“I didn’t know where to go, what to do. Father in the meanwhile had become a cloth seller and my sister started stitching clothes.”

Rajendra Kumar better known as Jubilee Kumar was known for his blockbuster hits like Dil Ek Mandir, Ayee Milan ki Bela, Arzoo and Sangam, among others. Filmmakers  signed him because his presence assured success and Jubilee Kumar is the so-far-untold story of the man behind the superstar – one who went from riches to rags early in life, but whose determination, prudence and humility saw him surmount countless hurdles and win the affection and admiration of colleagues and fans alike. 

A dispossessed refugee following Partition, Kumar’s struggles intensified as he travelled from Sialkot to Bombay to try his luck in films, suffering homelessness and hunger before he got a break as an assistant director. Overcoming both prejudice in the industry and his own insecurities, he eventually rose from playing small roles in films to unimaginable fame and popularity as a leading man and a respected producer.

 To be continued

@bhawanasomaaya

Is it normal for an actor to get bored I had asked Anupam Kher when I met him at his acting school a year ago? He reflected for a while and said, “I don’t think I can ever get bored of acting because performing is a part of me but what can happen is that when you are doing the same thing for a long period, a monotony sets in and that is the time when the actor must redefine himself.”

Perhaps becoming a producer with Bariwaali was a break from the monotony Kher was experiencing in 2000. He had said Bariwaali is a statement on filmmaking, on film people who just take over a location and place during the process of shooting like they own it and normal people surrounding them allow this invasion partly because of the glamour and partly because they are never given a choice.

Bariwaali starring Kirron Kher in the title roleaddressed this issue, it told the story of a land lady in Kolkatta who lends her mansion for shooting and when the shoot ends, the film unit forget the promise made to her. It was a sad tale of an ageing lonely lady and the callousness of the film fraternity. 

That’s show business, Anupam had concluded and show business with all the heartbreaks and sparkle is a splendid experience. He was right because life continues and as he says, Kuch bhi ho sakta hai, so true, who would have imagined that Anupam Kher would celebrate his birthday with Robert DeNiro but he did and for three consecutive years, kaha na kuch bhi ho sakta hai!

@bhawanasomaaya

“Once you have admitted truth to yourself you need to distract yourself to a positive activity, it can be something to read, exercise, going for walks, for a drive anything that gives you joy. The idea is to find an outlet.

There was a time I went through a lean phase and I wanted to do something meaningful, something that gave me inner joy, so one day I walked across to Dilkhush School opposite my home and began interacting with the kids, I discovered  spending time with the kids gave me joy and I want to believe that I gave brought them joy as well…

Then there was a phase when I was not doing great films, so I shifted attention to TV shows and felt refreshed, because I was interacting with new people, discussing new topics. Then came the phase when I launched my own company, then my acting school and during all this I remained connected to theatre because I come from theatre and belong to theatre”.

To be continued

@bhawanasomaaya

Unlike other actors, Anupam Kher never shied away from his vulnerabilities, he admitted that awards were important to him, rather to all artistes but not all were candid enough to admit it. Kher did and explained why “I will never go seeking an award because my self-respect will not allow it but deep down every artiste always craves for appreciation and the bottom line is  that no matter how talented you are, you have to work very hard all the time,  you have to give your best shot all the time and someday the sun will shine.”

These days, Anupam hardly interacts with the Indian media but there was a time he was their darling and it was only because Kher spoke from the heart, he expressed without filters and discussed varied topics – he talked about artistes, their insecurities, their isolation and how they need to conquer these feelings.

“When I’m feeling low, I admit it to myself because denying the emotion is only complicating the problem. The only way I can help myself is to ride over it and I say this to my students. First admit truth to self and then go about finding the solution”.

To be continued

@bhawanasomaaaya

Disappointing

Film: Angrezi Medium

Release: 13.03.2020

Director: Homi Adajnia

Cast: Irrfan Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Radhika Madan

There are some films you have expectations from and it is because you are familiar with the director’s body of work. Homi Adajania has made 6 films from 2006 to 2019 out of which 3 have been both successful and critically acclaimed. In 2006 Adajania made Being Cyrus a psychological drama that redefined narratives, in 2011 he served us a frothy Cocktail that elevated Deepika Padukone’s career to a different direction and in 2012 he delivered a deliciously different Finding Fanny that made him a favourite with the critics.

Now in 2020 Homi Adjania brings the sequel of 2017’s much celebrated Hindi Medium that told the story of rich, unsophisticated parents in Delhi who went all out to seek admission for their daughter into an English medium school. The thought is the same but while in the prequel the parents were obsessed with a dream, in the sequel the daughter is obsessed with the idea of enrolling into the most prestigious university of London.

