Breezy Summer Comedy

Raj S. Rangarajan


Harleen Kaur (Brazilian model, Giselli Monteiro) and Jai Vardhan Singh (Saif)



(Photos Courtesy: Sulekha.com)

Straightaway, one notices this is going to be a Hindi film with English being thrown in regularly – a sign of the times and a staple now of many films from Bollywood. One didn’t need subtitles. It’s perhaps a consequence of many actors’ large fan following in North America. Also, Bollywood celebs are easily accessible here though we had the odd instance of Shahrukh Khan being detained and frisked at Liberty International (Newark) recently. Some called it a publicity stunt.

Literally speaking, Love Aaj Kal is about love nowadays and what it was in the days of yore. Light, sophisticated – sometimes strained and occasionally trivial – the film promotes male lead, Saif Ali Khan in a big way. Wonder if that’s because he was co-producer with Dinesh Vijan.


Deepika and Saif





Jai Vardhan Singh (Saif) and Meera (Deepika Padukone), a young, hip independent-minded couple is involved in a relationship without a commitment. But Jai, a practical guy wants to break up what would possibly be a fruitful relationship. Meera, who restores frescoes in New Delhi, agrees. Flash back: about 30 years. Here is Jai’s older friend, Veer Singh (Rishi Kapoor) from London in his resplendent turban, amazed at seeing Harleen Kaur (played by 20-year-old Brazilian model and Bollywood debutant, Giselli Monteiro), a mellow, conservative Punjabi girl.

Saif plays two roles in the movie: one has the young Jai and the other as a young Veer, both in somewhat comedic roles with success. He seems to carry a mischievous demeanor in his comedic roles that appeals to a younger audience. Director Imtiaz Ali has made yet another easy going film on the lines of his earlier success – Jab We Met (Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor).

Veer (Rishi Kapoor) travels by train from Punjab to Calcutta just to stand under her balcony (Romeo and Juliet, style – of an earlier era). Briefly put, Saif and Deepika are tired of the old ways of courting and want to check out the courting scene before committing. But old-fashioned Veer talks of love being a pure thing and says, one should not deal with it like some type of merchandise. The usual gap between generations. Interaction and dialogues between Jai and Veer constantly revolve round their differences in approaching the concept of love in this film of slightly over two hours. There’s a commendable effort at banter and easy repartee.

These days, the wooing happens across continents with modern social networks such as cell phones and emails, Face Book and Twitter, and one won’t be surprised if one sees soon a Hindi film revolving around the Twitter theme – just as we enjoyed the hit 1998 Hollywood movie, You’ve Got Mail starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Imtiaz Ali and his team have worked diligently with deft camera angles in London, San Francisco, Delhi and Calcutta. Some of the shots are really breathtaking. Pritam Chakraborty’s music had a certain resonance that meshed somewhat harmoniously with the film’s youngish theme though editing by Aarti Bajaj was lacking in parts. Following Om Shanti Om, this was perhaps the first time that Deepika had to prove herself and in Love Aaj Kal she has taken her skill level up a notch creditably.

For the older generation and sentimental types, Love Aaj Kal would bring back memories of Cheeni Kum where an older Amitabh Bachchan, as a chef, had an appetizing interlude with talented Tabu. Ali has handled with aplomb the aspect of distance, longing for each other, the seeming apprehensions and confusions that evolve with today’s wide-ranging options, as also the compulsions that a long-distance relationship necessitates. Sometimes, young folks’ careers are the very reason for a breakup and two love-birds just cannot decide in time to make a success of a relationship.

Its perhaps just a trivial coincidence that both the leads – Saif Ali Khan (son of the cricketer, Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan) and Deepika (daughter of Prakash Padukone) happen to be kids of accomplished international sportsmen from an earlier era. Admittedly, that has nothing to do with their acting.

While the ending didn’t surprise too many people, a cameo from an older Kapoor’s real-life-wife brought the “oohs” and “aahs” in loud decibel. You got to see the movie to see who it is.
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[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Republic of Korea and India.]

