If Noise Is Devotion …

With the onset of the Ayyappa pilgrimage season, many neighborhoods across the region are witnessing late-night devotional gatherings and kanni pooja ceremonies. While the season holds deep spiritual significance for Ayyappa devotees the celebrations are increasingly accompanied by high-volume loudspeakers, causing widespread disturbance.

These gatherings extend late into the night, with amplified chanting and music echoing across residential areas. The devotees describe themselves as being a spiritual state (“sami”), yet the level of noise often disrupts the peace of the very communities they live in. A tradition meant to elevate the spirit ends up exhausting the neighborhood.

The noise is unbearable for school students preparing for exams, infants, senior citizens, and patients who require rest. On nights, the sound is so loud that it feels like the entire neighborhood is being pushed into a kind of hell.

Noise Pollution Laws Frequently Overlooked

Current noise-control regulations clearly restrict the use of loudspeakers during night hours. However, these gatherings operate far beyond the permitted time and volume limits, placing stress on people’s sleep, health, and daily routines.

Public health experts warn that exposure to high decibel levels, especially at night, can lead to anxiety, elevated blood pressure, sleep disorders, and long-term stress.

Faith is personal.
Noise is public.

And when personal devotion spills into public suffering, it stops being holy. True spirituality doesn’t demand loudspeakers; it demands empathy. Devotion need not come at the cost of another person’s peace. In any season of faith, consideration is the highest form of worship.

Noise Pollution and Mosques

The announcements and preaching from mosques begin as early as 5 AM, often at sound levels far exceeding the permissible limits. Such excessive amplification not only violates public health norms but also contradicts the very spiritual message of kindness and consideration.

A striking contradiction emerges when high-volume sermons proclaim verses such as “…Be good to your parents… and the neighbour who is near and the neighbour who is far…”—yet the loudness of these broadcasts disturbs the very neighbours the scripture urges believers to protect. The impact is felt most by people whose sleep and health are vulnerable: school-going children, night-shift workers, patients, and the elderly.

The Quran itself advises moderation in speech.
In Surah Luqman (31:19), it states:
“Be moderate in your pace and lower your voice; indeed, the harshest of sounds is the braying of a donkey.”

This reminder makes it clear that true devotion includes respecting the peace and well-being of those living nearby

Noise Pollution

 Religion = Noise Pollution

Aaryan – Tamil Film Review

He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
- Art of War by Sun Tzu

Who is an actor? 

The website backstage.com has a clear answer. As it puts, "Actors are storytellers who use their body and voice as tools to transport the audience into a different world. At its core, the word “actor” indicates someone who portrays a character in a performance. This could be for film, television, theater, or even voice work for animations and video games. An actor’s main responsibility is to bring a character to life by embodying their emotions, behavior, and perspective to an audience."

In Aaryan, this very essence of actor is missing. Acting too follows Sun Tzu's wisdom: knowing when to express, when to hold back, when to explode, and when to stay still. Great performers choose their battles with emotion. 

In this film, however, the performers seem unaware of this discipline. They neither fight for the character nor choose restraint. The result is a cast that appears present on screen but absent in spirit, as if everyone is in the film but no one is acting. Nothing more than to say.

Mask - Tamil Movie Review

If you’re tired of the same old black-and-white i.e. good vs. evil movies, you need to check out Mask. It’s dark, it’s grey. It isn't just a crime thriller; it’s a weird, funny, and sometimes confusing trip into why people do what they do.

The Vibe

Imagine a serious crime movie had a baby with a really dark stand-up comedy special. That’s Mask. The movie tries to peel back the layers i.e the "masks" that we all wear: the ethical mask, the emotional mask, the "I totally have everything figured out" mask.

It sounds deep, but the movie uses dark humour to make some serious moments feel strangely funny. This is the film’s superpower and its biggest gamble. In Tamil cinema, this kind of tone is super rare, which makes Mask feel totally fresh.

