CMYK

ND-ND

Delhi

Saturday, May 2, 2015

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ExhibitionAfter winning the hearts of millions in Kolkata,renowned Kolkata basedartists Malay Das, SubuddhaGhosh and Atish Thakur,have once again collated a show together at Lalit Kala Akademi On till May 7, 11am to 7 pm.

Gunga JumnaZee Classic will premierethe mega blockbusterGunga Jumna thisSunday at 12 noon. Thedacoit Bollywood dramastarring thespian DilipKumar and Vyajanthimalawas believed to be ghostdirected by Dilip Kumarhimself.

How Its MadeEver wondered about thevarious stages it takes tobuild the car parked in your garage? DiscoveryScience presents How itsMade, a series that willhelp you get an insight intohow everyday things aremade.Catch up this Sunday, 8 p.m.

Tales From TheSoul Marrow

Solo exhibition by VikashKalra.Date: Till May 7Time: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.Venue: Art Indus, 37Santushti ShoppingComplex, Race CourseRoad, New Delhi.

Admit two

Congratulatorymessages continueto pour in forRicky Kej,

composer-cum-musicproducer, who made thewhole country proud bybecoming the first Indian tobag the coveted Grammy inthe best new music albumcategory for his albumWinds of Samsara.

The feat also qualifiedRicky, 33, as the youngestIndian ever to bagGrammy. Winds ofSamsara was acollaborative venture withWouter Kellerman, thefamous South Africanflautist. Even though it hasbeen some time since hereceived one of the mostcoveted awards in theworld, it still hasnt sunk in.The Karnataka ChiefMinister K. Siddaramaiah,recently introduced him tohis entire Cabinet but thecomposer, who was in Delhito attend a functioncelebrating South Africas21 years of freedom anddemocracy, expresseddisappointment with theCentral Governmentignoring hisachievement.He revealsthat not a single individualfrom the NDA dispensationhas congratulated him.

But this creative genius a dental surgeon byeducation and a musician bychoice is happy that thathis dream of bringingtogether musicians of fivemajor countries on a singleplatform and make themperform has finally beenfulfilled.

Meanwhile, Riki, whodescribes himself as a half-Marwari and half-Punjabi,works for a number of

causes. He is trying tocreate awareness about thekillings and homelessnessfaced by the people livingin the conflict-zone of Gazathrough his album 2 UniteAll with Peter Gabriel. Hewould also be travelling toGaza in August. Describedas a true wizard of thekeyboard, manuscript pageand recording studio, hisprojects include creatingmusic for 12 albumsreleased by UniversalMusic and over 2,000commercials.

Excerpts from aninterview:

Bagging the Grammymust have made youproud but also made youmore responsible as aninternationallyrecognised musician?

Grammy is like anunattainable dream. Thefact that I have won it has

still not sunk in.Sometimes I feel happy butmost of the time I feelhumble. There is moreresponsibility on myshoulders as I want to workfor certain causes likechildren suffering withautism. These kids havelong term memory formelody. If as a musician wecan give them one hour aday then they can learn alot. We have to be patientwith them.

How this extraordinarycollaborative ventureinvolving 120 artistsfrom five countries,speaking divergentlanguages, came about?

Music has no languageand boundaries. It connectswith people of all ages,religious denominationsand nationalities. Myendeavour was to showcasethe talent of musicians

from across the globe. Bothmy parents are doctors andI became a dental surgeonto please them but at heartI have always been amusician. And throughmusic I have been trying toreach out to people.

In Winds of Samsarawe see influences fromSouth African and Indianfolk music. How did thisfusion happen? I havealways been aware of SouthAfricas long and turbulenthistory and politics butduring my long discussionwith Wounter, I realisedthat India and South Africashare so many similaritiesand it was high time toshowcase rich musicaltraditions and culturalheritage of the twocountries.

The commonalitybetween the two nationscan be seen as non-violence

practised by two of thegreatest peace crusadersthe world has ever known.Mahatma Gandhi workedfor Satyagraha in SouthAfrica and Nelson Mandelawas greatly inspired byhim. So, in the album, wehave featured two children.One child is bullying theother one but instead ofresorting to violence thechild tries to settle theissue through peacefulresistance very much likeGandhi did. Gandhi hadsaid an eye for an eyemakes the whole worldblind. We have tried topropagate peace, love andtolerance through thisalbum.

As a producer it musthave been a bold decisionto take up such anexpensive exercise as itinvolved extensive traveland plenty of patience

and perseveranceinteracting withmusicians of differentgenres?

