CINEMA, MUSIC & ART WITH THE
MARCH 2011 VOL 01 ISSUE 06 ` 40 RNI NO.: TNENG/2010/05353 www.thebrewmagazine.com
Incredible art Chennai Iron Maiden From here to eternity The Brew catches up with Venkat Ram
Jennifer
Aniston
GOING WITH IT
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EDITOR’S NOTE
Dear reader, Welcome to yet another exciting edition of THE BREW. This Issue is very special for all of us at THE BREW, because the one and only Lord Jeffrey Archer has kindly consented to contribute for the magazine. Every month we will have a regular space titled “Brewing with Lord Jeffrey Archer” where he will share his thoughts with us. It definitely cannot get better than this. I would like to thank him for his generosity and support. We have on the cover this month, the very beautiful and talented Jennifer Aniston talking about her latest film with Adam Sandler “Just go with it”.
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And then there’s the legendary metal band “Iron Maiden” who have won the Grammys after 30 years! And that’s not all. We also have experts from the field of art talking about their work and their experience. We have also created a page on Facebook where the magazine is available online. THE BREW website is underway and soon will be launched. Until next time,
TO ADVERTISE: Call: +91 98409 39339 e-mail: info@thebrewmagazine.com The Brew takes no responsibility for unsolicited photographs or material. All PHOTOGRAPHS, UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED ARE USED FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSE ONLY.
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Sameer Bharat Ram Editor
CINEMA, MUSIC & ART WITH THE RNI NO.: TNENG/2010/05353
Creative Director Mihir Ranganathan
Cinema, musiC & art with the
Art Director Sibiraj Bastin Sr. Graphic Designer A. M . Suhail Sub-Editor Manoj Sreekumar Marketing Manager Rathy Production Srinivasan Circulation & Sales Sentil Kumar
MARCH 2011 VOL 01 ISSUE 06 ` 40 RNI NO.: TNENG/2010/05353 www.thebrewmagazine.com
Incredible art Chennai Iron Maiden From here to eternity The Brew catches up with Venkat Ram
Jennifer
Aniston
GOING WITH IT
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Error Note: The article named “El Crimen Perfecto Dial M for Mystery” (March 2011, Issue 6) was incorrectly attributted to Arul Ross. The original author of the article is Kanika Sikka. The mistake is regretted.
www.thebrewmagazine.com
Edited and Published by Sameer Bharat Ram, and owned by SM BrandMuni Consulting Pvt. Ltd, Published from No.609, Lakshmi Bhavan, Anna salai, Mount Road, Chennai - 600 002. Tel.: +91 44 4208 9392. Printed by K. Srinivasan at Srikals Graphics pvt. Ltd, No.5, Balaji Nagar, 1st street, Ekkattuthangal, Chennai - 600 032. Editor: Sameer Bharat Ram
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CONTRIBUTORS AND ADVISORY BOARD
Lord Jeffrey Archer Jeffrey Archer established himself as a literary force with the publication of his first novel, Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less, in 1975. His third novel, Kane and Abel became a number one best-seller in hardcover and paperback all over the world and has sold over 3.5 million in the UK paperback edition alone. Now, 36 years later, Jeffrey continues to defy his critics and delight his fans. Published in 97 countries and more than 37 languages, Jeffrey Archer is firmly established, with international sales passing 250 million copies.
Mallika Sarabhai, Educated as an economist and a business manager, Mallika Sarabhai is one of India’s best known Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancers. She has taken her work and her company Darpana to not only over 90 countries around the world, but also to the farthest parts of India.
Gautami Tadimalla An apt example of a renaissance woman, Gautami has acted across Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada film industries. With over 20 years of experience in the film industry, she recently won the “Best Costume Designer” for her work in the movie Dasavathaaram. A multifaceted entrepreneur, Gautami also supports various social causes.
Neeru Nanda A graduate from Delhi University. Passionate about writing, she freelanced as a feature writer for ten years before switching to publishing. Author of a collection of short stories titled “IF” (Rupa & Co), Neeru is now working on two novels and a series of books for children.
Veejay Sai An award-winning writer, editor and a culture critic. He has written and published extensively on Indian classical music, fashion, theatre, food and art, and loves traveling, researching literary and cultural history. He is an editorial consultant with over 40 brands and designers in and outside India and is on the jury for several prestigious awards in the arts across the country.
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CONTENTS
28
22
18
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50
40
VOL 01 ISSUE 07
INTERVIEWS
10
Adam Sandler
Funny Since Birth
14
VENKAT RAM
Conversations at Cafe Pascucci - Rathy
50
Pravin Kannanur
Art is Emperor’s New Clothes – It’s how you perceive - Rathy
28
IRON MAIDEN
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY - MANOJ SREEKUMAR
36
BREWING WITH
LORD JEFFREY ARCHER
38
The Significance of
Art Education and Art Appreciation - Pallavi Nandagopal
40
INCREDIBLE
ART CHENNAI 14
COVER STORY
22
Jennifer Aniston
- Soundhariya Viswanathan
54
Numero Uno
Rachel makes you laugh, yet again!
