Lords of Harthal: High Impact

Vampire Owl: I have never heard of such a lord. Does he really exist or is he part of an illusion?

Vampire Bat: He is from the lands of humans, as a representative of all people there who celebrate this evil festival called harthal.

Vampire Owl: So, which is the religion that celebrates this? Or is it limited to some communities or castes?

Vampire Bat: The religion of politics; and it is a weapon to hate and make problems for the common man. Along with the same, they cause loss to the government and people by destroying property.

Vampire Owl: Oh yes, I remember that now. I was there once for such an event. It is just something made of pure evil; even the demons can’t stand that.

Vampire Bat: Have you heard of the demon who went to visit humans and got beaten up by the harthal supporters because he rested by sitting on a scooter which was parked on the side of the road?

Vampire Owl: Yes! You mean it was not a werewolf who did that? The news spread like that only.

Vampire Bat: Absolutely not! It was the members of the party which supported the harthal. That was another meaningless harthal, and even powerful demons are not spared from these hate-filled, violent people.

Vampire Owl: In that case, they should just kill each other rather than destroying property and bothering the common man. So, what are these harthals actually for? Are you able to find a real reason behind it that makes sense?

Vampire Bat: Well, harthal is made to make a big impact, but there is nothing positive that comes out of it. There are good number of reasons. The silliest one is the harthal and its wide variety of reasons created by the political parties themselves, as they march to a police station and gets beaten up.

Vampire Owl: So they didn’t know that such a possibility was there when they started the march? They thought that they were going for some kiss of love program? This generation really wants things to be smooth.

Vampire Bat: Well, these people expect things to be easy. They take politics as the easy way to get attention without working hard for anything. Today, there is the second day of such strikes after shops were closed yesterday – its double trouble, you know.

Vampire Owl: So, they get beaten up by the police and they take revenge on the common man? How is that even close to being logical?

Vampire Bat: Yes, that is what they do. they hate the common man. They try their best to make things horrible for all the people around who work every day for the daily bread. All of them are just lazy people, you know. They are also filled with the highest amount of hate for their fellow beings.

Vampire Owl: I heard that they used to do this whenever the price of petrol or diesel are raised?

Vampire Bat: Yes, but those harthals are not much here these days, but worse reasons have been found out as I told earlier. They even cause problems for silly matters which happen in a college, which they themselves make worse – they hate the common man so much that they declare harthal and bother everyone around.

Vampire Owl: I have heard that they even bother people just because they want a minister to resign. It is as if the minister is in the pockets of people. They should go and sit in front of the minister’s home instead.

Vampire Bat: It is a shame that they take out their problems on the common man. If they get beaten up by asking for it, that is only their problem, and it is just them who want those ministers to resign – the common man know that they are all corrupt including those who are asking for the resignation. Well, people who come up with such a march and create problems for common man getting beaten up is not really a bad thing.

Vampire Owl: So, the common man should just celebrate the same.

Vampire Bat: Exactly; there is no need for this harthal. People should actually decide not to vote for these people who come up with harthals. They should write down the names and get rid of these evil creatures who bring the harthals into the picture. So many people in need for a day’s salary or earnings lose the same because these part members being criminals and having desire to destroy property.

Vampire Owl: I am really glad that we don’t have this nonsense in our realm. It will only have a terrible impact.

Vampire Bat: Yes, here we have laws against it, and anyone who come up with such nonsense will face immediate exile.

Vampire Owl: Here, death sentence would have been recommended; but such people have no soul which is why they lack empathy – there is no use in the execution either as they are no different from the undead. The impact that they create is the worst among them all. They should just immediately make that decision to avoid these pathetic people who call harthal, especially those who do that for no real reason that concerns the common man.

***The images used in this blog post are from the official Facebook Page of the animated movie, Hotel Transylvania.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

Advertisement

Impact of the Fallen One

Vampire Owl: Are you sure that we are at the right place? This seems to be something like an enchanted forest; but too dark a place for even my taste. This is not just dark, but magical dark as if some kind of curse exists here. There should be more than one supernatural force around here. Don’t they call this place the darkest of woods?

Vampire Bat: Yes, it says here and so it is the right place; you can see the map, and you can also see the tree which has been shown on the map. The branches are exactly the same, and the roots are also drawn in the same way. There is also the destroyed space in the middle.

Vampire Owl: Have you ever seen what all the official Vampire Artist draws? Now, the position is filled one of those half-undeads from the village, and he is just terrible. I won’t be surprised if this copy of the map is not even close to being real. It is sad that the original was lost; we should buy a photostat machine in the castle, don’t you think?

Vampire Bat: No, photostat machines are not allowed in the castle as per current guidelines. And this is the place because there are too many similarities.

Vampire Owl: So, are we calling this one out? Are we ready for this summoning?

Vampire Bat: Yes, we are. Read this passage from the book.

Vampire Owl: Oh great overlord and the former unofficial lord of all the undead under the grave, rise from beneath the roots of this great tree!

Vampire Bat: Wait. Why is your voice so strange? Are you already possessed by the one whom we are going to summon?

Vampire Owl: I am trying to sound like a powerful sorcerer so that he can be summoned easily. See, I am even wearing the special sorcerer’s gloves from the goblin market.

Vampire Bat: Owls don’t do that, and you sound like a partially transformed werewolf. Don’t do that. It won’t make him happy for sure.

Vampire Owl: Actually, do we really need this person? There are others whom we can use, including the Vampire Elders with extra fangs.

Vampire Bat: Yes, we do. We need him to make a great impact in the upcoming battles which wll feature the Lich Queen during her next return from the dead, as he has been the one making grand impacts in all the wars of the long gone past.

Vampire Owl: What about my impact? I have been among the best in the vampire team. I have even managed to have my own fan club.

Vampire Bat: That is surely nothing in comparison to the effect of this particular person. We are talking about an ancient force of pure evil here.

Vampire Owl: You mean, like a demon; from the times when the vampires were first transformed and had no idea what to do with their lives.

Vampire Bat: Yes, exactly. When blood was the only reason and need. He was one of the first, and also among the first to fall – The Great Fallen Vampire.

Vampire Owl: Then the only impact he is going to create might be by devouring us.

Vampire Bat: Possibly that too. But we really need to unleash him. After being unleashed, he will be here, and this is the border of our part of the realm, you know. Nobody will cross over with him around. We just need to make sure that he stays here only.

Vampire Owl: That will surely be some impact. Thankfully, I have just renewed my immortality clause. I hope that the same applies to you too.

***The images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Page of the animated movie, Hotel Transylvania.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

Grand Impact of a Push

Vampire Bat: And we are here. The destination has been reached. Somehow, the teleportation device worked fine this time. Even my fangs are okay.

Vampire Owl: Yes, we are at the right place at the right time. But there are too many people here, don’t you think?

Vampire Bat: This seems like a grand programme. I hope that there is tea in the end. I wonder which is the leading cookie maker here.

Vampire Owl: Are you sure that we were expected to be here? Did you read the invitation completely?

Vampire Bat: Yes, our people also had to send the representatives! This is the biggest death in their undead world and we had to send our team too.

Vampire Owl: But we are the undead. Even the Great Undead Encyclopedia certifies that. We were invited for the last undead conference too.

Vampire Bat: Technically yes, but we have a separate branch now. After the Lich Queen called herself the ultimate leader of the undead, we decided to let the zombies keep the title.

Vampire Owl: That was a good idea because I can’t imagine myself eating brains. That is really gross. But as of now, I am worried that as she is dead, she is going to be big trouble for Lady Death. Do you think that she is actually planning an invasion on us while pretending to be dead? There is a chance for that too, right?

Vampire Bat: Lets find out how she died then. We should ask this zombie – lets see! Name, Dead Potato, current position, Grave Guard.

Dead Potato: I am glad that you people are here. I have always liked you all. What do you want, great sir?

Vampire Bat: We want to know what actually happened here. We know that the Lich Queen is dead and that there is a funeral, but nothing more.

Dead Potato: I am the one responsible, sir. She asked me to push her, and I did. She fell down from the top of the clock tower. Then I realized that she was only testing me. But I am a zombie without brain and so there was no way I could have known. The impact was so bad that we had to call the goblins and lower orcs to search for the missing bones.

Vampire Owl: Holy Vampire Crocodile! Now, she will get into the underworld, raise an army and come back with the real dead rather than the zombie undead. This is not good at all. We need to warn our people right now! We should also send messages to the other realms.

Vampire Bat: I don’t think so. Lady Death, her evil twin sister and the dead minions make a fine force within the gates of hell. It won’t happen soon.

Dead Potato: I am really scared. I can sense the danger coming. I have always had a special skill for that.

Vampire Owl: We appreciate your concern, brother zombie. You needn’t be worried as of now, as your brother here just confirmed that it is safe for now.

