A Day Out With The One and Only Super Star - Part 4

When you have had an intellectually and emotionally satisfying film, what's the next course of action?

Of course, if not satiate then at least meet the physical requirements of the body's demands so that it effectively functions.

There are 1000s of restaurants in Chennai. But, since you have come out watching a good Thalaivar movie, wouldn't it be suitably appropriate and tailored to the occasion if I weren't able to sink my teeth on the lines of a Super Star themed outlet?

No Fret for me.

As there was already one in Chennai (Read: Prior due diligence was done by me on the previous day!), I was able to reach the place without any hiccups.

The moment you enter the small joint which is located at a stone's throw away from the Bessie Beach, you are immediately flooded with Rajnikanth's yesteryear's classy and cool portraits on the left with a big painting/image of 'Thillu Mullu' Rajni on the right to welcome you.

Of course, Selfie time. But, while dispersing.

Good Start to the place though.

There is always a popular Super Star song playing in the background (Rajni-themed restaurant.. Obviously!) with punch dialogues inscribed near a gloriously looking picture of Rajnikanth exactly across my table. 

Starting with a Strawberry Soda & Fried Cheesy Fingers, the place is a heaven for all Super Star lovers as there were extremely cute animated images of Rajnikanth of all shapes and sizes beautifully imprinted on circular plates which were hanging just above my head. 

The aplenty cheesy fingers were more than I could have had and the rest were doggy-bagged. The crispiness of the taste was okay. And, there are no complaints regarding the Soda as well.

But, the Tandoori Paneer Sandwich had a tad too much salt which ruined the otherwise healthy mix of vegetables and sauces in it. 

The worst was yet to come. 

The Penne Arabiatta was so spicy that it was like licking a spoonful of reddish-orange flowing volcanic lava which is enough to burn one's mouth. My taste buds, which are usually tolerant to spicy foods, just couldn't handle (or tonguele) the vast amounts of chili flakes in it.

It was like the chef had emptied the entire repository of chili flakes into the recipe!

Yep.

It was a recipe for disaster. On that particular day when I paid, pun intended, a visit.

Maybe, it could be better on another day with the proper palatable edibility. 

I don't know.

But, you just can't let the one item spoil the rest of the good things in the restaurant, right?

Mistakes happen. All of us are not Gods.

Okay, at least me.

Overlooking that blip, SuperStar Pizza is a must-visit place if you are a die-hard or normal or even neutral fan of Thalaivar where you can hang out with your friends and immerse in the never-ending exciting experience called Rajnikanth. 

                                                               X---Concluded---X

PS 1:

They have some really tongue-in-cheek and uber-cool names for their menu which will positively leave a big smile on your face as you are reading or scanning them on the a la carte.

PS 2:

Nope.

The title was not click-baiting.

I never said anywhere or indicated even remotely that I spent quality time with the REAL Super Star in person. 

All my title reads are:

"A Day Out With The One and Only Super Star".

And, going and judging by the day where I spent a heavy and significant chunk of my time with Kaala and then with the SuperStar Pizza outlet,  I am telling the truth that it was indeed a day out with the one and only Super Star.

I am only responsible for what I say and not for anything that's inferred by anyone.

A Day Out With The One and Only Super Star - Part 3

For those who had missed out the previous parts due to any number of reasons,

here are Part 1 & Part 2 for your kind reference before delving deep further.

The man who has captivated the audiences with his spell-binding mannerisms and inimitable styles for generations - Rajnikanth.

Don't ever forget the name.

Ever.

In Kaala as well, he has sizzled through the scenes with oomph and panache - Read: without any of his evergreen punches or high-octane action stunts. For the fact, the role in Kaala is his most subdued and low-keyed ever since 'Anna Malai' yet no compromises on his on-screen presence.

Despite the fact that he had a toned down character, there were no scarcity or dearth in his flamboyant personality which only he can achieve - Like the Flyover Walk before he umbrella bashes the bad guys or the one-strike bamboo with his foot and it lands in his hands (though it had a striking reminiscence to Justice League but way better than it because of the 'Rajni' Phenomenon)

For all these years, he has eternally trapped himself into playing 'Mass Appeal or Larger-than-Life Hero' that many were labeling him as a non-performer in terms of a strong character-oriented role.

With his age fast catching up now, Rajni has perfectly started to unleash his character-driven latent ability mixed in the right proportion with his innate talented on-screen presence and charisma.

At times, you have the feeling that 'Kaala' reminded of 'Kabali' like the way he walked down the steps or the initial confabulation between Zarina-Rajni which was of similar ilk between Kabali-Radhika Apte. But, the character presence of Kaala is way too stronger, meaningful and powerful than 'Kabali'.

It was also due to two factors - Nana Patekar (NP) and SaNa's BGM.

That one scene where NP and Kaala were sitting F2F in front of each other was as mind-blowing as Padayappa-Neelambari.

NP was whacking great as the antagonist for the sheer menacing and frightful intimidating nature which was buoyed up further like a Python-swallowing-its-prey BGM whenever he is on the frame to create the sense of dread and strike fear into the hearts of his adversaries. He was calculatively ominous though it was a sliding loosener where he is shown to have let his guard down and come to the assumptive conclusion that Kaala was dead when there was no evidence to the contrary.

I was not much of a big fan when the songs hit before the release but when in sync with the moving frames, it sounded good. A decent job with the songs but the BGM - Smashing. 

Speaking of smashing, the three ladies (Kaala's wife, Huma and Anjali) were outstanding in their respective roles. Be it when they dared to speak against Kaala or use his name to him or shout for their people's troubles - They were not mere showpieces in scanty clothes to dance around in exotic locations but had a sizeable and substantial edge to their characters which drives the plot and story forward than frivolous giggles and demure timidness who are waiting for their knight-in-armor. Their performances reminded me of the three fantastic leads in Iraivi.

Encapsulating, if people went in to watch the dashing and slashing Rajni with their thought processes tuned in with his yesteryears BO hits like Muthu or Sivaji or Enthiran, they may or may not like this one.

