2.0 (3D, Tamil, Movie review)

Spoilers embedded. 

With 2.0 Shankar is back with his social vigilante theme - an ornithologist strongly believes that unauthorised high energy waves from cellphone towers are killing our neighbourhood birds; he takes up the fight against the system (made of businessmen, politicians and mobile users) by way of pamphlets, slogans and meetings. He is snubbed. His love for the birds is no match for the people's love for their mobiles. Like in all Shankar movies (remember Indian, Gentleman, Sivaji, etc.), where beyond a point the fight cannot follow legal methods, in 2.0 too the bird-lover takes the path of violence. So far, so good. The movie fits in the director's template. But with a twist - the ornithologist is not the film's hero; he is the antagonist. And, we have a fault line here.

At times, while watching Baahubali (S.S.Rajamouli/2015) you get a frighteningly strong feeling that when it comes to grandeur on screen Shankar is passe and SSR is the new address to reckon with. But the industry's original mega-budget director gets back with a bang in 2.0. The visual effects are truly stunning and one-of-its kind. You have to give it to his sheer vision and meticulous execution spread over years. A mind-numbing level of work has gone into the film. You can feel it. The end credits run like the pages of a newspaper with 8 columns and some 30 rows. 

But, where the movie has missed out is, unlike Baahubali or for that matter Avatar or Titanic, in 2.0 the soul of the movie gets fogged and dazzled by the jaw-dropping visuals. In Guna (Santhana Bharathi/1991) we have seen a man's love for a sparrow, and his unbearable pain when the chirpy bird gets killed. We too have felt the pain with him. We cried with a mentally-affected man. Just a broken house atop a hill, a man, a dead sparrow - and magic! Sadly, we don't get that kind of connect with Pakshirajan (the ornithologist, Akshay Kumar), even though hundreds of birds are killed, and our man tries to save birds even after his own death. 

There are some witty one liners like 'Your call is disconnected', 'Vaanga da selfie pasangala', etc. that invite smiles from time to time. But beyond these puns the dialogues are a major let down. May be, it is because of the science-heavy content. More care with the dialogues would have drawn us closer to the characters. Also, most of the key characters on screen do not have proper lip sync or even if they have they do not have accents matching their profile. For instance, the police chief Mr.Rajendran speaks Tamil with a strange accent; The CM, another thorough Tamil gentleman, speaks with a Malayalam tinge making us relive the days of (late) Cochin Haneefa. Oh yes, forget the North Indian actors, they just talk in Hindi while the voice that comes out is Tamil. Perhaps, a sci-fi film allows such liberties.

2.0 makes you realise how much we are addicted to Shankar's fresh and creative songs.  In this film we keep waiting for it, and the wait is rather very long. But when it comes, it brings excitement. A R Rahman and team have done a wonderful job with the background score.  The album too is a pure delight. Building upon Enthiran's lyrics Madhan Karky has given us some refreshing techno, scifi, AI-philia lines in 'Endhira Logathu Sundariye..."

Amy Jackson has acted effortlessly and everyone will agree with me on that. This is one of the best roles she could aspire for. Most other actors do not bother to leave a mark. They just exist. Many of them could have been replaced by even 2D cartoons; it would not have affected the film in any way. But it is not their fault; blame it on the rootless characters they play. Beginning with the bunch of college guys in the first scene till about the end, there is not one single character that tries to find a place in your hearts and minds. And that is not good for a film. 

But there is one person who royally makes up for everyone else. It is superstar Rajnikanth. Just when you feel you have enjoyed seeing enough of him, he flies farther and takes you to a new level; and from there again to a newer place. 2.0 is out-and-out a Rajni film. Style, action, imagination. Also a bit of brilliance. Super star rocks.

2.0 does not make you cry or laugh. 

But it surely leaves you awed, confused and happy too.

Remembering Nehru.. and the secrets of family bliss

One of the greatest leaders of our freedom struggle, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was also the first prime minister of free India. As a long-serving head of free India, though Nehru may be criticised for his ostensibly flawed approach on matters like J&K, secularism, Sino-Indian relations that led to backstabbing, Hindi policy, etc. no soul can discount the leader’s unparalleled contribution to our nation building. India is what it is mainly because of the untiring efforts and grand vision of its first prime minister. Specifically talking about Panchsheel (Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence), the foundation block of the Sino-Indian relations of our early years, it is often criticised for the simple, harsh fact that at the end of the day the Chinese attacked us, and won the war too. But if you dig deep, Panchsheel is not just about two countries avoiding wars and being friends; Panchsheel can also be the secret to domestic bliss. And here is how and why. 

Rule 1: Mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty

The first principle (rule) is about not taking your spouse for granted. Suppose you are to pick up your husband from his office on the way home but you are running late. Say, instead of the usual 4:00 PM you are reaching him only by 4:14 PM. In such situations you should not recklessly assume that he is too dumb to mind the delay. For all that you know he may end up passing those precious minutes smoking or playing Candy Crush – but that is not going to disturb the truth that he is angry at you. As per Rule 1, you should have just texted him: Reaching asap. That is all it takes. Smart minds will note that once you send out this Godly message, you are free to do anything, free to reach anytime. But just respect him. Just respect her.

