Famous four
n S.D. SHARMA

OF all the performing arts, dancing is the most attuned to the Infinite, having its essence in nature itself and regarded as the most ancient and proudest of arts.

Nobody bears better testimony to this than the quartet of acclaimed Indian classical dancers who're in the city for a performance at the Pinjore Heritage Festival.

They include kathak queen Shovana Narayan, bhartnatayam icon Prathiba Prahlad, odissi exponent Ranjana Gauhar and mohiniattam maestro Bharati Shivaji. They shared their views on various issues relating to the contemporary status of these classical arts.

Her contribution to the propagation of kathak has been lauded in India and abroad. Many traits meet in the persona of Shovana, an author of 10 books and senior bureaucrat by profession and classical dancer due to passion. Performing extensively to raise funds for Bihar flood victims has really rejuvenated me, she says

Bharatnatyam icon Parthiba Prahlad is a blend of talent, intellect and beauty. Holding an M.Phil in English literature, she has excelled as a dancer, choreographer and producer of classical compositions and TV serials. She has conceptualised and produced the Rhythm and Harmony show being presented at the Pinjore festival.

The presentation has made waves at many foreign festivals. She feels the "festivals" play a constructive role in the dissemination of our diverse cultural heritage. She has been credited with holding the fortnight-long Delhi International Arts Festival on the lines of the Edinburg festival.

The prominent Odissi maestro Ranjana Gauhar, who did most of the talking, holds that the classical arts, replete with the utterances of sages and seers, spread their wisdom through the dances. Bharti Shivaji says that the classical arts are flourishing even though the master performers are no more. There is better awakening among the people now, they maintains.

Nagaada takes on dhol 
Bollywood beats to bhajans, a medley of tunes are rocking Garba nights this season
n Jasmine Singh

IT is impossible to imagine the Navratras without music. And one name that pops up when we talk of dandiya music is Phalguni Pathak. Her Yaad piya ki is now an anthem at the Garba nights. But people move on, this season you have other tunes to dance to. Here's what's rocking the Garba this season.

Says Emcee Bawa, "Music and beats are the soul of Garba. There are many songs, Hindi and Gujarati, that highlight this aspect. Gori surat dil key khotey, Dholi taro dhol baajey, Nagaada baja are some of the popular tracks being played at Garba nights, in addition to the Phalguni Pathak regulars." As per Bawa, people don't need a particular kind of music to dance to. "The revellers are more into the spirit of the festival and can dance to anything. They can even do Garba to rock numbers!

Throw in some foot-tapping beats, a nice ambience and a good DJ who can dish out the right mix, and people can dance from evening into the wee hours, such can be the frenzy.

Says Punjabi singer Saleem, of Dil da maamla (Hey Babyy) fame, "I have attended a couple of Garba nights, people dance to just about everything being played." Nevertheless, adds Saleem, "Bhajans like Aarti utaaru main maa Santoshi ki, Maa sheroon wali create a religious fervour mixed with ecstacy. In a way, they take people into a state of trance, where they are dancing to please the Goddess."

The choice of music does affect the dance pace, but For DJ Tarun, enjoyment has nothing to do with a particular genre of music. All the same, adds Tarun, "Garba has its origin in Rajasthan, so the music is also synonymous with it. People like to dance to tunes which relate to the essence of garba." On the kind of music being played this season, says the DJ, "The base has to have beats, and thereafter you can top it with any kind of song. Right from the typical dandiya tunes to Bollywood to remixes, everything works well with people are long as it has beats and touch of the dhol in it."

jasmine@tribunemail.com

Rakhi up close and personal 
n Manav Ghuman

SHE is a saucy tart that exploded onto the Indian screen - big then small and now will soon be seen on the cricket ground as a cheerleader. So what’s the real Rakhi Sawant like? “Rakhi jo karti hai, apne dum pe karti hai”. She is bold, beautiful, practical and honest,” says the actress without batting an eyelid. Honesty, can be Rakhi’s middle name. She is known for nakhras, latkas and matkas in Bollywood. However, there is yet another girl behind the mask who longs for her parents’ love, which she had been longing for since childhood.

Often known as blunt, we tried to explore the soft side of Rakhi during a meeting at Mumbai’s Pritam da Dhaba at Oshiwara. She promised to be at the restaurant at 1 pm and true to her words, she was there at sharp one while we were still jostling to find our way to the restaurant. Excerpts:

w Tell us something about your childhood?

