photograph it and keep it for the record.

I am sure there are thousands of stories like this, all across the globe. And if this was the case here in the US, imagine the response of fans back in Chennai and the rest of Tamil Nadu. Paalaabishekam has already been performed on Thalaivar's cutouts, on the day when advance bookings started. Fans in Thirupparankundram are eating mannchOru as their way of praying for the success of the movie.

Seriously, everywhere you turn around, there is a Thalaivar fan to be found. At times, the love this man commands among his fans is just mind-blowing. I always say this to my friends: If you were to videotape me while I watched Chandramukhi and showed it to me a few days later, I would not believe that it is me That is so much true. He literally sends us all into a frenzy. I can try using every single adjective in the English dictionary that mean mind-blowing but I still will not make justice to what the man has been able to accomplish. We have seen fanatics for everything (cricket, star wars, Spiderman, to name a few) but I sincerely feel that this just beats everything hands down.

The following are some of the plans that myself and some Thalaivar fans in Seattle are planning to welcome The Boss:

- Yours truly and 5 others are watching 4 shows in 4 days. The original plan was to watch all the 6 shows that are being screened in Seattle but due to overlapping of show timings for 2 shows, I was unable to execute that plan. But even then, since the person who is screening the movie here in Seattle is a friend of my friend, he has given me something called Master pass which will substitute for tickets. So, after watching the 11am show on Saturday, I can go in and sit for the show that started at 1:30pm and watch the remaining scenes of that show.

- One Thalaivar fans has already tonsured his head to match Thalaivar's mottai boss make-up

- For the last 7 days, I have been only listening to songs from Thalaivar movies, whether it be at home, or at work or in my car. I started with Sivaji and worked my way backwards and I almost succeeded in listening to all the songs of Thalaivar that I have with me.

- Upon suggestion of a friend of mine, it has been decided that my car will be used to transport the film roll of the movie from the airport to the distributor's place, so that in the future, I can paste a sticker in my car saying Sivaji reel potti was here :)

- Then tomorrow, we have planned to use a caravan of like 10-20 cars to take the movie from the distributor's place to the theater.

- We have already prepared a 8 feet by 3 feet Vinyl poster with 4 of Thalaivar's photos from Sivaji in it. This poster will be hung outside the theater during all 4 days when the movie is screened.

- 50 t-shirts with Thalaivar's picture printed on it have been made and the premiere show tomorrow evening will see all hard core Thalaivar fans (like me) wearing the T-shirt while watching the movie

So, everything is set for Thalaivar's power & style to be unleashed on the silver screen. Can't wait to shout Thalaivaaaaaaaa when the man appears on screen, in a matter of hours from now.

p.s. Question for Thalaivar fans: How many times does SPB utters the word Mei in the sequence in Ballelakka song?

June 3, 2007 - A Day with the stars

Had been to the ARR concert in Vancouver BC last weekend and since my friend's friend was the organizer of the whole show, we got to be part of the organizing committee. We reached there on Friday night and spent the rest of the 2 days in volunteering for the concert and more importantly, getting to spend some time with all members of the troupe. Some highlights from the actual show and also the behind the scenes happenings of the memorable weekend.

• Hariharan and Madhushree sang the Vaaji Vaaji song and midway through the 1st and 2nd charanams, Hariharan started dancing to the catchy loops and needless to say, there was a tremendous response from the audience. Next to ARR, it was Hariharan who was the biggest hit with the crowd. Hariharan and Sadhana Sargam sang the Hindi version of the Vennilave vennilave song but the response to it was not as expected and so when he started the pallavi after the 2nd charanam, he started singing in Tamil and you should have been there to believe the response. Awesome...


• One could see that ARR was not at his best as he clearly lost his pitch while singing his portions in the Adhiradi, Kannaalane aalaap and Dil Se re songs. But the one thing you can notice is that you will never see the man getting excited and the only time he did so during the whole show was when singing the Humma song. He was seated on a raised pedestal from where he was watching the singers. Since we were part of the organizing committee, we got to watch the show from the very first row. It was interesting the way he was watching them sing. The utmost reaction you could see from him was a very mild smile (& admiration whenever Hariharan or Chithra sang) and it was only for one song sung by Aslam that he actually applauded.


• Sukhwinder Singh was completely off color. He bungled both the songs (Ramta Jogi and Chaiyya Chaiyya) he sang and did not even turn up for the Rang De Basanti number that he was supposed to sing. More about him in the off-the-stage happenings section.


