2011 Tamil Film Music countdown

IMHO, the countdown for Tamil Film Music

New entrants this year to watch out for in 2012....

8)Saajan Madhav(Murann)
7) Anirudh (3- BGM yet to be released)
6)Sathya (Engeyum eppothum)
5)Prakash Nikki (Rowthiram)
4)Gibran (Vaagai sooda Vaa)

3)K -(yuththam sei)
2) Singer Karthik (Aravaan)
1)Sharreth (180)

in the race....

7)Sundar C Babu (Poraali,Thoonga nagaram..)
6)Vijay Antony (Vedi,Yuvan yuvathi,...)
5)Harris Jeyaraj (Ko,Engeyum kaathal...)
4)Yuvan Shankar Raaja(Aaranya Kaandam,Mankaaththa..)
3)GV Prakash kumar(Mayakkam enna,Deivathiraumagal,...)
2)Joshua Sridhar (Veppam, Viththagan)
1)Thaman S(Vandhaan vendraan,Mounaguru...)

and the heavy weight / marathon league...

A R Rahman( )
Vidyasagar(Thambi Vettothi Sundaram)
RESERVED (Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai,Mayilu,...)

Techie anecdotes

Very often we come across people who are the end users of technologies like email, smart phones, digital cameras etc. And if they do not happen to know your software engineering background, it could be your rendezvous with ignorance which you can laugh about later. Here are some of mine...

A famous Eyecare chain here created an online record of my issues and generated a patient ID. The next time I happened to visit one of their other centers and I promptly took the ID card with me. But to my surpise, these guys had no clue of my records and wanted me to register again. When I asked why, the young girl replied "Our records are different Sir"

I took my mom's old black and white photograph to get it scanned in my native town. The guy who owns the famous photo studio / lab there quoted an exorbitant price to scan and make a blow up print of the photo. I was in no mood to argue, but did raise my concern in vain. Later, the lady technician who actually did the scan whispered generously "Don't worry I have made 2 copies of the photograph in your memory stick for the same price" !!

Govt. websites need some serious changes in design patterns. My login credentials wasn't working for service tax website. When I called the toll free help desk they said you I'll have to contact my local range officer to reset the password, for whatever reason ! When I went there, this guy finds that they had no record of my business and so he can't access it !! I was in a different region when I started my business and I had moved since then. But what is the point of going "cloud" if a particular regional office can't access(even view) info. about other regional records ? I had to unnecessarily travel some 20km today because of this.


I got an email from the HR of a potential employer asking me to send scanned copies of my documents for verification. As I went through the list I saw the last item was "2 passport size photographs". I called the young lady to confirm if she wanted a soft copy or hard copies. I told her what the last item was and she said "Oh thats ok, just send us 2 soft copies of your photo, that'll do" !!??

Share your anecdotes too...

MI4- Ghost Protocol - movie review

If you're a lover of the precision of IMF's previous missions, you're not likely to enjoy this movie much. Because, everything goes wrong with the missions of this installment of MI - messages don't self destruct, fake IDs don't get uploaded on time, packages turn up empty, gloves don't work, masks don't get molded and of course (as they mention in the teaser) the whole IMF has been disavowed. But you still have the edge of the seat action sequences and the ever fit Tom Cruise chasing and being chased as usual. Learn how to take your car out of a parking lot from this guy.

Brad Bird, the director, not surprisingly, adds his own comic touch to the action. The director's love for humor can be evidently seen in many sequences especially through Benji 's character. But too much of anything spoils the broth and in the case of this movie it does distract the viewers from the seriousness of the missions. If there is one character that interests you with many shades it is that of Brandt played by the deserving Jeremy Renner ( The Hurt Locker fame). Paula Patton doesn't add much to the plot more than skin and kicks. Tom cruises through his role as Ethan Hunt as usual and the chemistry between him and Simon Pegg in the previous installment has been cleverly extended in this movie. And yeah, we have our own Anil Kapoor playing a very very crucial role that takes your excitement to a completely different level  !!! (pun intended). Ving Rhames does a cameo as Luther Stickell at the end of the movie.

 The real problem with this movie is it does not have a single focused mission (like the Chimera or the Rabbits foot). The normal save-the-world-from-nuclear-destruction plot reduces this to any other action movie. The other big let down was the characterization of the villain. Hendricks ( played by Michael Nyqvist) does not measure up to Owen Davian (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman). It was evident that the climax which supposedly happens in India were shot elsewhere in a set. I'm not even gonna start on the loop holes in the plot since nobody seems to be bothered about it. But if you want some adrenaline pumping action from Tom go for it.

