Brunch 12 10 2014 by Hindustan Times

WEEKLY WEEKLY MAGAZINE, MAGAZINE, OCTOBER JUNE 22, 12, 2014 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times

How did a Bandra boy, the son of an air-conditioning businessman, with no fashion training and only a love for films, become Bollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s superstylist? Meet...

Manish Malhotra: Up Close & Fashionable

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

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Brunch Opinion

by Aastha Atray Banan

Meeting Manish Is A Masterclass In Being Yourself

humour intact. In fact, all the models I spoke to, gushed about how much they love Manish. “He’s got a heart of gold,” said Candice Pinto. After spending a little time with him during the Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014 this year, I was convinced he had a crystal ball that told him what will be a hit. As I took a look at his showroom in Bandra while we shot the cover, I rang up my dad and made him promise he would buy me a Manish sari soon. But what I loved the most about him was his unabashed love for being himself. To him, what matters most is his audience. “I am not claiming to be different or anything. I am just me.” Meeting Manish taught me a valuable lesson – just be yourself, and that’s what will make you successful, and I thank him for AR that. REK POY AN HUM ANS o: Phot

On The Brunch Radar

by Saudamini Jain

LOVE IT

n Chutzpah. And Tabu. And Shahid Kapoor n Same-sex marriage legalised in 11 US states Although, makes you feel ashamed to be Indian n That sales for Gone Girl, the thriller novel have gone up just before the film adaptation n Juice cleanses during the festive season to skip all the sweet, fried, processed junk n Hrithik, as he dances MJ style to Bang Bang

n Keeping up with TV shows n Dodgy Internet connection n AbRam trending on Twitter. Let the kid be, maybe? n Living without a best friend n The whole Flipkart fiasco

Stuff You Said Last Sunday doesn’t A feature (small one, w I Met Ho on h) ug matterr, tho ’s ay tod Your Mother in od to go so ls els ee Fe F . ch @HTBrun n :’) tte go for knoow that it’s not ow tN ha idW Sa 0u - @Y

Tweet of the week: agree article… Not sure we ugh! ng sti Intere rm tho tfo pla st” zie ea “sl we’re the – @PlanetRomeo

Brilliant Analysis of Indian Virtual world of #d ating circuit, consisting of #Love & #Lust – @DigitalSumit

SHOVE IT Massively intrigued by Keepers of the Frame. Insightfu l introduction to the sto ry of Kamat Foto Flash Studio . Images make a film! – @OnlyAnamika

Very nice article about Kalidas .. Though it misses few things such as Kalidas was also an artist, he made theatre accessible to people. But I would like to congratulate the writer for the beautiful words in Brunch – Tushar Upreti

Find Hindustan Times Brunch on Facebook or tweet to @HTBrunch or

Cover design: MONICA GUPTA Cover image: SATISH BATE

EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Aasheesh Sharma, Rachel Lopez, Aastha Atray Banan, Veenu Singh, Satarupa Paul, Saudamini Jain, Asad Ali, Atisha Jain

OCTOBER 12, 2014

DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor, Design), Monica Gupta, Swati Chakrabarti, Payal Dighe Karkhanis, Ajay Aggarwal

by Asad Ali and Satarupa Paul

To Ello Or To Facebook

Ello! Have you heard of Ello? It’s touted as the new, beautiful, invite-only social media platform – like Facebook but without ads. Two Brunch journalists had a little fight over this. Here’s a bit from their Google chat Asad: Did you sign up for Ello? Satarupa: What’s that? Sent at 2:00 PM on Sunday Asad: It’s the hot new thing in the social network universe – claims it will be ad-free and won’t use data from your profile etc.. I’m waiting for an invite. Satarupa: But but but. Don’t we love FB? Sent at 2:25 PM on Sunday Asad: Um. You do. Satarupa: Everybody does! Asad: Sadly most people flood my timeline with their selfies, cat-pictures and relationship messages, which makes me want to throw up. Satarupa: So what exactly will you go and do on Ello? Show off your knowledge about politics, sports & the weather? Asad: Hmmph! It will be 100% ad-free and your personal data won’t be sold to corporations. Please tell me that makes you happy!? Sent at 2:45 PM on Sunday Satarupa: So you can still upload photos of cats, your relationship/marital/pregnancy status WITHOUT ads running alongside? Well, at least on FB, I can click on the ad for diamond rings and check out a solitaire for myself if someone’s relationship status (“Just got engaged in Bali”) makes me nauseaous... you know what I mean? Asad: No I don’t know what you mean. Maybe Sonam Kapoor does (get it?) Anyway! Satarupa: You really think it can overthrow Facebook? How will it even run? Asad: I read they’re planning some pay-for features. Satarupa: Which will be what? Asad: If they get enough users willing to pay for some “premium features” etc then they can make it work I guess, a revenue model. Satarupa: Don’t know if I would want to pay to upload more photos when I could use that money to buy lingerie that the ad on FB promises will make me look one size smaller! Sent at 3:05 PM on Sunday Asad: I guess FB works for you given you look forward with bated breath at the next pop-up ad that fills the top right corner of your FB page. Satarupa: That’s not the point of this conversation... you’re digressing! I’m off to buy some salad jars now. Online I mean, because that’s what busy people do these days. Bye! Asad: I’m surprised that buying lingerie off FB has greater priority over your personal data :P Anyway, we will see in 2 months’ time! Satarupa: Yes, we will. Ta! Asad: Is Ta another ad-fiiled social network?! Bye.

Photos: SHUTTERSTOCK

am a pukka Bollywood fan, and Rangeela, is by far one of my favourite movies. I have often been reassured that my curves are beautiful by watching Urmila run on the beach in nothing but a long white vest. And so, I was stoked I would be meeting Manish Malhotra, her stylist in the movie. After all, he can easily be called the most influential stylist of the industry. I was wary that he may have a huge chip on his shoulder, and yet when I met him, he was warm and so easy to hold a conversation with. “Come on Aastha, let’s be in a relationship for these few days,” We caught Manish in a light he laughed as we mood at the Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive fittings had lunch, and for the finale he rued about how little I was eating. It was a mini masterclass watching him work – be it at fittings, where he edited his own collection with a keen eye, and still kept his

Apples and Oranges

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WELLNESS

MIND BODY SOUL SHIKHA SHARMA

For any worries related to unplanned pregnancy:

HUNGRY KYA?

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

S YOU read this on this Sunday morning, are you hungry? If you are, do you know why? It’s a complex question. Our appetites are stimulated by two factors: need and desire. And telling them apart can be hard. You need to eat when your stomach is empty and your body is crying out for fuel. But your desire to eat can be triggered by any of dozens of things. But it’s mostly motivated by a search for pleasure.

3. Dear Doctor, can I cut a n e m e r g e n c y contraceptive pill into half and then consume it with orange juice, will it be effective to avoid pregnancy? All medications should be consumed in the prescribed manner for it to be effective. Dividing the pill in two halves is incorrect. Please follow the pack instructions or your doctors’ advice before consuming any pill.

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:

when we were hunter-gatherers, and hunters had to be aggressive enough to kill for food. Research shows that when the satiety centre in the brain is removed during surgery, the patient becomes a voracious eater. This is because the hunger hormones are no longer regulated by the satiety centre. This hunger can lead to violent rages and patients with this condition die of over-eating.

