Dithee review – Sumitra Bhave’s last film heals the grief of loss

May 22, 2021 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

Filmmaker Sumitra Bhave passed away last month on April 12, just over a month before her first solo and last film Dithee released on Sony LIV. She and fellow filmmaker Sunil Sukthankar have been instrumental in making films that touch you purely through visuals and unspoken words over the decades.

Their 2017 offering Kaasav provided a feeling of healing, apart from being a brilliant cinematic experience. Bhave has provided a healing touch at a much larger level in Dithee through a completely different story, characters and milieu.

Based on the short story Aata Aamod Sunasi Aale by DB Mokashi, Dithee is based in a village occupied by a large number of warkaris; those who worship Vitthal-Rakhumai and take a pilgrimage every year. Ramji (Kishore Kadam) is devastated with the death of his young son after he drowns in the river. Worse, he is also shattered to see his daughter-in-law (Anjali Patil) giving birth to a girl at the same time. Ramji has lost all interest in life.

Dithee cast — Mohan Agashe, Girish Kulkarni and Dilip Prabhavalkar

Meanwhile, the cow in the house of Parubai (Amruta Subhash) and her husband (Shashank Shende) is having grave problems in pregnancy. They are unable to see the pain and suffering of the animal. Parubai thinks of taking Ramji’s help as he is an expert in this field. However, she is hesitant as Ramji himself is going through a terrible time with his loss.

Three other people [Dilip Prabhavalkar, Mohan Agashe and Girish Kulkarni] from Ramji’s warkari group are severely concerned for his condition and are ready to take efforts to make him feel better.

Dithee transforms you into a different world of the grieving Ramji and the worried Parubai. Despite the constant rains being symbolical to the inner gloomy state of the characters, you can’t help but appreciate the visual treat the film provides. Dhananjay Kulkarni, the cinematographer, has made fine use of the village Aalandi and other rural locations.

Dithee might appear like a slow-burner in the first half but that was necessary to establish the characters and their gloomy world. And once that happens and the film reaches the last 30-40 minutes, it brings out a number of moving as well as nail-biting moments as the cow is about to deliver the calf.

Kadam’s performance is the key here, especially in the ending moments. His emotional determination to get the cow deliver while going through a personal turmoil easily makes this as one of his best performances.

As is the case with Bhave’s past films, the entire cast has risen to the occasion. Amruta shines as a concerned yet strong woman while Shende gives her able support. The trio of Prabhavalkar, Agashe and Kulkarni put their right foot forward. Patil also contributes well as the mother of a new-born going through a tumultuous phase.

Due to the subject, it is a no-brainer that Dithee has quite a few devotional numbers aimed at Lord Vitthal. The one at the end not only takes the cake but also heals and uplifts you.

Dithee is currently streaming on Sony LIV

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Sumitra Bhave

Producers: Dr Mohan Agashe and Sumitra Bhave Films

Writers: DB Mokashi (short story) and Sumitra Bhave

Cast: Kishore Kadam, Amruta Subhash, Shashank Shende, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Mohan Agashe, Girish Kulkarni, Anjali Patil

Music: Parth Umrani and Saket Kanetkar

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The Disciple (Marathi movie) Review

Rann keeps getting more relevant and that’s not a good sign

Disney+ Hotstar CENSORS small bit from an episode of Malgudi Days, a 35-year-old show

May 14, 2021 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

Disney+ Hotstar has censored a small bit from the first episode of the first season of the old classic television serial Malgudi Days [thanks to my friend Roy Daniel D’Silva for pointing this out]. The platform has recently started streaming the show directed by Shankar Nag.

The said scene is the one where Swami is attending a session by a catholic priest in his school. The priest is seen mocking idol worship. He says, “Tum gande, bejaan moortiyon ki puja kyun karte ho?” [Why are you worshipping dirty and lifeless idols of God?]

The platform has edited out the word “gande” in the above sentence uttered by the priest.

Malgudi Days on Disney+ Hotstar — YouTube screenshot

To censor a 35-year-old TV serial [it was aired for the first time in 1986] and that too from Doordarshan is bewildering netizens. Plus, the show has had several re-runs regularly till recent times. But the aforementioned content never saw any eyebrows raised, leave alone igniting any sort of protest.

