When SRK did a Panchayat 33 years ago

August 28, 2022 by Keyur Seta 6 Comments

Shah Rukh Khan is not only one of the biggest stars in India but also world over. But the actor has had to work his way up through hard-work from scratch. After doing theatre in Delhi, he migrated to Mumbai to continue the profession.

During his initial days, he was seen in quite a few Doordarshan shows like Dil Dariya (1988), Fauji (1988), Intezaar (1989), Adhuri Zindagi (1989), etc.

One notable work Shah Rukh Khan did during those days for the same channel was in the show Ummeed in 1989. The serial featured different stories that used to run for two episodes. In one such segment, Khan featured in the role of a young bank employee.

A noble soul with the channel name of ‘Super Tuber’ uploaded the two episodes of the show on YouTube three years ago.

As soon as I started watching the first episode, I was instantly reminded of TVF’s Amazon Prime Video show Panchayat. The web-series saw Jitendra Kumar play Abhishek Tripathi, an engineering graduate forced to take up the position of a secretary at the panchayat office in the small village Phulera, Uttar Pradesh.

Shah Rukh Khan in Ummeed and Jitendra Kumar in Panchayat

The city-bred Abhishek gets a culture shock by the life in the village. But there were ruder surprises in store for him when he takes a look at the panchayat office. It turns out to be a basic office which, must to his dismay, also doubled up as his residence. Abhishek also finds it difficult to adjust to the workings of the village due to the politics and age-old attitudes.

Coming back to Ummeed, Shah Rukh Khan plays the character of Anand Gupta who is ‘promoted’ as the branch manager to the bank’s newly-opened branch at Bhingri. In reality, Anand’s superior was under tremendous pressure from his senior to send someone at the said branch since nobody was willing to relocate to the place.

Anand’s happiness turns sour as soon as he lands at the bank’s branch in Bhingri. The place is located in a no-man’s land and is completely empty; no staff and just one helper. In fact, the helper and Anand are the only members of the staff.

This is similar to Abhishek’s situation in Panchayat. And just like that web-series, Anand’s personal room is also inside the office, just a few steps away, and this one too has a set-up for making tea near the window.

That’s not all though. Just like in Panchayat, Shah Rukh Khan’s character in Ummeed too forms a bond with the people of the village after, initially, going through a nightmare.

This is in no way stating that Panchayat was lifted from Ummeed. A city-based officer facing challenges after being transferred to a rural area is a common theme around the world.

Ummeed featured a very innocent and raw version of Shah Rukh Khan. He perfectly fitted the role of a common man from a middle-class family required to work hard to rise in his career. In other words, he made a clear announcement of his acting talent very early in his career; something we got to know in the following years.

Also read: Exploring Gehraiyaan’s selfish character in James Hadley Chase manner

Ummeed was written by Mukesh Sharma. I couldn’t find any other work by him after doing a Google search. Vikas Desai, as per IMDB.com, before directing this show, had acted in quite a few parallel films like Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan (1978), Giddh: The Vulture (1984), Andhi Gali (1984) and Anantyatra (1985). There is no record of what he did after that, except that he acted in Ketan Mehta’s Aar Ya Paar (1997).

Rajat Kapoor is named as one of the assistant directors on the show. It is not known whether he is the same one of Bheja Fry (2007) fame.

Ummeed was produced by Joint Publicity Committee, Public Sector Banks. It is interesting to see a show produced by the banking sector showing the sorry state of banks in rural areas.

Watch both the episodes of Ummeed below:

Why actual ‘anti-national’ statements never face BOYCOTT?

August 13, 2022 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

India is all set to celebrate 75 years of its freedom from the British, which they got in 1947. However, it is ironical that just when the country is reaching the important milestone related to its freedom, a section of the population is busy promoting curtailment of the same.

The whole #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha ‘movement’ is not just unfair but plainly silly. One of the main reasons why the film is being boycotted is the supposed ‘anti-India’ statements made by the film’s lead actor and producer Aamir Khan way back in 2015.

Messages are being circulated claiming that the star said that he wants to leave India as he is feeling unsafe. This is nothing but a fabricated version of what Khan actually said.

As you can hear from the above video, Khan said that his then wife Kiran Rao asked if they should move out of India. Firstly, it wasn’t suggested by Khan. Secondly, the very next thing the actor said was, “Now that’s a disastrous and a very big statement for Kiran to make to me.” Khan himself said on record that what she said was “disastrous” but not many of us paid heed to that, either knowingly or unknowingly.

