WEEKLY MAGAZINE, JULY 14, 2013 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times
Six stars, six struggles, six lessons to learn from those who conquered Bollywood
Sujoy GHOSH Director
indulge
Kausar MUNIR Lyricist
VIR SANGHVI
Rajma, it’s bean all over
Zeishan QUADRI Scriptwriter
Ram SAMPATH Composer
SEEMA GOSWAMI
What’s in a last name?
Richa CHADDA Actor
RAJIV MAKHNI
Nawazuddin SIDDIQUI Actor
The battle of the bands continues
Edition
B R E A K FA S T O F C H A M P I O N S
tor’s the Brunch Collec Gowariker. From Photo: Avinash
The Brunch Bollywood Collector’s Edition is Out! This special issue brings you the top 50 Bollywood stars of today. Plus we got interesting people from the film industry to talk about them, and we have exclusive photographs by Mumbai’s best photographers! Can any list be complete without the dashing and charming living legend – Amitabh Bachchan? Here’s what director Karan Johar
has to say about AB: “Mr Bachchan’s stardom is blessed ON STANDS by the universe. There is a divinity NOW! about it. In our film industry, GRAB IT FOR maintenance and survival is all. R100 ONLY! Today he’s an even bigger movie star than he ever was. A 10-year-old knows him. A 70-year-old knows him. He has stood the test of time.”
Get the Brunch Collector’s Edition delivered to your doorstep. Subscribe now and get 4 issues (this one and future editions) for the price of 3! SMS <BCE> to 54242 or call 01160004242 or 18601804242
Apples And Oranges
Brunch Opinion
by Amrah Ashraf
EPIC STRUGGLES
Our cover stars were once Bollywood hopefuls. Here’s a glimpse of what they went through: Not too long ago, Nawazuddin Siddiqui played a bit role as a sleeping man in an ad because he needed money and that way, no one would see his face. A popular music composer once met Ram Sampath and told him to his face, “Tera kuch nahi ho sakta. Pata nahi kahan kahan se aa jaate hain.” When Sujoy Ghosh was writing Kahaani, a producer told him that this movie would bankrupt him. When Zeishan Quadri wrote Gangs of Wasseypur, he received many death threats. Unperturbed, he even thought of handing out his address to the goons. Kausar Munir loves Amitabh Bhattacharya’s work but hates DK Bose. Richa Chadda was rejected for a film because she wasn’t glamorous enough. This came after her brilliant performance in Gangs of Wasseypur.
DELHI
MUMBAI by Nithya Narayanan
by Zehra Kazmi
FIVE TYPES OF PEOPLE YOU’RE LIKELY TO MEET IN THE METRO
FIVE TYPES OF PEOPLE YOU MAY MEET IN THE MUMBAI LOCAL
Tuck in your sari, check if your bag is zipped shut, gird your loins, and squeeze in. Here’s what’s inside:
Once the Metro doors have shut behind you it’s interesting to indulge in good ol’ people-watching
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The starers: Their eyes always follow you. Classify them thus: the one who wants your seat, the lecher, the girl checking out your outfit, the classmate from school trying to confirm it’s you before saying ‘Hi’. Do: Stare ’em down. Don’t: Hum Himesh Reshammiya songs such as ‘No touching, only seeing’!
The Sleeping Beauties: Once they catch a seat, they drift into their own little wonderland. The object of envy for many people, for while asleep, they’re oblivious to the obvious din around. Do: Let them just be. Don’t: Wake the dead from the grave. The HangMan: You can’t miss him. He literally ‘hangs’, with most of his body outside the train. They balance themselves adroitly at the door, ushering commuters in and out. Do: Announce your destination. Don’t: Complain about the stifling body odour camouflaged with perfume.
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The talkers: You know they’re having a tiff with their partner (you’ve done it too), you know Ankush is the boss’s pet (he’s so chalu!) and you know when Malhotraji will deliver the cartons (kal, Malhotraji, kal)! Do: Plug in your earphones Don’t: Scream ‘khamosh’ à la Shatrughan Sinha.
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The separated: The Metro’s compartments for men and women may have separated families/ couples/ friends, but who says you cannot indulge in some cross-border interaction? They constantly check on each other and exchange shopping bags and stray babies. Do: Get out of their way Don’t: Say “I’ll tell to the guards!”
The Bookies: Don’t be surprised if a fellow traveller asks you “Kutthe utrayecha?” (the destination you will alight at). They enter the compartment with the sole objective of ‘booking’ as many seats as possible. Do: Pretend to be the Sleeping Beauty (see type 1 above). Don’t: Bequeath your seat to more than one bookie.
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The furtive eaters: They look left, then right, swiftly take out food from their bag and pop it into their mouth. Half-finished lunches, fruits, chips and the occasional momos and pizzas are the standard. Do: Smile. They may share. Don’t: Think about the smelll.
Band, Baaja, Bhajan: They take the freedom to practice and preach the religion of one’s choice to another level. Innumerable groups of bhajan aficionados insist the rest of the co-passengers join them! Do: Plug in your earphones. Don’t: Call them noisy.
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The Touch-oholics: Before you get any ideas (you pervert!), these are the ones afflicted with ‘Nomophobia’ (fear of being without a mobile phone). The social media fanatics will be online all through. Do: Mind your own business. Don’t: Peep, it’s rude.
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The liar-liar-pants-on-fire: They’re still at Central Secretariat, but tell people on the phone they’ve reached Rajiv Chowk. The whole Metro judges them. Do: Make them feel ashamed (you know you’ve been there). Don’t: Shout “He’s still at CSec, the sneaky liar!”
Front Row
by Aasheesh Sharma
WHAT MAKES A GOOD SPORTS FILM? Such as lines: Think 1 Underdogs: 2 Classic 3 World War II prisoners “Show me the money!”
escaping the Nazis in the football classic Escape to Victory (1981), or villagers taking on the British in Lagaan (2002).
Cover design: SWATI CHAKRABARTI
AVAILABLE AT LEADING BOOKSTORES AND NEWSSTANDS
from Jerry Maguire (1996) and “Yeh sattar minute tum se koi nahin cheen sakta” from Chak De! India (2007).
EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Aasheesh Sharma, Rachel Lopez, Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi, Mignonne Dsouza, Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna, Yashica Dutt, Amrah Ashraf, Saudamini Jain, Shreya Sethuraman
JULY 14, 2013
Dishy heroes: Who can forget SRK’s sexy stubble in Chak De!, Farhan Akhtar’s sinewy legs in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) or Sly Stallone’s rippling muscles in Rocky (1976)?
DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor, Design), Monica Gupta, Swati Chakrabarti, Payal Dighe Karkhanis, Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Singh
Drop us a line at:
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Convincing story: The plot needs to be at least believable. That’s why a film like Lagaan works wonders and Awwal Number (1990) – where Dev Anand was the police commissioner AND chairman of the cricket board – doesn’t!
brunchletters@ hindustantimes.com or to 18-20 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001
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Ecstasy after the agony: You can’t go wrong with a climax where the protagonist punches, sprints or kicks himself out of misery. The Wrestler (2008), Bend It Like Beckham, Million Dollar Baby and Escape to Victory, to name a few.
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VA R I E T Y Graphic: ASHISH SINGH
THERE’S SOMEONE ELSE
I DON’T HAVE FEELINGS FOR YOU ANYMORE
“I don’t think this is working out anymore. I’m breaking up with you.”
