Friday, October 3, 2008
Vaaran Aayiram - Movie Review
From The Hindu, 03-Oct-2008.
| Vaaranam Aayiram is an emotional, personal film, says Gautham Vasudev Menon. |
Audience expectations are high: Gautham Vasudev Menon
In the generally conservative film industry that thrives on star-worship, this man has the courage to call a spade a spade. Gautham Vasudev Menon is indeed a gutsy filmmaker. He’s also the rare professional who takes criticism with all sincerity.
Yes, MAN is the word because ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ is all about the essence of being the man you look up to. Being the man who can sweep the girl off her feet with his strength, poise and courage.
It’s an emotional, personal film straight from the heart for Gautham, considering it was born out of his father’s death. “Three days after he passed away, I decided I must do this film. I went through a lot of emotions when I came back from the funeral and when I sat to write the film a week later, I thought I could put all that into the film as a tribute to my father.”
No action film‘Vaaranam Aayiram,’ he underlines, is not an action film. It’s a coming-of-age drama where boy becomes man. “Because at every point, when you are young and discovering life and what it’s like… with the evil lurking around the corner or a love that hits you and at every point, I thought that the father could be the inspiration which is how it was for me.”
There is no commercial thought that dictated the content, he says.
“ …I thought let me make a film that deserves what it needs and nothing more. So I was thankful for someone like Suriya who straightaway said ‘Yes’. At the Filmfare Awards, I remember him calling me and saying: ‘I hugged my Dad on stage after I worked on this project. I knew people would think it’s for show but I realised it was a great moment to hug him because at home, I’ve never hugged him.”
Cheran and Raj KapoorAny influences? “If you say it reminds you of ‘Autograph,’ I would be happy because I love that film and I like Cheran as a filmmaker. I’ve grown up watching Raj Kapoor films because my Dad asked me to watch them. I like the way music wasn’t thrown in and takes the story forward. So those are influences but I’ve not copied any scene... But just like Forrest Gump sits and talks about his past, here, when a set of memories are triggered by an incident, his whole life unfolds before him.”
Did he make Suriya starve for the six-pack? “Definitely not,” he laughs.
“When I narrated the script, I said I also wanted to give a small message to youngsters that if at all you are going through a low phase in life, working out and pushing yourself to the limit might be a good way to overcome anything instead of smoking and drinking. So Suriya said: ‘I’ll do a six-pack.’ But when I saw what he was doing, I told him not to do it. There were times he wasn’t eating breakfast and skipping meals. He pushed himself.” He’s all praise for Suriya. “Seriously, the things he does for the director and the film. There is hardly anyone who is capable of performing like him.”
Gautham also shares a special relationship with Harris Jayaraj. “When I took ‘Pachaikili,’ he said, ‘Don’t do it’. Your audience is expecting a big film. This time, we’ve done a Gaana. It’s a first for us. I got up and danced like how Suriya would dance (we hadn’t shot the song) and so I danced like for one minute. He laughed his guts out and then worked the groove out. He trusts me completely and I trust him. We’ve done 35 songs and not even once, have I said I don’t want the song after listening to it.”
Being a successful filmmaker, he has to deal with escalating expectations and uncontrollable hype.
“I don’t think I have a fan base but ‘Pachaikili’ proved that people have certain expectations from me. That’s when I started thinking maybe you should be careful but then, that’s bad. Because you start writing for the audience and you can’t make a film you want to make. So somewhere you have to balance that.”
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Appraisal Time
To refresh your memory, and for the benefit of those who have not grown up listening to this moral story, it goes like this.
There was once a washer man who had a donkey and a dog. One night when the whole world was sleeping, a thief broke into the house, the washer man was fast asleep but the donkey and the dog were awake. The dog decided not to bark since the master did not take good care of him and wanted to teach him a lesson. The donkey got worried and said to the dog that if he doesn't bark, the donkey will have to do something himself. The dog did not change his mind and the donkey started braying loudly. Hearing the donkey bray, the thief ran away, the master woke up and started beating the donkey for braying in the middle of the night for no reason.
Moral of the story " One must not engage in duties other than his own"
Now take a new look at the same story.
The washer man was a well educated man from a premier management institute. He had the fundas of looking at the bigger picture and thinking out of the box. He was convinced that there must be some reason for the donkey to bray in the night. He walked outside a little and did some fact finding, applied a bottom up approach, figured out from the ground realities that there was a thief who broke in and the donkey only wanted to alert him about it. Looking at the donkey's extra initiative and going beyond the call of the duty, he rewarded him with lot of hay and other perks and became his favorite pet. The dog's life didn't change much, except that now the donkey was more motivated in doing the dogs duties as well. In the annual appraisal the dog managed a "meets requirement". Soon the dog realized that the donkey is taking care of his duties and he can enjoy his life sleeping and lazing around. The donkey was rated as "star performer". The donkey had to live up to his already high performance standards. Soon he was over burdened with work and always under pressure and now is looking for a job rotation......
Disclaimer:
All characters in the story are not at all imaginary. Any resemblance to person living or dying of work is purely intentional.
Monday, September 29, 2008
A letter from google
Google Developer Team
If you think you are unhappy, see this.
A blessing is not a blessing until you recognize it !!
|
Friday, September 26, 2008
In an office notice board
1) You are advised to come to work dressed according to your salary.
2) If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we will assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise.
3) If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise.
4) If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.
Sick Days:
We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.
Personal Days:
Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturdays & Sundays.
Bereavement Leave:
This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every effort should be made to have non employees attend the funeral arrangements in your place. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early.
Bathroom Breaks:
Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offence, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the 'Chronic Offenders' category. Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company's mental health policy.
Lunch Break:
* Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy.
* Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure.
* Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.
Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.
Kindest regards,
Human Resources :NT00
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