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Stage craft
For theatre director Deepan Sivaraman, to be a good actor, one needs to experience life first There are props and paraphernalia all about the place. Rubric beads, red thick book, perhaps with yellowed pages inside, anchor sign, a skeleton and the like. Director Deepan Sivaraman flips easily around from Malayalam to English while we question him about the age-old theatre vs film debate. "In theatre there’s no cut and paste, it’s a continuing emotional journey. Here you cannot do a scene, cry and then go eat a sandwich and come back and cry again," Deepan Sivaraman, lecturer, Wimbledon College of Art, on his maiden visit to the city to present the play Peer Gynt as part of the ongoing Isben Film Festival gets casual and candid. He adds, "I don’t make films, know very little about cinema, so I wouldn’t comment much but there are a lot of film actors that are good theatre persons for example Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri." The absence of strong
commercial connect, of a mainstream culture, nevertheless didn’t stop
attracting those passionate about it. "I seriously started studying
theatre in 1994, that’s when I looked at it seriously. I was more
interested in visual arts, for me theatre is very communicative." A
decade of experience in theatre in the country and the profession:
"In 2004, I went to study in London on a Fellowship. As soon as I
finished they asked me if I’d like to teach. But now I feel I have a
responsibility to come back and share with the Indian theatre my gains and
experiences." There he is, presenting the loosely adapted Indian
version of Peer Gynt. The play takes place in the set up of a
mental asylum. Structured in a mythological environment, Peer, an inmate,
is in a game with God. He shares, "I like the play for its toughness
and the fact that it’s very contemporary as the plot very well fits into
the Indian social set up." The experimental production has a strong Needless to say, a theatre actor ought to confirm to certain checklists. "I wouldn’t say, they need to lead their life in a certain way or something, but an actor should be someone who can understand life. I cannot work with someone who’s very young, hasn’t seen life, experienced it and doesn’t understand much." He adds, "I can only work with someone who has a bit of a knowledge and experience rather than a person who just has a good body and physique." Meanwhile, sixteen years into the Industry, lot has changed and there’s a lot that still remains the same. "Theatre making is most challenging art and activity. Not just in India but throughout the world. Theatre performance is a very time-based thing; you need money and who’ll fund it. There’s no government that will give you money because you are doing theatre." Nevertheless, sixteen years into the industry and things have catalysed. "There’s definitely more audience, more festivals and one major change that’s happened is that you no more need to have that typical salt and pepper look to be taken more seriously." Keeping it up and counting. manpriya@tribunemail.com
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Creative zone Attar Singh
Dr Kuldip Singh Boparai is all set to release his
third instrumental album,
Emotions 3
A practicing eye surgeon in Patiala, Dr Sukhdip Singh Boparai, is now ready with Emotions-3, an album of hit Hindi instrumentals from the glorious era of 1970s and 80s. He says, “Old songs have always enchanted me. Unlike the present day songs, these songs still retain their charm forever.” He says he has incorporated hit Hindi songs of the decades gone by in the new collection titled Emotions-3. “Music gives me immense peace of mind and relaxation after a tough day and motivation to fight tensions. Music purifies the soul and my profession gives me a chance to work in service of the humanity. So there is a strong link between medicine and music,” says Dr Boparai adding that in both these fields there is a lot to learn and grow. Once he is through with his day’s work, he unwinds playing either the guitar or keyboard. He is an expert at strumming the chords of his guitar and tapping away melodies on his keyboard. And this is something he has done regularly even before he became a doctor. He released his first album Emotions-1 in 2005 and followed it up with Emotions-2 in 2007 and now he is all ready with his third album Emotions-3, which is to be released shortly. It includes popular numbers like; Baar 2 dekho, Dum maro Dum, Ik hasina thi and Badan pe sitare. While studying at the Yadavindra Public School, he developed the knack of playing musical instrument as he was the captain of the school band. During his stay at the Government Medial College in Patiala he and some of his friends started a musical group, Jazzy Boys: The Medicos. The group won several awards and honours at various college and national-level youth festivals, including the 1982 youth festival at Meerut and national youth festival at Chandigarh in 1983. Dr Sukhdip eases the pain of the patients by surgery as well as by gift of music as is evident from the operation theatre and the music room. He has endeared himself to one and all by his kind nature and by treating the poor and elderly patients free of cost. |
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Chrys-tal clear
There is so much more to look forward to at the annual Chrysanthemum Show that opens today
“Around 261 varieties of chrysanthemum flowers will be displayed in which we have added six more varieties this year,” says Manmohan Jit Singh, SDO, Horticulture. “This flower has originated from China but it is grown extensively in the parks, nurseries and households. Due to its wide appeal, we come up with a show every year,” he says. The major varieties of flowers displayed here would be spider, Korean, spoon, button, pompon, anemone chrysanthemum and many more. The garden itself gives the feel of colours splashed on a canvas. The flowers displayed here range from pink to light brown colours thereby giving a blissful feel. Apart from flowers, fountains are dug up at little distances, which make the view appealing. The aim is to make people see how one can beautify one’s surroundings with just a pot and some flowers in it. “The biggest attraction in this flower show is the competition which is categorised into Amateur and Govt/ Semi Govt Bodies, Institutions and Nurseries,” says Arun Kansal, executive engineer, Horticulture Division. “We have these two categories in which the participants will display their pots in a circular area of 8ft and 10ft, respectively. The varieties will be displayed in between single and double. To add more creativity we have allowed the use of bricks, other structures and earth by the participants. We just want to enhance the display, and not just present simple pots with flowers to the audience,” says Kansal. So is this competition open for all? “Yes, we have entries from students of different schools, colleges and even from the gardeners of various nurseries thereby giving it a wider scope,” he says. Any set parameters for judging? “The judgment will be done on merit of number of varieties displayed, health and colour of the blooms and the aesthetics of display,” says Singh. Any other attraction apart from the flower exhibition? “Yes, we are displaying a photograph exhibition of chrysanthemum flowers only. On Sunday, we have a cultural programme performed by school students to add an additional colour to it,” says Singh. “The aim of organising this show is to make the general masses aware about this flower as well as about its medicinal value too,” says
Kansal.
