Tajmahal - Another late movie/music review

I got yelled at for reviewing Unnaale Unnaale. Its so 3-months-ago complained my friends and family. But I really cannot change. Time stands still in my world. I refuse to believe in expiration dates for analyzing long forgotten movies. I dont go trolling for oldies, they just end up in my field of vision, then I start watching, and before long, I cannot get the movie out of my head.

I ended up watching Bharathiraja's Tajmahal on sun tv yesterday. I could not have had a more enjoyable experience. The movie was so incredibly bad, it was really good. Riya does not even bother lip-syching. She just moves her mouth like a goldfish, and there is some entirely different voice over! This was supposed to be Manoj's great launch vehicle. He must have done something really bad to piss off his big daddy, cos he is forced to mouth the most inane dialogues like "nee yen usiru" and "valikkudhu...". HAAAA!!!

But all the bitching aside, this movie does have some really good music by A.R Rahman. I am not a big Rahman fan, but this is one of his few music scores that you can listen to years later without cringing.

Sotta sotta nanayudhu - The male and female versions are pleasant enough to listen to, but this is standard Rahman cop out stuff, also known as "i cannot come up with a tune, so i'll recycle something from my netru illaadha maatram genre"

Eechi elumichi - One of my favorites. Its slow and very sexy. The lyrics are pure rustic thamizh and really poetic

"paasi mani rendu korkayila paavi manasayum kothavaley..."

Question to blog readers - The song credits read Manoj. Is he the same guy as the hero? He is really good in this song.

Kulirithu kulirithu - This is an absolute gem. Unnikrishan and Swarnalatha waltz through the impossibly high and low notes. There are certain songs where the harmony between the lyrics and tune is absolute perfection, and this song is definitely one of those. This song actually comes near close to Andhi mazhai...

Bol na halke halke...

"aaga moththam sangeetham unakku saapadu maadhiriya?

illa, sangeetham enakku swaasam maadhiri"

This is one of my favorite dialogues from Sindhu bhairavi. It totally struck a chord with me. I am obsessed with music. You cannot tell this by looking at my (non-existent) CD collection, or my humble 2gb walkman/SonyPod. Music is in my heart, my head and truly in my swaasam. Its presence is so powerful, its almost like a friend or a family member. Ofcourse, I have the same frustrations as with a real person - sometimes we are simply not in synch. And then, there are times when I truly fall in love.

And I did last week. Reading my cousin's not-so-glowing review of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, i had to watch it. Hey, seeing the final product, the producers should have really called it Doom Barabar Doom (in Su's words), marketed the whole thing as a very clever spoof, and they could have started their own scary movie style franchise! Anyway, after constantly ff-ing the movie (in both ways), i finally got to the Bol na halke song. OH MY GOD! It is truly one of the most brilliant numbers I have heard in a very long time.

The beginning of the song is slow, just a few tentative tabla beats, and then, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's golden voice goes "Dhaage thod laaon..." and you are transported. To the narrow streets of old Delhi in the 18th century. To the Taj Mahal. You can almost feel the swish of gossamer veils, inhale the fragrance of gulabs, and taste the pedas from Agra! The song just keeps getting better. Mahalakshmi's performance is a true revelation - Soulful, romantic, and simply brilliant. She pours emotion into every syllable - not just the brilliant lyrics by Gulzar, but even when she sings plain old swaras.

All kinds of instruments are used. There is a wonderful 10 second electronic guitar piece (immediately after the first time she sings Bol na halke halke). It is simultaneously modern, and wonderfully classical as well, and woefully short. I liked the picturization too, all fantasy, slow motion shots, and Abhishek is kinda cute!

So really, this movie has not been all doom. For the past five days, this wonderful 5 minute slice of heaven has truly made my heart Jhoom.

Music Review Kannamoochi Yenada

Ok, this is really more like a review of one song in the movie - Sanjaram seiyyum kangal. For the past 2 days, this is the only song I have listened to during my drive to and from work. About 40 times to be precise.