Angrezi Medium introduces us to Champak Bansal/ Irrfan Khan who has a family business of sweets in Udaipur. Champak is a single parent devoted to fulfilling the dreams of his daughter Tarika/ Radhika Madan because Champak believes that breaking a dream is breaking a person! Champak says there are three kinds of people, those who are lucky with love, those who are lucky with money and those who are lucky with fame and the fourth, like him who are deprived of all three because he is forever confused. And has been so ever since childhood.  

Call it coincidence but I was thoroughly confused watching Angrezi Medium: Confusion 1: How can a little girl who has had no exposure, no back story, no family history connected to UK become so persistent about traveling to London, sounds unconvincing to me! Confusion 2:

After Tarika grows up to become Radhika Madan you expect her to have a reality check about her roots, her father, his family, their business and the funding that goes into fulfilling such a dream but clearly Radhika is clueless and which after a point becomes annoying.

Confusion 3:  After the fiasco at the school annual day and the drama outside the principal/ Meghana Malik’s balcony you expect fireworks from the videos gone viral but nothing happens  because the only reason the conflict is added to the story is to pose bigger challenges to the father, it is all too contrived and dishonest. Confusion 4: When Radhika has a lap top why is her naïve further running to unreliable candidates and seeking help in investigating options at the university? Have they not heard of something called internet?

Confusion 5: Radhika loses her father and her uncle/ Deepak Dobrial at the airport and it does not occur to her that she can find them lodging a complain however after few phone calls, some borrowed money and email connection, she finds her way from the airport to her university accommodation. What do you call her clever or cunning?

The biggest letdown is the screenplay. It is unconvincing that Irrfan Khan and Deepak Dobrial are deported from UK because they cannot speak English, it is unconvincing that Khan and Dobrial adapt new identities so easily, that hey travel to UK and back again to UK, splurge on rents, philanthropy, indulge in affluent auctions and when they are doomed even try their luck in gambling, I mean what’s going on?

The pace is unbearably slow and the sequences too stretched, the comedy is unengaging and nothing touches your heart! Champak Bansal reveals that the only three occasions in his life when he has not been confused are when he got married, when he had his baby and when he decides to return home in the climax. Amazing because the only time I was not bored in the 2-hour 30 minutes screening was in three sequences, strange co-incidence.The first, when Kareena Kapoor Khan dazzles as cop Naina Kohli on the streets, hospital and home. The second, when Dimple Kapadia lets you into the world of Mrs Kohi, her presence is short and sweet and perfect pitch and third, when Irrfan Khan has a break down with his daughter Radhika Madan. That’s it.

 So, while I’m delighted that Irrfan Khan is healthy back on screen again, I’m disappointed with Homi Adajania. I rate Angrezi Medium with 2.5 stars

Audio review on @bigfmindia

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Bhawana Somaaya

“It was a live flame burning inside me. Or, let’s say it had the flow of an irresistible river, where every emotion, of every character, was present. And something in you is aware, of the least pebble on that river bed. It is a kind of oneness with what one has written.  In the process of making this film I found an alternate family. I discovered skilled artistes who fit into my characters and lived the roles. All the beautiful children who relished being amidst nature, relished climbing the tall trees and playing in the mud pond…

It is not a coincidence but a miracle that I find a real American singer who, in more ways than one, is utterly like the character I am looking to cast, in my own neighbourhood. Is the divine force working to put my project together?  Sudharma Vaithiyanathan, who plays Valli, draws her ancestry from both Kerala and Tamilnadu is a gifted Bharatanatyam dancer, and a sheer delight to watch, both on stage, and on screen! A natural, restrained, and nuanced performer, she is a real find!

P T Narendran as Valli’s father Nagarajan, hails from Anamangad, Kerala. He has spent his life in dance, teaching at Kalakshetra, after graduating from there, and since then, becoming one of the most sought-after Gurus, with students all over the world. A most natural actor, with a wonderful voice and screen presence. For Parvathi there could be nobody but my consort Ashwini Pratap Pawar, because the character is who Ashwini is, in real life. A free-spirited dancer and artist, she entrances you, with the lyrical quality of her dance, the artistry of her bold strokes reflects her inner strength.

@bhawanasomaaya

The breaking of the cocoon is essential for the strength of a butterfly’s wings, no journey of anyone on this planet has been easy. All of us have to sometime or the other struggle with inner demons and overcome our anguish. The catharsis is worthwhile, because in this trial and error we learn to forgive, and discover inner peace that we describe as love.

For every filmmaker his debut creation is special and Kaarthikeyan is no exception, he says, “It doesn’t matter how long you wait before you make that film. Sometimes, it takes years but it will happen, a time will come when the screenplay that you have been working on for days, will finds its own energy, to move forwards, in its quest to becoming a film.  I’ve waited until that moment arrived, and celebrate it ever since. Nothing matters any more, it does not matter that so many did not relate to the script… did not relate to the film… some found it abstract, some found it too artistic but it is my story, straight from the heart, pleading to be told and so I will…”

More on His Father’s Voice tomorrow