But, when you see Kaala as simply Kaala, then you will not only appreciate the Ranjith's efforts to tackle such a serious socio-cause head on but also Rajni's mellowed yet scintillating character-oriented stylish approach that has been hidden in plain view all this while.

Kamal Hassan Ji - Beware!

Rajnikanth - the character-centric natural and realistic person is on the loose.

                                                                X---To Be Concluded---X

PS:

With Shankar's 2.0 around the visible corner, it's going to be business as usual for Rajni as it's sure shot to be a typical Super Star film with lots of punches, pun definitely intended, and VFX (which is what most look in a normal Rajni flick) unless I'm proven wrong. 

What I'm looking forward beyond 2.0 is Karthik Subbaraj's new venture with Thalaivar especially with the firework Ani holding the reins of the music composer.

That said and done, if Rajni's swansong is like Wolverine's Logan with Super Star going all ballistics and berserk (character wise and style wise) in his last outing in the future as a movie star and sends his fans into a state of euphoric fervor in the event he is awarded the National Award for such a performance, that is the highest high in his illustrious long career for the person to solely redefine entertainer in the Cine Industry.

A Day Out With The One and Only Super Star - Part 2

Continuing from Part 1,

Kaala is 50.01% Rajni film and 49.99% Ranjith's to be exact with the percentages of mathematics.

You can literally see Ranjith's touch everywhere like the "Ravana Kaviyam" book on the table or be naming one of his characters as Lenin. He walks his talk just like what he accomplished in Kabali.

There were far too many adorable and a screamer of moments like Zarina speaking in English and Kaala's wife responding to her or Zarina-Kaala convo in the restaurant or Kaala's wife's jealousy when she says she would go behind her childhood lover. 

Fantastically depicted and endearing scenes which you could watch over and over again.

But, where Ranjith had strangely faltered is the total duration of the movie ( My best estimate is to be edited somehow by at least 20 mins) and the way he had shown Lord Rama as villain and Ravana as a hero when the basic common sense dictates that Rajni who fights on behalf of his people is actually Lord Rama and the politician is Ravana for having the "I-want-to-rule" selfish mentality. He had literally and figuratively flipped the characters of Rama and Ravana to suit, insert and push his agenda into the mainstream real world.

Also, "Manu" Builders or "Hari" Dada is a direct and flailing attack on the sentiments of the Hindus.

It's a good thing that no one from the ruling BJP - State or Centre - did not create a loud hue and cry thus promoting the movie further with no additional Marketing costs incurred for the team of Kaala.

Maybe, was that the primary or secondary reason as to why Ranjith had included such controversial names and character sketches in Kaala?

I don't know.

What I know for the certainty is that sanity prevailed finally after the disastrous debacle of Mersal (Nope! not from the movie's POV but from external factors!) as the lessons have been properly learned by those who shot from the hips then without any forethought so as to magnanimously give an unbridled publicity at no charge to the makers of the films.

However, given the incontrovertible fact that the director speaks extensively and passionately about rights and equality, what would be incredibly interesting to see is whether Ranjith has the same level of guts to talk about Christianity or Muslims in such a belittling manner with his forthcoming movies especially when the great Tom Hanks' 'The Da Vinci Code' faced severe brickbats when it was due to release in our country or Kamal Hassan's 'Vishwaroopam' which got embroiled in a neck-deep controversy prior to hitting the screens.

Only Ranjith can answer this question as he is the one who had incorporated it into the film.

Sin embargo, when you take away this particular portion of the movie and watch it as a larger picture (pun intended!), Ranjith has created a beautiful narration with enough humor, intelligence, a hard-hitting societal-focussed script that shows the trials and tribulations, plight and flight, doom and gloom of multitudes of people who live in wretched and squalid conditions and deserve nothing other than a better life without being at the mercy of anyone but on the own merit and self-respect.

What excellent way to project such a strong concept other than the cinematic medium with Super Star at its helm.

And, Yes.

He has also made the best use of Rajnikanth - the actor, character, performer, and entertainer - to his maximum effect.

                                                      

                                                               X---To Be Continued---X

A Day Out With The One and Only Super Star - Part 1

'WHATTTTTTTTT'?

'SERIOUSLYYYYYYYY'?

'ONE DAYYYYYY with THALAIVARRRRRR'?

'OMGGGGGGGG'!

Supposing you had no inkling of such questions in your head, then you are not a Rajnikanth fan.

If you are having more curiosity like a cutie kitten and bursting like a 1000 wala cracker on Diwali on my meeting with Super Star for a day, I will definitely brief or flush out the full details starting with Kaala.

Yep.

Kaala.

Personally, I loved the central theme of the latest Rajni starrer - Land is for survival and not for power.

Ranjith has crafted a phenomenal storyline surrounding the slum and the dirty politics deeply mired in the grab-for-land heavy tussle between Kaala and the Politician. Kaala's dad being murdered by the politician adds the extra twist and weight to the already loaded script wherein in usual masala films, it would have been a regular revenge saga devoid of substance and intelligence.

The director had shown his flair and smartness throughout the movie by making sure it's not a run-of-the-mill vengeance story but an out and out social cause where the lives of thousands of people are at stake and Kaala carries on the mantle from his dad by being their to-go person whenever the situation escalates or when he should be in the forefront and fight for his people being their chieftain.

Ranjith's smartness can also be seen in the neat flashback as to how Rajni lost his first love - Zarina - using vivid placards instead of opting for Digital De-Ageing Technology or applying excess make-up for Thalaivar to show him as a youngster.

This naturalness is carried forward to the full length during the initial scenes where the family has an informal conversation or in Nana Patekar's house where the kid tells him "Thank you for not killing him".

The realism is genuine and authentic and not forced anywhere - be it the slum setting or Kaala's family. Some stunt sequences may have gone a bit too much like the climax where Kaala is shot and the godown explodes but Rajni being Rajni remains unscathed.

If Ranjith had thought that it will spring a surprise to the hard-core fans or neutrals or general audience, it simply falls flat as it was as plain as a tasteless Coconut Water that Rajni will be there to settle the scores with the politician.