Head Honcho
FEATURES
48
18
Imran Khan
Reveals his fashion BASICS
REVIEW A NOVEL
SHANTARAM - Queenie Sukhadia
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CINEMA
Adam Sandler talks about his new movie “Just go with it’ and about his life in general
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Everyone knows about Jennifer Aniston being paired with you in this film, but Nicole Kidman has a big role too. What was it like working with her? I couldn’t believe she got involved! She’s a nice girl. I met her on Saturday Night Live. One day Jennifer and I got talking about this part in the movie, someone that was intimidating and scared Jen in the film and so we said ‘Imagine? Wouldn’t that be funny?’ She said “She will never do it.’ So I said let’s just ask her. Aim for the stars!’ And Nicole jumped off from one of the stars and landed on our set, did a couple of weeks work and left saying ‘Beat that!’
What are the criteria for a good Adam Sandler flick? Make it funny. Get a message in there. Try to raise the camera high enough so you don’t see the triple chin. Try to make the girl seem like she likes me. Try to make it that I’m stronger than most people. I like it when I’m physically stronger. Try not to shoot me from behind too much. Stay off the ass.
You’ve worked with Russel Brand in Bedtime Stories. What do you think of him? In America, we do these test screenings and just to make sure the movie’s flowing right and people
understand, they ask who your favorite characters are. I got some high score and I was high-fiving my friends – they loved me – and I was screaming over and over, the children think I’m wonderful. Then I saw Russell’s score and I was like: ‘How dare he pass Adam Sandler?’ He got some giant 95 or 96 and I got a 91. After I got past being hurt, I was very happy for Russell and the children of America have embraced the long, lean and handsome Russell Brand.
Were you born funny? I always tried to be funny I guess. My family always told jokes hanging out at the dinner table and that kind
since
Funny
Birth
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of stuff. That was my way of getting attention; I’m sure, in class and stuff. If it was quiet I would like to make a joke and if it worked I was so excited all day long and I’d be talking about it at lunch (adopts the voice again): ‘How about when I said this? You guys still remember that? You guys still think I’m great? Let’s eat!’ I don’t come from a tortured place. My family liked to be funny and I enjoyed making my father laugh, but only because it was nice seeing him enjoying himself. I wasn’t looking for approval. My mother was very encouraging of my career. My dad was, well, quite encouraging. He’d say: ‘Maybe you should be a funny salesman’. I didn’t feel confident about doing comedy until I was like 22, 23. It took me, like, five years to start being okay with my friends showing up and watching me.
What’s the one thing that drives you to succeed? I don’t know what drives me to succeed. I know I want to always do the best I can, but I never was like that as a kid. I certainly wasn’t the best at school. But this comedy thing and making movies and stuff, I love it so much that I do get driven to push myself as hard as I can.
Do you feel pressure to be successful? I don’t even know what my movies have done. I’m that cool. I make my movies,
I walk away. And then people come up to me they say: ‘Wow! What a big hit’ and I go: ‘Whoa! I don’t want to hear’. I don’t want to know if they did good or bad so there’s no pressure. I’ve always been that guy and I always will be that guy.
Which of your own movies would you be happiest to revisit? Definitely Big Daddy, ‘cause it’s the first one my wife was in too. Otherwise, the ones where I’m the portrayed as the skinniest. I’d turn the sound down, tell the kids: ‘See, daddy used to be skinny’.
You wrote but are not in Born to Be a Star releasing later this year? Yes. I enjoyed writing it. I had this idea, but I’m about 15 years too old for it, so we wrote the movie for Nick Swardson. I think he is a funny kid.
Is it a different kind of creative satisfaction for you? It’s the same stuff. I like sitting and writing with my buddies. That movie was great because I helped write it with [Allen] Covert and [Nick] Swardson. Then, they went and shot it, and I had nothing to do with that. Then, I got to watch it and laugh. That’s actually a nice thing.
The man version of me is doing okay. He’s got a family out in L.A. The twin sister of me is in the Bronx and comes out to L.A. for Thanksgiving, and then refuses to leave, and is spoiling the man version of my family’s life a little bit.
Have your kids seen you as Jill? There’s a mocked up picture of me in my house that we made and my daughter, Sadie, loves it. Every time I talk about a new movie coming out, she’s like, “Jack and Jill?” I said, “I have to do Grown Ups first,” and she said, “And then, Jack and Jill?” I said, “Well, no, I’m doing one with [Jennifer] Aniston that’s going to be good,” and she said, “Jack and Jill?” We’ll get to Jack and Jill. She’s excited about it.
Tell us more about your daughter. The other day, she visited me on a movie set and I said: ‘You want to go out to dinner?’ and she started screaming: ‘Trailer food!’ Because I’m like every other rich asshole – I have a cook and he’s in my trailer making food all the time so she keeps going: ‘Trailer food! Not pancakes! Better food at trailer!’
Can you talk about Jack and Jill? What is that about and who do you play in it? I play me, and I play my twin sister.
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ART
Conversations at Cafe Pascucci Rathy
Leading Fashion photographer G. Venket Ram talks about his experience in the photography world.
A
renowned name in Chennai’s advertising circle, film industry and publishing houses, G. Venket Ram has shot for over 80 movies, from Manirathnam’s Kannathil Muthamittal to Ajit’s Asal and for well over a thousand advertisements. Kodak chose him to produce their Calendar for 2002 and he was listed as one of the top 10 photographers by the popular Better Photography magazine in 2005. He has recently started an annual calendar featuring leading actors and actress of Tamil Nadu.
happen will happen and no one can change that.
Café Pascucci was just opening for the day when I met G. Venket Ram over morning coffee. After some caffeine in his system, Venket started talking about him, his first camera, first shoot and his experience with film celebrities.