Mahishasura was Tyeb Mehta's Signature

"My happiest moments are spent with myself and my art." - Tyeb Mehta.

Accomplished artist and aspiring filmmaker, Tyeb Mehta, who died in July in Mumbai was known for his weakness for bulls and the Mahishasura legend that he created. Over the past few years Mehta's art had created world records in London and New York.

A self-effacing, self-made creator, Mehta's Celebration, an acrylic-on-canvas triptych (240 x 510 cms.), acquired iconic status in 2002 and three years later, his 1997 painting of the buffalo-demon - Mahishasura - being overpowered by goddess Durga, was bought for US$1.58 million, a record for any artist of Indian origin. Since then value for his pieces surpassed the one-million dollar mark twice. Completed in 1956, when he was hardly 31, his Trussed Bull was a forerunner of greater successes.

Born in Kapadvanj, Gujarat, Mehta who got his art diploma in 1952 from J.J. School of Art in Mumbai, said recently, "'I always wanted to be a film maker. I never thought I would become an artist." He was 84. He was a contemporary of well-known names such as Husain (born 1915), Raza (born 1922) and Souza (1924-2002) of the Progressive Arts Group that was founded around India's independence movement (1947) to voice upcoming artists' interests. The New York Times said, he was "the leading light of India's first post-colonial generation of Modernists."

A three-minute short made in Tamil - Koodal - written and directed by Mehta won him the Filmfare Critics' Award in 1970. He also wrote a script on Mahasweta Devi's novel 'Hazaar Chaurasi ki Maa' that was directed by film producer, Govind Nihalani.

Mehta's repertoire included "falling figures" that included the bull, deities, people - some in pain and others in sad contemplation - a reflection of his state of mind around that period. His tones were layered with expressions of intense melancholy blended with fine distinctive lines that helped substantiate but not clarify the overall manifestation.

India honored Mehta in 2007 with a Padma Bhushan and earlier he had picked up the Dayawati Modi Foundation Award for Art & Culture. In 2006, Mehta had said, "I have always been a loner and am still quite a bit of a recluse. My happiest moments are spent with myself and my art." Works from his varied oeuvre will be on sale next month in New York.

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(A New York based independent trend writer, Raj S. Rangarajan reports on the art market, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Canada, Seoul and India.)

RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

Drama & Suspense in Bollywood movie, New York

Raj S. Rangarajan

Its almost Hollywood – it has dramatic action and suspense, a mild love element and fear: its a Aditya Chopra production of the movie, New York and directed by Kabir Khan who earlier made Kabul Express. There is a refreshing candor to the film shot entirely in America though one could detect Bollywood effects.

The film picks up speed from the get-go with Omar (Neil Nitin Mukesh, Johnny Gaddaar) being picked up in a busy street. A scheme designed by Roshan (Irrfan Khan, a FBI sleuth) and his boss to entice Omar to fess up regarding his former college buddy Samir’s (John Abraham) alleged involvement in terrorism, seems to go nowhere.

Flashback to collegial days: happy scenes of students – Samir, Maya (Katrina Kaif, Namastey London) and Omar in a carefree, cheerful environment make for pleasant takes. Omar’s love interest shows up later but generally the almost 3-hour film is fast-moving and one is surprised when 'interval' is announced.

“If I had watched the movie in India I would have found no fault, but since I live in the U.S. now I noticed minor shortcomings such as Liberty State Park being shown in New York (actually its in New Jersey) and I was happily surprised that Katrina, a Hong-Kong born, half-Kashmiri actress of British origin, who reportedly dubbed her own lines, appeared articulate and confident while delivering her lines.” This from pharmaceutical researcher, Anjana Nair, an avid aficionada of Hindi, English and Malayalam movies, whom I met outside the cinema hall. Thirty-plus V. Ranjith, who runs a wine shop in New York said, “Katrina was really friendly and hot and I liked the film.”

