Thillu Mullu (new movie) review

This movie is hilarious!!  Even though I had my doubts about waching a remake it was not my choice to watch this - it was playing on TV and I eventually stared watching it, laughing with it and eventually liking it.  Let me confess that I am not a great fan of remakes or remixes - only an original can intrigue me - or so I thought until I watched this.  The whole team - Shiva, Kovai Sarala, Prakashraj, and even those who play minor roles have turned this into a first class entertainer.

Firstly the story line is so well adapted to modern times - like taking a cell phone video, using contact lenses etc etc- which makes it so well- believable.

Secondly the story line seems original - the old and the new have blended so well that the outcome is a super entertainer.

And then there is that independent spy who spies with such class and evokes laughter by his silliness!

If you crave some laughter you should watch this!

Chefpro Roti-maker review

Awesome gadget!  

We were looking for a reliable roti maker and initially I was oscillating between a manual one and electric version - because left to me I would like to keep things simple, and moreover did not want to shell out nearly 40 bucks for a gadget.  Came across quite a few cast iron and cast aluminum tortilla presses online but the reviews were very confusing - some said it broke after a few uses; some said it was not suitable to make Indian breads like chapati or puri.  Moreover it was all online - I would prefer to get to feel the gadget before purchasing.  Looked for it in speciality kitchen ware stores but no luck.  

Anywise, asked around in my friends circle and combed the internet for some hints but again got such mixed opinions.  Then finally we decided to take the plunge (I dont take credit for this) and got one at the local store.  It was the Chef pro brand and there are two sizes - 8" and 10".  In my opinion 8" is sufficient for household use.

I cannot say that I started making perfect rotis from day one; in fact I wondered if I had made a mistake of getting it.  The instructions which came along with the gadget were a little vague  and the few demo reviews on the net were not very helpful too.   To me it seemed like a camera trick that their rotis came out so perfectly.  But hey! perseverance does pay! 

Now I have evolved a way of getting near perfect rotis - 

1. make the dough a trifle watery than what you would for hand-making it. 

2. Use a little more oil than you would while mixing the dough - cooking oil is better than olive oil; but you can probably use an equal ratio of both.

3.  Smear a little oil (instead of atta powder) while pressing.

4.  Switch on the roti maker, adjust the heat settings between medium and maximum.

5.  Take a small amount of dough, flatten a little, smear a little oil on both sides, place it off center near the hinge and press through.

6.  Flip the roti and place it in the centre and press again, most of the way. (pressing it all the way could make the edges unnecessarily thin)

7.  Have a heated tawa ready and cook roties the usual way, except it starts fluffing right after dropping on the tawa because the heat in the roti maker has already started cooking it.

A great addition to my kitchen appliances!! Thoroughly enjoying the ease of making rotis now!! Its so much more convenient and quicker!  FYI I was very comfortable hand-rolling rotis as well.  But another stark difference in using the roti maker is the less use of counter space which is always in great demand!

25 free photo prints at Walgreens

Get 25 free 4x6 prints at Walgreens.com.  Use code NOV25FREE at checkout.  Order online and pick up in store for free.  (usually ready within an hour).  I am not sure how long this deal will last but works today.

Chennai Express movie review

Let me start by saying that I am no fan of SRK; just find him  incredibly adorable in some scenes; and again as in JTHJ there is a reference, be it minor, to his increasing 'seniority'; though, of course, he 'does not act his age'; the initial scenes in the movie where he prepares to go to Goa and the ones in the train where he encounters the goons are unbelievably juvenile and cinematic.

Most of the time we see happy families speaking with a heavy accent and a liberal mix of Punjabi vocabulary in their Hindi in Bollywood movies.  Chennai Express offers a refreshing change of scenario to beautiful Tamil homes and streets.  In fact the movie itself has loads of dialogues in Tamil.

