1. Vaaranam Aayiram – A truly touching tale of a father son relationship told with maximum reality. The mannerisms of Surya as the father, 16 year old, student, drug addict, army man were absolutely fantastic. Gautham Menon’s tribute to his father had me thinking about the relationship I had shared with my dad. A once in a lifetime film with brilliant performances, great music and good direction makes it my pick for top movie of 2008.

2. Dasavatharam – When you thought you have seen it all, well think again. Kamal Hassan in 10 roles promised Dasavatharam would be a spectacle and it was nothing less. Though the movie had a lot of loop holes and fell flat at places, an out of the world performance by Kamal Hassan along with some catchy numbers made up for the mistakes.

3. Subramaniyapuram – A touching but violent tale of friendship, love, betrayal and revenge told in the backdrop of Madurai of the 1980’s. Excellent performance by the lead cast with trend setting music especially the Kangal Irandal song along with a good storyline and a perfectionist director made Subramaniyapuram the biggest dark horse of 2008 despite its shoe string budget.

4. Saroja – The young energetic team of Chennai 600028 came back with an edge of the seat thriller. Good storyline of friendship woven into a thriller thread and nice doses of humour, power packed screenplay, good music and fantastic direction makes Saroja one of Kollywood’s finest thrillers. The near to perfect casting and good performances backs up the good production values.

5. Anjathey – A story of friendship, love, evil and fight to be on the top told in a fresh manner. Good sensible script, good music and able direction backed up by brilliant performances makes Anjathey a delightful watch. It is a refreshing change from cliched hero oriented movies. The movie talks about how friends became foes and what it takes to be brave.

1. Jodhaa Akbar – A love story of Mughal emperor and Rajput princess. The movie deals with the coming of age of Jalaluddin, his love Jodhaa and war. With spectacular cinematography, magnificent direction and brilliant performance by the cast, the epic called Jodhaa Akbar takes you to the world of emperor Akbar. It is my pick for the top Bollywood movie of 2008.

2. A Wednesday – A movie which deals with terrorism with unexpected twists and turns and when I say unexpected, I really mean it. An unnamed caller threatens to blow up the city unless 4 terrorists are released and what happens next is totally unpredictable. With bankable performance from Anupam Kher and Naseerudin Shah, a good script and a more than efficient director, A Wednesday is one of the must watch films of 2008.

3. Dasvidaniya – A truly touching, highly emotional, lump in the throat drama dealing with decisions on what is more important in life especially when you are days away from death. An inspired performance from Vinay Pathak along with a really touching storyline is the strength of the movie.

4. Aamir – Another edge of the seat thriller which moves so fast that it never gives you time to think what a brilliant film it is. With no songs or big names in the cast, Aamir is a brilliant movie which has a hard impact. It is the story of a Muslim doctor who returns to India from UK, when he is forced into terrorism at the point of arrival. It tells the story of 24 hours of the doctor’s life which changes his fortunes forever. Another must watch movie of 2008.

5. Mithya – A dark edge of the seat comic thriller of a struggling actor who is drawn into the underworld at gun point. With humour and suspense weaved into a single thread, Mithya makes an immensely likable watch. Brilliant screenplay and the immensely likable performance by Ranvir Shorey makes Mithya work.

6. Ghajini – It has been breaking almost all box office records. The story of a man suffering from short term memory loss seeking revenge for his girlfriend’s murder. Aamir Khan and Asin’s performances along with good screenplay and brilliant direction, makes Ghajini watchable.

7. Rock On – A movie dealing with rock music and above all friendship, cat fights and struggle. Rock On is cliché ridden but it has many little likable moments. The chart busting music, good cast along with those moments make Rock On an engaging fare.

8. Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa – A fresh romantic college teen flick full of youthfull energy. Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa also has its moments which are far between but fresh youthfull music, the likable performance of the cast and the superb chemistry between Imran Khan and Genelia, make Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa work.

9. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi – The story of a loveless couple forced into marriage but later realise their love for each other told in the backdrop of a dance competition. With colourful sets, magnificent cinematography, the movie has grandeur but the script lacks finesse. But in the end, it is the outstanding performance of Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and Vinay Pathak which make Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi work.

10. Jannat – A gripping love story told in the backdrop of match fixing and gambling. It deals with a man’s obsession for quick money, his love and the price he pays. With good music, good performances, Jannat is a fun filled emotional ride which is sure to make you shed tears towards the end.

1. Veruthe Oru Bharya – A light hearted everyday tale about male chauvinism with a good dosage of humour, good screenplay and excellent dialogues bound together by excellent performance by the cast. It is the story of an uncompromising egoistic husband who wants to keep his lively wife under check. The wife on the other hand tries to adjust to stipulations set on her but in vain. This movie is fittingly the best movie of 2008.

2. Thirakkatha – This movie can be described in one word as fresh. A truly touching story about stardom, love, separation, secrets and betrayal told with a different narrative style backed up by strong and powerful performances by Prithviraj, Priyamani and Anoop Menon. The movie, said to be based on the love story of Kamal Hassan and Srividya, is a journey through the world of glitz and glamour and the unknown secrets.

