I am an ardent fan of Chennai super kings and day before yesterday was the match between Chennai and Mumbai Indians(MI) which Chennai won comfortably by a margin of 7 wickets with almost an over to spare. The win also marks the end of campaign for Mumbai in IPL2. But when I saw the painful look on Sachin’s face, one that resembled in many ways the look of a tiger trapped by hunters, I can’t help thinking that Chennai could have done without this win. Imagine the aura of this man who is capable of evoking such a thought in the mind of a freaky fan like me.

There are plenty of times we have heard of the word ‘LEGEND’ but for the first time ever I felt what exactly the word means.

Pirivom Sandhippom is one of the classic novels in modern time Tamil literature written by Sujatha.

The plot revolves around a young immature girl, Madhumitha (Tamannah), with whom a local lad Raghupathy (Siddharth, a newface) falls in love. His dad (Kitti) works as a PWD engineer under Madhu’s father, the chief engineer for the project. But fate has other plans of its own as per which Madhu’s dad convinces her to ditch Raghu marry a rich NRI, Ratkrish (Radhakrishnan americanized.

Raghu is heart-broken, tries a suicide-attempt but escapes; inspired by his dad’s compassion and support, he goes to USA to do MBA where he meets Madhu. Later, it turns out that Rat has illegal connections with other ladies and Madhu decides that she wants to be with Raghu. By then Raghu is engaged to a Rathna, an NRI whom Raghu meets in US. Stranded in-between, Madhu drives her car in a rash manner and meets with an accident and dies.

Director A.R.Gandhi Krishna deserves ovation for his flawless casting, particularly Tammanah picture-perfect in the role of Madhumidha; his taste for art and locations are noteworthy as well. But where he misses completely is the portayal of subtle but deep relationship between Raghu and his dad.

Anyone seeing the movie having no idea of the book would feel that Raghu is not worth such a great man as his dad. The fact that Madhu’s life is always being led by others is left unsaid as well making it difficult for an average movie-goer to perceive this while watching the movie. Also, the reason why Rathna (Rukmani of Bommalattam fame) is attracted towards Raghu is not clear which makes the character out of place.

Verdict - If you have read the novel, watch the movie to see the characters alive. If not, better stay away from this one else it may lead you to wrongly conclude that the book is over-rated.

I call it unforgettable because I met the person whom I yearned to meet right from the day I read his book - Kane & Abel, incidentally my first book written by him and his best book so far. Now, no prize to you if you have rightly guessed whom I was talking about ;). Yes, Jeffrey Archer was in Bangalore to promote his new book 'Paths of Glory' and the event took place at Landmark in Garuda Swagat Mall, Jayanagar. I was so thrilled the whole day and not able to concentrate on anything except checking my watch often to see 6 pm so that I can start for the event. But alas, I managed to reach the place only by 7.15, courtesy bangalore traffic and the surprise rainfall. When I was just about to enter the mall, a benz car zoomed in and halted to a break, and within moments the great man came out and was greeting the few of us standing there with a 'good evening'. Well, my tongue was glued to the palate and it was diificult to speak. I joined the convoy waiting to welcome him and together with them, I bypassed the waiting crowd and managed to stand close to the dais. May be, not ethical but perfectly understandable; I can see you nodding. Thanks.

One thing, in fact two things, I could not help notice was his perfect timing sense and the sense of humour. He spoke for almost an hour studded with wisdom, experience and his trademark sarcasm we can see in his books.

When he explained the gimmicks used by his U.S. publishers to get him on the bestsellers' list, we were all rolling over the floor filled with laughter. Took his autograph in Kane&Abel and As the Crow Flies- two of my most favourite books, but even now, when I was standing just next to him, my tongue was less co-operative when I tried to speak, finally mumbling out 'Have a good time in India' with the second-half hardly audible to myself.

It was totally a memorable and unforgettable day and I am still on cloud nine. I suppose a new project or moule would bring me back to reality.