Kastooriman (2005) - Tamil Movie Review

Ranking: 3.5/5.0

Cast: Prasnna, Meera Jasmine, Sarat Babu
Director: Lohitdas
Music: Illayaraja

Prasnna and Meera Jasmine go to the same college and are at loggerheads on more than one occasion. Prasanna is an introvert and Meera is not. The individual characteristics of both the characters are etched very nicely and are also portrayed aptly.

Prasanna who is assumed to the son of a very rich film producer in actuality is a pauper. His father, Sarath Babu, was a very rich producer at one time but gambled away all the family's savings. Prasanna's family is in debt beyond redemption and everyone is banking on Prasanna to get them out of the mess. Even their poverty and desperation is shown in a very light manner thus taking away any gloom...At least until this part.

On the other hand Meera's life is not so peachy either. Her sister is married to a police constable and have a daughter together. Meera's sisters family along with her sister's mother-in-law live with Meera and her mother. Her sister's husband is interested to take in Meera as his second wife. Meera who is against this goes through a lot of emotional torture and also sees her sister and mother go through physical and emotional torture from her brother-in-law. Meera is the sole bread winner of the family. She works as a nurse at a few houses and goes to college at the same time.

In spite of the misunderstandings and quarrels Meera helps Prasanna in a very tight situation thus bringing them both together. Meera helps Prasanna who tops the University to pursue his IAS education in Delhi.

In the meantime Meera's BIL still tortures her and now starts hounding on her for talking to Prasanna. The beating and verbal abuse is now a regular occurrence. Also, Prasanna comes back from Delhi to realize that his father has already engaged him verbally to one of his debtors daughter.

A slight twist in the tale and the movie ends...

A decent movie, may be watched with the whole family...A little scary at times, especially the role of the Police Constable's mother and her verbiage...But for that the movie is very nice. I would not watch it if I am in a happy mood cause it did bring out a tear or two on more than one occasion...

Prasanna has really molded himself into a decent actor over the past few years. Apart from comedy he can also do serious roles and he carries the character very well on his shoulders. Meera Jasmine, well she is a National Award winning actress...But still her overacting and childish acting gets on your nerves at times. If you look past that...Then it is okay. Sarat Babu a veteran in such roles is good as usual. The mallu actor (I am guessing) who was the police constable...Was Great...He really scared the crap out of you...It was because of him that I could empathize with Meera's character...

Anyhoo...The movie is very watchable...much better than many others that have released over the past few months.

This has nothing to do with any of my India-trip Posts...But very importantly my Best friend Nanda's wife Sri delivered a Baby Boy - Lil' Nanda on January 6th. He shares his birthday with three great people I am aware of...Balaji (my brother), AR Rehman, and Kapil Dev.

Congrats Sri and Nanda. I am very confident that you will make great parents and bring up a proud son!

Love
Anu

November 27 - December 7th:

Got to do a lot of things during these few days...Can't really track the events chronologically here but will try and recollect most of them...

