Househunting in Mumbai: Its a nightmare

November 12, 2007 10 Comments

What follows here is a tale of great anguish and reflects totally and completely my experiences in Mumbai. Mumbaikars, with their flats intact since 1920s – please don’t hate me!

Searching for a nice place to live in Mumbai is worse than searching for a needle in a haystack. In the case of latter, at least you know that its there. In Mumbai, there isn’t anything called a nice house to live. People pay obscene amounts to live in ocean facing stinking and rusted flats (really posh), or posh-locality kholis (not so posh), or simply put, in an n and a half bedroom house for a prohibitively huge amount (where n<3). You wonder if its rent people are asking for, or ransom. Agar keemat nahi chukai to is shehar mein tumhara rehna mushkil kar doonga.

It goes back to 2003. I was lucky then. Not lucky as in Lucky-no time for love. But lucky as in fortunate. Few of my close friends who were working with ICICI had their employer cough out the 5 lakh (half a million) required for deposits. That 5L amount brought the rent down to 20k for a 2 bedroom flat. Here, I must tell you about this novel concept of “25 ka package hai” meaning the rent can be 21k if you pay a deposit of 4L, or 25k if you are not ready to pay a deposit. Who did the maths? I have no idea!!

Now then, there were 4 of them cosying up in that 2 BHK flat. And they were definitely not with alternate preferences (despite some occasional comments like – tu mere gullu ki tarah soft nahi hai!). But I insist- I was lucky. I did not have to go witch (house) hunting. And before I realized I was off after my 3-4 month stint! For some time at least!

I came back to the city in 2007 Jan. Things had become worse. A 1 bedroom flat rentals are anywhere upwards of 25k in Bandra. And why Bandra? Because otherwise, I would have spent more than an hour just reaching the office (yeah! Bombay traffic is another long blogpost). Back to witch-hunting, better the building, better the furnishing, better the rates. Mathur took a PG for 10k, I took a kholi for 16k. And I mean a kholi – which probably is the slang for a chawl kinda house. For the uninitiated a chawl is like a slum area where lots and lots of people live in small houses cramped together (I am sure a lot of Mumbaikars would be on me for using such generalized definitions). Every kholi has a single room and has more than 5-6 inhabitants usually. At a certain point in time, the real estate revolution took its toll on the lively chawls (inspiration for many-a-movies), and many of them got converted into what are called SRS (Slum Rehabilitation Scheme) flats. Here, the builders take up the existing chawl and convert it into a dual identity modern apartment. The nicer face and the front side of such apartments is sold to the normal buyers, while the slum dwellers get a 1 room kholi each in the backside of the apartment. These are constructed in a primitive manner with basic amenities, maximum space utilization for the 1 room flats. Some enterprising dwellers decided to get the interiors done nicely and rent out the space to generate additional income which can be quite valuable in this blood-sucking city.

So, as I was saying, I took this 1 room flat in a SRS building which I found quite nice for my appetite. Just a little beyond the limit I had set for myself, fully furnished (no AC though), nicely done interiors (comfortable sleep at night). The negatives were also simple- The walk between the entrance and the flat (the minimal requirement) would be peppered with people looking at you curiously. If you say something to your landlord, most likely the whole building will know about it by the evening. And stuff like that. Now, if you are a small towner like me, it doesn’t bother you that much. But yeah, your “status” does take a hit!

Now, my relearning began earlier last month. With office all set to move from Bandra to Andheri East, there was no point me fooling around with the rent I was paying for travelling 45 minutes either way. Economically and practically, it made more sense to move to Andheri. But guess what, its not all light and shining in the dark city (Andheri=darkness). Mr. Mathur, who was ready to shell out 10k for a studio/1BHK did not get anything decent. I went in with the same budget as earlier. For 15k I have a 1BHK instead of a 1RK now. But the quality of interiors and furnishing, nowhere close. Though there is some more stuff, like an AC thrown in. But the whole process of finding a good accommodation has been a nightmare. Between me and Rajat, I think we do have the contacts of 15-20 brokers who gave up on our limitation of not being borne in a family which can just lock away a few lakhs rupees as security deposit, or that of not working in banks which are ready to park someone else’s money as security deposit.

