Virtual office

After years of a proper office job, for the first time I am telecommuting. I took it up initially to keep myself busy but now I see that there are quite a few benefits.

-I don't have to waste time every morning trying to decide what to wear to work. I can comfortably work in my PJs and no one cares.

-No worries about catching a cold or flu from sick co-workers.

-No one monitors how many breaks I take as long as work gets done.

-No time wasted in hearing co-workers crib about how the job sucks.

-Play any kind of music I like and at any volume.

-Increased productivity due to no disturbance

-Time spent on commute saved.

Of course, there are flip sides to working from home too.

-No real bond with co-workers.

-Sorting out technology (skype calls being choppy, email overload)

-Miss the watercooler chatter.

-Eat lunch alone.

As of now, I enjoy the freedom and flexibility offered by telecommuting. It has been only 2 months and maybe it is too soon to guess whether I prefer this arrangement over an office job. Only time will tell!

Vishwaroopam: Movie Review

After all the controversies related to the movie and V's interest in it, there was no way I could have missed watching it. It has been one week after its US release and is yet to be released in Tamil Nadu.

To be honest, I wasn't quite impressed by the trailer but went to watch the movie to find out for myself what the hullabaloo was all about.

Written and directed by Kamal Haasan, who plays the central character, this film is a treat for all his fans. We see him essay three different looks in the film-the effeminate Kathak teacher, the cool spy and the terrorist in Al-Qaeda camp. It's amazing how he transforms from one character to the other with ease and is highly convincing in each one.


The action scenes are stunning and I would say are the highlights. Some scenes are gory but are handled well and contribute to the mood of the film. Meticulous research has been done for depicting life in Afghanistan and the operations of the terrorist camps. The sets, costumes, and the use of dialogues in Pashto add a great degree of realism to the scenes. No unnecessary songs to interrupt the flow of the film. Having said that, it is a delight to watch the opening Kathak dance sequence.

Despite all these efforts, there are a few loose ends. The cheating wife suddenly getting attracted to her now transformed husband, she being allowed to accompany the FBI during the dangerous operation in the climax, the nuclear oncologist proving her knowledge by stating the atomic number of Cesium look a bit too silly and out of place in an otherwise strong movie. I wasn't too happy with Rahul Bose either. He did not have a strong screen presence and didn't look like the menacing terrorist he was supposed to portray. Andrea's role could have been better developed.

It is sad that a few people vying for political mileage have managed to delay the release of the film. There is nothing remotely controversial or capable of hurting any religious sentiments. 7 cuts for no apparent reason is rather unfair.

Overall, it is a stylish and entertaining spy thriller with a mediocre climax.