Interestingly, Malgudi Days has been streaming on YouTube since more than 10 years after being uploaded by random users. Ultra Bollywood channel has been officially streaming it for five years. But none of the versions on YouTube ever edited out that word.

[Watch the show on YouTube by clicking HERE. The scene in question comes at exactly 2 minutes. Watch the same scene on Disney+ Hotstar by clicking HERE]

Interestingly, the show is also currently streamed on Amazon Prime Video, but over there too the word hasn’t been cut off.

So, why is it believed that the uncensored scene would invite controversy only if it’s streamed on Disney+ Hotstar?

The platform has a reputation of editing out bits from their shows that appear controversial. But this is a 35-year-old show and that too belonging to the sanskar-iest channel India has ever seen.

For those not in the know:

Malgudi Days is one of the most loved shows on Doordarshan that was aired for the first time in 1986. It tells simple but appealing stories from a fictitious town Malgudi, situated in southern India.

1998: When 2 Indian teams were selected for 2 different series

May 11, 2021 by Keyur Seta 7 Comments

The BCCI (Board of Control of Cricket in India) has decided to send India’s B team for the white ball tour of Sri Lanka in July. The reason being that the tour will clash with India’s test tour of England, which is more important.

Players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane and Jaspreet Bumrah are included in the test squad. Similarly, the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Sanju Samson have been kept aside for the SL tour.

After going through numerous social media posts, it seems a lot of people feel this is the first time that an Indian team is split into two for two different tours. But that is far from true.

In 1998, the Indian team was split into two due to the circumstances that cropped up back then.

Team India was all set to play its annual Sahara Cup series against Pakistan in September. But the Commonwealth Games were also held at the same time in Kuala Lumpur and that year it also included cricket as one of the sports.

The BCCI decided to send India’s main team to compete against Pakistan. That series was official while the Commonwealth ODIs were only given a List A status. However, the then Sports Minister Suresh Kalmadi imposed a lot of pressure on the BCCI to send a strong team for the Commonwealth Games.

Tendulkar at Commonwealth games — Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin

Hence, the board divided the main players into two teams for the Sahara Cup and the Commonwealth Games. [The upcoming Commonwealth Games in 2022 will also feature Cricket for both men and women]

The decision of sending Sachin Tendulkar for the CWG made cricket fans raise their eyebrows. The star Indian cricketer was having the most incredible time of his career in that year and they hoped to see him in the series that mattered more.

Other main players that were asked to represent India at the CWG included Ajay Jadeja (captain), Anil Kumble (vice-captain), Robin Singh and Harbhajan Singh. For the Sahara Cup, the board sent regulars like Sourav Ganguly, Mohammad Azharuddin (captain), Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Ajit Agarkar.

The CWG had as many as 16 teams participating. It had teams like Jamaica, Antigua & Barbuda and Barbados taking part separately instead of playing under the umbrella of the West Indies. It also had Northern Ireland instead of just Ireland. Only Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Zimbabwe sent their full strength teams.

The final result of this exercise turned out to be unfavorable for both the Indian sides. India lost the Sahara Cup by 4-1 and it couldn’t reach the second round in the Commonwealth Games. Indian even struggled against Antigua before rains washed out the match. That series was eventually won by South Africa; a rare world title for them.

But there was more drama in store. After failing to qualify in the second round of the CWG, the BCCI decided to send Tendulkar for the last two ODIs in the Sahara Cup. However, there was some miscommunication and they couldn’t trace Tendulkar, who had gone to Khandala to relax with his family.

Finally, the board was able to contact Tendulkar and he was sent in to play the last ODI in Toronto, although India had already lost the series. He played well scoring 77 and India post a good total of 256 only to lose that match too.

Tendulkar’s 77 in the last ODI of the Sahara Cup along with Azharuddin’s 101

I remember Sunil Gavaskar singing his own version of the popular song ‘Aati Kya Khandala’ before that match while describing the confusion regarding Tendulkar’s presence [or absence].

But such a scenario is not at all expected this time around in 2021 for two reasons. The board is willingly sending two different sides in England and Sri Lanka. More importantly, we have a large number of good players that can easily fit into two squads of 14 or 15 players.

