GIANTS CLASH!!!

It’s that time of the year when the years two best teams face head to head at Stamford Bridge,home of Chelsea FC to prove that only one of them is “THE” BEST. I would be tricky for Man Utd considering the fact that they are away from home and Chelsea are on a roll. Stamford Bridge is no walk in the park for Man Utd since they haven’t won a game there for atleat 10 years staight. But everyone could be in for a surprise today. Anything could happen. Sparks will fly, Words exchanges at the heat of the moment, Flashes of brilliance and that is what will help either team win the match. All we fans hope for is that we get a great game of football that we can relish for the rest of our lives. It should be “The” Best Game.

Rajster’s Prediction:

Hmmn. This is a tough one. Being a Man Utd Fan i hate to see my team lose but at the same time it would be a fierce contest and i go for a 2-2 draw with Rooney & Valencia on the scoresheet for the Red Devils & a brace from Drogba for the Blues.

What A Match!!!

Pictures Courtesy © Getty Images

India Vs Australia, 5th ODI, Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Hydrabad. Australia had posted 350 in their assigned 50 overs with all players contributing with a ton from Shaun Marsh & 93 from Shane Watson. At that time i thought to myself that it would be a SEHWAG day as he was long overdue, but what followed was the best 3 hours in my life. A godly innings from a godly man. SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR. It all started slow an then the batsmen raised the tempo a bit and just when it all looked a bit easier aussies dismissed Sehwag. Oh! i thought it would be tough and it was looking that way when we were 140 odd for 4 , but Sachin was still batting though. And what followed later was HISTORY. I mean i have never seen someone play with that much grit & determination. Sachin is a class apart. Sublime strokes,aggressive batting,motivating the others,classic batting. He was playing as he was 25. As Raina chipped in, Indians were close,very very close. With Raina out it all looked a bit out of control and then Bhajji’s wicket added to the pressure. I was biting away my nails as if it were chips. Will they or will not? And then the big blow…Sachin dismissed.Period. everyone thought. But Praveen Kumar pulled things back with a 6 but it was all too late. India lost eventually by 3 runs & more than half the team total was scored by SACHIN. That tells a story. A story of a Legend. I feel privileged to have witnessed one such innings in my life. It was more Sachin Vs Australia than India Vs Australia. Such was the way he played. A day when even cricket would be proud that Sachin played it!!! A day that will go in the history books as a win by Australia but Sachin was the real winner, a winner of more than a billion hearts all over the world!!!

The match can be summed up as TEN-DO-LITTLES + WON-DULKAR = INDIA. Just simple math that even a child would know. I felt for the first time why 10 others were even playing cricket. It was a Shame we didnt win after all what Sachin did and all came back to say Sachin didn’t finish it off. All of u who say so Get a Life!!!On a signing note i would like to add that even if someone els had chipped in with a little cameo like Raina did Team India could have GIFTED this game to the Little Master. After all Cricket is a TEAM game!!!

Good Night & Cheers

The Orkut Revamp!!!

Well Orkut has announced a revamp in its looks recently and is rolling out select amount of invites to people through contests and other means(no select considerations). And i was lucky enough to be one of the select few to be ChOsen to be onboard the new version. Being a big fan/user of orkut since 2006,i’ve been using it for half a day and would like to share with you the certain features that makes the new Orkut even more special.

This is a look of the new interface and it absolutely rocks. The new features include a total revamp, Facebook style but without disturbing the originality of the old version of orkut. Ill list the changes noted between the 2 versions here so that you people can know easily.

• The photo interface with your photo can be changed into 5 different colors which is cool actually. The colors are the Orkut Blue, Green,Orange,Black & Pink.(In Pic. Just below search bar)
• Instead of showing the names of the recent visitors, their display picture is visible.(Check below status update bar in photo interface)
• Instead of displaying birthdays all together in 3 or 4 rows it comes with a horizontal scroll button which makes all entries to fit into one line and can be scrolled through.
• Another main feature is the drop down list type for all features which you can maximize and minimize.
• The friends list is shown with a search bar and scroll all in one page.
• All communities can be seen in one scroll. Search option is also available.
• Coming to the updates section, this is the place which has the most changes(mostly facebook like) where you can comment on friends photos and videos just as you do in facebook.
• Also another major change is that a video or picture can be added in the about me section .
• And let me tell you the new orkut is actually FAST. Photo uploads are really easy and quick.
• There is also Video and voice chat enabled in orkut itself which is ultra Super!!!
• The biggest change of all is the easy access navigation toolbar for all google apps right at the top.
• The navigation is similar to the old orkut and we can navigate easily between profile,scrapbook & photos etc..(the communities tab is missin which i found to be a disadvantage).