A couple of years later, Loyola College started a new course called Visual Communication. I spoke to my parents and convinced them that this was the course I wanted to do. I was part of the first batch of students doing visual communication at Loyola College.
So, who is Venket Ram? How would you explain yourself?
Why Photography, why not any other field?
Venket Ram is a photographer. He is a very chilled out person who takes it as it comes. Ultimately what has to
I used to use my dad’s camera at home. I was not a traveler. I never travelled around to click pictures to
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You started with Engineering and shifted to Photography. What brought about the change? After school, I joined a private engineering college in Maharashtra to do Production Engineering. Within the first few months I realized this was not what I wanted to do. This was when I realized that there was no point deluding myself about wanting the Engineering degree - I just was not interested.
call myself a landscape photographer or something. I used to click pictures at home. I learnt the basics of shutter speed, aperture and other technicalities from my Dad. I am not a technical person. To me the visual aspect of photography created an interest. I loved to study the light, the expression of my subject, the essence of the subject. I loved to and still love to play with the light and study my subjects thoroughly. What started as a hobby later became my career. First Camera… Minolta Viewfinder. First DSLR was Nikon FM2. First Shoot… It was for a Fabric Export company who specialized in Table Linen, curtain, upholstery etc. It was a brochure shoot, I think. First Celebrity Shoot… Actor Sivaji Ganesan. I like to say that I started with a big bang.
Photography : Rathy Location : Cafe Pascucci
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Favorite Photographer… Unfortunately, I can’t name a single person. There are lots of people in the field who take amazing pictures. I can’t just say Ansel Adams because there are lots of contemporary artists who take great pictures. I look at the visual appeal of a photograph and not who took it. It doesn’t matter who shot it but how that picture is shot. Favorite Location to shoot… Again I don’t have a particular place. But I love challenges. The worse the location, the best I love it. If I am inside a studio and I have to create a day look or if I am on an outdoor location and I have to create a night look, that is the kind of challenge, I look forward too. Of the 12 actors of your calendar shoot, who was the most fun to work with? Actor Vikram. He is a sort of person who makes any atmosphere fun. He constantly played pranks on my assistants and made jokes of everything in the environment. If I were to take away all your lenses and let you have only one lens, which one will you choose? I don’t have any particular choice. I am a flexible person who will shoot with anything given to me. I use a 35mm medium format camera and Sekor lenses of range of 80 mm, 50-110 mm etc. But don’t have any particular favorites among them. Today the technology is so advanced that anyone can shoot a good picture. We are in a position that you can’t go wrong if you have a good camera. The old charm of shooting, processing and printing is long gone. But if you shoot thinking today is your last chance to shoot, that will be an ultimate shoot. You will never lose interest in photography that way.
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CINEMA
Imran Khan
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CINEMA
Rachel makes you
laugh, yet again! Jennifer Aniston is happy with her latest release “Just go with it�. We talk about the movie, her co actor Adam Sandler and other men.
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”
”
If I went out to dinner with you, I’m sure you’d be my newest love interest.
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JENNIFER ANISTON Q. You worked with Adam Sandler in this movie and you’ve known him for a while. Are there any other men in Hollywood that you’d like to work with in the future? Oh my gosh! Jeremy Renner – I think he’s fantastic, Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush whom I worship [folds her hands], Tom Hanks. Is there supposed to be just one? That’s because my list can go on and on.
Q. There have been crazy rumors about you over the years. Are there any personal favorites? There was one that was very specific, where I was having an 8 million dollar wedding at Oprah’s house. Then there was a really recent one which was really funny because in one tabloid it was saying I was checking into rehab because I had a drinking problem and the other one said I was adopting a baby! The dating rumors are always ridiculous. If I went out to dinner with you, I’m sure you’d be my newest love interest.
Q. What would you have done if you weren’t an actress? I should have been a party planner. I’m a good mixologist in terms of personality types. I do a tree trimming party every year. I’ve been doing this for past 15 years. At my tree-trimming party we always do chili -turkey, regular beef and vegetarian. Everybody is satisfied.
Q. You are a fan of Jersey Shore. Your personal life has been under amazing scrutiny. What do you think about reality shows like The Bachelor where people offer up their lives for that kind of scrutiny?
You know what I find fascinating? I’m mesmerized by how these girls, they meet this guy, they have three dates together or something, and they’re weeping as though they’ve just lost the love of their life. I don’t understand that.
Q. You turned 42 on the day Just Go With It released in the US. How do you feel about getting older? All of a sudden you’re labeled, you’re a number. It wasn’t like 30-plus or 30 something. It’s just that all of sudden, it is like, ‘Wow for your age, not so bad.’ It hurts because all of a sudden they’re making it sound like life is coming very shortly to an end. It’s weird.
Q. Nicole Kidman makes a surprise cameo in the film. Apparently you were impressed by her abs! I walked up to her and I said, ‘I’m sorry, can I touch them? I have to touch them. Is that spray-painted? What is that? I think it’s an eight-pack.’
Q. You and Adam Sandler are so funny. The chemistry just jumps off the screen. It was so much fun. We were saying
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JENNIFER ANISTON
at the premiere that we laughed as hard watching the movie as we did while we were making it. I don’t know how they’re going to get anything on film.
Q. That’s just how Adam seems to lives his life… I just feel like there’s no greater healer than laughter. That’s why I feel like doing what I get to do is just one of the luckiest things there is. Trying to create joy and bring some levity to people’s lives.
