Subash's World

James Cameron's next offering, Avatar

2009-11-06T18:00:00.006+05:30

After almost sinking like the Titanic he made in 1987 James Cameron surfaces with Avatar, to be released next month on the 18'th. Titanic was the most expensive movie made during its times and now Avatar repeats that feat. At $230 million it is the most expensive movie to be made so far. Check out the impressive trailer at www.avatarmovie.com

If you have a slow connection check out the trailer at YouTube.

Osibisa in Chennai

2009-10-30T09:15:00.014+05:30

OMG! I can't believe it. Osibisa is playing in Chennai as part of The Hindu's Novemberfest. I missed them when the band played in Chennai in 1984, during their glory days. The band is on a 40'th year anniversary tour. One of their players Dakua Potato is no more. Osibisa opened with Andanda Shankar's "Ragupathi Raghava" in Chennai in 1984. Will they do that this time too?

By the way if you are wondering if you have heard Osibisa before here goes. If you have been watching "Asatha Povathu Yaru" on SunTV or "Rasika Raaja" on Surya TV the music you are hearing in between the shows is from Osibisa's hit "Ojah Awake".

Osibisa's and many other African artistes and bands make Happy music. Singapore in the late 90's used Osibisa's "Sunshine Day" extensively for their "smile" campaign. Music director M.S. Vishwanathan's songs in the Tamil movies "Ninaithaale Inikkum" and "Ore Vaanam Ore Bhoomi" seemed to have been heavily drawn from the music of Osibisa particularly the keyboard music of "Dance the body music". In fact the sound of the keyboard in this song only instantly recalls these old Tamil movies shot in foreign locations.

From among other hits of Osibisa the ones I like are, "Sakabo", "Music for Gong Gong", "The warrior", and "Welcome Home".

You can book tickets online at the The Hindu, November fest's site. Official tickets go on sale only after November 6'th. But you can book your tickets online. Hurry! This time I am not missing them live.

Why you cannot watch cricket while having lunch or dinner

2009-10-12T10:39:00.005+05:30

In the U.S during Football season it is custom in many families to get friends and relatives together and have dinners (comprising mostly of Pizzas and pop) together and watch the games. Unfortunately in India you cannot do that for the single most revolting reason and that is - "spitting".

Players are spitting on the ground, players spitting on their hands and rubbing hands together (I saw Ricky Pointing do that disgusting thing in a recent game), spitting drinks after drinking them or gargling their mouths. Players chewing gum and spitting them too. It goes on without any inhibitions that you want to put away your food and take your eyes off the TV screen. It is utterly disgusting. I had mentioned in an earlier post how many Indian players were swearing and though most of them are inaudible the expletives could be clearly understood.

No wonder in Singapore you are fined a hefty fee if found spitting in public. The sale of chewing gum is also banned there considering how much of a pain it is to clean them up if they aren't disposed off properly. Wrigley's gum comes with a silver-shiny foil that you can use to dispose the chewing gum once your are done with it. I am not sure if other chewing-gum makers provide one such foil but unfortunately if the thing is not disposed off properly it can be found everywhere, from cinema seats, toilets, urinals and all those places you can come in contact with giving you such an annoying time. It's a terrible mess if it sticks to hair.

Considering how much spitting goes on here among the general public, India could make a killing if such fines were imposed here too and considering how a huge T.V audience is also watching these matches in close-up mode, I won't mind imposing a fine on spitting players too.

A delightful Hollywood Movie Soundtrack by A R Rahman

2009-10-10T17:15:00.004+05:30

In another first for an Indian Music Director/Composer, A R Rahman composes all the songs and music for the Hollywood Movie, "Couples Retreat".

Like me, if you thought "Slumdog Millionnaire" wasn't worth it, take a listen to the songs of "Couples Retreat" at the following site.

http://www.couplesretreatsoundtrack.com/

A R Rahman even sings a Tamil song and I can imagine the feeling listening to it while watching the film in the U.S or in countries outside India. The song may not play in its entirety but even a small bit is worth it. Then there is Khailash Kher lending his vocal talents in another song, an afro number and other delightful tunes. Check it out.

Two stunning performances

2009-10-09T10:55:00.008+05:30

The first is an old one performed way back in July this year by Neethu, the singer with a very unique voice on Idea Star Singer. Here Neethu is performing in the Remix round. Her Hindi though not perfect is suprisingly good for a singer singing in Hindi for the first time. A lovely performance.