Rule 2: Mutual non-aggression

Oh yes! This Rule is so basic that any creature with even a little sense of self-respect could understand its importance. But to decipher its meaning, you have to look at this: There is a talk about the interior of your new home. You favourite theme is melange, you know.. a classy medley of mint and lilac. But your wife thinks India bleeds blue. She needs blue even on the mirrors, the bath tub and hair oil. Just blue. Talks, discussions, arguments, altercations, and finally the culmination of events that make you hurl your tea cup on the unfinished floor and get out of the house – with all the accompanying noises of porcelain breaking, chai splashing and the door banging. You think you had had the last word, the last action to be precise. But wait. The Cello cup and saucer set you got as a wedding gift has eleven more tea cups in it. And the other side need not rely on a tea cup to create storms. It may be a TV. It may be the car. Aggression is very much a part of the give-and-take galaxy. Be sensible. Be safe.

Rule 3: Mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs

Wait, don’t read it too closely. Panchsheel would not have anything so violative of our sanskaar. Affairs just means matters of life, the routine things that add up to the beautiful construct called life. Your wife loves to keep her Bullet 500 spick and span and spends the first two hours of every new day caring for it. At the break of dawn she goes down with a bucket of water in her hands and cleans the bike to the point that the black paint wears off and the bike begins to dissolve. But never mind it as long as your breakfast is in tact; and more importantly as long as she does not order you too to join the Bullet ritual. But whatever you do, at least share your mobile and bank account passwords with your spouse. Do not stretch the Rule of mutual non-interference to the limit of using two different remote controls for the same bedroom AC. 

Rule 4: Equality and cooperation for mutual benefit

Unity is strength, and power is in numbers. That is very clear. But the Rule 4, also stresses on the concept of equality. Just take out a day or two to think about the word ‘Equality’. You start to realise what it means. For practical purposes let us not break our backs differentiating between ‘equal’ and ‘equivalent’. In the context of family both are same (equal?). For natural reasons, no man can deliver babies, in fact no male animals have the capacity to lay eggs or give birth to the young ones. Relax, I’m just trying to build my exposition here. A corollary is that all the animals that lay eggs or produce young ones are termed as ‘females’. The complementary half is termed as ‘male’. It is just a matter of nomenclature. That is how things are. To keep it short, both the sexes are equal. They are entitled to certain exclusive, non-transferable capabilities, rights and well, duties too. A better understanding of all this will lead to a sense of equality and cooperation that will result in increased numbers. After all, power is in numbers; And power delivers mutual benefit.

Rule 5: Peaceful co-existence

If I were given a mandate to choose just one, the most definite Rule from the five, my choice would be this: Rule 5 – Peaceful co-existence. Pilots are required to look at some hundreds of readings. If they fail to check even a single parameter the flight is doomed, they say. Family life is something similar. But the only thing is that once the flight goes to the auto pilot mode you should not be bothering about the tens of flickering bulbs and beeping circuits in the cockpit. What is more important is whether you are having a safe and smooth flying or not. The little distortions here and there do not have the real potential to make the journey wobbly.  Lights glow, beeps come and go as that is the fundamental nature of a beep, but the flying should continue above the clouds, overlooking the blue seas, near the moon, and around the rising sun. Anyway in case of emergency, there are life jackets and oxygen masks, hopefully. 

And they tried living happily ever after! 

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam

When you have an attractive ensemble of stars that includes - Aravind Swami: the original chocolate boy of Kollywood, STR: the ageless rebel, Vijay Sethupathi: the man of the masses - in a film, backed by an ultra strong crew, unless the maker is your average guy the chances of the movie turning out to be a dud are very less. Going by that obviously, Mani Ratnam's Chekka Chivandha Vaanam cannot be a dull film; and it is not one too. But it needs an extraordinary level of dominance over the craft to convert such multi-star, huge canvas films from just fine and passable flicks to great ones. Unfortunately, the transformation has not happened here. 

Short of 150 minutes of run time, CCV traces the power struggle in Senapathi's family. He is a ganglord and just like Vito Corlenone, Senapathi (played by Prakash Raj) has three sons and a daughter. In the very first scene, there is a botched up assassination attempt on Senapathi and his wife. Over the course, we get to see to what extent the brothers go to take control of their father's empire. There is a lot of razzmatazz filled with gun shots, Dubai skyscrapers, gunrunning, a Sri Lankan wife, a Serbian girl friend, a journalist mistress, Nepal police, etc., but the backbone that is supposed to bind all this together firmly and glue us to our seats - the screenplay - is not well formed. It is not strong enough, not smart enough. As a result, while the individual scenes like a chase here, like a song there are beautiful, as a whole them film is not captivating enough. 

Perhaps, some kind of a backstory, just required to etch the characters and make us enter their world may have worked wonders. Characters look like fairies hanging from thin air. When Senapthati says something, you know it is Prakash Raj saying it; and similarly with Aravind Swamy. Maybe factoring this, STR and Vijay Sethupathi have been cast in characters that are in sync with their 'images'. So whenever Vijay Sethupathi (playing a cop, Rasool) says something he says more like Sethupthi and less like Rasool. His fans love it.