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T IS SAID that these words are most impactful when uttered face to face. But what if you get the news via SMS? What does it say about the sender? A few years ago, selfrighteous types (and manicured etiquette consultants) would have deemed it too insensitive. Today however, it seems normal. Image consultant Vishal Bhalla, 25, says he was recently in an unhappy relationship, one he wanted to end. “I was seeing somebody on the side as well,” he adds. So he sent his girlfriend the following text: ‘See I can’t tolerate you and your emotional atyachaar anymore. So I don’t want to see you. Thanks for whatever you did’. “There were two reasons I did this over SMS: To avoid questions like ‘What? Why? Do you not love me anymore?’, and because I just don’t want to handle emotional women.”
GET THE MESSAGE
Sounds harsh? It’s how more and more people are ending it these days, etiquette be damned.
‘It’s Over!’
Why bre a simple aking up over so comm SMS is now onplace by Shrey aS
IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME
I NEED MORE SPACE
ethuram an
Dr Sajid Ali Khan, psychiatrist and psychotherapist at Mumbai’s Kohinoor Hospital, claims that breakups and cravings for multiple partners are higher in the tech-savvy generation. “They now have less space and patience for individual emotions. Thus they prefer to break up over a text message.” Writer Moonmoon Ghosh, 27, was in a stagnant relationship for a while before she decided to break up with her boyfriend by sending a text. “He had stopped talking to me, and I had no idea if we would ever talk, or what the deal was, or if we were even in a relationship,” she explains. “This went on for a long time. So finally I got over him and told him that we were done.” Objectively, it seems perfectly logical – you use SMS to convey your instructions, your reactions, your approval, your love. So why shouldn’t you use it to break up as well? Dr Samir Parikh, director of mental health and behavioural sciences at Fortis Healthcare takes the same view. “If you use text messaging as the main medium for communication for most things, then you’d use it for ending a JULY 14, 2013
SHORT BUT NOT SWEET Even celebrities have ended it over SMS ASIN DUMPED NEIL NITIN MUKESH IN 2011
WE WEREN’T MEANT TO BE
Neil Nitin Mukesh responded, “Taking her name is A sin” REGGIE BUSH DUMPED KIM KARDASHIAN IN 2010
PEN IT DOWN A ‘Dear John letter’ is a letter written to a husband or boyfriend by his spouse or significant other to inform him their relationship is over, usually because the author has found another lover.
The NFL star texted her after rumours of her seeing Kanye West started doing the rounds RUSSELL BRAND DUMPED KATY PERRY IN 2011
These are written due to inability or unwillingness to inform the man in person. The reverse situation, in which someone writes to his wife or girlfriend to break off the relationship, is referred to as a ‘Dear Jane letter’.
relationship too,” he says, simply. “Some people don’t want to do a one-to-one interaction because they want to escape the emotional outcome. Some are – at their own level – not comfortable regardless of any reaction.”
TEXT APPEAL
Musharat Perveen, 26, a PR executive in Delhi, broke up with her boyfriend last month via text, stating that since he was in Dubai, she couldn’t have met him. “I didn’t want to call him because I knew he would have started making excuses,” she complains. Perveen believes that an SMS is the best way to cleanse your life of “toxic people without facing them”. Mumbai-based counsellor Sakshi Singh, 27, was in a relationship for seven years. But her boyfriend stopped talking to her over the last six months. Her repeated efforts to get him to open up yielded no results. “He kept saying ‘Please don’t wait for me’, then one day he just texted that it was over. Apparently, he got bored,” she says. Is this the new normal? Have relationships really become that fickle? “It has certainly become
His Dec 31 text asked to end their 14-month-long marriage
socially acceptable,” says Dr Pulkit Sharma, clinical psychologist at the Imago Centre for Self, Delhi.
IT’S ONLY WORDS
While texting your boyfriend or girlfriend to end the relationship may offer a kind of instant gratification, it could make things complicated in the long run. “It epitomises lack of concern, nervousness and guilt,” says Dr Khan. Dr Sharma points out that it offers no closure to either party “which is important when you’re closely involved with someone. Additionally, there are chances of the emotions resurfacing.” We might as well learn to make peace with the modernday version of the Dear John (see box) letters. The term is believed to have been coined by Americans during World War II, to tell their significant other that the relationship was over. And if you are someone who steers clear of emotional drama and hates confrontation, then don’t be surprised if you’re at the receiving end. Karma does have its ways. shreya.sethuraman@hindustantimes.com Follow @iconohclast on Twitter
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There Will Be Trouble Ahead. Stay Strong, Stay Focused
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Six lessons for life, from those who took on Bollywood, the toughest industry in the world, and came out shining by Amrah Ashraf
he first day I cried in Mumbai was when I didn’t have a single paisa in my pocket and took R50 from a friend. It was not the first time I was penniless and it was definitely not the first time I was borrowing money. But that night, as I pocketed that crumpled note, I began to cry. Five years in Mumbai and I was still homeless, penniless and completely out of work. There was not a friend left in the city I had not borrowed from. I belong to a family of farmers from Budhana, UP. Ninety people would live in one house and I have seen the darkest days of poverty. So not eating for a day or two or three was never a problem. That was never my struggle. In Delhi, while practicing theatre, I worked as a watchman. Life was tough then but I was always driven to follow my dream – acting. I moved to Mumbai with R3,000, a packet of biscuits and the assumption that I had friends there to bank on. I reached one friend’s house and tried to give him a hug. He shrugged me off and said, “Rent ka paisa?” That day I realised that in this industry, your friends are also not your friends. I remember begging another friend to let me stay at his room. He said yes and asked me to
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OBODY SAID it was going to be easy. Dreaming big and following that dream will probably be the biggest test of your life. There will be blood, sweat, tears, naysayers, critics, roadblocks and moments of self-doubt so deep you’ll wonder if you can possibly stay afloat. Bollywood hopefuls know this feeling well. The world’s biggest film industry is probably also the world’s hardest place to succeed. Thousands try, thousands fail and thousands more take their place. Only a handful rise above the rest. And their journeys are as inspiring as any you’ll see on screen. Here are some of them, lessons that hold good for your dream too. Let those who made it show you how to get to the top, step by inspiring step. JULY 14, 2013
Photo: SATISH BATE
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be his cook. I didn’t mind the job till the day I realised that I wasn’t struggling to be an actor. I was struggling just to stay alive. I moved out of his house with rock-solid determination that day. I was going to make it, I told myself. But unlike in a movie where the hero’s life changes in minutes, mine didn’t. That night, I just went to another friend’s house for shelter. In some way, you can call my life a comedy of errors. When I got my first break in Sarfarosh (1999), I was asked to be on-set at 7am at Filmistan. I woke up at 4.30am and walked from Four Bungalows to
■ Don’t leave anything to destiny – find a way to chart out your own destiny. Rewrite it if you have to. ■ Everyone struggles. So don’t take it personally. Just work hard and hope that you meet the right people at the right time. ■ Rejection is a part of life. Don’t let it bog you down. Find a way to deal with it. ■ Drop your ego. It will only give you more pain. ■ Once you succeed, remember how hard you worked to get there. That will motivate you and also keep you grounded.
