BILLA INTERESTING

Billa' is ready to be released on December 14. The whole unit has fond memories of the shooting that lasted for around 95 days. Ajith was staying in Hotel Legend, a star hotel in Kuala Lumpur. He moved with all the technicians with lot of affection. The technicians say that the ultimate star used to give treat to all the 75 members of the technicians team every week.

Ajith hasn’t given up his passion for adventures with the car. The technicians recall an incident that happened in the cable car location situated in Langkawi. The script has a scene in this location. Ajith drove the car across the gap between the two bridges constructed at the height of 2000 ft for the scene. He did not accept to have a dupe to act in the scene, which is highly risk to perform.

It is not surprising that Ajith, with an amazing mix of affection and brave heart, has stolen everyone’s heart in the unit. They firmly believe that the movie would do the same magic with the audience as well.

RAMESHWARAM-REVIEW

Rameswaram' was hailed as a movie that tells a love story in the backdrop of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees. True. It has a love story and it shows the refugees. But the movie has nothing to do with the refugees’ issue. The serious issue has been used as just an item to add spice to the movie. The backdrop just serves as a plain backdrop, like the one you have on the wall of your living room.

'Rameswaram' deals with a love – typical filmy masala love. The girl falls for the boy at the drop of a hat. The girl chases the boy, who cannot afford to entertain such thoughts.

Vasanthi (Bhavana) is the daughter of the big man (Lal), who does a lot of help for the refugees.

Bhavana instantly falls for Jeevan (Jeeva), a Tamil refugee, staying in the camp in Rameswaram. Jeevan, nurturing a dream to go back to his home land, keeps on discouraging the girl, who is stubborn in her love. Jeevan’s heart, influenced by the pure love of the girl, starts melting slowly.

Enters Bose Venkat, the cousin of Vasanthi with full of dreams to marry his childhood sweetheart. He joins as an Inspector in the local police station. The whole family is eagerly awaiting their marriage.

Problem arises when the family comes to know about the love. The inspector and his uncle try to eliminate the boy. They keep on troubling him without much success.

Meanwhile the refugees get a chance to go back and Jeevan has to go with them. He promises Vasanthi that he would come back to marry her. The family is determined to stop him. Vasanthi decides to end her life if Jeevan doesn’t turn up. Everything goes on a predictable manner. You started yawning before reaching the climax. The climax, predictable again, shows how everything gets settled.

Director Selvam has tried or pretended to try to deal with the love story in the backdrop of the refugees’ plight. He has miserably failed to convincingly combine the two. The backdrop doesn’t add any dimension to the predictable silly love story and the love track doesn’t provide any relief to the serious issue of refugees. The script hasn’t justified the handling of the refugee issue. The tame love story fails to kindle any interest. As a result, the movie ends up as a predictable and dull fare.

The movie however, has some plus points like performances, cinematography, back ground score, and the cast selection to play refugees. Jeeva has once again proved that he is capable of handling strong characters. He has shown a lot of improvement in his facial expressions and body language. His single dimensional character, however, limits his scope to perform.

Bhavana looks beautiful. She spreads her charm with her pleasant smiles and looks. She is energetic and youthful. Her performance, though not outstanding, is flawless.

Lal and Bose Venkat have done their respective parts well. Bose gets more scope and ably justifies his role. Manivannan in a small role doesn’t make any impact.

The actors depicting refugees have done commendable job. Lakshana(Santhi) and Sampath are particularly good. They have got the intensity right. Santhi’s body language fits the role perfectly.

The cinematography by Vetri and R.B. Gurudev is a major asset of the film. It captures the beauty of the coastal area. The lighting and camera angles are amazing. The scenes that show the arrival and departure of the refugees stand out.

Niru’s music is competent. ‘Ellaraiyum Eththi Poga’ song is good. His background score is marvelous.

