Law & Justice Prevails!!

Truth is like the Sun, would come out from behind the clouds. But justice, unlike truth, can be delayed or even hidden from the world. It is the role of us, man, to fight for justice and bring it to the front of the world. And when the individual is an advocate, he becomes righteous with his knowledge of law and sharp mind to analyze situations.

This is the base line of one of the most brilliant and realistic movie made in Malayalam in the year 2006. Yes your honour starring veteran actor Sreenivasan (playing Advocate Ravi), Innocent, Sai Kumar, Jagathy, Padmapriya etc. is a story about a struggling advocate. He works with a senior advocate (played by Innocent) who favors people who live against the law with their illegal activities ranging from money laundering racket to sex scandal. There is also a political thriller in the backdrop which is narrated with the right amount of suspense. A frustrated junior advocate, brilliant and sharp, is waiting for the right break, not to make it big and earn but to make sure that justice is delivered.

At one point of time, he realizes that he is being curbed and justice is not going to live. A usually calm and witty Advocate Ravi loses his mind to such an extent that he rises in rage; but the character still lives within the human range unlike any other movie. Appointed as the state commission advocate on a murder trial, he rises in form and figure tearing down the fake evidences presented to save the guilty. It becomes clear to the ill forces that it is hard to survive with Advocate Ravi on the front. They try threatening him and hurting his family but then they re-think and decide to convince and get him on their side. A frightened Advocate Ravi joins hands with the ill forces for factors like money, security and growth.

Following is an intense political thriller depicting the fall and rise of justice, the moments where the guiding angel of justice advises the bad to be safe from the hands of law and gives them directions for the same. A gripping script and a brilliant portrayal of characters, the age old saying that truth prevails besides whatever happens is proved right. The climax is presented so well that it shows a normal man’s limitations and his attempts to save justice which becomes fruitful.

Sreenivasan, as advocate Ravi, is at his usual best with a heavy dose of humor and the role of a frustrated subordinate who is denied all growth opportunities by a domineering boss. Sai Kumar pulls out his character with a natural ease and makes it yet another brilliant villain in Malayalam film history. Everyone else in the movie has done justice to their respective roles. Another noteworthy point of the movie is that no actor is wasted nor does any character lacks its depth.

Unlike the director, V.M.Vinu’s, previous works, this is not an emotional drama between relations / family. In short, Yes Your Honour is a brilliant movie with its legs strong on the ground with required elements in the right mix.

The word is - Do watch the movie (though 4 years old) if you havn't till now!!

An eve’ with Crackers!!

After writing two articles back-to-back on Life at DCSMAT (Being with Books & the Story behind one of my most favorite photograph) few among my friends who were happy about the works, had asked me to continue writing. I was lost in thought about which extract of the memory should be next detailed in this blog. It was at that time, my dear friend Remya, came up with a suggestion that why not write about the Diwali Celebrations we had during the second year of our college life. And here it comes, an eve’ with the crackers.

In the batch of 52 students, having 8 from the Northern Province, Diwali is just like any other festival celebrated at Kerala. That exactly was the best thing about our batch, all festivals were celebrated and that too with the heights of the spirit of the day.

During our first year, we had a bash on the day of Diwali at our hostel, the Boys Hostel. Along with the boys from the senior batch, we had officially started the celebration with crackers bursting from all sides. There were most of the varieties of crackers available at the market and it was lighting up the dark sky. This went on for about 20 minutes which got the security and people living nearby awake and then a session on how we were disturbing the neighborhoods. That was disheartening and we just dropped the celebration, after a few more minutes of cracker firing.

The best part of the Diwali Celebration:

Location: in front of canteen building, DCSMAT School of Media & Business, Trivandrum.

Year: 2009!!