Promise to self and more importantly my blog readers - I WILL NOT BITCH ABOUT MADHUSHREE IN THIS POST (though there is enough material, just in the context of this song) Well, I'll probably just make a teeny mention somewhere towards the end of the post about the massive thamizh kolai and just rant a little at Yuvan Shankar Raja. But like i mentioned in my earlier post, this is one of the two things I have to accept if i want to continue to enjoy Thamizh music.


Sanjaram is easily one of Yuvan's best to date. Everything about the song is unique and brilliant. Yuvan seems to deliberately underplay the instruments, and the focus is truly on the lyrics. I was just about to type my favorite lyrics in the song, but then realized I have to type the entire song! Its sheer poetry. There is a violin piece, before the first saranam, and everytime I hear it, I am reminded of Ilayaraja. No, Yuvan is not "inspired" in a plagiaristic way - it almost seems like he is saluting his Dad is the most creative way possible.


Shankar Mahadevan is inspired. His voice soars, and is perfectly complimented by Yuvan's innovative sound arrangement of echoes, which makes the song also sound refreshingly modern and youthful. In the second saranam, there are portions where the percussion instrument is replaced by the sound of water. It almost sounds like someone tapping the surface of a bowl of water instead of a tabla. I LOVE IT!!


Ok - now the rant. I know i bitch about Madhushree non stop. I know i sound tedious and repetitive. I am really trying to keep an open mind and hoping she would grow on me, but no way. She is terrible in this song - many words are bungled, and looks like not one person in the entire production crew has made the effort to correct the mistakes. S.V Shekhar in a drama tells someone "dei, ne pesum podhey eppadi spelling mistake varudhu?" With Madhushree, ava paadum podhey spelling mistakes, and apparently, neither Yuvan nor Priya cared. She ends up taking all the kurils in the song and flipping them with the nedils and vice versa Just a few examples-

* Instead of "un vaasam thangivida", she sings "un vaasam thaangivida". So, the meaning gets changed from "your fragrance lingers in my heart" to "your fragrance is tolerated in my heart"!!

*"Paarvaigal ondrai serkadho" - Should it not be Paarvaigal ondraai serkadho?

* i think its supposed to be "thodu thodu" (which makes sense in the context of the song), but you hear all kinds of versions from "thada thada" the first time to "thoda thoda"

You cannot really blame Madhushree for the lyrics, because to me, Yuvan and the director Priya are to be blamed equally if not more. But, even as a singer, Madhushree ends up sounding very very mediocre, even technique wise. She sings with zero gamakams, does not convey any of the "yekkam" in the lyrics and is barely able to mouth some of the lines in the lower octaves.

I hate sounding like a bitch, and I am normally not this critical about anyone. But music is such a wonderful thing. Bhaava is so important when you perform, and there are so many wonderful singers out there, it is a shame to see someone waste the great opportunities they have been blessed with. Often, years down the line, the ages we lived in are defined by the works of art we created. So, is our generation going to be looked at as one full of "sor-pizhais" and "karuthu-pizhais"???

Music Review - Bheema

I spent the past week floating in a wonderful haze of euphoria, all thanks to three amazing songs by Harris Jeyaraj in Bheema.

Enadhuyirey Enadhuyirey -

This is in the munbe va genre - slow, melodious, romantic. Nikhil Mathew is soulful. Sadhana Sargam's thamizh is surprisingly better than usual, but the song would have been even better if Harris had used Shreya. I checked out the singers on Raaga and found that Chinmayi's name was also listed for this song. Then i realized that Chinmayi has actually sung the second saranam, but i would not have known it was her if i had not read the album credits. This is the major trouble with her - she is an excellent singer, but for some reason, ends up sounding entirely different in every song. Being versatile is not a bad thing, but, I'm not sure how she can make a lasting impression without a signature voice.

