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Filmi Chakkar
Films…psychological business? Surprised? Don't be, for this is what producer Pahlaj Nihlani, who has spent almost 28 years in the film industry, thinks of the Bollywood of today. "Films are psychological business. If the star ratings from reviews give a green signal, people throng multiplexes. And if not convinced, they just buy a 'Rs 50 ka pack wala DVD' and drop the idea," he opines. In city to announce Dream Whistlerz event Miss Incredible 2010, Nihlani has a reason behind every assertion. The first one of course is about his fraternity, the producers and how the molaah decides the fate of the movie at the box office. The filmmaker who made Shola Aur Shabnam and Aankhen has a different take on it. "Neither the hero, the director or the producer decides the fate. Today, this power is in the hands of the movie exhibitors. They decide the number of shows, which further decides the fate of the flick. Earlier, the exhibitor would put a flick on a single screen and showcase it with the pride. However, now they are the supreme powers. If and when they want, they decide to run the movie in a multiplex and remove it at will." Film industry dismissing, completely ignoring script writers, critics 'fair' dissection of movies, acting institutes nothing short of 'gully' schools selling fake dreams, multiplex owners and their bit of harm… Pahlaj Nihlani's takes on all (uncensored)! "The film industry needs to acknowledge the role of script writers, who have now been reduced to untrained people sitting in a room and trying to put together plots, twists and turns," opines Nihlani, who has launched actors like Govinda, Suniel Shetty, Chunky Pandey and the late Divya Bharti. "The actors and directors need to give due credit to script writers and involve them in the project, even if they are copying a movie (which requires brain)." Critical analysis? "No offense meant but corruption has touched critics as well," he says. Acting schools and the fake promises? "This trend is growing like forest fire. One finds acting schools in every nook and corner of the city. They promise aspiring candidates roles by showing them false slides. As a result none can make it big in Bollywood." But Dream Whistlerz, according to Nihlani, will provide a creative platform to youngsters from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal. "Film institutes (ones that operate in oblivion) do not teach students the basics of acting, which is a very important ingredient for future success," says Nihlani who is working on a sequel to Aankhen, which is to be directed by Aneez Bazmi. And are multiplex owners running the show? "Spare a thought for entertainment," he sings off. jasmine@tribunemail.com
Comedy rules
Movies, television serials, theatre plays, even advertisements — comedy will never lose its hold. Whether in a new format or old, in a mild or subtle style, the genre surely garners a good response from audiences. Aloke Gupta, director, editor and producer invest his faith and money in the same. Producer of Hindi serial Office, Office and Lapataganj, Aloke feels as long as our lives are stressful, comedy movies or television serials would remain a hit. "I too would want my audience to go back home and share a laugh with their family," he says.
A good 17 years in the industry, Aloke has seen it all - the growth, the downfall, the stagnation and rebirth of television. "It is as big a medium as films. Nevertheless, these are two separate genres with their own glamour and viewers," he adds. Dream with a difference
Dream Whistlerz, with offices in Mohali, Delhi and Mumbai likes to differ from other acting schools. "We don't sell dreams, we make dreams come true," says the CEO Suren Uppal. "Through this enterprise we want to plug the gap between the demand and supply of competent human resource in the entertainment industry by bringing out the creative potential of the youth from all over India." With people like Pahlaj Nihlani, Aloke Gupta, choreographer Longi Fernandez, singer composer Dabboo Malik, actors Anupama Verma and Ashima Bhalla on the panel, we hope to guide youngsters well.