And the next, Lekshmi in the judges round, recently from Super Star 2. Music director Deepak Dev was so much in awe of her watching her sing his song that towards the end he joined her on stage. This performance gave me the goose bumps.

Prinia chicks at Satish's home (two weeks ago)

2009-10-06T19:00:00.000+05:30

I am happy that they have hatched, looked after well and must have taken to flight.

Here are the pics. I was lazy to watermark them and post them.

Day 2.

Day 2, another pic.

Day 3.

Day 5.

Day 7.

Day 12 or day 13. In this final pic, the only one where I used the camera's flash you can see the colour differences of the feathers on the body of the chicks. Two days after this pic was taken I found the nest empty.

How to fix your BSNL Modem's configuration

2009-09-21T08:36:00.004+05:30

This time when I got back my Internet connection, I was wondering how long it is going to take BSNL fix everything and get me up and running. I was too naive to think that just getting back my username and password would re-establish my connection. How wrong I was. Calling customer care is/was a nightmare and the assurance that someone would turn up at my door to fix my modem was totally unreliable.

Thanks to the web, I then start searching stuff on Yahoo. After some hits and misses I was able to get to a website where the simple documentation for the HUAWEI MT800 modem was available that did the trick. When the BSNL guy called that evening I was thrilled to tell him everything was O.K. So if you want to configure your BSNL Modem (HUAWEI MT800) check out this page.

http://mp.bsnl.co.in/bb/mt800/mt800.htm

The only problem I had was with the IP configuration to be done prior to using the steps on this page. These are documented too. A link is provided before you begin the configuration steps called "Assign IP Address". Here if you don't use the right IP addresses your modem will be recognized as some other modem, with a different model number. You may have to make a note of your old IP, Gateway and DNS server addresses before you attempt to use the ones mentioned on the Assigning IP Address page. For me my old IP addresses worked. Several re-boots and resetting of the modem (before doing the configuration) helped me configure the modem correctly.

A R Rahman is back at doing what he is best at

2009-09-17T18:59:00.003+05:30

One song is already ringing in my ears. It is a superb composition called "Aaj Dhil Gusthak Hai" from the upcoming Hindi film Blue where Sukhwinder Singh and Shreya Goshal have sung the duet brilliantly. Both music and song are stylish to listen to. The rest of the songs seem ok but then I have listened to them just once.

Check the songs at Musicmazaa

My cousin's son debuts as music director

2009-09-11T21:21:00.004+05:30

Abishek, (Original name Ragesh) who works as a recording engineer at Chithra's studio in Chennai has composed 5 songs for Kalabhavan Mani's next multi-lingual movie titled "Black Stallion". Check out this catchy number which is sure to be the hit from the movie. I should also mention Rimi Tomi who provided the female vocal for this duet and who also shines in this song.

I was in Chalakudy when Ragesh recorded this song with Mani and I missed the opportunity to watch the recording though it is actually not a very enjoyable thing. You are doled in this sound proof room where you cannot get out and where just as in the world of acting, innumerable takes of different portions of the song are made. The final song is then made via a cut and paste job. I did watch an M.G.Sreekumaran recording at Chithra's studios once and decided I would never get into that room again.

Ragesh has done numerous recordings for music directors. Among several hits he has recorded one notable song that comes to mind is "Kangal Irandal" for the movie Subramanyapuram.

"Black Stallion" by the way is produced by my cousin Jagadesh Chandran whose father, my Valliyachan had passed away recently.

We need more of "eerum"

2009-09-10T19:24:00.004+05:30

Not only the "eerum" or wetness from rains that this part of India is longing for but also songs like the ones Dhaman has composed for the Tamil Movie "Eerum". Check out the lovely songs at MusicMasaa giving the feel of beautiful, eagerly awaited rain.

I'll rate Harris Jeyaraj's songs for Adhavan behind the songs of "Eerum" for this time. "Hasili Fisiliye" by Karthik is a nice one but stereotyped. The rest don't impress. Listen to the song at Musicmazaa.

"VenPanju" sung by Udith Narayan and Karthik is a lovely tune from Vidhyasagar for the movie "Kanden Kadhalai" the Tamil version of "Jab We Met". Listen to it at Musicmazaa.