People talk about the great quality of life in this great absorbing city. I guess when it comes to the three basic necessities – Food, Clothes and Shelter, this city sucks bigtime. My personal experience is that leaving aside Vada Pav, the food bills here run far higher than the other three original metros. Accommodation, nobody’s competing with Mumbai. Mumba Devi is in a league of her own with innovative concepts like 2.5BHK where the .5 would not be considered a B anywhere but Mumbai. But then, the city has a night life to offer. What’s the need to find a decent acco mate! You can stay out all your life and pardy.

Lest I am charged with saying that all is wrong with this city – hell, no! I do love a lot of things about this city – most importantly, its people. It’s probably the only city in this country where the concept of personal space exists. It’s one of the rare cities in India which despite having such a big organized underworld, still has its markets and restaurants open till midnight and beyond. It’s a city which is a great leveler. Every day when you board a Mumbai local, it does not matter who you are and what your upbringing is, you have to struggle for your existence. And if you don’t want luxuries, you have to make adjustments. Go to the office at 8 before anyone else, and leave after 8 (after everyone else), and such things.

But, to make life easy for the wonderful dwellers, the city needs to start thinking. It’s not just good to be a spirited sportsperson, you have to be a thinking sportsperson too if you want to win! Mumbai – you are spirited. But you aren’t thinking.

Filed under Mumbai, Musings Tagged with , , ,

Old Wine…

November 11, 2007 2 Comments

Some very old stuff written by me in 2003-04.

*************************

In prismic prose
The rainbow flew down
Yet I couldn’t find
The Color of my heart…………..

********************

The poet in me
Woke up
This fine morning,
As he called my name…
And lord!
Why aren’t mornings
Always the same……………….

************

One man’s destiny
Attached to another
Feather by feather
Makes me fly
This endless joy
Of you being you
And you being the one
What’s so special
That drives me insane
Takes me away
From things so mundane
Why isn’t everyone
Soo like you
Why ain’t the sky
Always blue…………….

****

Freedom
Perfection
Words
Desires
“I believe”
Is all I need?
Hold my hand
For a moment today
There is no such place
As far away………………

Filed under Musings Tagged with

Movie Review: Om Shanti Om

November 10, 2007 6 Comments

It’s a weird feeling to be writing a blog post after so long. Not surprisingly though, to voice my opinion of the haute news in town – Om Shanti Om. But that does not mean that I haven’t been watching movies lately. Its just that I have been terribly busy lately. Busy is not new for me. Terribly busy happens all the time. But this has been the worst possible spell ever of busy-ness. Saluja would have been proud to see me putting so many night outs. Something even Inductis could not do with such frequency.
Back to OSO, a tribute to the yesteryears (that part is similar to how Main Hoon Na was done) and an open admiration of SRK, is definitely watchable. You smile almost throughout the movie, but at the end of the movie, you have this weird expression in your mind which is that of your squint eyes staring at you and saying, “Well…..”.
Deepika Padukone impresses in her debut. She does what she can do really well – she looks gorgeous. However, she does what I did not expect a lot of – manage her way in the acting department.
Shreyas Talpade, as usual, is subtle and good. Kiron Kher, as usual, is loud but good.
Most importantly, SRK is, as usual, LOUD, hamming, but quite unusually, fitting. It’s a role that let him be – an over-actor, with an ease that can only come when you’re not acting!
The movie is a mish-mash of Karz, Madhumati, with plenty of spoofs (like The Great Indian Laughter Challenge), quite a few gaping voids (people leaving the hot shot producers to lie on the floor just when a mishap has happened), some great editing (I loved the shots where DP is dancing with Sunil Dutt (not Sanjay Dutt) and old-time Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra, average to good music and a lot of masala. Comments on the industry cannot be missed – be it a Sooraj Barjatya searching for cliché dialogues, or the subtle reference to some star sons being superstars by virture of being star sons (read- Abhishek Bachchan), or the dominance of Khans and Kapoors in the industry. The best comment is when a director Partho Roy (reference to great Bengali directors) who has put in three cameras – one for Bimal Roy angle, one for Satyajit Ray angle and one for GuruDutt angle is suggested by Mukesh Mehra (Arjun Rampal playing a producer – Prakash Mehra?) – ek Manmohan Desai angle daal do, wahi kaam aayega! This definitely comes across as Farah Khan’s way of deprecating the industry/her comrades to create some laughters – just as dada (Subhrajyoti Ghatak) would do.
Story – Beaten to death reincarnation story, cameras panning in from all angles to remind the protagonist of his forgotten past life, a white-haired mother leaving no chance for cracking melodramatic monologues, a friend who’s grayed with the age and believes in his friend, a spirit who manifests just at the right time to seek her revenge, even as things are being kept as human as possible. A villain who conveniently commits a murder and leaves the country to return 30 years later where his past is waiting for him. Oh-so-convenient. Its not the story where the effort is put. The story is conveniently taken off from Karz, Madhumati (yeah! she thought I wouldnt notice!), chala murari hero banNe and the likes. It’s the screenplay and editing where the effort has been put.
Screenplay and editing – Good. Better than above average. Good comments, spoofs and humor.
Music – Ajab Si and Main Agar kahoon are definitely above average. Rahat’s Jag Soona Soona Lage is standard Rahat Fateh Ali Khan fare – soulful, nice, but wont make it as big as Saiyaan (Ta Ra Rum Pum) or Mann Ki Lagan. updated (11-Nov) – won’t make it as big as his previous songs (like Mann ki Lagan (Paap) or Jiya Dhadak Dhadak Jaye (Kalyug).  (Khan – Thanks for pointing out. My mistake!!)

