Forget Valentine's Day. If there's one thing RJ Sarthak is looking forward to, it's February 15 - the day his show 'Dilli da Download' on Hit 95 FM turns a month old.
I first blogged about Delhi's Hit Radio channel in August 2006 when it was just taking baby steps. And my opinion hasn't changed much since then. True, their 'no ads' policy hasn't stood the test of time but even so, they have stuff like 10 hit tracks back to back - uninterrupted. Pure bliss.
Beg forgiveness for this shameless plug but I really love this radio channel. More so now that its got a website of its own.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
More trouble for Shilpa on home front
Click here for the Richard Gere - Shilpa Shetty kissing controversy
This time from Bollywood director Anubhav Sinha's wife Ratna who hasn't taken too kindly to Shilpa Shetty's friendship with her husband. Read more here
FULL COVERAGE (on this blog)
Shilpa Shetty's stint on Big Brother
This time from Bollywood director Anubhav Sinha's wife Ratna who hasn't taken too kindly to Shilpa Shetty's friendship with her husband. Read more here
FULL COVERAGE (on this blog)
Shilpa Shetty's stint on Big Brother
The New Censor Certificate
I think this cartoon in The Hindu (Feb 12) aptly conveys the problem of moral policing plaguing Indian cinema today.
ALSO READ
Much Ado about Parzania
Monday, February 12, 2007
Of Bengalis and Bengali behaviour
I don't believe in stereotypes but some of the things in the following 'forwarded email' do ring true. If you are Bengali, you are free to retaliate with a harangue against Kerala (the state to which I belong). And if you are not, am sure you have a Bengali friend who displays some classic Bengali behaviour. Ki bolchi tumi?
A is for Affice. This is where the average Kolkatan goes and spends a day at work. If he is in the Government, he will arrive at 10, wipe his forehead till 11, have a tea break at 12, throw around a few files at 12.30, break for lunch at 1, smoke an unfiltered cigarette at 2, break for tea at 3, sleep sitting down at 4 and go home at 5. It's a hard life
B is for Bhision. For some reason most Bengalis don't have good bhision. In fact in Kolkata most people wear spectacles all the time. The effects of this show in the city
C is for Chappell. This is the Bengali word for the Devil - for the worst form of evil. In the night, mothers put their kids to sleep saying 'go to bed, or Chappell will come and take you away.'
D is for Debashish. By an ancient law every fourth Bengali child has to be named Debashish. So you have a Debashish everywhere. Sometimes, to be creative they are also called Deb, Debu, Deba with variations like Debnath and Deboprotim thrown in
E is for Eeesh. A common Bengali exclamation made famous by Aishwarya Rai in the movie Devdas. It is estimated that an average Bengali uses eeesh 10,089 times every year. (That's counting eeesh and other eeesh-ish words)
F is for Feesh. These are creatures that swim in rivers and seas and are the favourite food of Bengalis. Despite the fact that fish markets have such strong smells, with one sniff a Bengali knows if a fish is all right. If not he will say 'eeesh what feeesh is theesh!'
