The Day of the Critic.

A Review of Unnai-pol Oruvan

First it was god who was declared dead, then the author and then the guru... so finally it is the day of the critic!!!

What do I mean by this? Certainly not that everything depends on The Critic's whims and fancies, rather that films are finally forcing people to look inwards and think ... no ... THINK!!!!

Even as I watched A Wednesday, I was very confused - I was thinking "what does he say? that we all should take guns in our hands and threaten people to do what we think is right???" That never did leave me satisfied, even given the self-righteous declaration on the part of the nameless "terrorist aspirant" middle-class genius.

When I saw the Tamil version, again, some things were changed, an already smooth narrative was made even more enjoyable and smooth and even more acceptable in its candour, yet I wasn't willingto just accept that it carried the simple message that all terrorists must be shot dead to achieve world peace!! And neither could I accept that this was the feeling that expressed the thought of all sectors of peace-loving, law-abiding citizens.. no matter what Kamal's character spoke - " nyayath-tha eduthu solla nan yaara irunda enna? .." And when I say this, I am not denying that the whole reference to the brutal murders and violations in Gujarat were not equally soul destroying for me - for they were.. they are!!!

Okay, when it wasn't clear, I started thinking about what, in the film, made it possible for this intelligent ordinary man to get on and achieve his idea of planting five bombs in a city and getting everyone to do his bidding, not just government servants but private agents, including the media, reporters, and geeks?

It was just the social greed, the love for power and a corruption of the soul engendered by the lack of understanding of the great heights to which the markers of modern civilization, such as Law, Police, Medicine, Science, Politics, and all institutions and personnel who are put in place to keep these systems functioning - starting from Country Presidents, Business Barons, Political Achievers - both overlords and mafiosi and going right down to the rank and file, the nuts and bolts salaried folk.

It is not just charity, but peace, too, that begins at home. Why look for voluntary work? Look within and change yourself, be angry with yourself, for being corrupt, for being lazy, for not being your own great self compassionate and merciful, but also hardworking, proud and self-reliant -

TO get back to film reading, the days when the hero advised his audience and manipulated them are OVER - no more can we role-model heroes.. instead here are movies written by many hands and read by many eyes, each one to form his own story... If yu see the film and only blame someone else, you are still suffering from a delusion, a moral-high masque...

Love 'em All / Hate 'em all - just get some answers down!

We live in a country which is really young, in world timescales, a young democracy. Yet, already it seems that independance has left only the taste of ashes, the odour of hypocrisy and the quelling suffocation of the pillars of democracy by greedy power structures...

Ok, what am I trying to say here? To cut the crap and come to the point, this short essay is a reaction to the issue that is enraging the public now - the stifling of journalists' voices in Srilanka - the killing of Lasantha Wickramasinghe and sentencing of Thissainayagam to jail for twenty years.

At a meeting to denounce this held by the Save Tamils movement, eminent speakers and journalists spoke very sensibly and seriously. In a very intelligent approach to the way this question has been debated in Tamilnadu, the speakers also questioned India's role in the politics of the Lankan War and such happenings as jailing of journalists that have happened in our country as well.

Why is this business treated as a Tamils problem? Is not Srilanka as much a neighbour to Kerala and Karnataka and Andhra as it is to Tamilnadu, and such atrocities as are being forced there on people, ought they not affect all humans and neighbours equally?


Since all political parties here have been tainted with the same tarry brushes, to the point when there is no simple reason to choose one over the other. It would seem to me, now that they have all made their positions secure, at least for the purpose of making their power games more challenging and interesting, they would all get down to playing clean and meaningful politics with the goal of finding a solution to problems at hand!

Sing Along's Peppy Songs - takes you quite back into the seventies.

Sing Along has released their album of songs for young people under the title
"Peppy Songs."

The CD includes a set of eleven songs, with some famous old numbers like "Kookaburra" and "ABCD" as well as new ones. Lively tunes that are a mixture of the old and the new carry these songs. Some of the songs have an undertone of sentimental favourites of yesteryear like "My bonnie lies over the Ocean..." (birdie dance) that quite takes you back in time.

There are two songs in Tamil and other languages too (Tanjavur Bommai and Gopi Chander; both sung with zest by Krishna and chorus)

Recapturing the magic of these old favourites are the singers Krishna; Sunetra; Sumitha; Leena; Anjana; Shilpa; and Ritika.

The music has been arranged and programmed by Gerard Joseph and B Charles is teh sound engineer who has made this possible.

The CD has been produced by Reach Out and Sing Along maybe contacted at
citf2009@gmail.com

The CD is priced at Rs100/-