Enthiran,The ROBOT

Movie Review: Want to see what mainstream Indian cinema actually means? Go, watch Robot. The last 30 minutes of the film are literally the baap (grandmaster) of all make-believe and end up creating a whole new genre of cinema: the `curry eastern' which stands up as a wholesome alternative to the curry western. For Rajnikanth fans, the climax is definitely a sure-fire way to lose your sanity.

For non-Rajnikanth fans, it's a sure-fire way to understand the mystique and magical allure of Rajni saar, a hero who enjoys a demi-god status in several parts of India. Why? Because there are almost a hundred Rajnikanths eating up helicopters, smashing cars, battering planet earth and creating havoc, like never before. If you thought Terminator, Matrix, Godzilla was fun, then we guarantee you'll fall off your chair with glee as our desi T2-meets-Blade Runner-meets Neo-meets-Godzilla sets the screen on fire in a crazy, vengeance bid. Spoofy, yes. But super fun too.

Robot is primarily designed as an unadulterated tribute to the charisma of Indian cinema's ageless superstar, Rajnikanth. And it's completely, wholeheartedly, joyously desi. Where else would you find a hero who literally shoots with his fingers! What's more important is the fact that you actually don't mind when the bullet whizzes out of his forefinger and hits the man in front in the head. Instant death! Ha Ha!

The high point of Robot are the super quality special effects. All the Spiderman, Batman and Superhero antics of Rajnikanth have been done with exquisite elan by the Stan Winston Studio which reportedly provided the animatrics for films like Jurassic Park and Avatar. And all the stunts have been choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping, the Hong Kong based action director who created the high-adrenalin stunts of classics like Kill Bill and Matrix. Almost 40 per cent of the film's colossal budget (Rs 160 crores) has been spent on special effects, which, at the end of the day, seems all worthwhile. For watching Rajnikanth running horizontal on a speeding train, clambering across burning buildings like Spiderman or mutating into gargantuan monsters does manage to shock and awe the viewer who's out there to have big time fun.

But Robot isn't effect alone. It has a plot too which, if you really pay attention, has a meaning and a message. The film carries forward the man-machine war through interesting twists and turns and creates a lively love triangle between scientist Rajnikanth, medico student, Aishwarya Rai and robot Rajnikanth. Interestingly, the duo make an interesting pair, what with Rajni saar's sundry wigs and sideburns and Aishwarya's tribal `Kilimanjaro-Mohenjodaro' attire. Peppered with colourful songs (AR Rahman) and dances (Prabhu Deva, Raju Sundaram) and high-octane drama, Robot is the perfect getaway film, guaranteed to give you a high with its heady over-the-top Indian flavour. You might just OD (overdose) on the pungent masala fare.
Have a blast.

Singam Reviews

If you are one of those who is worried that this film will be too much like ‘Saamy’ or too close to ‘Khakha Khakha’, the film in which Suriya stumped movie goers with mind blowing cop presence, rest assured, your fears are unfounded. ‘Singam’ manages to stand apart.

However, if you are gonna go, "Everyone listen, he’s on a mission" (a line in one of the songs in ‘Singam’), you are only partially right. You see, it takes a while for Duraisingam ( Suriya) to get there, although once he does, it is paisa vasool for you.

It is Suriya who makes it worth the wait, until the story warms up, although to be fair, Hari keeps a tight rein on the screenplay throughout. Duraisingam is comfortable nabbing thieves who escape with temple jewels or settling petty disputes and playing cop to his relatives in Nallur village in Thoothukudi, although he would rather scale up his father’s (played by Radha Ravi) ‘maligai kadai’ to a departmental store. He has no burning ambition in him to change the world or prove himself. Until two people cross his life.

One is Kavya (Anushka) daughter of Mahalingam (Nasser), a rich cycle tycoon. The other is Mayilvahanam (Prakash Raj), a racketeer who turns out to be involved in holding children for ransom. By the time Singam stumbles upon that, however, he and Mayil have gone around a few rounds. How Mayil removes Singam from the protective comfort of Nallur and transports him to his ‘area’ Thiruvanmiyur in Chennai , for the inevitable climax is what the second half is all about.

This is far racier compared to the first, and although you wonder why Suriya has been given such dud steps in ‘en idhayam’, the other duet, ‘kadhal vandhale’ makes up for it. Do we see shades of Vijay and

Simran in some of the moves in this number? Surely Hari is not spoofing here? Or music director Devi Sri Prasad? The songs ring a bell, if you know what I mean. Anushka passes muster, and you have seen better reel chemistry between Suriya and his heroines in the past. If you find out why Prakash Raj is so off-colour, do let us know. Vivekh as constable Erimalai is good in parts.

When it’s a Hari film, you know what to expect when you walk into the theatre— a chess board hero who is all white, while the villain is totally black, no half measures for you. Even with a sleepy narration in the first 30 minutes or so , ‘Singam’ is worth a watch.

