Bhawana Somaaya

In the olden days it was unthinkable for a common man to speak against a super star but not any longer. Mumbai corporate Janak Sanghvi has written an open letter to the Municipal Commissioner why the road outside Shah Rukh Khan’s home has been taken up for repair when so many neglected roads used by almost 10 lakh pedestrians everyday has not received attention for over 10 years? There is a possibility that Shah Rukh has got the road mended of his own expense but of course Sanghvi will not bother to investigate.

It is fashionable today to be blasphemous. It appeared so at Bhaidas Auditorium showing Umesh Shukla directed and Bhavesh Mandlia written Gujarati play Kanjee Viruddha Kanjee. Sachin Khedekar’s sparkling performance brought back memories of a hugely successful Hindi film Ye Jo Hai Zindagi starring Sanjeev Kumar in conversation with Lord Krishna. The plot is to an extent similar but with a contemporary twist. Sachi Khedekar plays an agnostic and defies the concept of a deity. The interesting part of the play is the ending. Writer Mandalia ends his story on a cynical note. I would attribute the success of the play to a progressive audience and would strongly recommend Amitabh Bachchan to play Kanji.

It has been an unusually busy month for Amitabh Bachchan. First the promotion of Alladin, his weekend episode shootings of Big Boss at Lonavala followed by the 102 birthday celebration of his father Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan at Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan and finally the release celebrations of Paa.

Jaya Bachchan explained that the family was to celebrate Dr Bachchan’s centenary year on a grand scale out of the country but that did not happen for certain reasons so when Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan invited them to celebrate a musical evening in memory of the late poet the family came together for a tribute. ‘Bachchan Sandhya’ was an evening to remember comprising song and poetry recitation by Jaya and Amitabh. Old friend Viju Shah provided the music and family friend and poetess Pushpa Bharati moderated the show. Pushpaji and Amitabh through candid conversations revealed rare moments and insights into the man and the poet.

The evening released a redesigned translation of senior Bachchan’s Madhushala into English along with the Devnagri script and by Amitabh’s brother Ajitabh Bachchan’s elder daughter Namrata Bachchan.

As expected the function started and ended on time without a single technical or human snag. The stage was done up in white lilies and all the members of the family dressed in shades of off white. It was a unique show of utmost dignity, grace and unmatched talent. The guest list comprised distinguished writers and artistes and also familiar faces like Tina, Kokilaben Ambani, Amar Singh and Jaya Prada.

The media was present in full attendance and provided a cordoned area to park their cameras. All precautions were observed to avoid a stampede and a traffic jam.

It is amazing what star status can do to a product.
A month ago Kreate conceived a website for me and a few days later, I began writing a blog like many others wherein I expressed my views and opinions. It was a new role that called for a new mind frame. The endeavor called for commitment and responsibility. I would say it was extremely difficult and also very easy because unlike writing for a newspaper/ magazine which is territorial there is instant feedback from readers who either agree or disagree with the comments.
In a strange way the website world is like the theatre world where the performer is instantly applauded or condemned by his audience. Also just in the way the theatre has some good shows and some bad shows, the blog site has some memorable and some forgettable columns.
I was writing my weekly posts but not many people knew about it then on day seven my lucky number a miracle happened. Amitabh Bachchan reproduced my column on his blog and ever since it has been raining reactions.
Naman Shah, the brain behind my blog called to say that I had crossed 500 hits in two days and more were on the way. “It is a big victory,” he said “and all credit goes to Big B.”
I agree.
***
Among the many reactions I received on the mail one anguished letter that needs mention is Kunal Baikunth Singh, an Executive Committee member of IFTDA. He is pained at what is happening in the association and pleads support from the media. Singh suspects foul play in the functioning of the Association and informs that the members have decided to voice protest in a public meeting on June 11…
The letter is written in Hindi and there is a possibility that I have missed out on some vital information but there is definitely more to the story than meets the eye. I would like to support you Mr Singh but not unless I’m completely convinced of the crisis.
May be it is time to stay calm and gather yourself…to introspect and find a solution. There is always a way of resolving the worst of crisis.
***
In the previous blog I wrote about the musicals I visited in London. Besides these three enriching stage shows I was privileged to be a part of a very special, quiet and dignified event in London.
Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan UK was celebrating a cultural week and had on the closing ceremony invited me to speak about my translation work-Krishna-The God who lived as Man from Kajal Oza Vaidya’s Krishnaayan in Gujarati.
It was an enlightening evening that started with a Kathak performance in praise of the deity performed by the students of Abhay Shankar Mishra, teacher at Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan.
The event was ably chaired by Subhanu Saxena, President and Ceo, Novartis UK Ltd who is well versed with mythology and Krishna. As the author I spoke about what inspired me to attempt my first translation and how different the experience was compared to writing my eight cinema books.
Shabana Azmi who launched the book with Rani Mukherjee when it was first released in Bombay last year (that time she read passages of the book with director Ashutosh Gowariker) was shooting in London for Gurinder Chadha’s It’s Wonderful Afterlife for the last two months participated in the function and once again charmed the audience in her strong and powerful voice.
Javed Akhtar who was on a holiday visiting his wife shared the podium and recalled some amusing anecdotes while writing bhajans for films. He had the audience spell bound when he spoke about the magic and mystique of Krishna.
For a week-day evening in London it was a packed auditorium filled with admirers of Shabana and Javed Akhtar incidentally voted the Best Couple in Bollywood in a poll conducted by the Bharatmatrimony.com.
Dr Nandkumara, Executive Director of Bhavan Centre, the moving force behind the event, a Sanskrit scholar and a PhD in Krishna welcomed the guests with shlokas from Bhagwat Gita and concluded the evening on a warm, earnest note.
The fragrance of the evening and the sentiments shared by the audience in the room were so special that they lingered for days to come…

Bhawana Somaaya