Nevertheless, he had shown tremendous deftness when he hyped that Rajni would go all-bonkers when the latter said "Kya re, Setting-aaa" but it was his sons and gang who took to the streets and made us (read: me) to wonder and ponder when will Rajni be in the thick of business to take down the goons one-by-one as Kaala is the ganglord and there were no action scenes until then - at least with Rajni being the active participant.

Likewise, Rajni's intro was as normal and realistic as it could have been when he's bowled by a small boy instead of showing him to hit a six of the last ball and winning the match.

Yo Man.

Your title says "Day out with Super Star" and you are singing praises of Ranjith - the Director.

It will be answered in Part 2.


                                                      X---To be Continued---X

Dead Pool 2 - Alive & Kicking - Again & Again!

When Ryan Reynolds took a dig, pun intended, at Wolverine in the nascent stages of the sequel, you know that you are in for a treat considering the fact that the teasers and trailers were excellent foreplays.

Was it orgasmic? 

Yeewwwwwww.

So crude and earthy is your language. 

If you didn't get this train of thought after reading foreplay and orgasmic, Voila! - You are one of the ideal material to have seen Dead Pool (DP) as it necessitates no further explanation that I'm maintaining the spirit of the movie with those words' usage.

Did I just elaborate why I did it when I had categorically stated that I wouldn't?

Hmmmmm.

Maybe, DP's wicked humor also strongly latched onto me like Vethalam to Vikramadityan!

But, if you did feel that my word application is gross and sexually explicit, you should definitely need to have some neural fine-tuning to watch this kind of a movie. 

Take for example.

Cable marks his arrival from the future and gets into a car/van. For all those lynx-eyed who are always on the lookout for the unmissable bawdy hilariousness for which the DP series is well-known, you don't get disappointed by the scriptwriters.

You see a pair of metallic circles tied to the bottom of the car/van that resembles the testicles and it dangles sideways as the car/van progresses forwards.

The teaser and trailer gave us (read: me) enough chuckles but the movie was sated with minute-a-big-laughter moments with either self-deprecating jokes or referential mocks and taunts or innuendos that were, at times, bordering on risque and in some places, they hit you in the face like a person missing their frisbee.

Basically, DP continued with where they left in the previous outing.

Only this time, it was even better.

The makers were secretive enough to not let Juggernaut anywhere near the trailers but emphasized on the battle between DP and Cable that it was a bolt out of the blue when Cable and DP joined forces along with the X-Force to take down the common enemy.

The story can't be simply put forth like this as it has a level of intricacy tied to Cable and the plumpy boy, DP and the Plumpy Boy, Cable and DP, DP and his Girlfriend, Plumpy Boy and Juggernaut and finally, DP and X-Men.

Oh Yes.

The most important thing connection - Audience and DP. He he he he he..

 So, it can't be simply said that Cable and DP fought against a common enemy.

It becomes blasphemous and irreverent when the screenplay is stripped down to its core in such a manner.

Just like how Wade Wilson turned into a child and exposed himself when he was in the blind lady's home.

Every character had a role to play. 

Even Vanisher. Rofffllllllllllllllllllllllll. Brad Pitt. A pleasant surprising cameo.

Just felt that Dopinder and the Hi-saying girl in the X-Men Team could have had more interaction with the story rather than the bit lengthy climax where Cable used time travel to save DP.

Cable sacrificed his love (for his daughter and wife) knowing very well that he cannot see them again for DP without any expectation.

But, does that mean he will not live with them in his memories for the rest of his life?

Of course, he will.

His sacrifice just means that he did a selfless act, having no strings attached, so that DP can rise and shine again.

Cable cannot and will not forget his wife and, mainly, his daughter but he will continue to live his life with them in his heart and soul along with his newfound family in the present timeline.

Love.

Not the dumb and idiotic things they show in romantic novels and movies.

Hey...don't get me wrong.

I am not against romance or love but I am only against those who unequivocally and axiomatically equate candlelight dinners and ritzy spas as love when, in reality, they are just add-ons and enhancers which spice up a romantic life.

Consider this - A doesn't care and love B but mechnically gives exotic gifts and extravagant moments - Is it love?

IMHO, it's not.

A family is when both A & B share and care for each other not only in good times but also in troubled times and in doldrums.

If A doesn't reciprocate B's share of share and care, then it's mere foolish one-way traffic.

As defined by the agenda in the beginning phase of the movie, DP has got a loving family in the former case by the conclusion of this fun, funny, witty and exciting sequel.

Let's just hope that DP 3 antes up the bar further by incorporating newer elements to give us yet another rollicking boffo of a movie.

PS:

If the Disney acquires the rights of DP, X-Men and Fantastic Four, it would really be a FOXy deal as the MCU planners will have several options for umpteen number of cross-overs for the next 30 years.

Already, they have their gimlet-eyes set till 2028.

PS 2:

My personal favo is when DP travels back in time and shoots himself while reading the Green Lantern script.

Ulti. Mate.

PS 3:

So, was it orgasmic?

Oooohhhh. Ahhhhhh.

Nadigayar Thilagam - Que Rica Vida!

Ah!

Keerthy Suresh (KS).

Hmmm.

I have never been an admirer or even a fan of her.

The reason is as straightforward as a Sachin's textbook straight drive!

Her ebullient inscape drives her to buoyantly act more than for what she is written a cheque or to use Paytym's phraseology - "Paytym Pannu" (Translation: Use Paytym) her money for the film by the Producer that she has acted.

It's not that she gets under our skins at all times but when she does go overboard, it's like a caricature is artistically done for another caricature.

But, in Nadigayar Thilagam (NT), she fits the role like a fist to a glove.

Be it a teenager who is starry-eyed about famous heroes or the clap-worthy scene where she brings just and only just one drop of tear from her eye or a compulsive alcoholic who even forgets her own children and gets swindled by her trusted person in broad daylight or the selflessly large-hearted nature which propels her to touch the lives of many - KS has done a ridiculously remarkable performance that will definitely be adorned as a feather in her cap for her toiling sweat and tears, pun intended, for NT.

