Ayutha ezhuthu - the movie

Its the first time i am writing a review for a Tamil movie in my blogger. Usually, Mani Ratnam movies are guarenteed to satisfy, have a quality and class that can only come from this man. The movie revolution that the mani-rahman-vairamuthu trio started off has proven to be a very good for the tamil audience, not to mention the money these movies make at the box office.

Ayutha eluthu is no exception - you can see the ratnam touch throughout the movie. Some of the movie highlights:

1. The lively backdrop - locals smoking beedis and passing on comments, train ticket inspector cursing a by passer inside the train, the very .Sujatha's dialogues take the movie a step further in giving the movie a rich, novel-like flow. Very liberal use of 'kammanati', 'kundi', and scenes where madhavan's dada brother strips off his veti to prove a point to meera jasmin :) give the movie a feel-at-home touch.

2. The choice of characters - few noticed, but Bharatiraja is at his best in this role as the bad guy. May be he should give up directing movies like 'kangalal kaithu sei' (that was a horrible movie, that one) and start acting in more movies like these.

the choice of siddharth's little brother - he looks, acts like a typical kid brother. Also the choice of siddharth's dad (the 'IAS' mania dad), Surya's mom (the always tensed up character) are excellent.

3. Excellent music - Rahman at his best again. The very perfect use of the piano, the flow of very relishing music - very powerful music that leaves you mesmerized into the movie.

Bottom line - this is a Ratnam movie; you shouldnt even be reading reviews to watch his movies.

Mr Goatee 

Master and Commander

the first time i heard about this movie the review said the movie sucked - a very long one, with no women (no woman that lasts in the scene for more than 5 seconds atleast), telling the tale of a 100 sea men in the waters and their captain etc etc.

The movie just kicked ass !! - its a man's movie, and Russell Crowe is at his best. Russell is one of my absolute favorites in and behind the scene. He is a man's man, and he is like a lion - strong, unpredictable, tempered, hungry and ready to pound and crush. Russell stars as Captain Jack Aubrey, a fearless leader, a master mind, sincere to his duty, and one that commands respect from his fellow men.

The dvd that we got featured dts and the sound effects were amazing - through most of the movie when the ship is in smooth sails, there is this sound of a metal knocking against wood. Believe me - when i was watching the movie, i went up to the door twice (before i decided not to get fooled again) to see if someone was knocking.

Coming back to the movie, there are some really inspiring scenes. There is one scene where one of the 'sea men' disobeys an young officer. Russell has him clapped in irons and whippped. He asks for the officer to his room and discusses the situation. The young officer says he wanted to be friends with the shipmates, but they despise him. Russell (Captain Jack) says "You dont make friends with the utmost lads...they'll think you are weak. What they are looking for in a leader is strength, and honor"- ofcourse, i have screwed up the exact words, but in essence this is one of the best explanations for leadership that i have ever heard. You should really watch the scene to understand what i am talking about.

Then there is another scene where Jack clearly seperates friendship, loyalty to friend from duty and service. Jack's doctor and naturalist friend wants to spend some time in the islands to possibly make some discoveries in wild life, but Jack says no. I really loved the confrontation these two men have - Jack finally gets on to his temper and says "...there is no time for your damn hobbies, Sir". Again, this is an awesome message if you can compare this to your life at work.

Overall, i really think the movie was not just about a 100 men in a ship - i think the story is deeper than what meets the eye. it is a story of leadership at work - how to lead, how to command, how to govern men, how to set duty and friendship apart, and how to make decisions. Maybe i am being overly enthusiastic, but everytime i see the movie, i want to be a leader like Jack Aubrey !!.