There is a host of artist like Jyotika, Mansoor Ali Khan, Aditi Rao, Aishwarya Rajesh, Jeyasudha, Thiagarajan, et al and you are reminded of your school parade ground. But each one of them has justified the role doled out. While Jyotika proves her mettle, Aditi's role does not have meat, and the sad part is Mansoor Ali Khan stands in as a dignified set prop; But he need not feel bad, there is Thiagarajan.

In Mani Ratnam's films, we expect a certain level of quirkiness in the dialogues and the auteur has not let us down. Like for instance the response of Ethi when he gets a call from India about his father's condition; the response of Thyagu when his wife shouts at him from a boat. It is enjoyable. We feel at home. There is also the usual mirror-sequence - a very important scene that builds up the tension among the three siblings is done brilliantly. You feel at home. You feel you are in the hands of the person who gave Tamil cinema an identity. But the feeling does not last long; and such flashes do not create great movies. 

A R Rahman!  While in most places the movie is dabbling with us, the songs and the BGM lift us to a different plane. CCV is easily among the best works of Rahman in the recent years. Vairamuthu has made us look at poetry. It's sheer magic with words. Awards waiting. There are no special moments with the camera (Santosh Sivan) but for the climax. The ending scene of the movie is written well, shot interestingly, packed with stories and well performed by all the four lead artists. In fact, the ending scene salvages the entire film that starts to drag in the second half. 

Without revealing much, I can say the climax of the movie proves once again to all of us, well, how important is the culmination to any story. In the very old hare and tortoise fable, there is no fun had the hare won the race. The story is eternal because the tortoise won. 

CCV - mostly brawn, less of brain. 

Prism - 3

In the third edition of Prism, we ask deep, very deep questions to Comedian Praveen Kumar. Well, since it requires a super brain to frame very deep questions of life, I have taken these questions from the famous Yaksha Prashna episode of the Mahabharata. Comedian Praveen Kumar is among the pioneers of the stand up comedy circuit in South India. Fuelled by talent and passion for humour, Praveen Kumar is a sought after name in the corporate comedy show circles too.

1. Who makes the sun rise and ascend in the skies? 

My wife. She makes awesome Sun Rise instant coffee. It will taste like Filter coffee only.. It will look good also.. You can instantly upload the pic of the instant coffee in Instagram.. without any Filter. And once you sit in front of the TV and drink that coffee, you will start feeling light and start feeling like ascending in air... especially if it was Tata Sky.

2. Who is the friend of a traveler?

A power bank. Nowadays mobile phone is our best friend and these smart phones have everything.. every damn thing... well except charge.. So you know who is going to be your pal on a travel!

3. What is heavier than Earth, higher than heavens, faster than the wind and more numerous than straws?

Heavier than earth - The burden of a family man. The responsibilities of a family man are really under rated. The weight he carries around is so difficult to reduce by diet or by a gym.

Higher than heavens - A politician sitting in a nuclear Physics classroom - You must have heard about things going above your head when you sit in the class where you dont understand anything. (For me, its called entire education).. But when a politician sits in a nuclear physics class, the dimensions of confusion is much higher..than heavens.

Faster than the wind - Person honking after the red signal turns green. Research tells that.. thats the least calculated time.. faster than a celebrity's mood swings.

More numerous than straws - The holy cows in the middle of the roads!

4. What is that which, when renounced, makes one lovable? 

I think we all should renounce the torn jeans. Earlier the torn jeans looked good.. little torn near the knee.. Now its become worse.. There is very little cloth in the entire jean. Lot of people got confused and put their feet in the holes of the jean while wearing it.

5. What constitutes an incurable disease?

Upmalaria - Regular eating of Upma. One imaginary survey says if you eat upma regularly might or might not affect the physical health but – it will definitely affect the mental health. You will feel that life is coming to an end.. You might feel more angry than ever. You will start feeling jealous of those who eat normal food. I think there is no cure to it. Some imaginary doctors have advised not to have even direct eye contact with these upmas for a safe and sound life. 

6. Who is truly happy?

The one who doesn’t watch mega serials and reality shows on TV. There is only one rule for writing mega serial – don’t end. And the reality shows are more scripted than the mega serials. It just spreads negativity and we should stop watching these. True happiness is avoiding these two. 

7. What is the greatest wonder? 

When a wife apologises to her husband for the mistake SHE has done. Just kidding.. that’s an imaginary wonder..it does not exist. 

Now, the philosophically inclined can look up for Dharma's answers too.

Thanks to Wiki.

