Help Me Make a Shopping List for Chennai, The Final List!!!!

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Chennai Update Part 3!  THE FINAL LIST!!!  My sister is flying out tomorrow, so this is the last update.  Unless you suggest something really good, and then I will send her an email.  But ideally she can just print off this blog post and carry it with her at all times.  Like her passport, but more important.  Anyway, I am putting it up on the blog so that she can refer back to it at any point from anywhere with internet access, and also so you all can see it if you are curious.

The Final List!!!!!!  And I’m not actually expecting to get ALL of these, painful experience has taught me that if you walk into a bookstore/DVD store in India with a list like this, the guy behind the counter is super cocky and confident, and then slowly becomes depressed as he realizes that he only has like a 5th of these things available.

Hindi

  1. Tamanna (1997, Pooja Bhatt film about a girl raised by a Hijra)
  2. Arth (surprisingly hard to find!)
  3. Shahrukh Bole Khoobsurat Hai Tu (possibly never even released on DVD)
  4. Ittefaq (Not that hard to find, but probably cheaper in India)

Malayalam

  1. City of God
  2. Amen
  3. Angamaly Diaries ALL THE COPIES IN THE WORLD!!!!  I may start just handing it out to random strangers at film festivals until it gets appreciated. And probably cheaper to get all those giveaway copies from India
  4. Nayakan (Malayalam Lijo Jose Pellissery version)
  5. Double Barrel
  6. Chenkol (by golly I’m going to find out what happens after Kireedam!)
  7. Manichitrathazhu
  8. Spadikam
  9. Whole CBI series
  10. Kamattipadam
  11. Kali
  12. Jacobinte Swarigam
  13. Kilukkam
  14. Summer in Bethlehem
  15. Guru (Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi)
  16. No. 20 Madras Mail
  17. Manjadikuru
  18. Thoovanathumbikal
  19. Moonnam Pakkam
  20. Sandhesham
  21. Nadodikkattu
  22. Vadakkunokkiyantram
  23. Ozhivudivasathe Kali
  24. Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal
  25. Desatanakkili Karayarilla
  26. Njan Gandharvan
  27. Vadakkunokkiyantram (1989)
  28. Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala (1998)
  29. Sandhesam
  30. Thalayanamanthram (1990)
  31. Veendum Chila Veettukaryangal
  32. Shubhayatra
  33. Mukhachitram
  34. Perumthachan
  35. Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha

Tamil

  1. Nayakan (the Ratnam one)
  2. Every Mani Ratnam film available including Roja because I only have the Hindi dubbed version. But not Geetanjali because I just bought that from a 99 cent bin.
  3. Moodru Mudichu
  4. Kabali
  5. Every K. Balanchander movie that the guy behind the counter at the store recommends
  6. Aval Appadithaan
  7. Aaranya Kaandam

Telugu

  1. Siva, original Telugu version not the remake
  2. Kshana Kshanam
  3. Eega
  4. 1: Nenokkadine
  5. Oopiri (not available with subtitles anywhere online!)
  6. Sagara Sangamam
  7. Swarna Kamalam
  8. Srutilayalu
  9. Swati Mutyam
  10. Andha Naal (1984)
  11. 24

Books

  1. SRK: 25 Years of a Life
  2. ACK Famous Sikh Gurus
  3. ACK Poets and Thinkers
  4. ACK Tales of Revolutionaries
  5. Prem Naam Hai Mere, Prem Chopra
  6. Anusual: Memoir of a Girl Who Came Back From the Dead
  7. Bonding: A Memoir by Vyjantimala
  8. The Rise of Sivagami
  9. Women in Malayalam Cinema

  10. Megastar: Chiranjeevi and Telugu Cinema After N.T. Rama Rao

  11. The Eye of the Serpent: An Introduction to Tamil Cinema

  12. The Image Trap: M.G. Ramachandran in Film and Politics

  13. Madras Studios: Narrative, Genre and Ideology in Tamil Cinema

  14. Autobiography of an Actor (Sivaji Ganesan)
  15. Rajnikanth: The Definitive Biography
  16. Conversations with Mani Ratnam
  17. The Reel World: An Anthropology of Creation

19 thoughts on “Help Me Make a Shopping List for Chennai, The Final List!!!!”

  1. Godfather Malayalam ( Original version of Hulchal), Ramji Rao Speaking (Original Version of Hera Pheri), Mannar Mathai Speaking ( Second part of Ramji Rao Speaking), Vietnam Colony ( Mohanlal), Boing Boing ( Malayalam version of Garam Masala starring Mohanlal and Mukesh).

