NAYAN AND MEERA JASMINE LIP KISSES

HAPPY DAYS MOVIE REVIEW AND GALLERY

MOVIE : HAPPY DAYS

STRRING : VARUN SANDESH,TAMANNA,AKIL,SONIA,VANSHI KRISHNA,RAHUL,GAYATRI

MUSIC : MICKEY J MAYER

DIRECTOR : SHEKAR KAMMULA

BANNER : AMIGOS CREATION

RELEASE DATE : 28 SEP 2007

RATING : VERY GOOD


Telugu industyry is noe proud to stae its producing some decent movies which are absoulutely away from routine and love stories. Recently coming movies are being recognised in the nation wise and direction talents are getting provided by this. "Bommarillu" was well recived in 2006. in 2007 its "Happy Days" which is going to see same sucess rate.As now "Anand","Godavari" are the movies which already brought good name to Director Shekar Kammula.He is crafted beautiful sweet memories of college life , aims, desire, distafication, friendship, love on the silver screen. He has moved the movie with a positive mindset of collehe life and touched the hearts.

ABOUT STORY :
The story goes like this, its movie based on guys whos did four years engineering, the venue for the movie is CBIT Gandipet, Hyderabad. Chandra shekar alias chandu(varun sandesh), Madhi is Tamanna, Tyson is Rahul, Rajesh is Nikil, Shanker as Vamshi Krishna, Aparna as appu, Sangeeths is Monali Choudaryary are they guys and gals who join in first year engineerng, after one yar they mouid themselves to good friend Shanker falls in love with Sangeetha. Tyson shows intrested in Sravanthi. Rajesh is flickering Guy, he says sometimes he loves lecturer Kamilini Mukarjee.as she leaves college then start loving other girl. But appu has her vision only Rajesh. They become senior as they step into secon year.
Fter that what happend? did Chandu and Madhu come together? could Shanjer recognize the true colors? whats the fate of tyson love story? did Appu and Rajesh wetre together? how was Happydays concluded? is the rest part of the movie.






The movie is different from regular formula, its crafted as fell good Happy Day's movie. Infact Co ordinating these four pairs and moving the film smoothly is not an easy job. He has done and wonderful work in directing this movie. Alomst all charecters in his movie are new comers. Having seen the movie, newer a get feel that its boring at this point of time. Shekar made it very intresting. He worked really hard for directing the movie. First of movie goes cool and casula with fun. Second fo will be emitional once in love story.He has concluded the movie nicely and happily. Its very clean movie.

ANALYSIS :
The film is first of is neat and clean, it did not get emoitional touch of shekar kammula. In the second of made audience to stick on their seats and got everybady conneted to the movie.

The movie has some plus points such as direction,music, cinematographyand editing. The negatives of the film are the tempo of the film is not constantly maintained. If shekar kamuula stick on his standards, then its for sure he can never a make bad film. its worth to watch HAPPYDAYS.

VAANA MOVIE REVIEW

STARRING : VINAY,MEERACHOPRA,SUMAN,JAYASUDHA,NARESH

PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR : M.S.RAJU

MUSIC : KAMALAKER

LANGUAGE : TELUGU

RELEASE DATE : 14 JAN 2008

RATING : GOOD

M.S.Raju lates offering"VAANA"both as a producer as well as director is an honestattemt to make a neat film, which goes against the cutrrenttrend.The film is beautiful Love stiory but with a subtle but clear message in the end for all young lovers.

ABOUT STORY :

Vinay is the only son of rich parents jayasudha and Naresh.He has no aim in life and he is wandering about enjoying the comforts provided by his business man father Naresh. He comes across a beautiful girl Meerachopra at a mall. He is so taken in nuy her beauty that he fails to notice a open manhole and fallsinto it. Meera resues him and in the resultant confusion, she leaves behind her newly purchased watch.

The hero sees her with his face fully covered in the blace drinagewater. He tries to get in touch with a help of a phone-in programme in Radio. But it does not materialize. He sees her once again while he and his mother are going to attenda amarraiage. Vinay comes across the heroine once again but this time too his faces in covered in black engine oil.

Vinay and Jayasudha reach Suman's house and there Vinay learns that Meera is daughetr of Suman, a retired colonel and her mother Seetha.

Meera's marraiage is fixed and her marraiage is just about a week away. The hero manages to make Meerafalls in love with him in just four days. Meera is even ready to elope with vinay just two days before the marraiage.

The heroine gets desperate as the marraiage date is fast approaching. With just a few hours left for the marraiage, the hero takes a decision. what is the decision? How it effects every one is the suspence element that unfolds on the screen.

PERFORMENCE:

Newcomer is a Vinay has a good height and physique. He has tried to best to come across as a young lover who is ready to do anything fairly well.

Meera chopra plays her role with perfection.She is also hot and sexy in the song "vunnatta Lenatta..." in a hot red costume. She looks Beautyful like simran nad young bubbly like genelia.

Suman has retired colonel has done another good job. His role is not ot big to make much impact. Jayasudha as Vinay'smother also gives a good and retrained performence.

MUSIC:

Music is average but cinematography is good.The natural beauty of places around Bangalore and the rain scenes have been caught on camera beautifully. Comedy is just average. MS Narayana and Dhrmavarapu Subramanyam do their routine stuff.

Even Producer and director MS Raju appears in the song "Siri malle vaana..." dressed up as a farmer driving a tractor laden with hay.

The film is a remake of Kannada film " Mungare male". However MS Raju has done a good job with the remake.

The film is just like any other love story but for the twist in the end. It is the ending that makes watching the film worthwhile.

vaana is a good watch, nad it is must watch for today's younger generatin that is blinded by love. they defy everyone nad every thing in their momentary madness called love. The tag line "Prema Madhuram Tyagam Amaram" is very appropriate.

SUPER STAR RAJNI

Rajinikanth (Kannada,Marathi,Tamil,Telugu) born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, December 12,1949) is one of the most influential and bankable movie stars in the Indian film industry and is a superstar in Kollywood. He received India's third highest honour, the Padma Bhushan, for his contribution to Indian cinema in 2000.He was reportedly paid Rs. 25 crores (about USD 6.25 Million) for his latest blockbuster Sivaji, which would make him the highest paid actor in all of India if all the other publicly available compensation figures for other high profile Indian stars are accurate.
Rajinikanth was born to a Maratha family in Karnataka. By birth he admired Kannada Film star Rajkumar.He was the fourth child of his parents, Jijabai and Ramojirao Gaekwad.He was named Shivajirao Gaekwad. Gaekwad is a family name among the Marathas. He lost his mother at the age of five. He did his schooling at the Acharya Paatashala in Bangalore and then at the Vivekananda Balaka Sangha. Rajinikanth struggled a lot during his early age because of poverty. Although his mother-tongue is Marathi,he has not acted in any Marathi movies yet. He began his career doing various jobs in Bangalore. He also attended a theatre for stage plays. Before starting his career in the film industry, he worked as a bus conductor for the Bangalore Transport Service in Bangalore.It was during this time that he nurtured his acting interests by performing in various stage plays.