• Naresh Iyer was the most enthusiastic of the lot. Every song he sang, one could see that he was relishing the occasion and more importantly, he was giving his best. Not that the others weren't giving their best but you could see it most clearly in the way he sang and he cheered the other singers when he was not singing.


• Blaaze was the one who got the crowd right into the mix of things. He even had prepared a mini-rap for the Humma song which is not part of the original song. And it was after that rap that ARR started singing the actual version. To me, his rapping in the The Boss and the Saregame songs were the highlight of the evening.


• Neethi Mohan - she is a new kid on the block. I am sure folks in India might be aware of this, bcos of her appearance in popular TV shows. I was the one who drove her from the hotel to the airport but did not take much notice of her. But on stage, she was too gorgeous and she was the only one who danced while she sung. Looks like this was her first tour but she was an instant hit with the audience.


• The only thing I did not like about the show were the dancers who danced to many of the tunes. They were dancing their way through the singers who had to move around the stage to accommodate them, in some cases. I mean, dancing in songs meant for such purposes was OK (say Maiyya maiyya in Guru) but dancing for songs like Tere Bina, put me off completely.


• There was an overdose of his latest songs - 4 from Sivaji (no complaints there), 5 from Rang De Basanti and 5 from Guru. The second biggest applause of the night came for the Sivaji songs, especially the Sega fight-aa song. I am sure the team would have planned this, assuming that Sivaji would have been released by the time these shows happened. Even without the film having been released, the response was terrific. Folks in DC & New York will feel the excitement more, as by the time the concert reaches their cities, Thalaivar' Sivaji would have been released.


• The biggest applause was reserved for the Arabi kadaloram song and that kind of said the story - that his most popular songs are the ones from his hey days and not from the recent years.

Now, to the behind the scenes excitement:

• Just like how he was the most enthusiastic guy on-stage, Naresh Iyer was the most friendly off-stage. He was what girls would call 'so sweet'. He was so down to earth that he even came and shook his hands by himself, even without us asking him :)


• Vijay Yesudoss was way too cool. My friend (who took all these pictures) owns a Canon digital SLR camera and while taking a picture with him, Vijay Yesudoss noticed that and he and my friend actually began discussing about the camera & the different models they both were possessing.


• Looks like Sivamani has an aversion to anything that has got to do with the number 8. Unfortunately, for him and for us, the organizers, the total of the digits of the room number allotted to him was 8 :) We came to know about this from one person who travels with the crew to all the venues and who got out of immigration earlier than others. So, we had time for damage control and so we swapped the room numbers of Blaaze and Sivamani.


• Blaaze and Sivamani were the most talkative persons in the group. Sivamani was asking my friend when lunch was being served as to if he will be able to get some good muttai paratha somewhere here.


• Chithra did not talk much, though that was bcos of the fact she was very tired. She was very cordial though and completely had no 'one of the best singers of Tamil cinema' air about her. She was damn hungry and she was like Pasikkuadhu. Saappida edhaavadhu irukkaa?. I assured her that there was some good food awaiting her at the hotel :)


• After walking Chithra to her room, I saw this small crowd outside of Sivamani's and Blaaze's rooms and since I had to go somewhere else, I thought 'OK I will talk to them later'. But it was then, as I was leaving, that I heard that they were talking something about Sivaji. So, naturally, I rushed towards their room and this was the first thing I asked Blaaze "You had mentioned in the NDTV interview that there is a suspense in the movie. Can you tell me what it is?" He smilingly dodged that question and then told me that he will tell it to me after the show got over.


• This was the thing that was utmost on my mind as the show was going on and once it got over, I did go to him and after taking a picture, I asked him the secret. And surprises of all surprises, he told me the secret he was referring to in that NDTV interview. But he asked me not to spread the word around bcos he said if Shankar came to know about it somehow, he would be really mad. So, I am not going to divulge it here, either :) It is indeed a pleasant surprise but nothing huge and I am sure when we see the movie, you all will know what the surprise is.
  