The fact that no one has successfully attempted to speak in the accent of Sri Lankan Tamils is a major flaw in a movie that has so many Sri Lankan Tamils as its characters. This puts the entire team in poor light in terms of motivation and dedication towards the subject. It shows that the team is not serious about the refugees. It is thus pretty clear that the refugees’ issue has been (ab)used to give the film a different look.

We have a humble suggestion to the director: If you want to make a movie with a love story please just go ahead. If you want to make a story based on a serious issue pertaining to the lives of millions, then approach the matter seriously and do justice to the subject. For heaven’s sake, please do not mix up both without proper reasoning or necessity.

NINE RUPEE NOTE -REVIEW

Thankar Bachchan has the reputation of making films based on reality. He tries to bring out some real shades of Tamil life on celluloid. His latest offering Onbathu Rupai Nottu, starring Sathyaraj, Archana, Nasser, and Rohini in main roles, is an adaptation of his own novel with the same title. The novel depicts the raise and fall of a family and so does the film.

The story revolves around Madhava Padaiyachi living in Pathirakottai, a village near Panrutti. He has a big family and a big heart. The story, which is told through the memories of the aging protagonist, goes on to narrate the village life.

The initial scenes show the rural life revolving around agricultural activities. The caste equations prevailing in the rural life is also depicted naturally in the narration. The status of the Dhobhi community in the village is made to understand on course of narration.

The main story of course, is about the life of Madhava Padayachi, fondly called as Madhavar or Madhava Ayya. He is hard working and generous towards needy. He brings up his family and helps his dearest friend Khaja Bhai and his wife Kameela (played by Nasser and Rohini) to come up in life.

The time passes by and the family becomes a big joint family. Life moves on smoothly till Velayi (Archana), the wife of Madhavar, comes to know about his youngest son’s love affair with a girl belongs to the Dhobhi community. She is shattered and so is Madhavar.

To make things worse, Madhavar’s younger brother influences Madhavar’s sons and daughter in laws to revolt against Madhavar’s "autocratic" functioning within the family. The crack sets in. The set up of the family gets shaken. The revolt by the sons comes as a humiliating shock to the aging couple. Finally they decided to go away from the family.

This brings back Khaja Bhai and Kameela into the picture. They support their friends. The aged couple is obstinate enough not to go back to the sons, who had humiliated them.

But... deep down the heart, the passion is still alive to see and live with the children.

Could they ever meet their children again and rediscover the unadulterated pleasure of being together? Could the sons manage without their parents?

Thankar Bachachn is one of the rare filmmakers in Tamil industry, who believe in story rather than stars or fanfare. He has chosen a strong story and selected the cast accordingly. His handling of the stars and execution of the scenes are praiseworthy.

Onbathu Rubai Note has many poignant moments. The scenes when the families of Madhavar and Khaja Bhai part ways (twice) are noteworthy. The meeting of friends after a long time has come out well. The portrayal of the friendship between Madhavar and Khaja Bhai is neat. The love track told along with the main story is pleasant.

The emotional upheavals and outbursts form the major aspect of the story. The emotional quotient, which is the strength of the narrative, also weakens it, as it is stretched beyond a point. Archana’s shock by knowing the love affair of her son is well portrayed and convincing. But you get tired when you to see too many of such scenes. The emotional imbalance, tilting towards melodrama, is the aspect that works against the overall impact of the film.

The characterization of the protagonist is stereotype and predictable. The initial scenes create a perfect cinematic premise to make him a martyr. The proceedings do throw some surprises with many characters operating simultaneously. But the development of the story that tells you the journey of the protagonist is single dimensional. Everything that happens does happen only to make the protagonist’s life worse. He doesn’t have any relief. Even if gets any, it is short lived.

This aspect - lack of complexities of real life - weakens the impact of the hard work made by the director and the actors. The director could have thought of more convincing incidents to mark the turning points (the departure of the couple and the timing of the death of Velayi) of the life of the protagonist.

Sathyaraj and Archana are vying each other to the slot of top performer. Both have got in to the skins of their respective characters. Sathyaraj is a seasoned performer but he is not known for immersing into the character. For once, we have got to see the actor disappearing and the character emerging. He has ably portrayed a range of emotions. His body language and dialogue delivery perfectly suit the character.

