Waqt - The Race Against Time

There is an old adage that by providing our children with all that we never had, we may be denying them the things that we did gain. This basically sums up Waqt – The Race Against Time.

Ishwar (Amitabh Bachchan) owns a toy manufacturing company, but hasn’t forgotten his humble beginnings. His son, Aditya aka Adi (Akshay Kumar) is the apple of his eye, and Ishwar fulfils his every whim, including in one instance, hiring a plane for a picnic. Ishwar’s wife, Sumi (Shefali Shah) is the conscience keeper of the family. She disapproves of such excesses on the part of Adi, and her constant struggle is to make Ishwar see his error in indulging Adi. At the heart of all this, is a secret that Ishwar and Sumi share.

Pooja (Priyanka Chopra) and Adi are in love with each other and elope to marry. Ishwar forgives this. He then finds out and is delighted to know that the bride is Pooja, the daughter of an annoying Nattu (Boman Irani) who is always taunting him with his petty one-upmanship. Add to this equation, a deadpan Lakshman (Rajpal Yadav), who is a little low on the uptake.

Sumi frowns upon the fact that Adi is yet to become a responsible adult. To add to this, Pooja is pregnant. Sumi wonders how Adi will handle his responsibilities if he can’t stand on his own feet. With a hard heart, Ishwar throws his son out of the house so that he may learn to fend for himself and his growing family. Adi is initially amused, then shocked by this. He begins to work as a stuntman while preparing to participate in a talent search for a film hero. The rift between the father and son widens. The rest of the movie is about how Adi finally makes it big in life, only to realise, that his battle wasn’t with his father all along, but with time.

On the whole, the basic premise of the movie, on the roles of parents and children, is thought provoking. One interesting aspect of the movie is the evolution of Amitabh Bachhan’s character from being a friend to his son, to being a parent who must teach him responsibility. Despite this, there’s a light vein maintained through most of the movie.

Performance-wise, Shefali Shah catches one’s attention with her restraint and dignity. No melodramatic scenes or emotional blackmail for this screen mom! There’s a camaraderie that she manages to capture in her relationship with Ishwar. Amitabh Bachchan gets to essay a range of emotions, and he’s does it with ease. This is one of Akshay Kumar’s better performances, especially in the second half. Priyanka Chopra is adequate. Boman Irani is brilliant as usual, especially in the scenes when he’s trying to run Ishwar down. Rajpal Yadav launches into questions in scene one, and doesn’t let up on them right till the end.

The director, Vipul Amrutlal Shah, excels in plays turned to film. His earlier venture, Aankhen (about three blind men robbing a bank), was a Gujarati play, and so is this one. His partnership with Aatish Kapadia (Story, Screenplay & Dialogues) seems to be taking this team from strength to strength. Anu Malik’s music is, well, Anu Malik’s music. Miraksam may well become the baraat song of the year.

Those who enjoyed Baghban – you’ll like this family drama, although it does get a little morose towards the end. Thankfully, there are no ‘regret-flashbacks’ for any of the characters. Verdict – a three-hanky movie, but only in the second half.

(edited version published on April 30, 2005 in Madras Plus, the city features supplement of The Economic Times, Chennai) Photo courtesy : santabanta.com

Symbiosis

What happens when an Assistant Professor at IIT, a special educator and a talented 8^th standard student get together for a purpose?

That’s what I found out when I met Dr. Shanti Bhattacharya, Namita Jacob and Kaveri Murthy at the launch of ‘Where is the button’, an interesting book concept, that any child can read. Yes, any child!

As part of the Chetana Charitable Trust’s efforts, the book attempts to bridge the diverse learning needs of children with varying abilities. For instance, while it looks like any other storybook, it also has the story at the base of the page in Braille, for children with visual impairment. There are buttons on tassels, tied to the book, to add a ‘touch and feel’ factor.

“It all started when I found it difficult to choose the right books for my daughter last year. Namita, as a special educator, drew attention to the fact that Indian pre-school children with low vision or vision impairment didn’t even have books, leave alone the choice. Their first exposure to reading is with studies as against reading for fun. That’s how, the idea for this book was born.” Says Shanti, a Trustee at Chetana and looking very unlike the stereotypical starched cotton sari clad, stern professor I assumed I was meeting.