For two years I wastravelling incessantly.Apart from exploring SouthAfrica, I visited multipleIndian cities to get a feel ofthe local music of placeslike the Hindi heartland ofUttar Pradesh. Travellingto Australia, the U.S.,France and Bulgariaentailed heavy expenditureand logistics but I did notsee the project as acommercial proposition butone that would put worldmusic on the centre stage.This was my 14th album andwhatever money I hadearned was put into thisproject.

As a musician how areyou trying to provide ahealing touch to localinhabitants in Gaza?

My heart goes out to allthose suffering people,especially children, in Gaza,which is the largest openair prison. No matter theprovocation, killing of theinnocent cant be justifiedand it is condemnable.Undoubtedly, thePalestinians are sufferingbut my music is for peopleliving on both sides ofGaza. Of course, theintention behind doing thisalbum is to createawareness among thepeople across the globeabout how thousands ofpeople are being killed andhave been made homeless.

Apart from providing ahealing touch, I am usingmusic as an instrument toprovide financial aid andmedical assistance. InAugust, I plan a visit toGaza along with otherartistes featured in thealbum.

Music has its reasons

Grammy award winning composer Ricky Kej is trying to reach out to the world with his music

MUSIC FOR THE EARS Ricky Kej at work

MADHUR TANKHA

RecitalPrashanti Natyalayampresents Bharatanatyamrecital by SandhyaSubramanian disciple ofVasanthi Sridhar. Date: May 2Time: 6.30 p.m.Venue: Triveni Kala Sangam,Tansen Marg, Mandi House,New Delhi

No matter theprovocation, killingof the innocent cantbe justified and it iscondemnable.Undoubtedly, thePalestinians aresuffering but mymusic is for peopleliving on both sidesof Gaza,,

For nearly two decades,Delhi-based duo of GauravRaina and Tapan Raj, betterknown as The MidivalPunditz, have created arevolution of sorts amongmusic lovers, especiallyGeneration X, with theirpulsating new age music. Aselectronica innovators, theduo has managed to createinterest among listeners bydrawing from a variety ofsources from across theplanet. They performed inthe Capital to give a liveperformance of Light, theirfourth full-length studioalbum. Their performance-based concept record is anamalgamation of Westernrock and folk traditions ofIndia. In this album, Gauravhas sung alongside Americanproducer Todd Michaelsen inDont Let Go.

How have theyoungsters responded toyour latest album andwhat is its unique sellingpoint?

Gaurav: We have receiveda very good response. Ourlast gig in Delhi saw a packedhouse. After our last albumHello Hello, we had startedworking on different projectsand decided about two yearsago to write a new album. Westarted the process withmany different ideas andthen we were finallyconvinced about the idea ofdoing a continuous concept-

based album, centredaround a live performance.While writing an album wealways follow an organicthought process and workonly when inspirationstrikes. To preserve a morecohesive chain of thought,we wrote the tracks forLight, one after the other.We made sure that themusicians collaborated withus for each track. We waitedfor them to get into thestudio with us, as and whenpossible. We feel that thealbum has a bigger and moreepic feel than our previouswork.

At the same time thealbum carries our signaturesound and brings forth someof the best folk music fromIndias awesome musicalheritage. We have focussedmore on folk music alongwith our signatureelectronica sound in thisalbum, while in the past ouralbum have had a lot ofclassical influences.

Tell us in detail aboutyour latest album andhow have you made itentertaining?

Tapan: This is our fourthstudio album. When we weremaking the album, we werenot just thinking aboutmaking the songs but alsohow the songs will bepresented live to theaudience. We were thinkinghow the light and visualsequence would add to theentire experience for the

audience. Therefore, Light has

been conceptualised to bepresented live with a fullband, in its entirety with allsongs being performed inthe same flow as in thestudio version. The albumhas strong roots in variousstyles of Indian folk musicand also our signature styleof electronic music. We havecollaborated with verytalented artists from acrossIndia to showcase variousfolk styles such as Carnatic,Rajasthani and UP. Papon,Malini Awasthi, Kutle Khanare some the musicians we

have worked with.We have worked with

Delhi-based duo SantanaIssar and Naasha Mehta,who have created visuals foreach track of the album andthese visuals will bedisplayed on a screen behindthe band during ourperformances. These visualsand also the lightingproduction are in sync withthe music during theperformance. We believe itcreates a more impactfulexperience for our audience.

