Jagjit Singh in Nagpur

Jagjit Singh regales

Padma Bhushan Jagjit Singh gave a whole new meaning to Javed Akhtar’s immortal lines from film Saath Saath... “Tumko dekha toh yeh khayal aaya/ jindagi dhoop, tum ghana saaya...”. He sang each word with such allegiance that Baba Amte’s austere persona surfaced before the minds eye. The event, ‘Ek Madhosh shaam’, was organised by the Rotary Club of Nagpur to raise funds to be donated to Padmashri Dr Prakash Amte’s Lok Biradari Prakalp, Hemalkasa, Bhamragarh and other community projects.

 

The ghazal maestro presented some great classics and also some popular ghazals and even a Punjabi folk song for the audience of Nagpur. The Chitnavis Centre at Civil Lines, where the programme was held, was packed to its capacity to witness a phenomenon called ‘Jagjit Singh’, live. Jagjit’s ghazals brought out the emotional side of ghazal and poetry lovers. His ghazals did a wonderful job in delivering tranquillity (where “mai-khana” is involved), passion, serenity, pain, deepness, grief, love and a reminder of one’s own personal past. His voice has the pain that an “ashiq” feels after loosing his beloved, the love that a mother seeks for her child, the serenity that a “saaqi” delivers. The pain and seriousness in Jagjit Singh’s voice assigned a different perspective to “Tere aane ke jab Khabar mehki/ Tere khusboo se sara ghar mehki..”. When one hears the lyrics in such earnestness, the words not only tell of a lover waiting for his beloved, but about a mother waiting for arrival of the baby which she carries within herself, a old couple preparing to welcome their son or daughter.. who lives far off... Jagjit Singh involves every member of the audience while he sings, and that is what make him so highly popular. His chaste Urdu pronunciation made every song enjoyable for even those who do not dwell deep into Urdu poetry.

 

Jagjit uses blank space, silence with masterful strokes, thus allowing time for the audience to consider the obvious, as well as the hidden meaning of every ‘nazm’ and ‘sher’. “Tere baare mein jab socha nahin tha/ main tanha tha par itna nahin tha” (I was not as lonely before I was yet to start thinking about you)- his ‘sufiana andaaz’ makes one think of the spiritual element in the lyrics which also predicts ones quest for the Supreme Power. Jagjit’s swift sliding from song to sang as in while singing ‘kal choudwin ki raat thi/ shab bhar raha charcha tera, kuch ne kaha yeh chand hai, kuch ne kaha chehra tera...’ and then swiftly, without stopping, to ‘tera chehra kitna suhana lagta hai’ took the concert to the apex. He signed off with a Punjabi folk song on public demand.

 

The evening was really an intoxicating one. If not of red wine, the spirit was the of Vodka... as the padma Bhushan awardee is known for his knack to read his audiences’ mind. Treasurer of the Rotary Club of Nagpur Rajiv Behal compered the programme. Narendra Satija welcomed Jagjit Singh on stage. President of Rotary Club of Nagpur Gulab Mahant felicitated Jagjit Singh, while the maestro himself feted Aniket Amte, grandson of Baba Amte. Wonderful accompaniment was provided by Sunil Das on Sitar, Shyam Das on saxophone and flute, Deepak Borkar on a host of instruments, Santosh Bulekar on synthesiser, Javed on Dholak, and Abhinav Upadhyay on Tabla. 

Aditya Dutt and Tanushree Dutta as newcomers

Peppy youngsters who want to make it big in Bollywood

 

Sep. 5th, 2005
A true-to-heart, vibrant, full of positive energy, typical 21-year-old is what Aditya Datt describes himself as, and actually is like. Like any other energetic youth, Aditya wants to be at many places at the same time. For those who find the name unfamiliar, Aditya is the director of recent box-office ‘question-mark’ ‘Aashiq Banaya Aapne’. Though the crew and distributors claim that movie is doing good at the box-office, the reason is arguably the foot-tapping numbers and pulsing music of the movie. Aditya was in Nagpur with Tanushree Dutta, former Miss India and actor who plays the lead female role in the movie and her co-actor Sonu Sood.

 The team was in the city on the invitation of Tajshree TVS. Actor Sonu Sood has an emotional link with Nagpur and YCCE from where he completed his engineering. The team addressed a press conference on Sunday. Co-producer, Atish Sheikh was also present. The event was managed by Sanjay Kukreja of Kalakruti event, Mumbai. In an exclusive chat with The Hitavada, Aditya Datt and Tanushree Dutta talked about their personal life, families, likes, dislikes, beliefs and aspirations.