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Resurrection of a tradition
Nonika Singh Dhrupad derived from two words, Dhruva meaning fixed and pada meaning poetry can only be steadfast as Dhruva and unswerving. After all, it is the oldest and the purest surviving musical tradition known to Hindustani classical music and boasts of singers like legendary Mian Tansen. Yet, over the years, the tradition found few takers, both among performers and listeners. But before the obituary of the meditative musical genre could be written, dhrupad is slowly but surely making its comeback. Agrees Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, who represents the 20th unbroken generation of dhrupad singers in Dagar family, “Indeed, there has been a revival, particularly after the eighties. In fact, those who had penned its epitaph are now endorsing it.” His family had all along ensured that Dagar bani endures in its original undiluted form. Pray, what had led to its decline in the first place? The absence of royal patronage is indeed one of the reasons. But Ustad Wasifuddin blames the academicians in the musical world for damaging the cause of dhrupad. He reasons, “Since in the universities and colleges the exponents of khayal gayaki were predominant, they ensured that dhrupad is relegated to the background”. Saubhagya Vardhan Brahaspati, associate professor, Music, Government College of Girls, Sector 42, Chandigarh and exponent of Rampur Sadarang parampara doesn’t quite concur. Though he does admit that dhrupad is given lesser importance in syllabus and since mostly khayal singers are teaching dhrupad too, not much impact is made. But he goes back in time to explain the real reason. Says he, “For centuries there was a duel between qawaals and dhrupad singers. Sadarang and Adarang themselves sang dhrupad, dhamar but they took bol baant and alaap of dhrupad and taans from qawwali to evolve khayal gayaki. As they trained their disciples in it, soon it became more popular and found greater acceptance. Besides, since tabla replaced pakhawaj, dhrupad which is sung to the accompaniment of pakhawaj once more took a backseat.” Pandit Yashpal, an indomitable exponent of Agra Gharana, however, calls the great Amir Khusro the father of present musical system. He adds, “Khayal gayaki developed in the court of music patron Sultan Hussain Shah Sharqui of Jaunpur. Sadarang and Adarang only developed chhota khayal.” Yet both are unanimous on the exalted stature of dhrupad and agree that it is indeed more demanding. So, while in khayal gayaki one can take some liberty in the exposition of the raga, in dhrupad one note out of place would tantamount to sacrilege. Besides, Pandit Yashpal whose gharana is closer to dhrupad even concedes, “Ultimately, only that khayal gayaki has truly flourished which had deep roots in dhrupad for the authenticity of ragas is more deeply pronounced in dhrupad.” Of course, adherence to purity and rigidity in the exposition of the raga alone is not the distinctive feature of dhrupad. It is sung to pakhawaj and to certain beat cycles like chautala (12 beats), sula tala (10 beats ) and tevra tala (7 beats). The composition set to 14 beat cycle is called dhamar. Then, dhrupad has a longer elaborate alaap, which, says Wasifuddin is meaningful and not an empty sound. Furthermore, it is undisputedly more meditative in character. Dhrupad maestros have held that its purpose is to worship and not entertain. Wasifuddin, who often enlightens his listeners with lecture demonstrations differs and quips, “What is entertainment but to enter into the inner recesses of listeners? And no music tradition does it better than dhrupad which is far from dreary and includes all the rasas. Dhrupad, especially dhamar, is appreciated all over the world.” As to whether it has changed with time, he asserts, “Only in the sense that concerts have become smaller.” Of course, learning it is still a long process. Nods Piush Kumar, secretary, HIFA and says, “You can be a khayal singer in three or four years but to be a dhrupad exponent at least eight to nine years of persistent training is required.” That is why he feels organisers have a crucial role to play and must give more space to this style. Else, the form may not vanish but will continue to be on the margins. Yet despite lesser patronage, there are disciples. Gundecha Brothers have many shishyas at their Gurukul in Bhopal. Wasifuddin too trains several and has found enthusiasts among youth. Indeed, even in the age of shortcuts few will always find the gumption and ways to stick to saadhana and aradhana which is but another name for dhrupad.
