Fantasticaa!

Don't you wish you could enjoy your job this way? :-)

翻訳で失われる

If you are the kind that sometimes feels lonely in a crowd, finds somewhat unintelligible the idioms of all kinds of relationships, sometimes dissolve spontaneously into tears when no one is looking, into your visor or onto your pillow, are continuously unsure of the hands dealt out to you, have had the experience to understand that some of the best times in life are tiny and fleeting and irretrievable, for whom time hangs interminably with hostility and can be filled with a hundred different actions but you choose to stuff them with a million irreconciliable thoughts, curled up and seeking solace in the one person you're both stuck with and can rely on, i.e. yourself; if you are this kind, then perhaps you will like to see Lost in Translation.

The title of this post, if you haven't guessed it yet, is the Japanese translation of the phrase "Lost in Translation" according to the WorldLingo service . If you happen to have settings in your browser that don't render the title correctly and make it look like "?????", then you know what happened, right? It got "lost in translation".

Even Rahul

In a measure of how pervasive it has got, the stand-in Indian captain (in his post-toss interview with Ian Chappell) said there was a "feel good factor" among his team. Considering that Rahul Dravid is usually very politically correct and is very judicious in his choice of words, this must have been an unconscious use of a phrase that can be heard several times during the day in all sorts of conversations. Like "nothing official about it", another triumph for the copywriter.

Thoughts on the AE/Yuva soundtrack

Disclaimer: I haven't heard this album (Aaytha Ezhuthu that is) from the CD, only from decent quality .rms and mp3s. This is not a review, so it doesn't matter. Plus, I don't have a CD player that can play the copy protected CD, so ironically it prevents me from buying it - can't help that.

It doesn't help that seven times in the past the combination of Mani Ratnam, A.R.Rahman and Vairamuthu have delivered some of the best soundtracks in the last 15 years. Their music has had both commercial and critical success - with album sales and National Awards testament to them. So when the latest offering is due, one can't help but feel excited about the prospect of their 8th collection. For me, Aaytha Ezhuthu ranks #8 on that list. They have covered a lot of musical ground in the past, so I don't quite agree with the appeal for not comparing this to the earlier ones. It is inevitable, and I don't see it as a negative comment.

Initial disappointment has given way to a certain making of peace with it. The songs are definitely not outstanding among all the many ones done in the past. However, there is quite a bit to relish from it too. I don't think Rahman is floundering, for Meenaxi showed that the depth and range is still there. Since I haven't seen AE, I don't know if the songs fit the film well.

It has been quite interesting to see how the fan communities react to each release. "Fan-aticism"is an oft-discussed topic among my social circle, particularly w.r.t to music - the R.D.Burman groups and shows give me a chance for more objective observation. In this case, I'm a fan struggling to retain my objectivity. The fact that I'm a fan impels me to give all new ARR albums a greater chance to hook me than I would any other recent offering. I must say that Rahman albums of late haven't reached out and grabbed the populace by their shirtcollars, but that's not to say the output has suffered. It has changed, altered, evolved. I still don't like the excessive rap-based trend in the songs, but to some extent the subject matter of these films have also been responsible.

I've also noticed that the first reaction of fans to any criticism is to get defensive and/or aggressive about it. It's hard to be unbiased - there's nothing wrong in having a slant towards it, but a good appreciator of anything should be able to work for himself what the limits of it are. I really find it irritating when "fans" get so possessive about their idols, who themselves are smart enough to understand what has gone wrong and are unwilling to lend an ear to any dissenter. Anu Malik is one person who carries a persecution complex around instead of reflecting on reality, these fans are no different according to me.

That slight tirade over. Coming to this album, I don't completely agree with it being labeled a "techno/trance" album - another generalization that will do it no good. There are six tracks, of which only one would probably a trance track (I'm no authority on these things). Fanaah is quite interesting in that though it is apparently set in a discotheque, it gets very philosophical and profound about love and has an extended sargam (is that what I can call it?) from the music director. It's very western and urban, and Vivek Oberoi & Ms. Kapoor would be quite suitable in it - you can already appreciate the wisdom of the casting. Fanaah is a cool Urdu word to be used here, and Rahman has expounded on its significance in interviews.

Dol Dol is more instrumental (the "voice" instrument included) than song. This album was supposed to be just a soundtrack for this originally songless film. This track fits easily into that mould.

SanDa Kozhi is sung by Madhushree (Naina Milaike), an interesting choice. Her diction is suspect to me, but I am confused since she did get some of the tough words right on some occasions and different on others. This is easily a trademark ARR song, and the folkish crooning by him in the middle is excellent, and in retrospect, well worth the album.

Goodbye NaNbaa is one of those that grew quietly from a negative view to an appreciative one. I liked the changes in tone and tempo, in particular the hushed singing of Sunita Sarathy. The male portions are crowded with a lot of percussions at times. The slow, jazzy portions towards the end fit into the structure of the song, I felt.

The beginning of Jana GaNa Mana heightens one's expectations, so the rest of the song was a letdown for me. This is a lyrical beauty and the mood set in the beginning embellishes them greatly, but somehow, I got the feeling of incompleteness overall.

I really dislike the Adnan Sami song - Nenjam Ellaam - for me it's a nothing song. After a while, here's an ARR song that I can't even listen to and disregard - it has no flavour in it for me. I really wish ARR would stop using people uncomfortable with singing in Tamil. There's a distinct labouring effort seen in their output that seems to cut into their aural expressions. Gone are the days when they used to be cute. Haven't heard SPB in ages.