He married Latha on February 26, 1981, at the age of 31 in Tirumala - Tirupati and they have two children: Aishwariya and Soundarya. Latha currently runs a school named The Ashram.
His elder daughter Aishwariya married actor Dhanush on November 18, 2004 and they have one son, Yathra.
Is he merely a mega star? People unfamiliar with the intricate ways Tamil films, its popularity and its sway over politics would wonder.
Such is his clout over the Tamilians all over the world that many of them are more than happy to sacrifice their life for their hero of reel life! One would, for one’s intellectual boorishness, tend to dismiss it as classic case of hyper-emotions. But that is disdainful to meteoric rise of a bus conductor to super stardom and his unparalleled charisma, unrivalled mannerism, unmatched talents and uncanny knack of stirring the sentiments of millions. He is Shivajirav Gaikwad alias Rajnikant. The living legend of Tamil films.

An insightful film critic since childhood, Rajnikant also learned the finer nuances of cinema from Madras film institute. Though Katha Sangama was his debut film, it was Apoorva Ragaangal, directed by K Balachander, which brought him into limelight. He admits that K Balachander is his mentor as it was under his tutelage that he flourished as an actor.
A veteran of more than 150 films, Rajni, as he is popularly known, may not be a critics’ choice. But he essentially is mass’ choice. He may not match the histrionics of some of his contemporaries. But none of his contemporaries matches his superlative style of acting and action. His flipping a cigarette before he catches it in his mouth would send the masses in hysteric delight. He has an uncanny knack of delivering the dialogues, which are carefully worded to strike straight at souls of masses. Perhaps none in Indian cinema matches his acumen to reach out to the masses through dialogues and actions. No wonder he enjoys a peerless position not only in Indian cinema but in socio-cultural and political realm of Tamil Nadu as well.
Over the years he has outgrown the status of mega star. The phenomenal success of his latest flicks Bhasha, Muthu, Arunachalam, Padayappa, underlines that fact. In Mani Ratnam-directed Dalapati, he gave a fitting reply to those critics who doubted his range of histrionics.

Rajni is one of the few south Indian heroes who successfully crossed over to the North. Andha Kannon , Giraftarr, Chal Baaz , Gangwa etc speak for his success in Bollywood.
Of late, his stock of actions and idiosyncrasies has been a huge success abroad too. That his latest film Padayappa was sold to a Japanese distributor for a mind-boggling sum of 50,000$ is testimony to his popularity in Japan. This amount is termed to be highest amount any Indian film fetched for a commercial release.
He is rare phenomenon in terms of commercial success of films. Even Amitabh Bachchan, the super star of Indian cinema, has given flops. But Rajni’s films never flop in box-office. What is the secret of his enviable success? Critics attribute his success to his mysterious ability (whatever may be the role he enacts on the screen) to identify with the common folk.




In 1999, Rajni completed 25 years in cinema. The Government of Indian in recognition of his outstanding contribution conferred on him Padmabhushan the same year.
Rajinikanth's first film was in Tamil cinema, where he was initially cast in supporting roles, debuting as a cancer patient in Apoorva Raagangal in 1975.The film was directed by K. Balachander, who is constantly referred to by Rajinikanth as his own guru or mentor. The following year, Rajinikanth acted in his first Kannada film, Katha Sangama, directed by Puttanna Kanagal. Though Rajinikanth refers to director K. Balachander as his "guru" or mentor, it was director S. P. Muthuraman who actually revamped Rajinikanth’s image entirely. Muthuraman first experimented with him in a positive role in Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri (1977), as a villain in the first half and a do-gooder in the second, accepting a woman with a child abandoned by her lover. Around this time Mullum Malarum (1978), directed by J. Mahendran, established Rajinikanth in the Tamil film arena. The success of Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri prompted Muthuraman to make a mushy melodrama with Rajinikanth as a hero sacrificing everything for his siblings in Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai (1979). These films were the turning points in Rajinikanth’s career — he changed from an actor who merely enthralled the audiences, to one who could also make them cry. The acceptance of Rajinikanth sans his mannerisms proved he had at last become a "star" from a "common actor." His film roles were mainly as a villain during the period 1975 to 1977, frequently with Kamal Haasan as the hero, in movies like Pathinaaru Vayadhinilae , Moondru Mudichu and Avargal (All 1977).

Rajinikanth is known for philanthropic activities.
* He converted his Raghavendra Marriage Hall to a charitable trust to help the needy.
* He shared his income from the film "Arunachalam" with eight other people from the film industry as profit shares.
* He is planning to construct a new hospital and a new school on a piece of land near Chennai.
* He has distributed Rs 12 Lakhs as relief to the family members of the bereaved in the Coimbatore bomb blast.
* He had donated Rs 21 Lakhs to Tsunami Relief Fund, Government of TamilNadu during Jan 2005 in Person as a cheque to then Chief Minister Ms. J. Jayalalitha.
* Dance choreographer cum director cum actor Lawrence Raghavendra is running a home for differently abled people in Chennai where there are many residents. It has been reported by the actor that super star Rajinikanth has agreed to completely pay the food expenses of the centre. While talking to the media on this Lawrence said, “I am very thankful to Rajini sir. We all know about his generosity and benevolence but he has reiterated this by agreeing to foot the expenses of food bills of the centre irrespective of its strength."

CHIRANJEEVI PROFILE

NAME : CHIRANJEEVI

DATE OF BIRTH : AUG 22,1955

DEBUT FILM : PRANAM KAREEDU

CHIRU'S PROFILE :

The Telugu film Industry aka Tollywood, was born on 22 Aug 1955 in Narsapur, a small village in West Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh. Born as Konidela Siva Shankara Vara Prasad, eldest of five siblings to Venkat Rao and Anjana Devi, Chiru has two sisters and two brothers- Nagendra Babu a film producer, and youngest brother Pawan Kalyan an actor like himself.

Chiranjeevi completed his graduation from Y.N. College in Narsapuram and joined Madras Film Institute in Chennai for a Diploma in Acting. While studying he received a chance to act in the Telugu film 'Punaadi Rallu' directed by Raj Kumar, but his debutfilm release was ' Pranam Kareedu' in 1978. Subsequently, director Bapu signed him for 'Manavoori Pandavulu', which ran for 100 days and his portrayal of the character Parthu in the movie gained him some recognition. After this film, he played a lot of minor and negative characters in films such as

*Punaadi Rallu (1979)
*Mosagadu (1980)
*47 Rojulu (1981)
*Initilo Ramayya Vidhilo Krishnayya (1981) his first diamond jubilee film
*Khaidi (1983) which cemented his success in the industry.
*abhilasha (1983)
*Challenge (1984),
*Pasivadi Pranam (1987),
*Atthaku Yamudu Ammayiki Mogudu (1989)
*Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari (1990),
*Kodama Simham (1990),
*Gang Leader (1991),
*Rowdy Alludu (1991),
*Gharana Mogudu (1992).
*Mechanic Alludu (1993),
*S.P.Parshuram(1994),
*BigBoss(1995),
*Rikshavodu (1995).