But what encourages me is that the new version is still under testing for bugs and tweaks(its still BETA), so there is scope for improvement still and its a good ploy from google to give it through limited invitations to create a flutter among the masses. For more information check out the www.orkut.com/neworkut community in Orkut. Click Here to try the new orkut and spread the revolution!!!

With the revamp Orkut is all ready to lock horns with the very popular & growing FaceBook & MySpace, but to know if it can beat them in the race for the top Social Networking site, we’ll just have to wait and watch!!!

Cheers

Happy Diwali!!!

No Crackers!!! No Enjoyment!!! But this DIWALI is all the more special since i am with my parents in Kuwait. It’s been atleast 5 years since we have celebrated a diwali together. So to all of you out there Have a Safe and Crackering Diwali!!! Have Fun!!! Cheers!!!

Love,

Rajster

AADHAVAN-Movie Review

STARRING: SURYA, NAYANTHARA, VADIVELU, MURALI, SAROJA DEVI, ANU HASSAN

DIRECTOR: K.S.RAVIKUMAR

MUSIC: HARRIS JEYARAJ

RATING:

Well not exactly where i wanted to see it but then in KUWAIT only once in a blue moon a tamil movie releases and being DIWALI caught up Aadhavan at Ajial cinemas. Coming to the point, when the name SURYA flashed with so much buildup, you tend to feel ivarukku ivlo buildup ah!!! and this movie proves just that. Tiresome watch this movie AADHAVAN running at 3h15m. Real disappointed that KSR has given such crap. I will SAY that VADIVELU is the only saving grace for this movie. He just rocks. Saroja Devi is wasted & so are so many talented people in this movie. Nayanthara has done her bit. ANU HASSAN & MURALI(Late) have sparkled in their respective roles esp. Anu Hassan even though she comes for 10 minutes.

The graphics is a big letdown. The starting 20 mins you’ll surely twitch in your seats. A hats off for the team for tryin to do something different by making Surya act as 10 year old but sorry the output is downright FUNNY rather than applaudible. Surya tries to be others when he himself can bring on so much charisma onscreen. Doing this he has spoilt all the hard work he had done for his past movies. Surya has overacted in many parts and the fights are too exaggerated & proves he can also fly without wings(Remember KURUVI) by jumping from one building to another in a way that even SPIDEY will be jealous. He was a charmer in the songs and Nayanthara has done her part well in whatever scope there was for her to perform. AnandBabu(Son of the Late.Nagesh) has done a decent job considering its his comeback ticket. The rest of the croud, sorry cast come in droves that it is really hard to remember each one of them. Ramesh Khanna, the story writer needs to think bigtime to come up with a proper story. Sorry sir, this story can hardly be called one, it can be called TORTURE!!!

Songs are a treat to watch. Yeno Yeno and Hasili Fisili are picturised really well. Vaaraayo Vaaraayo is differently well picturised. Maasi Maasi might get more listeners after picturisation, but it was not at all needed considering the length of the movie. A RAP bit that comes about the father is GOOD. Other than that the background score is a big letdown Mr.Harris. KSR & the producer UDHAYANIDHI come at the end and multiply the tiredness u already have. And they say UDHAYANIDHI is comin to tinsel town as a HERO(GOD save the people).

1st Half- Torture initially then VADIVELU, VADIVELU, VADIVELU.

2nd Half- Some TWISTS!!!(only some) and then TORTURE!!!

2 stars only for VADIVELU

AADHAVAN- SARAKKU ILLADHAVAN!!! Watch at your own RISK!!!