THE DESIRE TO EAT Since our appetite is also influenced by emotions, it is evident THE NEED TO EAT that hormones other than Your empty stomach stimulates ghrelin are at work. a hormone called ghrelin Food, for many that makes you hunpeople, is a way gry. Simultaneously, of stimulating as your blood sugar pleasure. We often drops between eat even when meals and the level we do not need of insulin in the to. Science calls it bloodstream drops, the dopamine reward your brain receives MIND GAMES system. Any food that is a signal that tells it Our appetite is easily refined and has added you’re low on fuel. Your influenced by emosugar, salt and fat, empty stomach also tions, so watch out! becomes as addictive makes this clear by as a drug. churning and rumbling. Obesity researchers believe Hungry people who are not that the brain cells of the fed as soon as possible tend obese may be resistant to the to get angry, as stewards in hormone that regulates the fat restaurants and domestic help stored in the body. So how can know very well. This is because you control your appetite? Find the anger centre and satiety out next week. centre in the brain are located close to each other. This might ask@drshikha.com be a holdover from the period (To be continued)

MORE ON THE WEB For more columns by Dr Shikha Sharma and other wellness stories, log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch OCTOBER 12, 2014

Photos: SHUTTERSTOCK

2. Dear Doctor, my periods are yet to arrive but I feel very nauseous everyday in the morning and tired throughout the day. I had unprotected intercourse 10 days back. Could this be a sign of pregnancy? It takes atleast 3-4 weeks for the pregnancy to establish and another couple of weeks before the pregnancy symptoms start to show up. If you had

intercourse just 10 days back then these symptoms could be due to other reasons. If your condition does not improve and your period is also missed, then conduct a pregnancy test 10 days after your expected date and consult a doctor for further advice.

MediaMedic ICH/Q&A/1002

1. Dear Doctor, are e m e r g e n c y contraceptive pills effective if consumed on the day of ovulation? Contrary to the popular beliefs, emergency contraceptive pills are effective when taken anytime during the cycle. The only important factor f o r e m e r g e n c y contraceptive pill to be effective is the time when it is consumed. One must consume an ECP ideally within 12 hours of unprotected intercourse and not later than 72 hours to avoid pregnancy.

PART- I

Can you tell if your body is simply in need of fuel, or whether it’s craving food like a drug? Find out in this two-part series

Photo: ANSHUMAN POYREKAR

COVER STORY

Call him a Bollywood stylist. Call him a bridal designer. Call him a fashion maverick these days. Call him what you will. Manish Malhotra will always be just Manish Malhotra. No more. No less by Aastha Atray Banan

OUR DAYS before Lakmé Fashion Week’s Autumn/ Winter 2014 finale, the 8th floor of a mid-town Mumbai five-star hotel is chaotic. Designer and Bollywood stylist Manish Malhotra is trying to decide which model will look best in what bridal avatar at the finale. “Who has a flat stomach here?” he asks. “You? Come try the sari.” He pauses, looking slightly worried, lines forming on his forehead. “Maybe we can try this lehenga on Carol or Sandhya?” Suddenly, he smiles, looking at a male model. “Maybe you can trim that beard a bit? You can’t look like a terrorist!” And then he looks at another model. “You need coffee,” he says. There are a few laughs and he’s back to work. “I should change something. Something doesn’t look right,” he muses. And then he asks a bystander, “How’s it looking?” She is flustered. “Lovely!” she manages to say, caught by surprise. He gives her a smile and an ‘I-hopeit-all-turns-out-good’ look. Then it’s back to the edit. Purnima Lamba, head of innovations at Lakmé, says that while discussing the theme of the finale with Malhotra (which was bridal), the first thing she told him was: ‘Tell me what you are known for, and let’s not do that.’ “And Manish was super excited. He’s an incredible collaborator,” she says.

That could be Malhotra’s mantra these days as he reinvents himself as a designer – letting his designs reflect his maturity and his growth, even as they still retain that ‘Manish Malhotra’ charm. The result was this – there was no gold at the finale, and that could be a first for Malhotra, who is known for his metallic embroidery and chiffons. Instead, we saw palettes of grey and purple, lots of mirror work, OTT headgear and embroidered capes. “This was a very controlled collection,” observes Anaita Shroff Adajania, the show’s stylist and Malhotra’s old friend. “Most designers are shy to learn, but not Manish; he is like a sponge, he just wants to absorb. When he first started out, he was more about outfits. Now he’s more cohesive and thinks of the outfit as part of a collection. He still loves what he stands for, but wants to grow.”

mate Bollywood designer but as a fashion maverick as well. What’s common to both tags is his mass appeal, whether it’s inspiring millions to wear hot pants and knotted tops like Urmila Matondkar did in Rangeela (1995), or making sure every other bride wants (or at least tells their tailor to copy) a Manish Malhotra ensemble for their wedding, like their favourite star, Kareena Kapoor Khan. Born into a typical Punjabi family in Mumbai, Malhotra is the son of an air-conditioning business owner. But even as a child, he was only interested in movies – the songs, the colours, the costumes and the actresses (Sridevi was his favourite). As he had a knack for sketching, in his 6th standard, he joined a painting class. “I was good in science only because my diagrams were good,” he laughs. “Mathematics was terrible.” But the Bandra boy wanted to move out of his suburb and went to Elphinstone College to study. That’s where he got hooked to English movies in addition to Bollywood. To supplement his pocket money, he conducted surveys for market research agencies, and modelled for ads such as Gold Spot and Close-Up. But he wanted to see the world. “I saved `90,000 and went to Bangkok and Singapore. That quest to see the world and explore was always there,” he says. Though he loved cinema,

SHARP CUTS

Malhotra is letting his designs reflect his maturity, even as they still retain his trademark sexy yet wearable style

RAGS TO RANGEELA

It’s taken Malhotra a long time to reach this space; a space where he is known not only as the ulti-

OCTOBER 12, 2014

“RANGEELA

changed the way the Indian film industry saw costume design. I did that. That was my turning point. No one can take that away from me”

Malhotra didn’t know many film people (though his cousin Lali was married to David Dhawan), and spent a lot of time wondering how to break in. On his return from Bangkok, he joined a boutique called Equinox, where he spent his time sketching and draping the mannequins. Then one day in 1987, he decided to hire two tailors and just started taking orders. “Obviously, I wasn’t going to join the family business,” he says. “My parents didn’t understand this, but came around eventually.” It was at this time that Ensemble opened in Mumbai, which was

A GOOD FIT

At the fittings for his show, Manish may be all business, but he always finds a moment to laugh one of the first multi-brand stores that gave Indian designers a platform for showcasing their designs. It could have been a game-changer for Malhotra but as he says, he didn’t have money to even think of making a collection. “I didn’t have the money to go abroad, I was late with my NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) application, and didn’t have the money for a collection,” Malhotra says. “So I decided, why not movies? To me, the costumes were looking really bad.” It wasn’t a smooth start for him. David Dhawan offered him a chance to style Divya Bharti for a song in 1989. “I remember the look I gave her (I shopped at the Taj) – it was a black brocade skirt and a gold top. But the movie was shelved,” he says. He then designed clothes for Juhi Chawla for a song in Swarg (1990), but his big break came when celebrity photographer Rakesh Shrestha introduced him to Sridevi, and convinced her to use him as a stylist for a photo shoot. Malhotra’s foot was in the door. In the next one

e ardrobed? w r u o v ro Is y h app NO Manis ES

Y d lots Lots an ? g NO n li of b YES is? r a s n Chiffo NO , YES bodice Fitted henga, le heavy NO louse? YES bikini b ? s p a etti str NO Spagh YES te a c Deli idery? embro re than

d mo checke s, you are a If you e x o b S four YE anish fan! M pukka

year, he was working with Sunny Deol, Chunky Pandey and Sridevi. The first movie they did was Gumrah in 1993, and her fitted, embroidered waistcoat with black denims in the song Tere Pyaar Ko Salaam was a fresh look at a time when heroines were swathed in ruffles, satin and dowdy layers. He doesn’t remember, though, where his design aesthetic came from. “It was all my imagination,” he says. “I had never even studied design. Movies were hard. In those days, cheques bounced all the time.