At a time when the newage music has become arage in metros and in

even small towns how doyou ensure that eachalbum is contemporaryand at the same timelively and pulsating?

Gaurav: We feel, nowthere is much moreacceptance of our style ofmusic and even mostindependent music. This hasresulted in platforms likemusic festivals, radio and tochannels showcasing someof these independent stylesof music. Over the last fewyears, live music has gainedimmense popularity and alot of people are gettingused to the idea of going out

to listen to music playedlive.

When we are writingmusic, we are our own worstcritics and as soon as we feelthat a track that we areworking on, is soundingstock, we immediatelydiscard it and start again.This process continues tillwe are both satisfied that wehave really come up withsomething that we have notdone before. Of course, thetracks bear our signaturestamp musically, but eventhen it should not sounddated and should alwayssound current.

New age musicians The famous Midival Punditz, who havelately created quite a buzz, explainhow they are ensuring that their stuffis lapped up by music lovers

SONOROUS MOMENTS Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj

MADHUR TANKHA

HINDI BELT P2REMEMBERING THE GENIUS

OF NEMICHANDRA JAIN

FOOD SPOT P3EXCELLENT AMBIENCE AND

FOOD WELCOMES PATRONS

AT DIGGIN

FILM REVIEWS P3"GABBAR IS BACK", "SABKI

BAND BAJEGI"

CMYK

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MELANGE THE HINDU Saturday, May 2, 2015 P2NOIDA/DELHI

P2spectrum

When a journalcompleteshalf-a-centuryof its

existence, it is an occasionto celebrate. A celebrationis all the more called for ifthe journal came into beingas a personal initiative of apioneer and managed to notonly survive but also thrivewithout financial assistancefrom the government andits various institutions.Hindi quarterly Natarangis one such journal that isdevoted entirely to theatre.Its the only journal of itskind not only in Hindi butin all other Indianlanguages as well.

Poet-critic NemichandraJain, universally known asNemiji, founded the journalin 1965 and brought it outsinglehandedly withcomplete dedication till hisdemise on March 24, 2005.Since then, his son-in-lawand well-known poet-criticAshok Vajpeyi, anddaughter and Kathakdancer Rashmi Vajpeyi havebeen editing it.

Over the past fivedecades, Natarang haspublished more than 85original scripts of newplays, thus boosting thetheatre scene and making itricher and livelier.

Moreover, it has alsocontributed a great deal tothe evolution of a criticallanguage of theatre, thusreinforcing its theoreticalfoundations.

In the process, it hasstayed away from showingpreference for traditionalor modern theatre.

For Nemiji, Indiantheatre was one integralwhole and he always had aholistic view of the arts andits development.

On its golden jubilee,Natarang came up with ajoint number (97-98) thatfocused on eminent theatrepersonality B. V. Karanth.Its truly a collectors itemand offers a panoramic viewof the genius of Karanth his acting, contribution to

theatre and film music, lovefor Hindi and its literature,penchant for developingregional theatre in Kannadaand other Indian languages,his unique vision as adirector, and his legacy as acultural visionary.

During the early 1980s, Itoo came into close contactwith Karanth through myfriend Prasanna, who had bythis time emerged as one ofthe formidable newdirectorial talents on thetheatre scene.

I had met Karanth earlieraround the time he waschosen to succeed EbrahimAlkazi as Director of theNational School of Drama.Vijay Mohan Singh, a well-

known fiction writer andliterary critic who hadstudied with Karanth at theBanaras Hindu University,had introduced me to himand I was greatly impressedby his simplicity.

The Karanth specialnumber reminded me of asimilar special issue (74-76)of Natarang that focusedon its founder-editor Nemiji

he was one of the sevenlegendary poets who werefeatured in Taar Saptak,the historic collection ofpoetry edited by Agyeya,and about whomMuktibodh had proudlystated: Marxvad maineNemiji se seekha (I learntMarxism from Nemiji).

Nemiji was one of thefounders of IPTA and hadplayed a historic role in thesetting up of the NSD too.He singularly evolved acritical language in Hindi tounderstand, analyse andcommunicate the art oftheatre.

It is a befitting tribute tohim that Natarang is notonly continuing but has alsobeen put up on the internet,thus being available to itspan-Indian readership.

their articles on Nemiji andhis contribution todeveloping a critical idiomof theatre, included the likesof Habib Tanvir, VijayaMehta, Shambhu Mitra,Kunwar Narayan, RajinderNath, Mohan Maharishi,Bhanu Bharti, RamgopalBajaj, Narendra Sharma,Govind Vidyarthi, AsgharWajahat, Vijay Mohan Singhand Nirmala Jain.