Dead Potato: No, sir. I am more concerned about her returning here and pushing me. I don’t like being pushed – it is bad, isn’t it? With terrible impact?

Vampire Owl: Another true zombie here. I really thought that I was going to like this one for a change. But zombies remain zombies.

Vampire Bat: The Lich Queen is coming back from the dead again this time to end the world, and a zombie remains a zombie. Well, she was never interested in resurrecting the brain in any case.

Vampire Owl: Now we know that we should never push a lich – that impact will one day bring the pressure back to us. You know that this one was actually special.

***The images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Page of the animated movie, Hotel Transylvania.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

Fantastico: Out of Nostalgia

I hereby present another list on the Fantastico entertainer movies from the last century which connects to the nostalgia. The titles here are not arranged in any particular order.

Guru (1997)
Director: Rajiv Anchal
Cast: Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Sithara, Kaveri
Well, this movie was India’s official entry to the Oscars to the Best Foreign Film category, and the first Malayalam movie to have that achievement; the next one came fourteen years later in the form of Adaminte Makan Abu. Among the movies of its time, Guru manages to stay ahead, and it even has its relevance even now. With the story set during communal riots, Mohanlal plays Raghuraman who has a special experience in another world which opens his eyes to what has been blinded by extremism in faith and politics. The movie uses the ideas od blindness and sight to create a symbolic relation. “Deva Sangeetham” is also one of the best songs of the time. This one is way ahead of the rest below; the best of fantastico!

The News (1989)
Director: Shaji Kailas
Cast: Suresh Gopi, Ranjini, Lizy, Babu Antony
This is the first movie directed by Shaji Kailas who is known for coming up with many action-thrillers later including Ekalavyan, Commissioner, Rudraksham, F.I.R, The Truth, The King and others as part of a long list. The News is a movie which I watched later, but I have to say that it is among the best works from him. In the story, after a girl is murdered and a group of friends are taken into police custody for the crime, a private investigator is provided the opportunity to find the real culprits as his first big assignment. The movie manages its suspense very well, and this one is done without those huge dialogues or scenes of heroism in the model of the movies like Oru CBI Diarykurippu.

CID Unnikrishnan B.A. B.Ed. (1994)
Director: Rajasenan
Cast: Jayaram, Manian Pillai Raju, Jagathi Sreekumar, Rohini
After the Nadodikkaattu series, this one should register as one of the funniest movies with a CID story, something which was matched only by CID Moosa many years later. The story follows the life of Unnikrishan played by Jayaram, a jobless person who can’t go past the interviews as he dreams about becoming a detective. One day, when such an advertisement is seen on the newspaper, he will go to try his luck, but he will have to prove himself to become a permanent appointment there – for the same, he takes a case, and goes to the root of it while wandering through a lot of funy situations. A lot of situations for comedy are guaranteed here, as the BA BEd graduate from the village travels to the city to become the private detective.

Rudraksham (1994)
Director: Shaji Kailas
Cast: Suresh Gopi, Annie, Rajan P. Dev, Vijayaraghavan
Suresh Gopi plays Vishwanathan who comes to know that his sister who was studying medicine at Hyderabad had gone missing, and he gets to the city to find her. But there, he will be caught in bigger trouble. There is no shortage of thrills and exciting moments with this one. Suresh Gopi does another excellent work in a role with which he has been familar for some time. Annie plays the leading actress, and does well in her second movie after Ammayane Sathyam. Maybe the audience wished for this movie to be not this violent in its theme at that time, but this was something that had everything that could suit an action-thriller.

Georgootty C/O Georgootty (1991)
Director: Haridas
Cast: Jayaram, Sunitha, Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar
A simple, but interesting family drama with a good comic side can be seen here. Jayaram and Sunitha makes a very nice pair in this movie, as it tells the story of Georgekutty who is an engineer from a poor family marrying the tenth standard failed daughter of a rich landlord. Forced to stay with his wife at his father-in-law’s place, this tale moves forward nicely with emotional as well as funny side with Georgekutty finally getting accepted by the father-in-aw as the person that he is rather than the unwanted husband of his daughter. There is fine support here with Kuthiravattam Pappu, Siddique and Jagadish joining in.

The Truth (1998)
Director: Shaji Kailas
Cast: Mammootty, Divya Unni, Murali, Vani Viswanath
Here is one interesting investigative thriller delivered. The Truth actually reminds one of Mammootty’s Oru CBI Diarykurippu and Jagratha, as he plays another intelligent investigator here who looks for clues rather than using heavy punch dialogues and action scenes to make an impact. Mammootty plays Bharath Patteri who investigates a case related to a bomb blast which killed many people including the Chief Minister himself. The only clue which could found with the early investigations is that of a killer woman who couldn’t be traced at all, as things gets further complex. The Truth is one of the smarter thrillers of its time, and there are some nice surprises in store in it.

Kashmeeram (1994)
Director: Rajiv Anchal
Cast: Suresh Gopi, Ratheesh, Priya Raman, Lalu Alex
At those times, there was no shortage of interesting action-thrillers with Suresh Gopi and Shaji Kailas around, with this one adding to that list. Suresh Gopi plays the leader of a special black cat commando force in this movie, and it adds to another little variety in Suresh Gopi’s action-based roles. There are some interesting twists and turns in this movie, and Kashmeeram is another one of those movies which make an impact. The movie also has one of the best songs of the time, “Poru Nee Vaarilam Chandralekhe” – another case for fantastico. This one came from Rajiv Anchal who later directed India’s official entry to the Oscars to the Best Foreign Film category, which is mentioned above.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

For they are Fantastico!

Here is another list on the Fantastico entertainer movies from the last century which had to be shared. The titles are not arranged in any particular order.

Vadakkunokkiyantram (1989), Aanaval Mothiram (1991), Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala (1998)
Director: Sreenivasan (1, 3), G. S. Vijayan (2)
Cast: Sreenivasan, Innocent (1, 3), Mamukkoya (1, 3), Nedumudi Venu (1, 3)
Sreenivasan plays three of the most memorable characters in these movies, Thalathil Dineshan who is always doubtful about his wife, James Pallithara who wrongly thinks that he has a fatal disease and the confused Vijayan who is an irresponsible husband. He plays these three roles to perfection, and I will always remember these three lead roles from him. Aanaval Mothiram was remade in Hindi as Gambler and in Tamil as Ragalaipuram. Sangita’s role in Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala is the one role for which she is most remembered. Vadakkunokkiyantram is considered as a comedy classic. Watching these three movies on a day will be perfect!

Devasuram (1993)
Director: I. V. Sasi
Cast: Mohanlal, Revathi, Innocent, Napolean
There are many movies taken in this particular style including its own sequel called Ravanaprabhu, but nothing matches Devasuram. Inspired by a real-life person, the movie has Mohanlal playing the protagonist with negative shades. All the other movies which followed this kind of pattern including the very successful Aaraam Thampuran and Narasimham are not match to this one. The character is “Mangalassery Neelakantan” is forever, no matter who all new protagonists come up with a similar situation – the legacy is something which cannot be inherited no matter how many similar movies are made or how many sequels are made in this model.

Chamayam (1993)
Director: Bharathan
Cast: Manoj K. Jayan, Sithara, Murali, Ranjitha
Telling the story of a fisherman who is also a stage actor during their free-time, the movie gets to the next level as he decides to take another man as the new hero, but there is the need to teach him how to perform – but he realizes that there is a lot of potential in the newly found actor. With some amazing performances from Manoj K. Jayan and Murali on and off the stage, and supported by some beautiful songs which are among the best, Chamayam works incredibly well. This is also the one role for which Sithara is remembered in the Malayalam movie industry more than any other. The movie works on two levels, the life of people and the life as part of drama on the stage.

Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1998) and Jagratha (1989)
Director: K. Madhu
Cast: Mammootty, Jagathy Sreekumar, Mukesh, Sukumaran
These are the first two movies in the series of CBI investigative thrillers having Mammootty as the intelligent CBI officer Sethurama Iyer. Even though two other movies released in this century in the form of Sethurama Iyer CBI and Nerariyan CBI, these two are undoubtedly of higher quality, and undoubtedly the best among them all. There are not many entertainers which could manage to entertain without songs, and these two happened to be different in that case too. I have enjoyed these movies a lot, and I hope for more intelligent works to come up in the series, and I wish for it to go through the path of the first two movies rather than those which followed.