And there were all these female designers, with books of work, and I was the young boy who sketched. I won over the actors quickly, but monetary validation was hard to come about.” Then Kajol danced in the rain in her white mini skirt in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and people began to notice Malhotra. And finally, the turning point in his career arrived with that seminal movie, Rangeela (1995), which changed the way we looked at the curvy Indian heroine forever.

A STITCH IN TIME

We’re chatting over lunch at the Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014 fittings, where Malhotra confesses he loves food like any other Punjabi. “The other day Kangana [Ranaut] was over for lunch and she said, ‘Do you eat like this every day?’ And I was like, yes, I am Punjabi.” He pauses for a brief conversation with model Deepti Gujral. “I want to look like you. You know someone told me that day, ‘Weight toh chala jayega, but face kaun badlega?’” he tells her. It’s obvious he’s got a knack for making people laugh. Then we go back to Rangeela. “No one can take that away from

OCTOBER 12, 2014

me,” he says. “Rangeela changed the way the film industry saw costume design – Filmfare instituted the Award for Costume Design for the first time ever, which I won. I did that. It was my turning point. For a guy who had never travelled, I was in and out of Switzerland and London.” It was during Rangeela that he realised that Bollywood was not such a bad place after all. “I met film director, Ram Gopal Varma, who narrated the whole movie [Rangeela] to me. I was so happy.” Other instances that restored his faith in the industry were a visit to Yash Chopra’s house for Aaina (1993), where Pamela Chopra won him over with her class. “She was just so elegant”, he recalls. And the time when Yash Johar called him for a project and asked whether he could send over an advance of `10,000, a rare thing in a world of delayed payments. Rangeela arguably has been one of the sexiest movies ever. How can anyone forget Urmila dancing on Versova beach in skintight red leggings and a tank top? “I introduced the word styling, without even knowing what that meant,” says Malhotra. “I took the first step. As long as I live, it will

always be that – Manish Malhotra came and changed the way movies looked.” He also did the seemingly impossible – made an actress look sexy without looking vulgar. It’s no wonder then his star shone brighter post Rangeela. Karisma and Kareena Kapoor are die-hard followers, so are Kajol, Priyanka Chopra and most recently, Alia Bhatt, who in her movie Humpty Sharma ki Dulhaniya says, “Mai shaadi karungi toh Kareena wala designer lehenga pehenke karungi”, and also walked the ramp for Malhotra in his lehenga. Like Alia, there are brides all over the country who die for the Manish chiffon sari or embroidered lehenga.

FASHION FORWARD

But in the last three years, Malhotra’s work has been more about mainstream fashion than Bollywood or bridal. For Manish, it was just a natural progression. Other than the finale which, with its greys and deep reds, was quieter in appeal, his opening collection for Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/ Festive 2013 last September was surprising, with its cool sharara pants, Rajasthani koti tops and custom zari work. “Today I am enjoying this phase; the business of fashion interests me,” says Malhotra. “People wait for my collections. I launch them in my store the same day I launch them on the ramp. That’s the belief the client has in me.” So how come women so far apart in aesthetics, as Kareena Kapoor Khan and an aunty in Kanpur, both lust for that Manish sari? “I think I am interested in people. I may not be eclectic, but I have a connect with the audience that makes me popular,” says Malhotra. “That’s because I am still part of an audience myself. I have a sense of what works and what doesn’t. I go to the theatre wide-eyed. I have never been the one who

MY MANISH

Kareena Kapoor Khan is a big fan of the Manish brand

knows it all. I am in touch with reality.” It’s not always been about the accolades, though. Many critics over the years have spoken about Malhotra’s “repetition” and tsk-tsked over his “bridal designer” tag. But he seems equally dismissive about the analysis. “For me, it’s never been about that critic who said, ‘Oh, it’s not out of the box’. I didn’t promise that. I promised to do what I do best,” he says. “My true calling is Indian wear. When people think of a sangeet, reception or shaadi, they think of me. I want clothes that make sense.” Today he employs 300 embroiderers in-house, 160 workers in Kashmir and 140 workers in Mijwan (Uttar Pradesh). “That’s not mass – my embroidery takes three months to do,” Malhotra says. “It’s a lot of investment. How is that mass? But the connect is mass. I know my buyer. She is a young girl who wants to look glamorous, whether she is fat, dark, fair or short. She wants to be herself.” His success relies on his instincts as much as his tireless disposition. Everyone tells us that no one works harder than Malhotra. “He is so disciplined and a multtasker,” says choreographer Lubna Adams. Make-up artist Cory Walia can’t stop praising Malhotra. “No one has a stronger work ethic. He also knows what he is capable of and doesn’t try and be somebody else.” And he manages to be fun nonetheless. “He might be going crazy at work, but he is still so affable,” says Walia.

FILMI FRILLS

Actor Imran Khan backs Malhotra’s belief that he knows what works. “During I Hate Luv Storys (2010), I second guessed many of his choices for me,” he says. “But when I saw them on screen, I was like ‘damn, this is what he meant’. He knows what colour, texture and fabric will look good on screen.” And as Kareena, who met him first when she was nine years old while visiting her sister Karisma on the

OCTOBER 12, 2014

1990

1995

1997 1998

2000 2001

Manish’s Mark On Bollywood Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge: Kajol dancing in the rain in that white mini skirt and knotted top. The sexiest she has ever looked!

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge

Rangeela: Sexy had a new name. High-waisted denims, crop tops and bustiers. Sex appeal that changed Bollywood Dil Toh Pagal Hai: Branded sportswear for Karisma and sheer kurtas for Madhuri gave Indian women so many choices

Rangeela

Satya: It was time to deglam Urmila in cotton saris that looked lovely even when wet in the rain Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: Kajol in her white kurta and red dupatta made us cry

Dostana

Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai: His white mini launched Ameesha Patel’s career 2008

2013

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham: Who can forget Kareena’s red bellbottoms and tiny, tiny, tiny bustier? Dostana: Priyanka in her shimmery sari and bikini style blouse became the hottest desi girl ever Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani: A sheer black sari for Deepika that made everyone’s dil badtameez

sets of Deedar (1992), says, “In the fashion world, where everyone is trying to be someone, Manish Malhotra is just himself – unapologetically glamorous and sparkly. What he has done for Indian fashion is that he’s made it reach out to every Indian.” Hundreds of girls would have rushed to their tailor and ordered the Madhuri Dixit-style sheer kurtas after Dil Toh Pagal Hai (1997); or the red bell bottoms Kareena Kapoor wore in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001); and more recently, college girls went back to the ethnic chic look he created for Alia Bhatt in 2 States (2014). Whether it’s his styling expertise, his trademark chiffon saris, gold embroidery lehengas or his new avatar as the sophisticated clothesmaker for the modern Indian bride, his greatest strength lies in

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

staying true to his own style. “I read this quote by Tom Ford that I identify with,” says Malhotra. “He said something to the effect that he doesn’t presume he is a big artist, he just gets up and does what he loves and if people like that, he is satisfied. I am the same. I will never change as a person, I will just evolve. When newcomers like Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan say that if they walk the ramp for Manish, it’s a sign they have made it, that’s a sign of respect you can’t beat.” Critics be damned. Manish Malhotra has had the last word. aastha.banan@hindustantimes.com Follow @aastha82 on Twitter

MORE ON THE WEB For the complete story, log on to hindustantimes.com/ brunch PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK; THINKSTOCK

PEOPLE

Photo: SANJEEV VERMA

“Behind Every Frame, There Is A Story” Adapting Hamlet to the conflict-torn Kashmir of 1995 was an intense, painful process for journalist-writer Basharat Peer by Poonam Saxena

T FIRST glance, journalist and author Basharat Peer may seem an unusual choice for a Bollywood screenplay writer. But not when the filmmaker is Vishal Bhardwaj, one of Hindi cinema’s most luminous talents, and not when the film in question is Haider, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, set in Kashmir in the turbulent Nineties. Peer’s Curfewed Night, a compelling, disquieting memoir of growing up in conflict-torn Kashmir, made him the perfect, if slightly unconventional, choice for the film’s co-scriptwriter. Let’s say it showed chutzpah on Bhardwaj’s part. Haider recently released to tremendous reviews and an audience reaction which could variously

be described as stunned, awed, shaken and saddened. Peer himself has been inundated with messages, mails and phone calls after the film’s release. When we meet on a hot afternoon over coffee, he appears a bit exhausted, a bit overwhelmed by the huge response. Excerpts from the conversation:

How did you end up collaborating with Vishal Bhardwaj on Haider?