3. Calcutta News – A story about a news reporter fighting a large scale prostitution racket told in the backdrop of urban Kolkata. Though the story is far fetched and unreal, Calcutta News makes a good watch because of the skilled direction of Blessy, eye catching cinematography and good performances. The movie didn’t do too well in the box office, but it was a change from the usual no brainers.

4. Thalappavu – A story based on the real life confessions of a constable about the killing of a naxalite leader. It is neither the typical commercial cinema nor is it an art film. With excellent performance from the cast and good direction and eye catching cinematography, the movie makes a good emotional watch.

5. Madambi – The story of a feudal lord revolving around his uncompromising attitude when it comes to dealing with money. Though it is a typical commercial film on a tried formula, it works because the story is simple and uncomplicated. With many light hearted moments, slight doses of emotion and Mohanlal, the movie makes an engaging watch.

I don’t know how many have seen this clip. It is a really funny interpretation of the Indian Flag.

PS – No offence mend to any religion.

Ghajini is Aamir Khan’s release for 2008 directed by Murugadoss. It is loosely based on the Hollywood flick Memento and the remake of the Tamil film of the same name. The film marks the debut of Asin in Bollywood. It also stars Jiah Khan, Pradeep Rawat and Tinu Anand. Telugu producer Allu Aravind produces this movie under the banner of Geetha Arts.

Synopsis
Sanjay Singhania (Aamir) is a patient suffering from short term memory loss who can’t remember anything for more than fifteen minutes. Every morning he wakes up blank in mind. With some strategically stuck notes on the wall and tattoos on his body, Sanjay reminds himself of the only thing he wants to remember – His girlfriend Kalpana’s (Asin) murder. The only clue he has to find the murderer is the name Ghajini. How he tracks down Ghajini and gets his revenge is the story of the movie.

Analysis
Ghajini is back again, this time bigger, better and sharper than before. The movie is well paced, edge of the seat thriller with twists and turns thrown at you every other moment. Though I have watched the Tamil version, watching Aamir Khan’s Ghajini is a different experience.

The movie comes with a fair share of violent action, but the violence is justified. Peppy music, eye catching scenery and sets and good choreography make the songs memorable. With exceptional performances from Aamir Khan and Asin and excellent direction of Murugadoss, Ghajini is a powerful film. It is 3 hours long but you never notice the time flow by.

Performance Of The Cast
Aamir Khan steals the show and how. Aamir breathes life into the character of Sanjay Singhania. He is in great shape and flaunts his hard earned 8 packs in almost all scenes. Be it the business tycoon Sanjay or the revenge seeking Sanjay, Aamir plays the role with such sincerity that you feel his every emotion - his love, his anger, his frustration, his sorrow. The scene in which Aamir wakes up in the morning and slowly realises his past or the scene in the hospital where Aamir cries on hearing Jiah’s tale are truly priceless. His body language and expressions speaks more than his dialogues.

Asin is perfectly cast as bubbly, caring Kalpana, the same role she enacted in the Tamil version. She has delivered a strong performance and dialogue delivery is also good. Jiah Khan also plays her part well but her dialogue delivery has room to improve. Pradeep Rawat is good as the villain.

Technical Analysis
Murugadoss has made a powerful foray into Bollywood. To present the movie with such level of intensity is no mean feet. He succeeds in keeping you engaged. Each card is revealed as the movie goes on, never too late or never too early.

Story is good with a gripping screenplay. Characterisations are done very well with fitting dialogues for each character. The screenplay is a little bit different from the Tamil version. It comes with an entirely different but improved climax. The one thing which left us wondering in the Tamil version was what would happen to Sanjay after he has had got his revenge. That is explained briefly in this movie.

The cinematographer, editor and art director have done their parts well. The strength of the movie is the music and background score by AR Rahman. The songs Guzarish and Behka are surely going to be etched in memory for a long time.

Verdict
Ghajini is the example for what a movie with sensible story, sound screenplay and good cast could do. In the end, the movie belongs to three people Aamir, Asin and Murugadoss. It is top notch commercial movie with excellent performances and beautiful songs. Don’t miss it for anything.

Rating: 9/10

4 - Saina Nehwal breaks into top 10 rankings in badminton and becomes first Indian to do so.

3 - India overpowering world champions Australia and reclaiming the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

2 - India’s dream run in the Olympics powered by Abhinav Bindra, Susheel Kumar and Vijinder Kumar.

1 - Vishwanathan Anand is crowned the World Champion in Chess defeating Vladimir Kramnik.

According to me, these are the top 5 sporting moments in 2008 which brought us glory. Sorry if I have missed any more significant name/event.

It is a very common situation that people with a few extra pounds would like to shed it off, but they hate working out or have no time for gym. For such people, including myself, there is an enjoyable solution.