During the second year of our PG days, most of us (with some exceptional cases avoided) had developed an emotional bond so strong that we all preferred spending time together for the major part of the day. This attachment was the key reason that we decided to celebrate Diwali in front of the canteen, rather than our (boys) hostel ground like the previous year, which was wide open. After a typical Kerala dinner, we all stepped out of the canteen with bags of crackers and lighted candles to light the sky in different and sparkling colors.

Detailing about who fired the first cracker and how it went on and ended is quite hard but few things that happened on the day are still vivid and live in my memory. One thing is the way each one of us, boys and girls, had enjoyed firing the crackers. All of us were more or less in a straight line (as if in an assembly) and burning crackers at the same time. The light was bright enough that we could capture photographs of the celebration even without the flash on in our digital cameras. We all were going gaga over the crackers as if there is not another Diwali in the near future. I know that is crazy, but that was the way we had celebrated.

The next thing which is still in front of my eyes is the way my mad friends fired rocket crackers holding it in the hand. Now that was seriously a dare-devil act if you ask me, and I was not into the game, nor were most of the folks. But there were about 10 guys who were full-on with this. The rest of us admired at their boldness (also read as MADNESS) and made sure that they are safe. The celebration then moved further to the public road, where we had these miniature bombs being blasted which created hell lot of noise. This was the noise of signing off the celebration, which we made sure was known to the whole area. Neither was the people living by bad, they had tuned up the cracker noise in sync with ours. In short, it can be said that for about a 500 meter length everyone was having the same thought in mind – BLAST!!

The celebration got over in about 40 minutes after beginning; but unlike any Diwali celebration, it was the best I had in my 24 years of life. The days with DC -ians have always been the best and the brilliant. Love you all, if it was not for you people, I wouldn’t have learned and experienced lot many things in a short while.

Being with Books!!

Books are incredible containers of knowledge which is vast and deep than any ocean in the world. A man’s life is blessed when he attains knowledge. Education is that process of gaining knowledge that each man undergoes in his life-time. Before going on further let me make the point clear, this article is not about how books change a man’s life or the need of being educated. This is about a Trivandrum DC-ian’s life, who in his 2 years of PG life with the institution for sure attends the DC International Book Fair and Cultural Fest and becomes a part of the festival.

Disclaimer – This is a fragment from my memory of the book fair and is narrated from my perspective. There might / might not be differences of opinion for my fellow-mates. Some incidents are avoided intentionally and I might have missed out a few. Will try to be true to the best of what I can recollect.

There are two segments of the festival that is going to be briefly expressed which are –

The Green Days – 6^th DC International Book Fair & Cultural Fest, 2008

The Black Days – 9^th DC International Book Fair & Cultural Fest, 2009

For any DC-ian books and various publishing houses are not alien but household names. The sole reason being, DC Group a leading publishing house, and the yearly Book Fair it hoists every year at Trivandrum, Cochin and Bangalore. The privilege to any student of the DC fraternity is being part of at least one of the book festival and handling the stalls of different publishing houses. An alumnus of the Trivandrum institute, DCSMAT School of Media & Business, I would be elaborating on the 6^th and 9^th DC International Book Fair which was held at Trivandrum, Chandra Shekaran Nair Stadium.

The Green Days

It was around the beginning of the second term of our first year that we came to know, from our faculties, the details of the DC International Book Fair and Cultural Fest. Later on another version of the same was given to us by our seniors. At the end of the day, we were puzzled and had a negative feeling towards the whole event. In between all this 2 factors that attracted us was – No sessions / college for 2 weeks followed by a holiday for 2 days and being paid for being at the stalls. Another attraction was the promised visit of celebrities and personalities from the field of literature, cinema, politics and anything that can be named.

There was huge cry by students showing disagreement of participating at the Book Fair which was wonderfully tackled by the faculty council and management. A marketing assignment with grades based on the sales achievement and report of the activities at the event. There couldn’t be worse news for us, who were planning to abscond from the city.