Vishal said he was thinking of adapting Hamlet and setting it in Kashmir. He asked me what I thought of the idea. I thought, ho sakta hai. But I told him, let me read the play. So I read it many times, all the while making notes in the margins. To put the characters in a new setting, to get the dynamics of the place, weave

OCTOBER 12, 2014

it all together, it needed a lot of reimagining. Then Vishal and I met in Mumbai, spent a few days together. For almost 12 hours every day, we would discuss everything in detail. He has a small kitchen in his office with a wonderful cook who made the best vegetarian food ever. I’m a hardcore nonvegetarian, but I enjoyed eating the daal and everything else. Vishal said we should do the storyboarding first, so that’s what we did. We made little cards and went scene by scene, shuffling the scenes sometimes. Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s longest plays, and a performance can go up to four-and-a-half hours. We were not filming the play in any case, but adapting it. Add to it a subject as complicated as Kashmir. It was a very exciting but very

difficult process. We discussed, we argued, we went over every little line – ‘Is this plausible?’ ‘Should we do that?’ – It was a very intense collaboration. I was arguing for some things, he was very keen on some other things. But you have to respect the other person’s point of view. I learnt a lot from him. He was the filmmaker so he did have the final say. Also, there’s a difference between a literary and a cinematic image. A whole page of commentary in a book can be just a static shot in a film. For me, it was a learning curve. At first, I found it difficult to read a screenplay, then I got used to it after a few days. I went to Mumbai on several weekends and spent time with Vishal. Then he told me, ‘now go and write’. So I came back to Delhi and worked. I was working

A few thousand people may read your book, but for a film, there’s a mass audience out there

PEOPLE with New York Times India Ink that time, which was a crazy job. I would work all day, then come home late at night and work on the script. I’ve always written in English, so I would do that. Then rewrite it in Hindi. I did multiple revisions. There was also a certain amount of pressure. The script was being written around AprilMay and Vishal wanted to shoot in Kashmir by autumn, to get the season right for the film. Also, in a book, it’s just you and your brain. Here, there was the entire infrastructure of Bollywood, the whole political economy of films. You have to think of the audience, many of whom may know nothing about Kashmir. A few thousand people read your book, but here, there’s a mass audience. But I’m quite happy that many images, stories made it to the film.

How are you feeling, now that the film has opened to this massive response?

There’s a constant throb in my head. I have this permanent mild headache. I feel tired. Book launches are easy. This is on another scale altogether. But I’m very happy that people are watching the film. It’s not as if most people spend their time thinking about Kashmir. These are very conservative times, and at the end of the day, it is the story of a family, of characters who are heroic as well as flawed. So much is from my own experiences and reportage. I have written about bodies being thrown into the Jhelum... And so Shahid [Kapoor] shows a boatman a photo of his missing father and tells him, when you’re digging the sand, let me know if you find something. Because they used to find body parts in the river.

from the darker parts of the story. Unko jhatka laga. But I have seen those scenes with my own eyes. In the film, there is a long line of people being scanned by a masked Army officer – I have been in a line like that. I was a class 8 student then. It was a very normal thing in Kashmir those days. Anything in the public domain is up for criticism. But I expect some considered opinion, including how difficult it is to make a film like this in Mumbai. No film can have everything for everyone. This is not a history of Kashmir or a political manifesto. It is just a film that tries to tell some stories. After the release of the film, I have heard from so many people… people I haven’t seen in 15 years! The film has made people think of Kashmir in a different way. I don’t expect the world to change in a two-and-a-half hour film. But if it makes you think… that’s enough. The scene with the child who

This is not a political history of Kashmir. It is just a ﬁlm that tries to tell some stories

What is your reaction to people who say that the film ‘vilifes’ the Army?

The film opens with a crackdown. Ask any Armyman and he will tell you that that is exactly what used to happen then, not once, but a thousand times. It’s just that it has been shown on the screen for the first time. The Army is not in Kashmir to make a tulip garden! But if you bring a degree of realism in a film, it unsettles people. They are like children, who have been shielded from these realities,

BISMIL, BISMIL

“This song in Haider is a very dark political statement about extra-judicial killings, in the words of Gulzar,” says Basharat Peer jumps out of a truck laden with corpses… that too happened. I can footnote the entire film. There is a lot of irrational criticism, people abusing you and calling you names. The reactions are from one extreme to another. But we live in an imperfect world.

One of the triumphs of the film is its incredible casting. The lead actors of course, but even the smaller roles…

Oh yes. Narendra Jha, who plays the doctor – the dignity and the pain he was able to project! Bashir Bhawani who is from the National School of Drama and runs a theatre group in Kashmir, he was wonderful as the gravedigger. My father was in the government and back then in the ’90s, there were always lines of desperate old men who would come, saying, my son is missing, please do something. ‘Koi na koi sifarish kijiye.’ That’s where the character of the gravedigger came from. You

THE OTHER HAMLETS Hamlet has been adapted for screen dozens of times. Two standout versions: Directed by Laurence Olivier, 1948 Olivier acted in the ﬁlm too and this classic Shakespeare adaptation picked up two Oscars (Best Picture, Best Actor). Often rated as the ‘greatest’ Hamlet, Olivier’s performance was seen as virile, passionate and physical.

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Directed by Grigori Kozintsev, 1964 This sombre Russian blackand-white version is probably the grandest of them all. The charismatic Smoktunovsky gave a memorable, layered performace as Hamlet. The ﬁlm had strong political overtones.

first see him earlier in the film. He was one of those old men who had lost his son. That’s why he became a grave digger.

You wrote the script along with Vishal. So you knew the film. But still, what did you feel when you finally saw it on screen?

When I saw the film, I was looking at those images, those people. I knew them, I knew every frame. Behind every frame, there is a story. It was like re-living that time for me. I felt a lot of sadness. It was painful.

You did a little cameo in the film too..

In the credits, there is a thank you to Akhtar Mohiuddin. He’s a very well-known Kashmiri short story writer. I had translated one of his stories, New Disease. A man is taken to the doctor by his family. The problem is that every time the man comes to a door, any door, he stops. Until he is asked for his ID and searched, he can’t enter. This was the ‘new disease’ in Kashmir. Vishal got the rights of the story and incorporated it in the film. He asked me to do the cameo of the man. I can say I made my debut with Irrfan Khan! It’s a very powerful scene in the film.

What are you planning to do now?

