Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 117

Jail Diary - VII
27.5.2013, Mumbai

May 22/ Wednesday: Sanjay who has just fallen asleep and senses somebody waking him up. It is the jail guard asking him to get ready in five minutes as they are to leave the premise to travel to Yerwada in Pune.

Sanjay asks if Nulwala is going with him but is given no answers. At 4 am when Sanjay steps out of the jail he is happy to discover Nulwala traveling in the same car with him. This is indeed a surprise. Two extra police cars one ahead of the car carrying Nulwala and Sanjay and the other, behind them leave Arthur Road accompanied by 15 armed policemen.

The convoy takes Pune Express route and there is high alert all the way till they arrive inside the high security central jail at 7. Pune city police not informed about Dutt’s visit are taken off guard. Sanjay and Narula are sent for medical examination. Doctors say Sanjay is fine except that he has had no sleep in the last many weeks.

Some more formalities later Sanjay is allotted a convict number- 16656 - and led to his new, separate room which is in barrack III which is 10x8ft room divided with a partition for bath- toilet and sleeping area. There is no electricity in the room but since he is allowed to use a fan following a court order, a connection will now be obtained from outside. Sanjay is permitted home food for which the family has made arrangements but since the Tiffin service was not intimated of Sanjay’s arrival, his first day lunch arrives late and Sanjay uncomplainingly has the same meal for dinner.

Sanjay has had a long day and a strenuous week of keeping awake and worrying.  He is relieved to be in a room with ventilation and light, grateful for the table fan.

He is exhausted, very exhausted and drops on the mattress and for the first time in so many weeks to fall asleep within moments.

Bhawana Somaaya/ twitter: @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 116

Jail Diary - VI
26.5.2013, Mumbai

May 21/ Tuesday:  It is dinner time and Sanjay, Yusuf sit beside each other with their plates of dal roti. In better days they have shared greater meals in finer places but life is all about adapting to changes and today

is one such day. Sanjay regrets not being allowed to meet Manyata and Priyanka the previous day and wonders when they will be allowed another visit again.

It happens the same night. Priyanka and Manyata arrive with a special permission and are allowed to spend 20 minutes with him and they are grateful. All three hold hands hands tightly and their eyes speak more than words. Tears roll down Priyanka and Manyata’s cheeks but it is more in strength than in sorrow. When it is time to leave, they hold hands again and smile.

Late at night Sanjay and Nulwala chat from the back gate of their cells but after a while both are exhausted and retire to their barracks.

Sanjay lies on his mattress in the dark room thinking about his father Sunil Dutt. He wonders where he found the courage to face so many adversities time and again. A familiar ache is coming back but Sanjay makes a conscious effort and brush aside all negative thoughts…!

 (To be continued)

Bhawana Somaaya/ Twitter: @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 115

Jail Diary - V

25.5.2013, Mumbai

May20/ Monday: Sanjay wakes up with a sinking feeling. It is evident to him now that the police have no intentions of shifting him to Yerwada Jail in the near future. If only they would shift him out of this dark hole without air or sunshine. He wonders what time of the day it is and what his children would be doing at this time. His wife Manyata had put up a brave front when she accompanied him to the court but he wonders how long she can continue to be strong.

He wonders how long he can continue to be strong. He recalls consoling his sister Namrata visibly shaken by the chaos outside their home in Pali Hill. The media was literally camped outside the bungalow blocking privacy of all the buildings in the neighborhood which was so unfair. She wondered what has happened because it was not like this the last time her brother went to prison. “Or was it because the last time dad was there to protect us from all?’ a vulnerable Namrata asked her brother.

She had not accompanied the rest of the family to the court because somebody had to stay back with all the kids at home so she was saved from the frenzy on the streets. There was no security to escort them to the court, cars bikes followed them on the sea link and jammed into their vehicle. Sanjay hoped he would never have to deal with a similar frenzy again where no one listened or showed sanity.

(To be continued)

Bhawana Somaaya/ Twitter: @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 114

A car for youth

Jyotin Goel ki Hum Hain Rahi Car Ke bachpan ke doston, Rahul aur Priyanka ki kahahi hain. Priyanka medical call centre mein kaam karti hain aur Rahul Banker hain. Priyanka mehnati, suljhi hui, zimmedar ladki hain aur Rahul hadh se zyada lazy, careless aur reckless hain.

 New Year eve ko Rahul party manana chahta hain magar Priyanka ko apni office se chutti nahi milti. Sanjog kuch aise ban jaate hain ke Rahul-Priyanka ko fauran hi, Mumbai se Pune by road nikal jana padta hain. 

Rahul sochta hain ke wo do ghante mein Pune pohanch jayenge, magar raaste mein kuch aisa hota hain ki dono mushkil se shaadi mein pohach paate hain.

Ye kahani hain unke Mumbai se Pune tak  ke safar ki, ya yun kahiye unke badalte rishte aur apne aap ki pehchan ki.

Film ki pace dheemi hain aur Juhi Chawla, Chunky Panday, Rati Agnihotri ke friendly appearances ke bawajood entertainment or humour quotient kum hain.

Thoda bohat agar film mein koi hume hasata hain toh wo inspector Karate ki bhumika Sanjay Dutt.

Director Jyotin Goel, Dev aur Ada ki youthful jodi dwara young audience ko target karti hain.

