Chick Flicks......

About a week ago, one of my friends called, and we were talking about plans for the Friday evening. He, being a"he", is the kinda guy who vehementely vetoes watching "Dirty Dancing" and turns the votes towards, some action flick, only to settle for "In-Laws" instead. So anyway, I was telling him how I was planning to watch "Love Actually" , fully expecting some wisecrack about how it was a total mushy - gooey thing to watch. To my surprise, not only had he seen it too many number of times, but he actually totally loves it !! Oh yeah , for all their macho-dacho bravado, men do secretly love "Father of the Bride" and a friend of mine actually weeps everytime he sees it, thinking of his daughters!!!

Admit it, you have spent some Friday nights huddled up watching a chick flick - be it in the theaters,your TV or computer. And whether you are a guy or a girl, you probably have been suckers for these kinda movies - atleast one. I for one , would much rather watch "I do, they Don't" rather than recite scenes from "Matrix". So here goes, the Top 10 chick flicks I've seen so far.(Or the ones I remember atleast, anyway!!)
Yeah ! Like it could BE anything else! I still remember this day when a few of us, projected it on the walls of a this place, fondly called "Nizamuddin". Pulling out all sofas and making comfortable beds, three of us watched the movie , in complete silence.... Well, anyway, its a cute movie, a typical "feel good" at the end of a long hard day.

A black-and-white movie, catching my fancy? I don't think that has happened before. It is a war-torn world, with refugees seeking asylum.Rick is your typical taciturn,cynical hero, apparently excited by nothing. And as usual he has a past, that is revealed when he meets his old flame, but they don't exactly live happily ever after. Plus it has that charm of a small African town , with its crowded marketplace and peddlers. Very nice movie.

Now before all you guys flinch, yes , it is a chick flick,under the guise of a lot of sports crap. Yup, you have a sporting manager, but that doesnt make it a guy flick. It is still lots of weeping, and kissing , and bonding with the son type stuff. And what was that line again? "You complete me" :)) And that cute little bespectacled kid, tugging at Tom Cruise's legs - that sealed it!! (Yes, I am a sucker for cute kids!I am the kind who oggles at kids at the Mall, and goes "Oh shoooo cuteeee" ).
That dance sequence where he teaches the fat guy to dance - I really think I must have laughed so hard, that people all around me in the theater thought I was crazy. Oh, and the way he hits on Eva Mendes at the bar - NICE!! Not to mention, THAT was when Eva sky rocketed her way into my "Top 10 women I would have flipped for, if I were a guy" list. Plus, it really has some good insights on how to woo a girl.This is the types I would like to own a DVD of.(Tip: Would make a good bday gift for me ;))


5. "Wedding Crashers"

Hilarious. And grown-up fun.(I vaguely remember sitting through this one wondering why Owen Wilson is considered one of the sexiest men alive!)Reminded me of how we used to crash farewells, and assoc dinners at BITS. Its your typical bollywood type masala mix, but a real funny one at that - Guy crashes parties,and makes out all the time, then meets this woman, falls in love, meets her family , gets busted, and then they makeup, and life is hunky-dory all again. (Yeah right !!) But hey ! Thats what chick-flicks are all about !!


6. "You've got Mail"

Well, I was in high school, and had a net friend, who I had a crush on, and then there was this movie. Enough said.

7. "An Officer and a Gentleman"

Richard Gere in a pristine white navy suit (reminded of Ross in friends??)sweeping his lady love off her feet, in the last scene. And a lot of Navy related stuff, like training, courage, strength , endurance and all that. And of course, he is the good guy who wants to honor commitment to this girl and all those related things. Good one.

8. "Erin Brockovich"

Well, technically, this might not be your run-on-the-mill chick flick, although it starrs Julia Roberts, the queen of the genre. But yes, it is about a single mom, strong and courageous , facing difficulties and then has a man who understands her, and takes care of her kids. I remember seeing the real Erin Brokovich on Oprah's and I must say, Julia has done a real good job of it.

9."Elizabethtown"

Okay, so its a lot of Kentucky, and I saw the movie in Kentucky, in a place 2.5 hours from Elizabethtown, too. Its has a sort of a cute midwestern town charm. And how she pronounces "Louisville". And uncles, and aunts, Chuck's wedding and Susan Sarandon's swing dancing. And of course, Orlando Bloom!!