Finally the day arrived, 28^th of October of 2010, the first day of the 6^th DC International Book Fair & Cultural Fest and we had started our journey towards the venue from the institution after an orientation in the morning. The ride towards the venue was fun with all of us singing classic songs, and something which was amusing was the green T-shirt for all of us (boys & girls); the whole vehicle looked like a moving jungle. On reaching the venue, we were given some time to roam around the stadium and click photos. After about 30 minutes, we were ushered into the stock room where the allotment of stalls and distribution of bill books was done by the Marketing Manager of DC Books and a faculty of ours. One thing was made clear to us on day 1 – the attendance is going to be recorded and is going to be strict on the same and the stocks have to be reported daily to the concerned floor manager.

The next scene opens with the doors of the indoor stadium unbolted to reveal the stalls of various publishing houses and students trying to locate their respective stations. Following this was the tiresome task of getting the boxes from the stock room and arranging the books on the shelves and tables. It was as if the world’s worst job had been assigned to us and this was purposeful. But then by the evening we had a satisfied expression of having clean and arranged stalls. Now the venue was full of books and green all over the place. There was a light crowd in the venue but not much of sales happened. At around 9:30 we made our trip back to our hostels, stinking and tired, with the weight of going back the next day. The next day was the least we all were looking on to but yes the enjoyment of the trip was there with its josh and infact it had grown to a competition of two groups – one singing Hindi songs and the other singing Malayalam alone.

From day 2, crowd started pulling in to the stadium and the sales started picking up. The days ahead till November 10^th were all about publishing houses, titles, authors, books, getting foot-falls into the stall, bill books, discounts, individual sales, institutional sales, achieving sales target for the day, and making relation with the customers.   

The cultural fest every day evening was a feast to the local people and for subject lovers of poetry, folk-dance, literature and so on. This was also the time when we got to meet with distinguished personalities.

Another factor which had already become a weak-point to all of us from Day 2 was the delicious food served to us at the venue from the Police Canteen.

The final day dawned, and few in our batch were trying hard to make sure their targets were reached and also the stocks cleared in due time. A heavy dinner, a special treat from the canteen, was the highlight of the day. Waving off bye to the customers and repeat customers, all of us had credits to our individual accounts of both achieving or over achieving targets and prizes given of for the same. Another segment which was awarded was for the Best Visual Merchandising. At the end of the day, after the group dinner and settling of accounts including the compensation offered to us, we all had a group snap taken with students, employees of DC Books, the CEO and other staffs. While going back to our rooms, we all had numerous memories and learning’s from the 12 day event.

An official end to 6^th DC International Book Fair & Cultural Fest!

The Black Days

This time we were more prepared since we knew what was coming up and thus we had demands to make to the management on certain topics. The primary demand was a different colored shirt, Black, with the logo of the college printed on the back. The main reason that we had started demanding was because we from our previous year experience had learned what professionalism meant, how an event like Book Fair can be used to brand our batch and college. This had led us to putting up a stall for promoting our institution, a management fest – Pranavom, an event in association a leading FM Radio Channel, and numerous other branding possibilities including an exclusive News-letter by the students. The branding activity, after the News-letter, which was most liked by us, was the photo display of the best moments of a DC-ians life in the screen opposite the institution stall. Life was more fun during the second year, the 9^th DC International Book Fair & Cultural Fest, with added responsibilities and new system set-up to handle the sales and flow during the exhibition. The food tasted even better this year and the strain was less compared to the previous year.

The pressure and the life of the first year went missing in the second but added responsibilities and divided work made things easier and better managed. The only drawback of the days was another event that was happening simultaneously at the grounds and their loud voices (they had better sound systems) for 4 days at a stretch.

Pranavom went on to become a known name among the target group, under-graduate students, and students flocked in as expected. The event we had planned with the leading FM Radio Channel bombed because of bad climate and constant rains.

At the end of the 12^th day, we had to an extent effectively branded ourselves, our institution and also our Radio Channel, Radio DC 90.4, via different channels. The photographs, the articles, the guest signs, and messages had made our efforts worth.