Film ka asli hero, lead pair ki kabhi na ruknewali gaddi hain.

Hum Hain Rahi Car ko Big Entertainment Ratings milte hain 2.5 stars.

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As beautiful as Paris

Preity Zinta ki Ishk in Paris kahani hai do ajnabiyon ki, jo Rome se Paris ki train mein milte hain, raat Paris ki sadkon par guzarte hain aur subah, dono apne raaste chal padte hain!

Ishk yaane Preity Zinta, photographer hain aur Paris mein rehti hain.

Akash, yaane Rehan Mallik celebrity agent hain aur London mein business karte hai.

Dono commitment free zindagi jeena chahte hain, isliye bichadne se pehle ye vaada karte hain ki iske baad, wo ek doosre se kabhi nahi milenge!!

Kismat phir dono ko saath laati hain, dono phir Paris ki galiyaan raat ghumte hain aur iss baar bhi, dono ek doosre se ek vada lete hain.

Ishk in Paris mein koi highs and lows/ twists and turns ya surprises nahi hain, phir bhi film dil ko bhaati hain, aur wo isliye kyon ki film ki likhawat aur kirdaar sache hain.

French actress aur Shekhar Kapur ki jodi casting interesting banati hain. Naya ladka Rehan Malik Shah Rukh Khan jaisa charming na sahi, apne role ke liye bilkul sahi hai aur strong ladki ki bhumika mein sensitive Preity Zinta film ki jaan hain.

50 saal pehle, director Shakti Samanta pehle Indian filmmaker thhe, jinhone apni film An Evening in Paris dwara humme France ki rangin sham dikhayi thhi.

Ab itne salon baad, director Prem Raj hume Ishk in Paris  dwara Cannes dikhate hain.

Ishk in Paris ishk ki tarha mulayam aur Paris ki tarha suhani hain. Ishk in Paris ko Big Entertainment Ratings milte hain 3 stars.

(For the complete review tune into 92.7 BigFm over the weekend)

Bhawana Somaaya / @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 113

Jail Diary - IV

23.5.2013, Mumbai

May 18:  Sanjay wakes up in cold sweat thinking it is Sunday and what his family must be doing at this time without him at home. For the last many years he had made it a point to not work on Sundays so that he can spend time with his kids. 

There are talks that he may be shifted to Yerwada Jail in Pune tomorrow morning and hopes he will be able to see his family before that. The mere thought of meeting his wife and sister once again fills him with hope and he prays that his wish be granted.

Wife Manyata and sister Priya Dutt arrive at the court but the media havoc outside delays formalities and at 6 pm the doors of court are closed on visitors. Sanjay learns about what has happened from a guard and does not react. It is his second night in the ill ventilated cell – and the midsummer heat is terrible! Sanjay spreads his thin mattress on the floor with then drops his head on the pillow brought from home. He shuts his eyes to dream, not sleep...

(To be continued)

Bhawana Somaaya/ Twitter: @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 112

Jail Diary - III

22.5.2013, Mumbai

May 17: Barrack number 12 at Arthur Road Central Jail is where Ajmal Kasab was put up a few months ago. Kasab was on the first floor while Sanjay and Yusuf Nalwala are on the first floor. The cell referred as Aanda is dark and suffocating so Sanjay spends the night chatting with Nulwala.  At dawn he distracts himself reading religious books he has carried from home and at 5a.m Sanjay rises to do his regular workout followed by snacks served in the prison. Time moves slow inside prison. At shootings, Sanjay never remembered lunch break but inside the cell -lunch, tea break and dinner are indicators of movement of time, of day embracing night followed by another day and night...

Bhawana Somaaya / @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 111

Jail Diary - II

21.5.2013, Mumbai

May 16: Sitting by the window looking at the first ray of the orange sun stream into his bedroom, something triggers inside Sanjay and his mentor Mahesh Bhatt is the first to notice it when he arrives a few hours later at Imperial Heights, Sanjay’s residence. Mahesh senses that something has happened overnight that helped Sanjay find strength within him to face his destiny. 

He is scheduled to leave home at 1.30 and minutes before that the entire family with all the children forms a circle holding hands and chants a prayer. His sister applies a vermillion tilak on her brother’s exactly the way their mother had bid farewell to all of them every time anyone departed a long journey. One by one Sanjay embraces every member of the family and staff and after a long, lingering look at his home, he steps out of the house towards the iron gate of the bungalow behind which wait innumerable media cameras.

A motorcade of cars led by the police jeep blaring a siren drives from Pali Hill but there is a further road block from the media at the Tada Court  that prevents him from stepping out of the car. Sanjay pleads with the media to let him go inside because he has a deadline but they are unrelenting. Finally, Sanjay jumps out of his Innova car and walks through the crowd hit on the shoulder and chest by TV camera crews.

Inside the court Dutt is ushered into the accused box, while his advocate Rizwan Merchant seeks permission from judge to allow his client to carry thin mattress and pillow as he suffers from steno stenosis in both his limbs and electric cigarettes without which he is prone to migraine attacks. Merchant requests home food and family visit for his client. Home food is granted for a month while order for family visits is yet to be passed. Judge agrees to all except cigarette, says ‘Quit smoking’.

(To be continued)

Bhawana Somaaya/ twitter: @bhawanasomaaya