ORAM PO-REVIEW

We rarely come across Tamil films approaching the various sections of people in a realistic manner. Belittling the marginalized segments by looking down or patronizingly portraying them is the normal practice of mainstream Tamil cinema. However, we get to see some realistic portrayals of such segments in recent days in films like Puduppettai, E, and Polladhavan. Oram Po is one such attempt.

The movie looks into the world of a section of Chennai auto rickshaw drivers as realistic as possible. The approach by debutant directors Pushkar and Gayatri is refreshingly new, as they do not look at them from outside. They make a sincere attempt to look at their lives from within.

Oram Po tells you the story of a set of auto rickshaw drivers based in Chennai in a simple and straight forward manner without any pretensions. The movie has nothing serious in its content. It provides you an engrossing experience with light hearted and enchanting sequences.

Director couple Pushkar and Gayatri makes their debutant with Oram Po, featuring Arya and Pooja in the lead roles. The couple has effectively recreated the lives and emotions of the auto rickshaw drivers. They have captured the various shades of their lives. They try to show you the lives as realistic as possible.

Chandru (Arya) and ‘Bigilu’ (Lal) are close friends. Chandru is an expert in auto race and Bigilu, a mechanic is an expert in customizing the autos to run at a dream speed of 130 km/hr.

Son of Gun (John Vijay) is the chief of rival group who wants to outsmart Chandru-Bigilu group. Chandru, the race champ tries to settle his dues for his auto through a race, which is almost a cakewalk for him. He and Bigilu challenge Son of Gun to a race. And the day for race is fixed.

Bigilu meanwhile introduces Chandru to his sister running a Biriyani shop. Chandru is attracted towards her daughter (Pooja), and woos her into his fold. The affair grows stronger and ends in sex. The care free auto driver however, is not interested in long term commitment and tells it on the face of the girl. Shocked Pooja curses him and moves away from him. The champion gets distracted on the D day because of the memories of his love affair and fails in the race. He looses his auto and later his dearest friend Bigilu, who comes to know about his affair.

The sub plot of the search for the missing diamonds by a smuggler adds flavour to the proceedings. The unpredictable and fun filled climax puts everything in order.

Arya looks credible as an auto driver but struggles to exude varied emotions demanded by various situations. His expressions are monotonous and hence tend to be boring. His expressions in the race and in wine shop sequences are impressive. He also scores in romantic sequences.

Pooja fits into the casual girl who serves Biriyani in her father’s mess. Her chemistry with Arya is good. She has enacted the romance, disappointment, and anger well.

Lal as an elderly friend to the hero gets a sumptuous role and does it convincingly. He handles the character with ease. John Vijay plays the villain cum comedian role perfectly. His presence lights up the proceedings and his handling of Nellai dialect is simply enjoyable.

Others including Vijay TV fame Jagan (Chandru’s friend), Ashwini (Chandru’s sister), and Nellai Siva are competent. The debutant director duo has avoided melodrama and sentiments. The narration is simple and smooth. The turning points are convincing. The script has avoided the routine sequences one could expect from this kind of stories. The separation and reunion of Lal and Arya are handled well.

The story has many threads like the financial problems of the protagonist, his casual love affair, the race, the tug of war between two groups, the diamond mystery, and the ups and downs of the friendship between Lal and Arya. All these threads have been deftly put together to make a neat script.

The couple has also worked hard to reproduce the lingo of the auto drivers with amazing reality. They have of course, gone overboard in using the filthy language in their pursuit for realistic portrayal. Some of the suggestive dialogues could have been easily done away with.

The music by G.V. Prakash Kumar goes with the tone of the movie. It is loud and entertaining. The background score add spice to the proceedings. ‘Nandavanathil’ song fits into the narration perfectly. The lyrics by Na. Muthukumar and the rendition by Manikka Vinayagam are impressive. The item song is enticing in terms of picturization and music as well. Alka Yagnik’s voice is mesmerizing.

Nirav Shaw’s cinematography is pleasant to the eyes. He has captured the race sequences well. The lighting in the shed, wine shop, and beach are quite natural and effective.

Overall, the movie has a sort of joyful spirit that makes it enjoyable.

EVANO ORUVAN -UNGALIL ORUVAN

Nishikanth Kamath’s 'Evano Oruvan', a Tamil adaptation of Marathi film Dombivily Fast by the same director, tries to focus on the disgusting anomalies of the system.

The film opens with showing the routine of a family that lives in the outskirts of Chennai. The routine is full of struggles for various things like water, space in a train, time to relax, and of course, money.