Dancing is as good an exercise for the body as running, jogging, aerobics, swimming etc. Dancing is good for the heart and it improves blood circulation in the body. I remember watching a feature in AXN (some 2-3 years back) on 10 Most Enjoyable Means To Shed Weight. Dancing was 2nd or 3rd on the list.

Advantages

• Dancing strengthens your bones and tones your muscles properly.
• Dancing improves blood flow and hence increases the oxygen supply to cells.
• Dancing improves your flexibility.
• Dancing helps in reducing cholesterol.

Tips To Remember

1. Before starting to dance, do a warm up routine with a few stretches. This helps in the loosening up of muscles.
2. Dance at the pace at which you feel comfortable. Don’t dance too fast as you may end up pulling your muscle.
3. If you feel out of breath, relax for a few minutes before continuing.
4. Start this routine with a duration of 10 minutes and gradually increase it day by day.

Caution: This is only for those people who enjoy dancing. If you have never tried out dancing, then try it out once. If you hate dancing, then this is not for you.

Golden Rule: Never force yourself into anything you are not comfortable with.

So let’s kick this off at this New Year’s party & have a blast! 

Husband: (Returning late from work) Good Evening dear….I’m now logged in.

Wife: Have you brought the groceries?

Husband: Bad command or filename.

Wife: But I told you in the morning

Husband: Syntax Error. Abort?

Wife: What about my new TV?

Husband: Variable not found . .

Wife: At least, give me your Credit Card, I want to do some shopping.

Husband: Sharing Violation. Access denied.

Wife: Do you love me or do you only love computers or are you just being funny?

Husband: Too many parameters . .

Wife: It was a great mistake that I married an idiot like you.

Husband: Data type mismatch.

Wife: You are useless.

Husband: It’s by Default.

Wife: What about your Salary?

Husband: File in use . . . Try later.

Wife: What is my value in the family?

Husband: Unknown Virus.

Lollipop is the Christmas release for Prithviraj. The movie also features Roma, Bhavana, Kunjacko Boban and Jayasurya. The movie marks the return of Kunjacko Boban after a long hiatus. The movie is directed by Shafi and produced by Shafi, Anto Joseph and Benny Nayarambalam under the banner of ABS Combines.

Synopsis
Franko (Prithviraj) owns an automobile workshop named after his only sister Jennifer (Roma). They lost their parents a long time back. They come to a decision that Franko would choose Jenny’s spouse and vice versa. Rosabella, fondly called Rose, (Bhavana) is Jenny’s rival in college. Jenny can’t stand Rose. Franko and Rose love each other but hide it from Jenny. Francis aka Panju (Jayasurya) is a petty thief who joins Franko’s workshop as a mechanic. Panju falls in love with Jenny. Ebi (Kunjako Boban) is a doctor who also falls in love with Jenny. Jenny also loves Ebi. Who pairs with whom and what happens forms the rest of the story.

Analysis
The movie is constructed on a wafer thin plot that has nothing new to offer. The first half has a good dose of comedy. There are some really funny rib-tickling scenes. It is the movie’s strength with inspired comic performances by Suraj Venjarumoodu and Salim Kumar. Suraj has once again demonstrated his impeccable comic timing. He is the stand out in the comic section. Salim Kumar also provides quite some laugh.

But it is the second half that really hurts. It is dull and long with lots of clichés. One can easily guess what would happen next and this makes the second half weak and clumsy. Here, the plot has traces of old Rafi-Mecartin movies. Peppered with unnecessary sentiments and primitive comedy, the second half is a test of viewer’s patience. Though the movie has youthful energy, you can feel the energy decreasing with every passing minute.

Performance Of The Cast
Prithviraj looks in great shape with a well toned body. He has given a good performance in some parts and in other parts you feel that he is clearly not interested in the role. Kunjako Boban and Bhavana have very little to do in this film. Roma is ok but overacts in some scenes. The only person who looks sincere in his role is Jayasurya. Once again he has put up a brilliant show in a negative role. His role will be the only thing which stays in your mind after you leave the cinema hall.

Technical Analysis
Direction by Shafi is mediocre and fails to grip you to your seats as he did in his previous ventures. The director has tried to portray the brother-sister relationship in the mix of love but doesn’t include enough circumstances to express this.

The script is a mangled mess and seems half baked. The dialogues are cheesy and sometimes come with a double meaning. Characterisation of the lead cast is poor. Like his previous script, Annan Thampi, the script writer has once again penned a no brainer. There are plenty of things which are left unfinished and left to your imagination.

The cinematography is good and songs have been shot well. Costumes of the lead cast are also good and colourful. Editing is fine. Music by Alex Paul is average but you are not going to be humming those tunes after you left the theatre.

Verdict
Lollypop is an average movie with an engaging first half. Go in with zero expectations and still you may come out a little disappointed. Lollipop is placid, leaving the door wide open for Dileep’s Crazy Gopalan arriving next week. If you still want to watch the movie, then watch the first half and come out during the interval.

Rating: 6/10