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It's Bazmee's Life
Will you restrict
yourself to directing comedies? I do not believe in doing that.
After No Entry, I am being held up for comedies. I can handle any
genre. What is No Problem all about? It is a rib-tickling
multi-star comedy. It has confusion, commotion and funny moments. What
is your target audience? I believe that a film should not target a
small group. It should have an universal appeal and every man should
identify with it, regardless of age, city or culture. How did Anil
Kapoor agree to be part of this film? I have known Anil Kapoor
since I used to be Raj Kapoor's assistant. We are friends and he always
wanted to work with me. This is my third film with him. What are
your expectations from No Problem? I hope it will get great
reception. I want to make the audience happy with this film. How
many films do you have on your platter? I am doing It's My Life
with Harman Baweja and Genelia D'Souza. It is a love story. As for No
Entry 2 it is still in process. I do not want to reduce it to a
gimmick. The audience and expectations must be justified with it. —
Dharam
Pal
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Well-known TV actor Kulraj
Randhawa, who will be seen romancing Bobby Deol in the forthcoming
comedy Yamla Pagla Deewana, has shot down rumours of her romance
with the film's director Samir Karnik, saying she is not seeing
him."We are not dating," Kulraj said. It was recently reported
that on the sets of Yamla Pagla Deewana, Kulraj grew very close
to the film's director Samir Karnik. But she has completely denied the
story. "Rumours are a part of the industry and people usually try
to sabotage your image. I really don't pay attention to all that."
Kulraj became a household name after her stint in Zee TV's 2004
popular comedy show Kareena Kareena. Later, the 27-year-old
teamed up with Jimmy Shergill in the Punjabi film Mannat that
released in 2006. She did another Punjabi movie called Tera Mera Ki
Rishta. After spending six years in the showbiz, she has learned to
handle rumours."It used to trouble me initially, but not any more.
I've been here for a while and I know how rumours go around, so it's ok.
Right now nothing can deter me from enjoying this time when the results
of my hard work are set to come out," she said.Even though her
personal life is grabing attention, Kulraj wants people to talk about
her Bollywood debut Yamla Pagla Deewana.Throwing light on her
role, she said: "I am playing Sahiba who is a professional
photographer and comes to Benares to work on a coffee table book. There
she falls in love with a conman.""Since I am playing a
professional photographer, I couldn't afford to look clumsy while
holding the camera, so I did take a few lessons from professional
photographers and learnt things to make it look authentic," she
added. Scheduled for a Jan 14 release, Yamla Pagla Deewana stars
Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol. The film is about an NRI living
in Canada, who finds out that he has a father and brother in India and
sets out on a journey to find them."It was very exciting working
with people from different generations of the same family. They treated
me as a family. Dharmji is so down to earth and gave me tips for
improvisations. He is such a cute and warm person."Initially I was
jittery Dharamji is a superstar, he's been here for so many years. But
he made me feel very comfortable," said Kulraj.Was she nervous
about sharing screen space with such senior actors? "No, not
really. I had a lot of fun. There were no inhibitions while acting. In
fact, it was a great experience."And how comfortable is she with
comedy? "My character is not very comical. There are a few scenes
where I had to do a little comedy.
