TIGERS ENJOY THE HONGKONG FEAST

Seldom have matches been as mismatched as yesterday’s dead rubber in the Asia Cup. Hong Kong learnt that they still don’t belong to the big league while Dhoni’s men had a walk in the park. On hindsight, what has this match achieved? nothing except to give the shivers for the Hong Kong team. Hope they are able to recover from this drubbing for the sake of the game.


Hong Kong lost the toss and with it the match. Dhoni sent his men in for an extended practice session and Viru and Gauti made merry. This is an emerging opening combo. Have we found the replacements for the legendary Sachin Sourav opening pair? Once the dashing duo left, it was time for Dhoni and Raina to rejoice and rejoice they did, with breathtaking centuries(at least It took the breath away from the HongKong team), Raina’s first and Dhoni’s long time due.

Chasing a mammoth target, Hk made their intentions clear, with most of their batsmen commiting suicide. Life was easy for the Indian bowlers. Chawla was in the comfort zone as batsman after batsmen stepped down the track, only to oblige Dhoni a stumping. Chawla picked up four wickets in the process and debutant Gony impressed. The chase never started and India has an extended rest for the tie against Pakistan.

Kuselan photo gallery

SUPERSTAR'S 20 AVATARS

Well, the Ulaga Nayagan fans have got their due, with Dasavataram and it is only human nature that the Rajni fans would be longing for the same from their idol. And as he always does, the Super star has once again ventured to quench his fans’ thirst. The Super star would be featuring in 20 different get ups in ‘Kuselan’.

Super star Rajni Kant, himself mentioned that he was very excited with the movie. Super star has been experimenting with his get ups lately. In Sivaji, he was seen with various different styles in the song sequences. The image of the Boss, and the fair Rajni Kant, especially went a long way into the hearts of fans.

‘Kuselan’ is already making waves, with the famous Daler Mehndi singing in tamil and the audio rights have gone to Big music. with the super star, pasupathy, meena, nayantara and vadivelu donning important roles, ‘Kuselan’ is making all the right moves for a box office hit.

SARKAR RAJ – POWER UNLIMITED

RGV is back quite literally. The legendary ‘Sarkar’ is back in RGV’s, ‘Sarkar Raj’ and it is more a Bachchan family get together, than anything else. One of the most talented families around, the Bachchans accepted the opportunity with both hands and delivered some of their best performances. The Bachchans waltz around the movie with aplomb, though Aishwarya doesn’t have much to do in the movie. Ram Gopal Varma finally makes a come back, with a decent movie this time around.

Sarkar Raj translates to ultimate power, as far as the movie is concerned. The Sarkar (Amitabh) is now in the background and Abhishek as Shankar Nagre is in control of the empire. Aishwarya Rai as Anita Rajan, the CEO of Sheppard power plant, approaches the Nagres with a project proposal. Shankar is impressed with the project and its benefits for rural Maharashtra. But the Sarkar is against it. Shankar gets the Sarkar to agree and along with Anita, he plans to garner support from the locals. But it is not as easy as it sounds as evil sources are gunning for Shankar, trying to make him history, as power cannot be given. It can only be taken.

The movie is a form of revenge for RGV. ‘Sarkar Raj’ has recorded a decent collection, though not a run away hit. But it manages to bring the RGV flop juggernaut to an end. After ‘RGV ka AAG’, everyone felt that he could only improve from there and that is what has happened in a minor scale. We may expect RGV to provide better movies in the future

KAMAL BESTS HIMSELF

Wow – that was my first reaction after watching probably, one of the best Tamil movies ever made. For once I was speechless, a feeling, that millions would experiences in the next few weeks as Dasavataram continues to be the cynosure for youths, adults and children alike. Seldom has an actor’s tagline fit him like it does for Dr. Kamal. He is definitely, Ulaga Nayagan.

The movie begins with a short but gripping flash back, and Kamal impresses you at once. Rangaraja Nambi leaves a lasting impression in the few minutes of screen space. The song ‘Kallai mattum’ is one of the best melodies ever and the visual effects leave you stunned. Soon the movie torpedoes you to the present, where Kamal as the scientist, Govind, makes his entry and the chase begins right there.

Kamal Hasan as Christian Fletcher leaves you comparing him with Arnold, a feat that deserves unlimited appreciation. The hit man continues on the pursuit, ruthless and determined to get the synthetic bio virus which Govind manages to sneak away from the lab and obviously comes to India. Sharing screen space with the Kollywood Arnold, is the Bollywood bombshell Mallika Sherawat, who blends into a tailor made role for her.

