Yeee-Haww! Knight Hopper New iPhone Game App!

So who’s feeling a bit Horsey now? Or who wants to become a Knight overnight? Or who’s in a mood for some mind-crunching chess?
Anyway and anywho, we have to give a new shout-out to a new thingie created by our very own…drum-rollll…Ramesh Mourthy…ta-daaa…for creating, designing and releasing his new iPhone/iPad Game App called the ‘Knight Hopper’. So if you are wondering what in the name of heaven IS this, hop no further, coz you can hop all you want when you play the game.
Yes ladyies and gentilmen, Knight Hopper is a new game from the Accessible Horizon stable that can put your mind to the test. It’s now available all over the world for download, upload, overload, whatever. Dare to ride the horse and get your Knighthood by playing Knight Hopper! And dare your other friends/gaming-geeks to join in on the fun by sharing this with abandon.
Here’s the link: http://goo.gl/i4KAh
GAME DESCRIPTION
So you think you know to play chess? THINK AGAIN... Knight Hopper's challenge is to cover all the squares with the knight, without landing on any square twice. The knight must visit each square exactly once and in accordance with the chess rules.
Chief Architect/Master Geek – Ramesh Mourthy (the guy who gives the Geeky touch to team Acchor)
Design Director/Photoshop Wiz – Earthling (yeah, yeah the pseudonymous artist whose work is at display in Auroville)
Stable Assistants/Cutting & Otting – Raghu and Dass(who did all the menial labor for the above 2…GRRR)
And folks, do Rate and give your feedback about the game at the iTunes store - Knight Hopper.

Vijay Simha's Tehelka Column - What Indians politically do wrong

While not sure about every aspect, still felt this is something we should rethink about. The thing is, we do know all this but what actually prevents us from doing what is right?

	PAMPER DYNASTIES  Blinded by powerful families, we vote for them continually though our conscience must say no.
	DON’T REWARD FIGHTERS  The CPI(ML) has been seeking a clean Bihar for years. They don’t get more than a handful of seats.
	IGNORE WORTHY NOMINEES  Manmohan Singh lost by 29,999 votes in the 1999 South Delhi Lok Sabha election. Hasn’t contested since.
	DON’T CHANGE VOTING HABITS  Grandfathers voted for Indira. We vote for Sonia and Rahul. The world has changed in between.
	GIVE UNDUE CREDIT  The Congress didn’t do CNG in Delhi. The Supreme Court did.
	DON’T STAND AS ONE  Thirty-seven parties in the Lok Sabha and 29 in the Rajya Sabha. Can get crazy, like in Jharkhand.
	ARE LETHARGIC  Can’t step out, for causes or for voting. So, we minimise who we are.
	DON’T THINK  The BJP in Gujarat after 2002. The Left for 33 years in West Bengal. Chamling since 1994 in Sikkim.
	CHOOSE PERSONALITIES, NOT POLICIES  Amitabh. Dharmendra. Azharuddin. Jayaprada. Not liberalisation, Article 370, RTI, women’s reservation.
	ACCEPT BRIBES Liquor. Money. Land. Jobs. And sundry other favours. We are fine with it. They are fine with it.

Daayen ya Baayen - Trailer of Indian Indie film

Just wanted to spread the word about the film 'Daayen Ya Baayen' directed by Bela Negi, an FTII Pune graduate. Supporting this for the spirit of Indie film in India.

That Subtle Essence!

"Bring me a fruit of that Banyan Tree."
"Here it is, venerable Sir."
"Break it."
"It is broken, venerable Sir."
"What do you see there?"
"These seeds, exceedingly small."
"Break one of these, my son."
"It is broken, venerable Sir."
"What do you see there?"
"Nothing at all, venerable Sir."
The father said: :That subtle essence, my dear, which you do not perceive there - from that very essence this great Banyan arises. Believe me, my dear, Now, that which is the sublte essence - in it all that exists has its self. That is the True. That is the Self. Thou art that, Svetaketu.
- The Chhandogya Upanishad, Chapter 12.

Evano Oruvan - A Tamil Indie film's Commercial viability

First of all, this is not a movie review although I'll write a little about the film itself as part of the film watching experience. Surprising and intriguing - are the words that best describe what I felt. Being an indie film fanatic myself, I couldn't bear some reactions to 'Evano Oruvan'. Context: Matinee show of the film in Pondicherry, 3rd day from release. Tons of people arrived at the almost 1000-seated theater, say about 95% of the seats had butts in them. Multiple reasons for the crowd - Sunday afternoon, Madhavan starrer, etc.
Personally, I went because the director Nishikant Kamat is a friend of mine whom I had met at Los Angeles at IFFLA when our film 'Men of Burden - Pedaling Towards a Horizon' had its world premiere in April 2006. And also because I had seen the Marathi version of the film(Dombivli Fast) which had garnered several international awards and wanted to see how the Tamil version had shaped up.
The film was pretty much the same in terms of its delivery like its Marathi version but I felt it a little lacking in the narrative and the dialogue was a little less audible with the other dominating sounds. (btw, Sangeetha's hot as hell) One of the thoughts that struck me was the reaction of the regular Tamil-movie-going population that made me think as the movie went along. For the fact that it was a break from the regular song-and-dance movie, I wanted the people to love the film because I personally believe in the power of the indie film to make one think as opposed to the factory churned movies by the Tamil/Hindi film industry. I wanted the indie filmmaker to succeed commercially, so bad. Every scene I wanted people to sit back quietly and listen to the dialogue and think, and look at the lighting and enjoy the subtleties of the scene and the composition. Those things never happened.
But most of my expectations were shattered when many in the audience were jeering at the 'monotony' of the film. People were talking on cell phones, letting their phones ring, not paying attention to the meaning of the film, some even chatting and shouting that they were gonna get out, because there were no songs and fights and 'slow-mo' intros of the hero. For a few moments, I was irritated at their indifference to such a film but what could I do, the minority that I am, in the world where people go to the movies to fulfill their escapist fantasies. So I'm still wondering what is the world that I am living in, that is, with my sensibilities as an indie filmmaker and supporter with international cinema as my study guide...I'm left thinking where is that balance between art and commercial cinema. Ahh, the cliched question.
And this, especially at a stage where I'm leaning towards commercial viability but still can't tear away from the indie scene. It's a tough road to be on.