Sridharan Vasudevan (Madhavan) is constantly disturbed by the corruptive and insensitive system. He is too sensitive to tolerate these things. He is too honest to indulge in dubious methods to fulfill his desires.

Result? He becomes unfit in the society. He is humiliated by everyone. His honesty is perceived as weakness by his wife (Sangeetha). The submissive man is provoked by his wife. Provoked by his colleagues. Provoked by the shop keepers.

The pressure grows. It gets more and more intensified by each passing day. One day he bursts into action. He turns violent.

The violence puts him in more isolation. He swings into impulsive action whenever and wherever he sees injustice. He is now chased by the police. Finally he is defeated but his actions touch the right chord in the public conscience.

Nishikanth Kamath has successfully depicted the pressure undergone by an ordinary citizen, who wants to live according to the laws and rules. The metamorphosis of the protagonist is convincingly portrayed. Nishikanth hasn’t shown him as a superman who could bring about miraculous change overnight. He has shown the power of righteous anger of an honest man and the limitations of an average middle class man. He raises sharp questions against the system on behalf of the ordinary citizen without providing any solution.

The director has conceived and executed many scenes well. The telephonic conversation between husband and wife is one such scene. The two living in two different worlds unsuccessfully trying to communicate with each other has been excellently portrayed. Seeman’s introspective conversation with his wife in the midnight too stands out. The investigation process – particularly the interrogation with the wife – is credible. The character of the beggar boy is etched out well.

The director however, slips in his approach to the script and the concept. Though Sridharan’s outburst against the shop owner is a stupid act, it can still be accepted as a natural outburst of a terribly disturbed man. But the stupidity continues and the film moves on the same path. The film struggles to move ahead. Madhavan and Seeman keep on churning out thought provoking messages. The ending is touching but not revealing.

If you look in to the concept, you feel less convinced. The focus on social deceases is not new to Indian cinema. The movie tries to approach the whole issue from an ordinary citizen’s perspective. It doesn’t offer any solution. But it shows the violence of a frustrated man. Does the director suggest that everyone should be ready to come to the streets to fight the system? But then he also advises through an old man that this method is not acceptable.

What does Nishikanth want to convey? Is he just content by highlighting the problems? Does he want to warn about a possible middle class upsurge against the system? Does he, at the same time, want to advise the middle class that violence is not the solution? Or does he just want to tell you the story of Sridharan Vasudevan?

Why can’t Nisjikanth see thousands of youth in India sacrificing their comforts to make a difference in the society? Why can’t he see many middle class citizens go beyond criticizing the society and render their services to see a better world? There is no doubt that Nishikant has made an honest attempt to highlight the darker side of our society and the system. But he has done it with some striking inadequacies.

Performance wise, Madhavan has done a commendable job as Shridharan Vasudevan. He has amazingly handled varied emotions of agony, despair, and anger. The metamorphosis of Sridharan is credibly portrayed. He has successfully underplayed the emotions in many places. His outburst in the midnight scene too is effective.

Seeman as a police officer with heart and self criticism is outstanding. He has never gone overboard. He has shown a lot of improvements as an actor. His successful rendition could well make him a full time actor.

Sangeetha has once again proved her caliber. She has handled her role as a middle class housewife with ease. Her performance is almost perfect. She excels in the scene when she blasts her husband for his inaction and the scene when she breaks down after losing him.

Te background score by P. Sameer is highly effective. The camera work by Sanjay Jadav is marvelous. The visual quality is superior and the lightings are natural. G.V. Prakash Kumar’s tune for the sole song is touching.

Madhavan’s effort in penning the dialogues is the surprise of the movie. The actor has proved his mettle as a writer too.

Overall, Nishikanth has made a sincere and commendable effort. He has executed many scenes well and extracted some top class performances. Had he worked more meticulously on focusing his ideas and the way they have been translated into a film, 'Evano Oruvan' could have been a memorable experience.

KALLOORI REVIEW

Nowadays many directors and producers have the guts to come out with products that defy the set standards of so called commercial ventures. They have dared to be different to make films without fights, glamour, clichéd sentiments, and heroism.

Balaji Sakthivel, who has given us an amazing film 'Kadhal' is undoubtedly one such filmmaker. In fact he has been one of the trendsetters in the recent times for realistic films that defy the set rules. Kalloori, his latest offering under the banner of director Shankar’s 'S' Pictures, has reiterated Balaji’s mettle as a filmmaker who attempts to make meaningful movies.

'Kallori' is a simple story told in a straight forward manner. It revolves around a group of friends. The portrayal of these friends with varied background provides you an experience of living amidst the circle. The various colours and shades of each person and the emotional ups and downs keep the movie going. The depiction of the sublime friendship is near perfect.