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A stunning book by a wildlife artist who influenced Charles Darwin became the world's most expensive book when it went under the hammer at an auction on Tuesday night. A rare copy of Birds of America by John James Audubon was sold for a record-breaking price of 7.3 million pounds at Sotheby's. London dealer Michael Tollemache bought the 19th century masterpiece for 7,321,250 pounds, making it the most expensive printed book in the world. Tollemache, who was bidding in the Sotheby's auction room, described the 1827 work as 'priceless'. Audubon painted life-sized illustrations of almost 500 breeds in the 40-inch-high book, which merited several mentions in Darwin's The Origin Of Species. Only 119 copies exist, of which fewer than a dozen are in private hands. Born in Haiti in 1785, Audubon had been fascinated by birds since childhood and was determined to illustrate America's breeds more realistically than ever before. Using a technique that would shock modern wildlife artists, he hunted them down and shot them before propping them up on wires to paint. Each drawing would take about 60 hours to complete. — ANI
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Film: No problem Written and directed by: Anees Bazmee Music: Pritam Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Suneil Shetty, Shakti Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Neetu Chandra, Sushmita Sen and Kangna Ranaut. No Problem, shot extensively in South Africa, trails the misadventures of two childhood friends and small time crooks. Aness Bazmee and Anil Kapoor have teamed up for yet another milti-star comedy which gears up to hit the big screens today all over. Sushmita Sen and Kangna Ranaut will be seen gyrating to the peppy title track of the film. Kumar and Shabbir Ahmed have penned the lyrics for music composer Pritam. So watch a series of confusion and commotion in No Problem. Band it like Maneesh
Film: Band Baaja Baarat Directed by: Maneesh Sharma Music:
Salim- Sulaiman Cast: Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh Band Baaja Baarat
is a simple story of real people based in Delhi. It is a family entertainer with lavish Delhi weddings. The lead stars play the roles of wedding planners. Most of the film was shot in Delhi including Janakpuri, India gate, Hans Raj College and Delhi University. The buzz is that it is touted as a romantic comedy set in Delhi. It is a dream cum true for debutant director Maneesh Sharma who get a big break in Yash Raj banner. Watch a new pair of Bollywood in
Band Baaja Baarat which opens today all over. — Dharam Pal |
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Touch wood, They're going green
Woodland has partnered with MTV to announce a unique initiative
'Ecolution'. The campaign is one-of-its kind in the digital space encouraging youth to plant trees and preserve the environment.
Eco-lution echoes Woodland and MTV's strong commitment towards mother earth, creating awareness about the need to protect the environment through an eye-catching, user-friendly destination site and the use of social networks like
Facebook.
A three-month long campaign, Eco-lution aims to empower and encourage today's youth to join an online movement. The fans will plant virtual trees in cities of their choice on a map of India displayed on both, the destination site and
Facebook. The top five cities with the maximum number of virtual trees planted will win because of fans' awareness and commitment towards the 'Green Environment' concept.
— TNS |
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Yesteryears star Dharmendra turned 75 Wednesday and novelist Shobhaa De says he is still as hot as ever. "Happy birthday to the hottest man in Bollywood! Garam Dharam turns 75 today. They don't make them hotter than that! Dreamgirl's dream man rocks," De posted on her Twitter page. Dharmendra, who featured in numerous action blockbusters in his five decade-long movie career, will soon be seen on the screen with his sons Sunny and Bobby in Yamla Pagla Deewana. "Happy birthday to Dharamji. The original man of film industry. He is kind, real, a great human being and hilarious in Yamla Pagla Deewana," actor Anupam Kher posted on his Twitter page. Filmmaker-actor Satish Kaushik wrote: "Wishing the super, evergreen, unbeatable macho hero Dharmendra, our own Dharamji, a happy birthday...Cheers!" — IANS
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"The world is more wonderful when you are smoke free! Feel empowered," Hrithik posted on Twitter. The actor, who quit the weed in August for good, says he tries hard to avoid the temptation to smoke every now and then. "Now when I get offered a cigarette, I take it in my hand, look at it, then crush it saying 'You don't control me!' Try it!" he wrote. — ANI
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He handles both phaco probe (used in eye surgery) and a Spanish guitar with equal deftness and ease. You get transported to another world in the euphoric ambience created by strings of this guitarist Dr Sukhdip Singh Boparai who has a passion for old melodies.
It’s that time of the year again. The 24th Chrysanthemum Show at Terraced Garden-33 is all set to welcome guests on Friday. 
The director of a
hat-trick hits--No Entry, Welcome and Singh is Kinng,
Anees Bazmee is all set to bring cheer to the Bollywood with his typical
mainstream comedy No Problem. Anees Bazmee, who has not taken a
break in years, directs this film for producer Anil Kapoor, Rajat Rawail,
Sunil Lulla and BK Modi. From Raj Kapoor's assistant director (Prem
Rog) to writing David Dhawan comedies to directing feel-good family
flicks and comedies, Bazmee has successfully weathered all seasons in
Bollywood. He talks to Lifestyle on the release of his third
movie with Anil Kapoor, No Problem.
Hrithik Roshan may have been shown as a wheelchair-bound smoker in his reel avatar in Guzaarish, but he likes his real world to be smoke free.