WEEKLY MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 2, 2014 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times
They’re real, ruthless, powerful, often disturbingly attractive and likeable – a far cry from the over-the-top bad guys of old
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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS
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Brunch Opinion
by Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi
THE NEW GOONS OF BOLLYWOOD
Not that villains didn’t exist in Bollywood before. In fact, they did and, in bigger avatars – almost iconic. Who can forget Ajit’s Teja Seth or Anupam Kher’s Dr Dang? Amjad Khan’s Gabbar Singh or Amrish Puri’s Mogambo? These guys were legendary. But they were then! Today, there is something strange about the bad
men and women. They are big, bad and brutal. They connive, manipulate and kill. They unnerve, and yet fascinate. It could be Prakash Raj in Singham or Sonu Sood in Dabangg. Supriya Pathak in Ram Leela or Juhi Chawla in the soon-to-be-released Gulab Gang, you hate everything about them. But you can’t get them out of your head. You wish they were
THE BR BRUNCH BOOK CHALLENGE
CH B O UN
Here’s a bigger challenge for those who are already a part of The Brunch Book Challenge: convert someone new. We all know too many people who don’t read, get one of them to start reading and join the challenge!
C
E
OK
HOW TO READ HA LLENG 24 S K BOO ) (OR MORE AR E Y E N IN O BR
gone but you can’t dismiss them. Stranger still is the emotion they generate in you. They scare you, but you understand them. They should repel but their looks and attitude are actually rather attractive. What they do is wrong, but you enjoy their defiance. What intrigues you the most is the fact that the villain of today is alarmingly real.
#BrunchBookChallenge
The Brunch Book Challenge is an @HtBrunch initiative to get Brunch readers to read at least 24 books in 2014. Read anything you like – just keep us posted. Tweet your progress to @HtBrunch with the hashtag #BrunchBookChallenge
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To keep the ball rolling, we got in touch with publishing houses and they’ve sent us free copies of some fantastic new titles for our readers. The first 24 books go out to an assortment of participants: the first tweeters, the most regular tweeters, the ones who have the most endearing things to say. So here’s the first lot...
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Mahesh Dattani’s Me And My Plays Essay on the highs and lows of his career in theatre laced with wit, candour and eloquence. And his two recent plays – Where Did I Leave My Purdah? and The Big Fat City Publisher: Penguin n Sneha Kale @sneha_kale n Pooja Bharadwaj @pooja_ bharadwaj
Romesh Gunesekera’s Noon Tide Toll This book is about Vasantha, a van driver and reflects on the future of post-war Sri Lanka as he ferries passengers across the country Publisher: Penguin n Neha Divekar @nehadivekar n Prachi Joshi @DelishDirection
R Gopalakrishnan’s A Comma in a Sentence The book traces the lives of six generations and the transition from a tiny village in South India to the metropolis of Mumbai Publisher: Rainlight-Rupa n Saloni Tandon @salonitandon29 n Abhinav Chakraborty @AbhinavCJ n Vaisakhi Mishra @vishvaisakhi n Fatima @FatimaJAX n Saipriya @chaipiyaa
Starry Affair KATE WINSLET AND NED ROCKNROLL This couple named their kid after a furry animal that you think you can cuddle, but can rip you to pieces BEAR. Poor kid, first his parents name him Bear, and second, his dad’s last name is Rocknroll KIM KARDASHIAN AND KANYE WEST Mommy, of the 72-day marriage fame, and daddy, the awful tweeter, couldn’t have come up with any better
Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar’s The Mysterious Ailment of Rupi Baskey The story of the Baskey family and of Kadamdihi, the village they live in Jharkhand Publisher: Aleph Book Company n Gaurav Gupta @gagupta n Kruti Dalal @TejLocal n A @missphotobomb n Anu @AyeNuMe n Ishita Sood @ishitasood
My Way edited by Derek O’Brien A series of essays on success by 12 incredible people including MS Dhoni, Donald Trump and Saina Nehwal Publisher: Rupa n SumiT @Engineer_here n Memoirs @nitimohan n Kunal Mehta @kunalbaidmehta n Ankit Khetan @ khetan1984 n Karan @kvss1992
The Very Best Of RK Narayan Timeless Malgudi This is a collection of Narayan’s most popular pieces of fiction and nonfiction Publisher: Rupa Publications n Tushar Sharma @Tushar_Hellrazr n Nagdeo aarti @invertedvision n Yashodha Choudhari @yashodha15 n Vardaan Aggarwal @Woolf_Nerd n Bhavani @bhavan1
YOU NAMED YOUR BABY WHAT?
Celebrities are known for their whacky behaviour, but choosing odd names for their kids is the new norm. Check it out...
FOR ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT National — Sanchita Tyagi: sanchita.tyagi@hindustantimes.com North — Siddarth Chopra: siddarth.chopra@hindustantimes.com West — Karishma Makhija: karishma.makhija@hindustantimes.com South — Francisco Lobo: francisco.lobo@hindustantimes.com
GWYNETH PALTROW AND CHRIS MARTIN Their daughter is a fruit. Hey, we’re not being derogatory. Or maybe they are fans of Steve Jobs
LUNA. *giggles*
APPLE. That was easy! BEYONCE AND JAY-Z You guys write songs. You have brains. Then why is your daughter named after a colour and a kind of itchy plant? BLUE IVY. Ok, Ok whatever!
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FEBRUARY 2, 2014
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by Mignonne Dsouza
Let’s Connect
We all use WhatsApp, and BBM is so yesterday. So what else is out there? Here are some alternatives: VIBER: Works just SNAPCHAT: Send pics and like WhatsApp, videos and they delete after 10 and lets you make seconds. Wondering why young calls too via the people love it so much? Net. We’re personally big fans of the stickers LINE: For texts and calls. This KAKAOTALK MESSENGER: also lets you play Group calls with up games with your to five, animated Line friends emoticons, and schedule meetings VOXER: Love walkie-talkies? with friends This push-to-talk app lets you send WECHAT: Saves chat history messages to for se seven days. The ‘Drift Bottle’ people feature lets you ‘throw out’ a voice or text message into the ether, then wait WINK: A Snapchat + to see who will reply. Instagram lovechild. What’s Pretty cool, isn’t it? not to love?
