A R Rahman wins Twin Oscars, Slumdog Millionaire 11 and Resul Pookutty 1

A. R. Rahman etched his name in history forever by winning two Oscar awards, for Slumdog Millionaire - best original soundtrack and best song. To cap it he even spoke in Tamil, which really gave me goosebumps. My wife and I were literall jumpin in joy as the secret was revealed. Truly historic moment indeed!

Earlier Resul Pookutty set the tone by winning his first Oscar.

Remarkable achievements, both!

A R Rahman wins 3 Oscar nominations

AR Rahman is now officially the first Indian with most Oscar nominations. I'm speechless, spell bounded, and running out of adjectives here. I want to congratulate him and wish him best of luck. I think I'll be in tears of joy when he performs on stage in Kodak Theater. Man o man this year is turning out to be so good. First there was Obama's presidency and now ARR's first Oscar appearance. Astounding !!!!

There's no doubt that Rahman will win at least one award, but I wouldn't be surprised if he bags both. Regardless, this is an achievement in itself. Though Slumdog Millionaire's soundtrack is great, it is definitely not one of his best. So I see his nomination and potential award(s) as a lifetime achievement rather than for his best effort to date. A feat which comes as a token of appreciation for all the years of hardwork he's done. Yet another proud moment for India and all Rahman fans.

Jai Ho ARR !!

BTW, Resul Pookutty also won a nomination in the sound engineering and editing category. Resul will forever be known as "the other guy" who got an Oscar nomination, simple because he is overshadowed by ARR.

A R Rahman wins Golden Globe

About 4 minutes and 28 secs ago, I witnessed a proud live moment in Indian cinema. A. R. Rahman won the Golden Globe Award for "original soundtrack in a motion picture" for Slumdog Millionaire.

The fact that Rahman beat the likes of James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer to the award is truly amazing. The shy and down-to-earth composer who had said earlier that “he was surprised” when he was nominated for the award has done the whole country proud by winning it, becoming the first Indian to do so. Shy as always, the Mozart from Madras thanked a billion Indians for their prayers.

Given that the Golden Globes are a precursor to the Oscars, will it be the first Oscar for India since Bhanu Athaiyya for Gandhi in 1982? Let's wait and see!

Updated: Video

Phenomenon from Pannaipuram and the Lost Violinist

My recent pseudo-single life has made me turn back to my favorite recourse in times of solitude - music. As I gouged through my huge collection for songs that I had less listened to in the past couple of years, I stumbled upon the theme song from Raja Paarvai, and it had that familiar effect that vintage Illayaraja always has on me - a feeling of high without a stimulant, banned ones at least. His compositions have this magical element that makes you forget everything but the dulcet tune and this one is no exception. In this era of techno thuds and the hodgepodge that is euphemistically referred to as remix, it was refreshing to listen to creative music at its zenith, albeit from 1981. It is sad that such originality, apart from an infrequently inspired Rahman, is too rare to find these days.

The piece is a gem as far as fusion goes, starting off as a carnatic duet comprising of violin and veena (ragam: pantuvaraali - Google can make even me look like a virtuoso) leading to a pulsating violin solo and then meandering into western classical (with drums) before culminating into a fusion crescendo that leaves you suddenly waking up from a trance. It has to be said that the ending crescendo is just as hair-raising as the beginning one in Poongathave from Nizhalgal. The format of the composition is very similar to the ones from How to name it?, particularly Mad Mod Mood Fugue. That being said, it is the violin, played by V.S. Narasimhan of the Madras String Quartet (who had played the instrument in How to Name It? as well), that elevates the piece to dizzying heights.

One of my greatest peeves with Illayaraja has been the recognition (or the lack thereof) that the performers in his orchestra have received. Musicians like VSN and Sivamani had played for him for years but it wasn't until Rahman changed this trend in the 90's that some, like Sivamani, got their deserved due.

Though I am well diversified when it comes to music (Rock to Rahman, Rap to Raaja, Bach to Burman - anything goes), if there was one music that I am allowed to carry with me to my grave it will have to be Illayaraja's compositions from the stone age - Raja Paarvai, Payanangal Mudivadhillai, Nizhalgal, Sindhu Bhairavi, Mouna Ragam, Johny and the likes.