Right now, I am going away to New York for three months to work on my book. It’s a political travelogue in South Asia, about religion and politics. I’ve been on the road this entire year, researching it. poonamsaxena@hindustantimes.com Follow poonamsaxena_ on Twitter

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Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Guitarists Paul Westerberg and Bob Stinson, bassist Tommy Stinson, and drummer Chris Mars at their rehearsal space in Minneapolis in ’89

those emotions that go with the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Just the titles of some of the songs capture that mood: Gary’s Got A Boner; Androgynous; We’re Coming Out; Sixteen Blue. The songs are short and well crafted but what strikes you about that 30-year-old album is The Replacement’s diverse range of rock music. If much of their sound seems familiar, it is because you’ve probably heard their influence in many, many indie and experimental bands that have followed. The driving force of the The Replacements is Westerberg, a brilliant lead guitarist, songwriter and singer, whose solo work after The Replacements broke up continued (and still does) to make a mark: if you’ve watched Cameron Crowe’s film from the early 1990s, Singles, you’ll surely remember its soundtrack and the two Westerberg songs on it – Dyslexic Heart and Waiting for Somebody (I still have the pre-recorded cassette and it works!). Singles was about a grunge-rock band from Seattle and its soundtrack featured several great bands from that era: Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains were on it; as were Soundgarden, Mother Love Bone and Mudhoney; there was also a hat-tip to another Seattle boy, Jimi Hendrix. But I digress. The Replacements, if you haven’t heard them, is a band worth checking out now and, for that matter, any time. It’s such a pity that they never got as popular as they ought to have. Just as that Minneapolis band may have marked a point of inflexion for the transition from punk to post-punk and alternative music, roughly a decade before them, on the New York music scene there was another band that created ripples but never got the spotSanjoy Narayan light trained on them as much as their peers were lucky to get. Talk about the 1970s New York music scene and the punk/post-punk scene and the one band that invariably pops up are the Ramones, the punk band considered to be the one with the mostest those days – and even today among its biggish cult followers (I’ve seen a shrine-like Ramones’ museum in Berlin where fans from all over the F I WERE to say that Let It Be is an world come to pay homage). But how many album you’ve probably never heard, of us remember Television? That’s right; I’d instantly be the recipient of tons that’s the name of another band that I feel of bricks and a good measure of never got enough of what it deserves. If the ridicule. Who hasn’t heard Let It Be, the punk scene of New York in the 1970s was last studio album released in 1970 by The dotted with bands that had a raw and unpolBeatles after the legendary band decided to ished (after all, those are punk’s hallmark) break up? But the Let It Be album I’m refercharacter to them, Television’s sound had ring to is not by The Beatles. It’s by a band a better finish, technically and otherwise. that you may not have probably heard of eiMainly that was on account of their lead ther, The Replacements, and it was released guitarist and front man, Tom Verlaine. 14 years after the last Beatles album. That Television’s sound, very unlike their Minneapolis-based band, which never got MASTERS OF GUITAR ROCK peers, had bits of jazz and blues influence much commercial acclaim, is considered to Television are at their influential best in and yet it managed to retain the edgy rebe among the pioneers of the post-punk era their 1977, Marquee Moon belliousness of punk – no mean feat that. I when a genre of music that grew out of the have their 1977 album, Marquee Moon, on noisy, anarchic chaos of punk became more experimental, which some say they’re at their influential best and I tend to individualistic and artistic while at the same time retaining agree. If guitar rock of the kind that filled arenas in subsethe rebelliousness of punk. The Replacements – and specifiquent decades has to have an origin, I’d say Television have cally, their third album, Let It Be – are considered by rock pretty much the right to lay claim to that position. critics to have had a seminal influence on the shape indie Download Central appears every fortnight rock music took from the 1980s onwards. MORE ON THE WEB But who cares what the critics say? I picked out Let It To give feedback, stream or download the music Be on a whim again last week and realised exactly why that mentioned in this column, go to blogs.hindustantimes. album is so acclaimed. The Replacement’s Let It Be is an alcom/download-central. Write to Sanjoy at sanjoy. bum themed on the dissatisfaction of youth, a timeless comnarayan@hindustantimes.com. Follow ing of age theme that is relevant to different generations at @SanjoyNarayan on Twitter different times: there’s frustration, angst, anger and all of

The OTher ‘LeT IT Be’ download central

It’s a pity The Replacements never got that popular. The ’80s band – and specifically their album, Let It Be, released 14 years after the last Beatles album – has influenced many bands that followed

WE’RE THE REPLACEMENTS

OCTOBER 12, 2014

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The BesT Of IfA 2014 PART II

One look at the products and you'll know we've saved the best for last

ES, THIS column is a few weeks late. I had the IFA 2014 Part One column out in record time (when the IFA was still on) and I had promised Part Two right after. But every single week was headlined by some serious breaking news in the world of tech. Two new iPhones from Apple, plus the Apple watch release, then the Android One making world headlines, and right after BlackBerry with its radical Passport device. So, Part Two is a photo essay of all the other things at IFA 2014 and only the best of the best have made it to this list.

techilicious Pronounce Kira as you would Meera. The Kira is a marquee product that aims straight at the Macbook Air. A 13-inch 2560 x 1440 touchscreen panel, fourth generation Intel processor, 8GB of RAM, a backlit keyboard and DTS Studio sound technology. And all of this encased in a stunning piece of allmetal body work.

Kobo Aura H2O

I have no idea how many of you read in the shower, but if you do, then God was listening. The Aura H2O has a 6.8-inch screen, great contrast and is totally waterproof. Beach, pool, shower – you don't have to stop reading ever.

I love the idea. Clothing and tech should be cuddling up more in bed, but right now behave like absolute strangers. One of the exceptions is this: a Bluetooth-enabled beanie cap with built-in speakers. The only problem? Think of sticking that on your head in the Indian heat.

Lenovo Helix This is one of the better devices for professionals who don't want to be saddled with a boring, ho-hum, fat, ugly notebook. In its next generation, the Helix is more powerful and better looking and converting it from laptop to tablet is even more intuitive.

Asus Zenbook UX305

Huawei Ascend Mate 7 This is the phone to wait for as it's a top-class package in an amazingly good-looking body. A stellar 6-inch display with a stunning 2560 x 1600-pixel resolution, an octa-core processor, LTE, a ﬁngerprint scanner and a 13MP camera. Rumour has it that the price in India is going to be jaw dropping. Hopefully that's because it's very well priced, not because it's too expensive.

My favourite must-have from IFA. This Bluetooth keyboard has a great set of keys and can connect to three devices simultaneously. With a ﬂick of a dial, you can type on a smartphone, a tablet or even your smart TV. And it works beautifully on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices too.

After the Vivofit, this is Garmin moving further into wrist grabbing space. This one tracks your fitness, alarm clocks you out of bed and keeps track of your sleep cycle. Pair with your phone to get notifications on calls, messages, calendar and email. Pity the battery life isn't like the Vivofit; that one goes more than six months without a need to get charged.

Archos Smart Beany

Rajiv Makhni

Toshiba Kira

Logitech K480 Multi-Device Keyboard

Garmin Vivosmart

Asus Zen Watch This is an all-stainless steel, thin, beautifully built watch. It curves to adapt to your wrist and comes with stitched leather straps. The insides are all Android-wear-enabled and it has more than a 100 different clock faces too. Deﬁnitely one of the more serious contenders for smartwatch of the year.

3 new Lumias Microsoft (yes, Microsoft not Nokia) launched three new devices just outside IFA. The Lumia 830 has a 5-inch screen, a quad-core processor and a 10MP PureView camera. Then comes the made-for-selﬁes, Lumia 730 with a 5MP front camera that really does take great front shots. And then there's Lumia 930 – a powerful device with a 5-inch full-HD screen and a 20MP PureView camera.

This was called the best notebook of IFA 2014 and for good reason too. It's much thinner than the Macbook Air at just 12.3mm and has a record-breaking 3200 x 1800 pixel resolution. It comes with a fast SSD and is the ﬁrst off the block with the new Core M Intel chip. All thin and light notebooks will now be compared to this one for the rest of the year.

Alcatel Hero 2 The Hero was one of the best products at IFA 2013 and the Hero 2 is again in contention. It's a great phone with a fantastic screen and comes with two accessories in the box. An E-card and a remote control that can do 5-in-1 duty. Should be in India in another month.

Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV, and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3

MORE ON THE WEB For more Techilicious columns, log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch. Follow Rajiv on Twitter at twitter.com/RajivMakhni The views expressed by the columnist are personal

OCTOBER 12, 2014

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Photos: SHUTTERSTOCK

Lovin’ is Easy… Love may be a universal emotion; but all of us express it differently

OW DO I love thee? Let me count the ways.” That’s how Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s famous sonnet begins. It goes on: “I love thee to the depth and breadth and height / My soul can reach… I love thee freely, as men strive for right. / I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.” It’s a beautiful poem (you really should read it in its entirety if you haven’t already) that sends a shiver up my spine every time I revisit it. Not least because love is such a universal emotion that it unites us all. And yet, all of us express it in so many different ways. We may not be able to articulate our feelings with the felicity that Barrett Browning manages so effortlessly. But in our own bumbling, mumbling way, we express the love we feel for family and friends every day of our lives. We all know of mothers – and increasingly, fathers – who express their love through food. They find the greatest

Seema Goswami

spectator BEST OF MY LOVE

Speaking for myself, I must confess I am not the one for extravagant gestures. For me, the best measure of love is to share the things I love with the people I love

pleasure in feeding their children. They coax them to eat when they are infants, each mouthful an accomplishment, every clean plate a personal triumph. They harangue them to finish their greens and go easy on junk food as they grow into stroppy teenagers. They stock up on their favourite foods when they come back from college. And even after they have grown up and have kids of their own, the fattening of the prodigal daughter or son never ceases. And thus, the cycle goes. At the other end of the parental spectrum are the proponents of what they like to call ‘tough love’. Their love is expressed through the exercise of discipline: get up on time, get your homework done, get better grades, get a good job, get it together. Those at the receiving end may find these constant exhortations annoying – and who can blame them for that? – but there is no denying that they come from a place of love. These are the actions of people who want good things for you, even if their way of ensuring that is less than endearing. When it comes to romantic love, the world is divided into two categories. In the first are those who go in for the big romantic gesture. They shower their loved ones with flowers, extravagant presents, exotic holidays, and the like. These are the people who spend weeks thinking up the best way to propose marriage, splash enormous amounts of money on getting the perfect ring, and then take months to plan their over-the-top weddings. Yes, George Clooney, I am looking at you. The erstwhile ‘committed bachelor’ who organised a ‘dream wedding’ for his lady love, human rights barrister Amal Alamuddin, in the impossibly romantic location of Venice, because they had first met in Italy. The four-day wedding extravaganza, with A-listers flying in from all over the world, cost between 10 to 15 million dollars (depending on who’s count-

OCTOBER 12, 2014

BE MY BABY

When it comes to romantic love, the world is divided into two categories. In the first are those who shower their loved ones with flowers, extravagant presents and exotic holidays ing). And that’s not accounting for the 750,000 dollars that George paid for Amal’s engagement ring, a seven carat emerald-cut diamond, or the cost of the many couture outfits the bride and groom wore every day. So, that’s George Clooney for you. On the other hand, there are those who just pitch up at the wedding registrar’s office, say their vows, exchange their rings, and save their money for the honeymoon of their dreams, or even more practically, a deposit on a house. That’s not to say that these couples are any less in love than George and the luminous Amal. It’s just that their love is expressed in a different way: in spending quality time with one another, buying a house in which they can build their life together, creating a home they can grow old in. For them, the romance lies not in the wedding but in the marriage. These are the people who specialise in showing their love for others in practical, everyday ways. We all have friends like these (at least, I hope you do!). They are the ones who show up unannounced to accompany you for that MRI you have been so dreading. They remember which colours/designers/authors/singers you like when it comes to buying your birthday presents. They send you fruit rather than flowers when you are recovering from an illness. They will talk to you for hours on end if they feel you are feeling low. They will take you out for lunch, dinner, a movie, or even a walk, if they sense you need cheering up. In fact, their mere presence in your life is chicken soup for your soul (and they will send some over for good measure when you have a cold). Speaking for myself, I must confess I am not the one for extravagant gestures. For me, the best measure of love is to share the things I love with the people I love. It could be a book that I treasure, a family recipe, a movie that moved me, or a comedy show that reduced me to tears. And it is those kind of gestures that smack of true love as far as I am concerned. (Though that’s not to say I would turn up my nose at an emerald-cut diamond!) But no matter how it is expressed, we should all be grateful for the love we have in our lives. So, as the festive season begins, let’s all hear it for love. Express it every day in ways both big and small. Keep yourself open to it in whatever form and shape it may come. And sing along with Bill Nighy, “So if you really love me, Come on and let it show…”

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

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Photos: SHUTTERSTOCK

Let the Sunny Side Be up The Asians, Europeans & Americans all love it. Because when an egg is perfectly fried, the possibilities are endless

OU NEVER really understand the full range of possibilities offered by the humble fried egg till you eat in Thailand. Their fried eggs are not always like ours. Sometimes they deep fry them so that the edges of the white crisp and curl up. And they put them on top of all kinds of dishes. A simple pork fried rice is crowned with a fried egg and you are expected to cut into the yolk and use the golden liquid that oozes out as the sauce for your rice. Or they will make a salad with fried eggs. And sometimes they’ll take a dish that already seems complete, say, khaprow (pork stir fried with basil) with rice and add a new layer of flavour by topping the dish with a quivering, shimmering, silver and gold fried egg. All over South East Asia, they do the same sort of things with fried eggs. An Indonesian (or Malaysian, depending on which side you support in this culinary war) nasi goreng or mee goreng gets its punch from the runny

Vir Sanghvi

rude food yolk of the fried egg that tops the rice or noodles. The Koreans do something similar with a bibimbap and often they’ll create a full meal out of a single fried egg, adding rice, sesame oil and gochujang, their most famous paste. In the West, where they are less keen on rice, they use potatoes instead. The best way to enjoy Swiss roesti is to put a couple of fried eggs over the potatoes. In Germany, they make the same dish with fried potatoes. And the English, who lack the imagination to combine fried eggs and potatoes in a single dish, simply serve chips on the side

EGG IT UP (OR DOWN)

An Indonesian Nasi Goreng (right) gets its punch from the runny yolk of the fried egg that tops the rice. The US ranchstyle breakfast of steak and eggs (above), however, does nothing for either ingredient

for that staple of the lorry drivers’ caff, ‘egg and chips’. Americans are as lacking in imagination. McDonald’s has invented many egg dishes, none of which I find at all memorable and the US ranch-style breakfast of steak and eggs does nothing for either ingredient. To be fair, they stole the idea from European cookery, where anything with a fried egg on top of it goes by the name, Holstein. We eat fried eggs in India but most of us think of them as a breakfast item. In Sri Lanka, they take this literally, cooking a fried egg on top of a hopper (their word for an appam) at breakfast. In Bengal, for reasons that have never been clear to me, they call a fried egg a ‘poach’ (what do they call a poached egg then? I don’t know. I don’t think they know what it is). The most notable exception to this rule are the Parsis who, like the Thais, are happy to put a fried egg on top of anything. My favourite Parsi dish is papeta per eedu, which consists of fried eggs on a bed of sautéed potatoes (it is a more sophisticated version of the roesti fried egg idea). The French, self-proclaimed masters of gastronomy, only eat fried eggs at breakfast. It is acceptable to order an omlette at any meal and indeed, the French make hundreds of kinds of omlettes (sweet, savoury, with cheese, with ham, etc.) while giving short shrift to the fried egg. Even Fernand Point, one of the founders of nouvelle cuisine, was unable to shake the French devotion to the omlette. Point regarded the fried egg and not the omlette as the best test of a chef ’s talent. So, he rated his protégées (a list that included Paul Bocuse, the Troisgros brothers, etc) on their fried eggs rather than their more complicated dishes. At this stage, some of you may well pause and ask: “Can this be right? What is so great about frying an egg?

