SARPATTA PARAMBARAI - TAMIL MOVIE (2021) REVIEW

 SARPATTA PARAMBARAI - TAMIL MOVIE (2021) REVIEW

I was told to watch this movie (Amazon Prime) as it was the story of a boxer!

The story is about a manual worker in Chennai port, who loves boxing. He spends all his bachelor life and time, sneaking behind his mom to watch fights! His ‘Daddy’ is a typical daddy who encourages his son in this direction... like a misguided missile! Daddy's English terms and slangs bring a smile instantly to the viewer!

So who among us does not have a hobby ? an intense desire to be something else, apart from our vocation! This makes Arya the hero identify instantly with the main movie going mass!

Then flash back to his teacher’s days - Pasupathy! Who looks strict... intense... does not have a smile except once in the last part of the movie! 

Story of this film is based on boxing jealousies in the 70s Chennai. 

I am from Trichy. Opposite to my house where my sister and I grew up  in Thillainagar Trichy, was a big maidhan - a huge playground in the seventies. On and off, a large arena used to be built with thatched barricading and housed with stadium of seats with bamboo poles!

Wrestling matches were popular those days. Queues of men used to line up to buy tickets and show up for theses  fights which were held in the evening. Vans used to carry banners with loud announcements ( like chocalol beedies 😊) about these fights!

These wresting matches were more common and popular than movies then. Kingkong and Tharasingh were big names among the fighters. These were wrestling - not boxing matches.

I remember these were orderly and not even once, police were called to sort of disorderly conduct! Though I was too young to watch these matches, we lived close enough to hear these announcements. I am sure the wrestlers respected each other and followed the rules of the referees.

Back to the movie, ... Arya wins one match and falls by the wayside. An jail term followed by a new habit of drinking marks a turn in his life before the climax.

What the movie is about is - tough training and the motivation from within. Most of us from the middle class families are aware of coming up in life with sacrifices / encouragement of parents and tough preparations for life.

Life is not always fair!

We know bad friendship can lead one astray.

Most important lesson in life is ... to get up in life after one has fallen; not to do this is a sin! 

This is what the movie depicts and I guess this is a motivating film for the youth and the middle class mass.

HICKORY DICKORY DOCK.

HICKORY DICKORY DOCK

DEPRESSION IN OUR DOG AFTER DEATH OF HER PARTNER

 DEPRESSION IN OUR DOG AFTER DEATH OF HER PARTNER

Our German shepherd dog past couple of days, vocalized throughout the nights in a mild mourning fashion - not howling like dogs generally do. Over the past week she had some loss of appetite and ate very little. Even during the day, over the past few weeks, she used to come and mourn a lot to all of us in the family. This was quite different from her normal reserved self.

USED TO BE A RESERVED GSD

She started  to dig out the garden a great deal and recently used to come closer and lie down. Before that, she was a typical German Shepherd Dog (GSD) who used to keep a distance between her and me even while walking. But now her behaviour is more clingy and more docile to me. To outsiders, her behaviour is still the same.

She had lost her partner, an affectionate GSD about 3 weeks ago. Both of them had been with our family as pups . They used to hang out together all the time, eat together and play together.

HER PARTNER WHO PASSED AWAY

I examined her - no lumps or tenderness. Her temperature was also normal. The veterinary surgeon who examined her thoroughly also did not find any physical abnormality.

Depression in dogs occur for various reasons - one of them being the death of another household dog / pet. 

The symptoms of depression are decreased activity, refusal to feed, changing the place of sleeping, vocalisation as seen in our dog who normally is very quiet. Some dogs become more quiet. Some lose interest in taking a walk outside. 

Treatment consists of  taking more time to spend with the pet, and speaking to her. Generally with a lot of TLC, the depression is taken care of after a period of time - duration varies on the particular dog - days, weeks. 

LOT OF TLC

If nothing of the above works, medication may help. As always, vet surgeon has to rule out physical disorders and prescribe the medication.

Depression in dogs may sometimes take as long as a year.

One (വൺ) - A MOVIE (2021) REVIEW

 One (വൺ)

Political ‘drama' released on 26 March 2021.

Mammootty is the hero. 

Movie is about an honest  chief minister, who opposes corruption at all levels - inside and outside his party. 

An incident of an unreasonable behaviour of a guy who orders home delivery of food , where the person has to climb 12 stairs and gets a heart attack!

An ordinary young daughter taking on the bully who caused the heart attack!

Women parking vehicles in malls ( Kerala is always ahead in culture)!