Overall – Definitely watcheable once. Don’t go by my cribs. I think it’s a director’s movie. She has played it by her creativity which is weird and funny. And she has done a tremendous job of editing. Actors are fitting. Everyone fits. Even the over acting kkkkkk.. Khan. .. shahrukh khan.

and on that note -I do want to watch Saawariya. Despite the complete snubbing it has got from many reviewers. 1. Its based on Doestoevsky’s White Night. 2. It wont disappoint me on a couple of counts – Great camerawork and sets, and some great imagination.

Filed under Bollywood, Movie Review Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

King on the Red Prancing Horse

October 23, 2007 1 Comment

Kimi won.. I didn’t get to see the race. But I am veryyy happy! 🙂
I dont know if its a mass phenomenon, but I have met several people who had a conflicting love for Kimi and Ferrari before their association begain. A lot of people, who could see Kimi’s potential getting wasted with a car not living upto his drive. I am glad he’s done it. Kinda double slap on Mclaren, after the constructor’s strip-off!

Filed under Uncategorized Tagged with

….

October 23, 2007 2 Comments

behind every painting
bad or beautiful
there lies
a sheet in white
which owes no allegiance
to anyone’s might
yet the sheet is torn
into pieces
everytime
it doesnt sing
the mightier one’s rhyme!

Filed under Musings Tagged with

Update

October 21, 2007 2 Comments

Added the blogroll on the side bar.. Pretty long list, but many of them are definitely worth peeking at! 🙂

Filed under Uncategorized Tagged with ,

Changing redundancies…

October 20, 2007 2 Comments

We live in a world where redundancies are far too many and far too quick.

Last night, I was at the Mumbai airport, ready to catch a flight to New York, and I was reminded of my first trip to US back in 2004. Back then, I had taken a flight from Delhi. I did not have an iPOD then, I did have a cellphone which I used fairly sparingly. I  had borrowed a Discman from Moron with a few MP3 CDs adding to the weight of my bag.

Back then, people used to reach the airport 3 hours before the flight departure and there used to be chaos reigning everywhere. Now, even 2 hours gives you a 30-45 minute wait at the airport.

Anyway, back then, I had no idea how to kill my time, because Dad had ensured that I don’t have to go through the usual immigration queues. I was on the other side in about 15 minutes flat, and I was left with about 2 hours to kill.

Back then, I spent 2 hours just looking at people around me. I tried reading a book. I was a voracious reader back then. But my idea of enjoying a book is not sitting in a large hall where every minute someone is making an announcement about some flight leaving, and some boarding happening, and someone having lost his mobile phone. Back then, there weren’t too many people listening to pods or talking to girlfriends. In fact, those who hogged that solitary free phone (for local calls) talking to their girlfriends or their entire clan (yeah, the time required for both might actually be the same) invited hateful glances from those waiting in the queue. Back then, there were a lot of people like me. Looking around at faces. Eager to strike a conversation. Back then, there were laptops, but wi-fi was not the in-thing. Back then, Air India had television screens dropping from the plane ceiling showing movies that Indians and foreigners took turns at not being able to understand. People with nice CD players were given envious looks. People carried 2-3 books. And a whole lot of people looked bored. Dead bored.

