4Bold, fearless and flawless – those are some of the best words to describe Rasika Duggal. Known for her roles in Mirzapur, Manto and Hamid, Dugal shares her journey and experience of collaborating with Zoya Akhtar. In conversation with Musba Hashmi
Your recently released Netflix film has been receiving mixed reviews…
I have received a lot of positive responses for Delhi Crime. People have been very affected and moved by the film. When you work on a project you know how things have gone and its ability to emotionally move you becomes less. But this is one film that affected me and made me feel everything all over again. It moved me even while I was working in it. I can understand what the viewers will go through.
We don’t see many films on rape victims. Do you think such films should be encouraged?
Filmmakers should make films on issues or stories they think are compelling to tell. I am nobody to tell anyone what kind of films they should be making. Also, filmmakers have to have a strong emotional connect with what they are making. The intent should be finding a narrative around the story that has moved them and not that this is a topic and I should make a movie on it. It never works and no creative process should be initiated like that. If you taking stories that are compelling enough, the issues around it will come through on their own.
From Anwar to Hamid, how has your journey been?
Full of ups and downs, but it has been interesting. It has been a roller-coaster ride, but I have been fortunate in terms of the quality of work that I have got and the kind of films that I had an opportunity to work with. I have got to work with Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Irrfan Khan, Neeraj Kabi and Pankaj Tripathi and I can’t think of any better name. People who would love to get an opportunity to work with even one of them and I am lucky that I have got to work with all of them. I have even work with directors like Nandita Das and have got some amazing scripts to work on. It’s rare to find even one project like this in your entire life and I had so many of them. I feel grateful. With the digital space coming up, it is a very good time for actors and I don’t think we have anything to complain about. As far as the journey is concerned, I have learned a lot it.
How challenging was it for you to make a place for yourself in the industry?
I always find it difficult to answer this because I don’t know what other people’s journey have been like and if my was more difficult than their’s. But, there are tons of decisions to make every day and I always question myself whether I am choosing the right project or not, I am picking up myself the right way or not. These confusions are always there. My support system through all of this have been my absolute love for my work. And if you keep that intent clear, then everything comes easy.
How was the experience collaborating with Zoya Akhtar?
It was lovely. I have worked with her for a small time during Lust Stories also. I wanted to work with her and then I got Made in Heaven. She is a very intelligent director and a talented person to work with. She used to make me comfortable while working. The mark of good directors is they make you feel that you have done a shot right, even if you don’t. She always enjoys her work and I hope I get a chance to work with her again on some project.
You won the best actor award in Rajasthan International Film Festival. How was the moment?
It is nice to get acknowledged for your work. It is good to see that people actually watch your work and praise you. But, for me the biggest happiness comes from entering the world of the character which I am playing. This is the joy that I look out for. But it doesn’t translate into that I am not grateful for what I have got, I am very grateful for it and it is very encouraging.
What else in keeping you busy?
I have done a comedy film and it should be out in next two-three months.
Writer: MUSBA HASHMI
Courtesy: The Pioneer
“Social media has become an online court of listing judgments and blurting out impulsive thoughts.” In an interview with Chahak Mittal, Director Soumitra Ranade said, “we are literally abusing and lynching each other.” He had watched the Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi-starring Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai? in his youth and it left a huge impression on him. “It has stayed with me till date. At that age, I could relate to Naseer’s anger,” says director Soumitra Ranade, who has re-conceptualised the eponymous film starring Manav Kaul, Nandita Das and Saurabh Shukla.
After liberalisation and opening up of the economy, a major chunk of population was pushed away from development, believes the director. “While we were all enjoying multiplexes, mobile phones and other luxuries, a large part of humanity was left out,” he says while talking about how he had discovered the theme of the film while travelling in the interiors of the country where he found that people were angry and frustrated with what the system had to offer.
He explains that the 1980’s film depicted that there was still room for development. “However, today I don’t see any scope. Everything is so full and has been occupied, I see no space for understanding or development. Those were simpler times. The common man is basically angry with himself that he is not able to do anything and is constantly facing backlash from the corrupt system,” he says. Ranade’s Albert Pinto presents the angst of the common man and is an “an interesting take on reality.”
The Indian demography is the youngest in the world and a majority of its young people are unhealthy and unemployed, which makes them angry. He says, “If they remain in this state, India can become a terrorist country. We can actually see that happening right now. They are so angry that they can be easily maneuvered by political groups. Unless this emotion is channelised well, we are sitting on the brink of a volcano which can erupt anytime.”
The Jajantaram Mamantaram director believes that the ones who hold the greatest power to challenge or change the existing notions of the society belong to the middle class. “Most people in India belong to the middle class — the only group which can change or challenge the system. The poor are too powerless and the rich are never interested. Unke liye toh sab achha hi hota hai (things are always good for them). And most of the writers, painters, poets and the like can influence the people as they are all a part of the middle class. It’s important for them to open the windows, see the reality and change it,” he says.
Giving an example of mass farmer suicides in India, he explains that the issue has become a slogan these days. “However,” he says, “the farmers have been committing suicides since the past 25 years. It’s only now that we have come to know about it. And it is so deeply rooted that we don’t even realise how grave the situation is. We learnt about it only when the farmers marched into our cities. This is distressful and sad.”