• I went shopping with Vani to shop at Spencers Plaza. It is huge. Really...It can be compared to any decent sized mall in USA and what is better...They actually have enough car parking...No kidding! I went to only a couple of shops as I had to meet Showkath after that...I went to Fab India...A store everyone told was great to buy cotton salwars and kurtas from. Honestly, I just about liked it...You know...It is not a very shopper-friendly place. The supervisors including the watchman follow you everywhere you go and they annoy you by asking you if you wanted to buy everything you tried on...and they do not let you try on white kurtas...How am I going to know how it looks unless I try it? The watchman told me that if I try a black one I can figure it out...I was soooooo mad...I told him to keep his kurta up his #$%...
• I went for a small dinner with Showkath and Co to GRT Grand Days...It was amazing...The spread, the service, god...This is what I missed in Dallas. There were like 10-12 appetizer, like 10 veggie and non-veg dishes, and here is the best...About 20 desserts...yumm...Just thinking about it makes my mouth water...and all of it for just...Rs.350...Just $7.50.
• Then We did the garment and jewelry shopping for my wedding. Just buying all the jewelery took us like a whole damn day. At the end of which we were super tired and all this in spite of buying everything in the same shop.
• Okay so there is only one shop that I like when it comes to buying jewelry. Maybe that is because my mother knows a guy there very well that we get Amazing discounts and we also get great service and treatment. It is GR Thanga Maligai (GRT). Everyone knows this place in Chennai. It is huge and they have all jewelry you need. Another place that is small but also decent with some more modern designs in Khazana. I liked the patterns they had but their collection is no where in comparison to GRT's.
• Saree...Very important for the wedding and reception. I went to only three shops because I only had so much time. Given a chance I would have spent more time walking up and down of stores but in one way it was good that I finished the shopping in a matter of two hours. Thanks to Thameem and Priya.
• Kumaran Silks and Pothy's were my choice. I did go to Nalli and another so-called fake Kumaran but they were no very impressive. I bought my Chennai reception saree at Kumaran and my Bombay reception saree at Pothy's. Awesome selection they got and the treatment is good if you are going to pay big bucks. So I did not mind shopping in these places...Less tension and more work.
• Ghagra...I had to buy this for my reception in Mumbai. I again visited Man Mandir, Naidu Hall, and many other stores in Chennai. Really, I did not like anything in any shop but the ones in Man Mandir. Every thing else looked cheap or tasteless. Man Mandir really has class and they have a very wide price range. Please visit this even if this is not the store where you will buy your ghagra. Also remember that this store has more than just ghagra, they even have amazing designer sarees.
• Then you will need a lot of the fake jewelry or fashion jewelry as they call it. Let us see...Like...Hand set, chutti, necklace, ear rings, fake nose ring, etc. Which are for the reception and then you will need somethings similar for your wedding. Go to Jill Mill, it is a subsidiary of Sr Kumaran Silks and it at the entrance of Pondy bazaar from Panangal Park. They have everything under one roof. But they might be slightly over priced. If you want to buy something cheaper just walk down the road and on either side you will find stores...Try Narayani Pearls, they are very customer friendly there. Remember to buy the temple jewelry for your head. It is beautiful...
• In between on Dec 2nd I also went for my visa...read my blog on that experience...It rained the rest of the day and stopped me from doing anything more.
• Met a few of my classmates for lunch at Residency...Again..Food....Ah-mazing...What service...What quality...What quantity...pitchitanga po!
• Also got my beautician fixed up at Lakme for the reception makeup...Cost me around Rs.5,000. Did not know what I was going to get for that...But everybody told me that they would do the best work and so I took advises...
• Visited a few of my family friends in Chennai with my parents. It was a little tiring traveling in Chennai in car during rains...But hey it was worth the trouble as this would be the only way I could meet them before the wedding. Of course all these people are or have been very important to me at one time in my life.

This is all I remember trying to scrape my brain but I will add more as I remember things.

Saturday, November 26th, 2005 12.30am at Vijaya Park Inn, Chennai:

Dad was running around the hotel room restless. He was angry it was 5.30am and he unable to take a shower because there was no hot water in the shower. Annoyed he called the Housekeeping at the hotel to realize that it was only 12.30am and that the hot water will on after 4.30am. Mom and I were also up and I we glared at dad for doing what he did. It was jet lag...

Once again dad was rummaging through the luggage looking for his razor. Mom also woke up and joined him and I woke up due to the commotion. Dad was confident that it was 6.30am and he was upset that he had actually overslept and now he wanted to shave. I checked the clock once again and it was not even 4.30am. I was really angry now...But each one of us were going through jet lag...and so mom and I attempted to sleep once again and this time till 7.00am.

Thameem, Kumar uncle, and I helped dad and mom move into a house we had rented for a month in Annanagar before heading out to shop. The apartment was on the 3rd floor (Indian) and there was no electricity that day due to some maintenance work. It was miserable...Climbing up and down with our heavy 70lbs suitcases. Kumar uncle bought us wonderful lunch that we devoured.

Thameem maam and I went shopping to Lifestyle and Globus and bought me a lot of clothes for over Rs.11,000.

Recommendation 1: If you have a decent budget and do not want to spend time bargaining...Visit the following stores:

Lifestyle: Great shoes, purses, and decent salwars. The store is slightly cramped in the women's and mens garment section. But it has very trendy stuff for a reasonable price, especially if you convert it back to dollars.