“THRILLER” NO MORE-R.I.P M.J

KING OF POP

MICHAEL JACKSON

1958-2009

Its been months since my last post and i haven’t had the opportunity even if i wanted to make a post, but i had to do this for a man who gave a new meaning to the word MUSIC as the world saw it. Here goes my tribute to the KING OF POP M.J. As the world mourns the death of a singer,a dancer,a performer,an entertainer, call him what you care he was the man, the THRILLER. He was loved by all. Rewinding back to the mid 1990’s i still remember dancing to REMEMBER THE TIME everytime it was played at home. Then i knew a man called M.J existed and his music was spellbinding. And then came the new revolution in dance…The MoonWalk, even today i secretly practise MoonWalking inside the bathroom(simply because thats the only place where i can slide backwards pretty easily) but Jacko could do it even on a mountain terrain. Such was his talent. Then as years went on the name faded to oblivion and was in the news for all the wrong reasons M.J was no more the man i used to know. He was in all kinds of problems, but he had one thing with him that nobody else possessed, the aura to entertain. And he was about to do the same come July 10, but god had other plans though. He cut short the life of a man who gave us so much with his music. You Live in your Music M.J!!!! The time has come for you to entertain the gods, show them your dance steps and let them be mesmerized!!!! RIP

IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK HERE…

It’s so great to be back to doing what i like doing…blog!!! Yeah people the past month wasn’t just a walk in the park…the same old advices, the same old wait, the same old questions…looks like it’s never gonna end. And thanks largely to Airtel who have suspended the daily, weekly and monthly packages for GPRS…i was at sea all APRIL itching to somehow get an internet connection some other way. 50ps./30kb isn’t amusing at all, i got robbed of 35INR for just checking my mail. Now thats what i call daylight robbery. And here i am blogging at will from my aunts place. the best thing is i do not have to pay for the internet!!! Yipeeeeeee!!!

Enough hogwash about me, let’s talk business here. The Circus has begun, yeah you guessed right. Its election time here at home and boy the news channels are really busy. Who’ll win it???? who has the edge na and all that bullsh*t. And yes Ipl had begun and the stadiums are quite empty. it’s funny though when the commentators say its a jam packed stadium here when actually the camera shows the empty stands right behing behind them…LOL!!! And the strategy breaks aren’t helping matters here. The only thing that is interesting about the IPL is the FAKEIPLPLAYER’s blog. And the matches have been far from exciting barring a few. The KKR and BRC are fighting really hard to get the covetted last spot.  whatever!!! who cares now about these teams…even their owners have given up. Where’s SRK?? Korbo Lorbo Har bole…hee hee he:)

Politics isn’t really my bed of roses. I am really bad at it. I really do not understand the alliances simply because today they are together and tomoro you really have no clue whom they are with. Phew!!! REALLY TOUGH TO GET THE ACT RIGHT. Although i follow the important news i always kinda maintain a low profile when it comes to election news. So i stop here.

Please!!! STOP KILLING INNOCENT TAMILS IN LANKA

Lanka is on the boil. Mr. Rajapakshe is hat on the trail looking for Prabhakaran,the LTTE chief. “Fast” Dramas were enacted in TN to gain political brownie points. It has all become a political game now. so who cares about the lives of people??? Not the politicians atleast!!!

A friend of mine has gotten back to his bloggin best again after a hiatus of 4 years. He is a great writer and i am expecting him to set his blog on fire which he has promised. All the best mate!!!

Something called SWINE FLU is killing people around the world. WHO has sounded a level 5 alarm around the world. But it is still deadly. So take extra care to close your mouths when you sneeze or cough and run like Usain Bolt far away from a person infected with swine flu when he is about to sneeze. No hard feelings meant. Take Care.

P.S. Please this message is strictly for adults. Below 18 years please refrin from reading. PLEASE VOTE FOR CHANGE!!!

P.P.S. Today is the birthday of my beloved “THALA” Ajith Kumar. A great example of Self Confidence and Humanity. I wish him a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY THALA. You ROCK!!!

P.P.P.S. I’ve had a change in plans lately. Will reveal all in coming posts. Cya….

DELHI-6-Music Review

MUSIC: A.R.RAHMAN

LYRICS: PRASOON JOSHI, VIVIANNE POCHA, CLAIRE.