Photos: GETTYIMAGES

EGGS TWO WAYS

FRENCH CONNECTION

The French only eat fried eggs at breakfast. They’re partial to their many varieties of omlets (above) and give short shrift to the fried egg

Every housewife can do it.” Well, actually frying an egg is a little like making love. Just because you can do it, that doesn’t mean you’re doing it well. But first: what is a perfect fried egg? In the West, they disregard the deep-fried eggs of the Far East and treat them as ethnic curiosities. Western chefs look for an egg in which the white is firm without being tough and the yolk is runny without being raw. If you work towards this goal, then you’re confronted by a scientific problem. A perfectly firm egg white forms at a completely different temperature from a molten golden yolk. So, how can you devise a method that allows you to cook both components of the egg at the same time? The classic French technique is still Point’s. This involves cooking the eggs over the lowest possible heat (to keep the yolks runny) and then, as the whites begin to solidify, pouring a little melted butter over them. If you do it right, then the finished egg will have a quivering, buttery white and a trembling, liquid yolk. Do it wrong and you will end up with an under-cooked egg. (This is why Point used a fried egg to test the mettle of his apprentices.) I yield to nobody in my respect for Point, but frankly, his recipe is a little too poncy for my liking. However, the principle of cooking fried eggs over very low heat remains the golden rule for most chefs. Many experienced chefs will simply cover the pan to intensify the heat and distribute it evenly. Others may cheat slightly by adding a spoonful of water to the pan before covering it. As the pan heats up, the water turns to steam so the eggs are not just fried but are also steamed. There are other methods. I dug up an old Guardian article in which Felicity Cloake tried out various recipes. I

was intrigued to discover that Delia Smith went the other extreme from Point. Delia recommends cooking the eggs on very high heat for 30 seconds. Then, you turn the heat down to medium for another minute. Cloake tried Delia’s recipe and while the yolk turned out right, the white was tough. She also tried a Jamie Oliver recipe, which recommended medium to low heat throughout. She discovered that “the white takes absolute ages to cook through”. As a general principle, whenever I need to think of an incredibly difficult way to cook a very simple dish, I turn to Heston Blumenthal. And sure enough, Heston’s method is extremely complicated – though it probably requires less skill than Point’s. Heston’s starting point is the basic scientific reality that the white and the yolk both need different temperatures to cook. So, here’s his solution: cook them separately. First, you separate the white and the yolk. Then, you take the white and put it in an oven or in a pan till it is set. Then, you carefully drop the raw yolk on top of the white and place under a salamander or a grill for 15 seconds. That is just enough time to cook the yolk without ruining the white. As you can see, it is not easy to cook the perfect fried egg. So, what is the home cook to do? Cloake suggests a simple method to which I have added one or two things. First, always use free-range eggs (like Keggs). If you want to use industrial eggs, forget about fried eggs and go and eat a parantha instead. The eggs should be fresh and at room temperature (i.e. not fresh out of the fridge). Place a pan over low heat. Add butter (or butter and a little olive oil if you are concerned about burning the fat) and wait till it melts. Before it starts to foam, swirl it around to cover the surface of the pan. Break the egg into the pan. Now, cover the pan with a transparent lid so you can see how the egg is cooking. Wait for three and a half minutes. That should be long enough. Your white will be firm and your yolk will be runny. What you do next is up to you. You can put the egg on top of roesti, you can eat it with toast, you can sprinkle dhaniya, fried garlic or hot sauce over it, you can grate white truffles on top or you can pair it with crispy bacon. That’s the thing about a perfect fried egg. The possibilities are endless…

Frying an egg is a little like making love. Just because you can do it, that doesn’t mean you’re doing it well

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Delia Smith (above) suggests cooking the eggs on high heat for 30 secs and then on medium for a minute. Jamie Oliver (below) recommends medium to low heat throughout

SIMPLY COMPLICATED

Heston Blumenthal’s solution to the perfect fried egg is to cook the white and the yolk separately

MORE ON THE WEB For more columns by Vir Sanghvi, log on to hindustantimes. com/brunch The views expressed by the columnist are personal

Weak Welcome To Fashion Week STYLE FILE

If only Fashion Week attendees understood that there is a difference between dressing to kill and murdering style by Sujata Assomull Sippy

HOES STUDDED with crystal. Enough makeup on the face to keep a small cosmetics shop stocked for a year. Microscopic shorts and minuscule dresses that end at crotch level. Everybody completely over the top. Have you any clue what we’re talking about? If you’re thinking, “one of those fashion weeks again,” you’re absolutely spot on. But you’re also wrong. Because chances are you think that what we’ve just described was seen on the ramp – but it wasn’t. What we’ve just described are the guests at every fashion week, because what’s on the catwalk is (often) more sober. “Women come to fashion weeks to see what other women are wearing, as much as they come to

see the clothes on the ramp,” laughs designer Rohit Bal whose collection comprises the grand finale of the Wills India Fashion Week (WIFW) Spring/Summer 2015 edition tonight. As with every fashion week event in the country, these last five days have been busy for the city’s beautiful people, who’ve spent hours primping and prepping themselves to attend the shows. To see their outfits is to wonder where the real fashion event is taking place – on the ramp or off it. Because while it’s natural to dress up for an event organised by the industry of glamour, many of the guests seem to think they’re competing with the models – but often, unfortunately, not to great effect.

CRIMES OF FASHION

“It’s all about the photo-op these days, which is why the guests dress the way they do,” says Nonita Kalra, former editor of Elle magazine. So walk into any of the preand post-show gatherings and what you’ll see is fashion editors in hot pants and crop tops, and socialites in dresses so short and tight that when they sit, little is left to the imagination. “Watching mature women cram their bodies into clothes fit only for 16-year-olds is just sad,” says Kalra. It’s also sad how many guests forget any sense of aesthetics, says Tanisha Mohan, socialite and front-row regular. “I know women who come for day shows with too much makeup – fake eyelashes and glitter on their eyes,” she says. “But often, the women who dress this way are first-time attendees at fashion weeks. Freshers tend to get a little overexcited.” The media’s obsession with what people are wearing just adds to the costume party effect – and it isn’t only ‘freshers’ who crave that ‘caught-at-fashion-week’ photo in next morning’s paper. Members of the fashion media themselves are often the biggest perpetrators of fashion crimes. Fashion editors plan their looks weeks in advance and ask their stylists to source clothes for them. And fashion bloggers aim for all the publicity they can get, often forgetting to tweet about the show they’re supposedly covering, but posting photos of their own outfits at fashion week, hashtagged #OOTD (Outfit of the Day). “It is great that the media makes this effort during fashion week and it is fun to observe the hits and misses,” says Mumbai-based designer

Nachiket Barve with a perfectly straight face. But media people are not the only ones in imminent danger of being arrested by the fashion police. Many of the publicity agents of fashion designers feel the need to wear a piece by their employers – whether or not it suits their figure, face, age and personality. And let’s not forget the designers themselves, many of whom appear to think they must outshine their own closing outfit. ‘Stylistically’ coiffed and much made up, when they emerge from the wings to take their bows, you’d be forgiven for mistaking them for small children playing with their mothers’ makeup.

THE SHOE SHOW

But the best way to judge whether a person is there to look at fashion, or whether she’s there to be the fashion is to glance at her shoes. “I do not understand why some women wear Swarovski-studded shoes for a day show,” says Mohan. If you spot sky-high stilettoes, you know their wearers are at fashion week just to be seen, not because they are interested in fashion. With two main show areas and the designers’ stalls a level below, anyone who’s really interested in fashion would have to do a lot of walking – so clearly the stiletto-clad are there purely for the photo-op. “Some of the better-dressed women at fashion week are those in the business of fashion, such as Ensemble’s Tina Tahiliani Parikh, or Evoluzione’s Tina Malhotra,” says Barve. “They get that balance between pushing the envelope and keeping it elegant.” The truth is, no one expects anyone not to be dressed up if they’re attending fashion week. But there’s a fine line between dressing to kill and murdering style. As Rohit Bal says, “As a designer, it is wonderful when you see your invitees wearing your clothes. But keep it slick and chic and do not over-dress. Some looks should be reserved only for the ramp.”

