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 When
an Army Chief almost quit
A new biography of
General K.S. Thimayya, in his centenary year, by Brig
Chandra B. Khanduri sheds fresh light on the famous clash
between the celebrated Chief of Army Staff and Defence Minister V.K.
Krishna Menon, which is a landmark in Indian political and military
history.
Thimayya
was aware that the
minister of defence had been "not too happy" with the
earlier recommendations based on Exercises Lal Qila and Sheel but he
attributed it to his perspective nuances as well as comprehension.
After all, it was his job to make the prime minister, defence minister
and president understand the strategic requirements of defence of the
border and the country.
The
Gaze on Koodiyattom
Koodiyattom, the ancient
temple art of Kerala, is attracting more attention with Sashi
Paravoor’s acclaimed film Nottam (The Gaze) on the dance
form, writes M.S. Unnikrishnan
Koodiyattom is an ancient temple art
of Kerala which preceded Kathakali by a few light years. Yet, this
vibrant theatre form, set to Sanskrit lyrics, has been mostly confined
to the stages of the temples and select art venues across the Malabar
area of Kerala.
Thrillers
in name only
Detective programmes on the
small screen lack originality and variety,
says Randeep Wadehra
A
lack of genuine competition spawns mediocrity which is reinforced by
the reluctance of major channels to expose their products to scrutiny.
Star and Zee organise their own award-giving ceremonies, underscoring
the absence of credible neutral fora for evaluating various TV
programmes.
A new act for Pretty Woman
David Usborne
It’s
called Three Days of
Rain, a play by Richard Greenberg with three actors playing two
siblings and a childhood friend in Act One and then Sold out almost
for its entire Broadway run, however, it might as well be called The
Pretty Woman Cometh.
Mozart meets
India
Papri Sri Raman
Music
aficionados will get to
savour a unique synthesis of India’s Carnatic music and Western
classical music as an NGO here launches a project Mozart Meets India. The
organisation, Tamil Maiyam, last year coordinated Thiruvasagam, a
project that featured noted music director and composer Ilayaraja
working with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra.
Salman to sing
for Babul
Music director
Aadesh Shrivastava seems to be fast becoming a Salman Khan favourite
and has cajoled him into singing a sentimental number in Ravi
Chopra’s Babul. However,
it was producer-director Ravi Chopra who took the initiative and came
up with the idea of Salman rendering his voice for the film, reports
Bollywood Trade.
Dosti on
screen
Films
celebrating friendship —
right from Rajshri Production’s Dosti, made in 1964, to
Suneel Darshan’s Dosti — have been box-office hits.
Filmmakers are convinced that this is one theme that rarely fails to
click, writes M. L. Dhawan
In
an interview Hrishikesh Mukherjee
once confessed that his blockbuster Anand was almost
biographical — a mirror image of Raj Kapoor.
Good fare, bad
set-up
There were glitches
galore but to those who are fond of cinema there were a number of good
films in the MAMI festival, writes Ervell E.
Menezes
The
curtain finally came down
on the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI) festival last month
but the event, also known as the International Film Festival of India,
is now being known for its glorious uncertainties.
Being misfit
The
screenplay by Homi
Adajania and Kersi Khambatta is excellent, incorporating the Parsiana
with doses of action and young director Adajania moulds the subject
with the skill of a potter.
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