Also read:

Sachin’s 1st first-class 200 vs Australia in 1998: Forgotten moments

One of Wasim Akram’s biggest achievements is forgotten

The Disciple (Marathi movie) Review

May 1, 2021 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

In his Marathi feature film debut Court (2015), Chaitanya Tamhane threw light on the sad scene of the functioning of our legal system. With The Disciple [Marathi movie], he has chosen to highlight the dwindling scenario of Hindustani classical music through the eyes of the young protagonist Sharad Nerulkar (Aditya Modak).

The filmmaker dwelled steeply into the subject of his first film. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise to see him do exactly the same here, despite the subject being as different from Court as chalk and cheese.

Tamhane has continued his unhurried approach in narrating the protagonist’s journey and the world around him. Hailing from strictly a middle-class household, Sharad religiously learns Hindustani classical singing from his expert guru Pandit Vinayak Pradhan (Dr Arun Dravid). Sharad is eager to become the master of this art.

To achieve this, he decides not opt for any job, so that he can concentrate merely on singing. Even if this means going against the wishes of his mother [who we never see or hear except in the flashback]. However, the circumstances around him stop Sharad from achieving mastery in the art, as per the expectations of his guru. But he is not ready to give up.

Just like in Court, the unhurried approach works wonders for it not only helps you gain sympathy for Sharad but it also makes you a part of his world. The slow-motions scenes of him riding his bike in the dead of night while listening to his idol Maai summarize his world and life beautifully.

Maai was the guru of Sharad’s own guru. Her thoughts of music and ideals make Sharad his indirect disciple. The voice of the late filmmaker Sumitra Bhave as Maai is perfect to the T.

The Disciple also makes a statement against the commercialization of music and singing reality shows in a hard-hitting but subtle manner. We are shown one female contestant in a show designed straight out of those reality shows. She is in love with classical music when she enters the show but by the second season, the show changes her. Sharad, of course, hates this but we are told this only through his expressions, as one can expect from Tamhane.

The film, overall, is a journey of an artist of true nature and what all he goes through in a world where art isn’t appreciated in its true form. But this is still not enough for him to forget his ideals.

Over here, Sharad, after growing up, continues to be a purist and makes a living through his art. This side of his has come out very well in the scene where he expresses his displeasure over a boy wanting to pursue fusion music while learning classical. This aspect will make the film relatable even for artistes from other field of arts.

It’s a no brainer that a film based on classical music must contain top-notch music from the genre. Else this would have easily affected the film. Composers Aneesh Pradhan and Naren Chadavarkar don’t let this happen even a bit. The classical songs are a treat even if you are not into classical music.

Still from The Disciple — Dr Arun Dravid and Aditya Modak

The film can boast of high level technical aspects in terms of the cinematography (Michal Sobocinski) and the background score. Both aspects don’t overdo and stay firm with the simple theme of the narrative. The production design by Pooja Talreja and Ravin D Karde brings out even the minutest of details, especially while showing the interiors of Sharad and his guru’s humble residences.

Tamhane has cast people from different fields as actors. They never make you feel as if they are not professional actors. Aditya Modak’s act is as praiseworthy as the content of the film. It’s no surprise that he is utterly realistic in scenes where he is singing. But he brings out the confusion, frustration and despair of the protagonist without trying hard. There is an absolute absence of any sort of cliché while conveying his state of mind at any given point.

Dr Arun Dravid, another thespian in the field of classical music, is also completely believable as an old and fragile artist who is struggling to live. The same is the case with writer and filmmaker Kiran Yadnyopavit as Sharad’s late father.

Overall, Chaitanya Tamhane once again succeeds in showing the mirror artistically to a world poles apart from Court.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Disciple is streaming on Netflix

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Rann keeps getting more relevant and that’s not a good sign

Superstar’s Silence: Why Halla Bol is more relevant today

Sachin’s 1st first-class 200 vs Australia in 1998: Forgotten moments

April 22, 2021 by Keyur Seta 9 Comments

1998 belonged to Sachin Tendulkar. He was unstoppable in that year, especially against Australia, be it in tests or ODIs.

His two heroic centuries in Sharjah, mountain of runs in the test series at home, 5-wicket haul in the ODI series and some quality innings in the same series, a century and 4-wicket haul in the first ICC Champions Trophy match; all came in the same year against the Aussies. Along with this, Tendulkar also scored an unbeaten 100 against Zimbabwe in the Sharjah Cup Final later that year.

But one of the major achievements of his career also happened in 1998 that people seem to have forgotten. I have never heard this being mentioned in any of the cricket discussions I have heard or read over the decades.

