Mediocre Perspectives

I am not a great fan of cinema on cinema. Primarily because it takes you through different aspects of film making and in the process demystifies the process of filmmaking itself, pretty much the feeling one would get when a magician after a good round of applause explains to the audience how he pulled off the trick.  Varshangalkku Shesham on the other hand brought up much more engagement and entertainment in the ‘process’ of explaining magic (Jigarthanda has achieved this before). The story follows the lives of two friends Venu and Murali who leave a small town in Kerala for the promise of making it big in Kodambakkam, Madras. Spanning over fifty years, it is more about the friendship between two contrasting individuals than the film industry itself.  The evolution of friendship between the two lead characters were established organically. Venu understands the prowess of Murali when the dashing smash-buckling musician saves a dull drama by a village troupe with only the ve...

I do not wear Jeans pants. They are heavy, sweaty and uncomfortable. Living at 13.0827 degrees north of the Equator I do not see a sensible reason why they should be worn unless you want to fry your thighs. Well, that does not mean I am comfortable with a dhoti either. Though dhotis are the most suitable attire for tropical-humid-skin-burning-head-aching-sweat-dripping Chennai climate, I am comfortable with pants. I still remember writer Sujatha narrating the comfort of pants in his book Katradhum Petradhum – they are versatile when compared to dhotis from climbing stairs to catching buses on the run. Though you might contest the above statement that Chettans from Kerala comfortably do those stunts with their dhotis on, let me just say that I am not as talented as them. Further, adopting a new habit at the age of twenty-five seems very odd. Enough said, as a strong proponent of Tamil identity I diligently decided to purchase pants for this Pongal which is due in ten days. I ...

A few days ago my friend told me that he didn’t finish the biscuits we had bought last night. Not owing to lack of appetite, but the act of finding an odd insect inside it usually found in swamps. Well, it was a major biscuit brand and hence things like this are not supposed to happen. But we just purchased another one of the same brands after carefully discarding the one with the insect corpse. This was not the first time that a so-called premium product has failed to live up to its expectations. I remember products marketed with extensive life unable to maintain durability beyond six months. But that doesn’t change the fact microeconomics works in India. We Indians have a high but false perception that only companies which can shell millions of rupees and get Miss World to market them are the only ones which could assure quality. I personally cannot vouch where this mindset comes from but I am pretty sure that such thoughts are ingrained from an early age possibly by the way ...

Few incidents reveal malaise plaguing the society. The responses generated on social media and alike after a child actress was allegedly molested in an airplane indicate how deeper misogyny, distrust, chauvinism etc. are entrenched in the aspiring superpower of the world. The reports on the incident were straightforward. A middle-aged man on the seat right behind the actress had allegedly molested her. The actor had documented the incident and posted it on her Instagram account. The alleged offender has been taken custody and investigation into the incident has begun. There was expected support for the actor from personalities from different domains condemning the incident. But it was something else altogether which indicates the nature of beings which populate our society. Trolls were hurled at the actor on various accounts. Mean tweets are nothing new to actors. Comedy shows even has heads of states sharing mean tweets. Nevertheless, the timing and the nature of tweets are fo...

My friend had gone to Bengaluru for an internship a few months ago. When she was conversing on infrastructure arteries on Bengaluru she told me that Chennai’s traffic was bearable. I personally cannot vouch for this opinion as I have not been to the cosmopolitan city. But there is certainly one thing I could, as one who uses a cycle to commute in Chennai.  Indian metropolitan cities are unfit for bicycle transport. I do realize that I am not stating a Nobel-worthy scientific fact but having experienced instances of ‘road-bullying’ I am forced to repeat it. I believe I was gifted my first bicycle when I was 10. I vaguely recall it being fitted with miniature supporting wheels for balance which my parents did not have (kudos to capitalism). After I grew up, I got a new cycle which I used for several years in school and college. Having found employment I bought my third one to commute to my workplace. Though I have used a bicycle for several years for commuting to school in a Ti...