Q. He pushes you in one scene. Did you know that push was coming? No, every take he’d do something but those heels were pretty difficult. I was really not expecting that.
Q. You said recently that you did not like the Rachel haircut. Did you mean that? I’ve never known something
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gets legs like that – one sentence. I think what I said was, the “Rachel character” itself brought more attention rather than the haircut. In hindsight, when I’m like a hundred years old I’ll be able to look back and say “Oh they had a haircut about a character I played!”
Q. You put your LA house on sale recently. Are you relocating to NYC where you went to high school? I’ve been thinking about it and I’ve been looking and looking and looking. I grew up here and there’s nothing like being in the city, that’s the city for everyman. And I love that. Just Go With It opens across India on 8 April.
DID YOU
KNOW ?
01 02
Jennifer was the class clown in high school.
Jennifer’s 1995 hair-style was dubbed “The Rachel,” after her character on Friends.
03
Jennifer was originally considered for the role of Monica on Friends.
04
When Jennifer received her first paycheck from Friends, the first thing she bought was a car.
05 06
Jennifer is an avid photographer. Among her many talents, Jennifer can tap dance.
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MUSIC
IRON MAID Manoj Sreekumar
FROM HERE T Left to Right : DAVE MURRAY, JANICK GERS, BRUCE DICKINSON, STEVE HARRIS, NICKO MCBRAIN, ADRIAN SMITH
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DEN
IRONY- A state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often wryly amusing as a result. One can’t ask for a better word to describe the recently concluded 53rd Grammy Awards that was held on February 13th 2011. The Award for the Best Metal Performance had 5 contenders- Megadeth, Lamb of God, Iron Maiden, Slayer and Korn. The Grammy went to IRON MAIDEN for their song EL DORADO. However, no member of the band turned up to
receive the award at the ceremony. The reactions from fans and critics worldwide were mixed. While some praised the award committee for finally awarding Iron Maiden with a Grammy, the majority were openly disgusted and sarcastic in their opinion towards the committee’s delayed decision in honouring Iron Maiden. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where honours in several categories are presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts
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IRON MAIDEN IRON MAIDEN
and Sciences (NARAS) of the United States to “honour artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position”. The NARAS recognized heavy metal music artists for the first time at the 31st Grammy Awards (1989). The category was originally presented as Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental, combining two of the most popular music genres of the 1980’s. JETHRO TULL won that award for the album Crest of the Knave, beating METALLICA, which were expected to win with the album …And Justice for all. This choice led to widespread criticism of the NARAS, as journalists suggested
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that the music of Jethro Tull did not belong in the Hard Rock or Heavy Metal genres. In response, the NARAS created the categories Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance thereby separating the genres. As of 2011, METALLICA holds the record for the most Grammy wins, with a total of 8. The band Nine Inch Nails, Slayer and Tool have each received the awards twice. American bands have been presented with the award more than any other nationality, though it has been presented to musicians or groups originating from the UK as well. Says Dave Mustaine of Megadeth“It’s more important to be recognized by your peers…but yeah, winning is cool”. He would know; his band
MEGADETH holds the record for the most nominations without a win, with 9. Guitarist JOE SATRIANI has been nominated a record 14 times…without a win, yet! IRON MAIDEN is an English Heavy Metal Band formed in 1975 by Bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The band have released 15 studio albums so far, and sold them in figure of more than 100 million units worldwide, as well as numerous live albums, compilations, EP’s, singles, video albums, music videos and box sets. After several auditions and lineup changes, Steve Harris settled on vocalist Paul Di’Anno, guitarists Dave Murray and Dennis Stratton and drummer Clive Burr. They released their debut album IRON MAIDEN in
EN IRON MAIDEN IRON MAIDEN
1980; quickly becoming one of the leading proponents of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) movement. The album is most remembered for the songs Prowler, Phantom of the Opera, Remember Tomorrow, Iron Maiden and Running Free. Guitarist Adrian Smith replaced Stratton and KILLERS was released in 1981. The album is most remembered for its iconic album cover and the songs Wrathchild, Killers, Murders in the Rue Morgue. Later that year, vocalist Bruce Dickinson replaced Paul Di’Anno marking the beginning of a series of Top 10 high-impact releases. They issued “the 1982 masterpiece”, THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST, becoming the band’s first release to top the UK charts, and receive a platinum certification by
the Recording Industry Association of America. The album widely regarded as “the classic Iron Maiden album” produced the immensely popular tracks The Number of the Beast, Run to the Hills and the anthemic Hallowed Be thy Name. Drummer Nicko McBrain replaced Clive Burr and the band released PIECE OF MIND in 1983 which featured hits like The Trooper, Revelations, Flight of Icarus, Where Eagles Dare. This was followed by a “true heavy metal achievement”, 1984’s POWERSLAVE. This album has to date remained “America’s favourite Iron Maiden album” featuring classics like Aces High, 2 Minutes to Midnight, Powerslave as well as the 13 minute epic The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The live touring that followed is the stuff of legendary concerts
complete with Egyptian themes and mummies. The live collection LIVE AFTER DEATH captures the true power of Iron Maiden in all its glory and remains a live record classic to this date. The band then decided to broaden their sound with the use of Guitar Synthesizers in 1986’s SOMEWHERE IN TIME. Songs like Wasted Years, Stranger in a strange land, Heaven can wait and Alexander the Great are still remembered for their greatness. Their following concept album SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON, was released in 1988, and also topped the UK charts. More hits and concert favourites followed including Moonchild, Can I play with madness, The Evil that men do and The Clairvoyant. The lineup remained unchanged until Adrian Smith left the
