Maestro Ilaiyaraaja Live In Kuala Lumpur : Keeping The Promise Alive

By Huumessh Gunaseelan.

1st October 2022 would definitely be a date to remember as the Indian musical legend, Isaingani Ilaiyaraaja is putting up one of the biggest musical shows in Malaysia. Despite conducting a musical extravaganza, "Maestro Ilaiyaraaja Live in Kuala Lumpur" holds a special interest in most people's hearts as it's finally happening after being postponed for nearly 2 years due to the pandemic. Special thanks to Mojo Project Sdn Bhd and Ilaiyaraaja sir for keeping their promises alive.

Standing on the sixth year of producing concerts, Mojo Project is set to blast a remarkable musical experience for the spectators by conducting a four-hour-long live concert with a fifty-member musical ensemble including popular playback singers such as SBP Charan, Anitha Karthigeyan, Madhu Balakrishnan, Karthik, Yugendran Vasudevan, Shweta Mohan, and Mukesh. 

The concert is set to be held in MITEC (Malaysian International Trade & Exhibition Centre) expecting a crowd of nearly 8,000 spectators. The ticket purchasing is still open and people can certainly get the tickets at www.excitix.com.my or contact 012-2000505 for more ticketing information.

"Rather than taking this only as our work or task, this concert is more of a fanboy dream to bring the  Maestro itself to bless us with his evergreen and soulful compositions," said Mojo Projects chief executive officer, Ratna Kumar Nadarajan. Mr.Ratna was moved a little while delivering his speech during the press conference which reminds us of the amount of struggles and hard times he went through over the last 2 years of the pandemic till finally making this happen. It was a short and productive press conference which was honored by the presence of YB M. Saravanan, Ilaiyaaraja sir, and Mojo Projects CEO Mr.Ratna Kumar Nadarajan

Overall, it is understood that we can definitely expect a concert that is going to recreate nearly five decades worth of musical memories one night. It is already a proven fact that Ilaiyaraaja sir always has kept to his promises, so wait for the magic to be witnessed tomorrow!

 

“YUVAN 25”, HEALED THE BROKEN, WOKE THE SLEEPING SOULS.

By Tanesha Thanaseelan.

Again, for the second time, Yuvan Shankar Raja did not fail in giving a memorable night to his lovely fans. Yuvan Live in Malaysia on the 16^th of July 2022 at Axiata Arena was nothing short of spectacular. Many forgot what blinking meant during his opening act. I could not take my eyes off the stage. Every true Yuvan supporter would understand this feeling.

Photo by Kishyen Rao

“I think I am in love with you,” said Yuvan, and continued with “Ithu kathala, Mudhal Kathala.” That is when the crowd lost control. Honestly, I cannot count the number of times the crowd lost control. Can I just say everyone was vibing along throughout the concert?

The entire team gave us their best. When Yuvan sang, “Thimiruku maru peyar neethaanae, Thinam thinam unnaal iranthenae, Maranthida matum maranthenae” sadness invaded a home in my heart until Vijay Yesudas switched my emotions with his, “Amma ennum mandiramae, Aghilam yaavum aalkiradhae.” I wonder how many souls were resurrected that night. As they say, music kills and also heals.

The sensational musician and his entire team did not only melt thousands of hearts with their songs but also left an unforgettable night with a remarkable live performance. A live performance is always more soulful. The medley was truly magical; “Poi sole intha manasuku theriyavilai, sonal poi poi thane.”

Andrea brought pleasure to all ears with her “Idhu Varai” song from the movie Goa. Without a doubt, she looked stunning and made our hearts throb in our chests. The astonishing singer also got the crowd dancing to the “Rowdy Baby” song at the end.

To add to the highlight, our very own talented Malaysian artists rocked the stage to keep everyone entertained for the first hour of the concert. Darkkey’s performance went viral on social media. His entry was massive and the crowd went wild for his popular Tamil rock songs, “Adiva Adiva” and “Akamage”. Also, Siddarth who gave his best with “Thende Thende” and “Naala Paattu”. Our Mannin Mainthargals have never failed in leaving us speechless. 

Malik Streams had invited us a few hours before the concert for a brief press conference with the admirable Yuvan Shankar Raja, who was interviewed by Maduran from our side.

Maduran:

“After the announcement of Yuvan 25, a show was conducted in Tamil Nadu by Black Sheep and now in Malaysia by Malik Streams. So, is this exclusively for Malaysians and Indians, or is this a planned world tour?”

Yuvan:

“Definitely no. “Yuvan 25” is planned to be a world tour. We have planned it and will be announcing it soon. And also, I want to celebrate my 25th anniversary with my fans. That is the whole point. I want my fans to enjoy this moment as well for me. All I can do is to sing for them.”

Photo by Kishyen Rao

Maduran:

“Why two days of concerts in Malaysia? What would the difference be between the two days?”

Yuvan:

“The first day would be more of my melodic tracks. The second day would be more like a party night. The reason is that we want to give the fans a different experience.”

Questions by other media:

“Why are Simbu and Dhanush not attending the concert?”

Yuvan:

“We did not expect this to happen. Simbu is currently with his father, who is ill, so he could not make it. And as for Dhanush, he is currently in Los Angeles for his film promotion, The Gray Man. Unfortunately, we could not get flights from LA at the last minute. I would like to apologize to my fans for these unavoidable circumstances.”

Photo by Kishyen Rao

Overall, “Yuvan 25” was an amazing lifetime experience for all his supporters. We would like to express our eternal gratitude to Malik Streams, who successfully brought the concert to us with well-planned event management.

AGNI FEST SEASON 3 : WHAT TO EXPECT

Agni Fest Season 3 is back after two successful seasons which is set to be happening on 29th February 2020 at Chin Woo Stadium. To those who did not know Agni is an InterVarsity Dance Competition. Agni has created an exciting platform to showcase true talent, featuring participants from universities and colleges across Malaysia. The event will not only be fulfilled with only dance performances. It is also a concert where Malaysian and International artists perform. Here we list down what we can expect from the concert.

1. Girl Power

Agni Announced their first line up artists, Pragathi Guruprasad and Our very own female rapper  Yunohoo. Personally, I am a very big fan of Pragathi. We attended Pragathi's Live In KL back in 2017 and we loved it! Seeing her back in Malaysia put joy on our faces and we can't wait to see her perform. Next is Yunohoo ( previously known as Rubba Bend ). Yunohoo is a great rapper but we have never seen her perform live. Bringing her to stage would be an amazing moment.

2.  The Titans 

Dr Burn and MC Sai, the title says it all. Dr Burn recently gave two people's favourite hits, Azhagana Nyayiru and Magarantham. We really are hoping for a beautiful moment to be created by Dr Burn tomorrow night. MC Sai Has been constantly participating in every Agni Fest. We can see this man's growth over the years and his amazing capabilities to rap. Seeing him back this year is exciting. 

3. New Skool Leaders 

Karnan G Crack, DJ Mastermind, Kuruji, and Sahi Siva. Yes, we know Sahi Siva caught your eyes first.  We watched Sahi Siva performing last year and the audience loved him so much but he was a debut artist then. Now he's back after a mass hit of " Na Kudike Poren " song.  We can already sense where the audience will go crazy tomorrow. When you see DJ Mastermind name there, you know there's gonna be an epic spinning moment there. We are excited to watch that as well.

4. International Panel of Judges and Hosts

Jeya Raveendran from UK and Vicky B Trixx from Tamil Nadu. Watching both of them dance will give you a delightful feeling. They will be judging the intervarsity dance competition alongside our Malaysian judges. Moreover, Dayan Shan will also be hosting Agni Fest. Dayan Shan is known for his comical skits and his Bigg Boss was a hit on social media.  We are excited about what he has for us tomorrow. 

SO YES! What are you waiting for? Head over to https://agnikl.com/ to purchase your tickets now and we will see you at Chin Woo Stadium on coming Saturday, 29th February 2020

MILFF 2019 TO ROCK TONIGHT

The most anticipated event of the year is here! Mojo’s Pride& Glory, Malaysian Independent Live Fusion Festival (MILFF 2019) is here happening today at StarXpo, Kenanga Wholesale City, and we can’t be more excited!

" Enjoying music is a cosmic connection with our self and natural enthusiasm," says Mojo Projects chief executive officer  Ratna K Nadarajan ."That's why we love, laugh or weep to songs. Like magic, with music, we connect with each other. We remember what matters, and that is what we want to achieve with every Mojo concert", he adds.

This star-studded evening is going to be enriched by every youthful voice, Shakthisree Gopalan and the magical veena of Rajesh Vaidya. The veena extraordinaire, will for the first time, attempt to perform 60 songs in 60 minutes on stage, re-creating an Asian Book of Records.

An evening that promises nothing but the hits, MILFF 2019 guarantees top-notch music, spectacular sound and lights and an awesome full scale concert experience featuring some of India's best talent.

Joker: The Most Human & Realistic Film To Ever Take Place In A Superhero Universe.

Think of every superhero movie that you have ever watched. Let it be Batman, Ironman, Captain America or Superman. In each of the film, the protagonist and the antagonist are always displayed to be larger than life. They may not be your ordinary guy next door. Most of them are either from a different world or posses some superhuman capabilities, strength or they may just be freaking genius. You know that you can never be them.

Even the Joker, well at least the versions of Joker in the past. Either the legendary Health Ledger’s version or the ever-iconic Jack Nicholson’s version of the Joker, they still seem larger than life or at least impossible it will be impossible for any one of us to turn out to be like those Joker.

This is what separates Joaquin Phoniex’s Joker compared to those in the past. Joaquin Phoniex’s Joker is by far the most relatable and human orientated Joker that has ever been presented on the larger screen, and perhaps therefore this Joker will go down in my books as the best Joker there is.

In the past films, The Joker is often presented as psychotic guy who has no senses or moral compass and has only one goal that is to torment Gotham and drive Batman to the edge of craziness. One who played this so well was of cause Heath Ledger. His version of Joker is one who is smart, cunning and always has a plan to force people to make the tough decision. He is perhaps the classiest version there ever was.

Then now under Todd Phillips direction, Joaquin Phoniex’s Joker is a version that takes place before he fully becomes The Joker. It is story about a man who is suffering from severe mental health illness transforming into becoming The Joker.

The movie starts with him putting on his clown make up (because he is employed in the clown business) and he subtly tears down on one cheek with somber sorrow music playing on the background. Almost immediately you will be drowning down towards his sorrow and pain.

Throughout the film, it continues to explore the pain of this man as he must deal with his mental health issues and how the society treats him or maybe how the society ignores him. The movie is set on a backdrop where Gotham is starting to be pollute with garbage as the garbage collecting society are on a strike. As the Gotham is being taken over by the filthy garbage, so is it is society being taken over by people with who are losing their moral compass.

Stuck in between this transition in Gotham is the Joker. As the society starts to behave more uncivilized, barbaric and less human, it pushes this man who in on the brink of depression and delusion into fully becoming The Joker.

The strength of the movie lies in how Todd Phillips captures and shows us the transition of Arthur Fleck into becoming The Joker. He shows takes us into the mind of The Joker inflict the pain he is going through onto us.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie is the scene where The Joker tells his mental health therapist that how she never listens to him and all he has is negative thoughts and another scene which reveals the relationship that he has with a woman who is his neighbor.

The movie is 2 hours long and although the movie is set on a slow pace, Todd Phillips takes his time to let us live through The Joker’s mind and allows us to experience his pain and transition into becoming The Joker.

If you didn’t hear terms like Gotham, Joker or Wayne, it is so easy to believe that this story could happen to anyone around us and not something that occurs in a superhero universe. 

That is why, Joker is the most human & realistic film to ever take place in a superhero universe.