Siru paarvaiyaley -

I love Karthik! His voice is young, peppy and near perfect. I'm listening to Harini after a while. She has matured as a singer, and its a pleasure to hear her sing the beautiful lyrics

"thumbiyaaga maari undhan veedu varavaa
thoongum unnai thottu paarthu muththam idavaa"

Mudhal mazhai -

If you ignore the "mehu mehu" throughout the song, this is easily one of Harris' best. Mahathi is superb - she sounds like a seasoned carnatic singer, but her voice is also light, and young, like a really cool version of Bombay Jayshree. I love the lyrics in this song too....

"Ore naal unnai naanum kaanaa vittaal en vaazhvil andha nannaley illai
ore naal unnai naanum paarthey vittal annaalin neellam podhavillai"

However, in order to appreciate these songs, I have forced myself to accept two annoying things that many Thamizh composers do -

*Pet peeve 1 - Use singers who do not bother figuring out the right way to pronounce thamizh words -

I do not have a problem with hindi singers performing thamizh numbers. The wonderful thing about true rasikas is the way we appreciate and enjoy the real spirit of music without restricting ourselves to the narrow confines of languages. Afterall, the mecca of carnatic music is Chennai and not Hyderabad (i mention this in the context of Thyagaraja's telugu compositions), and didnt SPB became the voice of Salman Khan during his best days? I love Shreya Goshal. Her pronunciation of thamizh words is near perfect, and if you listen to her soulful renditions of munbe va and elangathu veesudhey, you wouldnt believe she is not a thamizh speaker. Madhushree however just kills me. Its not her accent which bugs me, but the very mutiliation of one of the greatest treasures of the world - thamizh. In Vaaji vaaji, she sings "azhagai saani idu" instead of "azhagai saanai idu". Small difference? No way!!! Anyway, it looks like i am the only person getting rattled by her voice. She ends up getting to sing really good numbers such as Mayilirage and unakkul naane, and now Ragasiya kanavugal in Bheema. I listened to this song once, and promised myself it would be the last time. She tries to sound sexy when she sings "ilamai ilamai". She really could have focussed on getting the "la" in the illamai right.

*Pet peeve 2: Weird words in no particular language

Harris is probably the worst offender. I was hoping he would have changed with this album, but no. And we listeners have recently been spoilt by Vairamuthu's fabulous senthamizh in Sivaji - "Poompaavai aambal aambal". So, listening to "kaiba kaiba" in Beema's siru paarvaiyale is like nails on a chalkboard.

I waited for many years hoping they would change, but looks like i have to do the changing if i want to listen to good new Thamizh music.

Addicted to Youtube

It all started with hubby (who can be loved dearly just for his impeccable taste in thamizh music) playing Vijay's famous vadu maanga song in the car. I got hooked (sorry, as always, i am the last thamizhian on the planet to catch up with superhits). I used to be a big fan of Vijay in song sequences. My crush started right from the o pyari panipuri days. My sis is even better...she discovered his vast potential right away after watching dhottabetta roattu mela muttai parotta (i'm ROFLMAO as i'm typing this!!!)

So i logged on to youtube to search for vadu maanga's video, getting all misty eyed in the process, thinking about our vastly improved lives with thamizh music on demand. I remembered the doordharshan days when we used to wait all week for the magical 30 minutes of Olliyum Oliyum (took me many years of thamizh lessons to figure out the right words, i always called it oliyum muliyum and thought muliyum was just another unfamiliar word in the vast thamizh world). The video disappointed me. Vijay's dance was awesome as always, but the picturization didnt pack the punch that appadi podu does.

I then spent the next three hours online. Each time you watch a song on youtube, you can immediately check out other similar videos. And soon, I found myself watching some golden hits of Illayaraja. There were some surprises - my favorite Pudhiya poovidhu was entirely picturized on Mohan in a swimming pool (ok ladies, just calm down!)

