5 best cliché stories in tamil cinema

If you are a movie maniac like me, then this post is for you. Tamil cinema is full of cliché. Somehow our filmmakers seem to get caught in few story lines which they keep repeating time and again…here is a list of 5 such story lines. Mind you the list is not of any order…you may rank them in the order of most clichéd to the least and mail me. If you list matches with that of our jury’s, then you may win* tickets to movies based on these story lines.

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1. A good-looking hero, heroine. One falls in love with other, after a lot of coaxing, the other reciprocates. One of them suddenly breaks the relationship. Interval. The other has no clue about what’s happening, later finds out that the partner is terminally ill (blood cancer). Moved by this he/she reiterates that his/her love for the other is for eternity. They both die after singing a song.

2. Smart, cultured but poor hero. Boastful, western-attired and rich heroine. Heroine insults culture, Hero teaches her a lesson, usually by singing a song. Heroine’s father exploits the poor people and that’s when Hero comes in his way and challenges him. Interval. Heroine changes her costumes to typical Indian style, falls in love with hero. Hero wins the fight against heroine’s father, who before going to Jail hands over his daughter to hero.

3. Hero does a double act, one evil and one good. The widow mother brings up the good one, while the evil twin is at Villain’s place. Mother often weeps in solitude, on imploring she gives the flashback of ‘how happy their family was until the villain murdered her husband and took away her second son’. Hero vows to settle the score. Interval. Heroes meet, study the cicumstances and conspire a plan against the villain. After a fight the villain dies, both the heroes live happily with their mother. In-between all these they may find time to fall in love with beautiful damsels and sing duets in hill-stations/gardens.

4. Wealthy, benevolent but innocent hero (usually Rajini). A beautiful, young girl gets attracted to him. Before you think everything is fine with their life, a trusted friend/relative cheats the hero. Hero is left stranded on the road, that’s when he roars back. Interval. Hero starts working hard – a song – he becomes a millionaire. Slowly the ex-friend starts loosing all his possessions, at one stage he falls at the hero’s feet and begs for mercy. The altruistic hero forgives him, they both together fight common villain’s men and kill them. And live happily ever after.

5. Young hero and heroine, fall in love with one another. But they are of different religions (always one of them is a Hindu, the other may be a Christian or Muslim). Interval. Lovers propose their plan to get married, which is meet with apposition from their parents/village. With friends’ help, they elope. People from both the sects start in search of the fled lovers and in due course fight against each other. After a while they catch the lovers and persuade them to get separated. A lengthy lecture by the lovers, the public gets confused – using this situation the lovers shun their religion and walk towards the sun at the horizon (or) commit suicide. A film by so-n-so.

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*Conditions Apply

3 Books

Long time since I blogged. So, you guys are happy and fine, aren't you?

I thought I will write about the books that I mentioned in my earlier posts.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull - is an excellent book. Hardly 100 pages, but very powerful and kindling. It awakens your spirit to win. Do you dare to be different? Do you often think that we have better things to do in life than simply 'existing' then read this one. Richard Bach has a gift of knowledge on bird flights. He personifies the desire to 'achieve' as a desire of JLS - a seagull, who dreams of flying higher & faster, much above the limitations of its physical body. Read it once, you will turn to it again and again for want of inspiration.

Robot Dreams - Isaac Asimov needs no introduction for sci-fi lovers. Unlike typical Sci-fi writers who translate present life into a future with gadgets, and get lost into gadgets explanation, Asimov handles plots that are more philosophical. Robot dreams is a collection of his famous short stories. I liked the 'Last question', 'Breeds there is a Man', 'The hostess'. Somehow I find my theory of Massive Algorithm related to Asimov's thinking :) What do you say?

Tuesdays with Morrie - is a best seller by Mitch Albom. A true story of Lifes' greatest lessons. Mitch spends few Tuesdays with his best Prof. Morrie - who is dying slowly due to a terminal illness. Together they explore the purpose of living. The book sees life from two perspectives - One is of Mitch, it shows the 'urge' in our generation to live life fast, the insecurity and little love. Other is of Morrie - a life that has lots of love, slow but complete. It will touch a chord or two in your heart.

Will blog about the Tamil books after sometime. Next blog will be... keep guessing for I myself dont know ;-)