Rabbit-proof Fence (Movie)

Director Lenin Bharathi said he had lost more than twenty kilos of his weight in the process of making and releasing his much-acclaimed film Merku Thodarchi Malai (The Western Ghats). No wonder I could not readily recognise him from the photos of him I had seen on the web; Also no wonder his efforts are visible on screen in his intense, left-leaning and poetic film. The director had come as the chief guest at the screening of an Australian production, Rabbit-Proof Fence (Eng & Aboriginal language/Philip Noyce/2002). Set in 1931, the plot traces the 1500-mile homeward journey of three 'half-caste' girls of the stolen generation after they escape an English-run camp. The kids born to a white and a native (Aboriginal) parent are referred as 'half-caste' children. The plan of the white settlers was to forcibly take away such kids from their homes, put them in a camp, raise them inculcating English manners and marry them off to a white - in an apparent attempt to cleanse them of their Aboriginal blood, and transform them into whites over three generations of such selective breeding. In short, it is westernisation in its most cruel form. Based on true incidents, and the book by a daughter (Doris Pilkington) of the eldest of the three girls, Rabbit-proof Fence explores the theme of racism and its ruthlessness; and also the power of love and identity that makes one do the impossible. Yes, the girls (Molly, 12, Gracie, nine and Daisy, eight) walked the entire distance snubbing the unforgiving sun and punishing deserts. 

The film is a visually impressive piece of work. Supported by mesmerising music and extraordinary performance the movie transports us to the harsh lands of Western Australia.  Talking of Merku Thodarchi Malai, it is known that maestro Ilayarjaja gives utmost importance to silence.  But with MTM I felt there was an extra dose of silence and as a whole the back ground music had taken a backseat. In the panel discussion, when one of the participants posed the same question to Bharathi, the director had a different take. He said his creation did not actually require Ilayaraja to create the background score, and in fact his creation could stand alone without music. But, the commercial compulsions required to 'package' a film forced him to take the maestro on board. And even after such decorations it took almost three years for the finished movie to hit the screens. It is a great struggle for genuine films to see the light of the day in Kollywood. Idealistic and iconoclastic, when talking about the leading heroes of Tamil film industry Bharathi did not mince words - he blamed them squarely for the kind of crass creations the industry rolls out week after week.

In Rabbit-proof Fence, there is a particular scene where the forcibly snatched girls are brought to the camp, and there is a Christian nun clad in her white attire to receive them. The children get so shocked at the mere look of the nun, they think she was a ghost. The scene symbolically resembles the final 'arrival' scene of Apocalytpo (Mayan/Mel Gibson/2006) - the protagonist (Jaguar Paw) and the two men chasing him to death are stunned at the sight of the ships and boats anchored on their shores; in one of the boats that is about to touch land we see a priest-like man holding a huge black cross. Such elegant scenes have the capacity to convey a lot in a matter of a few seconds - the inextricable link of state-religion-trade; the very same dangerous link that made one half of the world work like beasts for the other half. The screenplay also candidly gives importance to the psychological defence mechanism that play in the minds of the white officers. A.O.Neville (Protector of Western Australian Aborigines, played by Kenneth Branagh) keeps reassuring that the barbaric acts they do were purely in the interest of the Aborigines. Without such camps, the Aborigines '..are a danger to themselves'. But all these themes apart, just as a movie Rabbit-proof Fence is a beautiful creation from a pure heart. It leaves you joyed and hopeless at the same time.

Cinema Rendezvous, a club that promotes world cinema in Chennai with its monthly screening and follow-up discussion had organised the show. Well done!

Mani Ratnam's CCV; is the film inspired by Vali-Sugreevan legend?

'Naan rajavaa thaan varuvaraen.. rajavaa vandhaa..rajavukku noor dostu', that's what Ethi (the youngest of the three sons of Senapathi, the ageing don) shouts out during a football game by the beach on a rainy, sunny day. Roughly, 'I'll make an entry as the king'. It is from the trailer (2:46 secs) of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, Mani Ratnam's latest film planned for this September release.

Among the many trailer reviews in social media, one that is gaining circulation is an article that proposes that the movie could be based on the legendary Tamil writer, Kalki's magnum opus - Ponniyin Selvan. The novel, a historical fiction, that ran as a series over many years in a Tamil weekly, is easily the most popular of all novels in the language. And there have been attempts by many a filmmaker to translate the magical spell in those pages onto the silver screen. But almost all of them have failed. Mainly weighed down by the sheer canvas of the story, the tens of towering characters and the multitude of sub-plots that transport you back in time to the Chola era. The novel is about the power struggle that happens towards the end of Sundara Chola's (Paranthaka Chola II) reign. 

Like any other theory, the one propounded in the article that is doing the rounds in social media is built on many 'ifs' and 'buts'. But, accommodating a comparable level of tolerance, I strongly feel more than to the story of Ponniyin Selvan, CCV is closer to the Vali-Sugreevan chapters of Ramayanam. 

Senapathi is a mafia don, and he controls the city, basically a concrete jungle as presented in the opening shots of the trailer. Vali-Sugreevan story is set in Kishkindha, a jungle. A jungle represents a place that gets filled with mayhem when there is no power centre,an authority  a king. In the underbelly of the city, which is very much a jungle, a mafia don is akin to a king. While in most versions of Ramamyanam, the story starts with Vali as the king of Kishkindha, in CCV there seems to be a slight tweaking of the story as it starts with an earlier generation. The power struggle among the princes is a standard template, and CCV may have adapted it, slightly deviating from the Vali-Sugreevan myth. 

