Nanban

Vijay has always come across as a rather discreet personality. He claims he is an introvert, so do his colleagues, but somehow his body language conveys something else. Like he has purposely buried another part of himself somewhere so that he comes across as an introvert. It sometimes irritates me to see him crack jokes on screen, sarcastic ones; beat up all the baddies; and then sit for a talk show like he was being paid to shut up. I have met and interacted with Vijay once on my way back to Chennai from Hyderabad. I told him how much I liked his remakes, Friends, Kadhallukku mariyadhai and so on, he only force smiled, nodded his head like a cow and shook my hand. I was like, bleh. 

I hate Vijay's movies that have been tailor made to suit his fan following. The redundant fights, item songs and romance. And not to forget his, unshaven rugged look and mockery of a wardrobe. His potential as an actor never really came to the forefront. That's why when I first heard that Shankar cast Vijay in Nanban, I was laughing at Shankar's stupidity. I assumed the movie would be an utter waste of a great story and script.

But! I was wrong. 

Nanban was a treat to watch. And I must really say this, Vijay rocked! Even a Vijay hater (read: Ajith fans) will love Vijay for his performance. 

Shankar played it safe by simply replicating the original 3 Idiots scene by scene.  One would expect, that a director like Shankar give the film his touch of perfection. I'm glad he did not. He respected the flavor of the movie and let it take all the credit. He just ensured that the picture sewn together looked appealing. And it did. 

Nanban comes to Vijay as a hattrick victory, after Kaavalan (Bodyguard) and Velayudham. Nanban is definitely a turning point in Vijay's career. With this movie, Vijay has got to come to his senses and stop catering to his 'mass.' He should look at more such character oriented roles in his future projects. 

Jiiva was a treat to watch on screen. He is witty, has great screen presence and kept his character alive throughout the movie. Shrikanth wasn't exactly a great cast for the role, but his performance towards the climax really moved me to tears. But I really wished Madhavan himself had taken up this role. Sathyan, as silencer, did full justice to his character. The welcome speech, where Sathyan keeps addressing the principal as a rapist and the education minister as a fart machine, stands out. The theater was in splits. Ileana looks sweet on screen and great dance moves. Ooh! 

Sathayraj, who am I to say, was simply too good. He matched the 'Virus' profile perfectly. 

I wish Vijay had gone for an image makeover as well, read: moustache. Well, how is one to straighten out a dog's tail? 

Rock On ROCKS!

Watched it with SH at Sathyam Cinemas, today. I was visiting this place after nearly 3 years and boy, was I surprised. The whole place has changed (for good). Even in its not so bright days, Sathyam Cinemas was my 'the' favorite theater. It's become chic now and very much in competition with the other plush cinema houses. Okay, let's Move On to Rock On! :P

(May contain spoilers)

The plot is very simple - the movie starts off with the band 'Magik' performing the hit number 'Socha Hai' live - the band comprises four friends - Adi - Lead vocalist (Farhan Akhtar), Joe - lead guitar (Arjum Rampal), Rob - keys (Luke Kenny) and Killer Drummer a.k.a K.D (Purab Kohli) - the next scene shows their lives 10 years down the line - Adi an investment banker, is married to Sakshi (Prachi Desai) is basically doing well in life but Sakshi is lonely and feels she is living with a stranger, Joe is married to his GF Debbie (Shahana Goswami) and tries to make ends meet by playing his guitar at weddings and clubs, K.D assists his dad with their jewelry business, and Rob works with Anu Malik composing jingles for TV commercials - the four of them though not together as a band are inevitably inclined towards music -

Sakshi finds out about Adi's past, his band et al from his pictures that he has safely kept in the loft - she wants to see the happy Adi again and decides to reunite 'Magik' - K.D and Rob meet Adi at his 'surprise' birthday party organized by Sakshi - Adi is not very happy to meet them - Sakshi and Adi get into a misunderstanding because Sakshi knows Adi is not the same happy guy anymore and he is always keeping her way from his life - Adi admits he is running away from his past - Sakshi goes away from her house - Adi talks to Devika (Koel Purie) about the tiff Sakshi and he had and she tells him that he should probably stop running away from his past -

The past - tid-bits of the band's past are sewn with the picture - the band participates in the Channel [V] Launch Pad that wins them an opportunity to launch a rock album - however they discover that they are going to be 'directed' and their originality will not be showcased - Joe does not want to compromise on the band's originality and hesitates to sign the contract - but since everyone else is willing to make the compromise, he also signs the contract - during the shoot of a song, Joe gets in to an argument with Adi and hits the director and Adi - that marks the end of Magik's magic! - this explains Adi's aloofness and gloom - and the present gets clear!

of broken dreams - aspirations at peak and suddenly - one day - you look back and join the dots - again -

- Adi gets back to his friends - they meet up at their usual garage and sing their songs - Adi requests Sakshi to get back home and when she does she finds 'Magik' reunited and singing songs - this goes on for long - meanwhile Rob is diagnosed with brain tumor and his days are counted- Debbie is unaware that Joe has gotten back with his friends - she finds him a job on a cruise that is leaving on the same day the band is performing one last time for Channel [V] launch pad - Debbie finds out that Joe is planning to participate in the contest and talks to Adi about it - she informs him that Joe will not come and he will concentrate on his job -

climax - very predictable - on the day of the contest Adi tells Rob and K.D that Joe may not come for the contest - along side this they show Joe leaving for the cruise - The band decide to go on stage without Joe - Adi sings the song that Joe once composed - while the taxi is stuck in traffic Joe hears Adi singing - and - yeah! he makes his decision -

'Magik' perform together - for one last time - before Rob leaves forever.

Some excellent music is the backbone of Rock On! - commendable singing by Farhan Akthar - good character portrayal by all the actors - good team effort - the movie really sustained the audience's interest and the tempo was good.

Overall: A rocking movie! Rock On, ROCKS!

Horton's motto...

No matter how small, a person is a 'person.'

And that exactly is the attitude we lack today. Today, as it stands, a person is no one but 'myself.' It all comes back to my 'self' at the end of the day.

But this amazing movie has beautifully portrayed the true spirit of love, trust, friendship and responsibility. Horton's (the elephant) efforts in saving an entire civilization, that appears to him nothing bigger than a speck on a clover, is so moving. The jungle questions his craziness because Horton believes there IS a world in the speck and that he heard voices from the world. Whoville's mayor, on the other hand, is questioned on his craziness because no 'who' in Whoville believes that an elephant is holding their world and that they just a tiny little speck!

But Horton and the mayor have great trust in each other and both their intentions direct towards one goal, saving Whoville from any impending danger.

An evil kangaroo, who does not want anybody questioning the current beliefs and fearing that the jungle mates may think beyond the possible, plans to destroy the speck but Horton diligently goes on to save the tiny little Whoville, because he believes no matter how small one may be, a person is a person!

Astounding sound effects and animation and an extremely thrilling climax.

Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who: The movie is a must watch for kids and adults alike.