There’s no way you can miss this shaadi

Film: Shaadi mein Zaroor Aana

Release: 09 November 2017

Director: Ratnaa Sinha

Writer: Kamal Pandey

Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Kriti Kharbanda

As the title suggests Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana is the story of wedding, new and old relationships, age old customs in contemporary times.

Satyander Sharma/Rajkumar Rao and Aarti Shukla/Kirti Kharbanda meet for an arranged marriage and are pleasantly surprised that they like each other. Both agree for marriage and gradually fall in love as well.

The parents are overjoyed and excitedly preparing for the D Day which for pertinent reasons does not take place.

Five years later Aarti is a PCS officer and Satyander an IAS officer in coincidentally the same city.

In my opinion, there are four reasons for watching Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana and they are as follows:

1. While we have watched many films shot in Lucknow and Kanpur, we’ve never really been exposed to a love story set against the India Civil Service which makes Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aaana the first and therefore refreshing.

2. Most of the subjects addressing women empowerment are either about her identity or dignity, Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana puts up a case for Aarti’s capabilities and her ambitions which is rare and a reality.

3. The family always comes first in our stories and individuals always sacrificed in the name of honor. This time everyone comes together in quest of a dream and strangely nobody thinks they’ve done wrong.

4. In all stories of marriages, especially those relating to small towns dowry is the inevitable villain, Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aaana proposes that there is life beyond dowry…

Rajkumar Rao has time and again proved that he can shine in any role; he does it once again, ably supported by Kirti Kharbanda and writer Kamal Pandey.  The crowning glory, of course, is debut director Ratnaa Sinha.

There is no way you can miss this progressive, sensitive, responsible wedding. I rate Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana with 3.5 stars.

 @bhawanasomaaya

Udayswar is a rare and truly unique acoustic experience of Indian Classical Music in the manner it was originally designed, for an intimate baithak without microphones and amplifiers. Based on the 8 Prahars (time spans) of the day, this Indian Classical Music concert features morning ragas of the second Prahar performed by Pelva Naik and various artists.

Born in 1986, Ahmedabad, Naik was brought up in a family of artists, art lovers and connoisseurs; where she was nurtured amid affluent virtues of Indian culture, literature, art and music. She has been trained in the Ancient Indian classical music form- ‘Dhrupad’ under the eminent Dagar Gharana of Indian Classical Music. She is a disciple of legendary Dhrupad maestro Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and has also received proficient guidance from Rudraveena maestro Ustad Mohi Bahauddin Dagar.

Pelva Naik is India’s foremost young Dhrupad vocalist of International stature and performed at most of the prestigious music festival all over the world.

To be continued…

@bhawanaasomaayaa

Being a holiday there is a bigger crowd at the venue, some have come to soak in the ambience and relish a drink, some to eat food with friends and chat and some, to watch the play.

Today is a Marathi play based on Heera, a renowned Tamasha artist who by the diktats of nomadic community is not allowed to get married. Her profession however only engages her with men and attraction is natural as a result of which Heera becomes the unwed mother of Ratna who grows up to become a journalist.

Life carries on for the mother and daughter on different tracks until Heera is felicitated by the Sangeet Natak Acadamy and Ratna is assigned the task of interviewing her. The incident unfolds many uncomfortable truths and Heera/ Rajashree Sawant Wad decides that time has come to lay bare the drama of her life to Ratna and to the rest of the world.

To be continued…

@bhawanasomaaya

As always the organization at the festival is the first rate, show bookings are done at the theatre and also online and the rules clearly defined. All shows begin on time which is a policy at Prithvi since its inception and no entry is allowed into the auditorium after the last bell. It is free seating on a first-come basis and no photography/ recording is permitted during the show.

Today’s show reveals that the roots of Flamenco can be traced back to the gipsy traditions in Rajasthan when nomad artistes travelled from Rajasthan all the way to Rumania, Egypt, Hungary to finally settle down in Spain thereby creating the legacy of the Spanish Flamenco.

