Thank You, Mahi.

April 5, 2005.

I was 11 years old and had become a Cricket ‘Veriyan’, thanks to Sachin Tendulkar. It was summer vacation and I was at my cousins’ place. Remember the guy who scored some 1000 runs against me? He had been to his school – class XII had just started for him! He came rushing home, having heard the news about someone scoring a century and racing away to 148. The man sported a wild and rugged hairstyle. India won the match comfortably and since we had missed the Indian batting, we watched the match highlights that night. That was it. There was one monstrous sixer from the ‘BAS’ labelled bat which went on and on and on at rocket speed. We were bewildered to see such enormous power from a batsman whose name had not even registered into our minds yet.

"Mahendra Singh Dhoni" had just announced his arrival. And there was surely more to come. 

October 31, 2005.

India was chasing 299 against Sri Lanka and Dhoni came out to bat. After 16 fours and 10 towering sixes and his score at 183 not out, he had single-handedly led India to a spectacular win. I wasn’t surprised to see the scorecard with none of the other batsmen managing to score even a fifty. By this time, Dhoni had earned a name for himself and there were numerous articles about his hairstyle, his hometown ‘Ranchi’ and that he drinks 7 litres of milk every day and all that! To me and other cricket lovers – this guy finishes off matches in some style we hadn’t seen before – all matches followed this pattern of a six from Dhoni’s bat over long-on or long-off. He did that so often that people started expecting him to do it every single time when India was just about to win.

For the first time, Indian fans had started expecting something from a batsman other than "Sachin Tendulkar". 

September 24, 2007.

It was the day of the T20 World Cup Final. At the start of the tournament, no one would have believed the ‘Men in Blue’ to reach the Knock-outs and anything beyond. It was a collective team effort and India had in fact, won matches on merit. But, there were surely those ‘MS Dhoni’ moments that changed the course of every match and completely tilted things in India’s favor. The bowl-out against Pakistan, the bowling changes against South Africa, counter pressure against England and killing Aussies in their own way by pure instincts and aggression. Australia could have won it easily at one stage when Symonds and Hayden were batting and all of a sudden, there were numerous bowling and fielding tactics that Dhoni employed and it all worked wonders. Aussies lost it cheaply with even Michael Hussey struggling at one end unable to get going with. Now in the night of the final, with Misbah slowly taking this match away from India, skiing this full toss over long-off and Pakistan coaches who were earlier seen murmuring verses from Quran had started screaming happy shouts even before the result! MS Dhoni kept his calm and walked up to Joginder Sharma and the rest is history. I had my heart out of my mouth when Sreesanth took that catch and India won the World Cup. Dhoni showed his fist up when others were celebrating wildly and took his shirt off and gifted it to the manager’s kid as promised and instead wore a sleeveless Team India shirt. All through the tournament, he hadn’t showed much of any kind of emotion on his face, be it whatever situation or result of the match.

His fan following was so obvious now and he got this new name, “Captain Cool”. He rightfully deserved it and started living up to it.

April 25, 2010.

It was the final match of the IPL 2010 and the beginning of a historic rivalry between the two teams. I was a supporter of the Mumbai Indians, mainly because of Sachin Tendulkar. He had been in full flow during that edition and had kept the Orange Cap for himself throughout! Mumbai Indians had been topping the table ever since the beginning while the Chennai Super Kings had to win 5 out of 7 matches to make it to the last four. And they had done that, with Dhoni taking Irfan Pathan for granted in the last over of the match hitting him twice out of the park and scoring 16 runs to enter into the play-offs. There was a rare show of emotion from MSD when he punched himself on his cheeks saying something to himself, after hitting the last six! This man was so determined and he wanted to prove something. It was evident during his sharp moves during the final. Sachin had been anchoring his stay at the crease on 48 not out when MSD wrote the perfect script for Sachin to make some mistake and get that prized wicket! Pollard tried to run away with the match, but MSD had other ideas. He kept a fielder so straight to the batsman and the umpire alike, near mid-off and removed Pollard out of the equation too. I was completely in shock when this happened, because for the first ever time I was at the receiving end of a typical Dhoni tactic and its execution to perfection. Chennai Super Kings won the IPL 2010, went on to win the Champions League and further defended their title in IPL 2011.