Yep.

That was one huge paragraph like the movie's duration.

Yet, there wasn't even a single dull moment sans the climax where Samantha's monologue was more than glorification or acclamation for Savithri's wonderful personality on/off stage - Samantha was apotheosizing.

It was like the legend Savithri had taken a rebirth in the form of KS and wanted to relive and retell her life in its entirety all over again on the big screen to enthrall her fans through Samantha.

Speaking of Samantha, she had a stammering but breezy and meaty role where she played her part to perfection - the church scene or her indefatigable spirit to get to the bottom of Savithri's dad.

As we are on the subject of Samantha's dad, it was a good narration to have flowed out NT as a jigsaw puzzle rather than a monotonous exposition of Savithri's life.

Just as I was wondering who was the person mentioned in the letter, the director aptly gave us the answer in the fag end of the film thus neatly wrapped it up like a Subway Sub.

But, what I couldn't understand is that when Prakash Raj could take the extra effort and speak with KS's uncle about her relation with Dulquer, why didn't he or wasn't even shown anywhere when KS was in a dire financial distress and strained circumstances?

It beats me!

Since I have touched upon Dulquer, he has simply aced being Gemini Ganesan (GG) as the Lover King (Kadhal Mannan) as he was affectionately called with the moniker by everyone in the cine circle.

Only GG's family will know for sure to the exact extent that he was projected in a bad and dark light throughout NT.

The BGM was hair-raising and inspirational.

No wonder Samantha extolled her virtues and exalted Savithri to such a degree.

Of course, I can't comment anything about her acting prowess in Telugu as I haven't watched any.

But, from whatever she had done her roles in Tamil, if not all at least some that I had the privilege to see in my childhood days, she was really good.

As we are nicely surfing on the topic of Telugu and really good, it was also really good that the movie had subtitles because the majority of the film was in Telugu and to a non-Telugu speaking audience like me, it would have been a criminal waste of time and money if there hadn't been any subtexts.

To compress it like a WinRAR file, NT depicted the life story of not only the weals and woes of Savithri but also her unseen magnanimous side off the screen that has deservedly earned her the name "Mahanadhi".

Respect Savithri mam.

For the full richness of life that she has lived - be it financially or immense appreciation and adoration from all quarters in her professional arena or her ups and downs in life or her kind-hearted nature.

And, yes.

Respect KS.

Still, I am not your fan.

But, a towering respect for the way you have easily handled the deep mix of emotions with such finesse.

I sincerely hope that your over-exuberance is tightened a little so that your complete range of acting talent is in full view like NT instead of the hyper-animation.

Only the future holds the fact whether I become your fan or not.

For now, respect respect respect.

PS:

The best is always reserved at the end.

Coz the dessert is served at the end, right?

There was a dialogue where a popular yesteryear actor - Sivakumar - was mentioned.

The moment his name was uttered, many in the audience immediately turned their heads towards the commendable actor and dad, of the supremely talented - Surya and insanely sunny - Karthi, who was seated in the back row.

For a fleeting moment, most of them had their focal point of attention on Shivakumar than Savithri. 

Avengers: Infinity War - An Unlimited Dazzle of a Perfectly Balanced Blockbuster! - Part 2

If I were you, I would be intrigued by the way that the Part 1 Review ended rather abruptly.

If I were.

But, I am not.

Nevertheless, the kimono is revealed now.

Just like how some of the major characters like Dr. Strange, Black Panther, Drax etc. are vaporized in the sands, pun intended, of time and the film comes to a sudden, heart-rending and gut-wrenching halt, I also wanted to create a similar effect - But, on a positive note in the previous blog.

Needless to say, the ever-effervescent and upbeat Spidy vanishing before my eyes as he's in his half-finished convo with his idol and mentor - Tony Stark - was the biggest tear-jerker that it was like a sledgehammer slamming down my heart.

Probably, that would have been the case with millions as well.

I don't know.

What I know with certainty is that AIW was just perfect without any eggs overcooking the pudding.

Be it the interval where there was no sense of time being flown or post-interval where the real shockers were hurled one after the other like an accomplished artist throwing their knives at their partners in a circus despite the running time close to 150 mins.

The twist where Thanos creates an alternate reality using his stone when Quill & his Co track down him was a cracker-jack of a moment. 

Whip Smart stuff!

Out of the blue thinking, or out-of-the-red? He he he he

If Loki and Heimdall being given a fitting and meaningful end did not make you say "What the", Thanos snapping his finger and shredding half the universe which included the biggies like Quill, Mantis, and even Groot would have surely made you heart-sobbing and kerchief-wiping "Holy Crap".

It was indeed strange for Dr. Strange to merely handover the Time Stone to Thanos when he asked for it particularly when he categorically dictated that he wouldn't even save the Iron Man or relinquish his stone at any cost in one of the earlier scenes.

Also, he says that there is only and only one possibility in the entire 14 million scenarios that he had envisioned during his access to the power of the stone where they emerge victoriously.

Maybe, losing then to triumphantly win in the long-term enabled him to handout the stone on Thanos's command? 

AIW 2 holds the key to it.

Likewise, why was the Hulk couldn't transform himself into the big-Green monster even on Banner's repeated exhortation might be addressed in AIW 2 along with how Captain America was able to fend off the mighty and all-powerful Thanos with his possessions in place during the climax.

Speaking of the climax, I was having a great apprehension that with such a plethora of characters, the final sequences could be reduced to a shambolic catastrophe when I was watching the trailer.

But, the Russo brothers were super-smart to ensure that the audiences doesn't keep looking at their watches or smartphones by giving us parallel and multiple storylines happening with Iron Man on Titan, Thor to forge his Stormbreaker and the pulsating action on Wakanda.

That was rousing or should I say - RUSSOING - touch of creative genius by them to handle simultaneous riveting narrative arcs - all converging (excepting Iron Man) at one point - Wakanda.

They literally ensured that none of the characters were just a part of the cast but played purposeful roles in effectuating a worthwhile end - either to their lives by saving others or being alive still in the broken universe.

Some might aver that Hulk did not have a meaty role.