On The Brunch Radar
by Saudamini Jain
LOVE IT
That tajmahalfoxtrot.com is on Guardian’s list of best city blogs around the world n How a man shared his ‘wanted’ photo on Facebook and was arrested in less than an hour n That according to his genetic make up, the 7,000-year-old Mesolithic European hunter-gatherer had dark skin, blue eyes and black or brown hair n Looking through archives n Aleph Book Company’s series of short biographies of cities n
n If you thought Mahatma Gandhi was ever the Prime Minister of India (don’t snigger, watch TVFRecycleBin’s video, Mumbai v/s Delhi: Republic Day on YouTube) n People getting married at the Grammys* n That there are literally no good film award ceremonies anymore n Apps for couples (I vouch for Couple, everybody else has just discovered Between) n Being scared of science
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STUFF YOU SAID LAST SUNDAY I liked your list on Sherlock Holmes movies and series. But I’d have liked a mentio n of the older series wit h Jeremy Brett. Those were really nice. – Jyoti Bhat [They were!]
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the Brunch I really liked reading ay’s cover story of yesterd !! Republic Day. Cheers ai Pill esh Raj – Hello arty NRIs around the world! – @asifkapadia
What an inspiration to see so many Indians and kids of Indians becoming successes in every field! – Devangshu Mehta
Psst, send us an email, find us on Facebook or tweet to @HTBrunch
Cover design: MONICA GUPTA EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena On the cover: 1. Sonu Sood; 2. Ronit Roy; 3. Gulshan Devaiah; 4. Vidyut Jamwal; 5. Juhi Chawla; 6. Manoj Bajpayee
SHOVE IT
*via @PranavDixit. To contribute to this column, send your nominations for #LoveIt and/or #ShoveIt to @SaudaminiJain on Twitter
by Amrah Ashraf
PENELOPE CRUZ AND JAVIER BARDEM It’s that motorcycle that needed cycling manoeuvres to get started and was slower than a cycle NORTH WEST. Don’t hate them too much for doing this. They can only think so much
Shortcut to Smart
(Editor), Aasheesh Sharma, Rachel Lopez, Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi, Mignonne Dsouza, Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna, Yashica Dutt, Amrah Ashraf, Saudamini Jain, Shreya Sethuraman
DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor, Design), Monica Gupta, Swati Chakrabarti, Payal Dighe Karkhanis, Rakesh Kumar, Ajay Aggarwal
Drop us a line at: brunchletters@ hindustantimes.com or to 18-20 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi - 110 001
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WELLNESS
MIND BODY SOUL For any worries related to unplanned pregnancy: Write to us at consumercare@piramal.com or call us at 1800-22-0502 (toll free) or sms ICAN to 56070 Website: www.i-canhelp.in
1. Dear Doctor, last month I took an emergency contraceptive pill and had my period on my expected date. But since then I haven’t got my periods and I am already 6 days late for this month. Am I pregnant? C a n e m e r g e n c y contraceptive pills fail? Emergency contraceptive pills, being hormone pills, may slightly alter your period cycle length. If you had consumed the pill well in time and also had your monthly period afterwards, then chance of pregnancy is remote. Wait for your periods for few more days and if it gets delayed for over 10 days then consult a gynaecologist. 2 . D e a r D o c t o r, c a n intercourse delay periods? I had intercourse with my partner and my periods have delayed by 4 days this month. I am eating papaya and figs everyday but still no periods. What should I do? Please help.
SHIKHA SHARMA
PART 2
HERBS TO BEAT STRESS
days from expected date then conduct a pregnancy test at the earliest and consult a doctor. 3. Dear Doctor, I have a major menstrual cycle irregularity. I get periods almost once in 2 months. I want to know if I can safely t a k e e m e r g e n c y contraceptive pills despite this problem. Will it cause me any harm? Emergency contraceptive pills are generally safe for menstruating women of all ages however, ECPs as the name suggests should be consumed only in emergency when you regular contraception fails. Given your medical condition, I would suggest you consult your local gynaecologist and understand the reason behind such irregularity. With the help of proper medication you can regularise your period cycle and also speak to your gynaecologist about using regular contraceptive pills.
Unprotected intercourse is pretty risky and can lead to pregnancy. Papaya and fig are not scientifically proven to induce periods, hence please do not believe in such myths. If you do not get periods for 10
Many medicinal plants rejuvenate the nervous system by repairing damaged brain cells
H
as a memory tonic as well as mental-stress reliever, the herb finds favour with many students. Shankhpushpi even finds mention in the classical texts as medha dravya or brain tonic.
ERBS ARE nature’s gift for treating several illnesses. Before the advent VACHA: The roots of this herb of modern medicine, contain active comFLOWER POWER herbs were the standpounds that protect the St John’s wort tackles ard treatment given to nerves from damage those in distress around anxiety disorders and also nourish the the world. The efficacy nervous system. of herbal medicines has been tried and ST JOHN’S WORT: tested for hundreds Popular for counterof years. ing anxiety disorders, Here’s a look at a few this flowering plant has popular medicinal herbs: been used in Western botanicals and naturopathy for years. In BRAHMI: It is used in several some cases, taking the herb preparations in ayurvedic prodappeared to alleviate anxiety ucts meant for nerves and to ensymptoms within two weeks. hance memory. According to the classical texts, it is beneficial for GILOY: The herb is known to the cerebral system. It also acts rejuvenate the as an anti-depressant. BRAIN BOOST nervous system by repairing damBrahmi is often YASHTIMADHU: used for nerves aged brain cells. The classical and to enhance In ayurveda, it herb has been memory is referred to as known to help an amrit for its relieve stress. It medicinal properties and antialso pacifies anger and alleviarthritic benefits. ates anxiety-related stress symptoms. VALERIAN: This root has long been used in Western natural ASHWAGANDHA: It is an excelmedicine for patients of anxiety lent adaptogen (a plant extract and insomnia. Many people use that increases the body’s ability the herb when they are trying to to resist the damaging effects get off sleeping pills. It of stress) and reduces DOSE TO DOZE nervous tension. It also Valerian helps in treating is also combined with herbs such as hops for rejuvenates the cerebral anxiety and insomnia treating insomnia and tissue and benefits mental fatigue. memory enhancement. ask@drshikha.com
SHANKHPUSHPI:
(This series is now concluded)
Used since Vedic times in India
Queries answered by Dr Nirmala Rao MBBS, MD, DPM; a well known psychiatrist who heads Mumbai based Aavishkar - a multifaceted team of expert doctors and health professionals. Aavishkar has a comprehensive approach to mental and physical health, with an emphasis scan this QR code to visit website on counselling and psychotherapy. Supported by:
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MORE ON THE WEB For more columns by Dr Shikha Sharma and other wellness stories, log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch FEBRUARY 2, 2014
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COVER STORY
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*
*and women Forget the villains of old, with their molls and hi-tech ‘dens’. Today’s bad guys, products of our times, are real flesh-and-blood characters you can relate to by Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi ■ When Supriya Pathak slices her daughter, Deepika Padukone’s ring finger as casually as she cuts her betelnuts, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Ram Leela – Goliyon Ki Rasleela, you are stunned at her inhumanity. But somewhere you understand her mindset. You realised she had to protect the honour of her community! ■ Every time Nikitin Dheer walks into the frame in the 300-crore Chennai Express, you pray fervently that Shah Rukh and Deepika manage to run away from his clutches. And yet you can’t help but ogle at Dheer’s rippling muscles and to-die-for body. ■ Ronit Roy’s pure cold blackness in Boss was accentuated by his back story where, as an eight-yearold, he cuts the brakes of his parent’s car simply because they didn’t get him the toy he wanted. You wince and cry ‘How could he?’ But then you let it pass. After all, you realise that people as dark as Ronit’s character do exist in real life.
