Mayavin Diary

Recently I started discovered the link to the online stream of Hello FM. Since their music choice suits my taste I don't have to keep switching stations. Due to the time difference I end up listening to their late evening/night shows. Most often I end up listening to Mayavin Diary.

To those who are not familiar with this show, the RJ Maya reads diary entries sent in by listeners, plays a song and then comments on the diary entry. Here is where the problem starts. 99% of the entries he reads is either a sob story or someone venting their frustration. To add fuel to the fire, the background score that is played while he reads these entries is so jarring that you feel he is reading about the end of the world. Why do I listen to this program if it's so uncomfortable to me? As I mentioned, if I just endure the slight hindrance I can listen to good songs.

This program got me wondering though. Do people turn to their diary only during times of distress or anger? Does no one make diary entries when they are happy or ecstatic? I am a sporadic journal keeper but I try to record my happiness, sorrow, anger - the whole spectrum of emotions. So then why are all the entries read by Maya always sad? Do people send only the sad portions? Or does he choose only the sad and angry entries since he feels they fit in perfectly with his jarring background music? It will probably remain one of those never-to-be-solved mysteries.

Raavan(an) - A Good Movie After All

Though Raavan(an) released on June 18th, I did not watch it till sometime last week. Due to all the negative feedback I received from everyone I kept postponing my plans to see the much awaited movie. Once I finally decided to watch the movie the next question was "Which one to watch? - Raavan or Raavanan". I immediately decided on Raavanan as it had Vikram and Prithviraj - both talented actors.

The story is pretty straight forward. The wife of a police officer is kidnapped by the terrifying outlaw to exact revenge. The reasons are revealed halfway through the movie. From there on the heroine starts seeing the outlaw in a new light.

I did not enjoy the movie for a number of reasons. Mani has used direct interpretations of the Ramayan characters - Karthik's character being one of them. We get that he has been cast as "Hanuman". There's no necessity to make him jump from tree to tree or block the way just like Hanuman did. I'm just glad they didn't end up cutting Priyamani's nose literally. It is also funny that for the climax sequence the heroine is able to conveniently track Veera's brother and subsequently meet Veera when all the police force is unable to achieve that task.

Mani could have found a better replacement for AB Jr. While Vikram was able to easily essay the role of Veera, it was clear from the first scene that AB was just not cut out to play the role. One positive aspect though - I ended up appreciating the cinematography and the locations better. I would therefore suggest watching the Tamil one if you want to watch some good acting. If on the other hand you want to be enthralled by wonderful picturesque settings, go for the Hindi one.

Kaalangalil Aval Vasantham

Just heard on the radio that Kannadasan found his inspiration for the song "Kalangalil Aval Vasantham" from the Bhagavat Gita. True to his name he used the words used to describe Krishna and modified it a little to pen the lyrics to this evergreen song.

HP Advertisement

I came across this ad (rather the ad popped up and refused to vanish) while I was browsing the news on the Times of India website.

If you look closely at the top left corner you see this text..

It's funny that even HP seems to think that it's ads are painful and that the customer can somehow be coaxed through the ad with such "encouraging" text :) A message for you HP - I am no marketing genius but I think this is not helping your brand..

Pink Glove Dance

I came across this cool video while randomly surfing through youtube. The video has been created for breast cancer awareness. The employees of St Vincent Medical Center in Oregon have danced to the tune of "Down" by Jay Sean. The song by itself is catchy but the natural dance routines of the employees is amazing.

This is one of those videos which are much better than the originals. Whenever I hear this song on the radio I recollect this dance and not the original music video put together by Jay Sean. I am sure everyone will enjoy this video and it is sure to bring a smile on everyone's face. The editors deserve a special mention too for being spot on.

Enjoy!!