Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan!!! (Darling this is Mumbai!!!)

This week I finally managed to get away for three days to my neighbouring city, Bombay (Mumbai). I had always wanted to see this throbbing pulse of our country and I can't say I was disappointed. Of course, I did not go all over the city. It was mostly in the Colaba and Fort areas. 

Sunset at Marine Drive 

This is where you can hangout in Mumbai. Sit close to the rocks, right next to the Arabian sea with close friends, munch on some crispies and discuss life. Unfortunately, my better half had no such intentions and we decided to walk from one end of Marine Drive right up to Oberoi's before taking a left and then walked all the way to the Gateway of India!!!

Leopold Cafe (notice the bullet hole on the glass at left)

I had heard a lot about Leopold cafe and made it a point to visit. Had a sumptuous breakfast there. Christmas decor added to the festive spirit.

Cafe Samovar

The Jehangir Art Gallery at Kala Ghoda is a wonderful space to see art installations, exhibits and browse at the shop. At the end of it you get to eat at Cafe Samovar located right inside the building. As you can see, I was one of the first customers of the day for lunch .

 

Rhythm House

Candies at Pali Hill

Cafe Mondegar

Prince of Wales Museum

Could not resist the pull of Rhythm House, the music store where I heard you get whatever music your heart desires. So in I went and came out with a heavy bag and a light wallet.






My daughter urged me to go to Candies for lunch. Am glad she did. This beautifully done up three
(or is it four?) storied restaurant has seating space created out of all nooks and crannies. So you simply collect your meal on the ground floor or first floor and walk around deciding where to sit.





Close to Leopold Cafe is Cafe Mondegar and Mario Miranda's characters provide you company from the walls and the crockery. The men working here call themselves Mondy's crew. Had a delicious breakfast here.














Spent a couple of hours in this exquisite building. So much to see in the museum and so little time. Will have to go again on my next trip.

The Gateway of India

The Gateway of India was the place we came back to each day and night. And mind you, both times the effect on you is entirely different. The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, on the opposite, simply enhanced the experience!

Misty Mahabaleshwar

Mahabaleshwar is a hill town in the Western Ghats about 120 kms from my city, Pune, in Maharashtra. This beautiful green region is over 4000 ft above sea level. 

From the top

Misty and cool

Being located at a height gives it several heavenly scenic spots. Only the weather has to be right and with me it played truant.  

Nevertheless, the mist, the greenery, the cold, the monkeys, hot tea and corn more than made up for it!!





The river Krishna originates from here and spouts out of the mouth of a cow seated in front of the Krishna temple.

The Krishna temple

River Krishna gushing out of the cow's mouth

Then there is lake Venna. In the evening, with a light fog surrounding me and the sun peeping in from time to time, the sight was magical.

Lake Venna

And for the cherry on top or rather strawberry on top, I had a huge helping of strawberries and ice cream at the Mapro garden. 

Table land 

On my way back, I drove up to the table land in Panchgani (another hill station), where hill tops seemed to have been sawed off to resemble a table top. 

Karla and Bhaja caves, Maharashtra, India

The Karla and Bhaja caves are rock-cut Buddhist caves located near Pune in Maharashtra, India. These caves were constructed around 200 BC on the major trade route from the Arabian Sea towards Deccan.

The Chaityagriha at Bhaja caves

The stupas at Bhaja caves

A shiv linga at Bhaja - a later addition

Rooms for the monks at Bhaja

The Bhaja caves

The Karla chaityagriha

Inside the Karla chaitya griha

The huge lion pillar at the entrance at Karla

The Karla caves. The orange roof is the temple

Traders travelling on this route visited this monastery and
provided patronage. Each location has a beautiful Chaitya griha. Amazingly, the ceiling of the chaitya is decorated with neatly cut horse shoe shaped wooden panels which remain intact till date. At Karla, two huge lion pillars once guarded the entrance of this cave. Only one remains now. A temple has come up in place of the other pillar.

The Bhaja caves are at a height and you have to climb quite a few stairs. Besides the chaitya, there are several stupas built close to the caves. These contain relics of the monks who lived there.

The caves certainly provided the atmosphere of study and prayers for the monks with the peace and pristine beauty surrounding them.Waterfalls around the caves look beautiful but they are also eroding these heritage sites. Wish more was being done towards taking care of the area.

Movie review (Hindi)

The Lunchbox

Yes, the central character of the movie is the Lunch box or Dabba as it is known in Mumbai where the movie unfolds. It is the story of a stainless steel lunch box with four container contained in a green bag which is delivered from Ila (Nimrat Kaur, the female protagonist) to Fernandes (Irrfan Khan, the male protagonist). The twist lies in the fact that the dabba is delivered to the wrong person. The dabba lands up on the wrong table for several days and so we have this unique story unfold with every letter sent in the box.

