Adiye.

My commitment to blogging recently has been abysmal, at best. But I’m back after a break and am more determined than ever to make something of this little website here. First step: Tunesday and Wednesday Wishlist posts on a regular basis

If you follow me on Twitter, then I’m sure it’ll come as no surprise to you that my Tunesday track is “Adiye” from upcoming Tamil movie “Kadal” – I’ve been going on about it for a good few days now! The music has been composed by the legendary AR Rahman, and I’ve been listening to this track at least twice a day since I first heard it on Friday.

Sid Sriram is the vocalist on this track, and I think he is the perfect choice; his vocal tone could not be more fitting for this bluesy number, and his pronounciation is on point! [One of my pet peeves is when people mispronounce things - it takes away from the meaning of the lyrics in my opinion. Plus, with a language with like Tamil, it's entirely possible to change the meaning of a word by changing the pronounciation of just one LETTER in the word!]

Have a listen:

For the benefit of those of you who don’t know Tamil, he’s a quick run down of what he’s saying. Please note that this is *NOT* a word-for-word translation; I’ve had to use a bit of poetic license to try and maintain the beauty of the lyrics, as a literal translation will not do it justice. Even then, this version still lacks the magic of the original!

You’ve opened my mind…where have you come from, girl?
And where are you taking me?

I don’t understand this path, that is littered with pits;
I’m just trusting in you and following you blindly.
I’m a wanderer, trailing after you like a lamb.

You’ve opened my mind…where have you come from, girl?
And where are you taking me?

You captured this fish and drew a wing onto it,
Before throwing it into the sky;
And now, you’re teaching me how to fly…where did you come from?

You’ve opened my mind…where have you come from, girl?
And where are you taking me?

You’ve made mirrors out of your eyes,
Reflecting my fear back to me.
You’re white-washing the dust and debris from my heart.

You’ve opened my mind…where have you come from, girl?
And where are you taking me?

You’ve unveiled a path made of rainbows,
Leading from earth to heaven.
You’ve turned my heart into a rope, using it to pull me after you

If I leave this heaven to come to Earth,
Where the sun rises in the East,
By the time I wake up, will you have disappeared?

I think “Adiye” is probably my favourite track off the “Kadal” soundtrack, though there are some other gems on the album too. Could be because I’ve been in awe of Sid’s vocals for a while now. Could be because I’m forever a fan-girl when it comes to AR Rahman’s music. Could also be because I’m going through a blues/jazz/soul phase at the moment!

Whatever it is, there’s no denying that “Adiye” is a ridiculously amazing song!

The Rajini-uninitiated watch Enthiran

So last night/this morning, Rajinikanth-Aishwarya Rai blockbuster “Enthiran” aired on Channel 4, in the UK.

For those who are new to Indian films, the whole breaking-out-into-songs-inexplicably and the crazy stunt scenes can be pretty baffling. However, if you are watching a Rajinikanth film for the first time, this bafflement will reach whole new levels. It’s hard to explain the awesomeness of Rajinikanth in one blog post. I suggest you wait until the release of The Rajini Effect, but until then, watch as many of his films as you can and I guarantee that
your mind will be blown.

As someone who is accustomed to all that a Rajini film throws your way, I still find myself being blown away by the increasing levels of insanity in each new Rajinikanth film, so I was pretty intrigued to see how the “uninitiated” would react (on Twitter), and I was not disappointed.

Below are my favourite responses to the sheer amazingness that is Enthiran…

And, my personal favourite:

Gotta love Rajinikanth.

Right, exams kick off Friday. I should get cracking with this whole revision thing.

Laters.

In the Limelight

Today I read this blog post, and…well, let’s just say I haven’t felt this angry in a while. If you can’t be bothered to read the blog post/related news articles, here’s a breakdown of what happened:

• Kannada actor Darshan was arrested for assaulting his wife (Vijayalakshmi) and threatening to kill their child, reportedly whilst drunk.
• Vijayalakshmi’s medical report suggested that she had sustained multiple injuries including cigarette burns and bruising. She also needed stitches.
• Vijayalakshmi filed a 5-page complaint against Darshan, in which she also stated that he had threatened her with a gun
• Darshan’s “loyal fans” were outraged at the allegations and called for his release by holding marches, and even by damaging local buses
• Well-known stars of the Kannada film industry got involved, showing their support for the actor.
• Some of these actors met the wife in hospital, and “pacified” her, persuading her to withdraw her complaint by assuring her that such an incident won’t happen again.
• Vijayalakshmi then withdrew her complaint, claiming that her injuries were the result of a fall in the bathroom
• The dispute was said to be due to a suspected affair between Darshan and actress Nikitha. As a result,  the Kannada Film Producers’ Association have banned Nikitha from acting for 3 years

That is the gist of what happened, and I don’t even know how to get my head around it.

[I have a lot to say, but I'm going to try and keep it as brief as possible.]

———————————————————-

What has the industry become? Why are the fans so disillusioned as to think it’s okay for their idol to carry out something like this? The fact that a group of them can come together to DEFEND such actions is beyond me. Is it purely because the guy is famous?

In this era which prides itself on the huge strides taken in the fight for gender equality, the fact that the “other woman” in this saga is the one who is punished by the industry is ridiculous. Darshan was physically abusive to someone. His wife, no less. Yet somehow, these people think an alleged affair is worse than landing someone in hospital? The affair is enough to ban Nikitha from working, but the assault doesn’t even warrant time in jail or a court case?

Several Kannada stars – one of whom is referred to as a “veteran” in this article – jump to the defence of the perpetrator, and persuade the wife to withdraw her complaint. How? By simply assuring her that she can blame them if it happens again. She shouldn’t have to fear it happening again…it shouldn’t even have happened in the first place.

These people live their lives in the limelight out of choice and should, in my opinion, have a sense of social/moral responsibility. This is inexcusable behaviour, and the fact that other famous personalities have stepped in to defend the incident suggests that they, in some way, think that it is acceptable.

Being a celebrity is something to be taken seriously. Everything you do will be captured, analysed and often mimicked by fans who worship the ground you walk on. As it is, the attitudes towards domestic violence in India are horrible. Add to that the fact that actors – who are the most worshipped / loved / revered of the celebrities in India – are going around trying to get an abusive colleague out of trouble, and you’re just helping society to regress. It’s bad enough that abuse (and also rape) is often distastefully glorified on-screen in these industries, but for these actions to be glorified like this in real life is something these people, and the industry as a whole should be ashamed of.