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band during the pre-production of their last gold-certified album in the US, 1990’s NO PRAYER FOR THE DYING; he was replaced by Janick Gers. This album produced the #1 hit single for Maiden with Bring your Daughter to the Slaughter while also producing other hits like Tailgunner, Holy Smoke and Mother Russia. Their last number one album in the UK, FEAR OF THE DARK was released in 1992. As this was their first album to be released in the CD format, the band came up with 12 songs for the album which
a decline on the band’s career. The diminished fan interest in 1998 with VIRTUAL XI prompted Bayley’s departure. Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith returned to the band in 1999, and a new album BRAVE NEW WORLD was issued in 2000. The album was a huge hit as the fans loved to hear the original Iron Maiden sound back in all its glory. The album produced many hits including Wicker Man, Out of the Silent Planet, Brave New World, Blood Brothers, Dream of Mirrors, The Nomad among
It was during this time that Iron Maiden performed in India at the Bangalore Palace Grounds for their very first time to a crowd of around 50,000 fans. So overwhelmed were the band by India’s response that they performed in 2008 in Mumbai and in 2009 in Bangalore again. The last album released by the band was 2010’s THE FINAL FRONTIER, and was #1 in 28 countries, reaching #4 in the US charts. The Final Frontier is the band’s most successful achievement, in terms of chart success, in their 30 years of recording history. The
EDDIE makes his appearance
included concert favourites like Be Quick or Be Dead, From Here to Eternity, Afraid to Shoot Strangers, Wasting Love and the live sing along favourite- Fear of the Dark. This was also the first time that Iron Maiden was nominated for a Grammy. The following year Dickinson departed from the band. His replacement Blaze Bayley, debuted in 1995 with THE X FACTOR which featured the epic song The Sign of the Cross. However, it was regarded as a “lackluster” album that marked
others. The band received their second Grammy nomination for Wicker Man but was again denied. Three years later, DANCE OF DEATH was released, which marked “ a triumphant return” to success with more hits including Paschendale, Dance of Death, Wildest Dreams, No more lies and The Rainmaker. In 2006, they released “a more elaborate and meandering” album, A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, which received along with their two previous albums, a gold certification by the British Phonographic Industry.
album reached #1 in the respective album charts in: UK, Sweden, Greece, Iceland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, Slovenia, Slovakia, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Finland, Canada, Japan, India, New Zealand, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Venezuela and Luxembourg. The band has announced that their
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Iron maiden in India
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ED FORCE ONE – The official carrier of the band
next release would be a compilation album set for release on May 23rd called FROM FEAR TO ETERNITY. The double disc album will cover the period 1990-2010 and would feature their hits during this period. The Iron Maiden sound is characterized by the foundation of Steve Harris’ galloping bass line, Nicko Mc Brain’s thumping drum beats and rolls and the incredible multilayered guitar harmonies between Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers. Pioneers in the concept of the “Guitar Twin solo” Iron Maiden have now expanded the same into a “Guitar Triple Lead Attack” as can be witnessed in their Grammy Winner EL DORADO. Bruce Dickinson’s high pitched soaring vocals complete the package. However, a live experience of Iron Maiden is incomplete without their mascot “EDDIE” who has faithfully toured with the band over the years and has appeared on all their album covers and live concerts in accordance with the theme of the concert. Fans literally wait for the song ‘Iron Maiden’ when Eddie would make his appearance sending the audience into raptures. They have performed in many places throughout the globe, from Europe to North and South America, Oceania, Asia, Africa and played in over 2000 shows! They have played the biggest arenas on Earth, soccer stadiums, headlined major festivals on five continents and during the last 35 years have performed to more than 37 million people- globally. The band has visited 65 countries.
WWE Wrestler Chris Jericho says Iron Maiden are his favourite band and they had a huge influence on his band Fozzy saying “And even till this very day me and Fozzy will always respect Iron Maiden for the thing they did after all, they’re the reason why Fozzy exists.” M Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold calls Iron Maiden the best live band of all time saying “Iron Maiden are by far the best live band in the world and their music is timeless”. Trivium singer Matt Heafy feels “Iron Maiden helped create what we know as heavy metal. Their influence can be heard on classic and contemporary bands alike; their fan base spans across the youngest and newest of heavy music recruits all the way to the diehard, life-long metal elite.” So, a career spanning 30 years, 15 studio albums, with more than 100 million units in sales, 2000 live concerts covering 65 countries and 37 million people worldwide and they win their first Grammy Award now? Ironic….wouldn’t you say??
Iron Maiden’s sound and music has inspired countless other bands in the heavy metal and rock genre. Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said “Iron Maiden has been the blue print for everything that we have ever wanted to do. I have always had an incredible amount of respect and admiration for them.” Kerry King of Slayer says “The reason why Slayer’s here is because of Iron Maiden. We played ‘Phantom of the Opera’ in a small club…. luckily we were spotted by the owner of Metal Blade… and well, here we are now.”
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Lord Jeffery Archer
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with
Lord
Jeffrey Archer Sixteen cities in 27 days. Never more than two consecutive nights in the same hotel, with flights often at 6am or midnight... a hell of an opening for a promotional tour of Only Time Will Tell. It all began when I touched down in Mumbai, and ended four weeks later when I flew out of Adelaide to return to England. I was thrilled when the book went to No.1 in India, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia, and I’m now preparing for the launch here in the UK on May 12th.