10."Fools Rush In"

Matthew Perry!!
And an unplanned pregnancy, and a marriage. A lot of mexican dancing, and food and family parties. Brothers and dads who watch out for their girl. And of course those dialogues that make a chick flick what it is ... " You don't understand the concept of a family! To you it's something you put up with on national holidays! Love is a gift, Alex... not an obligation..."

There are these moments in life, when all around you is strife, but strangely, almost like divine preordinance, you find that oasis - music that just talks to you. Today, as I sit in front of my 12 inch partner, playing raaga Desh, it transports you to a place where there is no conscious thought - just notes strewn together in seemingly careless fashion , that somehow marvelously arrange themselves to make sense - and beauty.

There is something really beautiful about knowing a language like Thamizh ( YES,that is not Tamil!!) apart from being able to cuss virtually anyone from a co-passenger to your advisor and make it seem like you were actually complimenting their shirt. You can appreciate the fervor of the song, which is only matched by a bold raaga like Desh, to fully convey the tone of the lyrics.

I have tried my best to reproduce the song lyrics(complete with repetitions) in the best Thamizh(and unicode) I can, based on a real raw version that I found on the net. I am a sort of a purist in terms of music, in that I really dont believe in the fancy "sh" instead of "s". A song in Thamizh is meant to be pronounced right, not sankritzed like "shevagan sheer kelatha shevi yenna sheviye". So here is a de-sanskritized version of the song :


துன்பம் நேர்கையில் யாழெடுத்து நீ இன்பம் சேர்க்க மாட்டாயா எமக்கின்பம் சேர்க்க மாட்டாயா
னல்லன்பிலா நெஞ்ஜில் தமிழை பாடி நீ அல்லல் நீக்க மாட்டாயா கண்ணே நீயல்லல் நீக்க மாட்டாயா ?


வன்பும் எளிமையும் சூழும் நாட்டிலே வாழ்வில் உணர்வு சேர்க்க எம் வாழ்வில் உணர்வு சேர்க்க நீ அன்றை நட்றமிழ்க்-கூத்தின் முறையினால் ஆடிக்காட்ட மாட்டாயா கண்ணே ஆடிக்காட்ட மாட்டாயா ?

அறமிதென்றும் யாம் மறமிதென்ருமே அருகிலாத போது யாம் அருகிலாத போது தமிழ் இறைவனாரின் திருக்குறளிலேயொரு சொல் நன்றிக்கு வித்தாகும் நல்லொழுக்கம் தீயொழுக்கம் என்றும் இடும்பை தரும் இறைவனாரின் திருக்குறளிலேயொரு சொல் இயம்பிக்காட்ட மாட்டாயா நீ இயம்பிக்காட்ட மாட்டாயா அன்றை நட்றமிழ்க்-கூத்தின் முறையினால் ஆடிக்காட்ட மாட்டாயா கண்ணே ஆடிக்காட்ட மாட்டாயா ?


புறமிதென்றும் நல்லகமிதென்ருமே புலவர் கண்ட நூலின் தமிழ்ப்புலவர் கண்ட நூலின் இறைவனாரின் திறுக்குரளிலேயொரு சொல் இயம்பிக்-காட்ட மாட்டாயா கண்ணே நீ இயம்பிக்காட்ட மாட்டாயா திறமை காட்டியுனை ஈன்ற எம்முயிர் செல்வமாக மாட்டாயா தமிழ் செல்வமாக மாட்டாயா கண்ணெ செல்வமாக மாட்டாயா ?

Oh, by the way, this song means something like " In times of difficulties, won't you play the Yazh* and add happiness to my life?"

*Yazh is an ancient stringed instrument, which in my mind resembles a harp. From the numerous references to this in Sangam literature, I imagine this was a very popular instrument in those days.

PS : Thanks Vish for all the proofreading and more !!!
Good things about the Chicken-pox :

1. The first couple of days,you think you are in hell.Then you get a hang of it.

2. You can't sleep on your sides or back initially.And there is not much you can eat too.So you are actually on a crash diet and sleep deprived,so you are on the perfect weight loss plan!!!

3. Amazing care from friends and family... its like R & R !!!

4. You get to watch about 16 M*A*S*H episodes a day, with a few Gilmore girls,and F.R.I.E.N.D.S thrown in for variety.

5. You get to sleep a lot after the initial phase, and so you are sequestered in a world of good food,good sleep,lots of TV,lots of books,measured Internet, minimal phone calls.Life , lets face it , is good !!!

Oh, and thanks folks, for all the good wishes and help.Bye-bye chickenpox.I sure won't miss ya!!

Over and Out ,
Sang