Kireedam (1989) and Chenkol (1993)
Director: Sibi Malayil
Cast: Mohanlal, Thilakan, Mohan Raj, Cochin Haneefa
Kireedam was a movie which was different, because it was rather realistic with its major life-changing incident. Most of the times, a person who would be in the shoes of the protagonist Sethumadhavan will go through a different kind of exaggerated action-filled life, but not in this case. It was remade in Hindi as Gardish, in Kannada as Modada Mareyalli and with the same name in Tamil. I was surprised to read that the ending of the movie was changed from that realistic tragedy to a happier one in the Tamil version. The ending of the two movies, Kireedam and Chenkol were among the best things about the movie, which is why you will need to watch the original as well as its sequel.

Kottayam Kunjachan (1990)
Director: T. S. Suresh Babu
Cast: Mammootty, Ranjini, Innocent, Babu Antony
Mammootty who plays Kottayam Kunjachan completely steals this one. He has performed in this kind of roles and with this particular slang in other movies, but nothing like his work in this comedy movie. There are lots of funny moments in this movie, and the most memorable ones are the pennu kaanal scene and the driving school inauguration scene. The movie also develops interesting sub-plots as it progresses. This can be considered as one of the best comedy flicks of Mammootty all-time. There is also a nice list of supporting cast here including Innocent and Sukumaran, plus the main villain who is Babu Antony. This makes one funny and memorable character here.

Moonnam Mura (1988) and Douthyam (1989)
Director: K. Madhu (1) and P. Anil (2)
Cast: Mohan Lal, Suresh Gopi, Babu Antony, Vijayaraghavan.
Douthyam was one of those movies which became a lot like our own Rambo around here. Mohanlal plays Captain Roy Jacob Thomas who has to return to the most dangerous of action to save his own colleagues who were captured terrorists deep inside a forest. Moonnam Mura has Mohanlal again as Ali Imran, a former police officer who has to return to action to save a group of people kept captive by terrorists. I have had a similar effect with both of these movies, and it is not only Mohanlal who is there in both of these engaging thrillers, as Suresh Gopi, Babu Antony and Vijayaraghavan are also the common factors. The 1988 movie even had a Telugu remake by the name Magaadu.

***And you know that there are more!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

Navigation through Social Media

There is evil hidden everywhere social media, especially Facebook and Twitter. So navigating through this particular space is never going to be that easy as we are always against the bad guys. So, here I am going to share a few guidelines on how to identify these people at the earliest so that the navigation can be rather smooth. If you have been talking something about Malayalam movies, there is a good chance that you will come across such terrible creatures. I have recently come across one while talking about the movie Charlie and too many people do that in support of Ennu Ninte Moideen.

The guidelines mentioned here are based on my experiences only and this can actually vary for each person. These creatures can actually come through a different path, and we will always have to be careful with them because there is absolutely nothing positive about them; they will make the attempt to drain all the good things out of you because they are good at nothing else except for hate and abuse which they inherit from their friends an family, working on it to make these factors a lot worse. Here are the guidelines.

1. There will be no original photo :: They wouldn’t really put their own photo because they have to use the profile for abusing others. There are common photos which they use, which are of movie stars, cartoons, cricketers, football players and sometimes the photo randomly found or their own edited photo. It is time that Facebook and Twitter provides verified accounts for those who have voter’s ID and aadhaar card to get rid of these fakes. This way, we can also know who these people are when they abuse; everyone should be made to know the culture of each and everyone who hate their fellow countrymen for no reason.

Photos of nature can be nice for these people too!

2. Capital letters won’t be discovered :: It is difficult for them to type in capital letters because some of them are yet to discover where to use them and the others just need something different for what might be their special profile for abuse. Well, if they had something in their brains, they would have been doing something positive for their nation, but as they are only abusing their own countrymen, I don’t see why they would use capital letters even in their name. In a special navigation which is powered by hatred and traveling towards unlimited abuse, there will be rarely any capital letter or even full stop. Sometimes, there is not even a name!

3. Speaks in other languages :: He will take the opportunity only to speak in regional languages as much as possible. This quality which is a lot seen among Malayalis becomes bad when he is speaking in a forum, page or group which has a majority which doesn’t understand the language and most of the things that this person will be talking about are related to abuse. It could be the words which they are using in their family, but using them in public space brings trouble to social media navigation unless the owner or moderator takes the steps to ban them early.

4. Pretends to be intellectual :: This is quite a necessity for them as they steal quotes from famous people and put it on their profile, or sometimes add them in the middle of a paragraph as their own words because they are not good enough to write even one sentence without mistakes. They are always sitting in front of the computer ready to copy something from here or there. It is something that they really need to cover their lack of culture, and so they will only keep searching for the same even on the profiles of others. When they find something, they shamelessly steal it and it on their profile.

And such a person has his or her vision clouded by hate all the time!

5. Shall surely be a mindless fan of someone :: This is one feature that will be a clear part of these people and their lives. They will be supporting one person or two so much that they will be infatuated with that particular celebrity forever; there will be even sports teams. So, they will keep searching for those who are talking about these celebrities and randomly attack them or even the fans of other celebrities. They navigate through all the social media, and find someone because they have no other job. These are the kind of people who like to hate their own friends and family for their favourite celebrities! When you navigate through Facebook or Twitter, if you come close to these creatures, be prepared; or you can just block them instantly.

***The images used in this blog post were taken by me only.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

What Follows with Fantastico

Here is another list of more Fantastico entertainer movies from the last century which needed to be shared here. The titles are not brought here in any particular order.

Sandesham (1991)
Director: Sathyan Anthikkad
Cast: Jayaram, Sreenivasan, Thilakan, Maathu
This movie can be considered as one of the smartest satires of all-time. With Jayaram and Sreenivasan in the lead and being part of two of the major parties of Kerala, this political satire makes use of the available elements really well. Most of the dialogues in this movie are used even now, and in some cases we see the reflection of the same even during these days. Political satire is not the easy genre to deal with, and there haven’t been many successful ones; even the success stories don’t deal with full time satirical take. This is where this movie is different.

Summer in Bethlehem (1998)
Director: Sibi Malayil
Cast: Suresh Gopi, Jayaram, Manju Warrier, Kalabhavan Mani
One of the best drama movies of its time comes in the form of Summer in Bethlehem. The usual drama movies have been going through the same path, but this one happens to be different; I would also consider this one as the best family drama performance from Suresh Gopi who was not really known for such roles after getting into the action genre and doing the police role consistently. Along with some fine support from Jayaram, there is also one of the best guest roles ever from Mohanlal. This is also Manju Warrier’s best roles ever in more than one way.

Ramji Rao Speaking (1989) and Mannar Mathai Speaking (1995)
Director: Siddique-Lal (1, 2), Mani C. Kappan (2)
Cast: Mukesh, Sai Kumar, Innocent, Vijayaraghavan
One of the funniest movies of its time, Ramji Rao Speaking was remade into Hindi as Hera Pheri. The team of Mukesh, Sai Kumar and Innocent are in full flow here, and there was even a very successful sequel made for this one by the name of Mannar Mathai Speaking which often has more fun than its predecessor. The dialogues from both movies are so much used these days, and it is safe to say that this has always been a movie which has been special with its comic side then, and continues to be the same even now. The third movie which released just two years couldn’t do that well though, and it is more due to the amazing quality of the first two flicks.

Lelam (1997)
Director: Joshiy
Cast: Suresh Gopi, M.G. Soman, Nandini, Spadikam George
Rivalries among families have always had something special if the whole thing was dealt with nicely. Lelam happens to be one of those movies which has things done very well. Suresh Gopi doesn’t go with the usual police role here, but Aanakattil Chackochi is one of his most remembered characters. In the last movie of M.G. Soman, there is a lot of drama with powerful as well as emotional dialogues, and there is also a good amount of action. Lelam is one of the movies which deal with a similar situation in its story, but among all those flicks, this happens to be the most popular and best known.

Minnaram (1994)
Director: Priyadarshan
Cast: Mohanlal, Shobana, Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar
This movie surely had the strength to appeal to the family audience as well as the youth. Minnaram doesn’t bring anything huge, but is still one of the most enjoyable drama flicks of its time, and the comedy sequences of the movie, especially those handled by Jagathy Sreekumar are extremely delightful – his role as Unnunni who always doubts his wife stands apart. The songs are really good, and the movie can also boast about having a huge support with its cast, as Sankaradi, Maniyanpillai Raju and Kuthiravattam Pappu are also part of some of the nice and funny moments here. Minnaram gets into the list of those simple, yet powerful fantastico movies.

Kilukkam (1991)
Director: Priyadarshan
Cast: Mohanlal, Revathy, Jagathy Sreekumar, Innocent
Winning five Kerala State Awards including the Best Actor Award for Mohanlal and the Second Best Actor Award for Jagathy Sreekumar, the movie was also supported by some fine songs. The comedy scenes in the movie are also considered among the best, with Mohanlal, Jagathy and Revathy contributing so well; Innocent’s comedt scenes are big ones too. It was remade in Telugu and Hindi, not living up-to the original, and its sequel Kilukkam Kilukilukkam also didn’t stand as it did nothing other than to bring shame on this fantastic comedy movie. At a point of time, Kilukkam was considered as the one fantastico movie with its extremely strong funny side. When you watch the movie, you will know that the success of Kilukkam is much deserved.