Photography : Babu Ponnapan
There were many highlights of the tour, including being mobbed at a book signing in Bangalore (which you can see on a Youtube clip), addressing a thousand people in Auckland Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in aid of the Christchurch Earthquake appeal, and a magnificent Italian meal in Adelaide. Among the low points was continually being reminded by the Indians about the England vs. Ireland cricket match, having to get up at 4.30am one morning to travel to Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island, and the dreadful flight home when we not only had fourteen hours
of head winds, but hit a two-hour storm over the Black Sea. During the four weeks, I met many interesting people, including V V S Laxman and Sir Richard Stagg, British High Commissioner in India, and Quentin Bryce, Governor General of Australia, not to mention a 14-year old Indian girl from Chennai who’d read all my books, and was already grumbling at having to wait for the next one. Now I’m back in London, I have a week to get through the pile of mail on my desk, before leaving on Friday to begin the fourth draft of the second part of the Clifton Chronicles, The Sins of the Father.
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ART
S
tudies on art education in schools signify the role of art as a multifaceted learning tool that can complement the learning obtained from textbooks and lectures. Several supporters of an art education have emphasized the close links between visual culture and ongoing social, political, psychological and cultural struggles. Education and exposure to a visual culture are seen as means of empowering students to perceive and meaningfully engage in their socio-cultural environment. It can be seen as a pedagogical strategy to generate and facilitate stude nts awareness, understanding and participation in their socio-cultural arena. (Darts 2004) In this context, it is important to explore and understand the significance of creativity and art in education in India today.
The Significance of
Art
Education and
Appreciation Pallavi Nandagopal
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So, what is “Creativity”? According to the English language dictionary, ‘creative’ means ‘having the ability to produce new and original ideas and things; resulting from newness of thought or expression’. This implies that ‘creativity’ involves imagination, originality and inventiveness. Creativity is a term that is popularly associated with the arts. However, it applies to a broad spectrum of disciplines ranging from Mathematics to Science. Famous scientists like Newton and Archimedes whose uniqueness/creativity involved questioning common-place life occurrences and phenomenon are apt examples. And, what is “Art”? The English language dictionary defines “Art” as “the making or expression of what is beautiful or true, especially in a manner that can be seen as in a painting”. Renowned philosopher and educationist, J. Krishnamurti, viewed art as an integral expression of the individual and said that art divorced from life has no great significance. According to him, art implies an appreciation of beauty, which may find expression through various outlets such as painting a picture, writing a poem, composing, etc. However, appreciation of beauty can be experienced only in a state of freedom where the mind is free to observe and give complete attention. What is important to creative realisation, according to Krishnamurti, is the rediscovery of beauty and of reality. Therefore, what is the significance of creativity and art in teaching and education? In order to experience creative realization, students have to be guided to move into spaces that create awareness where they can give their
The Cholamandal open-air international sculpture park
full attention. To do this, they need to channel their attention away from passive influences. “Art can be used as pedagogical strategy to move students into spaces of awareness.” ( Greene 1995). Visual experiences and a deeper understanding of it help students to look critically at surface experiences. The greatest stumbling block in creativity is fear; fear of nonconformity, fear of failure etc. The general educational climate focuses on rigidity, conformity and undue emphasis on a narrow sense of success. In such a context, the challenge for the teacher is to inculcate or nurture a questioning and observing mind. This calls for educating “creatively” to ensure that students enjoy the joy of creation, of being alive to his/her environment. So teachers have to concern themselves with creativity in teaching and with discovering contexts that give students the opportunity to create.
play a crucial role in opening up educative spaces where students meaningfully engage in responding to the increasingly complex environment of everyday life. The students then empower themselves with creative tools ( intellectual and creative) to observe, challenge and transform the world in which they live as more effective agents of change. “If art education is to prepare students to live responsibly within the contemporary socio-cultural sphere, educators must be willing to help them resist the ideology of the ordinary, question the unperceived and become awakened to the invisibility of the everyday.” ( Darts 2004)
When students engage themselves in creative expression, they tend to experience less boredom. Excessive focus on technique or skill in the educational system leads to stifling of creativity and the resultant boredom. It is here that art and art appreciation
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ART
I N C R E D I BLE
A roundup of art CHENNAI, a grand finale to Chennai’s first and the biggest art festival.
c h enn a i Soundhariya Viswanathan
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The cultural capital of the country, Chennai bore witness to a grand week long love affair with art CHENNAI - India’s first and the largest festival for contemporary and modern art. During the weeklong fair, the entire city landscape was draped with exquisite and rare collection of various art exhibits in a variety of mediums, including paintings, sculptures, photography, mixed media, video, prints, installations and drawings were showcased across 7 days, 22 galleries, over 27 shows with exhibits from over 2500 art creations and witnessed by over 12000+ visitors including school and college students to experience the vibrancy of the art scene at art CHENNAI But, not ending there, this incredible show brought art alive with live painting demos, a series of art conversations, wine & art sessions, and art auctions which saw some of the country’s finest and the best art critics, curators, collectors, historians came together to deliberate on art as an integral part of the Indian culture and how art is fast gaining popularity as the latest in the changing lifestyle landscape with more new collectors taking to art passionately.