Globus: Good collection of pants, skirts, salwars, kurtas, accessories, tees, business wear, etc. I really loved this store, my personal favorite. In fact, I shopped for more than Rs.30,000 in this shop alone.

Shoppers Stop: Very sober colors. I really did not like their collection much. I visited the one in Chennai as well as in Mumbai and I did not find anything that Wow-ed me. Nevertheless you do find some interesting clothes and accessories here too.

So after a tiring day at shopping I went home to have dinner that Kumar Uncle had bought with mom, dad, and Thameem. Thameem stayed over with us tonight. Total timepass.

Marriages are fun! But when it is yours...It is all the more fun mixed with some confusion and tension. Mine was similar...After almost knowing the guy for five and half years we finally decided to tie the knot in the auspicious month of December. Since my whole family lived in the US of A all our friends took over to help us with all the wedding preparations in Chennai, India. Thameem and Kumar Uncle along with others totally finished most of the work before I landed in Chennai on Nov. 25th morning.

I want to write a concise journal of my trip to Chennai, Bombay and back which also includes my Wedding and Receptions and I hope to provide some helpful information to future brides.

November 25th, 12.00am at Mumbai Airport:
Girish and I land in Mumbai and clear through immigration and wait for our baggage while a Northwest Rep comes to us with our names written on a board. I pray that they have not lost any of our bags and he assures me of the same. The handsome rep informs us that Northwest Airlines has arranged for lounge stay and dinner privileges at a five star hotel for the night till my connecting flight to Chennai and they were also extending it to Girish as he was with me. Happy, we walk through the customs and get stopped to have our bags checked. Nothing found we continue to proceed and check-in my luggage in Jet Airways before we get our cab ride to the hotel.

The lady at the Jet Airways counter confuses me. She is not sure where the cab will pick me and she tells me that Northwest does not provide any such privileges and I should go to the domestic terminal alone. Panicking I run to Girish and ask him to leave and that I will leave to the domestic terminal alone in the airport bus. Girish leaves and I now walk back to alight the bus and I realize after talking to another representative that there was some confusion and that a cab was waiting for me outside, the same place where I said bye to Girish. I walk out and see a whole bunch of people staring at me...First time after five and half years I see so many Indians at one time (I saw almost 10,000 at Dandia night but they were mostly ABCD's). I was scared and I was not sure if I should just take the airport bus to the domestic terminal and forget my five star privileges. Thankfully I get dropped at the hotel where I make a friend who is also on her way to Chennai and spend the rest of the night trying to fight sleep at the hotel.

I get on my Jet Airways flight to Chennai which gets delayed for over an hour due to a sick patient on board. I am tired but unable to sleep as a result of excitement. I have to mention here that the hospitality in Jet Airways is probably the best I have been meted with so far.
Well mannered and extremely friendly Airhostess, clean interiors, and great food make the journey a very pleasant one.

The flight takes off from Mumbai airport and I am in for shock...As I see not the Arabian Sea but a Sea of slums in front of me which then get lost between the low lying dense smog! Finally the plane goes over the sea and off towards Chennai.

As the airplane began its descent all I could see was not the farm lands but only giant puddles everywhere...For a second I thought I was in Minneapolis. The outer low lying areas all seemed to have been flooded by the incessant monsoon rains that thrashed the south over the past couple of months. But I felt good, I was home.

Thameem came to pick me up at the airport and I decided that I will not sleep for the rest of the day to avoid jet lag and get used to the IST. We stopped by at the hotel where I was going to spend the night with my parents (which was also the hotel where I eventually got married at) before leaving for Velachery where Thameem stayed. We picked up Priya dropped her off at Central Station and en-route I slept like a baby in the car.

I wore my seat belt and shrieked every time someone came 2 inches away from the car. I found fault with so many things that by the end of the day I could have written a 10 page essay on how things should be changed to compare to the US of A. All the while Thameem just smiled and said, "you will get used to it and start ignoring them in a couple of days." Which is what happened eventually.

And so the day ended with me sleeping like a baby till 12.30am on Nov. 26th...

Continued in my next posting...