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Classical crooner
Hindustani classical music is a divine art, contemplative and sublime in character. A performer must surrender to the Almighty and guru before establishing a community feeling and rapport with the audience,” opines the Jalandhar-based acclaimed academician, scholar and vocalist Prof Baldev Sharan Narang, known as the groomer of top singers like Padamshri Hans Raj Hans, Sukhwinder Singh, Jasbir Jassi, Sarabjit Cheema, Keemti Lal to name a few, besides late Iqbal Rai and Nichosan Aftab in the UK. A strong proponent of guru-shishya parampra, Narang was initiated into music at an early age by his father and guru Kesar Chand, well known musician of Patiala gharana at Nakodar in Punjab. Holding a master degree in political science and music, and Sangeet Parveen from Paryag University-Allahabad, Narang is a top grade artiste of All-India Radio. Having taught music for 32 years, he had retired as the head, Department of Music, DAV College- Jalandhar in 2005. Narang has been regularly performing for socio- cultural organisations in the UK since 1980 and has recently given four recitals in Italy. Rightfully decorated with honours in Punjab and the UK he had profound regards for Ustad Salamat Ali Khan (Pakistan) Guru Kasturi Lal Jasra and SL Misra.
In the city for a performance on the invitation of the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi, Narang shares his views on music.How the safar-e-mousiqi commenced and flourished to eminence? I gave my first public performance when I was five and sung “Mohan jaage man harwa” in Raga Deshkar to the accompaniment of Ustad Inayat Hussain of Pakistan on tabla. Encouraged, I devoted more attention to regular as I was lucky to be supervised my father at home. How you owe allegiance to both ghranas — Patiala and Sham Churasi? In fact, once I had a chance to perform before Ustad Salamat AlI Khan Saheb, the patriarch of Sham Churasi Gharana. He was charmed with my singing of “Bhag more jaage guru charnan hit laage” and he offered his blessed tutelage to me. How do you present bandishes weaved in Indian mythological themes to foreign audience? Music is a universal language and there is no difficulty as such in the UK, but recently while in Italy I had to explain the concept, thematic content and relative ragas during my performance. How do you see the future of classical music in the region? Just like cricket has overshadowed other games, the Punjabi pop rules the roost but in any case, classical music has been the choice of the class audience. Earlier, it survived under the royal patronage but today the government or corporate support is extended to a handful of influential Punjabi singers only or the qualified employed teachers. The tragedy is that those creators of pop in the West listen to our classical genre and laud Indian artistes unlike at home. The otherwise talented musicians are simply subjected to exploitation by private institutes. The AIR too has cut broadcast of classical programmes while TV channels have yet to initiate it. My twin daughters Sangita and Geetika and son Mohit Partap will keep our family legacy alive. |
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The lost future
Punjab no more symbolises ‘bhangra’ and ‘daaru’, it is more about female foeticide, water pollution, diseased childhood and lost traditions. The matter of fact statement may seem surprising but highlights the ugly reality, once again. Simranjeet Singh Kaler, a freelance documentary-maker, has more facts to disclose. “Chemical effluents from industries in Punjab are constantly being dumped in water bodies. Children in villages are born with physical deformities, thanks to the high pollution levels in groundwater. Soon, Punjab will drain out its groundwater resources given our irresponsible attitude. We are ignorant and pretending to be blissfully so,” he says. His documentary, ‘Five Rivers Still Thirsty’, screened at the Punjab Documentary Festival organised by the Punjab Virasat Foundation at Panjab University put forward a strong word about the lack of water resource management. The movie involved comprehensive research of six months in areas like ‘Buddha Nala’ in Ludhiana and one of the largest wetlands in Asia near Kanjla. “A school in a small village in Punjab recently received the ‘Eco Award’ from the Centre for its efforts to conserve water. And then, there are others who seem least bothered about the issue,” he adds. The festival is a maiden attempt to raise serious issues prevailing in the region and is dedicated to famous playwright Gursharan Singh. Three documentaries dealing with environmental and social issues were screened on the occasion, including the one by Simranjeet, who has previously made documentaries such as ‘Punjab Vs Pesticides’ and ‘Saade Hisse Di Zameen’. The other two documentaries