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Yesterday once more
I could’nt believe my eyes! The tall lean frame walking towards me and my gaze just followed ! My daughter nudged me excitedly as she saw my teenage idol walk towards us and hey finally I got out of my stupor. The adrenalin running fast in my blood as I felt 13 again. That’s when I had first discovered Biddu — my teenage icon. I shook hands with him in the courtyard of the Diggi Palace Hotel where the Jaipur Literature Festival was going on and told him about the good old days when he would be featuring in a magazine called the J.S. which was Junior Statesman for short. He was completely delighted to find someone who could connect to him way back then. He equally excitedly told me about his autobiography, Made in India Biddu: Adventure of a Lifetime which was brought out by Harper Collins and he was there for the release. I took off to buy a copy. After the usual ‘sign my copy please’ routine we moved towards lunch. We chatted as we had hot tandoori rotis and dal makhani which for him is not so usual with a life that swings between a few months in London, months in Marabella in Spain and Mumbai. Biddu comes from Coorg, he told me, and went to St. John’s School and Bishop Cotton School. As a child he dreamed of going to the West and making it big as a composer. He was playing in a café in Bangalore at 16 years after forming his own band. At 18, he was a part of a popular act at Trinca’s, a nightclub in Kolkata. At 19 he had college students in Mumbai dancing to his music. In his early 20s he left the country and ended up hitchhiking across the Middle-East before arriving in London. Years of hardship and struggle got for him great music and grate fame. From Kung Fu Fighting that sold 9 million copies to the iconic youth anthem of Made in India and numerous hits in-between, Biddu’s music made him a household name in India and abroad. Biddu also wrote and produced hits for Tina Charles and the Soul legend Jimmy James. He composed the cult Aap Jaisa Koi for the film Qurbani which set new landmarks for sales in Indiaand followed it up with a pop album Disco Deewane with Nazia Hassan, which become the largest selling album in Asian history and was the 1st Indian Album to hit the charts in 14 countries. In 1995, Biddu wrote and produced the 3 million selling album Made in India with Alisha Chinnai. Biddu also tried a stint at movie making, made a movie called Star which didn’t do to well considering as he says “perhaps it was a film well before its time”. However, with the new global perspective, he again has a new place here. Specially, with his new persona as a book writer now. As, we sat over lunch in the gardens of the Diggi Palace, I couldn’t help but ask him how he kept himself so fit. He replied that he follows a routine of gymming, swimming and eating correctly and also taking his dog for a walk. Biddu lives happily with his wife Sue and his two children, Zack and Zsa Zsa. Well all said and done it was a great experience catching up with him, a charming celebrity who is so down to earth and so rooted to his culture. As he says, “You may despise some of it, admire aspects of it, or even be infuriated by all of it, but it is what represents and embodies you. The pull of your inheritance, your ancestry and your inner soul is too powerful to be forgotten, ignored or washed away. I am a citizen of the world, but inside, truly I am made in India”.
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Punjab beckons
The good ol' television is no longer what it used to be. The high-voltage melodrama can give even a rudaali run for her money, the jarring Kanjivarams can surprise even the weavers who created it, the dialogues and scripts are as old as the birth of satellite TV — everything is been there and done that.
After Navneet Nishan expressing her disappointment with the telly, it is now turn of an actor, who has really 'been there and done that' in this world — Kanwaljeet. The actor too is not happy with how things are shaping up. In the city to shoot for Manmohan Singh's Ik Kudi Punjab Di, Kanwaljeet feels that television is getting stereotyped in its approach. "Which means they are scared of experimenting, because they are worried about the TRPs. If there is one serial like Balika Vadhu, you will see an entire gamut of serials on the same concept," says Kanwaljeet, known for his work in Buniyaad and Saans. "Saans dwelt on extramarital affairs. Later on, we had so many serials on the same theme," he adds. Nonetheless, the actor has no qualms in expressing his take on the new lot of actors on the tube. "They are young, hard working and dedicated lot. The young cast of Laadli is hard working and good, but they are made to work of 18-20 hours. How can you expect them to churn out something new," offers Kanwaljeet. When it comes to Punjabi cinema and the scope of experimentation, the actor has high hopes. "It is a pleasure working with Manmohan Singh. He is a far-sighted director and cameraman. And of course, the Punjabi film industry has come a long way from Jee Aaya Nu. Now, it is a genre that is making its presence felt in India and overseas." Talk about breaking stereotypes and the man is doing the same thing for himself. "For the first time I have played a negative character in a film called Virsa, which has been shot in Australia. I would like to do something different in acting too. This is the formula for the survival of any actor or character artistes as well," shares Kanwaljeet, who plays a pleasant, charming role of a father in the upcoming movie Ik Kdu Punjab Di. "But an actor should be well-behaved and can be able to remember lines. Actors should have sharp minds!" Anything up his sleeves? "I would want to direct a movie some day. I see life from a lighter perspective, so I would make a movie on something which is light. I liked the concept of 3 Idiots and Life Is Beautiful, serious issues dealt beautifully," adds Kanwaljeet.