 As for Tanushree, she is unlike the character she plays in the movie, thank God for that. Like any other star, she is achingly self-conscious of her looks. Unlike many of the stars, she takes her life seriously. And so does Aditya. Once the ice is broken, one gets an insight into Aditya as a person. One can safely predict that he would be a very successful director in near future, banking on his sincerity and ability to work round the clock. Aditya, the grandson of legendary Anand Bakshi, had inherited his interest in movies from his granddad. “All my family members are too much into academics. Sometimes I ask my parents if I was adopted,” he jokes.

 He says he was never interested in studies “like grand-dad”. He is aware of his youth, he knows that these are his days when he can take enormous risk, be a workaholic and dare to realise his dreams. His mechanics behind working in a film is simple-- “I understand films are the simplest way of telling a story. I would like to work as an entertainer. No dark, heavy plots for me. My intention is to put a wide smile on the faces of audience,” he says. He insists in using the element of ‘freshness’ in the story, his pick of star-cast and the music of his movies. Freshness of face (read ‘figure’) could be the only reason that made her cast Tanushree. Acting was not her strong forte as the movie proved later. One good news is that Tanushree is very willing to learn and can take efforts. The former Miss India comes from a conservative family of Jamshedpur. When asked why she tried to do a Mallika Sherawat in the movie, she fiercely denies, “I am nowhere like her. I have a soft demeanour and can never do a ‘Mallika’.” The gorgeous lady says she attaches much importance to sentimental and family values. “Food is a celebration for me and I have a sweet-tooth,” she admits like any Bengali lass. “All I hope is that people should keep watching my movies and like them,” she says. Considering the high ‘ogle values’ of the little figure hugging dress-clad lady, we can ask her to rest assured.

Mahess Bhatt on Making of 'Kalyug'

I make films for young India: Mahesh Bhatt

 

Dec. 9th, 2005

 

Mahesh Bhatt is one person who is a master in the art, science and more importantly, the ‘commerce’ of making a film. The star-maker has always known the heart and pulse of Indian cine-goers and served them films on topics that are readily lapped up by the target audience. The latest “dhamaka” from Bhatt camp is ‘Kalyug’. Bhatt was in city with the crew members of the film Imran Hashmi, Deepal Shaw, Smiley Suri and Director of the film Mohit Suri.

 

The promotion of the film in Nagpur was done by Tajshree TVS and Kalakruti Events. During a press conference held at Tajshree TVS, the team spoke about the movie while Bhatt fielded other questions from the reporters. The film was earlier christened as ‘Blue Film’ (probably by Producer Mukesh Bhatt). Mahesh Bhatt’s business-nose smelled the trouble the name could cause and promptly changed that to ‘Kalyug’.

 

Bhatt said that the film has made a good start in Amravati and Punjab. The director, whose filmography contains names like Saransh, Arth, Naam, Asiqui, Dil Hain Ke Manta Nahin, Tamanna, said that his prime concern is to be able to connect to the person in the lowest strata of the society. “I am catering to the audience of the youngest country in the world. Films that were widely acclaimed in 1984-85 will hardly find any takers in this age of globalisation. This is why I want to make Jism, Zeher, and Kalyug,” he said. Imran Hashmi, who is playing (in his own words) an “absurd character” of a sex-shop owner in Zurich, said he is happy with the ‘kiss king’ image. “I kissed in Murder, Zeher, Asique Banaya Aapne and I am kissing again in Kalyug, and you will find me kissing again in the forthcoming ‘Jawani Deewani’”, he said. (Well, we all know that in movies, actors always encash and showcase their ‘only’ talents).

 

Being enrolled in Bhatt camp has definitely enthralled newcomer Deepal Shaw (you have seen her in music videos, ‘kabhi aar kabhi paar’). Smiley Suri, who plays wife (yes, wife! “It’s a clean ‘family’ entertainment film,” they said!) of Kunal Kemu playing lead role. Kunal, who worked as child artist in Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke and Jakhm, said he is happy to come out of his hibernation with a launchpad like Bhatt banner. The forthcoming films from the Bhatt stable are Ganster, Holiday (by Puja Bhatt), Killer, and Awarapaan. 

Kalidas Festival 2006

Fine display of art at Kalidas fest

 

Jan. 16th, 2006 by Shabnam Bhowmick

Poets, be it Atul Prasad of the East or Wordsworth of the West, have described God as the Nayak of the Nayika, ‘Soul’. Nayika gets restless as her unseen lover calls her through His flute. The soul’s journey would end only at the moment of total surrender, when the soul unites with the Lord and becomes one. The Lord, for sadhakas of art, is the sam. On Sunday, at the Vasantrao Deshpande hall, this exertion to reach the crescendo, the Sam, the Lord, was the theme that united all three performances. Kathak dancers Sushmita Banerjee and Prachee Shah, representing two time zones of the art form, made the audience fall in love with Kathak. Rasika Khanna’s Bharatnatyam was magnificent.