MS Dhoni had become the “Man with the Midas Touch”, without doubt.

April 2, 2011.

I had switched off my TV and my eyes were whelming with tears after seeing Sachin caught behind. How much I had waited for this occasion to see him play in this World Cup Final. It was but a billion others’ dream too. And the God himself had been waiting for this day for so many years! He looked in fine touch and after seeing his cover drive and straight drive coming from the sweet-spot of his bat, I was so confident of a promising knock. Because those trademark shots were always an indication of what was about to come! I felt pain throughout my face and started crying so badly. My Dad who had always been a harsh critic of the Indian Cricket Team came out in support and switched on the Television. I had no hope. I was able to recall the day when India had lost the 2003 World Cup to Australia. Slowly, Gambhir and Kohli were in the process of recovery. I was totally surprised by MSD’s move to step in when Kohli had got out. But, hope was back for sure. I knew he was the man to look up to, when it mattered the most! And, he did that quite in his own style. I had heard and read of many Captain’s knocks before. But along with a billion others, I witnessed the best ever knock from a Captain, live on the night of the final. He didn’t have a great tournament. It never mattered too. His was a gritty, determined, solid and a well-focused knock. He was at his cunning, destroying, marauding best and played mind games with the Sri Lankan bowlers, especially Malinga and Muralitharan. He wrote off everyone who had questioned him before, with his bat. And, India celebrated in the end when he lit up millions of faces that night, making people smile with those happy tears. He had brought Sachin Tendulkar’s dream come true and I was crying too with so much emotion. My Dad was totally speechless. He didn’t express much during the presentations too, he seemed like he had won just another match. Such was his humbleness. Oh God! Someone, please tell him that he had won the World Cup and ask him to react properly! The way he ends his presentation talks or press conferences with “Thanks a lot!” You got to learn so many things about leadership from this guy.

 June 23, 2013.

The Champions Trophy Final between India and England. The match had been reduced to 20 overs a side and India had scored only 129. I was watching the match in Boys’ Hostel, so guess the environment for yourself for every ball that was bowled! Morgan and Bopara had almost snatched the match away from us and a clear English win was becoming obvious with every passing minute. MS Dhoni gives the ball to Ishant Sharma, much to everyone’s surprise and people all around me had instantly started cursing him for the decision. Ishant was not having a good match at all, having been hit almost every single ball he bowled until then. And it was time for some magic to happen. Both the batsmen who were well set until then were dismissed in similar fashion, caught by Ashwin. In few minutes, India had wrapped up the match perfectly and won the tournament. And the best sight was to see MSD jumping from behind the stumps after the last ball. Six runs were required from that ball and it was a dot. That was a very young team and the celebrations got too wild. But, this man as he always is, remains unperturbed.

March 26, 2015.

MS had retired from Test Cricket and was up for defending his World Cup Title. The team’s campaign was synchronous with the “We Won’t Give It Back” quote that had become popular among Indian fans all around. India was coasting 6-0 through the league phase and MS had to play a responsible knock in one of those matches which he finished off with a boundary. There were no hiccups against Bangladesh in the Quarter Finals too. India was chasing 329 against Australia in Australia in a World Cup Semi Final! Things were in control with Dhawan playing so dominantly and at free will. And then everything was set for a collapse. MS tried his best to consolidate and anchored the innings, but he had little or no support from the other batsmen. I had run away from one of my Viva Voce Examination all through the path from college to hostel to reach the recreation room! MS had actually sent the ball out of the park and the shouts went sky high as I just reached the room to get a glimpse of the TV amidst the already hundreds present there. The scorecard looked pretty bad. But, there was terror on the faces of Clarke, Smith and others. Forget the match, forget the world cup. This was ultimate fear!  No one from a losing team with such sky-rocketed required run-rate can give this fear to one of the best teams in the world. That’s Mahi for you. MS had eventually got run-out few balls later, walked towards the pavilion with his head held down and Australia completed formalities and went on to win the World Cup. MS addressed the media with tears in his eyes and it was clear that he had been hiding so much of emotions all these years that were finally coming out. Dhoni had become a father, half way though the World Cup. In one of the press conferences for a question on why he hasn’t gone back to India to see his daughter, he is reported to have said this – “I am on National Duty. So, everything else can wait!”

