Friday Review: Tik Tik Tik

From the time I heard about this film and its concept (of space travel) I decided not to give a miss, watching it from theatre – and like I told earlier I went for a night show at drive-in, skipping the evening, for the Tamil film Tik Tik Tik . Shakthi Soundar Rajan always comes with different concept and deals with technical aspects neatly and I’m following his movies from Naanayam, even though he has directed only four films Tik… is top-notching.

The film revolves around an asteroid, in the size of Chennai, which is to hit the east coast of India in a week time to create havoc and the Indian space team tries to destroy the asteroid before it enters the earth surface! A team of astronauts head by Vasu (a trained magician and escape artist) goes to a space station to steal a missile, hold by an opponent country, to break apart the asteroid to preserve our country. Did their mission accomplished or not remains the subject which put us upright and holds interest to watch.

Hollywood has manipulated a lot on this concept (of space travel) but first time a movie made in India, using our simple technologies and VFX, want me to consider special and it lived up to  our expectation.  The director has simplified the subject and technical aspects to everyone’s understanding and the film crew had given their best to accomplish the mission. There are many places where logic dies but the illusion helped built up an image or mirage to watch with amuse. BGM was excellent!

The first impressive was the sound effect, where an asteroid hit the earth with force and make a large hole. I could say D.Imman had given his best and every time the BGM hit “tik tik tik” takes the entire attention and congrats D.Imman to accomplish a century, where Tik… was his 100^th composed album. Jayam Ravi in role of Vasu had showed boldness and unpredicted on face keeps intense. (I appreciate Ravi for taking such innovative projects following Peranmai.) Ramesh Thilak and Arjunan made fun and Nivetha is additional attraction to the exact replicative high-tech spaceship and space station.

The editing was magic and one could feel it if you watch filming clips under credit. Cinematographic is quite refreshing and the VFX scenes are pretty clear and feels real!  The movie is a great experiment that deserves attention and keeping away the logic (which I think is not necessary in a Sci-Fi) it’s a sheer entertainment, taking Tamil cinema to a different level and I really wanted to watch this movie in theatre to support their effort and to encourage such experiment in movies. Tik Tik Tik! A must watch in theatre for the terrific effects.

Skywatch Friday

Before checking the Tea Museum in Munnar, I captured this lovely shot on the pretty sky raised above the mountains of tea. Interestingly this’s the only part of the blue sky I watched during the entire trip of Munnar in Nov 2017! I ever experienced a travel like that where the whole trip went under gloomy, cloudy and rainy atmosphere and treated with multiple waterfalls decorating the mountains like festoons.

I really forget that I have completed 13 years in blogging on June 20th. I’m certain it’s only because of you, friends, support that I continue to blog and your comments were my booster to kept spring here. Thank you all. Blogging is a celebration every day and in the long run that particular day doesn’t mattered anymore and blogging isn’t the same as well when I begin and the experience of blogging taught me a lot to apply in my life and track  changer as well. It’s all because of you and you created a path for me to walk through.

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

Beauty

Beauty of bokeh
comes out of focus, express
it’s ubiquitous! 

P.s : Haiku inspired by the bokeh, shot with iphone last week while traveling in the car.

Evening shows and Kaala

Hereafter, I decided not to go for the evening shows at drive-in theatre as they begin to play movies at 6.45pm itself, it takes at least half an hour to get clear picture on the screen or to say until the sky turns darker. Except winter, all other season has day light up to 7pm and it’s really difficult to get involved watching. The only theatre I could visit here was the Prarthana beach Drive-in Theatre where I could watch movies sitting from the car rather shifted to a seat like regular theatres, and I don’t think Chennai theatres are wheelchair friendly or allow to watch movies from wheelchair. Apart this we could avoid traffic if we go for the night show at 10pm, and it takes only 15-20 minutes to reach and return home.