To judge whether a person is there to look at fashion, or to be the fashion is to glance at her shoes

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Illustrations: SHUTTERSTOCK

Sujata Assomull Sippy has been a fashion commentator for almost two decades brunchletters@hindustantimes.com

SPACES

THE MOP IS YOUR MAGIC WAND

ENTER HERE

If time is still a challenge – because, you know, work, meetings, family, shopping, travelling, and the maids need too much supervision – try a professional cleaning service. In the NCR, Broomberg promises to get your house ‘deep’ cleaned, all within six to eight hours, for a few thousand bucks. If, however, you want to do it all by yourself, Samrat Goyal, CEO of Broomberg, has a few suggestions. “Always start cleaning from top to bottom and use a multipurpose cleaner to wipe down each surface,” he says. “Clean out your cabinets and dispose of all the junk that you tend to accumulate. Also, vacuum your upholstery, wash the curtains, and put your mattresses out in the sun and get them sanitised by professionals. These tend to gather maximum dust and deserve a thorough cleaning at least once a year.”

When you’re welcoming gods and guests, remember: the entrance is the most important part of your house. That’s where they get the first impression of your home. “You can have earthen urlis at the entrance, fill them with water and aromatic oils, and place some floating candles and flowers, for a simple understated festive look,” says interior designer Charu Gupta. “Hang torans at the door and kandils along the hallway, if you have one, from the entrance to the main room. A birdcage wrapped with decorative lights is also a nice prop as Diwali décor for the entrance.”

Prep Up For Diwali

One of the biggest Indian festivals is only 10 days away. And if you haven’t begun cleaning and decorating your house yet, here’s your chance to do it fast and do it smart with this ready reckoner by Satarupa Paul

Photo: THINKSTOCK

T STARTS with “Where do I begin?” and ends with “I’ll think about it tomorrow”, until tomorrow becomes the day when India celebrates the festival of lights and the home you need to be bright and sparkling is still its ordinary self. Diwali – that time of year when you know your home should be clean and all decked up – is only a weekend away. And whether you do it for religious reasons (the Gods will only bless a clean and well-kept house), because you’re expecting company or only because everyone else does – if you really want to do it, you’ve got to do it now. Here’s how.

Your main room is the control area where you can place idols of Ganesh or Laxmi or even the Buddha. “Place flowers around the idols and scatter little mirrors, which are easily available in the market in all shapes and sizes, amongst the flowers,” she says. For a more chic look, hang or drape chiffon dupattas in two contrasting colours around the idol.

IT’S ALL IN THE THEME

FIX THEM LITTLE THINGS

Throw out or repair everything that’s broken, advises socialite Tanisha Mohan, as damaged stuff at home is considered inauspicious. “Sort out all your crockery, cutlery and glassware, throw out the pieces that are broken or cracked, and clean the rest,” she says. “Get all your bulbs and lights checked by an electrician so you don’t have dark corners in the house on Diwali. Do all this at least a week before Diwali, so you don’t have any last-minute worries.”

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Now that your house is fresh and sparkling, let’s beautify it a bit for the festivities. Interior designer Rubina Chadha suggests that you settle on a theme first. “It could be anything from a flower theme to a colour or a nature theme,” she says. “I am doing up my house in white and gold this Diwali and will have a lot of tissue fabrics as tablecloths and napkins, and spirals in gold hanging from the windows instead of curtains.” Other ideas for such a theme could be glass vases filled with water and white roses and floating candles placed on the surface. “I have also replaced the glass on my tables with mirrors. I’ll place the vases on them, put some more flowers around and place tea lights amongst them, so that the entire decoration is reflected in the glass,” she says.

SPACES

BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL

QUICK UPDATES

If you don’t want to go for a complete festive makeover, one of the easiest ways to update your rooms is through the use of cushions. Beenu Bawa, director of Good Earth, says, “Just by changing your cushions or adding a few more, you can immediately give a very fresh look to your room and in a way that’s very easy to incorporate.” Other little things that you can invest in for this Diwali are décor items like candle holders and lanterns, which are a quick way to give your home a festive feel. satarupa.paul@hindustantimes.com Follow @satarupapaul on Twitter

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Photo: THINKSTOCK

Let’s enter your living spaces now – the drawing room and yes, even the bedrooms that are seldom given the privilege of a makeover. This festive season, interior design trends are about taking risks with colours and going bold. “In terms of fabrics and textiles for upholstery, leave behind blends and embrace luxurious silks, embellished velvets and textured cottons,” says Sharika Bhan, business head of lifestyle at FabIndia. “These fabrics are stylish yet natural and can hold up the deeper colour schemes trending this Diwali, like burgundy and aubergine.” “In India, most people do not really pay much attention to the bedrooms,” says Nikita Desai, head of business excellence, D’Décor. “But the largest canvas in a room is your bed. So just by changing the way you dress your bed – say a nice little rug below or a lush bedcover on it – can actually change the way your room looks.” She also suggests that you experiment with in-trend colours like lime green or coral, and use them as accents. “Put them on cushions. If you have four curtains on your windows, arrange two of them in accent colours and two in a classic, neutral colour.” It will give a contemporary touch to your house.

PERSONAL AGENDA

twitter.com/HTBrunch

Tennis Player/Actor

Vijay Amritraj

BIRTHDAY SUN SIGN PLACE OF HOMETOWN SCHOOL/ BIRTH Chennai COLLEGE

December 14 Sagittarius

Chennai

my movies

Would you rather interview or be interviewed? It’s more challenging to be an interviewer. Three people from history you’d like to interview on your show. Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II and Muhammad Ali. Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and Newcombe – which of these have taken losing to you the hardest? Jimmy Connors. One big change in international tennis between the ’70s and today. Tennis continues to change on a decade-to-decade basis. A contemporary tennis player you wish you could play against. None, I’m quite content. Your fondest memory of shooting for Octopussy. Working with Roger Moore. You’ve worked on Walker, Texas Ranger. What’s the one thing Chuck Norris cannot do? He cannot play tennis well! The best piece of advice you’ve received from someone. My coach, Gonsalves, advised me to always expect to play better than your best. Three songs on your iPod. U2 and any Beatles song.

THE FILM YOU HAVE WATCHED MOST NUMBER OF TIMES

The Sound of Music (1965)

THE MOST PAISA VASOOL FILM

There are so many movies I’ve enjoyed over the years

FIRST BREAK

Loyola College, I got mine in tennis at age 13 Chennai

Five musts in your wardrobe. A dark jacket, the Indian flag, a pocket square, comfortable shoes and casual flats. Your favourite street food. Dosa and idli. A super power you wish you had. To eliminate poverty by a wave of my hand. What does India fail to understand about philanthropy? It’s difficult to generalise. Every person does his or her contribution to society. Philanthropy can be done in varied ways. Why should India be proud of her wines? Because we make good quality Indian wine. Where do you go to escape fans? Maui or Goa. What’s your secret to looking dapper all the time? I do own a lot of suits. But the secret to looking dapper is more than clothing. It’s more of self-confidence. What’s the hallmark of a good sportsman be it on or off the court? To do the best he can in the fairest way possible. — Interviewed by Rachel Lopez

THE FIRST MOVIE YOU WA WATCHED ON THE BIG SCREEN SCR

Hatari! Hat (1962)

THE BOLLYWOOD FILM YOU’D RECOMMEND TO EVERY NON-INDIAN

I watch very few Bollywood films

Photo: GETTYIMAGES

HIGH POINT OF LOW POINT OF CURRENTLY I AM... YOUR LIFE YOUR LIFE Launching the Vijay Amritraj All the moments I The times I lost at spend with my family Wimbledon

Reserve Collection of Wines with Grover Zampa Vineyards