An official end to 9^th DC International Book Fair & Cultural Fest!

It’s that time of the year, once again, where the Trivandrum DC-ians are back to setting up the 12 day long event, the 11^th DC International Book Fair & Cultural Fest. Missing the days of learning names of different authors, their works, the best books of the year, and the one’s not to miss, the learning of different sales & marketing techniques. The DC-ian life has a lot to give and lots to learn. Happy to be a part of the fraternity that rules the industry of publishing based from Kerala.

The story behind one of my most favorite click…

An Introduction:


This photo was taken while a group of us, students of DCSMAT, had gone to spend the evening at the beach nearby to our hostel. Later on this snap was edited by a friend of ours to be displayed on the day of our farewell party. The next part of this article is about the experience we had on the day of this outing. The fun, the rare moments, the feeling of togetherness and the life!


The Story:


It was an evening, a few of us had returned from the institute, and was thinking of what next to do. Suggestions came up to play cricket, badminton, table tennis, watch TV and so on. The last option that came up got the most number of votes of support – going to the nearby beach!!


The next thing to happen was 11 of us changing clothes and then a walk towards our destination of fun and joy. In about 15 minutes we all had started our walk from the hostel and reached the shore in groups of 2’s and 3’s. Having a look at the vastness of the water body and feeling the breeze, we didn’t waste time but decided to jump into the water and enjoy for the rest of the day. I had stayed back on the shore holding my digital cam to frame the moments, which we all knew would be precious files of our memories. Thus the play started and I started clicking dutifully. After some minutes of fun with the water, our folks came back to the shore, and then followed another series of clicking.


Suddenly the idea came up in some one’s mind, why not lie down on the front and face the lens. This was tried and shot well enough but did not have a feel; the same frame usually looks cool when seen in movies or as wallpapers. This didn’t let us down but made us think of another frame, one where all the folks are sitting with the backs towards the lens. Now none of us had an idea how much well it would look especially since light had started going down. The frame was well shot and we all had a satisfied look in seeing the photograph. But at that time, none among us knew that this particular picture was going to be a point of feeling in the minds of 52 individuals of the batch. Yes, though just 9 people were shot in the frame, the final image brought smiles to the face of the entire batch. The pair of footprints in the frame just behind the guy in the center added to the beauty of the shot which was unplanned but apt.


The day was not near its end despite the light fading off to welcome the night. It was time for all of us, including me and another friend standing on the shore, to jump in with the waves which were at its all time high. The next couple of minutes were dangerous and life-taking, but the togetherness and the support we had for each other saved the team from getting carried away by the waves. The beach gets all playing like a kid and wild waves makes one into a mad. This was the same that had happened to us. Knowing that the waves were dangerous and it can wash us off, we all stood together with hands held together, to have our fun ride on the shore.


One of the best days of our final days of Post Graduation had come to an end when the sky had at last pulled over its dark sheet. On the way back to our hostel rooms, drenched and pockets full of sand, we all just thought about the mad moments and wondered - HOW DID WE MANAGE TO GET BACK IN FULL TEAM AND FORM FROM THE BEACH WITH THE STRONG AND WILD WAVES HITTING HARD?



After the Story:


A few days after the fun-filled evening, we had our farewell party coming up which was organized in half a day's notice. It was at around 9 in the night that we, along with our friends from the DC School of Animation & Gaming, had selected the images from our collections to make a video dignifying Life at DCSMAT over the 2 years which was later on named DOWN STERLING by my batch-mate Dilip. By the wake of the morning, around 3:00 am, Lubin had worked on the image with the concept he had conceived and added GOODBYE FOLKS to it. This was a surprise to us (Dilip, Rohit & myself) who were along with the Genius in work. He had got us thrilled and we all came to the decision that this image would be the last to be shown in the video that was being made. The next day, the video became a run-away hit and the image was adored by one and all.