The film begins in a bus that has a lot of collage students heading towards Government Arts Collage in a small town. A set of friends are introduced as long term friends. There is a small build up to the introduction of the hero (Muthu played by newcomer Akhil), who is part and parcel of the circle. All are studying in the same class. They enter into the collage for the first time.

In the class room they see a new girl (Shobhana played by Tamanna), who is strikingly different from the lot. She looks fair. She looks sad. She is aloof. The group sympathizes for her and brings her into its fold. The girl soon becomes part and parcel of the group.

The movie goes on to narrate the collage life with fun and colour. It shows the strength of the friendship besides showing the backgrounds of the friends. Most of them are from poor background. The protagonist has an aim in his life. Being an athlete, he wants to excel in sports and get a good job through sports quota to give his poor family a new lease of life.

Shobhana, a rich girl from an upper caste feels for the boy and helps him achieve his goal. In fact every friend does the same thing but Shobhana does it with some sort of special attachment. Slowly the love develops in the minds of both but they chose to put it on the back seat for the sake of the larger friendship they share with the group. In fact the poor lovers don’t even share their feelings.

The narration moves on to a point when they are compelled by the circumstances to come out with their feelings but life has some other designs. Balaji Saktivel has remarkably recreated the collage atmosphere and the bondage between the friends. The script has deftly handled the struggle between love and friendship. No scene or turning point seems to be unnatural and contrived. He has amazingly extracted natural performances from the cast that is full of newcomers. He has thankfully avoided melodrama and clichéd sentiments.

He has executed some scenes with aplomb. The death in Saleema’s house and the game in the rain stay in our memory. The development of love looks natural. Balaji has worked well in minute things. The grandma of Shobhana sounds proud when she tells about her ancestors. She suddenly turns shy when she mentions about her husband.

The script however, lacks the excitement, which could keep the interest of the audience intact. Though the proceedings are natural and enjoyable, they lack an element that could hold your attention. The result is that you tend to see the movie with a laid back approach.

The climax is powerfully conceived and executed. The shocking mishap that reminds you a real life gruesome happened in Tamilnadu a few years ago. No doubt that it is credibly portrayed. But it doesn’t fit well into the script which moves in a different path right from the beginning. The climax has no answers to the questions raised by the proceedings. It actually evades the crucial issue of the struggle between friendship of a group and the love between two persons among them.

Comparison with 'Kadhal' is inevitable though Balaji would like us to avoid it. Balaji’s directorial skills and execution ability have shown growth in Kalloori. But the film somehow lacks the weight, which was one of the strong points of 'Kadhal'. 'Kallori' is not predictable. But is not an exciting fare either.

Balaji has successfully made everyone perform well. You can’t find any fault with any of the actors. Everyone looks natural. Akhil, Tamanna, Bharani, Arunkumar, Alex, Prakash, Hema, Rajeswari, Sailatha, and Maya Reddy have done well in bringing in the campus atmosphere so naturally. They complement each other.

Tamanna looks fresh and handles her role with ease. Akhil has made a remarkable debutant.

Music director Joshwa Sridhar has done a neat job. The tunes fit into the situations perfectly, while the background score has added another dimension to the narrative. The theme music and the way it is used are effective. Lyricist Na. Muthukumar has rendered some powerful and poetic lines that go in tune with the theme.

Debutant cinematographer Chezhiyan has captured the campus and the near by areas so naturally that sometimes you forget that you are seeing a movie. The picturisation of rain sequence stands out.

Overall, the movie is has natural narration, amazing visual quality, effective music and credible performances. The lack of excitement and the less convincing climax weakens the remarkable efforts of the director and his team.

Finally, Shankar deserves special complements for encouraging such movies that dare to defy the rules to make a better atmosphere in the arena of Tamil film industry.

CELL PHONE IN AEROPLANE ....DANGEROUS OR NOT ?

It's a fact of life for the frequent flier: Once the plane is off the ground, cell phones must be turned off and put away.

That's the rule and every commercial airline in the United States enforces it. But is there a good reason for this? Can a cell phone bring down a plane, or is that just a myth?

"The evidence strongly supports that there is a risk," said Bill Strauss, an electromagnetic interference expert.

Watch the story tonight on "20/20" at 10 ET. And look for other travel myths on next week's "20/20" airing Dec. 14.

According to Strauss, cell phones emit strong radio signals that could cause false readouts on an airplane's navigational equipment. Strauss and other researchers from Carnegie Mellon University invented a device that detects radio emissions from cell phones and other electronic devices. They tested 37 commercial flights and learned that on each flight between one to four cell phone calls were placed. But do those rule-breaking cell phones really affect the plane's equipment?
THE ANSWER IS UNCLEARED
SOURCE : ABC NEWS

COMMENTS FROM 1955

"I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20."

"Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2000 will only buy a used one."

"If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous."

"Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?"

"If they raise the minimum wage to $1, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store."

"When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage."

"Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls."

"I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying 'damn' in 'Gone With The Wind,' it seems every new movie has either "hell" or "damn" in it.

"I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas."

"Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the president."

"I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now."

"It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet."

"It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work."

"Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more; those Hollywood stars seem to be getting divorced at the drop of a hat."

"I'm just afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business."

"Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress."

"The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on."

"There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend. It costs nearly $15 a night to stay in a hotel."

"No one can afford to be sick any more; $35 a day in the hospital is too rich for my blood."

"If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it."

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Nokia 6263

Hi this is the new mobile from NOKIA .This t -mobile had many facilities that will be attractive.The bad news about this mobile is that they still don't have a 3G network available for their customers to use them on. The newest addition to this product line for the missing service is the latest one called Nokia 6263. Eventually, the phone will support 1700MHz UMTS network. The Samsung T 639 was the first phone in this product line. Really a great advantage right ? .It's a clamshell with music features and dedicated controls. It also has stereo Bluetooth, an FM radio, and a micro-SD for added capacity. The phone should be available from T-Mobile any day any where, but they have yet to put a price on this piece. As for the 3G network, we should finally see it roll out early in 2008. That should be just in time for the company to fall behind the rest of the companies again as other companies get their 4G networks rolling strong. Hope you will like this mobile

SUPER MODEL BOWLS CRICKETERS OVER

Nothing sells like cricket in India, and it was no surprise when model Archana Vijay quit her job as a VJ and signed up with a cricket channel.

The 24-year-old quit Channel [V] in May and signed up with Neo Sports, which has the right to telecast all international cricket matches in India.

"I am doing a show called Tour Diary for Extra Cover, which is our pre-match show on Neo Sports."

"I travel across the country with the Indian team and the foreign teams, like it is with Pakistan now," Archana told rediff.com at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. "I have already done five tours, including Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies and Bangladesh."

DIGITAL-STATUS

The digital status is the way in which you’re perceived in the online world and online identity expert Garlik has developed a method and a system of calculating it.

The system was dubbed QDOS and it works by measuring an individual’s digital status and analyzing his/her popularity, impact and individuality online. So you’d better watch out what you share with your friends and which sites you surf or else you might find out that you’re popular for completely the wrong reasons.

The site where this "calculator" for digital statuses can be found is not surprisingly named… QDOS.com and it has so far analyzed tens of millions of digital profiles in order to provide a status for each of Britain’s 45 million adults, so if you’re a resident just check the site out, enter your name and your postcode and brace yourself for what’s going to come right at you.

The original purpose of the site was that of a warning to the danger of disclosing personal information online. "As events of the last week have graphically demonstrated, everyone has a digital identity whether they like it or not and these identities are valuable and worth protecting," said Tom Ilube, CEO of Garlik.

You might find surprising where some people turn for advice when it comes to very important decisions that will most definitely affect their future: 16 percent of the Britons have actually chosen their new home based on how their prospective neighbors appear online, while 12 percent looked up on the Internet for information about the person they were about to date. When it comes to jobs, Brits are a bit more thorough, one in five having researched a prospective boss before accepting the job offered.

Webuser.com tested it and found that "the QDOS score for celebrities reveals how web-savvy stars are proving more influential online than their old-fashioned counterparts. For example, MySpace user Lily Allen's score (Q8850) thrashes the total scored by Mick Jagger (Q6338)." How about it?

FUTURE WORKPLACE

Ask Ranjani Ranganath, Senior Managing Director, Global Development Centre, Cisco, where her office is and she points to her laptop, a Webcam, a pair of headsets and a Nokia E 61i. At any given day Ranganath finds herself working from any of her four offices -- three in the various Cisco buildings spread through Bangalore and the fourth one at her home. Ranganath does not have any “office-hours” as well. On the day we meet her, in one of her offices, she says she got there at 10.30 am and is going back home with her husband at 4.30 pm to spend some time with her daughters aged 21 and 18. As soon as the sun goes down in Bangalore, Ranganath slips on her headset and switches on the webcam from home to talk her team at San Jose. At 8.30 pm it is time to touch base with the rest of her team at Raleigh, US. For the majority of people reading this article, work still means getting to an office somewhere. Sure technology has managed to blur some of the traditional boundaries -- we can check our emails from home or on our blackberries or mobile phones -- but for most other things related to our working life like attending meetings or making presentations or attending reviews we still need to get to an office.