Vali, the elder of the two brothers, is invincible; Even the Gods cannot kill him in a true fight. The reason for his invincibility is a very simple and elegant one. (I don't want to get into that.) In CCV, the eldest of the three sons, Vardan (played by Aravindswami), is shown as a real strong man. He is ready to take over from his father, and he asserts his power with a sense of arrogance and invincibility. No one can harm him - just like Vali.

In CCV, two younger brothers (Thyagu and Ethi) vie for their father's position in their own ways. (As against the two siblings of Ramayanam, here in CCV we have three siblings, may be just to pep up things!) Thyagu does it subtly in the trailer, by sitting on periyavar's sofa (the seat of power) when no one seems to be around. But Ethi is a brat, and he shouts out those lines during the football by the beach. But how much ever Sugreevan may wish, Vali cannot be defeated by anyone, easily. So here enters someone who can help the younger brother in finishing off the elder. He is Lord Rama. In CCV, it is Rasool. This guy is someone whom Vardan apparently trusts. But the trailer seems to show that Rasool betrays Vardan. Just like Rama killed Vali, hiding behind the woods and shooting an arrow into Vali's heart.  Rama was the ideal person, and Vali could not have imagined even in his wildest dreams that one day Rama would kill him in such a lowly manner. Total betrayal. Sugreevan takes Rama's support to kill Vali: Ethi too seems to connive with Rasool eliminate Vardan. 

Vali is generally accused of retaining Sugreevanan's wife with him in the palace while chasing out Sugreevanan into the woods. At times, the act is also used to justify Rama's killing of Vali. In the sense that he has done an immoral act and he had to be punished. Here too, Vardan seems to have an extra marital affair; an immoral act. 

But obviously, which one of the brothers ascends the throne is not revealed in the trailer. There is a strong possibility that none of the siblings succeed and Rasool, being inspired by Rama - the hero, cleans up the jungle. Jai Sri Ram!

Or for all that you know, CCV may be another fresh variant of The Godfather in which Michael and Sonny fight each other for the empire. 

(Btw, hope you have noted another fundamental similarity: VAli - VArdan, RAma - RAsool ;)

#Chekka Chivantha Vaanam #Mani Ratnam #Ponniyin Selvan

15 Commandments - Civil Services Exam

The UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) preparation reminds me of the parable, Blind men and an elephant. Especially, with the rise of social media the elephant has grown new multiple parts, and to complicate matters more, the number of men and women trying to identify the beast too has gone up manifold. In short, information overdose is the norm of the day. I often see aspirants who are unable to clear the clutter, and justifiably so. Also the perils peak during this time of the year. 

So here we have 15 Commandments (most of them are in nature of suggestions and questions, though) that touch the heart and the soul of the Exam.  These fifteen pointers may help you achieve your dreams faster, or may also assist you in quitting the race at the right time. In either case, you are more successful than getting caught up in a quagmire that comes in the form of an Exam.

Basic questions - before you take the plunge:

1) Why do you want to enter civil service? (Pls get to the core of your thoughts and find the real answer, rather than parroting things like I want to be like Kiran Bedi, T N Seshan, Raghuram Rajan, etc.)

2) Are you planning to prepare full time or part-time along with a regular work? If you have a choice, do not juggle a job and the preparation.

3) Have you/your family done a bit of financial planning for the next 2-3 years? (Coaching class fees, living expenses, travel fares, opportunity costs, etc.)

4) Whether you are ready to spend the next 2-3 years of your life in Delhi or any such hub?

5) Keep a job skill ready - Plan B, in case (due to bad luck or forces beyond control) even after 3-4 attempts you do not find yourself among the 1000 candidates selected out of about 8 lakhs applicants.

Core preparation - before you enrol:

1) Meet/read the experiences of some serving officers and know about the overall job profiles of different services. 

2) Critically analyse the past 7-10 years' prelims and mains question (including the paper of your planned optional paper). Note down your observations.

3) Buy NCERT school text books for all the basic subjects from Class VI to Class XII. Read them thoroughly. (Prioritise the subjects based on the question paper analysis. For e.g. you may not need the higher level Maths books)

4) Read The Hindu (esp the editorials) and follow any two good weekly magazines. Keep track of a quality CS magazine. And, stay away from news apps.

5) The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey is a must-read and must-have.

Broad timelines - before you lose track:

1) The Prelims is usually conducted around June. The Mains exam will happen around Sept-Oct. The interviews will start in Feb-March, the following year. The final results in  April-May.

2) Generally, the the coaching classes start their sessions around August (Y1) for the next year's exams (Y2). The results will be known in the Y3. So planning is crucial.

3) Even before you sit for the Prelims, you should have prepared well for the Mains exam (including the optional paper). Watch out and plan accordingly.

4) The time between the Prelims and Mains should be mainly used for revisions and taking model exams. It is not for for learning new subjects. 

5) Do not wait for the Prelims results to be declared to start preparing for the Mains exams. In that case you are mostly doomed (like many candidates who commit this blunder). Just with a break of 2-3 days after the Prelims exams, (and with a deep sense of confidence), hit the ground running.