Funnily enough, the statement came out in 2015. Following this, Khan released three of his films in the following years, Dangal (2016), Secret Superstar (2017) and Thugs Of Hindostan (2018). Except Dangal to some extent, no other film faced boycott. But today, seven years after that statement, there is a massive campaign against the actor for his film Laal Singh Chaddha.

Source: YouTube screenshot from Koffee With Karan promo

This isn’t the only reason why the film is boycotted. Somehow few months before the release of the film, fake messages and memes are being circulated claiming that Aamir said in his show Satyamev Jayate that we shouldn’t pour milk on the Shivling and should instead use that money to help the needy. Some messages are also claiming that he said the same thing in his earlier film PK (2014).

As it is proved in one of my previous articles, Aamir has never made any such statement on the Shivling, either in his show or in the movie. Instead, it was Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal who have made exactly the same statements (read the article and see the videos HERE). The former made it in the movie OMG Oh My God (2012) and the latter while promoting the same film. In fact, Akshay also went onto criticize the practice of pouring oil on Hanuman’s deity on Saturdays.

Hear both of them out in the videos above. Did anyone of you ever come across any boycott calls for Akshay or Rawal?

Even if the boycotters argue that out of these, the statement made by Aamir in 2015 about Rao asking if they should leave India are problematic, it is still hypocritical. This is because they are completely ignoring Kangana Ranaut comment made last year, which is many times more controversial and offensive than what Khan said.

Speaking at a summit organized by a news channel, she described India’s independence from the British in 1947 saying, “Woh azadi nahin thi, woh bheek thi. Aur jo azadi mili hai woh 2014 mein mili hai.” Watch the video of the same below.

Now, I don’t need to spell out how problematic this statement is. In a single sentence, the actress has questioned the sacrifices of all those freedom fighters who fought for India’s freedom. It is also clear that the comments made by Aamir are nowhere near to what she said. Plus, she has had a history of making comments of this nature. Comparing Mumbai with PoK is just one other example.

So, if you are deeply offended and incensed by Aamir’s comments but have no problems with what Ranaut’s said, you know what that makes you. More so if you are celebrating India’s 75years of freedom without having issues when someone said that that wasn’t actual freedom.

When team Mumbai almost AGAIN defeated Australia

July 31, 2022 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

One of the fondest memories for Mumbai cricket fans who started watching the game in the 90s would be their team’s victory against the mighty Australians in 1998 at the Brabourne Stadium. That three-day match saw Sachin Tendulkar score his first ever first-class double century.

It was also the first time I set foot inside a cricket stadium in my life and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. But even after Tendulkar and his team’s terrific display of batting, none of us thought that Mumbai’s Ranji team would go on to defeat Australia in two-and-a-half days. Read more about that match HERE.

It was a practice match before the three-match test series Australia was to play against India. Similarly, in 2001, Australia was set to play against Mumbai again before the test series. The 2001 test series turned out to be one of the best ever, especially due to the historic second test at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

But before the test series commenced, the match between Mumbai and Australia, again at the Brabourne Stadium, brought back terrific memories of the 1998 match between the same teams.

Tendulkar wasn’t playing this one as he was rested. But before the start of the match, a news article quoted the Master Blaster motivating team Mumbai by saying, “Don’t forget what we did in 1998.” [I can’t find that article now]

Sameer Dighe and Steve Waugh [File photos]

Mumbai batted first and soon started struggling at 82 for 5 with Amol Muzumdar and Vinod Kambli out for 1 and 0 respectively. But captain and wicket-keeper Sameer Dighe’s counterattack (84) with Sairaj Bahutule (51) and later with Romesh Powar (65*) took Mumbai to a good score of 328 for 9 at which they declared the innings.

When Australia turned out to bat, skipper Steve Waugh scored an unbeaten 106. However, nobody else from their line-up got going and the team was all out for just 203. The Aussies couldn’t get the services of Mark Waugh as he was injured soon after the match commenced.

Mumbai’s top order showed more maturity in the second innings as both the openers Vinayak Mane and Wasim Jaffer scored half centuries. They declared the innings at 191 for 8. Out of all the Mumbai wickets, Shane Warne picked up 7. Australia were given a target of 317 after the first session of the third day.

