Director Rajneesh Gautam’s play, The Curse of Hamlet, is woven around the Shakespearean tragedy but set in Delhi of 1993. It blurs the lines between an actor and the character, says Chahak Mittal
Many centuries after his death, the Bard and his works continue to be relevant — for a reason. Transport any of his plays to contemporary times and it could describe the society of that era.
Hamlet (1609), which some years back was seen on the silver screen as Haider, has often been described as the world’s most filmed story after Cinderella, for this work of William Shakespeare stays relevant to the present times and is one of the most influential works of world literature. The play’s concept returns to the Indian stage as The Curse of Hamlet by director Rajneesh Gautam as he directs and narrates the story through Indian characters based in Delhi of 1993.
The director says that the actors in the play are so invested in their characters that the boundaries which separate them from their real selves have become blurred.
The play, he says, is woven around “the basic idea of Shakespearean Hamlet.” It struck him during some rehearsal sessions in January that he could look for a group which has been working on Hamlet for the last 25-30 years. “I found one — the Abhigyan Theatre — and now the actors have become one with the characters.”
The theatre has been presenting a successful production of Hamlet for the last 25 years with Sarveshwar Sharma, the founder of the theatre group, playing the eponymous lead.
In The Curse of Hamlet, tainted with the madness of the play, his relations with his wife Bhavna and his 23-year-old son Siddharth, have also soured. Siddharth’s girlfriend Charu wants him to leave the theatre group, but Siddharth wants to play Hamlet once, just to make a point to his father.
Chetan Saxena, manager, Abhigyan Theatre, too is obsessed with playing Hamlet and has a deep grudge about never getting a chance to do so. Chetan, Bhavna and Sarveshwar were friends from college days and their lives are intricately and perhaps inextricably bound together. Their lives could have continued in the same way, if not for a fateful incident.
Impacted by many Western styles, he says that the play is subtle and realistic in nature since it deals with not only the characters’ obsession to play Hamlet, but also with the director’s urge to find some theatre group which is working on it. The play, he says, presents some answers to the questions like — What if the separation between the characters and the actors ceases? What if the characters step off the stage and enter your life and personal space? — “The conflict, struggle and dilemmas between real and unreal, life and art, actor and character, the self and the very meaning of existence. This is the complex, intriguing, spell-binding story of The Curse of Hamlet,” he says.
Talking about his personal experiences, he talks about how the characters you play create an impact on the personal self. He says, “When you play a character on stage for a long time, it impacts you deeply. It changes you for better or worse. You start thinking and behaving like the character more than yourself. This blurring of lines between actor and character changes things. So somewhere the play is a journey of all those actors who fell the same with a much darker tone.”
Since the play is set in April 1993 in Delhi, Gautam explains why he chose Indian names and characters to bring out the story. “The play is of Indian origin so that it could be more relatable to the audience. Now when they see these characters on stage, they feel more connected to them and their lives,” he says. He feels that the idea of Hamlet might be old, but “our progression is new. It is Hamlet, but at the same time it’s not.”
Gautam believes that the name of the play should convey the “whole” idea of the play. “This play is based around the obsession for playing Hamlet on stage and its repercussions. Hence, the title.”
For Gautam, writing a script and then executing it on stage are two different tasks. “The lines and script are provided to the actors, which always need some processing and improvising. Their dialogues should feel like they are coming from them. We worked on their nuances. And not just dialogues, there are many more things which goes into the transformation of a written play into a stage performance.”
The director, who “adores plays written by Manav Kaul,” believes that there will always be people who will continue to accept theatre as it was during the time when exposure to cinema was comparatively less. He says, “There are still people who appreciate theatre, rather they put it before cinema as they feel that it provides a livelier experience.”