I'm sure 2 or 3 out of the list could be debated, but nevertheless for a fresh aspirant these fifteen will serve as a lighthouse. Best of luck!

(PS: Yes, Mr.Raghuram Rajan is not an officer of the civil services)

Related posts:

http://pilanipictures.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-next.html

More in Labels: Civils/Bureaucracy.

Brothers for Freedom

72nd Independence Day. Our National Movement has seen many illustrious brothers who have fought together to deliver freedom from the clutches of the British East Indian Company and the Crown. My special salutes to the mothers who have sacrificed more than one of their sons to our struggle for freedom. 

Chapekar brothers

Yersina pestis, the bacteria that causes bubonic plague and Queen Victoria, the record-holder for the longest rein as a queen in the world history till recently, are closely connected to the martyrdom of Damodar, Balakrishna and Vasudeo Hari Chapekar, the Chapekar brothers. 

A plague epidemic that originated in China, reached Poona (Pune) around 1896. As the usual administrative machinery that ran the town could not handle the public health catastrophe, the British (Governor of Bombay) formed a Special Plague Committee headed by W.C.Rand, an ICS officer. This was March 1897. But, the situation spiralled out of control; the men working for the Committee trampled on the norms of public morality, local customs and sentiments; in the name of checking the spread of the pandemic they themselves turned into beasts that went on a uncontrolled rampage - forcing entry into houses, stripping of females by males, destroying household things including (Hindu) idols, abusing religious sentiments associated with the last rites of a person, and so on. 

All this did not go down well with the Chapekar brothers. They were looking for the right moment to eliminate Rand. With Queen Victoria completing 60 years in throne an opportunity presented itself in June, 1897. The white men of Poona too had arranged for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The guards were down. Bullets were fired. The rest is history. Bravery. Rand and his military escort Lieut.Ayerst were eliminated by Damodar and Balakrishna Hari Chapekar, outside the Government House. Certain betrayers were killed by the youngest sibling, Vasudeo Hari Chapekar. 

All the three brothers were hanged in 1898 and 1899. At the time of their hanging, Damodar was 28 years old, Balakrishna was 26 and Vasudeo was 20.

Ghose brothers

Born in Kolkata (Calcutta), educated in England for a career in ICS, worked as an officer in Baroda under the Maharaja, drawn into the National Movement by revolutionary ideals, nurtured the radical youth including his younger brother in Bengal, underwent solitary confinement as an undertrial in the Alipore Conspiracy Case for a year from May 5, 1908, had spiritual experience while in jail, acquitted due to the assassination of the approver and key witness in jail, broke away from the past, relocated to the French colony, Pondicherry, and established a spiritual community that is revered all over the world till this day. What a life! 

Of the four Ghose brothers, Aurobindo and Barindra Kumar occupy important pages in the history of our freedom struggle during the early years of the twentieth century. Barindra Kumar Ghose was also tried in the Alipore Conspiracy Case. While the elder brother was acquitted, Barin was convicted and handed out death by hanging. Soon, the punishment was reduced and he was sent to the Cellular Jail, Andamands (1909) for life. Again, owing to a scheme of amnesty he was released in 1920. Barin followed Aurobindo to Pondicherry. But got back to journalism in Kolkata.

After his release from Alipore Jail, Sri Aurobindo wrote a series of articles describing his life inside the prison. Some of these articles and essays form the main text of Tales of Prison Life. The book also has Uttarpara Speech where he disclosed for the first time some of the spiritual experiences he had while in jail. Sample this:

'When the case opened in the lower court and we were brought before the Magistrate I was followed by the same insight. He said to me, "When you were cast into jail, did not your heart fail and did you not cry out to me, where is Thy protection? Look now at the Magistrate, look now at the Prosecuting Counsel." I looked and it was not the Magistrate whom I saw, it was Vasudeva, it was Narayana who was sitting there on the bench.'

Savarkar brothers

Due to the leadership of Bal Gangadghar Tilak, from the 1890s, Maharastra turned into a hotbed of militant nationalism that caused the British much pain. His publications 'Kesari' and 'Maharatta' fuelled the fire of freedom that made normal men make extraordinary sacrifices for the country. The eldest of the Savarkar brothers, Ganesh Damodar Savarkar (Babarao Savarkar) along with his immediate younger sibling Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (Veer Savarkar), took forward the secret society Mitra Mela, and established Abhinav Bharat Society, in 1903, taking inspiration from the Italian revolutionary movement. Among the most successful action of the Society was the assassination of A.M.T.Jackson, the District Magistrate of Nasik. 

Soon, Veer Savarkar was sent to the Cellular Jail in the Andamans. However, after an early release from the Andamans due to his mercy petitions, Veer Savarkar took up the Hindutva line of nationalism. Similarly, Babarao Savarkar was also taken out of the Andaman jails. Eventually, both the brothers provided leadership to Hindu Mahasabha and later contributed to the formation and growth of the RSS too.

While there have been many interpretations of the Revolt of 1857, in his book First War of Indian Independence, it was Veer Savarkar who termed it as a 'planned war of national independence'. Glory!