 

Sushmita Banerjee, who has entrusted herself a mission to popularise the art form through the length and breadth of the globe, mostly performed compositions of her Guru Pandit Ram Narayan Mishra in the beginning. The presentation on teen taal of danseuse of Lucknow gharana was her journey to attain Moksha. She displayed unmatchable tayyari and intricate footwork in combined laya pattern during the ladi. Austerity in Sushmita’s costume was no indication to austerity in her performance-- it simply told the audience about her simplicity and her greatness as an artist. Her dress was designed so as to put some restrictions while she performed chakkardar. That could be a sign of how much she wanted to be inside the framework of grammar of Kathak. Her love for the art and respect for its grammar only nurtured the artist in herself and she was able to present a never-fading experience to the Nagpur people. Sushmita’s artistic genius unleashed itself in presentation of Kalidas’ Kumarsambhavam-- am attempt few kathak dancers would make due to unavailability of descriptive mudras in the dance form. It took a Sushmita Banerjee to perform an Ekahaari-- where she played all the characters of Kumarsambhavam-- with apt mime. She handled each character deftly with immaculate maturity. Sushmita’s aesthetic sense was exemplary in portraying the consummation of marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvati and also in describing the beauty of adolescent Parvati. Sushmita was ably assisted in vocal by Subhashish Bhattacharya, on tabla by Sanjay Kumar Mukherjee, and on sitar by Sandeep Niogi. Prachi Shah, the young talented dancer of Jaipur school recharged the audience through her powerful presentation of Kathak. She perfectly balanced her expressions and rhythmical variations and her Tehais and Parans had a spontaneous spirit. She illustrated Kathak through chakkardar, thaat, and tukre. While she performed short kavit and thumris, her expressions changed with every word. No word, no gat, no taal were less important to her. With exceptional nazaakat and khoobsurati, she gave every ephemeral word a eternal identity. Prachi was assisted by her Guru, Ganesh Hiralalji, and Shravani Choudhuri on vocal, Umesh Ganesh on tabla and also by Bhupal Phansikar and Anwar Hussain. Rasika Khanna presented Bharatnatyam recitation during the second session of the Kalidas Festival.

 In the presentation of this disciple of Adyar K Lakshmanan, one could feel a smooth flow of dance communication, especially in abhinaya. She started with Ganesh Vandana and Shiv Shuti. Constraint of time held her back from displaying much of pure nritta, but she easily made up for that with her prowess over abhinaya. Depiction of Lord Krishna during his different leelas was an impressive interpretation by Rasika with a gentle, unhurried approach, replete with emotion. Usha Shrinivasan (vocal), Balasubhramanium (violin) and Venkatesh (mridangam) gave a good support to Rasika. 

KATHAK GURU

‘I want to take Kathak around the globe’

 

Jan. 16th, 2006 by Shabnam Bhowmick

 Sushmita Banerjee is an artist who gave a whole new dimension to Kathak. She created a distinctive mode in her Ekahari Shaili of Kathak. The international Kathak exponent had known dance before she had known anything else in the world. She was four when she started dancing. For Sushmita, Kathak is much beyond a dance form.

