Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 385

Scenes from a Marriage

8/7/2014

The Gujarati theatre is famous for their popular plays but also their experimental plays. Haji Ek Varta strings five distinct stories penned by renowned authors and exploring marital relationships. Some laced with light-hearted banter, some reflective and poignant and some reliving the innocence of friendship before the world became polluted and divided by narrow domestic walls of communal riots and other discriminations.

The five stories traveling the tapestry of marriage are written by Jyotinder Dave, Bakul Tripathi, Saroj Pathak and Moti Prakash. Conceived and directed by Abhinay Banker it is an Aarambh Arts Academy Presentation.

Scenes from a marriage are always interesting and when performed up close all the more. Haji Ek Varta premiered at NCPA Experimental, Mumbai.

Tune into Tuesday ka Tadka trivia on show business every morning 9.15 on breakfast link with me on @92.7BigFm.

Bhawana Somaaya/ Tweets @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 384

Jagran Film Festival

7.7.2014

The 5^th edition of the Jagran film Festival this year presents a special section ‘Cinema of the Uprising’ with a clutch of seven very special films. Freedom of human spirit has been a subject close to the Jagran philosophy. The festival seeks to bring alive the strife and struggles of human beings, social groups and the human race in general that rose against oppression and torture. This special section brings together seven features, four international and three Indian, dedicated to the fight to free human lives and minds.

The list of films include Beatriz’s War /East Timorby directed by Luigi Acquisto Bety Reis traces the oppression and struggle by women from East Timor against colonization of their region by Indonesia, Outside The Law/Algeria/Tunisia,France directed by Rachid Bouchareb presents a deep insight into the struggle by the Algerians against colonization by France and their desire to free their country. Battleship 

Potemkin/Russia a 1925 silent film directed by Sergei Eisenstein and produced by Mosfilm presents a dramatized version of the mutiny that occurred in 1905 when the crew of the Russian 

Battleship Potemkin rebelled against their officers of the Tsarist regime. The Trial of Joan of Arc /France, by Robert Bresson stars non-professional performers and is a film about restrained style Birsa Munda/India is a biopic by Jharkhand director Ashok Sharan on the gutsy freedom fighter who raised weapons against the oppression by the British. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose by Shyam Benegal is about his struggle against the British. Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja is a Malyalam film about a Hindu king who fought against the British in the 18th century.

Jagran Film Festival is unique in the way; it seeks to connect with audiences across the country. It’s the first international film festival that reaches out to the people by visiting their cities, presenting cinema in their comfort zones, in their very own environment.

Tune into Monday ka Mantra box-office collection of new releases every morning 9.15 on breakfast link with me on @927BigFm.

Bhawana Somaaya/ Tweets @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 383

Lekar Hum Deewana Dil has good pairing no destination.

Bobby Jasoos has great ambience but poor plot.

Saif Ali Khan produced aur Arif Ali directed Lekar Hum Deewana Dil aaj ki peedhi ki ek aur prem kahani hai.

Saal 1997 mein director Yash Chopra ne Dil Toh Pagal Hai mein hume bataya ki dosti pyaar nahi hain aur Shah Rukh Khan – Madhuri Dixit aur humne maan liya.

Uske baad saal 1998 mein director Karan Johar ne Kuch Kuch Hota hai mein hume samjhaya ki pyaar hi dosti hai aur phir se Shah Rukh Khan – Kajol aur humne maan liya.

Ab director Arif Ali hume Karishma yaane Deeksha Seth aur Dino yaane Armaan Jain dwara batate hai ki dosti shaadi hain aur shaadi bhaag ke karni chahiye.

Dono college mein ek saath padhte hain aur apna saara samay ek doosre ke saath guzaar te hain.

South filmon ki heroine Deeksha Seth refreshing hai aur hero Arman Jain camera ke samne itne relaxed hai ki unko dekhkar nahi lagta ki ye unki pehli film hai.

Film ka plus film ki lead pair Armaan-Deeksha aur ARRehman ka naujawan music.

Film ka minus director Arif Ali deewane dilo ko manzil pohchane mein bohat der lagate hain.

Le Kar Hum Deewana Dil ko Big Entertainment Ratings milte hai 2 stars.

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Dia Mirza-Sahil Sangha produced aur Samar Shaikh directed Bobby Jasoos Bilkeez yaane Vidya Balan  ki kahani hain.

Bilkeez detective banna chahti hain aur kyon ki koi usse naukri nahi deta usse zabardasti apni dukaan kholni padti hai.

Ek din Bilkeez ko bada case milta hai jiske baad dheere dheere Bilkeez ki zindagi badal jaati hain.

Hyderabad ki tang galliyon mein shoot ki gayi iss film ke sabhi characters, unke boli, costumes, rehan sehan, ghar, mohalla realistic aur refreshing hain.

Writer Sanyukta Chawla chotte se chotte kirdar ko izzat aur mohabbat se pesh karti hain phir wo Bilkeez ki khalla Tanvi Azmi ho, Ammi Supriya Pathak, Abba Rajendra Gupta ya lambe arse ke baad bade parde pe dikhe Anees Khan yaane Kiran Kumar.

