Hey Chilli Chilling out ? Lets Salanbrate !

“Hey Chilli Chilling out?” 

The small fresh green nestling in their dozens in a plastic pack peered at their larger older cousins fresh Byadgi who had been biding their time in the confines of the vegetable basket in the cooling cabinet.  Byadgi snorted, looked down at the younger but stronger cousins who frequently exited the cabinet at the beck and call of the humanoids. Eight of them with their power of 50000 Scoville heat units had waited their turn wondering if they were to form part of a salad unit without any hot make up or perhaps be presented with the opportunity of a more special unit the Mirchi ka Salan. A chill ran down their shiny green smooth skin excited at the prospect of being part of a more royal dish than just end up at the lower ranks doing ordinary routine spicy jobs.

“Hanging in here waiting for our turn. We only do special projects “

The snub was apparent to the small green ones who were stocked up with Capsaicin.

The humanoid did turn up on the weekend excitedly yanking the Byadgi who went green with envy. 

They knew they had to get rid of their stock of capsaicin and instead be ready for a more friendly stuffing of a paste of sesame jostling for attention with the humble peanuts and dried coconuts who had lost their water but retained strong oils and a few fenugreek seeds. Byadgi waited while they warmed themselves on a black pan for 8 minutes. Byadgi looked on indulgently as they rustled together tanning themselves and grinding themselves to a beautiful dark chrome paste.

The humanoid had now tossed dollops of olive oil and made music with mustard and cumin and allow friendly visits from ginger bits as they all jumped around in the hot dance and slipper floor of Olive. Byadgi then decided to make a grand entry and eased themselves into the oily pool.

Finally the sesame coconut fenugreek paste jumped into the fun and frolic and everyone sloshed around as byadgi embraced all of them and basked in the temperamental mix

Common salt waited patiently knowing they had to go and control the enhanced atmosphere. They looked back at fresh green coriander leaves who looked pleased with their cut selves. They knew they always got special seating and allowed to retain their color and place on the top.

Byadgi settled into a pleasant peace waiting to please the palate of the hard working humanoid.

Also excited to meet their starchy friendly carbohydrates.

 “Hey you Gluten”

The round roasted carbs smiled back as they bloated with pride. They were happy to finally meet the MIrch Ka Salan after boring daily rounds with the lentil curries. 

The carbs shouted back “Let s salanbrate “and jumped in with the Byadgi

(This is the offbeat description of the Mirch Ka Salan of a happy cook on a boring Sunday morning. If you feel it is cheesy please wait till you read about the Aubergine travails next week as they do the Bharta. While you sneer and exit please thank me for the recipe ;-) )

Gen X gives birth to Gen Z ( Badhai HO)

Ayushman khurana and the new wave cinema are spoiling us. A year back I would have been raving about this utterly natural cinema with a trustworthy script, honest art direction, from the heart acting by the astonishingly perfect ten casting and yet the new benchmark created is so high that you happily retain your feel about it being a better than average movie without guilt. It only speaks highly of the high standards seeping into the Indian Film Industry and that can only bode well for the audiences. Ayushman, Rajkumar Rao, Radhika Apte are among the new wave age actors who seem to do no wrong in the scripts they encourage. And despite the commercial  heft of the success they see, there is none of the overhanging arrogant stardom around them. That is heartening. Character artistes like Gajraj Rao and Pankaj tripathi are strengthening the foundation of the starcentred storylines and adding solidity to it.

But back to Badhai HO and to speak not about the hero or heroine but the rock star of the movie,the grandma played by Surekha Sikri. At 73 she peaks to chew the screen out. In the 90s Banegi Apni Baat saw her impressing the TV landscape and with this act, the NSD graduate simply rocks. Gajraj Rao in a much understated role brings on the maximum laughter with his gentle embarrassed cringes and plays perfect foil to the accomplished Neena. You wonder why she was missing all these years

The premise is startling and yet simple. An aged couple with elderly working children accidentally land with the responsibility of having to give birth to and be parents of an accidental procreation. It also draws sniggers and blushing attention from a traditionally reserved population that deems people with grown up children as retirees from work and also from the pleasures of life. The Film attempts to challenge this unfair unspoken ratification by society.

Why is a country that obviously has worked hard to create a billion plus population fighing shy of pleasures of the act beyond the purpose of procreation alone. An aged mother on path of pregnancy helps to raise the necessary emotional conflict and confusion in the script to keep the story moving but the premise runs out of comical steam soon and the director sets out on sub plots which seem like a soft manipulation of the audience but with seemingly less than necessary impact. At just over two hours the makers do feel the strain of keeping the laughs genuine and the plot interesting to keep the audience rooted.

The lack of energy in parts should not take away from the fact that the movie is a sum of the whole talented cast that star in the script with a Bachchanesque Surekha stealing most of the popular lines. Ayushman shows with Rajkumar they are redefining superstardom. In a middle class milieu highly reminiscent of the Tanu Weds Manu or that of the more recent Bareily ke Barfi , recreation of the North Indian middle class is outstanding and the writers with the directors and the cast play a big role.