Kudos to the director for fusing documentary and drama. The Mumbai local trains, the dabbawallas, their singing together – it’s all a slice of reality and seems to be happening somewhere in my neighbourhood. And thanks to the producers for having landed such a talented cast with Nawazuddin adding to the magic. The voice of the neighbour is an interesting touch to get the movie going ahead since Ila has no one to share her dilemmas with, which again showcased lives in the city. Hard hitting stories of Ila’s mother, her brother, her unseen neighbour, her husband’s affair add on to the bigger picture.

So does the lonely housewife and excellent cook, Ila get to meet the middle-aged Fernandes? Cunningly, the director leaves us to decide that.

Two to Tango, Three to Jive

A comedy by Saurabh Shukla - These five words should say it all if you know the genius of Shukla. Nevertheless, it is worth writing a few lines about this play in Two Acts which was staged at the Turf Club, Pune, India on 21 Sept 2013.

Middle-aged Parminder Sethi wants to have an affair, and so three women come into his life. The three women are quite interesting and quite different from each other. The rendezvous is Sethi's mother's house in her absence. Unfortunately, the much needed affair never happens, but in the process of trying to have one, a lot of other things happen.

The comedy deserves mention because of its witty dialogue, perfect comic timing, great acting and thought provoking premise. Saurabh Shukla, Achint Kaur, Sadia Siddiqui and Preiti Mamgain have showcased their acting skills, no doubt. Also the country music playing in the background was well selected keeping in mind the perky name of the play.

I only wish the venue was a better one (a real auditorium, I mean). At times I had to crane my neck or twist my body to catch a glimpse of what was happening on stage, as two very tall people sat right in my line of vision!!

Of God men and Good men

God men and Good men seem to contradict each other. This fact took me by surprise. I had innocently assumed that any person who establishes himself as the link between god and lesser men has to be a good man, in fact a saint. So I looked up to Guru Nanak and Shirdi Sai Baba and knew them to be men a little above the rest, who loved mankind as if each one was their own kin. So they were elevated to the status of gods themselves. All prophets through the ages have led humankind through the mysteries of life helping them face problems and find solutions. Most importantly giving them solace, a place to go to when all else fails. That is what God men are all about.

But let us shift focus on today’s God men. They are mired in corruption charges. They own huge bank balances, vast tracts of land, institutions, run schools and ashrams, apparently for societal good. They get mired in controversies dealing with corruption and sexual assault. They are at loggerheads with the State.

The funny and sad part of it all is that their followers turn a blind eye to all this and continue to hang on every word the Baba says. Why? Is there such a lack of faith in one’s own self? Is it necessary that I need to have a so-called Guru who shows me how to live life? Why do we need to be spoon fed on ways to lead a good, righteous life? Are we so lost that we are confused as to what is the right thing to do?  If we commit a crime or are facing problems, no amount of worship through havans and dips in the Ganga can see out of our situation. We have to bear the onus of our wrongdoing. No gems and no fasting to appease the gods is going to give us a short cut to redemption. But the Gurus have a whole list of curative measures lined up. How will appeasing a certain god on a certain day get you a job if you don’t work on your qualifications? Think about it.

And the situation is so strange today that people raising their voice against such blind faith are killed. So, you tone down your voice out of fear. That is the only way the false men of God know how to keep blind followers in their camp. People who have lost the capacity to think or meditate on their own are anyway lost forever. They will forever be puppets in the hands of these puppeteers who know exactly what will make these faithful happy with themselves.

After all God men are not necessarily Good men.

Movie Review - Bollywood

Lootera (The Thief)
After hearing rave reviews of this Hindi movie, I decided to take a look myself. Another reason why I do not watch a movie after going through the reviews. I either have very high expectations or just don't have any. Lootera suffered because of this. The film is well shot. A lot of importance has been given to each shot which is great and a welcome change. But the story did not really work for me. It reminded me too much of Fanaa (the Kajol-Aamir Khan starrer). Boy meets girl, falls in love and then ditches her coz his line of work does not allow for love. Ditto here. Then there is more of Fanaa at the end with snowscape and the hero's death. I was really glad the writer did not get a child into the mess.
But the best of all was the use of the O. Henry short story, The Last Leaf. The artist in the story claims to paint a masterpiece at some point in his life and finally the masterpiece is the last leaf painted on a wall that helps a young woman live, while he dies of pneumonia. The story was, of course, used in pure Bollywood style in Lootera. But I thank those responsible for this tribute to O. Henry.
P.S. - Sonakshi Sinha and Ranveer Singh are good actors.

