Sampli Practice

Udya pasun taalim nasel
Aani nasel Bhavans chi Kholi
Astil fakta mokat kshan
Ann aathvaninahi zhaalar oli
Vijlya dolyaat asel kadachit
Kinchit thode paani
Shabda spasht nastil tari
Aashrunna asel vaani
Nakalat sarta sarun gele
Prayatnaanche teen maas
Taalim zhaali dhad dhad thoka
Taalim zhaali shwaas
Rusve-Fugwe Haasya Anavar
Bhaandan Tante Vinod hi
Kadhi kautukachi thaap paathivar
Kadhi Lalucha krodh hi
Prachanda shiklo hya mahinyaat
Milavle barech kaahi
Kahi gamavlya chi aathvan
Dukkhha kashache naahi
Bharpur Zop, bharpur aaram
Udyapasun Ghai na kasli
Pan tumhi naslyachi asel khant
Evdhi bandhane ji julun basli

Musical Memories

Saanz Gaarva- This music album by Milind Ingle nd Saumitra stands as a milestone in Music. It is said to be the rebirth of Bhaavgeet in Marathi. For me, this collection of songs holds a very special place.

In those days Albums used to come in Cassettes. I loved pulling out those brown tapes from them nd then "repair" the cassette using pencils. However one cassette I never did that to was Saanz Gaarva. I was obviously too young to have found out what Love means, nd I would barely understand what the songs nd poems were all about. Nd yet I knew all of them perfectly by heart.
All my ideas of Love nd Rain have probably come from those songs. On drives with Aai nd Baba, I would stretch out on the back seat (I fit) nd insist on continuously playing these songs on the deck. Funnily enough, they never got bored of these songs either. Baba had his favourite, I had mine. But as a boy, I would proclaim that infact I too loved the same song my dad did. "Aathvaninchya fulaanni kase". I still remember Baba's favorite. Nd m sure that he too remembers mine.

As years passed, the car changed, my height overtook the back seat, cassettes died, nd I moved on to other music. So much changed after that. The Car named life took to sea sometimes nd then to the city nd soon it became a roller coaster. Those songs became a forgotten memory nd Milind Ingle couldn't come up with anything as good.
Nd then, a few days ago, one of those songs popped back into my head. The internet has made it easy to download songs. I didn't really have the time to do it but the minute I did, I got them. The next thing to do was arrange them in correct order.
On a free night, I lay down in bed nd played the album. Sure enough it took me back to the car on rainy journeys, the vipers moving in perfect rhythm to the songs. It made me miss dad. It made me miss myself. The bumpy roller coaster of life turned back into that less bumpy car ride, if just for a moment. I was largely overwhelmed.
Nd I sat down to write it all down. The album ended just as I finished this blog. The moment ended. Another long day at Thespo tempo. I know the songs are waiting for me. But they're not to be heard everyday. Maybe another time in the car.

Ashich kaahi maansa

Kadhi kadhi kalat hi nahi
Kashi kahi loka important houn jaatat
Vichaarat nastat, bolnyaat nastat
Tari manaat ghar karun raahtat
Hya maansanchi naati kadhi
Sampat naahit, tutat naahit
Roz bollo nahi tari hi
Hi maansa kahi sutat naahit
Maitri mojtana hyaanchi nava
Yet hi nastil hisheba madhye
Pan maitri tyanchi tashich aste
Bhettat jevha adhe madhe
He adhe madhe mhanje nakki kaay
Te asa saangta yenaar nahi
Saangun saangu shambhar goshti
Tari rahun jaeel barach kahi
Garjechi vel, madaticha kaal,
kivva kantalyacha asach kshan
Vinakaaran aalela sahaj depression
Ektepanaat khaun uthnaara mann
Ervi disat hi naahit ashi hi loka,
Hya veli astat haakechya antaravar
Kasli pokal maitrichi beriz
He maansa mojali naahit tar

Everything's Changing

We make friends for ever don't we?
Love and Loyalty we say..
And yet friendships seem to fade out,
If we don't meet everyday.

It's the birthday of a friend from school
We both got nostalgic and teary-eyed.
Haven't met for two straight years;
Didn't say we would, just sighed.

Haven't met a friend for the past month
Became friends only two months before
Now he's moving away to another nation
I'm less sad than m sour

He's forgotten to inform
Or say to good bye in a month already
And now right across the globe,
You can see the friendship dropping steady.

Next year, I'll move away to another college.
Nd so will a lot of my friends.
We'll keep in touch nd tagg nd chat
What's that but just a trend?

Everyone meets new people
And makes new Forever Friends
That irony keeps going on..
It's a trend that never ends....

Grave Realizations: Imperfect Friendships

Recently, I’ve been undergoing through some Grave Realizations once again. This time however, these realizations are perfectly valid and dryly humorous. This time around, the realizations are gravely about me.

We all make friends. I don’t believe there is a single a person in the world that is friendless, though we all feel like that once in a while. I have been lucky enough in life to gather some of the nicest friendships. Question is, what happens to them later? Later, when you no longer meet every day, barely chat on the internet and get other, maybe better friends? I often am proud of myself for so many friends that I have gathered, and maintained as well, but am I fooling myself?