Last October, after watching "MS Dhoni – The Untold Story", I recollected all of these back and felt proud to have witnessed everything. On his decision to quit captaincy last week, I felt like writing it all out. This man has given me so much to remember and cherish, and he has made me cry at times too, but only with a smile. He has taught the world to overcome pressure and to go about making things work even when they don't and amidst other storms inside! His calmness in the field, particularly the way he carries himself has inspired me to follow his ways whenever I find myself in such situations. He is the best wicket keeping batsman that India has had so far. No one can forget the damage that Dhoni was silently doing when people were busy watching Sachin’s 200. He could have almost killed Dale Steyn that day! The Mustafizur run-out during 2016 World T20 and the numerous lightning-speed stumpings from behind that baffled the batsmen and killed them mentally. Arguably, he is the best of all the captains who have played this game. And without a hint of doubt, he is the best finisher in One Day Cricket’s history. More than all this, he has the most cunning cricketing brain that can think of and trap any opposition team.

Now that he has relieved himself from the Captaincy and with Kohli so strong at the helm, I have these two wishes just like the many of MSD’s hardcore fans.
One, he should bat up the order and unleash the aggressive side of his batting which he once flaunted during the time when he entered into the cricketing scene.
Two, I would love to see the Indian team giving Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a lap of honor around the Lord’s Cricket Ground, after winning the World Cup Final, 2019.

That will be the best tribute for you.

Thank you Mahi, for all that you have done.

 

You Do Not Talk About It!

Alex was a happy man. It was a Friday and the approaching weekend would serve him the best as he prepared to relax for at least a week. Working in tandem with the city police and thus having solved a triple-murder case had given him the contentment which he always longed for. “Alex & Robin’s” – the name board read as he entered.

Even in that pitch darkness, his smile meant only one thing. Pride. He loved doing it. He was impressed with himself many a time that he even spoke to mirrors very often! The chillness of Bangalore was slowly getting on to his shoulders as he removed his jacket and settled on the couch. Robin had left a message at the table for him. On Fridays like these, Alex missed him very much, thanks to his affinity for night shifts.

“Congrats! :) Heard of your success. Way to go! Now relax and chill out. Hope you didn’t get to use her! Did you? :p ”

Alex took out the 6.35 mm Pistol from his jacket and gazed at it. It was so dear to both of them that they often referred it as feminine. It had been loaded and ready for quite a long time. But there never came an occasion when he had to unleash the bullets out of it. He wondered when that is going to happen. Today, it was the seventh time straight, since he had taken up this job when he used it only to threaten people. May be his voice and command had often taken the spine out of his enemies that they always surrendered without much protest.

He poured himself a cup of coffee and opened his laptop. It was his habit to check e-mails before sleep. Robin had always insisted him to do that. There were a number of requests for background checks. He hated doing them. When they were beginners once and while learning the job, it seemed interesting. Not anymore.  He moved almost all of those to trash, not having to get distracted again. But, one particular name was striking. He had seen it somewhere. No! He had heard someone say that name. But he was too tired to check on it that he dismissed for sleep.

Next morning, the first thing he did was to check his trash for that particular email, which had bothered him a few seconds the night before. Well, detectives always found interesting stuff out of dustbins. It was another request for a background check. But, the names of the entities being familiar made it intriguing. It was about Varsha’s marriage with Ashwin. And, Varsha’s uncle had requested to check on Ashwin. Varsha was his classmate in college. He knew her so well. If it had been the other way round, the case would have been a clean, open and shut one. Because, Varsha had once been in a relationship with Kailash. They had broken up a few months just after leaving college. He had even spoken to Kailash after that. At times, he even felt sorry for him, but he couldn’t help.

