Defining Moments in Indian Cricket. (part 1)

A Very Very Special Innings. Farewell to the DADANo. 1 Team.Epic scene in 1996.Jumbo's perfect 10CB series triumph in 08.Kolkata infamous run-out 1999.Spirit Of Chennai- 99 Ind-Pak test.Natwest 2002- Rise Of the genXThe God's 50th 100 in tests.T-20 World champs, 20071st ever 200 score in ODI history.6x6 Yuvraj breathes fire.Best ever moment. 1983 World cup triumph.

Sachin Tendulkar- The Phenomenon .

THE BEST THERE WAS.. THERE IS.. THERE WILL BE...    
              - AN ODE TO THE MASTER. 

This may just be the beginning of the end; A player trying to eke out a career; Now just a comic book hero... the so called pundits and experts had just written him off..
   Where  would we be if he had listened to these wizened fools, we may never know. But if Sachin Tendulkar had indeed retired a few years back, cricket would definitely have been  gloomier- is an understatement.
   Even his own turned against him during those dark times. The plethora of “fans” who called for his retirement after the  “2007 World Cup Debacle” really made one wonder if the little big man of world cricket would succumb to the pressure and give in.


After going through a dark lean patch , The little master began the spirited journey a la Rizwan Khan that has seen him re-establish his credentials even among the most firm anti-Tendulkars(strange to hear people loathing him!). It was clear that people had quite under estimated the belief and self confidence that oozes from this demi-god.

 The pro- Australian Ian Chappel had written an article on Tendulkar, doubting his abilities and commitment, but time has its own way of making people eat their own words and this became evident when Ian Chappel had rated The Master's epic 175 against Australia as the best of 2009. This is an phenomenal example of the batting legend bending the mortals to his will.

While many expected that to be his swan song, it is now turning out to be just the starting drop of a mighty ocean the little champion is creating.
His last four centuries have included three scores of over 150, and the smallest of those, 138 against Sri Lanka, came in a tournament final- and all have been against giant opponents boasting the likes of Shane Bond, Dale Steyn etc. and not against the minnows, mind it.

It is not just the ODI arena that Tendulkar has ruled; he is currently on a run of four back to back Test matches  in which he has surpasses the magical three figure mark- just two short of equalling The Don's record. All this has catapulted Tendulkar's status back to what it was well before the 2007 World Cup.


Now that he has attained the highest score ever scored in limited overs cricket is not necessarily a surprise. He had long been touted to claim the record and even came close on three previous occasions. The fact that two of those instances have come in the last year indeed is worth raising one's eyebrow over.

 But what is the most surprising is the fact that while the second One Day International at Gwalior will go down as a historic match, it may be no more than a footnote in Tendulkar's career.

 Indeed, he may very well admit that he would find greater satisfaction in a Test innings of the same magnitude. But that would just be Tendulkar being Tendulkar. Not many people will give credit to a big score to the whole team when they have accounted for exactly half of it. In fact, I can't think of a single modern day batsman capable of getting two hundred who would acknowledge the likes of Pathan, who contribute less than a fifth of Tendulkar's score in the innings, for a total of 401.

While his batting prowess, long thought to be on the “wane” by bickering television “analysts,” has been proven to be intact, probably more enhanced than in his youth, his humility and sense of team seem to be growing seamlessly by the minute.

Like stated earlier, the biggest thing to come out of "Gwaliorton" is the fact that an innings as stunning as this, better than any played in the field by any other batsman, will probably not even be in Tendulkar's own top three. His famous Desert Storm innings of 143, his 98 against Pakistan at the 2003 World Cup, and even his 175 of barely a few months ago, may all very well topple his 200 in his very own eyes for various reasons. That in itself is a show of just how much this man has achieved.

 Could he play till 40? He very well could. A 100 centuries? Hell yes!.. Bradman's tally of six consecutive hundreds? Another possibility, but one that may prove to be the greatest challenge. A triple century? This one, not even Tendulkar could answer. Long believed to be India's only hope of a triple century, it's perplexing to note that his biggest Test innings have come when he has changed his style to be more dogged and watchful. May be the visiting Australians might feel his wrath (again) and yield him a first three-tonner. If he doesn't get one ever in his career, it would make an iota of a difference to a splendid career.
Now comes the million dollar question- is Sachin greater than Sir Don and Sir Viv?? I definitely say he is. But can anyone better the little master?? now thats a question worth debating about!