It also carried a veryinformative and intimateinterview with Nemijis wifeRekha Jain who herself hadmade a name in the field ofchildrens theatre.

I had the good fortune ofbecoming Nemijis studentfor a short while when hewas teaching drama at theJawaharlal NehruUniversity and drawing up ablueprint for theestablishment of a Centrefor Arts and Aesthetics.

In view of our workculture and academicbureaucracy, it was notsurprising that his planscontinued to gather dust formore than two decades anda School of Arts andAesthetics came into beingafter nearly 25 years. I

was in awe of Nemijialthough he was a verysoft-spoken man whose facewas always lit up by anunderstated smile. To me,

after his death. It was also a collectors

item and had all the bignames of the Indian theatre.The issue opened with along poem on Nemijiwritten by the doyen ofMalayalam theatre KavalamNarayana Pannickerfollowed by an evocativearticle by him.

Those who contributed

Hindi Belt

A hero, backstage and front

The writer is a noted

literary critic

KULDEEP KUMAR

LITERARY GIANTS (Left) Ram Gopal Bajaj, Naseeruddin Shah, Nemichandra Jain, RitaGanguly, Jagmohan and Nirmal Verma at a felicitation ceremony FILE PHOTO: THE HINDU

It is a befitting tribute to him thatNatarang is not only continuing but hasalso been put up on the internet, thusbeing available to its pan-Indian readership,,

History never fails tosurprise us. As it leaps out ofthe walls at 1AQ at QutubMinar roundabout inMehrauli, one gets glimpseof life in colonial India.Culture and traditions, dailylives, different caste,professions, monuments,scenic countryside, favouritepastime of British officersare compellinglydocumented by artists likeWilliam and ThomasDaniell, Solvyn, MortimerMenpes, Dottor Ferrarioand others.

Titled An IndianKaleidoscope, theexhibition featureslithographs, woodengravings, steel plateengravings from thecollection of GautamN.Sabharwal, who intends toraise funds for the PranSabharwal Foundation,which he formed in 2007 inthe memory of notedjournalist and father PranSabharwal. Gautam, foralmost 28 years, has beencollecting lithographs andantiquarian books from

which most of the art worksexhibited in the show, havebeen taken out. Accordingto me, what the British did interms of documentation wasphenomenal because theyportrayed reality as it iswithout any frills andadditions, says Gautam,who has thrown open hiscollection to public for thefirst time.

Daniells Thomas andWilliam the uncle nephewteam of landscape artistswho travelled across Indiacapturing its various sights.Among various spectacularworks they produced duringtheir sojourns, there wasOriental Annual withwhich the exhibition starts.From 1834 to 1839, Daniellsproduced eight OrientalAnnuals and I have all eightof them plus two moreproduced by Hobart andanother one in America.These annuals weredocumentation of thecountry in which a workwould be accompanied by awrite-up written by them,says Gautam, who revealsthat as there was no way ofintroducing colour to a print

while it was being made, itwas coloured later.

The Intellect and Valourof Britain is a hand-coloured engravingdepicting an impressivearray of influentialpersonalities of Britain likeLord Macaulay, poet LordTennyson and CharlesDickens. Thats how youfind two names in each andevery print because it ispainted by one and engravedby another like this onewhich was engraved byCharles G. Lewis andpainted by T. J. Barker,explains Gautam.

A statuesque but arealistic portrayal of a partof the palace in Fort ofAllahabad features in thissection along withengravings of Ajanta andEllora and portrait ofGaekwad besides others.

Then there are fascinatinghunting scenes in thecountryside taken from thebook Oriental Field Sportspainted by CaptainWilliamson which haveengravings titled like Thechase after a hog. Thecountryside and the

opportunity in terms ofleisure and entertainment itoffered to the colonialmasters are depictedbeautifully by the artist.

What must have been aserious attempt atdocumenting the daily life ofa professional at that timecan be viewed as Britishvanity and exploitation ofthe locals in the illustrationsof Curry and Rice. ABritish doctor and his wife, amagistrate and his wife andothers in the settings of theirhomes carrying on with theirdaily lives and surroundedwith domestic turns out tobe quite funny. Althougheach piece is a revelation, a1930 poster of Visit India isone of the most interestingexhibit. Just imagine Indiawas being promoted as atourist destination at thattime. There was somethingcalled the Indian StateRailways and it had an officeat Madison Avenue in NewYork, says Gautam, whoremembers buying the workfrom someone in Shimla.While he intends to sell offsmaller pieces, bigger workslike these would remain with

him. Frans Balthazar Solvyns

documentation of caste andprofessions in 1730 is anintriguing affair too.