Now, he decided to take this up. Target : Ashwin.

Ashwin was one gem of a guy. Everything seemed perfect about him. From a middle class Tam-Brahm family in Mylapore, he had earned things on merit – both college and job and naturally worked his way up the corporate ladder over the last three and half years. People at office spoke high of him and it was clear to see a tinge of jealousy sprouting from their ears as they did. 

He had a sophisticated home near Marathahalli, which was at a walkable distance from Alex & Robin’s. No love stories, no hang-in relationships and not even gossips during and after college! And what surprise, he was also a teetotaler though being a regular in the night clubs during weekends. His white Volkswagen Vento had even been bugged. Still, Alex couldn’t brand any of his actions to be suspicious. He was an ideal matrimonial partner for Varsha.

Alex was unsatisfied with the result. He had been working on this man for about a week now and he had found nothing wrong!

Robin called. “100 years”, exclaimed Alex. It was 2 AM.

“Expected! So, what’s up this time? Any lead on your bunny ‘Ash’? ”

“Nothing. This guy, he seems good. But...”

“Hmm... So, you want me to do what you say I am best at? ”

“Of course, yes. But, Faster... this time.”

“Oh! I can understand the urgency! And did you speak to…”

Alex had cut the call before Robin finished saying that. Robin smiled at the other end seeing his mobile screen.

Kailash wasn’t shocked on seeing it. He knew that it was about to come any time and it was just that day. Varsha’s marriage invitation. He felt bad and tears whelmed in his eyes on saying her name to himself. He wanted to call her and speak for a while. He decided otherwise and settled for texts. He wished her the best in life and asked her to remain happy always and most importantly to keep in touch. They were good friends even after all the painful moments in their lives. His passion and the love for his job had led them into parting ways, away from one another.

“Will you be there? ”, her text read.”

“Now and Always.”, he wanted to say. But, instead…

“Haven’t got much work here. So, I will try my best to come.”, was his reply.

“ :):) Looking forward to see you. Please come.”

“Sure.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------

3 months later…

“I am sorry. I don’t think we have much time. Got some very important thing about Ashwin. Check your mail.” Robin said in phone.

“What the f**k? Late as s**t. This is why I warned you to be faster this time.”, Alex was at the breakpoint of his level of tension.

“Sorry sorry. And, I have booked you a ticket to Chennai, tomorrow morning.”, Robin tried his best to bring him down.

“Okay. At least you did that. And I never had to tell you. Thanks.”

“Don’t forget to get your ID proof…”, Robin was aware of the fact that it was time Alex would be cutting him off!

Alex hung up. It was pretty nasty to even think of the mistake he had done. He had given a clean chit for Ashwin to Varsha’s uncle. And, they had made all arrangements for the marriage which was about to happen in 2 days. He opened his inbox. Robin had worked wonders. There was a lot of evidence to defame Ashwin. He was shocked.

One of those was a list of medical purchases that Ashwin had made during the last 6 months. He had bought half a dozen condoms every fortnight. And his e-bay account records also reflected the same, making him the tech savvy guy that he was. Alex just came to know that one can even purchase condoms at e-bay!

It was always great to be a private detective because you can get to access anything you wanted, provided you made it only for good use.

“Why should our bunny ‘Ash’ buy these so frequently? I was so curious that I found out something more…”, Robin’s message read.

Up next was another mail with four video footages of Ashwin…

“My God! ”, Alex was taken back on seeing that. 

He wondered how come he missed all these but Robin just brought them out in light.

“Robin always does the dirty work well”, he thought.

Alex boarded the train to Chennai. He checked for his name in the passengers’ list stuck outside his compartment. Old habits never die.

“M 25”, he read as he touched his name.

Apart from client confidentiality, Alex & Robin’s never revealed even their own identities to clients. It was a master decision from Alex so that it never allowed any of his clients to trace him back. And journeys like these made it difficult. The ticket checker pondered over his ID for quite some time.

“Beard makes a huge difference. Isn’t it? ”, Alex asked.

“It does. But I was wondering, what’s with the cross around your neck?”, he replied.