These failures made him very careful about choosing a story, banner, director etc and he took a considerable amount of time sizing what actually went wrong.

In 1997 with the film “Master”, he again started his success streak that continued with the films like
*Choodalani Vundi (1998),
*Bavagaru Bagunnara (1998),
*Sneham Kosam (1999).

Later in 2002 Chiranjeevi had one more release, Indra. This film turned out to be a huge hit and became the highest grossing film of that year. He won both the Nandi Award and Filmfare Best Actor Award for the film Indra. Later in 2003, he came out with another block buster “Tagore”. It was also the highest grossing film of that year. His long-awaited “Anji” released in 2004, but it failed to record the success, despite the high expectations. But with the film Shankardada MBBS, he got another huge success. After this film he was again disappointed by the results

Since then there was no looking back for him. His swift dance movements and risky hair raising fights evoked immense response from the spectators. Most of his memorable characters are that of tough guys. At a later stage in his career, he has also done some films with social messages like

*Indra (2002)
*Tagore (2003)
*Anji (2004)
*Stalin (2005)

Throughout his career he has been through a lot of ups and downs but each time he came back with extra perseverance.

Chiranjeevi married Surekha, the daughter of veteran actor Sri Allu Ramalingaiah in 1980, and the couple is blessed with 2 daughters, Susmitha Vandana and Srija and a son,Ram Charan Teja. Chiru is a great believer of God, especially Hanuman.

He proved his mettle in Bollywood with the film

*Prathibandh (1990), a runaway success with Juhi Chawla,
*Aaj ka Goondaraj (1992),
*The Gentleman (1994),

a remake of the original in Tamil and few other flicks which did not make much ripple at the box office. Many of his films were dubbed to other languages especially Tamil, in the 80's beginning with 'Aarani Mantalu' and released simultaneously in both the states.

CHINTAKAYALARAVI (TELUGU)

STARRING : VICTORY VENKATESH,ANUSHKA,MAMATHAMOHANDAS,LAKSHMI, M.S.NARAYANA

MUSIC : VISHAL AHEKAR

DIRECTOR : YOGESH

RATING : GOOD


STORY :

A lot of hype was created around Venkatesh’s film, after his hit AMAV. The film is high on entertainment, a typical Venky fare but scores low on content.

Chintkayala Ravi is a 30 plus something. He makes his parents believe that he is a software engineer but he is actually working as a bartender in the US. He does not pursue his education with the money sent by his parents but instead he spends it on the treatment of his friend. Ravi’s parents’ Lakshmi and Chandramohan boast to everyone in their village that their son is a big software engineer in the US.

Lakshmi manages to find a match for her son. She is Lavanya (Mamatha Mohandas). Lavanya has a friend in the US – Sunitha (Anushka). She asks her friend to get complete details bout Chintkayala Ravi. Suntiha meets Ravi in not so pleasant encounter. She finds out the truth that Ravi is not a software engineer but actually a bartender.

The rest of the film is how Ravi sets about controlling the damage. The story runs mainly between Ravi, Lavanya and Sunitha with Lakshmi chipping in with mother sentiment.

PERFORMENCE :

Venkatesh once again plays hisrole as that of anage barred bachelor with ease. He also looks stylish and young. His comedy timing is good as usual. However there are some comedy scenes that are a bit vulgar.

Anushka plays out her role of a glamour doll to perfection. Mamatha Mohandas gets a meaty role in this film and she does a neat job.

Lakshmi gives a neat and restrained performance. Sunil’s comedy is routine and Ali’s Nachmi character is brought over from Chirutha and is vulgar to put it mildly. The comedy of Brahmanandam is also average.

The presence of Jr. NTR in a song ‘Shava shava…’ is received with wide applause. The music is okay. The film runs quite smoothly in the first half but drags on and on in the second half. The film has some good production values but the film is a predictable stuff in terms of story and screenplay.

The film is a mix of several Hindi films and there is not much originality in the story or the presentation. The average cinegoer can easily predict the ending as to who Ravi will marry in the end - Sunitha or Lavanya.

The film is an good entertainer.

MILANA (KANNADA)

MOVIE : MILANA

STARRING : PUNEETH RAJKUMAR,PARVATHI

MUSIC : MANO MURTHY

DIRECTOR : PRAKASH

RATING : GOOD


Puneeth Rajkumar’s “Milana” released amidst huge expectations from his fans and followers. Since Puneeth’s last release “Arasu” the Kannada film industry has seen a new breed of stars making mark at the box - office. “Mungaru Male” and “Duniya” have set such high standards that it is difficult for other film makers to match them. “Milana” is one such film where the director promises a lot and fails to deliver.



Like most film stories today the storyline of “Milana” seems to start differently. With Flashback’s of Akash (Puneeth’s) past love life, it seems that the film will have an interesting plot. Anjali (Parvathi) asks for divorce from Akash the very first night of their marriage makes the initial portions of the film interesting. However the story starts getting predictable after a while. The screenplay is good in some parts and is very average elsewhere. As the plot is very limited the screenplay could have been much tighter. M. S. Ramesh’s dialogues are tailor made for Puneeth Rajkumar. He seems to have a perfect understanding of his image.

The director has failed to utilize the other characters, performed by talented actors like Rangayana Raghu and Dilip Raj. Rangayana Raghu plays a beggar (don’t know why he chose to do this role!) who owns a SUV and lives in a posh 2 bedroom apartment. Comedy in our films is rarely an integral part of the main story. They are used as fillers in between two scenes. In “Milana” the comedy track involving Rangayana Raghu and Sihi Kahi Chandru fails to make you laugh.

Puneeth Rajkumar as Akash has done justice to his role. Being the highest paid actor in the Kannada film industry, people have huge expectations every time his film releases.

Most of his earlier releases have succeeded at the box office. However its time for him to take up new challenges in terms of roles. But his emphasis has always been to entertain family audiences. Once again Milana might be a winner because of them.



Parvathi as Anjali is brilliant. I have never seen some one who cannot speak kannada perform so well in kannada films. You can never make out that it’s her first film in kannada. It seems that she does her home work well before every shot. She has a very bright future ahead of her. She has matched the performance of puneeth in each and every frame. Dilip Raj as Hemanth has given a fine performance. It is sad that such talented actors are offered miniscule roles.

Music by Mano Murthy is very good. “Ninindalae” and “Male nintha mele” have terrific tunes. Mano Murthy’s music stands out from the rest because of the way he uses his orchestra. Jayanth Kaikini has penned some beautiful lines especially in the song “Male Nintha Mele”.

Krishna Kumar has done some dazzling camera work. His work in the song “Ninindale” is of high - quality. With the use of Digital Intermediate technology (especially in songs) the quality of picture is getting better.

S Manohar’s editing could have been much slicker. The pace of the film is on the slower side. There are some unnecessary fight scenes, which do not have any relevance to the main story line.

Director Prakash has a lot of potential. His films have always been very entertaining. However “MILANA” could have been better with a tighter script and narration. He has handled the emotional scenes extremely well.

Overall “Milana” is a decent film, which you can watch once.