Namita Jacob, a Key Resource Person for the project says, “We developed the book over 8 months. Shanti wrote it, and Kaveri illustrated it. I then pre-tested it. We changed a few things based on the feedback, and went into print.”

“Just the other day, somebody brought to our notice that the book can achieve one more purpose – for visually impaired parents to read to their non-visually impaired children!” says Shanti.

The book, ‘Where is my button’ is sold as a non-profit product only at Goodbooks stores in Abiramapuram and Anna Nagar. 

(Pic courtesy Seven Shots as published in Madras Plus)

Hey Grandma, tell me a story

Storytelling captures an aspect of childhood experience when being told a story was a common ritual. It's a warm place for most of us and in some ways represents our first experience in really listening. Paul Lansky

Whatever happened to the stories of the thirsty crow, the fox and the vadai, the monkey and the chapathi, that came alive in our imaginations? Since when did video games replace wizened hands demonstrating a story?

In short, where have all the story-telling grandmothers gone?

Is ‘patti kadhai’ a thing of the past like ‘paavadai dhavanis’ and ‘pallankuzhi’?

Grandmothers, considered for long as storehouses of tales, fables and many a mythological adventure, have given way to professional story-tellers in schools and activity centres. Is the emergence of the nuclear family responsible? Maybe, but let’s also delve a little further into the subject to find out what some Chennaiites have to say about it.

Vinita Sidhartha, the brain behind Kreeda, a company that has revived many forgotten Indian games, says, “Children living with their grandparents are a lucky lot. But for those who don’t, there is no common ground where the two can come together. Computers and technology have driven a chasm between children and their grandparents. And really, it’s nobody’s fault. The beauty of storytelling in the old days, was that it went beyond stories and was one-on-one. This is something that professional story-tellers cannot capture.”

Rangashree Srinivas, who is Manager & Coordinator at Goodbooks, says, “Storytelling has seen a revival. There are birthday parties where the theme for the party is woven into an interactive storytelling session. Firstly, storytelling is being used as a tool for therapy, awareness etc., even for explaining complex concepts simply. Secondly, the method of telling a story has changed. Today, depending on one’s forte, one can use dance or music as a medium to tell tales to children. While the magic of story telling still exists, the method has changed. As for grandmothers, they seem to be quite busy themselves, these days!”

Mrs. Ramani Bai, who is 80, and has 11 grandkids (the youngest being 2 years old) finds stories necessary for children. “It’s a change for children from school. I used to tell my grandkids stories when they got home from school, and only after that, they would do their homework. A story is also a great way to distract children. When one of my grandsons used to insist on my spending time with him while I was busy in the kitchen, a short tale would usually make him happy and he would move on to something else, while I finished my work. Also, as far as the stories are concerned, some children like to hear new stories every day and some would like to hear the same story again. In the case of the latter, one had better remember the details of the previous day’s story!”

Shirani, a story-teller, considers grandmothers’ tales as priceless. “Nothing comes close to even matching that experience. But as childrens’ schedules are so hectic these days, storytelling is slipped in as another activity. When I do storytelling sessions, I try and incorporate some movement and parts of the story, where the children get involved instead of just listening to me. Learning also happens in the process of these sessions, but very unlike the regimented educational learning. It’s like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle – children learn a little at a time, and somewhere along the way, the complete picture falls into place.”

While there are storytellers aplenty, what can one do to bring into a child’s life, the experience of grandmothers’ tales? How does one even set about incorporating this aspect into the lives of today’s children? One way, feels Vinita, is for grandparents to reeducate themselves to see what interests their grandkids. It’s hardly fair to expect a child who’s interested in Pokemon, to relate to the adventures of Hanuman. The other suggestion, offered by the grandmother in this article, Mrs. Ramani Bai, is to create a storytelling ritual, even if the kids visit grandparents only over weekends or in the summer holidays.

Where do parents fit into all this? Well, that’s a different article altogether.

(edited version published on April 30, 2005 in Madras Plus, the city features supplement of The Economic Times, Chennai. Pic courtesy Seven Shots as published in magazine)

Jaspar Utley

“My wife, Megan, who passed away early this year, was very happy when we lived in India. It felt right for me to come here, to commemorate her life.” says Jaspar Utley, the former Director, British Council, South India, whose visit has evolved into a sort of therapy, as he has resumed his writing.

