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Mime over matter
We follow the Natyadharma and Lokdharma codes for delineating a theme through a display of emotions, facial and body gestures while performing mime
S.D. SHARMA

Very few artistes in the realm of mime have elicited appreciation like Padmashri Niranjan Goswami, the Kolkata-based multifaceted artiste who has given a new dimension to the original European pantomime art form.

Fact file
Mime was a Greco-Roman drama art, where scenes from real life were depicted in an exaggerated and ridiculous manner. Today, mime and pantomime have come to mean the art of portraying a character or telling a story using body movements, symbolic gestures and facial expressions.
The earliest of the Greek and the Roman forms of the mime were a farce that emphasised mimetic action. They also included dialogues and songs. Information on mime as a drama form, before it began to be accepted as a literary form, is very scanty.
More of mime
The youngest mime legend of India - Suman Mukherjee fell in love with this art when he was only eight. In his childhood, he watched his father acting on stage in so many theatres. He was inspired from his father's work.
Later, a mime show in the locality cast a deep impression in the mind of the boy. He and his elder brother watched the performance with keen interest and later reproduced some of the items before his relatives and friends' parents every body was surprised to see the skill of the little boy and encouraged him.
He joined Jogesh Mime Academy, Kolkata for vocational training for 5 years when he was only 12. He was the first student of his teen age who was awarded with diploma in mime.

Born in a sleepy village, near Dhaka, Niranjan obtained a Master’s degree from Rabindra Bharati University in theatre. Since pursuing excellence in mime was uppermost in his mind, which he felt was a complete art in itself, he acquired a specialisation in theatre, mime and dance under stalwarts Shambhu Mitra, Jogesh Dutta and Suresh Dutta, respectively. He was awarded the junior and the senior scholarships later by the Government of India, the National Sangeet Natak award (2002) and the International Theatre award (2007), to mention a few. Niranjan has taken his art to all the major European and African countries and the USA, performing extensively at international festivals and private programmes.

The founder-director of the Indian Mime Theatre Kolkata, Niranjan Goswami, the distinguished mime performer and teacher is in town on the invitation of Prof. Mahendra Kumar, chairperson Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University.

This year’s Padmashiri award for Goswami in mime brings a broad smile on the faces of all his friends, admirers and students who have been watching his work for the last 40 years, says Dr. Mahendra .

He said the students of the Department of Indian Theatre are learning the intricate details of control and concentration inherent in this art from. How an actor’s body is a tool and how this can its capabilities can be perfected is something to be learnt from a master only, adds Mahendra.

The mime master shared his profound passion of pantomime and his concerted efforts for pulling Indian mime theatre out of the rusty old box.

Goswami defined the mime performance as ‘mukhabhinaya’ or the art of silent expression. He took to this passion watching the performances of the original European art from Jogesh Dutta, who pioneered the pantomime form way back in 1956.

It was, however, imperative to modify the original European art to suit the Indian milieu. Goswami elaborated that as per Bharat Muni’s ‘Natyashastra’, there are four types of dramatic expressions and except for the “vachika “ or verbal expression, the other three like interpretation of moods (satwik abhinaya), bodily movements (angika) and decorative expressions are used in mime art. “We follow the Natyadharma and Lokdharma codes for delineating a theme through a display of emotions and facial and body gestures while performing mime.”

These ingredients are the lifeline of Indian classical dance form, which is a fusion of music, mime and poetry. The dancer achieves the thematic enunciation with the interplay of the body and mind. The mind observes and influences the body, and the body expresses under the influence of the mind, explains the Master.

Since mime transcends lingual barriers and boundaries and reaches out to all in all areas, it can effectively discuss and debate the socio- cultural issues and provide awareness on evils like AIDS, drug abuse, sati and others deserving public attention.

Contrary to the belief that actors are born, Goswami believes otherwise and maintains: “Acting can be taught for sure, but lessons in acting never really end. It is a learning process which has to go on essentially.”

He especially appreciated the talent and the keenness to learn shown by the student-actors of the Indian Theatre Department as well as the standard of brilliance set by its teachers in the region.

lifestyle@tribunemail.com

Marriage of icons
Vouching for the recent marriage between Bollywood and cricket, Juhi assured that the new season of IPL would continue to be as popular as last time

"Bollywood has recently been married off to cricket. Like all marriages the initial years are stormy. But I am sure, it will continue to rock and entertain people," said Juhi Chawla, the co-owner of Shah Rukh Khan's Knight Riders, about the upcoming second season of the Indian Premier League's Twenty20 tournament.

''Unlike conventional cricket matches there is lot of glamour attached to IPL. I am certain that despite recession everybody is going to tune in to IPL. It's like a carnival,'' said the former Ms India.

Excited about the Knight Riders' cheer ladies the actor said, ''We are planning to have a reality show on television called Knights and Angels where all the aspiring cheer leaders would be trained by Shiamak Dawar. The best of the lot would be cheering our team this time.''

