Chocolate Krishna - the 400th show

I attended Crazy Mohan's Chocolate Krishna drama few days back at Narada Gana Sabha. It was the drama's 400th show. The Crazy Creations team made it a special event by inviting several dignitaries like K Balachandar, Kamal Hassan, Prof. Nyanasambandham, S Ve Shekar, P B Srinivas etc. Pretty much the cross-belt of persons involved in Tamil drama were present. We made a last minute decision to watch the drama and somehow got tickets. It was my first time at a Crazy Mohan drama and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story is based on a God-Man interaction. Though this concept is not new, the approach feels different as Crazy Mohan adeptly balances comedy and Godliness. There were simply too many hilarious punchlines and lol moments to remember. Mohan's wit, clever word play and sharp humour had us in awe. During the interval, Kamal feted the troupe members by giving out silk shawls (ponn aadais). The core group of Crazy Creations had been together for 32 years now. K Balachandar in his speech lauded the troupe's contribution to Tamil drama and Prof Nyanasambhandam had us in splits as he recollected his interactions with Crazy Mohan and Kamal. All in all, an awesome evening!

Wishing the Crazy Creations team many more successful and LOLful years in Tamil drama!

Here are some photos:

The troupe honoured Crazy Mohan with a monstrosity of a maalai.

Kamal felicitating 'Appa' Ramesh

The hero. Maadhu Balaji.

Kamal felicitating the actor who played 'Varadhukutti' in Micheal Madana Kamarajan.

K Balachander in his speech.

The days without her

The last time it happened, I was a final-year University student. It was during exams - the time I needed her the most. But I lost her. She slipped out somehow. I felt handicapped in her absence. Maybe she was fed up with me. Probably pissed off with my incessant requests and favours. I dunno. I was looking for her everywhere like Moondram Pirai Kamal searching for the mentally-challenged Sridevi. Remember that scene? Balu Mahendra was a legend. Like that scene in Moondram Pirai, my search for her had a happy ending. I got her back when I heard the librarian read out her name over the PA system asking her to be collected. The librarian added in her usual grumpy tone that her owner has kept THE most annoying ringtone she has ever heard. My cell-phone. My darling. I got her back then.

Fast forward 3 years...

This time I left her in the cab. I perhaps didn't search for her like Moondram Pirai Kamal...but it was more like Nagarjuna in Idhayathai Thirudathey. I hopped from one place (read: cab office) to another in a Jeep till late in the night searching for my 97-gram chellam. The only thing that lifted my spirits after going through buckets of ownerless phones was the realisation that I wasn't the only idiot to leave a mobile phone in a taxi. There are bucket loads of us!

The next day I decided to punish myself by not rushing out and buying another handset. Suddenly phoneless I wondered how I'd cope. I felt uneasy to step out of the house. It felt like going out without any pants on. Still, I ventured out. Every now and then, I'd tap my pant pocket to check for the non-existing phone. oh yes. no phone. yea, fantastic!

The following day, I felt slightly liberated. I slowly found out why. Firstly, I didn't have to worry about answering calls when I was in the Mens room. I strongly I believe I share a toilepathic connection with most people who have my mobile number. The blimming thing, yes my mobile, would stay quiet for hours on my desk and ring the moment I step into echo chamber that is the office loo. "Hi! yes. I am good thanks. Hey, listen, umm...can I call you right back? I may sound as if I am speaking sitting inside a big empty drum or something, but I'm actually in the toilet". The caller would pause momentarily, then mumble an apology while my mind will go into overdrive imagining the caller rushing off to wash their hands. Ahh..personal hygiene. I likey!

The urge to check for txts and missed calls every 3.12 minutes remained, but with no mobile, it was slowly but surely fading.

While travelling to work next day, I couldn't help but to observe the mobile in everyone. I saw people in the streets, in the train, with their hands clasped to their ears. I experienced a feeling of disconnection. It felt like I was living in a bubble. A strange sense of freedom enveloped me. I floated like a butterfly basking in this glorious isolation. It was a curiously gratifying sensation!

On a serious note, I got my mobile back the next day. Thanks to the gentleman who returned it. Mate, you are a gem!

--

Aside:

After linking the clip from Moondram Pirai in the first para, I watched the whole movie again. I am glad I did. Watta masterpiece by Balu Mahendra. I heard Kamal Hassan won a National award for it but Sridevi didn't. Even the Kamal fan in me reckons Sridevi deserved the award more than Kamal. She was simply brilliant as Viji. Perhaps people were bowled over by Kamal's performance in the climax scene. Honestly, I cant think of any current Indian actress who could match or better Sridevi's performance. Ms Mukharjee? or Mrs Saravanan? Hmm...I doubt it.

Like every blue-blooded Kannadasan fan, I love Kanne Kalaimaaney song for its lyrics. However, I like Poongatru Pudhidhanadhu song better both for its music & visuals. It does not have profound lyrics like Kanne Kalaimaane. But there is something about this song - is it Ilaiyaraja's music or Yesudas's voice or Balu Mahendra's photography or cute moments like where Sridevi tries to listen to the train sound from thandavaalam (railway track) through Kamal's ears...I dont know. The whole package...it's just beautiful.

This = rand(thots, 1)

• Watched Unnai Pol Oruvan last weekend. A great movie. Unlike the friends I went with, I haven't seen the original, A Wednesday. I think having not seen the original helped me to appreciate movie on its own context without the inevitable comparison. While watching UPO, it took me a while to see Kamal as a common man. As the movie progressed, Kamal - the character - grew in me. Except for dialogues (only at some instances), every aspect of the movie was almost perfect. And no, I didn't find MohanLal's accent irritating. I actually liked it.
  

• Kamal proves, yet again, he is one of the few people to take Tamil Cinema to the next level. I really admire the brilliance and versatility of the man - not only as an actor - but as a movie maker. He is one of the few persons who really understands the medium called cinema. Legend!
  

• A friend sent me this clip. Chakri Toleti, director of Unnai Pol Oruvan, is in it. Funny clip.

• Things have been busy in work front. The last month has been a huge learning curve and greatly rewarding. Along with other stuff I've got running in parallel, I am happy that I've accomplished what I set to do.
  

• Weddings. Kalyanams. Engagement parties. Nichiyatharthams...September was full on!

• Later this month, one of my best friends, is getting married in Auckland. At last, I am attending a TamBram wedding after god-knows-how-many years. I cant wait for Oct 23rd. Ganesaaa!

• I hate time zones. Why do all my good friends have to live in different timezones. Hmph!
  

• I was at IKEA this weekend. I don't know what's with that place, it's my second visit there and I am writing about it again. Two things: I saw the biggest bathtub I've ever seen in my life. It was a size of a small lake. Massive. I also saw a slam-proof toilet seat. I tilted the toilet lid, and watched it slowly and noiselessly descend and close with faint click. The saleswomen pitching for the product looked very pleased. I asked her "do you have one that lifts automatically when someone approaches?", and immediately added "...and lowers when they depart?". The saleswoman gave a blank look and said "ahhh. no. sorry." Men can sometimes forget to lift the seat. This can cause a degree of domestic disharmony. I am sure IKEA will fully expound on the sales potential of the automatic seat lifting toilet. I wonder what's next?
  

• NZ playing Australia today in Champions Trophy final now. Go the Black Caps! Underdogs vaazhgha!

• I have not had Rasam for more than three weeks now. I am craving for hot thakaali rasam with poricha appalam.

• This weekend is gonna be a cookfest.
  

• I am brushing up my MATLAB skills. It's been 3 years since I've worked on MATLAB/Simulink. Hence the title of the post.