It looked like the match will end in a draw but there was drama in store in the last session. Australia’s top order collapsed and they were reduced to 64 for 5 at one stage and 80 for 6 soon after. Bahutule rocked the Australian top-order by scalping 4 wickets. He was getting the ball to talk.

I remember watching the last day of the match at my cousin’s place and we were super excited as we anticipated the repeat of 1998. Plus, Australia had only 9 wickets to play since Mark Waugh was injured.

But his twin and the Aussie skipper saw the day through (34*) with some gutsy support from Damien Fleming who battled 72 balls for his unbeaten 22.

Although Mumbai couldn’t win again and repeat 1998, they gave a scare to the best test side of the world. Tendulkar’s motivation before the match had a positive impact on the team.

Interestingly, Australia had fielded a much stronger side in the 2001 match against Mumbai in comparison to the one they did in 1998. And most importantly, there was no Tendulkar in the 2001 encounter. It goes onto show Mumbai’s talent backed by some terrific fighting spirit back then. Today, not even a picture (forget video) of that match is available. There’s only the scorecard available HERE.

Mumbai’s skipper and wicket-keeper Sameer Dighe, who top-scored in the first innings, was selected in the Indian team for the third test match at Chennai in the following series. His 22 not out in the fourth innings of the match became instrumental in India winning the test and subsequently the series by 2-1.

Also read: Forgotten innings – Nayan Mongia’s historic feat vs Australia

South Korea through the eyes of a vegetarian Indian

July 17, 2022 by Keyur Seta 6 Comments

I got my passport created in 2016 at my dad and brother’s insistence. Even after I finally got hold of it after numerous formalities, I was never desperate to go abroad. It’s not that I wasn’t interested. I was just patient and felt that if it has to happen, it will. It finally happened six years later in this month when I got a chance to visit South Korea.

Since last year, I had formed an association with the people running the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (aka BIFAN) over there after they approached me to be a guest contributor for their festival magazine named Made in Asia. Last year, the festival was held online because of the deadly second COVID-19 wave. But this year, they held it in a hybrid mode and invited me to visit Bucheon and subsequently the festival.

The road to my first visit abroad wasn’t an easy one. Apart from lots of preparations, the most challenging aspect was the visa process which required plenty of documents. Plus, there were a few complications in my submission. I started visualizing the trip only after my visa got approved.

The route of the Air India flight was from Mumbai to Delhi to Incheon (South Korea). I am not a very flight-friendly traveller, so traveling for about nine hours from Mumbai to Incheon looked like a challenge. It didn’t turn out to be though because of the in-flight entertainment option where I saw Sarkar (2005) and Nightcrawler (2014), along with reading an e-book.

When the plane finally landed at the Incheon Airport, it took me some time to believe that I would be actually setting foot outside India for the first time. The first thing I noticed after coming out of the airport, after quite a few formalities, was the traffic sense of the people, but I didn’t think much about it.

The route from the airport to Hotel Floce in Bucheon was a long one and it gave me a good opportunity to keenly observe the surroundings. When we reached the hotel, I was surprised to know that the manager didn’t understand English but, again, I didn’t think much about it. After taking a long rest as I was awake almost the whole night in the flight, I went out to take a stroll and to know places where I can eat some delicious food.

I soon realized that the people over there take traffic signals very seriously. They would cross the road only when the pedestrian signal turns green, even if the road is empty from both the sides.

Here’s how the citizens over there follow traffic rules

When I started looking out for good food joints, I was made aware of two rude surprises. I initially felt that the hotel manager not understanding English would be a one-off instance. But after enquiring at the various food joints I realized that almost everyone over there couldn’t understand English.

But the second surprise was even deadlier when it slowly dawned upon me that none of the joints served vegetarian food! I am someone who doesn’t even eat eggs, so I felt worried. On the first day of my first trip outside India, I really felt lost!

I was then reminded of the store 7 Eleven suggested by my brother. Fortunately, there was one right opposite the hotel. I realized that they too have no options in vegetarian food. I heaved a sigh of relief when I found different types of sweet breads (some with cream and jam). They had eggs in it but I didn’t care. Thankfully, I had carried a lot of dry food from home prepared by my mom.

