Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Everyone Loves Harris
Harris Jayaraj is the main main these days - at least during the festive Eid period in my house. Everything I hear or watch has his trademark stamp on it. Although I and him share a bittersweet history, he's always on my radar.
Take, for example, Harris' stamp on young Ebi Shankara, the newly-crowned Vasantham Star. What Ebi lacks in vocal acrobatics, he more than makes up for in his performance style and on-stage/screen presence. And he chose a Harris song to sing at the finals. I only then realised after watching the finals last night how tough it was to sing "sikki mukki neruppe" from Vetaiyaadu Vilayaadu. The other finalists did a pretty decent job (I really hope none of them re-appears in the next edition!), but sadly, there can only be One.
Before inspiring a Singaporean youth, Harris inspired many Indian youths through another act, in the movie Unnale Unnale. Although it's been eons since the movie came out, I only watched it last Saturday after a looooong visiting session at my parents' and in-law's. Filled with stereotypes of men and women being from Pluto, Jupiter and Mars, the movie's winning scenes were the ones with Sada in them. [I would like to put it in writing here that I really like Sada and that she is so so much more good looking, talented, good-in-dancing and charismatic than many other leading ladies of today, and I would watch a movie just for her. Eid Mubarak to you, Sada!]. Moving on. Harris did a pretty good job in the show, and I found myself listening to the tracks after a kueh-laden breakfast the following morning.
Harris also made the mid-career father figure and ex-Naatamai, Sarath Kumar look good
(Jyothika looked better) in the very well-taken Pachaikili Muthuchcharam. Harris did his good ol' buddy, director Gautham, a favour and did not put crappy copy-right-free background scores like he did for Vetaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu. Instead, Harris left office later than usual to think of some really superb stuff for the avant garde scenes in the movie. Sarath also did a good job, but it was a casting strategy disaster. If you didn't know Sarath, you would think "Hey, this guy fits the role to a T". But if you have all the past baggage in your mind (think "Naatamai", "Saamundi", "Coolie", "Ayya"), you would think he looked totally out of the circuit. Sarath is more popular with the village folks in Tamil Nadu, and not so with the city folks. This movie can only be fully empathised and appreciated by the city folks. Of course there is the issue of transplanting a Hollywood plot into the Kodambakam realm...
Good job Harris. I admire your talent, even though you rehash your songs. I just wish you do a movie for Captain Vijaykanth. I watched his "Sabari - The Sharp Knife" (please don't ask me why the subtitle is The Sharp Knife") and was expecting a laugh riot (with the thoppai flying one side and his cheeks and red teary eyes flying the other). But surprisingly, the movie (about a world renowned cardiologist who uses his surgical talents in a Government hospital [instead of doing private practice to earn big bucks] and using his medical knowledge to save lives but also whack the baddies who kill nuns and old men with no CPF or longevity insurance) was pretty good. But the music was a let-down, and made Captain look very bad. I hope you can do a project with him.
Take, for example, Harris' stamp on young Ebi Shankara, the newly-crowned Vasantham Star. What Ebi lacks in vocal acrobatics, he more than makes up for in his performance style and on-stage/screen presence. And he chose a Harris song to sing at the finals. I only then realised after watching the finals last night how tough it was to sing "sikki mukki neruppe" from Vetaiyaadu Vilayaadu. The other finalists did a pretty decent job (I really hope none of them re-appears in the next edition!), but sadly, there can only be One.
Before inspiring a Singaporean youth, Harris inspired many Indian youths through another act, in the movie Unnale Unnale. Although it's been eons since the movie came out, I only watched it last Saturday after a looooong visiting session at my parents' and in-law's. Filled with stereotypes of men and women being from Pluto, Jupiter and Mars, the movie's winning scenes were the ones with Sada in them. [I would like to put it in writing here that I really like Sada and that she is so so much more good looking, talented, good-in-dancing and charismatic than many other leading ladies of today, and I would watch a movie just for her. Eid Mubarak to you, Sada!]. Moving on. Harris did a pretty good job in the show, and I found myself listening to the tracks after a kueh-laden breakfast the following morning.Harris also made the mid-career father figure and ex-Naatamai, Sarath Kumar look good
(Jyothika looked better) in the very well-taken Pachaikili Muthuchcharam. Harris did his good ol' buddy, director Gautham, a favour and did not put crappy copy-right-free background scores like he did for Vetaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu. Instead, Harris left office later than usual to think of some really superb stuff for the avant garde scenes in the movie. Sarath also did a good job, but it was a casting strategy disaster. If you didn't know Sarath, you would think "Hey, this guy fits the role to a T". But if you have all the past baggage in your mind (think "Naatamai", "Saamundi", "Coolie", "Ayya"), you would think he looked totally out of the circuit. Sarath is more popular with the village folks in Tamil Nadu, and not so with the city folks. This movie can only be fully empathised and appreciated by the city folks. Of course there is the issue of transplanting a Hollywood plot into the Kodambakam realm...