தசாவதாரம் - DASAVADHARAM

MOVIE : DASAVADHARAM

BANNER : OSCAR FILMS PVT LTD

STARRING : KAMAL HASAN,ASIN,P.VASU,NEPOLIAN

DIRECTOR : K.RAVI KUMAR

MUSIC : HIMESH RESHMIYA

RATING : VERY GOOD


ஆறு மாத குழந்தைக்கு ஆறடி உயரத்தில் ஜிப்பா தைத்த மாதிரி, பொருந்தாத பிரமாண்டம்! பத்து வேடங்களில் நடித்து விட வேண்டும் என்ற ஆர்வத்தை, கமல் தனது திரைக்கதையிலும் காட்டியிருந்தால் அவரை நிஜமான அவதார புருஷராகவே கொண்டாடியிருக்கலாம்! பட், பில்டிங் ஸ்டிராங்...பேஸ்மெண்ட் ரொம்ம்ம்ம்ப வீக் சாமி!

12 நூற்றாண்டில் துவங்குகிறது கதை. சிதம்பரம் கோவிந்தராஜர் சிலையை அங்கிருந்து அப்புறப்படுத்த நினைக்கும் குலோத்துங்க சோழன், அதற்கு தடையாக இருக்கும் ரங்கராஜன் நம்பியை கழு மரத்தில் ஏற்றி சித்ரவதை செய்கிறார். இந்த வைணவ, சைவ மோதலில் கோவிந்தராஜர் சிலையோடு ஜல சமாதியாகிறார் நம்பி. அடுத்தடுத்த நூற்றாண்டுகளுக்குள் பயணித்து மேலும் பட்ஜெட்டை எகிற வைக்காமல் நேரடியாக 21-ம் நூற்றாண்டுக்கு பயணிக்கிறது கதை.

அமெரிக்க விஞ்ஞானியான கமல் கோடிக்கணக்கான உயிர்களை அழிக்கும் வைரஸ் ஒன்றை கண்டுபிடிக்கிறார். அதை தீவிரவாதிகளிடம் விற்க முயல்கிறார் விஞ்ஞானிகளின் தலைவர். இதை தடுக்க நினைக்கிறார் கமல். இந்த களேபரத்தில் தவறுதலாக இந்தியாவுக்கு வந்து விடுகிறது வைரஸ். அதை துரத்திக் கொண்டு பின்னாலே வரும் விஞ்ஞானி கமலும், வில்லன் கமலும் மோதிக்கொள்கிறார்கள். கதையை நகர்த்திச் செல்லும் மிச்ச சொச்ச கேரக்டர்களிலும் கமலே நடிக்க, இதுதான் கதை என்று புரிந்து கொள்வதற்குள் நம்மை இருந்த இடத்திலேயே வைத்து சப்பாத்தி போடுகிறார் கமல்!

முகத்தில் மாஸ்கை மாட்டி (உபயம்- ஹவ் டு மேக்கிங் தசாவதாரம்) அதன் மேல் மேக்கப் போட்டுக் கொள்ளும் கமலால், குரலில் மட்டுமே வித்யாசத்தை வெளிப்படுத்த முடிகிறது. எக்ஸ்பிரஷன்களை வெளிக்காட்ட வேண்டிய பகுதிகள், இறுக்கமான பேஸ்ட்டுக்குள்! என்ன செய்வார் அவர்? ஹையோடா! ஆனாலும் அமெரிக்க ஜனாதிபதி புஷ், பூவராகவன், பலராம் நாயுடு வேடங்கள் பிரமிக்க வைக்கின்றன. உயரத்தை குறுக்கிக் கொண்டு பாட்டியாக வருகிற கமலை லாங்-ஷாட்டிலேயே காட்டியிருக்கலாம். குளோஸ்-அப்புக்கு வரும்போதெல்லாம் குய்யோ முறையோ என்று அலறுகின்றன குழந்தைகள்.

12-ம் நூற்றாண்டில் வருகிற அசின் பரிதாபப்பட வைக்கிறார். 21 -ம் நூற்றாண்டு அசின் கோபப்பட வைக்கிறார். சூழ்நிலையை புரிந்து கொள்ளாமல் அவர் 'பெருமாளே பெருமாளே' என்று தவிப்பதும், ஓடுகிற ரயிலில் உள்ளே கூட போகாமல் படியில் தொங்கிக் கொண்டே அவர் விவாதிப்பதும் எரிச்சல்! அமெரிக்க வில்லன் கிரித் ப்ளட்சரை விட்டு விட்டு, விஞ்ஞானி கோவிந்தாவை தேடிப் போகும் பலராம் நாயுடு சிரிப்பு போலீஸ் மட்டுமல்ல. ஒட்டுமொத்த காவல் துறையையே நகைப்புக்கு இடமாக்கும் போலீசும் கூட!

கமலின் வசனங்களில் பிளேடின் கூர்மை! அழகிய சிங்கர் பற்றி அவர் அடிக்கும் கமெண்ட் பலரை கோபப்படுத்தக் கூடும்! பூவராகவன் கேரக்டர் பேசும் வசனங்களில் எரிமலை வெடிக்கிறது.

தொழில்நுட்ப விஷயங்களில் ஹாலிவுட் படங்களுக்கு சவால் விட்டிருக்கிறார்கள். கமலின் பத்து அவதாரங்களுக்கு இணையாக உயர்ந்து நிற்கிறார் ஒளிப்பதிவாளர் ரவிவர்மன். அதிலும் அந்த ஓப்பனிங் காட்சி இந்திய திரைப்பட வரலாற்றின் மணி மகுடம்! வெல்டன் ரவிவர்மன். சுனாமி காட்சியில் ரவிவர்மன் கேமிராவும், கிராபிக்ஸ் தொழில் நுட்பமும் இணைந்து ஒரு மாயாஜாலத்தையே காட்டியிருக்கிறது.

அதிலும் கமலின் முதுகில் கொக்கியை மாட்டும் அந்த காட்சி கிராபிக்ஸ் என்றாலும் பயங்கரம். பாடல்களில் 'கல்லை மட்டும்' அற்புதம்! 'முகுந்தா முகுந்தா' இனிமை! ஹிமேஷ் இசை கொண்டாட வைக்கிற அதே நேரத்தில் தேவி ஸ்ரீ பிரசாத்தின் பின்னணி இசையில் பெரிய விசேஷம் இல்லை!

கோடிக்கணக்கான பணத்தை அள்ளி அள்ளி இரைத்திருக்கிறார் தயாரிப்பாளர் ரவிச்சந்திரன். அதை முறையான கதையிலும், விறுவிறுப்பான திரைக்கதையிலும் பயன்படுத்தியிருந்தால், காலத்தால் அழிக்க முடியாத ஒரு படத்தை தந்திருக்க முடியும்! என்ன செய்வது? கமல், திரையுலகத்திற்கு வைக்கிற ஒவ்வொரு பூச்செண்டும், தயாரிப்பாளரின் பணத்திற்கு வைக்கிற மலர் வளையமாகவே மாறி விடுகிறதே!