In Harihar Nagar (1990)
Director: Siddique-Lal
Cast: Mukesh, Jagadish, Siddique, Ashokan
Successfully using its cast and thriving in its comic side, In Harihar Nagar was a movie for the youth with all the comedy and addition of thrills in the end. The team of Mukesh, Siddique, Jagadish and Ashokan has been the factor which worked so well. Remade into Hindi as Dhol, the original has been the one top level comedy experience which also had two laugh riots in the form of successful movies, 2 Harihar Nagar and In Ghost House Inn. The comedies are kept simple with these movies, and the cast has been so much suitable for the situations. You have admire how they were created here.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

Malayalam Movies: Fantastico List

Here I am going to write about those Malayalam movies from the last century which are my all-time favourites; in no particular order, but they are my most admired entertainers and they are fantastico!

Nadodikkattu (1987), Pattanapravesham (1988) and Akkare Akkare Akkare (1990)
Directors: Sathyan Anthikkad (1, 2) and Priyadarshan (3)
Cast: Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, Thilakan, Innocent
The best comedy trilogy is here in the form of these three movies which compete which each other to tell us which one has the best lines and provides the most fun. It tells the adventures of Dasan and Vjayan, two jobless people who become CIDs and solves the cases by luck. From the “B.Com First Class” and “Great professional killer Pavanayi” dialogues to the “both having the same kind of voice” and “corpse markings” in the second and later to the big questions about “who is Paul Barber and where is the crown?” along with the “Akira Kurosawa trying to kill mosquitos” in the final movie, this one is a full laugh riot as a trilogy. There is always the need to watch them all, as this is the true fantastico trilogy!


Manichitrathazhu (1993)
Director: Fazil
Cast: Mohanlal, Shobana, Suresh Gopi, Innocent
There is no questioning this movies which has been remade into Hindi (Bhool Bhulaiyaa), Kannada (Apthamitra), Tamil (Chandramukhi) and Bengali (Rajmohol), all versions making fine impact. The Tamil version was also dubbed into Telugu and itt even had a spin-off named Geethanjali, but it couldn’t do that well due to the very high expectations. It is still considered as one of the best psychological horror films around, and it even had some comedy scenes which are remembered a lot. Shobana’s performance won her the National Award as well as the State Award for Best Actress. Well, you should have watched one of the remakes, so you will know the story – and the original is the best!

Dhruvam (1993)
Director: Joshiy
Cast: Mammootty, Suresh Gopi, Vikram, Jayaram
If you see the cast of this movie, you will know the potential without even realizing anything more about it. This is a top thriller which everyone needs to watch. The movies which is loaded with beautiful songs, emotional strength and thrilling moments, has its share of powerful dialogues too. In Vikram’s first Malayalam cinema, this one has the protagonist Narasimhan looking for revenge against a dangerous criminal and wanted terrorist called Haider, but is unable to get to him. What follows are the plans brought forward by the man to have his revenge and how the antagonist tries to keep himself away from justice as well as the revenge-seeking Narasimhan.

Commissioner (1994)
Director: Shaji Kailas
Cast: Suresh Gopi, Ratheesh, Shobana, Vijayaraghavan
Known for its powerful dialogues which became part of every stage program, inspiring another successful sequel named Bharath Chandran I.P.S. eleven years after its release, Commissioner is that movie which brought Suresh Gopi to the role of a righteous police officer, a character which he played in many more movies to come. If I remember it correctly, this is the movie which brought him to the next level of superstar, and in school, a lot of kids were imitating his one particular dialogue in that movie; or rather two of them. This was next big thing for Suresh Gopi – Shaji Kails combination after Ekalavyan.

Yodha (1992)
Director: Sangeeth Sivan
Cast: Mohanlal, Madhoo, Jagathy Sreekumar, Urvashi
The idea to dismiss this one was an entertainer won’t be the smartest of plans, because Yodha is one movie which has a good plot, and its comedy scenes as well as songs are more than just favourites – they are everywhere; they have been so for more than twenty years, and it is the kind of popularity that this movie has managed. I watched this one for the first time as kid, and even now my opinion about the movie remains the same. It is that kind of an impact that this one has made, for people of all generations, and of all ages. With the A.R. Rahman touch in the songs, this one has the Mohanlal-Jagathy comedy combination at its best, and it is great fun to watch.

Ekalavyan (1993)
Director: Shaji Kailas
Cast: Suresh Gopi, Narendra Prasad, Geetha, Maathu
Suresh Gopi has one of his best police roles here, and Narendra Prasad comes in the role of one of the best antagonists played by him. Ekalavyan is often considered as one of the best police roles of Suresh Gopi, and the dialogues here are amazingly good. Suresh Gopi plays Madhavan, who goes on a mission to investigate into some murders and smuggling of narcotics in which a particular godman is involved. There are many things which will be brought to light, that can also deal with many influential businessmen, powerful politicians, and all. So, going through this investigation won’t be something that can be considered as a smooth one.

Spadikam (1995)
Director: Bhadran
Cast: Mohanlal, Thilakan, Urvashi, Spadikam George
Its main villain is known in real life by the name of the movie itself, and so there is no need to think twice about the impact created by this movie. It tells the story of a boy who has problems in Mathematics, but is good in other subjects; but his father who is a Maths teacher as well as the headmaster makes him fail in language exams; with this particular incident and frustrated of being compared to the students who are good in Maths, he leaves home only to return as a rowdy. The movie has the cult status, and I am sure that a lot of youngsters have faced the same problem in their lives, fighting the worst evil of all time, Mathematics. Mohanlal and Thilakan steals the show here.

The rest of the movies include Sandesham, Chamayam, Ramji Rao Speaking, Oru CBI Diary Kurippu, Irupatham Noottandu, Lelam, Rajavinte Makan, Kilukkam, Pathram, Crime File and many others during a golden age; they are all fantastico!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

First Attempt: Big Impact

Malayalam movie industry who had a number of directors who have made big impact with their first movies. Talking about this impact, I would like to stick to those directors who haven’t directed another movie as of now, and also to only those who have directed solo. They still remain those who have made those particular movies wonderful, and it is this debutante impact which I am planning to share right now. Here are six of such interesting movies with debutante directors at the helm, not put here in any particular order.

Om Shanti Oshana: Jude Anthany Joseph (2014)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Cast: Nivin Pauly, Nazriya Nazim
I haven’t really found someone knowing how to make each moment of a movie work so well as a debutante director, and this man has done exactly that. Coming out of the depressing experience which was the fan display of vanity in the form of the overrating bloated thing called 1983, Om Shanti Oshana released a week later, saving our movie season, and making the impact with its nostalgia as well as unlimited amount of fun. Watching the movie on the first day for the first show had enough impact to make me go for the movie for the second time, and it is one of the two movies which I have watched in the theatre twice in the last few years.

Angels: Jean Markose (2014)
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Cast: Indrajith Sukumaran, Asha Sarath
The thrillers from debutante directors usually have some problems with making things work according to what the viewers wish for, but not in the case of Jean Markose. This movie is a well-executed thriller which has your attention right in the beginning. There is even a message which is brought to the audience really well, making an impact as a responsible human being. Angels is the unexpected good thriller which is something quite rare. But with someone like Indrajith Sukumaran as the protagonist and Joy Mathew doing another important role, there is no way that this one could have fone role with the performances – the plot never fails either.

Vellimoonga: Jibu Jacob (2014)
Genre: Political Satire/Comedy
Cast: Biju Menon, Nikki Galrani
I am pretty sure that there will be almost nobody who can question this movie’s success and its ability to work with the common audience. This one actually started slowly at the theatres, but it picked up to become that movie which collected even more than a good number of superstar movies of that time. Movies like Vellimoonga showed good signs for future, as we had another simple movie without the usual heroes and with a debutante director creating that heavy impact at the box-office. It was also after a very long time that we had a political satire which actually made some fine impact. The later success of Salt Mango Tree with Biju Menon in the lead also had a lot to do with this movie’s impact.

Ormayundo Ee Mukham: Anvar Sadik (2014)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Cast: Vineeth Sreenivasan, Namitha Pramod
There is some beautiful music to accompany this romantic comedy, and the best of them happens to be “Ee Mizhikalin”. Vineeth Sreenivasan is better known to come up with romantic comedies as a director as we know what Thattathin Marayathu brought for the audience and went on to become that huge success. But this movie also works really well, and makes a fine emotional impact on the viewers. Very well supported by Aju Varghese, this movie goes on to become that smooth romantic love story with a fine emotional side, and some good comedy all around. Even though inspired by the Hollywood movie 50 First Dates, this one does develop an identity of its own.