Shruthi Haasan's music for her dad's latest film "Unnai Pol Oruvan" is far from impressive. One song with Blaze was OK when she sings her lines. Otherwise I thought it was nothing new and using Kamal Haasan's old vocals for two songs wasn't a good idea either.

Update on the Prinia nests

2009-09-08T21:09:00.004+05:30

It was heartbreaking to see the nest on Sunday morning devoid of any eggs or the bird. The day before I noticed a Treepie sitting on a branch of the nearby coconut tree very close to the nest. It probably discovered the nest and the eggs. Too much winds might have exposed the nest. I found only three eggs that evening. The bird was in the nest though on Saturday night incubating her eggs. However on Sunday morning none of the eggs were there. The bird was missing too. Maybe some predator harvested the eggs. Both the Treepie and the chipmunk are capable of this as both consume the eggs of other birds. If only I had laid some thorny shrubs around the nest probably I could have saved the remaining eggs. I thought they were only days away from hatching. What a sight that would have been!

The good news is that the three eggs in the Prinia's nest at Sathish's home have hatched. They might have hatched on Sunday or Monday. No sound can be heard but I could see the tiny little ones open their mouths for food. What a sight! It was like seeing God. Mommy bird is busy looking after the newborn. Wonder how many will make it. The nest is so secure that it is very difficult to take a good picture. If I am able to take a pic I will post it here.

Happy Onam 2009

2009-09-01T23:17:00.001+05:30

Here's wishing all my Malayali readers and all other readers who are celebrating Onam, a very Happy Onam!

Is it Prinia nesting season?

2009-08-31T09:12:00.014+05:30

I locate a second nest at my brother's home. The bird here has laid three eggs and is currently incubating them. Unlike the nest in my home, this one at my brother's place is made of just two leaves instead of three.

It is unbelievable to see how the nests are surviving the winds and the occasional heavy downpours.

The Prinia at my home doesn't hardly leaves its nest these days, even during the day. Here's a pic I took last night, in its nest. Ah! I managed to put a watermark in the image.

Now, Super Star 2 on Amritha to thwart Idea Star Singer Season 4

2009-08-29T20:47:00.002+05:30

So much bad programming on Idea Star Singer that I only watch it bits and pieces these days. There have been some good performances but considering how many "cringe" moments I have to put up with it, ISS isn't worth it. The bus conductor Anil and did perform some good stuff. Many a time I though the judges were going too far in interfering with the personal lives of the contestants. The poor contestants are being bullied and can only play subservient to these judges fearing they'll be thrown out. I watched in a video how a 10 yr old on "Britain's Got Talent" tell Simon, "I am not obliged to answer that question". Even President Barack Obama mentioned in his appearance on the Jay Leno show that running the White House is like American Idol, except that every one is Simon. Imagine an ISS contestant saying such a thing to a judge here. For the kind of questions M G Sreekumaran and Sharath are asking it is high time someone actually showed some attitude telling these guys to go take a hike.

Meanwhile Super Star 2, the successor to Super Star Global has begun on Amritha and as usual going great guns. I watched performances there that I have never seen in the entire history of Idea Star Singer. Here is one.

And another lovely one that same day by Lekshmi Sree.

Even the song selection is superb. Lekshmi performed a song from Vikram's upcoming "Kadhaswamy" which was yet to be released. That was something so refreshing from the repetitive and boring songs of ISS. The audience participation on SS2 was something unseen to this day on ISS. Judges going gaga over a performance? Why not? As Joe Black says in the movie "School of Rock", Where's the passion man? and why not let it show?

While I still prefer the old host at SSG, the new girl is way better than Ranjini on ISS though she too has a tendency to speak more English.

I did watch Roopa perform a lovely song on the show.

But it is so sad to watch her these days sitting in the audience behind the judges and cheering the participants. Annu Jose who was knocked out of ISS Season 4 from the very first elimination round is here on SS2 and so is Nikhil from ISS 2007.

"Vazha kulachu", the banana plant has borne fruit, but....

2009-08-28T09:41:00.000+05:30

We've had banana's earlier at out parent's place but this is the first time we've had one at our home. Unfortunately the gardener has deceived us. I am told that the bananas aren't the sweet ones. Instead they are the "Vazhakaya" or "Vazhaka", the ones used to make the side dishes or poriyals and "mezhukku varatis".

Amma says its "Pindi", the innermost part of the trunk is more tastier than the "Pindi" of the plant (actully herb) of the sweet bananas.