His documentation ofBrahmun, Vaish,Sounnar-Banyah withsubtle but crucialdifferences in facial featuresis quite special.

He is one of the earliestrecorders of caste in India,says Gautam. His study ofhookahs, production ofsugarcane, cotton and indigogive an insight into theeconomy of those times.Rare maps, study of theIslamic art, Durbars ofDelhi, Bengal Famine, asdepicted in some Frenchpublications are also onview.

(The exhibition is on at1AQ, Qutub MinarRoundabout, MehrauliRoad, till May 17)

Gaze at colonial India

Some rare prints, giving insight into the colonial period of India asdocumented by the British, are on display in the Capital

SHAILAJA TRIPATHI

VIGNETTES FROM HISTORY An illustration from LloydsSketches of Indian Life published in 1890 (left); and a

Visit India poster

Many summers ago PrabhuDeva won over the Hindi beltaudiences with his magicaldance moves in the songMuqabla Muqabla in thefilm Hum Se Hai Muqabala.Since then he has beenknown for his electric speedon the dance floor. Morerecently a film ABCD AnyBody Can Dance showcasednot only the actors dancingability but also his charismawhich was loved by theyoungsters.Incidentally, itwas Indias first ever 3Ddance film and its fans havereason to be happy as thesequel to it is will be releasedin June 19. Besides PrabhuDeva, it stars Varun Dhawanand Shraddha Kapoor in thelead and has been producedby Disney India and directedby ace choreographer RemoDSouza.

The film relates a real lifestory of a Mumbai-baseddance group which findsglobal fame after winning theworld hip-hop championshipin Las Vegas. Disney India isplanning to extend thecinematic experience to a

television show on itsyouth channel Bindass; adance inspired game andbranded merchandise.

Speaking on this, SiddharthRoy Kapur, ManagingDirector, Disney India, said:Globally Disney has

created some of the biggestfranchises, and we areexcited to have nowdeveloped our first trulylocal franchise with danceat its core. Along withwitnessing the danceextravaganza on the bigscreen, fans can also own apiece of the film with coolABCD merchandise.

We have tied-up withVoxpop clothing for anexclusive branded range ofapparel and accessoriesaround the movie.

In addition to this,Indiagames, Disney Indiasgaming arm will bedeveloping a rhythm-basedgame where fans canengage with their favouritemovie characters and dance

their feet off on theirmobile phones.

He adds, Disney isabout family and if youwant to make a familyentertainer, it should comestraight from the heart.You have to have a lovefor it. I grew up watchingmovies. I watched everymovie possible in the 70sand 80s. When Remonarrated the concept wewere really impressed andwent through itsuccessfully, now we havethe ABCD 2 and we wouldlove to produce ABCD 3also.

Remo says, ABCD as aconcept is and will alwaysremain close to my heartas it allowed me to exploremy passion for direction,along with dance.

The phenomenalresponse to the film mademe realize the significanceof dance in the hearts andminds of audiences inIndia. With a promise of atelevision show, brandedmerchandise and a game, Iam extremely delighted tobe a part of this danceinspired franchise.

Dance of the alphabet

Time for ABCD all over again

PACKAGE DEAL The cast and crew of ABCD 2

S.M. AAMIR

Remo says, ABCDas a concept is andwill always remainclose to my heart asit allowed me toexplore my passionfor direction, alongwith dance. ,,

Launchpad

T-shirtsKeeping in mind thepopularity of Avengers, thesuperheroes Numero Uno isoffering an exclusivesuperhero T-shirt range.With a tie-up with Marveland DC Comics, the brand isoffering the printed T-shirtsof Hulk, Iron Man, CaptainAmerica and othercharacters from the series.Priced at Rs.899, these areavailable at all Numero Unojeanswear outlets acrossthe country and also onnumerounostore.com

Prep razorParamount Surgimed Ltdhas introduced paraprepdisposable prep razor forclean shaving and smoothpre-operational proceduresfor hospitals. It claims thatthe unique and easyfunctional design of theproduct encompasses thehealthcare sectorsrequirements and value thesafety and hygiene forpreoperative preparationsbesides being cost effective,clean to use and meant forsingle use only. Priced atRs.30.