Kunjiramayanam: Basil Joseph (2015)
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Vineeth Sreenivasan, Srinda Ashab
There is one thing about which everyone in the theatre was clear when we watched this movie – that this one was really enjoyable with its comedy. It surely has the shortage of logic which is clearly explained in the beginning of the movie. But the comic side of this movie is terrific. There is so much fun in this movie, and some moments are so good that they stay in our minds for very long. The impact that this movie makes is of pure comedy and nothing else. Along with the same, we have to appreciate Basil Joseph to make the impact and bring this simple movie as the best of Onam releases, without casting even one big superstar, at the time when the stars had their own releases.

Adi Kapyare Kootamani: John Varghese (2015)
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Dhyan Sreenivasan, Namitha Pramod
There hasn’t been this much fun with a movie for quite a long time, as this movie’s comedy is rather unlimited, as the laugh riot begins and continues on and on. There is a big team here, including Kunjiramayanam‘s own Aju Varghese, Dhyan Sreenivasan, Neeraj Madhav and Bijukuttan, along with Mukesh, Namitha Pramod and Vineeth Mohan joining the team. It is Aju and Neeraj who holds things together, and Bijukuttan has some of the funniest moments here – this movie is rather a result of fine team work, and the director has successfully made it what is in the end, a fine comedy flick from a debutante director, which won’t make us feel that it is from someone new at the helm.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

UCC: All that is Fantastico

I have watched many movies which are based on campus life, including Classmates, Niram, Doctor Love, Nammal and more, but never did I thought that my post graduation time will be the best years of my life. Yes, there has been problems here are there, but all of them have only contributed to making me a better person, and there was the chance to go through all the literature, which is why I consider the two years as among the best of life, and remain as my strongest memories; UCC is the fantastico of my education.

This memory is all about UC College or Union Christian College. The history of UC College’s history goes back to 1921, when it came to existence as a result of co-operation between four major church denominations in Kerala, the Church of South India, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, and the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church. Earlier affiliated to The Travancore University and now affiliated to the Mahatma Gandhi University at Kottayam, UC is a very much reputed college.

UC College has been one of the few things which continues to represent the town of Aluva, along with the Marthanda Varma Bridge, the Federal Bank HO, the Shivarathri Manappuram, the Advaita Ashram and Mangalapuzha Seminary. Located about four to five kilometres from the main town area, UC College is one the best known education institutions in Kerala, and among the colleges in Ernakulam district close enough to Cochin, it has been traditionally the most popular.

The college was also like three and half kilometres from my home at that time, a distance which I could reduce by a few metres if I had chosen to walk by taking a few shortcuts through a world without traffic. So, UC College was always going to be the right choice for me to go for MA English. So, the fact that I could get admission there on merit itself was more than just another happy moment for me. But I wasn’t sure about my future even then, and I could never be clear about what was to happen there, being the big cynic.

But the college which you have seen in the movie Premam was not just another educational institution for me. UC College has been the source of nostalgia, something that still stays, unlike the rest of the insitutions – in the case of all the others, the memories have clearly disappeared. From the canteen to the library, and through each building there, stretching around the green campus which has so many trees and old structures, each corner of the college is still alive in my mind. It feels so good to reach the campus early morning, and walk through this green universe. There is the need to arrive early and leave late considering how refreshing the campus is.

The days were fantastic, even though I understood that they were so when it was coming to a finish. I didn’t feel that it was going to be this good when I began, but things only got better. As the second year started, life had become so much closer to literature, and Film Studies was also a paper waiting to come to light. The whole department had become even more friendly, and even getting permission to go to the canteen and have a cup of tea was so easy. I could never study at an institution which had friendly teachers earlier, but UC College was an exception. Most of the school teachers have been demons for me as I remember.

The advantage of having friendly teachers is that you will have a better interest in the subjects which they are teaching, and you never hesitate to ask the questions. Throughout my studies, until joining UC College, I had only one or two of such friendly teachers, but thankfully that changed with the MA English adventure. I remember the opportunities to attend the seminars at different colleges and the chance to be part of many quiz programmes in Central Kerala along with winning a few! One of those wins are still shown there on the official website of the college, and that still feels happy and extra fantastico! 😀 You can see it here

***The images used in this blog post were taken by me during my MA English course there.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

Charlie: Impact of the Djinn

If you have watched Charlie, you will know exactly what I am talking about. Charlie was one of the last movies to be released in 2015, as it arrived as the Christmas release and stole many hearts with its variety and a fairy-tale kind of adventure and love story. The one thing that everyone was expecting and could manage to be sure about was that it was going to be different, and that particular expectation was fulfilled with ease. But there was surely more to the movie than that.

Charlie tells the story of a girl named Tessa who runs away from home to escape marriage. During her stay at the new place, she finds a few things left behind by the earlier tenant named Charlie and becomes very much interested in him. So, she begins her journey to find this stranger who is often referred to be the others as the wind and the djinn. As a wanderer who is seen at many places, Tessa finds her work to be quite difficult, but decides not to stop searching for him no matter what happens.

So, this impact created by the stranger becomes more like an attachment towards the unknown person who lives a free life and remains as mysterious as the djinn. Tessa finds out that a lot of people know him, but she ends up missing him all the time. Each and every time, she comes very close to finding him, but still remains not close enough. It is this search which never seems to end, that is depicted in Charlie. But as you would expect, there is the happy ending which brings the feel-good factor back.

Charlie, both as the character and the movie becomes the example of something that leaves a big impact on us. The protagonist whom we see in this movie is nothing less than a man who tries to make things better. He lives on his own terms and tries to do something good for the people around him just to see them smile. It is the kind of impact that he attempts to make while traveling around the world. A man of multiple skills, he is often nothing more than a fairy-tale character, so difficult to have an existence in reality.

Along with that attempt to do something good all the time, Charlie also makes enough impact on us to think about being different. At no point is Charlie is a man who lives according to the demands of the society. He is not the usual good man whom people are always praising; instead, most of the people consider him rather mental for being rather too much of a divergent identity. But despite his lifestyle being so strange to the common people, he is good, and the goodness is pure, not asking for anything in return.

Lets hope that Charlie‘s impact will stay on the society, and it won’t judge people on how they are leading their personal lives and the choices which they make with their life. There has never been a protagonist as free and divergent as Charlie, and I hope that the society understands that despite what people do with their own lives, they can be good people – it is not about money, assets and job, but about having the will to help others in need along with living life their way. It is a quality worth falling in love with, and it is worth calling for the djinn.

I would also like to dedicate this post to Kalpana, the actress who left us for the better world due to a heart attack. She plays a small, but memorable role in Charlie which has her character leaping into the sea to her death. She was one of the best known actresses who handled comedy, and she was an expert, a veteran in that field. There are so many movies of her which we will remember, and her combination with Jagathy Sreekumar has been simply among the best in comedy. The Malayalam movie industry will miss her, and there is nobody who can substitute her.

***I will leave you with my favourite song from the movie featuring Dulquer and Parvathy as Charlie and Tessa respectively. The images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Page of Charlie.

So, what I am telling you is that if the djinn is good, accept the creature; nowadays they should surely be using the free-will in a positive and more helpful manner than the humans. I think that vampires, zombies, ghosts – they are all doing it better than humans. So, do you like the video song?

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

Airlift: There is the Impact!

There are only a few Bollywood movies which I have watched on the first day, for the first show; they are rarely my first choices. There are even fewer number of such flicks which actually worked for me. I had to watch terrible movies like Besharam and Tamasha just because I made the choice to go for Bollywood on a day of release. But things do change, and it was proven by Wazir earlier, and now with Airlift, making sure that the year started well at least when concerning the Hindi movies.

As most of you already know, I don’t watch many Bollywood movies on the first day, and it is surely not my interest to watch one for the very first show. I wasn’t confident about watching these movies, but I decided to go for Wazir because of the cast and due to the fact that it was a thriller; a different one too. The same applied to Airlift too, as it was also going to be different and also belonging to the same genre. Along with the same, I had the feeling that this was going to work so well.

Yes, the trailer helped, and the fact that the last two movies of Akshay Kumar which I had watched were Brothers and Baby, both being among my favourites. So, I decided to let Airlift do the job this weekend, and it was supposed to make an impact – what I can gladly say about it is that the movie did make that impact really well. It turned out to be a great relief from those usual Bollywood movies which have been terribly affected by meaningless romance and mindless action with absence of good stories.

The best impact that Airlift makes on you is by providing the realization about who you are. It reminds us of the people whom we are, as part of a great nation. The movie nicely makes the point that despite the differences that we have, we are all Indians, and it is something that we should be proud of. Each one of us is different, and the opinions will vary, but in the end, it is by our identity, and the roots that we will be known. At some point of time, it will define us as people because we never really leaves that behind.