Nizhalgal's madai thiradhu was picturized mostly on Chandrashekhar, and sung by SPB, but, when you listen to the song, you only think Ilayaraja. His personality, his aspirations, and his spirit jump out right at you in this song, more than any other composition of his. I watched the video, and had to rub my eyes with disbelief, when, they actually show Ilayaraja lyp-synching to SPB's voice (ah...the delicious irony), specifically for the famous (or rather infamous) lines "pudhu raagam padaipadhaaley naanum iraivaney". Is it the height of arrogance? Maybe yes....but hey, as a fan of Da King, I'm not complaining for sure.

And then the clothes. No Manish Malhotra needed. Some of our yesteryear actresses were seriously fabulous. I still have not seen a single actress match Sridevi's look in Thanikaatu raaja (simply with mallipoo and pondy bazaar accessories and simple nylon sarees). And of course, Thalaivar rocks in the song too.

Mohini in Eeramaana Rojave wore some really cute outfits -coordinated paavadai, well-cut salwar kurta (long but with deep side slits) and a skinny dupatta. It looked really feminine and indian, i wish that trend had caught on (like the gitanjali dress did).

And then there was Amala...sigh....she deserves a whole blog post dedicated to her style, so watch this space!

Dailamo? What the *%^&??!!

I am still shaking my head with disbelief. Dailamo from Dishum is supposed to be a great big superhit song. Apparently it used to constantly play on radio mirchi. A google search for Dailamo took me to many websites praising the song to the skies. I had to find out for myself what all the hype was about, and I made the mistake of listening to the song.

It was terrible! I agree, the tune is catchy, but I couldnt stand any of the vocals. This is what I HATE -

* Words that do not have any meaning (Dailamo?????) It shows an utter lack of imagination
* Thamizh is a beautiful language - why kill it by pronouncing it with a western accent?
* Kaalaleke????? The lyricist could not think of a proper word to use in the beginning of the song, so he takes a real thamizh word and distorts it to fit the tune
* The weird suggestive ooohh aaahhh noises the male singer makes through the song

There are many bad songs. What upsets me with this song is the fact that it is such a big hit in India, and I do not get it at all. It scares me because my reaction implies one of two things - either i am too old fashioned, unwilling to change with the times, or people in Thamizhnadu have changed so much, become so westernized, and become so much more non-conservative. Where does that leave me?

Thendrale ennai thodu

I am trying to unearth Illayaraja's gems. My quest (through many forums and blogs) led me to his soundtrack for Thendrale ennai thodu.

I have no recollection of watching the movie. Per music india online, this movie was released in 1985, staring "Mike" (as in microphone) Mohan and Jayshree. Mohan is one of the classic examples of how a good jaadhagam (or God knows what) can propel a person right to the top. He was a mediocre actor. Somehow, he managed to act in some really good movies (Mouna Raagam being the most memorable) and many of his movies ended up having superhit songs (such as Payanangal mudivadhillai, mella thirandhadhu kadhavu etc). Jayshree was one of the "homely" actresses at that time. She was very pretty, Sadha reminds me a lot of her.

Of all the Ilayaraja albums that I know of, this is easily one of the most innovative. The composition of tunes, the orchestra, the raagams that he has used...his brilliance cannot be described in words. Here are my favorite songs -

Kavidhai paadu kuyile - I've always adored SPB and I fell in love with him all over again after listening to this song. The raagam is similar to needhane yendhan pon vasantham from ninaivellam nitya. The tune is racy and flamboyant

Pudhiya poovidhu - Shades of Sudhdha Dhanyasi again. The tabla type beats in the background make all the difference. SPB rocks as always, and Janaki keeps up with Ilayaraja's super difficult (but super melodious tunes)

Kanmani Nee Vara - This is the best in the album. Malayamaarutham is one of my favorite raagams (manasayatulo by Thyagaraja is a divinely beautiful composition in this raagam). Ilayaraja effortlessly uses this raagam and weaves wonderful romantic tunes. Jesudas is surprisingly disappointing in this song - he doesnt quite hit all the right notes. But Uma Ramanan more than makes up for his shortcomings. She was one singer who never quite made it, but that gives me a topic for another blog post.