WAL VIDYUT JAdeM but as the ng He made a crackli killer in 2011 ed brutal, cold-blood ning looks un st ith W in Force. y body, he nk and a perfect hu Abraham hn Jo ro he matched winning all scene for scene, at year th in ds ar debut aw
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OU FEAR these men and women. But you’re fascinated by them. On occasions, you actually look forward to seeing what they will do next. “That’s because today’s villains aren’t really villains. They are real guys with just a higher degree of negativity,” says actor Manoj Bajpayee “You hate their deeds but not them.” The bad man has seen various avatars over the years in Hindi films. From conniving munimjis to smugglers and drug lords,
from dacoits to the enemies of the country like Mogambo and Dr Dang. And today, the corrupt cop-politician nexus. But there’s a difference. Now the audience has started to accept and understand their ‘badness’. What has helped their cause is the fact that most villains today are not cardboard cut-outs or caricatures. They seem like real people. Be it the rough, tyrannical father of Udaan or the ruthless Sardar Khan in Gangs of Wasseypur who didn’t think twice before
killing a foe or using women for sex, each ‘bad’ character comes with his own story. As actor Vidyut Jamwal, who made a stunning debut as a villain opposite John Abraham in Force puts it, “Traditionally villains were the quintessential bad guys. Their roles did not allow an emotional connect with the audience beyond that of disgust. It was almost a stereotype. But with time, the definition of a villain has evolved to encapsulate elements that allow for a backstory and that connects,” he says.
But why?
Why the villain is so different today is the result of a combination of factors – smart scriptwriting, screen presentation, audience exposure to the outside world. The changing face of the Hindi film villain has more to do with the changing face of society – from morals to ethics to entertainment. Calling it an evolution, lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar feels the villain has always emerged from the times in which the films were set. Earlier there was a strong demarcation between good and bad. Anybody who
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il He played the ev h in ng Si i ed leader Ch evilness his t Bu g. ng ba Da mplete Co f. of rn wasnt a tu mour and hu , with good looks nu’s So r, be m nu and item rtainte en character was an an lm Sa to nt ne ing oppo
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MANOJ BAJP
AYEE He has played th e ba Satya, Rajneeti an d guy before, in d Satyagrah but he the show as Sard stole ar Khan in Gangs of Wasseypur 1. Man oj was heartless, insensitive, a killer an in sex. But boy! wa d a bit too interested s he fascinating!
HEROES & BAD GUYS
RONIT ROY
As the insensitive fa Ronit got audienc ther in Udaan, es to take notice of him. But his po rtray unapologetic polic al of a corrupt, e officer in Boss, who could go to any extent, was unnervingly close to reality stood for morality and aspiration was hailed as the hero. Anyone against him was the villain. “In the 1980s, the mafia don became the hero, because of people’s disillusionment with law and order and the role of the state. Then politicians were made villains, followed by Pakistanis. Today it is the business tycoon, the banker, the guy next door!” says Akhtar who co-wrote many stories of good vs evil, such as Sholay, Deewar, Shaan. “Cinema today has grown tremendously,” says Soumik Sen, director of soon-to-be-released Gulab Gang. “And so has our sense of looking at it.” He adds that cinema is now an amalgamation of various nuances that exist in a far more developed, aware, savvy society. While earlier, films were more of a play between fantasy and reality, tilting towards fantasy, today’s films are just another mode of entertainment among many others. Filmmakers insist it is no longer possible to make a film with
a character like Mogambo unless it is clearly stated to be a sort of fantasy. Even a Gabbar may not fit in today’s scenario. So a Paan Singh Tomar takes over. “Both were dacoits. Think about it, Gabbar’s character, if studied deeply, had many layers,” says Soumik Sen. “He didn’t lead a lavish life. He was perhaps a victim of a casteist society where the Thakurs would have ruled. So he became a dacoit to get to a position of power. But at that point, Gabbar’s back story was not spelt out. So he was this larger than life villain. Now, Paan Singh Tomar too was a dacoit. But one empathised with him because you saw his back story and realised why he did what he did.” This is the kind of story-telling which humanises the villain. “Not just that, often it endears the bad character to the audience,” insists Bajpayee who feels it was only because of the way Bhiku Mhatre lived and laughed with his loved ones that – in spite of him being a cold-blooded gangster – the audience cried when he died in Satya.
The human touch
Much of the credit of this humanising process goes to the scriptwriters and filmmakers. The way the character is written and presented makes all the difference. “The fact that today most scripts are written in a way so as not to alienate the villain but weave a story around him and present him as a mighty opponent instead of just a bad man, makes the villain a formidable and acceptable character,” says actor Sonu Sood. Though the villain remains a feared character and can be bloody and brutal, often he has quirks which also make the audience laugh with him. Sood remembers how a few funny dialogues and the item song Munni Badnam Hui in Dabangg made his character of Chedi Singh work. These subtle nuances have also made sure that the villain’s role is no longer taboo for actors – not even for a top hero or someone used to playing ‘good’ roles. “It’s definitely intriguing. To play a character you can’t relate to
FEBRUARY 2, 2014
Shah Rukh Khan: King Khan made the anti-hero stylish with his obsessed-killer-lover trilogy, Baazigar, Darr and Anjaam. The Don franchise brought back the badshah as the bad guy. Ajay Devgn: The brooding hero turned into a killer cop in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Khakee. Sanjay Dutt: He made his big comeback on screen post his jail term as an underworld don in Vaastav. Be it Khalnayak or the recent Agneepath, Sanju baba hasn’t ever shied away from playing negative roles. Vivek Oberoi: He made his debut as an underworld don in Company and then also did Shootout at Lokandwala. Most recently he made a comeback as the killer Kaal in Krrish 3. Hrithik Roshan: The Greek god of India turned into a handsome but conniving thief for Dhoom 2 Akshay Kumar: Having played all kinds of games, playing the villain was the only thing left for this Khiladi. With Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaraa he did that too. Rishi Kapoor: He was the sweaterclad lover boy for nearly three decades till he retired. But when he decided to come back, it was as the menacing Rauf Lala in Agneepath and Dawood in D Day. Aamir Khan: He tried hard to be the bad guy in Dhoom 3 but the sincere Khan’s efforts didn’t really pay off. Saif Ali Khan: This nawaab was dismissed as a poor actor till he did the villainous role of Langda Tyagi in Omkaara. He went on to play the bad guy in Ek Haseena Thi. Amitabh Bachchan: The shahenshah of Bollywood has played many negative roles, from Parwana in his early days to Kaante or even Aks. And most recently in the forgettable Ram Gopal Verma Ki Aag.