It came in the practice match between Mumbai and Australia at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai in February 1998. Here’s revisiting that match as the Master Blaster celebrates his 48^th birthday.

Apart from Tendulkar’s greatness on the field, another reason I can’t forget this match is because it was the first time that I set foot inside a cricket stadium.

I was in eighth standard and had started following cricket keenly a couple of years before during the 1996 World Cup. When I came to know that the practice match will be played in Mumbai in which Tendulkar will be playing for his home Ranji team, I got all excited. It didn’t take much to convince my father, which was a pleasant surprise since he wasn’t so interested in cricket.

We went on the second day of the 3-day match. Australia had declared their first innings on 305 for 8 on the previous day.

Sachin Tendulkar 200 — Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne [File photos]

As we entered the premises of the stadium, my excitement knew no bounds. I couldn’t believe I would be entering a cricket stadium for the first time ever. Same was the case with my younger brother.

It was a surreal moment when we finally reached the stands and could see the ground. I was amazed to witness the big names of Australian cricket in front of my eyes; the likes of Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Mark Taylor, Ian Healy, Michael Slater, Paul Reiffel, etc.

We got a display of some quality batting right at the start. Much before Tendulkar, it was Mumbai’s left-handed opener Amit Pagnis who hit Warne around the ground; even hitting against the spin over mid-off. Warne’s nightmare on that tour actually started on that day and it was Pagnis who inaugurated it.

This was the first time I came to know that the Indian crowd actually starts celebrating when the home team’s second wicket falls because that’s when Tendulkar comes out to bat. So when Pagnis got out after a well-made 50, in came the Master Blaster.

I still can’t forget the heart-pumping moment when Tendulkar came out amid loud cheers and whistles and a lot of dust in the air when he took guard. I was finally seeing him in front of my eyes after watching him numerous times on TV.

He started hitting the ball right from the word go. Like everyone else, I was keen to see him bat against Warne. When the moment came, Tendulkar, showing no respect for the bowler, just started hitting him around. He hit some quality drives and cuts. But his pull short against the spin is the one shot I remember the most. After a while, it felt Tendulkar was batting in the nets.

There were few hiccups for Mumbai when Sanjay Manjrekar was runout after Tendulkar flicked Warne at square leg. It was Manjrekar’s last first-class appearance as he had announced his retirement. It was sad to see him get out in this fashion after reaching 39 in his last match for Mumbai.

This was followed by Vinod Kambli’s dismissal for 10 with Mumbai being 161 for 4. But Amol Muzumdar (42) and Rajesh Sutar (45) had useful partnerships with Tendulkar.

Tendulkar’s 155 vs Australia in the 1st test at Chennai in 1998 right after the practice match for Mumbai against the same opposition

In between that phase, I got to experience the moment when Tendulkar reached his 100. It was magical to be able to witness it in my first match in a stadium. I don’t remember cheering and clapping to this extent ever before. The same was the case when Tendulkar reached 150 and 200.

The double century was an important milestone as it was the first time Tendulkar reached that number in first-class cricket. His previous best was 179 against West Indies in 1994 at Nagpur. Mumbai declared its innings at 410 for 6.

While returning back, I had the most satisfactory feeling. I knew I would be able to recall this day throughout my life. I felt it can’t get better than this in a Mumbai vs Australia match.

But it did. The next day, which was the third and final day, I switched on the radio to follow the match. Much to my extreme surprise, Australian wickets were falling like a pack of cards. They got all out for a paltry 135! This meant Mumbai needed to score just 31 runs to win, which they did in 5.3 overs with all wickets intact at around 1:30 pm.

I couldn’t imagine Mumbai defeating Australia in two and a half days. 1998 deserves to be remembered for this match too…

Note: There is no recording of this match available as it wasn’t telecast. See the full scorecard HERE.

Also read:

Only time Tendulkar was NOT selected in team India, neither injured nor rested

One of Wasim Akram’s biggest achievements is forgotten

Rann keeps getting more relevant and that’s not a good sign

April 13, 2021 by Keyur Seta 8 Comments

Rann (2010) was one of the better films created by Ram Gopal Varma. It came at a time when the filmmaker was being written off, especially after the debacle of Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag (2007), the remake of Ramesh Sippy’s classic Sholay (1975).

Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Paresh Rawal, Sudeep, Mohnish Bahl, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi and Gul Panaag, Rann gave more than a glimpse of the RGV of his prime.

Unfortunately, the film just didn’t work at the box office and couldn’t reach a large number of the audience.

But since the last few years, Rann has been appearing more relevant than it did more than a decade ago when it had released. In fact, it continues to get more relevant with each passing year and that isn’t a good sign.

Rann was basically about Vijay Harshwardhan Malik (Bachchan), the righteous and honest owner of a news channel called India 24/7. His channel is struggling with TV ratings since he is not willing to carry out any unethical and dishonest means to up the ratings, like other rival channels, including the one headed by the corrupt Amrish Kakkar (Bahl).

Vijay’s son Jai (Sudeep) has the opposite ideology but is unable to do anything since it is his father who controls the channel, much to his frustration. Meanwhile, Purab Shastri (Deshmukh), a die-hard fan of Vijay and a budding journalist, is delighted to have got the opportunity to work for India 24/7.

Apart from being a film on the media, Rann was also a political drama. Mohan Pandey (Rawal) from the opposition is desperate to become the Prime Minister. He forms a deal with Jai to frame the existing PM Digvijay Hooda (KK Raina) in a terror plot. Jai convinces Vijay about Hooda’s involvement in the scandal and the latter airs the ‘news’ on his channel.

This results in an uproar in the nation and Hooda is forced to step down as the PM. The general elections are held mid-term in which Pandey triumphs and is all set to become the next PM. However, Purab gets to know about Jai’s evil plan to frame the innocent Hooda. But is it too late?

Although the term ‘fake news’ isn’t spelt out in Rann, that is the crux of the film’s basic plot. However, fake news as a concept was hardly there in 2010, so, obviously, it wasn’t known by the masses. Hence, the seriousness of the subject wasn’t felt by the audience back then.

But today, we are living in an era where fake news is not just a reality but a regularity. Political parties use it on a daily basis to score brownie points over their rivals. Their leaders are painted as saints while the opposing party leaders are made to look like evil through posts and memes that appear like real news.

Rann had a long and powerful tagline that can be seen above

And our gullible citizens believe them without bothering to do any kind of verification. The controversy of the death of Sushant Singh Rajput received more fuel because of fake news. It went to such an extent that ‘news’ like how some top Hindi film stars saw the live telecast of Rajput’s ‘murder’ were spread and they were believed even by well-educated individuals.

Rann also went way ahead of its time and showed a news channel airing fake news. This might have appeared difficult to believe 10 years back but today this is also a reality. There have been instances where channels have aired ‘news’ that can be sourced only to What’s App forwards.

Rann ends in a powerful way when Vijay addresses the nation and begs forgiveness for airing fake news about Hooda. The dialogues and Bachchan’s performance provides goose bumps as we are told the responsibility of the media from scratch.

Big B’s climax monologue in Rann

A line spoken by Vijay’s character sums up the relevance of the film today – Jab sarkar aur media satta ki duad mein aapsi sauda kar leti hain, toh khabarein banti nahin, banai jaati hain [When the government and the media make a deal in the race to power, news doesn’t happen; it is created]

Andha Yug to be discussed, screened at META online event on 2nd, 3rd April

April 1, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

The Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) has organized a conversation around the classic Hindi play Andha Yug on Friday 2 April at 7 pm IST on their official Facebook page and YouTube channel.

The topic of the conversation is Andha Yug: The Theatrics of Visual and Improv. Joy Maisnam, Sajida and Mohd. Shahnawa will be talking to Ajit Rai, the moderator.

The following day (Saturday 3 April) there will be an online performance of Andha Yug on 7 pm IST again on their official Facebook page and YouTube channel. The play will be performed by artistes from across India.

A verse play, Andha Yug is set against the backdrop of the last day of the Mahabharata war until the final moments of Lord Krishna’s life. The moral centre of the play lies in Krishna and his presence which reveals to us that the ethical and the just are always available to human beings, even at the worst of times.

To visit META’s Facebook page, click HERE

To visit META’s YouTube channel, click HERE

When Livingstone’s team won a ONE-DAY match by 500 runs!

March 30, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

We all have seen teams winning one-day matches by huge margins, especially while playing against minnows. But the info I came across about Liam Livingstone during India’s third and final ODI against England on Sunday 28 March shocked me.

