I had the opportunity to interact with all the performing artistes at the rehearsal and this is what they had to say about the forthcoming event. “We were toying with many ideas about what to do and finally came up with this classic idea that everyone seemed to agree. It was difficult but then nothing precious has ever been easy” starts Shabana Azmi. She elaborates that will be an evening of archival value because Shankar Mahadevan will sing a selection of her father Kaifi Azmi’s poems. “Javed Akhtar will recite the poems in Urdu and I will recite the English translations. There is more, Ustad Zakir Hussain will interpret the same on the tabla so the idea is quite unique.

Javed Akhtar adds that the idea is to celebrate Kaifi sahab’s poetry and its essence and to showcase that Kaifi sahab’s writing transcends boundaries of language and medium.” Director Feroz Abbas Khan who has directed Azmi on stage for Tumhari Amrita says this was a new experience and a new challenge for me as a director.  Usually, it is either poetry or music presentation but this includes words – melody, and rhythm that too with acclaimed names. The challenge was in interpreting that single thought in the entire performance. The show celebrates the universality and timeless quality of Kaifi Saheb‘s poetry”.

There is nervous energy, an excitement in the atmosphere as the artistes take a break to relish tea. The countdown has begun and all of them are visibly anxious. Ustad Zakir Hussain says, “This is I think one of the first times something like this is going to happen. Through words and rhythm, we are paying tribute to not just a great artist but also a human being.” Shankar Mahadevan joins Zakir Hussain and adds, “Kaifi Azmi was not just a poet and lyricist but also an activist – he was a multifaceted and therefore the multifaceted presentation.’’

Kaifi Azmi centenary will be celebrated with mushairas, plays, seminars, a pen festival, and three book releases. It all sounds very special because children pay tribute to parents they make it all the more special.

@bhawanasomaaya

subcontinent has borne witness to an entire era of social change. Born in Mijwan, Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Kaifi Azmi formerly known as Athar Hussain Rizvi wrote his first ghazal ‘Itna toh zindagi mein kisi ki khalal padey’ at the age of eleven.

A pioneer of the Progressive Writers’ Movement, his inspiring poems include ‘Aurat’, ‘Taj and ‘Makaan’. In cinema, his most celebrated film songs include ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’, ‘Shola aur Shabnam’, ‘Hanste Zakhm’, ‘Haqeeqat’ and ‘Arth’ while his best screenplays/dialogues include ‘Heer Ranjha’ and M.S. Sathyu’s masterpiece, ‘Garm Hawa’. Azmi has also received the greatest number of literary and poetry awards including the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, Sahitya Akademi Award and more,

As a tribute to their father Shabana Azmi and her cinematographer brother Baba Azmi have planned yearlong celebrations in honor of their erstwhile father whom they lovingly addressed as Aaba.

Starting with Raag Shayari on January 13, 2019, the eve of Kaifi Azmi’s 100 th birth anniversary at TATA Theater, NCPA the concert will be a coming together of internationally celebrated artists coming together. Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain, singer, and composer Shankar Mahadevan, lyricist Javed Akhtar, actor Shabana Azmi, and filmmaker Feroz Abbas Khan. The same show will be presented as a fundraiser on 14 January by Mijwan Welfare Society at St. Andrews Auditorium, Bandra and three days later on January 17th, the same show will be presented at Nazrul Manch in Kolkata.

To be continued

@bhawanasomaaya

Emily Blunt who stars in the upcoming Disney movie Mary Poppins Returns joked at a recent talk show that Meryl Streep is her stalker as they keep making films together but admits that she secretly loves it.

The Devil Wears Prada co-stars were working together again on Mary Poppins Returns, a sequel to the original 1964 film where Meryl plays the role of Emily’s cousin Topsy Turvy. Emily says she loves Streep and is delighted that she breathes the same air that Meryl breathes. On a serious note she adds that she was both shocked and terrified to know that she was the first choice of the director for Mary Poppins Returns.

In Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns,” releasing on 4th January 2019, an all-new original musical, Mary Poppins is back to help the next generation of the Banks family find the joy and wonder missing in their lives following a personal loss.

Directed by Rob Marshall from a screenplay by David Magee and a screen story by Magee & Marshall & John DeLuca based upon the Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers, the film stars: Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins; Lin-Manuel Miranda as Jack; Ben Whishaw as Michael Banks; Emily Mortimer as Jane Banks; Julie Walters as Ellen; Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and Joel Dawson as the Banks children; with Colin Firth as William Weather all Wilkins; and Meryl Streep as Cousin Topsy.

@bhawanasomaayaa

Tapsee has always shown a keen interest in sports and was therefore happy to work in Soorma. During the promotion of the film, Tapsee promised that she will one day do a biopic on a sports star and has today come halfway with the dream of purchasing a badminton team.

Taapsee recently ventured into sports and bought a badminton team called Pune 7 Aces which will compete at the Premiere Badminton league (PBL). Her team played their first match and Taapsee was seen supporting and cheering her team members throughout the day. Her filmmaker of Manmarziyaan Anurag Kashyap also joined her in supporting and cheering for team Pune 7 Aces. Pune 7 Aces made its debut in this season’s Premiere Badminton League (PBL).

She is enjoying the new role and new responsibility and says this is a turning point in her life and career.

@bhawanasomaaya

Film: Simmba

Date: 28.12.2018

Director: Rohit Shetty

Writer: Vakkantham Varnsi

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Sara Ali Khan, Sonu Sood, Ashutosh Rana

For eight years now Rohit Shetty has been serving us Singham stories and the action-comedy drama has been working every single time at the box-office. Starting with Singham/ 2011, Singham 2/ 2013 and Singham Returns/ 2014 filmmaker Rohit Shetty is ready with the fourth series Simmba.