But what mars this beautiful change is Deepika's Tamil accent!  Unbelievable!  Infuriating!!   Does this mean that all Tamilians speak Hindi with such an annoying accent??  Listen to Vidya Balan, Hemamalini - just two great actors I remembered from the top of my head!  They speak Hindi more beautifully than many other native speakers of the language!  Of course the Hindi that non- native speakers speak will have some remnants of influence of other languages but that is quite negligible.  I think in Chennai express the 'accent' thingy is supposed to be a comedy in itself, but according to me its in very poor taste!

Chennai Express has some vibrant colors in it; breathtaking scenery ( for all I know could be graphics) but overall a good entertainer!

Black friday saving tips from All you

http://www.allyou.com/budget-home/money-shopping/black-friday-tips-00411000073456/

Naan Mahaan alla - Tamil movie review

An apt title - if you ask me.  For the thing that the hero Karthi does at the end, one does not have to be a 'great soul' or a 'mahaan'.  Why he did what he did is probably justified.

The main story track goes on very vibrantly.  Karthi effortlessly essays the role of a happy go lucky hero, who always teases his sister and takes money from his parents!  He is from a middle class family.  On the side is a dark track, a group of good for nothing, perverted youngsters who habitually molest girls and on one occasion dump the girl after hacking her body into small pieces.  As fate would have it, the crooks had used Karthi's father's taxi (he works as a driver in a call taxi company) and he recognises the victims face broadcast on tv.  Being a conscientious citizen, he reports to the police that he can identify the culprits.  Knowing this, the crooks make an attempt to kill him.  Karthi is very shaken by this attempt on his father's life.  The miscreants will stop at nothing and this time they take the help of another bigger rowdy and plan and successfully kill his father in broad daylight.  This devastates Karthi and inspite of police's repeated requests, he does not proactively volunteer any information/help to catch these criminals.  He does not give himself any airs about his 'heroism'.  It was quite a refreshing change from the usual rut.  According to him, nothing is going to bring back his dad and he thinks these crooks deserve a harsher punishment for their heinous crimes.  

He does not plan on going after them to avenge his father's murder but coincidentally he encounters them, that is the end of this story.

Nice movie with the right mixture of romance, comedy, thrill etc.

Kattrathu Thamizh - Movie review

A very unique theme, certainly caught my interest.  Though initially the movie seemed very slow moving, focusing on the violence in the police station and subsequent cold blooded murders, the love story unfolded very well, it was refreshing to see the simple and naive ways of the young couple - Jiva and Anjali.

Karunas plays a pivotal role too, he is the camera man who records the memoir of Jiva under threats from him - he has been kidnapped by Jiva for this purpose.

The hero is a Tamizh language teacher in Chennai.  He has taken up study of Tamizh out of interest for the subject and the positive influence his own Tamizh teacher had on him.  Had he chosen to follow the masses and study IT (Information Technology) he would be earning thousands, may lakhs per month but now his salary is a meager 2000 Rupees.  He is very hopeful and upbeat as his salary will double after he completes Bachelor of Education which is necessary for every teacher.

Gradually the reality hits him - repeatedly he comes across his college mates or others who are not necessarily smarter than him but make much more and are well settled only because they work in call centres or in so called IT job market.  What bothers him even more is their haughtiness and their prejudice against him just because he chose to pursue the subject of his liking.  The points that he makes and the questions that he ask are very relevant; not simply because he has a low income.  These are very reasonable and sensible questions for which we have to find answers only by soul-searching.

It reminded me of the time that I took such a decision to study Sanskrit which people senselessly call as 'dead language'.  I too was a smart science/computer science student who took Sanskrit to prove that you do not have to be necessarily dumb or turned down elsewhere to pursue this subject as the main course of study.

It is indeed true that these days the IT folks make much more than average salary.  Of course they face their set of difficulties - excessive work pressure / ridiculous work timings etc.  They may or may not have job satisfaction but at the end of the month they see considerable amount of money whereas all those people who did not take the beaten road, who may be smarter and hardworking just struggle to make ends meet.

The hero's personal life of course is riddled with tragedy, the death of his mother, then later in life, of his dad; his childhood sweetheart getting lost to him and then later reappearing in his life.  A good movie, could make the common man introspect a little.

Yuvan's music is awesome - memorable, melodious, poignant  and apt.