• Cinema

    Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya – a review

    I finally watched the much-celebrated Gautham Menon film, Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya on Tuesday. Cinematically, there were things that worked, and did not worked, like with every film I watch. But personally, the film tends to get boring and drags interminably at times. Mine is not an exhaustive review. They are simply jottings of how I felt when I watched the movie.

    What worked…

    Flashes of brilliance in story-telling: the only fight sequence where our man comes across as truly angry and normal, the scene in the Central Park where Simbu and Trisha meet after a three year gap. Simbu’s acting: for a change it is real. No overacting, no unnecessary mannerisms and best of all, he looks amazingly good! I am no fan of Simbu but he completely bowled me over in this film. This just goes to prove that at the hands of a capable director anyone can be a good actor. The family is normal: father as strict but loving, mom as non-interfering but concerned, sister warning him this will not work but still not wanting to refuse help. It’s so real that you feel like this is home. And finally, AR Rahman’s awesome soundtrack. So much better than the much-praised Rahman of Jai Ho!

    What did not work…

    The sheer number of songs breaks the rhythm and flow of the plot. Somehow they seem to be hampering the progress of the story. Trisha is plastic. I mean…really plastic! It’s one thing to be restrained, but quite another to look like a doll throughout the movie. The supposedly-enigmatic Mona Lisa smile is far from enigmatic: just infuriating. At one point, when Simbu asks, “There are so many women in the world. Why Jessie?” you seriously consider the question and look for an answer. Also, there seems to be a major flaw in Jessie’s character. She doesn’t know what she wants. She asks him to come and fetch her one day…and two days later decides she doesn’t want him anymore. One can be headstrong, convinced and still be indecisive. Jessie, on the other hand, comes across as completely confused. She wants him but is scared to ask her father, knowing fully well that he will never agree. After a while she decides to get into the relationship, only to back out a short while later. On the whole, she is confusing!

    The bottomline: Good to watch once. But beyond that, if you want to watch a coherent love story, this is not it. It is very messy, very down-to-earth and very real. And it does tug at your heartstrings at times. If only rarely!

  • Personal,  Tagged!

    The 100 things tag!

    Just when I am struggling to write two sentences coherently, this tag from Titaxy came as a blessing in disguise. I am taking up this tag voluntarily. I don’t know if I will be able to answer each of the questions honestly, but let me try! So…here we go!

    LAST

    1. Last beverage: Coffee
    2. Last phone call: DS
    3. Last text message: Sriram
    4. Last song you listened to: Can’t remember…but I think it was something from VTV
    5. Last time you cried: Friday, February 26, 2010…don’t ask me why!

    HAVE YOU EVER

    6. Dated someone twice? No way!
    7. Been cheated on? Hmmm…
    8. Kissed someone & regretted it? Nope!
    9. Lost someone special? Nandini
    10. Been depressed? Of course…much more than was ever required I think.
    11. Been drunk and thrown up? Nope! Seriously…no!
    12. Kissed a stranger? No ways!
    13. Lost glasses/contacts? No.
    14. Had sex on first date? Are you crazy?
    15. Broken someone’s heart? Yes…I suppose…
    16. Had your own heart broken? Yes…what goes around, comes around! 😉
    17. Been arrested? Not yet! Thank god for small mercies.
    18. Turned someone down? Yes.
    19. Cried when someone died? Of course. Nandini again.
    20. Liked a friend that is a girl? No.

    IN THE PAST YEAR HAVE YOU

    21. Made new friends? Plenty…some very close ones.
    22. Fallen out of love? Yes
    23. Laughed until you cried? Many times. 😀
    24. Met someone who changed you? Yes. One. No…make that two!
    25. Found out who your true friends were? Yes. Finally!
    26. Found out someone was talking about you? Yes. But, you think I care a damn?