It was then time to head out for the opening ceremony of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN). I was highly impressed with their punctuality. The event started dot on time and it was to-the-point. Very unlike the filmi events in Mumbai which start even a couple of hours (sometimes even more) after the scheduled time. The same punctuality was seen in the rest of the events and screenings too.

The dinner at the event had no veg options, except salads, fruits and desserts, which didn’t surprise me now. Although I was happy to be here, I was also worried about how I would spend the next few days.

Next morning, I was expecting the hotel to have some vegetarian items. They had but, again, it was just bread. The only option to go with it was an egg omelette. I had had eggs when I was too small. Our doctor had urged my family to feed me few regularly as I was weak. I felt now is the time to go back to my childhood as there was no other option left.

The lady preparing and serving breakfast at the hotel was too kind and caring but she also didn’t understand English. So I translated the words ‘bread’ and ‘eggs’ via Google for her. She nicely served toasts, omelette, salad and coffee. The menu for my breakfast was the same every morning. This country made a vegetarian into a temporary eggitarian.

It was a very important day as I had to speak representing India at a panel discussion at the festival. Just before the event, I attended a luncheon by the Film Development Council of the Philippines where I got some cosy vibes. And just before my panel talk, I had a preparation session with the moderator and fellow panelists from other countries (South Korea, Philippines and Thailand).

The panel discussion at the festival

I had never participated in a panel talk before even in India. But whatever butterflies I had in my stomach vanished after the preparation session. The main event went off well and much to my pleasant surprise, I was able to speak without being nervous. There was a scary moment though when a lady from India disagreed me and it looked as if she would rip apart my views but she just handed over the microphone back after a long speech. Phew!

I later realized that my state of mind completely changed after this event and, especially, after interacting with others. I finally started feeling at home in South Korea!

Things became better the next day when my brother came to know that there is an Indian restaurant named Machha Puchhre not far from the hotel and it has vegetarian options. Surprisingly, when I had asked a lot of locals about any veg food joint in the locality, nobody told me about this one.

Machha Puchhre is run by a lady and the place also served veg Indian dishes like Samosas, Paneer curries, Dal and Naan. I was impressed with the quality of food and it was a relief to get to eat Indian food over there. It wasn’t possible to eat here daily twice because of the prices. But I was happy to know that I have this option.

I could only get US dollars at a currency exchange centre in Mumbai because they didn’t keep Korean won as not many Indians travel there. So I had to hunt for a place to exchange dollars into won the next day. Finding such a place was a major challenge, especially due to the language barrier. I had by then become used to translating words from English to Korean on Google to get directions from the local people.

I couldn’t find taxis and I wasn’t keen to go through the subway as I felt I might get confused. But deciding to walk to the destination offered me a chance to explore Bucheon and I was mighty impressed with how the city is maintained. The habit of walking in this city was kept alive throughout the trip. In fact, the distance I walked in these 5-6 days might be almost the same that I generally do in about a few months in Mumbai.

The area near Hotel Koryo, which lies on the right

I became fond of the area near Hotel Koryo at Gyeonggi-do (the name of the road) where all the events and interactions of BIFAN took place. The foot-over bridge over there (with slopes instead of steps) that connected one end of the road to the other became my favourite place.

As I had travelled all the way to South Korea, it made sense that I should visit Seoul. I had a long subway ride where I struggled to get tickets from automatic ticket machines and in getting into the right train. The language barrier added to the challenge. Finally, I reached the destination. But it was raining cats and dogs and what not. I got almost fully drenched but managed to visit the famous palace and explore the city somehow.

But it was a long journey back and I had to desperately wait to reach Bucheon. When I finally got down at a station in Bucheon, I felt as if I was back home. From being lost to feeling at home, it all happened in a span of just five days!

Apart from the impressive city of Bucheon, it was all possible because of the kind-hearted and super-helpful citizens of South Korea. They couldn’t understand my language and I couldn’t understand theirs. But they would go out of their way to help me find an address or a location. I guess kindness is understood in all languages.

Also see – Photos: Shikara rides and houseboats in Srinagar, Kashmir

I have heard quite a few times that great trips are the ones that change you in some way. On a lighter note, when I returned home after a long flight, my mother instantly noticed that my tummy had gone a bit inside. Now that was a welcome change!

Didn’t consider W Indies as big opponent in ’83 World Cup, says Mohinder Amarnath

June 26, 2022 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

The 1983 cricket World Cup-winning team had another reunion last evening in Mumbai at the launch of the coffee table book titled The 1983 World Cup Opus, facilitated by Paymentz.