• Hariharan was the only person about whom I had my doubts as to if he will be friendly, not bcos of any incident that I had read about before but mainly bcos he was the most popular of the other singers in the troupe. But he too turned out to be a very humble and friendly guy. This one incident kind of conveyed it all. At the hotel where all of them were staying, our point of contact with the singers was this one guy from their group. He was the one communicating with all of them and let us know when each one of them were ready to leave, so that we can get the cars ready. The moment the guy arrived, he said Sukhwinder can be really a pain in the ass as he usually takes off on his own, after landing in any city and over here in Vancouver, it was all the more bad bcos he had a handful of friends based in that city. So, as expected, after the flight landed he took off with his friends. The show was supposed to start at 7:30pm and Hariharan was the last the leave the hotel with his wife. And it was when he was about to leave, that Sukhwinder arrived at the hotel with his army of friends. So, the guy who coordinates between us & the artists, told me that it will be my duty to make sure that Sukhwinder starts form the hotel in another 15 mins. Looking at myself being assigned the most challenging of tasks, Hariharan smilingly said "Good luck to you"


• ARR, as expected, was very reclusive and remained secluded. I was the first one to spot him as he came walking out of the arrivals area at the airport. The person who had the access cards for all the rooms had left the area for a few mins when he arrived. So, the moment he came, I went and received him and he was like Can we go to the car? and I am like The hotel is inside the airport. So, we will just walk you to the hotel room. He looked really tired and later we came to know that he had some mild fever. But he had freshened himself up a few hours later when he came down from his room to go to the concert place. Even at the backstage area of the concert place, he did not venture out of the room unnecessarily, knowing that he will be crowded with requests for photos and autographs. So, while others had dinner in the hallway common to all the rooms, food was sent to his room.


• He was indeed a man of few words. I should also say he was very simple. We had actually arranged a limo to take him from the hotel to the concert place and separate cars for taking others to the concert place. So, when he came down and as he was getting into the limo, he goes Indha car-la thaan ivvlo edam irukkE. Why don't we take some more people with us? But we told him that separate cars have been arranged for everyone and then he left. He even joked :) Looking at the walkie-talkie that myself and my friend were carrying, he is like Adhu rendum edho bomb detonator-nnu nenaichen


• ARR's mother and 2 sisters had accompanied him and it was them who were so friendly and took me by complete surprise. I mean, they had completely no "We are ARR' sisters" aura around them. Rehana, who is the more popular among the two and who has sung portions of the Ballelakka song, was very tired when the concert began but after the concert was over, she mingled with all of us very freely. She said "Why are you asking for photographs with me when there are so many popular singers around?". While taking a picture with her, I told her that her rendition in the Ballelakka song was awesome and she went "Oh..you guys know that!!".


• Missed opportunity - One of my friend's duties was to scroll the lyrics of the songs from a laptop, whose display was projected on to a bigger screen which the singers could see from the dais and they were using that as their guide for the lyrics (I will have to mention here that almost 90% of the singers did not even bother to look into that screen for help since they seemed to know the lyrics of their songs by heart). Hope all Thalaivar fans would have noticed that there are some extra lyrics of the Sega fight-aa song which we could hear in the trailer and which is not in the audio CD. Looks like my friend got to see the complete lyrics of that song (though they did not sing it on stage) and since he was more occupied with other stuff, forgot to tell me and it was only the next day he told me that. Imagine what if I had laid my hands on those lyrics. How exciting it would have been to have the lyrics of one song in Thalaivar's movie even before it was released. That hurt and I am now left ruing this greatest missed opportunity. Anyway, 3 more days and we all should start hearing the complete version.

All in all, it was a very memorable evening. Well, I should say the most memorable day of my life. After all, how often does one get to spend an entire day with so many celebrities.
More pictures from the concert can be seen here and here.

Monthly Sports Round-Up - May 2007

Warriors eliminate Mavericks
In what is considered to be the biggest upset in the history of NBA, the Golden State Warriors eliminated the Dallas Mavericks from the NBA playoffs in 6 games. The Mavericks, which came in with an NBA record 6th best number of regular season wins and who were one of the favorites to win it all, failed to get past the 8th seed in the Western conference. This was the first time (after NBA went to Best of 7 games format for all rounds in the playoffs) that an 8th seed team had beaten the 1st seed. Dan Nelson simply out-coached the Avery Johnson coached Mavericks as Dirk Nowitzki never found his rhythm during the series, except in couple of games. Baron Davis used to be a high profile player 2-3 seasons ago when he was with Boston but had fallen by the way-side ever since but that was until this series, when he had a monster of a time.