Director Kabir Khan seems to have digested thoroughly the 9/11 Report made public in July 2004 by Commission Chairman and former New Jersey governor, Thomas Kean. Kabir’s cues for New York are uncanny, a tribute to his sense of cinema though some stock shots were predictable. He has handled controversial subjects such as racial profiling, torture, water-boarding with panache and professional zeal.

One could not but be reminded of Hollywood movie, Rendition where Anwar played by Omar Metwally, (Munich), gets picked up, and is never told why he is arrested. Anwar, an Egyptian-born engineer is married to Reese Witherspoon and the lady boss who runs the “rendition” program for the American administration is Meryl Streep. Anwar is moved from America to a North African country, but in New York, Samir is tortured at home. Like in Rendition, the makers of New York appear to be earnest about the film’s objectives.

Based partly on “racial profiling” the movie tries to tread new territory though the basic premise presupposes an emotional decision, i.e., why a person is picked up based on name, looks and stereotypes. Howsoever much authorities try to make racial profiling a science it is still a nascent art and the subject is very much a pawn to human frailties. While the viewer may not agree with some of the decisions taken by law enforcement, the movie attempts to honestly represent many aspects of what could happen if one is accidentally on the wrong side of the law.

The title of the movie – New York – should help box office sales in North America even if the storyline were not about terrorism. Like a true FBI sleuth, Irrfan Khan, occasionally gives the impression that he is on the side of the alleged terrorist and in a rare moment, discloses that though married to an Italian he doesn’t favor pasta. One is almost lulled to believe that we are watching a Hollywood drama when suddenly Irrfan’s crisp but accented dialogue jars one to reality.

A scene showing Samir with his sidekicks plotting in the dead of night was straight out of Bollywood. However, some high-rise, chopper and street shots of Manhattan and Philadelphia seemed real. Even Samir scaling the tall downtown building to place his detonating device was creative, and kudos to the skilful camera crew and the editing desk.

High drama and tension grip the final scene with Omar, Roshan and Maya trying to negotiate on behalf of Samir, and how it all ends is an interesting lesson in crisis management. For a comparatively new entrant to the celluloid world, Neil has done a commendable job. John Abraham has come a long way from Viruddh to Dostana to New York and Katrina has matured responsibly in her craft.

Finally, one often wonders why FBI guys in every movie – specially the men – have to yell. Is it because they are trying to drown their own fears or is it an outward manifestation of lack of confidence when confronting a potential gun-wielder.

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[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Republic of Korea and India.]

Bharata Natyam & Bollywood with an Attitude: inDANCE’s show in New York, May 27, 2009

Community » Culture Features » 2009
DesiClub-South Asian Times, New York, May 27, 2009

Bharata Natyam & Bollywood with an Attitude: inDANCE’s show in New York

by Raj S. Rangarajan

It's dance with a difference, its "classical Bharata Natyam" with an attitude: its kicks and sidekicks, its shivers and sputters, its jives, jumps and jumpsuits, its tradition and a cerebral irreverence for the traditional.

What do you call that? Thinking outside the box? More than an explosion of talent, it was an evening that celebrated free expression and originality not to ignore the creative fluid energy that comes with being unrestrained, unshackled and unusual.

It was Toronto-based inDANCE troupe's debut in New York at Joyce Soho in downtown New York. Artistic director, Hari Krishnan, an accomplished dancer himself, who has performed in several parts of the world including the U.K., Toronto, Malaysia, Singapore and India, says, "the objective of the fun-filled event was to produce work that is bold and provocative, and in the process, presenting a differing dimension to South Indian dance."

It was a reiteration that if you can emotionally and metaphysically afford to take wings like a dove you can enjoy the thrill that awaits. But then you need to let yourself go. So, one would obviously ask: how really can one let oneself go on a warm Sunday afternoon when the ambience was friendly and the performers friendlier?

