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Script gone awry
We talk about bridging the gap between India and Pakistan, we talk about friendly matches, friendly concerts; we talk about exporting and importing talent, whether it is Pakistani designer salwar kameez making a fashion statement in India or they lapping up Shah Rukh Khan movies. Amid all this bonhomie, we have news of a Pakistani court stopping the Central Censor Board from issuing clearance certificates to 'illegally' imported Indian movies.
Under this, the films made in India would not be screened in Pakistan as they were on the negative list of the Import Policy 2013. So why do we even mention about burning bridges, when something as harmless as entertainment is scrutinized like this? Madhureeta Anand, Bollywood director and producer whose co-production Kajarya on female feoticide was selected for the world premiere at the 10th Dubai Film Festival, shares, "Banning Indian movies in Pakistan is silly; people will find their way to these movies anyway but this will be a financial loss for the producers." Madhureeta feels that creativity should flow freely without borders. "Pakistani artists should continue working in India. On the other hand, we should lead the way to demonstrate freedom and liberty." Who hasn't seen the rib-tickling, hilarious Pakistani plays in India; the melodious voice of Pakistani singers reverberates in our hearts, their good looking actors and actress adorn our cinema. The ban on screening 'films made in India' in Pakistan is not helping any which way. "A country with such a volatile political scenario currently needs to send out the right message to the world. When we allow their citizens to work in our country, we are rising above pettiness. In fact, we are enriching our cultural fibre by inviting them to participate," adds Vishakha Singh, actress who played a teacher in Fukrey. The actress instead wants to know whether Pakistan will be banning Indian films that have Pakistani actors! "Films have long been a unifying medium; something like this only strains the relationship more." Music, films and of course cricket have always been seen as an antidote to the problem between the two nations. Besides, we already have a battery of Pakistani artists working in our film industry, who have been pretty successful also. Director Mahesh Bhatt finds this bizarre. "It is a serious body blow to what we have built through the films over the past six-seven years. The Pakistani government should strike down the law" He, however, understands that the Pakistani film industry feels threatened with Indian content just like regional cinema back in India feels towards Bollywood films. "This is something really strange, but as of now it is Pakistani law that needs to be dealt with." Interestingly, Lahore is the core of Pakistani media scene. Many of our Bollywood films like Dil Bole Hadippa, Pinjar, Gadar-Ek Prem Katha, Veer-Zaara et al have either been shot at or have plots based in the city of Lahore. When the ban was lifted, Goal, starring John Abraham, was the first Indian release to open in Pakistan in 2007. Later, 3 Idiots, which was released in 2009, was shown on 22 screens while Don 2 on 38. According to trade pundits, now almost 50 Hindi films release in Pakistan every year and the big ones have the ability to do business up to Rs 4-5 crore or more. Bollywood producer and director Junaid Memon, doesn't see any revenue loss. "Only 5 per cent of movies are released in Pakistan, which means we are not getting a huge business from there." jasmine@tribunemail.com
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Classical approach
For artistes who devote their soul to music, it becomes not just their profession but a way of life. Ramneek Singh may seem to underplay her talent on the commercial front, but she surely executes its teachings rather thoroughly in her personal life. Although Ramneek’s journey as a musician was governed by fate, she gives due credit to the guru-shishya parampara, which she believes has fostered in her the essential qualities of a classical musician.
“I am the first-generation musician in my family. My mother realised that I had a good voice when I was six and got me trained in classical music,” says Ramneek, who did playback singing for Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children in the song Heer. While she juggled her academics with music as a student, she started formal training at the famous music institute, The Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth, New Delhi. She acquired Bachelors in Vocal Music (Visharad) in 1988. “My faith in the guru-shishya parampara deepened when I was in college. I was trained in Khayal Gayaki; Khayal is emotion or thought, so emotions and feelings remain crucial to this kind of singing. When I sing raag bharav, which is a morning raag, or yaman, for that matter, each time it will sound very different, depending upon my mood that day, although the notes will remain the same,” she shares. Ramneek has performed at the Hindustani Sangeet Mandal (Ottawa), Philadelphia Ganesh Festival (Philadelphia), The Journey from Khayal to Folk (Washington DC), Kabir Culturel Centre (Montreal), Shantipur Music Festival (West Bengal), Habitat Centre (New Delhi), Triveni Kala Sangam (Toronto) and Triveni Kala Sangam (New Delhi). “I’m still learning from my guru and took it up professionally when I was sure that I wanted to dedicate myself to this profession. My first professional performance was in 1994 at Trivani Kala Sangam, and I also performed at the Hari Vallabh Sangeet Samaroh, Jalandhar in 2010,” she says. While Ramneek has as many as three albums, including Ibadat, Naad and Gobind Naam (which she officially launched during the concert on Saturday) to her credit, she says, “I am very choosy about the songs that I sing. So when it comes to doing a playback in Bollywood, I am a little apprehensive, considering the lewd language that is used in most of the songs and even the music, which sounds more like noise to me. If given a chance, I would only sing in the Bollywood movies if I were offered songs with character and semi-classical base, with meaningful poetry to go with it,” Ramneek signs
off. amarjot@tribunemail.com
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True portrayal
The Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi is screening a film Saacha (The Loom), which is based on Marathi poet Narayan Surve, renowned artist Sudhir Patwardhan and the city of Mumbai. The film has been directed by Anjali Monteiro and KP Jayasankar, who are professors at the Centre for Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
They have also done the camerawork and editing. The film will be shown at the Auditorium of Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10C, Chandigarh, on December 22 from 5.00 pm onwards. The duration is 49 minutes. Saacha is about a poet, a painter and a city. The poet is Narayan Surve and the painter Sudhir Patwardhan.