Tiger wins at Wachovia
It was business as usual for Tiger as he won his 3rd PGA title of the year. This tournament, though not being a major, is considered the closest that a non-major can get to the level of a major what with each of the world's top 10 players turning in for this tournament (as were 27 of the top 30) on top of the prize money that the tournament offers. This was also the 4th time in his career that Tiger won a tournament after he had a double-bogey on the back nine of the final round. And now, Tiger gets ready for the Player's Championship scheduled for next week, in what will be his first back-to-back starts of this season.

Clisjters bids adieu
Kim Clisjters retires from professional tennis at the ripe (?!) age of 24. With her suffering form some major injuring over the past few seasons and also hinting about retirement sometime during this season, the announcement did not come as a surprise. She is one player on the women's circuit I greatly liked for the way she conducted outside the tennis court. When she was dating Lleyton Hewitt, I did not like it one bit bcos he always looked like a jerk to me and this lady here is as sweet a person as it comes. I was only happy when they broke up and now she is getting married to a football star in the fall. Here's wishing her the best that life can offer in her post-retirement life. Seriously, retirement at age 24, life just can't get better :) The Hindu had a good tribute to her. Read it here.

Dirk Nowitzki is 2006-07 NBA MVP
In spite of his team’s ignominious exit from the playoffs in the first round, Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki was named as the NBA regular season MVP, thus ending Steve Nash’s reign as the NBA MVP for 2 consecutive seasons. I have never been a Steve Nash fan and so, was delighted when this expected news came out. Though he (and his team) failed when it counted the most, I still thought for all that he helped his team accomplish in the 82 games-long regular season, he deserved this award fully. His season average of 24.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists per game easily deserved MVP honors. For the record, this is only the 3^rd time that the team whose player was given the MVP award, lost in the 1^st round of the playoffs.

NBA Draft lottery throws a lot of surprises
The Pacific Northwest emerged as the clear winner in the NBA draft lottery as the Portland Trailblazers and the Seattle Supersonics, both long shots given their last season record, won the most coveted first and the second picks and therewith the right to choose Greg Oden and Kevin Durant in next month's NBA draft. Though being a Seattle native, it was good news in that we got the 2nd overall pick & might most probably land up with Durant, at the same time, I felt that the very concept of the draft helping out the worst teams has been defeated by what transpired at the draft lottery. The Grizzlies, Celtics and the Bucks, who were the teams with the league's three worst records, only managed to bag the 4th, 5th and the 6th picks. Looks like that ever since the weighted lottery system was introduced way back in 1994, only twice have the worst teams gotten the first pick (The cavaliers in 2003 and Magic in 2004). And this is for the time since 1993 that the worst 3 teams failed to get any of the top 3 picks. The calls for the lottery system to be abolished has gotten only louder, after what has just happened. While talking about how remote a chance these 2 teams had a chance of getting the first 2 picks, ESPN analysts were saying that these 2 teams had as much chance, as that of Shaq making 11 consecutive free throws. That was way too funny.

India takes sweet revenge
Well, I felt corny writing that title to describe India's win over the Bangladeshis in both the ODI and test series. India, though a clear winner in both the series, never were ruthless in their demolition of our neighbors, given the fact that it is our loss to them that ultimately spelled doom for the team in the disastrous WC campaign. Though the victory in the 2nd test match was as good as it could get (in terms of victory margin), at the same time, we should not overlook the fact that the Bangladesh batsmen were done in not by any great bowling by the Indians but by their own poor shot selection. I was happy that Sachin got centuries in the 2 tests and at least help the call for his head to die down for the time being, though I have to say that none of them were memorable innings by any means. Now that the team has got some well deserved break (both physically and mentally from the ever scrutinizing eyes of the Indian public), this break should hold them in good stead for the grueling and tougher series ahead.

Defining moment n Lebron's career?
Lebron undisputedly produced the most stellar display of his short NBA career in Game 5 of the Eastern conference finals as he scored a career playoff high 48 points to guide the Cavaliers to a double overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons. It was almost surreal basketball as he scored the last 25 points that the Cavaliers as a team scored, starting from the 4th quarter of regulation. As I type this, the Cavaliers have finished the Pistons in 6 games and are headed to the NBA finals for the first time in their franchise history. But will Lebron be enough to overcome the solid Spurs? The answer is just a matter of few days away.

