Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 134

Raanjhanaa disappoints

21/06/2013, Mumbai

Krishika Lulla produced - Anand Rai directed Ranjhana mein Banaras ke Hindu Pandit Kundan ko - pehli nazar mein Zoya se pyaar ho jata hai.

Zoya ke valid usko Aligarh padhai ke liye bhej dete hain aur 9 saal baad jab Zoya ghar laut-ti hai, toh uski duniya badal gayi hai!

Magar Kundan ki duniya ab bhi Zoya hai...

Film ek umang se shuru hoti hai aur hume Holi ke rang, barsaati ki patangein, tang sadkon ki bhagti cyclein aur gol gappe ke swaad mein bandh leti hai.

Yehi utsah Delhi university campus aur krantikari student’s mein nazar aata hai. Film ka first half ek raftaar se bhagti train ki tarha aapko jakkad leta hai. Phir achanak, galat signal ki wajah se, kahani focus kho deti hai.

Sabse pehle – film taiyy nahi kar pati ki ye kahani pyaar ki hai / nafrat ki hai/ badley ki hai /dharam ki hai/ politics ki hai ya pashchatap ki?

Dossra, sabhi characters (sivaye Abhay Deol), mein character contradiction hai. Zoya Kundan ko dost manti hai aur uska istimaal bhi karti hai.

Kundan barbadi ka ailaan karta hai aur dushman ki bhi madad karta hai.

Writer Himanshu Sharma bewajah ki gaaliyon ko ahmiyat dete hai aur, aham sawalon ke jawab nahi dete.

Bindiya yaane Swara Bhaskar zalil hone ke bawajood Kundan ko kyon pyaar karti hai? Aspatal se gayab hone ke baad Zoya ka pariwar Zoya ko kyon nahi khojta?

Film ke kirdar,screenplay, rishtey, iraade aur sandesh sabhi mein jhol hai.

Sabhi characters jasbaadon mein uljhe hue hai, magar koi bhi humare dil ko nahi chhute

Sonam Kapoor, khubsurat aur zindadil hai Dhaanush role ke liye sahi hai magar aap ka dil sirf Abhay Deol jeet ta hai.

Ranjhana ko Big Entertainment ratings milte hai 2.5 stars.

Bhawana Somaaya / @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 133

Jail Diary xiv

18.6.2013. Mumbai

It is amazing how a change in nature brings a change in temperament. It has been raining all night and lying on his mat Sanjay recalls their old home in Pali Hill. Every monsoon the bungalow would be leaking from everywhere and dad would instruct the staff to keep buckets under leaking roofs. It was a strange sight to see so many coloured buckets all around the house but after a while the family got used to it.

A few years ago when Sanjay and his sisters moved into their newly done apartment it took them a while to accept that their home would never need colorful buckets during monsoon because care had been taken to never face adversities again.

Sanjau learnt from his family that his well wishers were sending him sacred threads, taabiz, lucky charms, mata ki chunri to cast away all negative energy from his life, that Manyata has cleared a room to store all these memories so that he can visit them when he returns home.

Sanjay sighs; he has completed a month in the prison today and to think that he has still three years to go seems like a lifetime…

(To be continued)

Bhawana Somaaya/ @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 132

Jail Diary XIII

18.6.2013. Mumbai

The skyline is gloomy but the ground beneath his feet in the cell feels cool after the first showers of rain. Sanjay thinks about his first born Trishala and wonders what time of the day it must be in New York now.  He smiles when he thinks about how maturely she had reacted to the news of his going to jail again. No questions, no tears, just long pauses over the telephone. Sanjay was surprised how alert she was to his situation and accepted without arguments when he explained that he did not wish her to come to Bombay. Trishala understood that if her father wanted her to refrain visiting him there must be a reason and watching all the commotion on the street that noon, she understood why.

The last time Manyata was here, she informed him that Trishala had posted a very mature blog admitting that she was foolish to fantasize a career in films. Trishala wrote that she was glad that she had grown out of that stage and today as the older sister, felt responsible for her twin siblings in the absence of their dad.

(To be continued)

Bhawana Somaaya/ @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 131

Remembering Chandrakat Bakshi 
17.6.2013, Mumbai

On Sunday the legendary writer of Gujarati stage returned to spotlight when director Manoj Shah brought him alive on Prithvi Theatre with an autobiographical monologue aptly titled Hu, Chandrakant Bakshi... Produced by Ideas Unlimited the play recounts the life and times of the prolific writer who lived life 70 mm.

Those who knew him and those who read him were familiar with his zest and passion, controversies and contradictions.

Manoj Shan encapsulates Bakshi’s eventful life and unfolds drama without judgment. Bakshi was a great storyteller, a compulsive writer of books and columns published in various newspapers over the decades.

His dear ones often asked Bakshi how he would like to be remembered…As a professor who loved his students, as the author who connected with his readers, as the sheriff of Mumbai or as a family man embroiled in domesticity...?

It seems that Bakshi would have liked to be remembered as little of everything, but most important as a man who celebrated life… flirted with politics… argued about religion…engaged in literature… worried about history…!

Hu,Chandrakt Bakshi…is a glimpse of all that and more. Written by Shishir Ramavat and enacted by Pratik Gandhi who is privileged to play the role of the distinguished writer is a journey into an era that should not be missed.

Manoj Shah who is the man behind many sensitive and thought provoking plays (my favorite is Mareez) may take a bow.

Bhawana Somaaya/ @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 130

Fukrey is entertaining. Ankur Arora.. is thought provoking
14/06/2013, Mumbai

Excel Entertainment produced aur Mrighdeep Lamba directed Fukrey kahani hai chaar desperate ladkon ki.