Last night, I just noticed that things were different. People had cellphone, IPods, PSPs, and laptops with wi-fi connections keeping them busy. But these are gadgets that kept them busy while they were at the airport. Once you are inside the flight, the interactive TV takes over. There are 20-odd movies and several TV serials and music videos to choose from. Suddenly, the pod becomes redundant. The laptop is not needed unless you have some work that needs attention. Discman is history. Every seat has its own console. You can play some games too. These days, there are less people looking bored. Even on flights that keep you meaninglessly engaged for 16 hours at a go.  There are television screens with beaming newsreaders, several coffee and snack joints. There is free internet from Airtel for wifi enabled laptops. There aer sophisticated blackberries that people use to check their emails. There are English speaking Indians at the airport, a greater queue at the duty free, and a different kind of chaos. 80% of the young travelers have some variant of an iPod.

However, everything has a short-lived utility. Even relationships.

Filed under Friends, India, Musings Tagged with , , , , , ,

Dad’s fav from Baghbaan

October 11, 2007 2 Comments

This.. goes as a tribute to my dad’s love for the movie Baghbaan! I have seen this particular scene more times than probably my all time favorite movies..

The favorite lines from this one remain –

1. “Aur rahi meri baat… to humari chinta to aap kijiyega mat” loosely translated as.. and in sofar as I am concerned.. you don’t need to worry about us

2. “Tum ho to hum hain.. aur hum hain to sab kuch hai.. warna.. kuch bhi nahi” (If you are there, I am… and if we are there, then there is everything.. Else, there is nothing)

Much as I hate to admit it, I actually like this scene a lot! 🙂 And I love you Dad!

Filed under Bollywood Tagged with , , ,

Roundup…. No Title

October 7, 2007 4 Comments

Haven’t been blogging for a while, as the seasonal lethargy takes over. I can’t really blame it on anything else. Anyway, just a roundup of things/people/songs of note –

1. Television – I am in love with the 2 singing competitions on telly these days, Zee Saregamapa 2007 Challenge – Sangeet ka Pratham Vishwayud and Amul Star Voice of India. SVOI is going through a dramatic phase with Gajendra Chauhan ( the pioneer of such singing talent hunt shows) getting confused with his self created frankenstein. However, the singers to watch out for are Toshi Sabri (brought back into SVOI by popular demand, after being ejected on the basis of public voting), Harshit (SVOI), Amaanat Ali (SRGMP, an amazing voice from Pakistan) and Raja Hassan(SRGMP). Raja has the rusticness and purity in his voice, Toshi is probably the best trained and a sufi-genre singer. Harshit will make an awesome playback singer while Amanat probably is the most versatile of the lot, and will surely make a great ghazal singer if given a chance. His rendition of “Tujhse Naaraz Nahi Zindagi” yesterday (6th Oct) was plain simple awesome. The idea behind this long para on these people is to remind you guys that for every Dhoni who came out of Jharkhand, there are several who join Tata Steel on a small stipend! Please support, encourage and look out for these raw talents in the years to come. You can see the videos online here – SRGMP, SVOI

2. Music – 1. Main Agar Kahoon (Om Shanti Om) – beautiful romantic song with a very simple melody and another proof of how good Sonu Nigam is. Especially, when it comes to romantic songs, there are few who are as good. His voice has a certain yearning that others don’t
b. Yoon Shabnami from Saawariya  sung by Parthiv Gohil. A lot of you won’t even know who Parthiv Gohil is. Parthiv is the lost find of 1998 Saregama MegaFinal (youtube videos) (the year Sonu was still hosting the show,  Sanjeevani – another finalist, got a few movies as playback singers (such as Kareeb), and there were some truly amazing singers like Mohd. Vakil, Bela, Mukund and Sudeshna). An year or two after 1998 Shreya Ghoshal became the winner of Saregama. Anyway, Paarthiv had a very strong classical learning background and his rendition of songs like Ketak Gulab Juhi, and Dhanyabhaag Seva ka Awsar Paaya back in 1998 were wonderful. So, Bhansali has given Parthiv a break, along with Monty (the music director, who played some part in the background score of Devdas)
c. Songs from Manorama – 6 feet under.  From a collection of 4 songs (excluding remixes and versions), 3 belong to the category of very good to excellent. Woh Bheege Pal, Dhundhla jo sama bandha, Tere Sawalon Ke.. Try them out.