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COVER STORY naturally becomes a challenge,” says actress Juhi Chawla who will be seen playing the negative lead for the first time in her career in Gulab Gang. But isn’t playing bad tough? After all, as believed commonly, he or she is not naturally you! “Of course it is tough. And it takes guts to be out there and stick your neck out, knowing fully well that it is bound to get cut publicly,” says Gulshan Grover. Most actors playing the villain agree, but also point out that it gives them a sense of versatility. The bad guy is often a complex, convoluted character. Most actors find that fascinating. “It gives you an edge,” says actor Ronit Roy, who feels that Hollywood films where stalwarts like Robert De Niro play villains is also a motivation.
Accept the black
For a lot of actors though, audience acceptability has made it easier to play the villain. With moral and ethical guidelines now becoming more and more blurred, audiences seem to be happy with a ‘not so holier than thou’ hero. Scriptwriter Niranjan Iyengar feels grey is becoming more real than black or white. “Our moral guidelines have become much less rigid today. What was considered blasphemy earlier is quite okay
JUHI CHAWLA ng,
rmi This is unbelievable. The cha oor as a saccharine sweet girl-next-d itical leader? Juhi manipulative, conniving pol Gulab Gang in was game for a makeover
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today,” he says. The villain was always relative to the hero. So, with the hero changing, the definition of the villain has also changed. All white and pure is rather boring.” Actor Gulshal Devaiah who has played a baddie in all of his three films, Hate Story, Shaitan and Ram Leela, says the audience accepted the characters. “After the first film, it became easier for me to accept the role of a villain when it came my way,” he says. Today, actors are no longer scared of getting labelled as a ‘villain’. “It is much easier to shift from one garb to the other. As an actor, I can choose to play what I wish to now,” adds Devaiah. It isn’t just the
SUPRIYA PA T
HAK She was adorable as the loving mot her in Wake Up Sid. An d scary as the paan she was equally -chewing, iron m atriarch in Ram Leela . Sh but then, it was all e could be brutal for family honour , wasn’t it? characterisation that has changed, even the way the villains look has changed. Forget the sleazy, unkempt Shakti Kapoors or Ranjits, even the suave Ajits would be put to shame by these deadly hunks. Fit, with six pack abs, villains are often as hot as our heroes. Vidyut Jamwal matched John Abraham, rippling muscle for rippling muscle, in Force. Every time Salman took off his shirt, so did Sonu in Dabangg. Whoever said that villains looked creepy? “But that has to be,” says director Sujoy Ghosh. “If we want to show the might of the hero, the villain needs to be mightier. The victory of good over bad is celebrated only when the bad seems invincible. So
be it looks or character presentation, the bad has to look bigger and better,” he adds. But there is a deeper philosophy at work: today, people seem to be actually enjoying the bad. There is no real villain in our society today, says Javed Akhtar. “Because the villain has become the ideal,” he laughs. “Everyone wants the power, the show and the good life. Everyone wants to be a millionaire.” Black is also so fascinating. The element of danger, the aura of unfettered power make for greater attraction. As actor Ronit Roy says it’s because we’re living in Kalyug. “Today, we all find a little good in the bad!” he laughs. tavishi.rastogi@hindustantimes.com
OVER THE YEARS The 1940s and ’50s The lalas, munimji and zamindars ruled. Every peasant had his land and his selfrespect up for grabs at the hands of heartless moneylenders and landowners. The 1960s and ’70s This was the era of dacoits and smugglers: From Gabbar to Lion aka Loin, from the Chambal ravines to the ‘dens’ of the urban baddies and from gaon ki goris to molls.
The 1980s and ’90s Mogambo, Dr Dang, Shakal or Azgarjurrat… India was fighting a battle against foreigners and traitors who wanted to destroy the nation. 2000s With liberalisation, money became the new magnet pulling in the fraudsters, drug dealers, and scamsters. They could be anyone – the police, the mafia, the underworld don or the politician, all often joined at the hip.