He calls cinema “an extremely powerful medium,” but he also believes that it needs to reframe some of its aspects. “If you use cinema only for Bollywood, masala films, it would be ridiculous exploitation of the medium. Big names and films don’t always work. A few films that released last year are examples. And I am not surprised actually. When you keep on giving the same thing to the audience, they will not accept it after a point. They want to see interesting stories, which they can connect to,” says he.
He gives the example of Dangal, which was something new, interesting and worth showcasing. He questions, “So why not something like that? It can’t be just crass and beautiful bodies all the time. How long can you keep giving the audience that? They need stories which could inspire them. The change is that even the audience is accepting new concepts. They are becoming smarter and are able to tell the creators their own choices. And an exposure to international cinema through OTT platforms is the reason behind this change.”
With the changing society, he says, even the cinematic concepts have evolved. Ranade believes that his 2003 film, Jajantaram Mamantaram came when, although there was despair, there was still some innocence left. “I had young kids at the time and I was living a different story every night with them. And slowly, when my children grew up, I also looked in other directions and even the world around me changed. And that started impacting me, which is obvious,” he says and adds that a film has to be relevant to its time. “And Albert Pinto… is very important in today’s time. I am surprised that no one thought of making it as yet. We don’t appear to be a civilised society if you see the kind of debates that we have on news channels. We are literally abusing and lynching each other. What’s wrong with our language and culture?” he questions.
The second, of course, is the virtual lynching on social media. He adds, “It has become a window for anger and blurting out impulsive thoughts. It has become an online court of judgments and opinions. With an anonymous identity, sitting in my room, I can abuse anybody. It’s easy. That rage is not the solution, but I understand it.”
Well, what could be the solution then? He answers, “I think the solution is equality but attaining it is very difficult. I don’t know if we are ever going to reach that goal. But we need to, at least, have the basic necessities distributed equally.”
Telling us the reason why he chose Manav and Nandita for the lead roles, he laughs and says that both are ”my very good friends.” However, that is just one of the many reasons in the list.
“I find Manav to be a very interesting actor. He can show every emotion very effortlessly. His face can deal with versatile emotions easily. If I tell you that he is a good-hearted person, you will want to believe me. If I say, he is a very kameena type ka aadmi, you would still want to believe me. You will believe me even if I say that he is a very sensitive man. He is not ‘one’ kind of a person, he is all of these. He can be a beautiful, pretty, romantic hero as well. And Nandita, she is not ‘an actor’ actor. She is a thinking person, whose face reflects that intensity with which she works for anything. She is a writer and a director as well who is intelligent and sensitive to understand a lot of things altogether,” says he.
Photo: Pankaj Kumar
Writer: Chahak Mittal
Courtesy: The Pioneer
Five states from India will grace the 5th edition of London Craft Week as it showcases 10 rare crafts and diverse skills from the territories. The craft sector has gone through many phases of transformation over the years, and many believe that there is an emergence of a new culture which at the same time retains tradition. With the success of India Craft Week held for the first time in India last year, the Craft Village has been invited for an exclusive preview to showcase 10 rare crafts from India at the forthcoming fifth edition of London Craft Week.
“The preview has a montage of 5,000 years of rich heritage of Indian crafts in wood, textiles, metal, narrative art, weaving and much more in form of exhibition, workshops, demonstrations, talks. One can experience the finesse, beauty and style of timeless treasures,” says Iti Tyagi, founder of Craft Village.
The preview also brings on board the diverse skills from five different states, acquired over thousands of years in Pashmina weaving, Rogan textile art, Chamba Rumaal — double-side embroidery, Kagzi pottery, Bidri — metal carving and inlay and Phad — Narrative folk art.
the best part for the visitors is that they can learn these skills from the master craftsmen. Iti says, “Most of these rare crafting skills have either been lost or forgotten as very few masters practise them today. It is an opportunity for all the visitors to explore and learn these rare and authentic techniques from award winning masters, using a range of traditional material, media and processes. Interestingly, most of the techniques are tactile in nature and help one concentrate thus giving people a break from the digital world in order to do something which is more humane, sensory and experiential.”
All demonstrations are hands on and authentic material would be provided by the master craftsperson for each of them. This helps each participant to explore their modern creative and imaginative ideas using authentic traditional techniques. The demonstration will have six craft forms:
Bidri — Metal ware from Karnataka
Master Rashid Qadri is a dynasty craftsperson who has been instrumental in reviving Bidri silver crafts. He has innovated new methods of carving, inlaying and finishing of metal inlay in zinc and copper alloy with silver.
Pashmina — Weaving from Kashmir
Master Majid Mir, one of youngest Kashmiri weaver comes from the family whose forefathers had evolved and innovated calligraphy weaving in Pashmina centuries back. Being a National award-winner and having developed finest weaving techniques in Urdu calligraphy, most of his shawls talk about heaven on earth.
Chamba Rumaal — Embroidery from Himachal Pradesh
Gold medal winner, master Lalita Vakil has been one of finest craftswomen to practice this embroidered form in region of Chamba valley, inspired from pahari miniature paintings. It is only form of textile which has no wrong side.