3. Movie – Johnny Gaddar is definitely my pick from bollywood. Bourne Ultimatum would be the hollywood pick. Johnny G is a wonderful movie which takes you back to the 70s thrillers where things just kept happening all through the movie. Director’s tribute to Vijay Anand and James Hadley Chase is visible throughout the movie. The movie could have been shortened by 15 minutes or so. But, but… its a wonderful movie to see on a weekend.

4. Books – Reading “Of Love and Other Demons” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez right now. Seems good so far, while being standard Marquez narration. Will update later.

However, just in case you got a feeling that this is what is keeping me busy.. Naah!  How many of you out there have lived out of a suitcase to get a house renovated. Working your butt off five days a week to reach home on a weekend (travelling usually in the middle of night both ways) to deal with tiles, cement, paints, designs and woodwork! Ugh.. its not easy!

Btw.. quick emotional outburst – Raikonnen has taken the pole. Hamilton has to wait. Vettel seems a driver to keep an eye on. The last couple of races are going to be amazingly interesting! 😀

Filed under Bollywood, Book Review, Classical Music, Ghazal, Hollywood, Movie Review, Music, Television Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Those sixes… Poetry in Motion!

September 20, 2007 Leave a comment

Ah! Those sixes
Sailing into the crowd
They made my day, my night too
Sailing into the crowd

Sweet revenge
Of a day gone bad
A memory I wish I never had

They sailed then too
They sailed today as well
I got them on the mainstream today
They got me on the filler.. well..

We saved the back.. back then…
We packed the punch today…
And so my blow seems bigger
The job was better done today

I said then – God it ain’t fair
I need my chance too now!
Oh my son!, God said – here is your turn
Make the whole world bow!

Some heaves, some cuts
Some classical lofts
Some outside in, some inside outs

Higher and higher, and a touch little higher
‘fore sailing in the crowd

My wait weight behind a few of them
My elegance marking some
Some brutal in their execution
Excitement marking some

I had no brawl back then
But a joker made me lose my cool
The king.. oops.. joker got slammed for one
Bawling on the full

The last one too.. the seventh heaven
Was just to please the crowd
And up she went, like a twinkling fairy
Sailing into the crowd…

Filed under Cricket Tagged with , ,

थकान… Fatigue

September 13, 2007 3 Comments

autumn_morning.jpg

एक थका शरीर,
एक थके हुए िज्स्म की थकी तहरीर,
ईक थकी हुइ कहानी के थके िकरदार,
थकी थकी सी िफ़ज़ाओंं में बेनूर से रंग िबखरे हुए
जैसे थके हुए मौसम की खबर सुनाती हुई ईक  थकी हुई सी आवाज़
बहोत दूर से आ रही हो
कुछ ऎसी ही थकी हुई, ठह्री हुई रूह से िमलने को
जब ईक और थका हुआ िजस्म आता है
ईक थकी हुई आहट पैदा होती है
ईक थका हुआ एहसास मुकम्मल होता है

A tired body,
and the tired handwriting of a tired existence
like the tired characters of a worn-out story
like the colorless colors of a tired life
like the tired voice of the bearer of a fruitless season’s news

And so.. when a tired, drained out soul like this
meets another tired one
You can hear the footprints of a tired walk
You can feel the pulses of a tired emotion..

Filed under Musings Tagged with

Tanhai

September 8, 2007 Leave a comment

ईतना थक जाउंगा आइने से बातें कर के
क्या खबर थी की तन्हाई यूं खाली होगी

केहते हैं वो िक तन्हाई नहीं होती खला
िफर मेरा ईश्क, तेरी सोच ही ज़ाली होगी

चंद अफसाने, कई चेह्रॆ, और दो नम आंखें
गमज़दा दौर की कुछ और सच्चाई होगी

Inta thak jaoonga aaine se baatein kar ke
Kya khabar thee ki tanhai yun khali hogi

Kehte hain wo ki tanhai nahi hoti khala
Phir mera ishq, teri soch hi jali hogi

Chand afsaane, kai chehre, aur do nam aankhein
Gamzada daur ki kuch aur sachai hogi..