Ice teasWagh Bakri Tea Group thissummer has launched itsrange of ice teas. Availablein three refreshing flavoursof lemon, orange and peachthese are claimed to beenriched with plenty ofantioxidants and pureflavours, with the formergiving an instant rush ofenergy. The premix offersgreat convenience as theuser just needs to emptythe sachet in a vessel andthen add cold water with orwithout ice cubes. Thelemon flavour in 25 gm and250 gm sachet whereasother flavours are availablein 25 gm sachet.

Face washHimalaya Herbals hasentered the sachet marketby introducing purifyingneem face wash in a 5 mlsachet pack. It is priced atRs. 5 it is an innovativedispensing mechanism,which is user friendly andconvenient for repeatedusage.

Wouter Kellerman, thefamous South Africanflautist, is on a cloud high.His first association withRicky Kej has not onlyyielded him the highestaccolade a musician cravesfor but also become aninternationally acclaimedmusician.

Describing his experienceof working with Ricky Kej,Kellerman says, Ricky hasbeen amazing to work with very creative as well as superwell organised a very rarecombination of qualities! Weshare similar sensibilitieswhen it comes to makingmusic, which made it easy toconnect and communicate,even when we were ondifferent continents. I loved

creating new music with himand am looking forward tomore exciting projectstogether. Highlighting thecommon elements betweenSouth Africa and India, theflautist says, MahatmaGandhi developed his ideasof peaceful resistance inSouth Africa and NelsonMandela was very muchinfluenced by those ideas.These ideas have had aprofound influence in thehistory of both countries, sothere is a very strong linkbetween India and SouthAfrica when it comes tonon-violence. It is onlynatural that these ideasreflect on the music of bothcountries, and Ricky and Ifeel very privileged to havehad the opportunity to shinea light on these ideas.

Delightful duo

MADHUR TANKHA

TOGETHER WE SHINE Wouter Kellerman with Ricky Kej

CMYK

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MELANGE THE HINDU Saturday, May 2, 2015 P3NOIDA/DELHI

P3variety

The other day, I madehay while the sunshone. I mean, Istruck while the

iron was hot. To explain inplain English, we had to gofor a series of eye tests to ahospital in south Delhi. Andin between two tests, wetootled off to a restaurantthat I had never been to and never heard of.

It started like this. We hadthis window between 7 p.mand 10 p.m. My brother-in-law suggested that we usethose hours for dining out.We had to go somewhere inthe neighbourhood of thehospital, and he suggestedthat we try out Diggin on SiriFort Road. The address isAnand Lok Shopping centre,opposite Gargi College(Phone numbers: 011-40800081 and 33105376). Itis very easy to find, for themarket is small, and the placeis lit up with fairy lights. Ihad seen it once whilepassing through, found itvery cheery, but didnt knowit was a restaurant.

Diggin, in one word, islovely. First, the place is socheerful that it actually liftsyour mood. A swingwelcomes you in. There arelights everywhere includinga trail of lit-up cages thatshow the way up. You can siton the ground floor, on thefirst floor or on a small openbalcony. There is an openkitchen in the centre of therestaurant, where you cansee your food getting readied.Second, the staff is cheerfuland smiling. Third, the foodis excellent. And finally, theprices are most reasonable.

We asked for a Digginspecial salad apples androasted beetroot dressedwith honey, chillies and amint vinaigrette and toppedwith feta cheese (Rs.215).The brother-in-law had agrilled river sole, with a limesauce, served with green

beans, fennel and mashedpotatoes (Rs.445). I knewwhat I wanted the moment Iopened the menu card anall-pork sandwich withbacon, ham and porksausages on grilled ciabattabread (Rs.375). My betterthree-fourths thought shedhave the rosemary grilledchicken (Rs.375) but saw thepizzas being baked in theoven in the kitchen, anddecided to have a wheat-based pizza with bacon, dicedonions, fresh arugula leavesand mozzarella cheese(Rs.375).

Each and every dish wasexcellent. The helpings arehuge (we had to carry halfthe sandwich and the pizza ina doggy bag), and theingredients are fresh and

plentiful. My sandwich, forinstance, was packed withpork. The fish was fresh andwell grilled, the sauce wasdelicious and the greenveggies turned it into abalanced meal. We were sofull at the end of it thatdespite the alluring dessertmenu, we decided to call it aday.

