The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

CULTURE

Custodian of musical legacy
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 10
There are reflections of a legend in his eyes. Even his fingers serve as reminders to an unmatched musical heritage of 500 years. Fathered as he is by Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, who gave the world of music the Mohan Veena, it was only natural for Salil V. Bhatt to inherit musical genes. For 12 years he worshiped the Mohan Veena, and now in the 13th year, he is attempting to define his identity within the parameters set for him by his guru and father Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, whom we know as the proud recipient of the Grammy award for his wonderful creation, the Mohan Veena.

In town for a recital, Salil looked rather composed than the last time when he accompanied his guru in a recital during the Bhaskar Rao Sangeet Sammellan. The year has come round, so have Salil’s skills as a musician. As he said today, “There have been great advantages of being fathered by a legend. I am greeted where ever I go. But I must mention that I don’t follow my guru blindly. I assimilate what he offers but I always try to hone my own talents.”

Talking of the mistake many disciples make in imitating the guru, Salil said, “I never want to be a carbon copy of my father. I delight in experimentation within the discipline of ragas. So where my father would treat Madhuwanti in a soothing, delicate style, I would treat the same raga in a more robust and dominating manner. That is where my identity rises.”

Salil has experimented with Natbhairav and has also made a composition in Bageshwari. Inspired heavily by the Indian classical traditions, Salil actually dropped out of MSc (Geology) to pursue music. A master of the Spanish guitar and the Jazz drums, Salil does not fail to place the Indian musical tradition above the Western. “They have a written text which they follow with rigidity. We have immense scope for creativity and imagination. There lies our success.”

Interestingly, Salil has a great command on the tantrakari ang. He said: “My guru masters the gayaki ang. When he creates a raga, it gets a new life. Very often during his recitals, he experiences a strange feeling of oneness with the supreme power. This is what we call a trance. Every musician lives to experience such moments of bliss.”

As of today, Salil is trying to live up to the standards his family has set. Way back, his grandmother Chandra Kala Bhatt became the first woman music lecturer in Rajasthan. For pursuing music and culture in a dogmatic Rajput set up of Jaipur, she was almost ostracised along with her husband Pt Manmohan Bhatt who supported her. “I have to prove that I belong to a family that has guarded culture even at the risk of its own reputation.”

Accompanying Salil V. Bhatt for tomorrow’s recital at Bhaskar Rao Auditorium in Sector 35 was the charming disciple of Bharat Anatyam guru Saroja Vaidyanathan. The 20-year-old Aarthi Shankar, a student of Ganesha Natyalaya in Delhi, already has a host of stage performances to her credit. She is now on the faculty of the same institution being run by her guru.

After beginning at a tender age, Aarthi first struggled to gain her guru’s attention. As she said, “When you are in a group, the guru will notice you only for something extraordinary you have to offer. So the struggle in the Natyalaya was always very healthy. My first foreign tour was to Japan with my guru. On the return, she praised me saying that I was the best.”

Aarthi has been a part of various choreographic sequences by Saroja Vaidyanathan. “From epics to abstract themes like water and time, we have grown tremendously in our discipline. But there is still a long way to go.”

New kid on the film block
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 10
His chocolate charm is not his only asset. There is more to this actor than meets the eye. That explains why he was picked by ace director Ram Gopal Verma after being spotted in a commercial. What followed was a dream come true for Aaftab Shivdasani, who perfectly matched Urmila Matondkar's glamour in Mast and later went on to prove himself in a more challenging role opposite Lisa Ray in Kasoor.

Quite contrary to Bollywood traditions, the road to success was not so tough for this young boy from a business family of Mumbai. Reason being Aaftab's rapport with the camera which has now been following him for a good about 20 years. His first big break came as a child artist in Shekhar Kapoor's Mr India with Anil Kapoor and Sridevi. Later he featured in over 300 reputed commercials, one of which fetched him his debut film with Ram Gopal Verma.

After having played a rather long innings in glamour circuit, Aaftab is now awaiting a string of big releases — the latest being Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai, produced by Ramesh Taurrani of Tips, the producer of Kya Kehna and Raaz. The visit was arranged for the promotion of this film which casts Amisha Patel, Ashish Vidyarthi and Jackie Shroff. On the occasion Aaftab talked about his gradual growth from Mast to Kasoor which he did with director Vikram Bhatt.

Sounding passionate about Mast, his first film, Aaftab talked with greater confidence about his negative presence in Kasoor. "My role in the film was that of a mature killer. It required me to look beyond my age. I had to mould my mannerisms, my outlook and attitude to suit the character. I loved playing the role. It definitely gave me an edge," said Aaftab. His imposing presence in Kasoor fetched him a couple of challenging roles.

The focus this morning was on Taurrani's film Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai which, he claimed, was not one of those routine romantic stories. "The film is true to life. We have not used a flamboyant script. Everything about the movie is realistic." Aaftab added, "I was inspired by the script which offers great scope for experimentation with one's own skills. While the boy is absolutely devoted to the religion of love, the girl believes in everything expect love. So there is a basic contradiction in the thoughts of the two characters. The film is about striking the middle path and restoring the practical balance of love and life."

As an actor, Aaftab has grown tremendously despite the fact that he attended no acting school. He, however, believes in the supremacy of the script. "No actor is above the script. I am a director's actor and I believe in the director's vision. I can never deny the fact that I was created by Ram Gopal Verma in Mast and then by Vikram Bhatt in Kasoor. There were times when I was soaring; there were also times when I was lying low. But gradually I am learning to attain the critical balance on sets. And I would like to give my directors full credit for the same."

Aaftab is a lover of sports and music. So much so that he never moves without a walkman or a disc man. Acting, however, remains his greatest passion and with about six releases due shortly Aaftab fans will get to see more of his killer charms.

As for this day, he charmed the gathering at Blues in Sector 34. There was a huge rush to catch the glimpse of the Mast man.

Hans’ novel released
Our Correspondent

Dera Bassi, March 10
Author of the original script of the award winning Bollywood movie ‘Waaris’’ — Sohan Singh Hans — is back in news again. His novel ‘Banto’ was formally released in Chandigarh here today.

‘Kare Hathi’, the original script of ‘Waaris’ was never released in form of a book. ‘Banto’, a story of travails of a rustic woman who faces exploitation in all its manifestations, finds a strong expression in the novel.

An eminent Punjabi writer and Principal Secretary, Higher Education, Punjab, Mr Nirpinder Rattan, released the novel at a meeting of the Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, Chandigarh, at Punjab Kala Bhavan, Sector 16, Chandigarh.

Mr Rattan said though Mr Hans had taken some time to come up with the novel, the script was strong enough to create a history once again.

The function was presided over by Tera Singh Chhan, a writer, and Harcharan Singh, a dramatist.

Besides Mr Preetam Singh Johal, SDM, and Mr Bhupinder Singh Saini, Chairman of all Rotract Clubs of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, those who were present on the occasion included Mr Janak Raj Singh, president of Lekhak Sabha, Mr Hari Singh Nagra and some other writers.