A>R>Rahman The Great Musician

Date of Birth

6 January 1966, Madras (now Chennai), India

Birth Name

A.S. Dileep Kumar

Nickname

The Mozart of Madras
Isai Puyal

Mini Biography

Allah Rakha Rahman was born A.S. Dileep Kumar on January 6, 1966, in Madras (now Chennai), India, to a musically affluent family. Dileep started learning the piano at the age of 4, and at the age of 9, his father passed away. Since the pressure of supporting his family fell on him, he joined Ilayaraja's troupe as a keyboard player at the age of 11. He dropped out of school as a result of this and traveled all around the world with various orchestras.

He accompanied the great tabla maestro Zakir Hussain on a few world tours and also won a scholarship at the Trinity College of Music at Oxford University, where he studied Western classical music and obtained a degree in music. Due to some personal crisis, Dileep Kumar embraced Islam and came to be known as A.R. Rahman. In 1987, he moved to advertising, where he composed more than 300 jingles over 5 years. In 1989, he started a small studio called Panchathan Record Inn, which later developed into one of the most well-equipped and advanced sound recording studios in India.

At an advertising awards function, Rahman met one of India's most famous directors, Mani Ratnam. Rahman played him a few of his music samples. Mani loved them so much that he asked Rahman to compose the music for his next film, Roja (1992). The rest, as they say, is history. He went on to compose several great hits for Tamil-language films before composing the score and songs for his first Hindi-language film, Rangeela (1995). The enormous success of his first Hindi venture was followed by the chart-topping soundtrack albums of films such asBumbai (1995) , Dil Se.. (1998), Taal (1999), Zubeidaa (2001), and Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001), which was nominated for best foreign-language film at the 2002 Academy Awards.

More recently, he worked with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Shekhar Kapur (director of Elizabeth (1998)) on a musical called "Bombay Dreams." At 36 years old, A.R. Rahman has revolutionized Indian film music and one can only expect this musical genius to reach greater heights.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Subhash

Trade Mark

His music always has a Southern Indian influence.

Trivia

Studied Western classical music as a student at Oxford University in the UK.

He was nominated for a 2003 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award (The Hilton Award) for Best New Musical of 2002, "Bombay Dreams," performed at the Apollo Theatre, West End, London, and on Broadway in New York City.

On August 15, 1997, he released an album called "Vande Mataram," on Columbia/SME Records, to commemorate 50 years of Indian independence. A tribute to the motherland, it featured songs for each of the Indian flag colors. The album was released simultaneously across the world in 28 countries, and Rahman himself performed in New Delhi to a packed audience including the honorable Indian Prime Minister. Over 1.2 million copies were sold in India alone.

Also known as the John Williams of the Indian Film Industry.

Collaborated on The Lord of The Rings' Stage Musical original score with Finnish folk music group Varttina and Christopher Nightingale.

Personal Quotes

I have rubbed many a producer the wrong way by disturbing the schedule, but it has paid off.

I wasn't too happy with the I-don't-want-to-listen-to-it attitude of our youngsters towards film music. Why can't we get our guys to listen to our own music rather than to Michael Jackson? I didn't want us to lose the market to the West. The music had to be cool and rooted, and yet had to branch out. It was like the wild imagination of a child... but it worked... it did travel beyond Madras and attract people.

About his belief in Sufism: "I'm a deeply spiritual person. Sufism is about love - love for a fellow human, love for all round humanity, and ultimately love for God. For me, it's where music and religion meet - at dargahs, you will find qawwalis. That's my inspiration."

About his song Vande Mataram: "It had to be unlike the one played on the radio for years. I wanted a sound that would connect me with people and capture a collective energy."

I hate the word [Bollywood]. I think it's derivative and it doesn't represent the entire film community in India. There's the eastern film industry, four industries in the south - they all make extraordinary films. It's like saying the whole of the West is Hollywood.

Abdul Kalam

Abdul kalam is the first scientist to head the world's largest democracy. Widely known as the Missile Man, Abdul Kalam is acknowledged as the driving force behind India's leap in the defence technology that brought India in the league of nuclear nations. From Rameshwaram to Rashtrapati Bhawan at Delhi, abdul kalam life is literally a story of success trough sheer hardwork and determination, specially considering that he started life as a boat owner's son, who sold newspaper as a child. Abdul kalam, "The nation requires role models in leadership who can inspire youngsters. There is no dearth of resources and talent in this country but what we need is more creativity." His dream is to make India a developed nation by 2020.

Abdul Kalam Biography

In his biography abdul kalam observes strict discipline, practicing vegetarianism, teetotalism and celibacy. abdul kalam has written many non-fiction books like his biography Wings of Fire as well as several volumes of Tamil poetry.The secret is in positive thinking, for according to abdul kalam, "Thinking should become your capital asset, no matter whatever ups and downs you come across in your life." Unlike other political leaders, he retains his humility and accessibility. For abdul kalam, India's true assets are its youth and he continues to try and motivate them.Abdul kalam, "The nation requires role models in leadership who can inspire youngsters.abdul kalam observes strict discipline, practicing vegetarianism, teetotalism and celibacy. abdul kalam has written many non-fiction books like his biography Wings of Fire as well as several volumes of Tamil poetry.Abdul kalam is popularly known as the missile man of India for his work on development of ballistic missile and space rocket technology.

