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Revelry remix
From the days of dhol and disco
dandiya to digital dandiya, the reel and real affair of Bollywood with the season of fasting and festivities has seen a sea change. Tinsel town folks set the mood for the Navratras as they talk of rejoicing,
raas and remixes, writes
Jyothi Venkatesh
 The
Navratra season and Durga Puja see the ‘gods’ and ‘goddesses’ of
B-town get into a pious mode, with the action shifting to the other kind
of floor: dance floor and puja pandals. Stars share what the festivities
mean to them in these times of remixes and remakes.
Recalls Shilpa Shetty,
"As children, we were told by our parents that Vijaydashami was the
festival during which Lord Ram killed Ravana and it symbolised the
triumph of good over evil.
‘Dhoom taana’ from Om Shanti Om is still popular
Hands
of clay
Kumartuli, the idol-makers’ quarter in old
Kolkata, remains a symbol of continuity of Bengal’s 250-year-old craftsmanship and culture revolving round the annual Durga
Pujo, writes
Arnab Chakraborty
Near
Sobhabazar in Kolkata, lie
the clay-muddled pathways of Kumartuli that houses hundreds of artisans
who design the Durga idols for homes and the puja pandals
around the country, making Durga Pujo a pride of the Bengalis. One can almost sense
the stories around about the traditional ways of the craftsmen who
create the clay masterpieces with an awe-inspiring diligence each year.
Divine joy
Durga Puja is celebrated across the world with sound, colour, music and fashion. These elements widen the parameters of culture and enrich the spirit of the festival, says
Shoma A. Chatterji
The
difference between global
and national culture, between national and regional culture, between the
arts and popular entertainment, and between tradition and modernity is
getting increasingly blurred everyday. In this ambience, Durga Puja
celebrated across the world with sound, colour, music, performance,
fashion and d`E9cor reflects this blurring of borders. This widens the
parameters of culture and enriches the joy that Durga Puja brings
in.
Looking good for Durga
The festive spirit of Durga Puja is in the air. Young men and women — outgrowing their regional Bengali label and going global — are on a shopping spree, purchasing trendy and traditional jewellery and clothes
Fusion,
diffusion, blends, textures, ethnicity, abstractions, geometry and
symmetry in colours and styles from the traditional to the modern to the
post-modern define the world of madness in fashion that keeps evolving
every day of the year. So, what kind of fashion does the festive
ambience of Durga Puja or Navratras demand? Will young ladies wear
red-bordered white saris on the Ashtami day with lots of flowers in
their hair? Will the newly married brides deck up in their wedding
finery and visit their neighbourhood pandal on Dasehra afternoon
to participate in the sindoor khela?
Pandals
of faith
Durga Puja in West Bengal is a much-awaited festival. With elaborate pandals and innovative themes, pandal hopping is a mandatory ritual for natives as well as tourists, writes
Ranjita Biswas
For
Bengalis, Durga Puja is THE festival, worth waiting for the whole
year. As soon as the new calendar comes out in April, which launches the
traditional new year, their eyes inevitably dart to the autumn months to
check the puja dates. Today Durga Puja is not just a ritual but a
whole lot of images and feelings woven into the very fabric of the
Bengali mindset. Even as the artisans at Kumartuli in north Kolkata
start mixing the earth to sculpt the deity, preparations start —
especially the elaborate pandals constructed according to the
theme in baroari (community) puja venues.
Food worthy of worshipping
There is a vast repertoire of traditional vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes during Durga Puja
A
festival without sumptuous food? Are you kidding? A Bengali is very
likely to retort. The vast repertoire of vegetarian and non-vegetarian
dishes, which a Bengali even from an ordinary household can cook, is
quite enviable. From traditional dishes to innovations from the kitchen
of the Thakur Bari (house of the illustrious Tagores), the Bengali food
palette is a gourmand’s delight
No room for mythology
Indian cinema’s romance with mythology began with Dadasaheb Phalke’s 1913 feature film, Raja
Harishchandra. Today, devotional films that venerated the benevolence and bravery of gods
and goddesses have vanished, writes Deepa Karmalkar
A
year ago, the news that Waka Waka singer Shakira had consented to play
goddess Kali in an Indian project had created quite a buzz. But nothing
came out of it. "Shakira as Kali Mata? That just won’t work;
there is a revered image of Kaali maa in the minds of the devotees and
Shakira doesn’t conform to it any way," remarks Udaya Tara Nayar,
veteran film analyst. "The actress playing the role of Devi must
have classic Indian features like Hema Malini or Rekha; among today’s
heroines, Kareena Kapoor, with the right make-up, would be the best bet
to play the goddess," she adds. So, will Kareena’s divine avatar
do the trick?
Mithun’s Nobel Chor at London fest
Bengali
film Nobel Chor, starring Mithun Chakraborty, has been officially
selected for screening at the 55th BFI London Film Festival to be held
October 12-27 this year. Presented as its European premiere, the film
will be shown in the World section at the festival and will have two
screenings, says producer Ashwani Sharma.
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