One of the commentators shared this interesting trivia when England’s Livingstone came into bat.

In 2015, when Livingstone was just 21-year old, he played a 45-over one-day match for his club Nantwich CC against Caldy in Cheshire in the Royal London Club Championship.

Liam Livingstone after the match — Liam Livingstone with Ben Johnston after the match [Photo credits: Nantwich CC Twitter page]

Livingstone went onto score as many as, hold your breath, a mammoth 350 runs in just 138 balls. He hit 34 fours and 27 sixes! His team scored an unbelievable total of 579 runs in the allotted 45 overs!

He also had a partnership of as many as 290 runs with fellow batsman Ben Johnston, which is considered a record.

Speaking about his innings, Livingstone had told in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo, “It was just one of those days when everything I did came off. Every shot I tried to play, most came out of the middle [of the bat]. All the edges went past fielders. Balls landed in the gap. I think it was just my day and luckily I cashed in on it.”

Interestingly, there were still 9 overs to go when Livingstone got out. “I was out with 9 overs to go. I was quite disappointed that I didn’t get more [laughs]. It’s just one of those things,” he added.

At that time, it was believed 350 is the highest score in any form of limited overs matches in the world. However, it was later learnt that in 2013, an Australian batsman Ashley Gray had smashed 358 not out in a 40-over match for Royal Household Cricket Club against Tambler Valley Ramblers. His team went onto score 454 for 1 in 40 overs.

Livingstone 350 runs scorecard — Scorecard of the match [Photo credits: Nantwich CC Twitter page]

But it is believed that the margin of victory for Livingstone’s club team is the highest ever in limited overs cricket around the world.

In reply to his team’s 579, the opposing team Caldy was all out for just 79! Hence, Livingstone’s club team won the match by a whopping 500 runs!

In case somebody is aware of any instance where a team won a limited overs match by more than 500 runs, do mention it in the comments.

Also read:

He played 1 test but has ZERO tests to his name

When Indian crowd was in no MOOD to see India win

When Jayasuriya-Afridi opened batting together for a noble cause

March 19, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya and Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi were two of the most destructive batsmen in the mid to late 1990s era. Both were at the peak of their form at the same time.

Jayasuriya broke the record for fastest 100 in ODIs [one-day internationals] in 48 balls against Pakistan in 1996 in Singapore. Afridi, on the other hand, broke that record against the Sri Lanka in the same year when he scored 100 off just 37 balls in Nairobi.

I remember having discussions in school at that time on what would happen if Jayasuriya and Afridi were in the same team and they opened the batting together. I would regularly note down my World XI team and would include both the players in it.

The dream of watching Jayasuriya and Afridi in the same team came true all of a sudden when a match between India and Rest of the World [ROW] was planned.

The match was organized on 30 December 1997 by Sathya Sai Baba at his model village in Puttaparthi. A stadium was specially created for this match in a short time. It’s perhaps the only cricket stadium that has big statues of various Gods like Hanuman, Shankar, Jesus and Buddha on the boundaries.

The purpose behind the match was to promote unity among the various nations of the world through spirituality. The stadium offered a perfect setting to achieve the goal. More so with school students taking out a rally with the flags of every country in the world.

The dignitaries who attended the match included the then Indian Prime Minister IK Gujral, former Indian cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and EAS Prasanna, former Pakistani cricketers Zaheer Abbas and Hanif Mohammad and former West Indian players Clive Lloyd and Alvin Kallicharran. Syed Kirmani, another former Indian cricketer, was the commentator.

The dignitaries seated (Photo source: Radiosai.org)

India was captained by Sachin Tendulkar and World XI by Arjuna Ranatunga. The latter consisted mostly of Sri Lankan and Pakistani players. The Indians came up with a full strength side despite it being an unofficial match. Apart from Tendulkar, they had the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Ajay Jadeja, Venkatesh Prasad, Sunil Joshi etc.

India won the toss and opted to bat in the 45-over contest and made a big score of 289 for 4. Tendulkar was the star of the innings as he scored 88 not out, followed by Jadeja (77) and Dravid (62). I have a slight memory of few aggressive shots by Tendulkar and Dravid.

Then came the moment I was waiting for as Jayasuriya and Afridi came out to open. They started off decently but their opening partnership didn’t yield much as Afridi was dismissed soon. But Jayasuriya scored a quick 45, followed by Arjuna Ranatunga’s 67.