Porali - movie review

"...because success is a menace. It fools smart people into thinking they can't lose." - Bill Gates explains in the movie "Pirates of Silcon valley" why a giant IBM would buy anything from a nobody like Microsoft. Perhaps that is what has transpired in the case of Samuthirakani (Nadodigal fame) and M. Sasikumar (Subramaniapuram fame) to make Porali and Eesan respectively. As expected they have cast each other as protagonist in their projects.

Porali starts off with a promising note and a very interesting pan shot of the top viewing camera to capture the typical Chennai housing complex and its residents. The initial comedy tracks are cleverly used to make the audience travel with the main characters Sasi, Ganja karuppu and Allari Naresh (A very commendable comeback to the tamil industry) The first one hour does engage you with interesting developments. The script loosens when Swathi starts falling for Sasikumar. Like many other tamil movies the unemployed youth miraculously finds a way to make a living and succeeds in his life in just one song. Now, it keeps you wondering what the "struggle" is all about.

I really liked the subtle nuances of the director like the Vinayagar coming throughout the film or the prices going up every time he shows the petrol bunk etc. But I couldn't stand the repetitions (one folk song and one song by Shankar Mahadevan) from his previous project and loads of unwanted violence hoping these would save the day. Music director Sundar C babu shines more in re-recording than in the songs. There is a strong contrast between the city and village portions in that give a feeling that these are two different movies !
 
Porali takes too many twists and turns in the treatment that one wonders what exactly the director wants to convey? It was a real struggle for me to figure what Samuthirakani wants to convey? Is this a movie about how gifted children are ill treated, or about Chennai's suburb and its residents or family feuds or a youth struggling to achieve in life or....about Uranium.

Six myths about customer satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is after sales support - No that is customer retention; one becomes a customer after he is satisfied with your offering or at least trusts so.

He loves "that" feature of your product - No all he cares is his current problem and how soon you solve it.

He might not pay for value of your product - No he is always ready to pay for his "perceived value" of your product.

You don't have to give anything free - No; you have to let a trial version out for free for the potential customer to get a feel of your product

Online business can be done online - No, Sales can be done online, you still have to get out of your home/office to get drive your business to sell.

Competitors might win the fight - No, they have already won, YOU are fighting to win customers (back). Even if there is no competition, you're fighting the fact that customer is OK to live with the problem you're trying to solve.

Multiply !

"How do I win?", He was always busy
the quest for the answer, sometimes made him dizzy

Distance, time by speed
and persistance to feed
shelter, sense and shame
all lost their battle against his fame

"Invincible - Don't I fit the bill?,
anything I can't kill ?" - he asked
"Anybody you can save forever ?"
-the reply caused a slight tremor

"How do I win ?" - his started again
but all he could do was fight in vain
One by one they fell; Kith and kin as well

Alas he found a way ! always to have his say
though copied from the very foe he fought
the idea did work as he thought

Multiply !
(RIP Mom's younger sister who passed away yesterday)

Ko- movie review

This was one film I was following during the making itself and was waiting for a long time, because I have to admit I really liked Ayan and Kana Kandein. K.V. Anand, (the ace cinematographer turned director) has the guts to really get to the bottom of any theme around which he winds his projects. Ko is no exception, he has dared to bare some of the well kept secrets of politics and media ( he was a media photographer erstwhile). So it was home ground and he looks like has really sent the balls to box office boundaries. I wasn't able to get tickets till today !

Okay, first things first - the story is NOT a rip from The State of Play. This is much localized political and media drama. The narration bears much similarities to Ayan. I hope the much deserving Jeeva gets into the big league for his portrayal of Ashwin. Ajmal has yet again proved that second roles are nothing second. Pia needs much meaty characters than just 'meat'. Karthika seriously needs to learn Tamil, I can imagine how tough it must've been for Chinmayi to do the dubbing. Kota and Prakash raj are at their usual best. Camera is good (duh !) Harris has to improve a lot both in songs and RR. Songs are shot in Norway and around the world but the chemistry between the leading pair is missing !

Now, the issue with a racy screenplay or fast paced editing or both is not the potholes it leaves on the way, but the absence of beats and pauses. You feel the momentum of an action sequence only when there is a rather slow dull moment before that. If you keep running right from frame 1 you get tired midway. There is a  great main story line which has beautifully woven suspense and knots to untie, but the supporting cast (the editor in chief, Jeeva's parents, friends of Ajmal) do not make an impact. These characters are not etched completely and they utter boring "supporting" dialogues. This in turn makes the main characters look either too noble and unbelievable. So at some point of time in the first half you just start watching the film feel no connection, the way we watch election news !