குசேலன் - KUSELAN

MOVIE : KUSELAN

ACOTRS : SUPERSTAR "RAJNIKANTH",NAYANATARA,PASUPATHI,MEENA,VADIVELU,LIVINGSTONE

DIRECTOR : P.VASU

MUSIC : G.V.PRAKASH

RATING : VERY GOOD

ஐஸ்கிரீம் வண்டியில் ஆலயமணியை கட்டிய மாதிரி எளிமையான கதையில் காஸ்ட்லியான ரஜினி. எத்தனை நாளாச்சு, இப்படியொரு ரஜினியை பார்த்து. அற்புதம்!

சின்ன வயதில் சேர்ந்து படிக்கும் நண்பர்களில் பசுபதிக்கு பாத்தியப்பட்டது பரிதாப சலூன் மட்டுமே. ஆனால் ரஜினி? ஊர் உலகமே கொண்டாடும் சூப்பர் ஸ்டார். காதலியோடு ஊரைவிட்டு ஓடி வந்த பசுபதி, எங்கோ ஒரு கிராமத்தில் மர நாற்காலியும் மக்கிப்போன கடையுமாக வாழ்க்கையை நடத்துகிறார். அன்றாட சோற்றுக்கே அல்லாடுகிற பசுபதிக்கு, அதே ஊரில் படப்பிடிப்புக்கு வரும் சூப்பர் ஸ்டாரை பார்க்க கொள்ளை ஆசை. ஆனால் டைட் செக்யூரிடி, தள்ளுமுள்ளுகளில் நண்பனை எட்டி நின்று கூட முழுசாக பார்க்க முடியாத சூழல். பக்தனை தேடி பரந்தாமனே வந்த மாதிரி பசுபதி வீட்டிற்கே ரஜினி வருகிறார். இந்த கடைசிநேர க்ளைமாக்சை உருப்படியாக பார்க்க முடியாதபடி உருண்டு நிற்கிறது கண்ணீர்.

பசுபதிக்கு முதல் ஷொட்டு. ஊரே திரண்டு வந்து சூப்பர் ஸ்டாரின் நண்பர் என்று கொண்டாடும் போதும், தாழ்வு மனப்பான்மையால் ரஜினியை நெருங்க முடியாமல் தவிக்கும் போதும் பசுபதி பதறவைக்கிறார். அவரது கண்கள் சொல்லும் ஆயிரம் உணர்ச்சிகளுக்கு டயலாக்கே தேவையில்லை. ஊராரின் ஏச்சு பேச்சுகளுக்கு பயந்து எங்காவது போயிடலாம் என்று மனைவியை அழைக்கும்போது, அந்த இயலாமை பதற வைக்கிறது.

கழுவி துடைத்து வைத்த குத்து விளக்கு போலிருக்கிறார் மீனா. அழுக்கு குடிசைக்கு சம்பந்தமில்லாத தோற்றம். ஆனாலும், கணவனே கண் கண்ட தெய்வமாக மதிக்கும் அந்த குணமும் அவரைப்போலவே பளிச்!

செட்டப் போலீஸ் உதவிடன் பலரையும் கடத்தி வந்து மொட்டையடிக்கும் வடிவேலு, அந்த ஊருக்கு வரும் டி.எஸ்.பி யையே மொட்டையடிப்பது வெடிச்சிரிப்பு. ரஜினியை சந்திக்க அவர் செய்யும் பகீரத பிரயத்தனங்கள் கிச்சுகிச்சு. ஆனாலும் சொந்த பெண்டாட்டியை திருட்டுத்தனமாக சைட் அடிக்கும் காட்சி உவ்வேய்... இதுவாவது பரவாயில்லை. நயன்தாரா உடை மாற்றும் காட்சியில் வடிவேலுவின் மீசை சுட்டிக்காட்டுவது எதை?

ஆர்.சுந்தர்ராஜனின் அலட்டலை ரசிக்க முடிகிறது. இவரைக் கொண்டே பல கேள்விகளை எழுப்பியிருக்கிறார்கள். எல்லாவற்றிற்கும் ரஜினி சொல்லும் விளக்கத்தில் எக்கச்சக்க கோபம் எட்டிப்பார்க்கிறது. அதுவும் நியாயம்தான்!

மியூசியத்தில் வைத்த மெழுகு பொம்மையாக நயன்தாரா. ரஜினி படமாக இருந்தாலும் நயன்தாராக்கள் 'நெஞ்சு' நிமிர்த்தினால்தான் நிம்மதி!

கூட்டி கழித்துப் பார்த்தால் அறுபது நிமிடங்களே வருகிறார் ரஜினி. ஆனாலும் அவரை படம் முழுக்க நிரப்பி, ஒரு புது டிரெண்டையே நிறுவியிருக்கிறார் பி.வாசு. க்ளைமாக்சில் கண்கலங்கும் ரஜினியும், அவர் பேசும் வசனங்களும் நட்புக்கு போடுகிற உரம். மாதா, பிதா, குரு, நண்பன், பிறகுதான் தெய்வம் என்கிறாரே, விசில் பறக்கிறது தியேட்டரில். ரஜினி படத்தில் என்னென்ன இருக்குமோ எல்லாம் இருக்கிறது. இருந்தும் ஒரு ஃபைட் கூட போடாத ரஜினி, கொம்பு சிலுப்பாத முரட்டுக்காளை.

விருந்தில் இசையும், ஒளிப்பதிவும் திகட்ட திகட்ட சுவை! ஜி.வி.பிரகாஷ், அரவிந்த் கிருஷ்ணாவுக்கு தனி பாராட்டுகள்.

பி.வாசுவின் ஹிட் லிஸ்ட்டில் சந்திரமுகி மெகா என்றால், குசேலன் ஆஹா!!

ஏகன் - AEGAN (TAMIL)

MOVIE : AEGAN

LANGUAGE : TAMIL

STARRING : AJITH KUMAR,NAYANATARA

RATING : GOOD

போலீஸ் அதிகாரி, ஒரு அசைன்மென்ட்டுக்காக மாணவன் ஆகிற கதை. அடிக்கிற ட்யூட்டியையும், படிக்கிற ட்யூட்டியையும் ஒரே நேரத்தில் கொடுத்து, 'தல'ய்க்கு பாரம் ஏற்றியிருக்கிறார் இயக்குனர் ராஜுசுந்தரம். அதில் கொஞ்சத்தை நமது தலைக்கும் டிரான்ஸ்பர் செய்கிறது திரைக்கதை. இதுதான் கொஞ்சம் 'ஜண்டுபாம்' ரகமே தவிர, மற்ற காட்சிகள் எல்லாம் மிரட்டல் கேம்!