I always have this idea, that every friendship comes with an expiry date. Friends hurt you and then they apologize, but mainly, either you are no longer interested in that friendship or they aren’t. It is sad. There have a few times when I have grieved over the people that left after the friendship was done. And grieved over the friendships, because they were done too. But recently, when my life has been long enough to look back at it, I have turned around many a times and can see myself turning away from so many people, because I was done with them as well. It’s not like I have done it on purpose (even though I advocate selfishness so many times) but I haven’t done it by mistake either. But I have been pretty guilt-free about it, until now. It’s now that I look back, that I get goosebumps. Because I have moved on from so many friendships, that I have forgotten a majority of them. All of these people have left an impact on my life, an impact by which I am much more wise and happier than I was, and the impact still lasts, but the people don’t.

These people, I am certain I valued them quite a lot at that point of my life, or even called them my best friends until recently. But the thought that I don’t even remember their faces or their names now, scares me. When I first thought of this, I was shaken to core. Right now, I am rejoicing in the happiness of one of my very close friends, and I have been in a good mood because of it all day. But that friend is very much a part of my present. It’s the thought of the friends of past that scare me so much. I have idea where exactly they might be at this point, or what condition they must be in. Will they have forgotten me, like I forgot them? Or will they be regretting making friends with a person who just walks away from friendships? Or will they have grown up enough to see that everyone does it? Or doesn't everyone?

So many questions. And no answers. When there aren’t answers for the questions that bother you, the questions just become rhetorical. You face bigger problems or greater joys, and then who sits to answer rhetorical questions? You move on from the questions as well. And you call this growing up.

You wonder what kind of a person you’re growing into. Or if you are just growing up to be a sensibly mature guy. Boy, growing up is hard to do.

Growing Up

Life is weird..

That guy you knew, who'd only joke out insulting people nd you didn't have a great opinion of him; he asks you if you can spare a few minutes so that he'll visit his widowed aunt, and takes a large bar of chocolate for her two little kids.

The prettiest girl you knew, and considered to be somewhat of a snob, lives in a run-down apartment in the worst of surroundings, and has the most imperfect family you've seen.

The very funny guy you love hanging out with; can't afford to come for a movie nd u never realised why.

Everybody has such different sides to them, and you can rarely explore more than one. It's a horrible feeling, because there are so many people you dislike and discard automatically. Even these people you saw the other sides of.. They'll still be the same when you meet them next time, with no traces of their other sides.

Worst part is, you'll pretend that that's the only side you know too. You'll see other people judging them, like you used to, nd ur heart will ache inside. But it will know what to say nd how to be, very silently.

Because between then, now nd then, it has grown up, nd continue to do so.

Gustaakh Dil... Imperfect Friendships

You meet somebody new,

You like them,

You become friends. 

You wonder if you

Are going to fall in love with them...

But that's a stupid question,

Because you have a tendency to fall in love

With everyone you meet. 

At first, everyone appears perfect.

Sometimes it takes weeks,

Sometimes it takes days

To see the shortcomings on both sides. 

What was interesting turns annoying,

Or you become such good friends that it’s repellent.

You wonder if you aren't as good a friend of theirs

As you thought yourselves to be.

You've become too close than you like. 

Somewhere in your heart,

You begin to look forward to

When you'll stop meeting them.

It’s a horrible feeling but it’s genuine. 

The moment comes

And u say your goodbyes.

At some level you are relieved,

At some level you are hurt.

But this time, you are clearly glad.

The moment passes and u sigh.

The very next minute you are missing them.

You want to text them, meet them,

Ask them what went wrong.

You feel guilty about having felt glad. 

But that's not right thing to do.

Because every friendship has an expiry date

And u have probably stretched yours.

What's the point of messing up those four good days,

Because you want them for lifetime?

And all that for a dead friendship? 

Why not just have in ur memory forever,

Those Four Days of Perfect Friendship...

Dramatic Decisions

It’s the Drama Team. There is bound to be drama, both onstage and offstage. I don’t really mind Drama, because it’s this drama that makes every day so much more interesting. It is what spices of life. And in the last few days, the team hasn’t been any less of a spectacle. On one hand, there are new romances, new friendships; on the other, heartbreaks are in full swing. The heartbreaks have resulted in heavy tears; some that make you feel really bad. There has been exploitation of authority, there have been grudges against the exploitation, and there have been confused crushes somewhere, while somewhere else there has been a clash over shared fascination. The clashes aren’t getting any less everywhere, about rehearsals, over timings, over power, over decisions, over infatuations and have led to a fair share of grudges. And then there have been some uncouth advances.

Seems too much, doesn’t it? It always does. When this Drama exceeds its limitation, it gets unbearable. Especially when you are in a position when you know all the sides of almost all the stories, you know who hates who and who loves who; who said what and who did what. It’s feels like a blessing that you are directly related to only a few of these issues but it isn’t in your blood to stay out of the other issues either.

It starts resulting in stress and bad dreams. All the increased day’s work isn’t helping either, nor are the sleepless nights. You have firmly decided to keep your personal conflicts out of the team things. It gets stretched to point of breaking. It’s time to take a break. A break from the drama. “I’m just going to finish this fest and then not come back.” But you know that’s not going to happen. You are going to come back for IPTA, and then maybe Thespo. “No, I am not. I am done with these issues.”