The answer: with an open mind and wild imagination and the notion that there's more to enjoying a dance or sequence than writing a review specially when performers are doing their best to experience and entertain. It is really amazing how much an open mind can accomplish. Initially I started writing notes: soon I realized it was not worth the effort: I got to write from my heart not to fill a column.

If you haven't seen Bharata Natyam (originated 400BCE - 200BCE in South India) earlier you may think this is weird, but then who defines weird? Titled "Box" dancers Nalin Bisnath and Julie Neuspiel faced off as hybrid entities with Julie decked in her traditional Bharata Natyam finery apropos a dancer and Nalin was in jeans. But, perhaps that's where Hari Krishnan's creative genius helped one understand the rhythmic syllable and the ambience of a nontraditional display. Hari did the voice and cymbals as a dance director would. Aaron Paige, a student of ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University and South Indian percussion played the mridangam (percussion instrument) with aplomb.

Bollywood hopscotch confused the audience at times: perhaps it was intentional. But then when free expression takes over one cannot ask a performer to control himself or herself. The viewer has to try to understand what Bollywood (read, Indian cinema) is all about. Being a whimsical take on today's retro-Bollywood, cinema verité entertainment and expression comprising vignettes from dancers Nalin Bisnath, Beth Despres, Hiroshi Miyamoto, Masumi Sato, Vinod Shankar and Emily Watts, the transition from "natyam" (choreographed dance) to Bollywood (fancy-free) was agreeable though questionable.

But in its New York Premiere "Owning Shadows" was a different cup of tea: it was an interpretation of the centuries-old Indian epic, the "Ramayana" where the exiled young prince, Rama spurns the advances of the ogress, Shurpanakha and instead is charmed by his demure wife and princess, Sita. Combining Balinese dance with a modern version of Bharata Natyam, Hiroshi Miyamoto and Emily Watts excelled effortlessly. A New York-based performer, Emily's versatility and credits that included ballet, vaudeville showed.

A rehearsal director for inDANCE since 2003 and performer with diverse styles, Hiroshi's act was a cinch.

Beth Despres, who has been trained in ballet and modern dance was fluid in "Inverse" as one would expect, and so were Hiroshi and Masumi Sato. Originally from Japan "accomplished performers" Hiroshi and Masumi brought new meaning to the art of stealth while being seemingly effortless in movement. Solo performer, Joshua Green, who is learning dance at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, was eclectic and drew laughter when doing "Mea Culpa" in an exploitative, exotic exercise. The costume was original to say the least and one's concentration tended to waiver.

Choreography by Krishnan was exemplary all through but Shane Mongar's lighting left some questions unanswered about what was intended and what had to be concealed. Rex's costumes were original and one was hard-pressed to be a voyeur at some of the creations.

Soft-spoken but intense on stage, Krishnan's passion for the dance form is naturally fluid and seamless. Hari dances, choreographs, teaches both traditional Bharata Natyam and its more contemporary forms. A visiting professor at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, Hari holds a Master's Degree in Dance from York University, Toronto and a Master's in Religion and Philosophy from the University of Manitoba, Canada.

Indian art prices soar in London

More private collectors of Indian origin are picking up art...

Within a week after Christie's exciting June art sale in London, auctioneer, Sotheby's followed up with their sale of Indian contemporary art that totaled 2.06 million GBP (3.38 million USD) on June 16 at Bond Street. Most of the top drawer items were sold at prices much higher than estimated - a positive indication that the art market is turning around slowly but surely.

Among the top ten were older artists such as enduring favourite, M.F. Husain (born 1915), Francis Newton Souza (1924-2002), Manjit Bawa (1941-2008), Krishen Khanna (b. 1925) and Bikash Bhattacharjee (1940-2006).

Day Dreaming - an ink-and-pastel (lacquered) composition created in 1979 by 70-year-old Jogen Chowdhury was the subject of a heated bidding battle between art collectors and eventually it was bought by an American collector for a record amount of 2.91 crores INR (3,73,250 GBP or 6,09,629 USD). This piece became more than a bone of contention since this rare art with exceptional provenance was being made available for sale for the first time ever. It was exhibited at the Sao Paulo Biennale in 1979.