This is the story behind one of my most favorite photograph taken during the days at DCSMAT!!


Credits –

People in the photograph (from left): Rajesh, Vibin, Dilip, Basil, Issac, Akhil, Unnikrishnan, Sreejith & Sreejesh.
Photographer: Ajit
Compositing: Lubin

Cause - Related Marketing

Today's consumers often want more than just quality, price and service in their purchases; they want to do business with companies that are socially responsible. Hence, companies are partnering with non-profit organization in Cause-related Marketing (CRM) strategies. CRM not only satisfies the consumers, but can also differentiate the company from its competitors and also provide other tangible benefits, like increased sales, visibility, customer loyalty, enhanced company image, etc.


Words like altruism, corporate responsibility and philanthropy are used by business houses to spell out their proven commitment to a worthy cause. In this regard, corporate houses are joining with charities or causes to market an image, product or service for mutual benefit. Embracing a good cause, not only builds brand loyalty among hard-to-please consumers, but also stands for something beyond merely profits. Cause-Related Marketing (CRM) can positively distinguish a company from its competitors and provide a marketing edge and other benefits, like increased sales, customer loyalty and improved company image.


Business with a Cause:


In this crowded market, where the price and quality of goods are more or less comparable, companies are competing to gain customer attention and loyalty. Besides advertising, public relations and CSR activities, business houses are adopting a marketing strategy called `Cause-Related Marketing' to enhance their brand image and boost sales. It was Jerry Welsh in 1983, then with the American Express, who first coined the term "Cause-Related Marketing".


Marketing Touch:


The marketing strategy of linking a brand to a relevant social cause or issue of mutual benefit has proved to be successful. Cause-related marketing is quite different from `Corporate giving', which is generally a donation made by large companies, that is tax-deductible. Corporate giving is a monetary one-time gift, which brings to light the key role of large companies in the economy and society and their responsibility for social progress. Many of the companies pledge for `socially responsible' behavior that displays their concerns about the environment, safety and health. Cause-related marketing is a strategy to bridge the gap between commercial activity and community activity. Supporting a specific cause helps the brands to connect better with the customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. Cause-related marketing, as we know today, initially took the form of collection boxes, set up near the cash counters in hotels and big shops, for the purpose of receiving donations. This money was used for a social cause. The approach has changed over the years. Companies, today, are achieving their marketing targets by associating themselves with social causes and enabling their consumers to financially support the cause by doing business. Cause-related marketing offers a potential boost in sale of those products which are attached to the cause and also adds great credibility to a company's branding efforts. It also strengthens the brand loyalty.


Effects of `Goodwill Marketing':


Goodwill marketing is a diversion for the company from its true mission of generating profits and boosting its business. The ethos behind corporate giving/cause-related marketing may be: increased sales, publicity or consumer goodwill. Now CRM has become the integral element of the business marketing mix for all the organizations, irrespective of their size and nature of operations. Let us take an example. Suppose a customer is planning to purchase a product which is produced by only two companies that have a similar marketing mix (i.e., same price, same guarantee and same business). But one of the companies is associated with a social cause. The customer will naturally be prompted to buy the latter company's products as he feels that, by doing so, he will help to raise some funds for a social cause. As the brand connects itself with a `good cause', the buying behavior of customers switch from other alternative and comparable brands because customers know that funds from their purchases will be used for making some difference in the society.


Success Stories:

Some of the organizations successful in making a cause-related marketing campaigns –

Coca-Cola
McDonald’s
Bayer Aspirin
Visa

Advergaming - Ads to the world of Games!!

Advergaming is a technique where companies use games, particularly computer games or video games to advertise their products. The term was first coined by Anthony Giallourakis in January 2000. Companies have realized the fact that advertising online is cheaper than using traditional media.


Advergames can take advantage of the current trend by targeting different customers based on different or specific demographic groups. The companies believe that advergaming is an effective tool to reach the target audience. If the game is fun, the consumer, not only remembers the brand, but also associates the brand attributes with that of the game.