RATING: 

The new year has started on a high for ARR after his golden run at the golden globe awards and here he is back with his first release of 2009. The Rang de Basanti duo of Rahman and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra have joined hands once again to give us a swashbuckling album.

Masakkali (Mohit Chauhan)

The song that we got very used to in the teasers. A wonderful tune by Rahman with a tinge of naughtiness and fun quotient in it. I never did know that Mohit Chauhan could sing so well. An excellent song with the right mix and fun filled lyrics hits the bulls eye.

Bhor Bhaye (Shreya Ghoshal, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Gujri Todi)

A perfectly INDIAN kind of song with a wonderful classical influence. Might not be a big hit at an instant hearing but grows on you as u keep on hearing to this number. Shreya has sung her heart out while Ustad and Gujri todi give her great support. Some great instrumentation makes this song a classical masterpiece.

Noor (Amitabh Bachchan)

Not exactly a song. This is a small rendition by Big B. Watch out for the music playing in the backround, it is celestial.

Aarti(Tumre Bhavan Mein) (Rekha Bharadwaj, Kishori Gowariker, Shraddha Pandit, Sujata Majumdar)

A very similiar track to the one we have heard in RDB. A song to rejoice and hear along with your grand parents.

Ghenda Phool (Rekha Bharadwaj, Shraddha Pandit, Sujata Majumdar)

A marriage song for sure. Set with an oye oye oye prelude which is followed by some beats. A great improvisation by the maestro is visible from its interludes. Rekha Bhardwaj has given a great feel to the song with her mesmerising voice after Chinnamaa Chilakamma. A winner from its start goes straight into the heart.

Dil Gira Dafatan (Ash King, Backing Chinmayee)

Wow!!! what a song from the magic maestro. The music just grows on you as the song spans out and it is no less than a chart buster. Ash King being a London born Indian has given the right fell to the song and chinmayee as usual rocks with her voice although she has very few lines. Shows the way Rahman gets the best from his artists. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful from beginning to end, this track showcases why A.R. Rahman is the best music director in India. Thums way up for this brave and beautiful track that will move your soul!

Hey Kalaa Bandhar (Naresh Iyer, Karthik, Srinivas, Bony Chakaravarthy)

A wonderful experiment by Rahman that comes off beautifully. An entirely different song from the rest in the album, Kalaa Bandhar is given the exact feeling by its singers. The rocking Karthik, the swashbuckling Naresh Iyer and Srinivas with Rap by Bony Chakaravarthy take the song one notch up with their voices. Athough certain hummings reminds us of Yuvvraaj(the ooh hummings), it is an engaging listen. It’s odd, and has a wandering techno beat, but the quirky lyrics and the interlude with the Arabic style singing adds a nice touch. Where’s the monkey???

Rehna Tu (A.R.Rahman, Benny Dayal, Tanvi shah)

A soothing melody with amazing vocals, the voice of Rahman just lifts the song to the heavens. It is such a wonderful song that will be the new anthem for lovers from this very moment. The layered voices that support him include Rahman’s mainstay Benny Dayal and Tanvi. It’s jazzy, it’s funky, and it’s Rahman being playfully creative by combining different styles of music. We didn’t get one of those in “Ghajini” or “Yuvvraaj”, the one for which he takes the mic. His voice just puts you into a meditative trance.

Delhi-6 (Blaaze, Benny Dayal, Vivinenne Pocha, Tanvi, Claire)

Yeh Dilli hai mere Yaar!!!!…Keep singing along with this track. A perfect Hip-Hop album with some great instrumentation and mad guitaring. The “Khalbali” of Delhi-6 for sure. Yeh Delhi hai mere yaar…bas ishq mohabbat pyaar. Great job by the singers too make it an instant hit among listeners.

Arziyan(Maula Maula) (Javed Ali, Kailash Kher)

A masterful end to the album with a qawwali. javed and Kailash just blow u away with their voices in this number that takes you to another place entirely. A song in the ranks of “Kwhaja” and “Marhaban Mustapha”. A song that will long stay in your heats long after you have stopped listening to it. Absolutely a Masterpiece.

Rajster’s Top 3 of the Album:

1. Arziyan(Maula Maula).
2. Dil Giraa Daftaan.
3. Masakkali

P.S: Whoa, it was tough to leave out Rehna Tu and Delhi 6. since its just 3 i will go with the above song. It was a tough job choosing the best 3.

