Mister Madras

Typically, our biopics have been about politicians like Periyar and Kamaraj. In recent times though, we have shifted away from solemn stories of freedom fighters to the more fanciful lives of celebrities.  Nadigaiyar Thilagam , the biopic on actor Savitri, has been a huge success, and now, films on Sanjay Dutt and NTR are in the offing too. Here’s taking a look at our own celebrities whose lives are deserving of a film adaptation: Bhanumathi Widely known as the first female superstar of the South Indian film industry, Bhanumathi Ramakrishna’s first film,  Vara Vikrayam , had her play a 13-year-old girl who’s forced to marry an old man and commits suicide. Her inspiration to join the field of cinema came from her own home in the form of her father Bommaraju Venkata Subbaiah who was a well-known stage performer. Famous for being paid more than the male contemporaries of her time, Bhanumathi was also a producer, director, writer, singer, and music director. Surely, a great story’s in ther

With the foundation for a lovely team laid, it didn’t take us long to plan our first long ride. So in September of 2016, about 5 Himalayans, 5 Classics, and 2 Thunderbirds took to the roads and our destination was Horsley Hills in Andhra Pradesh. Itinerary This ride was yet another straight-forward one. This time, we started from Velavan Motors Alwartirunagar branch and reached the almost 300 km Horsley Hills. What’s new After spending more than a month’s salary on basic gears that I wore for the last mini ride, I had gotten accustomed to it by this ride. To top it off, I bought a ViaTerra Magnetic Bag . Though I can’t find it now in their website, whatever I’ve linked is the same bag with additional compartments for DSLR and this can be removed from the bag thereby making it a regular one too. Tankbags are easily one of the most efficient and easy ways of carrying luggage and this one fits in enough for a two-day trip. I wish I can say that I travel light but that’s the exact opposit

Occasion:     Mapilla festival Location:     Paprika, Courtyard Marriott, Teynampet Duration:     14th to 20th May 2018 Courtyard Marriott is at it again! Known for organising some of the best food festivals in town, Paprika’s latest offering is the Mapilla festival — a menu curated by Chef Saji Mohan from Kerala. I was one of the lucky few to check out the festival and here’s my experience on the same. Ambience I rarely write about the decor of a place that I’ve been to a few times but where Paprika stands apart from its contemporaries is how they transform the entire restaurant’s atmosphere into what that festival is all about. With serparate counters that surrounds the seating area, the counters — some live and some with plated dishes, are aplenty here. The starters, two dishes in veg and two in non-v

Director:   David Leitch Cast:  Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison  Thinking about it now, it’s funny how the first  Deadpool  wasn’t even supposed to have been made in the first place. The surprise hit of 2016 not only broke the myth that superhero films needed to be grim and serious (something DC seems to have learned finally), it also spawned more R-rated no-holds-barred films such as  Logan , which the audience welcomed with open arms. Fast forward to 2018, the  Deadpool  sequel is here, and the budget, which has almost doubled now, has translated into better quality and some jaw-dropping surprise cameos. After Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool is a casting choice we can hardly disagree with. The trash-talking, un-killable, regenerative merc with a bad mouth has come to be much loved. In this film, he’s more emotional than before — thanks to a rather melancholic start, which is followed by a  James Bond -style credit roll that shows off

Cast: Vishal, Arjun, Samantha, Delhi Ganesh, Robo Shankar Director:  PS Mithran Even if you haven’t received the email about the Nigerian prince who wants you to take his millions in exchange for a share, you must have gotten a cold call or an unknown message offering you a loan or selling you a service. “Did you know that your phone number is with 30 lakh people?” states a voice at the beginning of  Irumbu Thirai  and that’s just one of the numerous shocking facts that are thrown at us in this 160-minute-long eye-opener of a film. Vishal plays an Army Major, and from the way he pulls it off, it’s pretty surprising that no one has made the most of casting him in a uniform (he previously played a cop in  Sathyam  and  Vedi ). As Major R Kathiravan, Vishal’s tall stature and physique stand as embodiments of your average citizen’s anger towards society. The actor, in this intense story, shines, partly due to some well-written commercial stretches. His character, initially shown as a typic