I am a daughter of a senior Mumbai Police cop but till day I long for my father’s love and affection. Whenever I see a father and daughter together sharing a good bond, my eyes are filled with tears, as this was what I always wished for. My father left us when I was 10 because I wanted to join film industry. Since then he never came back. Even my mother did not support me. At least she should have but….after that I did stage shows and became a part of the orchestra group, as I had to support my family. I was thrashed by my family when I danced and even my hair was chopped off for the same. However, I was the youngest in the house but I took the financial responsibility on my shoulders. I recently met my father but he did not talk to me. I will long for his love until my death.  

w How do you feel when people call you ‘item girl’?

I am an artiste, a performer and I do not care what people call me. Recently when I asked the same question to Salman Khan during one of his shows that why I was called so, he said his mother and sister-in-law were also item girls. But in reality, people think Rakhi is an ‘item’ girl sans the refinement of Helen of yesteryears, but who cares. Yet today this item girl is in great demand. Over the years, I have proved that I am one of the biggest entertainer and yes, quite an item, and so I survived. Success did not come as sheer luck to me.

w Do you want to come out of your image?

I am happy with my present image and do not want to come out of it. I do not want to become ‘Tulsi’. In fact nobody would give me work if I clad myself in a saree. I would be jobless if I change my image. I want to go with pace of time.

w Are you a jack-of-all-trades and master of none?

A: I want to excel in everything I do. I want to dance on the cricket ground as cheerleader, on stage, take part in the reality shows and do films. One can never be sure about the film’s future, whether it would click with the audience or not. So just to keep my future secure I keep my hands full of projects.

w Why Bollywood does not accept your success?

Though Bollywood people have never accepted me but I will always say, ‘God bless you’. I have not been accepted till date as I belong to a middle class family and not educated enough. I am a very straightforward person and do not know politics. Let the industry remain busy in making fun of me while I move ahead in life.

w So when is the bindaas babe going to settle down?

I will get married in 2009. Though I never wanted to tie the knot but since Abhishek wants to get married so I have altered my mind. I always wanted to adopt a child but one’s all desires cannot be fulfilled in one life. 

Hello TUNEZ
Something for everyone

ROCK ON: This film marks the debut of Farhan Akhtar as an actor and as the title itself says it loud and clear, the film is all about the life of a rock star. Naturally, the songs are also almost invariably of that genre. But the zing and flavour that one expects from Shankar Ehsaan Loy are not present to the desired level. There is a bit of monotony and one needs to make an effort to distinguish one song from the other. The music arrangement and tunes are, to a great extent, reminiscent of Pakistani singers.

Farhan has also made his debut as a singer, and croons as many as five songs. Surprisingly, he is more than good with the mike. The slightly rough voice is tailor-made for these kind of songs.

Lyrics are by dad Javed Akhtar and they make you think about mankind and life, in songs like Socha hai, through lyrics like Aasaman hai neela kyon? Paani geela geela kyon? Gol kyon hai zameen?  But other songs like Pichhlesaat dinon mein are marked by the standard no-brainer lyrics of average rock. It is the infectious na na na na na beat that keeps this song going.

One song which is a serene ballad is Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein  that stands out only because it is, one, in a female voice, and two, it is sweet and romantic among all the cacophony. It has been sung by Dominique Carejo who has been rendering songs in Hindi as well as English for many years. Another softie is Tum ho toh rendered by Farhan Akhtar.

Suraj Jaggan was fluent in the title song of Johny Gaddar but is rather shrieky in Yahan Pe Saanp Baste Hain, Sabko Saanp Daste Hain here. It is fittingly titled Zehreeley.

Farhan Akhtar shares the mike with Raman Mahadevan to do an unconventional Sinbad The Sailor. This song takes some getting used to.

The finale – it can’t really be called a grand finale – comes through Phir Dekhiye crooned by Caralisa Monteiro. It again is romantic and sweet but hardly removes the hard rock influence. The use of acoustic piano and box guitar is the highlight.

HELLO (TIPS): The film based on Chetan Bhagat’s novel One night @ the Call Centre has been delayed by more than a year. So the Sajid Wajid music is not exactly mint fresh, bu that does not make it dated either.

Don’t be taken in by that huge photo of Salman Khan on the cover. He is there in the film only as a guest star. But it is perhaps because of him that the film has his favourite composers Sajid-Wajid along with lyricist Jalees Sherwani.