Before Alex could answer him back, he moved on to the next passenger with a smile.

“Never mind. I just asked.”

The 6 hours’ time to reach Chennai would be enough for Alex to prepare himself. He must be able to meet and convince Varsha’s uncle at any cost. His job was simple, thanks to Robin’s vivid works underground. Evidence, like in any case they had dealt with in the past, was unassailable.

Kailash was engulfed in thoughts about Varsha over the last few hours. It was only last night when he had decided to attend her marriage. Deep inside his heart, he still loved her. And acting like he was only a friend was the most difficult thing he had to endure. He kept reading their old conversations and started to miss her even more. He was hearing audio recordings of their phone calls which had almost everything. Their late-night conversations, fights, birthday wishes, out-of-the-world topic discussions, gossips, etc. The last few of those were the fights that ended their relationship.

“I am asking you for one last time. Will you take up a job like everyone else? Please Kailash. ”, Varsha was in tears, when she asked him.

“Do you love me? ”

“Of course, I do.”

“It’s not just me. That love should be inclusive of my family, my passion and the actions that I take every day.”, Kailash said.

“I love you, Kailash. It’s just that I am not able to tolerate everything.”

“Hmm…”

“Why don’t you understand?”

That was it. He got tensed by that line and within minutes they were at a war of words with each other. Fights between the two happened once in a while. But this one was different, making it the end of all.

 Alex had got down at Chennai Central. The city had fully recovered after the recent floods and he felt proud of his people – Tamilians, who were the best ones at heart. It took almost an hour to reach the venue of marriage and he could find everyone busy at that place.

“Typical Tam-Brahm fervour”, he thought.

Alex began searching for the person he most wanted to meet. In less than 2 minutes, he found.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Kailash and Varsha had been in conversation for a while. They talked about future and it went good. The mehandi ceremony had taken place the day before and the excitement was visible on her face, when she proudly displayed her hands to him. He smiled like he didn’t feel sad about anything. It was time for her to get ready since the woman who had been contracted for bridal make-up had finally arrived, after being an hour late.

“Varsha. I won’t be here for long. I am about to leave. I came here just to see you and talk for a while. Hope you understand.”

“Thank you, idiot!”, Varsha was smiling with tears.

Kailash walked away from her to the restroom.

Alex met him accidentally. He knew and could possibly understand the sadness in Kailash. Alex smiled at him. Kailash returned the same smile back.

Alex met Varsha’s uncle and delivered everything. He apologized for being so late, and said that he felt it too important that he came up all the way from Bangalore with the truth about Ashwin, at least by now. The old man started to sweat and was deeply disturbed. The wrinkles were evident of the inner anxiety in him that the marriage has to be stopped at once.

“Thank you so much, Mr.Alex. I cannot forget this help.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------

3 days later…

Robin had been waiting for this call from Alex. There was an interesting ‘Missing Person’ case up at their table. He badly wanted to discuss it with him.

“It’s me, Kailash.”

“What surprise! You just said ‘Kailash’. It’s time for me to scold you now. Idiot, how many times have I told you not to use real names in phone calls. Someone may tap our conversations. You will never learn!”

“Hahaha! Okay relax. இனிமே எல்லாம் அப்படித்  தான்! I have some good news and bad news for you. Hope, the name won’t be needed any more, after I tell you.”, Kailash said.

“The bad one first, please.”, Robin asked.

“I am going to take up a new Consulting job, here in Chennai. So, I quit from Alex & Robin’s.”

“Someone has probably fallen in love with a person for the second time, I believe. This time, more strongly!”, Robin was clearly enjoying this.

“And the good news is…”

“6.35 mm is mine from now on. And I should get it from your jacket in our living room. Right?”

“Sharp! No wonder you WERE my partner, Robin”, Kailash smiled naughtily as he said that.

“Ahem! Ahem!”

“You know something? I am meeting Varsha…”, Kailash didn’t finish.

Kannan cut the call this time.
Because, Payback in any form, is always ultimate.
Kannan was Robin’s real name.

