Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Maiden pilgrimage to Sabarimala

I feel all new. A Malikappuram. Just returned from Sabarimala with Manu, my son.I did not even have to stand in any queue! Surprising in this season. Never expected such a lovely darshan, not once but twice, once thanks to my friend, Mohanan Pillai, of The New Indian Express, who is posted there. The policemen were very courteous and helpful. The fact that the descent was 'kadhinam  entayyappa' does not stand in the feeling of achievement and fulfilment. I never ever thought that a woman of my mass would make it there! A quick decision without much discussion to make the pilgrimage to Sabarimala made it possible. The fact that I was the only devotee in salwar does surprise, because as you age, this is the best attire for travel and such a pilgrimage. And the joke is that I wear it only when I travel and not otherwise! I believe I made it because I did not wear a sari.
The climb, darshan and descent is inspiring, educative and an eye-opener in so many ways. It just breaks your ego, teaches you to stretch  yourself  to the fullest possible and makes you understand that anything is possible if there is a will and when faced with no alternatives, you really can do it! This new learning, applied in life, can help you much, I think.
While making a maiden pilgrimage, it is strange that veterans don't tell you much! People feel that everything 'is understood'. It's not.
 I would include these among the tips for kanni Ayyappans: Climb slowly as the hoardings say. You conserve energy that way. Breathing in and out regularly helps, which I learnt only at the fag end! Use the oxygen parlours if you are so out of breath that you feel your heart will strike work. ( I did not)  Resting for some time is okay, never mind if people file past you like P T Usha.Slow and steady does win the race, as I learnt quite late.  There is no need to feel that you have to keep up with people you started out with. Circumstances, body build and weight are different. Well, next time!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Limericks

Limericks are meant to be funny, they are five lines long, they say.

Serious matter
Nobody takes you seriously?
Ha..Pop in some sleeping pills.
When rigor mortis sets in..
They'll at last take you seriously...
But you won't see it, silly!




Tira review

Tira, Vineeth Sreenivasan's latest movie, IS different. Malarvadi Arts Club was a sort of internsgip film and Thattathin Marayathu a surefire hit subject, romance and young love. But Tira goes off at a tanget, subjectwise. He heads straight to untrodden paths in Malayalam cinema, with a pace so fast that at the end of the cinema, you are sapped and are back to reality.
The story is topical, of the seamy side of cities and ugly exploitation, complete with the political - business nexus. More on the story will be unfair to both the makers and future viewers of the movie. Central to the story is Shobhana, and WHAAAT a comeback! Easily her best performance to date. Yes, Nagavally pales before the deglamorised Dr Rohini. She is a sort of female desi James Bond  and Vineeth takes a leaf out of Bond in the last scene too. It's the first of a trilogy, he says. Dhyan, Sreenivasan's other son, is that new kid on the block, who will give his compatriots good competition. Most of the others are new faces who do very well indeed. Street scenes, chases, are all very realistic. Jomon's camera works as in western movies. Costumes get an A rating. Shobhana wears just one sari throughout the movie, merely because it's one day and a hectic one at that! In the last scene, it's a different sari. Costumes are apt and good.
 Background score is fine, but that cannot be said of the songs. They are the same dragging 'new gen' tunes that you hear again and again, without any individuality. Subtitles are a distraction. That they are used at the very beginning in good measure irritates, to put it mildly. You come to see a Malayalam movie and you are dished out conversations in subtitles for a few minutes long. No, one does not expect it. But the rest of the movie is so good that you forgive this lapse. There are loose ends. And the investigative work is all old hat in English, but new in Malayalam. Direction, acting and camera take equally high honours. Congrats, Vineeth! And Sreenivasan, one proud moment for a father indeed! I liked it, despite the few flaws. That's why I took pains to write this!!!