Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 127

Farewell Jiah

10.6. 12, Mumbai

The more I read about Jiah Khan, the beautiful face in 'Nishabd',  the more distressed I feel. Watching so many people from filmdom accompany her in her last voyage, I wondered if Jiah would have taken the drastic step had she known so many people believed in her. It is very unfortunate what happened and what is tragic is that it could have so easily been avoided. I cannot even begin to imagine what her mother Rabbiya is going through at the moment. The family has complained to the police that she had a bruised jaw at the time of her death and suspect she was beaten up. Jiah’s sister has shared excerpts of her last letter to a publication and its content is very disturbing. She says she is leaving because she is broken inside, that she lost herself in loving for she was tortured every day and has no residue of self esteem, confidence, ambition or happiness.

So sad, so very sad, you have us speechless Jiah. May you find peace wherever you are!

Bhawana Somaaya / @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya- Day 126

'YPD 2': Not magical enough!
07/06/2013, Mumbai

Dharmendra produced aur Sangeeth Sivan directed Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 ko dekhne ke pehle darshakon ko kuch baatein batana zaroori hai.

No 1: Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 film ka nahi – film ke title ka sequel hai, isliye darshak -story, plot ya presentation mein comparisons na kare.

No 2:  Ye characters ka prerogative hain, ki wo apne naam aur past ko apni marzi se badal de. Isliye Gajoder Singh yaane Bobby Deol iss baar Prem bane hai. Sunny Deol jo peechli  baar, Vancouver mein ek bache ka baap thhe, iss baar New York mein ishq lada rahe hain.

No 3: Ye writer ka prerogative hain,  ki uske paas story ho na ho, wo duniya bhar ke tricks, purane gaane aur purane kisson ki guthliyon mein aapko uljhkar rakhenge.

No 4: Ye producer ka prerogative hain ki wo apni film dil se banaye, dimag se banaye ya phir sirf paise se!  Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 paise se banayi film hain, jo props se bharpur hai:

Ismein Helicopter hai, Gorrila hai , Mercedes  hai, Mansions hai aur sabse badi baat Paghdi hai...

Iske alava film mein zabardast supporting cast hain, khupsurat ladkiyan hain aur shaandaar locations hai...

Matlab, sab kuch hain, sivay - ek kahani aur logic ke!

Afsos ki Dharmendra ka anubhav, Bobby Deol ka josh aur Sunny Deol ke dhai kilo ka haath milkar bhi humara manoranjan nahi kar pata.

Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 - ko – theatre mein takiye aur blanket ke saath - Big Entertainment Ratings milte hai 2 stars.

Bhawana Somaaya / @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 125

Jail Diary Day XII
6.6.13, Mumbai

Sanjay wakes up in the morning to discover that he has no task for the day. After a day of cutting paper files seated in his cell in Barrack III it seems the authorities are rethinking about what task to assign the actor. Sanjay asks jail authorities to assign him hard labour because without any work it is difficult to pass the day and even more difficult to get sleep at night but his request is turned down because they have been warned about threat to his security and cannot take the risk of letting him mingle with other inmates outside his cell.

Sanjay feels desolate and wonders what task they will assign him. He hopes he it is not about weaving chairs again because even the last time when he was so much younger was very strenuous and this time it will be a greater strain on his eyes.

Sanjay lies on his mattress staring at the ceiling wondering how he is going to endure this difficult phase of his life, day after day, week after week…!

Bhawana Somaaya / @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 124

Be Hindi, write Hindi
5.6.13, Mumbai

I have a letter from a stranger in Canada drawing my attention to an important facet about Hindi films. He says that while it is norm all over the world that a film is presented in the script of the language of the film only Hindi films don’t write title credits in Hindi script. They used to in the olden days but not any longer and this makes a poor impression when Indian films travel around the world and to festivals.

He says Hindi films have more of Urdu and English words than Hindi and recounts the story of a family friend, a teenager with Indian father and British mother. She was keen to learn Hindi and watched over 100 movies but was still confused about which words is Hindi, which is Punjabi and which is Urdu. She didn’t know what Hindi script looked like written and had the credits been in Hindi script she would have been familiar with the alphabets…

Film Writers Association are you reading this and can something be done about this?

Bhawana Somaaya/ @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 123

Jail Diary: Day XI

04.6.13, Mumbai

It is 1pm at PVR Theatre Juhu where the media is invited for an introduction with the cast of 'Policegiri'. As   we enter the auditorium we are presented a police cap as a memento. Soon Dutt’s family comprising sister Priya Dutt and brother-in-law Kumar Gaurav arrive and take seat in the first row. Producer T.P.Agarwal talks about the making of the film. He says “Sanjay loved the original Sammy and asked me to purchase the rights for making the film in Hindi. When I did he was as excited as a child to start shooting immediately and it was his passion that made him complete in a record time. Now all I pray is that he is proud of the final product and comes back soon, so that we can work on another film again.” The director, the choreographer and Sanjay’s co-star Prachi Desai are all very emotional about Sanjay and feel that their collective prayers will bring him back early to them. So are Kumar Gaurav and Priya Dutt. They wish the team super success for the film and leave the auditorium quietly.

