Raja Rani - Entertainment Rule

A newlywed couple, experience indifference in their marred life from the day one and both were only intend to agonize  each other through silent acts of conflict. The flashback reveals their past, parting the film equally half with enough dose of love, comedy and tragedy making it a wholesome entertainment. After longtime, Nayantara had appeared in a Tamil film and along with Arya - both were seen paired in Boss En Bhaskaran - had ruled each other as Raja and Rani (King and Queen) on screen.

Directed by debutant Atlee, had done a decent job by giving not much important to alcohol and such like comedy scenes had warm up with beer! The way he handled the post breakup scenes is appreciable, without much despair. Jai been Nayan’s love affair, doesn’t look fair but rather he appear like a younger brother to her. As a customer care employ, he makes fuss with Nayan and begs for releasing him from being irritated by multiple callers dialing his number - the people who receive customer care calls will enjoy the scene.

The sweetest and cute part of the film for me personally was Nazriya Nazim’s role as Keerthana, makes cheery on the cake! She’s an example how sweet a girl could be… I like to add a line from Gautaman Bhaskaran of Hindustan Times, wrote: “the one person who caught my attention was Nazriya, who as an Arya’s lover, is absolutely gorgeous with a face that is so expressive that we do not need her to speak”. How true! Hehe… I have become a fan of her lately (check the lovely song of her on my sidebar from Tamil film Neram).

Sathiyaraj as father of Nayantara was emotionally well done and called him as darling by her sounds different. The music (by G.V Prakash) was wonderful overall and I esp. like the song Oday Oday, which is very peppy and stylish and the cinematography also involves creativity. Not to forget, Santhanam has been the minister of this kingdom of king and queen, but as a comedian he makes merely laugh for good rather constantly annoying. The indoor sequences look fair in soft light and the frames were all well composed in an artistic manner. Overall a decent modern family entertainment!

Footnote:

As usual watched the film in the Drive-in Theater here and seldom was it crowded on Monday, we could find number of families with kids parked their seats in front of their cars. It was just like a proof how well the film had reached and received. Despite interruption of rain, everyone seems enjoyed the movie. 

Ready for immersion

Every year following Ganesh Chathurthi, immersion of idols takes place at Chennai’s seashores on the first or second Sundays, that depend on the celebration of the festival. Here are photos shot at our nearest beach (Palavakkam) which is allotted for the idols kept around south Chennai to get immersed and on this day, the idols kept flowing into the beach front following number of processions. A Sunday back we tried to check the beach to see the immersion, but we couldn’t make it possible and the roads to the beach were blocked by row of vehicles standing for a km. The picture above and below are few years old, showing the idols kept on the beach before cranes uplift them into the sea and a fishermen taking an idol in the catamaran to immerse into the sea.

P.S. Posting under the series PowerShot Sunday

My first tourist destination

Being a Chennaitie, my first tourist destination outside Chennai is perhaps Mahabs.  But Mamallapuram being my ancestor’s town I could not consider it as a tourist destination first and I have been there countless time and many a visit to the town has sighted in any of the sculpture site. My most favorite place then at Mamallapuram was Venna Tharatna Kal (butter ball) and we frequent there esp. to have fun sliding on the rock slopes.

Krishna’s Butter Ball is a natural wonder, where a large rock boulder balance on the sliding rock surface is believed as a stone found on Krishna’s plate. The Pallava kings had tried to pull down the huge boulder with the help of their elephant force (thinking anytime the rock could roll down) but failed in their attempt. The lush green lawn in front of this rock (once an open ground for cattle to rest) take  one for pleasant calm and as a group to sit and chit chat.

I have been strolled behind the rock slopes and crossing the gaps between rocks and there was a well with green water, which was called Sita Kinaru (well) because it is believed that Sita bathed in that well. I have no pictures on them, but I still hold memories on those sight and there was also a path lead to our relative’s house then. I hope everything were blocked and fenced by ASI, doing wonderful job in protecting the sculptors and rocks. We never thought then these places will take such pleasant enhancement and flourish in green.

Another place I liked and which is close to butter ball was Arjunan Penance. It is a giant bas-relief filled with marvelous carvings of various human forms and animals; the most fascinating part overall for me personally then were the Elephants. The sculptor of elephant couple and cute calves carved on the bottom of the bas-relief could be a favorite sight for any child and the pit reveal the bottom part was something dragged me then to look what is inside.

Another pretty scene next to this site was a sculptor of monkey looking lice on another. As kids (me and my bro) we used to go and stand behind the sculptor and pose like looking lice on the monkey sculpture. Beneath the monkeys, there’s a small slide to play and a rock carved steps to climb on, but I don't like it much as the natural sliding near the butter ball. The slide was partially hid now after the earth rose because of the lawn making.

Footnote:

Just thought to write something for the World Tourism Day today and here’s a brief account on my first tourist destination out of Chennai.

A dry leaf

Wind blows away far inside
thrust a dry leaf
fragilely fall to ground
as a stranger into our home.

Wrinkles make an impression,
aged or illness drops it down
a dry leaf runaway
desire controlled by wind.

Hand pickup & drops away
sometime led to dustbin
or where it swept from
to rejoin its journey by wind.

Footnote:

The picture above was captured by me on a dry leaf, but slightly under wet condition. The poem is related to home experience. 

CSI Church, Valparai

The first time when I landed on Valparai (near Coimbatore) was a day prior to Christmas and the CSI Church in the heart of the town, was illuminated in colorful bulbs and decorated Christmas trees. We just passed the church in thought to return next day, since the sight catch-up with the festival mood and the shops were all doing bright business, selling stars and decorative item hanging around, the main road stretched in festival spirit.

                                                                         

We stayed at a house adjoined to our relative’s there, supported to take us to the church and shopping but we couldn't makeup next day as we returned to the town too late at night after visiting a faraway place into  Kerala. We could have made a visit other day, but we lost somewhere our interest due to visiting other places or various attractions.

The photos here are captured during my second visit to Valparai and we haven’t visited the church this time as well. But I was glad to capture some glimpse of this pretty white church constructed in shape of pyramid and three storeys with balconies and a clock on the top floor.