You laugh at yourself. Inside, you love this drama. After all, what’s life if it’s not filmy? If there is no drama?

Unforgettable Readings: The Children at Green Meadows

When I was a kid, I had two big fantasies. One was to write a book, and another was to get a pet. I link both of these to one single book that I read very young, which was called “The Children At Green Meadows.”. The book was of course written by Enid Blyton, the only author whose books I read in those days. However, this one was really different from the rest of her books. To begin with, this one was less fancy and more grounded; it did not describe Sandwiches of 4 kinds, Caravans and long holidays. It told the story of a simple and poor family, with three children, a worn-out mother, a handicapped father injured in war, and a grumpy grandmother. This Marshall family lives at Green Meadows, which is Grandma’s house. Also present is the haughty cat Mr. Black, who will neither be stroked, nor patted by the kids. The kids can’t afford luxury, but they keep themselves busy, the youngest Sam imagines a playroom, while the oldest Francis imagines himself a pet dog.

It’s during one of these imaginary pet-walk, that Francis gets into a fight with another boy, Dan who ridicules his little play. But soon after a teary-eyed Dan turns up at Green Meadows and request the children to take in his real pet dog. Pets aren’t allowed at the towers where he is moving, but he can’t bear to just give away his dog. The children agree, but keep it a secret so as to not give their mother any more trouble nor annoy their grumpy grandmother.

Turns out, Granny herself is a big fan of pets and soon, the pets of other residents of the towers start filling in Green Meadows. Granny is a part of their little secret now, and very soon Mother and Father find out too. Now there are dogs, kittens, rabbits, fantail pigeons and even a pony. The children now have a lot of playmates, who are the owners of the pets. All three of them, Francis, Clare and Sam are also a part of Scouts, Brownies and Cubs respectively. Besides, the pets haven’t added to mother’s work, but have given her a lot of relief too. Granny has mellowed down. All the children join the Busy Bees and work for betterment of animals. Jack, who owns the pony revives the large garden of Green Meadows as a return of favour. Soon a big Alsatian called Duke also ends up at Green Meadows, which takes us too the climax of the wonderful story.

Francis takes a special liking to Duke, who is rather fierce. In an impending climax, Duke is hit by some pesky boys and he runs away wounded. Francis finds him injured in the shed outside the house of his owner, who co-incidentally returns from abroad just then. The owner reckons that the snarling Duke will have to be shot but a brave Francis saves him. Impressed, the owner inquires about Francis and his family and then offers to sponsor an operation for their Father that will get him off his wheelchair.

More happiness follows, when a young acquaintance of Granny’s offers to buy the huge Green Meadows and turn it into an animal shelter. With the money, the Marshall family moves into a comfortable little cottage. Father returns from his surgery, quite hale and hearty and the Marshals count their blessings.

This book is so well written, that you keep wishing their was more to read. There are no Enid Blyton Clichés here, which is what makes it even more beautiful. For years I kept searching if there was a sequel to this book, or more of a series but there turned out to be none. I often hope that someday, someone will bless me with a manuscript of such a sequel or even better, I will be able to write one myself. But alas, that wouldn’t have the same magic of the original book, one that left me pinning for another, forever.

Friendship Day

Yesterday morning as I left home for Drama Practice, my way was unusually lively, it being a Sunday. The roads were lined with newly-opened Ganesh Idol Shops, the Murtis sitting divinely in colorless grandeur. In a striking contrast, meat shops swarmed with customers on account of Guttari Amavasya (the day before the holy month of Shravan, in which meat is forbidden for Hindus). And rest of the stores glittered with flowing Friendship Bands of all lengths and colors. Yesterday of course, was Friendship Day, one of the most celebrated days of the year. I bought myself a couple of Markers and set out for another day at Mithibai Drama Team.
After a general exchange of greetings, followed the undying traditions of Tying Bands and Writing on Wrists and Shirts with Markers. However, the rest of the day passed relatively uneventful. There was a lot of work to do, a script to write, a CL to deal with and two major fests to enjoy. There were also a broken heart, a few tears and a lot of laughs. And in the final moments of the day, as we sat down to hear a reading of the Seniors' Play, there was never a more fulfilling time.

It was a working Friendship Day, but it was a Friendship Day in it's truest sense. I realized how lucky I was to be working alongside my friends, doing stuff I absolutely loved to do.
Till last year, I would finish the day by counting the number of Friendship Bands and Rings I had recieved. Yesterday, I just counted my blessings...

Railway Joyride

Travelling in trains during the rains is horrible. The local trains are full of mud and the Konkan Railway is full of water. As a rule, I try to avoid trains in Mansoon. In other times, I love the trains. The Roha- Diva train ride, at 5:00 Dawn remains my favorite ride. I recently experienced travelling in the Deccan Queen in the chilly mornings to Pune, and that is another wonderful experience. Also, the luxury of travelling in the Rajdhani Express is a whole different joy. Personally, I prefer the August Kranti, because that gives more train time. The railway bunks are the most pleasurable devices for sleeping, which is why I insisted on having a bunk bed in my room, when we moved to a new house. However, if anybody asks me to single out the best train journey I had, I would say that my favorite train ride was that one journey of the Mandovi Express.