 

7 - in - 1

The theory of happiness is that once you get it, you will always try to give back more. I wanted to thank all the readers of my blog who made the last post, “The Devil’s Advocate” a blockbuster one. For someone like me, it means a lot. I hadn’t expected such a sudden wave of love and appreciation from all corners – the known and the unknown, the family, best friends, ‘just’ friends and strangers.  And, I want to give back something to each one of you. Nothing comes close to suggesting a good book to read. Nowadays, with the continuous arrival of uninteresting movies to watch out for, recommending your friends to selectively watch a decent and entertaining film is an equivalent thing! 

7-in-1 is my review of seven Malayalam films which I watched over the last one month or so and had an impact over such extremes that I have now started to self- learn Malayalam. My love for the language and Kerala has grown leaps and bounds and I have become addicted to the slang. This post will not be a regular kind of movie review and it might lack the professional touch shown by the likes of Baradwaj Rangan (‘The Hindu’ fame). I have tried my best to cover up what is needed and left out what is not. Hope you will take back something out of this.

Premam

Premam was the best of all the seven. It will be no surprise if Nivin Pauly is regarded as the next Superstar in Malayalam Cinema, after Premam. My God, this movie can be watched many times simply for his bearded look, his walk, his authority and so on. He scores his best through all those self-admiration scenes and never misses even a half-chance to impress the audience. The three stages of love – infatuation, rudeness and maturity came out best on screen, just because of the way Nivin handled his emotions and expressions during each phase. 

All the three women have given their best as Mary, Malar and Celine. But no doubt, Sai Pallavi as Malar throbs your heart and sets it beating hard for some life. Her eye-locks with Nivin and the occasional blush which she controls so desperately from popping out of herself are some of the things that should never be missed. Hoping to see her in Tamil movies very soon.  Her choreography and the spontaneity she exhibits while dancing are so catchy that you will keep gaping at the screen for some time just like few men in the film. The flirting teacher who comes in the college can be definitely found in any college/school these days and his teaching methods (Zimble and Bowerful) are a real mockery of how worst classroom education has become in India.

This movie will bring out fresh memories of your teens; if ever you had chased any girl so badly that her father came running behind to beat you up. And it was a sweet coincidence that just a day after watching it, we had come late to the class like Nivin and his friends and ‘Malar Miss’ of CSE department sent us in after excusing us with a smile. My friend and I couldn’t stop reminding about the exact sequence from the movie!

It’s worthy enough to watch the movie one time for the songs alone. All the songs are beautifully written and visuals are stunning too. The comic number ‘Scene Contra’ before the climax, the heavy weight ‘Rockaankuthu’ during college cultural fest and the completely romantic ‘Aluva Puzhayudai Theerathu’ steal the show entirely. The ‘hand-sign’ that Nivin does and the church scene during the first song are so awesome that you can’t stop laughing and trying it yourself time and again.

Premam is not just about love, love and love alone. It’s even about the beautiful friendship and bonding between 3 friends who stay close to the protagonist throughout all the 3 stages. The Veshti adjustment that they do, when all three of them walk in slow motion, along with Premam theme song running in background is one of the best ever mass scenes that I have watched so far. The song keeps running inside my mind whenever I walk alone or with two of my friends to college!

“Ee Logathil Marakkan Padikkumbozhum, Sahikaan Madikkumbozhum, Chirikkaan Marakkalley Nee!”, which means

“Don’t forget to laugh, when you forget to learn or when you are lazy!”

Bangalore Days

Bangalore Days is one movie in recent times that has best described the love of cousins. These are the people who will help you keep yourself humble and grounded no matter how big you get, how far you go in life. They are the ones who always silently care about you and never show it outside. It was a star studded cast with Nivin pauly, Nazriya and Dulquer Salman, but all of them kept things very simple. They casually took on to their roles and there was not even a single moment when I felt anything out of more than reality. In place of these three, I imagined myself, Jay and Vigi and I could connect with the movie in each and every frame. The best times of my life have always been the ones I spent chatting with them, teasing each other, playing, growing together and what not! The overall plot was amazing and the twists were aided with perfect sense and acting. I underestimated the role of Fahad, but truth be told, he was the best amongst them all. He never gave anything more than what was needed and simply played to his strengths. Some may call this movie a bit slow moving, but I fell in love with the same aspect. I wanted the movie to be a never ending tale of cousin love, recollecting all my cherished childhood days fresh in mind. The “Mangalyam” song is a special one that can bring a lot of positivity to your life. No wonder, it has become a part of my playlist too!