Yuva for me was painful to hear for the first time. Except for Khudaa Haafiz and Kabhi Neem (both in parts), I found the others embarassing at times. The critical difference between the two versions are the lyrics. Clearly, the Tamil one came before, and Mehboob hasn't been able to fill in the Vairamuthu blanks. Some of the Hindi lyrics are so bad that they distract whatever flavour is available in the music. Vairamuthu on the other hand has done a marvellous job. Except for Goodbye NaNbaa where I felt the words were sometimes a little trite and too modern, the rest are great, especially the politically idealistic Jana GaNa ("Oh Rulers of the people's minds, think of them"), in exploring the mystical dimensions of love in Fanaah ("The body is the wick, love the flame") and the mollifying yet scolding words of SaNda Kozhi. The Hindi version of Jana GaNa Mana merely comes out as a weak lookalike of Mammaiya Kero (Arjun - R.D.Burman), just because of the lyrics.

I really wish Mani Ratnam would've gone ahead with his original convictions of using just a background score. To me, specific portions of most of the songs seem to be outstanding, but the rest of the pieces don't sustain it. I'm just speculating here, but could it be that that's how these started off life, and were later extended? I feel the album has ended up somewhere between a great background score and an average album, definitely by past standards. Perhaps the film (for a change) will heighten the experience of the songs. The fans will end up loving it, whether in parts or in totality. The Tamil lyrics are the biggest plus in AE, and can alter the perception of the tracks. I don't the masses are going to make a fuss about it, the album is different from Bollywoodian tastes for sure. Will now move my attention to watching some trademark Mani Ratnam [choreo|cinemato]graphy for these songs.

AE/Yuva Trailer Watch - II

The Hindi trailers are now featuring some of the songs - first Khuda Haafiz and now Kabhi Neem. The Tamil trailers are still in the triad establishing the characters of Surya, Siddharth and Madhavan. For those who will be following and watching both versions, the comparisons between the Tamil & Hindi casts will be very interesting to follow. The dialogues and scenes evidenced so far are almost identical. Madhavan (in his third different "look" for a MR movie) sports this drastic haircut, which started me thinking on how Tamil and the other South Indian film actors, (not to be called "South" - you idiotic media people) have never shied away from changing as required. Contrast this with a unkempt Abhishek B. , the Hindi counterpart of Madhavan in Yuva which is as far as he would go I guess. Especially as it was rumoured that he didn't want to play a negative role in the first place.

*** Having sat up last night to watch the three Aaytha Ezhuthu trailers (cool rotation of the dots in the logo, BTW), I could see a distinct difference in promotional styles on the Hindi & Tamil channels. The Hindi trailers almost to a film have songs leading their promos, however good or bad. The Tamil ones, OTOH, mix the montage with dialogues, scenes and songs. They also highlight the technical crew in a big way - the editor, writer(s), lyricists and cameramen are given fontspace apart from the MDs & directors. Yuva's trailers were initially in that mould, and now focus on the songs - wonder if that was influenced by the way things are promoted down in Madras. The focus of songs in Hindi trailers are probably explained because of the endless runs on music channels. *** Aaytha Ezhuthu is probably the biggest blogger-promoted upcoming film, atleast in my slice of the blogosphere. Again explained by the fact that people of this common profile are also those who are likely to be interested in Mani Ratnam or Ram Gopal Varma style films. *** Some of the stills revealed on websites are quite superb - that's right, pile on the expectations...

Ayutha Ezhuthu/Yuva Watch [updated]

The trailers are out... First of all, the logo is (pardon the descent into teenybopper slang) way cool! (See it at the official website for Ayutha Ezhuthu). In keeping with my general impressions of the names of the Hindi & Tamil versions, the logo for Yuva is just about ok.

Anti on some of the rumours linking AE & the Oscar nominated City of God

A note on the trailers:

Trailers for Mani Ratnam films create quite a buzz usually, and the songs usually herald the film on TV (Dil Se for example). Not this time. They've chosen to establish the characters of the three male (stars and) protagonists. Ajay Devgan is the the man with the ideology, with a montage of jail, leadership and protest. Vivek Oberoi will probably in the center of the mental conflict, and is portrayed as a normal guy wanting to leave for the US. Abhishek Bachchan looks like being the negative pole of the film - wanting money and power, and with a unkempt look. I'm a known Kareena Kapoor baiter, but I must be fair and say that she looks quite pretty in the scenes so far, and the wardrobe looks elegant - trust Mani saar to get it right. >Rani Mukherjee is a flash here and there opposite the Small B (shades of Antara Mali in Company). No idea how the three lines intersect.

The trailers have chosen to establish the "intellectual" vibe of the film. And there is one more subliminal message: Calcutta looms not far behind in all the shots, clearly an important part of the movie. Adds to the buzz. The last metro to form the backdrop of a Ratnam film after Madras, Bombay & Delhi. Snatches of very Western sounding, clearly Rahman-esque music linger in the audioscape. More buzz. Haven't seen any Ayutha Ezhuthu trailers yet.

I really don't believe this movie will do well commercially all over India - sadly, films these days have been bracketed into "metro multiplex movies" too easily. So if it is a cultural partition, I'm clearly on the side that feels excited by these trailers. I have my doubts about the histrionic abilities of Messrs. Kapoor, Trisha, Siddharth & Deol and whether Oberoi & Bachchan can do it here. But Mani saar got Simran to dazzle in KM, didn't he? But just putting Ratnam, Rahman, Vairamuthu on the same line here sends a tingle down the spine. Add the rest of the names in Tamil & Hindi and ... can you blame us all for hyping this one? A man who can have it and doesn't want it, a man who would like to have it, and a man who wants it and can't have it - is that what the trailers want to tell us?