Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 494

Action Jackson migraine guaranteed!

5/12/2014

EROS produced aur Prabu Deva directed Action Jackson wohi mafia- police nexus ki kahani hain.

Mafia Xavier ko AJ chahiye aur AJ kaun hain wo kissi ko nahi pata, kyon ki film ke writer interval tak hero-heroine ki prem kahanni mein vyast hain.

Aisa kyon, pata nahi!

Xavier ke aadmi laal suit pehankar khulle aam goliyan chalaate hain magar kabhi bhi des vides mein koi bhi police unko arrest nahi karte.

Aisa kyon, pata nahin!

Ek dozen gunde milkar beech sadak Ajay Devgan ko ghayal karte hain magar ascharya ke audience ke sivay kissi ko bhi shor sunaii nahi deta!

Aisa kyon, pata nahi!

Film ka romantic track vulgar hain, comedy track stupid hain aur action track mindless violence hain!

Kaun/ kisko/ kab/ kyon milta aur bichadta hain samajh ke bahar hain.

Aisa kyon, pata nahi!

Kaun/ kisko/ kab/ kya kehta hain sunaii nahi deta kyon har pal background score shor machata  hain!!

Aisa kyon, pata nahi!

Film mein Jackson toh bilkul nahi hain aur Action aisa hain ki aap ko Migrane guaranteed hain!

Action Jackson ko Big Entertainment Ratings milte hain 1 star.

Bhawana Somaaya/ @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 493

Similar titles different stories.

4/12/2014

As long as we had paucity of ideas in making films it was understandable but now it seems there is paucity of ideas in even titles of our new releases. Don’t believe me just sample these: Shah Rukh Khan made Happy New Year and a few weeks later Saif Ali Khan made Happy Ending. Last week renowned filmmaker Chandraprakash Dwivedi released Zed Plus and in the same week another filmmaker released Z and a third released Zid. If the common alphabets and similar sounding names are not confusing enough think about more to come like Shoojit Sarkar’s Amitabh Deepika starrer is titled Piku and Raju Hirani’s Aamir Khan’s film is titled PK.  Shriram Raghavan’s Varun Dhawan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui film produced by Eros International and releasing in February 2015 is called Badlapur while another film Badlapur Boys has been the topic of discussion at the NFDC Bazaar at the recently concluded IFFI festival in Goa.

Bhawana Somaaya / @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 492

Lose your mind use your body.

3/12/2014

Curious to know what this beautiful girl is doing in this image: 

Come and attend her workshop at the address below and find a new meaning to expression.

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 491

Actor turns Author

2/12/2014

Remember Smita Jaykar the beautiful actor who played Aishwarya Rai’s mother in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil de Chuke Sanam.  Smita has over the years flirted with many mediums be it theatre, television or films. For a long time now she has awakened on the path of spirituality and writes a weekly column on soul stirring issues in The Speaking Tree.

One afternoon I was surprised to get a call from Smita inviting me to be on a panel discussion on the occasion of her debut book release Before Tomorrow.  In a step by step account Smita explains what motivated her to the path she has chosen, what attracted her to write her memories and the need for a guru in the life of an individual.

It was a packed house at South Mumbai’s popular joint and the invitees to the event included guests from all walks of life.  Lawyers and judges dominated of course with Smita’s husband Mohan and younger son in the legal field.  There were writers, artistes, spiritual seekers, leaders and family friends.  I was privileged to share the dais with Justice BN Srikrishna and explore questions on meditation, chakras and salvation.

Smita’s guru Dadashri was to bless the audience with a discourse and we were all eager to meet him but there was another guest, Sachin Tendulkar all of us were happy to see that evening. Tendulkar came quietly and settled in his chair.  It was the precise moment we were discussing superstition and I said most celebrities, particularly actors and cricketers are superstitious. Tendulkar smiled and when it was time for him to speak on stage, he turned to me and agreed that he was indeed superstitious, “When so much is at stake it is only natural to feel that way”.

Normally book events are not combined with a mediation discourse or dinner but this was an exception.   Smita and Mohan Jaykar played excellent hosts making each and every guest feel special.

