Life & Style

Photo: @mia_yilin/ TikTok

Optical illusion personality tests are quite popular these days as they claim to reveal a person’s hidden traits within seconds. How? These are psychology-based images and they have one or more elements in them. Depending on what catches one’s attention first, these tests claim to decode a person’s true personality traits which might otherwise not be known to many.This particular nature-inspired image was shared by Mia Yilin on TikTok and it claims to tell if a person is tough and independent or empathetic and generous at heart. At first glance, a person can either notice a tiger or tree in the image above. Depending on what they see first, a lot can be understood about their true nature. As Mia Yilin says, your initial perception “says a lot about your personality”.To take the test, simply look at the above image and notice what you spot first. Now, read its interpretation below:

If the tree is what you spotted first, it means you’re a bit of a lone wolf — someone who thrives independently and shines when left to your own creative flow. You think outside the box, and people admire your originality and fresh take on things.You’re a go-getter, known for your dedication and strong work ethic. But there’s one thing you can’t stand: Being micromanaged. You like doing things your way.That said, group dynamics can be tricky. You often believe your ideas are the best in the room — and hey, sometimes they are! But achieving your biggest dreams might require fine-tuning your communication skills and being more open to others’ viewpoints.“You’re goal-orientated. Once you have your mind set on something you will do anything to achieve it. Because you’re so strong-willed, you can struggle with asking for help and being vulnerable,” Mia said.

You’re the kind of person who radiates warmth and generosity, always ready to lend a helping hand — no matter how messy the situation. Friends and family often praise you for your selflessness and unwavering support.But for those outside your close circle, you might seem a bit distant. You tend to keep your emotions to yourself, not wanting to burden others with your personal struggles.While this emotional armor helps you stay strong, it can also create barriers and make it harder to form new connections. Letting your guard down and sharing a little more could really deepen your relationships.As Mia Yilin noted, “You always appear calm and unbothered to others, even when you’re quietly battling something inside. You’re incredibly selfless and give your all to those you love — but you can get impatient with people who aren’t quite sure of themselves.”How true was this particular test result for you? Tell us about it in the comments section below.Also, if you liked this test then don’t forget to share it with your friends, family and colleagues to understand them better.

It’s not every day you see a watch that costs Rs 21 crore but SRK wore one, and it was a true masterpiece. The Patek Philippe Grand Complication was crafted from 18K white gold, adorned with 118 emeralds and 291 diamonds set in an invisible setting. The watch features a reversible design with a patented swivel mechanism that lets you choose between two dials, one of which displays a transparent face with black hands.

This timepiece is not only a luxury watch but also a functional accessory with a fold-over clasp for easy wear. It was the perfect statement piece to complement SRK’s already impeccable look.

A dance ritual by the Mannan community
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

One of the easiest ways to understand a community is through its rituals, traditions and art forms. A mini documentary on the Mannan community, a scheduled tribe of Kerala, by the Archival and Research Project (ARPO), shines the spotlight on the community’s colourful history and unique cultural practices.

Mannan Tribe: The Last Forest Kingdom of Kerala is the first in the series that aims to document tribal communities in Kerala. Produced with the support of the Samagata Foundation, ARPO’s documentary features the members from the tribe and glimpses from their festivals and art forms.

The members of the community during one of their rituals
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Believed to have migrated from the village of Mannankottai in Madurai to the dense forests of Kerala centuries ago, the community has multiple narratives related to its origin, passed down through generations as myth and folklore. While the most dominant narrative is that they fled Madurai during the Chola-Pandya war, an off shoot of it suggests they entered the forests in search of cane to build weapons needed for war only to settle down here eventually.

According to another story, the Mannans made the chariot of Goddess Madurai Meenakshi and ventured into the forests in search of rattan, with which the chariot was pulled. After several visits, they fell in love with the forests and settled down. Some old timers even believe that the earliest settlers were charmed by the taste of a tortoise egg they ate in Puliyanmala (Idukki district) and never left the place.

Today, the Mannan community has people spread over Idukki, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts. “Documenting the tribe’s traditions and culture is a step towards engaging with the community and ensuring that their rich heritage is showcased to the world. It also leads to the larger goal of conservation,” says Sruthin Lal, co-founder of ARPO.

Raman Rajamannan, the king of the Mannan tribal community and his wife. They were invited as guests of the Scheduled Tribes (SC) Development department for the Republic Day parade in Delhi this year. Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes O.R. Kelu handing over the Republic Day invitation
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Currently, the Mannans are one of the only tribal communities to follow kingship, a kind of self-governance that has existed since the earliest days of the community’s presence in Kerala. The King is the ceremonial head of the tribe and his duty includes ensuring the welfare of the people in his community. They also follow a unique self-governance system.

“Though lifestyle changes have come in, they are a community that still follows their traditions,” says Sruthinlal. ‘Payayil Iruthal’ is one such ritual, he  explains. “It is the practice of grieving a loved one. The deceased person’s spouse is confined to a mat for seven days and would not engage in daily activities. This mourning ritual, which is traditionally performed for three years after a person passes away, gives the surviving partner the space to come to terms with grief and overcome it,” adds Sruthin. 

This is part of ARPO’s continuing project called Earthlore, which aims to document the history, lifestyle and culture of tribal communities. Currently it is working with the Mannan and the Paliyar tribe. Earthlore is also offering fellowship programmes funded by the Tata Trust to promote the music of these tribal communities and find global platforms for the talented musicians in the community.

Founded in 2021, ARPO is now venturing into cultural tourism, curating intimate travel experiences for those who are looking for a deeper understanding of culture. Under its brand Guli Heritage, the team has already organised over 20 such experiential tours, mainly in northern Kerala.  