The event saw the presence of Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, Kirti Azad, Roger Binny, Syed Kirmani, Madan Lal, Sandeep Patil, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sunil Valson and the then team Manager PR Man Singh. Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar, who were also a part of the team, joined the event virtually.

The event saw the 1983 team go down memory lane and recall interesting stories behind their triumph.

Much before the final of the world cup, India had beaten West Indies in their very first league match of the series. This was a huge hurdle to cross because before this match, the West Indies hadn’t lost a single match in the world cup from 1975 onwards when the series started.

Mohinder Amarnath and Kapil Dev after winning the 1983 World Cup

Speaking about the victory, Amarnath said, “If you trust yourself and have the guts, you can do anything. We didn’t consider West Indies as a very big opponent. To be very honest, this was my way of thinking. [But] I am sure all 11 players on the field were also thinking this way that we are better than them. This is what made us the world champions. We clicked at the right time.”

The event was also attended by Anupam Harshad Vassa, the Founder and Chairman of Paymentz, and Amoolya Vassa, the Founder and Managing Director of the firm, along with other dignitaries from the same firm.

During the course of the discussion, it was recalled how defeating England in the semi-final was also an important landmark since India was not given a chance by many. “It was a crucial, crucial game,” said Ravi Shastri. “England were firm favourites, at least in their media. When you open the newspapers in the morning, it was only England. India was as if we are the outsiders and we have absolutely no chance.”

The launch of the book at the hands of Kapil Dev

The final of the ’83 world cup changed with the wicket of the legendary Vivian Richards whose catch was taken spectacularly by Kapil Dev off the bowling of Madan Lal. The bowler revealed that this wasn’t the first time he got Richards out.

“I wanted to bowl that over. I would like to tell you that I had also got him out 2-3 times before in the Calcutta test match and in West Indies. Once the umpire gave him not out in my bowling in Sharjah when he was clean LBW,” said Lal.

Also read: He was selected in ’83 World Cup, but could play only in ’99

Not much is said about the 22 run last-wicket partnership which involved Sandhu, who scored 11 not out batting at number 11. Sandhu recalled that without that partnership, India’s score would have been much lower.

“Last wicket partnership is always very crucial,” said Binny. “If he (number 11 batsman) is not out, then how many runs are made (in the last-wicket partnership) are made by him because if he had gotten out, the runs wouldn’t have been made.”

1983 World Cup team — The 1983 team with their families

India looked favourite to win the World Cup final after West Indies were 6 or 7 down. But Kapil Dev didn’t think that way.

When Harsha Bhogle, the host, asked him when during the match he felt that the World Cup is theirs, Dev said, “(After getting the) last wicket,” said Dev. “How Jimmy bowled and he got the LBW, I think it was just a different feeling. Before that, you do think that it was possible. But it’s not possible till the last wicket. I think that’s the most important thing.”

Also read: 83 movie review

The ’83 team captain also said that it is only in recent years that the team is getting more recognition for the victory. “In last 10 years, I have felt it more. Now we are getting more respect and honour. It is something you can’t express in words. If you would have asked that day (after the final), I would have said that life is normal. We played the next series and we lost,” he said.

Filmmaker Kabir Khan, who made a film on India’s victory in that World Cup titled 83, was also present at the event.

Speaking about the event, Anupam Harshad Vassa said, “It was a no brainer and being cricket fans ourselves, we just grabbed the opportunity. The 1983 World Cup win put India on the world map. It was a proud moment for any Indian. Being a part of the ‘1983 World Cup Opus’ is an honor for Paymentz, and it is only the beginning of the company’s involvement in the sporting industry and recognition of cricket legends. Cricket is a religion in India and to be associated with the sporting giants, the first team who won the World Cup for India and gave us one of the most iconic sporting moments, is an honor for our company.”

Play review: Dhappa (Hindi)

June 25, 2022 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Writer, director, lyricist and producer Akshay Mishra’s Dhappa is a Hindi musical play based in the 1950s era of Hindi cinema. This description will make you expect the drama to play out in a certain way. However, it has a major surprise later on; something you don’t expect from a play of this genre.