The Mandovi Express

That summer after std. 5th, was my first summer camp. It was a four-day stay in the beautifully picturesque village of Tural, in Konkan. Since the association, Rustic Holidays was based in Mumbai, the train journey started in Mumbai at Dadar. But me staying in Roha, I boarded the train at Panvel, where the train (the camp director stated) halted for a full two minutes. The compartment I sat in had four other boys, three elder to me and one a little younger. As a kid, it isn’t difficult to make friends, and I did so quickly. I only remember the name of one boy from them, his name was Shubhankar. But I have no memory of his surname. We had a lot of fun during the journey, cracking jokes and as if we knew each other for years. We weren’t allowed to leave our compartment (rightly so) except if we had to go to the bathroom, in which case we had to be accompanied by a camp volunteer. The camp volunteers were also nice people, two boys and two girls but they had to look after the whole boxcar full of kids, so the five of us had no other option but to put up with each other. We were given wonderful food on the train, and those mutter cutlets remain the best I have ever had, though I barely remember what they tasted like. The guy who was younger to me, dropped his tiffin while eating. Even though he was soon given another, after an earful, the floor remained dirty and it was a sad sight. Joking about how it was poo on the floor, we shifted to the upper bunks, playing cards and name-place-animal-thing.

Each two compartments were separated by a metal wall. However adjoining the top bunks were just iron nets, you could easily see through and talk through them. Sitting on the other side was a girl, about my own age. While all the girls in her compartment were downstairs, she was sitting on the bunk, requesting if she could play Name-Place-Animal-Thing with us. When we agreed, she jumped like a cat on to the side bunk and came back with pen and paper in a moment. After a while, she made her way into our compartment, without any of the volunteers noticing, swinging on the bunk bars like a little monkey. Soon she was telling us dirty jokes and laughing louder than us, swinging back to her comp. when any of the volunteers came by. She wasn’t pretty or anything, but by the time we reached Sangameshwar, all the boys had taken a liking to her, as if she were one of our own.

Entrance to Mamacha Ghar

After reaching Sangameshwar, everybody was separated as per their given numbers and sent off in multiple number of buses to Tural, our destination. The camp “Mama chya gavala jauya” was based on the traditional theme of going to stay at your maternal uncle’s house in the holidays. All the elders there were refered to as ‘Maama’ ‘Maami’ and ‘Maushi’ while the younger volunteers were ‘Tai’ and ‘Dada’. We would gorge on traditional food and the delicious fruits of Konkan. Everyday there would be a new activity to do and learn, like bird watching, scaling the little hills and learning traditional games. The evening would be full of ground sports like Lagori, Cricket, Veet-Daandoo, as well as modern games like football and baseball. After returning ‘home’ we would have snacks and assemble in the Mandir inside the house, to learn and sing evening prayers. The ‘Aaji’ in the house would mesmerize us by stories from the ancient mythologies. Later there would be a delicious urban dinner in the front yard, by which the gaadya, would have been laid out in the “padvi”. The girls would sleep in the “maadi”.

Afternoon Hang Out, the Padvi and the backend.

The afternoons would be left free for us to enjoy. There were various boardgames, packs and packs of cards as well as loads of books to read. Sometimes, the volunteers would conduct games. On the first afternoon, I was sitting all along in the open Mandir part. Everybody comes to camps in twos or threes or groups. I had come here all alone. All the elder kids were sitting together and while the boys I had befriended on the train journey were among them, it is a scary deal for a little boy to advance a huge group of Big Boys. That morning, we had been visited by a man who enlightened us about Bird Watching. He was there to stay over-night as the next morning he was going to take us on a nature trail. With him was his daughter. And right then, she came and sat next to me.

“You want somebody to play with?”

At that age, girls seem very intimidating, especially girls older to us. I nodded.

“Come, let us play card. I’ll teach you.”

The actual house (visible: The Padvi and the Mandir)

She took me into the Padvi and sat down in front of me, laying out cards from the deck she had. She was half-way into teaching me, when I finally found the guts to tell her that I already knew the game. She had an a beautiful voice and an infectious laugh, and soon I was at ease playing with her. I do not remember her name or her face at all, but she seemed very beautiful to me back then. She must have been, because some games later, the group of elder boys had joined us and then a group of girls their age too. From then onwards, the boys took me under their wings and the girls pampered me like crazy. In the following days I also made friends with a lot of people my own age. It turned out to be the best camp of my life.

The backyard extends into a very green piece of land, full of tress. In this picture are the swings to the Left.

Bhavra

The last night was the campfire and everybody performed some or the other things. The next morning, we boys got our very own traditional Bhavras (tops with strings) and the girls got bangles. We set off in the afternoon. My mom and dad had told me that they would pick me off at Dadar this time and I was happy that I could be with these new friends till the very end of the journey. Those were the days when nobody owned cell-phones and internet or was on Orkut or Facebook. That meant that this journey were the last few hours I could spend with them. This time, I confidently fluttered among compartments and the volunteers let me. Promises were made of coming back to Tural next year. We were singing, laughing, shouting and dancing.

