Ishqiya

Director Abhishek Choubey first assisted Vishal Bhardwaj when Vishal was shooting for the children’s film Makdee in 2002 and then was the Asstt Director for him in The Blue Umbrella, Maqbool and Omkara. Ishqiya is Abhishek Choubey’s debut film as Director. The much acclaimed Kaminey last film by Vishal Bhardwaj (Kaminey) also had Abhishek doing the screenplay. ISHQIYA sees Vishal and Abhishek teaming up with Sabrina Dhawan to write a crackling screenplay that makes for a film that is will remind you of Omkara and Maqbool in terms of its stylised story telling and powerful music. Great visuals and twists and turns that make for a brilliant film. The dialect is authentic and does not falter anywhere – not in the Bhopali Hindi nor in the Hindi that you hear in Gorakhpur where bulk of the story is set.  If you were offended by the unfiltered language of Omkara then beware there is a lot more of that in Ishqiya. Why? ‘coz that is the way the characters communicate in the film. It is way the two crooks Khalujaan (played by Naseeruddin Shah) and Babban Hussein (Arshad Warsi) communicate.  Read more

The Republic Day Agenda

Sixty years back, the Preamble to the Indian Constitution made a bold promise of a dream.  The Preamble went on to articulate a direction in which we wish to see India grow. Each of the highlighted words is a task that the executive, legislature and judiciary of the country has to deliver to the people. The preamble says:

“WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;and to promote among them all FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation…”

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The Fifth Number

He looked at the photo by the bedside. She was smiling at him. She always did, especially when he would do something silly. If he spilled water from the glass at the lunch table. Or say something awkward when they had company. She would remind him to have his medicine as he enjoyed his cup of tea and read his newspaper every morning.

“Did you have your medicine or are you waiting for me to get it for you?”

“I will. The President is now going to go for another …”

“Forget the President and now please get up and get your medicine.”

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Mysore and More

A few days back I took a train from Bangalore to Mysore and spent a day enjoying the sights and sounds of the town where I had lived as a child. The most impressive piece of architecture there is clearly the Mysore Palace. There are several palaces in Mysore. So remember to ask for the one inside the fort.  It is home to the Wodeyar dynasty which ruled this erstwhile princely state from 1399 till 1947, when India became free. The architectural style of the palace is commonly described as Indo-Saracenic, and blends together Hindu, Muslim, Rajput, and Gothic styles of architecture. It is a three-storied stone structure, with marble domes and a 145 ft five-storied tower. But Mysore was only a brief stopover. The real attraction was further – Little Tibet. Read more

Interview on mybangalore.com

I moved to Bangalore last October. To be interviewed for the city’s website mybangalore.com was the equivalent of the neighbors peeking over the fence to check how you are settling in. It just feels good. That is just how I felt when Dhanusha Gokulan spoke to me. To be counted on as a Bangalorean felt good. The conversation was free flowing – from books to my meeting with the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, India. Just what was it like to meet His Holiness, she had asked. The fact that you do not know what to say to someone of his stature. Seriously, can you think of one really smart question to ask the Dalai Lama?   

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