M.S.Dhoni - The Untold Story: The Helicopter soarrsssssssssssssssss.. :)

 As soon as the World Cup was handed over to Dhoni, my friend and I started to shout at the top of our voices with tears streaming down our eyes like the Angel Waterfalls which is acclaimed as the highest uninterrupted waterfalls in the world. Flashes of the wonderful memories hit me like Roman Reign's Spear! And when Sushanth walked down the stairs, it was as if Dhoni had somehow magically materialized on the big screen to relive the 2011 WC finals once again. Such was the extent of attention to detail he had given to his role that it seemed like the complete consciousness of Dhoni was transferred to Sushanth through advanced medical technology and surgery!

Be it in his attitude, smile, deportment and mien, Sushanth has literally lived as Mahi. It really showed his meticulous commitment and dedication to shoulder the heavy burden as the Captain of Indian Team who is not only an excellent finisher but also an inspiring figure to many people. Born and brought up in Ranchi, the man rose to the highest level of the politics infested Indian Team in a very short period of time courtesy his admirable confidence, astute cricket acumen and his exceptional performances with his willow. And the movie exactly covered his arduous journey from being an aspiring goal-key to be one of the world's respected and renowned cricketer thanks to his school coach.

The first half sped away like a F1 car. Before you know, it was pitstops! And the time was ahead by an hour and half! Not even a single dull moment which captured his early life from his humble origins. Anupam Kher and Bhumika played their respective parts as a caring father who wants a safe and secure career for his son and a loving sis who supports his ambition and gives wings to his dreams. But, it was Disha Patani who stole the thunder from them as Mahi's girlfriend. Despite the fact that she had very limited screen time, her effervescent persona really made an impact not only on the audience but also on our Captain Cool's life.

Unfortunately, it was the romance sequences which also pulled down the accelerating speed of the movie in the second half. MSD - The Untold Story could have also shown the other real facts like his controversies with Lakshmi Rai, spat with Yuvi and Gauti and the IPL spot fixing scandal though his name was cleared. All these would have shown that MSD is as normal and a vulnerable person as anyone else. People may have connected with him better despite the fact the he is one of the highly successful people who had come from an ordinary middle class family whose normal mentality is to have a decent job, government means better!, thus stifling their children's passion and yearning to follow their instinctive desire for their earning.  It happens with most of the kids in India.Why even our MSD was not spared by the system!

MSD - The Untold Story did not consecrate Mahi as a Saint! Other than that the director has given the most positive side of Dhoni which will definitely fire the enthusiasm of the younger generation to take bold and daring risks in their lives to create their lives as colorful as the rainbow. 

Likewise, the director should have recommended the theatres to hand out the tissues prior to the movie's commencement. As there were loud cheers when MSD wore the yellow jersey, my lachrymose was very evident and unrestrained due to happiness when the ball was once again thwacked into the crowds with the typical MSD signature shot.

Annalakshmi - A Sumptuous Querencia that leaves you to come again and again

Annalakshmi had always been on my radar ever since one of my colleague in TCS told me that it is a great place for vegetarians. I was always on the lookout for an ideal opportunity to check out the restaurant given the rave reviews that I had read in Zomato and from what my friends had said. As luck would have turned out, the felicitous moment presented itself sooner than expected. 

My friend and I met here on a pleasant Sunday afternoon to satiate our wolfish hunger. Little did we know what was in store, sorry restaurant!, for us despite the buffet being cancelled for the day.

The restaurant was jam-packed like the peak hour traffic through the arterial roads. It was a good thing that we reserved our seats prior to our arrival. A small suggestion is that everyone get their chairs booked if you plan to visit Annalakshmi during the weekends. Having confirmed our names at the reception, we were ushered into the 130 pm slot for which our engagement with their tasty food was destined.

The moment you walk through the gates, you are welcomed and awe-struck by the majestic Annapoorneshwari idol. The opulence of the ambience is such that you reel under the magnificence of Annalakshmi's decor.  The serene carnatic music gives the precise nonpareil backdrop that complements the echt and palatial setting of their interiors. It was then high time for us to take our seats.

Like the ambit of our discussions which ranged from politics to movies to serials to history to business ideas, Annalakshmi served us with a perfect blend of authentic and a stellar victual that is sure to linger in your minds and be made unforgettable for a while. The menu started with the vegetable clear soup served with the right amount of salt and pepper that you don't even have to search for the salt and pepper shakers.

It was then followed by the crispy cutlets as appetizer along with the crunchy vathals kept in the basket. Once when the finger foods were cleared away by the extremely polite, pleasant and cordial order-takers, the main meal began with a moreish dosai, one of a kind paruppu usili sevai and buttery paratha with nourishing salad, spicy potato fry, paneer butter masala, ladies finger chips and chutneys as sides.

Treading closely on its heels were the delicious pulao, standard white rice with rasam and vetha kuzhambu. We were already full by then when our attendant informed us that curd rice was also there on the menu. After taking a small, quick break, the ambrosia of Iyers was spooned out with 4 types of piquant pickles.