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indulge The RockeR FRom IsRael
Photo: COURTSEY ASAF AVIDAN’S SITE; DUDI HASSON
With a massively impressive, genrehopping album, The Reckoning, Asaf Avidan is Israel’s bestkept secret
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HAD MADE up my mind to begin the column this time with soul band Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings’ brilliant new album that has been on my playlist for much of last week. The songs are great and there’s a not-sohappy back story to it too, but all that will have to wait because towards the end of the week, I was gobsmacked by something else I heard. And it wasn’t even something that was brand new. Just something I’d never even heard of before. It was an album by an Israeli musician named Asaf Avidan and his band, The Mojos, and it was called, simply, The Reckoning. Frankly, I wasn’t prepared for the impact that this album would have. The Reckoning has 15 tracks, all composed by Avidan, and hopping genres ranging from blues and folk to rock and grunge. It is massively impressive. Avidan is quite clearly Israel’s best kept secret, although he appears to be immensely popular there. But more on that later. For those of us who
Sanjoy Narayan
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
SOUND OF METTLE
When Give The People What They Want (left) was released, Sharon Jones, 58, was diagnosed with cancer
NEEDS TO BE HEARD
The Reckoning was internationally released a few years ago to critical acclaim
download central love getting drenched in rock music of the kind that we got from Led Zeppelin or the Stones or Janis Joplin, Asaf Avidan’s music will come as a blessing. But there’s something else. I didn’t pick those three legendary names randomly. When I heard The Reckoning’s first track, Maybe You Are, an instantly infectious folk tune, I genuinely thought the singer in the band was a woman. That’s the kind of voice Avidan has: a powerful woman’s voice. Think Janis Joplin. Think Nina Simone. By the time I was listening to the second track, Hangwoman, an unapologetic rock tune, with robust guitar riffs and vocal highs, Avidan’s high notes were sounding like a young Robert Plant’s, I kid you not. And by the time I reached Empty Handed Saturday Blues, a little after the middle of the album, it was clear to me that this guy was a genius. For the past eight or 10 years, to Israeli rock fans, he indeed has been considered one. If you go to YouTube to check out some of his videos, don’t be surprised to see that most of them have been viewed more than a million times; I found one that had notched up 11 million. It’s curious that despite his popularity in Israel and the fact that Avidan, a skinny guy with mohawk style hair, sings in English, he hasn’t made huge ripples outside his country. The Reckoning, to be sure, was internationally released a couple of years back and did get critical acclaim but Avidan and his music – I also learnt that he’s recently gone acoustic and solo sans The Mojos – deserve to scorch up the live circuit in the US and Europe. That probably will happen this year. Although he’s played a number of gigs in Europe in the past, his full-blown North American tour begins this month. After that, you’re bound to hear a lot of him. Unless, you decide to get his albums before that. Good move that might be. As I was saying, this column was going to begin with Sharon Jones’s new album, Give The People What They Want, but then I got hijacked. But here goes. Jones is one of today’s finest soul musicians who sings in the tradition
FEBRUARY 2, 2014
GENIUS IN HIDING Asaf Avidan often sounds like a young Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin’s frontman of the old soul and funk singers of the late Sixties and early Seventies. Her style is vibrant and upbeat and her songs steeped with sharp comments on social issues. I’d written in DC about Jones back in 2010. She is a late bloomer, finding her due recognition only in her forties although she was a gifted singer even as a child. En route to success, she had to overcome many obstacles, including the reluctance of record companies who acknowledged her talent but rejected her because she didn’t look like a soul singer. Yes, strange are the ways of big business. But then, under the aegis of a relatively new label, Daptone Records, Jones found a national audience, but not before doing a stint as a prison guard at Rikers Island, where, she says in an interview, the inmates often wanted her to sing for them. The first time when I heard her on 2007’s 100 Days, 100 Nights, Jones became an instant hit for me and the beginning of my collection of most of what she’s recorded. Hers is a full-bodied version of soul – whether she’s talking about love, betrayal and sadness or just beseeching you not to pay your taxes (What If We All Stopped Paying Taxes? on Soul Time!, a compilation album). A couple of weeks back, when Give The People What They Want was released, it was preceded by reports that Jones, 58, had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was in remission when the album came out and because of the fact that the diagnosis happened before the release (but after it was recorded), fans may uncannily hear a sense of the foreboding at least in some songs. On the new album, Jones does a mix of upbeat, powerful songs as well as slow ballad-like ones. The first track, Retreat!, sounds ominously like a reaction (it is probably not) to her recent diagnosis and treatment. But most of the dozen songs on the deluxe version of the album rarely cross the 3.5-minute mark, making you long for more. Just before I wrote this, I read that Jones was back on the gig circuit. That’s welcome news and one hopes that this spirited soul singer emerges stronger from the crisis she’s battled. Download Central appears every fortnight
MORE ON THE WEB To give feedback, stream or download the music mentioned in this column, go to blogs.hindustantimes. com/download-central. Write to Sanjoy at sanjoy. narayan@hindustantimes.com
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ThaT’s QuiTe a Dish! Here’s my list of great dishes that I have eaten in Indian restaurants over the last five years
F
OODIES ALWAYS travel the world looking for iconic dishes at famous restaurants. The Baba au Rhum at Alain Ducasse’s restaurants in London, Monte Carlo and Paris; the Roast Chicken at Chez L’Ami Louis in Paris; the Truffle Soup at Paul Bocuse’s Lyon restaurant; the Pork Bun at David Chang’s Momofuku restaurant; the Bread and Butter Pudding at Mosimann’s in London; the Cauliflower Soup at Gordon Ramsay’s London flagship; the Black Cod with Miso at any Nobu; the Roast Goose at Yung Kee in Hong Kong; and so on. The list is pretty much an endless one.
Vir Sanghvi
rude food Do we have iconic dishes at restaurants in India? Well, we do have great street food. Everybody knows somebody who makes the best kulcha-channa in Amritsar or the best vada paav in Bombay or the best rolls in Calcutta. But restaurant food? I’m not sure. For what it is worth though, here’s my list of great dishes I have eaten in Indian restaurants over the last five years. This is proper restaurant food (some of it made by our own versions of Ducasse, Bocuse and Nobu), so don’t necessarily expect it to be cheap.
BISTECCA FIORENTINA: Le Cirque (Delhi and Bombay)
This is Florence’s most famous dish, a huge steak carved out of a side of Chianina cattle and then roasted on an open fire. I spent a week in Tuscany last year looking for a perfect bistecca and my conclusion (heresy to all Italians) is that the Chianina is too lean a breed to make a good steak. At the two Le Cirques, they use US Prime rather than Chianina and the portion is so large that two people are expected to share it. The Delhi version is more elaborate and is sliced at your table. The Bombay version is pre-plated. But both are absolutely delicious.
KAKORI KEBAB: Dum Pukht, Delhi and elsewhere
PICKLED TO PERFECTION
Indian Accent’s spare ribs combine a juicy porkiness with the flavour of Indian achaars
This is the kebab that Dum Pukht made famous and, in my view, no hotel chain other than ITC gets it right. A kakori is shaped like a seekh but should have a melt-inthe-mouth feel. The texture is hard to achieve (many chefs have difficulty in getting the mince to keep its shape on
FEBRUARY 2, 2014
NOWHERE AS GOOD
Everybody does the Peking duck now but only one restaurant in India does it perfectly – The China Kitchen, Delhi the skewer and choose to make galoutis instead) and the perfect spicing is a secret that only members of chef Imtiaz Qureshi’s family appear to be privy too.
DAL MEAT: Embassy, Delhi
The mixture of mutton and lentils turns up in Indian and Mediterranean cuisine again and again. The Parsis have made it their own with dhansak but Embassy has made its reputation by offering a Punjabi take on this combination that you’ll have difficulty finding elsewhere.
PEKING DUCK: The China Kitchen, Delhi
Everybody does the dish now but only one restaurant in India does it perfectly. The China Kitchen’s Peking duck, sliced at your table, is so perfect that you don’t need the pancakes or the crunchy vegetables. Mainline and eat the duck by itself with a little garlic puree and hoisin, with a bottle of cold white Burgundy.
WHITEFISH CARPACCIO: Wasabi, Delhi
The signature dish of Wasabi, this consists of thin slices of raw fish (something like fluke) which is cooked on the plate when they add a warm sauce. Everyone who goes there orders it. You can get it in Bombay but the Delhi Wasabi, which is much better run, is my favourite.