P.S: Listen to this piece by VSN and the Madras String Quartet - absolutely transcendental!

Azhagiya Tamizh Magan - music review

Arrite, I am trying my hand at music review now. Why not? Isn't being a critic easier than receiving criticism.

Reviewing a Rahman album is a difficult thing to do because you don't want to make the mistake of doing it too soon. It is a well known fact that his music grows on you; 20-30 hearings is about an optimal period to start thinking about dissecting the notes. Having gone past that threshold, let us see how the Mozart from Madras fares with his latest offering, keeping in mind that it is for a mass hero.

Lets start with Ella pugazhum. You can't miss the striking resemblance to 6.5 kodi pergalin oruvan from A Aa; Rahman's vocals only strengthens the feeling of deja vu. Needless to say, it is Vijay's intro song. Nothing much to write about the lyrics - as usual glorifying the protagonist and advising the youth (as if they haven't heard it before). Nothing creative.

Kelamal Kaiyilae: This song is full of techno beats and resembles those songs that usually feature in side B as a remix of the most popular song of the album (For e.g., Chaiyya Chaiyya - Thaiyya Thaiiya from Dil se); only this time this is all you get. That being said, it is a very nice melody with soft beats in the background. If you choose to ignore the strong resemblance to "Then merku paravu katru" especially in the second interlude, it is a very nice song. Sung by Sriram Parthasarathy and Saindhavi - two new singers.

Maduraikku Pogathadi: This is currently my favorite. Classic folk beat that we have heard a million times, it is Rahman's throwback to his Kilakku Cheemayilae days. Sung by Benny Dayal, Archith, and Dharshana, it is a very peppy number that keeps you excited throughout the time and tempts you to shake a leg or two despite a touch of doli saja ke rakhna a.k.a. Jodi.

Nee Marilyn Monroe sung by Benny Dayal and Ujjayinee is a romantic song along the lines of shaka laka baby or hey hey enna achu unakku that seems to be growing on me. This song has a very fresh and catchy start, especially the "boom shaka lak" piece. The beat, techno sounds and the metallic guitar are very mellowed giving the vocals deserved prominence and the effect is mind blowing. Soft and peppy, this song is like vanilla ice cream over hot fudge brownies. Forget the calories and enjoy it!

Ponmagal Vandaal The song starts out with a strong statement - slow strong beats and Aslam's retro vocals transitioning to rap. The mixing is absolutely spot on. One of the best remixes that falls slightly short of Thee pidikka from Arindhum Ariyamalum (the best Tamil remix I have heard so far)

Valayapatti: Clear resemblance to Avalukku enna ambasamudram iyer hotel from Jillunnu oru kadhal, be it the thavil or the pitch of the male voice. Where the song stands out is the interludes where it transitions into serious Hindustani and Carnatic, a sort of ragamalika. The singers Naresh Iyer, Ujjayinee and Madhumitha have done a good job at a fast paced classical song. Lovable.

Overall, Rahman has tried to be creative within the realms of satisfying the masses. Personally, I think he achieved the perfect mix with Sivaji, but falls short of those high levels this time. While the songs, will definitely become chart busters, but for a couple of songs, it will be hard to listen to them beyond the initial freshness - definitely not a Pudhiya Mugam or Bombay. With plenty of resemblances to older Rahman tunes, I will have to say Azhagiya Tamizh Magan has too many twins to stand out in a crowd of Rahman classics.

GPA: 3/5

P.S: To download/listen to these songs go here.

Sivaji - The Boss

Magical - that's the word that comes to my mind if I have to describe "Sivaji", Rajnikanth's latest celluloid offering, in one word. From the moment, the innovative title graphics replace the retro style placard title of the namesake yesteryear thespian, to the last time the bald super star says "Cool" in his inimitable style, the movie simply mesmerizes you, despite a slow paced climax. Rajni acts in a very niche genre of movies, the so called "masala movies", and he does such an awesome job of it that it really exposes the many other inspired actors who simply ape the man - be it his mannerisms, known more popularly as his "shtyle", his penchant for punch dialogues (usually with philosophical undercurrents) or his speed of speech, walk and action.