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Film City [easily 15 kilometres] in my chappals. I reached by 6.30am, only to realise I was at the wrong set. I ran again from Film City to Filmistan because I had no money to even take the bus. I didn’t get another movie for years. Yes, life is terrifyingly difficult sometimes. There were many times when I wanted to leave. But where could I go? I had to make it. The only other choice was to die in oblivion and that I wasn’t going to do. I did so many odd roles – dacoit informer in Jungle, a waiter in Shool, a
I realised that I wasn’t struggling to be an actor. I was struggling to stay alive pickpocket in Munna Bhai MBBS and a local goon in Ek Chalis Ki Last Local. I took roles just to survive another month. But I never gave up. I just wanted to succeed. My 12 years of struggle ended with Kahaani. Suddenly I was famous. People would recognise me; my name now had some weight. The last scene in Gangs of Wasseypur, where I shoot Tigmanshu’s [Dhulia] character was the culmination of my struggle. When I was enacting that scene, what I saw in front of me were the 12 years – the hunger, rejection, disgrace and tears – and I fired countless rounds. That smirk on Faisal Khan’s face was in fact Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s arrival.
Don’t Try To Please Everyone
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was always certain of one thing – I wanted to act. And I did everything that I needed to do to be good at my craft: theatre, workshops, modelling, knocking on every door and waiting for it to open. And I also heard it all – sweet talk, criticism and unwanted advice. People told me to get a boob job, get rhinoplasty, lose weight and be more “presentable”. I was told to fit the “Bollywood” template by almost everyone. And for a while, I did try and mould myself to everybody’s expectations. But nothing came of it. I faced rejection left, right and centre for months and years. I don’t belong to Mumbai. I don’t come from a family that has any inclination towards glamour or Bollywood. My mum’s a professor at Delhi University and my dad is a management consultant. Nothing in my background could really prepare me for the kind of rejection and emotional turmoil that I was going through. So all I could do was to hope. And hope is what I stuck to. I continued doing theatre with Barry John, who thankfully had moved to Mumbai and it was while performing in one of his plays that a flicker of hope called Dibakar Banerjee came in. Dibakar was a small-time director scouting around for a fresh face for a small role in Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. He was just one film old but was talked-about. I was signed on. The movie became a hit. I was noticed but that didn’t mean anything. Small, inconsequential roles were all I was offered, if at all. I auditioned for Dev.D. Anurag Kashyap loved it but signed Kalki Koechlin instead! A filmmaker friend signed me for his new film, told me to block my dates and gave me the script to prepare. I was raring to go when, just two days before the shoot was to begin, he told me I was being replaced because I wasn’t “glamorous enough”. I wallowed for days, cried, cribbed but couldn’t give up! The rejections made me realise one thing: that whatever I did, I wouldn’t be able to make everybody happy. I would just lose myself trying to be someone
People told me to get a boob job, a nose job, lose weight and be more “presentable” else. So I focused on what was my best asset. My talent as an actress. I did plays, workshops, travelled to Chennai and Pondicherry and joined Theatre Professionals to hone my skill. Then, two years after Oye Lucky…, Anurag called me to do Gangs Of Wasseypur. And yes, it has changed my life. But after a smash hit, awards and all the glory, the struggle continues. I still face rejection. In fact, it happened early this year. But now I too can reject offers. I am not going JULY 14, 2013
to compromise or change just to please somebody or everybody. That is my vindication. – As told to Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi
■ Be happy in your skin. Don’t try to be someone else or you’ll lose yourself. ■ Know your goals and never lose your focus. ■ You may be criticised and rejected. Cry and crib but don’t lose hope. ■ Keep working towards your goal. Do everything that you have to to hone your skills.
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hindustantimes.com/brunch
Be Yourself, Even In A Man’s World
Stand Up For Yourself, Even If You Are Standing Up To A Bully
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veryone asks me if it is hard being the only female lyricist in Bollywood. Of course it is hard. But it is only as hard as it would be for a man to walk in heels. It’s not impossible, it’s just a mindset that needs to be broken. Women tend to steer clear of Bollywood. That’s why we have just one music composer, Sneha Khanwalkar, as opposed to at least 20 dudes with a sound mixer. And then there is me, a female lyricist with no formal training in Urdu. My struggle, if I can call my experiences a struggle, started after I started penning words for songs. I had never planned on being a bard. I used to write for shows like Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin. One evening the scriptwriter of Jassi…, Victor [Vijay Krishna Acharaya] asked me to write a song for his film, Tashan. And I wrote Falak tak chal, which
■ Be a strong woman and know that gender has nothing to do with competence. You have to believe that you are as good as anyone else on the job. ■ Even if someone plays gender politics, ignore them. The right people will notice you at the right time. ■ Never hold grudges against people who doubted you. Grudges will only pull you down. ■ Remember that you will start small, but keep at it. Don't give up.
was a hit. After that, i wrote songs for Anjaana Anjaani and later, Habib Faisal asked me to pen a song for Ishaqzaade. I wrote the songs and everyone loved them. Words like Pareshaan and Ishaqzaade caught on and people wanted to know who the bespectacled girl was. That is when my struggle actually began. Until then, I was quietly writing songs in a corner and was no threat to anyone in the industry. But after songs like Saiyaara and Mashallah from Ek Tha Tiger, I came to be seen as the female lyricist who disrupted the male bastion. The songs became a dead albatross around my neck – filmmakers wanted me to come up with a new cool Urdu word for every song that the audience will hum for the next one year. It put me under tremendous pressure. Plus, the expectations of being a woman lyricist were mounting. Suddenly I had become a postergirl for gender equality! I don’t know who put that responsibility on my shoulder but I think it’s the women themselves. Now I’ve realised that to survive in a man’s world, you have to be a woman. Women are better listeners and understand briefs better. Being myself worked in my favour. And it will work in yours too. JULY 14, 2013
he night I decided to challenge the Roshans, I knew that life was going to be tough. After all, I was just another music composer. But I decided to take the Roshans to court for stealing my intellectual property – an ad jingle I had done for Sony Ericsson, which they used in their movie, Krazzy 4. Was I nervous? Hell yeah, who wouldn’t be? News spread. Suddenly I was the bad guy trying to make money off the big guys. They had industry backing, I just had my conviction and Sona [Mohapatra, his wife] by my side. She held my hand through that phase and gave me the support that I needed to tell the world that even a small fry like me can take on the mighty guys. The time I challenged them in court was also the time I was trying to break into Bollywood. Ninety per cent of the people told me that I was insane. That no one would want to work with me. And that happened. I was out of work – from my primary income, advertising and Bollywood. Yes, I was jobless; yes, I was broke; yes, I was angry; but no, I was not going to give up. Things happen for a reason. So I decided to treat my joblessness like a mini vacation. I won my case, but rejection had
become a part of life. People didn’t want to jinx their films by working with me. I scored and composed music for four films but all of them got shelved. I hit rock bottom. Then out of the blue, Delhi Belly happened. Abhinay [Deo] insisted that I compose music for his film. Delhi Belly was supposed to be a one-song film but once I read the script I knew that it had scope for more. I took a year to write music for it and when Aamir heard it, he loved it! That was the turning point for me. Even today, I am not the most loved person in Bollywood. But I trust my work and my instincts. And you should too. Everyone will not love you, but you will be surrounded by people who care for you.
■ You have to learn to stand up for
yourself because if you don’t, no one else will. ■ Have faith in the system and believe in yourself. Justice might take some time, but don’t lose patience. ■ Build a support system. Because there will be days when your resolve will break, that is when their resolve will hold you in good stead. ■ Find humour in everything. It makes life simple. ■ Don’t get angry. Get even!