Rogan — Textile art from Gujarat
Master Gafoor Bhai Khatri is the last generation to practice this intricate textile craft. He was recently conferred with a Padmashri, the fourth highest civilian award of India for protecting and reviving this craft in 2007. The Rogan craft practiced by the master (looks like 3-D printed textiles) is done in natural oil colours using a stick.
Kagzi — Pottery from Rajasthan
Master Om Prakash Galav comes from a community called Prajapati, who has been engaged in Ramgarh clay and pottery for many centuries. Besides being a National award-winner, he has many international records to his credit for making the world’s smallest pottery to the largest hukkah.
Phad — Narrative art
Master Kalyan Joshi hails from Bhilwara, Rajasthan. The Joshi comes from “Jyotshi” meaning astrologers and he is one of the seven authentic phad artists practising this art form in the world. He has been conferred the National award and many other prestigious accolades. He has also helped in creating wall narratives using this art in various villages across India on conserving water, sanitation and planting trees.
(London Craft Week will be held between May 8 and 10 at Hyde Park, London.)
Writer: Pioneer
Courtesy: The Pioneer
Tales about disparate homes and civilisations come alive in Artist Keshari Nandan’s tall cylindrical pots with small mouths. The Artist has been known for his love of nature and pottery skills, which he has pushed further with his latest stoneware collection. “I am developing new techniques to recreate the magic of the old potter’s wheel by using traditional motifs and shapes but I add a modern touch, without losing the established aesthetic.” The Rajasthan dweller and AIFACS award-winning artist’s experiments with stoneware go back more than 20 years and are a testimony to his perseverance at a wood-fired kiln in his studio near the mines in Rajasthan.
Understanding stoneware
The particles, pores and textural terrain that we see on his pots, platters and tree symbolisms are reminiscent of stories of the accidental, the deliberate and the perfection that must go into the blending of glazes and precision in firing techniques that he has practised over the years.
The first thing that comes to our minds is the difference between stoneware and earthenware. It is much less porous than earthenware, about one to five per cent. It is stronger too, in some ways than earthenware.
Keshari says that everything in stoneware is about the finality and understanding of the recipe and ingredients. Stoneware recipes usually have a combination of fire clays, ball clays (and/or kaolin), quartz and feldspar. In vitrified bodies the larger grains of quartz and other refractory particles remain unmelted while the clays go into solution in the feldspar glass and transform into mineral forms that impart rigidity to the mass.
History tells us that stoneware was first developed in the Indus Valley Civilisation and in China around 2,000 years ago. However, we see that stoneware in studio pottery has taken over the West and there are a number of potters creating avant grade works. Keshari’s tall cylindrical pots with small mouths go back in time and tell us tales about different homes and civilisations.
Glazes and wood firing
The most telling testimony in these works is the persistent quality and finish of the glazes that Keshari uses. The glaze does not merely lie on the surface but rather melts at the interface and therein lies the key to the amalgam. Keshari’s stoneware and clay platter is a cynosure of all eyes. It talks to us about the painstaking accuracy needed for stoneware recipes. He combines the density of the tenmaku glaze with crackle glaze to create a platter that unveils lunar modulations.
In his taller cylindrical pots that echo earth songs, he uses the tenmaku glaze with crater glaze and wood fires at a temperature of 1,260 degree centigrade. In yet another set of lighter palette ensembles, he uses stoneware glaze and white matt with crater glaze and wood fires them. His unglazed stoneware vase is a delightful tall urn like creation with rough hewn clumps that can go back to the days of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa civilisations.
Materials in stoneware
Stoneware is noted for its excellent working properties. The workability of these materials results from the fact that their recipe does not need to contain a lot of plasticity-reducing feldspar or silica (natural clay materials usually contain their own fluxes). Stoneware bodies often contain particulates that produce gases on decomposition that can cause bloating if the body is fired to near zero porosity. They contain refractory particles that do not melt during firing. They form a fired skeletal structure with voids between the particles and in these the feldspars melt to bond and densify the structure. These works are collectibles that must be used as punctuations in spaces.
Writer: U Nair
Courtesy: The Pioneer
What the world needs to end its sufferings is a universal religion that gives everyone happiness, rather than keeping people in line with imaginary notions, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj Ji
The confrontation between two east Asian countries, the unresolved conflict between two gulf nations and the communal or religious disharmony in various other parts of the world remind us that there has been a vast discrepancy between what religions have preached and what most of their followers have actually practised. The gulf between preaching and practise has steadily deepened and widened. However lofty their ideals and injunctions regarding the norms of conduct, religions in the world have been unable to mitigate wars and other forms of conflict throughout.
They have failed to realise the glory of God and goodwill towards fellow beings in day-to-day life. They have not been able to foster amity and bring peace to the world. Therefore, here arises the question — are religions any beneficial to the mankind? Have they not caused enough confusion and conflicts? When we give an impartial thought to this charge against religions in general, we find that, to a great extent, it is true. Well, in the first stage of their growth, followers of every religion had a good understanding of real religious spirits in the form of observance of their cardinal principles. However, that was short-lived, because successive generations of followers learnt mainly the rituals and customs. They said their prayers, made some donations and felt elated to see their numbers increase but dissensions, rifts, sectarianism and quarrels among themselves and with others increased. Hence, today, no one can deny that to a great extent if not totally, religions have failed in making their followers conform to their prescribed ethical norms and to the golden rule of love towards the fellow beings. However, it should also be noted that though this charge points to the fact that there are serious flaws, deformities and discrepancies in the existing religions, it does not necessarily imply that religion, even in its real form also is unnecessary, for the truth remains that it fulfills man’s many needs.