Last week I went to watch Tamil superstar’s Kaala and it is a movie based on the popular residential area of Mumbai, Dharavi (one of the largest slum in the world), where the superstar protect the people from a political head who tries to evict them to execute his construction plan. The movie was easily predictable, and the director has made it simple so there wasn’t an excitement of watching a Rajini movie. I too went without an expectation perhaps because Rajini has done many don movies and this is another shade in black. Actually at many places it feels and reminds the pro-jallikattu and the tunes celebrating Kaala also reflects the loudness of people gathered at Marina and black being the protesting logo influenced lot.

I thought it was only me, reminded the popular Vivek comedy where he played a fake don in Tamil film Padikkadavan but now I could see many connected this way while watching the movie. For people who went looking for some action from Rajini could have disappointed but ok with bit of styles. At a scene where he says, you may have come without asking me, but to go you have to… I wish Director Ranjith could have made clear notes at some places and also the sub for Hindi dialogues are unclear and noisy when languages blend. All characters did their part well and Easwari Rai had made a nice resurface after long time in Tamil and her slang is typical. Nana Patekar role could have been stronger and the movie is an eyewash overall in black. Could watch ones and you won’t miss anything if not.

8 Lane Expressways! Environment Destruction

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has taken oath in assembly to lay green road to Salem from Chennai, an 8 lane expressway through Tiruvannamalai-Harur. I really think is there a real need to execute this 8 lane project on the already 2 lane state highway? Anyone who has travelled this road would know how beautiful and scenic the entire stretch was with farmlands, reserve forests and mountainous landscape with number of trees lining up the road makes it a pleasant driving. I have travelled on this road to (to and fro) Yercaud and I enjoyed it both the ways to become my favourite. I really disturbed hearing this project and thought its quite waste of money and destruction of nature and environment… there’s already couple of national highway connecting Salem with Chennai and they were also 4 lane but this 8 lane roadway is unnecessary and that too the selection of this route is wrong. There aren’t many significant industries on this section and the need for transportation is also less and most part of this stretch is dedicated to farming and has certain amount of Eastern Ghats and five reserve forests on its way which is in need of production.

The pictures posted here were shot during my travel on the beautiful  state highway , what the government decided to make 8 lane expressway by chop off the trees and farmlands

The prime road to Salem from Chennai through Kallakurichi isn’t much busy and only 40% of vehicles use this road and that road too needs improvement as it wasn’t good in shape and smooth at some places and turns from 4 to 2 lanes at the bypasses. To make people irritate there are toll gates for even short distances. First these things have to rectify before they go creating a new section of road where there isn’t need for such fast pace 8 lane expressways. Even though they make it with a long time vision, at what cost matters lot? Destroying the environment and nature, forest and farming which upholds our life and make certain we live. What kind of development are we taking ahead or presenting to our future generation is to inhale dust and smoke. Forests and trees are our air purifies and if we lose these filters how could we breathe healthy?   Any development that destroys nature and environment should be prevented as much possible.

A  part of ghats section and reserve forest the govt. want to destruct. 

The other important roads like Tindivanam to Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram to Thanjavur were still partially done.  For every New Moon lakhs of devotees visit Tiruvannamalaai for Kirivalam (Circumambulation of the mountain) which means thousands of vehicles and buses take the Tindivanam road which is in bad state because of abandoned road work for many years. I wonder why the CM is serious about this project when a lot of problems, which need immediate actions, are pending on… 8 lanes for this stretch of road only gives doubts. Not more than a decade back highways has lot of trees along the roadside but they were all cut down for the widening 4 lane roads and no trees were re-planted as promised by authorities and our highways on all side are bare enough now. Stopping the car even for an emergency on the roadside is difficult these days without a tree for shadow. Though Salem was his region doesn’t mean he has to execute this project that only destroys farm and forest landscape. We are in need of more green space and forestry to preserve our rain sources as we are   inadequate of water, bringing the Cauvery should be our prior and preserving the environment is much.

The already enriched green road and what better the government could do on it?