Thinking Out Loud

The phrase "சனியன் பிடிச்ச மூதேவி" harkens back to a time of growing up in வட்டுக்கோட்டை (mostly) and கட்டுடை. It's nowhere close to a swear word (or phrase) but it is so effective where the intended recipient(s) may never recover for years to come. Indian accent, in my most humble and honest opinion, can never match the viciousness (or passion, however you want to look at it) with which the word "மூதேவி" be delivered in the Jaffna dialect. In Tamil films, there usually is a stereotypical retort to மூதேவி: "சீதேவி" or "ஸ்ரீதேவி" (in the மதராஸி dialect, of course), thus rendering the word ineffective and relegating it to a lower, fragile rung in the comedic ladder. My least favourite planet was Saturn. Why? Because the word "சனியன்" is the colloquial term for சனி பகவான் aka Saturn. What if Saturn catches you? சனி பிடிச்சத English-ல சொன்னனாக்கும். Well, once Saturn catches you, you will have to endure more than what Annamalai had

My thoughts as a stream of consciousness while watching the epically epic, epicasiously epicness of a 3-hour election campaign video... ஸாரி for the break... film(?), Mersal. Only a Tamil film hero would be antagonised for wearing a veshti in a French airport so he could deliver punchlines in Tamil to French airport officials. "வேட்டி இஸ் டமிலன்ஸ் அடையாளம்" அப்புடி சொல்லிப்புட்டு அடுத்த ஸீன்ல ஜீன்ஸ் போட்டு டான்ஸ் (not பரதநாட்டியம்) ஆடுறாக நம்ம தலவலி... ஸாரி for the break... தளபதி (no more இளைய - the filmmakers are adamant on it). Do I smell pizza? "அம்மாவ மாத்த முடியாது." Vijay says at one point. நா அப்பிடியே ஷாக் ஆயிட்டேன் (வடிவேலு reference, because he is in the film). Then ஐ வோஸ் வெரி கன்பீஸ்ட். Then I realised it was not Apollo Amma (மம்மி பாவம், மம்மி பாவம்) but Tamil-Mother-Tongue-Amma (Whew! Less tension, more work). 'Best Punch of the Decade' Award goes to: Boat Club-ல வாக்கிங் போற உனக்கே இவ்வளவுன்னா, Marina-வுல ஜாகிங் போற எனக்கு எவ்வளவு

"ஒரு கத சொல்லட்டா சார்?" (Shall I tell you a story, sir?) So starts the cat-and-mouse game between the cop (Vikram: Madhavan) and gangster (Vedha: Vijay Sethupathi) that never ceases to amaze you with its numerous twists and turns and leaves you in awe even long after the film has ended. Based on the trailer, you could walk into the cinema expecting a worn-out cop-gangster cliché of a story but (sorry for turning this into clickbait material) what happens next will blow your senses to kingdom come. Nothing is ever in black or white. Vikram Vedha explores the shades of grey (if anyone mentions fifty, I'll punch you in your nether regions) in all of us and whether we show our Vikram or Vedha personality in any given situation and if we are morally right for doing so. Vikram says he will sleep soundly after shooting a bad guy and won't give it a second thought, but will he always be right? What if he kills an innocent? Would he chalk it up to collateral damage o

He wanted to outrun the car and I let him. He was fully geared up in his all-white tracksuit. I revved up the engine and checked my rear-view mirror. He was gone. I could literally feel my heart pounding against my chest. I heard a thud coming from the kitchen. My mouth turned to sand; I couldn't stand as my legs had turned to jelly. Another THUD! Fear washed over me completely as I stood, stock-still. I finally caught up with him at the butchers' buying meat. 'Hey, I've been waiting a long time.' 'Okay, okay, no need to blow your trumpet. I don't know how you did it but you just beat me only by a couple of minutes.' 'Couple of minutes? I have been waiting for you for the last 200 years!' Somehow I overcame my fear and tiptoed to the kitchen. All the drawers and cupboards were open, yet nothing was missing. Instinctively I looked over to the set of knives and there they stood, all of them, shining coldly in the dark night... All but one. Where wa