Endhiran and Va: 1/4 Cutting

3.   TWO THUMBS UP ! CANNOT GET BIGGER THAN THIS !

Movie : Endhiran
Cast : Rajnikanth, Aishwarya Rai, Danny Denzongpa
Director : Shankar

For the first time in years people get a chance to celebrate diwali twice. One has started from october 1st and celebrations will continue and are sure to bring the roof down. If lord Krishna was responsible for the actual Diwali, It takes someone like our 'thalaivar' to redefine it, quite literally.

Endhiran is an experience to cherish. it is a rare mixture of technical sci-fi brilliance locking horns with indian masala and the winner is tamil cinema. there is not an iota of doubt that Endhiran is a path breaking movie and even time period can now be classified as B.E and A.E (Before Endhiran and After Endhiran! ) 
If one chooses to shower praise and describe the movie, u can go on and on. but let us get down to the matter.

The preeminent thing about any Superstar film is the Superstar himself, storyline comes a distant second. his screen presence makes the audience go in splits. He always weaves magic on screen and this time it is a overdose and no one is going to complain. He delivers a mind blowing performance – he owns the film.

Be it as the workaholic scientist, the original Chitty or the modified Chitty (version 2.0, upgraded),he hits the bull's eye;  The trademark Rajni styles, mannerisms are there but he has given a new demension to it, and goes a step high. endhiran highlights the fact that he is a brilliant actor in his own way. But, the core point of the performance is definitely the Chitty, the humanoid robot, always wearing a smile is cute ,loveable and dashing once love starts flowing through his wires.
And, it is when the 'destructive version' arrives that we see the Rajni in all his grandeur. There seems to be absolutely no one who can essay the role of evil Chitti. The outrageous and demoniac laugh as he proclaims his invincibility is a masterpiece (especially the black sheep sequence)
Aishwarya Rai looks dainty as always. her expressions deserve mention in the sequence where there is a hunt to find Vaseegaran impersonating like a robot replica (CR 34 ). she is the pivot around which the story revolves.

The first half is almost flawless. A couple of fights, a few subtle light moments which are enjoyable and two crucial incidents set the tone for the movie. Shankar’s ability to juxtapose commercial Tamil cinema elements into a sci-fi script is note worthy. That prevents Endhiran from being a out and out sci-fi flick, making it apt for all class audiences deserves praise.

Though too much does not go wrong, there are portions which one feels could have been more taut. Some sequences, especially the mosquito sequence, is a blemish. The Chitti Dance Showcase and the sequence preceding it are an absolute treat. The rest of the second half is racy, action packed and intelligent.

Action does not lack in awe and magnificence. Be it on the train, on the truck or the highway – action is taken to a new plane in Endhiran with Rajni at the helm of things.

As expected, technical aspects of Endhiran are top notch. Special effects (Stan Winston Studios).be it Rajni running along the side of a train or doing a la Michael Jackson jig; everything looks as original as it can get.
Ratnavelu's camera and sabu cyril's art  brings to life  what Shankar has on paper, and translates it effectively on screen.
Rahman’s songs which are already a rage suit well to the film, adding to the entertainment quotient. it is the BGM which is a let down. Something like a MOTTA BOSS theme would ve given the additional zing feel.
Anthony could have given his scissors more work in the second half.

Hats off! to shankar for such a bold attempt and has made the world take notice. the writing is on the wall that one can never make such an extravagant and grand movie in the near future.His adventures in interacting with the human race are a poignant mixture of quirkiness and naivete. 

True Rajni fan or not, if you haven’t already flocked to the theaters to buy a ticket for this movie… we guess you should be dismantled. Dot.


4.  NO 'KICK' AT ALL !

Movie : Va-Quarter Cutting
Cast: Shiva,S.P.B Charan,Lekha Washington, John Vijay
Director(s): Pushkar-Gayathri
It is impossible to fit Quarter Cutting into any particular genre because it is a crazy,whacky road trip movie that takes place in one night and throws light into the night life of namma Chennai-its dangerous alleys that include the drug addicts, brothels,platform dwellers, mean-spirited cops and spooky cemeteries.