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If At First You Don’t Succeed, Find Another Way Up
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ook, I’ll be honest – I never came to Mumbai to be a scriptwriter. I came here to be an actor. Actually a star! So on March 17, 2009, like every other kid from a small village, I boarded a train to Mumbai hoping to be the next Salman Khan. I was fully confident I’d make it, friends back home in Wasseypur told me I had eyes that would win directors over. So I reached Mumbai and expected to see a friend or two waiting at the station. No one came. I stood there alone with all my belongings for an hour in a daze. I had nowhere to go. That was my first day in Mumbai, alone, apprehensive and angry. But that was the last time I felt lost. I told myself that I’d never call my struggle a struggle – just another chapter in the journey called life. And the day I felt I’d spent enough time chasing my dream, I’d pack my
bags and leave. My acting dream never took off. I was not ‘hero’ material. So I had a lot of free time and no money. I’d stay home with world cinema on TV. While watching Edge of Heaven, it occurred to me to write about Wasseypur because it used to fasci-
■ If one thing does not work out one way, find another way to achieve it. ■ Never pity yourself. It will only pull you down and lower your self-confidence. ■ Set a realistic time limit to achieve your dreams. But keep an eye on reality. If your dreams are too ambitious, ditch them. ■ Believe in God because only he writes your destiny. Your work is to work hard to achieve that destiny. ■ Don’t spend too much time struggling. Gambling blind is cool but only for a while.
nate my friends in Mumbai. I also realised another thing – if someone made my movie, I could act in it! That was my ticket to stardom. So I wrote part two of Gangs... first and started chasing Anurag [Kashyap]. Stalking really! I visited his office every day and was sent back. Then I followed him to Prithvi Theatre one evening in 2009. I had stared at him all evening and forced him to walk up to me. Once I had his attention, I knew that he would love the concept. And he did. Later I told him that I wanted to play the role of Definite. He agreed. I could’ve struggled for years but I chose to be smarter. Today I am acting in movies [Revolver Rani and Ali] I haven’t even written. And it is only a matter of time before I will become a successful actor too. In this industry, it only takes one big director to vouch for you. Then the industry falls at your feet. And I know that will happen.
Failure Can Follow Success, Stay Grounded
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Two years later, Home Delivery: Aapko…Ghar Tak hit the theatres and it tanked. “Everyone gives a dud once in their career,” I rationalised. And sadly, I believed it also. So I decided to take time with the next project, Aladin. It took four years. And that tanked too. That was devastating. Now, no one believed in
wish I hadn’t started my career with a hit. I was an outsider who dared to make an offbeat film like Jhankaar Beats and miraculously, it worked. Suddenly, everyone praised me and wanted to know what I was doing next. That was 2003. What happened after that was the worst phase of my life. Photo Courtesy: DABBOO RATNANI
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■ Everything in life is a great learning experience – good or bad. Nothing comes easy. If you want something, work for it. ■ Your family should be your priority. Don’t get so blinded by your dream that you ignore the ones who love you and care for you the most. ■ Let your work speak for you. And if you mess up, be prepared for criticism. ■ If you keep your expectations real, it is much easier to deal with rejection.
JULY 14, 2013
me or my scripts. Even I started questioning my abilities as a director. Dejection was too real in Mumbai where people called me a one-hit wonder. I had a family to feed, so I had to take a call whether I wanted to continue or not. That is when I decided to go back home – to Calcutta. At that point, Kahaani was still a concept in my head. Everyone I discussed it with said that it was everything a Bollywood film shouldn’t be. But I was in love with it. So I needed to walk away from the detractors and just write. The scariest thing at that time was the fear of rejection, again. But I couldn’t give up. I didn’t have the luxury of another job. The exact thought in my head at that time was “If I sit and wallow, who will take care of my family?” Plus I was never a quitter. I saw my parents struggle to bring us up and I would do that for my family as well. So I kept moving ahead with Kahaani.
Slowly I knew I was on to something good. But people urged me to make something more commercial. I thought that was a bunch of baloney. I eventually released Kahaani last year after struggling for seven years. I fought to keep my family afloat, fought the critics, faced rejection after rejection but eventually came out triumphant. Kahaani was a success and so I am successful today. But I am as good as my last Friday. The story continues… But I will never give up. amrah.ashraf@hindustantimes.com Follow @hippyhu on Twitter
MORE LEVELS ON THE WEB
Read Mohit Chauhan and Shalmali Kholgade’s lessons at hindustantimes. com/brunch
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CALL HIM The fashion designer is tired of people first-naming him and I have a certain sympathy with his view
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N A RECENT interview, Tom Ford tells a story about going to a restaurant. The waitress walks up to him, smiles brightly and says, “Hi Tom, I am ___, and I will be serving you today.” “Actually,” responds Tom, “I prefer Mr Ford.” Yes, the fashion designer would like it to be known that now that he is in his 40s, he really doesn’t appreciate being called ‘Tom’ any longer. He would like
Seema Goswami
spectator
Photos: SHUTTERSTOCK
NO CURE
For some reason, doctors seem to believe that the magic letters Dr before their name allow them the liberty to first name every one else
it if you addressed him as ‘Mr Ford’, giving him the respect due to his years. Stuffy, old-fashioned nonsense? A throwback to an earlier age when manners were at a premium? Or just plain old snobbery? Well, you be the judge of that. But I have to confess to a certain sneaking sympathy for Mr Ford and his point of view. The older I get, the more irksome I find the current propensity to first-name everyone, regardless of age, gender, situation or context. The worst offenders, on the whole, are medical folk. For some reason, they seem to believe that the magic letters Dr before their name allow them the liberty to first name every one else. But you, of course, must always address them as Dr So and So on pain of death (not literally, I hope!). And no, it doesn’t make sense to me either. The other compulsive first-namers that I come MANNERS, PLEASE!
The fashion designer would like it if you addressed him as ‘Mr Ford’, giving him the respect due to his years JULY 14, 2013
It’s not the first-naming that irritates me the most. It is the implicit over-familiarity that rankles into contact with most often are PR people. It doesn’t matter that they have never met you; that they are often a good 15 years younger than you; and that it is a professional relationship that they hope to establish. The very first phone call they make or the first ever email they send will set to establish first-name terms with you. If you find this sort of familiarity annoying in the professional context and try and reset the ground rules by replying with a cool Ms or Mr So and So in the hope that they get the hint – well, don’t hold your breath because it will never happen. As it happens, I do find this rather annoying. I put this down to being brought up in a more respectful culture in which you never first-named anybody until invited to do so. Senior colleagues at my first work place were always addressed with a Mr or Ms, or – this being Calcutta – with the suffix of ‘Babu’, ‘Da’ or ‘Di’. The very idea of addressing someone who was older than you by his or her first name was regarded as blasphemy. It wasn’t about seniority or status either. The office peon also had a respectful ‘Da’ added to his name. I am still a creature of that culture. Even now when I call up to fix an interview with someone, or send an email to a professional contact, I wouldn’t even dream of addressing them by their first names. But increasingly I find that others have no such compunction. To be honest, it’s not the first-naming that irritates me the most. It is the implicit over-familiarity that rankles. And that over-familiarity has become endemic in our world. As a 50-something friend of mine recently complained, “Where does the ordertaker at Starbucks get off calling me by my first name. I am old enough to be his mother!” But I guess age no longer commands respect in our world. The new-fangled democratisation means that everyone is equal, and even those whom we could have given birth to can first-name us with impunity. Speaking for myself, I have to confess that over-familiarity is one of my bugbears. But there is an element of perversity at play here as well. When people call me Ms Goswami I tend to reply, “Oh please, call me Seema.” But anyone who first-names me without as much as a by your leave, tends to set my back up. And that’s when I totally get where Tom Ford is coming from.