Movie Review

World War Z
I was quite excited about this movie starring one of my favourites, Brad Pitt. Maybe, it was too much excitement. I was disappointed with this movie about Zombies. Does the Z in the title stand for Zombie?  
I thought I had seen all that with I am Legend. A disease let loose on mankind through some bacteria or virus and then men turn into zombies who bite each other to spread this diaease. But mind you, they are only looking for healthy hosts and therein lies the solution to the problem. Watch the movie if you like Brad Pitt. There is no takeaway from this one. :(

The Heat
Again went to see this movie coz I am a Sandra Bullock fan. Again was disappointed. The script was quite loose. However, this all women movie with a name like The Heat is a good change. Loved Melissa McCarthy. Both Sandra and Melissa have impeccable comic timing and that is what worked for me.

Documentary Film Festival

My film, A Life Relived, co directed by two others, was screened at the 6th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala in Trivandrum (7 - 11 June 2013). For me this was a learning experience. Seeing so many documentaries and shorts and meeting so many film makers, exchanging ideas --- all of this plays an essential part in the growth of a film maker especially a first time film maker like me.
What is saddening however, is that there is hardly any funding for documentary films whereas ridiculous films made in Mumbai have crores spent on them, which are gobbled by the public.
When will docus get their rightful place in theatres? Also there is no awareness among people about what a docu is all about. There is a lot to be done and I do hope like-minded people who wish to make a change in the world will help finance and distribute such films.

Movie review

Flight 

This movie proves why I have Denzel Washington on the top five list of my favourite actors. A pilot addicted to drinking and drugs flies while there is too much alcohol in his blood. He drinks while he speaks to the passengers. He sleeps in the cockpit. But he also rescues the plane from complete annihilation. Nevertheless, his alertness is questioned and he lies with impunity about his alcoholism. But just when I gave up on his character ever having any moral values, he pulls back from hell and admits to the charges leveled against him. He cannot falsely implicate his (dead) crew member blaming her for what he did.

His life in prison, his uniting with his estranged son and his own self, this simple yet so difficult act of acceptance brings about a positivity in his life, And only an accomplished actor like Denzel could communicate his angst and his corrupt self fighting the system, with such ease (or so it seemed).

Movies - Review

A Dark Truth

How far will a corporate house go to earn profits, trampling lives and trying to own natural resources, do you think? All the way. That’s what this movie is about. A company which owns water resources in Ecuador, ties up with the military regime, to prevent an activist, played by Whittaker, from rising against this tyrannical control. Andy Garcia, ex-CIA agent is sent there to get Whittaker and his family to US to tell his story. The whistle blower here is the Corporate honcho’s sister.

A well made movie, fast and furious with a positive end and not far from the truth either. When the world seems to be moving towards such corporatisation greed of our natural resources, like water, we will have air branded and sold next and will have to pay up for a puff of oxygen!!

Anna Karenina

Too many things to distract me. The setting was wonderful, as if life was indeed a play and all of us mere players. But this also was its undoing. Aiming to do something novel, director Joe Wright completely forgot about the emotional undercurrents within the characters. There was little build up leading to Anna’s death which I think is the mainstay of the novel. There was too much stress on superficialities. I had certain images of the novel when I read it, and all of them lie cracked after watching this movie. The actors though did their best. But there is only so much you can give on screen.

Yes I do believe, never read a book and then watch its cinematic adaptation.

A trip to Sultan Ghari

 

Entrance to Sultan Ghari

 

A barely visible turn on the road leads me to this rich architectural area in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. This is Sultan Ghani, now in ruins. It is the first tomb to be built as a monument in the Delhi region. Built by the Turkish General, Iltutmish of the Mamluk or the Slave dynasty in 1231 for his eldest son, Nasiruddin Mahmud. Interestingly, Nasiruddin is also worshipped as a peer (Saint) and people offer prayers till today.

From the entrance, Sultan Ghari gives the appearance of a fortress with its entrance doorway, the domed bastions at the corners and the colonnades. As we entered the courtyard and climbed on the top of the entrance wall, the view all around gave an idea of the sprawling town it must once have been. I could see ruins all around. But right below me, in the centre of the courtyard was a raised octagonal structure which was the roof of the tomb of Nasiruddin Mahmud which lay in the crypt below. It is because of this crypt that this place got the name ghari. 

There is an entrance into this crypt from the southern side. It is dark and the stairs are narrow and steep. Our mobile phones helped light up the area. But there are four graves in the tomb. The highest one is assumed to be Nasiruddin’s, while the rest are unaccounted for. Thursdays are important days here when worshippers throng the place to offer prayers to the peer.

The Octagonal raised roof of the tomb (ghari) & marbelled prayer niche on the western wall in the background

Tomb of Ruknuddin Firuz Shah or Muizzuddin Shah, sons of Iltutmish (only one tomb stands)

A Corbelled arch before the true arch came more than 50 years later