Vikramadithyan

Before watching this movie, I wasn’t really fair about judging Dulquer Salman. I had seen three of his movies (Vaayai Moodi Pesavum, OK Kanmani and Bangalore Days) and except for a few good scenes and his smart looks, I didn’t believe that he had the intent and motive to carry on the legacy of his famous father. But I was dulquered all the way in Vikramadithyan! Not only he was super handsome, but the actor in him came out really well. His possessiveness for the girl, the naughty gimmicks that he does throughout the film and the way he scolds his girl by calling her ‘Eerkilichamandi’ (Skinny Girl) will speak volumes of the potential heart-throb in him. During a particular scene when the results of his college exams are declared, he is seen carried over by his friends in street with loud music being scored in background. He just dances and shakes his head in tune to that music which changes his hairstyle every single time he does that.
Girls, you will just love him for that! 

The plot was pretty simple. Two guys and a girl are close friends from childhood. Is it Vikram or Adithyan? Who gets hold of the girl in the end?

To my happiness and surprise, Nivin Pauly plays a cameo role as a friend to Dulquer and brings an unexpected twist in the end. 

Dulquer’s smile in the climax is just priceless and he makes sure that he is the beginning, middle and end of the movie. The first few minutes of the movie seems to be a little boring, but that forms the base to the entire story. Some comic background score with a sepia tone aid in keeping us awake at those times. The ego of a father and helplessness of a mother are portrayed very clearly. I was deeply moved by the quote about life that comes in the pre-climax scene.

“Sometimes, we fail to achieve smaller goals in life. Bigger goals are waiting only to those who still keep running!”

1983

1983 is fully about what Cricket truly does to a fanatic. A fan is not really a fanatic, because he/she doesn’t take life decisions based on cricket. Nivin Pauly plays ‘Rameshan’ and shows us why he wasn’t able to become a Sachin ‘Ramesh’ Tendulkar despite having the same amount of talent. Kerala’s village life, simple families are covered in a perfect way. The hero is often seen in a dull colored shirt wearing a lungi. The first night scene just before intermission will make you laugh out loud, for sure. Rameshan is shocked to know that his wife is ignorant of the identity of his idol (Sachin Tendulkar) and she asks if he is some famous Bollywood Hero! The village cricket scenes and the affection one shows for each other within the team are superb. The way parents in our country discourage sports for a child in his/her early life are shown exceptionally well. Of course, there are a lot of problems in life, where cricket can provide and arrive at solutions. In my life too, I have had several cricket moments coming to my rescue. 

 

There was a popular saying during the 90s when the after-effects of a natural calamity will wither down immediately if Sachin hits another century and it becomes news! Such was the impact of his name that even mothers forced their children to get back to study for their exams when they knew that Sachin had got out and India will eventually lose. There are various nostalgic Sachin moments shown throughout the stretch of the movie, right from his debut to his final match in Mumbai. The movie ends with a famous quote from the Cricketing God Himself, 

“Chase your dreams. But no matter what, do not take shortcuts in your life!”

Ohm Shanthi Oshaana

Ohm Shanthi Oshaana is a heroine centric film and Nazriya carries the movie on her shoulders just like that. She fits perfectly on the role of Pooja and her narration of the entire story stands out. It was just the dream role for any actress and Nazriya made sure that the director was justified in choosing the right person to do it. I was completely under the feel of reading a novel as I watched it. The beautiful visuals of Kerala, its nature and beauty exemplified in every single frame (Rain Scene, Hill-top Temple) have rendered proof to why Kerala is regarded as God’s own country.