Here is the link for this movie in music india online. Do not miss this album!

The hottest song this summer

Well, if I have heard an english song, then it must be really really famous (because, as you know, its going to take me another 5 years just to finish discovering all the Ilayaraja songs)

Anyways, Hips dont lie by Shakira is super hot! Check this link out for the music video. The beats are racy, the hip hop sections (by Wyclef Jean) are cool, the lyrics are not great, but makes it all the more easier to sing along, and then Shakira....her dance movements make even Madhuri Dixit seem pale.. She does make a man wanna speak Spanish... The rest of the album is surprisingly ok, unlike many other albums that have exactly one good song.

Rediscovering Raaja jems

"People claim they are Illayaraja fans, but they just listen to Pani Vizhum malar vanam and Illaya nila pozhigiradhu..." - said Miss.Paranoid to me.

And she is right. I was in danger of falling into the Punnagai Mannan/Sindhu Bhairavi rut. I saved a few olden goldies to my mp3 player yesterday, and smiled all the way to work.

Check these songs out -

En jeevan paaduthu - Karthik and Saranya starred in this really weird movie. Basically, Karthik has a love failure, kills himself and becomes a ghost. Saranya discovers his diary, reads his story and sympathizes with him, and becomes friends with him (the ghost). Finally, she realizes she is in love with him, and many soulful Illayaraja songs later, she kills herself and the two ghosts live happily ever after. I cannot believe this...i actually watched the full movie and even remember every scene! Like my mom says, if i had paid this kind of attention to my books, i could have gone to Harvard!

Anyway, some songs are really good.

- Ore murai un dharisanam by S.Janaki captures the longing of a girl in love

- Katti vechuko un anbu manasa is too good - it has the catchy thavil beats. I think Deva copied this for Vaali, and in turn, the beats inspired Rehman for the Mayilirage song from Anbe aaruyire

- Engiruntho azhaikum - There are two versions. The male version seemed a little boring, and the female version is actually sung by Lata Mangeshkar. She sings it well, however, her accent is not easy on the ears at all (especially when it comes to words like "azhaikum"

Some other songs -

- Neela kuyile from Soorasamharam - This song is almost as good as Naan yenbathu nee allavo from the same album. The only jarring notes are from the background music between the charanams, and it was composed that way for the song picturization (the hero is going through some trauma after battling the bad guys and the heroine is helping him out). Chitra is soulful, and Arulmozhi (a singer who never got his due) is as good as SPB

- Medhuva medhuva from Anna nagar mudhal theru Chitra and SPB elevate this song with their crystal clear voices, despite the fairly trite lyrics.

That brings me to another topic. Ilayaraja never had the advantage of Vairamuthu's superb lyrics the way Rehman did. That gives me enough material for the next blog post.

Cool music blog

If you love Ilayaraja, you have to check this new blog out. It carries the most comprehensive article about Ramarajan hits !

My new fav song...

Mere haath mein tera haath ho..
Saari Jannathein mere saath ho...
Tu jo paas ho, phir kya yeh jehan?
Tere pyar mein ho jaaoon Fanaa...

Sudhdha Dhanyasi, MLV and Sudha

My morning commute turned from mundane to sublime when I listened to M.L Vasanthakumari's rendition of Naarayana Ninna Namada smarana. I have long been a big M.S Subbulakshmi fan. Now, my regard for M.L.V is almost equal to my love for M.S.

To me, no other singer's voice can convey bhakthi the way M.S Subbulakshmi's does, and I am also now convinced that noone else's voice can be as sweet and melodious as M.L.V's.

Another big bonus with listening to M.L.Vs concerts is that you can hear snatches of a very young and brilliant Sudha Raghunathan. The harmony between guru and sishya is so evident. Sudha's voice never over powers M.L.V's, and M.L.V generously stops singing occasionally so that Sudha can shine too.