Chowdhury's distinctive style of fluid lines and simple sensitive forms with awareness for pattern and texture (152 cms. x 182 cms.) perhaps helped it attain such a high price. With a weakness for obese figures in his drawings, Chowdhury tends to be traditional and on the money when his cross-hatching frames merge. Says Chowdhury, "I have always been fascinated by the conventional forms of a sari draping around a woman's body, and I have sought through that image, forms of my own making, in a new manner." A textile designer at the Weavers' Service Centre in Chennai during the late 1960s, Chowdhury moved to Delhi in 1972 as curator of paintings at the Rashtrapati Bhavan at the President's Estate.

Also scoring at three times the high estimate of 1,20,000 GBP was Orange Head, an oil-on-canvas by Souza (1963), that was bought for 403,250 GBP (658,628 USD). Just shows that in spite of a certain coolness in the art market over the past year deals continue to be made. Souza has not been without controversies but now that the artist has passed on, there is more value-added interest in his paintings.

Formerly an exclusive preserve of wealthy foreigners we now see more private collectors of Indian origin picking up contemporary art as witnessed by sale of artist Bawa's Untitled oil-on-canvas, for 85,250 GBP (139,239 USD) and Husain's oil-on-canvas - Woman in Red which sold at 82,850 GBP (135,319 (USD).

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(A New York based independent trend writer, Raj S. Rangarajan reports on the art market, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Canada, Seoul and India.)

Seventy-seven Minutes of Comedy: Curtain Falls on Desipina

Community » Culture Features » 2009

Raj recaps Desipina & Company's Seven.11 Convenience Theatre

The curtain falls on fusion arts company, Desipina & Company's Seven.11 Convenience Theatre after seven fun-filled years. Ably run by sisters Rehana Mirza, Artistic Director and Rohi Mirza Pandya, Producing Director, Desipina's mini-productions were a labor of love that cast seven talented actors and seven playwrights this year and ensured an audience that celebrated South Asian and Asian Pacific genres. Says, Rohi, "It's been an incredible journey but we are ready to close up shop for good since we're shifting priorities."

Adds Rohi, "In part, our artistic aspirations have moved beyond what can be done in 11 minutes, with all of our artists, including ourselves, running the store with little to no funding. We want to be able to end on a high note with Seven.11, while also turning an eye towards a future where South Asian and Asian American theater is valued to the point where it has as many donors as other mainstream non-profit theaters."

Last week's inaugural show of seven sketches (each lasting 11 minutes) set in the American 7-11 convenience store at Centerstage in Manhattan were hilarious, and excelling were Kavi Ladnier (versatile bundle of fun, the woman cannot stand still -- Color Me Desi), Andrew Guilarte (his professionalism and experience showed), Cindy Cheung (wild and restrained in turns in What's in Store, written by Rehana), Tim Cain (the big-made clerk, who appeared dangerous, yet sensitive, when provoked in One Dollar Box), Jay J. Lee (as Old Su in Closing Up Shop), Sam Ghosh (who continued to surprise in Soonderella), and Christopher Larkin (as convincing nerd in Closing Up Shop).

Admirable writing was the hallmark of the skits and scribes have used positive and unusual stereotypes that New York city offers, to maximum advantage. While occasionally the rhymes and music didn't resonate perhaps because of inadequate acoustics controls the ultimate effect didn't suffer too much.

Character names such as Chandrakant Scroogewala, Soonderella (desi "Cinderella"), Foffatlal were obvious giveaways and it is creditable that Desipina executed these witty plays with professional aplomb. Kavi was a riot in Soonderella with Cindy (Helen Anti), an able foil and Foffatlal (Sam Ghosh). Addressing Prince Charming Singh (Andrew Guilarte) as "You are my Taj Mahal" Cindy's spoof line had a charming touch. It was obvious, most of the actors loved the challenge of playing outside of their own skins.

