கொலை

ஒரே அடிதான் அடித்தேன். தலை தெறித்து இரத்த வெள்ளத்தில் கிடந்தான். கொலை செய்யணும் எண்ணமே எனக்கு இல்லை.  ஆனா கோபம் வந்துட்டா என்ன செய்றேன்னு தெரியல.  ஆத்திரக்காரனுக்கு புத்தி மட்டு என்ற பழமொழியை பெரியவங்க சும்மாவா சொன்னாங்க. இன்னைக்கு தான் இந்த பழமொழி புரிந்தது.  நினைத்து பார்த்தாலே பயமாயிருக்கு. நானா இப்படி செய்தேன்னு எனக்கே வியப்பாயிருக்கு.

The Legendary of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

The last time I wrote about Sachin Tendulkar was before the World Cup 2011, asking questions why the Indian team, consisting of cricket gods like Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, was not able to win the World Cup Championship.  This time, with Tendulkar announcing his retirement, an article was published in the 'The Hindu' newspaper, last Sunday, under the Canvas section of Magazine supplementary, had made me write another post on the same topic. 

Titled 'The Man Who Became God' by L. Suresh, the article highlighted that only if Tendulkar had fans instead of worshipers  things would have ended differently.  The author goes on to say Tendulkar faced problems beyond his age and his failures on the field because he was elevated to a position above mortals.  Projecting him as god has ended up making him the target of critics.  The same critics were quite when Lara didn't pull his team when they caved in or when Ponting lost two Ashes series but did not spare Tendulkar as he was put both on a pedestal as well as a microscope.  Being elevated as god, it didn't matter when he took the team into the finals of World Cup 2003 but did matter when he didn't score a 100 in the finals.  It didn't matter when he, as the only player, notched up 50s and 100s but did matter when he didn't get his team to win.  The author ends the article by saying his retirement deserves better response since the question "Why?" cried out by half the population was drowned by a resounding "Why not?" from the other half.

As I read the article, I was wondering when was the first time Tendulkar was christened as the god of cricket.  I believe it was during the Coca-Cola Cup of 1998, a tri-nation series between India, Australia and New Zealand, when he scored back-to-back centuries, popularly know as the Desert Storm, helping India to win the cup.  It was the same time when Shane Warne claimed that he had "nightmares" at the thought of bowling to Tendulkar.  Tendulkar was credited for winning the tournament highhandedly.  Tendulkar's first century in that tournament helped India to get to the finals based on a better run rate and his second century helped to win the finals.

The next question pondered in my mind was why did we make him a god.  I believe it is not only because of his batting skills and his behavior.  I think it has been the culture of India.  Immortalization of a person has been the summit of exaltation for us.  Be it the field of music, cinema or cricket, we always had gods.  True to our worship, we had gone to the extend of creating clashes among us when one's god was compared better to another's god.  Even though it is humane that everyone has their own likes and dislikes, immortalization of their favorite heroes has always stirred commotions at a greater level.  I am starting to believe that whenever a immortalization of a mortal happens, there are grave consequences as an equal and opposite reaction.  Is it because the true Immortal does not have want any mortal to be portrayed as mortal that the consequences are violent, I do not know.

I agree with the author that if only Sachin's fans stayed as a fan instead of becoming a worshiper or let him remain a legend instead of making him god, I think maybe, he would have gone to bat without bearing the heavy expectation of the entire population to score a century every time  on his shoulders.  Maybe, houses of cricketers would not been destroyed after performing badly in a World Cup match.  Maybe, there wouldn't be a protest against anyone who has made remarks against man-immortalized-god.  Maybe, falling at the feet would happen only to the true Immortal and our parents and not any equally mortal man.  If only we had enjoyed any event as it is rather than making someone god, lives could have been better.

Image credits: msn.com, blogspot.com, mid-day.com

The Last Stand

Arnold Schwarzenegger does a lead acting role in this movie nearly after a decade, his last being Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.  I wanted to watch this movie long time ago when its trailer was released (movie was released in January 2013) but somehow missed it.  Only recently, I happened to watch the trailer again and so downloaded the movie and watched it.  The reason I wanted to watch it is because I liked Arnold's movies and the reason I am writing a post on this movie is because the way the movie was produced.  In the trailer, Arnold would come crashing on a diner's doors and the occupants of the diner would ask him,"Sheriff, how are you?" Arnold would get up with pain and reply,"Old". Though it was funny, I thought Arnold was cast according to his present strength and age and not as an invincible hero.

The movie was really simple and the action was sequenced well for a 65-year old character.  The plot of the movie is that a drug-lord escapes from the FBI, racing in a Chevrolet Corvette at incredible speeds and tries to immigrate to Mexico.  What stands between him and achieving his goal is the Sheriff of the Sommerton Junction city in Arizona.  Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Ray Owens as the Sheriff of the city and the city has only four deputies under him.  How Schwarzenegger defends the escaping drug-lord with his under-skilled deputies is the story.  There was no incredible or things-that-can-happen-only-in-film action sequences in the movie.  I was remembered of the Rocky Balboa movie where the coach of Rocky, when he decides to take up one last fight, advises Rocky that since he is aging he cannot achieve speed in his punches but can add power to his every punch and trains him for the same.  Rocky practices punching with holding heavy weights in this hands.  Similarly in this movie, Schwarzenegger is not fast as he used to be in his earlier action movies but his every blow makes the escaping fugitive land on his butts to the ground.

Another character whom I liked in the movie is FBI Agent John Bannister played by Forest Whitaker.  He has exhibited beautiful emotions - commanding when giving orders to transfer the drug-lord, sneering as a senior agent, surprising when a local county Sheriff ignores him twice, being satisfied that justice is served on arresting the mole agent and impressing when an ordinary Sheriff with his four deputies has defeated the escaping drug-lord.  However, every time the drug-lord wins over whatever obstacle the FBI agent places paints the FBI in bad light, earning sympathy for the agent.

I was surprised when I learnt who the director of the movie was, Kim Jee-woon.  He has directed this movie after finishing 'I Saw the Devil'.  This movie had extraordinary action scene as the cop would hit the psychopath serial killer with hammer, crowbar or whatever he gets in his hand that would break the bones of the killer and make him bleed profusely.  But in 'The Last Stand' there was nothing as such and the action sequence was really natural.  I believe the director has matched the action according to the strengths of the character in both the movies.  Kim Jee-woon has also directed the Korean movie 'The Tale of Two Sisters' and an American remake titled 'The Uninvited' was made.  This too had a brilliant story and screenplay.

I wouldn't say 'The Last Stand' is one of the best action movies but a movie that has a logical and natural screenplay and a must watch for Arnold Schwarzenegger's fans.