Problem film mein variety or plot ki hai – na isme koi khaas thrill hai na mystery aur na suspense.

Bobby Jasoos jasoosi ke baare mein kum jasbaddon ke baare mein zyada hain.

Balki isse parivarik kahani, prem kahani ya phir Hyderabad shehar ki kahani batana zyada munasib hoga.

Charminar ke choodi wale…Masjid ki aazaan…Paradise ki Biryani aur teen seater mein paanch burkhe odhe sawarriyaan ghumaane wali autorickshaein.

Bobby Jasoos chotte shehar ke haussle ki kahani hain, betiyon ke sapnon ki kahani hain, parivar ke vishwas ki kahani hain.

Zahir hai inn tedhi medhi galiyon mein director Samar Shaikh se bohat kuch choot gaya hain magar unki neeyat nek hai.

Aur Bilkeez Vidya Balan ki kabiliyat ke liye humare paas sirf ek hi labz hai Subhanallah!

Bobby Jasoos ko Big Entertainment Ratings milte hai 3 stars.

Bhawana Somaaya / Tweets - @BhawanaSomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 382

Whistling Woods goes Global

03.7.2014

At House of Commons in London United Kingdom, Meghna Ghai Puri, the president of Whistling Woods International Institute was honoured and awarded by BOB Blackman,MP for maintaining global standards in academics and contributing to the growth of the Indian Education system. With this honour WWI becomes Global Institute in India endorsed and certified by the SKILL tree knowledge Consortium, UK

Declared among the top ten school out 1200 film school all over the world by Hollywood Reporter twice WW conceived in 2006 has today 1200 students from all over the globe and 91% Alumni placed in top media n film companies .

Subhash Ghai founder /chairman of WWI a campus spread over 20 acres land in film city is a proud father of a very able daughter Meghna Puri and acknowledges her contribution for making WWI what it is today.

Bhawana Somaaya/ @bhawanasomaaya 

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 381

Dissolving space in Theatre

2.7.2014

Rupesh Tillu’s Theatre Act believes in experimentation and innovation that can challenge the creator as well as theatre as an art form itself. After the roaring success of his last show at Prithvi Theatre Tillu is all set to tickle the bone of South Mumbai theatre lovers. An MFA in Physical Comedy from The National School of Dramatic Arts, Sweden, a bachelor’s degree in commerce and economics from Mumbai University Tulli rose to fame at the Stockholm Fringe Festival 2012, followed by a Special Jury Award- Best of Prague Fringe Festival 2013. 

Now back to India his home ground, he is here to experiment in theatre with Shakespeare’s works. The tragedy of Madbeth a story of one man, one throne, one crown, is one hilariously tragic experience where three witches meet with Beth and Banquo and together they narrate a story. Inspired by Shakespeare's classic Macbeth the play dissolves space between the observer and the performer. The performance is a combination of slapstick, acrobatics, mime, songs and improvisations. Just 75 minute long the show was a resounding success at NCPA at the end of which Rupesh said 'When I worked hard, people wanted me to work harder, now I just play and they pay me.'

Bhawana Somaaya/ Tweets @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 380

Story of a Dancer

01.07.2014

Today, Vikalp presents a documentary on a dancer. Conceived and shot by Sumantra Ghoshal Unseen Sequences is a journey of a dancer. A journey so fascinating that it went beyond tradition and became an obsession. The story of  Malavika Sarukkai - an artist rooted in tradition but with a uniquely contemporary sensibility - one of India’s most profound classical arts, Bharatanatyam, is being re-interpreted, renewed, invigorated.The film is not simply about Malavika Sarukkai; it deliberates the valuable connections and departures that the artist makes from a hallowed and, often, unforgiving tradition. 

Today, even as she impresses her footprint on the world stage as a celebrated Bharatanatyam dancer, Malavika finds herself making increasingly personal choices about how she wishes to lead that life.

Ghosal has made over 750 commercials, produced and directed a three and half-hour documentary on the tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, a shorter version The Speaking Hand toured internationally to great acclaim. 

In 2002 Sumantra and his partner, Ram Madhvani, co-produced India’s first commercially released digital film Let’s Talk, Ghosh was the cameraman on the film and in 2005 he shot the documentary on Amitabh Bachchan – The Everlasting Light. He produced/directed a series of six films celebrating various artists for the Indian Foundation for the Arts followed by a second series in 2011. Those Ten Weeks produced, directed and shot by him as a prelude to his latest work The Unseen Sequence which was completed after two years of extensive filming and is a documentary exploring Bharatanatyam through the art of Malavika Sarukkai.

 Bhawana Somaaya/ Tweets @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 379

Football is passion

29.6.2014

With the football fever catching up in Bollywood, the youngest entrant to join the gang is Armaan Jain hero of forthcoming Lekar Hum Deewana Dil with big bro cousin Ranbir Kapoor. Joining them is Ranbir’s friend and director Imtiaz Ali who is an avid football lover and the beautiful Deeksha Seth who marks her Bollywood debut opposite Armaan in LHDD. Not only that being a holiday, Imitaiz Ali’s daughter joined the match too and enjoyed herself thoroughly. This is called mixing games with work and rocking!

Bhawana Somaaya/ Tweets @bhawanasomaaya