Filed under Musings Tagged with ,

One of my all-time favs

September 7, 2007 52 Comments

A ghazal that I dont have the MP3 of.. and I have been desperately searching for it..

Movie: Mammo (1994) Director: Shyam Benegal

Farida Jalal is awesome in this movie. and this song is just pure simple awesome!

 

Lyrics –
ये फ़ासले तेरी
गलियों के हमसे तय न हुए -२
हज़ार बार रुके हम
हज़ार बार चले -२
Ye faasle teri galiyon ke, humse taiy na hue… Hazar baar ruke hum, hazaar baar chale…

ना जाने कौन सी मट्टी
वतन की मट्टी थी
नज़र में धूल, जिगर
में लिये गुबार चले
Na jaane kaun si mitti watan ki mitti thee, nazar mein dhool, jigar mein liye gubar chale
हज़ार बार रुके हम
हज़ार बार चले -२

ये कैसी सरहदें उलझी
हुई हैं पैरों में -२
हम अपने घर की तरफ़ उठ
के बार बार चले
ye kaisi sarhadein uljhi hui hain pairon mien, hum apne ghar ki taraf uth ke baar baar chale
हज़ार बार रुके हम
हज़ार बार चले -२

ना रास्ता कहीं ठहरा,
ना मंजिलें ठहरी -२
ये उम्र उडती हुई
गर्द में गुज़ार चले
na raasta kahin thehra na manzilein thehrin, ye umr udti hui gard mein guzaar chale..
हज़ार बार रुके हम
हज़ार बार चले -२
hazar baar ruke hum hazar baar chale…

ये फ़ासले तेरी
गलियों के हमसे तय न हुए
हज़ार बार रुके हम
हज़ार बार चले
ye faasle teri galiyon ke humse taiy na hue, hazar baar ruke hum hazaar bar chale

Courtesy: link

Filed under Bollywood, Ghazal Tagged with , , ,

Scenes from Yesterday’s Match…

September 6, 2007 1 Comment

I am true Indian Cricket fan! I have strong emotions every time India wins a match. I have strong emotions every time India loses a match. I can enter into fierce arguments about Tendulkar, Dada, Dravid & Co. I would like to be the judge on shows like “Match ka Mujrim kaun” or wotever crap every news channel dishes out. And thats precisely the reason why I don’t blog about cricket too often. Management Consulting, if nothing else, teaches you to be consistent. And my passion for the game is hardly rational, making my arguments hardly consistent! 😉

Now, why am I writing this post? Because, I loved the last 9-10 overs of the match that I saw yesterday. Yeah! I was lucky yesterday to have got the final 9-10 overs to see! 🙂

And I won’t be writing about the great scoreline, amazing batting performances, Yuvraj’s bowling, and things like that. I just loved three scenes at the end of the match –

1. Yuvraj came running towards Uthappa after he had scored the winning runs. And the sheer joy on his face, his excitement, and his feeling of relief were unmatcheable. Thats not something that you see everyday.

2. Dravid welcoming/congratulating everyone at the stairs. I don’t know how many people noticed Dravid-Uthappa scene. Uthappa’s body language was one of a warrior who had just won a big battle, and at the same time, it was shouting – “See! I did it. Do you believe me now?”. Now, both Dravid and Uthappa play for Karnataka and Dravid would probably be the biggest believer of Uthappa’s abilities, whatever they are. But it was one of the longest hugs I’ve seen recently and a hug that was seeking reassurance from the captain.