A Nielsen Interactive Entertainment research reveals that "pervasive product integration in video games can be highly effective, leading gamers to not only recall featured brands but also recommend them to friends or rate them highly."


Types of Advergaming:


Above the Line - In this form of advergaming, companies provide an interactive game in their website to attract customers and hope that they spend extra time on the website. The games developed by the companies feature its product so as to increase awareness about the product among the potential customers. In the earlier days, games were distributed on floppy disks which were distributed free of cost and often packed with information about the companies' products. The goal behind this was to increase awareness about the product and also convey information about any promotional incentives that the company is offering.


Below the Line - In this type of promotion, companies generally develop games related to their products and services and distribute these to their prospective clients. This is done for commercial, educational, political or military purposes.


Through the Line - In this form of advergaming, URL hyperlinks are provided in the games in order to prompt the players to visit the website which contains BTL advertisements. This game is otherwise called `link-chases' because the websites make the player to go to other links which again leads with further links. These links are created, so that the players have an urge to win the game.


Benefits of Advergaming:


Advergaming has become one of the powerful tools to interact with the customers. Through this, players are exposed to a company's brands and attempts are made to turn the players into customers. If the games are attractive and creative, they would attract numerous players who would, after playing the games, speak about the same to their friends and acquaintances. Creative and interactive games give added value to the companies. If the games capture the attention of the visitors, it may induce them to continue playing for longer time and encourage them for repeat visits. Companies are using advergaming to a large extent to increase their sales through online games.


Conclusion:


The emergence of Internet has brought tremendous opportunities for the companies to advertise their products in innovative ways. It also keeps the customers informed about the products and services offered. The e-age customers frequently visit these companies' websites and surf for information related to products and services and they no longer rely only on direct advertisements. So, the companies have realized the importance of online advertisements and have made efforts in making their virtual existence to be valued by their customers. They have identified that one of the ways to encourage customers is to engage them with online games by rewarding them with coupons, prizes and so on. Hence, the emergence of advergaming has, not only helped the companies to build their brand, but has also helped them to provide adequate customer service.


This phenomenon today has led to a greater possibility which is being utilized by developers of Facebook and ibibo. Let’s wait to know what more the world of games has in-store for the man-kind to witness.

Airtel: Positioning (and Re-positioning)

Airtel, the telecommunications giant, stands true to its tag-line “live every moment”. From the initial days, were it focused on the premier section of the society by showing attributes like leadership, dignity, power and efficiency to the present young, energetic, innovative and friendly look the brand has always been open to changes and new ideas.


The positioning strategies of the brand has evolved in alignment with the changing market scenario with due respect to the human emotions. When mobile communications were expensive, the target was on the premier customers’ with focus on the additional value services. With the revolution of mobile industry (change in tariff plans), Airtel set off to explore into new segments of the market all while retaining its existing customer base.


Some of the note-worthy actions adopted where –
 Presence in all media / medium
 More Touch-points – Airtel Connect
 Segregation based on type of services
 Human element emphasized
 Standard out-look across all locations



Airtel has been observed as the most recalled telecommunication service provider (top-of-mind test) and the market leader in majority of the markets where it has operations. The most critical issue was catering to the needs of the customers who fell into different demographic classifications. Airtel sustained through this issue not alone with its customer-centric packages but with campaigns and positioning strategies that voiced a common and universal essence.


Airtel is that brand which went for a promotional campaign with an entirely different choice of celebrity and jingle which had grabbed media attention like no other. One of the most important things to be observed in the practices of Airtel is its openness to changes and innovations. Though the brand had a successful campaign running, it foresaw the need of change and consistently went for different approaches by not diluting the message.


Another note-worthy tactic by Airtel is its constant shift of celebrities. They have proved that it’s not just the brand value of the actor but also the way the individual connects with the audience. From the King Khan, to Madhavan - Vidya pair, to Shreyas Talpade, to Saif – Kareena pair, and back to King Khan, the campaigns have always been with emotions and never away from the message. The latest addition to the camp is South Cine Actor, Karthi.


