Chandigarh, Friday, May 28, 1999
Chandigarh, Friday, May 28, 1999 |
Thinking director of
small screen
May Queen’s teaching
ambitions |
Is Indian theatre
artificial?
|
  |
Thinking
director of small screen THE mega success of popular docudrama (on crime) “India’s Most Wanted” was bound to breed a host of clones. Voila! Another serial, initially titled “Crime Watch”, but now incorporated as part of “IMW” to be aired as “IMW Mumbai Bureau,” is all set to make waves on the small screen soon after the World Cup din dies down. However, the director-producer of the serial Ravi Kaushal, an alumni of the Department of Theatre, Chandigarh, who was in the city recently, refuses to accept the epithet of copy cat. He insists that the new series also based on real-life grisly accounts is merely a part of the continuum, a concerted effort in line with Zee channel’s endeavour to tackle the hydra-headed monster of crime. Since the series dovetails the modus operandi of criminal acts in detail, won’t is translate into an encyclopaedia of sorts, a ready reference for criminals themselves? Rebutting the charge he replies, “Apart from making the common man overtly cautious, it will sound a nationwide clarion call, desist people from transgressing the boundaries of law”. Packaged in slick format, however the new series wouldn’t be your regular drab “how to protect yourself” guide, but promises to be a racy entertainer. Entertainment with a cause, any way is the watchword of Ravi’s home production “Aravision”. His debut foray, “Naya Daur”, too was woven around the same leitmotif. Set in the pre-Independence times, the 55-episode TV serial took a microcosmic view of exploitation in the period we so love to romanticise and idealise. Ravi reasons, “Corruption wasn’t born with independent India, but has existed in this part of the subcontinent since times immemorial. I only wanted to expose the motives of certain pressure groups which manipulated the freedom movement for personal avarice”. “Naya Daur” wasn’t a flight of fancy, but a celluloid adaptation of Bhagwati Charan Verma’s novel. Affaire d’ amour with Hindi literature for Kaushal was merely a spin-off of a combination of factors — middle class roots, Hindi medium education and, most important, close association with NSD’s repertory. Small wonder that when this actor who had enacted lead roles in several NSD productions decided to move to Bombay, it was the actor in him that sought recognition. But hanging outside the portals of director-producer’s homes, an aching realisation — “I was forced to look like a beggar in front of people who knew no better” — set him thinking. Egged on by his other half, Alka, also an actress who was last seen in Ramesh Sippy’s magnum opus (on TV) “Gaatha”, Ravi took the plunge. In the vast sea of film-making, this newcomer, ignorant of cinematic lingo, did face hurdles. But a quick learner, he soon grasped the basics. “Naya Daur” brought acclaim and a critics award by an organisation “Salaam Bombay”. Though the small screen is today a Mecca of opportunities for most aspirants, Ravi says, “You can’t create miracles on TV. The creative possibilities, thanks to time handicap and financial constraints, are severely limited. Comparatively larger-than-life silver screen allows greater room for experimentation and innovation.” So Bollywood — he
has already zeroed down on the novel to be adapted —
is the ultimate stopover. But for now his next venture
“Angaarey”, scripted by Ravi himself, unravels
the negative traits of mankind. He muses, “Alas,
life has more shades of black”. Still he reposes
absolute faith and confidence in youth which he calls the
fire of today. As an active member of the thinking tribe,
his own mission in life is quite simply to capture the
raw earthiness which reverberates resoundingly in our
home-grown literature. |
Man behind
Daler’s fame BOLO tara ra ra... was one song which propelled Punjabi pop maestro Daler Mehndi to world fame. Ever since he recorded this number a few years back, it has been played over and over again in every nook and corner at home and abroad. People who had practically no knowledge of Punjabi in places like Calcutta, Chennai or Vishakhapatnam, developed a special liking for it and in the process picked up a few words of the language hitherto alien to them. However, not many know about the person who penned these lines. Janga Nandpuri, the 44-year-old lyricist from Nandpur Kalaur village in Patiala district, has been at pains convincing people around about his contribution. Daler also took some time to acknowledge publicly that he owed his success to Janga. For the lean and frail-looking Janga, son of a farmer, life has been a bitter struggle for existence. Stricken with poverty ever since his father Labhu Khan, passed away more than 30 years ago, Janga, nevertheless, did not abandon his dream of making it big some day. “Though I did not get an opportunity to go to school, my talent as a singer at rural tournaments made me popular in my area. After accepting Roshan Khan (father of renowned Punjabi folk singer Amar Noorie) as my ‘ustaad’ I spent considerable time in learning. I always dreamt of becoming a stage artiste which I thought was the only way out of my sufferings. There were times when there was no food to eat in my house but the urge to excel