Asked about the team's plan on hosting matches outside Kolkata the chirpy actor said, ''We are still looking into the options of playing in Cuttack. But Orissa is definitely on the cards.'' Asked about the tough bidding of Bangladeshi player Mashrafe Mortaza in the auction, Juhi said, ''He is a good bowler, he is from Bangladesh and he suits us best''. — UNI

Name game
Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan says he does not want to hurt the sentiments of hairdressers or evoke anyone’s wrath

After a section of hairdressers objected to the word 'Barber' terming it as 'derogatory', Khan said that his production house Red Chillies has decided to drop the word 'barber' from all the posters. He said that since the film is slated for release later this week, there isn't much that can be done. But he added that he doesn't want to invoke the wrath of any section of the society. "I understand the emotions and I respect. Instead of it becoming an issue where people are going to blacken out poster and give some sort of dissent or grief at cinema halls, film is not about that. We will try and remove the word 'Barber' from the posters," said Khan. Khan said that members of Hairdressers and Saloon Association had approached him with their 'genuine concerns' over the use of the word 'Barber' and its Hindi translation hajaam. He said that though the censor board has already cleared the film, he would not like to hurt the sentiments of the hairdressers.

"These people feel the word hajaam (barber) that should not be there in the film. We would beep the word in the film, but I don't think we can do anything about the music. Though the censor board has already cleared the film, we don't think we have shown them in wrong light. There is no point in releasing a film by hurting the sentiments of the people whose profession we are portraying in the film," said Khan. Khan plays a popular Bollywood actor in the film, which is about a village hairdresser and his friendship with a movie star. Billu Barber, directed by Priyadarshan and produced by Khan, is all set for release around Valentine's Day. —ANI

Stumbling block
Miss India tag has been a deterrent for me: Gul Panag

Gul Panag says she always wanted to do meaty roles in films, but her Miss India crown often proved to be a stumbling block as many filmmakers thought beauty queens could only sing and dance on screen. "A lot of times, because of my beauty pageant win, filmmakers thought that I won't be able to carry off an intense role and will be only suitable for singing and dancing. So it was not easy for me," the actor said.

Gul began her tryst with Bollywood with offbeat films like Dhoop and Jurm, but it was her role as Zeenat in Nagesh Kukunoor's critically acclaimed film Dor that established her as a talented actor. Her performance in thriller Manorama Six Feet Under the following year also earned her rave reviews. Gul's next project is Straight - Ek Tedhi Medhi Love Story. She is also working with Ram Gopal Varma in Rann, which also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Paresh Rawal, Ritiesh Deshmukh and Rajat Kapoor. She is also working in Mukta Arts' Hello Darling and Rajat Kapoor's Ek Rectangular Love Story. —IANS

Filmfare fanfare

The 54th edition of the Filmfare awards ceremony will take place in Mumbai on February 28. Tarun Rai, chief executive officer of the Worldwide Media Private Limited, announced the date in the presence of Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone.

Padukone, who had performed during last year's awards ceremony, said she loved to be part of the show.

"It feels great to be a part of the event because for me Filmfare is extremely special. My association with Filmfare actually started many years ago when as a child I used to look forward to the once a year award function that used to happen. Last year when I won two debut awards for my film Om Shanti Om, it made it even more special," said Padukone.

"I would love to perform in Filmfare. This year if they ask me to perform, I would love to do that. If not I would love to attend it. It is always good to be a part of anything that Filmfare has to offer," she added.

Deepika said her upcoming film Love Aaj Kal looked at the theme of love in a modern
context.

"It's basically a character of a girl of today. I think the way Imtiaz Ali has portrayed the relationship in this film is the way a lot of youngsters in today's age deal with relationships. I think a lot of us will relate to it. She is a modern girl, yet at the same time traditional in her thought and deals with relationships practically and finally follows her heart," said Padukone.

Introduced in 1954, the Filmfare awards is one of the oldest and most popular film awards in the country. — ANI

Millionaire moment
Irrfan Khan wins award for outstanding contribution to cinema

Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, who has made a mark with his histrionics in his recent Hollywood flick Slumdog Millionaire, has been honoured by the British House of Commons for his outstanding contribution to the Indian cinema.The versatile actor received the award from Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP from Birmingham Perry Barr in the House of Commons last evening.

Jaipur-born actor Irrfan Khan, who played the role of a Police Inspector in Slumdog..., expresses his happiness over the film's acknowledgement at British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), where it won seven awards. I am happy that the feel good film has won as many as seven awards at BAFTA here, including the Best Film, Best Director prize for Danny Boyle and Best Music award for A R Rahman," he said. "I am hopeful that it will win four to five Oscars later this month where it has received ten nominations. I think it is going to win the Best Film, the Best Director and Best screenplay awards." "I will be delighted if it wins Oscar for Music and sound," Khan said. —PTI

Behind the mask
Mask Theatre group brings to tricity a five-day fest
Ashima Sehajpal

No social message or ambitions to change the society, Mask Theatre group isn't aiming too high. Their sole purpose is to present famous literary works through acting on stage. "We wish to entertain people by enacting these classic stories," asserts Vijay Kumar Machal, president of the group. On second thought, he adds, "Even if you don't make any deliberate attempts to convey a message through theatre, it would naturally get reflected. Only entertainment can make theatre frivolous and in fact, without a message it is no art."