Montana - God's Own Country

I know I might get flak for the title of the post from our neighbors across the border. But Montana is one place that has been abundantly blessed by nature that the title of God's own country will be only appropriate. Why this sudden post about Montana? Well, many should have guessed it. A long weekend has just passed by and you are not a desi if you do not undertake some kind of trip. So, to carry on the 'rich' desi traditions, myself along with 2 other friends of mine went to the Glacier National Park in north-west Montana and spent 2 unforgettable days in the close confines of nature. Some of the highlights from the trip:

1) We all should have heard about how sparsely populated Montana is. I have had a first hand experience of the same when I drove through the entire breath of Montana last year en route to Mount Rushmore. And this time around, we were actually venturing into the most remote parts of the state (we were a few miles away from the Canadian border) and as expected, there were hardly people anywhere on the roads. That brings us to this highlight. The roads are so sparsely populated that even on a 2-lane undivided freeway (one lane each way), the speed limit is an unbelievable 70 mph. The maximum I have seen on such similar roads in other states is 50. It was definitely a very memorable experience driving at such high speeds on such roads, which given the mountainous terrain of the area, had a lots of curves and sharp bends. One such road can be seen in one of the pictures below.

2) The trip was marked by one good day followed by one bad day. We had planned to start around 3am on Saturday morning so that we will be at the park at around noon. So, I get up at 2:30 and head straight to check the India Vs Bangladesh score. There it was, another Sachin century. Wow...it felt so good to start the trip and the whole first day went on well, with us doing a decent & tiring hike. But the next day was not to be another good day. The second day was when we had planned to visit the Eastern side of the park and which is where most of the beautiful sights are located. On our way to the eastern entrance, we find this really beautiful scenic view. So, we stop our car to take some pictures. But that is when disaster struck :( We got the 'Battery exhausted' message on my digital camera. Looks like I had not properly charged the battery the previous night and so there was no charge left in the battery. Imagine how helpless we would have felt. The eastern entrance is a good 2 hours drive from where we had booked our cabins. So, we ended up taking pictures on our cell phones. I was saying that we are a disgrace to the entire desi community bcos desis usually carry the best products when it comes to digital cameras and camcorders.

3) The National Parks foundation issues this National park pass which is valid in all the national parks across the nation. I would strongly recommend buying this pass. The pass costs just 50$/ year but the benefits of the same run into hundreds of dollars. Ever since I bought it last October, I have used it 5 times in 4 different national parks and thus I have saved more than 75$ so far. If you are in an area like Seattle where there are so many national parks in driving distance and if you are someone who is into visiting such national parks quite often, then this park pass is a must-buy. Basically, the more you use, the more you save.

4) The park as such was so beautiful. And on top of that, there were not too many visitors to the park, even given the fact that we visited it on a long weekend. I would have said Evvlo azhagaa irukku-la to my friends umpteen number of times that they got tired of myself saying it and asked me to stop it :) Everywhere you stop your vehicle, you will get a gorgeous view of the mountains some of which were still snow clad. There were lakes, hiking trails and scenic falls galore throughout the park. We did couple of moderately tough and immensely satisfying hikes. Also, the name Glacier national park can be very misleading, in the sense that, you do not get to see any glacier from up-close, like the way we do in say Alaska. The best you get is a glimpse of the glacier from a few miles away from it. Only if you go on 10-15 mile hikes, will you be able to get to the point of seeing the glaciers at a very close range. The other thing that is hard to miss about the mountains is that the peaks of the mountains are so sharp with pointed tips. The reason behind them is the fact that the glaciers are actually stuck between these mountains and when they melt away, they erode the mountains in this uniquely shaped way.

5) The only danger in the park is the presence of a large number of grizzly bears. Everywhere you go, there are signs (like this) warning you about the park being their habitat and had so many guidelines on what to do if & when you encounter a bear. Acting drop dead is one of the most recommended ways to follow when you come face to face with a bear. Due to these signs basically all over the park, I was scared to death almost entirely through the 2 hikes we did. Apparently, one of the common mistakes that humans do on facing a bear is that we tend to run away from it which is strongly discouraged bcos as I read somewhere, even the slowest of bears can easily beat Carl Lewis in a 100 m dash :)

Anybody within driving distance of this place should definitely plan a visit to the park on a 3-day weekend. (For us, this was a 9 hour drive) There is just so much activity to do in that area that even a 3-day long weekend might not do complete justice to this marvelous place. Highly recommended. Here are a few pictures from the trip: