Being Leela Abraham

*CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD*

Passive-abusive relationship is what Mani Ratnam penned down for Katru Veliyidai, but unfortunately never decided to show things from Leela's perspective. Leela Abraham, the character played by Aditi Rao Hydari is the sad reality many women live in.

Meeting a guy like VC (Karthi) who looks ideal from a distance but actually a perfectly flawed human who is ruled by male chauvinism and a huge ego trip. VC eventually repented is what the movie showed, but did he really or was it all a lip service, nobody knows.

Leela was portrayed to be a strong educated woman, in a romantic yet destructive relationship, but never really did much to fight it back. There was even a scene where she said that she's been treated as a "pet dog" but later portrayed as a trophy girlfriend when VC mentions that the boys must buy him a single malt because she comes back with him.

When these two polar opposites fall in love, as a viewer I loved and hated both of them for who they were. Especially Leela. How can you love a guy who forgets your marriage registration, especially when he plans it?! Well, it's obvious that VC fell for Leela's beauty and thrilled her heart, by being a strong experienced man and a daredevil, he caught the naive girl's attention with grand gestures, like sending her videos and bringing her across Himalayas.

To those out there who are thinking that this is just a movie, put aside the Kagil War, their relationship isn't all fantasy. It's the reality we live in. We've all seen a VC in our lives, who still completely disagree with woman having her independent thoughts. "Dude, how can Hillary Clinton run the country?" Let's not pretend this is something new, shall we?

The funny thing is, there are many women out there who succumb to such toxic relationships thinking this is "love"; like what Dr Nidhi (Leela's friend) said. Women out there are supposed to know that it's not okay to be unaware of your place in a relationship, regardless with whom it is; especially with your loved ones.

My heart cried when Leela didn't fight back every single time VC shouted "shut up", and when VC said he will love her more than she will no matter what. In the movie maybe it's true, but I have seen this with my own eyes, and guess what, that's not the case. VC thinks Leela is important, VC thinks he loves her but what Nidhi said is truest thing in the script. VC only loves himself and all the VCs out there only love themselves.

It all falls back to Leela's naivety, that giving in to the male's ego is probably what she has been taught to do, all her life. Her father Prakash Abraham, for an example, so much ego, and when he said he doesn't want VC there in the funeral, the wife followed his order, no questions asked. In reality,  look around; we are all living in an undeniable patriarchal society, when men is the default leader of a family, or any relationships. Maybe that's what got Leela pregnant. And maybe the logic is what led to so many pregnancies out of wedlock around us today.

                                     

Leela, a woman who wanted to stand for herself but didn't know how to in front of the man she loves. And this, for me did not make a feel good movie. In fact it humanized the devil that lives inside a man and made it seem "ok", but girls, please know that it's not okay for a man to treat you like a rubbish, anytime.

Neither Leela nor VC was perfect, so don't be a Leela or a VC. If you think that a relationship is what gonna change you for the better, don't do it.  And if you're in a relationship like VC and Leela, end the toxic right away and move on with your life. It might hurt now, but one day you'll not care anymore. Don't worry, you'll get there. And trust me, when you find your soulmate, all of these will be a fruitful lesson to carry, and you wouldn't take what you have for granted

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Oru Deivam Thantha Athisiyam: Part 3 The Finale

CLICK BELOW TO READ PART 1

PART 1

CLICK BELOW TO READ PART 2

PART 2

The call gave me a shocked. It just turned my whole day upside down in a split second. One moment I was reminiscing beautiful memories from my childhood and here am I now rushing to the hospital to see my loved one.

A lot of things were running through my mind and it wasn't pleasant thoughts. With my thoughts distracted, I was still driving fast with the hazard signal switch on my car. I have to admit, driving with your mind distracted is such a dangerous thing to do. I could have landed in an accident easily because my thoughts wasn't on the road but what was happening on the road.

I reached the hospital within 15 minutes, which usually would have taken me 25 minutes. I parked my car at first sight of a parking and dashed to the emergency section to speak to the nurse on call. Just before I could speak to the nurse, I heard a voice saying "Sanjay over here. Come here quick."

It was my dad's voice. He was there already in the hospital before I reached and seeing him gave me a great sense of strength, knowing he is going to be by my side during this tough time. "What happened pa? Is she okey? Can I see her?  Tell me what's going on." I kept asking questions anxiously.

"Calm down Sanjay. She is in the operation theater. Follow me I'll bring you there. I need you to stay positive Sanjay. Everything is going to be okey." said Appa. I followed him to the waiting area near the operation theater.

"Pa, how did it happened? Is Priya okey?" I asked Appa. "Her water bag broke Sanjay. We were watching TV in the hall and then we woke up to go the dining table to have lunch. Suddenly she was in distress and her water bag broke. We panic and drove her immediately to the hospital." said Appa

"We brought her to the emergency ward and Dr. Aziz was here today. He brought her straight to the operation theater. Got to wait for Dr. Aziz to know what is happening. I'll inform his nurse that you are here." said Appa.

Priya and I have now been married for 3 years and we are now expecting our first born. Priya is someone who is so bubbly and lively and it is so hard for me to see her in pain now. It breaks my heart to know she is in pain and I am helpless about it.

As I entered the waiting area, my mum came and hugged me. Clearly she was worried about her daughter in law. I had to calm my mother down while trying to compose myself. After 15 minutes of anxiously waiting, a nurse came out from the operation theater.

"Congratulations Mr. Sanjay, you are now a father for a beautiful baby girl. Although she was born one week before due but she weighs fine and is healthy. Congratulations Mr. Sanjay." said the nurse. "Thank you, thank you so much. How is my wife doing? Can I see her?" I asked.

"Mr. Sanjay, I'm afraid I can't let you in. Your wife started bleeding after giving birth and Dr. Aziz is trying to stop that. We will let you in once we managed the situation. I am sorry sir but you'll need to wait. In the meantime once we have cleaned the baby up, you can visit her." said the nurse.

All my joy disappeared in a split second. From celebrating the birth of my daughter, my whole mood changed towards worrying for my wife. "It is ok nurse. I will wait for my wife first." I said. I didn't know how to feel at that point. To be happy for my first born or to be worried of my wife. I was devastated. Seconds felt like hours as I waiting to hear about my wife.

During the whole time my dad was trying to console me but I could hardly listen to him as my mind seemed to have blanked out. "I want to see you again Priya. I want to tell you how much I love you. We promise to never leave each other so stop scaring me Priya. Our daughter is waiting for us. I need you Priya." were some of things running through my mind during this ordeal.

After what felt like years of waiting, finally Dr. Aziz came out. "Mr. Sanjay, you wife is alright now. She started to bleed after giving birth. An artery of hers gave way during the delivery process and she started to lose blood. We were able to find the artery and stitch her up before it could get worse. She is unconscious at the moment because she lost a lot of blood but don't worry she is going to be fine. Congratulations on being a father." said Dr Aziz.

"Thank you Dr! Thanks for everything!" I said while embracing him with a hug. With that I breathe a sigh of relief. Finally I could be truly happy that I have been a father now. I hugged my parents and there was tears of joy in both mine and my mum's eyes.

"Let's go see the baby" said Amma. "You guys go ahead first. I am going to wait for Priya to wake up and then we will both see the baby together. You go first ma with Appa." I told her. "Sayang you go first, I'll join you in a bit." said Appa to Amma.

"Sanjay, I wanted to talk to you a bit and I think now is the best moment." Appa said. "Sure pa what is it?" I asked. "Sanjay, being a father is going to change your life and it is for the better. You have been a wonderful son to us and a husband to Priya. Now it's time you step up and be an amazing father to your daughter." said Appa.

"Be there for her Sanjay. It is a dog eating dog world now. She is going to need you to be her strength and support. Raise her well Sanjay and inspire her to be a wonderful person like how you are, she is going to need the both of you more than you think. Be the best kind of parents there can be. I know you guys would be, I just felt like telling you. She is the jewel of your like. Your daughter is god's given miracle to you and be the same for her." said Appa.

"Sure pa, we will do all we can to raise her well. Thanks pa. You go ahead and see her first. I'll go wait by Priya's side." I said. With that Appa left me to go see his granddaughter while I entered the ward where Priya is now resting.

There was Priya, looking as beautiful as ever although she was unconscious. This is the lady I fell crazily in love with and seeing what she has gone through today made me love her more than I thought I could. I kissed her forehead and held her hands while sitting beside her.

While waiting for her to regain conscious. I could hear Amma saying, my daughter has Priya's eyes and she looks so beautiful. I was so eager to see my daughter but I want to do it with Priya. By that time many of our relatives had come to visit the baby and Priya and they all kept saying the same thing that she has Priya's eyes.

After sometime, Priya seem to move a little and gained conscious. The first thing she did when she opened her eyes was to smile at me God that was the smile I fell in love years ago and I am still crazy over. I gave her a kiss and told her that we are now parents to a baby girl. She told me she wanted to see our daughter and thus I informed the nurse to bring our daughter to us.

The nurse brought her and laid her on Priya's arm. There she was, my first born, my daughter. I never thought something so small could be so amazing. Priya was overwhelmed with emotions as she started to tear looking at our daughter. I embraced her and sat beside Priya as we continued admiring our daughter.

"Priya, they were right. She has your eyes. My god she is so beautiful Priya. I love you both so much." I said. "Haha, yeah she has my eyes. I can't believe it Sanjay. I am a mother now. We did it Sanjay. Have you thought of a name for her yet?" she asked.

I smiled. "I know that smile Sanjay. You have a name figured out right?" she asked. "Yes ma, I want to name her Janani. Janani Pandian to be exact. What do you think?" I asked. "Hmm, Janani, it sounds really beautiful. She surely does look like a Janani." said Priya.

"You rest first Priya, let me take her back to the nurse. Amma and Appa is waiting to see you as well. Shall I send them in now or later?" I asked. "Send them in pa, they must be worried about me. Ask them to come in." said Priya.

I went and call my parents in to see Priya and proceeded to take Janani back to the nurse. While bring to the nurse, I looked into my little princess eye and said, "Janani baby, I want to promise you one thing. I would do all I can to be the best father for you. I want to be the type of father like how my father was to me. If I can be half the men he was, I would make a very a good father to you Janani. This is my promise to you." I said to Janani.

*THE END*
Dedicated to my father, Mr. Soundara Pandian & all super fathers out there

Under The Spotlight: Kaatru Veliyidai

A Mani Ratnam film will almost naturally create a huge buzz among movie lovers. Such is the class he has created in his past films. Mani Ratnam is an inspiration to me, thus I get super excited knowing a film of his is being released. Kaatru Veliyidai has created huge exceptions through its trailer and song tracks and I am so eager to break this film down through my lenses.

Story Review

The trailer and songs pretty much exposes the feel off the movie. A love story with the hero trapped at enemy lines and seeking to escape. My first impression from the trailer was that this film looks like an extension or in the same lines of Roja. Well I was so wrong, it isn't anything like Roja.

The story in essence is quite simple. The film starts of with showing that the hero, who is an air force fighter, getting trapped at enemy lines. He is tortured and imprisoned there. A couple of things keeps the hero's hope of freedom up with the main reason being his love for the heroine

From this point the film moves between a series of flashback scenes showing how hero meets heroine and their love story and how he tries to escape being a war prisoner and find his way back to India.

Although the story flow may sound simple but where the story wins is the characterization of the hero and heroine. The hero is shown to be a self-obsessed, passionate lover who is filled with aggression. The heroine on the other is shown to be a loving, caring with strong self-esteem and a hint of being a feminist. As you can see they are two polar characters and by them coming together it can be destructive.

With the flashback scenes filled with how they fall in love and what happens when you make two different characters become a love couple, the present scene shows how the heroine is his pillar of strength and the drive to see her is what keeps him going to his eventual escape.

The weird part of the film is that as much as you know this two people shouldn't be together as a couple, you will still end up rooting for them to be together. That's the story's beauty in my opinion. This film shows you how beautiful love is all about although at times it makes you do things which makes no sense at all

Rating: 3.4/5.0

Director Review

Mani Ratnam

There is a reason why this genius is called "The Guru". He took a very simple story and made it into such a beautiful piece of art. The film is filled with Mani Ratnam's trademark in almost every frame.

My first credit to him will be his character design. The way he created his hero is someone who you can easily hate but you would love him at the same. So much complexity into the film and he had it flow well with his story.

Meanwhile when comes to designing the heroine, Mani Ratnam is one of the best person in that area. The way he portrays the ladies in his film is an absolute grace. I loved the way how he brought in a taste of feminism into his heroine although the film was shot in a timeline of 1999 when feminism wasn't a big movement yet.

Second and the biggest credit is the way he got Ravi Varman (cinematographer) to shot each and every scene. Every frame of the film was like a piece of art. The scene which took my breathe away is the scene where Varun opens his eyes for the first time after recovering from the opening accident in the hospital.

They shot Leela presence and emotions by capturing the reflections thorugh Varun's eyes. Such detailing and beauty. Top notch work. Throughout the film there are many scenes which was shot by capturing the actor's performance through mirror reflections. A true Mani Ratnam landmark. I can go on and on picking out details of Mani Ratnam's work and praising him because he is such class.

Finally, the dialogues and one liner in the film were simply amazing. The dialogue at the tango dance was a real stand out and the scene where the hero says that he will love her even if she doesn't love him was my favorite moments.

One disappointment would be that the scene where the hero shouts "Kaatru Veliyidai Kannamma!!!" seems to have been omitted out or maybe I just didn't realize it In a nutshell, it is his directing execution which elevates a simple love story into a brilliant art. Thank you Mani Ratnam for this. You will always be my inspiration.

Rating: 4.7/5.0  

The Cast

Karthi

I've always rated Karthi highly. His performance in his first couple of film was top class (Paruthiveeran and Aayirathil Oruvan) but after that his movie selection was so poor bar Madras, so much so he started to look nothing more than an average actor in the industry.

Joining hands with Mani Ratnam is perhaps the best career decision Karthi would have ever made. The performance in this film will spawn new opportunities for him and I hope he makes the right pick.

Coming down to his performance in this film, Karthi plays the role of Varun or better known as VC who is an air force pilot. Having trained much to be an air force pilot where his job is to kill people, that has embedded an aggressive trait in him which leads him to have anger issues and emotional outburst. He decides with his heart and not his mind.

At the same time he is shown to be madly in love with his heroine. He is also shown to be someone very obsessed about himself and thinks about the gains for him. Not the type of guy you would love in real life yet there is something about the character which you can't hate him in the film.


During his imprisonment, a sense of maturity grows in him and begins to realize the value of his heroine. Karthi plays the role with so much conviction and the output was good. He has done his homework to understand how a fighter pilot carries themselves as performance it well.

The one down side from his performance when he tries to emote with his eyes. There a couple of scenes where he looks deeply into his heroine eyes with his eyes wide open. What was meant to be shown as him being crazily in love, kinda felt a little scary in my opinion. Felt he should have emoted better with his eyes.

 Rating: 4.0/5.0

Aditi Rao Hydari

It wasn't only love at first sight for Varun, but it was for me too. The opening scene in the train with Aditi peeking out would just take your heart away.

Aditi plays the role of Dr. Leela Abraham, a young, caring and loving doctor.

She is just the total opposite of Varun. She is a believer of fate and destiny while he believes that he makes his own luck. My favorite trait of her is that she has a sense of feminism and a self-worth. There is almost no logical reason why she chooses to be with Varun either than it is true love. The internal complexity of her character was so well written by the director and brilliantly brought to screen by Aditi.

The way she looks at Varun while being in love with him will make you wish your girlfriend will look at you the same way. So much grace and elegance. My favorite scene which feature her is the scene when she flies over the Himalayas with Varun. Just take a moment to note the way she looks at him and how she emotes. You will fall in love with Dr. Leela Abraham.

 

 Rating: 4.0/5.0

R.J. Balaji & Rukumani Vijayakumar

The film has been so beautiful crafted with the lead characters so much so it doesn't really need any addition character, yet from the balance of the cast, this two people are worthy of a mention.

Prior to this film, I could never understand why any director would cast R.J. Balaji in a film. All he does is talks fast, makes witty jokes while other people are talking seriously. Every other director saw that R.J. Balaji could only do this but not Mani Ratnam. He made an actor out a guy who previously can never act anything other than a comical role. Here he does makes a couple of jokes, but very subtly and sometimes he wins the audience by just the way his eyes reacts in a scene.

Rukumani on the other has always proved that she in an amazing dancer and that talent of was very well used in this film. She does play a pivotal role as Dr. Leela Abraham's friend. Absolute love the scene how she explains to R.J. Balaji the love cycle among the characters. Love the way how smoothly she says she has a crush on him

 Rating: 3.0/5.0

The Music

A.R. Rahman

I call this legend as god's favorite musician and he keeps on proving me right. To make a love story become a success you need 3 key elements which is the way the film is shot, the performance of the cast and the original score of the film.

A.R. Rahman's score in the film during scenes lifts the film to a whole new class. If you realize nearly almost every scene you will hear a hint of music going on while the characters are speaking in a scene. Music gives live to a film and in this film, perhaps music is the heartbeat of the film

The song speaks for itself with all the songs being an absolute class. Loved the way how he paces up and down a song and uses it as a score during the scenes. The man is indeed a gift from god.

 Rating: 5.0/5.0

Final Verdict: A simple yet beautiful piece of art

Final Rating: 4.0/5.0

Under The Spot Light: Kavan

A KV Anand movie never fails to catch my attention every time. Thus it was natural for me to be excited to watch Kavan in cinema on it is opening weekend. Coming back after 2 year gap, my expectations on KV Anand was indeed high especially after knowing that he has team up with Vijay Sethupathi, who is one of the best actors in town. Despite the fact the film has T.Rajendar (TR) in it I still choose to see the film on its opening weekend

Story Review

When I first watch the trailer, the first impression that was formed is that Kavan looks more like an extension of KO or an alternate form of KO mainly due to the theme of both film which was based on media. 

If KO showed how media can be used to do right for the people, Kavan shows how it can be used wrongly. The flow of the story is simple in its essence whereby it revolves around the hero who hails from a media and journalism background who has his moral and values and follows by it strongly. He works for a corporate news channels who does everything against his believes thus he leaves the organisation. Upon leaving, he finds a news channel which allows him to work on his ideologies and uses that to bring down the corporate news channel he previously work.

Although the story has no real magic to but the way KV Anand treated the film and Vijay Sethupathi performed made the film a value for its money. The story seems to have too many elements going on in which made the film a little draggy.

The love story between Vijay Sethupathi and Madonna, the rape of Kalpana, the chemical factory element, the connection between the politician and the corporate news channel and a few more to name the very least. KV Anand had try to pack in so many elements and dragged the film in a 2 1/2 hour film when it could have so easily trimmed into maybe a 1 3/4 hours or 2 hours film.

One scene which particularly didn't make sense to me was that at the end it was showed that Jagan and the rest took up the Zen One TV offer to "undercover agents" for Vijay Sethupathi and T.Rajendar yet in earlier scenes I don't get it why must KV Anand show that Vijay Sethupathi and T.Rajendar to be so heart broken and betrayed that these guys decided to move when it was their plan all the while. Could have easily cut off the whole scene or treated it so much differently with a one liner.

It the film there was one dialogue which Vijay Sethupathi will utter to the character Kalyan whereby he tells him that he should stop taking the audience to be dumb or something in those nature, but sadly KV Anand took his audience to be dumb in this film by showing how extreme  the media can be used in a negative way which did not seem believable to me.

The whole sing/dance show seems so exaggerated and the whole climax scene which was staged by Zen One TV seems so overly done. Your hero told not to take the audience for granted but KV Anand you did take your audience for granted.

Despite a couple of loopholes here and there, Kavan has a story which is very much worthy a watch mainly for Vijay Sethupathi and Madonna's performance and the music

Rating: 3.0/5.0

Director Review

KV Anand

The one thing I love about KV Anand is that how well he blends in an underlying theme/message in a commercial film. In a time that 90% of commercial films are rubbish, KV Anand's commercial film are something that is surely worth a watch.

In Kavan, he picked to show the negative side of media and has clearly done his research in that area and infused it to his film. I really enjoyed him referencing the US-Iraq invasion to journalism and media.

Being a top cinematographer in the industry before moving into directing, there is no doubt that this film's cinematography work was top notch. I truly enjoyed the climax fight scene and the way he shoot it in a slower speed yet kept the audience engaged with a quick beat bgm.

Throughout the film, the camera work was a real stand out point and credit goes to the cinematographer and KV Anand himself.

On the down side I felt he could have done so much better with his casting and the utilization of them. Pandiarajan and Nasser was tremendously under used while only god knows why he choose the guy who played Kalyan and T.Rajendar.


Also I felt he could have tried to add more clarity in the dubbing of the scene when Vijay Sethupathi interviews the politician. There is a couple of shouting and noisy scenes where the dubbing wasn't so clear and it was a bit hard to understand what was being said

Despite a couple of attention to detail flawless, KV Anand has done some amazing work in the film which makes it a worthy watch. 

Rating: 3.1/5.0  

The Cast

Vijay Sethupathi 

Vijay Sethupathi steals the show from start to end without a shadow of a doubt. It is his performance which made an ordinary film a worthy watch. It was very encouraging to see him spot a different look in the first part of the film although it didn't suit him yet he was brave to try things out of his comfort zone.

He plays a passionate media youth with so much energy and rawness. He is out of the best actors to emote out with his body language and voice. Absolutely loved the scene when he convinces Kalpana to speak about what happened to her in the hospital.

His area of improvement would be his command of the English language. He seemed to speak wrongly a couple of times in the film although it is not too noticeable. Considering the fact the character he plays here is a collage graduate and a strong potential, I feel he needed to be better in his English. Watch the movie trailer and you would be able to spot why I said so.

 Rating: 3.7/5.0

Madonna Sebastian

 
This is the first time I am watching a Madonna Sebastian film and I am already a fan of her. I think she was tremendous in her role. She was so beautiful and elegant with so much maturity and clarity. Credit to KV Anand on designing a wonderful character and picking her.

Loved her rawness and attitude in the film. She seemed to perform the role with so much ease and grace. She is indeed a star in the making or maybe she is already a star. The scene which she performs with Vijay Sethupathi in the wash room was top class. If only she had a little more screen time and dialogues I think the character Malar would have a lasting impact in the audience.

 Rating: 4.0/5.0

T.Rajendar & Akashdeep Saigal

Why would anyone even cast T.Rajendar is beyond my logical thinking. It was clear that by casting T.Rajendar, KV Anand has to infuse the horrible TR rhyming dialogues in to his film. Why KV sir why? I have so much of respect for your work but how did you even think of casting him into your film. Were you trying to play him off for a comic response from the audience?

It was so painful to hear all those TR dialogues over and over again and the quality of his acting was so low below par to the point even Jagan does a better job than him. A point which can be said in one line, now needs 10 lines of TR crap because he is saying it. KV sir you could have easily saved 10-15 minutes of screen time if you replaced TR with any other actor in the world.



Moving on to Akashdeep Saigal. I doubt many would even know this name. He is the guy who plays Kalyan. Yes he is the same guy who acted in Ayan and no, KV Anand doesn't seem to learn from his mistake in casting him in Ayan.

We live in a time where we have almost 0 quality villains so much so that someone like this is qualified to be a villain. If you told Raghuvaran that this is a commercial film villain, he might just wake up from his graveyard, just to get a heart attack and die again. From villains like Raghuvaran and Prakash Raj, we are now left to watch this kind of people being villain.

He makes a better Sunsilk model then a villain. The guy can't act for heaven sake and his body seems to go into shock and vibration every time he tried to deliver a dialogue. Please make this his last film, I can't bear to watch him anymore on screen.

 Rating: 1.5/5.0

The Music

Hip Hop Tamizha

One of the biggest plus of the film is the songs and the sounds throughout the film. I loved the way he fused in a fast beat bgm for a slow motion climax fight scene. This guy has bags of talents and is without a doubt one of the budding talent in the industry.

Working with KV Anand is indeed a big break for him and he delivered with a very good album and I really hope he gets an opportunity to work with bigger directors and films.

The song "Theeratha Vilayatu Pillai" was the main highlight in the film where he blended in 3 different styles of music into one song and it was so catchy. Excellent work

 Rating: 3.7/5.0

Final Verdict: Kavan is a downgrade alternative of KO

Final Rating: 3.1/5.0

Oru Deivam Thantha Athisiyam: Part 2

Click Here To Read Part 1

The shop was a ten minute drive away from the park we were at just now. It was half past three in the afternoon and the sun was blazing hot today. I had to take off the black suit I was using from the talk and fold up my red shirt sleeves up to my elbow.

Sindhu on the other hand was dressed to suit any Malaysian weather. With her pink t-shirt and black jeans, she seemed to be at ease let the weather be sunny or rainy. As we walked towards the shop and took our seat, a familiar voice was heard greeting us.

"Thambhi, long time never see you. How's everyone at home?" greeted Manickam Anne in Tamil. "Hi Anne, everyone is good. How are you? Nice seeing you around Anne." I replied in Tamil. "I am good yar. Business is going well and that's enough for me. So will it be the usual for you Thambi" asked Manickam Anne in Tamil.

"Yes Anne." I said. "How about our new friend here, what would you like to have ma?" asked Manickam Anne towards Sindhu. "Erm, I will one roti canai and plain water, thank you." said Sindhu.

"Looks like you must be a regular here. The Anne seems to know you very well sir." said Sindhu. "Haha, I have been coming to this shop since an age which I can't even remember. This is used to be our favourite breakfast spot. I mean dad and me. That's how this Anne knows me very well and Sindhu, just call me Sanjay. You don't have to use sir and all." I said

With that being said, our food arrived as well. The usual for me is two roti telur soaked in fish curry and a glass of hot tea with less sugar. "Try it Sindhu, and tell me how it is?" I said. Sindhu nodded her head and tore a small piece of her roti canai and dipped it into a bowl of sambar and placed it in her mouth. The moment the roti canai was in her mouth, the magic was starting to work  and she went all smiles.

"Oh my! This is really good stuff. The roti canai is so crispy and the sambar is just wow. I don't think one roti canai is going to be enough for me." she said excitedly. "Told you Sindhu, this places serves it best. Go ahead and order whatever you want." I said. Sindhu proceed by ordering not one but two more roti canai and we indulged in the food like there was no tomorrow.

Ten minutes later, our plates were clean and we were sipping into our hot tea. "So Sindhu, what is it you would like to know next?" I asked. "Yes Sanjay, you choose a career not many people would pick, especially when you are Indian, you are generally pushed into the same three or four career choices. How did you pick something out of the norm?" Asked Sindhu.

"That's a good question Sindhu. I hope the story I am about to share with you would be useful helping your readers and other youngsters in making a career decision. To tell you this story, I would have to take you back through time again to when I was 17 years old." I said.

It was a Sunday and Amma was preparing lunch for us. We always made it a point to make Sunday as family day. Appa would cancel all work plans on Sunday and spend the day together with Amma and myself. 

We would usually have lunch at home and spend the afternoon watching a movie and in the evening go out for some sports. I have to admit having a family day help's strengthens the family bond and it is one of the reason why we were so loving as a family.

I walked in to the kitchen to help Amma with her cooking. Amma had plan to make Sambar, Toufu Sambal, Mixed Vege and Fish Cutlets. I was excited to hear the menu of the day and told Amma I would help her cut the vegetables for the Mixed Vege dish.

As I was washing the vegetables and cutting it up I asked Amma, "Ma, I am going to finish school soon and I am yet to decide what course to pick for my degree." "Okey, well what do you want to do Sanjay." asked Amma. "So, that's the thing ma. I haven't really given it a thought. What do you want me to be ma." I said.

"Haha Sanjay, I shouldn't be telling you what to do, but if you were to ask me I actually want to see you being a doctor. I can just see you being a very good and kind doctor. You like helping people and put the needs of others above yourself. I think you will make a very good doctor. Plus when I was young, I wanted to be a doctor but that didn't come true. Would be nice to see my dreams become a reality through you Sanjay." said Amma with lots of hope in her eyes while I continued cutting the vegetables quietly.

"But then again Sanjay, what matters the most to me is you being happy. Whether you become a doctor or something else, as long you are happy, Amma will be very proud of you." said Amma. "Ok ma, I will think about it." I said. I continued cutting the vegetables and then gave it to her. I stayed at the kitchen to watch Amma cook. She is the best cook I know.

Amma is someone who loves cooking and the kitchen is her world. A different side of her comes out when she cooks. She likes doing a little dance and sings when she cooks. I just love hanging around the kitchen when she does it. 

Appa would join her in her sing and dance but only if they both are alone. I remember there was a time I was sneaking up on thew both in the kitchen. Appa who is usually someone quiet and rigid would turn to this romantic person when they both are alone. 

He will dance along with her in the kitchen and sing with her while help her cook. Watching them being in love is the bar I have set for my married life. They are indeed relationship goals. It was such a beautiful day indeed.

The following week, Appa and I decided to go out for breakfast as Amma joined the neighbor aunties to do marketing. We headed to Manickam Anne's shop for breakfast and I had my usual meal and Appa had the same thing as well.

While we were having our breakfast, Appa asked me a question, "Sanjay, Amma told me you asked her last week about what career you should pick. Have you given a thought about it yet Sanjay?" "I have been thinking about it pa but I am a little confused." I said.

