Malayalam Films

Saw a movie today. 'Arjunan Sakshi'. Starring Prithviraj, Anne Augustine among others. No, I'm not a so-called Prithviraj fan. Rather, i now choose the films i watch by directors or script writers. It's much better that way.

I think every Malayalam movie watching individual is starting to realize that you can't depend on the actor to do a sensible, good film. Not Mohanlal, not Mammootty, not Dileep, not Prithviraj, not Sureshgopi, not Jayaram. No, they are doing films that satisfy their 'FANS.' I see only one reason for this. They are blinded by their stardom. They believe, it is what keeps them at the top.

They can't be more wrong. They can't be more stupid. If they take time to sit and analyze, they will see that the so called fans constitute only a very small percentage of the moviegoers. Yes, fans may cheer for you at the first day of the release. They may throw garlands, flowers, paper bits, coins and god-knows-what-not, to the screen when their hero appears first on the screen or delivers a superb dialogue. They may deliver the initial collection. But, will the films sustain in box office? Will other people come to watch it?? Or will the same fans watch the films over and over, every day, every show till the film completes at least 50 days so that it can be declared a 'mega' hit?

The family audience stay away from theatres till the films has completed one month and all the pandemonium in theatres have died down. They want to see films peacefully. But alas, the films that doesn't stick on, doesn't get watched. So who are to blame? The fans? The theater owners? The common moviegoers? Or the stars?

What has bought this to Malayalam Films? I've heard youth complaining there aren't good stories. I've heard families complaining there aren't good movies which could be watched in the presence of family members without any embarrassment. I've heard even hard-core fans complaining about the declining standards of films. All of these people who come to watch movies, are not getting what they expect. And it is this - A good story told in an entertaining way. They don't care who acts in it as long as it is good. That is the lesson the Super Stars, the directors and the producers should learn. If you are not gonna select good films to act in audience will just stop watching your films. If you are not gonna direct good films that captivates the audience your films are gonna be flops. If you are not gonna produce good films, you are gonna lose.

Always remember the past. No one is gonna give you roles, no one is gonna act in your films and you can't continue to produce films, if you have not delivered GOOD films. The audience won't stick on. Even the fans will drop out. And nothing is permanent. The big stars will fail, the big banners will come down. Even Amithabh Bachchan has lost out his race with the audience.

Hopefully, things will turn around. New actors and new directors are coming. They are starting to deliver the much needed change the audience have been missing. 'Passenger', 'Best Actor', 'Traffic' are examples. And veterans are trying out different subjects - Lal, Renjith, Sathyan Anthikad are experimenting. Hopefully, Malayalam Films would change for better.

Hectic Life

Why do all people want to move fast in life? Is it life all what life is all about? Moving fast ahead, so that there is no one around you. Is it worth living like that? I think life is all about enjoying the time we are here in this earth with everyone i know and love. So what if i don't go with others to the parties often? I'm beside my pregnant sister to have a lunch with her.. What if I don't go online to chat with someone sitting across the globe and who knows nothing other that what I've told about me? I'm hanging out with my friend who has been with me in every turn of my life for the past four years. I think my life is going well. I'm happy..

Love & Music

Love and music. Both come from the heart. They have always been the greatest inspiration for each other. No one can tell you when you are in love. You have to understand that yourself. No one can tell you when you love a song. You have to know it for yourself. No one can tell you how beautiful love is. You can only understand it by falling in love. Just like that, no one can tell you how great a song is, you have to hear it for yourself.

And there’s only one rule in both love and music. “Listen to your heart.” If your heart tells you to play an instrument, just play it. Don’t ever stop to think if you play well or not. If your heart tells you that you are in love with someone, just love. Don’t ever stop to think if it will work out or not. Because, love and music doesn’t have any destinations. Their only destination is to love more and more and play more and more.

No one can tell you how you must feel when you hear a song. It’s the same with love. No one can tell you how you must feel when you fall in love. It’s different for different person. It’s what each person think it is. It is what each person feels it is.

And for me, Music is just like love. Endless, captivating my mind …

And love, it’s just like Music. Which fills up as it plays on and on…

Life as I see it

Yesterday night, I lay in my bed, looking out into the night and ask myself. What is it that I want in my life? What is it that everyone wants in their life? Why is that the people do everything they do – from waking up to going to sleep, from taking up a job to switching jobs to retiring, to falling in love to dumping his/her girlfriend/boyfriend, from earning money by working hard to wasting it all on an expensive new gadget, from joining for yoga to not bothering to attend the classes, the list is endless…. But why do people do all this? Because people want to be happy. They try to do things they think will make them happy. Sometimes it’s buying new gadgets. Sometimes it’s flirting with a girl. Sometimes it’s gossiping about someone else. Sometimes, it’s a higher job with a higher salary. But, eventually, does this all make a man happy? I don’t think so. My dad used to tell me, “The basic needs of a man are food, shelter and clothing. Once these three things are there, everything else is luxury.” I used to think that he was trying to stop me from spending money. But now that I have grown up and come to think of it, I understand that he was right. Socrates said, “the fewer our needs, the nearer we resemble gods.” People usually set targets for happiness. “I’ll be happy if I buy the latest mobile phone.” Or “I’ll be happy if I get a higher paying job” but is this really happiness? They are just trying to substitute real happiness for something else. As we buy the latest mobile phone, another one replaces the latest spot. As we get higher salary, our aim becomes even higher. This makes us still unhappy and we are again at square one. As Paulo Coelho said, “Everyone must ask himself, why am I unhappy? That helps us to find out what makes us happy. If what makes us happy is different from what we have now, then we must either change once and for all or stay as we are, feeling even more unhappy.” But the question remains, how many are bold enough to come out from their comfort zone to search for the happiness that they are not sure of to find? Will you?

Onam is over. Everyone askes me, "how was onam?" I don't know what am i supposed to say. Everyone celebrates onam the same way with nice foods and new clothes and films on television ! I don't know if this is the way i want to celebrate onam. When i was a kid, it was more fun with everyone of our family coming together, no matter wherever they are. And there was no television and those "superhit films" but we used to talk, play, talk, play, talk more, play more... It was fun. It was worth remembering. Now everyone is busy. No one wants has the time to celebrate onam with family. Everyone is busy celebrating it wherever they are. I don't know if this is the spirit of Onam. Maybe life is like this...

The other day, I was talking with a friend of mine when she said about her gang of friends, “We are true friends. We have never fought. We all think alike, and we have never disagreed on anything.” That’s when I wished I could tell her that true friends are not like that after all. Why do people never agree to disagree? Why do they never say even to their friends, “No, I don’t think so?” or “I have a different opinion?” Why do people always agree to any crap their friends say whether they make sense to them or not? Why can’t people be honest at least with their friends? Because, people are afraid of differences. People are threatened by the fact that there are differences. They believe things are alright only if everyone agrees on everything. But it’s absurd. It’s impossible. Because every individual is different. And one’s individuality depends on how much different he is from others. And there’s bound to be difference of opinion and preferences. True friends accept the fact that there are differences and accept the differences as well. True friends never have the blind belief that they are identical but understand that they are individuals first. I wanted to tell her that true friendship is when the identity of every individual is recognized and preserved even when everyone is together. To tell her that it doesn’t really matter whether they all agree on everything or think alike. What it matters most is that they are friends. Friends beyond all boundaries. Friends beyond all differences.