in my chosen field kept me going”, recalled Janga at a recent meeting. Janga won acclaim at rural gatherings through some fine imitation of the late Lal Chand Yamla Jatt. In fact singing was his forte till recently. “It was only a few years back that I back to ‘shairi’” said Janga. The first song which he penned was Banda bandgi bina kise kam da nahin... in the Sufiana kalaam. A chance meeting with Daler Mehndi in Delhi’s Vikaspuri area was the turning point and his offer to provide lyrics for his forthcoming album was accepted by Daler. “There was nothing extraordinary in Bolo tara ra ra... but the music director provided magical touches and the cassette became an instant hit,” recalls the modest lyricist. However, differences cropped up between the two soon after. While Daler Mehndi started rolling in money, Janga continued to lead a pauper’s life, often struggling to make both ends meet. “At one point of time I was really furious over the let-down as he had not bothered to pay me a penny. However, now I have nothing against him as he paid me Rs 50,000 six months back and I built a small house at Lachkani where my family now stays,” he said. The success achieved
with Daler Mehndi opened new vistas for Janga. More and
more singers began approaching him for lyrics. He wrote
four songs for Durga Rangeela, including the title song
Mundi teri pekyan di... for him for which he received a
meagre sum of Rs 1,000 besides a suit. He also wrote six
songs for Sukhnain. Recently, he provided lyrics of four
songs to Gurinder Raju, whose cassette “Chigarh
Bhundiyan” hit the sales counters in the region.
That his name has been mis-spelt as “Nanda
Jangpuri’ on its cover is another story. For, such
trivial matters really don’t bother him, as long as
his contribution is publicly acknowledged by those for
whom he toils night and day. |
|
IS the conventional Indian theatre artificial? So feels noted Polish stage director Mariusz Orski, who has worked in India for a couple of years. “Here, theatre is more conventional, probably because it is influenced greatly by traditional forms, and there is no realistic theatre as such, unlike in Europe, where people like Ibsen, Chekhov and Gogol brought realism to theatre. “It seems it is difficult for Indian actors to behave normally on stage. Once on it, they start behaving artificially. The use of voice is another big problem. “They do not use the whole body for voice modulation, and utilise only the upper part of the body, resulting in shallow voices,” says Orski, a teacher of acting and directing at the State Academy of Film, Television and Theatre in Lodz, Poland. “As a result, they lose spontaneity. I was very surprised. Probably it is because Indian theatre is too steeped in traditions which are thousands of years old. “This language may have been alive a thousand years ago, but now it looks completely artificial.” However, he says, since theatre is a localised art, this stage language may be suitable here as “people here might be liking it this way”. Closely involved with the International Michael Chekhov Theatre Movement, Orski, however, seems to have had some not-so-sweet experiences during his stint with final year students of the National School of Drama (NSD) as a visiting director, especially this year. “This year’s production ‘Panchhiyon ki Mehfil’, composed by 12th century Persian poet Farid-ud-Din Attar and converted to stage by Jean-Claude Carriere and Peter Brook as ‘The Conference of Birds’, was very important for me as it was dedicated to my teacher Jerzi Grotowski. “But it was very difficult to accept the behaviour of the students. Sometimes some would be late, sometimes absent... it was really tough. In fact, after this production, I can do anything. It was some experience really,” he says. “Theatre is teamwork. You have to forget your egos and complexes, which are normal among actors anywhere. It is like a symphonic orchestra where each instrument has to be played in perfect harmony,” says Orski, who has worked in the USA, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Britain, Russia and Sweden, besides Poland. “Though you have yoga and had great people like the Buddha, Gandhi and Aurobindo, all of whom said ‘forget ego’, it seemed the people were not responsible... This way you can do soap operas and television serials, but not theatre.” Nonetheless, the Polish stage director of international fame is planning a grand play here on the life of a 13th century Tibetan monk. Based on the autobiography of monk Mila Repa, the play seeks to bring alive the life and teachings of the saintly figure for the whole world, says Orski, who was in India recently. “I, along with actor-singer Phunsok Ladakhi from Ladakh, have already started the preliminary work for the play on the life of the monk, who is a very important figure among Tibetans.” Orski, who has directed two plays for final-year students at the National School of Drama (NSD), was impressed by the life of Mila Repa after he read a Polish translation of the monk’s autobiography several years ago. “I was fascinated with the subject, and it was just a coincidence that Ladakhi met me after the staging of ‘The Conference of Birds’ at NSD in mid-March and the subject cropped up during our conversation.” Interestingly, Orski wanted to become a film director as he was fascinated by movies, but a chance meeting with the legendary Grotowski changed his mind. Orski likes travelling round the world to imbibe various theatrical forms and is right now working on a documentary film which will be a Franco-Polish coproduction. “A documentary