Photo: GETTYIMAGES
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SPILLTHE BEANS
It is a measure of the versatility of the rajma bean that both French peasants and Punjabi housewives regard it as something of their own Vir Sanghvi
rude food N
ORTH INDIANS always look surprised when I tell them this, but it is true. Until I went to boarding school in Rajasthan, I had no idea what rajma was. And even today, when Indian food is much more pan-national, I’m sure there are millions of Gujaratis (like myself ), Maharashtrians, Bengalis and South Indians who have never eaten rajma in their lives.
Photo: THINKSTOCK
CASSOULET A LA SOUTH EXTENSION (DEUXIEME PARTIE) INGREDIENTS
1 confit duck leg (available at gourmet stores or on order at any Oberoi hotel deli) 300 grams fresh pork, cut into pieces 1 packet streaky bacon (pancetta is better but harder to find) 1 packet chorizo sausages (the Oberoi kind will do but many foreign brands are available) 1 sachet bouquet garni (a herb potli
available at upmarket grocers) 1 packet good quality European sausages 2 cubes chicken stock (real stock or the stock they sell in tetra packs is better) 2 cans haricot beans (widely available though you can soak and boil dried beans) Onions, garlic to taste.
METHOD
■ Chop the onion and garlic. With a pair of kitchen scissors, cut the bacon
JULY 14, 2013
Every time you explain to people north of the Vindhyas that rajma is not really an ancient Indian staple, they act as though you are mad. But surely, we have all heard of the glorious rajma tradition of Kashmir, they say. And what about the simple rajma dishes that are regularly cooked in every Punjabi home? Surely, rajma is just another kind of dal? And we all know that Indians were eating dal in Vedic times, don’t we? Well, yes and no. Yes, because dal is one of the original Indian foods, predating even the Vedic period. Masoor, mung and urad have all been found in Indus Valley sites. No, because rajma is not what ancient Indians would call dal. In fact, as the great food historian KT Achaya wrote, we find no mention of rajma in any Indian text, ancient or medieval, till about a century ago. It simply did not exist in our part of the world. The evidence suggests that it was French colonialists who
into small pieces. Shred the duck confit into little bits. Slice the chorizo thinly. ■ Fry the onions, garlic, bacon and chorizo in olive oil in a large pan over medium heat till the bacon is rendering its fat and the onions are sweating. In another pan, lightly fry the whole European sausages and reserve. ■ When the bacon fat seems to have coated the onion-garlic-chorizo mixture, add the pork pieces and brown quickly. When done, add the shredded duck confit and the whole cooked sausages. Add enough stock to reach
the top of the pan. Throw in the bouquet garni. ■ Bring to the boil and then cover and simmer at medium to low heat for at least an hour. If the pan seems too dry you can keep adding more hot stock. You will know when you are nearing the end because the pork seems tender and ready to fall apart. Now add the canned (or pre-boiled) beans. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes or more. ■ Watch the pan. The dish is ready when the bacon and duck confit have almost disappeared and the pork is tender enough to eat with a spoon.
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hindustantimes.com/brunch Photos: IMAGES BAZAAR
BHISHAMBAR’S RAJMA RECIPE INGREDIENTS
CENTURIES OLD!
BEST MADE AT HOME
Dal is one of the original Indian foods, predating even the Vedic period. Masoor, mung and urad have all been found in Indus Valley sites
To enjoy good rajma-chawal, you must either eat at a North Indian home or at a highway dhaba
brought the rajma bean to India and later, the British who turned it into a commercial crop in the North. Wherever there was a tradition of black dal (in much of India, dal is a yellowish colour and rarely black), households took to rajma and it soon became a kitchen staple. But despite the speed with which it became part of the North Indian diet, rajma did not travel well, which is why you are unlikely to be served rajma at homes outside of the North. Which is sad, because a well-made rajma can be delicious. It is one of those Indian dishes that restaurant chefs can never improve on. To enjoy good rajma-chawal, you must either eat at a North Indian home or at a highway dhaba, where truck drivers depend on rajma for protein and sustenance. Even great chefs have come up with no good rajma recipes. In his book, My Great India Cookbook, Vikas Khanna does not even attempt to give his own spin on rajma but reproduces a recipe from a home cook called Bhishambar. It is a fine recipe and I’ve reproduced it here, with due acknowledgement to Bhishambar and Vikas. But Punjabis are not the only people to claim a misplaced ownership of rajma. The French are far worse. One of the classic dishes of French cuisine is the cassoulet. Frenchmen get into fist fights with each other about the perfect cassoulet recipe. What we can agree on is that the dish takes its name from the earthenware pot it is cooked in. There is also a broad consensus that 30 per cent of the constituents of the dish should be pork (ham, salt pork, bacon, pork shoulder, sausage etc.). The rest can consist of duck, goose or lamb and, of course, beans. Ah yes, beans. According to legend, the dish was created in 1355 during the Siege of Castelnaudary. Besieged by the English, the plucky townspeople put a large pot on a fire in the town square and threw in all the pigs, lambs and birds they could find along with white haricot beans. Ever since then, the dish has
been the symbol of rural France and especially of the Languedoc region. It is a good story, which illustrates that famous French maxim: when in trouble, cook. The trouble is: the story is a load of cobblers. The good people of Castelnaudary could not have made a haricot bean stew in 1355 because there were no haricot beans in France in that era. The bean was brought back from the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1493 and took another century to reach the French countryside. The earliest reference to the haricot in France dates to 1565 (over two centuries after the siege of Castelnaudary) and the dish was probably invented in the 17th century. (Two centuries or so later, the French took the bean to India). Which brings us to the other interesting thing about the haricot bean (phaseolus vulgaris). We know that cassoulet is made with white beans while rajma is a dark red bean. And indeed, we use different terms for each large bean: kidney, pinto, cannellini, borlotti, black etc. But the truth is that they are all the same bean. The changes in size and colour have only to do with climate, market requirements, cultivation etc. Whether it is the plump white bean of the cassoulet or the dark, homely rajma bean, they are all offshoots of phaseolus vulgaris. And all of them come from South America. Which means that none of them can have an ancient history in Europe or India because they are relatively recent visitors. Chefs will tell you that a good cassoulet cannot be made in a restaurant, that the dish takes several hours to cook and up to four days to prepare, because the ingredients are so complicated. They are right. To look at a recipe for authentic cassoulet is to want to slit your own throat: you know that you will never have the patience or the ingredients required to make the real thing. Life is too short to make a genuine cassoulet unless – like the residents of Castelnaudary in the legend – your town is under siege and you have nothing else to do. But what exactly is the real thing? In France, there are about a thousand cassoulet recipes all based on a bean they only had access to relatively recently. So, just as there is no one authentic rajma recipe, you can make your own kind of cassoulet, depending on the ingredients you have available. I make my own and though they will probably cancel my Schengen visa when they see how inauthentic it is, I’m reproducing the recipe here, anyway. It is a measure of the versatility of the rajma bean that French peasants and Punjabi housewives all regard it as something of their own. And no matter what the cuisine is – French or Kashmiri – you can count on the rajma bean to make a delicious dish.