I have personally felt that there is no place like home. I couldn’t be the same if I was at some other nation, because my heart is here and so are my people. Every second I was outside the nation, there were so many moments when I really wanted to be back home. Yes, we are lost in many things, but being at the place where we were born and raised, is something that we have a certain feeling for. Maybe some of the new generation people do have more love towards other nations, especially those born outside, but I won’t take it. Well, it is the nation which has made me what I am, and it will always be there in my mind. My patriotism will not be based on cricket matches like some fans, and about that, I am sure.

There are some moments in the movie which really make that impact – the most significant one is by the finish, with the tri-colour flag flying in the final moments, and everything else that happen around the situation. The movie also makes a big impact with its message, for the sacrifice and the courage to do the right thing when facing terror. Goodness is not easy to find when facing terrifying and tragic situations, but this movie has a protagonist who finds it, and the fact that it is based on real incident and related to the real-life heroes named Mr. Mathews and Mr. Vedi is another boost for Airlift.

It is once again up-to Akshay Kumar to create that desired impact with another movie. In the end, we have the right impact of patriotism, and it is not forced on us – this particular thing just grows inside us instead. While going through this movie, the one thing that was so much above the rest in impact, along with Akshay Kumar’s performance, was surely the feeling; that of being an Indian, and that desire to see this movie among the one hundred crore grossers because it is never the mindless entertainers that deserve to be there, but those like Airlift which not only has its brain but also the heart and the soul at the right place.

***The images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Page of the movie of the time, Airlift.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

Count Fantastic-o-Dracul-a

Vampire Owl: Greetings, my dear vampire apprentices. I have just come back from the dead. Well, it is one of the advantages of being immortal; you never really die even when you forget the conditions of the immortality pact. As I am back again, we are going to have one of those special classes right now, and today’s subject is “Count Fantastic-o-Dracul-a”, and it is from a work which I have written along with the Vampire Bat who happens to be my co-author for many tales of vampirism. There will be the need to remember this for two papers, and so be careful because the class will determine how much you will score for the examinations. By the end of this class, you will surely get to understand how great the achievements of Uncle Dracula have been. Any questions?

Vampire Penguin: Sir, when is the break? Is it after half an hour?

Vampire Owl: There will be no break and no more questions. Lets get back to the work. As you know, it is a great work, as I am the one who wrote it. It has been selected for the Vampire Booker Prize as well as the Vampire Academy Special Prize. It deals with the great vampire saga of Uncle Dracula, or Count Fantastico who skillfully created an illusion of death when stabbed through the heart by those miserable humans, and continued to serve the world.

Vampire Crocodile: They still think that Uncle Dracula is dead? How ridiculous!

Vampire Penguin: I believe that most of them think that he never really existed. Can you believe it?

Vampire Owl: There are rather too many things that the evil humans believe. They have manipulated the story of Dracula trying to buy a small amount of land with a house in a rich, capitalist neighbourhood and depicted him as a demon. In his story with himself as the hero, they have made him the villain. The true villain was always Abraham Van Helsing, and it was Jonathan Harker who is responsible for spreading all those rumours which lead to this villain being termed a hero. The only thing that Dracula tried to do is to save Lucy Westenra and Mina Murray who were controlled by these people. For this, they have destroyed the letters and diary entries written by Dracula which they managed to steal, and created their own versions.

Vampire Crow: This is quite depressing, you know.

Vampire Owl: Yes, but after creating that illusion of his death, Dracula thrived. He traveled all around the world, living most of his time in exile at the villages of different Asian nations, helping people and teaching them how to protect themselves from the evil like Abraham Van Helsing and his dangerous minions. They were the ones to call him Fantastico for the very first time. He taught them that they had to stand for their rights or all that they will have might be a knife or a stake through the heart this day or the other. He recruited his first disciple and the new master of dark arts, Vampire Bat during his visit to the South of India.

Vampire Penguin: So, the rumours were indeed true.

Vampire Owl: Yes, he also attained spiritual enlightenment during his travel through the Himalayas. The truth is that there is no mountain in the world which he hasn’t visited, and there is no river which he hasn’t crossed. He has been a true traveler on Earth, as he has provided the humans with information as well as wisdom during his journeys. He has also indirectly played a huge role in stopping the two world wars, especially the second. But the humans will never know it, and the ones who realize that will try to hide that information because Dracula will always be an outsider to them.

Vampire Crow: I seriously don’t understand why the humans are so mean.

Vampire Crocodile: They have always done that; often appreciating people only according to the religion, caste, ethnicity and region. There is no universal brotherhood among them, and unlike us, they are not one – so they are surely not going to accept one of us as we are twice the outsiders.

Vampire Penguin: Yes, they only like me because I am white. Otherwise, they would have asked me to return after trying Fair and Lovely.

Vampire Crow: What? Why would you even say that now?

Vampire Owl: You just note these things down and think about how and why Uncle Dracula needs to be known as Count Fantastico, the man who has no match in his greatness. The better you understand his qualities, the more you can score in the examinations. I can provide you with an extra photostat versions so that you can deal with the one word questions better – there will be ten of them from outside the syllabus. The top scorer in this subject will get a special prize from Uncle Dracula himself. It is something called the Golden Medal of Imperial Blood.

***The images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Page of the movie, Hotel, Transylvania.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

Music: Through the Years

The thing about music is that it has been an essential part of my life through the years. Even though I listen to less music these days, it was more essential during those times when there was not much to do otherwise. Both Hindi and Malayalam music have made my life better during those days when nothing much happened. Even while playing computer games, there was some music playing in the background. These are the songs which go back, just to those end times of the last century. 1980s and 1990s have been the best times related to songs as well as the movies as far as Malayalam movie industry is concerned.

“Rajahamsame” (Chamayam: 1993)

Along with another song from the same movie, “Ragadevanum”, this is not just my all-time favourite song, but part of one of the best movies of the time. Set in the background of the sea, fishermen and drama troupes, Chamayam was one movie which had to courage to be different. I haven’t really liked many movies belonging to the drama or romance genre during the early 1990s, but with its willingness to come up with a different story and follow a path with variety, Chamayam was one of them, and this song has a big role to play in making one falling in love with the movie.

“Ambalapuzhe” (Adwaytham: 1991)

Adwaytham was one of the movies long ahead of its time, but it still did work so well at that time; the songs were also very good, and this one is a special thing – I believe that I have mentioned this song before, but it is the kind of song which you can listen to, and also talk about all the time. During those days of cassettes, one had to work hard to find the music and get it recorded into those empty ones. As I see that cassette shop now, it is now a motor-bike service centre – memories fade for sure, but not when we remember songs like these which are more like the nostalgia of those times.

“Malayali Penne” (Bandhukkal Sathrukkal: 1993)

I have found this song to be a lot like those Malayalam poetry works which we had to study at school. Even though I have been reading a lot of Malayalam works during my childhood, a lot more than the English books, this song happened to be one of those which were so difficult to sing except for the first line. Even though I could never come close to learning most of the words mentioned in this song, I believe that this song has efficiently used the beauty and vocabulary of Malayalam language. I can guess how difficult it will be for a non-Keralite to learn Malayalam – even I had decided to choose Hindi instead of Malayalam for my Plus Two due to the depth of my mother tongue.

“Nee En Sargasoundaryame” (Kathodu Kathoram: 1985)

The first time I heard this song, I wasn’t sure where it was from – happens with a good number of movies which have released before our birth. The movie was an emotional drama, and it wasn’t among my favourites; so coming up against the movie name was always going to be tough – but there was the point when the Doordarshan Malayalam helped by bringing those older movies to us, and then I knew the movie. There are two other interesting songs in this movie and one of them might be the more popular thing, but this one is indeed my favourite.

“Thumbippenne” (Dhruvam: 1993)

I would consider this movie as one the best Malayalam thriller of the last century, telling the story of a man named Narasimha Mannadiyar who goes on a long wait to have his revenge on the wanted criminal and terrorist Hyder who killed his brother. With amazing songs like this one as well as others, this movie is a lot like an all-rounder flick. With a cast that included Mammootty, Suresh Gopi, Jayaram and Vikram in his first Malayalam film, there is no part of this movie which I liked less, and this is one song which you are sure to love. Even the background score was so good!

“Onnaam Raagam” (Thoovanathumbikal: 1987)

There are many more songs to be part of such a list, but I shall end with this – along with “Megham Poothu Thudangi”, this song was always among the big favourites. When we think more about the same, a lot of movies with Mohanlal in the lead had some of the most amazing songs, and they have very well contributed to us liking those flicks even more. If we decide to take the examples, there will be so many of them. As Thoovanathumbikal is one of the most remembered movies of its time and has a certain cult status, the songs have surely played the part here too.

