Wednesday Watching Post: What Are You Reading and Watching and Thinking and Listening to on AR Rahman’s Birthday?

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Happy Wednesday!!! Stupid FedEx woke me up early today, again. Sent me a text at 6:30am to tell me my delivery was on the way. I’ve gotta remove them from my texting.

I’ll start!

Reading: Chris Evans is going to play Gene Kelly? I’m very worried about this: https://deadline.com/2022/01/chris-evans-john-logan-gene-kelly-film-1234904351/

Watching: I’m gonna do it! I’m finally gonna finish Start Trek: The Original Series! And then I can watch The Next Generation, which is supposed to be better?

Thinking: I’m almost afraid to say it, but I think my apartment may be done? I hired a friend of a friend to organize my last room, and now that is finished. Tonight, possibly, I have a cleaner coming to look the place over and then I can schedule cleaning for once a month (Christmas gift from my parents). And then, that’s it! All organized and clean and ready to be enjoyed for the rest of my life! Oh, and hang pictures. But that’s the fun bit.

Listening: Rahman day! So, my favorite bouncy happy one, “Smiyai”

Easy question for you: What is your favorite Rahman song?

Hard question for you: who would you cast to play Gene Kelly?

I’m gonna say Channing Tatum! He can dance, he’s got a charming smile, and he can act when he has to. Or, alternatively, Christopher Walken would be fascinating as an older Kelly.

40 thoughts on “Wednesday Watching Post: What Are You Reading and Watching and Thinking and Listening to on AR Rahman’s Birthday?”

  1. I feel like one of the important things about Gene Kelly is his “serious hard working” vibe. Whereas Channing Tatum is very casual and boyish. Maybe someone from Broadway?

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  2. I feel like Channing Tatum had too much of a boyish vibe at least for Singin’ in the Rain era Kelly. I’d almost go with Hugh Jackman? Although he’s too old…

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  3. Favourite song from Rahman is definitely ‘Ususre Pogudhey’ from Raavanan. If the video works then good, CC for the English lyrics. There is that slight rock, but also classical mixed in with very beautiful lyrics to clash with it. it is a mix that would not work in any other hands (though the Laila Majnu soundtrack is very close, especially ‘Hafiz Hafiz’). I love Rahman’s Hindi music, but something happens when it is in Tamil that seems to elevate it somewhat for me. Maybe the rhythm change and the amount of poetry put into the lyrics, also Ratnam helps.

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    • Wow her make-up only blurs a little around the eyes after falling into water and days in the jungle and her hair stays combed! She must be evil.

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  5. I like Chris Evans, I could bring myself to see him as Gene Kelly. At least he’s American, all the other hunky dancing actors I can think of are from elsewhere. And it turns out he taps a little at least.
    https://hellogiggles.com/celebrity/chris-evans-tap-danced-on-ellen-and-weve-never-been-more-impressed/

    Curious if you saw this Aanand L. Rai interview where he talked about Zero? “I knew how to take off, I didn’t know how to land.” About sums it up!
    https://ianslive.in/news/aanand_l_rai_zero_was_not_a_failure_but_a_lesson_learnt-840207/ENTERTAINMENT/15

    AR Rahman: I know it’s not one of his iconic songs but Dingu Dongo from Sarvam Maala Thayam always cheers me up.

    And the title song too.

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  6. I watched Natyam and loved it. It’s not a perfect movie but when was the last time we had a film in which someone is ready to die for dance? Or where one of the biggest conflicts is between those who follows Guru ji rules and those who don’t understand the importance of obedience? The main actress is a real dancer, she choreographed some of the dances, made some costumes and produced the movie.

    My fav song: (it’s fantasy song, the heroine falls in love with the hero when she sees him dancing, btw I was waiting for a plot like that for years , the rest of the film is less mythological)

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    • So I saw Natyam and Sandhya Raju is INCREDIBLE! Love her. The dude was forgettable. I see she produced this movie herself. I guess that is what good actresses have to do get good roles.

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      • I’m so happy you saw the movie!
        Yes, the guy was there just to move the story forward. Usually in telugu movies the girls are forgettable and without any good backstory and goal, here we have a man. In a perfect movie we would know more about him apart his name and that he likes to dance, but I don’t mind. It’s a nice change.
        I keep thinking about this movie and every day I appreciate it more. Especially since I read it’s the first movie Revanth Korukonda wrote and directed. He did a very good job.

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        • The writing was good, but it could have been better. More scenes between the leads creating a love story. There was tension, but how it came about wasn’t explored. And I wanted to see them get on a plane, or off of a plane at the end, somehow maybe leaving for the airport didn’t do it for me. The directing was good. I particularly loved the scene where they are contrasting classical and modern dance. The reviewers said the movie fell apart when she left the town, I did not feel that was the case.

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  9. I saw Shyam Singha Roy recently and I really enjoyed it! Sai Pallavi was only in the second half but she was pretty good in her role. Nani was really good and made the movie worth it even though I didn’t love some of the choices they made with the story.

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  10. I saw Don’t Look Up with spouse and thought it was hilarious, critics be damned. But now I’m more interested in seeing Shyham Singa Roy & Natyam, & maybe Raavanan to see if Aish really is evil.

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    • I can recommend Raavanan on just Vikram’s good looks. He looks as fine as fire in it! His face is a kind that can look odd with certain haircuts and angles, but somehow the way he is made to look here just completely erases that doubt. Also, Rahman’s music is a banger in this.

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  11. Big Boy saw the SRK Christmas card today. „Is that my uncle?” Apparently in the one picture SRK has a similar beard. Also doesn’t really bode well for the number of male role models our boy has in his life, since his uncle is blond and everything. Hmmm … Quality is excellent, though.

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      • How did I know you’d say something like that? I actually showed him a few videos just now, until I hit on the perfect one that he wanted to watch on repeat: “the one where Shahrukh dances on the train”. Though he keeps going, “where is the train”, whenever it’s just the dancers in the frame.

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