Performed by Aditi Bhagwat, a proud representative of the Jaipur lineage of Kathak dance Kunal Om and Aditya Kudtarkar it is a treat to watch a fusion of traditional Kathak repertoire and authentic Flamenco compositions together. Sufi melodies add a zing of upbeat tempo and a spiritual connection that makes the experience all the more special.

To be continued…

@bhawanasomaaya

It is that time of the year when Juhu comes alive with Prithvi Theatre Festival. This year celebrations begin on 03 November and will go on until 13 November and combines music, dance and theatre performances with new productions that aim to rejuvenate experiences with theatre –both on stage and off stage and with the audience.

After the traditional lamp lighting ceremony and the magnetic drum beating from expert artists, the festival is declared open. Today is a concert by Nooran Sisters popular for their linguistic and musical traditions. Unfortunately, only one/ Jyoti out of the two siblings has been able to make it to Mumbai for the opening of the festival.

Following in the footsteps of their star singer grandmother Bibi Nooran who settled in Jalandhar post partition, Nooran Sisters have a legacy to take forward. Their father Gulshan Mir, son of famous Late Ustad Sohan Lal, discovered his daughters’ talent while they were playing and singing a Bulleh Shah kalam and decided to train them professionally. Their brother, Sahil Mir accompanies his sisters them on the tabla.

Post the magical performance everyone enjoyed the food and the glittering ambience. A magical night for sure!

To be continued…

@bhawanasomaaya

Somewhere at a little distance is the CEO’s plush cabin filled with artefacts and overlooking a buzzing street. Nobody ever gets to meet him because he is forever in a meeting either in the boardroom, his cabin, and five-star hotels, in a different city or out of the country. His presence looms large in the atmosphere though as the team goes about their routine, day after day, year after year, 24×7…

I was introduced to the world of the web by my friend Indranil Maitra that time Vice President, Digital Services. Indranil asked me to do Hindi film reviews on their website. I said yes and I was exposed to a new world.  I learnt that unlike the radio where I’m granted 45 seconds to process my thoughts on the web I’m allowed longer duration. Also while chatting on the radio is about communication, on the net, it is about narrating what you have written effectively.

In the end, both the mediums are about voice projection and befriending the microphone and because I recorded for the net from home I had to be careful about controlling surround sounds, I had to  switch off all electrical gadgets in the room, shut the windows  and keep lose sheets because turning paper is invasive as well. Last, check your breathing patterns, because of the microphone like the camera, is very sharp and captures everything, your flaws and strengths, your highs and lows!

Concluded

@bhawanasomaaya

There is no written script for these regular shows and all the chatting you listen to driving in your car is extempore.  All the RJs do their preparations practically without any assistance. Post the show they edit and post editing they have to get ready for their next show. They have little or no social life especially the morning RJ because he has to go bed early in order to make it to the studio at 6 the following morning.

There are executive producers for every show who are facilitators for the RJs and they report to work before the RJs to make certain that everything inside the recording room is in order. The producer is closely connected to the Program head and so any changes in placement of news/ songs/ announcements are in order to not take the RJ by a surprise.  The producers observe crazy hours often without a break and in desperate situations even do double shifts.

You can never make out from their voice but the RJs face more challenges than they can cope so the next time you find your favourite RJ not up to the mark, don’t complain, empathize! Things are not always as demanding and despite the pressures, they have a lot of fun too. Some take respite chatting with a colleague in between links, some call up beloveds; some order a strong cup of coffee.

The office has a great atmosphere, informal, invigorating and vibrating with music. The air-condition temperatures are hysterical and the girls are always wrapped in shawls, but they are all the time to smile and singing too. It means they are happy! Mobiles are always on silent and they hop from cubicle to cubicle ideating in one meeting after another, always on the move and energetic.

To be continued…

@bhawanasomaaya