*I would also like to mention “Pon Veene” from Thaalavattam, “Kunu Kune” from Yodha, “Eeran Megham” from Chithram, “Shyaamameghame” from Adhipan, “Athmaavil Muttivilichathu” from Aranyakam, “Pravahame” from Sargam, “Aareyum Bhaavagaayakaraakkum” from Nakhakshathangal, “Ethrayo Janmamayi” from Summer in Bethlehem, “Nilaave Maayumo” from Minnaram and many other songs.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

Navigation: At Land of the Dead

At the land of the dead, the Vampire Bat, the Vampire Owl and Lady Death goes on a walk. There is a certain confusion about who is dead and who is not, considering the immortality clause to which the vampires are bound, and also concerning the limits of Lady Death’s domain, related to how far she can travel to collect the souls. As they navigated on the death-ship deeper into the lands, they come across the great sins.

Vampire Owl: Well, she is pretty; not simply pretty, but very attractive.

Lady Death: It is the first deadly sin. It has just taken the form of the lady which is now the default form, and is known by the title, Queen Lust. You shouldn’t fall for her.

Vampire Bat: But aren’t the sins supposed to be in hell, with the Devil?

Lady Death: Well, some places where I reside are also called hell, my dear vampires. Hell is a word, but reality has much more to it. I have myself converted many parts of the world into hell or much worse.

Vampire Bat: I did guess that earlier.

Vampire Owl: I think that we should tell that guy on her side to stop eating. He is so fat.

Lady Death: Well, you can’t ask Mr. Gluttony to stop eating because without that, he really won’t live up-to his name. The person sleeping on the sofa on his right side is Mr. Sloth who is his best friend. You know that some humans only serve these two by eating and sleeping all the time. So, it helps to work together.

Vampire Owl: Lets go into that castle then. Is it really made of gold?

Lady Death: It is the home of Lord Avarice, known in your land as Greed. You don’t want to go in there. You will find all the gold there, but no food and no path that leads outside. In simple words, there will be no escape.

Vampire Owl: I was never really planning to go inside.

Vampire Bat: This journey is refreshing. All the sins are wandering around as if this is the world of true sin. You have a nice navigation device here.

Vampire Owl: Wait! Do I smell something burning?

Lady Death: Oh! That should be Mr. Wrath. He just hates everyone. I believe that he just got angry again and is burning a few more souls. He can’t help it.

Vampire Bat: Such violence that humans have in them and those inherited!

Vampire Owl: Oh my God! Is that person on the top of that tower of bodies trying jump from the top and commit suicide?

Lady Death: That should be Lady Vanity. She keeps boasting about something all the time. She just can’t stop telling everyone how awesome she is and how pathetic everyone else happens to be. Once, I listened to what she had to say, and I wanted to jump into the lake of the dead, but then I realized that as I am Lady Death, I can only float over that lake.

Vampire Owl: If any of your uncles are marrying again, I think that we should recommend this lady to them.

Vampire Bat: They will find her here when they are dead and buried.

Vampire Owl: By the way, do you see this lady who is stalking us from behind the walls of fire? She has been there for a very long time. What does she want?

Lady Death: Well, she is Miss Envy, known at the other side of the lake of the dead as True Poison. She keeps checking for all who navigates through the land of the dead. She wants to have everything that we possess. She is ranked number two in the Sin Quality Analysis after Lady Vanity. But I strongly believe that Miss Envy will gain the lead in the next century when humanity goes to the verge of extinction and there is not much to boast about for Lady Vanity. It is the time when Mr. Gluttony will cease to exist.

Vampire Bat: Actually we can find all these people inside humans. When we go back, we should check and see how well these sins are working there.

Vampire Owl: Yes, there will be a minimum of one sin for each person in most cases. We have seen them all. I think that it is enough and we should stop the navigation.

Lady Death: Your will shall be done.

***The images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Page of the movie, Hotel Transylvania.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

Horror Genre: Impact on Life

I have answered the questions about my favourite genres by adding something with the word “horror”. If you have been reading my blog, you might already know that I was always attracted to the genre of horror. It is also the genre which had the most impact on my life. Here are the results of the horror influence on my life, and it is why I need to watch more and more horror movies to keep recharging the impact!

I was very much not immune to fear during my childhood and the early days of reading horror. But that was only for a very short time period, as things changed, and horror was not really about bringing fear anymore. It was not about being scared. The whole thing became the reflection of entertainment. It changed my love for fairy-tales into a world of dark fantasy, and my life became different; unlike being the same as that of other kids.

Horror helped me to understand another important thing in life, which can be considered as the biggest impact that it has made on me. It made me realize that horror is just part of life. This dark side which forms an inevitable factor in human society, has to be embraced to accept that horror is real, and after that horror movies have been the path to knowing more of the truth in my case. Ghosts are real in one form or the other, and so is horror – I realized that with my relationship with horror genre.

Another realization came with the horror impact in the form of the thoughts about the presence of evil. I came to the acceptance that evil is part of our lives, and only by an extra dose of goodness that this evil can be kept away from our lives. The inherent evil in humans will come out at one moment or the other, and it is by understanding the nature of horror which has been created by evil or occuring naturally, can we be equipped enough to fight the battles.

There are horror movies which have told us that quick death is only an escape from pain and misery, as the world has too much of horror for a common person. Pain and suffering are just parts of the horror which are unleashed on us. The basic nature of the world itself is horror, as we look at those wars, terrorism and natural calamities. Easy death is rather a lucky thing, and considering the nature of the world around, death or the closeness to it can come in the form of horror and suffering.

Horror’s impact has also made me believe that ghosts are rather better. Humans are worse, and if we are to be killed, it is is better to have it done by the hands of some ghosts which are just tormented souls looking for revenge most of the time. Ghosts are not known to attack others of their own kind too, but it is not the case of humans. They have more evil inside, which is boosted by the materialistic world, and this means more horror from humans than the ghosts.

I also provide you with some time to think about it. There are many genres from which you can choose your favourite. But is there a genre which is as close to life than horror? Can any other genre make that kind of an impact on life staying close to reality? I have found these genres like romance and science fiction as two big lies, both of these never really happening to the common man. But horror is everywhere – you will see something belonging to this genre everywhere, because it is that close to human nature; it is why you feel the impact better with horror.

***The images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Pages of the movies, The Cabin in the Woods and Your’e Next.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

Guillermo del Toro: Mr. Fantastico

During the earlier days of movie watching, I was just another common movie watcher, and never really cared about who was acting, directing or spending money for the movie. But in the last few years, I have been looking at each minute detail about the movies, and I have come up with my favourites. I have them among the actors, but among the directors, my favourites one has been Guillermo del Toro, and I would call him Mr. Fantastico, and his movies are consistently fantastic!

I have always found it easier to connect with the movies from him, and each movie which he directed and I have watched, has given me different and yet special feelings. He has also written novels, and The Strain Trilogy about vampires is a well-known one. It was made into a television series and receieved positive opinions. I am looking forward to reading the novels or watching that series some day. So along with being director, screenwriter and producer, being a novelist also comes as one extra skill for Mr. Fantastico.

The movie that made me certain about his skills was Pan’s Labyrinth indeed. Originally titled El Laberinto del Fauno, this Spanish Dark Fantasy movie gave me a feeling that I could never really express in the right way, because it was that special. I often refer to this movie as the grand fantastico of all movies belonging to the same genre. If there is a dark fairy-tale that could rise above everything else, it is this movie, and this serves as your opportunity to fall in love with Princess Moanna, heir to the magical underworld.

I have recommended Pan’s Labyrinth to everyone without second thoughts, and it is a movie which brings you the idea about how Mr. Fantastico uses the themes and imagery to perfection. Getting 4/4 from Roger Ebert, 95% at the Rotten Tomatoes and 98% at the Metacritic – I would consider this as one of the greatest movies of all-time, and del Toro is the master of the fantastic, the truth that a lot of people fail to know because they haven’t watched this movie, and it is not right!

It has been about ten years after Pan’s Labyrinth had released, but you never really get out of that magical effect which the movie had created on the audience. I see Ivana Baquero, the girl who acted as the protagonist of the movie, and then I realize that it was so long ago. There are not many directors who have left such an effect on me with one movie; del Toro has actually continued the fantastic work in the later movies. Actually, there are a lot of his earlier movies which I really wanted to watch, but couldn’t as they were not available.

Then there was Hellboy from the same director – I love this one and its sequel, and I have never felt that a director could do Hellboy better than him. Del Toro is at his best with the creatures, he is at the highest level of fantastico with them and you might have realized that from the creature design in the Hellboy movies. These two also have heavy ratings from critics – do you remember the Angel of Death in the second movie? That was one dark fantastic creature, one of its kind.