It was not so long ago, when Swami Vivekananda reflected on the necessity of the concept of universal religion for the society. He realised the nature of man, according to which mankind in the whole world has been trying to look beyond in the quest of his ultimate destiny or search for God. Therefore, whole of the world community is today expecting a religion, which is acceptable to all, universal in its scope and teachings and which works as a unifying force.
The need of the hour is to have a religion of spiritual love and brotherhood that could inspire men, women and children to build up a new world of complete peace, friendliness and brotherhood. Moreover, people now don’t want a religion which offers them an imaginary heaven or gives them fear of an imaginary hell. Instead, they want a religion which gives them uprightness and happiness in this very life and enlightens them on how to transform this world of sufferings, that is, the hell into paradise. It is this religion, which is universal, altruistic and practicable.
Writer: Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj ji
Courtesy: The Pioneer
Sobhita Dhulipala, a former Miss India, has several layers to her personality. While she opted out of the beauty business to act in niche films, it is with her latest outing in Made in Heaven that she has grabbed eyeballs. Here’s her talking about the way characters are no longer black or white, why marginalised communities should have a voice and the way she approaches a role. In a conversation with Saimi Sattar.
Even though you’ve acted in films like Raman Raghav and Kaalakaandi, it’s the web series Made in Heaven that has catapulted you into the limelight. How are you dealing with your changed circumstance?
I am so jumpy because it has been so successful. But now expectations are more. I am somebody who loves to punch above her weight and chew into a role like hell. Unlike the limited bandwidth of a film, this series allows me the amplitude to explore every facet of human dynamics. So yes, that’s new. The success of Made in Heaven really motivates me. The acceptance and appreciation of a content-driven project validates and encourages filmmakers to tell relevant stories in a changing India.
As an outsider in the industry, I’ve always got my breakthrough moments through a patient process of auditions. So I responded to a call by Excel’s casting director Nandini Shrikent. I was stunned to find a flawed protagonist, unabashedly unapologetic and yet honest enough to admit to her frailties. Yet she has this cool demeanour and holds a sea of emotions within. I was very curious and a month-and-a-half later I was called for the look test. I was naturally excited because I’d be working with big filmmakers like Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Alankrita Srivastava and Nitya Mehra. All of them have independent voices. During the look test, it was clear that they wanted me to crack it. A week later, I was locked for the role. They sent the script and I finished it overnight, it was so riveting.
Tara’s character has many shades and is unlike the linear characters that have been assigned to women in the past in either films or television. This is different. How was your prep?
When you audition for something, whether you get it or not, you know what’s working and what isn’t. Then you face your shortcomings and learn from them. Once I was on board, it was not that complicated therefore. Besides everyone who had been hired, the cast and crew, was so good that not much discussion or training was required. We just had to be sincere about what we were doing and be honest to the world we created, which was a mirror of reality.
There were different directors for different episodes. Did that make it difficult for you as an actor? Or would you say it was a learning process?
All four directors had different perceptions of the same character. Of course, they worked in the same zone set by the script and they had discussions but there was a slight difference in the way they saw the character. Each had their own reason for shaping Tara the way they did and I think that enriched her character. We weren’t shooting it in a linear fashion either, so it required me to be very present in the moment as an actor. I had to be aware of what each of the directors wanted while at the same time give myself a window to experiment. I had to do it to their liking but also knew that my loyalty lay with the spine of the script. It was a creative jugalbandi.
At one level Tara is a go-getter and trying to fit in with the upper crust, South Delhi gentry. Yet when she gets what she wants, she also feels guilty, as if she had cheated her way into it. How difficult was it to get into the skin of the character?
Actually it wasn’t very difficult but very liberating to admit that you are imperfect and can still go on. So she is courageous and strong. And she is passionate.
What were your reference points to develop a complex character?
I am someone who believes that acting is not lying. It is revealing the different kinds of emotions and experiences that we have and want to have. I just believed that being vulnerable and sensitive was human even though we know that to be guarded is more secure. As people, we have become a little cynical. I choose to stay fragile and vulnerable even though I know that I have to deal with a disappointment, betrayal or heartbreak later. I am open to all kinds of experiences like a child. The most difficult part of acting for me would be to retain that innocence and child-like enthusiasm about situations within me. This approach has so far enabled me to adjust to any character.
Most gay relationships have so far been caricatured in films with a few arthouse exceptions. Here it has been depicted as a dynamic between two people. Also the male and the female protagonists are true friends without the sexual equation. How refreshing was this for you as an artiste?
Art of any kind — whether it be literature, painting or music — has reflected the conflicts and the dilemmas of the particular time that it was made in. It’s high time that cinema reflects the dilemmas of our times. It’s important to be inclusive, to represent the voices of different groups of people. You can’t marginalise communities because they aren’t a majority or choose to be quiet about their circumstance. I felt fortunate to be a part of this project. They’ve handled homosexuality delicately and sensitively. At the end of the day, we are all human beings.