jasmine@tribunemail.com |
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Objet D’ ART
A drink of bhang mixed with milk and a movie clipping showing inebriated Mumtaz and Rajesh Khanna falling on each other singing Jai Jai Shiv Shankar — that’s what sums up Shivratri for most of us! But not if you have been a resident of City Beautiful and part of the city art circle.
The third inevitable thing that comes to mind is Ravindra Sharma and his devotion to Lord Shiva in form of an exhibition dedicated solely to the Shiva family. This year is no different from the past 27 years, a tradition the artist has been keeping unfailingly. And why not? Shivaratri, according to Sharma, is a time to turn one’s darkness into light. Even ratri comes with auspiciousness when it gets associated with Shiva, a thought that he inculcated from his mother a long time ago. “My mother used to tell me that even if you write Lord Shiva’s name with a pen, it is like a prayer. I chose to say my prayers with colours and forms,” he tells us. This time his 21-framed prayer also carries an environment-friendly message. The dominant deity in the series, Lord Ganesha, has been put in the nature’s lap to convey that pollution-free nature is Ganesha himself. “Ganesha, who is also known as Girja Suman, embodies mother nature,” he says. And for this particular series, Parvati is symbolically represented, in form of trees, mountains, sun and the moon while Shiva makes an appearance here and there, letting his son to be the centre of attraction. Although the dominating medium is acrylic, Sharma has used this ancient art technique called Varnika Bhang, which is described in Jai Mangala by Yashodhar Pandit. “This is the technique of churning of a brush on the canvas with colour, which is somewhat similar to the churning out of butter from the milk. In this process the force of creation become too evident,” explains Sharma. And at a closer look one can see that in his frames strokes are more important that application of colours per se. The uneven surface, variations of tones and colours and also rocky layers set the perfect background to capture the deity in a playful mood. With green as dominating colour, the paintings radiate peace and tranquility. And to say if the main objective of art is to elevate one from the mundane to the divine, Sharma has been successful with his effort. The exhibition opens at Art Folio-9 on Friday. |
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Poetic justice
He graduated and became the first elected president of the Arya College before moving to Patiala for completing his master degree in Punjabi and education. But his tormented psyche besieged with childhood memories needed a vent and that transformed him into a prolific poet, storywriter and a novelist of astounding merit among the Punjabis here and in California where he is settled these days. In the city on a personal visit, he shared his life experiences and literary passion with us. “Poetry can be called the mother of all creative genres and as such a tough proposition but interestingly every budding writer starts with the tukbandi in poetry. I wrote short stories for magazines like Manjri, Gurdeepak and Bhor and later took over as the chief editor for magazine Mini Kahani,” disclosed Bhatti. “Out of 21 literary creations, I had authored only two poetry books like Bhav Raas and Shishtan dar shishtan, three anthologies of short stories, six mini story collections, seven translations, two novels and a biography of George Washington,” he adds. He says while the subjects for original creation is natural process with ideas born in mind and expressed through writings but there is a scope to be choosy for the translation work. “My classic works like Azgar Da Geet is based on the most popular Chinese novel of the millennium and another work Pinochio based on a 300-year-old Italian classic. Similarly Jhanda America too is another landmark relating o the Hiroshima and Nagasaki holocaust and a mission for peace thereafter. I had written lyrics for a Punjabi album Lal Dora Paake for acclaimed singer Raman,” he says. On the critical appreciation of quantitative and qualitative growth in Punjabi literary publications, Bhatti calls it encouraging though the senior generation writers have their own reservations on this. “At least I have an optimistic view and books at our Stockton library are my best companions,” he concludes. |
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Getting real