The song Naarayana ninna is a Purandaradasa composition in the Sudhdha Dhanyasi raagam. Different raagams evoke different emotions in the listener's heart. While every raagam is beautiful in its own way, raagams like hindolam and kalyani are sure more easier on the ear than raagams like saveri or mayamalava gowla.

Sudhdha Dhanyasi falls in the former category - it's combination of swarams is dramatic. A seasoned vidhwan can sing complex alapanas in this raagam, but it is also easy enough even for a novice to identify, appreciate and sing along.

Along with Sindhu Bhairavi, Sudhdha Dhanyasi is an apt raagam for conveying feelings of devotion, love and wonder to the glory of God. Other songs in this raagam are Azhaga (in praise of Muruga) and the timeless Himagiri thanaye (G.N Balasubramaniam's rendition of this song is unbeatable).

Moving on to light music, this is also one of Ilayaraja's favorites. Check out some of the songs below -
* Sempoove poove from Siraichalai
* Poondhaliraada from Paneer pushpangal
* Maasi maasam aalana ponnu (Dharmadurai)

Here is the best of all.. .The original Thottal poomalarum from Padagotti!

Love you Simon and Garfunkel

Some lyrics from "I am a rock"...

I have my books
And my poetry to protect me;
I am shielded in my armor,
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.
I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock,
I am an island.
And a rock feels no pain;
And an island never cries

A good movie, a good song and good food

The good movie -

I watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and I loved the movie. Do drop everything you are doing, and watch it ASAP (even if you are a sworn muggle). I do not need to write about the story ofcourse, everybody has read the book, which is the most significant in the series. After three books that darkly proclaim the return of he-who-must-not-be-named, the Dark Lord makes his first full appearance in the thrilling climax.

The super long book has been condensed into a 2.5 hour movie. Although the movie tends to drag in the middle (especially the much-written-about ballroom sequence), the action sequences more than make up for this. The intial Quidditch world cup is thankfully brief. Especially thrilling are the various Tri wizard tournament contests. Daniel Radcliffe finally settles into his role, and may I say, could turn out to be the next heart throb by the time we see the cinematic version of Harry Potter and the half blood prince!

Speaking of heart throbs, Cedric Diggory is hot!

A good song

Ok.. This song is quite old now, but I finally got around to listening to it. Miss Independent by Kelly Clarkson.



Good Food


I made this greek(?) dessert called Baklava. My husband once bought this from an authentic Greek restaurant in Arizona and its taste was unforgettable. I watched Emeril Lagasse make the same dish on food tv a few months later. I am not a big fan of making sweets at home, but this recipe seemed simple enough. I finally got around to trying it, and it came out great! You really cannot go wrong with this dish. Its just the perfect combination of flaky layers of puff pastry, lots of butter, honey and nuts.

Try the recipe below, or head to your nearest ethnic Greek food store/restaurant
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_30271,00.html

Sun tv career opportunities

Never worry about your future again. Check out the job postings and business opportunities below! Thanks to Sun tv you can be well on your way to financial freedom!

Out-of-work older movie stars/former starlets:

Never made it in the big bad world of Thamizh cinema? Did not graduate from item numbers? Get ready for a fresh new career. Take a dabba of ponds dream flower talc, shake it all over your head, grab your mom's old sungudi saree, paint your face gray and you are all set! You can be the next famous on screen mom/mother-in-law.

Looking for job satisfaction? You can act in three different roles simultaneously! Act as the long suffering mother in law in the popular 12:00 pm prime-time-for-retired-ladies serial. Then, wear some makeup, rush over to the next set, and act as the bitchy mother-in-law in the popular 7:00 pm prime-time-for-working-women-just-back-home serial. Finally, untie your hair, look a little mysterious, and play the best role of your career in one of the many supernatural serials. Religious type? Find yourself a role in Raja rajeshwari!!

Look no further for job security. All these serials will continue for the next 40 years of your life!

In your early twenties? Want to enter the entertainment world?