It also shows the inner turmoil and the ups and downs in a marriage. The institution has been all about pretence in regular films. Truth is both partners change, evolve, go through disappointments. We all feel jealous one moment, excited the next. Depending on our sense of security and self-confidence, we go up and down in our graphs as we are all shades of grey.
Did you realise that the show would become so big?
I had done Raman Raghav and Kaalakaandi before this and both were niche films. Because of that, I somehow learnt to detach myself from the commercial outcome. I have developed this habit of getting completely involved during the process of film-making, which is a creative journey, and enjoy that instead. I was never attached too much to the perks and the benefits of a hit.
So I feel grateful and motivated but it hasn’t rocked my boat because I know I am a story-teller in the truest sense. I tell a story and attaching money to it is trade. I don’t involve myself there. If my film isn’t doing well and I say I don’t involve myself then, I should also say that when it does well.
Having said that, I was hoping for Made in Heaven to be successful. We were honest in the way it was done and gave it a year of our lives. And it is such a relevant subject, so I was hoping that it would reach a large number of people. But I don’t have the kind of experience to know which project will crack and which won’t.
Before the web series released, Zoya said you were ideal for the role as you have many layers.
(Laughs) It is so nice of her to say that. That is such a huge compliment for anyone who considers himself/herself to be a creative person. I do feel there are so many facets to my personality. I am not a super-enthusiastic, bubbly person. I am very sensitive and emotional. I am going to channel my moods and my different personalities into a variety of projects.
You were a model and a self-confessed nerd. Many people would see the two as mutually exclusive.
When I was in college, I took part in Miss India because I was very curious and excited about it. There was not much thought to it. It was just a 20-year-old kid trying something new. Then I did some modelling. But I felt very disconnected soon enough and I am glad that I went through the trial and error method to find myself. When I started out, I gave a lot of auditions. I really enjoyed my first audition and said to myself, ‘Man, this is what I really want to do.’ Then Raman Raghav happened. My whole experience has been about going out every single day and trying, no matter how many ups and downs or rejections I face or whether something works out or doesn’t. I am glad that I did it.
What is your take on Indian weddings?
I don’t know. I think I am very far away from that. I think when I do have one, it will be a simple affair because I have had a simple upbringing and that is the person that I am. I cannot relate to show–sha.
There is a sequence where the couple wants a simple wedding and then the guy starts asking for dowry and Tara decides to inform the girl. But a real wedding planner would perhaps be looking at her financial bottomlines.
She has started the company and she is fairly new. She is in such a turmoil. She is edgy and getting affected by the weddings in her personal life. And her personal life is getting affected by the decision she takes at work. At the end of the day, she is also a young woman trying to make a career and at the same time is married in a home dealing with conflicts, with ups and downs. At some level, what she does is not calculated. She is sometimes driven by her head and at other times by her heart. This makes it so interesting because in one moment she is so in control and at other times she is so fragile. But that is what makes her human. That’s something I found very interesting.
Have you consciously picked up content-driven projects?
I was more stubborn about doing films which were content-driven earlier but now I have enough assurance that even if I was a part of completely commercial film, I would still be able to hold my own. I am assured of that.
What are your future projects?
I have one more project with Netflix called Bard of Blood releasing in August-September produced by Red Chillies. There’s another one called Body by Jeethu Joseph who made the original Drishyam in Malayalam. It stars Rishi Kapoor and Emraan Hashmi which releases at the end of the year. There’s a small film that I did last year called Moothon by Geetu Mohandas. It’s an extraordinary film. The writing, screenplay and everything is brilliant. It will be out in June. It has Nivin Paully, a superstar in Kerala. So, three very different projects from everything that I have done so far. I have my hands full at the moment. Of course, there’s the second season of Made in Heaven.
Writer: Saimi Sattar
Courtesy: The Pioneer
Popular culture, as opposed to books, has brought most people closer top real history. Rather than portray the commonality of Indians with Pashtuns, Kesari’s work imposes a White man’s reading of the past. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar’s latest film Kesari is about the Battle of Saragarhi, which was fought between 10,000 Afghani tribesmen and 21 soldiers from the 36th Sikh regiment of the British Indian Army (the colonial army which was different from the ‘Indian Army’ formed post independence). While the film highlighted Sikh valour, it showed how it never got its due as it served British imperial interests. In the process, it also played up the hostility between Sikhs and Pashtuns when fact is much of it was created and fomented by the British with both communities becoming pawns in the great Afghan game. In that sense, Kesari just ended up stereotyping a complex chapter of history.
Let us go back in time, to 1897. Following the decline and fall of the Sikh kingdom, which had extended till Afghan lands, the British took control of the three forts of Lockhart, Gulistan and Saragarhi. Between August and September that year, a general uprising of Pashtuns took place, wherein they attacked fort Gulistan which was repulsed. On September 12, an estimated 10,000 strong force of Pashtun tribesmen attacked Saragarhi. Despite repeated communications sent to fort Lockhart for reinforcements, none arrived. There were attempts to break open the gate but they were unsuccessful. Later, one of the walls was breached. What followed thereafter is considered by many as one of the fiercest hand-to-hand combats in history.