If you think it was over, it was not. The delectable desserts were then brought in - carrot halwa, a single scoop vanilla and Paal Payasam. A special mention to the Paal Payasam as people would normally prepare it as either too saccharine or less sugary. It was divine with the optimum level of sweetness just like how it used to be prepared in my home.

Now, you will wonder whether the cost would be on a higher side considering the rich surroundings and more-than-filling menu. Actually, even I felt that Rs. 700 was a tad too expensive when I saw the price before ordering the thali. But, at the end of the meal, the wholesome experience provided by Annalakshmi is worth every rupee spent on this terrific lunch. 

One Indian Girl - Let her be the ONLY one..!

The 3 Mistakes of my Life:

1. Having read 'Five Point Someone' and thinking that his subsequent works would be as good as FPS.

2. Anyone can have a rough day. The next novel will be better.

3. Will it ever be? Only time, money and effort waste.

Prior to the launch of One Indian Girl, CB had said that this novel was going to be a take on feminism and that he had done extensive interviews to get the character's perspective right. He had also said that he has gone one step further by saying that he has got himself waxed to feel the pain of women. It gave me a sliver of hope that OIG might be different from his previous works and that impelled me to pre-order the book through Amazon. I am not sure whether he felt the pain or not but after reading this piece of futility, he certainly waxed my heart to the extent that my lub-dub was screaming 'Can it get any worser than this'?

CB has always been a bad writer. He has himself acknowledged it publicly and defended that his style of writing is for the 'mass market'. And it is true. It was his simple, easy and relatable kind of portrayal in FPS that made me to expect and await eagerly for the new arrivals as his demotic way of putting things was completely refreshing from his contemporaries. In other words, his enchorial and non-literary way of sketching out the details in his books is, sorry was, his USP. It's been more than a decade since his first novel hit the shelf and people would have expected that he might have honed up his writing skills. Unfortunately, his standard has been deteriorating gradually to the point that it's utterly pointless to even bring up the topic. 

Being an IIT-IIM graduate and having worked in the reputed Goldman Sachs as an Investment Banker, it is a natural corollary that CB would have his own views on feminism. Sadly, that was not the case to be. Other than Amazon's razor prompt delivery, OIG is a trashy take on feminism solely intended only to be made into a tacky Bollywood movie by selling his rights to the highest bidder. CB has shamelessly flipped the definition of Feminism from Wikipedia instead of giving his own touch to the heavy term. The most regrettable and unforgivable part was that he did not even acknowledge that he had lifted it. As I was reading the book, I had an inkling that the definition may have been copied from some web site because of the usage of the words which was completely at odds with CB's style. Never in my wildest of the wildest imaginations I knew that it would be an exact copy (Nice oxymoron, na?) from Wiki.

The synopsis of the book can be summarised as Radhika slept with many people during her career and is full of insecurities about her own identity which she wanted to play it down by being independent and successful in her vocation. On the day of her wedding, is she going to marry one of those men or the one to whom she is betrothed?

CB has written the sex scenes more elaborately than focussing on the feminism aspect which is reduced to a mere two line dialogue at the fag end of the book. No one is saying that OIG should have been edifying or uplifting. But, it shouldn't have been so demoralizing to the already self-conscious girls in our country who may take a bad example in Radhika. If CB hadn't said OIG is centered around feminism, then it would have been just another of his previous work - Open. Read. Close. Forget. But, it is that he had given so much trumpet calls before the launch of the book that it seems now that everything is a marketing gimmick. 

It is extremely difficult to forge an impactful story with such a reality as Feminism. But, it is definitely not impossible. If CB says that it cannot be done, then he should really watch movies like 'English Vinglish' or '36 Vayathinile' where the protagonist defies all odds, becomes successful and gains the respect of everyone with liberal doses of pristine comedy. In this case, OIG is nothing but a raunchy, decadent and provides a facade of entertainment on the veneer of feminism.

Demystifying Rajini's Mojo through the Branding Microscope - Part 2

What is a need? According to Philip Kotler who is widely touted as the Father of Modern Marketing, a need is a state of felt deprivation. I shall lighten this heavy and conundrum definition in very simple and lucid terms - Hunger, thirst, breathing, food, shelter etc without which our survival comes into question are examples for need. Why did I bring in this random topic when we are discussing about Rajinikanth here? There should be a method to my madness, right? You guessed it correct. There is. As Rajini will say:

For the Superstar that he is, Rajinikanth hardly gives his appearances in public - be it the innumerable awards' function that is hosted by different channels in various parts of the globe or any other social event - You can see almost every hero and heroine in the industry flaunting their dresses and sashaying into the arena other than Thalaivar. Likewise, when even his contemporary Kamal Hassan is seen on TV endorsing Pothys, Rajinikanth is no where in the picture when it comes to advertisements ever since he entered the cinema industry sans an one and only cola ad.

                                                         Rajini - the Unseen!

What it really means in marketing terms is that the only recognizable window of opportunity for every die hard fan to savor his majestic presence is only through his movies which gets released either annually or biennially depending upon the film's director and Rajini's health condition. People might think that I am exaggerating a bit but having devoured his films and seeing the humongous frenetic activity that always takes place whenever his movies get released, Rajinikanth is not simply a person. Rather a very strong and powerful emotion that automatically triggers a smile on your face when you see him even if it is an animation.