The city is Mumbai, the birth place of the Indian textile industry and the industrial working class. Both the protagonists have been a part of the Left cultural movement in the city. Weaving together poetry and paintings with accounts of the artists and memories of the city, the film explores the modes and politics of representation, the relevance of art in the contemporary social milieu, the decline of the urban working class in an age of structural adjustment, the dilemmas of the left and the trade union movement and the changing face of a huge metropolis.
— TNS
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Get Lucky
Christmas and New Year is the time for the celebration and festivities all over the world. This year DLF City Centre Mall at IT Park, Chandigarh has come up with a Christmas and New Year Shopping bonanza lasting till January 4, 2014.
The celebration of this offer started December 1 and will culminate in a big lucky draw that will be held on January 4 2014 with the announcement of the lucky winner of the Harley-Davidson. —
TNS
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Confident stroke
For all you Justin Bieber fans, Confident is a brand new single by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber featuring Chase The Rapper. The song is the tenth and final in Bieber's series Music Mondays; the first nine being Heartbreaker, which was followed by All That Matters, Hold Tight, Recovery, Bad Day, All Bad, PYD, Roller Coaster and Change Me. Here's what Bieber fans have to say about Confident. Good vibes
I really like the song. It has a very good vibe that gets you in the groove. I really like the feel of the song. It's superb! Angad Singh, student Nice tune
I like the song very much; so much so that it has been playing in my car for the longest time ever. Justin's getting higher on the scale and that is rather commendable. Simran Randhawa, student Lovely beats
I like the song and I think the music of the song is very nice. That's the best part about it. Kanika Dhiman, student
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LiLo branded childish by friends
Troubled star Lindsay Lohan's new crowd of younger friends have reportedly called her childish and are concerned by her behaviour. The 27-year-old actress has been accused of acting immaturely and causing drama by her new friends, who are all around 10 years younger than her. The claims come after the troubled starlet, who checked out of rehab this summer, reportedly showed up at a party to visit her former flame, 18-year-old male model Morgan O'Connor, and supposedly told all other girls to leave before locking herself in a bathroom. "She finds out where Morgan is, then shows up and causes problems. Morgan was staying at the Dream Downtown, and Lindsay showed up and found out which room he was in," a source said. "She was ordering all the girls to leave, telling one that her Balmain jeans were fake. She said she wouldn't leave until they all left. These kids are 18," it added. The rich teens called hotel security to try and help calm 'chronically distraught' Lohan, who reportedly went into a meltdown when Morgan refused to kiss her. — PTI Luck by chance
Heartless actress Ariana Ayam who is from New York did not audition for the movie at all. She was spotted by Shekhar Suman in a short film made by Adhyayan Suman when he was studying in New York. So he flew her down and convinced her to do the
role. Friendly gesture
Deepika Padukone will receive a hamper of home-baked muffins from Jacqueline Fernandez. DP has invited Jacqueline to her grand party happening next week. Jackie is shooting in Karjat so will not be able to go but she will send her a muffin hamper. Good for Deepika who loves freshly-cooked meals. She has a mini kitchen in her vanity van which she has stocked with ingredients for cooking. She also has a microwave for oil-free
cooking. What’s cooking?
Kaminey actor Chandan Roy Sanyal says that he is very fond of cooking and can make Indian and Chinese dishes for 15-20 people at a time. When he would travel abroad with plays, he would cook for the entire unit.
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Hit debuts of the 2013
Sushant Singh Rajput: He made a sparkling debut in Kai Po Che and followed that up with a confident act in Shuddh Desi Romance. His other films are being directed by the coveted likes of Raju Hirani and Shekhar Kapur and Dibakar
Banerjee.
Vaani Kapoor: She had a difficult role in Shuddh Desi Romance and had to hold her own opposite Sushant singh Rajput and Parineeti Chopra. She managed that very well and also got noticed for her good looks and perfect figure.