Writer: Chahak Mittal
Courtesy: The Pioneer
The much loved Avengers series has given unprecedented hits over a decade, which maps the contemporary human condition with a laudable accuracy
This is what even Bollywood has not managed to achieve despite a familiar culture legacy as its bedrock — make a mammoth hit of an over three-hour epic film, cutting across generations and triggering a collective expiation of all kinds of emotions. At the time of writing, Avengers Endgame had generated a massive weekend collection of Rs 2,130 crore across the world and had waiting queues of fans wanting to know if existence itself could be saved by superheroes or if a doomed future could be malleable and rectified with time travel. In a world of post-truths, the characters created by the Marvel Cinematic Universe have held up hope that we don’t need urban myths but possibilities through science, which is our new god. So why is it that we fall for the Avengers with such gusto? Is it because the idea of time travel to fix things is intrinsically linked to the Oriental philosophy of transforming our past karma with current corrective actions? Or is it that they demonstrate that man can be superman if he should so want? Creator Stan Lee answered this question in his own battle to emerge out of the gloom and doom of the post-war years and question man-made biases and bigotry. So his superheroes were really scrawny in real life, oddities even, weren’t infallible, had personal burdens and motives and would have feet of clay at times. An angry, raging Hulk could turn on mankind itself, Spider Man had self-doubt and Iron Man ironically needed a mechanical heart to feel the emotions he had ignored over the years. The villain Thanos, too, sheds a tear and is a conflicted, tormented soul who, despite acquiring infinite powers, wonders “To what end?” But a solo superhero cannot save today’s complex world. Superhero, in its evolutionary journey then, is collective humanity. And unfinished business is not despair but about getting up again as evidenced by the penultimate Avengers’ film Infinity War. Meanwhile, the superheroes are breaking out of White supremacist constructs and embracing global diversity. The commercial success of the Black Panther of Wakanda has made Marvel consider more inclusions. Black Widow and Captain Marvel are more than just women empowerment, they are the carriers of the future.
So why is it that Bollywood cannot create such realistic superheroes instead of making bad copies in Krrish and Ra One? We have our own comic book superheroes in Doga, who doesn’t draw planetary powers but has developed his own human strength through training. He’s not rich like Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne conjuring up futuristic tools and war machines, but a regular guy who scores with his brain. Dhruva is a stunt biker, acrobat and martial artist whose best kept secret is his ESP, his ability to communicate with the animal world. There’s Shakti too, a desi avenging woman who can travel at the speed of light. Fortunately, they are all believable Indians who score not with unreal physical prowess or borrowed aerodynamics but with that very Indian characteristic called mindplay and wit. Unfortunately, our filmmakers haven’t looked at these possibilities. Though we do not know what Ranbir Kapoor’s Brahmastra will be like, we hope that his superhero is not simply gifted and static in that cosmic giftedness. Part of the deficient appeal of our superheroes is that they do not have a shelf life or branding beyond the home-grown comics, which have been replaced by glossy consumables from the DC and Marvel Inc. Most importantly, they seem to be confined to their appeal among children who don’t carry their images into adulthood. And although India is now the FX backroom for Hollywood, nobody has thought about using that skill set for our versions. Yet Black Panther has shown that the African warrior tribe is as comfortable electrifying a defence shield while sporting their cultural costumes in athleisure formats. So no excuses for creativity.
Writer: The Pioneer
Courtesy: The Pioneer
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
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
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
According to Director Chuck Russell, “Junglee will not only make people recall their childhood fantasies centered around jungles but also renew their relationship with nature.” Every country is associated with a specific animal just like a trademark. For instance, kangaroos and Australia, bears and Russia, eagles and Germany, bulls and Spain, tigers and India, and the list goes on. Well, for director Chuck Russell, elephants have always been associated with India. His childhood has been full of elephant stories and fantasies. His house was full of artefacts and photographs from India, most of which had elements of elephants as his mother was a travel agent who adored the country.
The American director, who is known for his several genre films like The Mask, The Scorpion King, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Arabian Nights, and many more, has grown up reading Tarzan stories and fantasising about jungles. He watched films like Flaherty’s Elephant Boy, and read Rudyar Kipling’s Toomai of the Elephants. He recalled that such films and books made him fantasize about “a child having an elephant as his best friend.”
Russell’s Junglee is the director’s first stint at creating a Hindi, Bollywood film, which not only attempts to highlight an important issue, but also completes the director’s childhood fantasies. He was surprised when he first received the call to create an Indian film. However, he said, “I am always looking forward to making something for the global audience which is not just restricted to the national viewers. And with India, came only one aspect to my mind — elephants and immense cultural beauty,” he said (laughs).
For him, it was also about defending the nature, rather than “saving it.” It was opportunity for him to “represent both man and nature together. Hence, it is a 100 per cent true Indian story, with very inspiring and irresistible characters.”
After working with legends like Dwayne Johnson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, he realised that the audience loves watching valiance, vulnerability and humour in the hero. “And Vidyut (Jammwal) was a perfect actor to show that. I just had to keep his character’s fun part intact. He, I felt, is a kind of performer whom I can bring to the global level. He is very charismatic and a brilliant marshal artist. He really inspired the characters we specifically we developed the screenplay for,” he said.