But worried you can never compete with the Trishas or Asins? Know too much Thamizh to ever act in Thamizh cinema? No worries! You can now grab yourself big roles in mega serials. Excellent benefits! No need to worry about creating your signature personality or looks. Just wake up in the morning, take a center parting in your hair, wear a slick one-plait and a simple cotton saree, grab your handbag, and you are ready to go! Act in one serial in the morning as the long suffering sister, then, rush off to the next set to act as the catty sister in law. Finally, finish your day by crying copiously in your career-defining role as Radhika's 8th cousin sister! You do not need to worry about costume changes, nobody cares! You can get by with looking exactly the same in all the serials you star in!

Warning: If your body mass index is in the healthy range for your height, you could seriously be jeopardizing your career chances. Add 20 pounds, as unnaturally as possible, and apply soon for your dream supporting-sister/bitchy-in-law role! (sorry, the leading lady roles are reserved for out-of-work actresses)

Handbag manufacturers - Empower women! Make the kolangal handbag!

Are you suffering from a failing export business due to stiff competition from Gucci and Prada? Worried you can never make a bag that can even remotely compete with Fendi? Rest easy, you just found your dream market. Make the popular Devyani handbag!
Design specifications: Strap long enough to touch the floor. Should make the user keep clutching on to it for dear life. Body of the handbag needs to be big, black and as shapeless as possible. Dusty just-got-out-of-ptc-bus finish preferred.
Target market: Millions of loyal Kolangal fans and Devyani wannabes

Cloth bag(Thuni pai manufacturers)- Brand new market space! Target all harried Dads!

Potential business oppurtunity to make thuni pais. Target market will be elderly Gentleman who have a minimum of 6 daughters. Will help them carry fruits and other gifts as they make their rounds from one daughter's pugundha veedu to another. Need special compartment inside for storing youngest daughter's jaadhagam as dads make the kalyana tharagar rounds
Warning: You might face stiff competition from retailers such as Nalli who give away this classy bag for free. Differentiate your bag by giving it unique personality. Print pictures of the metti oli dad on all bags! First 1000 buyers will get their bags personally autographed by him

Sun tv ads

The much-hated but always-watched sun tv has made a big entry back into our house. Heres what I noticed:

- The pattu pudavais are getting more spectacular year after year. The best I have seen this year is the kolam sarees (i dont know which saree company makes this)
- The most irritating ad is for Thamizh Murasu - especially the song Summa nachunu irukku - whats with everyone using "nachunu" and "adhu" in every sentence now?
- Previously, women alone were targeted by the regressive fairness cream ads. Now, men cannot escape too- I just saw an ad for a "fair and handsome" cream!!!
- I started watching kolangal and vikramadhithya after a gap of over 10 months. I have not missed a thing!
- I swear I saw some guys with colored hair!
- Radhika's araajagam on suntv continues (now with full support from Saritha!)
- The only qualification for becoming a model for thamizh ads is to be a fair north indian
- The guy who acts as the Vedhalam in Vikramadhithya still appears in EVERY other program, especially the irritating one where he says "break" in every annoying tone possible (he insults every single poor soul that appears on the program and they give him weak embarassed smiles!)
- It looks like the salwar is slowly replacing the saree (not just favored by college girls anymore). I still think that salwars can never beat the saree when it comes to gracefulness, especially for thamizh women
- People are getting more and more verbally abusive in the mega serials; men, women alike!

Open message to A.R Rahman - please stop the Thamizh kolai

I've never really liked A.R Rahman. I used to wonder if this was just some mindless prejudice, or because i like Illayaraja way too much (but I love Harris Jayraj too, so i'm not really partial right?)

Finally, after listening to three songs from Anbe Aaruyire, i know the reason. A.R Rahman is pseudo! What do I mean by that? Well, he is a regular Chennai dude, and he does have to earn his bread and butter by composing for Thamizh movies (Bombay dreams not withstanding). However, he tries to distance himself as much as possible from Thamizh (maybe he thinks this elevates him in some way?)Instead of simply letting his music speak for itself, he brings in singers who do not understand a single word Thamizh.

