Chennai Corner

The Whole Nine Yards
In these days of retail therapy, it's not easy to get eyeball attention if you are in the business of selling silk saris. Shoppers are tired of the Kanjeevarams that they see in every shop andare always on the look out for something that is eye-catching.  Chennai Silksseems to have come up with something that has apparently grabbed the attention of dancer-actress Shobhana anda UK-based mysterious customer "who have made enquiries" about the Rs 40 lakh Kanjeevaram sari that"not only is encrusted with different precious stones including a diamond but has the impression of 11 paintings of Raja Ravi Verma woven intoit". 

The sari was unveiled this week and is attracting crowds at the T'nagar branch of ChennaiSilks. So far the claim to fame of this silk major has been selling expensive saris-- over the past one year alone, they had sold saris costing as much as Rs 1.17 lakhs, Rs 2.60 lakhs and Rs 2.93 lakhseach -- but now they hope to enter the Guinness Book of Records with their latest offering. "The integration of gold with precious stones in the silk not only makes this sari precious but also unique,"they claim. The precious stones include diamond, ruby, emerald, sapphire, pearl, coral,topaz and a cat's eye set in platinum, gold and silver. The sari took 4680 man hours to weave.

So who buys such expensive saris? Usually Tamils from Sri Lanka who have settled in Canada and theUK and also, apparently, some NRIs originally from Tamil Nadu. For some strangereason, despite the razzmatazz surrounding their weddings, there are no clients from the North. "They prefer saris that are lighter,"comes the explanation.

Been There Done That
For T'nagar shoppers gawking at this ornate sari, though, there is a sense of deja vu. Three years ago, they stared in amazement at a sari brought out by Rmkv that was 702 ft long.Something that would have come in handy for Draupadi. But then, a year later,there was an offering from Pothy which was 1276 feet long. Both saris were officially listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Pothys stitched up the recognition by depicting 5000 years of Indianhistory -- 141 oil paintings depicting the time period starting from Harappa and Mohenjadaro to Mahavira and Buddha, Cheras,Cholas, Pandyas, British occupation, up to independence. This sari even had zari motifs representing importantmonuments such as the Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, the Golden temple, and the Brihadeeswara temple.

Rmkv hit back later that year with a 50,000 shade sari which the then reigning heroine Jyothika modelled. This sari which came in a checked pattern andwas made over six months, came relatively cheaper--just Rs 50,000 (one rupee percolour). Something apparently called a pectrophotometer was used so that no colour wasrepeated, although Sethumadhavan of Chennai Silks claims, "Colours were the same and, in fact, the store could not come up with names for some of the colours."

Not to be left behind, Kumarans came up with its gimmicky offering--the 3D sari.Since a computer's help was taken, there were only four weavers. Priced at Rs 12,000, the store sold over 15 of the 40 saris that were produced. And, the store threw in a pair of 3D glasses free to everyone who bought the saris? Why? Soevery time someone appreciated the sari, the wearer could handover the glasses for a better look!

Maddy Goes Green
While a "mass" heartthrob like Vijay makes news for being rapped on the knuckles--and has vowed never to do it again--by controversial union minister for health, Anbumani Ramadoss, after lighting up on screen in his latest filmAzhagiya Tamilmagan, Madhavan aka Maddy hits the headlines for pursuits thatmake the chatterati applaud. If Al Gore can get a Nobel prize for his concernsabout global warming, Maddy sees nolthing wrong in articulating his very own concerns even if it is tocome out with gems such as: "We are microwaving the surface of the earth and have made our planet a hotter place. So maybe we can make dosas on the road, butwho will be around to eat them?" He says he is concerned that his son has no idea what a sparrow looks like. Andsince Chennai is rated 65th among the top 72 unlivable cities, Maddy maintainsthat he concerned that Besant Nagar and Thiruvanmiyur could go under if the sea continues to rise.Well, if Vitalstatistix worried that the sky will fall on your head, what iswrong with worrying about being drowned by a rising sea?

The Chocolate Boy And The Princess
But here is more on Maddy. Even as reigning heroes/directors/producers are launching their sons into Tamil cinema, no one has created quite a buzz like the pretty and light-eyed Shruti Hassan. Not surprisingly because Shruti is the daughter of Kamal Hassan andSarika. Apparently daddy dear has given his nod to her starring opposite chocolate boy Maddy in a film to be made by Marathi director Nishikanth, who has won many awards for hisDombivli Fast. But Shruti says the film will have to wait because her music album, currently under production, comes first.