As we go back farther in time, by about a century to 1799, we can see Veerapandia Kattaboman, a poligar, hanging by the neck from a  tree in Kayathar, near the Southern tip of our country. That was the punishment awarded to him by the British East India Company for refusing to accept the Company's sovereignty. Kattaboman's fort at Panchalankuruchi was razed down. 

His brother Oomaithurai escaped from his prison in Palayamkottai; and he rebuilt the fort. Soon, taking support from Marudhu brothers of Sivagangai, he fought the Company. Canons won again. The fort fell again. Oomaithurai escaped again. But this time he was trapped. In 1801, Oomaithurai was hanged along with the Maruthu brothers.

Added based on a reader inputs:

Ali brothers
Khilafat Movement has a very important and interesting place in our struggle for freedom. The Movement was not launched due to reasons that were directly within our borders. Rather, the root of the Movement was the happenings in and around Turkey. Also, on the other hand, the Movement did not result in India's independence. In fact, the prominent leaders of the Movement were instrumental in drawing Pakistan on the political map of the world. 

The Non-Cooperation Movement (launched in August 1920), led by Mahatma Gandhi was on an unprecedented scale that worried the British. And it was the Khilafat Movement that provided a solid base for the Non-Cooperataion Movement. The Indian National Congress and the Khilafat Committee got together to launch the Non-Cooperation Movement, which also stood for the Hindu-Muslim unity during the time. It is very hypothetical, but if not for the Chauri Chaura incident (February 1922), it is highly likely that the Non-Cooperartion Movement combined with the later phase of the Civil Disobedience Movement may have won us freedom much earlier. 

The brothers here - Maulana Shaukat Ali and Mohammad Ali Jouhar. They were among the early leaders of the Khilafat Committee.

Kaala

Once watch.

Now, this is going to be long.
(Has some spoilers too)

With Kaala, Pa.Ranjith has rewritten Ramayanam. In his version, the ten-headed demon Ravanan vanquishes Ram (Lord). Being thoroughly, expressly, anti-establishment, anti-Aryan and anti-Hindu is the foundation block of the film. In this process, the director has forgotten even in the Tamil version of Ramayanam by Kamban, it is not Ram but Ravanan who is evil and hence gets defeated. But in the climax, the creator Ranjith outshines the activist Ranjith as in a set of beautifully choreographed scenes with a sea of people and black, red and blue colour powders jetted amidst them, Kaala, the second generation godfather of the slums, crushes his all powerful, right-wing nemesis, Haridev Abhyankar. (Btw, some of us may remember Shriram Abhyankar, played by Atul Kulkarni, of Kamal's Hey Ram [2000]. Shriram was a part of a Hindu nationalist group that planned to eliminate Mahatma Gandhi around the time of Independence, for siding with the Muslims and getting a raw deal for the Hindus.) 

Until a few years ago I had the habit of reading Frontline and buying Economic and Political Weekly. It stopped. Partly, because of my slow reading speed and partly due to the high-pitched views generally devoid of clear solutions, that filled the pages of these magazines. Still I revere these magazines. So I was kind of happy to note that Rajnikanth has acted in a Frontline magazine. 

Hardly a frame goes without the ideological stamp of the director. Even when you have a frame with hundreds of people with emotions running high, in one corner you have 'A-1 Beef Stall'; The corporate that comes out with its grand plans to uproot the slum dwellers promising better homes and lives is named 'Manu Realty'; The newly proposed township is  'Dandakaranya Nagar', meaning it is a part of Ravanan's (Kaala's) kingdom.  So on and so forth. Nothing per se unpalatable, in fact I loved the Manu part, but I thought I went for a Rajni entertainer, not a Ranjith-Rajni propaganda film. Especially, given the after effects of Kabali and the promises made during the audio launch, I was expecting an intense gangster movie with Superstar stealing the show. 

Even though Kaala's Wiki page says it is a political gangster film, it is only half truth, the other half is a lie. Kaala is by no way a gangster movie. The hero's position as the leader of the masses is due to his family heritage - his father Vengaiyyan, a first generation migrant from Tirunelveli to Dharavi, organised people to resist the capitalist sharks. After he gets killed, his son Karikaalan takes over. Fair enough. But what explains Kaala's 3-storeyed house and a fancy jeep? Dons earn by smuggling, extortion, execution and the assorted category of crimes. But there is no such backstory to Kaala. Or is it just not said with the sole intention off hiding Kaala's black shade? Here is where a creator who does not mix up his art with activism makes a difference; and marches on to creates a legendary picture. 

Till this date, the classic Neenga nalla vara? ketta vara? from Nayagan (1987) resonates in our minds. It is mainly because it traces the journey of a little boy, Sakthivel, a union leader's son from near Tirunelveli (again), who comes and makes it big in Dharavi - with all his shortcomings and failures. Again, he too fights eviction, kills cops, beats the system and carries out all the related jobs. In the process he becomes the guardian angel of the slum dwellers too. But nowhere Velu Naicker is glorified without restraint; nowhere his character is left hanging in thin air. Sadly, with Kaala the golden aura of benevolence is kept so fortified that we do not get a chance to peek in and know what lies beyond; what it hides.