Nimrat Kaur: This television model played a housewife in The Lunchbox and won hearts all over. She got more coverage due to Karan Johar and UTV presenting The Lunchbox. Top directors are queuing up to work with her.
Siddhant Kapoor: Shakti Kapoor's son made a very confident debut as a gangster in Shootout at
Wadala. And around the same time, his sister Shraddha delivered her first hit with Aashiqui 2. His next film is Ugly in which he has a major role.
Dhanush: He won everyone over with his heart-rending and honest portrayal of a man obsessed and dedicated in love in
Raanjhanna. His performance played a huge role in making the movie a hit. Let us see what he does next.
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On the fag end
Grapevine is abuzz with a rumour that Colors' Uttaran will soon go off air. The channel has asked the makers to end it by January end as there are two new shows waiting for a decent slot, including Giaa Manek's new show starring Vibhuti. Now its only a matter of time that Uttaran's good run ends on television. Playing a good wife
Sangeeta Ghosh might be busy shooting for her television show, Kehta Hai Dil... Jee Le Zara, but that doesn't stop her from taking some time off to visit her husband. Recently, she went to Jodhpur to meet her husband Shailendra Singh Rajput, who is a polo player. She stayed back with him for two
days. Parting ways
Buzz is that Shaheer Sheikh and Smiley Suri of Kalyug fame have parted ways. On the sets of Navya, Shaheer was often spotted with Smiley. The duo didn't go on record about their relationship but didn't mind being seen in public. Knot so soon
There were rumours that Mohit Raina aka Mahadev will soon be marrying his girlfriend Mouni Roy by February 2014, but recently Mohit cleared his stance on the same while stating that he is working hard on his show and has no plans of marriage right now. Sad and disappointed
Gautami Gadgil Kapoor returned to tv with Khelti Hai Zindagi Aankh Micholi after six years, but she is disappointed as the show has not delivered good ratings. It will be replaced by Rajan Shahi's production.
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The year ahead
If your birthday is December 22...
If you still have some have time on your hands, spend it in making improvements at home. You will be a bit disheartened initially. News of an important project, perhaps from overseas, will be encouraging. Investments made in new ventures are likely to bring good returns. Some of you are likely to travel abroad while others are likely to receive business proposals, which will translate into monetary gains. Avoid arguments in public. Be careful while driving this year; use all safety measures. Positive colours: White, Grey. Select days: Friday, Saturday. Favourable numbers: 2, 4, 8. Gems recommended: Blue Sapphire, Gomed. You share your birthday with Bern Nadette Stanis (December 22, 1953), who is an American actress best known for her role as the strong-willed Thelma Evans on a CBS sitcom. Stanis starred in Marlon Campbell's Momma and Me, a situation comedy.
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Astro turf ARIES: Enjoy a quiet morning and get into any artistic projects you have around the home. Let your imagination run free. Luck will be with you. Cash crisis resolves after 3.00 pm. TAURUS: Today you will find people generally hard to pin down. Buying and selling will be a salient feature. Do not bury disturbing emotions, but work through them. Tarot message: Balance your energy before taking important decisions. GEMINI: Your card "the Sword" signifies that enduring relationships can be formed with new people who live at a distance. Stick to your regular job, as that is the best way of boosting your reserves. CANCER: Concentrate on your career path and the business at hand. Be flexible in your thinking. Look at a problem from different angles and you can find a simple, albeit unexpected solution. LEO: Today attention revolves around your home, property and family. Money rolls after lunch. You will have to modify your plans. Friends' company stimulates you. Your determination will ensure success. VIRGO: Hobbies will give you much satisfaction. Think with the future in mind. Discuss an investment proposal. Real estate matters can suffer. Your confidence and self-esteem will be on the rise. LIBRA: It is a good day for romance. Avoid gossiping; because it can spoil your chances of success. Sportsmen: get more exercise to keep yourself fit. Think longterm; do not try to rush others people. Tarot message: Be active in exploiting financial opportunities. Lucky colour: Yellow. SCORPIO: Do not be afraid to get things off your chest. Go along with the wishes of your family members. Do not be too demanding from loved ones. Frank discussion can clear the air. SAGITTARIUS: Give more attention to your health. Do not take on chores that will tire you physically. Appointments and meetings can fill up your day, making it necessary to keep your phone turned off. CAPRICORN: Control your emotions. Partners will not agree with your plans. There is no need to put your hard earned money on stake. A positive outlook towards life will help. AQUARIUS: Hope fills your heart. Planning to buy a house?
A good offer is on the cards. It is a relaxed day for senior citizens. Patience and hardwork pays. Focus on leadership and inspiration. PISCES: Surprising events can lead to a major rethink on what you are doing with your life. Home renovations will need more money than you had planned. Speak to your partner about using joint finances to cover an extra loan. |
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Charity on birthday: Donate wheat at a religious place today.