The accidental writer…
A new year…a new beginning. Just as a new year often signifies a new beginning, it has, this time, signified the birth of my brand new URL. For long, I have been toying with the idea of migrating away from my existing domain amruthaupendran.com. Not that I have anything against my name, but that I think it’s time to detach myself from this and give this space it’s very own identity. Before you ask, of course this is going to continue to be a personal blog. And no, I am not planning to go anonymous. As I mentioned sometime back, the decision to blog under my real name was taken when I had no idea that it was even possible to stay anonymous and still be widely-read. After 4 long years, I will not go back on that decision now.
As I was contemplating the new URL, it struck me that I am a blogger, a writer, entirely by accident. Over a casual conversation, the suggestion to start a blog came to me. And I registered my first blog on blogger with an air of someone doing it out of sheer boredom. And then, something happened. As I wrote, I realized that this is what I truly wanted. I realized that this blog was getting to be my personal rant-space. Slowly but surely, I began to take myself, and my writing more seriously. Since then, there has been no looking back. The process of migrating to a new domain has been alarmingly simple. I wonder if something is going to break down somewhere. If it does, please do let me know at the earliest, so that I can do my bit of fire-fighting.
Enough said! It is with a sense of accomplishment and pride, that I present before each of you, my new URL. Please do leave a comment, write to me, send me an FB message, DM me on Twitter or call me to tell me what you think of it. Until next time…ciao!
Cupid’s Arrow!
I watched Manmadhan Ambu about two weeks ago, and haven’t found the urge to write about it yet. I think now is the time, because the film has sunk in better and I am in a better position to comment. I’ll try and break up this review into parts, so as to do justice to the different aspects of the film.
Genre
What is this strange genre that Kamal has been trying to perfect for the last 5 years? Is this a musical, a romance, a comedy or a drama? We have no clue but I found the mix both intriguing and interesting. For those people who think this wasn’t like Panchatantram, I only have one thing to say: If you walk into a theatre expecting Manmadhan Ambu to be like Panchatantram and come out disappointed, don’t blame Kamal for it. He would have named it Panchatantram 2 if he wanted it to be like that!
Story
Let’s face it! The storyline is mediocre. It’s about an actress who decides to take a vacation to Europe pre-marriage to get a bit of perspective on her relationship with her overly-suspicious boyfriend. The boyfriend in question, in the meantime, decides to hire a detective to trail her to figure out if she is having an affair. So far, so good. Nothing to write home about and nothing outstandingly special about the story.
Screenplay
This is perhaps the first time I am able to poke holes in Kamal’s otherwise water-tight scripting. Why does the flashback involving the start of Ambu’s problems with Madhan have to rewind three years? What happened in the intervening time? Why did Ambu choose to stick to the relationship for three years before deciding she need a break away from the prying eyes of her fiancé? One possible explanation is that she needed to complete her film assignments and that it took her three years to do so. After finishing her assignments, she could have decided to take that break before settling down to wedded bliss. But, this is not very clear and leaves the average viewer wondering about the timeframe.
Second, how do Ambu and Major end up falling in love? Where and how does that romance develop? I get the feeling that the deleted scenes featuring Kamal’s poem might have held the key to the developing of that romance. The film has suffered greatly because of the lack of continuity between those scenes. Somehow, we as viewers don’t really identify with that romance or that tenderness. We can’t understand why Ambu suddenly chooses to declare that she loves Major. I mean, how? If the deletion has harmed the script this much, I think Kamal should be very angry indeed!
Finally, I had serious problems accepting that the death of a spouse due to the carelessness of someone could be so easily forgiven. How can a man, knowing fully well that the woman standing before him has caused him immeasurable pain, forgive her so easily that he has no problems falling for her? It can happen, but without that time given to develop the transition, it seems unrealistic.
Dialogue
Borderline philosophy (Nallavangalukku thimiru thaan veli), subtle provocation (featuring blouse hooks and pant zips), Ambu’s disgust at having to explain the connecting doors between her and Surya’s dressing rooms, Deepa’s declaration that the matrimony was bad but the alimony was good…many examples of Kamal’s take on relationships coupled with humour typical of him, complete with wordplay and wit.
Music
I liked it. I loved the way the songs have been set in such a way that they don’t really hamper the progress of the story. Of course you can’t compare DSP with Ilayaraja. Even entertaining such a thought is sacrilege. But, I think we should give him credit for having tried. The Neelavanam song is superb, both in the way it’s picturized and in the melody by itself. The others are peppy dance numbers. What did we expect when watching a movie with music by DSP? Carnatic music? He has lived up to the standard he has set for himself. Nothing more, nothing less.