And, we will get to see the same once again at their first theatre festival, Katha Manchan. Conceptualised by Vijay, this five-day festival will see seven productions directed by six established directors. "Invoking thought process in people by making them face reality is what theatre is all about," points out Chakresh, who has directed One (the part of two). The name of the play indicated his intentions and we asked him to go ahead, "My play affirms that concentration is a myth. Every individual has two minds or may be more all the time. No human being can be free from the tensions of life which bothers him everytime."

As expected you cannot stay away from talking social messages and causes while discussing theatre. We deviate but let's discuss the festival again. "Our idea was to popularise theatre in the city. I know it isn't easy but hard work seldom goes waste," he says preferring to be pragmatic at the same time.

Sumit Sood, who has directed two plays for the festival reassures the belief, "Everybody in the group read some 100 books and then short-listed the seven stories that we were sure would engross people. We hope our hard-work will be appreciated." Well, his production, Sharat(based on a story by Anton Chekov) too has an inevitable message of how tough it is for an individual to choose between spiritualism and materialism. Some heavy dose there! But those who want a treat of entertaining theatre should go for Leathercoat, based on a story by Max Schulma, directed by Gaurav Sharma. It is a story of a girl who chooses the boy who wears a leather coat over the one who isn't fashionable and leads a simple life. Some serious stuff again!

ashima@tribunemail.com

Some fest this!
Now get ready to welcome 150 students from South Asian universities who will showcase their talent at SAUFEST
Manpriya Khurana

Students, alumni, alma mater, faculty, fraternity, fellow universities and even outsiders! All those associating Panjab University with violence, rallies and elections need to do a serious rethinking. Flip! And it's impossible to miss vibrant, vivacious youth, a string of colourful fests, student organisation and cultural exchange programmes. This time, it's the SAUFEST. Starting tomorrow, Panjab University will host for the first time, the IV South Asian Universities Youth Festival.

Aaghaaz ho1
Theatre aficionado can look forward to a treat from the 'very from the city' Aaghaaz, the dramatics club of D.A.V College, ready for take two. High on the recent win at Inter University National Youth Festival, at Midnapore, West Bengal, where they secured second position in the One Act Play and Mime Event, the team would be performing in the South Asian University Festival too. Theirs is the only play chosen from the whole of India. So, watch out for their performances in Joshiley!

The five-day event will see 150 amateur student theatre artistes from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Being held for the fourth time, the initial venues of the festival saw places from Jammu, Mumbai to Nepal. "When we recently hosted the Inter-University Youth Festival, the secretary-general of the (AIU) Association of Indian Universities, saw the hospitality and from then on there was a proposal and acceptance between us and them and that's how we came to host it," said spokesperson, Department of Youth Welfare. "Through this festival, we aim to create an environment of cultural exchange, promotion of peace," he added. With an itinerary almost action-packed with mélange of activities, certainly not a difficult task. So, if there is kite-flying, mime, plays there's also visit to Pinjore, Rock Garden and Sukhna Lake. While the debate would see students articulating themselves on 'Youth is the most potent force to promote peace in South Asian Region'.

The guests will be put up at the faculty houses, served purely vegetarian food and subjected to a cultural treat through the fest with folk orchestras, instrumental music, sight seeing et al. Ooops…did we somewhere in the flood of information, forget to mention that culturally speaking, and going by the rankings in fests, Panjab University is the second best varsity in the nation next only to Bombay University!

manpriya@tribunemail.com

i tone
Valentine blahs
Once again it's the time for roses, hearts, cards, teddies and everything mushy. But has Valentine's Day somehow lost its charm in all this hype and hoopla? Do we need to reinvent this day of love? Let's turn to the student brigade. We ask...they tell…

Pesky policing

Udhamjeet Singh Sandhu, To some extent that's true. Chandigarh is kind of getting boring. There's so much of security all around that it is not possible to enjoy the day in totality or a carefree environment. Even on the geri route, which is supposed to be most peppy and happening, it's the same problem. So, I think, we need to fix that.

Udhamjeet Singh Sandhu,
Law Department, Panjab University

Same old love

Shagun Sharma I don't agree. If Valentine's Day is the same all year around, so it's not really a negative point. Isn't the very concept of love supposed to be evergreen? It's the same since times immemorial. I wouldn't agree with the very idea of losing it’s appeal. It's just as fun-filled and fresh as ever.

Shagun Sharma,
Student, Panjab University

Lost charm

Neha Thakur, Somewhere it is losing appeal. Take the recent Mangalore incident, for example. With such things happening, it's getting worse by the day. The original charm and innocence associated with the day,has been lost in the din of everybody trying to gain a mileage or publicity out of this day and especially political parties.

Neha Thakur,
Anthropology student