Au Contraire, he had.

He was being thumped and bumped around like a toy by Thanos in the earliest scenes of the film before he was frisked to Earth by Heimdall and everyone on Earth knew that he was the Strongest Avenger. Hence, when someone could manhandle Hulk in such a manner and Banner gives them a strong warning, could that person be ever taken lightly and slightly? 

So, Yep. Hulk served his usefulness as well. 

The Russo brothers splendidly and aplombly puppetted with the characters especially Thanos's minions.

The 4 adopted generals were given equal weight to carry out their duties to retrieve the Stones back to Thanos being fully aware that they would face his terrible wrath in the event of a failure.

As we are on the topic of failure, when the whole world is at a horrendous peril, Ant-Man and Hawk-Eye not being in the thick of the action but justifying they were elsewhere will be something that should have a sound logical connection in the next Ant-Man movie and AIW 2.

All said and done, Avengers: Infinity War beats their own trailers and other superhero films to a factor of 100x easily and effortlessly.

It had loads and scores of "That's-simply-mindblowing" visuals, rib-tickling humor, heart-thudding action sequences and a painfully & mournfully impactful finish that I am sure would have left everyone in an utter state of eye-popping disbelief and shell-shockedness.

As Thanos rightfully put forth,

AIW is also, 

"Perfectly Balanced".

                                                            X---Concluded---X

PS:

The two top-of-the-mind which I can recall clearly is the ones where Dr. Strange levitates in the air with plenty of arms stretched out like Maha Vishnu and Thor's valiant attempts to wield his Stormbreaker using the Death Star's power and then making an enhanced version of the electrifying (Check out: Thor Ragnarok) appearance on Earth.

PS 2:

Had you been questioning as to where I had given the reasoning for not writing blogs in the last one month, please do check out: The answer. Yep. That underlined link.

PS 3:

The dialogues had always been a staggering forte in the MCU's arsenal.

Some of my personal favos are:

a) Tonk Stark saying "dude..you are embarrassing yourself" when Hulk in unable to transform.

b) Quill's insecurity towards Thor when he was around Gamora.

c) Drax's imperceptible motionless ability and Mantis destroying it in an instant.

d) Stan Lee's epic "Have you never seen a spacecraft before?" 

Avengers: Infinity War - An Unlimited Dazzle of a Perfectly Balanced Blockbuster! - Part 1

Experiments - The one-word scientists love deeply after 'science' and would even go beyond the call of their duty by giving up their lives for their passionate endeavor to make a significant change in the world like the esteemed Nobel Prize Winner Madam Curie.

Which also lead me to perform a harmless self-experiment revolving the fact to find out the direct correlation between how long I can be without writing a blog to butcher the boredom.

The results were quite satisfactory as it took me more than a solid month of conscious effort to flush out the conclusive outcome that my boredom has got nothing to do with my ability and capacity to write but I engage in it for the sheer joy of penning, okay typing!, down things during my personal free time.

"Yo man!

Your blog delightfully welcomed me in by seeing 'Avengers: Infinity War' but you are talking about experiments and personal kinds of stuff. Are you nuts?"

Supposedly you didn't have this question, you will still know the answer in the next para.

Yeah. The next para. 

The above is just a line and not a para.

The following will be the next para.

Curtailing my striking witticism and acerbic humor like Tony Stark in the film, Avengers: Infinity War (AIW) simply blazes away ahead like a cheetah on their hunt. The only problem with the cheetahs is that they don't sustain their initial acceleration but drain out quickly soon. In this case, AIW marches on with the same unrelenting speed throughout the movie which they have learned and corrected over the years by fiddling and moving the variables around in molding and crafting their excellent movies. Their gargantuan fan following across the world is directly attributed to one simple and basic fact - Experimenting.

Some movies have been okay-ish like Thor. Some fantastic like Avengers & Cap Am. Some lagged and dragged like Avengers 2 climax. 

Marvel had indeed tampered with their films in the nascent stages of their spectacularly explosive and highly successful franchise to get the right combination that hits the sweet spot thereby leaving the viewers wanting and desiring for more.

With AIW, they have done it to surgical precision.

The movie neither lagged nor dragged.

It was simply and splendidly taut with the correct proportions of humor and emotions that was superbly weaved in and out like an expert F1 racer overtaking the cars in a chicane!

                                                              X---To Be Concluded---X

Twisty Tails - A Tale of Untwisted & Innocent Platefuls of Love!

"Everyone thinks they have the best dog. And, none of them are wrong"

- W.R.Purche

I am darned dead cert that this absolute blinder saying will sonorously reverberate with every dog lover who owns one or more than one dog and treats them as their own family.

And, if you love the highly faithful and caring beings but cannot own them due to a large number of reasons like allergy, parents/spouses non-advocacy, monetary and maintenance issues or flat/apartment rules, then cut back on the folderol and look no further.

Twisty Tails is the wagging, pun intended, answer where you are allowed to be with the terrific group of Terriers who has different personalities and behaviors that it's like a teacher walking into a Kindergarten for the first time and finding that every student has different attitudes and habits that she/he has to deal with to have a smooth running of their class.

They have primarily 3 zones where one of them is reserved for in-house Terriers and the other is for the Cafe. The third zone is where we can bring in our dogs to be on their own with a supervisor overseeing the proceedings.

Right from the moment you enter the cafe, it's beautifully designed and decorated with wall-hangings and paintings of Little Dory-eyed bowtiful pups that you feel like actually kissing them. The ambiance is highly simplistic and minimalist but greatly effective in portraying its pure-bred, pun intended again!, theme of a novel idea in the heart of Chennai - Nungambakkam to be exact.

After placing the order, we were asked by the maitre d' to have a look at their popular attraction - Terriers - if we desired - as they usually have a break time in the afternoons to rejuvenate themselves for the evening.

As it was the onset of a torrid Summer Season, most of them were in an irritable and grumpy mood like a bear with a sore head. But, you can't blame them since I was also suffering the damning effects of a humid sunny afternoon. 