Kamal’s musical adventure
Call me a die-hard Kamal fan, I don’t care! He was simply superb in this new avatar as poet! I flipped the first time I heard the Kamal Kavithai. Written in impeccable Tamil and recited by Kamal himself, there is nothing mediocre about this composition. Of course, this is not a song; it’s a dramatic dialogue. That’s what makes it more real. I found that this song was one aspect of stage theatre that the film adapted. And I loved it. The other songs, especially Neelavanam have beautiful lyrics, if only we stop to listen!
The small stuff
Apart from these, there were small things that worked in favour of the film. Usha Uthup’s diction, although a bit stilted, sounded a more authentic version of “Brahmin Baashai” than the crap we are used to in Tamil cinema. Madhavan’s characterization of the drunkard was too good to miss. Sangeetha’s almost-perfect comic timing was an added delight. On the whole, I think both Madhavan and Sangeetha outperformed Trisha and Kamal in the film.
Did anyone notice how Madhavan is ultimately stuck between two mothers? First, it’s his mother who creates the discord between him and his girlfriend. Then, he end up with a mother (Sangeetha) because he finds her babying cute and reassuring! Oedipus Complex? I have no idea! And, I must credit Praveen for this observation. He was mentioning this sometime when we were discussing the film!
On the whole, Manmadhan Ambu is far from perfect. It has many flaws and many problems. But, this did not really hamper my enjoyment of the film. This film is an experiment. But, this experiment was only about half successful. Maybe a few more cross-over films (between genres, I mean) will help Kamal perfect this genre and make him pace the screenplay out better. My final verdict would be that this is definitely watchable, preferably in theatre. Once.
Of marriage, MBA and communication skills!
I just saw this blogpost by Rashmi Bansal. She’s blogging after a rather long break and it’s good to see her back! But, to get back to the point, she touches upon issues that are varied and yet pertinent and most probably interconnected. As far as small-town, tier 3 B-schools are concerned, the truth is that today, a B-school degree is “buyable”. You don’t need any degree of competence or intelligence to actually acquire an MBA and apart from the top-rung institutions, not many B-schools offer quality management education. There are, of course, exceptions to that rule, but B-schools, by and large, money-spinners rather than educational institutions.
I think Rashmi is better-qualified to comment on the state of management education in India that I am. My concern for the moment is the plight of that girl who is a first-year B-school student and whose parents want to see her married to a “suitable boy”. As far as the marriage market is concerned, it’s a case of “damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.” A girl needs to acquire a decent degree, better still, a post-graduate degree to be considered a “saleable” commodity in the marriage market. After all, every man wants a smart, well-educated and articulate wife. Even better if the said post-graduate degree is a “professional” one! But that’s where we draw the line. A smart, well-educated, articulate, beautiful girl who has a degree or three must however, not be assertive or have a mind of her own. You’re damned if you choose not to study beyond the mandatory first degree because nobody wants a dumb bride! You’re also damned if you make unconventional life choices and study beyond the universally-accepted MBA!
So, the ideal scenario would be that a woman acquire those desirable traits to make herself desirable in the marriage market. And pray, what are those desirable traits? A post-graduate degree (preferably in management) but not more, articulate speech, beauty (a.k.a a bleached “fair and lovely” fairness), and a desire to be a doormat for the rest of her life! What have you? Do they even make women this way any more? More and more women I know are working not because they have to, but because they want to. More and more women are choosing to make careers and not just get jobs. But, the attitude of the men doesn’t seem to be changing. Ok! Perhaps I am being a bit harsh here. Men are changing, they are beginning to accept and even appreciate brains in a woman. But their parents still seem stuck in the 13th Century!
When will we, as a society get over this dual obsession: of acquiring pointless “professional” degrees nobody ever uses and of finding our children “suitable” boys and girls? When will we understand that the number of degrees you possess is no indicator of just how intelligent you are? When will we manage to figure out that intelligent is an asset and not a liability? If ever!
The mandatory end-of-year post!
“2010 was” is a hashtag that is trending right now on Twitter. But I honestly don’t know what 2010 was for me. It certainly was a learning experience, as every minute is. But it was also a year when I rediscovered myself. It was a year when I felt alternatively on top of the world and in the depths of despair. At the end of every year, life affords us a choice: look back and regret, or look forward and plan. Right now, I feel like doing neither. I know today is December 31 and a few hours ahead, our friends in Kiribati (or is it some other Pacific island?) will welcome the New Year in all pomp and splendor. But I also know that like many other things, it’s just a date. So, on this date (like any other) I choose to think about what I learnt.