While this was his first stint at making a Bollywood film, were there certain things that challenged him during the process? He said, “Not much.” Well, not even the language barriers? He replied, “I had to understand the language but I love exploring accents and different languages. With my travel, the one thing I explore the most are the linguistic differences and how they shape the ethnicity of people. It’s fun for me. I just hear them and they somehow make sense to me, no matter how different they are. This was opportunity to learn Hindi as well. We wrote the script in English, and got them translated to take the script to the next level. Well, this was the most exciting part about the whole experience of making the film.”
However, he explained that in a way, he never really had to learn the language completely to make the film. He said, “Since I knew all the dialogues in English, so whenever a particular scene was being shot, I knew what was going on (laughs). And the crew was bilingual, so I never felt one-sided in terms of the language.”
Talking about the differences between Hollywood and Bollywood films that he spot during the shoot, he laughingly said, “If this were a Hollywood film, there would be CGI (Clinton Global Initiative) elephants, or some Western actor saving them in India. If it would have been in English, it wouldn’t have been as entertaining.”
He explained that a film, shot with animals, seems to convey to people that they have been brought from a certain circus or conservation organisation. However, here, they used real elephants from a natural habitat of elephants in Thailand, “and not those trained elephants from some circus. We didn’t get any Hollywood elephant trainers, but just the care takers animal behaviourists. We actually learned the animal behaviour. We slept and woke according to their timings and observed them.And shot according to their moods, didn’t make them change their schedules at all.”
Well, this was also one of Russell’s personal accomplishments — capturing elephants in their natural habitats, and giving the people a story that they could take home. “It conveys a message. People hardly pay attention to what the nature has to offer. When you go on a holiday, listen to the whistling trees, adore the fallen, colourful leaves, look at how different kinds of species communicate with each other. Sit and observe. This film will make them want to relook nature, and as well highlight an important issue of conservation of such a beautiful creature in India. Why poach elephants for ivory? I am proud that I’m best friends with an elephant rather than being proud of killing it and getting its tusk hung on my wall,” he said.
This film, he said, is much beyond the ones in which elephants are used as mere props or for some funny element. “I wanted to capture personal moments with them rather than just using them as objects to pose with,” he said.
Photo: Pankaj Kumar
Writer: Chahak Mittal
Courtesy: Pioneer
Born and bred in Amritsar, Punjab, Sunanda Sharma’s charm has won over her hearts all around the world. She sat down with The Pioneer for a chat on her Bollywood debut and new track ‘Sandal’ Sunanda Sharma kick started her career with a Punjabi song, ‘Billi Akh’ in March 2016, which gathered the much deserved appreciation from the audience. This singer and model, went on to create a buzz with her songs ‘Patake’and ‘Jaani Tera Naa’ which resonated amongst the youth and got everybody tapping their feet not only in Mumbai, Ranchi and Delhi in India, but her voice has been creating magic across the globe through her successful shows in Canada, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, England, Dubai and so on. Sharma also has the accolades of being invited to the Dolce and Gabbana show in Milano, and at the store launch of Louis Vuitton, Delhi.
Such talent is not hidden from Bollywood, and Sharma spread her wings into the glamour industry with the track ‘Tere Naal Nachna’ in July, 2018 along with Badshah, acclaiming more than 160 million hits on Youtube. Talent and determination bring out the pearls from the deepest of the seas, and Sharma has proved this with her latest chartbuster song ‘Poster Lagwado’ for the movie, Luka Chuppi. The singing industry is in awe of this fresh voice and she is going to keep the audience on their toes with her soon to be launched new track ‘Sandal’ which like all her other tracks is going to resonate the youth specially the girls with exhilaration and delight. Edited excerpts from the interview:
How has the journey been so far?
It has been a wonderful chapter! Everyday I have learnt new stuff, lived new moments and I cherish every single minute of it.
What type of music do you identify with?
There is no single genre which defines me. Up until now, I have given beat songs and romantic tracks, and ,ore of the sad and romantic songs will be released this year.
What have been your challenges in making a name in the industry?
Honestly speaking, I have not faced any challenges as such, for which I am thankful to my mentor, Pinky Dhaliwal paaji. I feel blessed and lucky that I was able to establish myself in this industry with him, as his experience and vision for me made my journey in this field very stress free.
Have you found the Punjabi music industry different from that of Bollywood?
The Punjabi music industry is equivalently good as Bollywood. As of today, every Bollywood movie is incomplete without a Punjabi number. Either there are remakes or new Punjabi songs which give a sense of liveliness that lightens up the mood and pumps in blood when you step out of the theater. These songs have been responsible to boost up the energy and emotions in audiences. But, yes the Bollywood music industry is very professional and the people understand the value of time, which is comparatively less in the Punjabi music industry.