Sunderrajan a.k.a Sura (Shiva), is all set to fly to Saudi Arabia and arrives in Chennai from Coimbatore, Only to be disheartened by the travel agent who reveals that alcohol is forbidden in the country,among other restrictions. Thus starts Sura’s journey with his to-be brother in law Marthandam (S.P.B Charan), in search of a ‘quarter cutting’ before he takes that flight to Saudi Arabia.

The entire film is about how our brash heroes run around Chennai for a whole night looking for that elusive last drink. During their journey they encounter the night life of Chennai and also various weird ,myriad characters (you lose track actually)like 'makku' Saraswathi (Lekha Washington), a gay gambler and his cantankerous father (called Prince and King both played by John Vijay), police officer Singari (Abhinyashree), and a few others.The encounters are sometimes engaging,often pointless.

The director duo of Pushkar-Gayathri and their Va- Quarter Cutting operate on the belief that it is a funny movie that takes on the bizzare night life of Chennai,but falls flat most of the time.The first half is almost a drag since it takes a little while to get the drift as to what is happening in the movie. And the humungous number of characters that appear as soon as the movie opens doesn’t help either. 

The laughs are few and post interval the film drags big time. Shiva and SPB Charan save the day to a large extent.The leads themselves have had a ball. Shiva's body language and his timely comic one liners -tongue-in-cheek at times, hilarious in others but some are downright lewd,does manage to make one laugh. John Vijay is banal and too loud,and Lekha Washington is the cute,dumb-witted innocent girl who does justice to her role.Also Arya makes a surprising and rather cool cameo.

Music of GV Prakash is okay, the songs passes muster, while Nirav Shah is in top form, with his eye catching night life of Chennai,The dominance of red and yellow colour render the movie an almost exquisite quality.
The movie on the whole is an ordeal, in every sense of the word. With exams around the corner, that is two and a half hours, I regret wasting.

Bottomline :An unusual concept treated in a bad manner and marred by unnecessary sequences make Va- Quarter cutting a forgettable venture.

Naan Mahan Alla- is a treat.

 A REALISTIC COMMERCIAL FARE
Title : Naan Mahaan Alla
Cast : Karthy,Kajal Aggarwal
Director : Suseendhran

The director who announced his arrival to Kollywood with the refreshing rural-centric 'Vennila Kabbadi Kuzhu', has cemented his place as the director to look out for with 'Naan Mahaan Alla" (NMA) . The movie is sure to create doubts in the mind of the viewers whether this really is his second outing - such is the treatment meted out to NMA.

NMA is surely the director's movie and Karthi stands testimony to this statement by being the director's actor.He comes across as a lovable scamp and fits the role to a 'T'. Such a poignant and splendid performance- his best till date.
NMA is not your usual run-of-the-mill commercial venture, its a commercial film alright, but it is the treatment which makes NMA stand out.

Jeeva (Karthi) is a happy-go-lucky jobless middle class youth. He has a excellent gang of friends and a solid family with father Jayaprakash (brilliant !)being a call taxi driver. Right from the moment he sets his eyes on Priya (Kajal Aggarwal), his approach towards her, the way cupid strikes and the chain of events that leads Jeeva confessing his love to Priya's father are all well crafted helped by taut dialogues.

As a parallel story, six local college guys who go about playing football have a dark side. They rape a woman and when under the influence of ganja, murder a couple and when their body parts are discovered by the cops in a garbage heap, the plot gels with Jeeva's family. His father was the driver who ferried the couple. So the ganja boys set out on a mission to kill him. The scene in which he is killed is conceived brilliantly.

Once Jeeva gets to know their identity the chase and climax that unfolds are nothing short of a roller-coaster ride .(For once i really wanted the bad guys to be bashed up by the hero ! )
Madhie's camera and Yuvan's music are the other USP's of NMA. Just 3 songs, sans duet, Yuvan hits the "bull's eye" with ' Vaa Vaa' and 'Iragai Pola' . The BGM of the climax is mind-blowing.
Though the climax is a bit abrupt/contrived, it justifies the title .

Bottomline : NMA scores in its portrayal of a highly believable and realistic commercial plot . A solid film with solid performances. Keep up the good work Suseendhran !