Nitin and Shilpa Karkar- Maama and Maami

However, my journey was cut-short an hour early. At the last moment, my parents decided to pick me at Panvel instead of Dadar. The camp leaders summoned my even half an hour before and told me to keep my bag ready. I was startled as I genuinely thought that they had mixed up the fact that I would Get On at Panvel and Get Down at Dadar. I was disappointed that I would have to say goodbye early. I was also terrified that the Camp people would let me out at Panvel, but my parents would be at Dadar and I would have to sleep on the station benches that night.

Turned out, my parents were indeed there at Panvel. In the final 20 minutes I made a journey inside the boxcar itself, saying goodbye to everybody and having to tell everyone that I was now getting down at Panvel instead. I was angry with my parents for a moment, but then the train started to move, and everyone was at the windows, waving me goodbye. Being the only one getting off at Panvel, I received a special farwell instead of just getting lost in the crowd of the 100 other kids at Dadar. Large heartedly, I decided to forgive my parents.

I said that best train journey I had was the one on Mandovi Express. But whether it was the one going to Sangameshwar, or the one returning home, I will never be able to decide…

Screen Transitions

20 years ago, Shah Rukh Khan entered the world of cinema after having worked for TV for 2 years. And after that he never looked back. 20 years later he is still the King of Bollywood, the ultimate superstars. In a nation of 1.2 billion, we have a population of approximately 56 million who dream of being Shah Rukh Khan and another 56 million, who dream of being with Shah Rukh Khan. Had Shah Rukh Khan not taken the leap across entertainment mediums 20 years ago, the face of Indian Entertainment would have been very  different from what it is today. SRK and Vidya Balan, who found a similar success in Bollywood after a stint in TV, is an inspiration for those countless TV actors who dream of making it large in Bollywood.

Every year, countless aspiring youngsters make a debut in television show with the hope that the small screen will be a stepping stone to the silver screen. Not many of them get such an opportunity though and are left playing mothers and grandfathers on the idiot box. We have a lot of exceptions to this though, right from R Madhavan, Prachi Desai, Rajeev Khandelwal, Ayushmaan Khurana and Yaami Gautam. Some like Mona Singh and Shruti Seth are left playing small roles, only to return to TV. Ram Kapoor is an actor who however, is having a string of successes in the film industry playing pivotal roles.

One actor, who has taken this leap of faith and has had a smooth landing, is the current Bollywood hotshot, Sushant Singh Rajput. After three years in the soapy Pavitra Rishta and a number of dance reality shows, he made the risky decision of quitting TV for greener pastures. One film old, he has already gathered a lot of praise in the industry. He wowed everybody with his performance in the earthy Kai Po Che, and went ahead to take over roles meant for Ranbir Kapoor (Peekay) and Shahid Kapoor (Shudhh Desi Romance). He also made headlines for not having taken any money for Peekay, because he did it solely for getting to work with Aamir Khan and Raju Hirani. And lined up is a major project “Fitoor”.

Yes, it’s confirmed. Sushant Singh Rajput is doing Abhishek Kapoor’s, his Kai Po Che director’s next “Fitoor”. It’s an adaption of the Charles Dickens classic “Great Expections” and stars none other than the number one actress of India, Katrina Kaif. Yes, the superstar who has been giving back to back movies with biggies Salman Khan, SRK, Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan is going to star opposite newbie Sushant who is steadily climbing the ladders of superstardom. There had been reports of Katrina rejecting to work against the new Sushant, a deja vu of Kareena walking out of Ram Leela. But the flying rumors have settled and Sushant has indeed been cast against the dream girl.

 

Very clear similarities can be seen between Rajput and Shah Rukh Khan. Both have become the nation’s heartthrobs after winning performances on television. While Shah Rukh was already married before his movie debut, Sushant Singh Rajput is in a serious relationship with Ankita Lokhande. Both have unconventional looks and come from non-filmy backgrounds. The latter has won over film critics and audiences alike with his debut performance just like the former. And hopefully in coming years Sushant Singh Rajput will taste and maintain the same success like Shah Rukh Khan

And seeing his rise in just one year, that doesn't seem far than distant.

The Girl From Vapi

It was 5:53 in the evening. I was leaving college, the other day, and trying to get a rickshaw home. The Mumbai Rickshawallas are a vicious breed, and the folktale is still untold, of what revenge they take out on us common folk. “Andheri Station!” a girl begged to the rickshawalla. He paid no need, as if she was something better ignored.  “Coaldongri?” I asked him. He jerked his head towards the backseat, like a king doing a favour to a begger. I sat in and the Rick accelerated when I asked him to halt it. Rickshaws that come to Andheri are very rare. Very very rare.  I pulled my head out of the small door., and leaned towards the girl. “Andheri station? I am going there, should I drop you?”  “Yeah!” she said eagerly, and ran towards the rick, with a quick good bye to her friend.

“I am not going to go to the station? Only Coaldongri.”. The rickshawalla grumbled as was his habit.

“Ae Bhai!” I was physically hating the khaki-coated driver now. “Coaldongari matlab station ki taraf hi jaana hai.” And then in a sweet voice to the girl, “My house is a little before the station. It’s a walking distance till there.” She was beautiful from what I saw of the corner of my eye.

“Hi, I am.” She said. “F.Y.BBA, Mithibai.” I introduced myself

“Umm.. walking distance, as in, how much? I have a train at 5:20” she sounded worried.