Produced by Aum Theatre Mumbai, Dhappa takes place in 1950s Mumbai (then Bombay). Kumar (Pavitra Sarkar) is passionate about acting but he is unable to make it big in the industry. Worse, his crass and rude behavior has made him infamous in the media, especially the tabloids.

Kumar stays with his elder sister Iravati (Sharon Chandra) in a bungalow. She is a gifted Kathak dancer but has been unable to fulfill her wish of becoming a professional artiste. She is much more mature than Kumar and is his guiding force as well as critic.

Meanwhile, the successful foreign-returned novelist Shyam (Puneet Issar) is eager to make his first feature film. Despite being obsessed with the idea of his first film, he doesn’t like watching new Hindi films. He is introduced to Kumar in an unusual way.

Shyam’s idea to make a film gains Kumar’s interest as he feels he will cast him in the lead role. However, Kumar is actually interested in making a film based on Kathak with Iravati. But this doesn’t go well with Kumar. He plainly declines the offer on behalf of Iravati without even asking her. Is it due to jealously, patriarchy or something else?

Dhappa takes you back to the golden right at the onset with Pankhuri Gangwal’s introduction as an anchor.

The story is laced with a lot of drama and conflict and that is played out well on the stage on a majority of the times. Akshay Mishra’s fine presentation of various situations as a director is noteworthy. The elaborated scenes between Kumar and Shyam are a mixture of drama and humour. Kumar’s conversations with Iravati are more serious and deep.

Dhappa boasts of some rich set designing with minute detailing that brings back the bygone era. The use of lights is creative while the background score adapts to different emotions effortlessly. Ajit Kumar Srivastava, Amit Ranjan Srivastava and Radha Srivastava’s musical performances elevate the play.

Pavitra Sarkar succeeds in adding life to the character of Kumar. Along with arrogance, he also displays an undercurrent of vulnerability, which the people outside are unaware of. Sharon Chandra scores well both in her Kathak performances and while playing Iravati. Anuradha Athlekar provides decent support in a role that has more potential later.

The veteran Puneet Issar lives up to his name and gives a mature act, including a long monologue. His character’s comparison with Duryodhan in one scene is amusing and smart.

On the flipside, Dhappa needed to be lesser in duration, especially in the second half where the length is felt. The duration of the song performances could have been reduced in order to make it crisper.

This point, however, won’t hurt you much when the aforementioned twist takes place. The way in which it is presented has the potential of giving you a shock, even if you manage to predict it.

Writer, director, lyricist and producer: Akshay Mishra

Cast: Puneet Issar, Sharon Chandra, Pavitra Sarkar and Anuradha Athlekar

Singers and musicians: Ajit Kumar Srivastava, Amit Ranjan Srivastava and Radha Srivastava

Background score: Amit Sagar

Lights: Shyam Chavan

Also read: Play Review: Subodh Bhave-starrer Ashrunchi Zali Phule

What Aamir Khan said about Shivling & why is his film boycotted?

June 12, 2022 by Keyur Seta 5 Comments

Over the last few years, every time an Aamir Khan film gets ready for release, one particular message or meme related to him starts circulating on social media and What’s App. As you must have guessed, it’s shared by the Right Wing fanatics with an appeal to boycott his upcoming film.

With the release of Laal Singh Chaddha not being far, the same message has started circulating again.

The message claims that Aamir once said in his television show Satyamev Jayate that instead of pouring milk on Shivling, it is better to use that money to feed a poor person. Hence, the message appeals to the audience to boycott his next release and use the money you would have spent on the ticket to help the needy.

How true is the message?

The message is fake. Aamir has never said that in Satyamev Jayate. In fact, a topic related to religion or religious beliefs was never addressed in that TV show. Some messages also claim that the actor made that comment in his blockbuster PK (2014). This claim is also false.

Still, if someone can find a video of him saying such a thing, please pass it on. Not that him saying such a thing would justify the boycott, more so after you read below.

Aamir Khan boycott — Aamir Khan in PK and Paresh Rawal in OMG Oh My God!

Who said it then?

Interestingly, the message against pouring milk on Shivling was given by Paresh Rawal’s character Kanjibhai in his film OMG Oh My God (2012). In fact, the character in the movie shares an in-depth and hard-hitting opinion on why it is futile to pour milk on the Shivling, as can be seen from the scene below.