were ‘Main Haan Bhagat Singh’ by Amandeep Singh, which highlights the life of the famous revolutionary as a philosopher, writer and thinker; and ‘Why Are We Killing Our Daughters’ by Aruneet Kaur that deals with female foeticide. While Simanjeet Singh has made over 20 documentaries in the last six to seven years, Amandeep and Aruneet, both in the field of media, make a debut. Apart from social activism, the Punjab Film Festival has another mission - funding future creative activists. “We are trying to encourage young talent and generate awareness about social issues through their work. They don’t need to depend on the government for finances; we will produce the concepts that are promising and help raise some serious questions,” says Kaler. nehawalia@tribunemail.com
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Stole the show
Winter is here and staying longer than ever. Well, this brings delight to some because of the lovely dresses one can sport which adds to the perfect look and the right attitude. Having unveiled their latest collection of stoles and shawls Ahujasons have come up with a range of traditional accessory that embellishes the feminine grace and have a rich history weaved in their delicate warm fibres. These elegant wraps in aesthetic designs and colours make an upper crust impression in any social or formal occasion. Offering an array of hand crafted stoles and shawls there is a variety of stoles, scarves, mufflers and squares available in a riot of colours.
On offer are pure pashmina stoles in check, stripes, jamawar paisley, ombray, reversible, and hand painted patterns and pure pashmina digital print scarves. Silk pashmina blended stoles with swarvoski and heavy beads embroidery are there to add to the style. They have also come up with long crushes pleatted stoles in various fabric and boiled wool jacards with embellishments and thick wool embroidery. Silk and wool squares with geometric, abstract and floral prints are some exquisite range from Ahujasons. The basic colours this season are red, orange, blue, green, pink, yellow, mustard, black, brown, grey, white, fushia, purple and their blends which are bright and vibrant, adding to the ultimate look. Also on offer are different types of shawls. In pure wool there are jamavaar shawls with aari work in floral and paisely designs, kalamkari shawls are available in a fusion of hand painted shawls with hand embroidery in various colour combinations using colour blending upto 79 colours. |
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This is an exchange of another kind. A barter system between two communities, of shared responsibility and an effort to make a difference. The Chandigarh Central wing of Rotary Club is taking the initiative of spreading the goodwill by taking a trip to Thailand. “With an aim of sharing our social, economical and cultural responsibilities and sensibilities and exploring the possibilities about various developmental projects in health, education and learning, we will be traveling to Bangkok and Pattaya, meeting the members of Pattaya Marina Club under our fellowship programme,” informs Harjit S. Saggu, president, Chandigarh Central. A joint effort by both the clubs to improve fellowship between each other and exchanging ideas on projects undertaken by them in various sectors, a team of 28 people will be touring for four days attending seminars, meetings and workshops in aid to their cause. “There are so many things we can help each other out with. Like their projects on water resource management, which are better off than us and can be useful to our benefit. Similarly, we too can help them improve their literacy programmes,” says Saggu. Before this, the Chandigarh Central wing of the club had adopted Kishangarh and taken up the responsibility of improving the living standards in the village. “We are running computer literacy and health improvement programmes there already and are planning to start with the idea of rain water harvesting. This trip can prove beneficial in applying and executing the shared knowledge in water resource management.” —Neha Walia
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Come, shop, win prizes and celebrate the spirit of republic. Winter Wonder, lifestyle exhibition would be celebrating the spirit of the country by bringing forth an assortment of known and yet to be known brands. “It’s to celebrate the winter and Republic Day would be the theme. We all celebrate holi, diwali and other festivals but don’t do anything for the spirit of republic. At the exhibition, there will be on the spot questions and prizes given to people alongside,” says Rashmi Bindra of the Dream Weddings, the organiser for the event. She adds, “These days there are so many exhibitions happening almost everyday, we wanted this to be a little different and also be an event with a cause.” A cause with a generous and patriotic streak. “We’re putting up a big box there. If anybody wants to donate their old clothes and cash, they can do so. Later on, they’d be given to rag pickers and other under-privileged children. If anyone wants to give cheques, they’ll definitely reach them. I’ll make sure they reach the needy.” As for the exhibition, of course there would be everything that an exhibition has; jewellery, clothes, bags, photography and perfumes, chocolates, furniture, home furnishings, tours and travels etc. Shopping was never this altruistic! —TNS On at Hotel Shivalikview on January 23 and 24
