Uttama Villain -- Movie Review

I am a Kamal Hassan fan. His movies and roles are usually well-chosen (not always though), his acting is always top-knotch, and you either enjoy the movie and want everyone to watch it or you totally hate it and want to tell everyone to not watch it. He has had his flops, his commercial hits some of which were total masala potboilers as well, but you wanted to know what he had to offer and so you would always go to watch his latest movie.

As per the latest news, Uttama Villain is a hit and has had a good opening. The reviews have been uniformly very sweet - positive response and critical appreciation n all that. So, this is one scary review to write. ** Spoilers Ahead**

Story:
Kamal is Manoranjan, an aging super star who is still loved by the masses. He is married to Varalakshmi (Urvashi) and has a son. His father-in-law is Poorna Chandra Rao (a famous producer). He is in the middle of an affair with his doctor, Arpana (Andrea Jeremiah) and his latest film is a sooper hit. He occasionally takes a  swig from his bottle and sometimes faints in the restroom.

Image Courtesy: http://stargallery.in/uthama-villain-movie-new-stills/kamal-haasan-pooja-kumar-uttama-villain-movie-stills-10/

His manager, Chokku (M S Bhasker) is in-charge of keeping a lot of this hidden from the press and from his family. His co-star is Pooja Kumar. To celebrate the success of his movie, a party is organized at his home.

At this party, he learns two life-altering truths. How does he handle both the situations forms the rest of the story.

K Balachander, the director, plays director Margadarshi in the movie and makes a movie for Manoranjan.  

Image Courtesy:  http://silverscreen.in/media/photos/uttama-villain-movie-stills/

Some scenes that stayed in my mind:

• Dr. Arpana is going to share the first of the life-altering news with Manoranjan and she is unable to handle the same. That was what it was supposed to be - but what it looked like - a) Dr. Arpana was doing a wild, wriggly, snake dance to catch Manoranjan's attention b) Dr. Arpana had just been groped by the other actor in the scene, was trying to squirm away from another grope, and calling attention to the same c) Dr. Arpana wanted to use the loo and the director insisted on completing the scene before he allowed a loo break d) Dr. Arapana's beautician or make-up lady has gone on long leave and she has no idea how she can continue to look as fabulous without her e) The Director said that no free lunch was going to be served that day
• When Manoranjan refers to his driver as his sotthu (Riches or Treasure) and the driver sheds tears of joy. You want to yell 'Yenna Mirugam Aaakathe' just as S Ve Shekar does in most of his dramas.
• When Manoranjan hears the second life-altering news from Zachaeriah (Jayaraman). There is no histronics or melodrama or over the top acting but there is also not much anything - like emoshun or acting. It fell flat - I did not feel that Kamal was much upset - his dialogues were sharing his grief and shock but no emoshun except a very exaggerated sigh and some rolling of eyes. He has done that way better in gazillion scenes in so many movies - I could not comprehend it.
• When Chokku is asked to read the parting letter from Kamal's old flame out loud. Dr. Arpana tries to leave, Mano roars SIT DOWN. Chokku squints or blinks and then comes forward to read it near the reflected light from the screen. There must have been some major meaning to this scene but I did not get it. The letter was so blaah.. it was so not worth the SIT DOWN or the theatrical touch.

Blast From the Past - A still from MMKR

Its not that the movie does not have some genuinely funny scenes or sequences - the ayyo appa and ayyappa scene in the movie within the movie, the scene where Urvashi is admitted in the hospital and says that she was quite beautiful years ago and she has spoilt her looks by eating - you cannot help smiling as you remember Urvashi and Kamal from the movie 'Michael Madana Kama Rajan'.

Image Courtesy: http://www.indiaglitz.com/another-interesting-addition-to-uthama-villain-star-cast-tamil-news-104616.html

Also, the scene where Kamal meets with Margadarshi and he shouts at Manoranjan for doing masala potboilers and various meaningless movies. Some of those dialogues were quite close to the truth.

But, the funny scenes were too few in number and do not save the movie from falling flat. The movie within the movie was funny for a bit and then it got too bizarre and the thaiyyam n koothu while artistically well executed - did not help the movie at all.

Image Courtesy:  http://www.cinedesh.com/tag/uthama-villain-heroine/

Sorry, Kamal, this movie was way too indulgent even for you Or maybe it was too intellectual for me.

First Ride on the Metro with Kuku

We have been planning this ride since Kuku turned 1. Everytime the plan was close to materializing, something else always came up and this was pushed to the back. So, when it happened right out of the blue - it was a whole lotta fun :)

The ride was a short one - in fact, exactly two stops away. We were returning from a breakfast get-together in Indiranagar and the Arien dropped us off at the metro station there and said he would pick us up at Byappanahallai. The Taurean, self, and Kuku were taking the metro ride while the Ariens were driving to the drop off point.