Rajma is one of those Indian dishes that restaurant chefs can never improve on
Once you’ve got there, check the seasoning. You should not need more salt because commercial stock is quite salty. But you can add pretty much anything you like at this stage – garlic puree, a dash of Tabasco, some herbs etc. – to whoosh up the flavour. ■ In restaurants, they would now sprinkle bread crumbs on top of the stew and brown it under the grill or finish it in the oven but you don’t need to do that at home. (But if you are entertaining, then a cassoulet
with a bread crumb crust looks more impressive). ■ If you like the dish, you can improvise on the recipe the next time. Sometimes I’ve added fresh duck legs, mushrooms, button onions, spicier sausages and some lamb. ■ Whatever you do, remember that this is as authentically French as Banta Singh. So, don’t bother about the real recipe; the French only got the beans from South America relatively recently, anyway.
JULY 14, 2013
1 cup red kidney beans (rajma) 1 tsp salt or to taste 3 tsp ginger-garlic paste 1 tbsp oil ½ cup onions, finely chopped ½ cup tomato puree 7-8 pods black cardamom 2” stick cinnamon 1 ½ tsp fennel powder 2 tsp dried ginger powder A pinch of asafetida powder ½ tsp red chilli powder
METHOD
Wash beans and soak in water overnight. Drain and rinse thoroughly. In a pressure cooker, combine beans with 3 cups of water, salt and half the ginger-garlic paste. Pressure-cook for 7-9 minutes over low heat after the cooker reaches full pressure. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to settle. Meanwhile, put oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add remaining gingergarlic paste and sauté for a few seconds. Add onions and sauté till translucent. Mix in tomato puree and cook for 2-3 minutes. Spoon contents of pan into the pressure cooker containing the beans. Mix in the remaining ingredients and pressure-cook over low heat for 10-12 minutes. When the pressure settles, open cooker and serve the beans hot.
Courtesy: My Great India Cookbook by Vikas Khanna
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BANDS ON THE RUN
(PART 2)
In part two of the fitness band contenders, know who’s the winner
Y
OUR WRIST is now the most expensive real estate in the world. Just strapping on a watch that tells time is a great waste as that little part of your body will now be used to tell you more about your body on a minute-to-minute basis than any visit to a doctor. Now and into the future, your wrist band will tell you how well you breathe when you run, how much faster your heart beats when you’re stressed, the level your muscles heat up to when you work out at the gym, the length of your stride when you run (plus how your foot lands on impact), the hydration level in your body and how much water you should drink right then, and whether the person sitting next to you is actually in love with you or is just lying. Okay, I made up the last one – but all the others are very much on the road map of fitness and activity trackers. The battle to own your wrist is only just beginning – and the three current super contenders are the Basis Band, The Fitbit Flex and the Withings Pulse.
WITHINGS PULSE
A device that tells how many stairs you climbed
THE FLEXINATOR The Fitbit Flex is a split-personality device. It’s a small, completely sealed wedge, the size of your little fingernail with a few LED dots. You charge it up and insert it into a silicone strap and then go
Rajiv Makhni
techilicious
FITBIT FLEX
Its silent alarm function wakes you up without disturbing anyone else MORE ON THE WEB
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about your day. No display, no numbers – all it has are those LED dots that light up when you tap it. First impressions are terrible, as not being able to see how many steps, calories or distance you’ve covered, throw you off. But the Flex works its charms on you slowly as this is a very intelligently thought out device. Tapping twice makes the LED dots come alive and the number of dots that light up tell you where you are in terms of your target for the day (which can be set to be steps, calories or distance). Tapping it rapidly tells it to start monitoring your sleep, it has a silent alarm function that wakes you up without disturbing anyone else in the room, but it’s the app that it works with that truly elevates this to a whole new level. It connects on low power Bluetooth 4.0 and thus you can keep it paired with your phone 24 hours a day and watch it update your activity stats almost in real time. The app also has an excellent dashboard that gives you an overall picture and fantastic detailed analysis when you dig deeper. The primary issues are that the app isn’t available in India (and for ‘legal’ reasons, I will only share that ‘how to’ on a HYBRID STUFF Twitter DM The Withings has with you) and fantastic features JULY 14, 2013
that Bluetooth 4.0 currently works only on a handful of smartphones.
THE WINNER
Just strap on the Basis Band THE PULSINATOR and forget all about it Withings was the first to come out with a weighing machine that could wirelessly send your body statistics to your computer or an app and gives you a daily analysis of how your fat was winning or losing its battle to take over your body. The Withings Pulse is a natural extension to that. This is also a small wedge but one that can’t be used as band and must be clipped onto your body. It comes with a siliconish clip into which you insert the pulse, plus a soft band that you use to strap it to your wrist to monitor sleep. A button on top cycles through the various screens and within each screen you can swipe (it’s touch enabled) to analyse up to two weeks of previous data. At the back is a heartbeat sensor which will give you your BPM when you press your finger onto it. The TAP FOR HEALTH Pulse, besides the normal activity stats The heartbeat sensor in the will also give you humbling and mighty Withings gives you BPM embarrassing figures on how many stairs you climbed. A good-looking, sophisticated and featureladen device marred by the fact that it’s a clip on. OWNING YOUR WRIST So, which of these three should claim ownership of your wrist? The Basis Band is the king of features and real-time statistics and has also made the clunky look disappear with a sleek new carbon steel strap – but do remember that it can’t give you real time heart beat in the middle of strenuous workout plus it’s twice the price of the other two. The Fitbit Flex is light, small, unobtrusive, very intelligently thought out – but eventually its dependence on the forever-connected app can sometimes be a deal-breaker. FLEX IT OUT The Withings Pulse seems to be Keep Fitbit Flex paired with the hybrid between the two with a your phone 24 hours a day fantastic set of features – but the clip on makes it impractical in the long run as you have to remember to wear it every single day, plus the BPM needs you to clip it off, push your finger at the back and wait for it to read your pulse. Not something you’ll do after the initial euphoria has worn off. ONE LOVE? For me the Basis Band is the easy winner here. It may have some small shortcomings but what it offers as a ‘strap it and forget about it’ experience and how it monitors multiple things with no further intervention required from your side, after that makes it a no-brainer. Having said that – I’m off to New York in the evening today (big news and big story from there in next week’s column) and if you see me at the airport – you’ll see that my wrist is still strapped to the hilt with multiple trackers. After all, I’m not giving up my most prime real estate to just one, yet. My promiscuity with fitness trackers will continue for a while before I commit to the final love of my life. Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3
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T E C H TA L K
The public Internet is 20 now. Are you still treating it like a baby? text by Yashica Dutt; illustrations Mukesh Sharma
E
Get To Know Your Net Better
NOUGH WITH THE CAPS LOCK. Or pouncing on someone the moment they log in to Gtalk. Passwords that are permutations of your first and last name aren’t going to cut it. Nor will the excuse that you lost your contacts with the phone. The World Wide Web, or the public Internet as we know, turned 20 this year, so if you still think that just using the Net is fine, then even Internet Grandmas (a hilarious meme about what happens when an adorable granny discovers the Net) wouldn’t approve. There’s more to the Internet than using the Wikipedia to find the discography of Taylor Swift or stalking your ex on Facebook. So, time to peel off the kid gloves and start treating the Net just like you should.
