Plays- Watching and Acting

 Watching and acting in plays are two entirely different things. I have watched fewer plays than movies, but realise how difficult it is to stage one. That is because of acting in one during my MBA days- my only foray into this arena. Also because I watched my friend Shweta Kushal direct from scratch a new set of actors-students, in 4 different plays at IIM Indore over the last few years.

I have watched a couple of English plays, and a few Marathi plays. Maybe one or two Hindi plays, Have been impressed by most of these. Marathi stage has a long history, and a couple of classics were remade recently into films by enthusiastic directors. Natasamraat and Katyaar Kaaljaat Ghusli were both very good in the new medium. 

Watching Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah in Bangalore last year was a rare pleasure. So was Arundhati Naag performing a Girish Karnad play a few years earlier. Shabana Azmi was in the audience for that one!

Maybe after I retire, will try and watch a few more. Bucket list, here I come!

Review of Einstein- a play

 Naseeruddin Shah as Einstein. That was an irresistible proposition, and I succumbed. I had watched a lot of his films. Two that particularly stand out in my memory are Finding Fanny and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. I think he had comic talent that remained underexploited. 

Anyway, back to the play about Einstein. Essentially, it's a one-man act. He is old, and reminiscing about various things. It's about science too, but also about war and its futility, and scientists and inventors who sell their soul and do things that are detrimental to humanity, along with politicians and other war-mongers.

The play also touches on his marriages, mostly unsuccessful due to his immersion in his work, his ability to take Newtonian Physics many steps ahead and understand time, space and the nature of the universe. Some of the stuff was known, like that joke about relativity- A minute on a hot stove seems like an hour, but an hour talking to a pretty girl seems like a minute. 

But what acting! Set design was fantastic, with a bust of Newton to which he speaks occasionally, and a projector showing pics from history, related to what he is saying at any point in time- I thought that was innovative. And a blackboard with mathematical equations all over it. The lighting too, particularly towards the closing scene where stars are simulated, and in highlighting his face and arms when that emphasis was needed. 

I was also reminded of the excellent staging of some plays at IIM Indore by a colleague, Shweta Kushal,  with amateur actors-students. Prachi Jain, Shreya Surana, Sanjana, are you listening? 

Are O Sambha

 Kitney aadmi they?

Do, Sardaar.

Iconic stuff, the dialogues of Sholay.

Mausi being 'wooed' for Veeru, by his bosom pal Jai.

The water tank scene, in which mausi goes jail, chakki peesing and peesing.

Asrani's Hitler mouche. And agrez ke zamaane ke dialogue!

Jagdeep as Soorma Bhopali, speaking in that lingo..aese hi nahi etc.

Sanjeev Kumar's voice..not sure what they did, but it was deep, and impressive.

Basanti talking non-stop, versus A.K. Hangal's voice full of pathos..

Jai's laconic dialogue delivery.

Gabbar's self-absorbed persona. 

Helen and Jalal Agha in just 3 minutes of mesmerising song and dance.

Hats off to Ramesh Sippy and his team. Dwarka Divecha, the cinematographer in particular. And dialogue writers, Salim and Javed.

Virgin Takes Off Into Space

 I mean, the company Virgin Galactic, and its enthusiastic founder Richard Branson, of course. His enthusiasm and sense of drama are unmatched by any CEO or founder in my memory. They called it Elan at one time, I think.

Anyway, he made it to a sub-orbital level in a test flight, meant to be a curtain-raiser to many commercial flights, with a few hundred passengers already signed up for a dekko at earth from up there.

Some snapshots from the live streaming and the CNN coverage. 

Entertainment From Elections and Thereafter

Apart from the political outcome of an Indian election (serious side), there is a comic or entertaining side to it. The great drama that precedes it, the announcement of dates, candidates, (not the Communist) manifesto and the promises, but most of all the speeches. We don't yet have debates, unlike the U.S. Presidential candidates. But the barbs flying from all sides make the whole thing akin to any other great Indian event, which I think we specialise in. And we have lots more of parties-political parties-than they do.

But it does not end there. The exit polls, the fracas on TV between party spokespeople, the anchors, the fortune-tellers, the analysts, and so on add to the fun. The voter is sometimes hung by a hung Assembly or Lok Sabha, and the suspense is killing, better than an Agatha Christie mystery. The mystery is finally solved when the new C.M. (or P.M.) is installed, and wins a vote of confidence-or otherwise.

I am reminded of an old joke from a column in Filmfare.

Who is a politician?
One who shakes your hand before the election, and your confidence afterwards.

Resemblance to real events is purely coincidental. Jai Hind!

Kahani 2- Film Review

I had Vidya Balan on my top ten list of heroines. She vindicates my choice, with yet another stellar performance. The story is a bit more linear than in the first, but manages to keep you glued, rather than bored.

The ending is a bit melodramatic, but I was happy just to see this genre of suspense/drama reappear on Hindi screen. It does not have many takers, and Sujoy Ghosh must be a rare director-to be complimented for it. And doing it well too. Reminded me of old films like 36 Ghante, Faraar and Ittefaq.

The other actors who play the daughter, the wife of Arjun Rampal, his boss, and the corrupt policewoman, are also good. Arjun and Jugal Hansraj play their parts well. The cinematography is good and the editing tight. The pace is good, and keeps you engrossed because there are hardly any unnecessary diversions.