Good job Harris. I admire your talent, even though you rehash your songs. I just wish you do a movie for Captain Vijaykanth. I watched his "Sabari - The Sharp Knife" (please don't ask me why the subtitle is The Sharp Knife") and was expecting a laugh riot (with the thoppai flying one side and his cheeks and red teary eyes flying the other). But surprisingly, the movie (about a world renowned cardiologist who uses his surgical talents in a Government hospital [instead of doing private practice to earn big bucks] and using his medical knowledge to save lives but also whack the baddies who kill nuns and old men with no CPF or longevity insurance) was pretty good. But the music was a let-down, and made Captain look very bad. I hope you can do a project with him.Saturday, October 13, 2007
Drilla
Let me tell you a story of a secret power I have - it's the power to drill.
Well, it's not really that secret. It all began when I finished renovating my house. No - actually, it all began when I got married, then bought a flat. No - it all began - nevermind. Let's just stick with the renovation bit.
The Crisis
I was busy at work. Weekends were completely filled up with classes at the masjid. The weddings and one-year birthday parties of friends' sons were coming fast and furious. As soon as Friday ended, I was running crazily doing my errands on Saturday and Sundays, and suddenly, my weekends would be gone. To add on, my (ex)Arabic teacher was driving me up the minbar with his inability to stay focused on his topics.
The Solution
So I decided to stop attending his class for a while. I then ended my run of "The Message" and told my Ustaz that I would be taking a 3-month hiatus from class. The naming weddings and parties also stopped. My weekends were clear again. I had regained some control over my life. The Drill
With the spare time, I searched my soul and found that I had put off something for a long time. It was to put up the wall clocks we had and hang some Arabic calligraphy on the walls. But to do this, I had to drill holes in the walls of my house.
So I did what I had to do - get a drill set. No, I did not want to look macho, drilling things and being the handyman. I wanted to hang stuff. So off we went to get a drill set.
The First Time
I was lost, frankly, the first time. I had to spread the instructional manual (which was terrible - it assumed that the user was a hardened handyman) and the drill set packaging on the floor, to really piece together the intricate details of putting the drill bit into the drill. Eventually, with the help of my dear missus, I put it together.
The first drill hole was a screw-up (pun intended). I botched it and had to put some white cement to cover my embarrassment. The second time, I was a pro. I hung the funky clock (a houswarming present from my machan and his girlfriend) and looked at it triumphantly. The rest was history.
Drilla
5 holes later, I can safely say I'm a reasonably good driller of walls of my HDB flat. No need to borrow or call the next door uncle to drill the hole. My next mission - to be able to fix leaking taps. Tapper.
Well, it's not really that secret. It all began when I finished renovating my house. No - actually, it all began when I got married, then bought a flat. No - it all began - nevermind. Let's just stick with the renovation bit.
The Crisis
I was busy at work. Weekends were completely filled up with classes at the masjid. The weddings and one-year birthday parties of friends' sons were coming fast and furious. As soon as Friday ended, I was running crazily doing my errands on Saturday and Sundays, and suddenly, my weekends would be gone. To add on, my (ex)Arabic teacher was driving me up the minbar with his inability to stay focused on his topics.
The Solution
So I decided to stop attending his class for a while. I then ended my run of "The Message" and told my Ustaz that I would be taking a 3-month hiatus from class. The naming weddings and parties also stopped. My weekends were clear again. I had regained some control over my life. The Drill
With the spare time, I searched my soul and found that I had put off something for a long time. It was to put up the wall clocks we had and hang some Arabic calligraphy on the walls. But to do this, I had to drill holes in the walls of my house.
So I did what I had to do - get a drill set. No, I did not want to look macho, drilling things and being the handyman. I wanted to hang stuff. So off we went to get a drill set.
The First Time
I was lost, frankly, the first time. I had to spread the instructional manual (which was terrible - it assumed that the user was a hardened handyman) and the drill set packaging on the floor, to really piece together the intricate details of putting the drill bit into the drill. Eventually, with the help of my dear missus, I put it together.
The first drill hole was a screw-up (pun intended). I botched it and had to put some white cement to cover my embarrassment. The second time, I was a pro. I hung the funky clock (a houswarming present from my machan and his girlfriend) and looked at it triumphantly. The rest was history.
Drilla
5 holes later, I can safely say I'm a reasonably good driller of walls of my HDB flat. No need to borrow or call the next door uncle to drill the hole. My next mission - to be able to fix leaking taps. Tapper.
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