I am ok with the concept of singers singing in a different language. A lot of famous carnatic singers dont know Telugu. However, they make an effort to learn, understand, and pronounce every word perfectly. If Rahman wants to promote national integration by bringing in hindi singers, sure, thats great! But, is it too much to ask for him to make sure they dont mess words up?

Here are the songs at fault-

Mayilirage -
Music wise, A.R Rahman is FANTASTIC. This could have undoubtedly been called the song of the year. The lyrics are beautiful, beginning with the first line (Mayilirage varudugirai yennai). S.J Surya's favorite instrument is the thavil (remember Vaali's super cute sequence where Ajith sight adichufies Simran and you have a thavil-naadhaswaram combo playing the april maadhathil tune?). In this song, the thavil beats play in the background, almost throughout. A nadaswaram like instrument is also used. The male singer (Naresh Iyer) is soulful. With everything going perfectly, Rahman screws up big time by bringing in Madhushree.

She is a mediocre singer, and her thamizh is inexcusably bad. She thinks she is Alka Yagnik, and tries to sound like her. You can ignore the accent, but how can you forgive her pronouncing "kaadhal dhaan kal ezhuthu" as "kaadhal dhaan kal adithu" in the pallavi? She changes the meaning from "love is like words written in stone" to "love is only throwing stones"!!!! Also, mayil becomes "maaayil". "Iragey" becomes "irahey" and "Vaigai" becomes "Vaihai". Madhushree, did you know that there is no "h" alphabet in Thamizh.

If A.R Rahman is so anti-thamizh-singers, then he could have atleast used Shreya Goshal or Sadhana Sargam?

Thala Thala-

Sadhana does a great job, but the guy (and nobody seems to know who this singer is) does an even better job at thamizh kolai than Madhushree (if that were even possible). Heres what he does:
- Anai (as in water dam/hug) is pronounced as Aaanaaa (as in the hindi word for "come"). Was this intentional?
- Then kulam (big La) is pronounced then kulam (small la) - so "a pool of honey" becomes "a honey caste"!!!!!!!!!!

Rahman, did you lose your address book? You really couldnt find a single Thamizh singer? Or are they too fed up with your Thamizh kolai to take your phone calls? S.J Surya, neengalumaa?

Kushboo is condemned for trying to destroy Thamizh panpaadu. Why are we perfectly ok with A.R Rahman killing Thamizh itself? He need not apologize, he need not take residence up in some other state - maybe he could just rerecord the Ah Aah album using Thamizh singers? Or redeem himself in his next album atleast?

Love you Harris

Dhoorathil nee vandhaley en nenjil mazhai adikkum...
Miga piditha paadal onnai udhadugalum munumunukkum....

I know I know, I am the last person in Madras to discover Kaakha Kaakha songs. Better late then never though!

The King

Ilayaraja's path breaking Thiruvachagam is releasing on June 30th. It is a devotional album, with the songs of Manickavasagar. All the compositions except one have been sung by Ilayaraja himself. According to Ilayaraja, his life's purpose on this earth has been fulfilled because of this body of work!! Here is his interview in the hindu.

Ilayaraja composed and sang the Janani Janani song in a divinely beautiful way. I cannot wait to listen to a full fledged devotional album from him.

I truly wish i could meet Ilayaraja just for a second, and say "thank you for your music". Ilayaraja's lilting compositions have enriched my life so much.

I could have had a dead-boring day at work, with a lonely evening at home ahead. I can get caught in the middle of a 5 mile traffic backup on the highway. But, all that I need to do is play an Ilayaraja song on the car stereo, and I am transported instantly. My spirit soars high above the backed up cars and I am instantly transported right to the heart of beautiful Tamizhnadu and I am home!

Jagadhanandhakaraka Lyrics

You can find detailed lyrics (with meaning) and swarams here