இன்டர்நேஷனல் தாதா சுமனின் கூட்டாளி தேவன், ஒரு சந்தர்பாத்தில் சுமனுக்கு எதிராக அப்ரூவர் ஆகிவிடுகிறார். நீதிமன்றத்தில் ஒப்படைக்க போகும்போது தப்பிக்கும் அவர் மீண்டும் கிடைத்தால்தான் சுமனை உள்ளே தள்ள முடியும். தேட ஆரம்பிக்கிறது போலீஸ். தேவனின் மகள் பியா ஊட்டியில் உள்ள கல்லூரியில் படிக்கிறார். மகளை பார்க்க தேவன் அங்கு வருவார் என்பதை மோப்பம் பிடிக்கும் போலீஸ், அவரை பொறி வைத்து பிடிக்க அஜீத்தை அனுப்புகிறது. மாணவராக கல்லூரிக்குள் நுழையும் அஜீத்தின் அனுபவங்களும், அவஸ்தைகளும்தான் கதை.

ஜவ்வரிசி பாயாசத்தில் புளியங்கொட்டையை போட்ட மாதிரி துருத்திக் கொண்டு தெரிகிறார் மாணவர் அஜீத். ஆனால், இந்த அஜீரணத்தை பேலன்ஸ் பண்ணுகிறது ஜெல்லூசில் வசனங்கள்! "நான்தான் எனக்கு தொப்பைன்னு ஒத்துக்கிறனே..." என்று சொல்லும்போது, தலயின் சரண்டர் சல்யூட் அடிக்க வைக்கிறது. சண்டை காட்சிகளில் இதுவரை இல்லாத அளவுக்கு தோட்டாவாக பாய்கிறார் தல. பாடல் காட்சிகளில் இன்னும் பிரமாதம். ஒவ்வொரு மூவ்மென்டும் அஜீத்தின் உடலுக்குள் ராஜுசுந்தரத்தின் வேகமாக தெறிக்கிறது. முதல் பார்வையிலேயே நயன்தாராவிடம் அவுட் ஆகிவிடும் அஜீத்தின் கம்பீரமும், வழிகிற காதலும் தியேட்டரை துவம்சமாக்குகிறது.


அட, நயன்தாராவா இது? சுற்று சூழலா, அல்லது சொந்த சூழலா தெரியவில்லை. தாஜ்மஹாலுக்கு வெள்ளையடிக்க வேண்டிய நேரம் வந்திருச்சுய்யா வந்திருச்சு! திறந்து கிடக்கும் பின் முதுகோடு படம் நெடுகிலும் நடமாடுகிறார். சங்கப்பலகையில் பொறிக்கப்பட வேண்டிய இவரது தங்க பலகை முதுகு, இந்த படத்தில் 'பிளாக் போர்டாகி போச்சே' என்ற கவலைதான் எழுகிறது

காதலை வெளிப்படுத்தாமலே காதலிக்கும் நவ்தீப்பிடம், "இன்னும் நீ ஐ லவ் யூ சொல்லலே" என்று ஞாபகப்படுத்தி வாங்கும் பியாவின் காதலில் பட்டாம்பூச்சியின் அழகு. கடத்தப்படும் இவரை பொறி பறக்கும் சண்டைக்குப் பின் அஜீத் மீட்டெடுப்பது கம்பீரம்.


ஜெயராம், சுமன் வகையறாக்கள் இடமாறு தோற்றப்பிழை. காமெடியில் சுமனும், சீரியஸ் காட்சிகளில் ஜெயராமுமாக மாறிப் போயிருக்கிறார்கள். நாசரின் அரவணைப்பில் வளர்ப்பு மகனின் பிளாஷ்பேக், கண்ணீர் சென்ட்டிமென்ட். சித்திகளின் மனசை சிக்கனமாக பார்வைகளாலேயே வெளிப்படுத்தி விடுகிறார் சுஹாசினி. அப்பளம் சுடுவது மாதிரி கூட இருக்கிற தடியன்களை போட்டுத்தள்ளும் சுமனின் வேகமும், அதை தொடர்ந்த அவரது அழுகையும் சீரியஸ் காமெடி!


அர்ஜுன் ஜெனாவின் ஒளிப்பதிவில் ஆங்கில படத்தின் கம்பீரம். யுவன்சங்கர் இசையில் பாடல்களும், பின்னணி இசையும் மயக்கம். அஜீத்தின், மாணவன் என்ட்ரி மாதிரியே அமைந்திருக்கிறது ராஜுசுந்தரத்தின், டைரக்டர் என்ட்ரியும்.


அறிமுக காட்சியில் 'gun'னோடு தோன்றுவதால் ஏகன் என்று டைட்டில் வைத்திருப்பார்கள் போலிருக்கிறது.

SA-RO-JA TAMIL REVIEW

MOVIE : SAROJA

STARRING : VAIBHAV,S.P. CHARAN,PRAKASHRAJ,NIKITHA AND KAJAL

DIRECTOR : VENKAT PRABU

RATING : VERY GOOD


'சார்'ரோஜா என்றே வைத்திருக்கலாம். 'டேய் மச்சான்...' என்பதே வழக்கத்தில் இருக்கிற காலத்தில், படம் முழுக்க நண்பர்கள் ஒருவருக்கொருவர் அழைத்துக் கொள்ளும் 'சார்' புதுசு. இனிமையும் கூட! நான்கு நண்பர்கள் ஹைதராபாத் கிரிக்கெட் மேட்ச் பார்க்க கிளம்புகிறார்கள். போகிற வழியில் டிராபிக் ஜாம். வேறு ரூட் பிடித்து போய்விட நினைக்கும் இவர்கள் சந்திக்கும் பிரச்சனைகள்தான் கலகலப்பும் விறுவிறுப்பும் கலந்த சரோஜா.

சரண், பிரேம்ஜி, வைபவ், சிவா ஆகிய நால்வரும், ஒரு கேரவேனில்(?) ஐதராபாத் கிளம்பும் போதே ஆரம்பித்துவிடுகிறது ரகளை விருந்து. அதிலும் பிரேம்ஜி கொட்டாவி விட்டால் கூட, கைதட்ட தொடங்கிவிடுகிறார்கள் ரசிகர்கள். பார்க்கிற எல்லா பெண்களையும் பாரதிராஜா பட தேவதைகள் சூழ காதலிக்க ஆரம்பித்துவிடும் இவருக்கு, நேரம் காலம் தெரியாமல் வருகிற ஜோக் மூடுதான் தியேட்டரை சின்னாபின்னமாக்குகிறது. தப்பித்தோம் பிழைத்தோம் என்று ரயிலில் ஏறி ஓடுகிற நால்வரில், சரணின் பர்ஸ் சம்பவ இடத்தில் விழுந்துவிட, அவர் இறங்கிக் கொள்கிறார். மற்ற நண்பர்களும் ஓடும் ரயிலில் இருந்து குதித்துவிட, கடைசியாக குதிக்கும் பிரேம்ஜி, "இந்த ரயில் சென்னை போவாதா?" என்கிறாரே அப்பாவியாக! திமிலோகப்படுகிறது தியேட்டர். அதே மாதிரி உயிர்போகும் தருவாயில் மனைவி போட்டோவை வைத்துக் கொண்டு கண்கலங்கும் சரணிடம், 'உங்க பிகரா சார்?' என்று கேட்கிற பிரேம்ஜியின் குறும்பை ரசிக்கலாம். ருசிக்கலாம்

நகைச்சுவை வெடியை நாலு பேருக்கும் பிரித்துக் கொடுத்திருக்கிறார் இயக்குனர் வெங்கட்பிரபு. சின்ன ஓட்டை வழியாக தப்பிக்க நினைக்கும் சரணின் பின் பக்கத்தில் விழும் ஒவ்வொரு அடியும் அஹ்ஹஹ்ஹா! இடையிடேயே சீரியஸ் மூடுக்கு கொண்டு போவது கடத்தப்பட்ட வேகாவின் கண்ணீரும், சம்பத்தின் பிளாக்மெயிலும்.