    WHAT’S YOUR

    27. Name: Amrutha
    28. Nicknames: Ammu (Ugh!! But yeah! It’s an oft-used nickname) and Varsha
    29. Relationship status: Isn’t that obvious? Single of course!
    30. Zodiac sign: Libra. A true-blue one.
    31. Male or female or transgendered: Again obvious I thought. Female!
    32. Elementary: Why now?? It’s over…!
    33. School: Same as above… 😉
    34. Colleges: WCC, Sciences Po, Madras Unviersity…hopefully Fletcher or Columbia next! Anyone willing to sponsor my PhD?? 😛
    35. Hair color: Black
    36. Long or short: Wish it were longer.
    37. Height: Tall…very tall. 5’9″

    FIRSTS

    38. First surgery: None to date.
    39. First piercing: As a 4 month-old I think. I was too small to remember.
    40. First best friend: Meghna Nair. Does anyone know where she is today?
    41. First sport you loved: Tennis.
    42. First pet: None
    43. First vacation: You expect me to remember that?
    44. First concert: Euphoria at Sarang. I can’t remember if it was 2000 or 2001.

    RIGHT NOW

    45. Eating: Nothing
    46. Drinking: Nothing
    47. I’m about to: Go for a break!
    48. Listening to: People discussing Oracle all around me! Not very interesting mind you!
    49. Waiting for: Interesting news from somewhere…anywhere…am bored!

    YOUR FUTURE

    50. Want kids? Of course!
    51. Want to get married? Since I don’t exactly fancy being a single mom, the answer would be yes!
    52. Careers in mind? Yeah…of course! But depending on my mood, it goes from full-time chef to part-time mom… 😉

    WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?

    53. Lips or eyes: In a man…eyes I suppose!
    54. Hugs or kisses: Both please….! But, if I have to choose, kisses!
    55. Shorter or taller: At least as tall as me. Taller if possible.
    56. Older or younger: My age…or older…younger men are too immature for me to handle!
    57. Romantic or spontaneous: Spontaneously romantic. But yeah…spontaneity wins any day!
    58. Nice stomach or nice arms: Ahem….dunno! Will let you know when I find out. My guess is…arms.
    59. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive.
    60. Hook-up or relationship: Relationship.
    61. Trouble maker or hesitant: What’s the fun with a hesitant guy? Trouble-maker of course!

    DO YOU BELIEVE IN

    62. Yourself: Of course. I am the only thing I have.
    63. Miracles: Yes.
    64. Love at first sight: No. Attraction maybe, but not love.
    65. Heaven: Yes. Of course.
    66. Santa Claus: Where are my gifts if he exists?
    67. Kiss on the first date: Nope
    68. Angels: Yes…otherwise there would never be happiness in the world.

    LIST FOUR FAVORITE COLORS

    69. Red
    70. Black
    71. White
    72. Peacock blue

    73. Have you kissed anyone on your friends list? Nope!
    74. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life? A good 99%. Mebbe one or two people I’ve never met.
    75. How many kids do you want to have? I honestly don’t know. One at least.
    76. Do you have any pets? No.
    77. Do you want to change your name? Why on earth?
    78. What did you do for your last birthday? Spent time with family.
    79. What time did you wake up today? 7.10
    80. What were you doing at midnight last night? Talking on phone.
    81. Name something you CANNOT wait for? A vacation. NOW!!
    82. Last time you saw your father? This morning around 8.30
    83. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life? Nothing. My life may not be perfect but each decision, each blunder, each turn has been a lesson. I have learnt more from mistakes than I could ever learn from success.
    84. Most visited webpage: Google
    85. Do you have a crush on someone? Right now…yes.
    86. Ever been in love? Of course!
    87. Piercings? Ears, nostril.
    88. Tattoos? Yuck! No.
    89. Righty or lefty: Righty
    90. On Internet since: 2000 I think.
    91. Video game: I don’t play much. But when I do, it’s Age of Empires.
    92. When left alone: I read, listen to music, blog.

    ANSWER TRUTHFULLY

    93. Is there one person you want to be with right now? Yes.
    94. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? One is bad enough. Why more than that?
    95. Wanted to kill some one ever? Yes. Many times, many people.
    96. Among you blog mates, who would you like to kiss? None.
    97. Committed a blunder and regretted later? Yes.
    98. Wanted to steal you friend’s boyfriend / girlfriend? Not yet! 😛
    99. Wanted to run away from your loved ones in anger, because they didn’t listen? Nope!
    100. Posting this as 100 Truths? Yes.