G is for Good name. Every Bengali boy will have a good name like Debashish or Deboprotim and a pet name like Shontuda, Montu, and Dinku. Whereas every Bengali girl will be Paromita or Protima as well as Shampa, Champa and Tuktuki. Basically your nickname is there to kiil your good name
H is for Harmonium. The Bengali equivalent of a rock guitar. Take four Bengalis and a Harmonium and you have the successors to The Bheatles
I is for Ileesh. This is a feeesh with 10,000 bones which would kill any ordinary person, but which a Bengali eats with releeesh
J is for Jhola. No self-respecting Bengali is complete without his jhola. It is a shapeless cloth bag where he keeps all his belongings and he fits an amazing number of things in it. Even as you read this, there are 2 million jholas bobbing around Kolkata - and they all look exactly the same
K is for Kee Kando. It used to be the favourite Bengali exclamation till eeesh took over because of Aishwarya Rai (now Kee Kando's agent is trying to hire Bipasha Basu)
L is for Lungi. People in Kolkata manage to play football and cricket wearing it. Now there is talk of a lungi expedition to Mt Everest
M is for Minibus. These are dangerous half-buses whose antics would effortlessly frighten the living daylights out of Formula 1 race drivers
N is for Nangtoe. This is the Bengali word for Naked. It is the most interesting naked word in any language
O is for Oil. The Bengalis believe that a touch of mustard oil will cure anything from cold (oil in the nose), to earache (oil in the ear), to cough (oil on the throat) to piles (oil you know where)
P is for Phootball. This is always a phavourite phassion of the Kolkattan. Every Bengali is born an expert in this game. The two biggest clubs there are Mohunbagan and East Bengal and when they play the city comes to a stop
Q is for Queen. This really has nothing to do with the Bengalis or Kolkata, but it's the only Q word I could think of at this moment. There's also Quilt but they never use them in Kolkata
R is for Rabi Thakur. Many years ago Rabindranath Tagore got the Nobel Prize. This allows everyone in Kolkata to frame their acceptance speeches and walk with their head held high and look down at Delhi and Mumbai
S is for Sardarjee whom Bengalis are very envious of because he is born with a semi-monkey cap on
T is for Trams. Hundred years later there are still trams in Kolkata. Of course if you are in a hurry it's faster to walk
U is for Ambrela. When a Bengali baby is born they are handed one
V is for Violence. Bengalis are the most non-violent violent people around. When an accident happens, they will shout and scream and curse and abuse, but the last time someone actually hit someone was in 1979
W is for Water. For three months of the year, the city is underwater and every year for the last 200 years the authorities are taken by surprise by this
X is for X mas. It's very big in Kolkata, with Park Street fully lit up
Y is for Yastarday. Which is always better than today for a Bengali
Z is for Jeebra, Joo, Jip and Jylophone
A is for Affice. This is where the average Kolkatan goes and spends a day at work. If he is in the Government, he will arrive at 10, wipe his forehead till 11, have a tea break at 12, throw around a few files at 12.30, break for lunch at 1, smoke an unfiltered cigarette at 2, break for tea at 3, sleep sitting down at 4 and go home at 5. It's a hard life
B is for Bhision. For some reason most Bengalis don't have good bhision. In fact in Kolkata most people wear spectacles all the time. The effects of this show in the city
C is for Chappell. This is the Bengali word for the Devil - for the worst form of evil. In the night, mothers put their kids to sleep saying 'go to bed, or Chappell will come and take you away.'
D is for Debashish. By an ancient law every fourth Bengali child has to be named Debashish. So you have a Debashish everywhere. Sometimes, to be creative they are also called Deb, Debu, Deba with variations like Debnath and Deboprotim thrown in
E is for Eeesh. A common Bengali exclamation made famous by Aishwarya Rai in the movie Devdas. It is estimated that an average Bengali uses eeesh 10,089 times every year. (That's counting eeesh and other eeesh-ish words)
F is for Feesh. These are creatures that swim in rivers and seas and are the favourite food of Bengalis. Despite the fact that fish markets have such strong smells, with one sniff a Bengali knows if a fish is all right. If not he will say 'eeesh what feeesh is theesh!'