At the end of the day, strategies, tactics, innovative thinking and all other methods have given way to one single factor, Emotions, which holds viewers to the advertisement and users to the brand.


Airtel, thus, lives every moment!

An Old Teaching – A New Solution!

India, the country of abundance in all resources, has held human-kind with its deep roots of knowledge and learning. In this post I would like to share with you all a learning I had from one of my sessions at college.


Would you believe that a 2000 year old method of understanding can help unravel the complexity of any problem? Is it possible to understand anything or any situation by answering just 3 questions?


Well, the ancient scholars had found a way of understanding which was practiced in one of the first universities of the world - The Nalanda University!


The 3 questions which hold the key to understanding are –


What is it?
What is it made up of?
How does it all work together?

Wondering how this can help a person understand better? Try answering the questions with the example of a pen;


# A ‘Pen’ is a device that helps record (write) words on a smooth surface.
# It is made up of a body with a cap, nib to write and an ink tube through which ink flows.
# A ‘Pen’ is a device that helps write words on a smooth surface using ink which is in the tube and flows through the nib.



Getting a hang of it?? Or still not sure??


Give it a try because for sure its going to bring some fun in thinking in these lines!!

ENTHIRAN – Man vs. Robot!!

Disclaimer – Though there have been a number of reviews already spreading across via the internet, this is my point of view (which coincides with many others) and my feeling about the movie.


A week down after the magnum opus Enthiran / Robot starring Rajnikanth, Aishwarya Rai Bachaan, and Danny Dezangopa has hit the screens, the world is looking onto Indian Cinema with awe. Indian Cinema until October 01st, 2010 was Bollywood alone but now eyes are looking beyond that to see the wonders. Enthiran, with its world class technicians, has put films till date to shame with its heights of vision of the director.


The movie on the whole revolves around Dr. Vaseegaran (Rajnikanth), Chitti, his creation, an android robot, versions 1.0 and 2.0 (again Rajnikanth himself) and Sana (Aishwarya Rai). A long time back we had seen Rajnikanth playing three different roles in the same movie – Moondru Mugam; and now after 2 decades, again the audience is blessed in seeing their much loved star donning 3 roles. Aishwarya Rai, as Sana, plays love interest of the scientist, has shared enough screen space compared to any other actress in a tamizh movie in the recent times.


About the Movie –
Dr. Vaseegaran, along with his two subordinates, is in the process of building up an android robot which he aspires to dedicate for the Indian Army; thus reducing the death rate at the borders. Before presenting the robot to the army and for inspection, Dr. Vaseegaran lets Chitti version 1.0 to live between normal people to know how it would utilize its built-in knowledge. Following is a series of fun where Chitti wins the heart of good with a touch of humor and amazing visuals.


But things don’t go as planned by Dr. Vaseegaran when he presents Chitti for approval with the officials. Dr. Bohra (Danny Dezangopa), Dr. Vaseegaran’s mentor, rejects Chitti on the note that a robot runs on commands and fails to understand human emotions which could infact be misused by anti-forces. Thus a new challenge is in front of Dr. Vaseegaran, where he teaches Chitti human emotions, values and importance of life. Meanwhile Dr. Bohra is also in the process of building a similar robot but for the evil forces; the main reason why he is keen in rejecting Chitti. Besides rejecting Chitti, Dr. Bohra plans on ripping apart the scientist and its creation. This becomes easier when Chitti starts feeling emotions and falls in love with Sana, who takes him to be a cute toy friend.