Likewise, they were also sleepy and many (including me) were trying to make the brave ones who weren't dreadfully fatigued by the heavy weariness of the sultry heat.

When it became next-to-impossible to see them voluntary be in their elemental and playful zone, pun intended again, it was already time for our food to have arrived on our table.

Like a star standing on top of a pedestal, I was greeted by the soothing and cooling Watermelon Juice that was very much needed at that moment due to the sweltering sipping out of my body fluids by the raging sun like the Glucose Ad! 

The Spicy Chilly Paneer was as soft and fluffy with the right amount of spices to cater to my taste buds. The Mexican Meal had a non-pareil Fried Rice that it was like a burst of Cheese from your mouth when you are having your favorite Pizza. 

You also had Nachos and Quesadillas with the usual suspects - Mayo and Salsa Sauces as a part of the Mexican Meal to complete the dining experience. 

Now, coming to the most important aspect - Price.

It did not cost an arm and a leg but at the same time, it didn't come cheap.

Slightly over-priced.

So, Value for Money - No.

Maybe, it's over-priced due to the fact that they had to take care of the dogs? or their positioning is in that way?

I don't know.

But, what I know for certitude is that when you consider it from the point of view as a total wholesome experience which includes petting and enjoying with the cutieee pups - A Def Yes to visit the restaurant.

Woof Woof Woof!

Nope.

This time there is no PJ involved!

PS:

The regular sleeping time for the dogs is from 330pm to 530pm. 

So, IMHO, the ideal time to check out the place (if it's for the dogs!) when they would be at their best is after 6pm when the weather cools down or before 2pm as the sun would be at its peak around 3pm and make them be at their best worst.

Just a heads up for you to have a whale, sorry Dog!, of a time here.

PS 2:

I am not sure how they would behave during winters or rainy season as this was my first ever time.

Royal Sandwich Shop - An En Abundancia in Variety & Taste!

What more you can expect when you walk into one of the most famous Sandwich Bars in Chennai?

Burgers & French Fries??

Ney.

It was loaded.

With truckloads, okay Wall loads!, of permutations and combinations of the number available on board, literally!.

A small and decent place on TTK Road - unless you have the exact address or landmark or if you have visited it earlier - there is a pretty good chance that you can probably miss it in the speed of things and have to take another turn to reach there.

And, a special mention to the wall.

Nope. 

Doesn't got to do anything with Game of Thrones here.

Their entire set of specialties were plastered across what seemed like more than a mile to complete their a la carte.

They should actually announce a competition that whoever gets the number of items bulls' eye would be given free sandwiches or 50% discount on it.

Of course - a time limit has to be there for counting and getting it right.

Now, let's get back to business.

After wowing and astonishing us with Ganges-ish breadth and length of a menu, it was time to place the order from the embarrassment of choices that were liberally forced upon us.

I had the new-on-the-shop Choco Khakra and Paneer Sandwich.

Had Lord Indra been alive, he would have renounced his kingdom for this heaven!

Royal Sandwich Shop lived up to its reputation that it served THE BEST finger food in the form of a sandwich in the city.

Of course, I was late to the party.

If it hadn't been for my cousin, I wouldn't have known about it.

But, better late than never, right?

A true VFM deal either as a quick evening snack or a full-fledged dinner when you place yourselves an assortment of a healthy order from the menu.

What good way to elevate your mood further than to indulge in a sinfully thick choco shake after an inexpensive and mouth-smacking product from the Land of the Queen - The British.

Yep.

The acclaimed sandwich which comes in different shapes and sizes is attributed to have originated from the British.

No wonder it has a long history in Wikipedia.

Now, coming back to the Choco Shake at The Thick Shake Factory.

It was the thickest and yummiest cup.

Did I say cup?

It was more like a big bucket masquerading as a cup!

Or was it due to the fact that the shake was so thick and heavy that it gave me the illusion that it was a big bucket?

Whatever it might be, it was too good to be true for that particular price point.

Needless to say, it was doggie bagged after a point.

Woof Woof. 

Yeah. I know.

The "woof woof" was a pathetic joke to the reference for doggie bagged.

Turning a blind eye and deaf ear to such ridiculous PJs, you should really turn your good eye towards Royal Sandwich Shop if you prefer a nutritious and tasteful bite that doesn't burn a hole in your whole pocket. 

Or Wallet.

Or Purse.    

Thanos - Hero? Villain? Or Heroic Villain? - Part 3

Just like how we had a mind-numbing cliffhanger in the movie,

I wanted to give that experience in this blog series as well with a power-packed question in Part 2:

"So, does it mean he is a heroic villain who used a pragmatic approach to deal with a serious spiraling out of the situation at hand but his execution doesn't fall under the realms of rightfulness?"

Here,

We will explore this possibility as well.

Thanos reasons that finite resources will eventually end up and society will crumble like a cookie.

He is actually right there.

IMHO, there is always a cap for need. 

But, the cap simply blows away when an individual's greed is brought into the picture.

To put it in a nutshell, need is finite. Greed is infinite.

Unless the finite and infinite matches for each and everyone in a sustainable fashion, the deteriorating situation goes beyond a point of no return and it would take quite a while  - hundreds or thousands or even millions -  to return back to normalcy.

Thanos was quick on the uptake of this fact.

But, he makes a grave assumption in this regard.

WHAT IF there is some advanced civilization(s) than his which uses the most avant-garde technology to cater to their citizens' need and greed as well thus ensure that their society(s) doesn't fall under the classic trap of wreck and ruin?

Did he conveniently/inconveniently forget or did not think about this scenario when he was ferreting out for the Infinity Gems across the length and breadth of the Universe?

If such a society(s) existed, then didn't he even think for a moment that when he snaps his finger after all the stones are in his kitty, he would be doing a terrible disservice to those denizens?

So, you tell me now.

Can Thanos be called a Heroic Villain despite the fact that he saves half the Universe from a horrible tragedy?

IMHO, nope.

  

If I were the Universal Police in the MCU, I would immediately place Thanos under arrest for killing billions of innocents without their consent as he had taken the authority on his own by falsely and wrongly thinking that he was doing the right thing when he wasn't in reality.

