Manju warrier .. in the news again

Malayalam tv channels was today mentioning manju warriers facebook post .(please refer it in her facebook page or google it )

I am happy that Manju wrote an open letter to the people reminding them that though a celebrity there are limits regarding how much the public especially the "educated " , "literate " malayali should invest in other peoples affairs . Those living in kerala and who have travelled outside the state knows the key differences of the way a typical malayali (not all ) carries a conversation . Though his own house is on fire there is an extra interest in another persons affairs and on the face negative comments are told which may or may not have a real basis of truth .

In this case why i am particularly happy is these days the actresses of the new generation are more opinionated and are brave enough to talk back . I always believe cinema esp malayalam cinema is a medium of social change . It is hence not surprising that a movie actress who has portrayed powerful roles esp women centric roles where she has stood against hypocrisy has stood up for her rights when her private life is dissected beyond a limit by the "literate " soceity .

Living in kerala i too am used to hearing and ignoring the usual share of malayali talk . Inspite of being a holy day today i was amused as well as sad when an elderly gentleman whom i am meeting after 20 years was repeatedly focussing on the negative aspects in the conversation and trying to put me down albeit with a polite smile . Just a random conversation ... but after 20 years .. and just after a holy meeting in a religious place how can he be a combination of polite arrogance . Having had my share of aquaintances across religions , states , cultures i cannot but stereotype it as the typical malayali conversation ..

And in the evening i am hearing my favorite actress reply in her facebook post .. Though i am an optimist how many more years it will take for the typical malayali to reach the standards of the other states ---the live and let live ones who are less literate compared to us ?

sundaree .... song review .. malayalam movie shalini ente koottukaari

I am like you in being a lover of melodies . Especially the melodies of 70s , 80s and 90s malayalam cinema . But haunting melodies are fewer and the song sundaree ( meaning beautiful girl ) from the movie shalini ente koottukari is one such . The song is really melodious sung by yesudas . But what is haunting is the actress in the movie shobha . Though the new generation is not familiar with her (i think) she was one of the youngest award winning actresses and was also called urvashi shobha having received urvashi award at national level . She was only 16 at that time and within a span of around two years did many great roles . And just like actor jayan who came and went in a short span of time she too like a glow worm had a very short lifespan . Is it why the song sequence is haunting because she is shown in it ?

Coming back to the song .. though the lyrics are simple(calling the beautiful one )and the song picturisation is simple ( a song sung in a college event minus the tree running sequence ) .. it symbolises an era of malayali beauty when beauty was romanticised starting with the hair .The lyrics exemplify it and with the great musical score goes really well . Malayali mankas are famous for their long hair and sundareee .. nin thumbu kettiyitta churul mudiyil thulasee kathirila choodi ... as the opening line summarises both the end tied long hair of the malayali woman and the holy thulasi leaf put in it which symbolises both romance , beauty and holiness .Shoba with the dusky complexion and of course long hair symbolises the malayali beauty of an era where romance was probably different .

Maybe the song is haunting cos the theme of the film deals with three intense affections( the plot is in wikipedia ). One between brother and sister , another between shalini (played by actress shobha ) and her friend ,and also between shalini and her lover is picturised . Intense human relationships was the theme of all the great films of the 80s called the golden age of malayalam movies and this movie was no exception . And to top it all when i was a child Venu nagavally was one of the first persons i met when i visited trivandrum as a child .who is a main character in the movie ..

So as one of the ending lines in the song ... ozhugi ozhugi njaan ariyathe ( i flowed even without my knowledge ) for reasons unexplained this song remains one of my favorites .. See the song sequence with picturisation in youtube .. sundaree(song name ) .. shalini ente koottukari (movie name ) ...

smile ...

How many types of smile are there ? There is the genuine smile from genuine happiness , the made up smile when you are forced to smile inspite of unhappiness , the fake smile when you hate the person but still want to appear civil and the innocent smile the list goes on .... These days im confused by some smiles . Let me explain .. Some time back i randomly met a friend on the road . Having known her many years back as a bubbly , enthusiastic young woman i was happy to see her still untouched by ageing . She was smiling and after sometime into the conversation as is customary in the eastern part of the world i asked her about her husband and children . She mentioned she was a widow and had a child . Divorces , widowhood etc are inevitable part of life for some people but i couldnt stop but think "why she of all the people " .. She was one of the bubbliest of the persons i knew and I couldnt digest it . And inspite of the dictum of "moving on " i was in awe at how she could continue to be smiling the genuine smile . Though i didnt probe further , she was clearly not in denial , nor was she faking a smile . It was the smile of acceptance of what fate had dished out to her ..

I dont know whats right or wrong with last two years but i keep on meeting people who smile genuinely inspite of undergoing or having undergone personal tragedies . Sometime back i saw a list of a stress rating scale and in it one of the top was divorce and death of spouse . But what about death of a child . Its said that it is a really sad event and including singer chitra who found the inner strength to smile inspite of one of the greatest tragedies . But i know more than one person whose child is having mental retardation . The three possible reactions are : getting depressed , accepting it and living life and lastly denial even if long term . Just as life is always surprising till date whomever i have seen have accepted it for what it is and still manage to smile genuinely .

I know countless people who do smile genuinely inspite of personal tragedies . Of course i hardly have a friend who does a fake smile cos they are not in my circle . Of course being friends many of them do tell about the setbacks they have faced and some of them do cry too (thats normal i think to be human ) .. But finally after sometime when they smile genuinely fully accepting that that tragedy is a part of the sum total of life i am not wondserstruck at their "strength " ... I am wonderstruck at the phenomenon of life ....