Nepotism in Bollywood has caught quite a bit of attention. What are your thoughts on this?
I do not believe that as such’ it’s natural that you will give preference to your loved ones or people who are close to you. However, I believe that talent is the main key because of which the performers sustain their level in the industry. On the hand, people from Pollywood (as we call the Punjabi industry), also get an opportunity at big platforms. So, I guess the claim of nepotism is not a 100 percent true, though it may exist in some percentage.
Courtesy and Writer: Pioneer
Talking to Chahak Mittal, Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri stated that his research would have taken around a decade more if he had restricted himself to national archives or other documents and records for proper facts for the film
It took just a single tweet for director and filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri to get the idea of creating a film on India’s second Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and his fateful demise. “It was October 2, 2017, and I had tweeted, ‘It’s Shastri’s birthday too.’ That was the time when somebody commented that why don’t you make a film on him?” says he.
The film, The Tashkent Files, comes with a hashtag question — Who killed Shastri? More than half a century after that fateful morning in Tashkent and the question still remains unanswered — Did Shastri really die a natural death or was it an assassination birthed from political disagreements?
Well, Vivek could have chosen the easy way after the tweet and just made a biopic on his life and suspicious death. However, he felt that there have been numerous chapters in history textbooks talking about what life did the man live. However, “not a single one answering or making the youth realise the importance of questioning that how did he die so abruptly?”
The director feels that India’s youth and audience are maturing with a great pace as questioning almost everything. Hence, he says that the film is dedicated to all the “honest journalists and truth seekers” in the country. “Sometimes they even question certain things which are better to be left as they are. However, this is a sign that they are maturing and realising what their duties and rights are. They are able to question what they think is unjustified. The youth is taking interest in the country. Why do you think all these big star-based films are not working? People are preferring more realistic elements and content that can relate to the real life stories of the common man,” says Vivek.
As a filmmaker, he felt that he could bring it back to people’s conscience now that reaching them is easier, especially due to social media. He says, “Now is the right time when they could question the manner of his death again. It is something that had to be questioned irrespective of its timing. At that time, no one, including the journalists, officers or even other people in authority questioned the manner of his sudden death. Imagine, a PM goes on an international trip for a political treaty, and just dies… Even an autopsy on the body was not conducted. Isn’t it questionable? The silence around it made me curious.”
For Vivek, once he picked up the project, it transcended to more than just a film. “It became my right as a citizen of India to know what happened to the second PM of India. It was not just a murder mystery anymore. It became a web of questions about how India and its democracy became a victim to the Cold War between USA and USSR? What were the policies of our leaders and the government and how were they correct for the country? How would have India shaped up if Shastri was alive? A lot of things opened up and helped me understand India better,” he says.
With the film, the director says, he also aims to question the democracy and people’s right to information. While going through the research for the film, there was a stage of frustration when he wasn’t able to find any way out. It was indeed tough to get the right data. “I filed a number of RTIs and received no response. I checked the records, approached national archives and read books from public libraries, and didn’t find any answer. It was the most shattering and frustrating moment in the whole journey,” he tells us, adding, “All the evidence was destroyed. Hence, we didn’t have much information that we could have referred to. Things were beyond forensic control now. Documents and many files from the Parliament itself were missing. It would have taken more than a decade had I depended on them.”
It was then the idea of crowd-sourcing came to his mind and called out the public to reach to him in case they have any related information. Well, surprisingly, “within hours so many people wrote to us that the server got jammed. That’s where I found a new direction.”
However, in this social-media, fake news-led world, how to differentiate between facts and fiction? “I am intelligent,” laughs Vivek and goes on to add that they tried to “cross-reference” the overlapping facts and figures. He explains, “If a hundred people are on side A, and the other hundred people on side B, then we struck out the commonalities between both the sides and dug out the real matter. We kept finding the common lines and counter questioning each thing.”
The film, he says, proceeds exactly in the way that the research happened — one thing gets added to the other the moment it’s discovered.
Well, the film’s release date (April 12) too raises certain questions given that General Elections are round the corner. However, the director counter questions that why are dates assigned to directors and actors? “Nobody questions why Salman Khan only releases his film on Eid or Akshay Kumar on August 15 or January 26. If they have a reason, here, it’s a political season, so why not? Such a film would anyway have grabbed equal eyeballs irrespective of when it releases,” he laughs as he signs off.
Photo: Pankaj Kumar
Writer: Chahak Mittal
Courtesy: The Pioneer
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