Rajster’s Verdict:

Just when you start thinking how high can Rahman go, the maestro strikes with Delhi-6, a wonderful mix of all generes and shows why he is the master in his trade. He raises the bar even further than what you think he can reach. That’s Rahman for you. 2009 started off well with Luck By Chance and Naan kadavul and it just got better with Delhi-6. So, what are you waiting for. Grab your Cd’s and get mesmerized.

Delhi-6- Yeh Delhi Hai Mere Yaar!!!! Rahman Style.

FAST FORWARD 2008-KOLLYWOOD

It has been a pretty dissappointing year for all the fans of the bigger and well known stars of tamil nadu while films with a smaller budget and lesser knwn stars had struck gold!!! This is a showdown of the best and the worst movies of 2008,this time from kollywood. lets roll…

TOPPERS

1. DASAVATHARAM

***ing: Kamal Hassan, Asin, Mallika Sherawat.

Directed by: K.S.Ravikumar.

Kamal hassan’s magnum opus was perhaps the only big budget movie to have survived this year. With Kamal Donning 10 roles it was a total treat on screen.

2. SUBRAMANIAPURAM

***ing: Jai, Sasikumar, Swathy.

Directed by: Sasikumar.

The dark horse of 2008, a classic movie set in the rustic 1980’s feel made its way to the hearts of many with some spellbound storytelling and soothing music. “”Kangal Irandal”" is an anthem for lovers now. A landmark tamil movie.

3. ANJAATHE

***ing: Narein, Prasanna, Ajmal, Vijaylaksmi.

Directted by: Myskkin

If “Chitiram Pesudathi” was good, this one was better. Yet another winner with some tout screenplay and an engaging story made sure the producers laughed all the way to the bank. A trendsetter nonetheless.

4. YARADI NEE MOHINI

***ing: Dhanush, Nayanthara, Karthik Kumar.

Directed by: Mithran.R.Jawahar.

This one is for the family. A perfect family entertainer went on to become one of the biggest grossers of 2008. It also catapulted Dhanush to the bigger league and made Nayanthara the queen of bollywood.

5. SAROJA

***ing: S.P.Charan, Shiva, Premji Amaren, Vaibhav, Vega.

Directed by: Venkat Prabhu.

Venkat Prabhu proved that his Chennai-600028 was no flash in the pan with this one. He also intoduced a new Genre to the public. An edge of the seat thriller with some perfect comic moments made saroja a household name. A youth carnival.

MISSED THE BUS!!!

These are some movies that were good but not good enough to make the top cut…

• VARANAM AAYIRAM
• SANTOSH SUBRAMANIAM
• DHAAM DHOOM
• POI SOLLA POROM
• POO

FLOPPERS

1. KUSELAN

***ing: Rajnikanth, Pasupathi, Meena, Nayanthara.

Directed by: P.Vasu.

A disaster of a movie from P.vasu who thought that having Rajnikanth in the movie would rake in the moolah. Could have been a good movie if only he had concentrated on the script. People made sure they were nowhere near the theaters where the movie was on. Kuselan tops the list.

2. SATHYAM

***ing: Vishal, Nayanthara, Upendra.

Directed by: Rajasekhar.

Nothing much to say about this movie. Vishal talked away to glory all throught making it a happy sleeping sesssion for the people who were dumb enough to watch this dud. A total disaster.

3. SAKKARAKATTI

***ing: Shantanoo, Vedhika.

Directed by: Kalaprabhu.

Yet another no brainer movie which came out with lotsa hype around it. The director made a mess of A.R.Rahmans mesmerizing tunes by picturizing it the worst way possible. Phew!!!the only relief people got was that the movie was just 120 mins long.

4.  INRALOGATHIL NA.AZHAGAPPAN

***ing: Vadivelu.

Directed by: Thambi Ramaiah.

Touted to be a comic caper, this was perhaps the only movie that gave audiences more pain than laughter. Vadivelu got a reality check to his hero image.

5. SEVAL

***ing: Bharath, Poonam Bajwa.

Directed by: Hari.