G is for Good name. Every Bengali boy will have a good name like Debashish or Deboprotim and a pet name like Shontuda, Montu, and Dinku. Whereas every Bengali girl will be Paromita or Protima as well as Shampa, Champa and Tuktuki. Basically your nickname is there to kiil your good name
H is for Harmonium. The Bengali equivalent of a rock guitar. Take four Bengalis and a Harmonium and you have the successors to The Bheatles
I is for Ileesh. This is a feeesh with 10,000 bones which would kill any ordinary person, but which a Bengali eats with releeesh
J is for Jhola. No self-respecting Bengali is complete without his jhola. It is a shapeless cloth bag where he keeps all his belongings and he fits an amazing number of things in it. Even as you read this, there are 2 million jholas bobbing around Kolkata - and they all look exactly the same
K is for Kee Kando. It used to be the favourite Bengali exclamation till eeesh took over because of Aishwarya Rai (now Kee Kando's agent is trying to hire Bipasha Basu)
L is for Lungi. People in Kolkata manage to play football and cricket wearing it. Now there is talk of a lungi expedition to Mt Everest
M is for Minibus. These are dangerous half-buses whose antics would effortlessly frighten the living daylights out of Formula 1 race drivers
N is for Nangtoe. This is the Bengali word for Naked. It is the most interesting naked word in any language
O is for Oil. The Bengalis believe that a touch of mustard oil will cure anything from cold (oil in the nose), to earache (oil in the ear), to cough (oil on the throat) to piles (oil you know where)
P is for Phootball. This is always a phavourite phassion of the Kolkattan. Every Bengali is born an expert in this game. The two biggest clubs there are Mohunbagan and East Bengal and when they play the city comes to a stop
Q is for Queen. This really has nothing to do with the Bengalis or Kolkata, but it's the only Q word I could think of at this moment. There's also Quilt but they never use them in Kolkata
R is for Rabi Thakur. Many years ago Rabindranath Tagore got the Nobel Prize. This allows everyone in Kolkata to frame their acceptance speeches and walk with their head held high and look down at Delhi and Mumbai
S is for Sardarjee whom Bengalis are very envious of because he is born with a semi-monkey cap on
T is for Trams. Hundred years later there are still trams in Kolkata. Of course if you are in a hurry it's faster to walk
U is for Ambrela. When a Bengali baby is born they are handed one
V is for Violence. Bengalis are the most non-violent violent people around. When an accident happens, they will shout and scream and curse and abuse, but the last time someone actually hit someone was in 1979
W is for Water. For three months of the year, the city is underwater and every year for the last 200 years the authorities are taken by surprise by this
X is for X mas. It's very big in Kolkata, with Park Street fully lit up
Y is for Yastarday. Which is always better than today for a Bengali
Z is for Jeebra, Joo, Jip and Jylophone
Sunday, February 11, 2007
EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE: Shilpa Shetty on Big Brother
Daily Highlights of Shilpa's stint on Celebrity Big Brother, Videos, Forum, Analysis, Spoof and even her life after the reality show - what more do you need?
POSTS ON THIS BLOG
Will Gere be extradited from the US?
The Richard Gere and Shilpa Shetty kiss
Shilpa goes before the Queen
Shilpa in a Hugh Grant flick!
UK celebrity lashes out at Shilpa's attitude
More trouble for Shilpa on the home front
Shilpa fever rocks British Parliament
Shilpa's life after Big Brother
SPOOF - Shilpa nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
COMMENT - Of India, Sexual Racism and Shilpa Shetty
ANALYSIS - Racism on Big Brother: Shilpa Shetty to win
FORUM - Racism on Big Brother
Shilpa says Jade's behaviour not racial
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS of Shilpa's stint on Big Brother
Shilpa wins: The final moments
Day 26
Day 25
Day 24
Day 23
Day 22
Day 21
Day 20
Day 19
Day 18
Day 17
Day 16
Day 15
Day 14
Day 13
Day 12
Day 11: Part Two
Day 11
Day 10: Part Two
Day 10
Day 9
Day 8
Day 7
Day 6
Day 5
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1
VIDEOS
The Best of Shilpa Shetty on Big Brother
And the winner is - Shilpa Shetty
Day 14 - The Jade-Shilpa row
Day 11 - Shilpa in the Jackson Five band
Day 20 - Shilpa's Showgirl routine
Day 19 - Shilpa's Aunt Jameela act
POSTS ON THIS BLOG
Will Gere be extradited from the US?
The Richard Gere and Shilpa Shetty kiss
Shilpa goes before the Queen
Shilpa in a Hugh Grant flick!