Kuku was absolutely excited and enthralled. The escalator scared and excited him. The ride was smooth. Somewhere in between, he got a bit terrified and got all clingy - but had a nice time. He could not believe we were so high up and stared in awe at the coconut trees.

I think we should do this again - probably go upto MG Road and then back.  Thanks to the Taurean for taking this snap.

This day last year -- XIV

Last year, this day, I was getting a scan done. My due date was still two weeks away. I was having various complaints - could not sleep though I wanted to sleep - in fact could not even lie down without waking up with a sharp twinge of pain. I was always uncomfortable and it felt great to be seated with my back against the wall. But, only for a bit. Walking to and fro helped for a bit. Almost everything helped but only for a bit. It was like I had to be moving all the time. It made me feel so restless.

In a home filled with males, nobody bothered beyond "Do you think you are in labour? No? OK. Cool". I was getting bugged and a bit cranky. It was just an ordinary day. If I had known I was going to deliver the next day, I would have panicked big-time and drove the others nuts! 

Planning for a pilgrimage and a tonsuring -- X

So, lil Kuku is going to turn 1. I cannot believe how quickly time flies. As part of our religious practices, tonsuring (chudakarana) is performed for the baby either before the first birthday or after the third birthday. The Arien opted for the former. This meant we were traveling just a week before his birthday. The Arien was caught up in the booking and cancelling of train tickets. After booking tickets for the entire family, we found to our chagrin that some of them cannot make it. The Taurean was traveling to the US on short visit and so we had 1 cancellation from my side. The Arien had a solid 5 cancellations and was a lil grumpy. Anyway, the religious trip was planned for the coming weekend (10-11-12 October). It is not a hectic trip but the place is in Tamil Nadu and is blistering hot most of the time. All the Best to us.

Lalbagh Flower Show -- Second Visit in the Same Year

We visited the flower show at Lalbagh twice this year - once in January (Republic Day Celebrations) and recently in August (Independence Day Celebrations). The Arien loves to visit flower shows because of the abundant photo-op(s) that the flowers provide. I am more of a side-kick who carries the rest of the equipment (additional lenses, tripod, etc.) and of course, much needed water and some gen snacks. Sometimes, I am allowed to shoot pics. Why sometimes? Because my pics come out pretty blaah. Why? I am more of a auto-focus and point and shoot person - not too handy with the DSLR or SLR. Of course, that does not stop me from taking more of such pics at any time!!! Anyway, I would rather be the sidekick than sit at home getting bored.

During this visit, we left around 8:45 am - late by Arien's standards but because the flower show
started at 9 am - it made no sense getting there earlier. The taurean was accompanying us this time. We had to park quite a distance away from Lalbagh near the bus stand. We decided to have breakfast before heading out. The breakfast was so-so but the three of us were energized which was good. The loong walk was not so loong after all. The Arien started taking pictures as soon as we entered the flower show area.

The place was jam packed but not unmanageable. A number of photography enthusiasts were noticeable. Most of them had amazing cameras and the Arien pointed out the more expensive ones. There were an equal number of folks shooting pictures on their mobiles, ipads, and the good old point and shoot type cameras.

This time, the taurean became the main sidekick and he was on a roll taking snaps of the flowers, the house-boat, etc. I walked along carrying the water bottle knowing fully well that that day I was not going to get a chance to take any photographs not that I was too keen.

He took this picture of the flag that was made from grains of rice. Lovely frame. You can actually see his reflection in this snap. 

The flowers were a pretty sight and you could see a number of bees, butterflies hovering around them. The Arien, of course does not stop till he gets his shot.  This picture of the bee settled on the flower had the Arien all smiling.

The flowers were not looking too great, said the Arien. I noticed on close observation that they already looked slightly withered and today was just the second day of the flower show. Maybe they add new flowers after a day or two.

Doubt some of these flowers could survive another day or two. I wonder why.

The two shots of this butterfly are so different, you would think they were two different butterflies.. Look again!

We followed the Arien as he tried to take a shot of this butterfly that flitted from flower to flower with the Arien following closely, till we got bored :) Soon, we were standing to one side while the Arien went after the butterfly with single-minded focus. Lovely shots - seriously!!

After these two amazing pictures, the Arien was ready to leave. Meanwhile, the Taurean decided he wanted to buy some plants.

The four other plants that the Taurean had purchased a year ago, are surviving but not because the Taurean looked after them. However, it was clear he had made up his mind. I imparted some gyan "Plants are like pets or even kids, you have to take care of them... blahdeblah", and then sat down to wait as he selected the plants (4 varieties of Hibiscus, 2 varieties of roses, and 2 money plants), new pots, and the manure.