Kudos to K.V. Anand for saying out loud that media can make or break personalities.

I still like Inception

Okay, I have waited and watched all other contestants - King's speech, Fighter, social network and Black swan - and guess what, Inception remains my favorite. Nolan, you rock !

5 steps to a succesful start up

1. Be formal: Even if you are an IT guy with the next BIG idea and are working out of a garage, don't present yourself that way. Get your start up registered formally and take care of the legal issues first, even if this takes time and money. Get a bunch of decent looking business cards printed and use them when you make contacts. People will take you seriously only if you take yourself seriously.

2. Get bottom dollar: While getting business cards is necessary, don't spend a fortune on the perfect design. Get a good but quick design. Bargain on every penny you spend and maintain books. When we wanted a small number of  T-shirts for Thiray, we figured the cost were sky-rocketing unless we order thousands. We found an artist and got the few painted with fabric paint instead.

3. Build a team: This is probably the most vital and difficult step. You need to find able people and delegate things, you can't do everything by yourself. Get people for their skill and attitude not for experience, references. Every member of the team should feel something very important is at stake for him/her in the startup.

4. Sell first: There is no better way to find out whether your idea will work unless  than taking it directly  to your target customer's scrutiny. Come up with a minimum desirable product at the earliest, give it to beta customers for free trial ( selling doesn't mean making money, sell your idea first ) and get feedback / review.

5. Go Viral: Never forget to ask a satisfied customer to refer your product to his contacts. Building a network of trusted users is probably the single most important thing in business which will eventually make your cash box ring.

Payanam - Movie review

I consider Radhamohan as Rajkumar Hirani of the south. As Prakashraj describes very often, Radha looks at the world through a different lens. He has a very subtle and simple way of dealing even emotional and sensitive subjects. Who could forget Mozhi ? He takes the same approach to this hijack subject. But the re is a bit of overdose of humor in payanam that you wonder whats happened to the main story.

As usual the dialogues make you roll on the floor laughing. The passengers are seated as pairs of opposite poles - an atheist and an astrologer, an upcoming movie star and his fan and so on. These present situations for a laugh riot and Radha doesn't miss a beat. The director - actor combo that appear post interval takes the cake off the others for sure. The film also has some emotional points thrown here and there, which makes you feel sorry even for the terrorists. Kudos to Prakashraj for producing a neat and decent movie yet again !

Nagarjuna's underplay and heroism would be the crowd puller for the Telugu version. Prakashraj, M.S. Baskar, Manobala, Brahmanandham, Thalaivaasal Vijay and the other support cast fit like T to their roles.  The special effects department and the set direction could have been better. You could spot  pathetic glitches in these in some frames. A Frontech headphones for the cockpit?? This movies has no songs, but the background score is good. Lighting and camera must have been easy since there were only a few locations.

The film takes off with a great promise and sails the smooth skies till the hijackers take over the plane. (Don't worry about spoilers in this review, there aren't any, because there is no suspense in the movie anyway) Radha has told in his interviews that he wanted to present hijack through the eyes of the passengers, news reporters, terrorists and the commandos. But I'm afraid the  different views shown  here are far from anything real. There was a huge lack of background research. The single emotion  - fear - that  must dominate  the  victims and hence the audience was missing. You have bits and pieces of all emotions.

We are a nation who are "used" to so many forms of terrorist acts and so would expect something more gripping than a laugh riot in a subject like this.

Yuththam Sei - movie review

Mysskin, always insists that he is only a writer and is yet to graduate to a movie director. Well, you do  get a feeling of reading a tamil crime novel (read Rajeshkumar, Subha etc )when you watch his latest flick Yuththam sei. A couple of departments that lift the drama from that level to a celluloid movie are the camera and background score. Only problem here is what works at a crime novel level may not work as a movie. There are more loose ends to tighten in the latter. 

Mysskin joins the now growing bunch of directors ( Gautam Menon, Sasikumar) whose latest offerings depict the horrible crimes against young women. (I'm scared of this becoming the next trend in Tamil cinema after movies based on Madurai, 3m). But I'm sure this would be the one that has tried to limit obscenity as less as possible (Nadunisi naigal is yet to release). As in any typical Mysskin movie there are many strange angled shots, legs of the actors get more importance than their faces, slow panned shots to reveal carton boxes etc. I have to admit these techniques have worked well for this genre than a Nandhalaala. The first thing that hits you about the movie is the background score for sure. Kudos to the new kid around the block K

The reason this movie did not work for me is the fact that there are too many clues and characters that I gave up trying to solve the mystery in an hour. Also, the string connecting these clues - the protagonist CBI officer - is too confused and weak to concentrate on solving the plot for us to follow. The truth that unfolds later in the second half is neither believable or interesting enough. Finally, there are too many unanswered questions which end up as loop holes in the plot when you regurgitate the movie in your mind on the way back home. 