UK celebrity lashes out at Shilpa's attitude
More trouble for Shilpa on the home front
Shilpa fever rocks British Parliament
Shilpa's life after Big Brother
SPOOF - Shilpa nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
COMMENT - Of India, Sexual Racism and Shilpa Shetty
ANALYSIS - Racism on Big Brother: Shilpa Shetty to win
FORUM - Racism on Big Brother
Shilpa says Jade's behaviour not racial
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS of Shilpa's stint on Big Brother
Shilpa wins: The final moments
Day 26
Day 25
Day 24
Day 23
Day 22
Day 21
Day 20
Day 19
Day 18
Day 17
Day 16
Day 15
Day 14
Day 13
Day 12
Day 11: Part Two
Day 11
Day 10: Part Two
Day 10
Day 9
Day 8
Day 7
Day 6
Day 5
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1
VIDEOS
The Best of Shilpa Shetty on Big Brother
And the winner is - Shilpa Shetty
Day 14 - The Jade-Shilpa row
Day 11 - Shilpa in the Jackson Five band
Day 20 - Shilpa's Showgirl routine
Day 19 - Shilpa's Aunt Jameela act
UK dude lashes out at Shilpa's attitude
Click here for the Richard Gere - Shilpa Shetty kissing controversy
Shilpa Shetty might be in the limelight in Britain but she's facing quite a few brickbats as well. The latest to join the 'Hate Shilpa' bandwagon is sixty-something TV horse-racing pundit John McCririck.
McCririck, a former Celebrity Big Brother contestant himself, let flow a flurry of anti-Shilpa comments during a television interview.
According to him, the Bollywood actress is "up herself".
In other (more positive) news, Shilpa now has a work permit in Britain - very necessary for her to make money from interviews and public appearances. All thanks to NRI Keith Vaz who took a personal interest in the case.
Currently in Mumbai, Shilpa will soon be back in London to take part in the Zee Carnival from February 16. This time around she will shake a leg with the likes of Priyanka Chopra and Esha Deol. A Bollywood onslaught - seems like it.
ALSO READ
Shilpa in a Hugh Grant flick!
UK celebrity lashes out at Shilpa's attitude
Shilpa fever rocks British Parliament
Shilpa's life after Big Brother
SPOOF - Shilpa nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
COMMENT - Of India, Sexual Racism and Shilpa Shetty
ANALYSIS - Racism on Big Brother: Shilpa Shetty to win
FORUM - Racism on Big Brother
Shilpa says Jade's behaviour not racial
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS of Shilpa's stint on Big Brother
Shilpa wins: The final moments
Day 26
Day 25
Day 24
Day 23
Day 22
Day 21
Day 20
Day 19
Day 18
Day 17
Day 16
Day 15
Day 14
Day 13
Day 12
Day 11: Part Two
Day 11
Day 10: Part Two
Day 10
Day 9
Day 8
Day 7
Day 6
Day 5
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1
VIDEOS
The Best of Shilpa Shetty on Big Brother
And the winner is - Shilpa Shetty
Day 14 - The Jade-Shilpa row
Day 11 - Shilpa in the Jackson Five band
Day 20 - Shilpa's Showgirl routine
Day 19 - Shilpa's Aunt Jameela act
Shilpa Shetty might be in the limelight in Britain but she's facing quite a few brickbats as well. The latest to join the 'Hate Shilpa' bandwagon is sixty-something TV horse-racing pundit John McCririck.
McCririck, a former Celebrity Big Brother contestant himself, let flow a flurry of anti-Shilpa comments during a television interview.
According to him, the Bollywood actress is "up herself".
"She's no wonder girl. How many times has she had sex ? Probably very few and not very often. These girls are very precious. Their bodies are so special that no man may penetrate it. She is difficult."Well, McCririck can't be accused of racism, can he? But isn't there a law against making remarks like that?
In other (more positive) news, Shilpa now has a work permit in Britain - very necessary for her to make money from interviews and public appearances. All thanks to NRI Keith Vaz who took a personal interest in the case.
Currently in Mumbai, Shilpa will soon be back in London to take part in the Zee Carnival from February 16. This time around she will shake a leg with the likes of Priyanka Chopra and Esha Deol. A Bollywood onslaught - seems like it.
ALSO READ
Shilpa in a Hugh Grant flick!