Whatever he does, he and only he does it best; so move away cheap imitators!

It is a typical Shankar movie evident from the thematic nature of the movie, the grandeur of the songs and stunt sequences and the conceptual style of song picturization. As with all his movies, the protagonist is a one man crusader against the evils that exist in our society with help from his buddy/uncle, this time fighting against the black money that has percolated into (or out of) the Indian economy.

Rajni plays an NRI returning to India with dreams of doing something good for the country (a dream that all B-School aspirants only write about in their admission essays), but finds himself roadblocked by a corrupt system. How the Super Star fights the system and changes the color of money (much like he does the color of his skin. Boy - our thalaivar is really capable of doing anything and everything!) to fund his ambitious projects is pretty much the gist of the movie. Comedy and romance dominate the first half with Rajni and Vivek tickling our ribs with their punch dialogues and idiotic ideas to sway the girl and Shriya Saran's svelte figure capturing our attention. The second half is all Rajni the super hero, as he ups the tempo to reach his goals and, as in all his movies, loses all his wealth only to recapture it all over the course of the next 30 minutes...of course he gets the girl too.

Rajni has retained some of his famous "swish-swooshing" hand movements, with some changes though. The cigarette has been replaced by a chewing gum (and sometimes red chillies!) that bounces off anything around him and lands perfectly in his mouth and he defies the laws of gravity by zig-zagging a coin in air without touching it, every time he scores a point against the bad boys. Fans who remember his "ithu epdi irukku" from "In the 16th year" will be treated to an equally enjoyable "cool" much in line with the NRI Software Systems Architect role he plays.

The chemistry between Rajni and Vivek is excellent and Vivek has been entrusted with the responsibility of miming some of the best punch dialogues of the movie like "chittor thandina kaatpadi, sivajia seendina dead body" and "Sixkku appuram seven da, Sivajikku appuram yevenda" . Nothing new from Shankar on the story or screenplay front but credit goes to him for restoring Rajni to his best remembered looks - a combination of Billa and Basha, and that goes a long way in convincing the audience. Sujata's dialogues add comedy and satire appropriately and Rahman's catchy tunes have been matched by brilliant visuals and choreography. Shriya looks pleasing to the eye and others like Solomon Pappaiya come and go, but the real vehicle that the movie rides on is Rajni and his charismatic screen presence. The way he ups the "shtyle" meter as he transitions from the NRI, to the Boss, to the "mottai boss" is mind blowing. His looks and performance are a pleasurable combination of retro and novelty and leaves the audience with nothing but continued loyalty to the true super star of Indian cinema.

Another big contributing factor to the movie's success I must mention, is the marketing. During my recent trip to India, I was amazed by the amount of coverage the movie was getting in national news channels like NDTV and CNN-IBN and it has really transformed Rajni from a Tamil Super Star to a truly national one, if not international. I guess the movie has become such an integral part of Tamilians that almost all conversations (phone or in person, local or ISD) begin with a "Sivaji pathutiya?" and anybody who answers in the negative is perceived to be living a wasteful life.

What more do I need to say, the name says it all - "pera sonna summa adhiridhulla!"


P.S: Below is a list of punch dialogues rumored to be in the movie before its release but aren't

• Kanna, naan pakka dhan software, erangunan mavane hardware....(this is my favorite)
  
• Kanna andha sivajikku nadikka mattum dhan theriyum, indha sivajiku nadikkavum theriyum adikkavum theriyum
• unaku Aandavan vekkaraan da date annaiku unaku Shivaji vekkaraan paar vettu
• Naan nallavanukku sami, Nayavanjaganukku tsunami
• Kanna, vitukoduthavan ennaikum kettathillai, kettavan ennaikum vittukoduthathillai
• Nallavanukku naan DHARMAN Kettvanukku naan YEMa dharman da