But it doesn’t end here. During the promotion of the same movie, Akshay Kumar, who plays Lord Krishna in it, gave a bold personal opinion on why one shouldn’t pour milk on the Shivling. In fact, he didn’t stop at that. He also criticized the practice of pouring oil on Lord Hanuman’s deity on Saturdays. Watch the video below.

Those spreading communal hatred on the internet and social media have turned a blind eye at Rawal and Akshay’s comments. It is impossible that they are completely unaware about the comments made by these two actors, considering how much research their IT cell carries out.

But don’t expect any such boycott messages for these two actors since their surname isn’t Khan. As we all know, Rawal is also a member of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and an MP (Member of Parliament). Akshay’s fondness for the party is known far and wide.

We are reminded of it every time we eat a mango.

Also read:

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

Samrat Prithviraj is a cinematic version of a What’s App forward

June 4, 2022 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s Samrat Prithviraj is supposed to be based on the life of the 12^th century king and warrior Prithviraj III or Prithviraj Chauhan. The film focuses on his enmity with Muhammad Ghori of Ghazni in acquiring control over Delhi.

The film’s artistic camerawork and vibrant costumes make it an eye-pleasing affair. Some stunts during the battle scenes also stand out. From the performances, Sonu Sood is the best of the lot with a mature act as Chand Bardai.

But these positives are too few in number when it comes to the minuses. The film has a haphazard narrative throughout. For example, it starts on a tense note but soon loses grip and this is maintained throughout the duration. The forceful inclusion of songs adds to the misery.

A major negative point here is the casting of Akshay Kumar as Prithviraj. The actor never appears in character and it seems he wasn’t even interested in getting the body language right. Debutant and Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar has the looks but is pretty average when it comes to acting chops. And the less said about the awkward age gap between the two the better.

But these issues don’t appear as problematic as the film’s political propaganda. It is easy to forgive bad content, which is made aplenty in Hindi cinema, as it’s not intentional. But it’s difficult to overlook propaganda dished out to please the Right Wingers. This, surely, can’t be unintentional.

The film’s makers, during various promotional events, stated that the film is based on actual facts and that Dwivedi carried out research for as many as 18 years. However, such gigantic effort is never seen in Samrat Prihviraj.

(SPOILERS ahead)

Historical accounts state that Prithviraj was killed by Ghori. Astonishingly, the film goes onto show that it was Prithviraj who killed Ghori whereas the latter lived more than the former. It is one thing to take creative liberty. It’s altogether another thing to change an entire narrative of history just to suit your real target audience, which is ready to accept whatever is dished out to them if it suits their narrative.

If they are ready to believe textual ‘information’ in What’s App forwards, they will obviously believe the same forwarded message portrayed on the screen in a grand scale. That’s what this film is – a cinematic version of a What’s App forward.

Amidst such problematic content, the film, out of nowhere, makes you laugh unintentionally when Sanyogita heroically sings ‘Yoddha Ban Gayi Main’ and, while the song is ending, commits jauhar [self-immolation].

Strangely, the promotions of Prithviraj Chauhan also saw Dwivedi claiming that the film is based on the text Prithviraj Raso, a poem written by Chand Bardai. Now this particular text is past-historical and part-fictional. So why also claim that the film is a historical account?

But the film doesn’t do justice even with Prithviraj Raso. The text mentions that after marrying Sanyogita, Prithviraj spent too much time with her while ignoring the state affairs. Nothing of this is shown in the film.

Of course, this would have been too much to bear for their What’s App audience. So the writer-director omits this part. This is exactly how one prepares a What’s App forward.

But it’s surprising that their real audience is fine with the film claiming Prithviraj to be the ‘last Hindu king.’ They don’t remember various other Hindu kings born much later, including Shivaji Maharaj?

Irony just committed jauhar…

Also read:

Why are south films dominating? Is Bollywood on the decline?

This actor played both Ram and Sita in a movie

May 29, 2022 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

Legendary filmmaker Dhundiraj Govind Phalke aka Dadasaheb Phalke gave birth to Indian cinema after he made the very first Indian movie Raja Harishchandra in 1913. Hence, he is known as the father of Indian cinema.

Phalke was smitten by the Hindu mythology. Hence, his films were mostly based on various mythological tales. One such film he made four years after Raja Harishchandra was Lanka Dahan.

