Naseeruddin Shah Again!

 To my great fortune, I saw him back to back this month, in two plays at Ranga Shankara. This one, Dear Liar, had him playing George Bernard Shaw (not Shah, as the first exchange of dialogue pointed out).

It's almost an out-of-the-world experience to watch someone like him perform, and I will not try to describe it. This play is based on an exchange of letters between him and his long-standing lover (extra-marital) of 44 years. Ratna Pathak Shah complemented him beautifully in the other role.

A lot of references to Pygmalion, Shaw's most famous play, and how she auditioned for the part, and made it a big success. Lovely repartee, humour, and use of the language. Enjoyed it thoroughly, and will check one more thing off my bucket list- though I had forgotten to put it there! Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro!

Lipstick Under my Burkha- Film Review

It's an important film, about a very important topic, which is usually kept under the carpet- love and sexuality from a woman's perspective. Full marks for dealing with the subject, and some of its real ramifications. The difficulty of breaking out of traditions, and societal expectations, and hypocrisy. For instance, that women of a certain age should not have expectations of physical love. Ratna Pathak Shah's character is probably the one that draws the most empathy. She is also the best actress in the film (actor, actually), with no exceptions.

The film could have done with a bit of drama, though. It feels like it's going through the motions, too quickly. Some twists in the story, maybe a few light moments, would have made it that much more moving and powerful. It does make its points about the search for love in and out of marriage -and a search for the liberation that all young people look for. But I found better expressions of it in films like Masaan or Life in a Metro, compared with this one.

It is worth a watch, for bringing up issues that need to be, but as a film, it could have been a lot better. Maybe better actors would have done the trick-barring Ratna Pathak Shah, who is perfect.