“umm… till the signal.” In Mumbai, people are always thinking of catching trains.  Trains come on go, but people still fuss about catching a particular train. I then realized that I was heading to Andheri East while she was thinking of Andheri West.

“Where do you live?” I asked, trying to figure out which side would be better for her.

“Vapi.” She said. The central line of railway has stations I have never heard of. “Central line, or Harbour?” I asked.

“Umm.. Gujarat actually.” Okay, so this girl was not from Mumbai.

“No, uh.. I mean, where in Mumbai?”

“I am still searching for a hostel.. umm..” So she was new here. “Yeah, but you’ll catch a Western train, right?” I asked as a rickshaw took a right turn towards the jammed bridge of Parle East.

“No, I am going to Vapi right now.” She said. I was dumbstruck. The next moment my brain was whizzing like a horse. She was going to Gujarat, right now. She couldn’t possibly miss that train, she didn’t have a hostel…. “You need to get out!”

“You need to catch another rickshaw. This mile-long traffic will take time. Cross the road and take another rick. Okay?” I ended kindly, as she look bewildered.  “Okay,” she said meekly as she got out, and then, “Should I pay you or something?”

“No No!” I rushed her. ”You’ll easily get a rickshaw from here.”

As I saw still amazed at the girl who came to college and then left for Vapi, I saw here get into a rickshaw next to mine. Shit. As my rickshaw moved ahead an inch, I stuck my face in her rickshaw. “You’ll never get to your train in this traffic. Go to the other side of the road and catch one from there.” I pointed vigorously, as she nodded once more and left that rickshaw too. My rickshaw moved even ahead, as I saw her cross S.V. road safely, and then she was out of sight.

Out of mind? Not for a while. I kept thinking she must have thought that I was crazy to ask her to leave the rickshaw or was she so dumb? Or maybe, she was just naïve. She was new in the city, had absolutely no idea of the roads, and even lesser of the Traffic Jams here. There was so little chance of her getting a rick from Mithibai to Andheri station to reach in less than 20 minutes. If I hadn’t asked her to jump into mine, she would have missed her train. Now, on S.V. road, there was more chance of her making it. But she didn’t know that. She had been at ease with her friend.  I felt like a fool, but I also felt good. If she got to her train in time, she would probably be thankful to me. Or probably, she would be cursing me ignorantly for wasting her time. In any case, I was feeling good about myself. She had easily agreed to share a rick with a completely unknown person in a new city. She was probably unaware of all the dangers around, or was brave enough to take on them.

You know, that’s why I have such a grudge against Rickshawallas. They never pay heed to people who hail them, instead pass by them by dirt. I am particularly agonized thinking of people who really need a rickshaw, but are unsuccessful in getting one. Like a person who has had a bad news and need to rush, or a girl who needs to get home before it gets dark. I wonder how much bad will these annoying rickshaw people gather during thee day, and I wonder how much it is going to screw them up. Why doesn’t Karma fuck up them all at once? And above all, they are frequently striking to increase the fares.

And the girl, I would never know if she made it. I don’t remember her name, and I probably won’t recognize her.  But the question will always nibble at me. Did she make it? Did she go home? While the incident was actually quite meaning less, I will always remember the girl from Vapi

"Grey"ve Realizations

So I am just being a couch potato, surfing channels. There are commercials everywhere, so I start watching the only currently-playing show - 'Grey’s Anatomy'. It’s an old episode, and a bunch of people are sitting on Meredith’s dining table; Cristina Yang is whining about her wedding vows. Izzie says something, and Callie looks disturbed. As I watch, and the episode moves ahead, I realize, so much has changed!

Meredith and Derek aren't married. Izzie is in love with- not Alex, but George, who is still alive, and also is married to Callie, which means Callie is still straight. Or closeted, whatever. Addison is still in the picture, Lexie is still unknown. And moreover, the man for whom Yang is writing her vows? He is not her current husband! It's not Hunt! 

That is the moment of truth..... I understand, that Grey’s Anatomy,

is a very crappy, messed up show 

and I should have never started watching it in the first place!

Attempting Adaption

“Nava Gadi ann… Rajya Nava”

The first poster of the play*

This was one play which had success written on its every aspect. The lead pair was one which had gained popularity across Maharashtra post their hit serial “Shubhamkaroti”. The story was wasn’t essentially new, it was about a married couple who face internal problems after a male friend of the wife and an ex-girlfriend of the husband enter the scene. But it was very well handled by debutant director Sameer Vidhwans. It was written by Kshitij Patwardhan and had a fresh and modern outlook. Priya Bapat and Umesh Kamat, the leads were already dating and had an unmatchable chemistry on stage. The fiery dialogues adorned with cuss words, only added to the popularity of the play and it played to packed theatre in the course of its long run of more than a hundred shows throughout Maharashtra as well as in foreign countries.

At the turn of the decade, Marathi Theatre has seen lots of old plays being revived, led by prominent actors-turned-producers like Sunil Barve and Neelam Shirke. More than a dozen old plays have seen a new dawn, with new actors and new directors. The recently staged, “Naandi” sees a compilation of 10 eternally remembered plays. At the same time, plays are being remade into movies, Kedar Shinde’s “Kho Kho” and the adaption of “Shrimant Damodar Pant” being an example. A regional channel, ETV Marathi also attempted making old one-act plays into tele-movies. Now exactly two and a half years after the first show of “Nava Gadi Nava Rajya”, it joins the league with “Time Please”, it’s remake on the big screen releasing on the 31^st of July. 