Lanka Dahan is based on one episode from the epic Ramayana. Sita is abducted by Ravana and kept in Lanka [now Sri Lanka]. Her husband Lord Rama joins hands with his greatest devotee Hanuman along with his vaanar sena [army of animals] to help free Sita. In order to confirm if Sita is indeed in Lanka, Hanuman flies off to the island and finds Sita over there.

He presents the ring given by Rama as his identity and proof. While Hanuman is about to return, he is captured by Ravana’s army and is presented in the court. Ravana orders Hanuman’s tail to be set on fire. As soon as his tail is ignited, Hanuman escapes from the court and burns the entire city of Lanka with his tail [Hence, the title Lanka Dahan. Dahan translates to “setting anything on fire”].

Anna Salunke as Sita in Lanka Dahan — Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

Hanuman escapes from Lanka and gets reunited with Rama at the other shore of the Indian ocean. His act gives a blow to Ravana’s morale.

Women weren’t allowed to act in movies in those days. So it was a common practice to cast men in female characters after working a lot on their look and attire. Actor Anna Salunke regularly played female characters in Phalke’s movies. The filmmaker had cast him for the first time in his first aforementioned movie Raja Harishchandra.

Salunke used to work in a small restaurant in the Grant Road locality of Mumbai. When Phalke was struggling to find a female to play the role of Taramati in Raja Harishchandra, he, out of sheer co-incidence, came across Salunke in the restaurant. After getting convinced that he can be a good fit for Taramati, Phalke immediately cast him. Salunke continued his association with the filmmaker in his future films.

Salunke achieved a rarest of the rare feat in Phalke’s Lanka Dahan after he was cast as both Rama and Sita in the movie. The reason for casting the same actor in both the roles isn’t known. But it made Salunke the first actor in Indian cinema to play a double role.

Even more than 100 years after the film released, this remains a rare feat of a man playing the role of two people of two different genders in one movie. In the picture above, Salunke is seen as Sita.

This trivia was recently shared in the event CineTalkies in Mumbai organized by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

Rare find of a scene from Lanka Dahan:

Also read:

Review of Harishchandrachi Factory – based on the making of Phalke’s first movie

Book review: On The Deathbed by Karthik K B Rao

May 22, 2022 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

To say that the Coronavirus or COVID-19 played havoc in the world in the last two years or so would be an understatement. It made people go through hell and changed the way of life for the entire world.

This was more evident during the second wave of the virus. When the first wave subsided, many of us assumed that the worst was over but that turned out to be false and how. Many healthy individuals literally went through horrid times.

One of those unfortunate ones was author Karthik K B Rao. His book On The Deathbed: My Encounter With The COVID-19 Virus lists down his ordeal after getting infected and his fightback in a narrative form.

Karthik and his wife Sushma got infected with the virus in May 2021. While his wife’s condition wasn’t severe, the same wasn’t the case with Karthik. The virus started affecting him at such a high level that he started facing numerous issues, including low oxygen levels. It was an uphill task to get him admitted in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) of a government hospital.

But that wasn’t the end of the ordeal for Karthik. It was actually the beginning. He had to be shifted to a private hospital in the middle of the night as his condition deteriorated further and there were doubts being raised about his survival.

The aforementioned description of the content might give an idea that On The Deathbed is a sad or, at least, a very serious book. But that is far from the case. While the book does narrate how he went through hell and had to struggle even to carry out the simplest of tasks as answering nature’s calls, it is told in an engaging manner with regular doses of witty and, at times, dark humor.

In fact, after finishing the initial few pages itself, I forgot that On The Deathbed is non-fiction. It actually appears more like those survival genre films like Trapped (2017). Just like the film, we feel for the protagonist here as he goes through a rollercoaster ride of survival. There is a feeling of relief in the end, although we know beforehand that Karthik has survived.

Also read: Book review – The Hidden Hindu

A surprise element is the portion in the end written by his wife Sushma. One realizes that she went through a bigger hell than her husband. Even this aspect is narrated like gripping fiction.

The author is able to achieve the means despite using simple, everyday language that can appeal even to an ordinary layman, just like his earlier book The Mahabharata Code.

The only minus point here is the author addressing the virus as ‘Chinki virus’ once. This could have been avoided as it sounds problematic.

Overall: On The Deathbed: My Encounter With The COVID-19 Virus is a gripping tale of survival of a couple that went through hell during the second wave.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Publishers: Notion Press

Pages: 124

Price: Rs 200