And while taking a pic of the tree here's something I caught resting on the leaf of a shrub nearby.

Kailash Kher and Kailasa are back with a rocker

2009-08-25T12:10:00.000+05:30

Check out "Chaandan Mein" and you are not going to stop playing the songs. Throughout you are going to listen to lovely music and great singing from Kailash Kher.

Here's my quick review of the songs.

1.Nadhin dhin dah - very much Jumpin Jackflash/Raghupati raghava types from the Ananda Shankar album. A rocker with lovely sitar playing.

2.Chaanden mein - Melodious/Lovely.

3.Teri Yaad - Beautiful slow ballad

4.Rang Rang Ma - Superb and catchy; another nice rocker.

5.Bheeg gaya mera man - Lovely singing; music accompaniment is top class. Lovely flute and mandolin/banjo solos.

6. Ish ho gaya - slow song, not a bad one, sung well but the sad part why is "ishq ho gaya" is sung sadly with pain when it should be a happy thing

7. Khar khar - peppy number, a filler and nothing special.

8. Piya ghar avenge - superb slow number

Honestly cannot wait to hear more from this singer and his band Kailasa featuring bassist Naresh Kamath (who also plays for the Malayalam alternative rock band "Avial") and his brother Paresh?.

Check out the songs at MusicIndiaonline.com

Good show guys. What an album!

The Prinia and its nest outside my window

2009-08-23T08:16:00.012+05:30

It has been a bird-watching delight starting with the nest building and now with the incubation in progress.

First the bird that I am referring. The pic is poor but this is the best I could do with my point and shoot.

After some research I think it is the Ashy Prinia also known as the Wren Warbler. It's a tiny bird with very quick reflexes and can be distracted with the slightest disturbance or human intervention.

The nest that it built in two days. There are two leaves on top that it stitched weaving threads out of cobwebs and puncturing holes in the leaves using its beak and sewing them using the cobweb threads. There are two leaves on top and a third below.

Next the eggs that it laid, one per day. Here is the first one.

Using the blurred image of my finger as a scale, you must estimate the tiny size of the eggs. Two on the next day.

And then there were three.

A better view of the three eggs.

And then there were four.

The bird is currently incubating the eggs now. Will keep track of the progress and report the same.

Why isn't Prem Joshua suing malayalam music director P Jaychandran

2009-08-21T12:16:00.007+05:30

This is the second time Jaychandran has lifted Perm Joshua's music for a Malayalam movie. Unlike the previous tune he lifted from the album "Earth meets Sky" (check out my review of this lovely album at http://www.great-anonymous-albums.com/music-for-the-soul/) this time the music is directly lifted and applied to the Rajasenan movie "Bharya Onnu Makkal Moonu". The song that is playing in the background when the trailer is being shown is "Bol Hari" from the album "Dance of Shakthi".

What a way to copy! Can't believe a leading music director would resort to this and also think he could get away. If credit is being given in the Titles of the movie to Prem Joshua then I'll take back my article but I doubt if it is being done.

Rain and Shine

2009-08-21T11:48:00.010+05:30

Chennai has been getting some good showers of late. Here are some pics I took when it rained here last Monday. Any guesses as to what I photographed in these pics.

This one should tell you for sure.

Earlier in May I took pics of these clouds when the sun went behind them. My neighbour Shaukath was the one who told me to take the pics saying my point-and-shoot digital could take them well.

Flame of the Forest in Full bloom

2009-08-21T11:28:00.006+05:30

This "Flame of the Forest" tree or Gulmohar has more flowers than leaves. I took this picture somewhere in late June.

Wikipedia reports that the Gulmohar has a threatened conservation status.

Malayalam cinema loses veterans

2009-08-09T11:33:00.005+05:30

In a span of months Malayalam cinema lost some stellar personalities. Actor Murali was the most recent with actor Rajan P Dev and Writer and Director Lohithdas passing away just a few months earlier.

Murali was unforgettable in movies "Varavelpu", "Karunyam" (which was a Lohithdas movie), "Amaram", a lesser known "Garshom" and in "Kireedam" just to name a few. Another movie of his that I can remember for his stellar role is one where he brings up Rehana, who plays his daughter, as his friend Suresh Gopi's child. The movie brought me to tears.