From the time that Govind reaches India, Kamal Hasan as Govind is overshadowed by himself as Balram Naidu, who leaves you in fits of laughter. Mixing Telugu, Tamil, and a bit of what is supposed to be English, Balram takes your breath away. Ulcer patients beware. He could leave you in pain with some unstoppable laughter. Kamal Hasan is in total ease as he portrays the typical Indian police. A laugh riot indeed. You would not forget this guy soon.

The remaining characters are there only for the story to make a move on. Kamal Hasan as the old lady, plays a maniacal woman, who evokes some laughter. The martial art stunts at the climax by the Japanese Avatar of Kamal Hasan is mind blowing. Avatar Singh does not have much importance, but mesmerizes you with superb Foot tapping music. Kamal as Khalifulla Khan evokes sympathy with his innocence and also evokes some laughter. Kamal also comes as a dark colored man to send a message and has succeded. The movie also features Kamal as George Bush and makes you smile, by taking some pot shots at him.

Will Smith, on the release of ‘Iam Legend’, admitted his fears on whether the audience would accept the movie, as it featured only a single actor, himself. But here is a man who takes on almost all the roles in the movie and comes out with flying colors.

Kamal Hasan deserves all the credits and the encores that he gets. He has an uncanny habit of doing something different, be it his path breaking, ‘pesum padam’, which ironically was a silent movie, or his ‘Aburva sagotharagal’, or the laugh riot ‘Avvai Shanmugi’, the ‘Indian’ and so on, he has never hesitated to experiment. And ‘Dasavataram’ is the cherry on top of the cake. Kudos to ‘Ulaga Nayagan’ for being one step ahead of time, all the time.

PAK BOUNCES BACK

Yes, Pakistan prevailed over India on Saturday. But by no means was it a tame surrender by the Indians. The Indians kept Pakistan in the hot seat for a long time before the final delivery was bowled. The margin of the defeat might suggest otherwise, but had India managed to complete its quota of 50 overs, the result might have been different.

Chasing a mammoth 315, the Indian tail showed why it has fast become a reliable one. The Indian innings was characterized by many small but dominant partnerships. Viru’s early departure was a big blow to the Indian dreams. Tottering at the edge of the seat, the Indians had lost more than half the side, half way through the target..

That’s when Irfan decided to give his captain some company. The partnership was of immense value, as they never once pressed the panic button, even when the asking rate kept climbing. Dhoni was out there with a plan and the plan almost worked. Earlier Gambhir, Rohit, Yuvraj, Yusuf, Raina all had good solid starts but failed to capitalize on them, an art which they would learn with time. Yuvi couldn’t capitalize on a dropped catch from Afridi.

The Pakistan innings began with a flurry of defense, with Pakistan switching to test match mode. India was short of a bowler, which went a long way in mutilating them. With Chawla and Irfan leaking runs, they had no one else to turn to except the part timers. Eventually Pak posted a mammoth, with smart centuries from Butt and Younis, smart because of the way they paced their innings.

For once, the Pakistanis outthought the Indian think tank.

A FINAL SHOWDOWN

After the DLF IPL extravaganza, the Kitply cup wasn’t what the doctor ordered for the ODI format. One sided encounters have taken the sheen off the series so far. A predictable final line up also added to the misery. Bangladesh was demolished by Pakistan and then by India while Pakistan had their worst drubbing ever against India. One can understand why the interests of the fans have waned in this series.

With such a poor build up to the final, the fans would be expecting at least a thrilling final and a nail biting finish. In a way, that can happen only because, the Pakistan Board has come down very hard on the team. The Pakistanis would be looking to avenge their earlier loss. So it might be possible that the Indians might have their hands full.

Another critical view is that, the Indian openers Viru and Gambhir have done the bulk of the scoring so far, not that the middle order is weak, but that they could be a bit rusty and have many inexperienced guys in the line up and an India Pakistan final is all about nerves. But this might be making a mountain out of a mole hill of a problem. The bowling though looks in safe hands with almost everyone chipping in though Praveen has been the best of the lot so far.

So expect a thrilling final to cap off the Kitply cup at least for the sake of the ODI format of the game.

KAMAL’S MAGNUM OPUS HITS SCREENS

The wait is finally over. The mad rush for tickets has begun. Dasavatharam has finally hit screens world wide and almost everyone feels it is worth the wait. After what seems like ages since the project began, Ulaga Nayagan Kamal Hasan’s magnum opus has finally reached D day.

Dasavatharam, featuring Kamal Hasan and Ravi Kumar, a duo who have enthralled audience for long, has had a overwhelming response worldwide. Almost all theaters in the city have already posted a full house board for the next two weeks and probably the board is there to stay.

The record breaking movie has created the waves for long now and even Walt Disney took part, bagging the overseas distribution rights. The viewers so far have felt that the ride was breathtaking. Even with Kamal donning ten roles, fans don’t seem to have enough of him.