A book launch was also bolted on to the original purpose as he was anyway in India, and the last week saw the launch of his book for children, Tall Tales at the British Council.

“Tall Tales was not originally intended for children. I wrote it, and my publisher felt it was best suited for children. It’s about the humorous side of life, and a lot of the content comes from my conversations with real people while in Chennai.” Says Jaspar.

Having lived in India for 6 years until 2001 as part of his assignment with the British Council, Jaspar has peppered his book with varied aspects of life in India. He says about the story, “It’s about a South Indian gentleman narrating tales to his great grandson. These tales, based on incidents in his life, seem rather unbelievable, if it weren’t for his manner of telling them so convincingly. He is said to have captured a tiger single-handedly, come face to face with a ghost in Fort St. George and also beaten the Viceroy’s team in an impromptu cricket match!”

Speaking of the perspective he has taken, he says. “I haven’t written the book from the outside, looking into Indian life. It’s quite the reverse! A case in point - none of the reviewers of this book, set in India, have mentioned that it was written by a British person!”

Jaspar is currently working on a play for a festival in the U.K. and also has two manuscripts ready, awaiting a response from his publisher. “One book is called Oliver’s Memoirs and is set in the world of amateur theatre. The other book, yet to be titled, is a sort of ‘P.G.Wodehouse meets Evelyn Waugh’ kind of story, where a humorous story, has something much darker under the surface.”

Jaspar is no longer with the British Council (he refuses to call himself retired), and now lives in Havant (Portsmouth), U.K. He writes, and works with a local theatre group and the local arts center. He hopes to visit India again in 2 years’ time.

TELLING TALL TALES (JASPAR UTLEY BOOK LAUNCH READING)

Saturday, April 9, 2005, saw the launch of Jaspar Utley’s book for children, Tall Tales. There was also a reading of the book at the British Council Chennai, where children (and adults alike) turned up to hear Jaspar read the first chapter of the book where the key character of Great-Grandpa was described.

The book is about a South Indian gent, allegedly over a hundred years old, and the stories that he tells his great-grandson between frequent cups of milky sweet tea. The stories seem far-fetched for the young boy, if it weren’t for the matter-of-fact way in which they are narrated.

The rest of the event followed an innovative format, were three readers (Karthik Kumar, Tishani Doshi and Freddy Koikaran) each gave three options for stories/chapters from the book, which the children in the audience could select. So, the chapters read involved Great-grandpa’s encounter with a ghost in Fort St.George, and an incident at the zoo witnessed by the young boy, which demonstrates some truth in Great-Grandpa’s heroism.

 

Jaspar Utley’s Tall Tales is available at bookshops in the city.

(Pic courtesy Seven Shots, as published in Madras Plus)

Which page are you on?

Definition of ‘Page 3’: As Atul Kulkarni’s character in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Page 3, scathingly puts it, it’s all about “who went to which party, who did they arrive with, who did they leave with, what they were wearing.” Notwithstanding the back-biting and air-kissing that’s supposedly standard fare.

What with the concept transcending media and making inroads into people’s homes through TV, it becomes imperative to find out how much of the Page 3 culture exists in Chennai. Here’s what a few Chennaiites had to say, although many are yet to watch Bhandarkar’s movie on the subject.

Sonika Jain, Director –Sales, Chennai for the Taj Group of Hotels says, “Chennai doesn’t have the kind of socialite culture that Mumbai, Delhi or even Bangalore has. To that extent, I would say it’s just beginning to emerge here.”

Sonika’s opinion is mirrored by Shobha Nair, Manager - Product Development at American Express Bank who also adds, “Overall, the aspect of gossip as depicted in the movie, Page 3, exists in Chennai. As it does in all other places. However, the kind of partying with the rich and the famous that they’ve show, is yet to catch up here. Although there are some people who do try to appear in the most happening dos and want to be seen in the right circles.”

This aspect of partying, with the objective of being written about does exist in Chennai, feels Vani Aiyer, who’s in Client Servicing at JWT. She says, “Every city has its elite. Other people would like to be seen with the right celebrity, and also showcase themselves. There’s some inner psychology at work here, a need for recognition. Something like groupies? Well, it does provide an interesting read for those not belonging to these circles!”