கோடீஸ்வர பிரகாஷ்ராஜின் ஒரே பெண்ணை கடத்தி வந்து பிளாக்மெயில் செய்யும் சம்பத், போலீசுக்கு போகாதே என்று எச்சரிப்பதும், அதையும் மீறி போலீசுக்கு போகும் பிரகாஷ்ராஜுக்கு கொடுக்கும் அதிரடி ட்ரீட்மென்டும் பகீர். காவல் துறை உயர் அதிகாரி ஜெயராம், க்ளைமாக்சில் காட்டுகிற முகம் வழக்கமான தமிழ்சினிமா. பிறரை மிரட்டியே பழகிய பிரகாஷ்ராஜுக்கு இந்த படத்தில் வேறு மாதிரி ரோல். இதற்கு இவர் எதற்கு?

நிகிதாவின் ஆட்டம் கத்தாழ முள்ளாகி குத்துகிறது. ஆனாலும், அந்த 'மின்வெட்டு' பங்களாவுக்குள் மேற்படி கோஷ்டிகளின் ஆட்டம் எம்.ஜி.ஆர்-நம்பியார் கால சினிமாவை நினைவூட்டுகிறது.

அரையிருட்டு... கட்டப்பட்ட கைகளும், அழுது வடியும் கண்களுமாக இருக்கும் போதே இத்தனை அழகா? வேகாவின் வரவு ஆஹா!

சாமான் நிக்கோலாவை தவிர, சரோஜாவில் சென்னை 28 டீமும் இருக்கிறது. ஒரு சில வினாடிகள் வந்தாலும், இந்த பழைய கோஷ்டியை பார்த்து பரவசப்படுகிறார்கள் ரசிகர்கள். அழகான மனைவியையும், பெண்ணையும் வைத்துக் கொண்டு, பிரமானந்தம் படுகிற அவஸ்தைகளும் பேரானந்தம்!

யுவன்சங்கர் ராஜாவே ஒரு இசை ஆல்பத்தை அலங்கரிப்பது போல ஆடிவிட்டு போகிறார். பாடல்களில் வெஸ்டர்ன் ஆதிக்கம். பின்னணி இசை மிரட்டல். சக்தி சரவணனின் ஒளிப்பதிவு, அரையிருட்டிலும் ஜொலிக்கிறது.

வெங்கட் பிரபு அடித்திருக்கும் மற்றுமொரு சிக்ஸர்!