Focus highlights of art CHENNAI •Reinforced the reputation of Chennai as the cultural capital of the country and enabled the confluence of over 200+ established curators, collectors, historians, artists, celebrities and other art lovers under a single roof. •Of the 22 Art Galleries & 27 art shows, what drove the art lovers’ wild with ecstasy were the special shows of Tagores, K.C.S. Panicker and other Contemporary Modern masters. •Massive installations of ‘A Salient Picture on Bhopal’ by Samar S Jodha at Lalit Kala Akademi and ‘Substance of Earth’ at Taj Coromandel by Rajan Krishnan kindled the buzz among thematic works •Designed by Sharmistha Ray, 20+ globally acclaimed expert speakers at the session and panel discussion included Sanjay Parthasarthy, Nirmalya Kumar, Ranvir Shah, Saloni Doshi, Girish Shahane, Abhay Sardesai, Oindrilla Maity Surai and many more.
CHENNAI by Mr. Sameer Sethi of the PDM Team. The event was brought to a fitting end as the artists bonded together on Saturday March 26th evening over a dinner ball benefitting the Rotary Club of Madras and in his closing remark Mr. Sanjay Tulsyan, the Convener, art CHENNAI remarked, “Passion is what drives the art world and with this mega show we are taking baby steps to bring more people into our fold. We are humbled and over whelmed by the immense response this inaugural show received which has given us the encouragement to make this Chennai’s only marquee annual art event and will be taking this format to other cities as well; our core objective of taking art to the masses has been fulfilled through art CHENNAI”.
•Experimental shows such as Video Art Exhibitions featured by 30 accomplished artists •A screening of the much talked about ‘I am Art’ Series, a 7 minutes artistic sequence of 3D Video Mapping conceptualized by art
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Moments from
Inauguration of Lakshana art gallery
c h enn a i Gauri Gill - From notes from the desert
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c h enn a i
Artists and audience at lakshana
NN Rimzon signing his work
Artist Madhan at Lakshana
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c h enn a i
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ART
Luck is what happens to you when fate gets tired of waiting!
reviewed by Queenie Sukhadia
A
n eclectic mix of heroin, murder, crime, and torture woven into a tapestry of intense love and passion, Shantaram is a musthave in your reading list. Gregory David Roberts, a hard-core criminal escaped from maximum security prison exhibits his literary flair in this international bestseller, and only the very immune can resist the charm and poise entrenched in every word that flows through his pen. Crime in the 21st century is an all-pervading element, and what more does one wants than have the first-hand experience of someone who’s been there, and done that? Truly, it is not just a book, but a journey, a long sojourn into the world of crime, black markets and drugs, dark spheres and realms that we are all acquainted with, but only stereotyped, atypical versions. Shantaram is a celebration- a celebration of friendships, of life,
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of humanity. Although stark and tongue-in-cheek in his portrayal of the different hues of the city Mumbai many of us call home, Gregory David Roberts reveals that the darkness and filth is essentially on the surface, and that every man has a tad of humanity deep down inside. Be it the criminals in Colaba Jail who have cold-blooded murders on their case histories, or Abdullah, his gangster friend, Roberts’ effort to separate the chaff from the grain, the superfluous grime from the heart of gold is simply overwhelming. Even the city, with all its open sewers, slums and poverty, appeals to Lin who is essentially a man seeking love and acceptance, in whatever forms it may be. Shantaram chronicles the protagonist, Lin’s adventures which begin with the escape from a high-security Australian prison, where he was a felon incarcerated for armed robbery and end in the heart of Mumbai, a city which he has embraced as his
‘One of the ironies of courage, and the reason why we prize it so highly, is that we find it easier to be brave for someone else than we do for ourselves alone’
haven. In between all this, Lin lives cheek by jowl in a slum, becomes a ‘slum doctor’, almost dies in a prison, combats floods, fires and cholera, gets addicted to heroin, learns the art of money laundering and even finds time to get embroiled in a tumultuous, passionate, scintillating love affair with Karla Saaranen, a relationship defined by crypts and riddles. He is an active participant in discussions at Leopold’s, an expatriate bar with a motley crew of the Bombay’s Mafioso, drug peddlers and their stoned customers, and this is where he gleans most of his knowledge of the workings of this city from the resident wit, Didier, the taciturn Spaniard, Modena and of course, his object of affection, Karla. Lin’s sojourn in Shantaram is truly like a sine curve, with steep crests and equally precipitous undulations. Although on the surface, this is simply a story about an escaped criminal and his efforts at redeeming himself, the discerning reader will find more and
more surprises the deeper he delves into its myriad layers. Shantaram is a philosophical purport of Lin and the truths of life are captured so perfectly in Roberts’ concise statements, that it is impossible to read an idea without going over it a few more times and admiring his skill at putting down something so poignant in a few lines without losing the emotion. ‘Fear and guilt are the dark angels that haunt rich men’, ‘One of the ironies of courage, and the reason why we prize it so highly, is that we find it easier to be brave for someone else than we do for ourselves alone’ and ‘cruelty is a kind of cowardice. Cruel laughter is the way cowards cry when they’re not alone, and causing pain is how they grieve’ are just a few examples of these elegantly crafted lines. Surprises are packed into every element of this narrative, be it the Christological subtext, or the motif of ‘amiable abduction’ or the constant underlining of Hegel’s master-slave dialectic, Roberts is truly an adept
intellectual. Shantaram is a book EVERYONE must read, it is not simply a bestseller but a slightly rose-tinted version of what our world is today. Shantaram represents Roberts’ triumph over his own difficult and thrilling life- which he is free to tell, tweak and record as he pleases, but will still capture the hearts of millions.