"What are you confused about? Tell me and let me see if I could help you." said Appa. "So when I spoke to Amma, she told me, she wants me to be a doctor. I think I can do that pa. After all I am good with Biology and I like helping people." I said

"Ok that is interesting. Is there anything else in your mind Sanjay." asked Appa. "Yeah but it is going to sound a little stupid. Half of boys told me we should do pharmacy together." I said. "Pharmacy is a good course and some of the work they do are amazing, why you say it is a little stupid?" asked Appa.

"Well pa it is because the reason they gave. They said that in a pharmacy university, it will be mostly girls and there will be fewer guys. That's why they want to do that course." I said while having a little laugh. "Haha okey, boys will be boys. What about your other friends?" asked Appa. 

"Some of them wants to go into engineering while some are considering law and accountancy. That's why I am a little confused. Whether to pick doctor, pharmacy, engineering, law or accountancy." I said sounding confused.

"Sanjay, this is all what other people wants to do or what they want you to do. Not what you want to do Sanjay. Boy, this is your life and it is you who has to make the decisions, let it be big or small. If you are going to rely on others to make decisions for you, then Sanjay you won't go far in life." said Appa.

"Sanjay, first have your end goal in mind. Ask yourself the question of in ten or twenty years where do you see yourself being and by doing what you are going to achieve that and keep you happy. Have the end goal in mind in everything you do Sanjay, that's the key to success." said Appa.

"Find what are you passionate about, what gives you energy and see how you can use your passion to achieve your end goal in mind. That is how you pick your career Sanjay." said Appa to which I nodded.

"Appa, I want to make people happy, I want to help people and make them feel better. That is my goal and that is what makes me happy, by putting a smile on to others. There is something I like doing pa but I don't know if it is the right thing pa." I said

"Go on tell me." said Appa. "I like cooking pa. Whenever you and Amma are away from home, I would cook something up for me and it does taste good. Plus I love to see the happiness Amma gets when she is cooking. I do feel the same when I cook. I want to be a great chef pa. I want to cook tasty dishes for everyone to eat because food brings happiness pa." I said while Appa was listening carefully.

"But I don't want to limit myself to cooking for hotels and restaurants for rich people pa. I want to cook and give the homeless and poor people good, tasty and nutritional food. It can change both mine and their life pa. I would be very happy doing this." I said while anxiously waiting for a response for my dad.

Appa took some time to think about it before saying. "If that gives you happiness and you are passionate about it then go ahead and do it. You can't go wrong on something you are passionate about. Start looking for the best cooking school and let's get you enroll there once you are done with SPM." said Appa 

"Remember one thing Sanjay, your end goal is to provide good food to the poor and homeless. Ten years down the road, I want to see you do this and not forget about it because you got busy or rich. Never forget your purpose in life Sanjay." said Appa. 

"This was where it all happen Sindhu, right at this very shop here is where I made the decision to be a chef when I was 17. I spoke to Appa about it at that table over there." I said to Sindhu today while pointing my finger to the table across.

"With every story Sanjay, my respect for your father keeps growing. Mr. Arun Pandian is a man I am beginning to idolise too. I come from a broken family actually Sanjay. I had an abusive dad when I was growing and my mother was a helpless woman. He never cared about my wellbeing or future. All he cared about was himself and his happiness. That was my impression about fathers and why I am usually very cold to men." said Sindhu with a tear in her eye.

"But meeting you and hearing about Arun Pandian, it really did crush my opinion on men. It is a shame that all the men I have met in myself have been horrible people. Thank you Sanjay for giving me hope again in people. I wished I had a dad like yours" said Sindhu.

My phone started to ring before I could comfort Sindhu. "Sorry Sindhu, I have to take this call." I said. "Hi ma yes. What! When did it happened? Ok ok calm down ma. You guys go to the hospital first. I am out now and I will come immediately. Don't worry ma everything will be ok, I am coming there right away ok ma. Bye." I said panicking while trying to comfort my mum to be calm.

"Is everything ok Sanjay?" asked Sindhu. "I am sorry Sindhu, but can you find your way back home. It is an emergency. I need to go to the hospital right away." I said. "Sure Sanjay, you go first and I will see you another time." said Sindhu. I paid the bill and left immediately to hospital praying for everything to be fine and safe.