UK celebrity lashes out at Shilpa's attitude
Shilpa fever rocks British Parliament
Shilpa's life after Big Brother
SPOOF - Shilpa nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
COMMENT - Of India, Sexual Racism and Shilpa Shetty
ANALYSIS - Racism on Big Brother: Shilpa Shetty to win
FORUM - Racism on Big Brother
Shilpa says Jade's behaviour not racial
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS of Shilpa's stint on Big Brother
Shilpa wins: The final moments
Day 26
Day 25
Day 24
Day 23
Day 22
Day 21
Day 20
Day 19
Day 18
Day 17
Day 16
Day 15
Day 14
Day 13
Day 12
Day 11: Part Two
Day 11
Day 10: Part Two
Day 10
Day 9
Day 8
Day 7
Day 6
Day 5
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1
VIDEOS
The Best of Shilpa Shetty on Big Brother
And the winner is - Shilpa Shetty
Day 14 - The Jade-Shilpa row
Day 11 - Shilpa in the Jackson Five band
Day 20 - Shilpa's Showgirl routine
Day 19 - Shilpa's Aunt Jameela act
The 'Guru' of all tales
Mani Ratnam's latest is no classic and yet it's great how he manages to make a biopic so interesting (Yes, I would certainly classify it as a biopic - the similarities to Dhirubhai Ambani's life are far too many to be just coincidental).
And so what if the protagonist succeeds using not-so-honest means. Today's audience is not naive enough to believe that a Gandhian approach will take people places in this day and age.
Abhishek Bachchan excels as Gurukant Desai - a role tailormade for him. But the surprise package of 'Guru' is Arya Babbar. The otherwise flop actor puts in an understated performance as Gurukant's righteous bro-in-law. Wish there had been more of him in the second half. But Arya disappears after a row with Gurukant and the director doesn't take the trouble of tying up this loose end.
There are several other good performances - Mithun Chakroborty, Aishwarya Rai, Madhavan, Vidya Balan. But the real winner is the script which is taut and never allows audience interest to flag.
Another plus is the music. People say A R Rahman's music in Guru didn't quite touch the heights of Dil Se or Rangeela. But when you watch the film, the songs just seem to blend in and help take the story forward. Even Mallika Sherawat's hummable cabaret number.
Rating: ****
Remarks: Abhishek's five-minute soliloquy in the courtroom sequence was a tad too melodramatic for my tastes but others seemed to love it
And so what if the protagonist succeeds using not-so-honest means. Today's audience is not naive enough to believe that a Gandhian approach will take people places in this day and age.
Abhishek Bachchan excels as Gurukant Desai - a role tailormade for him. But the surprise package of 'Guru' is Arya Babbar. The otherwise flop actor puts in an understated performance as Gurukant's righteous bro-in-law. Wish there had been more of him in the second half. But Arya disappears after a row with Gurukant and the director doesn't take the trouble of tying up this loose end.
There are several other good performances - Mithun Chakroborty, Aishwarya Rai, Madhavan, Vidya Balan. But the real winner is the script which is taut and never allows audience interest to flag.
Another plus is the music. People say A R Rahman's music in Guru didn't quite touch the heights of Dil Se or Rangeela. But when you watch the film, the songs just seem to blend in and help take the story forward. Even Mallika Sherawat's hummable cabaret number.
Rating: ****
Remarks: Abhishek's five-minute soliloquy in the courtroom sequence was a tad too melodramatic for my tastes but others seemed to love it
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Shilpa fever rocks British Parliament
Click here for the Richard Gere - Shilpa Shetty kissing controversy
The Indian actress met UK Prime Minister Tony Blair today (has he ever met Big Brother winners before?) and caused a near riot at the House of Commons with a posse of mediapersons and even MPs queuing up for a glimpse.
Shilpa was all praises for Blair, who along with wife Cherie gifted her a signed photo of the House (of Commons not Big Brother).
ALSO READ
Shilpa in a Hugh Grant flick!
UK celebrity lashes out at Shilpa's attitude
Shilpa fever rocks British Parliament
Shilpa's life after Big Brother
SPOOF - Shilpa nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
COMMENT - Of India, Sexual Racism and Shilpa Shetty
ANALYSIS - Racism on Big Brother: Shilpa Shetty to win
FORUM - Racism on Big Brother
Shilpa says Jade's behaviour not racial
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS of Shilpa's stint on Big Brother
Shilpa wins: The final moments
Day 26
Day 25
Day 24
Day 23
Day 22
Day 21
Day 20
Day 19
Day 18
Day 17
Day 16
Day 15
Day 14
Day 13
Day 12
Day 11: Part Two
Day 11
Day 10: Part Two
Day 10
Day 9
Day 8
Day 7
Day 6
Day 5
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1
VIDEOS
The Best of Shilpa Shetty on Big Brother
And the winner is - Shilpa Shetty
Day 14 - The Jade-Shilpa row
Day 11 - Shilpa in the Jackson Five band
Day 20 - Shilpa's Showgirl routine
Day 19 - Shilpa's Aunt Jameela act
The Indian actress met UK Prime Minister Tony Blair today (has he ever met Big Brother winners before?) and caused a near riot at the House of Commons with a posse of mediapersons and even MPs queuing up for a glimpse.