                                                 The Swashbuckling Castrol Ad

That's what every great brands does. Brands do not sell products. They sell stories. Emotions. Something everyone can deeply relate to, unfathomably connect with and proudly share it to their relatives and friends. With Rajnikanth, the brand and the product are one and the same. In fact, the excitement and euphoric levels are such that any Rajini film is a festival like Diwali or Navratri than merely just another movie hitting the screens.  

Most of the marketers are of the opinion that needs cannot be created. 100 % true but they forgot one essential fact that Rajinikanth exists! Thalaivar CREATES the much-needed NEED to his most devoted and fanatic devotees for whom he is like the Oxygen sustaining their lives! To put it in more relatable terms, Rajinikanth is like what the brand APPLE means to Macmaniacs - the only difference is that with Superstar, the emotional quotient associated with this brand is magnified 1000 times more. I am neither overstating nor hyperbolizing here. There are plenty of people who will actually give their lives for Rajinikanth if such a situation demands and necessitates them to do so. However, the magnanimous nature of the man is such that he does not use, misuse or abuse his ardent fans to fulfill his self-interests.

The ultimate victory of a Brand is the way it can encompass and all embrace its barrage of patronages who flows like the gigantic Ganges into the Bay of Bengal! With enough blood,sweat and tears over his 4 decade long illustrious career, the Brand Rajini has cultivated a thumping great and extremely loyal customer base that has resulted in an unshakeable and long-standing Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) that spans over generations - From grandfather/grandmother to dad/mom and their children and their children who are willing to burn holes in their pockets to watch the FDFS at staggering prices. That is the rousing Brand Equity of Rajinikanth which sends everyone to go out of their minds and be in a frenzied state of delight till they update their FB and Whatsapp statuses!  

Take for instance - The movie Kabali. The permitted price in Tamil Nadu is capped @ Rs. 120 by the government. But, even the not-so sought after theatres were making a hefty profit by selling the tickets at 400 % their base cost. Elsewhere, tickets for Kabali were sold at Rs 500 and Rs 1000 for a normal Rs 50 and Rs 100 ticket. This is Price Skimming strategy at its zenith which will make even Apple to rethink their pricing strategy whose production costs hover around $250 yet charge $750 for their current version of iPhone range of products, thus having a profit of 200% or 3 times.

APPLE's supposed reaction 

Likewise, every marketer will unanimously say that Segmentation-Targeting-Positioning (STP) forms the cornerstone when you launch a product and without a proper evaluation of your target audience, the product will meet its death even before its introduction in the market. In Kollywood, Kamal Hassan caters to class A audience, Vijay to B & C and the list can go on. What is important to understand is that every actor has a particular target audience in mind when they make films to suit and satisfy the expectations of their fans. Thalaivar, in his very own style, breaks down all the class barriers by appealing to masses and classes alike. To just give a sample example, when Lingaa was released and despite the movie did not do well, my big mouth casually asked how the Lingaa ticket sales was to one of the employees @ the then Luxe Cinemas, Chennai. The response I got made my head spin like a Shane Warne's delivery on a 5th day wicket! He coolly replied that one single family booked a complete screen for their entire family members to see Thalaivar in Action! Rajinikanth need not break rules. All the rules break by themselves in front of this man!

If there is something that eludes and might haunt Rajinikanth is a National Award. It's not that he cannot act. But, the way he has positioned himself is such that it is difficult for him to showcase his repertoire of acting skills concealed in his arsenal. In fact, when I was watching "Jigarthanda" in theatre, my mind voice was literally screaming "Aiyoo Aiyoo Aiyoo. Assault Sethu's role should have been given to Thalaivar instead of Bobby Simha".  Bobby Simha got National Award for the role. So, he couldn't have been bad. But, had Rajinikanth portrayed this particular role, he would have taken villainism to all new heights that it would have been next to impossible for any Pole Vault Jock to surpass the bar! Assault Sethu's role was right up Rajini's alley for which he could have easily won 2 National Awards!  Still the slippery National Award is out of his reach and as a fan, I would love to see him don a character role without missing out any of the indispensable Rajini-esque characteristics and walk away nonchalantly with the Best Actor - National Award.

To sum it up, Rajinikanth has carved a niche for himself in the film industry. He is the undisputed Emperor of Entertainment. Everest of Simplicity. Antarctica of Coolness and Godzilla of Marana Mass. There will definitely come a time in future when this star runs out of his Helium and meets his final end. But, he will always be the one and only SUPERSTAR who shines brightly and warms our hearts till eternity.

                                                                    

                                                            X---Concluded---X

PS 1:
There are so much to his dimensions that I couldn't curtail any part. Thank you all for patiently reading the lonnnggggggggggggggggggg blog on our Thalaivar.... :) :)

PS 2:
Any error is the result of my negligence for not doing the due diligence properly on my opinions and facts.

Acknowledgements:
Would like to thank the meme creators and the images that were publicly available on the net that might have provided a welcome relief to you while reading such a lengthy blog.