Iran-Iraq. Israel-Palestine. And if the last few years have been any indication, it appears that, with all due respect to the seriousness of international warfare, we have our very own version of such conflicts. I’m talking about the Ajith-Vijay fan base rivalry, and exaggerating, of course, but sometimes, you have to wonder — am I…

The week saw the passing away of veteran actress Manorama. The condolences poured in, and the odes were deservingly conferred. “A legendary comedian.” “An acting stalwart.” “A peerless character artiste.” That last compliment, richly deserved no doubt, however, got me wondering. Why is she peerless? Where are all the female character artistes? Where are the…

You know you like a movie but you can’t quite figure why. Your friend, who dislikes it, is meanwhile making all the perfect points. He’s talking about the flimsiness of the storyline, the subpar acting, the bad screenplay, but it’s all you can do to not get up and ask him to go shove it….

A hundred mouths opened in awe as the camera swirled around Mount Everest, and then descended to show a group of seasoned trekkers taking tentative, trembling steps across the precarious suspension bridge, in their quest to conquer the peak. Suddenly, the friend, with whom I was watching the recently-released Everest, told me how “awesome it…

Press shows are a matter of great pride and excitement for those not in film journalism. For one, they are usually organised the day before the actual release, and for another, the stars of the film are present at the venue. So, you can see why starry-eyed Joe Public will likely consider it to be…