Rajan P Dev added another facet to the stereotyped Villain and in the process played the role in Tamil and Telugu movies too. In his Villain roles he was good at comedy too. Just a week before his passing away I couldn't help laughing at his role in the movie "Chocolate".

Lohithdas will be remembered for his screenplay work on many of Malayalam cinema's classics such as "Kireedom", and the sequel "Chenkol", "Thaniayavartham", "Amaram", "Dasaratham", "Jathakam", "Mukthi" and "Valsalyam" and as a director his "Karunyam" will always be one my favorite Malayalam films of all time. Only just a few vacations earlier had we seen his "Neivedyam" his last movie. His "Kasthooriman" starring Meera Jasmine, an actress he introduced to Malayalam is also worth mentioning.

All three veterans leave a void that is difficult to fill. May their souls rest in peace.

The last of the mangoes this season

2009-08-09T09:25:00.004+05:30

Summer's gone and in arid Chennai we are getting showers now and then though the monsoon in Tamilnadu is only expected later in the year. While the mango season is officially over you could still get mangoes. Here is one from the "Rumani" (correct me if I am wrong) variety that is also running out fast. Most other popular varieties are already out, particularly the Banganampally ones from Andhra Pradesh.

My dearest, one and only Valliyacchan passes away

2009-07-22T08:25:00.011+05:30

"Oh Death, how much you make me feel like turning back the clock just to my previous Kerala vacation where I could have seen him just one more time." I deeply regret I didn't do that. Now that he is gone can I hear his powerful voice one more? His advice, his jokes, his words of courage and the way he used to imitate other people. But his biggest strength was the way I saw him facing death, particularly when his son-in-law passed away. What I saw in him was a mountain of strength. Being an ex-army man he would tell me of the deaths and suffering he had seen in the three wars he had been in. One of those wars was in Congo when the Indian army was sent as part of the UN Peace Keeping mission way back in the early 60's. I still recall those pictures of him in Congo. He would tell me he hadn't shot or killed anyone but he had seen enough death and suffering. He would also take part in the Goan war and later in one of the wars with Pakistan. He was a very brave man. Among many of the tips and tricks from his life in the army he would tell me that if you were to lie on the ground, with your ears to the ground you could always hear anyone or any animal coming towards you even if you are asleep.

Valliyachan was a brilliant actor too. No wonder he used to sneak out after dark from his home (as Valliyamma was totally against it) to act in plays. I also recall Mini (his daughter, my cousin) preserving a black and white poster from one of those plays where Valliyachan played the role of a Police Inspector.

Valliyachan always kept himself active be that in the fields attending to the plants or at home. No wonder he was in such good health. He was an exceptional cook. Non-vegetarian was his speciality. All you had to do was to give him the live chicken and he would take care of the rest. Oh yes, he had his own way of killing the bird. He would tell me it was a painless method but the truth is we would never hear a sound or struggle. I still recall him cooking chicken in the open pot for the entire family while we cousins would spend our time playing.

I will never forget his great love for children too. Even Chaithu, remembers him so well. In fact he had left the army so that he could spend more time with his son.

Every man has his share of good and the bad but to me Valliyachan's immense potential was completly wasted. Death brings so much forgiveness in the minds of people. I pray I remember the many wonderful things I learnt from him. For me there will never be another Valliyachan like him. May his soul rest in peace.

The TATA bus in Singapore

2009-07-18T10:05:00.003+05:30

The first Tata Nano or the US$2000 car (I am told fully loaded ones could cost upto $4000) was given to the first customer yesterday. Coinciding with the release of the Nano I have an interesting story.

In early 1996 while working in Singapore I used to stay in an apartment at the Spottiswoode Park area located across the street in front of Singapore General Hospital. I stayed there for almost a year. My workplace was at Suntec City Tower and I used to take a bus to work. While waiting at the bus stop everyday a TATA Bus would come there to pick up employees to a company. It was way different from the automatic-geared Volvo's. It was half the size of the Volvo's and it wasn't air-conditioned either but it used to feel so good to see a TATA bus picking up Singaporeans to work. Wonder if it still in service. Maybe it still is. Wish I had taken a pic of the bus.

Help me identify this bird

2009-07-11T07:38:00.003+05:30

I got it a couple of months ago and it looks rare. My animal and avian enthusiasts next door, Shaukath Ali and Madhu (more on Shaukath later) couldn't identify it too. It has been given to Blue Cross.

I even tried to set it free on the terrace but it wouldn't fly away.