The menu has all kinds ofdishes from interestingsalads to burgers lamb,citrus chicken and so on(Rs.345-375). The next time Iam there, I shall have theirslow cooked lamb shanksserved with rosemaryinfused roasted babypotatoes (Rs.395). Forvegetarians, there is a widechoice too a four-cheesespecial pizza (Rs.345),

eggplant parmigiana (grilledeggplant layered with tomatobasil sauce, mozzarella andparmesan cheese (Rs.325)and polenta gratin with bellpepper and tomato basilsauce (Rs.345).

This is a place you mustvisit even if you dont haveto undergo an eye test in the

neighbourhood. My friendsin South Delhi notablyChandru, Indu and Muraliwho are forever complainingabout my east Delhi tilt should be happy. At last Ihave found something insouth Delhi that deserves asecond visit. And a third,fourth and fifth...

Food Spot

Do dig in at DigginRAHUL VERMA

Rahul Verma is a

seasoned street food

connoisseur

AMBIENCESO RIGHTDiggin

restaurant

serves some

lovely and

reasonably

priced food

PHOTOS:

HRISHIKESH

BHATT

Dahi ke sholay is a specialrecipe belonging to Awadh.Savouring of hung curdhaving light spices, it isserved with green corianderor mint chutney. It is alsoknown as dahi ke kabab insome places.

Dahi Ke Sholay (Yoghurtpatties)IngredientsHung curd - 250 gramsRoasted gram powdered - 1

1/2 tablespoonsRed chilli powder - 2

teaspoonsGreen cardamom powder -

1 tablespoonCinnamon powder- 1/2

teaspoonBlack pepper powder - 1/2

teaspoonPure ghee - 4 tablespoonsOnion thinly sliced - 1

mediumGarlic ground - 2-3 clovesClove powder - 1/4

tablespoonSalt to tasteMethodPlace the hung curd in a

bowl. Add the roasted grampowder, salt, one teaspoon,chilli powder, half a teaspooncardamom powder, one-fourth teaspoon cinnamonpowder and one-fourthteaspoon pepper powder andmix well. Divide into 20

equal portions. Moisten yourhands and make patties ofeven shape. Heat oneteaspoon in the grill pan andplace five dahi sholay, withlittle space between each ofthem.

Fry it till the underside islight golden brown. Flip overgently, drizzle one teaspoonghee all around and fry tillboth the sides are equallygolden. Drain and set aside.Heat three teaspoons ghee inanother non-stick pan andfry onion till golden brown.Drain on absorbent paperand grind to a paste. Heatremaining ghee in the pan,add garlic, remaining chillipowder, fried ground onions,clove powder, remainingcardamom powder,cinnamon powder, pepperpowder and the salt, andsaut till the ghee separates.

Add the kababs and gentlymix into the masala. Serveimmediately with pudina ormint chutney.

The right crunch

This crunchy dish with deliciousyoghurt filling qualifies as a perfect starter

Gurmeet Bhatia is Regional

Chef, Pind Balluchi. He has

been mentored for four years

by late master chef Ghulam

Rasool. Under his guidance,

Gurmeet specialised in

classical North-Indian

cuisine at the then hotel

Inter-Continental now known

as The Lalit. He has also

worked at Taj Air Caterers

Commissary and the Taj

Palace Inter-Continental

Hotel.

Chef's corner

Last week's answer:

Ashish Nehra

Parvathy Raveendranof Sarojini Nagar NewDelhi, wins a prize.

Guess Who

One lucky readerreceives a special prizefrom Sting every week.

Who is this well-known face?Write in to delhimetroplus@gmail.com with your

name, address and telephone number.

topical. And the inherentmessage we have to actagainst the corrupt presentin our families andimmediate neighbourhoodto prevent the rise of aGabbar does ring a bell.

Unlike Murugadoss, Krishfails to keep the momentumgoing. The script cries for anupdate. In 2002, when theoriginal hit the screens, thevillain could openly boastabout his illegitimate linksin the system but these dayshis bragging is recorded as aproof against him. There arebarren stretches wherescreeching backgroundsound and Suman Talwarfail to provide a solidcounterpoint. He is too coldfor a film brimming withcolour. Rajat Arora hasgiven him interestingpunch-lines to please thegalleries but still he provesno match for Akshay whowins the duel hands downwith his high-pitchedperformance. JaideepAhlawat and Sunil Groverdo justice to their limited

GABBAR IS

BACK

Genre: Action/DramaDirector: KrishCast: Akshay Kumar, ShrutiHaasan, Suman Talwar,Jaideep Ahlawat, SunilGrover

Gabbar is back under thedirection of Krish. It soundslike some superhero combo.It indeed is. Krish has givenGabbar the power to reducethe corrupt forces in thesociety to pulp. Gabbar is ateacher, an aam aadmi calledAditya, who teaches gravityand then defies it by bouncingthe bribe seekers and theirmentors against the groundwhen he is pushed into acorner by the corrupt system.