 It is her spiritual getaway. Talking to The Hitavada while she was in Nagpur to perform at Kalidas festival she spoke on her conviction about Kathak and her endeavour to popularise the art. Sushmita Banerjee had been a student of versatile guru Pandit Ramnarayan Mishra. Presently, she is under the tutelage of Pandit Birju Maharaj. Her style of Kathak is a delicate balance of bhava and saundarya, nazakat and khoobsurati, an unmistakable Lucknow Gharana feature that carries prominent marks of Pandit Sambhu Maharaj’s Kathak. She also runs a Kathak school in Switzerland. “My only mission is to take Kathak around the globe”, she says. Her extensive research into reviving old compositions of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and other works is her strategy to enrich Kathak in her own humble way. Why Wajid Ali Shah? “I feel an indescribable closeness towards him. May be because he lived in Metiaburuj, Kolkata for so long and also he added so much to the gat-nikas,” she says, adding that the uniqueness of poetry of the Nawab of Oudh was the prime reason. Sushmita has also choreographed Pratiksha, a piece on the unsung ladies of the Indian mythologies. Her interpretation of Sita in Pratiksha fetched her grant from the Indian Government. The artist par excellence is also an excellent golf player and also carries out exchange programmes for Kathak learners. Chakravyuh another unique creation by Sushmita, is done in Katha style and is very close to her heart. “It is just not Abhimanyu’s ordeal, it represents tribulation of every human soul that gets into worldly mess but does not know the way out to touch the Lord, the Supreme power ”, she elucidates. Infusing spiritual element in every performance is her identity, and is essentially ‘Susmitaish’! She does not believe in doing anything mechanically. Performing Kathak blankly, or just reproducing what she had been taught by her legendary Gurus is not what she wants to do. “I experiment a lot, but the parameter always remains inside framework of Kathak,” she says. Presently Sushmita is working in a project to prepare a DVD on Kathak. But that also, she does in her unique style. “I have consulted masters in the field and am shooting in places where Kathak flourished. I don’t want to make a DVD just for the sake of it. I want to prepare it a way like something cerebral, with an extra edge. It will be my mouthpiece about Kathak. It will be informative for learners in the eliminatory stage and will also present handy reference to researchers in the field”, she says. Knowing the intensity of her confidence, one can expect a masterpiece from her soon. 

KALIDAS FEST'06

Pt Bhatt, Chandran enthral audience

Jan. 15th, 2006

By Shabnam Bhowmick

‘Surer jharnadhara’, meaning cascade of sur was a concept formulated by Rabindranath Tagore. Audience at the Dr Vasantrao Deshpande Hall on Saturday lived every bit of the concept when Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt bathed them in the music of his Mohan Veena. The occasion was that of inaugural day of Kalidas Festival, 2006, organised by NMC and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation.

Pt Bhatt performed during the second session on the day. He played the Mohan Veena, improvised version of Hawaiian Guitar. He has modified his guitar by adding several chikari (drone strings tuned to the tonic), and eight sympathetic strings tuned to the scale of the raga being played, which ring out in the background when their note is struck on the main strings. Pt Bhatt began with raag Maru Behag, using the instrument to its full capacity. The instrument can afford pure classical abstractions as beautifully as any other plucked instrument of Indigenous origin which is now enjoying pride of place in the Galaxy of India’s concert instrument today.

Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt fondled with the Mohan Veena like a mother fondling her child: she knows ways to make the child smile sweetly and also to get aprolonged giggle from it. Pt Bhatt created an unending euphoria of music with an expression of proud mother writ large on his face. He later sang a lulaby composed by himself. Pt Bhatt signed off with his Grammy Award winning composition. Pandit Bhatt was ably accompanied by Ram Kumar Mishra on tabla whose confident rythms created a whole new experience for the audience. Mishra, a highly talented artist kept his tabla sublime and overpowering - as need be.

Actress and dancer Sudha Chandran performed at the first session of the inaugural day of the Kalidas Festival 2006 on Saturday. The moment the Bharatnatyam danseuse entered the beautifully illuminated and exceptionally well-designed stage, a single word jumped to mind- dazzling! Every set up was perfect for a leisurely winter evening that marked the beginning of a classical musical journey of five days. Sudha began her performance with Shiv vandana. Young dancers Meera Mani and Anusha Hegde accompanied her.

Meera Mani’s command over abhinaya and nritya is worth a mention. Sudha’s command over the nritya was obvious. She danced with ease. Her face was a playground of emotions during her presentation set to raag Malika on a composition by Sant Tulsidas- “Shri Ram Chandra kripalu bhajaman...”. Abhinaya is clearly her forte. Sudha, the wonder girl of India is a trend-setter in every way. She gave a touch of improvisation by infusing a subtle element of ‘Devdasi’ in the costumes and the jewelry of her disciples. Most beautiful of the presentation was a Meera bhajan set to raag Bhim Palash. Considering Sudha Chandran’s iron-strong willpower and the strength in her personality, the audience waited eagerly to see how she portrayed Draupadi in the chir-haran scene. Sudha’s Draupadi was meek and helpless woman- which she characterised with domineering prowess. The concluding presentation could well be called another trend-setter- for the first time in the history of 10-year old Kalidas Festival, an artist danced to a song from a movie. Sudha performed on the title song from her autobiographical movie, Nache Mayuri.

Earlier, PWD Minister Anil Deshmukh, Air Marshall S K Chaturvedi, Collector Sanjay Mukherjee, Municipal Commissioner Lokesh Chandra, Divisional Commissioner Anand Limaye and Regional Director of MTDC M Zanzad inaugurated the festival by lighting the traditional lamp. Anil Deshmukh formally announced the inauguration of the event. Renuka Deshkar compered the show.