In my opinion, there are four reasons for watching SIMMBA inspired by the Telegu film Temper.

1. It is a typical Rohit Shetty film and yet, it is different. It packages the right punches and laughter, does a quick recap of the prequel and moves on to dramatically introduce Ranveer Singh as Sangram Simmba Bhalerao who bursts on the screen riding a motorbike, jumping, dancing and splashing water all over the streets.

What is not like a Rohit Shetty film is that 30 minutes into the narrative and you realize that the director is on a different route this time – a more inward journey that includes emotional pauses, social responsibilities, and new challenges.

2. The script and the dialogues. While we are accustomed to fancy cars getting blown up in air and criminals bruised and beaten in a Rohit Shetty film, this time the script and the dialogues are outrageously hilarious.

There is madness in the surrounding and the madness has a method evident in character sketches and their dialect. There’s and not a dull moment in the film and more, what unfolds makes a lot of sense!!

3. The film addresses issues. So far Rohit Shetty films have been about vendetta, about good triumphing over evil. This time Shetty extends his boundaries and sensitizes to multiple issues like street children and drug abuse. Like in his earlier films he hits out at corruption in the police force but also holds a mirror to cowardice in society.

Surprisingly Simmba is acutely gendered sensitive and makes a gallant effort to include female gaze and voice in the story. The judge, the female cops have a significant presence. When addressing rape the film gets into statistics, seeks opinion of the victim, potential victim and family. It condemns men but also women for breeding/ shielding such mindset.

4. Performances – Ashutosh Rana as Head Constable and Sonu Sood as Vikrant Kadamb are convincing. Sara Ali Khan, unfortunately, is underutilized and Ajay Devgn in a brief appearance makes an impact. Ranveer Singh effectively and enthusiastically absorbs the madness and mission of Sangram Bhalerao. It is not just about his swagger, aura, energy or the comic timing but also about his innocence and how he grips the audience.

So is there nothing wrong in the film – of course, there is plenty to complain. The opening sequence is overstated and overstretched. The second half is devoid of humor. The film is based in Goa but when it is time for songs the lead pair romance in foreign locations and lip sync to Punjabi lyrics.  Sara Ali Khan goes invisible in the second half and so does Sangram Bhalerao’s Marathi dialect but all this is forgiven because the film has its heart in place.

In the olden days, Manmohan Desai made entertaining films and quietly slipped in a message into it. Rohit Shetty is slowly getting there.  I have never been a fan of Shetty films but this time I make an exception.

And I rate the intelligent and highly entertaining Simmba with 4 stars, Singh and Shetty you may take a bow.

Bhawana Somaaya

For more than a year now the actor is committed to Manikarnika – the Queen of Jhansi based on the life of the fearless warrior Rani Laxmi Bai.

Zee Studios’ and Kamal Jain’s film showcases Rani Laxmi Bai’s extraordinary journey and features some of the best action/war sequences that will be witnessed in Indian cinema. From a massive crew, real weapons from 1857 to heavy armory mixed with hi-octane stunts – the film offers a true visual spectacle for the audience.

Nick Powell, the well-known international action director auditioned over 1000 fighters for the action sequences in the film. From which, he chose the best two hundred for training. Once these two hundred were trained, they further trained two more hundred. Not just that, even the horses used in the film were trained for the action scenes. The entire crew trained for about 4 months to prepare for the epic war scenes in the film.

Kangana Ranaut who plays the protagonist uses two types of real, authentic weapons used in 1857—cap-lock pistols (one shot pistols) and cavalry brown Bess (muzzle loading rifles).

Talking about the action in the film Kangana says, “Rifles were new for people at that time, and only a few used them. While the British army used Enfield rifles, Rani Lakshmi Bai preferred swords. I was fascinated that we have used the same authentic weapons in our film that were used more than 200 years ago during the1857 battle. The action sequences were quite intense but that did not deter anyone from giving their best.

“The shield I wore in the battle scenes weighed about 5 kilos but we got used to dressing heavy. The process was long and tedious but it was all about discipline. The entire team was scheduled to wake up at 2 am with a wakeup call and arrive on the sets at 3am. The makeup-hair-costume and rehearsals together would take about 6 hours so we would begin shooting at about 10/11 all the scenes were so elaborate with so many warriors and animals that we could barely complete a scene a day.

“And next day we were back to the same schedule that is wake up at midnight and report on sets at dawn. It has been tremendous hard work and after this film is complete the entire film needs a long, leisurely holiday for sure.

@bhawanasomaaya

Prakash Jha has given us many memorable movies as a filmmaker and even displayed his talent as an actor in Priyanka Chopra starrer Jai Gangaajal. Now Jha has taken over the screen as a protagonist for a short film titled, Justaju – The longing. The film addresses urban loneliness, a common problem in metropolis where everybody is busy and has no time for relationships.

Starring the beautiful Sarika star as the lead the film is written and directed by Mudassir Mashalkar. Says Jha ” I was quiet surprised when Mudassir approached me with this script, initially I thought maybe he wanted me to produce it but was surprised when he said he wanted me to play the hero. I was surprised because I have  nothing in common with the character Valmiki. Yes, I am intrigued by him, drawn to him and curious to delve deeper into the psyche of this lonely man.  I had questions about him and Mudasar had all the answers. He was very clear on the plot and how he wanted to shoot it which was a big help because the actor is reassured when the director is confident. The shooting experience was just as enjoyable and would love to explore more such interesting characters in the future as I love and enjoy acting.”

Link: https://youtu.be/SMcQr7cfWHI

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