The film talks of corruption

but it doesnt hesitate toutilise a cult character andhis timeless punch-lines tofurther its interest. Itcouldnt resist the stockitem number either. As aresult the high moral groundthat it takes quickly dwarfs.Like any other massentertainer it aspires to milkpeoples discontent byproviding poetic justice intwo hours flat.

Making Gabbar the herois strong statement on thetimes we live in but the kindof vigilantism that the filmcasually promotes till theclimax is dangerous. Aremake of Tamil hitRamanna, the tone isobviously sledge hammerwhere everything isoveremphasised andexaggerated. In the original

it was Vijaykanth, here abearded Akshay Kumar isthe captain of the ship.Akshay literally towerseverybody in the film andhis earthy swagger reflectseven in a romantic number.It might irritate thediscerning but for the fansof Khiladi Kumar it is theultimate kick.

The original was writtenand directed by A.R.Murugadoss. He is thecreative force responsiblefor a smooth transition ofmasala flicks from south tonorth with films like Ghajiniand Holiday. Here you cansense his shadow for all thehigh voltage dramaemanates from realisticissues. The comment onrampant corruption inprivate hospitals is loud but

roles as policemen out tohunt Gabbar with the briefthat Akshay should not betouched. However, the trackbetween Shruti Haasan andAkshay fails to provide thefireworks. Shruti has anendearing screen presencebut is short changed by astock character graph of a

bubbly girl who doesntknow what the man in herlife is up to. Similarly, theflash back with KareenaKapoor is treated with aheavy hand. It is too glossyto create an emotionalcatapult for the audience toside with Gabbar. No suchproblems when it comes to

using Chitrangadha Singh,as Krish creates an itemsong which will leave thetarget audience swooning.

However, despite all thereminders of subversionthat he is Gabbar and notGandhi what one reallymisses is the moral dilemmaof a teacher who involves

his students in a missionwhere the corrupt arehanged from the lamp postswithout any judicial probe.Nobody asks him why is heturning his personal revengeinto a mass movementwithout knocking at thedoors of court and themedia? From creating hisown code name to themodus operandi to decidinghis fate, Gabbar decideseverything on his ownreducing it to a one-manshow. It is one thing tounleash one-man army on alarger than life villain butquite another on somethingas real as corruption. Wehave seen the implicationsduring recent events.

A corrupt influence?

Bottomline:It has come at a time whenthe remake business hastouched a plateau. Had itcome in its infancy Gabbarwould not have soundedgabble.

Film Reviews

SABKI BAND

BAJEGI

Genre: Adult comedyDirector: Aniruddh ChawlaCast: Sumeet Vyas, SwaraBhaskar, Shaurya Chauhan,Alekh Sangal

Promoted as a reality filmon the intimate details of therich and famous in the filmindustry, it turns out to be aploy to attract the gullible. Agroup of friends get togetherto talk about their sex livesand slowly their dirty secretstumble out. DirectorAniruddh Chawla tries toequate them with the popularBollywood troupes. It soundsinteresting but the way it isprojected turns out to bepredictable and puerile. If

there is another woman in arelationship, cut to theposter of Silsila.

Contraceptives are chewedto evoke humour,homosexuals are judged byfloral prints and how they lifttheir legs, and theories arepropounded to justify openmarriage and casting couch.No sentence is completewithout a cuss word or areference to the private partsbut here everything haspassed through CBFCsselective sieve.

Aniruddh wants to makeus believe that lust is the newlove and that words like

fidelity in a relationship areoverrated but he doesnthave the tools to turn it intosomething cogent, leaveaside comic. He talks ofincest and the dangers ofunsafe sex to give it a seriouslayering but the way he hasincorporated them remindsof a hurriedly put togetherchat show whereparticipants are paid to cryon screen.

Such a bawdy show

Bottomline:Brazen and bizarre, it is aband gone off key.

ANUJ KUMAR

CMYK

ND-ND

MELANGE THE HINDU Saturday, May 2, 2015 P4NOIDA/DELHI

P4