The battle was a result of some propaganda and a cry for autonomy. From time to time, mullahs (Islamic clerics) would incite Afghan tribesmen to wage jihad against the foreign occupiers. Saragarhi is situated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, which was known as the North-West Frontier Province during the British Raj. The area was considered as an occupied territory and till date, Afghanistan does not accept the borders the British drew through Afghan and Pashtun territories. Once the seat of the Gandhara civilisation, it had been predominantly inhabited by Pashtuns for thousands of years and not just the few centuries after the creation of the modern Afghan state by Ahmad Shah Durrani.
The Durand Line border drawn through the Afghan heartland is a colonial British creation. The film has a scene in which Havildar Ishar Singh (Akshay Kumar) laments that he and his men are a “slave Army” of the British. He doesn’t outrightly vilify the “other enemy” (Afghans). This reflects the dilemma of the Sikh soldiers, who are shown helping rebuild a mosque of the local Afghans and the Afridi tribal sardar (head) declaring that the pag (turban) of the Sikhs wouldn’t be desecrated. Later, that word of honour is depicted as broken. In an earlier scene, there is a depiction of a tribal jirga (panchayat) where a mullah sentences a woman to death by beheading for running away from the house of her husband to whom she was forcibly married. Ishar Singh intervenes and saves her. Here the “us” versus “them” narrative was built up, possibly drawing from a contemporary scenario of a society held together in fear by Taliban diktats.
Truth is there was also the modern way of life among the Pashtuns, a large number of whom were Left-leaning. The major party in the Pashtun belt of Pakistan, the Awami National Party (ANP), is a Left-leaning progressive party. The Afghan politicians, too, espouse the cause of women’s rights. Former Ambassador Rajiv Dogra, who has written a book, Durand’s Curse: A Line Across the Pathan Heart, which talks about the Durand Line and British occupation of Afghan lands, says that we must not confuse a battle with the war. A movie on a specific battle will give the impression that the battle is greater than the war. The valour of the Sikh soldiers of the colonial British Army is unquestionable but it has to be seen in the larger context. The Afghan tribesmen were reacting to the British occupying their lands by forcing Afghan king Abdur Rahman Khan to sign the Durand Line agreement.
Moreover, Sikhs and Pashtuns do have a cultural history of antagonism. But this was aggravated by the colonial masters for their own selfish ends. The Sikh empire’s writ didn’t go beyond Peshawar even when parts of Afghan territory were under its rule. There was a line that both sides didn’t cross till the imperialists played on the latent insecurities of each side, based on “otherness.” Human rights activist and advocate Tariq Afghan from Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, argued that such stereotyping happens because of a colonial rendition of history. Otherwise, there could be a film on Khushal Khan Khattak, who fought against Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, he says. Khattak was a warrior, poet, writer, politician, tribal chief and a great military leader of that time. Why not glorify him as he was a strong liberal voice during Aurangzeb’s reign? Aurangzeb imprisoned him in the fort of Ranthambore.
He even feels that Indo-Afghan ties run deep because of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Frontier Gandhi), who was a close aide of Mahatma Gandhi and fought for the independence of the sub-continent. “In Pakistan, people call us Indian agents because we are the followers of Frontier Gandhi. Many books have been written by Indian authors on Ghaffar Khan but Bollywood has ignored him and his struggle. This is injustice against the Pashtuns who supported the Congress before Independence. It has a wider dimension than the battle of Saragarhi and could have had an epic reach in soft diplomacy,” he argues.
Indian soft power is projected across the world by Bollywood, which is immensely popular both in Afghanistan and the Pashtun belt of Pakistan. Most people — whether in India, Pakistan or Afghanistan — have a better sense of history through popular culture rather than through books. As such, Kesari only serves to pin the blame for British occupation of Afghan lands on hostilities between the two communities which were microscopic in nature but magnified by the imperialists. Such niceties of interpretation play a big role in cultural diplomacy and the easy stereotyping in Kesari certainly doesn’t attempt an objective assessment of realities.
(The writer is an independent journalist working on cyber security and the geopolitics of India’s neighbourhood, focussing on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Bangladesh)
Writer: AVEEK SEN
Courtesy: The Pioneer
Having created an authoritative platform to assess and acknowledge short films, FCG now turns to feature films
After the success of the short film awards, critics unite for the first Feature Film Awards as a pan-India category to celebrate the diversity of the Indian cinema.
The awards will be a celebration of the best of Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam cinema.
Anupama Chopra, chairperson, FCG said, “The FCG is the first registered body of film critics in India. We are a pan-Indian, pan-language, pan-platform body. We have critics from print, television, radio and digital and our opinions reach millions of people including 32 lakh on Twitter alone. It gives us great pleasure to announce the first
Critics Choice Film Awards to honour and celebrate the finest talent in the Indian cinema. We hope that these awards will contribute to setting and raising standards for films in the country.”
With entries coming in from all parts of the country, a panel comprising India’s top film critics have first curated and shortlisted the nominees. The Guild as a whole then voted for and felicitated the best short films from across the country with the aim of acknowledging and appreciating the rising growth of the industry as a whole.