It was after 2 pm when we reached home and I was ravenous. Knowing the senior Arien can get hyper on seeing so many plants - called ahead and told him not to worry. Overall a nice morning. All of us had a nice time, including the senior Arien who had us out of his hair all morning.

Iron Man 3 (3D) -- Movie Review

The Arien has been wanting to watch this movie since it released but sadly something or the other ensured that he missed it. So, I was determined that he got a chance to watch it while he was in Bangalore, this week. We caught the movie on Saturday, at 10:15 am at PVR IMAX. The Taurean also joined us. After a hurried breakfast, we left to PVR in a hurry (as always). The tickets were available and we were one of the few folks watching the movie on a lazy Saturday morning.

Armed with a tub of popcorn, two cokes, and a small packet of Lays, the three of us settled down to watch the much-anticipated movie. This movie was not like the other Iron Man movies and both the Taurean and the Arien did not like it all that much. I liked it.

Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper) wears the Iron Man suit for the first time and also has a good stunt scene towards the end of the movie. Robert Downey Jr., is funny as always. Jes like in SkyFall, this movie showcases the inherent humanness or vulnerability of the superhero via his anxiety attacks. Ben Kingsley (Mandarin) as evil personified makes you wonder how Iron Man will deal with him. That is until the scene when Robert Downey Jr. confronts him. That twist was quite shocking and unexpected. There is a flashback sequence which sets the context for what happens later in the movie. The action sequences in 3D were good but not great. Some scenes remind you of Terminator (Judgement Day) but then re-generation forms the core theme and you cannot really surpass Terminator which was way ahead of its time. The destruction of the home of Tony Stark was a well-executed scene. The way Iron Man saves all the members thrown out of Air Force 1, was also a good action sequence.

Image Courtesy: http://hokahey-littleworlds.blogspot.in/2013/05/its-hard-knock-life-iron-man-3.html

Watching the movie at IMAX was worth the money. The 3D effect is hardly impressive at the other theatres.

The Milk Cooker

T'was during the same weekend, that the Arien found the milk cooker. I remember receiving it as a gift a long time ago and moving it to the back of my kitchen cupboard. During weekends, the Arien gets into this cleaning frenzy and so he ends up finding stuff tht were kinda hidden from him. The week before tht he found the Eyah-chombu, which belonged to my mom. Thankfully, I did not bring the Puttu pathram or the filter with which amma made her decoction (pronounced dekokshun).

So on sunday, after the Koshy's visit, while I hoped to have a lazy sunday the Arien pulled out the milk cooker and decided to boil milk in it. This one was a stainless steel milk cooker unlike the older aluminium type which amma had while we were in some remote part of Karnataka, known as Thangadige. I still recall, the Taurean, a toddler at tht time, would either run for cover or hide under the bed whenever he heard the milk cooker shriek. The Arien gave me some gyaan on why milk boiled on a milk cooker never spills with sm details tht totally escape my mind right now. Anyway, I retorted that if milk was boiled in the Sim flame, it does not spill over and shared with him the gory details of the Taurean's milk boiling exercise. The Taurean decided to boil milk and as specified by me, left it at Sim flame, and forgot all 'bout it. It was two hours later when he called me - to inform me that firstly all the milk had boiled away and secondly, the vessel was charred beyond recognition and the good news was that none of the milk had spilled!! Yupp... his sense of comic timing is deeply flawed :P The maid was ready to murder him b'cos it took her a week to get the vessel back in usable condition.

Anyways, the Arien poured two half litres of milk in the new milk cooker and went back to his browsing. I got busy reading the newspaper. It was a solid 15 mts later that I heard this shrill whistle and looked up from my newspaper to realize that it was the milk cooker. Milk was all boiled - Tada!!! And, no spills. Super Tada!!! In all this enthu, totally forgot to make breakfast and we hoped to catch Harry Potter at the Forum Value Mall at 12 ...Waanh!!Grrrr!!!

Dinner at South Indies

April is a month of birthdays too - Both the Ariens and the Taurean have their birthdays this month. After April, we essentially have no more celebrations for a really looong time. Thts one beeg reason we take the time out to treat the family junta to an evening of our mad company and dinner.

This time we decided to have dinner at South Indies. We left pretty late and I was worried that we would probably have to wait outside. We parked a lil distance away and walked in. Well, I needn't have worried. The construction going on at CMH road killed their clientele b'cos there were plenty of empty tables. Or maybe we were early. Time can be subjective. The Senior Arien was on the phone all through the dinner - a girder had fallen and he was tense.