VVIP culture and second rate treatment melted out to ordinary citizens by democratically elected leaders is portrayed lucidly as only a Malayalam movie can! 

A kind chief minister with his own personal problems ( health and family) comes to the rescue of ordinary citizens!

An auto ride by the chief minister of the state during a traffic jam!

I am reminded of the quote from another movie ‘WONDER’ -  'Greatness is not about how strong you are ..... but about the use of strength to protect the weak, value of your principles and the valour to protect those close to your heart’!

On the night of announcement of election results in 5 Indian states, it was worth watching last night. 

Movie may be classified as a ‘fiction' till it comes true,  when it can be labeled a ‘drama'.

Movie Review of Maara (released via Amazon on 8 Jan 2021)

                        Movie Review of Maara 

                 (released through Amazon Prime on 8 Jan 2021)

Colorful. Unusual theme for a Tamil movie. 

Hero (Madhavan) is not a song singing, dashing, flashy, fist fighting, romancing guy. In fact, he looks mostly like something the cat dragged in. No high end cars, just a motorbike. No great mannerisms. No ‘punch’ dialogue - quite unlike a Tamil movie!

Heroine (Shraddha) is a modern young, disobedient (aren't we all!) good looking girl, who is seriously pursuing a book of pictures. Doesn’t talk much, but no need to, as her expressions speak! She doesn't seem to work for herself at all - unrealistic,  but I guess that's what our movies are?!

Alexander Babu the stand up comedian, plays a small but significant role of thief! Apparently this is his 3rd in the movies! Pretty decent show!

Hopefully he might be considered for continued encouragement as a talented comedian in the movies!

Theme revolves around old folks with rural names, great natural cine photography. Velayya (Moulee) carrying the torch amiably for his lady love was a great touch to a romance drama movie!

A fresh change among the Tamil movies!

Some narrations could have been avoided. Much of adoration about liquor as though it is the best answer to all problems and a few unnecessary songs could have been clipped. After all, the hero and the heroine don’t sing together (running around the tree or in the wet rain), so why the other songs?!

6.5/10

MUSIC DURING COVID

                                        MUSIC DURING COVID

(Pic from internet)

Musicians in general depend on live performances, gigs and audiences.  The singers and instrumentalists live for the live crowds, audience appreciation and applause.

They prepare meticulously for months first with music alone, then as small groups, then with singers, later with choreography and finally in live theater with lights and sound. Mind you all these, even before going in front of the audience!

Covid has killed all this!

No crowds to watch you.

No groups to practice with.

One feels depressed and the feeling is akin to alighting alone at the village platform from a high speed express train!

It is well known that one needs to constantly practice to be in decent shape!

“If I don’t practice for one day, I know it

 If I don’t practice for 2 days, my critics know it

 If I don’t practice for 3 days, the public knows it!” Jascha Heifitz.

So what is the motivation for practice?

As a first rule, one must play music for oneself. Probably music came into the world for this reason, for your own joy and happiness! And then the spirituals came in when life was difficult and groups used to sing together, to overcome difficulties. It is time again, to love your own music during covid time, so that, others too would love your music, after covid is gone!

How does one go about this?

Like always, it is best to set apart time for practice.

There are no goals during covid times… no concerts, no events!

If no time is set for practice, it is easy to laze around and to fritter away the abundant time!

As for material, there is enough and more to practice!

Scales, arpeggios, studies, old repertoire, new pieces and of course Bach. If one plays by ear, there is so much of internet music to choose from.

There are enough backing tracks to make a good presentations of what you can play.

You have to set your own standard, as the famous man said, “There is no such thing as perfection. There are only standards. And when you have set a standard, you learn it was not high enough, you want to surpass it”. 

So set your own standard, and keep shifting the musical goal posts all the time!

Technology has taught violinists for instance, to record on one track, even with a mobile phone; and then add the second violin to it … to make it a duet. If one plays other sting instruments, the entire string quartet can be played by a single person and recorded!

One also plays on occasions for virtual choral numbers and large instrumental pieces, but they are far and few in between. Negative aspect is that it is a bit like singing in the wilderness. You play/sing your part today and wait for many days, to hear the final product. So this really is only a minor part of practice.

As musicians , one cannot stop practicing, even when we know covid will not go away soon. It will be months before the real shows begin, concerts return and the live applause rings in the air. Till then, viral publication of your solos, your duets and the such in the social media, will not only motive yourself, but also others in continuing their own practice schedule in solitude!

David Oistrack, when asked about any new insights about violin playing, said, “Yes, …. just…play!”

And this, we must!