  

 

The film had its portions of light humor – the scene where Nazriya imagines Nivin to bring Coffee to her family members as part of the ‘Bridegrooom Viewing’, and the way Nazriya speaks in an authoritative tone (just like how bridegrooms usually do) and Nivin blushes and stands behind his mother (just like how brides do). Aju Vargheese who plays David Kanjyani (Nazriya’s cousin in the movie) has given his best effort in making us laugh whenever he takes screen presence. I can never forget the pre-climax when he yells out “Podddaaaaaaa” to Nivin, out of victory! Apart from the lead roles and the plotline, the supporting cast has lent the biggest weight. Nazriya’s father (who always boasts of the greenery and warmth that you can get in Kerala over phone to someone who is probably in gulf), the wine-maker, the doctor friend (played by Vineeth Srinivasan, who says ‘Take one’ during oral test and picks up Nazriya’s friend in the end) will all stay in mind for some time.

Ustaad Hotel

Ustaad hotel was like a novel made into a documentary film with some commercial touch. Unlike in Tamil movies where the hero gets all the attention, the character ‘Karim Ikka’ aka ‘Ustaad’ assumes central importance. Dulquer fits into the role hand in glove and does what the character demands from him. His happiness, love, frustration, disappointment and anger have all come out in the right measure as an actor. The scene when he gets really charged up and serves ‘Fresh Chicken’ to a customer in Five Star Hotel, stands out amongst all. The movie developed a sense of sympathy in me for women in Muslim families who face a lot of restrictions. It’s as if they are born just to be married to some wealthy man in the Gulf and they don’t get the respect and freedom that is actually due to them. One particular scene in a lorry makes you laugh and at the same time, think about the problems that women face in everyday life. It was so perfect when Dulquer shouts out, “Haven’t you got a sister or mother?” and runs along with Nithya Menon. 

  

“Food is the only thing which man refuses to have after some limit”

“It’s always about the mental fulfillment that a person gets after eating your food more than the taste that you could offer by cooking it”

“I have taught him how to cook, now it’s time he gets to know why to cook. Teach him that!” 

These are some of the instances when I felt so moved, thanks to well written dialogues and punch lines spread out wherever necessary. The movie ends with a very good social message and it would be great if every one of us contributed some part of our salaries to help those who are in real need of a helping hand to fill their tummies.

Oru Vadakkan Selfie

Right from the first minute I got engaged with the movie, ‘Oru Vadakkan Selfie’. The introduction was the best part of the movie and all college going people can easily connect with it. Any hostel resident would have felt bad when they show that youngsters make calls to their parents only to keep them informed of all the kind of fees that have to be paid at regular intervals. Once again, Nivin proves why he is the best in business, when portraying the character of a realistic hero. With no build-up or extra image, he just enters and entertains. He depicts the angst and bitterness of the average youngster of the current generation when he says, ‘Supplee is not a good word to hear’ and when he beats up the friend whom he is often seen compared with, by his mom. The train scene deserves special mention when he desperately tries to flirt with the heroine, trying to imitate Suriya from Varanam Aayiram. I couldn’t stop laughing when Nivin’s dad counter-teases him saying that he doesn’t know to fill up forms and buy tomatoes because they never taught those in engineering. Of course, engineering never teaches you real life.

 

Chennai being regarded as the dream destination of people who aspire to become film makers is well described, though without hard work and patience one has to pack up and go back to their hometowns! Others – the heroine Manjima Mohan who looks so young and charming (nice way of blocking an unwanted conversation in the train), Vineeth Srinivasan as private detective, who boasts a lot about himself whenever there is a chance to, and Aju Vargheese who makes us laugh continuously through his body language and dialogue delivery (especially when he exclaims ‘Marana Mass’ and ‘Vera Level’) have all lent their valuable contribution as supporting cast. The story dips slightly towards the end, but the message is delivered quite clearly. It comes as a hammer to all those who have become addicted to social networking. 

“Earlier bondages grew because of people’s interaction with the society. But today, when all of us get confined to 4 walls, people whom we have never seen become our friends through internet. Secrets which are not shared to friends and family are shared with them. Many relationships go beyond our control. Our life’s total control is thrown into the hands of a complete stranger!”