Abdul kalam played a pivotal organisational, technical and political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear test in 1998.A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, was the eleventh President of India, serving from 2002 to 2007. Abdul kalam strongly advocates an action plan to develop India into a knowledge superpower and into a developed nation by the year 2020 in his book India 2020. Abdul kalam is credited with the view that India ought to take a more assertive stance in international relations; he regards his work on India's nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower.

Abdul Kalam Personal Life

Abdul kalam personal life was full of struggles and hard work. Kalam's father was a devout Muslim, who owned boats which he rented out to local fishermen and was a good friend of Hindu religious leaders and the school teachers at Rameshwaram. APJ Abdul Kalam mentions in his biography that to support his studies, he started his career as a newspaper vendor.On Wednesday April 29, 2009, Abdul kalam became the first Asian to be bestowed the Hoover Medal, America's top engineering prize, for his outstanding contribution to public service.Abdul Kalam is the Third President of India to have been honoured with a Bharat Ratna before being elected to the highest office, the other two being Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Zakir Hussain.

Abdul Kalam Quotes

Abdul kalam quotes will gives the strength the best among the abdul kalam quotes are
1) “You have to dream before your dreams can come true.”

2) “Be more dedicated to making solid achievements than in running after swift but synthetic happiness.”

3) “Climbing to the top demands strength, whether it is to the top of Mount Everest or to the top of your career.”


These few quotes given by the abdul kalam every word has its own importance.

Love Poem

Poem-1

A special world for you and me
A special bond one cannot see
It wraps us up in its cocoon
And holds us fiercely in its womb.

Its fingers spread like fine spun gold
Gently nestling us to the fold
Like silken thread it holds us fast
Bonds like this are meant to last.

And though at times a thread may break
A new one forms in its wake
To bind us closer and keep us strong
In a special world, where we belong.

Poem-My love, I have tried with all my being

to grasp a form comparable to thine own,
but nothing seems worthy;

I know now why Shakespeare could not
compare his love to a summer’s day.
It would be a crime to denounce the beauty
of such a creature as thee,
to simply cast away the precision
God had placed in forging you.

Each facet of your being
whether it physical or spiritual
is an ensnarement
from which there is no release.
But I do not wish release.
I wish to stay entrapped forever.
With you for all eternity.
Our hearts, always as one.

Sura reviews

There are few actors, like Vijay, still living in the world of myths and not ashamed for giving half baked films like Kuruvi, Villu, Vettaikkaran, Sura and cheating the so called die hard fans continuously.
Sura, the 50th film of Vijay is surely a disaster in his 19 years old career. The story is as old as hills and the sequences are stale and repeated. Vadivelu is the only plus point in this two and half hour horrible experience. Another important point is, S P Rajkumar, who always made some B grade films, wasted a golden opportunity to establish himself as a front line entertainment filmmaker.

The story goes like this...

Sura is a good hearted young man in a Fishery Village called Yaazh Nagar (Yaazh is the name of Srilankan city Jaffna!?). He does good things to the villagers. He fights for the rights of the villagers. Every one loves his mischievous, humour sensed activities. Simply, he is the 'Chella Pillai' of the village!

He wishes to marry a girl only after solving all the problems of fishermen in the village. One day Tamanna try to kill herself near the village's sea side, due to loss of her pet dog! As usual Vijay comes to her rescue and instead of jumping into the sea, in the very next scene, Tammu jumps to his heart and goes for a duet in some beautiful locations.

In the mean time, Dev Gil, a local minister try to vacate the village and occupy the entire land. Knowing this Vijay starts his fight with him. At a stage, Minister plans to destroy Vijay. How Vijay escapes from the plot and save the people and join with Tamanna is the predictable, boring climax!

Nothing special to mention in Vijay's action, stunts and even his comical scenes irritate a lot. The only change from his earlier flicks is...his bubbly face! As usual he delivers half a dozen meaningless punch dialogues, in the climax some peppy dance numbers with Tamanna.

For Tamanna, it is one more film in her acting career... Thats all!

Vadivelu tries to save the film till the interval. But the post interval sequences (Except the one with Vennira Aadai Moorthy track) totally kills the interest of the viewers. Manisharma gives the Tamil coating for all his 5songs which took place earlier in some Telugu films like Billa!

S P Rajkumar totally failed to cover even some of the die hard Vijay fans with his unimpressive narration, expected twists and amateur direction.

Sura - May be Golden (jubilee) in number, but fails to earn the same for its quality!

Surya Jyothika with their Baby