Shilpa was all praises for Blair, who along with wife Cherie gifted her a signed photo of the House (of Commons not Big Brother).
"He said I had carried myself with the utmost dignity. I thanked him for the support he showed. He was very, very sweet. I feel like Britain has become my second home. People show me such love and warmth."The highlight of the tour - The menu. There was salmon, there was chicken and also a Shilpa's Delight for dessert.
ALSO READ
Shilpa in a Hugh Grant flick!
UK celebrity lashes out at Shilpa's attitude
Shilpa fever rocks British Parliament
Shilpa's life after Big Brother
SPOOF - Shilpa nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
COMMENT - Of India, Sexual Racism and Shilpa Shetty
ANALYSIS - Racism on Big Brother: Shilpa Shetty to win
FORUM - Racism on Big Brother
Shilpa says Jade's behaviour not racial
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS of Shilpa's stint on Big Brother
Shilpa wins: The final moments
Day 26
Day 25
Day 24
Day 23
Day 22
Day 21
Day 20
Day 19
Day 18
Day 17
Day 16
Day 15
Day 14
Day 13
Day 12
Day 11: Part Two
Day 11
Day 10: Part Two
Day 10
Day 9
Day 8
Day 7
Day 6
Day 5
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1
VIDEOS
The Best of Shilpa Shetty on Big Brother
And the winner is - Shilpa Shetty
Day 14 - The Jade-Shilpa row
Day 11 - Shilpa in the Jackson Five band
Day 20 - Shilpa's Showgirl routine
Day 19 - Shilpa's Aunt Jameela act
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Much Ado about Parzania
Poor Rahul Dholakia. He takes the trouble of making a movie about a child who goes missing during the 2002 riots in Gujarat. And then the moral police play spoilsport - by not allowing its release in the state.
The villain of the piece (or at least the one in the public eye) is a guy called Babubhai 'Bajrangi' Patel, head of the local unit of the Hindu nationalist Bajrang Dal. Bajrangi feels the film is biased and could ignite communal passions once again.
Call it moral policing or what you will, a film cleared by India's Censor Board is being held ransom by someone who hasn't even seen it yet. An unabashed Bajrangi claimed on TimesNow last night that Dholakia made 'Parzania' only to mint money.
But I also know Dholakia won't give up that easily. A fortnight ago, he told me that several NGOs had come forward to help him screen 'Parzania'. The truth will be out some day. But until then, Dara and Rupa Mody's wait for news of their son Azhar is destined to be a long one.
The villain of the piece (or at least the one in the public eye) is a guy called Babubhai 'Bajrangi' Patel, head of the local unit of the Hindu nationalist Bajrang Dal. Bajrangi feels the film is biased and could ignite communal passions once again.
Call it moral policing or what you will, a film cleared by India's Censor Board is being held ransom by someone who hasn't even seen it yet. An unabashed Bajrangi claimed on TimesNow last night that Dholakia made 'Parzania' only to mint money.
If they want to find the missing child, let them go to the police. Just by showing the film, will the child be found?Exhibitors, fearing violence and riots, have decided not to screen the film in Gujarat. Having watched the critically-acclaimed film at its Goa film festival premiere in 2005 and then closely followed the director's attempts to get it released in India, I must say I am disappointed.
But I also know Dholakia won't give up that easily. A fortnight ago, he told me that several NGOs had come forward to help him screen 'Parzania'. The truth will be out some day. But until then, Dara and Rupa Mody's wait for news of their son Azhar is destined to be a long one.
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