This is crystal-clearly shown in the movie as to how Gamora rages upon him when she goes back into her flashbacks and his talks with him in the current moment.

By the looks of it, she would have happily stayed with her loving parents even in the wretched and squalid conditions than being violently torn apart and taken away from her beloved family. 

To sum it up, IMHO, Thanos is an extremely atypical villain who has his heart in the right place (at least in the movie!) as he doesn't use the Gauntlet for any other purpose (as of the movie's Part 1) other than to prolong and maintain order in the Universe.

His noble motive becomes overwhelmingly ignoble when his modus operandi is all over the place, pun intended, jeopardizing and placing everyone's lives at peril in his quest for the many-hued Gems to restore the Universe's natural balance even though he shows his gentle, soft and kind teary-eyed emotional nature to Gamora before he unwillingly throws her off the cliff!

                                                               X---Concluded---X

PS:

"Hey...You said you would state as to why you haven't written any blog for one whole month. But you haven't cited it anywhere at all."

Yeah Yeah.

I remember it distinctly well.

All I wrote, Okay typed!, was I will say it.

FYI!

I never said anywhere that I would say the reason in this blog. (Part 1 or Part 2 or Part 3 or all of the above)

How else will you read Avengers: Infinity Wars Review - if you are interested that is! - without me preserving the wonderful Marvel tradition of linking up of movies.

In this case, the reason why I didn't type down for one full month is the connecting factor between this and the soon-to-be-written review.

And, by the way, if your lynx-eyed brain hasn't noticed it already, Thanos Part 1, 2 & 3 and the subsequent Movie Review is also from the Marvel Stables.

That's why I said preserving Marvel tradition of linking up of movies earlier.

Nope.

Don't even ever think that I fooled you or got the better of you.

I gave a factual response that "I will still answer it" when I said it in Part 1 of this series.

No shred of mentioning anytime or anywhere that I would be furnishing it in the blog.

I am only responsible for what I say.

Not for what anyone wants and understands in their own sweet way.

PS 2:

I am not against the world's 1%.

They are in the topmost bracket because they had worked harder and smarter to their very bones than the rest to reach that position by sacrificing many things in the process and having the tremendous appetite to take risks than the general populace.

But, they can also take at least certain efforts and not leave every one of us to hang out to dry when a cataclysmic event strikes our Earth as they will not have anyone else to buy their products and services after the monstrosity ends and the situation comes under control if the only possibility is that they survive and scrape through it.

Thanos - Hero? Villain? Or Heroic Villain? - Part 2

To paraphrase one of my personal favorite from Sherlock Holmes (whether you imagine Benedict Cumberbatch or Robert Downey Jr or both - Your Preference!) by Doyle,

"Eliminate all the possibilities. Whatever remains after the exercise, how much ever improbable, that is the truth".

Without further ado and cutting to the heart of the matter,

So, is Thanos a hero?

From the POV of the Mad Titan, it's an unflinching Yes.

He considered himself to be a daring visionary who could see future events unfolding on its own accord given the current set of circumstances prevailing on his planet and the probable situation that can be happening in other habitable planets as well.

It doesn't end with it as he saw himself as the absolute savior of all living beings in the Universe.

Also, what should be taken into consideration is that Thanos was extremely fair, unbiased, impartial and undiscriminating by not favoring the rich and ignoring the poor when it came to the question of their deaths on his finger snap.

He thinks through and gives an equal 50-50 probability for either of them (wealthy & destitute) to possibly live, unlike the Nuclear Bunkers that are constructed all over our real world for the super-elite in case of a devastating catastrophe.

In our real world, if the ultra-rich even think for a moment that they became wealthy and famous because of the common man, and woman!, then they would at least take some efforts to protect the masses in the event of such an eventuality.

That's what true leaders do - Be a shining light to the people even in darkness.

But, the most probable reason which they would give is that they have money-to-spend because of their own herculean efforts and smartness.

True.

No denials.

Yet, they forget one crucial piece of fact that their efforts and smartness wouldn't have landed them their plush, swanky and fortified Nuclear Bunker hadn't it been for a loyal audience to whom they were catering their intelligence.  

If Thanos were a real person, he would definitely have a big smile on his face which would read that he is better than all of them.

Sounds heroic, right?

Wrong.

The means Thanos used to achieve his end come under heavy scrutiny and necessitates a vivisection on his ruthlessly benevolent actions.

What I meant by the above is that in his arduous attempts to get hold of the immensely mighty Infinity Stones and prevent the Universe to enter into a state of perpetual/temporary decay, he had massacred many to gain the fidelity and allegiance of his lieutenants - The Black Order - to butcher even more.

For the fact, he even killed Gamora's parents right in front of her.

Hence, IMHO, he is not a hero.

So, does it mean he is a heroic villain who used a pragmatic approach to deal with a serious spiraling out of the situation at hand but his execution doesn't fall under the realms of rightfulness?

                                                     X---To Be Concluded---X

Thanos - Hero? Villain? Or Heroic Villain? - Part 1

"Dude. Where the hell you disappeared into thin air and have been all these days without any blog tagged to your name?"

If you didn't think of this question, I will still answer it.

Before we come to that important part, we have other essential things to sift through and arrive at the clinching conclusion to the title of the blog which explicitly reads whether Thanos is a hero or villain.

Had I been reading the oh-it's-a-ruddy-interesting-title, I would have definitely asked one simple question:

"What's a Heroic Villain?"

Supposedly you hadn't thought of it, that's where this entire write-up comes into the picture.

Okay.

Avengers: Infinity Wars - The review is for another time.

For sure.

But, two words to describe it - Loveeee Yaaaaaaaaaaa Sooooooo Muccchhhhhhh Marvellllllllllllll.

Oh ho!

That's 5 words.

Couldn't diminish or pare down what I wanted to say any further.

Fine.

Let's get back to our focal point of attention - Thanos.

I'm not an avid comic book reader but still, somewhere in some Youtube video it is said that Thanos desired to possessed those colorful pieces of powerful stones to impress his Lady Love.

