Visaaranai – Reality Strikes

I was postponing to watch Visaaranai (means Interrogation in English) movie for few days. I saw the trailer and thought it is going to be a heavy movie and was not sure whether I am prepared enough. I love to watch movies but at the same time I get too much involved into the characters and heavy emotions linger around with me for few days. So, based on my mood I am ready to watch and sometimes I am not. Finally I decided to watch this movie.

This movie is based on a novel “Lockup” written by Chandrakumar which actually has his real life incident(s). It shows how normal people with no money or background can be exploited in our society. It is very sad to see those characters. I think the director Vetrimaaran added some more real life incidents that happened with TN Political circle. Vetrimaaran created a very good screenplay and got excellent actors to fit each and every character. They just lived their life. Heard the shooting took place only for 35 days. He should have done his extensive research and preparation before the movie.

Attakathi Dinesh is the lead actor. He performed very well even though there were couple of things that I was not convinced. His character does couple of things which I thought why would he even do that? There were 3 other guys who acted with him and they all lived their characters. One of the character name is Kumar and he will go back to his village at the end of first half and he is that real character who wrote the book. They show him (Chandrakumar) at the end of the movie with his family.

This movie editing is top class and this was the last movie edited by Kishore who passed away last year. He got national award for Aadukalam and was in his mid 30’s. Looks like he had lot of work stress and collapsed during this movie editing. He went into coma and passed away in few days. Really need to appreciate his efforts.

I also want to appreciate Samudrakani who acted as Inspector in the movie. He has multiple shades in his characters and he did it with ease. And finally he is the prey too. He seems to be one of the most sought actors recently and it shows that on the screen.

This movie strikes the chord & shows how our politics and police/judicial system is intertwined and how it affects the people with no background. You feel so bad that this is happening in real and there is nothing that we can do about.

This movie got the highest score of AnandaVikatan team with 64 marks. Looks like this is the highest score after Pathinaaru Vayadhinile.

Story is really heavy and realistic, screenplay is very strong, actors were excellent & editing was top class. If you love to watch good movies, go for it. This might stay in your mind for a while. I would not recommend watching this with little kids due to the scenes in the police station during interrogation.

Visaaranai – Reality Strikes!

Communication – The Key to Everything!

For the last few months or may be even more I have been experiencing moments where communication plays a vital role. I can’t emphasize enough on how important and critical “ better communication” is. So really wanted to write about “Communication” and its aspects from my experience and understanding.

There are several types of communication and the most common ones are – verbal, writing and body language.

I had worked with the offshore teams for the last 2 years and my main mode of communication with them was through Phone or IM or Email. That phase really helped me to rethink my communication ideology. People always assume that communication skills mean their English speaking skills which is not correct.

There are few other aspects to it and I want to elaborate on each of them little bit. This is applicable both personally and professionally J.

Lend your Ears – Listening is the KEY. Communication is not only we saying something, it’s about we listening to others too. During any conversation or discussion or meeting, listen first. Because there could be times that you do not need to talk as you got the required information by listening. So, lend your ears!

Judge your Audience - One of the most important thing is, understanding your audience before you speak or write. The same message/content can be conveyed in variety of ways based on your audience. Keep that in mind.

Arrange your Thoughts  - I define Communication as “Expression of thoughts”. If you keep your thoughts straight and clear, you should be able to communicate better verbally or through writing. I came across few people who think and talk at the same time. It would either confuse the audience or make the audience lose focus on your content/message.

Select your Words - Effective & efficient communication is not about using fancy words, it is about saying/writing things clearly. Keep it simple J.

Show your Confidence – If you are not sure about something, do not try to overrule the meeting or discussion rather ask questions and understand better. If you are sure about what you are conveying, do it with confidence. That will surely create a positive impact.

Keep up your Body Language – 50% of effective communication happens through body language. So, when you meet someone in person for a discussion or meeting, be attentive, look into their eyes when they talk, take notes – show them you care and speak by looking at their face. Be conscious about crossed arm gesture – it shows that you are defensive and not even listening. Also do not browse through your phone and text during the meeting or discussion. That will create a huge negative impact.

Be Open & Honest – During any kind of communication, be it verbal or writing please be open & honest to feedback and criticisms. Not everyone like your ideas or suggestions, it is ok for someone to say negative comments. Understand why, learn from it and move on. Do not get stuck on it.

I had seen several smart and technical people, but they struggle to convey what they are capable of. I think giving importance to “Communication” is really critical both personally and professionally. If you insist that from the early age it helps the kids tremendously.

As far as my personal experience, I love to listen to people and I think that is the big win for me. Be it personal or professional, I love to hear when others talk. Does not mean that I talk less J. I talk more but at the same time I love to listen too. So it gives me the opportunity to learn more, show empathy and build relationships. As far as the other aspects, I try really hard and am still working on them. Hope I get to build those aspects in my communication and make things better & easier.

Please remember that communication is the key to everything in this world – to maintain your personal relationships, to express your thoughts, to market yourself, to develop professional relationships, to show your confidence, to show your character, to show your values, to define who you are and so on.

Remember - your communication defines YOU.

Express Yourself with Better Communication and Build Strong Relationships!

Jil Jung Juk – Experience the New

Watched Jil Jung Juk recently and thought it was a very different move telling experience in Tamil cinema.

Story was simple but the way director brought it on screen was amazing. You experience a different kind of movie feel. Not sure how many would understand or like it, but definitely a strong mention to Deeraj Vaidy for directing this movie and to Siddarth for producing this movie. Siddarth is Jil and the other 2 guys who acted as Jung & Juk have done a wonderful job too. I am still amazed about how someone can imagine this story/screenplay and convinced a producer to make this movie J. Hats off to Deeraj!

And I love “Shoot the kuruvi” song even though it comes once the movie is over with the name scrolling.

If you really like to experience a new genre, watch this movie. Storytelling is really different and you would experience something new.

Jil Jung Juk – Experience the New!

Irudhi Sutru – Powerful

We watched Irudhi Sutru over the weekend. It is the story based on women boxing in India. It also talks about the politics in Sports selection committee etc. The director claims it is based on many true events, but heard a rumor that it is based on the women boxer from Tamil Nadu Thulasi Helen.

It was a predictable story line, but the characterizations were very good. Especially Madhi (Ritika Singh) and Prabu (Madhavan) acted really good. Songs were very good and hummable too.

Director Sudha worked really hard and you can see that in each and every scene and detail. Watch for Ritika & Madhavan’s performance. 

Irudhi Sutru – Powerful!