A princely answer to Shimla
By Raja Bhasin

CHAIL was the ‘summer capital’ of the former princely state of Patiala. It came into being in the late 19th century when its handsome Maharaja, Bhupinder Singh, was banished from Shimla (Simla), the summer capital of British India for a dalliance with the British Commander-in-Chief’s daughter.

Smarting at this insult, Bhupinder Singh began exploring the neighbouring hills with a single factor to guide him. He planned to find a hill that was within sight of Shimla — but higher. The little village of Chail seemed perfect. Shimla lay within direct vision — and most important, Chail was higher than the British controlled town.

And then, large tracts of the land already belonged to him. These had been given to his ancestors for services rendered during the Gurkha Wars which had come to an end in 1815-16.

A site was selected and the Maharaja began building his summer palace. But an ill omen seemed to hang over the construction area.

Local legend has it that the moment anything was built, it would collapse overnight. Dozens of snakes would appear from nowhere and attack the labourers. Then Bhupinder Singh had a dream. A sidh, sage appeared before him and declared that the site the Maharaja had chosen was where he had meditated till he was taken by the earth — and his peace should not be disturbed. The Maharaja also had the sage’s blessings to build on any other spot. Bhupinder Singh moved to another site and at the original position — which is about 1 km from the Palace Hotel he had a temple to the sidh built. Here the stone embodiment of the sage may still be seen — along with the iron tongs and trident also said to have been excavated. The shrine is known as the Sidh baba ka mandir and is revered by many who claim that the sage has the power to grant boons.

Meanwhile, Bhupinder Singh had another site levelled out and a splendid mansion was built and sumptuously furnished. And at 2226 metres, a good 100 metres above Shimla’s average height, Bhupinder Singh’s summer capital was prepared to take on the British one at equal terms. In 1972, the property set in about 75 acres of land — including peripheral cottages, woods, sport and recreation facilities and even an orchard — passed into the hands of Himachal Tourism.

This is now the Palace Hotel — a full-fledged destination resort. This retains the grandeur of its princely past — and a large elegant lawn, complete with pavilion and fountain, adjoins the hotel.

Chail’s famous cricket ground was built in 1893 after levelling out the top of a hill. This stands at 2444.4 metres and is perhaps the highest cricket pitch and polo ground in the world.

Maharaja Bhupinder Singh was an avid cricketer and the teams that have played here, include the MCC. Bhupinder Singh was not averse to a spot of fun at cricket too.

This once included a match with all the players dressed as women. The Maharaja took the crease in nun’s black habit — sporting an equally black beard.

Several easy walks can be done in and around Chail. The small wildlife sanctuary has a variety of wildlife that includes the ghoral, kakkar, sambhar, red jungle fowl, and the khalij and cheer pheasants. Machan-like sighting posts are near Blossom — at Khariun and on the bald pate of the prosaically named Roda Tibba.

Fishing is possible on the Gaura river and there are several trek routes that lead out of the resort — including the one to the Choor Chandni mountain which is visible from Chail and poetically translates as The Mountain of the Silver Bangle.

Never-say-die heroes

By Swati Maheshwari

NO one had anticipated the profound impact the movie promo of Lal Badshah would have on the people. ‘Potatoes’, well nigh impossible to dislodge from their couches, literally fell off. A surprising reaction from audiences who had forgotten they possessed something called sensibilities. But this movie trailor was a little too difficult to stomach. Amitabh Bachchan, with a newly acquired grandfather status in real life, romancing not one but two heroines his daughter’s age in reel life. And romancing, of course, in today’s context means dancing with a hundred extras, one among them incidentally being the heroine.Plus, attired in red and matched by an even more ridiculous song, I like your dance baby.

This triggered off a national debate on the superstar’s second comeback bid. Suddenly, people are discussing Aby Baby’s (remind yourself of his having walked this earth for more than five decades) career moves, where he went wrong, what should his future plans be etc. Amitabh Bachchan’s advisers probably outnumber President Clinton’s. The besieged hero alternates between being defensive ("I am not romancing the two heroines, they are fantasising about me in the film") and putting up an aggressive stance ("It is the critics’ prerogative to impute motives to the action of public figures").

But Amitabh Bachchan is not the first, and some divine intervention states, not the last hero who has refused to acknowledge that his age does not permit him to do the lead romantic roles. Before him Rishi Kapoor had envisioned himself as the eternal lover boy. Defying his increasing girth, he paired up romantically with every debutante in Hindi movies in the past 25 years. He must have lost count of the number of times he fell in love at first sight, professed undying love, promptly proceeding to dance around trees. At long last he retired much to the relief of the long-suffering audiences. What triggered off this decision was not so much his need to graduate to better things but more because he, rather his paunch, became the butt of every VJ’s joke.

Mithun Chakraborty regularly inflicts himself on viewers in his quest for that elusive hit. His perseverance, grit and determination should be applauded but people find it difficult to be so magnanimous. Although it is praiseworthy to do the monotonous dhishum dhishum and obscenity that goes in the guise of dances, with such passion (more like desperation) movie after movie. What is incomprehensible, however, is how he keeps hoping his next movie will be a success, when every film of his is a repetition of his previous film. Jeetendra whose claim to fame (or notoriety) was as Jumping Jack just would not jump off the bandwagon. Sartorial elegance aside (white leather shoes, white trousers, multi-hued shirts), people even winced at his pathetic attempts to entertain.

Indeed there is a long list of heroes who have thought old age happened to lesser mortals and refused to quit. Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra plus others harboured the delusion of their casanova image sending generation after generation of women swooning over them. They have been playing romantic roles despite bags under their eyes, sagging cheeks and a slipping control on their weight and audiences. However, in their defense it can be said that certain producers were willing to bet on them.

For how long do aging stars expect to continue prancing around trees and their heroines? Don’t they feel the need to reinvent themselves in more substantial and varied roles? To put to use knowledge and experience gained, in experimenting and improving their craft. Bollywood stars could learn a thing or two from their discerning Hollywood counterparts who are not mortified to play roles their age. They are not afraid of taking up more challenging roles. They might continue to act in romances but mature people romance too.

Unlike Indian heroes who get glued to the college lover boy images and do not relinquish them, one has to admire artistes like A1 Pacino, Robert Redford, Michael Douglas, Tom Cruise, Clint Eastwood who are incessantly striving towards newer subjects, meatier roles and better performances. They are not content to merely reflect past glory, and stagnate in a rut. Of course, Hollywood does allow for scripts other than the love stories of the dual, triangular and quadrangular variety. This is what gives room to its stars to innovate. But it’s hardly surprising that Mumbaiwallahs are not willing to accommodate more than the routine masala film when actors of Big B’s calibre and status do not want to veer even slightly away from the tried, tested and by now thoroughly exhausted formulae.

On the other hand, in our phillum industry heroines age doubly faster than heroes. We are far more magnanimous about suffering the antics of male stars well past their prime. But the moment the most talented of heroines gives a few flops, the nation is exhorting her to gracefully retire. Or ‘graduate’ to crashingly boring roles of bhabhi and maa. Till now, most actresses have acquiesced by marrying either an industrialist or a much married industrywallah.

That is their expression of retirement. Not many appear familiar with Michelle Pfeiffer or Demi Moore for whom marriage or children, years gone by, mean hopping from strength to strength. One does not see them wilting in the sidelines but redefining themselves as artistes. Actresses in India are not given too many opportunities while heroes are never ready to quit.