While the short film awards were decided based on entries by filmmakers, the Critics’ Choice Film Awards will decide on nominees and winners based on theatrical releases from the year 2018. With the participation of credible film critics from all over India, the awards aim to honour films based on the art of filmmaking as opposed to mere popularity.
“We bring credibility and the team has worked creative elements around this property which will truly give it a premium feel. We believe CCFA can become a benchmark in the years to come, through which quality films will be recognised and the masters of this craft can be given their due honour.
The nominations will be announced in the first week of the month, while the ceremony will take place on April 21.
Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar will grace the announcement.
Writer: Team Viva
Courtesy: The Pioneer
An 1881 oil on canvas painting that came up for sale recently, has got it all – history, legend and the tale of Raja Ravi Varma. Story by Uma Nair
Amidst a range of artworks at the Saffron Sale, one painting, which was the cynosure of all viewers and art aficionados, was from the Income Tax department, Lot 13 — Nirav Modi’s Raja Ravi Varma. The 1881 oil on canvas represented history, legend and the royal lineage of the Maharaja of Travancore.
Replete with tropical elements, royal bodyguards standing in knee-deep water with a houseboat, the scene was epic. The rare oil painting illustrated the welcoming of the third Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, Richard Temple-Grenville, on his official visit to Trivandrum, a Princely state in southern India in 1880.
Temple-Grenville was the Governor General of Madras (1875-1880). In the artwork, Visakham Thirunal, the younger brother of the Maharaja Ayilyom Thirunal of Travancore, is welcoming the Duke, who is accompanied by his aide-de-camp and a few British army officers. Raja Ravi Varma was invited to document this historical event, and to paint “the moment when Buckingham alighted from the splendid barge, which must have undoubtedly brought him through the waterways of Kerala,” noted the sale.
The Maharaja is seen standing behind his brother in the building which bears the image of a conch shell, the symbol of the state of Travancore, as well as a welcoming banner for the Duke. It is likely that the ceremony depicted in the present lot took place at the Vallakadavu Boathouse, which was built in the 1820s and served as an important waterway hub for travel and cargo activity during the Travancore era. “Historical records reveal that the boattupura, as it is known to the locales, was used by the stately barges of the Travancore kings. The royal parties which went picnicking in the Veli Lake used to set sail from the boathouse. The priests, scholars and nobility who used to come to Thiruvananthapuram from far and near, used to alight here,” wrote T Nandakumar in 2004.
According to Erwin Neumayer and Christine Schelberger, during the Duke’s visit to Travancore, he was eager to meet Ravi Varma, a fact that made the Maharaja jealous. This visit ultimately turned out to be disastrous for the painter. “When the Duke met Ravi Varma in the presence of the king, he asked him to sit with them, which, according to the custom of the land was unthinkable. Ravi Varma declined to sit in the presence of the king and the three, the governor, the king, and the painter, remained standing while talking. Ravi Varma knew that he was now out of favour with the king and left Trivandrum never to come back during the lifetime of the king.” (Erwin Neumayer and Christine Schelberger eds., Raja Ravi Varma, Portrait of an Artist: The Diary of C Raja Raja Varma, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 300)
Upon completion, the present lot was gifted to the Duke as a token of appreciation. After his death, the painting passed on to his eldest daughter Baroness Kinloss. In the 1920s, it changed hands and became a part of Castle House, Buckingham, the offices of Buckinghamshire County Council and remained there until 1974, when a private collector acquired it.The scene in all its perfection its intricate details and the allure of the cultural fabric of those times created a once in a lifetime panorama of panache and royal regalia.
Writer: Uma Nair
Courtesy: The Pioneer
In the fast paced modern living, we tend to ignore our health that worsens with increasing anxiety and inadequate sleep, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj Ji
Recently, a newspaper clipping grabbed many eyeballs when an elderly woman started the ‘Sleep Service Centre’ for those who were not able to get peaceful sleep. Through the initiative, the woman would talk to the person and sing a lullaby to him/her to make them fall sleep like a mother makes her child sleep. Result? The client comes out rejuvenated in just half an hour of sleep session. Isn’t it surprising and even saddening that now we need a sleep therapist to make us sleep naturally and peacefully? What kind of a society are we living in? If animals and birds can sleep well, why can’t humans?
Sleep is the best form of relaxation and is close to meditation. Those who sleep well will always do well. If we get sound sleep during the night, we get up fresh, feeling more active and energetic. However, in today’s world getting a sound sleep has become a rare phenomenon. It’s because today millions of people suffer from sleep disorders like sleep apnea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, etc. In fact, the count of those who get a broken, fitful sleep would be surplus. Sadly, many of these individuals resort to sleeping pills and drugs which ultimately worsens the proble.
Recent extensive medical surveys reveal that nearly 75 per cent of Americans were found with some kind of symptoms of sleep disorder and they needed tranquilisers for a few nights per week. Sleep disorders mostly result from anxiety and mental depression. This raises the question: ‘Where are we heading?’ The biggest causes of sleeplessness is bad mental health. We must understand that to not be able to have a sound sleep is not only in itself an unhealthy condition but it also causes or aggravates many other diseases.