because it forces you to look at and listen to life,
which is very important for theatre people as real
inspiration always comes from life. — PTI |
May
Queen’s teaching ambitions SONALI RAY has bagged the Shimla ADC May Queen crown this year. At a keenly contested function, 24-year-old, petite and fair damsel with smoky grey eyes struck an instant rapport with the audience as well as the judges. Sonali, a literature graduate in English, is currently teaching in Shimla’s Convent and Jesus and Marry School. She says teaching kids is her passion and to set up a nursery school of her own her ambition. She could then use her hobbies like vocal music, painting and reading to advantage. Her school would be based on value education and children would be taught the universal values of truth and love, non-existent in society today. Asked if she would enter the world of fashion and glamour, she said she entered the contest to gauge her graph of self-confidence. And she had it in plenty because she won the crown in one go. Her knowledge of self-improvement books came in handy while replying to the judges’ questions. In answer to a question about her understanding of patience, she said, “Patience is realising that every body is on a different wave length. Hence, we have to adjust to the slow-paced ones and heighten our abilities for those already ahead of us.” Sonali was quick and thoughtful while answering the questions. Brigadier Ghosh, Ms Anjali Kakkar and Ms Meera Mukharjee were the judges at the May Queen Calibre, which Sonali has in plenty. Her natural grace and quick response reflected her exposure to wider situations. Daughter of Major-Gen Arjun Ray, Sonali has travelled extensively all over India and picked up various assignments on the way. She worked at a travel agency and hosted Chitrahaar for Doordarshan and relishes the experience. Reading is her favourite passtime and likes books by Shiv Khera and Steven Covey. She cherishes her assignment as manager of a bookshop in Delhi between November, 1998, and April, 1999. English classics remain her all-time favourites. Sonali has a zest for
life and believes in sailing through life with a smile.
With her bewitching smile, it should not be difficult for
her.
|
Melodious but routine SOORYAVANSHAM (Venus): There was a time when the music of an Amitabh Bachchan film used to be as much a hallmark of quality as the film itself. Things have changed a lot. Now the music too is as run-of- the-mill as the films. That is particularly true of this cassette which has some melodious songs but overall is nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, there are not many melodious songs, but just one song, which has been presented in three versions (triple role?). The song in question is Dil mere tu deewana hai… which is sung twice by Kumar Sanu and once by Chitra. The female version is a washout. Kumar Sanu is outstanding in both of his offerings. But the real credit should go to Anu Malik, who has it in him to come up with good score, if only he can desist from being “inspired” by others. What is an Amitabh film if it does not have a song by him? No, it is not a full song here but only the rendition of a few lines in Chori chori…which is otherwise sung by Sonu Nigam. Jaspinder Narula gets to sing two songs, the Chori chori …one and Peepal ke patwa…. Neither these nor any of the others have bright chances of making it big. The artificiality in Sonu’s voice while doing the title song is irritating. Lyrics are by Sameer. HULLE HULLARE (Magnasound): It is surprising how Punjabi singers can do wonders while singing pop songs. Rajeshwari Sachdev is a new entrant whose album is named after one of the Punjabi songs in this album but she is at her best while doing the westernised songs. This has nothing to do with the language which is a mishmash of Hindi, Punjabi and English in any case. Her best presentation here is Jab dil mein… in which she makes a conscious effort to sound like Alisha Chinai. Some of the other songs could also have been her showpieces but for the fact that composer Amar Haldipur is not very original in them. Haule haule babuji… is almost on the same pattern as a film song, Kali teri gutt te paranda tera laal ni …, which in turn was based on a Punjabi folk song. And Gori gori … is virtually Gori diyan jhanjaran bulaundiyan gayian …. This aping may not be noticeable to someone who is not familiar with the Punjabi music scene, but is rather awkward for those who know. Lyrics are by Naqsh Lyallpuri, Mumtaz Nikhat and Israr Ansari. AANKHIYAN LADHIYAN (Tips): Jawahar Wattal is becoming an expert in remixing. Here he has done plastic surgery on some 18 songs, including Tutak tutak tutiyan …, Tut gayee tadak kar ke …, Kaala shah kaala … and Kajra mohabbat wala …. The singers doing the job for him are Shankar Sahney, Sanjeevni Bhelande, Manpreet Kaur, Sanjay Bhagi, Faku Khan and Poonam Talwar. They may not be very
close to the originals but are fairly faithful while
re-doing the hit songs amid a cacophony of synthesised
music. |
 |
 |