The Inside Scoop

The main character is Velu, a detective who's definitely morally grey (meaning, he's not exactly a shining hero). He gets tangled up with a shadowy villain who runs some massive, sneaky operation. The core mystery is how two totally separate events but not separate events somehow connect Velu to this villain.

The movie’s big question is: Are you defined by your face, or by the mask you choose to wear? (Like, are you the real you when you're alone, or the person you pretend to be on social media?)

The Annoying Stuff

Character Overload: The film has too many quirky characters. It’s like being thrown into a party where you don't know anyone. The weird thing? You can forget a few characters, and it won't even matter, which proves the story wasn't tight enough.

The Major Buzzkill: There are flashback segments meant to give the characters emotional depth, but they are handled poorly. The humour vanishes, the tension fizzles, and the whole section becomes long and dull. This completely kills the momentum the movie built up.

The Cool Stuff

The Vibe: The dark comedy is genuinely unique and hits hard when danger meets total absurdity. It gives the film a stylish, cool edge.

The Look: The cinematography (how it's filmed) is super stylish and really sets a moody, intriguing tone.

The Cast: The acting is top-tier.

Kavin (as Velu): Nails the role of the unpredictable, messed-up detective.

Andrea Jeremiah (as Bhoomi): She is sharp, polished, and looks totally in control, but you know she’s calculating something big beneath the surface.

Niki Sai (as Battery): Ruthless nails the “yes-boss” enforcer persona with ease.

Ruhani Sharma (as Rathi): adds weight to the world without overshadowing the leads.

*Charlie (The Show Stealer!)*: Seriously, this guy grounds the film and steals the show he's in with his natural charm.

Finally

Mask is not a perfect, fast-paced thriller. It trips up, slows down, and sometimes loses its own cool edge, especially during those emotional flashbacks.

BUT, it’s a film that tries something bold and different. It's stylish, it's well-acted, and it gives you a lot to think about regarding ethics and identity.

If you like movies that are a little strange, a little funny, and make you think (even if they have some flaws), go give Mask a watch!

Idli Kadai Tamil Film Review - An Emotional Feast with a Side of Illogical Plot

'Idli Kadai' is a film that demands a specific kind of viewing: one that leaves logic at the door. The plot revolves around two contrasting fathers and their sons. The first father, despite his low income running a traditional idli kadai in a village, successfully raises a good, grounded son, the hero. Conversely, the rich father who owns a big hotel abroad has a spoiled son. The grounded son works at the rich father's hotel and is set to marry the daughter.

The core dramatic conflict arises when the village father dies just before the marriage. The son comes to village to carry out last rites of his father. After that the son cancels the wedding to uphold his father's legacy by taking over the idli shop. This choice pits the emotional value of the humble idli shop against the promise of a lavish foreign life. This decision, coupled with the initial, hard-to-believe love trajectory—moving from childhood sweethearts to a workplace romance, and then a sudden return to the first love—forms the weakest and most illogical foundation of the narrative.

The film attempts to connect the symbolic 'taste of idli' (representing home and comfort) to the 'taste of the father' (legacy and tradition), utilizing a mere costume change to bridge this emotional gap.

The film boasts a powerhouse ensemble including Dhanush, Shalini Pandey, Arun Vijay, Rajkiran, Geetha Kailasam, R. Parthiban, Samuthirakani, Sathyaraj, Illavarau, Prakash Raj, Vadivukkarasi and Aadukalam Naren. However, the saving grace and the film's undeniable strength is the performance by Nithya Menen, who delivers a perfect and wonderful portrayal. She anchors the emotional chaos with authenticity, making her the key element that allows the audience to connect with the film's emotional frequency.

The saving grace and the film's undeniable strength is Nithya Menen’s performance. She delivers a perfect and wonderful performance, anchoring the emotional chaos with authenticity. Her portrayal is the key element that allows the audience to connect with the film's emotional frequency.

Ultimately, the film’s sole victory lies in its ability to manipulate and resonate with audience emotions, even when its story structure is entirely illogical. 'Idli Kadai' is not a logical story, but it is a successful emotional experience.