We’re not the only ones who feel strongly about using ALL CAPS. Part of Kanye West’s bad rep, apart from naming his daughter North West, is his liberal use of ALL
CAPS on Twitter. Keeping Caps Lock on is akin to shouting, so tone it down, unless you are shouting. And text lingo (whn ppl typ lyk ths) is not acceptable beyond high school, neither are spelling and grammatical errors. If you do happen to make them, apologise, with the right spelling using an asterisk. Stop using Facebook as your personal diary. No one wants to sympathise with your endless soap opera of heartbreak. Get a private blog instead. Don’t talk at your Facebook friends, talk to them. Not responding to comments and posts is just bad form. So is ‘liking’ your own posts. And for the love of all that’s holy and good, stop tagging ten thousand people in a photograph. Your baby niece will be just fine without it. Nailing the big Facebook privacy issue isn’t as simple though, because of Facebook’s constantly changing format. But here’s what you can do. “Flat out block people,” says tech blogger Clinton Jeff. “You can also
tweak your profile to make sure no one outside your friend list can view your list of friends, your pictures or even certain parts of your ‘About’ section. This can also be done with people already on your friend list by checking out the privacy settings.” And don’t be too sure about sharing private information with your friend list either, for any of those 1,500 people could misuse your personal details. “Be extra cautious about the information you share. Even disclosing your date of birth can be exploited as people often use their birthdays in their passwords, giving hackers a sitting target to exploit,” says Ashish Bhatia, former editor of the PC World Magazine. And if a YouTube video crops up on your Facebook page, you can get rid of useless ads that play before the trailer of the next big movie. “Something like ADBlock can remove annoying or malicious advertisements that can lead to harmful malware or phishing sites,” he says.
Don’t share private information even with your Friend List
JULY 14, 2013
Don’t simply close the window, log out, says Saket Modi, CEO of a Delhibased cyber security firm, Lucideus. Once you log into any of the social networking sites, information is immediately stored in small text files called cookies. Just closing the window can allow the next user to log in to your account and do more damage than declaring you married or divorced when you are not. Also, Jeff advises that you always clear your browser cache because it saves all the data of previously visited websites to the computer’s hard drive. Caches can also include sensitive information such as login IDs, passwords or even banking information. So it’s also important to keep them clear for reasons of security. “Head to the ‘tools’ or ‘settings’ section on your browser, where you’ll see an option to clear your cache and cookies under the privacy section,” he says. Remembering different passwords for different sites is a first-world problem, but we’d
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say it’s worth it. Not only should you have longer passwords that are a combination of numbers and letters, you should never type them directly if you are in a cyber café or a common computer. They could be recorded by malicious spy programs like Keyloggers, which capture a computer’s keystrokes and send all the data to a third party via email. “A mouse-based keyboard program like Neo’s SafeKeys stalls keyloggers by allowing for you to mouse-click your password on an on-screen keyboard instead of typing it out on keyboard – thereby preventing a keystroke trapper program from recording your password,” says Bhatia. As tempting as your neighbour’s Wi-Fi might be, don’t browse websites without using the HTTPS protocol, especially if you are working on a super-secret pitch. It will prevent snooping in on your content and ensure you are not communicating with a malevolent third party. “An easy way of protecting your content is the extra security layered SSL connection. If you’re interacting with a website with the prefix ‘https,’ the information you’re exchanging is written in code with scrambling algorithms. It is more secure,” says Bhatia.
card and is valid only for one day. So even if your virtual card details get hacked in the future, your actual credit card details are safe,” says Modi. However, net banking can take time for approval or your bank might not be supported by the e-commerce site you are visiting. If you absolutely need to use a credit card, Bhatia suggests always looking for the padlock symbol in the address bar. “Use the same SSL while using the credit card online. Also, don’t give out your credit card details over email to any company. Most credit card companies just include the last four digits of the card in their messages. So, if someone does ask you for the full number, resist,” he says.
Never give your full credit card number even to the company
Nothing beats the convenience of ordering a hard drive from a website and having it delivered to your office two days later. But credit card frauds happen, a lot. Here’s what you can do to make sure your savings aren’t stolen. “Use net-safe banking, where you can avail your bank’s website to make transactions with a user ID and password provided by them. You can also request the bank to provide you with a virtual credit card which has a different number from your actual JULY 14, 2013
Twenty years on, the Net is no more anonymous. Not only can you be tracked immediately, your browsing history can be easy fodder for advertisers or worse, hackers. Modi recommends using the incognito window on Google Chrome to anonymously search the web and Virtual Private Network softwares like HotSpot Shield to prohibit someone from tracking you physically, by hiding your IP address. As for your phone, it nearly stores your entire online universe in one device. Don’t save banking passwords or credit card information freely on it and always remember to secure it with a password. Bhatia thinks it’s a good idea to install a phone security app which would automatically lock your phone making it inaccessible even if it gets lost. Get an added security password for your Gmail ID, by availing the service which sends a password to your phone every time you access it from a different computer. So even if you click on a suspicious mail that promises you 5,000 pounds, your account won’t get hacked. yashica.dutt@hindustantimes.com Follow @YashicaDutt on Twitter
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WELLNESS
MIND BODY SOUL SHIKHA SHARMA
THE SUPER
Eat your way to good health by incorporating these essential nutrients into your diet
1. FIBRE
Dietary fibre, also known as roughage or bulk, includes the parts of the plant that your body canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t digest and therefore discards. Soluble fibre (in oats, peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, carrots and barley) helps prevent cancers and controls cholesterol. Insoluble fibre (from wholewheat flour, wheat bran, nuts, beans, cauliflower and potatoes), regulates bowel movements, controls weight and prevents diabetes.
5. MINERALS
Calcium means stronger teeth and bones, good muscle growth, better blood clotting and a healthy heart. So eat spinach, salmon, white beans, broccoli, and red beans. Chloride regulates the acid-base 2. WATER balance in your blood, aids digestion Drink 10 to 15 glasses of water a day and helps fluids flow better. So add to balance electrolytes, keep your sea salt (in moderation), celery and joints lubricated (preventing arthricoconut to the menu. Iodine pretis), help digestion, keep your vents brain damage and thyroid eyes moist and working well, malfunction. Get it from sea regulate body temperature salt, fish broth, butter, asand flush out toxins paragus and dark green through urine and perspiravegetables. Zinc keeps your tion. Just make sure the water is mental and emotional balsafe to drink. ance in check so add split peas, chick peas, cashews, al3. ANTIOXIDANTS monds, peas, eggs, and Get your beta-carotene CRUNCH FOR ginger root to your meals. from bright-hued foods EVERY LUNCH 6. ALKALINE FOODS like apricots, asparagus, Almonds are good beets, broccoli, carrots, Broccoli, cabbage, caulifor your heart corn, green peppers, flower, Brussels sprouts, mangoes, turnips, peaches, pumpcelery, turnip greens and spinach kin, squash, spinach, sweet potaare rich in vitamin K and folate toes, tomatoes, and watermelons. which cancel out acidic insides. Munch on berries, broccoli, Brussels Garlic, in addition also lowers blood sprouts, kiwis, mangoes, oranges, pressure, cleans the liver and fights papaya, sweet potato, strawberries, disease. Lemon may be the most and tomatoes for vitamin C. And for alkalising food of all. It can heal vitamin E, just eat balanced meals â&#x20AC;&#x201C; wounds counter hyperacidity and the vitamin is present in most foods. virus-related conditions, as well as coughs, colds, flu and heartburn. 4. NUTS AND SEEDS
7. COLOURED FRUITS Though high in calories, nuts and seeds are great for weightloss. Rich While being good antioxidants, they in fibre and protein, they are good also help reduce risk of several sources of vitamin E, folate, mantypes of cancer, especially prostate ganese and selenium. cancer, prevent cell damage, and Avoid nuts roasted in keep strokes and heart other oils and sugdisease at bay. ar coated nuts. 8. ENZYMES Almonds are The enzymes in rich in heart raw food help healthy mono-unstart digestion. saturated fat, flaxseeds Choose watermelon, raw have anti-inflammatory milk, sushi, coconut waOmega-3 fatty acids, BRIGHT SPARKS ter, fruit salad, buttermilk Coloured foods peanuts have anti-aging and raw almonds. are a good source effects, walnuts are good of antioxidants ask@drshikha.com for Vitamin B1. Photos: THINKSTOCK, SHUTTERSTOCK
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‘Why Can’t Art Be A Watchdog?’ Photo: ARIJIT SEN; Location: LODI -THE GARDEN RESTAURANT, LODHI ROAD
His subjects range from street children to fashion. Artist and lensman Samar Jodha is a rebel with a conscience by Veenu Singh
P
There is too much disparity in our country. While on one side, we run around trying to get that perfect symbol for our currency, on the other side, we have people who don’t even know what the currency looks like. In the name of consumer choice, much is being inflicted upon consumers, mostly things they don’t need. That’s why I decided to move on.