For instance, sleep disturbance is one of the factors that leads to coronary heart diseases. However, most of us would subconsciously agree that tranquilisers are not the solution. The medical profession also now recognises that these tranquilisers, on which people highly depend, have various side-effects. These drugs represent a purely symptomatic approach, ignoring the underlying problems which actually cause these conditions. A British medical journal had recently published a report about experiments that have shown that sympathy can work well in cases of sleep disorders. It further said that in one trial, the doctors, instead of giving tranquilisers, spent some time with the patients and talked to them in an open space. They just had a brief chat with them, sympathising with them, and also gave them a few words of advice, explaining them why they had those conditions. There was no attempt at psychotherapy, but simply an attempt at being sympathetic. The results of these informal chats were astounding and the assessment showed that, with this replacement of allopathy by sympathy, depression in those patients dropped from a level of 80 per cent to 40 per cent and the additional benefits were that the patients suffered no side-effects. It indicated that mental depression, anxiety, etc., are mainly due to certain lifestyles, behavioural patterns and personality traits. It was also felt that the pattern of behaviour, designated as type ‘A’ which is characterised by competitiveness, impatience, etc., predisposes a person to coronary diseases and hypertension. As a result, the doctors all over the world are now increasingly advising such patients to practise meditation and to have proper diet pattern. It’s a medically-proven fact that ill mental health adversely affects one’s eating habits, which in turn, drastically influences our sleep and overall health.
A high intake of tea, coffee and colas also contributes to an inability to sleep. Under such a medical condition, proper meditation technique can be of great help if practiced regularly. In the hustle bustle of living a modern life, we tend to forget that it is the quality of life which matters the most and not the quantity. Hence, if we jeopardise our sleep for silly reasons, and knowingly undermine our health. It’s better to be wise for our own health benefits and make a habit to meditate everyday before going to bed to disengage the mind from unnecessary thoughts and have a sound and peaceful sleep.
Writer: Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj ji
Courtesy: The Pioneer
Actress Pranutan Bahl defines love as a powerful emotion which knows no wrong definition as it manifests differently to different people.
The million-dollar question is, ‘Can you fall in love with a person you have never met and only know through words?’
Well, actress Pranutan Bahl, who makes her debut in Bollywood with the film, Notebook, feels that love is a powerful emotion for which there is no wrong definition as it suits each person differently.
“Kabir (played by Zaheer Iqbal) and Firdaus (played by Pranutan) fall in love through words, without meeting each other, and just through a notebook,” says the grand-daughter of the legendary actress Nutan.
As Notebook tells a story that dares to be pure and sublime, Pranutan apprises us on her take on modern relationships and their portrayal in Bollywood. She says, “Every love story is amazing in its own way. I don’t want to categorise it as modern or how it used to be in olden times. Love is an emotion that has to be felt. It doesn’t matter whether we say it on whatsapp or through letters.”
Ask her about the pressure that she might be feeling as the film is produced under Salman Khan Films, she responds by saying a bold “no.” She says, “There’s no pressure from him but as you know, it’s obvious if such a huge superstar is launching you in the industry, you feel like giving your best so that you don’t let him down in any manner. And because you have got everything working in your favour, you ought to give your 100 per cent to it. You cannot afford to fall short at any cost.”
Pranutan, a double-graduate in law, has always wanted to be an actor. It has been a part of her childhood. However, she says, “I didn’t believe in not completing my education. I didn’t want to just finish my graduation quickly. Instead, I wanted to be a very educated person before starting to act. I thought I can start my acting career even at the age of 22 or may be at 25? Why to give up on your education for that? There’s no need to hurry. I did law because I think it is something that shapes you inside-out. It makes one confident and know certain things which are must for every inidividual to learn about.”
Pranutan says that she used to spend a lot of time on film sets after her school. It was like her co-curricular activity. “Subconsciously, somethings always influence you. They draw you towards themselves. It might be because of spending so much time on film sets that I aspired to be an actor. Well, acting is in my genes,” she laughs as she says.
Pranutan tells us that she fell into the lake from a shikara while shooting for the film. She says, “I don’t even know how to swim and It was two degrees out there. Shikara’s are very dama dol. I was in the narrowest portion and was getting down, the whole shikara tilted and I fell in the lake. It was damn traumatic.”
The actress says that it was her grandfather who kept her name as Pranutan. “He actually wanted to keep my name as Nutan but my dad (Monish Bahl) said it’s very awkward for me to call out my mom’s name like that. So he kind of made this name — Pranutan, which means new life.”
Pranutan is a firm believer when it comes to destiny and luck. She says, “Everybody has got talent but somewhere I strongly feel that everything has been pre written and it’s all destined.”
She feels no competition with other debutantes as she believes in celebrating individuality. She says, “Every one of us, whether its Sara (Ali Khan), Janhvi (Kapoor) or Ananya (Pandey), we are so unique in each and every manner. What you bring to the table, I can’t. So it’s not just that because Deepika (Padukone) is a tall beautiful girl she suited for Padmavat. She has got inherently those Deepika qualities in her which the director needed for Padmavat. If a filmmaker wants to cast me for a role, he’ll do that because I bring something unique to the character that he envisions. And if anybody can be cast for that particular role then that’s not the work I want to do anyway. It would simply not excite me.”
Photo: Pankaj Kumar
Writer: Ayushi Sharma
Courtesy: Pioneer
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