    No films of Dileep? ( Hero of Punjabi house and Chandrettan Evideya, his recent one are crap but he had some gems. He is the Johnny Depp of Malayalam. He could physically change to a character with the help of make up. Here are some of his films to look out for.

    1. Ee Puzhayum Kadannu ( A love story)
    2. Thilakkam ( good physical comedy movie)
    3. Meesha Madhavan ( Comedy Movie, he plays a robber)
    4. Kunchikoonan ( He plays a guy with Hunchback)
    5. Chandupottu ( He plays almost a tra sgender)
    6. Runaway ( Action movie with good story)
    7. Lion (Pollitical Thriller)
    8. Passenger ( A road thriller with Sreenivasan being the main hero).
    9. Calcutta News ( Story set in west bengal on Sex racket)
    10. Isttam ( a father son relationship story with comedy and also with a really sweet love story)
    11. Vinodayathra ( Really sweet family movie)

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    • Some of those at least (like Godfather), I didn’t include because they are available streaming or for sale easily in America. Which is great news! For the others, unfortunately I think the deadline is missed for this trip. Unless by some miracle my sister is able to buy everything already on the list, and still has money left over from what I budgeted, and then she can check this comment and ask for these films as well.

      On Fri, Apr 21, 2017 at 11:14 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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      • Oh ok. Films like sandesham and Chindavishtaya Shyamala etc will be tad difficult to understand the satire or black comedy with subtitles. Some scenes may seem serious.

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        • If you get Kerala Cafe for streaming. Should definitely check that out as well. 10 short stories of 15 min each, some of them are really good. With stars like Prithviraj, Mammootty, Jayasuriya, Dileep, Fahadh Faasil and Suresh Gopi. Really would like to know which you liked the most. My top 3 where
          1. The story with Prithvaraj and Jayasuriya
          2. Story with Nithya Menon and Jagathy
          3. Story with Mammootty and Sreenivasan.

          All where having different opinion on which was the best when the Movie was released.

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  2. You may want to check out the Kannada director Puttanna Kanagal’s movies. He was way ahead of the times. I would also recomment Beladingala Baale.

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  4. Hindi: Gol Maal(1979). It was remade into many other languages but the most famous one was the Tamil version, Thillu Mullu(1981), directed by K.Balachander. His only adapted film.

    In the above list, Andha Naal has been included under Telugu films. It is a Tamil film released in 1954.

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    • Thanks! I actually got Golmaal already, the last time I was in India.

      On Tue, Apr 25, 2017 at 2:49 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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  5. Just saw this post. I buy DVD from Amazon & infibeam only. I purchased a maniratnam combo that had
    1) Agni Natchathiram (starring Karthik & Prabhu – be warned. This movie doesn’t have any plot but music by illaya raja & it is directed by Ratnam) it is a shame that no bluray version of this movie is available.
    2) thalapathi (you have a great review of this)
    3) nayagan (godfather meets singing in the rain)
    4) mouna ragam (again Ratnan+Karthik+Raja and also Revathy)

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  6. Saw this post just now. I usually buy DVD from Amazon/infibeam but I live here.
    Have you watched Agni Natchathiram? Has no plot but Karthik + mani ratnam + illaiya raja and also Prabhu, amala & niroshsa & for the first time in Tamil movie history a comedy track which had absolutely no relation whatsoever to the main story of the movie.
    I got it as a 4 movie combo along with Thalapathi (you have a great review)
    Nayagan (godfather meets singing in the rain)
    & mouna ragangal (again Karthik + ratnam + raja plus Revathy too)

    a shame that bluray version of that movie is not available.

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    • In the past, when people traveled to India and offered to bring me things, I would order online and have it shipped to where they were staying from websites that only ship within India. That was nice, because it let me pick my own stuff and pay for it with my own credit card. But the shipping was so complicated! If the package was delayed, it would go to the address after they’d already left, or I would have to rush around and send them a message to change the shipping address, and it was generally stressful and difficult. Anyway, this time I am going old school and asking my sister to actual go into a store and see what they have for sale.

      I think I have seen (and reviewed) all of those movies except Agni Natchathiram. And I loved them all!

      On Sat, Apr 29, 2017 at 7:03 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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      • I understand online is not reliable in terms of delivery times. Great that you have watched 3 of those movies. When you get a chance see Agni Natchathiram also.

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  8. Higginbothams (at walking distance from Spencer Plaza) is another good alternative.They have quite a collection.But I don’t think they stock movies.All the malls have a bookstore cum DVD store.Good luck on the traffic.

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  9. Pingback: My Chennai Haul! | dontcallitbollywood

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