Cheran has done his best to underplay as the disturbed CBI officer. I have no idea why he needs the 2 assistants ( Dipa Shah and the other guy) Chelva has comeback to mainstream cinema with this movie. Jayaprakash, YG Mahendra steal the show. Again, I don't know what would difference it would make to the movie if Yugendran and a couple of guys in his gang are not there. Mysskin has to seriously change the way he visualises action scenes in his movies. Even though dramatic at the moment, the fights are repetitive, boring and not practically believable. Needless to say, Kannitheevu ponna is already a chart buster, but this is exactly where he looses his grip on the audience and everything that follows becomes predictable.

I did like the director's satire in a couple of scenes like - a cop stealing a watermelon. There was little emphasize on the explanation for the title Yuththam sei- which means 'wage a war'. A very few of the audience might wait till the last scene in the beach where Cheran talks to the boy over the phone about purpose of his parent's and his war.

Yeah, for once I do agree with Mysskin's on his ability as a director - this might have worked for me as a novel than a movie

Who should be your Beta customer?

Here are a few pointers to choose ( yes you have all the right to ! ) your Beta customers of your product.

1. Beta users are your very first customers, but need not necessarily be your best friends or relatives or even your investors. Your close pal would obviously be very happy and proud to tell the world about your achievement of making an idea into a product, but that might not be just enough to take it to the next level. Carefully select a few among your target users.

2. So now you know that the beta user should be from the relevant target industry. But make sure that he is also somebody who actually needs your product. You might have evaluated your idea at concept stage with industry veterans, but on all probability they might be too big to need your product. Choose somebody who actually has the problem you are trying to solve. Mentors might give you a whole lot of ideas and direction but in the end say that they don't need you !

3. Stay away from people who turned you down in during your initial market research. They might have turned away because either they felt your product is not viable or they might be using an existing alternative (read competitor !). In all right, you would want to prove they are wrong and how your product is better. STOP right there, understand this is not the time for it. The purpose of beta testing is to refine your product, don't get carried away at this stage.

4.  Understand the difference between marketing and beta testing. This is no time to increase user base and market your baby, simply because it is still a baby. Get a small but trusted number of users, respect and respond to them.

5. Make sure your beta users have the time to not only use the product but also to give valuable feedback about it. There are loads of survey methods and software tools to capture user feedback. Give incentives to attract beta users to provide feedback. Take it, refine and fine tune your product.

Eesan - movie review

Eesan is your typical M Sasikumar movie. It starts on a slow and steady pace and you come to know what the movie is about only a few minutes before interval ! Then the movie picks up pace and ends in a gory, blood shedding climax. Only in the case of Eesan, everything turns out to be a cliche and little is left to our imagination. Once you watch a couple of scenes post interval, you know how things are going to turn out.

If Subramaniapuram - M.Sasikumar's directorial debut which made him an overnight star - brought out the dangerous shades of south Indian village in which the rural youth is misled, Eesan talks about perils of GenY city dwelling youth. It doesn't spare anything from night life to Internet to mobile phones to fashion to drugs and more. I liked the way the director has made some subtle but bold observations about the health care and law and order situations in the city.

Other than the few pivotal characters who appear only during the later half of the movie, others have not been sketched properly, so leave little scope for performance. The dialogues could have been more interesting rather than making the villain cry out loud repeatedly that nothing will happen in the state without his will. Also, it is a big screenplay blunder that such a powerful man could come up with plot changing actions in couple of scenes only after being advised by his side kick. The scenes were also not powerful and looked liked ripped from Sarkar Raj made by the master of underworld movies RGV. Can't Sasi think of some better lead than a suicide attempt to make a father agree to marry his daughter to her lover? And why on earth is the Karnataka guy cast like Mr.Mallaya look alike?? Samuthirakkani and Abhinaya have given their best. Vaibhav and others have no scope for acting. The new kid on the block who plays Eesan has come up with a good performance. A couple of songs by James Vasanthan were good but don't expect anything like Kangal Irandaal. MS Baskar makes a mark with his voice over. There are many loose ends in the plot which show enough research has not been done. For instance, why would a typical mute village girl want to join Fashion designing? How would geek clever enough to a hacker a mail server get caught by just IP trace? 

This is a rape - revenge story which you might not want to watch with your kids.