1. This year I learnt that love and hate are just two sides of a coin. I learnt that the more you love someone, the more likely you are to hate that person. I learnt that this holds true irrespective of the relationship you share with him/her.
2. This year I learnt that some things are better left unsaid. I learnt that silences speak better than words, especially in situations where words cannot convey what eyes can. I also learnt that those who really love you will read and understand the language of the eyes and that those who don’t are not worth your while anyway.
3. This year I learnt that like love, friendships can be made instantly. I also learnt that unlike falling out of love, the break of friendship can also be brutally abrupt and sudden. I learnt that it is always possible to survive that break of friendship because ultimately you’re all you have.
4. This year I learnt that some experiences, however painful can be cathartic and help you overcome a pain you never knew existed.
5. This year I learnt that age is just a number. Having celebrated my 28 years of existence, I feel more beautiful and vibrant than I did ten years ago. I learnt that the number of years you’ve walked this earth has nothing to do with who you are and how people perceive you.
6. On that note, I learnt that I still have three years to go to be at my most attractive because apparently, women are at sexiest at 31! 😉 And, if you’re the one who said it, please remember that that was the greatest compliment I’ve ever received!
7. This year I learnt to never say no to any experience because it might just be the most wonderful you’ve ever had in life! I also learnt that sometimes you just need to throw caution to the winds and live your life for what it is worth.
8. And finally, this year I learnt that I love to receive compliments and that they actually make me a nicer person, more beautiful, happier and most contented with life!
So, on this note, what did you learn? Did you too, like me, learn that some things in life should never be compromised and that some others should be discarded because we longer have any use of them? And finally, if you’re reading this, kindly de-lurk. I would love to know who my readers are!
Reasons to write
With 83 posts in 2007, steadily declining to a measly 16 (now 17) in 2010, I decided to make a New Year resolution: to post at least once every two days. Now, all of us make such irrational and impulsive resolutions at the end of the year, more out of desperation than any measure of sanity. But the point is I want to write. I want to be slightly more prolific than I have been this past year. I realize that my blogging break is more because I have slacked off and not bothered to keep myself abreast of happenings around the world, than because of any genuine problem with writing.
But, that’s not what this post is about. I, like the big-mouth fool I am, decided to share this resolution with the world on Facebook. Now, you might ask me if I am not being a bigger fool by sharing it with the world outside Facebook by writing about it on my blog. The answer is most probably a yes! But again, this is my space and I will say what I want. So, to get back to the point, I shared this with friends on Facebook. The term “friend” is probably not the most appropriate here, but that’s another post for another day. Within seconds of my posting the status, one commented asking me to take a complete blogging break, and get out to meet the “real” world and make “real” friends, see people with “real” faces and have some “real” fun! Another promptly commented saying he completely agreed with the first: which is what brings me to the purpose of this post.
I don’t understand why so many people confuse blogging with social networking. If I can stay connected with people on Facebook or Orkut or LinkedIn 24/7, why can I not blog with as much passion? Why is blogging considered such a waste of time that I get random advice about stepping out into the real world? I have mentioned in the past that writing for me is about expressing ideas, feelings, thoughts and desires. That writing is a creative outlet that keeps me happy and satisfied. I have also said that by choosing to blog under my real name and by linking my blog to my accounts in Twitter, Facebook and elsewhere, I am probably risking censure and slander. But the very fact that I am still at it, four years on, is an indication of how much this really means to me.
I don’t write for people to read and comment. I find comments and discussion extremely stimulating and would love to respond and interact if people chose to comment. But I don’t write expecting people to leave all else and follow my blog. I don’t look at my blog as a social networking tool that will permit me to make friends in the virtual world. Of the 280-odd friends on my friends’ list on FB, there are probably just a couple whom I have never met. Also, the fact that I have never met them does not make them any less “real” or the friendship any less important. Friendships made in the virtual world can be as stimulating as those made in real life. I write because I feel like expressing myself. I run a blog because it gives me a platform to publish those writings, which would otherwise remain unread and unnoticed.
I can’t reiterate this enough. My blog is my every own personal space. It is my sacred haven and my refuge. I choose to share it with those who care enough to read. But, a world outside also exists. I also have friends and family in the real world. I also do fun things like singing, dancing, attending concerts, going to lunches and dinners and discussing a range of topics with those I meet. Am I being unreasonable and unrealistic in expecting people to understand this simple fact? I honestly have no answer to that question. All I know is, I will write no matter what anybody says or does. I will write because it means something to me. I don’t promise to publish 15 times a month like I resolved for New Year, but I will certainly try to be a little more prolific that in the past few months. Until next time, have fun and celebrate the coming of a very happy new year!