In the end you feel the director wondering if he should also rope in the message of the girl child but then decides against it preferring to retain the movie as a more modern effort to free up the unfairly boxed in expectations of life from Gen X. Wish they had invented more plausible sub plots to strengthen the story.

But it is a very decent watch and full marks to the cast. Another movie that needs to be encouraged. Because it dares to dream that Gen X will give birth to Gen Z

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#metoo set to change history

Periods in history when seemingly normal incidents trigger a wave of change.  The trigger incident is just that nudge which helps history tip over into a new era. Digital connectivity has swamped the human interaction. It almost obliterates direct interaction which was limited anyway but gushes with a resurgence of network of electronic sinews that makes historical human communication seem insignificant.

Consequently the swamp of information also has created a new power equation for the people. The waterfall of opinion which seemed to flow down from the people at the top of any profession and landed at the lowest common denominator. Today the water fall has collapsed to a common pool and so has the power equation. The common man / woman feels empowered to pitch in their opinions in real time thanks to the electronic tools now available.

Is it any surprise then that discrimination and exploitation look vulnerable themselves? It is not to gush about these words disappearing from the vocabulary. That could be a fairy tale. But a renaissance where the oppressed find a voice.

When #Metoo excited the cable lines a year back in USA, it looked like a western phenomenon in a country known for its outspokenness and where the powerful media put their weight behind such movements to shake people and even governments. It was truly heartening as the fire singed big stars and studio bosses who must have had their exploit fun times.

So when a lesser known ex Indian actress returned from the USA briefly to give what seemed like an ordinary interview, it seemed like a sensation that could die down soon. But then she had more spunk and seemed to find the right flame of intention and took names of some people considered almost untouchable partly due to their star status and in part due to the aura created by their affiliations to political parties and some social work thrown in.

But this is 2018 and there are 460 Million subscribers on the net in India. This mass is hungry and angry. Hungry for programming, sensational news and angry over what seems to be a continuing period of angst towards living conditions that don’t seem to improve with the speed they got access to their smart phones. There is also a simmering discontent with the current equation of respect for people with authority and money. Psychologically these masses are ready to see their default champions collapse in a heap. Lack of Ethics in behavior, lackadaisical attitude towards the law does not get lost in the glare of glamour and political authority anymore. The people are baying for uniform justice.

Result what could have been swept under a carpet a few years back or victims further victimized has turned into a raging firestorm that threatens to singe anyone that dares to differ or cross its path. Entertainment Business houses, big idols , big directorial names and now even a minister are falling victim to a movement in India that is threatening to reach the top echelons of the  political class besides now swallowing the entertainment industry and it is a matter of time before the corporate sector feels the heat. The business houses are not bereft of exploitation irrespective of Gender. 

Hierarchical bullying is prevalent though spoken of only in whispers. There have been heads of tech giants and now the heads of some banking industry who are being named.There have been conspiracy whispers of the timing and the intent of this campaign. But assuming there is even an agenda behind it, how does one justify not acknowledging that the wrong people are being teased out of their sick exploiting cocoons. Clearly it seems like Split personality and existence of Mr.Hydes is an epidemic that needs to be addressed.

This is not a movement that will vanish overnight and should not. It is here to stay and will probably go down as a history changing movement for India when the under privileged and the exploited found their voice and paved the way for a more egalitarian society

Blinder of a movie

A cat plays a piano accidentally. A rabbit strays into a cabbage field and saves lives. A selfie stick that could be patented by detectives is invented by a young boy. Gratitude is expressed for Chitrahaar and Chayageet which will ensure keen attention from those who grew up in the 70s and 80s. And unmistakably all of these are portentous to the script which in itself is a well-polished gem.

Never tire of saying Script is king. Proven once again in Sridhar Ragahavan (Johnny Gaddar)

Andhadhun. A thriller that never sways from its intent….To surprise.

It is actually a state of art in surprises. You laugh nervously and wait for the next spin in a story that coasts along leafy yards set in cozy Pune, with sting operations conducted by 8 year olds, pleasantly  surprising you with a real life film star of the yesteryears (Anil Dhawan) who spends his useful time admiring the YouTube videos of his movie ( probably the thank you to ChayaGeet emerges from here)..Or at a bar that is the playground for excellent piano pieces and also home ground for a blind pianist.

Top all this up with an exciting ensemble of actors who line the script who uniformly deserve your applause from the natural and beautiful Radhika to a super confident Ayushman who seems to know what he wants in life now and then there is the magnificent Tabu who is simply outstanding and  revels in a role of her lifetime.

Right from the word go featuring in one of the most intelligently written scenes of the movie at the beginning as the blind pianist on an invite from the aging  star visits his home till the end you are never sure that the director has exhausted his bag of surprises. The moment you slack he throws another one at you.

Writing anything about this movie is like spoiling it for those who will and must set out to see it. And see it you must. Knowing well that India loves CID it will not be a surprise that this one may just turn out to be the sleeper hit of the year.

Just go ‘ blindly’ and watch this one even if it momentarily strays into weak patches but that helps build the pitch for what follows and macabre scenes made funny keep you fully engaged.

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