Now, coming to the movie, the Blue Titan's motive and intent were totally and completely different like saying the Dursleys loved Harry Potter!

Still, when you give it a whirl of thought, Thanos is not our usual and stereotypical wicked anti-hero who wants to destroy cities for fun and power or suppress people as his slave or has a vile reasoning to take revenge upon The Avengers and his enemies.

Nope.

Nothing of that sort.

What was really captivating to me was that there was a clear-cut method to his madness.

His home place was going to hell on a handcart and it was beyond the point of no return.

Practical and rapid action needed to be taken so that at least some of them could survive and his species lives to fight another day.

He doesn't stop with that.

He may/might have wondered "What IF other planets also faced a same-to-similar problem and they had no solution to resolve it?"

That could have probably led him to take responsibility to covet those building blocks of the Universe (at least in MCU!).

To give an unvarnished truth of how Thanos was projected in the film, he took the law upon his own hands as he objectively saw that the situation in his place was getting out of hand and took it upon himself as he solutioned that by getting his hands on the invaluable and potent stones, Thanos knows that he was, in fact, offering everyone a chance to live and breathe.

Hey...The way you are saying and citing things, it's like you are giving your whole-hearted support to this stark raving mad person.

If you didn't have this line of reasoning in your head, it's alright.

I will definitely give not just a line but paragraphs of reasoning as I still haven't finished the write-up yet.

In the end, you can decide for yourself whether I have wholehearted support for him or not. 

All I wanted to say is that when we look beyond the tunnel vision of our narrow-mindedness and put ourselves in the other person's shoes - whether it fits or not is a different story altogether (abysmal PJ!) - we can see with even more clarity as to why they are doing what they are doing.

With this food for thought, 

Let's deep dive further into this epic movie that is spectacularly created, chiseled and sculptured by the Russo Brothers in Part 2.

Much like Infinity Wars Part 2.

                                                       X---To Be Concluded---X

Contrition - A Soothing Palliative Agent - Part 2

The qualities of a person largely depend on their individual choice - conscious or subconscious or unconscious (conscious is the best) - to be as:

a) purely good

b) good dominating their bad

c) bad dominating their good

d) purely bad

e) perfect harmony of good and bad in the right proportion for the right person at the right time 

f) unattached perfect harmony of good and bad in the right proportion for the right person at the right time

To achieve the last option living in a practical world without taking upon asceticism, it takes a herculean effort, energy, persistence, determination and single-minded resoluteness to remain in that eternal and blissful state effortlessly not only for a single moment or day but also lifelong is the epitome of perfection.

For all the other possibilities, cause-effect triumphs thereby kicking in the breakable yet unbreakable chain of Karma because of their respective actions according to their intentions and motives.

The motive may not play a significant or weighty role in the Court of Law but in the realms of spirituality and morality at the infinitesimal quantum levels, the consistency of the motive is one of the decisive indicators of the overall nature of any living being.

Usually, people genuinely or strategically or insincerely engage in self-reproach or self-castigation when they commit a mistake, error or blunder.

If it's strategic or insincere, it's confirmed they belong to either c) or d) with the exception that those in c) can also be genuine enough when they are treated with love, respect, and kindness but you need to monitor them in case they fall into the classic trap of recidivism.

I don't know whether you have what it takes to do the right thing but two striking incidents flash across my mind that happened in my life.

When I was in my 12th standard, my teachers, especially DivyaShree mam who taught CompSci, Parvathi mam - Physics, Jaggu Sir - Chem and Snehalatha mam - Maths, felt that I had it in me to get glory to my school by securing the State Rank.

As the results rolled out, my scorecard read 97 % which would have been easily the first rank in many schools (at school level & not state level).

I was very much disappointed and dejected with myself that I let down my teachers as they strongly believed in me that I would make them very proud.

I was self-mortified and embarrassed to meet them in person to thank them for their wonderful efforts once when the results were declared.

I falsely thought I was doing the right action by not meeting them as I miserably failed to meet their high expectations to acquire the coveted State Rank.

But, in retrospect, I felt it was not the right decision since it meant that I had given much attention to myself rather to my incredible teachers who had poured out their heart and soul for two years.

Most importantly, their constant encouragement and motivation to make not only me but also everyone to strive harder and harder without any partiality was the nucleus of their teaching methodology.

There have been many a day where I considered walking back to my school and drop in but days had turned into years and with their skills and talents, I was sure that they would have moved on to another school or college.

I had one golden opportunity to have an accidental run-in with Snehalatha mam. But, before we touched upon the particular topic, she had to go as she was running late.

Wherever they are, I always thank them from the bottom of my heart as I was very lucky and fortunate to get such extraordinary teachers in my life.

One other teacher who left a profound impression was Umamaheswari in Bhaktavatsalam Vidyashram. When I shifted my school to DAV, I knew that if I told her before I jumped school, she would have definitely convinced me to stay back. 

As a kid, I was very afraid that would happen and didn't even tell her a proper goodbye to one of the best teachers I have had in my entire life. Her natural way of simplifying things and her passion towards her profession - it left an indelible mark on me to love what you work rather than for just money.

Like my high school teachers, she was way too competent to be limited there. Though I had one chance to speak with her, she was extremely busy with her co-workers and I thought I would make her even more angry by interrupting her.

Whether they forgive me or not, it's up to them but it was never ever in my wildest imagination of thinking to disrespect or insult them through my behavior then.

Rebirth may exist or may not - But, I would definitely want them as my gurus in my next life as well for their superb way of teaching and making things easier to understand.

The truth has been stifling and suffocating me for a very long time but with Steve Smith's honest-to-goodness acceptance, it was the much-needed spark and I also felt that the time was aptly right to unburden the untampered truth as such.

The one major difference between Smithy and myself is that he said it in open whereas I don't have the luxury to track every single teacher and tell them but doing it in my blog though if I ever get a window of opportunity to see any of them in person, I would love to thank them for their magnanimity which they had shown and showered upon not only me but also every student to consistently raise our bar every time in whatever we do.

                                                              X---Concluded---X