Quite befitting a film with a call centre background, the opening title track begins with the beep sound that transforms into a calypso beat later. The groovy number has, besides Wajid, Ishq Bector, Herchelle, Merlin and Tim plus Suzy Q who had impressed in Kidnap with Hey Ya. It later figures in a mix version done by the same singers. If the background music has weird sounds like the police siren, beep sounds etc, the lyrics are of the paathshala, jeeja kala variety.

Sufi meets western in Rab ka Banda, which is marked by some faux philosophy. It has Sonu Nigam in the lead with Zubin and Sunidhi Chauhan.

Daler Mehndi is his usual self in Karle Baby Dance Wance which has Sunidhi Chauhan making a vain bid to match his boisterousness.

Bang bang bang by Wajid has the pretensions of being a rock number. If it works, it will be only because of the Salman Khan charisma. On its own, it is less than average.

Mitwa re is quiet and sedate (Wajid, Shaan and Sadhana Sargam).

The last song Caravan is never-ending at 6 minutes 11 seconds. This old-world song has been sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan. —ASC

1 KA DUM

Filmi

1. Rock on! Big Music

2. Singh is Kinng Junglee Music

3. Karrzz T. Series

4. Bachna Ae Haseeno Yash Raj Music

5. Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na T. Series

6. Jannat Sony Music

7. Kismet Konnection Tips Music

8. God Tussi Great Ho T. Series

9. Hello! Tips Music

10. Jodha Akbar Sony Music

Non-filmi

1.Teri Justjoo Various Artists (Sony Music)

2.Sufi Gold Various Artists (Times Music))

3.Ghalib by Abida Abida Praveen (Times Music)

4.Charkha Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (Sa Re Ga Ma)

5.Saiyyan Kailash Kher (Sony Music)

6.Aawegi Ja Nahin Rabbi Shergill(Yash Raj Music)

7.Sufi Jannat Various Artist (Tips Music)

8.Taabeer Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan(Music Today)

9.Yaad Piya Ki Wadali Brothers (Times Music)

10.Teri Deewani Various Artists (Sony Music)

Courtesy - Chandigarh Music Centre 

Beauty studio
Hair & How
Pammy Kaul

Having soft, luminous and beautiful hair is almost every girl’s dream.  It’s not impossible to possess it if you are aware of all aspects of good hair care and don’t have to wonder what is the best way to condition your hair.

Shampooing is the important aspect of your hair care, the right one will help you remove all the dirt and grime off your hair and scalp and the right conditioner will help maintain moisture, texture and most important leave your hair manageable. Selecting one is not an easy task though. The right one should help you get that ultimate feel. The purpose of the conditioner is to keep the Ph balance after shampooing. It is not an easy task to select the right conditioner for your hair. You have to keep your hair type, texture, colour, condition in mind while selecting a conditioner.

Dry hair: Managing dry hair could be quite a task. Pick up a conditioner that is meant for dry, dull and unhealthy looking hair. Creamy formulas are the best for your hair type they will help get back life and vibrancy to the hair follicles. Never, dry your hair roughly or use a hairdryer at high-speed as it will strip off moisture content.

Oily hair: Don’t think oily hair do not need conditioning, they do. Be careful that the conditioner does not go near the scalp and feed the ends and mid-lengths of the hair. Never massage conditioner into your scalp as it could only help encourage the glands to release more oils.

Thinning hair: It needs to select a conditioner with lot of care. Do not weigh the hair down by using heavy conditioners. Stay away from the roots. You should look for a shampoo that gets your hair follicles more stable and fuller.

Normal Hair: You have more options if you are blessed with normal hair. Go for a creamy conditioner if you want extra body or normal conditioner if you just want to moisturise hair.

Curly Hair: Tend to be very dry and unmanageable. Choose a conditioner which has coconut oil as the molecules of coconut oil are very small and can enter under the hair follicles. Shea butter is the best ingredient for your shampoo and conditioner.

To ensure optimal result, make sure you use the shampoo and conditioner of the same family. You will look and feel your very best!

How does hard and soft water affect your hair? My hair has been used to hard water but recently I moved to an area where the water is very soft. Any tips?

Switching to soft water from hard is very tough on the hair. Hard water contains lots of minerals and leaves a build up on your hair, which makes handling easy. Soft water has had all the minerals removed thus making it very tough for the hair to be managed.

w If your hair is limp, make sure you use a volumising shampoo and conditioner to help restore the volume.

w Shampoo your hair at night and wet slightly in the morning to help style.

w Use volumising foam to shape and style.

w Finish off rinsing with cold water to keep volume and body in hair.