BACON FRIED RICE: Amaranta, Gurgaon
A hidden gem at the Oberoi chain is this little restaurant serving wonderful South Indian non-vegetarian food at the Gurgaon property. The bacon fried rice is, I suspect, a madeup dish but it has a distinct Syrian Christian influence and is very special.
MURGH KHURCHAN: Bukhara, Delhi
The great secret dish of Bukhara. I’m not sure if they’ve actually put it on the menu now but for years, regulars and insiders have ordered this alternative take on chicken tikka masala. Soak it up with a crisp tandoori roti.
CRAB: Gajalee, Bombay
Eat it any way you like – even with an inauthentic butter garlic sauce – but the crab at the Vile Parle Gajalee is so spectacular that it must count as one of India’s great gastronomic experiences. Gajalee’s fried bombil is also a classic. But I still prefer the crab.
hindustantimes.com/brunch
BY THE MATKA FULL
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This Bohra-style biryani with mutton and apricots from ITC Grand Central, Mumbai, is so addictive that I take back matkas each time I leave
BAKED CHICKEN PUFF: Yauatcha, Bombay and Delhi
The original, in London, is made with venison but this version is still pretty amazing. It is like a patty but with the lightest, flakiest dough ever. I’m sure they do it at the Bangalore branch too but I have still to try it.
STAR OF INDIA BIRYANI: ITC Grand Central, Bombay
The Grand Central lurks in the shadow of the more glamorous ITC Maratha but it has some of the best Indian food in the ITC chain. (And that’s saying something!) This is a Bohra-style biryani with mutton and apricots. It is on the room service menu and I’m so addicted to it that I take back matkas full of it each time I leave Bombay.
PATATAS BRAVAS: Arola, Bombay
Sergi Arola is a rock star Spanish chef (with two Michelin stars) whose signature dish is a variation on the tapas standard of crispy potatoes. In Arola’s version, the patatas are hollowed out and the sauce put in. His Bombay restaurant at the JW Marriott benefits from the strength of Himanshu Taneja, the hotel’s executive chef who ensures that standards remain high and consistent. But be careful: this dish is addictive.
A LOT IS AT STEAK
At the Le Cirques in Delhi and Mumbai, the portion of bistecca fiorentina is so large that two people are expected to share it
SPARE RIBS WITH PICKLE FLAVOURS: Indian Accent, New Delhi
If you have any doubt that Manish Mehrotra is the finest modern Indian chef in the country, then try these delicious spare ribs which combine a sweet and juicy porkiness with the flavour of Indian achaars.
KADAK SEEKH: Peshawri, Agra
You won’t get these at Bukhara but at the Peshawri at the Mughal in Agra they make a crisp seekh kebab from chicken mince with whole chillies embedded inside. To die for.
BERRY PULAO: Britannia, Bombay
A legendary Bombay favourite, this pulao with its berries is somewhere in the no-man’s land between Irani and Parsi food. You can get versions elsewhere but nothing tops this.
DAHI BATATA PURI: Sea Lounge, Bombay
It shouldn’t seem right to eat street food in a luxury hotel. But the relationship between the Taj and city of Bombay is special. Though the Taj is once again one of the world’s finest hotels under the dream team of Gourav Pokhriyal and Parveen Chander Kumar, the Sea Lounge’s dahi batata puri is an old-fashioned favourite that has remained unchanged for many decades now. There is nothing quite like sitting by the window, looking out at the Gateway and the sea beyond and enjoying the Sea Lounge’s surprisingly good version of this street food staple.
VERY SYRIAN CHRISTIAN
The bacon fried rice served at the Gurgaon property of the Oberoi is very special
PIZZA: Italian Cultural Centre, Delhi
The best pizzas in India are not made by an Italian. But they are made for Italians. Ritu Dalmia runs the café at the Italian Cultural Centre and cooks excellent pizzas of all kinds. Though the Cultural Centre is a club, it is easy enough for Indians to become members though of late I suspect that the Italian embassy is getting a little annoyed that people want to join not because of a love of Fellini or even Berlusconi but only to eat at the café.
MADRAS FRIED CHICKEN: Pavilion, Chennai
VENISON FOR LONDON, CHICKEN FOR INDIA
Baked Chicken Puff at Yauatcha, Delhi and Mumbai, is like a patty but with the lightest, flakiest dough ever
This dish is only a year or so old. It was invented for the ITC Chola’s buffet. The idea was that each table would get some starters before they began on the main meal. The fried chicken uses south Indian spices but its defining characteristics are the crushed curry leaves in the masala and the skillful use of tamarind to keep the pieces of chicken moist. So far, at least, ITC has refused to serve it at any of its other hotels. But it is an instant classic and is certain to travel.
FEBRUARY 2, 2014
MELT IN THE MOUTH
In my view, no hotel chain other than ITC gets their kakori kebab right MORE ON THE WEB For more columns by Vir Sanghvi, log on to hindustantimes. com/brunch The views expressed by the columnist are personal
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Should You BuY A Curved Tv? T No. It’s a technology that’s just being shoved down the throats of consumers
WHAT’S THE POINT?
You cannot mount a curved TV on your wall, defeating the purpose of slim TV
HERE IS a certain term used by geeks, nerds and techies. It’s a fairly graphic term called ‘Techgasm’ and is used to describe the incredible lust and overall physical reaction a certain aspect of technology has over a person. This emotional and physical effect is always for technology on the horizon and just around the corner. For instance, cars that drive themselves, ‘Beam me up, Scotty’ Star Trek-style travel, bionic chips embedded within the body and the ultimate Holy Grail – curved screens. And the reason curved screens are so high on that list of techgasms is fairly simple. It’s step one towards achieving tech nirvana, where every gadget will be foldable, curvable and bendable. Well, away from fantasy and dreams, curved screens are finally here with televisions and smartphones. And ever since I’ve arrived back in India, the number one question I’ve been asked is: should I be saving up to by a curved-screen TV? Well, that question is about to be answered. CES was littered with curved TVs. Not just from the stalwarts and big names, but literally every brand on display and TV manufacturer in the world. You could not walk down an aisle or a booth without a screen wrapping its curvaceous form around you. If every manufacturer in the world seems to think that there is huge potential and a market for this, then there really must be, right? If they all seem to be pushing
Rajiv Makhni
techilicious TOO BIG AND BULKY
To get a theatre feel, you need a 105-inch curved TV. That’s rather unwieldy and expensive MORE ON THE WEB For previous columns by Rajiv Makhni, log on to hindustantimes. com/brunch. Follow Rajiv on Twitter at twitter.com/ RajivMakhni The views expressed by the columnist are personal
twitter.com/HTBrunch 105-inches and more, and that makes it very unwieldy and expensive.