Perhaps the first time hari has failed at the box office. An Awry story with some over dramatic and over the top acting by barath failed to impress many. A dud nevertheless.

COUNT ME IN!!!

Many many moe duds that might not have made the top 5 but were equally unimpressive.

• KURUVI
• BHEEMA
• DURAI
• DINDUKKAL SARATHY
• AND MANY MANY MORE…
  

FAST FORWARD 2008-BOLLYWOOD

As 2008 is nearing an end, here is a look at the Hits & Pits from the world of BOLLYWOOD. This rating is strictly based on the fact that these movies made an impact on me. They might have made me dance,sing,cry,have fun, or have done absolutely anything that amused me. So here goes…

THE HITS

1. ROCK ON

***ing: Farhan Akthar, Arjun Rampal,Prachi Desai.

Directed by: Abhishek Kapoor.

A wonderful movie about the reunion of a rock band that had split due to differences and ego problems with some great music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. A must watch if u hadn’t till now. Rock On takes top honours.

2. JODHAA AKBAR

***ing: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwaria Rai Bachchan.

Directed by: Ashutosh Gowariker.

A period movie set on the times of King Jalaluddin(AKBAR). A poignant love story with some great chemistry between the lead pair set the screens on fire.

3. JAANE TU YA… JAANE NAA

***ing: Imran Khan, Genelia D’Souza, Manjari Phadnis.

Directed by: Abbas Tyrewala.

A story of friendship,love and fun with entirely newcomers in the lead role and foot tapping tunes from A.R.Rahman that made it big at the box office. It also made Imran Khan(nephew of Aaamir Khan),the heart throb of bollywood land. This film takes the honours for being the first big hit of 2008.

4. A WEDNESDAY

***ing: Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill.

Directed by: Neeraj Pandey.

A film with a stong social message with power packed performances by nasseruddin shah and anupam kher. The rise of the comman man made an impact at all centeres.

5. DASVIDANIYA

***ing: Vinay Pathak.

Directed by: Shashant Shah.

Loosely based on THE BUCKET LIST, this movie tells the tale of a man whose days are numbered. Watch out for Vinay Pathak in this joyful and soulful tale. The music by Kailash kher deserves special praise.

JUST MISSED IT!!!

These are a group of movies that may not have made it to my top 5 but are the once u shouldn’t have missed this year.

• AAMIR
• RACE
• OYE LUCKY!! LUCKY OYE!!
• WELCOME TO SAJJANPUR
• FASHION
• DOSTANA

THE PITS

1. TASHAN

***ing: Akshay Kumar,Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Anil Kapoor.

Directed by: Vijay Krishna Acharaya.

Arguably the worst movie to have hit the screens this year with a shabby storyline and anil kapoor,s damaged HinGlash(English). Even Akki could not save this box office disaster.

2. LOVE STORY 2050

***ing: Harman Baweja, Priyanka Chopra.

Directed by: Harry Baweja.

A futuristic love story between a guy and his lost lover, even robots acted better than the lead pair. There was no love in this love story and the future was never so bleak.

3. MANN GAYE MUGHAL-E-AZAM.

***ing: Rahul Bose, Mallika Sherawat,Paresh Rawal.

Directed by: Sanjay Chell.

The purpose of why this movie was made is still not known. What more can in say about this audience killer. I recommend you to not even watch it on dvd or a tv premiere.

4. KARZ

***ing: Himesh Reshammiya, Urmila matondkar.

Directed by: Satish kaushik.

A remake of the old Karz with some unbelievable bad acting and an equally unbelievable storyline made sure the audiences stayed away from theaters. So long Himesh!!!!!!!

5. HELLO

***ing: Sohail Khan, Amirta Arora.

Directed by: Atul Agnihotri.

Based on the novel ONE NIGHT AT A CALL CENTER by chetan bhagat, this movie was the worst adaptation one could ever make of the book. No wonder hello is in the top 5 of the wrong side.

JUST MISSED IT!!!

Some equally bad movies which gave the audiences a nightmare at the movies.

• KRAZZY 4
• CONTRACT
• WOODSTOCK VILLA
• SAAS BAHU AUR SENSEX
• BLACK AND WHITE
• SUNDAY

and the list goes on…………