It is a hatrick for Tharun Moorthy. After the commercially and critically-acclaimed Operation Java and Saudi Vellakka, the filmmaker has scored big at the box office with Thudarum, headlined by Mohanlal and Shobana.

Despite a predictable storyline, Tharun managed to draw in the crowds with the setting, treatment of the narrative and some incredible performances. Thudarum is the story of a common man, ‘Benz’ Shanmughan (Mohanlal), a former fight master in the film industry, whose life is thrown into disarray.

Tharun believes he was destined to do the film because producer M Renjith had been trying to make this film for around 12 years with Mohanlal and the film was taken up by six directors in these years. “I had written my first two films and was not sure if another person’s story might excite me. So I had decided that if I didn’t connect with the story I would not make it. But I loved the story [by KR Sunil],” says Tharun.

Tharun Moorthy with Mohanlal on the location of Thudarum
| Photo Credit:
Amal C Sadhar

A self-confessed Mohanlal fan, was he worried about meeting the expectations of the actor’s fans? “There was pressure. But, thankfully, majority of his fans stood by my vision. I had interacted with his fans’ associations on this account. But the challenge I had was dealing with those who were misleading the audience with fan-made posters and imaginary content. We were all confident about the content. Even though we did not expect this level of success, we knew the film will strike a chord with the audience. We aimed at presenting a free-flowing narrative, from scene 1 to 92,” he says.

Tharun is quick to point out that there has been no deliberate attempt to bring vintage Mohanlal on screen, referring to the buzz around the film ever since filming started. “The only thing that Renjith chettan [producer Renjith] told me was that, if possible, let us bring the Mohanlal of Aye Auto in the first half. I tried and even included one of the dialogues from that movie, for instance, the famous line ‘Go to your classes.’”

Instead of creating a vintage version, the narrative weaved in a range of emotions that Mohanlal has showcased with aplomb throughout his career. “Mischief, playfulness, romance, affection, love, downfall, fear, fury, revenge…. Shanmughan goes through all these emotions,” he says. His favourite scene? “The scene were Shanmughan breaks down in the bathroom. I told Lal sir to cry without covering his face and collapse in the space available. We didn’t expect him to fall that way. We all were stunned when he did that.”

Mohanlal and Shobana in Thudarum directed by Tharun Moorthy
| Photo Credit:
Amal C Sadhar

The conversation veers to his comment about ‘sleeper cell’ fans of Mohanlal that went viral on social media. “I never expected the comment to become so popular! I had asked my direction team whether the movie would work for the new generation. That’s when they mentioned those who have rooted for the actor in spite of his failures. They may not have gone to the theatre for many years and this film is for them, irrespective of their age. They are the sleeper cell fans,” says Tharun with a laugh.

The filmmaker observes that he and Sunil were on the same page as the scriptwriters. The toughest to crack was the characters’ journey through the forest in a car. “Sunil had clarity about the mood, the ambience, the climate, and terrain. We had to work a lot on creating the setting — mist, darkness, festival, mystery of the forest…,” Tharun explains. The film was shot over 99 days in Thodupuzha, Palakkad, Kambam, Theni, Chennai, Ranni etc.

Tharun Moorthy with Prakash Varma on the location of Thudarum
| Photo Credit:
Amal C Sadhar

The talking point of Thudarum has been ad filmmaker Prakash Varma, who nailed it as the menacing antagonist, CI George Mathen. How did he find him? “Divine intervention, perhaps. I wanted a new face, with a specific look – bald head and thick moustache. Sunil, a friend of Prakash for many years, felt that he might be suitable for that role. He clicked a few pictures of Prakash without his knowledge and sent them to me. Later we convinced him do the role. He didn’t want to end up as a liability. So we did an audition and screen test.”

Tharun adds that Prakash, who dubbed for the character as well, went through the same process as any new actor would do. What about the way he says “Hello”? “That was our suggestion, and he was bang on.”

Prakash Varma in Thudarum
| Photo Credit:
Amal C Sadhar

Recently Jakes Bejoy, the film’s composer, had mentioned about Tharun’s contributions to the film’s soundscape, especially ‘the metaphorical references in the characters in music and sound’ – kombu and chenda for Shanmughan, nagapattu and violin motifs for George, and wolf howl for Benny (Binu Pappu), referring to the characters as a tusker, a snake and a wolf respectively. “The film has a close connection with forest and so I wanted to relate them to these animals, in accordance with the traits of these characters,” says Tharun.

On the film’s end note, ‘Mohanlal Thudarum’ (Mohanlal will continue), Tharun says, “His story will continue. The character Shanmughan will live on, nursing his wounds. The idea came on the editing table.”

He says that much thought went into title design as well. “Thudarum is written in three ways — initially with no wounds, then with blood and wounds and finally with the sutures. People might probably take note of these only when they re-watch it. Even if they don’t, that’s ok. These ideas came out of our excitement for the movie.”

Mohanlal was simultaneously shooting for Empuraan while acting in Thudarum. “He slipped into Shanmughan, the common man, from Khureshi Ab’raam, the don, with so much ease. That comes from 47 years of experience.”

The filmmaker adds that he chooses to ignore the discussions comparing the two movies. “I am impressed by the visual scape of Empuraan. The scale at which Raju [actor-director Prithviraj] mounted the movie opened the market for Malayalam cinema in other languages. Empuraan is a big reason for Thudarum getting a big opening and entry into other markets.”

The chat is incomplete without mention of Binu Pappu, a mainstay in Tharun’s career. “I think this is his best performance till date.” Tharun has already announced his next project, Torpedo, written by Binu and starring Fahadh Faasil, Arjun Das, Naslen Gafoor and Ganapathi.