To a question by the writer about how difficult or easy it was for her to manage a diverse group of actors with multi-racial identities and fusion lifestyles in the plays, Rohi said, "Everyone brings to the table drastically different perspectives, which only helps to create a livelier discussion, which shows on the stage. One of the main reasons why we created Seven.11 was to show the broad spectrum of the Asian American experience, and to show that there is not just one story that encompasses it all. The fact that everyone is so unique and has such different backgrounds precisely proves our point. We love to mix the pot up and show that there's no need to be afraid to stick everyone on one stage together." The diversity of the ensemble, and of the playwrights actually helped. Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri had their writing and music cut out for them in A Very Desi Christmas with Andrew, the ideal scrooge. Sanjiv served as dialect coach, Rishi Chowdhary phonetically wrote out some of his Guyanese dialogue for Kavi in Color Me Desi.

The seven actors of the multi-cultural chorus that belted out the final "Om jagadeesha harey" would have brought tears of joy to the NOA (Network of Anti-gees), a clever take on well-meaning real life "aunties" from back home and from Edison, New Jersey. Only the obligatory flame and incense stick were missing.

About future plans for Seven.11, Rohi confided, "We would love to share a theater space with other innovative Off-off Broadway companies such as Youngblood or Vampire Cowboys, so that we can focus more on the art that we want to create rather than the woes of producing on a shoestring budget in somebody else's space."

Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York-based trend writer, reports on the art market and has contributed to publications in the U.S., Canada, Republic of Korea and India. Email: raj.rangarajan@gmail.com.

Last Supper & Bollywood Depiction in London

The art scene shifted to London where South Asian modern and contemporary art works of Indian and Pakistani artists were auctioned. Apart from known names such as Husain, Tyeb Mehta, Ram Kumar, Raza and Souza, creations by younger artists such as Rashid Rana, Atul Bhalla, Vivek Vilasini and Navin Rawnchaikul sought art collectors and buyers.

With art buying in a holding pattern these days, this writer asked Yamini Mehta, Director, Modern and Contemporary Indian Art at Christie's, London, whether collectors, galleries and dealers were hesitating to purchase major art items. Assured Mehta, "works of significance, quality and rarity find their way to collectors with little hesitation. As we are in a buyer's market there are many more opportunities to acquire - which has actually brought back many long-standing collectors into the market." While Indian artists have crossed the US$1.5 million-dollar sale threshold a few times Mehta sounded optimistic in "regard to marquee works entering the market and the day is not far away from a US$5 or 10 million milestone for a work of Indian art."

Navin Rawanchaikul (born, 1971) of Thai origin has ancestral roots in Hindu-Punjabi communities of what is now Pakistan. Navin's Lost Kingdom of Navin, (2008) is a tribute to his interest in Bollywood and to fellow artists such as Ravinder Reddy, Nataraj Sharma, Subodh Gupta, Chintan Upadhyay seen as a frivolous take in a constellation of film stars and look-a-likes. Navin's work is site-specific and his innovative style integrates his individual experiences into eccentric fictional tales. His works include installations, films, comic books, games, mobile galleries and painted cars.

Many households have on display the well-known "Last Supper" painting in their family rooms or meditation area. But, artistically speaking, here is a twist. Kerala artist, Vivek Vilasini's archival canvas Last Supper - Gaza, (2008) is an unusual reenactment of 15th century artist, Leonardo da Vinci's composition of the apostles in threes (surrounding the central figure of Christ). Vivek's figures have young women clothed in chadors or burqas revealing only their sensitive eyes filled with suspense and anxiety. A multimedia artist and photographer, Vivek (born, 1964) trained as a Marine Radio Officer in Kochi before turning to art and sculpture.

(A New York based independent trend writer, Raj S. Rangarajan reports on the art market, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Canada, Seoul and India.)

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RAJ S RANGARAJAN