Fans and critics alike shared the view that Kamal is a maestro of his art. The audience has also appreciated the fact that each of the ten roles has been exceedingly different from the other.

Celebrities joined the band wagon to salute the maestro for his magnum opus. KB was move to tears. Superstar Rajni Kanth couldn’t believe his eyes. Actor Satyaraj for once was spell bound and speechless. And the list goes on.

The way things are going Dasavatharam, could well turn out to be a mass hit breaching barriers of language and topology. All hail Dr.Kamal Hasan for taking Kollywood to Hollywood.

VIJAY’S VIL - TARGETING FANS

Kollywood’s very own formula film star Ilaya Thalapathy Vijay has ‘vil’ in his sights as his next action flick. Joining hands with Vijay is Dance master turned Director, Prabhu Deva. The duo are back again after their success with the last movie ‘Pokkiri’.

Prabhu Deva has been very successful with his direction and has provided a few hits. His recent success with Pokkiri, capitulated Vijay to greater heights. Ilaya Thalapathy has had a slim run after his success with Prabhu Deva. His ‘Alagiya Tamil Magan’ did not live up to expectations. He had reasonable success with ‘Kuruvi’ but he still hasn’t delivered big time since ‘Pokkiri’.

With the duo back on screen, sparks are bound to fly. With Prabhu Deva at the helm, the screen play is in good hands while nothing needs to be said about the choreography. So fans can expect a rip roaring time at the theaters.

They say, ‘where there is a will, there is a way’ and Vijay with his Vil would be willfully looking to get back on his way to super stardom.

BANGLADESH DENIED FINALS BERTH

A bitter nostalgia was haunting the Indians at the beginning of the match against the home team, the team which had smashed India’s World Cup dreams. And in that context, the result would have pleased many on a hot Thursday evening. Yes, I mentioned evening, as the match was over in the first hour itself.

Electing to bat, Bangladesh found why Praveen Kumar is the buzzing word in the Indian house hold now. With a good deal of lateral movement, Praveen Kumar, dented the confidence of the tame Bangla Tigers and let Rp do the remaining job. With a miserly spell, Praveen made it a test match environment going at one run per over most of the time. Chawla chipped in again with some useful overs at the middle. Ashraful scratched around for some time before Y Pathan ended his misery. If not for Hasan’s efforts Bangladesh might have been embarrassed.

The Indian innings followed a now familiar path. Gauti and Viru laid a firm foundation, followed by some sizzling stuff by Rohit and Yuvi. Gauti was at his best again continuing from where he left against the hapless Pakistanis, making an unbeaten century in the process. Bangladesh never had the bowlers to hamper the Indian flow when they are on song and the match had an early finish.

India is well on its way to a podium finish at the finals. The Kitply cup is virtually in the Indian Kitty unless a miracle happens.

VIRU, PRAVEEN AND Y KHAN DESTROY PAKISTAN

Yes you read it right. It was the Pakistani senior pro Younis Khan who helped India to topple Pakistan. The usually agile Younis Khan dropped Gambhir twice in the slips to fritter away the early advantage for Pakistan. Khan’s Lapse in concentration, Akmal grassing Viru, some off colour bowling, uninspiring captaincy and sluggish in fielders, meant that India won by a huge margin.

Batting first, Viru and Gambhir made use of the early advantage, continuing their good form in the IPL. Gambhir, though lived dangerously, repeatedly stepping down the track, without much success. But he had nothing to worry, as he had the comforting presence of Y Khan’s butter fingers at the slips. Viru began in a subdued style, showing some signs of rare maturity. But that obviously didn’t last long. Soon Viru began a ferocious onslaught. The Indians were never below 6 per over most of the time. Yuvi continued from where the openers left and that meant India posted a mammoth target.



Facing a Herculean task, Pakistan virtually surrendered, Praveen Kumar making merry trapping the top three Pakistanis. The difference between the two teams was there for everyone to see especially when Rohit Sharma plucked a catch out of thin air to send a bewildered Salman Butt to the pavilion. Akmal and Misbah tried to wrestle back some momentum. Akmal especially was severe on anything short and wide. But he played one shot too many and that signaled the end of the Pakistani resistance. Malik’s face saving innings was more a proof to himself of his skills. Chawla completed the formalities for India. It was a total team effort by India.

Pakistanis managed to bury themselves in a self dug grave. With a captain who was hesitant to think out of the box and fielders who were hesitant to throw themselves around, the bowlers had no choice but to endure the stick. That stopped their winning streak of 12 matches which was mostly against the minnows. Hopefully the Pakistanis would get back to where they belong for the sake of some interest in this series.