The name intrigues and so does the reason behind it. Ram Varma pleasantly shares. “Before He Was God is an attempt to find out the real story about Lord Rama. I given it an expression through the extensive research ,” says Ram Varma. Ramayana is a living tale and India’s greatest poets, starting from Valmiki down to Kalidasa and Bhasa, Tulsidasa and others, have soulfully sung the story in immortal verse and found new meaning to it. Ram Varma’s interpretation, though based and inspired by Valmiki’s Ramayana, digs into the ‘original’. “I believe that Lord Rama is a historical figure; he had the power of determination, bravery. All the same, he was a human being, a man first. I want to share his story of Rama who walked the earth in flesh and blood.” Before He Was God is without exaggerations. “Pandits have been adding zeroes as their homage to Lord Rama, as and when and wherever required,” shares Ram Varma, adding that his beautiful story doesn’t need any artificial props. About people looking at the modern day interpretation, adds Ram Varma, “This book is for a different clientele.” |
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When minister becomes megastar
Folk and Punjabi pop songs, comedy and Punjabi play Wapsi marked the celebrations of the 20th edition of multicultural musical bonanza Hadsa Punjab at the Randhawa auditorium on Wednesday.
The annual programme, organised by the International Punjabi Cultural Association in collaboration with the UT Cultural Affairs Department included the felicitation ceremony of Punjabi comedy star Bal Mukand Sharma (dramatics) Jarnail Hoshiarpuri (theatre) and Gurmit Singal (short story writing). The play had a VIP star cast, featuring Punjab’s transport minister Master Mohan Lal and chief parliamentary secretary Harish Rai Dhanda for the first time in the city lent a special credence to the play, which attracted the audience. Besides the husband-wife pair, Harbhajan Singh-Kulwinder Kaur and father-son duo, Jarnail Hoshiarpuri and Mandeep, were other rare features in the production. Written by Nirmal Jaura and directed by veteran actor Jarnail Hoshiarpuri, the play depicted the plight of farming youth in Punjab falling for the charms and glamour of the western world. One such innocent village youth, Darshan, the protagonist, on the instigation of immigration agent Kohli, compels his parents to dispose off the ancestral land to generate money for his migration to foreign country. He faces many hardships and eventually gets caught and deported to India by the Ukrainian police. Shedding away their VIP stature, Mohan Lal portrayed an ideal sarpanch and Harish Rai Dhanda that of a police officer with admirable competence, much to the delight of their colleague and chief guest Hira Singh Gabria, minister for cultural affairs and jails, Punjab. Gaurav Sharma and Asha Saklani were at their usual best. Folk singers Satnam Mullanpuri, Kulvir and promising Manpreet Golu regaled the audience. |
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What class!
Oh, the virtues of a vintage! The beauty of a woman and the value of a wine! So there they were, the colourful classics, the marquees of the bygone era, the pretty ladies in pink, maroon, orange, even combination of yellow and orange, blue yellow, red violet, red orange, red maroon…with proud owners flaunting their arm candies in tow.
The Vintage and Classic Car Club, Chandigarh, in association with Auto Mall 2010 had a total of 10 beauties lined up. All ready to be flagged off by singer, actor Gurdas Maan from Lake Club as a curtain raiser to Chandigarh Auto Mall 2010. Perhaps a little more in number and would’ve been merrier? Says Brig Phoolka, founder president, “You don’t find these rare vintage cars in abundance. Moreover, today was a working day so it was a little difficult to pull people out of their busy schedules.” His possession, a 1933 Ford stood pretty in yellow and blue. A peep inside and a total of four or five knobs, left side steering, drew home the vintage point even more than the number plates. Three digit numbers running into interesting combination of alphabets, times when cars were both few and far. Think APX, DNZ, PNJ, UPC…Getting the spares, maintaining the parts, the original paint, it’s not easy. “Sometimes, for spares we have to import them from Delhi and at times from as far off places as Singapore,” shares Balvinder Singh, bank manager, owner of 1966 Volkswagen Beetle. He adds, “It’s a regular car with me. I very often take it to office and all heads turn wherever I go, some people rather even stop me on the roads asking if I would like to sell.” A few numbers down the line, there’s one called Austin of England, Chevrolet 3100, a 1938 model, a couple of Volkswagen Beetles. Adds Brig Phoolka, “In the world vintage jury, anything older than 1939 are considered vintage.” Says Vijay Singh, of his 1970 Beetle, “The best part is, it’s all original with not any new spare.” He continues, “One of the interesting features of this model is the shockers. If you bump, they’ll get pressed in and come out.” It’s rare, it’s precious, it’s classic, it’s vintage! manpriya@tribunemail.com |
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Multi-tasking redefined
One man, many talents, each coming with its own success. And, yet he defines himself as a lazy, confused and a nut case. Piyush Mishra has to convince himself everyday that he is more than just another actor, playwright, music composer, scriptwriter, theatre director, lyricist and more recently, a singer.