(To be continued)

Bhawana Somaaya / @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 122

Jail Diary: Day X
03.06.13, Mumbai

Sanjay is making paper files thinking about his sister Priya’s visit to prison yesterday. She looked weighed down and it is understandable because she has not had any rest since months. Sanjay understands that it is not easy for her to travel to Pune everyday to meet him and yet she makes the effort only to be able to spend 20 minutes in each other’s company.  Sanjay is hungry and wonders what his restaurateur friend will send for lunch today.  It is strange but he never spared any thought on food when he was outside prison. It is probably because he knew that Manyata would serve him what he likes or maybe he deliberately thinks about food now so as a reason to focus on something else besides his loved ones.

The guard brings his tiffin to the cell and informs that there are talks about an order to revoke his request for home food. It is true. Yogesh Desai of Yerwada Central Jail has filed a plea before TADA Court that after the amendment in regulations in 2000 there are no provisions in the prison manual to provide such facility to convicts or under trials.

The petition does not come for hearing as the judge is on leave so it will come up again and verdict will be passed after hearing the prosecution and Dutt’s defense.

Sanjay goes back to making files and surveys the pieces of paper strewn all over the place and for the first time wonders how and when his home/ workplace has got tidied up day after day. There must be a system for his home to always look tidy and how strange that he never paused to notice it till today. Sanjay picks all the wastepaper and pushes them in a corner suddenly full of appreciation for his wife Manyata who maintains an efficient home. He wonders how much daily wages he will be paid this time.  During his last stay in the prison he earned rupees 12.50 as an unskilled worker per day and most of it was spent  purchasing eatables like biscuits and fruits from the jail canteen and even that had a ceiling of not exceeding rupees 2000 per month.

Sanjay smiles, tomorrow the promotions of his film Policegiri begins with a media conference. He prays that all goes well and the film has an uninterrupted release.

(To be continued)

Bhawana Somaaya / @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 121

Deepika-Ranbir delicious!
31/05/2012, Mumbai

Karan Johar produced, Ayan Mukherjee directed Ye Jawani Hai Deewani kahani hain chaar doston - Avi– Aditi- Naina aur Bunny ki.

Bunny yaane Ranbir Kapoor, sapne dekhta hai. Naina yaane Deepike Padukone, zindagi jeeti hai. Aditi yaane Kalki, bindaas dekhti hain magar sabse samajhdar hai aur Avi yaane Aditya Roy Kapoor, careless nazar aata hai magar emotional hai.

Iske pehle bhi, humne bohat saari dosti ki filmein dekhi hain. Aur dosti ki kahaniyon mein pyaar ko dabe paun aate hue mehsoos kiya hain.

Ye Jawani Hai Deewani wo saari filmon se alga hai – kyon ye sirf film nahi, ek khupsurat anubhav hai! Anubhav dosti ka– pyaar ka – rishton ka- zindagi ka- aur sabse badhkar, prakruti ka!

Director Ayan Mukherjee hume parbat ki chotti par se aasmaan dikhate hain hai, kille ke upar chadkar suryasth dikhate hai, gulal mein bhaang milakar holi ke rang udate hain, shaadi mein champagne se nehlate hai,  desh ki chotti sadkein aur pardes ki rangeen raatein ghumate hai.

Aisa lagta hain jaise purri film mein ek nasha hai aur iss nashe ke saath saath hai ek chaab jasbadon se bharra, jiska har dam ehsaas hai magar izhaar.

Humara dil bhar jaata hai magar hum rotte nahi, hum muskurate hai magar thahake lagakar haste nahi.
Film ko alag banati hai film ki bahtareen writing, Pritam ka sangit aur flawless performances. Kunal Roy Kapoor, Kalki aur Aditya Kapoor extra-ordinary hai. Cocktail ki extroverted Deepika Padukone introverted Naina ki bhumika mein sehmi hui hai aur Ranbir Kapoor Barffi se zyada meetha .

Film dekhne ki 5 vajah hai: Writer/Director Ayan Mukherjee. Deepika-Ranbir ki superchemistry. Jab wo saath aate hain toh mausam badal jaata hai aur Ranbir Kapoor- Ranbir Kapoor aur Ranbir Kapoor!
Wo ‘Badtameez dil’ hoga jo iss film ko na pasand karega jisse dekhkar sab kahenge, “Mogambo khush hua!”

Ye Jawani Hai Deewani ko Big Entertainment ratings milte hai 4 stars ke saath saath purri caast ko ek jadu ki jhappi.

Bhawana Somaaya / Twitter: @bhawanasomaaya