Bhawana Somaaya/ @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 489

An art director and a gentleman

1/12/2014

There has been one more goodbye this week. Chhel Vayeda, 79, veteran Art-director (of 'Chhel-Paresh' duo), father of writer director Sanjay Chel, Vayeda breathed his last with his working shoes on.

Vayedya started his career as a set designer in 1963-64 and has over the decades designed more than 700 plays in almost all languages that span from the mainstream Khubsurat (1999) to international Train to Pakistan(1996), from the middle of the road Sagar Sarhadi's Lorie (1984) to Amol Palekar's artistic Ankahi (1986). He worked with the best talent on stage and cinema be it AK  Bir's Udiya film Aadi  Mimansa or Ashwini Chaudhary's National award winning film Laado.

His admirers still remember his path breaking Runway Set in Aatam ne ojhal ma rakh Maan/1968 or the flood sequence in Mutthi Unchero Maanvi/1978 when the duo Chel Paresh teamed up with the legendary Light Designer Tapas Sen from Kolkatta. A pioneer of the musical-cultural events besides theatre and films, Vaeda was the first to initiate the trend of theme weddings.

On the night before he breathed his last, Chhel Vayeda was giving final touch to the Set Design of Vipul Mehta and Sanjay Goradia's new Gujarati play My Wife, Meri Kom andthe sketch of his last set was discovered by his bedside! His partner Paresh Daru will be as incomplete without Vayeda as music composer Pyarelal is without Laxmikant of Laxmikant Pyarelal team.

Bhawana Somaaya/ @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 490

Ungli is time waste!

28/11/2014

Dharma Productions produced aur Rensil D’souza directed Ungli kahani hain paanch doston ki jo bhrashtachar ko apne tarike se khatam karte hain.

70 aur 80 ke dashakon ki filmon mein hero Robin Hood ki tarha villan se ladkar aam aadmi ko nyay dilata tha.

Ungli mein bahdur doston ki toil Sarkar aur system ke khilaaf jaakar aam aadmi ko nyay dilate hain.

Idea acha hain magar execution disappointing, sab kuch bohat hi zyaada simplistic hain...

Screenplay predictable hain, characterizations illogical...Na music engaging hain aur na hi ek bhi performance!

Haan writer Milap Zaveri ke kuch dialogues mein dum hain magar film bilkul entertaining nahi hain!

Ungli ko Big Entertainment Ratings milte hain 1.5 stars.

Bhawana Somaaya/ @bhawanasomaaya

Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 488

Set designer Chhel Vayeda no more

27/11/2014

There’s nobody in the theatre world whose not familiar with Chhel Vayeda, 79, veteran Art-director (of 'Chhel-Paresh' duo), father of writer director Sanjay Chel, Vayeda expired on 12 November 2014 but his is a fragrance that continues to linger.

 Vayedya started his career as a set designer in 1963-64 and has over the decades designed more than 700 plays in almost all languages that span from the mainstream Khubsurat (1999) to international Train to Pakistan(1996), from the middle of the road Sagar Sarhadi's Lorie (1984) to Amol Palekar's artistic Ankahi (1986). He worked with the best talent on stage and cinema be it AK  Bir's Udiya film Aadi  Mimansa or Ashwini Chaudhary's National award winning film Laado.

For Vaeda no production, no play and no serial was small or big, He extended himself to five generations starting with stalwarts like Kanti Madia, Praveen Joshi, Honey Chhaya, Adi Marzban, Shailesh Dave, Arvind Joshi, Arvind Thakkar, Barjor Patel, Satyadev Dube, Nadira Babbar, Dinesh Thakur, Purushottam Darhvekar , Prabhakar Panshikar  and worked harmoniously with competitive banners be it INT, Natya Sampada, IPTA, Ank and Ekjut.

Chhel was an expert in providing multiple sets with 'Revolving Stage'. He excelled in the Jack Knife Technique where a bungalow turns in to airport, a village house in to Wagha border! Vayedya is the only art designer to put up his sets in all theatres be it Prithvi or NCPA and also the only one whose sets created as much of a stir in foreign countries during their shows abroad.

To be continued...

Bhawana Somaaya/ @bhawanasomaaya