Friday Review: Thozha – A Reliable Friend

Thozha aka Oopiri (in Telugu) is a neat Tamil movie I watched from the drive-in and the drama deals with the relationship between a quadriplegic and his caretaker. The film is an official remake of the French film, The Intouchables, and the Tamil-Telugu version was directed by Vamsi Paidipally featuring Karthi, Nagarjuna and Tamanah. The film opens with Nagarjuna and Karthi inside a car, racing through the streets encompassed by police chase, traces the past on the journey they come together and the bond shared between them.

Seenu is a culprit comes out on parole and seeks jobs that could showcase his humanitarian and thus attends the interview for the caretaker of a quadriplegic billionaire, Vikram Aditya. Though he was attracted to the magnificence of the house and prettiness of Keerthi (personal secretary of Vikram), the obvious reasons he confronted wants Vikram to go for him and what happens from then becomes a life changing for both.

Although the film concern about things happening between them, it goes beyond and touches the lives of their individuals and personal feelings so well. The film carries emotions in lighter manner yet reached the sense and makes come out of theatre without any compassion and sorrow to keep us down. Though Karthi showcase cool attitudes always, the director and the script has utilized him so well and his pair with Tamanah is not new but looks afresh on screen, perhaps because she does look like over makeup!   

Nagarjuna, who is always seen as action hero in Telugu movie and last seen in Rathamohan’s Payanam (in Tamil) as a commando, chose to do the role of commanding from a wheelchair. I anticipated some actions scenes by him, at least in flashback scenes, but just stills to go. The car racing in Paris city was stunning and funny with paragliding. The comedy with paintings and the character of Prakashraj as Naga’s personal advocate was very good.

The music and songs were enough kind, but somehow sprinkles Telugu essence. The camera work was good and the lightning in darkness of Paris and the interiors of the house captures the mood of romance and loneliness well. The expressions and feeling of a wheelchair bound was nicely navigated, without making any negative impact and impressions. The attitude of making surprise and indifference make sense and I also liked the way the character of Nagarjuna was displayed to see apart from compassion and sympathy.

Thozha – stands as a reliable friendship! 

Air con and tighten throat

I was pretty active with blogging and new found interest on craftwork but sudden throat tightness   over a night keeps me away sometime. I was uncertain what is happening with my throat but I was feeling difficult and sleepless night and it even continued through the day where I was going through the sensation of vomiting and was normal only by next night after doses of antibiotic.  From the time I was confined to bed for more than a month when I had my femur facture in 2013 I’m going through some difficult at night, related to throat, before I get into slumber. This time I’m certain that it was perhaps the effect of air con’s cold breeze, since the temperature started to raise our usage of AC has been increased slightly at night. I believe it is the brand that we chose for AC has been an issue lately.

Until we used LG for last 8 years, the device was in our control and it made the entire room cool and only after an hour and some it would feel chilly. But the Samsung AC blows cold air and it feels chilly in 10-15 minutes and once switched off the coldness goes away immediately. It wasn’t the case with us now; we have a Samsung AC already and it used to be like that. So when we shifted home we put it into my brother’s room and we settled for old LG, and when the blower goes off last year we had no option but to go for a second’s blower and that moment Samsung was available and we quite forget about the way it blows and got stuck now. Even one of my uncles has a Samsung AC and they complaints same. I would say it not air con but air cooler, and I will not recommend this to anyone. An air con should be cosy, but just being compact (Samsung) it gives trouble in other ways.

Though back to normal, the air con threats me now and going to sleep under its cold wrap make me wonder what impact it hold for next night! Lol Btw. I have couple of photos to show u the house I was making with Popsicle sticks and here it was incomplete. I plan to do some painting after working on roof. 

 

a tiny bench and dinning table

Spot-Billed Pelicans @ Kovalam

The couple of pelicans in the photos below were shot at the backwaters of Kovalam, about 30 km from here on the ECR. Pelicans are among the many birds visit this backwater area and the ones that supposed to be migratory birds has been spotted no matter what the season was.  I have seen pelicans, painted storks and other water birds like pond heron, little cormorants, egrets… during many a time I crossed the backwaters on ECR.

(click images for enlarge)

The pelicans that were shot from a bridge across the backwater channel on the road led to Fisher-mans cove are spot-billed or grey pelicans. The birds of large inland and coastal waters breed in southern Asia from southern Pakistan across India to east Indonesia. At the distance they are difficult to differentiate from other pelicans in the region although it is smaller the spots on the upper mandible, the lack of bright colors and the greyer plumage are distinctive at closer look.