3. A BEAMING Sachin Tendulkar talking to Artherton. It was pure happiness on his face. I love those faces. Its difficult to reach that state of mind when you don’t feel anything but happiness. I think Sachin was there. He was “Happy”! Good to see that, isn’t it. It automatically increases your longevity as a player.

yuvi2.jpg

tendul.jpg

Filed under Cricket Tagged with

Theatre Review: Munshiji Ki Gudgudi

September 1, 2007 2 Comments

I watched Munshiji ki Gudgudi, a play based on stories written by Munshi Premchand, performed by Ekjute – Nadira Babbar’s Theatre Group. Now, as an author, Munshiji needs no introduction as one of the greatest writers of Hindi Literature, one of the biggest proponents of Progressive Literature of his times, a man with rock-solid hold on the nerves of Indian society, especially the middle class and rural families. What we often miss while reading his serious satirical works, is the immensely witty and humorous side of his personality, as can be seen in some of his stories.

This play is a set of four short stories – Darogaji, Bade Bhai Saheb, Rasik Sampadak and Aansu ki Holi. With the exception of the last one, the first three can be put in the genre of comedy. The last is a quintessential Munshiji story with sarcasm, messages, comedy and a dash of rustic brilliance.

Darogaji – It’s the story of a daroga (inspector’s) encounter with the husband of her ex-lover, when the old flames are being reignited at her house. This particular story had five major characters, of which the protagonist (Darogaji) performed average, while most of the other characters (barring the lover’s husband) were below average. The performances seemed very loud at times. However, the narrative and the underlying plot are quite hilarious, which saves the play. And this can be considered true of almost all the stories – average performances, some hilarious moments, good narrative.

Bade Bhai Saheb – This particular story will always suffer with the problem of comparision. The last I saw, it was a part of Katha Collage-I, where Naseeruddin Shah and team performed this story. The performances of Jameel and Imaad, under the direction of Naseer had taken the play to glorious heights. However, this particular version, directed by Sanjay, was hugely influenced by Naseer’s version. The body language, the histrionics, the actor’s way, the narrative – it all seemed to be a desperate attempt to ape the protagonists of Naseer’s version. While the lead actors did put in a good show, the younger brother seemed out of place, since he did not look younger than the older brother. More importantly, when a 13-14 year old is narrating the story from his viewpoint, his playfulness and body language go hand-in-hand with the way he looks. This is why cast selection is extremely important to the success of a play, movie, sitcom.

Rasik Sampadak – Good one. About an old magazine editor, who is a widower finding solace in the company of women. It’s about the editor stretching his imaginations to such extent where he paints the picture of a woman in his mind based on some mindlessly sensuous poetry written by her, only to find himself in a rather embarrassing situation once she actually lands at his office. In this particular play, the protagonists were quite good in terms of performance.

Aansuon ki Holi – The last one, probably the best (but the least comic) was a story dripping with Munshiji’s style and substance. A strong satire on the people who stretch festivities to such level where they forget what real occasions in life are. They forget the values that they stand for and the reason these festivities exist in our lives. The story is about a certain individual who does not celebrate any festivity (such as Diwali, Holi, etc.). However, now that he is married and his brother-in-laws are visiting him on Holi, he has a tough time warding off the threat of being submerged in the holi colors. The story takes a sudden towards the climax where Srivilas (the protagonist) explains why he stopped celebrating festivals. Good performances overall in this play as well.

Few global comments about the play(s) – I think the cast selection could have been better. There were places where you could see the role of protagonist being played better by one of the other guys. In almost all the plays, the directors chose to be the lead themselves, which I think is a serious mistake when you are young and amateur. My guess is that it becomes increasingly difficult to monitor the overall setup unless you stand outside and have a look.

The second flaw was the lighting and stage setups, which was far from being optimally utilized in many cases. Even in a play like Bade Bhai Saheb, where the distinctions between the older and the younger brother are quite clear, a stage contrast should/can be created to highlight the difference in people/ideologies. But then, what do I know about theater after from being a loyal visitor.

The third flaw was the duration – Unless you are sure why a story should be a 20 minute story or a 30 minute story, you should not stretch. One got a feeling at times that the play could have been shortened a bit at certain places, and delved deeper into at certain places.

The biggest positive – it’s a play directed and enacted by young theater enthusiasts who are still learning the trade. If they are able to do this good a job so early in their learning curve, I am sure they will become good theater personalities.

The other big positive is the choice of stories. Its difficult to find stories that fit your sensibility as well as your style of narration. To that extent, I think the team had done a good job.

Filed under Review, Theatre Tagged with , , ,

← Older posts

Newer posts →

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started