Enthiran - The showman rises. The director fails.

I really had to watch Enthiran, because I could not miss what so many people were going to watch.

Certain parts were simply awesome. The robot dancing (not in the songs), Rajni as a villain (He does a great job! Especially when he imitates a sheep – I wanted to sit up and clap, then! I want to watch each one of his early movies as a villain).

The first 30 minutes of the 2^nd half is the best part of the movie. Emotions are programmed into the robot and he behaves almost like an ordinary guy and here’s where you really warm up to Chitti. I loved his dance with Aishwarya, the scene in the defence academy, among other scenes. They make the character seem so real that you come close to sharing the emotions of the others when he dismantles himself in the end.

However, there are many minuses, which can usually be overlooked in Shankar’s films, but are glaring here. Scenes are about acting and interesting dialogues; they should not be built around simple concepts and modern sets – that is not enough! The first half passed by in a flash, but it didn’t have any substance. An ordinary intro for Aishwarya (who is pleasant in this film and a relief from boredom). A hair cutting scene that hardly involves any acting and bores you to death. An entire 3 minute scene just to show that the robot can read books in seconds?

Also, there is an overdose of graphics. The graphics bit with an army of Rajnis forming spheres, snakes, screws and blah goes on & on. And the good 10 minutes that follow. Arrggh…

The songs are a redeeming feature (obviously!). They’re an opportunity for the human Rajni to come out of the background (he doesn’t leave much of an impact). I loved Kaadhal Anukkal and Kilimanjaro.

When you leave the theatre, Chitti is sure to remain in your mind for long. But not the rest of the film. It is sacrificed for the sake of Chitti and graphics. If only Shankar had put a little more into this, in the three years of its making, rather than hyping special effects and budget, Enthiran would’ve been a complete entertainer.

My Book Trail

I’ve been immersing myself in the reading experience in recent weeks. I’ve overcome my short term spell of restlessness and slackness in reading books (could devote less than an hour a day – in my college and school days I used to be a real bookworm).

I thought I’d compile a list of the most number of books I’ve read by certain authors. Feel bad that I don’t remember the serious novels, but only the entertaining ones. Anyway, books are books, and so long as you derive pleasure and learn something from them, you enjoy them. So, here goes…

Sidney Sheldon – I’ve read almost everything, barring his last two or three. The Other Side of Midnight is what remains in my head all these years; so most definitely, it is my favourite.

Erich Segal – I read every single one the library had – six or seven, I guess (was that all he wrote?)

Sophie Kinsella – I read the whole Shopaholic series and four other books (Remember Me?, Undomestic Goddess, Twenties Girl and one more – I forgot the name, though).

Two of Thomas Harris’ Hannibal books (Did I also read “Silence of the Lambs”? I don’t remember. But I watched SOTL and Hannibal. Though, they are about a brutal serial killer, I found the series fascinating.)

Bridget Jones’s Diary I & II - Loved ‘em to bits – and I confess, I am a chick lit fan. But not everything that’s churned out in the name of chick lit, mind you! I like genuinely funny, meaningful stuff.

Reader’s Digest – Every month, till I reached college (used to fight with my Grandpa for ‘em ).

Lauren Weisberger – All 3 of hers – The Devil Wears Prada, Everyone Worth Knowing and Chasing Harry Winston. The third one was the best.

Candace Bushnell – Lipstick Jungle, Four Blondes, One,Fifth Avenue (and didn’t read Sex and the City yet, but will I like it, after reading the SATC movie reviews? I don’t know).

Chetan Bhagat – All of ‘em, of course! Even though his language standards aren’t great, his books keep you hooked – because they’re like masala movies and the formula works!

Harry Potter – I read the books 1 to 6. By the time No. 7 came out, I’d forgotten about the hoaxes and whatever, & couldn’t understand anything. (And I have a real thing for Daniel Radcliffe – I guess that was because he was so innocent looking with glasses and a soft voice. Come home to Mama, (hot) boy, is what I wanna say… :P).

So, I’ve come to the end of my list. There are loads more I’d add to my favourites, but I forgot the names of the authors.

Here’re some books I’d like to recommend to you:

Marley and Me – A man writes about his bumbling bozo of a Labrador. Don’t expect it to be like a typical pet movie, of which they churn out tons. This book is fantastic and totally NOT to be missed.

Life on a Plate – A bittersweet, yet humourous chick lit book about a middle aged woman – I read it
4-5 times and never got bored. Terrific book.

Girls’ Night In – The most heart-warming, insightful stories from chick lit authors – several notches above assembly-line chick lit.

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks – To put it in 4 words – A Book to Remember. It’ll make you cry, but you’ll love it. A must-read.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood – A book for women of all ages – to be relished page by page.

Orange lipstick and choco cake maketh a beautiful evening :)

My public secret diary
5.10.2010

Today’s my friend’s star birthday. We planned to meet up at Sandy’s Chocolate Laboratory in RA Puram in the evening. But I left office a little early, and headed to Citi Centre – to buy that orange lipstick (Bourjois Paris) that I so desperately wanted. I got one in a “chingcha” orange colour (will apply only a thin coat to
tone it down :D). I love the colour because it is a “daring” one with a touch of seeming innocence. So, having found that lipstick, I set off to Sandy’s in a buoyant mood.

We had Tiny Chocolate Cake (proportion is inverse – the slices are huge) and Tiramisu (disappointing!!). The cake comes with a layer of sinful chocolate syrup on top (which I’ve imagined swirling around in my mouth, each time I’ve been vetti and hungry). I’ve really become addicted to this cake lately. We conversed less and ate more. But it was a reflection of the bonds of friendship cemented by food and chocolate :D.

Later, I went to my library, which was nearby. I ran into one of my favourite aunties there. It is really nice when these sort of run-ins happen. We chatted for a few minutes and she told the librarian that I was her husband’s friend’s daughter. I hoped that she was a regular customer and seeing that I was one of her favourite girls, he’d not charge me a fine when I returned books late in the future :P (My mind works like that! A wacky, wavering thing with a will of its own.). But still, he told me that one of the books must be returned in a week to 10 days because it was a new one. :(

Then I left for home and reached it in an amazing 25 minutes! My Mom had yummy paruppu subzi waiting for me. Ate a very satisfactory meal of paruppu rice with coconut podi and kurkure (but just one saadham – a good habit; am patting myself on the back).

Then I started reading the book (It’s about a South Indian girl and her Mom’s maaplai quest :D). It was very interesting and promised to make me read it one or two hours every night and return it on time (great way to end the day!).
So there’s the first entry of my “Public Secret Diary”. I hope to be a good girl and put a diary entry on my blog every day.