VIEWING ANGLES
Curved TVs are awesome for the person sitting right in the centre but terrible for those sitting on the sides. What you see from the sides is an angled screen, light bouncing off the curvature, slightly less brightness and a view of the side, the bezel curve and even the back of the TV. Very distracting!
NOT IMMERSIVE
The biggest USP of a curved TV is that it is immersive and draws you in. Just how, is what is not answered. A curved TV screen actually looks smaller as it folds in from the sides and that perception is even more enhanced and amplified when you’re watching a movie. A 55-incher looks like a 47-inch screen and that doesn’t make it more immersive. Also, the whole ‘screen that wraps around you’ syndrome is totally defeated as your eyes and the periphery vision don’t get fooled at these sizes.
CAN’T BE MOUNTED
By the very virtue of its awesome curves, a TV with a form factor like that cannot be mounted on a wall. This basically defeats the whole purpose of TVs so thin that they literally merge into your wall or adhere to the clean aesthetics of modern displays. If this has to be kept on a table and ends up taking so much space, then we might as well go back to the old CRT TVs. They also had a curved tube, just that the curve was in the wrong direction.
GIMMICKY
A curved TV that can straighten at the press of a button! Sounds like the ultimate wow device of all time, until you realise that after you’ve curved it and straightened it twice, you’ll scratch your head and wonder why you needed to do it at all! Curved TVs will be the ultimate status symbol and the most iconic product you can buy. This will just prove that you are a tech doofus of epic proportions.
PROOF OF CONCEPT
One of the reasons companies are taking out curved TVs may well be to distinguish OLED TVs from all other technologies. They look different, they look amazing and have unique shape. Unfortunately, it is a silly start to what may well be the technology of the future. By curving regular OLED TVs, companies will also dampen sales of what has got to be the best TV technology in decades.
this technology as the next big thing, then that’s what it must be, right? Well, I have two words for you: 3D TVs! NOT PRACTICAL If a technology being pushed by multiple manu- Curved TVs will facturers has different reasons and advantages attrib- not work for uted to it, it’s a dead giveaway that something isn’t those who sit on right. Ask any manufacturer about the advantages of the side of the a curved TV screen and you’ll get completely differ- screen ent answers: “It’s like an IMAX at home”, “It’s more PRICE SHOCK immersive”, “It fools the eye and draws you in”, “It wraps the A 105-inch curved TV will cost about $70,000! Do the converpicture around you”, “It gives you a 3D experience without sion. Enough said! the need for glasses”, “It makes the centre larger and the sides closer”. There are a dime a dozen explanations, each backed Curved TVs will go the way 3D TVs did, a perplexing techby a scientific or techie film to demo it. Sadly, my experience nology that was shoved down the throats of customers was anything but any of these. Here are some of the reasons without them asking for it. Billions of dollars will be spent I believe that curved TVs will roll off the radar without creatto ignite the market and spur sales, but once again this will ing any major blip. bomb, bad and hard! Curved TVs are doomed and slated for NEEDS TO BE HUGE failure even before most of us will actually get to see one. Some of the best movie theatres in the world have a curved On the other hand, curved smartphones are a truly kickass screen. But those are huge and you can’t see the sides. Most technology that makes extreme sense. I’ll get into the ‘why’ curved TV screens right now are 55 inches, and the fact of that in a future column. Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV, and the anchor of Gadget Guru, that they are curved is obvious and even a little bit jarring. Cell Guru and Newsnet 3 For a curved screen to truly do its magic, it’s got to be about
FEBRUARY 2, 2014
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Photo: GETTY IMAGES
A TAle Of TwO wOmen
Sunanda Pushkar and Valerie Trierweiler; and the many parallels between their stories
T
WO WOMEN have dominated the headlines over the last couple of weeks. One of them is Valerie Trierweiler, the now former First Lady of France, whose first public appearance post her separation with François Hollande at a charity event in Mumbai created quite a stir. The other is Sunanda Pushkar, the tragically deceased wife of Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, who graced the columns of Page Three while she lived and was splashed all over the front pages after being found dead in a five-star hotel room days after she had ‘outed’ what she believed was an affair between her husband and Pakistani journalist, Mehr Tarar. But while their stories played out many thousands of miles apart, the parallels between the two women are all too apparent. Both had been married twice before, had kids from their second marriages (three sons for Valerie and one for Sunanda), before finding love a third time around. Both were strong, independent women who took pride in being
Seema Goswami
spectator Another striking parallel is how both suffered, albeit in different ways, because of Twitter
MORE ON THE WEB For more SPECTATOR columns by Seema Goswami, log on to hindustantimes.com/ brunch. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ seemagoswami. Write to her at seema_ ht@rediffmail.com The views expressed by the columnist are personal
successful professionals, Valerie as a senior journalist for Paris Match and a television presenter and Sunanda as a businesswoman (her declared assets included several flats in Dubai valued at`93 crores; and that was just part of her wealth). Both resented being perceived as arm candy for their powerful husbands. When Paris Match put Valerie on the cover calling her Hollande’s ‘charming asset’ she tweeted her outrage “Bravo Paris Match for its sexism. My thoughts go out to all angry women”. Sunanda, for her part, ascribed the IPL scandal in which she became embroiled as an emblem of the sexism and misogyny of the Indian media. Both wanted a strong identity for themselves in public life. When Hollande was elected President, Valerie declared that she was not going to be une potiche (French for trophy wife) and would have her own agenda in the ‘Madame Wing’ of the Élysée Palace. Sunanda, too, didn’t believe in mincing her words while going against the declared position of the Congress party on such contentious issues as Section 370, which she maintained discriminated against Kashmiri women, both Hindu and Muslim, on property rights. Unfortunately, the central irony of the lives of these women was that despite their
PUBLIC MELTDOWN
Sunanda was a successful businesswoman in her own right FEBRUARY 2, 2014
THE PRICE OF FAME
Valerie Trierweiler wouldn’t have been invited to Mumbai to promote a charity if she was just another French journalist
best efforts to project themselves as public entities in their own right, both found fame only because of the men they married/lived with. It is hard to believe that national TV channels would have interviewed Sunanda Pushkar and sought her views on political issues if she hadn’t been married to Shashi Tharoor but was just another attractive, successful, late entrant on the Delhi social scene. And certainly, Valerie Trierweiler would not have been invited to Mumbai to promote a charity if she was just another French journalist and not the partner of the President of France. Another striking parallel is how both suffered, albeit in different ways, because of Twitter. Valerie sent out that now-infamous tweet, supporting a rebel candidate in a French election against François’ previous partner, Ségolène Royal, because of her pathological jealousy of her former love rival. Ségolène lost the election but Valerie lost in the court of public opinion, and many now believe that may have marked the beginning of the end of her relationship with the President. Sunanda’s indiscretion on Twitter was even more explosive. She sent out a series of messages on her husband’s Twitter account to ‘expose’ his alleged affair with a Pakistani journalist, Mehr Tarar, whom she dubbed an ‘ISI agent’. Tarar responded in kind. Tharoor hastened to clarify that his account had been hacked. Sunanda was having none of that. She gave interviews to insist that she had sent out the tweets in question. And a messy situation got messier and messier. Sadly, both Sunanda and Valerie found their private lives unravelling in a spectacularly public fashion around the same time. But while in Valerie’s case, it was Closer magazine that revealed that her partner had been cheating on her with a French actress, Julie Gayet, Sunanda’s privacy was invaded by Sunanda herself. And while Valerie survived her heartbreak despite being rushed to hospital after ‘taking one pill too many’ (according to some reports in the French media), Sunanda was found dead in the Leela Hotel of what was described (as I write this) as a possible drug overdose. What lessons can we draw from the lives of these two women, who lived, loved, rose and then fell dramatically in the public gaze? Well, first off, don’t hitch your wagon to a man, no matter how much you love him (as Valerie insisted to the end that she did) or how much he worships you (as Tharoor clearly did). Relying on or revelling in the status you derive from a relationship is a dangerous business, no matter how glamorous and desirable it may seem at the time. So, don’t sacrifice your career for a ‘job’ from which you can be fired at any time without any due cause. And secondly, remember that it’s called ‘private life’ for a reason. It is not supposed to be for public consumption. Because while people may express faux sympathy for you, once your back is turned they will be pointing and laughing. Until, of course, the laughter turns into tears.