His last two movies, Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak also remain my big favourites. Both these movies did better outside North America, and one thing about these two movies were that they were intellectually a long way ahead, and unless you manage to get there with the idea, it won’t work. The former was one of the best entertainers with monsters and robots while the latter was one of the best Gothic Romance Horror stories in the last few years. Well, if you are going to watch a movie from the master of visual beauty, Mr. Fantastico Guillermo del Toro, you need to get more fantastic!

***The images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Page of the movie, Crimson Peak.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

Impact of Being Good

We have always wondered about the best way to make the world a better place to live in. Well there are many ways to make a positive impact on the world, and among these right thing to make the best impact, I would choose “being good” to be the best option. doubt if many people have checked for the impact of being good. They look for the impact which they can make by being rich and influential, but the best idea, if you ask me, is to be good and remain so.

Haven’t we been appreciating good men and women in the past? Didn’t saints have a better role to play in each religion than the common people? Aren’t those people whom we respect as great men, saints and social reformers the people who were good and wanted to change the world to make it a better place not just for them, but also for the future generation? Haven’t we all agreed to the fact that these people were great and have made a positive impact?

Well, people have short memories. They find it difficult to remember their past, and this is more of a memory loss of convenience because they don’t want to be that good either. They want to be wealthy and famous in every way possible. They have found it easier to lie to their conscience if there is something like that left with them. If Mephistopheles had asked for their soul in return for luxuries, they would easily give it along with an extra soul from one of their friends. The world is different now, it truly is!

But one has to wonder how and why this world has changed, and when this radical change took its roots. It might not have been a sudden procedure, but it has been a powerful one, no doubt about that. Nowadays, a successful person with money and influence is a lot more liked than a good person – it is a case of shame and a reflection of the pathetic situation of our society. It should be left for a good person to make that positive impact, and a lot is to be done if the world is to have enough goodness in it.

I would say that the first thing about being good is to be nice to others. Actually, it is actually the most difficult things to do these days for some people. In a world of hatred, being good to others in words as well as in action is not that easy. Hate comes easy in this world, and abusing others is fun for the new generation. The truth is that nobody wants anything good to happen to others, and so there will always be the reason to hate others. As it is a natural thing, there can be no questions about it.

Hate and abuse has never been the solution. The impact that hate makes won’t stay forever, but the true change can be brought about by goodness. It is by the power of goodness that the world has to go through that change, and it has to be the light of the world, in a world which has been brought down by haters and abusers, a good number of them being taken over Facebook – do you see any goodness in social media? Well, it is quite rare if you ask me. A lot of people have been too much into showing their lack of culture.

There are many opportunities for us to do good, and it is part of our daily lives. We see people who are in need each and every day, and the impact that we can make in their lives will be a lot. It might be a small thing for us, but something that will define their lives with the impact that it creates. It is from these small and random acts of goodness that a better world comes into the picture. The responsibility for the same lies in each one of us, as we strive to make that impact – the best one possible.

***The images used in this blog post were taken by me.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

Fantastico: The Lost Knight

Kung Fu Panda has been working part-time as the Vampire Panda in the castle for quite some time. Among the vampires who came to the Dracula Castle for the special degree in Vampirism, he was always considered among the brightest, not just in studies, but also for his work in the kitchen. He has been the one person who was needed at the kitchen every day, and he could even do all the work all by himself, as he was quick, and knew Kung Fu, even though he did eat a lot.

His special item has been the Bloody Noodles which was so red that it was often used in signal lights all around the vampire country. But he was finding it difficult to keep everything going along with his vampirism and Kung Fu. He was in need for an assistant, and that was rather a necessity. So, he gave an advertisement in the local vampire newspapers about the requirement for someone to help him in the kitchen. Among the candidates, there was one particular person who passed all the tests in first class with distinction.

Vampire Panda: What is this? I can’t approve of this at all. We are looking for people for help in the kitchen, and not someone who is to fight battles for us. There is a separate wing for that.

Sir Fantastico: But I am a cook. It is written on my resume. Didn’t you read it?

Vampire Panda: Then, you are you called Sir? Are you a knight or not? Is it meant to make things for complicated?

Sir Fantastico: Well, my original name is something else. I took the name Fantastico because I am fantastic. I even call myself as fantastic and my tenth standard certificate also has that name; I got it changed. I used to take cooking classes for zombies. They used to call me sir, and it became part of my name. The jealous people say that the zombies said “grr” and not “sir”, but they just hate me and so I won’t believe that – neither should you, my dear sir.

Vampire Panda: I thought that you were named so because your name was Fantastic and O was your initial. But you have to prove how fantastic you are, through your work.

Sir Fantastico: I am very good. You will be sure about that soon. You will be knowing the meaning of my name.

Vampire Panda: I know the meaning, but it bothers me that you have a name like this. I feel like your name has been a major factor in making me take a decision about you.

Sir Fantastico: It is said never to judge a man by his name in a bad way, especially in the vampire world. I have heard about that. I know that you believe in those sayings because you are people from the old world.

Vampire Panda: You have heard it right. So, prove your skills by preparing some idiyappam and green peas curry. I believe that it will be quite easy for you.

Sir Fantastico: I will be working on it. The idiyappam and the curry will be fantastico! I mean fantastic! There will be a special bloody touch to it too!

Vampire Panda: I hope it is so. Otherwise, the Great Count Dracula won’t be too happy. He will be at the great dinner hall to test the food soon. It will be better if you make it fast.

[Gets into the kitchen].

***The images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Page of the movie, Hotel Transylvania.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy

The Executioner: Deep Impact

He walked all around the hall, dragging his giant hammer on the floor. With his fangs covered in blood, he didn’t say a word and he surely didn’t care about the people around him. He did make a few grunts though. Nobody cared to go near him, as he kept the procedure going as if there was nothing else to do.

Vampire Owl: I think that he has some problems in his stomach after having all the porotta and chicken curry. These people are always having food at the wrong restaurants. What is that sound he is making? I believe that needs treatment.

Vampire Bat: What are you talking about? He is the Great Executioner. You can’t talk like that about him. It is so disrespectful.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that I can. He has finished all the food here along with the special Blood Shake which he drinks seven times a day. And he is dragging the sharp end of his huge hammer on the marble – it was imported by the gypsies specially for this hall. Surprisingly, nobody is telling him anything.

Vampire Bat: That is not the sharp end; the hammer is a hybrid, a mixture of hammer and axe, one of its kind. He calls it the hammaxe. He is actually going through a state of depression. There is something which made a very deep impact on him, and he is struggling to go through the after-effects.

Vampire Owl: What happened to him? You call him The Great Executioner, but I have never even heard about him.

Vampire Bat: It is a long story which can be traced back through the ages. This man has been the official executioner of the realm a long time before you first joined the Vampire Team. Whenever someone needed to be dead, he was called; not just by us, but also by the other creatures of darkness and twilight. The creatures of the light had it easy because they would just come up with a damnation curse, and we had to deal with the rest of the situation. So, The Great Executioner has been of great help.

Vampire Owl: Such a creature of pure evil! It is like walking inspiration for the citizens of the dark side. I don’t see why he could be depressed or disappointed. I would guess that he missed one of his targets and thus failed to perform his duty?

Vampire Bat: That would be impossible under normal dark circumstances, but he came across something which is not less than a disaster – he was caught up in love.

Vampire Owl: Holy Vampire Elders! Now that is a disaster indeed. This is the worst thing that can happen to someone with such an immortal profession.

Vampire Bat: Yes, and he even fell head first on his hammer. It is quite a tragedy. The Dark Elves were the first to understand his problems, and later the Vampire Elders decided to take the responsibility and send him here after the Werewolves denied even knowing him.

Vampire Owl: The impact should have been that deep. Otherwise, I wouldn’t expect this man to walk around like this.

Vampire Bat: Yes, love makes people dumb, especially when the person whom we are talking about is a witch from north, and she is even allied with the Lich Queen.

Vampire Owl: La Belle Dame sans Merci, right?  One of my favourite humans, Keats knew it. That certainly can bring the deepest impact. I have always hated those magic cauldrons and flying broomsticks. I once read a spellbook and fell down dead, but then I remembered that I was immortal. I had to apologize to myself about the same, because that was the result of drinking human blood poisoned with hate for fellow creatures.

Vampire Bat: What we should be worried about is related to finding a new executioner. I have heard two names among humans, someone known by the codename Agent 47, and another one called John Wick. They are known to make the deepest impact with their shots.

Vampire Owl: Lets see what my zombie minions can find out then. I shall use my wide network in the graveyards all around the world to find these replacements.

[Leaves the castle].

***The images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Page of the movie, Hotel Transylvania.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

TeNy