Experiences

“Who’s the next of kin that needs to be informed in case something happens to you?” V was only half joking. We were indeed intending to go where no man/woman/child/dog from the civilized world had ever attempted to go before. Are you familiar with Saki Naka? It is a junction in hell. It is where the trying-hard-to-be-cool-but-failing-miserably Andheri-Kurla Road meets gateway-to-hoity-toity-Powai Saki Vihar Road meets just-hold-your-breath-we-will-soon-be-in-middle-class-heaven-Ghatkopar meets seriously-blue-collar-but-builders-are-fighting-to-make-middle class Jari Mari. It is where the stench from open sewers rise to mingle with the dust from monstrous constructions, fumes from thousands of vehicles, and sweat of a million people picking their way nimbly through garbage dumps, open craters, hawkers’ wares and uneven roads. It is where if the combined road rage of all commuters were to explode at the same time, it would be as devastating as a minor H-bomb. Off this devil’s o...

(Warning: a long post) “Why don’t you write a blog post on Tamil movies that non-Tamil people can enjoy?” Arif asked me the other day, perhaps in a bid to stop me from going on and on about a recent Tamil movie I watched. It was a capital idea. I decided to take out couple of hours from a week that is killing in its work load to write the post. I knew I was going to have fun. Thank you Anup and Anil for helping me come up with the list! The Tamil Milieu “Frank passions of Tamil cinema”, said Nisha Susan in a recent article. How true! Hot headed, vocal, simple, loyal Tamils with centuries of unbroken performing arts tradition embraced cinema as early as 1897. It was the beginning of a long, passionate, earthy love story, making cinema an extension of our identity, a part of our popular culture, intermingling with politics and daily life. 50-feet cut outs are but a small expression of our love. We make countless stars and worship them with pure hearts. Our whole hearted approval of the f...