Archana is a revelation. The veteran actor, who had received National Award for acting has done wonders. One wonders why Tamil cinema is not utilizing her talent. Her outbursts as well as the expressions of subdued and suppressed emotions are amazing. Her powerful eyes convey a lot.

Nasser and Rohini excel in relatively lesser roles. They have ably portrayed the ups and downs of the lives of their characters. The deep friendship with a touch of gratitude has been well expressed by both of them.

All the other actors including choreographer Sivashankar have done their part well. The young lovers - played by Inba Nila and Nitesh Kumar - do impress. Thankar has shaped the small roles well. Everyone who appears on screen gets noticed.

Bharadwaj has given the touch of classical seventies in his musical score. Vairamuthu has penned some outstanding lines that go well with the script. S.P. Balasubramaniyam’s rendition of ‘Maargazhiyil’ song is excellent.

Thankar’s cinematography is top notch. He has captured the natural beauty of the village.

Overall, Onbathu Rupai Note is a worthwhile effort to create a lively experience of real life on screen.

INDIAN ECONOMY DOWNS

India's annual economic growth dipped below 9 per cent for the first time in three quarters in July-September as industrial output slowed, but analysts said the central bank's full-year forecast of 8.5 per cent should be met.

Data on Friday showed Asia's third-largest economy expanded 8.9 per cent in its fiscal second quarter from a year earlier, as higher interest rates and a strong rupee dragged on manufacturing and exports.

The figure was in line with a Reuters poll forecast of 8.8 per cent but below growth of 9.3 per cent in the previous quarter, and analysts said the economy was likely to clock 8.3-8.8 per cent expansion in the 2007/08 fiscal year to next March.

"We expect moderation to continue in the industrial sector based on higher interest rates and a possible decline in the equity markets," said Indranil Pan, chief economist at Kotak Mahindra Bank in Mumbai.

"Overall, we expect GDP growth for the full year at 8.7 per cent with services performing robustly." The stock market extended gains after the data to stand 1.8 per cent up on the day.

The rupee firmed to 39.63/64 per dollar and the yield on the benchmark 10-year bond held at 7.90 per cent.

India, the world's fastest-growing major economy after China, grew 9.4 per cent in the fiscal year that ended in March 2007, its strongest rate in 18 years, and the central bank expects expansion to slow to 8.5 per cent this fiscal year.

Growth has averaged 8.6 per cent a year in the past four years, which has attracted global investors' attention, fuelling a stock market boom and pushing firms to expand capacity.

DEVIL THAN DARWIN

More people believe in a literal hell and the devil than Darwin’s theory of evolution, according to a new Harris poll released on Thursday.

It is the latest survey in the US to highlight America’s deep level of religiosity, a cultural trait that sets it apart from much of the developed world.

It also helps explain many of its political battles which Europeans find bewildering, such as efforts to have "Intelligent Design" theory — which holds life is too complex to have evolved by chance — taught in schools alongside evolution.

The poll of 2,455 US adults from November 7 to 13 found that 82% of those surveyed believed in God, a figure unchanged since the question was asked in 2005.

It further found that 79% believed in miracles, 75% in heaven, while 72% believed that Jesus is God or the Son of God. Belief in hell and the devil was expressed by 62%.

Darwin’s theory of evolution met a far more skeptical audience which might surprise some outsiders as the United States is renowned for its excellence in scientific research.

Only 42% of those surveyed said they believed in Darwin’s theory which largely informs how biology and related sciences are approached. While often referred to as evolution it is in fact the 19th century British intellectual’s theory of "natural selection".

There are unsurprising differences among religious groups.

"Born-again Christians are more likely to believe in the traditional elements of Christianity than are Catholics or Protestants. For example, 95% believe in miracles, compared to 87% and 89% among Catholics and Protestants," according to the poll.