The film opens with the style of a documentary, that roughly presents us the gist of Yuval Noah Harari's bestseller Sapiens in 2D animation. Well done! Superstar's opening is cool. Soon, one of Kaala's son, Lenin, is leading a protest against the State. Lenin, wants to fight for his rights, but within the laws of the system. He hates the illegal and cruel methods of his father. But soon, Lenin's elder brother who acts as the goonda no.1 for his father, comes in along with Kaala and wins over the battle with muscle power. Lenin is frustrated by the uncalled for and undesired intervention by his father. But over the period of next 70-80 minutes, there is a particular scene that stands out - Lenin brings Kaala to fight alongside him, in Kaala's own violent style. The transformation is complete, and the signal is loud and clear. The system does not support the oppressed; so we need an eye for an eye. (System சரி இல்ல?)

Samuthirakani as the alcoholic, right hand man of Kaala excels. With his timely humour and candid performance he brings in much cheer to the otherwise flat moments. He also acts as the chief social media strategist to the don. Kaala-Selvi chemistry works out wonderfully well.  Kudos to Easwari Rao! While their lives go about in a mundane manner with the usual agitations, domestic problems, songs and dances, Sate oppression, etc. Huma Qureshi (she is stunning) enters the scene as Zareena, a world famous NGO worker with a specialisation on urban poor. Soon, we get to know Zareena is Kaala's ex. That's something very nicely handled. The dynamics of the couple upon the ex's arrival is so enjoyable; and matured. In fact, the rooftop dinner that Kaala and Zareena have is so loaded with emotions, yet it feels  so light; and the way it ends is predictable, yet intense too. Rajni, the actor, shines. At some point of time, once done with all the political stuff, Pa.Ranjith, the creator, should make a full-fledged love story revolving around old aged characters. He has a great knack for it; he is able to making it so fresh. Something on the lines of Pa Pandi (2017). But there was always this lurking fear after Zareena's entry; especially after we start to hear Kaala-Zareena story from various characters. Yes, it would have been dreadful to watch Rajni-Huma as 20-year olds with make up et al. Smartly, and luckily for us, the love story portion is presented in animation with a super quality art work. We are spared.

Again, due to the compulsion of creating political awareness among the downtrodden and the minorities, where otherwise only a few words would have been enough, in Kaala a few pages of dialogues are deployed. You go mad! But thankfully the usual members of Ranjith's play troupe are missing. There are many talented new faces. But his dance troupe is very much active. Please give them a break from dance! Nana Patekar carries his role with aplomb, though due to Madras (2014) effect, we see more of his flex banners and posters than him. The costume designer did not perhaps have much work. His mandate: Everyone in slum to have black dresses; everyone on the other side to be clad in full white. So simple! But here is where the whole movie falls apart - life has shades of grey. Pure black and white exist only in chess boards. But yes, such symbolism are required to break the white-good/black-bad nexus. But unfortunately, Kaala is more about wearing ideologies on your shoulders than cherishing tastefully done figurative. 

Special mention of T.Ramalingam, the art director. What a splendid work! Santosh Narayan is at his usual best; he keeps doing what he likes.

The highlight of the trailer was 'Vengayyan mavan othella nikkaen...' - but perhaps as a cruel joke on us, even before the punch dialog gets over, a group of thugs come to rescue Kaala from the enemies! But soon, just to compensate for the earlier miss, Rajni single handedly encounters a dozen giants and also neatly manages to throw a few of them from an overbridge; during this episode he kills villain no.2 too. And the Mumbai rains drench all of us. I think it was the best decision to make the thugs come to his rescue. But Rajni's inimitable performance with comedy is enjoyable as ever.

As a movie the end works. But since the attempt has been at something much bigger, I'm not sure if it's the right way. Will the problem of the downtrodden vanish only if every repressive man in the class/caste hierarchy is killed? Only if the law is torn apart and lives are taken? No way. Among the million suggestive things in the movie, there is also a passing shot of a wall having the classic Bhagat Singh painting - in a western hat  and murukku mesai. The young martyr, who's among the greatest socialist thinkers, too had expressed futility of violent methods. Also, till his last breath, Bhagat Singh was a sworn atheist - that means he did not believe in any god and any religion, including Islam and Buddhism.

In addition to the core story line, Ranjith has taken liberal support from Nayagan like - loss of the hero's son and wife to violence, support of Muslims, eviction episodes, colours of Holi, dances with kids, crowd support during police enquiry, etc. But, Kaala too would have been a landmark film - if only the script had not lost its way in the turbulent political waters; if only the script had answered the two basic questions - Who is Kaala? How is he going to uplift the lives of his people? 

Am I asking for a Nayagan's remake with Rajni in the lead role? Nah!

Karthik Subburaj - please give us a Rajni film bro! Or even better if we get on board Thiagarajan Kumararaja. 

(PS: After many years, I get to watch a Superstar film in Tamil Nadu; that too FDFS@0730 hrs.)

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Updated:)