I would say, go watch it if you are either into suspenseful dramas or Vidya Balan.

What I Learnt From...

You don't learn only from text books. Life's lessons are everywhere..these were some of mine. Not an exhaustive list.

I learnt unconditional love from my many aunts/cousins..still some way to go in practising it.

I learnt how to quip from Ameen Sayani, my favourite radio host - jockey sounds disrespectful in his case. He connected song to something interesting, always, in Binaca Geet Mala.

Learnt how to wiggle my eyebrows from an Uncle- it was great fun. Still is.

How to cook, from roommates and friends in the U.S. Quick and filling, was the key.

How to laugh, from reading PG Wodehouse, Asterix comics, and many others like Pu La, the Marathi humourist.

How to appreciate drama, from watching Bollywood films, children, teenagers,..

To appreciate music, from listening to GREAT singers- Rafi, Kishore, Hemant, Talat, Asha, Geeta, ..

Teaching, by experimenting with many different ideas, not being wedded to any one..

Writing, I have no idea how..

Pink- Film Review

Reminded me of some courtroom dramas that B.R. Chopra specialised in. A serious film about a serious issue, and well-made. No distractions, except perhaps the scenes with Amitabh's companion who has no relevance to the story.

When is a molestation a molestation, is the question that the film raises, but in the process exposes many of our wrong attitudes. Also does not show up the police in good light (films rarely do), nor the politically connected classes who bend the law. The judiciary is one which shines, here.

The ageing Amitabh Bachchan pulls off a pretty tough role, barring some unclear dialogues he mumbles early in the film. But in the court scenes, he comes into his own, despite a worthy competitor in Piyush Mishra (recently saw him in Happy Bhag Jayegi-he was brilliant there).

The MCP crowd may not like it, but it's like a sucker punch aimed at their jaw, so it's Ok. The rest, you must watch it. Taapsee Pannu is very good, and so are her two flatmates. The wrong assumptions about North-eastern girls are also highlighted, and Delhi itself doesn't come off looking too good. But then, what are mirrors for?

Favourite Films- Hollywood

Though I have seen a few Iranian and French (and Japanese) films that are very good, I will list out some favourite Hollywood films here.

1. My Fair Lady based on Shaw's Pygmalion, about making a lady out of a flower-girl. Classic.
2. The Sound of Music. One of the best in all departments-conceptualisation and execution. Immortal.
3. Psycho. A classic in its genre from the master, Alfred Hitchcock.
4. Zorba the Greek. To me, a major philosophical book and film. Top ten for the book too.
5. The Omen. I generally dislike horror, but Gregory Peck warrants an exception.
6. Mackenna's Gold. Brilliant outdoor film. Omar Sharif in a great role.
7. Where Eagles Dare. Spectacular war-time film of a daring rescue. Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, and the scenery were amazing.
8. Silent Movie. Mel Brooks' spoof on Hollywood studios.
9. The Reincarnation of Peter Proud. I liked it for the way the mystery was handled. Unlike Karz, which was inspired by it.
10. Come September. Rock Hudson in a romantic comedy with Gina Lollobrigida. A fun film, that probably was the inspiration for Jungle Mein Mangal.
11. Dances With Wolves. A convincing film about America's native (Red) Indians. I think it starred Kevin Costner.

Comedies
As a genre, I like comedies best. I will include most movies made by Mel Brooks (Blazing Saddles, To Be Or Not To Be, History of the World Part 1, Spaceballs) for their goofy humour, Woody Allen (for the sardonic humour), and a few other independent films like The Loves and Times of Scaramouche in which there is a funny Napoleon,  A Fish Called Wanda, and The Naked Gun.

Complete Entertainment Package

A certain god-man in India has left behind all the Bollywood releases this week and threatens to do so for several weeks. A typical movie made in Bollywood has certain elements we call masala, necessary for keeping different members of the audience happy. The way this man is going, he may become a one-man entertainment industry himself.

What are the masala elements a typical film has?

Dance and music- watch your neighbourhood channel for this guy doing a raas leela (thankfully, by himself) and a tandav. Just like the extras in films, there are a few hundred devotees also joining in.

Chase- There are two here. One for his own arrest, and another is on as we speak, for that of his son.

Drama- There was some before the arrest, in terms of feigning illness, then disappearing from one place and emerging in another.

Dialogue- "Prison is like Vaikunth for me", "No prison can keep me for long"- a la Gabbar Singh.

Sex- well, that started it all, with charges of misconduct.

TRPs of some channels must be skyrocketing.

A Separation- Iranian Film

Saw another Iranian film. It was a part of some recent Film festival. My respect for these guys keeps growing every time I see one. This one is about an apparently simple divorce petition from a wife whose husband refuses to emigrate with her because of a father suffering from Alzheimer's that he wants to care for. But the story gets tangled in a web of court cases, when a maid he has hired accuses him of causing an abortion (she is pregnant) when he throws her out of the job for negligence (of his old dad). Her husband, an unemployed and hard-up guy, also gets in and gives it a class-conflict angle.

A lot of twists and turns follow, and the director skilfully presents all sides of the story, without a clear pinning down of the guilt. Everyone is guilty and innocent to some extent- they are all normal human beings caught up in their own dilemmas, beliefs and so on.

One thing that strikes you about the Irani directors is their effective use of close-ups, and minimal dialogue. The actors have to carry the film on their shoulders, and usually, they do.

Certainly one of my good films of 2012!