However, no other batsman showed any form as the World XI was bowled out for just 165 in just 26.2 overs. Prasad, Joshi and Sairaj Bahutule had bowling figures of 4-37, 3-24 and 3-16 respectively. India comfortably won by a heavy margin of 124 runs.

For complete details of the match, click HERE.

After defeating Jayasuriya and company — Indian team with the Unity Cup (Photo source: Radiosai.org)

Unfortunately, no video footage of this match is available anywhere on the internet. In fact, even a proper scorecard of the match isn’t available anywhere except a part of it here HERE.

Hopefully, someone might remember this match and try to find out any video after going through the article. The match was telecast by Doordarshan. They surely would have it in the archives.

Although it wasn’t a close contest by any means, at least the view of the beautiful stadium should be worth revisiting this match.

Also read:

Forgotten Cricket Moments: The real Lagaan match at Brabourne Stadium

He played 1 test but has ZERO tests to his name

Superstar’s Silence: Why Halla Bol is more relevant today

March 11, 2021 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

To say that a film was ahead of its times has become a cliché. But there is no better way to describe Rajkumar Santoshi’s Ajay Devgn-starrer Halla Bol (2008). The film would have surely made more heads turn had it released in the current era.

Halla Bol traces the journey of Ashfaque Khan (Devgn). Hailing from a small town in India, he was named after the revolutionary Ashfaqulla Khan. Ashfaque dreams of becoming a film star. He joins a theatre group run by a reformed dacoit Sidhu (Pankaj Kapur) as a first step towards fulfilling his dream.

Sidhu specializes in using the medium of theatre to expose social evils and raise issues that are plaguing the society. Ashfaque wholeheartedly takes part in all such plays that aim to make a difference in the society, staying true to his name.

Meanwhile, Ashfaque’s efforts to get a break in movies pay off and he soon acquires the status of a star. He changes his name from Ashfaque Khan to Sameer Khan. But along with his name, he also changes as a person. Unlike Ashfaque, Sameer plainly refuses to take part in a play organized by Sidhu once for a social cause because this could hamper his star status, much to the shock and disappointment of the latter.

Not just that, the simple and innocent Ashfaque now becomes a womanizer and cheats his childhood love and wife (Vidya Balan) on numerous occasions.

Sameer’s biggest turning point arrives when he witnesses a murder at a party. He doesn’t testify against the culprits out of fear. But when his conscience doesn’t allow him to be at peace, he decides to carry out his duty as a responsible citizen by naming the killers to the police.

However, he receives serious threats since the perpetrators belong to the camp of the powerful and corrupt politician Ganpatrao Gaekwad (Darshan Jariwala). Raising voice against him would mean an end not only for his career but also his life.

Hence, the man known for raising his voice when he was a nobody becomes silent to all wrongdoings after becoming a superstar.

I was quite impressed with Hall Bol when it had released more than a decade ago. But when I look at it today, it excites me even more. It seems the film was tailor-made for the era we are currently living in.

The idea of a superstar not willing to raise his voice against an offence provided an interesting conflict back then. But today, it seems like straight out of reality. A lot has changed since last 6-7 years. Big stars are now super scared to share their opinion on any serious issue, leave alone raising their voice against a wrongdoing, like they used to before.

In fact, some stars are not even willing to speak up on the enormous rising prices of petrol. Interestingly, the same people were happy to share jokes on the same issue when the previous government was in power and when the price of fuel was much lower than what it is today.

Funnily, one star even deleted his tweets from 2012 when he had shared jokes on rising petrol prices. So that people stop questioning him as to why he is silent now.

Hall Bola shows Sameer go through a change of heart later on. He fights the evil forces all by himself [with timely help from Sidhu] to bring justice to the deceased. Of course, it would be laughable to even think of expecting this in reality. Halla Bol, after all, was a mainstream Hindi movie, so it had to end this way.

The extent of the fear of the authorities in today’s times was seen the most last month when famous celebrities shared scripted tweets in favour of the government after Rihanna spoke up on the issue of farmers’ protest.

Funnily, among the famous names who tweeted included the main lead of Halla Bol.

P.S: Halla Bol is available on Amazon Prime Video, Shemaroo Me and Voot.

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