Hunny, yaane Pulkit Samrat aur Choocha, yaane Varun Sharma school ke aakhri saal mein tuitions ke bawajood teen baar fail ho chuke hain!

Laali, yaane Manjot Singh part time gurudwara mein rehta hai aur part time pita ki dukan par.

Sab ka sapna hain ki wo jald se jald college jaye - aur ladkiyon se ishq ladaye!!

Zafar yaane Ali Fazal issi college ka graduate hai magar ab bhi college mein guitar bajate hue nazar aata hai.

Zafar musician ban na chahta hain magar ab tak koi album release nahi hua hai.

Inn charon ko milate hain ke college ke watchman - yaane Panditji aur unki kahani mein twist laati hai Bholi Punjaban yaane Richa Chadha.

Fukrey sirf Hunny, Choocha ki kahani nahi, balki hum sab ki kahani hain jab hum jawaan thhe aur college mein padhte thhe.

Delhi Belly aur Go Goa Gone ke baad ye ek aur fun filled, adventure film hai jo college ke campus ke bahar shuru hoti hai.

Film ki witty writing aur entertaining peshgi ke liye credit jaata hai film ke writer director Mrighdeep ko.

Fukrey ko Big Entertainment Ratings milte hai 3.5 stars.


**********************************************************************

Vikram Bhatt produced aur Suhail Tatari directed Ankur Arora Murder Case satya ghatna par adharit rachna hai.

Ek maa apne chotte bache ko pet mein dard ki wajah se aspatal laati hain – doctor unko hospital mein admit hone ki salah dete hai - aur do din baad unka appendix operation hota hain.

Surgery kamyaab batayi jaati hai magar kuch hi pal ke baad - complications ki wajah se, bachha operation table par hi mar jaata hain.

Iss film ka hum kai tarha se varnan kar sakte hai - ek maa ki bête ke liye vyaktigat ladai – ya phir medical world ka aitihasik expose.

Ankur Arora Murder Case pehli film hai jisme medical aur legal procedures ko itni authentically pesh kiya gaya hai.

Iss dardnaak kahani ko aur bhi dilchasp banati hain courtroom arguments aur rishton ki guthliyaan.

Doctor ki bhumika mein Kay Kaya Menon, maa ki bhumika mein Tisca Chopra aur lawyer ki bhumika mein Paoli Dam aap ka dil hilakar rakh denge.

Vikram Bhatt likhi aur Suhail Tatari directed Ankur Arora Murder Case hamare aaj ke khokle samaj ka aina hai aur humare hausle aur himmat ka pratik bhi.

Hard hitting and sensitive Ankur Arora Murder Case ko Big Entertainment Ratings milte hai 3.5 stars.

Bhawana Somaaya / @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 129

Do judge for yourself and value your vote

12/06/2013, Mumbai 

Real Name: Narendra Damodardas Modi

D.O.B.: 17 September 1950
 
Place of Birth: Vadnagar,Gujrat
 
Citizenship: Indian
 
Religion: Hinduism
 
Qualification for PM post: Master’s degree in Political Science from Gujrat University
 

Experience: As a teenager Modi used to run a tea stall with his brother. Volunteered to serve the soldiers in transit at railway stations in 1960s during Indo-Pak war. Social service through organizations viz., Akhil Bharathiya Vidhya Parishad, RSS etc. CM of Gujarat since 2001.

Inspiration: Swami  Vivekananda
 
Political Ideology: Cultural nationalism. Justice to all.
 
Response to  Terrorism: “Terrorism is worse than a war. A terrorist has no rules. A terrorist
decides when, how, where and whom to kill. India has lost more people in
terror attacks than in its wars.” - Narendra Modi
 
Style of Governance: Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.
 
Speech: Excellent Orator in Hindi and Gujrathi
 
Achievements: Uninterrupted electricity in Gujarat, Industrial development in Gujarat, Gutkca ban in Gujarat.

Gujarat remains a peaceful place and role model for India.

If terrorism, corruption and poverty are the main problems that our nation is facing, who should take the blame for it squarely? 

Indians judge yourself and decide who should be your PM in 2014.

If you agree you can forward as many as you can to see a bright and prosperous Bharat.

Jai Hind.

Bhawana Somaaya / @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 128

Creating characters
10.2013, Mumbai

I was meeting up somebody at the Costa Coffee near my home and discovered that the lady on the neighboring table was Indian's first prosthetic makeup artist, Ritoo Jenjani. Ritoo told me that she was responsible for the transformation of Goddess Pravati into Goddess Kali in the teleserial 'Devon Ke Dev Mahadev'.  Jenjani first worked with Kamal Haasan during 'Vishwaroopam' followed by the 'Rise of the Zombie' with Luke Kenny. Ever since Jenjani has been in the limelight and was invited by Rakesh Roshan for 'Krrish 3' but unfortunately Jenjani was on a sabbatical for her pregnancy.  She has no regrets and says that the appreciation she received for her work in Mahadev is more than satisfactory, “Creating the Maa kaali look was not easy, I had to create the prosthetic tongue, skull mala, skirt made of bones, demon head, prosthetic hands and full body painting for the Kali avataar. I did a lot of research and then the final look was created. It is interesting how cinema and television is waking up to new expressions and experiments. Until recently prosthetics was associated only to horror movies but today perceptions have altered drastically. My job is to make the actor resemble the character and if I can make my audience forget the actor and involve him with the character then my goal is established.”

Bhawana Somaaya / @bhawanasomaaya