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Lanes A star has set Joyshri Lobo The Red Star is gone. The skies above India are darker with his passing away. He strode across Bengal and the country like a colossus, with endless compassion towards the poor Indian. He added depth and meaning to the rules governing agriculture, land reforms and Panchayati Raj. He refused to crumble before Indira’s Emergency, though some of us saw it as the only period of discipline and stability in 62 years. However, allowed to continue, such a state of affairs could have transformed a great leader into a ruthless dictator. If Jyoti Basu had accepted the premiership of India, we would not have the ills that haunt us today: millions of poor without basic amenities; politics of hate fanned by unscrupulous politicians; endemic corruption; the culture of bhaibandhi; the power of cash and clout. He would have brought in his own version of politics, more suited to a country of great and humbling diversities. Jyoti Basu was the true Bhadralok. Born into one of the foremost families of Bengal, educated abroad, his mind an amalgam of the best ideals men could conjure, he returned to the motherland with a goal in mind. That this vision was limited to a single state is India’s loss. He needed a much larger platform to create a brave new country. The Bengali is credited with a lot of intellectual prowess and sophistication. Being the first to be influenced by the British on Indian shores, we saw the creation of the Westernised Bhadralok. They are an aging breed now. They are efficient, principled, brilliant and have matched and melded two cultures to perfection. Festivals are celebrated true to every detail of clothing, food and religious ritual. This class is comfortable at the Queen of England’s dining table or addressing an audience in flawless English, dressed in muted Saville Row suits. They are equally at home sitting on the ground, at ease in dhoti and kurta, eating off banana leaves, talking to the villagers in the vernacular. These are the amalgamated Indians who do us proud. When we meet one of them today, we are drawn by their charisma and perfection of speech and manners. JB epitomised all the above mentioned qualities. However, in Bengal’s history, there is a dark period, which ought not to be forgotten. A fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work is an ideal followed successfully by the world. It is an ideal that brings equality, wealth, progress and a decent standard of living. Could early Democratic Communism enforce this? On the tea estates –then and now – we see workers wanting more for less. Not so long ago, we saw managers butchered, gheraoed, beaten and abducted because they expected the best from people who worked with them but did not have the state’s protection to enforce that work culture. They were “collateral damage,” forgotten, brushed aside, sacrificed to a greater goal and a dream. If the greatest icon of Bengal could have put the above mentioned work ideal into practice, India’s North Eastern wealth – its tea estates- would not have slid into oblivion. Somehow, the Southern Reds did a better job of melding and matching the two. Today Bengal is inching towards better results. Industry is crawling back into the state. “Managers” and “Owners” are no longer dirty words but protected assets. They can lead the people towards shared wealth and better living. A visionary laid the foundations. His protégé is building upon them.
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Dhrupad’s origin is linked to the recitation of Sama Veda. During the seventh century, five geeti’s (singing style) were mentioned by Matang. These geetis were supposed to have developed later into the four banis of Dhrupad: Gauri, Khandar, Nauhar, and Dagar-bani. Undoubtedly, Dagar bani is most popular. Besides the Dagar family, Gundecha Brothers, disciples of the renowned Dhrupad vocalist Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and also Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (the distinguished performer of Rudra Veena) too are continuing the tradition. Uday Bhawalkar is yet another shining name in the Dagar tradition. Asad Ali Khan, the rudraveena maestro, states that his family practices Khandar Vani.