Vidya Gajapati Raj Singh, wonders what all the fuss is about, “Every city has its parties and events. In Chennai, the parties are still very private. As for events, there’s just so much happening every other day. Now, with fashion magazines and new publications coming in, there is bound to be more of a focus on people in the limelight. While all this is new to India, one just needs to look at foreign tabloids to gauge the extent to which it exists. Frankly, I find the attention drawn to the Page 3 culture overrated. After all, how much time does one really spend in reading the papers?”

Dr. Vijay Nagaswami, Psychotherapist and Relationships Consultant, feels that the aspect of people writing about social gatherings is bound to increase in Chennai. “However, a party is a private event. People don’t want the entire city to know more about them, unless of course, it’s intended. There are those who specifically like to be seen on Page 3 columns and this perpetuates the culture. As for me, I find it an invasion of privacy.”


While the celeb-hounding paparazzi is still uncommon here, three things are at play as far as page-3 culture is concerned – (a) hosts who plan parties with A-list celebs and invite the media to cover the party. (b) celebs who seek out publicity (c) wannabe socialites who would like to be seen rubbing shoulders with the glitterati, hoping for some of the glitz to rub off on them. Add to that the reader’s need to be in the know on all things (especially the gossip) concerning the coterie of glamorous celebrities in the city. The underlying discomfort across the board, is one of intent, not of unwarranted publicity.

Although Chennai is oft-accused of lagging behind Mumbai or Delhi in its glitzy parties or glamorous events, I guess it’s just a matter of time before we see quotable quotes and glossy images of our favourite celebs in print. Until then, I guess the rest of us will just have to practise how to air-kiss and say ‘Dahrling!’ with just the right intonation.

Muaah!

(edited version published on April 16, 2005 in Madras Plus, the city features supplement of The Economic Times, Chennai)

Wild About India - Aline Dobbie

“Just compare 9/11 and the Tsunami. One was a man-made disaster and the loss of life was around 3000. The other was a natural disaster and the loss of life was more like 300,000. Just goes to prove how much more powerful nature can be !” says writer, Aline Dobbie.

Or should we say Aline Dobbie, lover of nature, history, culture and all things Indian, who also writes?

Last week, on invitation from the Government of India, and Tamil Nadu State Tourism Development Corporation, Aline was in Chennai to research her latest book on travelling in India. Her books are aimed at the world traveller, who can get an understanding of soul of the country, including the various issues that plague it. These issues, are presented in her books, in the perspective it deserves – with understanding and insight. However, she does make her point, wherever appropriate. As she says about pollution and tourism, “Imagine landing in India and the first thing you see outside the airport, is litter!”

So, what makes this grandmother with the sparkling eyes, set out of her home in Scotland, to travel through the length and breadth of India? And not just once!

Many will be surprised to note that Aline’s father, Lt.Col.Frank Rose was in the IX Jat Regiment of the Indian Army and considered a hero for his courage in rescuing his men from Singapore, when it fell to the Japanese. India is Aline’s place of birth, and she grew up in a household where Hindi and Urdu were freely spoken. At the age of 16, she left India to return to Edinburgh. After 35 years of varied experiences, including facing hostilities as part of the Opposition in South Africa in the late seventies, Aline came back to visit India.

“My three books have titles based on the three animal emblems of India, the peacock, the tiger and the elephant. My first book was called India: The Peacock's Call, and took a long time to get published, finally coming out in 2002.”

Her second book was dedicated to the tiger and titled India: The Tiger’s Roar. She says, “My latest book, the third in the trilogy, will be dedicated to children who lost their lives in and those who were left orphans by the Tsunami. It’s almost as though a whole generation was wiped out in the areas affected.”

Aline recounts one incident during this trip that was almost spiritual in nature. “I wanted to photograph elephants for the book, in their complete festive finery. But no matter where I went, it just didn’t happen. In a little village en route to Trivandrum, we passed about 8-10 elephants completely adorned in temple festival finery. Needless to say, I have a possible cover picture for my book!”

Aline Dobbie hopes to complete her latest book, by the time she’s back in India in November this year.