A poster of the upcoming film*

It’s trailor on Youtube has already crossed 16 thousand views on Youtube and also gathered a lot of attention on Twitter and Facebook. The lead pair returns, now married while the major character of Himmatrao (immortalized by Hemant Dhome) is taken a niche higher by the reigning Superstar of Marathi Cinema Siddharth Jadhav. The role of Ketki (now Radhika) earlier played by many is being rendered by Marathi Cinema’s favorite, Saee Tamhankar. The music by Rishikesh Kamerkar sounds catchy, especially the song Butterfly, which take you back to some hilarious moments of “Nava Gadi Nava Rajya”. The presence of veterans like Vandana Gupte and Seema Deshmukh raises the already high standards of the film.

While the play reached out to a class of the audience, the movie will help the story to reach to the masses as well. I, am certainly looking forward to the movie as I am sure the 16 thousand viewers on Youtube are too.

*No copyright infringement intended

Entertaining Influences

INSPIRATION  

That is something you can find anywhere and everywhere. 

A friend said something strikingly true about me yesterday. I, he observed am very easily influenced by the stuff I watch in movies. And I didn’t disagree even a little bit. Though I would prefer to use the word Inspire. Or maybe not...

When I was a kid, I loved to write stories. No, it wasn’t really my own interest. Once I had found a story written by one of my cousins in her neat handwriting, striking similar to what I read. So when I came home, I managed to produce a piece of paper and a pencil and sat down to write my own story. It was a silly one, about four kids who live in old-time Europe, own a dog and have a club. Of course the club has a password, there are robberies going on in the small town they live in and their parents, though absolutely lovely creatures who provide them limitless food and ask no questions of their whereabouts during the day, do not believe in their theory of the ongoing thefts. So the children set out to prove it.

There was absolutely nothing original in this story. But oh, how proud I was by the time I finished it! In reality, I had no idea that the kind of setting my story had had long since vanished from Europe. Actually I had no idea where Europe was!! Yet, my stories remained the same, inspired so I wrote about Magical Lands, Boarding Schools, Brothers who save the world from terrorists, Kids who set out to collect animals(Pokémon) or to complete missions and about Boy wizards. It was years before I actually realized that if I wanted to write, it should be something original.

My activities weren’t any different. I believed that every little question mark was a great mystery. I pleaded day and night to my parents for a pet dog, I started eating Spinach only because of Popeye, yearned to start a band like Archie and even started a couple of investing clubs. I wished for genies for Vicky’s Vetaal, Frooty’s Sonpari or Rohit’s Jadoo and after I drew something, say a Cadbury, I would actually place a Cadbury on it, pretending that I had Sanju’s magic pencil.

I went for my first summer camp after having watched Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. And I went for my first adventure camp after watching Krrish. I made my friends accompany me to the top of a building considered haunted. And another time, me and my friends got into big fat trouble after making crank calls at night. We still laugh over these incidents, and I can say that all these are the best memories of my life. After I watched Wake Up Sid, I knew that I had to do something good out of my life, something I was already good at. I deal with little fights pretending I am in Bigg Boss and the whole country will jeer at me if I don’t handle the fights wisely. So yes, I do get easily inspired by movies I watch; they make every day of my life a memory. So I am proud of that.

“Main Udd Na Chahta Hu Naina, Daudna Chahta Hu, Girna Bhi Chahta Hu… Bas Rukna Nahi Chahta.”

I have said and heard this dialogue a million times since yesterday. We were enjoying the early rains in my town Roha. After we were done, eating cold Bhajji and trying to dry ourselves out, I still was coming up with new ideas. 'Let’s Go Here, Let’s Go There.'. 

That is when my friend Nikunj said- “Kalpak is very easily influenced by what he watch in movies.” Then he continued. “After watching Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, he is full of doing adventurous stuff. Main udna chahta hu, daudna chahta hu, girna chahta hu.” He mocked me.

He was right. Mentally I had already geared up for a snow trek next year. I was actually going to go to the trek this year itself but had to push the idea to next year. But the movie had reminded me of how I liked mountaineering as a kid, and now the idea had become even more concrete in my mind. Ranbir Kapoor’s character in the movie, his thinking, his lifestyle had really inspired me. Stopping to smell the roses is fine, but I’d rather pluck a few and carry them with me. It’s like Barney Stinson says, take life and turn it into a sting of memories. Crazy memories. And did anyone miss Aditya Roy Kapoor’s line in the movie, when he is speaking about how he and Ranbir are gonna rent out an apartment after the trek ends? “Vo TV serial FRIENDS ki tarah.” Inspired!

Original is cool. But inspired is cool too. Ask our filmmakers!

And about being inspired by Kabir “Bunny” Thapar, there’s a line in the song Ilahi-

“Kal pe Sawaal Hai… Jeena Filhal Hai…”

Rapid Reviews - YJHD

I am on my way to Roha. Just boarded the Diva-Roha train 9:40. Just caught it in time rather because 9:40 is when I reached the railway station at Pen. At Pen I was visiting a friend. It’s the 31^st. Last day of the month of May. May is the month that represents the summer vacations and today’s day represents end of vacations.  Yet it feels like the summer is still beginning. It’s been a long holiday. Lots of work and Lots of play, Jack hasn’t yet had a dull day.