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ART
Photography : N.Prasannakumar
art
is Emperor’s New
Clothes – It’s how
A founding core team member of India Theatre Forum, Pravin Kannanur has established himself well across two well known visual arts, theatre & paintings. He talks about his work and the inspirations that motivate him.
you perceive
Rathy
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P
ravin Kannanur was talking to an art patron when I entered Café Amethyst to meet him for the interview. ‘Tranceport’ is his second exhibition and first in Chennai and is a series of exhibitions by The India Collective. His first exhibition at Visual Arts Gallery, Indian Habitat at Delhi was conducted after the Indian Art Summit. Pravin started to talk about his art, his inspirations, and the message he wants to convey through his work. My Work: Though I was interested both in painting and theatre, I started as a theatre artist while at college. At a certain point, pursuing both parallel became a bit difficult as my theatre work became larger. Now I have taken a break from theatre, I could dedicate my time to paintings. The art exhibited here and in Delhi are my works from last 3 years. They have gone through a major aesthetic change
and different from my earlier work.
them only to dunk them in their storage space.
The exposure was good, thanks to the Art summits at Delhi and Chennai. Art patrons could recognize my work as a fresh work. That said, I can’t stop my work in the Theatre and completely take off in paintings. I need to build a stronger presence here.
Many people have commented that my work is not accessible. Commercial products are easily accessible through TVCs and other media. But what I feel is that, this is not the process for an artist. My work is accessible to people who are genuinely interested in my work.
My Patrons:
My Paintings:
Till sometime back, art collectors went for established masters like Velu Viswanathan etc. This was majorly because they didn’t want to make a wrong investment. But now people are to recognize new artist’s work. With most artists it so happens that they have a finite number of people who like their work. There is even a smaller group that feels that they can’t do without a particular artist’s work in their environment. These are my patrons. These are the people I would like to sell my work too. My work is not for people who buy
I have depicted the coast in my paintings. Three elements present in my paintings are boats, dogs and crows. To me construction and destruction are the interesting aspects of the life. Just being there and mere existence doesn’t excite me much. Humans are represented through the activity of building or destroying the boat and not through their presence. My dogs are majorly sleeping. I find a sleeping dog very interesting as they relax even in a buzzing and an active
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environment. Sometimes they just open a single eye and look at us questioning “What is the rush?” To me, their ‘aware-resting’ is definitely intriguing. I draw this particular inspiration from a dog “Naimugam”, owned by my friend Rashmi Devadasan. My crows on the other hand are always observing and just be there. There is always stillness and calming effect in a beach. I try to bring the same stillness through my paintings. A parallel between my Paintings and Theatre: Both are visual arts. In a theatre, I have actors, sets and properties. I play around with them and arrange them visually. Here in my paintings, I have crows, dogs and boats. I arrange them visually to bring about a calming effect. Both of my art forms have a certain relation to each other. In my paintings the creatures enter from the margin. Dogs and crows are considered to be ordinary and common creatures. I like to bring my common creatures through the margin, as for me the centre is always a contested space. Reception at Chennai and Delhi: Chennai is a coastal area. My paintings were well received here. But in Delhi the concept of coast is not so prevalent. There I had to take some of the “Neithal” (Tamil for Sea shore) from here to there. I installed a beach art with some sand bars and fiber glass structure of sleeping dogs, partially covered by fishing net. My future in Theatre: I have couple of projects for this year. One is Indira Parthasarathy’s adaptation of “The Tempest”. I am also reviving my previous theatre work “Ponniyin Selvan”. These are big productions. The resources, amount of time required and dedication are all very big. May be I will concentrate on them after my cycle of
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exhibitions end this year. My body of work will change. When such sort of evaluation or change takes place, I need to focus more on my paintings.
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Numero Uno
HeadHoncho
T
here’s an air of lazy nonchalance about him, be it in his speech, deportment or clothes. His ‘cool’ quotient is just right. And his understated style - his leitmotif. But behind that casual persona hides an individual who knows exactly what he wants and gets it as well. And no, we are not in any way alluding to a matinee idol or even a cricketer for that matter. Meet the head honcho of Channel UFX, the only lifestyle-music television in India – Shiran Mather.
unquestionable. After all, competing with some of the best TV channels in the country and making it to the number one position is no mean an achievement.
the famed Loyola College in Chennai, Shiran’s creative talent is evident be it, in his paintings, his sculptures or even his simple sketches. And yes, he can strum the guitar too!
Some of the facts that he began his career with a London-based TV channel and then was a part of a team which went on to create a successful music channel in South India certainly helped hone his creative spirit. His repertoire also includes a couple of music videos, the most notable among them being a music video featuring
Creativity aside, Shiran has been able to marshal his twenty-something creative team to produce outstanding concepts and ideas, so as to keep the channel’s target audience – the youth - hooked. Is it any wonder then that Channel UFX today enjoys the numero uno position in two of the states in south India - Kerala and Karnataka?
As the channel is well on its way to completing a year, Shiran’s contribution in making the channel stand out from the crowd is
Kamal Haasan’s daughter Shruthi Haasan for the film ‘Unnaipol Oruvan’.
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A visual-communication student from
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