“I don’t have a answer when I am asked how I manage multitasking. It just happens to me. It’s mysterious for me to understand what I want to do the most, I just try my hand at one thing, often get success than failure doing it and then jut lose interest after that.” Well, with this explanation, he mentions what his current area of interest is. Turning a teacher. Roped in as one of the board of directors for Dikshant Global School, he will be designing the theatre curriculum for students at primary level. Grooming the actors of tomorrow? “Not at all. Just helping them become better scientists, doctors, engineers, painters or maybe actors. Theater is not a subject and you don’t have to worry about grades. It’s an art that brings in discipline, camaraderie, communication, self-control, confidence, bonding, awareness and focus into their lives.” So, not another crash course in acting or blueprints of famous acting schools promising an entire crop of future actors. “Instead, it’s about giving them the charge of their own dreams and enjoy what they do.” Add to it games, activities, theatre crafts and theories as they graduate to higher levels. For somebody who himself didn’t know if he wanted to become an actor, this comes as a personal advice as well. Twenty years into theatre and almost eight years into cinema, Piyush is just not interested in glorifying his profile. He doesn’t even believe in the contemporary terms and transformations happening in the name of change in cinema. “There are only two kinds of cinema, one which is commercial and universally liked and the other which is boring, uninteresting. If the two have merged today, it’s not cinematic change but social change. And, you can’t change the change,” he says. Following the old school of cinema, where commercial scripts were picked up from streets and Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani were considered the pioneers of ‘concession cinema’, Piyush fits in fine in Bollywood with Maqubool, Gulaal and the likes of Dev D and 3 Idiots. “Everything is fast these days, so you are given two choices — to accept or to reject. If you accept, you have a short shelf life but if that works fine, who’s complaining?” Sure, as for now, he doesn’t talk about his current projects. Why? “Because I have had problems before. To make cinema is easy, getting it released is difficult. So, all I can say is that I am planning to make a movie, probably.” And his movie will be on a commercial subject and lots of
songs. nehawalia@tribunemail.com |
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New Releases
My Name is Khan has already drawn controversy because of Shahrukh Khan’s remarks on Pakistani cricketers. Shahrukh and Kajol are pairing up after a gap of nine years and viewers are excited to watch the chemistry between the two. SRK is playing a muslim character Rizwan, who has Asperger syndrome. The much-awaited movie opens on Friday at Neelam and multiplex theatres in Chandigarh and Zirakpur. Sukhmani – Hope for Life
Gurdas Maan and Juhi Chawla’s third Punjabi film together also opens all over this Friday. The film also stars Divya Dutta and Anup Soni. It has an army background. Gurdas Maan plays Major Kuldip in this different Punjabi film which has good story, screenplay and is touted as technically superb film in trade
circles. — Dharam Pal |
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At the tender of nine, Tripat Bhatti, like many more, was destined to be a victim and witness to the tragic carnage of Partition, who left behind his childhood memories buried in Chakk no. 45, near Shekhupura in Pakistan. Injured and frightened at the unexpected turn of events and environment charged with anger, agony and terror, amidst cries for mercy and help all around, Tripat faced death-like situations till the family landed at Nawan Shehar.
The idea is to find out how the real painting looks like; it has been overshadowed by a hue of garish colours. “I want to erase them, so that the painting is visible in its original form.” The effort finds an end result in the form of a poem in blank verse - Before He Was God (Ramayana reconsidered recreated) - recreated by Ram Varma, retired IAS.