More importantly, this vacations have been full of Movies. Movies and IPL. But mainly movies. Chashme Buddoor, Nautanki Saala, Iron Man 3, Ek Thi Daayan, Prem Mhanje Prem, Aashiqui 2, Shootout at Wadala, Go Goa Gone, Aurangzeb, Bombay Talkies and Fast & Furious6. Name it and I’ve watched it.

But today was the last day of movies too. Not a single movie more, not in this summer anyway. I have closed this wonderful string of movies with Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. I caught the 6:30 show and then rushed to catch the 9:40 train. And it was all worth it.

I watched it in the same cinema house where I had watched Wake Up Sid. That was the first movie I watched without adult company. The friend I watched it with, was there for this movie too. I had loved Wake Up Sid and I was expecting a lot from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. No, director Ayan Mukherjee hasn’t failed to deliver this time either. But then again, YJHD is not WUS.

YJHD has a weak story. The content is rather good though, so the story isn’t missed much. Naina(Deepika Padukone) reminisces about the time when she had arrived spontaneously on a trek to Manali. The trek, befriending Aditi (Kalki) and Avi (Roy Kapoor) and falling for Bunny (Ranbir) has been a turning point in her life. But it’s eight years since and the friends are quite apart now. The nimitta becomes a wedding and the story begins…. After the interval. Which is fine, because the first half does an excellent job of setting the story.

Ayan Mukerjee had made a simple film with Wake Up Sid. This one is quite a huge jump for him. But the exotic locations and the angle long shots haven’t made him lose the simplicity. There is a certain earthiness in his story telling and we can see his traces on every scene. WUS established Mukherjee as somebody to watch out for. But after YJHD, he is going to be someone who will be chased by producers. YJHD may not be remembered as a cult, but it shows us what our commercial cinema stands for. This summer, movies like Chashme Buddoor and Hum Hai Rahi Car Ke had us worried if this is what becoming of our cinema, but YJHD relieves us of that worry. YJHD is not about Love, nor is it about Friendship. It is about dreams. It is about four dreams, a fulfilled one, a broken one, a rested one and a dream that is let go. YJHD is a beautiful collection.

Ranbir Kapoor doesn’t seem like someone who was a backbench loafer during his school days. He must have been a sensible kid, really. Deepika Padukone certainly wasn’t a nerd who sat in a corner by herself. Yet, not a minute do their characters feel insincere. Both of them prove their stardom. If people go to the theatres expecting a Barfi performance(which they shouldn’t), they still won’t be disappointed. Deepika Padukone gives her Party Girl act a rest. Kalki does what she hasn’t done before, and yet does it beautifully. However, Aditya Roy Kapoor who was on the industry watchlist, falls short. He doesn’t have much scope and his Avi feels like an Aashiqui déjà vu. Somebody who stands out is Kunal Roy Kapoor in a guest role. He continues his goof act from Nautanki Saala and is just as lovable. Combined with his French beard, we are reminded of Amol Palekar and rightly so. Farooq Sheikh, Tanvi Azmi and Dolly Alluwalia appear in two-scene cameos and remind us why we love them. An appearance by Rana Daggubatti too leaves us surprised. Evelyn plays the blonde brunette and has a memorable role.

The music has topped the charts for weeks. Diverse from his previous flick, where the music was really soulful, Mukherjee has picked catchy numbers which is an excellent decision. The music is really young, apt to the title. YJHD had already found a huge fanbase, weeks before its release because of the music. I’ll bet on the fact, that a YJHD song is playing on at least one music channel at any given time. Be it “Dilliwaali Girlfriend” “Balam Pichkari” “Kabira” “Battameez Dil” or “Ghagra” there is no space for other songs on charts because these songs have occupied all the primary positions.

Speaking of Ghagra, everybody who said that Madhuri Dixit has grown old should see the song in a cinema hall. There is no competition for Madhuri when she flaunts about in the Gold and Red Ghagras. The item number isn’t raunchy, instead it is sweet right upto the last point where Ranbir Kapoor plants a kiss on Mad’s cheeks, leaving the audience (at least me) totally jealous of Ranbir Kapoor. The colour red seems to have a wonderful effect in the movie (the title and credits appear in red) with Deepika Padukone looking not a bit less then sexy in Dilliwaali and Kalki looking great too. Red also seems to be the right colour for Deepika (Remember Cocktail’s red bikini?).

There are quite a few memorable moments in the movie like when Ranbir convinces Deepika to board the moving train, a scared Deepika on the berth, and the big fat Punjabi wedding. Avi and Adi’s story helps in making the movie stronger, it is far more sensible the lead couple’s. The main love story is a bit clichéd, and reminds us of various movies, starting right from DDLJ to Hum Tum. In 2 hours and 42 minutes, the movie feels a bit stretched with not quite a convincible climax, however the last scene of the movie makes it to the list of memorable moments.

All in all, YJHD is a good film, well made and well sold. But then again don’t expect a Dil Chahta Hai or Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

Rating:                       ½ (Three and a Half)