Kovalam aka Covelong is a fishing village and holds a beautiful curvy beach, which has lately become a favourite spot for water sports and activities esp. surf! Kovalam has a surf school and conduct international surf competitions and many young fishermen from the village has transformed to surfers. 

Linking this post for SATURDAY CRITTERS

Ride to Elliot’s Beach in Wheelchair

Last month I went to Elliot’s Beach couple of times in my new powered wheelchair right from the home. First time I was accompanied by my uncle and cousin and later with my uncle, it feels wonderful taking advantage of the powered wheelchair with more power than the older and riding all the way to the beach on my own. Though I was accompanied by my uncle, there’s so much difference in the way watching the beach (or visiting any other place) from the cabin of a car and wind boring open landscape.

It’s been long time I took on the promenade of Elliot’s Beach and moving on the pavement in tiles was caressing taking along the cool breeze from the Bay of Bengal. I went there in the evening between 4 and 6 to keep away from the road traffic and rather going on main roads I take some narrow streets to reach 4^th and 5^th avenues and move into the promenade near Urur Olcott Kuppam. Only from that side one could climb into the promenade where it slides to road surface. It’s really disappointing to see there’s no ramp facility to climb that one step that separates the road and pavement.

Other day we went earlier and the sun wasn’t settled down and sharply hitting the forehead, so we halted near the police booth where the sun was blocked by the KFC restaurant on the opposite side. There I find a silver fence or rail making a neat presence along the small space of green devote to the beautification of beach, but except the bougainvillea in red and white all are withered. But what really bothered or make me feel disgust was the stray dogs that were lying here and there (you could see one lying on the sand in the above image) and causing menace to the public visiting the beach. I won’t have minded if they were looking good but they were all lookalike expose to some severe skin disease and infectious.

I am not against stray dogs, and there are enough stray dogs in my neighborhood and not all are threatening, but the once with rashes and skins disease could cause trouble and also affect other healthy dogs. Wish the authorities take some step in controlling stray dogs or removing the ones in bad state to some rescue centers that could treat them and left free somewhere.

Karl Schmidt Memorial (the white monument, built in memory of a Dutch sailor who saved a drowning girl from the sea by giving away his life) is peeped through the fence

For those unaware about Elliot’s Beach in Besant Nagar, Chennai, it is the second most visited place in Chennai next to the world famous and second longest beach in world, Marina Beach. The Elliot’s beach is about 2 km from my home and this is the first time I making it through powered wheelchair. 

Linking this post for Good Fences by Run a Round Ranch

My new activity and rise in temperature

Summer hasn’t existed quite yet, but the temperature has risen to the warmth of mid-summer season. Yesterday has been the worst day with maximum temperature (about 37°C in Chennai) of the month, we experienced a sleepless night with sudden inoperative of air con. I wasn’t in need of AC until couple of weeks back but the situation is too bad for this early stage of summer. Even with two fans at swirl we couldn’t tolerate the muggy inside the room and with all windows closed, due to mosquito menace, it feels unaired. Glad the AC service man attended us in morning, made sure the machine works properly gives a sigh of relief and hope of good sleep tonight.

I am going through some inexpressive frustration in life dealing with relationships and inability to change certain things. I was perplex with things happening around me and relationship with others make me feel disdain, as if things are pursued with an intention. I could somehow guess whether it is good or bad temper looking into their faces esp. the eyes convey so much, but I continue to act like nothing happening because it is not easy to lose a relationship although they deny or act like approving.  While things being like that I find interest on something to keep me busy and away from laptop and frustration sometime.

I am involved in craftwork for last few days on my own interest and hooked to do things with Popsicle sticks. Right now I execute a sort of farm house on my own planning and designing. Though I have begun with a simple home, I planned to do interesting things of my favourite in coming days rather going behind regular items. My grandmother was helping me last few days, cutting Popsicle sticks in whatever shapes I needed, before she go back to her home. After grandfather’s demise on December 31^st, she didn’t move out of her home for last two months due to some rituals and only last week she came home to stay with us for few days. Glad she is doing well now and come out of the grief of grandfather and started to practice with stride. In her absence I feel like broken hand as I have to ask mom or dad to cut Popsicle stick to build my house. My grandmother being skilful in craftwork (remember her rework on this) doesn’t need a mention about her aid and it only enhances my interest. I want to complete the house before she visits me next week and hope she guides me.