SHIVAJI

SHIVAJI

AMAV

BEAUTY OF KERALA

Champakkulam Boat Race, Alappuzha

Elephanta Roaming in Thekkady

Thekkady Wildlife Sanctuary, Idukki

Idukki Arch Dam - Asia's largest and India's second arch dam

Idukki Hills

Kochi city and Ernakulam Dist

Back waters, Kochi, Ernakulam Dist

Back Waters, Kochi

Water Fountain

Thrissur puram Temple

Silent Valley

Big Boat - Bepur, Calicut Dist

Kannur River

Bekal - Kasargod Dist

THE MEENAKSHI TEMPLE HISTORY

According to a mythological story, the Pandyan king Malayadhwaja and his queen Kanchanamala performed the 'Putra Kameshti Yaga' for a child. At the suggestion of Shiva, his eternal consort Parvathi consented to become the child of the pious king. She rose effulgent from the sacrificial fire as a little girl, with breasts; the third of which would disappear when Shiva set his eyes on her. The girl was named Thadathangai and she was brought up as a 'princess' under divine instructions.
Princess Thadathangai succeeded her father to the throne and led armies on successful campaigns of conquest. In her last campaign in North India, she challenged Shiva himself at Kailas, but when She saw the great Lord, She fell in love with him. The bridegroom followed her home, married her, took the name Sundara Pandya and together they ruled Madurai.
This wonderful theme has been taken by the South Indian artits to create superb sculpture and paintings. They have found the marriage of Shiva and Parvathi a traditional source of inspiration. Sixty four such legends relating to this marriage have been dedicated to the Goddess. The celebrated poem Tiruvilayadal Puranam describes that Sundara Pandya and his queen ruled the kingdom as mortal kings. In course of time, they got a son who was named Ugra Pandya, later on to be called as Lord Muruga. After crowning their son to take over the kingdom, they revealed their real identities as Lord Sundareshwara and Goddess Meenakshi.
Being in the heart of Tamilnadu, Madurai has fostered through centuries, an essentially Dravidian and Tamil culture. It was in Madurai that three successful Tamil academies, known as Sangams flourished under the benevolent royal support. Silappadhikaram, one of the early known literary compositions of the world, was composed at Madurai by Elango Adigal, a celebrated ascetic and brother of Cheran Senguttavan, a Cheran king, where Kannagi sought justice for her husband from the Pandyan king. Madurai is famed as one of the five traditional dance halls of Shiva where in his aspect as Nataraja, he is standing on the right foot, while in all other four halls, he is standing on his left foot. The famous hall ,is known as the 'Rajatha Sabha' {Silver Hall) or Vasantha Mandapam, as contrasted with 'Ponnambalam', the 'Hall of Gold' in Chidambaram.
The most well known of Madurai is the Meenakshi Sundareshwarar twin temple, the pivot around which the city has evolved. The Meenakshi temple complex is literally a city one of the largest of its kind in India, undoubtedly one of the oldest. Various kings have renovated it, adding convoluted corridors. It is believed that most of the temple as it stands today, owes its existence largely to the endeavour of the Nayaks, who, descending from Vijayanagar rulers, guided its destiny in the 17th century. Shiva in his incarnation as Sundareshwarar and his fish-eyed spouse, Meenakshi, are enshrined in this twin temple. There are four massive gateways enclosing these two temples. Facing the shrine of Sundareshwarar is the lavishly embellished 'Pudu Mandapam', also known as 'Vasantha.Mandapam'. On each of the pillars, is represented Shiva in his various manifestations. The attractive life-size statues of the ten Nayaka rulers together with their consorts are installed here. To the south of the main shrine dedicated to Shiva, is the temple of Goddess Meenakshi. The structure with its two concentric enclosures is about half the size of the main shrine. The porch leading to the temple is called "Ashta Shakti Mandapam' on account of the eight Shakti Goddesses figured therein.
There are in all eleven towers to this temple, the largest and most beautiful being the one on the southern doorway. Rising to a height of about 70 metres, this impressive 'gopuram' is by far the most ornate and florid of the Dravidian towers. It has nine stories and crowded with grinning gargoyles and gryphons that perch on the ornate curved edges. The surface of the 'gopurams' on the southern door way is covered with plastic figures of deities and semi- divine characters, freely sculptured and drawn from Hindu mythology representing the appearance of a pulsating mass of masonry. With frequent renovations and additions being done down the centuries, there are more than 1,600 sculptured figures.
An interesting incident is revealed by the local people which happened during the time of renovation work in 1923 A.D. While depicting the coronation of Meenakshi, the artist out of his own imagination included the figure of Mahatma Gandhi among the figures of audience. Some British officers who noticed it seem to have taken objection to it. It is understood that the figure of Gandhi was altered to depict a sage with a long beard.During the year 1960A.D., some of these figures were completely rebuilt and painted with gorgeous colours at great cost by Nattukottai Chettis. The northern 'gopuram' long known as "Mettai " is no there longer since a courageous Chetty endowed it with the plaster top; still it carried terracotta figures.No one enters or leaves the temple by the eastern tower which has become a taboo since a temple employee flung himself down from its top in the reign of Chokkanatha nayaka as a protest against an unjust levy. Visitors generally enter by the Ashta Lakshmi Mandapam.
The entrance to the temple by way of Meenakshi Nayakan Mandapam and also the Pudhu Mandapam is packed with stalls and shops which sell all sorts of things and spoil the dignity and beauty of the structures. At the farther end of the mandapam is a door way surrounded by a brass frame covered with scores of oil lamps lighted daily.
The high point of Meenakshi temple is its celebrated " Court of Thousand Pillars ". Built around the year 1560A.D ., it is a great work of structural engineering as well as sculpture and art. Every one of its thousand pillars is subjected to an amazing variety of ornate carvings. the sculptured figures of a nomadic tribe called Kuravi and his wife at the entrance itself are very interesting. There is an eye-catching sculpture of a main carrying a woman on his shoulders . From any point inside the Hall of pillars, it presents a magnificient view.
The thousand pillar mandapam is supposed to have been built by Arya Natha Mudaliyar , the Prime Minister of the first Nayaka of Madurai (1559-1600 A.D.) and the founder of 'Poligar System'. An equestrian statue of the Mudaliyar flanks one side of the steps leading to the 'mandapam'. Except the inner shrines, probably no part of the temple is older than the 16th century. The general plan of the sanctuary is typical of the gigantic South Indian temples with vast quadrangular enclosures and lofty 'gopurams' overlooking the central shrine. Round about the temple, outside the higher walls, is a neat garden fenced with iron railings.
Even a casual visitor is fascinated by the many paintings and sculptures in this shrine. The ceilings are decorated with large paintings showing Shaivite and Vaishnavite themes. There is a beautiful painting "of the marriage of Sundareswarar with Devi Meenakshi". Another beautiful painting is that of Harihara.
In the outer corridor are the most popular musical pillars, five in number, each composed of twenty two slender rods carved out of a single rock of granite, which produce the 'Saptha Swaras' when gently tapped with a wooden rod. There is a spacious 'pushkarini' in front of the Meenakshi shrine called the Golden Lotus Tank or 'Ponthamaraikulam'. Beautifully paved stone steps on all the four sides are set to reach the placid water. The great tower , of the south reflected in the Golden Lily Tank is perhaps the best known view of the Meenakshi Sundareshwarar temple. According to mythology, Indra from Devaloka entered this tank and it was filled with golden Lillies. It is said that the tank was also, used to judge the literary merit of the manuscripts of poets and authors. When placed on the water, the manuscripts would float supported by a plank if its value was considered worthy: otherwise it would sink to the bottom. This testing miraculous plank was called 'Sanga Palkki' (sanga plank) and can still be seen in the temple museum. This tradition amply substantiates the view that Madurai once a centre of learning and erudition. The Pandyan kings were great patrons of arts and letters. One of the first monarchs of the dynasty, Ugra Paruvaludi (128-140 A.D.) is gratefully ,remembered for the patronage he extended to poet Tiruvalluvar.
For about ten years after shifting to Madurai, Tirumala Nayaka devoted most of his time in improving defences and fortifications. He built the portions of Meenakshi temple that had been destroyed. He added the Pudumandapam, in front of the main temple. One of the greatest structures of its kind, it took seven years to complete the master sculptor Sumantimurthi. During this time, Nilakanta Dikshitar, the famous poet was Nayaka's Minister and adviser.
The construction of these 'mandapams' resulted in some interesting incidents which are worth mentioning. According to tradition, it is stated that when the chief sculptor was carving out of a pillar a figure of the principal queen of the Nayaka, a small stone piece chipped away from the thigh portion of the figure making an ugly depression. When the matter was reported to Minister Dikshitar, he is said to have asked the sculptor to ignore the damage and proceed further. After the idol was finished, Nayaka came to know the story and suspected the Minister, as his queen really had a similar mole on her thigh. Deciding to punish Dikshitar by blinding his eyes he sent word to him to come to the palace. But the Minister scented the intention of the king and he himself blinded the eyes by applying burning camphor to his eyes. Nayaka rushed to Dikshitar and expressed his remorse and sorrow. Nilakanta Dikshitar is said to have composed a Sanskrit poem of 107 stanzas called 'Anandasagara Sthavanam' in praise of the Goddess and by her grace he got back his vision to the joy of every one.
Another incident is equally interesting. Tirumala Nayaka took considerable interest during the erection of the Vasantha Mandapa. According to the story, it is said that Sundaramurthi Achari, the master Architect was so deeply engrossed in creating a relief sculpture of an elephant eating sugarcane. The Nayaka who was standing nearby rolled some betel leaves and arecanuts and handed them over to the sculptor. Without knowing who gave the betel leaves, the sculptor mechanically took them and began chewing without seeing around. After a while, he realised that Nayaka himself gave the betel leaves. Deeply affected by the mistake, he damaged his two fingers which received the betel leaves. Moved by his devotion to his master, Nayaka consoled him and gave him valuable presents.
Nayaka's architectural masterpiece was his own palace. Even in its present remnants show, what a marvellous building it should have been when it was completed in April 1636 A.D., when the Nayaka moved into it. The Jesuit Fathers of that time who visited Nayaka in this palace, have said that the new palace built compared well with the ancient monuments of Thebes in ancient Greece. There is a tradition that Chokkanatha Nayaka, his grandson, dismantled portions of the palace and its golden decorations and other ornamental structures and transferred them to Tiruchirapally. The great palace was allowed to be neglected and go to ruin. In 1886 A.D., when Lord Napier was the British Governor of Madras, he ordered to preserve this palace as a historical monument.
Some of the wars of Tirumala Nayaka are chronicled in a brilliant Tamil ballad called 'Ramappayam Annanain' and are sung in the rural areas. Tirumala Nayaka has immortalised himself more through his mighty buildings and monuments than by the victories in war. Many festivals are celebrated in the Meenakshi temple which is known as the 'Temple of feasts'. The numerous festivals celebrated at the shrine almost around the year, represent the ideas and thoughts of the cultured and progressive people of that region in the field of philosophy, religion, science and art.

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