Seshadri's Musings

More web-series reviews… Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal – Came out in 2024.  When Ashley Madison, a dating site for people seeking adulterous affairs, is hacked, millions of users' intimate data is exposed, wrecking marriages and destroying lives. This three episode documentary series from Minnow Films and director Toby Paton explores the creation of the website during the dot com boom, the people who used the site to explore a part of their love lives they felt was missing, and the hack that made it all come crashing down. A review from IMDB... I can remember when the Ashley Madison scandal hit the news. I didn't pay an awful lot of attention to it at the time. I was disgusted with the site then and still find it disgusting today. So why would I watch this documentary? Curiosity finally got the better of me. This documentary basically gives you the breakdown of what Ashley Madison is/was and describes what h...

More web-series reviews… Monsieur Spade – Came out in 2024.  Monsieur Spade centers around the infamous protagonist of American writer Dashiell Hammett's 1930 classic novel The Maltese Falcon. The year is 1963, and the legendary Detective Sam Spade is enjoying his retirement in the South of France. By contrast to his days as a private eye in San Francisco, Spade's life in Bozouls is peaceful and quiet. But the rumored return of his old adversary will change everything. Six beloved nuns have been brutally murdered at the local convent. As the town grieves, secrets emerge, and new leads are established. Spade learns that the murders are somehow connected to a mysterious child who is believed to possess great powers. A review from IMDB... Just before watching this miniseries about a middle-aged Sam Spade living in France, I read an article about it's co-writer/creator/director Scott Frank and his success as a script do...

More web-series reviews… Adv Achinta Aich – Came out in 2024.  Bengali series.  Shocking murder with multiple eyewitnesses. Sole suspect in the apparent open-and-shut case hires Achinta Aich, a notary lawyer with limited resources. Achinta's pursuit of justice exposes a web of secrets and sins concealing the truth. A review from IMDB... Adv. Achinta Aich (2024): the new Bengali so-called Courtroom Drama does not seem to be that much impressive. The story line is no doubt good. But the biting reality is unlike the famous courtroom dramas of Bollywood, the Bengali legal drama has never been that much successful. This one is no exception. The movie seems to follow the pattern of the Hindi courtroom dramas particularly the "Criminal Justice" Web Series starring Pankaj Trpathi and Manoj Bajpayee starrer" Sirf Ek Banda Kaafi Hai" to a significant extent. However, unlike "Criminal Justice" or" Si...

More web-series reviews… Ordeal by Innocence – Came out in 2018.  Christmas 1954. Wealthy philanthropist Rachel Argyll is murdered at her family estate Sunny Point. Her adopted son Jack Argyll is arrested for her murder. He vehemently protests his innocence. Based on Agatha Christie's novel. A review from IMDB... This adaptation of a story by Agatha Christie opens with the murder of wealthy heiress Rachel Argyll; her adopted son Jack is arrested for the killing but protests his innocence. Later, while on remand in prison, he is killed in a fight with another prisoner. Eighteen months pass and Rachel's widower, Leo, is preparing to marry the woman who was once his secretary. Then a strange man comes to the door stating that he can provide an alibi for Jack. Nobody is pleased to see him though as if Jack didn't kill his mother it is almost certain that somebody else living in the house did; her husband, his new fiancé...

More web-series reviews… Arctic Circle – Came out in 2018 and has 3 seasons.  Series from Finland.  Arctic Circle (aka Ivalo) is set in the unforgiving polar region, amidst the icy landscapes of Finnish Lapland. In season 1 Nina Kautsalo, a Finnish police officer, finds a dying prostitute in an old cabin in the wilderness, the ensuing criminal investigation takes a surprise twist when a deadly virus is discovered in her blood. Nina suddenly finds herself in the middle of an exceedingly unusual criminal investigation. In season 2 Nina joins a new police unit in order to solve the mystery of an international hunting society. It's tied to an old murder case, to which Nina has a surprising connection. A review from IMDB... I have to say that some of the plot lines are somewhat fantastical but I enjoyed them for all that. The acting was good and once more I am just so impressed at the proficiency of so many European actors ...

More web-series reviews… Big Little Lies – Ran from 2017 to 2019 with 2 seasons.  Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Shailene Woodley.  Based on a book.  Meryl Streep gets added in the 2nd season!  When Madeline and Celeste take new-in-town single mom Jane under their wing, they don't realize how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all. "Big Little Lies" is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive. A review from IMDB... The hook of "Big Little Lies" is a murder mystery, in which we don't know who-done-it OR who is the victim. This mystery is well-sustained until the end, but it's really secondary; it takes a back seat to the show's characters, its style, its atmosphere. The director, Jean-Marc Vallée, has a personal, identifiable style in both this and the later "...

Muktinath is an ancient Vishnu temple located in Mustang, Nepal. The temple of Muktinath, known as 'the lord of liberation', is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists whom they worship as an abode of Hindu deity Vishnu and Buddhist deity Avalokiteśvara respectively. The term Muktinath is derived from the Sanskrit word “Mukti” and “Nath” where Mukti refers to “Salvation or Moksha” while Nath stands for “God”. Located in the Muktinath valley at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass, it is one of the world's highest temples at an altitude of 3,800 meters. The temple is given a status of one of the 108 (105th) Divya Desams of Hinduism and the only Divya Desam located outside India. It is also one of the 51 Shakti pithas, associated with the head of goddess Sati. The temple complex is known as Mukti Kshetra, which literally means "the place of liberation (moksha)" and is one of the Char Dham in Nepal. Source – Vedicfeed and Wikipedia. For Buddhists, Muktinath is an a...

The trip was planned almost a month back and I had booked the train tickets accordingly.  There was a stay at Kancheepuram for one night.  We thought we would book the room during the week of the trip.  In case there are any delays, we might spend up forfeiting the advance for the room 😊 !  Since we were going to use Kavitha’s car for the trip, we did not have to book any other transport vehicle in advance.  My uncle, Kavitha’s father too was supposed to come with us for the trip, but later he dropped out.  We were all looking forward to the trip 😊 ! We started our trip on 14 th October from Hyderabad.  Just a day before, my mother’s cousin sent a message saying there was going to be heavy rains in Chennai on 16 th and the government had issued a red alert.  On 15 th too there was an orange alert.  On 14 th just as we started from home to the railway station, heavy rains started pelting in Hyderabad.  We thought we will continue ...

Divya Desam Temples are the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the works of the Tamil Aazhvars (saints). “Divya” means “divine” and “Desam” indicates “place” (temple). Of the 108 temples, 105 are in India, one is in Nepal, and last two are outside the Earthly realms. The last two are Thirupalkaddal and Paramapadam. Tirupalkaddal is the ocean of milk and Paramapadam is the Srivaikuntam where lord Narayana presides. The Divya Desams are revered by the 12 Aazhvars in the Divya Prabandham, a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses. While most Divya Desams follow Thenkalai mode of worship, some follow Vadakalai too among others.   Sourced from www.templepurohit.com The idols of Lord Vishnu here can be found in the following 3 positions: - Kidantha Thirukkolam (Sleeping Position) – 27 Divya Desams Veetrirundha Thirukkolam (Sitting Position) – 21 Divya Desams Nindra Thirukkolam (Standing Position) – 60 Divya Desams In these 108 Divya Desams, the Lord Vishnu can be seen facing one of th...