A Quest for Dignity - My Brother...Nikhil

At the outset, I must clarify that ‘My Brother…Nikhil’ is not an entertainer in the true sense of the word. Nor is it a conventional tear-jerker. It’s about heroes among us, the villains in each of us, and the dignity that we all crave for yet take for granted in others.

Set in Goa, and spanning the ‘80s and early ‘90s, ‘My Brother…Nikhil’ is about the world around Nikhil Kapoor (Sanjay Suri), a state-level swimming champion. He has a doting father, Navin Kapoor (Victor Banerjee) whose own unfulfilled dreams of being a sportsperson, manifest into his high expectations of his son. Navin Kapoor finds his wife Anita Rosario Kapoor (Lilette Dubey) extremely soft on Nikhil, and often accuses her of mollycoddling him. Nikhil’s sister, Anamika nickamed Anu (Juhi Chawla) is his closest friend and confidante. She strikes a fine balance between indulging him and giving him his space.

Add to this, Nikhil’s friend, Nigel D’Costa (Purab Kohli), his swimming competitor, Kelly (Shayan Munshi) and Kelly’s girlfriend, Catherine (Peeya Rai Choudhary). There’s also a possible girlfriend for Nikhil, in the form of Leena Gomes (Dipannita Sharma).

This seemingly perfect world goes into smithereens when Nikhil is told he is HIV+, a term that nobody fully understood, back in the ‘80s. And this ignorance leads to much mistreatment of Nikhil, and those around him, as also BY those around him. Nikhil is shocked by his parents’ unexpected reaction, and leaves home. He is soon arrested and housed in a sanatorium lacking even the most basic of facilities. It’s his sister, Anu who stands by him through all this, along with her boyfriend, Sam (Gautam Kapoor), a lawyer, Anjali (Shweta Kawaatra) and Nigel.

While the narrative follows the rampage of the disease through the body of a champion swimmer, it also portrays Nikhil’s fears and his unease at being helpless and dependent. There is also a marked departure from the stereotypical Bollywood depiction of homosexuality and the related sequences are handled in a refreshingly sensitive manner, on the emotional plane.

Comparisons with Revathy’s ‘Phir Milenge’ are unavoidable as both films deal with HIV + protagonists. However, Phir Milenge had at the heart of it, a courtroom battle on the protagonist’s right to work, while ‘My brother…Nikhil’ is about the protagonist’s right to dignity. There’s not one courtroom scene in the latter, despite the presence of a lawyer’s character.

This movie is clearly, a showcase for Sanjay Suri’s talents. He rides the transformation well, from the lithe, fun-loving youngster, to the gaunt, agonized patient. Juhi Chawla provides the spark in the story, and barring a few cloying moments, she plays her character well as a happy-go-lucky person, who comes into her own as a rock-solid presence in Nikhil’s life. Lilette Dubey and Victor Banerjee assay their roles with easy grace and great dignity. Purab Kohli’s prowess comes to the fore in his restrained portrayal of Nigel. Gautam Kapoor performs adequately in a role with little expectations of him.

This low budget directorial debut of Onir, economises on the music (Viveck Philip), with just one excellent song, ‘Chandni Muskuraye…’ with three versions placed appropriately throughout the movie. The singers are KK, Sunidhi Chauhan and Shaan, with the Sunidhi version coming out a notch better in its rendition. ‘My brother…Nikhil’ does a lot for basic awareness on AIDS. But ultimately, it’s an intimate, introspective tale of relationships that weather emotional crises. 

(edited version published on April 7, 2005 in Madras Plus, the city features supplement of The Economic Times, Chennai. Pics courtesy the film's official website)

5 to 13 - Namrata Amarnath

At age 3.5, Namrata Amarnath began to read the Noddy series of books.

At age 7, she won her first writing competition.

At age 10, she began to author a regular column for children, in Shopper’s Digest magazine.

And now, at age 13, she won a silver medal for a story and a poem in Shankar’s International Children’s Competition for Painting and Writing 2004, receiving the medal from no less than the Hon’ble President of India, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam!

Namrata Amarnath is every bit as articulate as I expect her to be. After all, she took to words very early, and the passion has continued over the years, nurtured by the constant encouragement of her family. She also counts herself as lucky to have the support of Dr. Bhavani Shankar, the Principal of Chettinad Vidyashram, where she studies. As is evident from her achievements, she can effortlessly switch genre, but she admits to being partial to science fiction.

