Please condole the sad demise of Mr. Oduvil Unnikrishnan. A natural “character” actor and one of the best. I as an audience was always magnetized by his performance and looked forward to his movies. Understanding fully that good Malayalam movies are not based on “star” factor but on the story and presentation, Oduvil was a significant presence. I liked him very much. Being an audience I haven’t met him nor do I know much about him as a person but when today morning I heard about his demise I was very sad. Some people are like that when they die it jolts our life a bit, it lingers around. Such was his hold on the audience, very endearing person. Infact you never thought he was an actor. I am also saddened to know that he had some problems in claiming medi-insurance (read that in his interview in a Malayalam newspaper). I know few other people who had such problems with insurance companies. This is fraud. Sixty to not the right age to die....and he could have contributed much more. May his soul rest in peace.
In recent times Malayalam movies are taken over, sadly by “superstar” phenomenon. It’s bewildering since these things never happened before….the Fan club nonsense. I haven’t been watching movies for some years now except maybe some DVD of must watch classics or some movies at film fests (that also I have decided to stop). Or an odd movie in TV (Like Rainman recently). I did try to sit through few movies in theaters (both Malayalam and Hindi) but just couldn’t for more than half an hour. I am not here to comment on contemporary movies maybe I am out of place or it pinches my purse too much-multiplex, anyway it seems that I have saturated myself as an audience. In this short journey as an audience I am grateful to people like Oduvil for providing quality entertainment. The space for such actors is fast reducing in todays “only for superstars” movies, reduced to caricatures. Latest “techno sound” and other “effects” are adding to the nuisance value, some movies are also peddling products. Unlike most Hindi or English movies, Malayalam movies had very strong “character actors” and are a pleasure to watch. Like Nedumudi venu, Thilakan, Jagadhy (my favourite), KPSC (lalitha who else!!), Sukumari, Kaviyur ponnamma, Philomina, Innocent, Mamu koya….and many more. They are much smarter than any of these "award winners" but sadly in the national level these brilliant people are hardly known. The space being manipulated by likes of Crude woman...they are also into saving us now!!.
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Please strongly protest the extension of house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, there is need for sanction against the military junta ruling Myanmar(Burma). 
The international community should immediatly stop its “engagement” with Myanmar unless democracy restored.
The international community should immediatly stop its “engagement” with Myanmar unless democracy restored. 