"On the other hand only 16% of born-again Christians, compared to 43% of Catholics and 30% of Protestants, believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution."

What is perhaps surprising is that substantial minorities in America apparently believe in ghosts, UFOs, witches, astrology and reincarnation.

BANGALORE TECHIES GIVEN MONEY FOR STAYING AT HOMES

Wedged between the wardrobe and the family photos, is Satish Sundar's workstation. This 40-year-old became a medical language specialist at one of the country's oldest BPOs two years ago.

But Sundar soon realised that he was fatigued every day — not by the work, but by the traveling. So last year, he joined 398 other people in his company to become a smart techie, and work from the comfort of his home.

"The traffic going down to office used to be too congested, especially during the monsoon. Then it takes some time for you to unwind also. You start getting tense and so it may, somewhere down the line affect your work," says Sundar.

The four hours Sundar spent on Bangalore's roads are now spent in watching his daughters learn to dance.

Many techies like him are now treating work as a takeaway, realising that outsourced work can be outsourced to home too, sometimes even in remote towns.

Vice-President Human Resources, Spheris, Surya V Ciryam says, "There's an increasing trend among men. It used to be around one to two per cent and has now gone up to around 30 per cent in the last year and we are seeing more requests from men today, than women."

Talent Engagement Vice-President, Wipro, Joseph John says, "It's a pain for employees who are traveling more than one hour to work and two hours to reach home. It's definitely an issue."

Employers save costs too, by reusing the same seats. Companies like Infosys have also opened a city branch to reduce time spent commuting, to ensure that employees don't quit because of traffic trauma.

Bangalore's made the world flat and now it's redefined distance. Thanks to traffic, distance is now measured not in terms of kilometres but the time taken, so it's better to just get off that office cab and stay at home.

STOCKS WITH GREAT RETURNS

The year 2007 is likely to be remembered for providing great returns in the stock market. The BSE Sensex has gained 43 per cent so far this year, and the recent rally, where the Sensex made a new milestone crossing 20,000 levels, has added a lot of wealth to those who are invested in large-cap stocks.

However, many analysts describe the current market rally as one driven by momentum, powered by heavy net foreign inflows into equities, most of it in large-cap stocks.

There is an increasing belief among market experts that valuations of many large-cap stocks appear stretched today � the BSE Sensex trades at a twelve-month forward earnings of 20 times as compared with about 17.7 times a month back.

While most of the gains have been captured by the large-cap stocks, many mid-cap companies have remained out of investors' focus. Though the mid-cap indices have gained more than the Sensex since the beginning of 2007, their valuations are still low at about 15 times forward earnings.

"The recent rally has created a significant divergence between the valuations of large-cap stocks and the mid- and small-cap stocks. The divergence should shrink as many of the mid-cap stocks are trading at attractive levels," says Ajay Bodke, senior fund manager - equity, Standard Chartered Mutual Fund. Fund managers believe there is significant value left in select mid-cap stocks.

"Over the last few months we have seen a significant rally in the large cap stocks and most of these stocks are expensive in terms of valuations. This is the right time to enter into some select mid cap stocks," says, Satish Ramanathan, head-equities, Sundaram BNP Paribas Mutual Fund.

What is a mid-cap? There is no clear definition for this, but Sundaram Mutual Fund calls a stock a mid-cap if it is not among the top 50 shares listed on NSE in terms of market capitalisation.

For DSP Merrill Lynch, it begins from the 101st company. On November 17, the 51st company had a market cap of Rs 25,000 crore (Rs 250 billion) and the 101st company Rs 9,538 crore (Rs 95.38 billion).

Here, we have a list of some select small- and mid-cap companies that have a strong business model and operate in an emerging or growing industry. We have looked at companies with a market capitalisation of around Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 billion) with just one exception (Indian Overseas Bank [Get Quote]).

These companies are expected to grow at a faster rate over a longer period due to the inherent advantages. Also, along with the long-term earnings visibility, these companies are trading at attractive valuations.