Coming back to the Shankar’s International Competition, Namrata recounts, “As multiple entries were allowed, and the prizes were not based on entries alone, but the writer’s proficiency, I sent in 5 stories and 1 poem, of which, 1 each were selected. The story was called ‘The Autobiography of a Bisleri Bottle’ and the poem, ‘The Magic of Love’. It was such an honour to be one of 15 silver medallists from all over the world in this competition!”

Namrata’s favourite book is Barbara Taylor Bradford’s ‘A Woman of Substance’ which she enjoyed immensely, for its language. The young writer’s advice to those starting out, “One must write what one feels rather than thinks, this will communicate directly to the readers’ hearts. There’s no such thing as a writer’s block, one just has to find the right trigger. To be a writer, one needs to read a lot – this helps to broaden one’s mind as well as improve the vocabulary.”

There is a possibility that we may soon see Namrata’s work on bookshelves, as she’s approached a publisher with a novel and a collection of short stories. “My novel took six months to complete, and is about the dreams and experiences of a girl from an economically underprivileged family. The short stories have been written over the years, but I revised a few of them recently.”

Here’s wishing the young wordsmith, many more accolades in the future, and her readers, countless hours of pleasurable reading.

Zeher

After watching Zeher, I was pleasantly surprised that it was such good time-pass. Here I was thinking Mohit Suri, the writer and director, has managed to bring in a streak of originality into the Bhatt Camp. The next thing I hear, it’s a remake of a Hollywood movie, ‘Out of Time’ starring Denzel Washington and Eva Mendes. 

I should have known. The only thing missing in the equation was the Bhatt penchant for ‘inspiration’.

Having said that, do set aside that little detail and enjoy this version if you haven’t watched the original.

Siddharth Varma (Emraan Hashmi) and Sonia (Shamita Shetty), both cops in Goa and married to each other, are headed for splitsville thanks to his chauvinism and her desire for a career. When Sonia moves out, Siddharth goes on the rebound, with Anna (Udita Goswami) who has an unhappy marriage with Sean (Sameer Kochhar). To make matter worse, Siddharth discovers that Anna is pregnant with his child AND has cancer. Things come to a head when Anna is found dead along with Sean, and all evidence points to Siddharth, who is quick to cover them up. Needless to say, the investigating officer on the case is, you guessed it, Sonia. So, in effect, the pace in the second half of the movie speeds up, with Siddharth trying to stay one step ahead of Sonia, while figuring out exactly what Anna’s trip in life was. 

In the midst of all this, is a briefcase of money that plays a pivotal role in the story.

Performance-wise, this film has a few surprises. I would never have expected Emran Hashmi to carry off the morose short-tempered cop, who’s trying to come to grips with his wife’s desertion. In some ways, he is the predictable choice, with his perpetual scowl, and unnecessary shouting, but on the whole, this is his best performance to date. Shamita Shetty steals the thunder from the rest of the cast. She’s able to bring out her character’s struggle to strike a balance as a woman and a cop thereby pulling off a restrained performance. This movie should prove her prowess in more than just item numbers and special appearances.

Udita Goswami is adequate and manages to emote well in some scenes. A special word of praise for Ninad Kamat as James, the colleague-cum-friend and constant presence in the lives of the lead characters. Ninad’s repartees are spot-on, and he adds life to what could have otherwise been a staid narrative. But hey, even this character exists in the Hollywood version!

Music-wise, there seems to be some confusion. While Roop Kumar Rathod has been given the credits and has scored the music for ‘Jaane Jaan’ and ‘Bekhabar’, there has been some talk of ‘Agar tum mil jaao’ being recreated by Anu Malik. However, the best track in the film, is Atif Aslam’s ‘Woh Lamhe’ that is appropriately used in a flashback. There’s also a remix version by DJ Suketu in the soundtrack and on music channels.

On that note, I must admit the remake has some things that the original didn’t – the songs and a Karwa Chauth snippet that’s repeated twice in the movie. And of course, the Bhatt tag.

Zeher is definitely worth your while, if

(a) your primary objective in watching it is NOT titillation. In fact, the love-making sequences are over and done with, thirty minutes into the movie.

(b) you don’t mind watching an ‘inspired’ version passing off as an original idea.