All hell breaks loose with the triangular love plot and a dejected Dr. Vaseegaran has no option but to destroy his dream, his years of hard work, Chitti the robot. As defined, energy cannot be destroyed but only transformed from one form to another; the power of Chitti lies unscathed waiting to be rescued. Alike all stories, the chance is well utilized by Dr. Bohra, who brings a broken (literally) Chitti to his lab and gives rise to a new face of the robot with evil (a red chip) installed, Chitti Version 2.0. And now enters the baddie, Chitti, who is revengeful and wants to get his love, Sana, by any means.


The last 30 minutes, the most talked about by one and all, is mesmerizing with Chitti V.2.0 creating an army of his own, who look alike, equipped with the best weapons stole from the force and conquers the Artificial Intelligence Research & Development Centre to build his fort. Evil never lives long, and so doesn’t Dr. Bohra, who is killed by Chitti V.2.0. The rest of the story or better said Visual Extravaganza is all about the fight between Man and Robot and how Dr. Vaseegaran gets back the control on Chitti and removes the evil (red chip) within it to save mankind.


The movie comes to an end with Chitti waving a goodbye just before dismantling him(it)self and feeling good in being a robot, the reason being, able to remove the evil from within; while a miserable Dr. Vaseegaran comments on the negative force in each individual. All bids bye to the future of robotics and artificial intelligence which is then used as article of exhibition in a science museum.


Above the Movie –
Till now it was the plot or in a sense the movie which was being discussed. Now being a more particular, the following are points which I loved and felt on Enthiran – the Robot.


 The plot was earlier shown in the movie I,Robot but not with so much of details or the love triangle.
 The character of Dr. Vaseegaran is wonderfully sketched as humane with no usual out of the earth style which the superstar normally pulls off in his movie.
 For a change, the styles are alive in the movie with the same or extra dose with Chitti. The best part is when the robots shape to form a huge monster (the kinds of machines seen in Transformer) and still has a style while leaning on the building.
 The baddie Chitti is all bad with a style seen long back been done by the star himself. The roaring laugh is an icing on the character. The only odd feeling was the Robot, Chitti V.2.0 moved more like a human and less like a robot.
 The songs are brilliantly composed and shot; hats off to the Mozart of Madras. The BGM requires a special mention which builds on to the tension and feel of each scene.
 Kilimanjaro song is a visual treat with the star shaking legs with his unbeatable style in each frame.
 The comic sequences were well scripted and did give a break from the tension of the movie. One sequence worth mentioning is when Dr. Vaseegaran and Chitti prepare to go for Sana’s birthday party.
 Not just the comic sequences but also the whole script was made fool proof with not much scope for doubts. Be it the sequences where Chitti V.1.0 fights with the so called youngsters or the training center in Chitti V.2.0’s fort.
 The sequence where Chitti helps in the birth of the new born though looks similar to the recent movie, 3 Idiots, has been done well or maybe better.
 Also the sequence where the baddie, Chitti V.2.0 transforms into different shapes has been pulled off with uttermost perfection that the creators of Transformers, Terminators, Batman has created a challenge to their own works.
 The idea of the song Arima Arima has been thought well but executed with less exactness compared to other scenes of the climax; but yes, the vision of the director is absolutely speechless.
 The main negative of the movie (what I felt) is the sequence where Chitti helps Sana in her exams and the shot where the mosquito asks sorry to Sana. But as said in history and present, all is fair in Love and War.


The back-bone of Enthiran – Sun Pictures!


 Producing a movie is not only about the factor – Money, but a lot more.
 Sun pictures accidently or intentionally, is the right vehicle for the magnum opus Enthiran with its roots in the media industry and the credibility among the classes and masses.
 No one besides Sun pictures could devise such a prefect plan for promotion for a movie like Enthiran with its different carriers of advertising.
The movie is a perfect combination of all factors, importantly, story – music – directorial – casting.


In a simpler sense it’s a Shankar movie with actor Rajnikanth unlike the team’s earlier venture Shivaji (2007) which was a Rajnikanth movie directed by Shankar.


One word – the star has shed his larger than life image for the human role but kept it strong and alive for the title role – Enthiran!