Yali - The Mythical Protector

If you have ever been to temples in South India, you might have bumped into(even literally) this magnificent creature of Indian mythology. The Yali, the lesser known protector of the Gods and the temples that house them. Even me, in spite of my countless visits to temples since birth, have never really paid attention to this mythical creation, that adorns almost every pillar, roof and corners of the fantastical world of temple architecture - an integral part of Hindu sculptural antiquity. They say the Yali protects the temples, roaming the rock confines of darkness and light. Although they look it, they are neither the Lion nor the Elephant - a potent combination of the two, the invincible dual-soul that makes the spine of every human tremble. The eerie-ness of its appearance can itself fascinate and shake your inner soul.

Yali (pronounced yaali) Tamil: யாளி is a mythical creature seen in many Hindu temples. These are also known as Vyalam or Sarabham, in Sanskrit. Yalis are often sculpted on the pillars of Hindu temples. Yali is a mythical lion, and it has been widely used in south Indian sculpture. Description and references to yalis is very old, but its depiction in the south Indian sculpture became prominent from the 16th century. Yalis are believed to be more powerful than the lion or the elephant.

These shots of the Yali were taken at the Aayiram Kaal Mandapam(The Thousand Pillar Hall) at the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, which was a frontrunner in the election for the modern seven wonders of the world for its architectural importance. By the way, in spite of its significance and wondrous appearance, the Hall has not been maintained by the authorities very well. Dusty sculptures and cobwebs galore. Damn the *&%king bureaucracy (partial source - wiki).

Wait No More - New but Old Short Film

Well, in spite of the film's theme, we've waited too long to put this up on Youtube. But never mind. This is a short film that we shot towards the end of 2006(actually around the end of October) and finished it too. It didn't really make the festival circuit but it's kind of a little pet project just for kicks.
The lead actress is Ragini Parmar who I'm sure you'd admit is a little too cute. She was tireless in her efforts, we made her walk like a million times across the streets. The peanut peddler is Patrick Fernicola who kinda fit the role like a lock and key. We shot the film in one day from 5:30 a.m till 4:30p.m in Hoboken. It was freakin' cold. Cute little city(for non-north-east folks) along the Hudson, kinda a substitute for NYC I must say, at least for this theme.
Enjoy!
Logline
Wait no more is about you and your psyche and how your "worldly self" ignores the simple intentions of the "self within". If you don't take chances with the self within, what would be at stake? Your raison d'etre or life itself?

Wings of Evolution - Post-Film Screening

Wow, this has gotta be the longest break in our blog. Surprising none of us had the time and energy or even the slightest inclination of writing something.
But hey, here it is finally, after our screening at the South Asian International Film Festival 2007.
"Wings of Evolution" screened on October 6th, 2006 at 2:30p.m at the Rubin Museum of Art, NYC. Before the screening we had a filmmakers lunch at Rialto's, NYC - just a networking event I'd say. Nothing extraordinary but we met a few of the directors/producers who were mostly from other states. We also met filmmakers from the Pune film institute.
Anyway, as for the screening itself, we were standing outside the theater and till about 2:20p.m or so, we hardly had people coming in. Just 1 or 2. But by 2:30, the theater had about 35-40 people were sitting in. Not a bad number I'd say but not the best either.
Many of our friends, that is, some of you readers - didn't or couldn't turn up because of excuses, excuses - and we are supposed to understand. Hmmphh!
Ok anyways, we got some good response/feedback from the audience. Also, some suggestions as to what could be done to improve. We have someone who's interested in showing the film to a school audience in NY. So we are working on it. Hopefully sometime early next year.
The above is a pic of the post-screening discussion moderated by Richa from the SAIFF staff.
Alright then, will get back on the other sundry news soon. Watch out!

Wings of Evolution - World Premiere

Hi folks,
As some of you may know, Wings of Evolution is World Premiering at the South Asian International Film Festival 2007 on October 6th, 2007, which is a Saturday at 2:30 p.m under the Doc'Film Series 3. Do try to attend the screening and let us know what your thoughts are.

Just a little information about the production and the team.
This is the second feature-length documentary project by the Accessible Horizon Films team, the first one being Men of Burden - Pedaling Towards a Horizon. The film was finished in June 2007 and has just started going the festival route. This is way different from Men of Burden, not only in terms of theme, but also in style and tone - primarily focusing on children and the educational system in India and even focuses on global culture and understanding.
Directed by Ramesh Mourthy & Raghu Jeganathan, Edited by Kousalya Jeganathan and Mohandass Radhakrishnan, Produced under the Accessible Horizon Films banner with excellent music by Composer Srikanth Devarajan of Studio 1234, the film has come a long way from production in Dec.2006. Check out for more updates soon.