VARIETY
Disclaimer: All the Ramsay movies are rated A. They’re not at all horrific, only superbly tacky. Viewer discretion is advised!
twitter.com/HTBrunch THE SLEAZE FACTOR: You can’t have a Ramsay movie and not have sleaze. The women were usually scantily clad and wouldn’t be caught dead in anything but their most revealing negligees.
Fans swear by their brand of horror. A look at what makes for a Ramsay movie (pssst... there’s a new one out soon) by Shreya Sethuraman
Y
OU’VE seen their movies. Veerana, Purana Mandir, Bandh Darwaza – all of them make you want to curl up in bed and hug your pillow (with laughter). The Eighties was the Ramsay decade. Their films were replete with tacky sets and special effects. Disfigured ghosts and spirits, girls in tiny clothes being attacked by evil aatmas, all this was staple fare. But none of it really explained why Ramsay films became cult favourites. Now, they’re back with a new release, Neighbours: They Are Vampires (in vintage Ramsay style). It’s a good time to look back at the curious charms of a Ramsay horror film.
A MANSION: Most films revolved
around a mansion and the secrets of the wealthy family living there. You didn’t have to be a resident, you could’ve just moved in, as was the case in Purani Haveli, in which a rich family buys a mansion, only to discover the horrors behind the closed doors. HACKNEYED DIALOGUES: Often there was a ‘Main-SamayHoon’-esque voice-over. In Veerana, it went something like this: “Aur ye hain shaitan ke pujari, jo apni kaali shakti ke zor se masoom zindagiyon ko barbaad karke bana dete hain, Veerana!” Sadly, they’ve now moved to Hinglish. The voiceover for Neighbours... goes: “Kisne dekha? Sanam ne dekha. Neighbours... they are vampiresss!”
THUNDER, LIGHTNING, MUSIC: The name of the movie was usually introduced with thunder and lightning in the background. No thunder-lightning, no Ramsay movie. Also, the background score and special effects were always the same – screeching owls, flapping wings, creaking doors, etc. LOW PRODUCTION VALUES: The set design, costumes, makeup – everything in a Ramsay movie spoke volumes about the imagination behind it. Taxidermy animals mounted on walls, armour in bedrooms, vampires with eyes that changed colour, et al. There had to be a dungeon where nefarious
activities took place. Always! HOW DO YOU VOODOO? That was another Ramsay favourite. For instance, in Veerana, a naked man was tied up and told that a chudail would satiate her thirst by drinking his ‘garam khoon’. WHAT’S IN A NAME? A Ramsay movie would not be as entertaining if it weren’t for its name. Andhera, Aur Kaun, Mahakaal, and many more. Neighbours: They are Vampires is the first English title of a Ramsay film. shreya.sethuraman@ hindustantimes. com
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PERSONAL AGENDA
twitter.com/HTBrunch
Actress
Mahie Gill
BIRTHDAY SUN SIGN PLACE OF BIRTH HOMETOWN SCHOOL/COLLEGE
December 19 Sagittarius
Chandigarh
FIRST HIGH POINT OF YOUR BREAK LIFE Anurag Kashyap’s film Dev.D (2009)
Chandigarh
Panjab University, Chandigarh
LOW POINT CURRENTLY I... OF YOUR Have just finished Satish Kaushik’s LIFE film Gangs of Ghost, which releasing
When Anurag saw me at a party and instantly decided that I Yet to come should play the character of Paro in Dev.D
in April. Also I’m considering a few other projects before finalising anything
If not an actress, you would Rajkumar Hirani and YOUR FAVOURITE Imtiaz Ali. have been... DESTINATIONS. In the army. The biggest risk you’ve taken. What was the most defining Shifting to Mumbai from thing about playing Paro? Chandigarh, I guess. I was just going with the A song that describes your flow. I didn’t get selfcurrent state of mind. cu conscious at all. Tum itna jo muskura rahe Tu Which classic would ho, kya gham hai jisko ho you choose as your debut chhupa rrahe ho from movie? Arth (1983). Ar Guide (1965). I’d love One it item number you wish to do Waheeda ji’s role. you’d done. yo Do you feel that you have Aa jaane jaan from been typecast? Intaquam (1969). Yes I did initially. But Your fitness secrets. now I’m happy as I’m doing films in Yoga and positive thinking. different genres. What makes your day? Romance or drama, which do you like best? Hearing an interesting script and How about romantic dramas? signing a film. The best thing about Bollywood. What ruins it? I think it gives everybody a chance. Reading any rumour about me. There are no friends or enemies. You destress by... The most romantic pair in Bollywood. Spending an evening with friends. Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. — Interviewed by Veenu Singh The directors you want to work with. Photo: oto: THINKSTOCK THINK
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Ireland and Kerala in India
my movies A film you have seen more than five times.
Lamhe (1991)
The most overrated film.
None
The most paisa vasool film.
All the Rajinikanth films
A movie that was a part of your childhood.
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) The first movie you saw on the big screen.
I don’t remember it