Globally, public art has got people talking about various issues. Unfortunately, we get very heavily influenced by the very Western model – where you have sound, space and other options easily available. In India, we come from a different thinking altogether. If public art doesn’t have an interaction or relevance to the environment, then it defeats the purpose. I will give you a small example of the installation I did on the Bhopal Gas Tragedy which I had created two years ago for the BBC. Bhopal:A Silent Picture was showcased at the India Art Fair and the Kala Ghoda festival. While it created a lot of hype, many people didn’t have any idea what the tragedy was all about.
For me, art needs to create a dialogue and initiate a debate
When did you start taking pictures?
Although I was born in Jodhpur, most of my schooling took place in East Africa, as my father was with the United Nations. I led a nomadic life and changed close to 13 schools. Attending many boarding schools in Africa was initially a culture shock. But it was there in the game reserves of that continent, that I first developed an interest in photography.
Is photography an integral part of your art? Or do you keep them separate?
Art and photography are natural extensions of each other. In the past, working with fashion in India, I got into creating a project about ageing in India. Similarly, working on architecture books fed my interest in habitats and I began a TV project in India. A corporate project about the
construction of the world’s tallest building (Burj Khalifa) got me interested in the lives of migrant workers. In OUTPOST, I have built upon this life to make it more experiential.
Why hasn’t India made an impression on global art platforms such as the Venice Biennale?
A few Indian artists have made the crossover. Anish Kapoor’s work is so global I don’t know how much of an Indian he is. In contemporary times, I would say that Subodh Gupta is probably the only artist who has managed to give the Indian context a global perspective. A Biennale is a countrybased space. India’s appearance is caught up in all kinds of bureaucracy and fortunately I stay away from all that. I submitted my work as an independent artist, and I was not doing work that was just India-centric.
Are you seen as an NRI artist?
Far from it, I spend about 100 days a year teaching photography to poor kids in India. In America, I worked in a car studio with Mark Twain’s great, great-grandson, followed with a stint at Harley Davidson. When I returned to India in the early ’90s as a commercial photographer, my friends laughed. But there were no multinationals here and now I think I was at the right place at the right time. veenus@hindustantimes.com
JULY 14, 2013
by PAUL JONES
You quit advertising saying, ‘Instead of creating more toothpaste brands, we need to ensure everybody gets the toothpaste’. What motivated you?
You’ve been a champion of public art. Does it work in the Indian perspective?
Photo of Samar Jodha with his wo rk
HOTOGRAPHER AND artist Samar Jodha is known for art that defies definition and stirs the intellect. His photographs and installations tackle issues such as the vanishing Tai Phake tribe of Assam, shelter-less migrant workers and the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. Shuttling between India, Dubai and the rest of the world, Jodha’s work has been showcased in National Geographic, on the Discovery Channel and the BBC. OUTPOST, his latest installation, is being exhibited at the ongoing Venice Biennale 2013. On a cloudy evening, we caught up with the artist-photographer over coffee and snacks at Lodi - The Garden Restaurant on Lodhi Road.
THE ‘SPINE’ PRINT OUTPOST, Samar Jodha’s exhibit at the Venice Biennale 2013, has been inspired by the habitat of migrant workers in India’s North East. “Near Shillong, I saw these workers building homes with metal sheets used for carrying tar while making roads. With so much of rain there, everything gets oxidised. But the strangest thing is that these workers mine with their own hands and carry stuff on their heads, like thousands of years ago.” He is showcasing panels made of industrial metals and sculptures that show a suspended spine. “It’s about how the entire planet is dependent on the human spine for its energy,” explains Jodha.
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PERSONAL AGENDA
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Actor
Jaaved Jaaferi BIRTHDAY SUN SIGN HOMETOWN PLACE OF BIRTH SCHOOL/COLLEGE December 4 Sagittarius
Mumbai
Maternity ward
FIRST BREAK HIGH POINT OF LOW POINT OF MY LIFE MY LIFE Meri Jung (1985)
my movies A FILM YOU’VE WATCHED MANY TIMES
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) THE MOST PAISA VASOOL FILM
Sholay (1975)
YOUR FAVOURITE CHILDHOOD FILM
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
A FILM THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO DANCE
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
A HOLLYWOOD FILM BOLLYWOOD SHOULD REMAKE
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
JULY 14, 2013
15,000 feet (It’s from where I sky-dived)
300 feet, below sea level (It’s from where I scuba-dived)
The first line of your autobiography would read… “I don’t the trust the Indians!” Your favourite onscreen villain. Ajit. A war movie you find most interesting. The one that goes on in my bedroom. What cracks you up? Dry skin. A song you love dancing to. Born to be alive. The weirdest thing that ever went into your mouth. My tongue. A gadget every villain should have. An iFraud. A rumour you’d like to start. “Main uske bacche ka baap banne waala hoon...” A movie that makes you cry. Mel Gibson’s film The Passion Of The Christ (2004). Your favourite cuisine. My second ‘cuisine’ from my father’s side. A song that describes your life. The Entertainer, by Billy Joel. A Hollywood celebrity you’d like to dance with. Gene Kelly, though he’s long deceased. The street food you simply can’t resist. Vada pao with green chillies. You have 30 seconds to pack for vacation. What do you take? I’d just take my wife. She’d take care of all
St. Theresa’s School, National College
CURRENTLY I AM...
Shooting for films such as Besharam, Bang Bang and Calling Mr. Joe B. Carvalho
A SPORTSPERSON YOU WOULD LIKE TO PORTRAY IN A FILM.
Zinedine Zidane
the rest. Your favourite comedian. Charlie Chaplin. The best gift you’ve ever received. My kids. You would fly to the moon and back for… Free! One thing about children that totally scares you. That they’ll grow up and remember everything. If we raided your fridge, what would we find? A fridge too far. What is on your bedside table? Churan. A role you’ve played that is close to your heart. Manav in Dhamaal (2007). If you woke up one day and found you’d turned into a woman… I’d probably have to convert my wife into a lesbian. — Interviewed by Mignonne Dsouza and Kasturi Gandhi