Anyway, we chose a table in the corner, waited for the senior Arien to come back in. During the loong wait, we managed to go over the menu twice, mis-pronounce the items and share a hearty laugh. It was then that we realized that the senior Arien may take forever, as is the case nowadays and so went ahead. We opted for Kuzhipaniyaram and Dumpala Karam as the starters. For the main course, we chose the Kal Dosai, Neer Dosai, and Veechhu Parotta accompanied by alembu arepu and paal katti vengayathaal kuzhambu. The Taurean chose a strawberry mocktail, the Arien opted for the fruit punch and I chose the Fresh Lime Water (sweet). On an aside, the maitre d' or the chief waiter, took our orders on a PDA. A lil too impressive :D

The senior Arien returned to the table when we were wondering if we should eat his share too :P Of course, he was pretty cool with all our choices. The portions were jes right for a lite dinner. The mocktails were perrfect! The Fresh lime came in a tall glass and I was unable to finish it :( We did not try the desserts.

The Arien felt the place was way too expensive for standard south indian fare. The Senior Arien was glad that he could partake food like Neer Dosai instead of Vegetable Fried Rice and Rotis. He prefers having a lite dinner. Surprisingly, the Taurean felt that the portions were perfect. I would blame that on his evening snack and so will not take that too seriously.

In my opinion, it was a change from the regular fare of Fried Rice and Rotis. However, I must add that when you look at the price, you invariably compare it with those of Shanthi Sagar and Adigas (other eateries that serve the similar food items) and that automatically kills the experience. So, if you are looking for having south indian vegetarian food sans the crowd and money is of no consequence - try South Indies.

Before I forget, they do deliver food to your place if you stay in Indiranagar. So the next time you are too lazy to step out but would like to try the food at South Indies, you could ask them to deliver it to you. For the menu and other details, see:

http://bangalore.hungryzone.com/index.php/restaurant-menu/5023/South-Indies/South-Indian/indiranagar

Happy Eating!!! :D

The SMB Phenomenon

Finally, a Trip!! I was finally travelling out of Bangalore - and we were not driving down - Yeah!! Ok.. So it was a temple visit but I am travelling out of Bangalore, na? Yeah!! Yippee!! Followed by Bing Dance. While I was busy dreaming of the journey - it has indeed been a while since we travelled by train - the Arien was trying to book tickets. We found to our horror that we may not be able to travel until Feb :O

Senior Arien decides to solve the issue by opting for Tatkal and calls an agent who wud get us the tatkal tickets. While we are in limbo - nobody can say for sure if we are travelling - I am busy sharing my sob story with a friend and he adds a new dimension to my worries - the SMB.

SMB does not stand for Small and Medium businesses - rather, it stands for Side Middle Berths. If you travel regularly by train - you must be aware that there are a total of 8 berths in a compartment. I was told that now there are 9 berths and this addition is the brainchild of Laloo Prasad Yadav - the railway minister. The 9th berth is the SMB. If you are wondering where is the space for the middle berth - some changes have been made to the existing side berths to ensure the SMB can be included to the greater inconvenience of the passengers!

You can see the badly camouflaged side middle berth that looks like an extension to the side upper berth. This kinda works if the journey involves ur falling asleep as soon as you start. If not - well, where do you sit? The side berths have split seats and so only two ppl can sit there unless you are travelling as a family or your travelling companions are open to sharing their seat with you. Don't get me wrong - most folks are sweet and nice n all that - but do you want to be at their mercy? Maybe that is too strong but I feel that for women travelling alone and senior citizens - being at the mercy of the other passengers for help in unfolding the side middle berth or for a seat - when you have paid for the seat jes like everyone else - is really too ridiculous. I did hear that railway authorities offered concessions on those berths - yet to be confirmed!

The tickets arrived and both the arien and the senior Arien spent a lot of time trying to figure out if any of us were given the smbs - which the agent assured us we were not! First of all, we were not sure if the train we were travelling on had SMBs. Second, the numbers would have changed and so both myself and the taurean felt that they were wasting their energies ;P

Whenever I travel by train, I find that I am either unusually early or running late. This time, we started an 1hr and 15 mts early and still it looked like we were going to miss the train - thanks to the amazing traffic jam at MG Road and of course, the Metro construction work. Surprisingly, we didn't miss the train thanx to our driver :D The first thing I noticed in my compartment was the presence of the SMB. Next second, I was franctically checking if any of us had that number - No!! Relief flooded all our faces - it was a sight to watch :D

When I returned from the trip, I was not too surprised that sm folks had actually started an online petition on SMBs. I have added my name - pls feel free to add yours at this site:

http://www.petitiononline.com/SN2SMB2/petition.html